The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time

Chapters

Chapter 1: Leaving the Sacred Forest to explore the World
Chapter 2: To Meet the Princess
Chapter 3: The Unicorn and the Pony
Chapter 4: Beginnings of Revelations
Chapter 5: Darkness of the Graveyard....
Chapter 6: Of Masks, Sonatas, and Gorons
Chapter 7: An Unexpected Duo
Chapter 8: Dazzle of the Great Fairy
Chapter 9: Episode of Sidequests
Chapter 10: Up the River
Chapter 11: The Message of the Lake
Chapter 13: In the Belly of the Fish
Chapter 14: Death of a King
Chapter 15: The Gerudo named Derpy, and the Encroaching Darkness
Chapter 16: The Fate of Sunset Shimmer
Chapter 17: Seven Years have Passed, and so much has Changed
Chapter 18: Gravekeeper's Ghost
Chapter 19: Steed of the Unicorn
Chapter 20: The Saving of a Ranch, and the Plight of a Forest
Chapter 21: Temple of the Dark Forest
Chapter 22: Challenge of the Stalfos
Chapter 23: Phantom of the King
Chapter 24: Secrets Revealed
Chapter 25: The Missing Tribe
Chapter 26: Darkness of the Heart
Chapter 27: The Shimmer of the Inferno
Chapter 28: Dancing Shimmer
Chapter 29: Shimmer inside of the Dragon's Lair
Chapter 30: Finishing Up Loose Ends
Chapter 31: Frozen Water Domain
Chapter 34: The Waterless Lake.
Chapter 35: The Temple of the Submerged Grounds
Chapter 36: Lost Underwater
Chapter 37: The Darkness of Sunset Shimmer
Chapter 38: End of the Darkness?
Chapter 39: Cursed Water
Chapter 40: Broken Armour
Chapter 41: The Burning Village
Chapter 42: Returning to the Past, and Below the Well
Chapter 43: To See the Truth that Lies Beyond
Chapter 44: Re-visiting the Past
Chapter 45: Into the Infinite Darkness
Chapter 46: Demonic Magical Duels
Chapter 48: Shadow of the Ancient Vessel
Chapter 49: Drumming of the Shadow Beast
Chapter 50: Quest of the Biggoron
Chapter 51: The Strongest Blade
Chapter 52: The Shimmer Thief
Chapter 53: Rescue and Survival
Chapter 54: To Become Accepted, and the Training
Chapter 55: The Cursed Desert
Chapter 56: Temple of the Inner Self
Chapter 57: The Lone-Wolf Thief
Chapter 58: Spiritual Adventure
Chapter 60: To Have Control
Chapter 61: Shadow of the Spirit
Chapter 62: Shield of the Sun
Chapter 63: The Iron Rainbow
Chapter 64: A Clash of Magic
Chapter 65: The Last Legend
Chapter 66: Castle of the Dark Lord
Chapter 67: Dark Trials
Chapter 68: The Other Trials of Darkness
Chapter 69: Charging into the Tower
Chapter 70: The Final Showdown Between Light and Dark
Chapter 71: Madness and Escape
Chapter 72: The Final Battle?
Epilogue: The Dark Lord and the Return Home
Bonus Chapter 1: Mask of Darkness
Bonus Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Future
Bonus Chapter 3: Fate of the Dark Lord
Bonus Chapter 4: Legend of the Creators
Prologue: The Beginning of an old yet new Legend
Chapter 12: An Ill-fated Meeting and a Fated Meeting
Chapter 32: Into the Deep Freeze
Chapter 33: Treasure of the Frozen Cave
Chapter 47: Trials of the Shadows
Chapter 59: The Living Armour and the Desert Fate

Chapter 1: Leaving the Sacred Forest to explore the World

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 11, 2014
Chapter 1: Leaving the Sacred Forest to explore the World

You would think that I would've heard the sounds of a plant rising up behind me in an effort to bite my head right? Then you have thought correctly because I just barely managed to hear it before I whipped around, and confronted what I originally thought to be a harmless plant. Just as it was striking towards me, I managed to jump to the left to avoid getting hit. I then turned to Spike to see if he would know what to do. " Okay Spike, this plant wasn't moving earlier, and now it's trying to attack me, so what exactly should I do here?"

" I would tell you to use your sword to attack and your shield for defence, but you chose to come in here without them all because you had no idea how to use a sword. So, unless you have some other means of attack, you might as well just run away from this Deku Baba, and avoid all future encounters with monsters," replied Spike.

" You want me to just run away?" I asked.

" You have nothing to fight it with, and I don't want to see you meet with a terrible fate having only just started this journey. Running away right now is the best course of action you can take Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike. Running away....being unable to do anything....hearing those words wounded my heart because that is all I did during these past months at Canterlot High. All I ever did was run away from my problems without confronting them.

I refuse to run away from this problem as that would be accepting defeat, and my friends would never forgive me if I just gave up. Then I realized that I had my magic, but would it even work in this world? I began to concentrate hard in order to conjure up the magic within me, and fire appeared in my hands. This shocked me so much that I threw the fire, and it struck the plant causing it to burst into flames and burning to a cinder. Spike was just as shocked as I was when he saw what had just happened. " Where in the world did that come from?"

" That was my own magical powers," I answered.

" Didn't you say a while ago that you had magic deep inside you?" asked Spike.

" That's right. In the world where I come from, Equestria, magic is used by unicorns of which I am one, so because of that, using magic is pretty much second nature although I was expecting it to come from my head instead of my hands. That's why I reacted the way that I did," I replied before realizing that I was a human instead of a unicorn.

I guessed that Spike was going to quickly laugh at me, or even worse question what I had said, so I had to quickly explain it to him before he could say anything. " Back in Equestria, I used my horn to cast magic, but since I came to live in the human world, I couldn't use magic until I was able to via a transformation which gives me pony ears and a pony tail extending down from the back of my hair."

" Oh yes! The whole 'I'm from another world' bit," moaned Spike.

" You don't believe me?" I asked.

" I actually do find that hard to believe, and I especially can't imagine you having once been a unicorn. I'm sorry if I don't believe you Sunset Shimmer, but at the very least I've accepted you wanting to be called that instead of Link," replied Spike. So he didn't believe that I was once a unicorn from Equestria, but he was accepting of my name.

As I made my way through the inside of the Great Deku Tree, I encountered more Deku Babas as Spike called them, but they posed no trouble to me since I used my magic to deal with them although I was still having trouble due to it coming from my hands. Eventually, I had reached a room which contained a treasure chest, and my intuition told me that there was something within it that I just had to have.

" You know Sunset Shimmer, seeing you use magic is certainly different because you are the first Kokiri to have ever displayed such a talent. Most of the other children prefer to use Deku Sticks, Deku Nuts, and the occasional slingshot, but you have set a new level by using magic. I'm actually very impressed by it," said Spike.

" Then does that mean?" I asked.

" That I believe your story? Sorry, but I just can't accept the fact that you claim to be a unicorn from a magical world instead of a Kokiri who has spent her entire life living in the forest. I can accept the fact however, that you are quite gifted when it comes to magic. I'm not sure when you were able to find the time to learn magic in the forest, but it's serving you well in place of a sword and shield," replied Spike. He then noticed that I was looking really sad over the fact that he wasn't able to see the truth. " Look, I know that you are upset over me not believing your story, and it makes me upset knowing that you are upset. So maybe we should just forget about it for a while, and focus on what is at stake; namely fulfilling the task of the Great Deku Tree."

" How can I simply forget?" I asked.

" You will once you realize that you have to remove that parasite, and that the Great Deku Tree is counting on you to complete that task. It's not like I'm asking you to forget about it forever as I know that is something you just can't bring yourself to doing. Why don't we bring this up again once we've finished here? That should make you feel a lot better right?" asked Spike. That won't make me feel any better since he refuses to believe that this is not my world, but I wasn't about to be deterred from getting through to him as well as Fluttershy.

Upon reaching the chest and opening it, I came into the possession of what appeared to be a slingshot, or rather a Fairy Slingshot as Spike corrected me. Should I have felt insulted that I was holding a weapon made for a child whereas I was a teenager? Perhaps, but right now I wasn't really in a position to argue about something so trivial. By taking this slingshot with me, I was able to make my way through the Great Deku Tree by hitting various switches with what Spike called Deku Seeds....was everything in this forest aside from the Kokiri named Deku something? My question would be proven right a little further when I chanced upon yet another plant.

" Who would've thought that one of you forest children would find their way down here."

" You....you can talk?" I asked.

" Eh? You're telling me that you are surprised that I am able to speak your language? That's the first time a Kokiri has had a reaction like that to a Deku Scrub....I don't know if this is some kind of joke, or if you're really clueless about the fact that I can talk."

" It would be the second reason in my case because I'm not a Kokiri," I said.

" Not a Kokiri? You're wearing the green clothing of those forest kids, so you obviously must be one of them. I have something very important to tell you which will prove useful, but I'll only share it with you if you can answer a few questions. Answer them all and I will help you, but fail a single one and you're on your own," said the Deku Scrub.

" I'm not trying to be funny!" I shouted.

" First question! What kind of items can you find inside this tree by cutting the shrubbery?" asked the Deku Scrub.

" Well, since I use magic instead of a sword, I can't exactly cut the shrubbery, but to answer your question, it would be seeds for some reason, and on some occasions nuts if you are lucky enough. Ummmm....is there something wrong?" I asked.

" You used magic? Are you being serious? I have the right mind to just leave you and let you figure things out on your own," replied the Deku Scrub.

" But I did use magic!" I protested.

" Prove it!" shouted the Deku Scrub. I wished that he hadn't asked me to do that, but I showed off my magic which caused him to react exactly as I knew he would. Upon seeing that my magic was fire based, and that he was made of wood, the plant wound up being set on fire which is not the way I wanted this next part to happen. I had been a bit on the willing side to answer his questions, but his seeing my magic quickly made him change his mind.

" Yeeooowwch! I had no idea that you were capable of using fire! Fire is really bad for a Deku Scrub like me as I can simply burn away to ashes. I'm sorry that I thought that you were trying to trick me, but now I see that you are someone to be feared! I'll forego the rest of the questions and just tell you what you need to know because I don't want to be burned. In order to deal the finishing blow to Queen Gohma who resides just beyond this door, attack her while she is stunned.

That slingshot you have there should prove to be very useful, but I'd say that your magic will be the most effective. The queen is an arachnid and doesn't tolerate fire all that well. Oh Queenie? Sorry about spilling the beans, but my own life is more important than yours is!" The Deku Scrub then began to hop away as fast as he was able to leaving Spike and myself alone.

" You did it Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" He said that I was someone to be feared....that isn't how I want people to view me. I didn't know that he was going to react to my magic in that fashion, and now he has left with the impression that I am some kind of bully who enjoys using her magic to intimidate people. This is exactly what I had to go through back at C.H.S where the students saw me as a bully, and both feared and loathed my very existence. Why is it that in this world, I'm being forced to endure the same problems all over again? I asked myself.

I knew that I wasn't going to get any kind of answer from Spike because he wouldn't believe me, so I chose to keep these thoughts to myself rather than sharing them with him. Upon entering the door, Spike and I found ourselves in a large room with only the darkness, and a strange scraping sound on the ceiling keeping us company. The lack of light wasn't a problem for me, but that noise was which made me
wonder just what I was going to be up against.

" Sunset Shimmer," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" You might want to get your magic ready, or the Fairy Slingshot at least," replied Spike.

" Why?" I asked.

" If you look right above you, I think you'll see why," replied Spike. I looked up just as he said, and my face turned white, for I was staring straight into the face of some kind of giant spider which had a large eye in the middle of the body. This must be the parasite that the Great Deku Tree told me to defeat in order to break the curse, but he never said anything about having to deal with something so big. " You might want to get out of the way now." Spike said as the spider dropped to the ground and proceeded to run after me. " Are you trying to run away from a problem again? You easily dealt with those Deku Babas and the Gohma Larvae in the rooms above, so why can't you do the same here?"

" This thing is much bigger than those other creatures were," I replied.

" Okay, that is actually a good point you make, but that's not what I'm getting at. You struggled before because you had no weapons with which to fight, and you didn't exactly know how your magic was going to work. You've gotten better since then, so the thought of you running away now is nothing short of embarrassing. So stop running away and face Queen Gohma right now, and prove yourself to the Great Deku Tree. Since that Deku Scrub said something about stunning the queen, I have a feeling that giant eye is most likely the weak point you need to hit," said Spike.

" And how do I hit it?" I asked as I continued to run.

" Use the Fairy Slingshot when the time is right and see what happens," replied Spike. That was easy for him to say as he can just fly around, but I have to rely heavily on my feet, and I was a much bigger target than he was. As I prepared to use the slingshot, Gohma continued to strike at me with large pincer-like claws, and I was barely able to avoid them due to how fast they were.

Since I was more focused on watching what the monster was trying to do, and not where I was going, I failed to notice a few stones on the floor, and I ended up tripping on them and falling to the ground. Gohma was prepared to attack me once again, but then its eye changed colour from yellow to red as it raised its claws; something I'd hadn't taken notice of all because I was too busy trying not to get hurt. Could this be the weak point I was told about? And it only does this when it is within striking range?

Looks like I had to allow it to attack me if I wanted to do this right, so I stopped running and waited for the moment to come with my slingshot ready. Gohma's eye changed colour once again, and that was when I made my move by firing a seed into the eye. Such a shot caused Gohma to fall down and unable to move which meant the time was right for me to use my magic. I had no time to question if my magic would work on something this big as who knew how long the monster would be stunned for, so I gave it all I had and hoped that things would work out.

Spike looked excited beyond belief as my magic worked exceptionally well. " Now that was certainly a sight to see! Just keep on repeating that and Gohma will eventually fall down." I took those encouraging words to heart, and continued the assault against Gohma, and eventually it would be defeated by burning away to nothing. However, it did leave something behind when it disappeared which made me think that this wasn't over yet.

" What is that?" I asked.

" That is what is known as a Heart Container. If you pick it up, you can increase your maximum hearts by one, and your health will be completely restored," replied Spike.

" That makes no sense at all," I said.

" I agree with you there Sunset Shimmer seeing as there is nothing that indicates that you have hearts of anything that need to be increased or restored, but for some reason these things just happen to exist all across the world. Why they exist is something I've never figured out, but it feels like someone somewhere decided to just put these into our world as a means of collecting them. I'd collect this one as you earned it by defeating Gohma, but whether it will actually do anything is beyond me," said Spike.

If I didn't know better, I'd say that he did know the reason, but didn't want because it meant questioning the very nature of this world. I picked up the Heart Container, and it entered my body which made me feel a lot warmer in terms of my spirit.

" Guess it did something after all, so picking it up was a good idea. Now that we have finished here, we can leave by standing on that glowing area over there near where Gohma fell. I'm sure that it will lead us back outside." Spike continued as he flew over to the glowing spot upon which I followed him onto it, and finding myself being risen into the air and everything turning white.

" You have done well Link."

" Where am I?" I asked.

" You stand once again before the Great Deku Tree. Link, you have demonstrated thy courage despite the difficulty place upon thee by not using a weapon, but you have succeeded in breaking the curse that has been plaguing me. For that, I am thankful to you for having fulfilled my wishes. Now you must listen well to my words, for this curse was one that did not occur naturally.

This curse was placed upon me by a man wearing black armour who came to this sacred forest not long before you first came here to me. This wicked man of the desert came here in order to seek out the knowledge that would lead him to the Sacred Realm where the divine relic, the Triforce, has rested since the very beginning of our world's creation.

A long time ago, long before this world even existed, three golden goddesses descended upon high and down to the empty void which would one day become Hyrule. They were Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage. These three beings would use their powers in order to create a world that reflected what was within their hearts."

" I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I need to interrupt you for a second," I said.

" Is there a problem?" asked the Deku Tree.

" Everything that you just said regarding these goddesses makes no sense to me at all, and just hearing you talk about them isn't making things better. If you were able to give me a visual of some kind, or allow me to actually see what they are, then maybe this would make more sense to me; well, as much sense to me that I am able to handle given how this world still doesn't make sense," I replied.

" But this legend of our world is of great importance, and knowing it will allow you to understand what you must do from this moment on," said the Great Deku Tree.

" I'm sorry but if you continue to talk about it, then it will just simply fly over my head unless you can allow me to see it for myself, or give me a visual. With regards to that desert man you mentioned before getting me confused, I do seem to recall seeing him in this weird dream I had before I woke up in this world.

Maybe you can talk more about him instead as I've seen his appearance at the very least, and can picture what he may be capable of doing." That was when something clicked in my mind, and it had to do with what he said about 'this moment on'. Why would he mention something like that?

" If that is thy wish on the matter then I suppose that I shall not reveal the legend of our world's creation, but thou should know that the desert man in black armour is one whose evil desires you should not succumb to. Thou must never allow him to claim the Triforce for if he were to claim it as his own, there is no telling what evil he is capable of bringing forth using the power of the gods.

That man, who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my strength all because I refused to give him what he wants. Though your efforts in breaking the curse were successful Link, I was doomed before you started which means that I will pass away soon. You need nor grieve for me for this was meant to be even though I wished that I could have told you more about the legend," said the Deku Tree.

" I'm sorry that you couldn't tell it to me," I said sadly.

" Then there is one course of action that you must take. Go now to Hyrule Castle by leaving the safety of the forest! There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny, and she will be able to tell you much more about the legend, for her family has deep roots that connect to the Triforce. You are the only hope that this world has, for you alone have been chosen to undertake this tremendous task," said the Deku Tree.

" What did you just say?" I asked.

" You have chosen to save this world," replied the Deku Tree.

" What!?!?" I said with a shock.

" The future depends upon thee Link. Thou art courageous," said the Deku Tree.

" Are you telling me that the fate of this world falls onto my shoulders, and that there is no one else who is much better qualified to handle it? I'm not sure if you have the right person for the job here as I have done things in the past which I wouldn't call 'heroic' let alone good," I said.

" Why dost thou speakist in such a manner? You have been chosen by destiny to prevent this world from plunging into darkness, and leading it to a path of peace," said the Deku Tree.

" I get what you're saying, but you don't really know what I used to do," I said.

" None of the Kokiri have committed any acts that would label them as being unjust," said the Deku Tree.

" That's because I am not a Kokiri, nor am I even from this world! Where I am come from, I am a human, but I'm really a pony who possesses magical powers, and was once the student of the ruler of the kingdom before I....before I....before I allowed my own ambitions to cloud my judgment, and lead me down a path filled with nothing but hatred. So you see, I'm not the kind of hero that you think I am, and I'm certainly not what you would call the one destined to save an entire world. Why is it that I have to keep on saying these same words over and over which are the truth?" I asked.

" These words you speakist of Link sound of dreams which have plagued you these past moons; dreams which have become nightmares, and have caused you to believe that you are from a different world than our own," replied the Deku Tree.

" That's because I am from another world!" I shouted.

" Do not allow these nightmares to confuse you Link, for you must be brave if you are to prevent the desert man in black armour from achieving his goal of acquiring the sacred Triforce," said the Deku Tree.

" And I really wish you wouldn't call me Link."

So this is where I found myself those few hours after the slumber party had started, and that was being told that I was chosen to save an entire world from a man who wanted to conquer it. If I refused to go to Pinkie Pie's party then none of this would have happened to me, but then one of my friends would be in this situation instead. Maybe this was fated to happen as a means of me being punished for who I used to be, or maybe I was just meant to suffer even if I had gotten myself into a better place.

Sigh....it looks like I have no choice but to accept this destiny, and hope that I can somehow fulfill the expectations placed upon me. " Great Deku Tree, please allow me to explain myself so that I can have some peace of mind. My name is not Link even though you and everyone else in this forest thinks so. My real name is Sunset Shimmer, and everything I have told you up to this point is true whether you believe me or not. I will accept this destiny which has been thrusted onto me because I know deep down that I have no other choice."

" Is that what thou truly believes?" asked the Deku Tree.

" Yes," I answered.

" Very well! With my final moments, I shall call you that which you are....Sunset Shimmer, the chosen one who will save this world. Before you leave on thy journey, take this with you, for it is the reason the desert man cast the death curse upon me. This is the Spiritual Stone of the Forest....known as the....Kokiri's Emerald. Navi the fairy, please....continue to watch....over Sunset Shimmer....I entreat thee....Navi....goodbye...."

Before my very eyes, the Great Deku Tree lost all of his colour and the aura surrounding him faded away. My reaction was difficult for me to place because I didn't know what to think. There was nothing else that I could do, so I decided to follow the final request of the Great Deku Tree and meet this. No sooner had I left the Great Deku Tree was I stopped by Diamond Tiara who was blocking my way into the village.

" Link! What in the world did you do?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" The Great Deku Tree....did he....die?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" Yes," I answered.

" How could you do such a thing?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" Hold on a second. Are you accusing me of being the one responsible?" I asked.

" No one else has been to the see the Great Deku Tree as of late apart from you, so putting two and two together was easy enough for me. I knew that you were fed up with being bullied by the likes of me Link, but to go and do what you have done just because of that? If I had only refused you access to the Great Deku Tree before could this have been avoided," replied Diamond Tiara.

" You've got your facts completely wrong, so let me set it to you straight. The Great Deku Tree had been struck with what he called a death curse long before I arrived, so he was going to die anything because of the actions of one man who wants to conquer this world. All I did was relieve him of his curse even though it meant little in the overall outcome. If you want to blame anyone then blame the desert man in black armour instead of me," I said.

" Do you think I believe that?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" Probably not, but right now I have no time to deal with you treating me any worse than what I've already experienced back in my own world. I have to leave this forest and make my way to the castle in order to fulfill my destiny, so if I were you I'd let me pass so that I can get on with what I have to do," I replied.

" You'll have to live the rest of your life knowing that you did something horrible, and I will make sure that every Kokiri knows that you killed the Great Deku Tree," said Diamond Tiara as she stormed off leaving me to once again wonder why I had to suffer
for my actions. I know that I did not kill the Great Deku Tree and neither does Spike, but our words alone wouldn't be enough because we had no visual proof of a desert man performing the deed.

It seems the more that I do in this world, the worse it was going to be, but I couldn't let it bring me down, for I had to leave the forest and get to the castle as soon as possible. As I ran through the village on my way to the exit, the villagers looked shocked and how could I blame them? Their guardian was no longer alive, and to the Kokiri, it felt like a small part of themselves had been lost. Upon leaving the village....

" Oh? Are you leaving?"

" Fluttershy...."

" You called me that name again Link, and we both know that my name is Saria, but I can forgive you as always because I know that you have a lot on your mind. Somehow, I always knew that one day you would leave the forest, and explore the world that lies beyond the trees. That made you different from the rest of my friends because they never had such thoughts in their heads. What I'm trying to say is that I really don't want you to go Link," said Fluttershy.

" But I have to go as it's my destiny," I said.

" And that's okay with me because I know that this is something that I cannot prevent from happening. No matter what happens, you'll always be my friend, and I want you to keep that in your heart wherever your journey takes you. Before you leave, I want you to have this ocarina as a memento from me. Whenever you play it, I hope that it will remind you of the forest and of me, and that one day you will come back here to visit," said Fluttershy.

" An ocarina huh? Those are actually quite uncommon where I come from, so I wouldn't really know how to play it. Do you happen to have a guitar?" I asked.

" A guitar? What is that?" asked Fluttershy.

" It's an instrument," I replied.

" Do you mean like the ones that are played by wandering minstrels? If so then I'm sorry but I don't have one of those on hand. The ocarina of course is a much better instrument to play because it doesn't take very long to understand how to play each of the notes. I'm sure that if you practice hard enough then you will be able to master it, and that would make me feel very happy," said Fluttershy.

I felt bad for wanting to have something else, so I decided to accept it and hoped that I could figure out how it was meant to be played. Perhaps she was right and that I should practice it so that I can master it. I gave Fluttershy a big hug as my way of thanking her for the gift. " That came out of nowhere Link as you have never given me a hug before, but it felt wonderful knowing that I was able to make you happy."

" Before I go, I have one thing that I must tell you," I said.

" What is it?" asked Fluttershy.

" My name in truth is Sunset Shimmer and not Link, and while I would like to explain the reasons behind it, I fear that you would not believe a word that I will say. No one else I've spoken to in this forest believes me, so I apologize for not wanting to tell you," I replied.

" Oh...." Fluttershy then looked down at the ground slightly before looking back up, and for a moment it looked as though tears from dropping down her face, but I couldn't tell for certain due to the trees blocking out the light of the sun. What I didn't know was that deep down Fluttershy would have believed me had I gone and told her the truth, but I had gone and kept it to myself in fear of not getting the right kind of reaction from her.

" I understand that you don't want to tell me because of all of the reactions that you've gotten, but I will certainly respect your decision to want to be called Sunset Shimmer. Huh....that name sounds a little bit familiar to me, but I'm not sure why that is, but like I said, I hope that you will come back to visit." As I turned around and began to leave the forest, a part of me wanted to stay behind and comfort Fluttershy, but I had to leave if I was to find a way of returning to my world. Soon I found myself outside in what appeared to be a large field, and the sun felt really nice to see instead of the strange glow from the forest.

" This is Hyrule Field which acts as a hub that connects to the remaining areas of Hyrule. Don't feel overwhelmed by how big this field looks Sunset Shimmer because it is really easy to traverse. Now I suggest that we hurry up and make our way to Hyrule Castle so that we can this princess that the Great Deku Tree told us about," said Spike.

" So the time has come for you to begin your journey."

" Who said that?" I asked.

" I did not mean to startle you my dear, but if you would look up this way towards the top of this nearby tree, you will see the one who speaks to you." After frantically looking about in order to see who it was that was speaking to me, I looked upward to find myself staring at a giant owl which looked out of place. Then again, with everything that I've seen so far of this world, this owl wasn't as out of place as I assumed. There was also someone on top of the owl which must have been the rider, and my heart jumped over the fact that I recognized this rider straight away. " Do realize that your journey will be full of danger and peril Sunset Shimmer, but you must accept this as your fate, so don't get discouraged even during the most difficult of times."

" Flash Sentry!" I shouted.

" Who is that?" asked Flash Sentry.

" That would be you," I replied.

" A very interesting name to be sure, but it is one that I am not familiar with, but I can tell that it does mean something special to you. My name is Kaepora Gaebora, but if you want to call me Flash Sentry, then that is okay with me Sunset Shimmer," said Flash Sentry.

" How do you know my name?" I asked.

" I do not know how I came to learn of it, but it's one that you prefer to call yourself rather than the name that your friends have known you as. I have come before you Sunset Shimmer, in order to guide you along your journey so that you always know where you need to go next. Do not consider me to be a replacement for your partner though, for he can help you in ways that I cannot, but still take my words to heart for there is much wisdom contained within them.

If you continue to travel north, you will reach Hyrule Castle Town which is the main city in Hyrule. There is a princess who lives in the castle there who is renowned for her kindness, wisdom, and for being well loved and respected by the people. If you so wish it, you can always head to Lon Lon Ranch which is located in the very center of Hyrule Field before making your way to the castle.

Lon Lon Ranch is also in the northern direction, so if you want to go there for whatever reason, by all means do so as you might find something useful there. I do have one more piece of advice before I take my leave, and that has to do with the fact that you should travel about Hyrule Field at night," replied Flash Sentry.

" What happens at night?" I asked.

" Dark creatures have been known to appear when the sun goes down, and they disappear upon its rise. If you intend on travelling about the field at night, be sure that you are well prepared to defend yourself. We shall meet again soon Sunset Shimmer, so be careful on your journey," replied Flash Sentry. He motioned for the giant owl to take to the sky, and within a matter of seconds, he was completely out of sight.

What he said about the creatures coming out at night was a concern to me, so it gave me the incentive to either make my way to the castle before the sun went down, or perhaps seek refuge at the ranch and perhaps spend the night there. Considering that the sun was already at the highest point in the sky, the likelihood of me getting to the castle before nightfall was slim at best, so I decided to go to the ranch instead as it was a lot closer.

Upon entering the ranch a short time later, I was surprised to find that it looked really calm and peaceful just like Applejack's farm back in the human world. Maybe some aspects of the human world managed to retain themselves in this world when we were brought here?

" What do you know about this place Spike?" I asked.

" Lon Lon Ranch is seen as the very central point in both Hyrule and Hyrule Field since it is located right in the very center of the kingdom. The ranch is known for its famous milk which is ironically called Lon Lon Milk because many across the kingdom consume it on a regular basis. Perhaps the ranch's biggest thing it has going for it has to do with the horses that they keep around here," replied Spike.

" Did you say horses?" I asked.

" And not the kind that you probably know about that have magical powers," laughed Spike.

" Very funny," I moaned.

" The horses they breed here are among the finest in all of Hyrule, and that is saying much seeing as any horses you see in the other areas of the kingdom all originally came from here, or their parents did. Many horses are presented as gifts while others are purchased by those who want them. There have been some rumours going around that Gerudo thieves have entered the ranch during the night, and stole some of the horses, but that is just a rumour. Aside from that, there isn't really much else to do around here. I suggest that we make our way to the castle right now, but if you want to, we can take a few minutes to explore and see what we can find," said Spike.

The ranch itself consisted of a house, a stable, what could possibly be a shed way at the very back, and a large corral where horses of all shapes and sizes were galloping around at their own leisure which brought a small tear to my eye. Looking to the right, I noticed a figure standing there holding a pitchfork in one hand, and what appeared to be a bag of feed in the other.

Upon walking closer to him, I discovered that it was Big Macintosh, or Big Mac for short, but he had a rather angry expression across his face, and it changed to a slightly more angry expression when he noticed me looking at him.

" What do you think you're looking at you little weirdo?" asked Big Mac.

" I wasn't trying to imply anything," I replied.

" Well, the way you were staring at me made me feel real uncomfortable, so watch it! By the way, what in the world is up with that green outfit? You look like you came from the forest, or wanting to go and live there among the trees. I am Ingo, and I mind the ranch by working as a farmhand for the owner of this place," said Big Mac.

" Do you do all of the work?" I asked.

" Eyup!" answered Big Mac.

" Shouldn't you have other people around to help you?" I asked.

" Eyup, but I'm the only one the ranch owner hired on to be a farmhand. At first I was excited about working here and makin' a livin' for myself, but then I soon discovered that the owner, Talon, is nothing but a lazy bum who does next to no work at all. She spends all of her time breeding some special cuccos in the house, but to me that's a big ol waste of time which oughta be used for getting the chores done around here.

Her granddaughter Malon isn't as bad as she is because she's just a kid and all, yet the young un ought to do a couple of jobs here and there to help her prepare for the time where she will get to run things instead of Talon," replied Big Mac.

" Where is the owner now?" I asked.

" She went to Hyrule Castle Town in order to make a delivery, but she hasn't come back yet, and here I am on my own having to do all of the chores until she finally has the sense to return. Sigh....it's tough to be a working man sometimes, but I suppose it's just a part of life....eyup! Her granddaughter also went along with her to the castle, but she's too young to make her way back here on her own, so she's probably just as ticked off as I am that she has to wait around for that lazy bum. By the way, what's your name and what are you doing here at the ranch?" asked Big Mac.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer and I was wondering if I could stay the night here," I replied.

" What kind of name is that? It sure is a funny name that's for sure, and to answer your other question....nope! I don't have the authority to allow you to stay here for the night as that is something that only Talon can do since she is the owner. See? Her laziness has proven to be inconvenient to you just like it has to me. I take it that you plan on going to the castle as well right?

If I were you, I'd get over there right away before the drawbridge closes for the night. Oh, and if you see Talon in town if you manage to get there in time, tell her to hurry up and get back here as it's been well over eight hours since she left for that delivery," said Big Mac as he walked off moaning to himself. This meant that I had to get to the castle town before the drawbridge closes, so I started to run in order to get there before it was too late. If I don't make it to the castle in time, then there was a chance that I wouldn't live to see the following sunrise….

To Be Continued.

Chapter 2: To Meet the Princess

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 13, 2014
Chapter 2: To Meet the Princess

" We have to hurry Spike before the drawbridge closes, and we both end up having to spend the night outside in the field," I said as I ran as fast as I could towards the entry gate of Hyrule Castle Town. It felt as though it wad continuing to get further away the more I wanted to reach it, but in fact I was about a mile away with the sun getting closer and closer to setting in the evening sky.

" If we do end up being stuck outside, then what's the problem?" asked Spike.

" Remember what Flash Sentry, or whatever his actual name was said about what happens in the field at night?" I asked.

" Oh yeah," replied Spike.

" So if we are stuck outside and have to wait until morning for the drawbridge to come down, then we'll have our hands full dealing with monsters all night. While I am a bit more confidant in using my magic, I wouldn't say that I'm 'that confidant', so if we can get inside the town before the drawbridge closes, then we don't have to worry about monsters chasing after us," I said.

" Then let's stop talking and get ourselves in there already!" shouted Spike. Even in this world, Spike still has his sarcastic wit despite him being a fairy, but it made me start to think that the people I've met so far who resemble my friends and foes from Canterlot High do have some aspects of their personalities. They of course don't even realize it because of having the personalities of characters that existed in this video game world. One thing was for certain. I was going to have to play this game for myself when I return home.

Spike and I managed to reach the town before the drawbridge closed, and as we made our way in, the drawbridge rose and closed with a loud thud. For the time being, we were both safe from any sort of problem, but of course I knew deep down that trouble always seemed to find me.

" So this is Hyrule Castle Town?" I asked Spike.

" You should know that this is the largest city in all of Hyrule. Many people from all walks of life come here in order to do their business, or to see the Royal Family. I know that this must a little intimidating seeing as you're used to the small village lifestyle of the Kokiri Forest, but as long as you keep your wits about you, you'll be able to walk around just fine," replied Spike.

" You do know that I know what it's like to live in a city right?" I asked.

" From that 'other world' of yours?" asked Spike.

" That shouldn't be of any concern of yours as you'd rather not talk about it, and you wanted me to forget about the idea altogether. Anyway, you don't need to worry about how I can handle myself in a city, so let's see what kinds of things happen around here," I replied. Spike did have a good reason to be worried for he knew more about this place than I did. Upon arriving in the Market, I was aghast with the fact that there were so many people moving about doing all kinds of things. I know I said that I was used to the city life, but not this kind of city life.

" You have a lot of nerve accusing me like that, and I have a good mind to put you in your place!"

" But you stole some fruit from my stall."

" You have no proof that I even did such a thing! You Hylians are always so full of yourselves thinking that you're better than the rest of the tribes in Hyrule all because your royal family rules over us all. I'm surprised that your king managed to unite us all under his banner without screwing it up."

" How dare you speak of the king in such a manner!"

" I can say anything I want about your king because I'm under the protection of the great Ganondorf!"

" That man shouldn't even be allowed to see the king because you Gerudo refused our previous alliance all because you wanted to be left alone. The king would be a fool to accept any kind of alliance with a nomadic mongrel."

" That's it! Insulting the great Ganondorf insults us Gerudo!" Even though I knew that an argument was taking place, I couldn't bring myself to getting involved as that would've done me no good. Just when I thought that the problem was about to resort in violence....

" Enough! Stand down at once!" That commanding voice was one that I recognized straight away as belonging to Rainbow Dash, so I began to frantically shake my head back and forth in the hopes of finding her among the crowd. " You're acting out of line and you should know better than that, so stand down!"

" But, but exalted Nabooru!"

" If this mission of good will falls apart because of what has happened here, your punishment at the hands of our king shall be most severe. Now, stand down at once," said Rainbow Dash in a booming voice that caused the other person to silently stand to one side and bowing her head in shame.

Rainbow Dash then turned to face the merchant who had been victimized. " My apologies if my fellow tribeswoman caused you any kind of emotional state, and for that I take full responsibility for this situation. Please allow me to pay for the product that has been stolen from you, and I will see to it that this one is punished justly."

" I suppose that I can accept your apology and your payment."

" This one will be thinking about what she has done once the great Ganondorf has dealt with her," said Rainbow Dash as she walked away leaving the merchant to his business before starting to talk quietly to herself. " I don't know why I was needed to come here and act as his vassal, for Ganondorf knows that he had no need for me or the others when he decided to come here seeking an alliance with the Hylian king.

Maybe he wanted me here so that he could keep an eye on me....does this mean that he is aware of my ulterior motives in the desert? I'd best not think about that for a while, and just focus on getting through this and back to the fortress." That was when I noticed Rainbow Dash, and was I shocked at the outfit that she was wearing.

If I could describe it in a single word, then 'skimpy' would definitely come to mind. All she was wearing was a bra, and a pair of baggy pants along with some bracelets on her arms. Despite this I had to talk to her straight away, so I approached her with a smile on my face, but her reaction wasn't what I was expecting. " Huh? Who are you supposed to be, and why are you dressed in that ridiculous outfit?"

" Rainbow Dash! It's me Sunset Shimmer!" I said excitedly.

" I have no idea what you're talking about kid," said Rainbow Dash.

" You don't recognize me do you? Just like Spike, Diamond Tiara, Fluttershy, and Flash Sentry before you as none of them knew who I really was, and believed me to be someone else," I said.

" If it's any consolation kid, I don't recognize any of those names you sputtered out either, so don't feel bad about me not knowing who you are. Then again, I am curious to know why you of all people here decided to come straight up and talk to me as though they knew me by heart," said Rainbow Dash. Just as I was about to explain to her my reasons for talking to her, another girl appeared on the scene who was dressed similar to Rainbow Dash.

Perhaps her most distinguishing feature was that one eye was looking up, and the other one was looking down. Rainbow Dash must have known who this girl was as she walked to her before she could reach her. " Derpy? What are you doing here? I thought that you were with the others at the castle attending the great Ganondorf?"

" Well, there's been an issue at the castle involving the rest of the entourage ma'am," replied Derpy.

" What have they done?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Now what was it that they were doing? Let me think about it for just a minute....oh yeah! They were causing a ruckus inside of the castle, and the guards ordered them to leave, but they refused and ended up being forced out. Now they are pounding at the gates of the castle asking to be let back in, and they are acting really crazy," replied Derpy.

" Sigh....it just never fails does it? I knew this was going to happen because he wanted to bring a dozen of us along for this act of good will. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Derpy, and rest assured that I will take care of it before it gets any worse," said Rainbow Dash, but before she could do anything else, a loud crash sounded off and caused people to notice what was going on.

" Oh for pete's sake Derpy! Looks like I'm going to have to bail you out of another mess you've gotten yourself into." Rainbow Dash walked over to where a girl wearing similar attire to her own was standing, and with a sigh she began to hand over what appeared to be gems to the woman running the stall.

" I just don't know what went wrong," said Derpy.

" Your usual response to these things," sighed Rainbow Dash as she headed off towards the castle with her two companions walking along behind her. I had no idea as to what had just happened, but I wasn't able to explain things to her which made me feel disappointed. At the same time however, I felt relieved knowing that I didn't have to explain anything and make a fool out of myself.

Since the castle was where this princess I have to see was located, it made sense that I should follow Rainbow Dash. Just as I was about to go and follow her, a small child began to walk towards me as though she were curious about what I was wearing. This girl was Applebloom who was the younger sister of Applejack, but what was she doing here without her sister or her friends?

" Say, y'all look different from the rest of the folk around here. Judging from your choice of clothes and that fairy flying around you, I'd say you were from the forest. My name is Malon, and I'm the granddaughter of Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. She came here to deliver some milk to the castle, but she hasn't come back yet, and I'm really starting to get worried. I know granny has a habit of taking her time with deliveries, but this is the longest she has taken to complete a delivery," said Applebloom.

" So then why did you come?" I asked.

" It's not everyday that I get to see Hyrule Castle Town, so I insisted on granny taking me with her, and leaving Ingo to run things while we were gone. He must be really upset over the fact that we've been gone this long, but he'll have to wait until morning because of the drawbridge being closed until sun-up.

Granny means well, but sometimes she has a tendency to just fall asleep, and not move for hours at a time. Anyway, since you were heading off to the castle in order to follow those women, would it be okay if I came along with you so that I can find granny?" asked Applebloom.

" I could use the additional company Applebloom," I replied.

" Huh? Applebloom? That sure is a funny name you just said there, and it's actually really cute because I do love apples. Say, do you mind if I use that as a sort of nickname? I think that it suits me really well," said Applebloom. For once, I didn't complain about the fact that another of my friends didn't recognize me or their actual name from our world because there was something about Applebloom that made me not want to think about it. I would eventually think about it again without a doubt because I couldn't keep it out of my mind, but for the time being it was nice not having to worry about it.

As we walked towards the castle by leaving the town through the northern gate, Applebloom brought up another question. " By the way, you never told me what your name was," said Applebloom. I told her my name expecting the usual reaction of not knowing what it even means, but I was surprised by what Applebloom said to me next. " Sunset Shimmer you say? That's a pretty nice name as it compliments your hair colour really well. It reminds me of the sun as it settles down for the night and knowing that you've done all you can to enjoy the experience the day gave you. I'm willing to believe that other people haven't been exactly as positive about your name as I have huh?"

Little did she know how right she really was, and I made sure not to let her see my tears of happiness. It was at that moment the sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard, and up ahead was a commotion which must be the one that Rainbow Dash had gone to take care of. Even though we were both at a fair distance, Applebloom and I could hear some of the words that were being said, but much was too hard to understand.

" Applebloom, I mean, Malon," I began after quickly correcting myself. " I think it's for the best that you head back into town as this could get really dangerous. I'll continue on with my purpose for being here in addition to finding your grandmother as I feel that both tasks will lead me to the same result."

" If you think that's for the best, then I'll head back into town and wait for granny to come back. Oh! You should take this egg with you on your journey! I know that it sounds weird and all, but if you incubate it long enough, it will hatch into a cucco which could be of help to you. Well, maybe not as helpful as say a weapon, but it's the best that I have to offer," said Applebloom.

" Like that one chicken I saw at the ranch?" I asked.

" Oh? So you paid a visit to Lon Lon Ranch, and neither me nor granny were there to show you around. I doubt that Ingo would have taken the time to give you a tour seeing as he has so many chores to do in a given day. I tell you what Sunset Shimmer. The next time you decide to come to Lon Lon Ranch, I'll give you the grand tour, and even introduce you to a friend of mine," replied Applebloom as she walked back towards town.

" You have managed to make quite an impact on that young girl."

" Wah! Flash Sentry!" I exclaimed upon hearing his voice coming from on top of a nearby tree. " How long have you been up there for?"

" I've been here watching you long enough in order to see if you did have what it took to save this world from the evil that threatens it. I am impressed with your progress, but there is more for you to accomplish before you can become the hero of legend. I knew that you would arrive at the castle town before the drawbridge closed as you had an incentive to make it here," replied Flash Sentry.

" Then what you said about monsters coming out at night was a lie?" I asked.

" Monsters do come out at night across Hyrule Field, so what I have told you is the truth. No doubt that you have heard all of the commotion that has been coming from the gates of the castle just further along?

It seems that one side is blaming the other for causing problems, and that it appears to be reaching a boiling point. Someone from the castle is about to enter this conflict and will attempt to resolve the issue. This one has served the royal family for many years. This problem does however make it hard for you to get inside in order to see the princess. I have heard stories that there exists a small opening on the right side of the castle in which water from the castle streams into the moat, but whether this is true or not remains to be seen," replied Flash Sentry.

" If I can find this opening, then I can get inside rather than trying to get through the front door," I said.

" Again, you must be cautious of the guards as they will throw you back outside if you were to get caught," said Flash Sentry.

" What can you tell me about the one from the castle?" I asked.

" They say that she is the last surviving member of an ancient group that swore their undying loyalty to the royal family, and that throughout the generations they have served as attendants to the family. Most Hylians never knew they existed for this group operated in the shadows in order to maximize their full potential.

That is why the name of this shadow group is known as the Sheikah. I must take my leave of you now Sunset Shimmer, but we shall meet again," replied Flash Sentry as he once again urged his giant owl to take to the sky and fly off in a random direction. What he had to say was quite informative, but at the same time it made me wonder just how much he really knew about this world.

Spike urged me to get closer to what was going on at the castle gates, and that was when I saw Applejack approaching in the same outfit that she was wearing in my dream. If what Flash Sentry said was correct, Applejack must be the Sheikah who lives in the castle. Her calm approach to the gates got the troublemakers riled up except for Rainbow Dash who was also calm.

" You must be the one who is in charge of this group?" asked Applejack.

" Our king who is speaking with your king leads us, but I serve as his second-in-command," replied Rainbow Dash.

" So that does make you the one in charge yes?" asked Applejack.

" I suppose that it does. Your clothing doesn't surprise me at all as I know who you are. You are the only surviving member of those shadow warriors that the royal family has relied on for years to protect them," replied Rainbow Dash.

" That is correct. It has come to my attention that one of your warriors caused an incident in the Market in addition to an incident in the castle caused by several more," said Applejack.

" And I'm here to apologize on behalf of the Gerudo," said Rainbow Dash.

" While that may be true, the fact of the matter is that your warriors have caused problems which in turn reflect upon how well your king is to be received here. Already the relationship between the Hylians and the Gerudo is poor which is why our respective kings are trying to establish peace between our two tribes. However, the actions of your warriors could in fact make things worse," said Applejack.

" They were both just isolated incidents and the ones involved will be punished when we return to our fortress," said Rainbow Dash.

" I fear that may not be enough," said Applejack.

" You think that these small incidents could lead into something much worse in the future? Like I said to you already, I promise you that those who have caused this kingdom trouble will be punished upon our return to the fortress. If anything, they probably wish that they were being punished by me because I don't have as much authority to exert the kinds of punishment the great Ganondorf is known for giving out," said Rainbow Dash.

That name! That name Rainbow Dash said just now. That was the name of the man who caused all of this to happen to me and my friends in the first place. Could he be in the castle as well? But why was Rainbow Dash a member of the same tribe? " I've come to a decision, and that is to take my warriors back with me to the fortress to await the return of our king."

" Would that be a wise decision to leave your king here on his own?" asked Applejack.

" The great Ganondorf is more than capable of taking care of himself and I am sure he will understand my decision as being for the good of our tribe," replied Rainbow Dash.

" It sounds like you are not being completely loyal to your king," suggested Applejack.

" My loyalty to the great Ganondorf is absolute! However, the well-being of my people and preventing any further strife is also important, and that is why we shall withdraw back to our fortress. The great Ganondorf may choose to punish me for this decision, but so long as my people are safe then it doesn't matter. Derpy!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

" You called exalted Nabooru, I mean, ma'am," responded Derpy as she accidentally dropped her sword on the ground by trying to draw it for no reason.

" I told you that you don't need to draw your sword every time that I call you," sighed Rainbow Dash.

" Sorry ma'am," said Derpy.

" We're leaving to return to the fortress, so be sure to cover our tracks behind us as we depart," commanded Rainbow Dash.

" As you command ma'am, I mean, exalted Nabooru, no I really mean, ma'am," said Derpy.

" Just get on with it okay Derpy? With that I bid you good-day Sheikah," said Rainbow Dash as she started to walk away. This was the perfect opportunity for me to talk to her, but something inside of me was preventing me from doing so. Maybe my heart was holding me back because I felt bad for Rainbow Dash being forced to obey the whims of someone else.

Spike could sense that I was feeling this way, and didn't say anything about me trying to talk to her. I decided to look towards Applejack, and if I didn't know better, I could swear that she looked at me and smiled. That was when another guard came out, but he was wearing different armour from the rest of the guards I saw.

" Madam Impa, is everything okay?"

" I was wondering where you were Shining Armour," replied Applejack.

" When word reached me that there was a commotion going on at the gates, I had to make sure that the king and the princess were safe. I apologize that I didn't get out here sooner because you were forced to handle a situation that was clearly my responsibility," said Shining Armour.

" You are the Captain of the Royal Guards, and your duty is to protect the royal family from those who would seek harm to them. I'd say that you have fulfilled your duties admirably, so there is no need for you to apologize. The problem has been resolved and all is well," said Applejack.

" Do you believe that the Gerudo king can be trusted?" asked Shining Armour.

" Ours is not the place to question such things Shining Armour, for we are merely servants to the king. It will be up to him to decide to believe the words of the desert king and suggest a possible alliance between us and the Gerudo. I must return now to the princess's side, and you must resume your watch of the castle for further problems," replied Applejack.

" Understood Madam Impa," said Shining Armour as he gave her a salute and proceeded to walk towards the gate. I guess that he wanted to see what the problem was for himself which made Applejack smile and shake her head before she went back inside. This meant that the gates weren't going to be an option for me. I then noticed some vines that were similar in appearance to what I encountered inside of the Great Deku Tree, so I decided to climb up making sure to keep the egg Applebloom gave to me safe.

Upon reaching the top of the vines and jumping down the other side and avoiding the main set of guards at the gate, I ran as fast as could avoiding other guards. I soon discovered the castle's moat which Flash Sentry mentioned, so that meant that I had to get myself wet in order to move about without being seen as there were more guards at the front door.

" At least none of the guards have spotted us otherwise we would have been thrown back outside of the gates. I know that this isn't pleasant for you Sunset Shimmer, but you need to....do you hear that?" asked Spike.

" Hear what?" I asked.

" The sound of someone snoring," replied Spike.

" Now that you mention it, someone is snoring," I said.

" Whoever it is must either be really lazy, or decided to take a nap in a really awkward location," said Spike. Upon following the sound of the snoring, we came upon an elderly woman whom I recognized as that of Granny Smith, the lunch lady of C.H.S.

" This must be Malon's grandmother who went to deliver some milk to the castle Sunset Shimmer, and she was right about her granny falling asleep. I don't think your magic is going to work when it comes to waking her up, so unless you have something else that can do the trick, we'll be stuck here until morning."

" I do have this egg," I announced.

" While I have no doubt that a cucco will hatch from that egg according to Malon, but we would have to wait for a long time for it to hatch. Unless....you plan on using your magic in order to hatch the egg quickly," suggested Spike.

" That was what I was thinking," I said.

" You may want to rethink your way of thinking here. While I have no doubt that your magic is powerful, attempting to hatch a cucco using a contrived method instead of a natural process could cause you to accidentally kill the cucco,'' said Spike.

" I know the risk involved Spike, but we need to get into the castle as soon as possible. Besides, my magic isn't just limited to fire you know just because I used it that way in the Great Deku Tree. My magic can be anything my heart desires, and while it sounds weird, it makes sense to me. Fire just so happens to be the main source behind my magic in this world because of my name," I said as I sat down and began to concentrate holding the egg in my hands.

By focusing my magic slowly and carefully, I expressed in my heart that I wanted to see this cucco hatch into the world in order to help me on my journey. I also wanted it to experience the world with its own eyes.

" CCCCCCUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

" What in tarnation!" exclaimed Granny Smith upon being woken up by the sound of the cucco as it came out of its egg. " Can't an elderly woman get some shut-eye around here? *Yawn* Eh? Now who are you supposed to be?"

" Are you the owner of Lon Lon Ranch?" I asked.

" Yep, I'm Talon, owner of happiest place in all of Hyrule where people come to have fun! Now then, I take it that you came all this way here in order to get the grand tour of my ranch didja? No, that can't be right otherwise you'd have come there instead of here. *Yawn* The last thing I remember was coming here to the castle in order to deliver some milk, and when I was finished, I decided to take a short rest which must have made me eventually fall asleep," replied Granny Smith.

" I have a message for you," I began.

" Why didn't you say that in the first yer whippersnapper? What kind of message is it?" asked Granny Smith.

" It comes from your granddaughter who says that she has been waiting for you to return from the castle for some time now," I replied.

" Malon was waitin' for me all that time? I'm going ter get an earful from her now at this rate. Thank you for giving me that there message, but I need to get to her, and back to the ranch as soon as possible. Shoot, I've really gone and messed things up what with my sleeping here," said Granny Smith.

" Actually, you'll have to stay the night here as the drawbridge has closed," I said.

" It has? Things have just gotten worse for me, so I'm sorry if I can't stick around and chat with yer, but I need to get myself back into the market before Malon really chews me out," said Granny Smith. She then started to walk off at a rather slow pace which was understandable that she was a senior after all, but when she had gotten a good distance away from me several minutes later, she began to ran at a brisk pace which struck me as odd.

This world I think is starting to get a little weird, and that it was only going to get weirder as time went on. Granny Smith had left behind two large crates which I assumed contained milk, and across from where I was standing was a small hole where water was flowing from into the moat. This must be the other entrance to the castle Flash Sentry mentioned, but how was I supposed to get over there and go in?

After pacing about and thinking it over for a while, I came to the conclusion that I could use those crates as a sort of stepping stone, and then jump across a much smaller gap in order to reach the hole. I grabbed the closest crate that was near me, and began to pull it as hard as I could; it was a lot heavier than I thought it was.

" Come on Sunset Shimmer! Put your back into it!" shouted Spike.

" Instead of floating there and telling me what to do, why not give me a hand?" I asked.

" I'd gladly do that if I wasn't a fairy, and therefore much too small to be able to contribute," replied Spike.

" Like I said before, smugness does not become you," I moaned upon realizing that I walked right into that bit of sarcasm. While it was nice to see that Spike's mannerisms from Equestria shining forth, I wished that it wouldn't come at the cost of my own patience with him. Now I knew how he felt when he was feeling impatient with me when we first met each other in this world.

Many minutes of back-breaking labour later, I managed to push both crates off of the side where one stood atop the other, and made for a good stepping stone. After pacing myself for the jump, I leapt over the gap and landed on the other side, and almost fell into the moat which got me a small chuckle from Spike. Once I gathered my bearings, I crawled into the hole, and soon found myself standing in a fountain which was what was connecting with the hole to the outside.

" So this is in the interior of Hyrule Castle? This is my first time being inside of a castle since I left Equestria, and I feel pretty overwhelmed at what I'm looking at." Overwhelmed was an understatement for the castle's interior was white all over which made it feel really eerie, and I'll admit that I was uncomfortable being here. Seeing as there was grass instead of a marble floor, this must be some kind of courtyard which will make avoiding the majority of the guards a benefit. Large bushes and statues were off in the distance, and I could use those to sneak around and hide if need be in order to avoid getting thrown back outside.

" I take it that you're aware of the bushes and statues that line the courtyard right? Good, then I don't feel the need to explain about how you can use them to your advantage. I can hear the footsteps of guards walking on the grass, so you will need to watch their movements carefully and avoid them at all costs," suggested Spike.

I nodded my approval and began to make my way into the courtyard. The guards
were patrolling in specific formations which made it easy for me to figure out when to walk by in order to make it to the next area. Of course they ended up changing their tactics further along, and at one point I had to jump into a bush and hide for a couple of minutes all because the guards decided to stop and talk.

What they had to say was pretty uninteresting aside from one thing, and was whether it was a good idea for the king to trust Ganondorf. After what seemed like forever avoiding guards by hiding and sneaking around, Spike and I finally made it only to end up in another courtyard which was a large circular area with no other way to move forward aside from going back the way we came.

The middle of the courtyard featured a large circle of flowers which looked like they had cared for with love and tenderness. Each side of the courtyard featured windows, and on the inside of them hanging on the walls were painting of characters who felt like I knew them from somewhere, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

" You can come out now Spike as we made it," I said.

" Okay, but I was hoping to have stayed under your hat a while longer as it's just so warm. This courtyard is certainly much spacious than what we had to go through just to get here. Apart from the flower garden, the windows, the small moat, and that girl staring at the window at the far side of the area, this place is quite peaceful," said Spike.

" What girl?" I asked.

" The one way over there," replied Spike.

" I honestly didn't notice her standing there, but she must be the princess that we came here to see," I said. As I made my way over to the princess, I recalled the dream I had before waking up in this world. What Twilight was wearing in that dream was what the princess was wearing. Could it be that Twilight, the one who was able to guide me along the path of friendship is the princess? As I stood behind her, the princess heard my footsteps and turned around to face me.

" Oh? You? How did you get here? How did you get past the guards?"

" Twilight! It is you!" I exclaimed. Indeed I was standing face to face with Twilight Sparkle, which meant that what I saw in my dream regarding both her and Applejack was true. " I can't believe that you of all ponies were dragged into this world along with the rest of us, but I guess that our connection was what caused you to get caught up in all this."

" Did you just call me a pony?" asked Twilight.

" I did and I am sorry," I replied upon realizing that she didn't know what I was talking about.

" Oh? What is that flying about behind you? Is that....a fairy? Then you must be from the forest, so does that mean that you have the Spiritual Stone of the Forest in your possession? Do you have it?" asked Twilight. I nodded my head in approval rather than say anything due to my blunder just now. " Yes, I had a feeling that you were in possession of it.

As of late, I've had dreams where the land of Hyrule is covered in a cloud of darkness. Suddenly, a green light shines forth from the forest, and from the light comes a young girl in green holding the Spiritual Stone and being accompanied by a fairy. Yes, I knew that you were the one when you confirmed to me that you had the stone. Oh? I've gotten so caught up that I didn't even properly introduce myself to you. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, and what is your name?"

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I answered.

" That is an unusual name to be sure, but it's one that sounds very familiar to me as though I know of it from somewhere. In fact, your name reminds me of another world somewhere we were friends with other people who shared a magical connection that enabled us to defeat a powerful evil that threatened it. It sounds strange I know to be talking of a world different from our own, but your name made me think about it for just a brief moment," said Twilight.

Hearing her say that made me shocked because she was the only one in this world who showed a small understanding of the human world we all really come from. How was it that Twilight was able to recall it and no one else could? " Tell me Sunset Shimmer, when you received the Spiritual Stone, were you informed about the legend of how our world came to be?"

" I tried to understand it, but wasn't able to due to me not being to grasp it through just words. I needed to see it through visuals, but at the very least I recall the names of the ones who created this world," I answered.

" That is a shame that you were not able to learn that way, but you are in luck for I will be able to tell it to you through the use of magical powers that I possess. Yes, I am able to perform magic which many in the kingdom find rather surprising given that magic is seldom seen apart from being used by fairies.

My father at first was rather shocked when he discovered that I was capable of using magic when I was much younger, and even now he feels that my talent does not make sense, but he does acknowledge that I have it. Let my magic show you the history of Hyrule," said Twilight.

She then closed her eyes and clasped her hands together and started to concentrate for a few moments before opening her eyes revealing white lights which blinded me. I then found myself looking at a dark mass with Twilight standing next to me with her eyes now back to normal. The legend of Hyrule begins like this. Upon their descent into the chaos that would become Hyrule, each of the three golden goddesses would contribute to the creation of our world. Now, behold!" said Twilight.

She beckoned me to watch the descent of the goddesses, and I was shocked and surprised at the same time when I saw who they were. The three goddesses of Hyrule were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and their young niece, Princess Cadance which made sense given that they were all alicorns back in Equestria. Even though I never met Luna and Cadance before, Princess Celestia often told me about them.

" We have arrived here my sisters," said Princess Celestia.

" I can understand why you would want to do this Din, but would it be a wise decision for us to make? What if the world we create does not follow the path that we had intended for it? What if it becomes corrupted? We could be making a mistake if we were to go ahead with this," said Princess Luna.

" As always your words of wisdom speak truly Nayru. I believe that we can create an ideal world where the creatures will be able to co-exist with one another. We have seen the creation of other such worlds at the hands of our fellow gods and goddesses, yet they chose to guide their creations rather than allow them to figure things out on their own.

My vision of a world would be one where we three would not interfere unless it was absolutely necessary, and that the creatures would thrive on their own. If it were to be corrupted, then there would be those who would strive to destroy the corruption, thus returning it back to the peaceful ways of before," said Princess Celestia.

" If such corruption were to happen then such a world should be destroyed before it could spiral out of control," said Princess Luna.

" To do such a thing as that Nayru would mean resorting to actions that would label us as murderers in the eyes of our fellow gods and goddess," said Princess Celestia.

" Then that makes you naive, yet you always were like that which makes me glad that you are my sister Din. The creatures that shall inhabit this world must strive on their own to become more than what we envision them to be, and if they can achieve this, there is no telling what they will be able to accomplish.

Of course we must also take into account of the demons that exist below the heavens in the underworld sister, for they will no doubt try to sabotage our work when we have finished. Their leader is one who does not pose an immediate threat, but that could change in the future if it were to gain power," said Princess Luna.

" What do you suggest?" asked Princess Celestia.

" A means with which our world can protect itself," replied Princess Luna.

" That would require much force in order to make it possible Nayru, and that would involve us having to give up a small portion of our power to keep the demons of the underworld from doing as they please," said Princess Cadance.

" A sacrifice of that nature sounds within reason does it not Farore?" asked Princess Luna.

" Perhaps, but we must be careful when we create this means my sister, for if the demons do not claim it and corrupt this world, then the creatures we create will succumb to the temptation of wanting to possess our power. We have seen from our fellow gods and goddesses that the creatures they created were frail things that were easy enough to sway under evil influence despite the original good intentions that they were created to have," replied Princess Cadance.

" Both you and Nayru have provided grand insight to this matter Farore, and it is something that shall be taken into consideration. Once we are finished creating this new world, we shall create the means with which this world shall protect itself from the demons. If the creatures become tempted to wield such a power then we shall have a measure in place ready to act upon our command, and carried out by our will," said Princess Celestia.

" The three goddesses then set to work on creating a world which would revolve around the three forces that each of them represented: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Din used her flaming arms and created the red earth. Nayru poured the wisdom from her soul into the red earth and created the spirit of law which would serve as a basis for how the world was to be governed. Farore with all of her heart created those which would uphold the law, the creatures that served as our ancient ancestors.

Once their labours were complete, the three golden goddesses returned to the heavens. At the exact point in which they departed, three golden triangles descended with each piece containing the essence of one of the goddesses. This divine relic was known as the Triforce, and would serve as the basis of our world's providence for centuries to come," said Twilight.

" Creating something with that kind of power must have really been tempting for the people right?" I asked.

" You are correct Sunset Shimmer which leads me to the next part of the legend. When the Triforce descended, it remained in a place where all could access it if they so wished. It was soon discovered that one's own desires could be granted if they were to lay their hands on the Triforce, and once news spread of this revelation, the corruption the goddesses feared began to grow," replied Twilight.

" I know how the goddesses felt when it came to the power of corruption," I said.

" How so?" asked Twilight.

" I'd rather not say because you may find it hard to believe," I replied.

" Perhaps you can tell me another time when you feel ready to tell me. Ahem, when it became apparent that too many were using the Triforce for selfish purposes, the ancient Sages decided to take action. The resting place of the Triforce was sealed behind a large stone slab known as the Door of Time within the Temple of Time. It has been this way ever since and thus, the Triforce fell into the annals of history and became a legend passed down through the ages as a story," said Twilight. She then clasped her hands together again in order to dispel the magic she had used to show me the history of the kingdom.

" Couldn't the stone slab be removed somehow?" I asked.

" Moving the Door of Time is impossible unless you have all of the keys necessary to open it. Three Spiritual Stones were created to serve as the keys needed to open the door to the Sacred Realm, yet these were scattered across the kingdom. There is also a fourth key which binds the others together, and has been closely guarded by the royal family for generations....the Ocarina of Time," replied Twilight.

" If the Door of Time has been sealed for so many years, why would the Great Deku Tree give me the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, and have me bring it here to you? It makes no sense," I said.

" There was another part of my dream which I have not yet told you of Sunset Shimmer....the dark clouds that covered the land in darkness....I believe that they symbolize the man who currently speaks with my father. I have been watching the proceedings from this window as I did not wish to be in the presence of one who has an evil heart. This may sound strange coming from me Sunset Shimmer, but could you look through this window at the man who haunts my dreams?

While his black armour is one that I am unfamiliar with, I know that he hails from the Gerudo Valley which lies to the west, and that his name is....Ganondorf!" said Twilight. Upon hearing that very name again, various emotions began to swirl about inside of me. If this was the same Ganondorf in the dream that I experienced as well as the same Ganondorf who caused all of this to happen back in the real world, then I have come face to face with my true enemy.

I immediately pushed Twilight out the way causing her to fall to the ground, and I apologized straight away for my actions as I had to see if this was him. Upon staring into the window, I found myself looking at a finely decorated room complete with guards, various attendants, and a large gold-ornate throne upon sat the King of Hyrule himself. Standing a short distance and walking slowly towards the king was a tall man wearing black armour....this was Ganondorf himself, and I was finally seeing what he looked like.

His build was rather muscular for someone in armour, but why did he have such a long beard, and what was with those small horns protruding from his head? As I stared closer in order to make sense of the situation, Ganondorf suddenly turned his attention towards me; his eyes glowing bright yellow as though he were trying to pierce my very soul with his gaze. Actually, it did feel like he was trying to do just that which meant that I was in trouble once again....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 3: The Unicorn and the Pony

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 14, 2014
Chapter 3: The Unicorn and the Pony.

The glowing eyes of Ganondorf felt like they were staring into my soul, and attempting to drain away both my spirit and my magic. If this is the power that this man possesses, then this kingdom is going to be in a lot of trouble. There was something about him that seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. His appearance....why does it have me thinking of Equestria? I then collapsed to my knees due to his eyes weakening me with their stare; never have I felt this way before, and to be honest, I was scared that I was going to die. As I continued to suffer, a single word appeared in my mind. That word....it was a name....one that I've never heard of before....but somehow I'm connected to it through my connection to Equestria. That word....Tirek!

" Why are you staring out of the window Ganondorf?"

" Hmmmm? Oh, forgive me your majesty. I thought I saw something outside just now, and it piqued my curiosity. Please allow us to resume our talks over the alliance between your people and mine. Hmmmm....there was something unusual about that child who was staring at me just now. I could sense a powerful magic deep inside of here that is not of this world. How could a mere child possess a magic like that? She is one that bears watching closely. Now then your majesty, I believe that my allegiance to you and your kingdom shall be most beneficial, for it will allow you to finally unite all of Hyrule under your banner," replied Tirek.

" My only concern is how your people will behave once the alliance is in place. As I recall, when I originally travelled to the Gerudo Valley in order to meet with you, I was denied access to your fortress by some of your warriors," said the King.

" A most unfortunate event there, but I assure you that it was not intentional. My people have long believed that men are weak with the sole exception of their king whom they praise. They most likely believed you to be not worthy of their time or mine, so they forced you and your entourage to turn back empty-handed. Had I been there to greet you, things would be much different than they are now," said Tirek.

" Where were you when this happened?" asked the King.

" I was taking care of something in the desert, and it kept me away from the fortress much longer than expected. But enough about that, for we must focus on what will become a reality. With this alliance, you shall have full access to the Gerudo's Fortress, and my people shall acknowledge you as being equal with me. In return, I shall grant you my loyalty and be there for you whenever you have need of it. The alliance between the Hylians and the Gerudo is the final piece you need to complete the unification," replied Tirek.

" Then we must go over some of the smaller details before we can forge a pact," said the King.

" Ah yes, those small details can end up being rather problematic if they are allowed to linger for far too long. You are far too easy to manipulate Hylian king. You believe that I shall grant you an alliance? It is my destiny to reign over this world, and upon claiming the Triforce, my desire shall become real. I suppose that I have to give some credit to your daughter who has her suspicions of me, but you have silenced her to the point where she can do nothing. All I need do now is to bide my time and wait for all of the pieces to fall into place. In the meantime, I suppose I could do with some nourishment by absorbing the strength of your guards. Let us celebrate the birth of this new alliance with a dinner your majesty," said Tirek.

" Are you alright?" asked Twilight as she struggled to snap me out of it. Since he was no longer staring at me with those eyes, I couldn't feel Ganondorf's presence anymore. However, I was still feeling some sort of after-effect which took me a few minutes to recover. " I see that you were able to sense the evil that was coming from him did you not Sunset Shimmer? Ganondorf has such terrifying power! What he wants is nothing less than the Triforce, and if he gets his hands on it, he will conquer our kingdom and then the world itself. My father believes that Ganondorf desires peace, but he desires to rule over all that he surveys."

" If he poses such a large threat to the kingdom as you say, why do you allow him to simply get away with his actions? Why not just banish him before he can do anything that would destroy the peace your father strived to create?" I asked.

" What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

" Where I'm from, Equestria, there were those who wanted to conquer it by any means necessary, and while many of them were defeated by the power of friendship, a few were banished to other worlds where they could do no harm. Of course, there was one villain who chose to exile herself because she felt that she had been betrayed by her teacher. If only she hadn't been tempted by power, her life wouldn't have taken a turn for the worse.

Her teacher didn't betray her, but rather the student was too indulged in herself. A shame really as she had so much promise being the student of Princess Celestia," I replied. I made sure not to mention to Twilight that the villain I was referring to was none other than myself. Despite having changed a lot since those days, I still regret not following the guidance of Princess Celestia, and allowing my heart to become blind to a horrible vision which I strived to see happen.

" Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about Ganondorf. As the King of the Gerudo, he has a lot of political influence which grants him certain privileges and immunities when it comes to matters of state. As long as he chooses to maintain these values, nothing can be done to stop him," said Twilight.

" So right now Ganondorf is free?" I asked.

" Yes. Now Sunset Shimmer, you mentioned about where you came from , and you have certainly garnered my interest. It's strange but the word Equestria reminds me of something....I cannot grasp what it truly means, but I envision a world where horses live, and that I am there as a princess. It sounds rather strange, but somehow it all feels right in my heart," replied Twilight.

It looked like Twilight's alicorn magic managed to survive the transition from Equestria to this world, and because of that she was recalling bits and pieces of what is really meant to be. At least I had someone who would believe what I had to say, but I had to handle it with care as Twilight still views herself as the princess of Hyrule. " Your world sounds like a wonderful place to live in, but then that is your enjoyment and not mine I suppose. Ahem, so yes, if Ganondorf were to obtain the Triforce, he would wield the power of the golden goddesses. Such a fate must never come to pass!"

" Then what can we do about it?" I asked.

" We are the only ones now who can stop him from claiming the Triforce and conquering Hyrule. I know that it sounds like quite the daunting task, but there is no one else that I can turn to. Please Sunset Shimmer, lend us your strength in this time of crisis and prevent the darkness from consuming the light of this world," replied Twilight.

" I shall," I nodded.

" Thank you Sunset Shimmer. Now, this is the plan that we must utilize if we are to prevent Ganondorf from succeeding. The Ocarina of Time is the most important item needed to open the Door of Time within the Temple of Time, so I shall protect it with all of my power. He will not get his hands on it so long as I draw breath! In the meantime, you will need to travel to both Death Mountain and Zora's Domain in order to obtain the remaining two spiritual stones.

If we can open the door and obtain the Triforce, we can defeat Ganondorf and peace will reign over Hyrule. Of the two locations that house the remaining stones, I suggest that you begin your search on Death Mountain. I also have this letter which I will give to you, for in order to be able to climb up Death Mountain, you need to have permission from my father, but then my word as princess is just as good as his," said Twilight.

" Do you think Ganondorf knows what we are planning?" I asked.

" It is possible that he may be aware, but it is something that we cannot afford to worry about. Since the sun has now settled and the drawbridge closed, you will need to stay here for the night, and disguise yourself if you want to avoid any kind of suspicion," replied Twilight. Just when it looked like I was able to get a firm grasp of the situation, Twilight made it even more confusing than ever before.

Now I know how Twilight must feel when she has to fulfill her duties in Equestria as an alicorn." Before you rest for the night Sunset Shimmer, I would like you to talk to my attendant who stands over there. Do not be afraid of her for she is most kind, and knows that you are one who can be trusted." Twilight pointed me towards Applejack who was standing a short distance away with her arms folded. I walked over to her in order to hear what she had to say.

" I saw you outside, and I knew that you would find your way here to see Zelda for I sensed that you were someone special. My name is Impa and I have been the loyal attendant of the princess ever since she was just a baby. Everything that the princess has told you regarding her dream is true, and that I too was also a part of it. Within her dream, my purpose was to teach a song to the one from the forest, and so now I shall teach this melody to you. It is an ancient song which has been passed down through the generations, but I have often sung this song as a lullaby to the princess. I notice that you are in possession of an ocarina," said Applejack.

" It was given to me as a memento from a friend, but I have yet to learn how to play it," I said.

" There is no need to feel ashamed, for I will be able to show you how to use it. This song is one that is only allowed to be known to the members of the royal family. By knowing this song Sunset Shimmer, it will prove your connection to the royal family," said Applejack. She then placed her left hand onto her mouth, and began to whistle three distinct notes before repeating them again. Then she showed me which holes I had to cover with my fingers when playing the ocarina so that I could play the same notes.

After about 15 minutes of trying to figure it out, I managed to learn the song 'Zelda's Lullaby', although shouldn't that be 'Twilight's Lullaby' instead? " In the morning, I will secretly lead you out of the castle. May you have a good night's sleep." The night passed by without incident and Applejack was able to sneak me out of the castle as well as the town itself. " You truly are a brave individual for taking up the cause of saving Hyrule."

" I wouldn't say that I was brave or overly heroic, but I'll try my best," I said.

" You do not give yourself enough credit Sunset Shimmer, for you have already accomplished much," said Applejack.

" Maybe, but you wouldn't be saying that if you knew what I used to be like," I said.

" What happened to you in the past is none of my business, so I shall not intrude upon you any further. Can you see the mountain off in the distance? That is where you must go in order to obtain the Spiritual Stone of Fire from the Gorons. At the base of Death Mountain, you will find the village of Kakariko where I was born and raised. You should talk to all of the villagers there in order to gain some information before you make the climb up Death Mountain. All right, we are counting on you Sunset Shimmer," said Applejack. She then took a few steps backward whilst clutching something in her hand, then she threw it causing a bright white flash to occur. When my vision was restored a few seconds later, Applejack was gone completely as though she had simply vanished into nothingness.

" What in the world was that?" I asked Spike.

" That would be the blinding effects of the Deku Nut which can be very effective when dealing with enemies. Anyway, we could make our way over to Death Mountain in order to acquire the second Spiritual Stone, or we could always pay a visit to Kokiri Forest and see how everyone's been doing since we left on our journey," replied Spike.

" We've only been gone for over a day Spike, so the odds of them wondering about us seems pretty low. If we had been gone for say, seven years for example, then they would have a reason to wonder," I said.

" Yeah, I guess you have a point there, so what do you want to do?" asked Spike.

" I was thinking that we could go back to Lon Lon Ranch, and see about getting that tour Applebloom, I mean, Malon mentioned when we first met her. The last time we
were there, we didn't really get to see what the ranch had to offer as only the farm hand was around, and he wasn't exactly the friendliest person. Perhaps now we can get a real glimpse at what they do there," I replied.

" But what about the forest? The mountain?" asked Spike.

" Here's what we're going to do okay? First, we'll pay a visit to Lon Lon Ranch because I could do with some relaxing especially after what I experienced back at the castle, and I need some time to let the notion of saving the world sink in. Second, we'll go to the Kokiri Forest in order to see how everyone's doing, and I actually want to speak to Fluttershy about a couple of things that I didn't tell her before we left. Finally, after doing the previous two things, we'll make our way over to Kakariko Village in order to climb up Death Mountain, and proceed with our quest," I replied.

" Okay, that does sound reasonable, but do you know how many days that might take?" asked Spike.

" At the most, two, as long as we aren't distracted by monsters attacking us in Hyrule Field if we end up travelling about at night. Hopefully, we can avoid traversing the field when the sun is down by staying the night in the appropriate locations," I replied. With my mind made up, Spike and I made our way back to Lon Lon Ranch, and arrived there within the hour. The sounds of horses could be heard everywhere which meant that things must be pretty lively, but my joy soon turned a little sour when I noticed Big Macintosh was walking towards me with that same expression he had before.

" If it isn't the forest girl who came here last time," said Big Macintosh.

" Yes, it's me again," I said sarcastically.

" The owner of the ranch and her granddaughter returned just after sunrise from their trip to the castle, and do you know what each of them decides to do straight away? That lazy bum Talon decided to go into the house in order to check out her cuccos, and right now I can hear snoring coming from within which means that she's gone and fallen asleep again. As for her granddaughter, she's over by the corral singing blissfully while all of the horses are just running around aimlessly without any kind of supervision, and do you know who is stuck doing all of the work?" asked Big Macintosh.

" Ummmm....you?" I answered.

" Eyup! While I do appreciate that you managed to get those two back to the ranch, I wish that you had just left them alone at the castle. Eyup! To me, you look to be one of them there heroic types who go around doing good deeds because ya believe in justice and whatnot. I ain't got nothing wrong with that or with you for doing it, but Talon and Malon make me seething mad. I've had it up to here having to do everything around here while those two do nothing but be lazy, and see everything as full of sunshine and rainbows. I, the hard-working Ingo, should be in charge of this ranch and not that lazy bum Talon," said Big Macintosh.

" Is that how you really feel?" I asked.

" Eyup!" answered Big Macintosh. That was when he decided to go into another building mumbling to himself about why he should be running things. After my unpleasant encounter with Big Mac, I walked into the corral and saw all of the various
horses galloping and trotting and it reminded me of Equestria once again, and how I'd missed running around on four hooves instead of two legs.

I couldn't help but be jealous of these horses being what they are, and here I am in a human body due to me giving myself self-exile from the land of my birth. Sometimes, I just hate myself for having abandoned my studies all in the name of wanting power and becoming a princess in my own right. Applebloom was singing away when I reached her, but she stopped singing when she noticed me walking up to her.

" You're Sunset Shimmer right? I had a feeling that you were going to come here and pay us a visit," said Applebloom.

" Well, you insisted that I come here and take the grand tour," I said.

" I wouldn't say that it was a grand tour, but I'll still show you around seeing as I did say that I would the next time you were here. Before I begin, I want to say thank you for finding granny in the castle. I love her to pieces, but sometimes I think she needs to do a bit more of the chores so as to stay active and not fall asleep. Anywho, over there is the house where we all live, and that does include Ingo as well Opposite the house is the stable where the horses and cattle reside, and way in the back is a small shed built into the wall which houses some crates of milk which we store for delivery purposes. Finally, there is the corral where we are standin' right now which serves as the heart of the ranch," said Applebloom.

" I've got to admit that I'm impressed with what you do around here," I said.

" But?" asked Applebloom.

" That Ingo seems to be rather cold and heartless when it comes to the workload around here," I replied.

" Ingo has been acting that way for some time now where he constantly complains about having to do everything himself. He was a completely different person back when
granny first hired him, for back then, he was a much nicer guy who was so enthusiastic about working on the ranch. Maybe I should talk to granny about Ingo's attitude because he does seem to be gettin' more irritable in recent days," said Applebloom.

" That's a good idea," I began, but before I could say another word, I felt a soft bump at my side which made me wonder just what had bumped into me. For what seemed like forever, I found myself staring directly into the eyes of a small red pony with a white mane, but then my reaction kicked in soon after. "WAAAAHHHH!" My outburst caused the little horse to freak out and gallop off while I dropped to my knees clutching my chest.

What was it about this one pony that made me have a reaction like that just now? Was it because it reminded me of Equestria, the home that I abandoned long ago? My friend Twilight Sparkle who was an alicorn princess there? Or maybe seeing this little pony made me think of myself in that I was related to it and all of the others around here? I mean, I'm a talking pony mind you with magical powers whereas these horses were....well....just ordinary horses. As I got back onto my feet after my outburst, Applebloom looked at me with an awkward glance.

" You're the first person I've ever seen react that way in front of a pony, but I suppose it's due to you being from the forest," she said. Maybe seeing that pony reminded me of the unicorn that I used to be; young and full of potential and above of, completely innocent and vulnerable to any kind of influence. " Anyway, this is the friend that I wanted to introduce you to. Her name is Epona, and she has the potential of growing up to be a mighty fine horse one day. Huh? What's wrong? Why are you crying Sunset Shimmer?"

" Hearing you say reminds me of my own childhood," I replied and that certainly was the case. Why did I have to see that reflection in that stupid mirror? If I never saw that image of me as an alicorn, I would have remained in Equestria where I could have become a fine student of Princess Celestia, and perhaps become an alicorn over time. But....if I never took the path that I did, I wouldn't have the friends that I do now.

Seeing this little pony is making me feel so conflicted right now, but I can't take my frustration out on the pony or on Applebloom as neither deserve it. This is what Ganondorf meant when he said that he wanted me to suffer for his own amusement. He wants me to go through emotions like this, and on a regular basis in order to see how long it would take before I finally snapped. Well, it was working well so far! I knew there and then that my internal torment was only going to get worse from me, but I had to try and keep my emotions under control as I attempt to save this world.

" I'm sorry for that sudden outburst," I said as I wiped away my tears. " If it's okay with you Appleb....Malon, I'd like to play some music using my ocarina. It might help me to calm my nerves a little."

" Now that's a cute little ocarina you have there," said Applebloom.

" Thanks. It was given to me as a memento by a dear friend of mine," I said.

" How would you like to learn this here song which I was singing before you arrived? Who knows? It might be just the thing you need to help you deal with whatever
issues you have inside of you. I'll sing you the notes and then you can play them back," said Applebloom. She then sung the notes which I found were easy to play on the ocarina; those pointers Applejack gave me in the castle were already paying off as I managed to play "Epona's Song" without any problems. Wait a minute....Epona....isn't that the name of the pony who made me feel depressed about my childhood? It was! But why teach me a song about a pony who made me cry? Applebloom then continued talking. " That was a pretty good melody you played there Sunset Shimmer."

" I was given some pointers from another friend, so if anyone is to be thanked, it would have to be her," I said.

" She sounds like a really good friend," smiled Applebloom.

" That she is," I smiled back.

" Now there's that wonderful smile I saw from you back when we first. I knew learning my song was just what you needed, and it looks like you have made a new friend," said Applebloom as she pointed towards Epona who was now trying to push me forward, but this time she wasn't making any kind of sound, and I wasn't making any kind of reaction. " Epona has grown really fond of you Sunset Shimmer, and that is something that only I have managed to achieve. I reckon I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but know that you'll have a friend here through Epona and myself."

" Thank you. That means so much to me. Even though we've only known each other for a short amount of time, it feels like I've known you for years. Listen, I know you
might think this is rude of me, but I need to get going as I do have a lot of things that need to be taken care of," I said.

" Not at all. Before you go Sunset Shimmer, why don't you take a look inside of that shed at the far end of the ranch? I recall seeing a large heart-shaped object hidden away through a crawl space when I went in there in order to check on some inventory about a week ago. No one here has any use for it, so feel to take it with you. Y'all come back here any time you want, but why not say hello to granny after you get that heart. You could use some delicious and nutritious Lon Lon Milk in you right now, and I reckon granny will give you a bottle to take with you on your journey," said Applebloom.

As I smiled back at her and began to make my way towards the shed, I failed to notice Flash Sentry had been watching over me the entire time, but decided to urge his giant owl to move on instead of talking to me. What I didn't know though, was that something was happening back at Hyrule Castle involving the King, the Captain of the Royal Guards, and Ganondorf.

" Are you certain of this Shining Armour?" asked the King.

" Yes my king! I can confirm that the entourage that accompanied Lord Ganondorf have indeed departed the town and returned home. One of my guards informed me that the one called Nabooru issued the order for them to leave, and suggested that I come here to inform both you and Lord Ganondorf. I apologize for bringing you this most unfortunate news," replied Shining Armour.

" And what of the incident that took place between the guards and Ganondorf's entourage?" asked the King.

" That situation has been taken care of my king," replied Shining Armour.

" What do you make of this Ganondorf?" asked the King.

" I'm not sure what to make of the fact that my own servants decided to return to our fortress without my approval! But, I suppose that Nabooru must have had her reasons for wanting to go back. This may be sudden your majesty, but I would like to request another meeting between the two of us in order to finalize the alliance between our tribes. I need to return to the Gerudo's Fortress in order to resolve a small misunderstanding," replied Tirek.

" Does it involve your second-in-command?" asked Shining Armour.

" Hmph! You would be wise to keep your guard's tongues in their mouths your majesty, especially your Captain's for speaking out about matters that do not concern them. What goes on in the Gerudo's Fortress right now is a concern of the Gerudo and no other tribe! Do I make myself clear on that matter, Captain? Ahem! I must apologize for my harsh rhetoric your majesty, for both the Captain and I spoke out of line, and I hope that the alliance will be carried out as intended. I shall take my leave of you and send a messenger to confirm our next meeting in the coming days," replied Tirek as he walked out of the throne room and closed the door behind him.

" I did not mean to speak so my king," said Shining Armour.

" You did what you thought was best given the current circumstances Shining Armour, but I suppose that we must now wait for Ganondorf to inform me as to when he wishes for this next meeting to take place. Now then, tell about what happened outside regarding that commotion between the guards and the Gerudo. While the situation may be resolved as you say, I wish to know what happened out there," said the King.

" How dare Nabooru defy my command? It would seem then that her loyalty to the Gerudo remains unbreakable while her loyalty to me has become strained, and is on the verge of shattering into pieces strewn across the ground. I suspected that she could no longer be trusted when my dear mothers informed me that she had been sneaking off to the temple in the desert for some time now.

Hmmmm....I had hoped that Nabooru would one day learn to appreciate my vision for Hyrule by choosing to be utterly faithful to my will, but it seems that she has become a lost cause....and must now be dealt with. Not right now of course for my people still look up to her and view her in the same manner as they do for me, but soon Nabooru will come to realize the price one must be willing to pay if they defy me....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 4: Beginnings of Revelations

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 17, 2014
Chapter 4: Beginnings of Revelations.

" If it ain't the forest girl from the other day," said Granny Smith as I walked into the house after having gotten what Spike referred to as a Piece of Heart. Getting it involved pushing and pulling the crates in the shed, and as I struggled, Spike merely chuckled away with that sarcastic wit of his. " Listen, I want to thank ya for what you did for me ter other day. It took me all night , but I finally managed to get Malon back in a good mood. Say young un, you look like you have some free time on yer hands, so how about you play a little game of mine?"

" Actually, I did come in here to see you about purchasing some milk," I said.

" What a coincidence! That's the reward you can get if you manage to beat my game," said Granny Smith.

" In that case, what do I have to do?" I asked.

" Do you see these three cuccos that I have here with me? I calls em super cuccos, and I'm going to throw them into that there gaggle of regular cuccos. Your challenge is to catch each one and bring them over to me. Get all three within 30 seconds, and you will earn yourself a bottle of Lon Lon Milk. I like you, so I'll let you play for free as many times as you want until you succeed," replied Granny Smith.

" Thank you," I said.

" Are ya'll ready? Here go the super cuccos!" shouted Granny Smith as she tossed the three cuccos in random directions where they quickly mingled about with the regular cuccos. I had no way of telling exactly when I had caught them, but Granny Smith knew which ones were the super cuccos.

I soon found myself stumbling about in an effort to catch them, and as I constantly found myself flat on the floor, covered in feathers, trodden on by cuccos, Spike's laughter in my ears, Granny Smith laughing, and even my own laughter, the urge to want to succeed kept me going. As I was having fun which made me feel a lot better about myself, something else was happening far away.

" You wanted to see me exalted Nabooru, I mean ma'am, I mean Nabooru ma'am?"

" Enough with the formalities Derpy! You know that you don't have to be on ceremony with me, and yes I did want to see you regarding an important matter. First of all, did you make sure that no one followed you out here?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" If I remember what you've told me in the past ma'am, no one ever pays attention to me except for you because of how special I am," replied Derpy.

" So that means no one followed you....good! Listen Derpy, I have a confession to make and you're the only one among the Gerudo that I trust the most. Ganondorf is mostly likely furious over the fact that I ordered us to return to the fortress, but I did so not for the reasons everyone thinks. They don't see that he is a sadistic man who will do anything in order to conquer the kingdom. He would even kill us, his own people if it meant securing ultimate power. The others praise him because our laws say that we have to, but I can't follow him anymore," said Rainbow Dash.

" What was the reason?" asked Derpy.

" I ordered everyone to return here to slow down Ganondorf's plans, and maybe allow anyone in the castle to realize the danger that's in front of them. As far as the others are concerned, they believe that we returned in order to wait for further commands from him," replied Rainbow Dash.

" If the great Ganondorf discovers that you've betrayed him ma'am, wouldn't that make your life forfeit?" asked Derpy.

" My life was already forfeit the day I was born into the same tribe as Ganondorf," replied Rainbow Dash.

" You could say that your actions were to his benefit, for without his warriors at full strength, his plans would have trouble succeeding. I know that I'm not the smartest one among the Gerudo and that I've made a lot of mistakes which the others have chastised me for, but believe me when I say that you can stop him," said Derpy.

" Huh. You never cease to amaze me you know that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" This time I'm being serious," replied Derpy.

" I know and I couldn't be more proud of you. The others all view you as a bumbling oaf who makes a mistake out of everything, but I see you as having so much potential. That's why I'm entrusting you with my final orders and expect you to carry them out," said Rainbow Dash.

" What do you mean?" asked Derpy.

" My time here is up as I know one of the others is bound to expose me as a traitor to Ganondorf. That's because he's had his most devoted followers observe my every movement within the last few months. I need to make my way over to the Spirit Temple and sabotage his plans there which should give that forest girl a chance," replied Rainbow Dash.

" You mean that girl with the fairy that we encountered in town? Are you certain that she is the one ma'am? I think it was just a coincidence that she seemed to recognize you even though you told her that you were someone else. I'm not doubting you or anything ma'am, but how certain can you be?" asked Derpy.

" That girl had this weird aura surrounding her, and that is enough for me to believe that she can take down Ganondorf. Now Derpy, I want you to deliver this to her and then seek out safety with one of the other tribes. No doubt that this command will brand you a traitor, and I don't want you to suffer the same fate. This item is a ring which is filled with good magic, and I believe she will make good use of it," replied Rainbow Dash.

" What about Spitfire ma'am?" asked Derpy.

" Oh yes, Ganondorf's most faithful follower, and one who despises me for being in a position that she believes should be hers. I don't understand why she would hate me so much just because of a title, but I suppose I can see how she feels as she has been my subordinate for years. Spitfire may try to coerce some information out of you as she knows that you and I have a strong friendship, but you need to resist all of her tactics, and not let her know what we're up to," replied Rainbow Dash.

" I....I understand ma'am," said Derpy.

" Now let's rejoin the others and await Ganondorf's return," said Rainbow Dash.

" Hoo-whee! You finally managed to capture all three of my super cuccos young un. Despite how long yer took doin' it, you never gave up and you're scored yourself a bottle full of fresh Lon Lon Milk. I reckon you have the skills to be one of the world's best cowboys. You know, I think you deserve two helpings of milk seeing as you worked so hard trying to win my little game.

Here, the first one's on the house and you can guzzle it down right now, and after that I'll fill your bottle up anew to take with you on your journey," said Granny Smith as she handed over a bottle filled with milk. I consumed it as fast as possible, and within an instant I felt relieved. Even though what I drank was just milk, it must have contained some special properties that enable one's spirits to feel renewed.

" I'll admit that was a lot of fun," I said.

" It certainly had its share of fun moments didn't it? Well, here's your refilled bottle of milk, so I guess this is where we say our goodbyes for now. If you ever need to have your bottle topped up, then by all means come back here," said Granny Smith. As I left Lon Lon Ranch in order to make my way to Kokiri Forest, I realized that it had been just over a day since I left....yeah, one whole day doesn't really seem like all that much does it?

To Spike, it felt like he hadn't seen the forest for years. Upon entering the forest and subsequently the village, I became familiar with the beautiful scenery, and the sounds of nature going about their usual business, but then that was all shattered when I heard the sounds of someone I wish that I could forget.

" Link? So you decided to come back to the village after all." It was Diamond Tiara, the one who blamed me for the death of the Great Deku Tree. When I left here the other day to go to the castle, she said that she was going to tell the other Kokiri that I was to blame. " Things have been pretty dull around here without you around, so I've had to resort to making the other Kokiri's lives more miserable."

" And you think that makes you a good person?" I asked.

" What do you mean?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" I've only known you for just over a day, and I've never seen anyone treat their own kind the way you have. Don't you have any kind of moral sense inside of you that makes you want to rethink how you've been acting? If you keep this up, you'll end up becoming isolated and alone, and all you'll have to show for it is a corrupted heart that can never comprehend what it means to have friendship," I replied.

Hearing myself say that about Diamond Tiara made me think about how I used to be back in the human world. I couldn't allow her to end up like that, so I had to at least try to get her to change her ways before it was too late.

" Since when did you become so concerned for me?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" Because you remind me of how I used to be. I was mean to people and took advantage of them by manipulating them in order to strengthen my own influence. What I did to them was unforgivable and not a day goes by that I regret my actions. I can help you get a second chance Diamond Tiara, but you need to be willing to take it. Continue down the path you're on, and you will end up being alone and miserable for the rest of your life," I replied.

" Did leaving the forest change you Link?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" And my name is Sunset Shimmer!" I shouted. I then realized that it was hopeless for Diamond Tiara to change her ways, and that all she could see was how great she believed she was. When she asked why I wanted to call myself Sunset Shimmer instead of Link, I just gritted my teeth and restrained myself. This all then reminded me that I had come here in order to see Fluttershy, and I was certain that Diamond Tiara must know where she was. " Look, I'm not here to argue with you or anything, so if you can answer me one simple question, I'll be on my way. Do you know where Fluttershy is, or as you call her, Saria?"

" She's in the Lost Woods as usual," replied Diamond Tiara.

" Where is that?" I asked.

" Don't tell me you don't know where that is? Hmph! Well, if you must know, the entrance to the Lost Woods is right up there at the top of the village. The Lost Woods are called that because people have been getting lost there for years, yet no one knows what became of them. If you're lucky enough, you'll simply end up back here if you happen to get lost. How Saria manages to make it through there and back is anyone's guess, but she must have an incredible amount of luck. If you can't find her, don't come crying to me about it," replied Diamond Tiara.

She just had to get in that one last insult before she walked away, but I chose to ignore her and made my way into the Lost Woods. Upon stepping foot inside, I felt as I though I were enclosed in some kind of cage due to the only means of moving on appeared to be four tunnels, one in each of the four compass points. Apart from the small patch of sunlight that shone through above, the entire place felt very eerie and quiet.

" Can I ask you a question Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" Why were you trying to be nice to Mido all of a sudden? She's always been mean to you, but you were willing to put yourself out there for her," replied Spike.

" Before we left the forest, I noticed a couple of the Kokiri talking to themselves about how much she had been mean to them, and I felt mortified that she had been allowed to get away with that. I believed that if I could just talk to her about her actions, then maybe she would be willing to change her ways," I said.

" Mido believes that she is the best among all of the Kokiri, and that she deserves all of the praise and attention. Even though she says she is the boss, no one ever takes that seriously and simply go about their business. Maybe she suffers from some kind of inferiority complex that makes her want to lash out, or maybe she is jealous of the fact that you and Saria are such close friends.

For years, Mido has been trying to become close friends with Saria, and even learn her special song, but Saria knows how she treats the others, so she has always denied her. She also believes that she should've have been summoned by the Great Deku Tree instead of you," said Spike.

" All jealously does is breed hatred. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well," I said.

" You know, since we've been travelling together for a while now, I've been thinking about that story of yours again. Seeing how you reacted to that pony in Lon Lon Ranch, Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle, and even Mido here in Kokiri Forest, I'm starting to believe that perhaps you were telling the truth. Granted, I'm still not 100% convinced of it, but I am starting think you're more than what you appear to be," said Spike.

" It seems that you have made much progress since our last encounter Sunset Shimmer."

" WAAAAH! Flash Sentry! I wish that you wouldn't startle me like that," I said.

" This is the Lost Woods which serves as a connection between the Kokiri Forest, and other locations around Hyrule which can be reached through warp ways. Beyond these the trees lies the Sacred Forest Meadow, a place that few people have ever walked. This meadow houses an ancient temple that is said to contain the evil that exists in the forest....shhhh! Do you hear that?" asked Flash Sentry.

" Hear what?" asked Spike.

" I can hear a faint sound of someone playing an ocarina from deep within the woods," replied Flash Sentry.

" That must be Fluttershy," I said.

" If you listen carefully to the sound of the music, then it can guide you safely through the Lost Woods, and eventually lead you to your friend. I have seen this young girl make her way through the woods to the Sacred Forest Meadow many times as I fly through the skies on my loyal companion here, and I am amazed that she is able to make it through without succumbing to the dangers that exist here," said Flash Sentry.

" What kind of dangers?" I asked.

" It is believed by many that whenever non-Kokiri enter the Lost Woods, they transform into skeletal creatures known as Stalfos, and are doomed to protect the temple from those who wish to enter it. As for the Kokiri themselves, they transform into creatures known as Skull Kids, yet they retain their identities and not become mere monsters.

They are looked down upon by the Kokiri, so they choose to live here in their own form of eternal shame. There is no need for you to worry Sunset Shimmer, for your magic shall prevent you from becoming a Stalfos or a Skull Kid. I will remain here and wait for you to return from the Sacred Forest Meadow," replied Flash Sentry. That was a first for me where he chose to simply stay put instead of fly off on that giant owl of his. The more I hear him talk, the more I suspect that there is much more to him than just simply being an aloof traveler.

" What is it about that guy you trust so much?" asked Spike.

" He reminds me of someone that I was once in love with, but it wasn't exactly what you would call love. Rather, I was using him in order to get popular and the love angle was a facade so that no one would suspect anything. He eventually saw through my deception and subsequently broke up with me, and for a while he believed that I was going to get back at him.

This was before I began to understand the meaning of friendship, and now we view each other as friends more than anything else. The Flash Sentry I know is a really great guy and all, but he has a lot of detractors out there. The Flash Sentry of this world is a guy who has seen so much and gives advice to anyone who needs it. It's strange how two versions of the same person can be so different," I replied.

" You sound like you weren't always a nice girl," said Spike.

" There is so much about me that you don't even know about," I said.

" When the time is just right, perhaps you can tell me more about it," suggested Spike.

" I think you'll get your answers soon enough once we reach Fluttershy in this Sacred Forest Meadow." That conversation is one that I should have told her when I was about to leave the forest initially, but I was afraid to say something about it in case she either didn't believe me. With the thought of explaining myself to both Fluttershy and Spike entrenched in my head, the two of us continued to make our way through the Lost Woods by listening to the sounds of Fluttershy's ocarina as a guide. It felt strange that there was nothing of interest in each clearing aside from the occasional boulder, but I wasn't complaining as it meant not getting into trouble.

After what felt like several days of exploring, Spike and I found ourselves entering a much larger clearing with what appeared to be maze-like walls scattered before us. An old gate was nearby, but the lock on it must have been removed a long time ago leaving it to be disused. I didn't suspect Fluttershy of committing an act of vandalism as that would go against her character, but I shouldn't worry about something as trivial as a broken gate.

" I'm still amazed that Saria makes it all the way here so easily," said Spike.

" She must be pretty lucky to figure out how to get through the Lost Woods," I said.

" Luck doesn't really have anything to do it despite what that Flash Sentry guy might think. Saria is different from the other Kokiri in that she has a very strong connection to the spirits. She doesn't understand why she is able to hear them, but they trust her enough to the point where they have allowed her to make her way to the Sacred Forest Meadow. You could even say that Saria has a special magic like you do.

Oh! Before I forget, you should know that these pathways are littered with Mad Scrubs, Deku Scrubs that are very agitated and will attack repeatedly until they exhaust themselves. Your fire magic should be able to take them out easily, but watch out for their barrage of Deku Nuts," said Spike. He wasn't kidding when he said to watch out for the Deku Nut barrage, for as soon as I encountered my first Mad Scrub, I found myself being pelted by Deku Nuts which caused me to fall back around the corner in order to attack from a distance with my magic.

Those nuts really do pack a punch which makes me think that picking some up might come in handy in the future. My magic certainly is effective against these things as each one quickly succumbed with some requiring me to chase them down in order to defeat them. At the end of the maze was another path which consisted of a large flight of stairs at the far end, but before me stood even more Mad Scrubs which were quickly introduced to my magic.

" I was thinking that what Flash Sentry said about the monsters being held back by the power of this temple may not be entirely accurate," I said.

" That's because the Forest Temple provides one half of the protection the Kokiri Forest has experienced since the beginning. The Great Deku Tree served as the other half, but with his death, the temple may not be able to contain the evil of the forest for much longer. When that protection fails, Mad Scrubs will be the least of our problems for the truly dark creatures will be able to emerge," said Spike.

Hearing him say that as I took care of the Mad Scrubs made me feel upset over the fact that I wasn't able to prevent the death of the Great Deku Tree. I know that his death wasn't my fault, but I was the last one who saw him when he was still alive, so in a way that makes me responsible for the fate of the entire forest.

The final clearing was quite spacious with a large platform in the center that had a strange symbol on top of it. At the end of the clearing loomed a large building in which the steps leading up to it must have crumbled away some years ago. As I looked around in awe over what I was witnessing, I saw Fluttershy sitting on a small tree stump playing an ocarina....I thought what she gave me was her prized possession or something. Why in Equestria does she have another one?

" Link....even though it hasn't been that long since I last saw you, it feels like forever has passed," said Fluttershy.

" What are you doing here?" I asked.

" Whenever I need to converse with the spirits, or wish to be alone with my thoughts, I make my way here in order to play my ocarina. This is the Sacred Forest Meadow. I feel....I feel that this place will be very important to the both of us someday. Yes, that is what I feel....you know, ever since you left the forest, I've been thinking about what you tried to tell me but couldn't. At first I was okay with not knowing, but then I started to feel that perhaps you didn't care about me to want to share with me what was wrong," replied Fluttershy.

" That's why I came here to see you," I said.

" Does that mean?" asked Fluttershy.

" I came here in order to tell you everything which I should have done before I left the forest the other day. I regret not telling you this sooner as I was afraid that you wouldn't believe what I had to say, but that doesn't matter as I feel that you deserve the right to know. Let me start by saying that my name isn't Link even though it makes sense for one who comes from this world.

No, my real name is Sunset Shimmer and this isn't the world where I come from, and it isn't your world either or everyone else's for that matter. It all started back where I come from known as the human world...." I replied. I spent the next half hour explaining every last detail to Fluttershy without leaving out any details so as to insure that she understood everything. This same explanation was also for Spike's benefit, for he needed to be reminded of my story.

" You mean....you're a pony from another world?" asked Fluttershy.

" That's right," I replied.

" It's just so strange Link. Sorry, I mean Sunset Shimmer (that name is going to take me some time to get used to). When you were explaining your story to me, I could imagine this world you came from....this Equestria, and it actually sounds like a wonderful place where ponies of all kinds can live there in peace. However, I can imagine the human world even more as though I actually lived there at one time, but I've lived here in the forest since the day I was born.

Maybe in another life I lived in a city populated with many people, but here I am content with being among the wonders of nature and communing with the spirits," said Fluttershy. That was when a theory struck me which made me wonder why I never made the connection before, but I needed to test it by asking just one little question.

" What about that ability to talk to the spirits? How did you learn to do something like that?" I asked.

" Well, I've always had this connection to the spirits due to me knowing a little bit of magic. It isn't really anything serious mind you compared to you, but I use it in order to understand what the spirits say to me. Where this magic came from is a question I can't answer, but it developed when I was really young. Oh listen to me talking about myself when you are the one who was telling me all about you, the real you that is. Even if you are from another world Sunset Shimmer, I will always cherish the friendship I've had with you since the day we first met years ago. That is something I'll never forget no matter what," replied Fluttershy. That made me smile knowing she said that.

" Does this magic of yours remind you of anything?" I asked.

" It does have me thinking about someone that I think I know, but honestly I just can't seem to picture it. Someone named Twilight, but I don't know anyone with a name like that," replied Fluttershy. My theory just got proven to be correct thanks to what Fluttershy said just now. Her Equestrian magic has allowed her to remember some facets of the human world just like it had done for Twilight when I brought it up back at the castle.

Despite the fact the human world has been transformed into Hyrule, the magic of Equestria managed to survive the transition, but not 100% mind you as both Twilight and Fluttershy can only vaguely remember how things are meant to be. Shoot! I could've confronted Applejack and Rainbow Dash over the same thing, but I wasn't able to which means I need to speak to both of them again in order to get them to start remembering things from before.

Then another question hit me. Where were Pinkie Pie and Rarity? I have yet to see either one of them since I first found myself in this world, so where exactly could they be?

" Fluttershy....now that's a name I feel has a lot of meaning, but I do prefer to be called Saria. If you were to play the ocarina right here, then you can listen to the forest spirits. Would you like to play the ocarina with me?" asked Fluttershy. Even though I had gotten better playing it, I nodded my approval to her regardless of the fact. " Okay, then please play the following notes after I've done so." Fluttershy then played three notes and repeated the process before turning it over to me.

Unlike the previous two songs I had learned, this one felt like it was made for me to play, so I played it as though I had done so for years. " Great, great! I just knew that you would be able to play my song! This song is called 'Saria's Song' named after me, and when you play it, you can talk to me at any time you want even if we are far away from each other."

" I suppose this is where we part ways again," I said.

" Yes, only now it won't be one of those forever moments, for you can always come back here and see me if you want to. I'll most likely stay here for a while longer as I want to continue talking with the spirits, but then I'll make my way back to the village as no doubt they are starting to wonder where I am," said Fluttershy. While it would have been nice if she could have come with me, I chose to respect her decision and began to make my way back to the Lost Woods.

If there was a consolation in all of this, it would be the fact that we can now communicate with each other through the use of her song. Another consolation was that there were no monsters blocking my way back, so I didn't have to be cautious or anything....except for when it came down to dealing with one person.

" Did you learn a song from Saria?"

" WAAAAH!" I shouted due to Flash Sentry once again scaring the living daylights out of me, and why was he waiting for me at the edge of the Lost Woods? Didn't he say he was going to wait for me to return near the center of the woods? Why can't he just make up hid mind?

" There is certainly a mysterious power to be had within that song, and perhaps there are other songs out there that you can learn? I advise that you practice the songs you have learned so that they become second-nature to you. Hmmmm....as I look at you, I can tell that you have gotten a little stronger since starting your journey, but there is still much more you need to achieve. Many more trials await you, and you will need to conquer them all," said Flash Sentry.

" I do have one question for you," I began.

" What is it?" asked Flash Sentry.

" Do you know anything about a tribe called Gorons?" I asked with a confused look on my face. It was a name that Applejack only told me once, and it was a miracle that I even remembered it to begin with.

" The Gorons are a mountainous people who have lived on Death Mountain for many generations. Their leader formed an alliance with the King of Hyrule which makes them both view one another as equals, and she takes this honour very seriously to the point where she would feel insulted if she were to be treated as anything less. It is known by many throughout Hyrule that the Gorons are skilled at making weapons and bombs due to having dexterous fingers," said Flash Sentry.

" What is the name of their leader?" I asked.

" That is a question I cannot answer, but I'm sure that you may find it in Kakariko Village as the Gorons are known to visit there in order to trade for various goods. It's time for me to take my leave of you Sunset Shimmer, but we shall meet again as always," replied Flash Sentry. Once again he urged his giant owl to take to the skies and was gone almost instantly, but what he said about the leader of the Gorons made me worry about how I was going to deal with her.

It sounded to me that she had a short temper. While making my way back to the Kokiri Forest, I took a few side paths where I earned a Piece of Heart by playing Fluttershy's Song for a rather strange looking forest child. Then I earned a second Piece of Heart by playing a series of notes several times for two more children who looked exactly like the first one. Finally, I received a larger bullet bag which held 40 seeds just by shooting a stationary target in its center three times which I felt was too easy.

If these are the kinds of goodies that I could earn on my journey in this world, I should try to get as many as I can. Upon returning to the village, I wanted to see if anyone was going to greet me in anyway. No one acknowledged me, so I shrugged my shoulders and left the village in order to finally go to Kakariko Village where the next leg of my journey was to take place.

" Sigh."

" What's wrong Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" I know we're heading to Kakariko Village, but what exactly are we supposed to do there in order to get to Death Mountain?" I asked.

" Princess Zelda and her attendant Impa were pretty vague when it came to explaining that, but maybe that letter the princess gave you may be of some help? I don't know for sure just who she has written it to, but someone is bound to want to see what it says. You know, you could ask Saria for help as you do have her song now, and she did say that you two can communicate with each other," replied Spike.

" But so soon? We only just left her, and I don't want to feel like a burden," I said.

" If I know Saria and I do, she wouldn't mind if you contacted her straight away," said Spike. After thinking it over for a few minutes, I concluded that Spike made a valid argument, so I played Fluttershy's Song in order to see if she could give me some advice.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria. Can you hear me? Great, we're able to talk to each other through the use of my song just as I knew we could. I'm a little surprised that you wanted to contact me right away since you left only a short while ago, but that's okay because I'm here to help you regardless. The spirits talked to me just after you left the Sacred Forest Meadow, and they told me that you were going to Kakariko Village in order to climb up Death Mountain," said Fluttershy.

" That's right," I said.

" The spirits also told me that there is someone who is standing guard at the entrance to Death Mountain, and has been given strict orders by the King to not let anyone climb up the mountain who isn't a Goron. Maybe you can convince this guard to let you through if you could give him something that proves that you've been given permission to make the climb.

Something else is happening at the village according to the spirits, and it involves the leader of the Gorons who has gone there for something. I don't know exactly what this means, but maybe someone in the village has an idea as to what is happening. If you ever need to speak to me again, just play my song and I will help you out as best as I can, but you can always rely on your partner for help," said Fluttershy.

" Okay, so that explains how we need to get to Death Mountain, but what did she mean about the Goron leader?" I asked.

" I'm not sure Sunset Shimmer as she has never had a reason to go to Kakariko Village unless she was just passing through in order to go to Hyrule Castle. Usually, she would send a Goron or two to the village in order to trade with the villagers, but to go there herself? Something must be really wrong if she had to get involved," replied Spike. His words began to worry me because of what Flash Sentry said regarding the Goron leader, and what I assumed she was going to be like.

If she truly was in a bad mood, then things were going to get intense. The entrance to Kakariko Village was located up a small flight of stairs located a few hundred meters away from the wall that surrounds Hyrule Castle Town, but then this posed another question. Why is this village so close to the main city of Hyrule? Why not just make the two locations the same instead of making them two different locations?

Kakariko Village appeared to be a quiet little hamlet when Spike and I entered with the sounds of cuccos clucking away in the distance, the sounds of construction being heard nearby, and the wind blowing about in a carefree way. This village felt like I was in Equestria all over again due to how serene it was, but that quickly changed when a loud thud came out of nowhere which was followed by an earthquake.

" What was that?" I asked.

" Beats me, but it sure was powerful for a tremor. Kakariko Village has always been peaceful, and the only loud noises one hears aside from the cuccos is the sound of construction from the local workers. The village is always being worked on in order to make it larger so as to allow more people to live here, but I don't think any of the workers would want to rely on such extreme methods in order to make progress," replied Spike. I then noticed someone nearby standing in front of a tree, and it was Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, but she looked like someone had made her angry for she was mumbling to herself about something.

" Sweetie Belle? It's me, Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" Huh? Did you just call me Sweetie Belle? What in the world kind of name is that? If I was called a name like that, I'd be the laughing stock of the entire village! My name is Mutoh, and I am the 'Boss of the Carpenters' who were hired by the great Impa in order to transform this village into a fine city. But, my workers are just going about at their own pace without any clear direction. They're all lazy I tell you! However, they're the only ones who are qualified, so I'm pretty much stuck with them. You're dressed real weird you know, but don't mind me as I've not been in the best of moods as of late," said Sweetie Belle.

" Why is that?" I asked.

" Things have been peaceful here in Kakariko for a long time, but that was all shattered three days ago when a group of Gorons came down here from Death Mountain demanding that they be allowed to purchase some of the rocks we have. Those rocks are a part of our building supplies which we use to build homes, and they want to deny people the chance to live here?

We did what anyone else would do and that was flat out refuse their demand. So those Gorons came back the next day demanding the same thing, but again we refused for the same reason in that those rocks were for houses, but then they came back again the day after that, and again demanded to purchase our rocks. When we refused them this time, they said their chief was going to hear how the servants of her 'Sworn Brother' had denied them help when they needed it the most," replied Sweetie Belle.

" So what happened today?" I asked.

" They came back yet again, but this time their chief came along due to being frustrated with what she called disrespect towards the alliance between us and them. I know that his majesty views his alliances with the other tribes as being important to the future of Hyrule, but what those Gorons are doing is completely unacceptable." Sweetie Belle said before the sound that caused the earthquake earlier happened again.

It felt much stronger than before which caused me to fall down on my rear, but it seemed to have had no effect on Sweetie Belle or anyone else in the village. " That chief of theirs has been smashing her hammer down in anger and frustration ever since she got here, and it's really starting to get on everyone's nerves. All she's doing is throwing a tantrum just because she can't have her own way, and is accusing the king of disrespecting their status as being equal.

I'm sorry if I'm cutting this conversation short, but I'm going to go over there right now, and give that stubborn Goron a piece of my mind not just for my sake, but for that of everyone in the village." Sweetie Belle then stormed off leaving me to wonder just what was really going on around here. It sounded like there was some kind of stand-off between the village and the Gorons over a supply of rocks. Rocks? Seriously? All of this commotion over some rocks?

" Why are they arguing over rocks?" I asked.

" Gorons consume rocks like you would consume food Sunset Shimmer, and while that may seem strange to you, it makes perfect sense to them as they are known as the mountain people. Something however doesn't seem right, and that has to do with the whole rock situation. The Gorons should have plenty of rocks at their disposal as they mine them constantly, so they would have no need to seek out rocks from somewhere else. Also, they've been on friendly terms with the people of Kakariko Village for years, so why would they suddenly decide to act so irrational?

Whatever is going on around here, it's going to make our journey to Death Mountain much more difficult as we don't want to deal with angry Gorons. Believe me, they can be really scary when they're mad," replied Spike.

" Just when I thought things were going to be a little easier for us, this has to end up happening," I sighed.

" No one said a journey were ever easy, and if they were then there would be no point to them as you'd gain no experience if everything was just handed to you. Do you recall what Flash Sentry (that is what you called him right?) said about you having to overcome many trials? Think of this situation between the Gorons and the villagers as being one of those trials you need to face," said Spike.

" No pressure on me right? I could do without any of that," I moaned.

" Then you'll just have to deal with it and not worry about the pressure, so let's go and see what we can do to help," said Spike. Sometimes I get the feeling that Spike enjoys being right about these things, and making me eat my own words afterward, but in this case he was right in that we had to do something in order to prevent things from getting even worse.

As we walked further into Kakariko Village, another earthquake occurred, and it was even more powerful than the previous one. Again, I fell down on my rear, but I knew that I was getting closer, and that was when I started to think about this Goron chief whose causing the earthquakes. She must be very powerful to be able to cause earthquakes by using just a hammer. That was when I heard Sweetie Belle's voice although it was softer due to her still being a distance away from me.

" Why do you have to be so stubborn?" she asked.

" You would dare talk to me who is a brother to the king? That makes me so mad!" I couldn't tell what the Goron chief sounded like, but then another earthquake happened, but this time I was prepared for it as I didn't want to fall down for a third time.

The voices were coming from the north end of the village where a large gate was; this must be the entrance to Death Mountain. I ran up a few steps and found myself standing before a group of girls who were wearing some armour that looked really old due to all of the dents, but not the kind of armour you'd see on say a knight. This armour made them appear to be mercenaries or something from those fantasy books they have in the Canterlot High library. The one girl who had the roughest armour suddenly turned around to face me, but I wasn't able to see who it was, for the only thing I could see was a giant spiked hammer coming right at me....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 5: Darkness of the Graveyard....

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 19, 2014
Chapter 5: Darkness of the Graveyard….

BBBBOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

" Sunset Shimmer! Are you alright?" asked Spike. I had no idea if I was okay or not as I closed my eyes just before that giant hammer came crashing down. It turned out the hammer had merely smashed into the ground causing another earthquake, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was roughly a few inches away from me. Now that was a close one for sure as I could've been killed.

" Enough Brother! Your temper almost got this poor girl killed, and I for one believe that you would be feeling that one on your conscious for a long time. It should be obvious to you by now that the villagers refuse to give their rocks over to us because they have a use for them. We would be taking away that which belongs to them, and they need to build homes for their own using those rocks. Let's go home and think of another means to get our nourishment."

" But my 'Sworn Brother', the King, told me our respective tribes were to help one another in times of need. You were there when he proclaimed that promise big sister, and we Gorons are in need of help otherwise our very way of life is at an end. I just don't see why we can't simply take the rocks for our own and be done with it! There's no need to rely on diplomacy for we are more powerful than the Hylians. If they tried to stop us from taking what we need, we can easily deal with them without having to break into a sweat."

" And you want to resort to fighting?"

" I guess?"

" You're not thinking clearly again, little sister."

" What!?!?"

" If we were to steal these rocks, the villagers would complain to the King, and then we would have the Hylian Royal Guard on our doorstep. That would result in a conflict which could develop into a war, and this kingdom certainly doesn't need one so soon after the previous one. We're not in a good position to demand anything Brother, and wanting to fight only makes things worse. Sigh! You never do act rationally when you're in a bad mood, or when you're hungry."

" Maybe your right about me letting my temper cloud my judgment."

" Our people will survive this problem as we have seen worse, but we need to be strong if we are to enable them to feel the same. You need to show our people restraint, and not swinging your hammer around in frustration hoping to make a scene. Let's go home as you need to prepare for the arrival of the royal messenger who is going to show up within the next day or two according to the castle."

When I finally came around after my near-death experience, standing in front of me was Pinkie Pie, and she was the one who swung that giant hammer my way. Since when was she capable of feats of super-human strength? I noticed that her hair wasn't poofy and full of life, but rather flat and miserable. The girl that had been talking to her looked exactly like her older sister Maud Pie only with armour and wearing a battered helmet.

" Guess we should go back then," said Pinkie Pie.

" We can send some of our brothers down to the village in order to repair the damage you've caused," said Maud.

" Grrrr,” moaned Pinkie Pie.

" And what is it now?" asked Maud.

" I hate going back home empty-handed! This is only a temporary solution sister, for you know full well that we need rocks, and Kakariko Village has the kind of rocks that we love to consume. If I feel that there is no other option, I will bring the entirety of the Goron tribe down upon this village, and take what we need by force! Not even your own words will persuade me otherwise even if we are related by blood. If the King chooses to launch a complaint against me for my actions that are aimed to save us, then he can say it straight to my face! Grah! Now I've gone and made myself even madder for wasting my own time!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

" If only you would calm down brother," said Maud.

" Calm? Calm!!!! There's no point in me calming down with our tribe on the brink of extinction! We may be Brothers as well as sisters Maud, but remember that I'm the Big Chief of our tribe, and whatever I say is final! Like I said, I'll follow your advice for now and await the arrival of the messenger even though we need those rocks. They told me that the messenger is a young girl, and that she is coming to claim the stone which we have guarded for generations, but I'll be the judge of that. Brothers! We return for now to Goron City, but be prepared to march at any moment," said Pinkie Pie.

Huh!?!? Brothers!?!? Since when are Pinkie Pie and Maud brothers when they are clearly sisters! This perplexed me as I saw Pinkie lead her small group back up Death Mountain with the guard closing the gate behind them. Upon hearing my silent mumblings, Spike revealed to me that in Goron society, the term brother referred to a bond of trust between the Gorons for they were strong believers when it came to friendship, loyalty, and respect.

" I'm sure that has confused some people when you think about it," I said.

" It may sound weird to the rest of us, but to the Gorons, trust means everything to them with the possible exception of rocks. In any case Sunset Shimmer, we have a pretty good idea as to who we need to speak to with regards to the Spiritual Stone," said Spike.

" Their chief mentioned that they are waiting for the messenger of the royal family to arrive. I take it she was referring to me?" I asked.

" That does appear to be the case, but with their chief being in the mood she's in, it won't be easy to get what we came here for let alone being able to talk to her. I wonder why she is in such a bad mood as I know Gorons to be very friendly, and willing to help out those in need. I don't know how she is going to react when she learns that you're the one they're expecting, but you'll have to convince her to give us the stone in order to save Hyrule," said Spike.

Seeing Pinkie Pie in such a bad mood just didn't click with me. She had always been someone who had boundless energy, and enjoyed having fun no matter the situation. It felt like I wasn't even seeing the real her, but some kind of impostor. At the very least, her older sister Maud was similar to the one I know from the human world, although she is a lot more talkative and emotional than usual which is surprising.

" It almost was a disaster." Sweetie Belle began.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" If Maud didn't convince her sister of heading back home, Kakariko Village most likely would have suffered a lot more damage than it already has. I just can't figure out why Darunia has been in such a foul mood these past couple of weeks. While she is stubborn which is typical Goron behaviour, she has become so irrational that the villagers fear for their lives, and have requested the castle send more guards in order to keep the peace," replied Sweetie Belle.

Darunia? That must be the name Pinkie is referred to in Hyrule, so at least I won't make that mistake like I have with everyone else. " Darunia is a wise leader who uses her immense strength to protect her people, and they all look up to her as their Big Brother, but her recent actions have me wondering if she's lost the will to lead successfully."

" Maybe something happened in their city that has caused her to suddenly change her attitude?" I asked.

" It's possible, but then what could have happened? Darunia doesn't really like to divulge any kind of secrets when it comes to the well-being of the Gorons, but maybe it has something to do with their rock supply. When it comes to rocks, Gorons are very territorial and like to keep their stash to themselves, but while they have been known to venture forth from Death Mountain to bring back rocks from other places, they do so in a civil manner instead of using intimidation.

I guess we may never find out what's really going on up there so long as Darunia remains in that mood of hers. By the way, you almost got yourself smashed by her hammer earlier, but you were lucky that she missed otherwise we wouldn't be speaking to each other," replied Sweetie Belle.

" I was just so paralyzed with fear that I wasn't able to react in time, but I'm lucky that she ended up missing me. Perhaps I might be able to learn what's bothering the Gorons, and help them resolve it. I was sent here by the royal family in order to procure an important gemstone from them," I said.

" So you're the messenger of the royal family? I'm surprised that they would choose a kid from the forest, but who am I to criticize the will of the king," said Sweetie Belle.

" The princess gave me this letter which I am to deliver to the guard who watches over the gate that leads to Death Mountain. I'm not sure what she wrote, but I'm guessing it will allow me permission to climb up the mountain and reach the Goron's home. I was thinking of actually making my way up there now, but seeing the actions of Pink....I mean, of Darunia has me thinking that maybe doing so right now would just make her even more angry than she already is.

Maybe I should make the climb tomorrow morning when she's had the night to perhaps calm herself down a little," I said while looking at the letter Twilight gave me. To be honest, I was also having doubts that Pinkie would want to even listen to me whether she had calmed down or not. Maybe Twilight should have asked one of the royal guards to carry out this task instead of me because I don't know a thing about diplomacy other than it can corrupt you when you least expect it.

Then again, would a simple guard be able to succeed in talking to Pinkie Pie in her current state-of-mind? The answer to that was a resounding no which made me feel worse. I did notice though that Maud was able to reach through to her sister, and make her rethink her course of action which resulted in their departure. Was Maud the key to talking to Pinkie Pie?

" Well, if you're planning on going there in the morning, the least we can do for you is let you spend the night here," said Sweetie Belle.

" I'd appreciate that," I smiled.

" You look like an adventurer to me what with look in your eyes, so how about I make a suggestion for you? After the sun has gone down, why not take a trip to the Graveyard that resides behind this village. I know it sounds rather morbid to recommend a place where the dead are buried, but it might be a good idea for you to check it out at least once," said Sweetie Belle.

" Why not go there right now?" I asked.

" Dampé, who resides in the graveyard doesn't come out during the day, and can only been seen during the first few hours of any given night. You might want to talk to her about what happens in the graveyard as that's her field of expertise. I should warn you though she can be a little on the eccentric side, for her words sometimes confuse people, but she is generally a friendly person. Right now it's about noon, so you'll need to kill some time before you can see her.

In the meantime, I've got to get back to work as that fuss with the Gorons has gotten us behind schedule. Okay, you lazy bums! Let's get back to building that new house, and be quick about it will you? I'm not paying you to just goof off and make fools of yourselves," replied Sweetie Belle. She then walked off towards a building that was in the process of being built, and she immediately began to berate one of the other carpenters for putting something in the wrong place.

This left me with the conundrum of figuring out to spend the next six hours waiting for nightfall, and checking out the graveyard. In the meantime, something was taking place in the western reaches of Hyrule; a situation was about to make things even worse for the kingdom, and I was unaware that it was even taking place.

" Spitfire! Spitfire! Where are you my faithful servant?"

" Lord Ganondorf! I'm surprised to see that you've returned from the castle. I take it that the meeting between you and the king didn't go as expected?" asked Spitfire.

" Where is Nabooru? I command her to come before me in order to address something of great importance," replied Tirek.

" The last time I saw her my lord, she was training the warriors in the training ground. I could ask one of the others to summon her for you, but it seems that she has heard you. Looks like Nabooru has angered Lord Ganondorf for the last time it seems what with her decision to bring everyone back which defied his edicts. I hope that she finally gets what she deserves for being the traitor that she is, and if so then I will be laughing at her misery while being praised by everyone as the new second-in-command of the Gerudo. Presenting the exalted Nabooru, most noble of Gerudo aside from Lord Ganondorf," said Spitfire.

" Great Ganondorf! What brings you back to the fortress?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" You know full well why I was forced to return here, so don't think you can try to make a mockery of me! You have a lot of explaining to do Nabooru for your decision to act without my permission is one that I find is treasonous beyond reason. I'm certain that you are aware of what happens to those who betray the laws of the Gerudo don't you?

I've tolerated your behaviour in recent months because they never posed a threat to my desires, but what you have done shows me that you can no longer be trusted," replied Tirek.

"...." was all Rainbow Dash could say.

" In the face of these accusations my second-in-command, you choose not to say a single word? This bodes ill towards you for you know that the punishment for treachery is execution, so if I were you, I'd want to save my own skin by revealing why you decided to act against my wishes," said Tirek.

" I do have a good reason," began Rainbow Dash.

" And I for one would like to hear it," said Tirek.

" The reason was some of them were injured as a result of the conflict that took place at the Hyrule Castle gates between them and the Royal Guard. There was no way I was going to let them suffer further injury, for that would prevent them from following your commands with efficiency. I know that I chose to abandon you on your journey to seek an alliance with the king, but you are the great Ganondorf after all. No one is as powerful as you when it comes to strength and magical prowess," said Rainbow Dash.

" And yet despite this you still defied me," said Tirek with a slow voice.

" My actions might be worthy enough to consider me someone who should be executed, but all of this was done for your benefit great one. You are my king, and I am your loyal servant, nothing more, nothing less. While I may have overstepped my boundaries, it was done for your benefit," said Rainbow Dash.

Tirek then paced about for a few minutes thinking about what his decision was going to be. Rainbow Dash kept a calm composure, for she knew that if Ganondorf saw through her deception, being branded a traitor would be the least of her worries as she knew that being caught would mean instant death. Spitfire was just staring at her superiors wondering if Rainbow Dash was finally going down. " I shall accept whatever you decide shall happen to me, but know that I was acting on your behalf."

" I believe you Nabooru, for I know that you would never betray me. I must offer you my sincere apologies for accusing you of treachery, and that you will resume your duties as my loyal second-in-command. You are hereby dismissed," said Tirek. Rainbow Dash bowed before him and then turned around and walked off, but she knew that Ganondorf was aware of her actions as being treasonous.

As for Spitfire, she was kicking herself over the fact that Rainbow Dash had just gotten off without any kind of punishment, and instead received an apology. Ganondorf noticed her reaction and then began to speak to her. " You seem to be flustered my loyal Spitfire."

" You just allowed her to walk away without being punished by any means," said Spitfire.

" And this bothers you because?" asked Tirek.

" Because I was hoping that this would be my chance to finally not have to bow down before her as my superior, and take her place as your second-in-command. I have
proven my loyalty to you is unshakable Lord Ganondorf, yet why did you forgive her for turning her back on you? No disrespect towards you or anything my lord, but I feel that this just isn't fair at all," replied Spitfire.

" Do you really think that I forgave Nabooru for her actions?" asked Tirek.

" Gasp! Does that mean that you do view her as a traitor?" asked Spitfire.

" She tried to mask her true intentions by claiming ignorance, but I know that deep down she was trying to prevent me from claiming the Triforce, and using its power to conquer this pathetic world. I had such high hopes for Nabooru, for I believed that she would have made a lovely bride sometime in the future, but I see that her heart has made her weak. Spitfire, you are my most loyal servant among all of the Gerudo, for you would do anything in order to please me yes?" asked Tirek.

" That and so much more," replied Spitfire.

" Such loyalty like that deserves to be well rewarded, and a reward for you would be making you my new second-in-command. In Gerudo society, you are the second
highest ranked female behind Nabooru, and that is something which has been eating away at you for a very long time yes?" asked Tirek.

" I've had to endure being her subordinate for many years while she earned the admiration from the rest of the tribe. That kind of praise should have been mine from the start, yet I was overshadowed by Nabooru despite having done so much in your name. All she's done is ridicule you behind your back, and constantly be a thorn in your side. I'm not about to wait any longer than I have to which is why I was hoping that you would have her executed for treason," replied Spitfire.

" Your time shall come soon my servant," smiled Tirek.

" I look forward to proving myself to you Lord Ganondorf," smiled Spitfire.

It had been about four or five hours since the incident with Pinkie Pie, and the sun was beginning to settle down for the night. You know, it actually feels weird seeing the sun set naturally as in Equestria it was handled by Princess Celestia, and she also handled the rising and setting of the moon until Princess Luna returned from being exiled to the moon courtesy of Twilight.

While waiting for the right moment to enter the graveyard, I took the time to explore Kakariko Village and talked to as many people in order to learn all I could. Many of the people were happy that Applejack had opened the village to them when she moved to Hyrule Castle, and others talked about how the problem with the Gorons was really starting to affect them on a personal level. One villager told me not to enter one particular house because it was deemed cursed, so Spike and I had a little argument over this fact and whether it was true or not.

" Do you believe this house is cursed?" asked Spike.

" I'm not a firm believer of curses, but that villager seemed very adamant about warning us not to go inside," I replied.

" He told us that the family who lives inside this house were cursed to become monsters due to their greed, and that they are condemned to remain in their house for all time so as to ensure that the curse doesn't spread to the rest of the village. I don't want to become a monster Sunset Shimmer, so let's not ever go inside that house," said Spike.

I didn't know to make of what the villager said, but my curiosity wanted me to go through with it. So I opened the door in order to take a look, and what I saw made me want to close it again and not look back. " Why did you have to go and look inside? Now you're going to be cursed for sure!"

" That house....was full of cobwebs as though no one has cleaned it in years, and I saw some strange shadows scurrying about in there as though they belonged to some kind of creatures. Maybe we'll come back here later when we have some free time, but we need to get prepared for our trip to the graveyard," I said.

That doesn't sound right at all getting ready to go to a graveyard, as it makes me sound like I'm waiting to attend a funeral. That was when I noticed a large group of villagers were heading there which made me wonder why. Spike had no idea either, so we decided to follow the crowd and see for ourselves. The graveyard itself was a miserable looking place where tombstones were lined up in rows with dark clouds hanging overhead in a permanent state.

It felt as though the very dead could rise up at any time due to the atmosphere being so dank and morbid. " The house was probably less scary than this place is that's for sure Spike. Still, I wonder why all of these villagers decided to come here? I noticed that there weren't any children among them, and they were dressed like they were going to a party."

" How about reading that sign over there?" asked Spike.

" Oh!" I exclaimed when I saw what he was talking about. A old wooden sign was stuck in the ground nearby, and I walked over in order to read what it said. " Kakariko Village Graveyard Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour! Tours go from 18:00 to 21:00 daily. No children permitted on the tour due to scare factor being too much for them to handle. Have any questions, comments, or concerns? Inquire within by speaking to Dampé."

That explains why so many people wanted to come to the graveyard as they were interested in this gravedigging tour. I'm not sure why anyone would want to dig around in a graveyard apart from the obvious reasons, but Sweetie Belle did insist that I should check it out at least once. " According to this sign, this Gravedigging Tour is something that seems to be quite popular, or at least it's something that is only just being started by the gravekeeper. What do you think we should do Spike?"

" I suppose we could go on the tour as it might prove to be fun, but at the same time we should check out the tombstones especially the one at the very back of the
graveyard. It's giving off a strange aura as though it were trying to call out to someone to come on over as a means of wanting help," replied Spike.

" We can check out that gravestone while we take part in the tour as I'm sure we'll pass by it eventually," I said.

" Yeah, that does make sense," said Spike. The crowd of villagers had gotten a little larger since the last time I checked, so Spike and I mingled among them with none of them taking notice. Everyone waited for several minutes before the door to the Gravekeeper's Hut opened up, and out stepped an unusual woman who looked like a cross between a gravekeeper, a witch doctor, and for some reason a zebra?

" Oh, so we have a lot of customers come tonight in order to partake in the Heart-Pounding-Gravedigging Tour? I can assure you that this will certainly not be a bore. I see that we have some new faces among the crowd tonight, so let me tell you more about myself and the tour to your heart's delight! My name is Dampé although for some reason there are people who refer to me as Zecora.

Such a funny name Zecora sounds, but I digress as that isn't really all that important. Sometimes you notice that I speak in rhyme, but I try not to do it all of the time, for that's because rhyming is a hobby of mine. Anyway, welcome to the Heart-Pounding-Gravedigging Tour! What's gonna come out? What's gonna come out? When I start digging we'll find out! This is how things are going to work tonight. All of you will follow me as I make my way around the graveyard until you ask me to stop.

Upon paying me just ten rupees, I will dig a hole in the spot that I have stopped over, and we will see what ends up happening." Dampé, or rather Zecora then began to walk towards the closest gravestone and began to follow the path that was cobbled with stones that looked jagged and in need of repair. Within a couple of minutes, one villager asked Zecora to come to a stop which made her raise her shovel with excitement.

" I'd like for you to dig here Dampé!"

" Then that will be ten rupees if you don't mind, so now let's see if your investment will reward you in kind," said Zecora as she thrusted her shovel into the ground before lifting it up again and removing some dirt. " Well look at what we have here! It's a purple rupee that is worth 50 rupees which means that you have earned yourself quite the profit. None of this was staged, and that is a promise from me to you. I can dig here once again if you like, or we can continue on to the next site."

Over the course of the next hour, Zecora led the group around the graveyard stopping every few minutes in order to dig up a hole. Sometimes she dug up rupees which people gladly took, and on at least one occasion she dug up a skull which looked really awkward as though it had been buried for centuries.

Other things that came up included a pair of wooden shoes, a metal brace, a shield, more rupees, the remains of a skeleton, some bugs, a ghost who stuck out its tongue in frustration before vanishing into the night, and even a piece of gold although its value was debatable. " It seems all of you have enjoyed tonight's tour with the exception of you." Zecora then turned her attention towards me. " Not once have you asked me to dig a hole, so it makes me wonder if you're having any fun at all."

" Actually, I came here because I'm an adventurer," I said.

" Is that so? Then may I suggest we go to one side and talk in private? I believe that I have some information you may need to know if you are the one that I was foretold long ago of your arrival. Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, but I need to stop the tour for only a few minutes as I need to talk to this young girl right here," said Zecora.

As she took me to one side, the glaring faces of the villagers made me feel really uncomfortable, and reminded me of when the students of Canterlot High looked at me during the early planning stages of what would be the Battle of the Bands. Just seeing their unhappy faces made me want to run away and hide somewhere. " I have had many dreams over the past few nights that have foretold that a brave hero dressed in green would come here seeking out the secret."

" Well, I am wearing green so that's one part of your dream correct. Not sure about the brave hero part though as I've done things which would probably take far too long for me to explain, but what do you mean by secret?" I asked.

" There is a lot of burden inside of you which makes you a conflicting girl, but this is a battle that only you can overcome as it is a battle against yourself. If you allow your inner demons to get the better of you, then they won't stop until they've achieved the goal of seeing you meet a terrible end. Many of the gravestones here are where the shadow folk, known as the Sheikah were buried upon death, and even now in the beyond, they continue to watch over the royal family and those who live in the village.

At the far end of the graveyard lies a large tombstone which I'm sure you have already seen by now. That is the tomb where the members of the royal family are buried, and it is said that a secret was buried there that revolved around the power of the sun," replied Zecora.

" What kind of power?" I asked.

" No one knows for certain as it was something known only to the royal family, but they say that those who are connected to them may be able to discover the secret. That is all the information that I have to tell you adventurer, so feel free to check out the tombstone if you believe that you can solve the puzzle. Or, if you would prefer to resume the tour and want me to dig a hole for you, it will cost you just ten rupees," replied Zecora.

A secret of the royal family which ended up being buried with them….that did sound like something I was interested in especially the fact that it was a secret related to the sun which was my specialty. My cutie-mark was one that comprised of a sun blazing in the sunset hence the shadow effect on it, and my magic in this world was mainly based on fire that was as hot as the sun itself. It sounded like this secret and me were destined to meet, but at the same time it felt creepy knowing that.

Since Zecora also asked me if I wanted to pay her to dig a hole, I took up her offer and paid her the money which I found while traversing Hyrule Field earlier. " Then let's see what's going to come out when I dig this hole. Will it make you happy or will it make you sad? The answer isn't crystal clear, but perhaps it will help you in the future my dear." Zecora dug the hole with her shovel, and lifted it back up as per the usual, but what came out surprisingly was a Piece of Heart which surprised even her.

" How about that? I had no idea that such a trinket was buried underground. Perhaps this is a sign of good fortune that will come your way, so please take this with you." I took the Piece of Heart which made me feel warmer just like the previous ones, and with that done Zecora started to make her way over to the group who had been waiting impatiently for her to resume the tour.

" Can I ask you a favour?" I asked.

" What kind of thing do you ask of me?" asked Zecora.

" This may sound rude and intrusive, but would it be okay if I took a quick look inside of your home? I promise not to take or touch anything, but I want to look inside for anything that might help me on my journey," I replied.

" Normally I wouldn't allow anyone to enter the sanctity of my home, but since you wanted to address the concerns before asking me, how can I refuse a request from such an honest person as you? With that I take my leave of you, and good luck on your quest young hero," said Zecora as she walked off leaving Spike and I to take a look inside her home.

When I opened the door to the Gravekeeper's Hut and stepped inside, the home consisted of a small bed, a chair propped up next to it, a desk with another chair in front of it, and what appeared to be a journal on the desk. There were no windows to be found and the lighting was extremely dim. It looked as though Zecora had a fascination for wanting to be in the darkness, but maybe that was a gravekeeper thing on her part. The journal on the table seemed to be the most important thing that stood out in my opinion, but as I gave my word not to touch anything, I was restricted to reading whatever was on the open page.

" There's nothing of interest in here," said Spike.

" Apart from that journal on the table," I said.

" Does that mean you plan to read it?" asked Spike.

" Only what is on the open pages. Now let's see what she wrote down on these two pages. One day while digging, I found a strange treasure that stretches BOING and shrinks BOING. Why this was buried underground is a mystery to me, but the fact that it's so much fun has convinced me to keep it. I've hereby dubbed this item my stretching-shrinking keepsake which I will never let anyone have for the rest of my life," I replied.

" It could just be a piece of junk that she found," said Spike.

" It's possible but then it could be something that we could use, but that's an impossibility as she has no intention of giving it up. I suppose you were right Spike about there being nothing of interest in here, so why don't we check out that large tombstone at the back of the graveyard?" I asked. Spike nodded his approval, and so we left the hut in order to make our way over there. The tombstone of the royal family certainly was an impressive sight to see for it stood out among the rest of the tombstones littered about the graveyard.

Two additional tombstones were located in front of the large one which made me question why these two were here of all places, and why did it suddenly start raining the instant I approached? When I reached the closest of the two graves, there was a message inscribed onto it which was how gravestones were marked. " This one says Sharp, the Elder." Then I walked over to the other one in order to read what it had to say. " And this one says Flat, the Younger....those names remind of music...." But before I could say anything else, a loud moaning sound began to erupt from the two graves, and from them rose two ghosts who looked exactly like Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch. The appearance of the ghosts caused immediate panic to the villagers who fled for their lives, and Zecora decided to run into her house and locked the door.

" Turn back mortal! Turn back if you wish to remain alive!" shouted Octavia.

" But I came over here in order to learn the secret of the sun," I said.

" You would dare attempt to steal our life's work? Then you shall join us on the other side!" shouted Octavia. She then began to swing what looked like a baton in an attempt to strike me down, but I jumped back before having to jump again to avoid a lantern that she was carrying. Vinyl, who didn't say a single word which is just how she is in the human world, also began to swing around a lantern and a baton.

One of their lanterns struck my arm, and I yelled in pain as the fire coming from it felt inhuman. I needed both of my arms to remain intact in order to use my magic, but when the lantern struck the same arm again, it caused it to go numb leaving me having to rely on one hand. Spike suggested that I run away because dealing with Poes as he called them was different from facing regular monsters, but I was determined to learn that secret of the sun. Once I got hit by the lantern for the third time, and then in the head several times by the batons, I felt that I had had enough, and decided to channel my magic through my one working hand.

The fire magic flowed out of my hand, and knocked the two ghosts back a few feet, but it wasn't enough to defeat them straight away, so I had to repeat the process until both of them finally went down. I kept up the offence with my magic while avoiding the batons and lanterns only to get hit by them more often than I could avoid them. When it seemed like I was about be defeated for good, I tapped into a larger portion of my magic, and hit the ghosts with an even stronger fiery blast which caused their bodies to crumble away leaving behind two spirits which looked rather happy.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" That certainly was a challenge, but I managed to pull through despite being burned numerous times and having bruises all over my body from being hit by batons which somehow manage to inflict damage," I replied.

" YOU....DEFEATED....US....I can't believe that you were able to defeat us both despite the odds being against you. There is more to you than appearances show young girl, so perhaps you are the one we have been waiting for. Ahem! My name is Sharp the Elder, and this is my younger sister Flat the Younger, and when we were alive, we were known as the Royal Composer Sisters who served the Royal Family of Hyrule.

The king commanded us to complete two projects which had stumped the royal family for years, and of course we were honoured to have been given the tasks. The first was to study the history of the royal family, yet this proved to be far too difficult and time consuming for us. The other was to study the music of ocarinas, and how they related to the passage of the sun. It was this latter project that my sister and I were able to complete, but we would not live to see the benefits that would have resulted," said Octavia. She then lowered her head in sadness as did Vinyl which made me suspect a certain someone may have been involved with how they ended up being ghosts.

" What happened?" I asked.

" That hateful Ganondorf learned of our project and wanted the results for himself. We could never allow him to discover our secret, so we gave our very lives to protect it from him. Our secret even now remains buried here in the Royal Family's Tomb where it awaits the one who is destined to learn it. Flat and I have waited here a long time, and at last our prayers have been answered. You are the one whom we have been waiting for as there is something inside of you that reminds us of the sun.

Once you play the song handed down by the royal family, we can at last rest in peace and move on from this mortal coil," replied Octavia. Hearing their sad story brought tears to my eyes, and made me curse Ganondorf for what he had done. As I approached the tombstone, there was something marked into the ground which was three triangles with one stacked on top of the other two. I remember seeing this symbol on Twilight's dress, and on various statues in the courtyard, so this must be the symbol that represents the royal family, and I knew the song that connects it all together.

I then played 'Zelda's Lullaby' or 'Twilight's Lullaby' in front of the tombstone, and all of a sudden the rain started to come down even faster, and lightning began to stir up. To top it all off, a strange electrical surge pierced the tombstone, and it compelled me to want to see what it meant. I shouldn't have gotten so close, for a few moments later, the tombstone exploded into pieces causing me to be sent flying back a few feet and landing on my rear....again. All that remained was a small hole in the ground which I jumped into on instinct, and this lead me into a cavern that comprised of a number of bones scattered all over the floor. There was a strong sense of evil coming from a door at the end of the cavern, and there were traces of it where I was.

" Who would've thought that there was a cavern right below the graveyard?" I asked.

" There are a few others like this Sunset Shimmer, but this one and one other location are perhaps the most important. Whenever members of the royal family pass away, the tomb is opened up and the bodies are buried here in a reasonable fashion, but it looks like someone has been careless as there are bones all over the place. I'm sure you've already felt it since we first fell in here, but there is a strong evil aura coming from the next room," replied Spike.

" Yeah, I felt it," I said.

" The other place of importance that is beneath the graveyard is an ancient temple that is dedicated to the dark history of Hyrule that involves war, disease, and many other evil facets that have existed. It looks like some of the evil from the temple has seeped over into the royal family's tomb which means you need to prepare to face with the living dead if you want to get your hands on that secret," said Spike.

" The dead come back to life?" I asked.

" If they were animated by someone with a lot of power and magic at their disposal, or by the power of what lies within the recesses of the temple that is. What I can tell you is that the living dead aren't necessarily stronger than the other monsters we've seen so far, but defeating them is different because you can't just use your magic and call it a day. If they are struck down by traditional means, they quickly rise up again as though nothing happened to them. You need to figure out how to expose them to their one great weakness....light, be it sunlight or light magic," replied Spike.

" In a place like this where there is no light to be found, defeating whatever lies in the next room is going to be impossible. So it looks like I'll have to run away from these undead creatures when we encounter them as it would be pointless to fight them right now. The first thing we need to do though is to figure out how to open the door in question as there are bars covering it, and neither of us have the strength to lift it," I said.

It was difficult to walk around with all of the bones scattered about, but I wasn't about to step on any of them accidentally, or even pick any of them up as that would just be unbearable. To think that these bones have been buried here for years, decades, or even centuries, and they have managed to retain their composure despite lacking any of it. One skull stuck out as being out of place as it looked unusual for a human-shaped one, but as I walked closer to it, its eye sockets began to glow.

" Beware the lurkers in the dark!"

" What was that?" asked Spike.

" This skull just spoke to me," I replied.

" Shine light upon the living dead!"

" It just did it again!" I shouted.

" I'm not doubting you or anything, but either this skull is trying to warn us about whatever lies in the next room, or they're doing a terrific job at trying to freak us out, and my money is on the freaking us out part! Hmmmm....it's strange though that inanimate objects like this skull are even able to communicate unless it's the power of the temple, or that of the tomb that's making this happen," said Spike.

" Do not allow the unliving to gaze upon you!"

" Who are you?" I shouted.

" You have found a place where the souls of the dead linger without rest. There is a power hidden below the surface that grows stronger, and the light above will no longer be able to keep it under control. The barrier created by the warrior of shadow has grown weaker while the shadow beast has increased its power in order to break the seal. You who wanders about in the infinite darkness! Know that the dead shall never be allowed to rest so long as the shadow continues to feed!"

What this a warning about the temple Spike mentioned? Or was it a warning about the encroaching darkness of some kind of shadow? In either case, the bars blocking the door disappeared which meant access to the next room was available. Upon entering this room, the foulest stench suddenly filled the air, and it made me feel nauseous, but the sound of moaning coming from further into the room frightened me to the very core.

" Do you hear that?" I asked.

" Those must be the sounds of the living dead which means we need to be careful not to encounter them," replied Spike. I took a few steps at a slow pace so as to proceed with caution, and that was when I encountered what looked like zombies. What was strange was that each of them were either squatting down or standing upright looking down, yet seemed to be oblivious to anything. Their moans were enough to make me want to scream, but I kept my composure in the face of the undead.

Spike hid behind my hat for he too was scared of them as I was, so I couldn't blame him for that. " Sunset Shimmer, these things are known as ReDeads, corpses given life through powerful magic. While it looks like they are ignoring us, they will move if we get within range of them, and that's the least of our worries. If their piercing gaze catches you, you'll be paralyzed with fear for a few moments, but that may be enough time for them to latch onto you and drain you of your life force."

" And without any kind of light down here, being caught by one of them means instant death right?" I asked.

" Uh huh, so be extra careful how you get through this," replied Spike. Easier said than done for even though there were only three ReDeads, there were pools where the
rancid smell was coming from, and I was not about to allow myself to wade through any of that. I slowly walked deeper into the room making sure to stay close to the shadows and not get the attention of the ReDeads, but luck wasn't on my side it seems for a slight mis-step was all it took to attract them.

" SSSSHHHHRRRRIIIIEEEEKKKK!!!!" The scream that came from each of them was so ear-piercing that I almost fainted from convulsions, but instead I was frozen on the spot which I struggled to quickly get over before any of the ReDeads decided they wanted to consume my life force. Just as one of them was mere steps away from me, I recovered from the paralysis, and ran as fast as I could into the deep recesses of the room which were covered in shadow. After stumbling about for a few feet, I came across a large stone at the end of the room which had some kind of writing on it.

" Is this the secret?" asked Spike.

" I'd like to think so, but I'm not sure so let me read what it says on this stone. This poem, as written by the Royal Composer Sisters, is dedicated to those who fight for justice and the light of the sun. 'The rising sun will eventually set, a newborn's life will fade. From sun to moon, moon to sun....give peaceful rest to the living dead.' That's quite the lyrics for a poem dedicated to the sun, but that still doesn't answer the question as to where the secret is," I replied.

That was when I noticed something had been etched onto the stone below the poem. " Look at this Spike! It's some kind of melody with a message written above it instead of a poem. By playing this song, one will be able to change the day into night, and the night into day within an instant. The song harnesses the light of the sun making it very effective against the living dead. Keep the Sun Song's memory inside of your heart, and use it to shine light upon evil." Once again, this song consisted of three notes repeated twice which made it easy enough to remember, but then as soon as I played the Sun's Song, the moon quickly made its way across the sky before settling down and the sun started to rise.

" Wow! So this is the power this song possesses? No wonder Ganondorf wanted it so much, but it's something I'll need to use sparingly especially since everyone in the kingdom will notice that the moon suddenly performed a vanishing act. Huh? There's one more message underneath the melody. 'Evil spirits wander where they don't belong. Put them to rest with the Sun's Song'. If that's the case then those ReDeads will be a cinch to get past as we get out of here, and finally start the climb up Death Mountain."

" You mean we can get out of here?" asked Spike.

" And not a moment too soon," I replied.

" The moon went down faster than usual which means only one thing....someone has discovered the secret those composers took with them to their graves. While their secret certainly proved itself to be powerful, its effectiveness left something to be desired making it completely useless in my eyes. Perhaps the one whose magical aura I sensed before is the one who claimed it?

Yes, it was most likely her which makes things all the more interesting. The pieces are slowly coming into place whereupon I shall claim the inevitable checkmate which will grant me ultimate power! However, the princess has proven herself to be strong-willed for she continues to hold onto the Ocarina of Time as though her life depended on it. She will soon succumb when the despair of darkness consumes the very light she and her family have sworn to protect. Hmmmm? Ah, Spitfire, my loyal servant....what news do you bring me?"

" The messenger you sent to the castle earlier has just returned Lord Ganondorf, and I can happily say that the king has agreed to another meeting in order to finalize the alliance between our two tribes. Said meeting is to take place at the castle in two days from now," replied Spitfire.

" Then the final preparations for my conquering this kingdom are at hand at long last. I shall go and meet with the king in order to maintain the image of pledging my loyalty to him, but he does not yet realize that his life shall come to an end upon the conclusion of the meeting.

The look that he will have on his face when his life is about to end by my hands will surely be a delight to witness, and the energy that I will absorb from his dead corpse will add insult to injury as the legacy of the royal family is brought to an end. Of course, if the king is to die then his precious daughter must as well. Now then, my servant, what news do you have regarding Nabooru?" asked Tirek.

" Right now she continues to train the warriors in the training ground as she was doing before. My guess Lord Ganondorf is that she will soon make her move to sabotage your plans. Nabooru hasn't talked to anyone since you confronted her aside from a brief conversation with that one who is accident prone. What was her name again? Derpy? Yes, she talked to Derpy about something although I couldn't hear what was being said," replied Spitfire.

" Ah Derpy....the one who is ridiculed by the rest of the tribe. Whether she is aware of Nabooru's actions or not mean nothing, for she does not pose a threat, but if it will give you a piece of mind Spitfire, then you may take care of her however you see fit. As for Nabooru, I shall inform my mothers that they will be getting a visitor within the coming days, and that they are to take good care of her," said Tirek.

" The two sorceresses Lord Ganondorf?" asked Spitfire.

" Yes. They will do everything to make Nabooru see the error of her ways, but if she resists then the only option left for her is to die. I'll let them take care of her as I must begin preparations for my meeting with the king," replied Tirek.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 6: Of Masks, Sonatas, and Gorons

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 20, 2014
Chapter 6: Of Masks, Sonatas, and Gorons.

" It feels good to be finally out of that tomb, and back in the safety of the village instead of that creepy graveyard," said Spike.

" Maybe, but I'm still bothered by that cryptic warning that skull mentioned about the temple underneath the graveyard, and whatever that shadow beast is all about. I may be over thinking things a little Spike, but it's just stuck in my mind, and I can't focus on what's important right now," I said.

I'm all-too familiar about warnings seeing as I was a disaster waiting to happen back in Equestria. The signs were there indicating that I was going to go down a dark path, but no one figured it out except for Princess Celestia who tried her best to guide me. And what did I go and do? I ignored the warnings, and insisted on wanting to become a princess which resulted in my eventual self-exile to the human world. Now, whenever I see a warning of any kind, I just have to take it seriously as I don't want to have to endure what happened before.

" Right now, we need to focus our efforts on getting the spiritual stone from the Gorons. Despite you having made the moon go down faster than usual with that song you learned in the royal family's tomb, and most likely disrupting the sleeping patterns of everyone in Hyrule, the next day is upon us which should make speaking to Darunia a much easier task," said Spike.

" That all depends on whether she is in a better mood than yesterday," I said.

" What could possibly go wrong?" asked Spike.

" Do you really want me to answer that for you? Darunia was upset over the fact that she wasn't able to get rocks which to me means that something has happened to their food supply. I've come to this conclusion as her sister Maud said that she gets irritable when she's hungry. The question now is why has their food supply suddenly been cut off? They live on a mountain for pete's sake, so they should have enough rocks to eat to last them for centuries," I replied.

" Whoa! You're starting to get a little personal with this," said Spike.

" I'm sorry but seeing Darunia act like she did has shocked me to the core of my heart because she didn't act like the girl she reminds me of. You're right though about me taking this too personally, but I'll be sure to remain calm and collected when we finally confront her. Now, let's get permission to climb up Death Mountain so that we can maybe straighten her out a little, or possibly make things even worse," I said as I started to walk towards the gate.

Many of the villagers seemed irritable due to the events of the other day both here and in the graveyard, so I chose not to speak to them in case I made their anxiety worse. The guard standing by the gate was different from the one who was there yesterday, and she looked like she wasn't even a proper guard due to wearing a helmet and no other armour. " Excuse me? Are you the guard whose on duty here?"

" I am, but I'm not an official guard of the castle if that's what you're thinking. The Captain of the Royal Guards wasn't able to provide the village with additional men due to the Goron crisis, so several of us villagers have volunteered to pick up the slack. Normally, I'd be busy tending to my flock of cuccos despite having a serious allergy problem with them, but right now I have to stand guard at the gate, and warn the village of any Gorons that may come this way."

" Scootaloo?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face. This guard standing in front of me was Scootaloo, someone who admired Rainbow Dash and was best friends with both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. I was expecting her to be with Rainbow Dash in this world, but then that consistency from back home hasn't exactly done its job here.

" You must be mistaking me for someone else as my name is Anju. Sorry if I keep on dropping this spear, but I haven't exactly had any kind of training to be a guard. I wanted to volunteer to protect the village, but maybe I jumped at the opportunity too soon due to my lack of skills as a soldier. In any case, I have a feeling that you want to go up Death Mountain right?" asked Scootaloo.

" That's right," I answered.

" With the Gorons acting the way they have been over the last few days, travelling up Death Mountain is tantamount to suicide. Besides, no one is allowed to go up there without the king's permission, so I'm afraid that I will have to ask you to turn back," said Scootaloo. I then presented her the letter that Twilight gave me back in the castle, and she took it in order to read it for a few minutes. " This is a letter from Princess Zelda, and she says that you are under her power to protect Hyrule, and that you are to be given permission to climb up Death Mountain.

Well, the princess's word is as good as the king's, so that does mean that you can move on, but I should warn you that Death Mountain is an active volcano, and as you are right now, you won't like the journey ahead. Might I suggest that you bring a proper shield with you? One that can protect you from the flaming rocks of fire that are spewed out from the peak?"

" Do you know where I can get one?" I asked.

" The Bazaar in Hyrule Castle Town sells the shield that you need, but it is an expensive purchase at around 80 rupees. However, if you tell the owner that one of the guards of Kakariko Village recommended you to get one, they'll be able to give you a reasonable discount which is a price drop somewhere between 10-30 rupees depending on the attitude of the owner. Ummmm....now that you've been given permission and a recommendation of sorts, I was wondering if you could do me a small favour? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I wanted to ask you at least once," replied Scootaloo.

" What is it?" I asked.

" There was once a shop in Hyrule Castle Town known as the Happy Mask Shop which sold masks of various shapes and colours. The owner of the shop started her business as a means of wanting to make people happy, but she didn't like the fact that people kept on coming to her, and being forced to stay inside of a cramped, musty shop throughout the entire day. So, she chose to close up shop about a year ago and started to travel about the kingdom in order to go to them and be more interactive.

They say that the Happy Mask Saleswoman finds you instead of you finding her as she is mysterious like that, and that she has a rather eccentric personality. Anyway, if you manage to run into her on your travels, would you mind getting me a mask that I've been wanting for a long time? It's called a Keaton Mask, I believe, and I will gladly pay you for it if that need arises," replied Scootaloo.

I found her request to be simple enough, so I agreed to get her the mask that she wanted, but then how was I supposed to find someone who would find you instead? At least I had an excuse to go back to Hyrule Castle Town for a little while even if it was for just a proper shield as Scootaloo called it.

Stepping back out onto Hyrule Field made me feel appreciative of the fact that it was large and vast, and was a welcome change of pace what with having spent much of last night stuck in a small enclosed room underground. It wouldn't take long to walk to Hyrule Castle and buy a shield, but it would take a long time to fulfill Scootaloo's request, and yet I should've realized by now that nothing is quite that simple when it comes to Hyrule.

" You look like you're in an awful hurry there!"

" WAAAAH!" This whole getting scared by Flash Sentry was starting to get really old and must have been about the fourth or fifth time he's done this, but this time he wasn't the one who caused me to freak out. Standing next to me with a large bag on her back was someone that I thought I'd never see again after what happened during the Battle of the Bands back in the human world.

" You! You're one of the Sirens who tried to take over Canterlot High using music in order to brainwash your victims and make them obey your every command! What was your name again? Oh yeah! Sonata Dusk! You've got a lot of nerve showing up here expecting me to forgive you and your fellow sirens for what you did to my friends, and to me especially. Whatever it is your planning on doing in order to be forgiven, I'm not going to give you the benefit of the doubt."

" My name is Sonata Dusk yes, but I have no idea what you're talking about with these sirens, and music, and doing anything bad to you. I'm merely someone who travels the land searching for those who could do with one of my happy masks to make them feel better about themselves. Everyone in the world deserves a chance to be happy, and that's my goal in life, to see that no one is left to be sad. If I offended you for any reason, I'm very sorry and didn't mean to cause you grief," said Sonata.

How could I be so blind and stupid not to realize that this isn't the same Sonata Dusk who was a member of the Dazzlings? This was a different version of her with no ties to the other one, and I just insulted her for no apparent reason because of the similarities. Knowing this made me feel really bad as I was once again resorting to my old ways of bullying, and it made me start to cry which caught the attention of Sonata.

" There's no need for tears my friend, for what you said to me was an honest mistake. If I resemble someone you know that made you upset, I'm ashamed to be connected to her in such a way."

" I didn't mean to lash out at you like that," I cried.

" All is forgiven as you were merely venting out some kind of inner frustration. I've seen it happen all the time whenever I meet people new and old, yet I never tire of seeing it as I know it will always happen. So wipe away those tears and let me see if I can help you out as best as I can," said Sonata who then proceeded to wipe away my tears which made me feel better.

" I travel the world selling masks to people, and I see that you could do with some happiness yourself. While some of my masks may look strange, others fascinating, and yet others leaving you speechless, all of them are destined to make someone out there happy. I've got an idea which should perk you right back up. Would you like to be a Happy Mask Saleswoman? I will let you borrow one of my masks, and then you must go and sell it on your own.

If you talk to people while wearing one of my masks, you'll be sure to get some kind of reaction out of it. I'm not sure what will be said, but it will be something that's for sure. Eventually, someone may have an interest in the mask, and may inquire about purchasing it from you. If you manage to sell a mask, return to me so that I may receive payment, and then you can borrow the next mask.

The previous mask will be free to borrow for as long as you want, but you can only have one mask in your possession at a time. It may sound like a daunting task, but I know that you can do it. In fact, if you manage to sell all of my masks, you'll end up becoming happy yourself knowing that you made others feel the same."

" After what I said to you just now, I could do with some happiness right now, and I want to do something nice for you to make up for how I treated you. So yes, I'll become a seller of masks and make you proud," I said.

" Splendid! Now let me just pull out the first mask that you can borrow." Sonata said as she put her bag down, opened it up, and literally jumped into it in order to find what she was looking for. It was rather awkward seeing her legs dangling out of the bag like that, but she quickly got herself back out and presented a mask which looked like some kind of fox with its eyes slanted shut. " Here is the first mask you can borrow, and it costs only ten rupees to purchase. This is a Keaton Mask. and this can be described as being hot, hot, hot! Someone out there is surely waiting for this mask to reach them."

" And I know exactly who," I said.

" You know someone already?" asked Sonata.

" There is a girl in Kakariko Village who asked me if I could get her a Keaton Mask by finding you because she said that she really wanted one for a long time. If this is what she has been looking for, then I can sell the mask to her and bring you back the money within a matter of minutes. Of course, I do need to go to Hyrule Castle Town in order to buy a proper shield as I intend to travel up Death Mountain via a request from the princess," I replied.

" Well, I am going to Kakariko Village in order to get a special potion, so I will be there for a while which should give you plenty of time to buy a shield at the Bazaar, sell the Keaton Mask to the one who wants it, and pay me back in order to receive the next mask. Or, you could do all of this the other way around if you prefer if that makes it easy for you. Would that suffice? Either way, I will be waiting for you in Kakariko Village, so be sure to look out for me," said Sonata, and with that she began to make her way over to the steps leading up to the village.

Just like she was in the human world, Sonata was rather bubbly and had a penchant for being an air-head, but it was nice to see a friendlier version of her instead of the siren I'd come to know. It didn't take long for me to reach the Bazaar, and I'll admit that it was pretty professional looking what with how everything was displayed neatly on the shelves. The owner of the Bazaar looked a little frightening at first, but I didn't let that bother me in the slightest.

" Welcome to the Bazaar, Hyrule Castle Town's store for all of your adventuring needs. What can I get you?"

" I'd like to purchase that shield you have there in the corner," I replied.

" You mean the Hylian Shield? This is the kind of shield used by the royal guard so it's both sturdy and heavy, but it may be a bit too heavy for the likes of you. No offence mind you, but I'm just saying that it may not be what you need unless you were planning on climbing up Death Mountain or something."

" That's the reason I need that shield," I said.

" If that's the case then I'll gladly sell you the shield as you'll need it if you're planning on going up there."

" Oh, and I was recommended to come here and purchase the Hylian Shield from one of the guards in Kakariko Village," I said.

" So one of the guards there told you about us did they? Guess that means I need to give you a good deal then otherwise I'd be betraying their expectations. Usually, this shield sells for 80 rupees, but I'll sell it you for about....say 60 rupees. That's as low as I am willing to go otherwise I'll be selling at a loss which isn't good for business kid. So do we have a deal or not?" The price was still a bit high for my tastes, but it wasn't as high as the original asking price, so I agreed and made the purchase.

It's a good thing Spike advised me to cut as much grass as possible while on my journey as well as break pots whenever I see any as that's how you can earn rupees really quickly. The Hylian Shield was indeed heavy as I strapped it onto my back, but it was something that I should be able to get used to. With the shield purchase having been taken care of, I raced back to Kakariko Village in order to sell the mask to Scootaloo who was still standing guard at the gate by the time I arrived.

" Looks like you were able to get a good deal from the Bazaar," said Scootaloo as I was running up to her before stopping to catch my breath. " With that shield in your possession, you should have no trouble climbing up Death Mountain, but do beware of the Gorons. Oh? What's that you have there in your hands? Is that the Keaton Mask which I told you about earlier? You managed to run into the Happy Mask Saleswoman straight away? That's rather convenient if I may be honest with you, so are you going to sell it to me?"

" It will cost you ten rupees," I replied.

" That is well within reason, so please take my payment with my sincere gratitude. I've been wanting to hold this mask in my hands for a very long time, and now that dream has just become a reality. I'm going to wear it right now and never take it off until I'm finally done with this guard duty job. I'll be able to wear it again once I get back home which hopefully should be later today, or early tomorrow depending on the Goron crisis," said Scootaloo.

She then put the mask on her face and gave me 15 rupees for it instead of the asking price of ten which meant that I had earned myself a little profit on the side. This money of course wasn't going to be mine for very long as I had to go and pay it back to Sonata in order to get the next mask from her.

" Wearing this mask has made me the happiest person in the world! Wah-ha-ha! From now on, I'm going to refer to you as "Mrs. Hero" as that's exactly what you are, a hero who makes people happy wherever she goes. Wah-ha-ha!" Scootaloo was ecstatic beyond belief over what I had done for her, but I couldn't stick around and watch her laugh all day as I had to find Sonata....which didn't take long mind you because the instant I turned my back to Scootaloo....

" You've made that girl very happy my friend."

" WAAAAH! Oh? It's you Sonata! Sorry about me freaking out like that as I'm rather jumpy when people suddenly sneak up on me without warning. I just sold that Keaton Mask which you already knew seeing as Anju over here I almost called her Scootaloo, but I've learned how to not make that mistake has been laughing hysterically ever since she put it on. Anyway, she gave me 15 rupees as payment which means I have to give you ten of those as payment," I said.

" Payment has been received, so from now on you can borrow the Keaton Mask whenever you want, and you also get to borrow the next model of mask which I happen to have somewhere in my bag. Let me just see where I put it exactly as my bag is filled to the brim with masks," said Sonata. She put her bag down once again and opened it up, but this time she chose to stick her hand inside rather than half of her body.

She fiddled about for a while pulling out masks of various designs while shaking her head and putting them back again, and I was compelled to tell her that it would have been easier if she had just placed them on the ground instead of back in the bag. I guess this was just her way of doing things even if it was weird.

Eventually, Sonata pulled out a mask upon which she smiled with a huge grin on her face before closing her bag up and strapping it onto her back. " Sorry that took so long as this little fellow was rather tricky to find, but here is the second mask that you can borrow. This is the Skull Mask and it was designed to look scary what with these horns and the attention to detail on the face."

" Those horns aren't sharp are they?" I asked.

" Of course they are otherwise it would lose any kind of authenticity which would make the wearer unhappy. This mask sells for 20 rupees which means you will need to pay me back that amount in order to be able to get the next mask model. I can see from the look on your face that you have no idea as to who you could sell this mask to, but not to worry as I have seen many people along the course of my travels.

While on my travels, I came upon a beautiful forest where all kinds of creatures live, and I heard about children who have lost their faces to the forest. How that happens is a mystery, but those poor children aren't able to express themselves fully. There was one such child who has been talking about not looking scary enough for his friends, and that he says that his face is very bland," replied Sonata.

" Okay, I think I have a pretty good idea as to where to go with this mask," I said.

" You can take as much time as you want with the Skull Mask as you do have your own journey to complete. It may sound weird lugging around a mask made out of the remains of a dead creature, but then the beauty of the mask is that it is meant to frighten for the right reasons," said Sonata.

" This mask was once a creature?" I asked.

" Oh my but yes, but which creature it was I have no idea. I don't make the masks that I sell, for my only purpose is to sell them to those who need them. If I find a mask on my travels that appeals to me which is all the time, then I will purchase it in order to sell it to the right person," replied Sonata.

" So then who made this Skull Mask?" I asked.

" I have no idea," replied Sonata.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" Who made and didn't make the mask is not important for they chose to give up their creation without choosing to wear it for themselves which is a travesty. I've seen this happen many a time, and it makes me sad to see people doing this all in the name of profit. I perform my task as a means of making people happy....and I suppose earning a small amount of profit doesn't hurt as it keeps you well fed and gives you a roof over your head when the weather changes. With that, I take my leave of you," replied Sonata.

That was probably the most disturbing thing I've heard so far in this world, but then Sonata was rather out there most of the time what with her outlook on life. When I turned around to say goodbye to her, she was already at the entrance to Kakariko Village that connected to Hyrule Field. How in the world did she get over there in just a few seconds carrying such a heavy bag on her back? I had no chance to run over and ask her, for she had already walked down the stairs and was soon out of sight.

" That was pretty weird," commented Spike.

" You don't even know the half of it," I said.

" Want to fill me in here?" asked Spike.

" This Happy Mask Saleswoman looks exactly like a girl I knew from the human world, but their personalities differ in one key place....alignment. In my world, Sonata was evil who along with her friends wanted to conquer the world by hypnotizing everyone into obeying their every word. While she wasn't necessarily evil like the other two were, Sonata still proved that she was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. Because of what she and her friends did to me and my friends, I can't forgive them even though they no longer have any power.

It's like a part of me doesn't want to give her and the others a chance to redeem themselves as they showed no signs of remorse. When I saw her in this world, I assumed that Sonata had somehow followed me here, and was intent on making my life miserable, but now I see that this is a good Sonata Dusk who wishes to make people happy. It's weird seeing a different version of someone when all you know about them is from one set of experiences," I answered.

" Are you saying this because of how you shouted at her?" asked Spike.

" If I hadn't stopped myself, I could have made things even worse, and I'd just be a monster like I used to be, but that was then and this is now! I apologized to Sonata for the mistaken identity, and I believe that I've made a unique friend in her. Now that I think about it, if Sonata is in this world, then does that both Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze are somewhere here as well? And if so, are they still evil, or will they be good people when I finally run into them? Huh? Sorry, just thinking out loud and got caught up in the moment," I replied.

" Want to talk to Saria before we climb up Death Mountain?" asked Spike.

" Now what brought that up?" I asked.

" You seem to be a little stressed out what with this whole thing regarding Sonata, so I figured that you could play Saria's Song, and see what kind of advice she may have that can be shared with us. If advice isn't your thing right now then maybe simply talking to her would work as I know that she enjoys talking to her friends," replied Spike. He made enough valid points for me to whip out the ocarina and play Saria's Song aka Fluttershy's Song as I prefer the latter name for it.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria? Can you hear me? I heard from the spirits that my advice to you regarding that letter turned out to be of tremendous help in your quest, but I think that I didn't really do all that much seeing as it was just a letter. Is there something that you appear to be stumped with right now?" asked Fluttershy. I then explained to her about the problem I had with the Gorons, and that their chief, Darunia, was acting irrationally. " I have heard many stories about Mrs. Darunia from the spirits, and they've told me that while she may look strong and tough, she has some kind of secret that reduces that facade to rubble. No pun intended of course."

" What kind of secret?" I asked.

" She is known to suddenly break out into dancing whenever she hears something that causes her to react like that. I know it sounds hard to believe that someone like Mrs. Darunia is capable of dancing, but she can and it's also said that dancing is how she relaxes and calms down especially after being angry," replied Fluttershy.

" Oh I can believe someone like her would want to dance," I said with a sarcastic look on my face.

" The problem is that only the Gorons closest to Mrs. Darunia would know what kind of music she would dance to, so I'm afraid that you will have to go and talk to them in order to know for certain. There are also some places in Hyrule that are connected to the forest, and if you manage to hear the music of the forest, then you will have found one of those connections. It makes traversing the kingdom a little bit easier although it only really applies to the eastern most portion of the kingdom," said Fluttershy.

" That's some pretty useful information there especially about the connections," I said.

" Really?" asked Fluttershy.

" I'm being completely honest with you about that. Such connections would make my life a lot easier when it comes to travelling as all this walking around is starting to make my feet sore. As for that bit with Darunia dancing to music, I think I know just who might know more about it than anyone else among the Gorons....her sister Maud. She's got to know the answer unless they're not close as sisters, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," I replied.

" Then I guess I'll leave things up to you, so good luck Sunset Shimmer, and remember to play my song if you need some more help," said Fluttershy. Thanks to her I had a better understanding of how I was going to handle Pinkie Pie, and that was to speak to Maud about her sister's dancing obsession. I knew that it had to be something like that as Pinkie always loved dancing about, and breaking into song whenever she felt the mood to do so.

I also had to let her know about the whole Equestrian magic and this world not being our world bit which I told Twilight and Fluttershy, but I need to do things one step at a time with the first step being Pinkie in a better mood. With a new resolve and determination in my heart, Spike and I began to march up past the gate and onto what was known as the Death Mountain Trail, a narrow path that twisted itself about in order to make its way up the mountain.

The pathway at the beginning was rather dull as the high rock faces made it all feel enclosed, but a large cave entrance with a large boulder blocking the way soon caught my attention. A sign near the boulder that this was the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, and that no one was permitted to enter due to a sudden infestation of Dodongos. What in the world was a Dodongo?

" I've heard about this place," began Spike.

" Do tell," I said.

" Dodongo's Cavern was once a large cave complex that was filled to the brim with Dodongos, dinosaur like creatures that were capable of growing to very large proportions and breathing fire in order to scorch any prey they came across. Supposedly, the Dodongo's went exist many years ago, and the Gorons began to start mining the cavern in order to look for rocks which they would eat upon finding. If what that sign said was accurate, the Dodongo's seem to have returned in large numbers, but why has that happened? Also, why seal up something which you've been using to get your food supply for years?" asked Spike.

" Gasp! Repeat that again!" I exclaimed.

" The Gorons have been using the Dodongo's Cavern to get their food supply?" asked Spike.

" That's it! That's got to be the reason why Darunia has been in such a foul mood these past few days. The Gorons must be experiencing some kind of food shortage which explains why they've been going to Kakariko Village so often, for they are so desperate to eat that they are resorting to drastic measures to avoid starving to death. Now we need to figure out why the entrance to their quarry has been sealed up, and who among them decided to do this in the first place. Of course, we still need to get Darunia in a good mood, and I think helping her with the food shortage just might be the key to securing the Spiritual Stone of Fire," I replied.

" It couldn't have been one of the Gorons as that kind of action would have made her very unpopular with the others," said Spike.

" Then it must have been a non-Goron who placed that boulder there, but who would have the strength to lift a boulder that big? Hmmmm....so many questions and few answers attached to them. Maybe we should ask some of the Gorons if they know anything about that boulder," I suggested.

" You mean like that Goron standing right behind you?" asked Spike.

" Huh?" I turned around and sure enough there was a Goron standing right behind me. "WAAAAH!" Okay, this whole scaring me senseless thing was starting to get really old, really fast, and it was probably starting to add years onto my life. " So you're one of the Gorons are you? You remind me of a student from Canterlot High, but I can't quite put my finger on it right now."

" We don't get many visitors come up here to Death Mountain. Since you know what I am and all, I'll skip the introduction and get right to the point. We Gorons have lived here peacefully for many generations, but then problems started to flare up when that huge boulder came out of nowhere. Because of it, our favourite quarry, the Dodongo's Cavern has been sealed off, and now we Gorons are slowly starving to death. Big Brother Darunia said that she was waiting for the messenger of the royal family, and it's this which is keeping her from going on a rampage in the village below."

" Where is she now?" I asked.

" Most likely waiting for the messenger in her room, and getting angrier with every passing minute. Big Brother can be very scary when she is angry, but I know that she's this way due to a lack of food in her belly. If you want to hear more Goron gossip, why not head up to our city? Goron City is only another mile away from here, so it shouldn't take you very long to reach it even by foot." That piece of information was somewhat useful, so I continued to walk up towards the city stopping every now and then to speak to additional Gorons who happened to be along the path. One Goron actually stopped to tell me something because he felt the need to do so.

" They say that a beautiful fairy lives on top of Death Mountain. Don't you want to see her?"

" And how do I go about doing that?" I asked.

" You'll need some explosives in order to reach her, but bombs are pretty scarce around here what with the food shortage. So I guess you won't be able to see the fairy until the shortage is over." That was rather disappointing to learn that there was currently no way to reach this fairy the Goron mentioned unless the food crisis has been resolved, but it did strengthen my resolve once again to sort all of this out.

There was one Goron in particular who was off the beaten path as she was located down a small pathway which lead to a dead-end, but the sounds of snoring indicated that she was asleep, and waking her up would be a bad idea. Walking along further, I came across another sign which told me that this was the land of Gorons known as Goron City, so I was at the right location which meant it was time to find Pinkie Pie.

Upon entering the cave, I found myself standing in a massive room which featured quite the drop below me, several walkways below where I was, and numerous passageways leading who knows where strutted out of the walls. Strange artwork had been painted on the walls which seemed to indicate either ancient Gorons of the past, or some weird art that could have been drawn very recently.

I could also hear the sounds of something rolling around about one level below me, and in the middle of the room was a small platform suspended in the air with four thick strands of rope keeping it up there. A strange pedestal was on this platform which indicated that something of value was once located there. And then there were the Gorons who for the most part were either sleeping, or pacing about with frustrated expressions on their faces.

" I'm impressed at how they were able to build an entire city into the side of a mountain," I said.

" Rocks are what Gorons live on after all, so making a city like this was pretty easy for them," said Spike.

" Perhaps you're right, but in any case we need to find out where Darunia is," I said.

" You are the one who was almost hit by my sister's hammer."

" WAAAAH!" Again I just had to freak out when someone shows up next to me out of nowhere, and it's the third time it's happened in the last hour or so. At least this time I knew who was speaking to me as her monotone voice is so easy to recognize. Standing next to me was Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie's older sister. who happens to be a Goron which makes sense given that she has a strong fascination with rocks. It's also a coincidence that she would be the one to greet me as I was hoping to find her.

" I'm glad that you are okay," said Maud.

" If it wasn't for you getting your sister to leave the village Maud, things might have taken a turn for the worse," I said.

" How do you know my name?" asked Maud.

" One of the villagers happened to mention it to me when I was talking with her the other day ( and it just so happens that I know you as Pinkie's sister back home, but I won't mention that as I don't need to have another case where someone asks me what I'm talking about ), so I decided to remember it hoping that I would find you here. Listen Maud, I'm the messenger of the royal family who has been sent to meet with your little sister in order to receive the spiritual stone. I was hoping that this would have been an easy transition, but the actions of Pinkie Pie have made things a bit more complicated," I replied.

" Pinkie Pie? Who is Pinkie Pie?" asked Maud.

" I meant Darunia," I answered as I followed up with a smack to the forehead due to forgetting my own advice.

" Things just have not been the same around here ever since the incident that occurred here about a week ago. I'm sure you've already seen the boulder that blocks the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern? That cavern has been where we have mined numerous rocks which have sustained our way of life for the last number of years, but when the boulder suddenly blocked the entrance, we tried to remove it, but to no avail. Now everyone in the city are starving and becoming more irrational with every passing day. Even my own sister has been suffering from hunger issues, and you have seen what it can do to her," said Maud.

" Then why not eat other kinds of rocks?" I asked.

" We used to do that a long time ago, but that all changed when we began to mine the rocks in the Dodongo's Cavern. The rocks there are so delicious and nutritious that we refuse to eat rocks of any other kind. In Kakariko Village, they have rocks that originally came from the cavern which they use to build homes, and that is why my sister wanted to take them back with us. The village is using the rocks that we love to eat the most," replied Maud.

" Any idea on how the boulder got there?" I asked.

" My sister and I originally believed that the boulder fell from high atop the mountain," replied Maud.

" But?" I asked.

" That idea did not take long for it to not make any sense as a boulder that large would have shattered to pieces if it had fallen from that height. It only recently dawned on us as to what we realized what happened. The day before our food shortage began to take hold, a strange man wearing black armour visited Goron City to seek an audience with my sister. He had come to claim the spiritual stone from her, but she refused his request.

The armoured man left the city without saying a word, and we just assumed that was it, but the next day we saw the boulder blocking the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, and that was the beginning of the famine which has plagued us," replied Maud. So Ganondorf was responsible for the plight of the Gorons which doesn't surprise me given what I've heard about him so far from Twilight. Is it possible that he is aware of the fact that I'm after the spiritual stone as well?

Then again, this all happened a week ago which translates to me not having been here when it happened. That boulder was keeping the Gorons from gaining access to their food supply, and if things didn't change they would soon starve to death and become extinct. The only possible solution would be to remove that boulder, and that would require something pretty powerful. My magic wasn't going to cut it this time as fire can't destroy rock, but maybe explosives can do that instead. I've seen things get blown up on television all the time, so perhaps that principal can be applied here in Hyrule?

" Have you tried to destroy the boulder with bombs?" I asked.

" We don't have any bombs," replied Maud.

" Are you kidding me?" I asked.

" Bombs are scarce around here," replied Maud.

" Can you tell me why?" I asked.

" There are special flowers that grow in the Dodongo's Cavern known as Bomb Flowers, but I do not know how they work, so you would need to ask one of the others about them if you want to know. What I do know is that the materials from this flower is used to make regular bombs, but with the cavern closed off to us, we don't have means to make bombs which means we can't blow up the boulder," replied Maud.

Well that conversation went nowhere, and all it did was bring me back to square one as well as made me feel rather agitated. What I needed was a miracle to turn this whole situation around, and it looked as though Maud was about to come through with what she said next. " I just remembered that there is a single Bomb Flower that exists somewhere on Death Mountain which makes it a rare sight to behold as they only grow in dark places."

" Do you know where it is?" I asked.

" No," answered Maud.

" That wasn't the answer I was hoping for," I moaned.

" But my sister should have a pretty good idea as to where it might be as she explores all over the mountain every day so as to not be stuck indoors all the time. It is lucky then that you are here to see her otherwise you would be out of luck as she refuses to see anyone aside from the one from the castle. She even refuses to see me unless it has to do with getting rocks from the village. I'm sure that you may be able to get my sister back in a good mood....I don't know what your name is," said Maud.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" That is a nice name," said Maud.

" Thank you, but let's focus on getting your sister to change her outlook. I was told by a friend of mine who comes from the forest that your sister has a tendency to dance when the mood suits her. If I were to play the right kind of music, it may just lift her spirits and make her easier to talk to," I said. Hearing what I said shocked Maud twice; the first time was because I knew of Darunia's secret, and the second time was because she said she had no idea what a forest was.

Seriously? You'd think the Gorons would have knowledge of locations aside from ones made of rock. " I happen to have an ocarina with me with which to play some music for her, but I have no idea as to what kind of music will make her react where she will start to dance."

" I remember my sister once telling me that whenever she was feeling upset about something, she would listen to music that came from the outside beyond the scope of the mountain....music that was green....natural....full of life....a place where spirits could be found. Such music like that doesn't make much sense to the rest of us Gorons, but to my sister, it was the most pleasant sound she has ever heard in her life. I know that my advice may not have been to your liking, but perhaps you may be able to figure out what can get her to become happy once again. I miss having my excitable sister around and could do with this angry one taking a permanent vacation," said Maud.

Whether or not she realized it, Maud had given me the exact information that I needed to help out Pinkie Pie. She needed to hear forest music and the only song I had which fit the description was Fluttershy's Song; the song that allows one to communicate with the spirits. I asked Maud to lead me to her sister's room, and she nodded before beckoning me to follow her down into the depths of the city. While I was making my way to Pinkie's room, something else was happening at the castle. What that was is something I didn't know at the time, but it would play a part further down the road.

" What is it Impa?" asked Twilight as she gazed out at the bright sunlight.

" I have learned from your father that he has agreed to meet again with Ganondorf, the Gerudo King within the next couple of days your highness. It appears that the purpose of the meeting is to ratify the alliance that will bring the Hylian and Gerudo tribes closer together. If I may express my opinion on the matter without overstepping my boundaries, I believe that this meeting should not be allowed to take place," replied Applejack.

" And I completely agree with you," said Twilight.

" In what way?" asked Applejack.

" Ever since Sunset Shimmer told me about that world she comes from, Equestria, it has been on my mind. There is something about Ganondorf and Sunset Shimmer that made me think that perhaps at one time or another, I too was from Equestria, and that I was a princess there of some repute. I have seen images flowing about my mind of various ponies of all shapes, colours, and personalities, and five of them were very close to me as though they were my best friends. You Impa were one of those that I saw, yet you were not my faithful bodyguard and attendant, but rather you were someone who worked on a farm," replied Twilight.

" That does sound hard to believe," said Applejack.

" Maybe it does to you Impa, but to me it feels like a truth which has been taken away from my soul, and has been replaced with something else. I could very well be over thinking things, or perhaps my lack of sleep may be affecting my mind, but I believe Sunset Shimmer's story as much as I am able to. There are some aspects of her story that I do not believe are true, but that could just be me acting ignorant and refusing to accept things.

I suppose that it would have been nice to have lived in Equestria, but I know that is nothing more than childish fantasies that are getting in the way. I must not allow these images and this Equestria to cloud my judgment for the kingdom has need of me to be in the right state of mind if we are to prevent Ganondorf from claiming the Triforce. I have no doubt in my mind that my father is walking right into a trap, but without any kind of proof to expose Ganondorf's intentions, there is not much that I am able to do," said Twilight.

" Your father has requested that you are to attend the meeting to serve as a witness when the alliance is to be made official, so that may be your chance to see what kind of man Ganondorf really is. While he uses his political position as King of the Gerudo in order to protect himself from being prosecuted, you can use the meeting as a chance to weaken his resolve, and have him resort to an action that would be seen as treason against the royal family. While it does sound unethical to resort to trickery in order to prove a point, Ganondorf has forced your hand, and you must respond accordingly if the kingdom is to be saved," said Applejack.

" So I am to attend the meeting then?" asked Twilight.

" It is the will of your father, and you must do so in order to represent the integrity of the royal family. I shall be by your side as always princess for that is the sacred duty which I have performed since you were a baby, and your father has accepted my being at the meeting for it was he who commanded me to be your protector at all times. The meeting between your father and Ganondorf does not take place for at least two more days, so you have some time to prepare for it well. Now then, I do have some other information for you," replied Applejack.

" What is it?" asked Twilight.

" Right now, your chosen heroine, Sunset Shimmer, has made contact with the Gorons, and is proceeding to obtain the spiritual stone from their chieftain, but I fear that the hands of fate have chosen to make things more difficult for her. According to some of the castle guards, the people of Kakariko Village have been sending in requests asking for additional soldiers to protect the village due to the Goron chieftain acting irrationally.

The villagers fear that the Gorons could decide to invade the village and burn it to the ground due to the actions of Darunia, but if Sunset Shimmer can succeed in her mission, both the village and Death Mountain will return to a peaceful existence. I have no doubt in my mind that Ganondorf has done something to cause the mind of the chieftain to want to consider barbaric force," replied Applejack.

" And if that is the case then something surely has befallen the Zora's as a result of Ganondorf's actions. Sunset Shimmer will certainly have her work cut out for her as she struggles to save both the Gorons and the Zoras, yet it is something that she must do on her own if she is to prove that she is the hero of legend who will save Hyrule.

As much as I would like to give her additional assistance, my father would never allow it, for he does not believe in the legend, nor would he accept a child from the forest to be our saviour. My own words and power within the kingdom Impa are limited at best compared to that of my father, and his inaction towards Ganondorf is a sign that things are likely to become worse, but I am hoping to be wrong about that," said Twilight.

" You must have faith in Sunset Shimmer in that she will succeed," said Applejack.

" As always you are correct Impa," smiled Twilight.

" I have often been correct on such matters your highness as it comes with having lived a long, fruitful life. Now come, you need to prepare for the eventual arrival of the Gerudo King and appease your father's wishes, and I must prepare for a contingency plan in case something is to go wrong. I do not trust the intentions of Ganondorf, and I will make sure that nothing is to befall upon you," said Applejack.

Pinkie's room was located at the very bottom of Goron City which is really weird as wouldn't the chief want to have their room somewhere near the very top for easy access? The walk down to the room was rather pleasant although I found it odd that one room consisted of a pool of lava, another room was sealed behind a rather frail wall, and a large jar with Goron faces on it was smack in the center of the lowest level. To me, the Gorons had some strange tastes, but who was I to judge them on things that I knew nothing about? The entrance to the room was blocked by a large stone slab, and in front of the door was a plush carpet which felt very nice to my feet which was a change of pace from the hard ground I've walked on since the beginning.

" I had a feeling that my sister would choose to seal herself away," said Maud.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" The spiritual stone used to be located on that floating platform suspended by ropes, and served as a light that made the entire city glow. Some of my Brothers had been known to sneak off to the stone to lick it because it tasted really good," replied Maud.

" You've been licking it!?!?" I exclaimed.

" It's one of our more strange ways of doing things. Anyway, when it became apparent that you were coming, and the pressures of the armoured man and our food shortage proved too much to bear, my sister took the stone and sealed herself in her room when we returned from our unsuccessful trip to Kakariko Village. She will not leave until she has spoken with the messenger of the royal family, and that means you need to be the one to open the door.

This door has a special lock, and it will not open until the song of the royal family is played before it. If you truly are the messenger of the royal family, then you should know what that song is," said Maud. I stood firmly on the carpet and played Twilight's Lullaby once again, and the slab blocking the entrance to Pinkie's room slid away giving us access. Maud's reaction....wasn't really much of one although her jaw did drop for about a split second. " That is the song of the royal family for certain. You are the one that my sister has been waiting for! You must go inside and play the song of the forest in order to help her clear her mind."

" Aren't you coming with me?" I asked.

" My place is not meant to be in there while my sister is in her current state of mind," replied Maud.

" In other words you're going to stay out here while I deal with her, and you'll come in when it's all taken care of right?" I asked.

" Sure, I guess," replied Maud. I should have known she was going to respond like that, but at least I had her support even if she doesn't exactly express it like most people would, but I gritted my teeth, and made sure that I was in the right state of mind before walking into the lion's den known as Pinkie's room.

The interior was actually quite an impressive sight to see what with the Goron murals painted on the walls, a lush carpet lining the center of the room, two tables lacking chairs with clay pots on top located on the eastern wall, and a rather large and suspicious Goron statue holding a spear was at the back of the room. Looking at the statue was Pinkie Pie herself who seemed to be fixated on it for whatever reason, but she turned around and faced me as soon as I was within range.

" Huh? Oh! You're that girl from the other day who almost got smashed to pieces by my hammer. Hold on! How did you get in here? When I heard the song of the royal family, I believed their messenger had finally arrived, but you....you're just a forest girl! Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons lost so much status to be treated like this by her Sworn Brother, the king? You've got a lot of nerve coming in here unless....unless you are the messenger that I've been expecting?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" I was sent here by the princess in order to retrieve something from you," I replied.

" The princess sent you here instead of the king? That makes me feel even madder than before as I was expecting you to have been sent by my Brother, and not by the request of his daughter. And even then, I was expecting someone else instead of a forest girl! Grah! If I were you, I'd get out of my face right now if you know what's good for you," said Pinkie Pie.

" I know what's been going on around here," I began.

" Did my older sister reveal to you affairs that are problems to us Gorons and not that of outsiders?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" She did mention a few things here and there about what's been going on in your city regarding your food shortage, and how it has affected everyone around here . I may be here on behalf of the princess and not the king as you were hoping for, but that shouldn't matter as I want to help you resolve your problem. Don't blame her for telling me about this crisis, for you need all the help you can to resolve it," I replied.

" While I love my sister to pieces, sometimes she talks too much for her own good. So you believe that you can help out my people and end this famine? No offence to you, but you don't exactly look like someone who is capable of saving an entire city from the brink of starvation, so why don't you go home and allow someone with more experience try their hand at resolving things.

Hmmmm? What's that you have there in your hand? Is that an ocarina? It's been a long time since I've seen one of those, so I'm taking it that you plan on serenading me with some kind of melody? Bah! I don't have time to listen to music right now as I need to start preparing my Brothers to invade Kakariko Village. While it does sound horrific that I am making my people resort to such an act, desperate times call for desperate measures," said Pinkie Pie.

" Can I at least play you one song?" I asked.

" Only one? Well, if you make it quick enough, I suppose I can grant you that much at least," replied Pinkie Pie. I had to make this count otherwise Pinkie would throw me out, and I would be out one spiritual stone, saving this world, and returning to my own all in that order. Placing the ocarina to my lips, I began to play Fluttershy's Song in the hopes that what Maud and the others have said was true, and that it wasn't in vain.

Upon playing the song, at first nothing happened which started to crush my spirits, but then Pinkie started to act all funny by twitching her arms a little bit, and then she suddenly broke out into a dancing frenzy where she pumped her arms up and down, spun around a few times like she were a ballerina, and even jumped up and down on the spot. The song was taking effect, so I continued to play it so as to keep the mood going.

As the music continued, Pinkie's expression turned from miserable to pure joy, her skin tone brighten up where it had dull before, and her hair regained its poofy nature rather than being flat and boring. " Oh! Oh, oh, OH! C'mon! Come on! Come on! Come on!" At this point, Pinkie was just having the time of her life, and nothing was going to stop her except for herself. " HOT! WHAT A HOT BEAT! WHOA! YYEEEAAAHHHH!!!! YAHOOOOOOOO!!!! After that last burst of pure joy, Pinkie finally came to a stop with her dancing, and her expression was one that reminded me that this was the Pinkie I knew and loved as a friend.

" You seem to be in good spirits now," I said.

" Say, that was such a good song you played for me just now. The moment I heard it reach my ears, I just wanted to dance like crazy. Just like that, all of that stress in my heart has melted away. I wish to apologize for my rude behaviour towards you, and towards my sister and the villagers of Kakariko. The way I was acting was just horrible, but I wanted to lash out at anything because of my frustration," said Pinkie Pie.

" You were just under a lot of anguish, but it's over now and you are yourself again," I smiled.

" I am Darunia, chieftain of the Gorons, and I welcome you to Goron City. Now that I've had a better look at you, I do believe that you are the messenger who was to meet with me to discuss something of great importance. My apologies again for not giving you a more deserving welcome, but I see that it hasn't dampened your spirits. So, um, who are
you exactly?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am here to obtain the spiritual stone," I replied.

" You're after the spiritual stone too? You're like, the second person in the last couple of days who have come here looking for that! First there was that Ganondorf fellow who seemed like a real mean, meanie pants because of that evil aura I was sensing from him. He demanded that I hand over the spiritual stone to him, but I refused, and he just simply left without saying a single word. Now that I'm back to my senses, I recall that the boulder blocking Dodongo's Cavern as well as the infestation of the beasts occurred after he left the city. Sunset Shimmer right? You said that you have come here in order to help us out?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" That's right," I replied.

" Yes, I can see the honesty in your eyes and the determination in your heart that you want to help out my people in their time of need. Okay then, I have a proposition for you which will be of great benefit to everyone. I want you to go into the Dodongo's Cavern and destroy all of the evil monsters that have infested there. If you manage to achieve this task, I will give you the Spiritual Stone of Fire, known also as the Goron's Ruby. To sweeten the deal for you, anything you find inside of the cavern that you feel will help you on your quest is yours to keep," said Pinkie Pie.

" In order for me to get inside of the Dodongo's Cavern, I'd need to find some way to remove that giant boulder blocking the entrance. Your sister Maud told me that I'd need something called a Bomb Flower in order to remove the boulder, and that there is one such flower growing somewhere on Death Mountain. She also said that you know where it's growing because you've been all over this mountain many times," I said.

" Not even the mighty swing of my hammer has been enough to shatter that boulder to pieces, but my sister is right about you needing a Bomb Flower in order to get the job done, and the fact that I do know where it's located. The Bomb Flower is located just outside of the main entrance to Goron City down a small pathway which leads to a dead end that overlooks the main pathway.

Oh yeah! Silly me! I forgot to tell you something else. Picking up Bomb Flowers isn't easy as they are surprisingly heavy despite being a flower, so you'll most likely not succeed in picking one up with the amount of strength you have. Now don't feel sad Sunset Shimmer as I have something here for you that will allow you to pick up Bomb Flowers with ease.

This is the Goron's Bracelet, and as long as you wear it, you can pick up Bomb Flowers, and it also serves as an indicator to others that you are a friend of the Gorons," said Pinkie Pie. She then handed me a gold bracelet which contained a symbol of some kind of claw with three points, and the object looked like a small crown which I found to be cute. I placed it on my right wrist and suddenly felt a strange surge come through me. As I admired the gift that I had received, Maud suddenly ran into the room with a panicked expression on her face.

" Sister, we have a problem," said Maud.

" What is it?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Our Brothers have just informed me that a Dodongo has somehow burrowed its way from the Dodongo's Cavern, and right into the lowest level of the city. In fact, the beast just emerged a short distance away from your room," replied Maud.

" A Dodongo managed to do all of that? In any case, we need to deal with it quickly before it causes any more damage. Sunset Shimmer, I need to take care of this situation, but if you feel the need to help deal with this problem, by all means come and lend a hand. If not, then I suggest you make your way outside and use that Bomb Flower to gain access to the Dodongo's Cavern as soon as possible. Okay Maud! Lead the way! Charge!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

She then proceeded to follow Maud into the main area, and that was when I heard a number of strange sounds. The first was the sound of what seemed to be some kind of monster, and this was followed by battle cries, a loud scream from Pinkie, and another sound from the monster.

It sounded like they needed my help, so I started to make my way towards the main area only to come face to face with a huge burst of flame. I managed to jump to the side in order to avoid it, and that was when I came face-to-face with the Dodongo in question. Before I could even react, it started to breathe fire on me, and at such a close range, the chances of it missing were slim indeed....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 7: An Unexpected Duo

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 22, 2014
Chapter 7: An Unexpected Duo.

Seeing the fire coming from the Dodongo's mouth made me think that I could just simply jump to the side again, but that wasn't an option seeing as I was right next to the monster rendering that idea moot. Just as I believed that this was the end of me, something large jutted out in front of me and shielded me from the incoming flames. .

" Oh don't you worry about me Sunset Shimmer as it will take more than the flame breath of a Dodongo to knock me down," said Pinkie Pie. She had shielded me from the Dodongo by using her hammer to keep the flames from hitting me. " I'll admit though that the singed flesh does sting quite a bit, and it does make holding my hammer more difficult, but I can manage once I get myself back up to speed.

Why don't you stay back and let us Gorons handle things? I know you mean well, but this is something you're not used to, and I don't want you getting killed. Hey Maud! Why don't we try that combo we used to use on those Tektites that frequented the higher elevations of the mountain? I know that this Dodongo is bigger than they were, but potato tomato right? Anyway, stay here and watch how we take care of business," said Pinkie Pie as she rushed back in to continue fighting.

It left me wondering if I had been lying to myself all this time about getting better at using my magic in this world. I wasn't just careless mind you, but completely in over my head and at the hands of just one monster. If there were more of these monsters inside the Dodongo's Cavern, I think the Gorons may need to find someone else to destroy them.

" Cheer up Sunset Shimmer," began Spike.

" How can I when I almost got myself killed again, and risking the life of someone else?" I asked.

" You just didn't think clearly because your heart was saying one thing, and your head was telling you to do something else. Sometimes it's best to lead with your head as you need to be able to understand how to approach different situations. Darunia is right about the fact that the Gorons are used to fighting Dodongos. Seeing you with that sad look on your face makes me feel sad, so maybe I should have done my job and given you the necessary aid that the Great Deku Tree instructed me to do for you.

This Dodongo is a bit on the small side which means it has some growing up to do, but it's still a powerful monster with tough skin that makes it impervious to most damage. Throwing a bomb into its mouth is one way of taking it down, but then you would need some bombs," replied Spike.

" Is there another way to defeat it?" I asked.

" Dodongo's have strong skin everywhere except on their tails which is the least protected part of its body. Of course they are aware of this fact, and will do what they can to make sure to keep their tails safe from harm. I know that look in your eyes Sunset Shimmer, and it's the look of someone who is about to make a big comeback and lead the way with your head followed by your heart.

Yeah, I know you can't abandon your heart as that just isn't how you do things is it? I'm starting to get used to the way you think which isn't a bad thing at all," replied Spike. I had a reason to fight now because Spike gave me the confidence to want to contribute. Pinkie Pie in the meantime was smashing the Dodongo with her hammer in all locations except the tail, but she was too excited to notice that none of her attacks were even doing anything to resemble damage.

Ever since she regained her composure, she has become the party animal she's meant to be, but maybe this is a bad thing considering that she's swinging about a massive hammer which must weigh an awful lot as though it were a stick or something.

" Whee! It feels like it's been forever since I last got to fight something," said Pinkie Pie.

" Do not let yourself get caught up in the moment," said Maud.

" You don't need to worry about me big sister as you know that I can take care of myself. All of that rage that had built up inside me this past week made me forget who I really was, but now I'm myself again and itching to make some noise! It's just that I need to let loose some steam, and bashing a Dodongo into the ground is the perfect way to do just that.

While it may look like I'm not taking this seriously, I most certainly am because our Brothers don't have enough fighting experience in order to deal with the likes of a Dodongo. That's why I'm making sure this thing doesn't go any further as I want to make sure that my people have escaped to the higher levels where they'll be safe," said Pinkie Pie.

" As always your heart makes you a fine leader, but your head leaves something to be desired," said Maud.

" I can't help being the way I am," smiled Pinkie Pie.

" And I wouldn't have it any other way," smiled Maud. The Dodongo then tried to make its way further into the city, but Pinkie bashed it on the head before throwing her hammer into the air, picking up the Dodongo, throwing it back a few metres, and then catching her hammer as it fell back down to her. I was shocked that she was able to lift something so heavy without even breaking into a sweat, but at least she was keeping it distracted while I prepared to make my move.

I had been spending the last couple of minutes focusing my magic in the hopes of unleashing some kind of hidden power which has eluded me so far. The results weren't as good as I was hoping, but I was able to get a small boost in power which should be enough for me to do what needs to be done. Without taking the time to think things through, I rushed straight towards the Dodongo yelling my own battle cry which Maud immediately took notice of. " I think you may have rubbed off on her when it comes to your mannerisms as she's charging without even thinking about it. She must be either very brave, very crazy, or a mixture of the two."

" Well what do you know? She's following both her head and her heart," smiled Pinkie Pie.

" What do you mean?" asked Maud.

" I told her to stay back because she was using her heart to fight instead of her head, but it looks like she's fighting with both head and heart acting as one. Her head is telling her to charge into the fray without worrying about it, and her heart is guiding her actions where she knows exactly what she needs to do in order to resolve the problem. Heh, I'm liking this Sunset Shimmer already, but somehow I feel like I've known her for a lot longer," replied Pinkie Pie.

I weaved my way through the blasts of flame the Dodongo was shooting at me, and with as much magical power as I could muster, I leapt into the air and struck its tail causing it to fall to the ground stunned, but I had no time to celebrate for it immediately got back onto its feet. Before it could anything else, a massive thud came from behind the Dodongo as it fell to the ground once again, and standing there was Pinkie with a sheepish grin on her face. " I guess I kind of forgot that the tail was the weak point to hit. My excitement must have been too much for my heart to handle, so my head insisted that I keep on smashing away. My bad!"

" That was amazing Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" Well, I have both you and Darunia to thank for giving me the pep talk I needed in order to see this through," I said.

" I'm glad that I was able to help you out as that's what a fairy partner is for. This Dodongo was pretty tough despite the fact that it's smaller than your average Dodongo, so that means that the regular sized ones inside of the Dodongo's Cavern are going to be much tougher to beat. Good thing you managed to tap into more of your magic as you're
going to need it if you plan on getting the spiritual stone," said Spike.

" I must admit that you certainly surprised me with that stunt of yours," said Pinkie Pie.

" What surprises me is that she followed your way of thinking," said Maud.

" Okay, so my actions aren't always the best course of action to take, but you can't deny the results they produce. Seeing that Dodongo enter our city reminded me that I've been lax, and I for one can't just sit still while there are other Dodongos waiting to be smashed to pieces. You handled yourself pretty good Sunset Shimmer, and for that you've earned my respect, but that fight has whetted my appetite for wanting to cut loose and knock about some heads, and that's why I've decided that I'm going to accompany you into Dodongo's Cavern," said Pinkie Pie.

" You're going to what?" asked Maud.

" I'm going to go with Sunset Shimmer into the Dodongo's Cavern," replied Pinkie Pie.

" I know that but why?" asked Maud.

" Sunset Shimmer reminded me that I have a duty to protect my people from those who would inflict harm upon them. The Dodongos have forced us to abandon our quarry which has been the source of our food for years, and because of that my people have been harmed by the threat of being driven to extinction through hunger. Maud, this is something that I must do to ensure the Goron tribe will not succumb to starvation," replied Pinkie Pie.

" But didn't you say that she needed to destroy the monsters in order to claim the spiritual stone from you? If you go in there with her and end up doing the majority of the workload, she won't be able to prove herself to you and getting the stone would be meaningless. I know that you must protect all of us as you are our Big Brother, but maybe you should rethink this a little.

Why not just let her deal with the problem as you originally asked of her, and you can just sit back and wait for her eventual return? There will surely be other fights for you to charge into, but perhaps this is one of the ones you should calmly refuse to be a part of," said Maud.

" Your words do ring true to me big sister, and I did say to her that to receive the Goron's Ruby, she would have to destroy the monsters. However, my mind is made up and I intend on going with her into the Dodongo's Cavern I'll probably get some fighting done here and there in order to keep myself amused, but Sunset Shimmer will be doing most of the heavy work as this is her quest. Think of me as being there to see just what she is capable of doing, and stepping in whenever I feel the need to do so," said Pinkie Pie.

" That made no sense at all," said Maud.

" I know, but you have to admit that it was a pretty good speech," smiled Pinkie.

" Heh, I should know better than most that when you make a decision little sister, you stick with it no matter what anyone else says. That's just how stubborn you really are, and why I love you so very much as my sibling. I'll remain here and watch over things while you accompany Sunset Shimmer," said Maud.

" Just because I was battling a single Dodongo doesn't mean that I'm ready to fight straight away. Tell you what Sunset Shimmer, you go on ahead and blow up the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern, and I'll meet up you later. Just give me about 15 minutes for me to whip myself into fighting shape. Are we all clear on this? Good! Then I'll see you in a little while," said Pinkie Pie with a ridiculous grin on her face. She then turned around and walked back to her room while singing to herself leaving Maud and myself wondering just what happened.

" She's always so random when it comes to making a decision," sighed Maud.

" Does she always do that?" I asked.

" Let's just say that Darunia can be rather eccentric when she needs to be, but at least it's better than having to deal with a raging Goron with hunger issues. It will take some time for the villagers to accept my sister as being back to her normal self as they still fear an impending attack. I'm impressed with how you were able to keep calm when you dealt with her, so as far I'm concerned, you are an honourary Goron, and I'm sure Darunia feels the exact same way, but she wants to see it with her own eyes," replied Maud.

" Why would she want to help me out?" I asked.

" You were willing to do whatever it took in order to help us in our time of need, and my sister realizes that you were being completely honest. When it comes to bonds of trust and loyalty, we Gorons view that as being just as important as both family and rocks. Darunia sees you as someone she trusts with the utmost of loyalty, and not only does she want you to prove herself to her, she wants to prove herself to you to let you see just what kind of person she really is.

My Brothers all look up to my little sister as she has the entire weight of our people on her shoulders, and she has managed to rise to the occasion each and every time. You should probably get going right now as while my sister may be happy, she doesn't like being kept waiting," replied Maud. With that, she turned around and walked towards the large hole where the Dodongo came from, and began to poke at it for some weird reason. I just shrugged my shoulders and proceeded to make my way to where the Bomb Flower was supposedly located according to Pinkie Pie.

As I made my way back up to the highest level, I found myself having to weave my way through numerous Gorons who were huddled up, but sleeping instead of fearing for their lives. The Gorons must really have nerves of steel to not be scared of something like a fire-breathing dinosaur like creature, or that they are used to this sort of thing happening. Once I got back outside, the sun was getting closer to noon which would mark the start towards the end of my third day here in Hyrule. While it has indeed only been three days, it felt more like several months or even years have passed since I first got here.

" Okay, so what were we supposed to do again?" asked Spike.

" We need to find that Bomb Flower and use it in order to shatter the boulder that's blocking the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern, and according to what Darunia told us, it's located on a pathway right around here, and that a Goron has been watching over it," I replied.

" You mean like that pathway over there?" asked Spike as he flew over to a small cave opening a few hundred feet away.

" Oh, right," I blushed realizing that I noticed this pathway before when we first came up this way. Overcoming my slight moment of embarrassment, I walked down into the pathway, and sure enough the Goron who was sleeping there before was still there and still sleeping away without a care in the world.

Upon a closer inspection, this girl looked an awful lot like Photo Finish, another student from Canterlot High who was very obsessed when it came to flash photography of any kind. Instead of simply going up to her and saying hello, I chose to take a more simpler approach by coughing slightly in the hopes that it would wake her up, and my plan succeeded as Photo Finish got up and yawned for a few moments before turning her attention towards me.

" Now what do you want with me?" asked Photo Finish.

" I heard that you have been looking after a Bomb Flower which is growing in an area it shouldn't be growing in," I replied.

" Then you have heard correctly little girl. Most Gorons question my dedication as being unusual and choose to ignore me because of it, but I feel that I am doing a good deed by watching over something that isn't the natural. Are you the messenger of the royal family of Hyrule? I heard from our Big Brother that someone from the castle was coming to pay us Gorons a visit," said Photo Finish.

" That would be me," I said.

" Oh? So you are the one who has come all the way here to help us with the food shortage? You certainly do have a flare about you what with that hairstyle you have, and it makes me yearn to want to resume my hobby of drawing pictures of what I see. But, that hobby has been put on hold ever since this Bomb Flower started to grow about three months ago, and I have been watching it bloom ever since.

I assume that you have seen Big Brother by now yes? I heard some kind of commotion going on inside the city, and assumed that it was the chief having another of her mood swings," said Photo Finish. I then explained to her about all that had happened within the last little bit. " What? Big Brother asked you to use the Bomb Flower in order to open up the Dodongo's Cavern?"

" That's right," I answered.

" Huh, I didn't think about the fact that the Bomb Flower is located right above the entrance to the cavern, and all that needs to be done is throwing a bomb off the side and hope that it blows up the boulder. Now that I mention it, none of us figured on doing what I just suggested. Oh well! I'm sure that we'll remember this for future considerations or something. Since you are wearing that Goron's Bracelet on your wrist right there, you can pick up a Bomb Flower without any trouble. All you have to do is bend your knees, place your hands firmly on the sides of the Bomb Flower, and pick it up with all your might.

As soon as the bomb is plucked from the root, the fuse-like stem will begin to count until the bomb explodes about ten seconds after the fact. Once the bomb has exploded, another one will grow in its place, and the process just repeats itself from there. Okay! You know what you have to do now, so go! Go! Go, go, go! Blow up the entrance already! In the meantime, I need to get back to sleep," said Photo Finish. She walked a few paces before lying down and falling back asleep.

Then it suddenly dawned on me....they could have gotten rid of the boulder much sooner, and none of them even realized it? Why was it never considered? I mean, I thought it was pretty obvious to throw a bomb off the side of a mountain, but the Gorons found it difficult? Gah! This was without a doubt the most ridiculous thing I've ever experienced in my entire life, and I mean beyond Pinkie Pie ridiculous.

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" I just can't believe the Gorons never figured out that they could have blasted the boulder using this Bomb Flower," I replied.

" Yeah, that does sound weird when you say it like that. With the food shortage having been a problem for them over the course of the past week, their minds were fixated on the idea of eating again, and everything else was just a blur in their minds," said Spike.

" They could've figured this out a day after the boulder appeared and not a week in this case," I moaned.

" Oh yeah....if they had realized it sooner, Kakariko Village wouldn't be on edge like it is right now, and Darunia wouldn't have descended into what constitutes as being insane. I think someone seriously dropped the ball on this one," said Spike.

" No doubt about it which is why I'm frustrated over the fact that it even happened in the first place. The damage has been done now, so all we can do is get that boulder out of the way, and get this mission of Dodongo destroying over with so that I can get the spiritual stone. First, I need to breathe and calm myself down otherwise I'll end up losing my mind, and I'm supposed to be the destined hero according to many," I said.

I sat down for a few moments and breathed in and out as a means of meditation in order to regain my composure, and with that done I walked over the edge of the pathway and looked straight down. Sure enough, there was the boulder which had been the source of many problems, so after doing some quick calculations in my head, and making the proper adjustments, I picked up the Bomb Flower and tossed it over the side where it landed right next to the boulder........BOOM! The resulting explosion destroyed the boulder uncovering the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern.

" That was it?" asked Spike.

" It certainly looks that way," I replied.

" Well, I was expecting at least something exciting instead of that," moaned Spike.

" Now you know how I feel about this whole thing," I said.

" Even though we can now go inside, it just feels anti-climatic knowing that it was so simple. Maybe we shouldn't tell Darunia that it was this easy otherwise she could end up having a relapse, and having an angry Goron accompanying you anywhere is just asking for trouble. If you want to, you could always jump down to the pathway below, or maybe attempt to jump onto the platform where that Piece of Heart is located," suggested Spike.

" Wouldn't that be dangerous falling from a great height?" I asked.

" You'll probably feel some slight pain upon landing from such a high plateau, but you can easily survive a fall like that here in Hyrule without breaking any bones or getting yourself killed. No one really seems to understand why falling from great heights isn't a bad thing given that all you get out of it is some slight damage to your health. I'm sure you'll be completely fine seeing as you've fallen from great heights before back in that pony world of yours," replied Spike.

" I've never done anything like that in Equestria!" I exclaimed.

" Weren't you one of the ones that could float down?" asked Spike.

" I was a unicorn there and you're thinking of a Pegasus, and they had wings which allowed them to do that. I had a horn which allowed me to use magic! If I had gone and done something that crazy in Equestria, the chances of me hurting myself….was surprising low. My world certainly has problems when it comes to consistency, but that's another story right there. I'm going to play it safe and just simply walk down to the entrance the long way," I replied.

" And that Piece of Heart?" asked Spike.

" I'll have to make some kind of mental note to remind myself to pick it up sometime in the future when I've figured out how. Let's get down to the entrance before Darunia does as I'm sure that she's just about finished getting into shape," I replied. It didn't take very long to make my way down to the entrance, and sure enough, I got down there before Pinkie Pie, Maud, or any of the other Gorons had even arrived. Spike and I didn't have to wait for very long as Pinkie soon came onto the scene with her hammer attached to her back via a strap.

" Ha! I knew you'd be able to open up the entrance! I never doubted you for even a second Sunset Shimmer which is why it will be my pleasure to accompany you. Like I said to you before, anything you find in there that you feel will help you on your quest is yours to keep. It doesn't matter what it is, so don't feel that you need to ask me for permission or anything.

You know, it's been a long time since I last got to do something like this. Things have been peaceful around here, and while everyone else was happy, I was bored out of my mind because I craved action, and not just sit around and get involved in politics. My sister Maud was the only one of my Brothers who understood how I felt, and deep down she wished that I could have had more fun in my life rather than have to deal with the leaders of the other tribes," said Pinkie Pie.

" Wow. I never knew that you had so many personal problems," I said.

" I find myself to be a pretty complicated girl who wants to satisfy the needs of my people as well as my own needs," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then by all means come with me into the cavern as you could do with some adventuring, and maybe you'll get to see something new courtesy of me. I haven't bragged at all about it, and while I have no intention of starting to do so, I thought I would mention it to you seeing as you'll be witnessing it first hand. I may not look like much, but I happen to be quite skilful when it comes to magic. Granted, I still have a lot to learn as I feel that it isn't as powerful as it ought to be, but I manage with what I have," I said.

" So you don't use a physical weapon but magic?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" I hope you're not disappointed," I replied.

" Magic may be different in that you use mystic arts, but it's still fighting all the same so that works for me, hah! By the way, if you're wondering why I came down here on my own, it's because Maud stayed behind to keep the spirits of our Brothers strong while I'm away. Maud may not look like it, but she can provide some serious pep talks which have more than brightened up our moods on a daily basis. Now, enough with all of the pleasantries as we have some Dodongos to smash to pieces. I'll follow your lead as you are the heroine here, and I am merely tagging along," said Pinkie Pie.

She then removed her hammer from the strap and swung it about a few times before slinging it over her shoulder and beckoning me to go inside. I swallowed and then breathed slowly before walking into the cavern with Pinkie following along with a serious look on her face. Almost immediately, I found myself staring right at a wall with no visible means of being able to break through.

Pinkie decided that she would handle this due to there being no other means available, and with one swing of her hammer, she smashed a hole in the wall that was big enough for both of us to make it through. The next room turned out to be a massive one where there were additional walls which could be destroyed, but this time there were Bomb Flowers scattered about which meant that I could take the initiative.

" You need to be careful around here Sunset Shimmer," began Spike.

" How come?" I asked.

" There is a large lava pool straight ahead, and if you fall into it, getting burned is going to be the least of your worries. You need to move about more carefully instead of simply running around like you did back in the Great Deku Tree. Based on what I'm seeing from this room, most of the exits are blocked off by walls which I bet you can blow up if you use a Bomb Flower.

There is one exit on the far left that has iron bars blocking it, so you may need to hit some kind of switch in order to open it up. Also, watch out for the Beamos which are those creatures with the single eye. They don't move at all, so they are easy enough to avoid, but if their gaze spots you, they will shoot a laser beam from its eye which can cause some serious damage. Apparently, it doesn't like smoke getting into its eye so I suggest using Bomb Flowers," replied Spike.

" This Hylian Shield I've been carrying about with me should prove useful in protecting myself from those laser blasts. I have no intention of running away like I did last time Spike, for this time I need to be serious," I said. That was when I noticed something right in front of me which made my jaw drop before recoiling it back followed by saying a word typically used when talking about something awful. "GROSS! What in Equestria is that thing at the back of this room?"

" It's been a while since I've seen that fellow hanging up there," replied Pinkie Pie.

" What is that?" I asked.

" That is a Dodongo, or rather a dead one whose spine was used to serve as a massive support beam to keep the ceiling from caving in, and its skull serving the role of an awkward decoration piece. It's been here long before we Gorons settled on Death Mountain, and many of my Brothers are unsettled by the fact that they are always greeted by this every time they come in here.

This Dodongo is actually a King Dodongo which is one that rised above the others by growing to a massive size to become dominant among the rest of its kind. I suspect that there is a new King Dodongo somewhere in this cavern which means we'll be having quite the fight on our hands," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Do you think this 'king' could be the source of the Dodongo outbreak that forced your people to flee?" I asked.

" It's possible as Dodongos travel about underground in a group with one of them serving as the king. Then again, the king has a tendency to go off on its own because it believes itself to be the most powerful. Because of its large size, it will most likely appear in a large room that can accommodate its bulk, but then that does me a world of good as I need all the room I can get in order to cut loose and fight to my heart's content," replied Pinkie Pie.

All of this talk about fighting does make her sound like she was discussing the plans for throwing a party, but I have to remember that she is someone else in this world, and not the friend I've come to know. After jumping across a small gap to reach the left side of the room, a large chest was there out in the open, so I decided to open it and see what was inside. Within it was a piece of paper which Spike said was a map of the cavern which I could use in order to find my way around.

Looking at the map, Dodongo's Cavern certainly was complex with rooms covering quite a large distance, and based on what I observed upon entering the cavern, the only exit I can see was on the opposite side of the room closest to the entrance. Getting to there was simple enough, but the Beamos nearby made me feel uneasy, but I quickly remembered Spike's advice and picked up a Bomb Flower in order to blow it up. BOOM! Then I picked up another one and used it to destroy part of the wall revealing a new passageway. BOOM! It was pretty dark what with the lack of light, but I had to proceed on otherwise I wouldn't be getting anywhere.

" So far so good," I whispered.

" Apart from that Beamos you destroyed, there hasn't been anything in the way of monsters," said Spike.

" Really, then what do you suppose is making that sound?" I asked.

" That sound doesn't sound normal," replied Spike. Just as I was about to laugh at the fact that Spike said sound twice without realizing it, something small burrowed its way out of the ground and began to move quickly towards me.

Pinkie Pie immediately took action and smashed her hammer down on top of the creature causing it to explode which certainly was unexpected. " A Baby Dodongo! While you may think it's harmless just because of its looks, know that it will charge towards you in an attempt to ram you, but if you can outrun it, it will eventually burrow its way back underground and move on. When defeated, it will explode after a while, so make sure you're out of the way when that happens."

" So that little creature can grow up into the one we saw back in the city?" I asked.

" Quite the growth spurts they have don't they? In any case, Baby Dodongos lack any kind of power if they attack on their own, but they can cause a problem if several of them decide to attack you at once. Walk slowly so you can prepare yourself whenever they come out of the ground," replied Spike. I proceeded to walk further along noticing that the roof had gotten lower, and that there were several pipes hanging up which made no sense at all.

Two more Baby Dodongos then came out of the ground, but I used my magic to quickly take care of them from a distance making their explosions a non-factor. Walking along after that, another door with iron bars blocked our path, but there was a blue coloured switch nearby along with two statues which looked rather suspicious. Stepping on the blue switch raised the bars, but stepping off of it to open the door caused the bars to come back down.

" How do we get through this?" I asked.

" That blue switch is referred to as a pressure switch where you need something heavy to put onto it so that the switch will stay activated. Maybe if you push one of those statues, you can use it as a paperweight and keep the bars raised. Let's hope that you've gotten better at pushing heavy objects around as what happened back at the castle is still something I like to laugh about," replied Spike. Once again his smugness became him not to mention his sarcasm made me want consider asking Pinkie to push the statue, but that would be taking the easy way out which isn't my style.

Each statue looked harmless enough, so I grabbed the closest one and pulled it along as hard as I could. It was even heavier than the crates of milk, but I had to prove that I could handle this kind of work. After what felt like an eternity, the statue was on top of the switch, and the bars raised once again.

" You're a lot stronger than you look," commented Pinkie Pie.

" I could've asked you to do that for me, but I had to do it as this is my journey after all," I said.

" And you should enjoy all of the experiences that come from being on it. Like I told you before, I'm just here to assist you whenever you need it, so for the most part I'll be hanging around admiring the scenery, and occasionally cracking jokes to myself to pass the time. To be serious here for a moment, when I saw you handle that Dodongo earlier, you proved me wrong as I originally doubted that you would be able to help us Gorons out.

I cast you aside without even considering your potential all because I based you on your appearance alone. I do have a small doubt as to whether you can succeed in saving my people, but these coming trials in the cavern should remove those doubts. It may sound like I'm putting pressure onto you, but you must learn that sometimes pressure can make you achieve impossible feats. When your back is in a corner and you feel that all is lost, something deep inside you sparks like a roaring flame, and that's when you unleash a force that you didn't even know you had," said Pinkie Pie.

" That didn't make that much sense," I said.

" Heh, maybe I did jumble up my word play a little bit, but the point is that you can prove anyone wrong by defying expectations," said Pinkie Pie. Coming from the likes of Pinkie, that was both heart-warming and downright creepy. I decided to just let that fly over my head, and went through the now unlocked door into a small room that featured nothing much of interest aside from several black coloured things on the walls, and another door at the far end of the room. Occasionally, the sound of flapping wings could be heard which made me suspect those things were probably some kind of bat.

" What are those things Spike?" I asked.

" Those are Keese which love to swoop down on you from above in order to hit you, and then immediately move on until they are out of range. Since you have that Fairy Slingshot you picked up inside the Great Deku Tree, you can put it to good use by picking them off one by one. As long as you don't get too close, they'll just remain where they are, and be completely helpless. I should warn you that using fire of any kind will not work on a Keese as all it will do is set them on fire," replied Spike.

" That means my magic is useless against them," I said.

" If a Keese is hit by fire, it becomes a Fire Keese where it basically becomes a mobile ball of fire. Fire Keese will also swoop down on you, but upon making contact with their target, they will lose their flame and become ordinary Keese again. Anything made out of wood will automatically get burned to ashes if a Fire Keese hits it, but that shouldn't be a problem for you Sunset Shimmer. Just like the regular Keese, Fire Keese can be picked off using projectiles, so whenever you run into them, just use some bullets and you're good," said Spike.

Taking out my Fairy Slingshot, I took aim at the Keese and fired Deku Seeds at each of them destroying them one at a time until the room was cleared. This made walking to the door a breeze, and upon opening it, we entered a very large cavern that had a massive lava pool with a number of platforms to traverse to the other side where there was another door that was barred shut. I then noticed that the door we came in from had also been barred shut which meant that we were stuck in here.

" There's something odd about this room," said Spike.

" In what way?" I asked.

" I can sense a strong evil presence coming from somewhere, so I suggest that you and Darunia get ready for something to come our way," replied Spike. It was like he was a psychic or something, for the instant he said that, a strange noise sounded out, and two creatures fell from above and onto the platforms. Each one looked like some kind of bipedal lizard, and they held small daggers that could be mistaken for swords. The only other thing of note was the spiked shoulder pad they each wore on their right shoulder.

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer, these are Lizalfos, and while they may look funny looking, they are deadly with their weapons. Make sure to use your shield well, and watch their movements carefully as they tend to strike fast. Attack them when they drop their guard, but also know that they can take quite a beating before they've had enough."

" Do you think these creatures are keeping us trapped in here?" I asked.

" Most likely which means defeat them both, and we can move onto the next room," replied Spike.

" Now this is the kind of thing that makes my blood pump, and my hammer itching for me to fight! Ha! This is going to be fun, so why don't we pick a partner and smash them to pieces to make the doors open? I'll take the one over there and that one right there has got your name on it. Come on Lizalfos! Show Darunia what you're capable of, and I promise to go easy on you," said Pinkie Pie.

I had no idea if she was being serious or taking things seriously enough, but it looked like Pinkie had pretty much determined who was going to do what. The Lizalfos that I had been given then started to swing its sword in a chopping pattern which made it easy to dodge, and using my magic proved to be very effective as usual, but Pinkie chose to take the more straightforward method....simply smashing her hammer about and disregarding her own safety in order to get the job done.

" Yeah! Come on! Show me what you've got!" The Lizalfos that was fighting her performed the same chopping pattern with its sword, and she blocked each one simply by moving her hammer to repel each blow one after the other. After repelling about a dozen of these blows, she then began to yawn as though she were bored with the whole thing, and here I was struggling to avoid getting hit and striking back with my magic.

" How in the world is she finding this too easy?" I asked while dodging more sword swings.

" Darunia is a fighter who has been doing this sort of thing her entire life, so she's used to the idea of fighting everything by smashing it into the ground. If you want my opinion, just leave her to do things her way," replied Spike. I wasn't so sure if that was a good idea as Pinkie looked as though she was ready to fall asleep, but I turned out to be wrong as she then used her hammer to shatter the Lizalfos' sword into pieces.

" I was hoping that you were going to give me a challenge, but I guess all you did was make me feel bored. There's no fun in fighting if it's too easy, and you clearly didn't give me a challenge, so you might as well just go away," said Pinkie Pie. She then smashed her hammer down hard on the back of the Lizalfos which almost caused its eyes to bug out, and then she hit it in the back a second time defeating it. " That was rather disappointing as I was expecting that one to at least test my skills, but it seems that I was too much for it to handle. And how about you Sunset Shimmer? Did you manage to defeat your Lizalfos?"

" As a matter of fact I did," I replied as I applied the finishing blow onto the Lizalfos I had been fighting.

" Then I wouldn't get too complacent if I were you, for if you haven't noticed yet, the bars on the doors are still down which means those two Lizalfos weren't the ones keeping us locked in. Now I'm starting to see what's going on here, and I'm not looking forward to the next part," said Pinkie Pie.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Lizalfos often travel in packs where they send their weakest members to scout ahead, and fight off against anything they perceive as a threat. The scouts are unfortunately killed as the pack would prefer to salvage the strong and be rid of the weak, and the rest watch the proceedings to determine a course of action. The reason I was acting bored was because I wanted to see if that Lizalfos pair were either the real deal, or weak scouts who were sent to be killed, and my lack of difficulty proved it we faced the latter in this case," replied Pinkie Pie.

" How strong then are their strongest?" I asked.

" Their strongest are able to match even the likes of me when it comes to pure strength. Now the question to ask next is where would the rest of them be in this room where they can watch our every move. Hmmmm....they would need to be at a distance to be able to see everything, and since those scouts came down from above, that would mean the rest are....right above us and planning an ambush!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

She then raised her hammer as a means of pointing it upwards, and I looked in the same direction in order to see what she was talking about. My face then turned white as far above us was a cliff-edge where someone or something had placed a large stack of boulders, and behind them were the silhouettes of what I assumed to be more Lizalfos. Without any kind of warning, the boulders suddenly came tumbling down and crashed into the ground. One of the boulders landed right next to me with the shrapnel from the impact hitting me in the face.

" I can't see!" I shouted.

" Hang on Sunset Shimmer! I'm on my way!" shouted Pinkie Pie, but just as she was starting to make her way towards me, another boulder came down, and struck her in the back causing her to fly forward and land hard on her stomach according to the sounds her body made as she landed. " Grah! They managed to knock me down? They've got a lot of guts to do that to the Big Boss of the Gorons!"

At that moment, more boulders came down with the largest of them hitting Pinkie in the left leg and trapping it. " My leg! It's stuck underneath this boulder, and I think it may even be sprained!" Things were starting to get worse now as my vision was out of commission, and Pinkie wasn't even able to move. As she started to smash the boulder trapping her leg using her hammer, I tried to regain my sight, but it wasn't working as the shrapnel had really gotten to my eyes.

Then the sound that was made when the first two Lizalfos attacked sounded off again, and roughly a dozen of them jumped off from the cliff-edge. The scouts had performed their task even if it had cost them their lives, and now the rest of the pack were about to take full advantage of our weakened state....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 8: Dazzle of the Great Fairy

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 9: Episode of Sidequests

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding the Legend of Zelda, the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks. These are the properties of Nintendo and Hasbro respectively.

Why a chapter dedicated to sidequests? Because we have to have at least one of these in a story like this one.

Cast appearing in this chapter.

Sunset Shimmer - Link
Spike - Navi the Fairy
Maud Pie - Maud, Sister/Sworn Brother of Darunia
Flash Sentry - Kaepora Gaebora
Adagio Dazzle - Great Fairy
Sonata Dusk - Happy Mask Salesman
Iron Will - Owner of the Bombchu Bowling Alley/????

Chapter 9: Episode of Sidequests

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 25, 2014
Chapter 9: Episode of Sidequests.

Those final words Adagio mentioned kept piercing my heart, and it felt like I was about to throw up because of it. If I were to fail achieving the destiny that awaits me in this world, the price to pay was going to be my life. I mean, already I've encountered numerous monsters that have been trying to kill me, but to say that my life would be forfeit if I allowed Ganondorf to conquer Hyrule? I can't even think straight which is why when I came out of the Great Fairy's Fountain, I had forgotten about a certain someone.

" So it seems that the Great Fairy has given you a new ability.

" WAAAAH! Oh, Flash Sentry! I completely forgot you were here, and there I go reacting as I usually do with a freak out. All of this stress and pressure is really starting to get to me," I said.

" The Great Fairy told you something that you wish she had not? Sometimes, she can bare the most unfortunate of news on a person, but she does not intend to make it so as her aim is to encourage that person to try and adapt to the news that affects them. If you are really feeling stressed out as you say, then perhaps you should try a different approach which may be to your liking," suggested Flash Sentry.

" What did you have in mind?" I asked.

" Why not take some time away from the main journey, and have fun going around the land and partake in what some would call sidequests. I believe that you have done a couple of these back in the Lost Woods already, so perhaps you can continue on and explore to your heart's content. I would suggest spending much of the next day winding down and relaxing so that you will be ready to resume the main path without succumbing to even more pressure," replied Flash Sentry.

" Can I even afford to do that? I mean, if I were to suddenly deviate from the path and begin to goof off as it were, wouldn't that allow Ganondorf the opportunity to claim the Triforce, and plunge this world into darkness? If that were to happen while I was having fun, that would make me feel utterly crushed, and quite possibly stressing myself out enough to have a heart-attack," I said.

" You underestimate the powers that the princess possesses as does she. So long as she draws breath, she will not allow the likes of Ganondorf to succeed in his plans of conquest. So relax Sunset Shimmer, and spend tomorrow doing things at your own pace. By the way, I'm going to be heading down to Kakariko Village before heading off into Hyrule Field as my companion wishes to spread his wings.

I could take you down there if you want, or perhaps you would like to be dropped off at Goron City? In either case, if you wish to hitch a ride with me, just grab on the talons of my companion, and hold on tight. Are you ready to fly partner? Then let's go!" said Flash Sentry. He could have asked me if I wanted to ride on top with him, but I guess he prefers to fly solo while everyone else has to be held like they were some kind of prey.

During the flight, I got to experience the majesty of soaring through the sky, and I couldn't help but feel jealous of the Pegasi back in Equestria who got to see this every single time. I told Flash Sentry that I wanted to be dropped off in front of the entrance to Goron City, and within a matter of minutes, he dropped me off at the desired location, and proceeded to make his way to Kakariko Village.

The sun was just about ready to call it a night, and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible due to everything that had happened to me today, but the chances of me getting any kind of sleep would depend on whether Pinkie decides to throw an all-night party, or make it a small affair with ample time for sleeping. During the night, something was taking place in Hyrule Field by the river which passes through the northeast portion of the field, and it was going to be affecting me when it came down to dealing with collecting the third and final spiritual stone.

" We've searched Zora's River from beginning to end several times now, and we still haven't found any signs of Princess Ruto."

" Then need to double our efforts even more if we are to bring her safely back to King Zora."

" We're already stretching ourselves thin by having doubled our efforts from the last time we came up empty handed, and now you want us to double it again? If we did that, some of the men will end up collapsing from exhaustion, and what good is that going to do us?"

" Finding the princess and returning her to his majesty is the most important thing right now. Need I remind you about how he has been feeling ever since he discovered that the princess had gone missing? King Zora has taken no meals, and has barely slept these past moons as he has been worried sick. If he keeps this up, his health is sure to take a turn for the worse which could possibly result in his death."

" Why not ask the King of Hyrule for assistance?"

" King Zora specifically told us that this matter is strictly a Zora affair, and that we aren't to involve the other tribes in any way. While we may have an alliance with the
royal family, there are some among our people who feel that his majesty is nothing more than a figurehead in the political spectrum of Hyrule, and that the royal family wields the one and only power."

" How do you feel about that?"

" It's not my place to judge given that it was his majesty's decision to agree to an alliance with the king, and as his subjects, we are to respect his decision even if it feels like we are being short-handed. Now then, with regards to locating Princess Ruto....are you sure that we have searched every last square inch of Zora's River.

" Several times at the very least, and nothing has turned up. Perhaps she traveled out into the field, but that would be tantamount to suicide what with the evil creatures that lurk out here in the field during the night. I'm surprised that we're even out here in the field at this hour as there's no telling when we'll be attacked next."

" The creatures cannot go anywhere near the water due to it acting as a purifier of sorts, and it destroys them the moment they set foot into it, so as long as we remain
standing in the river, we shall be safe. Her highness was probably aware of this as well, and made sure to remain in the sanctity of the water until day break."

" So, should we go into the field and see if she is out there somewhere?"

" I'd rather not risk the lives of the men. No, we'll return to Zora's Domain and report to his majesty that we have yet to locate her highness, but I want to send at least two men down to Lake Hylia in case she happened to go there. They will take the shortcut that connects the domain to the lake as I'd rather not have them go through the Gerudo Valley at any time because those thieves aren't to be trusted."

The night went by without incident aside from getting to sleep a little later than what I had wanted due to Pinkie Pie throwing a party to celebrate the defeat of King Dodongo, and the famine coming to an end for the entire Goron tribe. Since I was able to get a good night's sleep, it allowed my magic to make a complete recovery. As soon as I woke up, I looked around in order to see where Pinkie Pie was, but instead I found someone else.

" Good morning."

" WAAAAH!" Maud Pie, Pinkie's older sister, was standing right next to the bed staring at me as though she were some kind of stalker, and I just had to freak out over the fact that it was just so creepy.

" Why did you react like that?" asked Maud.

" You scared me half to death because I wasn't expecting to see you just stand there and stare at me for who knows how long. By the way, how come you are here greeting me? I was expecting Darunia to be here instead because she told me last night that she wanted to continue celebrating when I had gotten up," I replied.

" My little sister isn't here as she had something very important that needed to be taken care of. She told me that late last night, she realized that the problem in Kakariko Village was still unresolved, and she knew that it had to be dealt with. Darunia remembered that it was her own actions which made the villagers fearful of the Gorons, so she went to the village in order to patch things up between them and us," said Maud.

" I can understand how important it is to apologize for any wrong doing that one may cause upon others," I said.

" Darunia was fully aware that you were going to be leaving Death Mountain as soon as you had gotten up, and she told me to tell you two things before you are to leave on your journey. The first thing is that she hopes that she will see you again someday, and to play that song for her again. The second thing she said was that there is a passage one floor above that connects to the Lost Woods. This is because of the strange music coming from there reminded her of the forest which makes no sense to the rest of us," said Maud.

" That's actually quite convenient for me," I began.

" How so?" asked Maud.

" I actually needed to go to the Lost Woods in order to give something to someone who needs it, so I can save a lot of time by taking that shortcut instead of going the long way around. While it would be nice to say good-bye to Darunia in person, I know that she has important things to do, and my interrupting her would only cause the villagers more grief, so I'll take her advice," I replied.

" Sure, I guess," said Maud.

" What about you?" I asked.

" I'm waiting here and in charge of things while my sister is away. Also, I heard that the two of you have become Sworn Brothers as a result of the experiences you had together inside of the Dodongo's Cavern. I must admit that she chose the right person to be her Sworn Brother, and that also makes you a Brother to me and the rest of the Gorons, so now I can say without feeling awkward that I wish you good luck, Brother.

I will take my leave of you now so that you may get your things together and depart for the Lost Woods, but before you go there, why don't you stop the Hot Rodder Goron two floors above with a bomb. He often says that he will give out a reward to anyone who can stop his wild rolling, so it's something you might want to consider," replied Maud. She stared at me for a few more seconds before she turned around and left the room leaving me to collect my thoughts and gather my things so that I can make my way up to where this Goron was rolling around.

Once I got everything together, I made my way up two levels where I saw what looked like a boulder rolling around, but I knew that it was this Hot Rodder Goron that Maud mentioned just before she left. I waited for him to roll closer to me before I took out a bomb and threw it at him in the hopes that it would connect.

" Did you stop my wild rolling with a bomb?" asked Hot Rodder Goron.

" I did as I was told that you would reward someone for doing so," I replied.

" Then you heard correctly as I have been rolling around here for days waiting for someone to come along and stop me using a bomb. It was my way of knowing that our rock quarry was available to us again when someone did that. I notice that you have a pretty nifty Bomb Bag there on your belt, so I take it that you found my little stash which I left behind in a treasure chest for safekeeping," said Hot Rodder Goron.

" You mean this Bomb Bag is yours?" I asked.

" Don't think that you have to return it to me because you know that it's mine, for I heard that Big Brother Darunia said that you were allowed to keep anything you found inside the Dodongo's Cavern if you felt it important to your quest. In fact, I feel honoured knowing that the heroine to the Goron people used my Bomb Bag to save all of us from starving to death. Sorry, I got a little emotional there.

Anyway, let me reward you for stopping me by taking back that old Bomb Bag, and give you this one which can hold up to 30 Bombs which should really make for some interesting fun times," replied Hot Rodder Goron. I handed over the Bomb Bag, and in return he gave me a slightly bigger one which was filled to the brim with bombs.

As I thanked him for the Bomb Bag upgrade, and prepared to leave for the Lost Woods, he told me that whenever I was next visiting Hyrule Castle Town, there was a place called the Bombchu Bowling Alley which was to be my liking, and that was when he resumed his rolling. I then walked back down one level and into the passageway which connected to the Lost Woods, and within a matter of moments, I found myself back among the trees and ready to take care of some mask business.

" You seem confused about what that guy said about Bombchus," said Spike.

" Of course seeing as I've never heard of them before," I said.

" That doesn't surprise me in the least Sunset Shimmer, but then not too many people actually know about them to begin with. It's a good thing that you have your trusty fairy companion to tell you all about Bombchus as I happen to be quite an expert on the subject," said Spike.

" Oh you are, are you?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

" Bombchus are a new type of bomb and looks like a small mouse-like toy, but that masks the fact that it's just as deadly as a regular bomb. When you set down a Bombchu, it immediately travels along the ground in a straight line, and explodes upon impact with something, or it just blows up after a while if it doesn't hit anything. I hear that there is a shop somewhere in Hyrule Castle Town that sells Bombchu, but for some reason they only open at night," replied Spike.

" They must not get many customers then if they open past sunset," I said.

" I also hear that the shop only has a limited number of Bombchu available as it's a prototype of an explosive I guess, and that they are very expensive to purchase. I'm not entirely sure if it would be a good idea to check out this Bombchu Shop if the prices are going to be high," said Spike.

" That's true, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check it out at least once. Who knows? I might end up getting enough rupees in order to get some, but either way I'd visit such a place to see about getting some information. Right now, I'm definitely following Flash Sentry's advice and spending my sixth day of this journey going about things at my own leisure, and having some fun with those sidequests he mentioned," I said. With the idea of having some fun stuck in my mind, I began to make my way towards the location of the child who wanted to look tougher which didn't take too long to reach him. When I found him, he was playing his flute, so when I took out the Skull Mask and put it on, he got quite a reaction out of it.

" That mask looks really freaky on you, but aren't you that Kokiri girl I met the other day who played me Saria's Song? If it is you, and I know that it is, who are you trying to fool wearing something like that? Still, that mask does make you look very scary, and I for one have been looking for something that would make me feel tougher. Being a Skull Kid can be rather dull at times because we have no distinctive faces to call our own, but with that mask, I could carve out my own identity and even scare my friends.

I really want to buy that mask off of you, and I will gladly pay you to take it off your hands." This Skull Kid, as he just identified himself as being, paid me ten rupees for the mask as he took it off my face, and put it on screaming with delight before he disappeared. However, he only gave me ten when the mask itself was worth 20 rupees which meant that he ripped me off. There was no reason for me to try and chase after him, so I decided to leave the Lost Woods using any exit that was nearby, and proceeded to exit the Kokiri Forest in order to do something else. No sooner had I walked a few hundred meters, I stopped when I saw Sonata Dusk sitting down on a blanket eating something, so I walked on over to have a chat.

" Hello again my friend. It looks like you found me for a change, or perhaps I found you and you didn't even realize it. Come, sit down and I'll share some of my food with you while we discuss about how your task of selling the Skull Mask went. You did manage to sell it didn't you?" asked Sonata. I walked forward with uneasy steps before sitting down on her blanket. " Your expression shows me that you had some kind of trouble occur, so why not tell me all about it?"

" I did manage to sell it, but I ended up getting paid half of the asking price, and I feel ripped off which makes me both sad and angry over what happened. Above all else, I have to pay you back for borrowing the Skull Mask, and it has to come out of my own pocket, so no matter what happens, I'm losing out in the end," I said.

" Yes, I've had experiences like that where I was a victim of someone who did not pay the entire price. Oh I was very upset with them, but not to the point where I would curse them under my breath, and hope that their family gets devoured by a ravenous beast sometime during the night. Heh, just listen to me sputtering out nonsense like that.

Well, you might as well get it over with and pay me the 20 rupees before you end up feeling even worse. Besides, there is a silver-lining in that you can borrow the next mask which I just so happen to have on me," smiled Sonata. Okay, that bit she said about cursing someone who cheated her made me feel that Sonata was a little more deranged than what she appears to be. I paid her the 20 rupees even though I felt bad about having to pay the extra on my own. " Payment received, so now I present to you the third mask. Now where did I put it?"

" Did you misplace it?" I asked.

" Me? Misplace a mask? That's completely absurd! I know that I put that mask somewhere as I had a feeling that you were going to come along. Hmmmm....I know I had it here when I stopped to rest for a bit and enjoy a little snack," replied Sonata.

" Wait a second! What is that you have there?" I asked.

" Oh this? It's a little spicy something that I adore so much that I just can't get enough of them. It's called a taco, and it's actually very rare to see a food not native to Hyrule. While I usually have at least one or two of these a day, when it's a Tuesday, I have to eat at least a dozen or so because they're just so good. That's why I refer to such a day as TACO TUESDAY, because I eat so many of them on a Tuesday," replied Sonata.

" But it's not even Tuesday," I moaned. I can't believe that this weird personality trait of Sonata's managed to make it through the transition from the human world to this world. You know, I can't help but smile along with her antics because she doesn't mean to be evil in Hyrule, but rather fun-loving, and not caring about what other people may choose to think of her.

" Oh! Here is where I left the mask. It turns out that I was using it as a placeholder for my taco, and that's because I couldn't find my plates in my bag. The mask is not dirty by any means, so take a good look at what this one looks like," said Sonata.

" What in the world is that?" I asked.

" This is the Spooky Mask, and as you can see, it is a sad wooden mask that is sure to scare anyone under the right conditions. Granted, this mask does have a high scare factor and could probably cause someone to have an accident, but it's meant to be enjoyed in good fun and merriment. A mask like this could make anyone want to become as scary as someone they might idolize, or at the very least want to mimic.

You know, I seem to recall a small child in Kakariko Village who is always upset about not being allowed to partake in an event that was recently started there because he said that he was too young. It had something to do with not being allowed to go on some kind of tour which doesn't make that much sense to me, but maybe it means something to you? So far, you've figured out who should be getting my Happy Masks," replied Sonata.

" I've had you to help me with that," I said.

" Me? Helping you? Oh no, I've done nothing of the sort, for you are the one who has been figuring this out. Anyway, I've been talking long enough, so I believe that I will take my leave of you. I hope that we can meet each other again real soon," said Sonata. She then picked up her blanket which caused me to fall off it and onto my rear as I was still sitting on it, but she was able to pick up all of the utensils on it without breaking anything, and then she placed it all into her bag before walking off and eating her taco.

I then took a closer look at the Spooky Mask, and immediately I just had to turn my head away in disgust due to how hideous looking this thing was. Sonata wanted me to sell something like this to someone? She must have been kidding as who in their right mind would want to wear this on their face? Also, I couldn't believe that she wasn't aware of the fact that she was telling me where these masks she gives me are supposed to go to, or maybe she is aware of this and chooses to ignore the fact.

" Is that a mask?" asked Spike.

" According to Sonata, it's meant to be scary," I replied.

" It looks more like a shield than a mask to me, so would that mean you would be wearing a shield on your face? In any case, that Sonata Dusk is creepy whenever she smiles as though she were hiding something. I just can't get over the fact that she has such an optimistic attitude towards life in general, but I do have to give her props for being involved in such a unique business that makes people happy. So, I take it that you'll be heading off to Kakariko Village next?" asked Spike.

" Even though she says that she didn't help me figure out where these masks are supposed to go, she actually did and probably refuses to acknowledge the fact in her own mind. She said that there was a small child who isn't allowed to be a part of a recent event that has begun in the village....that must be the "Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour" that is held at the Graveyard every night," I replied.

" We have to go back there again?" asked Spike.

" But this time we have to do so during the day. I was also thinking that we could stop by and say hello to Darunia while we're there, but that may not be a good idea to do right now as she's probably busy trying to repair the strained relationship between the Gorons and the people of the village," I replied.

While it would have been nice to drop in on Pinkie Pie to thank her for everything she had done, I didn't want to add any more stress onto her as that could result in an anger relapse. It didn't take too for Spike and I to make it back to Kakariko Village, and upon entering the main entrance, the village felt deserted as though everyone had abandoned the place. " Now where do you suppose everyone has gotten off to Spike? You don't think that the villagers fled for their lives when they saw Darunia coming their way?"

" Or they could all be gathered at that house over there," replied Spike as he floated off in front of me to point out that there was a large gathering by one house which stood on top of a slight high-rise.

" Oh yeah," I blushed for having not realized that.

" It must be quite a serious meeting if it has the attention of the entire village. I'm sure that Darunia must be having a hard time in there having to explain her actions in the past week, and asking for the village to forgive her. I'm also certain that she will bring you up as being the one who saved the Gorons from starving to death, and that you did so in the name of the royal family as you are their messenger after all. Okay, you're the messenger of the princess and her attendant, but that should still prove to be reasonable enough," said Spike.

" Definitely not a good idea to see her right now," I said.

" That would be for the best as she needs to focus on mending those relations," said Spike. Leaving Pinkie to deal with the prospects of fixing the broken ties was a little difficult for me to do, but I knew that I had to as she had her purpose to fulfill. Making my way over to the Graveyard and entering it, I was surprised at how different it looked during the day as opposed to the night. It was certainly more lively for a graveyard, but at least it was something that Spike was able to tolerate as he didn't want to be back here again after what happened last time. That was when I noticed a small boy walking on the cobbled pavement swinging about a stick as though he was pretending to be something, or perhaps someone. Could this be the person who wanted the Spooky Mask? This sweet, innocent looking child? I'd better talk to him first just to make sure that he is the right one, so I walked on over to see what he had to say.

" Hello there," said the Boy.

" Hello to you as well. What are you doing here in the Graveyard?" I asked.

" Little kids aren't allowed to go on the "Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour" that is advertised on that sign over there because we're viewed as being way too young to see something very scary come out from the ground when Dampé, the Gravekeeper starts digging. So to make up for that fact, I come here during the day and pretend to mimic her by swinging around this stick as though it were a shovel. It's fun and all, but I can't help but think that my face isn't really cutting it for me. I mean, it looks too cute to really be as
scary as what Dampe's face is like," replied the Boy.

" This may sound a little strange to you, but I do happen to have something that might be to your liking," I said.

" What is it?" asked the Boy.

" I have this mask in my possession which may do the trick, but first I need to show it off to you in order to see what kind of reaction I'll get. Just give me a second to put it onto my face," I replied. Wearing this mask based on what I knew about it didn't feel right as I didn't want to scare this poor boy, but if I was going to make a sale then I had to show it off, and risk getting into some trouble with his parents. After breathing a huge sigh, I put on the Spooky Mask and turned to face the boy.

" AHHHH! It's Dampé the Gravekeeper! Huh? Oh? Is that the thing that you wanted to show me?" asked the Boy.

" It's called a Spooky Mask and it's designed to make people who wear it look scary," I replied.

" I get a bigger scare out of that mask than I do with Dampé. You know, if I were to wear that mask, I'd really be able to imitate Dampé by looking the part as close as possible without being creepy. Would it be okay if I purchased this mask from you? I don't mind paying for it as I do have rupees in my pocket. With this mask, I'm gonna dig and dig, just like the Gravekeeper herself," said the Boy. I told him that the purchase price of the Spooky Mask was 30 rupees, and he paid me for it in full without even asking me if I was telling him the truth.

He then put the mask on and began to move about like before, but this time with a more happy expression on his face. I decided to leave him to his own business, and proceeded to leave the graveyard with my wallet being more content. That sale was much better than the last one where I was ripped off, but now it left me with a decision as to where I should go next. On the one hand, I could try to find Sonata in order to pay her back the 30 rupees and see about getting the next mask, or I could go to Hyrule Castle Town, and check out that Bombchu Bowling Alley which the Hot Rodder Goron told me about before I left Goron City.

After mulling over both choices for a couple of minutes, I decided to visit the town because I could also find the Great Fairy who lives by the castle, and also speak to both Twilight and Applejack. As I quickly left the village to reach the town, I wanted to see if I could spot Sonata again before she would unintentionally spot me, but it looked like she was pretty far away by now.

" What are you doing?" asked Spike as we approached the drawbridge.

" I wanted to see if I could spot Sonata and pay her back the money for that mask, and maybe even borrow the next one, but it looks like she's going to end up finding us by the looks of it. That means you should expect another freak out from me when that happens," I replied.

" Already taken a mental note of that," said Spike.

" Really?" I asked sarcastically.

" Those 'freak outs' as you call them are starting to be rather frequent, so I brace myself for one to happen which seems to occur roughly once every time we travel to another location. People here don't mean to scare you Sunset Shimmer as they're just acting in a way that makes them eccentric, but if they were threatening you in some way, or planning on attacking you, then you can freak out. You just need to have an open mind and expect people to just pop up out of nowhere," replied Spike. Finding the Bombchu Bowling Alley was easy enough, and upon opening the door and walking inside, Spike and I came across a rather large man sleeping by the counter, and it certainly took him by surprise. " Then again, even people who look and act casual can be scary."

" How can someone be sleeping while their place of business is open?" I asked.

" I don't know, so why not ask him instead of asking me," replied Spike. I wasn't feeling very comfortable talking to this man because he had a nose ring on his face, and he was a lot bigger than most other people I've seen in Hyrule, but I suppose I had to speak with him otherwise I'd come across as being both petty and rude. As I stepped a few paces towards him, his eyes flickered open and he blinked for a few moments which indicated to me that he had indeed been sleeping for some time.

" Huh? What the? Uh-oh....a customer. Ahem! I am Iron Will, and welcome to Hyrule's newest cutting edge extravaganza, BOMBCHU BOWLING! The rules to this game are very simple, so please listen up. You will be given ten Bombchu, and your objective is to hit all three targets over there to my right. Now while it looks like there is only one, if this target gets destroyed, the next one will appear, and if you destroy that, the final one will show up ready for you to blow up. If you manage to destroy all three targets and not run out of Bombchus, you'll receive a fantastic prize. Please note that prizes will not be revealed until you have paid to play, and one game will cost you 30 rupees."

" Why were you sleeping just now? I'm surprised that you even did that considering that this is a place of business," I said.

" Yeah, I am sorry about that, but I've been really busy getting this place set up and ready for business. By the time I opened up shop the other day. I was just so exhausted that I've been sleeping whenever no one is around," said Iron Will.

" Then I'm sorry for making such an accusation," I said.

" You didn't know, so there's no need for you to be sorry. Oh! Before I forget, I do need to tell you that there are some obstacles that you'll need to avoid if you want to destroy all three targets. One's some kind of ancient trap I found during my younger days when I was an explorer, and the other two are a small cucco and a big cucco who will use their own bodies to block your shots. You know, I wasn't surprised the other day when so many people decided that they wanted to spend their rupees just to blow up the cuccos over and over. Granted, those little fellas didn't feel a thing, but the number of times they got blasted was surprising," said Iron Will.

" People come here to blow up innocent creatures?" I asked.

" Well, I wouldn't call them innocent as they are anything but that. Since you have that shield with you, that tells me that you are an adventurer or some kind, so let me give you some useful advice. Cuccos have been known to be spotted in various places throughout Hyrule, and while you may have the urge to want to beat one up, you'll soon discover that doing so will cause it to react and call others to take revenge.

You wouldn't believe how many people came in here the other day covered from head to toe in feathers, and having pecking marks all over them. I guess hurting the cuccos here is a means of relaxing and relieving some stress even though it does mean they don't get any prizes. For those who want to spend their time here doing that, I let them play for free," replied Iron Will.

" Then I came here in order to win some prizes....and maybe blow up those cuccos to relieve my stress," I said.

" Such a positive attitude you have there kid! That'll be 30 rupees please," said Iron Will. While it sounded cruel to want to blow up cuccos and see them get hurt, Iron Will as he called himself said that the cuccos don't feel a thing, so maybe blowing them up with Bombchus will give me some sense of relaxing. Right now, I wanted to win some prizes, so I paid him the entry fee. " OKAY! Here are your ten Bombchus, so head on over there and have yourself a blast!

Make sure that you do not step over that line otherwise that's cheating, and you will be disqualified. Also, you have as much time as you want to use all ten of your Bombchus. Finally, here is the prize that you can win if you manage to destroy all three targets. This here is a lovely Piece of Heart which can perk you up instantly." He then gave me a small bag filled with ten Bombchus, and I took one of them out in order to see what it really looked like. Well what do you know? Spike was right in that they took look like mice, but it certainly wasn't small in size but more towards medium.

I looked over it for a while wondering just how I was supposed to use it, and that was when Iron Will spoke up again. " I take it that this is your first time using a Bombchu right? Don't worry about looking like some kind of fool as I've seen people like you lots of times. All you have to do is set it down in front of your feet, and it will take care of the rest." I followed what he said and placed it down, and as soon as I let go, it began to dash off in a straight hitting the target causing it to blow up, and the wall it was on to fall apart revealing the second target.

It gave me quite a surprise seeing such a cute thing go off and do that. " Your expression is also one that I've seen lots of times. That was pretty good for your first attempt, so keep it up and that Piece of Heart is yours." I felt a rush of adrenaline over the fact that a single Bombchu could do so much, and I wanted to keep on going for as long as possible, and as long as I had enough rupees.

For the next half an hour, I continued to play in the Bombchu Bowling Alley blowing up the targets, blowing up the cuccos, and both succeeding and failing several times. In addition to winning the Piece of Heart, I also won another Bomb Bag which was even bigger than the one Hot Rodder Goron gave me as this new one could hold up to 40 Bombs, and I even won some Bombchu. Eventually though, I did have to stop playing and move on to the next task which was to see the Great Fairy living near Hyrule Castle. After thanking Iron Will for the fun and excitement, I left the Market and made my way up to the castle grounds.

" You certainly made out like a bandit in there," commented Spike.

" That was probably the most fun I've had in a very long time, and the goodies that I got out it are sure to make the upcoming trials a little more bearable. Now then, we were told by the Great Fairy of Power that her fellow Fairy is somewhere in the vicinity of the castle. If you were the entrance to a Great Fairy's Fountain, where would choose to hide yourself away from the masses?" I asked.

" It would need to be somewhere completely inconspicuous, like say that boulder way over there on the other side of the main gate," replied Spike.

" Funny that neither of us noticed that when we were last visiting here," I said.

" We were accompanied by that girl Malon, and last time we were in a rush in order to meet with the princess, and we did have that issue with the royal guards and the Gerudo having an argument. I guess now that we're here on a more pleasant business, we're seeing things that were oblivious to our eyes before," said Spike.

" Are you trying to be philosophical?" I asked.

" Maybe," answered Spike.

" Keep at it and you may end up surprising someone. Okay, the main gate still has the same number of guards that were patrolling it last time, so I'm guessing that there hasn't been any increase in numbers, so we should be able to climb up the vines and make our way over without anyone seeing us. I wonder though if I should just ask one of the guards to just let us in as we do know the princess," I said.

" We know that but they don't," said Spike.

" Good point," I said and it certainly was for as far as the entire castle was concerned, Twilight had never seen me before in her life, and perhaps it's for the best that image stayed in their minds as it makes my work here a lot easier. By using the same method of getting past the gate as before, I soon came upon the boulder and destroyed it using a bomb, and hoping that the sound doesn't bring any kind of unwanted attention. When the boulder was cleared away, it revealed a small hole which I had to crawl through which didn't make much sense, but in any case I found myself inside the Great Fairy's Fountain, and proceeded to play 'Twilight's Lullaby' in order to summon her.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer!"

" Huh? Adagio? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be the Great Fairy of Power?" This Great Fairy turned out to be Adagio Dazzle, leader of the Dazzlings, as well, but how does that make any sense? Is there something here that I'm missing as since how can she be the same person twice?

" Ah, so you have seen my sister have you not? I take it that she did not tell you that all of us Great Fairies look identical to one another. Sometimes we are of the belief that we are six separate entities who serve the forces of good as decreed by the Great Goddesses. Other times we believe that we are all just the one being who warps from fountain to fountain as a means of greeting the chosen ones whenever they happen to find their way in here.

Which ever version you believe does not change the fact that you have come all this way in order to seek my guidance as well as my help. I am the Great Fairy of Magic, one of three who share this name, and I am here to give you a new magic spell. My sister has told me that you have been relying too much on your own magical powers, and it caused you to exhaust yourself for a time. Is this what I speak of true?" asked Adagio.

" My magic was completely drained throughout the latter part of yesterday because I overdid trying to deal with some monsters," I replied.

" Using your own natural abilities in order to fight for good is a noble thing, but if you become reckless and try to do too much then it can become a problem that evil will try to take advantage of. That is why I am giving you this magical spell for it uses a different kind of magic which is separate from your own. This is Din's Fire, attack magic which can engulf your enemies in flames. It can also be used to light torches when there is no fire nearby. Be aware though that this magic does contain the essence of Din, Goddess of Power, so know that you are dealing with very potent magic. It is not wise to misuse the powers of a Great Goddess," said Adagio.

" This gem you gave me contains the magic?" I asked.

" That red sphere in the center of the prism contains the essence of Din, and while it may not be as strong as essence as that of the Triforce of Power, it is still more powerful than most magic you can find in Hyrule barring one's own abilities. Now then, I am aware that you plan on retrieving the third and final spiritual stone yes? There is one here in the castle who can help you in your search, and she is someone that you have met before.

There is another Great Fairy that you can find in the place where this one is going to send you, and she will grant you another magic spell to aid you in your quest. That is all the information that I am able to give to you Sunset Shimmer, and so I shall take my leave of you. When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," replied Adagio, and with that she disappeared just like last time, but this version of her left me with a pleasant outlook rather than a miserable one.

Also, she said that someone from the castle would be telling me where my next destination was going to be. Could that someone be Twilight? I would like to talk to her again as there is so much I want to say. I quickly made my way back outside only to discover that Applejack was standing in my path with her arms folded, and she had a stern look on her face. I wonder what has happened that's made her more intense than usual....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 10: Up the River

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 27, 2014
Chapter 10: Up the River.

" Ah, the girl from the forest....I am not surprised to see you here. I can sense that you have the Spiritual Stone of Fire in your possession, thus you have been able to acquire it from the Gorons. You have lead the light that shines in Hyrule one step closer to achieving peace, and the darkness is surely reeling from the defeat that it has sustained. That look on your face has you worried that I am angry about something? It seems that you are wise in addition to being heroic, but there is not much time for me to speak with you, for it seems that events have taken a turn for the worse," said Applejack.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" If you believed that you could meet with Princess Zelda, then I am sorry to say that you will not be able to see her as she must prepare for a meeting that is to take place tomorrow. Her father has agreed to meet again with Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, in an effort to forge an alliance between the Hylians and the Gerudo, and as the princess of the kingdom, her duty bounds her to attend.

I of course shall be in attendance as it is my duty to protect her highness. Unlike before, the Gerudo King is traveling alone to the castle rather than bringing an entourage with him as I suspect that he does not want to have another incident like what happened where one of his own chose to defy him," replied Applejack.

" If he is coming here tomorrow then I need to find the final spiritual stone as soon as possible. Maybe I shouldn't have spent much of today having fun and partaking in sidequests as that could have been spent getting the stone, and preventing something terrible from happening," I said.

" You followed what your heart was telling you, and that shows great wisdom for wanting to do what you felt was right. Even if you had chosen to find the spiritual stone, you most likely would not have returned to the castle in time, for there is going to be additional security while the meeting is taking place. Time is now against us Sunset Shimmer, so you must find the final spiritual stone as soon as you are able.

The final spiritual stone was handed down to the Zoras who dwell within Zora's Domain which lies to the northeast of Hyrule. They have guarded the waterways of the kingdom for many years, and have proven themselves to be worthy allies to the royal family. You will need to speak to King Zora, but be aware that one must speak with respect to him. That is all the information that I am able to give to you, so I shall return to Princess Zelda and inform her that you have succeeded with the Gorons," said Applejack.

" Wait! Before you go, there is something that I must speak to you about," I said.

" It must wait for another time as I must return to her highness," said Applejack.

" Please? It won't take me long to explain, and it will definitely help you deal with some of the issues that the princess has been experiencing lately. No doubt you remember me talking about where I come from....as in where I really come from? Equestria? A world where ponies of various kinds live together in peace? When she heard me talk about it, it reminded her about the fact that she believed that she was a princess there.

That's because the Equestrian Magic inside of her was able to survive the transition from the human world to this one, yet it wasn't complete. My presence has caused a reaction where this magic has allowed her and the Goron chieftain to recall how things are supposed to be. Applejack! You too have Equestrian Magic inside of you, so surely you can recall something from the human world?" I asked.

" Whether your words are true, I do not have the luxury to reflect upon them as I must return to the princess and help her prepare for the coming of Ganondorf. You on the other hand must find the final spiritual stone and bring it along with the other two back to the castle so that you may protect this land," replied Applejack.

" But Applejack," I began.

" My name is Impa of the Shiekah, and a sworn servant to the royal family. Do not waste my time with such things that are not important, and do not attempt to poison her highness with illusions of another world. You are the messenger of the royal family, and you have been given a task which you must perform without fail. That is the duty with which you have been given," said Applejack.

" Fine! I shall perform the duty expected of me, but you need to remember the human world through the magic that resides inside of your heart. If you speak to the princess, I am sure that you will see things the same way that she does. All that I ask of you Applejack is to remember this saying that ties us all together....Friendship is Magic! Keep those three words close to your heart, and everything should become clearer. Don't let your stubbornness blind you from the truth! Anyway, you need to get back to the princess, and I have to get going to Zora's Domain, but what would be the best logical route?" I asked.

" If you travel up Zora's River, you should be able to reach the domain within a short period of time. As for your words....I shall take them into consideration and ask her highness about this other world you speak of. I wish you luck in your mission Sunset Shimmer for the fate of the world lies in your hands," replied Applejack. She then threw another Deku Nut which flashed a bright light for a few seconds before she disappeared. I then breathed a sigh of relief as I feared that she was going to have me arrested or something.

It seemed that what I said to her must have triggered a reaction as that was the first time she showcased any kind of anger and stubbornness about being told that this world wasn't true. Whether Applejack realizes it or not, I managed to get through to her even if it was only just a little bit. That leaves Rainbow Dash, Sonata, Rarity, and Aria left to explain things, but the latter two I have yet to meet in this world. As I left the castle, walked through the Market making sure not to bump into anyone, and leaving via the drawbridge, I started to wonder exactly what I was going to find in this Zora's Domain.

" Say Spike, do you have some information about Zora's Domain?" I asked.

" It's a place that's flowing with water due to the Zoras being aquatic-like creatures even though they are able to live on dry land. What Impa forgot to mention was that the water starts off at Zora's Fountain which is a sacred place only King Zora and his immediate family are permitted to enter. That water flows from the fountain, through Zora's Domain, down the river, across Hyrule Field, down the waterfalls of Gerudo Valley, and finally into Lake Hylia at the southern end of Hyrule," replied Spike.

" And the Zoras protect all of these waterways?" I asked.

" Only the ones that run from the fountain to the river, and the lake as that's their territory according to the alliance King Zora made with the King of Hyrule. The rest of the waterways are of no concern to the Zoras as they prefer to keep to themselves rather than mingle with the other tribes. Not just anyone can gain access to Zora's Domain mind you because of a very large waterfall that blocks the entrance.

While it is a fantastic sight to behold, it prevents most people from entering which makes you wonder why the Zoras choose to enclose themselves off like that. One thing you should be aware of is that the Zoras hold respect as a very high value in their society, and having that in your corner can go a long way especially when dealing with King Zora. If you were thinking that I knew something about the spiritual stone, then you're as clueless as I am, but Saria might have an idea," replied Spike.

" At least you included yourself alongside with me when you cracked that clueless insult, but you could be right about Fluttershy knowing more. Without her we wouldn't have figured out how to deal with the guard issue in Kakariko Village, and Darunia's anger issues on Death Mountain," I said.

" Your friend must truly be special if you praise her so."

" WAAAAH! Sonata? Where did you come from?" I asked.

" I stopped by the place in the Market where I originally had my shop as I was feeling a bit nostalgic, but that moment has passed. I was on my way to another location when I happened to see you standing there talking to your fairy. You two certainly have quite the conversations where you play off of one another, and it makes you look as though you were siblings who get into spats all the time.

Ah, but that isn't my business now is it? No, my business is to sell masks to people to make them happy, so let us get down to the nitty-gritty," replied Sonata. She walked a few steps before taking the bag off of her back and putting it onto the ground with a loud thud. Where does she keep on going all the time, and how is it she manages to find me so easily? I mean, I know she ends up finding you instead of you finding her, but this was starting to get ridiculous, and even bending the rules of reality. I'm surprised that Sonata isn't related to Pinkie Pie in this world as they would make the most fantastic of sisters That was when I noticed that she was still eating the same taco as before, or maybe it was a different one as it certainly looked different.

" Well, I managed to sell that Spooky Mask," I began.

" I knew that you would otherwise I wouldn't have asked you to become a Happy Mask Saleswoman now would I? So how did the sale of the mask work out for you this time? As I recall from our last encounter, the person you sold the Skull Mask to ended up ripping you off according to your exact words," said Sonata.

" It went a lot better that's for sure as I was able to sell for the full asking price, but two things surprised me about the whole thing. First of all, the boy in the graveyard who bought it managed to pay in full and didn't even mind it. The other thing was that he was interested in something that was very unpleasant to look at. Couldn't you have given me some other kind of mask that was so....creepy?" I asked.

" Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say, but the important thing is that you sold it, so please pay me back 30 rupees for the Spooky Mask," replied Sonata.

" Here you go," I said as I handed over the rupees.

" Payment received, so now I will present to you the fourth mask, but I must warn you that this one is not going to be as easy as the others. Let me take it out of my bag, and you will see what I mean," said Sonata. She then opened her bag and started to sift through it. Frankly, all of them save for the first one tough to sell as I had no idea who was to receive them. If not for Sonata being helpful without her knowing it, I'd still be stuck with that Skull Mask on my person. " Ah-ha! So this is where you've been hiding my little mask! This is the Bunny Hood, and it has real swinging ears which make it stand out."

" That is so cute!" I squeed.

" It was designed that way to look adorable to most who would see it, but therein lies the tragic story behind the history of this mask. You see, a long time ago before this kingdom was established, there was a abundance of different creatures that lived here in these fields. However, over time these creatures simply disappeared never to be seen again. The creature this Bunny Hood is based on unfortunately is one that no longer exists in Hyrule, and so many would not appear to care about something they never knew was alive.

However, there is at least one person I recall in my travels who seemed to have an obsession with this extinct creature. While her attitude and appearance would make you think otherwise, deep down she longs for the chance to want to know what it felt like to have been something that has become an ancient legend," said Sonata.

" So how do you know so much about this person?" I asked.

" She chose to talk to me about her fascination of this creature as she believed that I would make a good listener. While I don't know her personally, many have referred to as the Running Woman for she runs about Hyrule Field competing against man and beast alike in order to prove that she can beat them in a simple footrace. To this day, no one has ever defeated her for she is somehow always able to beat her opponents by just one second.

It's been about several months now since I last saw her, so I have no idea where she could be aside from one possibility. Some have said that she enjoys taking a brisk jog through Hyrule Field, but never stops to talk as she is concentrating on her running, so the only time she is willing to speak is during the night. She is not consistent when it comes to her jogs though, so you never know if she is going to be around here or not," replied Sonata.

" It sounds to me that she has a tendency to be aloof," I said.

" There is something about her outlook on life that seems to ire many who try to have a good conversation with her, and they refer to as being emotional and brooding as a result. Strange that she would have such characteristics when she has such an interesting name. Well, I am sure that you will run into the Running Woman one of these days, so do not give up hope. Anyway, I must be off on my travels once again as there is so much more for me to experience," said Sonata.

" Wait! You didn't mention her actual name!" I shouted as Sonata started to walk off at a rather fast pace.

" How silly of me to have forgotten something so simple as a name. Her real name is Aria Blaze, but she is not particularly fond of it and insists that people refer to her as the Running Woman unless she has a strong bond with a person. Will you be able to call her by her proper name? Who can say for sure," replied Sonata as she quickly walked out of my of line of sight and essentially disappeared, but that name that she mentioned....Aria Blaze!

She was the third and final member of the Dazzlings which meant only Rarity was left unaccounted for....and that was when I realized that I didn't mention anything about Equestrian Magic to Sonata. I had the perfect opportunity to bring it up, and instead I allowed her to control the conversation. Since I know that I will see her again once I've sold the Bunny Hood, I'll be sure to make her listen to what I have to say. With that mask business taken care of, my next objective was to make my way to Zora's River.

" So if we follow the river back to the source, we'll be able to reach Zora's Domain?" I asked.

" You just need to be careful of the water currents if you happen to either walk into the river or fall in. It will be going against us which would mean being sent back to the beginning of the path. Even though I said that the Zoras protect Zora's River, we won't be seeing any of them in person until we reach Zora's Domain unless we run into one of their rare scouting parties," replied Spike.

" Scouting parties?" I asked.

" It's a group of Zoras that travel down the river to make sure things are peaceful, but they don't seem to be utilized all that often what with the only threats being the occasional Octoroks and Tektites. If there were some kind of actual emergency then I can see them being deployed, but don't expect to run into them. I suppose you probably want me to tell you about the two creatures whose names I just mentioned?" asked Spike.

" No need for smugness now," I replied.

" Just having a little bit of fun with you there Sunset Shimmer. Anyway, Octoroks look like squids and spend their time popping up from the water in order to spit out a rock at unsuspecting prey. They are pretty cowardly though as they will duck back down into the water when they see anything coming near them. If you use your shield and reflect their rocks they spit back at them, they won't stand a chance.

Tektites on the other hand are a bit more of a problem as they tend to jump around in an attempt to slam into you. Red Tektites like to live on mountainous terrain while Blue Tekties live in areas where there is water. Be careful of the Blue Tektites as they take some real punishment, and their ability to jump about on water makes them difficult to attack. It might be best to either attack from a distance, or lure them onto land and defeat them that way," said Spike.

" So the Octoroks like to snipe at their enemies while the Tektites prefer a more direct approach. I'd say that my shield and Fairy Slingshot are going to be getting some action with these monsters, and I can save my own magic for when we really need it," I said. We then began to follow the river until it looked as though it was heading into a cave, but this was just a large archway which lead into Zora's River.

I did notice that the pathway in front of us was blocked by some boulders which made me glad that I had bombs on hand. " You know Spike, if we had decided to come this way first instead of climbing up Death Mountain, we'd have been stuck here because of these boulders. Now who do you suppose placed these here in the first place? It couldn't have been the Zoras as what would that have served?"

" It might have been the work of Ganondorf," replied Spike.

" Yeah, this does have the markings of something that he might do considering the results of his previous handiwork. If this was his doing, I suspect that he has probably caused some problems in Zora's Domain. You know, maybe I should talk to Fluttershy now while we're on the subject," I said. That was when I took out the ocarina and played 'Fluttershy's Song' in order to see if she knew more about Zora's Domain, and King Zora in particular.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria. Can you hear me? I heard that Ms. Darunia was very happy when you played her my song to brighten up her mood. It makes me feel so happy knowing that what I taught you has proven itself to be immensely useful in saving Hyrule. I think you know by now how I came upon this knowledge, so I'd rather not repeat myself if that's alright with you. Anyway, what seems to be the problem?" asked Fluttershy.

" I'm making my way to Zora's Domain," I replied.

" The Great Deku Tree told us Kokiri many things about the Zoras as he believed that we should get to know the other tribes that exist even though we can never meet them as leaving the forest is strictly forbidden. I'm actually a little jealous of you in that regard Sunset Shimmer as you get to see so many wonderful things, and I along with the rest of the Kokiri have to remain in the sanctity of the forest.

Oh? Sorry if I was going off topic there. King Zora is said to be the possessor of the Spiritual Stone of Water according to the royal family and most of the Zoras themselves, but this is actually not the case. In fact, the stone has been passed down from mother to daughter over the generations, so the one you need to speak to is Princess Ruto," said Fluttershy.

" I've been told that King Zora and his people value respect as a high priority in their society, so I'm assuming that his daughter also thinks along the same lines? I want to be sure about this as I don't want to end up causing a problem," I said.

" While it's true that Princess Ruto does value respect just like her father does, she does seem to have a problem when it comes to authority," said Fluttershy.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Princess Ruto according to the spirits is apparently a tomboy who has a tendency to cause some problems because of entitlement issues, and wanting to be carried around due to being a royal. I'd say that you might have some trouble talking to her as she may treat you as nothing more than a servant instead of someone who is on a great mission," replied Fluttershy.

Hearing her describe how this Zora princess behaves makes me think of Rarity as being the perfect fit for her, so does this mean that I'm finally going to encounter the last of my friends here in this world? I can't be certain that this Princess Ruto is infact Rarity, but at the same I can be certain which means I need to find the Zora princess as soon as possible.

" Do the spirits say something about a problem happening in Zora's Domain?" I asked.

" They have been rather agitated about something that seems to be taking place there, but they aren't quite sure what it is exactly. I'm sorry if I can't answer your question, so you may have to talk to King Zora himself. Or, you could always talk to that Flash Sentry person that you seem to run into an awful lot. As always, if you need me to give you any kind of advice, just play my song and I will see what I can do for you," replied Fluttershy.

" Thanks as always Fluttershy," I said.

" That name is starting to grow on me now, but I still like my own name of Saria," said Fluttershy. As soon as the connection between the two of us had ended, I began to think about the obstacle that was in front of us. The boulders obviously could be removed with a bomb or two, so I prepared to take them out when all of a sudden, a familiar voice
ringed out.

" So you've made it all the way here to Zora's River have you?"

" WAAAAH!" I yelled because once again, Flash Sentry decided to greet me in his usual manner.

" The usual response from you whenever I begin a conversation with you. At least you should be thankful that it wasn't something along the lines of we've got to stop bumping into each other like this," said Flash Sentry.

" At least this time I didn't scream for ten seconds," I said noting to myself that he just mentioned the very phrase he has often said whenever he bumped into Twilight back in the human world. Some things just never change no matter what tends to happen around you.

" You have most likely been informed about this river connecting from Zora's Domain to the south at Lake Hylia, but you probably don't know that only the royal family is allowed to enter Zora's Domain. The Zoras for their part are weary of strangers, and accept only the members of the royal family as a result of the alliance. However, you will be able to enter Zora's Domain by playing the song passed down by the royal family," said Flash Sentry.

" Do you know about any problems happening at Zora's Domain right now?" I asked.

" As a matter of fact I do which is what I was about to explain to you next. It seems that King Zora has been unwell these past moons due to his daughter having gone missing, and as a result he refuses to eat and sleep until she has been found. None of the other Zoras have been able to find her, and they fear that their king is going to make himself even worse until death eventually overcomes him.

Over the past few days, the Zoras have been sending out small groups in the hopes of finding her, but so far none of them have managed to succeed. I have even heard that a few Zoras are searching in Lake Hylia for any clue that may reveal what happened. The Zora princess is known for being tomboyish and wanting to cause mischief, but this is something that goes beyond even her own limits," replied Flash Sentry.

" What about seeing someone suspicious?" I asked.

" I did find it strange how that one man was able to enter Zora's Domain without being associated with the royal family. He was quite the large individual wearing heavy black armour, and riding a horse that looked like it came out of someone's nightmare. This could very well have been Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo, but what he may have been doing in Zora's Domain is a question I cannot answer, so you will need to figure it out on your own.

My advice to you Sunset Shimmer is to be careful from now on, for it seems that the evil forces in Hyrule are starting to bare down upon you. Do not allow this notion to frighten you, but instead strengthen your resolve as you will continue to grow stronger, and become the heroine this world needs," replied Flash Sentry. Once again, he urged his giant owl to take to the skies leaving me to wonder just what Ganondorf had been up to in Zora's Domain.

No doubt that he went there to claim the spiritual stone just like he done in Kokiri Forest and Death Mountain, but he was rejected those previous times and did something horrible. If he had been rejected by King Zora, could he have caused the disappearance of his daughter, Princess Ruto. Once I destroyed the blockade of boulders in front of me, Spike and I began to walk up the path that winded through Zora's River.

The path itself seemed peaceful enough, but there was a fence a short distance away which struck me as odd as why was there need of one. Someone was sitting in front of the gate munching on something from a bag they were holding. As I got closer, the person turned out to be Snips, someone that I knew very well but not for good reasons.

He was one of my 'helpers' if you will back when I had a mean streak at Canterlot High, and I made him do the most mundane of tasks because I viewed him as a servant more than a friend. The only reason that he hung out with me back then was because I had power, and he wanted to share in that. Maybe in this world he is a lot different in that he has some kind of dignity rather than being laughed at.

" Heh! You're the first non-Zora I've seen come this way in a very long time. Are you thinking of going up to Zora's Domain? If you're not connected to the king, then you're outta luck and may as well just head on back home where you came from. Now, I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here in the middle of nowhere huh?" asked Snips.

" The thought did briefly cross my mind," I replied.

" I was planning on going further up the river in order to start my special business, but this fence here has stopped me from getting any further, and I dare not risk attempting to cross the river and damage my merchandise. So, I decided to set up shop here, and so far you're my only potential customer. Sometimes I wish those Zoras weren't so secretive when it comes to dealing with the other tribes. If they choose to continue to isolate themselves like they do, they'll end up having no one else to rely on except for themselves, and that would just be a crying shame," said Snips.

" I certainly know how that feels," I said.

" So let me tell you a little bit about my business. What I have in my hand may look like an ordinary bean pod, but in actuality it is a Magic Bean. When you take one of these Magic Beans, and plant it into some soft soil like that dirt patch over there, a small sprout will grow which will then take several years for it to bloom into a plant that has the ability to transport you around like you were hovering on some kind of platform. Your sceptical face isn't a surprise seeing as my explanation doesn't exactly convince you that what I say is true, but then you just need to take my word for it, and plant a Magic Bean in some soft soil," said Snips.

" To be honest, I actually believe you," I said.

" You do?" asked Snips.

" I am able to sense magic in living things due to being taught magic by my old teacher. That Magic Bean of yours is pulsating with a magical essence that's begging to be unleashed. The reason why my face may have looked sceptical to you was because I find it odd how you decided to set up a business in a place where there is hardly anyone coming through the area aside from the rare Zora or other traveler," I replied.

" Yeah, I suppose you do make a good point about the fact that this was a pretty lousy place for me to try and sell Magic Beans to a tribe that rarely travels outside of its own territory unless they were looking for someone," said Snips.

" What do you know about the missing Zora princess?" I asked.

" Not much other than knowing that the Zoras have been searching the river for days, and found no signs of her anywhere. I only arrived here the other night, and the tracks that I saw in the ground indicated to me that they've been traipsing the area non-stop which surely has got to be tuckering them out by now.

If you still insist on wanting to attempt to get into Zora's Domain, and you somehow succeed even though you won't, expect the Zoras to give you a not-so-pleasant welcome given that they are probably under a lot of stress what with their missing princess and all," replied Snips.

" Guess I'll have to see for myself when I get there," I said.

" Anyway, back to my Magic Beans. They're not really that popular right now, so I could sell you one for just ten rupees which is quite a steal given that you know how magical they can be. Once you've purchased the first bean, the next one's price is going to be 20 rupees, then the one after that will be 30 rupees, then 40 rupees, and so on until all of them have been sold. While it does sound like a crooked way of doing things, times are tough in this economy and you have to raise prices accordingly just to make ends meet," said Snips.

" That's not a problem for me seeing as I know what it's like to have lived a rough lifestyle. Okay, so if I have your pricing methods figured out, I'd like to buy five of your Magic Beans right now, and come back to you after finishing up my business in Zora's Domain. That means I need to pay you....let's see....150 rupees....well, that is quite a lot, but it should be worth it. Good thing I continue to pick up rupees from cutting down grass, and smashing pots as I just have enough to pay you for the purchase," I said.

While this did put a dent into my wallet, I'm sure that I can find some more rupees through the usual means, and there is that potential mask sale which could give me more money despite having to give 50 rupees back to Sonata. After paying the Magic Bean Seller the total amount, I thanked him and made my way back to a small gap which I jumped over in order to make it to the other side of the river so that I could progress.

An Octorok then popped up from the river and fired a rock at me, but I quickly took out my Hylian Shield, and bounced the rock back at it causing it to shrivel up and sink back into the water. As soon as it sank back down, two more Octoroks appeared, and I dealt with them in the exact same fashion. Soon I came across another gate which blocked my progress, but there was another path to take that involved a weird jump which was easy enough to clear.

" I can't believe that you spent so many rupees on those Magic Beans," moaned Spike.

" Figures that you would question my decision, but then you are entitled to your opinion just like how I am entitled to spend my money any way I see fit. I can sense the magic coming from these beans, and I feel they may be useful in the future which is why I wanted to get them now. Besides, it will be easy enough to gain those rupees back if I continue doing what you suggested to me, and I appreciate you telling me sooner rather than later," I smiled.

" Glad that I was able to help as that's my job," said Spike.

" Feeling not as annoyed now?" I asked.

" You made your point, and it is your money, so all I can do is hope that you made a wise decision. If we continue walking on the path and around this corner, we should come across the waterfall that covers the entrance to Zora's Domain, and it's a good thing that we made it here despite the various interruptions. The sun is starting to set, so we'll have to hope that the Zoras have a place where we can rest for the night," replied Spike.

" Just how big is this waterfall anyway?" I asked, but I quickly got my answer when I walked around the corner and found myself staring straight up at the water that was crashing down into the river. " That answers my question! It's such a beautiful sight, and seeing it reminds me of Equestria, but I'll take a trip down memory lane another time as we need to focus on the matter at hand. There should be a place for me to stand on and play 'Twilight's Lullaby' in order to open up the way to Zora's Domain, so where do you suppose it could be?"

" It might be up there where the path runs by the waterfall," replied Spike.

" That sounds like a good place to look," I said. It was a bit tricky to make it over there as the pathway began to twist and turn at this point making the risk of falling into the water that much more liable, but by taking my time, I made it to the section that was in front of the waterfall.

Sure enough, there was a small groove in the ground which contained a message about how the song of the royal family would cause the water to recede long enough for one to be able to gain access to Zora's Domain. It also said that when the King of Hyrule was said to sleep, so too would the falls. " This message is actually pretty poetic even though all that's going to happen is the water receding allowing us to jump across and enter that cave over there. Still, I wonder just how Ganondorf managed to make his way inside without knowing the song passed down by the royal family."

" We may soon find out," said Spike.

" The time will eventually come where we will have to face Ganondorf face-to-face....and I'll be honest in that I'm not looking forward to when that happens," I said. I stared at the waterfall for a few moments thinking about what would eventually come to pass, but I quickly regained my composure and played 'Twilight's Lullaby' which caused the waterfall to slow down and recede allowing me to jump across.

While the sun was setting behind me and bombarding me with its warm embrace as I entered Zora's Domain, something else was taking place far to the west of Hyrule Castle in the desert regions of the land. I didn't know it at the time, but Rainbow Dash was beginning to enact the plan that she had been concocting.

" Are you sure about this Derpy?"

" Lord Ganondorf is going to the castle tomorrow in order to meet with the King to forge the alliance. It would be nice to visit the castle town without having to be shunned by the people there. Do you feel the same way as I do exalted Nabooru, I mean ma'am? Oh wait! He isn't going there to make good things happen," replied Derpy.

" The King's life is going to be in danger, and there's nothing we can do to help him Ganondorf has forbidden anyone from the tribe from coming along. The rest of us are to remain here until further notice, and if any of us violate his command then we are to be executed immediately without question. No doubt that his loyal follower Spitfire is going to be enforcing his edict harshly," said Rainbow Dash.

" If Lord Ganondorf were to have you killed ma'am, it would be such a tremendous loss for the Gerudo," said Derpy.

" You know as well as I do Derpy that he doesn't trust me for an instant, so because of that I'm essentially being treated as someone with a much lower status in the tribe. I thought that the meeting between Ganondorf and the Hylian King was going to be the day after tomorrow, but knowing that the King sent a messenger to inform our great leader that the meeting has been moved up to tomorrow gives me much less time to work with," said Rainbow Dash.

" I guess this means that I have to carry out your final orders ma'am," said Derpy.

" Do you still have that ring?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" It hasn't left my sight ever since you gave it to me. While I am known to be clumsy and forgetful much of the time, that ring is far too important, but it does pose a problem ma'am if you think about it. Since none of us are allowed to leave the fortress via the Gerudo Valley entrance, how am I supposed to deliver the ring to that forest girl without Spitfire noticing me?" asked Derpy.

" You'll be able to leave just fine as you're one of the guards who has to patrol the valley in order to defend the home front tomorrow. All you have to do is sneak out of the valley, and into Hyrule Field and wait for that girl to show up," replied Rainbow Dash.

" What makes you certain that she would want to come this way ma'am?" asked Derpy.

" Back when we left the castle, that girl was giving me the most unusual stare as though she wanted to talk to me. I figure that she is likely to come here at some point in order to talk to me, but she won't be able to get the chance as by that time, I'll be in the colossus waiting to enact my plan. As for you seeking refuge with one of the other tribes....that is still a part of my orders Derpy, so I expect you to carry them out even if your heart wants you to come back and try to help me," replied Rainbow Dash.

" So you're leaving everything up to chance?" asked Derpy.

" It's not the most effective plan I'll admit, but it's all we have if Ganondorf is to be stopped. I just hope that those inside of Hyrule Castle who are aware of his true nature don't end up botching things. If only I had been given a chance to talk to Princess Zelda, I could have explained the situation more carefully, but the others just had to cause a commotion which prevented me from speaking with her.

Well, we might as well go back and rejoin the others as they'll wonder why we're still out here when nightfall is about to commence. Tomorrow is going to be the most critical day in the history of this kingdom, and that forest girl is going to be the one who determines the final outcome. I just hope that she is ready for it," replied Rainbow Dash.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 11: The Message of the Lake

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 29, 2014
Chapter 11: The Message of the Lake.

" Wow! This place looks absolutely breathtaking!" I exclaimed to Spike upon seeing the beauty that was Zora's Domain. There was water flowing from the walls down to a massive body of water below, and there was a weird lighting effect that made everything eerie in a good way. That was when I noticed the Zoras themselves, and they looked as though they were in no mood to talk. The fact that their princess was still missing must really be affecting their dispositions, so I would have to tread carefully when it came to talking to them.

By seeing what they had to say, it would give me an idea as to what was going on, or I could just talk to King Zora as he is the one who was suffering the most. " So how do you want to go about doing this Spike? We can either talk to a few of the Zoras down there in the hopes of getting some information, or we can go straight to their king, and see what he has to say."

" Or you could talk to that one Zora who is coming this way," suggested Spike as he floated slightly in front of me which caused me to take notice. A Zora who noticed me enter the area from a distance was walking towards me with a grim look on his face. I gulped and hoped that things weren't about to get worse.

" What are you doing here?" asked the Zora.

" I'm sorry if I entered your domain without giving you a proper warning, but my name is Sunset Shimmer and I am a messenger of the Royal Family of Hyrule. I have come here on behalf of the princess in order to speak to your king about acquiring a spiritual stone which your people have been guarding for generations," I replied.

" We received word that the royal family was sending someone here, but you have come at a really bad time. Something has come up which requires his majesty's full attention, so perhaps you can come back at a more convenient time? I don't mean to be rude to you or anything, but we have more important things to do than to deal with someone who looks like she came from the forest or something," said the Zora.

" Actually, that's the reason why I am here. I've heard about the disappearance of the king's daughter, and I was wondering if you needed some help. Granted, I know that I am trying to interfere in something that has nothing to do with me, but I know what it's like to not rely on the support of those who want to help you," I said.

" I'm surprised," began the Zora.

" About what?" I asked.

" Normally, messengers like you behave in such an audacious manner. You on the other hand are much different from the rest of them. You wish to help us even though you would be getting involved in matters that don't concern you. Hmmmm....maybe you are the one who can succeed where the rest of us have failed. If you continue along the path, you shall reach King Zora's chambers. I should warn you though that he may not be willing to listen to you," replied the Zora.

" I'll be sure to keep that mind when I speak with him," I said. With that, the Zora turned around and dove off the side and a splashing sound could be heard from below. It looks like I dodged a bullet there by making the right kind of impression to at least one of the Zoras. " That was too close for comfort, and I seriously thought he was going to have us thrown out of here for wanting to help them with their problem. Looks like we were right about the Zoras not being on friendly terms right now."

" At least he was willing to listen to what you had to say Sunset Shimmer, but I'm not sure if the others down there feel the same way. Some of them are looking up here at us with some serious scowls on their faces which tells me that they really don't want us to be here right now," said Spike.

" Whether they want us to be here or not is beyond their realm of voicing their opinion. That Zora who just spoke to us said that we were anticipated which means Applejack must have sent word that we were coming here. I'm betting that if we can find this Princess Ruto, it will eventually allow us to get the spiritual stone, and that solves two problems at the exact same time," I said.

" But we don't have any clues, and the Zoras haven't found any either according to what the Magic Bean Seller told us. Finding their princess is going to take some serious effort on our part as we're coming into this completely blind. King Zora might be able to shed a little light on the subject, but with his current state of mind, there's no telling if he'll be willing to share any kind of information with us," said Spike.

" What is King Zora like?" I asked.

" He is viewed by the Zoras as being the epitome of divinity, and that he is to be given the utmost of respect at all times. If the truth can be said here, he's a lot bigger than the rest of them which makes you wonder if he had to be fattened up or something in order to become so big. Aside from that, he's pretty much what you would expect from a monarch who commands the waters of the kingdom," replied Spike.

" If we're going to help find the princess, we'll need to talk to King Zora, so we might as well make our way there," I said. Taking the Zora's advice, I walked along the pathway which soon ended at a lengthy staircase that went upward. A sign nearby read that this was the way to King Zora's throne room, and that one was to give him the utmost respect. I guess Applejack and Fluttershy were right when it comes to how the Zoras view respect as an important idea in their society.

As I made my way up the stairs towards the top, I came face-to-face with King Zora....and he was definitely as big as Spike says that he was. Yikes! How is it that he looks like that, and the other Zoras look the way they do? I'd better not insult him about his appearance as I'm more mature than that, and I've changed for the better. Still, it's going to be stuck in my mind for a while. There was a small pedestal-like platform directly in front of him, so I walked up to it and waited for him to take notice of me.

" Oh my dear, sweet, Princess Ruto! Wherever can you be? I am so worried! Hmmmm? A visitor? Am I to assume that you are Sunset Shimmer, the messenger of the royal family who has been sent here to retrieve the Spiritual Stone of Water? The one known as Impa sent a message earlier informing me that you were coming here, but I'm afraid that you have come here at a really bad time, for we are in the midst of a crisis that must take precedence over all other issues of state."

" That's why I've come here your majesty as I wish to help you with your problem," I said.

" I was told that you were coming here strictly to claim the spiritual stone and nothing more, yet here you are saying otherwise, and wanting to assist us in our moment of need. You certainly are different from the other messengers who have visited here, and there is something inside of you that makes me want to trust you. I am King Zora XVI, ruler of Zora's Domain although for some reason my people have given me the nickname of Hondo Flanks.

Such a name like that would make one think that I was some kind of horse, but I digress. Allow me to tell you the story as to how we Zora have come to this predicament. About a week ago, a man wearing black armour came here to Zora's Domain in order to talk to me about wanting the very thing that you came here for. His name was Ganondorf, and while he was downright disrespectful towards me in that he demanded I hand over the stone, his political status as a king prevented him from being punished."

" Then you need to be worried about this your majesty as Ganondorf has been causing trouble all over the kingdom. He went to the Kokiri Forest, and cursed the Great Deku Tree to die. Then he visited Death Mountain, and placed a boulder in front of the entrance to their quarry as a means of starving them to death. I suspect that he may have been responsible for your daughter's disappearance, and if you doubt my claim, then you can contact Darunia of the Gorons as she can vouch for me as my Sworn Brother," I said.

" Such a bold claim that you have made, and one that I do find difficult to believe, even if you are a Sworn Brother of the Goron chieftain. Ganondorf has been known to be devious what with his status as being a king of thieves, but to assume that he means to conquer this kingdom and overthrow the King of Hyrule? After he left the domain without his prize, that was when my daughter disappeared. Perhaps you are speaking the truth, but without proof of his actions, I cannot do nothing," said Hondo Flanks.

" I'll admit that I have no proof, but you must believe me your majesty!" I protested.

" Maybe you have become stressed out from your journey from the castle to my domain as the route is a treacherous one. I suggest that you wind down and relax by playing a game that is viewed as a rite of passage here among the Zora. There is a diving game being run down that passageway, and it may prove to be fun for you if you happen to big fan of diving.

I am sorry, but this meeting has come to an end, for my daughter's safety taxes my mind too much for me to be distracted by anything else. You are hereby dismissed for now until I have solid evidence that Ganondorf is causing the problems you say that he is," said Hondo Flanks. He then waved his hand to dismiss me, and resumed his worry over his daughter. I couldn't believe that he would just cast me aside like that!

I was willing to help him find his daughter, but now it looks like he doesn't want it all because I lack proof that Ganondorf played a hand in her disappearance. It made me feel so frustrated that I felt like I was about to burst in anger, but then I realized that doing so would only make things worse. Maybe he's right about me being stressed out, so I decided to check out this game that he insisted I should try.

There was a sign in front of the small alcove entrance King Zora, or rather Hondo Flanks which sounds like an Equestrian name, asked me to travel down, and it said that this high lead to the High-Diving Spot and was I brave enough to test my skill. Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be scarier than a roller-coaster ride back in the human world? I walked down the passageway, and I came upon another Zora who looked a bit taller than usual.

" I overheard your conversation with his majesty, and I am sorry that you were dismissed like that. The king usually doesn't behave in such a manner, but ever since the princess disappeared, he has been getting worse to the point where some of us feel that he has lost the will to rule us gracefully," said the tall Zora.

" He said that I lacked proof over what I was claiming," I said.

" King Zora is one who believes in seeing hard evidence when it comes to the requests of those who visit him, as mere words will not suffice in his presence. I do seem to recall a small bottle having floated down from Zora's Fountain, and into the domain for a short while before it ended up floating out into the river. By my reckoning, it's probably reached Lake Hylia by now," said the tall Zora.

" You didn't think to inform your king of this as that could very well be the clue and the proof that he needs to believe me," I said.

" Oh I tried to tell him about it, but he refused to listen and dismissed me just like what he did to you. If you really want to help us find Princess Ruto, you should check out Lake Hylia whenever you have the chance. Now even though this little game of mine serves as a rite of passage for the Zora, I can allow you to try it for yourself and perhaps see you walk away with a fantastic prize," said the tall Zora.

" What do I have to do?" I asked.

" I'm going to throw these five blue rupees into the water far below, and you are to dive from here and collect the submerged gems. If you manage to succeed before 60 seconds are up, you win the prize," replied the tall Zora.

" I'm sorry, you want me to do what?" I asked.

" Dive from here," replied the tall Zora.

" You seriously want me to dive from this high spot all the way down to the water that's probably about two miles down? Are you sure that this is an ideal rite of passage for your people, as it seems to be rather dangerous to just hurl yourself and hoping you splash down into the right place without landing in a shallow section, or even landing on one of those jagged rocks sticking out from the surface," I said.

" I can see your concern, but if you concentrate hard enough, you can easily do this without any problems. Normally, I would charge you 20 rupees to play, but I'm feeling generous right now, so I'll let you try it out for free," said the tall Zora. He then threw the rupees off of the side and they all splashed into the water below, and that was when he thrusted out his arm to indicate that he wanted me to dive.

I stepped over to the edge and looked down just to see how high up I really was, and that's when my face turned white as it was really high. This Zora really wants me to dive from this spot? I guess this kind of height is nothing to them, but to me it's a big deal as I was afraid that I might end up smacking into something other than the water. That was when I remembered something from the human world even though it wasn't a good memory.

When I was that she-demon, I did fly up pretty high, and I showed no fear of heights back then. Maybe it was because I was focused on all that power flowing through me instead of the height. In any case, I quickly erased that image from my mind as that was the old me, and I took a deep breath before diving off. For those brief moments where I was free-falling, I kept my eyes closed even though my life was flashing before my eyes, and in an instant I splashed down into the water before coming back up to the surface. I had no time to get my composure as the tall Zora called down from above telling me that the time was ticking away.

" I'm not having fun so far with this Spike despite what their king said," I moaned.

" You just have to do this challenge quickly so that we can get it over with," said Spike. All I did was sigh, and I dove underwater in order to grab the first blue rupee, but holding my breath underwater was a problem as I struggled to get back to the surface after getting it. Without taking a breather due to time constraints, I immediately dove back down again, and picked up the second and third rupees.

" This is starting to tire me out," I moaned.

" Only three more to go," said Spike. Three more!?!? It felt more like an entire dozen to me as opposed to just three. I swam a little bit as the other rupees were slightly further away, and then I dove down to pick up the next two blue rupees. As I came back up to the surface, I could barely see straight as trying to breathe underwater was too much for me to take, but Spike urged me on to get the final rupee which I managed to do.

However, the moment I came back up to the surface, my body was telling me that it was done, and that I was losing consciousness. So I struggled to swim over to the nearest shore, and before I could get onto dry land, I collapsed to the ground and fell asleep. As I slept, I had the same nightmare that I had when I first came into this world, and it ended the same way with Ganondorf staring at me menacingly. At least this time I knew who he was, but there was still much to my nightmare that made no sense to me.

My exhaustion kept me asleep all night, and so the next morning came and I woke up as soon as dawn broke out. Surprisingly, I was in the same place I was when I collapsed. You'd think that one of the Zoras could have taken the time to pick me up and get me into a warm bed instead of just leaving me as though I had almost drowned or something.

" Are you okay?" asked the tall Zora who was standing next to me, and helped me get onto my feet by offering me a hand.

" I'm alright although my head is still hazy what with all that diving underwater I had to do. I'm a pretty good swimmer back where I come from, but diving is something I never was able to do properly. I was going to take a diving course eventually, but I just never had the time for it although I wish that I had. Huh? What is this silver object doing in my pocket? I don't recall putting anything like that there," I replied. I took it out and discovered that it was a scale made of pure silver which was contained in some kind of strong bubble.

" That was my doing! I'm so very sorry about what happened to you, for I wasn't aware that you were not used to diving underwater. If I had known that, I would have made your challenge a much easier one. Even though you succeeded in completing the game within the time limit, I still feel bad about it, so I hope that you can forgive me. The object that you hold in your hand is known as the Silver Scale. With it, you can dive deeper than you ever could in the past, and it will also help you breath a little better. It will not prevent you from drowning though, but you don't want to end up doing that," said the tall Zora.

" You're forgiven as I should have explained the situation more, but now comes the problem with trying to help you and your people out. Your king isn't willing to believe my story until I have provided proof, and the only kind of proof that exists is that bottle you said came through here. If I can get my hands on that bottle, it should be just what I need to get King Zora to understand. It will probably take me about another day to make it all the way to this Lake Hylia, so if I leave now then I should be able to get there just as the sun has gone down," I said.

" Or you could take the shortcut," said the tall Zora.

" What shortcut?" I asked.

" See that small square-shaped opening down there at the bottom of this pool of water? It serves as a connection to Lake Hylia which we Zora have been using in order to reach it without having to traverse Hyrule Field. While we are able to live on dry land, we much prefer the water as our means of moving about. The Silver Scale you've won will allow you to swim down and enter that opening, and get you to the lake in a matter of seconds. Well, I need to get back to the High-Diving Spot as there will be other Zoras wanting to dive in order to achieve their rite of passage," replied the tall Zora.

As he walked away, I looked at the Silver Scale once again, and felt this strange surge in my body that made me feel more confidant about diving underwater. I wasn't sure how long I could go before needing to come back up for air, but I decided to take the short-cut as time certainly wasn't on my side. Diving underwater, I wasted no time and swam for the short-cut which caused me to feel like I was being teleported, but a few moments later, and I found myself in a massive body of water that went deeper than what I had just come out from. That was when I started to choke a little, so I needed to make my way to the surface immediately.

" GASP!" I exclaimed as I surfaced and breathed heavily.

" I never thought I'd see a non-Zora come out from that short-cut."

"WAAAAH!" I shouted due to being scared yet again! This was really starting to get ridiculous now.

" Didn't mean to scare you there kid, but you certainly gave me a jolt by coming up from a short-cut used by the Zoras. To be honest, it actually makes a nice change of pace considering that the only ones who ever bother to come this way are Zoras. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daring Do, and I work here in Lake Hylia as a scientist where I'm trying to understand the properties of the lake."

" My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I'm an adventurer on a quest to save Hyrule," I said as I climbed out of the water and rested on the grassy shore. That was when I took notice of this woman named Daring Do who was dressed in an explorer's outfit, but was also wearing a white lab coat. Her name sounded like it came from Equestria which made me wonder if she was from there originally. " What kind of research are you doing that involves understanding the water?"

" Lake Hylia's water has rather unusual properties which no one has ever been able to figure out before, and I intend to be the first person to crack this mystery. I've been collecting samples ever since I moved here several months ago, and have been conducting numerous experiments in order to determine whether the water can be used as a means of improving the Hylian lifestyle. So far, my research hasn't turned up any results except for one that involves medicinal factors. Maybe in a few years, I'll be able to figure out the rest of the secrets this lake contains provided that the Zoras don't continue to test my patience the way they do," replied Daring Do.

" What have they been doing?" I asked.

" Two Zoras have only been here since the other day, and they've been driving me up the wall with their inane questions. They keep on asking me about their missing princess and whether there are any clues at the lake that could explain her disappearance. How am I supposed to complete my research when they keep on bugging me every other hour asking the same questions? Ugh! It just drives me crazy!

But enough about that, so tell me more about this adventure you're on. You said that you are trying to save Hyrule right? It's only been about ten years since this kingdom first came into existence, and now a threat is poised to disrupt our way of life? I knew the peace around here wasn't going to last that long," replied Daring Do.

" Actually, I came here for the same reason that those two Zoras have," I said.

" You mean to tell me that you've come all this way just to see if I know anything about their problem?" asked Daring Do.

" Not exactly as I have an idea as to what may be behind their problem, but I need to have some proof in order for their king to believe me. He trusts me at the very least to want to help finding his daughter, but what I said about Ganondorf has him sceptical about the whole thing," I replied.

" Ganondorf you say? Yeah, I know all about him as some of his tribe come down here into the lake from Gerudo Valley in order to secure some fish which they then take with them back to their fortress by going the long way back which is really the only way," said Daring Do. She then walked over to the edge of the lake, knelt down, and placed a strange into the water which began to take a sample and storing it into a small tank. When she took the device out of the water, she stared at the water in the tank for a few moments before emptying it back out, and trying the same thing again.

This must have been some of the research that she was conducting here as she explained earlier, but it looked like she was having problems getting the right kind of sample. " So anyway, the Zoras are up in arms over the actions of the Gerudo, and have been demanding that the King of Hyrule deal with them, but he can't exactly do anything as he has no control over them." She then acquired another sample and began to study it again, but she ended up emptying that one out as well before she slammed her device into the ground.

" Arrgh! None of the samples are proving any of my theories, and it's really getting frustrating! Apart from the medicine theory, everything else results in nothing! Sigh....I don't mean to freak out on you, but I've been having a bad time lately what with those Zoras."

" This may sound like a stupid question, but have you seen a small bottle that may have fallen into the lake?" I asked.

" As a matter of fact I have seen something like that, but it's located a little ways underwater and I haven't the equipment necessary to pick it up," replied Daring Do.

" Then it's a good thing that I'm able to pick it up using what the Zoras gave me by winning a game they play as a rite of passage, and one that I never want to play again as long as I live. This Silver Scale here can allow me to dive deeper underwater than I could before, and it will help me breathe a little better. That's how I was able to use their short-cut without being an actual Zora. If you can tell me the exact location of the bottle, then I can easily pick it up," I said.

" You have a scale of their kind? That's truly remarkable, and something that I would like to study when you've gotten what you came for. The location of the bottle is just a short distance in front of the entrance to the short-cut," said Daring Do. She then pointed towards a shiny object that was stuck at the bottom of the shallow end of the lake, and it made me question the depth-perception of the Zoras because how could they have missed something so obvious? Of course, I missed it myself so I shouldn't criticize them.

I got back into the water and swam over to the sunken bottle until I was literally on top it, and then I dove underwater and retrieved it before quickly returning to the surface. It turns out that there was something inside of the bottle, but I couldn't tell what it was until I returned to the shore. Upon getting out of the water, I brushed myself off before allowing Daring Do to take a look at the Silver Scale because she was really fascinated by it.

" Despite those Zoras driving me up the wall with their questions, this scale is truly a remarkable item in and of itself. I've never seen such water-like energy as this before, and the fact that it augments your own natural abilities is just staggering. This may sound rude, but could I have a small sample of the scale by merely scraping off a tiny piece? I think this will really do wonders for my research."

" I don't mind it at all although I will need the scale back when you're done," I said.

" Of course as that would just be thoughtless of me to take what isn't mine. Now just give me a second to use this peeler and....done! I have my sample and so here is your scale back as though I never even touched it. So what about that bottle you picked up from the bottom of the lake?" asked Daring Do.

" There seems to be some kind of note inside of it, so let me take it out and see what it says," I replied. I opened the bottle by removing the cork, and shook the note out of it and into my hand. Once I opened it up, I tried to read what it said, but what I found was a bunch of bizarre characters which made absolutely no sense to me at all. " What kind of message is this supposed to be? All it consists of is a bunch of weird characters that give me a headache just staring at them."

" It seems to have been written in Zora script," said Daring Do.

" What's that?" I asked.

" It's the written language of the Zora that no one outside of their tribe are able to understand, but fortunately I happen to understand their script because I knew that living here at Lake Hylia would involve me having to deal with them whenever they come here using that short-cut of theirs, and they tend to relay messages in that language all the time.

Why don't you give me that note and I'll read it for you as you clearly aren't able to," replied Daring Do. I handed over the note to her and feeling pretty silly about not being able to understand the note, but she was the expert when it came down to Zora script. " Hmmmm....this note was written by Princess Ruto. It says 'Help me! I'm trapped inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly! I'll be waiting for you! P.S. Don't tell my father!' Well, I certainly wasn't expecting a note from their princess along lines like that."

" Who is Lord Jabu-Jabu?" I asked.

" I'm not sure as there are many aspects of Zora society that remain a mystery what with them choosing to isolate themselves from the other tribes. Perhaps you will need to speak to King Zora about this Lord of theirs as I'm sure he can tell you more. This also means that you now have the proof that you need to convince him to believe your story, but maybe we should head to my home which is just over there?

While my knowledge of Zora script is strong, I want to do some cross-references just to make sure that I am reading this note correctly. This won't take me very long as I know that you adventurers are often in a hurry," replied Daring Do. I couldn't believe what she said was written on that note. How in the world did Rarity end up inside of someone? What exactly did Ganondorf do, or if he even did anything at all? As these questions swirled about my head as I followed Daring Do to her home, Ganondorf himself was preparing to depart for Hyrule Castle.

" The time has come at last for me to meet with the Hylian King again."

" Hopefully this meeting will go a lot better than the last one did Lord Ganondorf where you had that unfortunate incident with your subordinate. The rest of the tribe have been told that none of them are to accompany you on this journey, and are to remain here in the fortress until you have succeeded. Anyone who defies your command is to be executed immediately, and I am the one who is to carry out the execution."

" My desire to conquer this world and rule it with an iron fist has come too far for me to be denied when I am so close. I know that you will not disappoint me Spitfire as you are my most loyal follower, and would do anything I ask to ensure my favour of you remains strong. Aside from the few guards who have been stationed in the Gerudo Valley to patrol the region, everyone else is accounted for?" asked Tirek.

" Even your second-in-command Nabooru is accounted for my lord, for she has been seen pacing about the fortress since the crack of dawn. Oops! I guess that I shouldn't refer to her that way because she has lost favour with you, and that I Spitfire have assumed the title of your second-in-command. To be honest with you my lord, I'd rather kill her now and be done with it because she has proven to be a problem, but I suppose that such an action would draw ire from the rest of the tribe as they still view her with the same kind of respect that they give to you," replied Spitfire.

" So she will remain under control for the time being until I have achieved my purpose at Hyrule Castle. So long as she does not leave the fortress in some kind of feeble attempt to follow me in order to warn the royal family of my actions, what she does is of no concern to me. Tell me Spitfire, did you send a message to the temple and informed my mothers of the impending visitor that they will soon be receiving?" asked Tirek.

" I sent that message out the other day Lord Ganondorf, and I received a response from them within a few hours after the fact. Their response was that they were tantalizingly eager to be able to use Nabooru as an experiment to ensure that she remains loyal to you, and never showing any kind of signs of betraying you ever again. It sounds to me that they are looking forward to their guest although they act like they are being extremely obsessive over it," replied Spitfire.

" Yes, they certainly do have an unusual way of handling things which is why they live all the way out in the colossus to begin with. Maybe it's the fact that they are centuries old and out of touch with modern society, or perhaps they choose to be eccentric so as to be different from the rest of the tribe. In any case, their state of mind means nothing to me so long as they are able to take care of Nabooru as per my command. What of Derpy?" asked Tirek.

" She is one of the guards out on patrol in the valley," replied Spitfire.

" Then she will likely cause no harm as she is more liable to drop her weapon or trip on absolutely nothing bless her. If Derpy ends up wandering out of the valley and into Hyrule Field, leave her alone as she is just being her usual self which isn't saying all that much. She will eventually find her way back again, or she may keep on going and end up somewhere else altogether," said Tirek.

" Does that not concern you Lord Ganondorf?" asked Spitfire.

" That one has never been told anything of importance, so she is as harmless as a newborn child," replied Tirek.

" But Nabooru has been talking with her," said Spitfire.

" With her memory-lapses being an unfortunate thing, if Nabooru did tell Derpy anything, she is likely to forget most of what she has been told. And if she were to recall something of extreme importance and tell someone else, it wouldn't matter in the grand scheme. Perhaps I sound like I am being overconfident Spitfire, but I cannot help but look forward to my meeting with the Hylian King as it will certainly be the last for both him, and the reign his family has had over this world.

I shall arrive at the castle before the middle of the day, and summon you and the others to attack once the Triforce is in my hands. Now, I depart for the beginning of a new age in Hyrule....the age of Ganondorf," said Tirek. He urged his nightmare horse to begin galloping, and he set off for his destination which was Hyrule Castle itself....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 13: In the Belly of the Fish

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 3, 2014
Chapter 13: In the Belly of the Fish.

" Thank you for letting us know that our presence is requested Captain."

" I'm still unsure about all of this Madam Impa. I feel that Ganondorf is going to do something that will change the face of Hyrule forever. Even though he appears as calm, collected, and perhaps a little eager to forge this alliance with the king, what if it's all a facade and his true intention is to claim the throne for himself. His majesty could be walking straight into a trap, and all we can do is simply wait for something to happen," said Shining Armour.

" As servants of the king, we are obligated to fulfill his commands as that is our sworn duty. Our place is not to question his actions, but to carry them out to the best of our ability. Ganondorf's motives are unclear to anyone except for himself, and while I too believe that he is planning something, as long as he remains civil, nothing can be done because of his status as King of the Gerudo," said Applejack.

" That's the problem with the law of the land as the kings get to do whatever they want, and everyone else has to follow or suffer," said Shining Armour.

" Do you honestly believe that Captain?" asked Applejack.

" I've been serving the royal family for many years now, and while I haven't been around here as long as you have Madam Impa, I've seen enough to know how the politics of the kingdom work. The various leaders of the land are free to act however they see fit so long as they don't break any fundamental law.

They can do things that we common folk would be accused of treason if the shoe fits the sole of the crime. If Ganondorf were to come to power, he would just become a tyrant where he can get away with anything, and no law could stop him....which is why someone needs to act now before things go that far," replied Shining Armour.

" You plan on acting out something that has the potential to fail because you lack the necessary proof. If you decide on this course of action, you could be risking your very life. You do have every right to be frustrated at how the political system of Hyrule favours the leaders, but you need to have patience before jumping to the wrong conclusion," said Applejack.

" This is the very reason why you and I can never really get along Madam Impa as you favour a more calm approach which so far has done nothing, and my way of doing things is seen as being reckless and could cost me my life. I'm sorry, but I'm finished with this conversation as I'm liable to say something to you which I might end up regretting later.

I've given you the message from the king, so I'll be on my way and do what must be done for the sake of our land," said Shining Armour. He then turned and started to walk off with his head held low. Applejack heaved a heavy sigh and turned her attention to Twilight who was standing there shocked at everything she had just heard.

" I am sorry that you had to hear all of that your highness," said Applejack.

" I just can't believe that he would say all of that about the governance of Hyrule, and view us as being above the law. Shining Armour was always the perfect gentleman, and I viewed him as a sort of big brother in my eyes, so why is he willing to throw everything away?" asked Twilight.

" He is consumed with anger and rage over the fact that we suspect Ganondorf to be planning something, and that the King of the Gerudo has yet to be held accountable for his actions across the kingdom. As I have already told you princess, he cannot be arrested or charged with any crime as long as he hasn't broken any fundamental Law. While nothing would please me more than to expose his plans, I am in no such position as your father views Ganondorf as a man who will be loyal to the royal family thus completely unifying the kingdom," replied Applejack.

" Why does my father not see that Ganondorf only cares about the Triforce, and conquering all of Hyrule? Has be become so blinded by the notion of forging an alliance that he has allowed himself to be mis-lead so easily? I know that I should not be speaking out against my father in such a manner Impa, but the truth is something that he needs to see.

The fact that my father has requested me to bring the Ocarina of Time to this meeting to share with Ganondorf the secrets of the royal family in exchange for secrets of the Gerudo is completely absurd. Ganondorf is essentially being given the information that he needs to rule over us all, and the most important key could very well be in his hands," said Twilight.

" That is why I have taken the liberty of arranging a plan to ensure that Ganondorf does not acquire that which he seeks, and you need to be more faithful when it comes to the actions of your father as he is doing all of this in the name of peace. Speaking of being faithful princess, there is something that we must discuss as we make our way to the meeting, and it has to do with Sunset Shimmer," said Applejack.

" What about her?" asked Twilight.

" She came here the other day in order to inform you that she had acquired the Spiritual Stone of Fire from the Gorons, and was on her way to securing the final stone, but she told me that I too had this "Equestrian Magic" inside of me, and that I was being too stubborn as she called it to realize it. When I concluded my business with her, I told her that I would think about it when in actuality I was going to dismiss it, but now I find that the notion that we come from a different world is much too strong for me to simply ignore any longer. Your highness, I must know what all of this means as I fear that it has the potential to tear me apart," replied Applejack.

" I was hoping that you would turn yourself around in this regard Impa. Of course I will tell you everything that I have been visioning in my dreams these past moons, but while we are making our way to the impending meeting between my father and Ganondorf. I suspect that my father may be starting to grow impatience as we should have started to make our way to the throne room by now.

Let us proceed there at once even though I would rather not because of my suspicions of that man. I would prefer to remain here, but not showing up would be betraying my father's wishes, and the royal family would be viewed as weak in the eyes of the other tribes. Sometimes I feel that there is too much pressure on my shoulders due to being the princess of the land," said Twilight.

Here I was inside of a gigantic fish and having finally found Rarity after all this time of searching for her, and now she refuses to do anything until I have explained about the story of me coming from a different world, and how I am able to use magic. Telling her the entire story was bound to take a long time, and she was being stubborn as to not wanting to accept the shortened version that I told her. It looked as though I was about to lose the last of my patience, and snap at Rarity who hadn't really done anything wrong, but then I began to breathe deeply so as to remain calm over the entire situation. That was when I came to a decision which should prove to be acceptable to everyone.

" Do you really want me to explain everything to you?" I asked.

" If you refuse to share with me the exact details, then you shall never have the spiritual stone as I will make sure that it never becomes yours. While it does sound like I'm being unfair to you, it's due to you being unfair to me for giving me a simple story, and telling other people a much more grander version," replied Rarity.

" Then I will explain things to you in the amount of detail that you deserve your highness, but it is going to have to be a gradual process instead of me telling you all at once because as I have repeated to you already, time is not on my side right now. This method is the only option that I can give you, so I am hoping that you choose to accept my terms, or else we'll be stuck at an impasse," I said.

" And here I thought that you were going to be one of those people who does whatever someone of royal birth tells them to do like some kind of loyal puppet. I'm actually glad that you decided to give me an ultimatum as it shows that you are someone who deserves respect for standing up for yourself. Very well Sunset Shimmer, I agree to your terms, but you must not hide any kind of details no matter how vague they may seem," said Rarity.

" Now that we've got that sorted out, let's get out of this room before those Biri decide to want to give us some electrical therapy. I think we need to make our way back up to the floor above where you said that the item I need to defeat these monsters may be residing. I don't know about you, but I'll feel much safer walking around in here with the proper means of dealing with the monsters instead of running away," I said.

The next room we entered consisted of a small passageway which turned at a corner a little ways on, and apart from what sounded like bubbles expanding and contacting far away, nothing else seemed to be an issue, so I decided to get down to business explaining things. " To start things off, this world is not where I am from, but rather I am from a world known as Equestria.

It's populated by ponies of Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth varieties with the rulers being Alicorns. I was a unicorn who was quite gifted in magic, and was once the personal protégé of Princess Celestia, but I was consumed with power and chose to go my own path which resulted in me coming to live in the human world where you yourself are really from."

" You are a pony?" asked Rarity.

" My true form is that of a pony yes, but in recent years I've assumed this form of a teenaged girl," I replied.

" And being a unicorn is how you can wield magic because you were born with it, and not being a girl who suddenly learned how to use magic at an early age. I am sorry to hear darling that you ended up being corrupted with power as that is quite the norm here in Hyrule as so many crave it, but it appears that you don't crave it now," said Rarity.

" When I first came to the human world, I was manipulative, spiteful, feared, and intimidating to everyone around me as I wanted to be both popular and powerful. I didn't care that I was hurting so many people as in my heart, there was no desire to make friends, and instead all I cared about was becoming more and more powerful. If it wasn't for Princess Twilight Sparkle, an alicorn princess from Equestria helping me to see what I had truly become, my life wouldn't have turned around and I would still be destined to be forever alone.

Since those dark days, I have slowly begun to understand the ideals of friendship, and I am in a much better place now than I was before. Of course, there are times where it has been difficult for me to overcome my troubled past as I am constantly reminded of the things I used to do, but my new friends are there to help me overcome them," I said.

" It's good to hear that you were given a second chance to become someone that you truly felt was the real you, and not someone who was obsessed with wanting to become an all-powerful deity at any cost. I think you have given me enough of an explanation for the time being, so for now we can focus on finding the spiritual stone. Do know that I will be asking you to explain more of your story later on, so don't think that this is the end of the discussion," said Rarity.

" Okay, that's fair enough! Anyway, I was hoping that perhaps you had an idea as to where we are exactly inside Lord Jabu-Jabu as I haven't a clue about it, and you did say that you've been going in and out of his belly since you were little?" I asked.

" That is true as it is how I have to feed him as he is not capable of feeding himself. I will be honest though in that the layout of his interior has changed since last time due to the sudden infestation of monsters, and of course those weird electrical currents. As I recall, we need to eventually make our way to the chamber where his heart is located as I believe that is where the source of his problem is located. The only issue is that there should have been a walkway that connects to the room which we need to access in order to get to the heart," replied Rarity.

" Was there some kind of blue switch in front of the door?" I asked.

" That's right! We need to reach the room beyond that door as that leads towards Lord Jabu-Jabu's heart, but we first need to figure out how to get the walkway back to where it's supposed to be. The item that I told you about which can help defeat these creatures is located at the back where Lord Jabu-Jabu's tail is, so I suggest that we search there first," replied Rarity.

As we walked around the corner, the passageway opened up to become a slightly bigger room, and a second sound could be heard in the small pool of water below. I couldn't see exactly was down there, but it looked as though something was swimming about. Then I saw the creature that was making the bubble noises, and it was several actual bubbles bouncing around in an awkward fashion.

" What are those things Spike?" I asked.

" The one in the water is called a Stinger, and not the kind that you would find on a bee. This creature swims about underwater avoiding any kind of attack, but as soon as you get close to it, it will come out of hiding, and attempt to fly into you before going back down and repeating the process. Your Fairy Slingshot will be able to shoot them down while they are flying about, so try to lure them out first before firing a Deku Seed," replied Spike.

" And the other one?" I asked.

" Those are called Shabom, and all they seem to do is bounce around in an attempt to be annoying. If it comes into contact with you, it will pop as one would expect from a bubble, but you will take some slight damage. If they are struck with a sword, or reflected with a shield, they will pop although you may get pushed back from the recoil that they give. Deku Seeds and magic have no effect on them, so you might as well go for the shield reflecting route in order to get by them," replied Spike.

" At least I can deal with these monsters without having to run away, but it still has me on edge wondering just what else we might find in here. Princess, you wait here while I jump down into this pool and take care of things. You are royalty after all, and one such as yourself shouldn't be seen fighting against evil creatures that threaten to inflict harm upon you," I said.

" If that is your way of telling me to be careful, then you have done a lousy job of it! Still, I'll take your advice and stay here while you do that heroic thing you adventurer types like to do," said Rarity. I then jumped down and started to draw out the Stingers, and pelted them all with seeds causing them to fade away upon being defeated. With that taken care of, I pressed a suspicious switch on the ground which caused the water to rise up so that I could climb up the other side, and focus on popping the Shabom.

As for Rarity, she knew that she had to cross this pool in order to keep up with me, and I was certain that she would want me to throw her over just so that her dress wouldn't get wet. To my surprise though, she dove into the water without even a second glance, and quickly jumped out the other side where I was jaw-dropped at what I had just witnessed. " Why are looking so surprised darling? Just because I am of royal blood doesn't mean that I would like to be treated in such a manner. I am not so petty that I would not allow this dress of mine to be sullied in any way. Anyway, how are you handling those bubble monsters as they seem to be unfazed by your shield."

" As long as they don't damage me, I'm pretty much content with them colliding with my shield and popping," I said. As the last Shabom popped against my shield, Rarity and I walked onward until we reached another switch on the ceiling, and the door covered up with a mass. " And here I thought what we saw back in the first room regarding this set-up was going to be a one-time thing, but I guess that it's going to become a recurring theme."

After sighing yet again, I fired a seed at the switch allowing us access to the next room which consisted of a small ledge and a large body of water. Could this have been a dead-end meaning we would have to go back? My question would be answered quickly when a small platform came down from above and settled into the water. Rarity and I stepped onto it, and the platform took us all the way back to the narrow pathway where I encountered the first Biri, but now it was hovering about the door which lead back to the mouth of Lord Jabu-Jabu.

" As you can see Sunset Shimmer, that door over there on that far ledge will lead us to the heart, but the problem is that there is no way for us to reach it from this distance. Not even jumping across will work as we wouldn't make it, so we need to find the walkway that will allow us to reach over there. Now where do you suppose it could be?" asked Rarity. She then began to look around which struck me as being odd, but then she looked up and started to jump up and down. " There it is! How do you suppose that it ended up way up there? In any case, we need to find some way of getting that part of the walkway down otherwise accessing the heart is impossible."

" Maybe we have to find a way to get up there from another room?" I asked.

" It is possible, but we would first need to find said room. Those electrical currents seem to be blocking specific routes which is no doubt making Lord Jabu-Jabu most uncomfortable. Sunset Shimmer, you must help him! We Zoras have worshipped him as our patron deity for generations, and in return he has guided us and protected us. If we were to lose him....we'd be completely lost," replied Rarity.

" I have no intention of seeing him suffer anymore than he already has," I said.

" Thank you! It seems to me that you are indeed worthy of the spiritual stone as you place others before yourself," smiled Rarity. Hearing her say that made me smile as it meant that she was starting to warm up to me a little. I still had to explain more of my story to her though, so I wasn't completely off the hook with that. Entering the main room again felt different not because of coming back here a second time, but because with Rarity along for the ride, I could explore the rest of what the room had to offer.

Further ahead was the electrical current that she had been talking about, and it was green in colour and also looked really slimy. Just looking at it made me want to throw up, but I declined that notion and started to think about what to do with it. The only thing that came to mind was firing a Deku Seed in order to see what kind of reaction would take place, so I fired one and sure enough the current reacted by pulsating a little before resuming its normal function.

" If a Deku Seed had no effect on this thing, then I doubt that anything else I have will work," I said.

" Then there has to be some other means of getting rid of this," said Spike.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" This electrical current can't simply exist by itself as that would be impossible, but perhaps there is something else in here that acts as a power source, and by removing that source, it would cause this to simply disappear. The area where Lord Jabu-Jabu's tail is should be the place to find whatever it is that's controlling the current, and we need to destroy it in order to be able to move on," replied Spike.

" You seem to know an awful lot of the anatomy of Lord Jabu-Jabu," I said.

" Well, most of it is just guess work," said Spike.

" Are you kidding me?" I asked.

" I may be able to give you plenty of advice Sunset Shimmer, but I'm just a fairy and not a miracle worker. Sometimes all I can do for you is provide you with my best guess, and run with it in the hopes of being correct. I know that you appreciate everything that I've done for you, and I will continue to be there to help out, but sometimes I do need to stress that some of what I say isn't 100% accurate in description. As such I hope that you don't take it the wrong way," replied Spike.

" It's okay Spike as I'm not accurate when it comes to being a hero due to all the self-doubt that I have, so it looks like we're both in the position of not being completely aware that our actions may not be the right ones," I said.

" No wonder we've become pretty good partners and friends," said Spike.

" That's the spirit! So, um....what about that large jellyfish that just came down from the ceiling?" I asked.

" It's a Bari which is essentially three Biri combined together to form one big monster. It does have the same electrical properties as its smaller cousin, but it is more durable and has a slight reach when it swings its tentacles around. It will electrocute you if you touch it which also includes when you separate it into the three Biri that merged to make it.

As before, Deku Seeds and magic have no effect unless you can paralyze it with a ranged weapon. After that, it can be defeated with pretty much anything, so right now it would be best to avoid it," replied Spike. Taking his advice to heart, Rarity and I ran to the other side of the room, and entered the door which lead us to a really bizarre room where the colours were swirling about, and that it felt that the ground itself was moving.

" This place is a lot different than when I came here previously," said Rarity.

" Just seeing all of the swirling colours in here is making me feel so dizzy," I said.

" Well, we need to keep on going darling if we are to save Lord Jabu-Jabu and all of Hyrule. The pathway splits into three directions from here, so the question here is which direction should we take first? Hold on a second Sunset Shimmer as I intend to check things out this time seeing as you....well....you don't look too good because of the colours swirling about. I'll be just a second and I don't plan on getting into any scrapes," said Rarity.

She then walked forward leaving me to figure out exactly how to stand in this room, and she noticed straight away that the path directly in front of us was blocked by another electrical current. The other two directions were not to her liking either as all she could see was dark passageways.

Once she had confirmed things for herself, she walked back to tell me about it. " The path ahead is no good as it has another electrical current, but this one is blue instead of green. Could be possible that there are multiple power sources of differing colours controlling them instead of just one? In any case, we need to take a break until you've gotten adjusted to this area, so why not tell me more about this story of yours."

" Well, I soon discovered that in this land of Hyrule, I'm the only one from the human world who remembers how things are supposed to be, and you along with the princess, her attendant, a member of my own tribe, the Goron Chieftain, and the second-in-command of the Gerudo all have some memories of my world flowing about in your minds, but they are hazy at best, and you can't seem to understand what they mean. That's your Equestrian Magic trying to help you remember, but the influence of this world is too strong to ignore," I said.

" Do I along with the others come from this Equestria?" asked Rarity.

" Only Princess Zelda and I are from there while the rest of you are full-fledged humans, but your connection to the princess enabled you to be bestowed with magic, and it has remained with you ever since. There are several others throughout the land that have memories of the human world, but they were evil back there whereas in this world they are good . If you were expecting anymore about my story, then I'm sorry to say that that's it," I replied.

" Well, I was expecting you to go into a full-length explanation, but I suppose that I will accept this," said Rarity.

" I'm glad that I was able to talk while sitting here as my head has finally started to get used to the colours. I'm still a little dizzy, but I'll be able to continue on without delaying things any longer. In fact, the ball is now in your hands Princess Ruto when it comes to believing my story, so I'll leave you to figure it all out and hopefully you'll come to understand where I'm coming from. In the meantime, we need to keep moving which means we either have to go left or right.

Both directions are possible choices, but I don't really want to choose, so I'll toss this rupee and whichever direction it lands in will be the way we go," I said. I then tossed the green rupee into the air and it landed to the right, so we all began to walk in that direction with Rarity pondering over everything that I had just said.

We didn't get too far down the passageway for it split into two more directions with one blocked by a red coloured electrical current, and the other lead up to a door which was covered in the same mass we've been seeing all over the place. I stepped on the switch that was in front of the door, but nothing seemed to happen which struck me as odd.

" Sunset Shimmer, this switch looks like it won't support your weight alone, so you'll need to get some more weight on it to activate it," said Spike.

" I think this is where I'll need to pick up Rarity which is going to be very awkward for the both of us, but there is no other way around it. Princess Ruto? In order for us to activate this switch, I'm going to need your help which means I'll need to pick you up and step on the switch myself, and our combined weight should be enough to press it down," I said.

" I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Rarity.

" I need to pick you up," I began.

" Oh I already know that darling, but did you have to refer to it like that? Such a vulgar way of saying it makes you sound like a boor. A better way of saying it would be you require me to be raised up above your head. I'll allow you to raise me in that fashion Sunset Shimmer, for it is a necessary cause, but do not think that you'll be getting used to it," said Rarity. I sighed knowing that it was pointless to try and argue with her, so she walked on over where I lifted her above my head by having her stand on top of my hands.

It was pretty difficult as Rarity wasn't what you would call a light person, but our combined weight was enough to activate the switch, and we entered the door once the mass had disappeared. This room looked small and was pretty much devoid of anything save for the sounds of Stingers coming from below the ground which was vibrating just like the walls and ceiling. Once again I asked Rarity to wait while I took care of the monsters, and she had no problem with it so long as I was quick about it.

Destroying the Stingers didn't take very long although I quickly learned that trying to take them all on at the same time wasn't a good idea. By the time I destroyed the last one, I discovered that my supply of Deku Seeds was almost empty, so I needed to remind myself to find some more down the road. A chest would then materialize from out of nowhere which was actually the first time it happened, so it did catch me by surprise, and then I opened it.

" You found yourself a Boomerang, and I've got to admit that it has a pretty sleek design," said Spike.

" Considering that I know how this thing is supposed to work, it should allow me to take care of everything in here that gives off electricity," I said.

" Just remember that when you throw it, the boomerang will curve around and come back to you, so it doesn't have the range of the Fairy Slingshot. For the most part though, the slingshot pretty much becomes obsolete at this point now that you have something more cutting-edge on hand," said Spike.

" We might as well go back down the path we didn't pick when I tossed that rupee earlier as it looks to be the only place we can search. I just hope that Twilight is having an easier time of things compared to us as she has to deal with the one person in all of Hyrule who has the potential to destroy it," I said.

That was an understatement to be sure because Twilight at that exact moment was in the same room as Ganondorf, and the tensions were already high. I had no idea what was being discussed as they were there and I am here, but I could only imagine what must be taking place.

" Ah, Princess Zelda. It is a pleasure to at last make your acquaintance."

" To be honest with you Lord Ganondorf, the feeling is not quite mutual, but I suppose that you shall prove me wrong in due time," said Twilight.

" Now Zelda, there is no need to be so hostile towards our guest," said the King.

" My apologies father for acting out of line," sighed Twilight.

" It seems that your daughter has quite the opinion when it comes to my presence your majesty, but I cannot blame her for feeling that way about a stranger whom she has
never met before. Rest assured princess that this meeting will not take all that long, for I do need to return to the Gerudo's Fortress at the earliest opportunity. There is something there which requires my immediate attention," said Tirek.

" If that is the case my Lord, then why not go back there now and take care of this problem? Surely, it is more important to you than this alliance that you wish to forge
with my father to complete Hyrule's unification? Perhaps another meeting in say a few days from now would be more to your liking so as to give all of us some much needed time to prepare things," suggested Twilight.

" While nothing would please me more than to deal with that matter, your father was insistent on forging this alliance, so who I am to deny him something which he has strived to complete for years. I suppose that I will just have to accept the fact that I will be staying here for a lengthy period until this has all been resolved. My second-in-command will inform me of any details upon my return to the fortress.

Now then, as I recall from the last meeting your majesty, you and I were merely one or two differences away when it came down to forging our alliance. But as you know, I have had a slight change of mind in that I can forego those differences and abide to your way of handling them, and in exchange for my wavering those conditions, my new condition is to know of the secrets of the royal family," said Tirek.

" Yes, you were quite adamant when it came to knowing the history Ganondorf which did strike me as being odd, but hearing you say that you would reveal the secrets of the Gerudo made me feel relieved that you are so willing to give a little yourself," said the King.

" I figured that fair was fair," said Tirek.

" Shall we begin with your secrets Ganondorf as you did say that you would be the one who would start first," said the King.

" Indeed your majesty, and I shall begin with perhaps the most critical secret of the Gerudo. My tribe is one that consists entirely of women. Because of this, several of them come to Hyrule Castle Town to look for potential boyfriends in order to....well, I'm sure you all know where that was going, but I digress. While it serves as a problem for the Hylians, it means the very survival of the Gerudo.

Now, every 100 years, one male is born into the Gerudo, and that lone male is to become King of the Gerudo and rule over the desert. Why it has to happen this way is something that our ancestors did not decide to divulge for their descendants to understand, but it has been this way for numerous generations, and is likely to continue for generations to come," said Tirek.

" I've always wondered why you are just one man among so many women, and now I know the truth so I thank you Ganondorf for providing such an important detail regarding your tribe. There is no doubt that it shall prove to be vital when it comes to dealing with the matter of your population, and preventing it from dwindling any more than it already has.

Now it's my turn to reveal to you the secret of the royal family, and I am certain that you have been eagerly awaiting this moment. It is also why my daughter is here because she carries it with her at all time. Dearest Zelda, would you hand over our family's treasure to me so that I may show it to Ganondorf?" asked the King.

" Are you sure that is wise father?" asked Twilight.

" Whatever do you mean?" asked the King.

" Surely you remember my dream about the one from the forest and Ganondorf being the one who represented the dark clouds that consumed Hyrule. While I know that you desire this alliance with him father, is it such a good idea to allow him to know about the treasure our family has guarded for generations? I feel that this is a foolish action you are committing, and our ancestors would be ashamed to know that you are doing something so reckless," replied Twilight.

" And this means?" asked the King.

" I'm sorry father, but I cannot allow Ganondorf to see our treasure even though you have promised him that he could. Whether you choose to believe me, or see the truth in front of you does not matter, but what does is preventing Ganondorf from succeeding in whatever it is he has come here for. I did not even want to attend this meeting because of my feelings towards this ill-fated alliance, yet the only reason I was asked to come was because you gave me no other choice in the matter. Father, I implore you! You must open your eyes and see the truth of Ganondorf's motivations for the sake of the future of this kingdom," replied Twilight.

" Enough! I have heard quite enough of this nonsense Zelda!" shouted the King.

" But father," began Twilight.

" You have embarrassed the royal family in front of an important dignitary, and for that I am most disappointed in you. Ganondorf has come such a long way in order to forge this alliance between the Hylians and the Gerudo in the name of peace and completely unifying Hyrule, yet here you are acting out in such a fashion so as to prevent this historic moment from taking place.

Perhaps you were right in that you shouldn't have come to this meeting as I should have known that you would talk about that nonsensical dream of yours. You are hereby dismissed my daughter and are to return to your room until further notice, but before you leave, hand over the treasure to me so that Ganondorf may see it, and learn about it as per our agreement," said the King.

" Then you will just have to explain it to him father without it, for it will not be leaving my sight no matter what you say," said Twilight.

" Are you defying my orders daughter?" asked the King.

" You have allowed this alliance to blind you from the truth even though it is clearly obvious that something is going to happen, but it seems that my words do nothing but fall on deaf ears when it comes to you dear father. Impa, let us return to my room as I have been instructed to do, and hope that my father can finally open his eyes instead of keeping them shut which has been the case since this all started," replied Twilight.

She then turned around and walked out of the throne room without saying a word, and Applejack turned to follow. This left the King in quite a state of shock because his own daughter had just walked out on an important matter of state, and Tirek simply chuckled to himself.

" Now that was unexpected your majesty and yet at the same time it was exactly what I was hoping would transpire here. Zelda, you have made this all too easy for me by lashing out in such a fashion. You have slipped dear princess for I now know that you are aware that I am here to claim the Triforce and conquer this world, but it seems that I have made the wrong kind of impression," said Tirek.

" My daughter did not mean to act that way towards you Ganondorf, but perhaps I should have a stern talking to her later once she has calmed down. In any case, allow me
to explain the secret treasure of my family to you despite not actually having it in person," said the King.

" If that is what you wish your majesty Hylian King, your daughter is right about you in that you have become blind and ignorant to the truth all in the name of your pathetic plans to bring this kingdom's tribes together under one banner. It will make killing you all the more enjoyable for me as you shall depart this world having created a rift with the one person who could have saved you, but you have gone and dismissed her for speaking out against you....such irony is most delicious.

The moment you have revealed all that I need to know, you will serve no other purpose, and that is when I shall snuff out your meaningless existence....now all I need to do is await the arrival of the one whose magic powers I sensed before, for that one could be who I need to secure my prize, so by all means explain away," said Tirek.

It didn't take long for us to make our way over and down the other path which was essentially the same as the first one was, but just in the opposite direction. This path also split itself into two more directions upon reaching a junction with one route being blocked by another red electrical current, and the other being blocked by more of that mass which likes to latch itself onto doors. In front of this door was a blue switch which meant I had to leave Rarity behind although she was very annoyed at that fact.

I explained to her about how the blue switch operates, and she accepted my reasoning even though she felt that it was ridiculous to begin with. She stepped on the switch allowing Spike and I to enter the room, and it consisted of nothing apart from what looked like a weird tentacle-like object hanging down from the ceiling.

" Any ideas?" I asked.

" It looks to be some kind of parasitic tentacle although I have no idea what its actual name is, or if it even has one. Anyway, whatever this thing is, if you get too close to it, it will swing about and attempt to knock you away with its own body. Notice that very thin section towards the top? It looks like you need a special weapon to hit that spot, and I think the boomerang you picked up might do the trick. All I ask is that we don't take too long as we don't want to keep Princess Ruto waiting," replied Spike.

" Are you blushing?" I asked.

" Every time I see that beautiful face of hers, it just has me reacting in a way that makes me wonder what it would be like if I were the same size as she is. Could it be love that I'm experiencing? That feels really awkward seeing as I'm a fairy and she is a Zora, but maybe in another world it could be a possibility," replied Spike. I wasn't surprised to hear him say all of that because I was aware of how Spike had a crush with Rarity back in the human world, and even in Equestria according to what Twilight once said.

I thought it was cute to see him act like this because it shows that even in this new world, elements of the true world managed to make it through. " Anyway, you will need to move in so that the tentacle can expose its weak point."

" This shouldn't take too long," I said. As soon as I got close enough, the parasitic tentacle lowered down and began to swing itself at me, so with the boomerang in my hand, I threw it and struck the weak point which made it reel back for a brief moment. Once it got its second wind back, it attempted to attack again, and I repeated with my own attack which caused it to literally fall apart, and made another chest appear out of nowhere which felt like it was going to be the start of a trend.

Opening the chest revealed another piece of paper which I have now assumed to be the map of the area, but I felt a little annoyed that it took this long to finally get one when I needed one the moment I first set foot inside the belly of this giant fish. Why couldn't this map have been in the first room instead of all the way back here? After moaning to myself for a few moments, I left the room and Rarity looked very excited about something.

" The red electrical current just disappeared which means whatever you did in there has given us a new place to explore," said Rarity. This was certainly a good piece of news as now we knew how to progress. The next several rooms had me dealing with two more parasitic tentacles of both blue and green varieties, and both were deftly handled by my new boomerang which I was loving to pieces.

When the green tentacle was destroyed, Rarity insisted that we make our way back to the center room where we saw the first electrical current. That sounded good enough to me, so we made our way back there, and fell down into the hole which had been previously blocked.

" Do you think that Lord Jabu-Jabu is starting to feel better knowing that those parasitic tentacles have all been destroyed?" I asked.

" The parasite at the heart of his problems still exists mind you, but I don't know if Lord Jabu-Jabu is going to survive," replied Rarity.

" I said that I was going to help save him, and I am doing the best that I can," I said.

" While I do appreciate you saying that darling, that is not the problem. He began to feel afflicted with this parasite one week ago, and he could have been helped within a day of the infection, and not a week after the fact. My father's stubborn pride when it comes to the well-being of the Zoras may very well cost our patron deity his life depending on how much damage he has suffered," said Rarity.

" I heard something about the Zoras wanting to be isolated according to the Magic Bean Seller," I said.

" For many generations, the Zoras have lived on their own with no other species to interact with, and for a long time we were happy as it meant living in peace. That all changed mind you when we first learned of the existence of the other tribes of what has become Hyrule. The younger Zora were all eager to finally break tradition and interact with these new beings, but my father and the older Zoras did not feel the same way, and were more hesitant about it all.

When the King of Hyrule came to Zora's Domain and forged an alliance with my father, he felt that such a thing was necessary in order to unite the kingdom, but has not done much with it since it came into effect ten years ago. My father is of the belief that Zora affairs are for Zora to deal with, and asking for help beyond our waters is a sign of weakness," said Rarity.

" Where do you stand then?" I asked.

" I'm among the Zoras who feel that we should not be isolated like we have done for generations, and that it is time for us to become more active with the other tribes by forging closer ties with them. Choosing to remain alone and isolated will only cause us pain and misery for the foreseeable future, and when the time comes when I must assume the throne as Zora Queen, I'll be sure to have our tribe open up despite the protests of the elders," replied Rarity.

It felt weird hearing Rarity talking about the Zoras in this fashion as she was usually more interested in fashion, but I suppose there was more to her I never realized until now. When we walked into the next room, her eyes looked as though they were about to explode because of what she was saw in front of her. " There! That's it! The spiritual stone is over there on top of that platform!" I looked in the direction that she was pointing in, and sure enough there was the spiritual stone in plain sight....which I felt was rather suspicious.

" This looks a little too easy," I began.

" Whatever do you mean?" asked Rarity.

" Don't you think it's suspicious that the stone is just laying there out in the open for anyone to come along and pick it up?" I asked.

" Now that I think about it, you make an excellent point which seems to suggest that this is some kind of trap. If you believe that stone to be a fake, then do not as there is only stone like that in all of Hyrule, and I for one should know it better than anyone. Since I am in agreement over this being a trap, how do we go about activating it, and securing the spiritual stone at the same time?" asked Rarity.

" If we could throw some kind of projectile onto the platform, it might trigger the trap, but I don't have anything that would work," I replied.

" Maybe I have something that will work," said Rarity. She then pulled off one of her earrings and held in between her index finger and thumb. " You don't need to feel concerned about me throwing away a piece of jewellery darling as I have plenty more of these at home. Besides, now you get to see with your own eyes at how dexterous I am. I may be a princess, but I do keep myself in shape in order to provide my own weight in any given situation." Rarity then took aim and flicked her earring onto the platform where it collided with the spiritual stone causing it to move a small inch.

That was when the platform immediately raised up revealing spikes on the rim, and when it reached its destination by hitting the ceiling, a loud noise could be heard coming from up there as though something was pretty upset over being tricked. " It sounds like we're about to have ourselves quite the encounter, yet I suspect that this trap was meant for me seeing as it is my spiritual stone."

" I wonder what it could be?" I asked.

" We're about to find out," replied Rarity. Suddenly, the door that we entered was covered in that strange mass again, and the platform lowered down revealing a hideous looking creature sitting on top of it. It looked like one of those Octoroks, but this one was a lot bigger, and had a shell on its back. Without warning, it jumped off of the platform which was now raised a little to allow the spikes to be exposed, and it proceeded to grab Rarity using one of its tentacles and holding her up above its head. How am I supposed to defeat this thing and save her at the same time? I'd better think of something fast before things start to get worse....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 14: Death of a King

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 5, 2014
Chapter 14: Death of a King.

I had to act fast if I was going to save Rarity from being devoured by this over-sized squid, so thinking quickly, I flung a ball of magical fire in the hopes that it would work, but nothing happened. My regular magic wasn't cutting it, so I decided to try that Din's Fire spell. Holding the prism in my hands, I concentrated, and a massive burst of flame shot out from my body and expanded out like some kind of explosion.

Since it was magic provided by the Great Fairy, it would cause no harm to Rarity, but some discomfort towards the squid. My plan worked as the squid flung Rarity onto the platform knocking her unconscious, but at least she was safe while I was forced to deal with our unexpected attacker.

" What do you have to say about this one?" I asked.

" That's a Big Octo, a larger cousin of the Octorok, but it doesn't spit out rocks, and prefers to move about in an attempt to run into you before turning around and heading back the other way. To defeat it, you need to expose its weak point which is on its backside, and I think your boomerang is going to make it a breeze. Aside from that, just wail on this thing until you've beaten it," replied Spike.

" Whoa! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" I asked.

" This thing just attempted to eat Princess Ruto, and now she has been knocked unconscious due to it slamming her down onto that platform. Kick this Big Octo in the flank, or whatever it has which constitutes for its rear end! No one does that to the princess and gets away with it," replied Spike. Hearing him say that definitely sounded like how Spike is infatuated with Rarity back in Equestria and the human world, and it actually scares me knowing that he can snap just like that.

The Big Octo then decided to turn and run around the room with the spikes on the platform proving themselves to be a bit of a hassle. I took off after it and managed to keep up with it which wasn't saying all that much. With one throw of the boomerang, it knocked it forward slightly, and its weak point was exposed which was this large green bump. I really didn't want to see that, so I struck it with my regular magic which turned out to be all I needed as the squid spun around a few times before fading away.

" That was it?" I asked.

" You showed it Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike.

" Well, yeah of course I did, but that felt really underwhelming not that I'm complaining mind you. Still, that was what I'd call anti-climatic as the only thing it did that was even remotely threatening was an attempt to eat Princess Ruto. Speaking of which, we should check up on her to see if she is okay," I said. The platform had since lowered down placing the spikes underneath the floor, and I walked over to where Rarity landed.

She had started to come to, and I was relieved to know that she was okay. " You had us worried there for a moment when that thing slammed you onto this platform, but it looks like you'll be okay princess. It quickly fell to a combination of my boomerang and magic, so it looks like we're in the clear until the next monster comes."

" That creature has already fallen?" asked Rarity.

" It only took me about 20 seconds or so to get the job done, but essentially yes, I've already defeated it," I replied.

" Wow! You are cool! Cooler than I ever imagined you being! This kingdom is most fortunate to have someone like you around to save it Sunset Shimmer, and I believe in my heart that we're in good hands," said Rarity.

" Even though you know about my troubled past?" I asked.

" Darling, you can't allow these past experiences to weigh you down otherwise they could overwhelm you. While you have committed a number of....boo-boos over the course of your life, you have taken strides to redeem yourself in the eyes of others by doing good deeds, and wanting to show them that you can become a much better person for it. Not everyone is going to accept you for what you have done, and I say too bad for them as they are allowing their negative feelings of you blind them from the truth.

So buck up Sunset Shimmer, and let us use this platform to get up to that room above," replied Rarity. She then got up onto her feet, and pulled me towards the center of the platform which caused it to rise up to the ceiling, and into another room where the platform became the floor. Rarity then began to look around quickly, and soon discovered what she was looking for. " Ah! Here is the spiritual stone! That monster must have ignored it when I didn't come up into this room as part of the trap."

" Since you have acquired your stone, that means you can leave this place and seek safety while I continue on and find that parasite," I said.

" I have no intention of running away darling as I'm going to stick with you until the very end. Do not treat me as someone who has to be kept safe from harm as I find that to be an insult to my character. Besides, you need me to guide you to where the heart is even though you do have that map. Just know that I am coming with you and that is the end of the discussion....well, I still have a question to ask you," said Rarity.

" What's that?" I asked.

" Why do you need the spiritual stone? All I remember my mother telling me when she passed it onto me was that I had to protect it until the one destined to collect it would come. That person was to become my husband as the stone is often viewed as a marriage proposal, but since you are a girl, that is null and void which suits me as I never liked the idea of having to use such a subtle means of finding a mate. Anyway, what possible use could you have for it? None I would wager," replied Rarity.

" You would be completely wrong about that. That spiritual stone is one of three stones which according to Princess Zelda, serve as keys which are needed to open something called the Door of Time located within the Temple of Time. Behind this door is the location of the Triforce which has been sought by many. The reason behind the true purpose of the stones was probably never disclosed so as to remove any notion of temptation in the eyes of those chosen to protect them," I said.

" So you possess two of the stones and need the one I hold?" asked Rarity.

" That's what I'm getting out of it. There is also another key which is needed that she keeps on her person at all times, and it was some kind of special ocarina. I can't quite recall what she actually called it, but it was needed in conjunction with the stones to open the door. I wouldn't be surprised if there was even a fifth key involved just to complicate things even further," I replied.

" We Zoras are aware of the Triforce legend as are the other tribes for all of our ancestors once sought it for themselves, so the power was sealed away to prevent any further misuse. Our ancestors felt that the Hylians wanted the Triforce for themselves seeing as it was their sages who sealed it to begin with, but they quickly realized that the Hylians felt that no one should wield the near-limitless power of the goddesses. Of course this is all just a legend mind you which has been passed down throughout the ages as mere fairy tales," said Rarity.

" It has to be real if Ganondorf desires it," I said.

" Then maybe he believes the fairy tales and wants to make his fondest wishes come true. Oh Sunset Shimmer! I never knew that you had such a delightful sense of humour despite your outlook on life. You are trying to be funny about all of this aren't you?" asked Rarity. Shaking my head back and forth was my way of telling her that everything regarding the Triforce was in fact true, and that Ganondorf was on the verge of becoming a deity.

" Oooooh....that does sound rather unpleasant, and if he were to get his hands on such power....well, the entire kingdom would go up in smoke. Now I understand why you are under so much pressure about not having much time, so I'll just stop talking about this, so that we can proceed to the heart."

" Couldn't have said that last bit better myself," I said. The next room featured what looked to be two large pink blocks which reminded me of a type of candy that I once had courtesy of Pinkie Pie. There was something strange about these blocks, and my hunch was proven correct when the closest one started to wriggle about. " Whoa! What kind of block goes about wriggling in an agitated manner? That freaked me out immensely, but I notice that you're completely calm about it. Would you mind filling me in on what I appear to be missing out on?"

" Those aren't blocks as you call them, but rather a form of nerve endings," replied Rarity.

" Come again?" I asked.

" Lord Jabu-Jabu's interior is filled with some....unusual components. Those are nervous points which react to anything that tries to come near them by lashing out in a sort of frenzy. Not many of these exist in here, but whenever I have seen them during his feeding time, I can't help but wonder if they are but another form of his suffering from the parasite that plagues him so.

If you make contact with them, you will receive a nasty bit of shock darling, so maybe you can use that boomerang of yours to stun them, and cross over to the other side before they regain their composure," suggested Rarity. Now why didn't I think about doing that sooner instead of just allowing myself to freak out? Once again I breathed a heavy sigh, and threw the boomerang at the giant nerve causing it to be stunned.

I repeated the process with the other one, and we quickly crossed over them both and into the next room before they could recover. This room looked slightly familiar, but then again they all looked that way due to the walls and ceiling being nothing but pulsating muscles. " And there is the missing walkway we have been searching for over there!"

" It doesn't make sense that it would be located all the way up here," I said.

" And I agree with you Sunset Shimmer as it feels like someone wanted to make sure that no one could reach the heart. Well, in any case, once we get onto that walkway, I am sure that it will drop down into its proper location below giving us access to where we need to go," said Rarity.

" You know, I actually thought that this was going to be a difficult experience. I assumed that you were going to be somewhat of a snob what with being of royal blood, and many people of the nobility often appear as thinking they are better than everyone else, and look down on others as being beneath their train of thought.

That's why before I came in here, I was afraid that I was going to be ridiculed and insulted by you for not being the kind of rescuer that you were expecting. Now that I see that despite being tomboyish in nature, you're really sweet and generous to a fault, and not afraid to share your feelings," I said.

" I would feel insulted if not for the fact that you were being honest with me," said Rarity.

" Most of the people I've encountered during my time in Hyrule look like those I know from my world, yet their personalities are so different from what I've come to expect from them although there are a couple of similarities. It feels like I keep making mistakes such as calling them by the names of my world instead of the names they use here, and assuming that they would have certain quirks," I said.

" Perhaps you will learn from this and become a better person?" asked Rarity.

" One can only hope that I do," I replied in a sarcastic tone which she didn't seem to take notice of. For some reason, there was starting to be a lack of monsters getting in our way which made me uneasy as maybe they were preparing some kind of final assault in a bid to prevent us from reaching the heart. I could be overthinking this, but I didn't want to take any chances that I could be wrong.

By jumping onto the platform, it slid itself down and connected with the rest of the walkway below making the ledge accessible, but the problem that now came up was how to go about opening the door. I knew that Rarity would not want to be told to stay behind like before, so that option was out, but maybe there was something else nearby which could be used as a weight of some kind.

That's when I noticed two small boxes nearby which looked completely out of place, but were just what we needed to activate the switch. As I made my way over to where the boxes were located, I began to think about Twilight again, and hoped that she was okay.

" I must wholeheartedly apologize to you Impa for having seen me react that way."

" You need not apologize for your actions your highness as you were merely expressing your opinion of Ganondorf. Had I been in your shoes, I would have said the exact same thing, and most likely punished for speaking out against the king. Granted, you did really touch a nerve when it comes to your father's patience. He will overcome his anger towards you princess, so know that his current state-of-mind will not last long," said Applejack.

" My words may have been harsh yes and perhaps insensitive to my father's ideals, but someone had to tell him the truth about Ganondorf. Why is it my father just cannot see the evil in that man's heart? Does he not realize that Ganondorf is here solely to conquer our world using the power of the Triforce?

Many times have I tried to convince my father through gentle means, but he rejects my visions as nothing more than fairy tales most likely caused by my restless nights. When he insisted that I show-off the Ocarina of Time to Ganondorf, that was when my heart could no longer take his lack of action, and so I had no other choice but to react. Of course, my incident may have jeopardized our plan of stopping Ganondorf," said Twilight.

" Whatever do you mean?" asked Applejack.

" The fact that I was so adamant when it came to keeping the Ocarina of Time safe from him has probably alluded to him our plan. Thus, he is most likely now aware of our intentions which gives us even more restrictions. Whether he knows about Sunset Shimmer or not remains to be seen, but now we need her to return here to the castle as soon as possible.

My father, despite his insistence on forming this alliance, might be able to stall Ganondorf for a little while longer, but if Sunset does not return by then, we will have no choice but to resort to drastic measures," replied Twilight.

" Your chosen champion is strong your highness as she has experienced things that we cannot even begin to imagine....both here and where she is from," said Applejack.

" Yes, the other world that she says she is from....the one that you wanted me to describe for you. The images of this other world have been growing stronger as of late, yet there is still much about them that confuse me, and mostly likely to you as well my faithful attendant.

I do not doubt that Sunset Shimmer is from a different world despite how unbelievable it all sounds, but why is it that I cannot seem to accept her story? All of these images of this human world and Equestria all seem real, and yet my mind wants me to refuse their existence, and my heart wants me to continue believing in the hope that we all might be able to go there," said Twilight.

" Maybe one day, you might be able to visit these two worlds in another form of existence. I must admit that deep down I would like to be able to visit this other world as well. Your explanation combined with the reasoning of Sunset Shimmer has certainly piqued my interest, but aside from that, I know that my place is here by your side as your ever faithful servant, and you are the princess of the kingdom who will one day become the queen and govern us accordingly. Your father may be upset with you, but deep down I know that he believes that you will make for a fantastic ruler when the time comes," said Applejack.

" Is it just me or have you become more emotional," said Twilight.

" Emotional your highness? Surely you jest at such a notion. We Shiekah abhor emotions for they cloud our judgment when it comes to protecting the royal family. Our minds must always be focused on keeping you and your father safe, and anything else would be seen as a distraction," said Applejack.

" Oh I'm aware of that," smiled Twilight.

" Then why did you bring it up?" asked Applejack.

" Whether you choose to admit it or not, Sunset Shimmer's words have reached your heart in a way that must feel foreign to you. The kind of emotion that you have been exerting lately is one of being stubborn when it comes to accepting ideas that are different from your own. This is not a bad thing Impa not by any means, but it feels like you are trying to hold back this emotion as you fear that it may interfere with your duty.

You need not allow it to bog you down, nor should you allow it to truly define the kind of person that I know you to be. No, you should use this stubbornness in a way that can help you become a much better person for it. It might sound like a terrible thing to say, but you can accomplish such a task Impa," replied Twilight.

" So you view me as being stubborn?" asked Applejack.

" I do as a means of encouragement because I was acting in the same manner when I confronted my father about Ganondorf," replied Twilight.

" And you handled yourself magnificently your highness despite the outcome not being in your favour. Perhaps your father may yet decide that an alliance with the King of the Gerudo may not be in the best interest of Hyrule. While he feels that the Hylians desire peace with the Gerudo, the Gorons and the Zoras have not been as pleasant with the thought of being a part of the same kingdom as a band of thieves.

As for the Kokiri, they shelter themselves off from the rest of the world, and for that they have refused to get involved with the politics of the land. Darunia, the Goron Chieftain, and King Zora, have both expressed disdain towards the Gerudo because of issues of trust, and I believe that they may consider breaking the alliances they have with the king if the Gerudo form their alliance," said Applejack.

" These politics look as though they could tear our kingdom apart," sighed Twilight.

" Such is the way when you have various tribes each with their own ideals that they want to see addressed. That is why your father wanted to unite all of the tribes under one banner so as to remove the strife that afflicted everyone during the war. The strife still exists for the transition to a united country has not been the most fluent, but given time it should become something everyone will....gasp!" said Applejack.

" What's wrong?" asked Twilight.

" Your highness....I ask that you remain here in your room until I return. I can't explain it to you right now, but I am sensing something is going to happen. I shall go and investigate this matter on my own, so please stay here until I have returned. If this feeling is what I think it is, then my contingency plan will need to be put into effect to ensure the future of the royal family," replied Applejack.

" Earlier, I said to myself that I was surprised at the lack of monsters that have been getting in our way as of late, and I joked that they were probably gathering together in one place as a means of preparing a final assault. Now I wish that I hadn't thought like that because of what we're seeing in this room," I said. There was a huge number of Biri floating about in the room, and their sounds were giving me a headache as it was echoing all over the room.

For some reason, this room had a different kind of texture compared to the other chambers inside Lord Jabu-Jabu. Was it a cosmetic decision, or was there something I just wasn't looking at. Speaking of looking at the surroundings, there was a wall sticking out of the wall of muscle which had vines going up it, and this lead to what looked like another switch, but I couldn't tell as some kind of glass was blocking it. " I think you know the drill by now princess in that you need to wait here and I'll go in and take care of the monsters."

" By all means be my guest darling," said Rarity.

" No complaints this time?" I asked.

" This massive amount of monsters is something you adventurer types enjoy dealing with on a regular basis, so who am I to deny you the satisfaction of showing off your heroic nature," replied Rarity.

" Ummmm....are you seriously referring to me when you said that? I'm not your typical heroine in case you haven't noticed by now, but I suppose I do have to take care of this as it is my job so to speak," I sighed as I started to throw the boomerang and picking off the Biri one by one. The way Rarity spoke of me being a heroine still didn't make me feel good as I kept on reminding everyone in Hyrule that I was just not the heroic type that they think I am.

Maybe I just need to have a bit more self-confidence in myself, and also have a bit more aim as some of my throws were way off target. As I continued to destroy more Biri, more of them started to show up which made me think about where they were coming from, or perhaps it was some kind of colony. Rarity encouraged me to keep on going which sounded more like backseat driving more than anything, but after a lot of trial and error, the Biri finally stopped and that gave me a moment to breathe.

" I can tell you two one thing, and that is I need to get better at using this boomerang as a lot of my throws were just terrible despite the fact that I got rid of them all. Princess Ruto, if that door over there leads into Lord Jabu-Jabu's heart, and I suspect that behind it is the parasite causing all of this, it would be best for you to remain here while Spike and I go in and see what's going on.

Normally, you would either argue with me on the subject, or give me the pleasure of fulfilling a heroic deed, but this time the decision is completely out of your hands. You are to stay here and enter the room only when things have calmed down. I'm here to save you as well as the Zora deity, and losing either one of you is not an option."

" Now that's a bold statement if I ever heard one," said Rarity.

" So you'll do as I ask?" I asked.

" You have my word that I shall stay in this room and wait, but if I feel that you could do with my help, I shall come in and do what I must to protect both you and Lord Jabu-Jabu in the name of the Zora tribe. Oh, and you might want to hit that switch way up there on the ceiling if you even want to get inside the next room," replied Rarity. Did she just give me the same smug treatment that Spike usually does? I just can't win in those situations can I?

Sighing once again, I climbed up the wall using the vines until I reached the top, and the glass turned out to be some kind of clear plastic which prevents Deku Seeds from striking the switch, but not the boomerang which I threw at the switch activating it and opening up the door to the heart. While I could jump down and cut out some time, I preferred to climb down slowly in order to be safe. Rarity wished me good luck as I entered the next room which was completely dark.

" Everything is so pitch-black in here that I can't see in front of my face, and where is the heart of this fish anyway? The only thing in this room is just an empty void of nothing aside from us," I said.

" When Princess Ruto said that this room lead to the heart, I don't think she meant that literally otherwise the beating heart of a giant fish would do more than destroy your eardrums if you know what I mean. The actual heart is probably behind one of these walls, so at best we're as close to it as we can get. As for why this room is so dark, your guess is as good as mine, but why do I have this feeling that we're not the only ones in here," said Spike. At that precise moment, a electrical sound suddenly began, and it was coming from the ceiling. " What's that noise?"

" It sounds like either a Biri or Bari as they're the only things that make that noise," I replied.

" Then maybe you ought to tell him that," said Spike as he floated out in front to alert me to what was happening on the ceiling. Once again my face turned white as what we were seeing was a jellyfish covered in an electrical current, and this was followed by several more jellyfish which began to float about and giving off electricity.

As Spike and I stared at the numerous jellyfish floating in front of us, a different current latched out to all of them, and they began to attach themselves to some kind of giant sphere-like object which was pulsating in quite a sickening fashion. The sphere had three veins which were connected to the ceiling, and it had two antennae which moved about as though they were scanning for something.

" Spike, I think we've just found the parasite plaguing Lord Jabu-Jabu," I said.

" I'll say we have. This creature is called Barinade, and it has been infecting him from the inside through those veins attached to the ceiling. Be careful Sunset Shimmer as this monster is a lot stronger than the previous ones we've seen. While its electrical attacks won't inflict that much damage to you, it will attack repeatedly without rest, and those attacks can slow your momentum down when they hit you.

Those jellyfish on its body seem to be acting like a shield which will make things tough. The boomerang is sure to be useful here as you will need to throw it at Barinade in order to remove its defences. Just watch those two antennae like tentacles closely as those are its means of attacking," said Spike.

" The first thing we need to do is to cut those veins and sever this thing from Lord Jabu-Jabu's innards. I'm sure that it won't like me doing that, but right now I don't care what it thinks because what it has done to this deity is just unforgivable. Just like you Spike, I've pretty much snapped and am ready to show this parasite a thing or two, but I'm not blinded by rage to just attack blindly without thinking as those electrical attacks are sure to build up if I allow myself to get struck repeatedly by them," I said.

Taking out the boomerang from my belt, I aimed at each of the three veins and tossed it at them severing each one. The result did cause Barinade to start bleeding green liquid as an indication that it was hurt, but that's when it forced the jellyfish to start rotating around it with the electrical current keeping them in place. One of the jellyfish collided with me, and I went flying back and smacked into the wall before dropping to the ground.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" Those jellyfish spinning around that parasite caught me off guard which is why that one hit me pretty good," I replied.

" It looks like it can't maintain that electrical connection for very long, so when it wears off, that will be your cue to destroy those jellyfish. You can also use the boomerang to stun the parasite and removing the currents that way if you want to keep at a safe distance. As for the jellyfish themselves, they can't give off any electricity after it's been stunned, and are vulnerable to pretty much anything," said Spike.

I decided to go with the distance approach, and struck the parasite with the boomerang causing it to be stunned, and the jellyfish to simply float in place. With this brief moment of reprieve, I went ahead and destroyed all of the jellyfish using my magic, and that was when the parasite started to move around with a second set of jellyfish that spun around even closer to the body. I was completely unprepared for this wave, and once again a jellyfish struck me and I smacked into the wall, but before I could recover this time, I was attacked again and thrown in a different direction before crashing into the ground.

" Any ideas?" I asked.

" Throwing the boomerang in-between those jellyfish may take a few attempts, but it can be done as long as you are patient. Oh, and watch out for those antennae like I told you before," replied Spike. It was too late for me to react to his warning as my body got electrocuted several times in a row by the antennae, and my only response was to cry out in pain as it felt that my body was being burned from the inside out.

As soon as Barinade paused for a brief moment before attacking again, I shook myself to focus on what was happening, and I jumped to the side avoiding the electricity before throwing the boomerang. I was lucky that I managed to connect as it became stunned again which allowed me to attack the jellyfish which had scattered slightly. It proved to be difficult to destroy them this time as I found myself being struck with lightning from the antennae, but I had to keep going and see this through, and when the last jellyfish was gone, it began to move about in an erratic pattern shooting electricity all over the place.

" How many more phases are left?" I asked.

" This seems to be the last one as it has no more jellyfish to use as a shield which means it's practically vulnerable no matter what it tries to do. However, the lack of needing to use its electricity to defend means that it will use it to attack whenever it can, so be careful and keep on attacking it with your magic once you've stunned it until it can take no more punishment," replied Spike. Well that sure sounded easy enough, but since when was anything ever easy in this world?

Throwing my boomerang and stunning it was easy as it had no defence, and once that was done I attacked with my magic which proved to be effective. However, I got a little too close, and got struck by lightning yet again which was really starting to get annoying. That was when Barinade began to move toward me, so I did the best strategy I could think of....run away and get some distance.

" Why is this starting to become a thing?" I shouted as I ran with lightning striking all around me.

" Are you running away again?" asked Spike.

" Only until I get enough of a distance," I replied. Once I felt that I had gotten far enough away from it, I threw the boomerang and stunned Barinade again, and attacked with my magic, but I made sure to use a small amount as I didn't want to exhaust myself like I had done with the Lizalfos in Dodongo's Cavern.

After this attack, the parasite went into the ground to protect itself and shot some electricity my way which I avoided, then it resumed its usual pattern which I retaliated with another boomerang throw, but instead of using my magic, I went with Din's Fire because I wanted to go out with an explosive fiery bang!

This hit must have really done the trick, for the parasite suddenly started to get a lot of bumps all over it as though it were sick, and then the veins on top exploded alongside the antennae. " Ummmm....what is it trying to do here other than make a lousy attempt at impersonating a balloon?"

" You should run right now," began Spike.

" And why should I do that?" I asked.

" Because it's about to blow up," replied Spike.

" Oh....OH! YIKES!" I yelled as I scrambled to get out of the way before Barinade exploded with its innards splattering all over the place leaving behind nothing more than gobbets of its body with green blood everywhere. It was really disgusting to look at, and reminded me of what happened to that King Dodongo, but I wasn't feeling as guilty because this thing was a parasite, and the Dodongo was a living creature.

In the midst of the mess was another Heart Container which I picked up, and once again I felt that warm feeling which caused the wounds I sustained during the fight to be completely healed. At that moment, the door opened and Rarity ran into the room to meet up with me.

" Are you okay darling?"

" That took a lot longer than I thought it would," I replied.

" The noises I heard coming from in here made me want to come a lot sooner and help you out, but then a part of me wanted to wait like you said. I must say that you certainly took care of it seeing as that mess on the floor is all that remains. I cannot even begin to imagine the trauma that might have been inflicted upon you, but I know that you desire a reward for saving me and Lord Jabu-Jabu. I shall grant you that which you have come here for," said Rarity.

" At last, the third spiritual stone," I said happily.

" Let me give it to you outside as this room is really becoming unpleasant what with that mess behind you," said Rarity. That was fair enough as I was about to lose the last shred of my sanity if I were to remain in here any longer. By stepping onto the blue glowing space like the previous two times, Rarity and I returned to the outside where we both ended up on top of the remnants of an old tree, and seeing her face so close to mine caused me to fall down and splashing into the water below.

When I came back to the surface a few seconds later, my expression was that of being unhappy as that was just humiliating, but Rarity saw it as hilarious as she wouldn't stop laughing even as she dove into the water, and swam about a little before coming over to me. " That was probably one of the most humourous things I have seen in all my life, but I don't mean to laugh as an insult, but instead to show that you have proven yourself to me as not only being a heroine, but also being humble.

You truly have done a great deed this day for the Zora tribe, and here is the Spiritual Stone of Water, known also as the Zora's Sapphire. With this in your possession, you now have all three to use as you must to save this world."

" Won't your father be upset that the stone is being given to a non-Zora?" I asked.

" It was never his decision to determine who would receive it as that's something that only the Zora Queens ever got to do. Please take good care of that stone as it is the most precious thing I've ever had in this world, but I know that it was meant to be with you. So, I guess this means that you'll be making your way back to Hyrule Castle then? If so, give my regards to Princess Zelda," replied Rarity.

" Actually, there is something I need to do first before going back," I said.

" What is it?" asked Rarity.

" Your father mentioned that there was a Great Fairy somewhere in Zora's Fountain, and I figure that I could do with some more help," I replied.

" Say no more Sunset Shimmer as I understand your reasoning. There is indeed such a fountain where a Great Fairy resides although you would think that she would be more open to visitors instead of choosing to keep herself hidden. I have some spare time before I am to return to my father, so why don't I take you over to the fountain and we can speak to the Great Fairy together," said Rarity. She then handed over the spiritual stone to me, and began to swim off towards the south-east corner of Zora's Fountain like a rocket which left me feeling a little inadequate.

I guess I should have realized that the Zoras were at home in the water, so swimming to them is second-nature. I followed along as best as I could which consisted of really poor swimming, and by the time I reached the south-east corner, Rarity looked a little disappointed in me. " You really need to work on your swimming skills darling as that was rather....how would I say it? Awkward to watch?"

" I'm not used to swimming across an entire lake-sized body of water as the most I've ever had to swim was about the length of a pool. Anyway, I made it over here which is all that matters! So, this is the location of the Great Fairy's Fountain? It looks like an ordinary wall with a mere boulder just resting a few feet away from it. Then again, only you and your father come into this area, so it's not like she gets any visitors come this way.

Ugh! The Great Fairy really needs to get her priorities straight, and if she is who I think she's going to be this time around, I hope that she takes it to heart," I replied. It was obvious to figure out that a bomb was needed to destroy this wall, so I placed one down in front of it, and the wall shattered to pieces revealing a very large cave entrance. Inside was the fountain where the usual symbol was, so I played Twilight's Lullaby with Rarity watching, and soon the Great Fairy appeared....who was Adagio Dazzle yet again. Yeah, this was starting to become a trend.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer to my fountain, and to you as well Princess Ruto of the Zoras," said Adagio.

" Are you the same Great Fairy I've encountered at a fountain the last two times, or are you a completely different one who just so happens to share the same appearance as the previous two?" I asked.

" I suppose that we are the same Great Fairy if our appearances are alike, but then our personalities could be different making us separate entities with the same functions. I am the Great Fairy of Magic, and yes I know that you were just about to say that I am the second one to use that title. Three of us use the title of magic when we introduce ourselves, and I happen to be the second of three.

I'm not sure if I'm older or younger than the other two since we all look the same, but that's not important right now. You have overcome much hardship in saving the patron deity of the Zoras, and for that you have earned their respect," replied Adagio.

" You know what I did?" I asked.

" I am the Great Fairy after all dear child, and I can see everything that goes on in Hyrule for the most part. I knew that you successfully defeated the parasite that had plagued the Zora deity, and that you would come here to seek my guidance. I also know that you are concerned about the well-being of those in Hyrule Castle because of the one who seeks to claim the golden power of the Great Goddesses," replied Adagio.

" Do you know what is going on there?" I asked.

" First, allow me to give you the gift that I am to bestow upon you, and then I will answer your concerns for yes, I am aware of what is taking place at the castle. I shall now grant to you another magical spell although this one works differently from the previous one in addition to your own magic. This is Farore's Wind, a spell that does not attack nor defend, but rather allows you to go from one place to another.

To put it in more simpler terms, it is powerful warp magic which you can use to get out of some tough situations. When you first cast the spell, it will create a warp point which will remain until you use it or choose to dispell it in order to create another point. If you cast it again after creating the warp point, you can warp to the location of the point in order to escape from danger, or perhaps reach a location quicker.

There are two catches you must know regarding Farore's Wind. It can only be used in dungeons that have maps located inside of them. Any other location be it inside or outside will not work. Also, the spell cannot be used in a dungeon room that houses the master of the place if you know what I mean," replied Adagio.

" The way you say all of that makes it sound like this spell is rather limited," I said.

" Perhaps it does seem to be that way, but I believe that Farore's Wind is going to be essential to you because of your heroic experience, or lack thereof according to your own words you have spoken out to others. It costs the same amount of magic as it does to use Din's Fire, so be sure to keep that in mind. Now, to tell you of what is going on at the
castle as your curious mind wishes to know.

The one who seeks the golden power has already arrived, and his intentions are unknown to all aside from several people who struggle knowing that there is not much they can do. He is protected by the crown who in his own folly is blind to the truth, but things are about to happen which will change the lives of so many souls.

When this will occur remains to be seen for a dark power is blocking my vision, but it will come to pass despite your best efforts Sunset Shimmer. My advice to you would be to travel not to the castle, but to the desert which lies to the west of the kingdom," said Adagio.

" Why would I want to go there?" I asked.

" Someone is waiting for you in the desert, and wishes to fulfill a final request," replied Adagio.

" That doesn't make any sense," I said.

" This individual shall find you when you travel by the road which splits off towards the desert, and you will soon learn much about the world which has thus far eluded your perception. I am afraid that there is nothing more for me to say to you, so this is where you must go forth and figure out the rest on your own. When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," said Adagio. As she disappeared just like before, she had left me with many questions that lacked answers.

Ganondorf was at the castle which I figured was going to happen, but did she mean to say that the King of Hyrule is protecting him because of his status? The rest of what Adagio had to say felt really cryptic, and even Rarity wasn't sure of what to say. If only I had been given some kind of means of being able to see either into the future, or at least see what was happening in the castle at that exact moment. Something was indeed going to happen which was about to change everything.

" So the Ocarina of Time serves as the main key which is used to open this mysterious Door of Time? I find that to be rather fascinating your majesty although I cannot believe that a mere instrument has such power. Perhaps you might be deceiving me, and wanting to have a little bit of fun at my expense rather than giving me an honest answer?"

" What I speak of is true Ganondorf as the Ocarina of Time was a gift given unto the royal family by the ancient sages when they constructed the Temple of Time. They created the temple as a means of protecting the entrance to the Sacred Realm from any who was tempted to claim the Triforce for their own. The Door of Time cannot be opened by any means without the ocarina as well as three additional keys which were created to serve as an additional protective measure," replied the King.

" Three more keys? What kind of keys would those be?" asked Tirek.

" The ancient sages crafted three beautiful gems of emerald, ruby, and sapphire which they dubbed as spiritual stones which contained a powerful magic which coincided with the power contained in the Ocarina of Time. These stones act as the main keys and need to be placed on the Pedestal of Time inside of the temple, but the ancients feared that someone could easily acquire them if they were all together in one place.

Thus they scattered the stones by handing them over to the other tribes, and instructed them to guard them until the time had come when they were needed again. No one outside of the royal family is aware of what the spiritual stones do, so the tribes believe the stones to be artefacts of great value and nothing more," replied the King.

" It sounds to me that once these stones have served their purpose, they end up becoming gems that are worth a pretty penny. I'd say that the other tribes got it right in terms of them being deemed as valuable instead of magical," said Tirek.

" Yes, I suppose that you are right," laughed the King.

" One thing though still puzzles me your majesty, but I'm not sure if you happen to know the answer to it. I have heard rumours that the Ocarina of Time and the three spiritual stones are not the only keys needed to open up the Door of Time, and these rumours involved some other object.

I find such rumours to be humourous notions from people who possibly had nothing better to do than begin a false story about a place of fantasy where the Triforce is hidden. Even then, I find the existence of this Triforce to be highly unlikely as since when would the Great Goddesses desire to grant mere mortals an artefact of tremendous power? It all sounds superficial to me," said Tirek.

" Those rumours are true despite what you may think. There is indeed one final key which allows one to gain access to the Sacred Realm, yet it is the most unique key of all as it's one that can only be wielded by those who have a pure heart," said the King.

" Wielded? As in a weapon?" asked Tirek.

" A most magnificent blade which was forged long ago when the world was still young and teeming with the basics of life. It is known as the Master Sword, and was forged to combat evil and became recognized as the "Blade of Evil's Bane" as evil ones can never hold it. The ancient sages discovered this blade hidden within an ancient version of the temple, and determined that it would be ideal to serve as the final key to the Sacred Realm.

It is said that the entrance to the realm will only open to one of a pure heart when the time is deemed right, for the ancients hoped for someone of good would claim the Triforce. They feared that someone of an evil heart would attempt to use the golden power for their own sinister purposes, thus the need for this final measure. It is also said that the Master Sword chooses the one who is meant to wield, and if they aren't worthy, their spirit is to be sealed away in the Sacred Realm," replied the King.

" Do you believe that?" asked Tirek.

" It has happened once or twice throughout history as ancient texts do hint at such a thing. In any case, the Master Sword awaits one to hold it aloft, and open the way to the Triforce, but this has not happened for centuries, and I doubt that anyone has the desire to go about claiming it for themselves.

We live in a world of peace so wanting a divine relic serves no real purpose. Now you know about the secret of the royal family Ganondorf although much of it is mere rumour and fairy tales passed down through generations, so accuracy can be called into question," replied the King.

" And that is all I needed to hear," said Tirek as he pulled a hidden sword from a slot on the back of his armour which had been hidden behind his cape. He then lowered it down beside his leg so as to look as though nothing was amiss, but he was prepared to make his move.

The King in the meantime was completely unaware of what was going on behind him, and instead he proceeded over to the table where a fancy piece of paper was lying on top of it. He then took out a quill and dipped it into some ink, and beckoned his guest to come on over. Tirek simply smiled a false smile as he walked over. " I take it your majesty that this is what we are to sign in order to forge the alliance between our two tribes?"

" Why yes Ganondorf, for now I feel the time has come to finally take care of it and unite the kingdom," replied the King.

" Indeed the time has finally come, but not when it comes to this alliance of yours," said Tirek.

" Oh? Then what else?" asked the King.

" You have served your purpose to me by revealing the remaining secrets of the Temple of Time which had long eluded my reach, so now you are of no further use to me which means that you must die," replied Tirek. He suddenly rushed forward with immense speed and stabbed the King right through the chest with his sword using a lot of force.

" GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" yelled the King.

" Heh, you have proven to be such a naive man Hylian King, for your own precious daughter was able to see the one thing which had been blinded to you. Long did she suspect that my reason for coming here to Hyrule was to claim the Triforce for my own, and not to forge an alliance. You were so obsessed with wanting to unite all of the tribes under your banner, that you allowed it control your every thought until nothing else mattered to you.

That is why you were so easy to manipulate because everything revolved around your dream of uniting Hyrule, and the one person who could have saved you was instead dismissed by your hand all because she was trying to help you see the truth. Now, you lie here before me with a wound in your chest that is slowly killing you, and while I would gladly put an end to your misery, I will allow you die a slow painful death so that you may feel tormented as your life slips away," said Tirek.

" Ganondorf....you....you betrayed me," said the King in a weak voice.

" How could I have betrayed you when I did not sign that pathetic alliance of yours? As such you were merely dealt with by someone whose destiny is to reign supreme over this pathetic world. Zelda shall prove to be a much more tantalizing morsel to kill as her presence and suspicions did prevent me from acting much sooner, and her insistence on protecting the Ocarina of Time did prove to be cumbersome," said Tirek.

" No! Leave....my daughter....alone," said the King.

" Why should you be concerned for her when you have few precious moments of existence left? You shunned her because she wanted to expose my intentions, and know that you will never have the chance to make amends with her....in this world at the very least. Perhaps in the next one you might be forgiven, but I doubt that she would be willing to forgive you for causing her life to be cut so short," said Tirek.

" Zelda....my daughter....please forgive an....old man for not....seeing the truth much sooner....I am so sorry," said the King.

" Do you breathe still? You certainly are a stubborn one aren't you?" asked Tirek.

" You will not....get away with this treachery," replied the King.

" Is that your means of providing your final words as your spirit leaves you? How amusing you would waste your breath on such a trivial and predictable manner. While your intellect can be questioned for being oblivious and ignorant, the energy that you possess remains as strong as ever. I shall drain the power you have until your empty husk can give me no more, and then I shall do the same to the entirety of the royal guard.

Then, Zelda and the Shiekah shall become my victims as I drain them of their power once their lives have been snuffed out," said Tirek. The King attempted to speak another word, but he collapsed to the ground dead due to the wound being fatal. His crown fell off of his head and rolled in front of Tirek who proceeded to crush it under the weight of his foot. " And with that, the Royal Family of Hyrule has come to an end, and the reign of Ganondorf shall soon commence. Heh....heh....heh, heh, heh......ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!!!"

To Be Continued.

Chapter 15: The Gerudo named Derpy, and the Encroaching Darkness

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 7, 2014
Chapter 15: The Gerudo named Derpy, and the Encroaching Darkness.

" There is no need to be upset over how the Great Fairy described what you need to do next," said Rarity as she, Spike, and I left the fountain after hearing some of the most confusing rhetoric I've ever heard. " She has been giving cryptic clues to people for generations because it is how she prefers to do things. The Great Fairy feels that giving someone an easy time will not allow them to reach their true potential. I will be the first to admit that I was surprised as you were when she said that you were to go to Gerudo Valley in order to meet someone by the entrance."

" What's weird is that throughout my journey, I've never once asked anyone about that region of Hyrule as it didn't cross my mind. I've been travelling to every other part of the kingdom because I was following what people were telling me. I guess I haven't taken the time to do some self-exploring apart from those sidequests. This may sound like a weird question given that you are more of an expert when it comes to water, but do you know anything at all about the desert to the west?" I asked.

" Not much is really known as the Gerudo have never been forthcoming on that front," replied Rarity.

" But is there anything you know?" I asked.

" The Gerudo Valley technically is a part of the kingdom, but not officially due to the Gerudo not having an alliance with the King. It is said that this region experiences some rather harsh weather conditions that do not occur anywhere else, but most people believe that the Gerudo got adjusted to such patterns. Beyond the valley lies their keep which is called the Gerudo's Fortress, but very few have ever seen it and lived to tell the tale. Because of this, no one knows what lies beyond their fortress save for the Gerudo themselves," replied Rarity.

" It sounds like they are a tribe to be feared," I said.

" They pride themselves on being thieves and use a combination of speed and swordsmanship in order to get what they need. The fact that they are thieves is well known among the other tribes, and that is why we have trouble trusting them because we never know when we might get stabbed in the back," said Rarity.

" I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen if I end up having to enter this valley," I said.

" Just know that you must not show hostility towards them as they will view that as an excuse to declare an invasion. If you ask me, they are rather superstitious which will certainly do them no good in the foreseeable future. Well, this is where we must part ways Sunset Shimmer as I must return to my father, and you must make your way to Gerudo Valley.

Perhaps our paths will meet again one day, but for now I must say good-bye to you my friend," smiled Rarity. She then turned around and jumped into the water before swimming off at rapid speed leaving Spike and I to ponder over what to do next.

" We could just go back to the castle you and ignore going to Gerudo Valley as securing the Triforce is the most important thing," said Spike.

" That's true but the Great Fairy did say that someone was going to meet us there, and that it was vital to speak to them before returning to see the princess. She also said I would learn much more about this world than I already do. I know that time is against us right now, but I do need to look around in Hyrule Field in order to find that one girl who has a fascination with rabbits, so that I can sell this Bunny Hood which I'm surprised survived being inside of a giant fish for so long," I said.

" How did you know it was a rabbit interest?" asked Spike.

" Did you just seriously ask me that question?" I asked.

" Now who is being the smug one," laughed Spike.

" Back to the matter at hand here. I think it would be a good idea to visit Gerudo Valley as it might give us some depth as to the kind of place that Ganondorf grew up in throughout his entire life. Also, I'm curious as to what the place might be like as I've seen everything else in the kingdom except for it.

Plus, I need to speak to the second-in-command of the Gerudo as soon as possible as she also has Equestrian Magic inside of her. She's the only one left aside from Aria and Sonata who have the same magic that I do, and I need her to see the truth," I said.

" I knew you'd bring up your story of being from another world again," said Spike.

" It needs to be said to all three of them whether they want to accept it or not because I intend to tell them! There might actually be a fourth person I still need to talk to regarding the magic of Equestria, and it's probably the last person you would least expect. I need to speak to Ganondorf himself," I said.

" Are you insane!" exclaimed Spike.

" Back when I first saw him via looking through the window in the castle courtyard. There was something about him that felt very familiar to me as though he were from Equestria....not as a pony but rather some kind of mythical creature. My studies with Princess Celestia never focused on him because I left her side long before I was told anything about the more darker aspects of Equestrian history, but Ganondorf has to be from my world even though he may or may not be aware of it.

I know it sounds even crazier than my actual story, but I need to confront him about it in order to give myself some piece of mind. Then there is that name which kept on appearing in my head which didn't make any sense. Tirek....is that who Ganondorf was in Equestria? Tirek?" I asked.

" Why bring this up now all of a sudden?" asked Spike.

" After I talked to Princess Ruto about my story, this thing with Ganondorf just suddenly clicked in my head, and I was shocked that I never figured out the connection a lot sooner. It never dawned on me that he would be from Equestria, so I kept it at the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand. Now that I am beginning to understand a lot more than I used to, I need to go the extra mile and confirm it for myself.

So here is what we're going to do Spike. First, we'll take care of the Bunny Hood and hope that it's the last mask that I need to sell. Second, we'll find this person I have to meet and hopefully get a chance to explore Gerudo Valley. And third, we'll make our way over to Hyrule Castle in order to save the world," I replied.

" What do you suppose will happen when Hyrule has been saved?" asked Spike.

" My theory is that I will return to my own world when this is all said and done as I was told before this all started that I needed to overcome numerous challenges that would present themselves to me in order to change the fate of this world. I feel that there is much more to this than just simply preventing Ganondorf from succeeding. I don't know, but it feels like there's going to be a lot more to come," I replied.

With that settled, I began to swim back towards Zora's Domain in the hopes of getting back to Hyrule Field, but what I just said filled me with an uneasy feeling. What if stopping Ganondorf doesn't send me back home? What if there is another adventure for me to experience before I can safely be back in the human world? These questions would plague me for a while along with one that I wasn't about to forget. Were things still okay in the castle, or have gotten worse particularly after Ganondorf's arrival there?

" Your energy was succulent right down to the very last drop Hylian King." Tirek said to himself as he tossed the King's lifeless body to one side. The corpse had been drained of its magical energy as well as life energy leaving it nothing more than a zombified husk, and the Gerudo King felt satisfied that he was able to absorb the energy of a monarch. He then walked over to where the paper representing the alliance proposal was located, and he merely ripped it into pieces as a further means of insult.

" My power has grown stronger, but it is still not enough to sate my appetite for I need the power of the Triforce. I suppose that I will have to settle for some alternative energy sources in the name of the castle guard as they should be along here at any moment. No doubt that the scream of the King as my blade went through him was enough to attract the attention of the most prominent of the guards.

They do not yet realize that they are merely offering their lives to me in exchange for further increasing my power. Such is their lot in life to be used as nothing more than mere fodder in the name of the monarchy." Tirek then walked over to where he tossed the King's body and picked up again by holding it above his head as a means of showing off his authority, but that was when the doors of the throne room burst open and several guards entered lead by Shining Armour, the Captain of the Royal Guards who Tirek had hoped would be among those coming to investigate.

" We heard screams coming from in here, so we came to check on his majesty," said Shining Armour.

" Then I fear you are far too late, for your precious king has surely seen better days. In fact, here is all that remains of his lifeless husk having long since departed from this mortal coil, and his magical essence now serving a much greater purpose. To think that he never did figure out my true intentions until the very end when death finally came upon him....such a waste of a ruler like that who was ignorant of the truth that others tried to warn him about," said Tirek.

He then presented the King's body to the castle guard which shocked them to the very core before he tossed it aside again. The guards in response drew their weapons and moved closer to Tirek who merely laughed at them as though he wasn't afraid of their efforts.

" You murdered the King of Hyrule and desecrated his body in such a humiliating fashion, and here you are laughing about what you've done? I blame myself for the fate of his majesty as I should have acted a lot sooner which could have prevented this, but instead I will act without restraint as you shall be arrested for treason against the kingdom. Men, surround the King of the Gerudo, and make sure that he is not allowed to escape," said Shining Armour.

" Heh, such words from a little man who believes that he is able to carry out a pointless threat," laughed Tirek.

" You're surrounded Ganondorf, so come along quietly and don't try to resist, or we will have no choice but to resort to our weapons in order to stop you. In fact, I wouldn't mind it if you would resist as that would make this so much more enjoyable," said Shining Armour.

" It seems that you are just as blind as your pathetic king," said Tirek.

" What do you mean?" asked Shining Armour.

" Have you even begun to suspect just how powerful I really am? Surely you are aware of my immense magical powers and strength? As such the chances of any of you leaving here alive are remarkably slim. Shining Armour, I knew that you suspected me from the very beginning. Originally, I did plan on killing you just for spite, but now I have something else in mind that will be just as riveting. Of course, you will not like it in the least, but that matters not to me," replied Tirek.

" Quite the confidant one are we?" asked Shining Armour.

" My power is all too real to not be anything else," replied Tirek.

" That's the one thing about you Ganondorf that I see as a big weakness. You view yourself as being better than everyone else, and you allow it to swell up in your head until it gets too inflated. You called his majesty and myself blind to the truth, but the fact of the matter is that you yourself are blind! You may be as strong as you say you are, but someone is bound to prove you wrong by defeating you in battle," said Shining Armour.

" Heh, heh, heh, heh....my opinion of you has not changed in that you are able to see the inner workings of a man. Such a gift as that is sadly wasted on one who serves no purpose in the future I have envisioned for this land," said Tirek. He then picked up his sword from the table where he had left it, and it began to pulsate in a dark aura to indicate that was dead serious about being as strong as he said he was.

While the other castle guards stepped back in fear, Shining Armour remained determined to not be intimidated as he knew that would be a disgrace to the legacy of his fallen king. Tirek on the other hand laughed once again and lowered his sword which resulted in sighs of relief from the guards. " It seems that your men fear my strength as they were cowering behind you, and they are meant to protect the royal family? Ha! Zelda's life just became forfeit as a result of their actions!"

" Threatening the life of her highness will result in immediate death for you black-heart! I think I have a pretty good idea as to how you managed to get that sword past me earlier, but it won't do you any good as you are clearly outnumbered. Men, while he may be stronger than most, he is still just one man, and we are among the finest soldiers his majesty ever commanded.

We must honour our fallen liege by subduing the one who killed him so that he may be brought to justice," said Shining Armour. His words acted as a confidence boost which made the other guards move closer and surround Tirek who didn't make any effort to escape. Instead, he simply stood there with his head lowered down as though he were planning to surrender. What they didn't know was that he had used his magic to seal them inside of the throne room because he intended to make sure that none of them were going to be leaving there alive.

While making my way back to Hyrule Field after saying my farewells to King Zora who thanked me for what I had done in his own fashion, I made sure to stop by the Magic Bean Seller in order to buy the rest of his Magic Beans before anyone else could, but that was a silly way of thinking because no one else was going to come by. The rest of the beans he sold were priced at 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 rupees for the last one which felt like highway robbery considering the first one was just ten rupees, but he insisted that it was worth the purchase as I knew more about their potential than he did.

As I paid him for the beans and finding myself broke again, I cursed the fact that I even talked to him in the first place. Before I left him, I made sure to plant a bean in the soft soil that was nearby, and hoped that they would live up to my own expectations. By the time I finally reached Hyrule Field, the sun was getting close to settling for the night.

" All we have to do now is look for someone who is either running around at a brisk pace, or laying down somewhere for the night. Either way, we just have to hope Aria decided to come into the field tonight. I know it sounds rather trivial because we should be focusing on getting to Gerudo Valley, but I figure that running into her along the way will allow us to get two things done at the same time, and maybe even a third if Sonata is also in the area," I said.

" It does mean that we'll have to travel about the field at night, and you know what comes out at night seeing as we had to run all the way to the castle back when we started this journey in order to avoid it," said Spike.

" Right, the monsters that plague Hyrule Field," I said.

" We've been avoiding them all this time, but now it looks like we have to deal with them. Of course, I have no doubt that you can take care of them without even breaking a sweat since you've overcome so much. You know, there is always the option of using the Sun's Song in order to speed up the process. It's been a while since you last played it, and you could do with some more ocarina practice as you haven't touched it since we left Death Mountain," said Spike.

" Remember what happened the last time I played the Sun's Song?" I asked.

" All you did was turn the night into day in a matter of seconds," replied Spike.

" Yes, and threw the sleep cycle of the entire kingdom out of whack in the process. I'm surprised that they didn't end up experiencing sleep deficiency because of my curious nature, so I don't think I'll be playing that song again until I feel it's absolutely necessary. I have indeed come a long way since the beginning where all I wanted to do was avoid trouble due to not really knowing what was going on, but it's been over a week now, and I'm amazed at how much I've learned and done in such a short period as that.

Anyway, we might as well start to make our way to Gerudo Valley and pray that she finds us, or we find her before we find this person we're supposed to meet. Just because I'm curious, what was the monster that comes out at night?" I asked.

" They are called Stalchild, and they can be described as child-like walking skeletons who attack using their claws to inflict damage. They can even fight without their heads although their aim becomes next to nothing when that happens. Stalchildren aren't very threatening by themselves and are easy enough to defeat, but they can swarm you when you least expect them to, and that's when the problems begin to pile up," replied Spike.

" If they are that easy to defeat them apart from when they are in a large group, then we didn't need to avoid the field like we did," I said as I blushed. If anything, such easy monsters could have given me some experience which would have made more recent situations easier to handle. You couldn't blame me for wanting to run away as I was unfamiliar with this world, but a week can certainly make you get used to it awful quick. Still, it was embarrassing that I was afraid of little walking skeletons who probably have trouble keeping up with potential prey especially if it was fast enough.

The sun soon set which in turn allowed the moon to begin its phase of the sky, and I'll admit that there was a certain magical feeling associated with seeing Hyrule Field at night. As I walked past the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch, I looked over at the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town, and things looked like normal which was pleasant. " We'll probably arrive at the entrance to Gerudo Valley in about an hour, so we might as well take our time walking there in order to bask in the chill of the night sky."

" You're going to Gerudo Valley? That's probably the worst idea I've heard in a long time."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted due to being scared witless yet again, but how was I not able to notice the young girl resting near the tree by the ranch? I probably made myself out to be the biggest dork in all of Hyrule because of that blunder. When I took a closer look at the girl, it was none other than Aria Blaze, the third and final member of the Dazzlings although I'm surprised that it took this long to find her. She was wearing a white shirt, white shorts, and sandals, and looked as though she had been running a great deal given that she was sweating all over.

" Nice clothes there kid! You must be some kind of forest fairy or something with a get-up like that," said Aria. And there was the other aspect of her personality which made Aria the girl that she was. She was always in a negative mood for reasons known only to her, but I hear that people refer to those with this kind of attitude as being emo. A part of me was glad to finally see her here in Hyrule, but then another part made me realize just how difficult and disagreeable she can be.

" You're the first person aside from me who decided to travel across the field at night, but everyone else is afraid because of how monsters keep coming up and attacking them until morning. Those people are lame all because they fear some walking bags of bones! Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. People call me the Running Woman because I challenge everyone I meet to a race be they man or beast."

" That isn't your real name though is it?" I asked.

" My actual name is Aria Blaze, but I don't like people calling me that. When you challenge me to a race anywhere in Hyrule, be prepared to lose as the Running Woman will beat you no matter how good you think you are. You're actually pretty lucky tonight kid as you caught me doing one of my casual jogs, and I was in the mood to talk to anyone who would be willing to listen," replied Aria.

" What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

" Now you're full of surprises aren't you? Most people just want me to talk about how they feel, and that gets pretty boring as all they ever talk about are boring things which make me want to fall asleep. Only a few ever ask me what I want to talk about because they think that all I care about is winning and beating my opponents in a race.

There's something about you which makes me want to talk about a more private matter, but don't think that this makes us friends or anything. It's just that you remind me of someone who had to go through a lot of hardship, and I kind of feel that way myself," replied Aria.

" I'll keep those words in mind," I said.

" A long time ago before this kingdom even existed, there used to be rabbits which lived in Hyrule Field. They were such majestic creatures able to run at fast speeds with the wind blowing their ears about, but due to over excessive hunting, it became extinct. Rabbits were completely innocent, yet people hunted them down for food, sport, or things I don't even want to imagine.

You might not believe what I have to say next, but don't you dare laugh unless you want me to give you a real kick in the teeth as I can do that. I've always imagined what it would be like to become a rabbit, and be able to bolt around the field with those floppy ears. Even though I'd only be pretending, it would actually make me feel happy," said Aria.

" That's actually quite a beautiful thing you said there," I smiled.

" You're not laughing at me?" asked Aria.

" Why would I want to laugh at someone who has such a creative dream?" I asked.

" Huh, I never thought anyone would ever think of my dream as anything but creative. Most people have laughed and called me pathetic for wanting to have fun pretending to be an extinct creature, and others just mumble under their breath about how pitiful I look," replied Aria.

" I know what it's like to be on the receiving end of being tormented as well as being the one doing the tormenting. I've had a troubled past where I used to be horrible to everyone all for the sake of being popular, but then I was given a second chance and began to realize how it felt to be picked on by those who didn't know what to think of you. I think I have just the thing you're looking for Running Woman on my person, so just let me take it out and try it on to see if you get the right kind of reaction," I said.

I pulled out the Bunny Hood from a small pouch around my belt, and put it on which made me feel a little silly, but mostly cute because I wanted to make a good impression. Upon seeing the hood, her reaction was the kind I was expecting to see.

" Those ears look so authentic and real as I can see them blowing about in the wind of the night. Oh! These are truly the genuine ears of the rabbit of legend, and I can tell you got them from the Happy Mask Saleswoman as no one else in the kingdom has masks of any kind except for her. I don't care how much that Bunny Hood costs, I'll pay you whatever you want for it," said Aria.

" It does cost 50 rupees," I said.

" I told you that I don't care how much it costs! Here, I'll give you 500 rupees for it and I won't take no for an answer," said Aria.

" You're giving me....500....rupees?" I stuttered because that was more money I have earned in an entire moment which would take me a couple of hours to obtain in this world, and about an eternity to obtain back in the human world. If I ever wanted to earn a huge profit, Aria pretty much gave it to me without even a second thought, and Sonata only needs to be paid 50 of these 500 rupees which means I have a lot of spending money for the foreseeable future. As soon as I received the last of this ridiculous payment, I handed the Bunny Hood over to Aria who immediately put it onto her head, and it looked really cute on her if I had to be honest.

" At long last! The actress, stage, and prop have all been united, and I've never felt happier in my entire life. You said that you were going to Gerudo Valley in order to meet someone there? That place is dangerous as the Gerudo are people you shouldn't mess with unless you have a pretty good reason. Since you sold me this fantastic mask, I'm going to come with you to the valley in order to back you up," said Aria.

" You'd do that for me?" I asked.

" A while back, one of them challenged me to a race from their fortress all the way to the top of Death Mountain. It was a pretty close race and even now we still don't know which of us was the victor, but that woman earned much more than my respect. We became friends which is why I'm allowed to traverse their territory whenever I want. Her name was Nabooru and she is the second-in-command of the Gerudo," replied Aria.

" You know of her?" I asked.

" I take it that you have some business with her then?" asked Aria.

" There is something that I need to speak to her about as soon as possible in addition to seeing this other person," I replied.

" In that case, I'll see what I can do with regards to getting you a free moment to converse with Nabooru. I can't promise you any kind of success kid as she is a busy woman, and the Gerudo are seen as not being native to Hyrule because of a lack of a formal representation in the eyes of the rest of the kingdom," said Aria. I certainly wasn't expecting Aria of all people to tag along on the journey, but perhaps her assistance will help me get a moment with Rainbow Dash in order to explain my story.

I also need to explain it to both her and Sonata despite them being my enemies back in the human world. A short while later, Aria and I were walking near what appeared to be the start of a mountainous range, and we noticed a young girl pacing about back and forth, and dropping her spear every now and again.

There was something about her behaviour that struck me as familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. When she noticed us walking towards her, she immediately ran to greet us only to trip at the last moment and smacking her face into the ground.

" Ouch! That always seems to happen whenever I run to meet new people."

" Are you alright?" I asked.

" I'm fine as this happens to me a lot. The exalted Nabooru often says that I need to focus more otherwise I'll just keep on falling over, but she doesn't like being referred to as exalted. My name is Derpy although I'm not sure why people call me that. Some say that it has to do with my eyes being strange with one looking up, and the other looking down.

Others say that it has to do with the fact that I cause a disaster wherever I go. It's not my actual name, but most call me that so I came to accept it." Derpy then managed to get back onto her feet where she freaked out upon seeing my face. " It's you! The forest girl that Nabooru and I ran into back in Hyrule Castle Town!"

" Huh? I remember you now! You were that one girl who broke that one merchant's wares," I said.

" I was afraid that you weren't going to come to the entrance of Gerudo Valley, and that would have meant going back to the fortress and waiting for the return of Nabooru which might not happen if she plans on going through with her one-woman crusade," said Derpy.

" What are you talking about? Where is Rainbow Dash?" I asked.

" Rainbow Dash? No, the exalted Nabooru has never been called that name before, but many of the other Gerudo have called her Dashie because of her lightning reflexes and sharp wit. Now what was I going to say next? Oh yeah! If you came here looking for Nabooru, then I'm afraid that you have missed your chance as she is probably at the temple in the desert preparing to cause trouble for the two who dwell within there," replied Derpy.

" Why in Equestria would she go and do something as idiotic as that?" I asked.

" That temple was originally discovered by Nabooru and she used it as a base of operations where she could go in order to be alone with her thoughts. One day, she was driven from it by two witches who raised the great Ganondorf when he was just a baby, and they have been living there since then. It's sad that those two old women have to live in such a musty temple by themselves all the time, but maybe they like being surrounded by ancient history.

Nabooru did manage to steal something from them before she fled, and I was supposed to do something with it, but my mind is drawing a blank right now. Anyway, when she discovered that the great Ganondorf was using the temple as a place to store all of the treasures he has stolen over the years, Nabooru went there in order to steal it all and mess up his plans," replied Derpy.

" You said some things just now that I want to clarify," I said.

" Clarify? I don't know what you mean," said Derpy.

" It means go into more detail," I said.

" Then why didn't you say that instead of that other word?" asked Derpy.

" Ugh! Let's just get to my questions okay? First of all, you said that Ganondorf was raised by two witches," I replied.

" After he was born, the mother of the great Ganondorf died of an illness when he was about three, and those two Gerudo seniors decided to raise him as their own child by teaching him many wicked things. They raised him to use dark magic, to display remorseless acts of cruelty, and view everyone and everything as a tool for him to use however he saw fit.

Their teachings drove him to want to become the strongest man in the kingdom, and that is when he learned about the golden triumph forks in the books of his library....did I just say triumph forks? I never meant to say triumph forks. I meant to say the Triforce. The rest of us found it weird that he had two mothers who wanted the very best for him, but maybe he was just being moulded to become a conqueror for their sake," replied Derpy.

" And this temple?" I asked.

" No one knows who built the temple out in the desert, or what purpose it has, but it does make for an interesting location where history comes to life, and it is a perfect place to seek shelter when the cold winds of the night blow. It really is an interesting place to visit, and it makes me wish that I could see for myself, but crossing the desert is almost impossible unless you have a really courageous spirit inside of you.

Those cold winds really are uncomfortable when they breeze throughout our homes in the fortress, and many of us have succumbed to its sinister chill which always did bother the great Ganondorf. Despite his evil nature, he always placed his people's well-being in his heart because he felt jealous that the rest of Hyrule languishes in beautiful fields, and adequate climate whereas the Gerudo had nothing but sand and stone along with the winds. I think that he is just mis-understood as he has always been kind to me along with Nabooru as they both know how unique I am," replied Derpy.

She had been twirling about her spear while she had been talking, but she ended up dropping it on the ground where it snapped into two pieces. What had me shocked was everything she had been saying about Ganondorf in that he was a kind ruler of his people despite his intentions, and that he was raised to become who he is now.

Maybe there was a side to him that ended up getting lost on the way when his mother's convinced him to steer down the path of conquest. Maybe she knew some other information as well, but I had best not test my luck otherwise she might not want to say anything, so one more question is what I decided to go with.

" Okay, my last question for you has to do with Nabooru. You said that she is the second-in-command of the Gerudo, yet she is going to attempt to ruin the plans of her king by visiting some temple in the desert? Why would she betray Ganondorf in the first place?" I asked.

Now that I think about it, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing given that anyone who tries to stop him is okay in my book. If only Rainbow Dash were the one speaking to me instead of this Derpy as the way she speaks switches between coherent thought, and sheer nonsense which is making it difficult for me to understand her.

" Nabooru has been the second-in-command of the Gerudo for a few years now having replaced the previous one who fell out of favour with the great Ganondorf. She used her position as a means of instilling some kind of sense into the ranks of her kinsmen. The Gerudo are thieves by nature because we need to steal in order to survive, but our great king wanted us to resort to killing those that we steal from as a means of making an example of any who would get in our way.

The exalted Nabooru feels that his leadership has corrupted us, so she attempted to set us back on a path of nobility, but then she learned of his plans to conquer Hyrule and rule over it with an iron fist," replied Derpy. Gasp! This was it! The very reason why Ganondorf wanted to conquer Hyrule was about to be revealed to me, but that was when Derpy began to scratch her head as though she was confused about something which meant she might have forgotten about it. " Now how did that go again?"

" Don't tell me you forgot!" I shouted.

" Nope, I remember how the story goes," said Derpy.

" You were named well," I moaned.

" The great Ganondorf has been under the belief that the Royal Family of Hyrule are incapable of ruling over a kingdom because they don't believe in relying on strength to govern accordingly, and instead prefer to lead with their hearts. He also believed that the Gerudo were always being shunned and treated like outcasts due to having to resort to questionable tactics just to survive.

His vision of a kingdom ruled under him would allow his own tribe to finally benefit while the other tribes suffer as a means of retribution towards how we were treated. Nabooru was the only one who felt that Ganondorf had gone too far, and that he had become blinded by power as a result of the influence his surrogate mothers gave him throughout his life. While she is my superior whom I respect, Nabooru shouldn't have tried to oppose the will of the great Ganondorf as now the entirety of the tribe have turned against her, but I still remain loyal as she's always been nice to me," said Derpy.

" So that explains it," I said.

" Both Nabooru and Ganondorf have been so good to me while everyone else has treated me as being the lowest among the Gerudo with regards to our status as individuals in the tribe, so it is difficult for me to choose one over the other, but I would probably stick with Nabooru as she talked to me more often and views me as a friend. As for the great Ganondorf, he just sees me as someone who needs to be looked after which is why he never lets me go out on my own, and if I have to then someone has to be with me at all times.

Without either of them around now....I'm all alone which is how it's been for much of my life," said Derpy. Hearing her say that made me feel really sorry for her because she was alone given that the rest of the Gerudo view her with such discontent. Just as I was about to give her some ideal comfort, Aria decided to speak up due to having gotten fed up with all of the talking Derpy and I had been doing.

" Okay! Enough with the sob story already! Can we please get on with the reason that you wanted to see....ummmm....what was your name again?" asked Aria.

" In all the excitement, I completely forgot to introduce myself, so let me do that right now. My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" That's an interesting name, and one that sounds very familiar to me like I knew you from another world or something. Whatever! It's a lame idea to assume that there is some kind of alternate universe that exists out there. Anyway, I'm sorry if what I said sounded harsh, but you said that you needed to speak to Sunset Shimmer about something," said Aria.

" Yes! Nabooru wanted me to give you this which she was able to obtain when she was forced to abandon the temple. What I have here is a special ring that is filled with good magic, but it is a magic that just doesn't activate whenever you want to use it for anything. The only way to tap into the power of this ring is to have an abundance of some kind of special something which comes from the heart," said Derpy.

" Did that sound cryptic to you?" asked Aria.

" I was hoping that it wasn't going to be that as I've had more than enough cryptic clues to last me a lifetime, but I suppose that I'll figure it out on my own eventually which seems to be a growing trend as of late. Thank you for giving me this ring Derpy, and know that I will cherish it. Just let me put it onto my finger like so, and I'll be sure to know that's on my person.

I've got to admit that the engravings on it are impressive to say the least, and the gem inlaid in the centre sparkles with immense beauty. Ummmm....Derpy was it? Aria and I are going to be entering the Gerudo Valley as there is something there we need to take care of, but perhaps you would like to come along with us?" I asked.

" Nabooru's final orders have not yet been fulfilled as giving you that ring wasn't my only command to complete. Once I was to give you that ring, I was told to seek asylum in one of the other tribes because she believed that I should no longer live with the other Gerudo because of how they treat me, and because of the great Ganondorf's desire to rule the world.

As such, I am not able to accompany you into the valley not only because of fulfilling the final part of Nabooru's orders, but also because I want to flee from here before things end up getting out of hand," replied Derpy.

" I don't blame you for wanting to leave the Gerudo," said Aria.

" I'm glad that you understand," said Derpy.

" Aside from Nabooru, the rest of them thieves save for yourself always had issues which makes them hard to deal with. Like I said Sunset Shimmer, I'll be able to give you access to it unless they're under some kind of lockdown or something in which case you won't be getting all that far," said Aria.

That was when we both noticed that Derpy had in fact disappeared during Aria's little rant of sorts, and I wondered where she had gotten off to without even saying goodbye, but then Aria noticed her all the way at the top of a nearby hill waving to us in a crazy fashion. " That Derpy pretty much had the right idea in that she just wanted to leave and not look back, but she could have at least said goodbye or something instead of just giving off a weird wave."

" Goodbye!!!!" shouted Derpy.

" And there it is," sighed Aria.

" Before I forget about it, I wouldn't visit Gerudo Valley right now because no one is allowed to enter or leave the fortress under the orders of the great Ganondorf, and anyone who defies his command is to be punished via an immediate execution. It sounds harsh I know, but his word is law, and all Gerudo must obey his law....which doesn't explain why I'm defying him by choosing to leave, but Nabooru insisted I do this so I'm sure it will be okay.

Anyway, I wouldn't travel to the valley if I were you as you won't find Nabooru there, and you might end up getting into some serious trouble. Good-bye again!" shouted Derpy as she turned around and walked off disappearing in the process.

Even though that was the second time she mentioned that Rainbow Dash wasn't going to be there, I really wanted to check out Gerudo Valley because my curiosity was too strong for me to say no to exploring a new location. I turned to face Aria in the hopes that she would help me get into the fortress beyond, but I noticed that she was also starting to walk away, and I ran after her in order to stop her from leaving.

" And where are you going?" I asked.

" There's no point entering Gerudo Valley if the fortress is under a lockdown which would be a waste of time. If Derpy hadn't gone and mentioned it, we'd probably be walking into some kind of trap, and I'm not about to do anything of the sort. Sorry for not being as helpful as I said I would be kid, but I've got to get back to doing what I love doing," replied Aria.

" It's getting close to the middle of the night, so shouldn't you be getting some sleep? Come to think of it, I could do with some sleep myself as I suspect that I have a big day tomorrow," I said.

" You seriously want to sleep out here in Hyrule Field with those monsters that attack?" asked Aria.

" So far, I haven't seen any sign of them which makes me think that it was just a story to get people to not traverse the field at night," I replied.

" I can't believe that you just said that Sunset Shimmer, and you are supposed to be some kind of adventurer what with that get-up and those weapons. Of course there are monsters that come out at night as it's been that way for at least the last year due to some evil presence covering the land in darkness. If you don't believe me, why not turn around right now, and see if you can prove me wrong," said Aria. I decided to do as she said in order to prove my point, but it looked like she was going to prove hers to be true as coming towards us were a large number of Stalchild.

How did they manage to sneak up on me without my knowing about it? There must have been at least several dozen with more of them rising up from the ground. Spike did warn me that they were strong when it came to their numbers, so it looks like I was going to have a midnight fight on my hands, and somehow protect Aria from them.

" Gasp! Gasp!"

" You are the only one left among the castle guard Shining Armour, and the rest of them lie dead after being felled in one strike. They were supposed to be the finest that your late king relied on to protect him? No wonder they were so easy to cast aside for they failed in their duty to save him and to stop me. I will admit that you surviving my blade did catch me by surprise for I was certain that you would fall just like the others, but it seems that you are stronger than the average Hylian....a trait which both blesses and curses you," said Tirek.

" Why not just kill me if you think me as being stronger than most?" asked Shining Armour.

" Because I want you to live with the conscious of seeing your own men slaughtered to be burned into your memory for the rest of your days. Their deaths are on your hands and it wouldn't surprise me if they were to haunt you for leading them to a horrific end. Of course, I intend to make this even more unbearable for you as I will absorb the energy of their dead bodies in order to become even stronger than I am now. While their energy is pitiful at best, why allow it to go to waste when it can serve a grander purpose?" asked Tirek.

" Why do you desire the Triforce so much? A power such as that is far too much for any mere mortal to possess. You could end up like all of the others who tried to wield the power of the goddesses, and become nothing more than a mindless monster bent on destruction from being consumed by power," said Shining Armour.

" This world needs a ruler who possesses the strength to command all that he surveys, and the golden power of the Great Goddesses should prove to be satisfying enough for me to fulfill that task. Power is the driving force that most people believe in whether they will admit it or not, and that is what enables me to continue....my hunger for power can never be quenched until I have the Triforce in my hands," said Tirek.

" Then you're a lost cause," sighed Shining Armour.

" Is that what you are reduced to saying after having lost all of your men, and barely breathing with your life after withstanding my blade? This kingdom was lost when the royal family chose to become weak by relying on simple treaties rather than using power in order to subjugate the other tribes into submission.

To secure my dominion of course, the rest of the royal family needs to die, and that is why your precious Zelda is next on my list as she has defied me once too often," said Tirek. Hearing him threaten the princess ignited a spark inside of Shining Armour, and it prompted him to charge at Tirek and strike him through the chest as hard as he could.

" So long as I still draw breath, you will never harm Princess Zelda!" shouted Shining Armour.

" GAHHHHHHHH!!!!" Tirek reeled back in slight pain and clutched his chest where the blade went through, but because he was wearing heavy armour, the wound wasn't as serious as it appeared, and his already immense stamina ensured that the wound barely did a thing to him other than give him a slight irritation.

Shining Armour looked confidant believing that he had dealt Tirek a mortal blow, but the Gerudo king merely laughed as he grabbed Shining Armour's sword, and pulled it out of his chest before breaking it in two with his own hand. " Now that was something most unexpected, and you certainly caught me by surprise, but your effort was wasted for as you can see, your attack did little to me other than prove that I underestimated your strength.

It is my turn to strike back at you, and that fear in your eyes shows that you now wish that you had stood down rather than attempt to kill me. Your rashness will become your undoing...." Tirek then raised his hand in front of Shining Armour, and blasted him with dark magic that caused the captain to go smashing through a window and dropping to the ground several hundred meters below before crashing into the ground with a thud.

" Whether he survived that or not means nothing to me as now all that remains is to find Zelda, kill her, and take the Ocarina of Time." He then proceeded to make his way towards Zelda's room where upon he smashed the door down to discover that the princess wasn't there. " Hmmmm? She's gone?

Heh, it seems that the Shiekah has more tricks up her sleeve than I originally suspected, and she has taken Zelda to another part of the castle. Most clever of you, but just how long do you think you can hide before I find you?" Tirek's suspicions were correct as Applejack had indeed relocated Twilight to another part of the castle as
a safety precaution.

" This is an area of the castle that only the royal family and their close attendants are aware of your highness. We can remain here, but it will not be a permanent solution for I have no doubt that Ganondorf is going to find this place eventually," said Applejack.

" Why did you insist on bringing me here?" asked Twilight.

" I sensed that your life was in danger your highness, and as your attendant, my sworn duty is to protect you at all costs even if it means my own life becomes forfeit. I am not sure what has happened to your father, or to the royal guards, but Ganondorf has already shown his true intentions and means to find you in the hopes of acquiring the treasure you hold in your hands," replied Applejack.

" The Ocarina of Time....I had hoped that Sunset Shimmer would have returned to the castle this night in order to open the Door of Time, but it seems that she is not going to make it, and my father's well-being is unknown to me. If I had just decided to stay at their meeting and waited for the right opportunity, I could have exposed Ganondorf's intentions, and proved them to my father. Impa, it seems that I have made a grave mistake by not being more assertive when it came to my visions," said Twilight.

" Do not blame yourself for events which are beyond your means to control. Your father may still be alive your highness as Ganondorf may choose to keep him around as a means of a bargaining tool. It pains me to even think of the king as such, but right now he is safe where he is just as we are safe where we are. While it is true that I would have been more at ease had Sunset Shimmer returned by now, she still has a chance to make it and prevent Hyrule from plunging into darkness.

We must keep Ganondorf occupied for as long as possible until she appears with the three spiritual stones. However, should the situation worsen, then I will have no choice but to take you from the castle and ensure that you remain out of his reach via enacting the plan," said Applejack.

" Without the treasure of the royal family, the spiritual stones are useless, so we must make sure that she receives the Ocarina of Time and learns the song that is needed to open the Door of Time. I am unsure if I will be able to get the chance to speak to her directly as that depends on the actions of Ganondorf, but I will use some of my magic in order to place a vision into the instrument that will occur when her hands touch it.

Sunset Shimmer needs that song as no other melody will open the door. I pray that we will be able to survive this night if we are to ensure her success, for tomorrow is going to be the most important day in the history of Hyrule," said Twilight.

" And it will be her actions tomorrow that will determine its fate as well as her own," added Applejack.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 16: The Fate of Sunset Shimmer

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 10, 2014
Chapter 16: The Fate of Sunset Shimmer.

As the Stalchildren approached in their sluggish manner, I began to think about what to use in order to clear them all out as fast as possible. I could use my regular magic, and pick them all off in several groups, but that would take a lot out of me, and more were coming up from the ground. Din's Fire would ensure that I destroy a large group all at once, but it takes time to cast, and that would leave me vulnerable. With my mind being wracked thinking about how to handle the situation, it looked as though Aria had decided to take matters into her own hands. By the time I realized what she was doing, I discovered that she had taken the fight to the Stalchildren by punching and kicking them into submission.

" Hey! Are you going to just stand there gazing off at who knows what? Or are you going to do that hero thing and help me take care of this?" asked Aria.

" Oh, right!" I answered with a bewildered look on my face. It felt weird that I was helping one of my enemies from the human world, but I had to remember that this was a different place, thus things weren't the same. What was also strange was Aria acted like that she had done this before as she spent a few moments dealing with one group of Stalchildren before moving onto the next one and repeating the process.

It took me a few moments to catch up with her while doing my share of the fighting, and when she noticed me doing something, she gave me a smile, or maybe it was a smirk, and came over to me where we had our backs to one another. " Since when are you capable of using skills like that? I always assumed that you just loved to run as a means of getting into shape to defeat those who challenge you."

" Running only does good for my legs and heart kid, and I need to make sure that my entire body is in tip-top shape when someone wants to race me. That's why I train my arms, torso, and head by relying on hand-to-hand combat so that the rest of me can keep up. No point in focusing on just a couple of things and ignore everything else right? Despite their gross factor, Stalchildren make the perfect training partners which is why I come out here at night every so often, and fight off as many of them as possible until the sun comes up," said Aria.

" You fight them all night? Doesn't that tire you out?" I asked.

" When I first started to do this training regiment, it did tire me out because I wanted to do too much all at once, and that overloaded me after a while. Once I realized how lame I was acting, I took it a lot slower until I was able to reach the fast results naturally, and I've been running with it since. It's been about two months now since I began training the rest of my body, and in case you were wondering kid, it was my race against Nabooru that made me realize that I needed to train all aspects of myself and not what I deemed to be important," replied Aria.

" That's amazing," I said. The two of us continued to fight against the Stalchildren using our preferred methods of attack, but I was beginning to struggle due to the overwhelming numbers whereas Aria was having no problem at all. It felt like this fight was lasting forever as the moon was still moving across the sky, and the Stalchildren were showing no signs of slowing down. When a few larger ones came out of the ground, I began to freak out a little and that prompted me to use my magic in a way I wasn't prepared for.

My reaction caused my magic to go erratic which did destroy a large number of monsters, but it also backfired the other way, and Aria had to dodge it or else she would have been hit. Luckily, I was able to quickly get it and myself back under control where I blushed bright pink. " I am so sorry that you almost got hit by my magic because of my inexperience in dealing with a horde of monsters. While I do pride myself as being very good in the magical arts, it looks like I still have a long way to go before I can be considered good in the eyes of others."

" Don't put yourself down so much kid! You just reacted in a way that made you upset, and your magic responded in kind. I avoided your crazy shenanigans without breaking a sweat didn't I? Now get your head on straight, and help me deal with them until the sun comes up which shouldn't be too long from now," said Aria. Who would have thought that I'd be getting words of encouragement from a siren?

Hyrule certainly does bring out the best in people especially if they were the worst back home, but I won't hold it against her as that would just be unfair, and she probably would have no idea as to what I'd be talking about. Aria and I continued with our struggle until the moon finally started to go down, and the sun was beginning to rise. Once the sun barely peaked out of the horizon to signal the start of a new day, the Stalchildren returned underground which meant that the ordeal was finally over.

That explains why they come out only at night as they can't stand the sunlight, and that reminded me of those zombie-like monsters I encountered in the Royal Family's Tomb. They must be vulnerable to the light of the sun as well as those spirits did mention it. I wonder if all undead monsters were like this, or that it was just exclusive to specific types. I had this feeling that my theory was going to be put to the test someday in the future, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

" Now that was what I would call brutal," I said.

" Really? To me that was nothing more than a brisk nap, but I suppose I do see it from your perspective given that you're not used to dealing with large numbers of monsters on a regular basis. Still, you did pretty good there kid despite the slight hiccup that you had earlier. You know, I'm surprised that you even know how to use magic as it's a skill that isn't seen all that much around Hyrule. It's usually in the hands of sorcerers and witches who use it for who knows what, but you're an adventurer who goes around saving those who are in need," said Aria.

" Well, I had a pretty good teacher," I blushed.

" You must have if you are able to use magic at your age as in Hyrule, it takes decades to be that good with it given the sorcerers and witches are pretty up there in years. So you must be some kind of child prodigy if you can sling spells around like it was nothing. What's your secret?" asked Aria.

" I wouldn't say it was a secret, but more like a story," I replied.

" Not sure why, but all of a sudden I feel like I've known you from somewhere before. I feel as though you and I once existed in another world where you were struggling to fit in, and I was being all negative and unconcerned with everything around me as usual, but also wanting to do something with others who were like me, yet different as they had their own unique personalities. I don't know what that something was, but it probably wasn't anything important which may be why I can't remember it off the top of my head. Ha! Just listen to me spewing about some nonsense just because you remind me of something that isn't true," said Aria.

" Actually, that's the Equestrian Magic inside of you reacting to my presence," I said.

" Come again?" asked Aria.

" Those thoughts that you described are the result of the Equestrian Magic struggling to overcome the memories you have in this world, and it's causing you to question me and your very existence. You, Sonata the Happy Mask Saleswoman, and several others all share the same thing in that you all experience these memories of another world which are hazy to you at best. The truth is that we're all from a world much different than this one, and we were all sent here by an evil force all because it wanted me to suffer and succeed in changing the fate of this land," I replied.

" Do you expect me to believe that?" asked Aria.

" No, and that has been the case with everyone else I've talked to who has the inner magic that I do. You can choose to believe my words, or deny them and consider me crazy, but these images in your mind will continue to haunt you until you accept the truth for what it is. Since it's now morning, you should be resuming your running although with that Bunny Hood on, I'm sure that you can run even faster than you normally could, so consider that to be an extension of your skills," I replied.

" Wait a minute! You're just going to leave me to figure out whether these thoughts are real or not?" asked Aria.

" That's been my approach every other time as I quickly found out that trying to enforce what I feel is right isn't the way to handle the situation. If you and everyone else manages to come to the right conclusion, then that will make me very happy knowing that you accepted the truth. If not, then while I would be upset, I wouldn't let it get to me as you probably had a good reason for not believing me, and most likely the memories you have of this world are too strong to ignore. I'm just glad that I managed to talk to you about this Running Woman, or would you prefer me to call you Aria now?" I asked.

" I don't mind you calling me by my real name kid," replied Aria.

" I'm glad you think so as calling you Running Woman does sound really awkward," I said.

" It's a title most people associate me with as they usually don't need to know my real name. Anyway, that's not the point so don't try to change the subject! You just told me something that has literally shattered the perception I have of my own existence, and you are just going to leave me to ponder over it just because you don't want to be a burden? I don't know if I should pity you, or see you as nothing more than a jerk for taking such a stupid stance like that. Everyone you've said this story to including me is going to feel deeply annoyed after a while all because it hasn't sunken in yet, and did you honestly not even realize it?" asked Aria.

" No, not really," I replied.

" Just because you think we can figure it out doesn't mean we will as what are we supposed to be looking for? When you see the other people you've spoken to someday in the future, be sure to help them along the way otherwise they could resent you for it. As for me, well, let's just say that you helped out in a specific way and leave it at that. You said that you needed to speak to both Nabooru and the Happy Mask Saleswoman right? Nabooru is out because you already know where she is, and getting there is going to be impossible what with the Gerudo's Fortress being under some kind of strict lockdown," said Aria.

" And that leaves Sonata. I'll just have to hope that I can run into her before I make my way back to Hyrule Castle, and explain the same thing to her," I said.

" You certainly are a strange kid that's for sure, but I suppose that I could take your wild story as being true as you did sound rather convincing. Whatever! I'll figure it all out later as right now I've got some running to do before my next challenger shows up which could be at any time. Hey! Sunset Shimmer was it? Maybe we'll meet again one day, and if you want, you can challenge me to a race. I'll most likely beat you because no one has ever beaten me, but you can give it your best shot just to see how well you stack up. Later!" said Aria, and then she took off like a rocket running at an insane speed which looked more like bounding along rather than simply running fast.

That Bunny Hood has certainly improved her overall outlook on life, but whether she will accept the truth remains to be seen. In any case, only two more people left to explain the same story to, but in the meantime I decided to begin the long trek back to Hyrule Castle where my fate is to be determined. It felt rather ominous knowing that so much was riding on my shoulders, but I somehow was given this responsibility despite the fact that I wish that it didn't have so much pressure applied to it. As soon as Aria was completely out of sight, I decided to turn around and head towards town, but I found that I wasn't quite done in this part of Hyrule Field just yet.

" That was certainly an interesting story you told the Running Woman."

" WAAAAH!" Once again, I ended up getting scared out of my wits by Sonata Dusk all because she was standing there as I turned around. Was she stalking me or something, or was I just ending up in the same place that she was traveling? Also, what did she mean by that was an interesting story? Did she overhear me mention her name as I talked to Aria? If so then that would make things a lot easier for me, but how was she able to hear anything? As far as I could tell, she just popped up out of nowhere meaning that it was impossible for her to have heard anything. " Sonata!?!? Where in the world did you come from? And how did you manage to hear my story?"

" I was walking along the pathway up there on top of that cliff, and while I was basking in the early morning goodness of a fresh new day, I was able to hear your conversation with the Running Woman where you mentioned me as being someone you needed to talk to about the truth of something very important. While much of what you said did sail over my head as I suspect that you were fixated towards the Running Woman, I was able to understand what you said about memories of another world," replied Sonata.

" And?" I asked.

" I've been experiencing these memories for some time now ever since we first met way back when, but I paid them no mind as I thought that they were the remnants of some crazy dream I had from eating too many tacos. That is never a bad thing mind you, eating too many tacos as they are an excellent source of nutrition....at least that's what I think when it comes to their yummy goodness. Anyway, when those visions started to occur beyond the realm of sleeping, I started to think that perhaps they were a sign of something that once was, but no longer is because I kept on seeing people who felt familiar including you my young friend.

I never thought to bring it up with you before as I assumed that it was some kind of divine intervention meant for me alone because of the good deeds that I have done in the world of mask purchasing and mask selling . There certainly is more to you than appearances would suggest, and it seems that others are connected to you in ways that they don't understand," replied Sonata.

" Do you understand?" I asked.

" Of course I understand as it means that we all belong in this other place where we have different lives compared to the ones in Hyrule. Despite how things started out for me, I managed to figure it all out the other day, but I refuse to act on it because there is nothing that I can do about it. This other world is meant to be our true home, but we can never go back there because none of us have the power to do so. Why worry about the possibility of being from another place when you can simply focus on where you are right now, and enjoy all of the experiences that come from it," replied Sonata.

Once again, it boggles my mind as to how in tune with her surroundings she was despite being an air-head, and having such a unique personality. Just as I was about to comfort her, she had already placed her bag on the ground and was ready to talk business. " So, were you able to sell the Bunny Hood to the Running Woman? I assume that you figured out on your own that she was fascinated with that extinct creature which in turn made the ideal buyer?

" But you were the one who told me that," I said.

" Really? I don't recall doing anything of the sort, but the important thing is that you were able to sell it and really make her happy. How much did she end up paying you in the end?" asked Sonata.

" 500 rupees," I replied.

" Did she seriously do that? For realsies? I always knew that she was desperate to have something that reminded her of that creature, but I didn't think that she was going to pay you such a hefty sum for one mask. That Running Woman must be incredibly rich despite the kind of occupation she chooses to indulge herself in. Either way, you managed to make quite the small fortune my young friend, and so all I ask of that is just 50 rupees for the Bunny Hood. The rest is yours to do with as you see fit, for you really deserved it after having to deal with her attitude," said Sonata.

I happily paid her the money for the mask and she placed it into a small purse that she carried around her neck, and this was the first time that I saw her do that as the other times, she just placed the payment into one of her pockets. " I noticed that you are curious as to why I have a purse when I didn't before. Let's just say I need my pockets to carry around things besides rupees, and also they might fall out since I do have to climb up many different things to get to where I need to go. Payment received! Well done my young friend! All of the masks have been sold, and those who purchased them have become better off because of it. I just knew that you were the right person for the job of being a Happy Mask Saleswoman."

" You mean, I have no more masks to sell?" I asked.

" Correct. Thanks to you, I was able to attract all kinds of customers wherever I go as the people you sold masks to prior to this one have all recommended me to their friends because of the assistant saleswoman who made everything possible. From now on, you will be able to borrow any of my masks for as long as you want until you want to get yourself another one to borrow.

Is that a disappointed look that I see in your face because all you got out of this was the opportunity to borrow my masks? Wipe away that frown, for I did promise that you would become happy yourself. I have one more mask to give you, but this one is different from the rest in that I have never sold it or given it away to anyone before," replied Sonata.

" Why is that?" I asked.

" I figured that this mask would probably make sense to someone as experienced as you. Now just wait a moment while I find it in my bag," replied Sonata. This time she decided to tip her bag upside down which caused all of her masks to fall onto the ground in a big pile. She then tossed them all back into her bag until she only had one left which turned out to be the one she was looking for. " It's always the last mask left when it comes to looking for this one.

Here it is! Granted, it's an odd looking mask, and will likely confuse people if you show it to them, but it is a special mask for a special person like you. This is the Mask of Truth, an item that has been passed down through the generations by the Shiekah. It has the power to allow the wearer to read the thoughts of the Gossip Stones which exist about the kingdom."

" Gossip Stones?" I asked.

" They look like ordinary stones to most people as they walk by them, but they are magical in that they remember conversations people had, and in turn will reveal their secrets to those who can understand them. Most of what they have to say is simply gossip they hear from others, but on occasion they do have some interesting information. They are easy to recognize as they share the same symbol that is on the Mask of Truth. All you have to do is wear it when you attempt to speak to them, and they will respond to you through your mind, but don't be scared as they will not hurt you.

This is a mask you may keep for as long as you want as I believe that you will be able to use it for your journey, but mostly to have fun listening to so much juicy gossip. Well, this looks to be our final farewell assuming that you wish to keep that mask, for I have no more for you to sell, thus your journey as a Happy Mask Saleswoman has come to an end. If you ever feel the need to see me about switching masks, I'll be sure to find you because that is just how I like to do things. Goodbye....goodbye....hmmmm....I never did catch your name now did I?" asked Sonata.

" You never asked," I replied.

" I wonder why I never got around to that especially after all of our encounters? Oh well! You can tell me your name now," said Sonata.

" It's Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" An interesting name if I ever heard one, and it suits you well because you have the shimmering flame of the sunset all about you even though it is morning right now. I will be sure to never forgot your name as well as the happiness you have given to so many people. I think you've got a pretty good future on your hands if you continue down this path you are on. Goodbye Sunset Shimmer, and may our paths cross again in the future....maybe as early as seven years? I don't know why that number has become so important to me as of late, but maybe it's some kind of sign? The mysteries of the world certainly are astounding," said Sonata.

" Before you go, there is one question that I've been meaning to ask you for a long time now," I said.

" And what question did you have for me?" asked Sonata.

" What made you decide to become a Happy Mask Saleswoman in the first place? I know that it isn't going to be any helpful information when it comes to my quest, but I wanted to know on a more curious basis than anything else," I replied.

" So you are curious then is that it? You don't have to be so formal silly as I will gladly tell you my story for realsies. As long as I can remember, ever since I was a little girl, I had this fascination for wanting to make people happy as my parents were both performers who did that every single day of their lives. Sadly, I was never very good at being a performer as I couldn't do any of those super-duper stunts, but my parents wanted me to contribute to the family business in a different fashion.

That was when one of their fellow performers showed me a mask, and it was so awe-inspiring that I realized there and then what my destiny was going to be. In case you were wondering, the mask wasn't anything special where it was some kind of fancy looking thing, but that wasn't important to me. What was important was the fact that it was really cool looking, and I felt a strong connection with it. The performer gave me the mask to keep as he had no need for it, and I used it to make people happy by combining it with some parlor tricks of my own," said Sonata.

" But you just said," I began.

" I was capable of doing simple hand tricks as those were easy for me to understand, but the kind of stunts my parents were able to do are what I could never achieve as I lacked the skills," said Sonata.

" Sorry about that," I said.

" My parents told me to never give up, and they encouraged me to pursue this new career choice revolving around the world of masks," said Sonata.

" I have to admire your parents for not wanting to give up on you," I smiled.

" Once I got used to wearing and having a mask, I had the urge to collect as many of them as I could, and within a few years, I had amassed over several hundred masks which made so many people jealous of it. This collection would continue to grow for a few more years after that until one day everything changed for me. All because one child inquired as to purchasing a mask from me, that I decided to sell my collection to make others happy, so that they too could spread happiness across the land.

From that moment on, I dedicated myself to making people happy by selling them masks, but I knew that my collection would eventually run out, so I had to acquire additional masks to make sure that I never ran out at any time. You already know the rest of my story as I explained it to you when we first met, so now I have answered your question," said Sonata.

" That you have," I said.

" So now it's time for me to pop off and into the world to resume my work. Just remember to be happy with your life as you never know what may happen. You just have to be positive Sunset Shimmer no matter what pressures you may face. I'm not really a fortune-teller despite what I just said, but you know what I mean," said Sonata.

As she too walked off into the distance and out of sight, again I am reminded of how different the Dazzlings are compared to how they acted back in the human world. Maybe when I get back home, there may be a chance for all of them to be reformed just like I had been. Then again, Sonata would most likely be the one capable of reforming as she wasn't the most evil of the three compared to Adagio and Aria. Now that I had taken care of that problem, I could now focus on getting to Hyrule Castle, and give the spiritual stones to Twilight. I can't wait to see her face when I show her all three of them.

" Impa! I do wish sometimes that you would not appear out of thin air like that. While it is how the Shiekah move about in order to stay secluded in the shadows, you need not make such an approach with the likes of me," said Twilight.

" It is something I am accustomed to your highness, for we of the Shiekah are at home within the shadows. Anyway, I returned here quickly to inform you that Ganondorf has not yet discovered this location, but do not get yourself attached to this place, for we will eventually need to flee the castle itself. It will not take the Gerudo king very long to know where we are, and I will make sure that you are out of his reach," said Applejack.

" What news do you have of my father?" asked Twilight. Upon hearing that question, Applejack turned her head away from the princess, and lowered it to indicate that the news she was about to say wasn't going to be pleasant. Even though she had no idea as to what she was about to hear, Twilight felt optimistic that her attendant was merely trying to make her feel intense so as to be prepared for when Ganondorf comes. " Your expression tells me that this is going to be unfortunate news, but perhaps you are wrong, and that my father is well off as I know that he can take care of himself in any given situation."

" Princess Zelda....your father....has been murdered by Ganondorf," said Applejack while trying to hold back her tears. Hearing this shocked Twilight to her very core as she couldn't believe what she had just heard with her own ears. " I wanted to check to make sure that everything was prepared to enact my plan, and I decided to check the throne room in order to see if his majesty was okay....but all I found was a dried up lifeless husk which had been both killed and drained of energy.

The bodies of many of the castle guard were in the vicinity, and they too suffered the same fate as your father." Applejack then walked over to the wall and punched it as hard as she could with her fist causing a small dent to appear as a result. She then punched the wall again in the same place several more times in order to take out her frustration. " I do not know why Ganondorf absorbed the energy and life force of his victims, but the fact of the matter is that they are all dead. I have failed to protect your father from that man, and now he is pursuing you so that he may claim your life."

" No, you are not to blame for the death of my father or the royal guards Impa. If anyone is truly to blame, it would be me because I abandoned him when he needed me the most, and Ganondorf clearly took advantage of my weakness. My father would still be alive had I not chosen to act in such a manner, and instead stayed to expose the intentions of the Gerudo king, and the lives of the guards would not have been wasted so.

While it would be easy to blame Ganondorf as he was the one who took their lives from them, the fault lies upon my shoulders as my actions resulted in this. While my heart has been shattered to pieces over the loss of my father, I am unable to grieve because my own life is in danger, but once this is all over, I shall grieve for him and those who have fallen for days on end, and maybe my father will be able to forgive me for the way I acted in front of him during my last time with him," said Twilight.

" There was another issue which needs to be brought to your attention, and that has to do with Shining Armour," said Applejack.

" What about him?" asked Twilight.

" The guards who were killed by Ganondorf would not have been there in the throne room without Shining Armour to lead them as is his duty, but his body was not among those who had fallen which means that he is still alive. Then again, there was a struggle within the throne room due to how much scuffling was seen on the marble floor, and a window had been shattered as though someone had been thrown right through it, and down to the castle grounds below. I suspect that Shining Armour was the one who plummeted, so it is sadly safe to assume that he too has been killed," replied Applejack.

" No! Not Shining Armour! Despite the rift that existed between you two because of how you handle situations differently, he was like a big brother to me who was always willing to listen to what I had to say when no one else wanted to. I can't accept that he has been killed in this senseless act by Ganondorf all because he wants the Triforce from the Sacred Realm. I believe the Captain of the Royal Guard to be alive Impa despite the amount of pain he may be in, but what about the remainder of the royal guards? If they run into Ganondorf without knowing what his intentions are, he is liable to kill them without hesitation," said Twilight.

" You need not fear your highness as I have warned a few of them to spread the word that they are to avoid the Gerudo king at all costs, and that to make sure that no one from town comes up here in order to pique their curiosity. Hyrule Castle is effectively in lockdown until this situation has been resolved," said Applejack. She then turned her attention to a window on the opposite side of where she and Twilight were in refuge, and the sounds of swords clashing, screams echoing, and the occasional flash of light indicated to her that their hiding place was about to be discovered.

That meant that Ganondorf was getting very close, and for that she needed to get Twilight to safety. " While it was a miracle that we managed to evade him for so long, I fear that we have run of time your highness for he is almost here. We must enact my plan at once in order to prevent anymore bloodshed from taking place."

" But what about Sunset Shimmer?" asked Twilight.

" We cannot afford to wait for her any longer as your life is in danger, but then you knew this was going to happen which is why you used your magic to place a vision upon the Ocarina of Time which will activate when she touches the treasure. You have protected the ocarina for as long as you could your highness, but now Sunset Shimmer needs it in order to fulfill her destiny and bring Hyrule back from the brink of destruction. Hold onto me from this point on your highness until we reached the safety of the ground below.

There is a horse nearby which we can use to escape from the castle, so please do not argue with me," replied Applejack. Twilight did as she was told, and held onto her attendant as hard as she could. Applejack then opened the window and leapt out of it and straight down to the ground making sure to use some additional ledges as a means of getting Twilight down without any trouble. The two then found the horse that Applejack mentioned, and prepared to make their escape from the castle.

" We meet again Sunset Shimmer!"

" WAAAAH! Flash Sentry!?!? How long have you been up on top of that tree?" I asked. First it was Sonata who gave me a surprise, and now Flash Sentry has decided to throw in his lot. Just when I was about to leave for the castle, I get interrupted again by someone I know.

" I've been here for quite some time watching your exploits, and I must say that you have certainly come a long way since you first started your journey. You have met so many people who have influenced you in ways that you never imagined, and in turn their lives have changed upon their meeting with you. These are all signs that you are growing to become the destined hero of this world, yet there is still some growth needed before you can truly achieve that distinction.

Just keep continuing on the path that you have been on, and the final goal shall be within reach. It seems that you wanted to enter Gerudo Valley, but were advised not to because of something that has caused the Gerudo's Fortress to be sealed off to the outside world," replied Flash Sentry.

" Why would anyone want them to close their home to other people when it would be so much more beneficial to them to open up?" I asked.

" The Gerudo despite being a gang of thieves are extremely loyal to the one who leads them, for the word of the King of the Gerudo is law, and they must abide by these laws otherwise the punishment varies depending on how serious their king is. Most of the time, the punishment ranges from being exiled from the tribe, and being imprisoned for a while, but the most severe example would be immediate execution. That young Gerudo girl that you talked to mentioned that the entire tribe cannot leave their fortress or risk being killed through being branded as traitors for defying the law of their king. Normally, no King of the Gerudo would ever enact such a strict measure unless something was really wrong in the tribe's dynamic that would warrant it," replied Flash Sentry.

" Surely their second-in-command might be able to convince the Gerudo king to not invoke such an act," I said.

" In their society, one's status means a lot for the higher your rank, the more power that you possess, and the more respect you will receive. Those among the Gerudo who are at the bottom in terms of their status would feel the need to want to leave the tribe in fears of facing further ridicule, or feeling that there is no longer any place for them. As for those who are near the top, they are able to make some kind of influences that serve to benefit themselves more than anyone else. In their eyes, the Gerudo believe in survival of the fittest because the strong survive and the weak perish, but they have to work together in order to be able to survive despite the mistrust that can exist," said Flash Sentry.

" I never really knew that the Gerudo suffered so much, and I always believed that it had to do with Ganondorf and what he desired being viewed as more important to him than their well-being. Now that I've learned more about them and what they've had to experience, I really do pity them which makes me wonder why the King of Hyrule, or any of the other leaders of the tribe didn't want to offer any kind of support to help them out? I mean, I've heard that the other tribes are weary of the Gerudo because of their thieving nature among other unusual traits, but they wouldn't have to resort to that if they were given more opportunities to become better citizens of Hyrule," I said.

" You would have made an excellent ruler," commented Flash Sentry.

" Where did that come from?" I asked.

" It's just that you have so much compassion for others as well as an understanding as to the real problems that exist. A crown on top of your head would make sense as you do have the talent," replied Flash Sentry.

" While that would be a nice thing to have happen to me, that wouldn't be for at least several decades or so. I still have a lot to learn about being a good friend, and to become a ruler would mean having a strong relationship with the people that relates to friendship. Plus, it was the idea of becoming a ruler that lead me down the dark path in the first place, so I would rather much regulate myself to the role of being a commoner.

By the way Flash Sentry, isn't there anything important that you should be telling me? Usually, you often start out with information which proves itself to be useful, but this time all you've done is reiterated what I already know, and throwing in some compliments here and there. Is there something you don't want to tell me?" I asked.

" I was going to eventually get to this, but I wanted to have a pleasant conversation before focusing on the events of the kingdom. Do you notice the drawbridge that covers the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town is still up despite it being daylight? This is not a normal occurrence Sunset Shimmer for the town is always accessible during all hours of the day. Perhaps something bad is taking place there due to a breakdown in relations between the Hylian king and the Gerudo king. You must be prepared to face off against the Gerudo king if things have indeed turned sour in their negotiations," replied Flash Sentry.

" Could I be too late?" I asked.

" That is a question I cannot answer for you," replied Flash Sentry.

" Why not?" I asked.

" There is something that is of dark design which is preventing me from being able to tell you anything regarding the situation. I sensed this darkness when I flew past the castle earlier, and my partner here was most uncomfortable which is why he wanted to leave the area as soon as possible. Whatever this darkness is, it doesn't want anyone to know what is going on as though it were hiding a terrible secret. The fact that this darkness was allowed to go so far in its dark designs is truly shocking as I would have expected it to have been taken care of before it could reach this point," replied Flash Sentry.

" Maybe all of that running around wasn't a good idea given that it did nothing but slow me down," I said.

" While it did cause you to be delayed in terms of completing the quest given unto you by the princess, you need to remember that you were able to experience many different things, and forged lasting friendships by taking your time to accomplish your tasks. Never forget these things for someday those friendship shall prove to be most beneficial to you when things become bleak, and the threat of darkness will consume all in its weak.

We shall meet again soon Sunset Shimmer, and I wish you luck with what you must do to fulfill your destiny," said Flash Sentry. Once more, he urged his giant owl to take to the skies leaving me to ponder over just how I was going to deal with Ganondorf. If something has indeed happened at the castle, I hope that Twilight and Applejack are safe. It turns out that the two of them had since started to flee the castle on the white horse that Applejack had prepared ahead of time, and a good thing too because their hiding spot was just about to be uncovered.

" I must admit that the Shiekah woman is very clever as she had planned out everything in advance prior to my arrival, and for that she has earned some slight respect for temporarily outwitting me. This does set back my plans for a short period as I need to ensure that the Ocarina of Time ends up in the hands of the right person, and with Zelda having fled with it in her possession, it all falls onto chance as to whether she will fulfill her part and let that one obtain it. Hmmmm....judging from when this window was opened, and the sight of horse tracks on the grass still being fresh, they left here not too long ago which means that chasing them will yield the results that I need.

Everything has fallen into perfect alignment, so now I must push things forward just enough so that the one I need will do exactly what I want." Tirek said to himself. He then smashed his way through another window, and landed on the ground with a large boom that shattered the ground. He then ran towards where his horse was being kept, and urged it to start galloping in order to begin his chase of both Twilight and Applejack.

" Well Sunset Shimmer, are you ready to end this?" asked Spike.

" To be honest, not really," I replied.

" How come? Don't tell me that you're afraid to go to the castle and stop Ganondorf?" asked Spike.

" That's the exact reason," I replied.

" Yeah, I can understand why you would be afraid," said Spike.

" It also has to do with what the Great Fairy of Power said to us when we were at her fountain. She said that not only was the fate of Hyrule hanging in the balance, but my own life as well was in the same predicament. Spike, if Ganondorf does end up succeeding and claims the Triforce, I'm going to die and that scares me more than anything else. I've come far in redeeming myself, but have it all come to an end because of trying to stop one man? The amount of pressure riding on my shoulders is intense right now, and that's why I'm feeling hesitant about doing this. I know that it's my destiny despite not really wanting it in the first place, but the fear of losing my own life is something I just can't ignore," I said.

" It can be difficult to want to go through with something when the stakes are both high and personal. No matter what ends up happening when we return to the castle, I'll be by your side no matter what happens, and that is a promise you can be believe from a friend," said Spike. Hearing him say that made me smile, and gave me a boost of confidence which I needed as we started to make our way to the drawbridge, but as soon as we were getting close, something happened which Spike immediately noticed. " Hey! Look up at the sky."

" What about it?" I asked.

" Where did those dark clouds come from? It was bright and sunny just a few moments ago," replied Spike. I looked up myself to see what he was getting at, and he was right for sky had been consumed with dark clouds that felt rather unusual. Was it a sign of things to come? Or was it just an unnatural weather occurrence? Either way, I couldn't let it slow us down, so I ran the rest of the way only to stop in front of the drawbridge upon hearing the sound of a horse's neigh.

That was when the sky started to crackle with thunder and lightning which was followed by a massive downpour of rain, and then for some reason the sun raced through the sky and settled down signalling the start of the night. Spike noticed this as well which he informed me about. " Ummmm....did you just play the Sun's Song in order for the day to be turned into night?"

" You know that I won't play that song unless I absolutely have to," I replied.

" Well, the day just turned into night before our eyes," said Spike.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed. I looked up again and saw that he was right which then made me think back to that nightmare I had which started all of this. What I witnessed in my nightmare was beginning to come true, and it caused me to assume a fetal position. " Spike....what's happening right now....this is what happened in my nightmare. Everything that is happening right now is what I dreamt about....my nightmare was a vision of things to come." The drawbridge then began to lower which prompted me to get back up, and from the distance came galloping a white horse with what looked like two people were riding on it.

The horse ran right past me so fast that I almost got run over, but I was able to get out of the way in time. Suddenly, one of the two riders made some kind of motion which looked like they were throwing something, and then the other one kept her head down as they rode off into the night.

" Sunset Shimmer....that was Princess Zelda riding on that horse along with her attendant Impa. I wonder where those two are off to in just a hurry?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure but it looked like Twilight wasn't all that keen on being taken out of the castle in such a fashion. As for Applejack, she had a look of seriousness on her face as though she had planned this out for some time," I replied.

" What do you suppose the princess tossed before they rode off into the night? Not only that, but where do you suppose it ended up? I did hear a brief splashing noise coming from the moat, but that could have been anything," said Spike.

" That's not what my concern is right now," I said.

" And why is that?" asked Spike.

" In case you didn't hear it by now, another horse is coming up behind us, and there is something unsettling about it as well. You don't suppose that it could be him? If it is then I've never felt more scared in my entire life," I replied. The sound of hooves stomping on the ground then came to a stop, and that was when I decided to turn around and see just who it was that was behind me. Upon turning, my face once again turned white, and I went completely numb.

Standing behind me on his horse was Ganondorf himself, and that was when he urged his nightmarish steed to buck its forelegs up and whinny as a means of intimidation. I wanted to run away at this point, I really did, but my feet were just too scared to make me want to run.

" Arrrggghhh! I lost her!" said Tirek, and that was when he turned his attention towards me. " You, over there! Little kid! Hmmmm? That aura which surrounds you....I've sensed it somewhere before....yes, Hyrule Castle....the one who was observing me through the window from the courtyard. You are the one who possesses the magic that is not of this world. At long last we finally meet face-to-face. I was not expecting the one whose magical energies rival my own to be nothing more than a mere child. It seems that my expectations of you are nothing that I need concern myself, so I ask you this.

You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now. Which way did it go? Answer me! You are in no position to defy me child, for you already fear the power that I wield. The Hylian King realized the full extent of my power as the life left his body after I killed him, and the Hylian guards also felt the same thing as their lives came to an end. If you desire to live through this night, you shall answer my question now! Which way did the white horse go?"

" What!?!? The king is dead?" I asked.

" Yes! I killed him by plunging my sword right through his chest killing him, but I allowed him to live long enough to suffer the notion that his precious daughter will never see him alive again. Poor Zelda, she will never get the chance to forgive her father for the actions he committed in the name of wanting to forge an alliance with me for the sake of a simple unification. Ah, but the Hylian King was not my only victim as you now know, for a large number of the Hylian Royal Guard have been slaughtered all because they chose to fight against me thus condemning themselves to death.

Even the Captain of the Royal Guards, Shining Armour, chose to defy me by believing that he could defeat me, but alas his fate has also been sealed and his life has most likely left his body by now. Once I have obtained what I desire, I shall conquer Hyrule Castle and kill the rest of the guards there all because they will serve a greater purpose," replied Tirek.

" And what kind of purpose could they serve you? Being reanimated into undead monsters to serve your twisted will?" I asked.

" Such an idea would be something interesting to consider, but then that would just be predictable as many other evil ones throughout the history of this land have used the corpses of the dead and reanimate them to become nothing more than lifeless, brainless slaves. No, the Hylian King and the Royal Guard possessed much in the way of energy, and I absorbed that energy in order to become stronger and stronger until no one can stand against me.

Their bodies have become dried up husks when their energy was consumed, and that is the way that they shall be as they are buried by loved ones, or destroyed utterly once I bring that castle down and build a better one on top of its ashes. Now, you have stalled long enough as it is kid, so I shall ask my question to you last time. Which way did the white horse go?" asked Tirek.

" I'll never tell you," I answered boldly.

" So, you think you can protect them from me? You've got guts kid! Of course, guts alone will not save you from my fury. Defying me is asking for death, for there is nothing more satisfying than killing someone who believes that they can stand up to me. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....I commend you for your bravery, but your stupidity is something to be punished, for you are merely wasting my time. That is what I would have said to you if not for the fact that your magical energy is something that intrigues me.

How is that a child such as yourself is in possession of such powerful magic. Such a notion defies all logic, and yet here you are before me with magic not native to this world. Hmmmm....your magic is powerful which cannot be denied, yet you are merely using a small fraction of it which is a shame, for you have so much potential dwelling inside of you," said Tirek.

" What are you talking about?" I asked.

" Your magic is strong, yet you have not tapped into the true power that you possess. Because of this, you are holding back the real you which could very well become the most powerful magician who has ever lived....or perhaps the most powerful princess of any land that she wishes to claim as her own. That look upon your face shows me that I am indeed aware of something that lurks within you that festers like an open wound, and refuses to heal itself. There is a small trace of darkness clinging to your heart, and it yearns to be free to walk the earth once more," replied Tirek.

" I have no idea about anything of the sort," I said.

" Feigning ignorance....how amusing. It seems that there was once a time where you allowed darkness to rule your heart, and you desired an artefact which you believed would grant you more power than you have ever dreamed of. You would do anything to acquire this power even if it meant betraying the hearts of those who were innocent, and turning them against one another all for your own benefit. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....such delicious irony you display kid! You believe to be fighting for the side of good, yet deep down you have the urge to become exactly like me," said Tirek.

" I'll never become someone like you," I said.

" You can deny it all you want, but the fact of the matter is that you have darkness inside of your heart, and that it is something which shall forever be there no matter what you try and in the name of justice. But, do not see this as a travesty kid, for you can easily turn this to your advantage. When you finally achieved your destiny by acquiring that which you sought, it changed you into a more powerful form which granted you power that you had dreamed of for years," said Tirek. He then raised his hand, and the ground right in front of me burst into flames causing me to jump back to avoid getting caught in the blast.

The flames quickly disappeared, and standing there was the she-demon form of myself that I became when I donned Twilight's crown which had her Element of Harmony placed into it. It was actually a shadow-like version of the old me, but the psychological damage it was inflicting onto my mind was all-too real. I never wanted to see the she-demon again, yet there she was looking at me with a twisted expression that made me collapse to the ground and bursting into tears.

" No! I know that I was a horrible person who only cared about gaining power at the expense of other people's well-being, but that was the old me who no longer exists even though she remains as a constant reminder of the torment that I continue to endure. Every time I see that she-demon in my head, it causes me to break down, and her twisted laughter echoes in my ears as my heart breaks because I was a monster.

I'm different now as I was able to find friendship and realized how wonderful it really feels. Seeing this monster only causes me to want to put her out of her misery, so that I can finally move on with my life, and not be plagued by troubles in the past. I may have darkness in my heart as a result of being tainted, but I won't allow it to control my life anymore!" I shouted.

" This creature that you became was indeed powerful, but it was merely a flawed aspect of what you could have been," said Tirek.

" Flawed? In what way?" I asked.

" The power you wielded was not entirely complete as there were several other powers that connected with it. As such, this demonic form is nothing more than an imperfect shell that serves as nothing more than a stepping stone on a much grander path. If you had claimed the rest of the power, you would have become this instead," replied Tirek. He then raised his hand again, and the she-demon form of me transformed into a beautiful human version with demon wings and tail, but looked much more elegant, and had a confidant look on her face. " If you had chosen to stay on the path of darkness, this is what you could have become, and you could have claimed any world that you desired as your own.

All would bow before you and see you as their ruler. Kid, that small piece of darkness in your heart can still be salvaged, for I know that deep down you yearn for the power that you once held. You desire to have it again even though you deny yourself the pleasure, and I can help you achieve your true destiny. If you were to accept the hatred within you, and allow me to guide you, I can help you unleash the power that is sleeping within you."

" And what would that do to me?" I asked.

" You shall become everything you have ever wanted in your entire life....you shall become the princess which was denied to you so long ago, and you will use your power to bend the knees of others to your will. Do not attempt to refuse my generous offer because you know deep down that you want me to guide you down the right path. Your old mentors held you back as they wanted you to fall in line with their way of thinking, and for that they were weak-minded. I will allow you to reach your true potential, and never deny you anything that you could want," replied Tirek.

The moment he referred to both Princess Celestia and Twilight as being weak snapped me out of the mesmerising spell that Ganondorf seemed to have placed on me when he was speaking about what I wanted. I know that I failed Princess Celestia when I was her student because it was my own fault that I was weak, but she would never forgive me if I were to fail the one person who was gave me a second chance. And what about my friends? They would never forgive me if I were to betrayed the very friendship that they offered to me, whereas no one else even wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt.

" While I appreciate the offer you've been giving me here, I have to politely refuse your request," I said.

" What!?!?" exclaimed Tirek.

" For a while there, your words were twisting my heart around, and the darkness was actually beginning to build up momentum, but when you called my two teachers weak, that was when I realized that you were manipulating me just because you saw it as an amusement. My teachers and my friends did everything they could to set me on the right path, but the road was a bumpy one where I slipped up in places. But despite these problems, I wanted to prove myself that I could be a girl that understood friendship. I still have a long way to go and much more to learn, but I know for a fact that I am in a much better place now," I said.

" So....you choose to defy me?" asked Tirek.

" Without a doubt," I replied.

" Heh, I gave you an opportunity to achieve greatness, and you decide to refuse my offer? I had such high hopes for you kid, yet you have chosen to throw it away in the name of the light itself. My patience with you has just reached its end, for I now realize that this conversation has done nothing but delay me from my true objective, and that was to pursue Zelda in the hopes of claiming my prize. Now, move out of the way or I will be forced to make you suffer," said Tirek.

That was when I decided to conjure up some fire-based magic into my hands, and stood my ground by giving Ganondorf a look of determination which indicated that I was was not about to let him get away with his actions. Of course, his reaction was one that I was expecting. " Heh....heh....heh....heh....you want a piece of me? Very funny! I like your attitude, but tell me something. Do you honestly believe that you can defeat me? The most powerful man in all of Hyrule? You must be very stupid to think that you can pose a threat to me. However, I shall indulge you on your idiocy, and allow you to test your might against me."

" Didn't you say earlier that my magic was as powerful as yours?" I asked.

" Our magic is indeed on equal footing, but because mine is the most powerful, and yours is the most unusual. Comparing them to one another in terms of overall strength is pointless as your power pales in comparison to mine. It would be like a mouse pretending to be a lion, and you kid are clearly the mouse in that you are in over your head. If you believe yourself to be a lion that desires to roar, then show me what you can do," replied Tirek. This left me in a critical position where he was essentially urging me into attacking him with my magic.

Why would he want me to just strike him? Shouldn't he simply just cast me aside because it sounds like he can do that without even having to lift a finger. I could see the expression in his eyes were one of impatience, so I figured that he was thinking that I was trying to stall for time.

" What would I gain from attacking you?" I asked.

" Are you afraid to fight me?" asked Tirek.

" Of course I am as I know that you are powerful due to being able to sense your magical power," I replied.

" You are able to sense the magical energies I wield? Truly there is more to you than appearances dictate, and for that you could have used that ability to further your own desires and become so much more powerful. A shame that you have chosen to follow your heart as all it has done is made you weak and worthless. Perhaps in another world you were just as spineless as you are now; a cowardly little girl who was afraid to fight her own battles, and instead relied on others to do her bidding? Ha! Such a reliance on friends is so trivial as they are probably just as weak as you are, and only when together do they have a sliver of hope," said Tirek.

" How dare you," I began.

" Do my words bring forth anger within you? Then channel that anger and show me the power you possess," said Tirek.

" If anyone is weak, it would be you because you don't understand the power of friendship, so let me educate you on that with a powerful lesson," I said. I then unleashed a powerful magical blast which struck Ganondorf directly causing him and his horse to become engulfed in flames. Never had my magic come out with so much potency before....was it because I decided to let go of my emotions and allowed my rage to control me?

That is what he wanted me to do in another attempt to tempt me over to the side of evil, but I wasn't about to fall for that again. Still, I need to keep my emotions in check as I have been known to lose it from time to time when the stress gets to me. As soon as the flames snuffed themselves out, I was shocked to find that Ganondorf was still sitting there on his horse, and he appeared to be completely fine. He had no wounds or burns on his body, and his horse looked perfectly fine.

" This is the full extent of your magic?" asked Tirek.

" I guess it is seeing as going any further in such a direction will corrupt me," I replied.

" Heh, then I guess it's my turn now," said Tirek. He raised his hand once more and began to build up power in the form of a ball of energy that I could tell was brimming with darkness itself. As soon as he had built up enough power, he launched it without even making any kind of effort, and it struck me with so much force that it sent me flying back several feet before I crashed into the ground in a crumpled heap. I struggled to get back onto my feet, and all Ganondorf did was lower his hand down while making it all look like he wasn't providing any kind of effort. " Pathetic little fool....do you realize who you are dealing with?"

" I most certainly do," I answered.

" Your answer is one that does not surprise me kid, for I suspect that Zelda, or perhaps the Goron chieftain, or maybe even the Zora king have informed you as to the kind of person that I truly am. They assume me to be nothing more than a monster who cares solely for power, but I am a visionary who desires this world in order to mold it in my own image, so that it may become so much more. This world requires a king who shows no weakness, and who can rule without any kind of mercy.

The Hylian King was nothing but a weak man, so killing him was easy to the point where it proved to be unsatisfying. His fate is what shall become of all those who choose to defy me once I have claimed the Triforce for my very own. Thus is my decree, for I am Ganondorf! And soon, I shall rule the world!" said Tirek.

" Why not kill me while I'm down?" I asked.

" Killing you would prove nothing to me other than simply getting rid of someone of little to no significance and that is what I shall allow you to believe kid, for I doubt that you are aware of what is going to happen when you enter the Temple of Time with the necessary items. Yes, I suspect that you have all three spiritual stones in your possession, and that Zelda threw the Ocarina of Time away to prevent me from obtaining it. If you are not the one I require, then I will kill you for wasting my time, but if you are the one, I will kill you once you have pulled the final key from its lock as I know that you will not be able to use it against me, so right now you mean nothing!

My punishment to you should put you in your place, so perhaps now you realize that it is hopeless to think that you can stop me. You have wasted more than enough of my time, but I will be able to catch up with Zelda and her faithful servant," replied Tirek. He then urged his horse to begin galloping away, and he quickly disappeared into the stormy night leaving me to stare at him as he pursued Twilight. I had no doubt that Applejack was going to keep her safe from him, but what about that item that Twilight threw into the moat before she disappeared? Could that be the royal family's treasure that Ganondorf wanted so much to begin with?

" Are you alright Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" Yeah, I'm okay. That magical blast wasn't enough to kill me, but it did knock me down pretty hard with a tremendous amount of force. I have no doubt that he didn't intend on killing me, so why would he go to all the trouble of attacking me in such a fashion? Something about it doesn't make sense," I replied.

" I'm just relieved to know that you managed to pull through all of that despite the psychological mind games he was playing with you. For a moment, I was afraid that you were going to become evil, but I'm happy to see that you decided to follow your heart which is pure good," smiled Spike.

" As am I, but something about this just doesn't feel right to me. Well, we don't really have time to ponder about it as we need to gain access to the Sacred Realm as soon as possible, but I suppose that we could check out that thing that dropped into the moat, and then quickly shop around in town to get some supplies before we go to the place where the Triforce is located," I said.

" You do know that despite the fact that the sun just settled for the night faster than usual, the owners of those are still going to close because they do have to follow the rules and regulations when it comes to business. I know it sounds weird, but all of the shops are closed, so all we can do is pick up whatever is in the moat, and figure out where to go from there," said Spike.

" Have you forgotten about the one shop that is open only at night, and that you yourself were the one who mentioned it? The Bombchu Shop should be open, but then you're probably thinking why would I want to go and waste my rupees in there? Having 450 rupees is fine and all, but having so much in my wallet would make me vulnerable to thieves and other pickpockets. Since Hyrule hasn't heard of a bank system before, I have to spend a lot and keep what's left for future purposes," I said.

The moat, or perhaps it was the river flowing in front of the gate was calm enough, and I could see the object that Twilight had tossed in earlier, but I wasn't about to go spelunking about in the water, so I decided to take a different approach. I removed my hat from my head, and used it as a fishing rod of sorts, and after a few tries, I was able to snag the object and pull it to me where I fished it up with my hand.

I then placed my hat on the ground for it to dry, and I stared at what it was that Twilight tossed. " It's....another ocarina although it's a little bigger than the one Fluttershy gave me when we first left the forest. I do like the blue colour of this one though as it reminds me of Rainbow Dash, but why would I want to have another instrument when I've already got one?"

" Well, yes that is another instrument, but what you hold there in your hands is the Ocarina of Time, the hidden treasure of the royal family which they have been guarding for generations. You don't remember Princess Zelda mentioning it to you when she talked about the spiritual stones? She said that it was another key which is needed in order to open up the Door of Time. Uh, Sunset Shimmer? Why do you look as though you are in some kind of trance?" asked Spike. A blinding flash obscured my vision for a few moments, and when it returned, I was in some kind of strange place that looked like the inside of some ancient ruins. Standing in front of me was Twilight, but she had her eyes closed, and was holding something in her hands.

" Sunset Shimmer? Can you hear me? It's me, Zelda! If you are holding this ocarina in your hands, then it means that my vision which I cast upon it has been activated, and you are now witnessing this message. It also means that I won't be around anymore in order to guide you. I tried waiting for you to return with the spiritual stones to the castle for as long as I could, but I was forced to flee for my life due to Ganondorf pursuing me. No doubt that he has told you that he murdered my father and many of the castle guard as his means of showing off his superiority.

I wish that I could have waited just a little while longer in order to help guide you through these next steps, but I fear that you must handle things on your own. Now please listen carefully to what I have to say next. You must take the Ocarina of Time and the spiritual stones to the Temple of Time which is located in the north-east part of Hyrule Castle Town. Once inside, you will find a large plaque that is called the Pedestal of Time, and you must places the stones on it in the order in which you received them from left to right. Once you have done this, you must play the song that will open the Door of Time and allow you to gain access to the Sacred Realm," said Twilight.

" What song?" I asked.

" You probably just asked what song that would be considering that you were never taught it, but there is no need for you to worry as that is why I have given you this vision in your mind. The following melody that I am about to teach you is the only one that can be used to open the Door of Time. I am so very sorry that I was not able to teach it to you in person, but time was not on our side.

This is the song that opens the Door of Time," replied Twilight. She then played six notes which was actually three distinct notes repeated twice, and then she repeated it all again before turning it over to me. I did flub my first few attempts at playing it, but I eventually learned the Song of Time which sounded rather foreboding. " Sunset Shimmer....play this song in the Temple of Time and enter the Sacred Realm. You must protect the Triforce...."

" Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" Uhhhh," I replied.

" Snap out of it!" shouted Spike.

" Huh? What?" I asked.

" You just zoned out there for a while, and I was worried about you," replied Spike.

" I just received a vision from the princess telling us what I need to do next. We have to go to the Temple of Time and play something called the Song of Time in order to open up the entrance to the Sacred Realm. We should go there right away, but first we're going to take a quick stop at the Bombchu Shop, and contact Fluttershy before entering this temple," I said. Upon entering the town and the market specifically, there were several people in their pajamas walking about wondering what all the noise was about.

I was overhearing some of them say that horses were thundering through the market and woke everyone up, and others said that the rainy weather was to blame. The rain had since stopped of course, but it could start up again at any moment. It took a few minutes to find the Bombchu Shop, and upon going inside, I discovered that the owner was the same man who ran the Bombchu Bowling Alley.

" Well, look who decided to drop into my Bombchu Shop! If it isn't the forest girl who had a blast playing Bombchu Bowling some time ago! Welcome to my other lucrative business although this one is more of a small-time business as opposed to my main form of income. As you've probably figured out by now, this shop sells only Bombchu, but I only have limited quantities and once I have sold out of them, that's it!

Take it from me, Iron Will! These little beauties are guaranteed to be as effective as any regular bomb and more, or your money back! I must warn you though that these aren't cheap by any means. It is difficult to acquire the material to make these Bombchu which is why the five piece set costs 120 rupees, and the ten piece set costs 180 rupees. I know that it's expensive, but you are buying genuine mobile explosives," said Iron Will.

" How about that heart-shaped object that you have there?" I asked.

" You mean this thing? I picked up a couple of days ago when I accidentally returned someone's dog to its owner because it decided to follow me. I was visiting the owner in order to have a chat, and she was so thrilled that I found her precious pet that she gave me this heart as a reward. I told her no reward was necessary, and that I didn't even need the thing, so she told me to keep it anyway in case I were to change my mind. Even now I don't really want to keep it as I have no real use for it," replied Iron Will.

" I'm interested in it," I said.

" Hah! I had a feeling that you would seeing as you brought it up. I'm not really sure how much I can put a value onto this object because I honestly don't know how much they sell for if they even do so at all. Hmmmm....what say you pay me 100 rupees for this heart-shaped object? That sounds reasonable to me at least, but if you want to haggle the price down to a more reasonable cost, then I have no problem with that," said Iron Will.

" 100 rupees works for me," I said.

" Wait what? It does?" asked Iron Will.

" With all these rupees I have in my wallet right now, I need to spend a great deal in order to have a less suspicious amount which will keep me safe from thieves. Can I also purchase one of those five piece Bombchu sets please? I think they might be very useful to me in the future, plus I did have a blast playing that mini game of yours. That should bring my purchases to a total of 220 rupees," I replied.

" You've got yourself a deal!" shouted Iron Will. He then handed over the Piece of Heart which I took, and immediately it warmed me up just like the previous ones, and this one made me feel stronger for some reason. Then he handed me over a small pouch which contained the five Bombchu which I purchased. " You can hold up to a maximum of 50 Bombchu at any one time, but it may be difficult to reach that number as Bombchu are pretty scarce in Hyrule.

I do know that there is one family in Kakariko Village who have a small collection of Bombchu, and I've heard rumours of there being a person out there who sells his own Bombchu. Somehow, he is able to sell as many Bombchu as he wants which makes me wonder just how many he has. Well, take care of yourself kid, and be sure to stop by again another night as I'll always be open after dark." As soon as I left the shop, I took out the Ocarina of Time and played Fluttershy's Song. I wanted to use the Fairy Ocarina, but for some reason it disappeared from my inventory without any kind of explanation.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria! Can you hear me? That's strange....your ocarina sounds a lot different somehow. Have you been practicing it a lot? The forest spirits have told me that you have collected all three of the spiritual stones that you need in order to open up something, but they also say that a darkness has struck the castle and left tremendous damage in its wake.

The ruler of the kingdom and many of his finest guards have been killed, but it looks like the Captain of the Royal Guards might still be alive. The spirits don't know if this is true or not as the darkness is clouding their vision, but they've told me to tell you that traveling to the castle for any reason is not a good one," said Fluttershy.

" Because of what happened there?" I asked.

" The remaining guards up at the castle have no idea what is going on right now, so they have issued a lockdown until they are able to figure things out. They may not be aware that the king has been killed, so they are most likely assuming that he along with the princess have been taken to a safe location by one of the attendants. It's so sad to know that someone is so cruel and merciless that they would want to bring this land to ruin all because of wanting the throne. There seems to be a lot riding on your shoulders right now, and no doubt that it is giving you a lot of stress, but you should stay positive because you'll need it where you're going," replied Fluttershy.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" I hear from the spirits that the Sacred Realm is not like Hyrule in any way, shape, or form. The realm itself is beyond what our mortal minds can comprehend due to the arcane power that flows about it. They also say that you need to place the three stones on some kind of pedestal, and that there is a specific order they need to be placed in otherwise it won't work. You need to place them in the following order going from your left to your right: Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire.

Remember this order Sunset Shimmer because this is the only order that is going to work. Once the spiritual stones have been placed on the pedestal, their purpose will be fulfilled, and they will serve no further use to anyone," replied Fluttershy.

" That's a good thing then as I won't need to worry about them after today,|" I said.

" It sounds like you intend to leave Hyrule when you have saved it," said Fluttershy.

" If this works and Ganondorf is denied the Triforce, I'll have saved this world, and it will allow me and all of my friends and foes to return to the human world where we all belong. While I have enjoyed my journey throughout this world, I really want to get back to my true life because that is the way things are supposed to be," I said.

" Your world does sound like a nice place to visit, so perhaps I'll see you there sometime. Good luck Sunset Shimmer!" said Fluttershy. Even in Hyrule, she has such a sweet and gentle demeanour which makes her an ideal friend. With everything now taken care of that I felt needed to be, Spike and I headed for the Temple of Time which was pretty easy to notice in town, and upon entering it, we were floored by how majestic the place really looked. There was another one of those altars like the one I found back in the Sacred Forest Meadow, and just in front of it was the Pedestal of Time which I recognized as the same one Twilight was standing in front of.

" Wow! This place is certainly something isn't it?" I asked.

" They say that this temple was built by the ancient sages as a means of protecting the entrance to the Sacred Realm, and it also serves as a place where Hylians can come and worship the goddesses. To be honest though, the interior could stand to have a little paint here and there as the 'old look' is beginning to wear off in places, but that's a totally different thing altogether. Since we now know the order the spiritual stones need to be placed, would you care to do the honours? Well, you pretty much have to because they're are too big for me to carry around," replied Spike.

" Once again, your smugness becomes you," I said, but he was right as we did know what needed to be done. Once I placed all three stones in the correct pedestals, I then took out the Ocarina of Time, and began to play the Song of Time in front of the pedestal. At first nothing appeared to be happening, but then I noticed the three triangles on top of the Door of Time starting to glow in a bright light. Within an instant after that, the door itself began to open which meant that the Sacred Realm was at last accessible. At least that's what I assumed until I realized that behind the door was merely another room.

" So there was an entire room behind the Door of Time? I thought that it would be the Sacred Realm which is what we've been told," said Spike.

" Maybe my idea of there being a fifth key needed to open the entrance does exist, so this could mean that we'll be searching for a while. I really don't like the idea of being delayed anymore than we already have, but time is pretty much up for us, and we need to get the Triforce before Ganondorf figures out that we have all of the keys in our possession," I said. Walking past the Door of Time and into this additional room felt rather intimidating to me, but maybe it was because I was nervous over the fact that I was so close to being able to go back to my own world. Spike then noticed something and flew off to investigate which had me wondering what it was he had found. " Spike? What is it? What do you see?"

" Take a look at this Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike. I saw that he was hovering above what appeared to be a sword stuck inside of a stone, and there was something about it that compelled me to want to get closer. The blade looked as though it had been forged from the finest metal in the kingdom, and its shine indicated that it had been cared for by whoever owned this temple. The handle looked like it could be gripped pretty firmly making it an ideal weapon for anyone looking to use one. Of course, I had no experience in using a sword, so I had no reason to want to try and pull it. Spike continued hovering around the sword in order to get my attention. " I can't believe that we've found that legendary blade....the Master Sword!"

" What's so special about it?" I asked.

" There is a legend associated with it, so I'll tell you as much of it as I am able to. The Master Sword was said to have been forged in ancient times during an era when the surface was plagued by a terrible war, and humanity had to retreat to the sky in order to protect themselves from a demonic horde. This sword was created in order to bring light back to the world which had been plunged into darkness, but not anyone is able to wield it successfully.

They say that the sword chooses those who are to use it, and only those who are of pure heart. The ancient sages discovered this sword in an ancient Temple of Time which had existed before the war, but fell into disuse after a few centuries, so it was decided to place it here," replied Spike.

" Do you think this sword could be the final key?" I asked.

" It certainly looks to be that way which means you'll need to draw it from that pedestal," replied Spike.

" I'm not sure if that would be a good idea," I began.

" Of course it is because what other option is there?" asked Spike.

" No, it's not that but rather the fact that only one who has a pure heart can wield the Master Sword. While I have saved two civilizations in this world, and saved another in my own world, my heart is anything but pure as the darkness inside of me still exists given that Ganondorf tried to take advantage of it. I don't aim to be a perfectly good hero Spike as that is something I will never be no matter how much redemption I do in order to make up for my past.

If I attempt to pull this sword out, and it determines that I am not of a pure heart to wield it properly, what would happen to me? Would the sword kill me for not being worthy? That sounds a little extreme even for me, so I think it will just stay stuck in place until someone else comes along," I replied.

" Are you going to allow your self-doubt to stop you when we're this close?" asked Spike.

" Even though I think it won't work because of what I've done, I might as well try to pull it out," I replied. I walked up to the sword and placed my hands firmly around the handle, and attempted to pull on it as hard as possible, but nothing happened which I was expecting. " Looks like I proved that I am not worthy to wield this sword Spike, but maybe that's for the best. If the sword isn't removed from the pedestal, then the entrance to the Sacred Realm can't be opened, and Ganondorf can't get his hands on the Triforce," I replied.

" That does make a lot of sense when you put it that way," said Spike.

" The only problem though is that all of the trouble has happened as a result of his obsession. If Ganondorf realizes that his plans have been thwarted because of my being unworthy, he could take his aggression and frustration out on anyone who gets in his way. He did say that he was the most powerful man in the kingdom, so I doubt that anyone can defeat him which means pulling the sword is the only option. Maybe I can use my Equestrian Magic to help pull out the sword as I know that is pure good, but would that be fair as it's just an extension of me and not the real thing," I said.

" What do you want to do?" asked Spike.

" I'm going to stop doubting myself for the time being, and pull the Master Sword out even if I have to use every last ounce of my magic to do so. This might get a little ugly as I don't look very good when I'm straining myself, so you have been warned," I replied. I placed my hands firmly on the handle of the sword again, and began to pull as hard as I had ever pulled on anything in my entire life. The sword still refused to budge, but I wasn't about to give up.

I wanted to do this in order to prove that I had become a pure-hearted girl, and that my past was something I had to use to better myself rather than dwell on it. That was when I tapped into my Equestrian Magic, and just like that, the Master Sword effortlessly came out of the pedestal and was firmly in my hand. It was surprisingly light despite how long it was, but it felt really nice to be holding it despite not knowing how to use a sword.

" You did it! You pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal! I knew you could do it Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" Okay, so now what do I do?" I asked.

" Your guess is as good as mine. It could be a delayed reaction, or you might to swing the sword in a specific pattern to make the entrance appear. Just when it looked like things were starting to look up for us, this ends up happening," replied Spike.

" Option one sounds like a reasonable one to me," I said.

" Looks like we're going to be waiting here for a while," said Spike. And we ended up doing so for the next 20 minutes which seemed completely ridiculous given that this was supposed to be a legendary weapon of Hyrule's history. Just when I was about to give up and leave the temple, the pedestal started to glow in a strange light which caught my attention. In what felt like an instant, a portal of some kind opened up before my eyes, and beyond it was a beautiful garden that was brimming with magical energy I hadn't felt since the day I exiled myself from Equestria.

" That certainly took longer than expected Sunset Shimmer, but at least we've opened the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Now we can go inside and claim the Triforce and use it to save this world."

" At last I'll be able to return to my own world when this is all done," I smiled. That was when a familiar laugh echoed throughout the room, and it was one that I was hoping would not be from the one person who scared me more than anyone else. I slowly turned around, and standing there with his arms folded was Ganondorf, and he had a big grin across his face.

" Geh, heh, heh....excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time."

" I assumed that you were chasing the princess....which means," I said.

" That I was aware that you were going to come here in order to claim the Triforce before I could? I figured that you were much more than simply having a unique form of magic which is why I had to manipulate you into doing my work for me. I am fully aware that evil ones can never touch the Master Sword, so if I had killed you during our previous encounter, it would have done me no good as I could easily open all of the locks of the Sacred Realm save for the last one," said Tirek.

" Which you needed me for," I said.

" And you fulfilled your part most admirably kid! By pretending to pursue Zelda, I led you into a false sense of security which prompted you to want to come here and open the door as soon as possible. As soon as I was out of your line of vision, I changed course and came back here and waited for you to complete your task. Now that you have fulfilled your purpose to me, you no longer hold any value, so you will die right there where you stand. This time, I intend to kill you because the way I see it, you are essentially the only one standing before my destiny, and that is something I cannot allow," said Tirek.

" If you want the Triforce so badly then you'll have to go through me," I said boldly.

" Again, you want a piece of me? Do not assume that you think you can defeat me even though you are holding a weapon which can wound me. A powerful weapon does not make a warrior for it is their own strength and power that determines how effective they are on the field of battle. If anything, that sword is nothing more than a dull piece of metal in the hands of someone as inexperienced as you.

My skills with the sword are far superior to yours in addition to my magic being far more refined. Had you decided to accept my offer to become a princess in your own right, you would not be on the precipice of death, but that opportunity has long since gone for you. The only option you have left is to die here and now," said Tirek.

" There's something about you that reminds me of Equestria," I said.

" What in the world is an Equestria?" asked Tirek.

" You look as though you were some kind of mythical creature that comes from Equestria, but I can't put my finger on it because I've seen anything of your sort when I used to live there before my self-exile. Tell me something Ganondorf! Does the name Tirek ring a bell to you? Whenever I see your face or hear your name, that name keeps on appearing in my head, so I must know if it means anything," I replied.

" Tirek you say....that name does bring up some memories of another world which I was subjugating under my rule, but something happened which brought about my defeat, and I found myself shackled somewhere which I do not know. Such a vision is meaningless for it is nothing more than a distraction, for my desire to conquer Hyrule is much too strong for anyone to deny me," said Tirek. That was the clincher for sure which has me convinced that he was from Equestria, but why was he from there, and why was he brought into this world?

I had no time to think about this question as he was walking towards me, but he had no weapon drawn as though he wanted to be at a disadvantage. I had to do all I could to stop him, so I gripped the Master Sword firmly, and went into a fighting stance to indicate that I was blocking his advance. " Insolent kid! To defy me is to become a corpse whose energy will increase my power even more!" Ganondorf then dashed straight at me catching me off guard before kicking me really hard in the stomach which caused me to spit out in reaction.

He then followed this with an uppercut to my head that sent me crashing into the wall and making a serious dent in it before falling to the ground in pain. " Heh! That was much too easy for me to accomplish. Your energy is not worth the effort after all if you fell after two weak blows like that, and killing you would merely take little effort and be fruitless. Lay there where you crumble and witness my glory as the Triforce becomes mine."

" I won't let you....succeed....there is too much at....stake," I said in a weak voice.

" Do not attempt to get up kid, for you know that I am much too powerful for you to defeat," said Tirek as he walked ever closer to the Sacred Realm's entrance. That was when I mustered up all of the magic that I had and blasted him in the back with it....which turned out to have no effect at all apart from really making him furious. " That was your first and last mistake you will ever make." Ganondorf then turned around and came at me again where he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up like I was a bag of wheat.

His laugh echoed in my ears as I found myself being choked, and then I was slammed into the ground which knocked the wind out of me proving that he was too strong. He then kicked me again really hard sending me rolling across the floor and into a heap in the corner. He could have just left me there, but instead he leapt into the air and came crashing down by punching me so hard in the stomach that I actually coughed up blood before he picked me up and tossed me into the wall once more. " That was a good deal of fun for me, but the games have gone on long enough, so stay down this time kid!"

" No....can't...." I said as I barely got back onto my feet somehow.

" So, you continue to resist....I will admit that you do possess much courage kid, but at the same time you also possess stupidity for continuing a struggle that is clearly far more than you can handle. Even one attack from me would be enough to kill you where you stand! I do not grant mercy to anyone because mercy is for the weak, but I suppose that I can make an exception for you. You have lasted longer than anyone else has against me, and for that I do commend you," said Tirek.

" I....can....k....k....keep...." I said.

" Whether you can matters not for you are no threat to meonce again you are easy to manipulate kid for I know that you possess a power far greater than even you can imagine, but all it needs is a little extra push to bring it forward. What surprises me is that the Master Sword has not performed that one quirk it does. Perhaps the kid used her magic as a means of pulling out the sword, and it is trying to sense if she is worthy or not before making a decision.

Such an ironic twist in that the very weapon she is holding could send her away with the right incentive....and that is going to happen as my words have already broken her mentally, and the power that she wielded before when we met is about to unleash itself again. I suppose that I could just kill her and be done with it, but this is much more delicious, so stand there dejected at the fact that you have failed this world by changing its destiny. I have won and you have lost kid! Let that feeling sink right down into your heart and allow it to fester for many years to come," said Tirek.

" N....no....I....mustn't lose....too....much riding.....on my shoulders. I....must.....continue on and stop you before this world is destroyed! HHHHAAAAHHHH!!!!" I then shouted at the top of my voice and the magic inside of me began to go into overdrive which felt both scary and exciting at the same time. An aura then surrounded my body and the pony ears and tail which I received against that musical fight with the Dazzlings appeared indicating that I had tapped into the Equestrian Magic that dwells in my heart. The brightness of the aura blinded Ganondorf momentarily, but when he was able to see again, he saw my transformation and was completely shocked by it.

" What sorcery is this? Are those pony ears and a pony tail? I did not expect her to change her appearance in such a manner, nor this sudden increase in her magical powers, but I was expecting her to unleash her inner strength for now she has awakened the Master Sword and alerted it to her presence. It won't be long now before she is gone, and Hyrule's last line of defence is no more. Still, I have underestimated this kid as her increase in power is most unexpected. There is a slim chance that she can defeat me thus denying me my prize, but I will not fall to the likes of this one. It appears that you possess some skill after all."

" It feels strange to have my pony ears and tail in this kind of situation, but you have pushed me to the limit which has allowed me to transform," I said.

" And you think that you now have the power to defeat me?" asked Tirek.

" Most likely as Equestrian Magic is far more powerful than you can imagine," I replied.

" I highly doubt that," said Tirek. That was an indication that he was taunting me into wanting to attack him, so I decided to take him up on his offer. Raising the Master Sword high above my head, I charged at Ganondorf in a speed that was even faster than his, and I plunged the blade into his chest, where it went right through and protruded on the other side. Just seeing the Master Sword sticking out of his back was inspiring as it felt that I was about to fulfill my destiny, and finally return to the human world.

" GGGGAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" The blow caught him by surprise so much that he dropped onto his knees, and I pulled the sword from his chest and held it in front of his face. " Gasp! Gasp! Impossible! Where did all this power come from? You could not possess such a power like this? You were barely alive on the ground as a result of my attacks, and now you have somehow regained your strength and inflicted such a wound unto me. Hmph! It seems that my taunting of you has pushed you over the limit, and I am living to regret such a decision, but then this is exactly what I was hoping you would do; succumb to your rage once more and attempt to strike me down in order to kill me."

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Heh, it amazes me how you are so ignorant in that you have not figured out the drawback of wielding that blade, so allow me to educate you on your folly. That blade judges those who wield it by testing their power and determining their fate upon the result. If they are worthy enough, the Master Sword shall glow brightly and enable the wielder to achieve a power that is rivaled only by the Triforce.

However, if they are not worthy, then the punishment is most severe. I knew deep down that you were not worthy of the blade because of the insecurities that you have, but I needed you to unleash your power so that you could be judged. I would say that the sword shall deliver its judgment onto you at any moment," replied Tirek.

" Is that an act of desperation?" I asked.

" Such a childish thing to say," replied Tirek.

" Maybe so, but you have to admit that the Master Sword choosing to punish someone not worthy is a little extreme," I said.

" Your words speak out with fear in them as you know that your fate has been sealed from the very beginning. I allowed you to unleash your true power so that the sword would awaken and determine if you were the right one it has been waiting for. The Hylian King before his death told me that those who are not worthy have their souls ripped out of their bodies, and sealed away in the Sacred Realm. Some of those who are banished this way do end up returning, but the vast majority are never seen again for the blade and the realm itself rob them of their life's essence," said Tirek.

" How could such a sword of light do such a thing?" I asked.

" Ignorance is truly blissful on you it seems....how amusing to know this small facet of you just before you die. I doubt that your soul will be returning to your body once it has been removed, so this would be our final farewell. That expression tells me that you still refuse to believe what is about to happen, but I shall allow the Master Sword to tell you as it is about to do what it does to the unworthy," replied Tirek. I would quickly discover that his words were indeed true as the Master Sword suddenly began to pull me towards the Sacred Realm in an attempt to drag me into it.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" You have been judged as being unworthy to wield the Master Sword, so you are being sealed within the Sacred Realm where your soul will be separated from your body, and your very existence is snuffed out. At least, the final piece of my plan has borne fruit, and it is very succulent to say the least," replied Tirek.

" Sunset Shimmer! Help!" yelled Spike as he was sucked into the realm.

" SPIKE!" I screamed.

" How delicious this truly is knowing that you did everything that I wanted you to do," laughed Tirek. Once again I realized that Ganondorf had manipulated me into doing exactly what he wanted, and I also realized that my own magic had essentially doomed me. The Great Fairy of Power warned me that I was going to die if I did not change the fate of Hyrule, and it looked as though I was about to have my life cut short. I struggled to fight back against the force pulling me in, but it was too strong for me to handle. My pony ears and tail disappeared as the Master Sword flung itself into the light taking me with it.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" That was the last thing I said as I was flung into the Sacred Realm. I reached out with my other hand with tears streaming from my face as I disappeared leaving nothing left other than Ganondorf who got back onto his feet with his wound still giving him some slight pain.

" You thought that you could control the power of the Master Sword? Hah! Such a deluded kid you were, thinking that you could save this world, but now you have been sealed away by the very sword that was designed to repel those like me. I did not expect you to give me such a grievous wound like this, but it will heal soon enough meaning that your efforts in the end were wasted. Heh....heh....heh....heh....With you no longer getting in the way, there is nothing to stop me from claiming the Triforce.

Hyrule is now mine to rule for my destiny has at last come true. Kid, despite wanting to deny me my prize, you turned out to be most useful in the very end. You have lead me to the gates of the Sacred Realm! Yes! I owe it all to you kid! Ha, hah, hah, hah....heh....heh....ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!" laughed Tirek.

Once he had regained enough strength from the wound I gave him, he proceeded to enter the Sacred Realm where upon he was able to find the location of the Triforce and lay his hands upon it. At the precise moment when his hands touched the golden power, Twilight, in the hidden spot Applejack had taken her to, sensed that all was now lost.

" Gasp!" exclaimed Twilight.

" What is wrong your highness?" asked Applejack.

" It's Ganondorf! I can sense his power having grown exponentially which means only one thing. He has obtained the Triforce from the Sacred Realm, but how was he able to enter the realm in the first place? The final key was designed to prevent those with evil hearts from ever touching it, yet he was able to bypass that and obtained the power of the gods themselves. Wait! Sunset Shimmer....I can't sense her magical presence anywhere in Hyrule," replied Twilight.

" There are only two possibilities that could have resulted in that your highness. The first one is that Sunset Shimmer was killed at the hands of Ganondorf once she was of no further use to him assuming that he manipulated her in the manner that you and I are quickly suspecting. The second one is that her spirit has been sealed away somehow, and the only thing which has the power to do that would be the final key to the Sacred Realm itself," said Applejack.

" The Master Sword is capable of doing such a thing?" asked Twilight.

" Did you not know about this from your studies your highness? Surely they would have informed you that the 'blade of evil's bane' possesses the power to seal away any who try to claim it, and fail to do so. It does however appear that you were not aware that this was going to happen, and the same can be said of Sunset Shimmer. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like for her to have her own spirit taken away in such a manner," replied Applejack.

" Is it possible for her to return?" asked Twilight.

" Perhaps although I cannot say for certain," replied Applejack.

" Then I will not rest until she has returned to this world no matter how long it is going to take. I will search for her and find a way to bring her back even if I am to be captured by Ganondorf in the process. Impa, I dragged Sunset Shimmer into this conflict against her own will, and now because of me, she has lost everything while the Gerudo king has obtained everything. There is so much despair in my heart right now because of what has happened, but I will not give up until she has come back to us. The question now is how am I going to do that if Ganondorf is still searching for me. So long as I continue to exist in Hyrule, there is no where for me to hide as he will no doubt never stop until he has me in his clutches," said Twilight.

" There is a way your highness, but it will not be easy," said Applejack.

" Despite that being the case, I will take that risk for my people and for Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight.

" Then the risk your highness is to no longer exist as you are," said Applejack.

" Hold on a moment Impa. Are you saying that I must be killed, or even sacrificed to ensure my people have hope for the future? While that would rally people into fighting back against Ganondorf, I think it would be more prudent if I were to serve as a rallying point while still being alive," said Twilight.

" I did not mean to mince my words princess, but what I mean it that Ganondorf is searching for you. In order to move about the kingdom undetected, you must no longer be the Princess of Hyrule. While this continues to confuse you, your highness, rest assured that I shall take care of everything. The forces of evil may have succeeded, but someday the one chosen by destiny, Sunset Shimmer, will return and fulfill her duty. Until then, we must bide our time and you must disappear," said Applejack.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 17: Seven Years have Passed, and so much has Changed

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 13, 2014
Chapter 17: Seven Years have Passed, and so much has Changed.

" Uhhhhhhhh....where am I?" As I struggled to open my eyes, I felt as though I had been through a searing amount of pain even though my body was perfectly fine. Once I could see my surroundings, I saw there was nothing but an empty void as though life itself ceased to be. I struggled to remember what happened before I passed out, but the only thing that came to mind was being pulled into something. That was when I noticed that Spike wasn't around, and I wasn't wearing that green tunic but rather a plain white shirt and pants which made me think I was in some kind of institution.

Where was this place? How long had I been here for? Why am I here when I should be either back home or in Hyrule? It then dawned on me that I couldn't be back home as I failed to save Hyrule....at least, I think that's what happened. " Hello? Is anyone out there?" Nothing! Just empty silence within an empty void. Was this the equivalent of having died? No! I couldn't have died and failed in my quest....could I? Ugh! My memories are all jumbled up and I had no idea what was going on. " Can someone please tell me what in Equestria is going on?"

" Heh....heh....heh....heh....you are in a place where no one can hear you child....a place that exists outside of reality itself....this is limbo, and you have met with a most unfortunate fate where your soul was ripped from your body." That voice sounded very familiar to me, and that was when a silhouette of a tall figure appeared before my eyes. Its eyes glowed bright red which struck fear into my eyes, and I cowered in the presence of this silhouette. " So, you are starting to remember what happened to you when you attempted to fulfill your destiny and tried to save my world?

You believed that you could make a difference and bring the land into the light, but instead the darkness succeeded, and now you are nothing more than a spirit who has been lost to existence. Fate can be a very cruel mistress when it needs to be tormented one, for you have been suffering here in limbo for a very long time."

" Gasp! It's you, Ganondorf!" I exclaimed.

" I am Ganondorf yes, but not the one that you were fighting against. No, I am the real Dark Lord who sent you into my game world as I wanted to see you suffer child, and so far I have been most amused as you struggled to keep your sanity from shattering. While you did defy my expectations and managed to maintain a steady composure, the fact that you constantly endured hardship is enough for me to be satisfied. Heh, you must feel horrible knowing that you have been left here to rot while the world you tried to save has moved on without you."

" You're the one who sent us all into the video game back in the human world due to the magical outburst that occurred during the Battle of the Bands? I remember what happened to me now, and I can't believe that I ended up losing my life just as the Great Fairy of Power said would happen if I were to fail. It feels like forever since that all happened, or maybe it's only been an hour since that fateful moment," I said.

" Being alone here and in limbo has certainly done much to torment your mind as that is all you have had to keep yourself company for as long as it has been. I am amazed though that your mind remains coherent as most would have lost themselves within a matter of months let alone seven years. It seems that the magic from your true home was able to protect you through such a transition," said Ganondorf.

" Did you just say seven years?" I asked.

" Yes! You have been imprisoned here within limbo for seven years tormented one, and let me tell you that the Hyrule you left has changed, and is no longer the world you have come to know. Even though I would have preferred it, you did not perish at the hands of the other Ganondorf, but rather your spirit was sealed away while your body remained souless and still like a corpse.

I suppose I must commend you for such a valiant effort, but in the end you were destined to fail for events had been foretold long before you appeared. I could just kill you now, but I would much prefer to see you suffer even more than you already have. Thus, you shall soon become reborn in a world that is no longer familiar to you, and the torment will be even greater than it was before. Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant as your pain and misery is all that I wish to see," replied Ganondorf.

" What makes you think that I will just allow myself to return to Hyrule in order to suffer even more? I'm finished with that world despite having failed to prevent it from falling to a tyrannical madman, so all I want to do right now is just go back to my own world," I said.

" Ah, but you are not finished yet," began Ganondorf.

" I figured as much otherwise why else would you be here aside from giving me some pity," I sighed.

" You have merely witnessed the first half of the game world that I am from, so now you must experience the rest of it with your own eyes. Only by accomplishing the task of defeating the other Ganondorf will you be free to return to your pathetic life, and no other means will allow you to reach it any sooner. It does not concern me if you end up becoming a legend in your own right, and even succeeding in fulfilling your destiny. I already know what is going to happen anyway as I have seen it all happen with my own eyes, for I was the one who brought Hyrule to ruin. No, all I desire is to see your pain and misery as you struggle against a much strongerdarkness than ever before," said Ganondorf.

" Why are you doing this to me?" I asked.

" Because of all of you humans who possess the magic of the place you call Equestria, you were the only one who had the most self-doubt. You were the weakest and most vulnerable among your so-called friends, and for that I wanted you to experience even more heartbreak so as for you to be reminded that your past is one that you can never truly escape from. Know that there is nothing you can do except for accepting your fate, and either succeed or die!

This is where we part ways child, for you are about to awaken from your seven year slumber, and I shall enjoy watching every last moment of it until it is all said and done. Do be sure to give me quite the performance now! Heh....heh....heh....ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!" laughed Ganondorf. His silhouette then disappeared, and everything was starting to turn white again. I had no idea what was about to happen to me, so all I did was brace myself and hope for the best.

" Sunset Shimmer....wake up Sunset Shimmer, the chosen one!"

" Uhhhh...." was all I could say as I started to open my eyes only to discover that I was in some kind of room filled with ancient architecture, and what appeared to be an endless ceiling as it trailed off into a black nothingness. I then looked around the room and discovered that there was just one platform suspended in the middle of nothing, and that it featured six raised grooves with the colours yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and orange arranged in a hexagon pattern.

While I wanted to figure out what this meant, the fact that someone was standing in front of me became my primary concern, and when I looked up, I was shocked to see that it was someone who I only knew from books. " Gasp! You! You're Starswirl the Bearded, the legendary unicorn wizard who once served as the royal confidant of Princess Celestia. I remember reading about you in the books back when I studied with her. It's an honour to meet someone of your greatness, but may I ask as to why you would be here?"

" Hmmmm? I have no idea as to who you may be referring to, but I suppose that I must be grateful for the wonderful compliment. Ahem! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rauru, one of the ancient sages of Hyrule. Ages ago, we ancient sages built the Temple of Time as a means of protecting the entrance to the Sacred Realm in order to prevent evil ones from reaching this forbidden place where the Triforce is located.

This is the Chamber of Sages within the Temple of Light which is located in the heart of the Sacred Realm. This temple has served as the final stronghold against Ganondorf's forces ever since the day he claimed the Triforce from this chamber. The Master Sword, the evil destroying sword, was used by us ancient sages and served as the final key that one would need to pull in order to open the way to the Sacred Realm."

" I knew it! I always knew that there was going to be a fifth key although I wasn't expecting it to be a sword," I said.

" Such a strong perception you have there Sunset Shimmer, but right now I want you to look down upon yourself. Do not be afraid of what you might see," said Starswirl. I decided to take his advice even though it sounded a little awkward, and I was shocked to discover that I was now wearing tights as well as a white shirt underneath the green tunic. I was also wearing padded fingerless brown gloves, and for some reason I had small blue earrings in my ears which were never there before. Finally, my Hylian Shield was still on my back, but now I had a scabbard there which most likely housed the Master Sword. The strange thing was that I still looked the same even though I was told by the real Ganondorf that seven years had passed.

" I'm surprised that my attire has changed a little in order to make me look more dynamic, but how come I still look the same as I did back when I lost my soul? And before you even say anything Starswirl the Bearded, or whoever it was you said your name was, I don't intend on using the Master Sword just because it's on my person as I don't know how to properly wield a sword. Granted, I did use it in order to strike Ganondorf a mighty blow, but that was due to the magic from my place of birth having enabled me to use it to begin with," I said.

" My name is Rauru lest I must repeat myself again, but to answer your question, I suspect that this magic you possess has kept you from aging which is certainly a surprise to say the least. I have no doubt that people are going to wonder why you remain the same as you were before, and yet they have aged many years. Now then, the Master Sword is a divine blade that chooses those who are to wield it in combat, or in your case simply carry it around until needed.

You were destined to pull the sword from its pedestal, and were chosen to become the Hero of Time. However, you were too young, and so your spirit was sealed here for seven years where you have not aged one bit. Thus, you have aged mentally and emotionally, but not physically which is sure to cause confusion," said Starswirl.

" So it really has been seven years," I said.

" And much has changed since the day you were sealed here by the Master Sword," said Starswirl.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Though you opened the entrance to the Sacred Realm in the name of peace, Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden realm and obtained the Triforce. Once he obtained the golden power, his power began to radiate throughout the temples of Hyrule, and the power augmented his strength to god-like proportions. Within a matter of seven years, Hyrule has been transformed into a world of monsters. As a result of the dark power that he wields, Ganondorf's might has reached every last facet of the kingdom save only for this chamber which is all that remains," replied Starswirl.

" I suspect that there will be people who blame me for allowing this to happen Rauru, but I can't really blame them for wanting to think that way. I was way too confidant when I held the Master Sword back then as I believed that I could defeat Ganondorf, save this world, and return to my own. But, I wasn't prepared to lose my soul for seven years, and I don't think Twilight was expecting that either.

I guess in a way she is also to blame for having gotten me involved, and not knowing that this sword was going to essentially rob me of a good number of years. Well, I guess I have no choice but to attempt to save this world once again, but it's going to be a lot harder now that monsters roam everywhere, and the scent of evil is evident no matter where I go. I have Spike with me to serve as my partner like before, but just the two of us facing off against Ganondorf does have the making of being a suicide mission," I said.

" Then you are most fortunate in that the power of the sages remains. If you are able to awaken the power of the six sages and add their strength to your own, you will become the Hero of Time as chosen by the Master Sword, and together you along with the sages will be able to bind the evil power of the realm by banishing Ganondorf here and returning peace to this land," said Starswirl.

" So I need to look for six sages?" I asked.

" Actually just five for I am one of the Sages whose power will aid you in defeating Ganondorf. No doubt that this is all confusing you Sunset Shimmer seeing as I have revealed much without providing you an explanation, and that you have only just recently awoke from your slumber. I sense someone is waiting for you in the very place where you left Hyrule so long ago, and this presence is sure to explain things in even greater detail. Before you return to the kingdom in order to begin your new quest, I want you to take this as a sign that you have my power," replied Starswirl.

" What is it?" I asked.

" This is the Light Medallion, one of a series of six which within each contains the power of the sage who represents the element they present. Whenever you find one of the other Sages, they will give you their own respective medallion allowing you to add their might to you own which you will need if you are to face Ganondorf. The time has come now for you to return to Hyrule and fulfill your destiny. Good luck Sunset Shimmer, and be sure to find the Sages," replied Starswirl. Once again I was blinded by a bright light, and when I came to, I found myself back inside the Temple of Time where I had fought and lost against Ganondorf.

Looking around the room where the Master Sword was once held, I saw that the impact craters where I was thrown into the walls, and landed on the floor were still there. Some effort had been made to repair the damage, but it looks like it had been abandoned I'd say about a month or two after it happened. The only other thing I noticed was that the interior felt a little darker than usual as though the light had gotten weaker over time.

" Sunset Shimmer! We're back in the Temple of Time, but have seven years really passed?" asked Spike.

" While it does feel weird knowing that it's been that long Spike, it actually feels like only yesterday that I was fighting against Ganondorf in an attempt to stop him from achieving his goal. It feels like we've been given a second chance to make things right with the world, but I'm not sure if the people are willing to forgive me for having failed them in their time of need," I replied.

" That's to be expected given that they did see you as being Hyrule's best hope for a brighter tomorrow, but I wouldn't blame yourself for what happened. You had too much pressure placed upon you, and I doubt that anyone with that kind of expectation could have done any better. Still, you managed to stand up to Ganondorf and lasted longer than anyone else. Defeating him now won't be so easy as he does have the Triforce, and that alone makes him the most powerful being in the entire kingdom," said Spike.

" But Starswirl the Bearded said that we needed the power of the six sages in order to defeat him, and while we do have one of them courtesy of himself, how are we supposed to find the other five? I mean, he said that there would be someone here to meet us and explain things further, but so far we're the only two inside of this temple which has probably been forgotten about. Sigh! That sage in the Sacred Realm must have gotten his senses incorrect or something, and speaking of which, he said that he was one of the ancient sages right? How is that even possible? I assumed that they all passed away some centuries ago, yet he is still alive," I said.

" There is a rumour that when the ancient sages finished building the Temple of Time, and used the Master Sword to act as the final key to the Sacred Realm, one of their own secretly re-entered the realm as a means of being a final line of defence should anyone ever manage to open the way up again. It's also rumoured that this sage was forced to remain in the Sacred Realm for all eternity due to having abandoned his own existence," said Spike.

" If Starswirl was indeed the one who decided to stay behind, that was a very noble sacrifice he made even though he must have known that there was going to be a huge price to pay. I guess we'll never know what really happened as I doubt that he would be willing to talk about it. Anyway, before we leave the temple, we should do an inventory check to make sure I'm properly equipped to handle this new Hyrule," I said. I then took out all of the items and weapons I had picked up so far on my journey, and I noticed that some of them were blackened out as though they had lost their colour. " That's strange....how come some of my items look like they've lost their essence of life?"

" I was afraid this was going to happen," replied Spike.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" It looks like some of the weapons you picked up won't work anymore due to you not being a kid. I mean, you're a teenager and not a kid, but you haven't aged at all physically due to that magic of yours. Anyway, the weapons and items that only work for a child are no longer useable to you which means you're out one Fairy Slingshot, one Boomerang, nine Magic Beans, one Mask of Truth, and however many Deku Sticks you managed to pick up.

All that's left are the Master Sword, the Hylian Shield, the Bomb Bag with Bombs, the Bombchu, the two bottles, Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and your money. You don't have any Deku Nuts but I assume you can pick those up still as they're useable by anyone, and I forgot to mention that you can't use the Goron Bracelet, but you can use the Silver Scale and the Ocarina of Time," replied Spike.

" So we're heading off into this changed world with half of my gear being completely useless?" I asked.

" Pretty much, but you can't simply leave them behind which means you'll just have to carry around the extra weight, and get used to the fact that you're limited until you can find some new weapons. There's not much else we can do here Sunset Shimmer, so we might as well just leave like you said. To be honest, I'm really afraid of what we'll see once we leave the temple as who knows what changes Ganondorf has made while we were gone. I know they'll be bad changes, but still I don't like the idea of going into something completely blind," replied Spike.

" I'm afraid too, but we can't save this world unless we get out there and do whatever we can," I said. With nothing else left to do, I began to start walking towards where the Door of Time had been opened in order to make my way to the exit of the temple, but no sooner had I taken a few steps when I heard the footsteps of someone else coming from behind me. When I stopped moving, the person behind me also stopped. " Spike....there is someone right behind us who could be the one we're supposed to meet, or it could be some kind of monster that has been waiting for us to return.

Either way, I need to be brave and face whoever it is. I mean, I could just run away like in the past, but something is compelling me to face this head-on." I decided to turn around and face this person, and once I had spun around, I came face-to-face with a very unusual individual.

" I've been waiting for you....Hero of Time." This person looked as though they were some kind of ninja as they were wearing an impressive looking garb which made me think of the outfit Applejack wore in this world, and their face was obscured completely by a turban with only their eyes and nose presentable along with a small amount of hair. There was something about this person that struck me as being familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

" When evil rules all, an awakening voice will call out from the realm to those destined to be sages who dwell within the five temples. One in a Deep Forest. One atop a High Mountain. One under a Vast Lake. One within the House of the Dead. One inside a Goddess of the Sand. Together with the Hero of Time, the six wise ones will help seal the power of evil into the void of the realm. This is the Legend of the Six Sages as passed down by my people, the Sheikah. I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah."

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" Yes, I know all about you and your exploits in Hyrule's past. You were quite an extraordinary girl who was able to use magic that was not of this world, yet fate it seems decided to be cruel and you were banished for seven years. You were able to talk to the one who resides in the Sacred Realm correct? I am certain he has told you of what has befallen this kingdom during these past years. This land is no longer the one that you traversed when you were young as the influence of Ganondorf, who has christened himself the King of Evil, has spread out and corrupted every possible trace of the land. Hold on a second! Why do you look as though you haven't aged a single day since you vanished?"

" That Rauru fellow also asked me a similar question, and we came to the conclusion that my magic was someone able to prevent me from aging physically, but I have aged both emotionally and mentally. You know, it seems that you know an awful lot about me despite claiming that you've merely heard of what I had done back then. There's something about you which looks familiar to me, but maybe it's to do with the fact that I only just awoke from a seven year slumber, and my judgment is being cloudy. I'm actually glad that you gave me some description as to where I might these five sages, but do you have anything more for me to go on?" I asked.

" One Sage is awaiting the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know, but because of the evil that infests the temple, she is not able to hear the call from the Sacred Realm. You have most likely figured out who this young girl is, but you are wondering as to where the location of the Forest Temple is. The temple can be found at the far end of the Lost Woods in a sacred place where few have ever walked, but equipped as you are right now, you cannot even enter the temple and attempt to save her from the evil within. If you believe the legend and the words that I speak of, you must go to Kakariko Village."

" You're right in that I have a pretty good idea as to who you're referring to, but why would I want to go to Kakariko Village when the place I need to go is somewhere in the forest? I know you just said that I need to go to the village, but is it really necessary as wouldn't it be faster if say, I went to this temple first?" I asked.

" Are you seriously asking me such a ridiculous question?"

" I guess so," I replied.

" Here I thought that you looked like the legendary Hero of Time, but perhaps I was mistaken in my judgment. Why would you want to insist on doing something that would be much more difficult instead of wanting to achieve your goal through the proper means? I know things are different now than they were back then, but there is no need for you to think that you can simply cut corners just to save some time. You are a hero who is destined to overcome many challenges, and you simply can't decide to skip out on something very important as that's just not the heroic course of action one in your station would take."

" That's where you're wrong," I began.

" Explain!"

" People kept on telling me that I am a hero whose destiny it was to save this world, and I appreciate and respect them for thinking that way. But that's their opinion of me and this is mine! I'm not the kind of hero that you and everyone else thinks I am. I'd be one of those flawed adventurers who goes about trying to do their part to change the course of destiny, but at the same time having to deal with some personal inner-demons. I mean this quite literally as Ganondorf reminded me of why I wanted to become a better person.

Once, I was a raging she-demon who sought power at the expense of others, and I didn't care who I had to hurt in order to get what I wanted. Since I was defeated by friendship, I started to redeem myself by paying for my actions when I was a monster, and even now I'm still paying for what I did. You people may think of me as a great hero, but I'm more like a hero with a troubled past that bogs her down even though she is trying her best not to let it consume her," I said.

" Then it looks like you've passed my first test."

" First test?" I asked.

" As soon as I saw you return to this world from the Sacred Realm, I had my doubts that you were Sunset Shimmer, and believed you to be nothing more than some kind of imposter trying to pretend to be her given that she should have aged seven years. Now, after hearing what you said about your personal struggles, I know now that you are the real thing, and I apologize for having lacked faith in you.

I also know that you are the true Sunset Shimmer as I can sense the goodness coming from your heart, and it is a genuine warmth that has me believing that you can defeat the King of Evil."

" No pressure of course, but none taken with it as it's something I've had to get used to," I said.

" Facing daunting tasks may seem like a horrible thing, but it's something you can and will overcome as you have the power to succeed at anything your heart truly desires. Now let me tell you more about the reason why you need to go to Kakariko Village. There used to be a stairway that lead up to the temple entrance, but over time this has crumbled away leaving nothing more than a single step, and preventing anyone from entering it. However, there is a old tree next to the stairway which can be used as a means of something to grapple onto if you had the proper tool on hand."

" I remember seeing that tree earlier on in my journey, and I remember that there was a branch that stuck out which gave off the impression that it wanted something to be attached to it. Huh, it never dawned on me until now that I needed to grapple my way up to the entrance, but where am I going to find a grappling hook? The last time I checked, such an item isn't sold in any stores, and most people living in this kingdom aren't what I would call climbers," I said.

" Then you know why you must go to Kakariko Village, for you need the skill you'll find there in order to reach the Forest Temple. If you talk to the right people in the village, they will guide you to where you must go. I must warn you Sunset Shimmer, what you will find outside will shock you to no end, and be prepared to fight against the agents of evil at a moment's notice." That sounded needlessly cryptic and foreboding, but I turned around and began to walk out into the main part of the temple waving my thanks to this mysterious person named Sheik.

If what she said was true then how was she able to make it past whatever lies in wait beyond the temple? Just who was this Sheik person anyway? " It looks like you're off to a good start Sunset Shimmer, but there is a long way for you to go, and you will face hardships along the way which must be conquered....I know you can do it because I believe in you, just like how I believed that you would return to us one day. While I cannot reveal my true identity to you, know that I will guide you like I did in the past, but in a much different way than before."

" Should we trust what this Sheik says and head for Kakariko Village?" asked Spike.

" She certainly knew what she was talking about when it comes to gaining access to this Forest Temple, but that there is the problem that makes me feel uneasy. How did she know about having to acquire something from the village? Also, how was she aware of the fact that Fluttershy was the one girl that I knew who lived in the forest? Maybe trusting this Shiekah woman may not be in our best interest as she's keeping secrets," I replied.

" Do we even know if she is a she?" asked Spike.

" Good question, and I don't have an answer for you. Sigh....guess we have no choice but to take her suggestion to heart and go to the village. Anyway, we're at the entrance of the temple now which means we'll be taking our first steps outside for the first time in seven years. I just hope things aren't as bad as she says they are," I replied. I gulped a big one and proceeded to walk outside, and discovered that there was a fierce wind blowing about with the sound of birds chirping as though life itself had ceased to be.

Then I noticed that the town itself had been completely destroyed with the majority of buildings either burned down, smashed to pieces, or completely gone altogether, and even the lush green grass had withered and died. Looking up, I saw nothing but dark clouds that looked ominous, and turning my attention to the right, I saw Death Mountain now with a ring of fire above the top of the peak instead of a ring of smoke like it had been before. " Spike....what in the world happened to Hyrule Castle Town? What happened to Death Mountain? What in Equestria happened to Hyrule?"

" Everything in town has been completely destroyed, and I'm willing to believe that no one has lived here for years. This must have been what Ganondorf did when he obtained the Triforce and began his reign of the kingdom. I knew that he wanted to conquer the world because he felt that he was the better ruler than the king was, but to simply wipe out an entire city just for spite? If this is what it's like here in town, can you imagine what he has done to the castle? And don't get me started with what he might have done to the rest of the kingdom," replied Spike.

" Rauru and Sheik were right in that things are different now than they were before, and that means you and I need to quickly get adjusted to the new status quo if we hope to awaken these five sages," I said.

" Do you plan on using the Master Sword?" asked Spike.

" As I've mentioned many times before, I have no experience with using a sword even though I was able to stab Ganondorf in the chest before we were both sealed away, but that was because I transformed by gaining pony ears and a pony tail which I will explain to you at some point. I think I can only wield the Master Sword when I transform, and it only happens in extreme situations which means the chances of me using it will be completely random.

I do like the fact that it has chosen me despite it being the cause of my losing seven years of my life, but I'm willing to give the sword a second chance as that's what I was given after my mishap in the human world. For the most part though, I'll stick with my magic as that has never failed me before," I replied. With that settled, I began to make my way towards the market where I witnessed the destruction up close, and it was horrible seeing the remains of a once proud town reduced to nothing more than a wasteland. What was the icing on the cake for me were the undead zombies that were standing around as though they were waiting for someone.

" Re-Deads, but they act differently here because there is no sunlight which can penetrate the dark clouds up above. However, they aren't able to paralyze you which means you can either attack them, or just run away from them as I doubt they have the speed to keep up with you," said Spike.

" Do you suppose they are what's left of some of the people?" I asked.

" It's hard to say whether that's true or not, but I'm going to go with the assumption of yes," replied Spike.

" I was afraid you'd say that," I sighed.

" Well, there's nothing we can do about it since this all happened years ago, so there isn't much of an attachment, but we can mourn the loss of anyone who died here once we leave town by going in the south direction as always," said Spike. While his words did bring about much pain, there was also truth in them in that there was nothing that we could do for these poor souls who have been reanimated into undead monsters. Running past the Re-Deads was easy enough and we made our way down the south path which lead to both the drawbridge and a guardhouse which turned out to be the only building in town that was still intact.

Now why was this place still standing, and what purpose could it even serve in a desolate location? My curiosity was brimming, so I decided to enter and find out what this was all about. The inside of the guardhouse was rather dark with only a couple of torches hanging on the wall as a means of providing light. There were a few jars on the floor, and some strange cage at the very back with something colourful floating about it.

" This place gives me the creeps," I whispered to Spike.

" Why are we even in here?" asked Spike in a soft voice.

" I was curious as to what was in this guardhouse as why else would it even be standing? The only thing in here that stands out the most is that cage over there with whatever those colourful shapes are," I replied in a whisper.

" Those are Poes, or rather Poe Souls in the three standard colours they take on in Hyrule when they are destroyed. The pink ones are miserable spirits that are the most common found in the graveyard of Kakariko Village. The green ones are happy spirits which are often the ghosts of people who died and managed to maintain a sunny disposition in the afterlife, like those Royal Composer Sisters we met in the graveyard. The yellow ones are evil spirits and are the rarest Poe Souls to exist as only Poes of tremendous power are able to become something like that. What puzzles me is what are so many of them doing here in a place like this?" asked Spike in a whisper.

" I don't know, but maybe that strange cloaked fellow sitting below the cage can tell us," I replied in a whisper. Sitting there was a large man who was wearing a purple cloak which covered his face, and he wore what looked like the tattered remains of a royal robe. He was holding a long stick in his hand which he used every now and again to smack the cage and make the Poe Souls return to it as they were wandering about as though they wanted to escape.

" You are certainly a fresh-faced young woman! If I had a face like that, I'd have gotten involved in a much different profession. Your name is Sunset Shimmer correct? Heh, don't be surprised by how I know your name considering that we've never met before, for I have the ability to read minds. My name is Sombra and this place is my residence in addition to my place of business. Because of the great Ganondorf, now is the perfect time to be involved in the kind of business that I deal with.

Everywhere you look, there is nothing but pain and misery which is the way things have been for the past few years ever since the day he came to power. While I despise him for what he has done to the people, I respect him for having gone and made things so lucrative. I hope that things continue to get worse when it comes to the actual world itself, and not the people as they have suffered far too much already."

" It sounds like you have some conflicted issues," I said.

" Perhaps, but you can't blame me for liking a man who has given me the best opportunity I've had in a long time," said Sombra.

" Of course I can as the world itself has been turned completely on its head, and all you seem to care about is how good a business you can maintain. Still, you do show concern for the people, so I suppose that I can't fault you for thinking the way you do. What exactly has Ganondorf done around here in the past seven years as I've been out of the loop due to being 'away' from the kingdom for a very long time," I said.

" When he obtained the Triforce, the great Ganondorf conquered Hyrule Castle within a matter of days where the guards were completely slaughtered save for one who managed to survive although I hear that he has been scarred for life all because he was unable to do anything. Many believed he died soon after the previous king had been killed, but the former Captain of the Royal Guards, Shining Armour, survived and rallied the rest of the guards into defending the castle until Princess Zelda was able to join them and lead them to victory," said Sombra.

" How was Ganondorf able to conquer the castle in such a short period of time? His soldiers must have been well-armed and experienced to take over a big castle like that in just a few days," I said.

" Actually, he was able to conquer the castle by himself," said Sombra.

" What!?!? That's impossible!" I exclaimed. Hearing this strange man reveal that Ganondorf conquered Hyrule Castle with his own two hands was just too hard for me to believe, but then I realized that is was something he could do on his own now that he had the power of the Triforce on his side. If I were this Shining Armour, I'd be unable to live with myself knowing that so many lives were lost as a result of such an attack. Then I took notice of the fact that this Sombra character mentioned the princess, so I had to inquire him about her. " You said that the Captain of the Royal Guards was hoping that the princess would join in the castle defence?"

" Prior to Ganondorf's attack on the castle, Princess Zelda was whisked away to safety, and her whereabouts have become unknown since that day. Some believe this is what happened, but most believe that she was either kidnapped by Ganondorf who managed to locate her, or she was killed somewhere. Me? I personally believe that her highness was taken to a safe place, and simply vanished into the pages of history because maybe she was too ashamed to try and reclaim the throne.

Anyway, the princess didn't return to rally the Royal Guards which meant that they were on their own, and at the mercy of the King of Evil where they all met untimely deaths, and to add insult to injury, Ganondorf absorbed their energy in order to become even stronger than he already was, and he was pretty strong thanks to the power of the Triforce," replied Sombra.

" What about the other attendants?" I asked.

" After the castle fell, many of them were killed by Ganondorf and had their energy absorbed just like the Royal Guards, but a few were able to escape and tried to warn the people of Hyrule Castle Town to flee before they would become his next victims. I personally don't know what became of them, but you could always ask around Kakariko Village as they chose to accept all those who had been displaced as a result of the attack.

Once he had fully established himself as the new ruler of the kingdom, Ganondorf destroyed the castle, and built a horrific dark fortress in its stead where he rules over the land with an iron fist. The town itself was destroyed shortly after, and things have been that way for the last seven years," replied Sombra.

" I just can't believe all of this happened during my absence," I cried as tears trickled down my cheek.

" It happened years ago young lady, so there's no need to blame yourself for something that had nothing to do with you, so why don't we move away from this miserable subject, and focus on the gloom that exists right here and now," said Sombra. If he can read my mind, then he may know the fact that my actions were partially responsible for what has befallen Hyrule, or he may not even care seeing as the world is better off now from his perspective. " This is the only Ghost Shop in all of Hyrule, and naturally, the only kind of business done around here revolves around the world of ghosts."

" That explains why you have so many Poe Souls," I said.

" Poes are concentrated spirits, and continue to linger about in the fields and graveyard. They hate the world as a result of what happened to them when their lives ended, and they unleash this hatred by attacking the living. Hey young lady! I just had a brilliant idea! If you were to use an empty bottle to capture a Poe's soul and bring it here to me, I will buy it off of you. Regular Poe Souls won't get you much in terms of rupees, but if you were to bring me a Big Poe's Soul, not only will I pay you a lot of rupees, I will also put 100 points on this card of yours which I shall keep on my person and remind you how much you have on it so far. If you manage to get 1,000 points then I will give you something good," said Sombra,

" You're saying that I should do something without even telling me what it is?" I asked.

" Yes, of course! How could I've forgotten something so simple. How would you like to be a professional Ghost Hunter? You can hunt down Poes and deliver their souls to me where I will pay you for them, and do the rest of the things that I said to you just now. While it sounds rather disturbing and probably disrespectful to be selling the souls of the dead in exchange for rupees, there are people out there besides me who have a fascination towards this sort of thing.

Anyway, you don't have to do it if you don't want to, but whenever you come by here again, and I know you will, stop on by and I'll see what you've got. Regular Poes will be easy enough for you to handle as you appear to be a capable young lady, but I should warn you about the Big Poes as they can be....ummmm....unusual when it comes to how they behave. Well, I'll be seeing you again I'm sure," replied Sombra. As I left this apparent Ghost Shop, I couldn't help but feel like I just got volunteered to undertake in another sidequest that involves being a seller, but instead of selling masks, I'm selling ghosts by defeating and catching them in bottles as a means of storage.

" That guy was creepy," commented Spike.

" Maybe so, but he did manage to tell us a great deal of information despite being happy about the changes Ganondorf has brought to Hyrule," I said.

" You know, it's weird that this guy knew so much about what has been going on these past seven years, it's like he witnessed it all happening in person. Maybe I'm just overthinking things a little with him," said Spike.

Why don't we make our way over to Kakariko Village and find that skill Shiek told us to find. I am both eager and afraid to know what has happened there during the past seven years, and I wonder if anyone will remember us? I also wonder if they'll question the fact that I haven't aged, and they probably have," I said.

" Only one way to find out," said Spike.

" Let's get it over with," I said. As we walked out of the ruined Hyrule Castle Town, I noticed that the drawbridge had been completely destroyed, and all that was left of it was lying in the moat which was probably kept as a testament to the fact that the town was no longer a place that can be viewed as liveable. Hyrule Field still looked the same as ever although the lack of Stalchildren was a welcome sight. It looks like nightfall is still active for a good number of hours, so I might as well get over to Kakariko Village, and begin looking around while people are asleep.

No sooner had I walked a few steps when something big materialized out of nowhere which turned out to be a Poe, but it was a lot bigger than the regular sized ones I've seen before. " Spike, why is this one so big?"

" This is Big Poe which is much stronger and faster than a regular Poe, so this could be a lot of trouble especially if it uses the fire in its lantern to attack you with. That fire can cause a serious burn which can last a long period of time, and I don't think you need to be told what fire can do to creatures seeing as you've been using fire magic on them since the start," replied Spike.

" That's all I needed," I moaned. The Big Poe then started to raise its lantern with the intention of hitting me with the fire inside of it, and I could see the look in its eyes being filled with the hatred of the living which the Ghost Shop owner mentioned. This was going to be a dangerous situation, and just about 30 minutes or so after having been asleep for seven years. I just can't get a break at all can I?

To Be Continued.

Chapter 18: Gravekeeper's Ghost

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 15, 2014
Chapter 18: Gravekeeper's Ghost.

Facing off against a Big Poe shouldn't be all bad as it's just a regular Poe only ten times bigger, and quite possibly ten times stronger. This is definitely not the kind of experience I wanted to greet me upon my first return to Hyrule Field in seven years, but then I should have expected something like this. I had no other choice but to get my magic ready, but then it suddenly began to retreat backwards while waving its free hand as though it were asking me for mercy. Just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder, it disappeared into thin air as soon as it was far enough away.

" That was awkward," I said.

" The owner of the Ghost Shop did say that Big Poes were unusual, and I guess running away from a battle counts. Maybe that's why they are a rare sight to see as they run away as soon as you discover them, and it's also why the owner is willing to pay so many for its spirit. I wonder how we can catch up to one of them whenever we run into one? Any ideas?" asked Spike.

" Considering how fast it was retreating, simply running after it isn't going to work, and none of my magic can grant me the ability to run faster as that's more of a natural gift for Pegasi than any other pony. Hmmmm....any other pony....I suppose that a horse might be able to keep up with a Big Poe," I replied.

" If only you could transform into a horse, or at least that hybrid form you became when you faced Ganondorf," said Spike.

" I'm not just a mere horse you know Spike. My true form is a Unicorn, but we weren't the fastest ponies in Equestria as that was pretty much won by the Pegasi with their wings, and the occasional Earth Pony who had strong legs. Besides, I can only revert back to a unicorn if I were to travel to Equestria which isn't going to be happening any time soon. As for my transformed state, that only works in the most dire of situations

No, we need to get ourselves a proper stallion from the ranch if we're going to hunt down Big Poes. Also, having a horse to ride would make crossing the field a lot quicker as horses are better suited to running as opposed to humans. Anyway, we're wasting time arguing about something so trivial when we should be making our way over to Kakariko Village," I said.

" Do you wish that you could become a unicorn again?" asked Spike.

" It's something I've been dreaming about, but I know that I can't go back to Equestria as there's too many painful memories waiting for me there. I've gotten used to having this human teenaged body now, and it's the form that I've chosen to associate myself with. Deep down though, I await the day when I can return to my true home, and be forgiven for my transgressions against Princess Celestia.

I feel that my life there would be so much easier if I am able to reconcile with her," I replied. It didn't take long for us to reach the village, and upon entering, it turned out that it hadn't really changed all that much aside from a couple of additional buildings having been built during our seven year absence. Dark clouds swirled above in the sky which indicated that things had changed on a mental level rather than a physical one, and it made me think about the villagers and what they've endured since Ganondorf's rise to power.

" Things look peaceful here Sunset Shimmer," commented Spike.

" Maybe, but those dark clouds above us should remind you of what happened on that day. I'll admit that I was expecting Kakariko Village to have sustained some kind of damage, but everything looks peaceful despite the atmosphere. I did notice that a few new buildings have been added which means that Sweetie Belle and the rest of her fellow carpenters did a pretty good job even if they lacked direction as she described it," I said.

" So where do we go in order to find this skill Shiek told us to get?" asked Spike.

" Good question....we might as well just look around for ourselves," I replied. I assumed that everyone had retired for the night, but it turns out that there was at least one person still awake. That was when I noticed a lantern flashing in the distance as though someone was walking amongst the houses. When the light shone in my direction exposing me to its brightness, it came towards me making the light almost unbearable, and that was when the lantern was lowered so as to allow me to see without going blind.

Standing in front of me was none other than Scootaloo, who was the Cucco Farmer in addition to being a volunteer guard whose job it was to guard the entrance to Death Mountain. It looks like she ended up wanting to do more guard duty seeing as she was walking around at night, or maybe she was forced into the position due to a lack of guards.

" Halt! Who goes there?" asked Scootaloo.

" It's just a traveler coming through in order to find something," I replied.

" Wait! I know that voice from somewhere....you're that girl who sold me the Keaton Mask, but that was seven years ago. It's been an awfully long time since you last came to the village, and how come you look as though you haven't aged a bit? I mean, a good number of villagers haven't aged, but they were adults to begin with, but why are you still just a teenager?" asked Scootaloo.

" Let's just say that it's a very complicated story," I replied.

" Fair enough although I'm not sure if everyone else in the village is going to react as non-chalant as I did. It's nice to see you again after so long, but not everyone here is going to be happy to see you right now due to their mental state. Things have been happening here after Ganondorf assumed the throne and became king. Kakariko Village needed more guards to patrol it during the night because of the increase of monsters coming from both Death Mountain and Hyrule Field, so once again I chose to volunteer although I'm one of the only guards left as the rest were scared away," said Scootaloo.

" I assumed that you would have quit being a guard in order to resume your job as being a Cucco Farmer?" I asked.

" Oh that's still my main occupation even though I am allergic to them as their feathers make me break out in goosebumps. Isn't it ironic that a woman raising cuccos just so happens to be allergic to them. During the day as of late, I keep watch of my cuccos, and during the night I'm patrolling to make sure everything is peaceful. In case you were wondering, I do still have the Keaton Mask that you sold me, but I don't wear it much anymore all because of the gloom and doom the village has," replied Scootaloo.

" What's happened here that's caused so much to change?" I asked.

" There's nothing wrong with the village itself apart from that one thing which happens every night, but a change has occurred to Death Mountain which in turn has affected us down here at the base. We haven't heard any news regarding the Gorons for the last couple of years, and we assumed that they just decided to cut off all ties to the rest of the kingdom for whatever reason they may have had," replied Scootaloo.

" Just like that? Without any reason?" I asked.

" Pretty much although we of the village decided not to interfere and inquire as to what was going on up there in Goron City," replied Scootaloo.

" So what about this one thing that happens here in the village at night?" I asked.

" Do you remember Dampè the Gravekeeper? She used to be the village's gravekeeper whose job it was to maintain the graveyard so as to appease the spirits of those who have died over the years. Sadly, she passed away about three years ago due to a terrible illness which plagued her although she never did reveal it to anyone until it was too late to save her. I guess she didn't want her illness to be a burden when it came to doing her job, so she kept it all to herself. Since then, we've been looking to find a new gravekeeper to fill the void which Dampè left upon her death.

The Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour was cancelled when she died because it just wouldn't be the same without a gravekeeper hosting the nightly event. Anyway, I'm going off-topic here, so let me get back to the point of the matter. Within the last few weeks, her ghost has been spotted rising from her grave hovering about and moaning. Her very presence has been scaring the villagers so much that they refuse to enter the graveyard," replied Scootaloo.

" Maybe she's trying to reach out to someone," I suggested.

" According to the witnesses who have seen Dampè's ghost, they all say that she was holding some kind of treasure as she floated about the graveyard before returning to her grave. Dampè never had much in the way of possessions during her life with the exception of something she discovered when she was digging up some dirt to make way for a new grave. She always said that she would never let anyone take it away from her, and that she was going to keep it for the rest of her days.

When she was buried in the graveyard, her final instructions stated that the treasure was to be buried with her so that she could always keep it even after death. If I recall correctly, there was something she wrote in her journal which said something about being able to acquire this treasure," said Scootaloo.

" Do you recall what the treasure was?" I asked.

" Some kind of tool which was able to stretch and shrink according to what Dampè described whenever anyone asked. By the way, you look as though you have just come from Hyrule Castle Town given that you have some small bits of debris on your tunic. I'm surprised that anyone wanted to visit that place after it was destroyed by Ganondorf when he assumed the throne. Either you wanted to go there in the hopes of finding some left behind treasure, or you came from there somehow," replied Scootaloo.

" It's kind of difficult to explain as it involves a lengthy story which may not be all that pleasant, but I'd rather not talk about it to be honest as it brings up some painful memories for me. Anyway, I'm actually glad that you brought up Hyrule Castle Town as I was told by the man who owns the Ghost Shop that the villagers might know what happened when the town was destroyed," I said.

" The Ghost Shop owner? He was always a strange one, but he's right in that we do know what happened. When Hyrule Castle Town was destroyed after the castle had fallen, many of the townspeople perished as a result of Ganondorf's fury while others simply vanished without a trace. As for those who managed to survive the ordeal, they were welcomed into the village where they could attempt to rebuild their lives. We always believed that the village would one day become a city, but we never expected it to be as the result of accepting refugees from town," said Scootaloo.

It must be really hard for her to have to be reminded of what had happened even if she was the one who brought it up to begin with. To think that so many lives were changed forever all because of what one man wanted, and what one girl wasn't able to do. Things could have been much worse than this, but even so it was still pretty bad. That was when I noticed Scootaloo was looking at something she was holding in some kind of bag on her stomach which looked really weird from where I was standing.

" What are you doing?" I asked.

" I was just making sure that this little fellow here was all safe and sound," replied Scootaloo. She then tapped on something moving about in her bag, and up popped the head of a cucco which looked a lot smaller than the average sized cucco I've seen all over Hyrule. But, didn't she say that she was allergic to them, and that coming into contact with them gives her goosebumps? Why would she risk her own health by carrying a tiny cucco around with her especially when her job is to be on guard? " Now I know what you must be thinking. How is she able to be so close to a cucco without breaking out in goosebumps? That's because this is a special kind of cucco which I bred in a way that prevents me from suffering from any allergies. This is a Pocket Cucco, and despite the name and size, its crowing is as powerful as a regular sized cucco. In fact, this little guy can even wake up someone who is a heavy sleeper with just one crow. Unfortunately, I can't really afford to look after him right now because of the guard duty I have to do."

" How about I look after him?" I asked.

" You do seem like a capable young woman who looks to be really good with animals. Okay! You've convinced me to let you borrow the Pocket Cucco, but only for a short while at least until I no longer have to be on guard duty," replied Scootaloo.

" You're getting a relief from somewhere?" I asked.

" Someone else in the village is willing to take over for me starting tomorrow night, so I can focus on raising my cuccos again and not have to walk around at night armed with so little equipment. All I ask from you is to allow this little guy to wake up someone really lazy so that it can display its crowing, and then come back and see me whenever you've done that so I can see how its doing.

Well, I might as well get back to patrolling the village, so I'll leave you to handle my Pocket Cucco, and possibly the graveyard since I figure you want to go there," replied Scootaloo. As she walked off holding her lantern in front of her to light her way, I placed the tiny cucco underneath my hat where it would be safe and warm before turning my attention to the direction where the graveyard was located.

" Do we have to go to the graveyard again?" asked Spike.

" If that treasure Zecora found long ago is the skill that Shiek asked us to find, then we need to go there and check out her grave," I replied.

" You seriously feel like resorting to grave robbing?" asked Spike.

" I'm not grave robbing but rather grave....borrowing when it comes to that treasure. If it will put your mind at ease Spike, why don't we check out Zecora's hut and read her journal again like we did last time to see what she said before her death," I replied.

" I'd rather not go into the graveyard at all as it's full of ghosts and other scary things, but I guess we have no other choice in the matter seeing as we need that skill in order to enter the Forest Temple. Can I at least travel about in the rim of your hat so that I can hide underneath it in case we run into something scary?" asked Spike.

" Okay, you can go ahead and do that if it will make you feel better," I replied. The graveyard hadn't changed at all since the last time I came here, but there was something more evil flowing about which made me suspicious. There was a sign which confirmed what Scootaloo said about the Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour having been cancelled due to the death of Zecora, but I'm surprised that her hut was still there as I thought it would have been knocked down or something.

Going inside, I discovered the same journal on the desk, but this time there were several entries to be found on the open pages instead of just the one. " It looks like Zecora certainly had a lot to say during her final days, and maybe it will give us an idea as to what we need to do next."

" You're going to read her journal again?" asked Spike.

" I don't think she'll mind this time seeing as she's been gone for three years. Now let me see what we've got here. ' My illness has taken a turn for the worse which means that the chances of me surviving are slim. I guess it's my punishment for not revealing to the rest of the village that I was suffering for years in silence, but how could I have informed them of my plight? Most of them view me as an oddity just because of my choice of lifestyle. Then again, that could just be what I think as I never really took the time to get to know any of them.'

Sounds like she was having some kind of conflicting issues with the other villagers. ' I've mere days left now before I die, and I have no regrets aside from wanting to let the others know sooner about my condition. I thought they would mock me, but instead they felt sorry that I wasn't going to be around for much longer. All these years I could have spent basking in the sunlight and warmth, but instead I chose to wallow in the night and cold. What a fool I've been!

As my illness weakens me, I must decide on what to do when I am finally gone. Perhaps the others will fulfill my final requests despite not knowing much about them.' Then I guess this is the part that we need to read. ' If you are reading this message, then it means that I have passed on. I ask that you meet me inside of my grave. I will allow you have my stretching-shrinking keepsake. I'll be waiting for you under the gravestone marked with an X. --Dampè-- Looks like we have our answer."

" And it involves grave robbing," moaned Spike.

" Not really as she told us to enter her grave, so I see it as fulfilling the remainder of her request," I said.

" I suppose that's true, but where is her grave located?" asked Spike.

" We just need to find the one among them that has an X marked on it, and that is her one according to her final journal entry," I replied. Upon leaving the hut, I began to search for the grave with the X on it, and fortunately it didn't take long to find it. It looked as though the grave couldn't be moved from the front or the two sides, so it must only be able to be pulled from the back. I was surprised to find that I could pull the grave back rather easily without exerting any kind of strain. Once I pulled it back enough, it revealed a small deep hole which I fell down into on sheer instinct, and ended up inside of a large cavern where I saw Zecora floating in front of me holding a lantern and with a halo above her head.

" You're that one girl who took part in the Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour where you wanted to talk to me about the Tomb of the Royal Family. That happened years ago young woman, and as you can see, I am no longer of the living hee-hee. No doubt that you have read my journal otherwise you would not be here talking to me right now, so it's safe to assume that you are here for my treasure?" asked Zecora.

" I am," I replied.

" No doubt that you have been informed from both the villagers and from my journal that I passed away some years ago as a result of a deadly illness. While I am comfortable where I am now, I do have regrets about the fact that I chose to keep my illness a problem from the rest of the village. Had I been more trusting of them, my life would still be my own, and I would still be up there alive, and maintaining the graveyard. In death, I have learned many new things which I didn't before," said Zecora.

" I'm sorry that you passed away during these past seven years," I said sadly.

" There is no need for tears young woman as I am perfectly fine where I am now, for this was meant to be all because I was stubborn to the very end. At least I was able to learn that the villagers loved me despite my way of doing things, and that they were able to fulfill my final requests which is what now brings me to you. I may not look like it, but I am rather fast on my feet despite being a ghost. You have come here in order to claim the treasure which I discovered many years ago, but if not then you are here for the wrong reasons oh no," said Zecora.

" That treasure is something I need to save Hyrule," I said.

" I will allow you to claim my treasure as I no longer need it in the afterlife, but I will not allow you claim it without a challenge. You must prove your worth if you desire my prize, and so I shall see if you are up to size. I want you now to follow me through this maze full of dangers, and if you can make it to the end within the time limit, then my treasure will be yours. If you manage to reach the end in under a minute, you will receive an additional prize as well as my keepsake.

Now follow me if you can, and don't get lost along the way otherwise the darkness beyond will make you pay," said Zecora. She then began to float backwards at a rather fast pace, and I immediately ran after her in order to win what I needed to help out Fluttershy. As I ran through the dark passageways keeping up with Zecora, getting freaked out by the moans of the undead, and avoiding the fireballs she was flinging my way, I had to give her props for continuing her occasional rhyming despite what ended up happening to her. Running through this cavern wasn't what I would call fun or even pleasant given the miserable atmosphere, but I had to endure if I wanted that treasure.

Some of Zecora's fireballs ended up striking me causing some slight burns to my body, but I had to shake it off and keep going. Eventually, I reached a large cavern where the pathway ran up a twisted hill, and I felt that I was about to run out of time, so I decided to do something a little risky. It was a magical tactic which I never tried before, but I figured on doing it now or else lose. I placed my hands behind me and concentrated my magic onto them before I found myself bursting into the air and across the wide gap of nothingness like I was some kind of rocket. The landing could have been better as I did smack into the wall at the top of the cavern, but I was able to enter a small room by simply rolling into it.

" Huh....that was certainly unexpected," I said.

" Such a risk you were willing to take by flying over that crevasse, but the reward it seems was worth it in the end. Of course if you had failed in your calculations, you would be plunging into a bottomless abyss, and for that everyone in this world would be amiss. Anyway, you managed to make it here in less than a minute by using your unusual means of making it up that hill, so here is your reward. This is a Piece of Heart which I dug up about a year before I died, and I kept it down here hoping that someone would be able to earn it by beating my challenge.

So here, take this piece, and use it in order to strengthen yourself upon its release," said Zecora. She lifted up her lantern and a Piece of Heart dropped in from the ceiling in front of me, and I picked up which gave me the familiar warm feeling that happens every time I obtain one. It felt good to be able to feel the warmth of one of these things as it feels like I haven't experienced it in seven years.

" I guess this also means that I receive that treasure of yours you found years ago," I said.

" Yes, my stretching-shrinking keepsake. For so many years I held onto it believing it to be mine because I found it while digging, but in truth I had no idea how it was meant to be used other than it could stretch and shrink accordingly. I suppose that my stubbornness prevented me from giving it away as I was just thrilled about it, but at the same time if I had given it away, you would not be able to receive it this day. You might say that fate certainly had something in store for you young lady. Anyway, this item is known as the Hookshot!

It's a spring-loaded chain with a large spike attached to the end which fires off from the base for a short distance before it retracts itself back to you. If you latch the spike onto an appropriate target, you can pull yourself to that target, and even reach places that you couldn't before. The Hookshot can also be used as a weapon although it will only be effective against monsters that have vulnerable spots on their bodies. Finally, you should remember that the chain can only go so far, so don't think that you can fire it from any distance. Now the time has come for me to say good-bye as this is where I must remain, and you must travel upwards towards the sky," said Zecora.

" Why not just go back the way I came?" I asked.

" The way back would only lead to your death as surely you heard the moans of the undead while you were chasing me," replied Zecora.

" I did, and as I followed you throughout the passageways, I couldn't help but feel that they were getting louder and louder as though they were trying to let me know that they were there," I said.

" That has to do with the dark secret of the graveyard," said Zecora.

" Does it have to do with a temple?" I asked.

" How did you know?" asked Zecora.

" My fairy partner who is hiding in the rim of my hat told me some things about the temple, but I don't really know all that much to be honest," I replied.

" Then allow me to inform you as to what you need to know. The temple that exists beneath this graveyard is one where the bloody history of this kingdom has been recorded for eternity. All of Hyrule's conflicts resulted in the loss of life, and the spirits who perished in the name of war linger about in this temple empowering their hatred for the greed and corruption that exists. Among the denizens of the undead, there is one that serves as a king of sorts in that it alone holds more power than any other spirit, but right now it's harmless for having been sealed behind a powerful barrier.

However, the ascension of the evil king who rules the land has caused the barrier to grow weaker over these past seven years, and the shackles of this shadow spirit are on the verge of breaking. No one knows when the spirit will be free once again to wreak havoc upon the land, but what is known is that it is inevitable," said Zecora.

" How do you know so much about all of this?" I asked.

" I'm part of the undead world now young lady, and because of that I've learned much about what goes on deep beneath the graveyard. I wouldn't allow it to get you though as it's something that you don't need to worry about right now, but instead you should worry about the evil that used to be within you," replied Zecora.

" You mean the she-demon I once became?" I asked.

" The evil that covers this world in darkness affects everyone whether they are of good or evil, and you yourself have been affected although you did not know it yet until now. I'm not sure what you mean by 'she-demon' as that is something which I don't understand, but I would watch where you walk from now on as the evil of the world has been known to create some unusual situations.

With that last piece of information now in your possession, I shall return to my place of rest, but you can always come back here again and take on my challenge if you want to see if you can beat it in an even faster time," replied Zecora. She then vanished into a burst of fire which resulted in a large treasure chest materializing nearby which no doubt contained the skill I needed to access the Forest Temple. I opened the chest and inside it was the Hookshot which I took out and held it in my hands where I gazed at it for a while just because it was really cool looking.

" I take it that you overheard all of that?" I asked Spike.

" Is it safe to come out?" asked Spike.

" You can come out now as there are no ghosts or other undead creatures in here," I replied.

" That's a relief as I just can't stand being around in this graveyard let alone being underneath it. With that Hookshot, you should be able to reach heights that were previously inaccessible before like the entrance to the Forest Temple for example. I'm sure that there are other places that you can reach by using this item, and here is some extra information which the gravekeeper didn't tell you about.

The Hookshot can be used as a Boomerang in that it can grab items out of reach and bring them towards you, but you need to realize that the chain only goes in a straight line. It's not able to curve at all, so make sure that you don't try to use it in a weird fashion. Dampè said that there was no way back the way we came, and I'm okay with that as there's no way I want to go through there again with the undead monsters," said Spike.

" Our only option then would be to go straight ahead and see if that way leads to an exit," I said.

" I guess this also means that Sheik was right about us finding a skill here in Kakariko Village," said Spike.

" And it strikes me as really weird," I said.

" I know what you mean Sunset Shimmer as how did she know about the Hookshot being located underground in Dampè's grave? She must have either heard about her death from someone in the village, or she was there when it actually happened. Didn't you also say that she looked familiar to you? I've been thinking about that while I was under the rim of your hat, and I've come to the same conclusion where I just can't figure out who she reminds me of," said Spike.

" Looks like it's going to be on our minds for a while," I sighed as I began to walk forward in the hopes of finding a way out. In the next room, the door closed itself behind me with a large stone slab, and that meant that the only way forward was well, going forward but something was blocking the path. " Now what have we got here? There's this large blue block in the way, and I don't think I'll be able to move it as it looks really heavy. Still, it has a unique design on each side so I guess that says something, but it doesn't help deal with the problem at hand."

" You know, the design on that block looks a lot like the design that was on the Door of Time. I wonder what would happen if you play the Song of Time in front of this block, and I do mean in front as I've heard rumours that playing the ocarina in places can cause all kinds of crazy things to happen provided that you were playing within range of whatever it is you were in front of," said Spike.

" Only one way to find out," I said as I took out the Ocarina of Time, and played the Song of Time which caused the blue block to warp away as though it had been sent to the Sacred Realm or something. Here I thought that I needed some practice as it's been seven years since I last played the instrument, but it looks like my playing skills have remained intact to say the least. With the block now out of the way, the pathway that had been revealed was a long staircase which led upwards into the darkness.

With a brave expression on my face, I began to make my way up the stairs, but what I didn't notice was that some kind of evil presence had been forming from within my shadow ever since I first entered the graveyard, and it had grown strong enough to become separate from my shadow. I had no idea that this shadowy presence was going to cause me nothing but trouble during my journey from that point on.

" The staircase ended up taking us to....the interior of a windmill?" asked Spike.

" What would a windmill be doing in a graveyard?" I asked.

" No, that would be the windmill that's located at the back of Kakariko Village which was used to pump water before the well dried up years ago. It's strange that an underground path is connected to this place of all locations, but I don't care as it means that we're out of the graveyard. I know that we'll have to go back there again if the temple beneath it is one of the five that we need to visit in order to awaken the Sages, but for now we don't have to deal with the undead. By the way, there is a Piece of Heart on that platform over there, but you'll need to use the rotating platforms in order to get to it.

You'll only have one chance to pick it up otherwise you'll have to go all the way back to Dampè's grave, and go through that underground cavern again just to make your way back here. Please don't botch this one Sunset Shimmer as I really don't want to go back down there....ever....again!" replied Spike.

" No need to beg now Spike as I have no intention of messing up this opportunity," I said. I waited for the rotating platforms to come into focus, before I jumped onto one with ease, and then jumping onto the platform with the Piece of Heart on it picking it up in the process. Again, the warmth of it made me feel really good, and with that I jumped down onto the floor in order to make my way outside of the windmill.

" Where did you come from!?!?"

" WAAAAH!" I guess some things don't change after seven years especially my screaming whenever someone freaks me out without warning. I turned around to discover a rather strange man standing there playing what looked like one of those organs that organ-grinders play, and his expression was rather calm despite the fact that he was cranking his organ at a really fast pace.

" I don't recall anyone coming in my front door, so how did you get in here?"

" There is a small opening up there that connects from this place to an underground passageway that lies beneath the graveyard. I was in that passageway in order to get something important, and it ended up leading me here as I needed a way to get back outside as the path sealed itself off," I replied.

" You don't say? Well now....hmmmm....I suppose I'll need to get that looked at one of these days as the guy never mentioned any connection between here and the graveyard when he sold me this place some 20 years ago. Guess you can still learn something new everyday when you least expect it, and I like it when things go either as expected or completely unexpected depending on what my mood is.

I'm called Guru-Guru which sounds like a very weird name if you ask me, and I question my parents for giving it to me when I was born. Most around here call me Discord and not because of being a bad organ player mind you. I'm actually pretty good at playing this thing as you can plainly see, but they call me Discord because of my personality quirks."

" And that would be?" I asked.

" I'm completely chaotic which has been known to cause people to want to avoid me if they don't like having a little chaos in their lives. You know, I never used to act this way where I'm random and spouting all sorts of nonsense," replied Discord.

" What happened?" I asked.

" Before I continue on with the answer, I require your name so that I can remember it for future reference, or past reference if that happens to be a thing," replied Discord.

" I'm called Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" Sunset Shimmer you say? That name sounds really familiar as though I've heard it somewhere before. Oh well, I suppose it isn't important if I can't exactly remember it now can I? Oh yes! Why I've changed from the way I used to be. Around seven years ago, I was a calm and civil man who wanted to create a musical theme for this windmill which had to do with going around and around and around. Even though I was able to figure out the lyrics for this music, I never was able to come up with the right kind of music.

One day, this strange girl came into the windmill with an ocarina and played a weird song that messed things up. I believe her name was Sunside Swimmer, but the point was that the song caused the windmill to spin faster than it had ever been spun before, and it drained the water in the well until it was completely empty. I tried to find a way to stop the windmill's erratic spinning, and maybe restore the lost water, but nothing worked no matter how hard I tried," said Discord.

" What did this Sunside Swimmer wear?" I asked.

" She wore some kind of green tunic like what you've got on right now, but she wasn't nearly as stylish as you are. Because of that girl's actions, my mind slowly fell apart, and I ended up becoming the chaotic person that you see before you. Oh I'm not mad if that's what you're thinking, but rather I'm happy as she did me a great service by enabling me to become the kind of man that I believe I was meant to be.

The other villagers though didn't like my crazy antics, so they choose to avoid me by leaving me to my own devices, but I don't have any inventions of the sort in here aside from my organ. Sometimes I wonder whatever happened to that girl as I really want to thank her for what she did for me, yet the villagers probably want to throttle her for unleashing my wild side in the first place," replied Discord.

" I see," I said as I suddenly felt limp. It was pretty obvious that this Sunside Swimmer was in fact me which means that I caused the water in the well to drain in addition to causing the windmill to spin out of control before it eventually returned to normal. But then this posed an interesting question....how could I have caused these problems to happen in the first place? For one thing, I never visited this windmill when I was here years ago as it never once crossed my mind.

Second of all, even if I had visited, there was no way I could have messed things up by playing a song as I don't recall being taught anything that had to do with the windmill. And the third thing that came to mind, was that what significance could there be gained by draining a well in the middle of the village? I wonder if this Discord character would react to me in the right manner if I pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and attempted to play something. Worst case scenario? He ends up being even more crazy and chaotic than he already is. Best case scenario? I learn something which may not be all that useful, but it could be beneficial later.

" Are you okay?" asked Discord.

" I'm alright, just thinking in my mind about something, and coming up with an answer which hopefully will give me something that may prove to be useful sometime in the future," I replied. I then took out the Ocarina of Time hoping that he would react, and sure enough his eyes opened wider than usual which was what I was hoping for. " It looks like I've stirred up something in your mind if your eyes reacted in that fashion all because I took out a small instrument."

" Is that an ocarina? You have an ocarina too? What the heck? It's both a coincidence and a reminder of what happened on that day seven years ago when that girl came in here and messed everything up. I'll never forget this song as long as I live," said Discord. He then stopped cranking his organ before playing a series of six notes and then repeating them. Then he turned things over to me and I played the notes which suddenly caused it to start raining. Since when can it rain indoors?

" That's it! That's the song that Sunside Swimmer used in order to mess things up! I coined it as the Song of Storms because when it's played on an ocarina, it starts to rain a downpour from on high for a short period until it stops again. You know, the more I look at you, the more I feel like I've seen you from somewhere."

" Maybe you have and don't realize it," I suggested.

" Eh, you're probably right about that, but it's not important if I can't remember it right? Anyway, the windmill is spinning around in a fast motion again just like it all those years ago, but there is no water to be drained this time, so all it's doing is spinning for the fun of it and nothing more. A part of me wants to lash out in a fit of rage because that song changed me forever, but the rest of me just wants to feel happy knowing that I accepted myself for who I am, and nothing will ever change that.

I see that you were going to leave when I first caught you by surprise, so maybe you'll come back whenever with that ocarina of yours, and we can play some kind of duet? This organ may not look like much, but it can play a really mean tune when it needs to," said Discord.

" I'll see if I can find the time," I said.

" Just come on by whenever you have a free moment as you look to be really busy being an adventurer," said Discord. He then resumed playing his organ by cranking the handle at a rapid pace once again, and I simply walked backward with an awkward smile on my face as I left the windmill without looking back on it. I managed to learn my sixth song for the ocarina which was a nice surprise, but I still wonder how I was able to do something when I never even did it in the first place. Does this mean that I'm going to be affected by the dreaded time paradox? It's best not to think about it otherwise I'll just get a headache out of it.

" So somehow we managed to do something to this windmill seven years ago?" asked Spike.

" That's what that guy in there said which makes no sense at all," I replied.

" I'm sure you've already thought about it already, but this feels like one of those time paradoxes where an event from the past hasn't happened, and somehow it became relevant in the present day as though it did happen. It's a shame though that there's nothing we can do about it Sunset Shimmer because what happened in the past is something that you and I have to live with for the rest of our lives. By the way, did he seriously think you were named Sunside Swimmer? I know that it sounds similar to your name, but who would ever be named something like that?" asked Spike.

" If anything I should be grateful that he didn't recognize me otherwise he might not have been as kind as he was. Rauru and Sheik did say that people may remember what happened back then and blame me for not stopping Ganondorf, but in this case what happened with that Discord, or Guru-Guru had nothing to do with the King of Evil. I'd say that we got off lucky with this one Spike," I replied.

" But can you be sure with everyone else?" asked Spike.

" No, I can't," I replied sadly.

" Don't worry about it Sunset Shimmer. I'm sure that we'll be able to get around those problems when we get to them. You do look exhausted now that I think about it as you did run an awful lot underground, and being hit with fire doesn't make it any better. We still have about half of the night to go according to the position of the moon, so how about we sleep out here for the night, and leave the village as soon as the sun comes up?" asked Spike.

" I'd rather not take the chance of anyone recognizing us, but I do agree that I could do with some sleep, and so could you seeing as you were pretty uncomfortable down there under the graveyard. Why don't we go outside into Hyrule Field and sleep under that one tree just outside of Kakariko Village?" I asked.

" That makes more sense plus these dark clouds are really depressing," added Spike. With our minds made up, we began to make our way towards the exit of the village with a new weapon in tow, and wanting to get some sleep before we decide on where to go next in this new world. I wish though that I had looked behind me as I was walking away because then I would have noticed that shadowy presence which separated itself from my shadow back underneath the graveyard.

It then began to change its shape from being a mere blob to a form that sort of looked like me, but more evil....more heartless....more demonic. It's eyes glowed bright yellow as a sign of its hatred towards me, and began to say something which of course I couldn't even hear.

" Demon....you were....me once but....gave up....embraced friends....need hatred....salvation....Sunset Shimmer...."

Chapter 19: Steed of the Unicorn

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 17, 2014
Chapter 19: Steed of the Unicorn.

" Hmmmm....so Sunset Shimmer decided to spend the rest of the night sleeping outside of the village rather than within one of the homes. I can understand what she is going through, for I too feel that I have let everyone down by not doing more to prevent Ganondorf from acquiring the Triforce. Sigh....if only I could be in her shoes right now when it comes to the feelings of the people. While some may blame her for the troubles that now plague the land, most have chosen to blame me because I abandoned them when they needed me the most.

They feel as though I am unworthy to have the title of my station, and while they suffer, I choose to hide away like a coward. Sometimes I feel as though their words are true as I should be out there helping them as my true self, but I cannot for I am still pursued because of what I have. Sunset Shimmer....while I can't help out the people as their rightful ruler, I can still provide assistance, and guide you which I should have done back on that day when everything went wrong. The sun is about to rise which means she will be waking up shortly, so I will need to make my entrance."

I still had an uneasy feeling about traversing this changed Hyrule, but I knew deep down that there was no other choice but to deal with it. I looked at the Hookshot again, and wondered if it would be able to get me up to the entrance to the Forest Temple. At the same time, I wondered about what Zecora said regarding the temple beneath the graveyard, and that one day I would be exploring it myself because one of Sheik's clues about the Sages involved one of them being inside the house of the dead.

The notion of death was one that I've never really considered before as it was a foreign concept, but it seems as though in Hyrule, it was a natural thing to consider especially since they did have a graveyard which was kept up to date. Those people who had their lives cut short because of Ganondorf....were they suffering an eternal torment in the afterlife much like how I'm being tormented while actually being alive? I really shouldn't think about that until the time comes when I need to go there and discover the horrors of what lies below.

" Morning Sunset Shimmer," chirped Spike.

" Oh? Spike? I guess I didn't notice that you had woken up," I said.

" There you go thinking about all kinds of things in your mind as usual. You know, one of these days you're going to give yourself a headache if you try to multi-task, so maybe you should focus on one thing at a time. For instance, now that we have the Hookshot, you can reach the Forest Temple located at the end of the Sacred Forest Meadow. You did realize that the ancient building where we found Saria and learned her song was the temple itself right? I hope that you remembered it as it will make our journey there an easy one instead of simply blundering about in the Lost Woods trying to find it. You do remember don't you?" asked Spike.

" It's a place that's still fresh in my mind as the thought of Fluttershy being a Sage is something I find hard to believe, but I won't deny it mind you as she was able to commune with the forest spirits. Also, you just said that the journey there is going to be easier because we know where to go right? Remember that this kingdom is now swarming with monsters, so I suspect that the journey to the Forest Temple is going to be a challenge. I wouldn't be surprised if there were monsters swarming all over the woods right about now because of the evil power coming from the temple itself," I replied.

" That's what it used to be like ages ago," began Spike.

" As in monsters flooding the Kokiri Forest?" I asked.

" For as long as the forest folk can remember, the Great Deku Tree guarded the forest from the darkness located deep within the Lost Woods, and prevented the evil from seeping forth and consuming the forest in a veil of darkness. When he passed away, the barrier protecting us from the darkness weakened considerably, but it managed to hold on because of the successor that was to come, but when Ganondorf's power radiated from the temples according to Rauru, the barrier shattered and the monsters had nothing holding them back," replied Spike.

" Successor?" I asked.

" The Great Deku Tree wasn't the only one of his kind who protected the forest. In fact, he was the fifth guardian since the beginning when our world was created. When one Deku Tree passes away, the sprout of the next one grows in the place where they have always grown, the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, and it has been this way which is how the barrier keeping the darkness back had been maintained for generations," replied Spike.

" Well, since the Great Deku Tree died as a result of Ganondorf, that would mean that the sprout should have begun to grow and flourish at some point after the passing had occurred. However, since the Forest Temple has been corrupted with the power of evil and the monsters roam free of their own accord, the sprout is probably not able to come through. It looks like the forest will only be restored back to normal if the temple is freed of evil," I said.

" That's a plan that I can definitely agree to," smiled Spike.

" Now there is only one question that remains," I began.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" How does Fluttershy relate to what is going on in the Forest Temple? I know that we figured out that she is the Sage according to Sheik, but maybe she has her information wrong, and someone else is the Sage that we need to find. I could always play Fluttershy's Song and find out exactly where she is as she did say that we would always be connected because of our bond of friendship. Let me just take out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and we'll find out for certain," I replied. Just as I was reaching for it, a sound came out of nowhere as though something large was falling.

I looked up and saw that Sheik had appeared....from out of nowhere, or maybe she fell out of the sky or something. If there was one good thing that I could say about it, it was the fact that she didn't scare me out of my wits which had been what other people have been doing since I first started this journey. Again, I feel as though I know Sheik from somewhere, but my mind just couldn't seem to connect the dots together.

" It appears that you have acquired the skill that you need in order to reach the Forest Temple. You must make your way there for the forest girl is waiting for you to help her out, but it looks like you have some doubts in your heart," said Twilight.

" I do intend on going to the Forest Temple in order to save the kingdom, but I still find it hard to fully accept the fact that my friend is one of the Sages. She is a gentle soul who would never venture into a dangerous situation on her own, but then again that is the Fluttershy of my world, and the one from this world is courageous and would do anything to help out the forest spirits.

That's why I was thinking of playing her song on my ocarina, and hear from herself personally about what she has been doing lately. I mean, I do believe you Sheik in that Fluttershy is most likely the Sage that I'm looking for in the woods, but a part of me is hesitating about it so much that I'm afraid to know the truth," I said.

" Do you intend to play her song and speak with her?" asked Twilight.

" I really want to, but now my heart is telling me not to because I may not be able to accept it," I replied.

" As the chosen hero destined to save this world, you must help out all those who are in need even those whose troubles do not necessarily relate to your main objective. There is someone in the village who has been depressed for a very long time because she used to live elsewhere, but was forced to seek refuge in the village. I bring this up because I couldn't help but notice that you have a tiny cucco in the rim of your hat. I'm not sure where you got it from, but this person snores rather loudly according to what some in the village are saying," said Twilight.

" Shoot! I forgot to wake that person up before I left!" I said.

" Then perhaps you should help this person out for they have a connection to the ranch. Dark clouds surround this haven of peace because of something that happened there a few years ago," said Twilight.

" Lon Lon Ranch....it's been a long time since I last visited there, and it was the one place where I felt like my true self like I was back in Equestria. At that ranch, I felt that I was a unicorn again before becoming human, and seeing all of those other horses galloping about without a care in the world made me miss the days where I galloped about on my hooves rather than running about on two legs.

I'm glad that you brought this to my attention Sheik because otherwise I would have turned a blind eye, and completely ignored the plight of the ranch. I think I should focus on the ranch for the time being, and deal with the problems plaguing the forest in due time. The first thing I need to do is visit this one person in the village," I said.

" You have proven yourself to be a compassionate woman," said Twilight.

" How come?" I asked.

" Most people would have chosen to focus on the main mission at hand, and ignore the cries for help from those who are seen as minor inconveniences. You have shown yourself to be full of compassion for wanting to help out anyone who needs it whether it is integral to the future of this kingdom or not. I sense great things are in store for you Sunset Shimmer by choosing to travel down this path. Remember that this is your conviction that you choose to follow, and you must believe it will keep you on the right path in your quest for justice. I will see you again," replied Twilight.

" Huh? What do you mean you'll see me again?" I asked as Sheik took a few steps backward whilst holding what appeared to be a Deku Nut. If I recall correctly, this is what Applejack ended up doing when she decided to make a flashy exit, so I knew what was going to happen here which meant covering up my eyes before it was too late. Sheik then tossed the Deku Nut on the ground where it flashed a bright light, and when I looked up after the light faded away, she was gone with no trace of her ever having been there. Spike reminded me that this was a custom with the Sheikah as they used this means of leaving due to being shadows, and that they were essentially vanishing into the darkness which they used to complete their tasks.

Going into the village, I started to look around to see if I could find the person inside one of the houses by choosing one at random, and hoping they were there. The villagers were going about their business and paid little to no attention to me, and that was good as I had no intention of drawing any kind of attention towards myself as the less inconspicuous the better. A house next to a tiny set of steps looked promising, so I went over to it and entered and immediately became embroiled in the sound of heaving snoring coming from someone sleeping on a nearby bed.

" You're the first person to visit my place let alone the entire village in a long time."

" I would have expected more people to want to come here," I said.

" Ever since Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves became king and took over the kingdom, things have been very harsh for everyone especially those who used to live in Hyrule Castle Town before it was destroyed. Those who managed to survive were welcomed here with open arms, and have since become accustomed to living the village life. All of us have experienced hardships during our lives these past years. Take a look at that woman over there lying on the bed for instance. Even though she is content to sleep there all day and night without a care in the world, deep down she is troubled by the fact that she lives here instead of back on the ranch."

" Isn't that the owner of Lon Lon Ranch?" I asked.

" That was a long time ago back before Ganondorf first appeared. Talon used to be the owner until she was kicked out a few years ago by her farmhand who was fed up with her being so lazy all the time that it prompted him to want to make necessary changes. Some of the villagers have said that he cheated his former boss out of the ranch because he relied on the power of the king to give it to him, but he of course denies the accusations by saying they're not true. I myself have no idea what happened at the ranch, but maybe you could talk to Talon about it whenever she next wakes up."

" What if I use this Pocket Cucco to wake her up?" I asked.

" I suppose it could work, but could you give me and the other house guests a warning before you do? We want to make sure that our ears are covered up because those cuccos can really reach high decibels when it comes to their crowing." Agreeing to this woman's request, I walked over to where Granny Smith was snoozing away, and gave the signal that I was about to let the Pocket Cucco do its thing, and for them to cover their ears. I hope that my ears don't end up getting affected as I really need to be able to hear what Granny Smith here has to say.

" CCCCCCUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKOOOOOO!!!!"

" What in tarnation?" asked Granny Smith as the sound of the crowing got her immediately onto her feet before she sat down on the bed with her eyes wide open. " Can't an old lady get some shut-eye around here? Hmmmm? Say, you look an awful lot like that forest girl who came to visit the ranch many years ago, but y'all look the same then as you do now. Whether you are that girl, or a reasonable look-a-like due to my eyesight getting poorer don't matter one little bit because I have plenty of troubles plaguing my life these days."

" That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said.

" Ingo kicked me out of the ranch as things ended up spiraling out of control in recent years because I continued to be lazy and carefree with my granddaughter, and he was left stuck doing all of the chores which really got him steaming. I always believed that he would change his ways, and start to go back to the way he was when he first decided to work for me, but instead his attitude continued to get worse and worse until the day came when he declared himself as the new owner of Lon Lon Ranch, and said that I was no longer in charge.

At first I thought he was a jokin' with me by pretending to make such a bold claim, but when that there Ganondorf was standing right behind him, I knew there and then that he was being honest about the whole thing," said Granny Smith.

" Ganondorf actually came to the ranch in order to ensure that Ingo would become the new owner? Something about that doesn't make sense, and that has to do with the king himself being needed for something so trivial. I take it that you had no other choice but to accept that you had been forced to leave otherwise you wouldn't be here right now talking to me," I said.

" You got that right young lady! Ingo had chosen to go the legal route, and requested the king come and declare him the new owner of the ranch. The king agreed to his request, and Ingo quickly began to change things in order to bring the ranch up to standards. Because of my lazy attitude he said, the ranch had fallen into disrepair and was a pale shadow of its former self, and he was determined to transform it into a respectable place that contributed to the kingdom. One of the changes that he made was to re-name the place as 'The Great Ingo's Ingo Ranch' or some such nonsense," said Granny Smith.

" It sounds like he's trying to build up his ego or something, but what about your granddaughter?" I asked.

" Ingo always was proud when it came to his hard work, and renaming the ranch was his way of saying that everything was possible because of him. As for my granddaughter, Malon, she was forced to become the new farmhand after I was kicked out, and I hear that my little granddaughter is nothing more than a slave to him. While he still does some of the more complex jobs when it comes to running things, Malon is left to do everything else. I wish that I could do something to help her out, but I'm forbidden to go back there by Ingo's request to the king, so there's nothing I can do about it," replied Granny Smith.

" Surely he would have given her someone else to aid in the chores?" I asked.

" There was that one farmhand who worked at the ranch for about eight months under Ingo, and she was a pretty good worker according to what Ingo described about her, but he was forced to let her go because she caused a number of accidents which cost him quite a bit to repair the damage. Her name was Derpy, and he really liked having her there because she didn't mind doing all of the chores.

No one knows where Derpy went to after working at the ranch as she was known for jumping from place to place looking for a place to live, and to find a good job to work at for years to come. Sigh....Malon....I hope she's doin' okay despite how she is being treated by Ingo, and I can't blame him for doing it," replied Granny Smith.

" I can't believe that you just went ahead and said that! You should be furious over the fact that he is treating your granddaughter like that. While you may not be able to do something about Ingo, that doesn't stop me from being able to go in your stead. You have nothing to worry about now that I am here as I will make sure to do everything in my power to make things right at the ranch," I said.

Hearing me say that made Granny Smith smile, and she decided to go back to sleep as all of that talking about Ingo and the ranch tuckered her out. That smile gave me the determination to want to get to the ranch as fast as possible in order to deal with the situation there. I immediately made my way back to the entrance of the village where Spike had to stop me from going any further as he was concerned about what we were going to do.

" Are you planning on just going there without a plan?"

" I guess I did allow my emotions to get the better of me once again," I replied.

" We need to take into consideration what Talon said about what happened to her before and after she was kicked out. We know that Ingo was resentful of the way he was treated, so he used Ganondorf's influence to become the new owner. Right now, he has no idea that we've returned to Hyrule, so we should keep it that way until we've awakened the Sages. If I remember things from our last visit to Lon Lon Ranch, Ingo wasn't exactly the nicest person we've met, and I doubt that he hasn't changed much since then other than being full of himself what with his new position," said Spike.

" That's right, so we need to deal with him carefully. Maybe we can talk to Applebloom as I'm sure that she has something important to say about what's been going on there as of late," I said.

" What if she refuses to want to talk to anyone?" asked Spike.

" Considering what she has to endure every single day as the current farmhand, I'm certain that she wants someone to want to hear what she has to say," I replied. Leaving the village, I began to make my way towards Lon Lon Ranch which was still in the same location, and nothing had changed like say an extension of the land to make room for more animals to be raised there. As soon as I got within distance of the entrance, dark clouds appeared above the sky just like what happened in the village.

These clouds must represent the evil that hangs over the area, and it won't go away until it has been defeated and peace restored. A sign nearby confirmed that the name had been changed to Ingo Ranch, and I slapped my forehead because that name sounded so vain and egotistical. " Well, here we are Spike, and it looks like our suspicions are true because there are dark clouds above us right now. Ingo must be the source of the darkness that plagues the ranch, so we need to find a way to get him out of the picture."

" It could be something else that we need to do," suggested Spike.

" That's true as Ingo may not necessarily be the means of getting things back to normal. You were totally right about me wanting to go in there without thinking things carefully because of my emotional state being high right now. Okay, I am calm now and I will think this through carefully. First of all, we should talk to Applebloom and find out what she knows about the state of things. Then we will talk to Ingo himself and see what he has to say, and then compare our two sets of information in order to find some kind of logical answer," I said.

" Where do you suppose Malon could be?" asked Spike.

" Since she is probably doing some kind of chore right now, she must be somewhere that would require some kind of maintenance. Hmmmm....she wouldn't be in the house as that wouldn't exactly be farmhand labour, so she is probably in the stable which has got to be that brown building on the opposite side of the house," I replied. Upon entering the ranch, the dark clouds disappeared making it look like things were peaceful, but I knew that it was anything but peaceful what with the darkness that was lurking just below the surface. The stable as it turned out was where Applebloom was located, and she had received a major case of the aging process.

No longer was she a young child, but rather a full-fledged adult at roughly the same age as me which was going to make things very awkward. She was currently busy sweeping up the floor using a broom which was clearly old and needed to be replaced with a new one as soon as possible. At first I didn't want to speak to her in case she was unwilling to want to talk, and also because she may question as to why I haven't aged while she has which could become really uncomfortable. As soon as she noticed my shadow casting an image onto the floor, she looked up and walked over to me to begin a conversation.

" Oh? A visitor? I can't recall the last time we had a visitor around here. It must have been about a year since anyone decided to come here. I would like to welcome you to Lon L....I mean, the Great Ingo's Ingo Ranch, where everything has been ensured to be up to standard, and where you can have fun as long as the price is right. Sigh, I really don't like saying that line whenever we get someone visiting, but I've no other choice but to say it as Mr. Ingo insists that we use that slogan as it brings in people who could be potential buyers for the horses that he's been raising," said Applebloom.

" You don't seem too thrilled about him being in charge," I said.

" My grandmother Talon used to run the ranch back in the day, but she was kicked out when Mr. Ingo decided that he was done working for someone he called so lazy that a child could run things better than her. During those last months before he took over, Mr. Ingo's attitude was real nasty as he was getting more and more work to do while granny and I did nothing but fun activities leaving him to handle everything. When granny insisted on taking a small vacation to Lake Hylia for a couple of days and asking Mr. Ingo to handle things while we were gone, he completely snapped and stormed out of the ranch saying that he was done.

A few days later, he came back and granny assumed that he was coming back to work after he had let off some steam, but we had no idea that Ganondorf had come along as well in order to deal with the problem. As a result, granny was kicked out of the ranch and Mr. Ingo was given it as recompense, and because the ranch needed a farmhand, I was forced to assume the position by order of the king himself," said Applebloom.

" So Ingo really did rely on Ganondorf to become the new owner of the ranch?" I asked.

" To be honest with y'all for a moment, it was nothin' more than a means to an end for Mr. Ingo. He's merely using the ranch as a means of gaining Ganondorf's favour in order to win his admiration. Ever since Ganondorf first came to Hyrule and assumed control of the kingdom, people have been disappearing all over the place, monsters have been appearing everywhere, places have been destroyed, and even more horrors have occurred during these past seven years. Even Mr. Ingo has become an evil person due to the influence of the king. I've tried to do my best to help make this ranch better, but I'm forced to obey all commands given to me, and if I were to refuse at any time, Mr. Ingo starts to treat the horses badly," replied Applebloom.

" That's horrible!" I exclaimed.

" There was one bright spot where Mr. Ingo hired an additional farmhand to assist me with the chores, and she was a Gerudo no less which really caught us all by surprise as they would never want to work for anyone. That Derpy was a hard worker and always did her share of the chores without complaining, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her as she was ignorant of what Mr. Ingo was really like as a person. She was only here for eight months before he was forced to let her go because of the numerous accidents she had been causing due to being on the clumsy side.

When Derpy left the ranch that day, Mr. Ingo's brief happiness shattered and he became even more cruel towards me as a result, but I got used to it long ago back when he took over the ranch. I suppose that this is what they would call justice seeing as I've become the worker who does everything, and Mr. Ingo is the owner who gets to do nothing even though he actually does a might deal of work handling the finances, and making sure that everything is up to standard," said Applebloom.

" Your grandmother said something similar when I spoke to her a while ago back in Kakariko Village, and I was appalled with her for having gone and said that. I feel the same way when it comes to how you feel about it Applebloom....I mean, Malon, because it isn't right that he is treating you like a slave and making you do all of the work. Just because he was treated like that doesn't give him the right to do the same in return as all it does is cause you to want to fire back whenever you become the one in charge one day in the future.

The cycle just repeats itself over and over, and no matter what happens, everyone loses because the thought of wanting to get revenge refuses to die. If Ingo was the better man like he claims to be, he wouldn't have forced you to do all of the work against your will, and instead would have reasoned with you in order to reach a conclusion where both parties were satisfied with the result," I said.

" Did you just call me Applebloom? I haven't been called by that name for a long time even though only one person ever did," said Applebloom.

" You must have mis-interpreted my words as I never said anything of the sort. Anyway, where is Ingo right now?" I asked.

" Well....he's probably outside in the corral checking on the status of the horses. I heard him talking to himself once about being on the verge of making some kind of deal that will enable him to earn praise from someone," replied Applebloom.

" The corral you say? Okay, I'm going to have a talk with him and see what he has to say about all of this," I said. I quickly left the stable before Applebloom could figure out that I was the one who called her that, and that she would put two-and-two together. While I was seething at the thought of Ingo being cruel to both her and the horses, I quickly realized that I needed to do this carefully and in a civil manner as I didn't want to get into trouble and have Ganondorf learn that I've returned to Hyrule.

The corral hadn't changed all that much aside from the gates having been built to keep the horses penned in with Ingo's mugshot plastered on plates attached to the gates. Standing near the entrance to the corral itself was Ingo, and he was wearing a really fancy outfit which made me think that he was some kind of clown. Even though he was Big Macintosh back in the human world, I had to ignore that aspect and focus on what was important....getting to the bottom of things. As I walked up to him, he noticed me and walked slightly forward to greet me.

" There are some folks over in Kakariko spreading rumours about how I cheated Talon out of the ranch. My response to that would be....don't be ridiculous! I, the hard-working Ingo, poured so much heart and soul into this place in order to keep it up to standard that I was willing to do whatever was needed to make the ranch a place where everyone could enjoy such splendour. So I don't want you or the rest of the villagers going around and spreading false rumours about me. The great Ganondorf was obviously impressed by my hard work and dedication, that he gave the ranch to me which was a smart decision on his part. I aim to pay my respects to his kindness in return by giving him one of my prized horses as a token of my appreciation," said Big Mac.

" I must admit that your horses do look as though they have been raised well," I said.

" Thank you for saying so young lady, but alas I do have a problem and it has to do with choosing which one to offer to the great Ganondorf. You see, even though he does have a horse of his very own, he does want a second one on hand in case his faithful companion ends up dying or something, and he needs a replacement that he can ride on whenever he feels the need to traverse the countryside," said Big Mac.

" I never thought of him as wanting to leave his castle for anything," I said.

" He doesn't leave all that often preferring instead to remain there and rule over the kingdom, but when he does decide to venture out into his domain, he wants to do so in style as he enjoys making a really good impression. All of my horses as you can see in the corral have been raised with love and care by yours truly, but only the best one will get the honour of being the steed of the great Ganondorf. Say, perhaps you can give me a hand seeing as you're not doing anything in particular," said Big Mac.

" What do you have in mind?" I asked.

" You appear to be young and energetic, so how would you like to ride of my prized horses? This would give me some help to determine which aspects of the horse stand out and which are weaknesses, and will go a long way to choosing the right one for the great Ganondorf to have. I'll only charge you ten rupees and you get to ride about for three minutes," replied Big Mac. Even though I didn't want to help him because of what he has done, and also because it meant doing something for Ganondorf, I couldn't help but agree to his proposal which made him feel really ecstatic.

" Okay! Then please follow me into the corral and you can choose any horse you want." There were about a dozen horses that I could choose from, and most of them looked rather generic and devoid of the kind of integrity that a horse should have. That was when I noticed a red horse complete with a beautiful saddle and decorated accordingly which was a fair distance away.

" When does the time start on this favour?" I asked.

" First you need to get yourself a horse and climb on up, and then I'll tell you what to do in order to make your experience worthwhile. When I'm finished with my explanation, then you can ride for as long as you want until your three minutes are up," replied Big Mac. I had decided that this red horse was the one I wanted to ride as I felt a kindred spirit with the creature, and that was when it dawned on me as to which horse this really was. I couldn't believe my eyes, but that little pony who was at first afraid, but quickly became fond of me was standing right before me as a fully-grown mare.

Epona! Yes, it was indeed Epona! Which meant that if I played her song, would she come over to me, but would she even remember me as it has been seven years. I took out the Ocarina of Time and played Epona's Song which caused her to come towards me when she heard it, and she immediately rested her muzzle across my cheek and neighed a small whinny which I recognized as her telling me that she remembers me from before.

I guess being a pony myself does have its advantages when it came to understanding real-world, and game-world horses. I then attempted to climb on up onto her saddle, and she was more than willing to let me, and for a brief moment it felt strange that I was riding on a horse seeing as I was one as well, but only in Equestria mind you.

" This horse looks to be one that I can test out for you," I said.

" Okay, then listen to what I have to say. In order to get the horse to start galloping, you will need to give it a gentle kick in the ribs. While it may sound cruel, do know that horses have stronger rib-cages than humans do, so they're used to having them kicked by riders. Anyway, once the horse has started galloping along, you can make it run faster for a short period of time by whipping its rear with your hand. Whatever you do though, don't do this on a constant basis for too long otherwise the horse won't appreciate it, and may try to throw you off in retaliation.

Now, you can make your horse jump over a small fence by having it gallop towards it at either a brisk pace, or at running speed if you have whipped it. If you approach the fence correctly then the horse will jump over and you can continue on. However, if you attempt to jump at an angle, the horse won't like it and won't jump. Finally, you should slow down a little and come to a gradual stop if you want the horse to well....stop, but if you attempt to have it come to a sudden stop, it won't feel happy and may try to throw you off, or at least display its displeasure for you," said Big Mac.

" Is there a limit as to how many times the horse can be whipped?" I asked.

" Once you've whipped it about six times on a consistent basis, it will be sluggish for a while as even horses need to recover, and that's of course if you haven't already been thrown off for being reckless in the first place. Now, that will be ten rupees please," replied Big Mac. I had Epona trot on over to where he was standing and paid him the rupees he wanted. " Thank you very kindly, heh, heh....your three minutes start right now, so you'd better not disappoint me." With that in mind, I kicked Epona's ribs gently to get her to start galloping, and she acknowledged by sprinting along very happily.

I felt the wind rushing through my hair as she galloped, and it felt like forever since I felt this way. It made me yearn back to the days where I use to gallop about in Equestria, so I knew exactly what Epona was feeling. Once I managed to get used to staying upright after wobbling about a few times, I whipped her rear to get her to speed up, and boy did she deliver on the speed increase for that short period. When she slowed down to her normal sprinting pace, I allowed her to continue doing this for about 15 seconds before I whipped her again.

" This is incredible!" I said in a quiet voice so as to not give my benefactor any incentive to want to end this too early. It felt just right being able to gallop about without a care in the world, and it made me realize that Epona would be great as an additional companion as she could traverse Hyrule Field with ease. I'm not sure if Big Mac will allow me to keep her as he does own her technically due to being the owner of the ranch even if he is so by kingly intervention. After having her sprint about for a while and enjoying the bursts of speed, it was time to see how she could handle jumping.

Recalling what Big Mac said, I had Epona run towards a fence in a straight line before whipping her to go faster just before reaching it, and she jumped over the fence with no problem. Her whinny after landing told me that she wanted to do that again, so she galloped over to the other fence where she repeated the process, and we continued this process until a loud whistle came out of nowhere.

" Time's up young lady! I think you've played around long enough, so bring my horse back over here," said Big Mac. Epona gave off a whimpering whinny which meant she didn't want me to go, but I had no other choice in the matter. I patted her on the head and rubbed her muzzle gently with my hand before letting her trot her way slowly to the corral entrance where she came to a stop and allowed me to get off. " That was a mighty fine bit of riding you did there young lady, and I definitely got to see the strengths and flaws of the horse that you rode.

Hmmmm....you know, there's something really familiar about you as though I know you from somewhere, but pay no mind to me as I say that often whenever visitors come by as they all remind me of someone. I hope you had fun and be sure to come back anytime!" Big Mac then turned around and walked off towards the house, and that prompted me to want to leave, but hearing Epona's whinny made me remember that there was a problem here that needed to be resolved.

" Just listen to her whinny Spike! She's so sad that the ranch has become the way it is because she preferred it the way it was before," I said.

" Since when can you speak horse?" asked Spike.

" I'm a magical unicorn from a world inhabited by talking ponies of various shapes, sizes, and types, so it's natural that I can speak the language of real horses. Anyway, she was so happy to see me again after so many years, and while riding her she felt happy knowing that I was enjoying the experience and wished that it didn't have to end. Now that I've heard the story of what has been going on here, we can now compare notes and figure out an appropriate course of action," I replied.

" So we know that Ganondorf played a part when it came to the ownership of the ranch changing hands because he has the authority as king to make such a decision despite how he came to the throne. However, he had nothing to do with the grudge Ingo developed towards Talon as it was an internal struggle that revolved around being responsible for the well-being of the ranch and the animals that live here. Even though you feel that Ingo is being cruel towards Malon and the horses, in his eyes he is paying back Talon for the way he was being treated by mistreating her granddaughter through hard labour," said Spike.

" Applebloom said that Ingo is using the ranch as a means of getting on Ganondorf's good side assuming he even has one, and now we know what he intends to do in order to make that possible. He plans on giving his best horse to the evil king as a tribute, and that would further cement his control over the ranch. At first I believed that removing Ingo from the picture would allow things to go back to normal, but that may not be the case anymore as the ranch will still be plagued with an evil presence. It's a shame that we never got anymore information though as we really good do with some more insight," I said.

" Why not come back here at night?" asked Spike.

" What would that accomplish?" I asked.

" People act differently during the night where they aren't under the auspices of the day, so they tend to reveal more secrets in the veil of darkness. Yeah, I know that sounded really creepy, but it is our best shot in figuring things out. It's weird Sunset Shimmer as I was originally going to have you leave this place, and focus on what is really important which is get to the Forest Temple. Now that we've heard all of the stories from Talon, Malon, and Ingo as well as seeing how sad Epona is, I don't want to leave here until this place has been restored," replied Spike.

" It takes a big heart to want to admit that they were wrong about something," I smiled.

" Thanks for understanding," said Spike.

" Since we need to come back here during the night, we have two options we can consider. The first is to go out into the field and kill some time which should be about the majority of the day. The other option would be to play the Sun's Song, and skip right ahead to the night while at the same time disrupting people's sleep patterns. While it would be easier just to play the Sun's Song, I'm not comfortable using it, so the first option does seem better. Besides, there's bound to be treasure out there as we haven't found anything along those lines unlike the rest of the places we've visited," I said.

" I've heard that hidden grottos exist underneath Hyrule Field where treasure chests are plentiful, so we could always plunder them and see what we can get just for something to do until the sun goes down," said Spike. We went around Hyrule Field looking to find these hidden grottos, and hoping to get ourselves some additional rupees, and maybe get some other trinkets for our trouble. Most of the treasure chests contained blue and red rupees which Spike said were worth five and 20 rupees respectively, but for the most part this process was rather boring as it was always the same styled grotto with the same small reward at the end of it.

There was one bright moment during all of this, and that was a grotto located right underneath a fenced off area which was in front of the Hyrule Field entrance to Lake Hylia. This grotto was larger than the rest, and contained a Piece of Heart which I gladly picked up, but by the time I was finished with this little detour, it had only been about an hour which meant having to still wait for nightfall. That was when I chose to simply fall asleep in front of another tree and hopefully wake up by the time night blanketed the land.

My strategy worked as by the time I woke up, the sun had already settled for the night, and the moon was about a fourth of the way through its phase across the sky. To be honest, I needed the sleep so as to get used to sleeping in Hyrule again as a seven year slumber doesn't do you a world of good. Making my way back to the ranch and entering it, I discovered that it was a much different place at night due to how quiet it really was.

" First of all, let's check the stable and see if Applebloom is still in there working," I whispered.

" Why are you talking quietly?" asked Spike.

" Because if Ingo hears us sneaking around here, there's going to be trouble which is what we don't need right now. I know that I haven't tried the stealthy approach, but there's a first time for everything. We'll tip-toe over to the stable and just take a peek inside just to see if she's there, and if she is then we can talk to her again and maybe get some additional information. If she's not there then we'll have to search the house," I replied. I then quietly tip-toed across to the stable making sure that my equipment didn't rattle as all of that metal would give off a loud noise if I wasn't careful.

Slowing opening the door and peering inside, I discovered that Applebloom wasn't in the stable, but the horses were all there including Epona who looked at me with sad eyes which caused my eyes to look sad at her. I then cupped my hands together and made a quiet whinny sound which roughly translates as I'll be helping you out as soon as I can, and she responded with her own quiet whinny which meant thank you. I closed the door of the stable and made my way over to the house which was surprisingly unlocked for some reason.

" You can even speak horse?" whispered Spike.

" What can I say? I've had practice with it as a sort of second language when I was studying back in Equestria. Now, we need to be extra quiet as Applebloom may or may not be inside, but at the very least we know that Ingo is there, and waking him up would be really bad," I replied with a whisper as I opened the door and walked inside making sure to close it properly. There were no cuccos roaming around like last time, and the stairs leading up to the second floor weren't creaking in any way, so that would make walking up to that door a breeze.

" I don't see Malon around here, so maybe she's in that room upstairs," whispered Spike.

" No, I don't think Ingo would allow her to be in the same room as him what with the way he treats her, so she must either be sleeping in that shed on the far side of the ranch, or she may be inside of the corral sleeping which actually would be the nicer option given that shed is where they keep supplies," I whispered. Creeping up the stairs making certain that I didn't wake him up, I reached the top of the stairs, and learned that this door was also unlocked which made me wonder if Ingo wasn't worried about monsters coming into the house and attacking him. By pushing the door open slightly, I could hear the sounds of someone sleeping, but could I sneak about in there without waking him up?

" Do you want me to check on him in there?" asked Spike.

" Get as close as you can and see if you can hear him, but not too close as your brightness may cause him to wake up which would really be bad. Some people are known for talking in their sleep, and he could very well be one of them," I replied with a whisper. Spike then floated into the room, and hovered a short distance away from Ingo, and sure enough he was talking in his sleep which Spike was able to overhear.

For a few minutes, he listened to what Ingo was mumbling about before coming back over to me and I closed the door gently so as to give off the impression that we were never there. " This is what I heard him saying in his sleep. No....stop....E-Epona, I order....no....I-I-I want....want you to....obey! Listen....listen to me....song....s-s-song....that song....why does it....why does that song....no...."

" Song? Does he mean Epona's Song?" I asked.

" It does appear that is the case which means that Ingo has trouble when it comes to controlling Epona. I mean, you were able to control her without any trouble, yet it sounds like he's never been able to succeed. We might as well make our way over to the corral and see what Malon has to say," replied Spike. Sneaking back down the stairs and out of the house, I made my way over to the corral where Applebloom was standing in the middle of the area, and was singing a song which sounded familiar to me.

Could it be that she was singing the very song that she taught me all those years ago? I walked up to her in order to see what she has to say, and as soon as I came within speaking distance, she ceased singing in order to speak to me.

" Oh? It's you again! The one who came to visit me in the stable. Mr. Ingo has strictly forbidden me from singing at any time on the ranch, but I feel the need to do so because it makes me feel a lot better about myself. Please don't tell him that I come out here every night in order to sing because this is the only time I can do so while he is asleep in the house. This song I'm singing is very beautiful and means a great deal to me, so why don't you listen along? I also notice that you have an ocarina in your hand, so do you intend on playing along as I sing?" asked Applebloom.

" I do have a certain song I want to play if that's okay with you," I replied.

" By all means go right ahead," said Applebloom. I then practiced by playing a few notes which she found amusing, but then I got serious and played Epona's Song which caused her to react in the way that I was hoping she would. " That song....it was the song my mother taught me....you know my mother's song? That song has always meant a great deal to me because whenever I sing it, I feel that the problems of the world simply disappear. Still, I have no idea how you came to know my song, but I'm glad that you played it for me as it has me thinking about the good old days before Ganondorf, and even before things started going terribly wrong here at the ranch."

" Would you like to talk about it?" I asked.

" My mother died when I was really young, and my father passed away a few years later due to an illness, so my grandmother has been taking care of me ever since then despite being a might older than most. Even though at first it felt weird being raised by a grandparent, I quickly developed a loving bond with her which has managed to endure through so much heartache over the years. My mother sang that song you just played as a lullaby which helped me get to sleep of a night, and I have kept singing it even now as my way of remembering her.

I recall the day that Mr. Ingo came to work at the ranch....he was so excited that he couldn't wait to get started with some chores, and for a time we were all happy. Mr. Ingo may not like to admit it these days, but he always loved that song. Those were the good old days when things were so peaceful, but then things changed when Granny started to take things less seriously. Somewhere along the way, she began to lose interest in running the ranch as though her heart was no longer in it. From that point on, she became lazy and Mr. Ingo was forced to do her chores in addition to his own. Granny would eventually convince me to follow her stead, and become just as lazy even though I knew that I should have worked hard," replied Applebloom.

" What caused Talon to want to change like that and lose the heart of a farmhand?" I asked.

" Granny said it had to do with the fact that the ranch was slowly falling into ruin because it had been the same stagnant way for years, and no one ever really visited because it was never kept in working order, so that's when she pretty much threw up her arms and decided to do nothing about it. She believed that the visitors would still come, but they never did as they were more interested in the fun activities occurring in town.

While she never admitted it in public, Granny was always jealous of those attractions in town as they took away all of the customers. As such, she would often lie about there being people who come on by. When Mr. Ingo took over and got things up to standard, visitors came from all over to see the ranch, but things have been slow these past few months due to Mr. Ingo becoming paranoid as of late," replied Applebloom.

" I didn't think of him as being a victim of paranoia," I said.

" He is afraid that Ganondorf will one day take away the ranch from him if he deems him too weak to run things. He's also afraid that he won't be able to tame Epona, the one horse on the ranch who has never listened to a word he has said. Mr. Ingo is planning on presenting Epona to the king as a token of his appreciation, and he's hoping that everything goes as planned otherwise he could have a nervous breakdown. The way I look at it, is Mr. Ingo is counting on Epona to be his key to keep the ranch under his control, and he is risking everything to make sure he remains in the good graces of his benefactor," said Applebloom.

" That's very interesting," I commented.

" It's starting to get really late now, so I need to make my way back to the house before Mr. Ingo realizes that I've slipped out to do some singing. I have to sleep in the main living room where the cuccos roam about during the day as he refuses to allow me to sleep upstairs as that is for him only. Anyway, thank you for listening to what I had to say, and I hope that you come back to visit someday," said Applebloom. She then took her leave by walking outside of the corral and towards the house leaving me to ponder over to do next.

It became apparent to me now that Epona was the key to saving Lon Lon Ranch, and restoring Granny Smith back as the rightful owner, and that meant having to find a way to get Epona out of here. That would involve some serious thinking on my part as I had to ensure that it would work without Ganondorf knowing, and Ingo not telling him about it. I decided to get some more sleep by sleeping right there in the middle of the corral, but only going until before the sun comes up so that I can make my way out and back in after dawn so as to not be caught by Ingo in an awkward situation.

As I settled down to sleep, the shadow that had looked like a demon version of me was watching from atop the house as though it were stalking me, but of course I had no idea this was even happening.

" Sun....power....makes her strong....weak....me....weakened by sun....weak....weak to light. Must....become....strong to....be strong....darkness....eat....must eat....eating darkness....make me more powerful....shall become strong....fight Sunset Shimmer....kill....kill her....assume....identity....must become....Sunset Shimmer...."

To Be Continued.

Chapter 20: The Saving of a Ranch, and the Plight of a Forest

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 19, 2014
Chapter 20: The Saving of a Ranch, and the Plight of a Forest.

Just before the sun began to creep up from the horizon, I woke up and left the ranch so as to avoid any suspicions. Once the day had begun, I walked into the ranch ignoring the dark clouds hanging above and made my way over to the stable in order to speak to Applebloom again. What she said during the night really made me think about what had been going on during the past seven years along with events that took place long before this journey had begun. Ingo was acting the way he was because of a dejected Granny Smith wanting to give up on being a farmhand because she lost the will to keep the ranch going.

In his eyes, he wanted Lon Lon Ranch to become a respectable place, but when Granny Smith decided to go against his dream, he began to resent her for it until he could no longer tolerate her, and took matters into his own hands. The more I learnt about the conflict between Granny Smith and Ingo, the more I felt bad for both of them, and for Applebloom for being stuck in the middle of it all. Speaking of her, she was surprised to see me when I came into the stable.

" You came back again? I'm not sure why y'all would want to visit this place a second time considering Mr. Ingo is extremely nervous due to wanting to make a good impression on the king. Maybe you ought to come back at a later time once all of this has been resolved as I'm sure that Mr. Ingo will be in a better mood than he is now," said Applebloom.

" And that's the reason why I've come back so soon as I intend on saving this ranch and restoring your grandmother as the rightful owner," I said.

" Seriously? You expect to pull off something like that?" asked Applebloom.

" That sounds like you're in denial," I replied.

" It's just that you're not the only one who has made that claim. In fact, when Mr. Ingo first took over the ranch, a number of people from the village came by and demanded that my grandmother be reinstated as the owner. Most of them were never seen again and many assumed that Mr. Ingo had them killed, but it later turned out that the king had sent some enforcers to handle those who defied his law.

As for those who returned to Kakariko, they insisted on never being asked to go back again for they wanted to save their own hides rather than that of the ranch. I couldn't blame them for wanting to think of their own well-being as Ganondorf's enforcers can be very brutal if you happen to cross their path," said Applebloom.

" I know how to save the ranch without having to deal with Ganondorf under any circumstances, and that has to do with Epona. You see, I've been thinking about what you said last night regarding Ingo planning on giving her away in order to earn his favour, and that he is paranoid that something is going to go wrong before the arrangement can be completed. What I intend to do is to find a way to get Epona out of the ranch, and by doing so, Ingo should essentially lose his mind from being freaked out over the threat of being punished by Ganondorf for failing to live up to expectations," I said.

" Are you sure that you've thought all of this out? Much of what you said is true and I should know as I told you a lot of it, but what if your theory turns out to be wrong? Who knows what kind of repercussions could take place as a result? Look, I know that you mean well and I do appreciate the enthusiasm, but this is something that's beyond your means of helping," said Applebloom.

" I know that you don't mean that," I said.

" How can you be certain?" asked Applebloom.

" You have a weird twitch on your face which occurs only when you're lying, and right now that twitch is working overtime. While I do admit that my theory isn't 100% guaranteed to produce results, I have to try and save this ranch. This place is one that I am able to relate to on a personal level as when I saw those horses galloping about the other day, they reminded me of what it felt like when I was galloping about in Equestria when I was a unicorn," I replied.

" What are you talking about? Also, how did you know that I twitch when I lie?" asked Applebloom.

" Never you mind that. You want things to go back to the way they were before your grandmother lost her way, and I want to make that happen not just for you, your grandmother, and me, but also for Ingo as well as deep down he is suffering and longs for the ranch to be the way it was. He has become trapped within his own greatness, and is too blind and stubborn to even realize it," I replied.

" Do you really think you can save the ranch?" asked Applebloom.

" I do, but I need your help in making it a reality," I replied.

" What do you need me for?" asked Applebloom.

" You've known Ingo far longer than I have, so surely you know what he can be like. Is there anything he does that can be described as a weakness? I aim to get Epona out of here without causing him any kind of harm, but I need to know if there is a way to trick Ingo into giving me the opportunity to get her out of here," I replied.

" There is one thing I remember Mr. Ingo has trouble dealing with, and that is his desire to want to challenge people. He believes himself to be pretty good at horse-riding, and challenges people to race him if he sees them as being good enough to provide him some worthwhile competition. Not only is Mr. Ingo a poor winner, he's even a poor loser when things don't end up going his way.

Sometimes when he loses a race, he gets so frustrated that he demands a rematch almost immediately, but he never thinks it through and ends up doing something which he ends up regretting later. It's the urge of competition and wanting to be the better person that drives him to act in such a manner," said Applebloom.

" Really now? Then I think saving the ranch just got a whole lot easier, but it does depend on what he ends up doing upon losing the race. I'll be sure to make him impressed when I next ride Epona where he will want to challenge me, and that will be my opportunity to get Epona out of here. Thank you for all of your help Applebloom, but now the rest is up to me," I said. I turned around and left the stable leaving Applebloom to resume her chores.

As I walked towards Ingo who was still in the same place that he was located in the other day, it suddenly dawned on me that I've never been involved in a horse race before. I mean, they used to have such races back in Equestria, but they were mostly for fun or for important events. I just hope that I'm doing the right thing here otherwise I could be making things worse than they already are.

" Heh, it's the young lady from the other day," said Big Mac as I walked right up to him.

" I came back again because I wish to ride the same horse as before," I said.

" Normally, I wouldn't think of giving you such an opportunity as that seeing as you already rode that horse once, but I'll allow it just this one time as you did help me out of a jam regarding the strengths and weaknesses of that one. I believe that one may just be the horse I plan on giving to the great Ganondorf as thanks for him making my dream come true. Are you sure that you want to ride that red one again instead of some other horse?" asked Big Mac.

" I'm positive," I replied.

" Fair enough, but remember that once your time limit is up, I'll kick you out of the corral where you'll have to pay me if you want to get back in there. That will be ten rupees please for three minutes worth of excitement," said Big Mac. I paid him his money although what he said made me feel really uneasy, but I entered the corral and played Epona's Song which called her over to me in an instant. Just like the other day, she rubbed her muzzle up against my cheek, and eagerly awaited me to climb on up and begin riding again.

Once I was firmly on the saddle, I gave her a gentle kick in the ribs to indicate that she should start galloping, and we proceeded to ride around the corral jumping over the fences again before I turned my attention to where it was needed. I guided Epona over to where Ingo was standing, and had her come to a slow stop in front of him. " Say, you're getting better at riding, so what say you want to take things up to the next level? How about a small wager? Come on, it'll be exciting as well as entertaining for the both of us."

" What kind of wager?" I asked.

" How about you and I race around the corral on horseback? The race will consist of just one lap, and you can even ride that horse just because I'm feeling a little generous today. As for the wager....how does 50 rupees sound to you? If I win, I keep your money, and if you win you don't lose your money. It's as simple as that! So what do you say young lady? Do you want to race?" asked Big Mac.

This is what I had been waiting for, so I'll accept his challenge, and save both Epona and the ranch. There was one thing that Applebloom neglected to mention to me, and that was just how competitive Ingo was when it came to these races. Maybe I should have asked her about this rather than attempting to do this blind without some kind of strategy.

" Okay, I accept your wager and challenge," I answered.

" That's a good sport of you, but I hope that you know what you're getting into," smiled Big Mac. A few minutes later, Epona with me on her saddle as her rider was standing in front of a crudely painted strip which must have been the starting line, and Ingo slowly came up to the same spot riding a brown horse which looked as though it had been raised really well. " As soon as I say the word "go", we begin the race and no I will not try to cheat you at the start of the race as that is poor sportsmanship. That will come naturally as we race around the corral."

" What!?!?" I exclaimed as I looked at him with my jaw having dropped in utter shock.

" Around here on the Great Ingo's Ingo Ranch young lady, if you want to win in a race against anyone, you have to do whatever it takes to win even if it means resorting to cheating in order to secure victory, and when I say cheating, I mean cutting your opponent off and preventing them from overtaking you. These are living creatures after all and they deserve our respect," said Big Mac.

" I'm surprised that you would say that considering that I heard that you mistreat your horses all because of the farmhand disagreeing with you," I said.

" Did you hear that from the people of Kakariko? I don't recall them ever spreading any rumours about me doing that. Then again, I reckon that Malon said that about me which means you must have talked to her before coming here to see me. I have no problem with that mind you as she is free to talk to whomever she wants, but she really needs to not say certain things as that can get both of us in trouble," said Big Mac.

" So you do mistreat them?" I asked.

" That is a blatant lie although I have put them through rigorous training to see which of them will become the loyal steed of the great Ganondorf. If I have to be guilty of something then let me be guilty of wanting to have the best horse in the kingdom," replied Big Mac. I didn't know whether to believe his story or not, but I could tell that he had taken offence with what I said which may help me out as he'll be distracted by an accusation rather than focusing on the race at hand.

" Enough with the talking as now it's time for us to race and see who is the better rider. On your marks....get set....GO! YEE-HAH!" He then kicked his horse really hard in the ribs to get it going, and this action completely caught me off guard which is why it took me a couple of seconds to gently kick Epona in her ribs to start galloping. Unfortunately, Ingo had a commanding lead because he kept on whipping his horse to keep speeding up, and I forgot to have Epona do the same thing.

By the time Epona and I made it around the corral, Ingo had already finished and was already dancing on the spot due to having beaten me. " Haw-haw! You lost which means that I get to keep your 50 rupees! Now don't you get all mad because you lost to a more experienced rider."

" I'm not upset at all about losing to you as I was focused on something else besides the race. I also forgot to whip my horse to make her run faster which is how I ended up failing to catch you," I said.

" Really? You don't feel the rage boiling inside you because you lost some money?" asked Big Mac.

" Believe me, if you met the old me, you wouldn't have enjoyed the kind of rage that I was known for, and money would be the least of your problems. Anyway, I want to race you again and this time I will know just what to do," I replied.

" If you insist on losing more money then by all means challenge me as many times as you want. The wager is going to be 50 rupees just like before, so why don't we get this race started. To think that I'm going to be earning quite the payout today without even having to do all that much to begin with. Life sure is funny sometimes," laughed Big Mac. As Epona and I trotted back to the starting line, she let out a soft whinny which meant that she was sad that we lost the race, but I responded to her with a whinny of my own where I said that we needed to become one being; horse and rider acting as one sentient creature.

She acknowledged my whinny with another one, and we were ready to take him on. " Ready to lose again? On your marks....get set....GO! YEE-HAH!" This time I was ready and gently kicked Epona in the ribs and urging her to want to race with all her heart. She and I bolted past Ingo who tried his best to keep up, but we were much too fast for him considering that I chose to whip Epona at the right times so as to not exhaust her, or have her get mad at me.

Racing around the corral was much more pleasant and by the time we finished crossing the starting line, we decided to take a breather and wait for Ingo to finally make it around where he continued to whip his horse even after finishing which showed that Applebloom was right in that he was even a poorer loser than a poor winner.

" It looks like I won this time around which means I get to keep my rupees," I said.

" Shoot! If the great Ganondorf hears of this humiliation, I can never show my face to him ever again, and my plans for presenting him with a worthy horse will be completely ruined. I must rectify this blunder quickly! Hey young lady! I challenge you to another race with 50 rupees as the wager just like before! If you somehow beat me again, you can keep....the horse!" shouted Big Mac.

" Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked.

" I don't go back on my wagers ever! So, yes I want to do this because I will not stand idly by and be humiliated like that!" shouted Big Mac. It looks like luck was on my side as he allowed his ego to completely blind him to what he had just agreed to. There was no doubt that he was going to make this harder as he had everything to gain, and I had everything to lose. This time, Ingo was going to play for keeps and I had to bring out the best in Epona otherwise my efforts will have been for nothing.

As we trotted back to the starting line, I could see the anger in his eyes as he was now out for blood and not for being a good sportsman. Epona knew in my eyes that we had to win this race in order to save the ranch, so she got herself prepped while Ingo gave a cold glare at his horse which frightened the poor thing, and that was a mistake on his part as I took that personally. " I was being too soft on you before, so expect me to push you to the limit in this deciding race."

" You can back out of this right now if you want as you could end up losing a lot more than you think," I suggested.

" Nope! My mind has been made up and I aim to see this through, and that's a definite eyup! Now, on your marks....get set....GO! YEE-HAH!" shouted Big Mac, and with that the race was on and I gently kicked Epona again to start her off galloping. Ingo was certainly more serious than he was last time as he was being more aggressive, and I knew he wasn't going to let me slip by him as he urged his horse to block my every attempt to pass him. Yet, I had faith in Epona's speed and my heart to see us through to the end, and not even an aggressive means of racing could stop that.

As we were racing towards the final corner, Ingo was ahead by a small margin and he continued to block my every effort to overtake him, and time was running out as the starting line was around the next corner. That was when I realized that I had no choice but to whip Epona as much as possible in order to get the speed I need, but I couldn't do that to her as that wouldn't be right. Epona understood what I was thinking as she whinnied to indicate that she was okay with me whipping her repeatedly to get past Ingo.

I closed my eyes and began to whip her which in turn caused her to gallop faster as well as whine about being hit, but it was enough as she was able to overcome his horse and we crossed the starting line first with Ingo coming in behind before slowly coming to a stop before he got off his horse in complete silence and walking over to where the gate between the house and stable were located.

" That was a close one for sure Epona, but I didn't want to have to whip you so many times just so you could be fast enough to overtake his horse and win. I hope you don't judge me for being too strict a rider for you in the future," I said. That was when she turned her head towards me and made a whinny sound that to me meant she was happy we won the race as it meant she was free. " I'm glad that you're not upset with me girl."

" SHOOT! What's up with that horse? Is that Epona? How were you able to tame that wild horse right under my nose? For years, I've been trying my best to get her under my control, but none of my methods ever worked and so she refused to listen to a single command. Yet you came along and got her to obey your every order without fail, and I doubt that you've never riden a horse before until now.

I was going to present that horse to the great Ganondorf, but I bet it on the race and lost. Shoot! Well, I guess that will teach me a lesson for caving in to my own ego as look what it got me in the end. I'm out one horse and my humiliation couldn't be more evident," said Big Mac.

" You threw quite the temper tantrum just now, but it looks like you recovered," I said.

" I resent the fact that you beat me and took away my prized horse, but I will admit that you were the better rider who won in the end. I'll keep my promise which means that horse now belongs to you. Perhaps the great Ganondorf will accept one of these other horses as a gift to....oh who am I kidding? Epona was my best chance at earning his praise, and I went ahead and spat on his generosity by losing all because I can't control my competitive nature. I've been completely humiliated, but I can still turn this around to my advantage if my play my cards right," said Big Mac.

" What are you talking about?" I asked.

" As I promised, I'll give this horse to you which we already established. However....I'll never let you leave this ranch," replied Big Mac.

" Do you honestly think that you can stop me from leaving?" I asked.

" Of course I can especially when I close the gates like this," replied Big Mac. The gates then suddenly swung shut and locked themselves at the same time. " Now you are trapped here! It looks like I managed to outsmart you in the end young lady! Ha-ha-ha-ha! My reputation is secured now which means your victory over me was for nothing," replied Big Mac.

" I can't believe how stubborn you are," I said.

" Is the race over?" asked Spike.

" Spike!?!? Where in the world have you been during all of this?" I asked.

" As soon as you started to ride in that first race, I knew that my wings couldn't keep up with the galloping speed of a horse, so I hid under your hat until everything was all said and done. Besides, in case you've forgotten, you still had a Pocket Cucco hiding in the rim of your hat, and no doubt that all that racing on horseback would have caused it so much discomfort. I took the liberty of hiding the little guy under your hat and using what I have for arms to keep him from injuring himself under there," replied Spike.

" I'm glad that you did that for me, and I'm sorry for having put you through such a burden," I said.

" Hey, no worries Sunset Shimmer as you were doing what you needed to do in order to save the ranch. We just need to return this Pocket Cucco back to Anju the next time we visit Kakariko Village which should be pretty soon seeing as we'll need to inform Talon that the ranch is going to be back under her ownership. I overheard everything that guy Ingo has been saying this entire time, and I'm appalled with his actions. He should just accept defeat and allow you to leave instead of trying to keep you stuck here as a prisoner all because he can't accept losing," said Spike.

" Escaping through the main gate isn't going to work as it's too high for even Epona to jump over, so there must be another way to get out of here. Hmmmm....I wonder if it's possible to jump over one of those fences and escape that way?" I asked.

" It's certainly doable as your horse should be able to make it over the fence, but the question is how big of a drop is it going to be on the other side? If the drop is too high, it could cause some serious injury to your horse, and that would defeat the whole purpose of trying to save her in the first place. Why don't we gallop by the edge of the fence, and I can tell you how high-up we are which should determine if you can make the leap or not," replied Spike.

I followed his advice and had Epona trot by the fence while he looked over the side in order to judge how far down it was, and in the meantime Ingo was shouting but I couldn't hear what he was saying as he was too far away. " Based on what I've looked at, the fence closest to Ingo will make the best jumping off point, so just have Epona get as far back as possible then gallop towards the fence making sure you whip her for that burst of speed you need to make the jump otherwise nothing will happen."

" You heard what he said Epona, so why don't we get ready to jump," I suggested.

" What are you planning?" asked Big Mac as we came trotting back towards him.

" If you must know, we're going to be escaping from the ranch by jumping over the fence to freedom. It looks like your idea of outsmarting me has backfired if you didn't think to cover the most obvious means of escape," I replied.

" If you think you can just take my horse away from me despite the fact that you won her in a race, then you are really weird for wanting to risk a big jump which could potentially injure, or even kill that mare. Huh? Weird? Weirdo? Hey! I remember you now, eyup! Weren't you that forest girl who visited here seven years ago? Now that I've taken a better look at you, you're wearing the same garb as she did. Why are you doing this to me?" asked Big Mac.

" I don't mean to cause you so much distress, but this arrangement has to stop! Look, I know how it feels to have been treated like dirt by your peers as I've experienced that myself. Humility is something I learned, and I appreciate it for what it's done to me even though it took some getting used to. Ingo, you need to learn humility and go back to the way you were before you end up becoming the very thing you despise the most. If you can't see what you've done to Talon and Malon, then I pity you because it will prove that you are too far gone to be saved and given a second chance. Take it from me, you don't want to end up alone and as a monster," I replied.

" What kind of nonsense is this?" asked Big Mac.

" Sigh! Just think about it will you? That's all I have to say to you," I replied. Ingo then shouted at me to stop, but I gently kicked Epona's ribs to signal her to start galloping. Then, I whipped her so as to get enough speed to make the jump, and for a brief moment it felt amazing to be soaring through the sky once again, but on a horse as opposed to being in the talons of an owl. Epona then landed on the ground with a loud thud, and managed to continue galloping along before she came to a stop and reared up on her hind legs and gave off a loud neigh.

" That was pretty amazing," said Spike.

" It certainly was quite a rush, and now Epona is free to go wherever she wants, or wherever I want as it looks like she wants to stay with us. In case you're wondering how I know what she's thinking, it's because I can understand what she says due to being a unicorn which is related to the horse. Yeah, I had to remind you of something which you already know....gee, I'm sounding like Pinkie Pie right now," I said.

" Yeah, yeah, the whole being able to speak the same language due to being the same species. Anyway, you've saved that horse which should mean that the ranch is back to normal, but maybe we should wait until tomorrow before going back there as I doubt that Ingo could have a change of heart in just a matter of minutes. Besides, we need to go back to the village and return that Pocket Cucco. Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to inform Talon that she can go back to the ranch," said Spike.

" You're right on both of those fronts. With regards to Talon, maybe we should simply hint that the ranch may be back under her ownership again as there is no way of knowing if Ingo will do the right thing, and relinquish it. I don't want to imagine her going all the way back to the ranch only to discover that Ingo hasn't changed, and she ends up getting into trouble all because of me. Anyway, let's get going to Kakariko Village, and it should be a faster journey seeing as we now have horse power on our side, and I wasn't trying to make that a joke," I said.

Epona then galloped along Hyrule Field which felt wonderful knowing that we could traverse the field in a much shorter time, and it took half the time to get to Kakariko Village where I discovered that Epona couldn't climb up stairs. That meant I had to leave her behind by the entrance which made me feel bad, but there was no other choice apart from asking her to wait where she was.

Climbing down to the ground, I reassured her that I'd be back as soon as possible, and her soft neigh in response indicated that she knew I'd return. I then ran up the stairs and into the village where I discovered that Scootaloo was waiting near the giant tree located near the center of the village, but was she waiting for me specifically, or waiting for something to happen?

" Oh? It looks like the Pocket Cucco I let you borrow seems to have gotten in a better mood, so would it be okay if I checked to see how it's doing? It isn't going to be very complicated if that's what you're thinking, but rather I just want to see how strong its crowing is," said Scootaloo. Even though I wasn't thinking about anything like that, I took the Pocket Cucco out from under my hat where it gave Scootaloo quite the loud crow which made her feel estatic. " Wow! Just listen to how loud that crowing was! I was right when I asked you to look after the little cucco for me. He must have woken up a really lazy person to have been able to crow with so much gusto. You know what? Give me back the Pocket Cucco, and in return I will let you have this special cucco."

" What makes it special?" I asked.

" This is a rare blue-coloured cucco named Cojiro that belonged to my brother, but his whereabouts these days is a mystery to me. You see, he was the kind of person who felt really lonely as not many people ever interacted with him aside from myself and our father, so one day he decided to leave the village and take nothing of value with him as though he wanted to abandon his own existence. What was the most surprising thing was that he didn't take Cojiro with him on his journey as he was the one friend that my brother ever really had.

Our father constantly viewed him as a disappointment because he was lazy and never amounted to all that much, so I guess he felt resentful towards him, yet he never was able to show any kind of animosity towards me as we were pretty close. Anyway, I'm just rambling on about the old days, so here is Cojiro who will make for an interesting companion," replied Scootaloo. She then took the Pocket Cucco back and handed me a blue regular sized cucco, and right off the bat I noticed that this cucco didn't make a single noise which had me feeling suspicious.

" Okay, you were right in that he is special for being a blue-coloured cucco instead of the standard white colour I've seen, but why doesn't he crow? I would have thought he'd be crowing at the notion of being taken care of by someone who is pretty good with animals, yet he's just staring off into the distance looking as though someone decided to cut out his vocal chords," I said.

" Unlike regular cuccos, Cojiro rarely crows especially since my brother left the village seven years ago. In fact, he was the only one who ever managed to get Cojiro to crow which shows that they truly had a special bond with each other," said Scootaloo.

" I'll be sure to return Cojiro to him, and maybe convince him to come back to the village in order to see his sister as you look as though you really miss having him around. Speaking of families, I need to get to that house over there and inform Talon that she can go back to Lon Lon Ranch," I said.

" I'm sorry but Talon isn't available right now," said Scootaloo.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" She was so depressed about the well-being of her granddaughter, that she decided to hike up Death Mountain in order to clear her mind although I really wish she hadn't done that as she ought to know better than to travel up there during these difficult times. That mountain has been really weird as of late what with rolling boulders coming down from the peak to the occasional eruptions coming from within the mountain itself. If it wasn't for the fact that Talon is an expert mountain climber, she probably would have been killed by now, but she's been going up there for the past three years ever since she first came to the village

In case you were wondering as to when she will be back, it won't be until tomorrow at the earliest as she has a tendency to stay up there for periods at a time. If you needed to see her, then I'm afraid you'll just have to come back another time," replied Scootaloo.

" Well, thanks for Cojiro as well as informing me about Talon," I said as I took my leave and mounted Epona and began to set off for the Kokiri Forest because that was now where I needed to go. Saving the ranch proved to be the kind of experience I needed to get my focus back onto what was important, and that was going to the five temples and awakening the Sages who dwelled within each one.

As we were riding towards the entrance to the forest, I couldn't help but think about Granny Smith being up on Death Mountain by herself. " I'm not liking the fact that she decided to climb up a dangerous place in order to calm her mind. I mean, if she is able to handle it then sure I'm fine with the prospect, but perhaps I could have been a little faster in saving the ranch. That way, I could've gotten to her in time before she decided to go up."

" We could have just gone after her you know and told her," suggested Spike.

" I know, but my heart was telling me that I've been putting off the Kokiri Forest for long enough, and now it's time to finally go there and sort things out. If the temple is at the far end of the Lost Woods where we saw Fluttershy before, I have a hunch that it won't be so easy to reach it this time around. You said before that the barrier protecting the forest has been destroyed meaning that the monsters have free reign right?" I asked.

" Without the Great Deku Tree to hold them back, nothing can stop the monsters until the source of the problem has been removed. It's safe to assume that the source in question is coming from the Forest Temple, but what I don't understand is why did Saria decide to go there by herself? The truth of it Sunset Shimmer, is that the temple is a sacred place where none have entered for centuries. Things must be really bad if Saria had to take it upon herself to want to go all the way there and see what was happening," replied Spike.

" I'm surprised that she managed to elude the monsters without any effort," I said.

" That is surprising as she isn't the type of person who would be willing to pick a fight with anyone," said Spike. We eventually reached the entrance to the forest where I had Epona come to a complete stop before climbing off of her, and then I whinnied to let her know that I would be back as soon as possible. She gave me a whinny in return as I started to make my way into the forest where my journey first began. " You know, the fact that you can whinny is still a little creepy, but at least Epona is able to really understand you, and respect your decisions even though you don't like the idea of leaving her behind."

As we entered the area where the bridge was in which I received the Fairy Ocarina from Fluttershy way back when, Cojiro suddenly crowed before going silent which was really weird. Why did he suddenly crow like that without reason? I walked through the other tunnel an into the forest where I was about to lose my head to a snapping plant before I managed to use my shield to protect myself just in the nick of time.

" What in the world was that?" I asked.

" Do you remember the Deku Baba back when we explored inside of the Great Deku Tree?" asked Spike.

" How could I forget about the plant that almost bit my head off," I replied.

" This happens to be its bigger brother known as the Big Deku Baba. It fights the same way as its smaller brother and inflicts the same amount of damage, but it has a much bigger reach and is able to strike quickly making it much more difficult to defeat. If you can stun it, you can cut it down and receive a Deku Stick, but those won't work for you, so your best bet would be to attack it as normal and receive a plethora of Deku Nuts instead which can be very useful," said Spike.

" I'm glad that this is the only one we have to deal with," I said.

" You might want to recheck your numbers again," said Spike. I then looked around and noticed that there were Big Deku Babas all over the village which made me wonder what could have happened to the Kokiri. As I was contemplating the situation at hand, the Big Deku Baba near me finally managed to get its act together and attempted to strike at me again, but I was able to dispose of it in a simple fashion by using my fire magic and burning it to pieces. " I didn't realize that the monsters have managed to spread out all the way to the village which means things were much worse than we assumed. Maybe if we walk into one of the houses, we may find some of the Kokiri as I'm sure they must be alive and not on the menu of these plants.

" Let's try that one to the left," I suggested.

" That's Mido's house. Why would you want to go in there?" asked Spike.

" It's the closest house to us, and I really have some choice words I want to say to her which I've waited seven years to say," I replied. I quickly ran towards the house narrowly avoiding another Big Deku Baba that was positioned next to it, and upon entering the home of Mido, I found it to be quite the decorative abode which reminded me why I didn't enjoy speaking to her years ago. Luckily, there were two Kokiri residing in the house, and they were surprised to see me as though they weren't expecting anyone to have made it through.

" Did those meanies out there give you any trouble miss?" asked one of the girls.

" I managed to destroy one of them, but there are a lot more of them out there than I could have imagined," I replied.

" Things never used to be this way back before the Great Deku Tree passed away. Those monsters were always restricted to the deepest part of the Lost Woods where they could do no harm, but now they have been swarming all over the place forcing us to hide in our homes until something is done about it. Sigh....I just wish that we could go outside again without having to run for our lives against those monsters," said the Kokiri Girl.

" Where is Mido?" I asked.

" Huh? You know about Mido, the boss of the Kokiri, as she called herself miss? And why do you have that fairy following you? I don't recall seeing you as a member of our tribe, but pay me no mind as I'm really stressed right now about being stuck in here. To answer your question, Mido hasn't been seen for a while as she went into the Lost Woods in order to fulfill an obligation Saria needed her help with," replied the Kokiri Girl.

" Gasp! Fluttershy! So she did go to the Forest Temple," I said to myself.

" Saria said something about needing to go to the Forest Temple in order to find out what was going on in there, and both she and Mido haven't returned. If you're interested in knowing more about what's been happening around here miss, why not visit Saria's house which is the one next to Link's house and her house is the one that has the ladder in front of it. Link....I wonder if she will ever come back again," said the Kokiri Girl. I said my thanks and left the home only to be attacked by the same Big Deku Baba that attacked me before, and I defeated it in the same manner as before.

" Why that did Big Deku Baba come back? That's never happened before as usually when the monster is defeated, it stays that way," I said.

" It looks like no matter how many of them you defeat, they keep on re-spawning due to the evil power coming from the Forest Temple. Even if you were able to destroy all of these monsters, it would do nothing as they would all come back within a matter of minutes. We'll just have to avoid them all as best as we can, and defeat them when necessary in order to get through and maybe pick up additional Deku Nuts which you can use to stun the enemy," said Spike.

" Aren't they what the Sheikah use to vanish?" I asked.

" Yep, which is why they are so useful to have around as that blinding flash really annoys most monsters. In case you were wondering, or if you somehow forgot, Saria's house is right over there! It's the one that has the three small recovery hearts on top of it which is a really weird means of decorating to make your place stand out. It's just a simple sprint across the village, and all that's in the way are giant plants and some other monsters," replied Spike.

I immediately ran for Fluttershy's home while avoiding one Big Deku Baba, and burning down another one with my magic, and using my shield to deflect the Deku Nuts that were being spat at me by a Mad Scrub which I remember from before. Upon entering Fluttershy's house, a small part of me was hoping to see her, but instead it was another Kokiri who looked rather timid as I entered. She quickly warmed up to me when she noticed that Spike was flying around my head.

" I haven't seen you around here before miss, but I suppose that's to be expected given that few ever come into this forest due to the curses placed upon those who dare venture forth into the Lost Woods. By the way, you look a lot like this girl who used to live next door to Saria who was named Link. Do you know Link, miss?"

" The name does sound familiar to me," I replied.

" Link used to live here in the forest a long time ago with the rest of us Kokiri, but one day she was summoned to the Great Deku Tree in order to fulfill some kind of important task. That girl did something which caused the Deku Tree to pass away, and Mido blamed her for causing its death in the first place. Shortly after that, Link left the forest so as to complete a mission given unto her by the Great Deku Tree, but aside from one brief visit to the village, she was never seen around here again.

Mido said that the reason she left was because she was so guilty of her actions that she couldn't come back due to being eternally shameful of what happened. Only Saria defended Link until the day she had to leave to head off to the Forest Temple," said the timid Kokiri girl.

" Why did she decide to leave?" I asked.

" Saria sensed that the forest spirits were in trouble due to the evil that was coming from the temple, and left the village saying that she had to do something. Mido went along with her to the Lost Woods as Saria needed her to do something really important, and it must have been serious if she were to ask Mido of all kids. They've both been gone for roughly several months now as the issue with the temple didn't get out of hand until recently.

Sigh....sometimes I wonder what ever became of Link as she was different from the rest of us due to being an outsider throughout much of her life. Maybe we simply misunderstood her needs due to not having had a fairy until later on in life, and maybe what we heard from Mido regarding how the Great Deku Tree died was wrong," replied the timid Kokiri girl.

" I'm touched that you said that," I cried.

" Are you crying miss? How come?" asked the timid Kokiri girl.

" It's just that you reminded me of my friends back where I come from, and that they misunderstood me," I replied.

" Then they must have been really good friends if they continued to support you despite not understanding how you felt from time to time. It makes me wish that we had taken the time to understand Link instead of simply shunning her away. Mido insisted that we treated her like an outsider as she always said that she wasn't a true Kokiri because of the circumstances revolving around how she came to be," said the timid Kokiri girl.

" What circumstances?" I asked.

" None of us know the answer to that question; not even Mido has the answer as that is what she heard from the Great Deku Tree one time. I can tell that you plan on going into the Lost Woods in the hopes of finding both Mido and Saria because you have a certain look in your eyes which reminds of the same look Link had. There is something about you miss which has me reminding myself of her, but I just can't put my finger on it.

If you do end up going into the Lost Woods, you should be careful because of the curse that affects all those who enter there. Since you are a non-Kokiri, I'd say that you would become a Stalfos if you remain there for far too long, so you might want to think carefully before you go there," replied the timid Kokiri girl. I thanked her for the information and the kind words before heading outside and resuming my avoiding and defeating specific monsters in order to make my way over to the entrance of the Lost Woods.

" Is what she said about being cursed true?" I asked.

" I'm surprised that you forgot about being told that which isn't all that surprising as it was a long time ago. Since you're a Kokiri, you'll end up becoming a Skull Kid instead of a Stalfos, but I don't think you'll be cursed either way because the Master Sword will protect you from such effects even if you don't know how to use it except when you transform into that pony hybrid form of yours," replied Spike.

" It's on my to-do list," I said as I climbed up the vines behind Diamond Tiara's house and entered the Lost Woods upon walking up the hill. It was certainly much darker than it was the last time we were here, and there was a definite evil presence all around, but I couldn't quite focus on that as Cojiro suddenly crowed once again before going silent as per his usual demeanour. " Maybe we ought to find the guy that Cojiro belongs to as I'm starting to think along your lines in that having a cucco accompany us into the depths of the woods isn't a good idea at all. It sounds like he wants us to go to the left judging from the direction he was looking at when he made his noise."

" Wasn't the clearing where we met that Skull Kid who bought the Skull Mask from you in that direction?" asked Spike.

" You're right, so I wonder if we will run into that imp again as I haven't forgotten about him ripping me off when he paid me half of the price of that mask. We might as well check it out as it looks like Cojiro is insisting we go and take a look," I replied. I walked through the tunnel and into the familiar clearing where instead of the Skull Kid, there appeared to be a man who was slumped down in front of a tree stump, and to me he was either sleeping or he was the other thing. As I got closer to him, I could see what he looked like, and I was shocked at what I was seeing. Is this Scootaloo's brother in this world? If so, she may not want to see him again....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 21: Temple of the Dark Forest

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 21, 2014
Chapter 21: Temple of the Dark Forest.

" What in the world is that?" I asked.

" That would be a normal Hylian, but maybe not so much normal anymore seeing as he looks like he's been through better days," replied Spike.

" Why does he look like he's either malnourished, or trying to find a means of getting a tan but failing due to looking so pale?" I asked.

" Do you recall what happens to non-Kokiri who enter the forest? They transform into Stalfos and enter a state of eternal twilight where they protect the Forest Temple from any who would dare enter its sacred halls. I'd say that this man is about half-way through the transformation, so the chances of curing him are pretty slim," replied Spike.

" We might as well wake him up and hand over Cojiro to him before we venture forth into the Lost Woods," I said. I walked over to him who turned out was sleeping instead of being dead, and when I nudged him to wake him up, he kept on sleeping which was rather vexing. " Looks like he doesn't want to wake up, so perhaps we should go with something not-so-normal." Taking out Cojiro from under my hat, I held him out in front of me where he noticed the sleeping man, and immediately began to crow out loud which woke him up in an instant, but why did he look like he was cowering in front of me.

" Cojiro? Why? Only a nice guy like me is able to tame you. You....you must be a nice girl if you were able to make him crow. It's been a long time since I last heard him crow, but seeing as you were able to succeed at something that I believed was only meant for me, I suppose that you get to keep him now."

" Actually, I came all this way to return him to you," I said.

" Really? The only way you would have known to do that, would be if my sister asked you to find me."

" I have spoken with your sister very recently, and she said that she has missed you ever since you left Kakariko Village. When you left, you took nothing with you, and even left this little guy as well which is all she had to remember you by. She also told me that you had a falling out of sorts with your father. Anyway, here is your friend Cojiro....err....I never quite caught your name," I said.

" Grog....the name is Grog, and I thank you for giving Cojiro back to me nice girl. I have missed Anju a great deal ever since I left seven years ago, but my father is someone I can never show my face to ever again. He believed me to be worthless, and for that I resented him as he didn't care about my other talents as he wanted me to be a carpenter like him."

" Maybe he felt that being a carpenter was in your blood," I suggested.

" It certainly wasn't as I had no interest in the profession, yet he continued to force it down my throat. He said that I had to be a carpenter and nothing more as it was a family tradition. He wanted me to someday marry Mutoh, the boss of the carpenters guild as he said that she was a feisty one who would make me happy, but that woman is more interested in her work than wanting a commitment," said Grog.

" So you decided to just leave it all behind rather than deal with it?" I asked.

" Don't judge me on my decision," replied Grog.

" I don't really blame you for doing what you did, yet your father certainly had other plans. Maybe he was thinking too much about the prospect of you wanting to carry on the business of a carpenter? I know what it can be like being forced to do something when instead you had your own path in life that you wanted to follow," I said.

" You share the same problems as I do?" asked Grog.

" Not in terms of family, but rather with the notion of being forced to one thing over something you want to do of your own accord," I replied.

" Heh, I suppose that maybe I was being a bit too stubborn when I chose to leave the village as I did have a strong connection with my sister, but I'm afraid that it's too late for me to go back and make amends to her. Before you say something about it never being too late, let me just stop you right there, and show you exactly what I mean, but I warn you that I'm not a pretty sight," said Grog. He then stood upright, and I was shocked at the way he looked because his appearance was like he had lost so much weight, he was just skin and bones.

" You're turning into a Stalfos," I said.

" So you know about the curse too I take it? You look like you're unaffected which probably means you haven't been exposed as long as I have. Even if I were to return to the village in my current condition, they could never accept me as I look too hideous for them to want to have around. Nice girl, if you plan on traversing these woods, I advise that you do so as quickly as you can because the curse can afflict you without warning, and if that doesn't get you then the sentries will," said Grog.

" What sentries?" I asked.

" Deep in the Lost Woods where the temple is located, strange dog-like creatures have been patrolling the area for the last couple of years. Now that I think about it, I did see one girl somehow manage to make her way past them some months ago, but how she managed to pull that off surprises even me as no one else has managed to do so. That girl may have been destined to enter the temple which allowed her the means of getting by, or she was just lucky," replied Grog.

" Was she accompanied by another girl?" I asked.

" She was now that you mention it, but she told her companion to go back into the Lost Woods. I never saw either of them since then so I'm assuming that they succumbed to the curse. I hope that the girl who went into the temple is okay as I would hate for her to succumb to the same curse. Before leaving her companion, the girl said something about a song, and that she was hoping that her dear friend would make her way there," replied Grog.

" And that's all you know?" I asked.

" Fraid so nice girl, and if you are planning on going to the temple, you better have a pretty good reason! Before I go, I'm going to leave this behind as my way of saying thank you for returning Cojiro to me," replied Grog.

" What about your sister?" I asked.

" Tell her that her brother was stubborn to the very end," replied Grog as he walked through the tunnel I used to enter this clearing, and soon he was out of sight whereupon I started to cry a little as I felt sorry that he was going to suffer such a terrible fate by becoming a monster. It was something which I didn't want to see anyone go through as it's not a pleasant experience because I have been there myself, yet was lucky enough to be given a second chance which is something most people are never given.

I walked over to the tree stump where Grog was sitting by, and he had left some kind of saw which made me wonder why he had it to begin with. As I picked it up to get a closer look at it, it wasn't a typical saw as it had spikes all around it, it featured a handle at the bottom giving the impression that it was some kind of brush, and it was pretty small for a saw.

" What is this thing?" I asked.

" It's a Poacher's Saw! It's a specialized saw which carpenters use in order to cut wood carefully so as to not break it accidentally, and for doing finishes to make the final product look good. I know it's weird that guy would just give you this, but I suppose we should take it with us as it could prove to be useful. Okay, I really don't see how it could be useful as you're not a carpenter, and I am too small to be able to lift let alone use that saw, but it's your call to make," replied Spike.

" I'll keep it as Grog did insist on giving it to me in return for Cojiro, but I feel really sorry for him. I wish that I could help him turn back to normal, but you said he was half-way through the transformation, so the likelihood of him becoming normal is slim to none. I never realized that this journey was going to be full of so much heartache. I mean, I've experienced quite a bit of it already and lost seven years of my life as a result, but it feels like it has gotten much worse due to the evil that pervades across the land," I said.

" Will you be okay?" asked Spike.

" I'll be fine as I know that I need to be strong if I am to save Hyrule from Ganondorf's reign of tyranny, but it's going to get much more difficult from here," I replied. I then took a deep breath before taking the Ocarina of Time from the pouch I kept it in, and looked at it longly for a few minutes where I began to think about what would have happened if Rainbow Dash hadn't shown us that video game back before all of this started. I could be having a less stressful experience right now where I'm hanging out with my friends, and living life to the fullest instead of being where I am now.

This was something that I never really wanted, but now that I have it, it's something that I must do because of destiny. " To think that right now, I could be back in my world having dinner with my friends followed by a trip to the movies, but here I am in a world plagued with so many problems that need my help to resolve them. I've always dreamt of making a big difference, but this isn't what I was expecting to happen. Guess you can't always expect things to go as planned as you never know what fate has in store for you." Placing the ocarina to my lips, I played Fluttershy's Song which meant that I had finally mustered up the courage to speak to her through telepathy.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria. Can you hear me?" asked Fluttershy.

" It's been a long time since I last heard your voice," I replied.

" You've been gone for seven years, and I was afraid that I would never see you again after you left the forest. It's good to hear from you again, but right now I'm not really able to talk about pleasant things with you. As you might have figured out by now, I'm currently inside of the Forest Temple which is a sacred place no one is meant to enter. The forest spirits were calling out for me to come and help them, and I just couldn't leave them alone while their lives were in danger," said Fluttershy.

" I heard that you and Mido went there several months ago, and things have gotten really bad since you two left. Monsters have infested the Kokiri Forest and have forced the others to remain in their homes. I've destroyed several of the creatures, but it does no good as they're re-spawning after a few minutes according to what Spike has said to me. Whatever is going on in the Forest Temple is the source of the problem, and I intend to go in there and deal with it," I said.

" While I appreciate the thought of you coming to the temple, you must turn back as it's far too dangerous for you. I've already been overwhelmed by the monsters that plague it, and have been accosted as a result," said Fluttershy.

" Fluttershy, I have to enter the Forest Temple as it is my duty as the Hero of Time to eradicate the evil that plagues it and awaken the Sage who shall aid me in my quest to defeat Ganondorf. Believe me Fluttershy, I'm coming to help you, and together we will restore the forest back to the way it was. If you have any kind of information regarding the temple, then I need to know if I am to explore it successfully and do what needs to be done," I said.

" That name....Fluttershy....I have missed you calling me that for such a long time Sunset Shimmer....I've grown rather fond of it even though my name is still Saria, but I appreciate it more now than I have done in the past. As for advice I can give you, there isn't much that I can offer seeing as the monsters captured me within minutes of my arrival, but I do recall something about the first chamber of the temple. This opening room is the actual entrance to the temple proper where two dead trees reside.

I remember seeing a glimpse of a small treasure chest on top of one of those trees, and I think it must be important if it was placed up there. The only other thing I recall was that there were a number of locked doors all over the temple," said Fluttershy.

" Locked doors? It sounds to me that the source of the darkness in the temple wants to make sure that no one comes along and flushes it out," I said.

" If so then this is not going to be easy for you," said Fluttershy.

" Nothing ever is easy Fluttershy, and I've had to learn that the hard way. There is one more question which has been bothering me for a while now, and I figured that you would be able to answer it for me. Of all the Kokiri in the village, why in the world did you choose Mido to go with you? Think about it for a second! She was the one who blamed me for the death of the Great Deku Tree which wasn't even my fault to begin with, and yet she accompanied you into the Lost Woods. What made you want to ask her for help when she has been nothing but trouble for all of us?" I asked.

" I chose Mido as I believed that she would be able to fulfill my request. I know that you two have had problems for a long time, and I still hold her accountable for what she put you through, so I am hoping that you will be able to put aside your differences. I must leave you now as the darkness is slowly consuming me. Good luck on your journey....and I hope to see you soon," replied Fluttershy, and that was when my conversation with her ended. While I was glad that she was okay, I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of having to deal with Diamond Tiara again especially after what she put me through back in the past.

I knew that it was petty to think about someone in such a negative fashion, but she deserved to be talked about that way. I really wished that Fluttershy had asked anyone except for her, but I guess I should have expected this. I sighed as I put the ocarina back in my pouch, and headed back to the original clearing before heading across to the clearing where I received that Fairy Slingshot Bullet Bag upgrade. The darkness was already starting to feel stronger, but I couldn't turn back now as Fluttershy and the forest needed me. That was when I noticed a pair of Big Deku Babas were blocking the next tunnel which caught me by surprise.

" What are those two doing here?" I asked.

" Normally, the only monsters that hang out in the Lost Woods are Business Scrubs, but seeing these here must mean the evil coming from the temple must be getting worse with every passing moment. I wouldn't be surprised if we were to encounter more of them along the way," replied Spike.

" So how did Fluttershy and Diamond Tiara make it through so easily? Did they get through before the monster infestation got out of hand, or did Fluttershy somehow tap into her Equestrian Magic without even realizing it. Either way, we need to go through that tunnel, so these two won't be much of a problem," I said.

" Uh, don't you mean five?" asked Spike.

" Five? I don't see five of them," I replied. That was when I turned around and noticed that three more Big Deku Babas had grown in front of the tunnel we just came out of, and that meant the other clearings we've been through must be starting to get flooded with these evil plants. Using my fire magic which has often been reliable, and combining it with Din's Fire because my own stamina isn't as reliable, I set fire to the two Big Deku Babas in front of me picking up some more Deku Nuts from their charred remains, and running through the tunnel into the next clearing. I found the darkness getting even stronger which made me wonder if I needed to light my way if I continue to go further." Is it getting darker the closer we get to the Sacred Forest Meadow?"

" That does appear to be the case as the further we progress, the darker it becomes, and also because the sun is more than halfway through its cycle in the sky meaning that it will be night in a couple of hours or so. I'm still bothered about the fact that there are additional monsters here where they weren't there before," replied Spike.

" Like the three Big Deku Babas in front of us?" I asked.

" Oh come on! This is starting to get ridiculous!" shouted Spike.

" Welcome to my world as I've been experiencing this from the very start, but I might as well get rid of these before more show up behind us," I said. It took no effort to defeat these plants, and once they were out of the way, I walked into the next clearing which featured the shortcut that connects to Goron City, and there were no monsters to deal with this time, but it was continuing to get dark which was really getting to me.

That was when Spike decided to shine as bright as he could because as a fairy, he is able to illuminate the darkness and act like a moving flashlight or lantern in this case. Seeing the shortcut made me realize that we were most likely going to run into the one person in the entire forest which I didn't want to see, and it made me feel really depressed about it.

" Something is bothering you isn't it?" asked Spike.

" You know me well enough to know based on my expressions huh? But yes, something is bothering me and you should know what it is," I replied.

" It has to do with Mido doesn't it?" asked Spike.

" Why did Fluttershy have to ask her to come along when she could have chosen someone else. Mido has done nothing but torment me ever since I started this journey, and apparently my entire life according to what you, Fluttershy, and even Mido herself have said. I know that I should bury the hatchet and maybe find a way to get along with her, but I just can't forgive someone who has mistreated so many others, and not once felt remorseful for her actions," I replied.

" Mido was acting out that way as she has been jealous of you for years Sunset Shimmer. In her eyes, you were the most popular of the Kokiri for being kind, compassionate, and willing to lend a hand and ask for nothing in return. For Mido, she only helped whenever she wanted to, and always had others do her work because she was busy trying to befriend Saria. No matter what she tried to do, she was never able to gain the popularity that she coveted," said Spike.

" Even so, she didn't have to treat like an outsider for such a long time," I said.

" That's because you didn't have a fairy partner whereas everyone else did, and she took advantage of that by ridiculing you to no end. You've changed since then by becoming the better person by not allowing her demeanour towards you make you want to get revenge, but I suspect that you've been thinking about it ever since you learned that she was here in the Lost Woods," said Spike.

" I'm just fed up with being treated like a monster by people who assume me to be one," I said.

" Which is why you need to be the better person by showing that Mido will never amount to anything due to her remaining the same immature kid that she has been since the very beginning. Besides, I don't think Mido is going to be insulting you any time soon because she probably won't even recognize you. The Kokiri that you talked to back in the village didn't recognize you and referred to you as miss which is an adult identification," said Spike.

I hope he was right about that otherwise I won't know if I can be the better girl, and not rely on wanting to have my revenge for all of those tormented years. I entered the next clearing, and sure enough there was Diamond Tiara standing in front of the next tunnel. She had a serious look on her face, and as soon as I walked close to the tunnel, she moved over to block my path which was already testing my patience.

" What are you supposed to be? While you indeed wear Kokirish clothing, and you have a fairy following you, you can't fool me for a second. Saria told me to guard this place, and not allow anyone to enter unless they happen to know her song," said Diamond Tiara.

" So you have no idea who I am?" I asked.

" You do look familiar to me, but I have no clue as to who you are, or why you're even here in the first place....unless....you want to go to the temple deep in the woods don't you? Why else would you even bother to come out all this way in the first place? Miss, I'll admit that you are brave for coming all this way, but if you think that you can get past me then you are sadly mistaken. I must remain here no matter what until Saria has returned," replied Diamond Tiara.

" Do you realize that you two have been gone from the village for several months? Also, you've been standing guard here for that same length of time? I don't know what to say about something like that other than you must be crazy for wanting to stay here for so long without any means of protecting yourself," I said.

" I'm fully aware of my absence from the village, and to be honest with you miss, I wish that I was there right now making sure that my fellow Kokiri are safe. You see, Saria received a message from the spirits that the Forest Temple had become corrupted with evil, and wished for her to go there. When she told me of what she was intending to do, at first I laughed at her for thinking that she could communicate with them. Never had I heard such rubbish in my entire life," said Diamond Tiara.

" Why does that not surprise me," I said to myself.

" However, when I saw that look in her eyes, I knew that she was telling me the truth. While I wish that I didn't have to leave our people behind, Saria insisted on me coming with her as she believed that I was the best person to accompany her, but why would she think that considering all I've done over the years. Sometimes I wonder whatever became of Link as it's been seven years since she was last seen anywhere," said Diamond Tiara.

" Who is Link?" I asked pretending to not know the answer.

" She used to be a Kokiri who lived in the village with the rest of us, but she ended up leaving one day and never came back. I claimed that she did something horrible to the Great Deku Tree which resulted in his death and the forest being plagued with evil, and while I still stand by my conviction about her, I'll admit that I do miss having her around as she was different from the rest of us.

There was always something unusual about Link in that she was perhaps destined for a greater purpose than the rest of us. But, that is none of your business as you aren't one of the Kokiri despite the way you dress. I'm sorry but you must turn back at once because there is no way I'm letting you pass unless you can prove it to me," replied Diamond Tiara.

" That can be arranged," I said as I took out the Ocarina of Time and played Fluttershy's Song.

" Hey....that song....that's Saria's Song without a doubt. You....do you know Saria miss? She only ever played that song to her closest friends as a means of always being connected to them. Okay, I believe you can be trusted, so I'll allow you to go through to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Hmmmm....you know something? I don't know why, but you remind me....of her," said Diamond Tiara. She then stepped aside and tilted her head to indicate that I could continue on.

As I walked into the next few clearings, I felt strange about what had just transpired. I was prepared for a verbal insult from Diamond Tiara, but instead she was rather civil about it, and maybe even regretful of the way she had treated me for so long. It was something which would be on the back of my mind as I continued walking along until I entered the Sacred Forest Meadow.

" It's really dark around here which proves our theory," I said.

" Not only that, but all of that walking around and being slowed down by Mido has allowed the sun to go through the sky and starting to go down for the night. I know it sounds like I'm making a big deal out of it, but if it becomes nightfall before we reach the Forest Temple, the darkness will get even worse due to the natural night making things more difficult to see," said Spike.

" We should be able to get there before nightfall since we're in the right area now, and the only things that stand in our way are those Mad-Scrubs we encountered when we came through here before. I wonder if they were the sentries that Grog mentioned to us before he left? If so then I don't see how they could be considered sentries when they weren't really much of a threat," I said. That was when I heard the sounds of snorting which reverberated throughout the entire area, and this was followed by me seeing some kind of muscular dog-like creature walking by armed with a large spear, and completely ignoring the fact that I was over here.

" What is that?" I asked.

" That's a Moblin, a rare creature of Hyrule and judging from the sounds coming from that maze, there appear to be a good number of them on patrol. You need to hit them from behind in order to defeat them, but this isn't going to be easy as they have an incredible reaction time. If you don't sneak up from behind, they'll turn around and make you pay for the blunder.

Your magic should do the trick or you could use the Hookshot, but why not stick with magic, and perhaps use something other than fire magic this time. Remember that you did gain access to other elements of magic thanks to the Great Fairy of Power, but you've yet to use them so maybe now would be a good time to see what they can do," replied Spike.

" I guess they must be the sentries," I said.

" Sure looks that way which means Ganondorf isn't playing around when it comes to maintaining the evil within the temples. Anyway, you need to be careful from now on as we're entering some pretty tight corridors, so here is something that I haven't mentioned to you before. If you stare straight at a wall and then strafe left or right, you can check out what's down a particular corridor without actually having to traverse it until you know it's safe. Sure what I just said may sound silly, but such a technique is sure to save your life when you least expect it," said Spike.

I walked forward and noticed that the Moblin had turned around and was walking the other way, and that was my chance to get behind it and use another form of magic. At least, that was my idea as I moved in too quickly only to discover it had immediately turned around, roared, and proceeded to push me with its spear all the way down the other corridor before launching me into a small pool of water. It eventually stopped charging, and walked back the other way leaving me very wet and very humiliated.

" That didn't go very well," I sighed.

" I told you that they have an incredible reaction, but you decided to rush in without thinking about it," said Spike.

" Yeah, I should have realized that straight away, yet a part of me wanted to see if I could maybe perform a sneak attack without having to rely on a more strategic approach, and that blew up in my face in an instant. If I try to get out of this pool and back over to the entrance of the maze, that Moblin will turn around and attack me again," I said. Knowing that I needed some time to get out of the water and back down the corridor, I used some earth magic and created a rocky bump on the path in front of the Moblin.

It tripped on the bump and fell over which is when I followed up by conjuring up a large boulder and flattened it which caused it to be defeated. " So with earth magic, I have the ability to control the ground itself and the minerals of the soil....that would have been useful to have used back underneath the graveyard, or even in Dodongo's Cavern. I wonder what will happen if I use water and wind magic as those are the remaining two elements."

" There are more Moblins that will attack you, so you can try it out on them," said Spike.

" Even though I've been given the ability to use other elements, fire is still my element of choice as it relates to my cutie-mark and because I have a strong connection with the sun itself," I said. For a moment, I was afraid that Spike was going to ask me what a cutie-mark was, but he said nothing which meant he either didn't listen to that, he did and didn't care, or he knew and didn't want to sound confused. In any case, the next corridor was safe, but the one after that featured a Moblin which meant it was time to try out some wind magic. This was a lot harder to do as there wasn't any wind around to use, so I had to create a small tornado that caused me some distress, but I managed to create one which hurled the Moblin into a wall where it was defeated, and I dropped to my knees due to how exhausting that was. " Okay, wind magic is going to be used only on rare occasions as that strained me an awful lot."

" So far you can use fire and earth magic without any problems, yet wind is a problem unless it's already there to begin with. Now all that you have left to try out is water, and there are more Moblins lurking about as I can hear their grunts," said Spike. As I ran around the next corner, there was another Moblin who was walking towards me, but he wasn't charging as though he were too far away to see me, or his eyesight was really poor. Thinking quickly, I pulled water from nearby water sources, and came crashing down on the Moblin causing him to be washed down the corridor and into a corner allowing me to sneak by and move onto the next section.

Hmmmm....water magic seems to be dependant on whether they is any water nearby as I can't exactly conjure any up. That means if there is no water in the vicinity, then I can't use any water magic. What I've been given access to via the Great Fairy of Power was a mixed blessing for the most part it seems. The remaining Moblins luckily were on the other side of the maze, so I didn't have to deal with them, but upon exiting the other side and running into the final stretch, another Moblin stood in the way, and this one was much different from the others.

" Judging from the shoulder pads and the fact that he is carrying a club, this Moblin must be their leader and is acting as a last line of defence. He hasn't charged at me yet, so I'm not sure what to make of that, but we need to get past him in order to reach the temple," I said. As soon as I took a few steps, the Moblin slammed his club onto the ground which caused a whirling shockwave to come from it in the direction I was in, and when it hit me, I was knocked back so far that it felt like being hit with a tornado.

As I picked myself back up, the Moblin laughed at me while swinging his club around. " That was completely unexpected, and while the damage was minimal, the knockback was ridiculous. Spike, let me try something first before we do anything else." I decided to try to run at the Moblin this time, and when his club struck the ground, I moved to the side only to get hit again when he changed direction and the resulting shockwave came in my direction. " I get how this guy works now. I have to dodge and weave between his shockwaves in order to avoid being knocked back, but he also looks to be pretty bulky."

" Why not use your magic from a distance?" asked Spike.

" That is an option but I would need to concentrate in order to strike from such a long range, and there is no telling if he will attempt to make his way over here and strike me with that club while I'm stuck flinging a spell. I think a close-range blast should do the trick, but I need to be almost on top of him in order to make it work," I replied. For the third time, I ran through the corridor and dodged by weaving inbetween the shockwaves which the Moblin got frustrated over, and when I was right next to him, I let him have it with my strongest fire magic which knocked him down and he was defeated.

" How about that? He left behind some blue and red rupees which could prove to be useful for future purchases." Once I pocketed the rupees, I ran up the staircase and found myself staring at the Forest Temple itself. It was just like it was the last time, but the difference was that Fluttershy was no longer sitting on the tree stump which is where I saw her last.

" It feels weird that Saria isn't sitting there anymore," commented Spike.

" She sat there often?" I asked.

" Whenever she came here, she would sit right there on that stump, and play her ocarina while talking to the forest spirits. She did say that this place was going to be important to both you and her one day, and it looks like that day has come. Somewhere inside of the Forest Temple, she is waiting for us to go and find her before it's too late," replied Spike.0

Just as I was about to pull it out, the same whooshing sound I heard outside of Kakariko Village filled the air, and Sheik dropped down from above and landed with grace before standing up and walking towards me.

" The flow of time is always cruel....its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it....a thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days....you were staring off towards that tree stump, and no doubt that it reminded you of the friend who would sit there and play her music.

No doubt that you feel so much pain knowing that you have been gone for such a long time. You remember the days before Ganondorf came yes? Those were days of peace where evil never existed, yet destiny had other plans and enabled him to achieve his destiny," said Twilight.

" It just feels weird knowing that she isn't sitting there anyone as that was where I last saw her," I said.

" And because of communing with the spirits that dwell within the forest, she felt obligated to enter the Forest Temple in order to deal with the evil that continues to flow freely from it. Now, she is in need of your help as you are the only one who can go forth and destroy the evil which plagues the temple. It may sound like a daunting task to you Sunset Shimmer, but it is your destiny to awaken the Sages and save this world," said Twilight.

" What do you know about the Forest Temple?" I asked.

" Once, it was a sacred place where many denizens of the forest travelled to rest and recover, but over time it fell into ruin and was abandoned, yet it remains a testament to the greatness that it once was. Now, this ancient temple has become plagued with evil as a result of Ganondorf's lust for power, and much of its former glory has been lost to the ages.

However, it was said that the temple housed a powerful weapon which served as a guiding light for those who stayed there, and that the weapon protected them from the evils of the world. Perhaps this weapon is destined to be in your hands, but you must find it if you wish to claim it as your own," replied Twilight.

" If it's as powerful as you say it is Sheik, then it's definitely something I could do with seeing as most of my weapons aren't available to me anymore," I said.

" And what of the Master Sword?" asked Twilight.

" The truth about that is I've never once wielded a sword in my entire life, and despite the fact that the Master Sword has accepted me, I have no intention of using it unless I feel that there is no other choice. Granted, I did use the Master Sword to fight against Ganondorf years ago, but that was because I tapped into a special magic which seems to only activate in times of desperation," I replied.

" What kind of magic?" asked Twilight.

" Back where I come from, the magic that I used was the power of a unicorn as my true form is that of a pony, but I assume this human form now. The magic of Equestria still exists inside of me, and when I need to rely on it during an act of desperation, I end up transforming where I get pony ears and a pony tail, and it was this transformation which enabled me to use the Master Sword for that one strike.

It sounds like I can only use the Master Sword under specific conditions, and you would be right about that because my preference is using my own natural magic and the other weapons which I've picked up during the course of my journey," I replied.

" You certainly are a mysterious individual," said Twilight.

" I don't get told that as often as you might think seeing as most don't even know what I am really capable of doing. By the way, what are you doing here Sheik? I take it that you aren't here to just drop on by and say hello?" I asked.

" That is correct. What I hold now in my hands is the golden harp, a treasure of my people, the Sheikah, which we use to commune to the divine magical energies of the world, and channel it for our own purposes. I shall teach you special songs which will enable you to warp to various locations through the use of the Sage Altars like the one situated right behind you. In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest," replied Twilight.

She then played a series of six notes which wasn't a series of three and then a repeat which meant that this was a serious song. It took me a few attempts to figure out how to remember this song, but I eventually learned the Minuet of Forest which can warp me back here whenever I needed to. " Sunset Shimmer, I shall see you again." She then took a few steps backward after putting her harp away, and threw a Deku Nut which flashed a bright a light, and when my vision was clear again, she had vanished without a trace.

" With that song, you can warp here whenever you need to," said Spike.

" True, but it feels as though this song may not be as useful as Sheik makes it out to be because once we're done here in the Forest Temple, would I really have any real reason to want to come back this way apart from wanting to feel a case of nostalgia?" I asked.

" At least she took the time to teach it to you," replied Spike.

" Which I appreciate of course, but the practical usefulness of this Minuet of Forest has to be put into question. I suppose that if things were getting too intense for me inside of the Forest Temple, I could always play it to warp back outside to regroup, but the only problem is that no matter what happens, I have to go through those Moblins in order to get out of here unless Sheik were to teach me additional warp songs," I said.

" There is also Farore's Wind which you haven't tried yet," said Spike.

" Oh yeah! I completely forgot that I even had that spell. We're getting off-topic now, so let's get started with this temple, and it seems we're just in time as the night has begun, and I don't mean the darkness coming from the temple causing it," I said. Taking out the Hookshot and aiming it at the tree branch, I fired it and was pulled up to the platform due to connecting to the branch successfully.

Once I put it away, I walked into the Forest Temple where I found myself standing in front of what looked like someone's front garden complete with steps leading up to what looked like a mansion with a small door in front of it. " I guess this is the actual entrance to the Forest Temple itself, and it looks both beautiful and eerie because of all the vines dangling down from pretty much everything."

" Remember what Saria said about there being a small treasure chest on top of that dead tree nearby?" asked Spike.

" You were able to hear our conversations?" I asked.

" I am a fairy after all which makes me a spirit of the forest which is what she can communicate with. Now then, you can use those vines over there to climb up to reach the top of the other dead tree and walk across to where the chest is located. You can also use the Hookshot and latch onto the vines to get you up a little quicker if you're struggling with climbing, but if you decide to take the shorter route, make sure you hang on when you are pulled to your target otherwise you'll end up falling down, and will get hurt as a result of fall damage," replied Spike.

" This should be simple enough as I've climbed up other vine patches across the kingdom," I said with confidence. Walking over to the east wall, I started to make my way up the vines, and eventually reached the top and moved along before coming down and planting my feet on top of the dead tree. The branches were my means of a walkway, but they were very narrow and one slip would mean falling down, getting hurt from the landing, and having to climb all the way back up again.

What I really need is a stunt double to do this for me, but I'm the Hero of Time so I have to do this kind of thing. Inching along slowly and making sure to keep my balance, I took a leap of faith and landed on the other tree where the chest was located. While I could have opened it up with my hands, I decided to kick it open because I thought it'd make for a cool statement. Inside of the chest was a silver key which I picked up and examined. " Why would there be a key in a chest? Aren't keys supposed to unlock them instead?"

" Remember that Saria said that certain doors throughout the temple were locked? What you have there Sunset Shimmer, is a small key which is used to open a locked door whenever we encounter one. The one thing you need to know is that you can only use keys in the dungeons where you find them in. You can't take them out of one dungeon and hope to use them in the next one we come across. So, how do you plan on getting down from here?" asked Spike.

" By doing this," I replied as I jumped off the dead tree and landed on the ground with a thud upon which caused my knees to buckle for a moment before I managed to stand up straight. " That wasn't my best course of action and it did result in me suffering some damage, but I made it down here in a matter of seconds, so now we can enter the door and truly get started on exploring this place."

" You could have simply jumped back across and used the vines to climb down at a good enough pace, and avoid injury altogether instead of trying to be some kind of daredevil, but I suppose you needed to display some confidence," said Spike. I took that as a compliment at the very least and opened the door which lead into a small room where there were several giant spiders with skulls for faces hanging down from the ceiling.

I turned my attention to Spike who acknowledged that I did so in order to seek out his advice on what these were. " Those are Skulltulas who come down from the ceiling when you get close. If you hit their skull-like faces with most conventional weaponry, it just bounces off and they swing about, and if you get too close they will perform a spin attack which can damage you. Their weak spot is its soft underbelly, but you could use something unconventional like the Hookshot and just pick them off."

" That easy?" I asked.

" If there was a threat meter which indicated how dangerous a monster can be, these guys would be either a zero or a one. You still need to be cautious of that spin attack, but apart from that there are relatively harmless," replied Spike.

" I'll take your word for it and rely on the Hookshot method. Besides, I need to see if it can be used as a weapon like Zecora said back under the graveyard," I said. As each of the Skulltulas came down to my level, I fired at each of them with the Hookshot by striking their skull faces, and they dropped to the ground defeated before burning away to nothing. With that threat out of the way, I walked into the next room which was a massive area where several doors were located which must branch off to other parts of the temple, and in the middle of the room was a strange elevator surrounded by four different coloured flamed torches.

" This must be the central chamber of the temple, but what is up with that elevator in the middle of the room? It looks so out of place with everything else, yet I can't help but be swayed by how impressive it looks compared to the rest of the decor."

" Maybe we can use it to reach a lower level?" asked Spike.

" I suppose we could do that, but I would like to see what lies beyond those other doors," I replied.

" Yeah, I guess we do have to explore every inch of the temple in order to find that weapon Sheik mentioned, and it looks like we may have something else to find as look over there by those four coloured flames," said Spike. I looked forward and saw the flames suddenly disappeared, and quickly reappeared on the torches of Poes, but these were different from the regular ghosts as I've seen. That was when the elevator lowered itself into the ground, and the Poes went off in four different directions taking the flames with them and laughing as they disappeared.

The lack of the flames caused the entire room to get darker making it more miserable than before, and it left me feeling confused as to what just happened. " Those four Poes just took the flames away, and I have a feeling that elevator must lead to some place important if they were willing to stop us from going down it."

" And we need to find them and restore the four flames back to their rightful places which means we do have to explore the entire temple just to find them. Those Poes certainly were different from the regular ones we've seen in the graveyard and in Hyrule Field," I said.

" The Poes we just witnessed taking the flames away are known as the Four Poe Sisters, and they have been haunting the temple for years. No one knows where they come from, but they have been causing trouble for anyone who would enter this sacred place. I have no idea where they have gone, but what I do know is that they are prevented from leaving the temple, so we just have to locate them and flush them out in order to get those flames back," said Spike.

" So the question now is, which way do we go first?" I asked.

" Why not just go straight across and through that door opposite of where we are? That should be a good place to start," replied Spike.

" I'm not going to argue with you on that, but why do you want us to go that way and not the other directions? I mean, all of the directions we can access would make for good places to explore in order to get through this temple, but why go to the most obvious direction?" I asked.

" One of the doors is locked while another looks like something could be stuck in front of it, so that leaves us with the one that's straight ahead. I know that we have a key which can unlock the door on the left, but we don't we try to collect as many keys as possible? The more we have at our disposal, the less likely we'll need to backtrack through the temple and wind up getting confused in the process," replied Spike.

Well, I couldn't argue with that logic, so I agreed with his decision and walked across the large chamber making sure to check all around me in case one of those Poe Sisters decides to attack. Once I made it to the other side, I opened the door and was surprised by what looked like a floating skull with wings and covered with some kind of blue fire.

" Now what do we have here?" I asked.

" That is a Blue Bubble, a sort of spirit like creature which moves about, and attempts to ram into anything it happens to catch a glimpse of. If you use your shield to repel them, or stun them with either a Deku Nut or the Hookshot, they will lose their fiery protection for a short period and bounce around until their fire is restored. That is when you attack in order to defeat them, but be careful as they do move fast once they've detected their prey," replied Spike.

" So a defensive tactic?" I asked.

" Pretty much as what makes them a threat is that blue fire of theirs," replied Spike. I took the Hylian Shield off of my back and slung it onto my shoulder, and walked forward in order to attract the attention of the Blue Bubble which worked. It began to charge at me and bounced harmlessly off my shield losing its fire in the process, and made it easy to be destroyed with my magic.

When I opened the door to enter the next room, it closed behind me with iron bars covering the door. " Uh-oh Sunset Shimmer! This is something you've not experienced before when iron bars come down and block our only means of an exit. The bars will not move no matter what you try and do as they are too strong for you to lift with your hands. You need to solve the puzzle in this room in order to be able to escape."

" I wonder what kind of puzzle it could be?" I asked.

" It could also be an enemy," replied Spike.

" Hey! What are those strange shapes lying flat on the ground?" I asked as I pointed to what looked like two prints stuck in the ground. Suddenly, they popped up and revealed themselves to be skeletal armoured and well armed soldiers with twisted shaped swords, large bronze shields, and were clearly much larger than I was. They then began to laugh in an eerie fashion which made me feel really frightened as they began to walk towards me. I guess this must be the result of what happens to non-Kokiri who end up lost in the forest....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 22: Challenge of the Stalfos

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 23, 2014
Chapter 22: Challenge of the Stalfos.

" Are those what I think they are?" I asked.

" The result of what happens to non-Kokiri who enter the Lost Woods? These are Stalfos, powerful skeletal warriors who are difficult to defeat as they defend themselves really well, and are only vulnerable when they drop their guard. You'd best use your shield to protect yourself as they can inflict quite a lot of damage on you," replied Spike.

" I just can't believe that those two creatures used to be living people who wandered into the forest," I said.

" Most people who enter the forest do so because of having the inkling to explore the Forest Temple in the hopes of walking away with some kind of riches in their pockets. No one ever seems to take notice of the curse until it starts to happen, and by then it's too late to reverse it. Not even the most powerful of potions can reverse such an effect!

Don't feel sorry for these two Stalfos as who they once were have long since passed on. They are merely undead monsters whose sole purchase is to see you dead, and protect whatever it is they're guarding from those who would claim it for their own," said Spike.

" You're right in that I have to think of them as monsters, and put them out of their misery so that their former selves can finally rest in peace. Surely a little bit of magic on them right now will do the job as it's always worked before," I said. I don't know what was going through my mind when I made that statement, but I knew right there that I just said that this was going to easy, and bragged about my magic being so good.

Why did I have to do something so stupid when obviously I knew better, for they protected themselves using their shields, and rendering my attack completely useless and embarrassing. " Guess I deserve that for bragging about something like I have an ego."

" You might want to pay attention!" shouted Spike, but sadly I didn't as the two Stalfos jumped into the air and slashed me with their swords, and sent me crashing into the iron barred door which really hurt my back. Of course, my chest wasn't feeling too good either as it felt like I was hit by a dozen swords instead of just two.

Just as I was about to get back onto my feet, they jump attacked me again, but I managed to roll to one side and avoid the blows. Then one Stalfos jumped back while the other swung its sword in a rather crooked pattern which was easy for me to avoid, yet I rolled into the legs of the other who looked down on me with piercing red eyes, and a horrible skeletal smile while continuing to laugh.

" What do I do?" I asked.

" Do something otherwise you'll be at their mercy," replied Spike.

" And like I'm not already?" I said sarcastically, but I should have taken his advice as the Stalfos swung its sword which struck me once and then again as it was a two swing attack, and for an added insult it swung a third time which connected. I had to get my distance and use some magic, but as long as they continue to hover over me like they're doing, I have no chance of making any kind of counterattack.

The first Stalfos then decided to move in and join in the fun which made my problem even worse, so I conjured up a wall of rock via earth magic as the temple's ground was made of the material, but it just blocked it with its shield and shattered it with its sword. That was when the second jump attacked, and I went flying across the room which is what I wanted, but not like that.

" Maybe you should play the Minuet of Forest and get out of here in order to regroup," suggested Spike.

" Now why would I want to go and do that?" I asked.

" Because those Stalfos are mopping the floor with you, and have been blocking all of your attempts thus far. Plus, you're bleeding in several places which surely must be poor for your body and health," replied Spike.

" Granted, they have been controlling this fight since the moment it started, but I need to get through this if I want to save Fluttershy. Running away and coming up with another strategy is a good approach, and I would gladly consider it in any other situation, but not this time as my friend needs my help and I'm the only one who can save her. I'll figure out a way to get around their defences....gasp....why didn't I see it before back when they were swinging at me like I was some kind of target?" I asked.

" What are you talking about?" asked Spike.

" You said to attack them when they drop their guard, and the only time they ever do that is when they swing their swords, or do that jump attack as they need to hold back their shields which otherwise would get in the way. Maybe those Deku Nuts I've been carrying around will finally start to get some use," I replied. The two Stalfos moved in once again with the first one performing a jump attack, and that was my signal to throw a Deku Nut which stunned it dead in its tracks.

I had no idea how long it was going to last, so I used the wall of rock magic technique again which shattered the undead creature to pieces. The second one jumped back and paced about before moving forward, and followed up with a swing of its sword which I responded with another Deku Nut and the wall of rock. With the second Stalfos defeated, the bars covering the entrance disappeared, and a small chest materialized in the middle of the room. " Whew! That was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I managed to get through with just a few scrapes here and there."

" Just a few scrapes? You have a lot of wounds which are bleeding right now, so you need to find a way to fix those otherwise you could lose too much blood, and that will make you easy pickings for the other monsters lurking around in the temple," said Spike.

" Yeah....I guess I do have a lot of wounds which need to be healed. Do you happen to have a means of healing my wounds, or at least know of a place where I can be restored?" I asked.

" While it's known throughout Hyrule that regular Fairy Fountains exist along with the Great Fairy's Fountains where the fairies there can recover anyone who happens to be injured or fatigued, I'm not one of those fairies which means you're out of luck. There is a Fairy Fountain that is located outside of the temple, but it's in the middle of the maze where the Moblins are, and I don't think you can make it there in your current condition," replied Spike.

" So what do you suggest?" I asked.

" How about that bottle of Lon Lon Milk which you're still carrying around? That should be able to fix you up," replied Spike.

" I'm not doubting the power of milk Spike as I know that it can help strengthen one's bones if consumed from an early age, but are you telling me that in this world, milk can restore one's health and fix their wounds? Also, I've been carrying it for seven years now, so wouldn't you think that it may have gone bad by now? I have no problem drinking it, but you do have to take those things into consideration," I said.

" Milk can restore up to five hearts of health and heal some wounds with two servings, but it may not be enough to fix any of those deeper wounds which can be addressed by a fairy, or a magic potion designed for healing. I'd say your injuries are nothing too serious otherwise you'd be on the floor screaming in agony right now, so drinking that milk is going to be just what you need," said Spike.

" Guess there is no choice but to try, so I hope this works," I said. I took out the bottle, and uncorked it before taking a sniff to make sure that it didn't smell rancid or anything. It smelt like regular milk, but I had to drink it if I was to recover before continuing my exploration of the Forest Temple. Upon drinking the first serving, my health began to feel restored almost instantly, and some of my wounds began to heal, yet I had to drink the other serving in order to fully recover and have my wounds healed for the most part. " Even after seven years, this milk really does the trick, but I need something to replace it as I'm going to need it."

" I suspect that there are additional Stalfos somewhere in the temple, so having a means of recovering your health would be a good idea to consider. Why not break some of those clay pots that are lining around the room? Sometimes you can find some useful items hiding inside of them, and of course there is that treasure chest which you should open and find out what's in it," said Spike.

The chest was the more important item on my mind, so I kicked it open and took out another small key which gave me two to use. Then I walked over to the pots, and smashed all of them by picking them up and giving them a toss. Inside most was nothing but one of them contained some Deku Nuts, and another contained a fairy which just hovered around.

" Is that fairy one of the ones that can restore health?" I asked.

" Their pink hue always gives them away, and you can do one of two things in order to recover health. You can let it touch you and restore you, but it will immediately disappear after one use, or you can catch it in a bottle and use it whenever you need to. Bottled fairies will also restore you if you suddenly found yourself being killed by bringing you back to life again," replied Spike. Using some quick thinking, I scooped up the fairy into the now empty bottle and placed the cork back on to ensure that it wouldn't escape, and the fairy simply hovered in place without realizing what just happened. With it and the key in hand, I made my way back to the central chamber which still looked morbid due to the missing flames which was still my priority.

" What's that blue block over there?" I asked as I noticed it in the northwest corner of the room.

" It looks like the same block that we saw back under the graveyard which had the same design as what was on the Door of Time. I wonder why something like that would be in a place like this?" asked Spike.

" Probably another means of preventing anyone from exploring the temple any further. I'll just do what I did underground and remove the block and see what lies beyond it as I think I can see a door peaking out from behind this thing," I replied. By playing the Song of Time, the blue block disappeared and I entered the next room via the now accessible door. " How about that? We're outside the temple in what appears to be some kind of garden although the night sky above does make everything creepy.

This temple feels more like some kind of ancient mansion or castle based on what we've seen of the environment." That being said, I had to clear out the monsters which took no trouble at all as I needed to think about my next move, and it wouldn't have been easy if there were monsters trying to bite me.

" Hey! Take a look at this!" exclaimed Spike as he flew over to what appeared to be a well.

" What is it?" I asked.

" Even though this looks to be a well filled to the brim with water, I can see a treasure chest at the very bottom, and what appears to be some kind of passageway. I don't think you can dive all the way down there let alone open a chest underwater without some means of being able to walk on the bottom, so I think we need to remember this location for later, and maybe find a switch that can drain the water," replied Spike.

" I could just use some water magic," I suggested.

" I'm not sure if you're ready to manipulate that much water as you yourself did say that you were strained when you used it before against that Moblin. No, I think we'll need to do this the proper way by finding the switch which should be nearby," said Spike.

" This is where a map of the temple would really come in handy right about now as we haven't even been here for an hour, and we're already feeling lost and confused which was never the case with the previous dungeons. Heh....that's the first time I've ever considered these places we've visited as being dungeons.

Maybe some aspects of this world are starting to rub off on me which may not be a bad thin. We need to find another means of an exit besides going back the way we came, and I think I see it over there. Those vines on that wall in the far corner of the garden go all the way up to a ledge, and I can just barely make out some kind of door up there, so we'll search there next," I said.

" Kind of an obvious clue wouldn't you say?" asked Spike as I walked over to the vine covered wall.

" Maybe that was the point, to give us an incentive to keep going, and meeting our end at the hands of a trap. Sometimes even the most simple of clues can lead to danger because the mind assumes that it's going to be an easy thing," I replied. Climbing up the vines was easy enough, and upon reaching the door and opening it, I came face-to-face with a Blue Bubble whose flames I extinguished with a simple deflection of my shield. Defeating it produced a big chest which I opened and pulled out another piece of paper which I am now designating as the Dungeon Map. " Finally! We have a map of the temple so now we can figure out exactly where we are, and where we need to go from here."

" It looks like the majority of the Forest Temple is situated on these two floors here, yet the two basements each consist of one room each. That's a bit of a letdown as I was expecting all of the floors to feature numerous rooms for us to explore," said Spike.

" That just means less of a hassle for us when we get down to the lower levels. According to the map, this temple is quite symmetrical in that where we are is the middle of what divides the place into two halves, with both sides sharing the same general layout. I'm not sure why it's shaped like this, but it should be easy enough to not get lost now that we have a reference. I do wish that we had some way of marking things on the map so as to let us know where we are," I said.

" You need a Compass for that," said Spike.

" Why would I need a compass in order to search for important locations in a dungeon? Compasses are only used to locate true north," I said.

" In Hyrule, a compass found in a dungeon follows a unique function which I'm amazed we haven't brought up before. Then again, we've never found any in the previous dungeons we've explored unless we missed them. I'll tell you more about the compass if we manage to find one as you need to have it in your possession in order to understand how it works," said Spike.

" Okay although I would prefer to hear an explanation now instead of later," I said. The door on the other side of this small room lead to the opposite garden of the temple with the night sky still being present above it all, yet this side seemed to be lacking in monsters at first until I looked down and saw the obvious Big Deku Babas and Octoroks waiting. I looked to the left and noticed a red coloured switch on a small ledge which featured some kind of weird target with a cute smile imprinted on the bottom half of it. " That must be the switch that drains the water from the well, but why is it coloured red?"

" You don't really see red-coloured switches all that much, but I hear that they are a mixture of the regular and blue switches in that red ones when activated remain that way until you leave the temple where the effect resets. I suppose you could try to leap across to that switch, or you can use that Hookshot plate and make your way over there the safest. They serve as targets to latch the device onto in order to drag you over to where you need to go. Any part of the plate will work when it comes to where you can latch onto it, and not just that smiling portion which seems like the most obvious spot," said Spike.

" Being smug as usual I see?" I asked.

" It's my job as your fairy partner to help you out," replied Spike.

" And I wouldn't want it any other way otherwise I'd have been stuck way back at the beginning of the journey. Once I activate the switch and drain the water from the well, I'll have to jump down to the ground. This time there is no other means of getting down safely, so I have to go for it at the cost of a slight buckling of the knees," I said. Taking out the Hookshot and firing it at the plate, I launched over the gap and landed on the ledge where I proceeded to activate the switch causing the water to drain.

It actually made me wonder just where all that water ended up going as well as how it even got there to begin with. In any case, I leapt from the ledge and landed on the ground below where my knees buckled due to the impact, but I quickly shrugged it off and began to head over to the well reflecting the Octoroks' rocks back at it, and using my fire magic to burn the Big Deku Babas before they could make a meal out of me. " How do you suppose we get down there to the bottom?"

" There's a ladder propped up next to the well's edge, so you can climb down it without having to jump down and getting hurt again. Whatever is in that treasure chest down there must be very important to have placed it underwater," replied Spike. Knowing that jumping down would be faster but more likely to cause me to get injured, I decided to climb down the ladder in order to play it safe. The basement was just one long corridor that resembled what an underground sewer system was, and for some reason there was fog in the distance which gave the room an eerie look to it.

" If I'm reading this map correctly, the end of this passageway will lead us to a wall which upon climbing up will lead us back to the first garden, and not have to worry about coming through this way again," I said. Once I walked the entirety of the corridor and kicked open the small chest, its contents were another small key which gave me three of them. " That's the third small key we've found, and so far we haven't encountered any locked doors. I suppose this does mean we don't have to do any kind of backtracking."

" And we can unlock three different locked doors before we end up getting stumped by a fourth one," added Spike.

" This vine-covered wall will allow me to climb out of here and back into the garden, and from there we'll head back into the main room," I said. Again, climbing up these vine-covered walls was pretty easy as I had plenty of practice, and all of that running around has really done wonders for my health, but the moment I climbed out of the well, I had to take out my shield and defend myself as a Big Deku Baba had lunged out at me and its huge mouth was just a couple of inches away from my head. Not the most pleasant experience seeing the inside of a giant plant's mouth, but I responded with my usual magical prowess, and destroyed it before picking up some Deku Nuts and heading back into the central chamber.

" The monsters are re-spawning in here as well," commented Spike.

" Duly noted especially since I was about to lose my head, again just like all those other times," I moaned.

" There's a door up there on that high ledge, but we can't reach it from where we are, and there is also a door over there which has iron bars covering it so we can't go that way either, so that leaves us with the door to our right which has a lock on it," said Spike. I walked over to where the locked door was, and the fact that the lock took up half of the door's space with the chains covering up more of it looked really ridiculous and not very realistic. " All you have to do is take one of the small keys, and insert it into the lock to remove it."

" Should be simple enough," I said as I took a key and inserted it. The lock disappeared and I entered the next room which was really small and cramped with candles lining the walls as a means of a decoration. There was also one of those Skulltulas in here, but I quickly got rid of it with the Hookshot before entering the next room. This next room was quite expansive with various ledges jutting out in all directions with one high ledge to the right having a door at the end of it. I could also hear the sounds of something moving about, but I had no idea what it was and where it was. " What's making those strange sounds?"

" Those are the sounds of Blue Bubbles, but I don't know exactly where they are in this room. What I can tell you though is that there are most likely two of them as they don't really travel about in large groups," replied Spike. With that information in mind, I climbed up a ladder and began to make my way around some unusual corridors before getting stuck in front of a very large green block. There was no way around as it was filling up the entire passageway, so would that mean I had to go back and find another way around? " If you're thinking that you can't push this block Sunset Shimmer, then you're not giving yourself enough credit."

" You expect me to move that?" I asked.

" It may be a big block, but you'd be surprised as to how light it really is," replied Spike.

" So I can push this along with no problems?" I asked.

" Only way for you to know is to find out for yourself," replied Spike. Placing my hands firmly against the block, I began to push it and expecting to look foolish doing so, but surprisingly it began to move in the direction I was pushing it, and it eventually dropped into a small groove. " See? I told you the block was light enough for you to push. Also, since you pushed it into that groove, it now enables us to continue onwards, so let's see where this pathway goes." Climbing onto the block and moving onto the next passageway beyond it, I came across another block although this one was red.

" I think we need to pull this one along as far as I can, and then somehow get around the other side, and push it up against the wall before coming back around to here and pushing it into the groove over there. Did that make as much sense to you as it did to me?" I asked.

" There must be a hidden ladder somewhere that we missed," replied Spike.

" Can I say that I really don't like this room?" I asked.

" Don't let me stop you from doing that as I don't like the arrangement here either," replied Spike. It took a couple of minutes to find the hidden ladder which was fortunate as I was just about to lose my mind over how confusing this room was. This was followed by a few minutes of pushing the block and backtracking all the way to the original position, and pushing it into the groove which was exhausting; not the block pushing mind you but the backtracking part. After climbing a few more ladders and ledges, I reached the source of the noise which was two Blue Bubbles that I dealt with quickly as I wasn't in the mood to drag it out for very long.

" There's a switch above the door," I said pointing towards what looked like a eye embedded on a diamond.

" It's an eye switch that changes between an open eye and a closed one whenever you hit it the eye with something. We've seen some of these before in previous dungeons, and you activated them by firing a Deku Seed, but you can't use your Fairy Slingshot anymore, and I don't think the Hookshot or your magic is going to work. That must mean we need some other kind of weapon that can fire a projectile," said Spike.

" Guess we should make a note of this switch, and come back to it later," I said. I opened the locked door with a small key, and the next room looked really weird as though someone had twisted it about as a means of distorting it. " Okay, what is up with this room? It's all twisted which makes navigating it awkward." Of course, I had to keep going despite how weird this room was, so I ran down the hallway making sure not to look at my surroundings, and then I entered a room where everything was twisted in that the floor and ceiling were on the walls. " Huh? Is that a treasure chest over there on the wall? It looks different from the other chests we've seen on this journey, but how am I supposed to get it when it's hanging on the wall like that?"

" Maybe there's some way to untwist this room which might involve hitting that switch we saw. By the way, you should watch out for shadows that fall from the ceiling as that's the indicator that a monster is about to drop in on you," replied Spike.

" What are you talking about?" I asked when I noticed that there was some kind of hand-like shadow underneath me that was getting bigger with every moment. I looked up to see what was dropping down, and my face turned cold when I saw that it was some kind of giant hand which I jumped away just in time by leaping across a small gap. " Whoa! Whoa! Whoaaah!" The giant hand came down and started to walk around a little bit before it suddenly jumped back up in the darkness of the ceiling. " That was a close one for sure, but what in the world was that?"

" That was a Wallmaster, a creature that thrives on the ceiling and attacks by dropping down on unsuspecting prey. It walks around for a few moments before returning to the ceiling where it will attempt to attack again in the same manner. If it manages to catch you, it will drag you up to the ceiling and take you back to the entrance of the dungeon. If you don't like the idea of backtracking, then don't let them take you away. Defeating Wallmasters can be profitable though as they are known for dropping plenty of blue and red rupees upon being defeated," replied Spike.

" Let's worry about the rupees later, and get out of here as this room is really freaking me out," I said.

" Good thing you still have another key to use as the next door is locked," said Spike.

" I should be thankful then that we explored the other rooms first before coming here," I said. Using the key removed the lock, and I opened the door which lead into a small room which had some stairs going down. I walked to the staircase and started to walk down before coming to a stop. " Look at that painting on the wall Spike! Isn't that one of those Poes who stole the flames from those torches back in the central chamber?"

" You're right, but why is it being depicted as having the flame in this painting?" asked Spike.

" Why is that because didn't they steal them when we first got here?" I asked.

" Perhaps there's more to this painting than meets the eye?" asked Spike.

" I wonder...." I said as I reached out with my hand in order to touch the painting, but when the Poe disappeared and laughed, it really surprised me enough where I almost gave myself a heart attack. " Whoa! Where did it go? It was just here in the painting a moment ago, but when I reached out for it, it just disappeared leaving the frame black and devoid of nothing."

" There it is over there by those stairs," answered Spike. Sure enough, there was another painting with the same Poe that was in the painting I had tried to reach out to, but when I walked over to this new painting, the Poe disappeared and laughed at me again. That was when I noticed a third painting out of the corner of my eye up on a wall underneath the first staircase I walked down, and the Poe was now located here which was really weird and very irritating. I walked down the other staircase and the same result happened where it disappeared and laughed.

" Well, that was something," I sighed.

" Surely there is something we can do about that Poe painting by stopping it from jumping between paintings," suggested Spike.

" Maybe it isn't a painting but one of the four Poe Sisters that we're looking for. That's just my guess for what we just experienced, but since there's nothing we can do about it, we might as well move onto the next room," I said. At the bottom of the second staircase was a large area with a door which I was about to walk through, but then I noticed the torch next to it which made me realize that it looked awfully familiar. " This torch....it looks just like those torches we saw back in the central chamber. I wonder if there is a connection here." I decided to shrug it off and opened the door which lead into a large chamber which had a big hole in the center, but I was more concerned with the fact that iron bars were blocking the way forward and back.

" Are you getting a sense of déja vu?" asked Spike.

" Don't tell me I have to deal with those guys again," I moaned. Sure enough, a single Stalfos popped up from the ground and began to walk across towards me by walking on thin air as it ignored the fact that it just walked across a big hole. " Okay! That defies all laws of physics right there! How was it able to do that without falling down to the floor below and shattering to pieces upon impact?" Maybe I shouldn't have been thinking about logic, for the Stalfos jumped into the air and struck me with a jump attack which caused a wound on my arm to reopen.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'll be okay so long as my other arm remains intact as I can use magic with one or both arms," I replied. The Stalfos began to pace back and forth walking across the big hole as though it were taunting me, but then it moved in and started to swing its sword which caught me off guard, and I got hit by the first strike on my bleeding arm. I managed to bring out my shield and blocked the other strike before it jumped back and performed another jump attack which I managed to block.

It then jumped back and began to walk forward where it jumped over me somehow, turned itself around, and struck me in the back before I could react. That really was painful as my back was still recovering from the last encounter I had with these guys. As it prepared to swing its sword again, I used my reliable fire magic to blast it from the inside out which sent it flying back, but not enough to fully defeat it.

" Why not use your earth magic like before?" asked Spike.

" That hole in the floor is preventing from using any earth element based spell," I replied. The Stalfos came forward and jumped at me again, but I quickly threw a Deku Nut at it which froze it on the spot, and while it was above that hole which just made absolutely no sense at all. I repeated my fire spell which shattered it to pieces and defeated it. " Why haven't the iron bars across both doors risen up yet? I defeated the Stalfos....unless there are more of them coming." Sure enough, a platform fell down and covered up the hole which was a good thing for me, but when two more Stalfos popped up from the ground, it quickly became a bad thing.

" Something is odd about these two Stalfos," said Spike.

" In what way?" I asked.

" I'm not sure Sunset Shimmer, but you better be prepared for anything," replied Spike.

" At least I can use my earth magic again now that the hole has been covered up, and it seems to be more effective on them than my fire magic," I said. The first Stalfos moved towards me without even taking the time to put up its shield which allowed me to strike it with a wall of rock which shattered it to pieces, but something wasn't right for the pieces scattered all over the floor instead of burning up. The second Stalfos didn't attack me and instead it laughed as though it knew what was happening. " I think we're about to see what's so odd about these two."

All of a sudden, the first Stalfos began to literally pull itself back together and immediately attacked me when it was whole again which caught me off guard, and I had to get struck in the back of all places. The strike caused my knees to buckle and I landed face first on the ground. Stalfos One then jumped back to allow Stalfos Two to swing its sword which sliced into my back really hard causing me to scream out in pain.

" Why not use that fairy you picked up earlier?" asked Spike.

" I think I need it," I replied. As Stalfos Two came in for the kill, I threw a Deku Nut which stunned it, and I followed up with another wall of rock shattering it to pieces which scattered just like what happened with the other one. Stalfos One laughed and began to swing its sword at me back and forth hoping to get a hit on me. All I could do was roll along the ground and find a safe spot to attack, and while rolling I watched Stalfos Two regenerate and resume its pacing about, but I should have been watching my front as I crashed into the wall. This allowed Stalfos one to strike me in my already wounded arm, and as I tried to counterattack, Stalfos Two swung its sword and struck my other arm causing it to start bleeding and rendering me helpless.

" Things aren't looking good," commented Spike.

" Oh you think?" I asked sarcastically. With my two arms now out of commission, I had to find a way to avoid them long enough and use that fairy before it was too late, so I got up and quickly ran in-between them which caused one of them to strike the other by accident and shattering it to pieces. As Stalfos One was busy trying to put itself back together again, Stalfos Two moved in with its shield up before jumping and striking me in the back just as I was about to turn around. That was when I managed to pull out the bottle containing the fairy which hurt as my arms were in so much pain.

Unfortunately for me, that was when Stalfos One decided to attack me upon finishing rebuilding itself, and slashed me in the front which was the last hit my body was able to take. My heart felt like it had just come to a complete stop, and I collapsed to the ground unable to move even my fingers.

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" This isn't the best feeling I've had in the world," I replied.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I want to say something sarcastic, but I'd probably strain something due to being in so much pain right now. Didn't you say that the fairy in the bottle would restore me to life if I were to run out of health?" I asked.

" Yes, but only if you stop breathing if you know what I mean," replied Spike.

" Well, that really killed the mood although I wish now that I hadn't said it like that," I said. Before I could say another word, Stalfos Two struck me in the back so hard that its sword almost went right through my back, and the immediate pain I felt was enough to actually kill me. It felt strange having actually fallen in battle for the first time on this journey, but I was lucky that the fairy in my bottle was able to free itself somehow, and used its magical powers to fully restore my health.

Once I was back on my feet, I immediately stunned Stalfos Two with a Deku Nut and shattered it with the wall of rock like before, but still it scattered across the ground while the other just laughed about it. " This is getting ridiculous even if I did technically lose to them."

" Maybe you should switch to your fire magic and attack them that way," said Spike.

" That will take longer," I moaned.

" The way these two work is that when one of them falls, the other has to be defeated immediately before the first one revives itself. As long as they are able to continuously revive themselves, this battle will never end and you'll end up being killed for good as you have no more fairies on hand to heal you," said Spike.

" You just figured that out now?" I asked.

" I needed to observe them long enough, but it wasn't easy seeing as you were being hacked to pieces," replied Spike.

" Not the best analogy you've given me Spike, but I do see where you're coming from. I'll wait for the first one to revive itself before I put this strategy of yours into action, and take them both down at the same time," I said. As soon as Stalfos One came back, it attacked me by striking me in the chest which was painful, but I responded with some fire magic which knocked it back, and then I did the same thing to Stalfos two before switching back to the first one, and using earth magic to shatter it to pieces.

Stalfos Two began to pace back and forth, but I decided to take the fight to it where I found myself avoiding a couple of sword swipes before I used the wall of rock to shatter it to pieces, and causing both of them to be defeated and a large treasure chest to materialize in the middle of the room.

" You did it Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" Whew!" I said as I dropped to the ground on my rear and began to breathe heavily. " That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be as I had no idea that they could revive themselves repeatedly. If this is how difficult these temples are going to be, then I need to make sure that my healing items are constantly restocked so as to ensure my survival. Remind me to visit one of the shops when we're done here so that I can make some important purchases. Now let's see what we have in this chest." I got up, walked over to it, and opened it up and pulled out a really impressive looking bow.

" You've found the Fairy Bow! It operates in the same manner as the Fairy Slingshot in which you aim at a target, and let loose with an arrow which can pierce enemy defences as opposed to Deku Seeds which lacked that ability. It might take you some time to get used to wielding something so big, but I think it is going to be very useful. There should be a quiver for you to take which is where your arrow supply will go," said Spike.

" Here it is! It was hiding underneath the bow, so let me count how many arrows are in it....hmmmm....30 arrows is the maximum it can hold. I'm guessing that breaking pots and cutting down bushes will produce extra arrows which will keep me from running out, and defeating monsters will also give me some. I wonder what else I can shoot with arrows aside from switches and enemies," I said.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Spike.

" We should go back into the previous room, and check out those paintings again," I replied. Walking through the now unlocked door back into the previous room, I walked up the stairs and heard the sound of the Poe laughing as it moved from one painting to the next. I kept on walking until I stopped near its current location, and held my ground so as to not cause it to move again. " So let's actually do something and see what happens. Maybe firing the Hookshot at it will work." I aimed for the painting and fired it only for it to clang off and do nothing. I felt like the Poe was going to laugh at me for that, but it didn't so I had to try something else.

" Why not try the bow?" asked Spike.

" I should as I do need to try it out and get used to it," I replied. I loaded the bow with an arrow and fired it at the painting although my shot was really bad to the point where it almost missed the target, but I hit it and the painting burst into flames and the Poe laughed.

" That was weird," said Spike.

" It probably moved to another painting," I said, and that was the case as now the Poe was located in the first painting. I fired an arrow at the painting which burned up, and the Poe moved to the final painting where I fired at it with a third arrow which burned it. This time however, the Poe materialized in the flesh and floated down into the open area below where I followed it. " Looks like it has no where left to go now that it can no longer hide in the painting, but I guess it's decided to attack me instead."

I managed to jump to the side as the Poe charged at me by swinging its body around and using the stolen flame as a means of an attack. Then it suddenly disappeared although the flame was still there which looked awkward. " So how do we go about doing this?"

" That is Joelle, the youngest of the four Poe Sisters who stole the flames from the central chamber of the Forest Temple. When she is invisible like this, you can't hit her, so all you can do is avoid the flame until she reappears which will be your chance to attack her. Since she is just a regular Poe like the ones that exist in the graveyard, she is likely to fall in one hit to your magic," replied Spike. The Poe continued the assault with the torch which I continued to avoid, and eventually it appeared which is when I unleashed my power to destroy it in one hit. As the Poe burned up into nothing, the flame it was carrying appeared on the torch next to the door and a small chest materialized next to it.

" Hey! That torch just got lit when I defeated that Poe, so does that mean?" I asked.

" That one of the four flames has been restored to the central chamber? I'd say that's a definite yes, so why don't we take the contents of the chest, and continue on by going beyond the room where we found the Fairy Bow," replied Spike.

" Actually, I want to go back to where we saw that eye switch, and hit with an arrow in order to straighten out that twisted room as I want know what's in that blue and gold ornate chest," I said. It took a few minutes to make my way back to the room which I don't like, and upon defeating the two Blue Bubbles again, I fired at the switch with several arrows due to the first few missing the target.

Once the switch was hit, I heard the sound of the twisting room becoming untwisted, so I entered the room again where it looked normal which made it easy for me to traverse. Back in the larger portion of the now normal room, the chest was on the floor and a new entrance had appeared in the floor. I jumped down to the ground and opened the chest, and pulled out a large golden key which had a red gem in the middle of it and two spikes on it. " Why is this key different from the others that we've found so far?"

" That looks to be a Boss Key," replied Spike.

" What's a Boss Key?" I asked.

" It's a special key that is needed to open the door to the room where the boss of the dungeon is located. It won't work on any other door, so don't think of it as being some kind of master key. I don't know where the boss door is located in this temple, but I'm sure that the compass is going to reveal that answer whenever we find it," replied Spike.

" So what about that hole in the ground?" I asked.

" You want to see where it goes don't you because it's a new direction you can follow," replied Spike.

" It could lead us to either a new location, or allow us to pick up something which we may need for later," I said. With that in mind, I fell down into the hole and landed in a room which was locked with iron bars covering the door, and a Blue Bubble was the only monster which I easily disposed of which unlocked the door. The next room behind this door was in fact the first outdoor garden again, but on a much higher level, and to my right was a Big Deku Baba which had to be dealt with before I could check out what was beyond it.

Once again, fire magic was the key as I burned the plant away and opened the door on the right. In this next room was a giant deformed hand that was walking on its fingers, but as soon as it saw me, it turned green and charged at me which knocked me back upon contact.

" Be careful with this one," began Spike.

" Why?" I asked.

" This is a Floormaster, a relative of the Wallmaster and much more dangerous. When it glows green and charges at you, it's immune to all forms of attack, so you need to attack when it isn't glowing. Also, when you defeat it, it will split into three smaller versions and run around in an attempt to escape, but this is just a ruse it plays in order for its prey to drop their guard. If one of those little hands latches onto you, it will drain the life energy out of you and use it to grow into a new Floormaster. The problem is that there's no way of knowing as to when the little hands will attempt to latch on prey, so be extremely careful," replied Spike.

" I'm sure that it won't come to that," I said. As soon as the Floormaster was looking the other way, I attacked using arrows instead of magic as I wanted to try a different tactic, and the result caused it to split into pieces. The little hands were quite fast and hard for me to catch up to, but I destroyed two of them after a while, but lost track of the third which was about to cost me as it suddenly came out of nowhere and latched onto my throat, and began to drain my life force while I struggled to get it off of me to no avail. I had to do something before it was too late....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 23: Phantom of the King

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 25, 2014
Chapter 23: Phantom of the King.

I had to do something in order to get this undead hand off of my throat before my life energy would be drained away, so I resorted to a tactic which was going to be dangerous, and that was to use my magic to burn myself in order to shake it off. Closing my eyes and concentrating, I set myself on fire for a few moments which was enough to burn away the Floormaster and defeating it which caused another small treasure to materialize.

" You know that you're still on fire right?" asked Spike.

" It's not as painful as it looks given that fire and I go hand-in-hand in case you haven't noticed. I'll wait and see if it will just burn itself out after a while, or I could always jump into the water located outside and fizzle it out that way. While I am aware that we drained the well of water, there was a small pool of water where those Octorok were swimming around in, so I hope they don't mind having a guest use their facility for just a couple of seconds," I replied.

" Glad to see that you haven't lost all sense of sanity considering that was a risking maneuver you performed just to get rid of that Floormaster," said Spike.

" I should find another fairy and catch it with a bottle just in case we run into something really dangerous. Speaking of running, we have to backtrack all the way to that twisted room, and change it back to being twisted in order to progress don't we?" I asked.

" You wanted to come down here because you felt compelled to do so, but maybe it was a good idea after all as that treasure chest could contain another small key, or it could have something completely useless meaning that we wasted our time," replied Spike. I walked over to the chest and kicked it open where I picked up a key which meant that it was worth coming down here.

" Now that's what I call ironic in that we would have had to have backtracked anyway as we would have been stuck at the next locked door that we came across....after using the one you obtained from defeating that Poe earlier."

" Hopefully, it shouldn't take us very long to get back to that eye switch and activating it again," I said.

" Sunset Shimmer? You're still burning away there, so maybe you should douse yourself before you end becoming char-broiled or something," suggested Spike. I nodded my approval of his idea and went back into the first garden, and jumped off the side and into the water without even taking the time to think about what I was doing. As soon as I was doused out, I climbed back out and immediately entered the door before the Big Deku Baba realized what was going on.

Back in the central chamber, I noticed that one of the flames had returned, but it was too soon to celebrate as I had to find the other three Poe Sisters, and defeat them in order to restore all of the flames. So began the long trek back through the room which I don't like, and while walking along amid the climbing, I noticed that Spike was in deep thought which made me curious as to what he was thinking. " Is something on your mind?"

" It's not really a mind thing as opposed to it being an observation," replied Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" During that second Stalfos encounter where you ended up falling in battle before the fairy revived you, it dawned on me that you didn't transform into that half-human and half-pony form which you used against Ganondorf. If I remember what you said, you can only transform when in a desperate situation, and I think what happened in that battle was certainly fitting the description for you to transform," replied Spike.

" It's not something that I can just use whenever my life is in danger," I said.

" I thought that's how it's supposed to work?" asked Spike.

" To be honest, the only time apart from fighting Ganondorf where I did transform was when it first happened which was the result of finding friendship in my heart, and being able to understand what it meant to be loved. Remember that I transformed against Ganondorf because I held the Master Sword in my hand, so my theory is that I need the blade's energy to channel through me which will invoke the change," I replied.

" Not exactly the best theory," moaned Spike.

" This transformation is foreign to this world Spike! How it works back there is much different to how it works here in Hyrule in terms of the activation requirements. I think that just holding the Master Sword in my hand, and being on the verge of death isn't enough to cause me to transform and gain both pony ears and a pony tail. There's some other factor involved that I can't put my finger on otherwise I would have figured it out by now," I said.

" While I don't mind the fact that you can't use the Master Sword due to a lack of experience, you have to admit that the fight against them would have completely different if you had managed to transform. Is this going to be one of those questions where you don't find out the answer until right at the end of the quest?" asked Spike.

" It does look to appear that way," I replied.

" What if you were to be trained to wield the Master Sword instead of relying on your magic all the time? Having a sword would make using your shield that much more often, and you can conserve magic until you feel that you really need it," said Spike.

" Can you teach me how to wield a sword?" I asked.

" That's beyond my means Sunset Shimmer, but I do have an idea as to who might be able to teach you the basics. I know that you don't like the idea of using a sword, but you should learn how just in case. There was one Kokiri in the village who knew some sword techniques, but I don't think he can help you now as he prefers to teach people his own age. The only other person I can think of would be Darunia," replied Spike.

" Why her?" I asked.

" Darunia is a fighter as that's what she loves doing, and I think she might be able to teach you despite the fact that she wields a hammer as opposed to a sword," replied Spike.

" I'm sure that she would be more than willing to give me some pointers, but right now I don't need to know how to use the Master Sword, or any sword in general as my magic is more than enough to get me where I'm going," I said. Hearing him mention Pinkie Pie made me wonder how she was faring in this changed world.

We eventually arrived back at the eye switch where I hit it with an arrow....three attempts later mind you, and the room beyond the door became twisted once again allowing us to proceed to the room where the Fairy Bow was located. The room beyond that one was completely identical to the one that came before it, except we were going up instead of down.

" This temple truly is like a mirror where both sides of the place are identical in shape with the central rooms being the odd ones out," said Spike.

" It certainly does make navigating a lot easier, but it would be nice if I knew exactly where we were going. I mean, the map is useful for knowing the general layout of the area, but it needs the power of that Compass you mentioned earlier to really make it work. I was hoping for you to tell me more about it, but you were insistent on actually finding it first before wanting to explain its purpose to me," I said.

" All part of being on a journey is the self-discovery one experiences," said Spike.

" I never thought of it that way before," I said. Maybe Spike was right in that I should experience certain things myself without constantly asking him or anyone else for help, but one thing I was about to experience felt like a rinse and repeat one due to the fact that I came upon another of the four Poes using paintings in order to avoid being discovered. Since I knew what needed to be done, I shot each of the paintings where she was hiding with an arrow apiece until she appeared and hovered down to where the door was.

" That is Beth, the second youngest of the Poe Sisters. She operates in the exact same fashion as her sister did before her, so you know what to do without me having to explain it," said Spike. How true he was about that as I quickly took care of this Poe, and restored the flame to the nearby torch which meant it had been restored in the central chamber, and caused a big treasure chest to materialize.

Upon opening it, I took out a compass which is what Spike had been talking about. " Now that you have found a compass Sunset Shimmer, I can tell you more about it. The compass works with the map by showing you the location of all the treasure chests throughout the dungeon. It also shows you the level of the dungeon that the boss is located on through the use of a skull icon, and the same icon is used to determine where exactly on that level the boss room is located."

" Am I to deduce that without the map, the compass is next to useless?" I asked.

" I'm afraid so as the compass just shows you the locations of the chests and boss, and without a map it's completely useless. Now then, according to the compass, there are at least three more treasure chests located in the dungeon, and I'm willing to believe that each of them contains some kind of random rupee reward or ammunition. So, I'd say that the chests aren't really all that important, but you can still open them up if you want to use what they contain," replied Spike.

" What I'm worried about is that the boss is located on the lowest level of the temple. That means that we could have gotten down there a lot sooner if those Poe Sisters had not stolen the flames in the first place. Then again, I bet they were ordered by the source of the evil here to go and do just that so as to guide us along, and wind up falling to the numerous tricks and traps that have been scattered about," I said.

" Don't forget that if we hadn't explored the vast majority of the temple, you wouldn't be using that Fairy Bow right now, so in a way I guess we should be thankful that those Poes did what they did," said Spike.

" Yeah, I guess you're right about that. In any case, two of the flames have been restored which means two more remain, so we might as well keep going and see if we can find the other two Poes," I said. Walking up the sets of stairs and opening the next locked door with a small key, I entered another room which was exactly like the twisted room from before except this one was already looking normal judging from the fact that nothing was out of the ordinary. " It looks like we'll need to find another eye switch and activate it in order to twist this room. Also, what is that strange sound coming from the next corridor?"

" Those sound like Blue Bubbles, but why are they flapping about in place instead of moving around? Unless, it's another of their variations which may pose some problems. By the way, remember how we saw a Wallmaster in the other twisted room? Well, unless you want to go back to the start of the temple, you may want to move within the next five seconds," replied Spike. I looked down and saw that he was right, so I quickly moved just as the Wallmaster landed on the ground and jumped back up when it realized I was no longer there.

The adjacent corridor did indeed have different Blue Bubbles as these were surrounded by green fire. " These are Green Bubbles which float around in a circular pattern in order to block your path. You can only attack them when their flames disappear as they are immune to attacks at any other time....with the exception of arrows as they are vulnerable to those period."

" Arrows you say? I think I'm going to like using this Fairy Bow," I said as I fired an arrow at each Green Bubble destroying them and proceeding to unlock the door at the end of the corridor with the last small key that I had. This next room was a dead-end which wasn't surprising given the map indicated it as such, and the eye switch was indeed located in here, but it was covered in ice. " The switch is frozen and I take it that arrows or any other sharp object is going to shatter it any time soon, but I could use my magic and just melt it away."

" Or you could do it the intended way and conserve your magic for something more important," said Spike.

" What would be the proper way?" I asked.

" Do you see the torch on that platform in the middle of the room surrounded by the rotating platforms? If you fire an arrow through the flame, it will set the tip on fire and melt the ice covering the eye switch and even activate it for you. Sure it sounds like a mundane task given that you do have magic, but like I said you should conserve it. Also, I'd avoid falling into that pool of water as I suspect that it's poison which is certainly a unique trap that has been placed here," replied Spike.

" What would happen if I were to come in contact with the ice?" I asked.

" You'll end up frozen in a block of ice for a few moments, and the freezing cold will damage you a little bit until you either break free of it yourself, or you allow it to break on its own after a while. To be on the safe side, let's not touch the ice whenever you see it covering a switch as that won't do you any good. By activating that switch, it should twist the previous room up and allow us to explore that last portion of the temple on the first floor which we haven't been to yet," replied Spike.

I wasn't planning on touching the ice anyway as I figured that it would have that kind of effect, but I'm glad that he mentioned it to me as it shows that he cared for my well-being. Jumping onto one of the rotating platforms, I waited for it to revolve around until I was standing behind the torch, and I fired an arrow which went through the flame, but missing the target and hitting the wall.

" I missed....how humiliating," I sighed.

" It's not easy to do this seeing as the rotating platforms do make aiming a bit more difficult, but you can do it because you never give up. Besides, there's bound to be some loose arrows inside of the jars over there by the door in case you run out, but I doubt that will come to pass," said Spike. He has so much faith in me while I constantly doubt myself with every action I take....maybe I should try to be more positive like him instead of wallowing in pity all the time because of my troubled past.

I waited for the platform to rotate around again before firing several arrows hoping that one of them would hit the target, and the last one managed to do just that causing the ice to melt, the eye switch to activate, and the sound of the previous room shifting to indicate that a new path has opened.

" Looks like I still need some practice before I can consider being a master of the bow," I said.

" Want to break those jars to see if there are any arrows in them?" asked Spike.

" Sure as I could do with a fresh supply," I replied. I then jumped back to the first platform where the door was, and smashed the jars by picking up and throwing them into the wall which did produce arrows that I picked up and placed into my quiver. " That gives me my full 30 again which I'm sure I'll need for the coming trials, so let's see where this room now leads us." Heading back into the previous room and defeating the two Green Bubbles again, my suspicions were right in that the room being twisted produced a new passage in the form of a hole in the ground just like before although with that one I had to straighten the room.

Falling into the hole, I landed in a room which had an interesting checkerboard pattern, and hanging from the ceiling were a number of Skulltulas that were sure to drop down and attack if I get too close.

" This is where the Fairy Bow shines as you can pick off these enemies from a distance," said Spike.

" It has that amount of range?" I asked.

" Of course, but the further away the target is, the more you have to aim if you desire to hit it without wasting an arrow. It's strange that those Skulltulas are positioned in such as way as though they were aware of what is happening in this room," replied Spike.

" The room looks fine to me," I said.

" Look up at the ceiling and tell me what you see," said Spike.

" That ceiling looks like it could fall down at any moment," I said.

" Exactly and those Skulltulas are positioned in a way that prevents them from getting hit. I'd say that ceiling is magical in that it drops down to the ground before rising back up and repeating the process. You could take some serious damage if the ceiling ends up falling on you, so get rid of the Skulltulas and stand where they are positioned in order to avoid getting squashed.

It's best to take out as many of them as you can with arrows, and then defeat the rest of them by forcing them to drop down and confront you where you can use the Hookshot or your magic," said Spike. Aiming my bow at each of the Skulltulas, I fired many arrows hitting the first two, but I struggled against the next two despite hitting them eventually.

The fifth and final one was too far away, so I had to move in and defeat it up close, and as soon as I reached the first safety area, the ceiling came crashing down, and I avoided it as it made a loud thud on the ground before going back up.

" There's a treasure chest over there," I said.

" It must be a safe location from the falling ceiling, so try to make your way over to it before the ceiling falls down again," said Spike. I quickly made a mad dash for the chest, and reached it just as the ceiling came down. Inside of the chest was a bunch of arrows which I needed in order to make up for the ones I wasted, and I was also within range of the Skulltula which I destroyed with an arrow.

Near the chest was a switch which I walked over to and stepped on which unlocked the door at the end of the room. That was when the ceiling came down again and landed, but luckily I was in a safe position when it fell. As soon as it went back up again, I ran for the door and opened it where I entered a room that featured another torch next to a door, and a rather obvious painting to my left.

" Looks like this Poe isn't even trying," I said.

" Don't be so sure about that," said Spike.

" How come?" I asked.

" Just look above you and you'll see what I mean," replied Spike. I looked up at the ceiling and saw some strange blocks which featured designs on them which looked like the Poe in the painting. Was that a coincidence, or perhaps some kind of trap waiting for me to stumble into it? " I'm not sure what will happen if you shoot the painting with an arrow, but I can deduce safely that the Poe doesn't have anywhere to go," replied Spike.

" Could it be some kind of puzzle?" I asked.

" Only way to know is to shoot the painting," replied Spike. I did so which caused the Poe in the painting to laugh at me, and then the blocks fell down from the ceiling and revealed themselves to be pieces of the painting. " I get what you need to do now. You have to push the different blocks together in order to form the picture in the painting, but there's one extra piece that doesn't fit with the rest of the theme.

I have a feeling that you are being timed for this, so you should try to solve this as quickly as possible." The blocks were surprisingly easy to push, and I had to look at the panel on the top of each one as I determined that side was the one that needed to be matched up with the others. As I pushed a couple of blocks into place, I had to push the wrong one out of the way, but this cost me some time, and when it looked as though I was about to prevail, the Poe laughed at me again, and the blocks suddenly flipped sides meaning I had to do it again.

" At least we know what happens when I fail," I sighed.

" You just have to try again," said Spike. Fortunately, the blocks arranged themselves in a better pattern than before, and I was able to push all of the blocks together to complete the picture which caused the blocks to disappear into the ground, and the painting on the wall to burn away revealing the Poe who proceeded to attack me with the stolen flame before disappearing. " Okay, this is Amy, the second oldest of the four Poe Sisters, and she acts just like the other two, so I don't need to say anymore do I?" Indeed he didn't as all I did was wait for the Poe to reappear before using my magic to destroy her and returning the third flame back to its rightful place.

" That's three of them taken down, but what about the fourth and final Poe?" I asked.

" According to the dungeon map, we've been everywhere now aside from the level where the boss room is, and we can't get down there without all four flames. Maybe we missed the last one somewhere along the way, and now we need to backtrack again in order to find it," replied Spike.

" I'm not looking forward to the sound of that," I moaned.

" Why don't we go back to the central chamber and start looking for the final Poe from there? The door in front of us does eventually go back there, and the other route through the room with the falling ceiling goes back to the second garden area, so essentially we're going back to the central chamber no matter what," said Spike.

" Guess we've come full circle then with regards to the temple," I said. Opening the door, I entered into another small corridor which was elegant in design, and opening the door at the end lead back to the central chamber where I discovered that we were on the ledge that was out of our reach when we were first down there on the floor. " Do you hear the sound of someone crying?"

" Crying? No, can't say that I do," replied Spike.

" Let's be quiet for a second and hear the sound," I said. As soon as we stopped talking, the crying sound could be heard a lot clearer, and it was coming from down below where the elevator was located. I tip-toed over to the railing and looked down to see what was causing it, and it turned out to be the final Poe Sister who was on her knees and crying her eyes out.

It made me feel bad knowing that I destroyed all of her sisters in order to restore the flames back to their original location, but I had no other choice as they all attacked me instead of surrendering and giving the flames up. " I wish that I could go down there and apologize for my actions, but I know that won't be enough to make her feel better, and she will attack me in order to get revenge. Sigh....sometimes being the heroine isn't all that pleasant."

" You had no choice but to fight them as they refused to give you any other alternative," said Spike.

" Exactly my point Spike. I wanted to give them a chance, but they attacked me and I had to take them out in order to rescue Fluttershy. I shouldn't feel guilty over what needed to be done, but I still feel bad that she has lost her other sisters which is a pain no one should ever experience. We might as well confront her and get this over with before the guilt ends up making me feel even worse," I said.

As soon as I jumped from the ledge and onto the ground, the final Poe turned around to face me; its eyes burning with the hatred I was anticipating, and it began to laugh as it suddenly divided into four copies of itself before disappearing. They then all reappeared and surrounded me as they began to spin around blocking every escape route I could think of.

" This is Meg, the oldest of the four Poe Sisters, and the only one who's decided to try a much different tactic compared to her sisters. You need to figure out which one is the real one among these four and attack her. By the way, magic isn't going to help you as they will dodge as far back as necessary to avoid any kind of attack, so you will need to use the Fairy Bow in order to hit each one until you find the right one," said Spike.

" What if I take too long?" I asked.

" The real Meg is likely to attack you in the same manner as her other sisters, but she will be much too fast for you to try and catch up to her and attack with magic. This battle is going to be one of patience and concentration in order to pick off the real one as the fake ones will likely disappear upon being hit," replied Spike.

The four Megs continued to spin around me and laughing in the process before three of them vanished leaving the real one to charge at me. Her stolen flame hit me quite hard causing my knees to buckle, and then she disappeared before reappearing which is when I noticed something strange.

" Why did one of them suddenly spin around when they all appeared?" I asked.

" That could be the real one you need to hit with an arrow," replied Spike.

" Since they're all moving around in a circle, aiming could be a problem, but I guess I'll just have to persevere and hope for the best," I said sheepishly. As soon as they all disappeared except for one, Meg came at me and struck me again with the flame before disappearing and reappearing where I saw which one was the real one through that quick spin she made. When I hit her with an arrow, she was knocked back quite a way when she disappeared again. She would then repeat this process until I hit her enough times to defeat her where the final flame was restored, and the elevator finally came back up.

The central chamber also became a lot brighter now that the four flames had returned. I got onto the elevator and it dropped down to the second basement where it stopped, and I found myself in an odd room where some parts of the wall were jutting out. There was a gate blocking the pathway in front of me, and beyond the gate was a rather large door with an unusual lock on it. Aside from that, nothing else appeared to be out of the ordinary aside from what was jutting out from the wall.

" This room has quite a unique look to it," commented Spike.

" The parts of the wall that are sticking out are way too suspicious like they want to be pushed or pulled. Now that I've taken a better look at the surroundings, the walls look as though they don't really mesh with the room in general," I said.

" Why not give them a push?" asked Spike.

" Do you think that will work?" I asked.

" It does appear to be the only logical solution to this puzzle," replied Spike. Once again his smugness doesn't become him, so I walked over to the wall, and gave it a push in order to see what would happen. At first it didn't move which made me look ridiculous, but eventually it started to move and the entire wall rotated around before coming to a stop. The gate was gone which meant it was behind the wall, but a switch was now accessible, so I pressed and heard a gate opening somewhere.

From there I continued to push the wall around and activating switches which opened up additional gates while opening up one last small treasure chest which contained more arrows which was always a plus in my book. Eventually, I rotated the wall all the way around and back to its original position where pressing one more switch opened the gate leading to that big door.

" What was the point of that?" I asked.

" Probably to confuse trespassers at the final hurdle by giving them this room of rotation," replied Spike.

" Room of Rotation? Are you seriously calling it that?" I asked.

" Does it sound too silly for you?" asked Spike.

" Not really as to be honest, I couldn't come up with a good name myself," I replied.

" Remember that Boss Key you picked up quite a while ago when you rotated the first twisted room? This is where you need to insert it in order to enter the room beyond, but the question is are you prepared for what lies within? I have no idea what we will find, but you need to be brave and face the source of evil in the Forest Temple," said Spike.

" Like there is any other choice right?" But you're right in that I need to be brave," I said. Taking a few moments to breathe and get myself steeled for what was to come, I slowly walked down the hallway which looked very fancy as though someone was waiting for me to arrive. Once I reached the door, I took out the Boss Key and lodged it into the lock where it fell off and the door opened which prompted me to enter it.

The next room was very dark and atmospheric although I did find myself stuck in front of a wall before realizing that there were stairs which lead up and around. I walked up the stairs and entered what looked like an arena of some kind where the floor featured the symbol of the Triforce in an impressive pattern. There were numerous paintings hanging on each wall, and they all depicted the same scene which was a pathway through a dark forest at night which lead up to a castle in the distance.

" Well this is rather anti-climactic," commented Spike.

" I know what you mean as I was expecting something here, yet this room is completely devoid of anything," I said.

" There is some kind of presence in this room as the amount of evil all around us is pretty strong, but maybe someone else came along and either defeated it or sealed it away somehow," said Spike.

" If you think Fluttershy did that then you must be insane to think it," I said.

" Yeah, that is wishful thinking on my part, so then where could the source of the evil in the temple be?" asked Spike.

" I have no idea, but it's obvious that there's no one here, so we might as well leave this room and figure out something else. Still, I can feel the evil all around us as though something was here, but I can't see anything so leaving is the best course of action," I replied. I began to make way towards the stairs when all a sudden, three prongs shot up from the ground which meant we were trapped in this arena as they were too high for me to jump over.

" Do you hear something? Like the sound of a horse?" asked Spike.

" Yeah, but the only person I can think of who would have a horse aside from Ingo would be....oh no....no....it couldn't be him could it? No....impossible....why would he want to choose to face me here and now? We're not ready as we lack the power to oppose him properly," I replied.

" What are you talking about?" asked Spike.

" Spike....we're in big trouble right now if that horse belongs to who I think it does," I replied. I then turned around in order to confirm my suspicions, and sure enough there was Ganondorf riding on that nightmare horse of his. Just seeing him there made me freak out because I wasn't expecting him to be here of all places, but why was he carrying a staff on his person? Also, why would he even be here in the Forest Temple instead of in his castle? As I looked on at the one who ruined my life, his horse reared up and let out a bellowing neigh before stomping its front hooves down and Ganondorf laughed at me.

" So....I've been waiting for you to arrive for quite some time," said Tirek.

" I wasn't expecting to see you here so soon after having returned from the Sacred Realm," I said.

" Heh, I always knew that you would one day return to Hyrule after being trapped in the realm for so many years. It seems that the Master Sword has indeed chosen you to wield it in battle, yet even now you continue to hesitate which will no doubt be your undoing. How pitiful that you should want to rely on magical prowess when you have in your possession a mighty blade which can carve a path of destruction against the evil forces. Of course, it matters not what you decide to use against me for in the end you shall die, and my reign over this land will continue unopposed," said Tirek.

" Why are you here?" I asked.

" Because I had the desire to see you again kid after such a long time, and I also knew that this would be the first temple that you would choose to save due to how close to home it must be for you. If you are looking to find the forest girl that is to become the Sage of this temple, then know that she has been sealed away within the veil of darkness never to see the light of day again," replied Tirek.

" Since when would you know something about that given that normally such a matter as that would be trivial to you?" I asked.

" Are you implying something?" asked Tirek.

" That you would never care about anyone whether it's by name or by title unless it was someone who posed a threat to you. In your eyes, everyone is just a nameless face as your only concern is to maintain your hold over this kingdom. I'm not sure why I'm thinking like this, but you don't appear to be who you say you are unless these past seven years have really changed you," I replied.

" Impressive," began Tirek.

" With what?" I asked.

" I did not think that you would have figured things out so quickly, but it appears that you are one who must not be underestimated. You managed to see through my deception and deduced that I am not the real Ganondorf, but then you will not live to gloat about it for your death shall be quick and painless," replied Tirek. I had no idea what he was talking about, but then he covered his face with his left hand, and as he pulled it back, his face suddenly transformed into a demonic skull with horns sticking out of the top of his head. His hollow eyes then received bright yellow pupils, and this was followed by his horse rising into the air before it jumped into one of the paintings where he galloped off towards the castle laughing.

" What in the world just happened?" I asked.

" Watch out!" shouted Spike. I turned towards one of the mirrors where I saw Ganondorf galloping towards me, but it looked like he was going to smack right into the front of the painting, but then this purple portal appeared and his steed jumped right out and across the room where he aimed his staff straight down and fired a massive electrical blast that spread across the room, and electrocuted me which was painful to no end. He then entered a painting on the opposite side of where he came from, and laughed at my misery as he galloped off. " Sunset Shimmer! Are you okay?"

" It felt like I just got shocked with several thousand volts of electricity, but what's up with Ganondorf? Why has he changed his appearance and relying on such a trivial means of fighting?" I asked.

" That's not Ganondorf, but rather Phantom Ganon, a evil ghost of the Forest Temple, and most likely created by the King of Evil in order to freak you out. He will jump out from one of the paintings and attack you with that electrical shock by striking down in the center of the room. The shock will spread across in six directions which will make avoiding it difficult. Also, watch out for the fake Phantom Ganon which will turn around at the last minute and head back the other way," replied Spike.

" And here he comes now, so let me get my magic ready," I said.

" Actually...." began Spike but I cut him off mid-sentence as I prepared for this ghost to come out of the painting, but then it suddenly turned around and went back towards the castle in the painting, and then the real Phantom Ganon leapt from another painting and struck the ground with another powerful lightning strike which shocked me before he entered another painting and galloped off laughing once again.

" I wasn't able to use my magic fast enough," I said in pain.

" Your magic will have no effect on him as he is a creature forged with the power of the Triforce, so only weapons of magical origin and his own magic will be effective against him. This is where the Fairy Bow is going to come in handy as it was created using powerful fairy magic, so shoot at him whenever he comes out of one of the paintings. It seems to me that the fake Phantom Ganon is slightly less colourful, so use that to your advantage and you'll be able to spot the real one," said Spike.

" Now you tell me," I moaned as I started to watch the paintings. Both phantoms then came galloping down side by side in their respective paintings when the one on the left turned back while the one on the right was starting to come through. I quickly took out my bow and fired an arrow which hit his horse, and he retreated back into the painting where he laughed once again while galloping off. " At least I should be thankful that he is a big enough target, but aiming will be difficult if he manages to jump out and attack, so I need to hit him just as he is coming out."

Then Phantom Ganon started to come back with the other coming from behind me, but I had no time to determine who was who as the one in front retreated, and the other jumped out and struck me again with his lightning attack. " This is starting to get really unbearable for me right now Spike, and I have no means of recovering my strength this time."

" Just try to keep going as I know you can do this," said Spike. Phantom Ganon then came galloping right in front of me with the other from behind, but this time the one behind me retreated, and the real one was in front, so I struck his horse with an arrow before he could come out, and he retreated as well. Then he began to gallop towards me from my right with the other from the left, and it was the right one who turned around and retreated.

As soon as the phantom on the left emerged from his painting, I struck his horse once more with an arrow, but this time only his horse retreated into the painting while Phantom Ganon himself was now floating around in front of me with his staff behind his back, and continuing to laugh away.

" Now what's he doing?" I asked.

" It looks like he decided to take matters into his own hands by choosing to fight you one-on-one. He's going to be floating around constantly, and will eventually fling a ball of magical energy towards you. You need to answer his magic attack with an attack of your own," replied Spike.

" You said that he was vulnerable only to weapons forged by magic as well as the magic that he possesses, so that means I need to bounce his magic back at him, but how do I do something like that?" I asked. Before Spike could answer, Phantom Ganon spun his staff around before launching a ball of energy at me which struck me so hard that I was knocked back a bit before I got back onto my feet. He then hovered away from me before spinning his staff again and repeating the process which I managed to dodge. " Seriously! How do I bounce back his magical attacks?"

" You need to hit them back at him although I don't think he will make it that easy for you. This is where using the Master Sword would be highly beneficial to you right now, but you can't use it unless you've transformed, so you need to find another means of bouncing his attacks back. Hmmmm....this may sound silly to you, but why not use one of your empty bottles?" asked Spike.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" If you time it just right, you can bounce his attacks back using a bottle, but you need to have precise timing otherwise you won't enjoy the result," replied Spike. Was this a form of punishment I was to receive because I couldn't use one sword without having to transform which only works under intense conditions? Well, I might as well use an empty bottle and see what happens. Phantom Ganon spun his staff around and fired another attack at me which I attempted to bounce back, but I ended up getting flung back due to swinging too soon.

He then repeated the process and I was too late in my reaction which caused another hit to come my way, and then he did it a third time which I managed to bounce back only for it to harmlessly hit a wall. Phantom Ganon then laughed as he began to hover upwards in order to get some distance from me, and then he spun his staff around and fired a magical attack which I bounced back, but he responded by hitting it back to me which hit me so hard that I went flying into one of the paintings before landing hard on my back....again.

" Okay, I need to remember to constantly bounce his attacks back whenever he does that," I moaned.

" Assuming that you will have the strength to counter him as he has taken a lot out of you. If you want at least a positive bit of news, he won't be able to keep bouncing his attacks back and forth for very long as he looks as though he has a poor time of things when it comes to reaction," said Spike.

" I can do this with a bottle," I said. Phantom Ganon hovered away again and fired another attack which I bounced back to him, and he hit it back while I responded to that, and he responded in kind which ended up hitting me as I was too early. " Okay, I can't do this with a bottle and I'm starting to feel like I can't walk anymore....I need to use the Master Sword which means I need to transform in order to do so."

" How did you do it last time?" asked Spike.

" Your guess is as good as mine as it just happened," I replied. Phantom Ganon then moved closer and flung another magical ball of energy which I had no chance to avoid, and the resulting hit knocked me over the fence and down the staircase as I tumbled down and crashed into a heap next to the door. I tried to righten myself and get back into the battlefield, but my body just wasn't having any of it by this point.

" Is this the full extent of your strength?" asked Phantom Ganon.

" I'm capable....of much more than this," I replied.

" Do not make me laugh pitiful child, for you clearly have proven that you are nothing but a weak little girl who has no chance of saving this world. Why my creator believed you to be a threat is something that I must question, but I feel that you are not as powerful as he claimed. Bah! This is no challenge to me as I was promised a great battle against the chosen hero," said Phantom Ganon.

" Which would be me," I said.

" Do not boast about something that you cannot keep! If you are indeed the legendary hero, then whoever chose you must have been desperate to have selected such a worthless candidate. Who was it that decided to make you the one? Was it that useless pile of lumber known as the Great Deku Tree? Or was it Princess Zelda, the one who ran away like a coward from my creator as he claimed her kingdom as his own?

Maybe it was the timid little forest girl who remains imprisoned within the depths of the temple? I'm sure that she will not enjoy the horrors that await her once I am finished here with you! Just stay where you are, and allow me to finish this off so that I can attend to my guest," said Phantom Ganon.

" No! Leave her alone!" I shouted.

" Why should I listen to the likes of you? You have no control over my actions, so why don't you just die!" shouted Phantom Ganon. Hearing him say that proved to be the last straw, and something inside me reacted to his taunts which is when I began to glow and caused my pony ears and pony tail to appear. Could it be that my transformation occurs as a result of anger, concern for friends, and feeling helpless all at the same time?

In any case, I leapt back onto my feet and also leapt back into the arena which took the phantom by surprise, but he remained undaunted. " This is the change that my creator mentioned you can become if pressured enough. Heh, it does not look all that much different aside from some ears and a tail, yet it is not going to make a difference."

" I think you should have paid more attention to Ganondorf's words," I said as I drew the Master Sword from its scabbard and held it in front of me. At this point I still had no idea as to how to use it properly, so I'll have to hope that I can do this right otherwise I could be killed again, and on a permanent basis.

Phantom Ganon hovered back, spun his staff around, and flung an attack at me which I responded by holding out the Master Sword like it was a shield, and bounced it back to him which he then hit back to me. This went on for a couple of moments before my last bounce was too fast for him to react to, and his own magic struck him causing him to drop to the ground on one knee in pain. " Should I attack him now and what with?"

" He'll only be stunned for a few moments, so hit him as many times as you can before he recovers. As for what you can hit him with....magic is still out of the question, and you still can't use the Master Sword properly, so why not pelt him with arrows instead as he is vulnerable to them," replied Spike. That was a good idea, so I pulled out the Fairy Bow and started to shoot arrows at Phantom Ganon which caused him to feel the same pain that he had been inflicting on me.

Eventually, he recovered and resumed hovering in the air, and he spun his staff around and flung an attack at me from a much closer range which I just barely deflected with the Master Sword. The magical blast smacked into the wall, and disappeared harmlessly which is when Phantom Ganon launched another attack at me, but I was ready for this one, and when I bounced it back with sword, the attack hit him where he fell down to the ground again, but only remained stunned for about two seconds.

" I guess those wild shots aren't as effective on him in terms of stunning him," I said.

" Yes, but they do catch him off guard which is the perfect time to get a quick hit on him," said Spike. I watched as the phantom hovered away from me which was his sign that another volley was about to begin. As I rallied his magical attack back and forth with him, I realized that this isn't the way the Master Sword is meant to be used, and I felt that I was doing it a disservice because of what it meant to the forces of good as a whole.

Eventually, the volley ended in my favour and Phantom Ganon fell again where I shot more arrows at him which weakened him a bit more, and then he resumed his hovering in the air although I could tell that he was seething with rage now.

" How have you managed to push me this far? You are nothing more than a weak little girl who should have fallen to my superior power much sooner! Could it be that I underestimated your strength, and even allowed you the chance to defeat me because you changed your form?" asked Phantom Ganon.

" I'd say that sums things up quite nicely," I replied.

" Could it be that my creator was right about you, and that my insulting of your morals has allowed you to fight back? No, you must have just been lucky! In either case, you have forced my hand by making me do something drastic! Do not think that you can reflect this back little girl, for it is a force that can't be stopped," said Phantom Ganon. He then raised his staff up and began to shoot off some fireworks which I thought was really cute, but I didn't think so when he suddenly dove at me which caught me off guard, and he struck me harder than ever before which made him laugh.

As soon as his attack came to a stop, he hovered back to where he was before and began to gloat. " That is the true power that you face little girl, and even with your changed appearance, you now realize that there is not much you can do to defeat me." He then raised his staff and repeated the process again, and while I managed to avoid him for the most part, he also showed that his attack can be guided meaning he was able to change direction and struck me from behind causing me to fall flat on my face before he hovered back to his previous position.

" For a desperation technique, you certainly do have a lot of power behind it," I said.

" So do you yield?" asked Phantom Ganon.

" I don't intend on giving up," I replied.

" Your body would like to disagree with you on that statement! I can tell that you are barely able to continue with this fight, so I shall end things right now with a simple magical attack from close range. While I will admit that you defied all of my expectations of you kid, you should know that in the end you were no match for me. Goodbye," said Phantom Ganon. He spun his staff around and fired his magical attack, and with some quick thinking on my part as well as wanting to try something different, I somehow swung the Master Sword hitting the magic back at him which connected causing him to drop down.

I followed this up quickly with one final arrow which defeated him. The phantom reacted with so much pain from that last hit that he started to fall apart before some kind of strange force picked him up and began to drag him towards the center of the room.

" You defeated him Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" That was one intense battle filled with all sorts of twists and turns, but why is he floating towards the middle of the room, and where did that purple portal below him come from? I don't recall him summoning it while we were locked in combat," I said.

" Hey kid! You did quite well against my Phantom Ganon! It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill after all which makes things much more interesting. My phantom it seems underestimated your strength and look what ended up happening to the poor creature as a result, yet what surprises me is that you were able to change to that other form you used against me years ago. Now that I realize just how it occurs, it will make things exciting later on," said Tirek as his booming voice radiated through the entire room.

" Ganondorf! Where are you?" I asked.

" I am in my castle and have been observing this battle since the moment it first began. As soon as I was alerted to the fact that someone had reached my phantom, I knew that I was going to be entertained even though the desired outcome was not what I was expecting to see. I knew that you would be the one to face off against my creature kid, as you were the only one who would have the sense to venture into this temple in order to free it from the evil that plagues it," replied Tirek.

" So then you knew that I had returned to Hyrule?" I asked.

" Of course I was aware that you had left the Sacred Realm after seven long years. There was a beam of light that came from the Temple of Time which I observed from the window of my throne room, and only one person in the entire kingdom would have caused such a light to even occur. It does not matter what you do in order to try and save this pathetic world, for in the end you shall die at the hands of much more powerful creatures. Of course, should you manage to overcome all of these trials and achieve your goal, you get to have your life ended personally by me when you come to my castle," replied Tirek.

" If your phantom is a reflection of you then it should be an easy battle for me," I said.

" Do you honestly believe those words? If so then you have not changed at all in the time that you have gone," laughed Tirek.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" While you did end up defying all expectations by prevailing and proving that you do possess some power, you have merely defeated my phantom. When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy as I am far stronger than that pitiful phantom. And now to deal with the only remaining issue on hand. What a worthless creation that ghost was! I shall banish it to the gap between dimensions where it shall rot away for eternity in a perpetual state of limbo! Kid, do not fail my expectations of you," replied Tirek.

As his voice disappeared, I looked on at Phantom Ganon as he writhed in pain and agony as his broken body was pulled into the portal and he disappeared entirely with the portal closing. Once again, I had to witness such a painful end for a powerful being, and this time it felt especially painful to me because the phantom was punished for failing to fulfill its anointed task.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I can't believe that Ganondorf would go and do that to one of his own creations," I replied as my pony ears and pony tail disappeared.

" His actions remind you that he is sadistic and has no care for anyone save for himself," said Spike.

" When the time comes for me to finally face him in battle Spike, I will make sure to finish him and not grant him any kind of mercy. While that does make me sound like I'm no better than him, he has never once offered mercy to anyone before and instead treats everyone like tools. For that, he gets no sympathy from me whatsoever," I said.

" We should probably get going, so make sure to grab that Heart Container as you definitely earned it. Once you've picked it up, all you need to do is step into the blue light and we will most likely be transported to the Chamber of the Sages where we will meet the Sage of Forest. With the evil of the Forest Temple having been destroyed, no doubt that Saria has been freed and received the awakening she was to receive from the Sacred Realm," said Spike. I smiled in response to what he said and I walked over and picked up the Heart Container which made me feel really good as my strength returned to me, and my wounds completely healed.

Once I was ready, I walked into the blue light where I found myself sealed into a crystal which transported me to the chamber where I landed on the Triforce symbol in the middle of the room. Another blue light then shone from the green groove on the central platform, and coming up from it was Fluttershy who still looked the same as she did before.

" Thank you. Because of you, I was able to hear the awakening voice of the Sacred Realm. My name is Saria, and I am the Sage who has been chosen to guard the Forest Temple. With the evil of the temple now having been destroyed, the Kokiri Forest will return to normal, and the dark creatures will return slinking to their holes in the ground.

I always knew that you would come to rescue me because I know who you are despite not having aged seven years. Sunset Shimmer, I have waited for your return for such a long time because I always believed that you were not responsible for the death of the Great Deku Tree. I now know that it was by Ganondorf's hand that the guardian spirit of the forest was killed which in return caused the evil to spread as far as it did," said Fluttershy.

" I haven't aged at all because of the magic inside of me," I said.

" Yes, the magic that comes from another world much like yourself. I remember you telling me that story years ago, and that I too shared the same magic which caused me to experience memories of a world much different from this one. Over the years, I continued to receive those thoughts yet I chose not to ignore them in the hopes that they would just go away, but rather embrace them to the point where I was able to achieve an answer," said Fluttershy.

" What kind of answer?" I asked.

" That what you said long ago was indeed the truth, and now that I have awakened as one of the six Sages, I realize now that the name you've been calling me by for so long is indeed my true name, yet I never realized it until after you were sealed away. Fluttershy....for the first time in my life, I want you to call me by that name instead of Saria, and I will try to use that name myself from now on.

Even though you and I can never be in the same world due to my place being here and yours is there, know that I shall help you defeat the evil one who has plagued this land for so long," replied Fluttershy.

" Will I still be able to play your song to contact you?" I asked.

" Yes, for the magic contained within that song will always connect us no matter how far apart we are. Remember that if you want to hear my voice, play my song on your ocarina, and I will talk to you as always. Before you leave I would like for you to take this medallion as a sign that I have been awakened," replied Fluttershy. She then raised her arms and something started to fall down towards me at a rapid pace below slowing down and coming to a stop just a few inches above my head.

She had given me a green coloured medallion much like the yellow one Starswirl the Bearded gave me when I first awoke after my seven year sleep. " This, Sunset Shimmer, is the Forest Medallion, the proof you need that indicates that I have awakened as a Sage and added my power to yours. This is where we say our goodbyes for you must return now to Hyrule, but know that I will always be your friend."

" Fluttershy...." I said as I was engulfed in a blinding light. When the light finally disappeared, I discovered that I was standing in front of the Great Deku Tree who certainly hasn't decomposed all that well in seven years. Things felt really quiet as though the forest was breathing a sigh of relief due to having been freed of the evil which had plagued it.

Just as I was about to turn around and leave, I noticed something growing out of the ground in front of the Deku Tree, and it looked like some kind of flower was starting to grow. As I got closer in order to get a better look at it, it suddenly sprouted up causing me to go flying and landing on my rear. That was when I was staring at some kind of unusual plant which could mean big trouble for me....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 24: Secrets Revealed

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 27, 2014
Chapter 24: Secrets Revealed.

" Are you alright Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" I'm fine as I got used to landing on my rear a long time ago. What in the world happened to that flower that caused it to erupt into this weird looking tree stump?" I asked. I found myself staring at some kind of plump little tree stump that had a rather cute smile across its face, and that seemed to be the only expression it was capable of displaying.

" Did you just seriously refer to the Deku Tree Sprout as a tree stump?" asked Spike.

" That's the sprout you told me about before? That little fellow is going to grow up and become the next Great Deku Tree in a few centuries or so? I'll give him the satisfaction of wanting to live up to the expectations placed upon him, but I honestly can't see that becoming the big tree behind him," I replied.

" You just have to imagine what he will look like, and the future generations of Kokiri will be turning to him for guidance as he serves them as the guardian spirit. Since we defeated Phantom Ganon and rescued Saria, the Kokiri Forest has returned to normal, and the Deku Tree Sprout is now able to grow and flourish. Still, I wasn't expecting him to have such a goofy looking smile," said Spike.

" And you called me out for calling him a tree stump," I said referring to the fact that he just called the little guy's face goofy. Still, it felt good knowing that the entire forest had returned to normal. It was at this point that I decided to go back to the village in order to see how everyone was doing, but as I turned around, I heard the sound of rustling and looked back to see that the Deku Tree Sprout was shaking its branches as though he didn't want me to leave.

I had no choice but to go as I was needed elsewhere, so as I started to walk away the sprout rustled its branches even harder which was enough to grab my attention. I turned around again and walked back in order to see what he wanted. " If you wanted my attention so badly, you got it. If you are feeling upset that I called you a tree stump, then I am sorry for insulting you."

" None taken," said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" WAAAH!" I screamed upon the realization that this sprout was able to talk.

" You didn't have to scream you know," sighed Spike.

" It's not like I knew he was going to say something to me now did I?" I asked.

" Okay, I'll give you that seeing as you have been making a habit of freaking out every time someone catches you by surprise," replied Spike.

" Can I help it if I react that way because someone decided to just show up out of nowhere, or do something that I wasn't prepared? But, that's water under the bridge as I'm relaxed and ready to listen to the Deku Tree Sprout," I said.

" Hi there! I'm the Deku Tree Sprout!"

" We already figured that part out already, so there was no need for you to say that," I said.

" Because you and Saria were able to break the curse on the Forest Temple, I am now able to grow and flourish as the new guardian spirit of the forest. Thank you very much for doing that for me! I really appreciate it! You are....Sunset Shimmer yes? I have heard from the forest spirits that you prefer to be called by that name instead of the name of Link. By the way, did you notice that when you talked to some of your old friends in the village, they didn't recognize you even though you haven't changed?" asked the Deku Tree Sprout.

" I was meant to have aged seven years physically, but my magic has kept me the same," I replied.

" That means your magic is very rare even among the most powerful magic users of Hyrule to be able to do something like that, but you did dodge my question, so please don't ignore me like that as what I have to say is most important," said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" Since you brought that up, my answer to you is yes," I said.

" That's because the Kokiri never age at all compared to the other tribes. Even after seven years, they are still kids even though they age mentally like everyone else does. I'm sure that you have probably figured it out by now, but if not then that's okay as I shall reveal to you the secret which has been kept from you your entire life. You are not a Kokiri but rather a Hylian! It's such a great honour to at long last reveal this to you!" said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" I'm not a member of the Kokiri tribe? How is that possible? I mean, I have a fairy partner, I'm wearing the clothing of the Kokiri, and according to everyone else, I've been living here in the forest ever since I was little," I said.

" Your frustration right now is to be expected Sunset Shimmer as you are confused, but allow me to explain everything to you so please listen carefully. Long ago, before this country was unified into a country by the old King of Hyrule, a terrible war waged across this world known as "The Imprisoning War" according to historians. During the waning days of the conflict, a young Hylian mother and her baby girl escaped from the ravages of bloodshed and entered this forbidden forest.

The mother was gravely injured and would not survive for much longer, but she pleaded with the Great Deku Tree to protect her child from the war. The Deku Tree sensed that this child was one who had a great destiny, so he took the child into the forest and raised her as a Kokiri. The mother would soon pass away, and the child was raised with no knowledge of her true heritage. Only the Great Deku Tree knew the truth and kept the secret," said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" That is an interesting story, but it's not my actual origin," I said.

" I know that it's difficult for you to accept the truth for what it is, but it will take time for it to really sink in," said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" No, what I mean is that my mother back in Equestria is still very much alive even though I haven't spoken to her for years, and I definitely wasn't forced to run away from some kind of terrible war, so maybe you have got your facts wrong," I said. That was when I realized as well as remembered that this was a video game world, and that I was portraying the character named Link, and this must have been how he ended up in the forest to begin with.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him even though I had no idea who he was. Even though it was lying to myself, my family, and the Deku Tree Sprout, I had to accept Link's origins as my own in order to avoid any further conflict. " Sorry....I didn't mean to accuse you of saying the wrong thing as the truth is....what I said just now....was a lie, and that learning the truth about how I came to be here has really opened my eyes."

" You were a Hylian, and were always bound to leave this forest," said the Deku Tree Sprout.

" Then how do you explain how Flutt....err, I mean Saria being able to leave the forest as well?" I asked.

" Her destiny was to become one of the six Sages, and she was also bound to leave the forest. Now that you know about your destiny Sunset Shimmer, you know what you must do. That's right! You must break the curses on all of the other temples, and restore peace to Hyrule," replied the Deku Tree Sprout. I have to admit that his conclusion was rather anti-climatic as well as pretty obvious considering no one else is trying to save the kingdom, so I merely shrugged my shoulders and turned around in order to leave the forest.

As soon as I entered the village, I could tell that things had gotten back to normal as the Big Deku Babas were gone, and the Kokiri were back outside and resuming their usual activities. It must have felt nice to not have a care in the world, and not be burdened with the task of saving an entire kingdom. Before I decided to leave the forest, there was one more thing I needed to take care of, and that was informing Diamond Tiara that Fluttershy wasn't coming back.

While I could have just left and not tell her anything, that would have made me no better than her. No, she deserved to know the truth and perhaps begin to change her ways now that someone close to home has gone and can never return.

" Come on Spike! We're going back to the Lost Woods in order to see Diamond Tiara," I said.

" Who?" asked Spike.

" You know, Mido, or as I know her, Diamond Tiara, but that's besides the point. We need to go back and see her as she deserves the right to know that Fluttershy won't be returning to the forest," I replied.

" I'd say this whole experience has made you into a better person," said Spike.

" Oh, I wouldn't go that far," I began.

" Are you kidding me? Before you never would have confronted Mido about anything because of how she has treated you, and now you're taking the time to go to her and explain the situation. If I didn't know any better, you were trying to bury the hatchet between you two. Saria was right in that you two needed to get along, and now is the perfect time to start doing so even if you'll be leaving the forest again after this," said Spike.

" Ummmm....right," I said before going quiet as I started to make my way towards the entrance of the Lost Woods. I wanted to explain to Spike that I wasn't a better person, yet it had nothing to do with my past this time which is what I originally believed. Something happened to me during that battle with Phantom Ganon, and I couldn't get it out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. While I did end up defeating him in the end and rescuing Fluttershy in the process, at the same time it felt like I failed miserably.

My emotional state....just like what happened against Ganondorf....my emotions went out of control and I achieved a greater power, but that was what I was now afraid of. No, I can't focus on that issue right now as I need to focus on speaking to Diamond Tiara. As I entered the Lost Woods and moved from clearing to clearing, the darkness from before had lifted despite it still being night out, and the Big Deku Babas were no longer growing everywhere.

I was concerned with what became of Grog as he was on the verge of transforming into a Stalfos, but maybe he managed to escape from the forest before the change was completed....wishful thinking I know, but it I was hopeful that would be the case.

" Oh? It's you from before," said Diamond Tiara as I entered the clearing where she was still standing, and she noticed me instantly which prompted her to walk forward to meet me halfway. " Judging from the fact that you came from over there, you either got lost and finally managed to get out hours later, or you made it all the way to the Forest Temple only to end up turning back at the last minute when you realized things were too intense for you."

" I was able to reach the temple, and destroyed the evil that had been affecting the forest," I said.

" That does explain the sudden disappearance of all those monsters. You did a pretty good job there miss for someone who doesn't appear to be using that fancy sword on her back. Yeah, I've heard from the forest spirits that there was someone who entered the temple armed with a sword, but ended up not using it in favour of more unconventional weaponry," said Diamond Tiara.

" You have?" I asked.

" It takes someone really creative and determined to want to think outside of the box and not use a sword to solve all of their problems. A lot of people could learn a thing or two from you. By the way, I noticed that Saria isn't with you, so where she is?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" That's actually the reason I came back here," I replied.

" To tell me what has become of her?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" Yes, as I feel that you deserve to know the truth seeing as you did accompany her all the way out here. Saria....she....she won't be coming back to the forest because destiny has chosen her to become the Sage of Forest. If you were hoping that she was going to be walking through that tunnel behind you, and returning with you back to your village, you'll be waiting here forever for something that will never happen," I replied.

" I see....so she isn't coming back?" asked Diamond Tiara.

" You were the first Kokiri who knows the truth as I believe that you can inform the rest of your people of what has happened," I replied.

" I'm not sure what to make of this revelation, but I suppose that you are telling me the truth as what would you gain from lying to me about it? Throughout my entire life, I've never had the notion or the inkling of wanting to show care for someone who meant such a great deal to me and to the others, but once you realize that person is gone, you can never achieve that hidden feeling as it's too late.

I don't blame you for informing me of what happened to Saria as you did what your heart was telling you, and my heart is telling me that I have been nothing but a horrible person for far too long. Is this my punishment for the way I acted? Maybe, but whatever it is, I deserve it," said Diamond Tiara.

" Will you be okay?" I asked.

" Right now, I would like some time alone to be with my thoughts as I really need to think about all that you have told me. I am grateful to you miss for telling me and all, but this is something I need to figure out, so if you don't mind me saying so, I would like for you to leave," replied Diamond Tiara.

" I understand," I said.

" Before you go, I do have one small favour to ask of you. If you manage to see Link during your travels, I want you to tell her that I'm sorry for everything that I've ever done to her. While it probably doesn't make any sense to you, just know that everything that's happened here lately has gotten me thinking that maybe I was wrong about her. Please, if you could let her know, I'd forever be grateful to you," said Diamond Tiara.

" I'm sure that she already knows how you feel, but I will make sure that she gets your message," I said as I turned around and started to walk back to the village. Who would have thought that Diamond Tiara of all people could end up having a change of heart? This whole experience must have made her realize what can happen if you allow darkness to consume your heart, and I think she is going to be a much stronger person for it.

I just wish that I could be feeling the same way considering what happened to me in the Forest Temple. I quickly glanced back at the Master Sword which remained firmly in the scabbard on my back, and wondered if I could truly use it properly without having to rely on my transformation.

" That was awful kind of you to speak to Mido like that," said Spike.

" Huh? What?" I asked in confusion.

" I said that you were kind to have gone and talked to Mido regarding what happened with Saria," replied Spike.

" Oh that! It was a necessary thing for me to do as she needed some closure," I said.

" Is something bothering you? Ever since we defeated Phantom Ganon, you've been awfully distant like something was on your mind. You can talk to me about it if you want to Sunset Shimmer as I am here for you when you need me," said Spike.

" Something is bothering me but I'm not sure how I go about explaining it," I said. While it sounded like I was lying to him in order to try and change the subject, or even forgetting about it, I was struggling with what I was feeling about what happened back in the temple. Spike has been with me the entire time, and now here I am keeping secrets from him which he has a right to know about.

Who am I to be considered his friend if I'm withholding something that could very well change the dynamic of how we operate as partners? I needed some way of explaining the situation, but my mind was just drawing a blank. " There is something on my mind right now, and while you should know about it, I just can't seem to get myself to say anything."

" If it's important but too hard for you to explain, then I don't need to know about it," said Spike.

" What are you saying?" I asked.

" You must have your reasons for wanting to keep it bottled up inside, and I'm completely fine with it as it's probably something that I wouldn't understand. I won't say anything else about it, so let's forget it and start making our way to the next temple," replied Spike.

" Are you sure?" I asked.

" Very sure. That ring of fire that we saw above the peak of Death Mountain....there is something unnatural about it. I believe we should go back to Kakariko Village and inquire as to what is going on up there on the mountain. We may even learn what's been happening with the Gorons as the mountain is their home," replied Spike.

" I do recall what Sheik said about the locations of the five temples, and that one of them was on top of a high mountain," I said.

" Looks like we have our destination," said Spike. How could he be so chipper about all of this knowing that I was keeping something from him which was too important to just simply ignore? All of a sudden, a familiar whooshing sound came out of the next clearing, and I ran towards the sound hoping that it was who I thought it would be.

Sure enough, Sheik was standing there in the centre of the clearing with her arms folded as though she knew I was going to be coming this way, and had been waiting for me to come. How could she have known something that not even I had even thought about?

" You have overcome many trials in the Forest Temple and awakened the Sage. The first step on your new journey has been good to you so far, yet I am sensing that there is something on your mind based on how you were unable to explain things to your partner," said Twilight. She walked a few steps towards me before coming to a complete stop where she folded her arms again.

" Are you surprised that I am aware of such knowledge as this? The trees around here are able to echo the sounds that come from all around, so the conversation you had just now was easy enough for me to hear."

" What makes you think that something is bothering me?" I asked.

" There is no need to hide something that is simple enough to figure out," replied Twilight. She then walked around me several times as though she were trying to observe me or something, but when she was finished, she walked back to the center of the clearing and beckoned me to come on over. " While you were able to break the curse on the Forest Temple, it came with a terrible price that has been affecting you mentally yes?"

" During the battle with Phantom Ganon much like what happened when I took on Ganondorf seven years ago....I transformed when I was pushed to the edge of my mental stress and allowed my emotions to go out of control," I replied.

" What does this transformation entail?" asked Twilight.

" It involves me gaining pony ears and a pony tail along with a sudden increase in both power and confidence. While it feels natural to transform and unleash the power hidden within me, something else happens which is where my problem lies. My transformations have been the result of when I allow my anger and frustration to gain the better of me due to being under so much pressure," I replied.

" And does this involve using the Master Sword?" asked Twilight as she stared intently at the diving blade.

" You know that I don't know how to use a sword," I replied.

" Which you have mentioned to me in the past, yet it seems that you are quite capable of wielding it when you have changed your appearance. You fear that this transformation of yours will end up costing someone close to you their lives, or that your own life will be brought to an end as you fear that you cannot fully control the power increase you gain.

It acts like a raging demon deep inside of you that wishes to be unleashed, and when it happens, you lose all sense of self and allow it to take control of your actions," said Twilight.

" So far, I've managed to maintain some kind of influence over myself when I transform, but I fear I won't be able to control it forever and end up doing something I'll regret later. My transformation is usually meant to be the result of singing and friendship, and I assumed that was the case when I changed before Ganondorf. Now, because of this recent change against his phantom, I believe they are the result of anger.

Perhaps the true extent of my Equestrian Magic is corrupted in this world, or it could be me who is corrupted," I said. I didn't notice that Sheik reacted when she heard me mention the word Equestrian, but I was more fixated on the fact that I was starting to have a nervous breakdown. I dropped to my knees and buried my face into my hands where I started to freak out a little before standing back up. " I needed to do that just now as a means of venting out some of my own frustration."

" What is this Equestrian Magic?" asked Twilight.

" It's the magic that comes from my true home....Equestria....and for a time it became corrupted with darkness before I was shown a better path. For the most part, the good magic that's within me has been just that, but when I transform, it becomes twisted as though I wasn't the same person anymore," I replied.

" Perhaps this magic of yours when you achieve your other form and the magical energies that exist all over Hyrule are not able to co-exist together," said Twilight. She then walked over again, and jumped over me while drawing the Master Sword from its scabbard before landing and taking a close look at it. After swinging it around a few times in order to maybe show off, she walked back to me and sheathed it before jumping over me again and landing in the center of the clearing before turning to face me again. " You need to learn how to wield the 'Blade of Evil's Bane'."

" It seems the only time I can use it is when I've transformed," I said.

" And that is a problem to you because of the lack of self-control you experience when you change. You must change your way of thinking and learn to wield the Master Sword even if you don't want to, for you will have need of its might in the trials to come," said Twilight.

" Can you teach me how to use a sword? You seemed to know what you were doing when you were swinging the Master Sword around," I said.

" I am not the one who can teach you how to fight with a weapon of steel, but there is one who will be able to show you a way. To me, all you need are the basics of swordplay, and you can handle using the Master Sword for the times when you need it. You can still rely heavily on the use of your magic as that is only natural of you," said Twilight.

" So who can teach me?" I asked.

" You are heading to Death Mountain for the next Sage you seek is there, yet someone from the past is waiting for you to help her out once again. She is one who knows the way of combat as it's in her blood, and so she will be the one who will teach you. I am certain that you know someone on the mountain who has the warrior's spirit dwelling inside of her.

Hmmmm....perhaps before climbing up Death Mountain, you should return to the ranch and wind down a little as you look to have need of some relaxation. Go there first in order to resolve lingering issues, and then return to the Temple of Time," replied Twilight. It looked as though she was about to leave as she did have a Deku Nut in her hand, and was taking a few steps backward, but then she stopped and looked down at the ground before resuming again. " There are other secrets besides the one you've been keeping to yourself."

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" It seems that Ganondorf's reign over Hyrule isn't as absolute as he would like to assume it to everyone. He has been searching the kingdom for seven years now looking for something he claims will enable him to be the complete master of all he surveys. I don't know what he is aiming to accomplish with this plan, but he has made certain to pour all of his resources into acquiring what he seeks.

There is one other secret you must know, and it has to do with the sole-surviving member of the old Royal Guard of Hyrule Castle whom many believed died during the conflict. No one knows where he is right now, but I am certain that you will cross paths with him," replied Twilight.

" How do you know so much about this survivor?" I asked.

" He once visited Kakariko Village....that is all I can say as the rest is a secret to no one but him. Sunset Shimmer, I have managed to give you a small amount of insight as to what you should be doing, but in the end only you can make the final choice. I shall see you again," replied Twilight. She then threw the Deku Nut onto the ground where it flashed, and within an instant she was gone. What she had said did leave me confused at first for how did she know exactly what my problem was?

There was much more to Sheik that first impressions can provide, and if anyone was keeping secrets, it would be her as she was perhaps the biggest secret of all. However, she was right about the fact that I did want to go back to Lon Lon Ranch as I wanted to know how Applebloom was doing, and if Big Macintosh had changed his ways.

With this new resolve, I left the Lost Woods by using a random exit as it led me right back to Kokiri Forest, and I left there as I didn't want to ruin the happy moment that the Kokiri were currently experiencing. Epona reared up and neighed a loud neigh as she was so happy that I had returned after being gone for so long.

" So that's what you were keeping to yourself this entire time?" asked Spike.

" I knew something was wrong after I transformed in the Forest Temple against Phantom Ganon," I replied.

" If you think that I'm upset with you for not wanting to let me in on it, know that I'm not angry with you Sunset Shimmer as you were in an awkward position. Now that I know that you have this problem regarding that transformation of yours, I think it's for the best that you don't use it under any circumstances no matter how much pressure you may be in," said Spike.

" Then who is supposed to teach me how to use the Master Sword?" I asked.

" Sheik was obviously hinting at Darunia as who else on Death Mountain is a lover of fighting as one who fights with so much gusto like her?" asked Spike.

" She did say that it sounded like Darunia could be in trouble," I replied. Because I wasn't entirely sure of the actual situation taking place there, rushing headlong to help her out would only make things worse. I climbed up onto Epona and rubbed her muzzle with my hand before I gave her a gentle kick to the ribs where she began to start galloping along happily. I only just noticed that the moon had gone down and the sun was about to rise, and what was surprising was that I was still awake as normally I would have rested for the night.

Oh well, I'll just find some way of catching a little shuteye later as right now I need to focus on the task at hand. It didn't take long for Epona to make her way to Lon Lon Ranch, and the first thing I noticed was that there were no dark clouds; a sign that the evil that once plagued this place was gone.

" It looks like things are peaceful," I commented.

" One can only hope," added Spike.

" While Ingo was cruel beyond all reasoning especially towards the horses, he did manage to turn this place around even if his methods were contrived. I just hope that he was willing to give the ranch back to the rightful owner," I said.

" And if he hasn't?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure what will happen to the ranch," I replied. I urged Epona to enter the ranch where things did look normal at first, but that notion quickly shattered when I noticed Big Mac standing by the gate which he had installed, but he was no longer wearing that fancy outfit of his, and was instead wearing the same work duds I saw him in seven years ago.

As soon as we galloped up next to him, he turned towards me and looked up in order to greet me, and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about the whole thing. " Uh, Ingo? You look different today than before." Was that seriously my best line when it came to dealing with him? Deep down I had just made a complete dork of myself.

" Hi there! How are you? My name is Ingo! I'm so glad to have the honour of working here," said Big Mac.

" Are you alright?" I asked.

" Eyup! I wish to welcome you to Lon Lon Ranch, the happiest place in all of Hyrule where you get to ride amazing horses, and sample the legendary Lon Lon Milk! One drink and you will be in absolute bliss! What do you think of our catchy slogan? I'm sure it will draw people here to the ranch especially since now we've taken the time to get it up to standard when it was stagnant for the last few years," replied Big Mac.

" What about the owner?" I asked.

" You mean Talon? I hear that she is still in Kakariko Village having since returned from an expedition to Death Mountain which was a dangerous thing to do. That place has been having some problems recently what with rumours flying around that the Gorons have upped and disappeared. That is a rumour mind you, so I don't know how true it is, but maybe you can ask someone in the village as they would know more about the activities of Death Mountain apart from the Gorons themselves," replied Big Mac.

" I'll be sure to ask them then as you just gave me some very vital information," I said.

" I aim to please," smiled Big Mac.

" Where is the owner's granddaughter?" I asked.

" She is over there by the entrance to the corral. She said that she was planning on restarting an old favourite activity that the ranch used to do back in the day, and I think you should check it out young lady as you look like the kind of person who would enjoy such an exciting challenge," replied Big Mac. I thanked him for the suggestion and Epona trotted off to where Applebloom was standing which was by the gates of the corral. The first thing I noticed was that Ingo, or rather Big Mac's mugshot was no longer featured on the gates, and that Applebloom wasn't carrying around a pail and looking all miserable. I slowly brought Epona to a stop and climbed down where I engaged in a conversation with her.

" Oh? It's you who helped out the other day! I don't suppose I reckon that I didn't get your name from before," said Applebloom.

" My name?" I asked.

" What's the matter? Are you nervous or something?" asked Applebloom.

" No, it's just that you surprised me over the fact that you don't seem to recognize me seeing as I look the same now as I did seven years ago. But, to answer your question, my name is Sunset Shimmer," I replied.

" Really? I knew it was you when I realized you looked familiar to me, and also when you made that little slip up y'all had with me when you said that I didn't hear a word you said when you called me by that nickname you gave me. Sunset Shimmer....it feels like forever since I last got to speak with you. Do you remember who I am?" asked Applebloom.

" I remember," I replied

" I'm glad that you remember me, and of course Epona remembers you as well seeing as you were able to tame her when Ingo couldn't. Speaking of Mr. Ingo, no doubt that you are surprised by the fact that he has changed. After you were able to take Epona away from the ranch, he started to freak out over the fact that he lost his finest horse, and Ganondorf was going to find out about it and punish him.

It truly upset him to the point where he refused to see anyone including me for the entire day. I was actually worried about his sanity for a while and that maybe he was thinking of ending his own life or something. But then this morning, his attitude completely changed," said Applebloom.

" How so?" I asked.

" He had gone back to being a normal nice person again just like he had been many years ago before my grandmother became lazy. I suspect that he had a lot of evil inside of him which had been building up for years, and when you got Epona out of here, that was enough to remove all of that darkness in his heart, and changing him back to normal. In fact, when he confronted me this morning wearing his old work duds, he apologized for everything he had done, and he handed over not only that fancy uniform of his, but also his resignation as he felt he didn't deserve to work here anymore.

I of course forgave him for his actions as I too had to apologize for not trying to resolve the issue much sooner, so in that sense we were both guilty of doing wrong. Now Mr. Ingo is happily resuming his work as a farmhand once again, and this time I intend on making sure that he will have as much help as he needs be it from myself, granny, or hopefully that Derpy girl who worked here months ago," replied Applebloom.

" What of your grandmother? Have you heard anything from her?" I asked.

" I heard from the villagers over in Kakariko Village that she returned from climbing Death Mountain the other night, so I gather that she isn't aware Mr. Ingo has graciously given ownership back to her, and that she can come back here as soon as possible. I'd like to be able to go there and tell her myself, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done around here. If you happen to be heading over to the village at some point in your travels, would you mind letting granny know what's happened here?" asked Applebloom.

" I'd be glad to," I replied.

" For the first time in what feels like forever, I can safely say that peace is finally returning to the ranch, and it's all thanks to you Sunset Shimmer. So, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart," said Applebloom. Hearing her say that made me blush as that was the first time anyone had ever been that gracious to me in this world. That was when Applebloom walked over and checked on Epona for a few minutes before walking back over to me. " Judging from the condition that she is in right now, you have certainly tamed Epona well and I feel that you two will make a fantastic team."

" I still feel bad for whipping her too hard," I said.

" Maybe so, but Epona trusted you enough that you knew what you were doing, and it turned out that such a reckless course of action was needed as it allowed you to save the ranch," said Applebloom.

" Yes, I suppose so," I said.

" Say, how would you like to take part in a little challenge? The rules are very simple to follow. You will go around the corral two times jumping over fences of various heights in order to see how fast you can complete it. If you can beat the record then you will receive a fantastic present, but I must warn you that it isn't going to be easy. My record is 50 seconds so you will need to finish the course in 49 seconds or less to secure victory," said Applebloom.

" I'm sure that I can beat your record if you say that Epona and I are a good team," I said.

" Quite the confidant one aren't ya? If you will give me and Mr. Ingo about say about 30 minutes, we will get your challenge ready," said Applebloom.

" Why 30 minutes?" I asked.

" It takes time for us to get all of the fences into position even though we have the horses aid us in the moving. It's not like Hyrule is a modern society with all kinds of crazy inventions to make our lives easier or something," replied Applebloom. She did make a valid point and also made a reference to modern life in the human world without even probably realizing it, so I decided to wait around by taking a short nap.

Applebloom then woke me up 30 minutes later to inform me that the obstacle course was ready to go. When I glanced at the setup that she and Big Mac had provided for me, I began to feel nervous as the fences were both numerous in number and quite close together in many cases. I looked towards Epona who gave me a concerned look as she was also worried that this wasn't going to be easy. Applebloom noticed my concern and walked me over to my trusty horse as a means of reassuring me that this was going to be fun. " If you reckon that I'm going to charge you a small fee for playing then you'd be wrong as that wouldn't be fair to you."

" Thanks Applebloom," I said in a nervous voice.

" I haven't had you call me that in years apart from that one little slip-up," smiled Applebloom.

" At least you're accepting of such a name," I said.

" Not sure why anyone would be offended by such pleasant little nicknames, but then I can't really answer for their taste in names now. Anyway, just climb onto Epona and make your way over to the starting line and we can get this started," said Applebloom. Epona whinnied as I climbed onto her, and she trotted over to where the start was. " Just remember to have fun with this race and you'll do fine. Oh! I forgot to mention one important thing! You must jump over all of the fences! You will automatically fail if you miss even a single jump."

" What!?!?" I exclaimed.

" Sorry for not mentioning it earlier as I guess that I was caught up in the moment," said Applebloom. Knowing that little tidbit just made me feel even worse, but there was no turning back for me now as I had to go through with it. " Ready? Go!" I gave a soft kick to Epona's ribs and she began galloping and managed to jump over the first few fences, but when we came up to a series of three fences in a row, she was able to leap over the first one, but she couldn't jump over the second which felt frustrating at first, but I quickly realized that she needed some speed in order to make such jumps in succession.

It was too late to whip her to go faster, so we had no choice but to gallop back to the first fence, and make all three jumps again using the appropriate speed. By the time we made it around the corral once after experiencing a similar mishap with just one large fence, Applebloom called out and said that Epona and I had taken 35 seconds to complete the lap, so we had to get around the corral again in only 15 seconds, and that was going to be an impossibility. Once we completed the second lap, I had Epona slowly come to a stop, and she felt really rejected knowing that we didn't complete the challenge under the time time limit.

" So how long did we take?" I asked.

" You completed both laps in about 1 minute and 23 seconds which to be honest with you, was really pitiful as I was expecting you and Epona to at least finish at around 54 seconds on your first attempt. While you did jump over all of the fences, it was jumping over multiple fences in a row which got you stumped. I'm not saying that you two are a terrible pair as that would be spitting on what you did the other day, but maybe you ought to get in some practice before trying again," replied Applebloom.

" I think we'll try again right now," I said.

" Are you sure that you want to?" asked Applebloom.

" Without a doubt," I replied.

" Okay then," said Applebloom. Epona trotted back over to the starting line where Applebloom gave us the signal to begin the challenge again, and while we did manage to jump over the fences at the proper speed, I ended up whipping her one too many times which caused her to completely slow down at a vital point on the course which was around the final set of fences before the starting line. When we crossed the line this time around after completing one lap, Applebloom mentioned that we had now taken 28 seconds which was faster than before, but we could be much faster than that according to my own opinion.

The second lap pretty much went the same as the first where I ended up tiring out Epona at the same location, and when we crossed the finish line, she came to a stop of her own accord and reared up onto her hind legs as a sign of being frustrated with herself for getting exhausted too soon. Applebloom then came walking over to me and she had a dejected look across her face which meant to me that we failed the challenge once again. " This time you managed to complete the obstacle course in about 58 seconds which is much better than before, but it's still not fast enough to beat my personal best."

" The problem now is that I'm whipping her too much which causes her to run out of steam," I said.

" That's not surprising as a horse can only be whipped so much to increase their speed before getting tired out, and forced to be sluggish for a few moments. I think the problem is that you need to whip her only so much to allow you to make it over the fences, then allow her to gallop slowly before resuming the speed again. You want to go back and forth between slow and fast. I know you want to try it once more as you have the determination in your eyes," said Applebloom.

" I'm not giving up until this is finished," I said.

" Let's see if the third time is indeed the charm," said Applebloom as Epona trotted over to the starting line again and began to prepare herself for the challenge. " You two need to be as one if you plan on being a pair as both horse and rider must be of the same self in heart and mind. That's what granny often said to me back in the day as she was quite the fine rider before she retired. Ready? Go!" I gave Epona the gentle rib kick and she galloped off with a fast start which meant she was determined to break Applebloom's record.

This time I took her advice by whipping Epona only when necessary and to allow her to gallop along at her own pace before needing to pick up speed. There was a brief freak-out moment where she clipped her hoof on the second tall fence we jumped over, and I whinnied to her to ask if she wanted to stop, but her responding whinny was that she wanted to keep on going. After clearing the first lap, Applebloom said that we had taken 24 seconds, so now we were even faster, but we still needed to get around the corral again.

Epona's hoof continued to give her some slight pain, but she shrugged it off as she jumped over the fences, and I whipped her when it was necessary. When she jumped over the final fence and galloped towards the starting line, her hoof buckled which made her lose her balance for a moment, but I was able to righten her back where she crossed the line and slowly came to a stop.

" We should have just stopped the challenge when you injured your foot," I said. Epona then whinnied at me to indicate that she was okay, and that the pain was minimal at best, for all she wanted was to prove that we could beat Applebloom's record. While I admire her for wanting to keep on going, it was foolish as she was risking further injury to her hoof. Applebloom herself then walked over with a smile on her face although I was more focused on whether Epona was okay, or that her hoof could be more injured than originally expected.

" Here, you should use this medicine so that Epona can recover from that injury to her hoof," said Applebloom.

" Do you always carry one of those around?" I asked.

" When you've been taking care of horses as long as I have, you get a sixth sense for these things. Anyway, the time it took you two to complete two laps around the corral this time is 49 seconds, and that means you broke my record so congratulations! I have to give you a fantastic present for such an accomplishment, but it's a little too heavy for you to carry around, so I'll have it delivered to your house so whenever you visit your home sometime in the future, you'll see your prize with your own eyes," replied Applebloom.

" You realize that my home is in a forest right?" I asked.

" Of course as you're a forest girl as who else would wear something like that? It will take about a day or two to deliver your present, and I will personally see to the delivery myself, so you don't have to worry about it," replied Applebloom.

" Thank you," I smiled.

" By the way, when you go to Kakariko Village in order to speak to my grandmother, you should know that things there haven't been all that pleasant due to what has been going on regarding Death Mountain and the Gorons. I heard that Ganondorf's followers came through the village about several months ago and went up the mountain for some reason, but the villagers would probably know more about something like that than I would," said Applebloom.

" Ganondorf's followers!" I exclaimed as it all started to come together in my mind that Ganondorf was up to something once again. As I began to grill Applebloom for more information regarding this rumour she mentioned, something was happening far away. In the middle of a giant patch of solid ice, a large hole had been created as though someone had either punched through it, or used some kind of magic to break through. Someone was on the edge of the hole breathing heavily and drenching in water as a result of being stuck underneath the ice for what felt like years.

" Gasp! Gasp!"

" Are you alright?"

" Who are you?"

" My name is Sheik and I have taken the liberty of freeing you from being trapped under the ice sheet. Even now as I speak, the ice continues to grow stronger, and soon there will be nothing left but a frozen barren wasteland devoid of life."

" But what about the rest of the Zoras?"

" I am sorry, but you were the only one that I was able to rescue from the ice flow," replied Twilight.

" Then does that mean?"

" The other Zoras remain trapped under the ice where they will remain until the curse on your domain has been broken. If you wish to rescue your people from their plight, you will need to find some way of breaking the curse," replied Twilight.

" I must go to the temple in Lake Hylia as I'm sure that is where the source of the curse lies."

" Do you intend to go there alone?" asked Twilight.

" Of course as I am more than capable of going there and figuring out what needs to be done. You should know that you are speaking to the Princess of the Zoras, and I will find a way to save my father and the others. Thank you for rescuing me Sheik and I do appreciate it, but right now I cannot be distracted with idle chit-chat as I must go to the temple immediately.

" You are strong Ruto, Zora Princess, but you will not succeed in defeating the curse alone. The chosen hero of destiny will one day come to your aid just like she did before, and only together will you succeed in rescuing the Zoras.I must go and prepare for the next encounter with you Sunset Shimmer, and hopefully you'll have started to figure out an answer to the problem that consumes your very thoughts." Twilight said to herself.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 25: The Missing Tribe

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 29, 2014
Chapter 25: The Missing Tribe.

" What do you mean by Ganondorf's followers went through Kakariko Village?" I asked.

" This is a rumour mind you, so the accuracy is difficult to ascertain. When he first appeared and took the throne, Ganondorf wanted to have all of the tribes bow down to his will. His own tribe, the Gerudo, already pledged their devotion to him because he was their king, yet the remaining tribes weren't as willing to accept him. That's why one of the first acts he committed as king was to destroy Hyrule Castle Town," replied Applebloom.

" He destroyed Hyrule Castle Town because the Hylians refused to accept him as their king?" I asked.

" No, they were willing to accept him as the Hylians are bound to follow whoever wears the crown. Ganondorf wanted to destroy the town as a testament towards the fact that he despised the Hylians for living in such beauty and squander while his people were forced to suffer cold nights in a harsh landscape where survival was anything but certain," replied Applebloom.

" Okay, so for a number of years the tribes all continued to thrive as though nothing had really changed, but then what happened to the Gorons that would cause them to just disappear without a trace?" I asked.

" People in the village say that the leader of the Gorons was never accepting of Ganondorf's ascension to the throne, and was extremely vocal about it. They also say that the king planned on punishing the Gorons in order to warn the other tribes of what can happen should they choose to resist him. What exactly that punishment was I don't know, and neither do the villagers as they wanted to keep their noses out of it in order to ensure Ganondorf wouldn't come after them next," replied Applebloom.

" I'm not surprised that the Goron Chieftain would be so vocal towards Ganondorf as she always was a stubborn one," I said.

" You know of their leader?" asked Applebloom.

" She and I are Sworn Brothers, and I assume that this is still in effect even now. While she appears as being a fun loving person, her personality changes completely if you were to anger her. Of course, that was the old version of her as I suspect that her way of thinking towards Ganondorf is one where she wishes to keep her people safe from him," I replied.

" While I must commend her for wanting to stand up to Ganondorf, the leader of the Gorons is merely dooming her people by choosing to anger the king. He has such terrifying power that all are afraid of him! If you are that concerned with her Sunset Shimmer, I suggest that you make your way over to Kakariko Village, and climb up Death Mountain to see if the rumours are true," said Applebloom.

" Are any of those rumours true?" I asked.

" Only one and that is the villagers haven't heard anything from the Gorons for several months now as though they simply closed off all communication with the rest of the kingdom. You're probably wondering how I know so much about these rumours aren't ya? When I was working under Mr. Ingo, he had me travel back and forth between the ranch and the village to fulfill some errands, and I happened to overhear all of those conversations," replied Applebloom.

I thanked her once more for the help and for the present upon which I said that I would check out at my house whenever I was able to get around to it. I gave a gentle kick to the ribs and Epona started to gallop as I had her turn around and leave the corral by heading through the gate to where the house and stable were. Big Mac was still there with that smile on his face, and I waved back to him as I left the ranch and Epona galloped along for about a mile before I had her come to a stop.

The reason for this was that I had a couple of options as to where I wanted to go next, but I wasn't sure which would be deemed as more important. On the one hand I needed to go to Kakariko Village and find out what's happened with the Gorons. On the other hand, I needed to return to the Temple of Time as Sheik said that she would be waiting for me there.

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" I'm trying to figure out where to go next," I replied.

" I told you that the ring of fire above the peak of Death Mountain was suspicious, and coupled with the information we just received from Malon, we need to head over there in order to get to the next temple," said Spike.

" And what about the Temple of Time?" I asked.

" The temple huh? Well, that would also be important I suppose especially since Sheik was quite adamant about you wanting to go there. Besides, there is something which actually has been bothering me, and it isn't as bad as you being afraid to transform in fear of losing control. How did Sheik know that Saria would become the Sage of Forest in the first place? It's like she either predicted it, or she knows something that we don't," replied Spike.

" Come to think of it, she also knew that I needed to get the Hookshot in order to enter the Forest Temple, but how could she have known that? I think it's pretty clear at this point as to where we should go next," I said.

" To talk to our mysterious ally?" asked Spike.

" Yep, and to get some answers to our questions," I replied. I urged Epona to make her way towards the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town which took her several minutes to gallop over there, but as soon as we reached the broken bridge, she came to a stop and reared up onto her hind legs and neighed which caught me by surprise. It looked as though she had no intention of entering the town, and I didn't blame her seeing as the place was destroyed when Ganondorf came along.

I climbed down to the ground and patted Epona on her muzzle and gave her a cuddle telling her things were going to be okay, and that I would only be a few minutes. Entering the town through the destroyed gate and running past the Ghost Shop, I reached the market where the same Re-Deads from before were still standing, but I ignored them and ran towards the Temple of Time before they could even react to my presence. The moment I entered the temple, Sheik was standing there and beckoned me to follow her to which I did.

" It seems that you have become a bit more relaxed since we last met," said Twilight.

" Which was only just an hour or two ago you know," I moaned.

" I know why you have come to the Temple of Time. You came here as you wish to know why I am aware of certain aspects of the world, and that you are suspicious of my motives. I have been all over this land for these past seven years helping the various tribes deal with the problems of Ganondorf's reign, and so I've learned much such as knowing where you needed to go in order to acquire the skill you needed to enter the Forest Temple and awaken the forest girl," said Twilight.

" You got all of that from what you experienced?" I asked.

" Correct, for talking to people in order to calm them down can result in them opening their hearts to you and reveal information which they would not normally discuss with anyone outside of their own circle," replied Twilight. She walked all the way over to where the altar was where the three Spiritual Stones had been placed before she quickly turned around and gave me a creepy looking stare.

" The question I must ask of you would be this. Do you believe my words to be true, and that my only goal is to guide you on your journey?" She then turned around and slammed her hands down onto the altar as though she was having some kind of emotional breakdown, but then she quickly regained her composure before folding her arms and waiting for me to respond to her question.

" I do trust you Sheik as you've been very helpful to me ever since I returned from the Sacred Realm, and I have no reason to doubt your claims as so far you haven't shown any kind of harmful intent towards me. However, you do have to forgive me for being distrustful as there is much about you which I don't know about. So long as I know that you won't end up backstabbing me in the future, you have my trust and that is a promise," I replied.

" You have strong convictions indeed, and they will no doubt serve you well. Now please follow me to the back room where you pulled the Master Sword from its place of rest," said Twilight. She then walked around the altar and beckoned me to follow her once again, but why did she want to take me back to where I began this new journey? Was there something which I missed and never realized before?

Sheik continued to walk as she made her way to the Pedestal of Time before coming to a stop and looking down at it before turning her attention to me again. " While you were able to awaken the forest girl as a Sage, there are many other Sages who are awaiting you to rescue them. In order to awaken all six Sages, you must become even more powerful. You must climb over great mountains, swim under vast lakes, and even travel through time itself."

" Travel through time? Is that even possible?" I asked.

" If you thrust the Master Sword into the Pedestal of Time you originally pulled it from, you will travel back in time seven years," replied Twilight.

" Why would you tell me something as significant as that? I could simply go back in time and just stay there and never have to worry about dealing with the problems occurring in this time period," I said.

" But you are the kind of person who wouldn't resort to such a thing," said Twilight.

" You're right as that would be admitting defeat and acting like a coward. I aim to restore this world back to the way it was by defeating Ganondorf, but I am confused as to why I would want to go back into the past when it's obvious that I'm needed here," I said.

" There will come a time when you will need to return here quickly," said Twilight. She then pulled out her golden harp and began to strum a few notes on it before looking at me again. " I will now teach you the melody which will allow you to return here when the time comes. This melody is one which can penetrate the darkness with the brightness of justice. Listen now, to the Prelude of Light!" Sheik then began to play a series of six notes twice over which sounded really beautiful, and it dawned on me that I never asked her how she is so good at playing such a lovely instrument.

Once she had finished strumming her harp, she turned it over to me where I took out the Ocarina of Time and attempted to play the same notes. I really need to practice with this instrument as I had to make almost a dozen attempts before I played it correctly, and it caused Sheik to chuckle along at the sight of my obvious lack of ocarina playing,

" Sorry about that," I said blushing.

" It's okay as you haven't had the chance to play the Ocarina of Time as much as you would like," said Twilight. Once I played it a second time, I had learned the Prelude of Light which I felt was going to be a very useful warp song as coming to the Temple of Time is going to be a thing in the future by the looks of it. Sheik then put her golden harp away before stepping backwards a few steps which meant that I knew what was about to happen next.

" As long as you hold both the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time in your possession, you hold time itself in your hands. Sunset Shimmer, I shall see you again." She then tossed a Deku Nut which flashed a lot brighter than usual which almost made me blind, but when my vision returned, she was gone again, but at least she managed to give me some vital information. I had the ability to return to the past just by placing the Master Sword back in the Pedestal of Time, and immediately return to the exact moment when Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm.

I was tempted to want to go back in time and have some fun, but I had more important things to do which involved going to Kakariko Village and finding out about the Gorons. With this new information fresh in my mind, I started to make my way back to the entrance of the temple, but stopped when I reached the altar.

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" I'm sensing something," I replied.

" You do? I don't sense anything at all," said Spike.

" There's something standing behind us at a fair distance, and is hiding in the shadows for whatever reason it has. I'm actually looking at it right now out of the corner of my eye, and I can see the evil in its eyes," I said. What I was looking at was something that was standing in the shadows behind the Pedestal of Time, but I didn't know if it has simply appeared by moving through the shadows, or it had been waiting for Sheik to leave before choosing to confront me.

I had no intention of confronting it as that would be a stupid thing for me to do. I knew that it wasn't Ganondorf as why would he want to deal with someone who was beneath him? As I walked away without looking back at this presence, for some reason it was reminding me of my past self, but I didn't know why.

What I didn't know was that this presence was in fact the she-demon form of myself now having grown much stronger although it was still being incoherent when it came to its speech pattern. The fear that I had with regards to my transformation was the food it needed to grow strong as it fed on darkness.

" You are afraid of the....evil within you which comes forth....when you transform into that hideous form. Why....would you choose to become something....so ugly, and full....of good magic when you....could have stayed like me....and become all powerful where nothing could....oppose your will. You are not....worthy of being Sunset Shimmer....that distinction is mine for I....I am the real you, the one who....is feared and hated by all....I shall become the only Sunset Shimmer....you will become nothing more than a memory....a memory that never existed in the....hearts of others. Sunset Shimmer....must take your place....must become you....must kill you to become you...."

" I did sense something after all," said Spike.

" There was an odd feeling I was getting from that presence back as though it were related to me," I said. As I walked out of the temple, I turned to the right and stared up at Death Mountain whose ring of fire was intense and stunning to look at even from this distance. The last time, I had to save the Gorons from starving to death due to Ganondorf wanting the spiritual stone. Could he have decided to try and starve them again, or did he have something far worse than simply denying them their sustenance?

As I continued to stare at the mountain, I began to think about Pinkie Pie, and what she had been doing these past seven years. Was she still the Goron Chieftain or did she end up stepping down due to allowing her anger to get the better of her again? " Spike, I don't know what we're going to discover up there, but we need to be prepared to deal with the angry form of Darunia." With that resolve in my heart, I started to head back to the center of town in order to leave, and the presence I felt appeared at the entrance to the temple where it gazed out upon me before it disappeared back into the shadows.

" So what do we know so far regarding Death Mountain other than the fact that it has a ring of fire above the peak?" asked Spike.

" The Gorons have been really quiet during the past several months according to what Applebloom overheard from the villagers, and that they've essentially cut themselves off from the rest of the kingdom. We also have rumours that Ganondorf's followers travelled through Kakariko Village during the same timespan as when the Gorons broke all contact, and went up there themselves perhaps to deal with the Gorons who have chosen to defy Ganondorf," I replied.

" It feels like this is more truth than rumour," said Spike.

" That's what I was thinking as well," I said.

" All of this could have something to do with the five temples," said Spike.

" What makes you think that?" I asked.

" There has been a legend which states that a sacred temple exists somewhere deep inside Death Mountain which has been used as a place of worship for the Gorons since ancient times, and it's still used even to this day. It's said that a Goron hero of some respute chose to place a mighty weapon there in the hopes that one day someone will come along and claim it as their own. There was also a reference in the legend regarding some kind of ancient monster that used to roam about the mountain instilling fear before it died, but no one knows what it could have been apart from the Gorons themselves," replied Spike.

" How do you know all of that?" I asked.

" The Great Deku Tree told us fairies about the various legends of Hyrule," replied Spike.

" Quite convenient," I said sarcastically.

" Maybe, but the fact is I don't know how completely accurate it is seeing as it's a Goron legend, so naturally they would know more about it. I'd say that Darunia would be the best person to ask about the temple of Death Mountain, for as the Goron Chieftain, she is privy to the legends of her people," said Spike.

" First we need to establish that she and the rest of her tribe are up there," I said. The moment I walked out of Hyrule Castle Town and onto the broken drawbridge, Epona neighed a happy little whinny as she was excited that I had come back, but then she went quiet as she knew that I wasn't going to be around for very long. I patted her on the muzzle and gave her a whinny of my own to explain that I had to climb up the mountain, and that she wasn't able to due to not having the ability to gallop up a flight of stairs.

Oh, I still intended on getting onto her saddle and have her gallop over to Kakariko Village as she wanted me riding her even if for a short distance. Upon climbing up and giving her a gentle rib kick, Epona galloped off towards the village, and along the way we ran into another Big Poe which immediately ran away before disappearing.

I have to remind myself to hunt down those Big Poes for that Sombra fellow who runs the Ghost Shop as he did say that he had some kind of reward if I were to get 1,000 points on my card which he insisted on keeping. Eventually, we arrived at the staircase which lead up to the village, and I climbed down off of Epona after she slowly came to a stop. I know that she didn't want me to go up Death Mountain as she must have sensed how dangerous it was, but I had no other choice as the fate of the kingdom hung in the balance.

To keep her from getting sad, I gave a soft whinny followed by a long one which told her that I would be fine and shall return as soon as possible. She whinnied back her approval, and I began to take my leave and head up the stairs.

" I still can't believe that you can speak horse," said Spike.

" Are you jealous of my little talent?" I asked.

" No, I wouldn't call it jealousy but rather being a little creeped out that you're whinnying to a horse. I know that you're a pony yourself according to your backstory, but seeing you whinny like that makes it all awkward to me. Maybe if I were a horse or capable of speaking their language, I'd be more comfortable with it," replied Spike.

" It's not my intention to make you feel uneasy with it Spike as it's just my own way of talking to Epona in order to calm her nerves, and to reassure her that things are going to be okay. You'd be surprised as to how timid and nervous she really is. Anyway, before we speak to Talon and tell her that she can go back to Lon Lon Ranch, we should ask around about the Gorons so that we don't wind up going up Death Mountain blind," I said.

The moment we entered the village, the dark clouds appeared which reminded us of the evil in the land. As I made my way towards the tree which was located in the center of the village, I noticed Scootaloo was admiring her cuccos from a safe distance, and figured that she would be someone who would know about the Gorons, but when a large burly man walked up to me with a big concern across his face, I had a feeling that he would know more than her.

" Are you an adventurer type of woman?"

" That depends," I replied.

" If you plan on going up Death Mountain in order to go looking for adventure, you should just stay away before that monster ends up getting you."

" Well, I do plan on visiting Goron City to find out what happened to the Gorons, but what do you mean by a monster?" I asked.

" Talon returned from her trip up the mountain the other day, and she said that she could hear the sounds of a fierce beast echoing all across the peak as though something had recently settled down in the Death Mountain Crater. She also said that she saw no signs of any Gorons along the mountain trails where they usually like to hang out, and while she wasn't able to search their city, she believes that the entire tribe has just disappeared without a trace."

" How sure of that are you?" I asked.

" I'm just repeating to you what Talon said when she came back."

" Hmmmm....maybe you can answer a question for me," I said.

" What is it?"

" I've been told of a rumour that several months ago, some of Ganondorf's followers walked through the village and up to Death Mountain, and I want to know if this rumour is real or it's nothing more than fabrication," I replied.

" Then you were told the truth as his followers did come through here although they ignored us all completely which was a surprise. They appeared one night, and we all hid within our homes fearing that they had come to take us away. When we discovered that they were going up Death Mountain, we all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that we were safe, but then we began to worry about the Gorons although surely their leader would be able to stop Ganondorf's followers.

You look as though you are curious about the Gorons right? You should talk to Talon about it as she knows more than I do." I thanked the man for his advice and headed straight over to the house where I saw Granny Smith before, and sure enough she was inside sitting on the bed with her eyes opened as I entered the house.

" Huh? Oh it's you from the other day," said Granny Smith as I walked up to her.

" I'm so glad that you're awake and still here as I need to speak to you about two urgent matters," I said.

" What be the problem?" asked Granny Smith.

" First of all, I came here to let you know that you can return to Lon Lon Ranch as Ingo has given up all rights of ownership back to you, so you can go there right now and see your granddaughter again," I replied.

" Are you serious young lady!?!? Then that means that you accomplished what you'd said you'd do which was to save the ranch and my granddaughter. Thanks to you, I can finally go back and see her wonderful smile for the first time in what feels like forever. As for Ingo, I'll be sure to listen to what he has to say, and then assist him with the chores as I am going to turn over a new leaf and work real hard from now on.

This whole mess was my fault from the beginning as I lost the fire in my belly and allowed the ranch to fall into disrepair, but after having been through this experience, I know now that I need to work hard and make the ranch the best that it can possibly be," said Granny Smith.

" Just don't end up falling into despair again," I said.

" Yer darn tootin' I won't be falling into that trap ever again I promise you that. Yahoo! I've got to get my things packed and head on over to the ranch as soon as possible as no doubt that Malon can't wait to see my face again," said Granny Smith.

" Hold on! You can't go just yet," I began.

" And why not?" asked Granny Smith.

" Because I still have something urgent to discuss," I replied.

" Well why didn't ya say so?" asked Granny Smith. I slapped my face in utter frustration, but quickly calmed down as I didn't want to end up losing control of my emotions, so I explained to her that I was going to climb up Death Mountain and was wondering if she knew anything about what was happening up there. " That mountain sure has changed in recent years and I don't refer to the colouring of the landscape. No, boulders have been pouring down the trails which has never happened before, and the volcano has been erupting more than ever which has made people scared to climb up there."

Granny Smith then began to scratch her chin as though she were in deep thought about something; at least I hope that was the case otherwise she may have forgotten all about it. " Oh yes! I remember now! None of the Gorons were around which was really weird as they are usually all over the trails greeting folk as they come along. I did try to visit Goron City in order to see if they were there, but I was forced to turn back by some small rolling object which didn't want me to go anywhere near it."

" And that's all you know?" I asked.

" Yep, so if you'll excuse me, I need to start getting my things together as I have a ranch to go back to," replied Granny Smith. After thanking her for the advice, I exited the home and walked over to where a crate had been left propped next to another house, and I sat down on it in order to think about what I've learned. Ganondorfs followers visited months ago in order to climb up Death Mountain, yet no one in the village knows why and none of them seem to know if those followers ever came back down.

The Gorons have been quiet for the same time period that people think they have cut off all ties to the rest of the kingdom, but what if something bad has happened to them? Could it be possible that Ganondorf is trying to starve them to death again just like before, or is he relying on some other means?

" What are you thinking about?" asked Spike.

" Just mulling over everything we've heard regarding the Gorons, and I really don't know what kind of conclusion it makes. I know that Ganondorf is involved although what remains to be seen, and the villagers have only heard rumours which may not be a reflection of the truth itself. No, the only way we're going to figure out exactly what happened would be to go up Death Mountain, and locate them on our own," I replied.

" And if we can't find them?" asked Spike.

" We'll need to speak to Darunia and find out the truth," I replied. Without wasting any time, I ran up the stairs which lead to the entrance of the Death Mountain Trail, and as soon as I entered the trail, I had to jump to the side whereupon I smacked into a wall due to a huge boulder rolling towards me which was mere inches away. As I turned around, I saw the boulder collide with apparently nothing and shattered to pieces, and here I thought it would have rolled into the village and caused some damage. " Whew! That was too close for comfort! Where in the world did that boulder come from?"

" Remember that Talon did say that boulders have been rolling down from the higher up locations of the mountain, so traversing the trail here isn't going to be as easy as it was before. Speaking of boulders, there are some rocks strewn about the path which could be used as a means of protection from both boulders and enemies. However, these rocks are much more sturdy, and they are immune to the explosions of bombs and Bomchus," replied Spike.

" Then how would I break them?" I asked as I regained my composure and walked over to a rock which was firmly planted in the ground. I tapped it with my hand gently in order to get a feel for it, and of course had I gone and gave it a punch or something like that, my hand would either be bleeding right now or broken. Then I walked around it once to confirm that it was in fact an ordinary giant rock which was made from a more stable material than the rocks I've seen in the past.

" Never mind, I just answered my own question with a little observation. I'd say that I would need some kind of heavy blunt object in order to shatter a rock like this, and I have a feeling that I'm going to need to do just that in order to uncover some vital secrets." Walking a few feet more before coming to a stop, I noticed an unusual pattern in the cliff-side to my right which made me suspicious.

" It looks like you can blow that part of the wall up with a bomb," said Spike.

" While that would be a good idea, I don't see the point as I don't think there are any Gorons hidden behind it," I said.

" Of course there wouldn't be any of them as that is just a small groove in the wall where people hide treasure chests. Any Goron who would trap themselves behind that would end up suffocating long before anyone could find him. Sorry if that sounded a little morbid, but you did come up with quite a silly scenario," laughed Spike.

" I just wanted to brighten the mood," I said.

" Due to the dark clouds above?" asked Spike.

" Just seeing them above and knowing that it isn't going to rain reminds me that Ganondorf has changed things for the worse," I replied. Sighing, I continued to walk up the mountain trail making sure to jump aside whenever a boulder would be coming my way, and eventually we reached the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern which certainly brought back some interesting memories. " Since the entrance to their quarry remains open, we can throw out the idea of the Gorons starving to death again. Hmmmm....isn't there supposed to be a Goron standing outside the cavern entrance as a sort of greeter?"

" I remember you talking to him and he informed us that Goron City was the place to go for additional gossip. It feels weird that he isn't here now, and what's even more bizarre is that there are rocks all over the place and they really clutter up the path," replied Spike.

" What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

" The Gorons make sure to keep the trail free of any rocks, boulders, and debris as they know that people from the village come up here from time to time in order to travel to Goron City to do their usual business. Even the old king would come up here on rare occasions in order to see Darunia, yet that was more of a political thing as the king had to ensure her that she was being given the proper respect otherwise the alliance between the Hylians and the Gorons wouldn't have lasted all that long.

Judging from how many rocks are lining the ground both in front of and behind us, I'd say that the Gorons have been very lax about it for several months at the least," replied Spike.

" Which is what we heard from Applebloon who heard it from the villagers," I said.

" So at least we now know that there is some sense of consistency here," said Spike before he cut himself off when he noticed that I was walking towards the Dodongo's Cavern which made him immediately fly past me in order to stop me from going inside. " What do you think you're doing Sunset Shimmer? Why do you feel the need to go back into a dungeon which we already cleared, and that was seven years ago mind you!"

" They could be inside you know," I suggested.

" Really? Well, I suppose that would be a good place for them to hide if Ganondorf's followers came up here, but wouldn't they have come back out by now given that the followers came here months ago?" asked Spike.

" You have a point, but then a part of me does want to go in there and just take a quick peek for old-times sake," I replied. Despite his best protests, I chose to ignore Spike and walked into the Dodongo's Cavern where it looked as though nothing had changed. Everything that I had accomplished remained the same, so it looked as though the Gorons didn't get around to mining for the rocks that they love.

I was thinking of calling out "hello" at the top of my voice, but I doubt anyone would be able to hear it, and it would make me look like some kind of weirdo, so I opted against it and instead go back outside where Spike was waiting for me. " They weren't there which you said was the case, but it did bring something else to my attention."

" What would that be?" asked Spike.

" The Gorons were never able to resume their digging in there as everything was still the same when we explored it. Either the cavern was still full of monsters thus preventing them from getting anything done, or they were just about to resume digging when they simply disappeared. I'm leaning towards the second option because look what I just found on the ground," I replied.

Right next to my foot was a pair of large gloves with huge claws on them which meant that they were Goron sized, and that whoever dropped them here had been in an awful hurry as I doubt that they would just be neglectful about it. " I think we should head towards either Goron City, or the top of Death Mountain where the Great Fairy is located in order to find them."

" While she does possess much power, I don't know if the Great Fairy is even aware of what's going on," said Spike.

" Does it have to do with the dark clouds?" I asked.

" Afraid so Sunset Shimmer. Those clouds are preventing good magic from coming through, and it clouds the visions of mystical beings such as the Great Fairy, so I don't think she will be able to help us. In fact, if she had been able to do something about it, she would have done so a long time ago," replied Spike. If someone as powerful as Adagio wasn't able to know of the location of the Gorons, then things must have been really bad.

Walking along towards where the path splits off with one heading to Goron City, and the other winding its way up the mountain, I decided to go to the city as heading up the mountain towards the peak would have been pointless....until I noticed something which caught my immediate attention, and it made my jaw drop upon seeing what was in front of me.

" Spike? Do you see what I see?" I asked.

" You mean a huge Goron sitting up there at the peak?" asked Spike.

" Good, so you can see it, and here I thought that I was losing my mind at such a prospect. Still, how in the wide world of Equestria can a Goron end up getting so huge in the first place? Also, why is he even up there to begin with? Finally, if the other Gorons have gone missing, how come this one is up there and not with the others? So many questions which all don't make much sense," I replied.

" Actually, I can answer the latter question for you although the first two are impossible," said Spike.

" Then by all means explain away," I said.

" I've only heard rumours with regards to this particular Goron, but I hear that he is the largest Goron on record coming in at a height that can be best described as being about half the size of a mountain. Since he's such a big Goron, I doubt Ganondorf's followers would have been able to do anything to him unless they were numbered in the millions instead of a small raiding party," said Spike.

" Still, he's so huge that I feel so small and insignificant," I said.

" Why do I feel that you know more about him than I do?" asked Spike.

" I don't know who is he in this world, but back in my world he is called Bulk Biceps who may look scary due to his muscular build, but he is as gentle as a butterfly once you get to know him. He doesn't say all that much aside from saying "YEAH" all the time in a way that makes it look like he's freaking out whenever he says it. I'm actually surprised to see him so huge in Hyrule, and I think it's for the best that we just avoid him for the time being until we are certain that he's as gentle here as he is there," I said.

That was when I started to head on over to the entrance to Goron City hoping that Bulk Biceps wouldn't see me, but it turns out luck wasn't on my side right now for his sharp gaze ended up catching me on the corner of his eyes. As soon as he saw me, he turned around which felt like a small earthquake due to how big he was, and slightly looked down so as to keep a close eye on me.

" YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" said Bulk Biceps.

" His voice sounds like a sonic boom," said Spike.

" If he ends up going even higher in the decibels then it will be a whole lot worse than that," I said.

" EXCUSE ME! I KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR MY VOICE FROM ALL THE WAY OVER THERE, BUT COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ME AN INDICATOR THAT YOU ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO ME?" asked Bulk Biceps. That was actually pretty subtle of him and straight to the point, so I lifted up my right arm and waved to him to let him know that I was paying attention to what he had to say.

" THANK YOU! I SUSPECT THAT YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT BECAME OF MY FELLOW GORONS DON'T YOU?" I waved my arm again to acknowledge that I was indeed curious about them. " A STRANGE GROUP CAME HERE SOME MONTHS AGO TO VISIT GORON CITY, BUT THEY NEVER CAME BACK OUT ALONG WITH MY PEOPLE."

" How does that work?" I asked.

" Your guess is as good as mine," replied Spike.

" I FEEL AS THOUGH MY FELLOW GORONS ARE MISSING, BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN AS I AM ALL THE WAY UP HERE, AND I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A VISIT FROM THE OTHERS FOR SOME TIME NOW. THE GROUP THAT CAME HERE WERE WEARING BLACK ROBES AND WERE WIELDING WHAT APPEARED TO BE SHACKLES WHICH HAS ME WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED.

YOU, YOUNG WOMAN! CAN YOU PLEASE FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN GORON CITY? I BELIEVE MY PEOPLE ARE IN DANGER, AND THEY COULD USE SOMEONE TO HELP THEM," said Bulk Biceps.

" Black robes and shackles huh? That does sound like the work of Ganondorf," I said.

" It sounds like the Gorons were kidnapped although why would he do something like that? He couldn't be holding them for ransom as Darunia doesn't have anything that Ganondorf would want, but then again it could be an entirely different meaning," said Spike.

" Have you figured it out?" I asked.

" Maybe, but I do need a second opinion, so I hope that one of the Gorons managed to elude being kidnapped as we could use some insight," replied Spike. I then waved my arm to Bulk Biceps again in order to let him know that I agreed to go to Goron City in order to find out what happened, and just as I was about to head off towards the city, he just so happened to shift slightly back towards the mountain peak as that was what he had been looking at before.

" THANK YOU FOR WANTING TO FIND OUT ON MY BEHALF. I AM HOPING THAT THEY ARE ALL RIGHT, AND THAT BIG BROTHER DARUNIA IS OKAY AS SHE HASN'T BEEN SEEN AROUND HERE FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. BY THE WAY, I DO HAVE SOMETHING ELSE TO TELL YOU ABOUT. MY BROTHER JUST OPENED A NEW STORE IN GORON CITY, AND HE CALLS IT MEDIGORON'S BLADE STORE. HE HAS SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS FORGING A BLADE WHICH HE PLANS ON SELLING IN ORDER TO FOLLOW IN MY FOOTSTEPS.

WHILE I DO COMMEND HIM FOR WANTING TO FORGE A WEAPON OF GREAT POWER, I AM MUCH BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO THE CRAFT. HYLIAN CARPENTERS PRAISE ME FOR MY SKILLS EVEN THOUGH MY WORK ISN'T VERY CONSISTENT. PERHAPS YOU CAN COME AND VISIT ME UP HERE ONE DAY, AND I CAN MAKE YOU A FINE WEAPON USING MY FORGING SKILLS," said Bulk Biceps. I waved one last time to thank him for the information, and as soon as I was out of his sight, I dropped to the ground and clutched my ears as they were writhing in agony over the fact that his loud voice almost caused me to lose my hearing permanently.

Still, I did appreciate what he had to say despite being so loud, and Ganondorf did have something to do with the disappearance of the Gorons. As I walked towards Goron City, I noticed the small passageway which lead to the location of the one Bomb Flower that was situated outside of Dodongo's Cavern. I remember that someone was there protecting it from harm, but that Goron was no longer there which made me feel pretty sad knowing that even she was missing. Entering Goron City, I found myself surrounded by nothing but silence which felt weird as the city was usually more lively.

" The entire tribe is missing," I said.

" With the exception of that big one outside," said Spike.

" If I didn't think this situation couldn't get any worse, this just took the cake if you know what I mean," I said.

" So where should we search first?" asked Spike.

" I think we ought to check out Darunia's room first as that is the most important room in the entire city," I replied. No sooner had I taken a few steps forward, I felt something sticking into my back which felt like the sharp tip of a pretty large spear. Then I noticed a shadowy presence on the nearby wall that was behind my shadow, and that only meant that someone was about to strike me down from behind....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 26: Darkness of the Heart

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 31, 2014
Chapter 26: Darkness of the Heart.

Having a sharp spear pressing into my back was uncomfortable, but something else was bothering me. I assumed that aside from Bulk Biceps outside, the rest of the Gorons were missing, so how come there was one here in their city armed with a weapon? Then again, it could be someone from a different tribe who somehow managed to make their way up here in order to either help out or help themselves to what the Gorons left behind.

I tried to see if I could reach for a Deku Nut so that I could stun whoever was behind me, but they noticed my hand moving and pressed the spear tip even further causing me to abandon that idea.

" Don't you make any sudden moves!"

" With that spear now even more into my back than before, I'm not in a position to do anything," I said. I suppose that I could use some magic in order to get me out of this situation, but then the person standing behind me is likely to get hurt, and I sense that they weren't a monster. Even though I've burned numerous monsters, I refuse to inflict harm to innocent people.

I then tried turning my head in order to see who was behind me with that spear, but they took offence to that as well, and pressed the spear on my back even harder. One more push like that and I'm likely to get punctured, and I don't have the means to heal myself. It looks as though I'm pretty much stuck here unless I can somehow talk my way out of this.

" I don't know why one of you decided to come back again, but as you can see, the entirety of the Goron tribe have been taken away. Your master commanded you to take us away in order to punish us, but you will never capture me as long as I continue to be brave just like my mother!"

" Hold on! Do you think I'm one of Ganondorf's followers?" I asked.

" Of course you are as why else would you come back here after such a long time? You and the rest of those men came along and captured my people and showed no mercy as you shackled them with those awful chains, and forced them to proceed into the Death Mountain Crater like they were slaves. Since I now have you at my mercy, I intend to make an example out of you, and treat you in the same manner."

" You obviously are confused as the last time I came here was seven years ago when I helped the Gorons by ending their famine by destroying the creatures that were infesting the Dodongo's Cavern, and I was assisted by your leader Darunia, who joined in on the adventure as she was impressed with my skills.

After that, we became what she referred to as Sworn Brothers although I don't quite understand the whole gist of it," I said. That was when I felt the spear slightly being pulled away from my back which indicated to me that my attacker could be believing my story, but I needed to go a little further to solidify my proof. " Darunia asked me for my name back when we first met after I played her the song from the forest, and that name was Sunset Shimmer."

" Huh? Did you say your name was Sunset Shimmer?"

" That would be my name yes, and I was given the title of Hero of the Gorons, or something like that from Darunia although my memory is hazy," I replied. All of a sudden, I could no longer feel the spear pressing against my back which meant my attacker believed me, or was trying to figure out how to process my words.

In any case, I turned around to discover that the person who had been standing behind me was Babs Seed, Applejack and Applebloom's cousin from the human world, but what was she doing here of all places, and why was she wearing the same kind of armour that Pinkie Pie had been wearing the last time I saw her?

" Your name is also Sunset Shimmer? Then you must be the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero, Sunset Shimmer! My mom is Darunia...do you remember her? Mom named me Sunset Shimmer after you, because you're so brave," said Babs.

" What!?!? You're the daughter of Darunia?" I asked. Hearing her say that almost gave me a heart attack because of how shocking it was. Babs in this world is the daughter of Pinkie Pie!?!? That was beyond freaky as Pinkie was the kind of person who was too crazy to ever be able to have children of her own. Then again, this is Hyrule and everyone I know is different from what I'm used to seeing from them.

While she may be related to Pinkie in this world, I doubt that Babs has adopted any of her mannerisms which would make things a lot more difficult for me. That was when something else hit me....Babs was named after me because Pinkie viewed me as a great hero? " Did you say that your mother named you after me?"

" That's right although I prefer to use my nickname whenever I'm speaking to someone who is a non-Goron. While you and mom are Sworn Brothers, you are still a non-Goron so I would like you to call me Link. I honestly don't know where my mom came up with a nickname like that, but I'm appreciative of it as it came from her heart. Besides, we're both named Sunset Shimmer and that is bound to cause confusion, so you shall be Sunset Shimmer, and I shall be known as Link," replied Babs.

" I guess that makes sense," I said.

" You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you in person as mom constantly told me stories of your bravery when you and her explored the Dodongo's Cavern when you were younger, or rather when mom was younger as you look as though you haven't aged in years. Even though I want you to call me Link, I truly appreciate being named after someone so awesome as you. It's a cool name! I really like it! Sunset Shimmer, you're a hero to us Gorons!

This may sound completely out of the blue, but can you sign something for me because seeing you here and now is like a dream come true. Please give me your autograph! Sign it: "To my friend, Sunset Shimmer of the Gorons who also goes by the name of Link" if you don't mind," said Babs.

" I have a free moment, but do you happen to have a pen and some paper?" I asked. Babs quickly ran off taking the spear with her which was a huge sigh of relief for me, and a few moments later she came back with the tools I asked her to find. It actually felt weird to me signing an autograph to someone who had my own name, but at the same time it felt good to be appreciated for a change.

It took me a few moments to figure out what to write, but once I came up with something, I wrote it down in addition to what Babs wanted me to write. Once I was finished, I handed it over to her where she squeeled with glee before running off again, and coming back a few moments later. " You certainly do have your mother's boundless energy."

" She has been a huge influence in my life for as long as I can remember," said Babs.

" It's a good thing that you happen to be a Goron as I needed to speak to you, Darunia, or one of the others about what has been going on around here. According to the villagers back down in Kakariko Village, Goron City has been quiet for the past several months as though the Gorons decided to sever all ties with the rest of the kingdom. Also, you believed me to be one of Ganondorf's followers which confirms that they did come up here during the same time period where the Gorons disappeared," I said.

That was when I noticed Babs had changed her expression from happy to sad, and she had her head tilted down which meant she knew what was going on. " Listen Link! You need to tell me what has happened here as I wish to help out just like I did last time."

" I guess it's not a good time to ask you for this, but please help everyone!" shouted Babs.

" What's wrong?" I asked.

" My mom, Darunia, went to the Fire Temple! A dragon is inside! If we don't hurry up, even my mom will be eaten by the dragon!" replied Babs. Did she just say that a dragon was inside of one of the five temples under Ganondorf's evil influence? I'm not surprised about the fact that there is a dragon involved as they were an issue back in Equestria, but what does surprise me has to do with the fact that Pinkie Pie of all people went there in the first place.

I tried to ask Babs an additional question, but she had suddenly burst into tears. I had to calm her down and see if she was willing to talk about the Gorons, but then I quickly realized that would make her feel even worse, so maybe she had some information regarding the dragon.

" What can you tell me about this dragon?" I asked.

"About the dragon?" asked Babs.

" That's right," I replied.

" A long time ago, long before we modern Gorons thrived here on Death Mountain, there was an evil dragon which claimed its territory in the heart of the mountain known as the Death Mountain Crater. This creature which was named Volvagia according to the ancient documents passed down through the generations, and it was an evil dragon that terrorized our ancestors. Its favourite food was Gorons which is why the documents stated that our ancestors were living in constant fear of this creature, and that nothing could be done about it....until one day when the Hero of the Gorons came along, and decided to take matters into his own hands.

He travelled to the lair of Volvagia, and using a huge hammer which he forged himself....BOOOOOOOOM! Destroyed the dragon as though it were nothing, and freed our people from the fear it had over them. When it was established that Volvagia had been completely destroyed, the Hero sealed his hammer deep inside of the Fire Temple where it has remained ever since," said Babs.

" That is quite the story," I said.

" While many believe it to be nothing more than a legend, the fact is that it really did happen. My mom happens to be a descendant of the Hero of the Gorons, and has striven to be just as heroic as he was back in the day. That's why mom became the leader of the Gorons as she was the bravest one among us, and dedicated herself to always protecting her people," said Babs. Hearing that made me think of Pinkie Pie of this world in a completely different way than I had thought previously.

Despite being a party animal, she was serious when it came to the well-being of her people, and that determination could mean the reason why she decided to go to the temple on her own. " Just thinking of my mom all alone in the temple fighting against terrible odds and the dragon is worrying me to death!" Babs then began to cry again, so I needed to ask her something else in order to calm her down.

" Where is the Fire Temple?" I asked.

" The temple? It's located in the very bottom of Death Mountain Crater which we refer to as the heart of Death Mountain. The intense heat of the crater is so strong that non-Gorons have never been able to survive long enough," replied Babs. She resumed crying as I suspect she was now thinking about Pinkie again, so I had to ask her another question.

" And what about the Gorons?" I asked.

" When my mom was away trying to gather up food and supplies, Ganondorf's followers came and took everyone away to the Fire Temple. I was able to avoid being captured, but everyone else wasn't as lucky," replied Babs. She then stopped crying and began to pace about back and forth for a few moments before she addressed me where she took a deep breath. " My people have been taken to the temple in order to be fed to the dragon."

" Didn't you say that the dragon was destroyed a long time ago?" I asked.

" That's what we believed for a long time, but my mom said that Ganondorf revived Volvagia as a means of punishing the Gorons as a warning to the other tribes who might choose to oppose him. Mom went to the Fire Temple when she discovered what happened, but she doesn't stand a chance against the dragon as she doesn't have the legendary hammer," replied Babs.

" Then it looks like I need to go to the Fire Temple as well," I said.

" If you were to go there right now, you would probably last for about two minutes before being burned alive," said Babs.

" I have a strong affinity towards fire, so I think I'll be fine," I said.

" Maybe so Sunset Shimmer, but you won't last long in that dreaded inferno. I know that you possess great magic as that was something mom insisted on telling me about when it came to stories of you, and she said that fire was the magic which defined you the most. However, your magic isn't going to protect against the natural elements of the Death Mountain Crater. I know that you want to help out mom, but you can't do anything....at least, not without this in your possession," said Babs.

She then ran off once again and came back a short moment later holding a small box which she handed over to me. I opened it up and inside was a red coloured tunic which left me with a confused look on my face. " What you have there is a Goron Tunic. If you wear it, you will endure the intense heat no matter how long you stay there.

Please, use that tunic and follow mom into the temple to save her and our people." A tunic which can protect me from the heat of a volcano....that sounded like a really good idea although I would need to be in private in order to change tunics as doing so out in the open would be embarrassing, but then it dawned on me as to whether Pinkie wants anyone else to follow her.

" Are you sure your mother would appreciate me following her?" I asked.

" Mom told me not to let anybody follow her to the temple as she didn't want anyone to get hurt, but...only you, Sunset Shimmer, can save everyone! Now, I'll tell you about the secret passage to the Fire Temple which mom used to get there so quickly. Try to move the statue inside Mom's room! It may look heavy, but it's rather light so I know you can easily pull it," replied Babs.

" Would it be okay if I got some rest first? I've been doing a lot of adventuring overnight and much of the morning, and I fear that if I go on ahead to the Fire Temple, I'll end up collapsing and be of no use to anyone," I said.

" You do look as though you've been on your feet all night long, so I guess that it's okay. You can sleep in Mom's room for as long as you need to, and as for me, I'll resume my patrols of the city in case someone else attempts to sneak in here," said Babs. I wonder what she meant when she said "Goron Special Crop", but maybe it was a Goron thing, so I ignored it and made my way over to Pinkie's room. It took me a few minutes to remember how to get down there as it had been a while, but I eventually reached it and discovered that it hadn't really changed all that much aside from the inclusion of a statue which clearly didn't fit in with the rest of the motif.

" What did you think about all of that Spike?" I asked.

" I'm surprised that Darunia has a daughter as I didn't really of her as being a motherly figure given how she behaved in the past. Still, I have to admire her for wanting to venture forth to the Fire Temple in order to save her people from a terrifying dragon. She is more concerned with their safety instead of her own, and is willing to give up her very life for them," replied Spike.

" Is there anything you know about the temple aside from what Sunset Shimmer....I mean, what Link said?" I asked.

" Feels weird knowing someone who has your name doesn't it?" asked Spike.

" It's just so creepy that Darunia would name her own daughter after me, but I guess that I should also be grateful that she viewed me as such a role-model who was worthy enough to name her own child after," I replied.

" Anyway, Link didn't say all that much regarding the temple apart from the fact that the intense heat in there makes traversing impossible without the Goron Tunic which you now have in your possession. To be honest with you, there isn't much more that I can say other than stating the obvious facts. There's bound to be a lot of fire based traps within the temple which are sure to test your patience, and the monsters this time around are going to be fire based also," said Spike.

" I see what you mean about it being obvious," I said.

" Perhaps Darunia will give us some more insight as to what we can expect in the temple provided that we find her in addition to the temple itself. Link said that the temple was somewhere at the bottom of the Death Mountain Crater, but she didn't say where exactly the entrance was," said Spike.

" What about that altar we saw in the Sacred Forest Meadow which depicted the image of a medallion on it?" I asked.

" There should be one of those somewhere in the crater, and if we can find it then the entrance to the Fire Temple should be somewhere close by. Right now, we should get some rest as we're going to need all the strength we can muster up if we're going to be entering a literal inferno," replied Spike. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, I remained awake as there were a few things still on my mind.

If I were to end up facing this Volvagia personally, would that mean I'd need to transform in order to use the Master Sword to defeat it? Just thinking about it made me shudder as I was afraid of what might happen should I lose control again. The only other thing that was on my mind was how Pinkie Pie was going to react to the fact that I still looked the same as I did before whereas she has aged seven years.

That was when I fell asleep and was out for half the day as overcoming the trials of the Forest Temple took their toll on me. By the time I woke up, the sun had already settled, and the moon was beginning to rise which signalled the beginning of the night.

" You woke up much sooner than I expected," said Spike.

" If I had slept for far too long, I could be too late to save Darunia and the other Gorons. To be perfectly frank, I didn't want to get some sleep as I was ready to enter the temple, but my body was too exhausted after making my way up Death Mountain Trail, and walking down here to this room was the last straw for me," I said.

" Guess we should see about moving this statue back and revealing the secret passageway," said Spike.

" Before we do that, I need to contact Fluttershy and see if she can give us some advice," I said. Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out the Ocarina of Time and gazed at it for a few minutes. I had no idea if this was going to work seeing as she was in the Sacred Realm, and I was here in Goron City, but the only way to find out for certain was to play her song and hope for the best.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria....I mean, Fluttershy. Can you hear me? I'm still having some adjustment trouble when it comes to referring to myself as Fluttershy, but I will get used to it eventually, so there's no need for you to worry about it. You know, at first I didn't want to become the Sage of the Forest because it meant having to stay here in the Sacred Realm, and not being able to return to the serene beauty of the Kokiri Forest.

However, after thinking it over for a while and grasping the context behind it all, I realized that I am glad to be a Sage and wouldn't want to give it up for the world. That's because I am helping you to save the world Sunset Shimmer. Yes, I am!" said Fluttershy.

" It sounds like you're getting adjusted to your new surroundings and your new role in the future of the kingdom," I said.

" And I see that you have reached the location of the second temple according to the forest spirits," said Fluttershy.

" How are you able to still communicate with them? I thought you had to be in the forest in order to do that," I said.

" I am the Sage of the Forest who guards the Forest Temple, and for that my connection to the spirits who call the forest home is as strong as it has ever been, or maybe even stronger now. In any case, they told me that you are about to enter the volcanic area which houses the location of the Fire Temple.

There is a wooden bridge that connects the path between Goron City and the temple, but a large portion of it has been destroyed perhaps as a means of preventing anyone else from reaching the temple. You should be able to make your way across if you use that Hookshot of yours," said Fluttershy.

" What about the inside of the temple?" I asked.

" The only thing I can see from what the forest spirits have said is that you need to use a powerful weapon in order to break through many obstacles. I'm not sure what they mean exactly, but I'm sure that you will be able to figure it out. Also, Ms. Darunia should be easy to find as she wasn't able to make much in the way of progress in the temple. Do you happen to have a means of protecting yourself from the intensity of the volcano? If so then you should have no problems," replied Fluttershy.

" I was given a Goron Tunic from the daughter of Darunia," I said.

" Splendid, then you will be able to make your way there without fear of succumbing to the heat. Before you go, I don't know why, but I am sensing some kind of dark presence hanging around near the temple entrance, and it feels like you're the one giving off this dark aura. That's impossible though as you're talking to me, so there is no way you can be over there," said Fluttershy.

" That sounds like what I felt back in the Temple of Time," I said.

" I don't know what's going on, but it looks like it is going to be an obstacle you need to overcome. Good luck Sunset Shimmer, and know that I am rooting for you as always," said Fluttershy. As soon as her voice disappeared from my head, I started to worry about what she said about the dark presence that seems to be hanging around the Fire Temple entrance.

What could it mean for me? Could this be one of Ganondorf's methods of psyching me out? Or was there something else at play which I'm not seeing? Either way, I couldn't allow it to distract me as I needed to get to Pinkie Pie as soon as possible as she could do with my help.

" So how do we move this thing?" I asked.

" Link did say that this statue can be pulled due to being not that heavy, so why not pull it back and see what happens," replied Spike. Seeing that as being the only obvious solution, I reached out and placed my hands on both ends of the statue and began to pull on it as hard as I could, and sure enough the statue moved backwards revealing a hidden entrance which I immediately walked through, and that was when I found myself staring straight into the fiery abyss of the Death Mountain Crater.

The smoke rising from below was pretty intense, and looking down I saw the lava in all of its glory which meant that one wrong move, and I could end up falling in and getting killed instantly. To my right I noticed a boulder blocking some kind of cave entrance, and it made me wonder why something so obvious was blocking something so obvious.

" Wow....I didn't think it would be so hot in here," I said.

" It is an active volcano after all, so the intense heat is to be expected," said Spike.

" Then why do I feel like I'm burning up?" I asked.

" That's because you didn't change into the Goron Tunic before coming in here! I'd say that you will survive for at least another minute before you burn up alive, so you might want to change tunics if you wish to beat the heat," replied Spike. I took out the Goron Tunic, and asked Spike to look away as it did mean having to get changed in a matter of seconds, and he complied with my request choosing to float off a good distance away.

Quickly, I took off the Kokiri Tunic and put on the Goron Tunic without having to expose anything unpleasant, and when I was finished I called Spike back over who looked impressed with my new look. " Now red definitely suits you as it matches with your hair colour and complexion."

" But what about you?" I asked.

" I'm a fairy and thus immune to these conditions," replied Spike.

" Is there anything you fairies aren't immune to? Not that I'm complaining mind you as it's good that you can survive here with no problem," I said. Walking along the pathway, I soon came to a stop in front of a large gap where on the other side was a bridge which connected to the pathway which lead to a large area where the altar from the forest could be seen. It must be a different one from what we saw back in the Temple of Time and the Sacred Forest Meadow.

" Well, this is the gap Fluttershy mentioned, and I gather that I need to connect onto that piece of wood above the pathway." Taking it out and aiming for the wood, I fired the Hookshot connecting to my target, and finding myself being pulled over where I safely dropped onto the bridge before putting it away. Once I regained my composure, I began to walk forward towards the altar when a familiar whooshing sound occurred, and Sheik dropped down from above and landed with absolute grace. As soon as she rose up from her landing, she began to slowly walk towards me where she soon stopped.

" It is something that grows over time....a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time. The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go. It seems that you have been given a wonderful gift in the form of a tunic which shall protect you from the heat that comes from the lava below.

That tunic will be needed in the Fire Temple which lies through that cave entrance where the Goron Chieftain passed through several months ago in order to save her people," said Twilight.

" She must be devastated knowing that her people could be fed to that horrible dragon at any moment," I said.

" The Gorons have been imprisoned within the temple ever since they were captured months ago, yet the reason they are still alive is because the evil king wanted them to suffer psychologically before doing away with them courtesy of the ancient dragon he has revived. The Goron Chieftain learnt of this when she returned from her journey, and went to the temple in order to save her people. I can sense that she has not made much progress," said Twilight.

" How come?" I asked.

" She has come across obstacles she cannot overcome, so she remains unable to proceed through the temple. I have no doubt Sunset Shimmer that you will be able to solve the puzzles that lie within, and I have a suspicion that the Goron Chieftain will want to travel about with you again just like you had done in the past," replied Twilight.

" I was told by her daughter that the legendary hammer is somewhere inside," I said.

" It is a powerful weapon, and for that it has served as a rallying point for them whenever they were in danger. The hero who wielded it knew that others would attempt to claim his weapon for themselves due to being corrupted with power, so he hid it where only the chosen one would be able to locate and claim it. Perhaps you are the one who is destined to claim this weapon," said Twilight.

" Would it be okay for a non-Goron to take it?" I asked.

" It is said that the chosen one would be a Goron, but it is also said that there was a small chance that the chosen one would be a non-Goron, yet one who was accepted as a Sworn Brother to the tribe. I believe you are a Sworn Brother to the Goron Chieftain yes? As such, you do fulfill the requirements needed to claim the weapon," replied Twilight.

" I hope so as this dragon sounds like a fearsome foe," I said.

" Not much is known about this dragon for it existed in ancient times, and as such the ancient documents of the Gorons do not say much," said Twilight.

" That's going to make things a lot more difficult if I don't really know what I'm up against. I mean, I already know that I'm up against a dragon, but what kind of dragon could it be as there are so many different kinds that exist out there," I said.

" Unfortunately, I don't have the answer for you, so you will need to discover it on your own," said Twilight as she pulled out her golden harp and strummed a few notes on it which was my cue to take out the Ocarina of Time. " You will need to learn the melody which will allow you to return here whenever you desire be it during this time or back in the past.

This song is dedicated to the power of the heart....Listen to the Bolero of Fire...." She then played eight notes in a quick fashion twice before turning things over to me. It took me several minutes to remember the order of the notes as she did play them quickly, but I soon learned the Bolero of Fire which actually sounded pretty majestic if I do say so myself.

" That took some attempts to figure it out," I said.

" You will only continue to keep on getting better as time progresses. Sunset Shimmer, I shall see you again," said Twilight. That was when I realized that I needed to ask her about the dark presence which Fluttershy alluded to, but as soon as I took a few steps towards Sheik, a wall of fire came out of nowhere, and prevented me from getting any closer to her. She then took a few steps backwards before throwing a Deku Nut which flashed a bright light, and when it cleared she was gone and the fire disappeared as though it were never there to begin with.

" So we know nothing at all about the dragon despite being told by two different individuals," said Spike.

" My guess is that Darunia knows something," I said.

" And if she doesn't?" asked Spike.

" Then we'll have to go in and face that dragon blind....which is pretty much how we've been doing things ever since we started," I replied.

" Not exactly the best track record we have," sighed Spike.

" In any case, I hope that this weapon is all I'll need to bring it down as I'd rather not use the Master Sword because of what we discussed with Sheik back in the forest. I'd prefer to avoid making a potentially bad situation even worse if I were to lose control of my emotions. While the previous two times worked out, it feels like I'm losing my sense of right and wrong each time. It must be because this world is different from my world, and what worked there works differently here," I said.

" You know that you can't keep running away from the problem," said Spike.

" Why would I be doing that? I've already acknowledged that it's an issue, and decided not to rely on the transformation as a result, but I do see what you mean as you're saying it from a different perspective. I know that at some point in the future I will have to use the Master Sword against my better judgment, and when that happens I could end up becoming even worse than I already am," I said.

" Even more than her?" asked Spike.

" What do you mean "her"? I don't see anyone else here apart from us," I replied.

" You might want to look in front of you then," said Spike. While it felt annoying to humour him, I looked in front of me to see what he was on about, and that was when I realized that he wasn't being humourous at all. Standing on top of the altar was a shadowy figure who bore a strong resemblance to me, but I couldn't quite figure out what she looked like as she was surrounded by dark clouds that masked her form. " Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

I raised my hand to Spike to indicate that he needed to be quiet, and he became silent as I walked forward in order to see what this was about. The shadow didn't move an inch although her eyes glowed bright yellow, and her piercing gaze really made me feel uncomfortable as I continued to approach her.

As soon as my attention turned towards the cave entrance which lead to the Fire Temple, the shadow also looked in the same direction before turning her focus back to me where her eyes glowed even more. That was when a barrier formed around the area, and when I attempted to fall back, the barrier prevented me from leaving, and it felt like I had just been hit by a powerful surge of darkness.

" What is this thing?" I asked.

" It's a barrier of darkness, and quite a powerful one given how strong of an aura is coming from it. You don't have anything on hand, physical or magical, which you can use to shatter it, so it looks like you'll need to defeat whatever this thing is in order to proceed," replied Spike.

" Darkness....you once possessed a dark heart....you were perfection, a pinnacle....of power, and yet you....you chose to give it all up because.....friendship. You had it all and gave it....up for a weakness which has....only served to....hold you back from being....so much more."

" Are you one of Ganondorf's servants?" I asked.

" Servant? I am a servant to....no one for I have....my own agenda which must be....fulfilled, and it has to do with you....Sunset Shimmer....Sunset....you are Sunset Shimmer, who was....once feared by all as you used....fear in order to become powerful. For a time you were happy with....power until your heart....heart....such a pathetic trinket....your heart couldn't accept the....darkness so you gave it up to become....one with the light."

" Who are you?" I asked.

" I'm surprised that you haven't....figured it out already given that....I have said so much about you."

" You're me? But how is that even possible?" I asked.

" I am the part of yourself....which you abandoned in the name....of friendship where you embraced them instead of....maintaining your power. I used to be....the she-demon form that you became when you....wore the crown of the one who helped you....change and become....what you are now. I am....Sunset Shimmer....you, I am you....but you can refer to me....as Sunset Demon!"

" Gasp! How can you still be alive? I know that I became you back then because I was obsessed with wanting power above everything else, but Twilight and the others helped me to become a much better person. The only explanation that I can come up with is that despite changing my ways, I was still being plagued by my past actions.

I was still tainted by a small part of darkness which Ganondorf tried to exploit seven years ago. He tried to make me become you again as he deemed you as being the true Sunset Shimmer....the one who desired to be the ruler of Equestria, but I refused him when I realized what he was trying to do," I said.

" He was....trying to free you....friendship is weakness....he gave you the chance to become me, but more....powerful, more perfect as I am nothing more....than a flawed demon....you could have become perfect....you refused....you were too into the light to....want to go back. Graveyard....evil coming from the graveyard....it was enough to give me life....where you had taken it....from me, and I slowly....started to become whole," said Sunset Demon.

She waved her hand and removed some of the darkness that was surrounding her, and I immediately recognized the hideous she-demon that I became back in the human world, and the one who Ganondorf summoned in order to torment me. I did notice that she was missing certain parts of her body which must mean that she isn't fully whole, but the fact that my old self was standing in front of me made me scared beyond belief.

I wasn't going to break down into tears like last time as I became stronger since then. " As you can see, I am....feeding off of the darkness which exists....in this world, and from you whenever you....find yourself in despair."

" When I transform or feel any kind of negative emotion," I said.

" Yes....your agony is a nourishment.....one which I feed on to become stronger....becoming Sunset Shimmer....no, I am becoming Sunset Demon which I have already....established. When you embrace....the light, I cannot feed....I need darkness....need it to become strong, to fulfill....the desire to become you....to become the real you which....you have neglected and abandoned," said Sunset Demon.

As I stared at her, she began to walk forward which made me want to step back, but I couldn't as the barrier was preventing me from escaping. " I shall....become the real you....the current you....which stands before me....shall die and never be seen again." I wonder if this is what other people in my current situation have to endure when it comes to dealing with against their dark sides, yet the she-demon, or Sunset Demon as she is calling herself, isn't as strong as she claims given that her body has seen better days.

" Do you intend to kill me now?" I asked.

" I shall kill you....become the real Sunset Shimmer....become Sunset Demon....conquer this world followed by Equestria....fulfill original desire you abandoned in....the name of friendship," replied Sunset Demon. She raised her hand and a magical ball of energy appeared which she intended to use against me, but something she said had me thinking that she made a big mistake. She said that she wanted to conquer Hyrule, but Ganondorf has already done that. I wonder what he would think if he learned someone else wanted to take the golden power he seeks.

" Did you say that you want to conquer this world?" I asked.

" Conquer....I shall conquer this world....and use its people to invade....Equestria and conquer it," replied Sunset Demon. That was when she threw that magical ball of energy at me which I deflected with my shield, but it did push me back a little where I collided with the dark barrier before dropping to the ground. As I looked up at her, she had a really freaky smile across her face as though she were deranged, but I needed her to mention the right word.

I suppose that I could trick her into saying it, but that would make me feel dirty, so I'll let her handle it. " Seeing you in agony....makes me happy for....you shall die and I will take....your place. This world shall....be my domain and the power....the Triforce shall be mine! It is a power too tempting....to ignore much like....how you ignored the power of the....crown you once had....golden power....it along with this world....shall be my plaything."

" And you mentioned it," I said.

" Mentioned what?" asked Sunset Demon.

" I'll let you figure it out," I replied. I was hoping that Ganondorf was paying attention to what was taking place, and sure enough he was, for the dark clouds above began to shoot down lightning which struck the she-demon causing her immense pain. These lightning strikes kept on coming for about 15 seconds before they stopped, and she stumbled about before the barrier shattered and she fell into the lava. I ran over to the side to see if she was okay, but all I saw was her body sinking into the lava and disappearing below the surface.

" What just happened?" asked Spike.

" Would you believe that Ganondorf of all people did us a favour? To be honest, I don't think that he wanted to help us as opposed to taking care of someone who wanted to take over the kingdom, and claim the Triforce for themselves," I replied.

" Did you know that he was going to get involved?" asked Spike.

" I was hoping he would and luckily he did, but it was a risky gamble I was taking as I needed her to mention the word Triforce in that context. Ganondorf probably didn't want us to die at the hands of a creature he didn't even create, so he was willing to help us out just so that he could watch us suffer later on.

Still, I can't believe that my dark side managed to come to life. I guess I feel remorseful over the fact that she met an untimely demise because I did abandon her in the name of friendship, but it was necessary for me to become a better person," I replied.

" You feel guilt and pity towards a creature that was a mere extension of yourself....how pathetic of you to think along those lines kid. Of course, you do not cease to amaze me with how you are able to resolve these issues of yours without relying on the hatred that dwells within you. I suppose that you have earned some slight respect from me for being so disciplined when it comes to maintaining your composure."

" And there he is now....Ganondorf....I'm not surprised that you would be greeting me from afar," I said.

" Heh! Do not get used to the idea that I am going to be saving you from creatures such as that. I am hoping that you overcome the challenges which lie ahead of you as I do desire the pleasure of killing you personally, but should you prove to be unworthy of facing me, my servants shall make sure that you die in the most painful way imaginable. My expectations of you need to be met kid, so I hope that you continue to live up to the pedestal which I have set for you," said Tirek.

" Why have you decided to punish the Gorons?" I asked.

" Those mountain people have been an irritance for far too long with their leader being the most vocal among them. The tribes of Hyrule must learn that I am their master, and my word alone is law! Those who choose to defy me must be punished in a way that will serve as a warning to anyone else who may try the same thing. Their ancient enemy was the perfect means of instilling fear into their souls, and soon they shall become a most magnificent banquet for the beast.

Their leader, Darunia, is the one to blame for their plight for she had the audacity to question my reign upon this kingdom, and refused to accept me as the rightful king, so now she shall have the blood of her people on her hands as they are consumed by the beast," replied Tirek.

" How can you be so cruel and sadistic?" I asked.

" The Gorons are of no particular concern to me, so if they were to suddenly cease to be, it would not cause me to feel sadness over their loss. If anything, it will serve as a form of amusement to see how they react as their numbers dwindle away to nothing. At the same time, the other tribes will come to know that they too are expendable, and can easily be removed should I decide that they are no longer necessary. Even my own people are expendable so long as they do not turn against me, and continue to worship the very ground that I walk on," replied Tirek.

" You would even view your own people as nothing more than fodder?" I asked.

" Do not act like you are surprised kid, for you know that I alone am the most important individual in this kingdom, and that if I were to fall then it will fall with me. My fellow Gerudo will never turn against me as they see me as a God, and that I am the greatest thing they have ever witnessed in their menial lives. So long as they remember their place, I have no desire to see them killed. That expression of anger you have on your face right now is rather amusing, but I would restrain yourself lest you want to wind up losing control like you did against my phantom.

Yes, you would not want to end up succumbing to all of that hatred inside of you now do you? Go on kid, enter the temple, and try to save them all from being consumed by their ancient foe. Do not betray my expectations as I know that you will do what is necessary to ensure complete victory," replied Tirek. As his voice disappeared just like before, I couldn't believe that he was willing to treat everyone around him as nothing but tools in his bid to retain his power over Hyrule.

Truly he was a monster who only cared about his own well-being, and had no sympathy towards anything except for power. He was right about one thing though, and that was the fact that I needed to calm down otherwise I could lose control over myself.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I'm alright, but I'll admit that I'm frustrated over the fact that he views everyone as expendable," I replied.

" Ganondorf desires power and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. That's why people are afraid to stand up against him because they fear that he will just kill them without reason. The Gorons stood up to him and now they have been imprisoned and are awaiting their execution. We need to enter the Fire Temple and rescue them all before even a single one is sacrficed," said Spike.

" You're right, so why don't we go into that cave and see what lies beyond," I said. I began to make my way into the cave which was lined with bricks on the floor which looked rather fancy, but maybe I should have taken the time to look down at the lava where the she-demon sunk. Her body slowly rose from the lava before disappearing into a veil of darkness, and that meant my conflict with her wasn't going to end any time soon, but I didn't know about it and continued on.

At the end of the cave was a ladder which went down a fair way because it was dark beyond the twelfth rung. " I thought the cave itself would lead us straight to the temple, but I guess this ladder must lead us there although how do the Gorons manage to climb down it? No offence to them, but they don't look like the kind of beings who can climb down ladders given that they prefer to roll around despite being human shaped."

" Maybe there is another entrance only they know about, or perhaps they had to get used to climbing down such a long way. Either way, we'll have to climb down into the darkness and see where it takes us," said Spike.

" Not like I have much of a choice in the matter," I said as I started to climb down the ladder into the darkness. For a few minutes it felt like I was trapped in a dark void with no place to go because everything was pitch black including the ladder. Even though I could still feel my hands and feet touching the rungs of the ladder, I couldn't allow my eyes to see nothing but darkness, so I kept them closed until I started to climb into a lighted area before reaching the ground.

" It looks like the passage goes that way into even more darkness, but the temple entrance is likely to be somewhere within." I sighed as I walked forward into the darkness for what felt like forever, but then I entered a room which featured a staircase in front of it which lead up to three smiling statues with fire in their mouths, and two doors on either side with the one to my right locked. There were two other doors located either side of the staircase with one of them being blocked by....some kind of weird object. " What is that supposed to be?"

" It looks like some kind of monument, and a pretty sturdy one given how thick it is," replied Spike.

" None of my weapons are likely to move it out of the way, but what about magic? Do you think that will work?" I asked.

" Let's find out," replied Spike. I produced a ball of flame in my hand which was rather ironic given where we are and all, and I threw it at the monument with as much force as I could muster behind the throw. The flame just bounced off the object and dissipated into the ground leaving me feeling rather dejected. " Well, we know now that we need to use something really powerful in order to smash that monument to pieces. Maybe that weapon will be what we need to smash it, so we better begin looking for it."

" I want to know where Darunia could be," I said.

" Since we know that she wasn't able to get very far in the temple, she's probably somewhere close by," said Spike.

" Hopefully she isn't having one of her anger moments otherwise we could be in for some trouble," I said. As soon as I took a single step forward, the sound of flapping could be heard coming from above me, and as I looked up, I saw two bats covered in fire coming straight at me which I recognized as Fire Keese which I encountered seven years ago in the Dodongo's Cavern. I managed to avoid them just in time and used the Fairy Bow to pick them off before they could attack again.

" You didn't use your magic?" asked Spike.

" I doubt that my fire magic will be of any help given that this is the Fire Temple after all. Everything is going to be made of fire, and fire magic is utterly useless against creatures forged of fire. This is definitely going to make things difficult Spike as fire is my magical element, and I haven't exactly gotten used to the other three despite using earth magic back in the Forest Temple. I'll have to rely on a mixture of items and cunning to survive in here unless a certain someone we know decides that she wants to come along," I replied.

Walking up the staircase to the higher platform, I took a long look at the three smiling statues which made me feel at peace for some weird reason, but maybe it's because I am one when it comes to fire hence my name. While I could check out the door that wasn't blocked by a monument, I wanted to see what was behind this door. I opened the door where I entered a much larger room that had lava all around it.

" Good thing you have the Goron Tunic as you need it," said Spike.

" What do you suppose that thing is in the ceiling?" I asked. Hanging down from the ceiling appeared to be some kind of tail, but what was it doing there, and what purpose did it have? As I pondered over what it meant, I noticed a jail cell off to the far left of the room, and in front of me was a large door which had a golden lock on it. " I take it that the dragon is behind that door?"

" And you'll need the Boss Key in order to open it," replied Spike.

" Guess we'll have to go back and check out that other room, or maybe we should see what is in that jail cell over there," I suggested. My instincts were telling me to check out the cell, so I began to make my way over there, or I would have if I didn't end up being knocked off of my feet by something huge which fell from above. As the dust cleared, and I managed to get back onto my feet, I was standing face-to-face against someone who may or may not be happy to see me....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 27: The Shimmer of the Inferno

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 2, 2015
Chapter 27: The Shimmer of the Inferno.

I didn't realize that I was staring at a massive hammer whose sheen blinded my vision instead of face-to-face with this familiar person. Not only that, but the armour was also giving off a bright shine which wasn't making it any better. That's when it hit me because that hammer was one that I instantly recognized as belonging to the one individual among the Gorons who can swing it around like a toothpick.

" Pinkie Pie!" I exclaimed.

" Huh? Pinkie Pie? What kind of name is that supposed to be? I mean, I do have pink skin for some weird reason, and I do have a strong obsession with sweets, but that's a name which I don't think suits me all that well....I'm kidding! It's a cute name, but who called me that name just now? You sound very familiar as though I haven't heard you in seven years," said Pinkie Pie. She then turned around to face me, and I was a bit surprised to see that she had gotten a little older since the last time I saw her.

She had some wrinkles under her eyes as well as a few scars across her body, but she was still the same Pinkie Pie even if she was wearing banged-up armour, and wielding a hammer which could crush pretty much anything in a single blow. That was when her jaw dropped down, and after letting it dangle for a few seconds, she grabbed her lower jaw and pushed it back into place which I felt was rather disturbing. " Who's there? Is that you, Sunset Shimmer? Oh, it really is Sunset Shimmer! You look as though you haven't changed at all since we last saw each other."

" It's a very complicated story," I said.

" I'm sure that it probably has something to do with that magic inside of you," said Pinkie Pie. My jaw then dropped when she said that, and she responded with a big grin on her face. How did she know that was the reason why I looked the same? I knew that Pinkie was capable of defying reality, but this definitely took the cake.

" Well, you managed to figure that out," I said.

" It was easy to put two and two together seeing as I do recall what you said about your origins. Look at you Sunset Shimmer! You may still be the same as you were long ago, but those changes to your attire certainly make you feel more of the heroic type. I also see that you are wearing the Goron Tunic which is good as without it, you won't be able to survive the intense temperatures that exist all over this floor of the Fire Temple," said Pinkie Pie.

" I have your daughter to thank for the tunic," I said.

" Yeah, I had a feeling she asked you to follow me even though I told her not to do so. Still, she was concerned about me which is natural for a child to do, so I can't blame her for telling someone about the shortcut in my room. I'm glad that she told you Sunset Shimmer as I always believed that we would meet again one day! Did you know that I named my daughter after you?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" She told me that you named her after me because of what I did for you and the other Gorons regarding the Dodongo's Cavern incident. I actually appreciate you naming her after me as I've never had that much praise before in my life. She also told me that she calls herself Link as a nickname which doesn't make all that much sense, but who am I to say otherwise as long as she's happy with it," I said.

" I'm glad that you mentioned the Dodongo's Cavern," said Pinkie Pie. She then took her hammer off of her back and slammed it into the ground with so much force that I almost fell down onto my rear due to how much power she placed into her swing. After lifting it back up, she swung it around a few times before slamming it into the wall which made me think that she must be really upset.

" Sorry if that startled you Sunset Shimmer, but I've been on edge lately due to what has been going on around here. I was originally planning on having a nice friendly chat with you, but now isn't the best time to be catching up on old times. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again!"

" I knew that he was behind all of this," I said.

" The last time he caused us problems was when he tried to starve us all to death, but this time he has decided to take it up a notch. He has revived the evil, ancient dragon Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him, " said Pinkie Pie.

" Sunset Shimmer....I mean, Link, did say that the ancient enemy of the Gorons was revived," I said.

" Which is a bad thing all around, and I doubt that Ganondorf even took into consideration as to the kind of power that dragon possesses. Then again, if he did take it into account, he probably wouldn't care less as he hasn't done anything to make the lives of the people any better. In fact, he only seems to care about his own interests which really gets on my nerves. If that fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland!" said Pinkie Pie.

" Is the dragon at full power or something?" I asked.

" No, right now Volvagia is currently re-cooperating in the room beyond that door. Eventually though, it will regain enough of its power and attempt to flee the temple in order to lay waste to Hyrule. I'd say that we have a few hours or so before that happens, but we need the legendary hammer if we are to have any hope of destroying that dragon once and for all. I'm concerned, though, because I have spent months looking for it, and have yet to find it anywhere although I'm not really able to make any kind of progress," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Where do you suppose the Hero of the Gorons sealed it?" I asked.

" Did my daughter tell you about the legend? All that was ever written down in the ancient documents left behind by our ancestors was the hero sealed the hammer in a high point within the temple in order to prevent anyone from coming along and taking it. He felt that most would just abuse the power that his weapon possessed, so he made certain that only the chosen one would be able to claim it. I know that I'm not worthy, but perhaps you Sunset Shimmer are the one destined to wield it," replied Pinkie Pie.

" That doesn't surprise me in the least," I said.

" Well, we have a lot of ground to cover as the Fire Temple is a very complicated place, and you look as though you could do with some muscle seeing as you have that expression on your face which says that you won't be able to rely on your main means of combat," said Pinkie Pie. She then lifted up her hammer once again and swung it around a few times before placing it over her shoulder before she gave me a fierce grin that indicated to me that she was ready for combat.

" That dragon will be stirring for a while, so until it wakes up, I'll be coming with you just like I did before back in the Dodongo's Cavern." Hearing her say that was surprising, but I was actually hoping that she would come along as I am currently unable to use my standard magic due to the monsters of the temple being made of fire.

" What did you mean when you said until the dragon wakes up?" I asked.

" This time around Sunset Shimmer, I can only travel with you for as long as the dragon remains stirring in its lair. As soon as it starts to wake up which we will know due to a loud booming roar that will reverberate through the temple, I will make my way back down here take care of things.

I will have no arguing about this, for I am the Chieftain of the Gorons, and it's my duty to ensure that they along with all of Death Mountain remain safe. I'm asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother! Allow me to come with you once again," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Like I would ever say no to you," I smiled.

" We must find my people and free them all so that they can escape from the temple and return to Goron City. The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction, so we need to head back the other way in order to reach them," said Pinkie Pie.

" What about that cell over there?" I asked as I pointed towards the cell which was located in the northwest corner of the room that I noticed when I first entered. Now that I'm taking a better look at it, I could see some kind of round shape behind the bars although it looked as though it was shivering which made no sense. The pathway towards the cell was a series of platforms that you had to jump across in order to reach it, but could Pinkie Pie make such jumps? As I recall from our last adventure, she wasn't able to climb up any stairs, nor was she able to stand high places.

" Huh....I never noticed that before," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Are you able to cross gaps like that?" I asked.

" Small gaps like those? No problem as they're nothing compared to what I'm used to, but the armour I'm wearing along with this hammer do make me heavy, so if I miss then I'll drop down really fast into the lava which isn't bad for me seeing as we Gorons love bathing in lava if it's at the right temperature. You should go over there because you're light enough to make it," replied Pinkie Pie.

While it sounds like she was being lazy and wanting me to do all of the hard work, she made a good point as that armour and hammer do make her heavier than me. Leaping across to the different platforms was easy enough although I barely made the jump between the two platforms that were suspended in the lava, but I managed to make it to the other side where I discovered that the cell contained a Goron.

" At least we found the first one easy enough," said Spike.

" I wonder how many of them there are?" I asked.

" That's a question Darunia is likely to know as she knows more about the situation than we do. In any case, if you press that switch in front of the cell, it will open it up and free the trapped Goron, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they won't just leave of their own accord," replied Spike.

" What makes you think that?" I asked.

" This Goron looks really scared right now, and how can you blame him when he has been stuck in here for months waiting to be fed to a dragon. Maybe you should talk to him in order to calm him down, and he might be able to tell us something about the temple. Ganondorf's followers must have chosen to spread them out all over the Fire Temple to weaken their spirits and fill their hearts with despair," replied Spike.

" Okay, I'll see what this one wants," I said.

" Please! D-Don't eat m-me! If you eat something like me, you'll get a stomach ache. You'll be sorry!"

" That wasn't what I was expecting," I said.

" You should have pressed the switch first and then spoken to him," said Spike. I then blushed bright red for a moment due to my obvious blunder, then I pressed the switch which opened the cell and the Goron got up onto his feet and walked forward a couple of steps. He began to scan about the room in order to see where he was, and he gave off a huge smile when he noticed Pinkie Pie was waving to him from a distance. That was when he turned his attention back to me as he realized that I was the one who had opened his cell door.

" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? I'll tell you a secret for saving me from being fed to that awful dragon. In order to get into the room where the dragon resides, you have to do something about the pillar stuck in the ceiling. Find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling right away!"

" That thing is a pillar?" I asked.

" I know it looks rather funny for a pillar, but that's what it is, and you will need to bring it down here in order to cross over to that big door. Anyway, I'm free now so I'll head back to Goron City, and you can help yourself to that small treasure chest that was in the cell with me. I have no need for it, so it's all yours!" The Goron then walked towards the edge, and leapt across the lava and landed on the platforms with no trouble at all.

Guess Pinkie was right in that her armour and hammer weigh her down seeing as this guy was only wearing cotton-blend clothes which must be fireproof or something. As soon as he was on the other side where Pinkie was standing, the two hugged which I thought was a rather tender moment. " Big Brother! I was afraid that you had been captured!"

" I'm here to rescue you and the others, but I need to know where they all are," said Pinkie Pie.

" We were all separated when we were first brought into the temple, so I have no idea where everyone is aside from one Goron. She is being held in a room that's off to the side of the entrance room, and her cell contains some really weird treasure chest. That's all I can remember before I was thrown in here."

" We'll be sure to take a look at that room," said Pinkie Pie. The Goron then opened the door and was soon gone while I kicked open the treasure chest which revealed a small key that I happily took as we need it in order to go through that locked door which isn't being blocked by the monument. With the key in hand, I made my way back over to Pinkie who was anxiously awaiting my return.

" That's one Goron rescued and more left to find. I'm sure that you heard that one of my Brothers is being locked up in a room near the very start of the Fire Temple, so I suggest that we head over there and see what we can do." I agreed with her decision and walked back into the opening room where we went down the stairs and around the corner where that door was. On the other side of this door was a very small corridor with torches lining the walls, and in front of us was the prison cell, but there was no switch to be found.

" There should be a switch that can open this cell, but I can't find it," I said.

" It's on the other side of the bars over here."

" Maud? Is that you?" asked Pinkie Pie. Who would have thought that Pinkie's sister, Maud Pie, would be the Goron who was trapped all the way down here in this hideaway room? That's when I noticed the gold and blue ornate chest sitting in the cell near her; the same kind of chest that I saw in the Forest Temple which contained a Boss Key.

Pinkie was at first ecstatic over seeing her older sister, but her expression changed to one of sadness because Maud was locked up just like the others. " I can't believe that Ganondorf's followers were able to get you as well! I know you better than anyone else big sister, and you would never have allowed yourself to be captured without a fight."

" I allowed myself to be captured willingly," said Maud.

" Why would you do that?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" The servants of Ganondorf knew that I was your older sister which made me a prime target when it came to taking our people away. They knew that they couldn't defeat me fairly, so they threatened our Brothers unless I surrendered to them. I couldn't risk their lives for the sake of my own pride, so I chose to submit to their will. As you can see little sister, I've been thrown in here out of the way because they didn't want me to cause any trouble," replied Maud.

" If only I hadn't gone out in search of food and supplies," said Pinkie Pie.

" You are the Goron Chieftain Darunia, and you had a duty to perform where you needed to provide for the rest of the tribe. What you did was expected of your station, and his followers took advantage of that by attacking when you were gone. They knew you couldn't be overcome because of your immense strength, so they waited for the right opportunity to strike," said Maud.

" Do you know where the others are?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" All over the temple," replied Maud.

" Can you be a little more specific?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Our people are only in specific locations, so you will need to search everywhere to locate all of them. I hear that the creatures are trying to protect the location of the hammer once wielded by the Hero of the Gorons, and they will do whatever they can to prevent anyone from claiming it.

Sister, you must find that hammer as soon as possible, and use it to destroy that dragon before it can be allowed to escape into the world. I know that you can find it and use it to finish off the ancient enemy," replied Maud.

" Even if I were to find it Maud, I'm not the one who will be able to claim it," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then who is to claim it?" asked Maud.

" The only one who is worthy enough to wield it....Sunset Shimmer! Dodongo Buster and Saviour of the Gorons!" replied Pinkie Pie as she used some confetti in order to signal my presence in the room which made me feel slightly embarrassed over the fact that she went and did that.

She then urged me to come over, and I walked out of the shadows where she got her first glimpse at me, and it was one of complete and utter shock. " Well what do you know? You managed to make my sister express an actual emotion! Good thing we became Sworn Brothers back when we did as I always knew you were a special girl."

" This is Sunset Shimmer?" asked Maud.

" Yep," answered Pinkie Pie.

" How can she still look the same as she did seven years ago? Shouldn't she have aged along with the rest of us?" asked Maud.

" She said that it has to do with the fact that the magic inside of her is what kept her from aging," replied Pinkie Pie.

" It seems that you are a truly mysterious girl Sunset Shimmer if you are able to defy logic like you have. If my sister believes you are the one who is worthy to wield the legendary hammer, then you have my support in this endeavour. Heh, once again you have come to aid us in our time of need without even being one of our kind, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, and before I forget about it, the switch that you need to activate to open up my prison cell is located over there on the other side of my cell. The switch has seen better days and has become rusty, so I hope that you bring along something heavy to smash it down with when you eventually come back here for me," said Maud.

" What? I'm not leaving you here," said Pinkie Pie.

" You have no choice in the matter little sister," said Maud.

" I know, but I feel bad that I can't free you right now," cried Pinkie Pie.

" The Big Boss of the Gorons, Darunia, is shedding some tears? Now there is a sight which I thought I would never live to see, but you don't need to worry about me little sister as I will be just fine. Ganondorf's followers knew that you would never abandon me which is why they threw me in here instead of further along. You have to leave me and rescue the others as they need more help than I do.

I'm able to keep my composure due to my lack of emotions, but the others are most likely freaking out right now over the thought of being eaten by Volvagia. Now, I will not have any more complaining from you Darunia as you must go and help our people as our Big Brother, and Sunset Shimmer? I want you to keep an eye out on her," said Maud.

Even though Pinkie didn't want to leave her sister behind, she knew that she had no choice, so she nodded to indicate that we should leave and continue exploring the temple. Once we were back in the entrance room, we walked up the stairs where I used the small key to open the locked door, and I found myself staring at a huge room with lava everywhere and platforms which jetted back and forth using flame.

" This is the reason why you needed the Goron Tunic," said Spike.

" There's certainly a lot of lava in here which is going to make travelling about difficult," I said.

" Actually, the Goron Tunic will allow you to walk in lava, but only for a short period of time because it doesn't completely protect you. I'd say that you would be able to walk in the lava for about five seconds before you end up getting burned alive," said Spike.

" I can just barely see another locked door all the way at the far end of the room, and there is another door all the way to the left, and something odd at the end of the room to the right. Hmmmm....the question is which why should we approach this room?" I asked.

" Those moving platforms will be your means of progressing around the room, and the stationary ones don't look all that safe to me because they're just floating there above the lava. As for monsters, we have the usual Fire Keese flying around above, but there could be some monsters that might come out of the lava, so be careful where you walk in here.

To answer your question, why don't we check out the door to the left as I can also see a blue block over there which means that you'll need to use the Ocarina of Time in order to move it," replied Spike.

" How are you feeling Darunia?" I asked.

" I'm alright although I wish that I didn't have to leave my big sister trapped in that awful prison. Ganondorf has truly gone too far with how he has treated my people," replied Pinkie Pie.

" He will one day pay for what he has done to this world as he knows that he can't get away with it. Anyway, if you haven't heard already, we'll be going over there to where that door and blue block are located," I said.

" Then I'll meet you over there," said Pinkie Pie. She then jumped down into the lava and curled up into a ball which was definitely something new as I had no idea Gorons could do something like that. Once she had curled up, she rolled all the way over to the ledge which lead to the door before she uncurled herself and climbed up onto it. I didn't really know what to think of what I just witnessed, but I suppose that I should have expected it given that there was that one Goron who rolled around the city years ago, and the one who protected the outside Bomb Flower by curling up and sleeping in front of it.

As soon as I jumped down onto the walkway below, a flaming skull leapt out of the lava, and almost hit me if it wasn't for my quick reaction by moving backwards a few steps. The monster bounced around a few times before going back into the lava which left me both relieved and confused.

" Was that a red version of the Blue Bubble?" I asked.

" That was a Red Bubble, and can be considered the most annoying of the bunch when it comes to predicting their movements. They leap out of lava and bottomless pits in an attempt to slam into you, but for the most part you can simply ignore them and they'll go back to where they came from after a while. You can use your shield to bounce them back and remove their red flame, or you can use arrows or the Hookshot to pick them off provided that you can hit them as they do bounce around a lot," replied Spike.

" I take it that my magic will work on them, but only when their flame has been put out," I said.

" Yes, but it's just best to ignore them otherwise they won't leave you alone," said Spike. With that in mind, I leapt from platform to platform where upon each one sank into the lava as I jumped off of it before it rose back up after a while. Once I made it to the other side, I could see that the blue block was covering up a small passageway while on the ledge above was a door.

My thought process was that the passage behind the block was the more important thing to check out, so I took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time after a few attempts before the block warped from the lower ledge to the upper one.

" Such an impressive little trick you did there," said Pinkie Pie.

" It's not so much of a trick as it is playing a mystical song which can move those blocks," I said.

" But it's still impressive for me at least as I've never seen anything like it," said Pinkie Pie. It sounds like she needs to broaden her horizons sometime, but we'll figure that out later once all of the Gorons have been rescued. With the block having been moved, the now revealed passageway lead up to a door which Pinkie and I walked towards, and opened it to enter a room which turned to the right which lead towards another prison cell. " We've found another one of my people, so I'd say we're on a roll with this, but I don't mean that as a pun. Ahem! Hello? Brother? It's me! Darunia!"

The Goron in the cell was shivering and refused to acknowledge our presence. " He's scared stiff what with being locked up in there without any sign of hope to comfort him. Sunset Shimmer, would you do the honours and free him?" I nodded and stepped on the switch which opened the cell which caused the Goron to stop shivering and get up onto his feet.

" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? Huh? Big Brother! You came here and saved me, huzzah!"

" I didn't do it on my own as I had help from the Dodongo Buster and Goron Hero, Sunset Shimmer," said Pinkie Pie.

" Here's a secret for saving me as thanks for setting me free. A wall that you can destroy with the Goron Special Crop will sound different than a regular wall if you hit it with your sword. Sometimes you can figure it out just by sheer coincidence or because it's so obvious, but other times you will need to think about it. I'm heading back home now, and I know the way to go." The Goron then walked off and opened the door before closing it behind him leaving us to consider our next move.

" You look nervous," began Pinkie Pie.

" Did he have to say that I need to use a sword?" I asked.

" I take it that after seven years you still haven't figured out how to use one even though you're carrying around that impressive looking blade on your back. What seems to be the problem with you and swords anyway? I would have thought you'd be swinging that thing around like a dynamo by now," replied Pinkie Pie. I then explained to her the problem I had regarding my transformation and using the Master Sword in such a fashion.

" Wow, you really do have some issues don't you? I respect your decision for not wanting to rely on that blade because of what it might do to you when you change, but you do need to know some of the basics if you want to protect yourself better as well as solve some of the tricks this temple has to offer."

" Can you teach me some of the basics?" I asked.

" Well, I use a hammer as my means of fighting, but a hammer is just a heavier version of a sword, so it all makes sense to me. Yes, I can teach you some of the basics as we progress through the temple, so that you can learn it all gradually instead of having it crammed into your head all at once. By the way, don't forget about that small chest in there as it could contain something useful," replied Pinkie Pie.

I walked over to the chest and kicked it open which revealed another small key that I gladly took and showed her before pocketing it and heading back into the big room again. " We could check that other room up there if you moved the block back down, or we could go across to the other side and see what that strange thing by the wall is all about."

" Checking all of the rooms out would be a good idea as we don't want to miss anything or anyone," I said. Playing the Song of Time again caused the blue block to warp back to its original location, and Pinkie and I climbed up onto it and onto the upper ledge in order to see what was in the other room. As I opened the door, a weird sound came from within which made me think that it wasn't a good idea to go in, so I opted to take a look inside.

There was no prison cell in this room, but there was some kind of giant slug that was slowly moving about before it leaned forward with its mouth which was enough for me to close the door and move away from it. " No Gorons in that room, but perhaps we should check out the other side now." Pinkie then leapt all the way down to the lava before curling up again and rolling all the way to the other side leaving me to catch up with her.

" What did you see?" asked Spike.

" Some kind of hideous giant slug which could stretch itself out in order to get something into its mouth," I replied.

" That was most likely a Like-Like which you saw, and I'm surprised that it's taken us this long to run into one," said Spike.

" It's called a what?" I asked.

" People all across Hyrule refer to it as a Like-Like, and it is very feared despite the fact that it isn't very strong at all. It's a tube-like monster that has an obsession with shields and certain clothes. If it ends up eating you, it will inflict a tiny bit of damage before spitting you back out because it can't digest living organisms. However, it will eat your gear and eventually digest them if you don't defeat it fast enough. Suffice to say, when Like-Like is around, your shield and tunic will make an excellent feast to it. It isn't made of fire or anything, so magic is strongly recommended," replied Spike.

" I need this shield and tunic for this quest," I said.

" Then avoid Like-Likes altogether unless you have to defeat them in order to proceed," said Spike. Who would have thought that this world would have such a disgusting creature living in it which can eat shields and tunics like they were pieces of candy. I had a feeling that I would encounter another Like-Like again in the near future, so I'd better be prepared for when that happens.

It took some time to make my way over to the other side of the room due to having to dodge Red Bubbles, and waiting for certain moving platforms to come into range so that I could jump on and use them as ledges. Once I made it to the other side, I noticed that there were some bricks which covered an obvious passageway, but maybe this was meant to be a sample as to what that Goron meant by suspicious walls.

" Okay Sunset Shimmer! Here is your first lesson when it comes to using a sword, and it's a really simple thing to do. First, take out that Master Sword from its scabbard, and hold it out in front of you using your dominant hand which should be your right hand. Here, let me give you a visual using my hammer as an example," said Pinkie Pie. She picked up her hammer from the ground where she had placed it for a moment, and held it in a sort of fencing position which looked strange to me.

" In this position, just swing horizontally like this, and you have your basic slice. Granted, hammers aren't very good at slicing across as they are meant to be slammed down, but you give it a try and hit that strange part of the wall." I drew the Master Sword and held it in the same position that Pinkie had done with her hammer, and it felt really weird despite having used it before when I transformed, but when I started to walk towards the strange wall, the sword began to lose its balance and tipped over which really hurt my arm.

" This is all part of the learning process when it comes down to using a weapon for the first time. In time you will be able to swing that sword with perfection instead of struggling to hold it up. Okay, swing right now and listen!" I swung the sword horizontally, and badly I might add as this was my first time doing so naturally, but it did connect with the strange wall and produced a rather awkward sound as though the wall were hollow.

" What did that prove?" I asked.

" That this part of the wall is fake and that you need to use the Goron Special Crop in order to uncover what lies behind it. You don't need to worry about breaking your sword upon contact with any kind of wall as that blade was forged with perfection in mind. It won't break no matter how many times you swing at a wall, or anything else for that matter. All you have to do is just get used to swinging it. I'll give you another lesson later provided that the dragon doesn't decide to wake up," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Goron Special Crop? What does that even mean?" I asked.

" Bombs," answered Pinkie Pie.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" It's just our way of saying what they are because we created bombs in the first place, and sold them to the Hylians so they in turn can sell them to others and continue on from there," replied Pinkie Pie. Saying bomb makes more sense and doesn't leave you feeling confused, but I suppose that they needed to make it sound extra special for their own sake.

I took out the Bomb Bag which was hanging on my belt, and placed it on the ground before opening it up. " Your Bomb Bag has gotten bigger since I last saw it! Guess you found some upgrades for it by doing some searching around like all adventurers do."

" It was worth the effort if it means being able to carry 40 bombs instead of 20 like it was with the original one I found in the Dodongo's Cavern," I said as I took out a bomb where it instantly lit its own fuse before I tossed it over to where the strange wall was. It's weird that bombs are able to light themselves up the moment you take them out of the bag, but I suppose that it was another magical aspect of Hyrule.

A few moments later and the bomb exploded destroying the fake wall, and revealing a door behind it which Pinkie and I opened leading us into a small corridor that ended with another prison cell. Without even taking the time to see if the Goron inside was okay, I activated the switch which opened the cell, and the Goron got to her feet and waddled over to me.

" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? Hooray! I'll tell you a secret for saving me! There are switches in this temple that you have to cut to activate. But, you can also use the Goron Special Crop to do the job if you're not able to reach them."

" How do I go about cutting them?" I asked.

" You have a sharp sword there in that scabbard, so use that to cut the switches, or use the crop in order to achieve the same results. Huh? Big Brother Darunia! You came here to save me too? I feel relieved knowing that you're on hand helping this girl to save us all from being fed to Volvagia.

I'll go back to Goron City right away, and be sure to open that treasure chest over there in the corner before leaving this room." The Goron then waddled along and opened the door and closed it again as she began to make her way back to Goron City, and I walked over to the chest and received another small key when I kicked it open.

" That's the third small key we've found inside one of these prison cells, and along with that gold and blue ornate chest in the cell that Maud is imprisoned in, that gives us four keys of small and big verities," I said.

" Where are you going with this?" asked Spike.

" I have a hunch that each cell we come across will also have a small treasure chest containing a small key," I replied.

" Quite the unusual gimmick although it does make sense when you think about it. Ganondorf's followers must have been aware that someone was bound to show up here, so they decided to hide all of the keys in such an obvious location that they assumed no one would ever think to look inside of a prison cell. The number of Gorons trapped equals how many keys there are in the temple, and it will also help us keep track of how many Gorons we've rescued," said Spike.

" Maud mentioned about that switch that opens her cell being rusty," I said.

" You would need something pretty heavy to be able to slam it down to activate it," said Spike.

" And I think I know just the heavy object we can use to smash that switch down, but first we need to find and claim it assuming I'm the one meant to get it. Darunia, we're done in this part of the Fire Temple, so why don't we use one of the small keys we've picked up, and check out the next room," I suggested. Pinkie Pie nodded her head and we made our way over to the locked door with me jumping from platform to platform, and Pinkie rolling along like the Goron she is.

Upon unlocking the door and entering the next room, there was a massive metal fence going around the room with some flat areas of fence on top which should make for some ledges. Down a small slope was a tiny lava pit which was spewing up a burst of fire for a while before calming down and repeating the process again in an endless loop. The only other thing that piqued my interest was a large block which looked as though it could be moved. " Hmmmm....I wonder if that block could be pushed onto the lava pit in order to stop the flame shoot from coming up?"

" If you look up at the ceiling, you can see a small hole which looks big enough for that block to fit through," said Spike.

" Oh yeah! Now I'm starting to see the picture. That block is going to act like an elevator and allow us to move on up to the next floor, but the question now is how do we get up onto that platform in order to push the block onto the lava pit?" I asked.

" That fence might be climbable, but I don't know for certain," replied Spike.

" Sounds like this is a job for a powerful Goron," began Pinkie Pie as she placed her hammer onto the ground and flexed her muscles. It actually looked really funny given that she didn't really have much in the way of muscle mass, but I wasn't about to insult her as I knew that she was powerful since she can swing that hammer of hers around like a little toy.

I was a little bit afraid of what she was planning on doing, but I suppose that I should hear her out as she might have a logical plan. " That fence can be climbed although you'll need to find a way to get onto it as right below us is some lava, and I know that you can't withstand lava unlike me."

" Do you have something in mind?" I asked.

" I'll just toss you up there onto that fence ledge and you can go at it from there," replied Pinkie Pie.

" You're going to what!?!?" I exclaimed with utter surprise as Pinkie grabbed me by the hands, swung me around once, and tossed me all the way up to the top of the fence where I landed on my face which hurt quite a bit as flesh doesn't enjoy slamming up against metal. While I won't deny the fact that her immense power helped me get all the way up here, couldn't she have tried something a little less primitive?

Also, I probably could have used my Hookshot instead of what just happened. " Next time, give me a warning when you go and do something like that! All the blood rushed to my head, and I think my life flashed before my eyes."

" Guess I don't know my own strength, but at least you made it," smiled Pinkie Pie.

" Ugh!" I moaned as I turned my attention towards getting up and walking over to the ledge where the block was situated on. There were a few Keese sitting on the other end of the fence, so I picked them off with arrows as I didn't want them to get in the way, or cause me to fall down as it was a pretty long drop. Once I was over the ledge, I slowly dropped down and landed on my feet which was better than the alternative, and I proceeded to push the block which was pretty light for its size.

When it was pushed off the ledge and onto the ground, I jumped down to the ground and pushed it all the way until it covered the lava pit, and within an instant the burst of flame propelled the block up like an elevator which was the key to getting to the next room. I signalled for Pinkie to come on over, and she slid down the slope where she looked at what I had done.

" So this block is going to get us to the next floor?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" We just need to climb up onto it while its down here and wait for the fire to shoot it back up. Are you able to climb up onto this block despite how big it is? As I recall from our last adventure, you weren't able to climb up those stairs in the Dodongo's Cavern, and then there was the fact that you couldn't explore the second floor due to a height problem you and all Gorons share," I replied.

" Ever since you left Death Mountain and Ganondorf came to power some days later, I had to train rigorously in order to protect my people from the monsters who plagued the mountain, and despite me aging a little bit and gaining some wrinkles, I've become stronger since those days. To answer your question, climbing up blocks is a cinch for me although I still have some height issues," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then here's your chance to show me," I said as the block dropped back down after having been pushed all the way to the ceiling by the burst of fire from the lava pit. As soon as the block had landed, I immediately climbed onto it while Pinkie tossed up her hammer which almost hit me, and then quickly climbed up just as it shot back up to the ceiling where we walked off of it and onto a small ledge within a very tiny room.

" That was pretty good of you although maybe you should watch where you throw that hammer in future. It's a good thing we have an extra small key otherwise we'd be at dead end right now and forced to backtrack. Unlocking this door and opening it lead us into a room which had green tiles serving as the floor and walls, and in front of us was another prison cell, yet there was no sign of any switch on this side until I saw it on the other side of the cell.

" What do you think Spike?" I asked.

" There has to be a way to get to that switch and open that cell in order to free the Goron, and acquire the small key inside of the treasure chest. I hate to say it, but we'll have to leave this Goron here for now until we can find a way to get to the other side," replied Spike.

" By the way, what are those things over there with the fire coming out of their backs?" I asked.

" That is a Torch Slug who will charge at you if it happens to sense you and rear up for a brief moment. If you strike it with the Master Sword or with a non-magical projectile, it will lose its fire and immediately run away where it will eventually regain its fire and become somewhat of a threat again.

If you had something powerful enough, you can flip them over onto their backs which will put out their flames instantly, but if you flip them back onto their stomachs, they will regain their fire as though nothing happened. Even without their fire, they are immune to your fire magic, so perhaps using arrows will be the best course of action," replied Spike.

" Or, we could go with the Goron method," I said.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" Darunia could do with some action as so far all we've been doing is solving puzzles and freeing Gorons, and I think she could be getting a little bored as she's the kind of person who craves adventure and battle. So, I'll let her take care of these monsters as it will give her something to do. Darunia? We've got some monsters swarming over there on those ledges, and I figured that you could do with some fighting right about now," I replied.

" I was hoping you'd say that as I need to do something before I get bored," said Pinkie Pie. She ran over to the lowest ledge and jumped onto it before she starting to swing her hammer around with one hand, and smashed the Torch Slugs that were there repeatedly until they were all destroyed. She then move onto the next ledge and repeated the process before moving on up to the third ledge where she destroyed them all before placing her hammer down and resting on the handle for a moment. " They weren't that strong for monsters, but at least I managed to get my Goron blood pumping a little bit. I could do with some more monsters to smash to pieces."

" Oh I'm sure that we'll run into something soon enough," I said.

" What about my Brother in that prison cell?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" The switch to the cell is on the other side of it, so we need to find a way to get over there and open it up. It does mean we have to leave her behind for a while, but we will come back down here and set her free," I replied.

" In order for us to move on up to the next floor, we need to use that block over there as a ledge for us to climb, and you don't need my strength to push something as light as that. Now I wonder what that strange switch is for," said Pinkie Pie.

" What kind of switch is that?" I asked.

" That's a Crystal Switch and it must be what that Goron prisoner mentioned that needed to be cut in order to activate it. These switches are unusual as when activated, they run on a timer which ticks away slowly before getting faster to indicate that it's about to deactivate. The trick is to strike them at a distance in order to eliminate having to walk back for a few seconds thus wasting precious time.

If you stand on the ledge that's right above the ledge where the crystal switch is, you can drop a bomb onto it and activate it instead of having to use the Master Sword," replied Spike.

" The switch must cause that wall of flame to disappear for a short while, and then we climb up the metal fence in order to reach the next room," I said.

" First you need to actually reach the switch, so use that block over there as a makeshift platform," said Spike. I ran and jumped over the gap and landed on the other side where I proceeded to push the block down although I accidentally pushed it off the wrong side causing it to get stuck.

This made me feel frustrated knowing that I botched something so obvious, but then Pinkie picked up the block with her hands and walked around the corner and placed it down in the spot it was meant to go. Was that her way of showing off more of her strength? I'm not complaining mind you seeing as she turned my blunder around allowing us to reach the ledge above the crystal switch.

" I'll have to be careful not to fall off the ledge, or drop a bomb right in front of me," I said.

" Just pace yourself as close to the edge as possible, and carefully place a bomb down," said Spike. I inched my way over to the edge until my feet were almost completely suspended in mid-air, then I removed the Bomb Bag from my belt and opened it upon which I took out a bomb and dropped it down before closing the bag up, reattach it to my belt, and move back quickly in order to avoid being blown up. The resulting explosion activated the crystal switch causing the fire to disappear, and a strange ticking sound began to reverberate around the room.

" That must be the time ticking away," I said.

" So you'd better hurry up and climb otherwise the fire is going to roast you, and probably be seen as a relaxing feeling for Darunia," said Spike. Without saying another word, Pinkie and I climbed up the metal fence as fast as possible before the time ran out and the fire returned. Once we were safely on the next ledge, I opened the door which lead us into a massive room which looked like some kind of maze due to there being so many raised ledges all around us. I could also hear the sounds of boulders rolling around which was going to cause us some trouble.

" Which way do we go?" I asked.

" That's a good question as these walls are making it difficult to navigate even though we just entered this room. I can hear the faint sounds of a Goron somewhere nearby, but where exactly I don't know. Be extra careful as those boulders will run you over if you happen to encounter one. There are also some Torch Slugs on the ledges on top of some of these walls, but they won't bother us right now until we get up there ourselves," replied Spike.

" I say we go to the right," I suggested and began to walk in that direction, but that turned out to be a mistake for a large boulder was barreling down the path towards me, and with no means of dodging it because of the walls giving me little breathing room, I was about to get run down.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 28: Dancing Shimmer

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 4, 2015
Chapter 28: Dancing Shimmer.

With no possible means of avoiding the boulder, I closed my eyes and expected to get bowled over, but then I quickly opened them when I heard the sound of Pinkie screaming as she ran out in front of me, and struck the boulder with her own fist. At first I thought she was crazy for doing something so reckless, but when the boulder shattered to pieces, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had forgotten that in this world, Pinkie had immense strength on her side, so smashing a boulder to pieces was simple for her.

" Are you okay?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" I've certainly had better days," I replied.

" Strange how these boulders are rolling around when there are no places where rocks can fall. I have a suspicion that Ganondorf's followers must have brought them into the temple by gathering them up outside, and having them roll around serving the role of general nuisance," said Pinkie Pie.

" Nice theory and all, but can you explain that?" I asked. Another boulder was rolling down the corridor towards us, and Pinkie was prepared to shatter this one to pieces, but then it came to a sudden stop before heading left whereas another boulder came down the same direction about ten seconds later, and rolled away from us. " Since when do boulders have the ability to just come to a stop, and change direction before continuing on?"

" Magic?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" That could possibly be the actual answer as I have nothing. I guess you should take the lead from here as that power you possess will allow us to not have to worry about being bowled over if any boulders come our way," I replied. We then began to make our way around this maze by heading to the left from the point of entry where Pinkie shattered every boulder along the way, and then we came across a locked door with no means of opening it.

We needed to find this spot again as we're bound to get lost, so I took out the Hookshot and started to fire it at the wall in order to make a marking big enough for us to recognize. Once I was satisfied with my little piece of work, we continued to walk on until Pinkie came to a stop, and placed her hand around her ear.

" I can hear the sounds of a shivering Goron coming from over there," said Pinkie Pie.

" And there is a door just to the left of us, so we can either stick together and free each one in turn, or split up with you following the sound, and I check out the room beyond that door," I suggested.

" You go and rescue my Brother while I try to find out where that shivering is coming from. I'll be sure to yell out for you to come on over when I've pinpointed a general location," said Pinkie Pie as she walked off. The room I entered upon opening the door went around to the left before stopping at a prison cell where a Goron appeared to be sleeping in the corner instead of being afraid.

That's when I recognized this one as Photo Finish, the same Goron who was guarding that Bomb Flower that was growing outside of the Dodongo's Cavern. I activated the switch which opened her cell, but she was still asleep which was inconvenient, so I had to call out to her in order to wake her up so that she could escape.

" Hello!" I shouted.

" Huh? What's this? What possessed you to want to wake me up?" asked Photo Finish.

" You've been set free from your awful prison," I replied.

" So you decided to free me little schnitzel? I was wondering what was taking so long for someone to come all the way here to rescue me, but here you are at long last. I'll give you a reward for saving my life. When you are on fire, you can put it out by swinging your sword, or by rolling forward. Did you know that?" asked Photo Finish.

" I've been set on fire a few times back when I was younger, but I never thought to consider doing either of those things in order to put it out. Usually, I let the fire run its course due to having a strong affinity towards it, but I suppose that your advice will prove to be most helpful," I replied.

" Actually, I do have a second piece of information which may prove to your liking. While I was being dragged off to rot in this prison cell, I overheard my captors talking to each other about the location of the Goron Hero's legendary hammer. They aren't able to make off with the weapon for it is protected by some kind of fiery defence, so all they can do is prevent anyone from getting their hands on it and destroying the dragon," said Photo Finish.

" Did they say where it is exactly?" I asked.

" Somewhere on the highest level of the Fire Temple," replied Photo Finish.

" Darunia will definitely want to know about that seeing as she and I are trying to find that hammer," I said.

" Big Brother is in here as well rescuing us from our imprisonment? I take it she was the one who asked you to save me and the others, so I retract what I said earlier. You know, there's something about you schnitzel which feels familiar to me, but I can't figure it out and I don't have the time to do so. I have to return to the city and wait for the others to come back.

Be sure to tell Big Brother Darunia about that extra bit of information as it will help you both," said Photo Finish. She then walked down the corridor and opened the door before disappearing, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she was a little difficult for me to deal with. I then walked over to the small treasure chest, and received another small key when I kicked it open.

" That Goron certainly had her moments didn't she?" asked Spike.

" It's weird as back in the human world, Photo Finish was rather flamboyant, yet here in Hyrule she just likes to sleep a lot, and isn't concerned about the way she looks. It's a nice change of pace compared to some of the other alternative versions of my friends which I wish I didn't get to see," I replied.

" At least she was able to tell us something about the location of the legendary hammer before she left. We really could do with the Dungeon Map right as there is no way of knowing how many floors this temple has, and even then we don't have a 100% confirmed location as it could be anywhere on the highest level. By the way, how are you holding up with regards to the heat and humidity?" asked Spike.

" I feel fine right now," I replied.

" The upper levels of the Fire Temple seem to lack the intense pools of lava that we saw back on the first floor, but I advise that you keep the Goron Tunic on as we don't know what else is in store for us. I honestly would have thought Darunia knew this place awfully well given that she is the Goron Chieftain, yet she's been just as surprised as us," said Spike.

" Maybe she just forgot some details," I suggested.

" Darunia doesn't look like the sort of person who would be forgetful," said Spike. Once I left the small room and re-entered the large maze chamber, I heard Pinkie call my name from somewhere to my left which felt really embarrassing. It reminded me of when Pinkie called me over in the human world to check out the poster she made for the Battle of the Bands, but that was a fun thing to walk over and this, this was anything but that as I was traversing around a fiery dungeon having to rescue people.

I sighed and started to walk in the direction of Pinkie's booming voice which got louder the closer I was getting to her. It took me a couple of minutes before I found her, and she looked like she was having a fantastic time what with screaming my name without losing her voice in the process.

" I tried to find the location of the Goron that was shivering, and it lead me all the way to this corner of the room. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds coming from behind one of these walls," said Pinkie Pie. She then stopped talking to allow me to listen to where the sound was coming from, and sure enough I could hear something which meant part of the wall was hollow and could be blown up to reveal the prisoner. " This is actually the perfect time to give you another lesson in how to wield that Master Sword of yours, and it's one that I am well familiar with."

" What did you have in mind?" I asked.

" Before, I showed you how to swing horizontally, so now I'll teach you how to swing vertically which is essentially the same thing, but swinging down instead of from left to right. Think of it as trying to chop something with your fist, or using a cutting tool in order to achieve the same result," replied Pinkie Pie.

" I think you need to give me another visual as I have no idea what you're talking about," I said.

" Really? What do they teach you in that forest home of yours? Pretend my hammer is your sword and lift it up like so," said Pinkie Pie. She lifted up her hammer until she was holding it slightly behind her back, and then she swung it down where it hit the ground with a loud thud causing a slight tremor which disrupted my balance.

" That was a slow example because that's how I fight and because I wield such a heavy hammer, but your sword is much lighter. If your sword collides with something, it will be like a parry attack where the blade gets knocked back, so you don't freak out and just resume swinging again, or waiting for another opportunity to strike."

" You never mentioned anything about the sword being knocked back," I said.

" That's because I forgot to bring it up as it's another basic technique," said Pinkie Pie.

" One where I have no control over it, and it happens because the Master Sword isn't able to complete the swing," I said.

" I've had my hammer knocked back from being involved in a parry attack more times than I can count, so believe me when I say that you will get used to it. Anyway, time to put this technique into practice, and what better way than to strike the Master Sword against the wall here until you find the part that is hollow," said Pinkie Pie.

I nervously drew the Master Sword from its scabbard and held it in hand although I wish that I wasn't, but I had to do this in order to rescue the imprisoned Goron. Taking a deep breath followed by a large gulp, I swung the sword forward in a vertical slice and it bounced off the wall with a loud clang which made me almost drop it.

" This part of the wall is real," I said with chattering teeth.

" Try a different spot," suggested Pinkie Pie. I moved along the left of where I swung before, and swung at the wall again with a vertical slice. This time when I connected with the wall, I did get knocked back but the sound was different as though this part of the wall was hollow or lacking in volume. " There! That must be the part that you need to blow up with the Goron Special Crop.

You did pretty well despite that slight hiccup you had." I felt relieved as I sheathed the Master Sword before removing the Bomb Bag from my belt and taking out a bomb where I placed it in front of the wall. After stepping back and putting my bag back onto my belt, the wall exploded shattering into pieces, and behind it was another prison cell within the groove along with a switch which I activated.

" Huh? What's going on?"

" You're being rescued," I replied.

" I'm free to go? You have no idea how long I've been trapped in this prison cell."

" You've been here several months when Ganondorf's followers came along, and took you and the other Gorons to the Fire Temple in order to be fed to Volvagia. That should be the answer to your query, but I don't mean to insult the torment you've been through. Darunia and I are going through this temple to set you and the others free before we find the legendary hammer, and use it to destroy the dragon for good," I said.

" Big Brother is here! Oh! Big Brother! I'm so glad that you're here to help us along with this young woman."

" I'm Sunset Shimmer by the way," I said.

" As in the one who saved us from being starved to death? Wow! I'm honoured to have been rescued by you oh great Dodongo Buster and Goron Hero. You must simply let me thank you for what you have done. I know, I'll tell you a secret for saving me! In this temple, there are doors that fall down when you try to open them. When one of these doors starts to fall, move! If you use a sample of the Goron Special Crop, you can break it."

" Doors that fall down!?!? How will I know if the door is real or not?" I asked.

" Real doors in this temple are always embedded into the walls whereas the fake ones look as though someone just placed them up against the wall. They also have this weird dull colouring to them that gives them away. I'm going home now, so I hope to see you both back there soon." The Goron then walked off happily leaving Pinkie and I to ponder over our next course of action.

" What do you make of that?" I asked.

" Doors which are able to fall down when being opened? It sounds rather silly if you ask me, but I suppose that Ganondorf's followers are willing to try any tactics in order to stop us from progressing any further. I think my hammer should be able to smash those fake doors with one strike, but maybe using the crop will be safer as you can throw them at a distance, and not have to get in close. So far, we've saved five of my people with two more currently locked up due to not being able to reach them right now, but there are still others who need us," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Let's go back to where that locked door was as that should be where we need to go next," I suggested.

" Don't forget to grab the small key in the treasure chest as we don't want to backtrack," smiled Pinkie Pie.

" Almost forgot," I blushed knowing that I was about to leave a vital item behind. As soon as I kicked open the chest and took out the small key, we headed back to where the locked door was by finding the marking which I left behind. Making that proved to be a smart decision on my part as we managed to find it in a matter of seconds, and when I unlocked the door and opened it to proceed into the next room, my heart beated rapidly as I was about to fall down into a deep pit. Luckily, Pinkie grabbed me and pulled me back just in time.

" That was too close," began Spike.

" I know! If I had fallen down into that pit, I probably would have ended up falling into some lava, and that would have been the end of me," I said.

" No, you would have fallen back into that large room with the moving platforms. If you look over the edge and straight down, you can see the walkway down there. If you had dropped into this pit, you would have survived although hurt yourself pretty badly, and you would have had to have walked all the way back up here which would have been a real waste of time," said Spike.

" Thank goodness Darunia was on hand to pull me back," I said.

" You need to be careful in this room as look at the layout of the path in front of us. That is a very narrow walkway, so you need to walk carefully so as to not slip and plunge all the way back down to the first floor. Take your time and everything will be okay so long as you don't look down. This applies especially to you Darunia as you still have an issue when it comes to heights," said Spike.

" Anything else?" I asked.

" There's an eye switch way up there on the wall hidden inconspicuously from view, and it should open that door over there with the iron bars covering it if you hit it with an arrow. I think we should see what is behind that barred door as it could be something useful, but I'll let you make the call on this one Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike.

" I'll go for that door first before we unlock the other one with the small key I have," I said. That was when I began to walk across the narrow path which turned out to be more difficult than I imagined as it felt like one slip up, and I was going to plunge to my death even though Spike said I would survive. I didn't even want to walk across, so I relied on sliding along inch by inch as I wasn't confidant at all.

When I reached the point where the path split up, I took out the Fairy Bow slowly, and aimed for the eye switch and fired an arrow which ended up missing. Figures that would happen and it made me feel even more nervous than I already was. I began to breathe deeply as I needed to remain calm, and my next fired arrow hit its target causing the barred door to be unlocked.

" You did it!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

" Aren't you going to follow me into the next room?" I asked.

" I'll make my way over to where the locked door is and wait for you to come back. I'll be fine Sunset Shimmer as it will take more than a big fall to damper this Goron's spirits," replied Pinkie Pie. Deciding to take her word and leave her to her own devices, I opened the now unlocked door and entered a room which I couldn't access fully due to a tall fence restricting me to this one part. At the end of this tiny area was a large chest which revealed a Dungeon Map when I opened it up.

" Finally! Now we have a pretty good idea as to what this temple's layout is like," I said.

" It looks like there are five floors altogether, so that means the legendary hammer has to be somewhere on the fifth floor....this temple sure has a lot of symmetrical rooms along with some really tiny floors which makes you think why not combine some of it together instead of having it all spaced out," said Spike.

" In any case, we have a map so we don't have to walk around blind anymore. We already know the location of the Boss Key and the Boss Door, so I could mark them on the map, but I suppose that the compass will take care of that when we find it. It's a shame that the map doesn't tell us where the remaining Gorons are being held, so I guess we're still blind when it comes to that," I sighed.

" Not everything will be handed over to us for free you know," said Spike.

" I know because that would make it too easy. Let's get back to the other room and see how Pinkie Pie is doing. I'm sure she made it across that thin walkway by now," I said. As soon as I walked back into the previous room, Pinkie had indeed made it across although she was sweating pretty badly which indicated to me that she struggled with having to deal with her fear of heights. I showed her the Dungeon Map which she squeeled with glee in response before using the key to unlock the door and entering the next room....which turned out to be the one that I was just in where I found the map, but now we had complete access.

" There's something odd about this room," said Spike.

" As in it begins with another narrow walkway, but going across lava instead of a deep pit?" I asked.

" No as that just sounds like having to deal with a minor obstacle before having to face the bigger problem. There's something strange with that series of metal fence platforms over there beyond the walkway. It looks like an easy crossing, but I just have this feeling there's something we're not seeing," replied Spike.

" I can see a locked door up there on a high ledge, but we have no keys right now to open it," I said.

" Then we need to rescue the Goron we missed back on the second floor in order to proceed," said Spike. I slowly walked along the narrow walkway because I didn't want to fall into the lava, yet Pinkie just walked across the lava while humming a tune to herself. Seeing her do that made me feel really aggrievated all because she was immune to lava while I would get killed by it.

But, I couldn't stay mad at her as she was just being Pinkie Pie what with her ability to defy logic, and making it humourous in the process. Once we made it onto the platform, everything seemed to be okay, but as soon as we took a few steps forward, we heard some kind of hissing noise coming from behind us.

" What's that noise?" I asked.

" You'd better start running," replied Spike.

" Why?" I asked.

" Because that's why!" shouted Spike as he floated slightly behind us to indicate something was there. Pinkie and I looked behind and saw a wall of fire had formed, and was starting to make its way towards us. We both decided to make a run for it by running across to the other side where there was a normal looking ledge, yet the firewall was keeping up with us, and the Red Bubbles weren't making it any easier.

Luckily, we managed to make it before getting roasted, and we climbed up the ledges all the way towards the door just as the firewall reached the other side where it disappeared. When we opened the door, we found ourselves back in the maze room although now we were higher up where we saw that the maze-like walls were in fact large platforms we could use to travel across.

" There are the Torch Slugs which we heard before," I said.

" If they manage to ram into you, they could push you off of the platform and onto the floor meaning you'll have to come all the way back up here again. This also applies if you accidentally jump off at the wrong angle," said Spike.

" I'll pick them off with arrows so as to not engage them directly," I suggested.

" That does seem like the best course of action," added Spike. Jumping across to the next platform, I struggled to balance myself as they were thin walkways in some cases, but I had to remain strong to prevent myself from falling down. Taking out the Fairy Bow again, I began to shoot arrows at the Torch Slugs until all of them were defeated, yet I did notice that the top of one of the platforms had some cracks in it which was suspicious.

" I can hear the sounds of a Goron coming from below," said Pinkie Pie.

" That must be how we can open the prison cell from the other side by dropping down into this hole once we uncover it using a bomb. Or, you could do the honours and simply smash it open with your hammer," I suggested.

" There's another prison cell all the way over there embedded into the wall, and the switch appears to be just on the next platform to our right. I suggest that we rescue the one over in that distant prison cell as they are in a dangerous position. You make your way over there once I activate the switch for you, and then I'll proceed to smash open this broken piece of the floor," said Pinkie Pie. She jumped over to the platform where the switch was and activated it which opened the cell, yet the Goron refused to get up and I don't blame them because of the height issue.

I then started to jump across the additional platforms making sure to do so carefully as I didn't want to have to backtrack, and Pinkie in the meantime smashed her hammer into the broken ground where she broke through with only the one blow.

" Did you come here to release me?" asked the Goron as I finally reached him after nearly falling off of the last platform.

" You're free to go now, so take that door which will allow you to make your way down to the first floor, and from there you can easily leave the temple," I replied.

" I'll tell you a secret for saving me! If you find a place that you can see on the map, but can't reach, try playing your Ocarina," said the Goron.

" What will that produce?" I asked.

" I'm not sure what will come up, but it should be helpful to you if you figure out the meaning. My secret also works when you see a high place in a room which you can't reach through normal means. As for the kind of song you can play, you probably know a lot of songs people have taught you over time, so why not try playing one of your own creation? I hear that someone out there in Hyrule loves listening to people create their own music through ocarinas, and has the perfect memory," replied the Goron.

" Then I'll have to see if I can find this person," I said.

" In any case, I'll follow the directions you gave me, and make my way back home," said the Goron. He then jumped down and made his way over to the door before waving me goodbye and entering it. As usual, there was a small treasure chest inside of the cell, and I opened it to reveal another small key. Just how many Gorons ended up being imprisoned in here? I had no time to think about it as I made my way back over to Pinkie making sure that I was as careful as possible.

" The broken ground fell apart with just one swing of my hammer, so now we can either climb down this metal fence and reach the room below, or we can jump down if we want to get down there faster. You can climb down Sunset Shimmer as you don't have the bulk to prevent injury, but I'll jump down with my eyes closed so I can get down there as fast as possible," said Pinkie Pie.

I thought she wasn't serious and instead was just playing around, but when she closed her eyes and jumped down into the hole, I quickly ran over to the edge only to end up falling down on my rear due to Pinkie landing on the floor with a loud thud which caused a big tremor. Was she trying to prove herself or something? Or did she want to do that because she felt like it? Either way, I wasn't about to try the same thing because that would have been crazy, so I took the safe route which was climbing down to the floor below.

" Did you have to do that?" I asked as I reached the floor.

" Of course as I wanted to get down here as fast as possible. Remember that I can accompany you until the dragon starts to wake up from its slumber, then I have to go and deal with it because that is my duty while yours is to secure the legendary hammer and rescue the remainder of my people. I'd say that Volvagia will wake up very soon as it has been quite some time since we first started exploring the temple," replied Pinkie Pie.

" In all of the excitement, I'd completely forgotten about the dragon," I said.

" Sometimes we can become so consumed with having fun and adventure, yet we often forget about what's important and it just wallows about in the back of our mind. I know that my chances of containing the dragon are slim to none, but I have to keep it distracted long enough until you are able to complete your tasks. Before you say anything, I'm aware that you're probably thinking I shouldn't risk my life like that, but that's the kind of responsibility I have to my people.

As long as they are safe, my own life means nothing even though I wish to survive this myself," said Pinkie Pie. Who would have thought that Pinkie of all people would have such a serious side to her seeing as she was often depicted as a party animal who loved fun in all forms. I had to pick up the pace if I want to rescue the other Gorons and find the hammer before Pinkie had to go back down to the dragon's lair. Walking along the pathway lead us to the prison cell containing the Goron we passed by earlier, so I activated the switch setting him free.

" I've been saved! Oh? Big Brother! I'm glad to see that you are safe and sound. I've been feeling this strange surge coming from below, and I fear that the dragon could awaken soon which would be a disaster for all of us. Here's a tip for rescuing me! Somewhere in this temple, you're sure to meet up with some creatures that dance as they attack. Arrows won't hurt them! Looks like you might need some of the Goron Special Crop in order to defeat them."

" Would they happen to be creatures made of fire?" I asked.

" Most likely which means you need to avoid contact with them otherwise they will burn you."

" Thanks for the information as it will be very helpful when we end up running into them," I said.

" Don't underestimate these creatures as they can be tricky once you see them for yourself. Anyway, I must return home to Goron City as I'm sure the others are waiting for me to return. Help yourself to that small key in the chest over there as I don't plan on taking it with me as a souvenir." The Goron then walked off towards the door which lead to the room with the fire pit elevator and soon he was gone, so Pinkie and I doubled-back to the fence and climbed up to get back to the third floor again.

She was quite the climber which certainly was surprising to see as she climbed all the way up, and had to wait a while for me to catch up to her. Once I had climbed up, we made our way back to the room where the wall of fire chased us, and the moment we landed on the metal fence platform, the fire returned but this time it was right behind us.

" Oh come on!" I shouted as Pinkie and I ran for it to avoid getting burned.

" There's the locked door up on that ledge," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then that's where we're going next," I said. We had to make a leap of faith in order to grab onto the high ledge, but we managed to succeed and pulled ourselves up just as the wall of fire burned its way by and continued down the pathway before disappearing like it did before. Unlocking the door with the small key lead us into a corridor which consisted of nothing but torches on either side leading up to another door. " This feels like a bad omen like we're about to walk into some kind of trap."

" Only way to know for certain is to open that door in front of us," said Pinkie Pie.

" I know and sometimes that is what I tend to fear the most when exploring these dungeons," I said. I was actually expecting something to happen in this corridor, but nothing came up which had me worried as I opened the door. This lead us into another massive room where the first thing I noticed was some kind of column in front of us with some metal fencing surrounding it where we could see down below. There were also a large number of small columns placed around the room, and finally there were some face columns spewing out flames which served as an obstacle.

" Take a look at this," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" You can see down into the room below through the metal fencing. Say....isn't that the same room down there where we met Darunia and the Goron trapped in the prison cell? Let me take a look at that map for a second," replied Spike. I opened it up to allow him to find what he was looking for, and he began to shout with excitement once he had found it. " Yep! I was right! That means this must be the top of the pillar that the Goron mentioned we needed to use in order to gain access to the lair of the dragon."

" That's the top of it!?!? Then this pillar must be gigantic if it goes from up here to all the way down there," I said.

" The legendary hammer could very well be the only thing that can knock that pillar back down to the first floor as I don't think anything else is powerful enough. Not even Darunia's hammer would have the strength to be able to slam that thing down below. The question now, is how to get up on top of the pillar so that you can knock it down," said Spike.

" What about those small columns lining up throughout the room?" I asked.

" Something is odd about those as why would they be arranged like that? Also, notice those boulder just go back and forth without changing direction? It's possible that there are traps between those columns, but I don't know for sure as they do look pretty harmless," replied Spike.

" I can see a door over there to the right, so why don't we check that out before trying the other route," I suggested. Pinkie and Spike agreed to my plan, and I immediately walked off towards the door only to end up getting struck and knocked back by a wall of flame which shot up between the pillar and the wall. It refused to go away as though it was forcing me to have to take an alternate path. " Well, there's your trap Spike! I'm taking it that between every column will shoot up a wall of flame that will block our progress?"

" Most of the gaps between the columns will likely do this, so we need to find the gaps where no flame will appear. This is going to be a small guessing game, so you might want to be prepared to get a little burned unless you're really lucky," replied Spike.

" I can handle a little fire," announced Pinkie Pie.

" You're not invincible Darunia, so don't ever think that even though you are stronger than both Sunset Shimmer and me. I think you two should take it in turns in order to find the path through the flames between the pillars, or just run around in a blind panic and hope one of you figures it out first," said Spike.

" Now that's an idea that I can get behind!" laughed Pinkie Pie.

" Not surprised you'd say that," sighed Spike.

" Don't worry about me little fairy as this is the kind of thing I have to endure. Come Sunset Shimmer! Let's find our way to that door and see who gets to it first!" laughed Pinkie Pie. She then ran in-between the pillars hoping to find the right way through, and she ended up getting burned several times in the process. I just slapped my head in frustration that she once again did something without thinking about it.

The walls of flame don't seem to be affecting her all that much let alone slow her down, and she would eventually find her way over to the door despite having a lot of burns across her body. " I thought you would be joining me in the fun? Maybe I overdid it a little in wanting to run around, but I had to do it because time isn't on our side right now."

" I'm sorry if I ever doubted you," I said.

" You don't need to apologize as you were concerned with my behaviour, but know that I am committed to the cause! You check out what's inside of that room, and I'll see which gaps among the columns are safe for us to traverse. I know that I'll get burned, but I'm willing to take the heat in order to help you achieve your goal," said Pinkie Pie. I opened the door which lead me into another corridor which ended with a large treasure chest, yet I was concerned with everything Pinkie said because I did assume that she was just being herself and messing around.

" Guess we underestimated her," said Spike.

" I'll say we have, and I feel pretty bad for thinking of her as being immature what with how she's been acting," I said.

" Darunia may act foolish sometimes, but she is someone who is looked up to all the time, and she has plenty of expectations to live up to. She's right about us not having much time to spare as Volvagia could awaken any minute now, and we haven't rescued all of the Gorons," said Spike.

" And we haven't found the hammer," I added.

" That hammer is the only thing which will defeat the dragon, and without it we don't stand a chance. Darunia must be doing an awfully good job of hiding her fears seeing as her people are being threatened with extinction, and that Volvagia could destroy Death Mountain along with the entiriety of Hyrule. She's putting on a brave face even though she knows the odds have been stacked against her since Ganondorf's followers abducted the Gorons months ago. We need to step up our own game, and do what we need must to ensure that Hyrule doesn't end up becoming burned to a cinder," said Spike.

" I agree....which means I might have to rely on my transformation again," I said in a soft voice as I was afraid of what would happen to me if I were to lose control. I walked over to the chest and opened it to discover a compass inside which wasn't as exciting as it was when I found one in the Forest Temple. " I think we got this a little late seeing as most of the significant treasure chests have been opened, and we know where the boss room is"

" Plus, the compass doesn't confirm the location of the hammer, so we're still a little blind when it comes to that," added Spike.

" It looks like there are two chests on the highest floor, so I hope that the one we're heading to is the right one," I said. With the compass in hand, I went back into the other room where Pinkie Pie was standing there swinging about her hammer as though she were bored. I could see the various burns across her body, but she seemed to just shrug them off which shows that wasn't going to let them slow her down.

" It took me a little longer than expected, but I did manage to find a pathway through the columns. Follow me closely as you don't want to take a wrong turn, and walk right into a wall of flame," said Pinkie Pie. She then began to make her way back to the giant pillar by weaving through the columns, and my way of thinking here was that she must have been burned numerous times before figuring out the right way. " We need to be careful over here as these statues may look harmless, but they will shoot out flames at us as a means of a defensive measure. We just have to wait for the right moment when no flames are being fired before we move on."

" There certainly are a lot of doors around here," I said.

" All of them are fake doors except for the locked one right over there," said Pinkie Pie.

" Did you try to open them?" I asked.

" I did and I managed to smash them all to pieces with one swing of my hammer, but it looks like some kind of magic was used to restore them back. When you try to open one, you only have about a second to react before they fall down on you causing some slight damage," replied Pinkie Pie. The pathway she had uncovered did lead us past one of the fake doors, but it looked so real to me that I just had to see if it was fake for myself.

The door began to wobble before it slammed down on top on me knocking me back a fair distance where I got burned in the back by a wall of flame sending me forward a little where I finally landed on my rear. " Well, that was spectacular to watch even though you did get beaten up by a door."

" I should have listened to you," I sighed.

" Think of it as a learning experience," smiled Pinkie Pie.

" And I just know what kind of lesson I'm going to give myself next," I said as I removed my Bomb Bag from my belt and taking out a bomb in the process. I tossed it at the fake door which caused the bomb to explode and break the door into pieces which felt very satisfying. With the fake door out of the way, I placed my bag back on my belt and Pinkie resumed leading the way towards the locked door.

Once we arrived, I opened it using the key that I picked up back on the second floor, and we entered a room which featured a prison cell to the right, and another door at the end which must lead back into the big room again. Why have this smaller room here? Why set up this side of the third floor in such a manner? Did the wall of flames somewhere force us to take this route?

" I don't see a switch anywhere," said Pinkie Pie.

" Without one to activate, this Goron is going to be stuck in here for a while," I said.

" I'd rather not leave this one behind," said Pinkie Pie.

" You know, it's possible that the switch is somewhere on top of one of these two ledges, but we can't get up due to being too high for us to reach. I suppose you could toss me up there, but there is no guarantee that the switch can be activated as it could be rusty like the one behind Maud's prison cell. It looks like we'll have to come back for this Goron a little later," I said.

" Much to my displeasure, but I know that there is no choice in the matter," said Pinkie Pie. We then walked over to the other door and opened it where it did indeed take us back into the big room, and that gave me a theory which I wanted to try. I produced a ball of fire magic in my hand and built it up for a while before I rolled it along the ground like some kind of bowling ball.

As it rolled along, walls of flame shot up between all of the columns from one side of the wall to the other. Pinkie was quite surprised that I would think of such a clever tactic like this. " Wow! That was pretty smart of you to do that Sunset Shimmer, so now we know that we had to go through that other room as there was no way to get over here due to the flames blocking us."

" And what about that huge wall of flame to our left?" I asked.

" It certainly does give off an intimidating presence no doubt, but I do see a switch in the distance which could get rid of the flames for a short period. I'll take a page from your book and use a more strategic method to find the path through the flames instead of rushing in recklessly. You certainly are an inspiration to watch, and my daughter could learn much from you as well," replied Pinkie Pie. She then tossed her hammer out in front of her where the walls of flame rose up to let us know where they were revealing the path we had to take.

As for me, I walked over to where the switch was making sure to avoid the statues, and the moment I stepped on the switch, the huge wall of flame disappeared, but it also began a ticking sound which I remembered from before, so I had to move fast in order to make it to the ledge before the fire returned. Pinkie acknowledged what I was doing as she started to run for the ledge making sure to pick up her hammer along the way, and we made it just in time as the ticking stopped and the fire came back.

" That must be another fake door over there," I said.

" Most likely as it certainly doesn't look like the typical doors we've seen," said Pinkie Pie.

" I'm starting to run a little low on bombs, so maybe I should smash these pots lying around and restock before destroying that fake door," I said. Pinkie stepped aside to allow me to shatter the pots although only two of the six contained sets of five bombs apiece while the others contained arrows and Deku Nuts although one did house a fairy which I caught in a bottle.

" This fairy will be very useful especially when it comes to dealing with that dragon, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it later. Right now, I've got a door to blow up although I wish that I had gotten more than ten bombs." Walking down the passageway stopping short of where the fake door was, I took out a bomb and rolled it in front of the door where it exploded and shattered the door into pieces revealing another door. I signalled for Pinkie to come on over and follow me as I opened the door, and it lead me into a small room with a raised platform in the middle with a giant circle of flame surrounding it.

" Sunset Shimmer? I can't open the door!" said Pinkie Pie from outside.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed as I turned around to discover that the door had been sealed with iron bars.

" Is something wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" The door has been sealed with iron bars, so I can't open it until I figure out what has to be solved in this room," I replied. Hearing that did make Pinkie sulk as she wanted to be in there with me, so she walked back to where the giant wall of flame was, and sat down near it while looking at her hammer as a means of something to do. " So what do we have to do in here?"

" There doesn't seem to be any kind of puzzle in here, so I guess that we have to defeat some kind of monster," replied Spike.

" I was hoping for a puzzle to solve, but I guess we are due for a monster as we haven't seen too many of them around here. I just hope that it's an easy one for me to defeat which doesn't involve me being dragged into a lengthy battle where I end up dying and reviving like what happened with those regenerating Stalfos," I said. Unfortunately, an easy monster just wasn't going to happen as the circle of flame suddenly roared to life, and an evil laugh echoed throughout the room.

That's when I heard the sound of something spinning behind me, and as I turned around, I saw what looked like some kind of fire humanoid that was spinning around before it spewed out a barrage of fireballs before it started to move via a sliding motion where it ran into me sending me flying into the wall.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" At least I didn't hit against the iron bars this time around, so my back is okay, but I'm also guessing that this must be the creature that one Goron mentioned?" I asked.

" It's called a Flare Dancer, and it essentially moves around via skating where it will knock you over should you run into it or the other way around. Be careful when it comes to a stop as that's when it will spin around before it unleashes a fireball attack. The amount of time it takes to spin is at random, so make sure you watch it carefully and react accordingly. You need to find a way to extinguish its flaming clothes first before you can actually attack its true form which is the little creature surrounded by flames," replied Spike.

" Didn't that same Goron mention something about using their special crop?" I asked.

" If you mean bombs, then that should be effective, but you need to wait for the right moment to toss one at it," replied Spike. The Flare Dancer continued to skate around the room before it came to a stop, and that was when it started to spin in place for a couple of seconds before spewing another wave of fireballs before resuming its skating leaving me feeling a little flustered.

I tried to catch up with it in the hopes of making it stop, but it was too fast for me and ended up knocking into me from behind where I was flung forward and landed on my face mere inches from the wall. As I got back up onto my feet, it stopped again and began to spin around for a little while longer which gave me enough time to pull out a bomb and toss at Flare Dancer. The resulting explosion extinguished the flames leaving behind a really small creature which suddenly turned around and began to run away from me.

" That's its true form?" I asked.

" You need to chase after it right now!" shouted Spike.

" Okay, but why do I need to?" I asked.

" As soon as the flames surrounding it have been extinguished, it will run away from you and keep on running until it's able to leap back into the circle of fire where it will regain its clothes as well as heal any damage you may have inflicted on it. You need to hit it a certain number of times before it jumps back in to prevent it from healing, and it will just grow weaker from there. In order to strike that tiny form, you will need to use the Master Sword as you have nothing else that will work," replied Spike.

" I can use magic, or maybe bombs," I suggested.

" It's moving too fast for you to blow it up with bombs, and it's immune to your fire magic as it's a creature of fire granting it immunity. No, you need to use the sword this time around Sunset Shimmer even though you don't want to. Darunia has taught you some of the basics, so now you need to take what you've learned from her and put it to the test," said Spike. Despite not wanting to use the sword, I knew that I had no other choice, so I drew the Master Sword from its scabbard, and immediately dropped it on the floor much to my embarrassment.

" Whoops!" was all I could say.

" Not exactly what is needed right now," moaned Spike, and he was right as I need to get my act together and use this sword properly....or as best as I am able to which isn't really saying all that much. As soon as I picked it up, Flare Dancer jumped into the fire and jumped back out with its flaming clothes back before it started to spin around again, but this time it spewed forth blue fireballs which landed on the ground....only to start coming towards me.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" The blue fireballs it sends out are able to follow you so you need to outrun them, or use your shield to protect yourself until they extinguish which should take about ten seconds for that to happen," replied Spike. Shame that my reaction time was slow as I found myself being bombarded on all sides by blue fireballs which did cause some pain, and adding on Flare Dancer sliding into me knocking me into the wall again was just insult to injury. " You really need to work on your reaction time as that was clearly easy to avoid and/or shield against."

" I'm working on it!" I shouted. As Flare Dancer stopped once again and began to spin around, I tossed a bomb at it which extinguished its flames, and then it started to run around the room again reversing direction whenever it came near me. Thinking about what Pinkie taught me, I swung the Master Sword horizontally where it flung out of my hand and striking Flare Dancer's true form several times due to the sword spinning around in the air after it came out of my hand.

" That....wasn't what I call a graceful move," said Spike.

" But I did manage to inflict some damage although I agree that was pretty embarrassing," I added. Sighing, I walked over and picked the sword up while Flare Dancer jumped back into the circle of flames before jumping back out....but now surrounded in blue flames as opposed to yellow. " Did it suddenly become stronger due to its flame changing from yellow to blue?"

" That's the sign that you've weakened it due to hitting it enough times before it could heal the damage. Now you just need to repeat the process until it finally goes down, but make sure you hold onto the Master Sword this time," replied Spike. While I would argue with him about that, I had no time to do so as I needed to remove those flaming clothes before Flare Dancer decides to spew forth those blue fireballs again.

Throwing another bomb extinguished them, and I immediately ran over to where its true body dropped to the ground before swinging the Master Sword vertically where I struck a hit without messing it up. I followed this up with a horizontal slice which struck again, but then the sword bounced off of the platform knocking me back.

" Shoot!" I shouted in frustration.

" That was pretty good aside from the finish," commented Spike. Taking that to heart, I waited for Flare Dancer to come around, and I swung horizontally which struck it and I followed up with another horizontal slice which hit it again, but I managed to stop the Master Sword from hitting the platform although it did hit the floor instead. Flare Dancer then jumped in and out of the circle of fire where its flames were now green. " This should be the last phase, so just repeat the process one more time, and you'll win but be careful as Flare Dancer can and will explode when defeated, and the explosion range is pretty big."

" I'll be sure to avoid it," I said. Flare Dancer began to spin in place and I tossed a bomb at it, but it managed to spew forth blue fireballs even though I was able to extinguish the flames again. I had to risk getting hit in order to finish this off, so I chased after Flare Dancer and hit it with some vertical slices before the fireballs caused me to drop the sword on the ground. However, I quickly picked it back up and resumed the offensive where I hit it a few more times all while being hit on all sides which made me drop the sword again.

Just as Flare Dancer was about to turn around, I quickly picked up the sword and struck it one more time where it suddenly grew in size and exploded which sent me flying across the room and landing on the other side by the door. The circle of flames disappeared and the iron bars rose up which allowed Pinkie to finally enter the room.

" What happened to you?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" I just got caught in an explosion and I had no time to get out of the way, but lucky for me that I was on the edge of it otherwise I probably wouldn't be speaking to you right now. That fight wasn't too bad although I did learn that I really need to get better with the Master Sword," I replied.

" Oh, so you used it?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Yes, and with the techniques you taught me, but I struggled as I either dropped the sword on the floor, or it bounced off of that platform, or it flew out of my hand. I think I'll just put the Master Sword away for now, and focus on using my magical skills, but I will use it again as I actually liked swinging it about, and it did make me feel pretty heroic," I replied.

" Good to hear that, so how do we proceed from here? There aren't any other doors we can use that I can see, but there is a hole in the ceiling which has me thinking that this platform isn't what it appears to be," said Pinkie Pie.

" It must be an elevator," I said as I struggled to get back onto my feet. Pinkie ended up helping me out, and I smiled and said my thanks before we climbed onto the platform where the top part rose up into the air. It stopped when it reached its destination which was another platform where we walked onto it and through a door which lead to another room similar to the one back on the second floor where we had a Crystal Switch to deal with.

I looked up and saw that there was some metal fencing we had to climb as well as a wall of fire blocking the way. " That switch must control the fire, so we need to hit it with a bomb from the higher elevation, and climb up onto the next floor. From there, we'll reach the fifth floor, and hopefully be in the room that houses the legendary hammer."

" And if we're in the wrong room?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" I for one will scream my head off and come very close to pulling my hair out in utter frustration. But, the civil thing to do would be to backtrack all the way to the first big room on the third floor, and somehow find our way up to the other room on the fifth floor using the Ocarina of Time," I replied.

" Let's hope this is the right room as there's no telling when Volvagia will start to wake up. Come on! We need to get to that room quickly, so let's activate the crystal switch," said Pinkie Pie. After climbing up to the next ledge, I walked to the edge of it and dropped a bomb which activated when it exploded causing the fire to disappear, and allowing us to climb to the next floor. We did have to hurry though as there was another ticking sound meaning we had little time, but we managed to make it up long before the timer ran out, and when I opened the door to enter the next room....

" Whoa! I didn't think this room would look so fancy," I commented.

" It's said that the Hero of the Gorons wanted to seal away the legendary hammer in a room that was a testament to both his greatness, and to the Gorons which is why he wanted to have the room feature bronze statues of himself and random Gorons. This must be the place where the hammer was sealed, so we ended up choosing the right path after all," said Pinkie Pie. Far away at the top of a winding staircase was a large treasure chest surrounded by flames, and there was a switch nearby which should remove the fire when activated.

" The hammer must be inside of that chest, but this looks like a simple enough puzzle," I said.

" Appearances can be deceiving Sunset Shimmer, and I for one sense that there's a bit more to it than just pressing a switch and running towards the chest. No, there must be something else otherwise the hero was pretty lax when it came down to the final hurdle. In any case, I must wait here by the door as this is your trial to overcome. You are the one meant to claim the hammer as I was unworthy of that distinction due to not being able to make it past the initial chambers of the Fire Temple," said Pinkie Pie.

" Are you sure?" I asked.

" I am, so go now and claim your weapon," replied Pinkie Pie. I calmly walked over to the switch and activated it which did cause the fire surrounding the chest to disappear, but then the eyes of the bronze statues began to glow and started to shoot beams of fire in a fast motion.

Their patterns were erratic at best, and this wasn't the worst of it as some parts of the staircase began submerged in lava which meant I had to jump over it, but the laser beams would make it difficult as one hit would send me into the lava, and ultimately to my own end. Also, the sound of ticking could be heard, so it meant I was in a race against time which I didn't need. Sighing yet again, I started to make my way through this ridiculous obstacle course.

" The Goron Hero really only wanted the most worthy to reach the hammer," said Spike.

" But did he have to go and overdo it?" I asked.

" Granted, I do agree that this is a little excessive, but I suppose that this was his idea of a test," replied Spike.

" Not the kind of test I wanted to take, yet I have to do this in order to awaken the Sage," I said.

" I wonder who the Sage could be?" asked Spike.

" Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea as to who it's going to end up being as I am starting to see the signs, but I can't 100% confirm my suspicions until we actually get to the dragon....I'm not looking forward to that in the least Spike as I've never encountered a dragon before in my entire life with the exception of a small one who changed into a dog back where I'm from," I replied.

" A Dog? That sounds weird, but this is your story again so it makes sense to you. Anyway, dragons were quite a rarity in Hyrule as they were few and far between, but they somehow manage to make it through the cracks of history and end up being an issue that requires careful attention. By the way, you might want to duck right now if you want your hair to remain intact," said Spike.

" What are you....whoa! WHOA!" I shouted and ducked just as a laser shot over my head. I had a freaked out expression on my face from that which got even worse when I suddenly stopped in front of a pool of lava, and struggled to keep my balance and not fall in. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse....boulders began to roll down towards me in straight lines. " Oh come on!" This was now completely absurd as it was way too much just for one hammer, but I jumped over the lava pool and to the side to avoid getting flattened by the boulder.

Then I had to jump again to avoid the incoming laser beam, and I dodged another boulder upon landing which I followed up with another jump over a lava pool. After what felt like forever, I managed to somehow make it to the top where I immediately opened the treasure chest before slumping to the ground and breathing heavily as that was just was too intense. All of the obstacles immediately stopped where Pinkie started to make her way in a casual manner which made my jaw drop before I smacked my head in frustration.

" You made it," said Spike.

" Never again! I don't want to ever go through something like that again," I said with a booming voice.

" Let's hope not as that was just ridiculous. It should have been something simpler like say the switch removes the flames surrounding the chest, and in order to get up here, you had to use that series of steps next to the edge of that bottomless pit before time ran out. That would have made for a much better challenge, and also one that was well within the realm of logic," said Spike.

" Well, let's see what we have in the chest," I sighed as I got up and peered into the chest where I pulled out what looked like a regular hammer carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics use, but it was much bigger in size compared to an average hammer. It also felt pretty heavy as though the hammer was forged from a powerful metal alloy.

" You found the Megaton Hammer! You can use it to smash and break junk such as rusty switches, boulders which are stronger than normal, and even shatter fragile objects like they were nothing! However, this weapon is very heavy to wield, so you'll need to use both hands in order to swing it around successfully. That means you will be more vulnerable than before, but you do have a different means of attacking although it isn't as swift as the Master Sword. If anything, the Megaton Hammer is a bulky weapon which takes some time getting used to," said Spike.

" Smash and break junk? That sounds like fun to me," I smiled.

" I don't know where you can put that on your person as it is pretty bulky," said Spike.

" I'll figure something out," I said.

" You did it Sunset Shimmer! You now hold in your hands the legendary hammer which was used by my ancestor to destroy Volvagia! I knew that you were the one who was meant to claim it, so use it to free the rest of my people and defeat that accursed dragon once and for all. You don't need me to teach you how to use it as you've seen me use my own hammer lots of times. Just do what I did and you'll do fine.

I do have one more sword trick to teach you and its called a jump attack where you...." said Pinkie Pie. Just as she was about to explain to me what a jump attack was, a huge bellow came from deep within the pit. My heart sank as I knew exactly what it was, and the expression in Pinkie's eyes meant that she knew it as well.

" Was that?" I asked.

" The roar of Volvagia which means we're out of time. It has awoken from its slumber and could begin to try and leave the Fire Temple and lay waste to the land. I know I was about to teach you the jump attack, but it looks like I won't be able to explain to you the full details. Instead, I'll just give you a quick explanation as I must get on over to the dragon's lair and keep it at bay," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Don't do it! Without the hammer you'll be killed," I cried.

" It must be done even though I don't want to have to do it either. This is what I must do, and you must rescue the remainder of my people. I am asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother! Now then, the jump attack is where you leap into the air and swing your sword down with plenty of force behind it.

Most creatures will have no answer to this technique, and if you connect then you can inflict double the damage. Don't overuse it otherwise you will be exposed if they figure out your tactic. This is where we must part ways, for you must go back down the long way while I jump down into this pit," said Pinkie Pie.

" That's insane!" I shouted.

" Well, I have been known for doing some rather crazy methods. Good-bye Sunset Shimmer, and hopefully we will meet again," said Pinkie Pie.

" How do you plan on entering the lair if you don't have a Boss Key?" I asked.

" I've always had one of those keys on my person ever since I first entered the temple months ago, but I kept it a secret from you as you would have no doubt attempted to take it away from me, and prevent me from doing what needs to be done. You don't need to worry about me as this is what I am destined to do," replied Pinkie Pie.

With that, she quickly showed me the Boss Key she had on her person before jumping down into the pit, and curling up into a ball as she plunged down to the level below. I ran towards the edge of the pit and dropped to my knees in tears knowing that she was heading towards her death....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 29: Shimmer inside of the Dragon's Lair

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 7, 2015
Chapter 29: Shimmer inside of the Dragon's Lair.

" I can't believe that she jumped down into that pit!" I cried.

" You know you can stop crying Sunset Shimmer as Darunia is going to be just fine," said Spike.

" How can you say that?" I asked.

" Because of her more bulky frame even though she doesn't look like it, Darunia can easily survive a fall from this height although Gorons don't necessarily enjoy falling great distances. If I know her resourcefulness, she probably found a way to break her fall long before she landed as I don't think she would have jumped if she didn't have some kind of plan in mind," replied Spike. We didn't know it at the time, but Pinkie had dropped her hammer below in order to use her fingers against the wall as a means of slowing down.

She had tough skin so she could easily make it down without causing them to get burned. As soon as she had made it safely to the ground, Pinkie picked up her hammer and started to make her way back through the temple all the way to the bottom level so that she could contain the dragon who had now woken up.

" I hope Sunset Shimmer isn't crying or anything back up there as surely she knows that I survived that fall just now. I mean, I made it kind of obvious I was going to survive otherwise I would have given her this Boss Key I've been carrying around. Luckily, most of my people are saved with two left unaccounted for, and I know that she will save them. I just hope that I can keep Volvagia distracted long enough for her to get down to the first floor, and enter its lair with the legendary hammer.

I'm amazed though that Sunset didn't figure out that my actions throughout the temple were the result of something much more than she was seeing with her eyes....maybe she already knows but didn't have the heart to tell me about it? In any case, I need to make a small detour, and I hope she will forgive me...." Pinkie Pie said to herself.

" So what do we do now?" I asked.

" Now that you have the Megaton Hammer, we need to make our way back down to the lowest level of the Fire Temple, and rescue any remaining Gorons along the way in addition to getting the Boss Key. You have the means to destroy the dragon now, but you need the key to enter its lair which is in the prison cell Darunia's sister is locked in. There is a stone slab located right over there next to the door, and you should be able to use the hammer to knock it down into the room below," replied Spike.

" I was thinking we could follow Darunia down below," I suggested.

" You don't have her build, so while you wouldn't be killed from such a fall, you would sustain a lot of damage. I know you want to follow her as you're worried about her, but she knew what she was doing when she made that decision. The dragon can't be allowed to escape the temple, and she is giving us the extra time we need to rescue the remaining Gorons," said Spike.

" Yes, I know you're right Spike, so we'll make our way down the intended way via that stone slab you mentioned. Do I have to walk all the way back down those stairs to reach it?" I asked.

" This room is circular in shape and because of that, when you went through that ridiculous obstacle course to claim the Megaton Hammer, you pretty much went all the way around in a complete circle, so the entrance is right down there by merely jumping from this ledge down to the ground," replied Spike. He was right as the door was down below, and I didn't realize it because I thought that there was nothing but a drop-off after this high point in the room.

Jumping down to the floor and walking over to the slab, it looked pretty harmless, but I wanted to step on it just to see if it was loose and not stuck in place. It did lower slightly indicating that it can be knocked down, so I got off of it and pounded it with the Megaton Hammer causing it to shake before dropping down revealing a new passageway.

" So that's what it feels like to swing around a hammer like a Goron," I said.

" I'm surprised that you managed to swing it at all given how badly you were using the Master Sword earlier," said Spike.

" Give me some credit Spike as that was my first time using the sword without relying on my transformation which I'm glad that I avoided. Still, this Megaton Hammer feels right in my hands as though it had been crafted for me. You know, I wonder if the Hero of the Gorons who forged this hammer had me in mind when it came down to the fundamentals of the design?

I know that sounds ludicrous because he lived a long time ago, and I'm not even from this world to begin with, but I feel like he wanted me to have this," I suggested.

" Do you honestly believe that?" asked Spike.

" Not at all, but it was fun to think about," I replied. I then dropped down to the floor below and noticed that the door was blocked by a strange looking statue which looked exactly like the one I saw back at the entrance to the temple. As I recall, Spike said that nothing was able to destroy the monument, and it was impervious to magic, but I wonder if the Megaton Hammer was strong enough?

" Hmmmm....if I were to smash the front of this monument, would it shatter to pieces? Or, should I hit it from the side and see if it works that way?" I tried smashing the front with the hammer only to have it bounce off, so I went to the side and smashed it which caused the top half of to break away and shrink down to nothing before disappearing.

" Since when can a monument do that?" asked Spike.

" I've long since stopped asking questions like that as nothing in this world makes sense," I replied.

" Good point," said Spike. I then smashed the monument again in order to remove the bottom part and gain access to the door which I entered after putting the hammer away by placing it next to the Master Sword behind the Hylian Shield. I honestly have no idea as to how I'm able to store all of these items on my person, but it happens so I'm not one to question the logic behind it. The next room was quite large although it ended with a dead end which made me think where I had to go from here.

A strange block was located at the start of the room which looked as though it could be smashed down with the hammer, and there were also two wooden boxes so there had to be a blue switch nearby. There were also several Fire Keese flying around along with a torch nearby. As I recall, Fire Keese lose their flames when they either hit my shield or hit me, but they can regain their fire if they pass through an open flame. I took each of them out with arrows before proceeding to take a closer look at the block.

" Should I use the hammer and smash it down?" I asked.

" I'd go for it as it seems the most logical choice," replied Spike. Taking out the Megaton Hammer, I slammed it down onto the block which pushed it down, and was followed by the entire floor falling down revealing various steps which lead down to a door blocked by iron bars with a blue switch in front of it. Walking back to pick up one of the boxes and breaking the other to find some more bombs, I jumped down the large steps towards the door where I placed the box on the switch which raised the iron bars allowing me to enter the door.

" Another dead end?" I asked.

" There is another block in front of us, so knocking it down will allow us to reach the level below," replied Spike. Hitting the block with the hammer forced it to drop, and I looked down the new hole in the ground to discover that it was quite the fall I had to take. Without hesitating, I fell down and dropped quite a ways before landing on the block again which placed me in front of a door which had a rusty switch next to it.

" We're back on the third floor again," I said. That's when I noticed that the fall had put me onto a higher elevation allowing me to reach the top of the pillar. " I could knock the pillar down to allow us the means of getting to the lair of the dragon, but I think that Goron needs rescuing first."

" With the Megaton Hammer, you can smash that switch down to activate it," said Spike. I did so which unlocked the door, and I entered it which lead me back into the small room where the Goron was imprisoned. I could hear the cries coming from below me which meant I was standing on top of the prison cell, and on the other side was another ledge which housed a blue block on it which was out of place with the rest of the room.

Knowing that I had to be up-close to move the block with the Song of Time, I leapt over the gap barely making it in the process, and proceeded to play the song once I took the Ocarina of Time out of my pouch. This caused the blue block to warp down next to the cage which would allow me to go back the way I came, and a rusty switch was revealed which must have been hiding under the block.

Even if Pinkie had tossed me up here earlier during the previous visit to this room, the Goron would have remained trapped due to not having the Megaton Hammer on hand. I slammed the rusty switch which opened the cell, and the Goron stood up wondering what was going on before getting startled as I dropped from the ceiling in front of him.

" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go?"

" Sorry for taking so long to rescue you as I needed the Megaton Hammer in order to activate the switch to your cell," I replied.

" You're in possession of the legendary hammer once wielded by the Goron Hero? That tool is a mighty weapon in the hands of the just, and those who are unworthy shall be punished by suffering the curse....of course, that doesn't apply to you. I'll tell you a secret for saving me! A door is hidden inside the statue at the entrance to this temple. But, the Goron Special Crop won't work on it... Don't you have anything stronger?"

" Would the Megaton Hammer suffice?" I asked.

" Indeed it would for it can smash pretty much anything that gets in your way. By my calculations, you should only have one more Goron left to rescue, and that should be the older sister of Big Brother."

" So only nine of you were captured?" I asked.

" Ganondorf's followers killed many of our brothers, and we were forced to surrender to prevent further bloodshed. They then used us as a means of making Maud surrender to them, for she would have defeated our abductors. While many were lost as a result of the king's hatred of us, we shall endure as that is what our Big Brother Darunia would want us to do.

I shall go back to the city to join the others, but please rescue Maud as soon as possible." The Goron then left the cell and headed to the left where he exited through the door, and it left me feeling immense rage in my heart knowing that lives were lost when Ganondorf had his servants capture the Gorons. Then it made me question as to why neither Pinkie Pie or Maud Pie brought this up with me seeing as I was the Sworn Brother of the Goron Chieftain.

" I'm confused," I began.

" You look fine to me," said Spike.

" That Goron mentioned many of his tribe were killed when Ganondorf's followers came to Goron City, yet why wasn't I told about this earlier? Surely Darunia and/or Maud would have said something considering I am a Sworn Brother to Darunia," I said.

" Some things the Gorons prefer to keep to themselves in order to restrict the guilt, and not have anyone else have to suffer along with them. Darunia and Maud may have been aware that you lose control of yourself whenever you allow your emotions to consume you, or they just didn't want you to feel miserable about something which doesn't affect you.

They see you as the hope that they have been wanting for a long time now, and to see you broken would cause the Gorons to feel the same way. They look up to you now as you are a hero to them, and you need to maintain that presence no matter how difficult things get," said Spike.

" Still, I should have been told," I said.

" You'll get your chance to know the truth once we rescue Maud. Pick up that remaining small key in the treasure chest, and go back into the previous room so that we can do something about that pillar," said Spike. This was the eighth key I've picked up, and with it in hand I went back to the other room where the top of the giant pillar was located. " All you need to do here is to smash the Megaton Hammer down onto the pillar which will cause it to drop all the way back down to the first floor."

" And how do we make our way back down to that level?" I asked.

" We can just fall down the resulting hole in the ground to get there faster than going the long way," replied Spike.

" Wouldn't such a fall hurt me?" I asked.

" Only if you decide to smash the pillar and follow it when it falls through, or you can stand on top of it and then smash it which will allow us to fall along with it which should actually be the safest course of action. Either way, we need to get down to the start of the temple as fast as possible if we hope to help Darunia. By my calculation, she should have confronted the dragon by now, so now we're literally on borrowed time," replied Spike.

I decided to stand on top of the pillar before slamming the Megaton Hammer down onto it as hard as I could. The pillar shook for a few moments before suddenly dropping straight down to the first floor which caused my heart to beat extremely rapidly, and for my life to flash before my eyes as I actually thought I was going to die when the pillar would eventually crash into the lava below.

The pillar landed in the lava with enough of it sticking up to make for a platform across to the Boss Door, yet all I could think about at that moment was trying to get my heart beat back to normal as that was an intense rush which really took a lot out of me.

" I never want to have to do that again either," I breathed heavily.

" This temple has really made you dislike how things work in here," said Spike.

" Only the Gorons would build a temple to these kinds of specifications. I'm glad that we got down here as fast as possible, but my heart certainly didn't like the fall, and I almost threw up because of the speed with which I was falling. Just give me a couple of minutes to regain my bearings," I said. Saying that, I fell onto my back and looked up at the giant hole in the ceiling where the pillar once was, and as sweat dripped down my brow amidst my heavy breathing, I began to think about Pinkie Pie.

The visions going through my head were of pure torment as I saw her being utterly destroyed by Volvagia's fiery breath, and she was giving it her very all to prevent it from escaping the temple. After seeing enough anguish, I immediately sat up and wiped the sweat off of my face before getting back onto my feet. " Where do we go from here Spike?"

" Without the Boss King, we can't unlock the door and take on Volvagia, so we need to head back to the entrance room of the temple, and destroy that monument which is currently blocking the only door we haven't tried. I have this feeling that we still have a few more challenges to overcome before we can rescue Maud," replied Spike.

" I wonder if Darunia went to see her before heading into the dragon's lair because I'd think she would want to get some kind of encouragement from her sister before meeting her destiny head on," I said. Now that I was back to normal, I jumped over to the platform where the smaller door was, and entered it to return to the entrance of the Fire Temple, and immediately walked down the stairs and to the left where the monument had been standing ever since we first arrived.

Upon a closer inspection, the door behind the monument was locked, so if I had chosen to ignore the previous Goron or forgotten about the key, we would have been stuck and forced to go all the way back up to the third floor again. Luckily, I had everything I needed, so I smashed the monument with the hammer until it was no more, and just for fun I decided to swing it around a few times.

" How is it you can use the Megaton Hammer like it was nothing, and yet you have trouble using the Master Sword?" asked Spike.

" Because it was made for me in mind?" I asked sheepishly.

" That's a pretty poor argument and you know it," replied Spike.

" Maybe it has to do with the Master Sword being a sharp blade as opposed to the Megaton Hammer which just has a dull face on the end. Maybe I'm just afraid that I'll accidentally stab someone with the sword due to how sharp it is. Then again, I did see how much fun Darunia was having with her hammer, so perhaps I picked up on some of her mannerisms," I suggested.

" The first reason makes no sense at all so I'm not buying it, but the second reason does seem pretty valid. The third reason seems to be the most plausible because you were watching Darunia's every move, and her examples of sword techniques did involve the use of her hammer. Suffice to say, her techniques did work on you Sunset Shimmer, but the intended target was ignored in favour of a more basic weapon if you know what I mean," said Spike.

" So what should I do?" I asked.

" Keep working on learning how to use the Master Sword as it will be used a lot more than the Megaton Hammer which I see being only used in a few key situations once we have finished here in the Fire Temple," replied Spike. Even though I wanted to argue against that notion, Spike was right as I needed to improve my skills with the sword since deep down I knew that I would need to rely on it more than ever before as the trials continue to increase in difficulty.

Taking out the final small key of the temple, I unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a room which had one torch in the middle of it with a number of Torch Slugs and Fire Keese near it. The door on the far end of the room was blocked with iron bars leaving me with few options to rely on.

" How do I open that door? I don't see any switch that can be activated," I said.

" This is one of the kinds of rooms in a dungeon where the door doesn't open until you've defeated all of the monsters in the room. Besides, you've been through these rooms already whenever we had to fight a strong opponent, so I don't know why you decided to ask me something you already know the answer to. By the way, you can use the Megaton Hammer to flip over the Torch Slugs rendering them helpless?" asked Spike.

" I think you mentioned that to me when we encountered them for the first time," I replied.

" Yes, but that was before you picked up the hammer," said Spike.

" So now I can put that strategy to the test, but first I need to take care of the Fire Keese," I said. Taking out the Fairy Bow, I aimed at the Fire Keese, but I had to wait for a while before I could shoot at them because I wanted them to stop moving because my aim was still pretty poor despite having used it for a while now. Eventually, they came to a stop by landing on the ground which allowed me to pick them off one by one until only the Torch Slugs were left.

Putting the bow away and taking out the Megaton Hammer, I slammed it into the ground which did nothing to the monsters, so I moved closer in order to flip them over and put out their flames at the same time. Once I was close enough to them, I slammed the hammer into the ground which caused the Torch Slugs to leap into the air before landing on their backs and unable to move.

" You can continue to pound them with the hammer if you want to defeat them that way although you will be flipping them back and forth between their normal form and their extinguished form. I do know that it takes more hits to defeat them with the hammer as opposed to the sword, but I know that you'll stick with the hammer as that appears to be within your realm of comfort," said Spike.

" Would arrows work on them?" I asked.

" They are vulnerable to arrows, but remember that you can only carry around 30 of them at a time, and not all monsters, chests, and jars will be able to re-supply you with ammunition, so you would be better off to use the hammer up close without wasting arrows," replied Spike. Once again he made a valid point, so I resorted to smashing the Torch Slugs over and over in order to defeat them.

In a way, it did feel like I was going overboard what with the constant pounding without giving them a chance to do anything, but I figured such a tactic would prevent them from damaging me, and that I would be taking heavy damage once I reach the dragon's lair. Eventually, the Torch Slugs were no more which unlocked the door at the far end of the room which I walked over to and opened, and on the other side was a monster which I didn't want to see because of how disgusting it looked when I saw it last time.

" Guess you were right when you said that I would run into another one," I sighed.

" Like-Likes are not exclusive to the Fire Temple as they are bound to show up in other areas, but only in dark places as they cannot handle anywhere bright. Remember to keep your distance from them otherwise it will steal your shield and tunic if it manages to catch you within its gaping maw. One thing you should note with Like-Like is that when it stretches out its mouth in order to try to eat you, if you try and attack it, any blows will just bounce off of it like you were hitting some kind of shield. I'm not sure how they are able to perform this unusual defence mechanism, but it does add to the overall frustration," said Spike.

" I suppose this would be a good candidate for shooting arrows at it?" I asked.

" Ranged attacks are the way to go because you want to avoid that mouth at all costs. Wait until it retracts its mouth back before firing any arrows otherwise they'll have no effect and you'll have wasted a good arrow. Like Wallmasters, when a Like-Like is defeated, it tends to leave behind a lot of rupees, so they do make for a good source of income. However, they are more of a risk compared to Wallmasters because of eating your equipment," replied Spike.

The Like-Like simply paced about back and forth with its very movements freaking me out to no end because it was just so unnatural, but I had to get rid of it because it was blocking the door I needed to open to proceed. Just as I put the Megaton Hammer away, and took out the Fairy Bow again, something came out of nowhere and hit me pretty hard on the shoulder which caused me to drop the bow onto the floor.

" What was that?" I asked.

" What was what?" asked Spike.

" Something hard just hit me out of nowhere," I replied before the same thing happened again this time hitting me in the chest which really hurt. " Huh? Since when do tiles on the floor suddenly spring up and decide to launch themselves at me?"

" Like you said before, this world just doesn't make sense, but I do happen to know why this is happening. This is an example of what is known as a floor trap where the tiles will pop out of the ground before coming at you in a kamikaze style of attack. You can't stop them from coming at you because there is a powerful force at work, but you can either use your shield and deflect the tiles, or shatter them to pieces with a melee weapon. Otherwise, you can just dodge them as they can only come at you in one direction as this is a basic spell at best," replied Spike.

" As always your smugness becomes you, but I do like the idea of using my shield to protect myself, and it does give me a reason to want to start using it again. Since I can hold the Fairy Bow in one hand and the Hylian Shield in the other, I can block the tiles and shoot at the Like-Like whenever I have a free moment. How many tiles do you think will come flying at me?" I asked.

" I'd say about five or six," replied Spike.

" Then I have my battle plan for this situation," I said as I quickly took out the Hylian Shield, and placed it in front of me just as a tile came my way shattering to pieces upon impact. A few more tiles then came out of the ground and flew at me, yet each one shattered against my shield falling to pieces on the floor. Then there was a brief break in the tiles which allowed me to fire an arrow at the Like-Like damaging it although it looked as though the arrow didn't even faze it despite it being a hit.

I didn't have time to figure this all out as the tiles resumed their flying at me, so I went back on the defensive until the last tile came at me. Once that obstacle was out of the way, I fired one more arrow at Like-Like which defeated it and caused it to deflate before shrivelling up which was really disgusting, but it did drop a number of blue rupees which is what Spike said would happen, so I pocketed all of the rupees before opening the door and entering the next room.

" Have we been here before?" asked Spike.

" What do you mean?" I asked before I realized that we were in the same room where I battled with the Flare Dancer, yet this room was smaller in size, and the platform in the middle was smaller than the other one was. Sure enough, there was a circle of fire on top of the platform which meant that I was about to deal with another Flare Dance at any moment, and I wasn't looking forward to that seeing as the last one gave me a lot of trouble. " Oh great! We have to fight another one of those fiery dancers, and this time we have to do so in order to save Maud who should be in the next room."

" This fight may be a little more difficult due to the size of this room being smaller than the last one, so maneuvering is going to be an issue for you," said Spike.

" I still have a good number of bombs on hand, so it's not like I'm going to run out any time soon," I said.

" You know, I was thinking that maybe this time you can try using the Megaton Hammer against Flare Dancer in order to remove its flaming clothes. The fire that surrounds it doesn't appear to be very bulky, but rather fragile and your hammer certainly knows how to deal with anything that's delicate.

The hammer can also be used as an offensive weapon as I mentioned to you when you first acquired it, but remember that it doesn't have the swiftness of the Master Sword," said Spike. As soon as I took out the Megaton Hammer, the laughter of Flare Dancer filled the air as it leapt out of the fire before starting to spin around just like before.

As soon as it was done spinning, it began to skate around where it did manage to knock me down as I wasn't ready for it, but I quickly got back up and waited for the right moment to strike down with the hammer. That's when I felt a burning sensation and realized that the fireballs it spewed out were damaging me, so I rolled out of the way before being knocked back by Flare Dancer who collided with me again before it suddenly came to a stop just a short distance away.

" So far it's going exactly like last time," I moaned.

" The Megaton Hammer has quite a range when you strike it down onto any kind of surface," said Spike.

" Care to explain that one?" I asked.

" When the hammer comes down, it causes a small vibration which can catch light creatures off guard. If you were to strike the hammer on the ground anywhere in this room, the resulting impact should cause the flames to extinguish on Flare Dancer making it easier to deal with. You just need to be fast enough to prevent it from summoning either of its two fireball attacks," replied Spike.

" If I were to say, smash the ground right now it would give off the desired result?" I asked as I swung the Megaton Hammer down where it made a loud thud upon hitting the ground, and sure enough Flare Dancer's flames disappeared even though it was on the other side of the room. Spike folded his arms and gave me a smug expression while I responded with a sheepish grin on my face followed by some blushing on my cheeks.

" Well, colour me red and call me utterly embarrassed for not taking you seriously since you're my partner, and your knowledge pretty much has been saving my butt." I knew that I wouldn't have enough time to strike Flare Dancer to cause its flames to change colour, so I decided to stand there and wait for it to finish running around.

Once it came to a stop and jumped into the circle of flame, it regained its flaming clothes and leapt back out on the other side of the room where I had to hustle on over to stop it from spewing out more fireballs.

" Why not try that jump attack Darunia mentioned before she left?" asked Spike.

" You think it will work?" I asked.

" Such an attack does inflict double damage and it works with any kind of weapon which can be used in a melee, so either the Master Sword or the Megaton Hammer will prove to be very effective. The only drawback is that you will slow down while performing the attack, and there is a couple of seconds where you will be vulnerable after the strike, so use it when you know that you won't be attacked yourself," replied Spike.

Flare Dancer started to spin around, and I wasn't about to let it do as it wished, so I slammed the hammer into the ground which extinguished its clothes, and I immediately tried out this jump attack technique where I jumped forward raising the hammer behind my back before thrusting it down with as much force as I could on top of Flare Dancer. The damage it received knocked it into a wall, but I had to wait a moment before I could pick myself up and resume the attack.

" I felt that slowdown you mentioned when I was in the air for that brief moment, but the power that came from the swing was just incredible. Granted, I didn't want it to go flying into the wall on the other side of the room, so it looks like I need to practice this technique as well....not to mention get used to the impact of the hit as my arms and legs were shaking pretty hard when I slammed the hammer down. I can still feel my teeth chattering away, but I'm lucky that I didn't drop the hammer," I said.

" Everything gets better with practice even when using the Master Sword," said Spike.

" The jury is still out on that one," I said as I resumed attacking Flare Dancer with the hammer which was a lot harder than the sword even though I was more comfortable using it than the blade. Spike was right about me having to get better with the sword as it will end up being used more often than the hammer, so I need to find some way to get over my apprehension towards using a sword.

Was I just afraid of using something so simple? Could the fears of my transformation making me lose myself have fueled my reluctance of wielding the Master Sword? Or maybe I was being immature about all of it and allowing my own insecurities to get the best of me? Pinkie Pie went out of her way to teach me how to use a sword, and I have to respond to her generous nature in kind by using it, but first I have to resolve my inner problem before anything can be done. Perhaps I could ask Sheik to give me some guidance, or maybe Adagio seeing as she is a Great Fairy in this world.

" Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" Maybe you should focus on the fight at hand instead of daydreaming like you've been doing for the past couple of minutes because in case you haven't felt it by now, your body is being damaged by blue fireballs which Flare Dancer summoned all because you suddenly stopped. Granted, you did change the colour of its flames, but did you have to just stare off and allow yourself to get burned like that?" asked Spike.

" There were some things I needed to reflect upon," I replied.

" Oh? Like what?" asked Spike.

" What you said about me needing to use the Master Sword as we proceed through this journey....I need to resolve something deep inside of my heart before I can truly use it rather than how I've been using it throughout the Fire Temple," I replied.

" But?" asked Spike.

" I will use the Master Sword just like you want me to, but until I am able to overcome this problem I have with it, I'll only continue to struggle with it even though I managed to use it properly in the end against the first Flare Dancer, and against both Ganondorf and Phantom Ganon with some unfortunate help from my transformation. Speaking of Flare Dancer....do you mind if I halt this little conversation until I've taken care of it, or until we've finished in this temple seeing as we do have a dragon waiting for us," I replied.

That's when I looked down and saw that I was indeed on fire due to the blue fireballs, so I quickly snapped myself back to the focus at hand, and slammed the Megaton Hammer down making Flare Dancer vulnerable again. I had to admit that this was a much easier encounter than the other one because the hammer proved to be extremely effective.

It only took me about a few more minutes to finally defeat the creature before it exploded which I made sure to avoid this time unlike what happened before where I almost got blown up. Once the doors unlocked and the circle of fire disappeared, a small chest appeared on the platform where I walked over to it and kicked it open to reveal some bombs.

" Now that's what I call rather anti-climatic," commented Spike.

" As well as disappointing as I was actually expecting something else to be inside of this chest. Don't get me wrong, getting bombs is good because I have stated several times that I needed to stock up on them because of running low, but my heart was hoping for something better than this considering what I defeated. I guess sometimes you have to deal with getting lousy rewards from powerful opponents," I said.

" It's all a part of the life of being an adventurer," said Spike.

" The only good thing about all of this is that we can finally free Maud from her prison cell and secure the Boss Key. No doubt she's been waiting for what feels like forever to be rescued even though it's probably been about a couple of hours," I said. Opening the door to the south lead me back to the room where Maud was locked up, and she was still standing there with her usual expressionless face because that's the kind of person she was.

She did have her arms folded though and I noticed that she was mumbling something under her breath which had me wondering what she was thinking about. I used the Megaton Hammer to activate the rusty switch Maud told me about way back at the beginning of exploring the temple, and the prison cell opened on both sides which did startle her a little as she didn't realize I had entered the room.

" I knew you would come and rescue me," said Maud.

" If I have my calculations correct, you're the last Goron to be rescued," I said.

" That is correct Sunset Shimmer. Nine of us were captured by Ganondorf's followers while the rest were either killed or managed to avoid being captured," said Maud.

" You reminded me of something I needed to speak to you about," I said.

" What is it?" asked Maud.

" The previous Goron I rescued mentioned that a number of you were killed when you were brought here to the temple, yet why didn't you and your sister explain that to me when we found you back at the start? I know that I'm not a Goron and for that such information may not be allowed to be told to an outsider, but wasn't I made a Sworn Brother by Darunia? Would that distinction allow me to have learned the truth about what happened to your people?" I asked.

" We don't allow outsiders to know of our more private affairs, but what you speak of is true because as a fellow Brother to us, you were allowed to know what was happening. The reason that Darunia and I didn't want to tell you was because we feared that you would have gone and done something reckless," replied Maud. Hearing her say that made me think that Spike was right about my emotions being too unstable to have been told, but that didn't make sense now as I never once told Pinkie Pie that I was experiencing emotional issues.

In fact, I didn't even know that I had such problems until I encountered Ganondorf. Something else was going on here, and I aimed to get to the bottom of it. Maud had been talking the entire time I was thinking, but luckily she hadn't noticed that I wasn't paying attention to her. " We can't risk the safety of our fellow outsider Sworn Brothers because they would have gone to great extremes in order to ensure that our people would be avenged."

" And that is where I have to stop you," I said.

" What do you mean?" asked Maud.

" Originally, I believed that you kept the truth from me because it had something to do with my emotions, but as soon as you mentioned other Brothers who aren't Gorons, I realized that you haven't been honest with me. I only know of two non-Gorons who are Sworn Brothers to the tribe and in particular with Darunia....the former king, and myself.

This whole keeping the secret of your fellow Gorons' deaths doesn't have to do with those on the outside....it has to do with your sister because the loss of her brothers drove her to the point of sheer madness didn't it? Her anger was kept under control these past seven years, but when she learned that Ganondorf's followers killed her people, she became so enraged, her rational means shut down which explains why she was being so reckless in the temple," I replied.

" Was it really that easy to figure out?" asked Maud.

" My partner Spike and I did notice that Darunia was acting foolish from time to time, but we shrugged it off saying that she was just being herself, and wanting to prove she still had the heart for adventures. Now I see why she acted like that and put on such a façade in the process. She didn't want anyone other than you to know that she was having anger issues, and she desired to take on the ancient enemy of the Gorons as a means of taking out her frustration on the beast which Ganondorf revived," I replied.

" Darunia came here to see before going to the dragon's lair," said Maud.

" I figured she would seeing as she didn't want to leave you," I said.

" It wasn't just about that! She wanted to talk to me and said that she was going to deal with the dragon despite not having the legendary hammer, and she asked me to promise not to tell you what was really going on as she was afraid that you would get yourself killed trying to stop her from doing the same thing. Since you figured it out on your own, I didn't break my promise to her," said Maud.

" Not really the point is it?" I asked.

" No, it isn't," replied Maud.

" I intend on rescuing your sister and defeating the dragon as I have the Megaton Hammer which is what your ancestor used to destroy it originally. Darunia may have anger issues because of what Ganondorf and his followers have done to her, but she is still the greatest thing to have ever impacted your life and those of your people.

I am upset that you two decided to keep that little secret from me, but you should have known me better than that. I'm not the kind of person who would jump into a situation without thinking unless I was under intense emotional stress, for I prefer to keep safe until I can assess things before acting on my gut instinct," I said.

" Heh....you would have made for a fantastic Goron Chieftain in another life," smiled Maud.

" I'm just speaking from the heart," I said.

" Then you know what you must do my Brother, and that is to rescue my sister from herself and from the dragon. She entered its lair about half an hour ago, so I am hoping that you can get to her in time before it's too late. Take the key inside of this chest and use it to open the door which leads to the dragon's lair. Make sure you keep that Goron Tunic on at all times as the lair is an intense inferno due to the fiery nature of the dragon," said Maud.

" What do you mean by fiery nature?" I asked.

" You'll find out for yourself when you encounter the dragon with your own eyes. I'll return to Goron City in order to take care of the others and my niece, but please make sure that my sister is safe! Oh, and I am so very sorry for having deceived you," replied Maud. She then turned around and walked towards the door with her head held low, and when she was opening it, I could see the tears trickling down her face.

She must have felt really bad for having not told me of Pinkie's problem, and for allowing her to go into the dragon's lair without any means of winning. I opened the gold and blue ornate chest which contained the Boss Key, and with it I used the same door Maud used and found myself back in the main entrance of the temple.

Maud had already left for home, and I knew where I had to go even though deep down I was scared out of my wits. Making my way back to where I first met Pinkie in here, I leapt across using the pillar which now served as a platform before making it over to the door.

" Are you ready for this?" asked Spike.

" Not really as the thought of me going up against a dragon feels like I'm a small speck compared to the majestic nature of the beast," I replied.

" You have the weapon necessary to destroy it, and you do have me to help you out as always. You'll be fine if you keep your wits about you, and don't end up losing control of your emotions resulting in your transformation to that half-human and half-pony form," said Spike. My wits were the least of my worries when compared to my transformation through Equestrian magic, but I couldn't allow that to get in the way of helping Pinkie Pie, so I unlocked the Boss Door and entered the lair of the dragon when it suddenly spiked up in temperature as though I had just set foot into a volcano at its very heart.

" It feels like a sauna in here," I commented.

" The dragon must really enjoy the heat if its lair is this intense. So long as you wear the Goron Tunic, this heat won't affect you and you won't end up burning to a cinder as a result. Still, I agree that this room is very hot which is why I'm glad that I'm a fairy and thus immune to the heat," said Spike.

" How could Darunia have endured in a room like this?" I asked.

" Gorons are resilient to the heat, so this place would be nothing to the likes of Darunia, but I notice that she isn't anywhere to be seen. Maud did say that she came in here not too long ago, and we know that she had her own Boss Key and was determined to keep the dragon at bay until we arrived. You don't suppose that she has fallen to the dragon do you? I can't imagine that being the case, but we do have to consider it as a possibility," replied Spike.

I refused to believe that Pinkie Pie had been killed trying to contain the dragon and prevent it from escaping, but the fact that she was no where to be found does make it seem like that's what happened. No, I have to believe that she is alive somewhere, and that she is waiting for me to save her. There was a large platform in the middle of the room that featured nine small lava pits, and a platform was in front of it which must be what I need to use to make it over there.

" That main platform reminds me of a game back in the human world," I said.

" What kind of game?" asked Spike.

" It was called Whack-A-Mole where the objective was to hit a mole whenever it popped its head out of a hole which you would hit with a hammer. I have one of those in my possession, and that platform has nine holes which is the standard number of holes needed for the game. Don't tell me that I have to play a life-sized version of Whack-A-Mole against this dragon? Well, you can't tell me anything as you've never heard of the game before," I replied.

" Duly noted," sighed Spike.

" Might as well get this started," I sighed as I made my way over to the main platform. As soon as I reached the middle lava pit, the entire room suddenly flared up and the intensity of the lava began to make itself known. The other platform then sank down into the lava which meant that I was stuck here until this was finished, and then something was vibrating from the lava pit in the middle before fire starting to spew forth from it.

The vibrations continued to grow in strength, and then I saw it with my own eyes emerging from the lava pit....the dragon known as Volvagia emerged and flew straight into the air before turning around and breathing a huge burst of flame before entering the same lava pit as before leaving me to wonder about what I had just seen. " Spike? That was the dragon....but it doesn't look like what I was expecting."

" If you were expecting something along the lines of King Dodongo, then you just got disappointed seeing as the dragon is a lot smaller in size, but don't you underestimate it just because it's smaller than your average dragon. That creature has a lot of power inside of it, so you need to be careful not to end up losing your focus due to not being able to take it seriously," said Spike.

Suddenly, the furthest lava pit from the center began to flare up, and Volvagia emerged from it where it used its fiery mane as a whip. I ran towards it knowing that the Megaton Hammer was needed, but the instant I got within range of it, it opened its mouth and breathed out a huge burst of flame which burned me so badly that I stumbled about for a moment before falling down onto my face. Volvagia then dipped back down into the pit leaving me looking pretty foolish not to mention horribly injured from its flame.

" That fire from its mouth was intense," I said as I got up and brushed myself off.

" Good thing you're wearing the Goron Tunic as well as having your own natural resistance to fire otherwise that blast would have burned you alive. I noticed that the dragon was waiting for a moment before it decided to attack, so perhaps you can use that to your advantage provided you can get over to it before it breathes its flames, and respond with the hammer," suggested Spike.

The lava pit to my right flared up and Volvagia came forth and its mane struck me on the shoulder, but it didn't hurt all that much as I was only nicked by the tail end of it. However, I was then slashed in the chest by its claws which wasn't what I was expecting as I thought it would use its fire breath on me, so perhaps I was too close and it went with something a little more melee oriented.

" It used its claws that time," I said as I winced with pain.

" Volvagia will alternate between its claws and flames depending on where you are when it pops out from the ground," said Spike.

" What do you know about this thing?" I asked.

" This is Volvagia, the Subterranean Lava Dragon! It's the boss of the Fire Temple revived by the evil king. I don't know its weakpoint," replied Spike. Wait what? He doesn't know where I'm supposed to strike with the hammer? You've got to be kidding me here! Then again, Volvagia is an ancient dragon that existed a long time ago, so its vulnerable spot could have been lost over the ages, but still this doesn't bode well unless I can figure it out myself before I get roasted.

" Sorry for not being of any help there Sunset Shimmer, but I have no knowledge when it comes to how this dragon operates, so this is something you will need to figure out on your own. Once you do, I should be able to get a better understanding as to what you need to do."

" I think I have a pretty good idea," I said as I readied the Megaton Hammer and waited for Volvagia to come up again, and sure enough the central lava pit flared up, and I was quite close to it, so I ran over to it just as Volvagia popped up and hit me with its mane again which did more damage because it hit me with the full force of it. I had to stay strong which is when I smashed the hammer on its nose which caused it to rear back for a moment before crashing to the ground. I chose to smash its nose with the hammer again, and it quickly rose up in pain before it sunk back down into the lava pit. " Just as I thought!"

" What did you do to it?" asked Spike.

" This whole thing is like a giant game of Whack-A-Mole, but in this case this is Whack-A-Volvagia with the dragon serving as the mole. By hitting it on the nose just before it attacks, it causes it to get stunned and from there I can hit it again with the hammer damaging it in the process," I replied. Volvagia then emerged from the lava pit closest to the door where it came right out and started to fly around before it breathed fire on me which I couldn't avoid, so I ended up getting burned quite badly.

I tried to get some distance from it, but the dragon roasted me a second time before it attempted to strike for a third time, yet I managed to get out of the way as it continued to fly around before it went back down into the central lava pit leaving me looking pretty charred from the flames. " I wasn't expecting that to happen given the mole never leaves the holes in the game."

" Good thing you have that fairy with you so you can use it when necessary," said Spike.

" What do I do in order to avoid getting roasted when it takes to the sky?" I asked.

" Volvagia will attempt to scorch you with its fiery breath, so you just have to watch where it's going and avoiding the flames. Also, don't make contact with it directly as its body is also made of flames, and it will sometimes try to confuse you and make you run into it. If you are able to, you can shoot it with an arrow which will stop its assault, but know that arrows only distract it and not inflict any actual damage," replied Spike.

The dragon popped up again two lava pits to the left where it attempted to breath fire on me again, but I got there before that happened and smashed its nose with the hammer and repeated the process when it crashed to the ground. Volvagia then came out from the middle lava pit again, but now it was rising to the ceiling as though it were trying to escape.

" What is it doing?" I asked.

" It looks like it's trying to make a break for it, but the rock in here is too thick for its fiery body to penetrate," replied Spike.

" So it's just wasting its energy?" I asked.

" Not unless you count falling rocks as a means of crushing you without having to do the job itself," replied Spike. I looked up and my face turned white as a large cluster of boulders came falling down from where Volvagia was rubbing its body against the ceiling. I ran all over the platform hoping to not get hit by the falling boulders, but a couple of them did manage to hit me causing me to fall down onto my face, but I had to quickly get back up before any more could fall on top of me.

Volvagia then returned to the lava pit as boulders continued to fall until they stopped, and when it looked as though it was about to pop up in front of me, the flaring then jumped over to the farthest pit where it came out, and I had to get over to it. I attempted a jump attack which I believed was my only option, but Volvagia managed to engulf me in flames which sent me back quite a ways, and I dropped the hammer which rolled over to the edge of the platform.

" I dropped it!" I exclaimed.

" Get it before it falls into the lava!" shouted Spike.

" No need to tell me twice," I said as I ran towards where the hammer rolled to, but then Volvagia popped up from another lava pit, and since I was right next to it instead of at a distance, it slashed me with its claws which was enough to kill me. I dropped down to the ground where I managed to grab the Megaton Hammer before it fell off the side, but my body stopped moving which is when the fairy I caught earlier managed to bring me back to life.

Once I was back on my feet, Volvagia took to the sky again and began to breathe fire which I dodged although I did end up tripping myself due to not watching where I was going, so I was burned by its last bit of fiery breath before it went back down and popped up two pits to the right of me. Once again, I smashed its nose with the hammer and followed up with another smash where it went back down before coming back up and heading upwards towards the ceiling.

" Here's an idea," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" The side of this platform is like climbing up vines, so you can hang on the side and those boulders will never touch you," replied Spike. While it did sound a little dangerous to be hanging over a pool of lava, I was desperate to try anything, so I climbed down the platform and waited there until Volvagia went back into a pit. As soon as I climbed back up, the flares from the lava pits popped up in two locations before jumping to a third where the dragon emerged which was right in front of me.

Because of that, I got hit not only by its fiery mane, but also its body which felt like being burned from the inside out. Before it could do anything else, I swung the Megaton Hammer and smashed its nose where it fell down to the ground, and I smashed it again where I started to think that this was getting ridiculous as it refused to give up.

Volvagia then came out of the ground yet again and followed me breathing fire every few seconds as it tried to roast me, but I managed to focus on where I was going and eventually it gave up and went back down where the flares were jumping all over the place.

" Why does it keep doing that?" I asked.

" The dragon has taken a lot of damage now, and is trying to use trickery in order to confuse you. I'd say that one more hit with the hammer is going to finish the job, so wait for the moment it pops up otherwise it will get the surprise on you," replied Spike. What felt like an eternity waiting for the dragon to emerge was actually about five seconds as it came out from the central lava pit, and slashed me with its claws due to not being fast enough.

Before it could sink back down, I smashed its nose one more time before hitting it again when it crashed to the ground in a heap. When I hit it this time however, it reared up clutching its nose in pain before dropping down and slowly slinking into the lava pit as though it had finally given up.

" I think it's over," I said.

" Hard to say for sure as it could come back out with new life," said Spike.

" Guess all we can do is wait," I said. A few moments later, Volvagia came out of the middle lava pit and started to make its way towards the ceiling where it was screaming in agony all the while moving its body around in a rather twisted pattern. " Now what is it doing?" The dragon's body was pulsating at a rapid pace as though it was about to burst or something, but instead the back of its tail suddenly became engulfed in flames.

This proceeded across its entire body before Volvagia was completely consumed by its own flames leaving it nothing more than a burnt head attached to a skeletal body. " Ewwww....why did it have to go and do that? I mean, I know it's defeated and all, but couldn't it have just burned away or something instead of literally burning itself alive?"

Before I could continue, Volvagia's skeletal remains fell apart and scattered all across the platform, and falling into the lava before its head crashed down next to me which felt really creepy. It barely opened its eyes and let out one final scream before it burned away leaving behind a giant heart.

" You did it!" exclaimed Spike.

" Even though I do feel bad that it ended up burning itself to death, I wish that I didn't have to see that as it was clearly disgusting. In any case, the dragon has been destroyed, and the Megaton Hammer has fulfilled its purpose just like it had done a long time ago by the Goron Hero who forged it," I said.

" Why don't you pick up that Heart Container to fully recover from your ordeal, and then we can step into the blue light like before and go back to the Chamber of Sages and meet the Sage that we have awakened," said Spike. As I picked up the Heart Container, I felt the warm feeling inside of me as I became even stronger, and when I stepped into the light and the prism surrounded me, I knew who I was going to meet as the Sage because it was now obvious as to who it was.

When I arrived back at the chamber, I was placed down on the Triforce symbol in front of the red raised groove which indicated fire, and as I suspected, Pinkie Pie rose from it with a huge smile across her face.

" Thank you, Brother! I really appreciate what you did. I thank you on behalf of the entire Goron race! You turned out to be a real hero, just as I thought you would! I was wise to have named my daughter after you because of the heroics you performed long ago. However, I can see that you have a concern on your face, and I suspect that it has to do with something important?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" It has to do with what you and your sister didn't tell me," I replied.

" So my sister ended up letting you know about my problem?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" No, I was able to figure it out on my own without her saying a word, but I will admit that what she said to me did allow me to get clued in on what happened. To be honest, you don't really know me as well as you think if you believed that! Darunia....no....Pinkie Pie! The loss of your people must have been so unbearable for you, and it drove you to want to do whatever you had to in order to destroy the dragon, and defy Ganondorf in the process," I replied.

" My heart was filled with so much rage that I wanted to take my aggression out on something," said Pinkie Pie.

" And the dragon was the first thing that came to mind right?" I asked.

" When I was attempting to contain the dragon and distract it long enough for you to arrive, I didn't care what happened to me so long as I was able to fulfill my desire of revenge for my fallen Brothers, but then the image of my daughter appeared in my head, and I came to realize that I had once again allowed my anger to blind me just like it had done so before during the famine.

My daughter would never forgive me for wanting to throw away my life so recklessly, so I decided to let Volvagia do whatever it wished. At that moment, I was at peace with myself when everything went black, and for a while I thought that I had died, yet somehow I ended up here of all places," replied Pinkie Pie.

" You could say that she was the true hero," I said.

" On an emotional level yes, but you are the true hero for what you have done. By the way, I, the wild Darunia, turned out to be the great Sage of Fire! No wait....I liked the name you said when you were scolding me. What did you say it was? Pinkie Pie? For some reason, that name sounds right to me especially since I am now here in this place, and it does match with my overall complexion.

Isn't that funny, Brother? Well, this must be what they call destiny. Nothing has made me happier than helping you seal the evil here! I know that I can't return to my dear Sunset Shimmer, my wonderful older sister, and the rest of my people, but I trust that you will tell them of my fate?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" You have my word," I smiled.

" Knowing that makes me at peace with myself knowing that I was able to pull back from the brink of madness in time. Hey, Brother, take this! This is a Medallion that contains the power of the fire spirits, and my friendship," said Pinkie Pie. She then raised her arms up and from above a red medallion fell down where it stopped just above my head where I reached out with my hands to claim it. As I held the medallion in my hands, I felt a strong surge of power coursing through me.

Could this be the power that Pinkie Pie has been using since the very beginning? Also, since she has taken a liking to the name by which I know her, could she have accepted the Equestrian Magic inside of her? This was something I had to know, and now was the only time I could ask her about it. " That there is the Fire Medallion which you have now received Sunset Shimmer. I have awakened as one of the Six Sages, and added my power to yours which means the time has come to me to say goodbye as you must return to Hyrule and continue your journey."

" Not yet!" I shouted.

" What's wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Did you manage to accept the story which I told you long ago about where I came from? I know it's awfully sudden of me to mention it to you now just as I am about to go back to Hyrule, but you must tell me what you decided regarding that," I replied.

" About you coming from another world?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Yes," I replied.

" Oh I figured out you were telling me the truth after you left Goron City seven years ago," said Pinkie Pie.

" What?" I asked.

" It just came to me because your story was funny and full of excitement, so why would I not believe you are from a world inhabited by ponies? Anyway, I want you to remember something....now you and I are True Brothers!" replied Pinkie Pie. I should have known that her zaniness and ability to flat-out ignore reality would be the reason she was able to believe me....even though it didn't make all that much sense in the given context.

As I took my leave of the Chamber of the Sages to return hopefully to the Death Mountain Crater, something was taking place back at Kakariko Village which related to what was happening on Death Mountain itself.

" Anju! What are you doing?"

" I'm looking up at Death Mountain," replied Scootaloo.

" Why would you be wanting to look up at the peak? We all know what Talon said before she left to go back to Lon Lon Ranch. The mountain is dangerous to travel up these days because of the boulders rolling down the trails, the disappearance of the Gorons, and that ring of fire above the peak which has been there for roughly seven years now. I say forget about it and look after those cuccos of yours as they could do with some cheering up."

" I know what she said about the problems happening up there, but there is one problem she didn't anticipate," said Scootaloo.

" And what would that be?"

" For years we were told by the Gorons whenever they came down here to the village that Death Mountain was an active volcano, yet most of us never believed them seeing as it has never erupted at least according to what the history books say. I think we should have paid more attention to what they were saying as something strange is happening at the peak....it looks like the mountain is about to blow," replied Scootaloo.

" You've been working too hard if you believe....whoa....you're right!"

" It's been like that for a couple of minutes now as though something happened deep inside of the crater which has caused some kind of chain reaction. I'd say that the mountain is going to gusher up something which will look amazing down here from where we're standing, but I'd hate to think of anyone being caught inside of the crater when the eruption is about to occur," said Scootaloo.

" What if someone was in there when it happens?"

" They'll most likely be roasted alive, or die from overexposure to the heat, or something much worse than that. You know, that Sunset Shimmer left for the mountain about a day ago saying that she was going to figure out what happened to the Gorons. You don't suppose she ended up going into the Death Mountain Crater do you?

If she did and she's still in there, we'd best make arrangements for a funeral as her chances of surviving an eruption that close to the epicenter is impossible," replied Scootaloo. A loud boom reverberated across the region as Death Mountain erupted spewing out lava from the peak which was an impressive sight to see, yet what was more interesting was that the dark clouds were pulled into the eruption along with the ring of fire.

This was followed by another booming sound before the sky became a bright blue, and the ring of fire had become the ring of smoke it used to be signalling that the mountain had returned to normal. " Better inform the Gorons that they need to go into the crater in order to find a deceased person before it ends up decaying, and can no longer be buried."

" That poor girl."

" She never stood a chance in that eruption," cried Scootaloo.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 30: Finishing Up Loose Ends

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 10, 2015
Chapter 30: Finishing Up Loose Ends.

" What happened here?" I asked as Spike and I returned to the Death Mountain Crater via being warped from the Chamber of the Sages to the altar inside of the mountain.

" It looks like the mountain erupted just before we arrived. I guess defeating Volvagia was enough to cause the mountain to erupt for the first time in what must be centuries, and it has gotten rid of the dark clouds that were hanging above the entire area," replied Spike.

" That means things should be peaceful here from now on, but I'm worried that Ganondorf may decide to take his frustration out on me because I've been saving Hyrule from the grip that he's had for the past seven years. Lon Lon Ranch and the Kokiri Forest were small areas at best, but Death Mountain along with Kakariko Village are a much bigger landmass than the other two," I said.

" You knew this was going to be an issue when we first returned from the Sacred Realm," said Spike.

" Sometimes, I wish that the fate of this world hadn't been placed on my shoulders seeing as I was never given the option of agreeing to do this. It all just fell onto me to resolve because people kept on telling me that I was the chosen one destined to save Hyrule from a great evil," I said.

I then took a moment to look around at my surroundings to see what resulted when the volcano erupted. Everything looked the same as it did before, but I did notice that some platforms had been destroyed as a result of the lava flow, and the temperature had increased to where even wearing the Goron Tunic may not be enough.

Was this is a sign of what could have happened if Volvagia had managed to escape to burn all of Hyrule? I pray that I never find out the answer as the image would be too gruesome to envision. " I guess we have no other choice but to keep on going, and free the next area under his influence. So, where do we go from here?"

" There are two things we can do right now and one of them happens to be in the crater. A Great Fairy has taken up residence somewhere here, and I'm sure that she will be able to give you another ability," replied Spike. Another encounter with Adagio Dazzle? I know that she isn't the same person from the human world, but a small part of me was still hesitant to deal with her because of what she and her fellow sirens tried to do.

Then again, I really should get over that petty issue as she and her fellow Great Fairies have done nothing but helped me out each time I encountered her in her fountain. That's when it hit me regarding the fact that there were two Great Fairies within such a close proximity of one another. " The other thing is that I am sensing an arctic wind blowing from Zora's Domain....can you feel it?"

" Why would two Great Fairies be so close to one another in terms of location?" I asked.

" The one who resides in the Death Mountain Crater can only be reached if one were to come here wearing the Goron Tunic, or they happen to be a Goron as they can survive the intense heat of the volcano. I suggest that we pay her a visit as we can always use the power of the Great Fairy as well as embrace her vast wisdom and knowledge upon us," replied Spike. I'm not surprised that Spike is so adamant towards the Great Fairy seeing as he is a fairy himself, so it makes sense that he suggested that we see her as soon as possible, but the question was where could she be located.

I was then reminded of that one cave entrance next to Goron City which had a boulder in front of it when we first entered the crater....could that be where the Great Fairy resides? If so then that was truly convenient as I was planning on going back to the city because I needed to fulfill the promise I made to Pinkie Pie as she is now stuck in the Sacred Realm because of her Sage Status.

It didn't take long for me to make my way back to the entrance of Goron City, but I was expecting something to attack me given that something that looks simple never really is. Spike was wondering why I decided to walk past the way back to the city and instead head over to the boulder blocking the cave entrance. " What are we doing all the way over here? We should be trying to locate the Great Fairy, or we can ask a Goron if they have any idea as to where she is."

" I thought it was obvious to you," I began.

" What do you mean?" asked Spike.

" Why would there be a boulder blocking the entrance to this innocent cave, and the boulder itself can't be shattered with bombs due to being too sturdy? That's because this is the location of the Great Fairy's Fountain, and only one who has the Megaton Hammer can break this boulder in order to grant the wielder and eventually anyone else acess to it. I had a feeling that this cave was suspicious, but it never dawned on me until you brought up the Great Fairy," I replied.

Taking out the Megaton Hammer and lifting it up above my head, I smashed the boulder which did nothing, so I smashed it again which caused it to shatter to pieces and granting me access to the fountain. I walked inside and made my way over to the altar where I saw the Triforce symbol where I put the hammer away, and took the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt.

" Is something wrong?" asked Spike.

" I need a moment to remember how to play the song needed to summon the Great Fairy," I replied.

" It has been seven years since you last played it, but really you should practice these more often so that you can memorize them," suggested Spike.

" With so many different things I have to do on this journey, remembering songs for an ocarina isn't exactly high on my list of priorities. Besides, I've been saying that I would practice many times in the past, and I've never done that which shows how much inconsistency I have. All I really need is a free moment to actually sit down and practice playing so that I can get used to it properly instead of making mistakes every time.

In fact, the only two songs I've played without messing it up are the ones related to Twilight and Fluttershy because they are my friends," I said. For a few minutes, I was wracking my brain trying to remember how Twilight's Lullaby went, and eventually I remembered how it was supposed to play.

As soon as I played the song, the laughter of the Great Fairy echoed throughout the fountain, and she appeared out of nowhere before floating in front of me as though she were laying down on a bed or something.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer to my fountain. I am the Great Fairy of Wisdom, and I must say that I am surprised that you have not aged in seven years unlike the rest of the people of Hyrule. Of course, I am aware as to why you still look the same as you did a long time ago," said Adagio.

" Then why say you were surprised?" I asked.

" It is not every day that one gets to see someone who hasn't aged who isn't an omnipotent being such as myself or one of the forest children, but seeing you retain your youthfulness did catch me off guard. The magic you possess which comes from another world has enabled you to remain the same, and I have no doubt that many people whom you have met during your most recent travels were surprised that you have not aged while they have," replied Adagio.

" It's not been easy trying hard not to explain why I still look the same as many wouldn't believe my story," I said.

" And yet you have already proven your story to be true in the eyes of your friends who have so far awakened to their destinies by becoming Sages. You should know that the trials from this point onwards will only increase in difficulty as you strive to awaken the remaining Sages who even now await you in their respective temples.

So far, you have conquered the Forest Temple, and the Fire Temple, yet the remaining temples will test your resolve in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. Your fairy partner suggested that you should make your way to Zora's Domain did he not?" asked Adagio.

" I assume that the next temple is somewhere in that area?" I asked.

" No, the next temple you seek lies at the bottom of Lake Hylia, yet you cannot enter it without something very important which you must find by going all the way to Zora's Domain. While you may be thinking that you are wasting precious time going to a place which is not deemed necessary, I suggest paying it a visit as you will be surprised as to what you can find by looking in the wrong place.

You may end up getting much more by going the wrong way which can help you when you go the right way. I suspect that my words have confused you Sunset Shimmer, but do not feel discouraged as you will see soon enough for yourself by witnessing what has happened in Zora's Domain," replied Adagio.

" What happened there?" I asked.

" The dark magic which covers the domain in an evil blanket prevents me from seeing what has happened there, but you must go there when you have finished your other errands in order to learn the truth behind the fate of the Zoras," replied Adagio.

" And what errands would those be?" I asked.

" You plan on speaking to the daughter of the Goron Chieftain as well as the older sister of the same leader in order to tell them that the one who is the Sage of Fire cannot return to Hyrule as her place is now in the Sacred Realm. You then plan on going back to Kakariko Village as it is the only way you know how to get back to Hyrule Field, yet in the village you will speak to the one who wants to know what became of her brother. Finally, when you have reached Hyrule Field, you plan on taking care of the Big Poes which frequent the field in order to assist the one who loves ghosts," replied Adagio.

" That's creepy how you know exactly what I plan on doing," I said.

" I am the Great Fairy after all dear child, so it comes as no surprise as to the kind of knowledge I possess so long as my vision is not clouded by the darkness. Anyway, I have been distracted long enough as it is, so now I shall aid you in your quest because that is the reason why you have come here to see me. I shall enhance your magical ability where you will be able to use twice as much magic as you could before.

This means that you will not exhaust yourself as easily, and you will be able to rely on the two magical spells given to you by my fellow Great Fairies. Receive this gift now!" shouted Adagio. She then cupped her hands together before blowing a magical wind which enveloped me in a rather beautiful mist which made me feel rather strange at first, but then I felt a surge coursing through my body which made me feel really strong.

I just had to raise my arms in the air because I felt like it. Adagio then folded her arms again and smiled knowing that the gift had been passed onto me. " While you are feeling a surge of energy flowing through you, you may think that I have not done anything when you next use your magic. But, you will see what I mean when I say that your magic has been enhanced as you face your future trials."

" Why do you sound like you're upset?" I asked.

" A powerful force is going to stand in your way at some point in the future, and you will need to conquer it in order to proceed with your quest. You will also need to overcome it to be able to finally close a chapter of your past, but what this means I cannot say for the darkness blurs my vision. I sense that you may know the truth yet you refuse to believe it yourself due to your heart trying to lie to your mind. When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," replied Adagio.

She then disappeared by returning to the water in the altar leaving me to wonder what I was going to do next As I left the fountain and returned to the Death Mountain Crater, her words continued to echo in my mind as I pondered over their meaning.

" There is something I need in Zora's Domain, but I don't know what it is nor do I know what happened there," I said.

" All I am able to sense is an arctic wind," said Spike.

" An arctic wind has do with the freezing cold of winter back where I'm from, but I can't imagine Zora's Domain having become a winter wonderland. When we were there last time, it was really beautiful and the water flowed everywhere, so seeing it all covered in a layer of snow strikes me as odd," I said.

" It could be Ganondorf's doing," suggested Spike.

" Yes, I can't ignore that possibility given Ganondorf's track record from what we've seen so far. Hmmmm....I'm going to talk to Sunset Shimmer....I mean, to Link and tell her about her mother's destiny. Then I'll find Maud and tell her the same thing, and it looks like either she or Link will become the Goron Chieftain assuming that Pinkie Pie isn't able to come back," I said.

Walking back into Goron City via the entrance at the back of Pinkie's room, I began to look for Babs Seed in order to tell her what has become of Pinkie, and I hoped that she wasn't going to cry which would be the unfortunate option. It didn't take me that long to find her as she was sitting in front of a cave entrance on the second highest floor, and when she saw me coming her way, she got up and met me halfway as I approached.

" Brother Sunset Shimmer! Everybody has come back! Mom and you destroyed the dragon together, didn't you! But, how come she didn't come back with you? Did she have to go back into the Fire Temple for something?" asked Babs.

" There's something that I need to tell, and it isn't going to be easy for me to explain," I replied.

" Your voice sounds really sad as though something has happened to mom....gasp! Are you trying to tell me that the dragon....killed her? No! That can't be! Mom was the strongest Goron in the entire city which is why she was the Chieftain. There's no way she would have fallen as fighting is in her blood, yet only you returned while mom didn't which means only one thing. You weren't able to arrive on time to help her deal with the dragon am I right?

Before she left for the temple, mom told me what I had to do should it come to pass where she wouldn't return, and that is to lead our people in her place as the new Big Brother of the Gorons. How can I do that when I'm so young? Aunt Maud would be a much better leader as she has so much experience, but she decided to leave the city after everyone came back," said Babs.

" You don't need to cry you know," I said.

" Of course I do because my mom has died," cried Babs.

" No, she is still very much alive," I announced.

" Huh? Mom is still alive? How can that be if she didn't return with you? Oh, you're just saying this to make me feel better, but you don't need to go to the trouble as I have been prepared to assume the leadership of the tribe as it is my birthright," said Babs.

" Darunia is alive, yet she can't return to Hyrule as she has been chosen by destiny to become the Sage of Fire, and her task now is to remain in the Sacred Realm and guard the temple. I don't know if your mom will be allowed to return, but you should assume that she has to remain there forever. Your mom wanted me to tell you what has become of her as she knew that you would be affected by it," I said.

" Mom became a Sage?" asked Babs.

" That she has. Your mom and I have now become True Brothers as she herself said as I left the Chamber of the Sages where she remains with her fellow Sages....hold on a second! It just occurred to me that you said Maud left the city when everyone returned which must have been when I was fighting against Volvagia," I replied.

" Correct," said Babs.

" Where did she go?" I asked.

" Aunt Maud told me that she had a feeling in her heart that mom wasn't going to be coming back from the Fire Temple, so she decided she would leave and go on a personal journey in order to discover something. I insisted that she stay behind and become the Goron Chieftain, but she said that was my destiny and that she had her own to fulfill," replied Babs.

" How long ago did she leave?" I asked.

" I'd say that she left the city about an hour or two ago, so by my reckoning she should have reached Kakariko Village by now. Aunt Maud walks rather slowly and doesn't like to roll around like the rest of us do as she prefers to take her time so that she can experience the wonders all around her.

Aunt Maud usually doesn't let anyone know where she goes because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her, but deep down mom always worried for her safety because she looked up to her big sister so much," replied Babs.

" Thank you for telling me all of that," I said.

" When I grow up, I want to be a strong woman like you, Sunset Shimmer! Thank you, Sunset Shimmer! Thank you very much for saving us!" said Babs. That was when I decided to take my leave and make my way to Kakariko Village as fast as possible as I had to catch up with Maud, but as soon as I started to walk away, something tugged at my arm and I turned around to discover that Babs was pulling on me and pointing towards the cave she had been sitting in front of.

It was like she wanted me to go in there and see what it was about. " Before you leave Brother, you should speak to the Goron in there as he has been forging a powerful blade. He said that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Biggoron, and he feels that his work is going to make him quite famous. Maybe that blade could be of some help to you? I'll take my leave of you now and you can think it over, so goodbye Sunset Shimmer, and I hope we meet again someday."

Babs then curled up into a ball and rolled away leaving me to decide if I want to go after Maud, or see what this blade business was all about. I ended up deciding to check out the blade as something about it just piqued my curiosity. I walked into the cave which went quite a ways in before it turned to the right where I found myself staring a Goron who was larger than the average sized Goron, so I assumed that this was Bulk Biceps' younger brother in this world.

" I've worked on something really cool for the last five or six years, and it's finally completed after such a long time. Hello there young lady. My name is Medigoron, and I welcome you to Medigoron's Blade Store which has finally opened for business! For years, I have watched my older brother Biggoron work on making blades with such dexterity, that I was inspired to make some of my very own."

" What kind of blade have you created?" I asked.

" Glad you asked me, and here it is for your viewing pleasure. This is the Giant's Knife! It is a powerful two-handed sword with an incredible reach and possesses tremendous attack power, but you need to realize that you have to use it with two hands because of the weight of the weapon. How do you like the look of it?

The craftsmanship is on par with that of my brother, but I will be honest by saying that there could be a problem with its durability. I have yet to test the strength of the metal I used in the forging process, so this blade could last a really long time, or it could last a single use before it snaps," replied Medigoron.

" Then why mention it at all? I know that you're being truthful about it and I respect that, but some people may not appreciate being told that the Giant's Knife looks good, yet it breaks like a piece of glass whenever it hits something. I think you have made a pretty cool looking weapon and for that you'll go far, but maybe it's not the right time for you to open your store." I said.

" You're right young lady! However, I needed to open my store now and sell some of my blades because it cost me a lot of rupees to acquire the metal as well as the kiln and forge I needed. In fact, my plan was to sell the blade for 200 rupees, but since the durability is questionable....perhaps I should sell it at a much lower price like say....50 rupees which would be a huge blow against me. Sigh....Biggoron did say that I needed more practice when it comes to forging, but I felt that I knew enough to be able to make it work, but it looks like I've just messed things up," sighed Medigoron.

" I'll buy one from you for 200 rupees," I announced.

" You'll what?" asked Medigoron.

" I said I'll buy one," I replied.

" Why would you do that knowing that my blade isn't as durable as that sword you have in that scabbard?" asked Medigoron.

" It's just that I feel bad for you knowing that you spent so many years working on making that Giant's Knife, and you discover that it isn't as good as you were hoping. To top it all off, you don't have the funds with which to continue making blades, and you need the rupees to be able to continue with this business of yours.

Say what you will about my way of thinking, but I want to buy it because it looks really cool, and I want to help you out. I usually don't use the sword that I already have, so the chances of me using the Giant's Knife are pretty slim, but still I want to have it," I replied.

" Your way of thinking along with the reasons behind them are strange to say the least, but if you really want to purchase the Giant's Knife, I will sell it to you for half price at around 100 rupees," said Medigoron. I paid him my money and he handed over the Giant's Knife which did look really beautiful, but I knew that it was a faulty weapon. The important thing for me was that I helped Medigoron out which is better than having a sword which can break with just a single whack.

Having placed the Giant's Knife in a scabbard Medigoron provided and placing it behind my shield, I thanked him and took my leave to begin the long trek back to Kakariko Village as I had to find Maud before she would disappear. If I run as fast as I can without any major distractions getting in my way, I should be able to reach the village in about an hour or two, and catch her in time.

So while I was running towards the entrance of Goron City so that I could get back on Death Mountain Trail, something else was taking place far away which involved someone else I happened to know....two people in fact who were the complete opposites in every way.

" Hello there! Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

" I'm sorry, but I cannot chat with someone who is as vulgar as you are. I mean no offence, but I must make my way to the Water Temple immediately if I hope to save my people from the terrible fate which has befallen them."

" You must be the famous Princess Ruto, the daughter of the ruler of the Zora tribe yes? I am surprised that you would travel all across Hyrule Field in order to get down here to Lake Hylia, for you are clearly exhausted from your arduous journey. Perhaps you should have taken a more scenic route such as through the waterways which go down through Gerudo Valley, and ultimately the lake?"

" I'll have you know that I would never set foot in that awful Gerudo Valley as those thieves are ruffians and scoundrels whose king has taken over Hyrule, and made it a miserable place to live for my people....in addition to the other tribes. That evil Ganondorf had no right to do what he did to Zora's Domain by transforming it into a place where my people cannot thrive, so I have come here in order to set things right by destroying the evil that infests the Water Temple. That location is a place of worship for the Zoras, and only we are permitted to enter there according to the treaty my father signed with the old king," replied Rarity.

" Such a treaty no longer exists you know."

" Due to the change in the monarchy which is ludicrous! Look, I'm sorry but I really must be on my way as I need to save my people before its too late, so if you'll excuse me....ummmm....whoever you are, I must go to the temple now," said Rarity.

" My name is Sonata Dusk, the Happy Mask Saleswoman, who travels about the kingdom selling masks in order to make people happy. These days haven't been very fruitful for me because there is so much misery as a result of Ganondorf's influence spreading to every corner of the land, yet I have managed to do what little I can to bring smiles to people's faces. You know Zora Princess, you could do with some cheering up yourself as you are definitely feeling miserable."

" No! I don't have time for such foolishness!" shouted Rarity.

" You won't like what you will see when you reach Lake Hylia," began Sonata.

" Pardon me?" asked Rarity.

" The lake has changed a lot since Ganondorf first became the ruler of Hyrule. It used to be such a beautiful location with crystal clear water, but now it looks more like a puddle than an actual lake, and those dark clouds certainly don't improve on things. If I were you, I'd consider not going there, but I can sense that you are determined to go there anyway. You know, you remind me of my old assistant who helped me sell some masks many years ago, yet she disappeared the day Ganondorf appeared," replied Sonata.

" My intention was not to make you remember something from the past," said Rarity.

" I wonder whatever became of Sunset Shimmer?" asked Sonata.

" Huh? You know of her as well? And you say that she was your former assistant? I remember her from seven years ago when she helped me to save Lord Jabu-Jabu from a rather nasty parasite which plauged him so, yet I assumed she was an adventurer given she had a sword and shield....which she never really used. While you have piqued my curiosity about your connection to Sunset Shimmer, I simply do not have the time to continue on with this conversation.

If what you say is true about Lake Hylia, then the situation is far worse than I had imagined. The lake and Zora's Domain are connected, so if one place is affected then so is the other....I must hurry if I am to save everyone before they are lost forever....oh how I wish Sunset Shimmer were still here as I could do with her aid," replied Rarity.

" Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" asked Sonata.

" You? You are merely a seller of masks, and not a brave heroine like she is," replied Rarity.

" Maybe so, but I am certain that I can give you a small bit of help even if it isn't as significant as you're used to your highness. Besides, I was actually heading back to the lake after having last been there about a year ago, for I need to see someone about a mask that she wanted off of me that has to do with her research," said Sonata.

" I do not have much choice in the matter do I?" asked Rarity.

" You don't," replied Sonata.

The journey back to Kakariko Village wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting the trail to be full of boulders that were rolling down the mountain impeding my progress, but there were none to be seen which had to have been due to the volcano erupting while I was in the Chamber of the Sages. The dark clouds had disappeared returning the sky back to a clear crystal blue, and the ring of fire above the peak had changed back to a ring of smoke.

In the village itself, there were no dark clouds, so it too had returned back to normal which was nice as it meant the villagers could finally move on with their lives. That's when I noticed Scootaloo in the distance attending to her cuccos, and I did need to speak to her regarding the fate of her brother....which is what Adagio knew I was going to do. Sometimes it feels so creepy when someone knows your every thought even before you could think of it.

" Hmmmm? It's you again Sunset Shimmer! I honestly believed that you had been killed when Death Mountain erupted," said Scootaloo as I approached her.

" I avoided the eruption due to being in a place which protected me from the intense flames. You and the rest of the villagers no longer need to worry about the Gorons, for they have all returned safely to Goron City after having been imprisoned within the Fire Temple for many months. The crisis is over now, and everything has returned to normal," I said.

" That's good to hear because I was on the verge of asking someone to send a message to the Gorons to go into the Death Mountain Crater to retrieve a burned up corpse which I thought was going to be you. Well, since you are alive and well, there's no need for there to be a body recovery as well as a funeral. By the way, I was wondering if you ever managed to find my brother Grog? It just dawned on me that you no longer have Cojiro with you, so am I correct in assuming that you returned him to my brother?" asked Scootaloo.

" I did find him," I replied.

" Where has he been all of this time? Will he be coming back to the village any time soon?" asked Scootaloo.

" I found him in the Lost Woods where he had been exposed to the curse that presides there for quite some time. In fact, he was half-way through the transformation that causes non-forest folk to transform into Stalfos. I wanted to help him out somehow, but he said that it was too late for him, and he asked me to let you know that he always cared about you despite what happened between him and your father," I replied.

" My brother....will become a Stalfos? I....I guess that I should have expected something like this given how when he was living here seven years ago, he did mention about having gone to the Lost Woods several times in order to find something. He must have contracted the curse back then as he only allowed himself to be seen at night in the village. Thank you Sunset Shimmer, for telling me about the fate of my brother," said Scootaloo.

" There is one thing I want you to see which he said I could have," I said.

" What is it?" asked Scootaloo. I then reached into another pouch on my belt and pulled out the Poacher's Saw which I had been carrying around all this time ever since I acquired it from Grog before he disappeared into the Lost Woods. I handed it over to Scootaloo who spent a few moment looking at it before realizing what it was.

" This....this is the saw that belonged to my father! He was trying to find it before he left the village with Mutoh and the others years ago. While this would be a wonderful memento to keep of my brother, I can't accept this for it rightfully belongs to my father, so I'll give it back to you and you can deliver it to him."

Scootaloo then paced about for a few minutes before realizing that I have never met her father, so I would have no clue as to who was meant to receive the Poacher's Saw, and I could end up giving it to a complete stranger for all I knew. " Actually, I suggest that you give this saw to Mutoh whenever you find her as she will make sure that my father gets it back."

" Where is she these days?" I asked.

" Mutoh said that she along with the carpenters were taking a trip to Gerudo Valley which was about seven years ago, but they were going to visit some other places first before heading there," replied Scootaloo.

" Guess I'll end up running into her much later, so I'll keep the Poacher's Saw until then. Speaking of running into people, have you seen a Goron come by here recently?" I asked.

" Yes, I have seen a Goron not too long ago. She said that she was leaving Death Mountain in order to go on some kind of journey because her sister isn't around anymore, and she feels like she will be a burden on her young niece. If you were hoping to talk to her at some point, then I'm afraid that you're out of luck as she left the village about ten minutes ago.

Who knows where she is out on Hyrule Field, but you may yet be able to catch up with her as she does walk rather slow for a Goron, and she doesn't curl up into a ball and roll around either. That Goron is without a doubt one of the most unusual of their tribe I've ever seen, and yet I can't help but feel sorry for her as she has lost someone close to her like I have. In any case, I hope that you manage to find her before it's too late," replied Scootaloo.

Thanking her for the tip, I ran as fast as I could until I had exited the village, and Epona neighed happily over my return after being gone for such a long time. That's when I noticed Maud was standing right next to her, but I thought she would have made it at the very least to the destroyed drawbridge by now given her huge headstart. Maybe she was so intrigued by Epona, she just had to learn as much as she could....and that was just plain weird.

" I knew you would catch up with me," said Maud.

" Young Sunset Shimmer....Link, said that you had left Goron City in order to go on a journey," I said.

" That is correct," said Maud.

" Who are you trying to kid here?" I asked.

" As usual your wisdom is beyond your years Sunset Shimmer which does not surprise me. My little sister isn't going to be coming back to Goron City not because she is dead, but because she was chosen to become the protector of the Fire Temple. I know this because she confided in me many years ago that she had these visions in her dreams where she was in a place that was beyond this realm, and it was here that she would be joined by five others to fulfill some kind of destiny," replied Maud.

" Then you need to go back and lead your people as they need you," I said.

" No, my niece has been raised to become the next Goron Chieftain when the time had come, for that is her birthright. My place is no longer there among my people, and my sister has known this all along. While she may be young and inexperienced, the others will be able to guide her along as she strives to carry on the legacy of my sister in addition to building one of her own.

You may not wish to accept this way, and you no doubt wish to yell at me for choosing to leave, but it is my decision to make and I will not change my mind," said Maud.

" So you plan on never coming back either?" I asked.

" No, I do intend to return to Goron City one day in the future when I have figured out the answers to my questions. I want to know what my true purpose is! If Darunia were standing right here in front of me this very minute, she would insist on saying to me that I should go on my journey, and never return until you have found what you are looking for.

If there was one drawback to my decision, it would be that I will be away from my people for at least 20 years at the very minimum because of how slow I can be," replied Maud.

" Where do you think you'll end up?" I asked.

" I don't know," replied Maud.

" You mean you haven't thought that far ahead?" I asked.

" I just go with it and see what happens," replied Maud. That response caused me to slap my head in frustration because I forgot that dealing with Maud can give you a headache because of her lack of an ideal response to any questions thrown at her. I was thinking of maybe convincing her to change her mind and go back to Goron City in order to assist Babs Seed, but that wouldn't be fair to Maud as she is determined to carry out this choice.

" This is where I must take my leave of you Sunset Shimmer as I have my own journey to go on, and you must continue with your own. I have a feeling that your journey is going to be wrought with danger, but as long as you keep doing what you have been doing, you shall be fine." Maud then slightly bowed her head before starting to walk off in her slow fashion which did look awkward.

" She certainly is a strange Goron," commented Spike.

" I just wish that she didn't have to go and do this," I said.

" Maud knows what she needs to do because her heart is dictating this, and you of all people should know what it means to follow your heart. While it does look like everyone you've spoken to since coming back from the Chamber of the Sages has been afflicted with unfortunate news affecting both them and you, you need to get over it even if what I say does sound mean," said Spike.

" Guess that's what I get for caring too much," I cried.

" Your heart is in the right place Sunset Shimmer, but you need to understand what it means to focus on the task at hand. Your kind heart is surely going to be our salvation, but at the same time you need to fulfill your destiny. Anyway, we're back in Hyrule Field now, and with Epona on hand, it should take about 15 minutes for her to gallop over to the entrance of Zora's River," said Spike.

" We should continue on with my quest," I began as I climbed up onto Epona where I rubbed her muzzle with my hand before starting to think about something. The vast expanse of Hyrule Field reminded me of those Big Poes which the owner of the Ghost Shop said that he wanted. It had been some time since I last spoke to him, and he might think I've gone and abandoned the notion of being a Ghost Hunter as he called it.

As I recall, those giant ghosts move pretty fast and I can't catch them on foot, but Epona should be able to catch up with them. So now the question is how do I attack them in order to defeat them and claim their souls? Wow....that sounds really creepy in that line of context. I don't think my magic would be effective as it doesn't move through the air fast enough, but maybe an arrow would make for a better projectile.

I don't know where these ghosts are supposed to be, and it will take some time to figure out the exact locations, but I could do with something that provides little in the way of frustration given what I had to go through in the Fire Temple. Besides, this will give me the chance to bond with Epona, and even catch me some sleep as I've been up practically all night.

" Are you daydreaming again?" asked Spike.

" No, just thinking about going after those Big Poes," I replied.

" Do you think you'll have time to track them down?" asked Spike.

" I don't know, but I think I do seeing as we're not in a race against time," I replied.

" You're also doing it because you want to relax a little after the intensity of the Fire Temple?" asked Spike.

" Bingo!" I replied as I gently kicked Epona in the ribs which she responded by galloping off towards the direction of the destroyed drawbridge, but I told her to turn to the left as I didn't want Maud to accuse me of stalking her. As soon as Epona started going to the left, a Big Poe appeared out of nowhere which did startle me, and I almost let go of the reins before quickly regaining my composure.

Putting my idea to the test, I took out the Fairy Bow in order to aim it when I realized I needed to have a lot of balance as I wasn't going to be holding onto the reins. The Big Poe was getting away, so I kicked Epona to give me some speed, and that's when I let loose with some arrows that completely missed their target by a mile. I must have fired at least a dozen arrows before the ghost disappeared leaving me feeling very humiliated.

" Not used to shooting on horseback are you?" asked Spike.

" There's a lot of things in this world I'm not used to doing," I replied.

" I can help you with this sort of thing you know as that's my role as your partner," said Spike. My blushing reaction was enough for him to know that I did need some assistance with this, and that I was way too embarrassed to say anything. " Aiming on horseback can be difficult as you are moving, or rather your horse is moving, but it can be done if you're patient enough.

When aiming the Fairy Bow, Epona is going to be locked into galloping in a specific direction, so she will keep on going until she stops at a wall, a body of water, and so on. Whipping her will let you catch up to a Big Poe where you can fire arrows at it, but it will vanish if it gains too much of a lead, or if it runs into a wall," said Spike.

" How many arrows will it take to bring one down?" I asked.

" Two arrows will do the trick although if you hit one once, it disappears and then reappears later, you'll have to start all over again as it will count as the ghost having regained its health. Despite being evil in nature and possessing a lot of power, they are pretty cowardly in nature which contradicts everything about them," replied Spike.

" Guess we'll just have to ride around until we run into another one," I said, and that didn't take very long for a Big Poe appeared within ten seconds of me saying that, and Epona knew that I needed to catch up, so she galloped faster, and I fired arrows once again with them completely missing which was a waste. I needed to rely on patience, and also because I have about six arrows left due to firing so many in a mad rush.

Aiming carefully, I fired two more arrows and each hit the Big Poe which was enough to make it burn apart leaving its soul behind which did look evil. After bringing Epona to a stop, I climbed down from her and walked over to the soul which was just floating there. " So I need to use an empty bottle in order to carry this thing around? It sounds a little inconvenient for the soul, but I suppose it's the only means with which to transport them around."

" Just take out the bottle, and scoop it up like you were trying to fill up your bottle with some potion," said Spike.

" This should take only a moment," I said as I produced one of my two empty bottles and scooped up the Big Poe soul without any trouble. The soul made no reaction, so I breathed a sigh of relief. " We should make our way over to the Ghost Shop and turn this in for some extra rupees as well as 100 points on that card the owner said he was carrying for me."

" Why not catch another Big Poe and give him two at the same time?" asked Spike.

" Good idea as that way we don't waste as much time," I replied.

" Just don't attempt to drink them or anything," said Spike.

" Excuse me!!!!" I exclaimed.

" Some people who catch Poe Souls have a tendency to drink them thinking they are a potion, or because they're weird and want to know what it tastes like for curiosity's sake. All that ends up happening is you get wounded as the soul damages you from within, and you feel like a complete freak for even considering it," said Spike. People actually drink the souls of ghosts because they're curious? What is wrong with some people in this world?

May I hope that I never have to deal with people like this. As I proceeded to finding another Big Poe, something was taking place in the Gerudo's Fortress; the one area in Hyrule I have not been to yet. It seems that in the seven years I was trapped in the Sacred Realm, the Gerudo have been living peaceful lives compared to everyone else, and their second-in-command was enjoying her new position.

Yet, she was about to have an encounter with two people known quite well among the Gerudo, and feared by them because of the power they wielded.

" Now let me see here....hmmmm....our supplies remain consistent and that means we won't be starving any time soon! See people? You can get so much done when you decide to use inventory lists as you'll always know what you have, what you need to get, and what you need to get rid of. The weapons storage is up to date with all of our gear polished, so that's good as we need to always be on guard. Finally, those men we captured have all been isolated from each other, and are being guarded by our finest warriors."

" Are you pleased oh great Spitfire?"

" Everything on the list has been checked off, so I'm more than pleased with this. Before we introduced inventory lists, we always struggled figuring out what was around the fortress, but now we always find what we're looking for. I suppose that was one good thing the former second-in-command implemented before she was stripped of her title, and I took her place as the great Ganondorf's most trusted and faithful follower," replied Spitfire.

" Whatever became of Nabooru anyway?"

" She left here to go to the desert seven years ago for reasons of her own, but she never came back. My theory is that she wanted to stay there as the temple was her headquarters at one time before she left it, so I guess she wanted to go back there again in order to resume whatever she was doing," replied Spitfire.

" Do you really believe that madam?"

" Nabooru was exposed as a traitor by the great Ganondorf, and therefore was exiled as a result of her actions. She was lucky that expulsion from the tribe was what she ended up receiving as punishment from our glorious king, for execution would have been so much better. But, I won't dare question the great one's decision, for his word is law in our society, and we must respect his command.

Maybe one day Nabooru will return to us by begging the great Ganondorf to allow her to rejoin, but I fear that she would have to degrade herself to the role of an animal. Sigh....if only she hadn't decided to turn against him like she did. While I did have some personal grudges with her because of how she was favoured over me, I've long since gotten over it, and now I wonder how she's doing.

Oh well! The great Ganondorf forbids us to venture forth into the desert, and we must obey his edict without question. This meeting has now adjourned, so all of you return to your posts," replied Spitfire. Everyone then left the room leaving her to wipe her head with her hand due to being exhausted over how tedious and boring the meeting had been. Unfortunately, she wasn't about to have a moment to relax for two strange figures had appeared from the shadows when the rest of the Gerudo had left.

" Spitfire...."

" Huh? Who's there? Oh, it's you two old witches from the temple," said Spitfire.

" You should watch what you say around us dear child for you know how we stand in the eyes of the great Ganondorf yes?"

" My apologies for the remarks towards the pair of you, but you are much older and wiser than the rest of us, so my assumption was that being referred to as such would be seen as a compliment," said Spitfire.

" Your assumption is wrong! If you wish to remain as second-in-command of the Gerudo as well as continue to be viewed as a worthy follower in the eyes of our king, you shall refrain from speaking until you have heard what my sister and I have come here for."

" What do you want to talk to me about?" asked Spitfire.

" It has to do with two things with the latter being of great concern to you Spitfire. First of all, you will continue to enforce the decision as made by the great Ganondorf that none shall enter the desert beyond the wastelandAnyone who violates the command of the great one shall be punished by execution courtesy of you as that is your duty as the one in charge of the fortress.

The other thing is that the one who has been breaking the curses on the temples has proven to be much more of a threat than originally believed. Already she has broken the curse on the Forest Temple and the Fire Temple, and currently seeks to make her way to the Water Temple to break the curse there. She may eventually come here to the Gerudo's Fortress, and that is where you come into the picture Spitfire. You shall be tasked with making sure that she is killed thus putting an end to this heroic bravado."

" Why me?" asked Spitfire.

" Should she manage to overcome the trials placed before her and come here, you shall kill her without fail! Should you not succeed in this simple task, then you shall be killed yourself as punishment for your failure. Do not bother to ask us any questions, for we must return to the temple in order to finish our little pet project we've been working on for the past seven years.

Remember that your own life hangs in the balance Spitfire, so kill that forest girl! Go! Kill her! Kill the forest girl!" The two shadows then disappeared leaving Spitfire feeling really nervous about what they had just told her. She had been ordered to kill the one person who posed a threat to Ganondorf, and failure to do so would be her own life instead.

It took me a very long time to finally capture all of the Big Poe souls, and I was completely exhausted as I had to constantly resupply myself with arrows due to missing so many times, and Epona had grown tired of galloping around so much looking for something that was so elusive. It didn't help that I only had two bottles with which to capture the souls although it was better than having to bring them to the owner of the Ghost Shop one at a time. In fact, it took me so long that I had to stop just to get some sleep as during the chase, I was constantly falling asleep while riding on Epona.

" And here I thought you were going to give up," said Spike.

" Once I start something, I don't stop until it's finished no matter how long it takes," I said.

" It took you about an entire day to catch all of those Big Poe souls with only this last one left to sell to that creepy Sombra guy. I hope that all of this running around and galloping around for your horse is going to be worth it, for I can imagine your reaction if you end up getting something pretty bad for a reward. Once you've taken care of this last soul, we're heading straight for Zora's Domain as I think we've delayed things long enough," said Spike.

" Admit it! You had fun chasing down those ghosts," I laughed.

" Maybe just a little, but I had more fun laughing at all those times where you nearly fell off of Epona due to falling asleep. One thing about you which I always admire is how you end up turning a dangerous situation into something comedic which causes nothing but merriment. I don't intend to sound mean or insulting to you, but it's just that you do cause some kind of blunder whether intentional or not.

It's a welcome change of pace given this nightmare of a world we've been exploring," said Spike. I can't help it if I end up making a scene as I'm still getting used to how this world works, and believe me when I say that it hasn't been easy. Sighing yet again, I had Epona gallop all the way back to the entrance of Hyrule Castle Town where I climbed off of her, and went straight for the Ghost Shop to deliver the tenth and final Big Poe where hopefully I'll end up getting something good in return for all of this nonsense.

" Hey young lady! I see you've come back yet again!" said Sombra as I came through the door.

" It took me practically forever, but here is the last Big Poe soul I could find out there in Hyrule Field," I said.

" Well then, come on over and let's see what you have," said Sombra. It felt like I was going to fall over due to how exhausting I was, but I managed to make it over to him without causing a blunder, and I handed over the bottle containing the soul in it. " Hmmmm....yes, this is indeed the final Big Poe soul which is ten in all, so as before allow me to buy it off of you for 50 rupees. On top of that, I will put 100 points on your card, and if you manage to make 1,000 points, you'll become a very happy woman.

Well now, it looks like you have acquired 1,000 points! Thanks to you young lady, I now have an extra large inventory of Big Poes, so I'm afraid this will be the last time I can buy a ghost off of you." Sombra then reached out behind him in order to grab something from the shadows which I couldn't see him doing, but I did feel rather nervous that this was either a trap, or he was going to give me some kind of lousy reward. Since you have 1,000 points, here is the item which I promised you."

" Is this what I think it is?" I asked.

" Indeed, it's an empty bottle which you can use to store all kinds of items inside of it. I originally was going to give you 200 rupees as your reward, but I figured that would have been insulting as you've made more money than that selling Poe souls to me. You struggled with my favour as you only had two bottles to rely on, so now you have a third to use in whatever way you want," replied Sombra.

He handed over the bottle to me and while you would think I'd be furious about being given a bottle, I was pretty happy with this as I now stand a better chance of surviving future trials. I carefully put the bottle away before turning my attention back to Sombra who looked as though he had something else he wanted to say. " I heard that the Gorons have all recently returned from their mysterious disappearance, and I sense that you had something to do with it."

" More of your mind-reading?" I asked.

" Yes, and I can sense that you desire to go to Zora's Domain....but I would advise you not to do that," replied Sombra.

" How come?" I asked.

" While I have not seen it with my own eyes, people from Kakariko Village say that Zora's Domain has become a winter wonderland during these past seven years. This may sound pleasant, but it isn't as the snow continues to fall and refuses to stop. What was deemed as an unnatural occurrence has become a nightmare where the freezing cold is enough to make most freeze to death, yet you are determined to go there yes?

It has to do with your quest to save this world," replied Sombra. He then looked down at the ground for a few moments without moving a muscle, and for a moment I thought he had suddenly collapsed, or had gone into a deep sleep, but he soon raised his head back up before smacking the cage containing the Poe souls with his stick to get them back in line. " I have one piece of advice for you."

" What is it?" I asked.

" There is a large cavern located in Zora's Fountain which was formed from the snow and ice which has plagued Zora' Domain, and it is said that a treasure is hidden there which can add a lot of weight to one's own being. I don't know who would leave something like that in such a cold and desolate place, but perhaps it's something you might want to consider seeing as you plan on going there anyway.

At the bottom of the pool of water that exists within Zora's Fountain lies a beautiful heart-shaped object, but unless you can gain a lot of weight and somehow be able to breathe like a fish, it shall forever remain there. That's all I have to say to you young lady, so good-bye and good luck on your quest as you will need as much of it as you can get," replied Sombra.

As I walked out of the Ghost Shop to make my way back to Epona, I started to think about what he said regarding what had become of Zora's Domain as well as this treasure which can add weight onto me. It all sounded pretty weird to me, but it was something which I had to consider as I prepared to make my way over to the domain....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 31: Frozen Water Domain

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 14, 2015
Chapter 31: Frozen Water Domain.

As Epona was trotting along across Hyrule Field making her way to the entrance of Zora's River, I was thinking about what Sombra said to me before I left his shop regarding the situation in Zora's Domain. The home of the Zoras had become a winter wonderland, yet it was anything but pleasant according to rumours. I remember back in the human world what it was like when winter came along and embraced us with its cold climate.

Back in those days, I was always alone because I didn't embrace the ideals of friendship, so I never knew that winter was a time when people got together to celebrate, and also have fun even when the temperature reached unbearable levels below zero. It feels like the problem in Zora's Domain is a reflection of what I experienced during winter in that the domain had become cold and alone. I wonder if Spike was aware of the cold as it looks like Hyrule doesn't get much variety when it comes to the weather.

" Spike? Has it ever snowed in Hyrule?" I asked.

" Hyrule's climate is generally moderate so we mainly experience sunny, cloudy, and rainy days. Snow is actually a rare occurrence as it comes around once every few decades, but it's usually restricted to Death Mountain as it has enough high elevation to be able to produce it and keep it around. The last time it snowed naturally was around 35 years ago, so only the older citizens of the kingdom will likely recall what it was like," replied Spike.

" What about the Zoras?" I asked.

" They don't like the intense heat or cold because they are used to a moderate climate where the temperature is just right. Zora's Domain is now covered in a blanket of snow, and most likely the Zora's have chosen to hole themselves up in a warm location until the cold leaves. That last bit mind you was a theory of mine as I don't really know what kind of reaction they would have to snow in their own home as it's never happened before," replied Spike.

" Winter can cause people to want to seek out shelter in order to avoid the cold," I said.

" You seem to know a lot about this subject considering that you're usually trying to understand what's going on," said Spike.

" Snow is pretty common where I come from although it happens every year and lasts for a few months before the weather gets warmer and melts it all away. When it turns cold, people will do anything to get out of the cold and into the warm, but not everyone is able to do this. The Zoras I believe may have tried to find somewhere warm where they can escape from the cold grip of winter, but they most likely succumbed to it which is a terrible thing to think about," I said.

" They could have found a way to survive," suggested Spike.

" No doubt about it as they are resourceful and would have made several attempts, but you have to remember that Ganondorf rules over the kingdom now, and he won't allow the Zoras to live in peace considering that King Zora did refuse to give him the spiritual stone. We have to prepare for the worst which would be the Zoras having succumbed to the cold," I said.

" What do you think about the treasure we were told about?" asked Spike.

" Despite being given such a bizarre description of it which involves putting some weight on me, it does sound like something which could be useful. Besides, you did suggest that we should go to Zora's Domain, and I know that you would never guide me in the wrong direction. You do have to wonder who would leave behind something of value in a place where it's freezing cold. Since I have a strong affinity to fire, I can use my own inner warmth to keep me warm, but I'm not sure about you Spike," I replied.

" Fairies don't mind the cold," announced Spike.

" Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," I said. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if my inner warmth was going to be enough seeing as my magic may be powerful, but the magic of Ganondorf was even stronger. It was going to come down to a battle of resilience as to whether I'll be able to keep me from freezing to death. After a long and trouble-free trot, the entrance to Zora's River was in sight and Epona slowly came to a stop because she wasn't able to cross water even though the river itself wasn't really all that deep.

Sometimes it was frustrating knowing Epona had so many limitations, but at least she was strong and wise enough to avoid danger. As I climbed down from her saddle, she began to whinny loudly as she didn't want me to leave her behind again. I responded to her with my own series of whinnies which was enough for her to calm down.

" What did you say to her?" asked Spike.

" I told her that even though she doesn't like me leaving her behind, I have no choice because she can't reach the places that I need to go to. Epona does understand that I have to do this, but she doesn't have to accept it which is why I'm hoping that she will be able to come with us in order to get to the remaining temples," I replied. She then let out a rather long whinny and I answered back with a few short whinnies and a long one.

" She hopes she can spend more time with me in the future, and I said such a thing is bound to happen. As always, I tell her that I won't be gone long, and I know this isn't going to be one of those lengthy trips assuming of course that this treasure isn't located inside of a dungeon." Oh if only I had known right there that the treasure was in fact hidden inside of a rather unique dungeon, I wouldn't have said what I did to Epona, and I would have saved face. Crossing over the river wasn't that bad as the water reached halfway up my body, so I know that I can either swim around in it, or even walk without any kind of drawback.

" The river current is most likely the same as it was before, so if you accidentally fall into the water, you will end up getting pushed all the way back to the start. Even if you are able to walk about in some parts of the river, do take my words seriously because it will mean having to waste time getting back to where we were," said Spike.

" I remember there were those Octorok creatures that liked to hide in the river," I said.

" We'll probably have to deal with them again, so be sure to keep your shield out at all times so that you can knock the rocks they spit back at you. Blue Tektites are also going to be showing up, and while you avoided them last time, you will have to deal with them as they will be more aggressive regarding their territory. It takes a couple of sword strikes, several arrows, or several hammer blows in order to defeat them, and they can be stunned if you prefer to get past them without have to rely on combat," said Spike.

" Any other tips?" I asked.

" You can actually use the Megaton Hammer to flip them over onto their backs where they will be helpless for a while, but they will eventually righten themselves so use the free time to your advantage. Be aware that they will only flip when their legs are firmly on the ground as it won't work if they're airborne, or if they are floating on the surface of the water.

In fact, they won't even bother you if you keep your distance, and only move towards you if you either attack them or enter their territory. I'd say there will be more Octoroks to deal with than Blue Tektites," replied Spike.

" So stick with the shield?" I asked.

" You need to use it more often than you do," replied Spike.

" It's on my to-do-list along with so much other stuff," I said.

" That list is getting awfully long which isn't good because the trials from now on will get tougher," said Spike.

" No need to remind me, but then that is your job," I sighed. After I waved goodbye to Epona and whinnied at her to reassure her that I'd be back as soon as possible, I started to make my way into Zora's River which looked exactly the same as it did before. " I was expecting it to be snowing at least, but I don't see a single snowflake falling down.

" It will likely start snowing the closer we get to Zora's Domain," said Spike.

" I wonder if that Magic Bean seller is still here," I said.

" It's possible, but he might have been forced to leave due to the Octoroks. If you think you can buy some more of those beans from him, then you're out of luck as you bought all of the ones he had. Not only that, but you've only used one of them which has me believing that you wasted your money, or you felt pity for him and wanted to appeal to his sense of humour," moaned Spike.

" How can I use them when the soft soil existed years ago?" I asked. That left Spike unable to answer because he knew it was true, so he merely turned around blushing as he realized that he completely forgot about the whole missing seven years worth of our lives. I wasn't going to drag the issue as I knew he had made an honest mistake, and if anything I would have made the same mistake.

Walking along past the walls where boulders once blocked the way, I started to look around for Snips to see if he was still sitting in front of the gate where he sold all of the Magic Beans to me. While I'll admit that the increase in price for each one was ridiculous, I was compelled to buy them all because I believed in the magic that they possessed.

Sadly, Snips was no longer in the area which meant he had chosen to flee due to the Octoroks, or something else might have happened to him. Speaking of Octoroks, two of them popped up nearby and began to spit rocks at me. Taking out the Hylian Shield and slinging it onto my arm, I knocked each one back causing them to fall backwards and shrivelling up in defeat.

" Just keep it up and we'll reach Zora's Domain in no time," said Spike.

" You know, I'm curious if Octoroks are able to be attacked with any of the weapons and magic at my disposal?" I asked.

" Despite looking like fearsome monsters, they are pretty cowardly and will hide underwater in order to avoid being attacked. I suppose a ranged attack could defeat them, but it would need to be done from a pretty good distance. Arrows would be your best bet as they travel through the air fast enough compared to other projectiles. Huh? Hey! Are you even listening to me here?" asked Spike.

" I heard what you said about using arrows from a distance, but I was thinking of something else," I replied.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" I've been thinking about my transformation again because even though I don't want to rely on it, I just have this feeling that I'll need it in order to overcome whatever challenges get in our way. Back in the human world, I was ecstatic over gaining pony ears and a pony tail because it was a sign that I had changed my ways, and I shared in the same delight with my friends. It was a blessing there, but a curse here because of the increase in power I get, and the changes resulting from being on the verge of death," I replied.

" You managed to not transform in the fight with the dragon," said Spike.

" That's because Volvagia wasn't able to talk and hurl insults at me, and also I was struggling not to lose my composure because of what we believed had happened to Pinkie Pie. You may not have noticed it, but I was trying so hard not to snap that it felt like I was going to burst. My transformation should be the best thing that we have against the evil that plagues Hyrule, yet all it's been is a major hindrance that could potentially be just as bad as Ganondorf," I said.

" It has to do with the magic here being different than your own world right?" asked Spike.

" Why it ended up this way is beyond me, but so long as my transformation remains a problem, I'll need to make sure that I don't change, and I have a feeling that I'm going to be mentally drained by the time this is all done. The way you sounded when you mentioned my world certainly was surprising Spike, and if I didn't know better, I'd swear you were finally accepting my story as being true since you've denied it ever since we first met," I replied.

" Don't be ridiculous!" shouted Spike.

" Come on, there's no need to get all huffy about it," I laughed.

" I don't know what you're talking about!" shouted Spike as he turned red and looked away from me for a few minutes. Even though he thinks my story isn't real, deep down he knows it's the truth, yet he doesn't want to admit it as it would mean having to swallow his pride. As I started to walk forward, more Octoroks began to pop up from the water, but I was ready to handle them all with the Hylian Shield on my arm. That's when something else started to fill my mind, and they all had to do with Rarity of all people.

" Would you believe that I'm thinking about the Zora princess?" I asked.

" Now that I do believe because we are going to their home, and she did prove to be of great help during the whole Lord Jabu-Jabu incident seven years ago. I'm worried about her just as much as you are, but we won't know for sure what the situation is until we reach Zora's Domain and discover the truth for ourselves," replied Spike.

Hearing that did make me feel a little bit better, yet my concern for her safety still ached my heart because she was my friend regardless of this being a different world from my own. On the opposite end of Hyrule in the southern most region, things were about to take an unexpected twist given the company that was travelling with one another.

" What in the world is this?"

" I told you that the lake had receded from what it used to be Zora princess, so here is the very proof in plain sight for you to absorb. You have to admit that this is truly an unusual sight because where could so much water even disappear to? It's like someone decided to unplug the giant bathtub that is this lake."

" Are you crazy or something?" asked Rarity.

" Me? Crazy? I'm just being observant in my own unique way because I've seen so much on my travels that nothing has ever surprised me....except for when I saw this for the very first time. It just defies all manner of logic no matter which way you look at it, but I suppose that if you were to use non-logic to try and understand the problem, you'd get some pretty good results out of it."

" You have to be crazy to have come up with an answer like that, and I'm crazy to have allowed you to come along with me. Even though we were both heading in the same general direction, your unusual behaviour has certainly been a strain," moaned Rarity.

" For realzies?"

" Never mind! For someone who goes around selling masks for a living, you certainly are someone who can test the patience of even the most focused of individuals. There is a lot more to you than appearances suggest," said Rarity.

" I'm the filling wrapped inside of a taco that has been wrapped inside of some more filling which in turn is wrapped within an even bigger taco. You try to understand the reason for my being inside two different tacos, but then all you get out of it is a headache which does no one any good. Why bring up tacos?

Because it's almost lunch time, and I need my daily taco intake otherwise I suffer from a complete withdrawl. Anyway, to get back to the matter at hand, the temple which you Zoras use as a place of worship as you described to me earlier still remains intact," said Sonata.

" For that I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that nothing has damaged it," said Rarity.

" Yet why does it have a gate blocking the entrance?" asked Sonata.

" What!?!? A gate!?!? No, that can't be right! The Water Temple has always been open so that my people could come and go from it as they pleased. Why would there be such a pointless protection in front of it? Unless, the source of the curse wishes to ensure no one can get in. Hmmmm....I must find a way inside of the temple as I must save everyone from their fate," replied Rarity.

" How do you propose on doing that?" asked Sonata.

" I'll think of something as I am very resourceful when I need to be. Besides, don't you have some kind of errand to finish with that scientist who lives in that laboratory over there? While I appreciate you showing me what has befallen Lake Hylia, I no longer require your services, so you can leave me to my own devices," replied Rarity.

" Then I wish you luck in opening that gate," said Sonata.

" What do you mean by that?" asked Rarity.

" You don't exactly have what I would call herculean strength to lift those bars up, and it looks like you need to hit that fancy looking gem above the gate with some kind of precision. Neither of these are what you possess right now oh Princess of the Zoras, so unless you can somehow defy logic and get inside, you're pretty much stuck out here....without the help of me and my precious masks.

Here, I'll let you borrow this one which will allow you to make an alternate entrance into the temple. Once you've done that, just give the mask over to Sunset Shimmer someday, and I will get it back from her someday," replied Sonata.

" Is that a bomb?" asked Rarity.

" No silly, it's a Blast Mask," replied Sonata.

" It's a bomb!" shouted Rarity.

" And your only way into the temple princess if you wish to do that thing you said you were going to do in there. I'll just leave it here for you to take, and I shall leave you now in order to complete my business. I'm sure that I won't be seeing you when I am done, so this is where we must say goodbye to one another. Before I forget, the price of this mask is 65 rupees. Be sure to tell Sunset Shimmer that as she will know what it means," said Sonata.

" What? Wait! Come back here! Huh? She's gone? But how is that possible? She was just speaking to me, or maybe she has a loud booming voice? Still, she did give me this mask which she said I can use to get into the Water Temple without having to open the main entrance, and I'm to give it back to Sunset Shimmer once I'm done with it as she will know what to do next. Sunset Shimmer....who knows where she is right now as she has been gone for such a long time.

She may not even be alive right now. No! Buck up Ruto, and stop spouting such foolishness from your mouth. She must be alive somewhere, and I will wait for her to show up at the temple no matter how long it will take. As for this mask, I guess I have no other choice but to use it if I am to save my people," said Rarity.

" We're getting very close to Zora's Domain and I haven't seen any hints of it snowing," I said.

" Then you may want to look up at the sky and tell me what you see," suggested Spike.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed as I looked upwards to discover that the sky had turned dark. Snowflakes then started to fall all around me as though this had been going on for quite some time, yet it was clear skies and normal weather only a few steps ago. Just when I had finally started to figure out how this world is supposed to work, it ends up throwing a new twist at me which makes no sense.

The temperature began to drop as well, so I was hoping that it wasn't going to get too cold for me to handle once we see what has become of Zora's Domain. " Looks like our suspicions of this snow being unnatural were right Spike, but how is Ganondorf able to manipulate the very fabric of nature itself to suit his own desires?"

" The Triforce grants him power that we can only dream of which allows him to act like he was one of the Great Goddesses whose essence is contained within each of the golden triangles," replied Spike.

" I was thinking that maybe I should make a wish on the Triforce seeing as it is a fulfiller of wishes," I said.

" Even though that is the nature of the Triforce to grant the desires of those who lay their hands on it, many have perished as a result of their greed. The Triforce can be best described as being neutral in that it can't determine what is good and what is evil, so it's been up to those of the just to ensure that the power was never misused," said Spike.

" Then they did a pretty lousy job of that," I said.

" Ganondorf proved to be a lot more cunning than anyone expected, and he did have us to thank for allowing him access to the Sacred Realm despite our intentions of wanting to stop him from succeeding. Those who dedicated their lives to protecting the Triforce weren't expecting someone like him to come along, and I don't think anyone was expecting the two of us to get sealed away in the Sacred Realm apart from Ganondorf himself.

As for you wanting to make a wish, legends say that one would need to overcome the owner of the Triforce in order to claim it for themselves should that person keep it instead of leaving it in its place of rest," said Spike. That means I need to defeat the evil king if I wanted to have my desire to come true which was to return to my own world. I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy if it meant having to face Ganondorf.

By the time we reached the entrance to Zora's Domain, the temperature had dropped even more, and the snow was continuing to increase making it a little difficult to see, but the strange thing was that the waterfall was still flowing as usual despite the change in weather. Could it be possible that not all of Zora's Domain is under the effects of this dark power?

" What do you think?" I asked.

" About what?" asked Spike.

" The fact that the waterfall is flowing when it's snowing," I replied.

" Okay, that is a little bit unusual, but do you suppose it has any kind of meaning?" asked Spike.

" It's a sign that not all of Zora's Domain is experiencing this winter wonderland people have been talking about, and it also means that they didn't bother to explore every last portion of the area. Since we're here to find the treasure, we'll see for ourselves just what has been going on here since our previous visit. I just need to play Twilight's Lullaby to allow us to make it inside, but first I need to remember how to play it," I replied.

Spike smacked his head in response, and he had every right to do so seeing as I really do need to get more practice. Once I recalled the notes of the song, I played it on the same platform where I played it last time, and sure enough the waterfall slowed down and receded allowing us access to Zora's Domain. As soon as we entered, what we saw defied all of our expectations, but not in a good way as this was nothing but shocking.

" Oh my," commented Spike.

" Is this....Zora's Domain?" I asked.

" You know the answer to that," replied Spike.

" I'm....just speechless at what I'm seeing," I said. The entire domain had been completely frozen over as though it had become an arctic wasteland, and the snow from outside was continuing in here, but it was even stronger and colder than before. The water had been frozen completely, and the eerie silence was enough to make me want to freak out. There were no signs of any of the Zoras....no signs of rushing water flowing about....no signs of life anywhere. It's like everything had suddenly died.

" No wonder the Zoras have vanished as no one would want to spend a good amount of time in a place like this! Not even the bravest and burliest of warriors would be stupid enough to consider staying here where the temperature is getting colder by the minute."

" Do you hear the sound of something chattering away?" asked Spike.

" That would be my teeth doing that as it's really cold in here," I replied.

" I don't feel anything myself, but then that's because I'm a fairy," said Spike.

" Not helping me feel any better! Not only are my teeth chattering, but my entire body is getting so cold that I'm beginning to shiver. It looks like my inner warmth isn't as strong as I thought if I'm suffering like this," I said. It was so cold that I had to blow on my hands constantly to keep them warm, and I had to cramp myself up in order to keep the cold away, but so far nothing was working. To add insult to injury, I sneezed pretty loudly which really hurt my lungs, but that was the least of my problems.

As soon as I took a step forward, I slipped on some ice and fell over where I slid across the ground and over the side and landed really hard on the ice below. I wasn't hurt too badly yet my rear was going to be feeling pain for a while since the ice must have been several inches thick. As I climbed back up the ladder, Spike had wondered what happened to me as he was more focused on something which caught his attention.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" Oh I'm just peachy about the fact that I nearly broke my butt landing hard on the ice below! Of course I'm not okay as this place has become a cold deathtrap where one step can cause me to slip to who knows where. I won't be able to sit down for at least a few hours until the swelling goes down, but I suppose things could have been worse if I had landed on something other than my butt," I replied.

" Sorry I didn't notice but I was looking at these footprints in the snow," said Spike.

" Did you say footprints?" I asked. Sure enough, there were tracks in the snow which look to have been made by someone or something that was about my size, yet they were walking barefoot which didn't make sense considering how cold it was. The trail of footprints indicate they ran from the direction of King Zora's throne room, and judging from how much snow has fallen, it had been about a couple of days.

There was no doubt this person was a Zora, but it did leave me with questions which currently had no answers to them. That's when I noticed something in the middle of the frozen lake of water which certainly looked out of place. " Is that a hole in the ice I'm seeing over there?"

" It is although how did that get there?" asked Spike.

" Judging from the small pieces of ice which are around and near where the hole is, someone must have smashed their way through on the surface in order to get to something underneath. Now who could shatter through ice that thick without suffering some kind of injury as a result? In any case, maybe we ought to check out that hole to see if we can get some clues," I replied.

This would have been a perfect time for me to use some magic, but I was too cold to consider it. Once again, I slipped on another bit of ice where I fell over onto the ice, but I managed to land on my feet which did cause me to buckle my knees, but at least my butt didn't get more injured than it already had. Spike merely floated over to where the hole in the ice was, and I struggled to make my way over with a glum expression on my face because he was rubbing in the fact that he can fly while I can't.

" You were right that someone shattered the ice from the surface," said Spike.

" Look at this marking right over here just a few inches away from the hole," I said.

" That looks like the remnants of a Deku Nut flash," said Spike.

" Sheik must have been here at some point over the last couple of days, but why would she come here to such a cold, desolate place? Also, there appears to have been some kind of struggle as someone appears to have been either pulled from the hole in the ice, or they managed to get away before being thrown in. Could Sheik have saved someone?" I asked.

" Or she could have tried to throw someone in," suggested Spike.

" No, that doesn't sound like something Sheik would do even though we really don't know all that much about her. I know what you must be thinking Spike, but I do trust her despite being kept in the dark regarding her true identity. If we were to assume that she pulled someone from under the ice, then that person must have been the one who made those footprints we saw a few minutes ago," I said.

Spike then suggested that we check out where the Zora Shop was as I could do with picking up some extra supplies, and he was right about that so I slowly walked over to the shop which wasn't easy because the ice was so slippery.

" You really don't like the ice do you?" asked Spike.

" I never liked it back home and I don't like it here because I fall down hard on my butt which is what I did just now," I moaned as I rubbed my poor rear while cursing under my breath that I despised the snow. That's when I noticed the entrance to the Zora Shop was blocked by a large sheet of ice, yet this ice was red in colour which was definitely unusual as ice is usually clear. I tried using the Megaton Hammer in order to shatter it to pieces, but it just bounced off like I had hit heavy armour or something.

Then I tried using my own magic followed by Din's Fire to try and melt the red ice, but this resulted in nothing either which was beginning to vex me. On another note, I did sense that my magic was different now, so that meant what Adagio did for me turned out to be a blessing. " This red ice is even impervious to my magic which has changed thanks in large part to the Great Fairy."

" Told you it was worth going to see her," smiled Spike.

" I'm grateful that you suggested that we pay her a visit," I said.

" But you're right in that this red ice seems to be immune to everything you've thrown at it. It's not natural by any means as ice like this doesn't exist in Hyrule, so there must be a way for you to melt it. For now, we might as well look elsewhere as we won't be gaining access to the Zora Shop for the time being," said Spike. He then suggested that we take a look inside of King Zora's throne room as it looked like the problem with the snow was coming from Zora's Fountain.

I had to walk slowly around the corner and up the stairs as I wasn't about to allow myself to slip and fall down again, and that's when I had to come to a stop because of shivering. The temperature was getting even lower and as I sneezed again, I needed to find somewhere to warm up as my skin was starting to go numb in a few places. That's when I noticed a torch over to the right which had no fire burning in it, but I wasn't about to turn away from something like this, so I used some magic in order to light the torch up.

" Feeling better now?" asked Spike.

" Much better as the torch is giving off the right amount of heat I need to keep myself warm for a while. While you may not understand it Spike given you're a fairy, I need the warmth to prevent myself from freezing to death. I know that I've said that my inner warmth will keep me going, but I wasn't expecting it to be this cold. If only I could use a Deku Stick right now, I'd light it up and use it as a source of heat while walking around here," I replied.

" You can't use them, and even if you could, you do know that Deku Sticks burn away after a while when they are lit up? You'd need an actual lantern to be able to carry around some fire in order to keep warm, but you don't have one of those on hand, and no one in Hyrule is likely carrying one in a shop. Just grin and bear it and use that inner warmth of yours whenever you can," said Spike.

" I was barely able to use that magic to light the torch, so relying on my inner warmth is going to be a bit of a stretch," I said.

" How long do you want to stay in this spot?" asked Spike.

" I'd love to stay here for at least several hours or so," I replied. While that sounded like a reasonable request from my perspective, Spike was right in that I needed to just get used to this cold, and find that treasure we came here to claim, but I ended up standing next to the torch for a good ten minutes as my body really needed to thaw.

Once I felt that I had warmed up enough, I ran up the stairs towards the throne room, and upon reaching it, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. " Gasp! It's King Zora! But, what in the world has happened to him?"

" He's been frozen in the same red ice that we saw blocking the entrance to the Zora Shop," replied Spike. Indeed, Kig Zora, known as Hondo Flanks in my world, the father of Rarity, was encased in a giant prism of red ice, and he was completely still as though he had been frozen for years. Spike then hovered over to where the king was, and he looked around for a couple of moments before coming back.

" If this is the same ice that we saw covering up the Zora Shop entrance Sunset Shimmer, then this no mere coincidence, but rather the result of this unusual cold weather. Like with the shop, there is nothing we can do to help King Zora as he is frozen in there, and is probably well preserved if this cold has been around here for years."

" Then we need to go into Zora's Fountain," I announced.

" Are we allowed to even do that? The last time we were here, we had to get permission from King Zora to gain access to the fountain," said Spike.

" Right now, he's in no position to do anything, so we might as well take matters into our own hands. I do feel sorry for the big guy though as he must be in so much pain, yet he can't say or do anything as that red ice has surely shut down all of his bodily functions. This does pose a question regarding the fate of the Zoras which we can't overlook. They would never go anywhere without their king because he holds the highest respect among the tribe," I said.

" King Zora is the glue that keeps them all together, and they are completely helpless without him. If he is frozen here in their home, then that means the Zoras are also here, but the chances of them surviving in such cold temperatures like this are slim to none because they don't like these conditions," said Spike.

" It looks like we have another situation where an entire tribe has suddenly vanished without a trace, yet unlike the Gorons who were kidnapped and taken away, the Zoras are completely missing with no hints as to where they are aside from King Zora frozen on his throne. While I would love to figure out where they are, we have no real solid leads with which to rely on, so we'll have to focus on getting the treasure, and figure this all out later," I said.

I know that it sounded rather harsh that I was abandoning the Zoras to their unknown fate, but I had no other choice as Spike and I knew next to nothing. The rumours from Kakariko Village never mentioned the fate of the Zoras, and Sombra said nothing about them either. I walked around the circular path up to the throne making sure not to slip on the ice, and I soon found myself standing in front of King Zora....who was a lot bigger than I assumed he would be.

I didn't take notice of it before, but he was huge for a Zora which made me think he was frozen in such a manner because it was the only way he could be dealt with. I then pressed my hand up against the red ice that was imprisoning him, and it felt like regular ice which was freezing cold, but I could feel something which made me keep my hand there for a few minutes.

" What are you doing?" asked Spike.

" Quiet please as I need to concentrate," I replied. As I moved my hand about a small part of the red ice, I could feel the heartbeat of King Zora although it was both slow and faint. Once I had established what I needed to know, I removed my hand and immediately blew on it as much as possible in order to warm it up again.

" King Zora is very much alive, but his heartbeat was slow. I'm not sure what will happen to him if we were to thaw him out, but the chances of him surviving after being released don't look good. It's possible that he will pull through, but until we can figure out how to actually save him, he is currently in the safest place he can be." With that resolved, I started to make my way towards Zora's Fountain which meant walking on ice yet again which was slippery, but then the ice suddenly changed to water which was really odd.

" It looks like we were right in that the water from the fountain wasn't frozen over," said Spike.

" That should make things easier to navigate," I said.

" Don't be so sure about that Sunset Shimmer as who knows what we'll end up finding in Zora's Fountain," said Spike. As soon as we entered the fountain, the first thing we noticed was Lord Jabu-Jabu was no longer around, and instead there was a giant chunk of ice where he used to be. The snow was falling even heavier than before, and the temperature had gotten worse which was making me feel colder than ever before.

" I'm not surprised that Lord Jabu-Jabu is gone because the Zora legends say that he doesn't spend all of his time here in Zora's Fountain. There are numerous Zora colonies that exist beyond Hyrule, and I believe that he has gone to one of them in order to get away from the cold for it doesn't do him a world of good. In case you were wondering, yes, the Great Deku Tree told us fairies of this legend because someone requested it.

" The water seems to be okay as it hasn't frozen over like in Zora's Domain," I said.

" Maybe so, but we have another problem to deal with," said Spike. There were now large chunks of ice floating about in the water with several of them spinning around, and others looking like they were pretty unstable where any kind of weight would cause an imbalance. " You'll need to jump from iceberg to iceberg in order to make your way over to that large cave entrance over there."

" I remember seeing that seven years ago, yet we weren't able to enter it due to the ledge being too high," I said.

" The snow appears to be coming from the cave entrance, and the treasure was hidden inside a frozen cave according to Sombra, so that must be where we need to go. The ice will allow you to climb up onto that ledge, but be careful as the darkness of the night sky and the dark clouds do limit your vision, and I sense the presence of monsters lurking around in the water," said Spike.

" Octoroks!" I exclaimed.

" Most likely which means it will be difficult to handle them," said Spike.

" If they are like the ones we encountered back in Zora's River, then this will be another simple task," I said with confidence in my voice. Once again, I chose to ignore all of the warning signs given to me by Spike because I completely forgot that I had to traverse chunks of ice, and that meant my traction was shot as I was going to be slipping about all over the place.

I ran up the ice chunk that was stuck next to the raised step where Lord Jabu-Jabu once was, and I leapt onto the next ice chunk which started to bob up and down due to my weight being a factor. That was when two Octoroks popped out of the cold water, and fired rocks at me which I couldn't avoid because of having no traction.

The rocks hit me which caused me to slide across the ice, and fall into the water. It was absolutely freezing, and as I struggled to make my way back to shore, I forgot to take into account that the chunk of ice had bobbed the other way because of the weight now having left, and it suddenly came back and smacked me hard on the back of my head. The resulting blow was so strong that it knocked me unconscious, and I began to sink down into the icy cold depths of Zora's Fountain where I would freeze to death in a matter of minutes....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 34: The Waterless Lake.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 21, 2015
Chapter 34: The Waterless Lake.

In all the excitement of heading back to Zora's Domain in order to save King Zora and gaining access to the Zora Shop, I completely forgot about the fact that I had to traverse across the chunks of ice floating in Zora's Fountain. The Octoroks I defeated before had since re-spawned which meant having to deal with them again unless I wanted to ignore all of this and go for a little swim. Just thinking about it made me shiver as the thought of swimming after what I had recently been through made me feel a little hesitant.

" You should swim back rather than use the chunks of ice Sunset Shimmer as you need to get used to swimming," said Spike.

" Are you implying that I don't know how to swim?" I asked.

" Based on what you've been doing in Zora's Fountain with regards to that subject, you appear to be water challenged as you almost drowned out here, and you almost drowned inside of the Ice Cavern. I have no doubt that you can swim as you do look to be very capable, but perhaps you were an expert swimmer in your own world, and in this one you've got the swimming skills of someone who flounders about in the water," replied Spike.

" That's because those previous experiences involved me swimming in places which aren't exactly considered normal for aquatic maneuvers. I'll have you know that I am a pretty good swimmer despite having problems, but I won't let that stop me from doing what I need to if I am to fulfill my destiny and save Hyrule," I said.

" Then stop being so hesitant and just swim," said Spike. Hearing him say that really struck home for me, and I couldn't blame him for saying it. My near-drowning experience, both of them, has given me an adverse fear of going anywhere near water, yet I have to swim if I'm going to be helping Rarity. I had to do this because I can't allow fear to hold such a strong grip over me....just like how I'm allowing my other fears to do exactly that. It looks like I'm quite a complicated girl because of having so many problems, but I had to start overcoming them otherwise they'll just walk all over me.

Having made up my mind, I jumped into the water and started to swim back to Zora's Domain, and the water was absolutely freezing which made me feel very uncomfortable, but I had to endure it if I am to survive the Water Temple. It took a couple of minutes to swim back to shore, and when I climbed out of the water, the first thing I did was use my magic to warm myself up which wasn't a struggle thanks in part to the Piece of Heart I found in the Ice Cavern.

Spike looked at me and started to clap his hands which sounded like little blipping noises to my ears. " See? That wasn't as bad as you were making it out to be. You just need to remember that you must save this world from the evil that controls it, and to do so you have to overcome even your most intimate of fears."

" While your choice of words were insulting to say the least, I do appreciate you telling it to me straight," I smiled.

" That's what friends are for," said Spike.

" Also, I proved to you that I am capable when it comes to swimming in a natural setting, but I do flounder as you say when it comes to cramped quarters, and dealing with chunks of ice and cold water," I said.

" You'll need to get better especially the part about swimming in cramped quarters as it appears you'll be doing a lot of that in the Water Temple. Granted, you can avoid some of that by using the Iron Boots and walking on the ground while underwater if you prefer it that way. In either situation, we won't be entering the temple until you have acquired the Zora Tunic which is essential," said Spike.

" I'm hoping that King Zora will deliver on that and give me one as a reward for saving him, or give me a good discount for one at the Zora Shop as I have no intention of paying 300 rupees for a piece of cloth. Even if it's cloth that was created using the best materials out there, I can't afford to pay for it, and Princess Ruto needs us at the temple as soon as possible. I was actually thinking that if I were to look rather pathetic when it comes to breathing underwater, maybe he'll be sympathetic and give me what I need," I said.

" Technically, you have been pathetic when it comes to that," said Spike.

" I'll ignore that comment, but I shouldn't act dishonestly because that sort of thinking got me into a lot of trouble back when I used to be a "bad girl" and used all manner of manipulations to get what I wanted. When King Zora is set free from his icy prison, I'm just going to talk to him with the kind of respect he deserves as I remember that the Zoras appreciate that," I said.

Walking back into Zora's Domain placed me right behind the throne of King Zora who was still sitting there in suspended animation as he had done for years, and I went right up to him to melt the red ice away. This of course posed a problem because I needed to figure out exactly where I'm supposed to apply the Blue Fire. I only had one shot at setting him free, and if I end up botching it, I'll have to go all the way back to the Ice Cavern which I'd rather not do ever again because of the near death experiences I encountered there.

" What are you waiting for?" asked Spike.

" I need to do this with the utmost care otherwise we're going back into the Ice Cavern to get more Blue Fire," I replied.

" All you have to do is just sprinkle the fire onto the red ice like you've done with most of the red ice we've encountered," said Spike.

" That's not the problem I'm having right now Spike, but rather I'm not sure if one bottle is going to be enough to melt the ice and free him. The other ice we had to melt was small in size compared to what is covering King Zora. I was thinking that maybe I can climb up, and apply the Blue Fire that way for a better result," I suggested.

" Just use the Blue Fire near the base of the throne and let it do the rest," said Spike.

" Okay, if you say so," I said. If this plan wasn't going to work, I was going to give him the biggest scolding that I could muster up, but I trusted in his judgment as I knew he would never steer me wrong as his advice has saved my life countless times. Uncorking the bottle of Blue Fire which I had been holding in my hand, I sprinkled it next to King Zora where the red ice started to melt instantly.

Once he was free of his frozen prison, King Zora at first wasn't moving which had me suspect that he didn't survive, but then he suddenly began to move which caught me by surprise. Rarity's father, Hondo Flanks, who was King Zora in this world, was alive and well although he was really out of it when he first started to speak.

" Where am I? Why is there snow and ice all over my beloved throne room? What has become of Zora's Domain?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" You've been frozen on your throne for many years," I replied.

" Who said that to me just now? I can't exactly see where you are stranger, for you are most likely standing somewhere in which my vision cannot see. If you would be so kind as to stand on that platform in front of me, and speak once again, I will be able to speak with you," said Hondo Flanks. I had forgotten that he prefers people to talk to him in a formal fashion, so I walked all the way around his throne room until I was standing on the platform.

" Ah! There you are! You say that I have been frozen here for years? I do remember when the snow and ice first came that my people started to become trapped underneath the ice, but when I attempted to guide them to safety, I must have been affected by this frozen chill which grips my kingdom."

" When I first came here to Zora's Domain, I discovered that you were frozen solid in a large chunk of red ice, and I was determined to free you because it's the right thing a hero like myself would do for someone in need. I had to traverse the cold reaches of the Ice Cavern in order to acquire Blue Fire which is the only thing that can melt red ice, and upon coming back here after acquiring an important item, I immediately chose to free you in the hopes that you would come back to life," I said.

" So you were the one who brought me back to life?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" Yes," I answered.

" I truly appreciate you doing that for me as I feared that I would never awaken again. You know, you remind me of someone I once encountered seven years ago....yes! I remember now! You are Sunset Shimmer! As I recall, you came here looking for the Spiritual Stone of Water which belonged to my daughter, Princess Ruto, and you warned me that Ganondorf was the one who caused Lord Jabu-Jabu to become infected with a terrible parasite.

Not only did you save my daughter as well as the patron deity of the Zoras, you also proved to me that the King of Thieves was not what he appeared to be. I am surprised that after seven years, you have not aged which I find to be rather curious," said Hondo Flanks.

" It's a long and complicated story," I said.

" Then you need not explain it to me if it is a difficult tale for you to describe. So, what brings you back to my domain after such a long time?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" I came here because my fairy partner sensed an arctic wind was coming from Zora's Domain, and I was informed that a treasure was hidden inside of the Ice Cavern. After having a couple of near-death experiences, I acquired the treasure which were Iron Boots, and I must use them in order to go to the Water Temple," I replied.

" The Water Temple you say? It is a sacred place of worship only my people are permitted to enter, so I am afraid that I cannot allow a non-Zora such as yourself to go there. Even though you have helped us out in the past, the treaty I signed with the former king states that Hylians are forbidden to enter as the temple is for the Zora only," said Hondo Flanks.

That was going to be a problem as I needed to go into the temple and help Rarity, but I wasn't about to argue with him as he had a power which leaves me at his mercy when it comes to politics. On the other hand, I could appeal to his sense of being a concerned parent, for I remember that Hondo Flanks was very protective of his daughter.

He almost killed himself over worrying for her safety, and I suspect that this aspect of his character hasn't changed. " I am sorry, but I simply cannot allow you to enter its halls, so I am afraid that you will have to leave this matter to eventually resolve itself."

" Your daughter went to the temple recently," I began.

" What did you say?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" Princess Ruto was trapped under the ice along with the rest of your people, but she was rescued and proceeded to the temple as she intends on saving your people from their frozen fate. There is no way that she will be able to survive very long in there, and that's why I must be permitted to enter. Not only do I want to save your people, but I want to make sure that your daughter is safe," I replied.

" Hmmmm....I see, so Princess Ruto went to the Water Temple," said Hondo Flanks.

" It's no longer the place of worship you remember your majesty," I said.

" Your words ring true to my ears, and my pride as ruler of the Zora has blinded me to the truth. This kingdom is in danger from the encroaching darkness, thus I grant you permission to enter the Water Temple. My daughter is the most important thing in my life alongside my people, and they along with her are in need of a hero who can save them. Sunset Shimmer! Once again you have earned my respect as you a wise and courageous woman," said Hondo Flanks.

" Oh stop! You're making me blush," I said.

" I can see that you are exhausted in your appearance as though you have been struggling to swim about in the depths of Zora's Fountain and perhaps beyond my domain. There is no need for you to suffer like this, and you are going to be entering a place where water is abundant, so I shall grant you this Zora Tunic as your reward for saving my life. Take it as a token of my thanks and respectfully, and use it to save my people from the evil that plagues the temple," said Hondo Flanks.

He then raised his right hand and pounded it against the wall which caused a small box to fall from the ceiling, and bounce off of my head before landing in front of me. That actually hurt quite a bit, but I won't say anything as I don't want to insult him. Upon opening the box, I pulled out a piece of blue cloth which must be the Zora Tunic itself. " I wish you luck in your quest, yet you will need to travel to Lake Hylia the long way as the shortcut that connects the domain to the lake is unavailable due to the water here becoming frozen."

Thanking him for his kind words as well as for the tunic, I bowed before him and took my leave by heading down the stairs and running across the domain before exiting via the main entrance, and finding myself staring intently at the waterfall which blocks the entrance. Once again, I asked Spike to not look as I needed some privacy, and he accepted my condition by turning around and floating away.

As I undressed in order to switch tunics, I began to think about Rarity, and how she may be suffering right now. I had to get over to her as soon as possible as she needed help, but perhaps I was being rather hasty in assuming that she's unable to take care of herself because she clearly is resourceful if she managed to make it to the Water Temple by herself. Once I had finished changing into the Zora Tunic, I whistled for Spike to come back and see what he had to say.

" That looks really good on you as the blue colour matches really well with your eyes," commented Spike.

" I honestly prefer the Goron Tunic as it matched both my hair and skin complexion, but I need to wear this one from now on if I am going to be swimming about underwater. I will admit though that the Zora Tunic does make me look rather dashing. We should take the river as the water flow will get us back to Hyrule Field in a matter of minutes as opposed to using the pathway. Once we get back to Hyrule Field, I'll climb onto Epona and she will gallop over to the lake," I said.

" Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Spike.

" Not that I can think of," I replied.

" We still need to melt the red ice in front of the Zora Shop with the remaining bottle of Blue Fire. Not only that, we need to go back to Zora's Fountain in order to sink to the bottom of the pool and collect the Piece of Heart that's down there," said Spike.

" Oh shoot!" I exclaimed as I smacked my forehead really hard.

" Considering how often we were talking about it, I'm surprised that you ended up forgetting all about them," said Spike.

" My mind was preoccupied with the thought of getting to the Water Temple and aiding Princess Ruto," I said.

" I'm sure she'll be fine as even though she does have quite the attitude, I doubt that even she would be so reckless as to get herself trapped in a situation where she has little to no hope of surviving. The Zora princess needs more credit than you've been giving her as she knows the difference when it comes to keeping herself safe," said Spike.

" Yeah, I suppose so," I said.

" Looks like you'll need to add memory to that list of yours," laughed Spike. He just had to get that last word in edgewise didn't he? Well, he made a really good point as I was about to head off towards Lake Hylia, and ignoring the two things I needed to do even if they were in truth optional. Sometimes being a hero meant making sure not to break your own promises as that proves you to be unreliable.

Sighing once again, I started to walk back towards the throne room, and surely King Zora is going to question as to why I suddenly came back after pretty much saying my farewells. Meanwhile, something else was happening at Lake Hylia coincidentally, and it began with some kind of tremor that could be felt throughout the entire area.

" What was that?"

" That would be the sound of the Zora princess finally putting my Blast Mask to good use, and gaining access to the temple. I am surprised that it took her so long to finally muster up the courage to actually use my mask, but then I suppose not everyone is willing to strap an actual bomb to their face and blow themselves up. Sometimes, I don't understand these people of royal blood as they sure do act rather irrational despite their station."

" You gave her a mask that can explode?"

" She needed to enter the temple, and the main entrance just wasn't possible, so I gave her the means to gain access."

" If it wasn't for the fact that the lake has already suffered due to what is going on in the temple, you would have made their princess commit an environmental error the likes of which would have caused reprehensible damage. While giving her that mask so that she could enter the temple was a noble act, you were being reckless as you didn't think of the consequences. Sigh....sometimes I do wonder about you Sonata in that perhaps you're working too hard."

" Maybe I did overdo things a little bit by giving her something that had a lot of explosive power," blushed Sonata.

" Like I said, the lake is already suffering, so what you did won't necessarily make things any worse."

" It still boggles my mind as to how this could have happened to Lake Hylia. What kind of natural disaster could have caused things to get so bad? On top of that, why is Zora's Domain covered in snow and ice? I was planning on visiting there for the very first time, yet the villagers in Kakariko say it's too dangerous because of how cold it is. They say that I'd only be heading towards my death as no sane person could survive in such frigid temperatures," said Sonata.

" This is no work of mother nature, but rather dark powers."

" Really? I never would have pegged you as being someone who believed in the magical arts Daring Do as you strive to resolve everything through science. Gasp! Is this that special secret project you've been working on as a substitute for the water properties project of the lake being on hold?" asked Sonata.

" I could never just sit down and do nothing when there is science to uncover, but yes this is what I've been working on. It's also the reason why I needed you to acquire that item for me as it will definitely be useful to my research. I'll ask you to give it to me once I've finished my explanation, and go over the fee that I must pay for your valiant services. I honestly believed the problem with Lake Hylia to be some kind of natural occurrence the likes of which we've never seen before," said Daring Do.

" What did you decide to do?" asked Sonata.

" I wanted to see if I could figure out what happened through scientific means, but I soon realized that I was dealing with something which went beyond normal means. For years I never believed in magic as I viewed it as nothing more than cheap tricks that lacked substance, and those who claim to be magicians were nothing but frauds who try to take advantage of people," replied Daring Do.

" And now?" asked Sonata.

" Now I believe that there is some truth to magic, but I still feel that there is a scientific reason behind it. Lake Hylia isn't the only place that has changed, for every region across the land has experienced something dreadful....with the exception of the desert which comes as no surprise to me," replied Daring Do.

" Do you think the water will ever return?" asked Sonata.

" Who knows as right now things are only continuing to get worse, and I'd say that the lake will be completely drained of water within a matter of days. But, we can't allow such negative thinking to get in the way of what is important, and that's where you come in Sonata with the item I requested. You must find it silly that a scientist of my caliber would want to have a mask of all things," replied Daring Do.

" Not really as I've heard all sorts of reasons as to why people desire masks. It comes with the profession, and I always find great pleasure knowing that people end up having their dreams fulfilled. I must admit though that it did take me a couple of years to finally get a hold of what you wanted," said Sonata.

" Really? The Happy Mask Saleswoman struggled to find a single mask?" asked Daring Do.

" Considering how rare it is to begin with, you can't blame me for taking such a long time to find it. It's a good thing you asked me to do this years ago instead of just recently otherwise I wouldn't even be having this conversation with you," replied Sonata.

" True, but you did manage to retrieve it?" asked Daring Do.

" When it comes to masks, I always deliver on my promise because if I didn't, I don't deserve to be a saleswoman. Even though I can't share with you the methods I used to acquire this mask, do know that I have it right here wrapped up inside of this paper due to how fragile it is. I should warn you though that it does have a scary power locked away inside of it," replied Sonata.

" Surely it isn't as dangerous as you claim?" asked Daring Do.

" They say that this mask contains demonic powers, but since you want to study its magical properties in the name of science, you should be fine with it so long as you don't wear it. Now then, the price of this mask is going to be roughly 1,500 rupees for the base cost, yet there will be additional costs as per the usual," replied Sonata.

" Well, that was the most embarrassing thing I've had to experience so far," I sighed.

" I'm not surprised that King Zora asked you how you managed to accomplish your task so quickly, but then I knew that he was simply poking fun at the fact that you had to come all the way back here to the fountain," said Spike.

" For a respected monarch among his people, he certainly knows how to make a person feel small and insignificant," I sighed.

" You can't really blame him for the way he acted though. Deep down, he wishes that he were suffering right now as he would do anything in order to protect his people," said Spike.

" I'm sure that he'll be really happy when all of this is said and done and his people free from their icy prison, but that all depends on whether I succeed in defeating the curse inside of the Water Temple," I said.

" Which I'm sure you'll accomplish because you are the hero," said Spike. I wish he didn't go and say that because I already have plenty of pressure on my plate. I suppose this is what was meant when I was told that the trials I was to experience would only get tougher, and already this was going into such territory. Once I put on the Iron Boots using the magical means of doing so which still didn't make sense to me, I closed my eyes and walked into Zora's Fountain, and immediately began to sink to the bottom like a stone.

Even though I could now breathe underwater thanks to the Zora Tunic, I didn't want to see my life flash before my eyes, so I kept them shut until Spike decided to bring it up because he saw the expression on my face. " You can open your eyes Sunset Shimmer as you're completely fine down here.

You're falling rather slowly which is natural due to the buoyancy of the water, and remember that you can breathe now due to the tunic, so you don't have to hold your breath like you're doing right now." I had forgotten that I could breathe, so I let go of holding my breath and relaxed a little while opening my eyes to see what was around me.

" It looks a lot more majestic when you're not drowning," I commented.

" This is just a small sample of what we'll be experiencing when we begin to explore the Water Temple," said Spike.

" Do you know anything about it?" I asked as I landed on the bottom of the fountain.

" I only know one small thing which may or may not be all that useful for when we finally enter. The water within the temple is able to be changed at the whims of anyone who is able to figure out the means to do so," replied Spike.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" My best guess is that you can change the water level somehow," replied Spike.

" Not exactly the best piece of information you've provided, but it's better than nothing so it should give us some indication as to what we're to expect," I said. After walking over to the Piece of Heart and picking it up, I felt the warmth from it which was a good feeling given that I had been down here in this freezing cold water for a couple of minutes, and I wanted to get back up to the surface before this influx of heat quickly wears off.

Using the unexplained magical switch from the Iron Boots to my regular boots, I started to swim upwards which felt pretty calming given that in other situations I'd be in a panic due to not having the Zora Tunic. " I don't suppose that King Zora would be willing to provide us with some answers as to what lies within the temple?" That was when I reached the surface where I popped my head out of the water, and proceeded to swim to shore because as I had finally had enough of this cold climate.

" While he did give us permission to enter the Water Temple, I doubt that he'd be willing to go any further than that when it comes to revealing any secrets. Asking him is going to get us no where, so we might as well just experience it for ourselves," replied Spike.

" There's always Princess Ruto you know," I said.

" Do you think she may know anything?" asked Spike.

" She should given that she is the princess of the Zoras, so she would naturally have knowledge of the temple," I replied. Once I was back inside of Zora's Domain, I made my way over to where the Zora Shop was located, and used the last remaining bottle of Blue Fire to melt the red ice granting me access to the shop, yet something did quickly come to mind. " Do I even need to buy anything from this shop?"

" Arrows for one thing as you did run out inside of the Ice Cavern," replied Spike.

" Do they even sell arrows in here given that bows aren't exactly what Zoras like to use?" I asked.

" All of the shops across Hyrule sells items for adventurers because they do get quite an influx of heroic types given how monsters have been plaguing these lands since the very beginning when the Great Goddesses created everything. Hopefully, you have enough rupees to buy some arrows otherwise you'll have to rely on the rather infamous "rupee grind" tactic in order to get them," replied Spike.

" What is that?" I asked.

" There are people who wish to buy something, but they don't have enough money because the item is too expensive. So, they wander about Hyrule Field and other places across the kingdom in the hopes of finding plenty of rupees by combing through a few times until they've scrounged up enough. It takes about a few hours to grind as many do this on occasion, so you may end up arriving at a potential spot where someone else beat you to it.

This tactic is often used by adventurers as they don't exactly think things over when it comes to money, but some regular people have been known to resort to it for reasons of their own," replied Spike.

" I'm taking it that I fall into the category of adventurers who waste their money?" I asked.

" You have made some questionable purchases," replied Spike. I knew that he was obviously referring to when I paid so much money to buy all of those Magic Beans from Snips as well as the Giant's Knife from Medigoron. While I have yet to use these items, I wanted to get them because of personal reasons, and also wanting to help out those in need.

I quickly checked the contents of my wallet to see how many rupees I had, and I counted up a total of only 40 rupees which may not be enough unless I could make some kind of bargain. About five minutes later, I came out of the Zora Shop with some arrows in my quiver, and I was surprised that I had just about enough to cover the purchase. I suppose I was just lucky that the demand for arrows was pretty low which is how the shop was able to sell them at such a low price to begin with.

" With that purchase, I am now officially broke," I said.

" For the time being that's the case, but you'll acquire more rupees on your travels as you'd be amazed as to how many rupees are out there in Hyrule. In fact, there is a surplus of them which means you will never truly be out of money as you're likely to find some almost immediately. Case in point, smash those pots over there and I guarantee you there will be some rupees hiding inside of them," said Spike.

Deciding to play along with what he said, I picked up the pots and threw them against the wall and two blue rupees and a single green rupee came out and scattered across the ground. " And there you have 11 rupees right there! Now, if you were to enter and exit the Zora Shop, you'll discover that the pots will re-spawn, and if you break them again, you'll receive the same exact rupees again. That is the nature of this world where things like to re-spawn when you exit and return to an area, and forms the basis of rupee grinding."

" Just when you think you've figured out everything, something else gets thrown at you," I moaned. Well, I wasn't about to do this rupee grinding that Spike brought up as right now I needed to get to Lake Hylia and help out Rarity, but I was going to keep the idea in the back of my mind as I had a feeling that the idea was going to be useful to me in the future.

Once again, I made my way back out of Zora's Domain and into Zora's River with everything I needed to take of now accomplished, and I jumped across the gap before rolling off the opposite ledge and falling into the river. " It's okay Spike as I said that this was going to be faster than simply walking."

" At least this time you intended to drop in," laughed Spike.

" Unlike a lot of the previous times where I did so via an accident," I moaned. Travelling through the river actually turned out to be rather profitable as I was picking up a lot of green and blue rupees, and of course having money would make certain purchases much more manageable in the future. When I reached the beginning of the river, I allowed the current to push me back into Hyrule Field where Epona neighed happily as I had returned after being gone for quite some time.

As soon as I got out of the water, and shook myself off to get dry, I walked over to her and climbed up onto her saddle where I had her turn around before gently giving her a kick to the ribs to start galloping towards Lake Hylia.

" During that trip throughout Zora's River, you acquired a total of 50 rupees," said Spike.

" You actually counted how many I picked up?" I asked.

" It was no trouble for me although I don't intend on making a habit out of it. In Hyrule, money is a language that's understood by pretty much everyone, and in order to acquire certain things, you need to speak the same language as them," replied Spike.

" Is it possible to have too many rupees?" I asked.

" There is actually a limit as to how many rupees can fit into a wallet, and the number is 500 which may or may not be all that much depending on who you ask. For most people in Hyrule, 500 rupees is sadly more than they will ever see in their lifetime. I'm guessing that where you come from, the concept of money defines what people can be like," replied Spike. He had no idea just how right he really was without even realizing it, but I was wondering why he was bringing up the notions of money and the economy all of a sudden.

I couldn't let that distract me as I urged Epona to gallop faster because the moon was starting to go down which meant that the sun was going to rise soon. Had I spent the entire night traversing a dungeon of cold without any sleep? If I recall my last visit to Lake Hylia seven years ago, there was a house where a scientist lived....Daring Do was her name as I recall, and despite her home being a mess what with all of those books, I assume that she will allow me to sleep there for a while as I could do with some rest.

" We should be arriving at Lake Hylia soon provided that we don't run into anything," I said.

" Since all of the Big Poes have been destroyed, we have nothing to worry about in terms of monsters," said Spike.

" It's rather weird that Hyrule Field used to be plagued with monsters throughout the night years ago, and now no monsters come out during the night or day which makes you think that perhaps Ganondorf's reign isn't as absolute as he wants everyone to believe. The people feared travelling about at night when those Stalchildren were around, and I was also afraid because I was new to the whole adventuring thing at the time," I said.

" Since the actual regions of the kingdom have changed as a result of his coming to the throne, it makes sense that Hyrule Field pretty much remains monster free as it gives off this feeling that you expect something to happen here, but nothing does which people will associate with fear. While the actions of Ganondorf have caused so much pain and suffering, you do have to admire some of his approaches when it comes to the likes of the field," said Spike.

" It sounds like you're becoming a fan of his," I said.

" Only because of how he chose to deal with Hyrule Field in that context. I'd never be a fan of someone like him as he is clearly consumed with power above all other things, and that obsession has transitioned into what we're going through. I know you didn't mean it like that Sunset Shimmer, but you could have chosen your words a little more carefully," said Spike. He then floated ahead of me for a few moments before coming back which almost scared Epona out of her wits. " There are some fences up ahead which signal the entrance to Lake Hylia, and Epona can easily jump over them with the right amount of speed."

" But?" I asked.

" Someone appears to have set up a small little camp on the other side of the larger fence, so you'll need to be careful otherwise you could cause an accident," replied Spike. Sure enough, I could see the camp in question and urged Epona to move to the right as I whipped her to pick up speed before she jumped over the fences and came to a stop before moving backwards a little bit. I immediately recognized the blanket as belonging to Sonata Dusk, so she had to be somewhere close by.

" That blanket belongs to Sonata," I commented.

" Indeed it is mine."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted due to Sonata appearing right next to Epona who also reacted by neighing really loudly and almost throwing me off as a result.

" It's been years since I last heard that scream, but I recognize it from anywhere....Sunset Shimmer....I had a feeling that we were going to meet each other once again mainly because I said that we would. Huh? You haven't aged at all since our last encounter, and I find that to be rather curious....but not curious enough for me to want to question you about it," said Sonata.

" You certainly haven't changed a bit," I said.

" And yet you have but not on a physical level it seems. That getup of yours has certainly improved in the last seven years, yet I think it would look good with one of my masks to give it some extra oomph! But, I know you're not here to purchase any of my masks. I knew you were coming to Lake Hylia as the Zora princess was hoping that you would come," said Sonata.

What!?!? Did she just say Zora princess? Since when does Sonata know about the likes of Rarity? I needed to know more, but I wasn't able to bring up anything as she decided to continue talking. " That princess wishes for you to come to her aid although she did have some trouble expressing it from what I gathered. She does make for a rather interesting travel companion though."

" You traveled around with her?" I asked.

" She actually came all the way from Zora's Domain to Lake Hylia on foot, and I am surprised that her feet didn't burst from blisters given that she doesn't wear shoes. I was actually heading to the lake myself in order to take care of some personal business, and since she wanted to see what had become of the lake, I insisted on accompanying her the rest of the way," replied Sonata.

" What's wrong with Lake Hylia?" I asked.

" It's a little difficult to explain without going details, so I won't and allow you to experience it for yourself," replied Sonata. That made me want to smack my head against a wall due to how frustrating she can be, but that's just the kind of person she is.

I'm glad though that Rarity was able to make it here on her own which must have been unbearable given how far she had to go without water. " You desire to know what's going on with the lake, and while I can't explain it because it's beyond my realm of understanding, the scientist who lives here should be able to help you out."

" So what you said about me seeing what happened to the lake is going to be true," I said.

" The Zora princess was shocked when she saw what had happened, and she was pretty determined to enter the temple that lies below the surface. However, the entrance was blocked by a rather imposing gate, but she managed to make her way inside when I gave her some much needed assistance," said Sonata. Judging from the way that she said that, I had reason to believe that she gave Rarity one of her masks to help her out, but how is that even possible?

As far as I was aware, only the Mask of Truth which she gave me possessed any kind of special power....unless Sonata had other masks with their own powers. " I can tell that you have a strong desire to help the Zora princess, but I suggest that you pay a visit to the scientist living at the lake. Again, she will tell you what has been happening here over the last seven years, but she may be a little preoccupied with that mask I gave her as part of a favour."

" What mask?" I asked.

" I'm not privy to reveal that information as it was a private request even if you once were my assistant, but I'm sure that she will reveal this information to you. Well, I must be heading off on my journey once again as I have places to go and masks to sell. By the way, the Zora princess is going to give you something as she has been reminded by me to fulfill this little obligation. She has been given the most intricate of information with regards to how this will be resolved, and with that I will say farewell to you," replied Sonata.

" Will we meet again?" I asked.

" Oh we most certainly will especially since the princess has something of mine," replied Sonata.

" Princess Ruto has something of yours? Then why not come with me into the temple so that you can get it back from her," I suggested, but as I turned around, I discovered that Sonata had already left in her usual manner of just doing so as though she were a ghost. My curiosity towards this mask was pretty strong, but I had to focus on what was important.

I urged Epona to continue on, and soon I found myself entering Lake Hylia via the natural entrance instead of the shortcut which is what I used before. " Things appear to be normal around here Spike, so I don't know why everyone is making such a fuss about the lake."

" We need to get closer so that we can see it for ourselves as back here we can't see anything," said Spike.

" I see Daring Do," I began.

" Where?" asked Spike.

" Over there by that waterfall although why would she be there, and not inside of her house looking over that mask that Sonata gave her? I know that I should be focusing my efforts on the Water Temple, but that mask has really piqued my curiosity," I replied. Epona then trotted over to where Daring Do was, and when we got within range, she turned her attention towards me which is when Epona slowly came to a stop, and I climbed down from her saddle. " I suppose you may or may not remember me from the last time we met."

" Sunset Shimmer!?!? Why, you haven't aged a single day since our paths last crossed! I'm not sure how you managed to retain your youth, but clearly it has something to do with magic which does go hand-in-hand with the rest of my current research," said Daring Do.

" Whatever happened to your study of the water of Lake Hylia?" I asked.

" That was forced to be put on the shelf as it were until a later date because of what happened to the lake in recent years. I take it that you ran into Sonata, the Happy Mask Saleswoman? Did she tell you about what has become of the lake which is why you've come here, or perhaps you came to enter the temple which lies below the surface which is what the Princess of the Zoras currently is," replied Daring Do.

" I'm here to resolve the problem that's affected the lake as well as Zora's Domain," I said.

" My current research is trying to prove that a magical force has been behind the water in the lake being reduced to roughly a third of its natural content, and the harsh weather in the Zora's Domain is a result of the water being used to create that horrible snow. Ever since the day Ganondorf took over Hyrule, the water slowly started to recede until it reached the point it's at right now," said Daring Do.

" What do you mean the water has receded?" I asked.

" So she didn't say anything?" asked Daring Do.

" Sonata said you'd be able to explain it better," I replied.

" Naturally of course as it is my field of expertise after all, but I must warn you that you won't like what you see especially since you remember what Lake Hylia used to be like years ago before the coming of Ganondorf. Please follow me as I take you to the lake which is just over that rise, and you will be happy to know that I do have a spot near my home where your horse can relax," said Daring Do.

I walked over to Epona, and grabbed her reins and she acknowledged this by trotting along at a slow pace as we walked towards the lake. When we made it over the rise and witnessed the lake itself, my jaw dropped in utter shock over what I was witnessing, and Epona neighed with such sadness that I could feel her pain given that I can speak horse. The water which once filled up the lake had been reduced to less than half of its total making it look less of a lake, and more like a small pool of water.

I was compelled to run to the edge of the lake in order to see it up close with my own eyes, and when I reached it, I merely dropped to my knees in utter shock over what I was looking at. If this was the result of the curse inside of the Water Temple, how was I supposed to deal with it when it had such a power that was capable of doing this? And what about Rarity? Could she have fallen to this evil power already before I even enter the temple?

To Be Continued.

Chapter 35: The Temple of the Submerged Grounds

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 24, 2015
Chapter 35: The Temple of the Submerged Grounds.

" Well, this is what has become of Lake Hylia, and the reason why my old research project was put on hold," said Daring Do.

" How could this have happened?" I asked.

" It took me a long time to figure it out, but I managed to come up with an answer. I originally believed that there was some kind of scientific reason for Lake Hylia to recede like it has, but I know better now thanks to my focusing on a new project. Staring at the lake isn't going to do us any good, so you might as well come into my house, and I'll explain what I believe happened," replied Daring Do.

" Would it be okay if I were to rest at your place for a few hours as I really could do with some sleep," I said.

" You do look as though you've been through an awful lot, so by all means rest for as long as you need to. The lake isn't going to change while you're sleeping, and if you plan on going where I think you are, you'll need all the rest you can get," said Daring Do. I then followed her over to her house making sure Epona was situated a few feet away from her front door as I wanted her to be safe, and inside of the house was much different than what I saw last time.

Many of the books Daring Do used to have all over the place were now neatly arranged on the bookshelves, although she did have a stack of books on one chair which must be what she is using for her new research which sounds like it has to do with magic. " My home looks a lot better than it did the last time you were here, so you'll be able to rest over there on that couch, but first I'd like you to sit over here so that I can explain to you what you need to know." That's when I noticed a mask on the table which must be what Sonata had given to her which had me all curious about it, and I was compelled to want to know more about it along with the problem with Lake Hylia.

" That's quite an interesting mask you have there," I commented.

" Oh that? It's something which I needed in order to further my research, and so I asked the Happy Mask Saleswoman to see if she could find it. That mask is one of the rarest artefacts in all of Hyrule, so you can imagine that it took her years to finally acquire it for me. She said that this mask contains demonic powers, but I don't know if that is true or not. It's strange because for some reason it bears a slight resemblance to your head Sunset Shimmer, but what are the chances of that?" asked Daring Do.

" I'd say that borders on just plain creepy," I replied.

" But pay no attention to it as it is a very fragile mask, and I had to pay a lot of rupees to finalize my acquisition of it. Once I have determined the truth behind it, I'll either seal it away somewhere so as to prevent anyone else from using it, or I'll sell it back to Sonata and she can do whatever she wants with it," said Daring Do.

" I know what it's like dealing with artefacts that contain powers that are beyond our limits as I've been down that path before. You're making a wise decision to handle it in such a fashion as most would have been tempted to try and wear it," I said. That's when I took a closer look at this strange mask, and indeed it did bear a slight resemblance to me, but I quickly turned my gaze away from it and focused my attention towards my host. " Now, you say that you know why the water of Lake Hylia has receded?"

" Originally, I believed that the water level was lowering was due to some kind of environmental reason, but I soon realized that this was something that was beyond anything that could be deemed as natural. That's when I determined that the reason for the receding water had to do with magic. If you were to get close to the island that lies in the middle of Lake Hylia, dark clouds will appear in the sky, and it begins to rain as a sign that a great evil has corrupted the Water Temple which lies below the surface of the lake," replied Daring Do.

" That sounds like the result of what Ganondorf has inflicted upon the kingdom when he took it over," I said.

" The evil within the temple used its power to drain the water from the lake, and converted it to snow which has been falling over Zora's Domain which is how it has been transformed into a frozen wasteland. It took me a while to realize this connection when I decided to travel over there to collect some samples which I needed for a future project which I won't discuss as it isn't significant," said Daring Do.

" I've actually been to Zora's Domain recently," I began.

" You have? How has it fared?" asked Daring Do.

" The conditions have gotten even worse to the point where all of the Zoras save for three of them have become trapped underneath the thick ice sheet. Until the curse inside of the temple has been destroyed, the ice will never melt and Zora's Domain will eventually become a desolate place where no life can exist," I replied.

My words were certainly of interest to Daring Do as she had been scratching her chin, and then she walked over to her desk and took the top book on top a stack along with picking up a pen and began to write something down. She was probably writing down what I just said, so I decided to go into a little more detail as my way of helping her out. " The Water Temple is one of five sacred places which have become corrupted due to the evil power of Ganondorf, and it has fallen unto me to purify them and awaken those who have been chosen to become the Sages."

" Why do you have to resolve such issues?" asked Daring Do.

" Because I've been chosen by destiny to awaken all of the Sages even though I never had a say in the matter. Anyway, Princess Ruto was recently rescued from being trapped under the ice, and she made her way down here in order to destroy the curse and save her people. Sonata mentioned that she gave the princess the means of entering the temple, but it looks as though I'll need to figure out another way to get inside," I replied.

" The Zora princess was given a mask which had the power to explode according to what Sonata told me. If not for the fact that Lake Hylia is already suffering, the resulting tremor from the explosion would have made things worse," said Daring Do. Was she being serious about that right now!?!? Sonata gave Rarity a mask which had the same properties as a bomb!?!?

I knew that she was a little on the eccentric side, but did she have to possess something as dangerous as an exploding piece of headgear? Hmmmm....it sounded to me that Daring Do may know of how I can enter the temple without having to rely on something so contrived as blowing myself up with a mask.

" So how do I go about entering the temple?" I asked.

" You'll have to use the main entrance which has a large gate blocking it so as to prevent anyone from entering, but there is a switch located just above which can open it when struck. The only problem is that the entrance is located underwater, so unless you can walk underwater, breathe underwater, and somehow use a specialized tool underwater, you're pretty much out of luck," replied Daring Do.

" Well, I am wearing this Zora Tunic which allows me to breathe underwater, and I do have these Iron Boots, so I already have two of your three conditions fulfilled," I said as I showed her the boots I found in the Ice Cavern by taking them out from somewhere on my person. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm placing all of these items that are too big for the pouches on my belt, and being placed in-between the Hylian Shield and my back, but somehow I'm pulling off these impossible feats. " The only thing I don't have is the proper tool I need to hit that switch with according to what you just said."

" Gasp! That tunic is ridiculously expensive that only that one rich family in Kakariko could afford it," said Daring Do.

" King Zora gave it to me as a gift for saving his life when I melted the red ice that kept him frozen," I said.

" Amazing! So with that tunic coupled with those Iron Boots of yours, you do have the means of entering the temple, but the question now is do you have something you can use while walking about underwater. Hmmmm....would it be okay if I could see what other items you have in your possession? It's possible that you've got what you need to enter the temple, but I want to be certain about it," said Daring Do.

I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I complied with her request and started taking out every item that I had acquired on my journey. She kept on shaking her head and saying no, but then her expression lit up when I took out the last item which was the very first one I acquired when I came back from the Sacred Realm after seven years. " Yes! That's it! That spring-loaded device! You can use that to enter the temple by shooting the switch located underwater!"

" You mean the Hookshot?" I asked.

" I assume from the confusion in your voice that you aren't familiar with how one moves about underwater, but then you wouldn't be alone as the vast majority in Hyrule have no idea how it's done either. Now let me see where I put them as the information inside them can be very useful," said Daring Do.

She spent the next few minutes combing across the various bookshelves looking for something regarding underwater exploration, and while to me it looked as though she may be starting to lose it, she jumped up and down with glee when she discovered one of the books, and pulled it from the shelf before coming back over to me. " A long time ago, Hylians were fascinated by the fact that the Zoras were capable of walking underwater, they desired the same thing because they were curious as to what it would be like."

" What does that have to do with the Hookshot?" I asked.

" I'll get to that in a moment, but first allow me to educate you. The Hylians approached the Zoras and requested them to make some special diving suits which they could use to breathe underwater, and asked the Gorons to forge metal soles which could be applied to ordinary boots so that one could sink to the bottom of any body of water. What you have right now Sunset Shimmer are the results of those projects, and of course one cannot ignore the Hookshot.

It was a device created by the Hylians to allow them to latch onto targets and either pull them towards it, or pull something towards them depending on what it was. While I'm sure you already know that because you look as though you're an expert on how it works, what you don't know is that the Hookshot was also designed to be used underwater as a means of a weapon," replied Daring Do.

" I figured it was a weapon, but it can be used underwater?" I asked.

" The Hylians discovered that other weapons were unable to be used when traversing in a body of water, so the Hookshot was used to protect themselves from the creatures of the deep. That Hookshot of yours is pretty much your means of surviving because the rest of your items will be useless when walking underwater," replied Daring Do. She then closed her book before adjusting the glasses on her face. " You have everything you need to explore the temple, so you should get some rest which is what you said you need."

" Considering that you just gave me some great advice, I'll need as much rest as I can before I get started," I said.

" Since you'll need plenty of quiet solitude, I'll just go upstairs so as to not disturb you," said Daring Do. As she picked up the mask from her desk, and quietly began to walk up the stairs, I got up from the chair and made my way over to the couch where I began to think about what I was going to be experiencing within the Water Temple.

Within a few minutes I was fast asleep with Spike sleeping on top of my hat because he needed some rest as well, for his assistance was going to be essential. While I was dreaming about being back in the human world, a dark shadow began to form underwater by the entrance to the Water Temple.

" I have more power now than I ever dreamed possible....but it comes at the price of my own freedom. The one who punished me for trying to....defy him should have left me to die in that inferno, yet he chose to save me....because he was amused at the fact that I am the evil that exists within her heart. While I am grateful to him for making....me stronger and improved on....my talking, I don't being treated as a servant. Someone of my greatness isn't meant to be a slave to anyone!

I am a free spirit who desires to become the mistress of her own destiny....and become the ruler of Equestria! I have no choice but to obey him for the time being, or else he shall destroy me. Sunset Shimmer....while I was too weak and brittle to fulfill my self obligation to you back in the fire, the water shall be the place where you....will die, and I will become the only one between the two of us."

By the time I finally woke up, I had slept for roughly eight hours, so the sun had gone past the highest point of its daily routine across the sky, but what I found strange was that Daring Do had since come back downstairs, and looked to be doing some serious work on the mask that Sonata had given her. She noticed me waking up, and promptly turned her attention my way.

" You look as though you slept quite well."

" That couch of yours is really comfy as it makes you fall asleep in a matter of moments," I said.

" In any case, you've rested up for the trials that you will be going up against, so I guess this is where we say goodbye. Oh, before you leave, I do have something very interesting which may to be your liking given that you've got yourself quite the powerful bow in your possession. Go to the island in the middle of Lake Hylia, and you will find a plaque which will give you a hint on how to acquire something which will make that weapon even more powerful," said Daring Do.

" What about that mask?" I asked.

" This research project is going to take me a long time before I can consider it fulfilled, so I'll be spending every waking moment trying to unravel its magical properties, and perhaps learn about its historical significance. According to a couple of books I've read over the last little while, whenever anyone wears it, they would change forms and become the ultimate version of themselves; a sort of dark warrior who wields unbelievable power.

Of course, the books state that this is merely nothing more than a legend, so I doubt that this is capable of something like that. It even has quite a perplexing name if I ever heard of one....Fierce Deity....I believe that such a name is mere exaggeration," replied Daring Do. With that she excused herself and walked over to another bookshelf where she began to comb through her books, and that was my cue to leave her home after saying my thanks for allowing me to rest. Once I was outside, Epona as usual was happy to see me, but she quickly changed to an expression of sadness as she knew that I would be leaving yet again.

" It's okay girl," I began as I rubbed her muzzle with my hands. " This time, I'm only going to be going down there underwater, so I'll be a lot closer when I get back from this journey. You remain here because I know Daring Do will make sure that nothing happens to you."

" Provided that she doesn't do anything crazy with that mask," commented Spike.

" Do you have the same feeling as I do regarding that thing?" I asked.

" She believes it to be nothing more than an ancient mask, but I suppose she knows more about it than either of us do as she is the expert in these sorts of things. Anyway, we should focus on what's important, and that is entering the Water Temple. Thanks to her, we now know that the Hookshot is needed in order to enter the temple, and that it will be essential when it comes to dealing with the monsters that exist underwater," replied Spike.

" Should we check out the island in the middle of the lake?" I asked.

" The entrance to the temple is below the island, so it isn't out of the way or anything. You should try out that song Sheik taught you in the Ice Cavern so that you can get over there quickly without having to go there the long way," replied Spike. That was a good idea, so I reached into my pouch and took out the Ocarina of Time. This was the first time I was going to play a warp song given that so far I've not had a need to use them, but the problem I had as usual was remembering how the songs were played.

It took me a couple of minutes to recall how the Serenade of Water went, and when I played it on the ocarina, I instantly vanished in a blue ball of light before finding myself reappearing on the island in the middle of the lake just like that.

" Well that was unusual," I commented.

" It appears that these warping songs instantly send you to one of the raised platforms baring the symbol of the temple it relates to, so we can't choose exactly where in the area we can go upon you playing it on the Ocarina of Time. This is useful information to consider as we don't know the locations of the remaining two platforms. Anyway, Daring Do was right when she said that dark clouds appear when you get close to the temple, and that it immediately begins to rain," said Spike.

" At least this water I can tolerate without complaining even if it isn't natural, but we should focus on finding that plaque," I said. I then started to walk around the island in the hopes of finding it, and sure enough it was located next to a dead tree which looked rather sad given the natural beauty of the lake....when there isn't an evil curse causing problems that is. The plaque itself appeared to be really old as though it had been placed here many decades ago, and a message was inscribed onto it. " It says here that "When water fills the lake, shoot for the morning light"....what does that mean?"

" The morning light sounds like the sun," said Spike.

" And water will fill the lake again when the curse of the temple has been broken, so it looks like we'll have to come back up here when we're finished. Well, as long as I'm up here, I might as well talk to Fluttershy, and she what she has to say," I said.

" Maybe you should get out of the rain before you catch a cold," suggested Spike.

" Did you really just go and say that?" I asked.

" Your health is important," replied Spike.

" I was swimming around in freezing cold water, almost drowned in said water, and got frozen in a double-layer of ice. Those were incidents where I would have caught a cold and quite possibly die from it. Standing out here in the middle of the lake with rain pouring down on me isn't going to be a concern," I said. Since I still had the Ocarina of Time in my hand, and knew Fluttershy's Song by heart given how often I've been playing it, I played it in order to get her insight.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is.....Fluttershy, yes, Fluttershy....I'm getting used to that name. Anyway, can you hear me? Huh? I can hear the sound of water all around you. Is it raining where you are right now?"

" I'm currently at Lake Hylia where the water of the lake has receded to roughly one third of what it's meant to be, and dark clouds are above my head which is making it rain on a permanent basis due to what's happening here," I replied.

" Oh my, I had no idea that the situation in Lake Hylia has gotten so bad. The forest spirits told me that something was happening to the lake, but they couldn't tell due to the darkness. If the problem persists then the lake will end up running completely dry, and that would be a disaster not just for the Zoras, but for the local wildlife as well which make their homes there.

You should be somewhere close to the Water Temple's entrance which is underwater despite the lake having lost so much of it, yet you will need the proper items in order to gain access," said Fluttershy.

" I have everything I need," I said.

" Wonderful! I should warn you Sunset Shimmer that the Water Temple is a literal maze full of twists and turns which will cause you to become lost easily, so you will need to find a map as soon as possible. When you enter, you will need to sink down to the lowest level, and look for a passageway that is flanked by two torches side-by-side at its entrance. From there, you'll be able to start figuring out where you need to go, but you must be patient for you will be doing a lot of backtracking," said Fluttershy.

" Do the spirits mention anything about the Princess of the Zoras?" I asked.

" They say that she is somewhere inside of the temple, but they don't know where so it looks like you'll need to find her as soon as possible. If anyone is going to be able to guide you, she is the one who can do just that. By the way, that Hookshot which you used to enter the Forest Temple to rescue me....it's going to be seeing a lot of use, yet you will soon discover that it has some limitations.

Perhaps it's possible to find a means of being able to go beyond its limits? In any case, be sure that you know how to use it as it is going to be an essential item," replied Fluttershy.

" I was told that it's needed in order to fight underwater monsters seeing as the temple is full of water, but I had no idea that it had some problems. No offence to the forest spirits Fluttershy, but maybe they have their information wrong this time around? I mean, the darkness does cloud their vision, so the Hookshot may not be as problematic as they think?" I asked

" You do have a point there, so maybe the darkness has made them think of the wrong thing, but again I would take what they into full consideration as their advice has often proven to be very effective. Gasp! I'm sensing something....an evil presence is there....it appears that it desires you to face it in battle so that the rightful one may continue to exist," said Fluttershy. Hearing her say that immediately reminded me of what I experienced back in the Death Mountain Crater, and it couldn't be her as she melted into the lava.

Could she have survived her fate, and continues to live? She wishes to assume my life because she feels that I gave up my old way of life to start a better one, but I can't allow that to happen. " Is something on your mind Sunset Shimmer?"

" No, it's nothing," I replied.

" Whatever this evil presence is, you must take extreme caution as it wants you above all else. Are you sure you're okay? You're starting to look pale in the face, and if you need to talk to me about it then I will listen," said Fluttershy.

" That evil presence could very well be the shadow being that formed from the darkness in my heart. It has taken on a form based on something that I wish to forget, yet seeing it with my own eyes has brought back horrifying images of who I used to be. This being calls itself Sunset Demon, and it wants to assume my life and live out an existence it believes to be what I should be doing," I said.

" Then you shouldn't enter the temple," pleaded Fluttershy.

" I have to go in otherwise the Sage of this temple won't awaken to their destiny," I said.

" Yes, you must awaken all of us for there is no other way to seal the Evil King away, and restore peace back to Hyrule. I guess this is where I'll end this conversation, so that you can focus on getting into the temple, but I do wish that there was another way where you can avoid this evil presence. Good luck with this endeavour Sunset Shimmer, and please be careful as always," said Fluttershy.

I knew she was concerned for my well-being, and I agreed that I didn't want to go through with it, but I had to because no one else was capable of doing so. If the she-demon was waiting for me somewhere inside the temple, I must conquer her, but would I be able to do it?

" How could that creature have survived the lava?" asked Spike.

" That's a question I've been wondering about myself, but I think I know what happened and I think it's pretty obvious," I replied.

" Ganondorf?" asked Spike.

" Who else could have brought the she-demon here but him as a means of amusement to him," I replied.

" If that is the case then the Water Temple is really going to test you on an emotional level, so I'm hoping that you keep your emotions in check as we explore. You don't want to transform, and if the she-demon is waiting for you, she will do everything she can to rile you up to the point where you'll lose control," said Spike.

He was right as I knew that creature was going to insult me just like she did before, and if I lose myself and allow my emotions to overcome me, I'll be placing Rarity's life in danger as well as my own. Sigh....and here I was hoping that this dungeon was going to be something simple, and not one that was going to place such a heavy burden on my psychological state of being.

" Guess I should switch to the Iron Boots and sink down to the bottom of the lake," I suggested.

" Remember that only the Hookshot will work underwater, so be sure to keep it out at all times," said Spike. Once I had magically changed into the Iron Boots, I walked over to the edge of the island, and discovered how far of a drop it was to the bottom, but I knew that I had to keep going so I walked off and dropped until I splashed into the water and sank all the way down.

Once I landed, I began to look at the gate that was in front of me which was blocking the entrance, and above it was a strange looking stone fish-like object which must be the switch I need to hit with the Hookshot.

" Look at that over there!" I exclaimed.

" I wonder what happened to have caused that?" asked Spike.

" That must be where Princess Ruto used that exploding mask to gain access," I replied. To the right of the gate was a patch of boulders which looked unnatural as though someone had recently disturbed it. Rarity probably didn't enjoy having to use such a questionable method to get inside, but I least I know she will be waiting for me somewhere, so I need to find her as soon as possible. " Okay, I need to hit that switch with the Hookshot, but it's a little difficult to spot with the setting sun casting its lens flare across the water."

It took me a few minutes to do this because the flare was blinding my vision which proved to be really annoying, but eventually I managed to hit it. The switch then popped out of its place of rest, and floated upwards towards the surface while the gate opened. I then walked into the Water Temple where I entered a small section that came to an abrupt end. " Well, this is awkward. The moment we enter this place, we're stuck at a wall."

" This is an example of where you'll need to switch back and forth between your regular boots and the Iron Boots," said Spike.

" So it's going to be a thing is it?" I asked.

" Be glad that you can switch between the two pairs of boots using a magical means of doing so. A long time ago, you'd have to manually switch between different pairs of boots which would be nothing but slow and tedious," replied Spike.

" That must have been unbearable," I said.

" I wouldn't know because I'm a fairy, and we don't normally wear boots given we can fly. Anyway, switch back to your Kokiri Boots and climb out of the water to move onto the next area," said Spike. Again, he had to rub in the fact that he was unaffected by many things the rest of us have to deal with, but I wasn't about to argue a losing cause, so I switched boots and swam up to the surface.

As soon as I got out of the water, I walked forward until I came to a very large room which had some kind of tower going through the middle that was connected to different floors. There were multiple directions I could take on the surface, yet underwater there were additional places I could go.

" Fluttershy was right when she said that this temple was like a maze," I commented.

" With so many different ways we can go, we should try to find the Dungeon Map as soon as possible," said Spike.

" I'm curious about that tower in the center of the room," I said.

" It does appear to be a central part of the dungeon, and that could mean that this one room is the central hub which connects everywhere else. Right now, I can see some locked doors on the surface and down below, so some paths are already restricted. Also, be careful as there are Blue Tektites nearby as this is just the kind of atmosphere they enjoy, so expect to see them quite often.

Just so you know, your fire magic isn't going to work very well here as fire is terrible against water, but now is the perfect time to use some of that water magic which you haven't used since the Sacred Forest Meadow," said Spike.

" Since there is an abundance of water in here, such magic should prove to be rather potent, but are you sure that it will work against these monsters? I have this feeling that they are immune to water due to being aquatic in nature, so maybe I should rely on weapons to defeat them, and just save the magic for when it's needed?" I asked.

" That is a good point, but you should try it at the very least as we may end up encountering monsters that aren't associated with water," replied Spike. Fire is my natural element, so it felt really weird not being able to rely on it, but I guess this was a means of letting me know that perhaps I've been using it too much to the point where it has become a crutch. It then dawned on me that while water magic may not affect the monsters, perhaps I can use the natural settings to give me some kind of advantage, and defeat them that way.

As soon as the two Blue Tektites got a little closer, I cast a small whirlpool which span around quickly before it became a tiny little tornado which grabbed them and slammed them against the wall where they landed on their backs. This gave me a free moment to jump across to the catwalk they were located on, and by taking out the Megaton Hammer from behind my shield, I began to smash them until they were defeated.

" Something like that?" I asked.

" Quite creative although remember that when underwater, you'll need to rely on the Hookshot," replied Spike.

" Are Blue Tektites capable of diving down there?" I asked.

" Fortunately, they're not able to do that, so they are strictly surface-skimming monsters," replied Spike. That was certainly useful to know as it meant not having to deal with them whenever I have to sink to the bottom of any water filled areas. With the Blue Tektites out of the way, I walked around to the other side of the room where I came upon a dragon-like statue which had a plate attached to it.

" I wonder if I can reach it from here," I said as I aimed the Hookshot at the plate and fire it. The chain went out roughly halfway across before stopping and snapping back into place. " No, I guess I can't get over to that platform, so we either need to come back here later on, or maybe we need to do what Fluttershy said which was find a way of overcoming the restriction on it."

" There's nothing else we can do up here, so we might as well sink to the bottom and try to find Princess Ruto," said Spike.

" If I recall what she said, we need to find the passageway which has two torches standing either side of it," I said. Once again, I magically switched over to the Iron Boots and walked off the platform into the water, and immediately dropped all the way to the bottom which must have taken about a minute.

Upon reaching the bottom, I noticed some rocks nearby which looked suspicious, but the instant I moved towards them, they suddenly turned metallic and produced countless spikes before beginning to move about in a rather awkward pattern. " What in the world are these supposed to be?"

" You're really going to get a kick of this name, but they are known as Spike, the very name you've been calling me since the very beginning when we first met. When they are moving around, they will damage you when they poke you with their sharp spikes, but that is also a weakness because the moment they touch you, they immediately regress back to the rock-like form you saw them in," replied Spike.

" Are they really called Spike?" I asked.

" Please pay attention to what I have to say about them. When you fight them on land, you can use your shield to deflect them which will cause them to change back into their weakened forms, or you can choose to attack them with whatever you have. This includes fire magic, but only when they are on land. When facing them underwater, it's a much different fight in that you have to use the Hookshot to change them back, and use it again to finish the job.

You can still use your shield while submerged in water, but no other weapon will work until you get back to the surface. For reasons which even I am not able to explain, defeating a Spike always produces bombs, so if you're ever running out of bombs, you can easily get some more from defeating them. Aside from that, these things aren't exactly all that threatening," replied Spike.

" Good to know that I can apply different strategies depending on whether I'm underwater or not, but it's weird that they always drop bombs which has me thinking that maybe I'll need to use some in order to blow up the fake walls like we saw in the Fire Temple," I said.

" While you'll be mainly using the Hookshot, I do recommend trying to use the Master Sword especially if that she-demon is lurking about. That's something else we need to be careful of because we have no idea which room she is in, so we need to walk around here carefully as we don't know when she might decide to ambush us," said Spike.

" The she-demon has most likely become stronger since the last encounter as she is determined to become the most powerful that she can be. Since she is a reflection of the old me who sought power above everything else, she wanted to become even stronger, so she probably had no choice but to become Ganondorf's minion just so that she could whet her appetite," I said.

" Your former self sounds like quite the horrible creature," commented Spike.

" I'm not proud of the way I used to be Spike, and seeing my other self in the form of the monster that I became certainly isn't making things easier. I know that I can't run away from her as she is likely to hound me for the rest of my life, so I need to confront her wherever she is, and put an end to my own personal nightmare," I said.

That's when the enemy called Spike began to move closer towards me, and I used my shield to deflect all four of them changing them back into the rocks they were when I first spotted them. As soon as they had regressed back, I took out the Hookshot and fired at each one destroying them where they dropped bombs which I picked up. " That was rather on the easy side as all they did was run into my shield."

" They aren't the smartest monsters, but don't get cocky Sunset Shimmer as this is just the beginning," said Spike.

" You're right! Being overconfident will just lead me to getting hurt severely," I said. Once I felt assured that there were no more monsters around, I began to start walking although that's when I remembered that the buoyancy of the water slowed me down, so walking felt more like crawling, and running would amount to walking. While searching for the passageway with the two torches, I took a moment to embrace the fact that I was walking underwater and being able to breathe like a fish.

This would never have been possible in Equestria as we ponies aren't exactly what I would call suited for underwater. That would be something that's better suited to sea ponies and the like, but still it was just awe-inspiring to be down here and witnessing something I've never done before in my life. Well, if it wasn't for the Zora Tunic, I'd actually be choking to death right about now, so I have to give credit to the Zoras for making this piece of cloth in the first place.

" Having fun are we?" asked Spike who noticed what I was doing.

" More like taking in the fact that we're down here underwater, and being able to experience something most humans would never get the chance of doing. I'm not sure if you feel the same way I do given that as a fairy, this sort of thing just passes over you," I replied.

" To us fairies, the only thing that would make us experience those kinds of feelings would be when we bare witness to the majesty of the Great Fairy. All fairy folk see the Great Fairy once in their lives as a sign of respect given she is our leader, and she is always there watching over us using a power that defies all," said Spike.

" Remind me when we see the Great Fairy again, I need to ask her to tell me more about the legends of this world. Even though I do want to go back to my own world as that's where I belong, I actually want to learn as much as I can about Hyrule. I've actually grown rather fond of the kingdom, and in turn it's becoming more like a second home to me as the people here resemble my friends from back home.

I feel like I can relate to them because of that even if they are in truth different people altogether from those I've come to know as both my friends and family," I said. As I walked forward daydreaming, I failed to noticed that I arrived at the passageway that Fluttershy mentioned we needed to explore first. She never explained why she said that it had to be this one, but the forest spirits did say it to her, and I trust in their judgment as well as her own.

The passage looked simple enough although it did turn immediately to the right, but Spike insisted on being careful as there was no telling what we would run into, so I decided to slowly walk through this passage with the Hookshot in hand just in case something attacks us.

" Do you remember back in the Sacred Forest Meadow when I told you about whenever you are moving around in tight quarters, you can strafe in order to see what may be lurking around the corner?" asked Spike.

" Yeah, I remember you telling me that," I replied.

" The same principle applies here in these narrow passageways in that you can strafe about, and maybe even sneak up on some enemies without them noticing. Since the buoyancy of the water is already slowing you down, strafing will make you move even slower as though you were on tip-toes," said Spike. With that information in mind, I began to slowly make my way down the passage in such a way that the Iron Boots didn't make their usual clanking sounds.

Even though it did take a little while longer than expected, I soon reached the corner, and I could see that the passage opens up to a small area with a door that is blocked with iron bars. There were a few torches scattered about which had me wonder what kind of purpose they hold, but the main concern was the figure standing with their back to me, and looking intently at the door.

" What do you make of the person over there?" I asked.

" It's hard to tell who it is as the water is so murky down here," replied Spike.

" I'm not sensing any evil coming from whoever it is, but I shouldn't take any chances. Then again, this person looks as though they don't have anything with which to attack, so I think I'll get as close as possible with my shield raised just in case," I suggested.

" Good idea as that way, you'll be protected from any possible attack," said Spike. Taking the Hylian Shield off of my back and slinging it onto my left arm before raising it up in front of me, I slowly walked around the corner and began to make my way towards this person who was showing no signs of noticing me. Once I got a little bit closer, they turned around which left me with quite the shock on my face.

" Oh....you....If I'm right....Sunset Shimmer?! You're Sunset Shimmer, aren't you? It's me, Ruto! Princess of the Zoras! Yet, why is it that you still look the same as you did when I last saw you with my own eyes seven years ago? How are you still the same back then as you are now?" Standing in front of me was Rarity which was a huge sigh of relief, yet she looked slightly older than before, and her dress was much more elegant although it did have some wear and tear probably from her long jaunt from Zora's Domain to Lake Hylia.

" Um....hello," I said which was all I could say in response to her questions.

" That's not the kind of answer I was expecting from you after all this time darling, so I shall repeat myself again and you will answer my question. Why is it that you still look exactly the same now as you did seven years ago?" asked Rarity.

" It's difficult to explain, and believe me as I've been asked that question by plenty of other people including your father," I replied.

" My father is alive?" asked Rarity.

" He was frozen in ice, but I was able to free him," I replied.

" I am relieved that he has managed to survive this horrible ordeal that has befallen the Zoras, but you are still avoiding my question by refusing to answer it. You shall give me an answer right now otherwise you will have to be punished," said Rarity. She now sounded serious about this which has me thinking that maybe she is under a lot of stress what with her home currently a frozen wasteland.

Rarity, back in the human world was known for her sharp wit, but she would never resort to behaviour like this as that would be going against what she stood for. I'll need to give her an answer although I hope that she accepts it, otherwise we're not going to be getting anywhere if we're just trapped in a perpetual argument.

" The Equestrian Magic which exists inside of me is what prevented me from aging when my soul was trapped inside of the Sacred Realm for seven years. I don't really know if you believe my words because they are difficult to comprehend given the circumstances," I said.

" What you say does sound rather confusing to me Sunset Shimmer, but I know that you are being truthful as what would you gain from lying to me? Very well! I shall accept your response to my question although I expect you to explain more of it once the current problem has been resolved.

I'm sure you've already seen it! Zora's Domain has been totally frozen due to the arctic wind! A young woman named Sheik saved me from under the ice....but the other Zoras have not....yet....I want to save them all! I want to save Zora's Domain! You! You have to help me! This is a request from a dear friend who is in need of your might once again just like you were there for me long ago when you saved both me and Lord Jabu-Jabu from the evil which tormented him," said Rarity.

" Of course I will help you," I smiled.

" Sunset Shimmer, you have to help me destroy the evil monster in the Temple okay?" asked Rarity.

" Hello? I already said that I would help," I replied.

" I'm terribly sorry for not hearing you just now darling as I was simply lost in the moment," said Rarity. Despite being the Zora princess in this world, Rarity was still very much a drama queen where she overreacts to pretty much everything around her. Yet, I couldn't fault her for that as she was in a dire situation, and the fate of her people was hanging in the balance, but I felt that this was going to be more dangerous than she was expecting if she feels that she will be able to do something.

It's not that I doubt her abilities, yet Rarity isn't aware that the she-demon, my dark side, is somewhere inside of the Water Temple. If my friend were to encounter that horrible creature, her life would become forfeit as Sunset Demon will kill her without any mercy. " Inside the Water Temple, there are three places where you can change the water level. I'll lead the way, so follow me, quickly!"

" Maybe it's for the best if you leave the temple and let me handle this," I said.

" What!?!?" exclaimed Rarity.

" I know that you want to help the other Zoras, and that you have the ability to do so, but you don't realize that the temple is dangerous. I can't guarantee your safety because of an evil presence that is somewhere in here," I said.

" I will do no such thing as running away! My people need me to save them, and I intend on going through with this no matter what you say! I shall be accompanying you on your journey Sunset Shimmer whether you like it or not! You have no idea as to how the Water Temple is structured, and you need me anyway in order to reach the source of the curse which has my home under the deep freeze," said Rarity.

" Then I'll gladly accept your help even though I did warn you," I said.

" Warn me of what?" asked Rarity.

" The evil presence in the temple which I just spoke of....is the darkness inside of my heart given life due to the evil underneath the graveyard in Kakariko Village. It is a wicked she-demon which has assumed a form that sadly, I was once back where I come from because of my desire for wanting power long before I accepted friendship.

This creature desires to kill me and assume my life as it believes itself to be the one and only Sunset Shimmer who has drifted away from her goal in life, and it calls itself Sunset Demon who has even been granted additional power by Ganondorf himself," I replied.

" It sounds to me that you have quite a problem when it comes to the darkness within darling, but I do not mean to insult you for in truth I feel sorry for you. You need not worry about me for I have no intention of allowing this she-demon as you call it to stop me from saving my people from their icy prison. Now then, please follow me as I will lead you to the first of the three places essential to progressing through the Water Temple," said Rarity.

She then started to swim upwards in a graceful manner which was actually the first time I've seen a Zora swim, but I had to keep up with her otherwise who knows what might end up happening. I needed to switch back to my regular boots, so I did so through the usual magical means, and began to swim upwards to the surface with Rarity not that far ahead.

" I hope she knows what she's getting herself into," commented Spike.

" While I do commend her for wanting to stick to her guns, this is a situation which has become a lot worse because of that demon. As long as that creature is lurking around, none of us are safe from its wrath," I said.

" I just remembered something about the temple I mentioned when we were making our way here, and Princess Ruto's words reminded me of it. I said that the water is able to be changed at the whims of anyone who is able to figure out how to do that, and I think the princess just gave us the answer when she mentioned that we can change the water level by going to three places," said Spike.

" Then we need to get to them as soon as possible," I said.

" Perhaps it was a good thing that you decided to allow her to journey with us otherwise we never would have figured out what we need to do. I am surprised though that we have the power to adjust the water level throughout the entire dungeon, but that must be how we can reach the other rooms which are blocked off due to the water.

Once we find ourselves the Dungeon Map, I'll be sure to place a small marker in the room where one of these places are. That way, we can easily find them without having to spend forever trying to search for something so obvious," said Spike.

" I wonder how we can use these points to change the water level?" I asked.

" Princess Ruto is likely to give us that answer when we reach the surface," replied Spike. Eventually, I reached the ceiling of this large room which looked like it was going to be a dead end, but there was a small hole which I could swim through, and it turned out to connect to another small room where Rarity was waiting for me.

Along the way, I did noticed a small ledge which lead up to a wall that had quite a large crack going through it, so maybe I should come back at some point as right now I can't destroy the wall with a bomb as they don't work underwater. When I climbed out of the water, I noticed that Rarity was holding a bomb in her hand which looked really weird, but upon a closer inspection, it wasn't a bomb but rather a mask which looked liked a bomb. Without saying a word, she handed it to me where I had a puzzled look on my face.

" What's this?" I asked.

" That is the Blast Mask which I used to enter the Water Temple by strapping it onto my face. It was such a vulgar means of entry darling as who would want to blow themselves to pieces by wearing such a hideous looking mask? In any case, I have finished using it for my own purposes, so now I will give it to you because I was instructed to do so," replied Rarity.

" Someone told you to give it to me?" I asked.

" Sonata told me that I was to give this mask to you because you would know what to do with it, so here you go and I suggest that you don't use it yourself unless you enjoy losing life energy simply by blowing yourself up like a fool," replied Rarity. She then turned to her left and walked over to some kind of strange tile on the wall before turning back to me, and hinting that she wanted me to come on over.

The tile featured the symbol of the Triforce on it which must mean that it was important. " This is the first location where you can change the water level here in the temple. In order to do that, you need to play the song passed down by the royal family, and I am sure that you know of this song. You can play the song in a little while, for perhaps it would be a good idea to see what lies beyond this door?"

" What do you suggest Spike?" I asked.

" That tile isn't going anywhere, so we can ignore it for the moment, and check out what's in the next room," replied Spike.

" I find it strange though that Twilight's Lullaby is the song that causes the water to change levels," I said.

" It is a little unusual given that no one aside from the Zoras have ever set foot inside of this temple. Not even the old king was given permission to enter these grounds, so you're really lucky to be the first non-Zora to set foot in here. Perhaps it was done this way as a means of reminding the Zoras that they had forged an alliance with the old king, and this was their way of acknowledging it.

Then again, maybe it had something to do with you Sunset Shimmer seeing as you are the Hero of Time, and it is your destiny to destroy the curses plaguing the five temples," said Spike.

" Your companion would be correct about that little assumption," began Rarity.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Our people believed that one day, a chosen hero would enter the Water Temple in order to save Zora's Domain from a terrible evil, so we needed to set something up as a means of preparing them. It was decided that a song would be used to ensure that only he or she could change the water level, for anyone else given such knowledge would have been tempted to abuse such a power if given the chance.

The song that was chosen was the one passed down by the royal family, and it was given to my father who commanded for it to be used to activate the three sacred locations. As such, no one aside from my father, and you, knows the melody of that song," replied Rarity. I guess Twilight's Lullaby is much more important than I gave it credit for, and without it I'd probably be stuck as Ganondorf's slave.

With the decision to come back here after we checked out this other room, I entered the door with Rarity behind me as she had to be protected given that she doesn't have the means to defend herself. Inside of the next room were several Spike enemies which were clattering around completely ignoring us as they went about their business. I was honestly expecting something a little more difficult to greet us, but I wasn't about to complain....as perhaps the biggest threat around here was she-demon wherever she was.

" I can sense a strong righteous heart having entered this temple, and there is only one....person who fits that description, and I am so glad that she is now here because it means....she has taken the bait just like he said that she would. It also means that I won't....have to wait for very much longer until I can finally get my hands on her once again, and kill her so that I can become the one and only Sunset Shimmer.

She is nothing more than....a weak child who is oblivious to her true destiny, and has chosen to follow a pointless path which....will bear her nothing whereas she would have become something far greater had she taken....the path of power. Even though he wants me to kill her for his own amusement, I am doing....this for my freedom and to show her the error of her ways. Come to me my dear little Sunset Shimmer....come to me so that you and I can finally fulfill our respective destinies....please hurry up as I don't like to....be kept waiting...."

To Be Continued.

Chapter 36: Lost Underwater

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 27, 2015
Chapter 36: Lost Underwater.

Defeating the Spike enemies on dry land proved to be even easier when submerged underwater because of having access to my items, and of course my magic is my preferred method. I've been encouraged to try using the Master Sword again, but I'm still having some issues which involve swinging it around, and not making a complete idiot of myself. When the last monster was destroyed, the bars covering the door raised, and a large treasure chest materialized in the middle of the room.

Upon opening it, I took out the Dungeon Map which is exactly what I needed according to what Fluttershy said, but when I glanced at the layout of the Water Temple, I was completely surprised at what I was looking at.

" This place is huge!" I exclaimed.

" We were told that the temple was a literal maze, but I wasn't expecting there to be so many rooms. It looks like this isn't going to be easy even with the map in our possession," said Spike.

" Let's not panic over the revelation that the Water Temple is massive otherwise we'll just give up without even trying. Now then, I'll let you place a mark on the map as to remind us where the first place we can change the water level is located, and then we need to figure out which of these rooms the she-demon is residing in," I said. Using a bit of fairy magic which turned out to be a power that Spike was capable of, he marked a small blue circle on the room next to this one.

With that taken care of, we began to scan over the map to see which room the she-demon would want to hide in. I figured she would be hiding in the least suspicious room as a means of wanting to throw us off the trail, but what Spike was suggesting made more sense.

" The she-demon is a dark reflection of you right? Just because she desires to kill you, deep down she is still you. As such, her way of thinking is how you think, so the question we should be asking ourselves is, which room would you hide in?" asked Spike.

" I guess it would need to be a room that was easy to get to, so I think a room on the highest floor makes sense. The she-demon would likely think in the opposite manner, so to her it would be a room that's difficult to get to," I replied.

" Then the answer is obvious," began Spike.

" It is?" I asked.

" The only room in the temple where she's taking up residence would be this large room here," replied Spike. He pointed to a large square chamber on the map which looked a lot bigger than the rest of the rooms, and I couldn't help but agree that this would be the ideal location. It looked easy enough to reach as it required having to go through two other rooms before it, but then again we did see locked doors back in the central chamber.

" I'll just use another bit of fairy magic and mark the demon's location using a black circle with a red diamond inside of it, so now we know exactly where she is."

" Why didn't you tell me you had fairy magic?" I asked.

" For one thing, you never asked because you assumed that my only skill was being well informed about so many different things, and of course that's true as I am quite the fountain of knowledge. The other thing is that it should have been obvious given the Great Fairy is one of the most powerful beings in Hyrule, and we fairies are her servants, so naturally we're capable of using magic," replied Spike.

" Don't forget that my own natural magic isn't even of this world," I said.

" Which makes you very powerful in your own right. Anyway, with the Dungeon Map in our possession, we have a pretty good idea as to where we need to go. The map is without a doubt useful, but we need to find the Compass to determine the location of the curse that's plaguing both Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain," said Spike.

" And what of Princess Ruto?" I asked.

" We haven't exactly taken her presence into consideration have we? So, this makes things a bit more difficult," replied Spike. Even though I suggested for her to leave the temple, Rarity was insistent on coming along, so now we needed to make sure that she remained safe although she is likely to show disdain for being treated as a princess which is what she is. The she-demon is after me, yet Rarity is completely innocent in all of this, and I'd never be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to her.

Of course, what Fluttershy said was true in that she knew the layout of the temple better than we did, so naturally we need her to guide us along otherwise we'll end up getting lost. " So what do we do about her then? Demanding her to leave and wait for us to destroy the curse isn't going to happen, for she is determined to see this through to the end."

" Princess Ruto is a lot more powerful than she appears to be," I said.

" How can you tell?" asked Spike.

" While she is fragile when it comes to physical combat hence why we need to protect her, she has strong magical powers inside of her which she can unleash against anything that gets in her way. Right now, she only has basic knowledge of what she is capable of given that she's never had a need to use it for anything major, but I have a hunch that she will appreciate the magic that she has although it will take time for her to come to grips with it," I replied.

" Are you referring to that Equestrian Magic?" asked Spike.

" Even though hers is a weaker version compared to mine, and that's because I am a native of Equestria so therefore I have the purest form of the magic from my world. When I briefly returned to my world after exiling myself from there long ago, I stole an artefact and brought it back to the human world, and because of my actions, my friends absorbed some of the magic housed in the relic. It's been with them ever since, yet they've only started to understand the power they now wield.

That same principle applies with the Hyrulean versions of my friends, for they have some grasp of what is inside of them, yet don't really know what to do with it. Fluttershy figured it out on her own while Daru....Pinkie Pie still needs some time to figure it out, and Twilight was aware of her magic according to what she said when we knew she was still okay," I replied.

" So Princess Ruto just needs a little encouragement?" asked Spike.

" I suppose you could say it like that," I replied.

" Guess all we can do is wait and see what happens, but for now we should keep going as she is getting really impatient. I don't blame her seeing as we've been talking over here, and she has been waiting by the door and feeling left out. You should talk to her about how she feels about the current situation so that she be happy about being a part of this rather than be just be a hindrance," said Spike.

Once I put the map in one of my pouches, I turned around and walked towards Rarity who was looking really angry due to not being a part of the conversation, so I had to be careful with what I say otherwise she could just decide to go off on her own, and leave me trying hopelessly to figure out how to get through this temple.

" Did you have a pleasant chat with your fairy?" asked Rarity.

" We were just discussing about the location of specific things in the dungeon," I replied.

" Is that so? I feel like you don't want to include me because I am a princess, and should therefore be treated as a delicate flower that needs to be coddled over constantly. That will not do as I am not someone who has to be pampered just because of my status. I mean, I do enjoy being pampered, but not when a serious situation is at hand," said Rarity.

" Sorry for not including you, but it was a private matter which we needed to discuss. What needs to be done next does involve you as you're the only one who knows how this temple functions, and without you we're going to be stuck running around in circles," I said.

" Yes, you do need my help don't you?" asked Rarity.

" More than you realize," I replied.

" Follow me back into the previous room, and let us change the water level as it is going to be needed to progress," said Rarity. She then entered the door whereupon I followed, and she walked over to where the Triforce Symbol was located on the wall. " You must stand directly in front of this panel, and play the song passed down by the royal family. The water level will drop all the way to the bottom of the temple, and you will discover that new routes will be made available to you that weren't there before."

With that in mind, I walked up to the panel and played Twilight's Lullaby which caused the water to completely drain as though someone had pulled a plug somewhere. " Do not think that the water has gone away forever Sunset Shimmer, for it is merely beneath the ground where it shall remain until you choose to raise the water level when we reach the second of the three locations. Now, we need to make our way back down to where we ran into each other."

" You want me to fall all that way?" I asked.

" But of course as there is no other way, but you need not worry about being hurt," replied Rarity.

" Are you sure about that?" I asked.

" Do not question my judgment as I know better than you, so have faith in that I know what I am doing," replied Rarity. As she jumped into the hole and landed all the way at the bottom several moments later, I looked down and didn't like the idea of falling such a long distance, but I had no other option but to fall and see what happens next.

Closing my eyes and walking forward, I dropped through the hole and landed on the ground with no injuries which felt really weird, but as I opened my eyes to make sure I was fine, Rarity was looking at me with a smug expression on her face. " I told you not to question me, and you managed to make it down here. You probably noticed that this torch is now lit due to the water having been drained, so now you can open this barred door which is what I was trying to figure out before you came along."

" Why do you need me?" I asked.

" I have no means of lighting these torches, but you have magic on your side which can do the trick. Then again, if you want to save your magic and not waste it on this simple puzzle, I notice that you have a bow on your person, and I am willing to bet that if you shoot an arrow through the torch, the flaming arrow will light up the other torches and open the door," replied Rarity.

While it was tempting to use magic which would have been the easy way out, I needed the experience of using my items, so I took out the Fairy Bow and got as close as possible to the lit torch so that I could hit the other two and light them up. Once again, it took me several tries due to how bad I was with aiming, and Rarity took notice by showing her slight displeasure, but eventually I was able to light them on fire which unlocked the door in front of us.

" I must say that your aiming needs some work darling, but I mean no offence as that's what I am taking from your actions." Hearing her say that did make me feel a little upset, but I couldn't blame her for telling it like it is. Sighing, I opened the door with Rarity following behind, and this door ended up getting locked again from our side which felt really inconvenient, but in front of us were three shell-like creatures that were just sitting there doing nothing.

" What do you make of these Spike?" I asked.

" Those are Shell-Blades, and they are the worst monsters to deal with inside of the Water Temple. Their hard shells make them impervious to all damage, and the spiked side is what they will use to attack you with if you get too close to them. In order to defeat them, you need to strike at their internal muscle which is exposed when they open their mouths, but keep in mind that they only open them for a couple of seconds.

Because the muscle is a small target, you need to hit it with something like an arrow or the Hookshot for example. They don't inflict much damage, but they tend to be located in cramped passageways which makes them difficult to avoid," replied Spike.

" I take it they show up underwater?" I asked.

" Yes, and they are even worse when you're underwater due to how slow you move. The water doesn't affect their movement as they are water-based creatures, so you should keep that in mind. One more thing, you can use your shield to block the attack of a Shell-Blade although you need to be quick about it as they do move quickly," replied Spike.

" I guess this is the temple's way of introducing me to the basics before it decides to start increasing the difficulty," I said. The Shell-Blades looked harmless enough, but I moved towards them slowly with the Hookshot in my hand as I need to get used to using it if I am to survive underwater combat when that time comes. As soon as I got close enough, they all turned around, and opened their mouths which made me react by firing at them.

The Hookshot's chain destroyed the first one, but bounced off of the other two before they attacked with their spiky ends by performing a really awkward bouncing motion. I was easily able to avoid this strange means of attacking, and moved up behind them where they turned around again with me responding with the Hookshot that destroyed them with ease. This caused a small treasure chest to materialize in front of me, and the door unlocked with the iron bars lifting as per the usual.

" That was very nicely done," commented Rarity.

" It wasn't as difficult as it looked, but I'm not about to get cocky again like with the other monsters in here," I said.

" Of course, you should have defeated them a little faster than you did, but I know that you did your very best so please don't take my comments as an insult. As soon as you take what's inside of that chest, we will need to make our way to the central chamber. It will have changed now that the water has been drained," said Rarity.

As I kicked open the chest and took out a small key, I felt uncomfortable with her criticizing my every action, but I hope that it doesn't become a trend otherwise I will have to say something about it. Walking back to the central chamber wasn't all that difficult as the lack of water now made it easier to walk around, but I knew that I would need to use the Iron Boots again, so I wasn't about to feel complacent.

" Where do we go from here?" I asked.

" Now that the water level has been lowered, a lot more has been opened up to us, but at the same time we can't access the higher floors until we raise it back up again, so it's a case of gaining and losing at the same time," replied Spike. That didn't sound very pleasant, but I suppose this was the nature of the Water Temple, so I walked to the left where I saw a block in the ground which acted as a stepping stone to allow access to a locked door.

" Where did that block come from?" I asked.

" It fell down from the highest floor due to the water no longer being around for it to float, so now it's become a means of opening that door," replied Spike. If that was the case, then raising the water level will allow it to be raised back up to its original location. I found it slightly cool that the water is able to change the dynamics of where I can go just like that. There was also a passageway to the south of the door which turned to the right, and that made things a bit more difficult when it came to deciding which way to go next.

" We could enter the locked door, but that passageway to the south does look appealing as well," I said.

" That direction is going to be pointless darling," began Rarity.

" How come?" I asked.

" The route to the south which has you so intrigued leads to nothing more than a dead-end, so you would be wasting your time if you were to go that way. If you are doubting my words, then check your map so you can confirm it for yourself," replied Rarity. Secretly, I did doubt her, so I took out the Dungeon Map and looked at it although I had no idea what I was meant to be looking at. After looking over it for a few minutes with a puzzled look on my face, Rarity came over and showed me where on the map the passageway leads.

" No doubt you're wondering how I knew that it was a dead-end, and that's because I used to come here all the time with my father and the rest of my people before things took a turn for the worse. The temple has changed a lot since I was here last, yet that dead-end is one that is so easy to remember because of how long the room extends which belies its uselessness."

" If that's the case then we can ignore that route and focus on opening the locked door," I said.

" What about that block over there?" asked Spike as he began to float towards to something that was to the west of where the locked door was. Rarity and I followed him, and sure enough there was a block imbedded into the wall. It looked like it could be pushed which would give us yet another direction to go, but again there was the locked door which seemed the most obvious way to go. " It looks like we have a decision to make, so maybe you should take out a rupee and toss it into the air just like you did back in the Ice Cavern."

" You're going to what?" asked Rarity.

" I'm going to toss a rupee into the air, and wherever it lands the closest of the two directions will be the one we take," I replied.

" Are you being serious right now? You want to make a decision based on tossing a single rupee?" asked Rarity.

" I know it sounds a little silly given that we could simply discuss things in a simple manner, but Spike and I have done this before where we couldn't agree on a decision, so we allowed a rupee to make the choice for us. If you believed me to be a traditional hero, then you clearly thought wrong. I'm not the kind of hero this world needs, and it does deserve better, but I've chosen to accept my fate even when I complain about it.

Anyway, this is something we intend to do, so you will just have to accept our method," I replied. While I did feel bad for insulting Rarity, she kind of deserved it with the way she has been treating me. I then walked over until I was in-between the locked door and the block, and took out a green rupee from my wallet before tossing it into the air.

The rupee spun around a few times before landing near where the block in the wall was located, so I immediately walked over to where the rupee landed, and picked it up again so as to not lose it. " That is the direction we'll check out first, and the locked door will be the second place we explore."

" I can't believe that you decided to use a rupee to determine where you wanted to go," said Rarity.

" Is that a problem?" I asked.

" Not really as it was actually a nice change of pace for me as whenever I had to make a decision, I had to rely on a rather mundane protocol which wore out its welcome. When you said that you were not a hero this world deserves to have, I have to disagree with you completely. While your methods are different, the fact that you overcome such adversities is commendable. It sounds to me darling that you could do with some more confidence in your skills as you clearly have what it takes to save Hyrule," replied Rarity.

" Guess I just have an inferiority complex," I sighed.

" In any case, that rupee of yours decided that we should push that block, and that is exactly what we shall do. And by we, I most certainly mean you of course as I don't have the physical strength to push something so big and heavy," said Rarity. I had a feeling that she was going to use her own style of charm in order to make me push this block, but I was going to do that anyway as I knew that she lacked the muscle to push it along. Then again, I felt that I had no muscles of my own, but I had no other choice but to use physical labour.

Climbing up onto the block on the floor to stand properly in front of the other one, I pressed my hands against it, and started to push as hard as I could in the hopes that it would push itself back. Sure enough, the block was easily pushed back by my efforts which made me think that perhaps I am a lot stronger than I thought. After pushing it along the passageway for what felt like forever, I pushed it one more time, and the block suddenly dropped down a shaft which was filled with water.

" I thought the temple had been completely drained of water?" I asked.

" The basement is still flooded mind you as the water simply can't just vanish from here, but then this should not be a concern to you as you're wearing the finest garment my people have created, and you do have those Iron Boots. No need to be hesitant as you wanted to come this way, so come along and let's see where this will take us," replied Rarity. She then dove into the water and immediately swam down to the floor before giving me the indication that she wanted me to follow.

" What do you make of all this?" I asked Spike who must surely be as confused as I am.

" Princess Ruto knows more about the Water Temple than we do as this is a sacred place for her people, but because of the curse somehow having warped things around, things are now different from what she remembers. All we can do really is just take her word for it, and follow her lead, but you will have to take over when it comes to fighting monsters as that's your expertise," replied Spike.

" I just wish that she wouldn't poke fun at how we came to making a decision when we're stuck in an impasse," I said.

" Can you blame her for being a little irritated about it? Her people are trapped under ice and their fates are hanging in the balance, so she wants to get this resolved as soon as possible, and that stunt with the rupee clearly tested her patience. We just need to humour her a little so that she doesn't lose control of her emotions," said Spike. Rarity was known in the human world for having a temperment which flared up whenever she felt frustrated, and it's unfortunate that this aspect of her character was brought over to this world.

With that in mind, I switched over to the Iron Boots, and dropped down into the water where she was further ahead, and signalling that she wanted me to hurry up. This underwater passage wasn't all that long, so I had to change back to my regular boots almost immediately which was a little inconvenient.

Once I floated back up to the surface, I climbed out of the water and walked forward where I entered a room that featured a deep pit with a geyser that looked rather weak, and two Blue Tektites were on the platform on the other side which also featured a door. A Crystal Switch was to my right which gave me an idea as to how this puzzle needed to be solved.

" By hitting the switch over there, that should cause the geyser to rise up and give me an extra platform I can use to get across to the other side," I said.

" Since we know that these switches revolve around a timing mechanism, I'd say that you have a few seconds before the geyser drops back down, and you have to climb back out again using the Hookshot as there is a plate right below your feet. My concern is focused on the Blue Tekties on the other side who could be a problem as they may cause you to accidentally fall below. I suppose you could use your water magic on the geyser to have it rise up and splash them down there, but would you be able to command that much water?" asked Spike.

" To be honest, I was thinking that maybe I could fire arrows at them instead and pick them off from this side," I replied.

" That works too! One thing you should know with Blue Tektites is that hitting them from a distance will cause them to start moving in the direction their attacker is, but they are so blind with wanting to get revenge, they end up getting themselves into bad situations which will benefit us," said Spike.

" I see where you're going with this. If I hit each one of them with an arrow, they'll come towards me because I hurt them, and they'll fall into the pit below and essentially trap themselves leaving us free to make our way across," I said. Taking out the Fairy Bow and aiming at them was the easy part, but the problem as always was my aiming which really needed work. I wasted three arrows trying to hit one of the Blue Tektites before I struck pay-dirt.

The one that I hit began to jump forward, and into the pit which was what I wanted, and then I started to fire at the other one which took another six arrows until it too ended up in the pit. With them now out of the way, my attention turned to the crystal switch where I struck it causing the geyser to rise up as expected turning into a platform. The mysterious ticking sound then began in earnest, so I knew we needed to move fast, so I asked Rarity to cross first.

As soon as she was on the other side, I started to cross when the ticking suddenly stopped, and the geyser began to go back down. I panicked and jumped again where I barely grabbed the edge, and pulled myself up which was too close for comfort. " That crystal switch didn't last as long as the ones we encountered in the Fire Temple."

" The amount of time they stay activated varies depending on the kind of puzzle we encounter. Some will last several seconds while others can last up to a minute to give you a fighting chance. In case you were wondering, you can easily get back across using the Hookshot to latch onto the other side and pull yourself over the pit. I'm guessing that the Blue Tektites will be back on this side when we come back as some unseen force does give these monsters unfair advantages which will be problematic," said Spike.

" Could it be the result of Ganondorf's power?" I asked.

" Maybe, or the source of the curse in the temple is causing it to happen," replied Spike.

" Then we need to be careful otherwise we could get an unpleasant surprise coming our way. Speaking of the curse, what do you suppose it looks like? My guess is that it's a water based creature which would make sense given where we are and all," I said.

" A pretty good guess and one that I don't object," said Spike. Rarity then started to tap her foot rapidly which was an indication that she wanted us to get going, so I walked over to the door and opened it which lead into a room where it consisted of a single walkway, and a large body of water to my left which was spinning around due to a powerful vortex.

I could barely see some kind of dragon-like statue underwater which had some kind of crystal switch stuck in its mouth, and another segment of the statue was sticking out on the opposite side of the pool. There was also a passageway down there which lead up to a gate, and it looked like something was moving about behind it which had me suspicious.

" That's quite a powerful current," I commented.

" And one I am certain you're not used to," said Rarity.

" So far, I've only experience walking about underwater at my own pace, but this is a lot faster than I would have expected," I said.

" The current is only going to be strong if you decide to simply jump into the water without thinking as your current weight will have you at its mercy. If you were to increase your weight with those Iron Boots of yours, the current won't affect you, but you do need to figure out how to open that gate down there. I believe I can help you out here as the speed of the water has no affect on me," said Rarity.

" There is a crystal switch inside of the mouth of that statue, and I believe striking it will open the gate," I said.

" This may sound a little awkward for you, but please hear me out. We'll jump into the water at the same time with you wearing those Iron Boots, and the instant we go underwater, grab my hands and I'll drag you as close as possible to the passageway where you can head through the gate when I activate the switch. I'll be okay back here as the water is my natural element," said Rarity. It did sound awkward when she said that we had to hold hands, but I knew that she didn't mean it like that because that's not the kind of person she was.

As soon as I switched over to the Iron Boots, we both jumped into the water where we went under, and I grabbed her hands wher itt looked like she was going to drop me because I was too heavy for her. Rarity managed to get me close to the edge of the ledge where she dropped me before needing a moment to catch her breath. I fell rather slowly again due to the buoyancy of the water, yet this was ideal as I was able to grab onto the edge, and pulled myself up before walking up to the gate.

" There are those shell monsters we encountered earlier," I said.

" And this time you need to fight them underwater while moving about in close quarters which will become even closer when that gate closes. You need to make sure neither of them manage to make it past you otherwise Princess Ruto is going to get attacked, so use your shield to keep them back, and remember that you can only use the Hookshot until you get out of the water again," said Spike. I gave the signal to Rarity for her to activate the crystal switch, although now that I think about it, I could just strike the switch on my own.

As soon as she activated it, the gate opened up and I ran as fast as I could until it closed back down a few seconds later leaving me to deal with the Shell-Blades. The first one opened its mouth and I fired the Hookshot at it which destroyed it, but the other one was a bit too fast and used its spiky end to come charging at me, and it ended up colliding with me which was a little painful. The problem now was that due to the area being so cramped, I was having trouble trying to dodge it, and found myself being hit several times over before I was able to finally move away while it smacked into the gate which probably didn't even faze it due to how hard its shell was.

When it then turned itself around and opened its mouth, I fired the Hookshot striking its internal muscle and destroying it before dropping to the ground in exhaustion.

" Are you okay darling?" asked Rarity.

" That didn't go quite as well as I was expecting," I replied.

" Your fighting skills while underwater are lackluster, but that's because it's something you haven't gotten used to. I won't criticize your skills as you, and the other land dwellers flounder too often whenever you decide to fight below the water's surface. I've seen many like you before who acquire Zora Tunics, and then immediately boast that they can fight just as well underwater as they do on dry land.

Most of them end up either getting killed because of their stupidity, or being injured so badly that they are scarred for the rest of their lives, and refuse to go near the water again. You are different from the rest of them as you don't boast about your skills as you believe that you have none, but that is a lie for you do have the skills, yet they remain dormant," said Rarity.

" It's a work in progress," I sighed.

" So you say, but I think you're just trying to block yourself from your true potential. It's like you're psychologically denying yourself the pleasure of being able to show off how good you really are, but that is just my best guess as I clearly don't know you that well enough to determine the truth," said Rarity.

" You don't know me?" I asked.

" We didn't really get a chance to sit down to get to know each other better at the time as you were trying to save Hyrule, and that meant you were too busy to spend some time talking with me. The only thing that you ever said about yourself was that you were from another world which I remember demanding you tell me about it.

It's something which has never left my mind even after seven years as it felt so unreal to me, but as I continued to think about it, I began to believe that you were being honest. Only someone from another world would have a hard time struggling to get adjusted to a place like this, and that could explain why your skills have been poor," replied Rarity.

" That's my fault for being in a race against time," I said.

" Yes, I suppose that's true as you were trying to stop Ganondorf although that didn't end well sadly. All I can say to you at this point Sunset Shimmer is that you need to have more confidence otherwise you'll just end up being miserable, and not really amount to all that much upon the final conclusion. Some things are going to be beyond your control, and you have to expect that, but there is so much that you can do which right now you aren't doing so. Maybe you should listen to both your fairy and your heart as my words are simply that and nothing more," said Rarity.

Her words were very powerful, and she made so many good points about how I felt, so perhaps I am lacking when it comes to believing in myself. Back in the human world, it took me a while to believe in myself, and those words I sang should be what I need to rely on whenever I feel down and wanting to give up....those words...."You're never gonna bring me down! You're never gonna break this part of me"....and that's when I remembered something I learned during my encounter with Ganondorf....the real one....the one who sent me into this world in the first place.

He wanted me to suffer because he viewed me as the tormented one, and that's why I've had to endure all of this emotional baggage since the start. Rarity reminded me of all of this in her own unique fashion, and for that I am eternally grateful. " Darling? Are you okay over there? You seem to be distracted with something."

" I'm alright princess as I needed a moment to rest and think," I said.

" You know, I could have done something to prevent you from getting hurt by those awful monsters," said Rarity.

" Perhaps, but you need to remember that you aren't a fighter, and these creatures for the most part like to fight up close. I'm not saying that because you're a princess, but rather you don't have physical skills," I said.

" I could easily have turned the tide at a moment's notice had I been given the opportunity to do so. Anyway, you should see where that way goes, and let me know when you want me to activate the switch again to open the gate for you," said Rarity. That felt really weird to me when she said that which made me think that she really wants to fight, and that makes no sense as Rarity didn't seem like the kind of person who would want to get involved in a fight.

At this point, the only direction I could go was up, so I switched back to my regular boots and rose to the surface to find myself in a really small room which consisted of one small treasure chest. Inside upon kicking it open was a small key which I took before turning my attention back to the water.

" If we had decided to go the other way first, what do you suppose would have happened?" I asked.

" We'd have kept on going until we came upon a locked door we couldn't open due to not having a key, and that would have resulted in backtracking all the way over here just to be able to progress further," replied Spike.

" Can you imagine if we raised the water level, and then discovered that we needed to backtrack?" I asked.

" That would involve going all the way back to where that first point was located, and repeat the entire process all over again thus making us waste even more time. I don't know about you, but this temple is already starting to get on my nerves due to how many passages there are," replied Spike.

" How do you think I feel about it? You at least get to fly around and do nothing but provide me with advice, and I have to do so much walking, swimming, climbing, fighting, falling, jumping, and so on that it's all become so monotonous and boring. They say people always have problems when it comes to being in a place that features water because their emotions reach high levels of anxiety making them do things which can be deemed questionable. I envy Princess Ruto for being able to remain calm," I said.

" She has to be like that in order to prevent herself from snapping," said Spike.

" I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling right now about her people, but maybe we should go back to where we left her as she might be thinking that we're wasting her time again," I said. Switching back to the Iron Boots, and realizing that this was going to be a thing throughout the Water Temple, I dropped back down into the passageway, and gave the signal to Rarity to activate the crystal switch to allow me to come through the gate.

I had to hustle of course as the gate wasn't going to stay open for very long, and running in these boots was difficult, but once I made it back into the part of the water which was flowing about, I switched back to my regular boots and swam up to the surface where I had some trouble getting onto shore. That's because the current was pulling me about so I couldn't get close to the ledge where I needed to climb out, but luckily I was pulled out by Rarity who managed to swan dive onto shore as a means of showing off before reaching out to grab me.

" What did you discover down there?"

" Just this small key which is going to be useful as there's going to be more than one locked door for us to go through," I replied.

" I suppose that it was a good thing that we decided to come this way even though the method of coming to that decision was rather questionable. Still, with two of those keys in your possession, we'll be able to make more progress. Please follow me again as I will guide us back to the central chamber," said Rarity. As we started to make our way back to the locked door we ignored earlier, something else was happening in the temple which could mean problems were about to occur for me.

" She is taking a lot longer to get here....than you were expecting, so therefore I should have been sent much closer to the....entrance instead of being placed all the way over here."

" You should pick and choose your words more carefully my servant because you do realize that it was my magic which enabled you to become stronger. I can easily take back my power, and leave you nothing more than a charred corpse which is how you ended up to begin with for defying me? Is that what you desire right now?"

" No, I want this more than anything!"

" Then remember your place and know that I am the one who commands you! You have no free will of your own anymore as you gave it up when you begged me to give you the power that you desire so that you can deal with her, yet you are doing this in order to pique my amusement and nothing more. Should you end up killing her in the end, it won't disappoint me although I had hoped that she would die by my own hands."

" If you're so adamant about killing her then why don't....you come here and perform the task yourself? Are you suggesting that this action is beneath your greatness so much, that you are going to....use someone else to do the job? Not that I don't appreciate doing this as it's what I desire, but why not fight her now Ganondorf as you are far too powerful for her to even be a remote threat. "

" I only face those who I find worthy, and this kid is anything but that," said Tirek.

" And yet she was able to inflict quite the wound on you seven years....ago back in the Temple of Time where she managed to withstand all of your brute strength. I'd say that my significant other is more powerful than....you are willing to believe, but who am I to question your sense of ethics. While I do appreciate you giving me a proper chance....at claiming her life as my own with these arrangements, I would have done....this without your power."

" Oh would you now? When you were punished for believing that you would claim the Triforce, your body was so broken that it was barely able to hold itself together. I could simply destroy you right now, and deny you what you desire, but this all amuses me to no end as while you wish to assume her identity, in the end you clearly won't have the luxury of living out that life in the manner you perceive it to be.

No, you shall forever be a servant to me because that is what you are....nothing more than a monster whose only purpose is to obey my commands. I except a good performance when she finally arrives she-demon, for I wish to see if she does have what it takes to confirm a suspicion of mine," said Tirek.

" What kind of suspicion?" asked Sunset Demon.

" It is of no concern to you wretch!" replied Tirek.

" Then what is my concern?" asked Sunset Demon.

" To obey my command and determine if she is indeed one of the chosen. Should she turn out to be false in that regard, then I will have no use for her at all, and you can do whatever you want with her. That will be your only solace in all of this she-demon, but that all depends on whether the kid is who I believe her to be. I now leave things up to you, but I do have one last warning for you, and that is you shall not reveal the true reason as to why she must do battle with you.

As far as she is concerned, she is going to face you because of wanting to deal with her dark side, and desiring the treasure which lies in the room behind you. If you reveal anything about her possibly being one of the chosen ones, then I shall obliterate you immediately without a second thought....remember that you are mine to do with as I see fit she-demon," said Tirek.

" His arrogance is so unbearable that it makes me want....to throw up, but I have no choice but to do as he commands otherwise he will destroy me, and....I will never be able to assume her life which she doesn't deserve. For now I'll do as his says until I get....what I want, and from there I'll be able to break free of this servitude. I am curious though as to what he was talking about when it comes to these chosen ones, and how....it relates back to him.

He believes Sunset Shimmer to be someone of high praise, but clearly he is deluded....as why would she be worthy of anything? She is weak because she refused....to accept her destiny as the ruler of Equestria, so now I need....to fix that oversight, and claim the throne by doing away with Princess Celestia. I'll....play along because I have no other choice, but the moment I am able to get the chance, I will take it....and not only claim my freedom, but also claim my old life back."

Once we were back in the central chamber of the Water Temple, we began to walk towards the locked door, but there was an additional passageway on the opposite side which did look promising, but I don't think Rarity would approve of me wanting to make another decision involving a rupee. As soon as the door was unlocked, we entered the interior of the shaft, and discovered that the entire floor was covered in large spikes apart from the walkway that was in front of us.

Looking up, I saw that this room goes up quite the distance meaning that it could be accessed on each level of the temple apart from the basement, but the question was how were we meant to progress without being able to use the water to swim up?

" There has to be a way for us to climb up to the top, but how can we do that without any water?" I asked.

" Perhaps you can find a Hookshot plate that will allow you to make your way up," replied Spike. He then floated in front of me so that he could find one of those plates, and sure enough he found one which turned out to be on the platform that was right above where we entered the room from.

" There's a plate right there where you can use the Hookshot to drag yourself up to it. Also, it looks like I can see the Crest of the Royal Family on the wall, so this must be the second location where we can change the water. If that's the case then playing Zelda's Lullaby in front of it will cause the water to raise up to where the crest is."

" Did you say the Crest of the Royal Family?" I asked.

" Yes," replied Spike.

" I thought that it was called the Triforce?" I asked.

" It is known as that yes, but it also serves as a symbol for the royal family as it's been their duty to protect the Triforce since as far back as anyone can remember. The actual crest looks like some kind of angel with the golden triangles situated in the center, but most people wouldn't be able to make sense of it, so instead they just use the triangles on their own as a symbol of the family. You'd actually be surprised as to where the crest shows up across the kingdom," replied Spike.

" How so?" I asked.

" Each of the five temples is said to feature the crest somewhere because it's meant to be a sign of respect towards the royal family, and this applies to the tribes who have sworn fealty to them. Granted, the Gerudo were the only ones not to pledge their allegiance, but if Ganondorf had been different where he was a man of peace rather than one who desired to conquer the world, Hyrule would have been united and peace would have reigned supreme in the process.

Anyway, the point is that the Triforce symbol serves as a reminder that the royal family had a strong influence in the lives of all people across the land," replied Spike.

" Despite Ganondorf now being the king thanks to his claiming of the Triforce," I added.

" When he is finally defeated, the royal family will be restored to the throne, but that depends if Princess Zelda is still alive," said Spike.

" That's something which we haven't managed to figure out yet, but then we haven't exactly taken the time to ask around as to what happened to her after we last saw her seven years ago when she fled the castle. Of course, I don't think most people would be willing to answer not because of being afraid of Ganondorf and his followers, but because of not really knowing anything.

Princess Ruto might actually know something as her status does grant her access to such information, so maybe we should inquire about it after we have finished in here. Well, let's get up to the second location and play Twilight's Lullaby before her highness over there decides to throw a tantrum as it looks like she's on the verge of having one based on that expression," I said.

I took out the Hookshot, and after careful aiming, I fired it and launched myself up, and grabbing the edge so that I didn't fall to the ground. Once I was standing in front of the symbol, I took the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and played Twilight's Lullaby which caused the water to rise up until it stopped short of the symbol itself. With the water now filled up halfway throughout the temple, new paths will have opened which is what I need right now.

Spike took the liberty of using his fairy magic to place a red mark on the Dungeon Map to indicate that this was where the second location was, and that meant one more was left to find. " There's one place that we do need to backtrack to, and that was back in the room where we first found the princess. While swimming up to the top of the room, I noticed a ledge which lead to a cracked wall, and I suspect that there's something of value behind it otherwise why would such a wall even be there in the first place?"

" Before you decide to do that darling, there is something which you need to see," answered Rarity.

" What's that?" I asked.

" When the water level began to rise up in response to you playing that song, that block over there moved up along with the water. If you look down below, you can clearly see that the block covered up a secret passageway which sounds like something you may want to consider going to first before backtracking? I mean, why would anyone want to cover up a passageway unless there was something important down there," replied Rarity.

" You have gotten me curious about it, and it could lead to another small key which would go a long way," I said.

" Then switch over to those Iron Boots of yours, and sink down to the basement, but make sure that you don't land on those spikes otherwise you'll get a nasty poke. I'll be waiting for you down below, so don't keep me waiting," said Rarity. She then dropped down underwater and straight to the bottom as though she were some kind of rocket, and I couldn't help but be jealous.

Once again, I switched over to the Iron Boots, and dropped down to the basement, yet I did nearly land on the spikes by accident, but managed to avoid them with the narrowest of margins. That's when I noticed Rarity wasn't waiting for me which had me suspect she had decided to swim further ahead.

I was beginning to think that her stubborn attitude with wanting to get through the Water Temple as fast as possible was going to end up killing all of us, so maybe I ought to tell her to leave and let me handle things. Sighing yet again, I ran down the passageway in a clunky fashion, but it turned to the left and into an underwater room which had a rather low ceiling, and Rarity was standing in the center as though she were trying to figure out how things were supposed to work.

" Hmmmm? You came a lot quicker than I was expecting given how you do like to take your time, but I had to come down this way rather than wait for you as I was curious as to what lay ahead. I think some of your mannerisms are beginning to rub off on me, and I actually like it as I have this urge to want to hustle along in order to get things done quickly."

" You could have just waited you know," I said.

" Maybe so, but my curiosity was too much for me to refuse to see what was down here as I have never seen this part of the temple before. I guess you're pretty upset with my attitude because of how irrational I have been, but my people are on the verge of dying, and I want to save them all even if means having to sacrifice myself in the process to achieve my goal.

I cannot help but want to hurry things along as the longer this takes, the less chances my people will survive, and Zora's Domain will never be the same as it once was. Perhaps you were right Sunset Shimmer in that I should have stayed outside of the temple, for clearly I am quite the burden even though I do not mean to act in this fashion," said Rarity.

" You just need to not allow your emotions to cloud your judgment otherwise you could end up getting hurt, and no one wants to see that happen as the Zoras respect you a great deal. They see you as their future queen who will one day lead them to a new prosperity, but that will only come to pass if you show restraint and do things at a pace where you don't wind up getting in over your head," I said.

" Now that wasn't the best pep talk I have heard," laughed Rarity.

" It was something I just put together at the last minute," I said.

" As I suspected from the very beginning, you are certainly different from other heroes who have come and gone in Hyrule over the generations, and that makes you a rather unique woman if I do say so myself. Now then, I notice that there is a crystal switch all the way over there at the end of this room, and a gate is situated right above it which could be a trap, but I don't know for certain which is why I was thinking about what to do when you came in.

I suppose that I should just step aside and allow you to handle it as it is what you do as an adventurer," said Rarity. She then stepped aside like she said she would, and it made me feel uneasy as I suspected this whole thing to be a trap. I walked over to the switch and looked up at the gate, and saw nothing suspicious so perhaps my feelings were wrong.

The moment I activated the switch, the gate above me opened, and several monsters fell through and right on top of me leaving me no means of being able to defend myself. There were two Spikes and two Shell-Blades all wanting to do me in, and it looks like I've just given them the perfect opportunity to do so....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 37: The Darkness of Sunset Shimmer

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 30, 2015
Chapter 37: The Darkness of Sunset Shimmer.

The first thing that came to mind regarding these monsters, was that why did I fall for such an obvious trap? I knew that I couldn't hear any of them above the gate, but I managed to walk right into this mess without contemplating what would happen when the Crystal Switch was activated. Now that I've gone and sprung this elaborate trap, I needed to quickly get these things off of me before they end up poking me and/or biting me to death.

Rarity was just standing over there beside herself with grief, and I was hoping that she would do something as right now I'm not in the position to do anything. That's when she got a serious look on her face, and walked over to where I was on the ground before a blinding flash blurred my vision for a few moments. When I regained the ability to see, the monsters had retreated to the other side of the room, but what exactly did Rarity do to make them cower away like that?

" Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Rarity.

" Just a few moments ago, I was buried under several monsters, yet now those same monsters are over there acting like they were scared. They reacted like this the moment you walked over, so clearly you did something to make them want to get as far away from you as possible. Don't try to hide it by spouting some kind of nonsense as I know what I saw before my vision was blinded," I replied.

" I saw you being hurt by those wicked creatures, and felt helpless because like you said, I am not a warrior because I do not go around fighting monsters. Yet, something within me snapped, and I wanted to help you in any way that I could. I unleashed some kind of magical shining light which blinded them as well as yourself, but since when am I able to use a power like that? I know that we Zora possess some magical properties which are related to the water, but this is something completely different," said Rarity.

" It was the Equestrian Magic inside of you," I began.

" The what?" asked Rarity.

" You have the same kind of magic inside of you that I have, and it's very potent even though it happened as the result of an artefact while mine is a natural talent I acquired the day I was born. I know that you don't realize it right now as it's difficult to grasp, but you used the power from my true home as a reaction to seeing me being hurt by the monsters.

It's something you'll figure out once it all starts to make sense, and there is no need for me to explain it any more than that, so why don't you wait right here while I go and take care of business," I replied.

" You seem awfully calm about this," said Rarity.

" When I said that you need to keep your emotions under control, I really meant that because you can easily lose yourself to anger and hatred if you allow your heart to become consumed by such feelings. I've been there before on this journey, and it continues to be a struggle even now because I could easily get pushed over the edge. Don't make the mistake that I made Princess Ruto, and lose yourself to the darkness within, for if you do become lost, it may be impossible to find your way back," I said.

As I walked over to where the monsters were, I thought about what I just said, and I had no idea where I was going with it. I just wanted her to realize that losing control makes things really bad even though you wish to let go for the right reasons, but perhaps I should listen to my own advice. Deep down in my own heart, my emotions were running amok as the thought of confronting the she-demon was giving me numerous mixed messages which had me worried right to the core.

Once the monsters realized what was going on, they began to attack which I responded to by taking out the Hookshot, and placing the Hylian Shield on my arm so as to protect myself. While this little skirmish was happening, the she-demon could sense that my presence was getting closer to her, yet I was actually a lot further away.

" Yes, I can sense her getting ever closer to this location. The wait won't....be for much longer although my patience has already been tested, and all because he....said to wait for her here. I should have attacked her much sooner when she first....entered this accursed temple, but no I was commanded to wait here. If she continues to making a complete idiot of herself, then claiming....her life and making it my own will have lost all of its meaning.

I want to face you Sunset Shimmer....as this is something we've needed to resolve for a long time, but I want....you to be at 100% by the time you come before me like the weakling you are. If you come, and....you are injured or even barely able to do anything, then such a glorious encounter will be pointless. I want to be challenged, and not....given an easy victory, but was this the intent of Ganondorf to begin with? He said that....he wishes to see her suffer defeat at my hands because it is all amusing to him, but what if he instead....desires both of us to be dealt with because I still remain a threat.

It seems that he has....planned this out carefully wanting to ensure neither of us survive, yet what about those words regarding the chosen....ones, and she being such a person? Only one thing matters to me now, and....that is becoming the real Sunset Shimmer by making my other self disappear forever. And yet, I must know what he was talking....about for it could prove to be useful."

As soon as the last monster was destroyed which took a while as one Shell-Blade kept blocking my attack, the sound of another gate opened up, and my first thought was that more monsters were about to drop down. Nothing happened after a few moments of waiting, so it was safe to assume that nothing else was going to happen.

" Are you sure what you said to the princess was true?" asked Spike.

" I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it," I replied.

" Even though what she did saved your life, I can't see how she was able to unleash such a power without doing anything," said Spike.

" Not everything has to be unleashed using a weapon or moving any part of your body Spike. If you possess a magical power, then you can simply bring it forth. If the Equestrian Magic she used to frighten those monsters had been really strong, she would have most likely blinded me permanently, and those monsters would have been destroyed rather than simply cowering in fear. I am curious though as to what she meant when she said that her people possess water related magical powers," I said.

" Now that is something I can explain," began Spike.

" So the Zora do possess magic?" I asked.

" You and I would refer to it as magic because they do use a mystical power, but the Zoras don't really like to call it that and instead refer to it as a natural gift. They say that they are able to produce some kind of electrical barrier whenever they swim about in the water, and also create small projectiles with which they use for a variety of actions. What Princess Ruto did when she saved you was neither of the magical skills her people are able to perform, so her having the power from your world does appear to be the case," replied Spike.

" Which means my story which I've been saying all this time is true," I said.

" I wouldn't go that far with it Sunset Shimmer, but I will acknowledge that some aspects of what you've been saying since the beginning of our journey do appear to be rather accurate. Now then, the electrical barrier is only really used by their warriors as it is a means of attacking underwater as well as being a shield they use to protect themselves, yet it takes them many years to be able to master it because it is quite the magic consumption.

In case you don't know what that means, in Hyrule, magic doesn't just happen like that without incident. It takes a lot of power, and when it does get used, one's own magic power is consumed until they eventually run out of it. Then they need to go around and restore their magic so that they can continue to use it again," said Spike.

" I've never had to do anything like that," I said.

" That's because your magic isn't native to this world, and follows its own guidelines. What Princess Ruto did most likely didn't consume her magic power, and she appears to be in possession of quite a lot which isn't normal by any stretch of the imagination," said Spike.

" Is it possible that she could be the Sage of the Water Temple?" I asked.

" Quite the bold statement you made there, but I'm inclined to agree as the signs do appear to suggest that. However, we should keep that little secret to ourselves for the time being as we don't want to jump to the wrong conclusion, and I don't think she wants anymore pressure on her shoulders. In any case, we've been talking long enough, so let's get going. We should see what lies beyond that second gate because those monsters were guarding it for a reason, and why else would such a set-up even be used in the first place?

Better be prepared for anything just in case," replied Spike. Switching boots again, I swam up through this new opened gate and found myself in another small room which consisted of a small treasure chest. Upon climbing out of the water, and kicking the it open, I received a small key which had me thinking that this was going to be a repeat of the Fire Temple where keys were quite plentiful.

" I'm glad the princess mentioned about this hidden passageway as we could have missed this key," I said.

" Not necessarily missed it, but rather we'd be forced to come back here after realizing our progress had come to a halt, and that would be wasting precious time," said Spike. With the key tucked away in my pocket, I switched back to the Iron Boots and went back down underwater, and walked over to Rarity who had been waiting for me.

She did seem to be a little peeved over the fact that Spike and I had another private conversation without her involvement, but she ignored it and decided to just simply go back to the central chamber. It didn't take long for us to make it back to where the second location to change the water level was, but now the time had come for us to explore more of the second floor....if it wasn't for the fact that I had the urge to do some actual backtracking.

" Is something bothering you?" asked Rarity.

" While we should definitely explore these new rooms, there is something else that has gotten my attention. After I ran into you earlier in the temple and you wanted me to follow you up to the surface, I saw a cracked wall at the end of a small ledge which looked really suspicious, so I want to go back there and see what could be hiding behind that wall. I couldn't do anything before as bombs don't work underwater, and I believe that the water level has risen high enough to allow me to walk on that ledge while being on dry land," I replied.

" Do you expect me to believe that you want to go all the way back there just to confirm a suspicion?" asked Rarity.

" I take it that you think we should keep on going?" I asked.

" Not really as I am aware that some walls in the temple have certainly seen better days, and have fallen into a state of disrepair. It's an embarrassing thing to have to admit as we Zoras do pride ourselves on having the best that our tribe has to offer, but sometimes we do slip up a little and these unfortunate things happen.

My father has often said that we need to fix these unsightly blemishes because it makes the temple look less impressive, but I suppose that these cracked walls will prove to be beneficial to you. I'm not certain if anything is hiding behind these walls, but you should be able to see for yourself when you use a bomb," replied Rarity.

" Would you mind waiting here until I get back? This should only take me a couple of minutes to go there and come back again," I said.

" Actually, I want to come with you as there are some questions that I need to have answered, and you are the only one who can give them to me. At the same time, you have questions which only I can answer, so I figure we can talk about our respective concerns while we go back to where that cracked wall is," said Rarity.

" Are you sure about that?" I asked.

" Positive, and there will be no further arguing on the matter," replied Rarity as she began to push me along to give me the incentive to start walking. I wonder what kind of answers I can give her as I already told her about where I really come from, and that she possesses a weaker version of the Equestrian Magic that I have. Or maybe she has something else in mind, but what did she mean when she said that I have questions for her? Was there something she was keeping to herself that I wanted to know?

This felt rather perplexing as I switched over to the Iron Boots, and dropped down to the lower level of the temple as soon as I walked into the water. " You're thinking what kind of questions could I ask you, and before you say anything, they have nothing to do with your world or this power inside of me. What I want to know involves what happened on that day seven years ago."

Did she just ask me about what happened when I was sealed away? I thought Rarity would have known about that given how significant it was, but maybe she chose to tone it out or something out of fear because of what Ganondorf was going to do.

" I thought you knew what happened?" I asked.

" Everyone in Hyrule knows that Ganondorf came to power seven years ago when he claimed the Triforce, but what I want to know is how do you fit into all of this? You told me back then you were going to prevent him from entering the resting place of the golden power, and that's why you needed the Spiritual Stone of Water.

Most people believe that the reason this land has fallen into so much despair was because the Gerudo King was granted access by someone who wore green. That would be you I believe as I remember you used to wear green for whatever reason you may have had," replied Rarity.

" So the people believe that I am responsible for all this?" I asked.

" No, they don't know that it was you as all that was said was someone wearing green opened the way for Ganondorf," replied Rarity.

" I did open the entrance to the Sacred Realm, but it wasn't for him because that would have been a complete betrayal of Hyrule. The plan was to enter the realm and secure the Triforce using the Ocarina of Time and the spiritual stones, but I wasn't able to make it to the castle fast enough as the King was murdered by Ganondorf, and the princess was whisked away to safety by her attendant.

Once I was told what needed to be done through a message left behind by Zelda, I entered the Temple of Time, but the Evil King confronted me as he figured out that I was holding all of the keys. He was determined to enter by any means necessary, and I was the only one who could stop him," I said.

" You decided to face off against that man in combat? I won't deny your bravery, but you were clearly crazy to do so as he was known throughout the land as one of the strongest men around," said Rarity. If this was true then I wish that I had learned about that much sooner, as it would have given me the chance to simply not accept the destiny which had been placed onto my shoulders.

Then again, refusing would have labelled me as a coward who would prefer to save her own skin rather than countless lives who deserve to life. " Be thankful darling that you were able to survive against his power, but in the end it wasn't enough to stop him as he clearly banished you to the Sacred Realm."

" No, he never did anything of the sort," I said.

" Then what caused it?" asked Rarity.

" Ganondorf was more powerful than I could imagine, and he let me know this by beating me to within an inch of my life. Just when it looked like I was going to die, I lost control of my emotions and I transformed into a more powerful form where I managed to impale him with the Master Sword as though it were guiding my actions. Unfortunately, this is what he wanted for the sword deemed me unworthy to be the Hero of Time, so my spirit was sealed away into the Sacred Realm.

From there, you know the rest of the story as to how Hyrule became the way it is," I replied. It felt uncomfortable having to retell my experiences of what happened back then, but I suppose that it was necessary as keeping it bottled up only makes it more painful. As we were walking back to the room where I first met Rarity, she looked as though she had been thinking about something, and I was afraid of what she was going to say, but I had a feeling that it was going to involve my transformation.

" Did you say that you transformed?" asked Rarity. I knew that's what she was thinking, and I was hoping that it wasn't going to be about that. She then had a look in her eye which was screaming that she wanted to know more about it, but how could I explain to her not only why I transform, but also what I get from it when it happens.

" It's something I don't like to talk about," I said.

" That's fair enough as some things are best kept a secret to protect others," said Rarity. It felt like I had just dodged a major situation with her not wanting to know more, but I was relieved as my transformation is the last thing I want to think about what with the she-demon being the priority for me. Once we arrived back in the room, I switched boots and floated upwards to the surface, and as I suspected the water level was high enough to reach the ledge and allow for the use of bombs.

Taking out the Bomb Bag that hung onto my pouch, and pulling out a single bomb, I walked over to the wall, placed it down next to it, and walked back with the bomb exploding a few seconds later. Behind the now destroyed wall was a secret room which contained a small treasure chest, and when I kicked it open, it produced yet another small key.

Whoever hid all of these keys must have been a real genius for using such out of the way, and inconspicuous locations. With this next key in hand, we began to head back to the central chamber once again which meant having to walk underwater, and by this time I was starting to get used to it, but Rarity was looking at me constantly as though she was expecting me to say something. " Well? I've heard your answers to my question, so I think it's high time for the reverse to happen."

" What would I want to know about?" I asked.

" Regarding how Zora's Domain became the way it is," replied Rarity.

" Yeah, that has been on my mind given that I've been told what happened to the other regions of Hyrule," I said.

" Then I shall tell you how it all happened. I remember that day seven years ago when Ganondorf suddenly took over by conquering the castle in a matter of days, and by himself which I am sure you are well aware of. When news of what happened reached my father, he was shocked in that what you said would come to pass, and I couldn't believe it either although deep down I had a feeling of dread.

As you recall, my father refused to give him the spiritual stone, so deep down he knew that our people were going to be punished in some way. During the first year of his reign, Ganondorf destroyed the castle, and built his own fortress in its place as his way of saying that Hyrule was now his domain," said Rarity.

" I haven't seen his castle yet," I said.

" Gasp! If that's the case then I hope that your emotional state can handle it, for believe me when I say that your heart will shatter to pieces several times over when you witness it for yourself. Yes, the leaders of the tribes were commanded to witness his castle with their own eyes, and I was among them due to being the daughter of King Zora. He calls it, "Ganon's Castle", and whenever I recall what it looked like, it gives me nightmares to no end as the darkness that flows about the top of the tallest tower is beyond frightening.

When my father discovered that the Water Temple had become corrupted, he commanded Lord Jabu-Jabu to flee Zora's Fountain, and seek refuge in a Zora colony somewhere in the southern seas, but the patron deity was the only one who managed to escape before the cold winds started to blow.

The evil coming from the temple started to drain the water from Lake Hylia which began as a slow process, but it soon escalated quickly where the water drained at a rapid pace. No one was able to stop this from happening as the evil was simply too strong to be contained, and when the snow came....well....we weren't prepared," said Rarity.

" What happened next?" I asked.

" Whether you know it or not, we Zoras prefer to live in a moderate climate that is neither too hot nor too cold, but the snow made things colder, and we were suffering as it was a condition that our bodies couldn't adjust to. As the temperature dropped and the falling snow turned into ice, my father tried in vain to gather up as many of us as he could, and seek out a warmer climate for us to inhabit, but it was too late for my people slowly began to succumb.

The snow just wouldn't stop falling, and as a result we were all trapped underneath the ice which formed. Being trapped for so long felt like we had been frozen in some kind of suspended animation, and that all life surrounding us had come to a stop. No one came to see what had become of us as the temperature was far too cold for anyone to make such an attempt, yet the woman named Sheik somehow managed to survive the intense cold to free me," replied Rarity.

" From there you came here to the Water Temple in order to save your people," I said.

" So now you know the entire story as to what has befallen my home, and even now I continue to think about my people who remain trapped. They are unable to do anything except wait for their eventual demise unless something is done about that curse. I tried to make some progress in the temple, but I was completely stuck until you came along which I'll admit was pretty good timing," said Rarity. And here I thought that my struggles were pretty bad, yet she has had it just as bad if not even worse because of what Ganondorf has done.

Deep down, I did feel partially responsible for the plight of Hyrule as I did open the entrance to the Sacred Realm which enabled him to claim the Triforce, but now I've been given a chance to fix things and I intend on doing just that. A couple of minutes passed, and we were back in the central chamber with the intent on finally exploring the passageways which were now available.

" Which way do you think we should go Spike?" I asked.

" One way is definitely out of the question, and that's the southern route as it is has a gate blocking the way with a Hookshot plate behind it. For some reason, the plate is far away which has me suspect that the Hookshot as it is right now won't be able to reach it. There's probably a switch that will open the gate when activated, but I can see it only remaining open for a few seconds.

We do have a few small keys to use now, so the locked door to the west is a viable option, and finally we have a passageway which goes to the east," replied Spike.

" The locked door is rather tempting right now, but I am leaning towards the eastern route as I am hoping it will lead us to the location of the Compass. I'm actually getting tired of walking around in here without a true sense of direction, and the compass will surely relieve us of that little frustration," I said.

" Why don't we take another look at the map just to be sure as to where we're going," suggested Spike. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Dungeon Map, and started to look over the second floor of the temple in order to see where each direction lead. Aside from the southern path, the remaining paths all came to dead-ends rather abruptly, but then Spike revealed that they connect to rooms on the next floor. " I'd say that the east path will lead us to the compass as it goes to a dead-end."

" You think it's too obvious a location to hide it?" I asked.

" Most people don't really view a compass as being all that important as they only care about the map and the treasure when it comes to exploring anywhere, so whoever hid the compass probably felt the same way and opted to hide it in a location which few would never consider checking out. Considering how two small keys were hidden in such secretive locations, I wouldn't be surprised if we find more treasure chests like that," replied Spike.

It sounded to me that he wanted to go to the east as well, so I asked him and confirmed that he agreed with my decision as the compass would be invaluable. I had to think for a moment as to determine which way was east, so I told Rarity which way we were going, and she was fine with it so long as it would lead to something useful and not a waste of time. Jumping over the water to the other side, and entering the passage to the east where it immediately turned to the left and continued on for quite a distance before turning to the right.

" I can hear the faint sound of water coming from around the corner," I said.

" That's quite the hearing you have," commented Spike.

" Why thank you," I smiled. As we went around the next corner, I came to a stop due to there being a row of spikes in front of us, and another row on the ceiling which was slightly in front of the other row. A lone Hookshot plate was on the wall with a small ledge below it, and I could just barely make out the top of a geyser of water which was what I heard just a moment ago.

When I asked Rarity to wait here while I see what was in the room above, this time she agreed which felt rather awkward at first, but I can imagine why she would refuse as I wouldn't want to end up being poked to pieces by those spikes. " There must be another plate somewhere as the one on the wall in front of us can't be the only one in this area."

" The edge above the plate is too high for you to reach, but perhaps there is another target for the Hookshot which we can't see because of how the ceiling down here is shaped thanks to those spikes above us. Make your way onto that ledge and maybe look around to see if you can find another plate," suggested Spike. Taking out the Hookshot and aiming at the plate was easy enough, but as soon as I pulled myself onto the platform, I couldn't see another one on the opposite wall.

Then I decided to take a look at the ceiling of the room above. Sure enough, there were two plates although why would there be two when one is more than enough? " You'll need to pull yourself up using the plate that's the closest to the wall up there as latching onto the other one will send you up, and then down onto the spikes below." With that in mind, I aimed again and pulled myself up to the top where I landed in a small room which featured a crystal switch in one corner, and the geyser which was covering up a big treasure chest.

" No doubt that the switch will cause the geyser to recede for a while to allow us access to the chest," I said.

" I have a hunch that you'll only have a few seconds before the water rises back to its original position," said Spike.

" So what do you suggest?" I asked.

" You should get as close as you can to the geyser, and hit the crystal switch using an arrow which will give you enough time to open the chest," replied Spike. It did sound simple enough, and for once it didn't involve having to make a mad dash, so I put the Hookshot away and took out the Fairy Bow where I immediately aimed for the switch. The distance wasn't as far away as I thought, so I could easily hit the target with just one arrow right? I ended up having to use three arrows which caused the geyser to recede giving me mere seconds to open the treasure chest, and inside was the Compass which is exactly what I needed.

" Now we can tell which way we're going so progression should be easier," I said.

" Looks like we have more chests lying around all over the temple given how big it is, but there is one chest right there in the room beyond the one where we have determined the she-demon is currently located," said Spike.

" Do you think she is guarding something important?" I asked.

" If she is then I doubt she's aware of it as her concern is focused mainly on you, but it does mean that defeating her just became even more important," replied Spike. As I started to make my way back down to Ruto, and proceeding to where that locked door was, I wondered if the she-demon had figured out she was merely an obstacle meant to serve Ganondorf's whims.

" Why is she taking her sweet time to get here?"

" You appear to be showings signs of frustration because the kid is merely doing what all adventurers like her are committed to doing."

" If only you had placed me a lot closer to the entrance....of this temple, I could have taken her down by now, and both of us would have received....what we want. But, you decided to have me wait here which I feel was a stupid....mistake on your part, but at the same time I will admit that it....was brilliant as this room is large enough for me to flex my power."

" So you have decided to follow my commands without question?"

" If I want to stay alive as well as keep the power....you have given me, I have no alternative but to obey you Ganondorf. Besides, I've been doing some thinking since our last conversation, and I want....to know what lies beyond this room."

" Behind this room is a small chamber which houses a powerful tool that the kid desires to have, and she will come all the way to you because she knows that she needs it. In order for her to claim it, she must overcome you she-demon, and for that you have another incentive when it comes to doing battle against her. You shall be acting as a guardian whose purpose is to guard the treasure that she desires, and you will make certain that she never claims it," said Tirek.

" So I am protecting something of great value....though she has no idea what that item is? I can live with that to be honest as it will be....enjoyable to see her fail when her existence is....brought to an end by my hands. By the way, you said before that she could be one of the chosen, yet....such a thing doesn't make sense to me. Maybe you could give me some....sort of idea because I don't want to end....up making a mistake," said Sunset Demon.

" All you need to know is that you must stop her," said Tirek.

" Not even a tiny....little hint?" asked Sunset Demon.

" If the kid turns out to be one of the chosen, then she must defeat you in battle. Should you choose to defy me then you shall be destroyed as I mentioned to you before, so you would be wise to remember that and show restraint. If it is determined that she is not one of the chosen, then she will no longer serve any purpose to me, and you can do whatever you wish without holding back," replied Tirek.

" Okay, I get what you're saying, and I will obey your command....by holding back until you have decided," said Sunset Demon.

" What are you planning?" asked Tirek.

" Me? How could I be doing anything like that when you clearly....are superior to me in every way, and it's because of you that....I have this wonderful power. You have even chosen to place a barrier in this room that prevents....both her and me from leaving once she arrives, so there is no....need to think that I am going to betray you.

If I were to backstab on one thing, it would be because you didn't....bother to fix this speech impediment where I am....not able to speak complete sentences without having....to pause every now and then," replied Sunset Demon.

" It will be fixed when she arrives," said Tirek.

" Then I am all set to face her although I....do wish that she would hurry up as all of this waiting is....boring me. If I may speak so freely here, I don't see how she could be....someone who is of great interest to you as....I know her better than anyone, and she isn't what I would call someone of....having a great destiny. She used to have it all when she was....me, and had ultimate power in the palm of her hand.

Then she had to throw....it away because she was defeated by friendship, and that....defeat also became my defeat. Because of your rise to power in this world, and....corrupting the graveyard, I was given a second....chance when I was reborn again as a mere shadow being devoid....of anything," said Sunset Demon.

" Which means that your life now belongs to me wretch, for it was my power which brought you back from the beyond. Now, I shall leave you for she will arrive very soon, and remember that the sword hangs above your head with its blade close to you to serve as a reminder of what your purpose is. Pray that the sword does not cleave your head off of your shoulders, but perhaps it may end up happening anyway depending on how I deem you to be of use to me," said Tirek.

" He thinks I am going to betray him, and that's....exactly what I want him to believe. He isn't aware of the true reason which remains close....to me, and I shall enact upon it so as to avoid being destroyed. Sunset Shimmer....I am so hoping that you aren't one of these chosen....as he calls you, for that would mean getting to kill you, and taking what....is rightfully mine.

If you are one of them then that means you must....live, and that is just not an option for me despite what....he says. It's a good thing that the Equestrian Magic within me combined....with what I acquired from the Element of Magic will allow me to continue....on even when I am brought down not just by your hand, but....by his." Sunset Demon said to herself.

The locked door featured a block in front of it although I recognized it as the one that I climbed up earlier in order to push the other block through the passageway. I looked up and saw another locked door right above, and to open it required finding the third and final location where I can change the water level. Unlocking the current door in front of me and opening it up lead us into a room where a crystal switch was to the right, and to the left was a geyser which was situated below a hole in the ceiling.

" If you activate this switch then the geyser is going to rise up allowing us access to the room above, but it looks like you need to stand on it in order to go up otherwise you'll just get pushed back," said Spike.

" I think Princess Ruto should go up first as she doesn't have anything to strike the switch with from a distance," I suggested.

" That's a good idea as you can easily fire an arrow or even use the Hookshot as the geyser is pretty close to the switch. Of course, we do need to take into account that a monster or two could be waiting above, and the princess would be in danger," said Spike.

" She can easily take care of herself as she isn't as weak as you make her out to be," I said.

" Maybe you can get close to the geyser and look upward to see if anything is up there," suggested Spike. He really was concerned for her safety which makes sense given how in the human world he does have an affection towards Rarity, so I chose to take a look to calm his nerves, but the instant I got close, something jumped down from above and knocked me off my feet where I landed on my rear.

A Blue Tektite had managed to get the jump on me, and had waited for one of us to attempt to reach the room above. Without even thinking about it, I took out the Megaton Hammer and smashed it into the ground which caused the Blue Tektite to flip over onto its back, and from there I proceeded to smash it over and over until it was defeated. " I knew there had to be something up there given that this puzzle is an easy one. I can't hear any other monsters, so it's safe to move up to the next room."

" Would you please stand on the geyser your highness?" I asked.

" Very well, but be sure to follow along as soon as I have reached the top," replied Rarity as she stepped onto the geyser and awaited for me to strike the switch which I did, and it rose up carrying her to the next room before dropping back down again once the timer had run out. Then it was my turn to use it, and once I put my hammer away, I took out the bow again and fired an arrow which actually hit the target on the first try for once.

I was either starting to get better, or it was just a lucky shot, but either way, the geyser rose up and brought me into the next room which had nothing apart from a door. The room on the other side of the door turned out to the central chamber again, but this time we were on an alcove which was well out of reach as well as hidden from view, and Rarity pointed to that which we were looking for.

" And here we have the final location where the water level can be changed, so that means you now have access to all three. Now, when you play the song of the royal family in front of the Triforce panel on the wall here, the water will rise back up to where it was when you first entered the temple, so essentially you will have come full circle."

" There's something else I want to ask you," I began.

" What is it?" asked Rarity.

" Would you happen to know if somewhere inside of the Water Temple is some kind of item which looks like this?" I asked as I took out the Hookshot in order to show her what it looked like. " The fact that there are so many plates all over the temple is no coincidence, so I was wondering if you knew anything about it given that you are the Princess of the Zoras after all."

" When I was small, during a previous visit to the temple, one of the greatest heroes of the Zora Tribe as a whole throughout the world visited our tribe here in Hyrule to pay his respects to my father, and also to visit the temple for he had decided to finally retire as the heroic lifestyle he had been living had finally worn him down. As a sign of respect to him courtesy of my father, the Zora hero was permitted to seal away a weapon which he had used for many years somewhere deep in the temple, and it was never to be used until the time came when a new hero would emerge," said Rarity.

" What kind of weapon was it?" I asked.

" I couldn't really tell as I only ever saw it once, but it did bear a resemblance to that Hookshot of yours. I suppose that you will go and claim the weapon as your own, and that is fine for you are meant to have it as you are the new hero. If I recall correctly as to the location of the chest containing the Zora hero's weapon, it is in the northwest corner of the temple. In fact, it is behind the room where that evil version of yourself is waiting," replied Rarity.

Without any hesitation, I took out the Ocarina of Time and played Twilight's Lullaby which raised the water level up to its highest point, and the block from below rose up to give us access to the locked door on the third floor. As soon as the water had finished rising, I jumped from the alcove and into the water which prompted Rarity to follow with a concerned look on her face.

" We need to get to that room where the treasure is," I said.

" That involves having to go up against that evil version of yourself," said Rarity.

" It was an inevitability which was going to happen no matter how hard I tried to move on from it. I always knew that the she-demon I once became would refuse to die, and instead desire to assume my life in the name of revenge. I'd rather not go through with this as I am afraid of my dark side more than I was when I was staring down against Ganondorf seven years ago, but there is no other choice as I need that treasure in order to destroy the curse that plagues your home," I said.

" Then I guess we must continue on and face the danger that awaits," said Rarity. Climbing onto the raised block thanks to the change in water level, I unlocked the next door and enter a long corridor which opened up into a large room further along.

" Is that some kind of waterfall up ahead?" I asked.

" That does appear to be the case although it's not unheard of in the temple," replied Rarity. As we walked forward to get a closer look at what was in front of us, there was indeed a waterfall where platforms with Hookshot plates on the front of them were flowing down into a bottomless pit.

Another platform was below us which had me suspect we had to jump down to it and then find some way of getting across. On the other side at the top of the waterfall was another plate with a passageway beyond that which lead up to another locked door, so it looks as though we won't be backtracking for the time being. " How do you intend on getting us across darling?"

" Good question, but I think I'm getting the idea as to what the answer is going to be. Those moving platforms are obviously our means of climbing up to the ledge on the far side of the room, and the Hookshot is needed to latch onto each platform and move our way up. We don't want to end up falling into that deep pit below, so we must move up quickly, and get close enough to the one target which we need to latch onto," I replied.

" Very impressive that you figured that out on your own," said Rarity.

" I wish that the Hookshot wasn't so restrictive otherwise we could just skip over the entire waterfall climbing section of this room, but we have no choice but to do this the hard way. I'm hoping that you don't mind holding onto me because we'll be making our way to the other side together as we don't have any other means of getting across. So, I want you to grab around my waist and hold on as tight as you can, for we're about to do this in about a few moments just as soon as I get the Hookshot out," I said.

Deep in my mind, I hope that Rarity doesn't think of this as me coming onto her as clearly I don't think along those lines at all, but this was our only choice in the matter. Taking a deep breath, I jumped down to the platform below with the screams of Rarity echoing through my ears which wasn't exactly pleasant. " Did you have to go and do that especially when my ears are so close to your mouth?"

" Sorry about that as I was caught up in the moment," replied Rarity.

" Now comes the hard part which is climbing up this waterfall one platform at a time, but I'm hoping that my aim has gotten better otherwise we'll be taking a plunge which is something I'd rather not experience ever," I said.

" What about the bats?" asked Rarity.

" Bats?" I asked.

" There are several bats flying around above us, and they look as though they want to attack us to drink on our blood," replied Rarity.

" Those are Keese and that's not what they are capable of doing although that would be really bad, but this does make things even more complicated for if they attack while we're moving up, it could knock us off of a platform and result in our deaths. We're going to get beaten up a little, so we'll have to grin and bear it until we get to the top, and then I can take care of our bat infestation," I said.

As the Keese swooped down and slammed into both of us, Rarity once again screamed which was typical of her, but I simply gritted my teeth and fired the Hookshot at the closest falling platform, and up we went before I had to aim again. This was a true test of concentration which wasn't easy given that I had a princess screaming in my ears, and bats attacking us every few seconds. What was perhaps the funny part, was the fact I was using the Hookshot perfectly as though I had been using it for years.

Could it be that when under intense pressure but not enough to make me lose it, I am capable of using my items without constantly messing up? I had no time to prove this theory as I needed to get up to the top if only to stop Rarity from screaming. Each time we made it up to another platform, the Keese attacked with my screaming passenger bearing most of the hits as she was serving as an unfortunate shield, but that meant I needed to hustle even more.

" Are we at the top yet!?!?" screamed Rarity.

" As a matter of fact, yes," I said which surprised even me until I noticed that we had indeed made it up to the top. I guess I was so fixated on making it up here that I didn't even notice that we made it. Rarity then released her grip around my waist and crumpled to the ground, and I decided to destroy the Keese using the Hookshot as I didn't have enough time to switch to the Fairy Bow.

It did feel weird aiming at monsters with it, but Spike was there to guide me as I picked off each one until we were safe. " You were right about the Hookshot being useful as a weapon which does make sense now that I think about it as the Zora hero must have used his version in the same manner."

" That was just ghastly to no end," moaned Rarity.

" I'm sorry that you had to be attacked several times as we climbed up, but there was no other way we could have done it without you staying behind while I continued on. There was no way I planned on leaving you anyway as that would have been unfair to you," I said.

" While I do appreciate your honesty with me Sunset Shimmer, I am simply shocked that those awful creatures were attacking me more than they were attacking you as you're the adventurer here. But, I will not allow it to slow me down, and I must not whine and complain for a future queen who does that would be viewed as being weak and unworthy to rule," said Rarity.

" You also need to tone down on the screaming," I said.

" I do apologize for doing that as I wasn't expecting those monsters to hit so hard, but I do understand that this is what you have to put up with, so you have my earnest respect, for doing what you do takes a lot of training to be able to handle the pressure," said Rarity.

" Actually, I've been winging it for the most part," I said sheepishly.

" Really now? Well, like you said before, you're not the kind of hero people think you are, but then the most unlikely of heroes can end up being the best ones. Most who decide to become heroes and fight evil do so to acquire fame and fortune, yet they are nothing more than braggarts who claimed to have done so many wonderful feats.

I doubt that they are able to back up what they claim, yet you are different from them. You do this sort of thing because you have no choice, and while it sounds rather distressing, it isn't because you are more realistic than those who came before you," smiled Rarity.

" You really think I'm a true hero?" I asked.

" A true hero who happens to have a unique perspective and manner with which she handles herself," replied Rarity. Those words actually made me feel pretty good inside of my heart, and I never really thought of myself as being a different kind of hero. Confidence was starting to swell up from within, and with that in mind I walked over to the door and unlocked it with the remaining small key that I had.

This next room featured statues although to be more precise, the heads of statues with water below in a rather shallow pool. There was a ledge that was simply too high to reach, and in the center of the room was another crystal switch, but this switch looked as though it had already been activated.

" What do you make of it Spike?" I asked.

" This room operates differently when it comes to the water, for it's separate from what has been filling back up into the temple. That switch over there must raise and lower the water level, but I'm not sure what those statues are for, so give me a second to figure out what we have to work with. I see a few Hookshot plates on the walls, so it looks like you'll need to pull yourself across, so how does the switch factor into all of this....hmmmm....I think I may have the solution, but I need you to do something first Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike.

" What's that?" I asked.

" I need you to hit the switch with the Hookshot or any ranged attack," replied Spike. Since he did say any ranged attack, this was a good time to finally use my fire magic which has been useless so far in the temple. When I struck the switch, the colour inside of it changed from blue to red, and I could hear the sound of something rising from the ground apart from the water.

" As I thought, the switch not only raises the water level, but also the statues which have their own Hookshot plates on. You'll need to navigate your way around the edge of the room by hitting the switch at the right times in and use those statues to pull you around, and even climb on them in some cases. That one statue over there that's below the ledge is the one we need to get to as it will allow us to reach up, and progress to the next room....which is where the she-demon is located."

" So we're literally on her front doorstep?" I asked.

" There's no turning back now, so we need to continue on despite what lies beyond this room," replied Spike.

" Princess Ruto, you'll need to grab onto me again as we make our way around this puzzle, but this time we're not under any kind of pressure, and we're not going to be attacked several times over like we were in the last room," I said.

" You just have to watch out for those three Blue Tektites skimming on the surface of the water. Right now, they won't bother us as long as we don't attack them, but they may react if we get too close to their territory as you know how protective they are. Considering that the water level rises and lowers along with the statues, those Blue Tektites will only be a problem when the water is raised, so do keep that in mind when moving around," said Spike.

Looking down at the water, I saw them just floating there on the surface waiting for the opportunity to attack, so I knew that I needed to keep as far away as possible to protect Rarity who wrapped her arms around my waist again. I aimed the Hookshot at the plate on the statue and pulled ourselves over to the next ledge where we were stuck with a second statue blocking the way forward.

" If we pull ourselves across using the plate on the statue, we'll just end up falling into the water, and the plate on the wall will do us no good as the statue is too tall for us to climb over it," I said.

" Why not hit the switch again and lower the statues back down like I suggested? That way we can get to the ledge on the other side, and climb over the statue to proceed. Remember that the Blue Tektites are watching our every move, so be careful not to draw their attention," said Spike. Hitting the switch caused the statues and water to lower which allowed us to cross to the other side, and onto the next part which involved having to hit the switch again in order to raise the one statue that serves as our way out of this room.

" A shame that I can't just simply stun them with a Deku Nut," I groaned.

" Any attack will just make them pursue us, and we can't afford to have the princess be placed into harm's way again. No, the best thing you can do is simply ignore them and focus on getting through this room," said Spike. Even though he was right, I did want to slow them down just in case something goes wrong, but I suppose hitting them would count as doing something wrong anyway.

The puzzle actually turned out to be a lot easier from this point onward as all I had to do really was hit the switch three more times to raise the statue and pull ourselves over to the ledge it was on, lower it again to climb onto it, and raise it to reach the ledge. When we made it to the top, Rarity let go of me again before she pointed which made me suspect that something was in front of us, and it turns out to be the one monster which I didn't want to see again.

" Not that thing again!" I moaned.

" A Like-Like which like I said back in the Fire Temple, is going to be a monster which we'll be seeing from now on. I do find it strange that there would be one here of all places as they prefer the darkness, but then again that doesn't make sense given what we saw in the previous temple. This Like-Like appears to be stuck as that bed of giant spikes is stopping it from getting any closer to us, so you're free to deal with it however you so desire," said Spike.

" While my fire magic would be the best way to get rid of this abomination, I think I'll go with the Fairy Bow as I need to get better with shooting," I said.

" Be glad that you didn't go with the Hookshot," began Spike.

" Why? Is it a better alternative?" I asked.

" Using it against a Like-Like will cause it to get stunned for a few moments as it's too bulky to simply get destroyed by it, but by latching onto its flesh, you get pulled right into it after the paralysis takes effect. You know what happens when you get caught by a Like-Like, so I don't feel the need to repeat myself," replied Spike.

Taking out the Fairy Bow and aiming at the monster, I fired an arrow which connected, so I followed up with a second which destroyed it and when it flattened itself out before disappearing, it left behind several red rupees. I had more important things on my mind than collect rupees, so once more I asked Rarity to hold on tight because the next Hookshot plate was on the ceiling right above where the Like-Like was. She wrapped her arms around me, and I fired at the plate pulling us up and over the spikes before landing in front of the door.

" Can you feel the evil coming from beyond the door?" I asked.

" I have never felt anything this powerful before with the exception of Ganondorf. I would completely understand if you would prefer that I stay behind while you go through and confront the dark version of yourself, for this is something that you must accomplish on your own. Knowing me, I would merely be getting in your way," replied Rarity.

" No, I need you by my side as you're my friend, and the mission of saving your people is your burden," I said.

" Yes, my people need me to free them with your help of course as you are the legendary hero," said Rarity. With that out of the way, I opened the door where it sealed itself shut behind us with iron bars, but what I was staring at defied all logic. The entire room was slightly flooded with water which ran up to our ankles, but that was the least of our problems as there was a small island in the centre of the room with a dead tree on it.

There were also some broken pieces of stone structure scattered across the room, but the weirdest thing was that there were no walls to be had meaning that basically this room carries on forever into the distance. Way off in the distance was what appeared to be a piece of décor common in the Water Temple, and at its base was another door which was sealed shut with iron bars.

" What in the wide world of Equestria is up with this room?" I asked.

" I have no idea as this is something I have never seen before during all of my previous visits to the temple, but I am sensing a powerful magical force at work here which could explain what we're seeing. We should be careful as we are now trapped inside of this room, and the she-demon is somewhere in here with us. I think that dead tree on that small island is something we should take a closer look at because there is not much else for us to do," replied Rarity.

As we made our way over to the island, I also noticed that our reflections could be seen in the water which was pretty cool, but also creepy that we could see them here but in no other room where water was featured. The dead tree on the island was exactly that, yet it made me feel really uneasy as it was just so out of place with the rest of the room.

" I don't see anything out of the ordinary," I commented.

" I could have sworn that this tree would have some kind of secret to it, but it looks like an ordinary dead tree which isn't really the most pleasant thing. Well, we could see about that door in front of us even though we can tell from here that it's locked," said Rarity. We took several steps forward before she came to a sudden stop, and told me to do the exact same which had me wondering what was wrong.

" Don't look now Sunset Shimmer, but your reflection has just disappeared when we stepped off of that island." I looked down at the water, and sure enough my reflection was gone as though it vanished without a trace. Rarity still had her reflection in the water, so what was going on with me?

" Sunset Shimmer," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" You might want to turn around and look at what or who is standing in front of that dead tree," replied Spike. He had a strong fear in his voice which made me feel like not wanting to take a look, but I had to because I had to face this fear head-on, so I slowly turned around and standing there was the she-demon herself, or as she called herself, Sunset Demon. At first she looked like a shadow what with lacking any kind of features, but this quickly changed as the colour returned to her body, and she became the very thing that I once was.

Was this what I looked like when I was facing off against my future friends at the conclusion of the Fall Formal? I knew that I had become a wicked creature, but I never imagined that I would be looking right back at it.

" You've kept me waiting for a long time Sunset Shimmer, but at long last we can finally settle things between us. If you had arrived mere moments later, I would have simply ripped you pieces for making me wait, and yet you made it here just in time. Oh? Are you surprised that not only have I received my colour back, but also being able to speak properly? I suppose thanks are in order for the benefactor who made all of this possible, for it was through his power that I have been restored," said Sunset Demon.

" So you ended up selling your soul to Ganondorf?" I asked.

" Me? Selling my soul? Ha! You know as well as I that I lack something so weak, so no I didn't do anything like that. Granted, I had no other choice but to turn to him to become stronger, and it does mean he has become my master. However, I can overlook that fact because he saw my potential, and decided to use me as a means of finally doing away with you," replied Sunset Demon.

Her eyes then began to glow bright red and this resulted in the dead tree being reduced to nothing but ashes, yet it was the aura I sensed which had me worried. " That was just a tiny sample of the power that I have been given, and what you should have kept back in the human world when you had it all for that one moment."

" That's because I was blinded by the pursuit of power and consumed with rage for wanting to get back at Princess Celestia for denying me what I believed was my destiny, but I realized that I was just ignorant and immature. Celestia knew that I was going through a difficult time, and she wanted me to remain on the right path, yet I chose not to and look what happened," I said.

" You went off on your own and achieved greatness," said Sunset Demon.

" And that was the mistake I made," I said.

" It was never a mistake!" shouted Sunset Demon as she burst into flames which caused the temperature to increase for a brief moment, and fireballs shot off from her body and fizzled in the water before she looked down at the ground as her fiery form cooled and became normal again. " You had so much power in your hands my dear other half that no one could stand in your way, and you made all of the rules which is what you desired.

Princess Celestia denied you the right to become a Princess of Equestria because she feared the power that you were capable of, and instead she gave that power to the one person who deserves it least of all....Twilight Sparkle." Sunset Demon then raised her head and I could see a twisted smile across her face which made me cringe because of how hideous she looked. " That girl had nothing and was at your mercy because you had everything, yet she ended up defeating you using the power of....ugh....friendship."

" Not a day goes by that I'm grateful to her for that," I said.

" Because you decided to accept friendship, I ceased to be and became trapped in an eternal state of limbo. Then when this world came into existence as a result of an even greater power, I found myself sealed away underneath a graveyard where I remained for seven years. When you went underground to claim that Hookshot of yours, I was able to latch onto your power long enough for me to awaken from my slumber, but I was so weak that I couldn't confront you until I was stronger," said Sunset Demon.

" You gained enough power that you went to confront me in the Death Mountain Crater, but your arrogance caused you to end up taking a plunge into the lava where I saw your body dissolve. Guess the Evil King had other plans which is why we're standing face-to-face against one another. The way I look at you right now, you're just another one of his servants," I said.

" How dare you!" shouted Sunset Demon.

" It's the truth because you pretty much hinted at it, and it was obvious that would be the case. Listen, we don't need to fight in order to resolve our differences. I chose to embrace my new friends, and becoming a much better person for it. You on the other hand are just a phantom of my past who continues to torment me because of what I used to be, but you no longer need to exist as I have no desire to ever go back to the old days," I said.

Having said my peace on the matter, I turned around and began to walk towards the door, but I was brought to a stop by a huge burst of flame. Turning around, Sunset Demon was enraged again, and she looked as though she was about to explode in a fit of rage.

" Don't think you can just walk away, for you should know that this room will remain closed until one of us is no longer able to get up and breathe. In other words, you're mine and there's nothing you can do about it," said Sunset Demon.

" Are you that blind?" I asked.

" Before that Twilight Sparkle came into the picture, you had everything you could have wanted, and when you used the Element of Magic to change into me, you were able to achieve ultimate power. I realize now that you were much too weak to wield such power, so I intend on making sure things will be different. Once I have killed you, and taken your place as the one true Sunset Shimmer, I'll be able to regain the power that I lost and my name will go down as being one that's feared by all," replied Sunset Demon.

She then calmed herself down and her fiery aura disappeared, but then she began to form fireballs in her hands and they grew in size until they were the size of medicine balls. The she-demon started to laugh like a lunatic as she struggled to maintain her composure. " This is going to be so satisfying for I've waited a long time to be able to get my hands on you, and know that to move on with your pathetic quest, you have to defeat me."

" Is there no other way?" I asked.

" None, so now the time for talk is over," replied Sunset Demon.

" Alright, I'll fight you," I said. I then tilted my head back and forth several times to indicate to Rarity that she needed to stand back and allow me to handle this problem, and she nodded her approval and began to step away. Sunset Demon noticed what she was doing, and her eyes glowed before she screamed and fired beams from them which struck Rarity and sent her into the back wall next to the door where she was trapped. " Gasp! What do you think you're doing?"

" I'm aware that she has nothing to do with this, but she shouldn't be here as the invitation was just for you. For the time being, she will be safe over there out of my way, but when I am finished with you, I suppose that I will need something else to occupy my time. This princess will keep me busy for a while, yet in the end she will become useless which is when she will have to die.

It's rather ironic as back in the human world, we never had such tendencies, but in this world the urge to commit bloodlust is too good an opportunity to pass up on. Yes, I'll have my fun before getting rid of her once I've become bored," said Sunset Demon. She then started to laugh which made me feel so much rage deep inside of me, but I knew that I couldn't allow her to get to me as that would mean losing control of my emotions and transforming.

Instead, I decided to take advantage of her laughing and used my fire magic, yet she quickly saw what I was doing and countered by throwing those two fireballs. " At long last we can finally get this started, but I notice that you are carrying a lot of various items on your person which has me wondering just what you've been doing since you changed your life as you say."

" These are items which I've picked up on my journey, and I intend on using them against you," I said.

" I don't care what you use, for it all means nothing as this is where you will be killed," said Sunset Demon. That's when she fired beams from her hands which I dodged by jumping to the side, but she was able to hit me with a second blast before I was even able to land. She followed this up with additional beams which I back-flipped to avoid them, but when I landed she was right behind me, and when I stood back up she thrusted her head forward in order to speak into my ear.

" You have no clue as to how strong I really am do you? I guess that's to be expected seeing as you do lack the intellect, but I hope you don't make this too easy as I do want to be challenged for a while before finishing you off." I then tried to punch her in the face by focusing my magic into my hand, and using it as a fist. To my delight, I was able to punch her in the nose causing her to reel back before showing her face with a bleeding nose which she checked with her own hand, and that's when her expression turned to pure hatred.

" You! You would dare do this to the one who will make you become what you're meant to be!?!? Heh, I guess you would fight back, and that works for me as I don't want this to be lopsided as where would the fun be in that?" Sunset Demon then ran over to the island, and began to laugh again as she started to build more fire in her hands.

" Any ideas?" I asked.

" I have no idea as to what your actual strengths and weaknesses are from where you really come from, so all I can suggest to you is to conquer yourself. If you're worried about Princess Ruto, she only lost consciousness as that attack did catch her by surprise, and hitting against a wall doesn't make things any more pleasant. Remember that you have plenty of items at your disposal which you can use, but you do need to take into account her own abilities," replied Spike.

" Some are bound to be useless against her as she will likely avoid, and attack me in response for being too slow with them. I'd probably be more safer using my magic, but I think she is expecting me to use fire because that is my natural ability," I said.

" The Master Sword is an option you know," suggested Spike.

" I know and I will use it only as a last resort because of my lack of skills in the use of a blade," I said.

" Also, since this room is filled with water, you should be able to use your water magic to manipulate it to your will. I doubt she is aware that you've been given magical boosts courtesy of the Great Fairy, so use them to give her a surprise," said Spike. That's when I noticed that Sunset Demon had finished powering up those fireballs to massive proportions, and tossed both of them at me at the same time.

The first one I dodged by literally dropping into the water, but the second one changed direction slightly to aim downward, and it struck me so hard that I went flying into the air. After what felt like a few seconds, I landed in the water which managed to cushion my fall, but the she-demon dashed up to me, and used another massive fireball which did hurt me at first. Luckily, I was able to duck down just in time as the water fizzled out whatever remaining damage I would have taken.

" This is starting to get boring," said Sunset Demon.

" Oh, I have only just gotten started," I said.

" You may not understand it right now my other half, but I am hoping that you don't put up much resistance. If you do then you will no doubt be heading into a grave situation from which you may not survive. For my sake as well as your own, keep on fighting with me, but don't end up proving yourself," said Sunset Demon. Her words while confusing were also hinting at the possibility that she was trying to tell me something about this entire situation, and what Ganondorf had to do with it.

It sounded like he was testing me, yet the she-demon doesn't wish for me to pass. I wanted to think this through, but I had no time as she decided to charge right into me and knock me to the ground submerging me underwater in an attempt to drown me. " Oh I would love nothing more than to drown you and end it here and now, but other factors deny me such a pleasure." She then picked me up and tossed me aside where I got back onto my feet, but I did have a puzzled expression on my face due to what she said.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" It's nothing you need concern yourself with, so instead you can be concerned with this!" shouted Sunset Demon. She charged at me and in a quick reaction, I ended up getting stuck in a grappling position with her where each of us began to struggle in an attempt to overpower the other. I had to prevail in this little skirmish as the fate of this world hung in the balance as well as returning home.

Above all else, I had to avoid losing control of my emotions as that would be the last thing I need. " For a weak girl, you certainly have plenty of guts. Too bad that you decided not to pursue the path of power as you would have easily destroyed me by now, but instead you went with friendship which in my opinion was the worst decision you ever made in your entire life."

" Why are you holding back?" I asked.

" Me? Never!" shouted Sunset Demon.

" Don't try to lie to the one person who knows you better than anyone else! I can tell that you're holding back as I wouldn't have lasted this long against you, so I suspect you can't kill me because of Ganondorf holding some kind of control over you. If you were to end my life a lot sooner than what he is expecting, then your own life becomes forfeit. I mean, you spent all this time and had to endure so much just to get to this point, and you could easily throw it away all because your desire and his don't mesh together in any way," I said.

" SHUT UP!!!!" yelled Sunset Demon as she kicked me so hard in the stomach that I broke off the grapple, and collapsed to the ground in pain, but before I could react, I found myself being pushed into the water again. She was applying all of her strength to make sure that I don't get up, and was determined to drown me as a result of being consumed with rage. Hold on a second....why is she even trying this tactic anyway? Because of the Zora Tunic, I am able to breathe underwater, so I should be fine.

At least, that's what I believe this garment can do, so why am I struggling to breathe? Is it possible that her power is somehow negating the effects of my tunic? Then again, could it be Ganondorf's power at work whereby my ability to breathe underwater doesn't work as long as I remain in this bizarre room? Whatever was happening regarding this, it wasn't bothering the she-demon as she continued to apply the pressure, and my efforts of pulling through were looking mighty grim....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 38: End of the Darkness?

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 2, 2015
Chapter 38: End of the Darkness?

" While I'll admit that relying on such a primitive method to kill you is beneath most warriors, you just had to go and use that big mouth of yours to spout nonsense which you don't even believe now do you? I am no one's servant, Sunset Shimmer, as I am a free spirit who makes her own decisions in order to achieve my ultimate goal! Just relax and you will soon drift off into an eternal slumber when you drown, and once your soul has left your body, I shall take it for myself and become the real you," said Sunset Demon.

Truly, she had lost her mind which was to be expected given that she is willing to do everything to kill me. I struggled to break free and breath due to the evil force in this room negating the effects of my Zora Tunic, but her grip was much too strong for me to overcome. That's when I started to feel light-headed which was the sign that my spirit was beginning to leave my body.

" Yes, that's it....continue to lose yourself to the darkness! Just a few more moments, and soon it will be all over for you. At long last, the moment I have waited for is here, and the name of Sunset Shimmer will at last mean something."

" What are you doing!?!?"

" Huh? Oh, it's you Ganondorf. As you can see, I am taking matters into my own hands and deciding to kill her now. She'll be dead in a matter of moments, and then I can claim my prize of assuming her life. Now, unless you need me to do something else after this, just leave me alone and let me take care of business," replied Sunset Demon.

" She is not meant to be killed until I have determined whether she is one of the chosen," said Tirek.

" Clearly she isn't otherwise this would have lasted longer, so let me put an end to her feeble existence. I'll be able to regain my body and no longer have to use this useless husk of a substitute. Just a few more seconds, and then everything I've wanted will finally fall into my lap," said Sunset Demon. At that moment, her grip on me loosened and I was able to pop my head out of the water and breathe the air with heavy breaths as I was literally on the verge of death.

Ganondorf must have saved my life, but I knew that he had no intention of doing so as a means of making peace. The she-demon in the meantime was clutching onto her neck as though some unseen force was choking her to death just like what she was trying to do to me, and she definitely didn't like what was being done to her.

" What....do you think you're doing? I was just about to end her life, and you have the nerve to prevent me from killing her? Let me go at once so that I can finish the job before she has a chance to regain her composure."

" You were commanded to fight her until I had determined as to whether or not she was one of the chosen, and that meant not killing her until I had come to a decision. It seems that you have chosen to defy your master she-demon, and you remember what I said would happen if you disobeyed? Clearly, just taking back my power is not a suitable punishment, so instead I shall choke you to death just like what you were attempting to do to the kid. Your usefulness to me has reached its conclusion, so die quietly," said Tirek.

" No! You can't be serious about this?" asked Sunset Demon.

" When you had no choice but to turn to me for power, you gave away your freedom, your means of being able to make your own choices, the very nature of your being is to be a servant to and nothing more. Not only did you defy my command, you revealed to her that this battle between you two had a greater purpose. I also know that you were planning on betraying me, for I am able to peer into your mind, and read your very thoughts. Heh, what a pathetic creature you are," replied Tirek.

" Okay! You've proved your point that you're in control, and that I'm nothing more than your slave," said Sunset Demon. From my perspective, I had no idea what was going on with the she-demon as it looked like she was involved in some kind of mental communication with someone, and I had a feeling I know who was on the receiving end. I looked over to the door and saw that Rarity was still unconscious, but at least Sunset Demon hadn't been attacking her.

" Look! Just let me go and I will do whatever you need me to, but I want to make her suffer because it will be most satisfying."

" So you've been reduced to begging for your menial existence....how amusing, and how pathetic that a demonic creature such as yourself would have to plead for me not to snuff out your life. I enjoy seeing you squirm for it is a reminder that my power is absolute, and none would dare challenge my authority. While you wish for me to keep you breathing, once again you choose to defy me," said Tirek.

" I haven't done anything," complained Sunset Demon.

" You want to make the kid suffer, and that is something which you cannot do until I have determined her true worth," said Tirek.

" If you want her to prove herself to you then I may have a way to do that," began Sunset Demon.

" And what would you know?" asked Tirek.

" Sunset Shimmer has a greater power hidden inside of her, and you know what that is given that she used it against you seven years ago. If I can get her to release this potential, it should be enough for you to figure out what you expect from her. Just give me the chance to prove my usefulness to you, and I guarantee that it will give you the answer that you're searching for," replied Sunset Demon. At that moment, she let go of her neck and dropped to the ground breathing heavily.

" Your grovelling was far too delicious for me to refuse your request, so I will allow you to handle the situation. Remember that this is not a sign that I have given you your freedom slave, for this is your obligation to obey my command, and not wind up being destroyed. I look forward to seeing what you will do to convince her into showing her real potential," said Tirek.

" That was just so stupid on my part to think that I could outwit someone who has the power of a goddess at his disposal, but then again he wasn't able to peer into the one part of my mind which houses my true plan. I ought to be thankful that he didn't discover that as well as not kill me on the spot as that would have cost me everything.

Guess I'll need to play it safe for now, and that means not allowing my rage to blind me, but my other self is just so infuriating that just looking at her makes me mad." Sunset Demon said to herself, and then she turned her attention towards me. " Well, it looks like you're ready to continue, but don't think that I'm going to explain what was going on with me just now."

" Why would I want you to explain anything?" I asked.

" You mean to tell me that you didn't use any kind of magic to read my thoughts?" asked Sunset Demon.

" If I were to have done such a thing, all I'd get from it is a reminder of how twisted I used to be before I discovered friendship. What happened just now isn't my concern, but rather my aim is to defeat you and move on with my journey. No offence to you, but you're just an obstacle in my way that happens to be a very emotional problem," I replied.

" And this is why you incite me to resort to violent extremes, and also why I can't keep them in check," said Sunset Demon. She then charged at me again where we ended up in another grapple, and she wasn't determined to drown me in the water again. Also, did I hear her say that she had trouble when it came to her emotions? Despite the fact that we were opposites, we did have some things in common which made sense given that we were the same person.

As our struggle continued, neither or us was choosing to back down which made my dark side feel really frustrated, and she had no idea why I was being so resilient and unwilling to give up. To be honest, I had no idea how I was doing it either because I was still in control of my feelings. " Why can't I overcome you? Is it because I am now forced to hold back my power? Or, maybe you're stronger than I give you credit it for? What do you say that we take things up a notch?"

" What are you talking about?" I asked.

" Don't play coy with me Sunset Shimmer as you can't pretend to be ignorant when I know you so well. Why don't you take out that sword you have, and fight me with it because it will be very effective against me. Better yet, why don't you transform and make things even more interesting? Or, it is possible that you are afraid of yourself more than you are of me?" asked Sunset Demon.

" So you know that I have the ability to transform?" I asked.

" Of course I know about that as I was you back in the Fall Formal where Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of your friends transformed where they gained pony ears and a pony tail due to the Equestrian Magic you brought to the human world. Since you've been holding back on me this entire time, I call foul on this whole charade in that you haven't been honest with me. I demand that you transform, and fight me at full strength as that is the way you should be doing things," replied Sunset Demon.

" I can't do that," I began.

" You what?" asked Sunset Demon.

" I can fight you using the Master Sword if that's what you want, but transforming is completely out of the question," I replied as I drew the it from the scabbard on my back, and held it in a battle ready stance before almost dropping it. " While I'm not very good at using it, I'll defeat you all the same, but I can't allow myself to transform because you'll regret making me do so."

Then, I closed my eyes and thought real hard over what my other half was suggesting, and that if I were to do what she desired, I'd have the power to defeat her, but who knows what will happen because I can't control how I act. No, I couldn't risk transforming as Rarity was in danger, so I opened my eyes and explained it to the she-demon that her request had to be denied.

" If I were to gain my pony ears and tail, I'd lose control of my emotions, and that would mean I'm capable of anything. My transformation works differently in this world than it does back home, so what you believe will happen is going to be different."

" That is some rather tantalizing information you've sputtered forth from your mouth which is pure bliss to my ears. I guess there was more of me inside of you still than I originally believed, but then I still desire to see you come at me with everything you have. You used that same power against Ganondorf, and I deserve to be given the same treatment because I've been giving it my all,," said Sunset Demon.

" No, I can't afford to lose control again," I said.

" Are you really going to have me resort to drastic measures?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Where are you going with this?" I asked.

" I'll take that question as being your answer, and I really wish you didn't have to make me rely on something so beneath me. Since you flat out refused my request and transform of your own volition, I have no other choice but to convince you to change, and I know exactly how to bring out your true potential," replied Sunset Demon.

She then raised her hand and a wall of flames appeared in front of me to serve as a means of slowing me down, and then she turned around and started to walk towards Rarity who was still unconscious. " And I was hoping this Zora princess would give me something to occupy my time after killing you, but it looks like she will have to die right now."

" Leave her alone!" I shouted.

" Do you expect me to do that after making such a pathetic threat? Please, you know me better than that!" said Sunset Demon. By the time the wall of flame had vanished, the she-demon was standing right in front of Rarity, and I had to run over there with the Master Sword in hand to stop her from killing my friend. " I'm sure that this princess will blame you for choosing to hold back, and haunt you for the rest of your days as she lingers in the afterlife.

Anyway, I'm dragging this out longer than it needs to be, so I'll get right to the point." Sunset Demon then began to engulf Rarity in flames and the screams were so heart-wrenching that I had to cover my ears and close my eyes which caused me to drop the Master Sword, but this didn't work. " Don't you just love the sound of screaming people as their flesh burns from their bodies?"

" STOP IT!!!!" I shouted.

" I'll stop when she no longer screams, but I guess that will be when she breathes no more," replied Sunset Demon.

" Why are you doing this to me?" I asked.

" Because you had everything you ever wanted when you transformed into me, but you let it go when you decided that friendship was more important, and to me that is the ultimate betrayal. You should have the Ruler of Equestria, and overthrew Princess Celestia in the process whereupon you would take the throne. You could have been a goddess, and would have stood at the top as being an invincible force of darkness.

Once you're dead, I can easily regain what you chose to abandon, but it won't be easy for me as you have gone a long way from your true path," replied Sunset Demon. She then resumed her fire attacks against Rarity while laughing at what she was doing, and my emotions were on the verge of breaking down which had me bending down and picking up the Master Sword.

" Please, just stop doing what you're doing and leave her alone," I said.

" Sorry, but your words fall on deaf ears as this needs to be done," said Sunset Demon. The flames surrounding Rarity then disappeared, but the she-demon instead decided to grab her and began to concentrate. She then burst into flames which made her scream so loud that it caused me to scream in response, and that's when the pony ears and pony tail appeared.

My expression turned to that of pure rage in my eyes, but the she-demon just laughed as she dropped Rarity to the ground where the water immediately washed away the flames and some of the burns on her body before she turned to face me with a gleeful expression on her face. " I was wondering what it would take to make you transform, and I guess I found your Achilles heel so to speak. Since you're now more appropriate to do battle with me, let's resume shall we?"

" So you wanted me to transform because you want a real fight?" I asked.

" What can I say? Before, you were boring and that made things too easy for me, but now you'll be a delight to fight because we're both giving it our all. I suppose it's fair to give you the first shot as you look like you're just dying to do something," replied Sunset Demon.

" I know that I will defeat you Sunset Demon, but I wish that you didn't make me transform because I have no idea as to what I'm going to do to you. Guess the time for talk is now at a end, so prepare yourself," I said. That's when I ran forward towards her with the Master Sword guiding me, and I pierced her with such speed that she had no idea what just happened.

With the divine blade protruding through the other side, Sunset Demon struggled trying to pull it out and make some kind of counterattack, but I lifted her up and tossed her all the way over to where the island was where she crashed into it. As she stood up, she looked down at the gaping hole in her chest which she clutched due to the wound gushing out blood.

" Yes, I remember this power seven years ago, and it has become much stronger than before."

" I told you that I would get her to transform and unleash her true power Ganondorf, so now you should be able to determine whether she is worthy enough for you, and if I can finally kill her and assume her life," said Sunset Demon.

" How do you intend on ending her existence when your own is on the verge of collapse? That wound you have received was quite devastating, for you continue to hold onto your chest where it continues to bleed. If anything, I believe that your intention on forcing her hand to appease me has worked against you. You most likely have a couple of minutes left as it is before you perish, and your dreams of claiming her life are snuffed out before they can even be realized," said Tirek.

" About what you discovered?" asked Sunset Demon.

" The kid is indeed one of the chosen which means she is more useful to me than originally suspected, so I am afraid that you will not be allowed to kill her for she must remain alive long enough until I have what I need. Oh, I know that she is oblivious as to what will happen to her, but for now she will continue to exist as though nothing had changed. As for you....well....it appears that your usefulness to me has truly reached its end.

My power still flows through you, so if you were thinking of betraying me at the last possible moment, then you are truly idiotic. No matter what the outcome was to be, you would end up being destroyed either by my hand, or by hers," replied Tirek.

" So you set me up from the beginning?" asked Sunset Demon.

" You made for such an ideal pawn that you were willing to do anything to get what you wanted. Now that you have played your part, I no longer have any need of you, so I shall take back that which I gave to you," replied Tirek.

" I should have known you were using me," said Sunset Demon.

" All beings in Hyrule exist only to serve my will, and are nothing more than expendable pieces of fodder. Now then, I do believe that this is the last I shall be seeing of you wretch, so while my power quickly drains from your body, I do have one final task for you to complete, and that is to die a quick and painless death," said Tirek.

" It's a good thing then that I was prepared for this to happen as I figured Ganondorf was going to backstab me in the end. The magic that I was able to claim from the Element of Magic when I wore it for those brief minutes will ensure me that everything will work out in the end for me." Sunset Demon said to herself.

" I think it's safe to say that you are done," I announced.

" You really think such a wound like this is going to bring me to my knees?" asked Sunset Demon. She then struggled to get back onto her feet, and when she was standing upright, she dropped onto one knee before writhing in pain. " Okay, this wound is a lot more serious than I was giving it credit for, but I still believe that I will kill you and take your life as my own."

She then looked up and discovered that I had the tip of the Master Sword on her throat, and she could feel the divine blade's sharp tip up against her neck. She saw that my expression was one of anger, but then it changed to one of sadness and sympathy. " Why the sudden change in expression? Don't tell me that you've gotten soft, and now refuse to finish the job which you can easily do by pushing that sword of yours forward a little bit."

" Are you really that pathetic when it comes to wanting your revenge?" I asked.

" I'm the representation of the darkness inside of your heart, and though you say that you've changed, you still have evil that likes to flare up whenever you feel dejected or even the slightest bit annoyed. No one can truly ever destroy the evil that plagues them, and while I may not be a part of you, no matter what you try to accomplish, the fact that you became me will continue on to haunt you. I suppose this is a shallow victory at best," replied Sunset Demon.

" Finished?" I asked.

" I have a wound in my chest which has been weakening me since you skewered me with that blade, so the chances of me killing you are slim. Despite that, I still intend on carrying out my promise of taking what's mine," replied Sunset Demon. She quickly raised her arm to knock the Master Sword away from her throat, and just as she was about to use another attack, I managed to regain control and swung the sword where it went through the wound in her chest again which was enough to defeat her.

" Heh....I didn't think you had such a feral nature....guess in the end I was doomed from the start by your hands or his. You proved yourself to be the one and only Sunset Shimmer....for the time being, but don't believe that this is over between us."

" No, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that your own anger and desire for vengeance caused this to happen to you. Here, let me pull the Master Sword out of you so that you can die with some shred of dignity," I said. As I pulled the sword from her chest and discovered that the wound was now even worse, my pony ears and tail disappeared once again. I was so overcome by the entire trauma of having transformed that I dropped to the ground and buried my face into my hands for a few moments.

" I didn't want to do this, but you left me no other choice when you pushed me too far. I'll leave you alone to fade away into nothing because I don't want to see you suffer anymore, so this is good-bye Sunset Demon." With that, I put the Master Sword, into its scabbard, and turned around where I began to walk back towards Rarity to make certain she was okay as she had been through quite a lot.

" Sunset Shimmer is confidant, and that means I'll need to be extra careful when the time comes. Hopefully, this plan is going to be a success otherwise this will be my end. If the Element of Magic does what I suspect it's capable of in a world different from Equestria...." Sunset Demon said to herself as she fell over backwards and shattered into pieces when her body crashed into the ground.

Those pieces then burned away to nothing and she was finally gone. I had finally conquered the darkness which had been making me fearful all this time, so now I could focus on what was important.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I'm okay physically, but mentally is a different matter altogether," I replied.

" The she-demon was going to kill Princess Ruto, and you were helpless in stopping her. You made the right choice in transforming, but I know you didn't want to resort to that form again because of what it can make you do. If it's any consolation, this time you did manage to have some control as you were holding back otherwise she would have been killed mere minutes after you transformed," said Spike.

" Perhaps, but the fact of the matter is that I was forced to rely on my true Equestrian power to finish things," I said.

" That's because you changed as a result of allowing your fear and helplessness assume control which has been the case with the previous two incidents. You lose control of your emotions because you're afraid of being in way over your head, and I know from experience that you've been feeling that way from the beginning because this isn't what you're used to doing.

I guess that only in the most extreme of situations is when you transform. This may sound a little cruel coming from me of all people, but perhaps we should create some kind of scenario in the future where you transform, yet it will one where you did so of your own free will instead of being forced," said Spike.

" I know that I can transform willingly," I commented.

" I believe that if you were to gain the ears and tail of your own volition, you'll have complete control over yourself. What you become will be a thing of beauty and not something to be feared which has been the case thus far. All we need to do now is to create an ideal setting for you to transform without losing control," said Spike.

" I don't know about this," I said.

" We don't need to do this straight away as you've been tapped out already, so for now just rely on your regular magic and items until we can figure out the right time to use this idea of mine," said Spike. When we finally reached Rarity, I was afraid to look at her as surely those burns had left horrible irreparable scars all across her body. Once I got the courage to look at what had happened to her, my jaw dropped for she looked completely fine as though she had never suffered from any attack.

" Does my appearance shock you so much that you have nothing to say to me?" asked Rarity.

" You look perfectly healthy, but I saw you being burned by the she-demon, and I heard your screams," I replied.

" From your perspective, this must have been the case, but the truth is that I was never attacked by anything that wicked creature may have used against me. While it's true that her initial attack against me left me unconscious for a time, I did wake up when she came over to me, and when she said that she was going to kill me, the flames she used had no effect. I quickly realized that the fire was fake as well as those screams which you assumed came from me," said Rarity.

" You mean you didn't scream at all?" I asked.

" She mimicked my voice for whatever reason she had, and performed the screams that you heard. She made sure you couldn't see my face otherwise her plan would have been exposed, for she wanted you to transform, and believing me to be gravely injured was her means of making it all happen. I don't know why she went to all that trouble because it ended up costing her everything, but maybe she had some kind of hidden agenda that only she was aware of.

That's now water under the bridge darling as you have defeated that wicked creature, and with her presence no longer around us, this room is finally changing back to the way it used to be although the water will remain for that is natural to this room," replied Rarity.

" I knew this room wasn't normall," I said.

" Just watch," said Rarity. The endless space of the room which I believed existed quickly faded away and became the regular walls of the Water Temple which I have long since become used to, and the island in the middle disappeared because it was never there to begin with. Once the room had changed back, the iron bars blocking both doors raised, and that meant we could finally leave this room.

That was a huge sigh of relief for me as I wanted to move on from here in more ways than one, so with my heart still feeling heavy due to what I had to resort to, Rarity and I walked over to the door, and in the next room was a large treasure chest which surely contained the weapon which was used by the Zora hero. " I am surprised that he decided to leave this item all the way back here, but then again I guess I shouldn't be surprised with how he came to such a conclusion."

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" The Zora hero while a mighty warrior among my people, was also a bit eccentric in his mannerisms. You could say that he was a bit on the kooky side, but I guess long years of being a heroic figure took it out on him mentally far more than it did physically. Any sane Zora would have placed this treasure chest somewhere a lot closer to the entrance of the temple, but I suppose he just wanted it somewhere and didn't really care where," replied Rarity.

" Are you sure that I can just take it?" I asked.

" By all means open up the chest and take what is rightfully yours," replied Rarity.

" I'm not sure if his weapon is mine to claim by right despite being a new hero who has come along to vanquish evil. When I acquired the Megaton Hammer from the Gorons, they gave me a reason for wanting it, and while it felt silly that someone like me was chosen to receive it, I followed with what they were saying, and I overcame the necessary trials to prove my worth. In terms of this weapon, I just don't feel like I deserve it because I haven't really done anything worthy in the name of the Zoras," I said.

" What about your dark side?" asked Rarity.

" That was just a personal issue I had to take care of, and it happened to coincide with exploring the Water Temple in order to destroy the source of the curse plaguing your homeland. If I were to take the weapon of a heroic Zora without a righteous incentive, then I'd feel pretty bad about using it," I replied.

" It is true that you have not done anything as glamorous for my people as you have for the Gorons, but allow me to put into another perspective which may be to your liking. I have witnessed your skills for myself, and despite having made some criticisms against you, do know that I still believe you to be a true hero unlike those who have come before you.

As far as I am concerned, you have proven your worthiness to claim the Zora hero's weapon as your own, so please take it and do not question my generous nature as I would feel offended," said Rarity. I guess when you put it that way, she did witness all of my actions whether they were good or bad, so in that sense I do have a legitimate reason to take what was in the treasure chest.

With that confused logic in my mind, I walked over to the chest and opened it up where I pulled out another Hookshot. This one had a different colour to what I already had, and it also looked slightly more sleeker.

" It looks just like what I have," I commented.

" This is the Longshot which has an extended chain which goes twice as far as the Hookshot, so now you can reach targets that are further away. The same basic properties which you've been using with the old model still apply to this new one, but now you don't need to get quite as close as before. However, the chain still has a limit as to how far it will go until it snaps back into place. Still, this is quite the treasure and you should accept it in the name of Princess Ruto," said Spike.

" It'll be weird using this and the Hookshot at the same time," I said.

" You might want to look where you kept the original version of the item as you'll be surprised," said Spike.

" What are you talking about?" I asked. I then looked on my belt where I kept the Hookshot, and to my horror it somehow disappeared without a trace. Could I have dropped it somewhere without realizing it? Or, maybe Sunset Demon stole it from me when she was trying to choke me to death. " What happened to it? It just couldn't have disappeared as I would have felt its presence leaving my person."

" That's the nature when it comes to acquiring upgrades in this world Sunset Shimmer. When you obtained the Longshot, it effectively replaced the Hookshot as the ideal weapon suited for its particular purpose, and the old weapon now simply ceases to be because you no longer have need of it. I can tell by the expression in your eyes that you're still confused, but give it some time before it sinks in. Now that we have that out of the way, it's time to continue on, and it looks like we'll need to rely on some music to progress," said Spike.

" Music?" I asked.

" Look behind the treasure chest," replied Spike. I walked around behind it, and discovered several blue blocks with the symbol of the Door of Time etched on them stuck firmly into the ground. No sounds could be heard coming from below, so it must be another big drop which is certainly something I am not looking forward to. There was no other choice but to take out the Ocarina of Time, which I did so, and recall how the Song of Time went as it has been a while since I last played it.

After spending a few moments remembering how the song went, I played it and the blue blocks disappeared revealing a hole. Rarity immediately went down first and beckoned me to follow her, so I did with some slight hesitation and fell down until I landed on a walkway with more fast flowing water to greet us.

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer! There are powerful vortexes in this body of water, and they can easily pull you in if you're not careful. You can use the Iron Boots to walk along the bottom as they are heavy enough to prevent the current from affecting you, but they won't be able to save you against the vortexes."

" According to the map, going along this path will take us back into the other room where there was a strong current," I said.

" Do you think it's a coincidence that the two rooms are connected?" asked Spike.

" Maybe, or it could be this is the way the temple was designed so as to allow easy access without having to backtrack," I replied.

" Backtracking is going to be what we're doing from this point onward now that you have the Longshot. Plates which were too far away for you to latch onto them are now easily accessible, so I think we should go back to the first location where the water level can be changed, and drain everything to see what new things can be done," said Spike.

" There was one passageway on the third floor which we didn't check out, so maybe we can look there first before we change the water level," I suggested.

" Why don't we focus on getting through this room first, and then make our way back to the central chamber before doing anything else? Thinking too far ahead will only cause us to fail at clearing this room successfully. Also, there appears to be a treasure chest of some kind at the end of this current, so we might as well see what that is. It could be another small key as those are always useful, or it could be something completely useless that we don't need," said Spike.

Switching over to the Iron Boots for the first time in quite a while, I jumped into the water with Rarity following along, and immediately I could see the fast flowing water with my own eyes. It had a majestic look to it which felt breathtaking, but I knew that I had to focus and not allow such things to serve as a distraction.

At first walking along underwater was fine, but then some slopes became an issue for me as climbing over them while wearing heavy boots wasn't easy at all, but for Rarity, it was simple as she was used to swimming about in all currents. The swirling vortexes weren't helping out either as I struggled to avoid them as well. Eventually, there was a small platform situated next to a particularly large vortex, and it involved an awkward path to get to it.

" This looks dangerous," I said.

" It will only be that way if you end up slipping and sliding down into the vortex. Once you're within range of the hole that lies in the bottom of it, there's nothing you can do to escape from its powerful grip, so you may want to traverse carefully as one wrong step and we're done for," said Spike.

" Did you feel the need to give me extra pressure?" I asked.

" If you don't think you'll be able to walk over to that platform, then switch back to your regular boots and attempt to swim over to it instead. The vortex will have a much harder time trying to pull in something that's in constant movement," replied Spike. It sounded to me that using my regular boots was the proper way to handle this, so I switched back to them and swam across and almost getting pulled down, but I managed to make it to the platform only to discover that Rarity had already beaten me to the punch.

" How did you get here before I did?" I asked.

" I am like a fish when it comes to swimming about in the water darling. No current is too powerful to capture me, so while you were struggling to figure out how to get onto this platform, I simply swam over here and waited for you to do the same thing," replied Rarity.

" Forgive me for not being an aquatic creature like yourself," I moaned.

" At least you managed to make it over here and that is the important thing. I noticed a switch on the wall over there, and I believe that you can activate it using one of those arrows of yours. Surely it will cause the gate to our left to rise up and give us access to both the treasure chest and the way back to the previous room. You know, I believe your new Longshot is capable of latching onto chests and pulling you forward towards them," said Rarity.

" What makes you think that?" I asked.

" I do seem to remember something that the Zora hero mentioned before he sealed away his weapon, and it was that it could be latched onto wood along with other kinds of materials that exist out there. The way that I described what I remember makes the Longshot quite the versatile weapon in its own right," replied Rarity.

I couldn't argue with that kind of logic, so taking out the Fairy Bow for a moment and aiming for the switch, I fired an arrow which missed the target, and honestly I knew that was going to happen because I just can't seem to get a break. The second arrow I fired hit the switch which opened the gate, and this was followed by the usual ticking sound meaning that I had to work fast. In a quick fashion, I put the bow away and took out the Longshot and aimed for the treasure chest.

Upon connection, I got pulled over and opened it up which contained another small key, and the gate refused to fall back down which was confusing at first. It took me a moment to figure out that the gate wasn't going to fall back down because opening the chest prevents it, and to me that is without a doubt one of the most contrived things I've experienced in this world.

" It's okay Princess Ruto! All that was inside of the chest was another small key, so now comes the question of where it's supposed to go. Oh, and the gate isn't going to be closing any time soon due to opening the chest, so you can easily swim across and together we can make our way back to the central chamber," I said.

" Just give me a moment to come on over," began Rarity as she was suddenly cut off when the room began to rumble as though an earthquake was occurring. The vibrations continued to get worse until a large watery tentacle came out of the large vortex to my left, and it instantly grabbed Rarity and began to squeeze her pretty tightly which caused her to scream a little.

" GAH! This must be a part of the curse which plagues this temple as I can sense that this water is corrupted with evil, and because of the progress we have made Sunset Shimmer, it has decided to take matters into its own hands by abducting me." She struggled to break free from the watery tentacle, but it was to no avail as the corrupted water was too strong for her. " Darling, you must finish what we started and destroy the curse of the temple in order to free my people, and restore both Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain.

There is no need to worry about me as I will find a way to get out of this somehow....you know what you need to do, and you have the power to do so via the treasure of the Zora hero...." Rarity was cut off again as the watery tentacle covered her head in order to silence her, and then it dragged her down into the vortex leaving me and Spike on our own. While he was flying about like crazy in utter shock, I knew that this was going to happen as I sensed she was going to end up getting kidnapped in some fashion.

" Come on Spike. There's nothing more we can do here," I said.

" But what about Princess Ruto?" asked Spike.

" If you believe her to be dead then you would be wrong as I can still sense her presence even though just barely. Whatever that thing was, it clearly wanted her out of the way because of being more of a threat than I am, so now we need to obtain the Boss Key and confront the source of the curse and destroy it. On another note, now we have some kind of idea as to what we're up against," I replied.

" The curse is some kind of water monster which we originally suspected, but we still don't have a full confirmation despite seeing it abduct the princess. What she said about the Longshot is correct as there are some places that you couldn't reach with the Hookshot, but now you can thanks to the extended chain giving you an even better reach.

We should go back to that one passage we didn't take on the third floor like you suggested, for it could be something we need to check out before draining the water level back down before raising it again," said Spike.

" We will rescue her," I said.

" I know we will because that's what we heroic types do," said Spike. Walking along at first felt really rough without Rarity, but I knew that there was nothing we could have done for her, and getting enraged over her abduction wouldn't have done anything either, so we made our way back to the room which also had a current via the entrance at the top. To me, we were beginning to come full circle on a lot of things, yet there were some rooms which we haven't explored.

Even though this was the second time coming through here, I had to rely on the map to figure out how to get back to the central chamber. Already not having Rarity around was beginning to make itself felt, but I had to keep going for her sake as well as that of her people. A few minutes later and we managed to arrive back at the chamber, but the Spike enemies were in the way, so I took out the Hylian Shield for some added protection.

The Spikes bounced off my shield and regressed back to their harmless states before I used the Longshot to pick them off, and when I was finished with that, I switched back to my regular boots after having to switch to the Iron Boots, and swam up to the third floor.

" So this is the passageway we didn't check out before?" I asked.

" The map shows that the room that this path leads to has a treasure chest located at the end of it, and it's that funny shaped room we ignored previously. Considering how the chest is hidden way off the beaten path as it were, I suspect that it must contain a small key, otherwise what other purpose would there be for it? None by my reckoning," replied Spike.

" If that's true, we should pick it up as soon as possible," I said. It only took me a few steps before coming to a stop due to there being a sealed panel on the ground, and the small crack in it was a clear sign that it needed to be blown up. " You know, I don't think whoever put this thing here was trying all that much seeing how pathetic this looks, but it isn't something that will get in our way." Taking the Bomb Bag from around my belt and pulling out a Bomb, I stepped back a few paces and tossed it as I didn't want to end up getting attacked by anything that might pop up.

Once the panel was blown to pieces, it revealed a hole filled with water, and I knew that meant this room was going to be one of those where the Iron Boots were going to get some heavy use. " Guess we're going to take another swim, but after what we witnessed happen to Princess Ruto, is it even safe to make a dive?"

" We have to if we want to confirm that chest having a key," replied Spike.

" Sigh....let's get this over with," I sighed as I switched to the Iron Boots and dropped down into the hole. Walking forward down this next passageway, I soon came upon a block which looked like it was a part of the wall, but when I attempted to pull it due to it being a sort of second-nature thing for me to do, I was able to pull it back quite a ways before it came to a stop a short while later. " Why won't this thing allow me to pull it anymore?"

" My guess is that the ceiling where you're standing is too low for the block to be able to pass through, so for now it's pretty much stuck where it is. If we can get around onto the other side and perhaps push it along, it may give us access to the treasure chest which it was originally blocking access to. In order to do that though, we would need to not have any water in this area which means we have to drain it all the way down followed by raising it halfway up," replied Spike.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" If the way around to the other side of the block is what I think it is based on what I remember seeing back in the central chamber, the water has to be drained because it will involve using an item that isn't the Longshot. As I mentioned before, you can't use any other item or weapon while travelling about underwater except for the Longshot, and the Hylian Shield," replied Spike.

" No wonder this place is so frustrating as there are so many things we have to do," I sighed.

" We did establish that this temple was going to be a difficult one based on what the Dungeon Map revealed," said Spike.

" Sometimes I wish that there was a much simpler way to get through the Water Temple without having to go back and forth like this, or better yet, an easier version to begin with," I moaned. There was no doubt in my mind that this dungeon was really starting to get on my nerves because now I had to make my way back to more previous rooms just to be able to progress to some new areas.

That's when an idea popped into my head that was going to make things all the more easier for me. After switching back to my regular boots and swimming back up to the surface for what felt like the umpteenth time, I walked back into the central room before taking out the gem containing the power known as Farore's Wind, and holding it firmly in my hand.

" What are you doing?" asked Spike.

" Something I should have done back when we first entered the temple," I replied.

" Now you're starting to see how useful Farore's Wind can be despite the heavy restriction it has. Remember that the warp point will appear above the last entrance you used, so if you cast the spell right now, this will be the location of the warp point which may or may not be where you want it to go. As far as I can tell, you can't change the location once the warp has appeared unless you dispell it, and cast it in another location after leaving and re-entering the central chamber," said Spike.

" Do you think this would be a good place to create the warp?" I asked.

" It is at the top of the temple in terms of the levels, and we are close to where the source of the curse is located. I'd say that this would be an ideal location, so go ahead and cast the spell," replied Spike.

" Wait! We're close to the curse?" I asked.

" You really do need to look at the Dungeon Map more often, then you wouldn't need to ask such a question," replied Spike. He then told me to take out the map, and look at the third floor which was where we were. Sure enough, there was a skull icon at the end of the room that was to the north of the central chamber, and it was located on the platform I couldn't reach back when I had the Hookshot.

" Whenever you pick up a Compass, not only does it reveal the locations of any unopened treasure chests, it also shows you the location of the Dungeon Boss. In this case, it would be the watery creature that abducted Princess Ruto. I know that I remember telling you about the skull icon on the map, but if I didn't then I'm telling you now so that you don't forget it later."

" Then it's a good thing that the warp point will be created here as it means being able to skip a lot when it comes to backtracking so as to save us some time," I said.

" So long as you have enough magic," added Spike.

" As you said to me before, the magic given to me by the Great Fairy is Hyrulean Magic which I can run out of because it uses a magic that is different from my own, and what I am capable of using naturally can't be used on foreign magic. I guess that I jumped ahead a little too quickly for my own good when it comes to understanding how the magic of Hyrule works, but I still need to use Farore's Wind just in case something comes up and we need to get back as fast as possible. Also, I want to use it to skip some unneeded backtracking," I said.

Raising the gem containing the spell with my hands before releasing it by throwing them back down, the warp point appeared above my head before moving backwards a little bit to indicate the start of the room as to where I came in from. Once the warp was in place, the gem then slowly dropped to the ground where I picked it up and put it in my pouch again. " Is there a way to regain Hyrulean Magic that I've lost from using the spells I've been given?"

" Collecting Magic Jars scattered all over the kingdom is your best bet if you want a quick solution, or you can purchase a Green Potion which can restore the kingdom's magic within you to full power, or you can purchase the rare Blue Potion although that one is expensive from what I remember. Green Potions can be purchased in the Potion Shop located in Kakariko Village, but the location of the place that sells Blue Potions is currently unknown to me because like I said, it's rare to find it.

If you're looking for the quick fix as I said, you can find the jars all over the place by cutting grass, smashing jars, and defeating monsters. The small jars will replenish some magic while the large jars will restore much more, so I would suggest picking up the large ones as they are more effective. Of course, every little bit helps, so picking up the small jars will help just as well," replied Spike.

" I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I said.

" Why not try it out now?" asked Spike.

" Because we have to go all the way back to the first location to change the water level, and then to the second location and repeat the process to gain access to that treasure chest. You know, all of this running around is really starting to tire me out, so I'm hoping that I don't collapse any time soon," I replied. Switching to the Iron Boots again, I jumped into the water and dropped down to the bottom of the central chamber where I began to make my way to the first location, but I needed to remember exactly where I needed to go.

Spike reminded me with a bop on the head that I should use the Dungeon Map, so I did and remembered that the passageway with two torches flanking both sides of the entrance was the way to go. As soon as I reached the room where I first ran into Rarity, I switched back to my regular boots and floated up to the surface and climbed out. At this point I was starting to feel exhausted what with having to walk, run, swim, climb, and more due to this unnecessary backtracking.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I'm trying hard not to collapse from exhaustion," I replied. Then I stood in front of the Crest of the Royal Family as Spike corrected me on from telling me about it earlier, and I played Twilight's Lullaby which drained the water down to the basement. I knew this wasn't all I had to do as now I needed to go to the second location, so I dropped down to the previous room, and ran back to the central chamber where I entered the tower via the door which I unlocked during my first visit to this tall room.

When I entered the tower, I quickly ran to the end of the walkway, turned around, took out the Longshot, and pulled myself up to the second location where I immediately played Twilight's Lullaby again which raised the water up halfway. By this time I was really exhausted and wanted to stop and take a good rest, but I had to keep on going in order to finish what I started. Once the water had finished rising, I walked through the door, but I suddenly dropped to my knees and fell to the ground utterly tired.

" What happened?" asked Spike.

" I'm too tired to keep on going, so I need to rest for a while," I replied.

" You were looking fine until a few minutes ago before starting the whole backtracking through the temple," said Spike.

" I guess that my battle against Sunset Demon took a lot more out of me than I thought, and because I didn't take the time to relax due to needing to continue with the task of rescuing the Zoras, all of this extra moving about was the clincher which has left me unable to move for a while. All I need is just ten minutes of rest before I can full recover, and keep on going," I said.

I definitely picked a lousy spot to take a rest for the two Blue Tektites that plague the central chamber had noticed me collapsing just now, and they were bouncing across the water in order to reach me. I'd say that they will be on top of me in about two minutes which is long before I'll be able to move again, so it looks like I'm going to end up being at their mercy....

To Be Continued....

Chapter 39: Cursed Water

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 5, 2015
Chapter 39: Cursed Water

" Uh, Sunset Shimmer? You might want to get up now before it's too late," said Spike.

" I'd love to do that right now, but I'm just too exhausted because of all that running around. I need roughly ten minutes of rest, and I should be good to go for a while after that," I said.

" You don't have ten minutes because those two Blue Tektites will be on top of you in about two minutes at the earliest," said Spike.

" If I weren't so exhausted, I would have gotten up and used the Fairy Bow to pick them off, but I can't even move my two pinkie fingers without feeling some kind of pain. I suppose the only option I have is to get hit by those two monsters for a while until my body is ready to get back into action, but that wouldn't be the smartest recourse," I said.

" Do something!" shouted Spike.

" I'm tapped, so it falls onto you to figure something out," I said. It was rather cruel of me to leave so much pressure on Spike, but what other choice could I have done? I wasn't lying to him when I said that I couldn't move, and if I could then we wouldn't even be having this problem in the first place.

In her own twisted way, Sunset Demon managed to get the last laugh on me, for I was going to be killed by lowly monsters. From the toughest battle of my entire life so far, to being defeated by weak creatures....the phrase 'how the mighty have fallen' certainly comes to mind for me, but Spike wasn't about to have any of it as he decided that he was going to do something.

At first I thought he was going to use that idea of his where I was going to transform of my own volition, but such a thing would be rather pointless against two Blue Tektite, and that's when he came up with something really crazy.

" I've got a plan which will save your skin, and give you the necessary time you need," said Spike.

" What do you have in mind?" I asked.

" I'm going to be live bait," replied Spike.

" You're going to be what!?!?" I exclaimed, but it was too late for me to say anything as Spike floated out to the Blue Tektites, and started to buzz around them as though he were some kind of bee. From what I was able to see, it looked like he had finally lost his mind as this temple has been taking its toll on me as well as on him. He continued to buzz around the monsters for a few more moments before he started to fly off in the opposite direction, and hoping that they would follow and take the bait.

Sure enough, they began to turn around and started to bounce after him because they found him more interesting to go after, and I couldn't help but give him so much props for wanting to do something so risky.

" Have you recovered yet?" asked Spike after a while.

" I still need another couple of minutes or so," I replied.

" Seriously? I've been flying around these Blue Tektites for what feels like forever, and you still need more time? I don't think I can keep them distracted for much longer as they look as though they are about to turn around and make their way back over to you," said Spike. It turns out he was right for they noticed me on the floor again, and began to turn around and head towards me again like they were doing before. " If you're going to start moving over there Sunset Shimmer, you might want to it right now before they decide to do away with you."

" Sorry, but I can't move," I said.

" Guess I'll have to get them to follow me again although I don't think they will be interested me now," sighed Spike.

" Why not use some of that fairy magic you have as a means of distracting them? They will follow you around again if they deem you a threat for attacking them even if it is something that may or may not be capable of inflicting any damage," I said.

" For a moment there, I was thinking of coming over and bopping you on the head several times over for saying my fairy magic is useless in a fight, but then you admitted that you don't know about it, so I'm willing to forgive you there. Remind me sometime to tell you more about fairy magic whenever we get a free moment. Anyway, that's a good idea you suggested in that I use my own magic, and it will be effective as what I have doesn't fall under the same categories as regular magic," said Spike.

He then began to throw some tiny magical bolts at the Blue Tektites, and they followed him again leaving me to finish resting. One of them after a while then jumped higher than usual, and knocked him out of the sky where he crashed a short distance away from me. " I wasn't expecting one of them to jump that high, but I've given them all I can muster as now I need to rest for a bit."

Spike then lowered his wings which meant that he was now in the same position as I was, but lucky for the both of us that his magical attacks gave me the time I needed to finish resting.

" Okay, my ten minutes are up," I announced as I climbed back onto my feet where I did some stretches.

" Looks like my extra diversion was enough," laughed Spike.

" You rest for the time being my friend, and allow me to take of this," I said. When I took out the Fairy Bow and aimed it at the Blue Tektites, I knew it was going to take me several attempts to hit them as my aiming still hasn't gotten any better despite using this weapon so many times. The quiver was also low on arrows as I counted roughly twelve left, so I had to make these shots count especially if Spike's theory regarding that block turns out to be true.

It also didn't help that they were jumping up and down, and it has been a while since I shot an arrow at a moving target. As soon as they were within range, I fired a barrage of arrows, and managed to destroy both Blue Tektites whilst coming to an unfortunate realization.

" How many arrows did you end up using?" asked Spike.

" All except for one which means that I have just a single chance to prove that theory of yours," I replied.

" It also means that your aim is just as bad as ever, but then I've long gotten used to that as it's a part of your charm. I'm certain that you can acquire additional arrows from smashing jars, cutting grass, and defeating enemies, so you're never really out of anything so long as you know where to look," said Spike.

" If it's that easy to find what you need by smashing, cutting, and slashing, I'm surprised that shops are even in business considering people tend to go out of town to look for those items for free," I said.

" Since everyone who doesn't want to spend money goes into Hyrule Field, or anywhere else where grass, jars, and monsters are plentiful, it becomes a matter of whoever gets there first ends up taking most of the good stuff with them. While many people don't really see it as being of particular significance, it's a growing trend because they aren't able to afford to buy the items.

Of course, by the time they've finished harvesting what they need, most of the time they end up getting enough rupees where they can purchase whatever they want, but they don't need to as they already got what they needed. Not everything can be found outside of towns though as some items are only carried by shops, yet merchants sell their wares to people who live in towns and cities as they would never leave their comfort zone, and resort to the adventuring lifestyle," said Spike.

" It sounds to me that Hyrule certainly has problems when it comes to the economy," I said.

" You get used to it after a while as it becomes natural. By the way....would you carry me around for a while as I'm still recovering from having the wind knocked out of me. I'll still be able to provide you with advice, but I need somewhere to rest until I have the strength to fly again," said Spike. I walked over to him and carefully picked him up using my one free hand as the other was holding the Fairy Bow, and I placed him gently into the rim of my hat so that would remain warm.

I said that I would be walking slowly so as to not startle him, but Spike insisted that I keep on going at my normal pace, and that he would be okay. " Now, we need to make our way around to the east side of this floor as that is where we should find that one gate we couldn't access before."

" I remember seeing that just around the corner," I said.

" We had to ignore it last time as you were carrying around the Hookshot, and its chain wasn't long enough for you to reach over to the plate on the wall. If I remember correctly, there was an eye switch in front of the gate where it was protruding just below the ledge. Hitting that with the one arrow you have left will open the gate, but you'll likely need to be quick before the gate closes again," said Spike.

" What if I miss the switch?" I asked.

" Then be prepared to backtrack to find some more arrows, for we can't proceed to that block unless you hit the switch with an arrow, so I hope that you don't mess this up," replied Spike. If that wasn't his way of giving me even more pressure, then I don't know what is. He was right though in that I needed for this to work otherwise I'd have to spend time trying to find more of them, and that could take who knows how long.

Walking around the corner lead me to the gate where the eye switch was located as Spike said, so now I needed to concentrate harder than ever before if I was to hit the target. " I'd say that you will have about five seconds to pull yourself through that passageway before the gate closes, so you'll need to quickly switch from one weapon to the next without fumbling."

" You know, maybe I should consider finding a larger quiver if such a thing exists," I said.

" They do exist although how to obtain one does pose a difficult question," said Spike.

" Where can I get my hands on one?" I asked.

" The Shooting Gallery which used to exist in Hyrule Castle Town before it was all destroyed by Ganondorf, and has since been relocated to Kakariko Village, should have one available as it's famous for challenges involving the use of slingshots and bows. Originally, it was a place restricted to just adults, but when kids came around with slingshots and requested to be permitted to play there as well, the owner created challenges just for them, and so his business has gotten even better.

As for the possibility of there being a second quiver out there, I'm not sure where you would find one unless you were to look in the least likely of places," replied Spike.

" Remind me to pay a visit to this Shooting Gallery as this is the second time I've run out of arrows, and I'd rather not experience it for a third time. I should have enough rupees to play these challenges, so we'll go there whenever we next visit Kakariko Village," I said. Once I took some quick breathing as my way of concentrating, I aimed the Fairy Bow at the eye switch really carefully, and took as many steps as I could to the edge of the ledge.

When I was unable to step any further without walking off and into the water, I fired the arrow and hoped it would hit its target as I didn't want to have to go exploring, but luckily for me the arrow hit the switch causing the eye to close, and the gate to rise up. Quickly, I put the bow away and took out the Longshot, and aimed for the plate that was on the wall in the distance. Since time was against me, I wasn't able to properly aim, so instead it all came down to pure instinct, and hoping for the best.

" Did we make it?" asked Spike a few seconds later.

" Somehow we made it to the other side of the gate before it closed behind us, and I didn't even take the time to adjust my aiming when I used the Longshot. There is no switch on this side for me to hit in order to open the gate again, and even if there was I couldn't activate it due to now having no arrows in my quiver. I'm just hoping that there won't be any puzzles coming up in the remaining rooms that require the use of arrows, for we'll be at a complete loss if such a thing were to happen," I replied.

" Then let's hope that you can find some jars that contain arrows when you smash them," said Spike. After putting the Longshot away, I walked around the next corner where I soon came upon the block which I pulled before until it got stuck due to the ceiling being too low for it to be pulled any further.

Upon taking a closer inspection at it, I found it had been covering up something as I could just barely make out what appeared to be a room, so when I started to push the block along using what little I had when it comes to strength, it scraped along the floor until it lodged itself perfectly into the wall revealing a small treasure chest in the nook it was covering. " Now you can see why we needed to lower the water level to the bottom, and then raise it back up halfway again before we could come back here."

" If I had attempted to solve this puzzle without draining the water, it would have been impossible as only the Longshot can be used underwater. I've got to give the followers of Ganondorf some credit here for hiding these small keys really cleverly in places you would normally never consider," I said.

" Would that be the only credit you can give them?" asked Spike.

" Pretty much as what they've done to the people in the name of their leader is beyond forgiveness," I replied.

" Still having some regret over the she-demon?" asked Spike. This was quite the question coming from him out of nowhere, and it caught me off guard because I wasn't expecting him to ask it. Just him mentioning the words 'she-demon' made me start to think about the emotional consequences of what happened, and that I was much more conflicted than even I originally believed myself to be. While I had finally felt that I was now able to move on with my life, something was holding me back, and I couldn't seem to get it out of my mind.

Could this be a form of guilt? I had robbed a creature the chance of acquiring a life of her very own, yet she desired my life despite being the darkness that existed in my heart. Personally, I'd didn't want to talk about it so soon after the immense battle, but how could I refuse a question like that, and coming from the one person who has been there with me from the beginning? After thinking it over in my mind for a few seconds, I decided to answer Spike, and perhaps get some issues off of my chest.

" I'd lying to you if I said that it wasn't bothering me," I replied.

" You did what you needed to do to defeat her, and finally overcome something from your past which weighed you down. Granted, you had to reluctantly transform to prevail, but there was no other choice as you wouldn't have defeated her otherwise," said Spike.

" I've gotten over the whole transformation aspect of it because I realized that doing so was a necessary evil, but that isn't the problem that's been bothering me. While I had to defeat Sunset Demon in order to progress through the Water Temple, and perhaps finally move on with my life, I just wish that there had been another way to resolve things," I said.

" What do you mean?" asked Spike.

" If she had been more willing to talk things out instead of wanting to fight and kill me to achieve her goal, the entire situation could have been avoided altogether, and she might have discovered that she needed to live out her own existence. Instead, I have denied her the chance to realize her dream even if it mean my own dream coming to an end in that sense of it, so now I am feeling guilty that I chose to slaughter her without mercy.

Back where I come from, I was only starting to understand the concept of friendship, but now I feel like I know even less about it than before due to what I ended up doing to my other self. It's not her fault that she desired revenge and was willing to do whatever was necessary to fulfill her bloodlust," I replied.

" Does it have to do with the fact that you yourself were once her?" asked Spike.

" Even though it happened years ago, I can't help but beat myself up over how stupid I was for thinking I could go off on my own, and find my own way with such a corrupted heart. Princess Celestia believed that I could become an ideal student under her wisdom, but I was too impatient and sought a faster means of achieving my goals.

As you saw with the she-demon, my method wasn't exactly the best thing in the world. Still, all of that hatred she had was because I had that very hatred in me, and I often vented out my frustrations in the form of intimidation whenever I didn't get my way. Sunset Demon basically represents the worst qualities of my personality, and manifests them into a horrible creature who wields the same power as I do....and then some," I replied.

" And then some?" asked Spike.

" Did I ever tell you why I ended up becoming Sunset Demon?" I asked.

" You never really explained it other than you were defeated, and after that began to change your ways," replied Spike.

" I suppose it's because I'm ashamed to reveal what I did, for it's another reminder of who I used to be," I said. Before I continued with the explanation, I walked over to the treasure chest, and kicked it open to reveal a small key. As soon as I pocketed the key and making sure that nothing had been left behind, I revealed to Spike the reason as how I became the she-demon.

" You see, I returned to my place of birth, Equestria, some time after my own self-exile to the human world, and stole a crown which belonged to my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, yet this was before we were friends mind you. Anyway, I brought her crown, known as the Element of Magic, to the human world, and that's how the rest of my friends acquired Equestrian Magic. My aim was to wear it upon my head, and use its power to become the ruler of Equestria.

" You must have had some issues back then," said Spike.

" Don't I know it, but the crown was something meant only for the one connected to the Element of Magic, and that was Twilight for she was destined to possess that element," I said. That's when I looked at my right hand, and it shivered because my thought process was reminding me of what I aspired to do before I changed. While I consider myself lucky to have been given a second chance, the idea of me not being given one and instead remaining isolated and alone made me close my eyes and shake with fear.

What if I hadn't been worthy enough to be given forgiveness? What if my friends couldn't defeat me and instead had to bow down to what I had become? Spike noticed that I was having some kind of nightmare, and he comforted me by saying that things worked out in the end, and it gave me the confidence to continue. " When I wore the crown, I absorbed the negative powers it possessed which reflected in my own negativity, and that's how the she-demon was created."

" What kind of power did you have?" asked Spike.

" I had my own Equestrian Magic although it had been twisted to become dark magic," I replied.

" And?" asked Spike.

" I remember being able to hypnotize people, and I used such a power on the student body of Canterlot High to make them my slaves where my plan was to invade Equestria using them as my soldiers. That's pretty much all I know for I didn't have that form for very long, and for that I should be thankful," I replied.

" It looks like being here in Hyrule has given your dark side additional powers," said Spike.

" But that is something we don't need to consider anymore because she has been destroyed once and for all," I said. My way of thinking was sheer ignorance because I never took into consideration what Sunset Demon said before she shattered to pieces, and that was saying it wasn't over between us. To say something like that meant that she planned on returning, and her defeat was merely a ruse so as to throw suspicion away from her.

" Anyway, I think I've explained things with as much detail as I'm willing to discuss. I was thinking of checking the Dungeon Map again in order to see where we haven't been to yet, for I believe that there are only a few rooms left before we can officially say we've combed through every last chamber."

" In case you were wondering, the map in the Water Temple is indeed waterproof otherwise it would have crumpled to pieces. Now, if I remember where we've been in this giant maze of a dungeon, I think there is one passageway we never checked out. It's not the one that Princess Ruto said for us to avoid as it just leads to a lengthy room which comes to a dead-end," said Spike.

I took out the map and began to comb over it to see what was left, and sure enough there were a series of rooms on the first floor which we haven't been to yet. Perhaps the most important thing among those rooms was the icon indicating that there was a treasure chest there, and it was also the only remaining chest in the temple.

" The Boss Key must be there in that room as there are no other chests left," I said.

" It makes sense for it to be hidden all the way over there out of the main areas of the temple, and according to the map, there is a passageway on the first floor which goes in that direction," said Spike.

" I wonder why we never bothered to check it out before?" I asked.

" We decided against it due to Princess Ruto having gotten frustrated with how we used that rupee to determine which way we were going to go next, but maybe we should have taken a quick peak at the time in order to get the lay of the land so to speak. All you need to do to reach that passageway is to drop down to the lower from here, and make your way north....but then I forgot that we can't go back the way we came as there is no switch to open that gate from this side," replied Spike.

" There must be another way out of this room otherwise we're trapped in here," I said.

" You do have that warp point you know," said Spike.

" We're not going to be using that until we reach the room with the Boss Key in it as that would be the perfect place to warp back, so I think we can find a proper way out of here without relying on Farore's Wind," I said. It wasn't easy to find a way out of the room because everything looked exactly the same, but then I remembered that I dropped down into this room from the third floor, so I traced my steps back to that exact location hoping for a means of escape.

It turns out there was a Hookshot plate on the wall which must have been placed there in case someone needed to get out of this area without the water being there. Taking out the Longshot, I aimed for the plate and pulled myself up to the edge, and grabbed it before climbing back up. " I knew there had to be a means of escaping without relying on magic."

" Call me impressed," smiled Spike.

" Why do you say that?" I asked.

" You figured that out on your own without my help, and to be honest I had no idea that Hookshot plate was there. I guess using Farore's Wind again would have been pointless given that the warp is just around the corner, and it would have been a waste of magic to simply warp such a short distance," replied Spike. It sounds like I appear to getting a little better although I would say otherwise as much of the time I happen to be either lucky, or just blunder my way through any given challenge.

I once again switched to the Iron Boots and dropped down into the water, but I forgot that it hadn't been raised all the way, so for a brief moment I was falling through the air before splashing into the drink. Upon landing on the ground underwater, I made my way to the north passageway where I immediately fell into another hole the instant I entered it. This new direction quickly opened out into a large room, and I could see a row of spikes sticking out on the edge above the water.

" Those look to be rather difficult to get across," I commented.

" It should be easy as you have the Longshot, and I guess coming here earlier would have let us realize that. The Hookshot's chain wouldn't have been long enough to reach the plate at the time, so we had to come back with the upgrade before gaining access to the remaining rooms," said Spike.

" When you think about it, the extended chain doesn't get used quite as often in this temple as you think," I said.

" Probably because by the time you found it, we were more than halfway through with the exploration. It only seemed to take longer because the she-demon took up a lot of time given what happened back there. Since there are no Hookshot plates for you to pull yourself towards right above us, the only option is to switch back to your regular boots, and climb onto that ledge up there behind you," said Spike.

I switched boots again, and floated up to the surface where I climbed out and turned around to see a locked door in the distance. The plate in question was located above the door, so I took out the Longshot and aimed it at the plate where I launched myself across and over the spikes. When I landed, I noticed that there was another plate located on the opposite side in the same general location.

" Why is that one there?" I asked.

" If you decide to come back to the central chamber by going the long way, you need to use that plate to pull yourself across like you did just now. Those spikes cannot be jumped over by regular jumps as they are too high and too long in width, and if you tried to make such an attempt....I think you get the idea as to what will happen. In any case, let's see what lies beyond this room," replied Spike.

Unlocking the door and entering the next room, I found myself staring at a large pool of water where vortexes were flanking the sides, and numerous Blue Tektites were floating on top of the water. Boulders were rolling out of what looked like chutes and along the bottom of the pool, and there appeared to be an opening to the left which was too high for me to reach.

" Now I wish that I didn't run out of arrows," I moaned.

" There are no jars for you to smash, so it looks like you'll need to do this the hard way," said Spike.

" Just what I'm not looking forward to," I moaned.

" The vortexes won't be a problem if you swim through the middle as fast as you can, but make sure those Blue Tektites don't hit you otherwise you'll get pushed back and get pulled down into one of those vortexes where it will be the end of us. The boulders will do the same thing if they roll into you, so you need to be careful as you make your way across. Arrows would have made it easier as you could have picked off the monsters one by one, but you don't have anything else that can hit them from a distance," said Spike.

" What about using my water magic?" I asked.

" I keep forgetting that you have other magical elements besides fire," replied Spike.

" Since I've only been relying on the Hookshot/Longshot for the majority of the time, I only used water magic in here once against Blue Tektites back when we first entered the temple although that involved using the Megaton Hammer afterwards. I think this room would be a good place to try that magic again, and it could be one of the few times I do get to use water magic.

Face it, water only exists here, in Zora's Domain, and Lake Hylia on a massive scale, and anywhere else in the kingdom is going to be lacking in it. No offence to the Great Fairy of Power, but maybe she didn't take into consideration that earth, wind, and water forms of magic aren't as useable as fire," I said.

" Fire has restrictions too you know," said Spike.

" True, but don't forget that fire is my natural element, so those restrictions don't apply to me. Anyway, I want to try something here, and I need to have the utmost concentration as I have no idea if this will even work," I said. Closing my eyes and pushing my arms forward as far as possible, I began to concentrate my magical powers on the water; to be more specific, I was focusing on the vortexes as they were the key to my idea.

After a couple of minutes of focusing my efforts, I opened my eyes and began to pull the vortexes towards the Blue Tektites as though they were tornados with the intent on pulling them in, and defeating them that way rather than risk being overwhelmed were I to swim across. It was pretty difficult as I was manipulating a lot of water, and this was something which I've never done before, but it felt like I was being guided along by an invisible presence which wanted me to succeed.

The Blue Tektites had no chance of escaping as the vortex tornados pulled them along and into the holes where they disappeared leaving me to swim across with only the boulders being a problem.

" That was amazing!" exclaimed Spike.

" Not to mention really taxing," I added as I dropped to the ground.

" Don't tell me you need to rest again?" asked Spike.

" Having to manipulate all of that water really took its toll on me as it's something I've never attempted before, and I actually believed that my idea wasn't going to work because of my lack of knowledge of water magic. And yet, I felt a presence guiding me which enabled me to succeed....it felt like Princess Ruto was helping me from her current location wherever that is. I just need to rest for a few minutes otherwise I'll overexert myself, and you know what happened back in the central chamber," I said.

This time, I only needed five minutes as the magic was more of a mental strain rather than a physical one, and when I was fully recovered, I jumped into the water and swam as fast as possible while avoiding the boulders. The swim across wasn't so bad now that the Blue Tektites were out of the way, and when I reached the other side of the pool, I climbed up onto the ledge and opened the door.

In the next room, I found myself staring at what looked like a large pit of some kind, but as I moved closer to the edge, I saw that it was a small pool of water with platforms on either side of it.

" There's some kind of switch there in the water, but I can't tell what colour it is from here," said Spike.

" Do you hear something squeaking?" I asked.

" I'm not sure if that would be the sound that they are making, but something is swimming about in that pool down there. They look like those Stinger monsters we encountered all the way back when we were exploring the innards of Lord Jabu-Jabu," replied Spike.

" What could they be doing here of all places?" I asked.

" I don't know, but clearly they don't seem to fit in with the dynamics of the temple. Unlike the ones we encountered seven years ago, these ones aren't able to hide underwater, and it looks like they will try to leap out of the water and slam into you before turning around and jumping back in again.

Arrows aren't going to be useful here despite you not having any on hand because the Stingers are moving too fast, so you'll need to find some other way to defeat them....which means using your water magic again," replied Spike.

" Might as well use said magic in the ideal place where it works," I smiled. Since the water in this room wasn't as big as in the previous one, I wasn't going to be exerting anything, so I won't be needing to rest after this one. Pushing my arms forward again followed by closing my eyes, I concentrated, and a large tornado appeared in the middle of the water which pulled the Stingers into it.

After they swirled around in the vortex for a while, they went scattering all across the room where they slammed into the walls and disappeared which was the sign that they had been defeated, and once the last one was gone, I allowed the vortex to recede and the water to return to normal. With that problem out of the way, I jumped down so that Spike could take a closer look at the block underwater.

" It looks like a large blue block, so you'll need something heavy to press it down."

" Where are we going to find a heavy object?" I asked.

" There has to be one in this room, and it's probably hidden behind a false wall," replied Spike. I turned around to begin searching, and immediately I found a crack in the wall behind me, and there was something on the other side. Taking out my Bomb Bag, pulling out a bomb, and placing it on the ground in front of the wall, it exploded a few seconds later revealing a hidden passageway.

It wasn't really much of one as upon turning the next corner, I was stuck with a block literally blocking the way, but then I began to see what needed to be done to activate the blue switch.

" Guess this must be the heavy object we're looking for," I said.

" If you pull it towards you, it can be dragged along until you reach the wall, but then you'll need to push it from the other side. If that's the case, then there must be a second false wall which can be destroyed with a bomb," said Spike.

" Most likely where that other walkway is on the opposite side of the pool, but I'm not going to be enjoying this as I'll have to get in and out of the water a few times just to push and pull this block to where it needs to go. Sometimes, I do wish that there was an easy way to do these things, but then doing so would deprive me of the challenge necessary to test me as the hero," I sighed.

Making my way over to the other side was indeed a chore as jumping into the water and climbing back out repeatedly was going to exhaust me yet again, and it reminded me as to why I am not enjoying the experiences of this temple. The wall which needed to be blown up looked real at first, but I noticed that the bricks on the false part don't match up with the real integrity of the wall, so by placing another bomb down and destroying the wall, it revealed the other side of the block.

" At least know that we're almost done here," said Spike.

" Yeah, but I still don't like having to do this," I moaned. Pushing and pulling the block along its intended route wasn't bad as it was surprisingly light for its size, but the problem again was having to go in and out of the water just to get the block onto the switch. Before making the final push, I decided to see what was inside of the jars just in case there were arrows which I desperately needed, and when I smashed them, arrows fell out and that put a smile on my face.

" Arrows! There may be only ten of them here, but at least I have some to use." With that done, I pushed the block onto the switch which activated it, and it caused the water to rise up which made me feel uneasy until I realized that it was necessary to reach the door that lead to the next room.

" We still haven't used that last small key," commented Spike.

" I have a feeling that whoever locked certain doors in here wanted to give any potential explorers a kick to the stomach by placing a locked door right in front of the room which contains the Boss Key, and that would be a cruel twist of fate as we'd be forced to backtrack for a while before coming back here again," I said.

" Good thing we checked out all of those hidden nooks like you suggested," said Spike.

" I'm really getting the hang of it when it comes to searching for items, but I don't like having to do so much grunt work," I moaned. That response got a chuckle from Spike, and it was good to see him in such high spirits after what he has been through. I asked him if he had fully recovered, and he said that he had been fine for the last 20 minutes, but he felt so warm and comfy in the rim of my hat that he wanted to stay there.

You'd think I'd be annoyed with that, but I wasn't for instead I said he could stay there as long as he wants until we reach the location of the curse. Opening the door and entering the next room, I had a strange feeling that I've done this before in a previous room. " Didn't we have to solve this puzzle earlier?"

" The only difference this time is that there are three geysers down below instead of one, so you'll need to hop from each one to get to the other side. The water will only rise up when you activate that Crystal Switch over there, and then we have two Blue Tektites waiting over there. Since you just got some arrows in the other room from those jars, you can either pick them off from this side, or hit them once and let them jump into the pit below. Just be careful not to fall in yourself otherwise you'll have to fight them," replied Spike.

" I can see a Hookshot target below my feet, so this is pretty much the same puzzle only with more jumping," I said.

" At this point in the temple, it shouldn't be a disappointment as it could have been something else," said Spike.

" I'll gladly take a puzzle like this instead of pushing blocks, swimming around, and backtracking constantly," I said before taking out the Fairy Bow and aiming it at the two Blue Tektites. Since neither of them were moving, it should be easy enough for me to hit them, but of course saying that is one thing, and actually succeeding at it is a completely different story altogether.

My first two shots completely sailed over them and ended up hitting the door, so that was embarrassing to say the least, but then the third shot hit the one on the left and it jumped into the pit leaving me the other Blue Tektite to deal with. Arrow number four somehow hit the wall below where it was standing, yet the fifth one struck home, and it too jumped down because it was blinded with revenge.

" You really do need to get better with the Fairy Bow," commented Spike.

" Were my shots really that bad?" I asked.

" You hit the door at the end of the room, and you hit the wall below the ledge we need to reach. Yeah, I'd say those were pretty bad shots, and I didn't think anyone with a bow would end up hitting a door of all things. Still, you didn't give up and accomplished the goal of getting the Blue Tektites into the pit and out of the way. I think the owner of the Shooting Gallery will definitely teach you how to effectively use the bow, for I know he will be surprised if he saw how you use it," replied Spike.

" At least I didn't waste all of my arrows as I still have seven left in the quiver," I said. Putting the bow away and taking out the Longshot, I fired it at the crystal switch which raised the water of the three geysers, and allowed me to make my way across all the while having to hear that ticking sound. Once I reached the other side, I opened the door and found myself in a short passageway that looked simple enough. " I don't like how easy this room appears, and it's making me feel nervous."

" Be prepared for anything," said Spike. All of a sudden, a large boulder rolled past which startled me, so I quickly took out the Dungeon Map to see where we were, and it turns out that this was the same room where I used those vortexes to defeat those Blue Tektites. What we witnessed was one of the chutes where the boulders roll along and into the water where they serve to disrupt my momentum.

Spike wanted to see the map for a second, so I raised it up to him and he glanced over it. " We need to head to the right in order to reach the room containing the Boss Key, so it looks like we'll have to avoid the boulders and make our way up the chute."

" Before I go gallivanting off in a direction where giant rocks will try to bowl me over like I'm some kind of pin, why don't we take a closer look at where they're coming from," I suggested.

" Do you have a theory?" asked Spike.

" As a matter of fact, I do which is why we should look," I replied. Walking a few steps forward until I was as close to the edge as possible without getting hit by the constantly rolling boulders, I looked to the right and there was a small waterfall where the boulders were rolling down from the top, and below was a hole which dropped down to an underwater passage.

" I suspected there was more to this than simply walking up a chute, so all I need to do is switch boots and jump down before I get flattened and quite possibly pushed back to the previous room." After switching to the Iron Boots, I decided to wait for roughly a minute in order to see how often the boulders rolled down from the top of the waterfall, and I calculated it to be one rolling by every 15 seconds. As soon as the next boulder rolled by, I quickly ran as fast as I could and sank down just as the next one was about to land on my head.

" Looks like your feeling regarding the use of the last small key turned out to be correct," said Spike.

" If we hadn't picked up the one in that funny-shaped room, we would be backtracking right now," I said.

" All that's left is to walk through this passageway, and we're home free as you'll use Farore's Wind the moment you claim the Boss Key in the next room after unlocking the door," said Spike.

" Of course as I have no intention of walking all the way back to the central room, so we can skip all of that and make our way to the source of the curse the moment we come out of the warp," I said.

" Actually, you will need to do one last bit of backtracking," began Spike.

" Come again?" I asked.

" The Hookshot plate that was on the statue in front of the door that leads to the Boss Room is currently inaccessible, and the only way to access it is to raise the water level to its original position back when we first entered the temple. In other words, we need to go back to the third location, and play Zelda's Lullaby before we can progress to the final room," replied Spike.

" I am really disliking the structure of this place," I moaned. Just when you think I couldn't stand much more, walking around the next corner revealed a single Shell-Blade which was blocking my path. It hadn't noticed me yet, so its vision must be pretty bad, but I had to move in closely and strike with the Longshot because the passageway was too narrow to allow for anything in the way of maneuverability.

I took out the Longshot as well as the Hylian Shield and prepared to move in, and that's when something else came to mind....how does the shield keep on ending up on my back whenever I am done using it for a given task? Yet another question of this world which confuses me to no end. The instant I got within range of the Shell-Blade, I aimed for its mouth and it opened up revealing its muscle, and I fired striking it and defeating it which was a sigh of relief as I didn't want to be dragged into a unnecessary battle.

With that out of the way, I walked forward a little more before switching boots and climbing out of the water when I reached the surface. As I originally suspected, the final door was locked, so if I didn't have the key, this is where I would have freaked out. But, I do have it so I unlocked the door, and in the next room was the gold and blue ornate chest where upon opening it, I took out the Boss Key which meant I was finally done.

" Now we need to make our way back to the central chamber," said Spike.

" And that's where Farore's Wind comes into play as we'll be warping to where I created the warp point, but I haven't exactly used the second half of the spell before, so I have no idea how I'm supposed to do this," I said.

" First of all, you need to take out the gem that houses Farore's Wind, and then you need to tell it that you want to go to the warp point you created earlier. There is no magic power being spent here as it was used to cast the spell originally, but there is one more thing you need to know. When you use the spell for the second time and go to the intended destination as designated by the warp point, it will disappear so if you want to warp again in the future, you'll need to create a new point," said Spike.

" It's kind of like a one-trick pony," I said.

" Nice reference to your kind," laughed Spike.

" And it wasn't even intentional," I added. Taking out Farore's Wind in the form of a gem, I told it that I wished to be warped back to where I created the point, and in a matter of moments, I found myself back on the third floor although the flash of light was something I could have done without. It did take me a moment to re-orientate myself as warping does leave you feeling frazzled, and I proceeded to the final chamber....but first I had to do some more unnecessary backtracking.

This involved dropping down to the lower level, and going through the formerly locked door, and up and around to the third location where the water level can be changed. This little detour took me a few minutes to get through, and it did involve another Blue Tektite blocking the way which I destroyed instantly as I wasn't in the mood to be delayed anymore than I was.

At the location, I played Twilight's Lullaby. which raised the water level, and the statue also raised up revealing the Hookshot plate on the front of it. With that taken care of, I jumped down and swam over to the part of the walkway that was the closest to the statue where I took out the Longshot, and pulled myself over.

" Well, we have just one room left before the boss room," said Spike.

" I wonder what kind of final obstacle has been set up in order to stop us from progressing any further?" I asked. Opening the door and walking into the next room, I was shocked to see that the last line of defence was a single slope with three spike traps bouncing back and forth against the walls.

" Weird....I actually wasn't expecting something like this, but I can see how it would prevent anyone from getting up to the top. Since there are no Hookshot plates to be found, the only option to take is to run up the slope, and avoid getting hit by the traps although it does seem a bit difficult to avoid them."

" If one of those traps hits you, it will cause you to lose any momentum you had, and you'll slide all the way back down again to the bottom of the slope. There is a way to avoid them altogether, and that involves running up next to the wall. However, the trick is to time it just right before starting to run up otherwise you'll get injured as well as frustrated. Just watch the first two carefully as the third one is probably the easiest one to avoid," said Spike.

" Which side do you think works best?" I asked.

" Either side will work, but go with whatever you feel comfortable with," replied Spike. I wanted to do this on my first try not only because I didn't want to get injured by these spikes when I'm so close to the end, but also for wanting to do something without blundering it up such as what I've done whenever I used the Fairy Bow.

Watching the traps closely with my eyes and waiting for the right moment wasn't easy, but I was able to find a weak spot in their movement which I capitalized by running up the slope as fast as my legs were able to carry me. I even had my eyes closed as I just wanted to make it to the top in one piece, and I surprised myself by accomplishing that goal.

" That was easy," I said.

" But what lies beyond this door isn't going to be," said Spike.

" Just the thought of having to deal with that watery tentacle which kidnapped Princess Ruto earlier is making me feel uneasy, but we have to go in and take it down if we want to rescue her and save her people," I said. Taking out the Boss Key and using it to open the door, the next room was a large chamber that had spikes lining around the edge, and a walkway surrounded a large pool of water.

In the middle of this pool were four platforms of the same shape and size with each sporting ladders, and finally there were various Hookshot plates scattered around the walls. " There's something unusual about this room Spike, but I can't put my finger on it."

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer! That isn't normal water over there," said Spike.

" It looks fine to me," I said.

" Don't let appearances deceive you not even for an instant. The colour of that water is different from what we've seen throughout the temple, and I am sensing an evil power coming from it. This could be the source of the curse itself, and that some other creature is using it to make the Zora's suffer, or it could be something else completely which means be prepared for anything," said Spike.

He then finally got off of my hat as he said that he wanted to be at his best to assist me in whatever has to be done in this room, but the question is what am I supposed to do? I can't go back as the door I entered is locked, and nothing has shown up to attack me, so it feels like we're all alone in here. " Why don't you jump over to one of those platforms and take a closer look at the water? I know that I said that it's evil in nature, but I don't see anything else we can do."

" Guess I've no other choice," I said as I walked to the edge of the pool and jumped to the platform to my right, and took a closer look at the water. It did look evil from what I could see, but at the same time it looked just like ordinary water but with a different colour. What I didn't notice was that something was lurking underwater, and I had awoken it from whatever it was doing.

It noticed Spike floating in the air, and began to move slowly so as to not allude me to its presence. When it ended up behind me, it began to rise up as a means of preparing to attack, and I was still unaware of what was happening behind my back. " Spike? Do you hear something gargling?"

" It sounds like it's coming from behind us," replied Spike.

" I don't want to know what is making that sound, but I have to look," I sighed. The instant I turned around, my jaw dropped in shock as what I was seeing with my own eyes was the watery tentacle that abducted Rarity, but it also had some kind of strange pulsating orb flowing about. As soon as the tentacle dropped down into the water, the orb began to bounce all over the place until it started to spin around in a circle numerous times, and within a matter of moments, it had created a whirlpool which produced another tentacle.

I couldn't do anything because I had no idea what I was up against, but I should have at least jumped to the walkway instead of standing still, for the tentacle grabbed me when it lunged forward in my direction. For the next few moments, I found myself being swung back and forth by this thing, and when it was finished with me, I was thrown all the way to the other side of the room where I landed mere inches in front of the spikes.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I knew we were going up against some kind of water creature, but I wasn't expecting to see something like that," I replied.

" That creature is known as Morpha, a Giant Aquatic Amoeba which serves as the master of the Water Temple, and is the source of the curse which has been afflicting both Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia. Even though it looks like the entire body of water is what it looks like, in truth the nucleus, that orb which splashes about without a care in the world, is Morpha's true form which makes it perhaps the smallest creature we've encountered as far as bosses go.

Anyway, when the nucleus spins around in the water, it will create a whirlpool which results in a tentacle rising up. It's easy to avoid because it moves slow, but if it grabs you then....well....you already know what happens, but you can deflect its lunge with your shield, but sometimes the tentacle will disappear back down into the water, and other times it will attempt to attack you again," said Spike.

" There has to be a way to get at that nucleus," I said.

" You'll need to somehow pull it out of the water where it will be vulnerable to attack," said Spike.

" The Longshot!" I exclaimed.

" Now this is where things are going to become tricky for you. The Longshot can only pull Morpha's nucleus towards you and nothing more as the weapon is too weak to be able to damage it properly, so you will need to rely on using the Master Sword this time even though you don't quite know how to use it that well.

Do not touch the nucleus or even allow it to touch you for it can hurt pretty badly. Oh, and before I forget about it, once you've damaged Morpha's nucleus a few times, a second tentacle is going to start showing up, so you need to watch your front and your back otherwise you'll be caught in the middle," said Spike.

" I was afraid you would say the Master Sword," I sighed.

" Despite Morpha being what it is, the number of attacks that it has are really limited compared to other monsters. All I can suggest to you is watch the nucleus carefully, and pull it out whenever it is riding back and forth along a tentacle as that will be your best opportunity to get it. Oh, and I hope that you can switch between the Longshot and the Master Sword seamlessly because Morpha isn't going to wait around for you to strike its nucleus," said Spike.

Using the divine blade was never an option for me because of not really knowing how to use it properly, but that excuse wasn't going to work anymore as Pinkie Pie taught me some basics. This time, I had to use the sword so long as I don't end up transforming as that wouldn't be a good thing. The nucleus of Morpha started to bounce around again, and it made me think that perhaps it was a little too carefree as I believed it could be pulled towards me while airborne, but I don't have that kind of skill to even attempt such a tactic.

Once it bounced around a few times, it started to spin in the water which meant it was creating a whirlpool which would lead into the tentacle rising up and attempting to attack.

" Okay, it's beginning the whirlpool making phase," I said.

" If you want an easier time pulling out the nucleus, stand either side when the tentacle comes at you, for trying to pull it while it's directly in front of you is going to be extremely difficult," said Spike. As soon as the tentacle formed, I got the Longshot ready as well as the Hylian Shield to protect myself, and then it lunged at me where I fired the Longshot through the water, but I couldn't catch the nucleus so I tried it again and failed.

Then, I made a third attempt only to wind up getting caught by the tentacle wrapping itself around my legs before lifting me up and flung me across the room after it shook me around for a few moments.

" That didn't work," I moaned.

" It might take one attempt, or several to pull the nucleus towards you," said Spike.

" If only I could pull it towards me while it's in the air, but I lack the skill to do that properly," I sighed.

" You're still learning how to use a lot of your items Sunset Shimmer, so don't sell yourself short because of that. Just stick with what you know, and hopefully it will produce the results you're looking for," said Spike. He certainly had a lot of faith in me, so I need to have that same kind of faith as well.

Morpha's nucleus soon began its routine which made me realize that he was right in that it has few attacks at its disposal, so when the tentacle came at me again, I fired the Longshot only to miss connecting the first two tries, but the third pulled it to me where I struggled to switch over to the Master Sword. By the time I drew it from the scabbard, the nucleus was bouncing back into the water, so I tried to swing at it only to drop the sword on the ground.

" I knew that was going to happen," I sighed.

" Why not aim with one hand and swing with the other?" asked Spike.

" I'm right-handed so I'd be even worse than I already am with the left," I replied.

" Then we're in trouble as you don't have a fairy or anything to heal the damage, and you transforming wouldn't do you any good as your body may not be willing to endure another change just a short time after the previous one. The only other suggestion I can think of would be if you were to have the Longshot held by your weaker hand when swinging with the Master Sword, and when using the Longshot, you could be holding the sword in your teeth for example.

I know that sounds incredibly stupid considering it is a sacred blade, but you need to do something," said Spike. His idea actually didn't sound as stupid as he was making it out to be, so I decided to hold the sword in my mouth so as to make switching a bit easier for me. The Master Sword wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be, but it was enough to knock me off balance, so it was a struggle for me to keep upright, and here's hoping that I don't drop it in the water or anything.

" Mmph!" was all I could say.

" You actually went and did what I said was stupid....let's hope it works," said Spike. When the nucleus created the whirlpool and began to roll back and forth along the tentacle, I fired the Longshot again where I connected on the second attempt, and as soon as I pulled it over to me, I grabbed the Longshot with my left hand, and the Master Sword with my right where I managed to strike it a few times before it bounced back into the water. " Huh, so this unorthodox style actually does work although it does affect your balance."

" Mmph!" I said as I placed the sword back in my mouth and waited for Morpha to attack again. I should have been watching my behind as another tentacle reared up without anything moving through it when it lunged, and once again I found myself being shaken about before being thrown to the other side of the room. I was lucky that I didn't drop the sword as that would have been a disaster. " Mmph! Mmph!"

Now I had two tentacles leaving me to guess which one I had to focus on when Morpha's nucleus was rolling through it. It was right around here that I took notice of the sound that was being made whenever whirlpools were being created, and it actually got really annoying after hearing them for the tenth time or so. One tentacle popped up and the nucleus was rolling along it, but the other one also came up and struck me without grabbing me, but as I turned around, the first one got me and I was flung over to the other side.

" Focus as best as you can as one or two more of those flinging attacks, and that will be the end of you," said Spike.

" Mmph?" I said.

" No, I wouldn't jump into the middle of the water via those platforms as that would make things even harder for you, for Morpha's nucleus would pick you off before you even have a chance to react. Stick with what you're doing, and have some more confidence in your skills as you can do anything if you put your mind to it," replied Spike.

As it bounced around again in an attempt to mock me, Morpha started its usual attack, but this time for some reason, the second tentacle was much further away, and that was the one where the nucleus was. Since the Longshot had a much longer chain than the Hookshot, I could just stand where I was, and fire at it from here.

I managed to pull the nucleus towards me in one attempt where I did my unusual tactic by switching my items, and I damaged Morpha a few more times. That's when the first tentacle grabbed me and swung me around a few times before throwing me to the other side of the room again, and this time I dropped the Master Sword where it landed right on the edge of the water.

" Shoot!" I exclaimed.

" Better grab it before it falls in!" shouted Spike.

" No need to tell me twice," I said as I ran over to the edge to pick it up only for a tentacle to come flying at me which I jumped back to avoid it, but the resulting impact send the sword flying over to the corner of the room which was both a blessing and a curse. I ran over again and picked it up before something else could go wrong, but that was when a tentacle grabbed me again.

Spike said that I could only take one or two more attacks in this manner before I'm done for, and I have no means of healing, so I needed to break free of this before I get lifted up and tossed like a piece of garbage. Since the Master Sword was now in my right hand, I decided to swing at the tentacle as I had nothing else I could use, and somehow I chopped it off allowing myself to escape for the moment.

" Pretty impressive," commented Spike.

" Mmph! Mmmmphhhh!" I said after placing the sword back in my mouth. Morpha then quickly raised another tentacle as soon as that one went down, so I raised my shield which was on my left arm, and I deflected several of its attacks as I needed to catch my breath after almost getting killed. Once I was feeling okay again, I waited for another tentacle to show up with the nucleus travelling along it, and when it happened I fired the Longshot and pulled it towards me after the third attempt.

I hit it a few more times where it bounced back into the water, but then it suddenly appeared on the other tentacle which was right behind me. I guess it wanted to finish things, so I fired again and pulled Morpha's nucleus out although I was a mere step away from being grabbed by the tentacle it was rolling on. When I hit the nucleus again, it suddenly shattered to pieces as though it were some kind of bubble, and I dropped the Master Sword to the floor as I was surprised that just happened.

" I wasn't expecting it to just pop like a bubble. That was probably very anti-climatic unless there's something I'm missing, but I'm glad that the nucleus has been destroyed, so now I need to figure out how to destroy the water form of Morpha."

" Like I said before, Morpha's true form was that of the nucleus with the rest of being a means to initiate attacks. Since you just destroyed it, the water isn't able to sustain itself anymore as it needed the nucleus to even exist," said Spike.

" What does that even mean?" I asked.

" Just look at what is happening to the water," replied Spike. As I stared at the pool, the water was being funneled up to the ceiling where it was covering it up as much as possible, but then the water started to shrink in size, and eventually it was reduced to the size of a small puddle. Droplets of water had been trickling down from the center of that mass, and soon the final drop fell where it splattered in the now empty pool which produced a Heart Container, and one of those portals.

Spike then started to move back and forth in sheer joy. " You did it Sunset Shimmer! Despite how awkward your fighting style was, you destroyed the curse and proved once again that you are the one destined to save this land."

" If anything, I just got lucky because I clearly got injured a lot more than I should have," I said.

" Can you walk?" asked Spike.

" I'm not bleeding if that's what you're thinking, but I am feeling really weak due to being thrown around so much. Maybe I'll feel better when I pick up that big heart down there provided that the drop to the ground below doesn't hurt me," I replied. Once I put the Master Sword and the Longshot away, I dropped down into the pit where I landed pretty badly, and almost breaking one of my legs in the process.

Then I walked slowly to the Heart Container and picked it up where I felt the warm glow that occurs when I acquire one. Not only that, but my strength came back to me, and I no longer felt weak. Once I entered the portal, I was whisked away to the Chamber of the Sages where this time I was to be focusing on the blue coloured groove which represented water. A few moments later, and the designated Sage rose up from the groove, and it was none other than Rarity.

" Sunset Shimmer....I would have expected no less from you because I knew that you would finish what we started. Zora's Domain and its people will eventually return to their original state. I don't know how long it's going to take, but do know that it will eventually happen as these things do take time.

I am so grateful to you for defeating the curse that plagued the Water Temple, that I shall grant you any wish that you desire. Just name it, and it will be yours without fail darling! Well, that's what I want to say to you, but I don't think I can offer that now," said Rarity.

" What happened to you after that watery tentacle grabbed you?" I asked.

" When I was dragged down into the vortex, everything went completely dark, and for a while I believed that I had been killed and joined my ancestors. Eventually, a bright light appeared before me which featured the symbol of the Triforce, and I found myself here where I was told to wait for the moment to come when the Hero of Time shall arrive. That time is now, and I stand here before you having been awoken to my true destiny," replied Rarity.

" I'm guessing that you won't be able to return to Hyrule any time soon because you're needed here, but you'll get used to this place in no time for you have two others who can show you the way. Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were awakened before you were, so they have a pretty good idea by now what their purpose is, and they in turn will help you become adjusted so that in turn you can help those who have yet to realize their destiny," I said.

" What kind of names are those?" asked Rarity.

" The names of my friends....those from the human world who are portraying individuals of this world just like you are. While you know yourself as Princess Ruto, I know you as my friend Rarity which is your real name. While I would explain things to you, deep inside your heart you already are aware of this," I replied.

" Such a name as that will take time for me to grow adjusted to it, but I will acknowledge myself with such a name as a sign of respect to you. I have to guard the Water Temple as the Sage of Water....and you....you're searching for the princess, Zelda?" asked Rarity.

" No one knows what became of her when Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle, so her fate continues to be a mystery even to this day. While I wish that she were alive, the chances of that happening are pretty slim from what I gather," I replied.

" Princess Zelda....she's alive. I can sense it....so don't be discouraged," said Rarity.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" I'm not exactly sure where she is right now for the darkness that pervades the land remains as strong as ever, but I know she is alive and is waiting for you, so it's just a matter of time I suppose. Perhaps you may find some better information from someone who was much closer to Zelda, for I am certain they will be able to give you a more desired answer than a simple feeling. Is there anyone you know who fits such a description?" asked Rarity.

" The only person I know who was always by her side was her attendant, Impa, who happens to be a Sheikah," I replied.

" From what I remember about them, they originated from Kakariko Village, so perhaps she may have returned there after the castle was taken by Ganondorf seven years ago," suggested Rarity.

" Sheik may also be able to provide some insight," I said.

" It looks like you already have your next goal in mind. I can tell that nothing will stop you in your quest for justice and peace. You must take this Medallion....take it respectfully, and know that its power will aid you," replied Rarity. She raised her arms and another medallion fell from the ceiling where it stopped just slightly above my head, and I was able to grab it and hold it in my hands.

This medallion was blue in colour which made sense because it was a representation of water, so I added it to the rest of the ones I had received thus far. " Now is the time for you to return to Hyrule, and continue on your quest."

" What about your father?" I asked.

" The next time you see him, please tell him what has transpired for he deserves to know the truth. If you see Sheik at some point in your travels which is sure to happen given that you need her knowledge, I ask you to please give her my thanks okay? Perhaps one day we shall meet each other again after all of this has been resolved, and peace has been restored to Hyrule," replied Rarity.

As I said my goodbyes and started to make my way back to Lake Hylia through being transported, something was happening back in the room of the Water Temple where I defeated Sunset Demon. While I believed her to have been destroyed, a shadowy mass appeared in the center of the chamber which was followed with an arm rising up through the water that swung around a few times to ascertain that things weren't over yet....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 40: Broken Armour

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 8, 2015
Chapter 40: Broken Armour

While I was warping from the Chamber of the Sages back to Lake Hylia, something was happening there which was a much welcomed sigh of relief. Not only had the dark clouds disappeared, the water level was beginning to rise. Sheik happened to be standing at the edge of the island in the middle of the lake, and by the time I arrived, she hadn't noticed me.

Perhaps there was something out there which was catching her attention to warrant her ignoring me? Either way, I was hoping that I would run into her as I needed some questions answered, and surely she would be able to provide them to me.

" As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake....Sunset Shimmer, you did it! Once again, you have overcome tremendous odds, and broken the curse which plagued the temple," said Twilight as she turned around to face me where I then walked over to her. " And yet, I can see you have concerns for your eyes tell me that your mind is troubled with thoughts of dread.

" When you say that I've overcome tremendous odds, you have no idea what I had to go through. I wish you could have told me that the temple was going to be complicated as I must have spent hours walking about blind and hopelessly lost, and this was even when I had a map and compass on hand. That's just a minor pet peeve of mine as what I really endured was having to face my dark side," I said.

" How could such a thing be possible?" asked Twilight.

" Ever since you originally asked me to go to the graveyard, the darkness which plagued my heart somehow managed to end up down there where it absorbed my power to bring it back to life in the form of Sunset Demon. She then was forced to serve Ganondorf, and I had to face her in a showdown in the Water Temple. While I was able to prevail, it did leave some emotional scars which will take some time to heal, but deep down I have a feeling that this isn't going to be the end of this conflict," I replied.

" I had no idea that such an evil presence once existed inside of your heart Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight.

" Let's just say the temple brought up more about my past than anything else I've experienced in this world thus far. Ganondorf is to blame for forcing me to face Sunset Demon, yet it's also my fault she exists simply because I allowed her to come to be," I said. Since I knew that Sheik was going to ask me to explain things further, and she did, I spent the next few minutes explaining as best as I could.

By the time I was finished with my explanation, she was unable to say anything in response. Somehow, I figured this would be the case which was surprising as Sheik always did know what to say in response to what I had to say. Deciding to change the subject, I gave her the message Rarity asked me to deliver before returning to Lake Hylia after I learned that she had become a Sage.

" Did Ruto want to thank me? I see....we have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake too, don't we? Look at that, Sunset Shimmer....together, you and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster! Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was here, and soon that will be the case for Zora's Domain," said Twilight. In all the excitement of explaining my story to Sheik, the lake had finished refilling itself, and it looked just like the way it did seven years ago.

It's as though nothing ever really happened, and it made me feel appreciative of the work I was doing despite it being so difficult at times. Sheik then turned her attention to me and started to speak again by reminding me that I had some questions I needed her to answer. " So, tell me of the concerns that you have on your mind, for you wish for them to be addressed."

" During my conversation with Princess Ruto, she told me that Princess Zelda was alive. I explained to her that no one knows what became of her when Ganondorf conquered Hyrule Castle, and that the rumours going around consisted of her being either dead, in hiding, or a slave to the evil king. Yet, she said that she could sense Zelda's presence somewhere in Hyrule, and then asked me if anyone close to the princess would know anything," I said.

" And do you know of anyone like that?" asked Twilight.

" Only one person came to mind, and that was Impa who if I recall was always by Zelda's side. I have no idea what happened to her either, so I decided to turn to you for help given that you and her are from the same tribe," I replied.

" Princess Zelda's whereabouts have been a mystery even to me for Impa never once told me anything about her. Many times have I tried to pry that information from her, and she refuses to convey even a single hint. In case you were wondering, Impa is still very much alive although she has had to keep a low profile in recent years so as to protect the people of Kakariko Village.

She would dare not attempt to start some kind of rebellion against Ganondorf, for that would cause him to send out his followers to burn the village to the ground. Unfortunately, I am not able to provide you with an answer as to the fate of Zelda, but Impa may be more willing to share her knowledge with you as opposed to me," said Twilight.

" Why would she do that considering you're a fellow Sheikah like she is?" I asked.

" While we are both from the same tribe, I am seen as an outsider who remained a mystery to Impa, for she knew all of the members of our tribe by heart. However, she claimed that no one by the name of Sheik ever existed among the Sheikah, and told me that I was false by merely pretending to be one of the shadow folk. Of course, I managed to prove her wrong by revealing that I was one of her kin by revealing this sacred ring as proof of my connection," replied Twilight.

She then brought out a ring from her cloth, and it was certainly a stunning sight to see. It was made of pure gold and had the most beautiful gem I have ever seen with the symbol of the Sheikah etched into it. After letting me look at it for a few moments, Sheik concealed it on her person before turning her attention back to the lake.

" If you wish to uncover the mystery behind what happened to Zelda, head for Kakariko Village and speak with Impa. I have no doubt that she will tell you all that she knows, but perhaps you may wish to explore more of Lake Hylia before heading over there?"

" Shouldn't meeting with Impa be more important?" I asked.

" Indeed it is, but then you might find something useful here by choosing to explore. You may be strong right now, but you will need to become even stronger if you wish to break the curses on the remaining temples. Perhaps that plaque over by that dead tree may be enlightening to you? Once you believe that you've got what you desire from the lake, go to Kakariko and speak to Impa....and perhaps someone else who lives there," replied Twilight.

" Someone else? Why didn't you mention that?" I asked.

" At first I believed that speaking to Impa would be enough, but perhaps she may not be able to tell you everything as we Sheikah are known for keeping secrets close to our hearts. There is someone else who may be able to help you, but no one has been able to speak with him as he chooses to remain distant to everyone. Many refer to him simply as the "Quiet Man" because he wishes to be left alone, and his home is often locked as a result of this," replied Twilight.

" He sounds like a dangerous person," I said.

" And yet he knows much," said Twilight.

" Guess I'll have to find a way to get to talk to him, and learn what I apparently need to know," I said.

" There is one more thing that you need to know about the Quiet Man, and that he rarely leaves the sanctity of his home, but only when the sun has gone down. If you wish to speak to him, it must be so at night," said Twilight.

" He reminds me of Dampè as she used to be the same way," I said.

" I can assure you that this man is different from the former gravekeeper," said Twilight. That's when I walked in front of Sheik to get
a closer look at the water now that it had been returned to Lake Hylia. Despite having had some bad experiences with water courtesy of the Water Temple, just staring at such beauty made me feel calm, and more appreciative of it all.

I guess I should have been paying more attention to Sheik who took the opportunity to take advantage of my fixation of the lake, that she stepped backwards without even making a sound. By the time I turned around, she had already disappeared.

" That was certainly informative although it did get a little tense at times," said Spike.

" I never knew Sheik had to prove she was one of the Sheikah as I assumed she was someone that Applejack knew beforehand, but I guess she just slipped through the cracks when it came to their tribe. I'm glad she mentioned that plaque over there, for the message on it said that I had to shoot into the morning light when water returns to the lake.

Destroying Morpha did restore Lake Hylia back to normal, so that part has been taken care of, but what does the rest of the message mean in terms of shooting the morning light? What exactly is that?" I asked.

" That would be the sun because when it begins to rise to start a new day, it's considered the morning light. In other words, you might want to use the Fairy Bow by shooting an arrow at the sun," replied Spike. While it did sound weird to do something like that, I walked over to the plaque where I took out the bow, and aimed at the sun which was slowly rising into the sky.

For once, I had a huge target so the chances of me missing were pretty slim unless I accidentally shoot into the water, but that would just be embarrassing as I am not so bad that I would make such an obvious blunder. My first shot turned out to be all I needed as it sailed up towards the sun, and completely disappeared although due to how bright it was, I couldn't see where it went.

" Do you think my arrow really hit the sun?" I asked.

" Not even close although you should know better than to ask a question like that," replied Spike.

" I just wanted to have a little positive spin considering all of the negative problems we experienced in the Water Temple. You know, I do find it strange that the message written on that plaque said to shoot at the morning light after the water returns to the lake, yet so far nothing has resulted which makes me think that it was just someone's idea of a joke," I said.

" Not necessarily as there is some truth to these messages," began Spike.

" How so?" I asked.

" Considering that this message was written onto a plaque in an area not normally known for anything quite exquisite, it's more like a legend which someone decided to leave behind for anyone curious enough. Remember what happened back in the Dodongo's Cavern where we saw the plaque that mentioned that making the eyes of the dead Dodongo see red would reveal a new path?

That was because someone wrote that message a long time ago where over time it became legend, and that no one had yet to figure out the meaning until we came along and solved it," replied Spike.

" So you believe that shooting an arrow at the sun will be worth it?" I asked.

" We should know in a few moments as to whether you wasted your time or not," replied Spike. All of a sudden, a bright flare blinded my vision, and when I could see again, I saw something in the distance where it looked like it dropped down from the sun onto a platform which could only be accessed by swimming over to it. " And that would be the result of following what the message said to do."

" That looked like some kind of arrow," I said.

" I have heard stories that the Fairy Bow isn't just capable of firing regular arrows, but it can also fire ones which have been imbued with powerful magic. These special arrows are very rare in that no one has ever seen one in person, but I think we just witnessed one appear before our eyes. Let's go over to that island and discover what fell down from the sun," suggested Spike.

While I wanted nothing more than to check out what that arrow was, I was wondering what happened to Sheik. I know that what she did was typical of her tribe, but this was different as she chose not to use a Deku Nut to make her disappearance. What I wasn't aware of was that she had somehow made her way to the top of the dead tree where she looked down at me with her arms folded.

" It seems that you continue to grow more powerful Sunset Shimmer as you awaken each additional Sage, but I will admit that I had no idea that your dark persona wishes to assume your identity due to it believing you abandoned your true self. While I cannot fathom what you had to endure, know that I will wish for you to never lose your resolve. Also, I hope that you will forgive me when the time comes for having lied to you yet again regarding my disappearance as well as what I said about the Quiet Man, and Impa.

I know that he still has lingering regrets over what happened a long time ago, and I hope that he doesn't decide to take some of his frustration out on you. If only I had been there to give my father the proper support that he needed, and not abandon him, none of this would have happened, and your horrible fate would just be nothing more than a bad dream.

It's time for me to get going as I've stayed here long enough, and maybe Impa will be able to give me some encouragement as I could sure use some of it right now." Twilight said to herself. She then dove off from the top of the tree where she sailed by behind me before splashing into the water where she vanished in an instant.

" What was that?" I asked.

" That must have been Sheik although who is to say for certain? In any case, let's get going," replied Spike. Jumping into the lake where I started to swim over to the island, I felt rather awkward just swimming across as opposed to walking on the bottom of the lake. In a matter of minutes, I made my way over where I climbed out of the water and onto the island where I walked over to what fell from the sun. It was indeed an arrow, yet it was surrounded in some kind of fiery crystal which looked both beautiful and weird.

" So this is what dropped down when I shot the sun with an arrow," I said.

" This is the Fire Arrow!" exclaimed Spike.

" I kind of figured that's what this had to be," I said.

" When you use this instead of a regular arrow, it will allow you to shoot flaming arrows which can not only light up torches, but it can also set things on fire provided that it's not fire-proof or anything. Using one of these kinds of arrows does consume magic power, but not to the extent of say the magical spells.

In order for you to use a Fire Arrow, you need to grab this effigy and place it onto the Fairy Bow where it will transform your arrows which you can shoot as often as you want until you either run out of magic, or choose to remove the effigy and switch back to regular arrows. If you run out of magic power, the effigy will be useless until you regain some power. Of the three kinds of arrows that have magical properties, this one is perhaps the easiest to understand," said Spike.

" What are the other two?" I asked.

" The first one is the Ice Arrow whose location is unknown as no one has seen it for centuries, so it could very well no longer exist in Hyrule. The other is the Light Arrow which exists somewhere, but this knowledge was known only to the royal family for it was one of their closely guarded secrets. Whether you will be able to get your hands on these two magical arrows is uncertain, but I wouldn't worry about that right now," replied Spike.

" You know, the Light Arrow would actually be really useful because does it work the way I think it is?" I asked.

" Depends on what you're thinking of," replied Spike.

" Such a magical arrow would be able to light up even the darkest of rooms in a dungeon, and it would be able to inflict immense damage on creatures whose powers revolve around the darkness. Ganondorf is someone I can imagine such an arrow being effective against. But like you just said, the royal family were the only ones who know the location of the Light Arrow, and since we have no idea as to whether Zelda is alive or not, we may never know the secret," I said.

" At least you have the Fire Arrow now so you can use something different the next time you use the Fairy Bow, but I suggest that you get better using the weapon as those magical arrows are dangerous if you don't know how to use them properly," said Spike.

" Before we leave Lake Hylia, I would like to see Daring Do one last time not because of that mask she has, but whether she decided to resume her original project due to the water having been restored. Don't worry Spike as this will only take a few minutes as I know that we need to get to the village if we are to speak to this Quiet Man that Sheik mentioned.

Since he prefers to be active during the night and the day has just started, I suggest we get some sleep somewhere in the field because we could do with that after what we had to go through just to complete the Water Temple," I said. Instead of swimming back to the island above the temple and using the bridges to cross back to the mainland, I chose to jump into the water and swim over to the shore north of where I was standing.

This shore looked like someone had been farming here by the time I arrived, and seeing it made me immediately think of Applejack as farming was in her blood. Or, this could be something that Daring Do had been working on in her spare time as a hobby to keep her distracted from her work. I did notice a single scarecrow perched nearby, and at first I believed it to be nothing more than that, but as soon as I started to walk towards Daring Do's place, a voice came out from nowhere which startled me.

" Hey there, baby!"

" Excuse me!" I exclaimed as that sounded like an insult to my gender, so I turned around to see who just said that, and nobody was there, or anywhere else in the immediate area. The only thing here was the scarecrow, yet I could have sworn that it was looking straight out at the island in the middle of the lake instead of at me when I first arrived on the shore. Deciding that I must have pretended that I heard something, I turned back to resume walking when the same voice spoke out to me again.

" Where you are off to in such a hurry, baby?"

" That's none of your...." I replied as I turned around with an angry expression on my face as this was getting personal. Again, no one was there which made me start to question my sanity, but the scarecrow was still looking at me as though it were the one who had been speaking. No, that was just plain silly as when can a scarecrow speak in the first place?

My expression changed from anger to curiosity as I leaned in to get a closer look, and wonder if I really needed the rest after being so ragged from my explorations of the Water Temple. That's when I noticed the scarecrow winking at me before it decided to speak again.

" Glad that I got your attention."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted as I stepped back a few paces before falling down onto my rear.

" Sorry if I scared you there, but you decided to leave in such a hurry without even taking the time to speak to me. You're the first person to have come all the way over here in what feels like forever, so I was hoping to have a chat."

" I had no idea that you were capable of talking as I assumed you were just an ordinary scarecrow," I said.

" Well, I'm not considered anything of the sort baby. I am Bonooru, the Scarecrow Musical Genius! I hear a song once, and I never forget it baby! Not only that, but I also happen to be an expert when it comes to music." Who would have thought that I would meet a scarecrow who not only talks, but is also gifted with being able to understand music. And that is when an idea popped into my head regarding his skills, and my lack thereof concerning the Ocarina of Time.

" Did you say that you are an expert with music?" I asked.

" I may not be able to play an instrument, but I know how they're supposed to work. Yeah, it must be strange to think of someone like me offering up musical advice, yet I do take pride in my skills as like I said, I'm a musical genius baby," replied Bonooru.

" Then I need your help," I began.

" Come again?" asked Bonooru. I then explained to him how I received the Fairy Ocarina from Fluttershy seven years ago, and admitted that even when I was upgraded to the Ocarina of Time, I never had the time to practice any songs by myself. Because of my lack of practicing, I often stumbled when it came to learning new songs, and needing to spend some time remembering what I've already learnt.

Upon finishing my explanation, Bonooru winked at me again, and I was getting a little creeped out by it as I think he was trying to hit on me or something like that. " So you don't have the free time to practice what you've been learning....yeah, I believe what you're saying baby as you clearly look like some kind of adventurer with an outfit like that."

" I am an adventurer," I said.

" As I gathered from your explanation. Now then, why don't you show me your instrument, and I'll see what I can do to make your experience better," suggested Bonooru. I took the Ocarina of Time out of the pouch on my belt where it is always kept because I know how valuable it is, and showed it to the scarecrow whose face immediately lit up when it saw how impressive it looked. " Wow! I've never seen an ocarina quite as spectacular as the one you hold in your hands baby!

First of all, anyone who plays an instrument should always have copies of the songs they wish to play on a piece of paper until they have them memorized. I take it that you've learned a lot of songs during your journey so far?"

" I've learned roughly ten songs although to be honest, I only use roughly three or four of them at the most. Two songs I have memorized by heart where one I use to call my horse over to me, and the other is to have a telepathic communication with a dear friend of mine. I do have a third song memorized, yet I don't use it often enough unless I have no choice. The rest of the songs I just can't seem to remember, and it takes me several minutes before they click in my head," I replied.

" Then you need to get your hands one some paper and ink, and write down the songs you're having trouble remembering. Perhaps that fairy travelling around with you can remind you to do this. You already have some experience here, for you clearly appear to be quite good at using it. However, because you say that you struggle playing, perhaps my words are too hasty? As long as you memorize the basic keys, you can play any kind of song no matter how difficult it may be," said Bonooru.

" What are the basic keys?" I asked.

" Let me see your ocarina again and I'll show you, baby," replied Bonooru. I showed it to him again where his eyes began to scan over it several times which looked weird at first, but eventually he finished and winked which was his indication that I could take it back. " There are five basic keys for you to memorize, and they are designated by the following names and positions on the instrument.

The key at the bottom is known as the deep key, but for all intensive purposes, we will just refer to this key as 'A'. Next is the mid-to-deep key which shall be identified as an upside-down triangle, and it's located right above the deep key. The one on the right is the middle key, so just simply call it middle key as that's easy enough to not forget.

To the left of that is the mid-to-high key, and it shall be called the mouth key as it bears a resemblance to one of those. Finally, the last one is the high key, and it shall be the top key to you because it's on the top of your ocarina, and it's indicated as such with an arrow pointing to it," replied Bonooru.

" None of that made any sense," I said.

" I'm sure your fairy partner will keep it to memory, but know that those nicknames are just my suggestions. If you have your own names to call them, then use those if you feel your own creativity will help you remember. So to recap baby, deep key, mid-to-deep key, middle key, mid-to-high key, and high key in that order from the bottom of the ocarina to the highest," said Bonooru.

" I just want to have an understanding of what you just said," I said.

" It will take time for you to memorize all of these things baby, but you will get the hang of it if you follow my advice. That's pretty much all I have to teach you, so the rest falls onto you to figure out. Good luck with your ocarina playing as you have the potential to become one of the greatest performers to ever use such an instrument, baby," said Bonooru.

He then turned back to facing Lake Hylia again which was the indication that he was finished with me, so I gave him my thanks where he responded by winking his eye, and I immediately turned around and headed straight for the house. While his advice was useful and confusing, that scarecrow knew what he was talking about, and I hoped that Spike will be able to remember what he said as I sure won't.

As soon as I got within range of the house, I noticed Daring Do was sitting outside near the water with her equipment which meant she was focusing on her original project and not the one involving that mask. I could have chosen to just simply move on, but I wanted to speak to her for a moment. When I got within range of her location, she turned to face me, and had a smile on her face.

" I had a feeling that you were responsible for bringing the water back to Lake Hylia," smiled Daring Do.

" It took me a while to accomplish the task, but it does look like things are getting back to normal around here," I said.

" Now that the water has been restored as well as those dark clouds disappearing above the Water Temple, I can finally resume my original project of analyzing the properties of the lake for medicinal purposes. Granted, this isn't going to be my main focus because I've been working on this for years, so instead it will be a minor project while the study of that mask will take full precedence," said Daring Do.

" Are you sure you want study something that has an evil power emanating from it?" I asked.

" That's what I want to figure out because I think it's possible that the magic locked within that mask could be beneficial for science, and also for magic users because they always seem to want to expand on their craft. I think I'll make this project a private affair as I wouldn't want to alert Ganondorf as he may send his followers down here to take it from me.

My Lake Hylia project on the other hand is public knowledge, and I know for certain the evil king wouldn't care less about it as it doesn't help him in any way to further his own drive for power. I'm actually glad that new water was restored to the lake instead of what was there before, for the properties that I've been analyzing are unlike anything I've ever seen before," replied Daring Do.

" I take it that you'll be able to figure out what it all means?" I asked.

" Oh I already did that years ago," replied Daring Do.

" Then why are you still going at it?" I asked.

" What I figured out with the water wasn't leading down a path of something spectacular, but it did give me enough information to produce a product. Unfortunately, I am needing a specific ingredient which when combined with what my research has revealed will create what I am envisioning in my mind," replied Daring Do. She then dipped her hand into the water while it was holding a test tube, and she quickly pulled it back out and corked the tube to make sure none of the water leaked out from it.

From there she placed it into a rack which had five other tubes, and then she picked it up and held it firmly under her arm. " In case you were the curious sort, the product I am creating will be eye-drops; the finest Hyrule has ever seen! No matter how big or small the person needs them to be, I will be able to use my research to help them see things."

" And the missing ingredient?" I asked.

" I need a certain kind of frog, but the problem is that it's native to Zora's Domain, and as we both know that area was frozen over years ago. I suppose it's possible King Zora may have what I need, but he hasn't been heard from for a long time, so I guess this dream of mine is going to be just that....a dream and nothing more," replied Daring Do.

" Didn't I tell that he was frozen, but I managed to thaw him out?" I asked.

" Yes, I do believe that you told me about that, so I guess I allowed my emotions to run away from me. Perhaps whenever you are next in Zora's Domain, would you be able to get your hands on the frog that I need and bring it to me? I would really appreciate you for doing me such a tremendous favour," replied Daring Do. I agreed that I would do so whenever I was there next as she did help me out what with the incident with the Zora script seven years ago, and allowing me to rest prior to entering the temple.

She said her thanks to me before bowing and making her way to her house, and as soon as she entered it, I made my way over where Epona was neighing so happily, it felt like she hadn't seen me in years even though it had been more like several hours or so.

" I see that you missed me Epona," I said.

" Where do we go from here?" asked Spike.

" The only logical place we can visit is Kakariko Village in order to speak to this Quiet Man that Sheik mentioned, but because we have to do so after the sun has gone down, we won't be able to visit the Shooting Gallery until morning," I replied.

" Like most shops, it closes during the night and while you could do with some improvements when it comes to using the Fairy Bow, speaking to this mysterious man would be a priority as he could tell us something about what happened to Princess Zelda. Or, he could provide us some information as to the location of the next temple as I honestly have no idea where it even is," said Spike.

" Then it looks like we're off to the village, but we'll stop roughly about a mile from the entrance and get some rest. I'm actually glad though that we're going to Kakariko as it's been a while now since we were last there, and I'm curious as to how the villagers have been coping with Death Mountain restored back to its peaceful nature," I said. Climbing up onto Epona's mount, I petted her muzzle where she neighed with glee, and I just had to neigh back at her as a means of talking to her through horse language.

Again, Spike found it unusual that I could speak the tongue of horses, but I reminded him that I was a magical talking pony from another world. When I finished petting her, I gave Epona a soft kick to the ribs to have her start galloping off, and within moments we were out of Lake Hylia and back in Hyrule Field. " So you have no idea as to where the next temple is located?"

" The first three were easy enough to find as they were in areas we've already visited before, but the location of the remaining two temples is something that I haven't quite figured out yet. Weren't we given some kind of clue as to where they could be located before we started on this leg of the journey?" asked Spike.

" Didn't Sheik say something about it?" I asked.

" Oh yeah! How could I have forgotten something so important as that? I think your mannerisms are really starting to rub off of me if I'm beginning to forget such critical information such as that!" replied Spike.

" Forgive me for having been some kind of bad influence on you," I said sarcastically.

" It's fine Sunset Shimmer as I was only teasing with you, but her words were rather cryptic. If I remember what she said, one of the remaining two Sages was said to be 'within the house of the dead', and the other was 'inside a goddess of the sand'. The latter is located in a desert, and there is one to the west of Hyrule Field, and the former....well, there's only one place, and that would be the graveyard. I also remember that Dampè said that there was a temple beneath the graveyard," said Spike.

" Yeah, I recall her saying something to that effect, so that means the next temple is where we'll be going up against the dead?" I asked.

" That does seem to be the case, but you haven't had much experience dealing with the undead aside from those Stalfos back in the Forest Temple, and those ReDeads back in the tomb of the royal family. I'm not sure just what kind of monsters we'll encounter in the next temple, so it's best not to think about it until we see for ourselves just what lurks in the dark recesses below the graveyard.

Remember that Sunset Demon came to be because she was able to acquire your power while you were near that temple, so if anything it's a place that is really going to test your resolve," replied Spike.

" Somehow, I'm not looking forward to it," I sighed. Within an hour we were getting close to where Kakariko Village was, so I had Epona slowly come to a stop before climbing down from her saddle, and prepared a small camp with which to rest for a lengthy period as we needed to enter the village when the sun had gone down. After tying Epona's harness to a nearby tree, I sat down next to her and began a brief conversation that involved plenty of neighing.

Once I was finished with that, we all went to sleep because we needed it after the Water Temple took a toll on us both physically and mentally. In my dreams, for some reason I could see Sunset Demon, and she was mocking me by saying that things weren't over between us just because I thought they were. Was this a sign of things to come? Had she achieved the impossible by cheating her own destruction?

After waking up some eight hours later, I got back onto Epona and she galloped the rest of the way to the village. The sun had already gone down by the time we arrived at the entrance, and after telling my loyal steed that I had to leave again, we neighed back and forth with each other for a moment before I walked up the stairs and entered the village.

" It's a shame that we never asked which of these houses is the one this Quiet Man belongs to," said Spike.

" Unless he happens to be out here right now, we may have to knock on each door until we find the right house, but I'd rather not resort to such methods as that would give us rude responses. Still, this place is much different at night as everything is just so quiet and peaceful....a little too much of it if you want my opinion. You would think that the villagers would be visiting the graveyard right now and taking part in that tour," I said.

" Which hasn't happened for seven years as the old gravekeeper passed away while we were sealed away in the Sacred Realm. There hasn't been a successor to manage the graveyard, so the tour has been cancelled, and without a reason to go out at night, everyone decides to remain indoors and sleep until morning.

It was like that when we came here previously to claim the Hookshot, and the only one who was walking around outside was that woman who breeds cuccos. Since the evil that corrupted Death Mountain has been resolved, there is no need for anyone to be patrolling the village at night," said Spike.

" So that means we're pretty much all alone?" I asked.

" It's not a bad thing mind you as it does mean we don't need to worry about getting distracted," replied Spike.

" Which door do you think we should try knocking on first?" I asked.

" How about that one over there on top of that ledge that looks to be really important? It's the closest one to our location, and we can work our way forward from there if that one turns out to be a false lead," replied Spike. With that decision easily made, I started to walk towards this house, and no sooner had I made four steps when a dull light shone from out of nowhere which made us wonder if someone was walking around making sure everything was peaceful.

Spike reassured me that no one would consider coming out here at night given that there have been no monster attacks and/or sightings since Death Mountain erupted several days ago. " It makes no sense seeing someone out here where there is no need to have any kind of security."

" Then how do you explain that faint light we're seeing?" I asked.

" Do you suppose it could be the Quiet Man?" asked Spike.

" Maybe, so why don't we walk in the direction of the light and see who happens to be on the other end," I replied. Knowing that we needed to be quiet so as to not wake any of the villagers, or alert the Quiet Man to our presence, I slowly tip-toed across the village in the direction the light was coming from. When I reached the steps that lead up towards the gate which leads to Death Mountain, I poked my head up from below so as to not be seen, and sure enough there was a cloaked man holding a lantern in his hand.

He appeared to be having trouble walking as he had some kind of limp in addition to a walking stick, so I opted to remain where I was and see what he was capable of doing. After watching him for about ten minutes, it became obvious that this man was indeed what Sheik described him as being.

" He's just been wandering around that clearing doing absolutely nothing," whispered Spike.

" Maybe there's more to this than what we're seeing as it is pretty dark out here, and he could simply be wandering about thinking to himself. Still, I must agree that it does look like he's doing nothing," I whispered.

" Now I understand what Sheik meant when she said that this guy prefers to keep to himself," whispered Spike.

" In a way he behaves a lot like Zecora did as she preferred a life of solitude, but that's because she believed that the rest of the villagers were afraid of her because of how she behaved compared to them. You know when I said that it's never fun to live alone because of what it can do to you? This is the result of that right there in front of you," I whispered.

" He must feel pretty sad to want to live out such a solo existence without the comfort of other people surrounding him, but some people are known to be that way. Anyway, do you think he's aware that we've been watching him?" asked Spike.

" I don't know even though he has looked in this direction a few times," I replied. Suddenly, the Quiet Man turned to face us again before starting to walk forward. " I think he's just spotted us, so I'm suggesting that we hide before he gets over here." You'd think that I would remember the fact he was walking around with a limp would have registered in my mind, but I completely blocked it out as I was more concerned with wanting to find a good hiding place.

That's when I noticed a wooden crate next to the house where Granny Smith stayed when she had been kicked out of Lon Lon Ranch, so I hid behind it and kept down while waiting for the Quiet Man to make his way over. I had to wait for about 15 minutes before he showed up, and continued walking along at his own pace before turning left and towards a door which had been built into the nearby wall. He then stopped at the door and unlocked it before tilting his head to the side as though he knew where I was hiding.

" I know you're there so you don't need to skulk about....still....you must be desperate to speak to someone like me if you're willing to prance about like that. Normally, I would never allow anyone to speak to me because of wanting to be left alone, but I'll grant you the privilege of coming into my home. I hope you'll be worth my time...." The man then opened the door to his home and beckoned me to come inside, so I did just that after he entered, and I was surprised to find that it was completely dark.

It was as though the very light itself had been suffocated and darkness covered everything, but there was a small candle on one side of the room which was the only source of light to be had. That's when I noticed the Quiet Man having sat down in a chair and beckoned me to come on over and sit down on the chair opposite his own.

" What do you make of this Spike?" I asked.

" It feels like he was waiting for us to show up as though he had been told about it, but how is that possible considering that he is someone who doesn't like to talk to anyone and instead wishes to be left alone?" asked Spike.

" I agree that there's something odd about this, but let's keep that to ourselves for the time being in case we offend him. I was actually hoping we would run into Applejack before this guy, but it looks like he is going to be the one we talk to about the princess. He might even be able to give us some information about the temple as surely he's lived here long enough to know something," I replied.

The man repeated his beckoning of me to come over and sit down, so I slowly walked over to him and sat down where I looked around the room with what little light there was to begin with. I had a suspicion that he didn't have much to call his own, and that appeared to be the case as all I could see was a table in one corner, a bed in another, these two chairs, the candle, and something else in the deepest, darkest corner which was too hard to make out what it was.

" Okay, you've been permitted to enter my sanctuary which is something I have never done before, so you'd better give me a good reason as to why you feel the need to be here bothering me."

" I came here because I was told that you would be able to help me," I said.

" Depends on what kind of help you need."

" I was told by my friend who is of the Sheikah tribe that you would be able to help me to find someone," I said.

" I know of this Sheikah as she's been coming here for years helping out people in need. While she has done her best to help out the villagers in these dark times, her efforts are in vain so long as Ganondorf remains on the throne. The leader of their tribe used to be here, but she disappeared recently without a trace."

" Do you know what happened to her?" I asked.

" No one here does, so if you were hoping to talk to her then you're plain out of luck. Now then, you said that she believes that I can help you find someone you're looking for? The fact that you can't seem to find this person shows me that you lack any kind of common sense, but humour me anyway by telling me the name of the one you seek, and I'll see if I can give you an of answer." His answer was quite insulting to say the least, but then Sheik did warn me that the Quiet Man was known for hurling insults because of his personality.

I revealed to him that the person I was searching for was Princess Zelda, and when he heard that name, it looked like he was frozen on the spot as though her name was one he didn't expect me to say. " The princess....I'm surprised that you would be looking for her as no one else has tried as they all believe she died years ago when the castle fell, or that she became a prisoner of Ganondorf."

" It sounds like you know what happened to the princess," I said.

" All I've heard are the rumours which have spread around Hyrule for years, so it looks like you had your hopes raised for nothing. Sorry for having strung you like that, but I have no desire to know what goes on in the outside world despite having overheard people outside my home speaking non-stop about such pointless drivel. You don't appear to be giving me a good enough reason as to bothering my solitude, and I'm getting really antsy about it."

My heart was crushed due to this man not knowing anything regarding Twilight, and he had the nerve to trick me in such a horrendous fashion. I had the right mind to give him a piece of my mind, but then he noticed the Master Sword on my back which caused him to react in a completely different way.

" That sword....is the legendary blade, the Master Sword....the only way you could have it in your possession would be if you....so....you're the one she talked about before everything changed. Yes, now that I am getting a good look at you, I'm surprised that you still look the same now as you did back then. You are Sunset Shimmer are you not? The one who comes from the forest but insists that she is from a different world?"

" How do you know who I am?" I asked.

" You are the hero that the princess often talked about days before the castle fell and Ganondorf took over. To think that I wasn't able to recognize you at first despite this being the first time I've laid eyes upon you, but her description of you is remarkably accurate. She said that you were destined to save Hyrule, and bring about an age of peace, yet also said that you were rather reluctant due to not being the hero that she believed you to be."

" Huh? Since when do you know Princess Zelda?" I asked with a confused look on my face. That's when I noticed the Quiet Man moved the candle towards the corner of the room which had the objects I couldn't see quite well when I first came into his home.

Propped up against the wall was a sword, a spear, and a shield which looked exactly like the one I had, and the sword had the Crest of the Royal Family etched into the blade itself. " Those look like weapons one would use if they were of the former Royal Guards, but why would you have such things like that? Were you at one time a member of the guards who swore to protect the royal family."

" That was a long time ago before Ganondorf came."

" So you're a survivor of his invasion?" I asked.

" I was the only one who survived his attack on the castle which claimed the lives of the entirety of the castle guard. In truth, I wish that I had died alongside them, for having lived whereas they didn't serves as a reminder that I failed not only the king, but them as well. Not a day goes by that the images of their dead bodies plagues my mind." The Quiet Man then attempted to stand up, but he quickly sat down where he rubbed his back as well as his legs as though he were struggling to stave off the apparent pain that he was experiencing.

" Sorry if my injuries are bothering you, but I never was able to fully recover from them even after seven years. I suppose you could say that his strength was unparalleled by anyone else, and that my own stubbornness ended up me having to endure such agony." The way he said those words has me thinking that he actually took on Ganondorf, but lost in the end due to being overwhelmed. No one among the castle guard could have stood a chance against the evil king....except for one person, but could this man be him?

" I think I know who you are," I began.

" Perhaps my words have given me away, but it doesn't matter in the least for that was an identity which perished long ago."

" Only one person would have survived against Ganondorf without any powers, and that would be the Captain of the Royal Guards," I said. The Quiet Man then removed his cowl, and revealed himself to be Shining Armour although he certainly didn't look like a brave and dependable soldier who served the old king.

He looked like a broken man who has given up on everything because of what happened. " It is you! But, why do you choose to hide yourself instead of doing something to help out the people who need as much support as possible in such dark times?"

" Because I failed in my duties to protect my king and his daughter from Ganondorf. When I faced him that day after he had killed the king in cold blood, I tried to stop him without taking into account as to how powerful he was. My defeat was determined when I was sent crashing through a window where I fell many floors down until I crashed into a thicket of bushes below. I should have died there and then, but I managed to survive while the rest of my men lost their lives.

I could have stopped Ganondorf beforehand, but I was forced to hold back because Madam Impa believed that the problem should have been resolved in a different manner. Her method wasn't going to work against him, and she knew that my way was the ideal choice, yet she didn't want me to go and get myself killed. Now that I look back on things, I know now that she had been right all along, and my pride blinded me to the truth," replied Shining Armour.

" What happened to Zelda?" I asked.

" About several days after Ganondorf had conquered Hyrule Castle, the princess in secret returned to the grounds where she discovered me struggling to walk, for the wounds I suffered at the hands of the evil king prevent me from running. She was able to whisk me to safety somewhere in Kakariko Village where she, and Madam Impa were planning a rebellion to retake control of the castle. Her highness knew such a task would be in vain given Ganondorf wielded the Triforce, but she was determined to do what was necessary.

Not only that, but she also was wondering why you were taken away like you were when you claimed the Master Sword. She asked if I wanted to lead the eventual army that she planned to raise, but I flat out refused her by saying what I have told you regarding my fate," replied Shining Armour.

" You chose to abandon her in her time of need? Why would you ever consider doing something so idiotic? She was the daughter of the man who swore your loyalty to according to your words, and that meant you were obligated to follow her commands as she was now the new ruler of the kingdom," I said.

" The princess knew that my words were true as I would only have slowed things down, so I chose to simply leave my old life behind where I wanted to be left alone and wallow away in my misery for having been allowed to live. What became of her highness after that I honestly don't know as I moved to Kakariko Village taking on the guise of a simple man who wished to live a life of solitude, and I spent the next seven years living this way," said Shining Armour.

" And Impa?" I asked.

" She would visit me a couple of times where she attempted to persuade me to fight alongside the princess, but I told her that I had no intention and just wanted to be left alone because of my failure as the Captain of the Royal Guards," replied Shining Armour. He then managed to get up from his chair, and walked over to where his weapons were located, and knocked all of them down for a moment before bending down and picking them up again.

" Sorry about that as I was feeling a little stressed out, and I needed to vent my frustration out on something." He then walked over and sat back down where he showed me that he had brought over the sword which had the crest etched into it. " I was given this sword from his majesty as a testament to my duties as Captain, but it also serves as a reminder of the pain I have to go through everyday."

" Surely you wish that things could have been different?" I asked.

" Without a doubt, but we both know that it's impossible to turn back time and change things," replied Shining Armour.

" I know what it's like to live a lonely existence as I've been down the path you currently tread, and believe me when I say that being alone is just no way to go about your life. While your anguish is something I can never hope to understand due to not witnessing what you experienced back then, do know that if you continue down the path you've chosen to dedicate the rest of your life to fulfilling, the end is going to be nothing more than pure misery for you.

It will take you a long time to veer away from your current course as this is something which has been rooted into your subconscious for years, but only if you decide to make the necessary change. If you prefer to want to live alone, then that is your choice, and I won't tell you otherwise as that's not my place," I said.

" If you want to know what has become of Madam Impa....she was living here in Kakariko Village after the castle fell, and spent the past seven years living in the shadows due to not wanting the villagers to suffer the fury of Ganondorf. Before she went into hiding however, she was able to cast a powerful sealing spell on the well which resides in the heart of the village.

A powerful shadow creature once held sway over Kakariko, but it was sealed away by Madam Impa, yet that was years ago and who knows how much longer the seal is going to last. She left the village about a month ago in order to find a means of making the seal stronger, but she has never returned which has others talking about the possibility that she may be in some kind of trouble," said Shining Armour.

" Do you know where she may have gone?" I asked.

" The only place that would make the most sense would be the temple, but that's just my guess on where she could be. There....I have given you the answers that you were seeking, so now I would like to be left alone if you don't mind. While I do appreciate the pep talk that you decided to give to me, it's much too late for me to change my ways," replied Shining Armour. All of a sudden a bright light started to shine on the other side of the door to his house, and the temperature began to get warmer.

Soon, smoke started to willow in from under the door, and it was getting difficult to breathe. What in the world was going on outside that was making this happen? I got up and made my way over to the door where I opened it, and I was staring at a horrific sight which made me drop to my knees in utter shock....Kakariko Village was on fire....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 41: The Burning Village

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 11, 2015
Chapter 41: The Burning Village

The sight of Kakariko Village burning was one that I just wanted to pretend wasn't happening before me, and yet it was a harsh reality which had me thinking how could the village suddenly burst into flames. When I arrived here a short while ago, things were quiet and peaceful, and now the sounds of cuccos cawing and the screams of people were filling the air as the fire was immediately spreading to all corners of the village.

Shining Armour had since gotten out of his chair and was wondering what was happening to get the villagers in such a frenzy, and when he saw what I had been seeing for the past couple of minutes, he lowered his head in shame. This was the kind of thing I said that he needed to prevent seeing as the people of Hyrule were living in dark times, so perhaps now he will finally overcome his past failure and look to a bright future....if we can prevent the fire from gutting everything in sight that is.

" The village is on fire....how could this have happened so suddenly?" I asked.

" Judging from how quickly it's spreading across to all of the houses, the fire will consume everything within a matter of minutes. I must agree with you in that this happened rather quickly, so perhaps this isn't a natural occurrence? No one else was outside aside from you and me, and neither of us would want to do something as horrible as this. Yet, if I recall what Princess Zelda kept on saying about you back then seven years ago, you were a powerful wielder of fire magic," replied Shining Armour.

" Are you implying that I was being careless with my magic?" I asked.

" No, you would never resort to setting the village on fire as you are too pure of a person of good to resort to such an action, but it's clear to me that this was started as a result of a powerful force. It wasn't started by any of the villagers as they were all asleep, and considering the buildings here aren't made of any wood, there isn't anything that is considered flammable," replied Shining Armour.

He referred to me as a person of pure heart, but I wouldn't have said it like that seeing as he was oblivious to how I used to behave back in the human world. If he could have described me in a better term, it would be a person who had changed her ways, yet memories of the past continue to haunt me. Yes, that would have been the proper description instead of what he gave, but at least I appreciate him for saying something so nice to make me feel good about myself. Still, what kind of power were we dealing with here?

" Could this be the work of Ganondorf? Maybe one of his followers trailed me after noticing that I walked into Kakariko, and decided to set the village on fire because I was here given how I've been restoring Hyrule back to normal piece by piece? If this is the case then I've placed everyone here in danger by just showing up," I said.

" This isn't the work of the evil king as he would never reduce himself to such a low level where he would have to burn a village down just to prove a point. As far as his followers go, they couldn't be responsible for this as the fire was started with intricate detail, and they would have just acted crazy due to being given free reign to carry out the edicts of their master. That, or their incompetence would have made this a lot worse than what we're witnessing right now.

Something else has caused this to happen, and there is only one thing I can think of....which means I need to check the seal on the well, for if my suspicion is correct, then the efforts of Madam Impa have proven to be fruitless," said Shining Armour.

" What are you talking about?" I asked.

" I must go to the well in the center of the village, for I fear that the shadow beast has finally broken the seal and escaped from its prison down below. You need to do your heroic duty Sunset Shimmer, and attend to those who need help as well as do what you can to combat the flames. Before you say anything, my wounds from Ganondorf's attack on me years ago prevent me from being able to provide physical assistance, so I am going to help out in a different fashion," replied Shining Armour.

He then began to walk off towards the centre of the village where he soon disappeared into the flames. I tried to follow him as I needed to know more about this shadow beast, but the fire was much too powerful for me to continue. Spike asked me why I just didn't run into the fire due to my resistance, but I told him that I'm not completely immune to the flames as some are too intense even for me to handle.

" So where exactly do we go from here?" I asked.

" The fire has spread rapidly and I can hear the sounds of people running about trying to contain the blaze. We need to search for anyone who may need some help as not everyone may have reacted fast enough," replied Spike.

" Or they could be fine and are trying to grab whatever stuff they can carry. There are some people out there who will risk their lives to get their material possessions because they deem them more important than their own lives, yet others are willing to risk it all so that they can rescue a loved one who may be trapped. It's the latter ones who are the true inspiration Spike, and can teach those who are more selfish that the value of life is more expensive than any worldly possession could ever hope to be," I said.

" That was quite the speech," said Spike.

" I've never been in a situation like this before, but back in the human world, I saw how others approached fires which is how I came to my conclusion through reading books and watching television, and don't ask me what the latter thing means as we don't have the time to go into an explanation on that subject. I'm actually very scared right now as this fire feels so powerful that I fear someone is going to lose their life before it is put out," I said.

" Then we need to make sure that doesn't happen," said Spike. With the determination to protect Kakariko Village in my heart, I ran off towards the house that was the closest to the home of Shining Armour, and it belonged to Scootaloo? She appeared to be struggling to get her Cuccos out of their pen due to being unaware that there was fire surrounding them, so I ran over where she recognized me which should be the case given this was the fifth time we've spoken to each other.

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

" You need to get to safety right now!" I shouted.

" But, I can't just leave my cuccos behind, yet I can't go over and pick them up because of my allergies. My idea was to try and coax them into leaving their pen, but they refuse to listen to a word I say. Maybe you can help me by getting them out? I'm sorry to be such a bother during such a critical time, but those cuccos don't deserve to be caught in this predicament," said Scootaloo.

" I'm not even sure if they would be willing to listen to me either," I said.

" Then you'll need to pick them up, and carry them over there where I've placed a cart. Once all of them are safe, I can easily pull them along to safety at the entrance to the village. In case you're wondering, there are six cuccos that need to be brought out of their pen, so I suggest that you carry them one at a time. While it may take a little bit longer, you would be doing yourself a big favour," said Scootaloo.

" I had planned on carrying two at a time for a total of three trips instead of individually which would involve six trips, so why not allow me to carry them out in the manner that I prefer?" I asked.

" Cuccos have an unusual temperment which makes them quite feared among people despite how adorable they look. If one were to anger them enough, they become angry, and will resort to attacking whoever made them upset as a means of getting their revenge. If an entire flock of cuccos decides to attack you, then the chances of you surviving are rather slim which is why everyone does their best to make them as happy as possible," replied Scootaloo.

" So basically, they have some kind of authoritative influence over all of you?" I asked.

" You could say it like that yes," replied Scootaloo. I couldn't believe what was being said to me, but I knew deep down that she was telling me the truth. Hyrule had plenty of things which can be described as bizarre, and the thought of cuccos attacking people in the name of wanting revenge certainly fits the bill. Knowing that I had no choice but to get them out of their pen, I ran towards it and grabbed the first cucco that I could reach and brought it over to the cart.

Along the way, it did peck me a few times which was annoying, but I managed to get it to safety before running back and grabbing the next one. This one also pecked me because of the way I was holding it by the feet, but I had no time to properly hold it as I needed to get this done as soon as possible.

" These two have been pecking me," I moaned as I dropped the second cucco into the cart.

" It's because they are so frightened with what's going on that they are taking it out on you," said Scootaloo.

" Sigh, I'm used to getting beaten up like this although not by the likes of poultry, but I intend on getting the rest of them even if they do peck me to no end," I said. The fire was getting stronger, so I needed to hustle along before things would get worse. Grabbing the next three cuccos was simple enough as they didn't peck me, but the last one turned out to be a big problem. The moment I grabbed it, I resisted the urge to drop it and cover my ears due to the loud caw it made in response.

This noise caused the others to caw in a similar manner, so I had to quickly get this last one over to the cart before my ears are unable to take it anymore. Once I made it and dropped it in, Scootaloo picked up a small pole which was attached to the cart, and started to pull it along which was a huge sigh of relief for me before she suddenly came to a stop and came back over.

" Thank you very much for saving my cuccos," said Scootaloo.

" It's my pleasure as it's the sort of thing I do," I said.

" You must allow me to give you a reward for all of your hard work, and I won't accept no for an answer, so don't bother trying to say you don't want anything. I have just the thing right here in this pouch, and I know it will help you on your journey," said Scootaloo. She then reached into her pouch, and began to fiddle about looking for whatever it was she intended on giving to me. A few moments later, and she pulled out a small object before turning her attention towards me.

" This is the perfect thing for you to have Sunset Shimmer as an adventurer like you is sure to need many potions what with all of the evil monsters that you've faced. I have no doubt that this empty bottle will be very useful, so please take it." Scootaloo then gave me the bottle which was my fourth one, and she grabbed the pole and carted her cuccos away towards the entrance to the village.

" Were you expecting something like that?" asked Spike.

" I didn't think she would give me a bottle as all I did was rescue her cuccos because she's not able to do it herself," I replied.

" Since she insisted on you taking that empty bottle, you should respect her wishes and take it," said Spike.

" Might as well as she was right when she said that it would be very useful, but I really should take the time to fill some of these up sometime soon. Speaking of which, I'm sure that you heard her talking about how cuccos will seek their revenge against anyone who causes them to get angry. I know that Scootaloo is not the same person from the human world that was speaking to me just now, but you have to admit that she has quite the imagination to come up with something like that," I said.

" Oh she was being serious," began Spike.

" You've got to be kidding me right?" I asked.

" Cuccos can and will attack anyone who threatens them, and the ones who often do this are adventurers like yourself. For some reason, they just have this urge to strike the poor birds with whatever weapon they're using, and that's when they end up getting pecked to pieces. It's a pretty gruesome sight, so it's best if you never experience it yourself. I can also tell you that cuccos will not calm down until the target of their aggression is dead, or has been pecked to within an inch of their lives whichever comes first," replied Spike.

" And here I thought they were gentle souls," I said.

" Only until you do something to anger them," said Spike. The idea of not judging a book by its cover certainly comes to mind with these cuccos, for their innocent appearance belies their ferocious nature. With Scootaloo now having been taken care of, I ran towards the center of the village, but took a detour when I heard someone calling for help from somewhere near the vicinity of the windmill.

The flames were so strong that the intense colours were making it hard for me to see, but I had to keep on going so that I could reach whoever was in need of assistance. It wasn't easy seeing as bits of debris were falling from the houses, and it became an obstacle course as a result of having to jump and dodge all that I could to avoid getting struck.

" Hello!!!!" I shouted.

" Can someone help out a poor old soul like me?"

" Where are you?" I asked.

" I'm somewhere near the door to the windmill, but I can't move because the flames are blocking my means of an escape. Oh, to think that this could be the end of one such as myself, and just when I was getting used to embracing the chaos that has become my nature."

" I'll be there as soon as I can, so hold on tight until I get to you," I said.

" Hold on tight you say? Well, I suppose I could squeeze myself although I'm not sure what that will do for me, but in any case I await your arrival." When I made it to the stairs which lead up to the path that goes to the windmill, I broke through the flames to discover that it was Discord who had been calling out for help.

He was the man who taught me the Song of Storms which apparently I taught him seven years ago according to what he said to me when I spoke to him before, but I have no idea as to how that's even possible given that I never met him back then. There was no doubt that he was scared out of his wits, so I first needed to calm him down, and things will get smoother from there.

" Are you okay?" I asked.

" I'm so relieved that someone was able to come all the way back here to rescue poor little old me," replied Discord. I noticed that he still had that strange accordion on his person, and was still playing it despite being in his current situation. That's when he noticed me, and his eyes perked up which made me think that I should be feeling worried about his expression.

" Oh ho! It's you again! The one who I taught that song to which was quite a while ago. How come you never decided to pay me another visit since then? Yet, you are an adventurer, and that does mean you are always moving from one place to another. Still, I'm glad that you're here as I need help to get over to the entrance of the village where everyone else is."

" I'm here to escort you there," I said.

" Thank you for coming here to rescue me, and know that I will be grateful for your aid," said Discord. The first thing I needed to do was to cut a path through the fire in order for him to make it through and not get burned in the process, so I figured that I would use some water magic and douse the flames as much as possible.

I began to concentrate on the as I was certain it contained water, and my plan was to use it on the fire. Discord noticed what I was doing, and he was confused by my actions. " Ummmm....what are you trying to do?"

" I'm going to use my magic to pull the water out from the well and douse the fire to allow you to get through," I replied.

" Water? In the well? Oh no, I'm afraid that you are wasting your time as the well hasn't had any water in it for seven years now. In fact, it's not even a well anymore, but simply a testament to what one can do to imprison something of great evil," said Discord.

" There's no water?" I asked.

" None at all, for it was drained from the well when that person in green came to the windmill. I suppose it was a good thing as it did allow Impa to seal away that horrible creature, but with no water to come out of the well, it just became a sort of tourist attraction for the village. The windmill hasn't been working since then either, and is just a landmark for the sake of being a landmark," replied Discord.

" Are you serious?" I asked.

" Usually I prefer to indulge in some chaos to pass the time, but in this case I am serious as the windmill draining away the water due to that song is what changed me into who I am now," replied Discord. Things just got even worse because without water to douse the flames, I had to literally use myself as a shield so that he could proceed through the village. My resilience to fire should give me some kind of protection, but this will still hurt me regardless.

Crossing my arms in front of my face so as to maintain my vision, I began to run forward and signalled for Discord to follow me which he did without question. We soon had to change direction as the fire's strength had increased even more, and this was something else that bothered me. The fire was growing in strength even more now which felt like it was the work of a great evil....the shadow beast Shining Armour mentioned....and I just remembered Discord mentioned the seal which Applejack used.

It sounds like this sealing was public knowledge given how other villagers knew about it. After running along for a few more feet, the flames forced us to go in a different direction yet again, and that's when I decided to inquire about the beast.

" You said that Impa sealed away something in the well?" I asked.

" Huh? Oh yes, she imprisoned an evil shadow beast by using a powerful spell. She needed to do this because it was her belief that Ganondorf's evil power would strengthen the creature, so she made sure that the seal couldn't be broken from this side. It did take a toll out on her, so when she was finished with the incantation, she was bedridden for weeks on end.

With the seal in place, we all lived in peace despite Ganondorf ruling the kingdom. Now that the village is on fire, it shows us that we never could escape from the wrath of the shadow beast," replied Discord.

" Do you suspect Ganondorf of being involved in this?" I asked.

" I don't think he is the kind of person who would delight in the pleasure of having a pet shadow, but then why settle for something as dull and bleak as a shadow when you can't even see it? Quite the ridiculous notion," replied Discord. Whether he knew it or not, he did give me another clue as to what I was up against despite his ramblings.

All of this seems to relate back to the windmill which overlooks the village as well as the song that he taught me; a melody which I somehow played to drain the water from the well....that means this situation is partially my fault. There was no time to try and figure this out as I needed to get Discord to the village entrance, and sure enough the end goal was in sight much to my relief.

" Here we are at the entrance just like I said I'd do for you," I said.

" And I notice that several of the villagers have gone to get some water from Zora's River with which to combat the flames, for that is where we get our water supply from due to the well being dried up. I'm hearing some of them say that a horse has been left outside, and that the name on the saddle says Lon Lon Ranch, but I suspect it belongs to you because you won it in some kind of race that involved a bit of a wager from someone who obviously had an addiction to betting. Would that be accurate of me?" asked Discord.

" How did you figure that out?" I asked.

" I just took a guess and it ended up being correct based on what you just said. Allow me to tell the others that the horse outside is yours, and in the meantime there are others still needing help," replied Discord. What was it about this guy that reminded me of Equestria so much? My studies with Princess Celestia, as far as they got before I went off on my own, never mentioned anything about a Discord, but I suppose that he has something to do with back home, so I'll ask Twilight when I finally return to the human world.

For now, I had to run back into the inferno because I could still hear a voice who needed my help, and it were coming from the middle of the village which was where the well was located. By the time I ran over there, Shining Armour was on hand, and he was struggling to pull two people to safety.

" It looks like you've lived up to your expectations," said Shining Armour.

" The same can be said about you," I said.

" I'm not the man I used to be Sunset Shimmer due to my injury, and even now I've been in constant anguish as I pull these two unconscious people to safety. They are the last ones, so perhaps you would be able to take them off of my hands? I'm simply exhausted to keep on going, so you take them to the village entrance, and I'll remain here to ensure your safe passage," said Shining Armour.

" But the flames will kill you," I said.

" Do you recall what I said about how I should have died long ago? Even now, I still believe that to be true as I was never meant to have survived, but I have no intention of throwing my life away. I'm giving you the chance to save these two from the fire as well as yourself, and I will hold back the flames. If I am to die here, then I can do so knowing that I chose to help out when people needed me....just like how I used to be back when I protected my king," said Shining Armour.

While at first it sounded like he just wanted to end it all and rejoin his fallen comrades in the afterlife, he wanted to make sure that no one would suffer as he knew that feeling all too well. I picked up the two unconscious people, and dragged them to the entrance of the village, but they proved to be too much even for me to handle.

" You look as though you're in need of some help."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted due to Sheik suddenly standing next to me, and picking up one of the people for me.

" Sorry for startling you like that, but I saw you struggling and I wished to assist you before I make my way to the well. Something is happening over there, and I need to find out what it is," said Twilight.

" Shining Armour said the same thing when he and I left to do what we could to help out," I said.

" I take it that the Quiet Man was able to reveal much to you about his troubled past, but to see him outside of his home and helping out....you must have been quite the positive influence on him," said Twilight.

" He's currently back there by the well trying to hold back the fire while we get these two to safety," I said.

" Once I bring this one to the entrance of Kakariko, I will bring Shining Armour to join everyone else. I'm hoping that the villagers will be able to douse the flames, for this place is far too important to allow it to be destroyed by such an evil force," said Twilight. It didn't take long to get to the entrance, and as soon as Sheik placed her villager she rescued on the ground, she immediately dashed back into the flames.

I hoped that she would get to Shining Armour quickly before it was too late, and I was relieved when she returned a few moments later with the former captain on her back where she placed him on the ground. She then went into the flames again where I chose to follow her.

" Where do you suppose she went to?" I asked.

" It's hard to tell where the well is due to the fire having gotten even more intense than before," replied Spike.

" I know I'll be able to survive for a while due to my resistance to fire, but you should get out of here Spike as things may be too much for you. Unless, you also happen to have an immunity to intense flames what with being a fairy?" I asked.

" That's a power only the Great Fairy has although it would be nice to have right now given the circumstances. At best, I can hold out for a little while just like you can, but I'd rather not wait and see how long that will last. The villagers should be starting to douse the flames from back there, so it will be a while before we'll see the results of their efforts. In the meantime, we need to get to that well as it seems to be the source of the problems occurring right now," replied Spike.

" If only Sheik had left us a trail for us to follow," I said.

" I believe that she did just that," said Spike. He floated out in front of me, and that's when I saw that Sheik had marked the ground in a few places using one of her Kunai, so it was a matter of following the path all the way to the well. Sure enough, she was standing in front of it when I arrived, and I ran right up to her to see what was going on.

" Get back, Sunset Shimmer!" said Twilight.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" You're about to find out," replied Twilight. All of a sudden, a powerful surge came from the well, and it knocked Sheik back quite a distance where I immediately ran over to make sure she was okay. As I tried to get her to stand up, I looked back at the well, and something came out from it in the form of an invisible mass given the trail it was leaving behind.

" Are you seeing what I'm seeing Spike?" I asked.

" The fact that there is a giant shadow giving off a trail of darkness, and that whatever is making the shadow is also a giant? Whatever this thing is supposed to be, it appears to be the one responsible for the fire as the power radiating from the flames matches that of what we're seeing," replied Spike.

" Or what we're not seeing as it's invisible," I said.

" Because we can't see what it looks like, I suggest not fighting against it as you would be at a terrible disadvantage. I know that you're probably feeling some kind of anger inside of you due to what it has done to the village, but you need to be smart about this and not take on something you can't see. I am curious though as to why it decided to make itself known now when it could have done so back when we first returned from the Sacred Realm," said Spike.

" We'll worry about that later as right now Sheik needs help," I said.

" She did get knocked back pretty hard, but you should be able to get her to the entrance of the village," said Spike. Just before I could pick her up, the invisible mass began to move over the top of the buildings before coming down in front of where I needed to go. I had a suspicion this thing didn't want me to take her anywhere, but I wasn't about to let it stop me, so I tried to pick her up only to be grabbed by some kind of invisible hand, and tossed into a nearby house where I landed on my back.

As I struggled to get back to Sheik, the mass charged at me at full speed, and I blacked out the instant it touched me. The only thing I could do was yell for help as my world went dark. It turns out the shadow beast had merely knocked me unconscious, yet I ended up experiencing another dream, but this one was different from the previous ones as it felt more like a vision.

" Where am I?" I asked.

" You are in a dream which was induced upon you by my magic, so for the time being you will not wake up."

" Princess Celestia!?!?" I exclaimed for the one who was standing in front of me in this strange limbo was the ruler of Equestria....or rather, I should be more specific by saying this was the human version of her known as Principal Celestia. Then again, she was dressed in exotic robes, and glowing in a red aura, so I had to assume this was one of the Great Goddesses from the vision Twilight showed me.

" While I may resemble a person you are familiar with, sadly I am not that someone, so I am sorry for giving you a false pretense. I am known as Din, one of the three goddesses who created the Triforce along with my two sisters, and my title is Goddess of Power. You are no doubt confused as to why you are here, but allow me to explain things to you Hero of Time.

We Great Goddesses created the Triforce upon our return to the heavens as a means of leaving behind a small portion of our power with which anyone could use to have their fondest wish come true. Our intention was to have the golden triangles be used to benefit the fledgling humans as they strove to adapt to their new world, but sadly their flawed natures proved to be their undoing, and they soon began to desire the power for selfish reasons.

This would soon result in numerous bloody wars that claimed many lives while others were corrupted by their desires, and so it was decided that no one could be permitted to possess the Triforce as they were far too primitive to use it," said Princess Celestia.

" What does this have to do with me?" I asked.

" For centuries, the Triforce was sealed away in the Sacred Realm by the Ancient Sages so that it could never be accessed by anyone, yet the named Ganondorf was able to lay his hands on the power due to you opening the door though you did not intend for this. While you have restored much of the land back to the way it was, know that you are partially responsible for the plight of the creatures who dwell in our creation, but also know that Ganondorf and one other are also to blame.

You have caused a great calamity to befall your world, so it has fallen unto you to determine its fate when the time comes. All three of you are now bound together by fate, and because of this you have become one of the chosen," replied Princess Celestia.

" I recall Sunset Demon mentioning something about being one of the chosen that Ganondorf was looking for," I said.

" The manifestation of your evil persona from the past was hinting that you have been chosen by destiny. For now, you must not think too hard about all of this for it will come to pass in the end," said Princess Celestia.

" How can I not think about after what you just said?" I asked.

" Right now, your true power as one of the chosen continues to remain dormant, but it will make itself known to you when the unification takes place. Such an event as this is one that we Great Goddesses never anticipated for we did not know that Ganondorf would cause things to become the way they are.

We also had no idea that the other would believed they could control something beyond their understanding. But, we did realize that you, Sunset Shimmer, were thrown into the middle of all of this against your own will where you have faced numerous challenges, and for that you have my sincere apology," replied Princess Celestia.

" How do you know my name?" I asked.

" My sisters and I know all things child that relate to the existence of everything that you have witnessed, and we have been watching your exploits closely because you are much different from the rest. While we do not understand why you are different, we admit that you have piqued our curiosity, and so we know that you are one of the chosen. There is no need for you to think about these words as it will be made clear in the future, but do not reveal to anyone what you have witnessed here in your dreams," replied Princess Celestia.

" This is still very confusing to me," I said.

" My time here has run out, and so I must take my leave of you Sunset Shimmer. I have managed to inform you of not only more of the history of the Triforce, but also how you, Ganondorf, and the other shall determine the fate of everything in this world. Should things not work out as expected, my sisters and I will have no other choice but to reset everything, and try our luck again hoping that it will work out better. You should be waking up right about now, so I wish you luck with the rest of what is to come your way," said Princess Celestia.

What did she mean by they would reset everything if this doesn't work out? Who is this other person? Why are the two of us and Ganondorf bound together? Why has this Great Goddess decided to talk to me in particular and now? So many questions I needed answers to, yet she disappeared as everything went blank again.

I would eventually wake up from my dream to discover Sheik was on her knees looking at me, and the fire burning the village had been doused which was a huge sigh of relief for me. It seems that the dark clouds have returned to blanket the village, and the permanent rain falling down indicated to me that the villagers didn't put the fire out on their own. Instead, this evil rain was able to alleviate the problem, but was it really all for the best?

" Looks like you're coming around," said Twilight.

" How long was I out for?" I asked.

" For about an hour, and I fear the worst for you, but I am relieved to see that you're okay. Sunset Shimmer....a terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well seven years ago shortly after the Evil King came to power," replied Twilight.

" Oh I already know about that," I began.

" How do you have knowledge of this?" asked Twilight.

" When I came to the village earlier before the fires started to ravage everything, I was able to talk to Shining Armour, and he revealed to me some of the information regarding the shadow beast. You know this Sheik as you were hoping that I would talk to him, and perhaps convince him to change his outlook on life.

Anyway, the man who lives in the windmill, Discord, also provided me some information about how Ganondorf's power would have empowered the beast, and that Impa almost exhausted herself to death when she sealed it away beneath the well after the evil king came to the throne," I replied.

" Most impressive that you asked the right questions and acquired an understanding of the current problem, so I need not explain the history of what happened long ago," said Twilight. It sounded like she was a little upset that she wasn't able to say what she wanted to about how all of this came to be, so I told her that I didn't intend on denying her the privilege of teaching me more about the kingdom.

Sheik said she wasn't offended, and instead was proud that I took such an initiative into uncovering much on my own. " While you know about the events of the past, what has occurred in the present still needs to be revealed to you Sunset Shimmer. The force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world!!"

" So what became of Impa? Shining Armour told me that she left the village some time ago, but no one knows where she went. Not even he knows about her fate, but I have a feeling that you know the answer," I said.

" I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it again, but....she will be in danger without any help! Sunset Shimmer! Impa is one of the six Sages. Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save Impa!" shouted Twilight. Hearing her say that was a complete shock, but at the same time it struck me as being really odd. I was ecstatic that Applejack was one of the Sages, but how did she Sheik know who the Sage was going to be exactly given that the previous ones I had awoken she never referred to by name.

While it was obvious to suggest that it was due to the two of them being from the same tribe, it was something which was screaming foul to me. I decided to keep this little tidbit a secret from Sheik as I didn't want her to be suspicious of my actions, but I would tell Spike about it later on when we're travelling. " There is an entrance to the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard behind this village.

The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple." Sheik then took out her golden harp which was a sign that she was about to teach me a new song, but something else was bugging me, and it had to do with the well.

" Before you teach me a song, I want to know one thing about the well," I said.

" What's that?" asked Twilight.

" What was it like when the well was accessible? I assume that it could be accessed given that right now it's empty," I replied.

" Years ago, someone was able to drain the water from the well which is connected to the windmill that overlooks this village. By doing this, they were able to explore the darkness that lurked beneath the well in order to acquire something which they discovered was essential for revealing secrets and even creatures that try to be invisible.

No one knows exactly how the well was drained, but a rumour says some kind of strange song was used. Such a melody, however, did not exist back then. Now to focus on what I will teach you next. This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time. Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow," said Twilight.

She then began to play a rather morbid melody, and thanks to being shown what each of the keys were on the Ocarina of Time courtesy of Bonooru the Scarecrow, I was able to repeat her notes on the first attempt and played the song. Sheik was amazed that I was able to play one of her songs so easily, and I told her I had been taught how the ocarina works. I then asked Spike to take a note of the song for remembering purposes later, and he quickly dashed off somewhere to get his hands on some ink and paper.

Sheik then put her harp away and turned to face me again. " You will need that which can see the unseen, yet it does not exist in this time. As for the village, I will assist the people as much as I can. Sunset Shimmer....we shall meet again." She then took a few steps backward where she tossed a Deku Nut, and disappeared once again when the flash stopped blinding my vision.

" What do you think of the well Spike?" I asked.

" To think that Impa sealed away such an evil creature in order to protect the village, yet it grew too powerful to be contained. I have a feeling that we won't be able to explore what lies beneath the well right now because of it being sealed shut, but what Sheik said is probably something you've already figured out," replied Spike.

" In order to see what lies at the bottom of the well, we need to go back in time and check it out before it was sealed. But, that is causing me to feel conflicted because if I do have the ability to travel back in time to the exact moment before Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm....what is to stop us from staying in the past, and not having to deal with the problems here? Not only that, I don't recall ever doing something that caused the water in the well to drain," I said.

" I had a feeling you were going to bring that up, and I made certain to prepare for it," said Spike.

" About what I said regarding staying in the past?" I asked.

" That would just be the easy way out, and I know you would never resort to such an action as it would go against everything you stand for. I don't entirely understand how time travel is supposed to work as I hear that all it does is create paradoxes which serve to only confuse those who try to change things.

What happened in the past is something we can never change, but we can still go back there and do things that we missed before Hyrule changed for the worst. Besides, we can't abandon the kingdom at such a critical juncture as the people still need a hero to help them in their time of need," replied Spike.

" Quite the bold speech there," I said.

" As for you having played a song in the windmill back in the past....this would be a perfect example of a time paradox. The song that we learned from Discord is the one you must have played in front of him a long time ago, but he didn't learn that song until you taught it to him inadvertently, and in turn he would teach it to us because you reminded him of the person who visited the windmill.

Gee....this is making me feel confused, and we haven't even done anything yet, but that is the best explanation I could come up with based on what we know. We need to go back into the past and play the Song of Storms which should give us access," said Spike.

" What do you suppose Sheik meant when she said that we need to find something that can see the unseen?" I asked.

" There is a form of magic in Hyrule which you haven't experienced yet, so allow me to explain it to you otherwise you would only end up asking me later. Some monsters have the ability to move about covered in a veil of invisibility which makes them difficult to find and to defeat. While you can hear the sounds that they make, everything else can't be seen which makes them a real threat," replied Spike.

" And the Shadow Temple?" I asked.

" It's the one temple among all of them which is the most infamous because of what it is. It has long been established over the years and centuries that this world has been embroiled in a series of wars, and the history of these terrible conflicts has all been gathered together to reside in the Shadow Temple. This dungeon is a place where the undead roam freely without reign, for the darkness that exists all around you down there is very real, and the stench of evil pervades every last corner.

Not even the light itself in all of its purity can penetrate the darkness that lurks in the temple, so it will feel like you're surrounded by evil with every step you take. Considering that the power radiating from this temple is what allowed the she-demon to giver herself a new lease on life, it can be seen as the most personal part of your journey so far. For now, we'll deal with the temple later as we need to focus on what lies below the well back in the past," replied Spike.

" We can easily leave the village and ride Epona back to the destroyed castle town," I suggested.

" Or we can use the song that allows us to warp to the Temple of Time in an instant. Yes, why don't we use the Prelude of Light as we've only used a warp song once, and we do need to use them more often than we do," said Spike. It did take me a while to remember how this song went because I learnt it sometime after breaking the curse on the Forest Temple, and that felt like a long time ago, but then I finally recalled how it went.

When I played the Prelude of Light, I found myself being transported in a flash of yellow light which took me back to the temple which still looked the same as before. Once I got my senses back of where I was, I made my way to where the Pedestal of Time was located in the back. To think that this was the place where we returned from the Sacred Realm after having been sealed there for years, and now I need to leave this place and go back to when things were different before Ganondorf came along.

" It feels like we've come full circle," I said.

" How so?" asked Spike.

" When we first returned to Hyrule and seeing how everything changed as a result of Ganondorf claiming the Triforce, we had to quickly adapt to the new changes, and so much pressure was placed onto my shoulders. Now, as I look down at the Pedestal of Time and think back over what we've accomplished, I feel as though I've gotten a better understanding of myself although I wouldn't say that I have fully embraced being the Hero of Time.

Are we really going to go back in time just to be able to claim an item which we need to take back to the present? For some reason, I feel like we're trying to cheat fate by doing something that goes against the boundaries of reality, but at the same time I knew this was going to happen as Sheik said that we would need to eventually travel across time itself to awaken the remaining Sages," I replied.

" In order to awaken all of the Sages, you need to do what is necessary," said Spike.

" It's going to feel weird being back in my younger body again," I said.

" Which is the same as what you have now because you never aged in the seven year absence we had," said Spike.

" But the people I've seen here will be different back in the past, and they won't even know what is about to happen to them." I said.

" You need to make sure not to reveal to anyone about what will occur in the future as they mustn't be allowed to know. The events that were set into motion at the hands of Ganondorf need to happen otherwise we would risk changing things, and make it even worse than it already is. As far as anyone is concerned, you're just like everyone else who is worried about the future of Hyrule.

Now Sunset Shimmer, it's time for us to go back into the past, so when you're ready, strike the Master Sword back into the pedestal where you pulled it from," said Spike. Drawing the divine blade from its scabbard and holding it out in front of me, I stared at it for a few moments and wondered if maybe things could have been different had I been more willing to be the hero this world needed, but I know that things have to go the way they were destined to be.

I could go back and make sure none of this happened, but as I was told by Spike, that would be the cowards way out, and such an act is one that would shatter my heart to pieces. This is the path I must follow no matter how painful it will be, and with that resolve in my heart, I drove the Master Sword into the Pedestal of Time which began to open up the entrance to the Sacred Realm again, and resulting in me disappearing into the blinding flash.

" Spike? Can you hear me?" I asked.

" I'm here Sunset Shimmer, but the real question is did we make it?" asked Spike.

" The Master Sword is back where it belongs when we were here fighting against Ganondorf, but I don't see him anywhere, and the damage we caused in that fight isn't here either which is really weird. Does this mean that we came back before that conflict took place? I think we should have asked Sheik about how we could have made a time transition where we weren't confused," I replied.

" It's possible that we came back here sometime between when you encountered him on the drawbridge, and when you faced off against him here in the Temple of Time, so that means right now he is busy chasing after Princess Zelda and Impa, yet we both know that he will eventually come back here when we realizes that you had all of the keys that were needed to open the Door of Time and the Sacred Realm. For now, we just need to focus on why we came back here in the first place," said Spike.

To think that I was now back in Hyrule before everything changed, and needing to explore the older version of a world which I struggled to get used to. I had a feeling that this was still going to be a difficult challenge despite knowing how everything worked....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 42: Returning to the Past, and Below the Well

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 14, 2015
Chapter 42: Returning to the Past, and Below the Well

Before deciding to leave the Temple of Time, I turned around to look at the Master Sword which was now stuck in the pedestal. It felt so weird to me that it was back where it belonged instead of in its scabbard, but now that I was back in the past, I was too young to wield it even though in the present I looked the same there as I do right now.

Or, would that be the future given that the world I left exists seven years from now. Maybe I shouldn't think too hard about it as all it would do is confuse me, so I had to focus on what needed to be done. Kakariko Village had a secret literally buried beneath it, and I must uncover what it was if I were to be able to go to the Shadow Temple.

" Let's get this sorted out before we go anywhere. First of all, we went to the windmill in the future where Discord, the man who lives there, taught us a song which he learned from us in this time due to playing it in front of him. This resulted in the water being drained from the well which is connected to the windmill, yet we haven't done this because the well has no water in the future.

Second, we now have to go fix the time paradox, and somehow creating additional ones because of knowing something later and applying it now. Finally, we need to find an item hidden beneath the well which can see the unseen, for it's needed to enter the Shadow Temple....does any of this make sense to you?" I asked.

" None of it makes sense because we're dealing with the power of time itself, and it's a force that only the Great Fairy and the Great Goddesses would be able to understand, or the Goddess of Time herself who would be the most obvious choice," replied Spike.

" I didn't know there was a goddess dedicated to time," I said.

" Most people don't know this because she is a being who isn't really worshipped all that much in Hyrule. There are some dedicated followers, but the general consensus is that they are a small group often looked down upon by others," said Spike.

" Do you suppose the shadow beast is some kind of ancient enemy of the Sheikah?" I asked.

" It's possible given Impa was the one who sealed it away, or because she needed to prevent Ganondorf's power from strengthening it as evil beings draw their strength from darkness. Right now, the well remains open as the seal hasn't been created yet, so we essentially have all the time in the world to get what we need as he can't do anything until you pull out the Master Sword again," replied Spike.

" When you think about it like that, wouldn't it make sense not to draw it from the pedestal?" I asked.

" I understand where you're going with this, and it would have been easy to have refused to take the divine blade. However, because he was the most powerful man of this time, he essentially had all of the trump cards in his favour, and would have used them to force you into pulling out the Master Sword. Simply put, no matter what ended up happening in the end, Ganondorf had everything all figured out from the start," replied Spike.

" His manipulations went by undetected as no one knew what he was planning," I said.

" That's why no one was able to stop him because he was so secretive about his actions, and not even the members of his own tribe knew what he was planning," said Spike. This was true even though I wish that it weren't, but just knowing that he used me to achieve his goal made me feel really furious. I still believe that we could just stay here in the past without needing to go back to the future, but I know that we need to eventually return and awaken the other Sages.

It might have been possible to defeat Ganondorf if we could somehow warn people of what was to happen, yet that wouldn't work either as who would honestly believe I came back from the future?

" Guess we should get going as lingering about here will get us nowhere," I said.

" I took the liberty of writing down the Song of Storms for you as I remembered how it plays," said Spike.

" At least I have the proper weapons and items to help me explore what lies beneath the well," I said.

" You might want to look again after saying that," said Spike.

" What are you talking about?" I asked as I began to check on my inventory, and discovered that I no longer had the Fairy Bow, the Megaton Hammer, the Iron Boots, the two tunics, and the Longshot. I did learn that I now had access to the Fairy Slingshot, the Boomerang, the Mask of Truth, Deku Sticks and the Magic Beans again....which made me realize what Spike was getting at.

" The items that I picked up in the future....I can't use them here in the past because I don't have them on my person, so I have to rely on what I used before obtaining the Master Sword....a sword....I don't even have one of those."

" That's one of the disadvantages of travelling through time," sighed Spike.

" How can I use these items and weapons after so long?" I asked.

" You have no choice but to remember how they work as that's all you have in addition to your magic. Luckily, you can still use Bombs, Bombchu, and Deku Nuts so at least you do have some familiar items on hand; the same is also true of Din's Fire and Farore's Wind as they are still available. Finally, you've still got the Hylian Shield although now it's too heavy for you to put it onto your arms, so all you can do with it is use as a shell on your back," replied Spike.

" I wish Sheik could have warned me before coming back here," I moaned.

" It's doubtful that she even knew this was going to be an issue," said Spike.

" Just when you think that things couldn't get any worse, they went ahead and did exactly that. There's no point in complaining about something which was beyond our control, so let's get out of here as the Temple of Time is getting on my nerves," I moaned. As I walked along to the entrance of the temple, I checked my inventory again, and saw that I still had the Sage Medallions. If this is the case, then the songs I learned must still be available to me.

Upon leaving the temple and seeing the outside world....two simultaneous events hit me at the exact time. " Everything is back where it used to be....Hyrule Castle Town is back where it belongs." Seeing the beauty of the town before it was destroyed by Ganondorf was a sight to behold, and it made me want to just stay where I was standing without ever moving again.

" Remember that this is what things used to be like," said Spike.

" I know, but I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic. You don't know to appreciate something until you lose it, and losing this town is something I took for granted as I never got the chance to marvel in its beauty. All I did was talk to Applebloom, and head to the castle to meet with Twilight....the castle....the one that Ganondorf ended up constructing when he took over Hyrule by destroying the old one," I said.

" What are you mumbling about?" asked Spike.

" The castle that exists where Hyrule Castle once stood....we never went to see what it looked like despite being given a description from Rarity when she had to go there to pay tribute to Ganondorf. No doubt about it Spike, his castle will surely enrage me to no end because of having the gall to do what he did just because he had the power of a goddess flowing through him," I replied.

" Even if we were to see it, there is probably nothing we'd be able to do to gain access for the time being,. We really need to focus Sunset Shimmer as all of these comparisons between the past and the future are not only slowing us down, they are blinding your perception of the world," said Spike.

" You're right, so let's go to Kakariko Village," I said.

" We can't do that," began Spike.

" But you just said that I need to focus, and now you say that we can't go to the village? Make up your mind already!" I shouted.

" Have you forgotten that it was night-time when we returned to the Temple of Time because of needing to see Shining Armour after sundown? We may have travelled back through time, but the time of day is still the same for some reason. In other words, we can't leave Hyrule Castle Town until it's morning, so we might as well get some sleep as you certainly need it," said Spike. Looking up at the sky, it was indeed night out, so I slapped my head for not realizing this.

Since the town was still safe at least for the time being, I decided to sleep near the entrance to the Temple of Time as I didn't want to go back in there for a while as it frustrated me. While I was sleeping, something was happening out in Hyrule Field, yet this had already occurred back in the future, but was just beginning in the present day.

Applejack as I remember was able to take Twilight away from the castle due to Ganondorf having killed the king, and chasing after them in the hopes of getting his clutches on the Ocarina of Time. They had been chased all across the field until she was able to guide her horse into a hidden clearing, but she soon discovered something was amiss which had her suspect the motives of the Evil King.

" We should be safe here for the time being your highness," said Applejack.

" I cannot believe that my father is dead, and Ganondorf was the one who snuffed out his life. All of the signs were there for my father to realize that the Gerudo King could not be trusted, and yet he chose to ignore those in favour of an false alliance. Oh Impa, why did this have to happen? My father just wanted to unite all of the tribes under one kingdom, yet his life was taken away from him," said Twilight.

" Ganondorf is someone who desires to rule through strength alone, and lacks the compassion that a true ruler would rely on to govern their people. I must admit that I did not expect him to want to carry things this far as it was my assumption that the issues he had could have been solved through talking.

Shining Armour wished to take a more direct approach, and he too has become a victim. I apologize for having taken you away from the castle Princess Zelda, but my duty forced my hand and your life is to be protected even," said Applejack. She then peaked from behind a rock expecting Ganondorf to gallop past on his nightmare of a horse, but he was no where to be found.

She kept up this vigil for several minutes before turning her attention back to Twilight who was still in disbelief over what had happened. If only she knew what the future was going to bring, but at this point in time she is oblivious to what I know. " It looks like he decided against following us all the way down here, so that means he must have chosen to make his way back to the castle."

" Why would he decide to do that and not continue with the chase?" asked Twilight.

" I fear that he has figured out my deception much sooner than what I was hoping for, your highness. My plan was to have him chase us and make him believe that you had the Ocarina of Time in your possession. The purpose was to give Sunset Shimmer enough time to make it to the Sacred Realm, and secure the Triforce before he could," replied Applejack.

" He figured out that she has all of the keys, so he must have gone back to wait for her to make a move. If only I had known that he manipulated us from the very beginning, Sunset Shimmer would not have been dragged into this situation, and her life would not be in danger. She has no idea that the Gerudo King is going to surprise her when the Sacred Realm is opened, and that means.....Impa....what did she do to deserve this?" asked Twilight.

" There is not much that we can do your highness," replied Applejack. She peaked from behind the rock again to double-check if Ganondorf was really no longer trailing them, so she grabbed the reins of her horse and beckoned for Twilight to come out of hiding. Quickly grabbing something from her clothes, Applejack handed it over which gave Twilight a confused expression on her face. " What I have given you is the cloth worn by the Sheikah, and I want you to wear it should you end up having to."

" Are you sure there is no alternative?" asked Twilight.

" This must be done your highness, and you should know that this my allotted task. Sunset Shimmer will most likely find herself having to fight against Ganondorf, and I know that she will risk her life to achieve her goal. That one has a powerful aura hidden deep inside of her which is yearning to be unleashed, yet nothing has been able to stoke her desire to keep this world safe," replied Applejack.

" She must acquire the Triforce and stop Ganondorf from using it to conquer the world," said Twilight.

" Our concern should be getting you to safety your highness, and I know the perfect place for you to hide while we wait. I shall take you to my home of Kakariko during the next night so that no one notices us coming into the village, for we do not want any unwanted attention to come our way. There is something that I need to do there that involves protecting the villagers, and if Ganondorf were to succeed, then it will become stronger," said Applejack.

" This has to do with the creature that lives underneath the well?" asked Twilight.

" It cannot be allowed to draw from the power of the Triforce, so I will make the preparations for creating a powerful sealing spell that will bind the shadow, and prevent it from escaping the well," replied Applejack.

" What should we do regarding me Impa? I simply just cannot disappear and leave my people's lives hanging in the balance, for that would be betraying their trust in the royal family which they have had for generations. Yes, I know that I must remain hidden, but how can I do that? Sunset Shimmer will no doubt succeed as I have the utmost faith in her abilities, but if she were to fail, must I be forced to hide away like....like....like a princess?" asked Twilight.

" Your life is the most important one for this kingdom Princess Zelda, for it will be you who shall become the future queen, and lead Hyrule into a new golden age of prosperity and peace. I am but your loyal attendant, and so I am able to move about freely as Ganondorf has no desire to capture me.

He knows that I will never reveal any information, for we Sheikah carry any and all secrets to our graves which is the way we operate as shadow warriors. As such, you must remain hidden despite wanting to do something, but you will understand soon enough as I have made sure to prepare everything for you," replied Applejack.

" This is a situation that you prepared for?" asked Twilight.

" I always knew that something like this would happen, and so I prepared in advance otherwise this would all be blind. There is no need for you to ask me any questions your highness, for everything will be made clear to you. Now, let us get some sleep as we must be ready to move out to Kakariko by the next sunset.

As far as the people of Hyrule shall be concerned, I shall spread a rumour saying your life was cut tragically short, or you were captured by Ganondorf....such acts of trickery are deceitful, but needed to protect you," replied Applejack.

By the time the sun had risen many hours later, I was up and ready to make my way over to Kakariko Village. Walking along the path that connected from the Temple of Time to the Market, I happened to notice some unusual statues which had the symbol of the Sheikah on them. I didn't know what was coming over me, but I was compelled to walk to them and take a closer inspection.

" What are these things?" I asked.

" They are known as Gossip Stones because they are always listening to the conversations people have when in their presence, yet no one is aware that these statues are capable of independent thought. Whenever they are struck by something like a sword, they just simply tell you what time it is. Blowing them up with a bomb causes a rather unusual reaction where they suddenly shoot straight upwards, and explode if they connect with the ceiling," replied Spike.

" If that is what they do, then why would anyone want to bother using them to provide the time?" I asked.

" Because that is what most people believe them to be useful for, yet they have a true purpose that is almost never seen. The Mask of Truth allows you to hear what they have to say whenever you wear the mask in front of them. I had a feeling you had forgotten what Sonata Dusk, the Happy Mask Saleswoman, said to you when she gave you that mask after helping her out, so I figured I'd tell it to you again. Whether you want to use that mask is up to you, but it might be funny to hear something they've overheard," replied Spike.

" Right....I remember what she said now," I said which was a complete lie and no doubt that Spike was aware of this. How could I have forgotten what Sonata said to me when she gave me the Mask of Truth? From my perspective, she told me about what it was capable of seven years ago, but in this time she only told me roughly an hour or so ago making it something that should be fresh in my memory.

Argh! All of this talk regarding past, present, and future is just confusing me and making me feel irritated. I was curious though as to what these Gossip Stones had to say, so I took out the mask and placed it onto my face before walking to the closest statue where I could feel it reaching into my mind in order to share its wisdom with me.

" I overheard this....they say that Gerudos sometimes come to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends."

" Did you hear that?" I asked.

" Indeed although it wasn't exactly useful information, but I suppose it may be useful for something I guess. Why not try the next one and see what it has to say? You might get lucky and be told something useful," replied Spike. Deciding to follow his suggestion, I shifted over to the next Gossip Stone where I began to listen to what it had to say to my mind.

" I overheard this....they say that Malon of Lon Lon Ranch hopes a knight in shining armor will come and sweep her off her feet someday." That was something just as pointless although I never would have pictured Applebloom as wanting to fall in love with someone due to being so young. Sighing, I tried the next one and hoped it would give me something useful, and it turns out that the third time is the charm although this one said something rather unusual.

" I overheard this....they say that it is against the rules to use glasses at the Treasure Chest Shop in Hyrule Castle Town Market."

" What do you make of this one?" I asked.

" I've heard of this particular shop, and some believe it to be shady due to it only being open at night. I don't know exactly how it's supposed to work, but rumours say the owner is a pirate who likes it when people gamble away their money. The fact that glasses aren't allowed can be viewed as an act of discrimination against those with poor eyesight, but he is allowed to make whatever rules he wants given how he is still in business.

Whether you want to go there or not is up to you to decide," replied Spike. There was one Gossip Stone left, so once again I shifted over to listen to its words, and what this one told me was very interesting, yet also confusing as it involved a place I don't even know about.

" I overheard this....they say that the treasure you can earn in the Gerudo's Training Ground is not as great as you would expect, given its difficulty!"

" Where is that?" I asked.

" I'm not sure other than it's somewhere to the west of Hyrule. If you want me to, I can make a note of what this Gossip Stone had to say if you feel that it's going to be of importance. That was the last one to share its secrets with you, but there are other stones like these all over Hyrule, and each has its own stories to tell," replied Spike.

" If I get the time to go around searching for any then I'll do just that, but now I really want to go to Kakariko Village as this whole going back in time bit is beginning to feel really weird," I said. I took off the Mask of Truth and put it away, but not before thinking about how I was able to hear the words of the Gossip Stones in my mind. I never knew the Sheikah were in possession of such powerful magic, and for some reason it made me want to ask Applejack about it the next time I see her.

That will be back in the future as where she is right now is something I'll never know. Without wasting anymore time, I through the town and back outside into Hyrule Field where I took out the Ocarina of Time in order to play Epona's Song....until I made the unfortunate conclusion. " I can't call Epona to my side, as in this time she is still just a filly, and located at Lon Lon Ranch.

The Epona that I'm used to is back in front of the entrance to Kakariko Village in the future, so that means I'll need to travel on foot to reach the village which will take me an hour or two." Sighing, I began to run in the direction of the village, and by the time I finally made it over there, I was so tired that I just wanted to rest for a few moments even though I only woke up recently. I guess relying on Epona so much has made me a little lazy, but I won't be resorting to that, so I shook off the notion of sleeping, and entered the village.

" Notice that the windmill is spinning around?" asked Spike.

" That's what they are supposed to do," I replied.

" No, what I mean is that the reason it's spinning is because there is water in the well. In the future when the well has been drained, the windmill isn't spinning as its source has been taken away. I'm surprised at myself that it's taken me this long to actually figure out the connection, but I suppose it's thanks to not considering the windmill to be of any significance that had me at a loss," said Spike.

" The village didn't really change all that much between now and the future apart from the additional of several houses, and other people relocating from the castle when it was destroyed and opening up shop here. No matter which version I'm looking at, it all feels incredibly peaceful which makes me feel at ease with myself.

You know, before we go and drain the water from the well by playing the Song of Storms in the windmill, I actually want to take a closer look at it as I never got the chance to do so when we came here for the first time as we had to deal with an angry Pinkie Pie," I said.

" I guess we can take a quick look," suggested Spike.

" It will only take a minute, and it is on our way," I said. Walking through the village back before it became a bigger place certainly brought back some wonderful memories, but I couldn't allow myself to feel too nostalgic otherwise I'll start to want to think about staying here in the past again. The well itself certainly looked impressive, and Discord was right when he said that it became a tourist hotspot although it looked like it was such a thing already.

There was a sign situated in front of the well, and it read that this well was known for its three distinct features....dark, narrow, and scary....definitely something for tourists to think about as clearly it was anything but that. However, that was what you could see on the surface, for what lied beneath the well was a different matter altogether.

At this moment in time, the shadow beast which would set fire to the village is located somewhere down there, and it probably remains in a dormant state. This will all change when Ganondorf becomes king, and its power begins to grow prompting Applejack to seal it away until it's able to escape once it has enough power.

" Satisfied?" asked Spike.

" Despite knowing what lurks below, this is pretty much an ordinary well," I replied.

" I have a theory regarding what we learned from Sheik. Impa was the one who ended up sealing the shadow beast away, but in order for her to do that, the water would need to be drained so she could cast the sealing spell. We're about to drain the water and explore the well to pick up whatever we're supposed to get down there, yet what if we weren't meant to go down and explore the well's bottom?

Maybe she went to the windmill, and requested Discord to drain the water so as to complete the seal? No matter which result occurs, the seal is put into place and the shadow beast remains trapped for the next seven years," said Spike.

" Either option does seem plausible as the well was drained when I was told about it when the fire was blazing over the village, but I'm of the mindset that our way is the method that allows for the water to be removed. You know what Spike? Let's just go into the windmill, and get this sorted out ourselves as all of this talk is getting us confused," I said.

Spike agreed that this was getting annoying, so I walked up to where the windmill was and went inside by opening the door. I remember when I came in here before that Discord was acting crazy because of what I supposedly did, so I was expecting this to remain true. However, when I noticed him standing near the main shaft, he looked completely happy. " Discord looks like he's having the time of his life in here, and it's surprising to see that this is what he used to be like."

" This was before the Song of Storms changed things, and he became filled with the desire to be chaotic," said Spike.

" Do we really have to ruin his life?" I asked.

" We need to rescue Impa in the future, and to do that we need the treasure that lies below the well. Besides, you know what ends up happening to Discord when we mess up the windmill. He becomes a lot more happier than he is now as he embraces the chaotic nature of his psyche. Yet, I do understand where you're coming from with this, so maybe you should talk to him first just to see what he has to say. He might know something about the well itself, and may be willing to discuss it before you play that song," replied Spike.

Just looking at how he was having a great time made me regret what I was about to do, but there was no other choice. Sometimes being a hero does mean having to make some tough decisions including ones that you feel aren't the best things one can consider, yet this was another reminder of me being subjected to constant torment. Sighing, I walked over to where Discord was and began to talk to him when he noticed me.

" Hello there," I said.

" Go around, and around, and around! What fun! I'm so happy! Hello little girl! My name is Discord, and I am the proud owner who lives and operates this windmill. For years this place has been channeling the water in the well located in the heart of Kakariko, and has served as the villagers means of securing their water, yet these days I've been distracted from my usual means of maintaining order because of something which has been on my mind," said Discord.

" What's that?" I asked.

" I am a music maker which is a hobby, so I've been trying to come up with a song inspired by the music one can hear echoing throughout this windmill if you stop and take a good listen. So far, I have come up with the idea of going around, and around, but I haven't been able to figure out the next part of the song. Perhaps you may be able to help me finish this little project of mine? If you happen to have an instrument of some kind, you could play me something which might give me the inspiration that I need," replied Discord.

" Well, I do have something in mind," I began.

" Then I'd like to hear you play it," said Discord.

" Actually, I was hoping that you could give me some information regarding the well," I said.

" You must be one of those adventurer types who seem to show up every now and then, for only they would be interested in such knowledge. A long time ago, there was a man who lived in this village, and it was said that he had an eye which was capable of seeing the truth. These days, one would need to put immense strain on their vision to see the truth for what it is, but this guy was different in that what he used was a special magnifying glass.

No one really knows what it looked like, for he never took it with him due to fearing that someone would steal it from him, and attempt to use it to get what they wanted," said Discord.

" An eye that can see the truth? It sounds like something which can only be achieved by magic," I said.

" What he had was indeed magical in nature, and that was why he chose not to take it out of his home. There were people living in the village at the time who desired to have his eye, but he always refused them despite the numerous offers he received. One day, he decided that he could no longer handle the pressure, so he chose to leave the village. However, he could not simply take the eye with him as the problem he was having would merely follow him to wherever he would go next.

That is why he requested that his house be destroyed, and a well be built in its place. Beneath his house was an underground complex filled with dark creatures, and his plan was to hide his treasure down there to ensure that no one would claim it. The village elders agreed with his decision to hide the eye, and thus the well was constructed and filled with water. It has been in the heart of the village for some 30 years or so, and has remained as a testament to the actions of a man who wished for nothing but peace," said Discord.

" Have you heard of something called a shadow beast?" I asked.

" Yes, that is a name which I am familiar with," replied Discord.

" I've heard rumours that this creature has been plaguing your village for a long time, and that there is a plan in place that will prevent it from escaping. The plan involves using some powerful magic in order to trap it beneath the well, but that would require making some kind of sacrifice in the process," I said.

" Impa plans on coming here sometime this evening, and having me drain the well by using the windmill. I know that it's for the good of the village, but if the water is drained, the windmill will never be able to operate again. The shadow beast has proven to be too problematic to be allowed to remain free, so this needs to be done....I think I've had enough answering questions, so can I listen to the song idea you claim to have?" asked Discord.

Knowing how this would affect him in the future, I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and Spike showed me on a piece of paper the exact notes I needed to play. Once I memorized them enough, I played the Song of Storms which caused it to start raining inside, but it also made the windmill blade spin faster.

As the seconds went by, the blade kept on gaining speed until it was spinning around at a ridiculous pace. Discord was happy at first with what I played him, but then he noticed that things weren't correct. " Go around, and around....huh? What? It's going too fast! The windmill is spinning out of control, and that means....you....what in the world have you done!?!?"

" Something that would have been done anything if Impa had come instead of me," I replied.

" That song....it messed up the windmill....you messed it up. Why would you do something like this? I was so happy knowing that the windmill was doing its job, but now it's completely gone out of whack. Everything is too fast for me to keep up with it! As long as I live, I will never forget that song! It shall remain forever locked into my memory for what it, and you have done to this place.

Yes, I will keep a mental note of it because writing it down would just be plain silly, and I don't even have anything to write on. Strange, why do I suddenly feel like I'm descending into madness? Eh, it will pass I suppose," said Discord. That's when I took my leave and left the windmill with a sad look on my face, for while I may have done the right thing, the cost was too great for me to be happy.

" Why did it have to be this way?" I asked.

" Because there was no other choice Sunset Shimmer, and you know my words are true. Right now, it will be difficult for you to concentrate because of what has happened to Discord, but remember that he turned out well in the end despite having some quirks in his mannerisms," replied Spike.

" It isn't just that Spike! I've had to do a lot of things which have ended up making things worse, and I don't just refer to events that need to be fixed as a result of the time paradox placed onto them. Why does being a hero have to involve making such unnecessary sacrifices? If we could have entered the well in a manner that didn't involve making someone lose their mind in the process, I'd be feeling a whole lot better than I do right now.

This is the kind of mental stress which I don't need to be experiencing, yet it's another reminder that I am being tormented as a consequence of my actions," I said.

" Sometimes we have to do things we don't like because of how painful they might become later, but it's something we must do if it means for the good of everyone. You needed to drain the water so that we could enter the Shadow Temple with the treasure down below, and without that item, Hyrule in the future will remain in the grip of darkness where peace will never happen again," said Spike.

" Now you know why I was reluctant to be involved in this," I said.

" You've come this far on your journey, so you might as well keep on going until it's finished," said Spike.

" Like I don't have any other choice in the matter, but I will continue as I need to defeat Ganondorf to not only save this world, but also be able to return to mine. I know you still have some doubts about my story Spike, but it's not like I'm trying to force you into believing my words. Anyway, the water has been draining from the well while we were talking, so now we can access the Bottom of the Well. Let's get what we came here for before we attract some unwanted attention, or Applejack gets here before we're finished," I said.

" Do you know how to climb down this well?" asked Spike.

" I'm hoping for a ladder to be present as I don't think I want to jump in," I replied. If I were to simply leap into the well without thinking, I'd end up falling quite the distance, and possibly breaking my legs or my back if I'm really unlucky. Searching around the rim of the well, I discovered the top of a ladder barely sticking out, so I deduced that I could climb down from this spot.

While climbing down, I did find myself immersed in the darkness which reminded me of when I climbed down that ladder while making my way to the Fire Temple, but the distance wasn't nearly as long as that was. Once I reached the bottom, I could see a cave entrance was down here with the complex Discord mentioning being beyond, so I breathed deeply for a moment before walking forward....where I immediately had to hold my nose due to a foul stench pervading the air. " Yuck! What in the world is that horrible smell?"

" Remember that this is the Bottom of the Well, so what you're smelling is the refuse which has found its way down here," replied Spike.

" I don't think I want to know anymore than that, but why isn't the stench affecting you?" I asked.

" We fairies aren't affected by odors like you humans are, so I can't smell anything," replied Spike.

" Maybe I should have been turned into a fairy when I was sent into this world as then I wouldn't have to deal with this, but I suppose that I'll just get used to the smell although I will need to take a shower after this is said and done. Anyway, I can see one of those crawl spaces in front of us, so I need to get down onto my hands and knees, and crawl through to the other side right?" I asked.

" There's no telling what lurks in this dungeon, so be careful," replied Spike.

" This place is a dungeon? Well, I guess it makes sense as it is a complex, so I assume that we'll find a map and compass down here by looking hard enough. The shadow beast is supposed to be somewhere in here as well, so I hope that we don't run into it as I doubt I'll be able to defeat it even with transforming," I said. Dropping down onto my hands and knees, I began to crawl through the crawl space where I just realized something.

The only way I've been able to change was through having the Master Sword, but I don't have it right now, so would that mean I'm incapable of transforming? As I came out of the other side, in front of me was a small ladder which connected below to the next part of the room, so I climbed down where I found myself wanting to throw up because of the debris down here. " Those dirt piles....that isn't really dirt now is it? If it's what I think it is....I'm going to be sick really quickly."

" It's best not to question it if you can otherwise you'll be wanting to turn back," said Spike.

" No, I'll keep going even if my stomach is feeling weird," I said as the thought of those piles being what I think they are was making me feel awful. I walked a few steps more before being knocked off of my feet by some kind of skeletal spider which came down from the ceiling. " I remember seeing those back in the Forest Temple, but why does it look slightly bigger than those ones?"

" This is Big Skulltula, but the only difference is that this one is larger in size which makes it harder to avoid, and it has a bigger attack range. The principle to defeating it is the same as for the regular sized ones, but you need to remember that you don't have the Longshot or Fairy Bow which can destroy these monsters instantly.

Since all you have on hand is the Fairy Slingshot, you will have to get in close and wait for it to turn its back to you exposing its soft belly before firing Deku Seeds at it. Coincidentally, you can use your fire magic or Din's Fire if you want to go the easy route, but it does cause a case of wanting to waste such magical power on weak monsters," replied Spike.

" I'll go with the slingshot as I do need to get better at using it," I said.

" The Fairy Slingshot works in the same manner as the Fairy Bow, so you already have the experience on your side. You need to improve on your aiming which is certainly lacking, so maybe you can get better as we make our way through this place. Otherwise, we'll be paying a visit to the Shooting Gallery in the future, or maybe even here in the past as it's located in Hyrule Castle Town," said Spike.

Taking out the Fairy Slingshot, which felt weird given that it's been forever since I last used it, I aimed it at the Big Skulltula, and waited for it to turn around and expose its belly. Once this happened, I fired a Deku Seed which struck it, but it wasn't enough to defeat it, so I had to wait for it to turn around again where I fired a second seed which destroyed it. " That took two shots to beat it, so maybe the seeds I fire are weaker than arrows....this is going to be much harder than I thought it would be."

" We are back in your childhood where monsters are more durable because your weapons aren't all that powerful," said Spike.

" This isn't how I lived out my early years although I'd rather not talk about that as it's too painful for me to want to recall. Still, it does mean the strong monsters I took on in the future will be even stronger if I have to face any of them here," I said. There were some chains hanging down from the ceiling which looked really horrifying, but these were nothing compared to what I saw at the end of the room. " Is that the remains of some kind of human!?!?

Okay! This place is starting to creep me out!" Propped up in the corner was a skeleton, but at least it didn't have any rotting flesh hanging on it as that would have been just sick. I did wonder though why this was even down here in the first place given this complex was not so easy to access....unless one could reach it a long time ago even before Kakariko Village was first built.

" I can sense the spirits in this room," began Spike.

" Spirits?" I asked.

" When people pass away for whatever reason they may have had, their spirits tend to linger as a result of unfinished business which keeps them tied to the place where they perished. In this case, the spirits calling out to me exist here for they tried to claim the treasure for themselves, but failed to do so and died trying.

They remain here perhaps to guide future explorers, so that they don't end up suffering the same fate they did. The spirits are all saying the same message to me which I'll repeat for you now...."Look for the eye of truth"....that's what they are saying to me," replied Spike.

" The eye of truth?" I asked.

" That must be the special magnifying glass Discord mentioned before he lost his mind," replied Spike.

" I don't think we'll be able to look for anything given that we're stuck at this wall, and I don't see any cracks that indicate it can be destroyed. Yet, why can I hear water coming from the other side? Hmmmm....I wonder if it isn't what it appears to be," I said. Reaching out with my hand, I wanted to see if I could touch the wall in front of me, and when it went through without any consequence, it did startle me at first before realizing that it was a fake.

" This wall isn't real as in it doesn't exist even though we can see it with our own eyes." I had to make sure that this wasn't just a coincidence, so I pulled my hand back and reached out for the wall, and once again my hand went through. That's when I chose to walk through the wall, and discovered there was much more to this room than first glances showed.

The water I heard was coming from a small pool in front of me, and there was a kind of river flowing throughout the area. Surely, there was a source to all of this water somewhere, so maybe finding it will enable me to progress further. " If that wall I walked through just now was fake, then there must be others like it all over this place."

" The reverse is also true," said Spike.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" There could be things that are invisible, but in truth we can use them and eventually see them if we can find what is hidden in here. I'm starting to see what how this dungeon works now, and it feels like it is going to be a simplified version of the Shadow Temple. What we see here is merely a small sample of what is to come when we finally enter the temple back in the future," replied Spike.

" Guess we might as well start looking although that won't be easy as we can't determine what is real and what isn't," I said.

" You could use your fire magic if you want to be certain, but that would be kind of trivial as well as a waste," said Spike.

" What do you suggest?" I asked.

" The Fairy Slingshot is something you yourself said you need to get better at using it, so my idea is to fire Deku Seeds at any walls you deem suspicious. If any of the seeds suddenly goes through a wall, then we'll know that it's fake and we can proceed through and continue onward," replied Spike. Before I could do anything else, a strange noise began to sound out as though a large creature was coming by.

Suddenly, a giant winged skull flew by where it set itself on fire with green flames before disappearing around a nearby corner. My heart was pounding like a drum because that was just plain scary, yet Spike seemed rather indifferent about it. " That's strange....I never would have guessed that a Green Bubble would be so huge in the past, but rather small in the future."

That was one of those Green Bubbles from back in the Forest Temple? There's no way that thing could have been one of those monsters as it was huge in size, but then I stopped trying to figure out how this world works a long time ago due to it constantly changing the rules on me. It soon became apparent that this Green Bubble would be a problem as it flew by again.

" That monster appears to be going around in a circle," I said.

" Which means it will likely continue doing that, so maybe it would be a good idea to destroy it," suggested Spike.

" I suppose using the Fairy Slingshot will work, but that would involve aiming at a moving target, and my hitting anything that moves is really bad," I said. From what I gathered at how the Green Bubble was moving, it was stuck going around in a circle and had no desire to suddenly change directions. In that sense, I was completely safe in this location and would only be in danger if I end up on its path. On the other hand, I didn't want to run the risk of being blindsided by it, so I aimed the Fairy Slingshot and waited for it to fly by again.

About 30 seconds later, it came along where I started to fire as many seeds as possible, and I managed to defeat it by hitting it with one seed....after missing about a dozen times before connecting. Coincidentally, some of the seeds went through the wall on the opposite side, so there was more of this room to explore.

" With the Green Bubble out of the way, you should be able to walk around this room without having to be surprised by it," said Spike.

" Until we leave and come back here again where it will have re-spawned," I sighed.

" That's always a possibility when it comes to these dungeons," said Spike.

" So which way should we go from here? We can go left, right, or the middle seeing as the wall in front of us is fake," I said.

" Why not check out what's behind the fake wall? Considering that there isn't a wall to begin with, there might be something that someone wanted to keep hidden in that part of the room," suggested Spike. While his choice of words were confusing, I agreed with him that going beyond that false wall was a good idea as who knows what we may find, so I walked over to where the false part was, and went through it to discover two wooden poles in the shape of an X stood in front of me.

I could see some trace amounts of blood on these poles which had me concerned, for it was a sign and reminder that others came here before me to find the eye of truth, and they didn't make it out alive. Two doors were also in front of me with locks on each one, and to my right was a large treasure chest that could contain the eye....but that would be a little too easy. In fact, nothing here looked to be easy, and I had a feeling something was wrong.

" There's something off about this area," I said.

" In what way?" asked Spike.

" For one thing, that X those wooden poles are forming makes me feel that something will happen if we go near them. Second, that treasure chest to my right looks easy enough to get to, but what if there's some kind of hidden trap? Third, I can't see any monsters, so they're either invisible to my vision, or that Green Bubble was the only thing in this room that constitutes as a threat," I replied.

" Your third concern is about to be answered right now when I say to watch out for the shadows of monsters that hang from the ceiling," said Spike. Hearing those exact words brought up a memory from back in the Forest Temple, and I looked down to see my own shadow had been replaced with that of a clawed hand. I quickly ran forward where a few moments later, a Wallmaster dropped down from the ceiling where it took a few steps using its finger as feet before jumping back up above.

Without realizing it, I had run over to the giant X, and fell through what appeared to be a false part of the floor down to the lowest level of the dungeon where I landed really hard on my rear. This room looked really morbid in nature where there was a pool that was filled with a liquid which I didn't want to know what it was. I could also see skeletal hands coming up from this liquid, so would this be a place where the undead rise from their graves?

" This place is really getting creepy," I said.

" It's nothing compared to what we'll find in the Shadow Temple," said Spike.

" Is there any way for us to get out of this room, and back up to where we were before? I kind of feel like that I was tricked into falling down here because that Wallmaster would have grabbed and dragged me back to the start of this dungeon....which wouldn't have been a bad idea given that the entrance was only a short distance away. Or, perhaps we should take a look around in case there might be something down here worth finding," I said.

" There are some silver rupees in this room, so collecting them is bound to give us the means of escaping. As for wanting to look around for anything, you've got four different paths to choose from, so take your pick and see what each one features," said Spike.

" By the way, I noticed someone sitting by that horrific pool over there," I said.

" A person? Down here of all places?" asked Spike.

" Over there! Someone is sitting down which means they must have been able to survive, but how come they aren't wearing any clothes? I hope this isn't going to be one of those awkward moments where I'll be feeling uncomfortable about it. Still, why would anyone want to sit near that liquid as it looks really nasty what with those hands coming out of it? Anyone who wants to do something like that must have a depraved mind," I replied.

The person hadn't taken notice of me as well as react to the words I used to describe how I felt about their actions, but I was curious as to what they could be doing down here in the first place. Maybe they tried to find the eye of truth, but failed to do so and is now doomed to remain here until someone comes along and takes them back outside into the light of day.

" That isn't a person," began Spike.

" It isn't?" I asked.

" What you believe to be a person is in fact a Re-Dead, the same undead creature we encountered back inside of the Royal Family's Tomb as well as what we saw in the Market back in the future. Because you don't have a sword on hand to defeat it with, and it being immune to all kinds of magic except for light, all you can do right now is avoid it while you walk around down here. If it sees you with its gaze, you will be paralyzed for a few moments, and if it manages to latch onto you, it will drain away your life-force really quickly.

I know I told you this before back in the tomb, but I thought you could do with a reminder," replied Spike. And here I thought I'd never have to see one of these monsters again, but there it is just sitting down waiting for someone to walk by. Since those silver rupees were positioned right near where the Re-Dead was sitting, I would have to eventually go near it if I want to collect them, and quite possibly leave this room by climbing up that ladder situated near that pool.

" That means the pathway behind that Re-Dead is out of the question as I don't want to deal with it right now, so that leaves me with only three other choices. I seem to recall back in the Water Temple that a pathway flanked by two torches on either side of the entrance is an indicator that something good lies down it, so maybe we'll try that path first and continue our way around via an anticlockwise direction.

Before doing anything though, I want to do something which I forgot about, and that is talk to Fluttershy to see what she has to say about this dungeon," I said.

" Are you sure she would be able to tell you anything? We're back in the past now before Saria was awakened as the Sage of Forest, so she doesn't have the kind of knowledge that she has in the future. Playing her song and talking to her may not produce the kind of answers you may be looking for. If you want to go and talk to her, then by all means do so as you could get lucky and she may be able to give you some advice," said Spike.

" On the other hand, I might not be able to learn anything and that would just be a waste of her time. As long as that Re-Dead over there doesn't do anything to give me some grief, I'll be able to play her song and speak to her without any problems," I said. Taking out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, I went ahead and played Fluttershy's Song hoping that this was going to work.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria. Can you hear me?" asked Fluttershy.

" I thought you had chosen to go with the name of Fluttershy?" I asked.

" I'm not sure what you're talking about as I don't remember making that decision. While the name of Fluttershy does sound like a really nice thing to call someone, I prefer to be called by Saria as that is the name I've been known as. Sorry if that is a little disappointing, but I should stick with the name that I was given by the Great Deku Tree when I was born into the world," replied Fluttershy.

This was really awkward as I clearly forgot that she didn't choose to go with Fluttershy instead of Saria when it came to her name until seven years in the future. Once again, I've allowed the notion of time travel to cause me to make quite the obvious blunder, but I was fortunate in that Fluttershy was kind enough to not allow it to be a concern to her.

" Anyway, where exactly are you? I remember your ocarina sounding a lot different, and now it sounds even more unusual than before, so you either got really better at playing it, or you decided to throw away what I gave you and went with something better. Personally, I feel that it's the first option where you have improved on your playing."

" I have gotten better thanks to being given some pointers courtesy of a scarecrow," I said.

" A scarecrow? Well, that is much different from what I was suspecting which would have been either the princess, or one of her attendants. The spirits are saying to me that you are exploring some kind of complex below Kakariko Village," said Fluttershy.

" I came here in order to acquire something called the eye of truth, and the reason I wanted to talk to you is because I thought you would have some information I could use to make my search a lot better," I said.

" The spirits wish for me to share with you the information that they have, so yes I can tell you something. I'm sure that you've already experienced seeing some false walls and floors, but sometimes you want to take the bait and fall victim to one of these traps. You might find some extra rupees, or perhaps a look ahead at what may be coming up later. There is some kind of creature lurking about in one of the rooms however, and it appears to have numerous hands," said Fluttershy.

" What kind of creature has that many appendages?" I asked.

" I'm not sure what the spirits are getting at, but they say that when you discover this creature, you will need to figure out how to summon it in a way that is sure to grab its attention. They also say that the song which you use to prove your connection to the royal family is going to be useful, but they aren't sure why as the darkness is clouding their vision," replied Fluttershy.

" I guess I'll just figure it out when the time comes," I said.

" Time appears to be against you Sunset Shimmer as someone is coming to the village within a few hours, and will seal up the complex using some kind of powerful magic. If you take too long, you may end up being trapped down there forever. This seal is one the spirits say can negate magical properties, for there is a fear among the villagers that the shadow will use its magic to instantly break it.

I must end this conversation with you now, for I have no doubt that I am wasting what precious time you have, so I wish you good luck even though I still don't know why you are down there in the first place," said Fluttershy. As my mental communication with her came to an end, I couldn't believe that the time outside had already passed by several hours, so that meant Applejack was going to be here soon, so I needed to work fast and get what I came for before I get trapped in here.

" We need to hurry along if what Fluttershy says is true," I said.

" Time does pass by in Hyrule a lot quicker than it probably does in your world," said Spike.

" Guess we should quickly see what lies down that passage as we can't afford to slow down for any reason," I said. Running towards the passageway flanked by two torches which was my first choice, I soon discovered that the way was blocked with boulders, so I took the Bomb Bag from my belt and pulled out a Bomb before tossing it at the boulders, and taking a few paces backwards.

The bomb exploded revealing a dead-end, but there was also a big treasure chest located at the end of this passage. " Looks like luck is on our side as we found ourselves a chest on the first try, so that means searching down the other paths is pointless."

" Unless the silver rupees we need to collect are hidden along those routes," said Spike.

" Good point, so I guess we'll have to check them all out including the one near where that Re-Dead is," I said. As I ran towards the chest hoping that it would contain the eye of truth, I failed to notice that there was another Re-Dead sitting nearby, but how could I have seen it when it was so dark down this passageway? The monster simply blended in with its surroundings, so I was unaware it was even there to begin with. When I approached the chest, it suddenly got up onto its feet, and let out a terrifying moan which froze me on the spot.

It started to walk at a rather slow pace before it grabbed onto my body, and began to squeeze me numerous times. At first I thought it was trying to crush me, but then I started to feel incredibly weak....just like Spike said would happen....my life force is being drained at a rapid rate, and I'd wager that I have mere moments before I lose consciousness and perish.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 43: To See the Truth that Lies Beyond

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 19, 2015
Chapter 43: To See the Truth that Lies Beyond.

As I felt my life-force being drained away as a result of this Re-Dead, I had to do something before I succumbed to it. I quickly remembered the first time I encountered these creatures back in the Royal Family's Tomb, and I used that one song which can paralyze them. If only I could reach for the Ocarina of Time, I could play it and freeze this thing long enough to open that treasure chest, and move away before it unfreezes itself.

Unfortunately, its hold on me was so strong that my arms were pinned to my sides, so I needed to come up with another tactic. That's when I remembered the second encounter in the destroyed Market, yet all I did there was avoid them as they were slow, and they don't pursue once you've gotten a certain distance away from them. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best example I could think of, but what else could I do to break free?

" Sunset Shimmer! You need to find a way to shake that Re-Dead off of you," said Spike.

" I'd love to be able to do that right now, but it's got my body trapped, and my strength has almost been depleted," I said.

" You can still wiggle about as they aren't very good at holding onto their prey, so if you struggle enough, you should be able to pull yourself away from it," said Spike. It sounded really weird to me, but I began to move my body in the hopes of getting it to let go. After a few moments, I was able to get the Re-Dead off, so I turned and punched it in the face which wasn't the kind of reaction I was expecting myself to do, but I guess when you're feeling frustrated, you want to resort to anything.

The Re-Dead's head got knocked back so much that I was certain it was about to fly off, but instead it caused the entire thing to fall to the ground where I took a few steps back before taking out the ocarina.

" That was way too close for comfort," I said breathing heavily.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I think it drained away a lot of my strength, but I still have enough to move. Right now, I could really do with a potion, or even a fairy to restore my health, but I didn't bother to go to the Potion Shop, or capture a fairy in a bottle. Spike, do you remember how that one song goes which has the ability to paralyze this monster on the spot?" I asked.

" The Sun's Song, and the reason you don't use it is because it has the power to change day to night, and vice versa in an instant," replied Spike.

" Well, I need to know that song before the Re-Dead gets back up on its feet, and drain away what little strength I have left. I know that the song can change the time of day, but I need to use it as I have nothing else which will work," I said. At that moment, it got up where my eyes opened wide with shock as its head was dangling off the side of its neck. No way could my punch have done something like that, but this was an undead monster, so it's possible given how strong I am.

When it suddenly grabbed its head, and pushed it back into place, it really made me want to throw up as the squishing sound it made was unnerving. " Spike, I really need that song, so can you please remind me how it was supposed to go? I'm drawing a blank which is why I need you to tell me, and if it continues to act in such a disgusting manner, I'm going to be sick!"

" Do you remember what was on that one tomb below the message belonging to the Royal Composer Sisters?" asked Spike.

" Gasp! Yes, I recall seeing the scribble of the melody," I replied.

" That's the Sun's Song, so try to remember how it goes, and play it before it's too late," said Spike. I then had to quickly comb through my memory to find it, and I played it upon recalling that event which caused the Re-Dead to freeze on the spot just moments before it was about to paralyze me again.

I had no idea how I remembered something that I only played once, but at least I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I was able to save my own skin with the help of Spike of course who began to bop me on the head. " Open that treasure chest, and take what's inside before the Re-Dead unfreezes itself for the song doesn't keep it paralyzed for very long."

" Oh right!" I exclaimed as I opened it revealing the Dungeon Map, but I had no time to check what the dungeon layout looked like as I needed to get away before the effects of the Sun's Song wears off. I ran back into the main area of the room where the other Re-Dead was, but it was ignoring me because I wasn't near its line of sight.

That means the one that drained my life-force won't be following me when it's able to move again, so I could relax for a while despite being caught in-between two monsters which were a lot more dangerous than I gave them credit for. " We should be safe here as neither of them will move towards me, but I hope that playing that song was the right thing to do given the effect that it has."

" You may not believe me this, but the power of the Sun's Song isn't applied when walking around inside of a dungeon. I don't understand why this is the case, but as long as you're inside of one, playing the song won't cause time to skip forward," said Spike.

" Now that I think about it, I wish that I had the Light Arrow you talked about back when I picked up the Fire Arrow as surely that would be very effective against the undead," I said.

" Even if you had it with you, remember that you don't have the Fairy Bow right now due to being back in the past where it wasn't in your possession. Then again, you wouldn't have the Light Arrow either for the same reasons. Maybe you should have picked up the Kokiri Sword back before leaving the forest, for you could have used it to hold your own," said Spike.

" Kokiri Sword?" I asked.

" I had a feeling you were going to ask that question, so I was prepared with an explanation for you. The Kokiri Sword is a hidden treasure among the Kokiri in that it is meant for someone who was destined to become its master, but most have merely borrowed it for a while as no one ever knew who was supposed to permanently have it.

It's essentially a shorter, weaker version of the Master Sword, but it would have given you the means of defeating monsters without having to rely on your magic all the time," replied Spike.

" Back then, I had no idea how to use a sword given that where I'm from, using a blade is pretty much a non-issue. Because of that, I had no intention of finding that sword in the forest despite being told that I needed one in addition to a shield to have been of use. In fact, Diamond Tiara should have stopped me from going forward to seeing the Great Deku Tree because I didn't have a sword and shield, but she let me through anyway because she wanted to see me suffer.

Anyway, I have the Dungeon Map, so let's take a closer look at it," I said. Taking the map out of a pocket and unfurling it because it was curled up when I took it out of the treasure chest, I was surprised to discover that the Bottom of the Well was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. In fact, I was expecting it to be a massive complex, but this place was smaller than the temples which felt both disappointing and good to me.

" It makes you wonder how people got killed seeing as this dungeon is small," said Spike.

" Maybe they all met their fate at the hands of that creature with the numerous hands, or perhaps something similar claimed their lives. Either way, it shouldn't take long for us to explore this place, but do we even really need to? I figured as soon as we find what we're looking for, we can just leave because this place will be sealed when Applejack comes along.

According to the map, the room on the first basement is the largest in the dungeon, so I guess all we need to do is just search the adjacent rooms until we find the eye....did I just say basement?" I asked.

" Yes you did," replied Spike.

" So there are no floors?" I asked.

" Oh this place features floors like what we've seen in the previous dungeons, but in the Bottom of the Well, we're just going down underground because it's said that the further you go down below the surface, the stronger the undead hordes become. However, considering that there is nothing more of interest in the lowest basement, we'll be restricting our searches to the first basement and maybe the second one," replied Spike.

" Maybe the eye of truth is behind one of those locked doors," I suggested.

" That would be a good hiding place provided that we can find the keys," said Spike.

" But what about the water that flows about?" I asked.

" Saria did say that you need the song passed down by the royal family, so that there must be a Triforce symbol somewhere. Maybe causing the water to drain on the first basement will reveal new paths, but at least you won't have to walk about underwater considering you don't have the Zora Tunic and the Iron Boots with you right now. I'd say that the room on the far west of the first basement would be the best place to search for any keys," replied Spike.

" First, we need to get out of this room," I said.

" Collecting the five silver rupees would be the way to solve that puzzle," said Spike. I saw that three of them were situated over the pool of strange liquid with the skeletal hands sticking out of it. In my mind, I didn't want to cross over that stuff, but I had to if I wanted to get out of here. Stepping carefully onto the pieces of wood which were on the surface of the liquid, I was able to get a closer look at the hands, and just seeing how horrid they were almost caused me to fall in.

" This is without a doubt one of the worst experiences I've ever had," I said.

" Just don't think about that liquid too much, and it won't make you feel uneasy," said Spike.

" The liquid isn't the worst of my problems! Those skeletal hands are just so creepy, and I feel like they could suddenly reach out to grab hold and pull me into that stuff which may kill me instantly. When I get out of this dungeon, I never want to have to go through anything like this ever again, but I know I will because of the Shadow Temple.

Whoever came up with the idea of the upcoming temple was nothing short of being sadistic in nature! Okay, I needed to get all of that pent-up frustration off of my chest, and I'm feeling slightly better, but I still don't like any of this," I said.

" One step at a time," said Spike. It took about two minutes to collect the silver rupees, and when I made it to the ladder, I started to climb before I became frozen on the spot because that first Re-Dead tilted its head towards me. At first, I was afraid that it was about to rise up and walk over to where I was, but I was relieved to know that it merely turned its attention back to whatever it was doing. Spike took solace with my reaction that he felt the same way knowing that we dodged quite the bullet.

" That was a close call Sunset Shimmer as I don't think you can survive a second life-force drain from a Re-Dead." He wasn't even kidding as I needed to regain my lost strength, and I curse myself for not getting a potion or fairy. Climbing up the ladder netted me the fourth silver rupee, and at the top was the last one which unlocked the door when I picked it up. When I opened the door, I found myself staring at a dead-end which made me feel annoyed, but then there was a skeleton propped against the corner.

" We're at a dead-end," I said.

" The wall in front of us could be a fake," said Spike.

" What about that skeleton over there? What are the spirits saying to you?" I asked.

" They are repeating the same thing that the one we saw earlier said...."look for the eye of truth"....I can understand that the eye is significant to our quest, but there is something known as being too obnoxious when it comes to telling us information," replied Spike.

" That Green Bubble should be flying around again, so I'll wait until it goes by before walking through this wall," I said. A few moments later, the flying monster went by as I could hear the flapping of its wings, so I walked forward where I passed through the wall to the other side. To my right was a large dirt pile which made me curious, but I decided against checking it out because I could see a shadow in front of me which probably belonged to a Skulltula, or one of the big versions.

That's when I ran forward until I noticed a path going to the right, so I went in that direction where I dropped down to a slightly lower level. " We should be safe from that Green Bubble down here, but then what do you suppose lies in the room in front of us?"

" Who knows for certain, but we'll be finding out once we get there. By the way, you need to be careful of monsters that may try to attack you from above. Case in point, you can see a shadow in front of you, so that is probably a Skulltula waiting for you to get close to it. If you want to destroy it, you'll need to get close enough for it to want to come down and attack," replied Spike.

Sure enough, he was right about there being a shadow, and when I looked up to the ceiling, there was the Skulltula in question looking down at me with a menacing look across its undead face. While it would be nice to be able to pick it off from up there, I had a feeling it would just turn around of its own accord should I try to shoot at it with a Deku Seed fired from my slingshot.

" I have a question," I began.

" What is it?" asked Spike.

" This might sound completely out of the blue, but I was wondering how Hyrule managed to get to where it is. I mean, we both know what happens in the future, yet I'm curious as to what it was like living in the past before the kingdom came to be. If you can't answer my question Spike, then that's okay as I wouldn't expect you to answer about something that happened long before you were born. The reason I'm interested is because this world has really grown a lot on me, and I should know as much as I can," I replied.

" Much of Hyrule's past is shrouded in mystery as there isn't much that was recorded, yet what was passed on is enough to provide a clue as to what the kingdom was like long before it became what it is. I believe that I told you about the war that took place centuries ago when a tribe of demonic creatures rose from the depths in order to claim the Triforce right?" asked Spike.

" Yeah, I remember you telling me about that albeit briefly," I replied.

" As you probably know, when the Triforce was created, people discovered that it had the power to grant their desires, so conflicts arose where everyone strived to use the golden triangles to have their wishes come true. The demon tribe heard of the Triforce, and declared their intent to claim it for themselves. The wish of their leader whose name has been lost was to rule the world, and having no one his equal to oppose him.

The Great Goddesses discovered that the gift they left behind for the people ended up corrupting them, so they commanded one of their most loyal servants to take matters into her own hands, and find a solution to the problem," said Spike.

" Why couldn't they have done it?" I asked.

" If they had gotten involved, this world wouldn't exist," replied Spike. He was correct because what I learned from Princess Celestia, who in this world was one of the Great Goddesses, was that she and her sisters would have chosen to destroy Hyrule and start things over again if they believed it was was incapable of being saved. In their minds, by choosing to go with a lesser being to handle things, they wouldn't have had the urge to correct the situation in their own manner.

They essentially held back because they were afraid of their own power? No, that doesn't sound right to me....I wish that Princess Celestia had been more forthwith with her explanation as there are obvious holes which need to be filled in. " This one goddess was known as Hylia, and she enacted a plan that would ensure the protection of the Triforce as well as the people who didn't get corrupted....no one knows what that plan involved."

" Surely there had to be something that explains what happened," I said.

" All that's known is that the people along with the golden power left this world for centuries, and eventually would return to the surface which is where the earliest settlers of Hyrule began to emerge. From there, the Temple of Time was built, and the Ancient Sages sealed the Triforce in the Sacred Realm where it would remain for eternity until it was claimed by Ganondorf," said Spike.

" You honestly have no idea as to where they went?" I asked.

" History never wrote this information down, or it did but ended up being lost as I said already. Perhaps someone out there has a fully recorded history, or maybe the royal family has some kind of records, but such information is most likely kept in seclusion," replied Spike.

" While that wasn't the kind of answer I was hoping for, it does give me an idea of how this world operates, and it saddens me to say that the Triforce was both a blessing and a curse. If it wasn't for that golden power, none of the problems that afflicted Hyrule would have existed, so maybe someone should have destroyed the Triforce before it could have been misused?" I asked.

" If it were to be destroyed which is possible, I think you'll know what the result would be," replied Spike. Considering that the Triforce was left behind to serve as both a symbol and guiding light for Hyrule, destroying it would have given the people no sense of hope. This world would have crumbled away, and while I would never have been brought here, everyone else wouldn't even exist. I once tried to destroy the portal between the human world and Equestria because I wasn't able to get my hands on the Element of Magic.

If I had gone and done that, Twilight would have been stuck there for a long time, and Equestria would have most likely fallen apart without one of the elements to keep it all together. Yet another reminder of why I'm being tormented, so now I wish that my curiosity hadn't gotten the best of me. I walked forward deep in thought, and forgetting all about the Skulltula hanging above which dropped down. It spun around which knocked me off my feet where I landed on my rear before I shook my head in confusion.

" Why did I just go and do that?" I asked.

" Because you were daydreaming," replied Spike. Yeah, I deserved to get hit for not focusing, but now I am concentrating, so I took out the Fairy Slingshot, and fired at the Skulltula every time it turned around to expose its belly until it was defeated. My aiming was starting to get better as it only took me five Deku Seeds, but I suppose that's three too many given how simple it is to defeat one of these monsters.

" There's a small treasure chest in front of those vines," I said.

" The shadow of that Skulltula must have been covering it up somehow," said Spike.

" I doubt the eye of truth would be that easy to find, so I expect this chest to contain something like some ammunition for the slingshot, or maybe some bombs if I'm really lucky," I said. When I opened it up, I pulled out a small heart which first left me with a sad expression, and this was followed with a confused one. " What is this supposed to be?" As soon as I said that, the heart disappeared which prompted me to repeat myself slightly differently. " What was that supposed to be?"

" That was a Recovery Heart which restores your life energy," replied Spike.

" So my strength has been restored?" I asked.

" Actually, one of those hearts only restores one heart of health, so I'm afraid you still need to recover everything else," replied Spike.

" Did someone seriously hide something so trivial inside of a treasure chest? Sigh....I suppose this was to be expected although right now I'm feeling irritated in that I still need to fully recover my health. Hopefully, there are jars in the next room I can smash, and hearts will fall out," I said. Once on the ledge, I opened the door and entered a room which was filled with coffins.

Six of them altogether were grouped in two pairs of three on either side of the room, and next to five of them were unlit torches with the last one having a torch that was lit. " This feels like some kind of graveyard given the coffins in here, but why would these be located down here instead of in the graveyard where they belong?"

" I'm not sure why, but I suspect that there is something inside of each of those coffins," replied Spike.

" How do we go about opening them?" I asked.

" Since the one coffin has a lighted torch next to it and has already been opened, my guess is that lighting the other torches will cause the remaining coffins to open up, and reveal their contents to you," replied Spike. Walking up to the open coffin, I took a look inside which made me feel wrong on so many levels, but the interior was made of fine wood complete with a polished finished.

These coffins were pretty fancy despite being located down here, but would opening them make me a graverobber? Maybe, but then these aren't in an actual graveyard, so what I was about to do was more along the lines of being curious.

" My fire magic should be useful here," I said.

" The true intention here is to use a Deku Stick by lighting it on fire via that torch, and using it to light the other torches. Since you don't have a stick on you, using your magic is pretty much your only means of lighting those torches. The question now is, do you want to open up any of these coffins?" asked Spike.

" I am a little curious as the eye of truth could be hidden inside of one of them, as who in their right mind would want to open something like this? On the other hand, there could be monsters hiding inside, and with my strength being as low as it is, I'd be running the risk of getting killed. There are no jars around in this room, so maybe I should just open up one or two coffins," I replied.

" If that's what you want to do then go for it," said Spike. Turning my attention to the coffin behind the open one, I used my magic to ignite the torch, and it caused the lid to slide off breaking into pieces as it hit the ground. Nothing came out from the coffin which made me feel really nervous, so I slowly stepped over to it and looked inside where my eyes opened up wide in shock over what I was seeing.

" Is that....a mummy?" I asked.

" Uh-oh," began Spike.

" What do you mean uh-oh?" I asked.

" Of all the things that you could find inside of a coffin, this would be the worst possible thing. You might want to back away right now because you're about to be attacked by something familiar, yet different," replied Spike. As I was wondering what he was talking about, the mummy suddenly rose up from the coffin, and in response I stumbled backwards where I tripped on my own feet landing on my rear. It then tilted forward where it landed on its feet, and simply stood there with its head looking down at the floor.

" So what do we have here?" I asked.

" This is a Gibdo, the mummy man which is a nickname people have been giving it for years now. Anyway, you may think that this thing is just a pile of bandages, but it does have quite a lot of power. They behave like Re-Deads, so if their eyes gaze upon you, it will paralyze you on the spot where it will slowly walk over and grab onto your body in an effort to drain your life-force. Gibdo's are harder to shake off than their undead cousins, so you may get drained of a lot of your strength if you're not careful," replied Spike.

" Just what I didn't want to hear....another monster that can kill me in a matter of moments," I moaned.

" The light does affect them, so you can use the Sun's Song if you want to freeze them in place for a while. Gibdos are not immune to magic mind you, and they don't particularly like fire magic, but before you go and fling a fireball at it like you're about to do right now, let me tell you a little bit more.

When struck with fire, a Gibdo has a tendency to become a Re-Dead because they are often used as the base body where bandages are wrapped around it. On a rare occasion, using fire to burn away the bandages will result in it becoming a Stalfos, and since you don't have those powerful weapons, you should avoid this thing at all costs," said Spike.

" Since it came out from a coffin, I'm afraid of opening up the others as they could be holding a Gibdo in each of them," I said.

" You never know until you try," said Spike. Eyeing the Gibdo closely to make sure that it doesn't spot me, I slowly shuffled towards the coffin that was on the opposite side of the one that was open when I entered the room, and used my magic to light the torch. The coffin lid slid off and smashed on the ground, and I quickly turned my attention towards the Gibdo who still has its head looking down at the floor.

Just being so close to such a hideous creature was enough to make me want to scream, but I had to focus as I didn't want to be paralyzed. Turning to the now opened coffin, inside was a small key which was a relief as it meant I could get out of this room, and not have to come back in here ever again. Once the key was in my pocket, I ran to the door where I opened it and was back in the main room.

" Huh? That Skulltula is looking away from me!" I exclaimed as it had its back to me.

" They have a tendency to do this although why it happens is a mystery, but you can take advantage of it by shooting it in the back with some Deku Seeds. Even after hitting it, it will still have its back to you because it doesn't know that you're behind it. Skulltulas aren't exactly the brightest monsters in the world," said Spike.

Taking out the Fairy Slingshot again, I fired at the Skulltula twice before defeating it, and for once I used the exact number of seeds needed. It helped that it was looking in the opposite direction, but I guess that it doesn't really count because there's no challenge involved.

" That didn't feel satisfying," I said sadly.

" Sometimes you have to resort to such cheap tactics if you want to defeat monsters," said Spike.

" I know, but if I'm given the easy way to take care of situations, I don't gain the experience needed to become stronger," I said.

" There will be challenges coming your way when we eventually enter the Shadow Temple. Anyway, that small key can unlock one of the locked doors, but you'll need to decide which door to pick unless you can find another key somewhere in here," said Spike.

" You know, we should check out where the water is coming from as Fluttershy did say that we need to play Twilight's Lullaby. Maybe removing the water from this floor will open up some new pathways, so let's try and find the source," I suggested. Jumping back down into the pit where the chest containing the small heart which I felt upset about, and climbing up the vines on the other side, I had to keep down because the Green Bubble had come back yet again.

When it went by and around the corner, I finished my climb and headed south. " How about that? We're back where we started, so maybe we should just go all the way around to the other side?"

" That pool of water over there looks suspicious," began Spike.

" In what way?" I asked.

" I think I can see some kind of crawl space down there, but I can't say for certain as it's too dark to see anything," replied Spike.

" Well, there is a way we can determine what's down there, yet it might be a little too disgusting," I said.

" Oh no! Don't tell you plan on taking a swim in that water?" asked Spike.

" Not a swim, but more like plunging my head into the pool, and seeing what lies down there in the depths. I know it isn't the most pleasant idea I've come up with, but it should give us an answer. I'd ask you to do this for me Spike, but that isn't really your specialty, and you are a majestic creature who shouldn't be jumping into anything that can be described as questionable," I replied. Despite his protests against me doing this, I walked over to the edge of the pool where I got down onto my knees, and plunged my head right into the water.

It was rancid due to the horrible smell, but I could see a crawl space on one side. When I popped back up and breathed, I shook my head back and forth to get rid of the stench. " There is a way forward down there, and yes I'm aware that my head is going to be stinking up my general area, but you might as well get used to it until it wears off. When we find the place where the water level can be drained, we need to come back here and see where it goes."

" Maybe that smell will keep the monsters away," suggested Spike.

" Fat chance of that happening," I said. Walking through the fake wall because I realized that going all the way around would take too long, I found myself staring at that giant X again, and this time I knew there was a hole right in front of it. The big treasure chest was so tempting, but I just knew there was a trap in front of it, so I chose to ignore it and headed to the locked door on the right.

I approached and unlocked it with the key, and the room beyond was one that made absolute no sense at all. " What's the point of this room!?!? There's a ledge all the way over there, and a huge hole in the middle which will probably take us back down to the lowest level again if I fall into it, so again what's the point of all this?"

" Maybe there is an invisible floor somewhere?" asked Spike.

" And if there isn't?" I asked.

" Then we're going to be backtracking," replied Spike.

" If this room has a deep pit, then I suspect the other locked room will be similar. I don't think I'll find the other key to the second locked door as it will just be a waste of time, so I'm going to go find the source of the water because I really want to get out of here," I said. Leaving the room, and going back into the central area, I was thinking about how we had to walk through an invisible wall to get to this section. Was it possible than that the remaining three walls were also fake?

Since I knew what lied to the west was the room with the Gibdo, I decided to go in the opposite direction and walked in the direction of the east wall. I did have to wait for the Green Bubble to fly by before proceeding, and on the other side of this wall was something I didn't want to see again. " Oh no! No! No, no! No-no-no! Not that thing again! I don't want it to get anywhere near me."

" You can relax," began Spike.

" How can I when there is a Like-Like right in front of me?" I asked.

" For one thing, it's behind bars so it can't even reach you no matter how far it might be able to stretch its body. The other thing is that you have nothing that it can steal as your tunic is all you've got for clothes, and I don't think none of us want to see that," replied Spike.

" Sorry for overreacting, but your description of them really has me on edge whenever I see them," I said.

" You needed to know what they were capable of, and I provided you with an answer. Here comes that Green Bubble again, and you don't have time to get the Fairy Slingshot out. Luckily, its flames are currently gone, so you can use your fire magic to take it out," said Spike.

" Then I could've used my magic those previous times?" I asked.

" Not when it has its flames covering it as it will be immune to fire at that moment," replied Spike. Hearing those words made me smack my head really hard because of how stupid I sounded, so I used my magic without even looking at the Green Bubble, and destroyed it in a single burst of flames. With that out of the way, I walked to the next corner where Spike told me to come to a stop because he could hear something speaking to him.

" I can hear the voice of the spirits coming from this side of the room. " Danger from below!", is what they are saying, so don't move forward anymore otherwise you could be in trouble."

" It must be another hole in the floor which will drop us down to the lowest level," I said.

" Take a couple of steps back and head to the left," suggested Spike. Following his advice, I soon came across the source of the water which was some kind of statue with the water pouring out of its mouth. It wasn't the most impressive looking statue considering how crude it looked, but at least we were finally able to find it after searching inconsistently.

" Now we just need to find the crest," I said.

" It's right below your feet," said Spike.

" It is?" I asked as I looked down to see that it was there, and once again I smacked my head. " I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings as that crest was so obvious to spot because of how big it is." I then took out the Ocarina of Time and played Twilight's Lullaby which caused the water to stop flowing out of the statue, and the rest of it to drain away which now allowed me to access that crawl space.

Running back down to where the pool was, I jumped down as it was now empty, and crawled through the space which lead into another part of the room. There was another wall with vines covering it in front of me along with a shadow, and that prompted me to look up and see another Skulltula lying in wait.

" I don't know why, but I'm sensing something evil coming from the next room," said Spike.

" I'm feeling the same thing, but what do you suppose it is?" I asked.

" It could be that creature Saria said that has numerous hands, or it could be something else entirely. I also realize that your health is quite low at this moment, so maybe going into the next room isn't a good idea," replied Spike.

" We need to get that eye if we want to go to the Shadow Temple," I said.

" But, you may not be able to survive what with the health that you currently have," said Spike.

" You should have more faith in me than that," I said. Walking forward which caused the Skulltula to drop down, I aimed the Fairy Slingshot at it, and fired two seeds when it turned its back towards me. Once it was destroyed, I climbed up the vines and to my left were two jars which I smashed against the wall. Out of one jar came a blue rupee which was okay, but the second one contained two small hearts which I happily picked up.

" That should be enough health to see me through the next room, but I can't say that with a straight face." I know that Fluttershy warned me of an evil presence in the dungeon, but she wasn't exactly specific with the details. That Re-Dead drained a lot of my strength, and without the means of recovering it, I needed to be extra careful. I opened the door which locked itself behind me with iron bars, but what was in front of me was very surprising to say the least. " Are those....hands sticking out of the ground?"

" That must mean the creature we were warned about," replied Spike.

" I wonder if those hands can move?" I asked.

" Considering they are attached to pretty long arms, I would say yes to that question, but I recommend not getting too close otherwise they will grab you. Now where do you suppose the creature is hiding?" asked Spike.

" I have no idea, but I think those hands may have something to do with getting it to show up," I replied.

" Why would you think that?" asked Spike.

" Fluttershy said that we would need to "summon it in a way that is sure to grab its attention" which were her exact words, and I suspect that the word "grab" is the key to getting it to appear. I think I need one of those hands to grab me as I don't see any other option, and we're locked in here so we can't leave. My only concern is whether the hands are capable of inflicting damage. If they are, I'd be risking my health as I have very little of it," I replied.

Of the four hands sticking out of the ground, all of them looked dangerous, but I decided to walk slowly towards the one to my left that was closest to the door. The hand then reached out for me, and my instincts told me to jump backwards to dodge it, yet I knew I needed it to grab me, so I moved in again where the hand grabbed onto my head holding me in place with a pretty powerful grip.

All of a sudden, a sandstorm of dirt appeared nearby, and rising from underground was some kind of hideous blob-like monster which had a long neck, no arms although it did have stubs, and a rather elongated jaw. I struggled to break free from the hand, but the monster got up close before it lowered its neck down, and took a bite at me which freed me in the process.

" Well, there it is for us to deal with," said Spike.

" But what is it supposed to be?" I asked.

" This is Dead Hand, an undead monster that attacks with its infinite hands which grab hold of you while it walks over to attack you with its mouth. You can destroy its hands, but they will constantly re-spawn so there's really no point in attacking them. In order to defeat this thing, you need to aim for its head and it will only lower its neck down when something is right next to it.

It's movement while slow is also really creepy, so make sure not to allow that to distract you. You should be happy to know that it doesn't inflict much in the way of damage, so unless you end up getting hit lots of times, you should be able to beat this thing without too much difficulty," replied Spike.

" Is there anything else I should know?" I asked.

" If you damage it enough times, Dead Hand will turn around and run away in fear before disappearing, and from there you will need to summon it back again by having one of those hands grab you. Be careful of those hands as they will disrupt your momentum by grabbing you at the most inappropriate times, and leave you vulnerable to an attack. Also, Deku Nuts, Deku Seeds, and magic have no effect on it, so don't try to use any of that," replied Spike.

" That means my only means of attack....is through the use of bombs," I said.

" Now do you see why you need to use a sword?" asked Spike.

" I'm starting to get the message," I replied. I had to hold my Bomb Bag constantly to make sure not to drop it otherwise I'll be at a real disadvantage more so than I already am. Dead Hand continued to shuffle its way over to me, and Spike was right in that its movement was creepy to look at, but I needed to concentrate on defeating this thing before the situation gets out of hand. I tried to move backwards, but the hand that grabbed me before did so again.

Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough as it bit me again, but then as soon as I got free, it continued to bite. To me it looked like it was determined to chew me to pieces, and wasn't concerned with its own well-being. Taking the Bomb Bag from my belt and holding it in my left hand, I reached into it and took out a bomb which I placed into Dead Hand's open maw of a mouth. It exploded and inflicted some damage, but it continued to attack with its mouth which was starting to feel pretty painful.

" Quite the creative method of using a bomb," said Spike.

" It does have quite the mouth, so I figured that putting the bombs in there would yield the best results," I said. As I prepared another bomb, the same hand grabbed me again, and Dead Hand was about to bite me again, but the bomb exploded which damaged not only it, but me as well as I was at the epicenter of the blast. It was enough to send the monster retreating the other way, and disappearing underground but I had a little bit of a problem where my tunic was on fire.

" Okay, I wasn't expecting that to happen." It took me a few moments to put out the fire, and I made sure to keep my distance from that hand as it's been the bane of this fight for me. " My own bomb exploded while I was holding it....I don't think I've ever felt such dismay over something like that."

" Bombs will explode when you take them out of the bag, so you need to toss them as soon as possible. You're lucky as bombs don't cause much damage to humans which is something I can't even begin to explain, so just take my word for it," said Spike.

" So now I need to let one of those hands grab me to summon Dead Hand back," I said.

" If only you had something to pinpoint its location, then you could use a bomb to bring it out of hiding," said Spike.

" Well, I don't have the means to do that, so I'm going to have to do things the hard way," I said as I made my way over to the hand on the right. When it grabbed me, I was shocked to see Dead Hand pop up next to me where it took a bite before lifting up its head. I moved into the center of the room as I needed some space, and I was fortunate it chose to follow me. When I allowed it to get up-close, it lowered its head where I proceeded to take out a bomb, and lodge it into its mouth where it exploded and damaged it again.

That's when it suddenly lashed out and bit my arm causing me to drop the Bomb Bag, so I needed to quickly pick it up again, but it was able to bite me on the same arm which was really annoying. As soon as I picked my bag up, I planted another bomb in its mouth which exploded inflicting more damage, and then it repeated its disappearing act on me by going back underground.

" One more round of bombs in that fashion should do the trick," said Spike.

" You were right about this monster being an easy battle," I said.

" Don't allow it to make you feel over confidant as this is just a small sample of what we may end up experiencing in the Shadow Temple," said Spike. Once again, he was right in that I needed to remain professional instead of acting like some kind of big shot. I allowed the second hand to grab me which caused Dead Hand to reappear, but this time he was in the opposite corner of the room, so I had to wait for him to shuffle his way over to me.

That's when I realized I could just break free from this grip holding me down, so I started to wiggle about in the hopes that the hand would release me. After a few moments of struggling, I managed to escape, and proceeded to Dead Hand who was still making its way over, and as soon as it saw me, it lowered its head where I placed a bomb into its mouth. When it exploded this time, it was enough to defeat it, and it fell over where its mouth hung out really badly.

" Not the most dignified way of being defeated is it?" I asked.

" At least you were able to defeat it without taking too much damage," replied Spike.

" I took enough to make me feel really weak, but not to the point where I would suddenly drop down dead," I said. At that moment, the body of Dead Hand disappeared and a big treasure chest appeared at the back of the room, so I walked over to it where I opened it up, and pulled out some kind of strange looking magnifying glass. " So this must be the eye of truth? I guess it is a special version of a magnifying glass seeing as one side of the lens is blue and the other is red."

" Actually, this is known as the Lens of Truth, a powerful item which allows you to see the truth for what it really is. When you look through the lens, things that are invisible will become visible to you, and anything that looks to be there will merely be a fake. Even though there are plenty of things like that in the Bottom of the Well, you should use this outside of the well in case you discover something that you didn't see before.

One thing you should know, is that it costs one magic point every second to be able to see the truth, so be sure to use it wisely otherwise you may run out of magic power when you least expect it. Your own magical power won't work on the lens, so don't even think of trying it," said Spike.

" To think that so many people gave up their lives for this," I said.

" You can't feel sorry for them as they believed themselves to be worthy enough to claim the Lens of Truth, and as you know they all ended up perishing inside of this dungeon as their spirits continue to linger about. My suspicion is that most of them lost their lives by fighting against Dead Hand as most wouldn't know how to fight something like that without a sword at their disposal," said Spike.

" If anything, I'd say obtaining this treasure is enough to make their spirits rest in peace," I said.

" Quite the noble sentiment," said Spike.

" They lingered here because no one had been able to claim the lens for a long time, but now that I hold it in my hands, they no longer need to remain here, so they can finally move onto the afterlife. We're done in this room now as well as with this dungeon as we got what we came here for, but I do want to see what was in that other big treasure chest as my curiosity makes me want to check it out," I said.

When I took a single step forward, my foot banged into something which caused me to yell out in pain before grabbing it with my free hand, and hopping up and down for a few minutes. " There's something else in here, and it gave my foot quite the painful jolt, so would this be a good example of using the lens?"

" All you have to do is hold the lens up to your eye, and it will do the rest," replied Spike. First, I had to put away the Bomb Bag as I didn't need to be holding it now, and when that was done, I peered into the lens to see what my foot had banged into, and it turned out to be a small chest which must have been in front of the other one.

I never noticed because of not going to the back of the room when I was fighting Dead Hand. Personally, I just wanted to burn this chest to ashes for what it did to my foot, but doing that would just be petty, so I kicked it open with my other foot, and I pulled out a giant yellow rupee.

" What's this?" I asked.

" That's a huge rupee," replied Spike.

" I know that," I said.

" No, I mean that it's a huge rupee which is worth 200 rupees," said Spike.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" Now you should be able to buy as many potions as you need! Come on! Let's find a way to reach that other chest, and get out of here as Impa should be arriving in Kakariko Village any time now. That battle with Dead Hand did take some time despite what it may look like, so I'd say you only have one chance to get that other chest otherwise you'll have to simply abandon it," replied Spike.

Heading back into the previous room, the Skulltula reappeared with its back to me, so I took out the Fairy Slingshot, and fired seeds at the monster defeating it after two shots. Then, I leapt down below and crawled my way through the crawl space where I came out the other side, and the Green Bubble once again had re-spawned as it was flying around just like before.

An idea then popped into my head which involved trying the lens in this area just to see what would happen, so when I raised it to my eye, I saw that the false wall disappeared, but another wall vanished further along, and a third section disappeared to the north.

" There were more fake walls than we originally suspected," I said.

" I told you the Lens of Truth allows you to see what the truth is," said Spike.

" The fake wall that was to the north....if I remember the arrangement of the central area of this room, then the big treasure chest should be on the other side. It will also let me see just where the trap was as it has been bothering me for some time now," I said. Making my way north and using the lens to remind me where the fake wall was, I was happy to see that beyond was the chest in question, and I learned that in front of it was a hole which was the trap I had suspected.

Opening the chest, I pulled out the Compass which I realize wasn't as good as I was hoping for in this dungeon given that the main chests had been plundered. " There are lots of other chests strewn about this place, but we don't have the time to check out what each contains. We need to get out of here as right now Applejack and Twilight believe us to be heading to the Temple of Time."

This time travel confusion was really starting to get ridiculous because of what I just said, but I had to ignore such insecurities and leave the dungeon by going back the way I came. Lucky for me that the Green Bubble had already flown past, so it was clear sailing to and through the fake wall only to be stopped by the Big Skulltula from back when we first started.

" We're in the home stretch now Sunset Shimmer, so you know what you need to do here," said Spike.

" Just give me a moment to deal with it Spike," I said as I put the Lens of Truth away, and took out the Fairy Slingshot where I destroyed it before continuing on by crawling through the crawl space that went back to the start. Once I exited the dungeon, and quickly embraced being outside in the sunset, I climbed up the ladder and ran all the way across to the entrance of Kakariko.

From there, I ran down the steps and to the left where I jumped headfirst into the water because of wanting to get the smell out of my hair....it didn't go away which I assumed it would, but that wasn't the only reason for what I did. Just as I had jumped in and under the water, a robed figure came by and walked up the stairs where they entered the village. This was obviously Applejack, but I guess she wanted to enter without being suspected by anyone who could be a follower of Ganondorf.

" I see that the progression of the village is coming along very nicely."

" Lady Impa!?!? What are you doing here?"

" Shhhh! You must not speak my name out so loud Mutoh, for no one must know that I am here right now. I have come to Kakariko in order to take care of something important, and it must be handled with delicate care," replied Applejack.

" My apologies for not understanding your plight," said Sweetie Belle.

" There is no need for that as you were not aware that I had come here for a specific purpose. I am happy that you and the other carpenters have been able to carry out the vision I had of making Kakariko a wonderful city where anyone can come and live here in peace, and for that you have my heartfelt gratitude," said Applejack.

" Things could actually be going a little faster," began Sweetie Belle.

" How so?" asked Applejack.

" My fellow carpenters have been going all over the place without any sense of direction, and they haven't done nearly as much work as you may think. To top it all off, even my own son has no desire to follow in my footsteps, and instead wishes to follow his own path in life which is going nowhere fast.

Bah! I have a feeling his mother has been a bad influence on him, or perhaps he's doing this of his own free will, but I still feel like he is breaking away from tradition by choosing not to become a carpenter. All of my workers are nothing but lazy bums who desire a big meal when they worked so little for it," replied Sweetie Belle.

" Perhaps I should have given you some better workers," said Applejack.

" No, they are really good at what they do, and are some of the best carpenters around, but I just wish they were more serious. At the current rate we're going, the progression will most likely be finished within the next seven years. Once the project has been finished, I plan on leaving this village and explore the world because I want to know what lies beyond the walls of this village," said Sweetie Belle.

" And your fellow carpenters?" asked Applejack.

" They'll insist on coming along on the journey because if they remain here, they'll end up amounting to nothing which would be a real waste of their talent. So why have you come here for the first time since you opened this village up to the common-folk? I mean no disrespect to you of course Lady Impa, for you do not need to explain yourself to someone like me," replied Sweetie Belle.

" You are someone whom I have trusted for many years Mutoh, and so you do deserve to know the reason for my sudden visit. I trust that you are aware that the shadow beast has been causing trouble for many years in the village?" asked Applejack.

" Of course, and it chooses to reside deep below the well," replied Sweetie Belle.

" The shadow must be sealed beneath the well so that it cannot escape, and so I have been commanded to come here, and cast a powerful sealing spell which will imprison the beast. To be able to complete the spell, I must make my way over to the windmill to speak with Discord with regards to draining the water. He shall most likely protest against such an action because he has watched over the windmill for years, but he knows that this must be done in order to protect Kakariko," said Applejack.

" Stop the windmill? I'm afraid you're too late for that Lady Impa," said Sweetie Belle.

" What do you mean?" asked Applejack.

" If you take a good look over there at the windmill, you can see that it's stopped moving, so someone must have beaten you to it by draining the water. While I have no doubt that it won't ruin your plan on creating that seal, you do have to wonder who was able to figure out your intentions," replied Sweetie Belle. Applejack then ran through the village making sure to keep her identity a secret, and she soon arrived at the well to discover that someone had indeed drained the water.

While she had no idea that I was the one who did it because I needed to get the Lens of Truth before the seal was put into place, she was worried that her plan had been compromised, so she went to the windmill in order to pay Discord a visit.

Back outside, I popped my head out of the water because I remembered that I don't have the Zora Tunic on in this time period, so I can easily drown if I spend too long underwater. At least my hair was no longer giving off a horrible smell as the purity of the water has cleansed the stench off of me.

" Glad to know that you finally got rid of that smell," said Spike.

" I thought that my idea would actually work, but I guess this was a better option given how pure the water really is," I said.

" Now that you have the Lens of Truth, we should head back to the Temple of Time, and return to the future as we need to go to the Shadow Temple, and rescue Impa who is trapped in there. Have you ever played the Nocturne of Shadow that Sheik taught you? If not then now would be the time to see where it will take you when you play it. You can either walk all the way back to the temple, or play the Prelude of Light to warp there in an instant," said Spike.

" Actually, I don't want to return just yet," I announced.

" Don't tell me you plan on staying here in the past, for we already had that discussion," said Spike.

" Oh I intend on going back to the future because we need to stop Ganondorf, but I had something else in mind that I want to do. I was thinking that maybe we can go back to places we've been before during this time, and use some of the items I picked up during the later stages of my quest to see if something new can be done.

I know it sounds like a waste of time, but I'd like to check things over again. At the same time though, I just want to embrace this world for the way it was before things changed, and maybe learn something new about myself," I said.

" That's not a bad idea wanting to go back and see what you may have missed," said Spike.

" Glad to see that you agree with me," I smiled.

" There are a lot of things that you missed, so now is the time for you to go and collect as many of them as possible. We can't afford to spend too much time doing this, for we do need to go back to the future. So where do you want to go first?" asked Spike.

" Back to where this all started," I replied.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 44: Re-visiting the Past

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 22, 2015
Chapter 44: Re-visiting the Past.

" I had a feeling you were going to suggest going back to the Kokiri Forest," said Spike.

" It's where this journey first started, so I figured if I were to go back somewhere that I've already been to before, it might as well be the forest as it's the most familiar to me. We won't be staying there for very long though as I don't think there are many secrets," I said.

" Well, there is the Kokiri Sword which I strongly recommend you pick up because you don't want to experience what you had to deal with again just like when you faced Dead Hand, and there are some patches of soft soil to be found in the forest in addition to the Lost Woods. Aside from that, there really isn't anything else for you to find with the weapons that you have, and none of the songs you have received for the Ocarina of Time will reveal anything," said Spike.

" What about talking to people?" I asked.

" In this time, the events that we've seen in the future haven't happened yet, so you're going to be treated the same as you were before pulling the Master Sword. A word of advice is to not mention anything about what happens as that would give off a really bad impression. It also means keeping those medallions hidden at all times for they are items from the future which don't exist here yet," said Spike.

" Before we even go to the forest, I first need to run some ideas in my head about which places we're going back to check out. I'd say that we'll be able to visit three locations again until we have to return to the future, so which places would be the best ones to visit? The forest is definitely a must as I need that sword in case I have to come back to the past again," I said.

In truth, I really wanted to visit all of the locations I've been to, but I knew Applejack needed my help in the Shadow Temple, and I wasn't about to leave a friend to deal with the horrors that lurk in that place. Just thinking of putting my own needs ahead of a friend's due to wanting to backtrack made me feel like some kind of hypocrite as I wanted to do one thing, and should be doing something else.

That's when I realized Spike mentioned the soft soil, and that I had some Magic Beans on my person which I need to plant. This changes everything as there were places all over Hyrule where they needed to be planted. " We need to use the Magic Beans, but how am I supposed to travel about without a horse, and with the limited amount of time that I have?"

" You have the warp songs which Sheik has been teaching you, so you can use those to warp around which actually would be the way to go. Walking around is going to take a long time, and have you forgotten what happens at night when the sun goes down in this time period?" asked Spike.

" Those Stalchildren are back again?" I asked.

" From our perspective that would be the case as it's been years since we last saw them, but from the perspective of time itself, they haven't gone anywhere as the evil has yet to cover the land in darkness. We're not that far from the Kokiri Forest anyway, so you can just walk over there, but I hope that you aren't afraid of the Stalchildren. After all, you've had to fight much worse monsters than them, although you have done your best to avoid them in the past," replied Spike.

" I have no intention of running away as I can just use my magic to destroy them, and it's not like I'm going to spend the entire night blasting away at countless bags of bones given that we're once again in a race against time. I'm just surprised that my nerves haven't shattered to pieces because of all this pressure I've been given, but then such things are nothing compared to what I experienced back in the human world," I said.

With the decision to go around and plant all of the Magic Beans, I began to make my way to the forest as the sun was just starting to go down past the horizon, and as soon as the moon began to rise, the Stalchildren started to pop out of the ground in droves. They noticed me almost straight away, and proceeded to follow, but I wasn't about to let them catch up unless they decided to rise up in front of me.

Elsewhere, Applejack was having a conversation with the man I know as Discord even though Guru-Guru is his real name, and it was quite the lopsided talk in that Discord was giving her quite the run-around. The problem was talking to him about was regarding as to whether her plan had been discovered due to what she had been told prior.

" Oh ho! If it isn't Lady Impa! It's been far too long since your last visit, yet it feels like you were here the other day," said Discord.

" Guru-Guru? What has happened to you? Why are you acting in such a baffling manner as this?" asked Applejack.

" You mean my erratic behaviour? About several hours ago, I was having a lot of fun being happy and trying to come up with a musical theme for this windmill. Everything was just going smoothly until my life was changed when someone came in here, and decided to drain the water from the well. I had no idea that I had all of this chaotic energy stuck inside of me, but now I feel relieved knowing that I can finally embrace it without having to hold back," replied Discord.

" So someone did come here before I did," said Applejack.

" That they did and they intended on draining the well," said Discord.

" My plan to come here and cast the sealing spell has indeed been compromised much to my dismay, but how was it uncovered so quickly and without my knowledge? Is it possible that someone in the village is one of Ganondorf's followers, and drained the water as a means of slowing down or even preventing my plan?

No, that would be impossible as no one in this village would ever serve him. All those of Kakariko swore their loyalty to the royal family, and they still do even though his life has been lost. Guru-Guru, do you know who came here before me?" asked Applejack.

" To think that I could have spent the next several years living out a lie," replied Discord.

" Guru-Guru!!!!" shouted Applejack.

" No need for you to shout Lady Impa as I know you're standing there although you could stand over there if you want. Yes, why not do that instead as it might make you feel a lot better," said Discord.

" Please stop with that incessant babbling, and answer my question! Do you know who came here?" asked Applejack.

" You should take a vacation one of these days as you look like you're getting really wound up, but I do know who paid me a visit although I never did ask for her name. She was such a small girl who wore strange clothes, and was accompanied by a magical creature. I do seem to recall her playing an instrument....an ocarina....and played a strange song which caused it to rain, and then the windmill began to increase in speed until it was going so fast that not even I could follow its movement.

Such actions from this girl caused the water to drain in the well, and then she left without saying another word. That song is one that I will never forget because it has ruined this gorgeous apparatus forever," replied Discord.

" That does not exactly narrow it down to a specific person," said Applejack.

" She wasn't what I'd call specific," began Discord.

" What does that mean?" asked Applejack.

" The girl came here to obtain the eye of truth hidden beneath the well because of the power that it possessed. Surely, you of all people haven't forgotten the story of what the owner of that magical artefact decided to do, for you were there when it happened Lady Impa. In fact, you were one of the few who was against the idea," replied Discord.

" Am I to assume that this girl has acquired the item?" asked Applejack.

" Many have tried to claim it over the years, and all of them have succumbed to such nasty fates in that complex. This girl on the other hand was different in that she had a determination in her eyes. She intended on getting the eye of truth for herself, and I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to succeed. Who knows if she did or not for it's been a while since I've seen her," replied Discord.

" Whoever she is, her punishment will be most severe for choosing to interfere in the plans of a Sheikah. At the same time however, she did do me a favour by draining away the water which was the reason I came here in the first place. The water needed to be removed in order for the sealing spell to be cast, and I was ready to listen to you attempt to make me change my mind," said Applejack.

" Yet, you still want to know who did it?" asked Discord.

" I have a suspicion as to the identity of this girl, but why would she choose to come here? I suppose that there is no point in trying to figure things out, for the girl has already gone, and I would be wasting my efforts trying to find her," replied Applejack. She then began to pace about back and forth wondering about who could have done her anointed task without even realizing it. Deep down in her mind, she suspected I was the one who drained the water, and that is the truth because I needed to in order to get the Lens of Truth.

It was necessary to acquire the lens to be able to explore the Shadow Temple, and I needed all of the help I could get when it came to going through a dungeon which reeks of the undead. Speaking of the undead, I was having my hands full dealing with an endless swarm of Stalchildren on my way to Kokiri Forest. When one was destroyed, another immediately takes its place.

" How many have I destroyed now?" I asked.

" That should be your 36th one now within the last five minutes," replied Spike.

" And this is going to last until the sun comes up?" I asked.

" Stalchildren are very persistent and will never stop hounding travellers who cross Hyrule Field at night. This is why only the bravest and foolhardy choose to come out here when the sun goes down, for most aren't warriors but rather regular people. If it's any consolation for you, the entrance to the Kokiri Forest is just over there down that pathway, so you don't have much further to go," replied Spike.

" While my magic has been able to take care of these things, I am starting to get a little tired and I need to conserve my power before I end up being unable to use it, and you should remember what happened during that time back in Dodongo's Cavern," I said.

" I never would have guessed back then that your magic had a limited amount of use," said Spike.

" Oh I have an infinite amount due to being a unicorn of Equestria, but I can only use it for so long until I get exhausted. The kind of magic that I can use naturally takes a lot of effort to be able to cast it, so I need to maintain as much strength as possible. Using my magic too much at once is never a good thing, but I'm not as nervous about it as I used to be.

Even if I were unable to use my natural abilities for a lengthy period, I have enough confidence in my skills to use the weapons I've picked up in the dungeons....well....as much confidence as I can muster up," I said.

" Want to make a run for it?" asked Spike.

" I hoped you'd never ask," I replied. With that, I began to run in the direction of the forest entrance, and that meant having to bowl my way through the Stalchildren who were blocking my path. As I knocked several of them over using my own body, they shattered to pieces although this didn't really mean anything given that more of them continued to pop up from the ground in an endless stream.

Once I had reached the entrance and entered the sanctity of the forest, I found myself surrounded by the familiar trees despite it being shrouded in the darkness of the night. This was actually a good thing as I didn't want to encounter the Kokiri, for they would most likely question if I managed to leave the forest or not, and I was running on borrowed time.

Entering the village itself, I was relieved to see that no one was outside, so that meant they were asleep in their homes, but I needed to make sure of it, so I slowly walked over to the nearest house, and looked in the front door. This house happened to belong to Diamond Tiara which gave me mixed feelings, yet there she was asleep in her bed, so my suspicions were correct.

In the past she was someone who tormented me, but in the future she ended up changing her ways and started to respect me. This made me feel conflicted as I wanted to be furious with her, but at the same time feel sorry that it took her an actual crisis to come to the realization of her actions against me and everyone else.

" You do know that you could be labelled as a peeping tom right?" asked Spike.

" I needed to make sure everyone was asleep as I want to complete my errands here without being slowed down. First of all, where is the soft soil located? I haven't forgotten how you said I wasted my rupees on buying all of them for such ridiculous prices. There is potential hidden in these little fellows, and my senses when it comes to magic are spot on," I replied.

" If I remember correctly, the location of the soft soil should be to the left of the pathway that leads to the Great Deku Tree's Meadow," said Spike.

" That seems quite out in the open," I said.

" None of the Kokiri ever really took notice of it as they aren't very good when it comes to gardening. Once you've gone and planted that bean, allow me to guide you to the location of the Kokiri Sword as it's about time that you claim it," said Spike. It didn't take long for me to find the location of the soft soil, and seeing what it looked like made me think how something could sprout out of such a small space.

Taking out one of the Magic Beans from my pocket, I dug a small hole and planted it before covering it back up. A few moments later and the bean began to sprout which looked really cute, but then I was expecting it to grow immediately so that it could be used.

" How long do you think it will take for it to bloom?" I asked.

" About seven years in the natural sense, but in our case it will probably be something like five minutes because of going back to the future in an instant when you draw the Master Sword," replied Spike.

" Even if I don't end up coming back to the forest again, I feel happy knowing that I planted this Magic Bean. To me, it's like I'm giving something back to nature even if it is a magical gift, but I'm sure nature won't mind. Now that I've done this little task, why don't we go and find this Kokiri Sword you say that I need. I'll admit that I should have picked up before leaving the forest initially, but back then I was under the impression that I didn't need to go get it," I said.

" You can blame Mido for that," moaned Spike.

" She just wanted to see me fail because of the supposed jealously she was feeling towards me. I should have just ignored her tormenting, and headed back to claim the sword rather than choosing to keep going. Even the Great Deku Tree felt skeptical of my desire to break the curse he had with just using my magic, and having no means of protecting myself. While I did manage to prove him wrong, it wasn't the way it was supposed to have worked," I said.

" It took you a long time to admit that you needed to use a sword," said Spike.

" Hyrule is just so dangerous what with all of the monsters that lurk around the dungeons," I said.

" Those creatures never leave such places because they are commanded by the strongest of evils to remain where they are, and to make sure that everything is guarded fully. Most people have probably never even seen what you've experienced, so you can say that you've seen things that would make people feel glad that they don't have to do anything similar. In fact, the only monsters the common folk encounter during a given day would be the Stalchildren," said Spike.

" And the need for swords?" I asked.

" Most prefer to carry around a sword to give off a sense of self-defence. Only a few individuals have gone on to become adventurers while the rest choose to stick to their comfort zone which is restricted to their own home town. As the one destined to save Hyrule, you needed a sword so that you could have an easy time dealing with so much in the way of trouble, yet you unintentionally chose to make things harder for yourself.

Your successes thus far are by no means a fluke, for you gave it your very all to overcome the odds even if some of them were the result of you transforming. But, you could have done a lot better had you been wielding a sword in this time period, or using the Master Sword properly in the future," replied Spike.

" Like I've said before, I'm not the kind of hero people expect me to be," I said.

" That's because you're different, and it makes you hard to figure out as our enemies expect something more. Anyway, why don't we talk more about all of this later, and get the Kokiri Sword from its hiding place. Follow me Sunset Shimmer, and make sure to keep quiet by not making any kind of sound. You did say you don't want to talk to anyone in fear of being delayed, so now you need to back up your words," said Spike.

He then began to float ahead as a means of guiding me to where I needed to go, but I couldn't help but feel that he just poked fun at me for wanting to take a more safer approach. This did give me a chance to see the one part of the forest that I didn't get to see before, and it lead to a small fenced area which looked like it was made for sparring sessions; that or provide information given how there were signs located all over the place.

" What's the deal with this area?" I asked.

" This is where you can practice all of the different moves at your disposal," replied Spike.

" Kind of a pointless place now if you ask me," I said.

" At this point, it would be just that because you know what you're capable of, but had you chosen to make your way up here, then you would have been taught the basics of combat whether you had a sword or not. There is one among the Kokiri who loves combat despite the fact that he has never actually done anything of the sort in his life, so he teaches anyone who is interested here," said Spike.

" Who has shown interest?" I asked.

" No one because the Kokiri are about having fun, and not needing to fight in order to solve a problem. Do you see that rock over there?" asked Spike. He floated slightly in front of me, and I looked in the same direction where a few feet away was the rock in question, but why was it situated there all by itself? Surely that kid couldn't have brought it here on his own as it must weigh quite a bit, yet I've been able to lift, push, and pull objects that were much heavier than this.

" He uses that rock as part of his training to other Kokiri by having them target it, and performing their various moves to see what they can do. Of course if he had anyone come here to train then it would make a lot of sense, but since he's often here by himself, he just pretends like he's training as what else is he supposed to do?"

" I kind of feel bad for not coming here," I said.

" Don't be as you were never told that this was here, so if anything I'm the one at fault," said Spike.

" Do the Kokiri at least know how to use a slingshot?" I asked.

" Some of them have professed an interest in using one, but the only one that ever existed in the forest is what you currently have in your possession. At least they know how to use Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts because those are found all over the place, and they are available in the Kokiri Shop which is the building with the red roof. With the forest being in constant peace what with the Great Deku Tree serving as the guardian, the Kokiri have never felt the need to want to take anything seriously," replied Spike.

" And yet you know what happens," I said.

" The Great Deku Tree died as a result of Ganondorf's desire for the spiritual stone, and without his protection, the forest would....but such is the way of life. Perhaps in the future the children will realize they can't rely on the protection of the Deku Tree Sprout, so they need to handle such dire situations on their own," said Spike.

He makes it sound like they aren't capable of looking after themselves, yet I believe the Kokiri act the way they do because they feel too complacent with their lot in life. Spike then turned his attention to a crawl space which was pretty obvious to spot, and probably was the intention because a sign next to the hole explained how crawling through such spaces works. " The Kokiri Sword is on the other side, so please go through and claim it."

" Are you telling me that this sword is hidden beyond something so simple?" I asked.

" Yes," replied Spike.

" Don't you think that it looks a little too easy considering that it's supposed to be a hidden treasure of the forest? If it can be accessed without any trouble, then surely it would have been picked up a long time ago," I said.

" Like I said, they don't use swords, so the weapon has never been taken despite how easy it is to find. Even though you're merely borrowing the weapon while you remain here in this time, technically it will be yours to keep as no one else will ever be able to figure out how to use it. In fact, they've forgotten altogether as to the location of the treasure chest that contains the sword," said Spike.

" Would they be able to recognize it?" I asked.

" As it's the only sword that exists in the forest, they will know what it is despite not seeing it for so long," replied Spike.

" So I need to get it and get out of here without waking anyone up?" I asked.

" Exactly, and that means no screaming when you have to overcome the trial to make it to the chest," replied Spike. Getting onto my hands and knees, I crawled my way through the crawl space until I came out into a small clearing that branched off into two paths. While I was thinking about what this "trial" was which Spike mentioned just now, I failed to pay attention to the huge boulder that was rolling its way towards me.

Lucky for me then that I came to a stop all because I thought I saw something in the bushes. When it was clear that nothing was hiding there, I turned my attention to the boulder which continued to roll around, and I looked at Spike with a frowning look on my face as though I weren't impressed at all.

" This is what would prompt me to scream?" I asked.

" It's pretty serious to the Kokiri," replied Spike.

" Yet as we both know, I'm not one of them, and not to mention that I've had to go through much worse than this. All I need to do is wait for the boulder to roll on by, and then make a break for that corner over there," I said. As soon as the boulder rolled past me, I made an immediate dash across the clearing, and turning to the right where I stopped in front of a big treasure chest.

I seriously thought that the sword was just going to be lying on top of this stump, but the fact that it's been placed in a chest is a thoughtful gesture. " So the weapon is in there?"

" Yes, and it's yours to claim," replied Spike.

" Then what is with the message on the sign?" I asked.

" That is a reference to the Know-It-All Brothers," replied Spike.

" And they are?" I asked.

" Three siblings who are quite knowledgeable when it comes to how one would use their items and weapons, and knowing how to understand maps. Their advice is most helpful because they are intricate with their details, but they do tend to drag on with the explanations. If you had any questions, the Know-It-All Brothers would be the ones to speak to in order to get your answers.

This would have made the early stages of your journey much more simpler, but you decided to go on your own terms. Also, I neglected to mention them to you, so again it's my fault for not having told you sooner," replied Spike.

" It all worked out in the end," I smiled.

" It was also more enjoyable than had you gone and done it in the intended way," added Spike. Walking up to the chest and opening it up, I reached out with my hand and picked up a rather short sword which had a beautiful gem etched into the hilt. There was also a scabbard, so I took that and attached it to the back of my tunic via the strap, but then I had the urge to just swing it around a few times.

By doing so, I discovered that it was pretty light for a sword, and for some reason it just felt right to me. It wasn't as clunky as the Master Sword, but at the same time the obvious drawback was evident which Spike noticed in my disappointing expression. " The Kokiri Sword lacks the range, so you'll need to get in close to the enemy if you want to defeat them. Also, as I said before, its lack of power means that it will take twice as long to defeat a monster, but this is the best weapon you can possibly get here."

" What about a shield that I can use that isn't heavy?" I asked.

" That would be a Deku Shield which is sold in the Kokiri Shop, yet I've heard that a couple of them are hidden somewhere in the kingdom. Despite it being made of wood and bearing a rather crude symbol on the front, it's actually a pretty sturdy shield which can protect you from even the harshest of blows. It's one weakness is that it will burn to a cinder if you get set on fire, or are hit with any kind of fire based attack," replied Spike.

" Maybe I should just stick with the Hylian Shield because it doesn't get destroyed quite so easily. I guess this means we're truly finished here as there is nothing else left in the forest. The Kokiri will never even know we came back to claim this sword because they won't bother searching this area unless one of them get a crazy idea that warrants such an exploration over here.

I was thinking of playing the Ocarina of Time in this little clearing as warping to our next location would be best so as to avoid the Stalchildren back out in Hyrule Field, but won't the noise from the notes cause someone to wake up?" I asked.

" The trees will filter out most of the noise, yet you should still play as softly as possible just in case," replied Spike.

" Now comes the question of what song I want to use that is easy for me to remember," I said. It took me a few minutes to think it over, and once I had come to a decision on what to go with, I took the Ocarina of Time out of my pouch and played the first song that popped into my mind. The person that I envisioned was Pinkie Pie, so I played the Bolero of Fire which caused Spike to react in a pretty shocking way, for he then shouted at me to not play that song when I don't have the proper tunic to survive the intensity of the flames.

It was too late unfortunately as I found myself disappearing in a ball of red light, but this was the least of my problems. In Kakariko Village, after casting the sealing spell in the dead of night, Applejack went to a small house hidden from plain sight, and entered it where someone had been waiting for her to arrive.

" My apologies for having to make you wait longer than I expected," said Applejack.

" Is everything okay?"

" The seal has been created and the shadow beast now remains trapped below the well, but I do not know how long the spell is going to last. Yet, I fear that my plan has been compromised for I came here to Kakariko to drain the water from the well which was necessary for the seal to be cast, and it turns out that someone else had performed the task before I was able to do so," replied Applejack.

" Could one of Ganondorf's followers have known you were coming?"

" That is what I originally believed, but when I spoke to Guru-Guru regarding the windmill, he revealed to me that a young girl came to see him mere hours before my arrival, and played some kind of strange song which drained the water. I tried to get him to reveal to me the identity of this child, but he was not able to give me an answer. All he said was that the girl wore strange clothes, and was being accompanied by a magical creature.

It appears that the windmill being brought to a stop has caused Guru-Guru to lose all sense of sanity, for when I was speaking with him, his choice of words were baffling as though his very mind had been shattered. I suppose that this girl did me a favour by draining the water, for it would have pained me to no end had I gone and done the deed myself," replied Applejack.

" You do not need to have such a heavy heart Impa, for your plan needed to be done to prevent the shadow beast escaping. I am sure that the owner of the windmill would have understood your intentions had you explained yourself to him, but this girl did not realize what was going to happen. Did Guru-Guru mention the name of the instrument?"

" It was an ocarina," replied Applejack.

" Gasp! It is possible that Sunset Shimmer was the one who drained the water?"

" According to what I was able to understand of Guru-Guru's incessant rambling, the one who stopped the windmill did so in order to enter the complex that lies beneath the wall, and claim the secret treasure which was sealed down there years ago," replied Applejack.

" The Lens of Truth....many sought it for their own desires, yet the original owner could no longer handle so many who visited him just so they could get the lens. As I recall from your teachings Impa, you were against the idea of hiding the lens underground as you believed it should have been kept under the watch of the elders."

" By placing it deep below in a place filled with dark creatures, the lens became lost to Kakariko, and faded from the memories of all except for myself and the elders. Many tried to claim the Lens of Truth, and all of them perished in the process for the evil below was too much for them," said Applejack.

" Sunset Shimmer is different from other people in that she would have found a way to succeed, but then why would she want the lens in the first place? She was to go to the Temple of Time, and obtain the Triforce from the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf could. By coming to the village, she has wasted precious time, but by doing so, he may have decided to resume his pursuit of us which means your plan that deals with him continues even now."

" One can only hope that he chose to take the bait," said Applejack.

" Everything will work in the end Impa for she will prevail."

" Your optimism towards her is indeed strong your highness, but I will still make the necessary arrangements in case things do not work out. You still possess the cloth that I gave you before after fleeing from the castle?" asked Applejack.

" I still have with me although I do not see the point," replied Twilight.

" No one in the village is aware that you are here, so I will begin to spread the rumours about your fate, but only if Sunset Shimmer has failed in her task," said Applejack.

" You do mean well and I am appreciative of what you are doing to ensure my safety, but I do not believe that starting a rumour about my being killed, or even captured at the hands of Ganondorf is the way to do things. Granted, I am aware that I do need to remain hidden for now until we know for certain as to what will happen, but having to use deceit is perhaps going a bit too far.

Then again, you have always been my most trusted vassal Impa, and who am I to start questioning your actions? Anyway, what reason did you have for giving me that piece of cloth?" asked Twilight.

" Should the worst situation result, then I shall teach you the secrets of my people," replied Applejack.

" Are you sure about that? After all, such knowledge is not meant for those who are not members of your tribe," said Twilight.

" Remember that I am the leader your highness, and so it falls unto me to determine who is permitted to know the secrets, and who is to remain unaware of the actions of the shadow folk. Even if she were to succeed, I shall go ahead and show you what you must do, yet know that this will not be an easy task for there is much that you need to know in such a short amount of time," said Applejack.

" Why did you choose the Bolero of Fire as the song to play in order to warp?" asked Spike.

" I was thinking of Pinkie Pie at the time, so it was the first song that came into my head," I replied. Now I could see why he was so adamant because the song warped us straight to the bottom of the Death Mountain Crater where the entrance to the Fire Temple was located. We couldn't exactly gain access to the temple from this point in time as several boulders were blocking the way, but that was the least of my problems because I was in a place where the heat was unbearable.

Because I was wearing the Goron Tunic during my previous visit, I never felt the intense heat for myself, yet without it I feel like I'm sweating up a storm.

" Maybe in the future you should think about where you want to go before actually doing it," suggested Spike.

" How long do I have?" I asked.

" The amount of health that you have acquired will determine how much time you'll have before you burn to a cinder, and since we've wasted about 30 seconds talking about it, you've probably got another minute," replied Spike.

" Don't worry about that as I have a good song to play, but I want to check to see if there are any soft soil spots because you never know," I said. Walking forward a few steps rewarded me for my curiosity, for next to a large cliff face was the soil in question, so I acted quickly and plant a Magic Bean where it sprouted up a few moments later.

" Who would have guessed that there would be one of those in such an inferno like this, but I'll be sure to come back and see what happens with the bean." I then played the next song that came into my mind, and that was the Serenade of Water which warped me in a blue light all the way to Lake Hylia.

" This is a much better location considering that you don't have to go underwater," said Spike.

" Wasn't there a patch of soft soil somewhere around here?" I asked.

" I do recall seeing it next to the house where the scientist lives, but I wouldn't stop for a chat because she's probably busy with her research," replied Spike.

" The quickest way to reach Daring Do's place would be to cross those two bridges over there as swimming is the last thing I want to do right now. By the way, there was another reason why I chose to warp to Lake Hylia, and it has to do with the desert. Of all the places we've been to on our journey, that is the one location we have yet to set foot in, so I was thinking that maybe we ought to check it out.

I know that we won't be able to make much in the way of progress what with the Gerudo's Fortress currently being on lockdown, but I think we should see it for ourselves at least once," I said.

" We should have enough time to see Gerudo Valley in all its splendour, but we won't be able to enter the fortress as they won't allow anyone access. At this point in time, tensions between the Gerudo and the Hylians are at an all-time high, and that was the reason why the king wanted an alliance in the first place. He wanted to bridge the gap between the two tribes, and maybe give some kind of concession in order to appease Ganondorf, but we know what ends up happening in the end," said Spike.

With that little reminder, I ran across the bridges until I reached the mainland, and I began to search near the house for the soft soil. It was on the side which would constitute as the front wall, so I took out another Magic Bean and planted where it sprouted a few moments later. I was actually enjoying the idea of having a green thumb as this felt really relaxing, and I needed as much calm as possible, for soon my patience was going to be tested when the Shadow Temple beckons.

Once I was satisfied with planting the bean, I ran towards the entrance of Lake Hylia making sure to avoid the Blue Tektites who were strewn about all over the place, and when I left the area and entered Hyrule Field, I came to a stop because I remembered the sun wasn't up yet. That meant having to deal with Stalchildren again, but I didn't feel like wasting my time with them.

" Guess Gerudo Valley is out of the question," I sighed.

" We've probably got another several hours before the sun rises, so I think it would be for the best to not attempt making your way there....unless you believe that you can make it. Whatever decision you decide to make, I'll go along with it no matter what," said Spike.

" I just want to see what it looks like only once, for I know we won't be able to progress through what with the lockdown," I said.

" Then I hope your running skills have gotten better because here come the Stalchildren now," said Spike. As if on cue, the Stalchildren were coming towards me with a new one popping out of the ground every second to join the ranks, so I decided to unleash a powerful burst of magic courtesy of Din's Fire which blasted enough of them to pieces allowing me the space I needed to get by them.

All of this running around was actually pretty good as it was a reminder that I often galloped about back in Equestria when I had four hooves instead of two legs. While making my way northwest along the dirt road, more monsters appeared, but I continued to use Din's Fire to get rid of them. Eventually after about an hour of running, I came to the divided path where the direction to the west lead to Gerudo Valley, so I took that path hoping that the chase had come to an end.

" You've got to give them credit for being persistent," I commented.

" They will attack anything that enters the field no matter from which direction," said Spike.

" I did notice though that some of them were bigger than the others, so does that mean there are stronger variations I need to be aware of?" I asked.

" When you destroy enough of them, a larger Stalchild does have a tendency to rise from the ground. These still have the same general attack power and movement that the originals have, but their reach is much better. The large ones like to drop blue rupees from time to time, and the even larger ones will drop red rupees which makes them a good source of wanting to earn extra money if you need it. Of course, you need to destroy the small ones so the payoff isn't really as good as it seems in theory," replied Spike.

" Once we get into Gerudo Valley, they won't bother chasing us as we'll have technically left the field, and entered another area," I said as I continued to run until they suddenly disappeared back into the ground which indicated that we had arrived at our destination. The first thing I noticed was that it was quite a mountainous sight, but then I quickly realized that these were cliffs and not mountains, yet the similarity to Death Mountain was obvious.

A wooden plank which stretched across a pool of water greeted me at the entrance, but I thought it was weird that such an arrangement even existed. " I actually was expecting this place to be a lot more lively than merely being nothing but cliffs, dirt, rocks, and little in the way of water."

" This is how the Gerudo live every day," said Spike.

" What do you know about their society?" I asked.

" Not much is known, so I don't have an answer for you, but the only ones who would know are the Gerudo themselves. What is known, is that the desert is a harsh place where strong winds blow about like a howling beast, and there isn't much in the way that can be grown out here," replied Spike. Getting down onto my knees and scooping some of the dirt in my hands, I could understand what he meant for this soil wasn't strong enough to sustain plant-life.

It felt extremely dry to the touch, and as I dropped it back down, it crumbled to dust. When I got back onto my feet, Spike urged me to cross the pool using the plank, and along the way he pointed out that this wasn't all of the water in the valley. " There is water to be found, but if the Gerudo wanted to get their hands on it, it would involve taking a very long dive.

Because of that, the land remains unfit for growing crops, and combined with the intense heat of the day and the chilling cold of the night, they certainly have a hard life."

" Maybe that's why Ganondorf wanted to conquer the world in the first place," I began.

" What are you talking about?" asked Spike.

" He knew that his people were suffering by living in this arid landscape, and saw that the rest of Hyrule lived in beautiful splendour which he yearned for. Perhaps he desired the kingdom not just for himself, but for his entire tribe although he was certainly after the Triforce given his actions against the king. There is a lot about this which makes little sense because we haven't heard from Ganondorf's point of view, but I suppose we'll find out the truth when we meet him again.

Still, I feel bad for the Gerudo having to live out here where they struggle against such odds. It wouldn't surprise me if their numbers were small compared to the other tribes due to the conditions preventing them from having children to carry on their legacy," I replied.

" In that sense, the Evil King did all of this for them," said Spike.

" Isn't that what I said? Anyway, you said that there was plenty of water to be had around here, but I don't see any of it," I said.

" Once we get to that bridge, you will need to hide behind one of those rocks, and then you can see for yourself. The Gerudo guards are still on patrol as a result of the lockdown, and if they spot us walking about in their territory, they will chase us down in an effort to have us killed," said Spike. He wasn't kidding as there were a handful of guards on the other side of the bridge walking back and forth, and a large gate added to the tension where they insisted on no one coming and going from their fortress.

Watching them from a distance until the coast was clear, I quickly dashed over to the rock that was conveniently located next to the edge, and I looked down to see that it was indeed a very long dive just like Spike said. Way at the bottom of this canyon was a raging river where the water travelled down several waterfalls, and while I could see some land down there, I had no intention of jumping down and seeing it for myself.

" No wonder they can't access the water," I said.

" They have no means of bringing up from down there," said Spike.

" And if you were to fall down below, you'd be trapped with no means of making it back up," I said.

" The water actually flows into Lake Hylia which the Gerudo have done to gain access to the lake, but then they have to take the long way back because of not being able to get back up from down there," said Spike.

" You know, now that I've seen what this place is really like, I guess my heart is allowing me to showcase sympathy towards the Gerudo, and that includes Ganondorf because he had to suffer through this environment just as much as they did. It must have affected him the most as he is their king, and so it falls onto him to make sure that the tribe is well taken care of.

I think we should sneak back, and play the Prelude of Light as we've probably run out of time now. Applejack needs our help in the Shadow Temple, and I've done as much backtracking as I can," I said. Spike told me to wait for his signal to begin crossing back across the clearing, and when he gave it to me, I made another dash in order to get back over there without being seen.

During all of this excitement, I began to think about Rainbow Dash, and what she may be doing at this moment in time. If I recall correctly, she had been punished for betraying Ganondorf, so I hoped she was still okay.

" So you're about to leave and begin your exile?"

" No thanks to you of course!"

" You know, this is something you had coming for a long time because of the way you appeared to be relishing your position just to make me feel bad. At the same time though, you wanted to be stripped of your status because it meant no longer needing to be tied down by the Great Ganondorf."

" I'm surprised that you figured that out so quickly."

" I've known you for a long time Nabooru, so anything you may try to keep hidden is useless against me as I know all of your tricks."

" And you used that to your advantage in order to replace me as the second-in-command, and in turn make me appear as having betrayed our people in their eyes as well as those of Ganondorf. You always were the resourceful one who never gives up on her goals until she succeeds in achieving them, and you will resort to any means necessary," said Rainbow Dash. She then finished packing up her things in a small satchel before closing it up making sure to double-check that everything was in it.

" What can I say? I'm moving up in the world, and no one is going to stop me!"

" Under my guidance Spitfire, you've truly managed to make a name for yourself, and now here you are having reached the highest level of status among the others. In your eyes, everything has turned out wonderfully for you, but what about your heart? Does it think in the same manner as your eyes?" asked Rainbow Dash. Picking up her satchel and placing it on her back, she then turned her attention to her former subordinate, Spitfire, who had since been given her old title.

The new second-in-command of the Gerudo felt irate knowing that the former exalted of the tribe wasn't more angry, but then she also showed a sense of sympathy which was a feeling she hadn't felt for a very long time.

" Even when facing utter humiliation and the prospect of never being allowed to return, you still have that same calm demeanour which has been a source of strength for all of us during the most difficult of times. I'll admit that I lack your charismatic persona Nabooru, and the others won't accept me right away, but give me a few years and I'll prove to them that I was worthy," said Spitfire.

" No matter what though, you will always be known as Ganondorf's prized pupil," said Rainbow Dash.

" My loyalty to him remains unshakeable even if some of his most recent actions are questionable, yet I have no doubt that he will give us what we've been wanting for a long time now. We've been suffering here in the desert for far too long, and those insufferable Hylians refuse to allow us to take what we need to survive," said Spitfire.

" And it's his actions which have driven me away," sighed Rainbow Dash.

" You can always beg him for forgiveness, and at the very least he may allow you back into the tribe as some kind of slave," said Spitfire.

" It's too late for me Spitfire, so anything I try to say to him will fall on deaf ears. The Gerudo will never forgive me because of what I have chosen to believe in, so this is where I must say farewell as my exile to the Desert Colossus begins the moment I step out into the Haunted Wasteland beyond the fortress," said Rainbow Dash. She stared at the giant gate which leads to the desert, and a small tear trickled down her face which Spitfire noticed.

In the heart of Rainbow Dash, this was a sign that she could no longer believe herself to be a Gerudo, for everything that she been taught was now nothing but a lie, yet she would continue on despite knowing that her fate had been sealed. There were no regrets to be had in her soul, yet she knew her actions had been condemned by the others, and she has to live with that for the rest of her days.

" Spitfire, even though you are responsible for my being exiled, I know that you will be able to carry on in my footsteps. You truly deserved to be the second-in-command from the very beginning as you worked hard for it, and all I ever did was stumble into it all because of that one incident."

" You still remember that?" asked Spitfire.

" I only received that position because of being there when I shouldn't have, and you were passed over in favour of me. Not a day has gone by that I wish that things could have been different as that incident shaped us both into who we are now," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Why bring this up now?" asked Spitfire.

" My wish for you is to understand what it really means to serve as the second-in-command to one like Ganondorf. It may seem like I'm being philosophical, but I'm just telling you the way it is without holding back. You may have been a thorn in my side these past few years, yet I still view you as a sister....goodbye," replied Rainbow Dash. After giving the signal to the guards standing by the gate, she then began to walk towards the entrance to the Haunted Wasteland where every step would mean death if one wasn't careful.

" You just had to say that didn't you?" asked Spitfire.

" My survival out there is slim, so I figured on going out with some meaning," replied Rainbow Dash. As soon as she had walked through the gate, the guards closed it down and she began her exile. All she had was what she had placed into satchel, and she would need to use everything she had if she hoped to survive in the desert, and not succumb to the heat, the monsters, or the twisted nature of the sands....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 45: Into the Infinite Darkness

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 25, 2015
Chapter 45: Into the Infinite Darkness.

" Nabooru, your exile has now begun, and I couldn't be happier as it's also the beginning of my being second-in-command. I've longed for this day to come ever since you were chosen for the position which was meant to have been mine from the start. For years I had to toil under you as your servant, yet you never once saw it like that believing us both to be on equal footing.

I knew better because your title allowed you to have so many perks....so why do I feel bad now that you have left the fortress? Could it be that I'm feeling guilty for having wronged you even though what happened back then wasn't your fault?"

" You seem to be troubled with wanting to accept your new destiny Spitfire."

" Huh? Oh, it's you Lady Trixie. I don't know why you and your sister insist on skulking about in the shadows when it comes to paying the fortress a visit. You're both fellow Gerudo, so you don't need to maintain such a cloak and dagger approach," said Spitfire.

" Don't you dare refer to me by that horrendous name child!!!! shouted Trixie.

" It's not a bad name you know," said Spitfire.

" Call me that again and you will wish that you were never born! To you and the others, I'm known as the great and powerful Koume, surrogate mother to the great Ganondorf! For your sake, you would be wise to remember that. Now then, it appears that you're experiencing doubt and that's something we cannot allow to happen.

The Gerudo need someone who can guide them to ensure that their loyalty remains absolute. Nabooru proved that she was unworthy of that task because her opinion ended up clashing with our desire, so she needed to be removed from her position," said Trixie.

" Is that the reason why she was exiled?" asked Spitfire.

" That isn't your place to be concerned child, for you now hold the highest authority among the tribe next to the king," replied Trixie.

" Maybe so, but I still want to know," said Spitfire.

" Since you're insisting on wanting the truth, who am I to want to deny you? Nabooru was quite skilled as a thief, yet her loyalty to the great Ganondorf was always a problem my sister and I viewed as a concern. So, she needed to be given the title of second-in-command of the Gerudo in the hopes of changing her opinions, and fall in line with the vision we had hoped for.

This lasted for a few years, but it seems that the king's desire to claim the Triforce has opened up her old opinions. Such feelings cannot be allowed to be felt in the hearts of the others, so it was necessary for her to be replaced," said Trixie.

" And that someone was me?" asked Spitfire.

" You're much better than she ever was because your loyalty is unquestionable," replied Trixie.

" Now I wish that my curiosity hadn't prompted me to ask. So all I'm meant to be is someone who will make sure that everyone follows the laws of the Gerudo? While I'm okay with wanting to be second-in-command as it's been my desire for years, I can't help but feel that Nabooru was cheated in a way just because she wanted to think differently," said Spitfire.

" That's enough of that kind of talk," began Trixie.

" What do you mean Lady Koume?" asked Spitfire.

" Your only concern is to fulfill the obligations given unto you, and to never once question the authority of myself, my sister, and your king. What she did had to be punished by exile which has come to pass, but we shall make sure that she will always remain loyal even if it means using our magic," replied Trixie.

" Magic? What is your intention?" asked Spitfire?

" Don't pretend to act ignorant and oblivious because you were the one who constantly kept us informed of her actions, so in a way you were responsible for the fate which has been cast down upon her. Nabooru will be made to accept the great Ganondorf, and it will put down any notions of her wanting to question him ever again.

As for you Spitfire, I advise that you continue to do as you're told otherwise you could end up sharing in the exact same fate. Surprised that I know exactly what's on your mind? My power is greater than you can even begin to imagine," replied Trixie.

" I wasn't implying anything Lady Koume," said Spitfire.

" Glad to hear that child for remember that even you can be replaced at a moment's notice. I believe that I shall take my leave so that you can get started with your new duties, and I hope that you make sure that things don't change," said Trixie.

" Won't you stay for a while longer?" asked Spitfire.

" No, I must return home to prepare for Nabooru's arrival for she is planning something according to what you told us. I know that you wouldn't have lied to my sister and me because doing so would mean killing you right here and now! Yes, that expression on your face tells me that the information you provided is most accurate. Don't think that this will be our final encounter Spitfire, so I shall return again in order to check up on you," replied Trixie.

After having snuck back across the pool of water located in Gerudo Valley, I took a moment to regain my composure before playing the Prelude of Light which warped me back to the Temple of Time. I really wanted to spend more time here in the past, but I knew that I needed to return to the future in order to awaken the next Sage who just so happened to be Applejack.

Spike could tell that I was feeling pretty nervous about this, and suggested for me to speak to Fluttershy as she will have information regarding to the next temple we need to visit....the Shadow Temple.

" Before I go and pull the Master Sword and go back to the present, I need to know more about the next temple. While I've no doubt that I can get plenty of information from Fluttershy about some of the things we'll encounter in there, I'm worried that there's something I'm missing which could spell the difference between success and failure. I know the Shadow Temple reeks of the undead because of what you've told me, but can't you provide me with any additional information?

The undead have already proven to be difficult for me to overcome, but if the temple is crawling with the ones that I struggle with, I fear that I could get myself killed thus preventing Hyrule from returning to a peaceful existence," I said.

" That was a bit melodramatic," commented Spike.

" But you know that what I said is true," I said.

" The Shadow Temple as I mentioned before is a place where the history of this kingdom is written in blood due to the wars which ravaged it for centuries, yet there is more to it than that. Of all the temples of Hyrule, this one is perhaps the most difficult to figure out as it's the one place where evil is meant to thrive despite it already being corrupted by Ganondorf''s power.

When we finally begin to walk around down there, you'll no doubt feel the pain and anguish many had to suffer when their lives were taken from them as a result of war," said Spike.

" I'm guessing that the majority of the spirits who dwell in the temple are Hylians?" I asked.

" You'd be correct as while the wars claimed the lives of the Gorons, Zora, and Gerudo in addition to the Hylians, they had their own burial sites. As such their spirits were unable to enter the Shadow Temple, and instead lingered around for a while before disappearing. The spirits who remain in the temple are mostly Sheikah spirits for the graveyard in Kakariko is where they are all buried," replied Spike.

" It makes you wonder if the undead monsters we've been encountering are the spirits of those who died, or are the result of the magic Ganondorf used to artificially create monsters that have the mannerisms of the dead," I said.

" I wouldn't know for certain," said Spike.

" If those monsters used to be people in a former life, the least I can do for them is to give them a release from their torment, but that would mean running the risk of losing my life in the process given how powerful the Re-Dead and Gibdo are. Those Light Arrows would really be useful right about now to make this an easier experience, but I guess that would be taking the easy way out," I sighed.

While these weren't the exact answers I was hoping to receive, at least I was given a bit more insight as to what to expect. If there was one problem I could say right now to all of this, it would be having a strong sense of guilt over having to possibly fight against the spirits of those who gave their lives to protect this world; something I'm doing myself even though I'm not an actual soldier.

Once I made it to the back of the Temple of Time, I stared at the Master Sword which was stuck in its pedestal, and it made me wonder if using this blade would allow me to really overcome the impending danger awaiting me. It also made me think of Ganondorf, and what he ended up doing at this exact moment. " Do you think he's waiting in the shadows like when I pulled the sword for the first time?

This feels like I'm redoing everything again, and it will result in my transformation which leads to me being sealed away. Must I experience that pain once more as a reminder of me being tormented?"

" I think what will happen this time around is you'll just get whisked back to the future," replied Spike.

" That sounds rather anti-climatic," I said.

" Perhaps, but what happened can only be seen once as it's a part of history which can't be changed. There's no point in repeating it as the result will still be the same even if you were to change a few aspects of it, so the moment you draw the Master Sword, time will jump forward seven years and we'll be back where we belong unless we have to come back here again," said Spike.

" How do we know that we need to do that?" I asked.

" Sheik did mention it to you when she taught you the Prelude of Light a while ago now, but I suppose Saria may be able to clarify things," replied Spike. That sounded like a good idea to me, so I walked up to the Master Sword, and pulled it out which immediately blinded me in a flash of light. A few moments later, I found myself standing in front of the pedestal with the divine blade in the scabbard on my back, and wearing the Zora Tunic instead of the Kokiri Tunic I had on prior.

It felt weird having come back to the present after spending a good amount of time in the past, but I needed to be here to awaken the remaining Sages. I was then relieved to know that the weapons I had picked up in the other temples were now available to me again.

With that concern out of the way, I took the Ocarina of Time from its pouch, and began to play Fluttershy's Song where it felt nice to have her know what's going on.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Fluttershy....can you hear me? I heard from the forest spirits that you were able to break the curse on the Water Temple, and that you even managed to travel back in time seven years to before Hyrule was invaded by the Evil King. I'll be the first to admit that I'm jealous that you got to do that, but it was necessary if you wish to awaken the remaining Sages.

Our power continues to increase with each of us you awaken, and when we're all accounted for, we can create the seal which will bind the evil of the kingdom into the Sacred Realm. If we want to make the seal perfect, we need the power of the Seventh Sage," said Fluttershy.

" Going back did bring back plenty of good memories, but let me tell you that it wasn't an ideal picnic," I said.

" Yes, I can imagine it being so what with having to get used to the way things were again after such a long time," said Fluttershy.

" I have an item which will allow me to see the truth," I said.

" Something that can let you uncover things that should really be there? The Great Deku Tree once told us a story about it, but we never really believed it. I guess he was right in that some truths remain hidden, and must be exposed for the greater good. This item is going to be of immense help in the Shadow Temple, for it is impossible to progress without in," said Fluttershy.

" Figures it would be like that...." That's when it dawned on me that she mentioned that there was another Sage who needed to be awakened in addition to the six that I'm trying to help out right now. When everything clicked together in my head, I began to sputter repeatedly which caused Fluttershy to ask me if I was okay because it sounded like I was having some kind of convulsion. Eventually, I managed to utter some actual words.

" Another Sage? I have another to find one more?" You could tell that I wasn't exactly taking this little bit of news very well, and it was a miracle I didn't end up taking out any kind of frustration because it meant finding another temple which Sheik never told me about as she only gave me the locations of five.

" This final Sage is said to be the leader of all of us, and through their power will we be able to seal away Ganondorf forever. I have no idea who this person could be, and neither do the forest spirits, but surely it must be someone you know," replied Fluttershy.

" So we're dealing with a mystery person?" I asked.

" That's one way of saying it yes, but first you should focus on awakening the one who waits for you in the Shadow Temple. The spirits have been telling me that you will need to use the item you found in the past to uncover many secrets, and it's the only item that will allow you to see the shadow for what it really is.

I don't know what this shadow is supposed to be, but I think you have a pretty good answer. They also say that you will need to use sacred feet in order to reach places which are otherwise inaccessible to you," replied Fluttershy.

" Did you say sacred feet?" I asked.

" What this means isn't known to the spirits, but it sounds like something you would wear on your feet," replied Fluttershy. Sometimes, I felt these forest spirits were aware of what is really happening, but pretend like they don't know everything as a means of testing me because of being the chosen hero. It was either that, or they desired me to struggle a little as a means of tormenting me.

I'd never reveal this to Fluttershy though as it would make her really upset, and it was just an inkling I had which doesn't really amount to all that much. Still, you have to be cautious in this world as anything can and will happen. " The spirits are seeing one last thing which has them feeling very worried, and you should be aware of that fact.

They say that there is some kind of vessel in the depths of the Shadow Temple which you need to take, but it's not the kind that you can consider being one of pleasure. Why it exists isn't exactly clear, but you do need to use it in order to get to the final destination."

" You said that you're jealous that I got to go back in time?" I asked.

" Being able to return to the past and seeing the world as it was before Ganondorf came must have been a wonderful sight, yet deep down you probably wanted to stay there as the problems of the current time do not exist back then," replied Fluttershy.

" I did contemplate it for a while before deciding to return as I'm needed here," I said.

" Don't get too comfortable being in the present as you will eventually have to go back to the past one more time in order to awaken the final Sage. I know that it sounds difficult having to traverse across a seven year gap to break the curses on all of the temples, but I believe you can succeed in such a monumental task.

What's this? The spirits are saying that you should go to the graveyard and speak to the ghosts who created the song that brings about the light. It seems they wish to talk to you, so maybe you should pay them a visit," said Fluttershy.

" I remember those two from a long time ago," I said.

" Who were they?" asked Fluttershy.

" The Royal Composer Sisters, as they called themselves, were able to create a song which has the power to change night into day and vice versa. It was to do with their project about the musical tones of ocarinas if I recall what they told me, but they weren't able to reap the benefits of their work. Ganondorf desired their research for his own purposes, and they ended up paying the ultimate price by losing their lives to protect their secrets," I replied.

" And I assume that you were able to acquire their song which would mean they could now rest in peace, yet the spirits are saying that you should speak to them before entering the temple. Maybe the shadow has forced them to awaken from their eternal slumber, and they can't return until the creature has been destroyed. You may have your work cut out for you this time Sunset Shimmer, but I know you can accomplish your goals because you have the heart of a proud warrior.

I'm going to leave it to you now, so good luck with traversing the darkness that lurks inside of the temple," said Fluttershy. Now that was the kind of information that I needed to hear, and thanks to her I now had a pretty good idea as to what to expect. The thought of a vessel taking me somewhere was worrying, but the thought of getting to use sacred feet was something to look forward to.

I then put the Ocarina of Time back in my pouch, and proceeded to exit the Temple of Time where I was greeted with the destroyed Hyrule Castle Town; a reminder of what happened during my seven year absence.

" Why not play the Nocturne of Shadow and warp to the graveyard?" asked Spike.

" That does sound like a good idea, but I want to make a quick stop over at Kakariko Village to see how Shining Armour is doing. While he was able to finally get out of his comfort zone, I fear that he may have decided to go back to wanting to be left alone. I know that I have no right interfering with his life as that's up to him to decide, but I want to make sure that he's alright," I replied.

" Your compassion for your friends is a strong power," smiled Spike.

" I never used to understand such emotions due to being alone for a long time in my life, but when I experienced that feeling, I never wanted to let it go no matter what. Shining Armour is going through the same thing that once plagued me, and that is something no one should ever have to deal with. While checking on him will delay us from going to the aid of Applejack, I feel that he may need some kind of closure, and perhaps begin to rebuild his life," I said.

" Then let's go and see him in the village," said Spike. Going to Kakariko the long way was going to take some time, but I chose to follow my heart in this case instead of my head because of friendship. Running through the Market and avoiding the Re-Deads, I made my way outside and back into Hyrule Field where I took out the Ocarina of Time, and played Epona's Song where she appeared out of nowhere and galloped over before coming to a stop. I petted her on the muzzle and engaged in a brief whinny conversation before turning my attention to Spike out of sheer confusion.

" I left her at the entrance to Kakariko Village, yet how did she just pop up and made her way over here like that?" I asked.

" It's one of those mysteries of Hyrule which should remain unsolved. I'm surprised that you played her song and called her over, for we've often had to leave her behind while carrying out various errands. Still, she looks happy that she was called over with her song, but she probably told you that when you two spoke horse just now," replied Spike. Epona and I then continued with our whinnying for a few more moments before I climbed up onto her saddle, and gave her a soft kick to the ribs to start galloping along to the village.

It was still night out because warping and coming back to the present didn't cause time to move onward, so it meant I was going to be exploring the graveyard at night....again. It didn't take long for Epona to make it back to the entrance of the village, and I slowly brought her to a stop where she whinnied several times to indicate that she didn't want me to go back in again. I responded to her with my own set of whinnies before climbing down, and running up the stairs and entering.

" The village has certainly seen better days," I commented.

" And it will take a long time for the wounds from the fire to be healed, so expect the buildings to be covered in soot as well as having lost some colour from the flames. You have to give the villagers a lot of credit for holding out as long as they did until the rain helped to put out the fire, and they knew what they were doing when they migrated over to the entrance in order to save themselves," said Spike.

" Shining Armour deserves some credit for helping out those last villagers who needed rescuing. Even though the wounds he suffered at the hands of Ganondorf prevent him from ever being a guard again, he still managed to come out of hiding and performed the duty that was expected of him," I said. That's when I noticed that the villagers were out and about in the middle of the night, and this was understandable considering their lives were hanging in the balance a short time ago.

I then decided to see if I could spot Shining Armour among the villagers, but when I didn't see him talking to anyone, I feared that he chosen to go back to his quiet life of solitude, and that my words didn't end up changing his ways after all. " I guess the pain that he felt from failing the old king must have been too much for him to want to try to become a part of society again."

" Perhaps that's for the best," said Spike.

" Maybe you're right for his situation was much worse than what I went through as I never lost anyone close to me like he did. I guess we should just make our way to the graveyard, and speak to the Royal Composer Sisters," I said. No sooner had I walked a few steps, the expression on my face changed from sadness to sheer happiness because standing there by the well was Shining Armour.

While he was still wearing that cloak which he used to maintain his aloof identity, he wasn't hiding his face which meant he really did wish to start interacting with the common folk again, yet the walking stick was a reminder that his injuries are ones which can never heal.

I then walked over to him and he looked pleased to see me although his expression changed to one of confusion as though he were wondering as to where I had gone, so I felt the need to address this. " I was hoping that you would be out here instead of being isolated indoors, yet you want to know where I've been since the fire was put out?"

" That thought did cross my mind," replied Shining Armour.

" I had to go on a little trip in order to acquire something," I said.

" Let me take a wild guess by saying that you returned the Master Sword to its pedestal, and ended up going back in time to the point before you pulled it. Judging from your dropped jaw, I'd say that I was spot on with my guess," said Shining Armour.

" How did you know?" I asked.

" When I was the Captain of the Royal Guard, there were certain things that I learned from being by the side of the royal family, and one of them was the secret power contained inside of the Master Sword. I'm not surprised that you ended up going back into the past because that sword has powers the likes of which you've merely scratched the surface of, but I know that what happened in the past can't be changed no matter how hard you may desire it.

Thanks to you Sunset Shimmer, I realize now that I was hiding myself from the failure of protecting the king, and I wallowed in self-misery for years. The people of Kakariko know that I'm now starting to mingle with them rather than choosing to keep to myself, but I'll reveal to them my true identity when I feel the time is right. In the meantime, they simply refer to me by the name of Shin which doesn't quite roll off the tongue," replied Shining Armour.

" At least you're starting to turn your life around," I said.

" I'll never be able to live the way that I used to, but I can continue on and live out my days as best as I can here in this village. As for you, I believe you need to go to the temple that lies beneath the graveyard right? The entrance is currently sealed shut with a heavy stone slab, but you can open the way by lighting all of the torches, and there are roughly 30 to light up," said Shining Armour.

" Isn't that a little excessive?" I asked.

" In a way it is because lighting just a few would have been more suffice, but it was the will of the Sheikah which prompted them to go with a high number. The temple was once guarded by the shadow folk as this village used to be their base of operations during times of war, yet they no longer exist with the sole exception of Madam Impa who is the last of the Sheikah tribe.

As for that other one, I don't know what her story is supposed to be, but I'm not convinced that she is a survivor of the tribe as she claims herself to be. Anyway, I should probably let you get going as you need to rush to the aid of Madam Impa," replied Shining Armour.

" Before I go, there is one more question I've been meaning to ask you, and that is how did you become Captain?" I asked.

" Quite the random thing you asked of me," replied Shining Armour.

" Guess I'm just the curious sort," I said.

" Well, you did ask me and because of you, I've gotten over wanting to live alone, so I'd be glad to answer your question. I'm the youngest solider to have ever been promoted to the rank of Captain of the Royal Guards, but before that I was just an ordinary person who dedicated his life in service to the king. The previous Captain was well liked among the entire corp., and he was the one who believed me to be destined for greater things.

I guess it's because I worked much harder than everyone else when it came to defending the realm, yet this did draw the ire of the others who felt that I was showing off just to be in good graces with the old Captain which never was the case. During the war which resulted in the unification of the kingdom, Hyrule Castle was attacked by a powerful evil force which used dark magic.

Many of the guards were killed that day including the old Captain who gave his life to protect those among the guard who chose to run away," said Shining Armour.

" They ran away? Why would they do that?" I asked.

" The dark creatures were too powerful for them to handle, so they chose to flee back to the castle to defend it until things turned about in their favour. The old Captain wanted them to retreat and protect the royal family, and he chose to remain behind to cover them as they fled. After the war was over, the dark creatures were subsequently banished, but the loss of the old Captain was felt by all of us.

And yet, someone needed to succeed him, and the guards drew their attention to me believing that I would be chosen to lead them because of how I was doted over, but they were surprised when I refused to take on the position," replied Shining Armour.

" Did you feel that you weren't ready?" I asked.

" I knew that I wasn't prepared to handle such a responsibility, and I even refused the king's request for he knew that the old Captain felt that I should be the one to succeed him. To cut a long story short, I said that I would think it over, and my decision came when an incident occurred where her highness almost lost her life to an assassin.

I saved her life by taking the attack, and the rest of the royal guard knew there and then that I was worthy to lead them. So, they insisted on me taking the position after my actions saved the princess, and you know what happens from there," replied Shining Armour.

" You didn't need to rush through the last part of your story as I do have plenty of time to reach Impa, but I have a feeling that she would tell me about what happened when the princess's life was in danger given how close she is to her," I said.

" Madam Impa should know considering she was there at the time," said Shining Armour.

" Then I'll be sure to ask her about it. Shining Armour, while you can't fight the way that you used to because of the injuries given to you by Ganondorf, you still retain all of the combat experience and maneuvers from the royal guard. Essentially, you could end up teaching a whole new generation because I do believe the royal family could do with some new soldiers when they come back. You don't need to come to a decision right away, but it's something to think about at the very least," I said.

With that, I thanked him for answering my question, and took my leave where I headed for the graveyard once more which still looked the same as it did the last time. Surprisingly, the fire never reached this area which could mean the shadow never intended for the flames to make it this far. There were a couple of Poes floating around most likely looking for fresh victims, but I had my eyes set on the two gravestones located in front of the entrance to the Tomb of the Royal Family.

" Can you feel that power Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" I know there was an evil presence located below the graveyard, but I never would have guessed that it was this strong," I replied.

" Because the shadow beast is now free from the seal which kept it trapped below the well, it has free reign to use as much of its dark powers as it wants. That means the undead are beginning to grow in strength which is going to make our progress through the Shadow Temple that much more difficult.

Impa felt that she was the only one who could contain the creature as she was the one who did so before, so it's her responsibility to ensure that the undead don't end up swarming all over the kingdom. Speaking of which, I recall the Royal Composer Sisters having moved on from this world after you listened to their tale," said Spike.

" Maybe they decided to come back willingly?" I asked.

" Ghosts aren't able to do that as once they move onto the afterlife, they're stuck there forever. The power radiating from the shadow beast must have forced them to return to this world, and they can't rest in peace until it has been destroyed. That would explain why the undead are increasing in numbers as well as in strength.

Whether Ganondorf decides to do something about this or not remains to be seen, but he'll probably just let things fall apart given that all he cares about is maintaining his grip through the use of the Triforce. As long as you have the Lens of Truth however, you can expose the illusion that the shadow uses to keep itself hidden, and destroy it breaking the curse on the temple at the same time," replied Spike.

" First, we need to speak to the two sisters," I said. Walking over to the gravestone on the left, the moment I approached it, the ghostly form of Octavia Melody rose up from it followed by the form of DJ Pon-3 from the other stone. It still felt weird that they were both spirits in this world, but at least it was better than the alternative which was non-existent.

As I recall from the last conversation that I had, Octavia was the one who does all of the talking as DJ Pon-3 never says a word, and instead relies on expressions in order to speak her mind. Why she was a mute is something I'll never know, but maybe one day she will break her silence and say something.

" Huh? Aren't you the one who listened to our tragic story seven years ago?" asked Octavia.

" That was me yes," I replied.

" You're Sunset Shimmer!?!? But, you look as though you haven't aged a single day although you have had a change of attire from last time, and that sword is awfully familiar to us. Would you not agree with that dear sister?" asked Octavia. I turned my attention to DJ Pon-3 for a moment hoping she would respond with at least a simple "yes", but she decided to go with a thumb's up which was her way of agreeing with her older sibling.

Then I focused back to Octavia who decided to check out the sword on my back before her expression became one of complete shock. " I know that blade! It's the Master Sword! If you have that in your possession, then you must be the Hero of Time who has come to bring peace back to Hyrule."

" Something like that," I said.

" Yet you haven't aged at all which certainly defies logic," said Octavia. I then explained to her as to how my magic was able to keep me from aging during my time trapped inside of the Sacred Realm, and upon finishing my explanation, she was quite shocked that so many years of my life were lost. " And here I thought my sister and I had it rough when Ganondorf killed us, but you had to endure having to get adjusted to a world which was different from the one you left when the sword sealed you away.

Flat and I were resting in the afterlife after you claimed the Sun's Song, but the recent escape of the shadow beast has brought us back here against our will. No one has been able to do anything about it as what can they do against something that powerful?"

" Where did this creature even come from?" I asked.

" What is known is that the beast first appeared during the war, and it targeted this village because of the Sheikah who used it as their base where they served the king. It was a battle between the shadow folk and the shadow beast where many of them were killed, but it was eventually driven into the well where its power was neutralized.

They weren't able to destroy the creature, so they chose to leave it there hoping that it would never return, and yet Ganondorf came along and conquered the kingdom. His evil power caused the beast to stir so it was necessary to have a seal created which would keep the shadow down there under the village," replied Octavia.

" I have been told as to why it was sealed away, but I'm surprised the seal lasted as long as it did," I said.

" You can thank Impa who used her powers to strengthen the spell every time the shadow attempted to escape. Yes, what you witnessed was its eighth attempt at breaking the seal which sadly it was able to do so thus escaping into the world. Every time it tried to break free, she would make sure to reinforce the seal, but she realized that just strengthening it wasn't going to work forever.

She went to the Shadow Temple in order to speak to the spirits of her fellow Sheikah in the hopes of finding a more permanent answer, but the shadow beast immediately went there after it escaped. It has since been increasing its power in order to raise an army of undead monsters," said Octavia.

" I heard that you can't even see the shadow," I said.

" It hides itself in a veil of darkness which it uses to defeat any who would dare oppose it, but it's said that it will yield to the one who has the eye of truth. That item is able to pierce through and reveal the shadow's true form as well as its weakness, but the eye was sealed away under the well long ago," said Octavia. That's when DJ Pon-3 floated over to her sister and began to whisper something in her ear, so she is capable of doing that but she doesn't want to speak outright?

I suppose this was her way of maintaining the image of being a mute, but I'll admit that it was really inconvenient. Once she was finished, DJ Pon-3 hovered back to her graveyard where she lowered her head most likely due to what she said to Octavia who continued to talk. " My sister says that the one who originally owned the eye was fed up with so many asking him if they could take it off of his hands that he chose to have it buried in the complex below the village."

" I'm aware of that as well," I said.

" Really? That does make things easier for me to explain to you then. If you plan on going into the Shadow Temple, I'm afraid that you won't be able to get very far as you would need the eye of truth in order to have a statue facing an object which exists among those that are false," said Octavia.

" How did Impa get by?" I asked.

" The Sheikah are capable of seeing things in a way that the rest of us would never understand," replied Octavia.

" Would the eye of truth look something like this?" I asked as I took out the Lens of Truth from my pocket and showed it to them. Upon seeing it, their jaws dropped with utter shock, and immediately began to talk amongst themselves for a few moments. " I was able to gain access to the Bottom of the Well where I found the lens inside of a treasure chest."

The two sisters were still conversing with one another, yet I knew they heard what I said due to having kept my eyes on me the entire time. DJ Pon-3 then hovered over to me in order to take a closer inspection to make sure that the Lens of Truth was legitimate, and when she gave a double thumbs up to her sister, that indicated to them that it was the real deal.

" You have the eye of truth? Then truly you are the one destined to overcome the shadow beast," said Octavia. She went on explain that the lens was a powerful magical artefact created by the Sheikah a long time ago where it was used to reveal hidden secrets, and it served an important role when it came to protecting the royal family. " Because you now possess the eye, only you can enter the temple where it will be your one true guide to overcoming the illusions."

" And what about you two?" I asked.

" My sister Flat and I can enter the temple for we are spirits of the dead, but there isn't much we can do. No, you were destined to claim the eye of truth from below the well, and therefore this is a monumental task which lies before you. I don't mean to add anymore pressure onto, but the fate of Hyrule rests on your shoulders," replied Octavia. DJ Pon-3 then made some gestures with her hands which made no sense to me, but what she was doing was a form of sign language which Octavia understood without any problems.

" Flat says that we can aid you inside of the temple, but only in certain places where the light can reach for the darkness has corrupted most of the chambers. Should you have need of our assistance, play the Sun's Song in the rooms of light, and we will appear to offer what assistance we can. Until then, we shall remain here until we can finally resume our rest in peace." I could do with all the help I can get considering what lies within the Shadow Temple, but I didn't really need all of that extra pressure.

" Now you need to play the Nocturne of Shadow," said Spike.

" How did it go again?" I asked.

" Fortunately, I took the liberty of writing it down for you, and because you were taught how to play the Ocarina of Time properly by that scarecrow, you should be able to do well on your first attempt," replied Spike. After he showed me the notes and where on the instrument I needed to play them, I played the Nocturne of Shadow where I disappeared into a ball of purple light, and in the next instant found myself on the high ledge which I couldn't reach from below.

" We didn't go quite as far as I expected plus it feels kind of cheesy that we couldn't just climb up here," I said.

" The Sage Altar was located on a ledge that was too high for you to reach through normal means, and Sheik obviously knew that which is why she taught you that song so you could get up here. Down those stairs lies the entrance to the Shadow Temple, and you know that things will be challenging," said Spike.

" Do you think the Royal Composer Sisters can help us out? Also, where do you suppose these rooms of light are?" I asked.

" I have no idea where such rooms will be located, but I suppose we'll find out once we start exploring. As for the sisters, if they believe themselves to be able to provide us with some help, then I suggest that we take it because they have a better understanding of the undead due to being just that," replied Spike.

" Guess we might as well get this started," I said as I began to walk down the stairs where I entered a large room that featured numerous torches all over the place, and at the back was a massive stone door which had the symbol of the Sheikah etched into it. There was also a small raised platform in the center of the room with some strange text surrounding it which I couldn't decipher.

" Shining Armour wasn't kidding when he said there were so many torches that needed to be lit, but I'm curious as to what is up with that platform in the middle." I walked over to it and saw that it was just an ordinary brick platform, but why did it have a barely visible image of the Fire Medallion on it? Did this mean at one time the medallions served a function other than being merely for show? " Are you seeing what I'm seeing on this platform?"

" The image of the Fire Medallion?" asked Spike.

" Yes, so that must mean these medallions in another time and place would have had their own individual powers. It also means that using a strong surge of fire to light all of these torches is the way to go, so Din's Fire is the best way to approach this otherwise my own magic would take too long," I replied.

Taking out the gem which contained the power of Din, I performed the necessary poses to cast the spell, and the resulting impact lit all of the torches causing the stone door to slowly rise up and open the Shadow Temple. Once the door was fully opened, I walked forward where I became immersed in the darkness as though the very light itself had been snuffed out.

" Well, we're inside of the dungeon now, so where do we go from here?" Around the first corner I came across, I had to come to a stop because of being faced with an obstacle pretty early on.

" It looks like you need to use the Longshot in order to pull yourself across this chasm," replied Spike.

" If I had decided to come here in the past, this would be as far as we could get," I said. I pulled out the Longshot and fired it at the Hookshot plate where I flew across the chasm and to the other side where I put it away before facing what looked like some kind of picture of a skull. " I remember seeing those in the Bottom of the Well, and you heard the spirits talking to you when we approached one that warned us of danger below. Do you suppose the spirits will be able to communicate with you here?"

" Most definitely as this is where the spirits of the dead have lingered for centuries. I'm sure to be getting a lot of messages from them although you may be able to hear some yourself given their power is stronger here than it was beneath the well," replied Spike. When I took a single step forward, the sound of a sinister voice began to reverberate within the immediate area, and it frightened me quite a bit as I wasn't expecting it to happen.

" The shadow will yield only to one with the eye of truth, handed down in Kakariko Village!"

" Well, if that isn't a sign that we need the Lens of Truth in order to explore this place then I don't know what is," I said.

" At least we know that the shadow beast can only be seen if you use the lens. Speaking of which, I think this picture is a fake and that you can walk through it, but maybe you should use the lens just to be sure," said Spike. Taking it out and peering into it, the picture instantly disappeared, and the room beyond came into focus. " Since you're going to be using that item extensively in here, you should just keep on your belt for immediate access instead of putting it away somewhere."

" It does feel weird getting to see the truth like this," I commented.

" The Lens of Truth knows all and sees all with the power it contains, but remember that it costs one magic point every second while you use it. Also, I think we forgot to pay a visit to the Potion Shop before coming in here," said Spike. Hearing him say that made me smack myself in the forehead really hard because I completely forgot to do that as I was in a hurry to make my way to the temple.

That means I have nothing to recover my health with, and I know that I'm going to be losing a lot due to the Re-Deads and Gibdos which were no doubt waiting for me further along. " We could quickly run back and get some supplies if you'd like? Or, you can decide to take the risk and go at it with just your wits and weapons."

Looking at Spike for a few moments with a frowned expression on my face, I turned around and crossed back over the chasm before leaving the dungeon as there was no way I was going any further without the means of healing myself. Roughly 15 minutes later, I returned to the same spot as before having gone and made some purchases at the Potion Shop.

" Okay, these three red potions and one green potion should be enough to get us through this place," I said.

" And if you use one of them and have need to capture a fairy in a bottle, you can catch one and replenish your means of healing," said Spike.

" Doesn't it bother you that your own kind are caught and stuffed into such small cramped spaces like bottles?" I asked.

" It's a practice which has been happening to us for centuries, so we're pretty used to it by now. Of course, this only applies to the Healing Fairies whose specialty is to restore the health of those who capture them. My specialty is providing you with advice as well as being a friend and constant companion, so the chances of me being bottled are slim to none," replied Spike.

Knowing that was a relief as I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for his valued assistance. When I walked through the fake picture and into the next area, I saw that there were a number of skulls on top of poles which were surrounding a statue of some kind of bird-like creature. On the other side of another chasm was a locked gate inside the mouth of another statue which looked like the one that spewed out water back in the Bottom of the Well.

There was a sign by the edge of the pit which I believed contained some useful information, so I started to make my way over before I came to a stop due to the booming voice speaking out.

" Make my beak face the Skull of Truth! The alternative is descent into the deep darkness!"

" What do you make of that?" I asked.

" Look how the floor below the statue looks," replied Spike. I looked down at the floor surrounding the statue, and it looked as though it were ready to give way at any moment, but perhaps there was more to it than that. " That must be the statue Sharp told us about where you need to use the Lens of Truth in order to determine which skull the statue's beak needs to face. If you get it wrong, we'll plunge into the darkest depths where death is almost certain, but getting it right should allow us to progress."

Grabbing the lens from my belt and peering through it again, I discovered that not only was the skull closest to the chasm was the real one, but also another picture was fake as there was a door hiding behind it. Grabbing the stone stab which was connected to the statue and keeping the lens activated by holding it with one hand and pushing with the other, I managed to push the statue until its beak was facing the correct skull. This caused all of the skull's heads to light on fire and the gate on the other side of the chasm to open up.

" That gate has opened up the way forward, but there is no way I can jump across this chasm, and there are no Hookshot plates for me to pull myself towards. I think we need to head through that second fake picture, but first I want to read what this sign says," I said. Walking over to it and reading the message, it said that with the power of sacred feet, I could cross the valley of the dead. " Sacred feet? I wouldn't exactly call my feet that, but maybe we can find something that can allow me to cross the chasm without any problem."

" It sounds like a dungeon item is required straight away," suggested Spike.

" Then going in the direction beyond the second fake picture should eventually lead us to it," I said. Walking that way towards the door, I opened it and entered another corridor which ended with another picture, but I had a feeling that it was fake, so I used the Lens of Truth and discovered that the room continued on a lot further. When I made it over to the picture, the booming voice spoke out once again, but this time it said something different.

" One who gains the eye of truth will be able to see what is hidden in the darkness."

" I think we already figured that out," I said.

" Then why bring it up?" asked Spike.

" Maybe it's a hint as to what we need to do further along," I replied. Continuing on through to the next part of the room, I felt rather uneasy as the walls were covered with small skulls that had glowing green eyes. I knew that the Shadow Temple was going to be creepy, but I didn't think that it would do so this early in the exploration.

I felt as though I were being watched given how these skull's glowing eyes felt like they were staring into my soul. As I walked forward a few more steps, the voice boomed out again where it mentioned a fact which I already knew from what others have told me.

" Shadow Temple....here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred...."

" A pretty obvious statement considering I know all about it," I said.

" It's a reminder as to the natural evil that exists throughout this temple," said Spike.

" What is hidden in the darkness....tricks full of ill will....you can't see the way forward..." This message from the booming voice came out of nowhere, but it was a hint that the Lens of Truth can reveal the right path because once again I had reached a dead end. By holding it up to my eye again, I could see the room continues on even further, but there was another fake wall which was covering up a door.

I was compelled to take the door because for some reason I believed something useful was behind it, but then my senses when it comes to exploration need some work. This next room was really small and upon entering it, the door locked itself behind me with iron bars leaving me trapped inside, but at least there were no Re-Deads to be found.

" I'm sensing something in this room," began Spike.

" Which would be?" I asked.

" A dark presence but it's hiding somewhere in the shadows," replied Spike.

" I wonder what it is?" I asked.

" The kind that is able to thrive, and grow strong where darkness is abundant. It's a place where the undead and the demonic are able to move about without fear of the light, and the masses are already increasing in number so long as the shadow beast continues to draw from the recesses of the infinite blackness. Sunset Shimmer....you knew that I still lived, but you lied to yourself to make you want to regress such feelings out of your mind."

" No....you can't be alive!" I said as I stared face-to-face against one whom I believed to be dead. Standing in front of me having since emerged from the shadows was Sunset Demon, the dark side of my personality who was a reminder of what I became when I aspired to gain power in order to become the ruler of Equestria.

I believed that she had been killed after our battle in the Water Temple, but seeing her here was an utter shock. What she said about me pretending that she was gone was true as I always felt that she hadn't been defeated, so my mind made me believe that she was gone forever, and that I could resume my journey.

" Seeing that expression on your face is simply divine," laughed Sunset Demon.

" How did you survive?" I asked.

" I'll admit that my defeat by your hands was real, for I goaded you into transforming into that half-human, half-pony form where you proceeded to beat the living daylights out of me. Knowing that Ganondorf had boxed me into a corner with you becoming a powerful woman whose strength outweighed my own, it made me realize that my own existence hung in the balance," replied Sunset Demon.

She then revealed to me the wounds she sustained during our previous encounter, and I saw that while they had healed, there were hideous scars that remained as a result. The she-demon then walked towards me without lifting a single finger before she began to eye me over for a few moments before walking back to where she started. " I knew that I was going to die, but lucky for me that I used the power from the Element of Magic in order to cheat death."

" Gasp! What did you just say?" I asked.

" You never knew? I'm not surprised given your reaction, but I'll still tell you anyway because I find it all to be so ironic. When you were defeated as me, you were wearing the crown that belonged to Princess Twilight, and while you ended up losing your power, it was able to retain itself inside of my body. Think of it as taking the power from the Element of Magic, and creating it as a backup for me to use.

That crown's magic was one that I could never forget, yet all I have is a weakened version instead of the real thing. Not that it matters mind you as it was still enough for me to be able to survive. By using the element's power, I figured out how to survive, sever my connection with Ganondorf, and become the independent woman that I was before," replied Sunset Demon.

" I never knew that Twilight's element was something you remembered," I said.

" It was a miracle I even managed to use it at all," said Sunset Demon.

" And you used what you gained from her crown in order to return?" I asked.

" The shadow beast brought me here, and I was able to regain my strength although the scars still remain. And so, here we are once again in the same situation we were in last time, but I am no longer blinded by my desire to assume your life. I realize that my own ambitions got in the way of common sense, and for that I decided that a different tactic was needed. Oh I still intend on claiming what's mine, but I think I'm going to have some fun at your own expense. Yes, this is going to be a lot of fun for me," replied Sunset Demon.

I could see the evil glowing in her eyes, but this time it was much different from what it was before. She wasn't as enraged as last time because she knew that it was her anger which caused her defeat, but knowing this meant that my problems regarding her were only to get worse from here. " The locked door won't open until you're finished in this room, and by finished I mean you proving something to me.

" What do I need to prove to you?" I asked.

" You're strong Sunset Shimmer, stronger than you yourself realize, and for that I wish to know just how strong you really are. I'm going to challenge you to a magic duel, or rather several throughout this temple in an attempt to see what kind of power you possess. If you manage to defeat me, then I shall await for your next arrival in a later room, and know that I will not attack you until you reach me.

However, if you end up being beaten by me....well....it means that your life isn't worth taking for my very own, and the undead hordes will devour you to pieces," replied Sunset Demon.

" I take it that losing on purpose is out of the question?" I asked.

" Pretty much, but I hope that you defeat me because it will reinforce my belief that you are strong. While I have no intention of taking you on in a full-fledged fight because that would ensure my defeat, I intend on fighting using a more indirect approach," replied Sunset Demon. Knowing that I had little choice in the matter, I prepared myself to face the she-demon once again, but I couldn't help but think that maybe this was just a pointless thing for her to do.

She knows that I've gotten a little better since our previous battle, and is aware that my transformation will be the end of her even though I can't exactly control it. Is it possible that she can't be defeated because we're inside of the Shadow Temple?

" Why do you want to go through with this?" I asked.

" I want to test your true strength in a more controlled manner," replied Sunset Demon.

" But you'll be destroyed if you carry this through," I said.

" In this temple, the darkness reigns supreme without anything to oppose it, so if I were to be killed by your hands for instance, the evil will just bring me back again although it will take some time for it to go into effect. To put it in more simple terms for you Sunset Shimmer, you can't destroy me no matter what you try to do, so your only hope is to try and survive. Know that I have no intention of making things easy for you just because I'm not being sadistic like before.

Now, let's get this challenge started, so I hope you're ready for my onslaught as this duel is where only our magical skills are allowed to be used. That Master Sword of yours is off-limits, and so is your ability to transfom," said Sunset Demon. Her hands then began to glow red, but then they started to glow with some kind of dark energy which must be the result of the evil radiating throughout the temple. I had to defeat the she-demon again if I am to save Applejack, but this was going to be much harder for me....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 46: Demonic Magical Duels

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
February 25, 2015
Chapter 46: Demonic Magical Duels.

The images flowing through my mind of my last encounter with the she-demon were painful to recall, and facing her here and now once again wasn't making things any easier. My transformation allowed me to defeat her although I lose self control in the process, yet this time she is insisting on fighting in a different manner. Why should I have to resort to doing what she says when clearly I was stronger before despite using a power which I'm afraid of?

I guess Sunset Demon is truly a reflection of myself due to being the opposite of me, and therefore my likes and dislikes are reversed for her own. And yet, there are some things we have in common which really worries me. She desires a duel in magic, and knew that I would have no choice but to accept it for it goes hand-in-hand with my being a unicorn.

It was a grim reminder that my studies back in Equestria, brief as they were, taught me the fundamentals of magic, and that I should strive to go as far as possible. She knows that I can't refuse her challenge as that would mean going against my creed as a unicorn, but I wish that I could so as to avoid a needless fight.

" So are you going to prepare yourself, or are you just going to stand there daydreaming?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Why do you want to go through with this?" I asked.

" I already told you my reason for wanting a magic duel, so I have nothing more to say to you," replied Sunset Demon.

" I've nothing against that because you're doing what your twisted heart desires, but why not choose to fight me head-on like we did back in the Water Temple? My transformation may cause me to lose control, but it should be enough to whet your appetite considering you care about power. Why bother to prolong this when we can just get it over with as soon as possible? To be frank, I don't have the time to deal with you as I need to rescue someone who is very important," I replied.

" You wish to rescue the Sheikah woman?" asked Sunset Demon. That caused me to react with shock which in turn made the she-demon chuckle a little bit, but she didn't go into a maniacal laughter. Perhaps her defeat made her see things a little differently, and if so then this makes my task all the more difficult. " I thought as much considering that she came through this way quite some time ago.

While I wasn't here when she traversed these dark corridors, I've heard things from the undead monsters that say she was heading down to the lowest level. I also heard that she did something to ensure any who wanted to follow would be able to. I'll admit that I'm impressed with her skills for thinking of every last possibility."

" What do you know?" I asked.

" Quite the demanding tone in your voice....there's hope for you yet. If you want to know what information I have, then the only way you'll find out is by defeating me in a magical duel, but do know that you must play by my rules seeing as the Shadow Temple favours me more than it does you," replied Sunset Demon.

" How will this duel work?" I asked.

" I want to challenge you several times throughout this temple, so getting it out of the way in just one attempt would be such a travesty for I want to make this last as long as I can. Think of it as me inflicting emotional damage against you," replied Sunset Demon. Seeing that smug expression on her face really made me boiling mad, and wanted me to consider transforming just to go and put her out of both of our miseries, yet I knew that was what she would expect.

No, I needed to remain calm even if it meant taking plenty of jabs from her teasing. I won't deny the fact that she is much more level-headed than before. " Anyway, we're each going to use our strongest magic against the other through the use of one spell. Neither of us will be allowed to dodge, so the aim is to take the force of the magic head-on, and hopefully survive."

" Are you being serious?" I asked.

" Oh I'm definitely taking this seriously Sunset Shimmer otherwise I wouldn't have even thought of it. You and I are going to throw our magic at each other in a sort of quick-draw fashion, so let's see how good your resistance to magic really is. Being able to withstand fire is certainly an amazing talent you have because of how it reflects your cutie mark, but can you stand up to the darkest of flames used only by those who truly have become one with the purity of evil?" asked Sunset Demon.

That must be what those flames in her hands represent....she never did this previously, so what she said about the Shadow Temple was true. Since I had no other choice but to go through with her challenge if I wanted to escape from this room, I stood firm and conjured up the strongest fireballs that I could muster and prepared to use them. The she-demon then counted down from four to one before we both launched our respective attacks.

Both streams of magic passed by the other and struck their respective targets, yet it felt like my heart was being squeezed because of how powerful those dark flames were. The force was enough to send me flying back against the wall before I dropped to the ground and clutched my chest in pain.

Sunset Demon was thrown into the opposite wall as my magic had gotten stronger thanks to Rarity's powers as a Sage adding onto what I already had, yet she was able to get up quite quickly which was a bad sign. " Your magic has grown a lot stronger in such a short amount of time....how is that even possible? I know you were strong when we last fought, but this is completely unprecedented."

" You'd be surprised as to what I'm capable of," I said as I struggled to get onto my feet.

" How do you like the flames of darkness which I integrated into my own magic?" asked Sunset Demon.

" It felt like my heart was about to be smashed to pieces where it was being pushed at from two sides," I replied.

" Most people would have perished the instant they felt such darkness piercing their bodies in such a manner, but you are able to survive despite feeling some discomfort in the process. Even though you've changed your destiny by following the path of friendship, the taint of evil still exists inside of you, and it's something you can never get rid of.

Don't think of it as a curse, but rather a blessing for it means you can stand up to the purest of malice better than most. Sure, you'll eventually succumb, yet you'll last longer which makes for an interesting experience," said Sunset Demon.

" I kind of figured out that I was tainted," I began.

" And what lead to you that conclusion?" asked Sunset Demon.

" While you claim that I changed my ways from being a manipulative, intimidating, and downright horrible girl into what I am now, the transition wasn't as easy as you think. All I had in the name of friends were Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity who forgave me for my actions. Everyone else at Canterlot High wouldn't give me the time of day, and instead alienated me because they weren't ready to forgive me for my actions.

I truly felt alone despite my friends being there to support me, but deep down I knew that I was going to have a rough time especially when the majority of the student body were against me....not that I blame them of course. Even with my friends, I felt rejected because they favoured Twilight when she returned, but that was because I was the outsider trying to find her place.

The Dazzlings certainly didn't make things any easier for me, but I managed to pull through in the end, yet I still have some kind of evil hidden inside of me which comes out whenever I transform," I replied.

" Which happens due to losing control," said Sunset Demon.

" Maybe I'm meant to be tainted by evil, but I won't allow myself to become corrupted by it," I said.

" That means claiming your life has become a lot more interesting. You're still alive and standing which is all I care about at this point, but I suppose you've earned some rewards," said Sunset Demon. She then raised her hands which caused the iron bars on the door behind me to rise up, and this was followed by her eyes glowing that produced a large treasure chest.

Once it had finished materializing into the room, the she-demon walked over to the chest, and patted it on the lid several times before slamming her hand down onto it as a means of trying to intimidate me. " Hopefully, this will give you the incentive to want to make your way through this temple as fast as possible."

" And if it doesn't?" I asked.

" Then how about I sweeten things by giving you this to comb over," replied Sunset Demon. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a piece of paper which looked rather suspicious at first, but my expression immediately changed when I saw that the symbol of the Sheikah was printed on the top of it. How did she manage to get that in her possession? In any case, that pretty much served as an ideal incentive because I suspected that Applejack may have something to do with that paper, so I needed to get my hands on it.

" You don't have to fight me for it as I'm just going to give this paper to you, but I expect you to continue proving my expectations in exchange. I've had enough fun for now, so I'll leave you to carry on with your temple exploration." Sunset Demon then turned around and walked into the shadows where she disappeared which made me wonder which future room she will choose to challenge me again. While I'd rather not have to go and do what she says, there was no other choice as this was essentially her stomping grounds.

" Are you okay Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" I'm surprised at how all of that turned out," I replied.

" Even though I could have given you some good advice, I decided to let you handle it as Sunset Demon is your problem, and you know her better than anyone. It does strike me as odd that she would just up and leave like that, so what's with her sudden change from evil monster to manipulative fiend?" asked Spike.

" Her defeat at my hands back in the Water Temple made her realize that trying to kill me as a result of being enraged almost got her destroyed, so now she taking a more calm approach by testing me. Sunset Demon was genuinely afraid of my transformation as she knows that's what defeated her, but she also is aware that I can't control it right now. I don't want to say it Spike, but she is more dangerous now than she was before," I replied.

" I'd say she was less of a threat and more of a stubborn obstacle," said Spike.

" Believe me, she is going to become quite the problem especially since she knows that I'll meet all of her expectations before we're done here. I was hoping to have pretended to be unworthy, but that would be betraying myself. No, I'm going to have to play her game for a while until it reaches the point where I can defeat her once and for all. What that essentially means is that she is going to have the advantage from now on, unless I can find a means of providing my own advantage that trumps hers," I said.

" If you say so," said Spike.

" So what do you make of this piece of paper?" I asked.

" It bears the symbol of the Sheikah on it, so it's safe to assume that this was written by Impa. How that demon got hold of it is anyone's guess, but she was willing to give it to you. I suggest you take a look at what has been written down as it could provide us some clues as to how to progress through the Shadow Temple," replied Spike.

Holding it up and using some of my magic to make it bright enough for me to see the text, I began to read the paper and sure enough this was Applejack's handwriting. It said 'If you are reading this, then you have entered a place where the undead roam free without restraint. Why you chose to follow me is irrelevant, but I must warn you that progress is impossible unless you have the means to cross areas that loom above the descent into darkness.

There is an item somewhere near the beginning of the temple which contains the power to float, but I could not find it as my concern was on the shadow which even now grows in strength below.' The message on the paper ended there all of a sudden, and it made me wonder if Applejack had written anymore messages and scattered them throughout the temple. I guess this was just another collectible I needed to find, but this was one which served a rather limited purpose for it was useless in the outside world.

" So the treasure of this dungeon is somewhere on the first basement?" I asked.

" Pretty convenient if you ask me, for it means we don't have to do all that much to find it," replied Spike.

" Applejack seemed really concerned with wanting to deal with the shadow beast if she decided to ignore the treasure, but how was she able to cross that chasm we saw back in the room with that statue?" I asked.

" The Sheikah have abilities which the other tribes could never hope to obtain, and these skills enable them to carry out impressive feats which made them the perfect spies and warriors during the times of war. Impa used such skills to make it across without the need of sacred feet, so you need to find that treasure otherwise we're stuck on this level," replied Spike. Turning my attention back to the treasure chest, I opened it up to reveal the Dungeon Map, and I looked at it to give me an idea as to how the temple layout was shaped.

It seems that this place was like the Bottom of the Well where there were no floors, but rather basements which go deeper and deeper below underground. What was weird was that the first two basements were really small, and the other two were massive. Sunset Demon had plenty of opportunities to attack me on those lower levels, so I needed to watch myself when making my way around down there.

" Why is this room so huge compared to the rest of the rooms in the temple?" I asked.

" It does stick out pretty well which has you wonder what could be there to warrant such a size," replied Spike.

" Maybe the vessel that is said to take us to the other side is located in that room? It would need to be a large enough chamber to allow for a boat and a river to be able to exist down there, or perhaps it could be something else altogether? Also, I noticed some areas appear to be overlapping each other where certain rooms exist on two different basements as opposed to just the one," I said.

" Where do you think the shadow beast could be?" asked Spike.

" I've got a suspicion that it's located somewhere on the lowest level," I replied. Taking my finger, I began to run it along the map as a means of giving myself a small guidance to determine where we would end up going, and so far I was having trouble figuring out which parts of the basements we were to enter from.

My own guess was that the location of the shadow beast was somewhere to the left of the giant room, but I'd need to find the Compass first to be able to prove that what I'm guessing is going to be correct. " I think we need the compass, so I hope we can find it as soon as possible otherwise we might have to backtrack a little."

" The layout suggests that having to go backwards isn't going to be all that bad," said Spike.

" Until we see it with our own eyes, you need to assume that we'll have to backtrack to be able to progress," I said.

" Good point considering what we've experienced so far in the other temples. According to what I saw on the map, there is still one more room to explore on the first basement, and it's to the right of this room, so we might as well check it out. There are no other rooms where the sacred feet can be except for that chamber, so the process of elimination is quite evident," said Spike.

Leaving this room and turning to the right where before I determined that the wall in front of me was fake, I continued on into the next part of the area where the booming voice spoke out once again choosing to repeat a statement it already said.

" What is hidden in the darkness....tricks full of ill will....you can't see the way forward..."

" Now why do you suppose that voice would repeat itself?" I asked.

" Perhaps as a means of making it sink in that you're hopelessly lost in a place where the darkness has no equal, but you have the Lens of Truth which lets you uncover the tricks this temple is going to throw at you," replied Spike. Continuing on down the passageway, I ended up reaching a door where I could sense something familiar coming from the other side of it.

" Do you feel that Spike? I know we've felt this force before," I said.

" Just like what we sensed back in the Bottom of the Well," said Spike.

" You don't think I have to deal with that thing again do you?" I asked.

" Only way to know is to open the door," replied Spike.

" The last time was just embarrassing as all I had to rely on were bombs, but I suppose this time would be easier given that I do have better weapons. Still, I don't like it because of all those hands reaching out, and wanting to grab me with their hideous touch," I said. When I opened the door and entered the next room, it locked behind me with iron bars, and when I looked forward, I slapped my head in response. " Oh no! Did it really have to be this thing again!?!?"

Rising up from the ground before me were the arms of Dead Hand, but this time there were six arms as opposed to four. Not only that, but the room was much smaller which meant avoiding these arms was going to be difficult. " I'd rather face off against Sunset Demon than having to face that undead horror again."

" Last time you didn't really take that much damage, and you were using an unorthodox method. Now you have potions to heal your wounds should things get out of control, but it really shouldn't come to that. Also, you have stronger weapons to use like the Master Sword and the Megaton Hammer. If anything, I'd say you'll be able to defeat Dead Hand in a much quicker fashion, yet it does mean having to have one of those hands grab you in order to summon it from below," said Spike.

" Guess I've no other choice but to let one of those hands take a swipe at me," I sighed as I walked over to the nearest hand where it reached out and grabbed my head using a much stronger grip than before. Then, as if it were on cue, Dead Hand rose up from the ground with its neck looking upward making its weak-point impossible to hit until it lowered it down when it got close enough to me. I struggled to break free, but then suddenly a second hand grabbed me which completely pinned me down.

There was nothing I could do as the undead monster lowered its head and bit me in the arm as hard as it could before it continued the assault by biting me several times. Eventually, after a lot of wiggling about to no avail, Dead Hand attacked again which was enough for me to break free of the two hands before I retreated back to the door.

" What happened?" asked Spike.

" Struggling to break free from the grip of one hand was bad enough, but there's no way I can free myself when two hands are holding me down. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought if the hands decide to gang-up on me, and allow Dead Hand to get in as many free hits as it wants," I replied.

" At least you know that it doesn't inflict that much damage," said Spike.

" No, but it certainly adds up after a while," I moaned. Moving in closer in order to get it to lower its head down for me to strike it, I drew the Master Sword where one of the hands reached out and grabbed me which caused the sword to drop out of my hand where it fell onto the floor, and slid along a short distance before coming to a stop. " Oh come on!"

This was one of the most humiliating moments I've experienced on this journey, and just as I was starting to get the hang of using a sword without the need to change forms, but I guess I needed some more work. As I struggled to free myself again from the grip of Dead Hand's infinite hands, it managed to bite me which allowed me to break free.

I ran over and picked up the Master Sword where another hand tried to grab me, but I avoided it and cut it down with a simple swing before doing the same thing to a second hand which gave me some breathing room.

" Remember that new hands will grow back after a while, so be sure to watch out for those," said Spike.

" As long as I can keep on cutting them down carefully, I won't have to worry about being caught by those appendages," I said.

" Those hands do have a fast reaction time, so you would have to be extremely quick before they can grab you," said Spike. With that in mind, I waited for Dead Hand to make its way over and lower its head, but then it suddenly disappeared which meant having to use one of the hands to summon it back again.

Not exactly the best course of action for me to take, but I didn't exactly have much in the way of options. That's when an idea popped into my head which caused me to look down at the Lens of Truth, but not before dodging the newly grown hands which immediately wanted to hold me down while their owner reveals itself and attacks me.

" You know, I was thinking that maybe the lens can be used to locate Dead Hand," I said.

" It's possible for it's somewhere underground, and the lens does reveal all secrets no matter how hard they try to hide. I'm surprised at you Sunset Shimmer for coming up with such an interesting thought," said Spike.

" The longer this journey takes, the more I seem to get out of it which could prove to be useful. Anyway, if the lens can reveal its location, I should be able to make it reappear on my own terms rather than having to have those hands do the work," I said. Taking out the Lens of Truth and holding it up to my eye, I could see a large circular shadow near the back of the room in front of a hand.

So this is how Dead Hand is able to hide until one of its hands alerts it to the presence of an enemy, and when that happens it reveals itself and attacks. So long as it remains underground like that, it's immune to any kind of attack.

" Do you see that shadow over there?" I asked.

" That's what happens whenever Dead Hand disappears when you've wounded it enough times, or it goes about without being able to bite anything for a while. It's location will change each time it vanishes, yet you'll always know its position by using the lens to spot it. If you could use some kind of force to get it to come out of the ground, you won't need to rely on those hands grabbing you," replied Spike.

" What would be designated as using force?" I asked.

" Striking near the shadow is one way to force it to reveal itself, or you could use a Bomb to bring it up. Be careful when using bombs as you do need to walk forward a little if you want to throw it, or if you choose to drop on top of the shadow, you'll need to get away quickly before it explodes and damages you in the process. I suggest using the power of the Megaton Hammer, and see what ends up happening.

Now, when it comes to attacking Dead Hand this time, the Master Sword has a much longer reach than the Kokiri Sword, so you can afford to get a slight distance away from it before striking. Also, the divine blade inflicts twice as much damage so defeating this thing will probably take a few whacks before it goes down," replied Spike.

" Guess I should leave the Lens of Truth on for a few moments as to ascertain the location of the shadow," I suggested. Spike agreed and I took out the Megaton Hammer where I jumped forward and slammed it into the ground with a tremendous thud. This caused Dead Hand to rise up from the ground, and I immediately retreated back to the door in order to avoid the hands.

When the undead monster got as close as possible, I switched from the hammer to the Master Sword, but I ended up being grabbed by two hands which pinned me down. " Not again! This is something I'm hoping will never happen to me again!" This whole situation was really starting to get on my nerves, but I knew that struggling was futile as the hands were too strong with their grip on me.

Dead Hand finally made its way over where it lowered its head, and took a bite of my head to free me where I swung with my sword where one hit was enough to make it turn around and retreat by disappearing.

" It's changed locations, so use the Lens of Truth to see where it is now," suggested Spike. Pulling out the lens and looking through it again, the shadow was now right next to me which was both convenient and creepy.

" Now why would it choose to end up right here of all places?" I asked.

" I think that wound you inflicted upon it has caused it to become enraged, so now it's determined to finish you off even though the most likely outcome is you finishing it off given if you manage to hit it one more time with the Master Sword," replied Spike.

" Sometimes I have this weird feeling that these monsters have a strange attraction towards me," I said.

" I hope you don't mean that in a certain way?" asked Spike.

" No! Of course not! I'd never think like that as such a thought is enough to make me want to throw up repeatedly," I replied. Okay, that was taken well out of context which wasn't my intention, but my concern is still a legitimate one because these monsters always have this strange urge to want to get right in my face.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, I switched to the Megaton Hammer, and slammed the ground which forced Dead Hand to reappear although I wasn't expecting it to lower its head so quickly, and it resulted in me getting bitten one more time. Upon reeling from being hit, I swung the Master Sword where it flung out of my hand and sliced into Dead Hand which was surprisingly enough to defeat it.

It crashed to the ground where it's elongated mouth stretched out which still looked creepy, and my sword ended up on the other side of the room to my utter embarrassment. " Sigh....I've got to stop being so clumsy with that sword otherwise one of these days it's going to shatter to pieces, or I'll end up losing it which would be the worst possible thing."

" At least Dead Hand has been defeated, so you can relax for a while," said Spike.

" I suppose that's true, but still I really need to improve before I have to face Ganondorf," I said.

" That time is almost upon us given that we only have two more Sages to find," said Spike.

" Don't forget about the additional one Fluttershy mentioned which makes it a total of three, but you're right in that the time is nearing to the final conflict where I'll finally be able to return to my own world. It kind of makes me feel sad knowing that I have to leave Hyrule as I've grown quite attached to it, but I suppose all good things must come to an end even if you deeply don't want them to.

Listen to me having such a philosophical moment in a place like this Spike. I can't really look forward to returning home as there is still much more for me to do here," I said.

" You just need to focus on one thing at a time, and right now we need to wait for the treasure chest to appear which you know will happen as defeating Dead Hand should unlock the door," said Spike. As if on cue, Dead Hand's body finally disappeared which caused a chest to materialize in front of me, and the iron bars covering the door to raise upwards. Walking over and opening it, I pulled out what looked to be a pair of boots which were brightly coloured, but also featured a pair of wings on each boot which looked rather strange.

" I wasn't expecting the sacred feet to literally be a pair of new boots," I commented.

" These are the Hover Boots! While you wear them, you will have the ability to hover in the air for a few seconds. This can allow you to move across gaps which are too large for a regular jump, but there is a side-effect which cannot be ignored. They have no traction which means you will have trouble walking, and coming to a stop involves sliding forward a little bit. Also, getting knocked back by an attack is going to really be just that as you'll go sliding across the floor for a few seconds.

It may sound like what you've discovered isn't going to be that much useful, yet I can assure you that the Hover Boots are definitely going to prove their worth," said Spike.

" It sounds like they are needed for specific situations rather than being used as a permanent footwear," I said.

" You can walk around in them unlike the Iron Boots which are restricted to underwater, but I hope you like walking at a rapid pace just to be able to maintain any kind of movement what with the lack of traction being a problem. Still, you should be brave and trust in the boots as I'm sure they will be needed to overcome some of the more intricate puzzles that lie further ahead," said Spike.

I'll admit that I do like the idea of walking on air itself, and cross large chasms without fear of falling into one, so I suppose these Hover Boots are going to quickly gain my favour especially since I need them to proceed down to the next basement. Just as I was about to walk over to the door, Spike urged me to stop and look up at the wall where he saw another one of those skull pictures.

I had every intention of ignoring it because those things have been nothing but trouble, but I changed my mind when he told me that he could hear the spirits coming from it. " They are saying that this is a room where the song of light can be used if you wish to perform a special action."

" Could this be one of the rooms which the Royal Composer Sisters talked about?" I asked.

" It does sound like it, so why not play the Sun's Song and see what happens? I'm sure that those two will have something interesting they wish to bring up," replied Spike. Taking out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, I needed to be reminded as to how the song was meant to be played as I haven't used it for a long time now.

Once again, I could rely on my partner for having taken the liberty of writing down the notes, so once I memorized what he wrote on a small scrap of paper, I played the Sun's Song which brightened up the room. A few moments later, and both Octavia and DJ Pon-3 appeared by floating down after coming in from the ceiling before stopping in front of me with happy looks on their faces.

" To think that we would never get to hear the wondrous melody of our work," said Octavia.

" You mean to tell me that you weren't able to play your own song?" I asked.

" My sister Flat and I lacked the skills one needs to be able to play an ocarina, so our idea was to have Princess Zelda perform our song because she was very skilled. Sadly, Ganondorf made sure that we could never get the chance to hear our work when he killed us in cold blood. That was one of the only things we ever regretted wasn't it my little sister?" asked Octavia.

DJ Pon-3 responded by nodding her head a few times before lowering it down as though she were about to cry, but I understood how they were both feeling as I have had plenty of regrets in my life. " Alas, we can't allow negativity get in the way of helping you Sunset Shimmer, but know that all we can do is provide advice. I notice that you have got some very fancy looking boots in your possession."

" My fairy partner Spike referred to them as Hover Boots," I said.

" I've heard of these boots for they possess the power to allow you to hover in the air as though you were a spirit not bound to the land itself. They say that you can gain even more distance if you allow the power of wind to guide you along, but finding such an element even in a place like this can be difficult.

You can even walk on sand without fear of sinking below the depths, but there hasn't been any sand in this kingdom since after the first people came to settle here. By the way, how many times have you played our song since you first learned of it?" asked Octavia.

" That would have been about the third or fourth time," I replied.

" I'm not surprised," began Octavia.

" How come?" I asked.

" The power contained within the Sun's Song is one that cannot be underestimated, for only the most worthy are able to use the full extent of its arcane magic. You have been using it in order to stop the undead from attacking you in addition to summoning my sister and me, but you also had to play it to fix a mistake where you caused the day to change into night a lot faster than anyone expected.

I wouldn't call you worthy enough to use the true power of the Sun's Song, but you can still use it in order to cause great discomfort for the undead hordes as the light blinds them. Maybe towards the end of your journey will you consider yourself worthy to harness the power to change time from day to night and vice versa," replied Octavia.

" I suppose that's fair although I hope you're not implying anything about my skills," I said.

" Oh I've no doubt about your abilities being real as you've seen things most people would never get to experience in their life times, but I'll admit that the methods you use are quite different from a typical hero with the kind of upbringing you have. Perhaps it's not my place to say anymore on the subject, and so I will not speak any further about it," said Octavia. Did I just make her feel really uncomfortable what with me calling her out on viewing me as being unworthy?

DJ Pon-3 had been merely staring the entire time, and that really does make me uneasy as I expect her to say something, but all she does is rely on the use of expressions. " I'm afraid that Flat and I must leave, and return to the surface for the light of this room is beginning to wane. Remember to play our song, and we shall appear to assist you further," said Octavia. She and DJ Pon-3 then began to float upward towards the ceiling before passing through it and disappearing leaving me and Spike alone again.

" Do you think I made her feel guilty?" I asked.

" She hasn't witnessed what you've been through whereas I have, but even I have to agree that Sharp did go a little too far with that criticism. You're not a traditional hero in that sense of the word Sunset Shimmer, but that's probably why she thought of you as not being worthy to harness the full power of the Sun's Song. We both know what that melody is capable of, and it can be a dangerous force unless it's used wisely," replied Spike.

" Or not at all," I added.

" I'd say to use their song only when you need to overcome any undead monster. With those Hover Boots, you can now cross over that chasm, and make your way down to the second basement which is just as small as this level is. If you can find the Compass, pinpointing the location of the shadow beast will be easy, so we should make that a priority," suggested Spike. I then left the room and made my way back to the area where I had to move the statue.

The booming voice did not speak out which was a relief, but it made me think that maybe it will resume speaking when I get further into the temple as right now I'm merely at the start. Back in the other room, I switched over to the Hover Boots where I immediately struggled to stop myself from slipping all over the place.

" You weren't kidding when you said that these boots lack any traction," I said.

" It does take some time to get used to, but you'll eventually get the hang of it," said Spike.

" Here goes the moment of truth," I said as I ran off of the edge where the power of the boots allowed me to walk on thin air for a few seconds. It was both strange and exciting as it felt like I was a Pegasus flying in the sky even though that wasn't really the case. Once I reached the other side of the chasm, I tried to come to a stop, but I ended up sliding down through the now opened passageway until I tripped and landed flat on my face which brought me to a stop.

" Okay, I can safely say that these Hover Boots are going to give me some problems until I figure out how to use them properly, and you don't need to laugh at my misery Spike even though I just landed face-first into the dirt."

" I'm not laughing," said Spike as he struggled not to burst out into laughter.

" I rest my case," I moaned as I got back onto my feet and switched to my regular boots. Walking down the dirt path and into the second basement, I found myself facing off against a monster which I tried to recall what it was in my head, but my main concern was the piles of rocks which seem to be blocking my progress in all possible directions. " What was the name of this thing again?"

" It's a Beamos, and it has been a very long time since we last encountered one. In fact, the only other time we've seen it was back in Dodongo's Cavern, and it seems like we'll be seeing this a few times throughout the temple. Watch out for its search beam as it rotates around in a complete circle in order to look for anything that ventures into its space. If it catches you with its glare, it will fire a laser at you, and it can do quite a lot of damage if you're not careful.

It doesn't like smoke getting in its eye, so you can throw a bomb at it which will destroy it, or you may have to use two because the larger sized Beamos need to be stunned first before being blown up. This one appears to be of the regular size, so using one bomb is all you need to deal with it," replied Spike.

" As long as I keep my distance, that laser beam shouldn't hit me," I said.

" It does lack range, but you could trap it into constantly firing at you while being at the ideal distance, and all it can do is maintain its course of action until you throw a bomb and destroy it," said Spike. Making sure to keep well out of range of the Beamos, I got down onto my knees where I proceeded to take the Bomb Bag from my belt, and placing it on the ground before taking out a single bomb.

Once I placed the bag back onto my belt, I took aim hoping that I had the correct angle, and tossed the explosive which connected with the eye causing the entire thing to blow up. With the threat now having been taken care of, I turned my attention to the rock piles, and the idea of using additional bombs to destroy each one came to mind.

" There's obviously something on the other side of each of these rock piles as where else are we supposed to go?" I asked.

" It does seem a little too easy to use a bomb to turn each pile into nothing but rubble, so maybe there's more to this than what we can see? I'm not saying you shouldn't use more bombs as that is the logical solution, but maybe we should take a closer look just to make sure they are what they appear to be," replied Spike.

I could see where he was coming from, and I decided to go along with his logic because something did seem off about this. I walked forward to the rock pile directly in front of me as that was sheer instinct kicking in for me, and I pressed my hand up against the rocks to determine if they were authentic.

" These rocks are real, so we know that using a bomb here is a good idea," I said. Taking out another bomb from my Bomb Bag and placing in front of this pile before stepping back a few paces, it exploded and revealed the way onward which was quickly thwarted by a locked door. " Can't say I'm surprised to see a door with a lock on it at this point in the temple, but I knew we were going to need to collect some in order to move on."

" That means either the room to the left, or to the right will have a small key which can open the door," said Spike.

" First we need to figure out if the remaining rock piles are solid," I suggested which is when I quickly smacked myself in the forehead for having said such a lousy pun without intending to. Walking over to the pile on my left, I pressed my hand up against it just like I had done previously, and I almost stumbled when my hand passed through. " This pile of rocks is a fake which means that the other one must be the same, but only one way to really know for sure."

I placed the Lens of Truth up against my eye, and turned around where I saw that the other pile wasn't there either as the lens revealed that I could walk through without any worry. " This item is really incredible in how it can reveal the truth for what it is."

" It was named well," said Spike.

" You said that monsters can be invisible, so the lens would reveal them right?" I asked.

" The Lens of Truth has a small radius in which the truth gets shown through a circle of magic. Anything within that circle is always going to be the truth, so you don't need to worry about being deceived. You just need to watch out when something travels beyond the circle, for when that happens, it won't be under the power of the lens,," replied Spike.

" Makes sense otherwise it would be too powerful," I said.

" Which is why so many wanted it in the first place as they desired to further increase its power. There are some things no one must ever try to tamper with as certain powers are beyond the limitations of mere mortals. Even the Great Fairy would never think of wanting to alter something just to make it more powerful, so you can understand why the original owner of the lens wanted it buried beneath the well in the first place," said Spike.

" Then I need to prove that I'm worthy of using it as it was intended," I said. Walking forward and opening the door which was a portcullis, something I never really took notice of before until now, I entered another small room which locked itself behind me with iron bars, but I quickly backed myself up against the door due to the Re-Dead squatting down in front of me.

I was lucky that it didn't notice me, but this was a really cheap move by the temple to have an undead monster in such an awkward location. " Why did it have to be another one of these guys? I'd take anything else except for this and the Gibdos."

" You now have the means to defeat them properly in the form of the Master Sword," said Spike.

" I'm still pretty bad at using it considering I dropped it and accidentally flung it at Dead Hand earlier," I said.

" It's either that or use the Megaton Hammer which you do appear to have better control over," said Spike.

" While I know that the hammer makes for a very effective weapon in battle, I do need to rely on the Master Sword as I'll need to use it when I confront Ganondorf as I doubt any other weapon will be able to harm him. Pinkie Pie's combat lessons have proven to be effective, but I wish she could have given me some additional practice rather than have me learn from my own experiences," I said.

" All you can do is try to get better," said Spike. I had nothing to argue about in return as what he said was the truth, so once again I sighed over the fact that I really do need to improve on my skills. I took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Sun's Song which paralyzed the Re-Dead in place, yet I had to defeat it if I wanted to escape, so I swung the Master Sword at it where it dug deep into its flesh.

It was something I didn't want to see, so I closed my eyes and swung a few more times. On the final hit, the Re-Dead collapsed to the ground which resulted in the door being unlocked, and a large treasure chest to materialize at the back of the room. " Did you just close your eyes and swing that around madly in an attempt to connect?"

" Was I really that nervous?" I asked.

" That's not the right word I'd use to call it, but I suppose I should expect that coming from you. It's a good thing though as it shows you're slowly getting better, yet you do need to get over this issue with dealing with the undead," replied Spike.

" Duly noted," I said before opening the treasure chest where I pulled out the Compass, and that turned out to be the third of the four key chests in the temple I've found in a very short period of time. I'm not even halfway through exploring as all that remains is the Boss Key which is most likely somewhere on the lowest level. " Spike? Did you notice where the location of the skull icon is on the map?"

" It's on the lowest basement all the way on the other end Sunset Shimmer," replied Spike.

" I know I've complained about backtracking all over these dungeons, but this is just ridiculous! If I have this right, this is going to be one long trek from point A to point B with little in the way of having to go backwards in order to go forward," I said.

" This would be a good time to consider using Farore's Wind," suggested Spike.

" I'm thinking of it, but it would probably be best used when we're close to the location of the shadow beast. If I need to use all of my potions while making my way down there, I can create a warp point as close as possible to where it is, but then I would need to leave the temple which might be impossible. Unless....is it possible to use a warp song here inside of a dungeon?" I asked.

" I don't see why not as there is no restriction as far as I can see," replied Spike.

" Then we'll know when the time comes," I said. Once I made sure that there was nothing else in this small room, I went back into the previous one where the Beamos had re-spawned, so I used a bomb to take care of as I didn't want it to fire any lasers at me. With it destroyed and dropping some bombs which I picked up, I made my over to the other door, and opened it where I entered a much larger room which featured a lot of wooden planks on the floor.

There were some silver rupees scattered about, yet my concern was on the unusual decoration in front of me. " What do you suppose that thing is?" It appeared to be two figures dressed in black robes with nothing but yellow eyes coming from their hidden faces, and they were spinning around while holding some kind of sharp blade-like objects.

" Those two figures represent the grim reaper which is another name of Death which is a force that all people in Hyrule fear, and I know you fear it because you've almost succumbed to death more times than I can count. Anyway, what they are holding are scythes which are long curved blades attached to a pole which can strike by using the inside part of the blade to inflict the most damage," replied Spike.

" It looks like those blades appear rather dull as they don't seem to be sharp," I said.

" Not many people come into this temple because of the evil that plagues it, so I guess those scythes have fallen into disuse. They may not inflict that much damage, but it will add up over time if you allow yourself to get struck multiple times. You'll need to avoid the blades while you collect the silver rupees which should open up that gate over there in the far corner of the room....Sunset Shimmer? Did you hear what I just said? Sunset Shimmer? Yoo-hoo!" said Spike.

He then started to get miffed over my ignoring him, but when I pointed towards the base of the decoration, he stopped his griping because standing with her back to us was Sunset Demon who turned around once she had ascertained that we were in the room. The expression she had on her face was a smug one which made me believe she was going to go back on her idea of challenging me to magical duels, but I quickly became confused when she started to clap her hands.

" Glad to see that you made it here in one piece," said Sunset Demon.

" What makes you say that?" I asked.

" I was afraid that Dead Hand was going to end your life, but I knew there was no way that blob would defeat you. So far, you're living up to my expectations which makes me happy, but I wonder if you'll be able to continue with this streak. I'm sure you've taken notice of the scythes spinning around this room courtesy of these two reapers, and I feel that they aren't moving fast enough for my liking.

So what I'm going to do is increase their speed by using a little bit of magic, and you'll have to dodge both blades as you scramble to collect the silver rupees," replied Sunset Demon.

" And what if I were to use my own magic in order to reverse this effect?" I asked.

" I'm using a small portion of the shadow beast's power to enhance my magic, so what you're proposing just falls on death ears. I was also thinking of flinging fireballs at you while you scurry around like a mouse, but I don't want you to fall to such an easy challenge Sunset Shimmer. If you did then all of my efforts of claiming your life as my own will have amounted to nothing, and I can't allow that to happen.

All you need to do is collect the five silver rupees in this room, and the treasure chests over there will belong to you. I've got no doubt that you will succeed in this little test of mine, so don't disappoint me now," replied Sunset Demon.

" I know you're enjoying this," I said.

" Of course because it's my way of dealing with you without having to worry about that transformation of yours," said Sunset Demon.

" What does that imply?" I asked.

" You'll see that with your own eyes in the future, so don't worry about it for the time being," replied Sunset Demon. She then snapped her fingers which caused the decoration to start gaining in speed until it was about almost three times faster. While it looked like the scythes were slashing her to pieces, it turns out that the she-demon in front of me was an illusion, for she had been floating slightly above the decoration this entire time.

" At the current speed they are going, those blades can and will slice you in two should you come into contact with them, and I doubt that any of those potions of yours have the means of fixing something like that. I'm going to remain right here, and watch your progress but do know that I won't be attacking you while you're running about."

" At least I can take solace knowing that," I said.

" Why should I get my hands dirty when you have these spinning scythes to deal with? Oh, and you're not allowed to use any of your magic, so don't even try it as this room is shrouded in darkness which negates it until the challenge ends. You're free to use all of your weapons including that Master Sword, so it's not like you have to feel naked or anything if you're thinking in that manner. Like I said, don't disappoint me now Sunset Shimmer," said Sunset Demon.

This certainly left me in quite a bind for I needed to collect those silver rupees, but those spinning blades were definitely going to be a problem thanks to her magic having gone and increased their speed.

" What do you make of this Spike?" I asked.

" When I said those blades don't inflict that much damage, that was because they were spinning around at a slow pace. Now that Sunset Demon has gone and made them faster, one swipe is going to kill you so you need to avoid them at all costs," replied Spike.

" Can those planks on the floor protect me?" I asked.

" Unless you can somehow lift them up using some kind of immense strength, they're going to be staying where they are. You could always crawl on the ground if you want to avoid being sliced apart, but you will need to get up, grab a silver rupee, and then back down within a matter of moments. I suggest going after the rupees near the location of the reapers to get them out of the way," replied Spike.

" That way I can go after the rest without having to fear this trap," I said. Dropping down onto my stomach proved to be a little uncomfortable as the floor was cold, but I had to grin and bear it if I wanted to grab these rupees. It wasn't easy maneuvering over the planks, yet I managed to quickly get used to it before one of the scythes suddenly came along, and sliced off a small chunk of my hair.

" I've always wanted to cut my hair shorter, but this isn't how I had hoped to go about it! At least it was just my hair and not my head, but the fact still stands that I lost some of my hair." Yeah, I know hair isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things, yet it's the principle of the thing which was the issue here.

When I reached the first silver rupee which was in the path of the spinning blades, I had to time it just right to get up, grab it, and get down which is when I had an idea. " Sunset Demon said that I can use my weapons, so do I have anything which can grab rupees?"

" The Longshot may be able to pull them towards you, but you'd need to aim correctly and with those scythes spinning around like they are, you could ricochet off of one and end up in an even bigger mess," replied Spike.

" It's a risk I must take," I said. Taking out the Longshot and rolling over onto my back, I aimed at the silver rupee and fired the chain which bounced off a blade and landed very close to me before it retracted back. That's what he meant when he said an even bigger mess, so I really need to watch my aiming as I could essentially hurt or even kill myself with my own tool. Aiming again and concentrating really hard, I fired the chain where it snagged the rupee, and brought it back where I collected it.

Now I need to get over to the next one in the sequence, but crawling will take too long so I decided to roll myself along. This wasn't my best idea mind you, but it turned out to be just what I needed to collect the next two silver rupees although I did nearly make myself sick.

" The she-demon hasn't been doing anything since this challenge started," said Spike.

" I know and I don't like it," I added.

" Just two more silver rupees to go, and we can finally move on," said Spike. Lucky for me that the final two were on the outskirts of the room where the scythes couldn't reach, so once I rolled over to a corner, picked myself up, dusted the dirt off of my tunic, and gathered my bearings, I walked around and collected the fourth rupee which left one more to go, and it involved using the Longshot to reach it.

And yet, I had to get back into the range of the scythes to reach the Hookshot plate as my current position wouldn't allow me to aim at the plate properly. I dashed into the center of the room with nothing but gusto, and fired the chain which connected to the plate, and pulled me along to the final rupee, but I got caught by one of blades at just the last moment as I reached a high platform.

The amount of pain I felt as it sliced through the side of my body was so unbearable that I almost let go of the Longshot, and when I grabbed the last rupee and landed, I clutched my side as it was bleeding pretty badly. It wasn't a serious or even fatal injury, but this was definitely an issue which needed resolving.

" Can a potion heal this wound?" I asked.

" It's going to have to if you don't want to walk around in so much pain," replied Spike.

" Good thing we went back and bought those potions otherwise I'd be in real trouble," I said as I took out a Red Potion and drank the contents of the bottle. Within an instant, the wound started to heal although my tunic was a little damaged, and there was still a scar to remind me of what happened.

Sunset Demon then snapped her finger, and the spinning scythes slowed down until they were back at their original speed. With another finger snap, the gate at the far end of the room opened which meant I had passed this challenge although I almost lost it.

" So you were prepared to deal with a devastating wound by bringing along a potion....once again you've living up to my expectations which makes wanting your life so much more of a desire for me. You've passed this challenge Sunset Shimmer, and for that I shall leave you alone for a while until you run into me again somewhere on the lowest level.

Before I go, why don't I give you another good piece of advice which you may take into consideration. First, a question and you had better answer it! Are you aware of the ferry that will take you to the other side?" asked Sunset Demon.

" I know about it," I replied.

" If you search hard enough and uncover the truth of the matter, you might be able to give yourself a sneak preview of what it looks like. I should warn you though that you may not enjoy the means of getting to see it," replied Sunset Demon.

" What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

" I'll let you figure it out because I know how you enjoy discovering new things," replied Sunset Demon. She then turned around and flew into the darkest recesses of the room where she disappeared leaving me and Spike to ponder over what she had said. I was already regretting having agreed to these magical duels although this was more about survival as it was about using magic, and then I realized that she forced me into this.

" We can see the ferry to the other side?" I asked.

" It sounds like it, but can we trust what she says? I know she is your other self and all, yet she is twisted and evil and could very well be lying," replied Spike.

" Only way to know for certain is to see it for ourselves," I said. Walking along the edge of the room to where the treasure chests were, I kicked open the first one which revealed just a bunch of arrows, yet I took these because I forgot to restock on them prior to entering the temple. Kicking open the other chest gave me the small key which we needed to progress, but out of the corner of my eye was another picture of the now familiar skull.

Strange how it was placed in such an unusual part of the room as that direction just leads to a dead-end, and yet I was compelled to know more. " Spike, can you hear any of the spirits near that picture?"

" I can Sunset Shimmer, and they say that if we want to take a trip to see the ferry which will take us to the other side, come here," replied Spike.

" I don't like it," I said bluntly.

" Neither do I, but suppose we do get to see a sneak preview of what it looks like? It would give us an idea as to what to expect when we eventually make it down to the same location through the correct path," said Spike. This is true as it would be quite the advantage, but I still didn't trust the she-demon although a small part of me wanted to believe her words simply because she and I are one and the same.

With that in mind I walked towards where the picture was on the wall, but I should have realized that there was more to this than it looked, for the instant I stepped forward far enough, I found myself falling through the floor. From there, I plunged down into a deep pit with nothing around me to break my fall, but it looks like I'll be breaking all right if and when I finally reach the ground....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 48: Shadow of the Ancient Vessel

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 4, 2015
Chapter 48: Shadow of the Ancient Vessel.

" How am I supposed to get up to the top of that ledge before a minute is up?" I asked.

" Don't you have a resistance to fire? So then wouldn't those flame-walls mean nothing to you?" asked Spike.

" My resilience doesn't protect me from all kinds of fire as you may recall when we faced that dragon back in the Fire Temple. It's fiery breath almost burned me to a cinder, and let's not forget that I would've burned alive in lava. Unlike Pinkie Pie who can practically bathe in the stuff, I would die within seconds of being submerged in lava, and that is with the resistance," I replied.

" Then you need to see if you can withstand those flames before you otherwise the acid rising in that pot will gush out," said Spike. He had a good point for there was no other option available, so I began to climb up the ledges while throwing myself into the flames. The intensity coming from them wasn't doing anything to me which was a good thing, but I could feel something else affecting me.

" It looks like my resilience is doing its thing, but why am I feeling pain?" I asked.

" Remember that Sunset Demon has been granted dark powers from the shadow beast, so what you're feeling is the evil radiating from the flames. Because of your taint, you shouldn't feel too much damage although it will still cause some injury, so you need to get to the top, and destroy that pot before you're forced to use the last red potion," replied Spike.

With this new resolve in my heart, I climbed up the remaining ledges all the while being burned by the darkness within the flames, and upon reaching the top, I saw that the pot had almost filled up with the deadly acid. Quickly, I pulled out a Bomb from my Bomb Bag and tossed it into the pot where it exploded, but I had no means of protecting myself.

That's when Sunset Demon came over to me, and used some kind of barrier to protect me and Spike as well as herself from the acid as it splattered all across the room. It wasn't strong enough to cause any permanent damage to the room, but there was still some residual effects to be had.

" Once again you've defied my expectations, and completed this magical duel with little to no problems. I knew you were going to throw yourself into the walls of fire as your resistance to flames is pretty self evident. Don't forget that I'm your dark side, so any resistances you have are what I have as well. You're now free to resume your little journey in this temple," said Sunset Demon.

" Why did you decide to save me?" I asked.

" Quite the unusual question coming from the likes of you," replied Sunset Demon.

" You could've left me to die at the hands of that acid, and yet you chose to save me. I wouldn't have been able to survive, and your success was a guarantee had you not acted in such a manner. If I didn't know any better, I could swear you had no intention of seeing me killed. If I had been too late in destroying that giant pot, you would have saved me regardless," I said.

" Don't assume that I saved you because of viewing you as some kind of friend," began Sunset Demon.

" That thought has never once crossed my mind," I said.

" I do intend on claiming your life as my own, for that's something which I'll never give up on, but now I desire you to be even stronger so that when I do claim it, I'll be able to make you into a force that's beyond even my own expectations," said Sunset Demon.

" Then why not decide to face me right now in a final showdown?" I asked.

" I'm not going to blind myself to the obvious truth Sunset Shimmer, and that is your transformation is still a wild card. Even if you can't control yourself when you initiate it, I'd rather not deal with it right now. Oh, I have a means of handling it, but I'll save that for when we shall truly have a final showdown as you call it.

I'm going to have you go through one more duel, and if you manage to overcome it which I know you will, I'll take my leave, and meet you in the one place where your inner self is tested," replied Sunset Demon.

" I'm willing to bet that you're not going to tell what that is are you?" I asked.

" Why spoil the surprise that awaits you? I will give you another piece of advice for this temple as you could sure use some of that right now, and here it is so listen up. The ferry that will take you to the other side will only go so far before it decides to drop, so if you want to live and see the next sunrise, you'll abandon it before too long. I hope to see you again near the end," replied Sunset Demon.

She then disappeared into the ground leaving me to ponder over all of the things she said, and there was certainly a lot that was thrown my way. The good news was that her next challenge was going to be the last, and for that I'm happy as these duels are just getting ridiculous. Yet, what did she mean that our final encounter will be in a place where my inner self will be tested.

This was going to be on my mind for quite some time as well as what she said about being able to handle my transformation. Could she have found a means of being able to transform herself? I mean, she is a transformation of my true self due to when I put on Twilight's crown, but could Sunset Demon have discovered a means of going beyond what she already is?

" What are you thinking about?" asked Spike.

" Sunset Demon certainly had a lot to say before leaving, and I've been wondering what she meant," I replied.

" My advice to you would be to ignore it as she could be trying to freak you out, or she could be serious in which case you should still ignore her as you can't allow it to distract you. You're going to be encountering the she-demon one more time in the temple, and maybe you can question her meanings then, but whether she will choose to say anything or not remains to be seen," said Spike.

" The one thing that does bother me the most is what she said regarding my transformation. Could she have found a way to neutralize and render it useless? If she has then I suppose it wouldn't be all that bad as I prefer not to rely on my stronger form due to being unable to wield it properly. Or, she may have discovered an ability which can allow her to go beyond her current form," I said.

" Hard to say which of the two options is true as she was being rather cryptic, but again you should focus on finding the shadow beast, and destroy it in order to save Impa, and free Kakariko Village from the darkness that currently grips it," said Spike.

" I only have myself to blame for her cryptic nature," I began.

" How do you figure that?" asked Spike.

" Back when I was the "mean girl" in the human world, I often never indulged anyone about my plans. My belief was that I could trust no one, and all of them were merely tools for me to exploit to my own ends. If I were to reveal anything, I did so in a way that served to confuse rather than explain how it was supposed to go.

I didn't want to explain my actions as that would have meant being thwarted by any who had the courage to stand up against me, but no one ever did as my intimidation was too much for them to resist. Sunset Demon is essentially carrying on in the manner that I used to be, and just knowing this makes me feel ashamed of what I used to do. But, you don't have to worry about me, for I know that what I did was the old me. I just need to figure out what she has in store for me as it could prevent me from defeating Ganondorf," I replied.

" When you put it that way, then my suggestion of ignoring it gets thrown out the window," said Spike.

" Ganondorf is my priority because defeating him will bring peace back to Hyrule, but if Sunset Demon has her way and defeats me, she won't take up the task of bringing the Evil King down," I said. It was a little difficult to get back to the previous room as the acid had weakened the floor, and at one point my foot went through the ground which gave me a scare, but I was able to regain my footing and opened the door.

Back in this area, I recall seeing an invisible Hookshot plate that was above the ledge that housed the locked door I need to open, yet there was also a treasure chest that appeared when the two Re-Deads were defeated. " Do you think I should go for that chest, or should I ignore it and focus on exploring?"

" Even though the Re-Deads are powerful undead monsters, defeating just two of them to earn a small chest doesn't seem like the effort was worth it. I have a hunch that it will contain something pointless, so I suggest you ignore it and move onto the next room. Besides, there are other chests further along which will contain even better goodies for you to take," replied Spike.

" It is tempting, but you're right in that it's just too suspicious," I said. Using the Lens of Truth by holding it up to my eye, I could see the invisible plate right above me, and took out the Longshot so as to aim for it. I did need to move back a little in order to get the right angle otherwise I'd have gone nowhere. Once I was on the ledge, I unlocked the door and entered a corridor where I clutched my ears due to a howling sound. " What is that awful noise?"

" That would be the sound of wind," replied Spike.

" Not the bad kind if you know what I mean," I said.

" Take a look at that fan in front of you, and watch what it's about to do," said Spike. Ahead of me was a hideous looking statue with a large fan inside of it which wasn't protected by anything. As I stared at it, the fan inside started to spin which created a powerful gust of wind which blew me back into the door which did injure me a little bit.

After blowing for about ten seconds, the fan came to a stop before it started up again roughly 15 seconds later and repeating the process. " These fans are generating wind power from somewhere, and your current weight allows them to blow you about, so you'll need to gain some weight in order to stand your ground."

" The Iron Boots should give me the weight I need," I said.

" True, but remember that you'll be walking at a snail's pace so don't complain about being slow," said Spike.

" I actually forgot about that one drawback, but you can't exactly blame me seeing as I only used the boots when traversing underwater. This is a different situation altogether which I've not tried before until now," I said.

" And now you get to try it," laughed Spike.

" Lucky me," I moaned as I switched over to the Iron Boots. Immediately upon putting them on, I felt the weight of them wanting to bog me down, but I managed to persevere and began to walk forward just as the fan in front of me began to spin around again. While I wasn't pushed back this time around, the wind was so powerful that I almost lost my hat in the process.

I walked around the corner and hovering in front of me was a Big Skulltula, yet it was completely unaffected by the wind coming from another fan behind it. " How is that thing able to stay suspended without the wind causing it to be blown down the hallway?"

" This wind must be enhanced with the power of the shadow beast, and thus the monsters are immune to its effects. You should be lucky that it's just a Skulltula instead of something more serious like say a Re-Dead. In any case, you can defeat this monster by using either the Fairy Bow, the Longshot, the Master Sword, or even your magic," replied Spike. So many different choices I had at my disposal, and in the end I decided to go with the Longshot as I needed to conserve my arrows.

I fired the chain at the Skulltula which destroyed it, and continued to the right where I came to a stop at a pit. On the other side were two fans on the wall which were blowing wind, so now I needed to figure out how to make it across without falling into the abyss.

" Any ideas?" I asked.

" That wooden plank on the ceiling could make for a good target for you to fire the Longshot at, and while that would be the easiest course of action, I propose you try something a little different. You know how you've used earth, and water magic courtesy of the Great Fairy of Power? Well, wind magic is the one element you've yet to use," replied Spike.

" There aren't many places in Hyrule where I can manipulate the wind," I said.

" Until now if you catch my drift," smiled Spike. Despite his attempt at making a pun falling on deaf ears, I did understand what he was saying, and I'm surprised that I didn't think about it sooner. Since this wind was blowing about at timed intervals, it was possible for me to use wind magic and cause the fans to pull me towards them.

So I then closed my eyes and began to concentrate hoping that I could manipulate the fans to start blowing me forward. It wasn't easy considering this was my first attempt, but the fans began to spin as before, but this time the wind caught me and instantly pulled me across even with me wearing the Iron Boots.

" I never knew the wind could be so strong," I said.

" You did it Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" It may have taken a long time, but I finally managed to use the fourth and final element," I said.

" While fire may be your natural element, you should consider using the other three whenever you can. They might just prove to be useful to you when you least expect it," said Spike. Ahead of me, the pathway dropped down a little which was a little awkward because of wearing Iron Boots, but I was smart to have kept them on my feet as the next section featured fans on both walls all the way down to the end where a door was waiting for me to come and open it.

" This could be a problem," I said.

" You just need to keep the boots on, and that wind will not blow you away. That darkness below is nothing more than an abyss, and if you fall down into it then you know what will end up happening. That door looks to be the way forward, but there is something strange about the eye switch which is hanging on the wall above it," said Spike.

" It looks harmless enough to me," I said as I started to slowly walk forward. Each step was more like a stomp as I made my way across with the wind blowing about on both sides, but when I got close enough to the door, the eye switch suddenly opened up and a fireball came out from it which struck me in the chest. Luckily, I felt next to no damage because of my fire resistance, but this was really strange. " Why did that switch attack me all of a sudden?"

" This is a trap which has rarely been seen, yet it's deadly because of how deceptive it is in design. These switches will shoot fire at you when you get close enough, and it will follow you for a time until it either makes contact, or disappears after a while. It can be destroyed by shooting an arrow at it, but you can only hit the eye when it's open which lasts for about two seconds before closing again," replied Spike.

" So what should I do?" I asked.

" I'd just ignore it considering your fire resistance makes it nothing less than a minor distraction," replied Spike. Walking forward the rest of the way with the switch shooting another fireball at me, I opened the door where it closed on the other side with iron bars. That wasn't so much of a big deal, but the two Re-Deads in here definitely were because of how annoying they are getting.

" This is starting to get silly," I said.

" Just use the same tactics as before, and you'll do just fine," said Spike.

" At least you don't have to fight against the undead!" I moaned. Of course, I knew that I had to take care of them otherwise I wouldn't be able to escape from this room, so I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch and played the Sun's Song which paralyzed them in place which had me thinking. Now that I've been playing the Sun's Song a few times, I'm starting to memorize the notes.

It was giving me the incentive to really consider sitting down sometime and practice playing some of the other songs. Of course, I haven't had the time because of all the running around due to having to save Hyrule. Drawing the Master Sword from its scabbard, I sliced the Re-Deads with it which defeated them, but I accidentally let go of the divine blade where it collided with the wall and made a terrible clanging sound in the process.

" Be glad that it's incapable of breaking," moaned Spike.

" Somehow, I knew that was going to happen," I sighed.

" Thus the tradition of you struggling to wield the Master Sword continues, but you're getting better," smiled Spike. With the undead monsters having now disappeared, the iron bars covering the door rose up, yet no treasure chest appeared which had me wondering what the purpose was to this room. That's when I noticed something familiar on the back wall which I immediately brought to Spike's attention by pointing my finger at it.

" It's another one of those pictures of the skull, so does that mean you can hear the spirits?" I asked.

" I can definitely hear them speaking to me, and they have an important message. 'Those who have sacred feet should let the wind guide them. Then they will be led to the hidden path.' The spirits must be referring to the fans back in the previous room, and that one of them is the solution to this riddle. It looks like the Hover Boots are going to be getting some more action," replied Spike.

" But I don't recall seeing another door," I said.

" They did say that it was a hidden path, and that means a part of the wall is fake," said Spike.

" Using the Lens of Truth will allow us to see where we need to go," I said. That's when I realized that I had been wearing the Iron Boots this entire time, so I switched over to the Hover Boots and made my way over to the corner to pick up the Master Sword. Unfortunately, I neglected to take the lack of traction into consideration, and walked right into the wall before landing on my rear. " This temple is one bad nightmare after another, and I can't wait to be finally done with it so that I can focus on better things."

Heading back into the previous by walking very slowly so as to not walk into the door, I raised the Lens of Truth to my eye, and sure enough the fake part of the wall was to my right, so now I had to wait for the wind to do its thing. When the fan started to blow, I ran off of the ledge and across the gap without any problems....until I ran right into the hidden door.

" Oh come on!" Switching back to my regular boots after picking myself up, I opened the door which locked behind me, and in front was an ancient trap, a locked door, and two Gibdos which were even worse than Re-Deads in my personal opinion.

" Now this looks like quite the challenging room," commented Spike.

" Don't say it like that because Sunset Demon could end up appearing here, and make the situation even worse than it is," I said.

" It's not as bad as you make it out to be, for the Gibdo operate in the same manner as the Re-Deads where playing the Sun's Song will paralyze them on the spot making it easy to defeat them," said Spike.

" I know that, but the problem is they're both making their way towards me," I said. That's when Spike realized what I said was true for the undead mummies were slowly walking forward in the hopes of draining away my life energy. I had to act fast, so I took out the Ocarina of Time again and before being able to play it, one of the Gibdo wrapped its arms and legs around me, and began to drain my energy.

There was no way I was going to let that happen again, so I wiggled really hard which was enough for me to break free. As the Gibdo reeled backwards, I slashed it with the Master Sword, but it was still standing which gave me quite a shock, and then it grabbed me again.

" They are more resilient than Re-Deads are, so it will take more than one strike to bring one down," said Spike.

" I wish you could have told me that earlier," I moaned. The undead mummy had drained a tiny bit of my strength before I shook it off again through constant wiggling, and in its confusion I slashed it again where it toppled over to the ground in a heap.

" Use your fire magic," suggested Spike.

" What good would that do?" I asked.

" While Re-Deads are immune to all kinds of magic, Gibdos are vulnerable to fire as their bandages are ancient and thus really flammable. I know that I told you about this before when we were exploring the Bottom of the Well, for I also warned you that who knows what lies behind the wrappings of a Gibdo, yet you don't have much of a choice but to rely on your natural abilities as you can't afford to lose anymore of your health," replied Spike.

" Guess I have to go for it," I said. As the other undead mummy grabbed onto me in order to start draining my energy, I concentrated and quickly burst into flames which caused the Gibdo to release its grip on me before backing away. The fire which engulfed its body made it flail about in frustration, and that's when the bandages burned away revealing a Re-Dead underneath. Before this new monster could do anything, I slashed at its torso which felled it in one hit.

A small treasure chest then materialized as the second Gibdo disappeared, but when I opened it up, I was disappointed in that I pulled out a blue rupee. " Huh? Why did I get one of these instead of the key?"

" You may have missed a chest along the way," replied Spike.

" Like the one in that room where the invisible spiked sections were?" I asked.

" Perhaps, but why don't we take a look at the Dungeon Map? Besides, we need to check it anyway in order to confirm our current location," replied Spike. I took it out and began to scan over the lowest basement, and it turns out that the next room is the huge room where we saw the ferry back when I plummeted down that deep hole.

" According to this, there is a chest somewhere around here, but I don't see anything suspicious," I said.

" What about that pile of dirt over there?" asked Spike.

" Huh, I never noticed that until now," I replied. Indeed there was a dirt pile in one corner of the room, and it did look rather out of place, so I walked over to check it out. Once I reached it after avoiding the ancient trap, I dropped to my knees and began to observe this pile for any signs, and I could barely see a small gap which could potentially hide an item. " It looks like something is hiding beneath this, so how do I uncover it?"

" You could use a bomb," replied Spike.

" Wouldn't that blow up the chest?" I asked.

" Chests in this world are immune to pretty much everything because they can be found in the most bizarre of locations which we've seen plenty of times in the various dungeons," replied Spike. I decided to go with his judgement even though I was having some doubts, so I took out a bomb from my Bomb Bag, and tossed it onto the top of the dirt pile. When the dirt was destroyed, I was saddened to discover that there was nothing there.

" That was a waste of time," I sighed.

" But why have something that looked so obvious?" asked Spike.

" I wonder then if there's more to this," I replied before placing the Lens of Truth to my eye. Sure enough, a treasure chest was invisible which I thought was a pretty sneaky tactic, so I kicked it open which made it visible and took out the small key. " I just noticed that the power coming from the lens is looking a lot fader than before, so does that mean its magic is running out?"

" It sounds plausible," answered Spike.

" I'll keep going for a little while longer before I use that Green Potion," I said. Using the key on the locked door, and opening it to enter the next room, I came face to face with the ferry once again. This vessel was huge where it could easily be mistaken for one of those cruise liners that exist in the human world, yet its morbid appearance gave me a sense of dread. I walked forward in order to check out the kind of water this thing was floating on, but to my shock it was floating on the air itself.

If this temple wanted to freak me out if it hadn't done so already, it was doing a pretty good job of it. The ferry looked to be made of some sturdy wood, but that wasn't what was wrong. How do I go about making it move was the problem I had. " The fact that it's just floating is enough to make me want to go back, but we need to keep on going, so the question is how do we use it?"

" We're too low to be able to see any kind of steering wheel, so maybe we should make our way onto the deck, and see what we can find. There is a block nearby which you can push into that groove allowing you to climb up onto the vessel," replied Spike. It was a solid plan no doubt, but something about this just didn't seem right.

Applejack came this way previously, and she somehow made it across without needing to use this ferry. How did she pull it off? That's when a piece of paper suddenly floated down from above before it landed on my head, and when I looked at it, the symbol of the Sheikah could be seen. Spike noticed this as well, and was curious to know what was written on it. " Another message from Impa? I wonder what she has to say this time?"

" Let me read it then. 'You are nearing the end of your journey through the Shadow Temple, yet there are still some trials standing before you and the shadow. This vessel upon making it move, will take you to its pre-determined location. You simply cannot force the vessel to move, for it has no means for you to control it, yet you will be able to command it to carry you to the other side if you play the song which was entrusted to you that serves as your connection.'," I replied.

" Impa must be referring to Zelda's Lullaby as that's the melody which informed people that you were associated with the royal family," said Spike.

" Is there anywhere in this kingdom where their influence has yet to reach?" I asked.

" No, the royal family covered every aspect of the land with their way of governing," replied Spike.

" So I need to get up onto the deck, and play Twilight's Lullaby....that should be simple enough," I said. I walked over to the block, and realized that it was right underneath the section we were in earlier that goes back to the second basement. This block was the same one I felt stuck out like a sore thumb, so it meant that things were starting to come full circle.

I grabbed the block and pulled it before switching to the other side, and pushed it forward until it dropped into the groove. Climbing up the ladder onto the ledge that was situated near where the ferry was docking, I could see the Crest of the Triforce in the center of the deck, so now I knew what needed to be done."

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" This seems a little too easy," I replied.

" I couldn't agree with you more on that subject Sunset Shimmer. Something as majestic as this would surely have some guards protecting it, or there ought to be a trap of some kind waiting to be activated if we were to tamper with it," said Spike.

" I'm still unsure of riding this thing if there is no water beneath us," I said.

" It does feel weird doesn't it, but we need to make it across if we are to rescue Impa," said Spike. Once again, his words were correct despite my insistence. I then jumped onto the vessel which seemed quite solid despite it being such an ancient ferry, but I decided to get it over with by standing on top of the crest and playing the appropriate song.

As soon as I walked onto the Triforce mark, I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and played Twilight's Lullaby which caused the two small bells on the bottom of the vessel to start swaying back and forth. Each gave off a rather dull ringing sound which indicated that the vessel was about to move, yet why did I have this feeling of dread plague me all of a sudden?

" How long do you think this ride is going to last?" I asked.

" Hard to say for certain," replied Spike. The ferry then started to move forwards with the bells continuing to ring out which made me feel uncomfortable, but I suppose I ought to just kick back and relax while being taken to my destination at the far end of this massive chamber. It also meant that there was no going back now unless I rely on my strategy involving Farore's Wind.

" I still can't believe that this vessel even exists down here," I said.

" Perhaps it was used by the Sheikah for their training purposes," suggested Spike.

" While I know the Shadow Temple was originally a facility where they trained in their shadowy techniques, I can't imagine this ferry helping them become stronger so that they can serve the royal family better. I'd say that this was something which was used to deal with those who tried to infiltrate their tribe in the hopes of learning their secrets, or anyone who was too dangerous to be left alive," I said.

" Quite the morbid theory," said Spike.

" And one that happens to be rather accurate."

" I had a feeling we'd have to face her on this vessel as it made so much sense," I sighed. Sunset Demon then rose up from below in front of me where she folded her arms, and provided me with that smug grin which really gets on my nerves. " So you decided to wait for me on this vessel which doesn't isn't all that surprising, but even though you'll ignore what I have to say next, just hear me out.

I don't want to take on another challenge because you've gone against what you originally claimed them to be. You've been forcing me into situations where my life was on the line, and while I've gotten much stronger, you had no right to throw me into such peril."

" Granted, I do agree that my original intentions have not been carried out in the way that I said they would, yet despite that you've met each of my expectations which is what really matters. This is going to be the final challenge you'll be getting from me Sunset Shimmer, and would you believe that this is going to be the hardest one of the lot?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Not surprising," I replied.

" I want you to surpass my expectations one more time, and that will involve going through a quick skirmish," said Sunset Demon.

" Why does it have to be quick?" I asked.

" This vessel will only go so far until it reaches its final destination, and when that happens it will plummet into the abyss below us where death is certain. You've got roughly several minutes to overcome my final challenge, and if you can't succeed then your fate will be sealed. All you have to do is defeat your opponents in a duel using either weapons and magic, but you're not just facing me as that would be too easy," replied Sunset Demon.

" Going for the cowardly approach of having to need backup just to beat me?" I asked.

" Not really, for this is will benefit you more than it does me, and besides it's your life that hangs in the balance. If I plunge into the abyss then I'll just get brought back to life courtesy of the shadow beast who awaits at the end of this voyage. So, in that sense I have nothing to gain or lose, yet you have everything to lose if you're unable to prevail," replied Sunset Demon.

She snapped her finger which was starting to become a trend, and suddenly two Stalfos came down from the ceiling and landed on either side of her. While I didn't like the idea of having to fight these undead monsters again, I knew that I had to if I wanted to make it through this. That's when the she-demon winked which caused the Stalfos to glow with red auras, and right away did I suspect something was wrong.

" What did you do to those two monsters?" I asked.

" They've been enhanced with my magic to make them stronger than usual, so now you know what you have to do which means I don't want you to betray my expectations. Oh, and you should know that there is a barrier of magic surrounding this vessel, and it won't shatter until you defeat me and my assistants.

So don't attempt to bail out at the last possible moment because you can't. Also, your transformation won't work while within the barrier, so it comes down to you using your natural abilities and your weapons which should be to your liking," replied Sunset Demon.

" It actually is," I admitted.

" Yes because I'm aware that you don't like to use your alternate form," said Sunset Demon.

" I need to wrap this up as fast as possible, so I think the time for talk is over," I said.

" Agreed because you do deserve a fighting chance," said Sunset Demon. That's when she raised her hand and pointed at me which told the Stalfos to begin attacking with her following behind them in a tight formation. The undead monsters then swung their swords at me which I managed to dodge by jumping backwards, but then they suddenly shifted forward somehow allowing them to swing at me again with both blows slashing me in the chest.

I was lucky that the wounds weren't serious because I was able to dodge just in time, but how did they pull off such a feat? That's when Sunset Demon started to laugh as she produced fireballs in her hands. " That's one of the techniques they've got thanks to my magic increase, but don't let it put you off because I know you can handle it."

" Without your ability to transform, this isn't going to be easy," said Spike.

" Even if I did have the power to change, I wouldn't have done it anyway," I said.

" Why wouldn't you want to take the opportunity? You need to have the experience to transform of your own free will, and this would have been the perfect opportunity if it wasn't for this barrier which traps us," said Spike.

" I need to change in a friendlier environment if I hope to control it, and this is anything but friendly," I said. That's when the Stalfos attacked me again which I dodged by jumping to the side, and then jumping again when they shifted forward. Sunset Demon then began to fling fireballs filled with darkness at a rapid pace where I had to avoid them all by performing some dance moves, but that's when I forgot about the Stalfos when one performed a jump attack that struck me in the arm which turned out to be really painful.

Luckily, it wasn't my dominant arm which got hit, but this was still a major inconvenience on my part. All of this avoiding was getting annoying, so I needed to go on the offence especially since my time is limited. Using my own fire magic, I launched my own fireballs against the Stalfos, yet they merely bounced off without causing any damage to them which was really odd.

" I knew you were going to use your magic first which is why I took some precautions," said Sunset Demon.

" What else have you done?" I asked.

" These two are immune to your fire magic, and that's essentially the only magical power you have," laughed Sunset Demon. She proceeded to throw more fireballs which I chose to block using my arms, and my resilience kept the damage to a minimum. The Stalfos then attempted to attack me by swinging their swords while I was blocking, so it forced me to get out of this motion and resort to dodging again which is what I don't want to be doing.

One of them then jumped and struck me in the side where my original wound was, but fortunately it didn't start to bleed. Then the other jumped, and I had to dodge by rolling forward, yet as I came out of it, Sunset Demon was right there waiting for me where she blasted me at point-blank range. I ended up flying across the deck of the ferry where I made a rough landing on my back. " You're making this really easy which has me wondering if this is an elaborate scheme where you lose on purpose."

" Believe me when I say that I'm taking this seriously," I said.

" Why not use one of your weapons?" asked Sunset Demon.

" I'm likely to either drop one of them, or not be fast enough to use it in time," I replied.

" You're kidding me aren't you?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Surely you of all people would know that I was telling the truth about me having trouble using my weapons. Such things were never used or even heard of in both Equestria and the human world, so I had to figure out how to use them on the fly rather than coming in knowing how each one worked," I replied.

The she-demon's jaw then dropped which was certainly surprising, but then she quickly raised it back up when it became apparent to her that I had no plans on using my weapons. In her mind, it meant that I was essentially throwing away my life because my magic has been ineffective, and in a way she was correct about it.

" Then that means this challenge is over unless you have some other trick up your sleeve," said Sunset Demon.

" I have a few tricks left....magic that is," I said.

" What did you say?" asked Sunset Demon, but before she could get an answer, that's when I decided to make my move. Even though this ferry wasn't moving on water, it was still moving along a current of wind which I was feeling on my face, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on manipulating it in order to assist me. The wind suddenly came onto the ferry where it caught the two Stalfos and tossed them overboard into the abyss, so that left me with the she-demon who had no idea what was going on.

Directing the wind to blow in her direction, the powerful current caused her to lose her balance although it wasn't enough to make her fall over the side. So I had to redirect the wind by having it strike in all directions, and this left her in such a confused state that she tripped and landed on her face before I brought the wind to a stop. " How did you manage to control that particular element? Your magic style restricts you to the use of fire and nothing more."

" Then it looks like I have some additional powers that you weren't aware of," I said.

" Indeed which makes this even more interesting," smiled Sunset Demon.

" While I don't know what you plan on doing to counter my ability to transform, I'll never allow you the chance to assume my life. It belongs to me, and I earned it by making the right decisions while paying for my past actions. You only exist because I made a poor choice of judgment which resulted in me becoming you," I said.

" In that sense I guess you deserve a thank you for making me conscious and self-aware, but you strayed away from your intended path, and have been doing so for far too long which is why you need to be brought back to it. I will make sure you resume this path as great things await upon its conclusion such as conquered worlds where you serve as the queen, hundreds of thousands of servants who will be yours to command, and acquiring a power that is beyond your wildest dreams," said Sunset Demon.

" And without friends and family, the life you propose means nothing," I said.

" Those two things are worthless and you know it," said Sunset Demon.

" No wonder you're so pitiful," I sighed.

" Perhaps, but then that's the way I choose to look at things because I am your dark side, and I represent the evil feelings that you once had and chose to bury underneath such a strong layer of goodness. I have no desire to change my outlook, so I guess there's no need to continue with this pointless conversation.

Just so that you can humour me for a moment before we reach the end of this voyage which is going to be in about a minute, what other magical elements are you able to use?" asked Sunset Demon.

" You did say that I should continue to defy your expectations, and I'm going to do so by using the power of the earth," I replied. Since there was nothing of this element on the ferry, I had to resort to using the rocks and dirt from the walls of this chamber which meant concentrating even harder than ever. The she-demon took notice and began to throw more fireballs at an even faster velocity, but because I had to focus, I took each of these magical blasts without trying to block them.

By the time I was ready to make my move, my body had quite a few burn marks due to the darkness of her fire, yet I responded by pulling pieces of rock which slammed into Sunset Demon. She was knocked back several feet before being assaulted on all sides, and after a few moments of throwing an endless barrage, she dropped to the ground where I walked over and looked down upon her battered and defeated body. Yet I knew she wasn't finished as she could handle so much more than that.

" I'm going to assume that water is also what you're capable of using which means you've mastered the four primary elements. I don't know how you managed to pull it off, but once more you've exceeded all expectations. No doubt about it now Sunset Shimmer....you're stronger than before which is exactly what I wanted to see.

As a unicorn back in Equestria, you were chosen by Princess Celestia to be her personal protégé, so it was obvious that you would become such an adept user of magic. Even though you've since left her side to pursue your own goals, you continued your studies most likely with assistance from Princess Twilight, and your fire magic has become so potent.

Although, I have to know why you chose not to use such magic in our previous encounter. You didn't get the ability to use the other elements recently, so now you've piqued my curiosity," said Sunset Demon.

" I've no intention of telling you anything," I said.

" And why not?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Because you have chosen not to tell me anything about your hidden plans," I replied.

" Fair enough, so I won't bother trying to press the issue. You managed to overcome my final challenge just in time as we've reached the end of this voyage, and do know that you'll be able to jump off from this vessel before it sinks into the abyss. The barrier has been destroyed because you defeated me and my assistants, but what you had to deal with here is nothing compared to what lies ahead in the form of the shadow beast," said Sunset Demon.

" What about you?" I asked.

" That final barrage ended up weakening me more than I thought it would, so I'm not able to move right now. I'm going to be taking a plunge into the abyss, but that's okay for I'll be revived soon enough as it is, so I'll take this time to give you one more piece of advice. If you desire the key which opens the way to the shadow, you must answer back with the fire of this world. I'd jump right now if I were you as this vessel is about to drop in ten seconds, but know that we'll meet again where your inner self will be tested.

Let that sink in your mind for a moment while leaping to safety," replied Sunset Demon. She was correct in that we had reached the end of this massive chamber, and when the ferry came to a stop, it began to rumble which was the sign that I needed to get off. I then ran to the left side and jumped off where I landed on the nearby pathway, and a few moments later, the ferry fell into the abyss with the she-demon giving me a glare before she vanished below the ground.

Even though she told me that her survival was going to happen thanks to the shadow beast, I secretly wished that this would be the last time I get to see her because I was at the edge of my rope when it came to having to deal with her persistence.

" You did really well Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" I know although it doesn't feel like a true victory because we both know she's coming back," I said.

" The Shadow Temple just isn't the place where you can destroy something as twisted as her because the power of evil itself enables her to cheat death, but once you've defeated the shadow beast, the darkness will weaken and things will return to normal....as normal as one would expect from the house of the dead," said Spike.

" We need to get the Boss Key otherwise we're not finishing this dungeon," I said.

" First, why not take a moment to look around and see where we should go next," suggested Spike. Taking his advice to heart, I began to look around where I instantly noticed there was another abyss to the left meaning this walkway was sandwiched in-between the two thus making this a treacherous path.

On the other side of this second pit stood a locked door, and nearby was a rather tall statue with several Bomb Flowers growing around its base. This looked suspicious to me and I turned to face Spike to see what he had to say about it. " Strange that there are Bomb Flowers growing down here when we were told they only exist on Death Mountain, but this does present a problem in that we have no way of crossing over to the other side unless you can somehow make a bridge appear."

" Or create one using what lies in front of us," I said.

" Do you have an idea?" asked Spike.

" That statue over there has a cracked column which should break if those Bomb Flowers were to explode," I replied.

" Then you need to find a way to make them blow up. Bombs much like their natural cousins the Bomb Flowers are prone to exploding instantly if something were to disturb them. The only item in your possession which can even hit that far would be the Fairy Bow, but you would need to aim with intense precision as you're lacking in arrows right now," said Spike.

" Then it's a good thing that I have a large target as hitting any of them will cause a chain reaction," I said.

" Unless you somehow hit in-between them," said Spike.

" Yeah, there is that possibility which is probably going to happen," I sighed.

" Sorry if I sounded cynical of your skills Sunset Shimmer for that wasn't my intention, but you have been pretty unlucky whenever you use your items. At the same time however, you've made some pretty lucky shots which are a testament of your abilities," said Spike. When he puts it that way, I should be able to do this without messing up too much, and I did have about a dozen arrows which is more than enough to hit one of those Bomb Flowers.

Taking out the Fairy Bow, I aimed at the statue making sure not to lose my concentration, and I fired a few moments later with an arrow that sailed over the abyss....and ended up in-between the explosives which is exactly what Spike said would happen. I just couldn't believe my dumb luck gave me such a pitiful result as this.

" The one result that I didn't want and I got it," I moaned.

" Keep trying as you have more arrows," said Spike. Firing another one where I concentrated even harder, I hit one of the Bomb Flowers although you could say I barely nicked it on the side. Upon this one exploding, it caused the rest to blow up in a chain reaction resulting in the statue falling over, and creating a bridge as the horns of the statue were touching the ground on my side.

" That almost didn't connect," I said.

" But it did, yet we can't cross over for we lack a small key," said Spike.

" Then we need to try that door at the end of this pathway," I said. Walking along a few paces, I came to a stop due to there being yet another piece of paper with the symbol of the Sheikah on it. I picked it up knowing that Applejack left it behind, and began to read it in the hopes of learning what has to be done next. " You have almost reached your final goal of encountering the shadow beast, yet you have a few more trials to overcome.

In the room which lies beyond the door in front of you, what looks to be nothing but open space is not what it seems. Of the three possible routes to take, one is not required although you may be able to commune with the spirits should you desire additional information to serve as your guide. This is the final message which I have left behind for whoever has chosen to follow me, and so I shall leave you with my last words....beyond the locked door is an abyss, but do not allow it to frighten you."

" You'll need the Lens of Truth in the room beyond that door," said Spike.

" But what did Applejack mean about what lies on the other side of the locked door?" I asked.

" We'll find out later once we have the small key needed to open it," replied Spike. I then walked over to the door I can access, and opened it where I entered a room where numerous columns were all over the place in perfect lines. I could see what looked like a Wallmaster near the center, but when it turned green for some reason, it reminded me that this was a Floormaster; a similar monster but more aggressive than anything.

Because of what Applejack said in her final letter, I raised the Lens of Truth to my eye, and walls appeared making things more like a maze rather than a room filled with columns. All of a sudden, the ability to see the truth disappeared which had me freaking out a little bit.

" What happened?" I asked.

" You ran out of magic power, so you'll need to drink that Green Potion you purchased before we came in here," replied Spike.

" Glad you convinced me to buy one because of needing to use the lens so often in order to uncover the truth," I said as I took out the potion in question before staring at it for a moment with curiosity. To think that magic in this world is decreased at a much lower pace than that of health, but then it's because I've been using my natural magic as opposed to what is used here in Hyrule.

Uncorking the bottle and drinking the potion, I could feel my magic power returning although I wish the potion tasted better as it had a rather sour flavour. The Lens of Truth reacted to my magic increase, and resumed its ability to show me the truth once again. " I'm guessing that the Floormaster can't see me although it can sense my presence in the room."

" If it begins to glow then you know it's sensing you, and will attempt to charge even though it can't go through walls," said Spike.

" Of these three additional doors, one of them we don't need to enter although Applejack did say that we can talk to the spirits if we were to enter that room. That means we can talk to Octavia and DJ Pon-3 one more time before facing the shadow beast, so which one do you think it is?" I asked.

" One of them is a portcullis, so why not check that one out first," replied Spike.

" That looks too obvious," I said.

" Sometimes what tends to stand out the most is what you need to investigate," said Spike. His attempt at being philosophical kind of fell on deaf ears, but I knew what he was trying to say, so I walked towards the portcullis to the left of where I entered the room. It was a little hard to navigate what with the walls being difficult to traverse, and the Floormaster walking around made things even more of a problem, but after a couple of minutes of taking it slow, I made it to where I needed to go.

The monster was too big of a risk to want to deal with, and destroying it would mean nothing given it would end up re-spawning anyway should I leave the area. Choosing to ignore instead of fighting it, I entered the next room where greeting me was another giant X in the form of two planks covered with blood.

" There's a shadow over there behind that X," I said.

" It must be an invisible enemy which could be a problem," said Spike.

" How do I go about fighting it?" I asked.

" Keep the Lens of Truth on at all times, and make sure that the monster doesn't escape from its line of sight otherwise you'll have to spend a few moments trying to locate it again. We're fortunate only the one creature is invisible here. No matter what though, you must defeat this monster if you want to unlock the door as iron bars are covering it," replied Spike.

" Let's hope that this is one of the rooms I need to enter otherwise this is going to be rather embarrassing," I said. Holding up the lens to my eye and looking through it, the invisible monster was another Floormaster. Since I knew that my fire magic was going to be effective, I tried to use it to roast this monster, but for some reason I wasn't able to do anything. " Why isn't my magic working?"

" While using the lens, you're not able to use any other magic be it Hyrulean or your own until you stop using it," replied Spike.

" Then how do I go about defeating this thing if I can't see it?" I asked.

" You must use a combination of the Master Sword to fight, and the Lens of Truth to see where it's moving," replied Spike. I was really hoping to use my magic in order to make this an easy enough battle, but instead I have to do things the hard way. I had no doubt in my mind that this was going to be simple because I remember how a Floormaster behaves, but what I didn't know was that Sunset Demon had secretly left behind one extra challenge for me which she didn't mention before taking a plunge.

The moment I got close to this undead monster, it suddenly split into four versions of itself all of which were the same size. Once I figured out what the she-demon had done, I felt stupid for believing she was done with her challenges, so now I had to face yet another challenge against four of the same monster who can kill me very quickly if I wasn't careful....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 49: Drumming of the Shadow Beast

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 7, 2015
Chapter 49: Drumming of the Shadow Beast.

" Floormasters are incapable of splitting into four equally-sized versions of themselves right?" I asked.

" As I mentioned to you before back in the Forest Temple, when you defeat one, it splits into smaller hands, and are only capable of draining the energy from their attackers by latching onto their necks. What we're seeing here is plain impossible," replied Spike.

" Unless you take Sunset Demon into consideration," I began.

" What does she have to do with this?" asked Spike.

" I can detect a magical aura coming from these monsters, and it's Equestrian in nature. While she may be a demonic creature, Sunset Demon is still a pony just like I am, and the Floormaster was altered with Equestrian magic. I have to hand it to her because of setting up one last challenge, but at the same time it's nothing short of an annoyance," I replied.

" No wonder she didn't choose to laugh at you before she plunged into the abyss," said Spike.

" Exactly as it would have given away her attempt at making a bluff. While she's no longer in the Shadow Temple assuming that we can believe her words, this situation exists without needing her presence. Now that I think about it for a moment, Floormasters aren't really difficult so long as I make sure to avoid being grabbed by their smaller forms when they split into them," I said.

" With four of them in this locked room, you'll have to defeat a dozen small versions before we can escape. Your health right now is still good, but they could easily drain you completely if you're not careful," said Spike. His warning was well warranted given that a Floormaster when split-up becomes even more dangerous due to the pieces all having the ability to steal the strength from others.

Sunset Demon wanted me weakened prior to my encounter with the shadow beast, and this was a pretty effective way of doing it much to my chagrin. Perhaps my brief praising of her tactics was a little hasty. At that moment, the four undead hands all glowed green where they proceeded to charge at me. I barely dodged all of them where they crashed into the wall before turning around, and began to walk around at a slow pace.

" I just need to keep out of their line of sight," I said.

" If all four of them were to glow and charge at you again, I don't think you'll be able to avoid such a barrage again," said Spike.

" My fight with Sunset Demon and those two Stalfos did leave me feeling exhausted," I said. Because these monsters were invisible, I had to keep the Lens of Truth on at all times which limited me to what I could use to fight them with.

In fact, the only thing I can use is the Master Sword, and while I've gotten better with it especially here in the temple, I wasn't completely confidant that this was going to go well. " Guess there's no choice but to go with the divine blade, so expect to see the usual." Drawing it from its scabbard, I approached one of the Floormasters before being hit from behind by two others which knocked me into the planks almost breaking them in the process.

The remaining one decided not to bother and instead walked off on its own which struck me as an odd behaviour. The two that attacked me began to do so again, but I jumped over them with a lackluster effort as I collided with the one I wanted to attack. This one glowed green and ran into me although the knock-back wasn't as bad as before. " This isn't what I was hoping for you know!"

" Be thankful that the damage they're inflicting is minimal at best. Sunset Demon could have increased their overall strength thus making this even more unbearable, but I suspect that she refrained from such an action as it would have meant you perishing, and her being denied her goal," said Spike.

" I'm just struggling to keep tabs on them due to their invisibility," I moaned.

" Perhaps there is a way where you can defeat the Floormasters all at once as this current method doesn't seem to be working. I'm sorry that my advice didn't help you, but if there was a consolation to be found, it would be that you've gotten experience with fighting invisible opponents," said Spike.

" You don't need to apologize Spike as the magic of Sunset Demon is what made this more difficult, and for that your advice remains as useful as ever. Defeating all of them at the same time....is it possible to use magic to defeat them?" I asked.

" They don't have an immunity to magic, so the option is possible, yet you'll need to cast a spell which can target a wide area as trying to attack them one at a time will take too long," replied Spike. Those were the words I hoped he would say, for I had an idea which was guaranteed to make quick work of this situation.

Placing the lens onto my belt thus turning off its magic, the Floormasters all vanished although I could still see the dirt they were kicking up, and that's when I took out the gem which contained the power of Din's Fire.

" This should do the trick," I said.

" It will take two uses of the spell to split them into their smaller forms, and to destroy them after that. This is going to drain you of your magic power, but hopefully not enough where you can't use the lens to reveal the shadow," said Spike.

" What other choice do I have?" I asked.

" Then make sure that you're standing in the center of the room so that you can hit them all as missing any will require you to cast again thus wasting more magic," replied Spike. Performing the necessary poses, I cast Din's Fire which created a large flame explosion after slamming my fist into the ground. It quickly expanded until it covered all of the room, and the sound of burning monsters could be heard, but not seen which was the sign that the Floormasters had split up into their smaller forms.

That's when I could feel them grabbing onto me in the hopes of draining my energy, so I activated the spell again before anything could happen. Once the flames of Din's Fire reverberated throughout the room for the second time, a small treasure chest appeared on the other side of the giant X, and the iron bars blocking the door raised up giving me freedom.

" Hopefully that is going to be the last challenge the she-demon has," I moaned.

" Assuming she has departed from the Shadow Temple, I except there to be no further challenges, but do know that we still have a few rooms left to explore. You know, we should take a look at the Dungeon Map again as we can use it to pinpoint the location of the remaining chest which contains the Boss Key. That way, we can eliminate one of the rooms completely as it will be the one that isn't necessary for us to enter," said Spike.

" I still plan on checking it out," I began.

" Why would you even consider such an option?" asked Spike.

" Applejack's final letter did say that this other room allows us to communicate with the spirits of the dead, and we could do with talking to Octavia and DJ Pon-3 one more time to get some last minute advice. So far, those two sisters have proven themselves although if I may be honest, DJ Pon-3 could try saying something. While I understand her need for wanting to use signs and expressions to explain her point, the idea of just speaking should be obvious," I replied.

" Was this person like this back in the human world?" asked Spike.

" Indeed she was which made her difficult to talk to simply because it would be a one-sided conversation. Don't get me wrong, DJ Pon-3 has some amazing talent and that has been reflected in the role she has been given here in Hyrule, but the fact that she doesn't talk does leave something to be desired.

I can't force her to start talking, but maybe with some encouragement, the ideal results will begin to produce themselves. Before I open that treasure chest and leave this room, there is one question which has been on my mind for a very long time," I replied.

" What is it?" asked Spike.

" Those who served the royal family even before Ganondorf came along....were they really that dedicated to the cause?" I asked.

" All Hylians are born to obey the command of the King, and thus become servants of the royal family. This even applies to those who don't have a position within the castle or the royal court. It's been this way since the beginning when the Hylians first started to settle in this land, and while it does sound strange to you Sunset Shimmer, it feels natural to the people.

Everyone contributes to the well-being of Hyrule in their own little way, and while it may not seem like much in the long-run, every little bit helps to make the kingdom that much better. As for the other tribes, they have dedicated themselves to serving the royal family, but are allowed to self-govern their own territory, and continue their practices despite the unification," replied Spike.

" The King of Evil of course spat on that notion," I sighed.

" He had his reasons for what he did, and I'm sure that we'll know about them when we see him again," said Spike. So everyone who was born as a Hylian are destined to serve the royal family, and that even includes me even though I'm from another world. It's a good thing the people have chosen to accept this as their reality otherwise more than just Ganondorf would be causing problems. Still, would I have been chosen to become the Hero of Time had I entered this world as part of another tribe?

Perhaps that doesn't even matter considering that destiny placed this burden on me. There was so much more for me to learn as I had so many questions, but lacked the answers to them. I know plenty about the various tribes with the exception of the Gerudo....the Gerudo....I believe the answers I seek could be found in their home, but I would need to be certain about it. Spike noticed that I was deep in thought, and gave me a bop to the hand in order to snap me out of it.

" I had just figured out something," I said.

" What would that be?" asked Spike.

" Ganondorf's actions....I suspect that the Gerudo may know something about them," I replied.

" They would be privy to that kind of information although he would have kept some things to himself to ensure that no one betrayed him. I suppose we'll be finding out sooner than expected given that the final temple is located beyond their fortress," said Spike.

" It is?" I asked.

" The last thing that Sheik said regarding the locations of the five Sages was that one of them was "inside a Goddess of the Sand", and the only desert that exists in the kingdom lies beyond the Gerudo's Fortress. It's a place where few have ever reached because the fortress is difficult to get through in addition to a wasteland which some say can ensnare people trapping them for eternity.

Right now, we need to focus on rescuing Impa and breaking the curse on the Shadow Temple. We can deal with the desert once we're finished here," replied Spike. Once again, he was right as Applejack comes first. I walked over to the chest and kicked it open taking out the final small key of the temple, and with it now in my possession, I opened the door and entered the previous room.

" So which way do we go next?" I asked.

" I told you to take out the Dungeon Map so that we could look at it, but you ended up changing the subject," replied Spike. I knew that I was at fault for having gone and focused on other things, so after apologizing several times to Spike. I took out the map and scanned the lowest basement level again in the area we were currently in. " There is a treasure chest in the room opposite to where you're standing, so that means the room where we can talk to spirits is to the left."

" Even though we should go for the Boss Key, I want to speak to the Royal Composer Sisters," I said. Deciding that would be my course of action, I began to slowly walk over to the door on my left making sure not to attract the attention of the Floormaster. When I reached the door, I opened it and entered a room which was similar to the one where Sunset Demon almost killed me with an acid bath. " Instead of there being one giant pot, there are now three of them spinning around on some kind of platform."

" You can destroy them if you want to," said Spike.

" After what almost happened previously, I'd rather spend as little time as possible in here. You can sense the spirits around here right?" I asked.

" There is a strong spiritual power coming from the highest ledge, so you'll need to make your way up there in order to talk with the Royal Composer Sisters. I'm also sensing a dark power coming from elsewhere in the temple, but what it is I don't know," replied Spike. I didn't like the sound of that which meant I had to make this fast if we're to avoid whatever it is he's sensing.

Climbing up the ledges this time around was a breeze as there were no flame walls getting in my way, and the giant pots weren't filling up with acid. Upon reaching the top ledge, I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and played the Sun's Song which summoned Octavia and DJ Pon-3. Something was different about them this time as their expressions were one of fear as though something had gone and scared them. What could be so frightening that it could scare ghosts?

" Are we glad to see that you have made it here," said Octavia.

" Why do you look like something has scared you?" I asked.

" A tremendous dark aura is radiating from the lair of the shadow beast, and it's affecting all of the undead hordes which exist in the temple and the graveyard. There is only one reason why this is happening....the beast has gained enough power. If it were allowed to escape, it would attack Kakariko Village and level it to the ground with its undead army before it turns its attention to the rest of the kingdom," replied Octavia.

" Does that mean Impa wasn't able to contain it?" I asked.

" Because she doesn't have the means of being able to see it with her own eyes, Lady Impa's chances of survival are slim if she had tried to do just that. You should know that the evil version of yourself had been slowing you down this entire time. While she wanted to do so to fulfill her own desires, she was also carrying out the favour of the shadow beast. It gave her a small sample of its power upon her revival in the temple in exchange for stalling you as long as possible," replied Octavia.

Hearing this was shocking as Sunset Demon never once mentioned doing anything for the shadow beast other than receiving an increase of power from it. This did make things become a lot more clearer than before, and I should have realized that she had no intention of telling me such a secret.

Unlike Ganondorf who forced her to becoming a slave, the beast was determined to become stronger, and thus willing to treat her with respect to get some help in return. Octavia looked as though she had even more to say, and the expression on her face reflected this. " Now that the shadow beast's power has grown, it's happening to the undead."

" As you mentioned," I said.

" The people won't be able to handle them should they swarm across the land, so they must be stopped," said Octavia.

" And that's where I come in right?" I asked.

" Sunset Shimmer, if you destroy the shadow beast, the undead hordes will weaken to the point where they will no longer have the means to escape from the temple and the graveyard. Lady Impa came here to seek the guidance of her people who have passed on from this world, yet her possible defeat means that you alone are the only one who can accomplish the task ahead. With the eye of truth in your possession, you can finish her mission," replied Octavia.

" Which seems to be the normal way of approaching these situations," I moaned.

" I know it's quite the burden for one so young, but the fate of the kingdom depends on your success. Should Lady Impa still be alive, she will be sure to create another barrier to prevent anything like this from happening again," said Octavia. At that moment, DJ Pon-3 finally did something. She hovered over to her sister and whispered something for a few moments before moving back to where she was. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out an object which she proceeded to give to me.

The mute sibling could see the confusion in my face, so it looked as though Octavia had to explain things. " No doubt you're wondering just what it is that Flat has given you? While it won't be able to aid you in your quest, it will give both of us some peace of mind when we finally move on from this plane."

" What is it?" I asked.

" It's something we found during our research involving uncovering the secrets of the royal family. This is an ancient artefact my little sister discovered one day after digging about in the desert due to a strange lead she had discovered in one of our history books, and it turned out to be connected to the Sheikah.

We're not entirely sure what it's true purpose is for we know very little about the shadow folk, but I am sure that Lady Impa will know what to do with it. We had planned on giving this to her at the same time we were to reveal our results to the King, but Ganondorf prevented either thing from happening," replied Octavia.

" How were you even able to keep it with you all this time considering you're ghosts?" I asked.

" Before she met her end at the hands of his accursed blade, Flat was able to hide the artefact in her pocket and was buried with it upon her death. We weren't able to retrieve it because we're ghosts like you said, yet just recently before you summoned us, we were able to pick up the artefact as though we were flesh and bone again. Rather than question such a miracle, we came here where my sister decided that you should give the artefact to Lady Impa.

For some reason, we believe that you two have a strong connection," replied Octavia. She had no idea how right she was about the connection between Applejack and me, but I nodded my head which was the indicator that I would deliver this item to her. That's when something else came to mind, and that was the location DJ Pon-3 found it in which prompted me to ask about that particular area.

" What is the desert like?" I asked.

" I myself wouldn't know as I've never set foot in that wretched place, but Flat has and will whisper to me what she wants to say, and I in turn speak on her behalf," replied Octavia. That's when DJ Pon-3 hovered over to her older sister, and began to speak in her usual manner, but this was a much longer wait than before which must mean she had a lot to say. After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, the mute sibling returned to her original spot, and Octavia began to speak again.

" According to my sister, the desert is a harsh land where the Gerudo have struggled to survive for years, yet while they have the sanctity of their fortress, there is a stretch of desert that even they wouldn't dare to traverse. What lies beyond their home is a wasteland embroiled in an eternal sandstorm, and your vision is limited where you can only see a short distance in front of you.

This is all that Flat was able to learn from one of the Gerudo who was willing to share this information with her in exchange for my sister leaving as soon as she found the artefact."

" Was there any mentioning of a temple?" I asked.

" Flat was told that some kind of ancient ruin exists out in the desert," replied Octavia. This was very useful information I had been given, yet there was much which still needed to be answered, so maybe Sheik will be able to fill in the missing holes. At that moment, the two sisters began to quiver with fear.

" The light is fading from this room, and that means we will no longer be able to aid you once we have disappeared. Once the shadow beast has been defeated, our spirits will finally be allowed to return to the heavens where we can rest in peace. This is where we say our final goodbye to you Sunset Shimmer, and thank you for everything."

Octavia and DJ Pon-3 then floated up towards the ceiling before floating through and disappearing leaving Spike and me to ponder over our next move.

" It looks like we gathered a lot of information, so you can say that it was worth the time to speak to them," I said.

" I noticed that you wanted to learn more about the desert," said Spike.

" After hearing what you and Octavia said, I was compelled to inquire further in the hopes of getting to learn more given it's the only area we've yet to explore. Of course, I didn't get everything that I wanted to know, so I'm hoping that Sheik or someone else can provide me with some additional answers," I said.

" At the same time, we were told that the shadow beast has gotten so much stronger thanks in part to Sunset Demon slowing us down," said Spike.

" I didn't think she would resort to such a tactic, but then she did manage to get what she wanted out of me regardless. Still, it's annoying to know that once again I was manipulated by her just like in the Water Temple where she did a similar tactic that resulted in my transformation," I said.

" She is a dark reflection of yourself you know," said Spike.

" So in that sense I was the one slowing myself down, and giving the beast all the time it needed," I sighed.

" Then we need to get the Boss Key before it has a chance to escape," said Spike. Once again, I was experiencing a race against time although this time I had no idea how long I had before the situation goes beyond my ability to prevent. Jumping back down the ledges, and opening the door brought me back into the central room of this area again.

By taking the Lens of Truth from my belt and holding it up to my eye, I could see which way I had to go, but the Floormaster was now on the same path. As soon as it detected my presence, it glowed green and proceeded to charge at me where I dodged it by jumping to the right. This proved rather fruitless for the moment I landed on my feet, it had turned around and began to attack again.

I had no time to deal with it, so the only option available was running as fast as I could to the door. The undead hand chased me for a few moments before I reached the door and opened it where I entered a small room which featured wooden fences with sharp spikes on the front.

" Now this is an unusual decoration if I ever saw one," I said.

" There's a Re-Dead to your right, and it's blocking the treasure chest which contains the Boss Key," said Spike.

" All we need to do is get rid of these wooden fences before we can take care of the undead monster," I said.

" Fire should do the trick," said Spike.

" But, is it just me or are these fences slowly moving towards me from either side?" I asked. My question would be quickly answered when it became apparent that they were getting closer to me. If this keeps up, I'm going to be sandwiched between the two fences, and eventually poked to death with those sharp spikes. " You know, Sunset Demon did mention that I needed to use fire from this world in order to get the Boss Key."

" Then she must have been referring to Din's Fire," said Spike.

" I suppose she deserves some thanks for hinting at what I need to do here, but I'm not going to let her know it of course because I'm not about to start trusting anything that comes out of her mouth," I said. Quickly taking out Din's Fire, I performed the poses and cast the magic spell creating the burst of flame.

It expanded at a rapid pace before engulfing the entire room, and burned away the wooden fences. The Re-Dead on the other hand was unfazed by my fiery magic, and continued to squat down as before as though nothing had happened to it. It was annoying that it was immune to magic, but at least only the one was in this room, and that it wasn't a Gibdo.

" I'm sure you can easily handle this," said Spike.

" Unless something unexpected happens," I said.

" You don't want to go and jinx yourself now because doing so will lead into nothing but bad luck," said Spike. It was actually too late for that as the moment I drew out the Master Sword, I accidentally dropped it on the ground although I did pick it up rather quickly. Anyway, when I got closer to the Re-Dead, it got up onto its feet, and began to walk towards me with its slow pace.

I wasn't going to let it paralyze me on the spot, so I ran around to the other side of it where I slashed it in the back with one swing. The undead monster was defeated and collapsed to the ground, and I felt both relieved and excited that I once again managed to defeat a creature despite the slight hiccup.

" Now we can finally open that locked door," I said.

" First you should get the Boss Key," said Spike.

" That would be a good idea," I said as I walked over to the treasure chest, and opened it up. " To think that we would once again be receiving this in the second-to-last room we had to explore the lair of the strongest monster in a temple. Makes me wonder if the last temple is going to repeat the process."

Putting the Boss Key away carefully so as to not drop and break it, I walked over to the other side of the room as there was another treasure chest which either the map neglected to tell me, or I couldn't see it when I was looking earlier. Kicking open this chest revealed a blue rupee which wasn't all that exciting, but it didn't bother me due to picking up the one other key that I needed.

Heading back into the previous room, I went to the left and now the Floormaster was on the opposite end which prompted me to make a comment about it. " Every time we've had to come here from each direction, that thing keeps on changing position. Why does it do that?"

" It's another one of the great mysteries of this world which has no answer," replied Spike.

" I can give a good enough reason, and it's sheer annoyance," I moaned.

" At times it can cause a problem as the monster shows up at a random location," said Spike. Ignoring it and going back into the massive chamber, I noticed that something was different, and it had to do with the charred sections near where the vessel sank.

" No doubt that this was Sunset Demon's doing," I said.

" Which means she has now left the temple," said Spike.

" I was hoping that the plunge into the abyss would have been enough to finish her off for good, but this just reminds me that I'll have to face her once again in the near future much to my displeasure. Do you suppose that she took the power given by the shadow beast with her when she left?" I asked.

" What we're seeing through these charred sections does indicate that is the case," replied Spike.

" At least now she no longer has the darkness to back her up which could end up being her downfall, or she might be aware of that and has prepared the means of ensuring her victory. I can't allow such a thing to happen because it would mean the destruction of Equestria and many other worlds! Who would've guessed that I would be my own worst enemy even when the true enemy is Ganondorf," I said.

" Sunset Demon doesn't dare to want to mess with the Evil King again as she knows what happened last time," said Spike.

" That would make him an ally which is not what I want," I moaned.

" Then you must destroy the she-demon for good," said Spike. Sunset Demon is an extension of myself, but twisted and devoid of the kind of warmth which has enveloped me thanks to my understanding of friendship. At least the bridge I created wasn't destroyed otherwise I'd have no means of making it across. The statue was pretty sturdy, so walking on it across the abyss was easy enough, and upon reaching the other side, I noticed some pots on the floor which I picked up and smashed against the wall.

A large magic jar came from one of them which I picked up because I need magic power, and the rest contained recovery hearts. These will give me some much needed health, so now I can definitely save my remaining Red Potion for what lies ahead. When I used the last small key and opened the now unlocked door, the next room was a shock not because of what was featured, but rather a lack thereof.

" What is up with this room?" I asked.

" Aside from this ledge here and the other way over there, this room is nothing but one large abyss," replied Spike.

" Do you think I can make it across with the Hover Boots?" I asked.

" Not even close," replied Spike.

" Then we're stuck if we can't make it across to the other side," I sighed.

" Maybe not Sunset Shimmer despite what it looks like, so let's think about this for a moment before you do anything. The Hover Boots do appear to be needed to cross this abyss, but with no wind around to bring you across, you would fall to your death within a few seconds of leaving this ledge," said Spike.

" So how did Applejack make it across?" I asked.

" Perhaps she discovered the secret behind this room which we can't figure out," replied Spike. That reminded me of what she said in her final letter with regards to this room, and that was to not be frightened. It didn't really make sense to me, but maybe there was something about her words which lies the solution. To not be scared would involve stepping out into thin air, but how could I guarantee survival without knowing for certain?

" I have an idea," I began.

" What is it?" asked Spike.

" This may sound strange, but I'm going to fire an arrow into the abyss," I replied.

" Strange isn't the word that I would use, but I know better than to doubt your ideas," said Spike. I took out the Fairy Bow, and aimed at a random spot in the abyss. When I fired an arrow, it ended up striking what appeared to be an invisible wall, and was stuck there for a few moments before it dropped down.

" Something is invisible out there," I said.

" Then this is where the Lens of Truth comes into play," said Spike. Putting the bow away and raising the lens to my eye, I could see a series of thin walkways which served as the means of allowing me to cross over to the other side. I could jump from section to section, but that would be risky as one wrong leap would send me into the abyss and to my death.

Spike did say that the Hover Boots would be needed, and now I was seeing why this was the case. Switching over to the boots, I began to slip about although I didn't fall over this time which was a relief. Once I was certain that I wasn't going to lose any sense of momentum, I began to make my way across by hovering.

This was without a doubt really stressful as the thought of plunging into the abyss was far too great, but I managed to remain calm as I finished the crossing and reached the door itself. Behind the giant padlock was the image of a skull which gave off a sense of dread, but it was the aura coming from beyond the door that truly gave off dread in my heart.

" Right now, I wish someone else was here doing this, but we've made it to this point by overcoming immense odds. That Red Potion is going to end up being used in this encounter as I'm expecting myself to take a lot of damage in the process," I said.

" Before you open the door, didn't you say that you were going to create a warp point in here using Farore's Wind?" asked Spike

" You know, I almost completely forgot about doing that, so I'm glad that you reminded me," I replied. Taking out the gem which contained the magic of warping, I performed the necessary poses before creating a warp point which appeared on the other side of the room. I then grabbed my wallet and opened it up to see how many rupees I had, and it turns out that I didn't have that much.

" I guess collecting all of those silver rupees, and finding the ones in the treasure chests didn't give me as many as expected. By my calculation combined with knowing the prices of the potions, I can only afford either two red potions, or a red one and a green one. What do you suppose would be the best course of action?"

" Do you intend on going back outside?" asked Spike.

" I'm really tempted because of wanting the means to survive, but then what if leaving to grab some potions will allow the shadow beast to escape from the temple? Right now, it's reached its full power, so by choosing to go back and get what I need, I could very well be dooming the entire kingdom," I replied.

" Then it comes down to whether you want to focus on yourself, or the people of Hyrule," said Spike.

" Not a difficult choice to make because I would choose the people," I said.

" Only a true hero would go with that decision, and you have proven yourself to be just that Sunset Shimmer. At least you still have the one Red Potion on you, so it's not like you're going in without the means to survive," said Spike.

" Maybe when we're finished here we can go to the Potion Shop, and get some supplies so that I am well prepared for what comes my way in the future. For now though, there is nothing else to do but to open this door," I said. Using the Boss Key to unlock the door, I opened it and entered a small room which featured the paintings of the skull on each wall, and in the center was a hole which looked really deep and foreboding. " So this is it huh? I was expecting something much worse, but instead we get this?"

" The aura is coming from that hole," replied Spike.

" So we need to go even further underground?" I asked.

" It does by the looks of it," replied Spike. Knowing that I had to keep going, I leapt into the hole where I proceeded to fall down a huge shaft which consisted of nothing but dirt which had been carved out to make a hole. After what felt like forever, the shaft then opened up into another massive chamber where I landed on something which made me bounce up and down.

" What kind of a platform is this?" I asked.

" It looks like some kind of large drum given that you bounced upon impact with it," replied Spike.

" What would a drum be doing down here?" I asked.

" Considering what we've seen in the Shadow Temple, this is normal even if it doesn't make sense. For someone who desires to play it, they would need to be huge and have large enough hands to make music. Also, there is some strange water surrounding this drum on all sides, so I wouldn't recommend stepping in it otherwise it could inflict some serious damage," replied Spike.

" The darkness down here is truly foreboding," I said.

" This is the lair of the shadow beast, so it's only natural that we would be surrounded by the infinite darkness. Even the purest of heart would struggle here because the darkness is much too powerful for them to resist," said Spike.

" You can thank Sunset Demon for that as her slowing us down allowed the beast to become stronger," I said. It just pains me to know that the she-demon has made this situation even worse, but there was nothing I could do. What she has done can't be reversed, so I need to focus on defeating the shadow beast. But, where exactly is it?

Surely, it would have attacked me the instant I entered this room, but so far things had been eerily quiet....until something heavy slammed down on this giant drum which sent me flying into the air for a few seconds before I landed hard on my rear. " What in the world was that?" The same heavy force slammed the drum again, and I repeated my jump into the air.

This was followed with a series of slams alternating between slow and fast variations which had me bouncing around with no means of being able to keep my footing. " I can't keep my balance due to this pounding!"

" Sunset Shimmer....you might want to look behind you," said Spike.

" What's behind me?" I asked.

" Quite possibly the largest undead horror you and I have ever seen," replied Spike. His voice sounded really nervous, so I turned around to see what was happening, and that's when my entire body turned white as a ghost. Floating in front of me was a giant demonic creature which had no face, but it did have a large body complete with hands which were separated from the rest of it.

This thing was certainly intimidating what with its size alone, and when its hands began to pound into the drum, I realized this is what was causing me to bounce around. Eventually it disappeared leaving its hands behind which looked weird at first, but that's when it began to pound the drum even faster than before.

" Okay, so what do you know about this thing?" I asked.

" This is Bongo-Bongo, the Phantom Shadow Beast, revived from the Bottom of the Well," replied Spike.

" Are you being serious? It's called what?" I asked.

" Bongo-Bongo," replied Spike.

" It makes sense because we're standing on top of a large drum which it's pounding on with its two hands, but you have to admit that it isn't the most threatening name for such a powerful creature," I said.

" Deeply noted, but let's focus on the matter at hand. Bongo-Bongo is going to be invisible aside from its hands, so you should hit those to stun them for a few moments, but do know that they have many attacks which are going to inflict a lot of damage. I have no idea how many it has, but it will switch between them at random which is going to make things difficult.

The way this creature behaves is that it will slam its fists into the ground for a few seconds before attacking, and then after that it repeats the process. You'll need to use the Hover Boots in order to keep your balance which is what you were complaining about a few seconds ago, and the Lens of Truth is going to be needed to look at it," said Spike.

" What will happen if I stun both of its hands?" I asked.

" When one is paralyzed, it will attack with its remaining hand until you either stun it as well, or the previous one returns to normal where it will proceed with its attack pattern. Once both hands have been hit, I'm assuming that it will react to your attacks, and do something else in retaliation.

This may reveal what its weak point is, so go after the hands to see what happens next. If you get knocked off of this platform and land in that strange liquid, you won't be killed instantly. Instead, you will take small amounts of damage every second until you get back onto the platform," replied Spike.

" Maybe that's when I should be looking at it with the lens after the hands are out of commission," I suggested.

" Keeping the lens on throughout the duration of this battle would drain your magic power too quickly, so I agree that you should activate its power when you have stunned both of Bongo-Bongo's hands," said Spike. As the hands of the shadow beast pounded the drum which caused me to fly into the air again, I quickly switched over to the Hover Boots.

Good thing that I did because when the hands slammed down again, I still was sent upwards, but due to the boots giving me the power to float, I didn't lose my balance although it did mean struggling to move. All of a sudden, Bongo-Bongo stopped pounding, and that's when its left hand moved before coming back and knocking me over so hard that I slid all the way across to the edge of the drum, or maybe it's a platform? I don't know which it is so I'll just call it both names so as to be properly accurate.

Struggling to get back onto my feet, the right hand dropped down from above. It was so fast that I couldn't avoid it, and I found myself being flattened which wasn't very comforting. This same hand then lifted itself and fell on me for a second time before it moved back to the other side of the drum before it and the other hand started to pound again.

" Using the Hover Boots slows me down so much," I said.

" If you don't keep them on, you're going to be flying all over the place and lose all momentum," said Spike.

" How am I supposed to avoid those hands when they keep moving around?" I asked.

" Because it has no arms, Bongo-Bongo has free range with its hands where they can move all over the place. You need to keep a close eye on where each one is going when it initiates an attack otherwise you could get blind-sided," replied Spike. The hands continued to pound the drum until they stopped which was the indication that they were about to attack again.

The right hand then clenched itself into a fist which I avoided somehow by rolling to the side, but then the left hand did the exact same maneuver where the resulting blow sent me flying off the drum and sliding all the way to the farthest reaches of the chamber.

" Well, that proves you were right," I said as I picked myself up before realizing where I was. " This liquid looks really disgusting, and I think I can see some kind of substance flowing about in it."

" That would be the remains of the shadow beast's numerous victims," said Spike.

" Not what I needed to hear," I moaned as I struggled to not throw up after what I'd just heard. I needed to get back onto the platform because this liquid was slowly draining my health, and because the Hover Boots made me slide such a distance, it will take me about five seconds to reach my destination.

What was strange during this ordeal was that the hands of Bongo-Bongo kept on pounding away without any signs of stopping until I climbed back onto the platform. " So it refuses to do any attacks whenever it can't sense me being on the drum?"

" It's aware the liquid causes injury, so it uses that to finish off anything that manages to survive its attacks," replied Spike.

" What I need to do is attack those hands because I'm getting fed up with being flattened, punched, and who knows what else it has got for attacks. I'm guessing that ranged attacks will be effective because I noticed that whenever I try to get near to the hands due to bouncing up and down, they move around to the other side. Do you suppose this would be a good time to use water magic?" I asked.

" I suspect the shadow beast is immune to the liquid, so another option is needed," replied Spike.

" And I think I know what that will be," I said. Moving closer, I unleashed my fire magic hoping to burn both hands at the same time. To my dismay, my magic merely fizzled upon contact, and then I had to avoid the left hand trying to flatten me from above with the right one trying to grab me which it failed to do.

I had hoped that my magic would be useful here, but it looks like Bongo-Bongo has an immunity to it which really does limit my options....and that's when I realized that there was only one weapon with ranged attacked that I could use. " I have to use the Fairy Bow to stun both of those hands!" Yes, I had need of the bow in order to fight this thing, and my skill with it isn't the best in the world. Why did it have to be that of all things? " This just made things even harder than they already are."

" You have gotten better at using the Fairy Bow," said Spike.

" I'd say that my shots hit roughly half of the time with the other half missing entirely," I moaned.

" Those hands are much bigger targets than what you're used to seeing, so I'd say that you'll be able to connect as many times as necessary. You just need to watch your arrow count as you only have about a dozen of them left," said Spike.

" Unless for some reason those hands decide to drop some extra arrows, but we really should have gone to the Shooting Gallery before entering the temple. I need you to remind me to pay that place a visit in addition to the Potion Shop," I said. I took out the Fairy Bow and aimed at the nearest hand which was the left one. The pounding of the platform was making it difficult to aim, and my first arrow completely missed, but I wasn't about to blame myself as the bouncing was annoying.

When the hands stopped moving, the one on the right tried to punch me, so I fired another arrow which bounced off. The next thing I knew, I found myself flying across the platform to the other side, but I was lucky that I didn't fall off and into the liquid.

" If one of the hands becomes a fist, it's immune to all kinds of attacks until it unfurls itself," said Spike.

" Good thing I figured that out now instead of later," I said. The left hand then tried to flatten me, but I fired an arrow up at it which turned it blue to indicate that it was stunned, so now I had to deal with the other hand.

Unfortunately, before I could do anything, it grabbed me where it began to move back and forth in a shadowy motion, and tossed me off of the platform and into the deep recesses of the chamber again. " That attack really did a lot of damage! It felt like my body was being assaulted on all sides by unseen forces before being thrown over here."

" Bongo-Bongo is certainly a powerful creature what with its attacks, and because of that you've yet to even discover its weak point," said Spike.

" Not to mention taken a lot of damage, but not enough to put me in the position of needing that Red Potion. I'll probably need to use it if I were to take another major blow," I said. Knowing that I had to run back to the platform as fast as possible, I cut the conversation short and headed over where I climbed up again.

The stunned hand had since recovered, so I immediately fired an arrow just as it was about to move, and stunned it which caused the other to attack in retaliation. By firing another arrow at this one, both suddenly rose up before clenching up into fists which made me worried that something was going to come my way.

" I believe it's about to charge at you," said Spike.

" What should I do?" I asked.

" This is the moment where the Lens of Truth needs to be used in order to see it," replied Spike.

" I hope I've got enough time before it comes charging at me," I said. Taking the lens and raising it to my eye, I could see the shadow beast in all its hideous glory, but it had changed since the battle first started. There never was a pulsating eyeball before, so could that be the weak point?

Before I could do anything, the beast charged where it slammed into me with so much force that I felt the wind being knocked out of me several times over. I didn't get thrown from the platform which was fine, yet that wound was severe to the point where it could have been fatal. I struggled to turn around where the hands moved back to their usual position.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I feel like I just got hit with a freight train," I replied.

" Even though I have no idea what you're talking about, I'll assume you meant that what happened almost killed you," said Spike.

" Did you notice the eye?" I asked.

" It must open up whenever the two hands get stunned, so now we know the weak point. All you need to do now is to fire an arrow at the eye before it slams into you, but absolute precision is needed because you're firing at a moving target," replied Spike.

" I only have about eight arrows left," I said.

" Make that 18 because look behind you," said Spike. I turned to discover two small bundles of arrows had appeared behind me, and I barely managed to pick them up before they disappeared. I had no idea where they came from, but Spike quickly explained that they were dropped by the hands.

" Your joke about them dropping arrows for you turned out to be true which is really ironic, but it does mean you won't be running out so long as they continue to drop. By the way, I suggest to use that Red Potion as one more hit is going to kill you."

" Yeah, I've held out as long as I could," I said.

" This would be a good time to transform you know," suggested Spike.

" I'd rather not do that, and besides I doubt that Bongo-Bongo is going to give me enough time to attempt it," I said. That name was still rather silly in my opinion, yet I took out the Red Potion anyway and consumed it where I felt relieved knowing my strength had come back to me. The hands pounded just like before, and when they stopped, the right hand flattened me because of being too slow to react, but I was able to stun the left one with an arrow.

As the right attempted to grab me, I stunned it by firing another arrow which is when I used the Lens of Truth to see the shadow beast with its eye open. Aiming for the weak point while it was charging was a little tricky, but I managed to connect causing Bongo-Bongo to finally stop moving, and crash to the ground.

" Now you need to hit the eye," said Spike.

" Will my magic work now that the weak point has been exposed?" I asked.

" It should although I don't know for sure, but you need to turn off the lens first. Before you say anything in response, know that the shadow beast will remain visible as long as it's stunned, yet it won't last long so attack it with everything you have," replied Spike. When I placed the lens back on my belt, I could see the huge monster looking weakened because of the pain it must be experiencing from my hitting the eye with a single arrow.

Using my fire magic and hoping for it to work, I fired a rapid stream which ended up actually doing something, so I kept it up until the shadow was able to recover and move back to its position.

" My magic does work, so I won't be using the Master Sword for this," I said.

" Do know that it will take longer as your magic doesn't have the power to fight against evil," said Spike.

" That's the only drawback, so maybe I should use the divine blade towards the end when I'm on the verge of victory. I guess Bongo-Bongo is a lot more predictable once you've figured out its attack pattern despite how random the attacks can be," I said.

" By repeating the process you used to attack its weak point, it shouldn't take too long to bring the shadow beast down. Just keep your health as high as possible and you will be victorious," said Spike. As the hands resumed their pounding, I could attack them right now in order to speed up the process, but I'm not that confidant in my skills with the bow, so I waited for them to stop.

When that happened, the left hand tried to punch me, so I jumped to the side although this caused me to get grabbed by the right hand which assaulted me with shadows as it moved back and forth before tossing me to the edge of the platform.

" I really need to be faster to avoid that grabbing motion," I moaned. The hands then pounded the drum again, and upon stopping the left hand punched me in the chest making me fall off the platform after sliding along thanks to the Hover Boots, but at least I didn't slide too far, so getting back onto the platform was easy enough.

The right hand tried to flatten me again, so I fired an arrow stunning it, and when the left one began moving towards me, I stunned it as well before using the Lens of Truth to see the eye open up. As the shadow beast charged at me, I fired many arrows where the first few missed, yet the last one connected bringing it down again. Upon it crashing, I used my fire magic in another barrage against the eye inflicting so much damage against it, but it still wasn't enough to defeat it.

" Use the Master Sword in the next exchange," suggested Spike.

" I think I will because this has gone on long enough as it is," I said. The hands pounded once more as I bounced up and down without losing my footing, but when they stopped moving and proceeded to attack, the right one grabbed me and started to crush me within its palm. It must have been an desperation attack because it hasn't used it before until now, but I was fortunate that it didn't hold me for very long. Still, it damaged me a great deal which made glad that I drank the Red Potion earlier.

The left hand tried to use the same tactic, yet this time I was prepared so I stunned it with an arrow before repeating the same thing to the other one when it attacked. When the lens revealed Bongo-Bongo with its eye open, it charged at me once more where I responded with many arrows which eventually brought it down. Upon switching to the Master Sword and slashing at the eye, the shadow beast reacted in a different manner than before. It reared backwards in pain before it started to pound on the drum in a rapid fashion.

" This is different from what we've seen," said Spike.

" It could be another desperation maneuver like when it was crushing me," I suggested.

" Or something else which may give us problems," said Spike. As it's pounding continued, it lowered its body down so much that it looked like it was drooping along, and then the hands slowed down before finally stopping where it just floated there. I had no idea what was about to happen, so I prepared my sword just in case, but suddenly its entire body started to turn black.

Could this be a stronger form? Or, perhaps it was about to regain all of its strength? My answer came in the form of it dropping to the ground where it began sinking and literally burning away to nothing. It didn't take long for this to happen, and when it was finished, all that remained was a giant Heart Container as well as that strange portal which will take me to the Chamber of the Sages.

" I guess that's it then?" I asked.

" Indeed, and once again you overcame such a powerful force," replied Spike.

" That took such a long time to figure out where the weak point was," I said.

" Maybe so, but the shadow beast has been defeated which means the undead monsters will weaken, and no longer have the power to threaten the kingdom. The temple should also return to whatever can be considered normal, so all that remains is collecting the Heart Container which will restore your strength. Once you've done that, we can enter the portal which will take back to the Chamber of Sages where Impa is waiting for us.

Remember that Sheik told us that she was one of the Six Sages, so for once we're not guessing the identity," said Spike. Grabbing the giant heart filled me with that familiar warm feeling which I hadn't felt for quite some time, and when my strength had been restored, I stepped into the portal where I was surrounded by a prism before warping to the chamber. Upon landing in the center of the platform, the purple coloured groove is what I was now facing, and rising up from it was Applejack who still looks the same as always.

" The girl with the noble Zelda's ocarina....as I expected, you have come. I am Impa, one of the Sheikah. I am Princess Zelda's caretaker, and I am also the Sage who was chosen to guard the Shadow Temple. Yet I am surprised that you have not aged in seven years. How is it possible that you still look as you did back then?" asked Applejack.

" You can thank my Equestrian Magic for that," I replied.

" I remember you telling the princess of your story, and while back then I did not wish to believe it, I have since accepted what you claimed as truth. In recent years, I have gained new abilities which my people have never been capable of using before, and these powers are familiar to what you possess Sunset Shimmer.

The magic of this world you come from....Equestria as you called it....is one that I have embraced. And then there is the name which I am known as in your true home....Applejack....it feels right in my heart, so I wish to be referred to by that name, or my own regular name whichever you decide is better for you," said Applejack.

" I'm glad that you believed me in the end as it means not having to try explaining it to you," I said.

" There is no reason in denying what is true, and that is something my people have believed in for centuries. We Sheikah have served the royalty of Hyrule from generation to generation as attendants within various capacities, yet at times we have been spies and soldiers during times of war.

Our servitude to the royal family commanded us to carry out all orders given unto us by the King, and we carried them out without question for our loyalty was eternal and unshakeable. However....on that day seven years ago, Ganondorf suddenly attacked....and Hyrule Castle surrendered after a short time," said Applejack.

" I heard that he conquered the castle by himself," I said.

" Then what you heard was correct as the power of the Triforce allowed him to defeat the entirety of the castle guard. Only the Captain was spared the fury of the Gerudo King, yet he wishes he could have perished with them instead of living on," said Applejack. She wasn't aware that Shining Armour had since broke free of the misery which had been plaguing him, so I explained to her that I was able to get through to him after hearing his story.

I also told her he was now opening up to the people he once served, and when she heard what I had to say, her expression changed to one of happiness which was certainly surprising. " You have done a most wondrous thing by helping Shining Armour in his time of need, and while I do not understand what compels me to do this, I shall go ahead and say it because it is appropriate....YEE-HAW!!!! Thanks y'all for having saved him from himself!"

That was weird coming from Applejack's mouth, and she must have felt the same way as that was unexpected given how stoic she has often been. Her true self from the human world must have told her to act like that.

" I'm glad to have helped," I said.

" Now, allow me to continue with my explanation. Ganondorf's target was one of the keys to the Sacred Realm....the hidden treasure of
the royal family....the Ocarina of Time! My duty bound me to take Zelda out of Ganondorf's reach, and that is the reason why you saw us galloping away that night after the King was murdered.

Her safety was important even if it meant leaving the castle guard to be killed by the Evil King, but they knew that my actions were justified. If any of them had been in my position, then they would have performed the same task. When last I saw you, as we made our escape from the castle, you were just a young girl who was struggling to understand her place in this world. Now I see that you have become a fine heroine," said Applejack.

" More or less," I said.

" What do you mean?" asked Applejack.

" Consider me different from the typical heroic mold because my actions can be questioned, and my methods aren't ethical as I have my own way of approaching situations where my success isn't always guaranteed. I'm still struggling along in many areas, but I've improved in others so whoever chose me to be the Hero of Time has to accept me for who I am," I replied.

" That is the reason why her highness believed you to be the one who would save this world, for you have a strong determination, and a heart to match," said Applejack. The way she said that made me think she knew where Twilight has been for the past seven years, so I tried to ask additional questions, but she refused to discuss it. That's when I remembered that the Sheikah don't reveal their secrets unless they planned on dying first, and for that my efforts were in vain until she decided to say something else.

" There is nothing to worry about....the princess is safe now. Soon, you will meet Princess Zelda face-to-face, and she will explain everything no matter how many questions you may have. That is when we, the six Wise Ones, will seal up the Evil King by banishing him to the Sacred Realm, and return peace to Hyrule."

I didn't like the idea that Twilight's whereabouts were being kept from me, but I suppose I had no other choice but to go along with it for the time being. It looked as though Applejack was about to give me her medallion, so I needed to quickly interrupt before the chance was lost to deliver what I was given.

" Before I go back, there is something I must give you," I began.

" What is it?" asked Applejack.

" This artefact of your people was given to me by Flat of the Royal Composer Sisters who wished for you to have it years ago, but she was killed by Ganondorf before it could be delivered, and was buried with her. So, their ghosts passed it onto me in order to give it to you, and so this is what you've waited a long time to receive," I replied.

I slowly walked forward where I reached into my pocket and handed over the small artefact to Applejack before walking back to the center of the platform. The expression in her face looked like she was about to cry or something when she took a few moments to look at what she had been given.

" What the sisters discovered was an artefact which belonged to my ancient ancestor who coincidentally was also named Impa, and she served the earliest known ancestor of the princess long before the world as we know it came to be. This had been lost for centuries, and now it has been returned to the Sheikah. While I would like to return to Hyrule, and perhaps learn more about my ancestry, I cannot do so for destiny has chosen my path.

I have to stay here....you go to Princess Zelda's side and protect her on my behalf. Now I put my power, which should be helpful to you, into this medallion," said Applejack. She then raised her arms to the sky, and a purple medallion came down before it stopped slightly above my head before I claimed it for my own. This now made five altogether in my collection and five Sages, so now there was one more to find in each category which meant that my journey was nearing its end.

As I began to return to the kingdom as was the usual once I had finished my business here, Applejack gave me one final message that I took to heart because I had to fulfill her final request. " Please look out for the Princess!" Speaking of requests, there was another one taking place far away in the one area I have yet to visit, and it was more of a command rather than a favour.

" What are you doing here?"

" The chosen one has now awakened five of the Six Sages, and now seeks to awaken the last one. That means she is going to be paying the fortress a visit within the next day or two, and you must be prepared to give her an adequate welcome worthy of your station. This girl has proven to be rather troublesome who has slowly restored this world back to the way it used to before the Great Ganondorf claimed it as his own, and so he has commanded you to do what must be done to ensure she does not succeed."

" Surely you and your sister are more than capable of dealing with her Lady Koume."

" Our king has decreed that you must be the one to end her life Spitfire, and you have no other choice but to carry out his will. It was by his good graces that you became the second-in-command of the Gerudo seven years ago, so you must live up to the expectation given unto you, or else you shall be declared a traitor to the tribe. I'm certain you remember what happens to those who betray the Great Ganondorf don't you?" asked Trixie.

" I won't falter in my duty for I'm his most loyal follower, and yet why would he have this girl killed in such a manner? Wouldn't he prefer to perform the deed with his own hands considering what happened between them?" asked Spitfire.

" You have given a command, and you shall carry it out without question," replied Trixie.

" Such an order is one I will carry out, but I do have to question the logical reasoning behind it. This Sunset Shimmer as she is apparently called has done no wrong to the rest of the Gerudo, so in that sense we don't have any reason to kill her. Instead, she should just be imprisoned within the fortress for a time before being delivered to the castle where the Great Ganondorf can deal with her in any way he wishes.

I have taken the liberty of informing everyone that we are to be expecting a visitor soon because it's possible she will attempt to rescue those men who wished to join our ranks, and they agree with me in that our king should be the one to punish her for what she has been doing since she returned to Hyrule," said Spitfire.

" Perhaps you weren't as loyal as you claim to be," began Trixie.

" Huh? My loyalty is unquestionable," said Spitfire.

" And yet you have spoken out against the command of your king. The Great Ganondorf had so much faith in you Spitfire, and now you are spitting on that with these actions of yours. Is it possible that the exile of Nabooru long ago has made you change your mind? Have you some compassion towards this infuriating girl? If so which I suspect is the case, then it means you can no longer be trusted with this delicate operation....without the proper incentive of course," said Trixie.

" No! I will perform the deed as he commands despite my thinking," said Spitfire.

" That's the problem dear child....you are acting in a way which goes against the law of the Gerudo, and for that you should be punished by immediate execution. But I have no time to consider who would be chosen to replace you as the new second-in-command, so I am going to take matters into my own hands. This thinking of yours has been worrisome, and for that it needs to be removed.

You will carry out his wishes, but not with the mind you currently have as it's flawed with these thoughts. Just relax for a moment, and allow my magic to show you what needs to be done," said Trixie.

" You don't need to rely on such a method," said Spitfire.

" Oh but I must for you are far too risky to be allowed to continue thinking the way you do, so your mind will be adjusted accordingly which will ensure the girl's life will end before she can reach the desert. As for the power she possesses, it can be salvaged from her lifeless corpse, so she doesn't need to be living in order for the Great Ganondorf to acquire what he needs. Now Spitfire....this is where you will be fixed to ensure that you do not falter in your task," said Trixie.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 50: Quest of the Biggoron

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 10, 2015
Chapter 50: Quest of the Biggoron.

When I landed in the Graveyard after once again returning from the Chamber of the Sages, I was surprised to see the dark clouds were still above me, and that it was still raining which had me concerned that the situation in the village may not have been resolved. I would quickly find reassurance from Spike, for he told me the clouds were always like this in the graveyard. It was dark outside, a reminder that even though, it had been just a couple of hours since I entered the Shadow Temple.

" Now that Applejack has awoken as one of the Sages, we only have one more left to find," I said.

" Your journey is getting close to its conclusion, and you must be thrilled that soon you'll be able to return to your world," said Spike.

" I am looking forward to seeing my world again, but at the same time I feel like I'm going to miss all of this. At the beginning, I just wanted to get it done so that I could return home as soon as possible. Now that I've made it this far and seen so much of what this world has to offer, something deep in my heart makes me hesitant about wanting to go back.

It probably sounds selfish of me to want to have the problems of Hyrule continuing despite almost being done, so perhaps I've grown to accept things being like this now," I said.

" You know as well as I do that this is not your world," said Spike.

" And that is the rub right there which has me so confused as to what I really should do," I said.

" For a long time I've believed you to be Link, the Kokiri child who had no fairy partner to call her own, and that your story was one I refused to believe because I thought it was absurd. Now that I've witnessed who you really are, I can finally say that I believe you are from another world, and that you must return to it as that is where you belong.

I know it took me a long time to finally admit it, but I know the truth that this world isn't meant to exist like this. Your true home is the way things should be, and that's why I'm going to make sure that you can return there once this is all finished," said Spike.

" Yet why have you been calling me Sunset Shimmer?" I asked.

" At first, I did that because of wanting to humour you believing it to be some kind of unusual prank, but as time went on I began to realize that Sunset Shimmer was your real name and not Link. The same principle can be said about me where my name was Navi, and the only reason I accepted you calling me Spike was again due to humouring you.

In the world you come from, I am the assistant of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and my form is that of a dragon. Such an image has been in my mind for a very long time, and I for one wish to return to that life because that's what I'm meant to be," replied Spike.

" I never knew you felt that way," I said.

" Maybe it's because I was keeping it bottled up, and refusing to accept the truth. You know, I think our experiences within the Shadow Temple have really opened our eyes to things we neither refused to believe until we were shown the truth," said Spike. I was happy he finally believed in my story despite taking him a long time to finally admit it. While I could continue to stay in Hyrule, I was reminded that I must return things to normal....even if it meant changing things for the worse.

In this world, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata are friends who have helped me out in their own unique fashions, but when I go back to my own world, they will resume being my enemies because of wanting negative energy. I guess some things you wish could be different, but in reality they have to go back to the way they were.

" We need to go to the desert," I said.

" Yes as the final temple is located beyond the Gerudo's Fortress," added Spike.

" This isn't going to be easy because that part of the kingdom is one we haven't explored before. I wish we had been given the opportunity to explore the fortress a lot sooner, but we were unable to because of the lockdown which had been imposed," I said.

" Even if it wasn't enforced, you wouldn't have been able to go there anyway," said Spike.

" Why not?" I asked.

" The Gerudo don't allow children to enter their home because of it being too dangerous. In truth, they don't want anyone from the other tribes to set foot in their territory out of fear that precious secrets could be stolen," replied Spike.

" Now who would believe something like that?" I asked.

" It's been their way of thinking for generations which is why they're so isolated. Ganondorf may have made things worse because his own secrets of wanting the Triforce could have been exposed, but in general the Gerudo don't take too kindly to strangers barging into their domain whether they have good intentions or not," replied Spike.

" We need to go through their fortress and beyond if we're to reach the final temple," I said.

" I hope you aren't thinking of fighting your way through Sunset Shimmer as that would be tantamount to suicide. They are fierce warriors whose combat skills exceed that of even the Royal Guard, so attempting to take them on would be pure recklessness. Not even diplomacy is going to work as we both know that they refused the alliance that the old King tried to establish," said Spike.

This made our options very limited as both fighting and diplomatic options were out, so there had to be another approach we can take to get through the Gerudo's Fortress successfully. The Evil King was no longer there, but his influence still hangs over his people who continue to worship him despite all that he has done.

I decided that we should leave the Graveyard to think over what course of action we should take as this background was too depressing, and the urge to get some sleep after the insanity of the Shadow Temple was evident. The moment I began to walk, a sound I haven't heard in a very long time came out of nowhere, and standing on top of one of the gravestones was Sheik.

" Sunset Shimmer....the light that will restore Hyrule back to its former glory is almost upon us," said Twilight.

" I'm guessing you're referring to the fact I've awakened all of the Sages except for one?" I asked.

" You are correct in your assumption, but know that this will be the most difficult part of your journey thus far. I have no doubt you've figured out that the desert is where the final temple can be found, yet reaching it involves having to make your way through the land which the Gerudo call their home.

They are different from the other tribes as they rely on cunning and thievery which are viewed with great respect, and their skills with both swords and horses are superior to even the strongest soldiers. If you desire to survive in such a place, then perhaps you should think the way they do," replied Twilight.

" A thief? You want me to become a thief?" I asked.

" One who possesses stealth, cunning, ingenuity, and determination are the perfect traits that they look for among their own, yet if someone from the outside were to display these same traits, they would be welcomed into their society as an honourary member. I am not sure if that is even possible what with the incident that happened there some days ago, but you'll never know for certain until you decide to go through with it," replied Twilight.

It sounded like Sheik was giving me the proper advice through her usual choice of words, but what did she mean by an incident? This could make things even worse if something has forced the fortress into another lockdown like what happened seven years ago.

" What kind of incident?" I asked.

" A group recently went to the Gerudo's Fortress in the hopes of becoming thieves, yet no one knows what has become of them. The leader of this group has been worried about them ever since they left, but she dares not enter fearing for her own life. They say this group are famous for working with their hands as builders, and that at one time had been in the employ of Impa.

To think that something in their hearts compelled them to want to change to a different lifestyle....temptation can be a very dangerous thing for even the smallest of lusts are enough to corrupt anyone even if they claim to be pure," replied Twilight.

" Believe me when I say that I won't fall to such temptations as I've been down that path. It was back in Equestria, and seeing myself in that mirror which corrupted me with the notion of wanting to become a powerful alicorn. If I hadn't succumbed to the temptation, my life would be different from what it currently is," I said.

" And yet by succumbing and eventually overcoming, you have become even better," said Twilight.

" I suppose that's true," I said.

" To become like them doesn't mean having to resort to their nature, but rather show them that you are worthy enough. Your heart may not be pure because of the darkness which once consumed it, but you have grown and matured since those days," said Twilight. It felt weird hearing these words from Sheik as though I knew her from somewhere.

She was guiding me along on my journey as well as helping me deal with my personal problems, and for some reason it made me think of Twilight as that's what she has been doing through the letters I write to her via the magic journal Princess Celestia gave to me during my brief time as her faithful student.

Now I was starting to understand Sheik's words, and I couldn't believe I didn't realize it sooner. If I am to prove myself to the Gerudo and gain access to the desert beyond their fortress, I need to become a thief.

" Do you know who happens to be in charge of the fortress?" I asked.

" Ganondorf has always been the King of the Gerudo which even now remains true, yet he had a second-in-command who was loyal to him until something happened to her seven years ago. Before the attack of Hyrule Castle occurred, she fell out of favour with the Evil King due to questioning his ethics, and so her punishment was banishment from the tribe and into the desert where she disappeared.

No one knows what became of her, and they aren't concerned at all because in their society, if you are a traitor then your life is no longer of worth in their eyes. A new second-in-command has since been in charge of the fortress, yet a rumour has been spreading for years that says she is the reason why the former lost favour," replied Twilight.

" It sounds like a power struggle was at play," I suggested.

" That does appear to be the case which resulted in the shift of status," said Twilight.

" Who is in charge now?" I asked.

" A woman named Spitfire, whose loyalty is unshakeable, is the current second-in-command, and the former who was banished to the desert was named Nabooru," replied Twilight. Wait a second! Did she just say Nabooru? Wasn't that the name given to Rainbow Dash in this world from what I recall of that incident back in Hyrule Castle Town? There was someone with her who was really clumsy, and she referred to her by that name....so she has been missing for seven years?

Why didn't they try to find her? I now have a personal reason for wanting to go into the desert, but I was curious as to what happened to her. From what I can remember, she looked as though she could survive in any kind of terrain given her commanding presence, yet maybe what lies in the desert was too much for her to handle? No, I can't accept the idea that she has been killed, as what kind of friend would I be if I were to assume that among the numerous possible outcomes?

" I can't believe that they banished the old second-in-command just because she didn't like what Ganondorf was doing. Had I been brought into this world as a member of their tribe, I'd have said similar rhetoric for it's obvious that the Evil King was someone who desired to conquer the world," I said.

" The law of their society states that they are to obey all commands of he who is their king, and Nabooru sadly defied this edict which resulted in her punishment and subsequent exile into the desert. I am certain others felt the same way, but they refused to act out of fear of suffering a similar fate.

Those who remain loyal to their king don't know what the real truth is because they believe they have been forced to suffer, or if they are aware then it doesn't bother them that the Evil King has committed numerous atrocities," said Twilight.

" Makes sense given they view him as their saviour," I said.

" If you do become accepted by the Gerudo, do not insult Ganondorf's integrity otherwise they will likely execute you on the spot," said Twilight.

" I'll be sure to remember that," I said.

" Before I take my leave, I can sense that you have been using the Master Sword. It is pleasing to see you using the divine blade to help you accomplish your goals, but I notice that you wield another blade which has yet to see any form of combat," said Twilight. She must have been referring to the Giant's Knife which I purchased in Goron City, and I completely forgot that I even had it.

I drew it from its scabbard and presented it in front of Sheik where I explained that I couldn't use it because of how poor its durability was. " This blade possesses more power than the Master Sword, yet it will shatter if used thus robbing you of a mighty weapon. Perhaps you can acquire a different version which cannot break under any condition."

" Does such a blade exist?" I asked.

" There is a Goron who is a master at forging swords, and he will be able to make you a weapon should you request it of him. It might take him too long to forge it from scratch as his work is deemed inconsistent, so perhaps you can give him a weapon that is in need of repair. I have heard that Hylian Carpenters have often done business with him, and the one who was once employed by Impa had such a blade in her possession.

Sunset Shimmer, it is ultimately up to you to decide how you wish to approach the Gerudo's Fortress, but I suggest that you prepare as much as possible. I shall see you again," replied Twilight. She then walked backwards a few paces before producing a Deku Nut, and I knew what was about to happen next. Sheik then tossed the nut which flashed, but I made sure to cover my eyes, and when the light disappeared, she was gone.

She had certainly given me a lot of information to ponder over, yet the one that I felt was the most significant had to do with getting an even better version of the Giant's Knife.

" The Goron who can forge a strong blade....you don't suppose she was referring to that Biggoron?" I asked.

" He is well known for being a master smith, yet I remember his booming voice almost caused my ears to burst. Sheik did suggest that we should have him repair a pre-made weapon, and that is a good idea for it would take far too long for him to forge a completely new one for you. While I have no idea how he gets the materials he needs to forge anything, it takes him a very long time to work his craft, and that's a commodity we don't have," replied Spike.

" Before we do anything Spike, we need to pay a visit to both the Potion Shop and the Shooting Gallery as I need to get some more potions from one, and learn how to use the bow a lot better than I do from the other. Not only that, but if the gallery is giving away larger quivers as rewards as you said they do, I'm going to do all I can to earn one," I said.

" Then you'll need to wait until morning as neither of those places are open at night," said Spike.

" I was going to sleep for a while anyway for the Shadow Temple really took its toll on me, and I know just where we can go rest until sometime in the morning. I'm hoping that Shining Armour doesn't mind allowing me to rest at his home, and if he is offended then we can always sleep outside in the village," I said. With that, I walked back into the village where there were no longer any dark clouds.

My current goal was to get a lot of rest as tomorrow was going to be one heck of a day, and this was certainly true as somewhere within the depths of the darkness itself, an evil conversation was being brewed, and my very existence was the subject.

" The child has proven herself worthy to possess that which I seek."

" Which is the reason why she must be killed because if she were to awaken the final Sage, she will come after you. I have no doubt that you will crush her because you are the great one, but you need to be cautious as this girl has proven to be very unpredictable. The amount of courage she possesses is nothing short of unbelievable in one so young, but at the same time her actions are ones that my sister and I have yet to figure out. And don't even get me started with this alternate form you said she was capable of using."

" Her ability to change into a stronger form means nothing, for she cannot control this power of her own volition. My servant and even that she-demon proved to me in their respective struggles against her that this altered state is unwieldy."

" But, what if she manages to figure out how to use it?"

" Even so, there is nothing to fear for her power pales in comparison to mine! I believe she will eventually bring the other to reveal themselves when the time comes, and once that has come to pass, I shall finally claim ultimate power."

" You have certainly taken a great risk on such a gamble oh Great Ganondorf."

" The gamble shall prove itself to be worth it in the end when everything comes together," said Tirek.

" I still recommend that the girl be killed because her skills with the Master Sword have been getting better since you fought her. I believe that she is a lot stronger now than she was seven years ago, and that could prove to be a disaster for you. You don't need to listen to my advice, but as one of your two surrogate mothers, I know what I am talking about. Besides, she doesn't need to be alive for you to claim the power from her, and killing her will bring out the other much sooner than expected."

" Yes, what you speak of is true and I would prefer to claim my power sooner instead of later. Very well dear mother Koume....you and my other surrogate mother, Kotake, have my blessing to do whatever you wish to the child so long as what she possesses inside of her spirit shall remain intact," said Tirek.

" With that agenda now out of the way, there is another matter which requires your attention," said Trixie.

" And what would that be?" asked Tirek.

" The she-demon," replied Trixie.

" So she managed to survive her death in the Water Temple....I underestimated that demonic creature, for she had planned everything to ensure her survival. It all makes sense now for there was a portion of her mind which was denied to me, and it must have been her idea to cheat death as well as break free from my control. I am aware of what she was trying to achieve in the Shadow Temple, but the question now is whether or not she was destroyed by her significant other," said Tirek.

" Sunset Demon, as she calls herself, still remains alive Great Ganondorf, but she has chosen to mask her aura from my sister and me, so we are unable to detect her presence. What we do know is that she plans on attacking the child within our temple at some point, but we don't have the power to prevent her from doing so.

Not even your immense power will be able to do anything to stop her, so all any of us can do is hope that the demon does us a favour without even realizing it. The she-demon has caused her other self to become more powerful than before, so this will make our task of killing her a bit more difficult," said Trixie.

" You and your sister will be able to figure things out mother Koume, for you were able to ensure that the Gerudo remain loyal to me by dealing with those who question my authority. I trust that the problem within the Gerudo's Fortress has been resolved?" asked Tirek.

" Spitfire has been coerced into obeying you Great Ganondorf, and she shall remain loyal to you without question unless the girl were to somehow free her mind from my influence. If that happens then we have other plans prepared to ensure that she does not survive to awaken the final Sage. As for your former follower of whom you had a romantic interest in despite my protests against such a notion, that was taken care of seven years, so there is no need to be concerned," replied Trixie.

" It is good that you and mother Kotake have the situation under control, for if you had told me that you were struggling to maintain some sense of order, I would have been forced to question your magical prowess in addition to your intelligence. While the two of you raised me as your very own after my birth mother passed away shortly after my birth, remember that I do not tolerate failure. You both can easily be replaced at a moment's notice, so I suggest that you remember that.

Of course, I have every bit of confidence that you two will be able to take care of things. I must return to my own preparations, but I sense that you wonder what I meant. I am sure that you have already figured out the meaning behind my words, so there is no further need for me to explain my actions," said Tirek.

It was fortunate that Shining Armour allowed me to stay at his home for the reminder of the night, and he said it was no trouble at all because he owed his very life to me which I thought was a little bit of an overkill.

Once I said my thanks and left to resume my quest, I went to the Potion Shop and purchased just the one Red Potion, and that was due to Spike informing me that playing at the Shooting Gallery cost money. Knowing that I did need the larger quiver, I purchased the one item and promptly made my way over to where the gallery was located.

" This is the place to go if you wish to improve on your bow skills," said Spike.

" I remember you telling me that it used to be located in Hyrule Castle Town, and that they were forced to move here after Ganondorf attacked," I said.

" Back then seven years ago, the Shooting Gallery was all the rage which was due to the large number of people who lived in town. Ever since they moved here, the number of customers hasn't been as impressive as Kakariko Village doesn't have as many people. Still, they've managed to maintain good business despite these tough times," said Spike.

" I'm hoping they can help me improve on my marksmanship," I said.

" The owner is said to be an expert bowman, so I have no doubt that he can help you out. I hear that he is someone that we've seen before, and it's surprising that he would end up running the Shooting Gallery," said Spike.

" Who is it?" I asked.

" Maybe you should see for yourself," replied Spike. He sounded a little nervous about it which struck me as odd, but I decided to enter anyway as I really needed to get better with the Fairy Bow. Inside of the Shooting Gallery consisted of a counter where customers fire their respective weapons at a large target area, and to the right was another counter where one can interact with the owner....and my jaw dropped when I discovered that the owner was Iron Will of all people.

He was the owner of the Bomchu Bowling Alley as well as the Bombchu shop seven years ago in Hyrule Castle Town, but why was he in charge of this place?

" Hey! I remember seeing you a long time ago back when you purchased some Bombchu from my store," said Iron Will.

" It has been a long time," I said.

" Not sure why you still look the same now as you did then, but my vision has been pretty poor in recent years, so they could be playing tricks on me. Anyway, welcome to the famous shooting game that has taken Hyrule by storm where both kids and adults can play, yet I can see that you're having some second thoughts of being here? Or, is it because you have problems using a bow?" asked Iron Will.

" The second option. Also, why are you the owner of this place?" I asked.

" I suppose you do deserve an answer to that considering you and I go way back, so I'll tell you the short version as you look to be in an awful hurry. The original owner of the Shooting Gallery suffered a devastating injury which prevents him from running things, and because he and I are old friends, he decided to give the place to me to run however I choose.

I may not look like it, but I'm pretty good at using a bow although these days I prefer to teach people through words rather than example what with my vision being poor even with these glasses on. Anyway, I know just what you need to give yourself a much needed boost to your marksmanship, but I first need to determine how good you are with the bow," replied Iron Will.

" Not very good," I sighed.

" I'll be the judge of that!" shouted Iron Will. The way he said that made me want to leave immediately, but I needed to improve my skills, so I took out the Fairy Bow and was told to aim and fire at the target all the way at the back of the room. I aimed as best as I could and when I fired an arrow, it sailed through the air and ended up hitting the back wall. The embarrassment I was experiencing at this point was unprecedented, but Iron Will seemed to be unfazed.

" I can see the problem you have, and I'll help you improve on it with some good pointers. For starters, the stance that you take when aiming is important, and yours looks really sloppy from what I saw. Straighten yourself like so, and keep your legs apart to give yourself some much needed balance."

" Like this?" I asked.

" Now I want you to stay in that pose for a few minutes so that your back can get adjusted to it," replied Iron Will.

" This makes me look weird," I said.

" Don't complain!" shouted Iron Will.

" I'll admit that some of my arrows have hit their targets during the time I've been using my bow, but I won't deny that I've wasted so many arrows in the process. I never once guessed that my stance was the reason why I've been struggling," I said.

" Without having a good standing position when aiming, your bow is going to be failing you more times than most. That's not the only thing you need to achieve success, so allow me to teach you another pointer. Concentration is essential for you can't allow yourself to be distracted by anything. Even the slightest of noises will mess up your accuracy, and you'll wind up losing precious arrows," said Iron Will.

" I think I'll be able to handle keeping myself in focus," I said.

" We'll see for sure when you begin the shooting game that is offered here, but first I have one last pointer for you to use. If you plan on firing one arrow at a time at a slow pace, you might as well just ask someone to come up to you, and take away your bow as you sure won't be needing it. I know that sounds a little cruel, but you need to take this seriously.

The idea is to nock the arrow onto the bow in a quick, and seamless motion without hesitation. Don't have any second thoughts, don't hold back, and don't worry about firing a poor shot," said Iron Will. I then began to practice these three pointers given to me, and they surprisingly worked out rather well although it did take me a while before I began to see some improvement.

It was perhaps the final thing he said which proved to be the most important to me, for the idea of just firing without thinking sounded ideal as I was often afraid to fire an arrow out of fear. After practicing for about 20 minutes, I turned to Iron Will and asked him if I had gotten better.

" What do you think?" I asked.

" It's a good thing you've been using that bow prior to coming here otherwise I would have said you had no hope, but I'm impressed with your skills even though you can still improve on your posture. Don't slouch as it will affect your aim! Now comes the final test, and involves shooting at the three giant rupees which will be moving about.

I want you to shatter all three using only ten arrows! Have as many tries as you like until you've shattered them, and you're not allowed to leave here until you do! Don't think of it as a threat, but more like words of encouragement," replied Iron Will.

" It seems simple enough," I said.

" That's the idea behind it kid! The aim is to give you the confidence to hit the targets using the pointers I taught you, and to give off a small taste of what things will be like whenever you have to shoot at the real thing if you know what I mean. Normally, I would be charging you 20 rupees per game, but because this is a teaching session, this one is on the house," said Iron Will.

He certainly was giving me a lot of pressure, but then this was the nature of his character as strange as it was. The three giant rupees then began to move about at a decent enough pace, so I didn't have to hit anything too fast, but using ten arrows was a concern which I needed to overcome if I want to do this. My first shot completely missed the target and landed on the floor somehow, yet Iron Will again was unfazed by it.

He must have an awful lot of faith in me to be that patient, and I can't let him down so I got in the proper position, and fired without being hesitant. Combined with the lack of distractions getting in my way, I shattered the first two rupees without any trouble, yet it took me an extra arrow before the last one shattered to pieces. " WHOA! You actually did it on your first try!?!?"

" Is that bad?" I asked.

" Not at all kid, but rather that was perfect aside from a couple of minor hiccups. Say, you're a pretty fast learner which means from now on you'll be just fine when using that bow of yours. Just remember my pointers, and your bow will become an extension of your being where it will go where you want it to. You know, that quiver of yours is mighty fine, but I think it's a bit too small for you to really make good use of your bow.

Because you've gone and impressed me so much, allow me to take it off your hands, and in return I'll give you this Large Quiver which can hold up to 40 arrows," replied Iron Will. He then asked me to hand over my current quiver, and this was followed with him presenting me a bigger version. " There! Now that suits you really well kid! I hear that there is an even bigger quiver you can find, but the only ones I know who would have such a thing would be the Gerudo as archery is one of their past-times."

" I never would have expected them to be good at using bows," I said.

" They have actually gone and improved on the skill by incorporating horses into the mix. The rider aims and shoots arrows while the horse gallops along, and it's known as Horseback Archery. It hasn't quite become popular here, but I do know that it's all the rage over there. Of course, no one is that crazy enough to go to their fortress and find out," said Iron Will. Thanking him for the improved quiver as well as teaching me how to use the Fairy Bow a lot better, I took my leave and made my way over to the entrance of the village.

" What did you think of that Spike?" I asked.

" Thanks to that Iron Will, your skills with the bow have become even better, but don't expect to suddenly become an ace," replied Spike.

" I know I've still got some improvements to make, but I think things will get a lot easier as far as bow-wielding is concerned. What has gotten me intrigued is what he said about there being another quiver even bigger than what he gave me, and that the Gerudo have combined horse-riding with the use of bows," I said.

" Horseback Archery is a relatively new thing, but because horses are seldom seen aside from in the ownership of the wealthy, or being raised at the ranch, it just hasn't taken off as well as expected. It also doesn't help that it was started up in the desert, and you know what happened seven years ago," said Spike.

" The bigger quiver is something I really want," I said.

" Then you need to prove your worth to the Gerudo," said Spike.

" Before I go into the fortress, I first want to get my hands on that improved Giant's Knife that Sheik mentioned. While I'm getting used to the Master Sword, I think this other sword could be very interesting considering it's stronger than the divine blade. Plus, I feel bad for not giving any attention to the Giant's Knife as all it's done is collect dust ever since I first purchased it," I said.

" You wanted to get it despite my protest against it," said Spike.

" That's because I was feeling sympathetic to Medigoron, and I don't like seeing anyone upset as it's a painful reminder of what I went through. If I get the stronger version, I know it would mean no longer having this fragile blade on me," I said.

" So don't tell Medigoron about it," suggested Spike.

" Isn't that being dishonest?" I asked.

" I'm certain he would understand considering he did admit to you that his weapon was defective, and Biggoron could see all of this as a chance to finally teach his younger brother a thing or two about forging unbreakable blades," replied Spike. I guess when he puts it that way, it all makes sense even if a part of me feels that lying to him would be nothing short of disrespectful. Maybe I should explain the situation to Biggoron when I next see him which is going to happen pretty soon.

Upon leaving the village, Epona started to neigh happily because it had been a while since she last saw me. Petting her on the muzzle and neighing to her before climbing onto her saddle, I had a feeling that I was going to need her assistance if I wanted to get my hands on this stronger weapon.

" We have to travel to Gerudo Valley, followed by going to Death Mountain, and finally back to the valley again, I'd say that riding on your horse is the way to go unless you want to go by walking," said Spike.

" No, I think I'll go by horseback, and Epona is finally going to get the chance to run about for longer than she has in our previous travels," I said. Hearing my words made her rear up with sheer delight which almost caused me to fall off her saddle, but she quickly regained her composure and began to gallop forward without me having to give her a gentle kick to the ribs.

The long ride to our destination was relatively distraction free, but I had various thoughts running through my mind which had to with what could have happened to Rainbow Dash all those years ago.

" Is something wrong?" asked Spike.

" Why do the Gerudo choose to banish those among their tribe for betraying Ganondorf?" I asked.

" In their society, the King of the Gerudo is the absolute authority, and choosing to defy his edicts is seen as the ultimate insult. Most are banished from the tribe which is considered the least cruel punishment they have, but I suppose being forced to live in the desert to the west of their fortress isn't very pleasant.

If the crime they committed was really severe, then death is what befalls on them in the form of an execution. Nabooru could have been executed for what she did back then, but my guess is that she was spared death because of her influence due to her status in the tribe. Ganondorf would have made a fatal mistake had she been executed, for the others would rebel in frustration, and it would make him appear weak," replied Spike.

" So Rainbow Dash could have been killed, but she was spared that punishment and exiled instead? I personally think that both scenarios lead to the same outcome where she perishes somewhere in the desert," I said.

" Who was that again?" asked Spike.

" She's one of my friends from the human world who was brought to this place along with everyone else, but we haven't seen her that much due to all of these other events getting in the way. Rainbow Dash had a real rebellious streak where she was the captain of every sport's team, and has quite the ego that puts her at odds with a lot of people, yet her loyalty is what defines her. In this world, she is apparently Nabooru, the now former second-in-command of the Gerudo," I replied.

" If she was exiled due to treachery, her loyalty can be put into question," said Spike.

" Unless her actions were a desire to protect her people from Ganondorf," I suggested.

" That is a possibility as she was known for wanting to do what was best for her people, but in order for us to confirm the truth, we would need to speak to someone in the fortress who knew her," said Spike. Personally, I would have asked that girl, Derpy, who was always at Rainbow Dash's side, but she hasn't been seen in a very long time.

After Epona had galloped for some distance, we finally reached and entered Gerudo Valley which still looked the same as before. This time I could take my trusty steed across the wooden plank, and that's when I came upon a rather harsh reality.

" What happened to the bridge?" I asked.

" It's been destroyed and judging from the way it looks right now, this was done by someone rather than a natural occurrence," replied Spike.

" Do you think the Gerudo could have done this?" I asked.

" Most likely, but that begs the question of why would they even bother to do it. Those of the other tribes would never come here of their own volition, and this was even before Ganondorf took over, so why even do this when there was no real reason? It does prove itself to be inconvenient as we need to get to the over side, but I'm sure we can figure something out," replied Spike.

" This could have been done in an attempt to slow me down," I suggested.

" For that to be possible, they may have been informed by someone," said Spike. The gap that now existed where the bridge once stood was pretty intimidating, but I then noticed a large tent on the other side, and standing near it was Sweetie Belle who seemed to be really upset about something given her stomping about. The bridge must have been destroyed at some point after she crossed over, but what in the world was she doing here?

Spike, who had been hovering back and forth for a few minutes finally came up with an idea to allow us to cross. " I can see two ways we can make it to the other side, and you happen to have the tools you need for both options. One would be to use the Longshot and pull yourself over, or you can have Epona jump across if you build up enough speed."

" I think it's for the best that I use the Longshot as I don't want anything to happen to Epona," I said. All of a sudden, she snorted before starting to gallop towards the bridge while I was holding on for dear life. I called her to stop before it was too late, and I even neighed a few times in the hopes that our shared language would be enough to get her to stop.

My efforts were in vain as she continued to gallop, and when she reached the edge of the cliff....I closed my eyes as I couldn't bear to watch. For that brief period, she was soaring across the air in-between the two sections of land, yet I refused to look as I was afraid of what could be below. All of a sudden, I felt a strong thud which meant she had made it to the other side before galloping along and slowly coming to a stop. " Is it safe to look now?"

" You can open your eyes now," replied Spike.

" Why did Epona decide to do that without me issuing a command?" I asked.

" My guess is that she didn't want to be left behind, and also she wanted to prove that she could jump over the gap which she accomplished without any trouble. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the bridge back in place as soon as possible, for who knows how many times she'll be able to jump before becoming too exhausted to make the attempt," replied Spike.

" What we need are people skilled at building with their hands," I suggested.

" Hah! Then you've come to the wrong place!" shouted Sweetie Belle who must have listened in. As I climbed down off of Epona and walked over to her, she had stopped stomping, and was now mumbling under her breath when I approached. " Well look who has decided to pay me a visit....the little forest girl I met back in Kakariko Village although you look as though you haven't aged in years.

Don't take my words as being offensive as I haven't been in the best of moods as of late. I'm supposed to be a master craftsman who is able to inspire and lead other carpenters, but right now I feel like a complete failure."

" What happened?" I asked.

" The Gerudo destroyed the bridge for no apparent reason, and I figured me and my men could fix it even though they aren't the brightest guys I've worked with. This morning when I woke up, I was about to instruct them to begin the groundwork for fixing the bridge, and that's when I discovered that they had left. According to the note left behind, they decided to go to the Gerudo's Fortress because they feel that being thieves is better than having to do the hard work of a carpenter," replied Sweetie Belle.

" I'm not sure if that was a good idea for them to do," I said.

" Of course it isn't as it means I have no way to repair the bridge as I can't do it on my own," said Sweetie Belle.

" The Gerudo aren't very friendly when it comes to the other tribes because they prefer to keep to themselves," I said.

" Those idiots have probably gotten themselves into another horrible mess which I need to get them out of, but I'm not going into the fortress because what you said. And yet, I'm concerned as while they are idiots, I see them as family despite their shortcomings. This may sound strange coming from me, but could you go in there and see what those guys are up to?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" I was going to enter anyway as I have my own business to take care of," I replied.

" If I could say something about you kid, it would be that you've got a lot of guts to want to go into that den of thieves. I'm not going to ask what kind of business you have with the Gerudo as it's nothing to do with me, but I appreciate the fact that you're going to check up on my men," said Sweetie Belle. That's when she noticed something on my person which I completely forgot I even had, for it was quite a long time ago when I obtained it.

" That thing on your belt....I seem to recall seeing that somewhere....my saw. Hey! That's my saw!" I took the Poacher's Saw from my belt realizing that she was the one it belonged to, and I remember Grog had left it behind when he walked off into the Lost Woods.

" This belongs to you?" I asked.

" I left that behind when the guys and I left Kakariko after we had finished our work there, so how did you get your hands on it?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" It was given to me by Grog who took it with him when he decided to leave the village," I replied.

" Grog!?!? What would compel him to leave when he had to take care of his sister?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" Because he had spent such a long time in the Lost Woods, he slowly succumbed to the curse that affects all those who enter it. The last time I saw him, he was roughly halfway through the transformation, and when he left, I was asked to tell his sister of his fate," I replied.

" That guy always was an unusual fellow, and not because of where he decided to spend a lot of his time. His father wanted him to marry me and continue on the tradition of being a carpenter, but I knew he wanted to do something else with his life. Some traditions just don't want to be passed down from parent to child no matter how hard you try to make them work," said Sweetie Belle.

" Which is why his story resonated with me so well because I felt so sorry for him. No doubt that Grog's father is unaware of the fate of his son, so I'll tell him about it which will likely give me the wrong kind of reaction, but it's something he needs to know otherwise it could end up eating at his heart. Anyway, since this Poacher's Saw belongs to you, I'll be more than happy to give it back to you," I said.

" And I'll give you anything you want in exchange," said Sweetie Belle.

" What about that thing you have over there on that rock?" I asked.

" You want to have my broken Biggoron tool in exchange for my saw? I'm sure you can come up with something a lot better, but who am I to question what you want to have so long as it serves you well," replied Sweetie Belle. She walked over to the rock where she picked up her tool, and made her way back to me and presented it.

The blade itself was indeed broken, and the symbol of the Goron tribe was etched onto the base of the weapon. " I got this blade made by perhaps one of the greatest smithies to have ever existed in Hyrule, and believe me when I say that he is huge in size compared to the rest of the Gorons. His name is Biggoron and the swords that he makes never break, yet if he had one problem it would be his inconsistency with his work."

" How often does he make a weapon?" I asked.

" Once every two or three months, but I suppose he has his reasons. In truth, I was planning on going to Goron City to get this tool fixed as it takes him a few days to repair one of his weapons as opposed to taking months to forge one from scratch. But, with the bridge being down, I can't make the trip plus I'm still worried about my men being in the Gerudo's Fortress," replied Sweetie Belle.

" I do intend on going there and see what they're up to, but I want to get this weapon repaired as it could prove to be useful against what lies beyond the fortress. It shouldn't take long to make my way to Biggoron especially if I go via horseback," I said.

" Is that so?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" Basically," I answered.

" Well, you did say that you wanted my broken tool in exchange for my saw, so I will agree to what you want. I suppose you can see about getting it fixed as I'm sure nothing bad will happen to my men. I did hear that Biggoron has been having some kind of problem in recent days especially after Death Mountain erupted for the first time in centuries. Anyway, I'm just going to stay here and continue moaning, so I guess you're free to do whatever you want," said Sweetie Belle.

After giving her the Poacher's Saw, and she in turn gave me the broken Biggoron tool, I walked over to Epona where I climbed up onto her saddle before giving her a soft kick to the ribs which made her gallop off at a high speed. She jumped across the gap between the cliffs while I kept my eyes closed, and when she made it to the other side, I began to think about what I was trying to do.

" Is it a good idea to be paying a visit to Bulk Biceps?" I asked.

" Who?" asked Spike.

" That's who Biggoron is in the human world, but shouldn't I be focusing on trying to find out what happened to those other carpenters? They could be in trouble for all we know, and I'd feel pretty bad for just leaving them like this," I replied.

" We don't know for certain just what is happening in the Gerudo's Fortress, and even Sheik wasn't clear about the situation. I suggest that you acquire this stronger blade as fast as possible, so get over to the top of Death Mountain without delay," said Spike. I should have decided to enter the fortress as is because that would have been the wise decision, yet it was what lied beyond in the desert which prompted me to want this better version of the Giant's Knife.

It took about an hour for Epona to gallop back to Kakariko Village, and I had only left this place a short time ago, but now find myself back again. I climbed down from my trusty steed who this time didn't neigh, and I knew she was okay with me leaving her behind as I was going to be coming back in a short while anyway.

" How can someone that big even make weapons so small?" I asked.

" Biggoron may be a giant among his people, but he pours his heart and soul into his work. No one really knows how he makes his weapons because it's all done in secret, plus no one is willing to want to stick around and wait for him to finish," replied Spike.

" How long could it take to fix one broken sword?" I asked.

" I'd say several days," replied Spike.

" That would explain why you said his customers don't want to wait as I can't imagine them sitting up there on top of Death Mountain waiting that long. I wonder what kind of problem he has according to what Mutoh said before we left her? It's probably nothing serious as what could give him a problem considering he's almost as big as the entire mountain," I said.

The irony in all of this was that Bulk Biceps had a real serious problem, and I was about to find out the hard way when I ran up the stairs at the far end of the village entering the Death Mountain Trail. In an instant, I had to cover my ears for a loud booming voice could be heard all over the mountain.

" I DO WISH SOMEONE COULD COME UP HERE, BUT I CAN'T TELL IF ANYONE IS NEARBY FOR MY VISION CONTINUES TO WORSEN."

" That must be him," I said.

" It sounds like he's having trouble with his eyes," said Spike.

" I kind of figured that out from his booming voice telling the entire area about it, but why haven't the other Gorons addressed this issue?" I asked.

" Gorons don't like heights which is what we discovered when we travelled with Darunia inside of the Dodongo's Cavern. None of them would be able to make it all the way up to the top of Death Mountain, so Biggoron is forced to wait for someone else from another tribe to come along," replied Spike.

" Considering that the Kokiri won't leave the safety of the forest, the Zoras are still trapped beneath the frozen ice in Zora's Domain, and the Gerudo refuse to associate with any outsiders, the only ones left are the Hylians, but they have their own problem which involves repairing what was damaged in the fire caused when the shadow beast escaped from the well.

That essentially places the burden of his problem on my shoulders, and I'm not looking forward to it," I moaned. Here I thought this was going to be a simple task, but it looked as though that was about to be placed on hold. As I made my way up the trail passing the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, and taking the path which lead up the mountain, Bulk Biceps began to speak with his booming voice again making me fall over from the tremors it was causing.

" OH, I CAN FEEL MY EYESIGHT SLOWLY DWINDLING AWAY FROM ME!"

" I think he's being a bit melodramatic," I said.

" Maybe, but we won't know for sure until we talk to him," said Spike.

" At least the path to him isn't littered with boulders shooting down from the peak like before," I said.

" Death Mountain has returned to normal, so we won't be seeing anything like that happening in our lifetime. You will still need to climb up the vines at the end of the path though, but now there are Skullwalltulas crawling all over it," said Spike.

" How do I deal with them?" I asked.

" You can try climbing your way past them, but if they suddenly glow purple, it means they will move towards you and most likely knock you all the way back down to the bottom of the vines. It's best to pick them off from a distance using a ranged weapon, and this would be a good example of using the skills Iron Will taught you.

They won't move from their positions, so you don't have to worry about them moving away at the last minute," replied Spike. When I made it to the end of the path, I looked up and sure enough, there were the Skullwalltulas moving around in a circular motion. I took out the Fairy Bow and fired an arrow at each one which destroyed all of them except for one that was a little too high for me to hit.

" That last one is just out of the reach of my arrows," I said.

" Perhaps you can hit it if you climb up onto one of those ledges?" asked Spike.

" With the other ones out of the way, that shouldn't be a problem provided that our mutual friend doesn't create more tremors with his speaking," I replied. After putting my equipment away, I began to climb the massive wall of vines before reaching a ledge that jutted out of the side of the mountain. Upon standing on top of this unusual ledge, I took out the bow again and fired a single arrow which picked off the remaining Skullwalltula leaving the rest of the climb monster free.

" IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN HELP ME?" asked Bulk Biceps.

" Just give me a moment to get up to you," I replied.

" HUH? DID I HEAR SOMEONE JUST NOW? I'M AFRAID YOU'LL NEED TO SPEAK UP FOR I COULDN'T HEAR YOU," said Bulk Biceps. I had no intention of responding to what he just said because I wasn't about to yell at him to the point where I lose my voice. No, I was going to talk to him the moment I make it to the top of the cliff, and when I made it a few minutes later, he was acting differently than before.

He was constantly rubbing his eyes which looked red, so this must be the problem mentioned by Sweetie Belle. " HELLO? IS SOMEONE OUT THERE? I KNOW THAT I HEARD SOMEONE SPEAKING TO ME A FEW MOMENTS AGO, BUT I CAN'T SEE FOR CERTAIN BECAUSE OF HOW POOR MY EYESIGHT HAS GOTTEN."

" Can you hear me now?" I asked.

" YES! I'M ABLE TO HEAR YOUR VOICE JUST FINE!" replied Bulk Biceps.

" I was wondering if you could fix this broken blade that I have right here," I said. Reaching into one of my pockets, I pulled out the broken Biggoron Tool I received in exchange of the Poacher's Saw, and I presented it to Bulk Biceps who bent forward in order to see what I had in my hands. His squinting was a sign to me that his vision must be really bad, so I made sure to push my arms forward as much as I could to show him.

" I received this from a Hylian carpenter who originally wanted to come here to get it fixed, but she wasn't able to because of being stuck where she is. Instead, she gave this to me in an exchange, and so I've come here before you hoping that you can fix this. I've been told that it takes you a few days to repair weapons, as opposed to months making one from scratch."

" THIS WEAPON IS INDEED MY WORK, FOR I CAN BARELY SEE THE GORON TRIBE SYMBOL AT THE BASE OF THE BLADE. WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO FIX IT FOR YOU, AS YOU CAN SEE MY EYES ARE CURRENTLY IRRITATING ME. WHEN THE ERUPTION OF THE MOUNTAIN HAPPENED SOME TIME AGO, IT CAUSED ME TO BECOME AFFLICTED IN THIS MANNER. I WAS HOPING MY FELLOW GORONS WOULD COME UP HERE AND HELP ME, BUT I FORGOT THAT THEY DON'T LIKE HEIGHTS," said Bulk Biceps.

" The eruption caused your eyes to give you problems?" I asked.

" YES, AND IT HAS BECOME SO INCONVENIENT," replied Bulk Biceps. That's when my heart sank because my actions in the Fire Temple resulted in the volcano's eruption, and caused him so much distress. In that sense, I'm to blame for his current predicament, so it falls onto me to find a means of helping him. I'm not doing this because of getting a stronger sword, but because I wronged him unintentionally and need to fix the problem before it gets even worse.

I then explained to Bulk Biceps about what happened to me in the temple, and by the time I was finished, he appeared to understand the situation. " I DON'T BLAME YOU FOR WHAT HAPPENED, AND YOU DID RESCUE BIG BROTHER DARUNIA. BUT, I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR DESIRE TO WANT TO HELP ME, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU CHOOSING TO TAKE SOME TIME OUT OF YOUR JOURNEY TO ASSIST ME IN MY TIME OF NEED. BY THE WAY, YOU SOUND FAMILIAR TO ME AS THOUGH I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE."

" I'm the same girl who spoke to you some time ago when you told me about your brother opening up a blade store," I said.

" THAT WAS YOU? I'M SORRY IF I CAN'T RECOGNIZE YOU RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF MY VISION BEING THE WAY IT IS, BUT I AM CURIOUS AS TO HOW WELL MY BROTHER MEDIGORON IS DOING WITH HIS BUSINESS," said Bulk Biceps.

" I did purchase one of his blades, and while it is a very beautiful looking weapon, it breaks too easily according to him," I said.

" I HAD A SUSPICION THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE CASE. HE SHOWS POTENTIAL WHEN IT COMES TO FORGING BLADES IN THE SAME MANNER THAT I DO, BUT HE LACKS CERTAIN SKILLS WHICH HE NEEDS IF HE HOPES TO FOLLOW IN MY FOOTSTEPS. I'M SURE HE WILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE HIS BLADES BETTER, BUT FOR NOW WE SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO FOR ME. IF I'M GOING TO REGAIN MY VISION, I REQUIRE EYE-DROPS WHICH WILL RELIEVE ME OF MY IRRITATION," said Bulk Biceps.

" I'm not sure if anyone can make eye-drops for someone of your size," I said.

" THERE IS A WOMAN LIVING IN LAKE HYLIA WHO CAN MAKE THE EYE-DROPS, FOR SHE HAS VAST KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAKE'S PROPERTIES. HOWEVER, SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE KEY INGREDIENT WHICH IS NECESSARY TO MAKE THEM," said Bulk Biceps.

" Where do I find it?" I asked.

" YOU CAN FIND THE INGREDIENT IN ZORA'S DOMAIN IF YOU SPEAK WITH KING ZORA. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE PROBLEM THERE HAS BEEN RESOLVED IN WHICH THE ICE FLOW HAS FINALLY RECEDED, AND THE DOMAIN HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO WHAT IS NEEDED FOR MY EYE-DROPS. YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THIS WITH YOU, AND PRESENT IT TO HIM WHICH WILL GET HIM TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO DELIVER TO LAKE HYLIA.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO YOU, AND WHEN YOU COME BACK HERE AND DELIVER THE EYE-DROPS TO ME, I SHALL PROCEED WITH REPAIRING YOUR SWORD AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE," replied Bulk Biceps. This was beginning to turn into a lengthy ordeal where I had to essentially travel to Zora's Domain, then to Lake Hylia, and finally all the way back here to complete my task.

I did say that I would help him out, but maybe I should've asked what he wanted before agreeing to it. He then dropped a small piece of paper which had some strange words and symbols all over it, and I had no idea what it was supposed to be.

" What's this?" I asked.

" THIS IS A PRESCRIPTION WHICH YOU NEED TO SHOW KING ZORA," replied Bulk Biceps. So it looks as though I've been tasked to fulfill a medical order which is going to take me across the entire kingdom. If I want him to repair this broken sword, I need to get him what he needs even if it means having to do a lot of backtracking. There's no point in complaining about it, so I might as well get this started.

Taking the prescription and placing it into my pocket, I was thinking of using one of Sheik's songs to warp, but there wasn't one which could take me to Zora's Domain, so that idea was out of the question. That's when I decided to climb back down the cliff, yet I accidentally ran towards it which caused me to jump, and plunge down into the depths below....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 51: The Strongest Blade

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 13, 2015
Chapter 51: The Stongest Blade.

I really need to watch where I jump because leaping from such a high place was probably the stupidest mistake I made. It's a good thing that falling in Hyrule doesn't kill you, for this fall would have done just that. Instead, I landed really hard on the pathway below which almost broke my legs from the impact. Bulk Biceps called out wondering if I was okay, but he quickly went back to complaining about his irritating eyes which I thought was rather rude and insensitive.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'm glad that fall damage in this world is so minimal otherwise I'd probably be dead by now," I replied.

" At least you got back down here in a rather quick fashion. So you need to use that prescription in order to get some eye-drops to relieve him of his eyesight problem? I have no doubt that King Zora will provide us with the ingredient needed to make them, but I know what you're thinking Sunset Shimmer, and yes Zora's Domain is still frozen over as that is going to last for some time.

The snow has stopped falling since the defeat of Morpha in the Water Temple, but we still need to traverse the cold terrain. I would recommend switching over to the Goron Tunic while there as the warmth it provides should negate the cold before you freeze," said Spike.

" Yeah, I'd rather not experience succumbing to being frozen. By the way, do you know what kind of ingredient we need to make the eye-drops? Also, how does Bulk Biceps figure that Daring Do of all people has the skills necessary to make them?" I asked.

" I've heard that a certain species of frog is used because its eyes if dissected correctly, it produces the slimy film that's needed to be put into one's own eyes to reduce irritation. Of course, not just anyone can perform dissection which is why the Zoras merely carry the ingredients as opposed to the medicine itself.

Daring Do has been researching how to use the water of Lake Hylia to make medicinal compounds, and combining such aquatic properties with that of something like this special frog is sure to produce what Biggoron needs," replied Spike.

" It doesn't sound very easy to me," I said.

" The problem with this frog is that it needs to be delivered fresh otherwise it will lose all of its preservatives, and at that point it would just be a useless specimen meaning we'd have to go all the way back to Zora's Domain and try again," said Spike. If there was one thing I didn't want to do, it was being forced to backtrack even more than necessary, so I needed to do this right in one attempt. The idea of having to carry around a frog did make me feel nauseous, but I had no other choice if I want to get my hands on that blade.

Sighing because of realizing this task was something that I wish could have been a lot more pleasant, I began to make my way back down to Kakariko Village. In the meantime, another conversation was taking place which had to do with me, but this one wasn't happening within a realm of darkness, but rather inside of that tent which belonged to Sweetie Belle.

" Really? You mean to tell me that you met Sunset Shimmer, and didn't invite me to come outside and say hello?"

" Well, she was talking about matters relating to my men having gone and entered the Gerudo's Fortress, and that she was going to go there herself to see what they're doing. You could have come outside with me you know, but instead you wanted to stay inside and take a nice long nap because you felt emotionally drained."

" I travel around this kingdom constantly in order to experience every last facet that exists, so you can't blame me for wanting to take a long rest."

" You certainly are a strange one given that you go around and sell masks for a living, but don't pay me any mind. That girl appeared as though she hadn't aged a single day in seven years, and I suspect that she could be one of Ganondorf's followers."

" Now that is such an absurd thing to say Mutoh. Sunset Shimmer's magic prevented her from aging, but I'm not about to start acting jealous in that she managed to retain her youth. As for the idea of her being a servant to the Evil King, she has been struggling to free this land from his grip. I know that I sound biased given how she helped me sell my masks to people long ago, but I can assure you she is no follower of that man," said Sonata.

" She could have gone into the Gerudo's Fortress, but instead she decides to go and see Biggoron about getting a broken sword fixed," moaned Sweetie Belle.

" That's because she is looking at the much bigger picture which doesn't revolve around your missing workers Mutoh. She is aware that the desert is a cursed place where darkness holds an eternal grip over the area, and so she feels that a strong weapon is going to help her make it through to the other side where upon is located that mysterious temple," said Sonata.

" I guess I'll hold my judgment until my men have returned," said Sweetie Belle.

" To be honest with you, they chose a really bad time to want to become thieves. There are rumours going around that the Gerudo have been experiencing some personnel issues what with some acting out against the will of their king, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever kind of punishment they may get. Anyone who is suspected of showing defiance is either executed on the spot, or banished from the tribe and forced to live in the desert," said Sonata.

" It doesn't sound that bad; being exiled that is," said Sweetie Belle.

" Don't you remember what happened to the old second-in-command?" asked Sonata.

" She was kicked out of the tribe for betraying Ganondorf, and she disappeared soon after entering the Haunted Wasteland," replied Sweetie Belle.

" And that disappearance strikes as being odd," began Sonata.

" What do you mean?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" Many who wind up entering that desert often come back to the fortress without even realizing it, and are forced to go back into the dark sands until they either succumb to it, or make it to the other side which rarely happens. That former commander was more than capable of surviving out there, and yet she vanished without a trace," replied Sonata.

" I guess you do make a valid point, for she could survive in that infernal wasteland better than most of her fellow thieves. Speaking of rumours, there is another one that has been circling around that involves someone living in the desert using brainwashing. Some claim that Nabooru, the former second-in-command merely pretended to be missing, and in truth has been responsible for manipulating minds.

Others say that this is the work of a powerful witch who is said to have raised Ganondorf, but whichever of these two stories happens to be true, it shows you that this area of Hyrule is just as corrupted in darkness like the other areas," said Sweetie Belle.

" Wouldn't it have been important to have told Sunset Shimmer about that rumour?" asked Sonata.

" Again, I'll hold my judgment until I know what has become of my men," replied Sweetie Belle.

" Despite being stubborn Mutoh, you sure know how to stay true to your convictions," said Sonata.

" If you didn't happen to be a friend of that woman, I would have kicked you out for that insult, but then I suppose you do have a good point about me. By the way, whatever happened to her anyway?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" She's been spending these past days just running around this side of the bridge because she can't go into the Gerudo's Fortress, and she has no way to go back across to Hyrule Field where she wishes to resume her marathon event that she started about a year ago. I'm actually hoping that Sunset Shimmer can bring your workers here in order for all of you to repair the bridge, for I wish for the route to become open once again.

As it currently remains right now, it will just cause nothing but misery, yet I do have a means of making you happy until things naturally get better for you. Why don't I show you my collection of masks for surely there is one among them which will appeal to you enough to want to purchase it," suggested Sonata.

After having Epona gallop briefly across the short distance from the entrance of Kakariko Village to the start of the path which leads into Zora's River, I had to get down from her almost instantly which made her feel rather upset. I made sure to neigh to her to assure that I would be back as quickly as possible given that all I had to do was get a frog rather than explore another dungeon.

" Epona doesn't want me to leave her behind," I said.

" There are no monsters that will attack her because they only show up in specific locations," said Spike.

" I know, but still she wishes that she could come along with us to Zora's Domain even though that is not possible," I said.

" Many places exist in Hyrule where horses cannot tread, and while it's inconvenient to them, there isn't much that anyone can do about it. Besides, you'll be back here in about 20 minutes as all we need to do is speak to King Zora and get that frog. It's not like he's going to ask us to go into a dungeon as a means of proving your worth. As long as you explain the situation to him, I'm sure he will understand what must be done," said Spike.

" There's something else I need to tell him," I began.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" His daughter isn't going to be coming back home to him any time soon. Right now, he probably believes that Rarity has accomplished her task in the Water Temple, and is slowly taking her time returning because of wanting to see what else may have befallen the kingdom.

I know that he is going to be heart-broken when I reveal that destiny has chosen her to protect the world as one of the Six Sages, but he needs to understand that she is doing her part to banish Ganondorf when the time comes. I'm going to have to prepare for the worst in case he decides to punish me or something," I replied.

" Then maybe you should tell him after you get the frog," suggested Spike.

" No, that would be dishonest," I said.

" That's what I hoped you would say," smiled Spike. Deep down, I was rather afraid of what might happen if Hondo Flanks, aka Rarity's father, aka King Zora should he decide to have me executed, or imprisoned, but I had no choice but to tell him because he deserved to know what became of her. When Fluttershy didn't return to the Kokiri Forest, I told Diamond Tiara what happened despite a small inkling in my heart telling me not to say anything.

Walking along Zora's River was rather peaceful for the number of Octoroks had definitely reduced in number since my previous visit this way, yet there were still a couple of them popping out of the water which I defeated by bouncing their rocks back at them. That's when I came across the Magic Bean which I planted seven years ago.

" I wonder why we never noticed this before?" I asked.

" You did plant one of those beans in the soft soil when we originally came back from Zora's Domain," replied Spike.

" I guess that I completely forgot all about it, and could have used it to help us out. You don't need to say that you told me so as I don't regret buying those Magic Beans because they possessed a powerful magic inside," I said.

" Perhaps now we can use this one in order to see what it can do," suggested Spike.

" We should otherwise I'll never know if what Snips said to me was indeed accurate," I said. Stepping onto the Magic Bean did nothing at first, and in my head I could hear the mocking laughter coming from Spike, but all of a sudden it started to rise into the air before zooming off at quite a ridiculous speed.

The plant made its way through much of the area allowing me to avoid the Octoroks and Tektites before coming to a stop at the wooden bridge which leads to the waterfall. As I stepped off, the plant rose into the air again before zooming in the other direction most likely returning to its place of origin. " So that's what those beans do? Ha! I think you owe me an apology for having purchased something which proved to be useful."

" I'll admit that I was wrong about your purchase, but I can still say that you should have planted more of them," said Spike.

" Okay, I can give you that because I've only planted about three, and I have seven more left. I need to be reminded to go ahead and plant them the next time we go back into the past because we both know that is going to happen," I said.

" A shame that you can't use the plant to go back unless you choose to stay on it," said Spike.

" That's what the water current is for as we'll use it to come back quickly," I said. Continuing on the path to Zora's Domain before coming to a stop in front of the waterfall, I stepped onto the Triforce symbol and took out the Ocarina of Time from my belt, and played Twilight's Lullaby which caused the water to weaken. I jumped across to the other side of the gap, and entered the frozen wasteland.

Despite it no longer snowing like it was before, the sudden decrease in temperature made me feel very uneasy, and so I needed to change over to the Goron Tunic for a while to prevent myself from succumbing. I did ask Spike to turn around while I changed as I didn't want him to see my naked body, and once I finished changing, I made my way up to the throne room where Hondo Flanks was still sitting.

" Welcome to Zora's Domain," said Hondo Flanks.

" It's been a while since my last visit your majesty," I said.

" Oh? So you've come back once again Sunset Shimmer? I hope that the Zora Tunic has proven useful? While I see you are wearing the tunic made by the Gorons, I can understand that you wish to keep as warm as possible. My body has long since gotten used to these conditions, so it doesn't affect me at all. Anyway, what brings you here before me this time?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" I'm sure you're aware that the snow has stopped falling?" I asked.

" Yes, it's a sign that the Water Temple has returned to normal, and therefore my people shall one day become free of the icy prison which traps them. I have no doubt in my mind that you were able to aid Princess Ruto in destroying the evil which plagued our most sacred ground, and for that you have proven yourself to be a noble heroine in the name of the Zoras.

However, I have noticed that my daughter is not with you, so am I to assume that she decided to take some time to explore the other regions? Hyrule has many different ecosystems which she has never witnessed before due to living a rather sheltered life, but I suppose that she is now old enough to be able to visit these places without me needing to hold her hand," replied Hondo Flanks.

" About that," I began.

" Is there something that you wish to say?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" Your daughter, Princess Ruto, did perform her duty in destroying the curse, but destiny had a different plan where the Sacred Realm called out to her. She has been chosen to become the Sage of Water whose duty is to guard the temple, and because of that she can never return to Hyrule for she must remain in the Chamber of the Sages. I know that you've been awaiting anxiously for her to return home, but she won't be coming back no matter how hard you plea," I replied.

" My daughter isn't coming home?" asked Hondo Flanks. I could tell with the stutter in his voice that he was having trouble taking it all in, and my heart made me feel like he was going to punish me. It took him a few minutes of thinking, but Hondo Flanks finally came to a decision which I feared. " I had a feeling this was to be the case, for Princess Ruto did reveal to me some years ago that a great destiny awaited her." Was I seriously hearing this?

Am I to believe that he was aware that she wasn't coming back, yet still yearned for her safe return? I guess that makes sense given he is a worried parent and all, but he could have handled this a lot differently. " My daughter informed me of her destiny through a dream she had before the snow started to fall, so you could say that I was prepared for this day to come."

" Then what will you do?" I asked.

" Nothing, for what has become of my daughter is beyond my reach. I know that she is in a much better place where her power can be used to bring peace back to this world, yet I am thankful to you for having come and told me anyway. While my heart weeps for her to come home, I shall accept what has come to pass with a strong mind.

Sunset Shimmer, you have performed your duty expected of the one destined to save this troubled land, and for that you deserve to be rewarded. Whatever you desire from me, name it and it shall become yours," replied Hondo Flanks.

" I do have one thing I need," I began.

" What is that?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" I'm in need of a special frog," I replied.

" You desire something like that as a reward? I must admit that I am confused by such an odd request," said Hondo Flanks.

" Maybe if I give this to you, it will make a lot more sense," I said. I walked around the edge of his throne room until I was standing next to him, and then I reached into my pocket and took out the Prescription which Bulk Biceps handed over to me. It was a relief knowing it was still there despite falling from a great height, galloping along on horseback, and using a Magic Bean to skip over a section of Zora's River.

Once I gave it to Hondo Flanks, I walked back to the raised platform which is used to hear what he has to say, and he started to look over it. " This is something Biggoron needs for his eyesight has gotten poor due to the eruption of Death Mountain a few days ago."

" I do not have the ingredient which you require," said Hondo Flanks.

" Then how am I supposed to get the eye-drops?" I asked.

" No need to show disappointment, for I do possess the frog which you need. However, I must warn you that this frog can only survive in a cold temperature. If it is exposed too long to a warm climate, then it will spoil and nothing can be salvaged from it. Take this to the laboratory located in Lake Hylia, and give it to the woman who lives there. You have about an hour to get there before this Eyeball Frog spoils," replied Hondo Flanks.

" Did you just seriously call it that?" I asked.

" Yes, for that is the name of this particular species of frog," replied Hondo Flanks.

" An hour isn't all that long," I said.

" You are young and full of energy, so I have no doubt that you can make it in time. Of course, if you were to ride a horse down to the lake, you should be able to make it with plenty of time to spare," said Hondo Flanks. He then handed over the Eyeball Frog by tossing it to me, and when I grabbed it, I felt really sick because of how slimy it felt to the touch, but I placed it into one of my spare pouches which I would need to throw away.

Thanking him for the frog, I turned around and began to head back to the river in order to get to Epona quickly. " Should you not make it in time, you can come back here, and I will give you another one for you to take no matter how many attempts you acquire." Those final words from Hondo Flanks weren't the most encouraging ones. I intend on getting this done right on the first try, so when I got back outside into Zora's River, I jumped into the water whose current began to push me down the river in a quick fashion.

" That was quite intense," I said.

" But you did acquire the Eyeball Frog," added Spike.

" I can't believe how slimy the thing was given that we need it to make eye-drops," I moaned.

" Sounds to me that you feel squeamish when it comes to that kind of thing," said Spike.

" Not really just because of one little moment of weakness, but I can't seem to hide any secrets from you," I said.

" After being around you for as long as I have, I've come to know your mannerisms and way of thinking. Don't think of my words as being insulting to your character, but rather it should be a blessing that I appreciate who you are," said Spike.

" It also helps that I've been saying a lot about my history," I said.

" Talking about such things can help you to overcome them, and make you become stronger in the process. If you have anything on your mind that you wish to talk about, know that I am right here ready to listen to what you have to say. Anyway, I hope that Epona will be able to gallop down to Lake Hylia within the time-limit otherwise we'll have to go back and see King Zora about getting another frog.

That will cause us to waste even more time which we have little to spare because of needing to go to the Gerudo's Fortress and find out what happened to those carpenters," said Spike.

" I have the utmost faith in her speed," I smiled. It didn't take long to make my way down to the mouth of Zora's River, and I checked on the Eyeball Frog to make sure that it was okay. To my relief, it was still intact although I couldn't take a breather as I need to keep going if I'm to deliver this on time. Epona was very happy to see me return much sooner than expected, so I climbed onto her saddle giving her a soft kick to the ribs upon which she began galloping off at a fast speed.

" Okay girl, we must reach Lake Hylia in about 55 minutes to deliver this thing I'm carrying in my pouch. Do you think you can make it there in that amount of time?" The loud neigh which came from Epona was an indication that she was determined to live up to my expectations, and that's when she galloped even faster than before.

" Guess you were right about her speed," said Spike.

" All she needed was the chance to prove herself," I said.

" We should arrive at the laboratory long before the time limit runs out if she keeps up this pace," said Spike. That was my hope as well although I had no idea if she was going to be able to take me back to Kakariko Village as going this fast was bound to exhaust her. She was able to get me to Lake Hylia within about 52 minutes leaving me with three minutes left, but she did look exhausted from the journey.

Daring Do was outside with her equipment and appeared to be continuing with her water experiments. When she heard the clip-clopping of hooves, she turned around to notice me and immediately came up to me leaving what she was working on behind. I'm not sure if that was a good idea given how precious that equipment must be.

" Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing back here?" asked Daring Do.

" I came here to see you about something really important," I replied.

" Does it have anything to do with that mask? I've put that project on hold as I really want to get this water project finished. Ever since you restored the lake back to normal, I've been taking several samples to see what kind of properties exist, and still there have been no good results. It's reaching the point where it's making me feel really frustrated, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you," said Daring Do.

" I have this Eyeball Frog," I began.

" That is a very rare creature which is native only to Zora's Domain. In fact, I haven't seen any since the snow and ice froze that region over, but why would you have something like that on your person? I figured you would be the sort of person who carries about things that can be useful to you," said Daring Do. I then explained the situation as quickly as I could given that the frog was about a minute away from spoiling. " If that's the case, then we better go inside."

Entering her home once again, it was even more of a mess than ever what with all of the books scattered here and there. " When you said that you had an Eyeball Frog with you, all of these ideas were flowing in my mind of how I could use various parts of it in order to carry out some of my research experiments, but since this is a specific request you asked of me, I've no choice but to go with the one idea."

" I'm sorry if I've stifled your creativity," I said.

" Not at all. In fact, I was hoping someone would come along with what you brought as now I can finally determine the properties of Lake Hylia's water. You see, I was taking different samples of water and combining them with typical compounds, but the results as I said have been no good. Since an Eyeball Frog is an unusual compound, I should be able to create what you need," said Daring Do.

" How does it work?" I asked.

" Luckily, you brought this frog before it could spoil, so I'm able to use what is considered the most important part....the eyes. The rest of the frog is essentially useless, but the eyes are what contain the properties needed to create Biggoron's eye-drops. Now, do you happen to be squeamish?" asked Daring Do.

" I suppose so," I answered.

" Then I suggest that you look away for the next little while as I am going to be busy dissecting this little guy. I know that it sounds rather cruel, but this type of frog is one of the kinds that are used for various medicines. King Zora certainly knows how to keep them fresh as this is perhaps the freshest one I've seen in years," said Daring Do.

" You didn't answer my question," I said.

" Sorry about that. Whenever something like this happens, I have a tendency to forget about other people being in the vicinity, and instead focus on seeing what I can use from the specimen. Once I have cut the eyeballs from the frog, I'll be mixing the compound with some of the water from the lake.

This will be followed by using some of my equipment to warm up the mixture until it has reached the right temperature. Finally, I'll be able to take the compound and adjust it accordingly until I have produced the resulting eye-drops. By my calculation, this will take me a few minutes," said Daring Do.

" That quickly?" I asked.

" This isn't my first time trying to combine compounds with the lake's water, for I've been doing this for the last 20 years now. Because you want eye-drops, it's a simple procedure which doesn't need all that much in the way of complex maneuvers, but I'll aim to make you the best eye-drops Hyrule has ever seen," replied Daring Do. She certainly was feeling confidant about her skills, so I knew that this was going to work out in the end, but I quickly had to avert my gaze for she was starting to cut out the eyes.

Hearing the squishing sounds made me want to throw up, and I couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling. After having to endure two minutes worth of squishing, she moved onto the next phase where the rest of the procedure hardly took any time. " Well, I've finally created the eye-drops for you Sunset Shimmer, and I must say that they are without a doubt the best product I've created."

" What about the rest of the frog?" I asked.

" No point letting it go to waste now, so I'll probably cook what's left for dinner tonight," replied Daring Do. I wish that I hadn't asked that question, but then she handed over a rather precious-looking bottle containing some kind of blue liquid. " You must take that bottle to Biggoron so that he can apply them to his eyes, but I must warn you that these eye-drops don't have any preservatives."

" Meaning?" I asked.

" At this current temperature, they won't last long, so unless you can deliver them to him in time, the eye-drops will be completely useless, and you'll have to go all the way back to see King Zora about getting another Eyeball Frog. I'd say you have about 90 minutes before they spoil, but you should make it if you ride your horse quickly," replied Daring Do.

Just when it looked like I was completely done with all of these races against time, I end up having to experience another one, and this one had a lot of consequences for me to endure should I fail. Having Epona gallop back to Kakariko Village would push her to the limit given how she gave it her all to make it here in time, so maybe I should use one of Sheik's warp songs in order to get there in an instant.

" Anything else I need to know?" I asked.

" Using magic of any kind while carrying around the eye-drops will cause them to spoil immediately," replied Daring Do.

" Are you serious?" I asked.

" Relying on such ancient arts will end up corrupting the mixture," replied Daring Do. Well, there goes that idea as warping is a form of magic, and if I were to say go from here to the Death Mountain Crater, it will ruin everything and I'll have to go back to Zora's Domain and start this process from the beginning.

No, I'd rather not do that again, so I need to accomplish this task in one attempt. Thanking her for everything that she has done, I took my leave of her home, and walked over to Epona who appeared to be confused over what I was about to ask of her.

" Epona, I need you to gallop as fast as you can once again because I need to deliver these eye-drops before they are ruined. All I am asking of you is to get me to the village quickly, and from there I'll take care of the rest. I know that you're exhausted from galloping from Zora's River all the way down here to Lake Hylia, but I really have need of you now more than ever.

I probably sound really cruel forcing you to do something which can potentially cause you great harm, so maybe I'll just go there on foot although it would mean having to run without stopping which is bound to give me a heart-attack or something," I said. Epona in response stomped her hooves into the ground before giving me a series of aggressive neighs where she told me that she was determined to carry out my wishes no matter what the cost would be.

I then petted her on the muzzle followed by hugging her where tears trickled down my eyes. " Thank you girl, and I am sorry for thinking that you can't handle such intense situations." Climbing onto her saddle and giving her a soft kick to the ribs, Epona began to gallop off at a fast speed because she knew what was at stake. There was something else happening in Gerudo Valley at that exact moment, and I had no idea what it was going to mean for me.

" So you finally decided to come back to the tent?"

" Running around this same stretch of land ends up getting boring after a while."

" I don't blame you for feeling miserable because you want to be running around in Hyrule Field, but I can't do nothing until the bridge is fixed, and I need my men back here to do exactly that. I'm terribly sorry that this has been such an inconvenience for you Running Woman, yet all you can do for the time being is just wait here and see what happens in the coming hours."

" You should go in there and get them out," suggested Aria.

" I'm a carpenter, not a warrior! If I tried to do something like that, the Gerudo will capture me and lock me up somewhere."

" They only do that kind of thing to men because of a pathological disliking towards them. Since you're a woman like I am, you can go about their fortress and be treated with so much dignity it was as though you were some kind of queen," said Aria.

" No, I'll likely get thrown into one of their prisons because my workers are men. I don't why those idiots wanted to become thieves in the first place when they knew full well that their gender would get them in trouble, but I suppose that I insulted them far too often which resulted in them leaving. I know that I've been giving them a hard time, but it's just that I want them to become the best."

" Then how do you plan on getting them back Mutoh?" asked Aria.

" Someone else is going to be helping me with that," replied Sweetie Belle.

" Now who would be crazy enough to venture into the Gerudo's Fortress especially considering how dangerous that place has gotten in recent days. They're acting like they are preparing for the arrival of someone specific," said Aria.

" There was a girl who came earlier while jumping over the gap using a horse, and she said that she was going into the fortress because she needed to reach the desert. I asked her if she could check on my men to see what they were doing, and she agreed to my request. I believe her name was Sunset Shimmer....yes, that's who it was as I remember speaking to her years ago," said Sweetie Belle.

" I remember her because she sold me that Bunny Hood which encouraged me to embrace my inner rabbit," said Aria.

" You still have that thing?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" Of course as it's become a part of who I am, and I would never part with it for anything. I don't wear it anymore because I've gotten older, but I keep it at home where it's safely inside a special box which will preserve it for years to come. I recall she disappeared before Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle, so it's weird that she has returned after being gone for so long. If she intends on entering the Gerudo's Fortress, she is going to need someone who knows their way around," replied Aria.

" And that would be you?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" I've come in and out of the fortress for a few years now because they view me as an honourary member of the tribe," replied Aria.

" I know that you aren't a warrior either Running Woman, so while your intentions are noble, you are likely to be captured if they believe you to be acting against their interests. That second-in-command is really loyal to Ganondorf, and that makes her a very dangerous woman," said Sweetie Belle.

" Then what do you suggest?" asked Aria.

" Maybe you can give her some advice before she enters as she is going to need all the help she can get," replied Sweetie Belle.

" Guess I'll just go inside and wait for her to show up. By the way, I take it Sonata has been showing you some of her masks, and you ended up buying one of them from her? You don't need to say a word Mutoh because I can see it behind your back," said Aria.

By the time Epona made it to Kakariko Village, I had about 15 minutes left, so I climbed down, and neighed to indicate that I would be back in a short while. Making my way through the village, I did notice that repairs were already underway to fix things because of the fire which ravaged everything. I was surprised that none of them could hear the bellowing of Bulk Biceps, and I was actually curious as to the reason behind it.

" How do you suppose no one can hear the sounds of someone calling for help?" I asked.

" I have to admit that is really odd given that Biggoron's voice is so loud that it can be heard not only on Death Mountain, but also Kakariko Village, Zora's River, Zora's Domain, and even the likes of Lon Lon Ranch," replied Spike.

" While I can understand that the villagers need to focus on repairs, they could have at least sent someone to find out what all the noise is about. Of course, there is no noise to be heard which is weird, but maybe it has something to do with the dark power which has pervaded the land?" I asked.

" It's best not to think about it Sunset Shimmer given that we need to make our way up to Biggoron," replied Spike. Yes, we had to hurry as I didn't want to start this lengthy process all over again. The instant I arrived in the area via the Death Mountain Trail, I almost fell over due to the booming voice of Bulk Biceps bellowing out across the mountain.

What was scary at this precise moment was that I nearly dropped the vial containing the drops, and if it had broke then I'd really be up the creek as it were, but I was fast enough to catch it before it shattered on the ground.

" IT'S BEEN A FEW HOURS NOW SINCE SHE LEFT, AND DESPITE HAVING REPEATED MY CONCERN MANY TIMES OVER, I'M STILL HOLDING OUT HOPE THAT SHE WILL BE ABLE TO RETURN HERE IN TIME BEFORE MY EYESIGHT BECOMES SO BAD THAT I AM FORCED TO CLOSE DOWN MY BUSINESS FOREVER," said Bulk Biceps.

" Patience isn't his strongest suit," I said.

" You can't blame him for wanting to get those drops as his pain must be unbearable by now," said Spike.

" But I can for yelling so loud that he almost destroyed that which he needs," I moaned. I needed to get to him quickly, but his booming voice is going to be a problem I have to work around if I am to make it. The pathway leading up the mountain didn't have magma rocks coming down from the mouth of the volcano, and the lack of monsters up until the wall I have to climb was another insurance of being able to get to my destination in time before it was too late.

" OH! I CAN FEEL MY VISION SLOWLY FADING AWAY!" said Bulk Biceps.

" Once again, he is being very melodramatic," I moaned.

" Can you blame him?" asked Spike.

" Not really as he has been waiting patiently for me to return, but I am surprised that the Gorons haven't complained about him," I replied.

" I must admit that it's unusual that they haven't tried to communicate with him in the hopes of getting him to calm down, but since none of them can even reach his location given how they are afraid of heights, their voices most likely won't even reach his ears," said Spike.

" Maybe he should move further down the mountain so that the other Gorons can get to him," I suggested.

" His current location is the only area that's big enough to accommodate his rather large size," said Spike.

" No wonder because he's often lonely up there," I said. It's hard not to feel bad about Bulk Biceps because he probably didn't want to be as big as he is, and for that he can't get certain things he needs due to being too big to even leave Death Mountain. Despite the fact that his bellyaching was giving me problems of my own, I was determined to get up there and deliver the eye-drops.

Running along the pathway was easy because he was surprisingly quiet, but as I reached the wall, the Skullwalltulas had returned, and that meant eliminating them before making my way up. Taking out the Fairy Bow, I fired arrows at all of the ones I could hit from my current position, yet once again the last one was beyond my reach, so I had to climb to the ledge jutting from the side of the cliff like last time.

" I CAN HEAR THE SOUNDS OF SOMEONE FIRING A WEAPON," said Bulk Biceps.

" I'll be with you in just a few moments," I said.

" THAT IS THE VOICE OF THE ONE WHO SPOKE TO ME BEFORE, AND SAID THEY WOULD GO AND GET THE EYE-DROPS THAT I NEED. I'M SO RELIEVED THAT YOU HAVE RETURNED AFTER WHAT FEELS LIKE FOREVER," said Bulk Biceps.

" It's only been several hours at the most," I moaned.

" YOU CAN'T BLAME ME FOR FEELING THAT WAY BECAUSE OF HOW MY EYES ARE SO IRRITATED," said Bulk Biceps.

" No, I suppose not," I said.

" I HAVE NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT BACK WHAT I NEED, SO I SHALL WAIT HERE FOR YOU TO COME UP TO THIS LOCATION SO THAT WE CAN FINISH OUR BUSINESS," said Bulk Biceps. You know, he could have simply reached forward with his hand and just picked me up making things a whole lot easier, but with his eyesight being what it is right now, he's more likely to swat me into the abyss or something.

Destroying the remaining Skullwalltula, I finished my climb until I was standing before him once again, and I was surprised that he wasn't rubbing his eyes. " YOUR FOOTSTEPS JUST NOW INDICATE THAT YOU HAVE REACHED ME, AND I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT THAT I HAVE TEARS COMING FROM MY EYES.

GRANTED, I CAN'T RUB THEM BECAUSE OF MY IRRITATION, BUT YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW WHAT I MEAN. WERE YOU ABLE TO GIVE KING ZORA THE PRESCRIPTION? DID HE GIVE YOU THE INGREDIENT NEEDED SO THAT THE WOMAN IN LAKE HYLIA COULD CREATE THE EYE-DROPS? HAVE YOU BROUGHT THEM FOR ME?"

" To be honest, I wasn't expecting to be given two races against time in order to do this for you," I said.

" MY APOLOGIES FOR HAVING GIVEN YOU ANY STRESS, FOR WHILE I WAS AWARE THAT THE INGREDIENT COULD EASILY SPOIL, I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE EYE-DROPS THEMSELVES WERE IN THE SAME BOAT.

I KNOW YOU MUST BE FEELING EXHAUSTED, BUT IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO GIVE ME THE DROPS, I CAN PUT THEM TO GOOD USE, AND RELIEVE YOU OF THE STRESS YOU MUST BE EXPERIENCING," said Bulk Biceps. I asked him at that moment to move forward and reach out with his hand so that he could take the vial from me, but I told him to be extremely careful because it was fragile.

He followed my instructions perfectly, and when his palm was before me, I placed the eye-drops in his hand, and he raised it above his head where he proceeded to administer the drops. The sound of two drops could be heard all across Death Mountain, and it was both a disturbing, and relieving experience for me.

" WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! THESE EYE-DROPS ARE WORKING GREAT! AT LAST, MY VISION HAS COME BACK TO ME AFTER SO LONG, AND FOR THAT I CAN RESUME MY WORK. I MUST THANK YOU FOR HAVING GONE AND DONE ALL OF THIS FOR ME, AND I KNOW JUST WHAT I CAN DO TO MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY."

" What would that be?" I asked.

" FIRST, I NEED YOU TO TAKE THIS CLAIM'S CHECK WHICH IS PROOF THAT YOU HAVE REQUESTED ME TO EITHER MAKE YOU A WEAPON FROM SCRATCH, OR YOU WANTED ME TO REPAIR ONE OF MY WEAPONS. IN THIS CASE, IT IS THE LATTER OPTION WHICH YOU HAVE CHOSEN. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MOST LIKELY CONFUSED RIGHT NOW, BUT DO KNOW THAT THIS IS HOW I DO MY BUSINESS WITH ALL OF MY CUSTOMERS," replied Bulk Biceps.

He moved forward and reached out with his hand where he gave me a small stone slab which had a sword etched into it. According to what the check said, I was guaranteed one of his weapons the moment I show this to him when the time comes. " NORMALLY, IT WOULD TAKE ME SEVERAL DAYS TO REPAIR A WEAPON, BUT BECAUSE YOU WENT TO A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE TO HELP ME OUT, I AM GOING TO WORK EXTRA HARD, AND REPAIR THIS BLADE WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS."

" So how do you go about making a weapon?" I asked.

" HYLIAN CARPENTERS COME ALL THE WAY UP HERE TO REQUEST ME TO MAKE OR REPAIR SOMETHING FOR THEM, AND IT TAKES ME SOME TIME BECAUSE OF MY INCONSISTENCY. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO GO AND COLLECT THE NECESSARY MATERIALS, SO HYLIANS BRING ME THE SUPPLIES I NEED WHICH IS ABOUT TWICE A MONTH.

FROM THERE, I USE MY DEXTERITY TO MAKE WHAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED, AND UPON FINISHING MY WORK, THE CUSTOMERS ARE HAPPY DESPITE HAVING TO WAIT. IT DOES DEPEND AT TIMES ON HOW MY MOOD IS WHICH CAN DETERMINE HOW LONG I CAN TAKE, BUT OVERALL MY WEAPONS CAN NEVER BREAK FOR I USE TECHNICQUES THAT I CANNOT SAY," replied Bulk Biceps.

" I was told that you are rather secretive about your skills," I said.

" THEN YOU HAVE HEARD CORRECTLY," said Bulk Biceps.

" I should really let you get on with your work if you plan on repairing that broken tool by tonight, so I'm going to see if I can get a few hours of sleep because I am going to be needing it where I'm going," I said.

" MY WORK SHOULDN'T BE TOO LOUD FOR YOU," said Bulk Biceps. Considering how loud he is, the thought of hearing the sounds of his work filled me with dread, and I fear that I won't be getting as much sleep as I would like. What ended up surprising me was just how quiet he was, and this was perhaps one of the biggest contradictions I've ever experienced where someone so loud could work without making a single peep.

In fact, I slept so well that not even a brief moment of him banging metal was enough to wake me up. By the time night came around, I woke up and saw that Bulk Biceps was looking up at the night sky. There was some sweat dripping from his brow, so he must have worked really hard just to finish this repair on time.

When he noticed that I was awake, he turned his attention towards me before speaking out loud. " NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO USE THAT CLAIM'S CHECK I GAVE YOU IN ORDER TO RECEIVE YOUR SWORD. I MUST ADMIT THAT THIS IS MY FINEST WORK YET, AND YOU WILL BE VERY PLEASED WITH THE RESULT."

" Here's the check as you presented to me," I said as I showed it to him. He then moved forward once more, and reached out with his hand where he gently placed on the ground a rather beautiful looking sword complete with its own scabbard. I had never seen anything as amazing as this in my entire life, and for that he has certainly proved to me that he is a master at his profession.

I picked it up, and swung it about a few times while holding it in both hands because of the size of the blade. It just felt so right in my hands which made me very happy indeed.

" THIS IS THE BIGGORON'S SWORD NAMED AFTER MYSELF, AND UNLIKE THE GIANT'S KNIFE MADE BY MY BROTHER, WHAT YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS WILL NEVER BREAK NO MATTER HOW MUCH PUNISHMENT YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE TO IT. THAT BLADE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE STRONGEST WEAPON IN THE KINGDOM, FOR EVEN THE LEGENDARY MASTER SWORD CANNOT COMPARE.

IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO LEAVE BEHIND THE GIANT'S KNIFE, I WILL MAKE CERTAIN TO GUIDE MY BROTHER INTO FORGING MORE DURABLE BLADES IN THE FUTURE. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NAME AND PRESENCE ARE NOT MENTIONED IN CASE YOU WISH TO BE ANONYMOUS.

FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KEEP THE CLAIM'S CHECK AS A SOUVENIER BECAUSE YOU CAN LOOK AT IT, AND REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU HELPED SOMEONE IN NEED," said Bulk Biceps.

" I guess this is goodbye then," I said.

" BEFORE YOU GO, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF YOUR NAME?" asked Bulk Biceps.

" Of course seeing as I know who you are....my name is Sunset Shimmer," I replied.

" THAT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL NAME FOR SOMEONE WHO IS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT THE VERY SUN BASKS IN YOUR RADIANCE. I SHALL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE DONE, SUNSET SHIMMER, AND I WISH YOU LUCK FOR THE FUTURE," said Bulk Biceps. I thanked him for repairing the weapon Sweetie Belle gave to me, yet I was curious as to how he was going to explain things to Medigoron when he is in Goron City deep within the recesses of a cave.

It was a question that I didn't need an answer to because it was probably beyond my means of understanding, but once I placed the Giant's Knife on the ground, and added this new blade to my collection by placing it next to the Master Sword's scabbard, I proceeded to head back down the mountain using the vines on the wall instead of jumping off.

" It's been a few hours now, and she still hasn't come back yet."

" You need to remain calm because you of all people know how long it takes Biggoron to repair a weapon. I'd say that she won't be coming back here for a few days at the very least, so it looks like you'll be continuing to mope about for a while."

" Sigh....I should never have given her that broken tool in exchange for my Poacher's Saw. Instead, I should have insisted on having her ask for a better reward, and she would be in the Gerudo's Fortress right now trying to find my men. Guess I was being too soft for my own good, and I'm not known for being like that. If she doesn't show up soon, I don't know what else I can do."

" You could have gone in and found out for yourself."

" I know that I shouldn't be relying on someone else to get the job done, but I don't want to go in there knowing that those Gerudo are waiting for an excuse to capture anyone. That Sunset Shimmer does have a lot of courage for being such a young girl, yet she obviously doesn't realize what she is going up against."

" I believe you're wrong about her Mutoh."

" What makes you say that?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" She is more powerful than appearances suggest, and she's seen things that you and I will never experience in our lifetimes. I have no doubt that she has what it takes, but she is going to need to be cunning to able to sneak past all of the guards. They have increased their security in recent months for reasons not even I know, for I tried asking them a few times, and I received no answer."

" Might have to do with that girl," suggested Sweetie Belle.

" Because she is one of those heroic types, she won't be killing any of them as they're not monsters, so she is probably going to have to stun them in order to get by. They may not look like it, but the Gerudo aren't what you would call durable as their training focuses on speed and power rather than defence. Even the most inexperienced soldier can easily overcome one of them if they were to take advantage of their lack of defensive maneuvers."

" Surely they have the means of getting around that Running Woman?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" They've got a few specific moves designed to counter-balance their poor defences," replied Aria.

" I knew it! They pretty much have an answer to everything," moaned Sweetie Belle.

" Not necessarily so Mutoh. I've had a first-hand look at their training sessions, and one thing does seem to be a consistent issue. They have a really hard time dealing with magic because they are skilled at close-quarters combat, so if Sunset Shimmer happens to be a skilled magician, I have no doubt that she will be just fine," said Aria.

" I did suggest she should just go back home, but she was insistent on getting through to the desert, and when you have such a stubborn streak in you, nothing anyone says is going to stop them. Yawn! It's really late now, and I doubt that girl would be crazy to attempt to sneak into the fortress at night," said Sweetie Belle.

" Yeah, I'm getting tired as well, and I agree that it would be nothing short of crazy. I guess I'll speak to her when she comes by in the morning, and warn her about what she's going to encounter. I'm surprised Sonata didn't want to come out here and talk with us, but I guess all of that mask business earlier made her want to sleep almost instantly....or it could be that strange food she ate a while ago....a taco is what she called it," said Aria.

By the time I finally made it back to Gerudo Valley, the night was still young as the moon hadn't reached the highest point of its apex. Having her jump over the gap that used to house the bridge was now a necessity because she refused to be left behind, but this time I actually wanted to see the leap across because something compelled me to want to see it for myself.

When Epona made the leap, it felt like I was a Pegasus for that brief moment, or rather an alicorn because of my magic, and when she reached the other side, she galloped slowly until she came to a stop.

" It looks like everyone has gone to sleep for the night," I said.

" I'm guessing that Mutoh had additional guests living in that tent aside from the other carpenters," said Spike.

" Judging from the shadows I can see by looking through the flaps, there appear to be three of them with one obviously belonging to her. Do you suppose the Gerudo are asleep right now?" I asked.

" Hard to say for sure, but if I were to wager a guess, they have guards designated to patrolling the fortress during the day, and others to patrol it during the night. This isn't going to be easy as we won't know where the guards will be situated until we literally are on top of them. Also, I suggest that you don't bring Epona because we don't want them to take her away," replied Spike.

" It'd be nice if we had some idea of what we're up against," I said.

" Among the tribes of Hyrule, the Gerudo are the most mysterious as there is very little about them in the history books. This is because they have been so reclusive over the generations that there are historians who are dedicated to understanding how they operate as a society. Most of them never made it back, and instead were forced to rot away in the dungeons of the fortress, were exiled to the desert where they succumbed, or somehow escaped and vowed to never return for as long as they lived.

The King had hoped that with an alliance, the Gerudo would finally begin to open up to the rest of the kingdom, but Ganondorf made sure nothing of his people would become known to those who were deemed outsiders," said Spike.

" Surely there are some people beyond the tribe who are recognized," I suggested.

" Individuals like that do exist although they are few in number. They are known as honourary members of the tribe who have access to the various facilities located within the fortress, and they are allowed to come and go as they please. However, any information is strictly forbidden to outsiders, so there's no point in trying to ask someone like that as they would have nothing to say," said Spike.

" Guess our only course of action is to go in, and see for ourselves just what the Gerudo's Fortress is like," I said. Epona then began to trot along as I didn't want to wake anyone sleeping inside of the tent, and she made her way over to a small group of boulders before coming to a stop where I climbed down from her saddle.

She began to neigh softly which was her telling me she wished that I turn back, but I neighed in response telling her that this had to be done for the future of Hyrule. After a few exchanges of nothing but long and short neighs, I patted Epona on the nose and rubbed her muzzle before walking off towards the fortress.

The cliffs were pretty large when I entered the area, and I could understand why this was a really effective means for the Gerudo to pick off any potential enemies. " With how this pathway is set up, they can easily stand on top of one of these cliffs, and use ranged attacks in order to defeat intruders. They in turn would be unable to do anything as they wouldn't be expecting such an attack."

" They are known for using devious methods to overcome their enemies," said Spike.

" From what you and Sheik have told me, it's best not to underestimate them because of how good their combat skills are," I said.

" Most of the Gerudo around here are mere guards whose job it is to protect the territory while the rest venture forth into Hyrule Field and beyond. It's those thieves who you need to be careful of as they possess the most skill among the tribe, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of their warriors have been tasked to make sure that the carpenters don't try anything," said Spike.

" You think they've been captured?" I asked.

" Most likely given how the thieves have a immense hatred of men," replied Spike. This made the situation a lot more difficult as it was my belief that they were all in one location where all I had to do was convince them to come back to Sweetie Belle. If they were imprisoned, then the most logical course of action was to have them all locked up in different areas so as to prevent anyone from rescuing them.

Because I had no idea as to the layout of the fortress, I was essentially walking around blind. Since I had a feeling that they were waiting for me to show up, I decided that it would be best to walk slowly, and perhaps do some sneak attacks of my own. I walked forward for a few paces until the cliffs opened up, and to my amazement and shock, the Gerudo's Fortress stood before me.

" So that's the home of Ganondorf?" I asked.

" You can already begin to imagine how he and his people have to endure living in such conditions like this," replied Spike.

" No wonder they have such disdain towards the other tribes because they have much better living arrangements. Still, you have to admit that this place is really intimidating what with those thick walls making it impenetrable apart from using all of those doors situated in various locations, and of course the guards on patrol make you feel uneasy because they could capture you at any moment," I said.

" Not all areas of the fortress will have guards patrolling them," said Spike.

" Then we need to find those places because that will make our exploration easier," I said. That's when I noticed a few of the Gerudo walking near the top of the staircase, and I could see they were armed with spears which struck me as being odd. Then again, Spike did say that most of them were guards, so this was what I had to deal with for the most part. " How many do you suppose are out here on patrol?"

" Probably a few dozen of them," replied Spike.

" If I knock them unconscious, that will allow me to sneak by and in the front door, but wouldn't that alert the others to my presence?" I asked.

" The night does obscure their vision, so they would need to be almost next to one another to be able to see anything suspicious," replied Spike.

" Going up the stairs would allow them to spot me instantly, so it would be best if we went around the long way. We might even find another entrance to use instead of the main one behind those boxes," I suggested. Spike nodded his head in approval, and I crept past the staircase and along the side of the cliff. There were some additional guards walking back and forth, but trying to sneak past was too risky as they were moving too fast.

I needed to knock them out from a distance, and the only means was the Fairy Bow, so I took it out and aimed carefully. Any miss-fired arrows could alert them to my presence, so I had to hit everyone within mere seconds of one another. I'm glad that Iron Will taught me those pointers otherwise this would have been a disaster. The instant the guards were close to each other, I fired arrows which struck them both causing each to collapse to the ground.

" How long do you think they will stay knocked-out?" I asked.

" They'll be out for a couple of minutes, so we need to move quickly," replied Spike. Putting the Fairy Bow away, I rushed across the clearing making sure that no one could see me, and I ended up reaching the side of the fortress where there was a second entrance. I could see some more guards in the distance, but they were too far away to notice what was going on, so I walked inside where I found myself face-to-face with several spears aimed at me.

About four Gerudo were standing before me with their weapons at the ready, and the first thing that came to mind was to retreat back outside and find another way in. That's when I felt something sharp digging into my back, and behind me were several more guards including the two I knocked out a few moments ago. It looks like they were indeed waiting for me to show up, and I have walked right into their trap....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 52: The Shimmer Thief

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 17, 2015
Chapter 52: The Shimmer Thief.

" Madam Spitfire! Madam Spitfire!"

" What is it?" asked Spitfire.

" Urgent news from the guards patrolling the south-western entrance! They discovered someone trying to sneak inside, but was captured before they could escape. One of the guards told me to come and report this matter to you madam."

" So someone tried to rescue those carpenters? It was a wise decision to take those men prisoner because their plight was bound to attract a heroic type, but tell me something right now, and you had better provide me with the correct answer. This intruder who was captured....do they have any distinguishing features that make them stand out?" asked Spitfire.

" The intruder was a girl."

" Anything else?" asked Spitfire.

" She was dressed in a red tunic, and was carrying around some kind of fancy-looking sword on her person. If I didn't know any better madam, this girl had the legendary Master Sword."

" Gasp! There is only one person I know who has such a blade like that, and she is the one whom we have been waiting for. This girl is the same one who has been a threat to the dominion of the Great Ganondorf by breaking the curses which have been placed on the five temples of Hyrule.

That girl must not be allowed to leave the fortress, for if she were permitted to run around without any restraint, there is no doubt in my mind that she would break the curse on the Spirit Temple which lies at the far end of the desert," replied Spitfire.

" Understood Madam Spitfire. I shall inform the others that the girl must not be allowed to leave."

" No wait! Please disregard that last command, for I wasn't thinking straight," said Spitfire.

" Why are you holding your head like you were in pain?"

" None of your concern as all you need to do is obey my commands. I want you to execute her immediately, for she is too dangerous to be allowed to remain alive. I am sorry if I had confused you with my sudden change of decision, but I want you to relay to the guards to kill that girl at once," replied Spitfire.

" But, why would you desire to invoke the law of the Gerudo upon someone who isn't even a part of the tribe?"

" Are you questioning me?" asked Spitfire.

" Of course not madam, but I'm just concerned that you might be taking advantage of our laws."

" If the Great Ganondorf heard you speaking out like that, he would have commanded me to have you killed on the spot. You know full well that I am in charge of the fortress while he is away ruling over the kingdom, and therefore I am allowed to carry out his will in whatever way I desire. Like I said, that girl is a threat, and she must be killed at once before she can escape," said Spitfire.

" Then she will be killed immediately."

" Have the other guards already thrown her into one of the cells?" asked Spitfire.

" One suggested to lock her up in the outside tower until you had come to a decision Madam Spitfire."

" Well, I wasn't expecting any of them to do that, but I suppose it does make things a little more easier. I hope that the others were able to take away any weapons she may have been carrying because if she escapes from the tower, then heads are going to be lost if you know what I mean. You have been given your orders, so leave me as there are some things I need to take care of," said Spitfire.

" By your leave madam."

" My apologies if the guards threw her into the outside tower Lady Koume, for I didn't know that the girl would have attempted to enter the fortress once the sun had gone down. At least she has been captured before she could cause any trouble, and I assure you that she will be killed before the night is out," said Spitfire.

" I'm not concerned with the fact that she will be killed, but rather you were trying to issue a different command. You were told that she was to be killed instantly, and yet you decided that she wasn't allowed to leave the fortress? It seems that my influence upon you had yielded some rebellion because you clearly were defying my magical hold Spitfire. I suppose it has to do with the fact that your spirit is a lot stronger than what I suspected," said Trixie.

" I'm sorry for disobeying you," said Spitfire.

" My magic should be flawless considering how I have been able to control so many others, and yet you alone have proven to be most difficult. I'm not concerned though if you somehow break free of my magic, for the girl will be dead before that can happen. Still, I must return to the temple and prepare just in case things here end up going completely wrong," said Trixie.

" What shall I do Lady Koume?" asked Spitfire.

" I want you to go and kill that girl yourself even if you have to kill the others should they try to oppose you. The Great Ganondorf's reign cannot be brought to an end by some child who lived in the forest for who knows how long, and that would be such a travesty considering that the Gerudo have only now started to reap the rewards after having to suffer for centuries.

Oh, and Spitfire? I would advise your guards to remain loyal if I were you otherwise their deaths shall be on your hands. Also, be sure that the girl's lifeless body remains intact for the power she wields mustn't be ruined," replied Trixie.

I have to give credit to these thieves for having a specialized prison cell which consisted of a tall vertical chamber with no exit aside from a hole in the ceiling where they toss in those who have been captured. The fall wasn't very pleasant although I'm thankful that I didn't get killed because of there being no fall damage in Hyrule.

" Are you alright Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" I'm okay although I feel stupid for having gotten myself caught so easily," I replied.

" Don't blame yourself because we had no idea where those guards were stationed, but it does mean that they were waiting for you specifically. My guess it that you've become a threat to Ganondorf, and his people view you as an enemy," said Spike.

" If that's the case then I'm not going to find any allies around here aside from the carpenters. According to what those guards were saying as they dragged me here, each of the four workers are locked up in different places under heavy security. They knew that I was going to attempt a rescue, but now that my presence is known, they'll probably increase their security even more," I said.

" We should be thankful that they didn't take any of your weapons away," said Spike.

" If they did, I'd have no means of making my escape. Even though my magic is powerful, I can sense an aura coming from the walls as though there is a strong magical coating blanketing them," I said. I conjured up a couple of fireballs, and tossed them at a wall where they fizzled immediately. Either the walls had always been this way, or it was a means of making sure that my magic was useless.

In any case, I was stuck in this prison cell unless I can find another means of escaping. When I looked up towards the ceiling, I noticed a fairly large window that featured a piece of wood which must be used to close the thing when the night rolls in. All of a sudden, I could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall as a pair of Gerudo guards were walking by outside.

" Madam Spitfire wants us to do what?"

" We've been given the command to kill that girl."

" Surely this child isn't so big of a threat to our society that she needs to be executed."

" I know what you mean, for she isn't even a member of the tribe, and if we were to kill an outsider, we could face problems if word reaches the ears of the other tribes. If they found out we were murdering non-Gerudo, they are sure to rebel against the Great Ganondorf, and we would be in a lot of trouble as a result."

" And yet, we have our orders to kill the girl."

" Which is what really has me worried due to the way Madam Spitfire has been acting. I know she has been upholding the law ever since she became second-in-command, yet lately her actions can be described as being completely out there. All of these changes just because of one little girl, and in my opinion I think she is beginning to lose her mind."

" You might as well keep that just between us otherwise she'll have you killed for treason. Come on, let's carry on with our patrol even though there isn't any point given our captive has been locked up."

Hearing this conversation turned out to be a blessing, for things were starting to make sense. I have a short amount of time to escape before someone comes in here and kills me, but even if I were to get out before that happens, I don't even know where to begin searching for the imprisoned carpenters.

" You heard all of that didn't you?" I asked.

" The leader of the fortress is determined to see you dead, and that makes her the biggest problem we have to deal with," replied Spike.

" Maybe, but something about all of this seems odd," I said.

" How do you figure that?" asked Spike.

" Those two guards we overheard said that the one in charge, this Spitfire, has been acting rather strange. That means something must have caused her to suddenly change as before that she must have been someone that the Gerudo can trust. I have a suspicion that dark magic is involved, but not Ganondorf as he probably doesn't even concern himself with what happens here. If we want to get through to the desert and reach the temple, we need to meet Spitfire in person, and ask her for permission to be allowed to leave," I replied.

" I am sensing a dark presence," began Spike.

" Fairy intuition?" I asked.

" You could it that yes, but I agree that something strange is happening in the fortress. We need to be careful Sunset Shimmer as there could be others around here who are experiencing the same thing," replied Spike.

" Then I need Fluttershy's help," I began as I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch. I would have been utterly devastated had they taken away the treasure of the royal family, but they chose not to for reasons I can assume as being sheer luck. Spike's reaction was one of shock as he thought it was crazy of me to want to speak to Fluttershy especially in such a dangerous place like this.

" I know that those guards are probably going to come here to kill me, but whenever I am playing a song, it feels like time itself stops until I'm finished. I believe I'll have the time to ask her for help." I then played Fluttershy's Song, and was hoping she had information that could help me out.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Fluttershy....can you hear me? That's strange....it sounds like you're inside a cramped location as I can hear my voice echoing off of some rather thick walls, so where exactly are you?" asked Fluttershy.

" I infiltrated the Gerudo's Fortress in order to rescue carpenters who have been taken captive, and I ended up being caught myself and thrown into a large tower which only has two ways to escape. Apparently, they were waiting for me to arrive which is how they were able to take me prisoner, so now I've contacted you in the hopes that you know what I need to do," I replied.

" This is a very serious situation you've gotten yourself into, and one that isn't going to be easy to figure out. First of all, you need to escape from that room because I can sense the guards coming. Perhaps you can reach that piece of wood if you pulled yourself to it, but that is when the challenge of the fortress will come into play.

The carpenters you need to rescue have been placed in different locations making things more difficult. I'm not sure where all of them are located as a dark magic that is radiating throughout the area is blocking my power as well as that of the forest spirits, but I can tell you that one of them can be found next to the main entrance," said Fluttershy.

" What about the one in charge?" I asked.

" There is something about her which strikes me as odd as though she were under a powerful spell, and that it's making her act against her very nature. Don't attack should you run into her, for she isn't your enemy. There is nothing you can do to break the spell which controls her mind, but something in her subconscious appears to be trying to help her remember who she is," replied Fluttershy.

Spitfire won't be making things easy for me that's for certain given she has most likely alerted everyone to kill me on sight making every move I perform a critical one, and because I've chosen to merely knock them out instead of kill them because they aren't monsters, they will likely test both my resolve and patience. " By the way, there is something you should know about the Gerudo."

" What's that?" I asked.

" They fight with such ferocity that they can overwhelm you without even trying. Their fighting style revolves around hitting enemies with tremendous force while using blinding speed, but they lack defence so if you can somehow take advantage of that, you will be able to overcome whatever they may try against you," replied Fluttershy.

" What about the carpenters themselves? Has any harm come to them?" I asked.

" They remain unharmed, but they are losing hope because the one who leads them hasn't attempted to rescue them. The Gerudo won't just kill them because they are men, but there is no telling what kind of punishment is going to be given to them. You need to rescue all of them before anything bad can happen, but you will need keys to unlock their prison cells.

One such key is currently in possession of a strong warrior, but the rest you'll need to figure out on your own. Be sure to keep as many arrows as possible for you will need them to sneak past the guards, and take advantage of the various terrain," replied Fluttershy.

" If only they accepted me," I said.

" So long as the one in charge is under that spell, you need to keep going until she is able to break free. This is where our conversation must come to and end, for you need to escape from that room before it's too late. Good luck Sunset Shimmer, and know that I'll be wishing for your safety," said Fluttershy. I always could rely on her kindness to cheer me up, and she was right in that I had to get out of this prison before Spitfire and the other guards get here.

She said that I needed to pull myself towards the wood hanging just above the window, and that's when I realized that the Longshot was what I needed. I then took it out and aimed at the wood where I fired the chain, and pulled myself up to the ledge where I could see the entire fortress. There were guards everywhere, so I had to first make my way down to the ground.

" What should we do from here?" I asked.

" Jumping to the ground below would be a bad mistake as you'll be stuck for a few moments due to your legs buckling as you land, and the guards are likely to catch you before you can even make a move," replied Spike.

" That's what I was thinking, so there has to be another way," I said. There was a rather large rock which served as part of the landscape, but there was a red flag attached to a long wooden pole that someone must have put there. " Hmmmm....can the Longshot reach that pole from all the way up here?"

" It should just barely reach it," replied Spike.

" The rock should be able to keep us hidden from the guards especially since it's dark out," I said as I aimed the Longshot at the pole, but it wasn't easy as it was really thin which meant precision was absolutely necessary. After spending a few moments making sure I was aiming properly, I fired the chain, and it connected where I found myself sailing through the air until I was safely on the rock.

Thanks to the shadows of the night, I blended in perfectly with my surroundings, and I guess that I was fortunate that I hadn't changed tunics since Zora's Domain; the red colouring of my Goron Tunic helped conceal my presence. I looked down below, and there were guards on patrol although they were travelling around either in pairs or by themselves. It felt like the outside area hardly had any presence whereas the inside of the fortress most likely had the majority of Gerudo waiting for me.

" So far, so good," said Spike.

" Keeping the Goron Tunic on has proven to be very useful," I said.

" That's because you forgot to switch back," said Spike.

" I was pre-occupied with wanting to get those eye-drops for Bulk Biceps, and I guess it just slipped my mind," I said. At that moment, I gasped because walking towards the tower was a small group lead by someone dressed in different armour, and she had a powerful aura coming from her. This must be Spitfire, and judging from the dark magic I was sensing all around her body, she was still under the spell that was controlling her.

" So that's the current second-in-command, and she doesn't look like she messes around. We should be safe here as the darkness keeps us hidden, but I'll bring the Fairy Bow out in case we need to make a break for it." I continued to keep an eye on Spitfire who arrived at the tower where two additional guards were there to greet her, yet I needed to concentrate so that I could hear what was being said.

" What brings you here madam?"

" I ought to have all of you clapped in irons and thrown into the dungeon for defying my orders," replied Spitfire.

" Huh? But what did we do?"

" Not you two as your task was to guard the prisoner, but these three who accompanied me here because they didn't take away her weapons when they captured her. I thought it was obvious that you should have removed her weapons, but I guess such a task like that proved to be too difficult to figure out.

I'd have made the same mistake due to this girl being difficult to figure out, yet you three clearly did make an obvious blunder which will make the others look like fools. Sigh, at least she is still locked away in the prison tower, so I have no need to chew anyone out for the moment. I will give you and the others credit for capturing her so quickly, and throwing her in here," replied Spitfire.

" Thank you for your good graces."

" Don't push your luck! Anyway, I want one of you to close the window in the prison because I don't want to give the girl any ideas of wanting to try and escape, so get to it at once! I'm sorry if my words are sounding rather harsh right now, but she should have been killed the moment she was captured because I wouldn't need to be here had you guards performed your duty," said Spitfire.

" But, the law of the Gerudo doesn't allow us to kill outsiders."

" I'm aware of that which is why I wanted all of this to have been done with discretion," said Spitfire.

" What do you mean?"

" There is no way of knowing if the girl came here of her own accord, or if someone from her tribe asked her to come here in order to rescue those men who were captured a few days ago. Should she be killed, and word spread out about it, we would have all of the kingdom bearing down on our throats.

Such a situation must not occur which is why she will die without outsiders knowing any better. I know that it sounds cruel and sadistic, but we have little choice in the matter if we are to protect our secrets from being discovered," replied Spitfire.

" If our secrets get revealed...."

" Then the Great Ganondorf as well as his surrogate mothers will have our heads. Believe me when I say that my words are true because you all know what happened to those who committed the ultimate act of betrayal when certain secrets ended up becoming known to the Sheikah," said Spitfire.

" Okay, then the girl must die."

" Precisely because we must do so in the name of our king," said Spitfire.

From where I was positioned on the rock, I could barely hear what was being discussed, yet I did manage to hear some things. They are under the belief that someone from the forest asked me to come here, but that isn't the case as Sweetie Belle asked me. It seems there is some kind of miscommunication being spread amongst the Gerudo, and this Spitfire was the one causing it although whether she was aware of this remains unknown for the moment.

She then pointed her finger at one of the guards as a means of commanding her to open some kind of hatch on top of the ceiling in that tower, and this was followed by her ordering the others to prepare throwing their spears along with some other weapons in an attempt to kill me. Just as they were about to commence with this attack, one of the guards suddenly began acting strange, and I knew it meant she figured out that I was no longer there.

" Ummmm....madam?"

" What is it?" asked Spitfire.

" We seem to have a problem."

" Don't tell me that your weapons are going to be ineffective against one little girl? You are proud warriors who have been trained rigorously in the Training Ground, so there is nothing you can't handle," said Spitfire.

" The prison is empty."

" I'm sorry, but it sounded like you just said that the prison was empty," said Spitfire.

" That's what I said madam."

" For your sake, I hope you're just playing a cruel joke at my expense," said Spitfire. She pushed the guard out of the way, and peered down into the hole where she realized that I wasn't there which made her face turn bright red. It looked as though she was about to explode which made the others frightened, but then she quickly calmed down before speaking in a calm manner.

" Well how about that? The girl was able to escape from the tower, and that has never happened before. She is more cunning than I first expected, but it does mean that we have an intruder running around. I want one of you to alert the tribe that the girl has escaped, and is to be captured." Spitfire then grabbed her head as though she were in pain, and for a moment she felt like something was affecting her mind. " Huh? What was I saying just now? Oh right! Find that girl and kill her now otherwise you'll all be exiled as punishment!"

" Yes madam!"

" Are you alright madam?"

" Of course I am, but why do you ask?" asked Spitfire.

" You look as though you just suffered a mild headache when you clutched your head a moment ago."

" Don't you have anything better to do than to ask such a stupid question? I ought to have you punished for not following orders....but, I do appreciate you being concerned about me. Maybe I'll go back to my quarters and rest for a while as I'm not feeling well. You and the others have free reign to find that girl, and by all means inform me the moment you've found her," said Spitfire.

She walked off on her own where she was holding her head in pain again, yet what struck me as interesting was how she keeps changing from being cruel, to being kind, and repeating the process. Whatever spell had been used to control her mind, it was clear she was struggling to resist it only to experience headaches whenever she acts in a gentle manner.

" What are you thinking?" asked Spike.

" I think I have an idea as to what is going on with Spitfire, but I don't want to make a move against her until I know for certain. We'll let her go back to where she is going, and focus on rescuing the carpenters. The Gerudo are now looking for me, so the element of surprise must remain in my favour," I replied.

" By using the shadows to your advantage, you can sneak around the outside areas of the fortress without being seen, and you can knock-out the guards with arrows allowing you to slip by. It will be a completely different situation once we get inside, for there will be hardly any shadows to hide in," said Spike.

" Then we'll need to use cunning tactics to make sure we don't get caught again," I said. There were a few guards patrolling below, so I knew that they needed to be knocked out, but before I fired arrows at them, I took the liberty of looking around to make sure there weren't any additional thieves nearby. My aim was to make a mad dash for one of the entrances at the front of the fortress, but that involved dealing with the guards first.

I had ascertained that the way was clear apart from the initial Gerudo in the area, so I aimed carefully and fired arrows which struck all of them. As each one collapsed to the ground, I was nervous about their slight screams attracting attention, but luckily no one else could hear anything. Once they were out cold, I jumped down from my hiding place, and ran towards the main entrance where I discovered there were three doors to choose from.

" We may need to eventually check all three out assuming this fortress is like a maze, but we have to choose one and quickly," said Spike.

" The guards won't be out for very long given what happened before, so I'll take the entrance to the left and hopefully find a hiding spot where we can analyze what we'll be up against inside," I said. Without wasting another thought, I went inside and immediately discovered a wooden crate which I lifted up somehow, and hid inside of it while making a tiny hole for me to see my surroundings.

It was just in time too as a couple of guards ran by without even bothering to look. " I'm surprised that they didn't look under here as they could have captured me instantly."

" While the Gerudo are certainly intelligent, it seems there is a hierarchy of thought which explains why so many are guards," said Spike.

" So you're saying that most of them lack any common sense?" I asked.

" Pretty much, but don't let your guard down for a moment because they may surprise you," replied Spike.

" I'm just surprised that this is where Ganondorf grew up," I said.

" Their fortress does lack colour compared to what we've seen in the rest of Hyrule, and for that I can't really blame them for having a grudge against the other tribes. The lack of doors, window panels, carpeting, and even the basic of house necessities is very disturbing to say the least," said Spike.

" No wonder they struggle to survive out here in the desert," I said sadly.

" The desert is a harsh reality which brings nothing but pain and misery," said Spike.

" If there is one solace we can take from all of this, it would be that the carpenters are in relative comfort despite being locked up," I said.

" Finding them inside isn't going to be easy as this place is like a dungeon where there are many different passageways to search, but we won't have a map to help us out, so we'll need to recall what the entrances connect to," said Spike.

" Then I think we should sneak around using this crate as a means of camouflage, and while it may look weird, it will allow us to remain inconspicuous. I'm well aware that using the Fairy Bow while hiding in here is near impossible, but I do have another means at my disposal which I'm surprised that I didn't think of it sooner. My magic can be used to keep the guards at bay," I said.

" Make sure you keep it under control due to how narrow these hallways are," said Spike. Moving about like this did mean having to travel slow, but that would give me the element of surprise. The passageway did eventually open up into a fairly large area where I could see a couple of cells to the right with one of them having a padlock on it, and it looked like someone was sitting inside of one.

It could be one of the carpenters, but I had to make sure of it because this could be a trap. I began to crawl along the ground making sure not to rattle the crate so as to give away my presence, and so far whoever was in the cell had no idea that I was there, so I got a little closer where I managed to hear them talking to themselves.

" I wish that we never came to this place! I know that Mutoh had been working us harder than ever in recent weeks, but we should have stayed with her and become better carpenters. But, the others were insistent on coming here to become thieves as it was a much better career choice, and they happened to convince me by taking advantage of my feelings.

No one is going to save us as only Mutoh, the Running Woman, and that mask seller are aware that we're here. They won't make an attempt to get us out as it's too dangerous for them what with those thieves having so much skill with the sword."

" Do I count as someone who is here to save you?" I asked.

" GAH! Huh? Did I just hear someone's voice just now?"

" You did," I replied.

" I must be losing my mind if I'm hearing things, but did you say mystery voice that you're here to save me?"

" I'm currently hiding inside of this crate which I'm using to sneak around here. The Gerudo are attempting to kill me as I've been deemed a threat to their society, and because I escaped from their tower prison, the entirety of their guards have mobilized," I replied.

" The two guards who came by earlier did say that someone dangerous had escaped, so they must have been referring to you. I take it that Mutoh asked you to come here and see why we haven't returned to her? I'm more than willing to go back, but the others may need some convincing as they think this is all part of some kind of initiation."

" I'm Sunset Shimmer," I said

" They call me Ichiro the carpenter although my fellows refer to me as Apple Strudel because of my immense love for the stuff back when we were all living in Kakariko before our boss wanted us to come here. Those two guards that you saw earlier had the small key which can unlock my cell, but they threw it somewhere over there because they were given an order to leave me. If you could be so kind as to get it and release me, I'll make my way back to Mutoh without question."

" It looks simple enough," I said.

" Considering that guards have been coming through this way for the last few minutes, there are bound to be additional thieves passing by, and if they notice a crate moving about....I think you know what is going to come next," said Apple Strudel.

" From what I can see inside of this crate, I can't see where the key is," I said.

" To be honest, I thought it was going to drop out of their hands when they left to find you, but they were so arrogant about having a better purpose that tossing it away made them feel a lot better about themselves. I feel insulted that they deemed me as not being worthy enough to watch over, but then I'm not surprised," said Apple Strudel.

" How come?" I asked.

" The Gerudo have no intention of killing us," replied Apple Strudel as he told me to keep quiet because of footsteps indicating someone was coming, so he sat down on the bed that he must have been sleeping on since being thrown into his cell. I stopped moving and kept quiet due to the two guards entering the area. They then came over to the cell because they were suspicious about why a wooden crate was located near it, and in my heart I was scared because my cover could be blown at any moment.

" Why is this crate here when it should be over there?"

" Your fellow thieves most likely threw it near my cell because of receiving some kind of command," replied Apple Strudel.

" I hope you're not lying to me little man."

" I'm not in a position where I would say things that weren't true," said Apple Strudel.

" He's right as those two always mess around by throwing crates even though they should know better than that, but I guess we'll report them to Madam Spitfire when we next see her. As for you prisoner, don't think that what you said is going to do you any good, for when we've found and killed that intruder, you and your group will be punished in a wonderful manner."

The two guards then walked away, but not before one of them decided to kick the crate which almost made me cry as the force was strong. As they disappeared, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the problem had passed, but there would be more coming this way. If this carpenter was to escape successfully, he needed to have the Gerudo not focus on him.

" As I was saying, they have no intention of killing us because it goes against their laws. They are just keeping us locked up because we're men, and revel in mocking us claiming we're powerless. I can tell you're a woman because of your voice, so I hope that you're not offended when I say that these women are nothing short of being rude, dishonest, and complete jerks," said Apple Strudel.

" I'm not as you do have the right to say those things given how they treated you," I said.

" Anyway, you should get that key before anymore of them show up," said Apple Strudel. Taking that as a hint, I started to make my way over to where he said the guards had tossed the key, but no sooner had I gone halfway, I had to stop as two more appeared. They didn't bother checking for anything suspicious, so they quickly left by going the way I came in.

I then moved forward a little more before I had to come to a stop again as two more guards appeared. One of them decided to head back where they came from, and the other looked around for a few moments before moving on. Thankfully, no more appeared which allowed me to pick up the small key which was laying in the very corner of the room.

" Okay, I have the key in my possession," I said.

" Wonderful, but be careful when coming back over here as there could be other guards," said Apple Strudel. He wasn't kidding for the moment he finished talking, the one guard who originally went back appeared, but I was fortunate to have stopped just in time before my cover was blown.

This woman scratched her head because she believed something was different, but she shrugged her shoulders and walked through before leaving. The moment she had gone, I resumed making my way across to the prison cell, and when I made it, I came to the realization that I need to get out from my hiding place in order to unlock the door.

If a guard were to come along, I'd stand no chance, for they would call in reinforcements. " You're probably thinking about additional guards coming in while you attempt to open the door, but you may have no choice but to reveal yourself as I don't think you can open this cell while hiding inside of that."

" I might have another idea," I began.

" What would that be?" asked Apple Strudel.

" You need to escape from the fortress, but with all of the guards running around, they'll capture you again if they spot you. No offence, but you're not exactly in the best of shape to attempt to outrun them who are fast," I replied.

" A true statement if I ever heard it, but what did you have in mind?" asked Apple Strudel.

" If there is a window around here, I can throw some magic and hopefully control it long enough to lure the guards away. That way, you can make your way out of the fortress once I open the cell," I replied.

" You are a magician?" asked Apple Strudel.

" It's my natural talent," I replied. Luckily, there was a window nearby, so I lifted up the crate and put it down quietly before conjuring up some fireballs in my hands and concentrating really hard. I need these to go through, and appear as though they are coming from another part of the fortress. With that, I threw them out the window, and hoped that my plan would work.

Sure enough, the fireballs sailed through the sky before turning to the left, and made it look like they were thrown from the far east section of the fortress. I could even hear the sounds of footsteps running by outside meaning the Gerudo had taken my bait, so I took the key and unlocked the door. " Okay, you're now free to go and make your way back to Mutoh."

" No words can describe how grateful to you I am for having rescued me, so in return I have some advice. First of all, you should know that there are three more carpenters who need rescuing. My main advice is that these thieves have a problem when it comes to magic, for it's an element that they aren't able to handle very well. You have magic at your disposal, so if you can use different kinds, it may give you the edge you need to rescue my friends," said Apple Strudel.

" I just hope that I don't have to resort to killing any of them," I said.

" You are a heroic person for thinking that way, so I am glad that you won't resort to their way of thinking. Well, I'm going to make a break for it, and return to the tent located in Gerudo Valley, so perhaps I'll see you again," said Apple Strudel. He then ran off in the direction I entered, and soon I could no longer hear his footsteps, but now I knew how many carpenters needed to be rescued.

The only problem was where exactly they were because I still had no clue as to the layout of the fortress. Apple Strudel, whose name sounds very familiar to Applejack, neglected to tell me how to find the others.

" This could be a lot easier than we thought," said Spike.

" Maybe, but like you said, I can't afford to be cocky at this moment," I said.

" Because of using magic to cause a distraction, Ichiro will most likely make it back to the tent, and the guards will be out of our way for a while. We could go back the way we came, and try one of those other entrances, or we could go in the direction where the guards were pouring out from," suggested Spike.

I decided to go in the direction the thieves had come from, but if nothing comes up then I'll just go back and try one of the other doors outside. As I was making my way over to the other exit, there was something happening in the quarters of Spitfire. Because of that headache she experienced after my escape, she decided to get some rest in the hopes of feeling better. Yet, a voice was trying to reach out to her within the realm of her subconscious, and deep within her dream....

" Spitfire....Spitfire...."

" Huh? Who's there? Is someone calling my name?" asked Spitfire.

" I've been trying to reach you within your dreams for the last couple of days."

" You sound awfully familiar to me," said Spitfire.

" That's to be expected given I'm speaking to you by manifesting myself as someone from your past, but you must listen to me because your life is in danger along with your people by the hands of the evil ones living in the desert."

" Who are you?" asked Spitfire.

" I'm a manifestation because I only exist here in your subconscious, but you can't see what I look like as I'm speaking to you from the shadows. Just give me a moment to make myself known, and then we should be able to get somewhere." The subconscious of Spitfire was a twisted place filled with nothing but dark corridors that lead nowhere, and it was because of what happened to her.

This spirit represented her good nature, a form which had been locked away until seven years ago where it began to gradually free itself, but now it felt like it was being sealed away again by an evil force. Knowing that remaining in the shadows wasn't doing any good, the spirit revealed itself by using a form that had not been seen by anyone since the day Ganondorf assumed the throne.

" Gasp! Nabooru!" exclaimed Spitfire.

" Like I said, I'm just a manifestation who has taken on this form, and it happens to be the old second-in-command, but now you must listen to me Spitfire! You may think that the Gerudo's Fortress is safe from the evil that plagues the land, yet you and the others are in danger," said Rainbow Dash.

" Why would we be in danger? The Gerudo have lived in prosperity for seven years," said Spitfire.

" That's because you have been living a false lie since the day Ganondorf conquered Hyrule using the Triforce. His surrogate mothers raised him ever since he was a child, and groomed him to become an evil sorcerer who desired to conquer the world.

These two witches have been jealous of the other tribes for centuries, so they needed someone with enough political power to carry out their wishes. One of them has already poisoned your mind via a powerful enchantment which changed you into nothing more than an obedient servant," said Rainbow Dash.

" Poisoned....my mind?" asked Spitfire. At this point, she was confused as to what was being said, and she clutched her head in response. While this was happening, another spiritual presence was beginning to form in the deep recesses of the shadows, and it was a spirit filled with evil power.

" Yes, you have been brainwashed! You were originally a loyal follower to Ganondorf who served him faithfully which resulted in you ousting the original second-in-command of the Gerudo, Nabooru, and taking her place. She told you something before she left to begin her exile, and since then your heart has been changing to reflect her words," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Then why am I acting like a slave?" asked Spitfire.

" Because the witches have deemed you a threat, and they fear you will influence the others to rebel. You must break free of the evil which has control over your mind, and you must help the Hero of Time who is the only one that can save this world. Break free and help her! Save everyone! Save Hyrule!" replied Rainbow Dash. At that moment, the evil spirit appeared and attacked the other.

" That's enough from you!"

" You! You're one of the evil witches," said Rainbow Dash.

" Spitfire here doesn't need your begging because she knows her place, and that is a loyal servant to the Great Ganondorf. Granted, her mind did need to be adjusted because of recent concerns, but she will carry out the will of her master, and kill the girl who has become a threat to his dominion."

" Why are you doing this?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" She has proven that she can no longer be trusted as her recent actions have been against the will of the Evil King, so she needed to be reminded of her true loyalties which meant removing these nasty little thoughts in her mind. As for you....your presence makes you a problem, and for that you need to disappear for good.

I don't know how you broke free from the prison she sealed you away in long ago when her heart belonged to the Great Ganondorf, but you must be sent back for Spitfire must carry out her command without fail."

" No! You can't silence me!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

" Begone!" The evil spirit then used a dark power to cast the good spirit into the deep recesses, but she was able to call out to Spitfire just before she disappeared into the darkness of her subconscious. That's when the evil spirit began to speak in order to reaffirm the witches' control over her.

" You must wake up now, and command the Gerudo to kill that girl, for she mustn't be allowed to reach the Spirit Temple. Do not allow that good spirit to confuse you, for the second-in-command is much stronger than that. Now, wake up and kill the girl! Kill her!" Upon being goaded into fulfilling that task, Spitfire woke up feeling refreshed, but she clutched her head which meant the good spirit may have somehow clung on.

With one of the four carpenters having been rescued, I had to save the other three quickly. Upon reaching the door which lead back outside, I could see plenty of guards coming back, and it meant my distraction had worn off. Off in the distance, I barely saw Apple Strudel as he ran down the stairs in front of the fortress before turning left, so I knew he was safe now no matter what.

" Looks like he'll make it," I said.

" But with all of those guards heading this way, I don't think using a magical distraction is going to work a second time," said Spike.

" That's the problem I'm getting as well, so what other options do we have?" I asked.

" If you walk outside right now, they will spot us immediately, and most likely throw you back into that prison tower. Since they know now that you have weapons, they will take them from you, and if that happens then we'll be stuck for good. Going back the other way won't do us any good either as we'll end up in front of them, so it looks like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place," replied Spike.

" What if I use that wooden crate like before?" I asked.

" It could work, but that will depend on whether the guards won't take notice of a crate suddenly appearing outside," replied Spike.

" Considering how few options we have, I might as well go with it," I said. Running back to where I left the crate, I picked it up and brought it back to the door where I hid inside of it again. I found it strange that I was able to do this considering the crate had no means for me to open it, and how can I walk around on my feet with something this awkward on top of me?

Wouldn't I have to crawl instead, or maybe slide along? Once again, I have no answers because the logic of this world makes no sense, and that has become quite the reoccurring theme. When the coast was clear, I walked outside and immediately came to a stop as about five guards were coming, and one of them sadly did notice the crate I was using as camouflage.

" Huh? Where did that crate come from?"

" Now why would you go and bring up something like that?"

" It wasn't there a few moments ago."

" And you think that is suspicious? Have you forgotten about those two who enjoy tossing crates around for fun? They probably tossed that one out here just now, so there was no need to point out something so obvious."

" Yeah, I guess you're right."

" Besides, we have more important things to do than be concerned about a crate suddenly appearing out of the blue. Madam Spitfire commanded us to kill that girl without fail, so if we don't perform this task....well, you know what can happen according to our laws."

" Don't scare me like that!"

" Then let's get going already!"

" That was too close for comfort," said Spike.

" I guess the two who toss crates around must be well known for those guards to just shrug us off like that, but I'm not complaining mind you as it means we can proceed. From what little I can see from inside of here, there appears to be a door to the left, so let's see where that goes. I'll keep hiding in this crate until we get inside just in case," I said.

Good thing I made that decision, for when I walked around the corner, there was a Gerudo standing a fair distance away, but this one didn't have a weapon on her person, nor was she dressed like the guards. " Why is this one different?"

" She is someone who serves a supportive role among the tribe by handling various tasks that only they can handle. There aren't many of them, but while they may not fight, you still need to avoid them for they will capture you if you get too close," replied Spike.

" Makes you wonder if they are content with their lot in life," I said.

" They must be otherwise they would have rebelled a long time ago," said Spike. Making certain not to attract the attention of this woman, I walked slowly through the door, and entered the fortress again where the pathway suddenly went down a slope before turning to the left and opening up to reveal another two prison cells.

One had a padlock on it, so I had found the second carpenter, but now I needed to find the key otherwise I can't do anything. I could simply charge into the area, but I had to be cautious as I didn't know when any guards were going to show up. Slowly walking along like before, the carpenter was talking to himself although what he was saying sounded a lot different from Apple Strudel.

" Why did those thieves decide to lock us up in the first place? We were all willing to join up with them aside from Ichiro who had to be convinced, but why have they treated us like this? We were also willing to do even the most mundane of tasks if it meant not having to be carpenters anymore, but could we have been wrong? Was our dream of joining them nothing more than a false pretense?"

" It's because you are all men," I replied.

" What the? Who said that?"

" I'm hiding inside of this crate," I replied.

" I have no idea where you come from, but you must have a lot of guts to make it past all the guards around here! All of my fellow carpenters are imprisoned somewhere in here, for they determined that imprisoning us all in the same cell would have been too easy for someone to come and get us out. By the way, why are you hiding inside of a crate of all things? It must be really uncomfortable for you to be under such cramped quarters."

" That's because the Gerudo have been ordered to kill me," I said.

" So you're the one who escaped from their prison, and is currently wandering around the fortress. I did overhear a couple of guards mention that they must kill a young girl who has been deemed a threat. If that someone is you, then you must really be a problem if such an order has been given out like that.

I'm surprised though that they would want you dead because you should be treated like a queen given how you are a female, and those guards say that their law forbids them to kill an outsider. Something must be going on with their leader to have made an order that goes against their own creed, but I shouldn't be giving you anymore stress for you must have plenty of it already.

My name is Jiro the carpenter, but for some reason my fellow workers refer to me by the nickname of Flim. Why they call me that remains a mystery to me, but I like the way it sounds so I adopted it."

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" That suits you very well in my opinion," said Flim.

" Thanks," I said.

" If you are looking for the small key which can unlock this cell door, I'm afraid that the guards I overheard took it with them when another came in here, and told them to report elsewhere. It looks like you came all this way for naught, for there is nothing you can do that will release me....unless you were to lure those guards back here," said Flim.

" I wouldn't even know where to find them," I said.

" Most likely they are outside standing watch because when they were given their new orders, the expressions on their faces showed displeasure at being reduced to basic guard duty. I'm surprised there wasn't some kind of confrontation, but I suppose they weren't willing to question anything otherwise they would have been punished.

If you want to get me out of here, then you will have no other choice but to bring them back," said Flim. He was right unfortunately as I had to get that small key to rescue him, and the guards who have it were located outside. This wasn't going to be easy as it meant I had to reveal my location, and it made me feel uneasy as so far I've done my best to remain hidden from them.

" Do you know how many guards have come through here?" I asked.

" Aside from the three that I've told you about, at least another five have passed by over the course of the last hour," replied Flim. That was perhaps the worst case scenario for me as it meant having to deal with more of them, but that's when I realized I shouldn't be worried as I have my magic which I can use to keep them at bay should they choose to overwhelm me.

An idea then suddenly began forming in my mind, and it involved luring the guard with the key, and using a wall of flame to stop the others from following, but the problem was magic can only last for so long before dissipating. Hmmmm....that idea was no longer viable, so there had to be another way, and sure enough I did have another plan brewing.

" I'm going to use some magic in here, and hopefully attract their attention," I said.

" If you do that, there's no telling how many are going to notice, and come in order to check it out," said Flim.

" I have the means of knocking them out, and combined with my magic, things should work out for the best," I said. This was perhaps my best option because the room would allow me to have an advantage should more guards appear than what I'm expecting, and I do have plenty of arrows to knock out as many as necessary.

My magic can hold them back while I pick them off one at a time with the Fairy Bow, so now all I have to do is create the means with which they will want to investigate. I knew that I wasn't going to elude the Gerudo forever, and they were aware that I wasn't going to rest until all of the carpenters had been rescued. I began to toss about some fireballs here and there hoping this would bring me to their attention, and the first guard who appeared had the small key I needed.

" So this is where you've been hiding?"

" I wouldn't say it like that," I replied.

" You have become more of a problem than we initially expected, but your running around is about to come to an end. If you think I'm the only one who now knows of your location, then you're more stupider than you look."

" I'm expecting at least five more to show up," I said.

" Then prepare to be disappointed." The Gerudo then laughed when at least a dozen more appeared behind her which was more than what I was expecting, but I still had control of the situation as my magic could separate her from the others. Suddenly, I could hear the sounds of screaming coming from my rear, and I looked behind to see another two dozen guards were streaming into the area.

Where were all of them coming from? I know there wasn't this many when they captured me originally, so was someone conjuring them up into existence? Or, were there more than I thought? " Looks like you're out of luck and completely surrounded! Even though our laws forbid us to kill outsiders, Madam Spitfire has made an exception when it comes to you. Ladies, prepare to charge and attack just like how we trained."

" Why go against your laws?" I asked.

" You are an exception, so we aren't breaking our laws."

" So I guess this is it then?" I asked.

" We know that you're capable of fighting back, so it's not like we're oblivious to what you can do, and those weapons on your person do give you away. If you think you can take on all of us at the same time while being swarmed by our quick speed, then by all means fight until you're finally dead!"

I found myself being approached on all sides before they all leapt on top of me. I had to use my magic to force them back, but since they're this close, I'll end up killing them which would be the worst thing for me to do. What am I going to do?

To Be Continued.

Chapter 53: Rescue and Survival

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 20, 2015
Chapter 53: Rescue and Survival.

I'm surprised the Gerudo had so much coordination, for I was expecting them to bicker with one another. I guess they've learned to fight as a cohesive unit, but it does me no good as I'm being swarmed right now. I really want to use my magic, yet doing so would cause them to suffer severe burns, and quite possibly kill some of them. I don't want to become a murderer as that would be the worst thing I could do, but it was reaching the point where I might have no other choice.

No, I can't kill them despite their desire to kill me. There must be another way out, but what could it be? That's when someone decided to do something and speak on my behalf, and it was the one person I never expected.

" Is this how you thieves get your jollies?" asked Flim.

" What did you say worm?"

" You heard me you mongrel! I thought that you lot had at least some shred of honour, but it looks like I was wrong. I can't believe that my fellow workers and I wanted to join up with you, yet the reality is you're nothing more than savages who enjoy taking advantage of those who can't fight back," replied Flim. His words definitely resonated with the Gerudo, but not in the manner he was expecting as they suddenly got off of me, and turned their attention to him.

" You've quite the audacity to speak about us like that, and for that you deserve to be punished. I know that Madam Spitfire said you and those other worthless men mustn't be harmed, but that little stunt you pulled can't be allowed to stand. You! Hand over the key as I intend on opening his cell, and give him a reminder that he must learn his place like all men must."

" Ha!" exclaimed Flim.

" And what's so funny?"

" You've just proven my theory about you which is the same thought that everyone throughout Hyrule has. You Gerudo treat your prisoners and all outsiders as scum just because you feel furious over how we've lived in the lap of luxury compared to all of you. Are you all so blind by how you suffered in the past that you enjoy taking out your aggression against the other tribes?

The old King was aware of your misery, and was willing to do everything in his power to provide you with the means to survive. Even though he was a man, he wanted to help you, and what does your own king do? He murders the one man who wanted to save you, and assumes the throne in the process. You were left behind to suffer while Ganondorf reigned over the land, and slowly destroying it in a seven year span," replied Flim.

" How dare you speak that way of the Great Ganondorf?"

" The truth certainly hurts doesn't it?" asked Flim.

" Don't push me anymore than you already have worm."

" I'm not scared of you desert mongrel no matter how much you threaten me. Your king has ruined your lives as well as those of the entire kingdom, and you go about being ignorant of it all. No wonder the other tribes look down on you, for they find it so pathetic that you're blind to such an obvious notion. No wonder you Gerudo are almost extinct as you clearly lack common sense," said Flim.

" That does it!" I'm not sure what this carpenter Jiro had in mind, but if he wanted to enrage these thieves, he did a very good job about it as now they had become consumed with rage. The guard who had the small key gave it over to the one who had been talking, and she proceeded to unlock the cell door before drawing a curved sword from a scabbard she had been concealing.

" You've had your fun insulting us, but now you're about to lose your life." At that moment, I began to unleash a burst of flame which caused the thieves to scatter all over the place, and upon unleashing a second burst, the entirety of the Gerudo retreated until only the one who unlocked the cell was left. " What!?!? Where are all of you going? Come back here!"

" Looks like you're the only one left," I said.

" That useless man distracted us while you were able to use some kind of strange power!"

" It's called magic," I said.

" How did we not realize we were dealing with a magic user? I have no chance of killing someone who possesses magic, so I have no choice but to retreat....and face my punishment. Don't think that this ends here girl, for the others will come after you once they get their act together, and then you'll wish you had died here." The guard backed away from me a few steps before turning around, and running off until she was out of sight.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I was able to survive another situation, but there were some concerns I needed answered. I looked at Jiro who appeared rather shocked at the power I used, and also for almost having been killed for his rather vocal outburst, so I walked over to him in order to see if he was willing to talk to me.

" That was a very impressive display," said Flim.

" You could have used less hurtful words you know when you made that speech," I said.

" They were on the verge of killing you when they attacked, so I had to say something hoping it would draw their attention to me. What I had to say was insulting to their integrity, but it needed to be done for reality must reach through to them before it's too late," said Flim.

" And what you said I wish to know," I began.

" You want to know about these thieves?" asked Flim.

" I'm not only here to rescue you and the rest of your fellow carpenters, I also have business to take care in the desert. I'm not sure what could be waiting there for me, but I must go and that involves getting permission from Spitfire, the one who is charge," I replied.

" Guess I might as well indulge your curiosity, and I'll begin with the one harsh truth of the Gerudo. You see, compared to the other tribes, they are few in number which has to do with how the tribe is structured. No doubt my words confuse you, so let me explain in the form of a question.

Why is it that you've seen so many women, and yet no men? While I don't know the answer myself, it's a question that could reveal so much more about their struggles. What is known is that their numbers are dwindling, and if it continues at the current pace, they will be extinct within the span of a few years," said Flim.

" Do you know anything about a Sage?" I asked.

" Can't say that I do, but I'm willing to bet that is has to do with that temple in the desert," replied Flim.

" Yes!" I exclaimed.

" Figured you'd say that. Many believe this ancient ruin is in fact a place of worship, but you would be wrong. Because the desert is so dangerous, few have ever managed to make the crossing. The temple itself was abandoned long ago, but became a base of operations for the former second-in-command. Years ago, she was forced to flee from the temple because two strange figures came, and claimed it for themselves," said Flim.

" What kind of figures?" I asked.

" The rumour is that they are the surrogate mothers of the Gerudo King of Thieves, and have lived for centuries due to the dark power that they wield," replied Flim. This must be the same magic which currently controls Spitfire, so now I was starting to piece together what was really going on around here.

If they have taken up residence in the temple, I may end up having to fight them in order to awaken the final Sage. Deep down in my heart, I was feeling very worried because ancient magic is very powerful, and what I know is useless to combat it.

" Do you know anything about Nabooru?" I asked.

" Compared to the other Gerudo, she only stole what she needed to survive. Unlike the rest of them, she actually possessed a kind heart, and secretly gave back what had originally been stolen without their knowledge. Nabooru often acted independently, for she didn't want to be associated with a group of murderers which is what her tribe became under the reign of Ganondorf.

They say that her ideals clashed with his, but she was never able to question his motives because of their laws dictating as such, but one day she made her move when she could no longer tolerate his actions," replied Flim.

" She ended up being branded a traitor, and was exiled from the tribe," I said.

" Her actions were for the benefit of her people, yet they were blinded by their own laws to have noticed. In their society, they must obey all commands issued by their king, and failure to do so results in being punished. Nabooru would have been killed for her actions, but she was spared because deep down Ganondorf was in love with her. He desired her to become his queen, yet her independent nature would never allow such a union to take place," said Flim.

" So she was exiled?" I asked.

" Correct, but I heard that she disappeared seven years ago," replied Flim.

" A most unfortunate result which can happen when you end up being forced to live in a desert," I said.

" I'm not sure how that could be given she has been brainwashing people," said Flim. What!?!? I've known Rainbow Dash for quite some time, and she would never do anything of the sort. Granted, the one I know is different from the one in this world, but still she wouldn't rely on manipulating the minds of people for her own benefit.

I needed to learn more from Jiro, but he shrugged his shoulders when he said that he had no idea as it was merely a rumour. It was at this point that he wanted to go back, for he longed to return to Sweetie Belle. " I'd rather work as a carpenter than join these thieves, but I'm sure the boss is going to give me an earful. Sunset Shimmer was it? Two of my buddies are still being held prisoner with one of them being my younger brother. I don't know where they could be in the fortress, but I'm sure that you will find them eventually."

" Do you know your way around here?" I asked.

" I remember one pathway that leads to what appears to be a kitchen, but it can be difficult to find," replied Flim. He then assured me that he knew his way back, so he said goodbye and ran off in the direction I used to enter this area. The guards for the most part are still scattered about, but they will quickly regain their composure and resume their efforts especially if Spitfire rallies them.

" Spike?" I began.

" What is it?" asked Spike.

" Did the Great Deku Tree ever tell you anything about the ancient Gerudo?" I asked.

" There was one story that he told me although it has been a while. He said that some centuries ago, the ancient desert tribe that became the Gerudo was much different than what is seen today, and that was due to having been masters of magic. In those days, sorcery was a rather potent means of getting what you wanted, for very few were able to fight back against it.

Somewhere along the way, the desert tribe began to drift away from the use of magic, and started to become proficient in the art of thievery. This was because the desert became a harsh place over time, for they had squandered their resources in the process. Magic wasn't going to help them survive, so it slowly transitioned out in favour of more subtle means," replied Spike.

" I didn't think ancient Hyrule even had magic," I said.

" There has always been magic Sunset Shimmer, and that was in large part due to the Great Goddesses whose divine power left behind magical traces which people soon picked up on when they started to thrive throughout the world," said Spike.

" So what happened next?" I asked.

" The desert tribe soon abandoned magic, but there were two among them who refused to abandon their practices. These two originally studied good magic, but became corrupted and delved into the realm of darkness where they became stronger. They chose to go into self-exile somewhere in the desert so as to continue practicing their magic, and eventually faded into history," replied Spike.

" Do you suppose the two are still alive?" I asked.

" Magic can allow you to extend your own life past its natural limit," replied Spike. I took that as a yes which means I was dealing with ancient sorcerers whose magic was far more powerful than mine. I found it so weird that the Gerudo used to have this skill, but had to abandon it when the desert demanded them that survival was more important than knowledge.

These two sorcerers must have taught Ganondorf to use magic as he clearly is an expert, so what is their connection to him? Yet another question that currently lacks an answer to it, but I was certain that I would find out soon enough.

" That's quite the story," I commented.

" Oh, I forgot to tell you the last part," said Spike.

" And that would be?" I asked.

" The ancient desert tribe's magic revolved around the ability to manipulate the power of the sun, but this was a power that was deemed far too dangerous because they feared someone would abuse such knowledge. Legend says that they were able to create some kind of artefact which works in a similar manner, but no one knows where they ended up hiding it," replied Spike. An item that can manipulate sunlight? That could prove very useful, so it looks like I have something to find once I make it to the desert.

This story of the ancient Gerudo was certainly interesting, and it was a reminder of the reality faced by these thieves where they had to adapt in order to survive, but my concern had to do with Rainbow Dash. I just can't believe she would do something like that especially when she dedicated herself to being noble.

" Do you think Nabooru is capable of brainwashing?" I asked.

" What brought this up?" asked Spike.

" Jiro said that she has been performing such acts, and I flat out refuse to believe it. She may be of the same tribe as Ganondorf, but she would never resort to such evil tactics as that would be going against her very nature. I know her to be loyal as she aspires to bring her people to a new age of prosperity, and to cast aside this image of them being thieves," I replied.

" The evidence does appear stacked against her," said Spike.

" Which is why we need to uncover the truth, and we'll discover that at the temple," I said.

" We have to survive this ordeal first before we can do that," said Spike.

" The two sorcerers you mentioned in your story have got to be the ones responsible for manipulating people's minds, and no one is willing to stand up against them out of fear of being punished by the law of the Gerudo, or because they don't know how to deal with magic given the tribe long ago abandoned the magical arts," I said.

" Very nice speech, but it we still need to deal with this mess first," said Spike. I guess I'm allowing my emotions to get the best of me again, and I can't allow that to happen because it will result in me transforming. Gaining those pony ears and tail in a place full of people would just be a disaster, so I need to remain calm.

The question now was which direction should I use to find the next carpenter, and I only had two options to go with. Going back the way I came would take me to the beginning, and I doubt the other two are that way unless one is in that passageway that I originally tried, but ended up getting caught in the process. While I was pondering this over, the guard who had that argument with Jiro earlier had been explaining what happened with Spitfire, and things were about to get even more intense.

" Now, would you be so kind as to repeat that again? I could have sworn you said that the girl escaped, but I'm sure that you were just having a little bit of fun at my expense, and that she has been killed," said Spitfire.

" We managed to surround her on all sides with many guards preventing her from escaping the area, but we had no idea that she was capable of using magic."

" Magic!?!? She is a magician?" asked Spitfire.

" One who is able to command the power of fire madam, and we were unable to withstand such a tremendous force. This girl is no rank amateur as what she did can only be performed by a master sorcerer. Anyway, the others all retreated when she unleashed that burst of flame, but I was able to stand my ground as I wasn't about to run away like a coward."

" And yet here you are reporting all of this to me," said Spitfire.

" Because I stood no chance against someone with that power."

" Spare me your excuses! I should have you sent to the dungeon for not only failing to kill that girl, but also running away with your tail between your legs. However, I won't punish you because this magical factor was unknown. I can punish you though for attempting to kill one of the prisoners, for you know the law doesn't permit us to take the lives of non-members of the tribe," said Spitfire.

" But he was insulting our very way of life madam."

" You should have ignored his words because he was nothing more than a scared little man, yet you acted irrationally and almost caused an incident to happen. Why do I have to experience all of this incompetence during a time when my headache is so painful? How hard can it be to find and kill one little girl? Now that the guards have abandoned that area instead of holding their ground, there is no way of knowing which way she has gone. What else can go wrong?" asked Spitfire.

" Two of the prisoners have been released."

" What did you just say?" asked Spitfire.

" The girl has freed two of those men madam."

" To be able to do that and elude our guards....I'll admit that I'm impressed....but this insult will not stand, for if it became known that an outsider was able to do all of this, we would be an embarrassment to the Great Ganondorf! Alright, I'm going to give you one last chance to find and kill that girl, but if you fail me this time, your punishment will be an immediate execution! Do I make myself clear?" asked Spitfire.

" Yes madam!"

" Oh, and please inform the others that if they ever run away like that again, they will be exiled to the desert immediately, or executed on the spot should they attempt to protest, for I won't tolerate cowards. Now go resume your duties, and do what you must to capture that girl! I wish to know what business she has for coming here to the Gerudo's Fortress," said Spitfire.

" Are you okay madam?"

" Why do you ask?" asked Spitfire.

" I'm not sure if I can carry out your orders when you're constantly changing your stance every couple of minutes. Ever since this girl showed up, you've been saying one thing before changing to something else, and then going back to the first thing again. A large number of the guards believe that you may not be worthy to be the second-in-command anymore, and feel that a change is necessary."

" I'll admit that my leadership skills have been controversial, but I believe that I can handle things. On the other hand, you are one step away from being declared a traitor, and that goes with everyone else who questions my leadership. The Great Ganondorf gave me command, and to question his authority is a sign that you wish to betray him," said Spitfire.

" Forgive me madam! I didn't mean to offend!"

" Go and kill that girl! Nothing more understand?" asked Spitfire.

" By your leave."

After thinking it over for a while. I decided to go back the way I came, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy because the guards were probably in full force by now. Since they now know I can use magic, they could easily get around it which meant I had to be even more cunning if I was to get by them. Making my way back in the direction I entered the room from, I stopped at the door because walking by were a couple of guards who may or may not be aware of my presence.

If they decided to come in here, they'll know about me and I'll have to knock them out quickly, but if they keep on walking then they aren't aware of what happened earlier. The guards did stop at first because one of them said something about hearing a noise, but the other suggested that they continue with their rounds.

" We were fortunate that these two aren't aware of what happened," said Spike.

" Maybe my actions didn't cause too much of an alert as I thought," I said.

" Still, we need to be cautious for they must surely be aware that there is an intruder despite what they said. They could be pretending to be oblivious to your presence, and are merely waiting for you to make one mistake," said Spike.

" I should knock them out anyway just in case," I said. Taking out the Fairy Bow, I fired an arrow at each guard which caused them to collapse to the ground. I then slipped out of the door, and took a closer look at them to make sure they were alright. " They're both out cold, and just by firing arrows at them. I don't think I'll ever get used to the logic of this world."

That's when I heard footsteps coming from below, and sure enough there was a large group of guards walking by, and I was lucky to have ducked out of sight before they could spot me. " I don't think I'll be able to knock out that many all at once."

" Perhaps another distraction is in order?" asked Spike.

" Using magic a second time probably won't work as they know that I used that trick," I replied.

" What about firing an arrow at one of the guards at a distance? If they hear one of their own being attacked, it should convince most of them to check it out leaving the rest to continue their patrol," said Spike. That was a pretty good idea, and one that I didn't even consider until now, but at least I had plenty of arrows to pull this off.

I could see a guard off in the distance who appeared to be standing by herself, so I aimed carefully and fired an arrow at her which streaked through the air before hitting her in the back. This caused her to scream out loud as she collapsed, and the guards below immediately reacted to the noise.

" Did you hear that?"

" One of the others just screamed out loud."

" That means the intruder must be over there."

" How do we go about this?"

" Madam Spitfire has ordered us to find and kill that girl, so we need to check out what just happened. However, it could be a trap set up by the girl, so only half of us will go and see what's going on. The rest will continue on with our patrol as normal, and hopefully we will find her before long."

" Did you hear about the group who retreated because the girl used magic?"

" They are a disgrace to all Gerudo for running away like that, but I suppose I can't hold it against them given we weren't told that she could use magic. Okay, half of you go back and find out what happened to that guard, and the rest of us will go inside and make our way around to the upper level."

With that little conversation out of the way, the group broke up and proceeded to carry out their respective tasks, yet I had to move fast because if the group going inside comes up to where I am right now, they will see the unconscious soldiers on the ground, and put two-and-two together. The moment the first group was far away enough, and the other had gone inside, I jumped down to the ground and was about to go into the door on my left before I heard the sound of someone coming up behind me.

" I can't believe I've been told to inform Madam Spitfire that we're still on the hunt for that girl....huh?"

" Sorry, but I need to make sure you don't go back and alert your comrades," I said as I fired an arrow at the guard, and knocked her out, and then I entered the door to the left. I found myself in a long hallway where I could see a number of crates strewn about, and a guard was walking back and forth at the far end of the passage. " I wonder if I can fire an arrow while standing behind a crate?"

" As long as you don't make a noise that will attract her attention, I don't see why not, but make sure that you get all of them as there could be more than one walking about over there," replied Spike. Running forward before stopping in front of the second-to-last crate before the pathway goes left and right, the same guard came back and looked to the left, but luckily I had ducked down in time, so she had no idea I was even there.

She shrugged her shoulders and was about to continue on when I popped up, and fired an arrow which struck and knocked her out before she could even do anything. I turned to the left and walked down the next passageway which then turned left again, so I walked that way until I came to the exit. I had no idea where this would take me, but I went for it which landed me right in front of two guards who had come from further down the road.

" What the? It's that girl!"

" Let's warn the others that she is right here at the southwest entrance."

" You mean that pathway I took ended up bringing back to the original entrance I tried when I first came here?" I asked.

" Sounds to me you have no idea where you're going do you? I'm not surprised given how outsiders don't know the first thing about this fortress. We've been constantly underestimating your skills, and that has made us look weak in the eyes of Spitfire, second-in-command to the Great Ganondorf. If you continue to run around freely, she is sure to punish us, so you need to be captured and/or killed."

" Huh? You don't know which order to carry out?" I asked. Since I was aware that these two guards could easily sound an alarm, or yell at the top of their lungs in order to bring additional guards, I needed to keep this going in order to learn some information, and perhaps prove a theory of mine. I did need to be careful so as to not insult Ganondorf, for they worship him like a deity, and saying the wrong thing could cause me to get killed instantly.

" Madam Spitfire has been having some trouble deciding whether you should be caught or killed."

" I believe she is under the control of an evil force which is making her act irrationally. You Gerudo are carrying out her orders, but deep down you must be wondering why she is making you do things that go against your laws? I did overhear some of you mention them with one being that you never kill outsiders. Instead, you choose to banish them to the desert, and while you don't want to go against her wishes, you feel trapped as a result of it," I said.

" She does seem different lately especially when that stranger came by."

" What stranger?" I asked. Now I was starting to get somewhere, but something about it didn't make sense. They rarely get any visitors due to how isolated they are, and treating all outsiders as potential threats to their society. Then again, this person could have come from the desert, and therefore wouldn't be treated poorly. I needed to know more, and hopefully I was about to get an answer without them figuring out that I was stalling for time.

" Someone paid a visit to the fortress although we don't know who it was as they covered their face with a cowl, but they immediately went to Madam Spitfire's quarters, and that is when she changed. Before that person did what they did, she felt that the Gerudo needed to change their ways before it was too late. She said that Nabooru's words from long ago finally made sense to her, and was determined to guide us on a new path."

" Perhaps whoever went to see her didn't want that to happen, and desired to make sure Spitfire would remain loyal," I suggested.

" Maybe, but who would gain from that?"

" It wouldn't be your king because he no longer pays attention to what happens around here, but maybe there is some kind of magical force at work," I replied.

" Now that you mention it, the Great Ganondorf's surrogate mothers are known for being powerful sorceresses, yet this is strange because our ancestors chose to give up magic to survive. They live in the temple that exists in the desert, but they rarely associate with anyone unless they have to come here. Those two witches....there's something about them which rubs me the wrong way."

Thanks to my quick thinking, I now had an idea as to what I was truly up against, and it was the surrogate mothers of the Evil King, yet there were still a few holes which needed to be patched up, and I believe Spitfire can give me those missing pieces. It was at that moment that the guards remembered what they were supposed to be doing.

" I can't believe that you were able to trick us into revealing such sensitive information! We feel like complete idiots now, but that will be the last action you make before you are captured!"

" Or dead!"

" Either way, get her!"

" Yes ma'am!" Both of them charged at me, but that's when I raised my hands which caused a piece of the ground below to rise up in complete silence. They smacked into it the moment it appeared, and then it fell down on top of them which knocked them out cold. I quickly looked around to see if the noise had attracted anyone, but luckily no one was nearby which meant this would remain unknown to the fortress for a while.

" Since my earth magic can't be used on the walls inside because of the magic aura, I figured on using the ground out here," I said.

" I wasn't expecting them to fall for such an obvious ploy," said Spike.

" Maybe, but we did learn some very useful information," I said.

" I'm amazed that you were able to keep the conversation going so as to trick them into sharing what they knew," said Spike.

" Tricking isn't the word that I would use, but rather I stalled for time, and it looks like things are much worse than I thought. Those two witches have been responsible because Spitfire has been thinking in terms that go against Ganondorf, so all they've done is come along to administer damage control. Could they have caused Nabooru to disappear all those years ago when she was exiled?" I asked.

" We don't know for certain what happened to her, but you're right about the witches having caused darkness to spread throughout the desert. No one ever suspected anything was amiss around here given that there is a lack of dark clouds in the air, so the Gerudo kept on living out their lives without ever knowing what was occurring right under their noses.

Anyone who was suspicious, or attempted to act in a manner viewed as betraying the authority of the Evil King were dealt with, and the others were told that traitors aren't welcome among the tribe," replied Spike. Such a terrible thing to do just to protect a false status quo, but there was little I could right now other than continue on. Knowing that I needed to hurry up in case more guards show up, I entered the door which took me back inside, and the pathway soon opened up into a large area.

As I walked forward, the sounds of someone began to ring in my eyes, and sure enough there was a cell to my left with a padlock on the door. It looked quiet....perhaps a little too quiet, so I decided to fire an arrow into the middle of the room. It flew through the air before striking into the ground, but while I was relieved to know that there wasn't a trap, the same couldn't be said for whoever was locked up.

" Kyah!!!! Where did that arrow come from? Oh, I hope that those thieves haven't decided to come and execute me. I was willing to do whatever they wanted if it meant no longer having to be a carpenter, but now it looks like they've chosen to have me killed by ordering some kind of firing squad that involves the use of arrows.

Oh, if only I could see my older brother and the others one last time, yet I doubt I'll ever get the chance now. You blasted thieves! If you intend on killing me, you might as well get it over with right now!"

" Are you okay?" I asked.

" Huh? And who are you supposed to be?"

" I'm Sunset Shimmer and I came to free you, but you look an awful lot like Jiro, the one I rescued a short while ago. Would you happen to be his younger brother?" I asked.

" You saved him? I'm so happy that I could cry, but I won't as now is not the time for that. My name is Sabooru, and I'm Jiro's younger brother, but people refer to me as Flam. Personally, I can't stand being called that because it makes us sound like we're con artists with the combined names of Flim and Flam.

My brother and I were told about how great this place was by our remaining worker, for he said that he had nothing to live for while being a carpenter, and he convinced us to abandon our boss Mutoh, and come here to enlist as thieves. Ichiro didn't want anything to do with the Gerudo, but our other fellow dragged him here."

" Why would he think that he had nothing to live for?" I asked.

" He had the blood of a carpenter in him, and he hoped that the tradition would be continued with his son just like how he continued it from his father. But, his kid didn't want to follow that path, and so the two of them had a falling out which never healed. He couldn't even ask his daughter if she wanted to follow the path as it had always been a thing between father and son," replied Flam.

Could this be the man who is the father of Scootaloo in this world as well as that of Grog? Before I could say anything more, I needed to make sure that this was the right person.

" Do you know the names of his children?" I asked.

" His daughter is named Anju and she raises cuccos which doesn't make a lick of sense when you consider she is allergic to them, but I suppose it was her dream despite having such a disadvantage. As for his son, he is known by the unusual name of Grog, but with the looks I remember him having, he was named well," replied Flam. Gasp! So it is him! The one I've been looking for!

Ever since I was given the task of informing about the fate of his son per Scootaloo's final request, I've been pondering over in my mind as to what I can say, and it looks like I would soon be getting the chance to finally reveal what happened to Grog before he disappeared in the Lost Woods. Sabooru did notice my reaction which prompted him to inquire about it. " You look as though you know about my buddy."

" I know of his children as I've encountered them on my travels," I said.

" Anju is such a sweet child even if she is constantly worried, but Grog is such a disappointment. While I have no problem with him not wanting to become a carpenter, that's no excuse for deciding to leave his family without even saying goodbye. Our boss Mutoh was originally considered to be a bride, but she wasn't going to be committed to someone who had such an attitude," said Flam.

There was an entire side to this situation which I never heard of, so I decided to confide with Sabooru about what became of Grog when I encountered him. " Really? He ended up transforming into a monster by wandering into those woods? That does explain why he never came back, but he shouldn't have gone there in the first place!

Still, you've been given quite the burden where you need to tell his father about what happened, yet I know you'll be able to explain the situation to him." With that little bit of trouble of the way, I now needed to figure out how to release him, but so far there was no signs that the key had been dropped somewhere in this room, and there were no guards nearby who might have it on their person.

" So how do I go about getting you out of here?" I asked.

" The guards that have the key go around a small quadrant of the fortress before eventually coming through this area, but I don't know how long it will be before they appear again. Apparently, there is a major ruckus going on, and it prompted them to patrol a larger section of the fortress. You could be stuck here if you intend on rescuing me, but since I suspect that the commotion revolves around you, I suggest hiding in that empty cell next to mine, and wait for them to show up which will happen....eventually," replied Flam.

It looked as though I had no other choice but to go with his idea, so I stepped into the other cell where I sat down on the bed, and it made me feel really uncomfortable. In the meantime, Spitfire decided to try and get some rest again, but within her subconscious, the good spirit that tried to reach out to her had returned although it was weaker than before.

" Spitfire....you must listen to me."

" Nabooru? Oh, you've come back after you went away," said Spitfire.

" The evil spirit that represents the surrogate mother to Ganondorf banished me because I was a threat, but I was barely able to make it back here. You're under a powerful spell which clouds your judgment, and you must break free and help the Hero of Time awaken the final Sage," said Rainbow Dash.

" Final Sage? I don't understand what you're talking about," said Spitfire. This proved to be a problem as she wasn't aware of what was really at stake, and this made the good spirit realize that she needed to explain things quickly before the evil one appears. If that one made itself known, the spirit may not be able to survive were she to be banished again.

" In Hyrule, each of the six temples has an individual chosen by destiny to stand guard as the Sage. The Hero of Time has awakened five of the chosen ones, yet the one who is to be the Sage of the Spirit Temple has yet to hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm. You must help her....reach the temple so that she can awaken....who is waiting for her....my presence is already weakening Spitfire, but I have....told you the truth.

Without the....power of this final Sage, the desert shall succumb. Only you can....help her now, but to that you must break free from the spell that controls your mind. Please, help her otherwise....all will be lost and Ganondorf will prevail," said Rainbow Dash.

" Are you still clinging to life? My, but are you a stubborn creature!" At that moment, the evil spirit appeared from the shadows, and hovered over to where Spitfire was standing before wrapping one of its arms around her head. " You should know that your words mean nothing, for she is a servant who is under my complete control. Her will belongs to the Great Ganondorf, and it shall always be that way.

Dear Spitfire, don't let the ramblings of a broken spirit get in the way of your task, and that is to kill that girl." The evil spirit then began to tighten its grip around her head who merely nodded, and slowly agree to carry out her task. This was something the good spirit couldn't allow to happen, so she charged forward and knocked the evil spirit away.

" Huh? What just happened? I feel like a weight has been lifted from my head," said Spitfire.

" That was the witches attempting to control your mind which is what they've been doing from the beginning. It was their words which they whispered into your mind all those years ago when Nabooru was chosen to become the second-in-command of the Gerudo. Deep down in your heart, you believed that it should have been you, and when the witches overheard your desire....they manipulated you into becoming a faithful follower of Ganondorf.

Since then....you performed all of his commands....without question not knowing the truth....but when Nabooru was exiled, she mentioned....something which allowed me to finally break free of the darkness which....was holding your heart," said Rainbow Dash.

" All of this time?" asked Spitfire.

" Yes, for you were deemed nothing more than a puppet to them," replied Rainbow Dash. A loud rumbling then began to reverberate throughout the dream world, and the good spirit realized that the evil one had recovered from being attacked. This meant that her time was effectively up because the evil spirit was most likely going to destroy her completely.

The good spirit quickly reached into her pocket, and took out what looked like a small golden locket before handing it over to a rather confused Spitfire. " The witches will no doubt....destroy me for my interference....but I'm far too weak to fight back, so....what I've given you is a reminder of the truth....use it when you confront the hero, and....all will become clear. Hide it now before....they return." With a furious expression on its face, the evil spirit reappeared and attacked the good spirit representing Nabooru without showing any signs of mercy.

" How dare you attack such a glorious being like myself, you weak excuse of a spirit!"

" I'm sorry....Spitfire, but I can't do....anymore," said Rainbow Dash as she faded away into nothing.

" That accursed spirit has been nothing but a problem, but it has been destroyed now so nothing can get in your way."

" What do you mean?" asked Spitfire.

" You must act at once and kill the girl before she can reach the desert, so wake up and do what must be done. Command the Gerudo to hunt her down without mercy! If you allow that one to elude you, it will mean such a nasty fate is going to be in store for you. You wouldn't want that to happen now would you? Wake up! Fulfill the task given unto you!"

Spitfire then woke up from her sleep, and the look in her eyes was one of fierce determination. No longer did she feel the pain from her headache, so the first thing she decided to do was call some of the guards to come to her chamber. In the meantime, I was still waiting for the guards to come by so that I could acquire the key needed to unlock the cell door which was keeping Sabooru locked up.

" It's been almost 20 minutes," I moaned.

" I'm sorry that this is taking such a long time, but those guards wanted to patrol more of the fortress. All you can do right now is just patiently wait for them to appear," said Flam.

" If they don't show up soon, then some of the others will, and attempt to either capture or kill me. There is some confusion in their ranks right now, so none of them have any idea as to what they need to do. I'd rather they do neither of the commands given to them, as that would allow me to continue moving around without being caught," I said.

" You must lead quite an entertaining life," said Flam.

" I wouldn't say that because it involves constant life or death situations where I've almost experienced the latter more times than I would like. Believe me, you don't want to have the kind of life I have, and instead you should focus on being a carpenter. Think of it as your special talent which makes you one of a chosen few who is able to perform such a task, and be proud of it," I said.

Before Sabooru could respond to me, the sound of footsteps coming down the pathway urged me to keep quiet. Three guards then appeared with one of them having the key on her belt, but I was fortunate they didn't come in near the open cell that I was using.

" Going the long way around was pointless as we didn't find her!"

" We need to find her before Madam Spitfire loses her temper, and ends up chewing us out by exiling us."

" That girl obviously won't leave the fortress as she is determined to save these worthless men, so all we need to do is wait here for her to arrive, and then make our strike which will make us the ones who brought her down."

" What makes you think we can do it?"

" Is that a negative attitude I'm hearing."

" She can use magic in addition to those weapons she was carrying, so what are the chances of us succeeding?"

" I see your point, so why don't we make things more interesting? The moment she appears from either of the two passageways, we'll kill the prisoner unless she chooses to surrender immediately. Knowing that girl, saving the life of this pathetic worm is what she would rather do instead of continuing to fight, so no matter what happens, we will have complete and total control of the situation."

" Okay, then what do we do while waiting?"

" We can hide in that other prison cell, and strike when she comes." The irony of all of this is that I was doing the very thing they were suggesting, and that was hiding in the other cell. When they made their way over, that's when they noticed me with my Fairy Bow aiming at them. " It's her! Attack her at once!"

" Are you kidding? She's got a bow aimed right at us you know!"

" Don't tell me you're afraid of such a weak little toy like that? If you are, then you've got no hope in this tribe!"

This woman who appeared to be in charge then stepped forward which resulted in me firing an arrow that struck her in the stomach resulting in her being knocked out. When she dropped to the ground, the other two attempted to run away, but I picked them off before they could even take a single step backward.

Breathing a sigh of relief as I had been a little nervous, I walked over to where the guard at the back had fallen, for she was the one who had the key in her possession. Upon taking it, I unlocked the cell door which released the third carpenter.

" To think that they were going to use me as a bargaining tool," said Flam.

" It seems desperation has become their means with which to stop me," I said.

" Good thing that you came here first, for you foiled their plan and rescued me. Thanks to you, I can see my older brother again who must be really worried about me, and of course I can't wait to see my boss even though I'm bound to get yelled at. It's better than being killed that's for sure, so I'll gladly accept such a punishment.

Anyway, as you no doubt know, only one more of us remains, and he is someone you've been waiting to see. While he may not look like it because of his gruff personality, he truly does worry about his children, and I know he is going to be devastated when he learns what happened. Don't try to sugar coat things, and flat out tell him the truth as it's better than lying," said Flam.

" You should find it easy making your way back to your tent," I said.

" I'll just use some sneaking skills as clearly it's been working well for you. Before I go, there is something I need to tell you. I suspect that the final key is in the possession of one of the Gerudo Guards who are their strongest warriors, and believe me as these women are deadly when it comes to fighting. Don't take your eyes off of this one otherwise you're finished.

While I don't know the full extent of their skills, they do have some strange technique where they spin around while jumping. It may look funny, but it will probably kill you in one shot or something. Anyway, I'm off now so good luck," said Flam. As he ran off towards the exit, his warning about this Gerudo Guard had me worried.

My sword skills have improved a lot since I first acquired the Master Sword, but how was I going to stand a chance against a warrior who had way more skill. Of course it was ironic that the final key would be the hardest one for me to pick up, but then this is what I have to deal with all the time.

" Are you nervous of what Sabooru said?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure if I can even defeat someone who has trained their entire life," I replied.

" Normally, you'd be getting some words of encouragement from me, but in this case I do have to agree with you. The Gerudo take tremendous pride when it comes to their skills with the sword, and every fight to them is one to the death. That's why you need to be at your best when we run into this guard," said Spike.

I continued on by leaving via the exit which I didn't come in from. This pathway turned to the right before it went upwards, and soon I found myself outside again where I saw a door which had some vines next to it.

" This way leads to the kitchen," I said.

" Which means we're getting somewhere," added Spike.

" If we take this direction, we should eventually find the remaining carpenter," I said. Walking into the door and down the next passageway, I quickly came to a stop due to appearing in a large area where a few guards were patrolling below. There were a bunch of chairs and tables scattered all over, and situated at the back wall was a large cauldron which must be how they cook their food. Above this fixture was a ledge sticking out of the wall, so now I needed to figure out how to get across without ruining my cover.

I'm guessing that this part of the fortress and the guards dwelling here didn't know what has been going on since I arrived, yet I made sure to remain out of sight as I don't want them discovering us up here. " I could fire some arrows and knock out each of them, or I could try to make my way across and avoid them altogether."

" To get across, you would need to use the Hover Boots, but you will have to be very quiet so as to not alert the guards," said Spike.

" Do I have to use those again?" I asked.

" Unless you want to go with the simple approach, yet do be cautious of your arrow count," replied Spike. While I needed to take a moment to ponder over what decision I should make, Spitfire was being informed from the guards who had reported to her. She wasn't at all happy with what she had been hearing.

" Are you kidding me?" asked Spitfire.

" Yes madam."

" The girl has rescued three of those men now!?!? What in the world are all of you even doing? She should have been killed by now, and instead you've allowed her to run around as she pleases. She has made a complete mockery of the Gerudo, and I will no longer tolerate her actions," said Spitfire.

" We shall find and kill her at once."

" No, you've had plenty of chances to do just that, and you've failed with every attempt, so I'm going to take care of her myself. I should have done this from the start instead of depending on all of you, but I guess her skills were too much for you to handle," said Spitfire.

" You seem better now madam."

" My head has become a lot clearer now, and it means I can focus on what needs to be done around here. If she is heading where I think she is, then I'm hoping that the guard watching over our remaining prisoner will kill her for me, but I'll make my way over there anyway in case things end up going wrong," said Spitfire.

" What is that thing in your pocket madam?"

" Huh? I have no idea what it is, but there's something about it which is compelling me to keep a hold of it. Still, I wonder where it came from, and why does it remind me of something from a long time ago? Oh well! I can't allow sentimentality to get in the way of what I must do in the name of the Great Ganondorf," replied Spitfire.

After thinking it over, I decided to go across, and that meant having to use the Hover Boots. Upon switching to them, I struggled to get my balance due to the lack of traction, and when I made sure that the guards weren't watching, I quickly ran across. Once I was on the other side and out of their sight, I changed back to my regular boots, and went outside where the only way I could go was through another door to the right.

Inside of this next area, there was a single guard walking back and forth in the distance, so I took out the Fairy Bow, and fired an arrow which ended up hitting the side of a crate. That's when the guard noticed me, and was prepared to sound an alarm, but luckily I fired another arrow which knocked her out.

" That was a little too close," I said.

" Looks like you could still use some improvement," said Spike.

" I never did claim that I was perfect," I said. Walking around the corner until the pathway opened up, in front of me was another
pair of prison cells with one of them featuring the obvious padlock, yet I couldn't see another way out. There was only one way in and out of this area, and if the rest of the guards were to come in, I'd have no way of escaping.

" Hopefully this won't take too long Spike because we need to get this last guy out of here." I said that with a non-exciting voice as I had forgotten what was waiting for me here assuming what Sabooru said was accurate. As I walked forward making sure nothing was going to come from the shadows and attack me, a small faint voice suddenly filled the room.

" Hey, you! Young woman over there! Look over here, inside the cell!"

" I take it that you're one of the carpenters?" I asked.

" Am I relieved to know that someone has finally found me. Those thieves locked me in here because I wanted to join their gang because I didn't want to be a carpenter anymore, but I wish that they accepted me despite my gender as I really want to embark on a new career as my current one no longer has any meaning to me."

" Does it involve your son?" I asked.

" Huh? You know that I have a son?"

" I heard it from Sabooru although in truth I have met both your son and your daughter," I replied.

" I'm not surprised that he would go and say that because the others were all against the idea of leaving the boss, but I am shocked that you've seen my son. I haven't spoken or even seen him for a few years now, but I know he's still annoyed because I wanted him to carry on our family's tradition.

They call me Shiro although I don't go by that name anymore as it brings up bad memories, so call me Cheese Sandwich." I wasn't even going to ask why he would want to be called a food item, but if that's his decision then who am I to question such motives. Still, this is the man that Grog wanted me to find, and now I can finally fulfill the promise that I made to Scootaloo. Hopefully, he is going to listen to my words instead of complaining about it.

" I'm Sunset Shimmer, and I've been waiting a long time to find you as I have a message to deliver courtesy of your son per the request of your daughter," I said.

" My son....Grog....no doubt that the words will be nothing but sheer hatred because of how I wanted to dictate his life, and who can blame him? For many years he felt trapped because he never was allowed to make his own choices, and I have only myself to blame for trying to control his life. I wish that I could turn back time and redo some things that I regret ever doing, yet I know such a thing is impossible," said Cheese Sandwich.

" Let me get you out of that cell, and I'll tell you everything," I said.

" You won't be able to do that without the key," said Cheese Sandwich.

" Where is it?" I asked.

" It's currently in the possession of one of their strongest warriors who was commanded to stand guard in case someone was to rescue me, so if you're here to do that, then the guard is probably somewhere around here....woo! Watch out!" replied Cheese Sandwich. His trailed off words brought a chill to my spine, and I had a suspicion that someone was behind me.

I turned around and indeed there was, for standing before me was a woman who was holding two curved swords in each hand. She had a bandana across her face, and her battle stance was one of a fierce warrior ready to fight to the death. Hanging from her belt was the key I needed, and to get would involve somehow winning.

" You've come a long way only to be defeated by me," said the guard.

" I was told that you had the final key on your person," I said.

" Correct because Madam Spitfire suspected that I would be needed in order to make sure this worm remains locked up, but you have been causing her a lot of trouble by sneaking around and overcoming all of the guards in the fortress. I'm just disgusted that the others have been botching something so simple, yet it looks as though it falls onto me to get the job done," said the guard.

" It's because you all underestimate me," I said.

" I don't intend on making that mistake, so draw your weapon and face me in battle! Feel free to use whatever you want because it will do you no good in the end, but you can at least try and make this entertaining," said the guard. She then walked forward at such a fast pace that it looked like she was running, and struck me with her swords before I could even attempt some kind of counter-measure.

Those swords of hers were sharp, for my left arm was bleeding in two different places, so I need to be careful otherwise she'll slice me into pieces before too long.

" So what do I do here?" I asked.

" This is a Gerudo Thief, one of the strongest fighters among their number. She moves very fast on her feet as you noticed when she walked towards you, so you have to take that into consideration. With those two swords of hers, she can attack you twice every time she swings them, or perform a deadly jump attack which we were warned about. If she hits you using this special attack, not only will it inflict a lot of damage, but you'll also be knocked down to the point where she will capture you," replied Spike.

" You mean kill me right?" I asked.

" I'm just going with the information that I have, so accuracy based on current events doesn't get mentioned. Anyway, while she is fast and hits really hard, her defences are rather poor, so if you can hit her, it will cause plenty of discomfort. Most of your weapons will have no effect as she'll avoid them due to her intense speed, but she does have a problem with magic.

Don't think this is going to be easy Sunset Shimmer just because I said that, for you once said that you need at least one free hand to use a spell, and this Gerudo isn't going to cut you any slack," replied Spike. This fight was one that would revolve around a battle of endurance because I doubt she will be able to go the full distance especially if my magic is able to connect, but at the same time I might not be able to survive for too especially if I continue to get hit by those swords.

The Gerudo winked which made me nervous, and she followed this up with a jump attack which I barely avoided although my tunic did get sliced in the stomach. As she came to a stop, her expression was one of pure smugness because she was already controlling the fight.

" This is going to be too easy for me," said the guard.

" Don't bet on it," I protested.

" So far, all you've done is either dodge or get hit, and that is just plain boring to me," said the guard.

" Then allow me to get some strikes against you," I said as I drew the Master Sword from its scabbard. Okay, I was aware that my attempt at making some kind of battle cry or declaration was pretty embarrassing given what I shouted, but perhaps this would give me some kind of respect from this Gerudo.

Upon seeing my sword, she stepped back a little as she wasn't expecting me to pull out something like that, yet she quickly regained her composure and charged forward with her blades swinging about in a maniac fashion. While I was able to dodge some of these strikes, I was able to parry a few more. When I found what looked like a weak point in her proverbial armour, I swung forward and slashed her in the arm which caused her to reel back for a moment.

" Guess you can fight," said the guard.

" If I couldn't then I wouldn't have made it this far," I said.

" That depends on what you mean," said the guard.

" I've had to fight against hordes of monsters including some giant ones, had to travel all across this kingdom several times, almost gotten myself killed more times than I would like, and even fighting and losing in a battle with your king," I said.

" You were able to go toe-to-toe with the Great Ganondorf? No one has ever managed to do that before, so that makes you more powerful than I suspect. Perhaps you may not be easy to kill after all especially if you managed quite a feat like that, but I'll still get the job done," said the guard. She then slashed me on both arms before slashing me across my chest which really hurt, but then I swung back and scored a hit of my own.

That's when she swung using a different method which knocked the Master Sword from my hand before I could even do anything in response. " And now you're unarmed which means this will be over shortly. Don't bother trying to use those other weapons of yours as my speed is too fast for you to even hit me."

While she was right about that, she was unaware that I was capable of using magic of various kinds, so I conjured up a couple of fireballs that I tossed at her, and while she dodged them, the resulting blasts did get her from behind. " What!?!? You can use magic?"

" Guess I do have something that you can't handle," I said.

" Madam Spitfire never mentioned this to me, so maybe she wasn't aware of it because you chose to hide it from us," said the guard.

" You could say it like that," I said.

" My chances of killing you have reduced drastically, but I must complete my task in the name of the Gerudo! Failure isn't an option for me otherwise my punishment will be immense," said the guard. She proceeded to slash at me with her two swords, and I barely dodged each strike although I was running out of space for the wall was mere inches away from me.

This was followed by another jump attack which did connect this time that sent me flying into the wall, and the amount of pain I was experiencing at that moment was so unbearable that I could barely move. The Gerudo Thief then walked over to me before stopping, and she began to gloat about her apparent victory over me.

" When we're backed into a corner, we are able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. As for you kid, you have to be killed because you are nothing more than a threat to the Great Ganondorf. No offence because you proved yourself to be quite powerful, but this is where business must take precedence."

" I can still fight," I said.

" Oh? Well, I'll give you credit for being brave, but face facts in that you have nothing left," said the guard. The moment she got close enough, I raised my hands and unleashed a flame wall right in front of her which forced her back a few paces. In the ensuing chaos, I got up and went over to where the Master Sword had landed when I dropped it, and picked it up before jumping through the flames and slashing her as hard as I could.

The Gerudo Thief fell backwards and crashed into the ground where I now stood over her with my sword pointing at her. " How were you able to muster up that amount of strength? Ha! It looks like you've bested me, so here is the key that will open that cell. I'm going to fall back and retreat out of respect for your skill, but I suspect that you'll succumb to the wrath of Madam Spitfire."

She took the key from her belt, and tossed to me where upon I grabbed it. She then got back up on her feet, and bowed before me followed by turning around and running off. With this key now in my possession, I walked over and unlocked the cell door freeing Shiro.

" I'm surprised at how many wounds you suffered, yet you're still standing," said Cheese Sandwich.

" This is what I usually endure in such situations," I said.

" Well, how many more of my fellow carpenters do you have to rescue?" asked Cheese Sandwich.

" You happen to be the last one," I replied.

" Wow! Rescuing all of us while eluding the thieves is impressive, and one that is sure to leave them embarrassed. Before I leave to go back and join the others, I believe that you were going to tell about what happened to my son?" asked Cheese Sandwich. It took me a couple of moments to steel myself for what I had to say, and then I began to tell him everything.

As he listened to the story of his son's fate, Shiro had tears in his eyes, and before long he was crying because of what ended up happening. " The Lost Woods....my son succumbed to the curse that hangs over that forest....I drove him to go there because I said time and time again that it was a place where one could calm their nerves, and speak to forest spirits."

" When I saw him, he was halfway through the transformation," I said.

" Once the process has made it that far, nothing can be done to help victims. Even the strongest potion can't reverse such an effect," said Cheese Sandwich.

" Grog did want me to reveal his fate to his sister, your daughter, and I fulfilled that request, and she was the one who wanted me to reveal his fate to you. Before he left and disappeared into the forest, he never mentioned much of anything about you aside from contempt," I said.

" He was completely entitled to that opinion given how I drove him away, but I suppose this is something that I must deal with as well as the guilt that will no doubt be accompanying it. Thank you for sharing this story with me, and know that I will return to Kakariko Village and speak to my dear Anju.

Together, we will travel to the Lost Woods, and create the appropriate burial marker assuming that my son has become an undead monster. I'm not sure if it will be enough, but I'll do my best to make sure my daughter follows her own dreams. I think it's for the best that I go back now," said Cheese Sandwich.

" You should be able to make it outside provided that you avoid all of the guards," I said.

" Before I go, I do have a piece of advice I wish to share. I overheard the Gerudo talking about the desert as they were dragging me to this cell, and I know that it will be useful to you. They said, "In order to cross the Haunted Wasteland, you'll need the 'eye of truth.' The Colossus is on the far side of the wasteland." I'm not sure what they meant by that, but I suspect you may already have an idea.

If you're wondering what this wasteland is supposed to be, it's the desert which lies beyond the Gerudo's Fortress, and it's a place where a dark power holds sway over it. The next time you come to Gerudo Valley, I'm sure that the bridge will be fixed, so you'll be able to cross over with ease," said Cheese Sandwich. With that, he ran off in the only direction he could take, and I hope that he'll find some inner peace with himself, but now I was alone again.

" What do we do now?" I asked.

" All four carpenters have been rescued, so the Gerudo no longer have any prisoners to exploit, yet the problem of getting access to the desert still exists for we haven't been given permission. Spitfire is who we need to speak to in order to continue on, but I'm not sure if she will be willing to help us out. After all, we have been embarrassing them time and again what with eluding all of their efforts," replied Spike.

" I'm surprised she didn't want to come and deal with us personally," I said.

" Why do you say that?" asked Spike.

" A leader would do exactly what their title dictates, and that is lead by example. By choosing to have the guards constantly trying to find and kill me, she left them to bear the brunt of failure which is sure to bring down morale. She should have decided to come after me straight away, and this situation could have been resolved instantly. I didn't want to humiliate the Gerudo like this, but what other choice was there? Maybe now she will come before me, and I'll be able to talk some sense into her," I replied.

" Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" You might want to take a look over there by the entrance, for it looks like your wish is about to get granted," replied Spike. I turned around where my face went white as a ghost, for standing in front of me with her arms folded was Spitfire herself. As she was tapping her foot, the expression on her face was one of sheer rage over what I had been doing all this time, and it looks like she was going to make me pay for everything....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 54: To Become Accepted, and the Training

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 24, 2015
Chapter 54: To Become Accepted, and the Training.

" I've heard of your fine work from my guards, and I must admit that I'm impressed with how you made it this far. The Gerudo have been humiliated by your actions, and if the Great Ganondorf were to discover how one little girl was able to run around his homeland without restraint...." said Spitfire.

" So you're the one in charge?" I asked.

" I am second-in-command, and a faithful follower of my king. Seven years ago, he recognized my talents, and named me his most trusted vassal after the previous one was removed. Nabooru could have become so much more had she chosen to remain loyal, but her rebellious nature compelled me to expose her. My people have prospered since then under my leadership, yet it appears that they are inept all because they couldn't kill you," replied Spitfire.

" What you refer to as rebellious is in fact helping them see the truth," I said.

" And how have you come to such a conclusion?" asked Spitfire.

" I've gathered a lot of information during my time here, and I'm disgusted at how bad things are. Nabooru knew that Ganondorf was an evil man, for his desire for power made him a threat. Her focus was on protecting her people not only from him, but from the other tribes who could have either declared war against you, or isolate you even more than ever.

Despite all of those efforts, she was exiled simply because she posed a threat to his dominion, and her actions would have caused the others to want to take the same path," I replied.

" Yes, she always did have their best interests in mind, but she was willing to break the law of the tribe," said Spitfire. At this point, I did have to agree with Spitfire as Rainbow Dash was someone who always followed the rules no matter what, yet she was willing to break them to protect her people from an outside world which was unaware of what was happening.

" Our law states that we must obey the one who becomes King of the Gerudo, and to defy such a sacred part of our society is nothing short of being a traitor. Nabooru deserved to be executed, but instead she was banished and forced to live in exile." These words did fill me with anger over how she was treating Rainbow Dash, but I'm in no position to question any kind of authority.

Still, I knew that these words weren't her own sincere opinion, but rather what the two witches were making her say, so how can I reach through to her without really knowing what to do? " Do you still defend such actions even now that you know the truth?"

" Perhaps you're the one who needs to understand the truth," I said.

" Really now? Do tell as I'm quite curious," said Spitfire.

" I don't claim to know what happened between you and Nabooru, but what I do know is that she did everything in her power to keep everyone safe, and that includes even you. Spitfire, you say you're in charge of this fortress, yet from what I've been seeing and hearing, that clearly isn't the case," I said.

" Don't tell me some of the guards revealed sensitive information?" asked Spitfire.

" You just answered your own question," I replied.

" Have they no willpower? I told them constantly to never reveal information to outsiders, for the secrets of the Gerudo must never become known to our enemies. No wonder they are all so incompetent, but I should have known that given how they failed in their duty to kill you. Even one of our strongest warriors was bested by you, and that is something I won't allow to stand," said Spitfire.

The anger in her voice indicated that the evil controlling her mind was making her mad, and I feared she was going to act in a manner which was liable to get her killed. I was in no condition to fight because of what I endured in my previous fight against the Gerudo Thief, so I needed to find another way to get her thinking again.

" So you plan on taking me on yourself?" I asked.

" I should have done that from the beginning instead of relying on my useless guards to carry out the task," replied Spitfire.

" How can you refer to them as such when you've been misleading their actions with questionable decisions?" I asked.

" I'll admit that I was changing my mind far too often, but since my last dream, I'm no longer suffering from the headache which was causing it to happen. I am curious though as to what became of that kind voice, for it reminded me of something that happened a long time ago, but that was back in the past, and I must think about the future," replied Spitfire.

This other voice could have been Rainbow Dash, for she is the only one I can think of who would be kind to her. If I can tap into this somehow, I'll be able to avoid another needless battle.

" I don't want to fight you," I began.

" It's not like you can even beat me, for those wounds look as though they haven't healed. Despite failing in the end, the Gerudo Thief managed to do some real work on you. Guess something good managed to work around here for a change, and I'm aware of your ability to use magic, so don't think you have any kind of advantage," said Spitfire.

At that moment, I noticed something shiny coming out of her pocket which she also took notice of, and struggled to push it back in as though she was afraid of it breaking. " Why does this keep on slipping out? It's really starting to get on my nerves!"

" What's that you have there?" I asked.

" This? I don't know how I got it, but it appeared suddenly after I woke up," replied Spitfire.

" It looks like a locket, yet you're not the kind of person who would wear something like that," I said.

" For once, we're in agreement so why don't you have it? I can kill you without too much trouble, I might as well give you a small gift as a way of saying that in another time, you would have become an honourary member of the Gerudo," said Spitfire. Her choice of words while attempting to be meaningful instead made me cringe, but I had no intention of accepting this gift as she called it.

I had a hunch that this locket would break the evil power that controls her mind, but to prove my theory, she had to take it out of her pocket as it was useless otherwise. As she pulled it out, she noticed the engraving on it, and quickly came to a stop before staring long and hard at it like she was possessed.

" Nabooru and I were merely common thieves living here in the fortress, and we were the closest of friends even though I was much older. The Great Ganondorf's second-in-command at the time died in a skirmish during the war, and he was looking for someone to ascend to that position for reasons known only to him."

" And you were chosen?" I asked.

" I was one of the ones he considered, but he ultimately chose her because she proved her worth that day all because of the incident which cemented her place by his side. I worked so hard to gain his favour, yet she was picked instead! Just thinking about it angers me so much because she stole what was mine, and she knew that but refused to decline his recommendation.

I had to become her subordinate for years which was perhaps the most humiliating thing in the world, yet she got so much glamour as the second-in-command that all of the Gerudo worshipped her," replied Spitfire.

" What happened during that incident?" I asked.

" One of our training regiments went out of control, and she risked her life to save everyone from an avalanche. Even though I accidentally caused it, Nabooru protected me by saying it was some kind of natural element. As thanks for saving me from being exiled, I gave her this locket, and asked her to make an engraving that would remind us of our friendship," replied Spitfire.

" She made sure you wouldn't get the blame for almost killing your people, and what did you go and do in return? You spat on her kindness and decided to dedicate your life to plotting her downfall," I said. Now this problem was adding up, and I can understand why the witches chose to manipulate her mind.

Had she confessed to her mistake, no doubt the resulting punishment would have been expulsion, or even death. At that point, she was vulnerable to being manipulated as her dream had been crushed, for Rainbow Dash inadvertently displayed the requirements of being a leader, and Ganondorf chose her to become his second-in-command.

" You do have the makings of a leader, but you allowed darkness to consume you. Nabooru must have suspected this from the start, and attempted to help you. When she was exiled, she must have told you something which made you begin changing your ways, and you continued with that philosophy until recently."

" Yes, I remember her saying that although I was annoyed that she had to get in one last word," said Spitfire.

" She wanted you to carry on her mission of changing things for the better," I said.

" Got any proof to back up that claim?" asked Spitfire.

" I've nothing to show, but then what do you suppose Nabooru would have wanted?" I asked.

" To do what was necessary to save our people, but then she failed in her duty to fulfill such a promise....because I made sure that she was exiled from the tribe. Gasp! I'm at fault for driving her away," replied Spitfire. She clutched her head again, and began to complain that her headache had come back, but I think it was her good side attempting to cast out the evil.

I had no idea what was going on inside of her head, but she needed to resolve it on her own using her own heart. " Nabooru....you truly deserved becoming second-in-command, but I allowed the darkness to get in the way of that, and all because it wanted to retain the status quo of the Great....no....of Ganondorf."

It looked like her headache was getting worse, and then she began to scream. " I was wrong all about Nabooru, and I never should concocted the means to have her exiled! Ganondorf may be the king, but he isn't my king! I'm sorry for making everyone suffer especially when it came to dealing with....you! Hey kid! I could use some support if you're willing."

" All you had to do was ask," I smiled as I walked over to her and held her hands. I'm not sure how my own presence was able to do this, but apparently it was enough to give Spitfire the strength she needed. Those expressions on her face combined with the sweat dripping down her brow did make me feel a little nauseous, but within her subconscious, she was fighting to win back her freedom.

" What are you doing?"

" Taking back my life," replied Spitfire.

" You dare to defy his will? If not for me, you'd be nothing more than a common thief. Now, stop with this foolish rebellion and kill the girl at once! She mustn't be allowed to leave the fortress, and enter the desert."

" Because that's where she must go to save the kingdom? You're afraid of anyone trying to ruin your plans, so you manipulated me into carrying out your wishes without me even knowing about it....until Nabooru, or rather a spirit version of her told me the truth. She was the one who gave me that locket as a reminder of our friendship which I tried to destroy out of petty jealousy," said Spitfire.

" Then I'll control your body, and perform the task myself!" The evil spirit then charged towards Spitfire, but then a bright light blasted it from all directions obliterating it. " No! I destroyed you accursed spirit! You've gone and ruined everything! I will make certain that you will pay for your actions when the time comes!"

Stepping forth from the light was Rainbow Dash, and she had a smile on her face. This left Spitfire confused because she saw this spirit perish, but the spirit representing the former second-in-command of the Gerudo placed her hand on her shoulder.

" You were able to defeat and drive off the evil spirit which had been controlling your mind," said Rainbow Dash.

" It's all because of you," said Spitfire.

" No, you had the power to finally break free of her control. Now the time has come for you to rebuild the Gerudo, and it won't be easy for your actions have caused them to lose faith in you, so you must regain their trust. The Hero of Time can also be credited for helping you as the light inside of her is what provided the final push you required," said Rainbow Dash.

" But what about you?" asked Spitfire.

" The real Nabooru vanished after her exile, but no one really knows what became of her. It is a mystery that the hero will figure out, for she must go to the temple in the desert. Spitfire, you must guide her to the desert if she is to free this land from Ganondorf. If you feel she may not be ready to face the trials, perhaps having her take on the Training Ground of your people will be suffice. It's time for me to disappear back into the recesses of your mind," replied Rainbow Dash

"Will I ever see you again?" asked Spitfire.

" I'll always be here, but as for the real Nabooru....only the hero can determine that," replied Rainbow Dash. That's when Spitfire woke up with a sudden start which caused me to fall over, and she immediately reached out with her hand to pick me up.

" Hero of Time, you helped save myself from the darkness, and words alone cannot even begin to express my gratitude. You appear to be rather exhausted especially after that battle against one of the strongest of our warriors, so I suggest that you get some rest. You can use that empty cell where the prisoner once was, and allow your wounds to heal a little bit," said Spitfire.

" Don't you want to talk things out?" I asked.

" This is a matter that can only be discussed among my people; outsiders are not permitted. Now, please get some rest, for you have much to do once the sun rises," replied Spitfire. She then turned around and walked off without saying another word, and I was wondering if she was going to be alright given how she is forcing herself to take on so much guilt. Spike then urged me to get to bed because we were most likely going to be granted access to the desert, but I was still worried about Spitfire.

" Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked.

" It won't be easy for her to plead for forgiveness, but I suppose acknowledging there was a problem is a good first step. If the Gerudo decide that she is no longer fit to lead them, then she will most likely step down," replied Spike.

" I think she should be given a second chance," I said.

" Why do you think that?" asked Spike.

" Back in the human world, when I admitted to everyone of my actions, I was able to get a second chance although it was a difficult period for me. It took a long time for me to earn the trust of my friends and fellow students, but I managed to turn my life around and become better off for it.

Spitfire may have made a lot of mistakes, but she is willing to pay for her actions. They won't sentence her to execution as that would make them no better than she was, yet being exiled isn't going to solve things either," I replied.

" Whatever is going to end up happening, it's something we can't interfere with, for only they can resolve their issues," said Spike.

" A shame that they view all outsiders with such disdain," I sighed.

" With what the Gerudo have endured for generations, they feel as though the other tribes mock their existence. No matter how good your efforts may be Sunset Shimmer, this is an issue that will continue to haunt them for years to come," said Spike. As I got onto the bed and drifted off to sleep, a dark conversation was happening somewhere in the shadows, but it wasn't one filled with rage, but rather with plans on where to go forward.

" It would appear that Spitfire has broken free from my control over her."

" As you predicted it would, but I am not surprised for she has a much stronger will than you anticipated. You may think of my people as being nothing more than savage beasts, yet they have proven they are capable of so much more."

" I just cannot believe she was able to overcome my influence, and all because of that girl."

" Perhaps your magic has grown weaker over the years, or you've been underestimating the power of this kid. There is no doubt now in my mind that she has one of the keys I need in order to gain complete dominion, and her actions in my fortress have proven this. Even though Spitfire has ended up betraying me, it was worth it in the end to confirm my suspicions."

" Then we must strike down the traitorous wench, and all others who oppose you!"

" No, leave the Gerudo where they stand. Their fate is of no concern to me now, for I no longer have need of them as their usefulness ended on that day seven years ago."

" And what of the girl oh Great Ganondorf?"

" She will make it to the Spirit Temple, for she possesses the means to make the crossing, and the power she wields inside of her will ensure her survival. Upon her entry into your domain, you will be able to carry out the contingency plans that you have prepared. Even though I know that you two will not fail in your task, would you prefer to have some assistance?" asked Tirek.

" Do you doubt in the ability of your mothers?"

" I am skeptical that you can succeed in defeating the girl before she breaks the curse. You two may possess tremendous magical power, but the girl has proven constantly that she is more than worthy to handle any kind of challenge that is thrown against her. It is possible that she may be able to defeat the two of you even when you use the true extent of your abilities, but it's too soon to determine what might happen," replied Tirek.

" How can you say such things like that?"

" What I care about are results, and so far you have not delivered. Granted, you did say that your control over Spitfire would break, yet you didn't know that it would shatter so quickly. If you wish to please me then you know what needs to be done....even if it ends up costing you your very lives. If you are unable to complete such a simple task, then perhaps someone else will suffice," replied Tirek.

" You don't mean?"

" The she-demon even as I speak has now entered the temple, and is waiting for the girl to arrive. I approve of her methods especially after she manipulated various factors within the Shadow Temple. This creature just may kill the girl, and acquire what she has been desiring, or she may end up perishing for good at the hands of her counterpart.

No matter what the outcome, everything is progressing exactly as I want it to, and it will only be a matter of time before the other reveals herself. When that happens, I will have everything in my hands, and my reign over this world shall become absolute," replied Tirek.

" I guess your other mother and I will go back to the temple."

" By all means have fun torturing her until she dies, but make sure that the power she holds remains intact," said Tirek.

" As you wish Great Ganondorf."

The rest of the night passed by without incident, and when I woke up, my wounds had healed for the most part although I did have some scars here and there, yet I was worried about Spitfire. Was she going to be executed? Or will she be exiled into the desert? When I turned to face the area where I battled against the Gerudo Thief, standing in the center of the room was Spitfire herself, and it looked as though she had been waiting for me to wake up.

" It looks as though you had a pleasant sleep," said Spitfire.

" Considering what I've endured throughout this journey, I needed a good rest to regain my composure, but what about you? I'm guessing that you had a lot of explaining to do," I said.

" While I can't go into the full details, I can tell you that my people were furious over the way I treated them. It will take a long time for me to regain their trust, but all I can do is focus on gaining it a single day at a time. If there is any consolation, it would be that I am still the second-in-command, yet I feel as though it's a title that I shouldn't have for I acquired it through such deceitful means," said Spitfire.

" Then you should make it worth something," I suggested.

" Perhaps although I would rather Nabooru have the honour of being our leader," said Spitfire.

" As you know, she disappeared seven years after she was exiled to the desert," I said.

" I have a suspicion that the two witches had something to do with her disappearance, but I'm not sure if this is true or not as people have been getting lost in those sands for a long time," said Spitfire. To be honest, I was hoping she would know as it would have given me some kind of clue to go with upon entering the desert.

Many apparently have gotten lost in the desert beyond the fortress, and their fates remain unknown, so what chance do I have of making it to the temple? " Now that I think about it, you haven't given me the pleasure of your name." Spitfire was right as I learned of her name through her guards repeating it several times over, yet she has never heard mine.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" A very interesting name that has a familiarity with my own, so would that make you a daughter of the desert?" asked Spitfire.

" I guess," I answered.

" Ha! I'm kidding for I'm aware that you come from the forest as you have a fairy flying around you. Now that I've gotten to know you a little better, I can tell you're quite an experienced adventurer. I really mean it! I've seen your fine work. To get past the guards here, you must have good thieving skills. I served under the exalted Nabooru, and never have I seen anyone with the skills you possess. Heh, it's been a long time since I referred to her by that title," said Spitfire.

It sounds like she longs for those old days where she was just a simple thief, but then things spiraled out of control. I have a feeling she will be fine from this point on, but I was curious as to where she was going with this explanation. " Anyway, her headquarters used to be in the Spirit Temple which is at the end of the desert, but she was forced to leave which I'm sure you've been told by one of the others."

" That must be the final temple I need to reach," I said.

" Yes, you need to cross the Haunted Wasteland to reach the Desert Colossus where the temple is located, but only those who have permission can go. Say, you must want to become one of us, eh? All right, then! You're in from now on!" said Spitfire.

" I'm sorry?" I asked.

" You really desire to become a Gerudo Thief because you definitely have the skills. Take this! With it, you will have free access to all areas of the fortress," replied Spitfire. She walked over to me before handing over what looked like a tattered piece of paper. There were some words written on it, but I had no idea what it said for I don't understand the Hylian language.

" What I have just given you is the Gerudo Token, the proof that you are now an honourary member of the tribe. Everyone will recognize you as one of us, and will share with you any advice you may need. From now on, you're free to come and go as you please through the fortress without fear."

" Then I guess this is goodbye," I said.

" I'm not going to let you go into the desert just yet, for I think you need to have a little more skill," said Spitfire.

" What kind of skill do I need?" I asked.

" It's more like training as opposed to a skill, and you could do with becoming stronger. I recommend you enter our training facility, for it will give you a chance to experience the kinds of hardships that we deal with everyday. While I know you need to go to the temple, taking on this small challenge shouldn't take very long for one as skilled as you," replied Spitfire.

" I'm sure it couldn't hurt, so I'll give it a go," I said. Maybe I should have given this a lot more thought instead of simply agreeing to something which I had no idea as to what it was going to be, but I said that I would try and I'm one who would never refuse a challenge. She then turned around, and started to walk forward where I followed after her, and soon I found myself back outside of the fortress.

She turned left and walked a long distance as I kept up behind her, and soon she stopped in front of a fenced off entrance which looked rather suspicious. There was a Gerudo woman standing in front of the entrance, and her white clothes indicated her position in the tribe as support personnel.

" This is the place," said Spitfire.

" It looks rather small," I commented.

" You may think that it does, but when you go inside and see for yourself, it will become apparent just how big our training ground really is. Every day, we make a habit of spending at least 30 minutes within the grounds so as to maintain our physiques, and also keep up with our fighting skills. I would go into more detail, but I feel the attendant here can explain things a lot better than I can.

When you come back outside upon finishing, I'll be waiting here for you," said Spitfire. That's when I turned my attention to the attendant who reached out with her hand, and if I didn't know any better, I could swear she was waiting for some kind of bribe.

" Hey newcomer!"

" So this is your training facility?" I asked.

" Yep! This is known as the Gerudo's Training Ground where we hone our skills as warriors, but only the best are allowed to go inside and challenge it. Madam Spitfire has a lot of faith in you considering she insisted on you attempting this challenge, so who am I to deny someone she personally picked?

First, I need to make sure you have the proper membership as we do take that seriously." I then showed her the Gerudo Token that I acquired a short time ago, and she checked it over to confirm its authenticity. " Token verification confirmed, so now you are ready to enter....and that will be 10 rupees."

" Only ten?" I asked.

" Money is pretty scarce around here, so we need as much of it as possible."

" So what is my objective?" I asked.

" You will be going through a series of rooms with different challenges, and your task is to complete each one to acquire a key. I would go into more detail, but I'll allow the booming voice inside to handle things from here. You are allowed to use any and all weapons you have at your disposal including magic and potions, and you have as much time as you wish to accomplish your goal."

I handed over the ten rupees, and upon doing so, the Gerudo attendant clapped her hands twice which caused the fence to slide away to the right. " Good luck inside newcomer!" It felt weird being referred to as that, yet what was weirder was how nice they were treating me when only a few hours ago were they desirw to see me killed. When I entered the grounds, I found myself inside of a large room where all of the doors were inside giant lion head statues, and I'll be honest when I say that this was pretty intimidating.

" Why did you want to come here?" asked Spike.

" Spitfire recommended I should take on this challenge," I replied.

" I was there when she made the suggestion," said Spike.

" Do you think I should have refused, and instead asked to be given permission to go into the desert?" I asked.

" She did say that you needed to become stronger, so I guess their training ground is ideal for that. No one among the Gerudo has ever conquered this before, for they have long claimed that it's too difficult, so you do have your work cut out for you. The various traps and monsters that lurk in here are a combination of elements we've already seen, but we may end up encountering some new problems which will most likely require you to apply new strategies," replied Spike.

" Surely you don't mean to say that what we have to go intends on killing me?" I asked.

" Of course because that's how the Gerudo handle their training. Why go up against imitations of traps and monsters when you can handle the real thing? This is the way they do things, for they have been training in this manner for generations," replied Spike. Now I really wish that I had refused Spitfire's recommendation because I wasn't confidant about having to fight like they do.

Then again, Sheik did say that I needed to become like them in spirit, so this would be the means for me to do that. I had no choice but to go through with this of course as I accepted the challenge, and to back down now before I even start would label me as a coward in their eyes. As soon as I took a single step forward, the booming voice began to speak out, but luckily the attendant warned me ahead of time otherwise I'd be really scared right now.

" If you can overcome the trials in the chambers ahead, then and only then will you be qualified to hold our secret treasure."

" I didn't know there was a treasure here," I said.

" It must have to do with collecting keys," said Spike.

" I'm not looking forward to these trials," I said. For some reason, the door right in front of me was appealing to me the most, so I walked to it, and entered the next room where I found myself staring at numerous fenced walls strewn about like a maze. There were locked doors which indicated that I needed a lot of keys if I was to progress through here. Then I noticed the large treasure chest in the middle of the room, and that meant that the treasure the voice mentioned must be located inside of it.

" No doubt that this is the main puzzle," said Spike.

" All of those locked doors, and no means of trying to get around the fences," I said.

" If you desire to acquire our hidden treasure, you must strive to obtain the keys hidden in each chamber!" The booming voice wasn't taking any punches when it came to reminding me that if I want whatever lies within that chest, I had to overcome each of their challenges which could be just about anything.

" I guess there's nothing we can do in this room aside from go back and try one of the other directions," I replied.

" You may not have to overcome all of the trials," suggested Spike.

" While that might be true, I'm going to attempt to beat them all just in case I need some extra keys," I said. Walking back into the entrance room, I decided to go to the left although the way to the right was also a good direction seeing as both ways would have trials waiting to challenge me.

The next room upon opening the door was rather small in size, but I ignored this due to the Beamos. There were also some strange creatures which looked a lot like those lizards I encountered back in Dodongo's Cavern, yet they looked much fiercer.

" What are those?" I asked.

" They are Dinolfos, a stronger version of the Lizalfos which you have battled before. Unlike their weaker cousins, Dinolfos move about a lot more often, and tend to use jump attacks at a greater pace. Also, hitting them can be hard because they tend to jump back before you can hit them, so this is going to make things difficult. Aside from these differences, you can fight them in the same manner as their cousins, but you'll need to have a faster reaction time," replied Spike.

" Defeat all the enemies in a limited time."

" How much time do I get?" I asked.

" You must prevail within 90 seconds or perish."

" That's not a lot of time to defeat two stronger versions of a monster which I struggled against," I moaned. The two Dinolfos proceeded to move forward with large bounding steps, and began to swing their swords at me which I had to dodge as fast as possible. Each of their swings required extreme timing, but I knew that I couldn't afford to do this for very long as I was in a race against time to defeat them and the Beamos within 90 seconds.

Why must I be forced to handle such stressful moments like this? As the monsters kept swinging their swords around, I was starting to get tired, and that's when one sword slashed me across the chest. The pain was devastating to say the least given how strong these two were, but I couldn't stop to check on the wound as I needed to get this finished before it was too late.

" Things aren't looking good," said Spike.

" You think?" I asked sarcastically.

" Maybe this would be a good time to try out the Biggoron's Sword that you spent a long time trying to get," suggested Spike.

" Will it be effective?" I asked.

" While the Master Sword can defeat monsters at a pretty good pace, the Biggoron's Sword is even stronger and can defeat the same monsters at twice the speed. Biggoron did say that it was the strongest blade, so now the time has come to see just how strong. Be careful though as you won't be able to use your shield as it's a two-handed weapon," replied Spike.

Drawing the Biggoron's Sword from its scabbard, I almost fell over because of how heavy it was, yet I quickly managed to get used to the weight before swinging it around without thinking. While this wasn't the best course of action, I didn't have time to take every hit into consideration, so the best I could do is swing and hope I connect.

The Dinolfos had no idea as to what I was doing, so they couldn't defend themselves from my wild swinging. After a couple of hits against them in addition to being hit once or twice, the two dinosaur monsters fell down defeated, and that left only the Beamos which wasn't really a threat at all. I took the Bomb Bag from my belt before taking out a bomb, and tossed it which blew the monster up.

" Did I make it?" I asked.

" You did defeat all three monsters," replied Spike.

" What I meant is that did I accomplish the challenge within the allotted time?" I asked.

" I'm assuming you have otherwise you would have perished by now," replied Spike. All of a sudden, a small treasure chest dropped from the ceiling and landed near where the Beamos had been, so I walked over and kicked it open where I took out the first small key. Upon putting the Biggoron Sword away, I sat down on the floor and began to breathe heavily as that encounter was truly intense. I had one key needed for the central chamber, but many more were required if I aim to collect the treasure.

" So where should we go next?" I asked.

" We could try the door we didn't take back in the entrance room, or we could go through the one over there," replied Spike.

" Both will no doubt lead into a challenge," I said.

" The irony here Sunset Shimmer is that these challenges are typical for the Gerudo as survival means a great deal to them. What they endure in here are things that the other tribes have never had to deal with, so in a way you have to give them a lot of credit for wanting to train themselves every single day.

The Royal Guard could have learned a lot from them, and perhaps adopted some of their tactics into their own regimen. Sadly, the view point that the Gerudo have on men would have prevented anything of the sort from happening," said Spike.

" Maybe over time they'll get used to viewing men as something of importance," I said. That's when I came to the decision to continue going in the current direction, and backtrack the other way when I can't go any further. Opening the door and entering the next room, the pathway went down some steps before opening up into a massive chamber filled with lava.

There were small platforms everywhere with several of them containing silver rupees, and I cringed knowing that I had to solve another puzzle where I had to collect gems in order to proceed.

" Cross the sea of fire!"

" I'm guessing the Hover Boots will be needed," I suggested.

" It would make jumping from platform to platform an easier task, but you should still be careful as you could end up being attacked from below by a Red Bubble. This is the kind of place where they thrive, and if they hit you while crossing, you may end up getting knocked back and fall into the lava," said Spike.

" I can also see a switch over there as well as one platform with a circle of fire on it," I said.

" There's no reason for me to explain what will happen when you activate the switch right?" asked Spike.

" Of course not," I replied. This wasn't going to be easy as one mistake will send me straight into the inferno, and the Goron Tunic will only protect me for a few seconds. It's times like these that I wish Pinkie Pie were here as she could easily handle this situation, but she is with the other Sages, so it falls to me to get through this challenge. Switching over to the Hover Boots, once again I ended up struggling to maintain my balance because of losing my traction.

These platforms were small in size, so if I were to slide along too much, I'll go over the side and into the lava. After taking a couple of minutes to plan my course, I was about to get started when I needed to ask one small question. " Will I be timed on this considering that I was given a time limit in the last room?"

" You were only told to cross this lava-filled room, so I'd say you can take as long as you want," replied Spike.

" That's a relief as I don't want to be in a race against time especially while wearing these boots," I said. Getting the first two silver rupees was easy as they were on platforms right in front of me, but the third one was a fair distance away, and a fourth was inside of the circle of fire. Then again, activating that switch should get rid of the fire long enough for me to grab it, so I turned to the left where I saw the platform with the switch on it.

Running across, a Red Bubble came out of the lava, but it merely went by to my left without bothering me, yet I felt it was going to be problematic when I go back. Once I pressed the switch, the fire disappeared and I probably had 30 seconds before it comes back, so I began to make my way over there. Sure enough, the Red Bubble popped up in front of me, but I had no time to get out of the way, so I did the unthinkable and rolled while hovering. It did hit me in the process, but I didn't get knocked back due to having curled up into a ball.

" Now that was some creative thinking," said Spike.

" I didn't think I could do that," I said.

" When floating in the air while wearing the Hover Boots, you can still perform your normal actions. Anyway, you need to collect that silver rupee before the circle of fire comes back, so enough talking and focus on getting it," said Spike. When I got back to the previous platform, I turned to face the one where the fire was, and ran over to it collecting the rupee, and going over to the other one where I picked up rupee number four.

Now I needed one more, so I began looking around. Sure enough, it was located just below the ceiling, and the Hookshot plate was an indication of what I needed to use. I took out the Longshot and fired the chain after aiming carefully towards my target, and I found myself being pulled up to the ceiling. Upon getting rupee number five, iron bars disappeared from a nearby door, but it was the key on top of a ledge on the other side of the room which piqued my interest.

" I wonder how I'm supposed to get that key up there," I said.

" There must be something more to this room which we're missing," said Spike.

" All collecting those silver rupees did for us was unlock that door over there, and I'm guessing another trial awaits behind it. Since you're a fairy Spike, is it possible you can detect things that should be there, but can't be seen even with the Lens of Truth?" I asked.

" I'm getting what you're saying, and that is well within my abilities. I'm surprised at you Sunset Shimmer for coming up with all of these different ideas without having to ask me to figure it out. No doubt you've definitely grown throughout this journey," replied Spike.

" Guess this adventure has allowed me to see myself in a way I never knew existed before," I said. Making my way back towards that high ledge, Spike suddenly turned green which made me think he was sick, but he assured me that he was completely fine. He mentioned that he could sense something was there, and that using the Ocarina of Time would help reveal its location.

I took out the instrument from the pouch on my belt, but what song should I play to do whatever it is I'm supposed to do? Spike said that even though it was a weird choice, playing the Song of Time would work. Well, who am I to question his vast knowledge?

I played the song, and two blue blocks with the symbol seen in the Temple of Time materialized next to the ledge, and one was slightly lower than the other to form steps. " In the past whenever I had to deal with those kinds of blocks, all I ever did was make them disappear. I had no idea that they could be brought back, or made to reappear."

" You never had a situation that allowed for it to happen," said Spike.

" Once again, this world continues to leave me confused with what it's capable of," I said.

" But you've gotten used to it now," said Spike.

" Maybe, yet it still baffles me to no end," I said. I hovered over to the first blue block before climbing onto the second and then onto the ledge where I picked up the small key, but now comes the decision of which way to go next. We could check out the room which was unlocked upon completing this trial, or we can go through the other door over there near where I picked up the final silver rupee.

" We should see where that unlocked door goes because it was made available to us for a reason," suggested Spike.

" That's a good idea," I said as I jumped back down onto the platform before making my way over to where the door was. Upon opening it and entering the next room, the sound of rushing water suddenly filled my ears, and in front of me were four more blue blocks that were covering up some kind of entrance. " I'm guessing that piece of carpeting to my left is where a treasure is going to fall, so what am I supposed to do in here?"

" Collect the underwater gems."

" Does that answer your question?" asked Spike.

" Yes it does although why does it have to be another challenge involving collecting rupees? I mean, I'm not annoyed by it on the one hand as it means getting some money to spend, but on the other hand I was expecting something else," I replied.

" The first thing you need to do is to use the Ocarina of Time to remove those blue blocks, and from there you'll need to switch to both the Zora Tunic and the Iron Boots before jumping down into the water. I also suggest bringing out the Longshot as I doubt it will be that easy to collect the rupees down there," said Spike.

" You'll need to turn away while I change tunics because I don't want you to see me without any clothes on," I said. He turned around without complaining because he knew how I felt, and of course I wasn't comfortable with being naked inside of a strange place. A few moments later, and I was wearing the tunic which complimented my hair, but then I remembered I had to switch over to the Iron Boots.

" Ever since the Water Temple, the only other time I've had to wear these was in the Shadow Temple with those fans. I'm surprised that they haven't had as much use as I expected given how much trouble I experienced just to get them. Oh, and you can turn around now Spike as I've finished changing tunics."

" For the most part, your regular boots have proven to handle the vast majority of terrain you've experienced, and for that you haven't really had need to use the other pairs unless it was for a specific puzzle," said Spike. Switching to the Iron Boots, my feet already felt the weight of them as did the rest of my body, but I played the Song of Time when I took out the ocarina which removed the blue blocks.

From there, I walked into the water where I immediately sank to the bottom. On each wall were Hookshot plates while two Shellblades were located at two corners with an ancient trap spinning around in the center. Good thing Spike suggested the Longshot as I'm going to need it, but the water current is going to make getting the rupees a little challenging due to how strong it is.

" I need to deal with the monsters first," I said.

" Remember that ancient trap will cause some knock-back if it hits you, and that can be really bad when underwater," said Spike.

" Not surprising," I moaned. I slowly walked over to the first Shellblade where I fired the chain into its mouth the instant it opened, and destroyed it. Then I fired at the other one not realizing it's shell was facing me, so my shot bounced off and got stuck in the wall. " Well, I was expecting that to happen eventually after such an amazing streak where I didn't miss anything with my weapons."

" You just need to be a little more patient," said Spike.

" A simple practice I should have learned by now," I moaned. As soon as I pulled the chain out from the wall, the Shellblade then opened its mouth, and I fired into it which destroyed it, so that left me with collecting the rupees. " Hmmmm....I could pull myself towards the rupees by firing at the plates on the walls, but would it be easier if I switch back and forth between boots to get them that way?"

" That would make things faster, but the problem is the water current will be controlling where you go," replied Spike.

" I had forgotten to take that into consideration," I said.

" Not to mention the ancient trap is still spinning around in the center of the room where it will serve as an annoyance more than anything else. You need to avoid that because the damage will pile up if it hits you repeatedly," said Spike. Looks like I'm doing this the hard way, but then that's okay as I need to get used to underwater mechanics as it's been a while.

Firing the Longshot at the plates on the walls allowed me to grab most of the rupees, and the ancient trap did end up hitting me a few times much to my displeasure.

" Only one more rupee to go," I said.

" I can see it up there at the top of the room," said Spike.

" There are no Hookshot plates for me to use," I said.

" Guess you'll need to switch back to your regular boots after all, get it when the water current pushes you," said Spike. The moment I changed back to my boots, I began swimming upward before allowing the current to guide me around the room. It felt really weird doing this because all I was doing was going around in a rather awkward circle, but eventually I collected the final rupee which caused a small treasure chest to drop down onto the carpet.

Upon hearing that sound, I swam back up to the surface before climbing back out, and stepping over to the chest where I kicked it open to reveal the next key.

" You know, I feel sad because the Gerudo are always preparing to fight," I said.

" Survival means everything to them, for it's been that way for generations. The other tribes have never had the need to train with such intense methods because they live in ideal areas. As for fighting being a part of their blood, they fight in order to survive the next day. It's essentially a never-ending cycle where nothing much can be done about it," said Spike.

" Could this be something that Ganondorf decided?" I asked.

" This was a law of the tribe which has existed long before he was born, so all he's doing is following the traditions set upon him by his predecessors. They have been isolated for a long time resulting from fear that outsiders would come along, and attempt to assimilate them into a more meaningful society. Given how small their numbers are, I suspect it will take about one or two generations before they have no choice, but accept such a reality," replied Spike.

" I never thought they would be such a sympathetic group," I said.

" You might say Ganondorf himself is a man who had sympathy for his people....before he claimed the Triforce," said Spike. I'm not so sure if I can sympathize with a man like him, but I suppose he does deserve a tiny bit considering the kind of harsh existence they've been living before and during his reign. I went back to the previous room which had the lava, and this time I took out the Longshot and aimed towards the Hookshot plate to the right.

I pulled myself along and opened the door. I entered a chamber that I first thought was filled with fire, but upon second glance it was just another circle of fire, and a large assortment of fire monsters. There were some strange statues alongside each of the walls, and I remember them from the Fire Temple. I couldn't go back for the door had locked behind me thanks to iron bars.

" Find the hidden secret in this room!"

" Guess I'm going to need the Megaton Hammer for the first time in what feels like forever," I moaned. While I was about to solve this next challenge, a conversation was taking place inside the tent back in Gerudo Valley. Thanks to my rescuing the four carpenters from the fortress, they repaired the bridge which meant no longer needing to have Epona jump over the gap as now it's a straight path across.

" I've got to admit that those workers of yours did a fantastic job."

" While they are lazy and believe themselves deserving of so much food during a meal, their skills as carpenters are unmatched! With the bridge now fixed, travel through the valley will resume as normal, but I'm surprised that you're still here."

" And why is that?"

" I would've guessed you to have gone back to Hyrule Field in order to resume your running, or at least challenge someone to one of those marathons."

" It's been some time since I last had a good challenger."

" You are known throughout Hyrule as someone who can beat anyone or anything when it comes to running, but I'm guessing from the tone in your voice that you feel somewhat uninspired Running Woman."

" Most people in the kingdom lack the keen instinct to race against me, and it saddens me to see how lazy people are. I believed everyone would be in shape especially with all of the monsters, but instead all they do is go about their business in fear. Because of that, whenever people choose to race me, I end up beating them and they would finish nearly 30 minutes after me. In truth, I was thinking about trying a new challenge which hopefully will rekindle my desire to want to run," said Aria.

" What do you have in mind?"

" Sunset Shimmer is heading into the desert once she's finished with her errands in the Gerudo's Fortress, and I intend on going with her because the kind of challenge I crave lies within there. I don't care whether she wants me along or not, for I intend on following her and get the inspiration which has been missing from my life," replied Aria.

" Last night's meal must have given you some kind of mental shock."

" And why do you say that Mutoh?" asked Aria.

" Where that girl is going is a place where people like you would perish. If the monsters don't kill you, then the eternal sandstorm will make sure you never return. While you want to go because of trying to fulfill a personal urge, in truth you're just going off to your death and you have a long life left in you," replied Sweetie Belle.

" I knew you were going to say that," said Aria.

" I can't believe she made her way over to the Gerudo's Fortress at night! Not only that, she managed to outwit all of the guards and rescue my men without even breaking a sweat. That's what I mean when I say that you don't have what it takes. While your speed is the stuff of legend, that isn't going to help you in a place which can slow down even the fastest of creatures," said Sweetie Belle.

" Regardless, I'm still going," said Aria.

" Yeah, I figured you would," said Sweetie Belle.

" Not going to give me another lecture Mutoh?" asked Aria.

" You're just as stubborn as I am despite me being older, but then you have a certain flare which makes you different. If you end up dying out there in the desert, don't you dare come back to haunt me as a spirit," replied Sweetie Belle.

" The Happy Mask Saleswoman is planning on going as well," said Aria.

" Now why would she want to do something that crazy?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" She said something about going into the desert looking for masks. The ancient Gerudo were known for burying their treasures out there in the sand, but the modern iteration have no desire to find them as they view such relics as being of the past," replied Aria.

" Figures that would be her reason, but she is just as crazy as you are," said Sweetie Belle.

" I'm sure she will be fine," said Aria.

" I suspect Sunset Shimmer is going to refuse both of you on the principle of wanting to make sure nothing bad happens. Where she is going....there is nothing but death awaiting her. I know that I already mentioned it to you, and that I'm just repeating myself, but it's my way of letting you know if you intend on going through with this....you may never come back alive. Think carefully before you make your final decision, for it could be the last one," said Sweetie Belle.

The challenges inside of the Gerudo's Training Ground had gotten more ridiculous, and at the same time rather repetitive which struck me as being odd. After finding the hidden secret, the next trial involved shooting the eyes of four connected statues without missing a single shot. This one took a lot longer than expected given this little trick didn't become clear to me until I clued in on it later.

On the other side, I had to deal with defeating more monsters in a short time limit, and collecting more silver rupees in a ridiculous obstacle course. By the time I reached the next room, I found myself stumped because there was nothing to be found.

" So what is with this room?" I asked.

" There should be some kind of trial in here, but all I'm seeing is a door to the right, and a massive block in front. Aside from that, this chamber is completely bare which could mean they have run out of trials," replied Spike.

" And here I thought I could relax a little," I moaned.

" The Gerudo never have time to do that, for they are always training even when they really aren't," said Spike.

" Without the necessary items, one will be confounded by impossible mysteries."

" What do you suppose that means?" I asked.

" It sounds like certain weapons you've collected are needed in order to figure out the puzzle, but the question is which ones will prove to be what you need," replied Spike. As I walked further into the room, I could see that the door to the right looked out of place, and I remembered seeing something like it back in the Fire Temple.

Taking out the Megaton Hammer, I walked as close as possible before slamming it where it shattered to pieces, and there was nothing suspicious lurking behind it. The giant block then caught my attention, yet how am I supposed to push what could be the heaviest object I've come across so far. " I don't think you have the strength to move this block anywhere Sunset Shimmer."

" That's what I was thinking as well," I said.

" Perhaps there is a way to push it forward, but we either never found it or we haven't come across it yet," suggested Spike.

" Guess I'll just ignore it unless a miracle were to happen," I sighed.

" If there is a key in the room behind this block, it would be a crushing blow considering how far you've come," said Spike. This was true because I've endured so much that to falter at the final hurdle is just not acceptable. So far, I had collected seven keys, but I wasn't sure how many I needed to make my way to the treasure chest. Feeling dejected, I was about to head back to the central chamber when I noticed something was off about the wall where the fake door was.

" Is it just me, or does the colouring seem a little off to you?" I asked.

" Good eye for noticing it as I never would have suspected anything to be amiss," replied Spike.

" Maybe I can use the Lens of Truth," I suggested. I took it out, and I placed it over my right eye where the wall disappeared revealing another passageway which lead up to a door. On the ceiling was a Hookshot plate, but it looks like the lens needs to remain active so that I can see where to aim. Holding the lens in my left hand, and taking out the Longshot with my right hand, I aimed for the plate before pulling myself along after firing the chain.

The next room was in fact the one where I had to hit the eyes of the statue, but now I was on the upper path which lead towards another door. Making sure not to fall off as that would involve having to backtrack, I opened it and entered a room which was nothing but a dead-end, but the small treasure chest must mean something good. As I walked forward towards it, a fence served as the floor, yet I could also see what was lurking below. " Isn't that the central chamber down there beneath us?"

" If we look closely, we might be able to find the correct path we need," replied Spike.

" Correct path?" I asked. That was when I kicked open the treasure chest which revealed yet another small key. Still, I wish that I could have seen what was beyond that heavy stone block, but without the necessary strength to push it, I have no chance of knowing.

" When we entered the central chamber, there were two directions we could take. If we choose the wrong path, we'll end up not earning the prize due to not having enough keys to open the necessary doors," replied Spike. He then floated through the fence as he was small enough, and quickly checked to see which of the two paths was idea before making his way back up to me.

" The left path is where we need to go upon entering the central chamber from the correct side." When he said that, I quickly remembered there was a second entrance which can be accessed from the room with the lava.

" Looks like we have to backtrack," I said.

" It will take about a couple of minutes given how small this place is compared to the temples," said Spike.

" That's probably the one good thing about their training ground that I do like," I said. Don't get me wrong, for while I did enjoy being challenged to trials that were deemed too difficult by the Gerudo, I wasn't thrilled by how ridiculous they got although it did get toned down towards the end.

I didn't have to deal with re-spawning monsters, yet some traps were still active like those flame walls which ended up giving me some slight burns. Upon returning to the central chamber, I made sure to double-check on how many keys I had picked up. " Okay, I have eight keys altogether which should be enough to get me to the treasure chest."

" And if you don't?" asked Spike.

" Then we have no choice but to leave here disappointed that we couldn't get it after coming so close, and I'll probably curse myself for not finding the item which can allow me to push that heavy stone block we saw earlier," I replied.

" At least you managed to make it farther than even the Gerudo, for they would never have been able to complete certain trials without the proper gear. I'd say that you can hold your head up high knowing that you did what no one else has done," said Spike.

" Yeah, I suppose you're right," I said.

" Still, eight should be sufficient as I doubt they would make you need to collect all of them," said Spike.

" Only way to know for certain is open up all of the doors, and hope for the best," I said. Taking out all of the keys, I opened the one on my left which Spike suggested, and from there I proceeded to open each subsequent door. Along the way, small chests were scattered about which had me wondering why they were there in the first place. " I'm not sure what to make of these chests, but I'm compelled to open them up and see what lies inside of them, yet is that the right thing to do?"

" Considering they lie beyond each door you unlock, I'd say it's a means of rewarding you with small prizes for having beaten some of the trials. I guess they didn't want to make you leave here empty-handed, so this must have been set up to make you feel happy with giving it your best shot. The rewards must increase in value with every door, but it's up to you to decide what to do with them," replied Spike.

" I'll open them up on the way back as my focus is on the big one in the middle," I said.

" Then let's hope you can reach it," said Spike. As I opened more and more doors, I felt very nervous about the possibility of running out right at the very end, but I kept going because I needed to believe that I will make it. Eventually, I found myself standing in front of the final door, and I still had one more key to use which was a huge sigh of relief as it meant I had completed this place.

When I unlocked the final door and opened it up, I was staring at the big treasure chest which I promptly opened, and took out an arrow which had a chunk of ice surrounding the tip.

" So this is the prize?" I asked.

" Strange that it would be this of all things," replied Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" This would be the Ice Arrow, the second of the three magical arrows which you can find in Hyrule. When you change your arrows to this one, you can fire a cold chill which can freeze enemies upon hitting them. However, most are immune to being frozen, so at best what you have here is just a flashy means of destroying them which consumes magic. You should show this off with pride given that you've beaten the Gerudo's Training Ground, yet it's not as good as it could have been considering how far we've come," replied Spike.

" I remember one of those Gossip Stones mentioning about the prize here being not as good as expected," I said.

" You can't blame it for being so accurate, but I suppose this is better than getting nothing for all that hard work," said Spike.

" And I got some worthwhile experience which should help me make it across the Haunted Wasteland," I said.

" With two of the magic arrows in your possession, there is only one more left which only the royal family knows about," said Spike.

" Since we now know that Twilight is alive somewhere, we just have to hope that we can find her one day, and maybe acquire this final magic arrow. In the meantime, I just want to get of here, and take a nap because this turned out to be as intense as the Shadow Temple what with the she-demon's challenges. Speaking of Sunset Demon, she is waiting for me, and I must be ready when the time comes if I am to defeat her once and for all," I said.

As I started to walk back through the central chamber, something else was happening deep within the Haunted Wasteland which was my next destination. I had no idea what was happening, but it was going to be another problem which I would need to overcome.

" Are you certain about this sister?"

" I'm not going to allow that girl to set one foot inside of the Desert Colossus!"

" The Great Ganondorf wishes for us to kill her on his behalf, so taking this kind of drastic action would be going against his wishes."

" He said that we could handle this in whatever way we see fit, yet I'm annoyed by how he viewed our magic as being weak. Just because Spitfire was able to break free of my control doesn't make us useless in the grand scheme. It's strange how he forgets that it was through our guidance that he even became the man that he is today, but I suppose obtaining the Triforce has blinded him to a couple of truths here and there."

" You shouldn't speak such words about our son, and yet I cannot help but agree that he has forgotten his roots."

" Glad to see you agree with me."

" Still, using our minion to prevent her from getting out of the wasteland alive does seem like an extreme course of action. While I have no doubt that she possesses the means to make it here, I'm sure she will end up just like all the rest."

" And if she survives?"

" Then I guess you do make a valid point about wanting to use our minion, but are you sure it's ready to handle such a task? It took an awful lot of magic to create this creature, and we wouldn't want it to end up failing after spending years perfecting it. I have no problem with you using it to slow her down, or even kill her, but if she manages to make it close enough, it should retreat before it ends up being destroyed or something."

" Yes, it would be a travesty if we were to lose this one my sister, so I agree to your terms."

" Besides, the girl has got her own problem waiting in our temple."

" That accursed she-demon?"

" The very one."

" I'm not sure why the Great Ganondorf wants her to handle the task of killing the girl, but he did say that as long as he gets what he needs in the end, it doesn't matter what the final outcome is going to be. I would have just obliterated that creature and be done with it, yet it's protected by a magic which makes it immune to all others....with the sole exception of the magic that girl possesses."

" Why do you suppose that is?"

" I don't know, yet it feels like those two have otherworldly magic which would mean they were from another world! Bah! Let's just ignore that and focus on what we're doing! Oh loyal minion! Hear the words of the ones who created you, and gave you life where none had existed before.

There is a child coming with the foolish notion of breaking the curse on our temple, and you have been commanded to make sure she doesn't succeed in. Do what you must to kill her, so that no one will ever come this way again! Go now to the edge of the Haunted Wasteland, and end her life!"

To Be Continued.

Chapter 55: The Cursed Desert

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 28, 2015
Chapter 55: The Cursed Desert.

Before leaving the Gerudo's Training Ground, I made sure to open the small treasure chests. Within each was a different coloured rupee which made me happy, and by the time I opened the last one, I had amassed roughly 250 rupees according to what Spike said each colour was worth. I had a feeling though that I was going to need this amount real soon, and with that I walked back outside where Spitfire was waiting for me.

" Judging from those wounds of yours, our training grounds certainly lived up to their expectation," said Spitfire.

" Do you people seriously train under those conditions every single day?" I asked.

" Of course, otherwise we'll just end up getting lazy. I am surprised though that you don't have more severe wounds as what you experienced we would view as being an easy session. Hmmmm....maybe we need to increase the difficulty in the future, so I'll make sure to bring that up to the supervisor whenever I get a free moment," replied Spitfire.

" What do you mean easy? I struggled trying not to get myself killed in there," I moaned.

" That's because our training isn't to be taken lightly, for only the best are able to survive. Even though you experienced a lot of hardships, I know you've gotten stronger as a result, and that was my intention because what lies beyond the Gerudo's Fortress will test you to the limits of endurance.

Namely, I speak of the Spirit Temple, for I've heard it has become filled with all sorts of dark creatures. Those two witches most likely put them there as a means of stopping anyone from progressing while there, but you'll be able to get through them as you now have had the proper training," said Spitfire.

" I do wish that your prize could have been a little better," I said.

" Prize? What prize?" asked Spitfire. I then reached into one of my pockets where I pulled out the Ice Arrow which I obtained after opening so many doors within the central chamber, and upon seeing it with her own eyes, her jaw dropped for a moment along with the jaw of the attendant standing by the entrance. " I don't believe what I'm seeing! You actually won the Ice Arrow? No one has ever won it, yet here you are holding our sacred treasure in your hand."

Spitfire then whistled, and Gerudo began to pour in from different directions, and their numbers quickly overwhelmed me. I hoped this wasn't a trap because I didn't have the strength to do anything, but then they all suddenly started cheering before chanting my name over and over. This was followed by them dropping to one knee, and bowing before me as though I were some kind of deity.

" Am I missing something here?" I asked.

" You have completed our training ground, and that makes you the first since our tribe came into existence to do so. No doubt that my decision to make you one of us was a wise choice on my part. The reason why I've called everyone here is because this is a monumental moment in our history, for we are witnessing perhaps the greatest warrior we've ever known," replied Spitfire.

" I wouldn't go that far," I said.

" No need to be so hard on yourself Sunset Shimmer, for that is what you taught me," said Spitfire. My words did end up getting through to her in their own fashion, yet seeing her smile and her people smiling with her was all I needed to see. I think it won't take as long as she thinks for them to forgive her for what happened.

" By the way, did you say that the prize could have been a little better?" My heart quickly sank because I realized that I had insulted their sacred treasure, and I forgot that they are really sensitive about how outsiders view their customs.

" Yes, I did say that," I answered sadly.

" We have been meaning to get a better prize, but because no one had ever accomplished that task until you came along, we never bothered to get around to it. In fact, we just assumed the Ice Arrow was good enough considering how rare it is," said Spitfire.

" It's one of three magical arrows that exist in Hyrule, and together with the Fire Arrow that I picked up in Lake Hylia, the only one I'm missing is the Light Arrow, and its location is known only to the royal family. According to my partner Spike, most monsters are immune to being frozen, so in that sense its usefulness is non-existent. I'm proud that I was able to earn the sacred treasure of the Gerudo, but I'll be honest when I say that it could have been something a lot more," I said.

" Our ancestors found that magic arrow long ago, and left it behind as one of the sacred treasures of their society," said Spitfire.

" There were more?" I asked.

" Most of what they left behind remains buried in the Desert Colossus, yet one particular treasure was sealed in the Spirit Temple for reasons we don't know other than an assumption that it was too powerful. Our ancestors only referred to it as the "ultimate defence", so it could be anything. Those treasures are a reminder our past, but we have no intention of going out there and claiming them.

We've moved on, and for that anyone can come along and claim those treasures for themselves. We wouldn't object with the exception of the treasure inside of the temple, for a legend passed down by our people for generations say that what lies in the Spirit Temple is only meant for one person," replied Spitfire.

" Do you know who that is?" I asked.

" We don't," replied Spitfire. Whatever this treasure is, I had a feeling I'm supposed to get it. I'm not surprised that it's inside of the temple, for that's been the case every time I've found a new weapon. That's when I realized those witches reside there, so could they have found this treasure, and taken it for themselves?

It looks like I know another reason for going to the desert aside from awakening the final Sage, but then Spitfire decided to bring up something else. " Now that I think about it, the Spirit Temple did house another treasure." Two sacred treasures in the same location? This was definitely unexpected, but then I should have realized this kingdom never ceases to amaze me.

" So what is the other one?" I asked.

" Gauntlets," answered Spitfire.

" That doesn't sound all that impressive to me because we're all wearing them," I said.

" What we wear are regular gauntlets that allow us to grip our weapons and the like, but these gauntlets are different in that they allow whoever wears them to push, pull, lift, and throw large stones, rocks, blocks, and boulders as though they were nothing. They used to exist in the Spirit Temple, but someone stole them seven years ago, and they've never been seen since," said Spitfire.

" Who could have stolen them?" I asked.

" Legends say that a kid came to the desert, but the chances of a kid making it through the wasteland are slim to none. Then again, the legends suggest the kid somehow warped into the Desert Colossus by using a strange song," replied Spitfire. Now that is a strange legend, yet it somehow feels familiar to me as though I've gone and done it, but how could I considering I've never been there before?

Something tells me this was a case of time paradox just like what happened with Kakariko Village, so that meant I was the one who claimed those gauntlets. Would that also mean that I know what happened to Rainbow Dash despite? I had to keep this information a secret, for I don't want to alarm anyone.

" Guess we'll never know what happened," I said.

" Unless the kid grew up somehow and is walking around wearing those gauntlets," said Spitfire.

" I take it from those words that they're not made for children?" I asked.

" Correct, because what could a child possibly do with the power to lift heavy objects? Anyway, you have earned our sacred treasure, and for that you've earned the praise of our tribe. You used a combination of strength, cunning, knowledge, weaponry, agility, and even luck to accomplish your goal. I have no doubt in my heart that the desert will not destroy you," replied Spitfire. That's when several Gerudo picked me up, and the entire group began to parade down the path as though I were some kind of national hero.

It reminded me of back in the human world where it took what seemed like forever to get the same kind of acceptance from the entire student body at Canterlot High. The group carried me along until we reached a giant gate which must be the entrance to the desert, and then they gently put me down before moving out of the way where Spitfire walked up.

" So this is where I need to go?" I asked.

" Yes, for beyond this gate lies the Haunted Wasteland. In this accursed desert, a permanent sandstorm blinds you thus limiting your vision, and no map can pinpoint one's location making every step a blind one," replied Spitfire.

" I heard from many people that anyone who ventures in there end up becoming lost," I said.

" This is true, yet others were spared such a fate by finding themselves back here. Only the exalted Nabooru has succeeded in making it through the wasteland, so you have big shoes to fill Sunset Shimmer. Even though she found the Spirit Temple, and claimed it for her own before it was lost to her, her next attempt ended up resulting in her disappearance," said Spitfire.

" How could she have disappeared like that when she made it originally?" I asked.

" We don't know, so perhaps you might find the answer," replied Spitfire.

" Oh I intend to find out," I said. There were a lot of questions flowing through my mind regarding the fate of Rainbow Dash, yet no answers could be found which made me feel frustrated. If she made it, there was no way she could have failed a second time. Then again, she could have disappeared somewhere in the Desert Colossus, or even inside of the temple.

The only way I could find out, was to go back in time. While I could easily return to my childhood by placing the Master Sword to its place of rest, it wouldn't do me any good until I actually reach the Spirit Temple as I have no means of getting there in the past. " It's a shame that Derpy isn't here because I could have asked her some questions."

" Derpy? She was the one who constantly dropped her weapon, or broke something due to being clumsy," said Spitfire.

" Nabooru trusted her more than anyone," I said.

" Yes, I remember Derpy now. When I was manipulated into believing that Nabooru had robbed me of my dream, she wanted someone to talk to, and was the only one among us who gave Derpy any kind of attention and sympathy. That girl always was clumsy and uncoordinated, but Nabooru saw great potential in her, so she took her on as an apprentice if you will.

It wasn't easy trying to teach someone who struggled with even the basic of tasks, but she kept at it believing that this clumsy girl could become a beneficial member of the tribe," said Spitfire.

" Did it end up happening?" I asked.

" I wouldn't know as one day Derpy simply disappeared, and she hasn't been seen since," replied Spitfire. The irony is that I knew what happened to her, for I met her about a couple of hours before being sealed away inside of the Sacred Realm. I began thinking about that meeting where she told me something, and that's when it suddenly clicked in my head.

" I know what happened to her," I began.

" You do?" asked Spitfire.

" Originally, I wanted to come here when I was younger because I was curious, but Derpy told me not to enter Gerudo Valley because there was a lockdown which prevented anyone from leaving. She told me that Nabooru had gone to the Spirit Temple to cause trouble, and now I know she was referring to the two witches. Because of her exile, she believed that going there was the only option, yet something went wrong otherwise she would have returned a long time ago.

Derpy also told me about Ganondorf's plan to conquer Hyrule, and what he believed was best for his people. You might say that she was perhaps the most astute about what was going on around her, yet most of you chose to ignore her," I replied.

" This explains so much, and I would have done something had I not been under their spell," said Spitfire.

" Derpy was commanded by Nabooru to leave the tribe, and live out her own life. The last anyone ever saw her was when she worked at Lon Lon Ranch for eight months as a farm hand," I said. I'm pretty disappointed about forgetting my encounter with Derpy, but then it did happen so fast that I must have blocked it out of my head for a long time.

Hearing Spitfire mention Rainbow Dash's fate prompted me to remember the conversation, and that's when I remembered something else which I forgot. I reached into one of my pockets before pulling out the ring that Derpy had given me, and to think that it would finally serve its purpose after all this time.

" What do you have there?" asked Spitfire.

" This? It's a ring that Derpy gave to me before she left," I replied.

" Where did she manage to get the likes of that?" asked Spitfire.

" I assume Nabooru must have given it to her as she said that she had been commanded to give to me," I replied.

" That ring once belonged to the one among the ancient Gerudo who was said to have created the ultimate defence, and the fact that you hold it in your hands is no mere coincidence," said Spitfire.

" Derpy said that is was a ring filled with good magic," I said.

" And she was right as its original owner was a being of good who dedicated herself to fighting against evil. I'm not sure what will happen if you enter the temple with that ring, but destiny wanted you to have it for a reason. I suggest you hold onto it Sunset Shimmer, as it could mean something important," said Spitfire.

Who would have guessed that this ring would have a deeper meaning than I originally thought, but I should blame Derpy for not having told me everything about it. Then again, the law of the Gerudo does state that outsiders are not permitted to know the secrets of the tribe, so she was probably forced to only provide specific information.

" What more do you know of the Haunted Wasteland?" I asked.

" To cross it and reach the Desert Colossus, you must overcome two trials which await you. The first trial is....the River of Sand! You can't walk across this river! After you cross it, follow the flags that were placed there by the exalted Nabooru when she originally made her way through. The second trial is....the PhantomGuide! Those without eyes that can see the truth will only find themselves returning here.

Upon completing these two trials will you be able to reach the colossus which is where you will find the Spirit Temple, yet I would advise you to seek out the Great Fairy who resides there," replied Spitfire.

" There's a Great Fairy in the desert?" I asked.

" Yes, but she has hidden her fountain well because of the evil that exists in the desert, but I know that you will find her as you're the chosen hero. There is also an oasis, but no water has flown from it for years, and it has never once rained out there due to how humid it can get. If only it could rain, then you may be able to use the oasis to your benefit as legends say that a long time ago, it used to be a fairy fountain," replied Spitfire.

" So I need to complete those trials which should be simple as I do have the necessary items," I said.

" I had a feeling you would say that, but I do have one last piece of advice," said Spitfire.

" And what's that?" I asked.

" Beyond the River of Sand lies a Carpet Merchant as he calls himself, who has taken up residence in the Haunted Wasteland. Don't ask me why anyone would want to live there let alone set up a shop, but he is there if you need something from him," replied Spitfire. This was a lot of information I was given, and overwhelming to say the least, so I asked Spitfire if I could have a few minutes to ponder over it.

She agreed and said that she would open up the gate in about 15 minutes, and that's when the Gerudo dispersed without saying a word. From there, she walked over to one of the attendants and started to speak to them, but I was more concerned with the revelations I had over this ring which I never considered before until now.

" You seem to be very worried," began Spike.

" Considering what we just found out?" I asked.

" That ring turned out to be more useful than originally suspected, and I'll admit that I never figured it being of particular value until we were told the truth. Nabooru planned all of this because she knew things would spiral out of control, yet I suspect she wanted to give that ring to you herself, but her exile forced her hand, and she had to have her trusted subordinate Derpy give it to you," replied Spike.

" Do you think the ring will allow me to find this ultimate defence?" I asked.

" If she didn't believe it would be useful, Nabooru would never have stolen it from the Spirit Temple in the first place. She wanted to save her people from Ganondorf, but was dealt with somehow before she could do anything, so now you have been tasked with completing her mission," replied Spike.

" Unless we go back in time and find out," I said.

" So you figured out that it was you who went to the desert as a child?" asked Spike.

" It had to be me as no one else has the power to travel back and forth through time, yet it brings up the notion of paradox again which means something happened in the past which we witnessed, but we don't know what because we haven't done it yet, and we can't return to the desert in the past until I have the means of warping there.

I know that we'll be getting a song from Sheik because Spitfire said that a kid warped to the temple, but I'm not sure where and when I will learn it. You know, I wish that we didn't have to rely on using time travel as all it's been doing is confusing us, and making me feel really annoyed," I replied.

" It has a tendency to do that," said Spike.

" And then we have those gauntlets," I said.

" It sounds like you acquired them somewhere in the past upon reaching the desert. If that's true then it explains why you never found them because we couldn't reach this area until now," said Spike. Who would have thought that the final temple would be the most difficult one of all, and I've not even reached it yet.

" It's like Spitfire said, you must keep that ring on your person because it will enable you to receive this sacred treasure which was sealed away inside of the temple. To think that Nabooru placed such a burden on you without even realizing who you would become."

" I didn't know I was going to end up becoming the Hero of Time," I said.

" And yet you've accepted it," added Spike.

" Because I had no other choice in the matter," I said.

" True, but would you have wanted it any other way?" asked Spike.

" No, I suppose not given how far I've come," I replied.

" Yet?" asked Spike.

" I just wish that they had given me a choice in the matter instead of forcing me to accepting the title of Hero of Time. If they had asked me, I would have said yes because I want to save this world, but because they made me the hero, I've got a grudge against them for taking the decision out of my hands," I replied.

" Feeling better now?" asked Spike.

" A lot actually now that I've gotten that out of my system," I replied. Good thing I had finished my rant just in time, as Spitfire called me over to indicate that the time had come for me to enter the Haunted Wasteland. As I stared up at the huge gate, I had this chill run down my back....was I afraid of what lied ahead? Or, was I afraid of never seeing Rainbow Dash again? Either way, I needed to be strong if I am to survive the two trials, and reach my destination.

Spitfire then clapped her hands twice, and the gate slowly rose up with a creaking sound which was deafening for my ears. Upon the gate fully rising, I looked out at the horizon, and I could barely see some kind of mountain way off in the distance. Before me, was an endless expanse of desert which could very well be my final resting place if I'm not careful.

" I'm sure you can see that mountain yes? At the base of it lies a giant statue of an ancient goddess whose name has been lost to the ages, and at the bottom of this goddess of the sand is the entrance to the Spirit Temple. Remember that you must follow the guide posts upon getting through the first trial, or you'll just come back to the beginning again," replied Spitfire.

" Then I guess this is goodbye for real," I said.

" You'll be coming back here again provided you can remember which way to go through the latter part of the wasteland, but I suspect you'll use a different method due to being the Hero of Time and all," said Spitfire. She then offered her hand as a sign of friendship, and I shook it in response before turning my attention towards the sand that awaited me to start walking on it.

" Oh, and when you come back here, be sure to try out our Horseback Archery which can be found at the back of the fortress. I hear that one of our attendants has resumed starting it up again, and are giving away some interesting prizes."

" I'll be sure to go there when I'm next going through this way," I said.

" Good luck," smiled Spitfire.

" I'm going to need it," I said.

" You'll be fine with the two of us tagging along." That voice startled me, and when I turned around, standing behind me was both Aria and Sonata. Both of them looked as though they were ready for some kind of expedition.

" What is the meaning of this?" asked Spitfire.

" We managed to get here just in time before you left, for the two of us have a little proposition for you Sunset Shimmer. The bridge has been fixed in Gerudo Valley, and that means I can finally go back to Hyrule Field," replied Aria.

" Okay, then why are you here?" I asked.

" Right now, I would be hosting my marathons, but people have been getting lazy to the point where I've become bored and yearn for a new challenge. I need to be inspired again, and I travelling through the wasteland will give me the experience that I hunger," replied Aria.

" And what of Sonata?" I asked.

" She wishes to go to the Desert Colossus in order to uncover some of the buried treasure, for she wishes to find some tribal masks used during ceremonies. I know it's strange, but she wants to sell them and make people happy. I know that the Gerudo won't object to their ancient relics being taken, so Sonata would like to come along with you," replied Aria.

I turned to face Spitfire who shrugged her shoulders as she had no idea what to make of all this, so it looks like the decision comes down to me. While I know that it's going to be dangerous, I just can't refuse their requests even though their reasons can be described as self-absorbed. Plus, this could be the only time I'll ever get to travel with them on friendly terms.

" What will you do?" asked Spitfire.

" I'll allow them to come with me provided that they don't cause trouble," I replied.

" Sonata won't be doing anything of the sort as you should know how unusual she can be," said Aria.

" And you?" I asked.

" I just want to get some inspiration, so knowing me I'll be observing my surroundings," replied Aria. While those reasons sounded strange, they were harmless, so I nodded my head in approval which prompted them to nod in response. And to think I thought they were going to jump up and down with glee like school girls.

Turning to face the Gerudo, they waved as though this was some kind of big send-off, and it felt a little weird to me because I think they assume we're not coming back alive. After I waved back in return, I turned and started to walk on the sand, and that's when a sandstorm suddenly came out of nowhere and blinded my vision where I could only see a short distance in front.

" Where did this come from?" I asked.

" This is the Haunted Wasteland, so the sandstorm just appears without you even realizing it. Since your vision is limited, it's best for you to take things slowly as we don't want to wind up getting lost, and our additional companions will be slowing us down," replied Spike.

" Do you think I should have refused their request?" I asked.

" It was a decision that you didn't take lightly, and if you had said no then you would be feeling a lot of guilt. While I know the Happy Mask Saleswoman is going to follow us the entire distance, I'm not sure what the Running Woman is going to do. She wants to have some inspiration, so it's possible that she will find it before we get to the end," replied Spike.

" What about those who went missing?" I asked.

" Perhaps they met a terrible fate at the hands of the monsters which thrive here in the sands," replied Spike.

" Then I need to make sure nothing bad happens to either Aria or Sonata. On another note, I do have to wonder how Rainbow Dash was able to make it through considering how poor our vision is," I said.

" No one knows how she did it, for she travelled on her own," said Spike.

" I've got to give her credit then," I said.

" When you really think about it, all we're doing essentially is following in her footsteps," said Spike. I'm surprised that they didn't refer to the Haunted Wasteland as Rainbow Dash's Path given how she was able to succeed where many had failed, but I suppose changing the name wouldn't make much of a difference given how dangerous this place is.

Walking forward for a short distance, our group came to a stop because the sand started to flow downwards at an angle before rising back up again on the other side. I could see some crates stuck in the sand on the other side, and beyond them was a series of posts with flags on them. Those must be what Rainbow Dash left behind to let others follow her path without getting lost.

" This must be the first trial," I said.

" The River of Sand," said Spike.

" If I were to step into the sloping sand, I'm likely to sink immediately without any hope of surviving," I said. As I stared at the sand, I could tell that it was flowing fast, and somehow I had to get to the other side to continue. The crates were giving me some ideas in my head, but then what about Aria and Sonata?

Neither of them have the tools needed to get very far, so would they be forced to turn back just after getting started? If that ends up happening, it would be a crushing blow, so there had to be someway of getting us all across.

" You seem puzzled," began Sonata.

" WAHHHH!" I screamed.

" Even now you continue to get startled whenever anyone starts talking to you out of nowhere, but then that's one of your more unique quirks. Anyway, I wish to thank you for allowing both Aria and me permission to come with you. I know you're on a very important mission, yet I need to get to the Desert Colossus in order to acquire those ancient masks which lay buried out there in the sands. If I can get my hands on even a single one of them, I know someone will be very happy to have their own piece of Gerudo history," said Sonata.

" Wouldn't they simply refuse because of how they act?" I asked.

" The people of Hyrule fear them, for they don't understand their culture. Once you start getting to know their way of life, the walls of difference break down. I figure on selling those ancient masks because there are people among the other tribes who do have an interest in how desert life operates, so wearing the mask from an ancient desert people will let them understand it," replied Sonata.

And here I thought she wanted to sell the masks to get some profit out of it, but I guess she knows more about the feelings of the people than most ever could. I suppose it's all thanks to her travelling about Hyrule so much which has given her a better understanding of the world. Despite that, it still doesn't solve the problem of getting across to the other side of this river.

Sonata noticed that I was having some problems, so she decided to talk to me. " I take it you're feeling stumped about this river right? It does look like a rather daunting task to say the least, but then you do have the means of getting across."

" And how do you figure that?" I asked.

" Ms. Spitfire may have said walking across this river is impossible, but she was referring to using your own two feet. You can make it across if you were to use something unexpected where your feet don't touch the sand. For example, I knew that I was going to find it hard to cross this river because I know all about the trials of the wasteland, so I came prepared with a method," replied Sonata.

She then removed the bag from her back before taking a piece of rope, and tying one end around her waist. This was followed by her tying the other end around the opening of the bag which she closed prior to tying it, and then lifted the bag over her head before spinning it around to which I figured out what she was going to do. Is she really thinking of doing something utterly crazy?

If this fails then I'll need to perform an immediate rescue otherwise she will sink below the sand. Sonata tossed her bag over the river where she got pulled along in the process, and made it without any problem. I was expecting her masks to be ruined from what was obviously a reckless action, yet it appeared as though her bag remained unscratched. " See? That wasn't very difficult although my aim could have been a lot better. Lucky for me my bag is very durable otherwise my masks would have been damaged."

" Did she just do that?" I asked.

" While not the most practical way, she did make it across which means now you and Aria need to," replied Spike.

" Those crates over there on the other side....is it possible for the Longshot to latch onto one and pull me across?" I asked.

" Yes, as they are pretty sturdy despite being made of wood. Am I to deduce that you plan on having Aria borrow the Longshot long enough for her to make it to the other side? If so then that's a noble sentiment, yet you still need to find a way over. If you're thinking of using magic, then I'm afraid that isn't going to work.

You may not have realized it, but the Haunted Wasteland has a powerful dark magic covering it. Only basic magic can be used here, so using your own natural abilities is essentially useless," replied Spike. I wish he hadn't gone and said that, so now I need to figure out another course of action. Wait....basic magic....that would restrict me to....the Hover Boots? Seriously? Would those even work?

" The Hover Boots?" I asked.

" Those contain basic magic, so you'll be able to use them," replied Spike. I'm surprised that I needed them to cross the River of Sand, but then it dawned on me that I wouldn't exactly be crossing the sand as my feet won't touch it. I doubt many would have figured that one out, but how did Rainbow Dash get past this trial?

" How did Sonata get over?" asked Aria as she came up towards me.

" You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I replied.

" I've known her for a long time, so I think I've got an idea as to what she did. I have to give her credit for thinking outside of the box by using her own bag of masks as a sort of grappling hook," said Aria. How did she figured that out without even seeing the absurdity?

I shouldn't be surprised given how Sonata was out there back in the human world, but still what she did clearly defied logic. " Ha! That expression on your face is priceless kid! If you were thinking that neither of us could handle ourselves in this desert, then you truly underestimate us."

" One of my weapons is going to become very useful if you want to get across," I said.

" If this sand wasn't a problem, I would have run and jumped over given how fast I am," sighed Aria.

" Do you know how to use a Longshot?" I asked.

" Can't say that I do," replied Aria. I then spent a couple of minutes explaining to her how to use it, and she managed to figure it out relatively quickly. She aimed it at one of the crates, and warned Sonata to move aside unless she wanted to find herself being poked with a sharp point. To me that felt rather vulgar, yet Aria fired the chain and pulled herself over without any trouble. " Want me to toss this back to you? I have a pretty strong arm, so it's not going to end up falling into the sand."

" Please keep a hold of it until I come over," I said. Switching to the Hover Boots, this time I didn't slip around as my traction was completely fine which must be due to the sand, so for once I felt glad to be wearing them on my feet. Looking down at the river, I gulped heavily hoping that this would work, and then I started to run where I found myself walking on the sand. The ability to hover wasn't wearing off for some strange reason, but I wasn't about to think of what it could mean as I ran up the other side.

" Not bad kid!" said Aria as she handed the Longshot back to me.

" Looks like we all made it," I said.

" Now we need to follow the posts in order to reach the other trial," said Spike.

" I wonder how far we need to travel before getting to where we need to go?" I asked.

" There is no way of knowing just how large the Haunted Wasteland really is, for it has such an extensive range that you could essentially run forever, and never find an exit. All we know is that Nabooru placed those posts to serve as markers. In fact, if you look behind you right now, you can no longer see the Gerudo's Fortress," replied Spike.

I turned around like he suggested, and sure enough he was right which made me feel really nervous knowing that we were at a point where going back wasn't possible. The posts were spread out pretty far, but not to the point where I couldn't see the next one in the sequence, so I began to follow the path. A few moments later, and I noticed a sign where I walked over to see what it had to say. " All those reckless enough to venture into the desert - please drop by our shop. - Carpet Merchant"

" Could this be the location of the one Spitfire says lives here?" I asked.

" It does seem strange that someone would want to set up a shop in such a desolate place, but I suppose they had a good reason," replied Spike.

" Maybe I should go there and check it out," I suggested.

" Why would you want to do that?" asked Spike.

" The merchant might have seen Rainbow Dash come by this way, and could provide us with some clues. Granted, she came by seven years so his memory may not be as good as it once was," I replied. Asking Aria and Sonata to wait for me to return which they agreed, I walked in the direction of the sign until I came upon a carpet. Sitting down on the carpet was an unusual man who seemed unaware of my presence, but he looked at me when I stepped into his shop.

" Well Come! I am selling stuff, strange and rare, from all over the world to everybody. My name is Fancy Pants, and this is my humble shop! You might be thinking why I decided to open up a shop in the Haunted Wasteland, and that's because I had planned on setting up my business in Hyrule Castle Town, but that place was destroyed.

I wandered around hoping I would find a new place, but nowhere was good enough for me and my wares." Did he seriously just call himself by the name of Fancy Pants? That is what people refer to others who are very rich and snooty, yet this guy clearly wasn't anything of the sort. Still, I suspect that he is from Equestria even though I don't seem to recall anyone by that name during my time in Canterlot.

" Until you came here?" I asked.

" Correct young lady! I'm taking it that you came here to buy something yes?" asked Fancy Pants.

" I do have an inkling to make a purchase," I replied.

" Then by all means come in and have a seat so that I can show you what I'm selling," said Fancy Pants.

" Also, there are questions I wish to ask you," I said.

" Do you now? If it's about the products inside of my store, then I'm sorry but I can't tell you anything about them. I have a policy in my shop where I refuse to discuss anything about my wares until someone makes a purchase," said Fancy Pants.

" It has to do with a certain person," I said.

" Who?" asked Fancy Pants.

" Does the name Nabooru mean anything to you?" I asked.

" Gasp! It's been a long time since I last saw her....seven years ago to be exact. I have seen many people come through this way, and they either perished due to getting lost in the Haunted Wasteland, or they somehow made it back to the fortress. Nabooru was different for she made it to the other side of this sandstorm, and no one else has ever achieved what she had accomplished," replied Fancy Pants.

" I'm trying to find out what happened to her," I said.

" She has gone missing?" asked Fancy Pants.

" Yes," I answered.

" Most unusual given how experienced she was at surviving, so I doubt that she could have succumbed out here. I remember when she came to my shop, she wished to purchase something, and asked if I had a specific item. Before setting up my shop, I used to travel the world collecting various trinkets, yet to think that I would have exactly the thing she was seeking. I did warn her that using it would be foolish as it could wind up taking her life, but she was insistent about it," said Fancy Pants.

" What was it?" I asked.

" One of the artefacts I picked up was an unusual black orb which I was told possessed a dark power, and when Nabooru discovered that I had it in my possession, she demanded it to be sold to her without question. I should have refused, but she convinced me by paying a ridiculous amount just to have it.

When I asked what her intention was, all she said was that she needed it to save her people from her king. Now I don't know what has been going on at their fortress, but it sounded like she had a falling out with Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves.

To think that she was going to use an item of evil proportions....I have no idea if she ever went through with it or not, for when she left my shop, it would be the last time I ever saw her. You said that she vanished? I refuse to believe that," replied Fancy Pants.

" I don't believe it either," I said.

" If you know about Nabooru, then you must be a friend of hers. Know that when she came to see me that day, she acted as though she were desperate because of some kind of fear which was hanging over her," said Fancy Pants. That fear must have been the two witches who reside in the Spirit Temple; Ganondorf's surrogate mothers who have been the cause of a lot of problems.

If what this merchant says is true, then she must have snapped upon beginning her exile, or she desired to do whatever she felt was needed to stop them. But, was she willing to give up everything just to save her people? I know she is meant to represent loyalty, but such actions are anything but that.

" Did she say anything else?" I asked.

" She said nothing, for she didn't believe me to be someone she could trust because I was a man. Now, about you purchasing something from my shop. Today's special is....a dangerous, running object! Terrifying! I won't tell you what it is until I see the money....how about 200 Rupees?" The description of this item did sound awfully familiar as though I purchased something like it a long time ago.

That's when I realized he was selling Bombchu, but I doubt he knows Iron Will who was selling it long ago. Good thing I got all of those rupees from the Gerudo's Training Ground as I had more than enough, so I paid him the amount. " Thank you very much! What I'm selling is....Bombchu! The mark that will lead you to the Spirit Temple is the flag on the left outside the shop. Be seeing you!"

As he handed over the Bombchu to me which consisted of 15 of them, I walked back to where the sign was, and where Aria and Sonata had been waiting for me. I told them that we were moving on, so we resumed our trek through the wasteland. The posts were still pretty easy to see which was a good thing as the sand was starting to get stronger.

" Is something wrong?" asked Spike.

" I can't believe Rainbow Dash was willing to get something so dangerous," I replied.

" You shouldn't blame her for wanting something which she believed was going to save her people, but I do agree that she was acting rather reckless. While those two witches have caused so much pain, if Nabooru carried out whatever she was planning, it would have made things even worse," said Spike.

" Why say that in the past tense?" I asked.

" This all happened seven years ago, so if her plan had succeeded, we would have even more trouble here. It all must tie-in with how she disappeared, yet there is much we don't know, and we probably won't find out until we travel back into the past," replied Spike.

" Since we know that she failed to use that object, we can take it from her or even destroy it," I suggested.

" Unless the witches ended up taking it from her first," said Spike.

" I hadn't thought of it like that," I said.

" This is why we're trapped in a time paradox as you did something in the past, yet you haven't exactly done anything yet. Everyone else is unaffected because all they know is what happened in the past as a means of it being nothing more than history, but you need to experience it in the past before coming back to the present," said Spike. Once again, I really don't like this whole time paradox as it's nothing but confusing.

Rainbow Dash and her fate is the source of all of this, so I need to learn the appropriate warp song from Sheik, but when that will be remains to be seen. After walking which felt like forever, something large was coming up in front of me, and it turned out to be some kind of altar, or maybe a raised platform. There were flags surrounding this location, but they stopped there and don't go on any further.

" I guess this is as far as we go," I said.

" Don't be so quick to give up," said Aria.

" We have no more flags guiding us along," I said.

" That's because they were placed in the Haunted Wasteland to guide us to this exact location which is where the second trial is supposed to take place. I'm surprised you've already forgotten about the Phantom Guide who should be around here. Are you surprised kid? Ha! Don't be! In all seriousness though, I'm also an honourary member of the Gerudo Tribe, and I once asked Spitfire about those trials because I was curious," said Aria.

" You never told me you were one of them," I said.

" Because quite simply, you never asked. I am a member of the tribe although like you, I'm only an honourary member, so there are some secrets about them which I'm forbidden to know about," said Aria. That's when I could hear a strange sound coming from the top of this altar, and it sounded like something was floating, yet I couldn't see anything to warrant such a noise.

As I scratched my head trying to figure this one out, Aria noticed and stepped over to me before she slapped me on the head. " Sorry for doing that Sunset Shimmer, but I think it's pretty obvious that what we're hearing right now is the Phantom Guide."

" I'm surprised that it's been waiting here all this time," I said.

" The phantom is said to only move when one can see it, but you need eyes that can see the truth according to Gerudo legend. If we don't have the means of seeing it, we're essentially stuck here unless we take a wrong direction, and wind up back at the fortress," said Aria.

" Good thing I have the Lens of Truth," I said as I took it out.

" You've actually got it? Well, call me impressed kid! Guess I owe you an apology as I've been talking down to you when in fact you've been prepared to handle this journey better than either myself or Sonata. I'm also sorry for scolding you about the desert as you never knew what was located here until Spitfire told you about the two trials," said Aria.

" You don't need to apologize for anything as it's my fault that I'm not familiar with certain legends," I said.

" So where do you need to activate the lens to be able to see the Phantom Guide?" asked Aria.

" I'm guessing somewhere on top of this altar," I replied.

" We'll follow behind you," said Aria. As I walked up a spiral staircase which lead me to the top of the altar, the sound was getting louder, and I soon came upon a plaque which must explain what I need to do here. " One who has the eye of truth will be visited by a friendly spirit." So I take it that the phantom must be some kind of Poe, and one that was friendly given what the plaque is saying.

The instant I raised the lens to my eye, a Poe did appear, yet it started to float away, so I began to run after it with Aria and Sonata following along behind me.

" I'll be your guide on your way, but coming back, I won't play! I'll show you the only way to go, so follow me and don't be slow!"

" I like the idea of someone guiding us," said Sonata.

" That doesn't surprise me," said Aria.

" If this Phantom wasn't willing to lead us to where we need to go, we would never make it to the Desert Colossus. The way I am looking at it, we need to follow it exactly, or else we'll be taking a trip all the way back to the beginning again. Sunset Shimmer, I hope that you have plenty of magic power because I wouldn't like it if you were to suddenly run out," said Sonata.

" I have plenty to use so we'll be okay," I smiled.

" Hearing that makes me happy," said Sonata.

" I'm actually worried about you because Aria and I have the means of keeping up with the Phantom because we're fast enough, but you are carrying around that heavy bag on your back. I'm sure you're being forced to run at a slower pace due to how heavy it is," I said.

" You don't need to be concerned about my well being, for I have been travelling around the kingdom with this heavy load on me for years. I have long gotten adjusted to having this weight on me, and it doesn't slow me down in the manner which you think. Besides, when I acquire those masks which are buried out there in the colossus, my bag will become even heavier than before," said Sonata.

This aspect of her character is just like it was back in the human world, yet here in Hyrule she is even more laid back where she looks at the bright side of everything. Still, sometimes she can be a little weird given how she uses some rather unorthodox methods. The Phantom Guide wasn't making things easy for it continued to move away from us at a pretty good pace, yet it suddenly changed direction away from what was obviously our intended route to the end.

" Where is it going?" I asked.

" It likes to play with those who follow it," replied Sonata.

" But what it said clearly was anything but that," I moaned.

" There is no need to be upset about it Sunset Shimmer, for as long as we continue to follow it, I'm sure we will make it to where we're going. I'm hoping so at least because I have no idea when we'll get there for the phantom does have a tendency to want to change directions on a whim. I'm guessing this is going to take about 30 minutes," said Sonata.

" How do you even know any of this?" I asked.

" I may not have come this way before, but I have sold masks to the Gerudo who told me stories from those who tried to make it through the wasteland....the ones who managed to return in one piece that is. They were able to get to the Phantom Guide, yet most couldn't see where it was going which caused them to go back to the fortress, or wind up getting lost.

A couple of travellers did have strong vision allowing them to see the guide, yet when they came back, they never returned which is a shame as I could have sold them some interesting masks," replied Sonata. Why am I not surprised that she would make a reference to her business, but on a serious note she had given me an idea as to how this spirit operates.

As we followed it along through the desert with the sand limiting our vision, it constantly changed direction which did end up rather annoying after a while, but we had to keep on going. Eventually, it came to a stop which I assumed was normal, but when Sonata shook her head to indicate that this never happened according to the stories she was told, I had a feeling something was wrong.

" Why did the Phantom Guide stop?" I asked.

" I'm not sure why because the end of the Haunted Wasteland is between those two cliff faces in the distance, yet it appears to be sensing something. I personally don't believe we're in any danger given that the only threat here are the Leevers which started popping out of the ground when we got closer to the cliffs. So there must be something else up ahead, but what that is I don't know as the sand limits what we can see," replied Spike.

" What are Leevers anyway?" I asked.

" They can be best described as plant-like monsters which come out of the ground, and charge at you with the sole intent of ramming into you. If it isn't able to connect, it just keeps on going until it goes back underground again. In that sense, you should just stay of their way and let them go by.

Of course, if too many begin chasing you, then attacking them will reduce their numbers. Leevers hardly put up a fight, so defeating them is easy, but beware for if you destroy enough, a giant blue one appears. This one is known for attacking anyone who hurts others of its kind, yet it will leave behind a lot of rupees upon defeat," replied Spike.

" So if I needed more money, defeating this particular Leever would do the trick?" I asked.

" Yes, but it's a risk because you first need to get rid of a lot of the regular ones before it can appear. Leevers don't inflict much damage to you, but if you allow them to hit you a lot, then you will be feeling it," replied Spike. Guess I'll need to be careful of those monsters and allow them to go about their business, yet I was still baffled as to why we've been forced to stop by the Phantom Guide.

I squinted my eyes hoping that I could see something, but all that did was make my eyes irritated. I then tried using my hands as binoculars, and my face turned white because of what I was seeing. It was very difficult to make it out, but there was some kind of armoured knight situated in-between the cliffs.

It was carrying what looked like an axe, yet it was massive in size which had been wondering how powerful this man was. All of a sudden, he slammed his axe down with tremendous force, and this created a small sandstorm which was coming our way. We all managed to get out of the way as it sailed by before disappearing.

" What does he think he's doing?" I asked.

" That is no mere man," replied Spike.

" Huh?" I asked.

" If it's what I think it is, then we're in a lot of trouble, but I can't be certain due to the sand blurring its form," replied Spike. It sounded like this knight was in fact a monster, yet why has it appeared before us now when we're so close to the end? I'd say we were about five minutes away from the Desert Colossus, and standing in our path was a knight who wanted to make certain we perish here.

Without even taking a single step forward, the knight slammed its axe again which caused an even bigger sandstorm to appear, and it followed this with another two slams creating two additional storms. All three then began heading towards us, and we needed a plan otherwise we're going to end up getting lost in the wasteland forever....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 56: Temple of the Inner Self

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 1, 2015
Chapter 55: Temple of the Inner Self.

There wasn't much time before those sandstorms hit us, so I ordered Aria and Sonata to get out of the way. They jumped to one side and I jumped to the other as there was no way to defeat this with the way it was coming at us. The knight who caused this to happen in the meantime continued creating sandstorms by slamming its axe down, and it wasn't showing any signs of stopping. Spike knows what we're up against, but because he can't see very much in front of us, he couldn't provide a description.

As we continued to avoid the sandstorms which were coming out way, it was becoming quite evident that we were getting tired, yet the knight looked as though it wasn't even exhausted which struck me as odd. Knights may be sturdy, but even they aren't able to maintain an attack for very long as their armour weight and lack of ventilation can tire them out if they overdo it.

" You know, this is starting to get ridiculous," moaned Aria.

" What other choice do we have other than avoiding all of those sandstorms?" I asked.

" I'm not about to stand here and let myself get pummeled by some swirling sand caused by a guy wearing armour. We've come all this way that going back now isn't an option! Besides kid, you need to get through if you plan on helping out the Gerudo. You're capable of using magic aren't you? Then how about you use some of that hocus-pocus, and do something about this?" asked Aria.

" My magic is useless here," I replied.

" Are you kidding me?" asked Aria.

" I wish that I was, but because of the darkness that covers the Haunted Wasteland, only basic magic can be used here. Any other kind would just fizzle out, or not even work at all," I replied. Deep down, I was feeling just as frustrated as she was, yet I was perhaps feeling it even more so given that I'm restricted in what I can do. None of my weapons are going to be able to reach the knight, and using magic in this eternal sandstorm isn't possible.

As the knight produced more sandstorms which we avoided, there was something I noticed, and that it wasn't even attempting to move forward to attack us. All it was doing was slamming its axe into the ground, and creating storms which were slowing us down. Surely, if it was a monster like Spike claims, it would be coming closer to us, and it did have legs so walking was something it was able to do.

Looking at the Phantom Guide, it seemed itching to carry on with its intended task, and how could I blame it for wanting to go back to where it rests. " You know, I've been thinking about this situation."

" That's going to do us nothing, for we're sitting ducks," moaned Aria.

" Why hasn't this knight decided to attack us when we're clearly at its mercy?" I asked.

" Because it wants to stay where it is to prevent us from getting closer to the colossus? I don't know! Look kid, we need some kind of plan to get this thing out of our way as we're getting really tired from avoiding sandstorm after sandstorm. While I'm able to keep going for as long as possible, Sonata is barely able to hold on as her bag is weighing her down," replied Aria.

" This monster is trying to keep us from getting to our destination," I announced.

" You think it's some kind of creature?" asked Aria.

" It must be as why would a knight want to be out here in a desert? Their armour is so heavy that they will sink into the sand, yet this guy is clearly managing to stay on the surface without any trouble," I replied.

" So what are you getting at?" asked Aria.

" I say instead of us being attacked by sandstorms and playing a defensive strategy, we should continue moving forward in the hopes of getting to it. If we get close enough to it, I'll be able to defeat it using the weapons in my possession," I replied.

" You want us to move forward in a reckless charge in the hopes of attacking a knight whose armour is impervious? Ha! Ha-ha-hah! I never pegged you as wanting to do something like this kid, and for that I've got to give you a great deal of respect. You know, if I were running around Hyrule Field right now in one of my marathons....you would be the perfect opponent for me," said Aria.

I was glad that I lived up to her expectations, but maybe she was taking all of this too seriously. And yet, it sounds like she has found her inspiration which is the reason she came with me. I tried talking to the Phantom Guide hoping that it would understand that we were going to keep moving, but my words fell on deaf ears which felt disheartening. Either it wasn't able to understand my language, or it just simply refused to want to speak.

That's when I decided to use my arms and hands to get its attention which succeeded, and it observed me pointing towards where the knight was standing. It nodded its head in approval, and proceeded with carrying on guiding us to our destination.

" The guide is moving again, so we need to follow it before it leaves us behind," I said.

" Way to think on your feet kid by using those gestures to get its attention," said Aria.

" It ignored my words, so I figured on using my hands and arms. Of course, it did mean having to embarrass myself as I had to act like I was desperate just to get it to even notice," I sighed.

" You heroic types often have to resort to such actions as it's part of your job," laughed Aria.

" What do you mean by job?" I asked.

" Being someone who goes around defeating monsters and saving the world does count as a profession in Hyrule. While people pay you for your services with unusual rewards, you never complain about it because you appreciate what you get. If someone else were to get the same reward, they would complain as they expect gold or something just as valuable," replied Aria.

" I'd call it along the lines of being forced to work," I mumbled to myself.

" Huh? What was that?" asked Aria.

" Nothing! I was merely saying something to myself," I said. If this was an actual job, I would be happy because I'm experiencing something truly unique which I haven't done since leaving Equestria long ago. But, since I was forced to become the Hero of Time due to destiny, I feel like this is more of a chore than anything. I know that I've gotten used to doing all of this heroic work, yet I still somehow manage to find something to complain about.

It also sounded like Aria was slightly jealous of me, but I'm probably misreading the situation. The Phantom Guide meanwhile continued changing directions, and even heading backwards at one point, but it eventually began to move forward. Ahead of us were the cliffs which lead to the Desert Colossus, and blocking the way was the knight. As the phantom disappeared upon reaching its intended destination, I turned off the Lens of Truth as I no longer needed to use it. " Are you able to see what this monster is?"

" I'm still having some trouble given the sandstorm is limiting my vision, but I suspect that this is an Iron Knuckle," replied Spike.

" It sounds like a fighter with that name," I said.

" Iron Knuckle is known as the living armour, an automated killing machine whose sole purpose is to defend. It just stands still like a statue making people assume it's some kind of decoration, but the moment you touch it, it comes to life and attacks. The axe that it wields is powerful not to mention massive, and if it connects then you will feel like a part of your life force was taken away.

While it does move slow because armour that heavy doesn't give it much in the way of mobility, it can take a lot of punishment which makes it almost impossible to defeat," said Spike.

" Then this must be one of the more dangerous monsters," I said.

" More like it is exactly that, for Iron Knuckle strikes fear into even other monsters, so they choose to keep their distance. I'm still surprised that it's out here in the desert as this would be the last place one of them would be. That heavy armour should have made it sink down into the sand, so why hasn't it gone and done that? Could there be more than what we're looking at?" asked Spike.

I had no answer for him as this was the first time I've ever heard of an Iron Knuckle, and judging from his description, this creature is immensely strong. That's when it turned to face us for it had spent a couple of minutes looking the other way as though someone were giving it a command from a distance. It lifted up its axe, and slammed it into the ground causing another sandstorm to appear.

Since we were closer than the previous attacks thrown at us, we had no chance of avoiding this storm. We soon found ourselves spinning around in the twister of sand before we were dropped to the ground where the Iron Knuckle gripped its weapon with both hands.

" Is everyone okay?" I asked.

" I'm fine kid, and so is Sonata even though her head is currently stuck in the sand," replied Aria.

" I wonder why the Iron Knuckle has stopped attacking us with sandstorms?" I asked.

" There's no need for you to ask any pointless questions, for now it's just standing there waiting for you to attack it. Go over there, and destroy it because isn't that what you're supposed to be doing? Neither Sonata or I can fight it as we're not warriors, and we lack the kind of experience that you have," replied Aria.

" Maybe it wishes to talk," I suggested.

" You think so?" asked Aria.

" Perhaps, but it's different to say if it's even capable of speech. In either case, this is what we'll do. Aria, I want you to take Sonata and enter the Desert Colossus, and I'll keep this thing distracted for as long as possible until I'm able to join you," I replied.

" There's that crazy attitude of yours again which has become quite an inspiration, but are you sure this thing is going to allow us to just walk on by? I get the feeling it doesn't want us past as though it were protecting something beyond the Haunted Wasteland. I know your idea is pretty good, but I think we'll stick with you. Why would we want to abandon a friend who is willing to risk their own life? We would be pretty lousy friends if we decided to up and abandon you," said Aria.

That was a pretty beautiful speech, and I need to believe in my own convictions where I feel the Iron Knuckle wishes to speak. Should I initiate the conversation? If I say the wrong thing then it will only get worse, so maybe I should just walk forward instead? I decided to go with my gut which was telling me that walking forward would work, so I took a single step forward prompting the Iron Knuckle to say something in return.

" Do not move!"

" So you can talk?" I asked.

" Go back where you came from!"

" I'm sorry, but I can't do that," I said.

" Then you wish to defy the ones who gave me life?"

" Those two witches need to be stopped because they have committed so many atrocities, but I doubt that a heartless monster such as yourself would even understand. If you believe you can prevent me from breaking the curse on the Spirit Temple, then you will be disappointed as I'm not going to allow you or your mistresses to stop me," I replied.

" Do you wish to die?"

" Your threats don't scare me," I replied.

" Deeply noted heroic one, but by choosing not to go back to where you come from, you have signalled your death knoll. I was created to stop the one who is deemed as being a great threat, and that has been designated as being you."

" The only threat in this world is Ganondorf and his two surrogate mothers," I said.

" Will you continue to resist?"

" I'll never rest until the temple and this part of Hyrule have been restored to normal," I replied.

" If you wish to die, my creators shall fulfill your wishes. You may continue onward heroic one, but know that nothing will save you from the fury which awaits you within the temple of the sand." The Iron Knuckle then disappeared by stepping backwards until I could no longer see it, yet its threats were ones I chose to take seriously. Those witches want me dead because I'm the only one who can ruin the plans of their "son", so I need to survive against everything they throw my way.

With the way now clear, it meant that the Desert Colossus was now accessible, yet before being able to do anything, someone decided to make an announcement which I was expecting to happen.

" Guess this is where we part ways," began Aria.

" I had a feeling you were going to say that," I said.

" Even though I intended on travelling to the colossus, I no longer need to because I have the inspiration I was looking for. You were the one who has inspired me Sunset Shimmer, and for that you've got my eternal gratitude and friendship. Now I'm anxiously awaiting for people like you to challenge me to a race across Hyrule Field and beyond!

If you succeed in returning peace to the kingdom, people will look to you as a hero, and aspire to become the same. They in turn would want to race me because I can easily bring out their inner spirit," said Aria.

" Are you sure you want to go back?" I asked.

" If I go in a different direction, I'll end up at the Gerudo's Fortress. I desire to head back to the tent where Mutoh and the carpenters are as I've been travelling with them since they left Kakariko Village. I'm never going to forget what you've shown me kid, and with that I must take my leave of you. See ya!" said Aria. She then turned around, and started to run off in a random direction before she vanished because of the sandstorm limiting my vision.

Sonata in the meantime was urging me to keep going, for her reasons for coming haven't been fulfilled. Now that the Iron Knuckle has moved out of the way, nothing was going to stop us from entering the Desert Colossus. As we resumed walking, I had a feeling that someone was watching me by using a powerful magic.

" It looks like the girl was able to make it through the Haunted Wasteland."

" I'm surprised our loyal minion failed to kill her, but I suppose this isn't a complete loss. We have seen some of what this child is capable of, so now we can prepare ourselves accordingly. While it would have been preferable to have witnessed all of her abilities, it doesn't matter because she doesn't stand a chance against us and our powerful magic."

" Do not underestimate the girl my sister, for she has proven herself to be quite strong especially in dangerous situations."

" Yes, all of those traps and monsters within the other temples should have killed her with ease, and yet she was able to overcome all of them through a combination of skill, power, and most of all....luck. That is why our temple must be reinforced with what she has already faced, but in much greater numbers than ever before."

" The Great Ganondorf believes we can kill her, and so we must not fail him otherwise we would be cast aside without mercy."

" Even though he questioned our magical prowess, and even ridiculed us for failing to keep Spitfire under control, we will still carry out his wishes because the situation has fallen onto us to resolve. I would have loved nothing more than to have punished the Gerudo for choosing to defy us, but he insisted that we leave them alone."

" We can ignore them for they are no threat to us anyway."

" You're right, for this girl is the one we must focus on."

" So what shall we use to ensure her death?"

" There are so many ways to kill the child, for she is limited with what she can do. All of those weapons in her possession are useless, yet the Master Sword is going to be a concern especially if she has figured out how to use it properly. Even her magic is pitiful Chrysalis despite the fact that she is able to use different elements, but in the end she will fall to us, and the power deep inside of her body will belong to the Great Ganondorf."

" How many times have I told not to call by that horrid name? I don't know why you insist on referring to me as Chrysalis when my name is clearly Kotake!"

" Now we're even sister because you have a tendency to call me Trixie."

" Okay, I'll admit that I've been wrong to call you that, but I haven't the slightest idea as to why I do. It feels like memories from another world are compelling me, but the chances of their being other worlds beyond this one are preposterous. Anyway my sister, we must take another thing into consideration regarding this girl, and that is her ability to transform where she acquires the ears and tail of a pony.

Why that creature makes no sense, but we must be careful for she has no control of her actions upon changing. She becomes a sadistic being who relies on anger to defeat monsters who proved to be far stronger," said Chrysalis.

" Yet it's been some time since she last used it," said Trixie.

" It is because she refuses to allow herself to lose control," said Chrysalis.

" Then we need not worry about this other form, but then it's possible she will be able to gain control, and change on her own. It seems we need to watch her closely as she explores our temple, for we must ensure of her death so that the Great Ganondorf's reign remains unchanged. Ha! I just remembered something very important which I completely forgot about," said Trixie.

" What is that?" asked Chrysalis.

" The girl doesn't possess the power of silver, so she can't progress through our temple period! All she can do is merely explore the main entrance, and nothing more which means she will never be able to break the curse," replied Trixie.

" Remember that she is able to travel back and forth through time, for she is known as the Hero of Time. Therefore, it is possible for her to acquire the power by going into the past. We do not possess the ability to manipulate time, so we're powerless to prevent such an occurrence from happening, yet I believe she will struggle regardless," said Chrysalis.

" Then we must prepare ourselves," began Trixie.

" Do you suspect that we will have to do battle with her?" asked Chrysalis.

" If she manages to make it far enough, then we will have no other choice but to fight. The only thing that we need to fear is the sacred treasure which lies within the temple, for that can be used against us. I still can't believe that Nabooru was able to steal the ring which allows the chosen one to claim that relic, and if the girl was able to claim it from her....we need to triple our efforts it seems," replied Trixie.

" We are the last line, for if we fall then the Great Ganondorf's castle will be threatened. I have no doubt that when the last Sage is awakened, they will use their power to allow her access. This one must not be allowed to awaken, so we will do that is necessary to kill both of them. As for this other one our son mentioned, he knows when she is said to appear, so he can deal with that," said Chrysalis.

The moment Sonata and I stepped into the Desert Colossus, the sandstorm which had been limiting our vision finally disappeared, and we could finally see further ahead of us. That's when my jaw dropped upon discovering that this place was huge in size. It was even bigger than the Gerudo's Fortress, so I had a lot of ground to cover.

At the far end was the mountain which Spitfire mentioned, and the desert goddess stood out because of how detailed it was. The entrance to the temple was at the base of the goddess, so I had to walk across a large expanse to make it.

" You appear to be overwhelmed with what you see," said Sonata.

" I never imagined this place would be so big," I said.

" They don't call it the Desert Colossus for nothing my young friend, but yes this area is quite large despite the fact that very few have ever made it here. I heard that long ago, it was possible to come here because the Haunted Wasteland never existed, yet over time the cursed sands appeared. We have achieved what only Nabooru has done by reaching this place, so we should be celebrating this fact with some digging," said Sonata.

" I've been meaning to ask you something," I said.

" What kind of question?" asked Sonata.

" How do you figure that there are masks buried out here?" I asked.

" I've been visiting the Gerudo's Fortress for a few years now, yet I am not an honourary member like you and Aria are. You might be thinking why haven't they thrown me into their dungeons, and the answer is because I have a special permission due to selling them my masks. Yes, they enjoy it whenever I come to visit, for I always bring them new selections of masks.

As a result of my business, I learned plenty of information regarding their tribe's history, and that includes their ancestors' use of tribal masks. They told me that their ancestors buried such masks under the sand, and don't care if I take them because they abandoned their past when they decided to go with thievery," replied Sonata.

" When did you learn about the masks being buried here?" I asked.

" About three years ago," replied Sonata.

" Then why haven't you gotten them yet?" I asked.

" Even though I knew where they were, I had no means of reaching the Desert Colossus. While you did see me perform an unusual stunt where I jumped across the river made out of sand, I can't see the Phantom Guide due to not being able to see the truth. It probably means that I'll need new eyes or something in the future.

Anyway I would merely be wasting my time if I came here, and couldn't get to where I needed to go. The surprising thing is that I had no idea you were in the area, for I assumed that both Mutoh and Aria had been talking about you as though they were wondering what you've been doing," replied Sonata.

" So what do you plan on doing now?" I asked.

" My aim is to dig around here for as long as possible until I can find those masks. Luckily, the Gerudo have told me exactly where to dig, so it won't take me very long to get what I came for. I'm not worried that they may have tricked me because they would never try to do that to someone who has been selling them masks. Knowing me, I am going to be digging for quite some time, so this isn't some kind of final farewell Sunset Shimmer.

I'm sure you'll be seeing me again shortly once you've finished with the Great Fairy. If you want to find the entrance to her fountain, try over there by that eastern wall. As for me, I'm heading towards where those stones are stacked in front of the goddess," replied Sonata.

" Be careful of the monsters," I said.

" I'm sure they will avoid me as I'm not a threat, but you on the other hand are going to be hounded by them," replied Sonata. She then walked off without a care in the world, and sure enough no Leevers popped up to attack her. I smacked myself on the forehead because once again I'm just dumbfounded by how this girl behaves in any kind of situation. She is a lot like Pinkie Pie in the human world, but not as zany which I'm glad for this world may not be able to handle two of them.

No matter what she experiences, she always has a positive outlook. Before moving towards the Fairy Fountain, and being shocked wondering how she knew exactly where to go, I decided to take another look at my surroundings. I have to admit that this place was quite overwhelming, yet things looked too peaceful for their own good due to the lack of dark clouds. No wonder no one ever came here as they never suspected a problem.

" What do you make of this desert Spike?" I asked.

" It certainly is a daunting task given how big it is, and I recommend you keep the Hover Boots on at all times so long as you remain on the sand. If you walk on the sand wearing your regular boots, you'll sink down a little, and it will slow you down. The Leevers do exist around here, and they will have an easier time of hitting you if your feet are below the surface. Also, there are some Guays flying around which makes me wonder why it took us so long to encounter them," replied Spike.

" What are they?" I asked.

" Guays are flying birds that soar above the sky minding their own business, but when they spot any prey on the ground, they will dive down until they succeed in colliding with them. They are pretty persistent with their pursuit until you either move far enough away prompting them to ignore you, or you end up defeating them.

It takes just one strike to bring one down, so only attack them if they are trying to dive-bomb you. If enough are defeated, then a larger one will appear which will drop many rupees if you bring it down, but right now you should focus on the Great Fairy," replied Spike.

" I still can't believe Sonata knows where she is," I said.

" Perhaps she saw something on the eastern wall which we can't see," suggested Spike.

" Only way to find out is to go over there," I said. As soon as I began to walk forward, Leevers started popping out of the ground, and attempted to run into me because. I ignored all of them as I wanted to get to the fountain where I was going to see Adagio for the first time in a very long while. When I reached the eastern wall, it quickly became obvious as to how Sonata figured it out. There was a crack in the wall which clearly looked out of place, so I knew what needed to be done, and that was to use an explosive to reveal the way.

I took the Bomb Bag from my belt and placed it on the ground where I proceeded to pull a bomb out from it, and then I tossed it at the wall where it detonated exposing the entrance. Walking into the cave, I found myself in front of the fountain, and on the floor was the Crest of the Royal family which I haven't seen since the Temple of Time. " Even now, that crest still looks stunning....makes me wish that I could have done more to prevent this world from falling apart."

" Now what has brought this on?" asked Spike.

" If I had defeated Ganondorf seven years ago, none of this would have happened," I replied.

" While you were strong back then Sunset Shimmer even with your transformation, the Evil King was stronger as he had more experience. Granted, you held your own better than most against him considering he was deemed the strongest man in Hyrule, so you shouldn't beat yourself up over it," said Spike.

" I know, but I still relive that moment over and over in my head," I said.

" Because it's something which you want to rectify, and it will only happen when Ganondorf is defeated," said Spike.

" Makes me wish I had controlled my transformation better," I said.

" You'll finally get that chance when we enter the Spirit Temple as it's the best place for you to use it," said Spike. That made me feel a little better, so I proceeded to take the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and played Twilight's Lullaby which summoned the Great Fairy. To be honest for a moment, I still couldn't get over the fact that Adagio was the leader of the fairies.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer! I am the third and final Great Fairy of Magic. I knew you would make it through the Haunted Wasteland, but then you are the chosen hero whose destiny it is to save this world. Before I give you the power which I possess, there are things you need to know regarding this desert. I trust that this is acceptable?" asked Adagio. This certainly was different as the other versions of her gave me their gift first, and then told me what was going on.

It sounded like the situation in the desert is so severe that she wants to discuss it with me right away. I nodded my head in approval of what she wanted, and Adagio proceeded to explain with perhaps the most obvious thing. " Before you entered the Desert Colossus, you were attacked by an armoured foe correct? Yes, what you witnessed was a monster who had been summoned to kill you."

" Spike here said that it was something called an Iron Knuckle," I said.

" My loyal subject has never steered you wrong, and this trend continues even now for what he told you was indeed correct. You must be careful of this one child, for it possesses a secret which could change the fate of this land forever. The ones who reside in the temple at the far end of the colossus created this monster, for they are desperate because of how close you are to achieving your goal.

With only one Sage remaining to be awakened, you are going to be facing perhaps the strongest evil you have seen thus far. Of course, this was to be expected given how you have been breaking the curses on the temples. Do not underestimate those who raised the Evil King, for their magic is far greater than yours," said Adagio.

" Is there a way for me to defeat them?" I asked.

" Only with the ultimate defence can you hope to succeed," replied Adagio. There was the mentioning of this defensive weapon again which had me wondering just what it was. Everyone who has said something about it have only been giving me subtle hints without really giving me a solid description, but perhaps they don't know just what it is given that it hasn't been seen for centuries.

" Do you know what happened to a woman named Nabooru?" I asked.

" Before your arrival here, she was the only one who was able to cross the Haunted Wasteland, yet her fate has been masked with darkness. I am unable to tell you what happened to her, yet perhaps you can uncover the answer if you were to come here at a much earlier time. The events of the past can dictate the future, and guide those who wish to learn what the real truth is," replied Adagio.

Even though her words were confusing, she was hinting to go back to the past, and see what happened to Rainbow Dash. Again, I needed Sheik's help as only her song will allow me to return here as my younger self. I then noticed that the Great Fairy appeared to have a glum expression on her face as though she were about to say something dreadful, and I hope that isn't going to be the case. " There is something else that you need to know Sunset Shimmer, and it is not the best of news."

" I was afraid of that," I sighed.

" The demonic one that is connected to you awaits within the Spirit Temple," said Adagio.

" Gasp! Sunset Demon....in all of this excitement of making it here, I'd completely forgotten about her," I said.

" She must be overcome if you are to succeed in awakening the final Wise One, but she will not make it easy for you. The demon has acquired a new power which must be matched with a power of your own, or else you shall be destroyed. The Evil King won't be interfering in the eventual battle, and those who raised him will not get involved either, so you and the demonic one will be able to finally resolve the issue which has always existed between you," said Adagio.

I gathered from her words that I would need to transform in order to battle against the she-demon, but I still haven't been able to maintain any kind of control when I change. I need to figure out something before it's too late, as I don't want do something I'll live to regret if the transformation is forced onto me.

" Is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked.

" No, for the one who speaks to you through her special song will answer your additional concerns. Seek out her guidance, and you will learn what awaits you within the temple. I will now grant you the spell which you came all this way to claim," replied Adagio. As she held out her arms, a blue light began to appear, but I was disappointed in that she wasn't going to tell me anything else. Fluttershy should provide the remaining answers to my questions, so I need to speak with her before entering the temple.

The blue light then enveloped my body before changing into a gem just like the other two magic spells, and I watched as it slowly dropped down into my hands. " This is Nayru's Love which can create a powerful magical barrier which shall protect you from any and all attacks, yet before you decide to run outside and see what it can do, allow me to explain just how this spell works."

" I wasn't planning on doing that you know," I moaned.

" This spell is powerful defensive magic, and while you will still get hit, you shall sustain no damage to your health. Not even the strongest of physical and magical blows will cause you injury, but do not allow yourself to grow lazy and content with walking around inside of a protective shield. This spell will only last you for two minutes before the barrier starts to weaken and fade away.

Also, while you are surrounded by the barrier, you cannot use any other kind of magic, and that does include your own. As such, this magic should be used only when you absolutely need to. Also, know that Nayru's Love costs the most in terms of magic power, so if you are low on using magic, then you cannot use the spell," said Adagio.

" I wish that I could have gotten this much sooner," I said.

" If you had, then you never would have learned so much had you merely used a defensive spell. While I would agree that you could have used this magic sooner, know that you have proven that you can overcome any challenge no matter how difficult it may seem. Use this spell wisely Sunset Shimmer, and know that whenever battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," said Adagio. With that, she returned to her altar leaving me to ponder over the information she had provided me.

I knew Sunset Demon was still on the loose, but I never knew where she planned on attacking me next until I realized that the place where my spirit would be tested was the Spirit Temple itself. As for this Nayru's Love, I was going to use it, but I needed to use it at the right time as I'd rather not be accused of taking the easy way out.

When I stepped back outside, the sun was starting to lower, so it meant that I had taken hours just getting here, but I couldn't stop for a rest as I needed to keep going and enter the temple. Running forward and avoiding all of the Leevers which came out of the sand, I reached the stones Sonata told me about, and she was digging behind it using her hands which made her look like she were a scrounger.

" Looks like I'm surprising you for once," I said.

" Perhaps, but then I was aware of your approach given that everyone else here is a monster," said Sonata.

" And you didn't even scream," I said.

" Why would I do that? I'm someone who doesn't get startled very easily which is one of your quirks Sunset Shimmer, but then you do have other quirks which make you strong. I have no doubt you will figure out what you need to do in that temple over there, so you should explore it and see what it has to offer.

As for me, I do believe I'm on the verge of digging up one of those ancient masks. This is no doubt going to be a revolutionary discovery in mask history, and I am the one who is going to be uncovering something great," said Sonata.

" Do you plan on staying here all night?" I asked.

" I'll remain here until I have uncovered all of the masks that are buried here....or at least a good majority of them," replied Sonata.

" I could give you a hand if you want," I suggested.

" While I do appreciate the offer my young friend, your destiny guides you towards saving the world, so you must do what you came here for. No need to worry about me as I know exactly what I'm doing. It will take me about a week to find of all of the masks, but the length of this venture is going to be worth it.

I guess this is where I say my final farewell, unless we meet each other one last time. I hope that you still have the Mask of Truth because that mask may prove useful to you....perhaps not in this world, but maybe in one similar to this yet different," said Sonata. She then waved goodbye and resumed her digging, and as I left her, I walked up to the temple entrance, and looked up to see how tall this goddess of the sand really was.

" I don't know about you Spike, but it's certainly rather intimidating," I said.

" Of the temples located in Hyrule, this is the one that has the least amount of information known about it," said Spike.

" Is it because few have ever made it here?" I asked.

" Perhaps, but it might be because the Gerudo never recorded much in the way of their ancestry given how they chose to distance themselves from their past. I suppose asking Saria may give us some ideas, yet she and the forest spirits may not be able to give us more than what we already know," replied Spike.

" All we can do is hope she can pull through, and tell us something," I said. This was going to be a crucial conversation as there was little that I knew of this temple, and I would prefer to go in with some idea of what I was facing. I took the Ocarina of Time out from my pouch, and spent a few moments looking at it wondering what might have happened had I not been chosen to become the Hero of Time.

Upon concluding that I wouldn't know what could potentially happen in an alternative world, and choosing to not allow myself to think in such a manner, I played Fluttershy's Song.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Fluttershy....can you hear me? Miss Impa surprised us as to how much she knew about being a Sage. It's as though she had been prepared for her destiny, and the rest of us had to learn straight away without any kind of planning. Anyway, you only have one more Sage to awaken, and that means you will soon be able to take on Ganondorf," said Fluttershy.

" I have this feeling that awakening the final Sage isn't going to be easy," I said.

" Judging from the howling winds flowing about, you must have made it to the far end of the desert," said Fluttershy.

" I'm actually standing in front of the entrance to the Spirit Temple," I said.

" The forest spirits have been telling me all kinds of things regarding this temple, and perhaps the most important piece of information has to do with sunlight. There are going to be a lot of puzzles you need to solve which involve manipulating sunlight, yet you'll be finding different variations. You will need to use some unusual switches at first, but then you'll be using something a little bigger before using the smallest means to make your way through.

Monsters from across your journey have all gathered here, yet there are some new creatures you haven't seen. One of them appears to have a specific weakness, and the spirits say it has to do with your element. As for the other one, it appears in just the one room although several of it exist," said Fluttershy.

" Guess those two witches don't want me to break the curse," I said. Puzzles that require me to use sunlight to solve them....it sounded like I was going to have to do a lot of pushing, so I hope that I have the strength to move whatever needs moving. It also reaffirmed that the sacred treasure inside of the temple does involve using the sunlight which is what Spitfire mentioned when she told me about it.

The ring Derpy gave me long ago will allow me to gain access to the treasure, but only Rainbow Dash will know how I'm supposed to do that. Why else would she have stolen this item specifically? Then I had the idea of asking about the ring, for surely the forest spirits know what I need it for. " Fluttershy, do you know anything about a ring which used to be in the temple?"

" Someone did steal such an item from there years ago, and it's unfortunate that it happened because that ring will allow the chosen one to be able to open the way to where the most sacred treasure of the Gerudo was sealed away," replied Fluttershy.

" I happen to have it in my hands," I said.

" Really? If anyone were to be holding it, I'm glad that it's you," said Fluttershy.

" Nabooru handed it over to her subordinate Derpy, and was commanded to give the ring to me because I'm the chosen one who must claim the ultimate defence. I haven't figured out what that is, so it looks like I need to ask her about it when I go back in time," I said.

" Yes, you must travel into the past if you wish to know the fate of that woman. When you enter, you will soon discover that much is blocked off preventing any kind of exploration. Time travel is really going to become essential for you to break the curse, yet how are you supposed to come back to the desert in the past?" asked Fluttershy.

" I've got an idea in mind," I replied.

" Then I hope it will work otherwise you're going to be stuck in the desert. Oh, and the forest spirits are telling me that you will need to convince this Nabooru to change her current course of action. You already know what they are talking about as you acquired such knowledge from a man living in the Haunted Wasteland," said Fluttershy. Indeed I did, for Fancy Pants told me that she purchased an item of great evil which she was going to use in order to save the Gerudo.

Yet, she isn't aware of the consequences that are bound to happen should she go through with her plan, so I need to talk with her, and get that item out of her possession. If I convince Rainbow Dash to give it to me, I'll make sure her people are saved in the correct manner, and not by acting like Ganondorf.

" Sunset Shimmer, you are going to be tested in ways which you have never experienced before, and you must overcome them if you are to save the desert. Good luck, and make sure to talk to me when you go back in time as my past self may be able to share some information with you."

That was a rather strange thing she said, and it sounded like another time paradox. I also noticed that Fluttershy didn't say anything about the she-demon, but I suspect my other self is hiding from her vision which may explain why she didn't say anything.

" Fluttershy definitely gave me a lot to think about regarding the Spirit Temple," I said.

" Even though she didn't mention Sunset Demon," said Spike.

" That's something we'll figure out on our own, but in the meantime we now know what we need to manipulate to solve the puzzles that await us, and the ring is needed to reach the treasure. Apart from that, we just have to endure past monsters and defeat those two witches if we're to save the Gerudo," I said.

" Shall we go in?" asked Spike.

" We still haven't seen Sheik, and we need her song which will allow us to come back here in the past," I replied.

" I don't know why she hasn't appeared, but we need to go inside and get things started," said Spike.

" Guess you're right," I sighed. Feeling dejected about not seeing Sheik, I proceeded to walk into the Spirit Temple where I found myself in a pretty room that had a carpet leading up some steps, but the snakehead statues to my left and right caught my attention, and I'm guessing they aren't just here for show. I could also see some smaller statues in the area at the top of the steps, and to the right was a large block like the one I encountered inside of the Gerudo's Training Ground.

Everything felt eerie despite how beautiful it looked , but I can't allow my insecurities to get in the way otherwise I'm doomed before I even start. Noticing some jars on the ground, I walked towards them hoping they contain something, and suddenly they began to rise up off the ground before slamming into me as hard as possible. " Owwww! Why did that happen?"

" Looks like some of these jars have been enchanted with magic causing them to attack you," replied Spike.

" That's never happened before," I said.

" It must be the work of the witches," said Spike. If this was their way of trying to intimidate me with their magic, then they need to do a better job. Still, those jars hurt as they are made of clay, and that means I need to be careful of just about anything. The snakehead statues then caught my attention again as I could have sworn their eyes suddenly glowed, so I walked over to the one on my left, and discovered there was some kind of writing on it.

" I wonder what it says?" I asked.

" This is written in the ancient language of the Hylia which existed long before what we now call modern speech, yet I can read it for you for fairies still utilize the old language. 'If you want to proceed in the past, you should return here with the pure heart of a child.' That must have something to do with going back in time, and coming here when you're younger," replied Spike.

" Then what does the other one say?" I asked.

" I'll tell when you walk over there," replied Spike. I followed his advice, and went over to the other snakehead statue. " This is also written in Hylia, so allow me to read it for you. 'If you want to travel in the future, you should return here with the power of silver from the past.' This one has to do with you collecting something of silver from back then, and bringing it here"

" What do you suppose this power is?" I asked.

" Spitfire did mention powerful gauntlets that used to be here, so that could be what this statue is referencing," replied Spike. Aside from these messages being cryptic, it wasn't going to solve the immediate problem of how to proceed. Walking back to the stairs and going up them to reach the slightly upper landing, I threw a fireball at one of the statues out of sheer frustration.

All of a sudden, it came to life where it started to hop around in the hopes of hitting me, but I used my magic again to hit it where it bounced around even faster before exploding, and leaving behind some bombs. " I wasn't expecting that to happen."

" That was an Armos which pretends to be a statue, but touching it will cause it to come alive, and attempt to run into you. After a while, it will head back to where it started, and resume the form of being a lifeless statue. Any kind of attack will damage an Armos, but when it is defeated, it will try to get close to you before exploding in a suicide attempt.

Usually, it drops bombs after blowing up, so they are a good source in case you're running out. If you don't know if a statue is an Armos or not, you can attack it from a safe distance. If nothing happens, then it's an ordinary statue which you can push and pull around like a block, but if the opposite is true, then use whatever you think works best to defeat it," said Spike.

" Sorry for causing a scene," I sighed.

" You were feeling disappointed because of what those snakehead statues said, but remember that Saria did say that we can't proceed very far because the pathways have been blocked off," said Spike. He was right as Fluttershy did say that, and looking to my right, I could see that large stone block a lot better, and no doubt it was much too heavy for me to push it anywhere.

On the opposite side was a crawl spaces which can only fit a small child, yet despite still being the same now as I was then, Spike said that my heavy equipment prevents me from crawling through. I then could hear something coming from the other side, and I got down onto my knees to see if I could hear it better.

" What is that sound?" I asked.

" That's an ancient trap spinning around in the room beyond this crawl space, and the flapping sound which only now just started to happen is that of several Keese. Of course, this doesn't mean all that much Sunset Shimmer given that we can't go through this narrow passage, and the giant block prevents us from going in the other direction," replied Spike.

" So there is nothing we can do?" I asked.

" I'm afraid so," replied Spike.

" Then we have to leave the temple," I said.

" Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Spike.

" What other choice is there? We can't proceed any further, so all we have for an option is leave, and try to find Sheik. We need a warp song to come back here in the past, so we need to find her as soon as possible. To be honest, I don't even know where to begin as we end up running into her without knowing it.

Maybe she is back at the Gerudo's Fortress, or perhaps she was hiding in the Haunted Wasteland," I replied. This was going to be a very long search because who knows where Sheik could be, but I sighed knowing that I had to do this, and I left the temple. As I walked outside, the sun was just starting to go down for the night, yet I sensed something was amiss.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar whooshing sound but coming from up high, and Sheik appeared catching me off guard. She must have jumped from those stones to reach me down here, yet I'm amazed she didn't suffer any kind of injury. Also, I suspect Sonata may have decided to go to sleep for the night, for I doubt she would be willing to continue digging in the darkness of the night.

" Past, present, future....the Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river....the port for that ship is in the Temple of Time, and you must go there as soon as you are able. No doubt that you have figured out that you need to travel back into the past in to learn what became of the one who wished to save her people," said Twilight.

" You know of Nabooru?" I asked.

" My people, the Sheikah kept a close watch over the Gerudo, for we believed that they could not be trusted. She was the one exception to this, as we soon learned that she was different from her the rest of her tribe. Nabooru was a woman who possessed honour in her heart, and acted heroically....much in the same vein as you Sunset Shimmer. However, this was merely nothing more than a mask she wore to keep her true intentions hidden from even those who trusted her the most," replied Twilight.

" She purchased some kind of evil item years ago," I said.

" In the past, she was filled with anger over how her people were being manipulated by their own king, yet she kept this to herself out of fear that they would be punished were they to have joined her cause. Upon being exiled, she decided to enact her dangerous plan of destroying the ones who are the source of the problems her people have endured for years.

However, her anger has blinded her to the truth, and so what she believed was a righteous act ended up dooming this region all because she could not fathom the consequences," said Twilight.

" I never knew that she had so much inner anger," I said.

" Time can cause emotions to fester for so long that they lose all sense of self. Nabooru allowed the ravages of time which afflicted her people to drive her to extreme actions. Those who raised the Evil King knew what she was planning, and were prepared to deal with her accordingly....judging from your expression, you desire to go back into the past to help her before it's too late? You must know that her fate and that of this land rests with you," said Twilight.

An idea then popped into my head, and I was certain Sheik would have an answer. Since Applejack knows that Twilight is alive somewhere, perhaps a fellow Sheikah would be able to clarify on that. Of course, I'll need to refer to Twilight by the name she goes by in this world as I don't think Sheik knows the truth as to where I'm really from.

" I heard Princess Zelda is alive somewhere in Hyrule, and I got this information from your leader," I said.

" Gasp! Then-know-that-you-may-find-out-where....she has been all this time upon awakening the final Sage," said Twilight. That was strange when she suddenly gasped like that as though I had touched some kind of personal nerve, and the quickness of her response to what I said made me suspect Sheik knew a lot more than appearances suggest, so I tried to get some more answers from her.

" There is no time to be concerned with the fate of the Hylian princess, for you must focus on what must be done here. To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow. Listen to this Requiem of Spirit....this melody will lead a child back to the desert."

Sheik then took out her golden harp once more, and started to play six notes which sounded rather beautiful. After playing the notes for a second time, she turned things over to me where I played it perfectly thus learning the Requiem of Spirit. As I finished playing it, I could see a familiar character flying across the sky, and it had been years since I last saw him....Flash Sentry was still watching over me.

" So what do you know about the princess?" I asked.

" There is nothing that I have been told about her, so I am sorry for not being able to answer your question. Again, you may find out for yourself when the final Sage has heard the awakening call from the Sacred Realm. Sunset Shimmer, you must stop Nabooru from using that item for she has no idea as to what power it possesses.

All will be lost if she unleashes it in her desperate attempt to save her people," replied Twilight. I had no doubt Sheik knew the truth, and was purposely dodging my question, so I decided to walk up to her and demand an answer. All of a sudden, she stepped backwards where a sandstorm came out of nowhere blinding my vision, and when it came back to me, Sheik was gone.

" Why did you ask that question?" asked Spike.

" Because her reactions suggest she knows where Twilight is," I replied.

" She did seem to take on a defensive stance which was rather odd," said Spike.

" I was certain Sheik would have told me something, but I guess I pushed too far with my curiosity. There's nothing else that can be done about it now as who knows where she has gone. We must go back to the Temple of Time, and return the Master Sword to its resting place. It's going to be weird coming back here in my younger days, but it's what I need to do if I'm going to figure out what happened here seven years ago," I said.

" Do you remember the Prelude of Light?" asked Spike.

" Vaguely as I only ever played it once," I replied.

" Good thing I wrote down all of the songs in case you forgot them," said Spike. He then showed me how the Prelude of Light was meant to be performed, and I played it where I warped away from the desert in a bright yellow light. The moment I disappeared, Sheik reappeared on top of the statue, and she wasn't alone as someone else was there with her....the same person I saw flying across the sky as I was learning the Requiem of Spirit.

" That was too close for comfort," said Twilight.

" You struggled a little bit there trying to answer her questions, but you managed to maintain your identity," said Flash Sentry.

" She suddenly blurted it out of the blue, and it shocked me as I wasn't expecting her to bring it up. Still, I wonder why Impa told her that I was still alive? She insisted that I remained 'dead' until the proper time had come, but she also said that she wouldn't let her on to knowing the truth," said Twilight.

" My guess is Sunset Shimmer has progressed much faster than expected, so Impa felt she needed to know something about where you have been. I know that she didn't reveal too much, for the Sheikah keep their secrets close to their chests which means she is completely unaware. This must remain as such until the final Sage has been awakened," said Flash Sentry.

" I just feel bad that I've deceived her all this time," said Twilight.

" It was necessary to do so because you still need to avoid him until all of the Sages are awakened," said Flash Sentry.

" Still, she should have been included in the plan instead of simply running around thinking that something else altogether is happening," said Twilight.

" I'll admit that this plan of Impa's wasn't exactly what I would call fair to Sunset Shimmer, but she needed to be kept in the dark otherwise she would have insisted on keeping you safe. Also, you know that Ganondorf has been searching for you because you possess one of the two powers which he needs to fully conquer Hyrule," said Flash Sentry.

" Do you suppose he knows that she has the other power?" asked Twilight.

" Most likely which is why his servants are going all-out to kill her, for he knows that she doesn't need to be alive in order to claim what she possesses. We're fortunate then that he doesn't know where you've been for the past seven years, and you need to maintain your disguise even if it means Sunset Shimmer having to face the Evil King on her own with the Master Sword," replied Flash Sentry.

" No, I would prefer to make myself known to her," said Twilight.

" That is out of the question!" said Flash Sentry.

" I know," sighed Twilight.

" You must keep up this deception until Ganondorf has been defeated, for I am sure that she will accomplish the task. She has certainly become a lot stronger since returning from the Sacred Realm, and all of the hardships she has experienced has definitely given her a better understanding of this world. I know you're surprised at how I knew of what your attendant had done to keep you safe, yet it wasn't too difficult for me to figure it out, but back to the subject of Sunset Shimmer.

It's amazing how she has turned even the worst of situations around on a mere whim just by acting in a manner no one expects, and now she is on the verge of fulfilling her destiny. It makes me happy knowing I got to see it to begin with," said Flash Sentry.

" Just who are you supposed to be?" asked Twilight.

" Some say that I am an ancient Sage while others have claimed I am something else altogether, but the truth is that I have long forgotten what my purpose is meant to be. I merely fly around this world because I wish to see what it has to offer. That is all I can really say, but know that I wish to see peace return to Hyrule. I must got now, for I don't have much time left in this world which is most unfortunate, but my chosen path reduced my life-force which means this will be the last time anyone gets to see me.

I have no regrets about my actions though, for I had to do what was necessary to ensure that Sunset Shimmer fulfills her destiny, and become the hero she was meant to be. Remember what I said to you about keeping your identity a secret," replied Flash Sentry.

" Yes, I'll keep it under wraps," said Twilight.

" Then this is farewell your highness," said Flash Sentry. As he urged his mount to take to the skies, he soon disappeared into the distance leaving Sheik to ponder over what he had told her to do, yet deep down she had no intention of keeping that promise. That's because she had her fingers crossed behind her back. I suppose that he wanted to keep her safe in his own unique fashion, but she wasn't going to have any of it.

" I'm sorry ancient Sage, but I must reveal my true self to Sunset Shimmer for she will need my final power to succeed," said Twilight.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 57: The Lone-Wolf Thief

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 4, 2015
Chapter 57: The Lone-Wolf Thief.

When the light returned me to the Temple of Time, I immediately made my way to the Pedestal of Time. It had only been a short time since I last went into the past to do something which would help me in the future, yet it felt like an eternity had passed instead. Spike knew what I was thinking, and encouraged me to not waver as we had to discover what happened to Rainbow Dash.

I drew the Master Sword from its scabbard, and thrusted it into the pedestal where I found myself surrounded by the strange light which was the Sacred Realm opening once again. A few moments later, I let go of the divine blade, and was back in the past. As I looked down at myself, it felt weird looking like this, but at least I'm not confused as I was before when I travelled through time.

No, this time I had to venture forth to the Spirit Temple, and explore it with the pure heart of a child as depicted in the message from the snakehead statue. But, now that I am considered a child again, I was thinking that maybe I could take some time to explore around, and pick up anything that I may have missed, yet can now acquire thanks to having some additional items. I decided to see what Spike had to say about because I do value the advice that he gives me.

" Do you think we'll be able to pick up some items which I missed before?" I asked.

" It's possible as more places have become open to you, but maybe right now wouldn't be a good time to start going around accomplishing side-quests. Don't tell me that you've forgotten the reason why we've returned to the past?" asked Spike.

" Of course not, yet I would like to spend some time getting these items," I replied.

" And why do you want to do that?" asked Spike.

" Once we have broken the curse and awakened the final Sage, I will finally have my chance against Ganondorf. While I do believe that I have the means to fight him, I'm not entirely confidant that I'll be able to defeat him, and fulfill the destiny which was placed onto my shoulders. I figure that collecting some items that I neglected may tip the scales back in my favour, and also let me experience what this world was like before he came along and changed all of it," I replied.

" I believe you can beat him," said Spike.

" Then I wish that I had your optimism," I sighed.

" You shouldn't worry about what is going to happen when you meet him, for right now you need to focus on the Spirit Temple. As long as the final Sage remains unawake, battling the Evil King isn't going to be happening any time soon," said Spike. Once again, his wisdom proved to be correct on so many levels, and I was allowing my insecurities to make me feel bad about myself.

Still, I did want to pick up items as the more I have, the better my chances will be when the final battle comes. I needed to find some way of reaching a middle ground regarding this situation, as I wanted to get items and Spike wants me to use the Ocarina of Time, and head off to the desert which is where I need to go.

" I think we've reached an impasse," I said.

" It has been some time since our last one," said Spike.

" Yeah, and I don't intend on tossing a rupee this time to figure out what we're going to do. I want to collect some items I missed in the past because I still feel a lack of confidence about how I measure up to Ganondorf, yet you wish for me to focus on the quest, and head towards the desert.

Here is my suggestion on what we can do....we'll go to the Spirit Temple first, and help Rainbow Dash because she needs it from what we found out in the future. Once we have the power of silver according to the snakehead statue's message, we can spend some time picking up those items. Is that an ideal compromise to you?" I asked.

" If Nabooru is saved from whatever happened to her, then she should surely appear in the future. That would be the ideal solution to all of our problems right? The answer to that is no, for such a concept is not possible. She disappeared for a reason, and we need to understand why. We won't be able to prevent it from happening," replied Spike.

" So you don't like my compromise?" I asked.

" I'm fine with it because if you feel that you need to be better prepared to take on Ganondorf, then you should do so if it will make you feel more confidant in your abilities. I'm just saying we must focus on the task at hand," replied Spike. Whew....glad to see that he was on board, yet he was right about the whole thing with Rainbow Dash.

Something happened which caused her to vanish, and even if we prevent her from using that item she purchased from Fancy Pants, it doesn't guarantee she will be safe afterwards. While it would be nice to change the future, it was nothing more than a foolish dream as trying to manipulate the fabric of time would be impossible to figure out.

" How difficult do you think the Spirit Temple is going to be?" I asked.

" Because we're back here again, you only have the weapons and items you picked up during this time. I suspect the difficulty is going to be high as you'll be using weaker weapons, and that includes the Kokiri Sword which you acquired. Your sword skills will be tested now more than ever before as it's considered the weakest sword in Hyrule despite it being a sacred treasure of the Kokiri," replied Spike.

" I was afraid you'd say that," I sighed.

" This may be a good time to try using Nayru's Love," suggested Spike.

" Yes, I do have it when I didn't before, so it could prove useful," I said.

" Normally, I would suggest fighting against the monsters in order to earn experience, but this time I suggest keeping your distance from them unless you have no choice but to fight them," said Spike.

" Which is going to be most of the rooms we explore in the temple," I said.

" That will depend on what we encounter," said Spike. I took out the Ocarina of Time, and played the Requiem of Spirit where I disappeared in a bright orange light. A few moments later, and I appeared in the Desert Colossus by landing on the Sage Altar although I had no idea exactly where I was. The view in front of me was different from last time, but what made it worse was how cold it was due to it being night time out here in the desert.

" Brrrr....why is it so cold?" I asked.

" At night, the temperature reaches these low levels because of the strong winds that blow about. Also, the sand doesn't give off any heat at night for the sun isn't shining down on top of it. You could say that the desert is practically dead at night, for only the monsters would be willing to come out at this time," replied Spike.

" Is this what the Gerudo have to endure every night?" I asked.

" Yes, for their homes lack the standards of living which are enjoyed by the other tribes. It also doesn't help that the strong winds at night make things really unbearable, for not even they are able to survive out here," replied Spike.

" It's no wonder that they struggle so much because everyday for them is one of sheer survival against the elements. This cold temperature feels like death itself is all around me, and it must be the same for them whenever night falls. They huddle together, and hope that they will survive until the next sunrise as the cold winds of death fly around wanting another victim.

I suppose Ganondorf figured out that his people were suffering in that manner, yet instead of choosing to help them overcome these conditions, he chose instead to conquer Hyrule and leave them to suffer," I said.

" They could survive if warmer winds came by at night," said Spike. That would be the best thing that could happen to the Gerudo, but such a miracle as that is likely never going to happen, for what exists here in the desert has long become natural. Still, I felt bad about how they have to suffer living out here as an area like the desert is no place to live even for a tribe of thieves.

The more I come to understand their pain, the more I understand why Ganondorf wanted the kingdom in the first place. Perhaps long ago he wanted his people to live in much nicer conditions than a land filled with sand, but those two witches somehow convinced him that he should strive to claim the Triforce, and control something bigger than a mere desert.

It then dawned on me that I never once asked Spitfire or the other Gerudo as to how they felt about the harsh winds that come around at night, yet I didn't feel anything of the sort back at the fortress. Then again, it could be that I was in confined areas like those cliffs at the start, or barely outside long enough to have taken notice of the conditions.

" Do you suppose the old King knew of these conditions?" I asked.

" It's possible that one of his advisors told him, and that prompted him to attempt to forge an alliance with them. But, their position with regards to men would never have allowed such a deal to have taken place. I hate to say it like this, but the ways of their tribe will end up bringing about their destruction. If they change the course of how they go about their lives, then there is a chance that they will survive for another few generations," replied Spike.

" One thing does bother me though," I said.

" And what's that?" asked Spike.

" I remember one of the carpenters asking me why we saw so many female Gerudo at the fortress, but no males were seen," I replied.

" That doesn't sound all that strange," said Spike.

" At first I thought the males had accompanied Ganondorf when he conquered Hyrule, but then I recalled being told that he took over the castle by himself due to the Triforce granting him immense power. My next guess was that the males had become security, yet he prefers to rely on monsters to fulfill his need of having servants, and the men merely were forced to do something mediocre. But then it all clicked together when I heard from the same carpenter as well as the others that the Gerudo treat men as being beneath them," I said.

" So what are you getting at?" asked Spike.

" Their existence is problematic, but I need to ask Rainbow Dash about it when we find her," I replied.

" She is most likely inside of the Spirit Temple assuming she made it through the Haunted Wasteland," said Spike. Guess we had to go there to confirm our suspicion, so I started to make my way forward where Leevers began coming out of the ground. I was thinking of fighting them, but then I remember the Kokiri Sword was weaker than the Master Sword, so it would take extra effort to defeat just one.

No, it would be best simply to ignore them and get to the temple before this cold temperature makes me feel even worse. As the monsters went by, I ended up reaching the stones where in the future Sonata was digging around for masks, yet she wasn't here because she was somewhere else in the kingdom at this moment.

" I wonder how these stones got stacked up like this?" I asked.

" Not sure, but I will admit that it's quite the unique arrangement," replied Spike.

" The good thing is I now know where we are, and I was afraid for a while that I was lost. It's because the Sage Altar was located way off to the side which disoriented me for a while that I thought I was lost in the desert," I said. Feeling rather curious about the stones, I walked over to one of them, and placed my hand on it to see if I could sense any kind of magic, yet nothing came up which indicated they were just large slabs of rock.

I then turned to face the goddess of the sand, and looked up to see it was huge in size especially compared to these stones. Just staring up at it made me feel intimidated, and I was a little curious about who could have carved this into the cliff-side. I doubt Spike would tell me anything about this goddess, as knowledge about the temple is limited. That's when I took the Ocarina of Time out from my pouch, for I needed to talk to Fluttershy in this time period, for her future self suggested it.

" What are you doing?" asked Spike.

" I'm going to talk to Fluttershy," I replied.

" Are you sure that's a good idea? We're in the past now, so she hasn't been awakened as one of the Sages," said Spike.

" I know, but she suggested I speak to her past self," I said.

" Yes, I do recall her giving you that idea," said Spike.

" She was able to provide some answers to my questions regarding the Bottom of the Well, so I'm certain she will give me some answers about the Spirit Temple," I said. I then began playing Fluttershy's Song, and I needed to remember that this was her past self, so she will still be referring to herself as Saria. She wouldn't call herself by her true name until the future because of spending the next seven years coming to terms with it.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Saria....can you hear me? Huh? Where exactly are you right now?" asked Fluttershy. This was a strange question coming from her, but I quickly remembered that she isn't aware I've come back from the future, and still assumes I haven't done anything dangerous. I needed to answer carefully so as to not reveal things that must remain a secret.

" I'm currently in the desert," I replied.

" Now how did you end up all the way over there? No one has ever made it through that area of Hyrule apart from one person according to what the Great Deku Tree once told me, yet those howling sounds are evident that you are where you say you are. I'm not sure why you would want to go to such an arid place, but I assume that you must have a good reason.

Now that I think about it, the Great Deku Tree also said someone was going to travel to the desert by using an ocarina. I'd never imagined you would be the one who would go there via such a method," said Fluttershy.

" I was curious as to what was out here, so I figured on investigating. Besides, with what's happening at the castle right now, I wanted to get as far away from that danger as possible," I said. Deep down, I didn't want to lie to her like this, but I had no other choice.

Technically, I was being honest as I didn't want to go to Hyrule Castle as there was nothing but confusion going on there regarding the death of the King, and Ganondorf won't do anything until I've pulled the Master Sword. I just hope Fluttershy doesn't think too badly of me for giving her false information about my actions.

" Never has a Kokiri visited such exotic places like you have Sunset Shimmer, and I'll admit that I am jealous you get to see so many different things while I'm stuck here. Yes, the problem at the castle has been getting worse with every passing hour, so I'm glad you decided to stay as far away from there as possible. You know, they say that a desert is full of mystery and wonder, but that's because few ever get to see it with their own eyes.

I mentioned that one other person was able to get to the desert, and probably knows more about the area than I do. If you can find whoever this person is, why not ask them about some of the intricacies of the region. Expanding your horizons is a good idea as you could discover something new," said Fluttershy.

" Sounds like you know a thing or two," I said.

" Well, there is a mysterious temple located in the desert, and is crawling with monsters which will harm you if you're not careful. I heard that whoever built the place did so in order to pay tribute to the sun which can be seen in the form of sun faces," said Fluttershy.

" Sun faces?" I asked.

" They look like panels with facial features on them that appear with sleeping expressions, but exposing them to the light will brighten up their mood. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but maybe it will make sense to you if you ever find this temple. There is one other thing which I know, but again I don't know why....it's as though some inner voice was instructing me on what to say to you.

Anyway, it is said that the goddess of the sand had a couple of statues built in her greatness, and that great rewards would appear in her hands should one fulfill her obligations. The ocarina may help, or you might have to prove your worth," replied Fluttershy. Is it possible that whoever has been speaking to her is someone from the Sacred Realm?

I guess Spike was right about Fluttershy not knowing much, but I still stand by my idea of wanting to listen to her. Besides, her future self did insistent on speaking to her past self, and I did learn something new which was about the hands of the goddess.

" I can see one of those goddesses in front of me, and it's really huge in scope," I said.

" Then treasures will appear on its hands should anyone fulfill the requirements," said Fluttershy.

" Climbing up there is impossible," I said.

" Of course it would be as it sounds really dangerous, but maybe if you were to make your way up there from the inside. Even though I don't want you doing anything dangerous, I have a feeling you're going to be because you need to. Sunset Shimmer, I have no idea what you plan on doing, but please be safe," said Fluttershy. With that, she chose to end the conversation leaving me feeling bad that I had lied about why I was in the desert.

" I'm feeling guilty over lying," I sighed.

" You had no other choice, for she must not be allowed to know what happens in the future. The knowledge you and I have gotten from our adventures seven years from now can't be told to anyone otherwise they may attempt to change their fates. It's like what we were discussing regarding Nabooru in that no matter what happens, her fate remains the same," said Spike.

" Hopefully, her future self forgives me," I said.

" I think she will as she suggested you to speak to herself," said Spike.

" Guess we should enter the temple," I suggested.

" We don't have anywhere else to go, and judging from how you're shivering, you could do with getting out of the cold," said Spike. The cold winds were now starting to affect me, and I hadn't noticed because talking to Fluttershy made me forget. I needed to get inside before I start sneezing, so I walked up to the entrance where I suddenly came to a stop upon noticing a patch of soft soil to the left.

" Look at this!" I exclaimed.

" Who would have thought that we would see one of those out here," said Spike.

" You don't mind if I plant a Magic Bean do you?" I asked.

" It could prove to be useful given how we finally figured out what the beans become when fully grown," replied Spike. I walked over to the patch where I took out a bean from one of my pockets, and planted in it in the ground. A few moments later, and a tiny sprout rose up from the soil, so I'll be sure to see what happens in the future when it has grown.

This I believe was the fourth one which I've planted, and I still had six more left, so maybe I won't be able to get them all planted. It was a little disappointing, but at least I helped someone who wanted to sell his product. With that taken care of, I walked into the temple, yet I was unaware someone was watching me from the shadows. Those who were watching....in this time they have no idea as to who I am....

" Now this is very interesting."

" What's wrong my sister?"

" Someone has intruded into our temple."

" How is that even possible? No one has ever been able to cross the Haunted Wasteland before, for it is a place where so many have either perished, or returned back to where they came from. Of course, this doesn't apply to her because after all she was the one who originally found this temple before we claimed it as our home."

" Take a look for yourself."

" I see it although it shouldn't be possible that a mere child could have made it through such terrain as the cursed desert. Not even we are able to survive in that wretched place which is why we choose to use our magic to warp between here and the Gerudo's Fortress. Do you suppose this child somehow got through the fortress?"

" Impossible as they would never allow a child to set foot there, and there is currently a lockdown imposed by the Great Ganondorf. No one is permitted to leave the fortress or Gerudo Valley for that matter until he has claimed the golden power for himself. It seems this child must have somehow used warp magic as there is no other explanation as to how she can be here."

" Could her reason for entering the temple relate to Nabooru?"

" Hmmmm....it is possible, yet she might have come here on her own with the intention of thwarting the plans of the Great Ganondorf. I had hoped Nabooru would have seen the error of her ways, and chosen to beg for forgiveness, yet her pure heart was too strong. As such, she was exiled from the tribe where once again she has crossed the desert to reach what was once her safe haven."

" Then she must be punished for defying him."

" Correct, and we are most fortunate that the new second-in-command has proven to be most loyal to the cause. Spitfire's loyalty remains unbroken, and so she will be an excellent leader of the Gerudo while the Great Ganondorf rules over all of Hyrule without equal. It is a good thing that I was able to manipulate the mind of the new leader, for she was once very close to Nabooru.

You might say that they were sisters, but Spitfire was denied her destiny for she wanted to become second-in-command. That incident years ago where the predecessor of the second-in-command passed away, and a new one chosen was a perfect means to an end."

" Yes, I remember that day well."

" Through the use of my magic, I made it seem that Spitfire caused the accident, and her dream would have been dashed, yet Nabooru chose to defend her friend. Due to how she resolved the problem, she was chosen to become the new second-in-command, and Spitfire was left with nothing. From there, it was easy enough to manipulate her into becoming a loyal follower of the Great Ganondorf.

In those years since, she has dedicated her life to serving him without question, and now that she has become their leader, it will be easy keeping the others under control, for they dare not question the one who leads them."

" So, what do you propose we do about Nabooru as she still remains an issue Koume."

" We shall take care of her, and ensure that she never forgets whom she truly serves Kotake," said Trixie.

" I suggest we watch these events as they unfold, and strike at the appropriate time. If we make our move too swiftly, she will suspect that we are aware of her presence in our temple, and attempt to make a run for it. We will allow her to do as she pleases, and when we make our strike, we'll use our magic to make sure that she knows her true place in the Gerudo society," said Chrysalis.

" She must be dealt with before she uses that item she holds," said Trixie.

" I have no doubt she doesn't even know how to use it, but I do understand your concern that it can prove to be problematic, yet I suspect that this other child will play a part in preventing Nabooru from using what she has. Speaking of this child, her clothes indicate she comes from the forest, and she has a fairy flying around her.

Yet, there is something strange about her....as though there were some kind of great power dwelling inside of her body. I don't know what it is, but it could become a problem in the future, or it may be an oversight on my mind," said Chrysalis.

" Wait! I have an idea," began Trixie.

" Do tell," said Chrysalis.

" We can use this child of the forest to our advantage thus making Nabooru become oblivious to what is really happening. All we need to do is allow this girl to explore just enough until we can strike, but we cannot allow our hand to be discovered too quickly. We will use only the weakest of monsters until everything is in place, and then the strongest will be summoned once her usefulness has been spent.

She will be so overwhelmed by what lurks within our temple, she will run away from here, and back to her precious forest where she belongs never bothering us again," said Trixie.

" A most brilliant idea," laughed Chrysalis.

" For now, we will watch them as you suggest," said Trixie.

" In the meantime, I want to focus on this forest girl because my suspicion about her has made think of nothing else. There may be more to her than appearances suggest, and I want to make sure we're not facing off against a force that merely needs to be unleashed if you know what I mean," said Chrysalis.

" Yes, we don't want to deal with something that could be far stronger than us," added Trixie.

Upon entering the Spirit Temple, I was surprised to see that it still looked the same as it did before. I felt the same eerie feeling then as I do now, but because this was now the past, Ganondorf's surrogate mothers don't know who I am. As far as they were concerned, I was just a curious forest girl who came here to investigate, yet in truth I wanted to save Rainbow Dash, and learn what happened to her.

The two snakehead statues were still around, and Spike told me that they probably still have the same messages, so there was no point in reading them. I could see pots in front of us, but I wasn't about to take any chances out of fear of being pelted by them should they come to life. Taking out the Fairy Slingshot, I fired at each pot causing them to shatter into pieces.

" That was easy," I said.

" It should be considering you know how to use that," said Spike.

" No, it was just lucky of me," I said.

" The Fairy Slingshot works in the exact same manner as the Fairy Bow. Because you were taught how to use the latter by Iron Will, the former will now become so much easier for you to wield. This is going to be beneficial considering you now have to use the more weaker weapons in your possession. I suggest you to use your sword because many monsters are immune to Deku Seeds," said Spike.

" Yeah, I should use the Kokiri Sword otherwise getting it was meaningless," I said. Walking up the stairs, I could see the giant block to my right which wasn't going anywhere as it's too heavy for me to move, and the two Armos from before were still here, so I knew to avoid them at all costs. When I looked to the left where the crawl space was, I could see someone standing in front of it which struck me as suspicious. " Now who do you suppose that is over there? I don't recall seeing anyone in here when we came the last time."

" This is the past, so what we're seeing is someone who was here seven years ago," said Spike.

" Do you suppose it could be Rainbow Dash?" I asked.

" Only one way to find out," replied Spike. Choosing to slowly walk forward, I moved closer to this person who heard my footsteps prompting them to stand up as they were down on their knees. They turned around, and sure enough it was Rainbow Dash. In my heart, I was happy knowing that I'm finally seeing her after such a long time, yet the expression on her face indicated she wasn't thrilled.

" What are you doing here? I don't recall seeing you....wait a minute....I remember you! From Hyrule Castle Town....you're the girl from the forest who I saw when I was leading my fellow Gerudo away because of an incident. How were you able to make your way here to the desert? The Haunted Wasteland is a place that no one aside from me has survived," said Rainbow Dash.

I was surprised by her questions, but I wasn't able to answer them without letting on that I've come back from the future. My lack of responding to her did make her feel a little annoyed, but then she sighed before resuming the conversation. " Well, it's none of my business as to how you got here, but I must ask again what you're doing here."

" I came here to see this temple as I was curious," I said.

" Don't make me laugh kid! The temple is no place for kids, yet you are here and all which makes me believe you're here for something else," said Rainbow Dash.

" Well, I am looking for a Sage," I said.

" A Sage? I don't know anyone like that, but the way you said that makes me suspect you were telling the truth. Still, I think you came here for some other reason, so I hope you'll indulge my curiosity some more," said Rainbow Dash. So far, my responses haven't been all that effective, and that meant I needed to find another angle which should give me a different kind of reaction.

" Okay, I came here because I have nothing better to do," I said.

" You have nothing to do? What good timing! Then again, you could prove to a problem, so I'm going to ask you a very simple question, and I want you to answer it for me. You wouldn't happen to be one of Ganondorf's....followers....would you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

She should know that I would never serve him, but then she doesn't know that as from her perspective, this is only the second time we've seen each other. I needed to give her a straight answer, and one that won't give me the appearance of being an immature child.

" No, I'm not one of his servants as I'm too young for that," I replied.

" Uh-huh, that's true, and it would make him look like a fool in front of the rest of my people. You've got guts coming all the way out here kid! Let's cut to the chase! First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Nabooru of the Gerudo, and I was once the second-in-command until I was exiled from the tribe.

My old friend ended up betraying me by exposing my true intentions, but I know that she was manipulated into doing so. While I can't exactly prove my theory, I know Spitfire would never do what she did by choice, so she was tricked. She has since taken my place in the tribe, and I know things are only going to get worse from here," said Rainbow Dash.

" Maybe your friend was jealous?" I asked.

" Yeah, I suppose that would be a good reason, but I'm not sure if I can believe that," replied Rainbow Dash. I suddenly remembered that I was in the past, so the events of the future have not yet happened. As such, Spitfire is still loyal to Ganondorf. I need to choose my words more carefully so that she doesn't suspect that I know more than it seems.

" I'm a lone wolf thief, but don't get me wrong! Though we're both thieves, I'm completely different from Ganondorf. With his followers, he stole from women and children, and he even killed people!" That definitely sounded like the Evil King, yet all of this was new to me. I didn't know that he committed such acts, but then I came into this world at a time after these events all happened.

" He must have quite a lot of powerful warriors at his side if he were to have done all of that. All of those men and women serving him, and helping him carry out all of those acts because he felt like it," I said.

" You could say it that way kid, but you're wrong about the men part of your theory. I'm not surprised given you're just a kid after all, so you obviously don't know any better, yet that's also true about the other tribes as they're just as ignorant about it. You may not know this, but the Gerudo race consists only of women. Only one man is born every hundred years....even though our laws say that lone male Gerudo must become King of the Gerudo, I'll never bow to such an evil man!" said Rainbow Dash.

Hearing her say this was perhaps the ultimate shock that I've experienced throughout this journey thus far, and it finally answered the question as to why females were at their fortress, and no men were there. In such an unusual dynamic as that, their numbers are small because they comprise of one gender, so they would become extinct within a matter of generations.

I guess Ganondorf must have felt awkward being among females throughout his life, and it does explain why they view him with so much admiration. It also explains why the Gerudo have such a pathological hatred of men, as they are an all-female tribe who use men in ways which I would rather not find out about. Maybe I should say something to her so as to keep the conversation going?

" What is your opinion on your tribe?" I asked.

" I know they are only doing what they have been taught according to our laws, but they don't have to be so blind to the truth that's in front of them. If only we had a king who wasn't obsessed with wanting power above all else, then we could have forged that alliance with the Hylian King. I know the others wouldn't be happy about it at first given that they despise all men aside from Ganondorf, but over time it would be something they'd accept.

Oh well, I suppose nothing can be done about a factor that refuses to change with the modern realization of the world. By the way kid, you haven't told me your name! Even though this is just our second encounter, you could be courteous about it, and give me a name to go by rather than just kid," replied Rainbow Dash.

" I'm Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" Huh? What kind of name is that? Anyway, I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here huh?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" The thought did cross my mind," I replied.

" I was coming here to cause some trouble for Ganondorf and his followers, but then I encountered the Carpet Merchant in the wasteland. He happened to have this orb filled with great magic which I purchased because I remember seeing it in one of the books in the fortress library. You'd better believe I was shocked that such a thing was in the possession of a man, yet it was just what I needed as another idea came into my mind.

This orb possesses a dark power which is far greater than that of Ganondorf's surrogate mothers who reside in the temple, and my plan is to unleash this in the central chamber so as to obliterate every last trace of evil here," said Rainbow Dash.

" Are you sure you know how it works?" I asked.

" I've read enough in the book, so I have a pretty good idea," replied Rainbow Dash.

" That may not work," I said.

" Only way to know for certain is to try it, and see what happens. Believe me kid, I've been thinking about this for some time now, and I came to the conclusion that I don't have much in the way of options. This is probably the most extreme course of action I can take, but my people can no longer be slaves! Ganondorf must be stopped before he can conquer this world!

I'm willing to destroy everything if it means my people can become free," said Rainbow Dash. I can understand how she feels about what has happened, but this wasn't the right way to go about it, and deep down she knew this. She had become blinded with wanting revenge, and it was going to destroy not only the evil within the temple, but also anyone good within a very large radius as this orb has the potential to cause utter devastation.

I had to do something before she does something completely stupid, so I reached out for it which she had been juggling in her hand for a while now, and grabbed it where I threw it to the ground. As expected, the reaction I got was one of anger. " What in the world do you think you're doing!?!? I need that to save my people! For your sake kid, that had better not cracked when you did that."

" If you use this orb, it will destroy everyone," I said.

" What makes you think that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Use your head for a second! If you go ahead and use this evil orb, it will carry out your intentions of saving your people, but it will most likely destroy them as well, for evil objects always cause more trouble than what they should. Not only that, but if you were to do this, you'd be no better than Ganondorf. You probably consider yourself a noble thief, yet what you're about to do will make you a murderer.

Can you afford to have that weigh down on your conscience? No, I didn't think so! I know that you don't want to do this either as you're better than this, and one day the Gerudo will become free from Ganondorf and his mothers. If you decide to simply wipe everything out, then your efforts just amount to nothing. Your legacy shall be remember as being a monster who destroyed innocent lives. Do you really want to go through with this? I believe you know what the answer must be," I replied.

" Heh....it's like I said before kid, you've got guts," said Rainbow Dash.

" Oh?" I asked.

" Normally, you'd be dead right now because I don't take too kindly to people who talk that way to me, but how can I kill someone who has so much sass? Fine, you've convinced me to abandon my plan, but I've still got my back-up," replied Rainbow Dash. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I literally dodged a bullet, but it does explain why her plan never worked.

As for the orb, it wasn't going to work anyway as it did suffer a crack when it hit the ground, so it was now a useless piece of junk. I'll keep hold of it for now until I return to the future, and shatter it to pieces using the Biggoron's Sword, but now I want to know what her back-up plan was.

" So what will you do now?" I asked.

" Go with my other idea, and that's where you come in kid. I want to ask you a favor....will you go through this tiny hole and get a treasure that's inside? The treasure is the Silver Gauntlets. If you equip them, you can easily push and pull very heavy things! I know it sounds unbelievable, but they are special in that way," replied Rainbow Dash.

That must be the power which I need to bring back to the future in order to push the giant block on the other side of this room, so I need to get them for myself although that would mean having to convince Rainbow Dash that I need them more than she does. At that moment, she noticed my expression which prompted her to comment.

" No, no, no, kid! Don't even think about taking this treasure for yourself! The Silver Gauntlets won't fit a kid like you if you try to equip them! I want you to be a good girl and give them to me!" I hope she wasn't trying to condescend me as I would be insulted if she were.

" What do you need them for?" I asked.

" If you must know, Ganondorf and his minions are using the Spirit Temple as a hideout. Only the Silver Gauntlets will allow me to sneak deep into the temple, and once I'm there, I'm going to steal all the treasure inside and mess up their plans! This place used to be where I would come to get away from the problems at the fortress, so I remember where many of the secrets are located.

Before I left, I did steal something under their noses....a ring which may look ordinary, but in fact it's a powerful item which belonged to perhaps the greatest user of magic among the ancient Gerudo of the past. I needed to get it away from those witches because it serves as a key which will allow access to the sacred treasure of our people," replied Rainbow Dash.

This was the same ring which her subordinate Derpy gave to me before I was sealed away in the Sacred Realm, so now I have confirmed straight from the source that she did take it. I was feeling hesitant about revealing that I had that very ring on me, but she had to know soon, yet I had to talk my way about telling her.

" What did you do with it?" I asked.

" Our legends say that the treasure is only meant for the chosen one, so I gave the ring to my subordinate Derpy who I asked to give it to someone else before she was to flee to one of the other tribes, and live out her life in peace," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Um, would this be it?" I asked. I then took the ring out of another pouch as a means of keeping it safe, and her reaction caused her jaw to drop down followed by her eyes to bug out to the point where they almost fell out of the sockets. Now that was a thought which I'd rather not see happen, but her reaction was one which reminded me that even when in this world, her expressions are priceless.

" You! You have the ring! How?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" It was given to me by Derpy as you told her that she was to give it to me," I replied.

" Gasp!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

" Surprised it took you long enough to put it all together," I said.

" Then you're the chosen one who is destined to acquire the sacred treasure of the Spirit Temple, yet you do seem to be a little on the young side for it. Still, you are the one our legend references as a 'stranger from a green land', so I must accompany you as far as I can so you may claim our treasure.

Of course, I expect you to get the Silver Gauntlets as well. I plan on giving that wealth to my people so that they can build better lives for themselves, and perhaps show them that we need to remove Ganondorf from his position as King of the Gerudo," said Rainbow Dash.

" Can you do that?" I asked.

" Remove him from power? Unfortunately, our laws forbid us to do anything of the sort, but I said it anyway as a means of wanting to prove a point. My people need to stop following his commands, and become more friendly towards the other tribes. Not following his orders will be easier than speaking with outsiders, for we haven't forgotten how we've been treated by them over the years, but we need to repair these broken ties before it gets to the point where it can never be fixed.

Anyway, we've been talking long enough, so I'll ask you another question. Do you agree to my idea?" asked Rainbow Dash. From my perspective, I didn't really have much of a choice but to accept her proposal, yet I did take offence to the idea of being nothing more than a delivery girl. All I'm doing for her is fetch an item we both need....if she wants access to the deeper recesses of the temple, she needs to push that giant block....the same one I need to push in the future.

We both have the same overall goal in mind, yet mine must be kept a secret from her. She was starting to tap her foot which was a sign that she was getting impatient with me taking my time to answer, so I decided to get that out of the way.

" Yes, I agree to your terms," I answered.

" Thanks, kid! You and I, let's give Ganondorf and his followers a big surprise, shall we? I'll be coming with you as I said because I need to take you as far as I can according to what our legends state. Only the chosen one is permitted to go into the area of the Spirit Temple that houses the sacred treasure, so when we're nearing that area, I'll be coming back here where I'll wait for you to return. I'm also coming because I want to make sure you live up to your end of our agreement," said Rainbow Dash.

" Are you sure you can get through that crawl space?" I asked.

" I'm a thief, and we're able to fit through tight spaces due to how dedicated we are with our training," replied Rainbow Dash. It looks like I've got a companion coming along for the ride, so I began looking closely at the crawl space. I wanted to listen to make sure that the sounds Spike and I heard last time were still there, and sure enough, the spinning of an ancient trap, and the flapping of Keese wings could be heard on the other side.

Considering this was our only available direction, I began to make my way through with Rainbow Dash following behind me. When she came out, I cautioned her to remain quiet as there were monsters in this room with us. It did surprise me when she agreed to stay back, and keep out of my way, so she went back into the crawl space which looked awkward to me.

" What do you make of all this Spike?" I asked.

" For one thing, a congratulation is in order for you Sunset Shimmer as you stopped her from using that orb, yet that's where the simplicities of this situation come to an end. Nabooru certainly has a lot weighing heavily on her shoulders what with being here and all, but we need to focus on fulfilling this task she has asked you to do.

We can't let her know that something bad will happen to her before we're finished here, and you must remember to accept what will end up happening. You can't allow your emotions to get in the way when her fate becomes known," replied Spike.

" I really would like to change it, but I know we can't because it needs to happen," I said.

" I do find it strange that Sheik was hinting us to change the fate of Nabooru, yet she should know that we can't do that without damaging time's flow. Anyway, we should take a closer look at this room now that we're here," said Spike. There were Keese flying about, and suddenly a couple of them went through the torch that was nearby where they burst into flames.

There was a Beamos in the middle of the room with the ancient trap spinning around it, and finally there were three different exits I could use. Two were portcullises with iron bars preventing me from opening them, and another crawl space was located in-between them.

" Why did those Keese go into that fire, but come out okay?" I asked.

" That's how they become Fire Keese which makes them slightly stronger, but they still function as the same general enemy. If you had a Deku Shield, it would burn away to cinder if one of them were to touch it," replied Spike. He then noticed that I had no idea what he was talking about, so he went on to explain more about it. " A Deku Shield is what one can find back in the Kokiri Forest, yet sometimes you might find one in the most unusual of places.

Anyway, it's a simple shield made of wood which can protect you even from the strongest of blows, but it's completely useless against fire. Since your Hylian Shield is unaffected by fire, you have no need to worry about it burning away." I began counting how many Keese there were, and I came up with a total of about five, so this is going to be rather easy.

" I have a feeling we need to defeat all monsters to unlock both doors," I said.

" That does sound like a good theory, so I'll allow you to handle things. Just be watchful of the Beamos as its laser beam can inflict a lot of damage if it hits you repeatedly," said Spike. Rainbow Dash in the meantime was getting impatient again in the crawl space, and I could tell she wanted to jump in there, so I had to refrain her from acting out in a reckless manner.

Taking the Bomb Bag from my pouch, I reached into it and began tossing numerous bombs hoping to blow up the Beamos, and I succeeded upon the fourth attempt. Luckily, the Keese didn't take notice, so I put the bag away and took out the Fairy Slingshot where I fired Deku Seeds at each destroying them on my first hit every time. When the final one went down, the iron bars covering each portcullis went up, so now I had to figure out which way I should go.

" Which direction?" I asked.

" Both ways are ones we'll need to explore eventually, so either way is going to be important," replied Spike.

" Is it just me, or was the trap in this room rather simple considering all there was were some easy monsters?" I asked.

" Maybe the witches are trying to test you to make sure you're worthy of their time, or maybe something else is going on. You must not get cocky now Sunset Shimmer as doing so is only going to bring about your end," replied Spike.

" Hey kid! Those weren't some bad skills you used just now," commented Rainbow Dash as she came out of the crawl space.

" I've had a lot of experience, but I'll admit that my aiming really needs to improve as I make a lot of mistakes," I said.

" Didn't think you would be so honest with me. There is more to you than I originally thought, for I believed you were nothing but a forest kid who had lost her way. In my tribe, your skill determines the kind of respect you'll be given by your peers, and it determines your status in our society. If you keep this up, you could become one of us someday," said Rainbow Dash.

She didn't know that I was already a member of her tribe, but this was in the future so it holds no meaning in the past, but I'm not telling her that for it's information no one can know about. After thinking things over for a couple of minutes, I decided to go through the portcullis to my right. In this next room, it consisted of a ledge which lead to a dead-end, yet two unlit torches looked suspicious.

On the other side of a rather large abyss was a fence which had no means of me being able to climb over it, and beyond it was another ledge where silver rupees abound along with some Keese and a lit torch. I believe that I came through the wrong portcullis, for I have no means of reaching the other side.

" Guess we have to go back, and try the other room," I sighed.

" It does look that way," added Spike.

" Then this was a waste of time, and that will make Rainbow Dash even more annoyed," I said.

" Not necessarily as we're getting a look ahead at what we're going to encounter when we enter from the other side. Besides, we have those unlit torches on this side, so you have to wonder why these are here. Maybe something will happen if you were to light them on fire using your magic, but maybe you should Din's Fire instead as it has been a while since you used it last," said Spike.

" Lighting those torches could allow us to get to the other side," I said.

" That would mean the central part of this fence falling down to make a bridge," said Spike.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" Notice how it looks out of place compared with the rest of the fence? That should give you the indicator that it will come loose and fall down if you do something to make it happen," replied Spike. While I would like to use my magic to light up these unlit torches, I decided to go with the simpler approach which meant taking out the gem which contained Din's Fire.

I asked Rainbow Dash to get back as I needed some space to cast the spell, and she immediately moved back as she sensed that something immense was about to happen. I made the necessary poses before using the spell, and a large burst of flame appeared which expanded quickly before lighting the torches. When both were lit, it caused a small treasure chest to fall out of nowhere, and landed on the other side which is where I needed to go.

" That wasn't supposed to happen," I sighed.

" I honestly didn't expect that," said Spike.

" Now we need to check out the other room," I sighed.

" Lighting those torches was obvious, and while it didn't turn out the way you wanted, you learn on your feet which gives you the markings of a potential thief. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you've been doing this kind of thing for maybe seven years or so. The more I watch these actions, the more I feel you'll be able to get those Silver Gauntlets for me," said Rainbow Dash.

" Are you able to get them yourself?" I asked.

" This temple is crawling with more dangerous monsters than what you've seen so far, and even though I take pride in my skills, I'm no match for the truly nasty creatures waiting for us on the upper levels. I have no doubt in my mind you'll be able to defeat them, yet I'm sensing that you think I'm using you just to get my hands on the treasure deeper into the temple.

I had a feeling this would happen, so I'm making a slight alteration to the arrangement which is going to benefit you greatly. If you can successfully obtain the Silver Gauntlets and bring them to me, I'll do something wonderful for you. Unlike many of my fellow Gerudo who lie to get what they want, I keep my promises so know that you will be getting a reward by the end of this," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Are you sure about this? You shouldn't try to make some kind of promise, and not be able to keep it," I said.

" I intend on keeping my word," said Rainbow Dash.

" Then I hope your honor allows you to go through with it," I said. As I walked towards the portcullis, and opened it to go back into the other room, the ones who were watching me before were continuing to do so without me even knowing.

" This forest child is quite good," said Trixie.

" So far, the weakest monsters have proven to be no match for her, so I believe we should have the stronger creatures test her skills even more. Again, we cannot allow our intentions to become known if we are to punish the former second-in-command," said Chrysalis.

" It's possible she might be able to obtain the silver power," said Trixie.

" We can't allow that," said Chrysalis.

" Even if the girl ends up acquiring it by making her way through our tricks and traps, Nabooru will never get her hands on it as we shall strike when the girl has either defeated our guardian, or it has sliced her in half with its weapon," said Trixie.

" Huh? Are you sure that is wise to have the guardian kill this child my sister? We only have two of them in the temple, and it takes much magic to create one, so to lose one would be a disaster. The Great Ganondorf wishes to have the treasures he has stolen stored here, and the most valuable are under the protection of our guardians.

Once he has claimed the Triforce as his own, he will no longer need these artefacts as they will pale in comparison to the power that lies within the Sacred Realm. Yet, if we were to lose these treasures, they could be used against us," said Chrysalis.

" Yes, losing our guardians would be a travesty, but perhaps we can use a different means of creating a new one," said Trixie.

" Ah, I see where you're going with this," said Chrysalis.

" That is why I'm hoping Nabooru doesn't meet an untimely demise, or at the very least isn't injured badly. In either situation, she would prove to be useless for what I have in mind, so this forest child should be able to keep her safe until the time comes. All we need to do is wait for the Great Ganondorf to claim the golden power which we will know when a large power surge suddenly radiates across the land.

" When that happens, this world will become shrouded in darkness. The Gerudo shall become the masters of this world as it should have been a long time ago, and those who treated them like savages shall suffer for their transgressions," said Trixie.

" We've waited centuries for this day to come, and at last it will come to pass," said Chrysalis.

" So what shall we do about this child?" asked Trixie.

" I've been watching her closely to see what can be said about her, and my results were very shocking," replied Chrysalis.

" Shocking? In what way?" asked Trixie.

" My magic has detected a strong power coming from this forest girl....a magic power which would make her a magician. While those forest children are known for being capable of using magic, theirs is merely for simple purposes which allow them to survive in the forest, and retain their youth for eternity. This girl's magical power is immense even though she is repressing it for some reason. I dare say, her magic skill could rival or even exceed our own," replied Chrysalis.

" Impossible!" exclaimed Trixie.

" My readings are never wrong my sister, so what I have said just now is true. I will admit that this is unusual, for children as young as her should not be able to wield that much magical prowess unless they were gifted with it at a young age. And yet, this girl has clearly got a talent in magic which makes her more of a threat than we had originally expected.

I still need some time to figure out exactly how much depth she has with regards to her power, but we have made a mistake in allowing this one to enter our temple. There is something else about her which is easier for me to figure out through my readings, and that she has quite the abundance of courage," said Chrysalis.

" Courage? She is one of those who are heroic by nature," said Trixie.

" Very much so, and if you take her magical prowess into consideration....our plan for Nabooru will not work," said Chrysalis.

" All we did was focus on her fighting skills because she uses weapons in addition to the magic granted to her by the Great Fairy, but by ignoring something so blatantly obvious, the Great Ganondorf's desire to obtain the Triforce is at risk. It's possible sister that this girl possesses the keys that are needed to open up the way to the Sacred Realm, and it wouldn't surprise me if that turns out true," said Trixie.

" If she does have them which I will confirm through further observation, then why even come here in the first place?" asked Chrysalis.

" I don't know, but if she has them, killing her is out of the question. Without those keys, what can happen in the Temple of Time will not come to pass, and our son will be denied everything he desires. I suppose we could end her life, and give him the keys, but I doubt this girl will die quite so easily, and we can't allow the world beyond the desert to know of our existence.

Our plan for Nabooru will still happen, yet we need to change our approach slightly so as to separate them from one another. I will come up with a cunning tactic that will cause just that," replied Trixie.

" In the meantime, we will have to refrain from using our stronger servants because of what we know now," said Chrysalis.

" We will still use the guardian of course," said Trixie.

" Yes, but now we can strengthen it to become even more deadly," smiled Chrysalis.

" So we've reached a general stratagem?" asked Trixie.

" That we have, and it involves the one task....we must determine if the forest girl has the keys to the Temple of Time. If she does then we must keep her alive until she has fulfilled her task by assisting the Great Ganondorf. But, if she doesn't have them, then the most painful, and agonizing of deaths awaits her," replied Chrysalis.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 58: Spiritual Adventure

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 7, 2015
Chapter 58: Spiritual Adventure.

Upon opening the other portcullis, I entered a room which consisted of a ledge with a dead-end, and another one existing on the other side of an abyss with no means for me to reach it. A Crystal Switch was situated behind a fence, and there was a large Green Bubble flying about blocking my means of activating the switch. The Fairy Slingshot wasn't going to be helpful here, so I needed to use the Boomerang to curve around the fence and activate the switch from behind.

This was easier said than done given the monster blocking my way, and I had a feeling there was more to this than what appearances were suggesting. Rainbow Dash was feeling frustrated over how I was taking my time instead of tackling the problem head on, yet I reminded her that running in just like that was suicidal.

" I assumed you merely rush forward and strike down your enemies," said Rainbow Dash.

" I've done that when I have exhausted all of my options, yet much of the time I choose to plan things out. You never know what is going to happen, and you don't want to get caught off guard," I said.

" My people are always cautious when it comes to battle, for each time we fight, our belief is that it will be our last which is why we never hold back. When we fight, it is until we defeat our foe, or are killed in the process. While we do take time to formulate plans, we choose to simply rely on our instincts to see us through to the end.

I'll admit that our methods may seem crazy, or even extreme at times, but it's what we do because thinking has the potential to slice us in the throats when we're not looking," said Rainbow Dash.

" It sounds like you've had a hard life," I said.

" Because of the cold winds that blow about at night, at least one of us ends up succumbing. It's never easy to bury one of your own as you trained, fought, laughed, and so on because of developing strong emotional ties. Others reach a point where they can no longer stand such conditions, so they go into a frenzy where they are capable of killing their kin.

The harsh reality blinds them, so they kill without mercy until they are killed themselves. It happens more often than you think kid! The other tribes say their own problems are bad, but in truth it is a means of gaining sympathy from the Hylian king. They are a lot better off, and claim that we Gerudo should be used to living in a nomadic land given the lack of anything that can grow," said Rainbow Dash.

" No wonder you used to come here to get away from such problems," I said.

" What I described has been happening for generations, and combined with our small numbers, our tribe will probably become extinct within the next two or three generations," said Rainbow Dash. This was something I was starting to understand when it came to how many of them there are compared with how many exist in the other tribes.

Normally, I wouldn't let this sort of thing distract me, yet I was curious as to why their numbers are so small. Surely they can have enough children each generation to keep going, but maybe there is a part of this which I don't understand. I'm not sure if Rainbow Dash is willing to give me an answer, but I suppose the least I can do is ask.

" You said that your tribe will become extinct due to how many of you exist, yet I don't understand why this is the case. I would have assumed the Gerudo were capable of reproducing offspring at a pretty good rate. I'd mention the other tribes, but how they reproduce is something I might not want to know about," I said.

" Because we're an all-female tribe, we need to seek out worthy males to mate with," said Rainbow Dash.

" Yet your people hate men," I said.

" Ironic that we despise them so much, yet we need them to maintain our numbers. Anyway, we used to go to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends as we need children to carry on our legacies, yet the Hylians got fed up with this over time, and prevent us from doing that now," said Rainbow Dash.

" How come?" I asked.

" We didn't want to find boyfriends as a means of loving them, but instead use them long enough to have children, and then their usefulness came to an end. I for one never liked this approach, yet it needs to be done to ensure our survival. With the Hylian king now dead as a result of Ganondorf's desire for power, the Hylians will never forgive us," replied Rainbow Dash. They were willing to do whatever was needed to have children, but I'll admit that their methods are questionable or even downright dreadful.

I couldn't say this to her though as despite becoming distinct to her people, she still has a lot of sympathy towards them. Rather than ask her more questions which could result in some negative reactions, I should focus on what needs to be done here, and that means dealing with the Green Bubble flying in front of the crystal switch.

" The Fairy Slingshot should be able to take this thing down right?" I asked.

" You can only hit it when it loses its green flame for a few seconds, so watch it carefully and fire a Deku Seed when ready. If you end up struggling to do this, you can make it easier by using the Boomerang to stun the monster, and following up with a seed. Use whichever method makes you the most comfortable, yet I have a feeling that another monster is lurking around," replied Spike.

" I feel the same thing," I said.

" Better deal with this one first," suggested Spike. I decided to go with the Fairy Slingshot as my aim has gotten really good....well, I do miss a lot less than I used to, but at least I can actually hit my target. When I took it out and aimed at the Green Bubble, I waited for it to lose its flame, and fired the Deku Seed when it happened which caused it to break into pieces before burning up in flames.

Since the Boomerang doesn't have that big of a range, I had to get a little closer if I'm to hit the switch behind the fence, so I walked forward only for a Stalfos to drop down from the ceiling.

" No! Not this thing! Anything but this thing!" I exclaimed.

" This would be a good example of the witches wanting to increase the difficulty," said Spike.

" I always struggle against them," I said.

" And this one is going to be the worst one of them all because you have to use the Kokiri Sword to fight back. While it took six hits to defeat a Stalfos before when you used a stronger blade, it will take a total of 12 hits before this one goes down," said Spike.

" I'm guessing that it inflicts the same amount of damage as the previous ones?" I asked.

" It does, yet you'll need to get close because your sword has limited range," replied Spike. I'm going to have a really hard time fighting this Stalfos, but I did find it strange that there was one out here. They should only be found in the Forest Temple because the Lost Woods transforms lost people into them, and the Shadow Temple as that is where the undead roam free. So, what was up with this one being far away from its normal habitat?

Unless, those witches brought it here? All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash went in front of me and began fighting the Stalfos using a sword which she must have been concealing as I don't recall her having one earlier. Now I can see why the Gerudo are so deadly in combat as her fast moves were almost impossible for me to keep up with, and it looked like she was enjoying the experience.

" Come on kid! You don't expect me to have all the fun do you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Do you even know what you're fighting?" I asked.

" It doesn't bother me as long as I have the skills to beat it. Besides, this is just a bag of bones that happens to have some skill, so it's not like we're up against two at the same time that are able to regenerate after a while," replied Rainbow Dash. Those words really struck home for me as she had no idea how close to the truth she was. I almost got killed by those two Stalfos, and it prompted me to start bringing in potions just in case things got too difficult for me.

" You look as though you have the situation under control," I said.

" Oh no! You're not getting off that easily kid as I expect to see you handle this, or maybe you're not the chosen one as depicted in the legends of my people. The one who shall claim the sacred treasure of the Gerudo is said to possess tremendous courage, and is known for overcoming even odds that are stacked against them. You have the ring from my subordinate Derpy in your possession, so now you must prove your worth," said Rainbow Dash.

It looks like she trapped me within the confines of a legend, so I had no choice even though I really struggle against Stalfos. Maybe it won't be so bad seeing as she is doing some of the fighting, so I drew the Kokiri Sword from its scabbard for the first time, and sure enough it really was small in size compared to the Master Sword. " What kind of a blade is that supposed to be? Well, I guess it does allow a kid like you to fight, so I won't judge you for using it."

" Let me show you something," I began.

" And what do you intend to show?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Not only am I somewhat skilled with a sword, I am also able to use magic," I replied. In her own unique way, Rainbow Dash reminded me that I used magic when I faced the previous Stalfos, and I slapped myself on the forehead as I completely forgot about it. Since I figured fire isn't going to work, I decided to go with earth magic as the ground should be something that I can manipulate to my will.

I then quickly concentrated as I didn't have the means to go with a stronger form of concentration, and the Stalfos suddenly found itself trapped where its feet began sinking into the ground.

" What did you just do?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" I used a little bit of earth magic to trap this monster, so now it's incapable of moving," I replied.

" And you just did that without even thinking about it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" That's one way of saying it I suppose," I replied.

" Looks like you need to tell me more about yourself," said Rainbow Dash. She then slashed away at it repeatedly until it was destroyed, yet why did she decide to deal with it? As she put her sword away by concealing it on her person, she turned to face me with the look of a curious person on her face which was really creeping me out. " Since you just went and did that kid, there is a lot more about you than appearances suggest, so I recommend you tell me what I need to know, or do I need to force you to tell me?

We Gerudo are good at getting people to confess as we're experts when it comes to interrogation, so you should take my advice and give me the answers." Rainbow Dash then began to smile in a really sinister fashion which made me suspect that she intends on carrying out this threat, so I had no other choice but to reveal the truth about myself....minus what I've experienced in the future.

" You may believe I'm from the forest, but that is not true," I said.

" Huh? But, you're wearing clothes that obviously come from the forest, and that fairy flying around you is another indication of where you come from. Unless, you're not really one of those forest kids, and instead you're pretending to be one. Heh, I'm impressed that you're using such deception in order to live among them," said Rainbow Dash.

" I'm not from the forest," I began.

" That was pretty obvious given your magic show," said Rainbow Dash.

" What I mean is, I'm not even from this world, yet I was brought here to save it. You see, I come from a place that is so much different from Hyrule, and the majority of people here also come from my world. All of us were brought into this world by a powerful magic, and I'm the only one who retained my memories. You, and everyone else have assumed the identities of characters from a video game, and believe yourselves to be them, yet the truth is none of us belong here," I said.

" Quite the imagination," commented Rainbow Dash.

" I knew your response was going to be something like that. Before you say anything, there is something else you need to know. Not only am I not a Kokiri....I'm not even human despite having this body. I am....a magical talking pony from a land called Equestria. To be more specific, I am a unicorn who is very gifted with magic, yet because I became corrupted with wanting power, I went into self-exile and travelled to the human world where I continued acting out my delusions of grandeur.

Thanks to you and the rest of our friends, I've changed my ways and have become so much better now than I have ever been in my entire life," I said. As I stared at my friend, her expression was one of pure shock which was to be expected given that the others gave me the same look. She wanted me to tell her more about myself, and now she has gotten exactly that.

" You're a pony?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Complete with hooves and everything....if this were Equestria," I replied.

" I'd say you were crazy, but after that long explanation, I'm willing to believe you," said Rainbow Dash.

" It really matters that you believe my story, for you're from the same world that I'm from; not the one with ponies mind you. In our true home, you are the captain of all of the different sports teams, and are known for your great loyalty to your friends. I would explain more, but you need some time to allow all of this new information to sink into your head. Rainbow Dash, you're the last of my friends who has been told the truth, for it took me a long time to be able to reach you because of various circumstances," I said.

" That name....I like it because my people do refer to me as "Dashie" as a sort of cute nickname," said Rainbow Dash.

" Really?" I asked before remembering Derpy mentioning it when we had that conversation. It was at this point where I came to the realization that I was wasting precious time, for I needed to focus on acquiring the Silver Gauntlets. I told Rainbow Dash that we needed to keep going, yet I would answer any further questions down the road. She agreed with this idea, so now I was able to finally address the crystal switch which had been taunting me for some time now.

" You handled that rather well," commented Spike.

" After explaining my story to the others, I knew just what needed to be said to Rainbow Dash. I'll give her some time to come to terms with my words, but I hope that it will be enough before whatever happens to her occurs. We should now focus on making our way through this temple as we've been in this room a lot longer than I would like as that Stalfos was completely unnecessary," I said.

" The Fairy Slingshot isn't going to be able to hit the crystal switch as the fence is blocking the way," said Spike.

" No, but the Boomerang should," I said.

" Since it lacks range, you need to get as close to the edge as possible if you want to hit the switch. Also, I suggest you throw it either to the left or right of the fence otherwise you'll hit it," said Spike. Taking the Boomerang from my belt, I aimed carefully at the switch as I needed to throw it at the proper angle otherwise it will bounce back to me. I decided to throw it to my left as it seemed like a good idea, so I gave it a toss where it just barely missed the target and returned to me.

I guess my aim was just slightly off, so I adjusted my angle before throwing the Boomerang again. This time, it connected with the switch which caused the fence to fall down, and changing it into a bridge which I used to cross over to the other side of the abyss. As I reached the other side, I saw a couple of pots that suddenly rose up and attempted to fly into me, but I ducked down using the Hylian Shield as a shell which shattered into pieces upon contact with it.

" Not exactly the right way to use a shield kid," commented Rainbow Dash.

" It's too big for me to wield it properly, so I have to use it like that in order to protect myself. I would gladly use a Deku Shield as it's small enough for me to sling onto my arm, but the problem it has is that it burns away if I get hit by fire, and there are a lot of fire-based monsters so far in the temple," I said.

" I'd say you're using it in an impractical way which has proven beneficial," said Rainbow Dash.

" And I've noticed that you don't fight with a shield at all," I said.

" We Gerudo rely on our speed to defeat our enemies, so using a shield or wearing any kind of armour just slows us down. Hylians may believe that stuff protects them which I'm sure it does, yet it makes them slow and a lot easier to hit. By fighting without protective gear, you have free movement to fight with elegance and grace on your side, but I will admit that the lack of protection does play a factor especially if our speed gets turned against us.

My people are fragile in nature which means we can't take much in the way of damage, and so our enemies looks for means to slow us down before choosing to attack using tremendous force," said Rainbow Dash.

" Have you considered using armour?" I asked.

" I've hinted at it a few times during my tenure as second-in-command, yet the others refused because it meant fighting in the same manner as the Hylians. They would rather die instead of relying on other styles. What I do find strange is that Ganondorf wears armour whenever he goes out into battle, and yet he suffers from no loss in speed. He is very strong for a man, but this is just ridiculous as though limitations mean nothing to him," replied Rainbow Dash.

My face turned pale when she said that, for it was a reminder that I had to eventually fight the Evil King. If the limitations on weapons, armour, and just about anything else don't apply to him, then how can he be defeated? Now I really wish that I was searching for those items that I missed the first time.

It seems the closer I get to the final confrontation, the more nervous I become, for it sounds like the Triforce has augmented his power which was already beyond that of most mortals, and made it become something akin to one of the Great Goddesses. Rainbow Dash noticed my glum look, and spoke up as she felt concerned that I wasn't feeling well. " Hey! You okay there kid? You look as though you've seen a Poe or something just now, or maybe it was because of what I said?"

" I'm actually afraid of Ganondorf," I said in a nervous voice.

" Most fear him because of how powerful he is, but he isn't as invincible as he claims to be. For all of the big talk that he says about being the strongest man in the kingdom, I know of his weakness because of choosing to focus on dark magic. He draws all of his power from evil itself, and due to this he is very vulnerable to the power of light as they say that light conquers darkness.

Anything that is forged of the purest light of justice is something that he fears, but he will never let anyone else know about it otherwise he'll cut them down without mercy. The reason I know about it is because at one time he believed me to be the perfect woman that he wanted as his bride, yet I told him that I wasn't ready for such a commitment, so I politely refused his request," said Rainbow Dash.

" I'm surprised he didn't kill you for knowing about his weakness," I said.

" I was his second-in-command, so he needed me around to keep the others in check," said Rainbow Dash.

" Wait! He wanted you as his wife?" I asked.

" He believed we were meant for each other, and I suppose that in another life, I would have accepted him had he chosen to dedicate his life to pursuing peace, yet instead Ganondorf wanted to conquer Hyrule. Such actions he has committed are ones that I condemn, and for that I could never love him! His desire to claim the golden power of the Triforce has blinded him!" replied Rainbow Dash.

So the Evil King can be defeated with the power of light....Spike said that the Light Arrows were hidden, and only the royal family knew of their location, so I need to find Twilight to get my hands on them. If I use those, defeating Ganondorf will become a lot easier, but first I need to awaken the final Sage. I also felt sympathetic to the plight that Rainbow Dash had regarding the fact that her king was once in love with her, yet her way of thinking just wouldn't allow them to be together.

It was also a little weird picturing someone like her with someone like him which means I really need to change things back to normal before it gets even weirder than it already is. Upon opening the portcullis, I entered the next room which featured a rather thin walkway that stretched across another abyss, and there was a crystal switch off in the distance.

I could see something moving about among an assortment of pots in the middle of the room, and when I moved forward to see what it was, a strange creature rose up before proceeding to shoot a fireball at me. Rainbow Dash had her back to the door which had since locked itself with iron bars, and I used my shield to deflect the blast.

" What in the world is this thing?" I asked.

" It's called an Anubis, a very rare creature seen in Hyrule, yet dangerous if you don't know how to deal with it. None of your regular attacks are going to work as it will just shrug them off like they were nothing. It also has a strange movement pattern where it mimics whatever is moving before it. For example, if you moved to the right, it shall move to the right as well.

Getting too close to will cause it to shoot a fireball which can be very problematic, yet the irony is that it's vulnerable to fire. If you use the right kind of fire-based attack, it will go down very easily," replied Spike.

" I'm guessing my magic isn't going to work," I said.

" It needs to be the right kind of fire, so that means what you use won't help out. That crystal switch over there seems strange as though it could be useful in defeating this monster, or you can simply go with the direct approach by using Din's Fire. Before you do anything Sunset Shimmer, could you activate that switch because we should see what happens when it's activated," suggested Spike.

I took out the Fairy Slingshot making sure not to draw the attention of Anubis, and I fired a Deku Seed which flew across the abyss striking the switch in the process. It caused a circle of fire to appear near the other door, and essentially blocking the way forward. " Okay, I get what's going on now.

You need to guide it over to the fire which will destroy it, yet you need to rely on this method if you don't have Din's Fire or Fire Arrows with you. Since you do have the appropriate magic, you can use it without having to worry about not taking it out.

" I should use it here because it will react if I get too close," I said. Since this is good magic I'm using, it shouldn't affect Rainbow Dash in the least, so I took out the gem containing Din's Fire, and performed the necessary poses before it activated. The burst of flame quickly expanded throughout the room causing Anubis to become set on fire which defeated it, and unlocking both doors in the process.

" I just remembered that Fluttershy warned us that there was a creature here which we've never seen before, and that it was weak against fire. Guess we both kind of forgot about it although there are other creatures that will be new when we find them."

" Anubis is rare like I said, so you won't be seeing anymore for a while," said Spike.

" Now all we need to do is wait for the circle of fire to disappear, and we can enter the next area," I said. It took a couple of minutes for the circle to disappear when the crystal switch deactivated, so I walked over to the door and opened where I discovered that this was the same room with the silver rupees. The treasure chest that dropped down was still here, so I needed to see what was inside, but first I had to deal with some Keese flying around. " I was wondering if I could use my fire magic against them to make things easier."

" I'd advise against that as using any kind of fire against a Keese will change it into a Fire Keese," said Spike.

" Then I'll just have to go with the Fairy Slingshot, and pick them all off before they get the chance to fly through the lit torch," I said.

" Be careful of monsters which hang from the ceiling," said Spike. Those words reminded of what has a tendency to drop down without warning, so I looked down at my shadow to discover that it had been replaced, and that meant moving away before it can grab me and send me back to the beginning of the temple.

I ran straight into the main area of the room making sure to tell Rainbow Dash to stay where she was, and soon the Wallmaster came down where it walked around a little, but I turned around and used my fire magic to destroy it before it had the chance to jump back up to the ceiling. Luckily, my magical attack didn't cause the Keese to react to me.

" So that was your natural magic at work?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" In this world, my Equestrian power comes out as fire magic, and it makes sense given my strong connection with the sun," I replied.

" No wonder you are the chosen one despite not proving it to me," said Rainbow Dash.

" What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

" The sacred treasure which resides inside of the Spirit Temple was created to give the chosen one the power to manipulate the sunlight to their whim, and because you just said you've got a strong connection with the sun itself, there is no doubt you are destined to wield it," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Do you know what this treasure is?" I asked.

" I've never seen it, but I do know that it's some kind of equipment," replied Rainbow Dash. Well, that didn't give me any additional clues as to what it is, but at least I know that I can equip it which does narrow it down. I then fired Deku Seeds, and all of the Keese were destroyed without any trouble. While it seemed like the challenges weren't all that difficult, that was hardly the case at all as seeing something like a Stalfos here makes me wonder what else I'm going to run into before this is all said and done.

" How far are you able to go with me?" I asked.

" If I remember correctly, the sacred treasure is located on the third floor, and the same is also true about the Silver Gauntlets. So, I'd say that I'll have to take my leave of you when you are about to explore the third floor. I know it sounds obnoxious of me to abandon you like that, but the laws command it to be," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Well, then I'll enjoy your company until then," I said.

" And it gives me a chance to see more of your skills kid," added Rainbow Dash. The first thing I did was kick open the treasure chest which contained a small key, and I figured the locked portcullis was through the crawl space. Since the Keese had been taken care of, I could now collect the silver rupees scattered about, so I started with the ones on the ground before climbing up the fence to collect the rest.

It didn't take me too long to get them all although I almost slipped a few times as making my way across was a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Upon collecting the final rupee, the middle section of the fence fell over creating the bridge I needed to get back to the other side. I then asked Rainbow Dash to follow me, so she began walking behind me as I lead us towards our destination.

" So far things have been simple, but then this is usually the case in these dungeons," I said.

" The more dangerous areas are usually further in as you unlock new areas using keys and the weapons you find," said Spike.

" What do you think this sacred treasure is?" I asked.

" I'm not sure as we haven't been given much information, but I should be able to tell you when you've found it," replied Spike.

" Which means I won't know for a very long time," I sighed.

" At the current rate you're progressing through the temple, we should get to it within the span of a couple of hours, but there is one factor about its location which we haven't taken into consideration....whether you can get it here in the past, or in the future. We need to determine this so that we know when we'll be able to reach it," said Spike.

Our conversation did make Rainbow Dash feel like she was being left out, so I decided we should focus on reaching the locked portcullis, and make her feel more welcome rather than keep her away.

" We'll need to go through the crawl space," I said.

" That shouldn't be a problem given how flexible I can be," said Rainbow Dash.

" Good," I smiled.

" By the way kid, you don't need to be so secretive about your conversations with your fairy. What you two talk about amongst yourselves is of no concern to me, for I don't poke my nose into other people's business," said Rainbow Dash. I felt as though she was trying to make herself appear tough by ignoring us, but I could sense that she wanted to be a part of the conversation.

That's when I suggested that she ask me some more questions about my story as it has been a while now, yet she waved her hands in front of me as a sign that she wasn't ready to delve into it just yet. " I'll ask you a little later kid as I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole idea of you being a magical pony." The others were stumped by the exact thing, for they just couldn't grasp me as being a four-legged horse with magical powers.

We eventually reached the crawl space we needed to go through, and I went first because I was the hero of this journey, and also because Rainbow Dash suggested it. On the other side was the locked portcullis, so using the key, I unlocked it allowing me to enter the next room....which lead me to a dead-end.

" Now why would opening the locked portcullis result in being stuck?" I asked.

" We're not stuck kid, for if you look to your right, you can see that we can climb up this wall. Yet, you might want to get rid of the monsters crawling up there otherwise it will be a long drop," replied Rainbow Dash. I then looked up and saw a few Skullwaltulas hanging on the wall, so I had to remove them or else they will attack when we try to climb up. Because there was little in the way of room, I had to literally aim straight up if I wanted my Deku Seeds to connect with each of them.

" I'll go back into the previous room kid so that you can have as much space as you need. Make sure you let me know when you're done, as you're not continuing on without me!" She then went through the portcullis leaving me to handle this problem, but I'll admit that I had more room now to aim upwards. Taking out the Fairy Slingshot, I aimed at each Skullwalltula before firing seeds at them destroying all of them aside from one which was a little too high, so I moved as far back as I could before firing one last shot which did the trick.

" Okay, you can come back in now," I said.

" Nice work getting rid of those monsters kid, so now we can make our way up," said Rainbow Dash as she came through the portcullis.

" Have I proved myself to you now, or do I still need to do some more?" I asked.

" You're resourceful with those weapons of yours, and that magic you use is very powerful, yet I'm still not convinced that you have what it takes. You may be the chosen one, but you haven't acted in the manner that's expected of you. I just need to see a little bit more before I make my final judgment. Don't blame me for this kid, for your lack of action at the beginning is what made me feel skeptical, and that is still the case even now, but I'm sure you'll impress me eventually," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Then I'm sorry for not giving you a good first impression," I said.

" It's not your fault as you're still a kid, and what you've been doing is not what kids do," said Rainbow Dash.

" Guess that makes me special, or at the very least different from the standard," I said.

" Ha! I like how you come up with so many different approaches, but I still stand by my convictions. I'll still fight any monsters because I don't want you to assume that I'm being lazy because of how good I am," said Rainbow Dash. It looks like I've gone and struck a personal nerve, yet it was more like she inflicted it on herself rather than me doing anything.

I sighed knowing that it was pointless to try and think about it, so I started climbing up the wall with her right behind me. As we were making our way up, those who have been watching me since I entered the Spirit Temple continued with their observations.

" So what have your observations revealed about this forest girl?" asked Trixie.

" I was right to have suspected there was more to her than I thought, for she does wield tremendous magical powers which are superior to even the strongest of wizards among the Hylians. Her magic could even be on par with what we're capable of, and even match the Great Ganondorf in terms of arcane might," replied Chrysalis.

" As you suspected earlier," said Trixie.

" How can a young forest girl have such high magic power like that? No one her age should be capable of having the equivalent of an ancient sorcerer, and yet she defies all manner of logic....I must remain calm my sister for this defiance is enough to make me want to vent out my frustrations! I originally believed she could use only fire magic, yet my observations reveal that she recently used earth magic, so I can confirm that she wields two elements," said Chrysalis.

" If this is the case then it's natural to conclude she is able to use water and wind as well," suggested Trixie.

" Of these elements, fire is what she uses more often, yet she has experience using the other three. I also sensed that the Great Fairy was able to unlock her ability to use earth, air, and water....this proves that the forest girl is far too dangerous to be allowed to remain alive, so she must be killed before things wind up spiraling out of control," said Chrysalis.

" Remember that we determined she had the keys needed to open the entrance to the Sacred Realm? I cannot sense the power from the realm overflowing into our world, so the entrance hasn't been opened. If she is killed before the Great Ganondorf can enter and lay his hands on the Triforce, he will no doubt blame us, and you know how murderous he can become," said Trixie.

" Then what should we do?" asked Chrysalis.

" You must perform another reading right now, and reaffirm what we determined," replied Trixie.

" Very well........................I have found an answer," said Chrysalis.

" Which is?" asked Trixie.

" The forest girl did have the three Spiritual Stones at one time, yet she no longer has them in her possession. I suspect they have been returned to their resting place inside of the Temple of Time, yet she still has the fourth key....the Ocarina of Time. This poses quite the problem, for this girl has been collecting the keys to the realm. She must have figured out the plan of the Great Ganondorf which explains why she had them to begin with, so that makes her even more of a threat than before.

Then again, the keys are back where they belong, so their presence is no longer being factored into the general equation. Thus, he just needs the Ocarina of Time in order to gain access, and claim the golden power," replied Chrysalis.

" Therefore, the girl can be killed as her usefulness to him has ended," smiled Trixie.

" Which is a relief, for she has progressed further than we were expecting," said Chrysalis.

" She will meet her death at the hands of the guardian who watches over the Silver Gauntlets, so we need no longer concern ourselves with her. Instead, we must focus on Nabooru. She will not accompany the forest girl once she reaches the gauntlets, for Gerudo law states that only the chosen one is permitted to claim the respective powers that lay in the hands of the sand goddess. Of course, we need her to get back down to the entrance quickly, so perhaps a little bit of manipulation is in order," said Trixie.

" That way, she won't be able to resist our power when we make our strike," said Chrysalis.

" Exactly! Nabooru may not look like it, but deep down she desires to help out those in need because of being noble....such a weak sentiment is the reason why she was exiled in the first place. If we lure her down quickly with the notion of assisting someone who has found the temple, she will fall right into our hands, and we can get back to fall back in line," laughed Trixie.

" Have you forgotten that only she and the girl have crossed the Haunted Wasteland," said Chrysalis.

" I'm well aware of that, so we'll need to be crafty in order to make this work," said Trixie.

" Then we all we need to do now is wait for our precious little pawns to fall into place, and fulfill their respective fates thus getting rid of all resistances which could potentially foil the plan of the Great Ganondorf," said Chrysalis.

" All loose ends have been taken care of," smiled Trixie.

" Except for the Master Sword," began Chrysalis.

" What of it?" asked Trixie.

" He can't touch it because that blade is one that those with evil in their hearts can never wield, so if he were to attempt to draw it from the Pedestal of Time, he'd be unable to as the light which emanates from it would surely cause him great pain," replied Chrysalis.

" All the Great Ganondorf needs is someone with a pure heart to pull the sword out, and open up the Sacred Realm which is a simple enough task. You make it sound like this is a disaster, but I suggest you not think about it so much," said Trixie.

" The only one we know who could touch that sword is the forest girl," said Chrysalis.

" Now that you mention it, you do make a valid point," said Trixie.

" Then our guardian must not kill her," said Chrysalis.

" It's too late to stop what has been set into motion, so I suppose it shall be up to her to determine her own fate. Still, we should look into this as there is much we need to determine. This forest girl is more than she seems, and if she is the one who the Great Ganondorf needs to open the realm, then she could become a problem in the future.

So, I suggest we make some preparations just in case. If our guardian does kill her, we can always use magic to revive her long to fulfill that task, and then just kill her again once her usefulness has ended. While it may seem we have been underestimating this girl, in truth we just didn't take the necessary factors into consideration," said Trixie.

" Let us hope we have not made any mistakes which could turn around and decimate us in the end," said Chrysalis.

When I climbed up to the top of the wall, I found myself in a large room that featured a locked portcullis to the left. Iron bars were keeping it closed, so I needed to figure out what can make them go back up, and allow me to move onto the next area. To my right, there were several Skullwalltulas on a rather rocky wall, yet there was a boulder which looked really out of place.

A crystal switch was located on a high up ledge, so I need to use some kind of projectile to activate it, and perhaps the most unusual thing to be had was the sun-like object situated in the middle of the room. I don't know what it was, but I could sense there were additional monsters waiting for me to get closer.

" That must be one of the sun faces that Fluttershy mentioned," I said.

" In order for you to activate it, you need to shine light on it somehow," said Spike.

" And I think I've got a solution on how we go about doing that. Do you notice that one boulder on the wall over there which clearly looks out of place? I'm willing to bet if I remove it, it will cause light to shine through and hit that switch activating it. You can just barely make out some light on the other side, so now the question is how do we blow it up ? I don't think bombs are going to work," I said.

" They won't be able to reach high enough. Even if you were to wait long enough before throwing a bomb to have it blow up while at the highest point of its apex, it still won't work because the blast radius isn't big. I think this is where the Bombchu needed, for it can travel up walls if you remember what we witnessed inside of the Bombchu Bowling Alley," said Spike.

" It's strange that I have all of them on my person, yet this is the first time I've had to use one in a serious situation," I said.

" You should have roughly 30 of them, so you have more than enough chances to destroy that boulder, but I would suggest getting rid of the monsters first as they could interrupt the trajectory of the Bombchu," suggested Spike. Taking out the Fairy Slingshot and following his advice, I fired Deku Seeds at each of the Skullwalltulas bringing them down before I walked over to where the sun face was located.

It did look unusual what with its facial features, yet when I got close enough to it, I checked to see if it had anything to say, and a message appeared before me. 'Show me the light!' Upon a closer inspection, it was actually a switch rather than just a mere face, so then I turned towards the wall where that boulder was sticking out.

From this perspective, I could clearly see it sticking out, and I had to remove it to shine light onto this switch. Taking a Bombchu from out of my Bomb Bag, which was a strange place for me to hold them if you want my opinion, before putting it down, I took a closer look because I had never bothered to see what it was really like.

" To think that technology has come this far," I said.

" Bombchu can be described as the latest iteration of the standard bomb, for all you do is set it down and it will do the rest. Remember that you need to aim carefully, for it will travel at weird angles that go against your wishes if it goes up an unusual part of the wall. Since this boulder is fairly large in size, you shouldn't have any trouble hitting it unless you have really bad aim," said Spike.

" Good thing I have 30 as I guarantee I'm going to be using a few," I said. I then placed the Bombchu on the ground where it immediately went off on its own before it reached the wall, yet it travelled up at the wrong angle and exploded far away from where I wanted it to be. Grabbing another one from my bag, I repeated the process where it moved along the ground, yet this time it turned to the right upon hitting the wall, and blew up a short distance away from where I was standing.

" Told you I needed to use a few because my aim is just terrible." I grabbed one more making sure that I was aiming correctly this time, and then I placed it down where it moved on the ground before going up the wall and exploding upon impact with the boulder. This caused light to come through and shine brightly on the sun switch where it started to glow, and produced a grin.

As a result of this, the iron bars covering the portcullis rose up giving me access to where I need to go next, so I started walking forward only to have two familiar enemies drop down from the ceiling.

" Lizalfos!" exclaimed Spike.

" We haven't seen these since Dodongo's Cavern which was a long time ago," I said.

" I hope you remember how to fight them," said Spike.

" My magic should be more than enough," I suggested.

" While I would suggest using the Kokiri Sword, I can make an exception given the experience we had before," said Spike. Glad that he agreed with me using magic as I wanted to take of this as quickly as possible. As I conjured up some fireballs in my hands, Rainbow Dash suddenly dashed forward where she drew her hidden sword, and slashed away at the Lizalfos before I could even do anything.

Within a matter of moments, she had defeated both monsters without breaking a sweat, yet I suspected she did this to prove she was capable of holding her own. In her eyes, she didn't need any kind of protection for she was a warrior, yet I was on the verge of using my magic to handle the situation.

Even Spike felt surprised at what he witnessed, but he wasn't thrilled because he knew I could have taken care of it. " I do appreciate what she did, but it did deny you the chance to prove yourself to her. It makes me think she has ulterior motives which make it hard for me to fully trust her."

" I would argue about what you just said, but the evidence does suggest that," I said.

" Did you say something kid?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Just mumbling to myself," I replied.

" Well, we could go through that portcullis, or you can see what that crystal switch does if you hit it with a projectile, but the decision is yours to make," said Rainbow Dash. Using the Fairy Slingshot and firing a Deku Seed, activating the switch caused another small treasure chest to drop down from the ceiling, and it landed near one that was already there.

I kicked open the chest that had just fallen and acquired ten Bombchu which was fine considering that I wasted a few trying to blow up that boulder. Kicking open the other one produced a mere five rupees which wasn't bad, but it could have been better. Opening the portcullis, I entered what appeared to be the main room, and my jaw dropped over what I was seeing. There was another statue which looked an awful lot like the one that exists outside, yet it made me feel uneasy because it was giving off some kind of dark aura.

Fluttershy did mention about how treasures can appear in the hands of these statues, so I needed to figure out how to fulfill their obligations, but first I had to find a way up to the hands. A statue to my left looked like it could be an Armos, and I wasn't about to get surprised like last time, so I threw a fireball at it which did nothing.

" Looks like I can push this statue," I said.

" There's a blue switch below, so you need something heavy to keep it activated," suggested Spike.

" This statue definitely qualifies," I said as I pushed it off the side where it landed on the switch, and the sound of iron bars raising somewhere nearby indicated that I did the right thing. While I could go up some nearby stairs to the next level, I was curious about two unlit torches situated on a slightly raised platform located in front of the statue. Jumping down to the ground and avoiding some jars which flew at me, Rainbow Dash insisted on staying behind while I investigated.

As I reached the platform, I looked up just to see how tall this statue was. It almost gave me a nosebleed because of the immense size and scope, yet why was I feeling this dark aura surrounding it? Could it be something those witches created as a means of showing off their might, or was there something else involved?

" You've got to admit that this statue is intimidating," commented Spike.

" I'm sensing a dark aura around it," I said.

" Whatever it is, we can't really do much about it. Judging from what lies on the other side of the room, you can't get over there without the Longshot, and the ice covering that switch above the portcullis in front of you can only be melted by using Hylian fire. You can't melt the fire with your own natural magic, so we'll need to come back here in the future in order to see where both directions go," said Spike.

" I find it weird that I need to use Hylian magic when my own would work," I moaned.

" It's strange yes, but it's also the way this world operates," said Spike.

" Yeah, I suppose so," I sighed.

" At least you can light these torches with your magic if that would make you feel better," suggested Spike.

" I could do that, but I want to use Din's Fire as I need to use it more often than I do," I said. Taking out the gem which contains the spell, I performed the necessary poses and cast it which created a burst of flame lighting both torches. This caused a large treasure chest to appear, and I knew straight away that this was going to be something important, so I opened it up and took out the Dungeon Map.

" Finally! Now we can see just how large this temple really is!" Upon looking at the map, it didn't look like what I was expecting, for this place was rather symmetrical in design, and I assumed it was going to be some kind of massive complex full of twists and turns.

" The Spirit Temple doesn't look all that big, but then appearances can be deceptive," said Spike.

" I know we can't explore the entirety of it right now due to not being able to push that giant block back at the start, but we should still strive to explore as much as we can before returning to the future," I said.

" Huh? Something is wrong with Nabooru," began Spike.

" What are you talking about?" I asked. I ran back over to where the statue I pushed was, and climbed up to Rainbow Dash who appeared to be on edge as though something was really upsetting her.

" I can hear the sounds of someone calling for help down below," said Rainbow Dash.

" You must have some pretty good hearing to be able to hear someone that far away," I said.

" It's one of my own natural talents which makes me stand out among my people, yet when I say someone is calling from below, I mean they are calling from the temple entrance. You may not be able to hear it as your hearing is probably not as good as mine, but I'm hearing cries for help, and despite me being a thief, I refuse to ignore anyone who requires aid," said Rainbow Dash.

" The cries are coming from the entrance? Doesn't that seem a little weird to you?" I asked.

" Not really," answered Rainbow Dash.

" While I don't question how strong of a hearing you have because that's amazing, the fact that someone from the temple entrance is calling for help just strikes me as being very odd in nature. Besides, only you have managed to make it through the Haunted Wasteland, so how did someone else succeed?" I asked.

" I could ask you the same thing," replied Rainbow Dash. She did make a valid point because from her point of view, I somehow made it across the wasteland thus anyone would be able to do so as well. However, I got here through the use of a warp song, but she can't know about that because I learned it in the future. Guess she has silenced me through the means of a technicality, yet I'm still suspicious over someone calling for help.

Aside from Rainbow Dash who has survival instincts, who else could have made it? Maybe someone among the Gerudo is here? Or, it could be someone that I've never met before, but either way this was just too suspicious. In her mind however, she wanted to check out who it was, and I had no plans on stopping her from going.

Yes, I had to let her go because her fate still needs to happen, and I believe that this is the point where she vanished. I needed to be convincing so as to not let on that I know that this isn't a good idea, so choosing my words carefully is going to be key.

" Do you think someone really needs help?" I asked.

" I believe so, and I intend on seeing who it is," replied Rainbow Dash.

" You may have a noble heart, yet you could be walking into a trap," I said.

" Perhaps, but this is something I need to do even if it makes me look stubborn in the process. Besides kid, at the top of these stairs is a portcullis which I cannot enter because only the chosen one is allowed to proceed through, and that means this is where I'm leaving. While you still haven't proved to me that you're the chosen one, I have no choice but to rely on you now.

You must find the Silver Gauntlets and give them to me, and when you've got them, you'll need to make your way back to the temple entrance where I'll be waiting for you. I still intend on fulfilling my promise to give you something good in exchange, so don't think that I'll suddenly change my mind. I know you'll succeed kid because you have a lot of guts," said Rainbow Dash.

" Guess this is goodbye for now," I said.

" I'll see you later kid," said Rainbow Dash as she turned around and went into the previous room. I knew that she was going to suffer a terrible fate because of what I learned in the future, yet this needs to happen to her despite how painful it's going to be for me. No doubt those witches had something to do with making her go back, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

I needed to keep on going because I need the Silver Gauntlets if I am to push that giant block out of the way. Walking up the stairs, I found myself staring in front of the portcullis Rainbow Dash was forbidden to enter, yet it looked pretty normal, so perhaps she was just being paranoid with regards to Gerudo law.

" This portcullis doesn't look any different from the others we've opened," I said.

" And yet Nabooru says that she can't go through," added Spike.

" Which I'm starting to think is deceptive," I said.

" The Gerudo do take their laws and customs very seriously, so I doubt she is deceiving you Sunset Shimmer. I know that beyond this portcullis is forbidden to her and anyone else from her tribe, yet they believe only the chosen one is allowed to proceed because it is where one of their sacred treasures is.

Even though they have no idea as to what the ultimate defence is, they have no intention of claiming it for themselves. If they had gone and done so, you probably would have gotten it a long time ago when we were exploring their fortress," said Spike.

" Right now, I really want to follow her to make sure she will be safe, but I know that I need to let history take its course," I sighed.

" We can't afford to mess around with history," said Spike. I knew he was right, yet the temptation was so powerful because I didn't want anything to happen to one of my friends even if this isn't the version that I am familiar with. After having a little inner struggle with myself, I decided that I must move on and not allow Rainbow Dash's fate to bog me down with despair.

It was at that moment where I finally got to see one of the hands of the goddess, yet it looked like nothing could be done with it as it looked like an ordinary hand. Perhaps I haven't made the proper obligation, or none at all which may be why nothing has appeared, so I shrugged my shoulders and opened up the portcullis where I entered a small room which curved around to the right.

Aside from a beautiful carpet, there were no monsters to get in my way, so I walked up to the next portcullis, and opened it. In this next room where the portcullis locked behind me with iron bars, I found myself staring at a lot of Beamos who were searching around with their eyes, and because of an awkwardly shaped platform in the center of the room, avoiding them was going to be difficult.

" Guess the witches are picking up the pace," I said.

" There are silver rupees which you need to collect, and it looks like you'll need to light up some torches. Also, I see a ray of sunlight coming from the window over there at the back of the room, so it's safe to assume that there is a sun switch somewhere nearby. With all of these various factors at work, you've got a lot to do if we are to proceed further," said Spike.

" What should I handle first?" I asked.

" The Beamos need to be taken out because if all of them see you, they'll fire their lasers which is going to be devastating. Of course, it won't be easy to defeat them because of how close they are to one another," replied Spike.

" Maybe I should go back and get some potions," I suggested.

" You can't do that because Nabooru won't allow you to come back here if she says you're unworthy," said Spike.

" So what can I do?" I asked.

" The only thing that you can do, and that is go forward and try to destroy those Beamos as fast as possible," replied Spike. Because of the laws of the Gerudo, I was backed into a corner with no means of going back and getting what I needed. Rainbow Dash would spot me instantly if I were to try and sneak back inside as she has fantastic hearing.

I gulped heavily knowing that I was taking such a huge risk, so I moved forward before coming to a stop as the Beamos were all looking at me with their eyes. Yeah, this was going to hurt severely as all of them began firing laser beams at me in a stream....

To Be Continued....

Chapter 60: To Have Control

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 11, 2015
Chapter 60: To Have Control.

Now that I had witnessed what became of Rainbow Dash, she had left me with one heck of a burden. Granted, I had saved Spitfire in the future from the control of those witches. Still, there was immense pressure for now I must finish what she started. I was holding in my hand the ring which had been given to me by Rainbow Dash's loyal, but clueless subordinate, Derpy, and it was what I needed in order to gain access to the ultimate defence.

To defeat those witches, and to break the curse on the temple, I need this treasure....yet Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and just about everyone else in the desert has not really told me how I have to use this ring. As I stared longingly at it, I tried to think of ways that I could use it to get what I need, but so far I wasn't able to come up with a good enough answer.

" I'm just stumped," I sighed.

" About what?" asked Spike.

" Rainbow Dash wants me to use this ring to get the treasure of the Spirit Temple, yet I wish she could have told me a little more about what to do with it. It is a very nice ring and no doubt extremely valuable given who it once belonged to, but I feel like I've only got part of the solution with the rest of it completely up in the air," I replied.

" I do agree that we need more information, but I suppose we were meant to figure it out on our own. Nabooru went to great lengths to secure that ring by stealing it from the temple, giving it to her subordinate, and who in turn gave it to you. I have no doubt it is what we need to defeat the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf, and they will do everything they can to destroy us," said Spike.

" We need to know more about this ring," I said.

" The Gerudo don't know much about it, so I'm not sure where we can go to do some research," said Spike. His choice of words suddenly gave me an idea, and I also have to thank Twilight and her love of research for adding to my inspiration. The Gerudo chose to forget about their past, and focusing on thievery as their means of survival, but I'm sure they kept some records because no tribe would truly want to sever ties with their ancestors.

If I can get access to these records, it should provide some information about this ring. It doesn't matter if it's a lot, or very little of it provided it just says the basics of what this ring is supposed to do. The question though is whether Spike would agree that we should pay one last visit to the Gerudo's Fortress, as he may suggest that we go straight to the temple.

" I have an idea," I began.

" What did you have in mind?" asked Spike.

" I know that we haven't had much luck in getting information about this ring, but if we were to get access to what records they did decide to keep at the fortress, we'll be able to find what we're looking for. It does mean we would have to stop at there briefly before making our way to the temple, but I wanted to run this by you first," I replied.

" While we should make our way to the temple as soon as possible, I agree that we should read those archives. We know so very little about how this ring is supposed to allow you to claim the sacred treasure, and it would be for the best if you had an idea of what to do rather than attempt to solve it blind," said Spike.

" I was hoping you'd agree," I smiled.

" Of course because we need as much help as we can get because when we enter the temple in the future, things are going to become more difficult than before. The witches will be out to destroy you as they believe you to be a threat to Ganondorf, and Sunset Demon is still waiting for you to arrive, so knowing exactly how to use that ring will make certain transitions become easier," said Spike.

" Plus, I do want to try that Horseback Archery in order to get that larger quiver," I said.

" Having extra arrows is never a bad thing," said Spike. I should focus on getting the information from the archives first, and then focus my efforts on getting the quiver upgrade. It will also give Epona something fun to do as surely she wishes that she could go with me everywhere on my journey, and that's when something else popped up in my mind. Spitfire will probably ask me how things went in the desert, and probably wonder how I was able to come back in one piece.

How am I going to get around this without revealing too much? I then decided to tell Spike about this, and what he said to me in response was reassuring. " Since Nabooru made it back successfully, you can say the same thing, but don't let on that you are able to warp around the kingdom. If she asks anything about what became of the former second-in-command, you can't reveal what we witnessed here because such knowledge was never discovered in the future."

" So what can I say?" I asked.

" I'm not sure, but she can't learn that you have the ability to travel back and forth through time," replied Spike.

" Figured you would say that," I sighed. I then showed him the Silver Gauntlets which I acquired from the treasure chest....the same gauntlets that I was supposed to have given to Rainbow Dash, but because she had been abducted, they have now become mine. Just looking at them made me feel angry over how I couldn't do anything given the events of the past had to happen.

" Yes, while you have obtained those gauntlets, such a reward came with a terrible price....the fate of Nabooru. You must take and use them so that you can access deeper areas of the Spirit Temple. You were destined to have them even though it meant breaking the promise you made to her, yet I am certain she will forgive you."

" I wonder if I can put them on right now," I said.

" You do look the same now as you do in the future, but the gauntlets won't fit you," said Spike.

" In truth, I should have gotten older upon first awakening in the Chamber of the Sages within the Sacred Realm, but my Equestrian magic prevented me from aging. I know people who knew me in the past were shocked that I didn't age like they did, yet you think that this wouldn't apply to weapons and the like," I moaned.

" People change but items remain the same," said Spike.

" Well, I suppose all I can do with these gauntlets is just keep them until we return to the future," I said. Since I need to return to the future to break the curse on the temple and save Rainbow Dash, I have to play the Prelude of Light using the Ocarina of Time. I then took it out of the pouch I keep it in, and played it which quickly warped me back to the Temple of Time. Upon my arrival, I made my way to where the Master Sword rested as I need to draw it from the Pedestal of Time.

" I believe this is the last time we'll be coming to the past," said Spike.

" Makes me wish I could have picked up some additional items here before going back," I said.

" You may still get the chance," began Spike.

" How can you say that after saying this will be our last time here?" I asked.

" There is no telling what will happen once you have awoken the final Sage," replied Spike. The most likely result is going to be me entering Ganondorf's castle, and I am not ready to go there even if I have the Master Sword. Speaking of the divine blade, there it was in its resting place, and now the time has come for me to pull it from its pedestal once again. Walking up to it and placing my hands firmly on the hilt, I began pulling until the sword came out, and I became surrounded by blue light.

A few moments later and I was back in the future with all of my weapons intact, yet where were the Silver Gauntlets? I remember placing them on my belt, and now they are no longer there which made me wonder just what happened to them.

" Do you know where those gauntlets are?" I asked.

" They're on your wrists," replied Spike.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed. I then looked down at my wrists, and there they were in all of their glory. I have to admit that they do look good on me, even though the colour can be viewed as inferior in the minds of some people. I felt a strong surge coming from my hands which made me feel like I could easily lift up anything no matter how heavy it was.

" While these gauntlets will be useful to me for what I need them for, a part of me still feels bad that Rainbow Dash had to suffer before the desert swallowed her courtesy of those witches. She was meant to have these and not me, so no matter what you say about it Spike, you know as well as I that these were acquired unintentionally," I said.

" And now you must use them to finish what she started," said Spike.

" Her plan was to get deeper into the temple to steal all of the treasure, but I am not a thief, so the idea of me stealing treasure is against everything I stand for. I'm going to ruin the plans of the Evil King as the temple must be freed, and I'm hoping that Rainbow Dash is still alive even though she has been missing all this time," I said. Looking closely at the Silver Gauntlets, I began to think about how they would have looked had I given them to her, but that is a feeling which will never become a reality.

Seven years have passed since she disappeared, yet she was abducted as a result of being a thorn in the side of Ganondorf. The witches spread rumours about her as a means of covering up her disappearance by saying that she didn't want to return to her home at the fortress, and instead preferred to remain in the desert.

Because the Gerudo still had a lot of respect towards Rainbow Dash despite no longer being second-in-command, they chose to respect her decision and left it at that. Anyone who suspected something was amiss ended up perishing in the desert, or were captured by the witches who wanted no one snooping around the temple.

" We need to go to the Gerudo's Fortress in order to look at their records," said Spike.

" Perhaps playing the Requiem of Spirit will help us get there quicker?" I asked.

" It will send us to the Desert Colossus as that's where the Sage Altar is located, and it's impossible to return to the fortress from that end because of the Haunted Wasteland. Our only choice is to travel via horseback to the fortress and speak to Spitfire. Since she is in charge, we need to speak with her to get permission to look at their records," replied Spike.

" I am now an honourary member of the tribe, so that should give me access," I said.

" Hopefully, she decides to acknowledge this otherwise we may have to sneak around again," said Spike. That's something I'd rather not have to deal with as sneaking around was so nerve-wracking for me as a small mistake would have meant being thrown back into that one tall tower of theirs. I then walked outside of the Temple of Time, and that's when something else came to my attention.

" You know, we've never seen what Ganondorf's castle looks like," I said.

" It may not be easy to look at given what used to be there before he took over," said Spike.

" But, we have to see eventually as it is where we must go after the final Sage has been awoken," I said.

" Going there right now is bound to make you lose control of your emotions because you'll see what he has done, and not be able to go inside and deal with him. Without the power of the Sages, we can't enter, so we need to avoid going there until the proper time. Besides, your next transformation needs to be of your own free will, and not the result of being filled with anger," said Spike.

" Has anyone ever described what his castle is like?" I asked.

" Not that I can carry seeing as people would prefer to stay away from there because of what it represents," replied Spike.

" I remember what Hyrule Castle looked like as that is where we met Twilight, and the sheer beauty was just breathtaking. Compared to the other tribes with the exception of the Zoras, the castle was a perfect example of how the Hylians are dedicated to showcasing their taste for the finer things in life. Just thinking about how something so beautiful has been transformed into something from your deepest nightmares is too horrible to think about," I said.

" Ganondorf will pay for what he has done," said Spike.

" Hopefully soon," I added. I quickly made my way outside of the destroyed Hyrule Castle Town before the ReDeads attacked because they were still prowling around in the Market. Upon making it outside, I noticed that it was still night out in the field, and that meant I haven't slept for sometime. Maybe I could get some rest at the fortress, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem given how I'm one of them now. Heh, perhaps being a thief has its advantages after all.

Taking out of the Ocarina of Time again, I needed some help in remembering how to play the song which can call Epona to my side, and luckily Spike was able to show me how it went thanks to him writing it down. Upon playing it, I heard the happy whinnying of my trusty steed as she galloped over to where I was standing. " It's been a while since we last saw each other hasn't it?" Epona then neighed which prompted me to do the same in response.

" I'll still never get used to seeing you do that," said Spike.

" It's merely because I happen to be a talking magical pony from where I come from that allows me to communicate with her," I said.

" I've been meaning to ask you a question," said Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" Do you miss your home....as in, your real home?" asked Spike.

" Equestria? I haven't been back there ever since the day I chose to go into self-exile because I believed Princess Celestia was denying me the right to become an alicorn. That was probably over ten years ago, and I doubt anyone even remembers me having existed given how long it's been. The thing is, if I were given the chance to go back to my birth place, I am likely to be arrested by the Royal Guard because of what I did back then," I replied.

" What did you do?" asked Spike.

" I wanted to become an alicorn so badly that I just couldn't wait, so I decided to sneak into a forbidden section of the Canterlot Library which housed books on dark magic. I read one particular book, and when the Royal Guards and Celestia discovered what I was doing....I should have accepted my punishment instead of going into exile. Because of Twilight helping me to change my life around, I do have the desire to go back home to Equestria, but I'm not sure what is going to happen upon my return," I replied.

" All you can do Sunset Shimmer at this point is to accept whatever fate is awaiting you. No need to allow the fear of going back prevent you from doing so, and you can take this experience and apply it to your eventual confrontation with Ganondorf. His presence has struck fear into your heart because of what we've heard about him, yet the only one who can defeat him is you," said Spike.

Hearing those words made me feel better, and he was right about how I was allowing both my fear of Equestria and the Evil King get in the way of what needs to be done. Even Epona whinnied her support for me, so I responded to her in kind by whinnying my thanks to her for being by my side. I'll return to Equestria one day in the future because there is something I need to deal with which should close a chapter in my troubled history.

Giving Epona a soft kick to her ribs, she began to gallop off at a fast pace towards Gerudo Valley because I needed to speak to Spitfire about looking at her tribe's records. It didn't take long for us to make it there, and the bridge had since been repaired which is due to having rescued the four carpenters at the time.

" The bridge looks amazing," I commented.

" Those carpenters really know how to do some good work if given the incentive," said Spike.

" At least we don't have to jump across the gap now," I said.

" Do you want to pay a visit to Mutoh and his company given how their tent is over there?" asked Spike.

" No, we should focus on looking at those records because if I were to visit them right now, I'm bound to get stuck in a conversation with Sweetie Belle, or at the very least with Aria," I replied. Spike agreed for we need the final Sage to awaken, and neither of us had any idea who was going to assume the position. Upon entering the Gerudo's Fortress, many of the thieves were surprised to see me, and when I reached the main entrance, Spitfire was waiting for me along with a small entourage.

" Welcome back Sunset Shimmer. I take it that you were unable to make it through the Haunted Wasteland?" asked Spitfire.

" No, I made it successfully yet I had to use personal means to come back here," I replied.

" So you crossed the accursed desert just like the exalted Nabooru. I won't ask how you managed to come back here as that is a private matter which we respect, but why have you returned? Is it because of our famous Horseback Archery? It's too late to challenge it now as the one who runs it has long since gone to bed," said Spitfire.

" I came back here because I need permission to view your records," I said.

" Of the history of our people?" asked Spitfire.

" I know you've chosen to forget about the past of your people because of wanting to be dedicated to thievery, but I'm willing to believe you did keep some records because it would have been dishonourable to have neglected your roots," I replied.

" It's true that we do have some records of our ancestors in our library, but why do you want access to them?" asked Spitfire.

" I need to know how this ring is supposed to allow me to get the ultimate defence," I replied.

" Let me think here for a second....yes, there is a mention in our records regarding that ring, but I'm not sure where you'll be able to find the answer you seek. To answer your original question, you have my permission to look at our records. Since you were able to make it across the wasteland, were you able to find out anything regarding the fate of the exalted Nabooru?" asked Spitfire.

I was afraid she was going to ask this question, and Spike did warn me about it. How am I supposed to explain to her that I went back in time, and witnessed exactly what became of Rainbow Dash? I need to give her some kind of answer otherwise she could take this the wrong way, and I'll be in a lot of trouble with the entire tribe.

The pressure was now starting to get to me because of being trapped between a rock and a hard place, but then something struck within my mind. There was one thing I could mention that doesn't give away the truth as to what I really know.

" I reached the Spirit Temple, and judging from what I found, Nabooru did go inside, but never came back out," I replied. This actually was true as upon my first time entering, I did see what appeared to be scuffle marks near where Rainbow Dash was sitting when I saw her in the past. It never registered in my head until Spitfire happened to bring it up just now.

" Then she has fallen foul to the mothers of Ganondorf," said Spitfire.

" Most likely," I said.

" The Gerudo are aware of what the sorceresses have done, and agree that they need to be defeated. Sunset Shimmer, I believe that you can defeat the witches who dwell in the Spirit Temple, for I can tell that you've had experience dealing with such powerful odds. Now come with me, and I'll take you to our library where our records have been kept," said Spitfire. Normally, I'd be feeling depressed about having so much pressure, but in this case I'm not bothered by it because I want to defeat the witches.

I was then lead into the fortress by Spitfire who kept silent until we came to a door which looked like it could do with some repairs, and she beckoned me to follow her into the room beyond. I found myself surrounded by walls upon walls of books where Twilight would love to come and see it for herself given how much she adores books. Spitfire walked towards a section where there was a large leather-bound book where she picked it up from its place of rest and handed it to me.

" This book contains the remaining records of the Gerudo that we chose to retain. The answers you seek can be found within these pages, and upon finishing, please return it to where I got it from. I will leave you now to comb through our history, and I hope to see you in the morning." She then turned around and left the room leaving me to look through the book containing their history.

" So somewhere in this book are the answers we need," I said.

" It may take some time to find it," said Spike.

" Even if it isn't all that much information, anything is better than nothing," I said.

" Do you still plan on trying Horseback Archery, or should we leave that until after the Spirit Temple?" asked Spike.

" I want to try it and hopefully win that larger quiver, but because the one in charge is sleeping, I won't be able to do anything about it until tomorrow morning. I'm sure we can sleep here for the night as I doubt anyone will tell us otherwise. Rainbow Dash went to all that trouble to make sure that it would reach me, and I can't let her down despite what happened to her in the end," I replied. Combing through the pages, there was a lot of information, yet none of it was going to help me figure out the use for this ring.

Eventually, I had looked at every last portion of the book, and nothing came up as a result. This made me feel extremely frustrated because this had been a waste of time, but then something caught my attention....there was a page near the middle which looked like someone had glued it together, so I carefully got it unstuck as I don't want to rip this apart thus ruining it, and the first thing I saw was an image of the ring. " Gasp! This is it! This is what we're looking for!"

" What did you find?" asked Spike.

" It says here that the ring is needed to open up a special door in the Spirit Temple, and it will only open when used in connection with the power of sunlight. The way to the ultimate defence shall become accessible from there," I replied.

" We should have known that the sun would be needed," said Spike.

" There isn't much else we need to know, so I'll put this book back where Spitfire got it, and we can get some sleep," I said. After putting it back on the shelf, I decided the best place I could rest was the chair I had been sitting on. It may not be the best way to sleep, but I wasn't about to close my eyes while laying down on a cold, hard floor.

As I slowly closed my eyes, I was imagining Twilight in my mind as she had done this sort of thing before when she visited the human world, so it felt nice that I was following her example. Luckily, nothing happened during the night, so when the morning came along, I made my way outside where Epona and Spitfire were waiting for me.

" Good morning Sunset Shimmer! You decided to spend your night sleeping inside of our library? I could have given you a more comfortable place to sleep given that the chairs in that room don't make for very good beds," said Spitfire.

" I was compelled to sleep there," I said.

" As long as you got some rest then you'll be fine with what lies ahead of you. Our Horseback Archery course is up the pathway over there which runs by the left side of the fortress, but don't feel daunted by how big it really is. Since you happen to have your own horse, the woman in charge will get you sorted out immediately.

She does have an actual horse there, but she prefers it when challengers bring their own. Tell her I suggested you to try our challenge, and she will give you a special course in return. You can't afford to spend too much time back there as the evil that plagues the desert still hangs above us despite things looking peaceful," said Spitfire.

" I can probably afford at least 15 minutes," I said.

" It takes about two minutes to make it through the challenge, so you should have more than enough time. I would come and watch, but I must go inside and prepare our defences in case we get attacked from the Haunted Wasteland. Those two witches could easily launch something to destroy us because of what you've done for the fortress, so I must get everyone ready. If you do happen to come by here again after you've finished with your business out in the Desert Colossus, I would like to hear of your exploits," said Spitfire.

" Then this is goodbye again," I said.

" Until the next time," said Spitfire, and with that she turned around and walked inside. I knew what I had to do, so I climbed onto my faithful steed, and she instantly galloped off towards the Horseback Archery course for she knew that was where I wanted to go. It didn't take long for us to get there, and Spitfire wasn't kidding when she said it could be daunting, for it was the same size as the fortress itself.

A lone Gerudo woman was standing under some kind of shade with a horse located next to her, and turned her attention towards me when I came up. It turned out that this was none other than the best friend of Diamond Tiara....Silver Spoon. I wonder why I never saw her in this world until now.

" Hey newcomer! This is our Horseback Archery Field where we've been training really hard until we finally obtained the skill to hit the bull's-eye while riding like the wind! It's a rather dangerous sport mind you, but a lot of fun once you've gotten the hang of it. Say, you have a mighty fine horse there! I don't know where you stole it from, yet I can see the fire burning in its eyes," said Silver Spoon.

" Spitfire suggested for me to come here," I said.

" Is that so? Well then, I must offer you our special course as I'm aware you need to deal with the problem in the desert. Okay, here is what you need to do in order to complete this challenge. Your horse is going to gallop across this area, around the target in the far-off distance, and back this way where it will stop just shortly after this other target. While it's galloping along at a steady pace, you'll be shooting the jars and targets which have been placed around the course.

I'm going to give you 20 arrows, so you don't need to use your own arrows, and you must score 1,800 points before your horse gets back here. Normally, you would need to get 1,000 and 1,500 points respectively to win the prizes here, but because you're in a real hurry, I'll give you both prizes at the same time if you can get 1,800 points," said Silver Spoon.

" Sounds difficult," I said.

" Perhaps, but I'm sure you can do it. Oh, and this isn't a free game even if Madam Spitfire suggested it to you, so I'm afraid you need to pay me 15 rupees if you wish to challenge this course," said Silver Spoon. Since I wanted to earn that larger quiver because I could do with more arrows, I paid the money she wanted, and soon I found myself ready to get started. " Your challenge begins the moment you have your horse start galloping, and ends when you make it back here, or run out of arrows."

I then gave Epona a soft kick to the ribs, and she began to gallop along which was just like normal, but then shooting targets while riding was very difficult. As we made our way along the course, I tried as hard as I could to shatter the jars and hit the targets, yet many of my shots were wasted, and what I did hit in the end didn't amount to all that much. I even almost fell off a couple of times because of finding it hard to keep my balance.

By the time I made it back to the beginning, Silver Spoon wasn't impressed with my display. " You looked as though you've never ridden a horse before in your entire life, yet somehow you managed to get a score of 400 points. I don't know what to say about such a pathetic score like that, but deep down you feel ashamed of it, and the desire to do even better burns in your heart."

" I want another try," I said.

" 15 rupees please," said Silver Spoon.

" Fair enough," I said. I then went through the obstacle course again, and Epona could tell that I was struggling, so she whinnied to me that I shouldn't give up and not allow my insecurities to get in the way of what I want. I whinnied back to her in response agreeing to what she said, and that gave me some much needed confidence to do a lot better than a measly 400 points.

Good thing Spitfire didn't see it otherwise I'd never be able to live it down. My second attempt did yield better results as I hit more targets than the previous try, yet Silver Spoon looked just as unimpressed as before when I got back to her location.

" 1,000 points this time....you got better, but it just isn't enough," said Silver Spoon.

" Again!" I shouted.

" 15 rupees please like before," said Silver Spoon.

" I'm going to do this no matter what it takes," I said. Epona agreed with me by neighing and we went through the course for the third time where I managed to hit even more targets including several of the jars, and when I reached the end, Silver Spoon looked impressed instead of looking disappointed.

" How about that? This time you managed to score 1,600 points which is almost there, but just missing the end result. I'm impressed with how you improved in only a few attempts, so be proud of such an achievement," said Silver Spoon.

" Which is why I want to try again," I said.

" You really are determined aren't you? I'll give you credit for having a lot of guts, and that is going to get you far. All right! I'll let you try once more, and that will be 15 rupees please," said Silver Spoon. I paid her the money, and we started to go through the course yet again, but this time I was determined to win the two prizes.

Because I had gotten used to shooting arrows like this after having not done so since hunting down those Big Poes for the owner of the Ghost Shop, shattering all of the pots and hitting the targets became almost second-nature to me. I almost fell off once or twice, and you can't blame me because I haven't been doing this for years which is most likely the case for Silver Spoon and the other Gerudo.

Each of my shots was well executed, but I did miss once or twice during the course of this challenge, and upon finally getting back to where I started, I felt that this was my best effort yet. " Well call me utterly impressed! Your score this time around is 1,900 points, so that means you've won both prizes! I'm not upset about giving these away because you definitely earned them, but I did get some money out of it which will do me some good in the future.

The first prize I have for you is this Piece of Heart which I stole from somewhere long ago, yet where exactly it was I forget. The second prize is this quiver which has been my pride and joy for years. It was never stolen or anything like that, but rather it's completely genuine, and I hope that you take great care of it.

You won't be needing that smaller quiver anymore, so allow me to take it off your hands." She then gave me the Piece of Heart first where the warm feeling I get from these once again kicked in for me, and then she gave me the quiver I've been wanting, and it featured a gold rim around it.

" Now you can carry up to 50 arrows," said Spike.

" Which is more than enough for me to overcome what lies in the Spirit Temple," I said.

" I suggest you get over there newcomer because only you can defeat those two witches," said Silver Spoon.

" I'll make sure those two never cause trouble for the Gerudo again," I said.

" Then I wish you good luck, and if you ever feel a desire to come back here and play this game for the fun of it, just let me know and I'll set you up with a challenge which will cater to your skills," said Silver Spoon. I thanked her for everything she had done, and Epona galloped back down to the main area of the fortress where she made her way to the edge of the entrance to the Haunted Wasteland.

I didn't want anyone to know how I was able to come back from the Desert Colossus, so I figured on warping in the wasteland where no one will see me. I climbed down from Epona and whinnied for a couple of moments before taking my leave and running into the wasteland where I became surrounded by the eternal sandstorm.

" Epona didn't want you to go did she?" asked Spike.

" No because of what we just went through, but she knows that I need to do this," I replied.

" The Spirit Temple has most likely changed from when we last explored it, so make sure you watch your step. Also, don't lose that ring because it's the only means of opening that special door. Now then, you need to use the ocarina, and play the Requiem of Spirit to warp to the Desert Colossus," said Spike. I followed his example by taking out the Ocarina of Time, and playing the appropriate song which surrounded me in a bright orange light.

A few moments later, and I found myself back in the desert, but it wasn't cold due to the sun being out. I could barely make out Sonata in the distance who was most likely continuing with her digging for those ancient masks, yet I couldn't afford to speak with her as I did have an important mission.

" I wonder if that Magic Bean has grown," I said.

" What made you think of saying that?" asked Spike.

" Seeing Sonata over there digging away reminded me about it," I replied.

" I'm sure that it has grown by now given how it has been seven years since you planted it," said Spike. Walking carefully across the sand making certain not to be spotted by Sonata, I made my way over to the entrance of the temple, and to the left was the Magic Bean having now fully grown.

Curious as to where it will take me, I stepped on it, and found myself being taken on an impressive sky trip across the desert until it suddenly went upwards when I approached the mysterious stones in front of the temple. That's when I noticed a Piece of Heart on top which prompted me to jump off the bean, and I landed on the stone with a thud which did cause some slight damage due to falling a little too far. Of course, picking this up would instantly mitigate the damage, so it didn't really do anything.

" Now I need to avoid running into Sonata at least until we're done inside," I said.

" All you can do is jump down, and make a run for it," said Spike.

" Guess so," I said.

" The sand should cushion your fall, but then the Hover Boots should alleviate some of the damage. Remember to switch back to your regular boots when we go inside as I don't think you want to slide all over the place," said Spike. I had forgotten that I was wearing those because I was wearing my normal boots in the past, so I'll need to make the change before I go and push that giant block.

Looking around to make sure Sonata wouldn't see me, she had since moved on and was exploring near the oasis at the far northwest corner of the desert. I grabbed the Piece of Heart which made me experience that warm feeling again, and from there I jumped down after floating along slightly where I landed with a deep thud. Once I regained my composure, I ran towards the temple entrance and entered it, but I was unaware that the two witches once again were watching me like they had done years ago.

" Look who has finally returned to our temple after so many years Kotake," said Trixie.

" It's the forest girl Koume," said Chrysalis.

" Strange how only just recently did we learn she came here long ago, and we believed her to have gotten lost in the desert where she stumbled onto this place. Before coming to that revelation, we never knew that she paid our temple a visit during the time where Nabooru was exiled because of her treachery," said Trixie.

" Why we figured it out doesn't mean a thing, for now we must deal with this child because if we fail, the Great Ganondorf is going to punish us in the same manner that he does to all those who have failed him. It's a good thing that we spent some time studying this forest girl closely, for we have the means to finally do away with her before she undoes all of the hard work we have created since the day our son first began delving into the dark arts," said Chrysalis.

" The girl was able to claim the silver power seven years ago, for she now wears the gauntlets upon her wrists. But, we can prevent her from claiming the ultimate defence. We should have known back then that Nabooru wanted someone to get their hands it, so she stole that ring from the Great Ganondorf's treasure hoard, and it somehow managed to make its way into the hands of this child," said Trixie.

" It shows how we completely misread the situation from the very beginning, but we have a chance to fix this oversight. The forest girl must not be allowed to awaken the final Sage, so we must ensure she suffers a most glorious death. As long as the power inside of her remains intact, her life need not be significant, and the Great Ganondorf can easily acquire what he seeks," said Chrysalis.

" Back in the past, we were too easy on the girl for the only threat that almost ended her existence was the guardian," said Trixie.

" And while we do have another one that is currently protecting the sacred treasure of the Gerudo, it is not going to stop her. She once wielded weak weapons along with a weak sword, but now she has much stronger weapons. Also, she wields the Master Sword which is a blade we must not take lightly because of how effective it is against those who are evil.

Our other guardian is most likely to fall in defeat without her suffering too much, so perhaps our special guardian may prove to be what we need to put an end to her interference. Granted, we haven't used it all that much aside from in the Haunted Wasteland, but we must use every last resource we have or else she will succeed in awakening the Sage," said Chrysalis.

" It took us a long time to carefully craft our special guardian," said Trixie.

" I know, and to lose it would be a disaster," said Chrysalis.

" Then the girl must die, or else we will have no choice but to use our special guardian. Of course Kotake, we must take the other problem we have into consideration," said Trixie.

" Yes, for we cannot ignore this creature Koume as she could become just as bad," said Chrysalis.

" The she-demon has proven to be a stubborn wretch that refuses to die, but the Great Ganondorf has allowed her to continue existing so long as she is able to kill the girl. Personally, we shouldn't put our faith into this horrid creature, for if she acquires her desire to assume the life of the girl, who knows what she may try to afterwards. For all we know, she may attempt to kill the Great Ganondorf and acquire his power and eventually conquer Hyrule on her own.

I have no doubt she is one who seeks power above all else, and would gladly kill any and all people in order to get it. That is why we must make sure that she can be kept under control, or perhaps we should use our magic to brainwash her just like we have done to everyone else who proved problematic," said Trixie.

" Remember that the she-demon is immune to a lot of different kinds of magic because of not being from this world," said Chrysalis.

" Which has proven to be a real annoyance, and it also means the girl has the same immunities," said Trixie.

" Most perplexing indeed," said Chrysalis.

" If everything goes as we expect it to, the girl and the she-demon will destroy one another, and put themselves out of our misery without us or our special guardian having to get involved. Of course, it would be wise for us to make some additional preparations in case things don't go as we want them to. We learned that the hard way seven years ago when the girl waltzed through our temple of her own volition, and we cannot make that mistake again," said Trixie.

" What if we fail?" asked Chrysalis.

" That is not an option for us under any circumstances," replied Trixie.

The opening chamber of the Spirit Temple looked the same as it did when I came here seven years ago. The snakehead statues were still in their respective locations, so I had no reason to read the messages again even if it was Spike who read them due to me not understanding ancient Hylian text. The main difference was that I was wearing the Silver Gauntlets which I needed to bring back here in order to be able to progress further, so I decided to check out the giant block to see if this equipment would work as intended.

" So I can now push this block?" I asked.

" The Silver Gauntlets have given you more strength than what you had before, so pushing this will be easy for you. Don't feel discouraged Sunset Shimmer because you're having doubts, but rather just go for it and see what happens. You also need to transform of your own volition, so if we encounter any monsters, you should defeat them by utilizing those pony ears and tail," replied Spike.

I needed to master transforming especially with Sunset Demon now lurking around the temple given how she is here in the present, but wasn't in the past when I explored trying to find these gauntlets. Placing my hands on the giant block, I gave it a big push where it suddenly began to move which meant the gauntlets did work.

The experience was just heavenly because this thing was at least five times my size, and I'm just applying a small amount of pressure allowing me to push it along like it were nothing. After pushing it along for a short period, the block suddenly dropped into a hole thus opening the way forward, and before me was an area of the temple which I have yet to explore.

" Guess I should try transforming seeing as we have some Keese and another Beamos just like what we saw on the other side," I said.

" You need to concentrate this time around, for you must have complete control over this. When you transformed in previous situations, you did so because of losing control of your emotions. Upon changing, it resulted in you being psychotic in nature, and having no regard for your own safety. While it managed to work out against Ganondorf, the subsequent transformations showed how the experience completely changed you," said Spike.

" Because I couldn't control myself, I was afraid to transform," I said.

" Deep down, you wanted to use this power because you were able to back where you come from," said Spike.

" In the human world, I was granted the ability to transform because I had proven myself worthy to access my Equestrian magic. It took me a long time to overcome what had been holding me back, and what I felt truly made me feel like I was really alive. My friends were able to get pony ears and a tail because they appreciated the power of friendship....something which took me years to finally understand it.

When my time came along, I knew there and then that I was finally able to break free of the shackles representing my past. The transformation I achieved was the result of a good feeling deep inside, and wanting to prove that no one would ever be able to break me down no matter how hard they tried," I said.

" And in Hyrule?" asked Spike.

" My transformation in this world became warped....corrupted if you will which is why I end up losing control. Instead of my change being one of pure happiness and wanting to prove that I was a better person, it became a nightmare where I lost all sense of self. I quickly figured out that even though my memories transitioned perfectly from the human world into Hyrule, my magic and transformation didn't and ended up becoming completely different," I replied.

" Which is why you need to change just like you did back where you come from," said Spike. The way he said that made me think that he assumes that it will be easy for me, but it isn't quite as easy as he is making it out to be. I could only achieve it through playing a musical instrument, or singing a song, but both of those factors aren't possible. So, I need to achieve it through sheer concentration, and the will to change without losing control of my emotions.

I need to have a clear head, and not allow my mind to become affected with so much pain and despair. I've had more than my fair share of that, and I don't need anymore of it bogging me down. The monsters in this part of the entrance chamber had been ignoring me so far, and that was fine with me as I didn't want them to become a distraction.

I then closed my eyes and began concentrating on transforming without allowing my emotions to get in the way. It proved to be difficult for me straight away as the atrocities caused by Ganondorf were too much for me to bear, and eventually it caused me to open my eyes with sweat dripping down my forehead.

" I just can't clear these images of destruction out of my head," I said.

" Which is the source of your emotional breakdown," said Spike.

" Then what can I do?" I asked.

" Even though you've witnessed so much heartbreak as a result of what happened to Hyrule, you have single-handedly changed things back to the way they were. You should use that as an inspiration which in turn will allow you to transform. Focus on the good you've done, and not on the bad which you've been fixing ever since returning from the Sacred Realm," replied Spike.

That was a good way of looking at it because what Ganondorf did has been reversed by my hard work even though at times I wished it could have been handled by someone else. If I focus on the good and not lose sight of it, I'll be able to transform without succumbing to my emotions. I closed my eyes again and began to concentrate making sure not to allow the pain and suffering to get in the way again.

Within my mind, I could see the people smiling at me, and saying that because of my actions, they have become happy once again after living in such misery when the Evil King acquired his power. This is exactly what I needed, and as I maintained this image, I allowed it to make me feel stronger and better about myself....and then it happened. My pony ears and tail appeared of my own volition instead of from me losing it. Of course, my transformation also meant an increase in power.

" I did it Spike!" I exclaimed.

" Yet why do you look like you're holding back?" asked Spike.

" Remember what happened when I took on Ganondorf, Phantom Ganon, and Sunset Demon like this? I gained a massive increase in power, and because I lost control of my emotions before changing, I never paid any attention to what I possessed. Now that I've changed of my own free will, I understand just how strong I became, and just standing upright is a challenge in and of itself," I replied.

" Guess you need to get used to it with your mind in control," said Spike.

" My transformation only lasted until I finished playing a song and/or music, and in Hyrule it lasts until I finish a battle. I suspect that it can only be maintained for a few minutes, so I shouldn't rely on it to get me through the rest of the challenges that are ahead. You know, it makes me wish that I had been more brave about transforming as lot of situations could have been so much easier," I said.

" At least you can use it now, so why not see just what this change can really do," suggested Spike. As I recall from my previous experiences, transforming does make me stronger in both strength and magic, but I never really noticed as I was allowing my emotions to control the situation. These Keese normally are immune to fire as they become Fire Keese, so I figured that blasting them with my fire magic would do as a means of experimenting with what I now can use freely.

I held my arms out in front of me, and used a basic fire spell, but what I ended up getting was a massive burst of flame which instantly wiped out the Keese even when they were becoming their fiery forms. The Beamos on the other hand was able to withstand this assault, yet its metallic body had been charred to the point where it looked like it had been roasting inside of an oven.

" Did I just do that?" I asked.

" That's what your power is like when you transform," replied Spike.

" So this is how I dealt with those previous situations, yet I wasn't really myself. What I just did was a basic spell, and if it did all of that without any difficulty, my stronger magic is going to be even more immense in scope. Dare I say it, but using more powerful magic does have the potential to obliterate much more than mere monsters if you know what I mean," I said.

" You could very well destroy the entire kingdom," said Spike.

" No, I don't think it'd go that far as it would require someone who has spent decades mastering magic, and to be honest I only spent about ten years at the most studying magic under the guidance of Princess Celestia. Had I chosen to stick with my studies, and then found my way here, then I would have the power to destroy Hyrul," I said.

" Guess you'll need to hold back on your power until the time comes to take on Ganondorf, but at least you finally transformed of your own free will. That means if you encounter a situation where your weapons, the Master Sword, or even your regular magic won't be able to help you solve the problem at hand, you now have the ability to change into this form. I'd say you've unlocked the true depths of your power, but maybe it's for the best that you don't go too overboard with it given what we just experienced," suggested Spike.

I couldn't agree with him more as what I had just used against those monsters was weak as far as magic goes, and I would prefer not to rely on my transformation, yet deep down I knew it was going to be needed soon enough for Sunset Demon was waiting for me. That's when I remembered that there was still a Beamos in the area, and it continued to function like before despite being roasted in flames.

I took out my Bomb Bag which was followed by me taking out a bomb, and tossing it at the mechanical monster where it exploded. The portcullises with iron bars covering them were still locked in addition to the one with a lock on it, so perhaps something else was needed.

" I would have thought defeating all of the monsters was going to work," I said.

" There must be another factor we're missing, so look around and see what it can be," suggested Spike. I started to look in all directions hoping for something to turn up, and when I looked up at the ceiling, I could see an upside-down Crystal Switch which must be what can unlock two of the three portcullises. I suspected right away that I would need to use the Longshot, or perhaps the Fairy Bow, but I need all the arrows I can get for later, so the former option was going to be my means of opening the way forward.

Spike was wondering what I was looking at, and I showed him the switch located in the ceiling, he was surprised at how inconspicuous it really was. " Guess those witches weren't trying their best to hide this switch, or maybe they want you to keep on going."

" What do you suppose they have waiting for me?" I asked.

" I'm not sure, but be prepared for anything to come at you," replied Spike.

" Good thing I've got all of these weapons in addition to my magic, and transformation, so I think I'm prepared for anything they may decide to use," I said. As I took out the Longshot, my pony ears and tail disappeared which meant that I had run of time, yet I'll be using it again later, but right now I'm going to rely on the traditional means of getting through this temple.

Aiming up at the crystal switch and firing the chain, it activated which in turn unlocked two of the three portcullises. " Looks like we need to choose which direction we want to go just like before when we were travelling around with Rainbow Dash.

" What does the Dungeon Map show?" asked Spike.

" I had completely forgotten that we picked that up in the past," I replied. The map showed that both directions lead to dead-ends, yet the path to the right has an additional room which could have the key needed to unlock the remaining portcullis. That was also true with the left path, so it came down to which way would prove to be the better choice. " I suppose the right path makes the most sense, yet the other direction could have something just as useful."

" Want to flip a rupee like we've done in the past?" asked Spike.

" Not this time as we just need to choose a direction, and go with it without questioning our decision afterward," I replied.

" We should try the portcullis on the left first," suggested Spike.

" I was thinking that myself, so we'll check that room out first," I said. Opening the portcullis on the left, I entered a large room which consisted of a small pit filled with sand, and a ledge located on the other side with no means of being able to climb up it. There were no monsters which was a sigh of relief, yet I noticed the Triforce crest on the floor at the edge which looked unusual. " What do you make of the crest being here of all places?"

" Remember that the royal family have placed elements of their influence within each of the temples of Hyrule, yet it does look really out of place given this room is just a pit with sand in it. Still, if you were to play the song passed down by the family, something is bound to happen otherwise there would be no reason for the crest to be located here in the first place," replied Spike. He did make a valid point, so I walked over to the crest where I stood on it, and took out the Ocarina of Time.

Since I have played Twilight's Lullaby more times than any other song I've learned from Sheik and everyone else who taught me a melody, I had memorized it by heart, so I played it without any problems. Upon finishing, a large treasure chest fell from the ceiling, and landed on the small ledge on the other side of the sand pit.

" Now how am I supposed to get to that?" I asked.

" The Hover Boots won't work as the distance is too much, but because that chest is made of wood, you should be able to use the Longshot, and pull yourself over to it," replied Spike. I then took out the Longshot, and aimed carefully making sure that I was lined up with the treasure chest. From there, I fired the chain which pulled me across the pit, and I landed on the small ledge which housed the chest.

I opened it up and took out the Compass, so now I could now see the locations of all of the remaining chests in addition to seeing where the witches were located. I quickly looked at the Dungeon Map again, and sure enough, the skull icon which had since appeared indicated that they were on the third floor.

" According to what the compass has revealed, the witches are located behind that goddess statue," I said.

" That's a strange place to hide, so the question is how do we get to them?" asked Spike.

" When we figure that out, we'll be able to finally defeat them," I replied. Since there was nothing else in this room worth investigating, I jumped down into the sand pit as it was my only option, and I walked over to the other ledge which had vines growing on the wall allowing me to climb back up.

Upon entering the main area, I walked over to the other portcullis where I opened it to enter a room where three large boulders were rolling from side to side in a U-shaped arena of sorts. I could see some silver rupees scattered about, so that meant once again solving a puzzle that involved collecting money.

" These boulders won't inflict much damage if they collide with you, but they do have an unusual function," said Spike.

" What's that?" I asked.

" If one of them hits you, it will suddenly go in the opposite direction. I know the idea is to not get hit by these obstacles, but you could use it to your advantage if you feel the need to get a boulder to change direction," replied Spike.

" I'm just glad there are no monsters in this room," I said.

" That's because we're in the early chambers of the temple," said Spike.

" So the monsters be they weak or strong are waiting for me on the upper levels?" I asked.

" Those witches are trying to see how strong you are, and the floors above us will be filled with powerful monsters. The she-demon doesn't count among their number as she is acting of her own free will," replied Spike. I was still having a hard time believing Sunset Demon had survived her apparent death back in the Water Temple, yet she used the power from Twilight's Element of Harmony to keep herself alive....the same element I brought into the human world thus bringing Equestrian magic into a world which didn't need it.

Yet, she survived her death and began plaguing me throughout the Shadow Temple, and now she is here in the Spirit Temple waiting to finally finish things. I really wish we didn't have to fight because she can exist as her own person, yet she desired to assume control of my life, and make me betray everyone I've become friends with in exchange for conquering Equestria.

It was an encounter which I need to win no matter what as the fate of my very existence is hanging in the balance, and she needed to be destroyed so that I can finally move on from my past. Focusing my attention on the silver rupees as I need all five of them to unlock the portcullis before me which had iron bars covering it up, I started collecting them by jumping from the top of the main walkway picking up the first one, and quickly jumping left and avoiding the boulder that almost knocked into me.

" That was too close," I said.

" Like I said, you can let them collide with you, and have them go in the other direction, but you need all the health you can get especially with what is waiting for you further along," replied Spike. I had no intention of allowing those boulders to run me over, so I continued gathering up the silver rupees where many were hidden within small cubby holes which made me wonder if the witches were running out of ideas.

Spike then assured me that they wanted to test me with some simple challenges before increasing the difficulty. " Don't become cocky now Sunset Shimmer just because things are easy for you, for the witches could easily throw say several Iron Knuckles at you all at once, and even with your transformation now under your control, your chances of survival would be slim."

" Yeah, being overconfident is the worst thing I can do," I said. It didn't take very long to collect the remaining rupees, although the boulders would end up hitting me a few times which wasn't to my liking. One rupee was located right in the path of one of the boulders, and required absolute precision for me to get it.

Since I felt that I wasn't going to be able to get it without being hit in the process, I chose to merely jump for the rupee when I felt the way was clear. As the boulder rolled by giving me the necessary opening which I needed, I jumped where I grabbed the rupee and rolled straight into the now unlocked portcullis.

" You really do need to work on that," commented Spike.

" I managed to grab it without sustaining even more damage," I moaned.

" Still, those boulders did collide with you a few times which was to be expected," said Spike.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" Because not once have you ever collected those silver rupees without something going wrong," replied Spike. I couldn't help but laugh at that because what he said was essentially true as I've always encountered a problem when it came to these kinds of challenges. It felt good to laugh at these kinds of things because it was funny to be reminded of the numerous blunders that I've made throughout this journey, and it was even funnier knowing that I wasn't killed in the process.

Opening the portcullis lead me into a really small room which housed a treasure chest of a similar size, and I knew the small key was inside waiting for me to get it. I then walked over and kicked it open where I took out the key, yet I felt something was lurking in this room.

" I feel like a monster is here," I said.

" That would make for a deadly trap given how you just got that key," said Spike.

" Maybe we should get out of here before something goes wrong," I suggested. The problem here was that I should have taken the key and stepped back from the chest rather than just stand there, for a monster fell down from the ceiling, and landed on top of me. While such a situation like this would have been easy for me to take care of, I hadn't counted on a Like-Like. I always feared what it would feel like being swallowed by this monster, and now I was experiencing it first hand....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 61: Shadow of the Spirit

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 15, 2015
Chapter 61: Shadow of the Spirit.

For a while, I felt like I was going to die inside of this Like-Like as it continued to consume me, but then it spat me out where I landed a short distance away. While I did sustain slight damage, I was alright yet I felt as though something were missing. The Like-Like itself then proceeded towards me, and there was no way I was going to allow it to swallow me again, so I decided to take out my Hylian Shield to deflect any additional attempts....which is when I came to the realization of what had exactly happened.

Spike had warned me about this a long time ago when we were exploring the Fire Temple, yet I never took it into consideration as my aim was simply avoiding it at all costs, and attacking from a distance. I then looked down at myself to further confirm my suspicions, and it turned out to be true.

" What happened to my shield and tunic?" I asked.

" The Like-Like has gone and eaten them up," replied Spike.

" I do recall you warned me that this could eventually happen if I were to get consumed by one of those things, and now I'm experiencing the result of what happens. I can't believe this especially since we're so close to the end of this journey," I said. Granted, the Zora Tunic has seen better days considering how many times I've been slashed about, but it was a gift from Hondo Flanks whose life I saved, so there was a lot of sentimental value attached to it.

The same was true with the Hylian Shield as it has been in my possession ever since I first purchased it back in Hyrule Castle Town after getting a pretty good deal rather than paying the full amount. Just knowing that my equipment has become consumed by this hideous blob was enough to make me really mad, but I'm at fault here for not being fast enough to avoid it in the first place.

" You can still get your gear back you know," said Spike.

" And how do I do that?" I asked.

" Even though the Like-Like has stolen your shield and tunic, it needs time to be able to digest them properly, so if you can defeat it as fast as possible, there is a chance it will drop what was stolen. It will have a foul smell, but it's better than losing the equipment for good. I'm guessing that you intend on going all-out against it, so that would mean you transforming just to prove a point? If the answer is yes then I hope you don't go and overdo it," replied Spike.

Actually, I wasn't planning on transforming, but since he did suggest it, I might as well go with it because I really need my equipment back, and defeating this thing immediately is what needs to happen before it's too late. Concentrating just like I did the last time, my pony ears and tail appeared which meant I really did have control over my changes, so with my increase in power, I unleashed a powerful burst of flame which melted the Like-Like.

" Was that a little too much?" I asked.

" If you were trying to alert those witches that you're in the Spirit Temple again, then my answer is yes," replied Spike.

" They most likely know we're here Spike, but I'm guessing they're shocked at sensing a sudden power surge. I didn't really go overboard with using my magic as what I used was still seen as rather weak, yet it did look and feel stronger than what I usually use. What's important is that my shield and tunic did not get digested....or burn away to ashes because of my magic," I said.

" If you did accidentally destroy your equipment, I suppose your only option would be to go to the Bazzar at Kakariko Village and purchase a new shield, and then travel all the way to Zora's Domain in order to get a new Zora Tunic from the Zora Shop as I doubt King Zora will give you another one. It will cost 80 rupees to get a replacement shield, but no discount this time around, and it will cost 300 rupees to get a replacement tunic because of the materials that are used," said Spike.

At first it didn't bother me because he mentioned 80 rupees, but then my heart sank when he brought up how expensive it can be to purchase a new Zora Tunic. While I can easily afford a new tunic, spending 300 rupees will put a serious dent into my wallet. I need that money for potions, and finding rupees is becoming more difficult as I progress through this journey.

I then turned my attention to where the Like-Like had melted away, and my eyes widened with excitement because lying in a heap on the floor was both my Hylian Shield and Zora Tunic.

" How about that? I didn't destroy either piece of equipment with my magic," I said.

" It must be a great relief for you Sunset Shimmer! I do advise that you not allow yourself to get swallowed again, or this is going to happen again. I didn't mention this to you before as I was certain you weren't going to get eaten up by one of those monsters, but I should say it now because of this experience.

If a Like-Like swallows you and steals your shield and tunic before spitting you back out, if you leave the immediate area whether intentionally or by accident, and then come back and defeat the Like-Like, you won't be able to get your equipment," said Spike.

" How come?" I asked.

" For some strange reason, when you leave an area, it somehow resets certain elements which includes monsters. So, if you lost your gear to a Like-Like then left and came back immediately afterward, the elements reset and the monster in question is treated as a different one entirely. Your equipment will forever become lost to you no matter what you try and do to get it back," replied Spike.

" That makes Like-Likes perhaps the most dangerous creature to exist in all of Hyrule," I said.

" When you put it that way then yes," said Spike. As if I needed anymore pressure to get piled on top of me in addition to what I already had, yet now I need to avoid this monster otherwise I'm going to constantly lose my equipment. I then walked over and picked up my shield and tunic which did have a slight odor, but something dawned on me which prompted a closer inspection of my current attire. I looked down where I discovered the Kokiri Tunic was my current tunic, so how did that happen?

I might as well not let it get to me, so I asked Spike if he would turn around while I change tunics for I didn't want him to see what I looked like without any clothes on. He agreed to my request where upon he turned and floated off in another direction leaving me to switch clothes. Upon removing the Kokiri Tunic and standing there, I stared up at the ceiling wondering just how much more of this perpetual torment I would experience before finally being done with it.

As of late, I wasn't suffering or anything like that as I had been at the beginning of this adventure, yet deep down I felt as though something big was going to happen which would result in me being tormented on an epic scale. Knowing that there was nothing I could do apart from wait and see what happens, I changed into my Zora Tunic before strapping the Hylian Shield onto my back.

" Okay, you can come back now," I said.

" That took a lot longer than previous tunic changes," said Spike.

" I was just having one of my private moments of thought," I said.

" Nothing wrong with experiencing that as everyone gets one of those every now and then," said Spike.

" Do you think I'm going to suffer some more?" I asked.

" The path of a hero is never an easy one Sunset Shimmer, and you have witnessed a great deal of heartache and torment. I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but you still have more hardships left. You just can't allow such feelings to shatter your confidence because you've worked so hard, and it would just be a travesty were you to falter at the final hurdle," replied Spike.

" You answered my question, and that is what I must accept," I said.

" I hope you're not upset," said Spike.

" No, it's to be expected given what I've witnessed, yet you told me the honest truth, and for that I appreciate it," I said. I'm glad Spike decided to be honest with me instead of pretending to make me feel better. Rainbow Dash's fate is one such suffering I'm still going through because I could have done something to save her back then, and I still have to deal with Ganondorf.

I suppose these heroic moments did need to be counteracted by negative feelings so as to balance it all out, but deep down I wish that it didn't have to be this way. When I was ready to resume exploring the Spirit Temple, I placed the key into a pocket, and opened the portcullis which lead back into the room with the rolling boulders.

In the meantime, I was still being watched by the two witches, and my suspicion about them reacting to my sudden power increase was expected. If they hadn't been underestimating me before, they were now especially since I have control over my transformation.

" Did you experience that surge?" asked Trixie.

" Never have I felt anything like that before," replied Chrysalis.

" What do you suppose could be behind such power?" asked Trixie.

" It must be the forest girl," replied Chrysalis.

" Impossible! There is no way that she can possess that amount of magical power! We have been studying her for the last seven years, and came to the conclusion that she was no match for us or the Great Ganondorf," said Trixie.

" Have you forgotten about her ability to transform in a similar manner to what you and I are capable of? She is able to become stronger in both strength and magical prowess by gaining the ears and tail of a pony, yet despite the ridiculous notion in becoming part horse, this cosmetic alteration belies the fact she has a tremendous power inside of her.

It's one which not only exceeds our own power, but also equals that of the Great Ganondorf. He has already experienced this other form of the forest girl back when he was on the verge of claiming the Triforce, and since then it became apparent she had trouble maintaining control of this power," said Chrysalis.

" Yes, I remember this information now," said Trixie.

" She would lose control of her emotions which resulted in a psychotic transformed state," said Chrysalis.

" With that kind of emotional breakdown, her power was left unchecked, and only those who were able to match up to that power were able to hold their own until she was forced to revert back to her weaker self. However, judging from what we just experienced coming from the lower level, the girl has somehow gained complete control," said Trixie.

" If she has control over this other form, it will no doubt cause problems for the Great Ganondorf," said Chrysalis.

" Correct, so we now must double our efforts even more," said Trixie.

" I am not certain if our combined power will be enough to kill this forest girl given how she has been defying all expectations since the beginning. I hate to say it, but this girl just cannot be stopped at the rate she is going," said Chrysalis.

" Then perhaps we have no choice but to ask for some assistance," said Trixie.

" Do you suggest asking the Great Ganondorf?" asked Chrysalis.

" No! If he were to learn that all of this had happened because we didn't take of the girl seven years ago, he would have no further use for us, and we'll both wind up being killed as a result of being deemed worthless in his eyes. Already does he question our efforts to get things done, and for that we can't afford to turn to him for help which means we have to rely on the she-demon," replied Trixie.

" This bodes ill for the both of us," sighed Chrysalis.

" It is perhaps the one thing I would never want to consider, but because the situation has become worse given the girl has now mastered her stronger form, we are at a point where we must rely on extreme measures. The she-demon is just as powerful as she is, or perhaps even stronger, so we need to use her in order to do away with this child once and for all. Of course, the logical way to approach this would be to expect the girl to be weakened as a result of battling against the dark version of herself.

It really doesn't matter whether she destroys that accursed demon or not! Either she is killed by her other self, or we kill her due to being exhausted from killing the she-demon. Either result shall benefit us greatly, and in the grand scheme of things, the Great Ganondorf's reign carries on without end," said Trixie.

" That would mean convincing the she-demon to fight on our behalf," said Chrysalis.

" We don't need to do anything given how she is going to engage her other self regardless," laughed Trixie.

" I see where you're going with this. That demon will carry out our wishes without even realizing it, and all we need to do is watch them destroy one another, or at the very least witness the forest girl suffer so much pain and anguish that we can finish her off, and not have to rely on the true depths of our power. However, we must not forget and ignore her inner power....you know the one I speak of right? What the Great Ganondorf desires from her," said Chrysalis.

" You don't think that will play a factor do you?" asked Trixie.

" I have no doubt in my mind about how it has often given her the strength to overcome even the most dire of odds, and yet she is completely unaware of possessing it in the first place. Ever since the Great Ganondorf laid his hands upon the Triforce, I did suspect something was amiss because he always kept mumbling to himself about how he needed to get the other powers to gain complete mastery. For a long time, I just assumed he said that figuratively, but now I believe there was a much deeper meaning behind it.

Could it be that one essence of the Triforce has somehow found its way to the forest girl? It would explain where she had gotten so much courage ever since awakening from her seven year slumber. Before she was sealed away, her actions were seen as reluctant, and not wanting to accept her destiny," replied Chrysalis.

" And now she desires nothing more than to awaken the Sages," said Trixie.

" Such a sudden change in thinking just doesn't happen overnight," said Chrysalis.

" If the girl does have one of the essences, and figures out how to tap into it....combined with her transformation, she could have the potential to conquer this world on her own were she to consider it. For such a young child, her potential is near limitless! I suggest that we prepare our special guardian for I am certain it will be needed," suggested Trixie.

" Yes, for the girl must not be underestimated again," said Chrysalis.

The room with the rolling boulders once again caused me trouble where I found myself being knocked around a few times, and while it wasn't enough to kill me, it was rather inconvenient regardless. Spike told me that if I needed something to heal my wounds, I could go outside where that oasis was, and summon fairies which I can use my empty bottles to capture them.

I didn't think there was a fairy fountain out there, so I needed to find out more which meant asking Spike as soon as I had a free moment. Such a time would come right away, for when we reached the locked portcullis, I decided to ask my question before continuing further into the temple otherwise I'm likely to forget.

" There is a fairy fountain out in the desert?" I asked.

" Legends say that a long time ago, this region used to be filled with life where it was just like Hyrule Field, but harsh weather conditions would transform it into what you see now; a land where nothing is capable of growing, and those who dwell here suffer. The fairy fountain at first managed to survive the transition, but eventually it was abandoned.

Even though it was abandoned a long time ago, it's said fairies will appear at the oasis as though being beckoned whenever someone is able to make it fill up with water. It used to be quite a famous spot where people and other creatures would go, so maybe you have something which can make water appear," replied Spike.

" If I can make it rain then I wouldn't need to leave the desert, and then come after getting some potions. You know, I just realized that I could have used this oasis back in the past, and not risked everything against that Iron Knuckle which almost killed me," I moaned.

" You could have, but you never thought of it," I said.

" How was I supposed to know when you didn't say anything?" I asked.

" Because you never asked," replied Spike.

" Then again, I'm not sure if I would have made it to the oasis seeing as those Leevers move about, and there are the cold winds which blow about at night which make it even more dangerous. I'm not surprised at you knowing of this ancient fairy fountain given that you are a fairy yourself, so it would make sense for you to know the location of every fountain that exists in the kingdom," I said.

" Yes, I do know where all of them are, but that only relates to the regular fountains," said Spike. The way he said it like that made me think that the Great Fairy didn't want her fountains to be known. Plus, Spike never did mention once the locations of the Great Fairy, so that backs up his claim. It made me realize I should have been using them from the beginning, yet I didn't consider it because of being stubborn, and also not being used to Hyrule.

If I had been using fairies to heal my wounds, I could have saved so many rupees. I then slapped my head really hard which made Spike wonder why I just did that, but I told him it was just in reaction to my own incompetence. Deciding to get back down to business, I used the small key and unlocked the portcullis where I opened it, and entered a narrow room which featured some very fancy torches on the right-hand wall. There were a couple of jars on the floor which looked suspicious, and my fear was that they were enchanted.

" This room seems too quiet even though those torches do make it feel brighter," I commented.

" Do you recall when we were here in the past, you assumed that we had reached a dead-end?" asked Spike.

" Yes, and it turned out that I needed to climb up a very long wall," I replied.

" The same principle is applied here as at the end of this room is a place where you can climb up to the next floor," said Spike.

" Before I go and do anything, I'm going to shatter those jars from a distance," I said. I could use the Fairy Bow, but then that would be rather cumbersome given how narrow the room is, so I decided that my magic would work instead. Firing two small fireballs from my fingertips, I shattered each jar which produced rupees, but hearts were what I preferred seeing as the Like-Like had damaged.

That's when I wished that I hadn't thought about that particular monster, for as I started to walk forward, another one fell down from the ceiling. " You've got to be kidding me!?!?"

" Keep away from it unless you want your equipment stolen again," said Spike.

" I was hoping to never see this thing ever again, and here it is just to torment me even more," I moaned.

" You don't plan on transforming just to defeat one monster that hasn't even noticed you yet?" asked Spike.

" That would be a waste not to mention I don't have much room, so I'm going to use my magic instead," I replied. No matter what decision I chose to use, there was no way another Like-Like would swallow me up, and cause me to lose my shield and tunic like what happened earlier. I then blasted it with magic which defeated it, and when it dissolved away to nothing, it left behind two red rupees which I picked up because I could do with some extra money.

Upon making my way over to the wall that I had to climb up, I decided to look upwards as you never know if something is either on the wall, on the floor above ready to jump down, or something else entirely. The coast was clear by the time I had finished checking, so I began to climb up which didn't take that long to accomplish given that I still feel good despite the unfortunate incident earlier.

When I reached the next floor, I found myself staring at what appeared to be a mirror, yet I assumed it was some kind of statue given the glass was located inside of a snakehead statue like the ones at the beginning of the temple. Lining around the wall were a number of sun switches, yet I couldn't push them towards the light. " What do you suppose that mirror is used for?"

" I'm guessing those red handles on either side of it will allow you to push it around in a circle, and shine sunlight on all of those sun switches. One of them is bound to unlock the portcullis over there, but the other ones could either provide treasure or traps. There is no way of knowing which switch is correct, so you'll need to shine light on each one until we can continue onwards," replied Spike.

" According to the Dungeon Map, there are a couple of chests in here," I said.

" That means at least two sun switches will give you some kind of reward, but that still leaves the other three," said Spike.

" Looks like I'm going to have to guess which one unlocks the portcullis, and hopefully get those treasure chests the first two times I'm wrong. By the way, what is with that shadow over there on the other side of the mirror?" I asked.

" That's an invisible monster," replied Spike.

" I thought we were done with all of that back in the Shadow Temple?" I asked.

" You did find those invisible chests before you took on that Iron Knuckle," replied Spike. Guess the Spirit Temple featured some remnants of where I had been prior to coming here, so I had no other choice which prompted me to take out the Lens of Truth. When I raised it to my eye, I could see the invisible monster was a Floormaster, yet so far it hadn't noticed me.

At least it wasn't the other one which likes to drop down from the ceiling, but this one had its own share of troubles what with its ability to split into smaller pieces. Spike then came up with an interesting idea, and proceeded to tell me about it. " You could use your magic or perhaps the Master Sword, but why not try using your Biggoron's Sword instead? It does have a better reach than the divine blade in addition to being twice as strong, and besides you do need to use it more often otherwise you wasted your time getting it."

" That's a pretty good idea, and I do want to destroy this monster in a quick fashion," I said. The only problem I was going to have with his idea was that I need two hands for me to use it properly which meant putting the lens away, or somehow putting it down on the ground long enough for me to defeat the Floormaster. No, I don't want the lens getting damaged, so I needed to handle this another way.

" Do you want me to hold the lens?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure if you can given that it is bigger than you are," I replied.

" You don't know for certain until you give me a chance," said Spike. The Biggoron's Sword needed both of my hands to wield it, so I had no other choice but to hand over the lens to Spike. As soon as he was holding it in his hands, he dropped down a great deal before struggling to keep himself flying because of the weight.

He can hold it for probably about 20 seconds, so I ran forwards towards the Floormaster where I swung the Biggoron's Sword which slashed it in half. This ended up destroying it completely without it being able to split into pieces, but I had no time to figure out what happened as I ran back to Spike and caught him just as he started to fall.

" This sword just obliterated that Floormaster," I said.

" I told you that it was twice as powerful as the Master Sword," said Spike.

" Yet it needs to be held with both hands which does leave me vulnerable as I can't defend myself from attacks using my shield while holding it, but on another note there are no additional monsters in this room, so now I can focus on pushing this mirror around until the right sun switch gets activated. I'm guessing that I have the strength to push it without needing the Silver Gauntlets, but I'll attribute it to them being what makes me capable of doing this," I said.

" When you push the mirror, it moves around one section at a time if you know what I mean," said Spike.

" I think I understand," I said as I walked over to the left side of the mirror. I then grabbed the red handle, and gave it a push causing the mirror to move around until it came to a stop in front of a sun switch. Light was coming from a hole located above which shined on the switch where it burned away leaving a small treasure chest that dropped down from the ceiling. " Wow! I wasn't expecting the switch to just burn up when exposed to sunlight. Do you suppose that will happen when I move the mirror around to the other switches?"

" Most likely although the real switch will glow and smile," replied Spike.

" I'm hoping I don't have to shine the sunlight on all five switches," I moaned. Grabbing the handle, I pushed the mirror along where it shined light on the second switch which burned away causing a second small treasure chest to drop down. While I was tempted to kick open each chest, I had to continue pushing this mirror along, so when the light shined on the third sun switch, its eyes opened wide and it grinned. This was the correct switch, and it caused the portcullis to unlock, yet I was curious to know what was in the two small chests.

" Are you going to see what's in them?" asked Spike.

" I might as well," I replied.

" Be careful as you don't want to succumb to anything due to curiosity," said Spike.

" You suspect a trap inside one of the chests?" I asked.

" It wouldn't be all that surprising given those witches will do anything in order to kill you," replied Spike. I should have ignored the chests and moved onto the next room, yet I just couldn't keep myself from seeing what was inside. I kicked open the first chest which produced a recovery heart, so that wasn't so bad as I needed a slight pick me up especially after the Like-Like issue.

Then I kicked open the other one where I was suddenly sprayed with a blast of cold air which froze me on the spot, and when I tried to say something in response, I couldn't for every part of my body was frozen.

" Sunset Shimmer!" shouted Spike. I remained stuck like this for about ten seconds before the ice shattered, and I became free although I was shivering like crazy.

" The cold....why did I have to experience the cold again? I haven't felt this experience since I got frozen back in the Ice Cavern," I said.

" I did warn you," said Spike.

" And now I expect you'll be bragging about it?" I asked.

" No, as this is something that I wasn't expecting, so it shows the witches are taking this very seriously. I think the intention was for you to have sustained a lot of damage, and that kicking open that chest while your health was low would have been enough to kill you by freezing you to death. Don't allow this unfortunate experience to stop you from opening chests up as I'm sure you won't see this happen again for some time," replied Spike.

" I have no intention of stopping to open up chests," I said.

" Want to warm up using your magic?" asked Spike.

" You took the words right out of my mouth," I replied. Sitting down on the floor and concentrating, I then became surrounded by flames which looked like I had set myself on fire, yet that wasn't the case for my resistance to fire as well as my affinity towards it will prevent me from succumbing.

I chose to sat there for a few minutes as that spray was really cold, and I didn't want to start sneezing as a result. When I was done warming up, I got back onto my feet, and opened the portcullis where I found myself in a very familiar room....one which I haven't been in for seven years. " This is the main room which means we've come full circle, but where do we go from here?"

" If we take a look at the Dungeon Map, we'll see where we need to go," said Spike.

" Okay, let me take it out," I said as I did exactly that. The map revealed that we needed to go up the stairs in front of me which will then lead us towards the portcullis, and the rooms located on the left side. It was essentially a mirror image aside from the fact that going left will lead to a chamber where we can climb up even further, and reach the highest level.

" A shame that this map doesn't show where the locked portcullises are, so we have no idea as to when we'll need a key. In any case, we might as well see where these stairs lead to, for standing here isn't going to do us anything." I then walked up the stairs before stopping in front of a locked portcullis, so was it possible that I missed a key somewhere?

" The key we need should be in this area," said Spike.

" We could have missed it earlier," I suggested.

" No, you've opened up every possible treasure chest that we have encountered so far in the temple, so the chances of missing one is zero, but it does mean we need to do some quick searching to find what we need," said Spike.

" When we were on the other side, I thought that the hands of this desert goddess would give me a reward. I mean, Fluttershy did say I needed to fulfill her obligations, but so far we've only been to do this outside where we found the Silver Gauntlets," I said.

" Maybe the other hand in front of us will yield something," suggested Spike. Turning my attention towards the left hand of the desert goddess, I could see the crest of the Triforce on it which indicated that playing Twilight's Lullaby would do something, but then some kind of dark aura near where we found the Dungeon Map caught my attention, and I had a sneaking suspicion the she-demon was behind it.

" Look down there," I said.

" You mean at that dark aura?" asked Spike.

" The very same, and I don't need to be told what it means," I replied.

" Guess you should investigate it as you can't keep delaying it any longer," said Spike.

" Just remember we need to play Twilight's Lullaby on top of the goddess' left hand, for I think it will result in us getting the key we need to be able to explore the rooms on the left side of the temple," I said. Rather than run down the stairs and jumping to the lower level from a more safer height, I decided to jump straight away which did cause me to experience some slight damage, but I shrugged it off as I walked over to the dark aura that belonged to the she-demon.

Even though I felt compelled to touch this aura, I held back instead as I suspected I'd get corrupted in some way. The aura then disappeared as though it had never been there, and then silence gripped the entire room....just the mere thought of it freaked me out, but I needed to stay strong as I must defeat my other self once and for all. Ironically, her voice began to echo out across this area, and I had no clue as to where it was coming from, yet the obvious notion was that she was indeed here.

" I've been waiting forever for you to finally come here," said Sunset Demon.

" You chose to be cryptic after our previous encounter in the Shadow Temple," I said.

" Maybe so, yet you were able to figure it out without much trouble which I'm glad otherwise I would still be waiting. I don't want things to be too easy for you Sunset Shimmer, and if that were the case then where would the fun be? Speaking of fun, you must be so thrilled over the fact you've managed to gain control of that little transformation of yours.

Yes, I sensed your sudden increase in power, and it was obvious to conclude how it happened. It does make things all the more interesting as I was afraid that you weren't going to take this seriously, and that is something I'd rather soon avoid," said Sunset Demon.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" When I defeat you for good and claim your life as my very own, I want to be remembered as having done so while you were fighting at your full potential. While you may think of me as being devoid of honour, you'd be completely wrong about that. I'd feel empty and devoid of a true victory should I defeat you without being given a worthy challenge, so I'm grateful that you mastered controlling that transformation just in the nick of time," replied Sunset Demon.

I never would have guessed that she had an understanding of honour, for my previous encounters against her indicated that she preferred to use deceitful means with which to kill me. Maybe her experiences have changed her perspective on things, but I couldn't rule out the possibility that this was just a trick designed for me to drop my guard.

I didn't noticed the dark aura coming from the goddess statue behind me, and peering out of its stomach was the she-demon herself where she raised her hand as a means of preparing to attack me. Luckily, I could see her shadow overlapping mine, so it was enough for me to jump aside and completely avoid her attempt to inflict a serious wound.

" Figures you would try to sneak attack me," I said.

" It shows how much you've changed since the Water Temple," said Sunset Demon.

" I'm stronger now than I was back then, and I will make sure that I'm the one who survives our final encounter! Even though I wish that we didn't have to resort to fighting in order to solve our differences, but I know trying to talk you out of it is going to do me no good as you'll merely refuse to listen to my words. My life is my own, and you have no right trying every possible measure to claim it for your own.

If you desire Equestria, this world, or any other because of your desire for power, then do so without needing to kill me and take over my life in the process. You've got an existence now Sunset Demon, so why don't you leave me to enjoy my own? I promise I'll never bother you again personally, yet the same can't be said about Twilight and the others," I said.

" Oh I could have my own life, but yours is the one I want more," said Sunset Demon.

" Why?" I asked.

" You used to be Princess Celestia's prized pupil back in Equestria, and had a deep hunger for power prompting you to study the forbidden dark magic. Had you chosen to stay on that path instead of changing directions, you could have become the most powerful alicorn who had ever lived! When I came into existence courtesy of the Element of Magic, what you desired became my desire, and I was determined to make sure you continued down the path which lead to acquiring more power," replied Sunset Demon.

Most of what she had to say I chose simply to ignore as it was the same rhetoric she had been using from the start, and I was personally getting sick and tired of her claiming that my change in life was the worst thing I could have done. That's because she was stuck with a past mentality which refused to acknowledge that I was different now, and that nothing was going to take me back there.

" Are you finished?" I asked.

" Guess my ramblings have been heard by you before," replied Sunset Demon.

" It's the same repetitive nature coming from that mouth of yours, and I'm fed up with having to hear it all the time. My life is my own to make, and I have chosen to move on from my troubled past though doing so one step at a time. My past is not today which makes you someone who shouldn't even exist anymore," I said.

" And that's why I have a problem with you. If only you didn't meet Princess Twilight and the rest of those so-called friends, then you would be ruling over Equestria right now with an unstoppable army. I suppose none of them can be blamed for something you caused, for if you hadn't stolen the Element of Magic, you wouldn't have been influenced to become such a good person," said Sunset Demon.

" If I hadn't taken her crown, you wouldn't exist," I said.

" I rest my case," smiled Sunset Demon.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" You alone are the cause of these problems which have affected both you and me, so naturally your existence prevents anything from being done about it. I'll make sure things get back on track when I assume your life, and make you become the woman that destiny wanted from the very beginning. It does mean you will die of course because two people can't share the same body, and what I have right now just doesn't suit me like a flesh and blood vessel can.

My spirit plus your body with all of those magical powers you've got will make the perfect being who can conquer any world that she desires no matter what kind of resistance tries to stop her. I'm aware you have no plans to go through with this idea of mine, and that is where this fight of ours has to come into play," replied Sunset Demon.

" I'll ask you one last time to forget about all of this," I said.

" A tempting way of looking at it, but you know what my answer is going to be, so I say we get down to business. I too have acquired a new form, and I'm very eager to show it off because you might as well bear witness to greatness before your life becomes lost. Think of it as my own powerful transformation, but on a much different level. I'll make sure to reveal it in due time, but for now why don't we warm up unless you really want to see it, so I can make an exception for you," said Sunset Demon.

Deep in my heart, I felt dejected knowing the she-demon had no desire to change her current path, and for that we were fated to fight to the very end with my life hanging in the balance. I was nervous about the fact that she now possessed a stronger form, but would my own be enough to defeat what she is capable of becoming, or would this be it for me?

In any case, this would be the most difficult experience I've had to deal with, and I knew much worse was coming because Ganondorf was still waiting for me in his castle. All of a sudden, Sunset Demon fired a blast of fire from her hands which prompted me to respond in the exact same manner, and both fiery bursts dissipated upon contact with one another. We both then fired a second volley of fire magic which ended up with the exact same result, so that meant a stalemate before we had even really gotten started.

" I guess that means the time for talking is over?" I asked.

" Wasn't it obvious from when I used my magic?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Yes, I suppose so," I answered.

" In another time and place, we could have resolved this difference of opinion where you would have willingly chosen to resume your old life....the existence that represents me, and not have to fight like we're about to do right now. Yet you choose to remain stubborn until the very end, and that conclusion is going to be coming up within a matter of minutes. A shame really as you could have become the ruler of this world, Equestria, and countless other domains.

Oh well, I'll just make this quick as I had to wait here a lot longer than I wanted to," said Sunset Demon. She then lunged forward thinking that she could catch me off guard, but to her surprise, I was no longer standing in front of her. I had moved faster than she was able to keep up with me, and was now standing to her left where I let her have it with a fiery punch which scarred her face.

The resulting blow sent her flying into the goddess statue before crumpling to the floor, but I knew that wasn't going to defeat her as she was much more resilient than that. She quickly got back onto her feet, and the expression on her face showed frustration, but was quickly replaced one of intrigue. " How did you do that!?!? I know that I was faster than you, yet somehow you were able to move with a speed which I couldn't see."

" Like I said, I'm stronger than I used to be," I said.

" Don't let one lucky punch give you an ego boost," said Sunset Demon. She proceeded to swipe at me with fiery fists which I managed to avoid at every turn, and when she followed this up with a kick using flames to make it stronger, I responded by using earth magic and create a shield protecting me from harm. The she-demon felt annoyed by my quick reactions, and began getting faster hoping she could connect, but I continued countering everything she was doing.

Eventually, I decided to take control of the situation by using earth magic to trip her up with some boulders before trapping her inside of a rock prison. I knew this wouldn't hold her for very long, yet it would give me some extra time to inflict more damage which should make this battle end quickly, and not allow it to drag out.

I was determined to ensure that it would be me who will end up surviving, but I knew that relying on underhanded tactics would make me no better than her. I then used my fire magic on the she-demon by pelting her repeatedly with fireballs non-stop before she broke free of my rocky prison where she looked rather mad. " How is it that you're doing this to me? I should be more powerful than you because of the darkness around here, yet you have overpowering me at every turn."

" Maybe it's because you're not taking this seriously?" I asked.

" Heh, so you know that I have been holding back, and not using my real strength? I wanted you to use up all of your power, then I could unleash my new form without fear, and kill you before having to get serious," replied Sunset Demon.

" I figured as such because you don't know me as much as you think," I said.

" Don't patronize me Sunset Shimmer!" shouted Sunset Demon.

" Unlike you who has chosen to become stuck in the past, I've chosen to move on with my life. Granted, I've had to deal with issues which relate back to my past, but for the most part my future is looking really bright," I said.

" I wouldn't say it like that, for you know that I have achieved a new form just like you have. Viewing me as being stuck in the past is your opinion, and I must educate you on why you are wrong. Guess it's time for me to showcase my transformation, and I hope that you respond with your own in kind. It would be much more epic if both of us fight using our strongest forms," said Sunset Demon.

" There's no way for me to refuse is there?" I asked.

" Unless you want to die right here and now, then the answer is no," replied Sunset Demon.

" Yeah, I guess as much," I said as I closed my eyes and concentrated. It didn't take me very long for my pony ears and tail to appear, and when they revealed themselves, I was ready to defeat the she-demon, yet I knew not to be overconfident. While my strength and magic have increased, I can only maintain this form for a short period, so I'm hoping to get this over with before I end up changing back because of running out of time.

Even though I'm like this now, my weapons should still be available to me as before, and would include the new magic spell which I acquired from Adagio outside in the desert. I'll probably get labelled a coward by Sunset Demon for using magical protection in the form of a shield, yet it could be my means of surviving should the situation turn heavily against me.

" Just looking at you makes me laugh," said Sunset Demon.

" These ears and tail are a reminder of my connection to Equestria," I said.

" Equestria huh? You mean the same world which shunned you all because Princess Celestia denied you the right to become an alicorn when you wanted it? I'm surprised you would want to use a power from a place that is no longer your home, but then I should have known better considering how you secretly long for the day where you will get a chance to return. Yes, I'm aware you want to go back to Equestria, yet if you did then you're liable to be arrested because of that one incident which hangs over your head," said Sunset Demon.

" I'm willing to accept such a fate," I said.

" Really? Well, I wasn't expecting something like that to come from you. Guess you have changed just like you said, yet the fact that you gain horse features upon transforming still proves how pathetic the whole thing is. When you became me upon wearing Twilight's crown, the resulting form was truly demonic! These wings, horns, claws, and even the eyes are such a major improvement over what you've got there, but I suppose it's the best that you can really do," said Sunset Demon.

" Are you ready to do this, or am I going to have to listen to more of your senseless drivel?" I asked.

" Quite the eager one aren't you? All right, I'll show you what I've managed to achieve, and then you'll wish that you hadn't abandoned the dark path. Actually, you should wish to stay alive given that I'm going to finally take what should be mine," replied Sunset Demon. She clenched her fists and stood in a stance which made her look like she was powering up or something, but then she suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs which made me want to cover my ears as it was so piercing in that regard.

As I stared, the she-demon's wings grew larger resulting in spikes growing out from the tips. An additional pair of arms then appeared which quickly gained in muscle mass along with her current arms, and this was followed with her pony tail changing into a demonic one that swished around as though it were alive. Finally, her height increased slightly along with her flaming hair growing more vibrant than before, and her skin tone got a little darker.

Sunset Demon had truly become a demon given what just happened to her, and I could sense the increase in both her strength and magic as a result. I went with a more simple transformation, and she decided to go insane with hers just to prove that she wanted to be better than me in every possible way.

" So this is what you managed to achieve," I said.

" Admit you're jealous of what I have become," laughed Sunset Demon.

" I would call that form hideous, but that would be seen as an insult," I said.

" Still able to use some snide comments even though you know that my power is greater now?" asked Sunset Demon.

" No, we're probably as strong as each other," I replied.

" I guess the real answer will come within a matter of moments," said Sunset Demon. The expression in her face was one that made me nervous, but I had to remain strong otherwise she will kill me before I can make an appropriate response. Deep down, I knew that she was stronger between the two of us, yet I believed that this would be my battle to win because this world still needs me to save it, and I need to return everyone here back to normal, and return us all to the human world.

I guess this situation was adding more pressure onto my shoulders, but I'm used to it given that I am the chosen hero. The she-demon then cracked the knuckles on all four of her hands, and got into a battle ready position. " Ever since you used that form of yours to almost destroy me back in the Water Temple, I needed to find a way to counter it, and this is what I came up with. You should be grateful that what you allowed me to achieve is going to be what ends up killing you."

" We'll see what happens," I said.

" Do try to last long enough," laughed Sunset Demon as she lunged at me with even faster speed than what I used, yet I managed to engage in a grapple with her where we ended up in a stalemate almost immediately. Right away, I could tell that she was stronger than ever, and my own power was barely holding on, but I needed to prove to myself that I could overcome anything no matter the odds against me.

Of course, this proved difficult as she had an extra pair of arms that she was using to punch me repeatedly in the face, and my own arms were grappling with the other pair. I was forced to take numerous blows which I saw was a major disadvantage, yet to her this was the greatest experience she had ever felt. " I'm impressed that you're holding me back, but you know that you can't keep it up for long."

" I won't give up!" I shouted.

" Oh, but you will within a matter of seconds," laughed Sunset Demon. Sadly, she had a point because those blows to my face were really weakening me, and after taking too many of them, I broke off the grapple and tumbled backwards where I crashed into the wall before slumping to the ground. The she-demon then decided to use her fire magic which came out as rocks of magma which I struggled to run away from as she was anticipating my every move, and eventually one of them connected with me.

What I was feeling when it came to pain was unprecedented, yet I continued running for I needed to get some distance. " You're lasting a lot longer than I expected Sunset Shimmer, yet this is beginning to get boring for me as all you've been doing is fleeing. I was expecting you to give me a real challenge, yet you've proven to be lacking in that department."

" I just needed some distance," I said.

" Of course you did, but that isn't going to help," said Sunset Demon.

" It could depending on how you look at it," I said.

" No, it really won't because I can strike from anywhere I want provided that I use the shadows," said Sunset Demon. She slammed all of her arms into the ground where they moved along through my shadow, and grabbed me which prevented me from moving. However, I was able to take out the gem containing Nayru's Love, for I had a feeling it was the right time to use it.

" Wow! This new form of mine is certainly something! I've completely overpowered you in every imaginable way, and you just couldn't keep up despite those boastful claims. Truly have I lived up to the name of Sunset Shimmer because I have proven that power is what you should have gone after instead of choosing friendship. If I had transformed much sooner, I would already be assuming your life right now, but I suppose it was just a slight delay on my part."

" This isn't over yet you know," I said.

" Says the girl who has been ensnared by four arms," laughed Sunset Demon.

" I still have one more trick," I said.

" Oh please! I know what weapons you have on your person based on our last encounter in the Shadow Temple, and even though you could have used them against me, they wouldn't have really made any kind of difference," said Sunset Demon. I was hoping she would say that as it meant I now had a legitimate reason for what I was about to do.

I activated Nayru's Love and despite not performing the necessary poses, the magical shield still surrounded my entire body which caused the she-demon to let go of me, and her arms suddenly felt tremendous pain. " What in the world is this supposed to be?"

" Nayru's Love....a defensive spell," I answered.

" Since when did you get something like that?" asked Sunset Demon.

" Not too long ago, but the one drawback is I can't use magic while this barrier is active. It lasts only two minutes and I am protected from every kind of attack, so you can't do a thing to me until it wears off," I replied.

" The fact that magic becomes unavailable to you is just too delicious of an irony," laughed Sunset Demon. While that was somewhat true, I was now safer from her attacks for a couple of minutes, so I need to rely on more physical combat if I hope to defeat her for good. I then realized the Master Sword could still be used as it isn't magical, so I drew it from the scabbard, but the she-demon noticed my actions, and kicked the divine blade out of my hand where it slid across to the other side of the room.

" I remember what happened back at the Water Temple, and you're not about to repeat those actions. Now that you no longer have a sword in your possession, and those weapons of yours are next to useless against me, I just need to wait for that magical barrier to disappear, and then you will be mine once again."

" Who says I don't?" I asked.

" You don't have the Master Sword right now," replied Sunset Demon.

" No, but I do have something that will work just as well," I said. Upon saying that, the she-demon lunged forward wondering what I was talking about, and then I drew out the Biggoron's Sword and swung it at a very close range. There was no way I could have missed, yet I ended up letting go of the sword where it landed in the same general area as the divine blade....guess this was meant to happen again given how long it's been since the last time I was clumsy with a weapon.

Sunset Demon reeled backwards due to the Biggoron's Sword cutting deep into her body, and she lost a lot of strength in the process in addition to a lot of blood....or would that be darkness considering what she is and all. At first she clutched the wound with one of her hands, but then chose not to where the wound dripped with blood/darkness which did look disgusting. Then again, I've done the exact thing because of not wanting to display weakness.

" WHAT!?!?" yelled Sunset Demon.

" Weren't expecting that were you?" I asked.

" How is it possible you managed to inflict such a deep wound against me in my transformed state? Still, I was really careless given how you managed to surprise me twice with both that sword and the magical barrier, and now look what happened. I've lost a lot of blood thanks to this wound, so I have no other choice but to retreat for the time being, or maybe just limp away because this is painful.

I'm not going to give up though because your life belongs to me, but I'll be back later provided this wound doesn't end up getting worse than it already is. Heh, guess you survive for the time being Sunset Shimmer," replied Sunset Demon. She then turned around and walked into the nearest shadows she could find, and left behind a trail of darkness behind. Given how the wound I inflicted on her looked really serious, I have a feeling her chances of survival are slim, but for now I could relax despite having taken a lot of hits in the process.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" That was too close for comfort," I replied.

" Good thing you can transform of your own free will otherwise that would have been a lot worse. Both of you didn't notice, but you were giving off a lot of energy which was causing this room, and the entire temple to vibrate. If you had kept going for just a while longer, your immense powers would have brought this place down," said Spike.

" If she wanted to embrace her demonic form, then what she became was successful," I said.

" To think that could have been you," said Spike.

" I'm glad otherwise I doubt I would have been able to forgive myself," I said.

" Sunset Demon still hasn't been taken care of, so you can't celebrate just yet as she could attack again, but she may choose to hold back as that wound you gave her was a pretty severe one. I always knew you had it in you Sunset Shimmer, and what you did proves that you have what it takes to defeat Ganondorf. You could still get a chance to go back into the past and pick up some extra things, but I don't think it will be necessary," said Spike.

I knew that I wasn't ready for the Evil King despite the positive words from my fairy partner, but I knew he remained a constant threat which was hanging over my head. Even though I should have taken a rest seeing as I had experienced a mighty battle, I wanted to continue, so walking back to where I entered the central chamber from, I noticed a Hookshot plate on the ceiling that was underneath the stairs, so taking out the Longshot and firing the chain, I made my way up to where I was before this whole mess started.

" Looks like I need to jump onto that hand," I said.

" Be careful as your target is small, and if you miss or go too far with your leap, you will end up falling down to the ground," said Spike.

" I just noticed the face of this desert goddess," I said.

" Despite having to fulfill her obligations in order to earn rewards in the form of treasure chests, you should know that the desert goddess is seen as an evil deity in the eyes of all people across Hyrule....with the sole exception of the Gerudo. They worship this goddess although she is viewed as inferior to Ganondorf in their eyes, for he is seen as the greatest man in existence.

I know Nabooru didn't see it that way given how she saw him as a murderer who desired power above everything else, yet she couldn't do anything about it as their laws state that the lone male must become their king. He was born into the role, and he used it to gain political influence which allowed him to kill the old king as he was granted access to Hyrule Castle," said Spike.

" If I can defeat him then peace will return," I said.

" Of course you will," said Spike. There was a reason as to why I said "if", and that's because I wasn't sure if I could do just that. I won't know for certain until I actually confront the Evil King, but the fear of dread was still there even though I did say to Sunset Demon that such notions weren't going to hold me back.

Right now, the focus is on jumping to this hand without missing otherwise I'll get hurt, and have to come back up here again. I jumped onto the hand although I did almost overshoot by moving forward upon landing, but least I made it so now I needed to figure out where the treasure chest will appear.

" Once I play Twilight's Lullaby, where do you suppose I'll need to go to find the small key?" I asked.

" I'm going to guess and say the other hand of the goddess," replied Spike.

" You really think so?" I asked.

" Saria did say that the hands will yield rewards, and you are about to perform an obligation for this goddess by playing the song passed down by the royal family because the crest requires it," replied Spike. I couldn't argue about it, so I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and played Twilight Lullaby which caused a chest to drop down from the ceiling.

It landed on the other hand as expected which was quite a distance away from where I was standing, yet I did have some methods I could use to reach it. The Longshot should be able to reach that chest, so I can pull myself over to it. Or, I could jump onto the hand from the other staircase. In the end, I decided that going with the first option would be my best bet.

" Will the chain reach the chest over there?" I asked.

" It should be able to," replied Spike.

" You don't sound very certain about it," I said.

" The Longshot's chain goes twice as far as the old one did, but there is still a limit on how far it can go before snapping back. I would suggest standing at the very edge of the goddess' hand before firing so that you can connect to the chest," said Spike. It looked like a simple enough distance, but I choose to take his advice so I inched slowly to the edge making sure not to go too far.

Once I was certain this was as close as I could get without falling off, I fired the Longshot's chain which sailed across the room before smacking into the chest on the other side, and I got pulled along in the process. Once my feet were safely on the hand, I kicked open the chest, and took out a small key which was going to be used for that portcullis back the other way.

" I really don't like backtracking," I sighed.

" You'll be doing it a couple of times in this temple before we're done," said Spike.

" Just like all the others," I moaned.

" But you got used to it in the end," said Spike.

" Maybe so, but I still don't appreciate it," I moaned. Jumping down from the hand of the goddess statue, I rolled along the floor as I landed which caused me to not suffer any damage, and then I made my way back over to where the Hookshot plate was that was located underneath the stairs. From there, I fired the Longshot pulling myself up to the slightly elevated level before walking up the stairs until I was standing in front of the locked portcullis.

Before entering the next room, I turned around due to being curious, and I saw what looked like a switch behind me along with another small chest. I had a feeling it contained nothing but a small rupee amount, and that switch probably causes another chest filled with rupees to fall from the ceiling, so I chose to ignore both things and opened the portcullis.

This next room was exactly like the one on the opposite side except it's leading me to the left instead of right. Unlike that room though, there was a Beamos that was looking around for someone to shoot with its laser beam, and I was just such a person who would make a nice target for it. " I'm surprised that it hasn't noticed me yet even though I'm so close."

" It lacks depth perception where it can only see at one angle until it notices something entering its space, and then it will adjust its angle accordingly until whatever was there has been destroyed completely, or has gone out of range where it will resume looking around at its regular angle. Just so you know, a Beamos can only see so far before it gets deemed out of reach.

I believe that its range is about 10 metres which is pretty good, but that should give you an idea as to how far away you need to be if you want to avoid the laser it fires from its eyes," said Spike. Since I was in a safe spot, I took out my Bomb Bag where I pulled out a bomb, and tossed it at the Beamos where it exploded leaving behind some more bombs which I picked up. Since there were no more monsters, I opened the portcullis where I entered a room that lacked much in the way of a floor, and instead there were a couple of thin walkways.

" What kind of chamber is this?" I asked.

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer as we're alone in here," replied Spike.

" Is that the Anubis monster we encountered seven years ago?" I asked.

" Yes, and there are three of them this time in addition to a Beamos to your left. Remember that you can only use Hylian magic instead of your own in order to defeat these monsters, but you do have Fire Arrows which can destroy them without any trouble. The only thing to be careful of is getting attacked by their fireballs all at the same time, and combined with the Beamos in here firing its laser beam, you'll take quite a lot of damage," replied Spike.

" So I should focus on the Anubis first?" I asked.

" That would be a wise decision," replied Spike. Before I could even do anything, the three Anubis as well as the Beamos all noticed me in the room, and instantly attacked me with all of their projectiles. Given how close I was to each of them, I've probably got about less than five seconds to make some kind of reaction....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 62: Shield of the Sun

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 19, 2015
Chapter 62: Shield of the Sun.

If I allow three fireballs and a laser beam to hit me, I'm going to take a lot of damage which would force me to walk around with several wounds unless I were to leave, and get my hands on some potions or fairies. Even though I do have resistance to fire, that doesn't mean I'm completely immune. I had no time to take out my Hylian Shield and deflect these four attacks, so I decided to use Nayru's Love although it would mean using up even more magic power.

Despite being protected by a magical barrier, it consumes a lot of power according to what Adagio told me, so I hope that I have enough to make this work otherwise I'm going to be feeling more than just pain. Quickly taking out the gem which contains Nayru's Love, I activated the spell just as the fireballs and laser beam connected with me. I blinked a few times as the barrier came up, and I came out of this situation completely unscathed.

" That was too close," I said.

" You really do enjoy these intense close call moments don't you?" asked Spike.

" No I don't as all it gives me is a heart attack given how I almost got blasted. I'm aware that all those attacks wouldn't have killed me given how much health I have right now compared with before, but I wasn't about to take any additional damage which would have prompted me to warp over to Kakariko Village and getting some potions," I replied.

" There is the oasis outside," sighed Spike.

" I keep forgetting about that, and I really shouldn't given how it's a lot closer than the Potion Shop, and I don't have to pay any rupees in order to catch some fairies in my four bottles to use whenever I'm on the verge of death. Maybe I should leave the temple quickly and check out that oasis, for I'm not liking the idea of having empty bottles," I said.

" The best way would be playing the Requiem of Spirit which will take us outside where that Sage Altar is, and from there we would need to travel west past the temple entrance until we come to a set of palm trees which surround a large dirt hole. By standing on a large rock and causing it to rain, the oasis should fill up with water which will make a large number of fairies appear. They won't stick around for very long though as the desert is no place for a fairy," said Spike.

I was surprised at how specific he was about what I needed to do, but then he knows all about the locations of the Fairy Fountains around Hyrule, so I'm not about to start questioning him. I figured out that the means of making it rain involved playing the Song of Storms, and it has been a long time since I last used it....which was also the only time I actually used it. Strange how I've obtained so many ocarina melodies, and a fair number of them are barely used.

It's rather sad because you would think that all of them would be given equal attention instead of a couple getting more priority than the rest. Before I can leave the temple and investigate the oasis, I still had three Anubis and a Beamos to take care of which is when I realized that I had made a slight blunder with my defensive strategy.

" I can't destroy those Anubis at the moment as I can't use any other magic while this barrier is active," I moaned.

" The one true drawback of using Nayru's Love," said Spike.

" Well, I suppose that I could draw them towards somewhere in this room where a circle of fire will appear if this is the same kind of setup which we saw on the other side of the temple, but then I don't know if I can get all three to follow me," I said.

" There is a switch on the other side of the Beamos, so such an idea is possible," said Spike.

" We didn't really use it before given that I had the magical means to take care of the problem, and I really want to rely on that same magic again. I guess this is my punishment for relying too much on Nayru's Love even though I've only used it twice now to get me out of terrible situations. It's not a big deal Spike as these monsters aren't all that threatening, but it has taught me a lesson," I said.

Since the Beamos can still be taken care of given how bombs aren't affected by this magical barrier, I took out my Bomb Bag and placed it on the ground where I proceeded to take out a bomb. Given how I have at least another minute of this barrier, I didn't have to worry about those Anubis who were still shooting fireballs at me, yet their efforts did nothing as Nayru's Love continued to keep me safe.

I then tossed the bomb and it landed next to the Beamos which exploded, so that was one problem out of the way, yet now I had to wait for a while until this spell wears off.

" You should get the Fire Arrows ready when the barrier disappears," suggested Spike.

" I thought other magic can't be used as long as Nayru's Love remains in effect?" I asked.

" That is still true Sunset Shimmer, yet you can still take out the magical weapons even though you can't use them," replied Spike.

" Oh, then I guess I should bring out the Fairy Bow along with the Fire Arrows, and aim at them while waiting for the barrier to run its course," I said. I then took my own advice by taking out the bow, and then starting what I believed was going to be a long process of waiting, yet the moment I aimed at one of the Anubis, the magical barrier started to flicker which indicated that it was about to wear off.

A few seconds later and the barrier disappeared where my arrows suddenly became consumed with flames, and that meant I was going to enjoy taking these monsters down. I didn't mean it as being sadistic, but rather because of what almost happened before I used the spell, so my way of thinking involved wanting some slight revenge, but mainly to continue proceeding through the temple.

Before these monsters even knew what was going on, I fired fiery arrows at each of them where they were destroyed instantly, and when the last one went down in flames, it unlocked the portcullis on the other side of the room.

" What do you want to do next?" asked Spike.

" I suppose we could continue on to the next room, but maybe we should check out that oasis back outside," I replied.

" You want to have those empty bottles filled don't you?" asked Spike.

" Considering how much punishment I've been taking whenever I encounter powerful monsters, most of the time I've found myself on the verge of death without the means to heal myself. My fight with Sunset Demon reminded me to do this, yet my assumption was to go back to Kakariko Village because that is where the Potion Shop is after it relocated after Hyrule Castle Town was destroyed.

I don't want to go around these dangerous places without the means of restoring my health, and this will be especially true when the time comes for me to enter Ganondorf's castle which will be my worst nightmare come to life in this world," I replied.

" Most people use potions because they aren't aware of the Fairy Fountains," said Spike.

" Really? I thought most people would visit them for a pick-me-up," I said.

" The Great Fairy believes that her subjects would be abused by people because of their healing properties, and their ability to bring anyone back to life immediately after getting killed, so only those she feels are worthy are able to find them. This doesn't apply with her own fountains as only she can be found within them, and of course they are hidden even more discreetly so as to prevent most from uncovering and taking advantage of her immense powers," said Spike.

" I never would have guessed fairies were treated like that," I said.

" All because of what we can do," said Spike.

" Then how do you explain the Kokiri having fairy partners?" I asked.

" The Great Deku Tree was a guardian spirit who ranks up there with the Great Fairy, so he was entrusted with some of her subjects as a means of protecting the forest children from dangers which existed beyond the forest boarders," replied Spike. This was a side of the people of this world which clearly shocked me, and it made me feel sick to my stomach that I had been helping them. In truth, they had no regard for life which they deemed as being beneath them.

It was a painful reminder of what I experienced in the human world where I was treated with little to no contempt after I had discovered friendship, yet before that I was the one who treated my peers as being beneath my notice. Yet another example of irony where my own experiences have come back to haunt me, and making me feel miserable about what I used to do.

Spike then assured me that the people of Hyrule have gotten better since the early days where they were more savage, but things could do with some improvement. Deep down though, being told this truth made me rethink of my overall opinion of this world, and thinking that perhaps Ganondorf isn't the only evil that exists here.

I took out the Ocarina of Time, and began playing the Requiem of Spirit where I became surrounded by an orange light. A few moments later and I was back outside in the Desert Colossus where it was still daylight, so I was relieved to know that I wasn't going to feel the cold winds of the night any time soon.

" So where is this oasis?" I asked.

" It's located on the west side of the Colossus, and all we have to do is just go in a straight line to find it," replied Spike.

" While it does sound simple enough, I will have those Leevers coming out of the sand, and I'm sure we're going to run into Sonata as I doubt she has found any of those masks buried out there in the sand," I said.

" You've got to admire her persistence," said Spike.

" And also her insanity for has she spent all this time out in the blazing heat. Most people would suffer heatstroke if they were exposed to that much heat, but then Sonata has proven time and time again that she is unusual. If she is still walking about out here without any problems, truly she will earn a great deal of respect," I said.

Given the chances of encountering her were pretty high, I chose not to try and avoid her because that was going to be impossible, but at the same time I was curious as to how her digging was going. After walking across the desert which felt like forever, I would come across the oasis, and sure enough it had no water, so I needed to fill it up if I want the fairies to appear. " So this is where that fountain used to be a long time ago before this place became what it is now?"

" Surprised?" asked Spike.

" I am actually as I was thinking that it would be inside of a cave or something," I replied.

" Aside from this one, all Fairy Fountains be they regular or Great Fairy are located either inside of caves or underground. You could say that this oasis was perhaps the earliest to have existed. Anyway, do you see that rock over there? That is where you need to stand, and do something which will make it rain. Do you need any help in figuring out what needs to be done?" asked Spike.

" The Song of Storms is the only means I have which can cause rain to fall," I replied.

" I knew you would figure it out," said Spike.

" Well, it's not like it was difficult for me, but I will admit that I have forgotten how the song is supposed to be played. I've only ever used it once, and that was to drain the water from the well in Kakariko Village back in the past," I said.

" Good thing I wrote down what notes you need to play," said Spike.

" And I'm grateful for that as I would have never remembered," I said. It wasn't easy to walk over to the rock because Leevers popped out of the ground, and I had to avoid them because if I get the urge to destroy them, I'll have to deal with a meaner one. So, I chose to simply leave them alone and hopefully restrain myself from doing something completely stupid. Luck was on my side as the Leevers ignored me, and I reached the rock which looked out of place compared to everything in this desert.

I then got on top of it, and taking out the ocarina again, I waited for Spike to show me which notes I had to play. He then took out a small piece of paper, and showed it to me where I spent about a minute memorizing it. Once that was done, I played the Song of Storms, and dark clouds began to appear in the sky as though I had unleashed a great evil.

" Spike? Are you sure this is supposed to happen? I mean, we never saw what happened when I played it back in the windmill as it was outside and we were inside, yet I think I've gone and brought about some kind of destruction."

" All you did was summon a thunderstorm where it will rain heavily, and thunder will sparkle and crackle up in the sky. It may seem like you are creating something evil, but rest assured that what's going on is supposed to happen," said Spike. As soon as it started to rain, I realized that I was going to get wet and maybe even catch a cold, yet it was too late to do anything about it.

Then I looked at the oasis where it quickly filled up with water, and when it was full, a large collection of fairies appeared in the center where they scattered around. I waddled into the water until I was as close as I could get without being forced to swim, and taking out one of my empty bottles, I scooped up a fairy which meant I could now relax knowing that my life was in good hands.

" There! I have a fairy," I said.

" Maybe you should get at least two or three just in case," suggested Spike.

" Why would I need that many?" I asked.

" Remember what happened in the Shadow Temple?" asked Spike.

" Good point," I replied. Back then, I made sure to get as many potions as I could, and I ended up going through all of them in a short period, so having one fairy in a bottle wasn't going to be enough. I then waddled about using my remaining bottles to capture more fairies, and I even made sure to restore my health by running into one of the other remaining fairies as I wasn't taking any chances.

When all four bottles had been used, the rain came to a stop and the remaining fairies simply disappeared which didn't make much sense, but I suppose this was just something they do. The water would make for an interesting bath, but I didn't need one given that I just spent a few minutes waddling about scooping up small magical creatures.

" So that's how this oasis works."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted because Sonata suddenly appeared next to me.

" You really do become jittery whenever someone talks to you all of a sudden, but then you can't help it as your mind is fixated on other things thus causing you to ignore your surroundings," said Sonata.

" I thought you were digging around looking for those masks?" I asked.

" After doing so for about a couple of hours in this intense heat, it became obvious that I needed to take a break, and I was considering the entrance to that temple over there until you brought water to this oasis. I tried figuring it out, but I gave up after ten minutes, yet you solved the puzzle so now I'll rest here for a while before resuming. The directions I got from the Gerudo turned out to be genuine as I've already discovered a mask that was buried out here," replied Sonata.

She then dropped her massive bag down where it made a loud thump, and opened it up where she reached in with her hand pulling out what she had found. I'm not sure how she knew exactly where it was as she probably has hundreds of masks in that bag, but I wasn't about to cause a scene.

" That is an interesting mask you have there," I said.

" I know you're confused by how strange it looks, and I have to agree with you," said Sonata.

" Oh! I wasn't trying to offend or anything," I said.

" No, you pretty much said the truth which is fine because it does look bizarre given how ancient it is. I've been wanting to see what these ancient Gerudo masks look like for years, and I was expecting something like this. I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to purchase one of these for wearing purposes, but for both historical and collecting purposes is most likely going to happen," said Sonata.

" Are you sure the Gerudo would appreciate you selling their history?" I asked.

" They chose to move on from their past because thievery became the standard, so they couldn't care less if I were to dig up the entire desert and sell every last one of these ancient masks. I do intend to do just that because these masks need to be exposed to the world again after being buried for so long. It will probably take me a few months to dig up every portion of the Desert Colossus until I find them all, yet it's something I'm truly dedicated to complete," replied Sonata.

The mask itself looked ugly as though someone had just put it together in a crude fashion rather than using intricate detail to make it look stunning. Then again, the ancient Gerudo didn't care about presentation provided the mask worked as intended. I would say that no one would wear something so ugly, for that would provide more than just attention.

" How many masks do you think are buried out there?" I asked.

" I'm guessing at least 50 as the records the Gerudo keep in that library of theirs state that even back then, their numbers were small compared to the other tribes, yet they created a lot of masks that served different functions such as rituals, ascensions, funerals, holidays, and so on. I have a lot of work to do if I plan on digging up all of them, but what about you Sunset Shimmer? Were you able to discover what happened to Nabooru?" asked Sonata.

" There was some kind of struggle inside of the temple, and she ended up losing," I replied.

" I knew her to be quite strong even among her people, but to think that she disappeared all because of a fight," said Sonata.

" Huh? You know about Nabooru?" I asked.

" Of course I do as how else do you think I managed to sell a number of masks to the Gerudo? She helped me to get around certain obstacles, and during the process we became better acquainted. She always did look as though she had some huge burden on her shoulders, but never talked about it as she preferred to deal with it on her own. It was as though she were involved in a solo crusade against something, yet she never said what it was," replied Sonata.

Once again, this was a side of Rainbow Dash in this world I never knew, but I suspect that her crusade was against Ganondorf as she wanted to free her people. I couldn't reveal that I knew the real reason as to what happened seven years ago, but I think Sonata knows I'm hiding something from her given her sudden change of expression. " You know, I think you're holding back information, but then you're new to this region of Hyrule, so I shouldn't accuse you of anything."

" I do plan on finding out what became of her," I said.

" You'd be the first one to do that in ages," said Sonata.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" When she initially disappeared, there were plans to go out into the desert to find her, but Spitfire refused such ideas because she said that Nabooru was a traitor, and she was to wander lost forever. A couple of Gerudo felt that she needed to be found, so they defied the will of the second-in-command by going into the desert in order to find and bring her back.

They were never seen again after a couple of days, and as a result no one else bothered to look for them. Seven years have passed since then, and Nabooru's disappearance was completely forgotten. Instead, the Gerudo were lead to believe that she chose to live out here, and they believed it until you came and opened their eyes to the truth," replied Sonata.

" Yet they still won't try to find her?" I asked.

" Considering how many years have passed since Nabooru disappeared, they all suspect the worst. Anyway, you look as though you need to go into the temple given that you've been looking that way every couple of minutes, and I need to resume my search for masks because I'm not leaving this desert until I find them all! I guess this is where we part ways again Sunset Shimmer, but whether we shall meet again or not depends on what destiny says," replied Sonata.

Without saying another word to me, she walked east towards the entrance of the Desert Colossus before she was completely out of sight, yet I felt very annoyed at first with Spitfire for refusing to go and look for Rainbow Dash when she initially disappeared. Then I remembered the witches had her under their spell, so she isn't to blame for what happened.

The more I learn about these witches, the angrier I become because of the pain and suffering that has been inflicted by them. While I desired for them to suffer, I had to maintain a heroic stance as petty acts like wanting revenge will make me no better than them. I am not going to resort to such depraved means just to get back at them.

" We need to go back inside," I said.

" You're determined now more than ever to defeat those witches," said Spike.

" I am because what I just heard has made me mad beyond words," I said.

" Make sure you don't lose control of your emotions otherwise you will transform in the wrong way. What I find really strange with you sometimes Sunset Shimmer is that your feelings are rather messed up, but I don't meant that in a negative fashion," said Spike.

" No, I don't blame you because you're absolutely right," I said.

" Emotions can be a very powerful tool, but all it takes is just one wrong scenario, and you end up losing sight of the truth. You have experience with it due to your transformations, so you know better now than you did back then. You've also experienced it from where you're really from although I wouldn't know what that could have been like as I've never seen it with my own eyes, yet I know that you'd never lie about your past given how it gets brought up often," said Spike.

" What do I have to hide when it comes to the truth?" I asked.

" Probably nothing," replied Spike.

" Exactly! I've been very vocal about my past actions because I've had to make so many amends to those who I wronged, and it helps me to teach others not to end up falling into the same trap. If I can prevent just one person from becoming a demon, then I can live happily knowing they changed their ways.

It took me a long time to earn forgiveness and even acceptance from other people, but I don't use my troubled past to get sympathy as that does me nothing. No, I let others know that they can become better, and that their past shouldn't define who they are. It doesn't always work as some people are just too far gone to be saved, yet others are able to turn it around," I said.

" Maybe you should use it on yourself more often," suggested Spike.

" Kind of hard to do when being exposed to so much torment," I said. This was true because I have been tormented on different levels since I was first brought to this world, and Spike would eventually agree with me as he couldn't find a reason to say otherwise. It was just my lot in life to continue being punished for my misdeeds of the past, yet it wasn't going to last the rest of my life as there will come a time where I no longer need to suffer because of what I did.

I'm not sure when it will happen, but I have a good feeling the wait won't be that long. As I turned to face the Spirit Temple, I knew that I hadn't been honest with both Sonata and Spitfire when it came to explaining Rainbow Dash's fate, yet I knew they wouldn't understand time travel as I don't really get it myself.

Those witches weren't getting any younger, so I walked back inside, and that is when I realized the one problem which comes with warping outside of a dungeon....I have to backtrack all the way to where I was, and that was going to take at least 30 minutes.

" Guess we didn't plan this out very well," sighed Spike.

" I should have used Farore's Wind," I moaned.

" Well, we have to go all the way back, so there's no point in moaning," said Spike.

" Moaning makes me feel better after doing something utterly stupid! Actually, I'm glad we have to backtrack as there was one room on the second floor we never explored because I couldn't melt the ice covering up that one switch with my magic," I moaned.

" Guess we found a silver lining after all," said Spike.

" More like a slight detour," I moaned. Why didn't I consider creating a warp point with Farore's Wind when I had the chance after destroying the Beamos and Anubis? Was it really that difficult for me to remember something so simple? It made me feel so pathetic knowing that I forgot about such a useful mechanic, and now I was paying the price. There was no choice but to go back the long way, but at least I get to see another path although that could actually be even worse especially if it ends up becoming a shortcut.

Sighing, I began my trek back, and the two witches were discussing what had just transpired between me and Sunset Demon. They were clearly shaken up because of the large of power that almost destroyed this entire location.

" The forest girl was able to defeat her dark self," said Trixie.

" And she even obtained fairies outside in the oasis which means she has not suffered any wounds like we had hoped," added Chrysalis.

" We should have known better than to rely on such a worthless creature, for she was more concerned with wanting to showcase her power instead of doing what was necessary," said Trixie.

" If not for the protective magic and that powerful sword, the girl would be dead by now as her transformed state was no match for the she-demon's form. It seems this child has proven to be very resourceful as though she knew what was going to happen. I have no doubt that she will reach us Koume, so we must make sure that we are prepared," said Chrysalis.

" Then our special guardian shall be our last line of defence Kotake," said Trixie.

" We have no other choice, for the girl shall most likely defeat our other guardian, and claim the treasure of the Gerudo. That accursed item has been the bane of our existence for a long time, and we should have destroyed it a long time ago. She has no chance of defeating us without it, so we could have saved ourselves a great deal of headache by just getting rid of it," said Chrysalis.

" And yet we couldn't because the Great Ganondorf declared it an ancient relic which had to be preserved no matter what! His command was to keep it and the silver power stored here in the temple, but by choosing to carry out his wishes, we have essentially ensured our own deaths.

Once again, I believe he wishes to be rid of us because all we have become is a hindrance, and he wouldn't even have the power that he does if not for us. My own ranting aside, there is nothing we can do that will prevent the girl from acquiring that item, so we must use the full depths of our magic," said Trixie.

" If we can kill her, then this world shall remain in darkness forever," said Chrysalis.

" Then our task is a simple one, and failing is not an option," said Trixie.

" Should we be defeated by her though, then I am hoping the Great Ganondorf will be able to kill her. I have no doubt his strength cannot be overcome, but her transformation combined with the Triforce essence inside of her could tip the scale.

It's possible she could defeat him, and should that become the reality of the situation....our hard work these many years will be destroyed by a mere forest girl who possesses powers no one of her kind should be capable of. Fortunately, I watched this conflict between her and the she-demon, and I have come to a very pleasing conclusion," said Chrysalis.

" What is it?" asked Trixie.

" She can only maintain this transformed state for a short period, and then it wears off and cannot be used for some time. If we plan this out carefully taking this information into consideration, our chances of success increase by a large margin. However, she has proven herself to be powerful even without this alternate form of hers.

Still, if we can cause her to change back to normal, it will give us an advantage, but only for so long as she will eventually get the chance to change again. Which is why we must act in a quick and ruthless manner before we lose momentum," replied Chrysalis.

" Then we need not worry about her as everything is under control," laughed Trixie.

" Not everything," began Chrysalis.

" What now?" asked Trixie.

" The form that she-demon took on when she transformed....such a demonic aura far exceeds that of the Great Ganondorf, and that makes her more dangerous than the forest girl. I suspect the wretch must have tapped into the true depths of darkness to have acquired such a form, so if she were to remain free to do whatever she wished, once again we would be blamed," replied Chrysalis.

" We don't need to worry about that one," began Trixie.

" Are you serious?" asked Chrysalis.

" Even though their combined power almost destroyed our temple, the she-demon has become a lot weaker ever since the forest girl inflicted a severe wound. Surely, you felt her power suddenly drop when their petty squabble was just about to reach its end. That means the wretch is no longer a threat as she now struggles to cling to life even though she denies nothing is wrong.

I know her power continues waning with every passing moment, so it's merely a matter of time before she can no longer exist. It does mean she will make one last attempt to kill the girl, and is liable to do so when she reaches our location. Should that come to pass, then we can just snuff out the wretch for she won't be of any concern to us," replied Trixie.

" A most glorious prospect, yet we must be careful," said Chrysalis.

" Yes, for even though they are bitter enemies, the forest girl has sympathy for the she-demon," said Trixie.

" Should the wretch be destroyed in front of her eyes in such a cruel and merciless manner, it could push her over the edge and unlock an even greater power. That would be an absolute disaster for us, so we must make certain it doesn't happen. Hopefully, the she-demon will simply crumble away to dust before making things even more complicated.

If not then we can easily manipulate the girl into taking the wretch down without either of us getting involved. That child may possess great power for one so young, yet she cannot resist her mind being controlled, and carrying out our bidding," said Chrysalis.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Trixie.

" It could be our very last resort, and we would need to use every last ounce of our magic," replied Chrysalis.

While making my way back to where I was before, I did use my Fire Arrows to melt the ice which was covering the eye switch, and when it activated, the iron bars blocking the portcullis rose up allowing me access to the room beyond. Upon entering, I found myself face-to-face with another giant block which was weird as I assumed that only one existed in this place.

Yet, here was another one which required me to push it along until it falls. According to the Dungeon Map, going down this path lead to a dead-end, but perhaps something could be found at the end, and that alone prompted my curiosity.

" Good thing we decided to see where this way goes," I said.

" What do you expect is down here?" asked Spike.

" There won't be any treasure as it doesn't fit the usual tropes we've seen in every other situation, yet I suspect this is going to be some kind of shortcut which would have made this backtracking a lot less painful," I replied.

" That does sound like the most logical solution," said Spike.

" You know, this is probably going to make me feel even more miserable given how I blundered. Guess we'll know for certain what we end up running into at the end of the passage," I said. Pushing against it with my hands combined with the power of the Silver Gauntlets, the block scraped along until it dropped into the hole, and I found myself standing in front of another block. " I hope this doesn't become a trend otherwise I'm going to feel even worse."

I then pushed this one along where it eventually dropped down, and once again I was standing in front of yet another block which was really getting on my nerves. Without saying another word, I pushed it along where it dropped into another hole. As it fell, I saw there was no other blocks to push, yet there was a strange looking switch which made me curious.

" This switch must have been here for a very long time given how it has rusted," said Spike.

" It's been some time since I last used the Megaton Hammer," I said.

" You used to use it because at the time you had no proper training when it came to using a sword," said Spike.

" Thank Pinkie Pie for teaching me some of the basics," I said.

" You've managed to become quite good at using a blade, yet you still have some issues," said Spike. He wasn't kidding especially when you consider what happened when I struck Sunset Demon with the Biggoron's Sword. I then took out the Megaton Hammer whose weight caught me off guard as it had been a long time since I last used it, but it wasn't going to stop me.

I slammed it down onto the switch which activated it, and it caused a nearby panel to drop down to the level below. It then came back up after a few moments which indicated that it was indeed a shortcut....exactly what I didn't want to see happen.

" A shortcut....we could have used this to get back there," I moaned.

" We have it available now I suppose," said Spike.

" Too little, too late," I moaned. Deep down, I was really annoyed with how I made myself do extra legwork when I could have avoided it by using magic. It took another 20 minutes before I made it back to where I was before, and the first thing that caught my attention was the locked portcullis to the right of where I came in. " Hmmmm....we'll need to return later with the key."

" Which means our only direction is through that other portcullis," said Spike.

" This next room is where the ring will finally be used," I said.

" Make sure you don't drop it," said Spike. Because of how often I've been clumsy when it came to using weapons, his words had a lot of truth to them. Upon opening the portcullis and entering the next room, my whole body turned white because of how many Armos statues were in here. There must be at least two dozen scattered about, and touching any of them will cause them to come to life. Because I remember how they explode when defeated, I was going to take a lot of damage should I cause a chain reaction.

I did have fairies in bottles to help me out, but they need to be used sparingly. To my right was a really fancy looking door which must be where the ring needs to be placed, and to my left was yet another portcullis locked with iron bars. A sun switch next to it gave me an idea as to what I needed to do considering there was sunlight shining nearby.

" I need to somehow shine that sunlight onto the switch," I said.

" You don't have anything to do so," said Spike.

" Which means we must solve the main problem, and that involves the ring I was given," I said.

" Do you remember what those records mentioned?" asked Spike.

" In order to open the door using this ring, I need to use the sunlight," I replied.

" Have you even looked at it apart from when it was given to you, and when you showed it off to Spitfire?" asked Spike. I shook my head to indicate no, so that prompted me to take it out and see what the fuss was all about. The ring looked like an ordinary piece of jewelry, but it featured a rather large gem which looked like nothing I've ever seen before. Could this gem be what I need to figure this all out?

" What kind of a jewel is it?" I asked.

" This is a special prism which can absorb light and reflect it back, but it's small so it won't be able to do all that much. I gather you need to shine this ring into the sunlight over there, and then place it into the door which should open up. Shining it on the sun switch will do nothing as those need full sunlight, so we need to come back later," replied Spike. This was what I had to do? If it was this simple then why was there so much fanfare just to do something so simple?

Then again, this ring has much more meaning than appearances suggest. I'm suspecting the witches created this special door to prevent anyone from entering, but why would they do that? Could the ultimate defence strike fear into them? I guess the truth will be revealed once I get my hands on it.

Walking over to the sunlight, and holding the ring in its warm glow, it quickly began to shine in a rather eerie manner, and my first thought was that the Armos would come to life as a reaction. They remained still, but I'm not about to take any chances, so I walked over to the strange door which had a slot where the ring needs to be placed.

" Guess this is where this ring finally returns to where it needs to be," I said as I inserted it into the door. At first nothing happened which looked weird, but suddenly it began glowing in a bright light which almost blinded me. Once my vision returned a few moments later, the door was gone, so I could continue on where I ran up some carpeted stairs which lead to another portcullis. " This feels like I've been here before, but I can't put my finger on it."

" This is where we were in the past, but on the other side," said Spike.

" Does that mean?" I asked.

" You need to fight another Iron Knuckle," replied Spike.

" Oh great," I moaned as I opened the portcullis where it closed behind me with iron bars. This room was just like the other one where there were pillars all over the place, yet it turned to the right, and waiting for me at the end was the Iron Knuckle sitting on its throne. I had a lot of trouble dealing with this monster last time, and I knew this was going to be another repeat performance.

" It won't be as bad as before," said Spike.

" You weren't the one who was being slammed with a giant axe," I moaned.

" The Master Sword inflicts twice as much damage as the Kokiri Sword, so it will take half the time to remove the armour plate covering its weak point, and half the time to defeat it by striking said weak point," said Spike.

" Well, hearing you say that does make me feel a little better, but it will still inflict the same amount of damage right?" I asked.

" That's still the case yes," replied Spike. I knew he would say that, so I have to avoid that axe unless I want to get sliced. The fairies I picked up outside will come in handy, but I want to keep all of them as they will be needed when I encounter those witches. Despite now having a better weapon to defeat this Iron Knuckle, I didn't want to go through with it because my previous encounter wasn't what I'd call one of my best moments, yet I have no other choice.

Walking over to where it was sitting, I took the Master Sword and smacked it on the front of its armour which caused it to make a grunting sound , and it slowly got up and proceeded to walk forward. Before I could even do anything, the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe into me before it crashed into the ground, and I found myself being sent flying before landing in front of one of those pillars.

" I'm not liking this," I moaned.

" You don't need to worry as you do have fairies, but that doesn't mean having to fight reckless," said Spike. The Iron Knuckle then walked towards me again, but then I figured maybe having the Hylian Shield out will protect me. I quickly put this to the test where I raised my shield which prompted it to respond by swinging its axe back and forth, and my idea slightly worked as the axe still connected with me, yet I didn't take as much damage as before.

Since Spike said that the Master Sword inflicts twice the damage, I can take this thing down quickly, but it does mean having to get really close. It got close to me again where it destroyed the pillar I was standing in front of which did produce hearts, and then this was followed by it slamming its axe into the ground where I responded by striking it a couple of times before quickly moving back.

" It's just like the last one," I said.

" So you don't need to freak out about it," said Spike.

" I'm only reacting that way because of how powerful it is," I said.

" I noticed you went up close in order to attack Iron Knuckle, but you don't need to do that. The Master Sword has a long reach, so you can attack from a slight distance, but not too much otherwise your strikes won't connect. Also, don't try to attack it from behind because you know what it can do," said Spike.

" Yeah, I remember that it can counter-attack, so I'll make sure to avoid doing that," I said. That bit of good news does play well in my favour, for now I don't need to get right in its face to inflict damage, but I can't afford to be overconfident otherwise I'm going to be using at least one fairy.

Grabbing the hearts which came out of the destroyed pillar, I moved in close before stepping back which caused the Iron Knuckle to slam its axe down allowing me to strike it a couple more times, yet I was surprised at how I was able to get away with doing that. " What I did just now....I think I've figured out an ideal pattern."

" Then go for it, but be careful as even the most obvious of patterns can end up changing," said Spike.

" Right....once its armour falls off and its weak point is exposed, it starts to run at a rather brisk pace. While I wouldn't exactly call it fast, it moves faster than it currently does at this moment. If I were to apply this pattern of attack when it begins running, I'm likely to get hit as I won't be able to retreat before that axe comes down. So when I move onto the second phase, what I should do?" I asked.

" I'd just go with what you believe works best," replied Spike.

" In other words, hope that I don't mess up?" I asked.

" You're not going to make any mistakes Sunset Shimmer, as you've been doing this so much now you've gotten used to it. Okay, you do still make some mistakes which have almost cost you your life, but I'm sure that isn't going to be a problem," replied Spike. I do admire him for how much faith he has in my abilities, but sometimes I think he puts too much confidence towards me as I've battled against powerful enemies without making a mistake only to be completely outmatched.

Maybe he wants me to prove him wrong, or perhaps make me prove to myself that I can handle anything. It's probably the latter option, but it would be difficult to make it work given how many monsters in Hyrule are naturally powerful, and I merely use weapons, powers, and the like to keep up.

I suppose my transformation does put me on an even playing field, but I can only use it every now and then as it does exhaust me given how much effort goes into maintaining it. The Iron Knuckle meanwhile continued to follow me, but I kept up with the strategy I came up with. It wasn't going well at first because of some issues as to how far is enough before it can be considered a safe distance.

" I just need to remember how far away I was before I made this strategy work to begin with," I said.

" Its axe has a long reach because of how long the handle is, so you need to take that into consideration," said Spike. Good thing he mentioned that just now as its axe suddenly slammed down next to me, and I had about a mere inch separating me from it. Before it could lift it back up, I struck it a few more times, and that is when its armour plate fell off which was surprising as I assumed that there was at least another two or three hits to go.

Maybe I can adjust my strategy a little to coincide with this change in its behaviour. So I got close to it as a means of baiting it out before stepping back, but then it suddenly got right next to me and swung its axe back and forth striking me across the chest. I didn't go flying across the room, yet I should have because it then struck me in the same manner again. The wound I sustained before suddenly reopened, and I knew it meant being forced to use a fairy were I to take anymore damage.

" I'm starting to lose control," I said.

" I know that wound of yours is bleeding again, but relax as you do have fairies who can heal it for you," said Spike.

" But I wanted to save them for when we get to those witches," I cried.

" You do know that you can easily get more of them by going back to the oasis outside right?" asked Spike.

" Wait, what!?!? I thought it was a one time thing which is why I've been hesitant about using them," I replied.

" Fairy Fountains can be used as often as you like provided you leave and come back in again. Granted, this method is why many people are no longer allowed access to them because of taking advantage of the kindness given by fairies, but those who have permission can do so repeatedly until they are ready to continue on with whatever journey they have," said Spike.

" I wish you could have told me this sooner," I moaned.

" Gee, I thought it was pretty obvious," said Spike.

" I'm not from this world remember?" I asked.

" That shouldn't be an excuse for you to not know something like that," replied Spike. That means I could have gotten fairies whenever I needed them, and not wasted rupees buying potions. Not only that, but I could have used them a lot sooner which would have made certain situations practically non-existent, and saved me a lot of grief. I guess it's my own fault for being utterly clueless, and a painful reminder that I should have asked Rainbow Dash as to how this video game works.

She was the resident player among our group even though both Applejack and Fluttershy were pretty experienced as well. Me? I wouldn't even know what I have to do just to play a game as we never had anything of the sort back in Equestria. That's when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach which was a reminder of the wound I had just gotten from this Iron Knuckle, but I couldn't clutch it with my hand as I need my shield to remain raised up in case I can mitigate any additional damage.

Looks like both this monster and I have a weakness which is now exposed, yet I don't intend on being killed. Moving forward slightly because of the pain I was experiencing, the Iron Knuckle swung its axe around where I hit it just as the blade was coming back....my punishment for not waiting, and once again I felt tremendous agony.

" One more hit like that and I'm done for," I said.

" Until you get revived by a fairy which will fix that wound of yours," said Spike.

" I really wanted to save them until we reached the witches, but I guess I can always just go back to the oasis," I said. The Iron Knuckle walked forward where it slammed down its axe, and I went around behind it for a quick hit. Since it was about to counter-attack, I made sure to quickly step back out in front so as to avoid being hit. What I didn't expect was a massive swing around, for the Iron Knuckle must do this in order to prevent itself from falling.

When that axe struck me again, I collapsed to the ground having been killed, yet Spike didn't show concern because he knew I was about to be revived. Sure enough, one of the fairies restored my health to full, and even closed up that wound much to my pleasure. " Well, there goes one of my fairies, but it was necessary otherwise I wouldn't have gotten back onto my feet."

" Like I said, you can get another one back at the oasis," said Spike.

" Would that involve playing the Song of Storms?" I asked.

" Yep, as the oasis drains away when you leave the immediate area," replied Spike. Yet another instance of an element being replaced with something similar all because of leaving, and coming back thinking it will still be the same. With the knowledge of being able to go back to the oasis, I focused on the Iron Knuckle as it needed to be defeated, and my restored health would see me through.

It swung its axe around, but I couldn't get close without being hit myself, so I waited for it to slam its axe down and when this happened, I struck it once more where it was finally defeated. I breathed a sigh of relief as it burned away to nothing, and the iron bars surrounding both portcullises rose up. Unlike before, not all of the pillars were destroyed, so I guess this fight wasn't all that bad.

" That went okay I suppose," I began.

" But?" asked Spike.

" I didn't want to go through with it," I replied.

" Maybe so, yet you managed to pull through," said Spike.

" And that means I'll finally get my hands on this ultimate defence which has been hinted towards us, but never explained as to what it really is. I just hope that it's worth this pain and hassle otherwise I won't be very happy," I said.

" I'm sure it will be useful otherwise why would they even bother keeping it away?" asked Spike.

" That's a good point you make. Those witches set up that door because they didn't want anyone to find this treasure, and I think it's because they are afraid of it being used against them. It also explains why that Iron Knuckle was guarding it, for it would need to act as the last line of defence in case of an emergency. If the witches were thinking of stopping me from getting that treasure, I don't think they can do much now considering how close we are," I replied.

After saying that, I decided to move on just in case they could actually do something to stop me. Opening the portcullis at the end of the room, I entered another cave which lead towards a bright light which must be the other exit. " Hopefully, this treasure will appear because I believe I've fulfilled whatever obligations the desert goddess had in mind."

As I walked outside, I found myself standing on top of the other giant hand and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, but then a large treasure chest dropped down from above which had me puzzled. " Strange....I remember seeing from over on the other side, so why did it drop down now just as I walked outside?"

" I don't have an answer for you," replied Spike.

" Should it matter because the important thing is the treasure?" I asked.

" Not really, but I suggest you go back inside via this entrance and not the main one down below. I have a feeling what is inside of the chest will help you deal with that sun switch we saw earlier in the room with all of those Armos statues," replied Spike. In all of this excitement, that switch had completely skipped my mind, but now I knew that I had to activate it.

Opening up the large treasure chest in front of me, I took out what appeared to be a red shield, and on the front was a very polished surface with some kind of black rose etched into the bottom, and a crescent moon on the top. This was certainly a beautiful sight to behold, but was this the ultimate defence which I had been hearing about for so long?

" Now this is a very nice shield," I commented.

" What you've got there is the Mirror Shield! It doesn't deflect simple thing like Deku Nuts, for such projectiles merely crumble to dust if they were to connect with it, but it can reflect sunlight and energy by absorbing such power into the mirrored surface. Aside from that, this works just like the Hylian Shield except it's much stronger, and Like-Like's aren't able to take it from you.

This is the ancient treasure of the Gerudo which was sealed away inside of the Spirit Temple a long time ago, and whoever possesses it can use the power of the sun just like the ancient Gerudo were able to centuries ago," said Spike.

" Are you sure it can reflect sunlight?" I asked.

" Just raise the shield up and you'll see what it can do," replied Spike. I then held the Mirror Shield in both hands, and raised it above my head where the polished surface suddenly began to glow in a bright light. Never had I experienced anything quite like it! I could feel the warmth of the sun being absorbed into the shield, so now I understand what I need to do in order to activate the sun switch.

Truly this was an amazing shield which was about to prove its worth, so taking off the Hylian Shield and slinging this new one onto my shoulder, I placed the older one in a different area of my person as I wasn't going to abandon it. Despite now being deemed inferior, I've had it for a very long time, and I'm not about to leave behind something which has saved me countless times throughout this journey.

" Guess I must use the Mirror Shield from now on," I said.

" It's needed to activate any sun switches which can't be pushed into the light, or exposed to it via a mirror," said Spike.

" You said this can reflect energy right? Does magic count as energy?" I asked.

" I believe it does," replied Spike.

" Then that must be the reason why the witches didn't want anyone to get this shield, for it can be used against them by somehow bouncing their magic back. This must be what Flash Sentry was talking about before I acquired the Silver Gauntlets. Back then, he didn't tell me what I needed to do for I was lacking the Mirror Shield, and now I have it which means those witches can be defeated," I said.

If Sunset Demon tried attacking me again in the future, I can use the Mirror Shield to bounce her magic back at her, yet would it work against darkness? That is a question I'd rather not have answered as I don't want to deal with her if possible. No, I prefer it if she chose simply to vanish, and allow me to keep my life.

" Now we must activate that sun switch we saw earlier," said Spike.

" Hopefully, those Armos statues will remain inactive as I don't want to deal with dozens of exploding monsters," I said. Walking inside, and all the way back to the room in question, I remembered seeing the sun switch on the wall right next to the locked portcullis, and sure enough there it was.

Just like before, I needed to carefully make my way through without touching any of these Armos, otherwise I'm going to be in a lot of trouble not to mention being forced to use another fairy. The Mirror Shield luckily enough was the same size as the Hylian Shield, so I didn't have to worry about it colliding with anything, and when I reached the switch....well, I hadn't quite figured out what to do.

" Is something wrong?" asked Spike.

" How am I supposed to do this?" I asked.

" I thought the answer was simple given my description of the Mirror Shield," replied Spike.

" Well, no, for I'm under the assumption that you need to reflect it in a specific way," I said.

" You were confused by my words, so let me explain things more carefully Sunset Shimmer. If you walk into this beam of light, a portion of it will hit your shield, and it will create a reflection which can be manipulated by moving it around. You will need to sling it onto your arm in order to control where you want it to go otherwise it's just going to be bouncing off your back," said Spike.

" Can I use the Mirror Shield to defeat monsters?" I asked.

" Unfortunately no as the light which bounces off of the polished surface is just natural," replied Spike.

" That's a shame, but I suppose it's still pretty useful for what it is capable of," I said. Taking the shield and sliding my arm through the straps on the other side, I walked into the light where the reflecting image appeared before me. It took me a few minutes to get used to doing this as I've never had to rely on such a method before, but eventually I was able to hit the sun switch with the bounced light.

The switch then glowed and opened its eyes before showcasing that strange grin, and the portcullis unlocked. " Not a bad tactic although it could be handled better given how long I took to actually get the light to hit the target."

" It can be tricky, but you succeeded," said Spike.

" I have a feeling this is going to become a standard for the rest of the journey," I said. Opening the portcullis, I entered another small room where I immediately began to look around in a crazy manner as I felt that a Like-Like could drop down on me at any moment, but after walking up to the small treasure chest and standing in front of it for a couple of minutes, nothing happened.

Kicking the chest open revealed a small key which I was expecting, so I took it before walking back into the previous room where I accidentally walked into a Armos statue because I was fixated on using it.

" Sunset Shimmer...." said Spike.

" What in the world did I just do?" I asked.

" If I were you, I'd run for the portcullis as fast as possible before this one causes others to awaken," replied Spike.

" Yeah! I don't want to get blown up countless times considering what happens when one is defeated," I said. I then began to run for it, and sure enough the Armos began colliding with others in the room causing them to wake up, and bounce around waking up more of them in a repeating cycle until all of them were bouncing about. Of course, I had reached the portcullis just as they were starting to explode.

As I entered the room, the sounds of explosions came from behind the portcullis, and my heart was beating rapidly because that could have been me in there. " Spike? Why did those Armos explode just by knocking into one another like that? I thought that my own actions would have caused them to blow up, yet they did so without any interaction from me apart from accidentally touching one."

" I'm not sure why it happened, but be glad that we weren't in there," said Spike.

" Well, I could have used Nayru's Love and prevented any kind of damage," I said.

" While that would have made the situation a moot point, you need to remember that the magic items you use in Hyrule consume magic power instead of your own magical essence, and I'm guessing that you've almost run out of it. So, I don't think you would have been able to activate Nayru's Love, so it looks like going to the Potion Shop is useful because fairies can't restore magic," said Spike.

" So I do need to pay a visit to Kakariko Village?" I asked.

" If you want a Green Potion which will restore your magic power back to full as you know from the purchase you made before we went to the Shadow Temple," replied Spike.

" I purchased it because I needed magic power due to using the Lens of Truth," I said.

" A shame you couldn't use Blue Potion," began Spike.

" Blue Potion?" I asked.

" It's essentially the other two combined, for drinking a Blue Potion restores both health and magic. However, it is said to be very expensive because the ingredients needed are hard to come by, and only one place in Hyrule is capable of making it," replied Spike. This was very informative because I have plenty of rupees in my wallet, and this one restores health and magic make it vastly superior to the other two potions.

Before I go to Ganondorf's castle, I should pay another visit to the Potion Shop, and inquire about where I can find the one who can make Blue Potions. That was for later though as right now I needed to focus on what I'm doing, so I carefully walked across the narrow walkways making sure not to fall into the abyss, and I unlocked the portcullis using the small key. The next room could be best described as giving you a nosebleed for it was a massive vertical chamber with a rather complicated climbing section.

" I need to climb up that?" I asked.

" There are panels which move left to right every few seconds, and if you try to climb from one panel to the next as they move, it will cause you to fall down. You'll also fall if you touch the spikes that run parallel on both sides of this wall, so be careful of this as you make your way up. It may look daunting and rather difficult, but it will quickly become second nature in no time," replied Spike.

" A couple of Beamos are in the room as well, but why aren't they moving?" I asked.

" You're right! They look as though something has stopped them in their tracks," replied Spike.

" It might have to do with that strange glowing object hiding behind the one furthest away from us. I know that I shouldn't check it out as it's probably a trap planted by the witches, but I might as well take a peak anyway," I said. Sometimes my curiosity tends to get the better of me, for I should have climbed up this wall as fast as possible, but instead I wanted to see what this object was.

It turned out to be a bomb of some kind given it was shaped similarly to one, yet it didn't behave like one. I suspected this was the work of Sunset Demon given how I didn't destroy her, so she wants to kill me through rather cheap means? Well, her plan is going to succeed as the bomb suddenly exploded, and I had no means of protecting myself from the blast....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 63: The Iron Rainbow

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 22, 2015
Chapter 63: The Iron Rainbow

Of the different traps I've fallen prey to throughout this journey, this was probably the most embarrassing. I should have tried to destroy that bomb, but instead I wanted to investigate it because of feeling curious. As it exploded in a powerful burst of darkness, the amount of damage I sustained ended up killing me which made me feel really annoyed. I just used a fairy against that Iron Knuckle, and now I'm using another one just a short time later.

It's good that I had four on my person, but it was the principle of the thing where I didn't want to use all of them in such a small timeframe, yet has now become the case. As my body slumped to the ground, one of my remaining fairies appeared above me, and used its special powers causing me to get back onto my feet with my health completely restored.

" Well, that was unexpected," I said.

" That bomb certainly had a lot of power locked away inside of it," said Spike.

" I have no doubt the she-demon was behind this, for she is still determined to claim my life as her own. Yet, the wound I inflicted has left her severely weak, so she is forced to rely on such subtle means. As I think about it, I feel sad for her as she really wants to have her own existence, yet feels the need to take my life," I said.

" You said she was stuck in the past," said Spike.

" Sunset Demon is a reminder of who I used to be, and not who I want to become anymore as it's a lifestyle which causes nothing but pain and misery. When you choose to follow a path of darkness, it just leaves you feeling alone without anyone being there by your side to comfort you even in the most difficult of times," I said.

" Because friendship is nothing but weakness which doesn't do anything!" That was the voice of the she-demon, yet it sounded like she was somewhere really high, and that made me realize she was standing on top of this wall. I then looked upwards, and she was standing there although her trembling stature indicated she was continuing to weaken, but I could tell that she wasn't willing to admit defeat.

I should know because I was once stubborn like that. I then heard a sound coming from in front of me, so I turned my attention towards it, and I looked away in disgust for the sound was her blood as it was dripping down to the floor below. " You may believe that friendship will lead you to happiness, but you're merely deluding yourself. Friendship holds you back from what is really important, and that is relying on power to achieve your goals."

" And here I thought you were finished," I said.

" While you did inflict a rather severe wound on me, it isn't enough to keep me down. I'm still going to get what is mine, but now you've forced me to use other methods. If I were in a much better condition, I would have come down there in my transformed state, and beaten you senseless before you could use those new skills of yours," said Sunset Demon.

" Tell me something she-demon, and I do want an honest answer from you. Why do you insist on acting so tough all the time? You know that wound of yours has weakened you, and you've been trying to kill me because of wanting to take control of my life, but I can't help but feel sorry for you about all of this," I said.

" No offence to you Sunset Shimmer, but I have no need of such sympathetic nonsense. I'll be able to regain my strength simply by absorbing a lot of darkness, and then we'll be at each other's throats again. You may not wish to fight because you believe it will solve nothing, but there is a simple solution to all of this. I just want your life as I feel you betrayed your true nature by accepting friendship over power. Why continue struggling, for you were meant to become the ruler of Equestria," said Sunset Demon.

" You know that will never happen," I said.

" Which is why we're going to keep on fighting until I have won," said Sunset Demon.

" And that's why I've chosen to finally stop with all of this. I'm fed up with having to go through this pointless argument with you, so I'm not going to deal with it anymore. You're just a relic of my past who has no purpose other than to remind me of how horrible I was. So, do whatever you want so long as it doesn't involve me. Oh, and your attempt to kill me just now is proof that you're desperate. Now, if you don't mind, I have a curse to break and a Sage to awaken," I said.

Those were perhaps the harshest words I've ever spoken towards the she-demon, and it made me feel really good about myself. It felt like I was punishing the darkness that once consumed my heart for everything it had done. In my heart, I no longer need look back at what was, but rather look forward at what will be. Of course, I knew she wasn't going to take my words too kindly, and she certainly became rather vocal about the whole thing.

" How dare you choose to just ignore me!" shouted Sunset Demon.

" I'm done speaking with you," I said.

" Is that so? Well, I will never give up until I have what I want," said Sunset Demon. It looked like she was going to do something, but stopped as her wound started acting up again. " Shoot! I just can't do anything like this! I don't care what she says, for there is no way for her to just simply ignore me given how I keep coming back for more." The she-demon then dropped to both knees, and felt pain despite trying her best to shrug it off.

" I'll just take my leave and let her do whatever she wants....for now." Sunset Demon then slinked off into the darkness although she moved slowly as her weakened state made it hard for her to walk away. As she disappeared into the shadows, I couldn't help but feel sorry for what she was going through, yet I needed to make my stand as I refuse to let her treat me as unworthy to exist.

" That was a rather intense situation," said Spike.

" I had to tell it to her straight," I said.

" Maybe she will finally get the message, and choose to take your advice and live her own existence. I'm not sure if she will live long enough given that wound does look to be slowly killing her, but I hope she will pull through because she really needs to figure things out much like what you did," said Spike.

" Perhaps that's the reason why I understand her pain, for she is my other half after all. I'm not the one who should decide what she should do with her existence, as that's something she must discover, but I do have the right to my own existence. Anyway, we should focus on what we need to be doing in the temple. Since those Beamos ended up getting destroyed when that modified bomb exploded, I don't have to worry about being attacked from below as I climb up," I said.

" You need to take your time with this as going too fast will cause you to make a mistake," said Spike.

" Not all of those panels are moving," I said.

" Consider them safe zones along the way where you need to wait for the moving panels to line up. Remember not to climb in-between the panels as they move otherwise you'll fall down to the ground, and take fall damage," said Spike. I then looked up at the wall, and saw there were four moving panels situated between panels which didn't move, so that tells me that every other panel I need to watch just to prevent myself from taking a nasty fall.

As I walked over to the wall where I began to climb, it felt comfortable on my hands despite it not being vines. As I climbed to the first panel, I took some time to determine how many seconds go by before the panels move, and I concluded that it takes about five. Climbing up this wall did prove to be more difficult than I thought as I didn't take into account of just how high up I was going.

" Did you know that I'm not comfortable with heights?" I asked.

" That's a new one for me as you never brought it up before until now. Besides, you climbed up an entire mountain and you were perfectly fine, and this wall is nothing compared to the raw nature of Death Mountain," replied Spike.

" I was fixated on reaching the Great Fairy, so I never really paid much attention to my surroundings. All I'm doing here is simply climbing up to the next floor which isn't really all that much, so my mind is taking notice of how high we're climbing up," I said.

" But I thought you could fly back where you came from?" asked Spike.

" Only the Pegasus' were capable of doing that in Equestria along with the alicorns. We unicorns along with the earth ponies were strictly grounded unless we took to the skies using a hot-air balloon for example," I replied.

" Then you should have become an alicorn," said Spike.

" Alicorns are the rarest form of ponies in Equestria. You need to be chosen to ascend to that level, and even then I've heard how difficult it can be one from Twilight. She's told me a few stories about what she has to do as an alicorn, and I can't help feeling sorry for her given how much pressure it places onto her shoulders. I'd like to be able to ascend, but I don't know if I'll ever get the opportunity. My past actions are still remembered even now, and that alone essentially condemns me," I said.

It actually felt comforting to talk about Equestria because Spike here in this world had no idea what it was like there, yet he showed a lot of curiosity given how he tends to ask questions whenever I bring anything up about it. Would I ever become an alicorn like Twilight and the other princesses? Who knows what the future holds, but deep down I believe my chances are next to nothing.

What I did before going into self-exile was pretty damaging, so the Royal Guard could have me arrested for trying to study the forbidden magic of Equestria. Making sure to wait for each panel on this wall to move into place before continuing with my climb, I managed to reach the top although I almost fell right at the end because of slipping slightly when I stood up.

" I can't believe you almost fell," said Spike.

" How was I supposed to know that my feet were mostly hanging off the side?" I asked.

" Luckily, you got your balance just in time otherwise you would have fallen back down," replied Spike.

" I don't think I'm going to be climbing anything like this for a long time, but I wished it had been easier," I said.

" Well, perhaps if you had fired the Longshot towards the top, you could have skipped over much of the climb although I'm not sure if the chain would reach given how it can only go so far," said Spike. Was he being serious here!?!? This wall was something that I had the chance to skip over just by using the Longshot? No words could describe how irritated I felt about having to climb up a difficult section only to learn I didn't even need to.

Spike was then curious as to why my face suddenly turned bright red, but I refused to talk about it, and he dropped the subject. I needed to let off some steam, and luckily that came in the form of two Beamos which were working.

" At least these are operating," I said.

" Which means Sunset Demon sabotaged the two down below because she knew you would investigate the bomb," said Spike. I've got to give credit to her for coming up with such an elaborate trap, and curse myself for falling for something so obvious. That's when I started to assess the situation, and concluded that attempting to let off some steam would make things worse.

Given how small this ledge was, if I were hit by one of those laser beams, the knockback could send me back down below. Granted, I can easily climb back up without any problems, but I'd take a lot of damage in the process.

" I think we should just run by and avoid their lasers," I suggested.

" You're not going to defeat them?" asked Spike.

" Not every situation needs a fight to end up resolving it," I replied.

" Those are the words of a true hero, for they learn that fighting doesn't solve every problem. Using wits, cunning, intelligence, and luck can overcome even the most difficult of situations. Some heroes prefer not to use brains, and instead prefer going with as much power as they can possibly muster to overcome a problem. Granted, there have been times where you've gone with force, but then you had no other choice as using brains wasn't an option. I'd say you have the best of both words in that regard Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" I've learned a lot on this journey," I said.

" Then let's see you put it to the test," suggested Spike. Fighting these two Beamos would be too risky, and doing so would mean that I allowed myself to become consumed with wanting to rely on brute force, so I decided to run for it whether these monsters were looking my way or not. Okay, maybe I should have waited for their gazes to turn away from me.

As I began running for the portcullis, the two Beamos began firing their lasers which I avoided just in time. If I had been a second slower, I would have suffered from severe burns in addition to some heavy damage, but I managed to enter the next room. Meanwhile, the explosion which occurred earlier caught the attention of the witches, and I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow blame me for doing it.

" What was that loud bang?" asked Chrysalis.

" It felt like someone set off one of those bombs the Gorons make before teaching their skills to the Hylians, yet such a small thing could not have caused such an explosion which we could feel here in our sanctuary," replied Trixie.

" Could this have been the work of the forest girl?" asked Chrysalis.

" No, I doubt she would have done something this careless, and the bomb which was used had been augmented with a lot of dark power. The girl would never resort to using the power of evil, so I suspect this was the work of the she-demon. I knew that wretch would be nothing but trouble simply because she has been allowed to do things without of restraint, it makes her truly unpredictable.

The Great Ganondorf knew of this yet chose to allow the wretch to do whatever she saw fit, so you and I must suffer all because we haven't been providing our necessary weight as it were," replied Trixie.

" Had that bomb been even more powerful, our temple would be destroyed right now," said Chrysalis.

" The she-demon doesn't care what ends up being sacrificed, so we must finally put our feet down. This has gone on long enough where both versions of the child have angered us both for too long," said Trixie.

" Indeed, for we have been humiliated by them, and in turn look weak in the Great Ganondorf's eyes! The she-demon shall be the first to die as she is still weak, but we can no longer hold back because our temple won't survive if any further events take place which can bring down its foundations. Once that wretch has been taken care of, we can focus our efforts on the girl," said Chrysalis.

" Is our special guardian ready?" asked Trixie.

" The magic we used to create it continues to hold, but I made sure to apply an extra spell just to be on the safe side. If it sustains too much damage then the spell will become undone, and that armour will fall apart thus releasing what lies within, but I do have some alternate plans in case things go wrong," replied Chrysalis.

" And our own means of fighting?" asked Trixie.

" I have prepared a suitable arena which will allow us both to flex our magical might without needing to hold back," replied Chrysalis.

" Granted, she will have that accursed shield in her possession which will enable her to reflect our magic back at us, but it's a risk we must take given how we're backed into a corner. I know nothing will stop her from reaching us as she is determined to defeat us, yet her own idiocy will end up being her downfall," said Trixie.

" Everything is ready, so now we must wait for her," said Chrysalis.

" It still boggles my mind as to how this one child has overcome so many odds just to make it to this point," said Trixie.

" The Triforce essence can be credited for allowing her to survive situations which would have killed others, and the fact that she was chosen by destiny to become this legendary hero adds onto the list. Even that transformation she possesses has proven to become quite the miracle for her, so we do have our work cut out for us when she finally shows up.

Then we have that she-demon who even now remains a unpredictable factor. We cannot allow her to become any sort of threat otherwise things will simply spiral out of control," said Chrysalis.

" Perhaps we can merely frighten the she-demon away, and the only place she could possibly go at this point where she could regain her strength through absorbing darkness would be the castle of the Great Ganondorf. If she becomes too big of a threat then surely he will obliterate her with a mere thought given how he refuses to allow anyone else to be on equal footing with him.

Of course, I want the wretch to go there as a means of punishing our son for the way he has been treating us because we've been so loyal, yet he has treated us with little to no contempt," said Trixie.

" Yes, he does need to be reminded that if not for us teaching him so long ago when he was just a child, he wouldn't even be where he is today. We always knew he was destined for greatness, yet he has gained a sense of being superior to others even though it is merely because of the Triforce granting him power that goes beyond the limitations of mortals.

The Great Ganondorf will kill that forest girl without any trouble, for he is more powerful than she could ever hope to be, but I hope he doesn't allow his ego to get in the way otherwise he will lose everything," said Chrysalis.

" It sounds like you think we'll both be killed," said Trixie.

" Merely putting it into a perspective where we failed, but he won't need to get his hands dirty," said Chrysalis.

" Still, you should choose your words more carefully," said Trixie.

" Don't chastise me on something so trivial," said Chrysalis.

" Why are we suddenly arguing? We've never done anything like this before! All of this talk about the forest girl and the she-demon have gotten us both on edge, so we need to remain calm otherwise the battle is going to be lost. Come, let us get our special guardian ready, for I am certain it wishes to face the girl again, and hopefully it will do the necessary task without using needing to lift a finger," said Trixie.

" I suppose recent events have gotten us to criticize one another," said Chrysalis.

" Then we need to get such foolish notions out of our heads if we hope to ensure the world remains in constant darkness. We've worked too hard see it come to an end just because of petty arguments. If we remain calm and stick with our general strategy, then everything will work out in the end which shall please the Great Ganondorf immensely," said Chrysalis.

This next room Spike and I found ourselves in looked like a typical dungeon corridor, and it was actually a nice change of pace when compared to what I've experienced so far. Before, I was able to look at the trail of blood left behind when Sunset Demon retreated, and I could tell that she was struggling to keep herself alive. I found it sad that she was acting stubborn all because of not wanting to rely on friends, and instead sticking with her instincts.

But, she is a representation of the woman I used to be who didn't care about anyone other than herself, and I was insistent back then on doing things on my own without help. Still, I wish Sunset Demon could be given the chance to reform like I was given, but I suppose there are some beings who just can't be changed because they are too far gone to be saved.

" Look at this Sunset Shimmer," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" It's another Crest of the Royal Family in the ground right in front of you," replied Spike.

" That's the third one we've seen, so I'm guessing they're trying to give us a constant reminder of their influence, or not wanting to be subtle about it. Since I can't see other way of opening this portcullis, I might as well play Twilight's Lullaby although it's going to feel weird playing a song in front of a door," I said. Taking out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, I played it, and the iron bars blocking the portcullis rose up allowing me access.

When I opened and went inside, I found myself in a large room that had a lot of doors on each wall, yet what interested me was located inside of a circle of fire, and it was the standard blue and gold ornate chest which meant this was the Boss Key. Actually, I was going to ask why I needed to come up to the fourth floor, but I no longer need to ask given that I just saw the very answer in front of me.

That's when I noticed the monsters in-between me and the chest, and I instantly recognized them. " Hey! Didn't I fight these creatures back during our visit to the Fire Temple?"

" Yep! Those are Torch Slugs, so you'll need to use the Megaton Hammer to flip them over, or you can use the Master Sword if you want to go with something more simple. Remember they are unaffected by fire magic, so don't even consider relying on it here," replied Spike.

" I would use water magic, but there is no water nearby," I moaned.

" Also, those doors aren't real because the Spirit Temple only has portcullises," said Spike.

" That means they must be those fake doors which fall down on their victims if they try to open them. I could use my bombs to blow them up, or I could just use my hammer as it can break things too," I said. Taking out the Megaton Hammer, I slammed it into the ground which caused all of the monsters to flip over onto their backs. I then proceeded to smash each one of them without too much difficulty, and soon they were destroyed so I started smashing the fake doors before any of them could fall on top of me.

Upon destroying the one in the top left-hand corner of the room, I found something which could help figure out how to gain access to the chest. " An eye-switch, and it isn't even covered in ice, so I don't need to use any fire arrows."

" It might remove that circle of fire when activated," said Spike.

" Good thing I have plenty of arrows," I said. Putting the Megaton Hammer away, and taking out the Fairy Bow, I fired at the switch which activated it, yet the circle of fire was still there.

" Maybe it did something else," suggested Spike.

" Like what?" I asked.

" If you look around the room, surely you'll see something that looks suspicious or out of place," replied Spike. There was nothing on the ground because the monsters and fake doors were gone, so I decided to look up at the ceiling. Above me were a couple of ice blocks which were somehow floating by themselves, yet the one by the wall had a switch on top of it. There was also a Hookshot plate which I figured will allow me to get up there.

" We need to go up," I said.

" Make sure you fire the Longshot from a slight angle otherwise you'll just go straight up," said Spike.

" Hopefully that switch will get rid of the flames, but if it doesn't then I'm really going to be stumped," I said. Taking out the Longshot after putting the Fairy Bow away, I stepped backwards a few paces before firing towards where the plate was, and soon I was on the block furthest from the wall.

Sure enough, they were made of ice because my feet were struggling to keep upright. Jumping to the other block, I activated the switch which removed the flames, so from there I dropped down below, and opened the chest taking out the Boos Key.

" Now we can enter the witches lair," said Spike.

" This may be a wild hunch on my part, but what if the witches' location was behind that goddess statue which presides over the area? I know it sounds rather farfetched, yet it's all I can think of," I replied.

" If it is behind the statue, then how do you propose we get rid of it?" asked Spike.

" I don't think I have anything that powerful which can destroy something that big, but I suppose I could allow Sunset Demon to fight me again," I replied.

" Didn't you say that you don't want to do that anymore?" asked Spike.

" You're right, so I guess we need another solution," I replied.

" Why don't we see what lies beyond that other portcullis? It could lead us to an answer," suggested Spike. I nodded in approval, and left the room before turning to the right and entering the next chamber which certainly was a sight to behind. To my right was a rather impressive looking mirror, yet why was it pointing straight down?

There were also chains surrounding a section of the lower area of the room, yet I had no idea why this was the case. In front of me was a sun switch next to a portcullis which was locked with iron bars, and then there were iron bars to my left which appeared to be a natural part of the room.

" What do you suppose is up with this setup?" I asked.

" I'm not sure, but maybe you should check if anything is beyond those legitimate iron bars," replied Spike. As soon as I moved forward, all of the jars scattered around began to rise up and went straight at me prompting a quick response with my Mirror Shield. The jars smashed to pieces when they collided with it, and I breathed a sigh of relief before looking in the direction of the iron bars.

" There appears to be one of those giant mirrors like the one we saw earlier," I said.

" Is this some kind of puzzle?" asked Spike.

" I wouldn't know myself, but I have a feeling that I'll be needing the Mirror Shield," I replied.

" First, we need to open up that portcullis, or we're not going anywhere," said Spike. Looking around for something which can unlock the way forward, I noticed there was a Crystal Switch tucked away in a corner on the lower level, so I jumped down and used my fire magic to activate it unlocking the portcullis. " You could have done that from back up there you know, for now you need to climb back up to the higher level which will waste some time."

" It's just a short distance," I said.

" That's besides the point," said Spike.

" I enjoy these little banters we have," I said.

" Huh? Where did that come from?" asked Spike.

" It's these little moments where we argue that strengthen our friendship, for if we kept on agreeing all the time, we'd just wind up being boring and the fun that comes with the experience would lose all meaning. Yeah, I don't mean to sound so philosophical, but I just wanted to bring it up. I'm sure we'll have even more instances of arguing especially when we go to Ganondorf's castle, yet we need to do so in order to prevent the darkness from consuming us.

Believe me, you don't want to experience it for yourself as it can be really painful as well as pure misery," I replied. Climbing back up to the higher level, I walked over to the portcullis, and entered a room which looked like the inside of a cave, yet some kind of bright light was shining to my left as though a large window or something similar was in that direction. " What do you suppose is making that light?"

" It could be another of those mirrors, but we need to take a closer look," replied Spike.

" Also, do you hear a strange noise coming from around the corner?" I asked.

" Yes, but I don't know what it could be," replied Spike.

" It doesn't sound natural at all, so I'm guessing it's some kind of monster," I said.

" Probably the most logical answer," said Spike. I took a few steps forward, and a Lizalfos came down from the ceiling which did catch me by surprise. It managed to get a quick hit against me before I raised my shield to prevent further blows from happening. " I believe this is the first time you've faced a Lizalfos in this time period, so know that you can defeat it a lot quicker by using the Master Sword, or even the Biggoron's Sword which would be overdoing things a little bit."

It sounded like he wanted me to use the sword that I spent so much time trying to acquire, so I put the Mirror Shield on my back, and brought out my giant-sized sword where I swung it at the Lizalfos. It fell down in just one hit which was surprising, but at least the way was now clear for me to continue. I then looked upwards and noticed a sun switch which may do something, and when I looked in front of me, a giant mirror stood there with light shining down from above.

That gave me an idea where I took out the Mirror Shield, and stepped into the light before raising it. Light bounced off to form a small reflection, and aiming accordingly, I shone the light onto the switch where it glowed, and grinned with its smile which caused a small treasure chest to drop down right behind me. It could be a trap chest that contains a cold spray just like what happened before in the room with the other giant mirror, or it could be something good just waiting to be opened and claimed.

" What do you think?" I asked.

" There's no telling what will happen if you kick it open," replied Spike.

" I'm going to risk it as I've opened up most other chests that I was able to reach," I said. Walking over and kicking it open, I was expecting a trap, but instead I received some bombs, which made me wonder what they would be used for. I then walked into the next section, and discovered what was making those strange noises. Flying around were a few of those Bubble monsters, yet they looked and acted in a much different manner than usual. " What kind of Bubbles are these supposed to be?"

" This is a rare version known as the White Bubble which likes to fly before coming to a stop then spinning around. While it's flying around, you can't hit it because it's essentially invincible, but once is stops to spin, that's when you can attack it using whatever means at your disposal. Don't take too long as it won't stay spinning forever, and it will eventually resume flying. It does have a tendency to adjust its angle when it flies, so if it ends up stopping above your sword's reach then use a projectile attack," replied Spike.

" Didn't Fluttershy mention that these are only found in one room?" I asked.

" I believe so, and it reiterates what I said about it being rare," replied Spike.

" I'm just going to go with magic otherwise this will take too long," I said. As the White Bubbles moved about, it was refreshing to see a version which wasn't surrounded by flames, yet it didn't mean that it was any weaker than the others. This would require patience so as to strike the instant they come to a stop, for I have no idea how long they will spin around in place before moving forward again.

As soon as one of them stopped, I used my fire magic which destroyed it instantly, and this also applied to the second one, yet the last one proved to be tricky as it was moving pretty fast. It took me a couple of minutes before I finally managed to defeat it. Then I came to the realization that this was a dead-end which struck me as really odd.

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" Where do we go from here?" I asked.

" I notice that a part of the wall looks like it sticks out," replied Spike.

" That shouldn't be right," I said. I rubbed my hands against the part it, and it felt very natural to me as though nothing was amiss, but then I smacked the Master Sword against it as I wanted to use that one technique Pinkie Pie taught me. The sound that was made was weird, so this part of the wall was fake.

Taking out my Bomb Bag, I took out a bomb which I set down, and it blew up the wall revealing another part of the room. The other mirror was also here, and I began to get the idea as to what needed to be done. I grabbed the red handle of the first mirror, and pushed it around for some time until stopping it where the light shone onto the next mirror.

" I see what you're trying to do," said Spike.

" The light needs to shine on that big mirror pointing down," I said.

" You have one of the mirrors in place, so now you need to push the other one so that the light can continue," said Spike. Walking towards where the second mirror was, another Lizalfos dropped down from above, but I quickly took care of it with the Biggoron's Sword where it fell in one shot.

As I grabbed the handle of the second mirror, I pushed it to the right because out of the corner of my eye, I saw the previous room where that giant mirror was. Once it was in place, light shone through which meant this part of the puzzle was finished.

" Now I have the means of activating that sun switch," I said.

" Remember to watch out for those enchanted jars," said Spike. When I reached the other room, the light was now bouncing off the giant mirror, and going straight down, but I didn't quite understand what it meant. Stepping into the light and raising the Mirror Shield, I activated the sun switch, but all of a sudden something clicked beneath me which caught me by surprise.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" The section of the room which was surrounded by those four chains....it's currently moving down," replied Spike.

" I'm not liking where this is going," I said.

" This could be the means of getting access to the boss room," said Spike. The platform continued to lower until it stopped which made me wonder why it wasn't going down completely. When I looked forward after having spent all this time looking down, I was in front of the head of the statue of the desert goddess, and the sunlight was continuing to shine from above.

" Now this is weird," I commented.

" We've brought the sunlight this far for a reason, but what could it be?" asked Spike.

" Now that we can see what the face looks like, it does give off quite a menacing expression," I replied. Because I felt curious, I took out the Dungeon Map from my pocket, and sure enough where we needed to go was located behind the face. I never would have guessed the location of those witches was behind something so innocent, yet creepy at the same time, but the map wouldn't steer me wrong.

We have sunlight shining down from above, so does mean using the Mirror Shield on the statue's face is what needs to be done? I don't think the light from the sun will work, but I suppose I won't know unless I try. I then aimed the shield at the face where it started to crack a little before I pulled it away.

" Did you see that?" asked Spike.

" The face of the statue is surprisingly brittle," I replied.

" If you keep on shining the light onto it by using the Mirror Shield, you may end up breaking it," said Spike. I didn't like this idea of destroying something so ancient, yet there was no other choice. Raising the Mirror Shield once again, and aiming carefully, the face eventually shattered after being exposed long enough to the light, and what appeared was really shocking. A gate like the kind one would find in a sewer was right in front of the boss door, so now I needed to figure out how to get across.

" Any ideas?" I asked.

" The only thing that comes to mind would be using the Longshot," replied Spike. That did sound like the most obvious solution, so I took it out and aimed at the gate, yet would this actually work? I fired the chain at the gate where I got pulled across, and upon reaching my destination, it caused the gate to rise up giving me access to the door itself. I'm not sure why it did that, but at least I finally made it to the location of the witches lair.

" We're here," I said.

" Are you ready for this?" asked Spike.

" This madness must end," I replied. Unlocking the door and entering the room, I immediately drew the Master Sword and Mirror Shield because standing at the opposite side were two figures who I recognized from seeing them seven years ago. I could also see something hiding behind them, but I couldn't tell what it was actually.

Without even needing to take a single step, the one on the left then turned her head to face me with an expression which made me feel nervous about being here, yet I wasn't about to retreat not after coming all this way.

" So, you've finally made it here forest girl," said Trixie.

" We've been watching your progress through our temple ever since you first came here seven years ago," said Chrysalis.

" I had a feeling that was the case," I said.

" Forest girl, you've proven to be a major problem for not only us, but for the Great Ganondorf as well, and for that you must be punished for your actions. We have been underestimating you, and because of this you've managed to acquire both sacred treasures which have been stored in our temple for years. While we're not upset about them now being in your hands, we're furious about you wandering around without any restraint. You should have been killed many times over, yet here you are standing before us," said Trixie.

" Truly, you are an outrageous girl for having eluded our numerous traps and servants, yet such luck can be attributed to the real power that dwells inside. My words sound confusing don't they? I'm not sure if you've already figured out my meaning, but it doesn't really matter as you will soon be dead anyway.

The Great Ganondorf has been ruling this land for seven years, and you have been restoring each region which cannot be allowed to stand! You may think that you can achieve victory, child, but you will soon realize just how much you are in over your head. Still, we won't underestimate you given how you've overcome numerous odds throughout your journey," said Chrysalis.

" You two have a lot to answer for, and I'm going to make sure that you never hurt anyone again," I said.

" It seems you've learned much from the Gerudo," laughed Trixie.

" I'm not surprised given how you freed Spitfire from our control, but then we knew it would happen," said Chrysalis. So they knew about Spitfire breaking free of their influence? I'm guessing these two witches are able to see what goes on all across the desert, so that means they've been aware of my presence since the first moment I entered Gerudo Valley.

Even though I could just run up to them and bring this problem to an end, I was held back by my conscious which felt confused about this whole ordeal. Despite them having vast magical powers, they were merely frail old women, so could I really use the Master Sword of any other weapon against them without feeling guilty?

The one to my left looks exactly like Trixie while the other looked like someone who might exist in Equestria, yet I just couldn't put my finger on it. I know that I can fight them with magic, yet that would be lopsided as they were clearly more experienced.

" What have you done with Nabooru?" I asked.

" So, the girl is curious as to the fate of the former second-in-command? She was punished for betraying the Great Ganondorf, but we know you were watching when she disappeared, so don't act so oblivious thinking that you can trick us," replied Chrysalis. I thought it was worth a try, but I guess they were at least two steps ahead of me. I was then thinking of transforming in the hopes of getting some kind of advantage, but I have a feeling that they aware of that too, and Sunset Demon's presence as well.

" We know you're eager to get things started," began Trixie.

" So why not make the first move?" I asked.

" Do you honestly think that you're worthy of facing us, the surrogate mothers of the Great Ganondorf? While we have no doubts about how strong you really are forest girl, we view you as more of being a nuisance rather than a threat," replied Trixie.

" Your progress is impressive which we cannot help but praise, yet it is all mere coincidence combined with luck, and the inner power which you possess. We've made some preparations prior to your arrival, for we suspected that you would reach our inner sanctum eventually. So, allow us to show you something which shall be teaching you a lesson, and put an end to your life," said Chrysalis.

The two witches then climbed onto their broomsticks, and began to float in the air allowing me to see what was sitting behind them. My entire body then turned white for a moment because what they had been blocking from my vision was an Iron Knuckle, yet it didn't have an axe which made me laugh knowing they made a serious blunder.

" I was actually worried for a moment there," I said.

" Oh? And why is that?" asked Trixie.

" Because your monster behind you has no weapon to fight with," I replied.

" Your ignorance is very evident, and that shall result in your death. Oh loyal minion! The time has come for you to carry out the task which you were created for, and that is to destroy this forest girl on our behalf. You have no restrictions on how you can administer your power, so go wild with destruction, and kill this child!" said Chrysalis.

Trixie then disappeared in what appeared to be orange smoke, and the other witch disappeared in blue smoke leaving me and the Iron Knuckle alone in the room. That's when I realized I've seen it before....back in the Haunted Wasteland....what was preventing Aria, Sonata, and myself from gaining access to the Desert Colossus.

" This is the Iron Knuckle which attacked us in the desert," I said.

" Now that I can see it without my vision being distorted, I'm able to give you more information about it," said Spike.

" Why does it look different from the other two we encountered?" I asked.

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer! This isn't an ordinary enemy," replied Spike.

" Meaning what?" I asked.

" For one thing, this Iron Knuckle has a different design, so I suspect that it will take a long time before you can remove the armour, and expose its weak point. I'm suspecting that it will be slightly stronger, and perhaps a little bit faster, but it's essentially the same kind of fight we've experienced," replied Spike. How did he know just how powerful it was simply by looking at it? Besides, it has no weapon so this was going to be an easy battle, yet that's when something happened.

The Iron Knuckle suddenly rose up where it took a single step forward before coming to a stop, and looked at its hands realizing it didn't have a weapon. It then looked up at me before snapping its finger which caused a giant axe to appear. It then grabbed the axe before raising it above its head, and was followed by a strange grunting sound which was one of anger. It began walking towards me, and I needed to prepare myself as this wasn't going to be easy.

" Here it comes," I said.

" That axe looks like it has a slightly longer reach," commented Spike.

" And it probably inflicts the same amount of damage like the other ones," I said.

" Remember that you can trick it into destroying the pillars to reveal recovery hearts. You only have two fairies right now, and I suspect you'll need to keep one or both of them to defeat this thing and those witches who are waiting for the results of this conflict. Because this version of Iron Knuckle is different, I suspect it will be able to block and counterattack more often," said Spike.

" I should have gone back to the oasis," I moaned.

" It's too late as once you're inside a boss room, you're stuck until you succeed or fail," said Spike. I wish he hadn't gone and said that, for now I need to be cautious otherwise I'll use up my remaining fairies, and then I'd be in a real bind. The Iron Knuckle then swung its axe back and forth which was a lot faster than the previous ones, but I was lucky to have avoided being struck. I then took out the Master Sword and Mirror Shield, and swung against it where it parried my blow by holding up the axe handle which blocked my attack.

" That axe handle is made of metal," I said.

" If you were thinking of snapping it then that method isn't going to work," said Spike. It then slammed its axe down into the ground which caught me off guard given how fast it was, and I found myself sent flying across the room, yet the distance I travelled was slightly further than usual. If there was any consolation, it would be that the axe merely nicked me, so I didn't sustain much damage. Spike quickly flew over to me where I struggled a little bit to get back onto my feet. " Are you okay?"

" I'm fine, and you were right about it being faster," I replied.

" If you had been struck a little closer, it would have caused that wound of yours to reopen," said Spike.

" Not the most comforting thought," I moaned.

" That strategy you used where you move in, wait for Iron Knuckle to strike, move back before it does anything, and then you strike in response may not work here as it can keep up pretty well, so another method needs to be used," said Spike. Moving behind the pillar closest to where I landed, I waited for the Iron Knuckle to come along. Each step it took while made me feel as though death itself was slowly walking towards me, and a single mistake will cost me my life.

It eventually came to a stop before it started to destroy the pillar prompting me to get out of the way, and I slipped behind where I struck it a few times only for it to quickly turn around striking me in the process. My wound didn't reopen, but this was still pretty painful given how the upper part of my torso felt the brunt of the blow, and I went flying across the room where I landed face-first on the floor.

" It made a counter-attack, but I had no choice given it was my best chance at hitting it," I said.

" How is your upper torso?" asked Spike.

" Doing well, but I can't afford to have another wound like the one below become a thing," I replied.

" You should grab those hearts as you could do with them," suggested Spike. I almost forgot about those which fell out of the statue as it was being destroyed, so I ran over to pick them up, yet the Iron Knuckle got in my way where it slammed its axe down, but it missed me by such a tiny margin.

I grabbed all three hearts, and turned around where it continued following me, so it followed me over to another pillar. However, instead of striking the pillar, it walked right by so I found myself being struck again, but in the back this time.

" YEOW!" I screamed.

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" It feels like my back just got sliced open," I said.

" Be thankful you weren't cut in half," said Spike.

" This battle is starting to go against me, and I haven't really hit its armour plate all that much," I said.

" You need to remind yourself that you have the stamina to keep going," suggested Spike.

" I just wish I didn't have to do this because I was expecting a battle against the witches," I sighed. This was already a difficult situation, but it was getting worse as it felt the Iron Knuckle was showing no signs of slowing down. I then dashed forward, and struck it a few times, yet it looked as though nothing seemed to be working, and once again it swung its axe around where I was hit in the process. " Every time I connect against that armour with my sword, it just shrugs off my blows as though they were ineffective."

" And you're losing a lot of health," added Spike. I then looked down at myself where I discovered that I was bleeding in several places, yet it wasn't that wound across my stomach which was a sigh of relief on my count. Still, the rest of my injuries were beginning to take their toll, and being forced to use another fairy would really put me at a disadvantage against those witches.

Maybe I should use one otherwise these wounds will continue getting worse, and my ability to fight back will quickly reduce until I can no longer do anything. The Iron Knuckle then came to a stop where it started talking to me....just like what it did back in the desert.

" You have fought well, but resistance is pointless."

" Just what are you?" I asked.

" I am a servant of my creators who was commanded to kill you, the one who has become a threat to Ganondorf."

" Then nothing I say will convince you to surrender?" I asked.

" Such words indicate the desperation coming from your voice, yet it means nothing for I shall not yield. The chances of you accepting defeat are high, so I suggest you allow me to end your life before this drags on any longer than necessary."

" I'm not about to give up," I said.

" The expected answer from one made of flesh like you, but a foolish one as you are weakening. There is no need to continue, for your chances of defeating me are slim to none. I shall grant what can be constituted as mercy should you submit defeat, and by that you shall be given a quick and painless death befitting one such as you. Forest girl, there is no doubt that you possess power and skill, but it is not enough for you to change the outcome."

With that, the Iron Knuckle walked forward once again, yet I had to keep going, so I ran forward where I struck it a few more times, yet its armour plate refused to fall off. I've hit it the appropriate number of times now, but Spike did say this special one would take longer, but before being able to come up with another idea, it slammed its axe down which struck me again sending me flying back, yet now I crashed into the wall which really hurt my back more than it already was.

" I should get a fairy ready," I said.

" There will be no need for such a thing forest girl, for your life will be over in mere moments."

" Don't count on it," I said. That blow to my back really did weaken me like the Iron Knuckle said, but I have to get past it if I want to defeat the witches, yet this thing was giving me quite the challenge much to my dismay. I suppose transforming is an option, but I'd prefer to keep that for when I absolutely need it, but I might have to change mind.

" You shall perish as it is necessary."

" I can still keep going," I said. At that moment, a dark aura suddenly appeared next to me which meant only one thing....Sunset Demon was about to make an appearance, and she has probably recovered from the wound I gave her earlier. Sure enough, the she-demon came out from the wall, yet she was still sporting that wound which made me wonder just what was going on.

" Heh, I can tell you're surprised to see me here," said Sunset Demon.

" Not to mention surprised at how your wound hasn't healed," I said.

" That is an issue which has nothing to do with the likes of you, but that's not important right now. I can't believe that you are having so much trouble with one of these simple-minded creatures! Just seeing you struggle is enough to make me laugh so hard that I'm likely to cause myself pain because of this wound.

Right now, you look utterly weak, yet I suppose it's to be expected that you can't even handle something so easy. Sunset Shimmer, I just can't allow this monster to do whatever it wishes, and kill you in the process as that's my privilege," said Sunset Demon.

" What do you intend to do about it?" I asked.

" Don't think this will make us friends because it won't, but I'm going to help you just this once," replied Sunset Demon. Was she being serious about this, or had she lost so much blood that it was causing her to act delusional? If she is insistent on giving me a hand, it could be what I need to bridge the gap between us, and thus avoid any future conflicts. " Why am I deciding on something that goes against everything I represent about your former glory?

Because I'm the only one who is allowed to kill you! Your life must become mine, and if someone else finishes you before I can claim my prize, not only will I lose out, but the feeling just won't be the same." She only wanted to help me because of protecting her investment as though she were a banker, yet it does have some kind of friendly meaning even if Sunset Demon will deny it. I was curious as to how she planned on carrying out her threat though.

She can't transform as I doubt that wound will let her, and she is definitely weaker than before, but maybe she has some other tactic which was never used when we were fighting earlier. The Iron Knuckle in the meantime was feeling slightly confused after seeing my dark half appear on the scene.

" Two forest girls? I was informed by my creators that there is only one."

" I happen to be the better version of Sunset Shimmer," said Sunset Demon.

" Perhaps, but you are not the real one."

" Now you've just gone and hurt my feelings. My other self over here has been having a lot of trouble trying to survive in this fight, but she clearly needs assistance otherwise this will end up being a disaster. You may have an immunity to all forms of magic, and numerous forms of weaponry, but I have no doubt that you can't handle dark powers," said Sunset Demon.

" My concern is not with a wretch, but rather the forest girl."

" Wretch? Now who decided to give you that word in your vocabulary?" asked Sunset Demon.

" You have been deemed a wretch by my creators, for they see you as an unpredictable factor which cannot exist. They shall deal with you soon enough, or perhaps Ganondorf himself shall cast you down." Those words the Iron Knuckle spoke really angered Sunset Demon as her eyes glowed bright red, yet she said nothing as she walked forward before sitting down and entering some kind of meditation.

It looked as though she was about to be struck by the axe of the Iron Knuckle as it raised it up, but that's when a burst of darkness seeped forth from the she-demon. It covered the Iron Knuckle where it tried breaking free, but it was too late as it quickly sustained heavy damage. However, it was still capable of fighting despite being weakened, so now I have a chance of securing a victory.

" See how easy that was Sunset Shimmer? I relied on both power and darkness to do that, and if you had chosen to follow your intended path, you could have done the exact same thing without any problems. Of course, if you hadn't changed your life, you wouldn't even be here as this world has no need of additional evil threats. Well, if you screw this up somehow, don't expect me to come and help out again because I'm not going to lift a finger.

We're going to settle things between us when you arrive at Ganondorf's castle, but that may not happen unless I can consume some darkness, and repair the wound you inflicted on me. Have fun playing with this creature now that I've weakened it for you, but consider this a freebie from me as I won't force you to have to pay me back," said Sunset Demon. She then turned around and walked into the wall where she disappeared entirely, but I wasn't going to deal with her anymore.

My patience with her had ended, so I'll just ignore her if I end up running into her at Ganondorf's castle, or hopefully she will choose to stay away because that wound has proven too grave to be healed. The Iron Knuckle had since resumed walking towards me, but I knew it was a lot weaker now, but I shouldn't underestimate it for it could still kill me if I'm not careful.

" I can't believe Sunset Demon decided to help you," said Spike.

" She did it because she doesn't want anyone else to kill me," I said.

" Looks like you've become her property at least in her eyes," said Spike.

" I'll still choose to ignore her as I'm through dealing with her," I said. The Iron Knuckle slammed its axe into the ground which struck me because I wasn't paying attention to what it was doing, and after my back connected with the wall again followed by me collapsing, I quickly got back up and ran over to it where I struck as hard as I could, and surprisingly that turned out to be all I needed.

The Iron Knuckle was defeated yet something else was happening which was different. Instead of collapsing to the ground and burning away, it merely stumbled backwards before dropping its axe. " What's going on?"

" You defeated the Iron Knuckle with help from Sunset Demon, yet this shouldn't be happening," replied Spike.

" I'm hoping this isn't going to get worse," I moaned. Suddenly, the head of the Iron Knuckle split in half before falling off, and a very familiar head appeared before me which looked confused. This was followed with the entire monster falling apart where its pieces clanged about on the ground before burning to pieces.

That's when my jaw dropped because this Iron Knuckle turned out to be none other than Rainbow Dash....so this is where she has been all these years. She was forced to become a servant, and had to protect the Spirit Temple under the command of the witches. As the final
piece of the Iron Knuckle burned away, she dropped to her knees before looking forward.

" Uhhhh....where am I?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Is that you?" I asked.

" The last thing that I can remember was being pulled down into the quicksand after Ganondorf's surrogate mothers captured me, but everything afterwards is completely blank," replied Rainbow Dash.

" You've been missing for seven years," I said.

" Wait, what! Are you saying that I've been gone from Hyrule for seven years?" asked Rainbow Dash. There was no doubt that she was suffering from some kind of memory loss considering she is unaware of being an Iron Knuckle a moment ago, but could I tell her what she had been doing this entire time? Maybe, yet would she even believe me after explaining the situation. That's when she finally looked up and noticed me standing there, and I knew what kind of reaction she was going to have.

" Hey! I remember you from seven years ago! Sunset Shimmer? How come you still look the same now as you did back then?" Once again that question comes up which has yet to get old although it is getting inconvenient. " Now, would you care to explain to me what's going on?" I then told her everything to the best of my ability, yet I explained that I too was missing for seven years due to being imprisoned in the Sacred Realm as a result of taking on Ganondorf. " You actually fought against him?"

" Somehow, I was able to hold my own, but he was immensely strong for a man," I replied.

" He was renowned for being the most powerful man in Hyrule, and he made sure to let the other tribes know, but maybe he wasn't as
powerful as he claimed considering you were able to go toe-to-toe against him back then, and in the Temple of Time no less. I'm not surprised that you lost because his strength was formidable, but I am surprised that you were sealed away just because you pulled a sword from a pedestal. It just doesn't make any sense, yet I guess you can never trust an ancient relic," said Rainbow Dash.

" So you see, we were both trapped," I said.

" I'm glad you freed Spitfire from the witches control, so now I know that my people will live in peace from now on. I always knew she had been placed under some kind of mind control, yet I didn't have the means to do something about it. If only I had been stronger, I could have prevented myself from being captured and saved Spitfire myself, but I suppose this was what destiny had in store for me.

I'm still having trouble coming to terms about being a monster, and I can't believe that I almost killed you without even knowing until you got me out of that suit of armour. It all sounds so hard to believe from my perspective, but you're the kind of person who would never lie about anything," said Rainbow Dash. She then noticed the Mirror Shield on my back, and her expression became one of shock as she didn't know what to say at first. " Gasp! Where did you get that shield from?"

" This is the Mirror Shield which turned out to be the sacred treasure of the Gerudo," I replied.

" So you managed to claim it....looks like you became the chosen one after all. I have never seen anything so beautiful in all my life, and it does look really good on you kid. Heh, I guess calling you that doesn't make much sense given how you're older, yet I'm still shocked at how you haven't aged like everyone else has.

Well, since you've gone and rescued me, we might as well try to find a way to get out here before those witches come back. I hope you know of a way out otherwise we're going to be stuck here," said Rainbow Dash. She wasn't aware of the fact that we were trapped in this room, and then things took a turn for the worst when the witches returned. Considering how much damage I took against Rainbow Dash while she fought me as an Iron Knuckle, I'm not sure if I'll be able to survive against whatever they decide to do next....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 64: A Clash of Magic

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 25, 2015
Chapter 64: A Clash of Magic.

The moment she saw Trixie and the other witch return, Rainbow Dash got back onto her feet, and the expression on her face was one of sheer rage. I couldn't blame her considering she had spent the last seven years trapped inside of a suit of armour, and had been forced to obey all commands given to her. She was an inspiration where her act of defiance should have inspired her people to do the same, yet these witches made sure they never had the notion.

As I was looking at the other witch, I knew she was from Equestria as I could sense something, and that was when I remembered my studies with Princess Celestia. One of her lessons talked about a race of beings known as Changelings who could mimic others by stealing their identities, and their ruler commanded them with integrity and grace. Of course....the one who finds food for them....Chrysalis, yet she is related to Trixie in this world?

Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, yet I merely decided to go along with it. Speaking of the witches, they also had expressions of rage, for their plan had failed because of a factor which they didn't count on.

" What happened? The forest girl was on the verge of being killed, and here she is having defeated our guardian," said Trixie.

" Everything was going exactly as we had planned Koume, but it seems we neglected a factor which we neverconsidered. Who would have expected that wretched she-demon interfering, and actually helping her out. We assumed that she despised her good half, yet in the end she went against her nature. Our plan has been thwarted simply because of an unexpected twist," said Chrysalis.

" We should have destroyed the she-demon Kotake, but instead we chose to keep her alive because the Great Ganondorf willed it. Like I kept saying, our son has been undermining us all because we've not lived up to his expectations," said Trixie. This was very informative for me because it shows they were having serious issues with regards to how the Evil King treats them.

While I could try to take advantage of the situation, I'm just going to let this play out and see where it goes. " I suppose we should have anticipated this because the forest girl has proven to be most unpredictable, yet we still have complete control of the situation."

" Yes, there is no need to panic, for we can turn this around, and kill the girl before she can awaken the final Sage," said Trixie.

" Forest girl....we shall concede that you defeated our guardian despite having assistance, but know that you haven't won yet. If you truly wish to awaken the one who is destined to become the Sage, you must defeat us in battle. Of course, we both know that this is what you want because you desire us to pay for our crimes according to that outburst prior to entering our sanctum," said Chrysalis.

" We have prepared an ideal arena which lies beyond this room," said Trixie. I have no idea as to what kind of arena has been arranged for this upcoming conflict, but I know that I will do fine given that I have the Mirror Shield in my possession. Of course, things never do go the way you intended them to, and this was no different because I had completely forgotten about Rainbow Dash.

Trixie and Chrysalis on the other hand were aware she was no longer under their control, so they were probably concocting something in their minds to force her to have to fight me again.

" Hey! I've got some words to say to you, and you'd better listen up," said Rainbow Dash.

" What's this? The former second-in-command of the Gerudo is speaking to us?" asked Trixie.

" In all of this fervour against the forest girl, we neglected the fact that she has been returned to normal," replied Chrysalis.

" I've been told by Sunset Shimmer over here that you two brainwashed me into becoming your obedient servant, and that I've been trapped inside a suit of armour for the last seven years," said Rainbow Dash.

" What you've been told is the truth," said Trixie.

" Now it's all starting to make sense although I had a suspicion about it a long time ago. You two made sure none of the Gerudo betrayed Ganondorf because you wanted us to remain loyal! Anyone who showed any signs of defiance were punished, and that apparently involved being brainwashed if succumbing to the desert didn't happen.

I served as second-in-command of the tribe, for you wanted me to keep everyone else under control, but you never figured out until much later that I wasn't fond of him. When you learned the truth about me, you needed to get rid of me before I could ruin whatever you desired Ganondorf to do by informing the others about what was really going on," said Rainbow Dash.

" Quite the delectable speech there Nabooru," commented Chrysalis.

" But flawed all the same," said Trixie.

" What do you mean flawed?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" We always knew about your desire to betray the Great Ganondorf, yet since he was in love with you at the time, he believed you would turn around and become faithful to his vision for the future. You were chosen for the reasons you stated, so we don't deny that in any way, but we decided to use Spitfire as a means of keeping a close eye on your actions.

Should you have strayed from your destined path in life, she would inform us of every last detail, and in return we groomed her in order to replace you as the next second-in-command," replied Chrysalis. Hearing all of this made me feel rather ill, but not because of being disgusted with how these two have been manipulating events. No, I felt ill as Rainbow Dash's story was a near carbon-copy of my problem with regards to Sunset Demon.

She claimed that I strayed away from my path, and was determined to make sure I go back. In this situation, Rainbow Dash ended up choosing a different path, so she was forced to become loyal to Ganondorf....even if it meant losing her freedom in the process, and becoming nothing more than a slave.

It reminded me of what I once did to the entire student body of Canterlot High....I robbed them of their freedom and turned them into mindless minions because it was the obvious thing to do at the time. I was forcing them to turn to the ways of darkness, and it almost ended up working, but luckily my friends defeated me before things could get worse. Just when it looked as though I was finally going to stop allowing my past to torment me, another memory comes back and haunts me.

" I can never forgive you for what you did to Spitfire," said Rainbow Dash.

" We aren't to blame Nabooru because it was a result of your own actions which forced us to rely on such means," said Trixie.

" She was merely the right person to manipulate, for the Gerudo had to remain loyal to the Great Ganondorf," said Chrysalis.

" If only you had chosen to remain loyal then none of this would have happened, and we would be living in a world which belongs to the Gerudo. You know that our people have been mistreated by the other tribes for centuries, and while time has passed since then, we haven't forgotten about the atrocities. Why deny us what we deserve by choosing to defy your king?" asked Trixie.

It's a good thing that I was told about some aspects of Gerudo history, otherwise all of this would be just sailing over my head, but it seems there was a lot more to this than I originally thought. Much like Sunset Demon, the witches were trapped in the past, and wanted things to stay that way. " Of course, we wouldn't expect someone like you to understand Nabooru, for you're just a little girl. However, we do acknowledge that you did have a lot of respect among the Gerudo."

" It was only natural given that you were well liked before you ascended," said Chrysalis.

" Next to the Great Ganondorf, they worshipped the very ground that you walked on," said Trixie.

" That's because my aim was to show them that we didn't need the likes of Ganondorf around, so I began showing them what our society could become were we to be free of the machinations of a man who wanted power," said Rainbow Dash.

" Which proved to be our biggest concern especially during such a delicate moment," said Chrysalis.

" I would have remained loyal had he chosen a more different path instead of wanting to conquer Hyrule, but the lust in his heart for power was just too much for me to want to continue serving him. I have you to thank because you were the ones who raised him, and during my exile, I figured out you wanted our people to achieve a destiny which had never been realized before.

There was a reason why the other tribes had fear of us, and it was because we chose to dabble in ancient magic which was viewed as dangerous in their eyes. When we moved from sorcery and became thieves, all we did was change our approach, yet the goal was still the same. We were still viewed with contempt which resulted in generations of mistreatment," said Rainbow Dash.

" Which is why we needed a Gerudo to wield the throne," said Trixie. Now things were starting to make sense, yet I was shocked at how this whole thing had existed even before Ganondorf was born. They were mistreated all because of being different, and the other tribes refused to accept their way of life. It reminds me of the ancient stories of Equestria where unicorns, Pegasus, and earth ponies used to treat one another with such disdain.

Eventually, all three tribes learned to appreciate one another, and things have been wonderful since then, but it seems the Gerudo were never given that opportunity. That may explain why the old King was trying so hard form an alliance with them, for he believed they deserved a chance to become part of something greater. He wanted to wipe the slate clean as it were, but I guess old wounds are difficult to heal given the animosity.

" No, what we needed was to join the alliance," said Rainbow Dash.

" You speak of that pointless unification that was offered by the Hylian king?" asked Chrysalis.

" If we had agreed to become a true territory within Hyrule, our lives would have gradually become a lot better. Sure, it would have taken a couple of generations before seeing any actual progress, but we wouldn't have been stuck in the past. Of course, Ganondorf had a much different idea, and that was seek out power. He took advantage by using his political influence to manipulate the situation to his will, and then he made his move which resulted in the world we have now," replied Rainbow Dash.

" And what a glorious one it is," laughed Trixie.

" Only for the Gerudo who honestly don't know any different, and the other tribes have been suffering since," said Rainbow Dash.

" It seems you are unappreciative of our work," said Chrysalis.

" Which is an unfortunate shame, but we do have an idea as to how we can fix that," said Trixie. I could see the look on her face, and I wasn't liking where this was going. " You served the Great Ganondorf, both willingly and as our slave, yet it seems you need to have some more understanding of how things really work. So, we shall make you serve him for a little while longer until you end up succumbing to his dominion, or perish in the process."

If they force Rainbow Dash to become a mindless slave again, that would mean I'd have to fight her again, so I needed to step in before anything happens. Unfortunately, Trixie noticed what I was doing, and suddenly her eyes began glowing. I then discovered that I couldn't move an inch as though I had been frozen in place.

" Yes, let's brainwash her again," laughed Chrysalis.

" No! I won't let you use me like a puppet," said Rainbow Dash.

" You don't really have a say in the matter," laughed Trixie. Both witches then raised their hands and fired an orange, and a blue fireball respectively which travelled across the room. Rainbow Dash then ran towards the door hoping she could escape, but she was struck by both magical blasts which caused her to disappear, and her scream was the last thing I heard.

What was ironic in a bad way was that she couldn't open the door as it was sealed shut on this side. " Now that she has been taken care of, all that remains is you, forest girl."

" We're surprised that you have been so quiet this entire time," said Chrysalis.

" I didn't want to interfere with something which had nothing to do with me on a personal level, but that's now changed when you pulled that stunt. I feel so much pity for both of you for not understanding the truth even when it's right in front of you. The Gerudo have been mistreated for generations, and I understand better than you think when it comes to being mistreated, but you need to move on and not allow it to consume you forever," I said.

" You have pity for us?" asked Trixie.

" Only because of how you've suffered," I replied. Deep down, I knew my words weren't going to mean anything to them, for they had obviously closed their hearts off a long time ago, so I was merely wasting my breath which meant I needed to prepare for whatever tricks they had up their sleeves.

" Such sympathetic words hold no meaning for us forest girl, but you should be concerned with your own well-being given how you're in our temple. While you may think that you can defeat both of us, that is nothing more than an act of grandeur on your part, for we were watching the battle you had against our Iron Knuckle.

You struggled against our creation, and needed the help of that wretched she-demon to achieve victory. The chances of you defeating us on your own are pitiful at best, so we shall provide an opportunity for you to simply turn around and leave," said Chrysalis.

" I will unlock the door to this room," said Trixie. She then raised her hand where a white light suddenly appeared which almost blinded me, but it quickly disappeared, yet I knew what she had done. " You have two decisions ahead of you which you can make. The first would be to leave this room via the way you came in, and never pose a threat to the Great Ganondorf again. The second would be to enter door ahead of you, but know that choosing to move forward means you have effectively thrown your life away."

" What is it going to be? I hope you make the right decision," said Chrysalis. With what constituted as a threat from my perspective, the two witches vanished into smoke. This did leave me with a decision to make, but not the one they were expecting me to consider. I had no desire to run away especially after witnessing Rainbow Dash disappear again, yet I was thinking of something else which was said.

It was true that Sunset Demon bailed me out against the Iron Knuckle, so I know she won't help again, but how do I truly stack up against them? Am I really strong enough to defeat them both, break the curse on the Spirit Temple, and awaken the final Sage?

" Quite a lot of information we've learned," said Spike.

" More than what I was expecting," I said.

" Who would have guessed that there was so many problems among the Gerudo which date back for centuries?" I asked.

" We were aware of some of them according to what Spitfire, Nabooru, Sonata, and Aria shared with us, yet what they knew were small pieces of a larger situation that goes beyond our heads. I'll admit that I was surprised you offered the witches any kind of sympathetic ear, but I can understand why you did because it reminds you of your past experiences. Still, you can't allow such feelings to get in the way of what needs to be done," replied Spike.

" I know, but I wanted to see if I could perhaps persuade them to change. It wasn't going to happen of course as those two are way too far gone to be saved, and that's why we must go forward. I'm not going to run away, for this has gotten personal when Rainbow Dash was taken against her will again.

I'm concerned though about not being strong enough considering Sunset Demon did help me to free Rainbow Dash from her imprisonment as an Iron Knuckle. I almost got killed in that previous battle despite having two bottled fairies on standby, so I feel that my chances of defeating Trixie and Chrysalis are pretty slim," I said.

" But not impossible?" asked Spike.

" No, I have a chance but a slim one," I replied.

" Then all you can do is your very best, but I must remind you that the fate of Hyrule does hang in the balance," said Spike. That is probably the one thing which bothers me more than anything else, and that was all this pressure of saving the world. While I do want to restore Hyrule to normal, I do find that having such a weight on my shoulders makes me question myself more often than not.

I know Spike says what he does as a means of giving me the proper encouragement, but there are times where I don't need to have those kinds of words thrown into my face. Unlike Twilight who has probably saved Equestria about half a dozen times, I haven't really done anything like that, and I don't include defeating the Dazzlings as that was me giving an necessary assistance.

This must be what she has to endure all the time whenever the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance. If there was a feeling of wanting to mock her for what she's done, I won't consider it because I'm now experiencing it for myself.

" Before we move on, I have one question," I began.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" Do you suppose Sunset Demon was right about me not wanting to have power?" I asked.

" That's a difficult question for me to answer Sunset Shimmer, and I'm not going to hide the truth when I say that the she-demon may have been right. While her methods are wrong, the idea of wanting power is actually very reasonable. There are a lot of people who desire power, for it's a force many believe in, for if you have power then you can have anything you.

Wisdom and courage are other powers which are sought, yet power always outshines them especially when living in a world where monsters are frequent. Power is viewed as being the one thing you need to achieve happiness, but I wouldn't go that far considering there is a price one has to pay," replied Spike.

" I should know because I've been there myself," I said.

" There is nothing wrong with wanting power, but it needs to be for the right reasons. Otherwise, you end up corrupted and obsessed with wanting so much more, and you lose sight of what you originally were pursuing. Sunset Demon chastises you because you don't want the kind of power she has, yet you desire some because of wanting it for the right reasons. You do have a power deep inside which has been helpful since the start, and that is having a strong heart.

Granted, having powerful weapons and magic doesn't hurt either," said Spike. Apart from that slight wisecrack, he did make a valid point about wanting power for what you believed was right, but not being consumed until you become reliant on it. To think that I almost got there when I first became the she-demon, yet I was lucky to have been given the chance to pull back. Others never got the same opportunity, and it makes me feel bad that they ended up succumbing to such a twisted desire.

" Pretty good answer," I said.

" I'm glad you liked it," smiled Spike.

" Guess I can seek out power, but within a good reason," I said. With that notion in my head, I checked to make sure I was prepared, and then I entered the door which was situated behind the throne. This next room was just a long corridor leading up to a portcullis at the end which was accurate with the rest of the temple structure. Torches were lining both walls which gave off a rather uneasy feeling, but I can't turn back now after coming all this way. " Is it just me, or is this room really creepy?"

" They are trying to scare you," replied Spike.

" And it's working somewhat," I said.

" Don't let them get through to you like that otherwise you'll fail before even starting," said Spike.

" Yes, you're right. I must remain calm, and not allow myself to get intimidated. Besides, I have my ace in the form of my transformation, yet I can only rely on it as a last ditch effort as it lasts for a short period before I change back. Since Trixie and Chrysalis have been watching me since I first entered the desert, they most likely are aware of the limitations I have when I gain my pony ears and tail, and that does take away my advantage" I said.

" Do you think they have a countermeasure for it?" asked Spike.

" We'll know soon enough," I replied. Walking down this long corridor felt really daunting, but I kept going as the witches needed to be defeated. Upon opening the portcullis, and entering what I suspect is the arena, the room itself was pretty large, and consisted of a giant pillar in the center which was surrounded by four smaller ones on each side. The walls of the giant pillar were covered in vines, so at least I know how to get up to the top. " I wonder where those witches are hiding?"

" I doubt they are hiding because they are insistent on fighting," replied Spike.

" Escape could be an option, but I suspect otherwise," I said.

" You should climb to the top of this giant pillar, for we do need to get a better feel of the room," suggested Spike. Walking towards the wall, and climbing up to the top, I saw that the surface of this pillar featured a rather unusual pattern which made no sense to me, but I suspect it was a Gerudo pattern of some description.

" No one is here," I said.

" They have to be otherwise this was a pointless threat," said Spike.

" Maybe I should walk towards the center as I am slightly curious about this pattern," I suggested. Taking a few steps forward, I quickly came to a stop when the room suddenly got dark as though someone had blown out some candles. That was when I heard laughing coming from somewhere, and that meant the witches were ready to get things underway. I immediately drew the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield because the latter was going to be my main means of handling them.

" So you decided to come and face us after all," said Trixie.

" A smarter person would have chosen to run away, but you've proven just how stupid you are for coming here to your death. We gave you the chance to flee, but now you're here, and escape is impossible. Our plans may have failed to kill you forest girl, but now witness the might of the Gerudo," said Chrysalis.

" I have a name you know," I moaned.

" And what would that be?" asked Trixie.

" Sunset Shimmer!" I shouted.

" We'll make sure to remember that name," said Chrysalis.

" Because when you are dead and need to be buried, we wouldn't want you to have an unmarked grave now would we? Since you gave us the liberty your name, allow us to do so in kind," said Trixie. Both witches then laughed again before two magical circles, one orange and the other blue, appeared to my left and right, and Trixie came up from her circle first where her hair suddenly burst into flames.

At first I thought she had lost her mind, but then I noticed that it was a magical flame. " With my flame, I will burn you to the bone, and you shall never forget my name, Koume, Sorceress of Fire." Then Chrysalis came up from her blue circle of fire, which was followed by her hair bursting into flames, yet for some reason it looked better on her than it did with Trixie.

" With my cold, I will freeze her to her soul, and I Kotake, Sorceress of Ice, shall laugh at your misery," said Chrysalis.

" Then at last, our battle shall begin," laughed Trixie.

" Try to at least make this entertaining child, for we rarely get to do this," laughed Chrysalis. The two of them then got on their brooms, and began flying around before circling a few times where their elbows touched one another which looked rather awkward. After that, they separated by going to their respective corners, and then proceeded to start flying wherever they wanted.

Already, I had a feeling this was going to be difficult, and the battle had only gotten started, but I was having some trouble keeping track of both of them because one was flying in one location, and the other in another.

" Okay, I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes on both witches," I said.

" Even though you've battled multiple monsters at once, this is on a different level. Still, you have the necessary weapon which can defeat them, but I suspect they won't make things easy for you. Koume is the Sorceress of Fire, so she will use fire magic which sadly does bring yours to shame because she has much more experience than you do.

When she fires her magic, it will cover a very large range, and inflicts a ton of damage before disappearing after about five seconds. You may have resistance to fire, but that isn't going to stop you from being burned. She does appear to have a problem regarding cold temperatures, so perhaps that can be useful," said Spike.

" And what about the other one?" I asked.

" Kotake, Sorceress of Ice, will use ice magic against you, and while it does have the same range as what her sister can do, ice is perhaps the worse of the two elements. If you get caught, you'll be frozen on the spot until the ice melts after a few seconds, and you will take heavy damage as a result. This witch seems to have some issues with warm temperatures, so I think you get the idea," replied Spike.

I needed to use the Mirror Shield to reflect their magic back at them which is what Flash Sentry mentioned, but how can I get both of them close to each other? Before I could even come up with an ideal strategy, Trixie then began conjuring up some kind of barrier where she was flying, and it looked really dangerous which meant I need to prepare an ideal defence.

" What is she doing?" I asked.

" She's about to use her fire magic, so get out of the way," replied Spike.

" But, aren't I supposed to absorb her spell using my Mirror Shield?" I asked.

" Yes, but you aren't ready yet," replied Spike. It turned out he was right as by the time I raised the shield up, Trixie had already fired her magic, and I got caught in the middle of the inferno. I may have a resilience to fire, but this was still pretty painful. I struggled to get out from the blaze, but the smoke was blocking my vision making me lose even more damage.

" Now do you see what you're up against?" asked Trixie.

" Yes, but it won't stop me," I replied.

" Then you've proven just how stubborn you truly are, so be punished for your stupidity," said Trixie. She then began creating another barrier before launching it a few seconds later, and even though I was able to absorb some magic into the Mirror Shield, I didn't take the entire lot, so I found myself being consumed with flames again, but I'm glad it wasn't the freezing cold. " It seems you lack common sense to know how to use that shield, and that's a shame because we were hoping that you could last a while longer."

" You've had plenty of fun against the girl, so give me a chance to show her what I can do," suggested Chrysalis.

" By all means," said Trixie.

" Now you will feel the cold chill of my ice magic as it freezes you to the very core of your being," said Chrysalis. She started to create a barrier of her own, and I was ready for it this time. As she fired it, Trixie suddenly got in my way by causing a distraction, so I got frozen on the spot when the cold ice struck me.

This was an experience I didn't want to feel again because of almost freezing to death back in the past. When I finally broke free, all I could hear was the laughter of the witches as they mocked me. " It seems you really don't like being frozen do you? While fire can easily destroy a forest, the cold can achieve a more destructive result. I wouldn't be surprised if my chill ended up killing you."

" What about my fire?" asked Trixie.

" It can perform just as well, yet my ice can do the job better," replied Chrysalis.

" I suppose you do bring a valid point, but it sounds like you believe your magic is better than mine," said Trixie.

" Not at all, for I would never undermine you Koume. You're my sister after all, and we are both equally powerful. This girl isn't even going to last long enough to be a true threat, and for that we don't even need to rely on our true power," said Chrysalis. Just hearing them talking about how they plan on killing me made them look pathetic. Granted, I can't really say that considering how I've been on the receiving end since this battle started.

At that moment Chrysalis was about to use her magic again, but I need to concentrate on her, and ignore Trixie no matter what she tries to do. I raised my shield and reflected the ice magic back at the source which did nothing at first, but I suddenly remembered Chrysalis is weak to fire, and Trixie to ice, so I changed direction at the last minute, and the cold magic struck Trixie catching her off guard.

" What in the world!?!?" exclaimed Trixie.

" Looks like I know how to use the Mirror Shield after all," I said.

" Consider that nothing more than a lucky shot," said Trixie.

" You can say it however you want, but it looks like I've figured out what must be done," I said.

" Don't act all confidant because this is only the beginning! Kotake, I believe it's your turn to use your magic, and make sure you do it right this time. That cold just doesn't suit me because of my fiery nature, but I'm sure it will be fully enjoyed by the forest girl," said Trixie. It looks like there is some friction going on between them, but whether I can use it to my advantage remains to be seen.

Chrysalis then used her ice magic, but she did so without warning, and I ended up freezing again. I could feel my health draining away, and it was a reminder of the Iron Knuckles of the Spirit Temple who had given me a hard time.

" My health is really getting low," I said.

" Perhaps this would be a good time to transform," suggested Spike.

" Not yet Spike. I know they are aware that I can do that as well as control it, and they are doing their best to make me use it now rather than later. I will transform, but only when I feel the time is right. Besides, the worst they can do is kill me, but I do have two fairies on hand which will revive me when necessary. I'm not sure what it is about these two, but they're hiding something," I said.

" Okay, I trust in your judgment," said Spike. If I weren't as aware as I was, I would have transformed without a moment's notice, yet I know Trixie and Chrysalis want me to change, so I'm not going to use it until I find out what they're hiding. Trixie then came around again and started to prepare her fire magic, but I was ready for her, but then Chrysalis came along at the last minute, and was probably going to cause trouble, so when the former fired her magic, I reflected it back at the other which caused her quite a bit of pain.

" That fiery magic....it's too hot for me to handle," said Chrysalis.

" She caused me to attack you by accident," said Trixie.

" I'm aware of that Koume, but why hasn't she transformed yet? With all of the damage she has taken so far, she should have resorted to it by now. Is it possible that she has figured out our strategy?" asked Chrysalis.

" If she has then we must take things more seriously," replied Trixie.

" Or we can just kill her given how she is barely holding on as it is," said Chrysalis.

" Then allow me to perform the task, and I will ensure that she burns to ashes," said Trixie. She flew over until she was floating above me, and then immediately used her fire magic which I couldn't avoid. As I slumped down to the ground having been killed, one of my fairies appeared above my head, and brought me back to life and restored my health to full before leaving.

Trixie was shocked at what had just happened, for she was unaware that I came prepared. " Did she just get revived by a fairy!?!? I don't believe this! How did we not know of this information?"

" Perhaps she left the temple," suggested Chrysalis.

" Then once again we have underestimated her, and it has made us feel humiliated. Kotake, we have no other choice but to take things to the next level! I know that we wanted her to transform, but our strategy doesn't seem to be working anymore. Besides, I think she will enjoy what our true power is really like because we don't get that many chances to use it," said Trixie.

" If this is what must be done, then I agree with the idea Koume, but I suggest we take care of her quickly," said Chrysalis.

" No need to get into a panic," said Trixie.

" Our slight bickering could cost us, so we must concentrate and finish the job," said Chrysalis. Even though I only heard a few bits and pieces of what they were talking about, it seems that Trixie chose to ignore something important, so I hope it isn't anything serious. That's when the two started to fly around in a circle, and kept on doing this repeatedly while moving closer and closer.

" What are they up to?" I asked.

" I don't know, but be prepared for anything," replied Spike.

" Forest girl....you shall bear witness to our true power," said Trixie.

" Her name is Sunset Shimmer, so we should at least be referring to her as that," corrected Chrysalis. This did give her a scathing reaction from Trixie, so she chose to simply keep silent about it. As the two witches continued flying around above my head in circles, they looked as though they were merging together to form one being, and if that's true then things were about to get a whole lot worse.

" Koume and Kotake's double dynamite attack!" said Trixie and Chrysalis at the same time. The entire room then got covered with a blinding flash, and I had to cover my eyes to avoid being blinded by what was happening. Unlike previous flashes, this one lasted for quite some time, but then I heard something coming from somewhere in front of me, and it sounded like a booming laugh.

As my vision finally came back, my jaw dropped because Trixie and Chrysalis were no longer flying before me. Instead, I was looking at a rather tall and beautiful woman who appeared to have some traits of them across her body, but was mostly her own person which made me suspect that this was what they had been hiding from me.

" What just happened?" I asked.

" The two witches have joined together, and have become Twinrova which means their combined power is going to make things more difficult. Like before, the Mirror Shield will reflect her magic back, but, you need the shield to absorb it three times before you can counterattack, yet you must absorb the same kind of magic that many times otherwise it gets disrupted, and you'll have to start again.

She is going to hover to each side of the giant platform where she will throw some magic at you before moving on and repeating the process, so be prepared to have the shield absorb it," replied Spike.

" I'm going to guess that her attacks inflict even more damage," I said.

" Correct, so be careful not to absorb the wrong magic. Also, when she is weakening, Twinrova may attempt to confuse you by alternating her choice of spells. Once she has been blasted with her own magic which you need to be within range otherwise you'll miss, you'll be able to use the Master Sword, or the Biggoron's Sword depending on which one you have preference with to strike repeatedly until she finally goes down," said Spike.

" This would be the right time to transform," I began.

" But?" asked Spike.

" I'm going to hold back just a little while longer," I replied. While it may look like I'm acting cowardly, in truth I'm simply being conservative given how it only lasts for a short period of time. I need to use it when I know that I'm about to achieve victory, and also because I want to prove that I can handle this situation without having to rely some kind of trump card.

My transformation is one that I can't use as a crutch, for it would make me appear weak, and I've come so far along my journey before I was even able to use it properly due to having so much fear in my heart. I'm going to handle things my way, and only rely on it as a last ditch effort should it come to that. It also means not allowing my emotions to get the better of me as that would be the worst outcome, so I raised my sword and shield, and prepared for whatever this combined form was going to throw at me.

" Are you trembling child?" asked Twinrova.

" Maybe a little bit, but I know that I can't myself to feel intimidated," I replied.

" You should feel honoured, for very few have ever managed to see our true form, yet no one has ever survived to tell the tale. You should have run away, but instead you chose to continue on, and now you have come to regret such a decision. We could grant you a little bit of mercy, but we remember all of the trouble you've caused for us, and for the Great Ganondorf!" said Twinrova.

" What may have been trouble from your perspective is saving this world from mine," I said.

" Typical words coming from a hero," said Twinrova.

" I think the time for talking is at an end," I said.

" We agree with you, but would you not prefer to show us your transformed being? It could give you a better chance at surviving the fury that we are about to unleash upon you," suggested Twinrova. I knew it! They want me to change so that I can use it up much sooner, and then be unable to rely on it should they choose to get even more serious. I'm not going to allow them the opportunity, so I shook my head to refuse their request, and they didn't take too kindly about it.

" Why do you refuse our offer again? Is there something seriously wrong with you for not wanting to follow our suggestions even when they are for your own benefit? Then know that we won't be asking anything like it in the future, so be prepared to pay for being so stubborn, and choosing to act like a foolish child." Twinrova then raised what appeared to be a magic wand covered in fire, and flung a fireball which struck me in the chest because I wasn't paying attention because of having to listen to her ranting.

" That fireball spread across almost the entire pillar," I said.

" Because Twinrova is a stronger form, her magic covers a much greater distance. You'll be able to avoid such attacks if you stand on the corners of the central pillar, yet it does depend on where she is aiming for you when she attacks," said Spike.

" I could even jump onto those smaller pillars if I wanted to," I said.

" Or you could fall down to the floor below. The only problem with that aside from taking additional fall damage is climbing back up, and I don't know if Twinrova will give you the chance without attacking first," said Spike. Twinrova then hovered over to the next side of the central pillar, and flung another fireball which the Mirror Shield absorbed where the fireball disappeared into it.

That's when the shield started glowing with an unusual noise making it difficult to concentrate, and the mirrored surface had some kind of weird pattern on it. " What's going on with this shield? It's never done anything like this before."

" Remember when I said that it can absorb energy? The fire magic is seen as energy, so the Mirror Shield has absorbed it, and is currently storing it ready for you to unleash it when you've gotten enough stored up. That noise coming from the shield is an unfortunate side-effect which will get worse as more magic gets absorbed, but there's not much you can do other than get used to it," said Spike.

As I stared at the polished surface, I could see the resulting fire which will come forth, yet in a way I felt bad about having to rely on such a manner. I would have preferred to use my own magic against Twinrova, but my own power pales in comparison, so I guess using their magic to defeat is my only means of succeeding. I'm hoping that I don't have to use Ganondorf's magic against him when that time comes otherwise I'm not going to be doing all that much apart from reflecting foreign magic back to where it came from.

" So you do know how that shield works?" asked Twinrova.

" I thought it was obvious by now," I replied.

" Don't get too cocky forest girl, for this battle has only just begun. Even if you manage to turn our own power back against us, you don't know how long it will take for you to achieve victory do you? No, we didn't think you would know something like that, so things could be worse than you think," said Twinrova.

I'm not sure why they decided to mention this, but my best guess was they wanted to trick me into making a costly mistake, so I shook my head as an indicator that I wasn't about to fall for any of their tricks. " Having some doubts? You're supposed to be the Hero of Time, yet from our perspective it seems destiny had gotten it wrong, for you're not exactly heroic material."

" That's actually a true statement," I said.

" Are you trying to trick us?" asked Twinrova.

" I'm not what you'd call an ideal hero as I don't fit the mold, but then I've managed to do well," I replied.

" No true hero would refer to themselves in such a demeaning manner, so you must be tricking us into giving you sympathy. Nice try forest girl, but you will have to do a lot better if you think you can outwit those who have lived for centuries," laughed Twinrova. While I felt a little annoyed about being called a liar, it did mean that they were once again underestimating me.

I guess these two have become deluded over seeing everyone other than themselves and Ganondorf as worthless, so they end up making critical mistakes. They then flung another fireball which I absorbed with the Mirror Shield, and then hovered over to the next spot where they threw an ice-ball which is not what I wanted to see coming.

I needed to avoid getting hit because doing so would cause me to lose the stored up fire magic, and I'd take a lot of damage in addition to being frozen. The ice then struck the pillar turning it into an icy surface, yet I avoided it by jumping down to the floor below.

" That was close," I said.

" You could have jumped to one of those smaller pillars," said Spike.

" Coming down here was the first thing that popped into my head," I said.

" You'll need to climb back up eventually as you can't really do anything down here," said Spike.

" Hopefully, they won't attack me while I attempt to get back up, but maybe I should wait for them to attack so that I can eventually get those fireballs again," I suggested. Twinrova eventually discovered where I was hiding, and proceeded to use more ice-balls which covered up the central pillar, yet why were they doing that when they knew I was still down below waiting for the chance to come back up. When I finally climbed back up, I was shocked to see ice was covering almost every last portion of the pillar's surface.

Even though it was rapidly melting because it was magical, I had to traverse it a little which could be problematic. Twinrova laughed as they flung a fireball this time which is what I needed, so I absorbed it into the Mirror Shield, and that gave me three lots. All of a sudden, the shield shot out a stream of flames, so moving across the icy floor and falling onto my rear a few times, I reached Twinrova just as the magic was used up, but there was just enough to hit them with, and they dropped down to the pillar they was hovering above.

" No! How could you have overcome such a slippery slope?" asked Twinrova.

" I've gotten used to moving around on ice despite falling at times," I replied. With that, I jumped over to where they was lying on the ground, and started striking repeatedly with the Master Sword even though I would rather use magic, but they're immune to all forms of magic except for their own.

Speaking of magic, I was thinking about using Nayru's Love, but that's an underhanded approach. Eventually, Twinrova managed to recover from their mishap, so I leapt back to the central pillar just as they hovered back up into the air.

" How dare you do this to us!" shouted Twinrova.

" Don't like getting injured?" I asked.

" You've been a thorn in our sides for too long forest girl, and what you just did has really angered us. We were hoping you would transform by now, but it seems we were wrong about how effective you are as a hero. If you were longing for us to take things up a notch, then we're happy to oblige," replied Twinrova.

The tone in their voice was one of rage, and they threw a fireball which I absorbed into the Mirror Shield, but then they immediately followed up with an ice-ball which I wasn't expecting, and I had no time to avoid this attack, so I raised my shield again where what I had absorbed disappeared.

Of course, I would become frozen in the process where my health took a sudden nose dive, and Twinrova merely laughed at my misery. " How does it feel being frozen? This is just the start of your torment child, for we have so more where that came from." As I broke free from my icy prison, they launched another ice-ball which struck me before I could even do anything.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'm a lot better than I thought," I replied.

" Being frozen back at Zora's Fountain, and prior to this onslaught has given you a slight resistance," said Spike.

" Lucky me," I said without using sarcasm as I was really lucky to have had this come up. When I broke free this time, Twinrova began throwing ice-balls at a rapid pace, and I suspected they were losing control with their emotions. Raising the Mirror Shield, I absorbed three different ice-balls, and I let them have it by letting my shield unleash a cold spray just like the ones in those treasure chest traps.

They dropped down again, and I struck them a few more times with my sword before they regained her composure. I could tell they were just outraged with how I've been able to hold my own despite all of the threats they have made against me, but it proves that I'm not to be underestimated just because of not being a proper hero in that sense.

Twinrova then launched a fireball which was followed by a much larger one, and then they hovered to the next side before throwing a third one. I absorbed the first two fireballs into the Mirror Shield, but not the third one meaning I got consumed in fire yet again.

" They are getting serious now," said Spike.

" Which means I need to do the same," I said.

" You mean transform?" asked Spike.

" I've kept a hold of it for as long as I needed to, but now I feel it must be used. The witches are exhausted given the sweat dripping from their brow, so I'm going to assume that a couple more hits will do the job, and it does mean finally following their advice. Plus, I'm getting low on health again, so I might need the assistance of my remaining fairy, but hopefully it won't come to that," I replied.

" Are you sure Twinrova will let you change?" asked Spike.

" We're about to find out," I replied. Closing my eyes and beginning to concentrate, I knew the time was right to transform, and I believe this would be the first time I'm properly using a sword and shield combination in my stronger form. Sure enough, Twinrova chose not to attack, and allowed me the time to transform.

After concentrating for a few moments, my pony ears appeared on top of my head followed by my pony tail which extended down from my hair. Already I could feel my strength and magic increasing, yet the magic component isn't going to be helpful here, and I also hope this lasts long enough for what I need to do.

" So this is your true form?" asked Twinrova.

" I would say it's more of a partial transition between my human and real form," I replied.

" Then what do you really look like?" asked Twinrova.

" If you must know....my real form is a pony," I replied.

" A pony!?!?" exclaimed Twinrova.

" To be more precise, I'm a unicorn," I said.

" This is starting to become really cumbersome forest girl, for these claims of yours are really wearing thin on us. Granted, we don't question why you gain the ears and tail of a equine as that's your personal business, but the fact that you say that you're a pony is nothing short of absurd. It doesn't really matter to us of course, for this is what we wanted you to become much sooner.

It may be a little late, but now we can truly say the battle has begun, yet you look as though you're barely holding on. Since you've transformed, we shall give our thanks by no longer holding back," said Twinrova. I'm not sure if I like the way they said that, yet I need to finish this before my transformation ends.

They then moved over to the next side of the pillar, and flung an ice-ball which I absorbed, but suddenly went back the other way, and flung a second ice-ball right above me which I couldn't avoid. While my shield did absorb it, I still got frozen, yet I quickly broke free as my stronger form does give me some improved resistances.

" I'm still standing," I said.

" That will change in a moment," said Twinrova. They then launched a barrage of ice-balls which the Mirror Shield absorbed one, but it ended up being a waste as the rest all connected with me where some bounced off my body, and the rest froze me. When I broke free, I could feel my health slipping, so it meant one more revival was coming, so I decided to press the attack.

Twinrova assumed nothing was wrong, and threw a fireball which my shield absorbed, and by this point the noise was something I had gotten used to. They threw two more fireballs that got absorbed into the Mirror Shield which was followed by me unleashing the burst of flame which knocked Twinrova down again, and I struck them a few more times which still wasn't enough.

" I'll admit that for a couple of frail women, you two certainly know how to take punishment," I said.

" You insolent brat!" shouted Twinrova.

" What did I say?" I asked.

" How dare you insult the surrogate mothers of the Great Ganondorf? Just for that, we're going to give you the strongest spell we can muster, and not even that shield of yours is going to be enough to protect you," replied Twinrova. They concentrated and fired the largest fireball I had ever seen, and while I raised the Mirror Shield hoping for it to absorb the blast, it didn't work. The blast knocked me off the central pillar, and I landed on the floor before collapsing where I once died.

" The forest girl has been killed which means no one can oppose the Great Ganondorf again. We'll admit that she lasted a long time for someone so young, but in the end our experience proved to be too much. We no longer need to remain together, so we shall separate back to our previous selves, and prepare Nabooru for more brainwashing."

Twinrova had actually turned away from where I fell, and had been gloating the entire time, so when they turned around to discover that I was standing in front of them once again, they completely lost it. " What!?!? WHAT!?!? WHHHAAATTT!?!? How can you still be alive?"

" I still had one more fairy," I replied.

" Then you tricked us!" shouted Twinrova.

" Because I figured out from the start that you had been doing that to me. I knew you wanted me to transform, and use it up too soon, so I chose to hold back until I felt ready to use it, and also wanting to prove I didn't need it. To be honest, you actually helped me rather than hindered me, and for that I must thank you as I never would have made it this far otherwise.

Plus, I proved to Sunset Demon that I can handle things without needing to transform in order to solve the problem. Anyway, thanks to my remaining fairy, I've got my health back, so we can now keep going if you want," I said.

" Are you implying that we shall lose?" asked Twinrova.

" That complexion does make me think it," I replied. Without even choosing to respond, I could tell Twinrova had essentially snapped at this point, but it wasn't my intention. In a blind fit of rage, they launched many ice-balls at me which I dodged, but I managed to absorb the right amount into the Mirror Shield before launching another cold spray which brought them down once again.

I quickly ran over, and struck a few more times with the Master Sword before switching to the Biggoron's Sword as a part of me wanted to go overboard as a means of making them suffer for what they've done. I only hit Twinrova once using the strongest blade which finally defeated them, and their scream was proof of my victory. They floated into the air before starting to spin around and shrinking down to perhaps a more moderate size.

" You did it!" exclaimed Spike.

" That felt like it lasted forever," I said.

" But, you've finally defeated the witches which means the desert will eventually return to normal," said Spike.

" Better hold off on those celebrations," I said. Twinrova then separated into an orange fireball, and a blue one which then landed in front of me. Soon, I was standing before Trixie and Chrysalis who appeared very annoyed, but were surprisingly unharmed given the punishment they had sustained during the battle.

" I can't believe that she defeated us," said Trixie.

" We underestimated her abilities, and as a result we were bested," said Chrysalis.

" It was because of you holding us back that caused this to happen," moaned Trixie.

" No, you were the one who was acting without thinking," said Chrysalis.

" Either way, we need to get really serious as we can't allow this girl to awaken the final Sage. She may have defeated us, but her transformation won't last for much longer, so we just need to strike when it wears off. We can do this Kotake if we attack at the same time, and not hold back until she is dead. With no fairies to revive her this time, we will be victorious," said Trixie.

She then turned to Chrysalis who had been silent during her speech, and at first she felt angry over being ignored, but then she noticed a strange white ring was hanging above her sister's head. " What is that thing you have above your head?"

" I don't know what it is, but you have one too Koume, and I think I'm starting to get the idea," replied Chrysalis.

" What are you saying?" asked Trixie.

" You and I are dead," replied Chrysalis. Hearing those words especially the last one left Trixie unable to say anything for a couple of minutes, and in the meantime I was just watching, for I honestly had no clue as to what was about to happen. I assumed that they were ready to fight again, but it seems that their time in this world has come to an end.

" But I'm only 400 years old!" shouted Trixie.

" And I'm just 380 years old!" added Chrysalis.

" We're twins! Don't try to lie about your age!" shouted Trixie.

" You must have gone senile!" shouted Chrysalis.

" Who are you calling senile?! Is that how you treat your older sister?" asked Trixie.

" If you hadn't been acting like an idiot by not taking this fight against Sunset Shimmer seriously, we wouldn't be in this position we're in right now. Also, you never once referred to her by name, and when we were one, I tried to speak it, yet you kept on silencing me which just annoyed me to no end. This is all your fault for being so stubborn!" shouted Chrysalis.

" My fault! If anything it's your fault for ignoring the fact that the Great Ganondorf has essentially killed us even though she is the one who did it. You were too weak to be of any use at all during this entire situation," said Trixie.

" No! You were useless!" shouted Chrysalis. I never would have guessed that they had so much rage built up inside them, but they could no longer hold it back, and decided to unleash it. Just seeing them at each other's throats reminded me of what I used to be like before I discovered friendship, and what happened to my friends when bickering almost drove them apart.

It looked like Trixie and Chrysalis were about to really make things worse, but then they started to float upwards towards the ceiling before disappearing through it....their fate had now been revealed. They may not like it, but there is nothing anyone can do about it now, and perhaps they will learn to get along in the afterlife.

" We'll come back to haunt you!" shouted Trixie and Chrysalis. And just like that, everything was quiet again which made me feel uneasy, but I suppose it was a good feeling given what I had endured. The portal to the Chamber of Sages had appeared to my right, but my interest was to the left where a Heart Container had dropped, and I could do with a pick-me-up.

When I walked over and collected it, I felt the same warmth that comes whenever I get one of these, and after feeling more light-hearted than ever before, I entered the portal where I found myself back at the Chamber of Sages.

" I wonder who the final Sage is?" asked Spike.

" If the pattern is consistent, then I think I know who," I replied.

" What are you talking about?" asked Spike.

" Just mumbling something to myself," I replied. All of my friends from the human world have so far become Sages, and I couldn't believe it took me this long to finally figure that out. The only one left was Rainbow Dash, so it must be her. The orange raised platform then started to glow, and the one who rose up from it who happened to be who I suspected.

" Kid, let me thank you for everything you've done not only for me, but for Spitfire, and the entirety of the Gerudo tribe. For the first time in what feels like forever, my people can live in peace, and perhaps with the other tribes. Heheheh...look what you've become in the past seven years....a competent swordswoman!" said Rainbow Dash.

I'm not quite sure how I should have taken that given it sounded like an insult, yet I suppose she was just being herself which is something she hasn't done in seven years. I simply shrugged my shoulders because I had no idea how to respond, and she then started laughing which made me even more confused. " You haven't changed, and I do mean that quite literally given you haven't aged."

" And I already explained why that is," I said.

" It has to do with your Equestrian magic doesn't it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" How were you able to figure that out given you were missing for years?" I asked.

" I actually discovered the truth before Koume and Kotake made me disappear, but when you freed me from their control, I couldn't recall anything until I ended up here. Some of it still confuses me, but I've mostly got the gist of it," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Guess you know where I'm really from huh?" I asked.

" That was perhaps the biggest thing I had trouble believing in, but now that I've been in this chamber for a while, I'm actually seeing just what your home is really like. It's rather boring for my liking, but you need to return there," replied Rainbow Dash. She then went silent which had me thinking that she was still having some doubts, yet it turned out she had something else on her mind, and she was having a little bit of trouble trying to convey it into words.

Rather than force her, I decided to give her as much time as necessary to figure out how to explain it. It took her a while before she came up with an answer, and it must have been something if it had taken this long. " By the way....I really messed up....I was brainwashed by those old witches and used by Ganondorf to do his evil will....I even allowed Spitfire to succumb to a similar means all because of not choosing to act sooner, but what could I have done?"

" It all worked out in the end," I said.

" Perhaps, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I know now that Spitfire will make an excellent leader of the Gerudo for she has proven herself to be worthy. I know my people are in good hands which makes this next bit much easier for me to say. I was thinking of going back and helping them, but I can't anymore as I've been gone for too long. They probably think I've perished, and while I want to prove them wrong, I can't do that now because of being here.

I'm laughing at the fact that a person like me could turn out to be the Sage of Spirit! And now that I've awoken, I'm going to fight them as one of the six Sages! I want to get my revenge for what they did to me and to my people, but I know that way of thinking would never work because of the negative repercussions behind it," said Rainbow Dash.

" Vengeance is never the answer to a problem," I said.

" My people would forever shun me and my legacy were I to resort to such tactics," said Rainbow Dash. I would never seek revenge no matter how badly someone wronged me, but the Gerudo might given their profession. That must have been one of the reasons why the other tribes mistreated them for generations because revenge is something that is often frowned upon, yet now they can finally turn to a new chapter where they can realize a new potential.

" It will probably take about a generation or two before the other tribes can accept them as being just, but it isn't going to be one of those forever things. Kid....no....Sunset Shimmer, the Hero of Time! Seven years ago, I promised that I would do something for you in return for giving me the Silver Gauntlets, but it seems my original promise couldn't be kept."

" Things happened which were beyond your control," I said.

" Maybe so, but I feel like I've done a great wrong, so I am going to make a new promise which I know can be kept. From now on, I shall fight alongside you as one of the Six Sages, and together with the others, we shall put an end to Ganondorf's reign over Hyrule! Now, I give you this medallion! Take it!" said Rainbow Dash.

She then raised her arms above her head, and an orange medallion dropped down from the ceiling. Upon grabbing it, I realized that I now had all six of these trinkets, and that also meant they were all awakened at last....the Sages that is. As I started to return to the desert which was the most likely place, I could hear Rainbow Dash say something. " If only I had kept the promise I made back then, but I know deep in my heart that this one will be kept."

Just when I thought things were finally looking up, I was suddenly brought to a stop which didn't make sense. How can anyone stop me from going back to Hyrule especially after leaving the chamber? Could this be Ganondorf's doing? No, I doubt he has that kind of power, so who could be behind this? That's when a figure appeared from the shadows, and I had a feeling this may end up being a bad situation....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 65: The Last Legend

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 30, 2015
Chapter 65: The Last Legend.

Am I seriously seeing a robed figure as I return from the Chamber of Sages to Hyrule? I have no idea why this is happening, but I'm not about to fall for a trap especially when I'm not able to do anything in response. The figure then approached me, and what they were wearing felt familiar as though I've seen it before, but as usual I just couldn't put my finger on it. I would try to see what their face looks like, but this bright light isn't doing me any favours.

" Sunset Shimmer!"

" How do you know my name?" I asked.

" You don't recognize my voice do you? I am not surprised by this, for it has been a very long time. It's me, Rauru, the Sage, who you encountered when you awoke after sleeping for seven years in the Sacred Realm." Even though his voice didn't resonate within my mind, that long flowing beard certainly did, and only one pony of Equestrian history had a beard like that....Starswirl the Bearded, but why has he decided to come before me now, and not during any of my previous visits to the chamber?

" It has taken you a long time to break the curses of the five temples, but at long last, we Six Sages have been awakened. While I cannot even begin to fathom the difficult challenges which you experienced, you were able to overcome all of the odds, and now you have a final challenge with Ganondorf, the King of Evil."

" So now I can gain access to his castle?" I asked.

" If you had tried to enter before awakening us, then you would have been denied. His castle has no drawbridge, so you would have been stuck with no means of access. I am assuming that you have yet to see this castle with your own eyes?" asked Starswirl.

" I was thinking of going there before going to the Spirit Temple, but my fairy partner insisted otherwise as my emotions would have shattered. Believe me when I say that I can't allow my feelings to spiral out of control," I replied.

" Your companion was wise, but you must still see what has befallen Hyrule Castle. After he conquered it, the Evil King decided that ruling a castle which represented the hatred he had towards the Hylians was unacceptable. So, he destroyed Hyrule Castle Town, and while many were able to escape, others weren't as fortunate and perished.

Once that had been taken care of, his next task was to destroy the castle, and build a new one where it once stood. His new castle was a testament to the fear and intimidation which he has struck into the hearts of all people in Hyrule," said Starswirl.

" Just hearing you say that makes me feel uncomfortable to no end," I said.

" You must not allow fear to hold you back Sunset Shimmer, for you must enter his castle and defeat him," said Starswirl. Once again, I was feeling a lot of pressure, and I wish these people would understand that. I'm just one person who has been dealing with plenty of inner struggles while having to deal with saving a kingdom which still confuses me because of certain elements not making sense.

You would think that someone like the legendary Starswirl the Bearded would allow me a chance to perhaps catch my breath especially since that fight against the witches took a huge toll on me, yet he expects me to just waltz on over to Ganondorf's castle in the hopes of bringing everything to an end.

" I would love nothing more than to make my way there, but I'm not in the best condition. I just finished dealing with his surrogate mothers, and I haven't had the chance to rest. I know you want me to get this over with, but I must put my foot down, and request that I pay a visit to his castle tomorrow. If I go there right now without being fully prepared in both body and mind, I'm most likely to get killed, then the entire kingdom would be up the creek as it were," I said.

" Then you shall have your request," said Starswirl.

" Just like that?" I asked.

" Even though you must enter Ganondorf's castle, there is something else which must be taken care of first. I am sure that you have been informed about the Seventh Sage, and you will need their help to penetrate the dark defences within the castle. There is someone who can tell you more, but they won't be available until tomorrow due to reasons even I find absurd.

You're able to do whatever you want to prepare yourself, so if you need anything, now is the time to claim it," replied Starswirl. Now this was quite the coincidence because I needed the extra time although not in the manner which I was expecting. Still, this gives me an opportunity to go back to the past, and perhaps pick up some of those Pieces of Heart. Also, I need to either stock up on fairies or potions as I have a feeling I'll be needing either one, or both if I am to survive inside that castle.

I'm assuming that I spent a good deal of time inside the Spirit Temple, so when I return to the Desert Colossus, it should be sometime in the afternoon which means I need to move fast if I want to get everything done.

" Where do I need to go in order to see this person?" I asked.

" They will be waiting for you in the Temple of Time," replied Starswirl.

" Is there any particular reason as to why it needs to be there?" I asked.

" It is where you returned from being trapped in the Sacred Realm, and the one who wishes to see you was the first person who was witnessed by your eyes. Go now Sunset Shimmer, and I wish you luck for the battle that is to come," replied Starswirl. It was pretty obvious that it was Sheik, but why go through all of this secrecy instead of just appearing before me like she usually does? Also, I had actually forgotten all about this Seventh Sage despite Fluttershy giving me a heads up about it.

A few moments later, and I found myself back in the Desert Colossus via the Sage Altar. Even though the desert looked the same prior to entering the temple, I knew that things had returned to normal, or as normal as they could get at any rate.

" So what did you make of all that?" I asked.

" Rauru certainly had a lot to say about what needs to be done next, but I'm surprised that you've been given extra time," replied Spike.

" How does that even work?" I asked.

" If anything, you shouldn't question why you've been given extra time. Instead, you should use it to get anything you may have missed throughout your journey. Granted, because you need to eventually return to the Temple of Time to meet with her, I don't think you'll be able to go back to the past which is what you want to do unless Sheik happens to be there much sooner than expected. That means any searching across Hyrule for Pieces of Heart and anything else is restricted to the current time period," replied Spike.

" That's rather disappointing," I sighed.

" What other choice is there?" asked Spike.

" You make a valid point as always, so I guess going back in time just isn't an option. That does mean those remaining Magic Beans have become useless, but I have no regrets about it," I replied. My heart was honestly crushed over not being able to go back to the past as there was still a lot of things which I missed, but there should still be some things waiting for me to collect them here in the present.

" So where do you want to go from here?" asked Spike.

" I was thinking we could pay a visit to the Gerudo's Fortress, and let Spitfire know what has become of Rainbow Dash," I replied.

" That's a good idea as they could do with some closure," said Spike.

" My only problem is how to get there considering we're now on the other side of the Haunted Wasteland. If we try to get lost then we'll merely end up back here again, and if I play the Prelude of Light then we could end up meeting Sheik too soon. I suppose I could play one of the other warp songs, and take a longer route to the fortress, but that would be wasting precious time," I said.

" We could try warping to the Temple of Time, and then making a run for it before anyone shows up," suggested Spike.

" But is the risk worth it?" I asked.

" It's either that, or take one of those longer routes," replied Spike. I then took out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, and played the Prelude of Light which warped me in that bright yellow light to the temple. When I landed, I heard something scurrying about which made me think it was Sheik having appeared, but it turned out to be a mouse which quickly ran away out of fear of seeing someone suddenly appear out of thin air.

I was curious as to how a mouse managed to get in here considering this temple was in a pretty good condition compared with the rest of Hyrule Castle Town, but I chose to ignore this, and leave before someone shows up. As I made my way through the market and avoiding the numerous ReDead, I got outside where I played Epona's Song, and called my trusty steed who galloped towards me as fast as possible.

" Looks like she has missed you a great deal," said Spike.

" I'll say so considering how her muzzle is pressing up against my face so much," I said.

" She should feel happy knowing that she gets to travel around with you for one last time," said Spike.

" That's right....once I've reached the point of no return inside of Ganondorf's castle, I won't be coming back again as I'll be returning to my own world when he has been defeated. It's been on my mind for some time now, but I never really thought about how I would miss all of this. I need to go back home as that's where I and everyone else in this world belongs, yet do I have the right to bring an end to something this magical? I can't allow my heart to waver at this stage otherwise I'll never have the will to finish this," I said.

Aside from some mishaps in their personalities here and there, everyone appears to be so happy here, and taking that away from them would make me nothing more than a destroyer of dreams. I knew I'd have to face this eventually, but I wish that I could have had a little bit more time to appreciate this place before it had to come to an end.

" You need to finish this, and return to your world Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" I know Spike," I said.

" Don't think about holding back for anything as this is perhaps your one chance. If you end up falling to Ganondorf, you could end up being stuck here forever. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing mind you, this world is not your true home no matter what I, or anyone else says for that matter. Now, climb onto Epona and let's pay ourselves a visit to the Gerudo's Fortress. There is still some time left before we need to meet with Sheik, and that means you have some time to experience Hyrule a little more before ending it," said Spike.

I'm going to have to do the right thing even if it means changing certain aspects back to normal such as Adagio, Aria, and Sonata being allies in this world, to becoming villains back in the human world. Sighing, I gave a gentle kick to Epona's ribs, and she began galloping off towards Gerudo Valley at a fast pace.

It didn't take long for her to make it there which was a good thing as I needed as much time as possible to get everything that I could, and when I reached the bridge, I had to think about whether I should pay a visit to see Sweetie Belle, and the others who resided in the tent.

" Should I go and talk to them?" I asked.

" You are running on borrowed time because of needing to meet Sheik, so I don't think you should do that," replied Spike.

" They could give me some advice on what may be waiting for me inside of the castle," I said.

" No one apart from the tribe leaders know anything about that, for Ganondorf makes sure no one accesses his castle. You might say that he is very secretive about it, and those who did get to see the interior probably don't want to ever talk about it," said Spike.

" Maybe Spitfire would know something?" I asked.

" It's possible as she was loyal to him at the time, so she may be privy to a few things," replied Spike. When he said the word "may", I suspect she might not know anything, but the only way to know would be to ask her. At that moment, Sweetie Belle exited from the tent and began to walk around as though she were looking for something.

This turned out to be really bad timing as I must get by in order to speak with Spitfire, but when she noticed me, she tilted her head several times as an indicator that she wanted me to come over. Knowing that I now had no choice, I urged Epona to trot across the bridge before coming to a stop on the other side.

" I heard that you rescued my men," said Sweetie Belle.

" They were wrongly imprisoned, so I did what any hero would have done," I said.

" Well, I appreciate you saving all of them from the Gerudo. They may be worthless at times, and can be very demanding when it suits them, but they are perhaps the best carpenters I have the pleasure of working with. It took me until now to realize how important they are despite their problems, and I know not to misjudge them again.

Just look at this bridge that they built after returning to the tent. This is without a doubt one of the finest crafted bridges I've ever seen in my entire life, and they put all of their hearts and souls into the design. I've no doubt that they will become fantastic carpenters where they shall be remembered for generations to come. Onto a different subject, and that involves the Gerudo," said Sweetie Belle.

" What about them?" I asked.

" Within the last 24 hours, their leader came by and spoke to me directly. She apologized for kidnapping my workers, so she asked for forgiveness which did catch me by surprise. I've never know any of them to be of the apologetic type, but I suppose there's a first time for everything. I accepted her apology, and she did say that she would give me something in return," replied Sweetie Belle. So Spitfire has already started to make amends for her own actions as well as those of her tribe by choosing to accept responsibility.

This was a very good first step in my opinion towards gaining the respect of the other tribes. They still have a long way before being able to fully integrate with the rest of Hyrule, but it's good to know they're off to an impressive start. That's when Sweetie Belle walked behind the tent where she raised her fist up high as an indication that she found what she had been looking for. " This is what their leader gave me, and I must admit that I never would have guessed they would have such materials."

" Are those pieces of wood?" I asked.

" In addition to steel beams, glue, cement, and even some rare materials which are pretty difficult to find," replied Sweetie Belle.

" And they just happened to have all of that stored away in their fortress?" I asked.

" They most likely stole it a long time ago because they felt the need to, but at least they were willing to give it away, and especially to a group that knows how to use them for their intended purpose," replied Sweetie Belle. The whole stealing notion sounded more plausible than simply having such materials in their possession.

I then asked if she was aware that Sonata did not return from our exploration into the Desert Colossus, and she nodded her head to indicate that she knew. " The running woman informed me of what happened when she and that saleswoman travelled with you across those cursed sands, yet I never would have imagined you three would achieve what had only been done by Nabooru many years ago."

" I'm sure you were told that Sonata plans on staying out there until she has found all of those buried masks," I said.

" While I don't really understand what the pleasure is with those masks despite her selling one to me, it's something she has been wanting to do for a very long time, and I know she is going to find all of them no matter how long it takes. If you were thinking of trying to speak with Aria, I'm afraid you'll have to come back another time, for she is taking some much needed rest, and won't be available for a couple of days. I'm guessing you have some business in the fortress?" asked Sweetie Belle.

" I need to speak with Spitfire," I replied.

" Then don't let me distract you from that," said Sweetie Belle.

" What are you going to do now?" I asked.

" My men and I will stay here in Gerudo Valley for a while, and then we'll hit the road once again and travel somewhere else. I was taking a liking to Lake Hylia because the men have been suggesting that fishing would be fun. Plus, I've heard the Fishing Pond is in dire need of repairs, so we can do something to help fix the place up," replied Sweetie Belle.

" Then I guess this is goodbye," I said.

" You've got your own path to follow in life, and we have ours as well, so we might as well continue down our respective routes to see where they go," said Sweetie Belle. I urged Epona to resume our journey to the fortress which wasn't that much further, and as she galloped along, I was curious as to what Aria had been doing when she returned from the Haunted Wasteland.

I guess that's something I'll never know as she won't be available for a couple of days, and my meeting with Sheik is going to be happening tomorrow according to what Starswirl said. Soon, I was back at the fortress where things looked different. While there was still women patrolling as before, they were acting in a calm manner rather than a serious one.

I'm guessing that news of the witches' defeat reached Spitfire as she was busy ordering some of the others to take down various defensive measures which had been set up out of fear of being attacked.

" This place has really changed," I said.

" With the threat from the desert no longer being an issue, they don't need to have all of these defences out," said Spike.

" But what about Ganondorf? Surely he would attack his own people for betraying him," I said.

" He no longer has any concern for his people considering he has been ruling Hyrule for these past seven years, and has not once visited here. In his eyes, the Gerudo are nothing more than an inconvenience, so any problems they are experiencing don't register with him. He may claim that what he has done was for them, but in reality he couldn't care less," said Spike.

" Who would have thought a man like him would be born," I said.

" Ganondorf was born as an ordinary baby although some would say that from the day he first came into the world, he had an evil streak inside of him which couldn't be quelled by any means. His surrogate mothers must have sensed this, and wanted to make sure that he was raised to become a man who had a desire for power. I suppose if he didn't have this evil streak, then he would have been raised as a man dedicated to the well-being of his people," said Spike.

If he had been raised differently then none of this would have happened, and while the thought of travelling back through time's flow would allow me to perhaps prevent the witches from manipulating him, I know such a thing is impossible. What happened in the past needs to remain that way because it's become a part of history. As Epona came to a stop in front of the entrance to the fortress, I climbed down from her just as Spitfire noticed, and proceeded to walk over to where I was.

" Sunset Shimmer? Quite the surprise seeing you here once again," said Spitfire.

" I'm surprised at how much different this place is when I came here last time," I said.

" The wind delivered me a message a short time ago, and what it was made me very happy. You were able to defeat Ganondorf's surrogate mothers, and that means the desert will slowly return to normal. We Gerudo can now begin to finally live in peace although the jury is still out with the other tribes, but that is something we will deal with eventually. I would invite you inside where we can talk on a more private basis, yet I suspect you can't stay here very long because of needing to fight and defeat Ganondorf," said Spitfire.

" Do you know anything about his castle?" I asked.

" I've never been inside of it, however, I do know some aspects of the interior because he told us about it before he left good seven years ago. I'm aware of there being a lot of evil elements which serve as a security measure, yet I never imagined Ganondorf would want to have safety precautions given how he is someone who shows little to no fear," replied Spitfire.

This sounds like something which could be overcome if I were to use those Light Arrows which Spike told me about, but that would require finding someone from the royal family as it's a treasure only they know about. Maybe Sheik can tell me where I can find Twilight as I need her help to obtain these arrows. I'm sure it won't take me too long to find her provided that I'm given the correct directions.

" Anything else?" I asked.

" Some areas of his castle are blocked off by monolith stones which look as though they are too heavy to be moved by normal means, but maybe if you were to acquire more power then you might be able to do something," replied Spitfire.

" Monolith stones?" I asked.

" These are giant slabs of rock which are seldom seen in Hyrule, but are very intimidating for their size, and not even the Gorons can lift them," replied Spitfire. Such rocks must be immense if Gorons can't pick them up, so what chances do I have of trying to do that? I'm guessing these stones will be too heavy for me to lift up despite currently having the Silver Gauntlets equipped, so is it possible that there is some kind of upgrade for them?

Guess I'll find out soon when I enter Ganondorf's castle, and that's when Spitfire had one last piece of advice to give to me. " From what we were told about the interior, certain themes from across the temples are featured which didn't make any sense to us given how we've never entered any of them, but I suppose it will make sense for you."

Indeed it did, so it appears I need to face some trials that I've already experienced, yet she wasn't specific which means they could be just about anything. I would ask her to inquire a little further on the subject, but I doubt she has anything else to say about it. " That's all I know about Ganondorf's castle, but I'm glad that you came."

" Why is that?" I asked.

" Did you discover what became of the exalted Nabooru?" asked Spitfire.

" As a matter of fact I have," I replied.

" Then I must know because even now I feel guilty over what I did due to being under the influence of those witches," said Spitfire.

" She had been brainwashed, and was sealed inside of a suit of armour known as an Iron Knuckle. For the last seven years, she had been nothing but a slave to them without any free will of her own. They forced me to fight her, and when I freed her from the spell, she couldn't remember anything from when she disappeared up until I freed her. The two witches then abducted her again, but I saved her again upon defeating them where it was revealed that she was the final Sage I've been looking for," I said.

That's when I noticed Spitfire had buried her head into her hands, and was weeping really hard all because she felt immense guilt over what she had done. I allowed her to cry it out, for she needed to do this in order to overcome what has been plaguing her for some time, and upon finishing, she then slapped her head.

" I can't believe that this is what Nabooru endured for so many years, and it was my doing which caused this to happen," said Spitfire.

" When I saw her at the Chamber of Sages where she and the other Sages have gathered, she believed that you would make a perfect leader of the Gerudo. While she wished that she could come back and help, she knows that destiny has commanded her to remain where she is in order to help defeat the Evil King," I said.

" You have no idea how thankful I am that you told me this," said Spitfire.

" Be sure to let Aria and Sonata know as they just as close to her as you are," I suggested.

" I'll let them know when next I see them, and that should be within a couple of days for Aria, and who knows how long with Sonata given she is still out there in the desert searching for those ancient masks. You have done me a great service Sunset Shimmer, so I shall reward you with something which should provide a lot of energy. We stole it years ago and locked it in a treasure chest, but we never did anything with it given how it served no purpose.

Go to the top of the fortress and near where the prison tower is, you'll find your reward there. You shouldn't miss such a large chest, but if you do then let me know, and I'll have someone guide you to it. I must return to my duties around here, and you must resume your quest, so don't spend too long looking," said Spitfire.

With that, she excused herself and resumed speaking with some of the other Gerudo, so taking her advice to heart, Epona galloped towards where the Horseback Archery field was located, but stopped short of that because I needed the fortress roof.

" She said the chest is located near that prison tower," I said.

" Which is located on the other side of the fortress," said Spike.

" Hopefully this won't take too long as I don't want to waste any time," I said. Walking along the top of the fortress felt strange because I had this fear that the Gerudo down below would suddenly turn on me, and fire arrows where I'd be helpless to defend myself. Eventually a reached a gap which was too long for me to jump across, so I switched to the Hover Boots where I floated across, and from there I soon found the treasure chest. " Strange that it's located here of all places given they could have hidden it inside so that no one could find it."

" At least you managed to find it quickly," said Spike.

" That's a relief because I still want to go and find other items," I said. Opening up the treasure chest, I took out a Piece of Heart which is exactly what I needed, and the warmth I felt was a wonderful experience as always. With my business here at the fortress taken care of, I made my way back to Epona, and climbed onto her saddle where I gave her a gentle kick to the ribs where she responded by neighing and galloping off. " You know, I haven't exactly figured out where I should go to get what I need."

" The closest place from here would be Lake Hylia, so you could try there," suggested Spike.

" I think this time I won't speak to anyone," I said.

" If it's any consolation, I doubt that Daring Do will be willing to talk with you as she's probably busy," said Spike. Epona then galloped back through the valley, across Hyrule Field, and finally into Lake Hylia by jumping over the fences....it took about an hour to make it down here, so already my time was being wasted. When I arrived at Daring Do's home, I was curious as to what I could find around here which would constitute as something to pick up, but so far nothing really stood out.

" Okay, what can I do here?" I asked.

" I can see something glowing on top of the house's chimney, so that might be a good place to start," replied Spike. There was no way I could get up onto the roof naturally, so maybe I can use the Longshot instead, but I don't see any Hookshot plates. That's when I had an idea of using wind magic because I haven't used it as often as the rest.

First, I checked around to see if I could sense any wind, and sure enough there was a strong breeze flowing around. Casting a spell behind me which should propel me upwards to the roof, I suddenly launched up where I landed....but rather badly.

" That almost worked," I moaned as I got back up.

" You need to work on your aim," laughed Spike.

" And the landing," I moaned. At least Daring Do didn't hear me landing up here otherwise she would have come outside to investigate the noise. I climbed up a ladder which had been propped next to the chimney, and upon reaching the top, I discovered another Piece of Heart, so I picked it up where I felt the warm feeling again, but now I need to figure out where I should go next.

That's when I remembered something about the interior of the house, but it depends on where Daring Do is right now. " Wasn't there a pool of water inside? I don't know why, but I'm suddenly compelled to check it out."

" She may be inside working," cautioned Spike.

" Then we'll just have to risk it even though I shouldn't given how she knows me," I said.

" You yourself said you don't want to speak to anyone," said Spike.

" Yeah, I did say that," I sighed. Jumping down from the roof, and landing on the ground below which did cause me to take some fall damage, I walked over to the front door, and slowly opened it so as to not let the occupant know that I had come inside without her knowing about it. The interior of Daring Do's home was just as messy as ever what with books all over the place, but then I heard sounds coming from upstairs, so it was safe to assume that she was busy up there with one of her projects.

Looking around for a few seconds, I eventually discovered the pool of water where I walked on over, and learned the truth about what it really was. " And I thought this was some kind of swimming pool, or at the very least somewhere for aquatic pets to swim about. It's just a deep pool of water with some numbers written down on the wall."

" Do you still want to check to see if anything is at the bottom?" asked Spike.

" I might as well," I replied.

" This does mean switching over to the Iron Boots so that you can sink to the bottom," said Spike. I knew there was something I had forgotten about, and he reminded me about it, so I changed boots and slowly climbed down into the pool. Had I merely jumped in then the noise would have attracted Daring Do. It does sound like I'm being cruel to want to avoid speaking with her, but I need as many items as possible if I am going to hold my own against Ganondorf.

Those two witches may have been powerful magic users, but his magic is on a completely different level thanks to his additional power boost courtesy of the Triforce. As I sank down to the bottom of the pool, I began thinking about what is going to happen when the Evil King is defeated. Do I simply return to the human world as though this had been a mere dream?

Or, do I have to return to where I began this journey before returning home? Or, do I have to overcome the real Ganondorf who was the one that sent me here in the first place? So many questions were flowing through my mind, and not a single one of them had an answer for me. When I finally reached the bottom, I almost freaked over what greeted me behind iron bars.

" What in the world is that thing?" I asked.

" It looks like some kind of giant fish, but with sharp teeth," replied Spike.

" I hope it's not able to break through those bars," I said.

" As long as you don't draw any attention to yourself, you'll be just fine," suggested Spike. There were two wooden boxes down here which made no sense as surely they would have fallen apart from being exposed to too much water, and I was thinking of simply rolling into them to break them open to see what lies inside, but such noise is bound to attract Daring Do. I needed another option which is when I came up with a rather unorthodox idea of simply lifting up the boxes.

Because there was a lot of buoyancy down here combined with the Silver Gauntlets, I lifted up both boxes where there were three red rupees underneath the first one, and a Piece of Heart under the second which was the real prize for me. I grabbed it, and felt the warmth coming from it although it did feel weird what with being underwater and all.

" I wonder why she never knew that this was down here?" I asked.

" Do you really want to know?" asked Spike.

" Maybe not," I replied.

" Now you need to switch back to your regular boots, and float back up to the surface. Once you've done that, simply slip on out of here without making any noise, and we can go somewhere else if you feel the need for it," said Spike. Changing to my regular boots again, I slowly floated back up to the surface where I pressed my feet against the wall so as to slow down my ascent, for I didn't want to make any loud splash which comes when you pop your head out from being deep underwater.

Upon reaching the surface, I quietly climbed out, and slowly tip-toed across the room, and when I turned around, I was relieved to see that I wasn't leaving behind a trail of water which would have exposed me. With that problem becoming a non-issue, I slipped outside before running over to where Epona had been waiting for me to return, and she neighed happily when I climbed onto her saddle.

" That was really nerve-wracking," I said.

" But, you managed to acquire two more Pieces of Heart in the process," said Spike.

" Are there anyone I can get?" I asked.

" You don't have time to go to either Zora's Domain, or Death Mountain as those locations are far away. You could try the Kokiri Forest, but I don't think there is anything you'll find in the forest, so the only two places left would be Kakariko Village, and Lon Lon Ranch. I would suggest paying another visit the village, but I think you want to go to the ranch," replied Spike.

" I would like to go there again as that place made me feel like I was back in Equestria what with all of the farm animals there. Plus, I think Epona would love to visit her home again, and it would be a great place to spend the night," I said.

" You could find something there which you couldn't before because of not having the proper weapons at the time," suggested Spike.

" Then that's where we'll go," I said. When I informed Epona that we were going to visit the ranch, she neighed with so much excitement that it almost caused me to fall off, but I managed to prevent that by holding tightly onto the harness. After regaining my composure, I then calmed her down with some neighing of my own, and I even informed her that this was her last leg of the journey.

My intention was to leave her at Lon Lon Ranch as she shouldn't be forced to wait for me to return from Ganondorf's castle, and she softly neighed back because she knew this needed to happen. It was painful to think that this would be the last time I get to ride her, but I didn't want her to hang around the entrance of a destroyed town for someone who wasn't coming back.

I then petted Epona on the muzzle, and neighed to her in a way which can be described as a special kind of love. Tears trickled down my cheeks because I didn't want to do this, but what other choice did I have? Epona then began galloping off towards Hyrule Field, but while we were making our way to the ranch, someone had been made aware of a certain situation, and wasn't very happy about it.

" Are you serious?"

" She wanted to do this because she felt obligated to helping the Hero of Time.

" This is a huge mistake! If the Evil King discovers her now, he will no doubt accost her to claim the power she wields. If he were to do the one thing which no one has done for centuries, then nothing can stop him. I implore that you suggest to her not to carry out this foolish idea, for she is merely giving him exactly what he needs."

" It is not my place to tell her, for this is something she must do as the future ruler."

" Back when her ancestors ruled over this land, they acted in a more sensible manner."

" Times have changed since you and I were young my old friend, and we need to understand things are different now. Back in those days, the royal family were much more conservative in their way of thinking because they didn't have to deal with problems which served to threaten the kingdom.

Now, with Ganondorf having disrupted their line of succession, the sole remaining member needed to act in a different manner from her ancestors to survive. You have surely witnessed what she has had to do in order to remain undetected, and aid Sunset Shimmer since she returned from her seven year slumber."

" It was her own fault that Ganondorf gained the Triforce.

" I won't deny this because I know you speak truth."

" Had she been more assertive with her father, and allowed more people to understand the situation, Ganondorf would probably have been executed by now. The king should have known that the Gerudo King of Thieves had planned on betraying him, yet he allowed the notion of forming an alliance to blind him to what was happening.

" Mistakes were made back then, but now she is working so hard to reverse the damage."

" Yes, she has made considerable strides thanks in large part to Sunset Shimmer, yet I still believe she is taking a huge gamble. If her plan ends up going horribly wrong, and the Hero of Time is defeated by Ganondorf, he will have everything he has been wanting for such a long time. Even though this isn't my time and place anymore, I think things could end up taking a turn for the worst."

" All we can do is wait and see what happens."

" I trust you have a back-up plan?"

" Of course, for even I am not oblivious to these risks you speak of."

" Then I can leave this world knowing that you've got everything under control, for if you didn't then I would have been forced to play my hand which you of all people know can be rather devastating. My time on this world nears its conclusion old friend, so I'm glad that I could speak with you before departing. I hope that these children are up to the task of restoring Hyrule back to the way it was."

By the time I arrived at the ranch, I looked up at the sky and discovered it was getting very close to sundown, so that means I'll either have to pay a visit to Kakariko Village in the morning, or ignore it completely and make my way to the Temple of Time. Epona felt happy about being back home again for the first time in quite some time, and as she trotted towards the corral via passing by the house, and the stable, I could see that things have remained peaceful.

" It's nice being back here again," I said.

" Where do you suppose everyone is?" asked Spike.

" I can see someone lifting up some rather heavy looking logs over near the back, so I'm assuming that is Big Macintosh. Granny Smith is probably indoors working on raising those cuccos of hers which I remember from seven years ago, or she could be tending to the cattle in the stable. As for Applebloom, she might be in the center of the corral feeding the horses," I replied.

" Or I could be standing next to you."

" WAHHHH!" I shouted which almost caused Epona to throw me off because of being spooked.

" Quite the jumpy one aren't you?" I turned to my right where I saw Applebloom standing next to me, and I couldn't believe that she was able to scare me. " It's been a very long time since you last came around here Sunset Shimmer, but of course you're always welcome here because if it weren't for y'all, the ranch would still be suffering under terrible management."

" I was actually hoping to stay here for the night," I said.

" Our house doesn't have much in accommodations considering it's just me, Ingo, and Granny Talon, but I'm sure we'll be able to find some room for you. I've noticed you and Epona have become a pretty solid team, and it looks like she has adopted a couple of your mannerisms. I would have suggested to take a run around the obstacle course, but getting a little late for that," said Applebloom. I then explained the situation to her because I didn't want it to drag on, and become something that just spirals out of control.

By the time I was finished, she took it rather well which made me wonder if deep down she felt like I was abandoning a close friend who had been there for me practically forever. " I don't quite get the part about you going back to where you're from, but I do understand that it would be bad to keep Epona in front of the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town considering it's nothing but a ghost town."

" So you'll take her?" I asked.

" I know she isn't going to like this decision of yours, but this is something you want to do," replied Applebloom.

" Besides, Epona will be much safer here especially since I'm going to the castle," I said.

" Y'all don't want to go up there because it isn't a pretty sight," said Applebloom.

" You've seen it?" I asked.

" Granny Talon was commanded by Ganondorf to pay her respects to him, and she insisted that I come along. This was back when the king first took the throne, so even now it feels like it were only yesterday that we went there. Anyway, his castle is nothing but a nightmare, and those who desire to see him end up meeting some kind of horrible fate. I'm sure my words won't convince you otherwise because I know y'all are a hero and all, but I would suggest having some potions, and the like before going," replied Applebloom.

I then slapped my head, for once again I had completely forgotten to get my empty bottles filled up. Why is it that I can remember so much other stuff, yet something as simple as buying potions constantly baffles me? Guess I'm going to Kakariko Village in the morning after all! Climbing down from Epona, I shocked Applebloom by neighing to my trusty steed before handing over her reigns. " You can speak to horses? Home come you never told me that?"

" Where I'm from, it's sort of a second language," I replied.

" Must be some strange land if neighing is considered such an important language next to speaking English. I'll put her into the stable with the other horses when the sun goes down, yet you must be getting pretty hungry," said Applebloom. Now that's something which I never did during my entire journey, and that was eating food, but then I never did see any around the towns I've visited.

All I've ever consumed were potions, and even then I have to question what goes into making them, but I would like to have an actual meal for a change. Seeing my expression made her feel very happy, and she let go of Epona's reigns which meant she was going to run away, yet she remained where she was standing. " Did you forget that I raised her before you came along?" I had forgotten about that, and it made sense considering Applebloom knew more about Epona than I did.

It felt weird no longer having a horse to ride around the kingdom, but it was for the best because where I'm going, I won't be coming back again. It also felt weird because I'm a horse in reality, and I've spent a good amount of time riding on one....yeah, I'd better stop that way of thinking before I regret it later.

" Where are the others?" I asked.

" Granny Talon is currently in the stable tending to the cows because she needs to have fresh milk for a delivery to Kakariko Village in the morning. When she's finished with that chore, she'll be going inside to prepare dinner, so I'll be sure to let her beforehand that you'll be joining us. As for Ingo, he is building something, but he's being very secretive simply because he likes his privacy. He'll probably store it away in the storeroom before coming in for dinner, and we can all talk about what's been going on around here," replied Applebloom.

" Talon is going to the village?" I asked.

" In the morning she is because of that delivery," replied Applebloom.

" Do you suppose I could hitch a ride?" I asked.

" I'm sure Granny won't mind, but you'll need to get up at the crack of dawn because she leaves at the sign of first light. Actually, you should wake up before dawn just in case she has an inkling for wanting to get there as soon as possible. Now, let's get some food in our bellies, and I'll explain to Granny about y'all staying here for the night," replied Applebloom.

Throughout the course of the night, Granny Smith was told everything, and I was surprised that she didn't fall asleep while hearing such a lengthy explanation. I guess she really has turned over a new leaf because in the past she acted lazy, so it was nice to see her acting in such good spirits. Big Macintosh was happy about working at the ranch after being such a horrible person before due to being influenced by Ganondorf's evil aura, and he constantly talked about how his project would make things better than they already are.

Just seeing all three of them being happy together definitely made me feel good about myself despite what was going to happen the next day. As I was sleeping, someone else was observing everything which was taking place.

" So in the end my own mothers ended up failing in their task to defeat that kid. Of course, I knew this would happen because the power she possesses enables her to defy numerous odds. There is no doubt she has one of the pieces I've been searching for, and to think that it has taken me so many years. As for the other piece, I know she currently holds it in her hands, but I've yet to discover her location.

I must hand it to that Sheikah woman for keeping Zelda out of my grasp, for this game of hide-and-seek has definitely prevented me from achieving my one true desire. Yet, I know the princess shall make that one mistake where she will at last reveal her location to me....Sheikah....is it possible that the Sheikah who has been aiding that kid is her? Perhaps it is true, but then I won't make my move until I am absolutely certain of it.

I've given free reign to that girl since the day she returned from her long slumber in the Sacred Realm, and while the risk to my dominion of this kingdom has been tremendous, in the end it shall be worth it when I finally get my hands on the true power I seek which shall allow me to reign supreme without equal."

The next morning, I awoke before the sun started to rise, for I made sure to go to bed very early, and sure enough Granny Smith gave me a ride to Kakariko Village. When we arrived just after dawn, and she walked off to deliver the milk, I made my way to the Potion Shop to buy some Red Potions, but then I remembered Spike telling me about the Blue Potion, so I inquired the shopkeeper about it hoping that he would have an answer for me.

" Blue Potion you say? You're in luck as the one who makes it happens to live in the shop behind this one."

" That's a relief as I've been meaning to purchase some of that stuff," I said.

" I should warn you that you'll need a lot rupees because Blue Potion doesn't come cheap. In fact, you'll need to spend just over three times the amount you would pay for a Red or Green Potion, so you'd better be pretty rich." Thanking him for the information, and for giving me permission to leave his shop via the back way, I found myself outside again where the other Potion Shop was located. To think that I never noticed this during my previous visits, but then I wasn't exactly trying to find it.

Luckily, the one who ran this shop happened to have a fresh batch of Blue Potion which she referred to as "Ultimate Potion", and I had enough rupees to purchase three lots which should be more than enough to survive Ganondorf's castle. With this purchase now done, I left the village, and began to walk back to the destroyed castle town where this phase of my journey began.

Hopefully, Sheik will be able to tell me where Twilight has been for the last seven years. Entering town and avoiding the ReDeads like before, I quickly ran up to the Temple of Time, and entered where I discovered no one was there.

" The temple is empty," said Spike.

" I was told that Sheik would be here today," I said.

" Perhaps we came a little sooner than expected?" asked Spike.

" Then does that mean we have to wait for her to show up?" I asked.

" Maybe she is somewhere in the back where the Pedestal of Time is, for I do remember that we first encountered her there when we returned from the Sacred Realm. She was also there when you learned the Prelude of Light which would allow you to come back here at any time you needed to, so my suggestion would to check out the back area," replied Spike. That did sound like a good idea, so I started walking forward when I suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps from behind me.

I turned around expecting some kind of monster, but it turned out to be none other than Sheik. You'd think she would understand what it means to be punctual given she was the one who wanted to talk to me, but I suppose there's no point in arguing about it considering she's here now.

" I have been waiting for you, Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight.

" Why would you want me to meet you back here of all places? Also, why would you request me in the first place? Usually, you just show up out of nowhere which has surprised me on many occasions," I said.

" I have my reasons for doing this, and it will be made clear to you in due time. Sunset Shimmer, the Hero of Time....You have overcome many hardships throughout your journey, and in the process have awakened the Six Sages who are assembled in the Chamber of Sages within the Sacred Realm. Now, you have a final challenge with Ganondorf, the King of Evil, and you must venture forth to his castle where he must be defeated to bring peace back to Hyrule," said Twilight.

It just boggled my mind as to how she was just reiterating information which I already know about, but I wasn't about to say otherwise considering she has been providing me plenty of information where Spike wasn't able to provide anything. " Before that....I have things I want to tell only to you. Please listen!"

" What do you need to say to me?" I asked.

" Another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by my people," replied Twilight.

" There was another one? I thought the princess told me essentially all that I needed to know about it," I said.

" You were merely told one aspect of this legend, so now I shall reveal another side which is very important as it will relate to you soon enough," said Twilight. I didn't like the way she said that because she isn't aware that I don't really belong in this world. I'm merely here because of being forced by the real Ganondorf to endure plenty of torment as he feels it will amuse him to no end.

If I am a part of the legend of the Triforce, then I'll have to tell Sheik that my involvement is wrong, and someone else was meant to have my place. At the same time though, I was a little curious as to what she was about to say, for this would be the first time she has ever said anything about the history of Hyrule.

" If you would seek the Triforce, listen well. It's resting place, the Sacred Realm, is a mirror that reflects the heart of any who enters it....if an evil heart, the realm will become full of evil; if pure, it becomes a paradise. The Triforce is a balance that weighs the three forces: Power, Wisdom and Courage.

If the heart of the one who holds it has all three forces in balance, they will gain the True Force to govern all." Sheik then came to a stop when she realized that all of this sounded very confusing, so she gave me a moment to let it all sink before repeating what she had said, but in a much simpler explanation so that I could have a better grasp of it.

This must be what Ganondorf wants, but doesn't he already have the Triforce in his possession? As such, he should have this True Force, so why would he want it again? Unless, he didn't claim all three pieces at the time. Perhaps I should allow Sheik to continue with her explanation as my theory is either correct, or completely wrong. " Shall I continue with telling you of this legend?"

" Yes, I'm ready to learn the next part," I replied.

" If one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts, and a part shall remain which represents the force that one believes in the most. In order to acquire the True Force should this come to pass, you would need to seek out the remaining pieces which have been hidden in those who were chosen by destiny to wield them in their hands.

Those who are chosen shall bear the mark of the Triforce on the backs of their hands. In case you were wondering, Ganondorf possess such a mark for he was chosen to wield one of the three pieces when he claimed it," said Twilight.

" Gasp! Then we need to find them before he gets the chance," I said.

" You can relax, for they have already been found," said Twilight.

" Whoever these other two chosen ones are, they must be pretty good at eluding the Evil King for so many years," I said.

" Seven years ago, Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used the door that you opened in the Temple of Time and entered the Sacred Realm. But when he laid his hands on the Triforce, the legend came true. Those who knew the truth were in utter shock over how he was able to manipulate his way in, for those with evil hearts cannot enter the realm under any circumstances," said Twilight.

Of course, he gained access to the realm because I drew the Master Sword from its place of rest without even knowing what would happen, so in truth I am at fault for allowing Hyrule to become a world of darkness. Just knowing this made my heart feel pretty weak, for I couldn't deny that it was my own blunder which caused this, so I am the one who must fix it even if it means losing my life in the process.

Now that I think about it, how did Sheik know I was the one who accidentally allowed Ganondorf to access the Sacred Realm? I don't recall her ever mentioning this in any of my previous encounters with her, so where did she get her information from? " The Triforce separated into three parts with the Triforce of Power remaining in Ganondorf's hand.

It's strength enabled him to become a mighty, evil king, but deep down, his dark ambitions were not satisfied. He wanted to have complete mastery of the world, and one piece of the golden power would not be enough, so he began searching for those who held the other two parts. For seven years he has been searching all across Hyrule for the chosen ones, and he has yet to find them even when they were right under his nose from the start."

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" The one who holds the Triforce of Courage is....you, Sunset Shimmer!" replied Twilight. Gasp! I had one of the pieces!?!? There was no way that was even possible considering I'm not from this world, so I think she has gotten the wrong person. I'm not part of this legend, and I definitely don't have one of these golden triangles on my person. If I did, I would have seen it by now not to mention be able to use it.

" No, I'm afraid you're wrong," I said.

" In what way?" asked Twilight.

" I can't be one of the chosen ones, for I am not from this world. I'm not sure if I ever told you about this, or your leader Impa informed you sometime during my absence, but I come from a different world where my true form is a pony. Actually, I'm a unicorn which is why I possess magical powers, but the fact of the matter is that you have the wrong person. Sorry to have given you such bad news which wasn't intentional, but I needed to let you know now before you end up carrying things a little too far for my liking," I replied.

" Oh I'm aware of that," said Twilight. She knows about where I'm from? Then someone must have been telling her, for I know that it hasn't been me, but who could it have been? Most people wouldn't have said anything as they know nothing, and those who do are five of the Six Sages. Before I could ask Sheik about how she knew about my story, she continued on much to my annoyance.

" And the other, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom....is the seventh Sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all. The time has come for me to reveal to you the location of this final Sage, so are you ready Sunset Shimmer?" I had a feeling she would know something, but then it also confused me for how would she know?

Just when I had a firm grasp on the situation did it suddenly get away, and that's when Sheik did a weird pose which I thought must be some kind of Sheikah maneuver, but when a golden triangle mark appeared followed by a bright light, I had a feeling things were going to get a lot worse.

" Sunset Shimmer? Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" This bright light is making it difficult to see anything, but I'm fine as far as my health goes," I replied.

" What do you suppose Sheik is doing?" asked Spike.

" We'll know soon enough when my vision comes back to normal," I replied. The bright flash lasted a lot longer than the previous ones I had encountered, and for a brief moment I believed myself to be truly blind. Lucky enough, the brightness eventually disappeared allowing me to see things again, but when I looked forward to if Sheik was okay, my jaw dropped because what, or rather who I was looking at was perhaps the biggest shock to my system I've ever experienced....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 66: Castle of the Dark Lord

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 3, 2015
Chapter 66: Castle of the Dark Lord.

When my vision returned this time, my jaw dropped because of what I was looking at. At first I had no idea what was going on, but I quickly started to understand why she may have gone and done this. If there was one thing which annoyed me about this unveiling, it would be that I had been kept in the dark about it, and for that I feel as though she didn't trust me enough.

Standing in front of me was no longer the woman who had been known as Sheik who claimed to be the sole survivor of the Sheikah tribe, but rather someone who I've been trying to find myself for reasons completely different from Ganondorf.

" It is I, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda," said Twilight.

" So you were Sheik this entire time?" I asked.

" I apologize for meeting you in disguise, but it was necessary to hide from the King of Evil. Please forgive me," replied Twilight.

" Why didn't you trust me enough to let me in on the secret? It would have made things easier had I known the truth, yet it seems I'm someone who isn't really that much of a friend all because you kept me in the dark.

While I can forgive you for needing to do this to hide from Ganondorf, but I can't forgive you for lying, and to someone who has believed in you since we first met. You probably have a lot of guilt right now in your heart, but don't let it get to you because allowing emotions to get the better of you will only cause trouble," I said.

" Yes, you have every right to be angry with me because of what I have done," said Twilight.

" I'm not angry with you, yet I feel betrayed," I said. Deep down in my heart, I was going to forgive her actions because she had no other choice but to resort to deception, yet she could have done things differently. Had she decided to meet me as she is, I probably wouldn't be as mad as I am, but that would have done her no good because it would have attracted the attention of the Evil King. At the same time, I'm really impressed that she decided to go with deception just to avoid him, and she managed to make it last for all these years.

Somehow though, I have a feeling Applejack had something to do with this. Twilight is a lot of things, yet being a ninja isn't one of them, so she was probably taught the ways of the Sheikah by someone who is an expert. Applejack did say that Twilight was going to explain things to me, but she may not even want to now because of how I've reacted.

" I know that you feel upset, yet I am hoping that you shall forgive me when I have explained myself," said Twilight.

" What kind of story do you have to tell me?" I asked.

" On that day, seven years ago, Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle after murdering my father, and slaughtered the entire Royal Guard save for the sole exception of the captain, Shining Armour who survived a near-death experience. I saw you as I was escaping from the castle with my attendant, Impa, and with Ganondorf pursuing us, there was no time for us to stop and explain the situation.

Knowing that you possessed all three Spiritual Stones, I decided to toss the Ocarina of Time to you, for that is what the Evil King wanted from me, yet he could not have it otherwise his desire would be fulfilled," replied Twilight.

" Of course, we both know what ended up happening," I moaned.

" I thought I should entrust the ocarina to you....I thought that would be our best chance," said Twilight. I can understand why she believed me to be the best chance of securing the Triforce, but the problem was that she had no idea about what transpired in the Temple of Time. I've got a feeling she will tell me something that relates to that incident, for I'm sure she was aware of what happened. I could have actually defeated him back then, but the Master Sword had determined I was unworthy.

" As long as you had the ocarina in your possession, I thought Ganondorf could never enter the Sacred Realm, but....something I could never expect happened." It's just as I suspected....she is aware of what ended up happening, yet it was obvious to figure it out. " After you opened the Door of Time, the Master Sword sealed you away in the Sacred Realm."

" To be honest, the sword didn't seal me straight away," I said.

" How is that possible?" asked Twilight.

" My Equestrian magic was able to delay the sword passing its judgment, but I was no match for Ganondorf because his skills with the sword were better than mine, and also because I had no such skill. Then when I was on the verge of death, I transformed which is where I gain pony ears and a pony tail, and when this happens my strength increases along with my magic. Of course, he wanted this to happen because the Master Sword reacted to my transformation which caused me to be banished.

He manipulated me until the very end!" I replied. That's when I took the liberty of explaining to Twilight about how my transformation, for I suspect she is completely clueless about it, and when I finished, she said something which took me by surprise.

" I have been told of your ability to transform, yet it was a form that you could not control," said Twilight.

" Until I was able to master it in the Spirit Temple," I said. While I was curious as to who had informed her, I'm not going to ask about it because the sweat dripping down from her brow indicated she was nervous about something.

" Your spirit remained in the Sacred Realm....and then the Triforce fell into Ganondorf's hands. He went on to invade the Sacred Realm where he conquered it, and upon returning to this world, he immediately attacked Hyrule Castle which fell in a matter of days. Both Hyrule and the realm became worlds filled with monsters where evil roamed free without restraint, and no one was able to stop him for he possessed the might of the Goddess of Power. All of this is an unfortunate coincidence," said Twilight.

" Coincidence!?!?" I exclaimed.

" Yes, for this was something I did not expect to happen," said Twilight.

" I wish you had been better prepared," I moaned.

" Because of how unpredictable the resulting outcome was, there was no way anyone would have been able to anticipate what ended up happening, yet when you vanished, all hope for this kingdom did as well. I passed myself off as a Sheikah and hoped that you would return. I waited for seven years....and...now you are back. The dark age ruled by Ganondorf the Evil King will end!" said Twilight.

While I have no denial of being the Hero of Time because I've since resigned myself to that fate, she was being really presumptuous because he was still pretty powerful because of having the Triforce in his hands....well....one piece at the very least, so the chances of me defeating him are currently slim, and this includes my transformation into the equation.

I guess Twilight is thinking this way because Hyrule has ruled by an evil tyrant for seven years, so the people desire a return to the peaceful existence they had before. " Now please listen to the plan that we shall use in order to assure success."

" A plan? I thought I was supposed to fight and defeat him," I said.

" I'm aware your strength doesn't compare, so I came up with an alternative which should be very pleasing. The six Sages will open the sealed door and lure Ganondorf back into the Sacred Realm. I will then seal the door to the Sacred Realm from this world. Thus, Ganondorf the Evil King will vanish from Hyrule," said Twilight. It did sound like a pretty solid plan, and it would mean not fighting him after all, but I felt like there was much more to it than this.

" Sunset Shimmer....in order to do this, I need your courage again. Please protect me while I do my part." So now I'm being reduced to the status of bodyguard? I've never actually done this before, so I hope she doesn't find me too lacklustre in that department, but I suppose all I can do is my very best, and hope that I don't screw things up.

" And how do I protect you?" I asked.

" I am glad you asked me that question Sunset Shimmer. I noticed that you have quite a magnificent bow with you, and I can also see that you have both the Fire Arrow, and the Ice Arrow which are two of the three magic arrows which exist in Hyrule. No doubt that you seek out the third magic arrow, yet only those of the Royal Family have any knowledge of its existence.

This is because it is something that cannot be given to just anyone, for it is a power which is far greater than most weapons. I was entrusted with it by my father before he was killed by Ganondorf, and despite being oblivious to the end, he knew that the arrow needed to be protected until the time had come for it to be given to the chosen one," replied Twilight.

" Do you know anyone like that?" I asked.

" There is no need to be so modest," replied Twilight.

" I wasn't trying," I said.

" Sunset Shimmer, you are one of the chosen ones who wields a piece of the sacred Triforce, and that makes you worthy of wielding the final magic arrow. So now I present unto you a weapon that can penetrate the Evil King's defenses....the power given to the chosen ones....the sacred Arrow of Light!" said Twilight. She then raised her arms where it looked like she was creating some kind of barrier around herself, and this looked really odd to me because why do something like that in here where it would do no good?

Then another blinding flash appeared before me prompting me to cover my eyes otherwise, but this one didn't last very long. When my vision returned, I could see something floating above Twilight's head, and it turned out to be an arrow surrounded in yellow crystal. It then floated down into my hands where it landed, and my expression was one of happiness.

" So this is the third magic arrow?" I asked.

" What you now hold in your hands is the Light Arrow which shall power up your regular arrows when you place this effigy onto your bow. The magical power that is consumed by this weapon is twice that of the other two, but the light of justice shall destroy evil, for these arrows are very effective against anyone who draws their power from darkness itself. I know you will use this gift wisely Sunset Shimmer, for this will allow you to keep Ganondorf at bay while we enact our plan to seal him away," replied Twilight.

It felt weird hearing her explain to me what the Light Arrows do as that is usually handled by Spike, but he chose to remain quiet because he wanted the princess to explain every last detail. It was at this point where I finally forgave her for lying to me not because of the gift as that would be petty of me, but rather for finally stepping up where she needed to especially when she didn't back in the past.

Upon putting this new magic arrow away in one of my pockets, the temple suddenly began vibrating as though we were experiencing an earthquake. Everything was shaking, and it even looked like the place was going to fall down on top of us at any moment.

" That rumbling...It can't be!?" exclaimed Twilight.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" It appears that the ancient Sage was right after all. I have made a terrible mistake by revealing myself to you," replied Twilight.

" You're not making any kind of sense," I said. That's when Twilight suddenly became imprisoned inside of a giant prism which appeared out of nowhere, and I immediately tried breaking it with my weapons in the hopes that it would shatter. Nothing worked, so now I needed to quickly come up with another idea, and that's when I began hearing a familiar laugh which indicated that he had finally found her.

" Princess Zelda....you foolish traitor! I commend you for avoiding my pursuit for seven long years," said Tirek.

" Ganondorf!" I exclaimed.

" And here is the other piece of the puzzle which involves the unification of the Triforce. It appears you've become a lot stronger kid, and for that you have finally become worthy enough to be a considerable threat. I was often informed of your progress across my kingdom by my mothers, and suffice to say that was the only thing they ever managed to do properly.

All of my servants were unable to kill you, and even my own mothers ended up failing thus proving they were weak in the end. I shall not mourn such a loss as they were worthless to me, but I suppose your success was not the result of your own skill," said Tirek.

" You don't love your own mothers?" I asked.

" While they raised me as though I were their own child after my birth mother passed away, they simply became far too weak for my liking when it became apparent that my power was becoming far greater than their own. Thus, I gave them the Spirit Temple where they could live and study stronger magic in the hopes of being useful to me for something.

While they were able to maintain control over my people after I claimed the Triforce, you happened to come along and shatter their spell, thus they were forced into having to kill you themselves in the hopes of appeasing me. If there was one other thing they did right aside from keeping me informed, they were able to put Nabooru to good use by brainwashing her into becoming my obedient servant even though she had to become a monster to do so," replied Tirek.

" I can't believe you would say all of that," I said.

" Do you intend on showcasing the inner rage that dwells within you kid? I should hope not, for you would not want to lose control, and be forced to transform into an uncontrollable creature whose only instinct is to fight," said Tirek. At first I felt shocked that he was aware that I could transform, but then I remembered he witnessed it when I fought him in the Temple of Time seven years ago. Those words of his were really infuriating me because how could have treated his own mothers as nothing more than cannon fodder?

While those witches were monsters in their own right for making the Gerudo suffer, he was even worse because no one would ever mistreat the ones who raised them....which is when I realized two things. One, his mothers ended up suffering just as much as the Gerudo, but they have now found peace despite bickering in the end.

The other had to do with me, and how I relate to my own family in Equestria....my real family....not Princess Celestia who was my teacher more than anything else, yet she acted like a mother before I ended up betraying her. I was never really that close with my family because they often neglected me. I had a lot of potential as a unicorn what with having a talent for magic, but they never took it into consideration as they were more focused with my siblings.

No wonder I had such an evil heart because it was inside me when I was really young, and no one could predict what would happen to me....not even Princess Celestia although she did suspect I had a darkness within which could become unleashed were I to steer from the intended path. Sometimes, I wonder how my family is doing back in Equestria. I mean, I wouldn't visit them for it's probably been years since I last saw them, and they may not even realize where I've been since I went into self-exile.

You would think they would have inquired about my absence by addressing it to Princess Celestia, yet I haven't spoken to her after I left. Perhaps when this is all done, I should ask Twilight what she thinks, for I know she can bring it up with her. This reminiscence into my past kept me from losing control of my emotions, for being miserable in this instance is better than being filled with a desire to get revenge, and it must have worked because Ganondorf didn't do anything in response.

" I'm not going to lose control that easily," I said.

" You have changed much since I last saw you in the flesh," said Tirek.

" I've been through a lot of difficult situations throughout my journey," I said.

" And would you believe that these experiences were permitted by my will?" asked Tirek.

" I now need permission from you to do anything?" I asked with a bit of sarcasm in my voice. He thinks that he can dictate my life by spewing the likes of saying that it was by his hand that my journey ended up being the way it was, but I think he has a superiority complex where everyone else is beneath his notice while he alone is the most dominant one of all. Such a way of thinking will cost him, and I should know as it almost happened to me during my younger days.

" Such a sharp tongue you possess kid, yet it's a shame that your mind isn't as sharp, for you would have realized from the moment you returned to Hyrule that I have been manipulating events from behind the scenes. Even though Princess Zelda continued to elude my efforts at finding her, I continued with my search hoping one day she would reveal her location, and now that day has come all because of providing a hand's off approach," said Tirek.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" Zelda did well to disguise herself as a Sheikah, and aid her people in a secretive manner, so for that you've earned top marks child, but you let your guard down....I knew you would appear if I let this kid wander around! Yes, I allowed you to carry on with your quest to awaken the Sages for I knew it would all lead to this moment.

Had I been aware of her location much sooner, you would have killed a long time ago," replied Tirek. My jaw then dropped upon realizing that my actions ended up with Twilight being caught in this horrible situation, but I can't really be blamed for I had no idea this is what he was planning. Ganondorf was taking a huge gamble, but his bet has paid off which means he had complete control.

" You must think yourself pretty clever huh?" I asked.

" It was obvious that the land being restored to normal would lure out the one person who is seen as a shining beacon of hope, and now she is at long last right where I want her which makes things so much easier for me. You may not realize it yet kid, but this prism does more than simply ensnare someone within its crystal form. Rather than me explaining it to you, I shall let you witness what shall happen right about....now," replied Tirek. Suddenly, the prism started to glow, and Twilight screamed as though she were in a lot of pain.

Then she went completely stiff as though the prism had somehow frozen her on the spot. My reaction was one of pounding the prism in the hopes of smashing it to pieces, but I forgot that my weapons did nothing to it before, so why would my hands work? " Do not waste your strength kid, for you do not have the power to shatter this crystal, and even if you did possess the means, would you risk her safety?"

" No, I wouldn't do something that crazy," I replied.

" I didn't think you would because you are much more honourable than that," said Tirek.

" Don't believe this is going to stop me, for it's just a setback," I said.

" How amusing to see you struggling when you don't even know what you're doing, but I suppose this is to be expected given how you've come such a long way since awakening from your slumber. I originally believed that my phantom would have fulfilled its task of killing you, yet you managed to overcome my ghost through numerous factors playing their respective roles, yet there was one circumstance which I didn't take into consideration," said Tirek.

Before I could make any kind of response, the prism started to float upwards towards the ceiling, so my chances of rescuing Twilight were getting slimmer by the minute, but I still had a chance because there was no way she could leave the temple. " My only mistake was to slightly underestimate your power kid! No....it was not your power I misjudged, it was the power of the Triforce of Courage!"

I guess this was all the proof I needed that destiny had chosen me to wield one of the three pieces of the Triforce, yet I still think I'm the wrong person. In any case, the situation was getting worse as I needed to do something to save Twilight, but then Ganondorf decided to speak again thus further taunting me. " But, with the Triforce of Wisdom that Zelda has....when I obtain the one she possesses and the one that is wielded by you kid....then, I will become the true ruler of the world!"

" Why do you have such an obsession with power?" I asked.

" Power is the one force which drives everyone to want to become better, and that even includes you kid. You may try to deny it all you want, but deep down you have the desire to want even more power than what you already have," replied Tirek.

" I once thought that way, but I've since changed my opinion," I said.

" The urge shall always remain with you no matter hard you try to move on. Once you have had a taste for power, you always crave it even when you try to repress such a desire, for it is a yearning that must be embraced, and not rejected. I am certain you will come to understand what it means to have power. If you want to rescue Zelda, come to my castle! I have been waiting seven years for the chance to kill you myself, and for that I am glad my servants all failed.

This now gives me the opportunity to show you just what power can do should you choose to embrace it," said Tirek. He then started to laugh where it boomed across the Temple of Time, and when I looked up at the prism, it suddenly disappeared which means she has been magically teleported to his castle. Once Ganondorf's laughter subsided and the eerie quiet from before returned, I knew where I needed to go next, and I'm hoping my emotions don't end up causing me to transform in the wrong fashion.

" We need to rescue Princess Zelda," said Spike.

" And that means finally going to his castle," I said.

" It won't be a pretty sight considering what used to be there," said Spike.

" Before we go, I do have one question which I need answering because of what he said to me," I said.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" Ganondorf said that anyone who experiences a taste of power always want to have more, yet I didn't think that was even possible considering a change in perspective should be enough to dissuade you from wanting to go back," I replied.

" That is not necessarily true Sunset Shimmer, and what the Evil King said does make a lot of sense which makes me feel bad that I'm actually agreeing with him. When someone acquires power for the very first time, there is a strong possibility that they will become corrupted. If this were to happen, they become obsessed, and have a desire to want even more strength.

They have no limit as to how much power they want so long as it can be achieved. They don't even care for those all around them as power is the only thing which matters to them, and it becomes a drug if you will in their mind. If they go without the drug of power, it can cause a serious relapse where they will resort to extreme measures just to get what the want again," said Spike.

" What about me?" I asked. In my case, I was corrupted by a future image of myself as an alicorn, and it was when I read from that book of dark magic did I first acquire a taste for power. I had no control over my actions from there simply because I wanted power no matter who I had to tread on just to get it.

Just knowing this makes me really hate myself for what I did, but that's in the past as I don't have those urges anymore. Ever since being defeated by Twilight and the rest of my friends, I've never had a desire for power as my goal is to embrace friendship.

" You may have broken free from the corruption, but I wouldn't say you were completely free," replied Spike.

" Does that mean I could suddenly desire power again?" I asked.

" Once you're corrupted, you acquire a taint. It does mean that you become immune to other factors which can affect others, but you could get the urge that used to define who you were. Just because you've changed doesn't mean things will get better on every facet of your existence. I'd say it will take several years or so before you can get rid of the taint for power, yet it means not succumbing under any circumstances otherwise you will go back, and I don't think you'll be able to escape again," replied Spike.

If that were to happen, I'd end up being just like Sunset Demon, and that is the kind of person she wishes for me to be. Ganondorf must know that I used to want power in a similar vein, so he could use that to his advantage....which makes defeating him that more difficult. If I don't get myself killed in his castle then I'll become just as evil as he is due to being corrupted with the desire for power.

Speaking of the she-demon, she mentioned back in the Spirit Temple that she plans on facing me one last time, yet I don't really think it's the best idea considering Twilight needs my help.

" Sunset Demon is waiting for me in the castle," I said.

" I'm surprised that she can still do anything given what you did to her," said Spike.

" The wound I inflicted didn't kill her, but it did leave her feeling weaker. I don't know if she will survive long enough to pose a serious threat, but if she does then I'll have no choice but to finish things," I said. Despite all she has done, killing her would leave a foul taste in my mouth, and make me no better than her in that regard. I am not a cold-blooded monster who enjoys tormenting others, but rather I prefer to avoid having to fight as there are other ways which can be used.

Granted, I have defeated a great deal of monsters throughout my journey without relying on peace, but then they did attack me first for the most part giving me a right to fight back against them. " I'd rather not destroy Sunset Demon as that would make me just like her, so I'm hoping she is on her last legs. It sounds cruel I know, but if she perishes then it needs to be by her own hands."

" Once we enter the lair of the Evil King, we will find out as I'm sure she will attack us the moment we enter," said Spike.

" No, that doesn't sound like her," I said.

" Really?" asked Spike.

" She is my dark side, and even though she is the opposite of me in most everything we say and do, we do have moments where we're in agreement. When I used to be evil, I never chose to do anything right away as that would have given away my true intentions. Instead, I chose to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, and took it when the moment came along. The she-demon is waiting for the right time, and won't do anything until it comes," I replied.

" I hope you're right," said Spike. I was hoping that I was right as well, but she is the least of my concerns. I knew where I had to go, so I left the Temple of Time and entered the former Market where a shocking surprised awaited me. Those ReDead were still there, yet now they were all bunched together in one corner as though something were keeping hold of them there.

" What's going on?" I asked.

" Ganondorf wants you to come to his castle, and is making sure nothing stands in your way," replied Spike.

" While that is a somewhat pleasant notion, I can't help but feel I'm walking into a trap," I said.

" To resuce Princess Zelda, you need to fall for it," said Spike.

" So which way do I go?" I asked.

" His castle is in the exact same place as Hyrule Castle used to be, but be prepared for what lies ahead. We have no idea what he has done other than what we've been told from those who knew, so expect the worst possible outcome," replied Spike. Since the ReDead weren't about to cause me any trouble given they were keeping their distance, I decided to walk up the path instead of run, and when I finally arrived, words just couldn't describe what I was looking at.

The entire area was a barren wasteland with remnants of the old castle, and these were scattered about along with what appeared to be bones of soldiers. Above me were dark clouds which were so thick that neither sunlight or moonlight were able to shine through, yet what really shocked me was the castle standing before me as it was on a floating platform situated above a deep pit filled with lava.

Finally, the wind was howling something fierce combined with what sounded like animals which were probably scavengers looking for food. The castle itself was a truly terrifying fortress, and I could see why so many fear coming here because the intimidation was immense.

" Spike....what has happened here?" I asked.

" This is the result of Ganondorf's desire to conquer Hyrule," replied Spike.

" We've heard about what he did, but just seeing it with my own eyes is almost too much to bear. Right now, I don't even know what emotions would work best in this situation, but I'm definitely not angry about it, so you don't need to worry about me suddenly transforming due to rage," I said.

" Do you feel sad?" asked Spike.

" A little because such a beautiful place had to be destroyed, but in truth I feel pity towards Ganondorf, and let me explain this position before you say anything. We've both seen what the desert region of Hyrule is like, and we've heard from the Gerudo about how their living conditions are pitiful compared to the other tribes.

The Evil King must have been affected by all of this, so it prompted him to do what he has done. He wanted a castle that best reflects his perception on things, and this is the result which is the stuff of nightmares. For the first time in his life, he has a home which can give him the necessary warmth he had lacked at the Gerudo's Fortress; a twisted sense of warmth mind you," I replied.

" Yet why not give this same treatment to his people?" asked Spike.

" I don't know, but maybe he will give us an answer when we see him," I replied. While I did have the urge to just go up to the edge of the lava pit because of wanting to get a closer look, I decided to check out the path which stretched forward for some distance. Many boulders were scattered about which did block my path in some ways, but not enough where I couldn't progress, and I suspect these were more remnants of what used to be here.

" Just walking around here is scaring me because those winds howling about aren't doing me any favours. It's like everywhere else is full of colour and life, and this area is completely dead....an eternal emptiness where nothing can sustain itself." It was truly a morbid scene if I ever saw one, for I had never seen anything like it in my entire life.

I know that Equestria had its share of tyrants over the centuries, yet none of them had ever gone and done anything like what was all around here. As I was looking at the lack of colour, I failed to notice the giant stone pillar in front of me, and I walked right into it face-first which felt extremely painful.

" That must have hurt," laughed Spike.

" Of course it did because this thing is a giant pillar of rock," I moaned.

" Be glad you chose not to run otherwise your face would look a lot worse," said Spike.

" It's my fault for being careless, and ignoring what was in front of me," I said. Looking straight up, I saw how big this rock pillar was, and it was certainly intimidating for what it was, yet it looked out of place compared with everything else around here. It then dawned on me that this is where I learned my first magic spell from Adagio seven years ago, so could her fountain still be here?

It would be a miracle if it were true because I could do with some help, but maybe I'm just being delusional. " Spike, do you remember what this area of the castle once was?"

" A Great Fairy lived here seven years ago," replied Spike.

" That's too bad as I could have used her help," I said.

" I can sense fairy magic coming from behind this pillar though," said Spike.

" Then either she is still there after all this time, or another version of her has taken up residence. But, I doubt I'll be able to lift this heavy stone even with the Silver Gauntlets," I sighed. It turns out that this was one of the monolith stones that Spitfire mentioned, so I needed to get my hands on more powerful gauntlets. For now, I couldn't do anything, but I will come back here because this Great Fairy could give me something that might give me an advantage.

Walking back to the castle, I went as close to the edge as possible, and looked down into the lava pit. Anything that fell down there was practically gone forever unless they could fly or something. It felt both unnatural and nightmarish to me, yet it wasn't going to do any good considering I can't gain access. " Now how do you suppose we get inside?"

" There are no Hookshot plates, and I don't see any signs of a drawbridge, so unless we can get a miracle we're stuck," replied Spike.

" So how did the tribal leaders get in when Ganondorf summoned them back then?" I asked.

" Your guess is as good as mine," replied Spike.

" Sunset Shimmer? Can you hear me?" I began looking in all directions trying to find the source of the voice that just spoke out to me, but I quickly realized that it was a form of telepathic communication, and I recognized the voice. It was Starswirl the Bearded, yet I wonder why he wanted to speak like this rather than just appear in person which would be more convenient.

" It's Rauru, the Sage. We six will gather our power to create a bridge to the castle where Ganondorf dwells. Do not be afraid of this magical bridge for you can walk across it even though it doesn't exist in the traditional sense. When you go inside and reach the central chamber of the castle, you will discover that there are numerous doors that you can take aside from one, and it is this one path which you need to gain access to."

" What's so special about it?" I asked.

" The castle's keep, which is known as Ganon's Tower, is protected by six evil barriers. Ganondorf has set up numerous challenges which will test you to the limit, but you must overcome these defences, and use the Light Arrows which her highness gave you to destroy the barriers. They are the only thing which can destroy their hideousness, and allow you access to the tower. Reaching them won't be easy as you will be experiencing familiar elements which you've seen throughout the course of your journey," replied Starswirl.

" Do you know anything about special gauntlets?" I asked.

" I have heard that the Evil King once found a rare treasure which he originally planned on keeping himself, but ended up abandoning that idea when he realized that he had no need of it, so he locked it inside of a chest where the shadows look as though they could be hiding the truth," replied Starswirl.

It sounded like he was trying to give me a hint, but chose to be rather cryptic about it. Wouldn't Ganondorf's castle consist almost entirely of shadows because of the darkness? In any case, I need those upgraded gauntlets if I'm going to be getting anywhere, yet it makes no sense as to why he would hide such a valuable treasure in his own castle. If anything, his best action would have been to throw them away thus preventing me from gaining access to his tower, but then again he wants me to face him.

" There's also a Great Fairy's Fountain outside of the castle," I said.

" You must find the means of seeing her, for I am certain she will grant you a power which will make your journey through the castle a safer one," said Starswirl.

" It's still difficult for me to grasp the fact that I'm here at the final stage of this journey," I said.

" Many hardships you've overcome to reach this point, so now you must venture forward and fulfill the destiny which had been placed onto your shoulders. Bring down the six barriers and save Princess Zelda!" said Starswirl. I had an inkling deep inside which was telling me to step backwards, so I did which is when a sparkle of lights started to pour down from above.

The colours were yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and orange which represented the colours of the Sage medallions each had given to me, yet I quickly found myself having to cover my eyes because once again I got exposed to bright light. When my vision returned a short time later, I was shocked at seeing the most beautiful bridge I've ever come across, and makes the one built by Sweetie Belle's carpenters look like nothing. Still, was it a real bridge considering it appeared through magical means?

" I'm not so sure about this," I said.

" It does appear you can walk across," said Spike.

" Why don't I check by tapping my foot on the edge of the bridge," I suggested.

" If you think it will help," said Spike. Lurching forward slightly, before raising my foot, I pressed it down onto the bridge where it made a tapping sound. I did this a few times over just to make sure this wasn't some kind of trap, but it did appear to be an actual bridge much to my pleasure. " Well Sunset Shimmer? What did you determine from your little experiment with the bridge?"

" It's real," I answered.

" Meaning we can cross over using it, and enter the castle," said Spike.

" That's a relief as I was afraid we were going to be stuck here on this side," I said.

" Are you ready?" asked Spike.

" No because I'm still having some doubts over my abilities, and I have this feeling Ganondorf is going to end up killing me, but I have no desire to run away. I've made it all this way, and I might as well finish it all the while complaining about it," I replied. It probably wasn't the most exciting speech out there, but I was being honest about it despite the huge negativity surrounding it.

Walking across the magical bridge felt weird because of how it appeared, but soon I was on the other side staring straight up at the castle....it was even bigger up close than from a distance. I could feel a dark aura coming from the entrance, and it felt like this would be the last thing I ever see before being swallowed up by the darkness within. Of course, this was just me being philosophical about it as I plan on coming back outside in order to remove that giant rock pillar blocking my way to the Great Fairy.

Breathing heavily, I entered Ganondorf's castle and was greeted with a long hallway which went down small flights of stairs. A carpet on the floor attempted to make things look more exquisite, but I knew better than that, yet the candles on both walls did provide some rather gloomy atmosphere. The one thing which really made me feel nervous was the lack of defences to welcome me.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" It's just so quiet in this hallway," I replied.

" We entered the castle mere seconds ago, and you're already starting to feel the pressure? Heh, I'll admit it's getting to me too. I'm surprised that there is nothing here to greet us, for you would think he would have some kind of powerful monster right here guarding the main entrance," said Spike.

" Maybe he thinks we're just not worth enough to be greeted by one," I suggested.

" Or perhaps I feel that a mere entry guard is unworthy of your praise kid," said Tirek. His voice was booming all around me just like it was back at the Temple of Time, so he must be somewhere else, and is projecting his voice in an attempt to scare me. It's not going to work no matter how hard he tries!

" I knew you would come to my castle, for you desire to rescue Zelda who has been guiding you along all this time, yet she kept you in the dark about her identity so as to avoid being detected by me. Such deception that was used by the princess is most unexpected, and yet it merely served as delaying the inevitable."

" What do you want?" I asked.

" You are now in my domain kid, and I can see your every move as you make your way through my castle. Whenever you enter one of the passageways which leads to a barrier, I shall greet you as I am doing now," replied Tirek.

" To mock me to no end?" I asked.

" Again, you possess a sharp tongue, but there is much more to it than that. I do desire to mock you kid, but it is insignificant compared with my true intention. I want to test those skills of yours to see if you have what it takes to reach my location at the top of my tower. While you've proven to be a powerful individual who has overcome even the most difficult of odds, there is much more that you can do.

You possess one of the Triforce pieces I seek, and while I shall claim it for myself from your dead corpse, I desire to see you embrace the element of courage which is the very reason why you are a chosen one," replied Tirek. I wasn't liking the idea of him watching over me from afar, and ridiculing me at every possible opportunity, but I had no choice but to deal with it as he was currently in a location which can't be reached just yet.

I did feel miffed about him claiming that he wants to test me to ensure my worthiness of having the Triforce of Courage, but then is that how I succeeded all the time? It wasn't my Equestrian magic or my own skills, but rather an ancient relic that gave me all of those victories? I'm not sure what Ganondorf may be playing at by suggesting it, but a golden triangle doesn't make you the kind of person you want to be, and I had every mind to tell him.

" Having the Triforce isn't everything," I began.

" And what would you know?" asked Tirek.

" I got this far using my own skills and my magic, and not with some kind of ancient relic which instills a specific feeling. I feel sorry for you Ganondorf as you've become too dependant on the Triforce. I don't really care about this whole chosen one rhetoric you have associated with me and the princess, for I know better than to believe that possessing the power of a goddess is what enables me to succeed. If I were in a much different mood, I'd just give this triangle to you, but that would be a stupid thing on my part.

You're only as strong as you are because of holding the Triforce of Power for years, yet I believe you're just half of a man for being so dependant on using it. Without the strength of a goddess, you aren't really that much stronger than me," I replied. The brief silence which came before Ganondorf responded was eerie for I was expecting him to be completely irate about what I had just said, and then he responded using a calm, collected voice.

" Such a bold statement from you kid," said Tirek.

" You're not angry?" I asked.

" Oh I am infuriated to no end for what you just said shall end up costing you your life when you reach me....if you can that is. I am going to enjoy torturing you with my power which was already immense even before I claimed the Triforce of Power, and I shall prove that my strength is real even when augmented with the power of Din.

By the time I am finished with you kid, you'll wish you were never even born," replied Tirek. His voice then faded away allowing me to focus on what I need to do, but perhaps I may have gone a little too far in taunting him. Even though I wanted to prove that having something like the Triforce merely serves as a crutch, apparently he took it as an insult to his integrity, and was determined more than ever to make me pay for my insolence.

" Do you think I went a little too far?" I asked.

" I would have said most of the same things, but I would have held back a little because of knowing how strong he really is. You were really brave for speaking up against him, but it may make our progress more difficult now as he wants to see you dead. If you were expecting an easy time, then you can forget about it," replied Spike. In my mind I cursed myself for having gone too far with my own brand of insulting, and now I'm paying the price which means I'll need to watch my back at all times in case something tries to kill me.

Knowing there was nothing else I could do other than accept my blunder as being a bad decision, I started to walk forward where I got to see just what kind of décor was featured in his castle. The colours were dark which represents his evil nature, and the candles lighting the way reminded me that this was a castle where darkness abounds.

My vision was also limited, so there was no way of knowing what was in front of me until I literally am on top of it. Eventually, after walking along which felt like forever given how long the hallway turned out to be, I found myself at a door, yet there were two Beamos on either side serving as sentries.

" If you can run past them, we can enter the door which should lead us to the main area of the castle," said Spike.

" But why place two Beamos here? If he wanted to be taken seriously, wouldn't he have placed something more dangerous to attack anyone who wanted to infiltrate his castle? Like say, having an Iron Knuckle blocking the way, and it needed to be defeated in order to unlock the door which would be sealed shut with iron bars. Now I wouldn't want to experience anything like that personally, but I'm just saying that's all," I said.

" The idea behind this is to provide a false sense of security to those who come here," said Spike.

" So you're saying the real challenges await further on?" I asked.

" You fell for the obvious trap which Ganondorf placed here, and that was falling under the assumption that his castle would be an easy thing given how his first line of defence is merely two Beamos. If I hadn't been here to correct you on your judgment, you would have walked into a situation without knowing the truth, and you would most likely perish before having a chance to do anything.

This castle was built by the Evil King, so he knows where everything is in here. We have no idea what is awaiting for us down each of the six passageways, so we're walking around blind," replied Spike.

" I could destroy these two monsters, but would there be any good reason to?" I asked.

" Not really as they will constantly re-spawn whenever we come back into this hallway which will happen especially if we want to gain access to the Fairy Fountain that's outside where that dead-end is," replied Spike. Waiting for the Beamos to turn their attention away from the area situated in-between them, I eventually got my chance, and ran as fast as I could, but the moment I got on the other side, their eyes were looking right at me, and then the laser beams came my way.

Fortunately, I had reached the door just in time, and I opened it where I entered the central chamber. Right away, I could see an entrance in front of me which was made to resemble a hideous looking skull as a means of intimidation, yet I could barely make out some kind of magical barrier blocking the way forward. In order to proceed into the tower where Ganondorf is waiting at the top, I had to destroy the six barriers which prevent me from entering.

Looking around, I saw other doors located around the perimeter, and each one featured a coloured symbol above it which must represent each of the Sages, yet I could only count five colours being present. Where was the sixth one? I also noticed another of those monolith stones near the back of the room, so I suspect something is hiding behind it, but right now I don't have the means of uncovering it until I can get the proper power.

" What do each of these symbols stand for?" I asked.

" We never did take a closer look at those medallions did we?" asked Spike.

" Not really. When I obtained each one, I just put them away somewhere and completely forgot all about it," I replied.

" Why don't you take them out, and I can tell you more about them," suggested Spike. I followed his advice and took out all six medallions before proceeding to place them on the floor in the order I obtained them in, and stared at them for a few moments. Each one had a symbol which didn't make much sense to me, so Spike explained that the symbols were also featured on the Sage Altars where they served to represent a specific theme that relates to each Sage.

The symbols actually served no meaning when it came to the colours, for those were needed to determine which barrier represented each temple element. " Yellow represents Light, green is Forest, red is Fire, blue is Water, purple is Shadow, and finally orange is Spirit."

" Should I take on each passage in the correct order?" I asked.

" You won't be able to," replied Spike.

" Why not?" I asked.

" The first one you obtained was the Light Medallion from Rauru, and I can't see any yellow circle located above a door. It's safe to assume that the monolith stone is covering up the entrance to that particular passageway, so we need to try another direction and hopefully find the treasure in here which will allow you to lift up just about anything you can think of," replied Spike.

" Didn't Starswirl mention something about it?" I asked.

" He said we needed to search the path where the shadows could be hiding the truth from us," replied Spike. Even though I didn't get the chance to learn every last facet about the most powerful unicorn Equestria had ever known, I do recall a lesson Princess Celestia taught me, and I am so glad that I remember it so vividly. Starswirl was known for being rather eccentric in nature not to mention having a cryptic tongue in that he enjoys posing riddles for people to try and figure out.

He never liked telling things straight, so instead he goes with an impractical approach all for his own personal amusement. A place where shadows can hide the truth....it took me a few minutes before I figured out what those words meant. The truth was an experience I encountered in the Shadow Temple, and I needed to uncover secrets using the Lens of Truth.

" I know where we must go Spike," I said.

" I'm not surprised that you would figure it out given how you've been solving such conundrums without my help. It's a sign that you've really gotten stronger both on a physical level and a mental level. The emotional level is still a work in progress though," said Spike.

" I really need to work on that one. Anyway, we need to go down the passage which relates to the Shadow Temple," I said.

" The Shadow Medallion was purple in colour, so look for a door that has a purple circle above it," said Spike. I immediately looked to my left and right hoping that the door in question was nearby, yet these had a green and orange circle above them. Walking to the right because it felt like the right way for me to go, I went down some stairs which lead to a door with a blue circle above it, yet this still wasn't what I was looking for, so I kept on going up a flight of stairs until I came to another door.

" This must be the right one," I said.

" It has a purple circle on top which displays the symbol etched onto the Shadow Medallion, so if you enter this passage, we should eventually come across the chest containing what you need to lift those monolith stones," said Spike. Upon opening the door and going into the next room, my jaw dropped because it looked as though it kept on going without ever ending. There was a platform off in the distance with two smaller ones on either side of me, but a slightly less distance.

One had a small treasure chest while the other had an unlit torch, so it looks like I'll need to use a Fire Arrow. There was a Green Bubble flying around in front of me, so perhaps I should take care of it first before doing anything else. Taking out the Fairy Bow, I aimed carefully at it, and waited for its fire to disappear. When it did, I fired several arrows where the last one hit the target destroying it, so now I needed to figure out what to do next. Before I could do anything else, Ganondorf's booming voice came out of nowhere.

" So, you have entered the passageway of shadows where illusions exist, or perhaps everything is real and you aren't yet aware. I am hoping you do not plunge into the abyss below, for if you do then you will surely perish. If you are worried about the Triforce of Courage becoming lost alongside you, know that it shall merely leave your corpse, and attempt to seek out another who can claim its power. If no one is worthy enough, then it shall seek out the nearest being who already wields one of the remaining pieces," said Tirek.

" Either way, the piece I have will end up finding you," I said.

" There is much about the lore of the Triforce which eludes you kid," said Tirek.

" Perhaps, but it's not something which appeals to me as I have other things on my mind," I said.

" That does not concern me in the least, for my aim involves collecting the remaining pieces until all of them are mine. For now kid, you should be worried about crossing this abyss of darkness, but I am certain that you shall be able to light your way considering how resourceful you can be. I shall leave now for no doubt you wish to concentrate on surviving," said Tirek. It sounded like he was giving me a hint as to what I needed to do, but what was the point of doing so?

" Lighting that torch should get us across somehow," I said.

" Does the Lens of Truth reveal anything?" asked Spike.

" Yes, I should use that first just to make sure there are no hidden traps," I replied. Raising the lens to my eye and looking through it, I could see nothing being revealed by its magic, so the torch was my means of getting across to the other side of this chasm. I was tempted to go for the chest, but chose to ignore it as it probably contained a small amount of rupees which won't do me any good right now.

Switching to the Fire Arrows by placing the "charm" onto my bow, I fired an arrow at the torch which made a series of crystal-like platforms appear which was my way of getting across. Knowing that I didn't have much time before the platforms disappear, I quickly made my way over and into the path of a Like-Like that attempted to swallow me, but I jumped slightly to the side and avoided it. " Even though I did see that thing in front of me as I ran across, I don't like the fact that it was placed on a platform which I needed to reach."

" Remember to keep your distance otherwise you'll be losing your tunic," said Spike.

" I have no intention of being swallowed up again," I said. The moment it turned around, I used my fire magic to burn it to ashes because I now have a pathological annoyance when it comes to Like-Likes. As soon as it was gone, I looked at the next section of the room where I could barely make out a door at the other end. " I'm going to take a guess and say that what we need to destroy is located in the next room, but how do I get across this much smaller gap between platforms?"

" You could try lighting up that torch again and see what happens, or you could switch to the Hover Boots, and attempt to cross that way," replied Spike.

" I need to conserve my Hylian magic because I don't want to use these Blue Potions unless absolutely necessary," I said.

" Considering we have a long way to go in order to destroy the barriers, using the Hover Boots for such a small gap would be the best way to approach this. Before you switch over to them, perhaps you should look through the Lens of Truth again as I'm certain there are some invisible platforms in this passage. It wouldn't be a true representation of the Shadow Temple without something we can't see under normal circumstances," said Spike.

Holding the lens up to my eye again, I could see a winding path which looked rather thin going up to the door, but aside from that there was nothing else that looked out of place. Switching over to the Hover Boots, and taking a running start, I barely made it onto the next platform where I could see the other side more clearly.

There was another unlit torch which could make those crystal platforms appear again, but then there was one located slightly below with a switch on top. I suppose I could try to hover over and land on the platform, but that might not work because these boots lack any traction, and I'm sure to die if I were to plunge into the abyss below.

" I want to activate that switch and see what it does," I said.

" It could unlock the door ahead of us, or do something else altogether," said Spike.

" What's strange is that we haven't seen a large treasure chest, and we're almost at the end of this room," I said.

" Maybe the treasure isn't in this area," suggested Spike.

" Starswirl would never say anything that is false even when he is being cryptic," I said. Using the Fairy Bow, and firing a Fire Arrow at the torch caused a few crystal platforms to appear which would allow me to reach the switch below. Carefully making my way down after switching boots again, I stepped on the switch where a large treasure chest fell from the ceiling. Before I could climb back up, the platforms disappeared leaving me stranded. " I needed those platforms to get back to where I was before, so what am I supposed to do now?"

" Remember that chests count as Hookshot targets, and you are well within range of that one," suggested Spike. I then slapped myself hard in the forehead for having completely forgotten about this, so I put the Fairy Bow away and took out the Longshot. Aiming at the chest and firing the chain, it attached successfully, and I found myself being pulled up to it.

Once I had gotten my bearings back, I opened the chest where I discovered something which I kind of expected given the obviousness behind it, but I took it out anyway knowing that it was needed to progress.

" Quite the nice colouring," I commented.

" Those are the Golden Gauntlets! When you wear those, you will feel even more power in your hands than ever before, and you will be able to lift up just about anything no matter how heavy. It does mean leaving those old gauntlets behind because these ones are even better, but perhaps you should keep the Silver Gauntlets for sentimental value.

Or, you could give them to Nabooru as she did want them," said Spike. That sounded like a good idea, so I slipped off the old gauntlets and attached them to my belt before putting the new ones on which gave me a tremendous surge in my hands. I felt as though I had so much power at my disposal, but I must show restraint otherwise I could end up being consumed just like before. That's when I noticed another platform with a switch on it, so would that mean needing to light the torch again, or maybe there was another way to approach it.

" Could that switch open the door?" I asked.

" It's possible, but you need to actually reach it to find out," replied Spike.

" The Lens of Truth might work," I suggested.

" You need to use it anyway in order to see the pathway that leads up to the door," said Spike. This was a good point, so raising the lens to my eye, I could see a smaller twisted path, but I knew that I needed to traverse it carefully otherwise I'm taking a plunge I'd rather not experience period. Good thing I switched boots as using the Hover Boots on such delicate pathways would be suicidal. Walking slowly along the path until I reached the switch where I discovered that it was rusty.

This meant I needed to use the Megaton Hammer which hasn't seen much action these days, but that's because I haven't found it useful outside of the Fire Temple. It would have been my ideal weapon, but then I started to use the Master Sword, and now it has become my main means of attacking without using magic. Taking out the hammer and slamming it down onto the rusty switch which activated it unlocking the door in front of me.

From there, I had to slowly make my way back to the platform before walking across the other pathway all while holding the lens in one hand, and I hope that I don't accidentally drop it into the abyss as that would be the biggest blunder of my entire life. When I reached the door and opened it, I entered a room which was essentially a dead-end, yet some kind of weird object was standing in front of me.

" Is this the barrier?" I asked.

" It does appear to be," replied Spike.

" I wasn't expecting anything like this, and the noise it's giving off makes me feel agitated," I said.

" You need to destroy it using the Light Arrows, but maybe you should investigate first? There could be an easier way to destroy the barrier without needing to consume your magic power," suggested Spike. The barrier looked harmless enough at least from my perspective, yet something about it just seemed odd to me. Why was it just here without anything to protect it?

Unless, it has some kind of defensive measure which could cause me a lot of problems. I was thinking of touching the barrier, but I quickly got that idea out of my head as that would be just plain stupid on my part. Ganondorf didn't mention anything about it, and for that matter Starswirl had nothing to say either, so just what should I do?

There could be an easier way, but using the Light Arrow does appear to be the intended method, so I took out the Fairy Bow, but then something suddenly hit me from out of nowhere. I had no idea what happened, but it was a pretty strong force which caused me to buckle down to my knees. A shadow appeared behind me, and that meant I had fallen foul to the she-demon which now gives her the opportunity to finish what she had started....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 67: Dark Trials

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 7, 2015
Chapter 67: Dark Trials.

" I knew you wouldn't detect my presence, but then how could you in a place where darkness reigns?" asked Sunset Demon. She was right about me not being able to sense her approach, and for that I've fallen to her attack, but it wasn't as bad as it sounded. What she used against me turned out to be pretty weak, so it looks like she is weakening even more. I could even hear her breathing heavily, but I thought her plan involved absorbing some darkness in order to repair the wound which I inflicted back in the Spirit Temple?

Does she have a different tactic in mind? I decided to wait for her to finish her speech before I make any move. " I said that I would be waiting for you, but things will be different this time. It looks like you'll be keeping your life after all much to my displeasure. My wound never healed because of how serious it was, yet at least I managed to get one last hit in before the end comes."

" You do realize that attack did nothing to me?" I asked.

" Feigning ignorance in order to hear what I had to say? I think you do have a little bit of evil inside you, but then I had a feeling my effort was going to be wasted. After three encounters where my defeat was handed to me every single time, our fourth and final encounter isn't going to be much of anything.

In case you haven't figured it out yet....my wound is fatal. I tried absorbing as much darkness as possible on a few occasions, yet my body just couldn't take any of it in, so now I'm barely holding on with what little I have left," replied Sunset Demon.

" This is the reason why I don't like using violence, yet you kept on insisting because you desired my life as you wished for me to go back to my old self. You can't blame anyone for what has happened save for yourself! Don't think for a second that I'm going to finish the job, for that would be acting in a cruel and merciless fashion which isn't me," I said.

" Yeah, I figured you wouldn't," said Sunset Demon.

" Then why go to all this trouble just to attack me with such a feeble attempt?" I asked.

" Because I wanted you to witness me perishing," replied Sunset Demon. It sounded like she was acting irrationally if she wanted me to bear witness to something like that, yet I could see it in her eyes that she was being very serious. I then noticed the blood that was dripping out of her wound, and she wasn't doing anything to try and contain the flow. It just kept gushing forth which did make me feel nauseous, and it made me want to turn away as the sight was getting unbearable.

A loud thumping sound came out of nowhere a few seconds later, and the she-demon had slumped to the ground where I walked over because my heart wanted me to show compassion. It felt strange wanting to sympathize with myself, yet I felt guilty for I was the one who did this to her. " Back in the Spirit Temple, I believed that I could shrug off this wound, but luck wasn't on my side.

It feels weird seeing you comforting me like this, for my desire involved seeing you dead, and becoming the one true Sunset Shimmer, but maybe a small portion of your good nature has rubbed off on me just like how a small portion of my evil nature has rubbed off onto you." I could then feel her growing weaker, so I knew she didn't have much time left.

" I guess we both adapated to the nature of the other," I said.

" Evil will always be a part of you no matter what as everyone is capable of it, but you have proven that you can resist the various temptations which can come from it. I hate to say this, but you are the one and only Sunset Shimmer who deserves to exist. I'm just a remnant of your past, and that makes me nothing but a shadow. I wanted my own life where I could conquer Equestria, and I needed to kill you to get it, but my dream will never happen now," said Sunset Demon.

" Why are you telling me this now?" I asked.

" Because I want you to know that you have killed someone who is essentially a dark extension of who you used to be; someone who wanted a chance to live again as a flesh-and-blood being," replied Sunset Demon.

" A final means of tormenting me?" I asked.

" You could call it that yes," replied Sunset Demon. I should have just killed her and be done with it, but she is expecting me to do that. I may have gotten it wrong when I said to Spike that she wouldn't attack me in her current condition, yet she did so anyway much to my humiliation, but I know I'm right about it this time, so I'm not going to giver her the satisfaction of proving her point.

Her ambition towards killing me often blinded her, and this stance left her vulnerable more often than she will ever admit, but maybe in the afterlife she will accept her destiny for what it is, and finally decide to move on.

" I guess this is our final farewell," I said.

" Oh I plan on coming back," began Sunset Demon.

" What did you say?" I asked.

" You may have defeated me, but you can never truly destroy the dark side of your personality. I will return one day, but it won't be happening in Hyrule. Nor will it happen in the human world given how Princess Twilight and those friends of yours defeated you when you were me. I will return Sunset Shimmer mark my words, but it will happen in a world similar to, but different from this one.

I'm not sure why, but a voice tells me that you shall go to a world which is doomed to destruction," replied Sunset Demon. Does this mean that I will be experiencing another adventure in a video game? No, I can't believe anything like that would happen again, so she must be trying to trick me.

Case in point would be the voice that was telling her about it, and I doubt such a claim is even true, so I call it a false one. Even though I have enjoyed my experiences in Hyrule, I want to go back home, and never have to deal with anything like this for the rest of my life. The she-demon could tell that her words have riled me up, and she started laughing which made me feel annoyed. " There's that expression of yours again....I never get tired of it."

" Are you done?" I asked.

" I just wanted to get under your skin one last time, for it was the only thing I ever did right," replied Sunset Demon. That's when I placed her gently on the ground even though I could have simply dropped her, but I chose to be better than that, and not allow my anger to get the better of me. The she-demon at this point started to crack in places, and I don't mean her sanity. No, her body was beginning to crack which does reiterate that she was just a shadow.

I've seen monsters burn to nothing, explode, drop down dead, and even more examples too numerous to mention, but this one in particular made me react in a way which I found difficult to grasp. Was is because she was the dark side of my personality having been given existence, and now I had to watch this other half of me die?

" Ha! In the end, you got killed....although your better half....took the fall....a pity as you should have....given your life up because....you do know Ganondorf will make....sure that you experience....what could be the most painful....death in all of creation. I may....not get to witness it with my....own eyes, but it's sure to....be a glorious thing indeed."

I stepped back because I had no idea what would happen next, yet my answer came quickly as her body suddenly crumbled into dust before scattering about in the wind which came out of nowhere.

" The she-demon is gone," I said.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, her death means I don't have to deal with her anymore. And yet, a part of me feels like I died along with her because she was my dark side. Despite everything she has done to me, she and I are still the same person even though we're complete opposites," I replied.

" Could it be that you had some pity for her?" asked Spike.

" I guess so because it was by my own hand that she even existed. The darkness inside of my heart was most likely repressed after I was defeated instead of being completely wiped out, and it did try to come back as I had some issues I needed to work out. Once my pony ears and tail appeared during the final conflict against the Dazzlings, I believed the darkness within me was gone forever, yet I sensed it was still there lurking about waiting for the chance to get revenge against me.

I never would have guessed it could manifest into what became Sunset Demon. I could have saved her from this terrible fate, but she refused to listen to me as her determination was too powerful to be stopped," I replied.

" Creatures of pure darkness cannot be saved," said Spike.

" But, Princess Twilight once told me that Fluttershy....from her world....was able to reform a spirit of chaos," I said.

" I'm guessing this spirit merely acted evil as a means of having fun because chaos can be many different things. This spirit probably wasn't malicious, and instead wanted to cause mischief, so it could be reformed. Once you've reached a particular point when it comes to being corrupted with darkness, nothing can be done to bring you back," said Spike.

" So the she-demon was doomed from the start?" I asked.

" It was by her own hand that she ended up getting killed, for you had no other choice but to fight back Sunset Shimmer. Many times did you attempt to resolve the differences between both of you through more peaceful means, yet she couldn't accept it. The she-demon was blinded by her own ambitions, and was oblivious to the fact that her own actions would have grave consequences. While you can mourn her passing, you need not blame yourself as she represented the old you," replied Spike.

Once again, his words have reached out to me during a difficult time, and it makes me often wonder what I would be doing right now if not for his guidance. Sunset Demon couldn't be reasoned with, and is now dead is because her obsession consumed her judgment. Those claims of hers which revolved around not being blind were false, for she was still determined to prove herself as the real me. I guess now she has plenty of time to think about what she will do next, but there was one thing left which made me very nervous.

" Do you think she will return?" I asked.

" I don't know as I have no idea how things work in the world beyond this one," replied Spike.

" Those words she said make me think she could bring herself back from the grave," I said.

" You don't need to worry about it as you've proven yourself to be better than her. If she does end up coming back, you will be able to defeat her with ease," said Spike. This is true as I've defeated her every time she appeared before me in order to challenge me. I didn't like the fact that my life and future were constantly on the line, but now I've shown that I am the one and only Sunset Shimmer. My life is my own to decide what happens with it, and nothing from the past can take that away from me.

If she does return in the future through any kind of method, I'll be ready for her. I then felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but it wasn't the one which related to saving Hyrule. No, that one was still as heavy as it's always been, yet this weight was one related to inner turmoil. I had so much of it which formed into Sunset Demon, but she's gone now and I don't feel being bogged down any longer, so now I can finally focus on the matter at hand.

" Okay, using a Light Arrow should destroy this barrier right?" I asked.

" That's what Rauru said," replied Spike. Firing the Light Arrow, it struck the barrier with a bright glow, and destroyed it completely which was a sigh of relief. " Well, that's one barrier down and only five more to go. Hopefully, it won't take as long to go through the other passageways like it did with this one." All of a sudden, an image of Applejack appeared which caught be by surprise as I wasn't expecting anything like this, and it looked like she had something to say.

" The Shadow Barrier has been dispelled, so now you are one step closer to accessing Ganon's Tower. The way onward is going to be difficult, and so I would suggest that you use your increased strength to seek out the Great Fairy," said Applejack.

" I intend on doing just that, but which barrier do you suppose I should focus on next?" I asked.

" With the Golden Gauntlets in your hands along with the rest of your weapons, you can tackle any of the remaining barriers in whatever order you wish. Once you have acquired what you can obtain from the Great Fairy, I would suggest focusing on the barrier which relates to you personally. I am certain you already understand my meaning, so I implore you to rescue Princess Zelda as soon as possible.

If you are worried about getting back to the central chamber, allow me to return you there," replied Applejack. Her image then disappeared, and I suddenly found myself being warped in a rather unusual fashion where I was back in the main area again as though I never moved a single inch in the process.

" That certainly was something," I said.

" Look above you," announced Spike. I did as he asked and noticed a stream of purple energy which was connecting from the wall where the door was, and the tower. It then disappeared which didn't make sense, but then my partner quickly clued me in. " Every time you destroy one of those barriers, we will be sent back here where the energy stream will vanish. If you repeat this process with the remaining barriers, the field will disappear, and Ganon's Tower will become accessible."

" That's good to know as I wasn't liking the idea of having to find my way back," I said.

" You have the Golden Gauntlets, so we can continue with the next passageway, or check out the fountain," suggested Spike. Without even saying a word, I started to make my way back outside, for I wanted to see what Adagio was going to give to me. I then realized that this would be the last time I get to see her, so maybe she has some advice regarding Ganondorf's castle. Upon exiting into the gloomy atmosphere, I ran over the bridge and turned left where I continued to run until I reached the monolith stone.

" Well, let's see what these gauntlets can do," I said. Grabbing the bottom of the stone, I had my doubts that I was going to lift it and instead injuring my back, but I somehow lifted it up as though it weighed like a small pebble. " Wow! This stone is so light in my hands! It's like I could juggle it for hours on end without having getting tired in the process!" While I could gawk at what I was doing, I knew that I had to be serious about this, so I tossed the monolith stone behind me where it crashed into the ground quite a distance away.

That wasn't my intention mind you, for it seems that I don't know my own strength. Upon entering the fountain, I walked over to the altar and played Twilight's Lullaby, and within a matter of moments, Adagio appeared before me. This would be the last time where she will be speaking with me on friendly terms, for when I go back to the human world, she will still have bitter jealously and rage.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer! I am the Great Fairy of Courage," said Adagio.

" So the Triforce element you represent happens to be the last one I encounter?" I asked.

" I am not sure why this had to happen because what you will gain would have been immensely helpful a long time ago, but I suppose getting it now is better than never getting it. You are the first person to have visited this fountain ever since Ganondorf built his accursed fortress, for the monolith stone had been preventing anyone from coming here and seeking my aid.

Granted, even if the stone was not there, no one would have come as this place is devoid of all life itself. The Evil King has transformed this once vibrant land into one of sheer desolation where nothing can sustain itself," replied Adagio.

" That's why I've awakened the Six Sages because he must be defeated if peace is to return," I said.

" You must also prevail against him to rescue the Hylian princess, and return where you truly belong. Yes child, I am fully aware that this world is not meant to be, and that all of us belong in a different one filled with an alternate life. Do not lose sight of these objectives otherwise they shall escape from your grasp, and you shall forever be stuck here," said Adagio. She certainly had a way with words when it came to reminding me of what was at stake, and that failure was not an option.

I want to return home to my world, and nothing will stop me from achieving that goal! Actually, I want to return to Equestria in order to resolve some issues, but the chances of me going back there are slim to none, so I'll have to settle with the human world. It was a pretty tall order because of what was at stake, but I'm ready for this as I've overcome all manner of odds. Adagio then noticed the expression on my face, and began to comment about it as it amused her.

" You are determined to succeed in your task, and while this is truly an admirable effort, do not allow yourself to be consumed with wanting success. To prevail with honour is one thing, but to do so through deplorable means would be a travesty."

" I know not to become corrupted," I said.

" Ganondorf is known for his manipulations, so you must not be tempted by his words," said Adagio.

" He won't be using me anymore!" I shouted.

" As long as you remain true to yourself, these words will come to pass," said Adagio. It was at that point when I remembered that I was going to ask her about the passageways inside the castle, for I'm sure she knows plenty about it. Or, she may know nothing because she has been thwarted several times when she tried peering into the veil of darkness.

" Do you anything about his castle?" I asked.

" I knew this question would be asked, for you wish to have insight on what lies ahead. While I cannot tell you the exact obstructions which you will encounter, I can inform you of basic information which should be enough. Shadow has already been conquered, so five more remain with Forest being one that involves fighting the wind, and needing to light the way forward. Fire is an inferno where silver is needed, and the strength of a giant will lead you to victory.

Water shall bring back the cold, and Spirit will test you with the sun's light combined with fire. Finally, Light appears to be the least dominant, but do not be deceived by illusions," replied Adagio. Unlike Starswirl who enjoyed being cryptic, Adagio was straight to the point with what she had to provide. While I would have preferred more, the fact that she was able to give me any at all was satisfying enough.

" I'll be sure to remember this advice," I said.

" I know that you wish to have known more, but Ganondorf's castle is surrounded by a strong darkness. It was a miracle that my power was able to peer through that shade, but I cannot do it again for I do not possess enough strength. Sunset Shimmer, powerful monsters await you, and that is where my gift to you shall prove itself. You have acquired new magic spells, the ability to use the elements, and even possess an enhanced magic meter, yet your health remains the one inconsistent factor.

No longer shall this latter be left out, for I will now enhance your defensive capabilities," said Adagio. She then cupped her hands around her mouth, and began to blow a powerful wind which enveloped me in a beautiful looking mist. By the time it had disappeared, I still felt the same as before, yet I could sense I was different somehow.

" So what is this enhancement?" I asked.

" Your defence has been increased as though you were wearing armour even though you still appear the same. Damage that is inflicted upon you is reduced by half no matter what kind of attack is used. Even Ganondorf's magic cannot break through this gift, so now you possess a better chance of defeating him. I have done all I can to help you Sunset Shimmer, so now the rest falls onto your capable shoulders. Heed the words of the Sheikah woman, and tackle the passageway that connects with you based on where you are from.

When battle has made your weary, please come back to see me," replied Adagio. With that, she returned to her fountain leaving me feeling sad as the next time I see her, it will be as an enemy, but at least she was able to give me useful information. As I left the fountain, I checked my body because I still don't feel all that different despite sensing something had changed.

" Do you doubt the power of the Great Fairy?" asked Spike.

" No as her previous gifts have proven to be very useful, yet I feel the same as before," I replied.

" Being given a defensive enhancement is no mean feat Sunset Shimmer, for such a blessing requires a lot of magic. The Great Fairy has given you everything you need to accomplish your task, so you need to defeat Ganondorf once and for all. I know what I said sounds rather biased considering your weapons and magic have done more for you than the blessings, but this final gift will make things easier. Right now it doesn't feel like she did anything, but we'll find out when you are forced to defeat a monster to progress," said Spike.

" And what did you think of those hints?" I asked.

" While they could have been a lot better, we should appreciate the fact she provided us with information anyway," replied Spike.

" Both Applejack and Adagio suggested that the next passage we check out should be the one based on where I'm from. Would that be this world, the world I call home, or the one which is my true home?" I asked.

" It's whatever you choose to associate it with," replied Spike. The Kokiri Forest was my home in Hyrule because it's where I started all of this, and the human world represents where I currently live, yet I don't see any connection there. My true home, Equestria, is a magical kingdom where anything can happen, yet the forest does possess magic in the form of fairies, so that's a connection. The Kokiri Forest, and the magic of Equestria....it then hit me like a blinding flash.

" The Forest Temple," I announced.

" You meant to say the Forest Barrier right?" asked Spike.

" That's what I mean," I replied. If I recall correctly, the colour that was associated with the forest was green, and the door with the green coloured circle above it was just to the right when entering the main chamber. I'm not sure why I need to go to this barrier next considering I can tackle these in any order, but I might as well go through with it. It didn't take long for me to get back to the magical bridge, and cross over it to enter the castle again, yet I chose to run through the hallway this time.

The two Beamos were still there, but I ignored them as I didn't want to waste bombs, and I entered the main chamber before turning to the right. In front of me was the door with the green circle above it representing the forest, and in this next room I found myself staring at a number of torches which looked suspicious. There was another one on top of a ledge situated above a locked door, yet I could sense something odd in here.

" I guess lighting those torches will open the way," I suggested.

" That would make for an easy puzzle," said Spike.

" But why is it that I can sense a presence around here?" I asked.

" Having doubts about what you can see and what chooses to remain elusive I am not surprised kid, for you have often questioned your senses which has resulted in some poor decisions," replied Tirek whose voice once again boomed throughout the room. I forgot he was going to speak to me every time I entered a new passage, so now I have to deal with listening to his words.

" You are most fortunate kid, for the way to the barrier consists of simple challenges which should be easy enough for you. Then again, even the easiest of tasks can end up becoming a nightmare if you allow yourself to become too complacent. How do you plan on approaching what lies ahead?"

" Nothing you send my way will overcome me," I replied.

" Such a bold statement, yet you need to back up this claim with more than mere words," said Tirek.

" I'll be sure to do just that, and it will be something you'll get to see considering you're watching me from your safe haven," I said.

" I find it amusing how you try to act tough, yet in truth I can see the fear, and it desires to flee. How much of this bravado is true with the rest being a means of desperation due to being overwhelmed by a darkness which can consume you at any moment? We shall soon discover the answer as you progress further through my castle," said Tirek.

His voice then disappeared leaving me to contemplate what he said, and I was feeling pretty annoyed at how he claims that my actions are merely me trying to play the role of a hero. I know that I'm not the ideal hero because of doing things differently, yet I'd like to think I've done a pretty good job even with some slight issues at hand.

" That presence I sensed....I can't feel it anymore," I said.

" Could it have been a mental illusion created because of where we are?" asked Spike.

" Ganondorf is trying to psyche me out with mental games," I replied.

" Don't let him freak you like that Sunset Shimmer, for you need to remain calm and collected. Succumbing to the darkness would be the worse possible thing, and he wants to make sure that happens. He may not be admitting it right now, but deep down he's afraid of you because all of his efforts to kill you have failed, so now he is forced to take care of you himself. You need to take this to heart, and continue defying him at every turn so that he will really get worried," suggested Spike.

" So, turn his own tactics against him?" I asked.

" The Evil King enjoys dishing it out, but he probably can't take it," replied Spike. This gave me a renewed sense, so I need to destroy these remaining barriers so that I can enter his tower which is sure to be guarded as why he would leave it defenceless for someone to try and assault it| Turning my attention to the puzzle that was before me, I knew straight away that fire was needed to light these torches, and while my own magic would do the trick, I'm forced to rely on using Hylian magic

" I could Fire Arrows and light up each torch one at a time," I suggested.

" Doing that would consume magic power, and you need to use it carefully so as to keep those Blue Potions intact. You will need to shoot a Fire Arrow up at the torch well above the door at the end of the room, but perhaps using Din's Fire to light the remaining torches will save you necessary magic," suggested Spike. It had been a short while since I last used it, but it's going to be getting some use.

Taking out the gem which contains the spell and walking forward until I was standing in-between the four torches, I performed the necessary poses before casting it. The resulting flame quickly spread its way across lighting up the torches, and that left the remaining one which was too far away for Din's Fire to reach which was a shame as I would have expected it to. Switching over to the Fairy Bow, it wasn't easy aiming for such a far away target, and I needed to conserve my magic power, so I moved as close as possible.

Whoever made the decision to place this torch up so high was sadistic, but I sighed and fired a single arrow lighting the remaining torch on fire. A small treasure chest then materialized behind me before the door in front unlocked when the iron bars raised, yet could this chest be one of those traps like I experienced in the Spirit Temple?

" What do you suggest?" I asked.

" I would go for it, but take extreme caution because you never know," replied Spike.

" If it is one of those trap chests, my health is pretty good, so being frozen for a few seconds shouldn't be fatal," I said.

" No, not really," said Spike.

" Okay, I'm going to take a chance and see what it contains," I said. Putting the Fairy Bow away, I walked back to the chest and kicked it open and took out a mere five rupees which wasn't a good prize, but it was better than being blasted by a cold spray. " Considering where we are right now, I don't think getting rupees at this point serves any purpose unless there just so happened to be a place nearby where I can purchase items."

" That would be a bizarre thing indeed," said Spike.

" How so?" I asked.

" Anyone who managed to set up a shop inside of the castle must have been extremely lucky to have not been caught by now. If such a shop did exist, the only place that would be ideal is the central chamber, but I can't see that being possible. I suppose all we can do now is just keep going until we find that barrier," replied Spike.

When I entered the next room, a sudden gust of wind blew about from either side of me which gave me a startle, and when I looked in both directions to see what was going on, the wind was coming from two fans just like what I experienced in the Shadow Temple!?!?

" Why would something like this be here in a passageway dedicated to the Forest Temple?" I asked.

" I know what you mean Sunset Shimmer. This room is definitely one that relates to the Shadow Temple because of those fans blowing strong wind about, but maybe you can use it to your advantage. You do have the power to use wind magic, and this room has exactly what you need to create some interesting results," replied Spike.

There was a deep abyss with small pillars which served as platforms for me to step on. Scattered across the room were silver rupees, and already I didn't like where this was going, but I had no other choice but to do it. A lone Beamos was in the middle of the room, and I could just barely make out a switch that was located near the back.

" I think the Hover Boots will prove useful," I suggested.

" Not to mention needing to use the Iron Boots," added Spike.

" Why would I use those?" I asked.

" These winds will blow you across great distances especially when combined with the Hover Boots, but remember we have an abyss right below us, and that means instant death were you to plunge down there all because the wind managed to blow you off a ledge. By effectively using the Iron Boots, you can work with the wind rather than against it. Collecting all five silver rupees will unlock the door in front of you, so you need to approach this puzzle with care," replied Spike.

" I'm just annoyed that I have to collect those rupees again," I moaned.

" At least you get some money out it," said Spike.

" I guess so," I sighed. Unless this supposed shop doesn't exist, collecting these rupees does me no good, for all it will do is give me some extra money. That's when I began to take note of how this room operates regarding the fans. One of the silver rupees was to my left, but the fan was going to blow me into the abyss should I get caught when it activates. Then I looked at the next pillar which was further ahead, so perhaps I do want to get blown about, yet I just need correct timing otherwise my death is certain.

Switching to the Hover Boots and not falling down due to the lack of traction, I waited until the fan ceased with its actions before hovering to the platform and collecting the first silver rupee. I had no time to prepare as the wind resumed blowing, and combined with my boots, I hovered across and landed on the next one where I got the second rupee.

" That was pretty creative thinking," commented Spike.

" I can't celebrate just yet as I still have three more rupees to collect," I said.

" There's one above your head," announced Spike.

" Really?" I asked. I then looked up, and sure enough there it was, but when I tried to jump up and grab it, something was preventing me from doing so which made no sense. After attempting to do this for about a minute, I gave up and started to complain about not being to do a simple task like jumping. " Okay, why can't I jump up and get it? I know that I'm pretty good at jumping as I've done it plenty of times back in the human world."

" You can't jump in Hyrule in that sense," said Spike.

" Why?" I asked.

" It's one of those unknown factors which are in place to prevent someone from taking advantage of physics," replied Spike. Was he being serious about this? I can't jump up and grab that rupee all because of some mechanic? Could it be one of the rules behind this video game which I should have paid more attention to? I really need to remind myself to ask Rainbow Dash how to play this game when I return home, for I can't believe I'm being denied in this fashion.

" So what can I do now?" I asked.

" You need to take care of that Beamos in the middle of the room, but don't worry about it firing a laser at you. Remember when I told you about its depth perception? It's on a lower level than us, so all it can see is whatever is on the same level. Meaning you can safely deal with it without fearing some kind of counterattack. There could be a rupee hiding inside, for we know that's a possibility," replied Spike.

I removed the Bomb Bag from my belt before taking out a Bomb, and tossed it into Beamos causing it to explode on impact. Sure enough, there was another silver rupee, but it was that switch below on the lower pillar which piqued my interest, so I proceeded to hover down and activated it which at first did nothing.

" Well that was pointless," I moaned, but when I turned around, I received quite a shock when I saw a raised column had appeared with a Hookshot plate on top. " Okay, that does explain how I can reach that silver rupee now."

" The rupee is in the path of the wind, so be careful not to get blown into the abyss," said Spike. Taking out the Longshot and aiming carefully while waiting until it was safe, I fired the chain which attached to the plate, and I got pulled along where I quickly grabbed the next silver rupee before hovering over to the fourth one. I then hovered onto a small ledge that was next to a platform which is where the locked door was, yet the final rupee was on a really small pillar that was in front of one of the fans.

I needed perfect timing to hover across, collect it, and make it back before I get caught in the wind. Maybe switching to the Iron Boots would be a wise idea, but only after I've gone over as I doubt I can jump from platform to platform wearing heavy footwear. As soon as it stopped blowing, I hovered across to the pillar before switching to the Iron Boots, for the wind suddenly picked up again.

It didn't feel comfortable having a powerful gust being blasted in my face like this, but I must remain strong. At that moment, I had forgotten to pick up the final silver rupee, so I did and it unlocked the door ahead.

" And I didn't need to use any wind magic," I said.

" Were you intentionally holding back?" asked Spike.

" Not really as I just didn't have a reason for using it....until now that is as I just got an interesting idea," I replied. Concentrating on the wind being blown at me, I was able to manipulate it to flow around to my left and blow me across the abyss until I reached the door before switching back to my regular boots.

While it wasn't perhaps the best use of an elemental magic, I used it regardless because it had been neglected for so long as wind was something I didn't encounter often. I opened the door, and entered the next room which contained the second barrier. " Again, there is nothing protecting these things, so why would Ganondorf just leave them out like this without any form of defence?"

" Do you really find it concerning?" asked Spike.

" Not really," I replied.

" Then forget about worrying over protective measures," said Spike. Taking out the Fairy Bow and using the Light Arrow charm, I fired at the barrier which caused to explode, and a few moments later, an image of Fluttershy appeared.

" The Forest Barrier has been dispelled, so you're now a third of the way there Sunset Shimmer," said Fluttershy.

" I just realized that I should have made contact with you via your song in order to see if you could give me some advice," I said.

" If you had gone and done so, I wouldn't have been able to provide an answer. Ganondorf's castle is surrounded by a powerful veil of darkness which prevents most from being to peer into it, and the forest spirits wouldn't have succeeded. However, they did tell me that you gained some advice from the Great Fairy who lives outside in the desolated area," said Fluttershy.

" She wasn't able to get too much information because of the darkness blocking her vision, but what she said was enough to give me an idea of what I could be facing. It did weaken her greatly though as she used more power than she wanted, so I don't expect her to give me anymore help, and that's fine as she needs to rest," I said.

" I believe you are fearing something aren't you?" asked Fluttershy.

" The ice in the passageway which leads to the Water Barrier," I replied.

" You need to conquer this fear, so I suggest tackling that one next despite your reluctance. Now, I shall send you back to the central area of the castle, so good luck in destroying the remaining barriers. Oh, I have one last piece of advice. Search for a wall in the central area that has a slightly different colour than the rest of it whenever you have a moment. I don't know what it actually means, but it could be exactly what you require if you have a need for it," said Fluttershy.

Her image disappeared, and I was warped back to the main area again through that crazy fashion like before when Applejack did the same thing. When I returned, the green energy vanished indicating that the Forest Barrier had been taken care of, so now I needed to move onto the next passageway.

" We're going to focus on destroying the Water Barrier now," I announced.

" Taking Saria's words to heart?" asked Spike.

" I can't allow my fear of being frozen on the spot to get the better of me, so I want to take care of it now, and not allow it to continue lingering above my head. If there was a saving grace in all of this, it would be not dealing with any water seeing as the Water Temple wasn't exactly kind to me if you know what I mean. Anyway, where is the door I need to enter?" I asked.

" It's the next one to your right," replied Spike.

" Oh," I said sheepishly before looking downward and seeing the door in question. I walked down and opened it where I entered a room which started out like a typical dungeon chamber, but then it changed to a frozen wasteland with icicles above me which look ready to fall at any moment, and a ring of icicles that surrounded an altar where I could see Blue Fire.

" I never did enjoy exploring the Ice Cavern because of how cold it was, and seeing this is a reminder of what I had to endure as a means of acquiring the Iron Boots. Just looking at all of this ice is enough to send shivers down my spine."

" You have reached a place which chills you to the bone because of what you experienced in the past, and rather than choosing merely to run away, you have decided to continue forward," said Tirek.

" At least I was anticipating you this time," I said.

" So far the trials of my castle have not been testing you all that much, but that is could change at any moment. The ice that you see before you is very real, and is even colder than what exists in the frozen wasteland that was once the home of the Zoras, so unless you wish to be frozen to death, I would advise to be quick about it, but of course the frozen denizens shall provide the same reception. Can you recall any experiences in that frozen cave?" asked Tirek.

" I'd rather soon forget about them," I replied.

" Then you shall fail in due time," said Tirek.

" What does that mean?" I asked.

" Perhaps this is where you shall finally meet your end kid? Or, you may yet choose to embrace what you would call a cherished memory to help you. My power grows even more with every passing second, and I yearn to use the full extent of my strength against you, but then I may not even need to because the trials of my castle shall be what kills you in the end," replied Tirek.

His voice trailed off once again, but I knew at this point that he wants me to reach his location, but he hopes that his defences will soften me up especially since they have so far failed in their task to do so.

" It looks like there aren't any monsters around," I said.

" Do you recall what we encountered in the Ice Cavern?" asked Spike.

" I remember the Ice Keese without a doubt, but there was that other one," I replied.

" You're thinking of a Freezard, and you should remember their ability to be invisible," said Spike. That's right! Some of those frozen chunks of ice appear transparent, and can show up out of nowhere, so it looks like a few of them are somewhere in this room. I need to destroy them quickly before they begin to freeze me on the spot.

I probably won't get killed because of my health enhancement, but it will become an inconvenience because of taking too much damage which would prompt me to use one of my Blue Potions. I might even need to use one because of the Blue Fire being necessary to melt the red ice which I can see behind the altar.

" I'm already starting to feel cold," I said.

" That's because of the icy conditions, and most likely in the rooms that follow, but remember that this isn't the Ice Cavern, so you don't need to worry about having to trudge through numerous rooms while battling against the deep chill. By the way, I should mention right now that warp songs don't work while you're exploring the castle, so don't even bother trying to play the Ocarina of Time unless it's for something extremely specific," said Spike.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed.

" The dark power which radiates here is so powerful that it prevents you from warping under any circumstances. If for some reason you desire to warp to another location, you won't be able to unless you exit the castle. I'm not sure if this will apply to Ganon's Tower as I have no idea how that area works," said Spike. Even though I wasn't going to be warping as I want to end this, it was a slight inconvenience because it would mean backtracking all the way outside.

The cold chill was now starting to affect me as I was shivering and trying my best to keep warm, so I needed to work fast if I want to reach my goal, and not freeze to death before getting there. Walking forward, I quickly found myself dodging the falling icicles which constantly fell from above, for every time one dropped down, it would get replaced with another seconds later.

I suppose this would be a good time to use the Megaton Hammer, but I decided instead to rely on my fire magic as I can use it to warm myself up when it gets too cold. Once I had reached a safety area where the icicles couldn't hit me, I melted the icicles which were surrounding the altar, and the resulting water seeped into the ground where it froze instantly.

" I need to make a run for it, and grab some Blue Fire," I said.

" Good thing you have an empty bottle," said Spike.

" It was because I ran out of rupees which prevented me from filling up the remaining bottle with Blue Potion," I said.

" Remember to watch for the Freezards as they are going to be lurking about. You can either use the Megaton Hammer and shatter them to pieces, or you can go with a more direct approach which involves using your magic," said Spike.

" Do I even need to destroy them?" I asked.

" There's a locked door behind the red ice which can barely been seen, so it's safe to assume that you need to," replied Spike.

" I'm not sure why, but I have this feeling that I'll need a second bottle of Blue Fire. I don't want to drink my Blue Potions as I spent so many rupees on buying them, and using them when I have full health and slightly lower magic power would just be a waste. Maybe what I'll do is enter the next room, then come back into this one and refill my one empty bottle with Blue Fire again.

My plan won't work though if that door ends up closing behind me with iron bars, and that would mean being stuck here until I freeze to death as my magic wouldn't last forever," I said.

" No need to worry about it until the time comes," said Spike. I dashed to the altar where I took out my lone empty bottle filling it up with Blue Fire all while being pelted by icicles falling from above. My enhanced defence was kicking in at this point as I couldn't feel any kind of damage, but I was taking small tidbits worth that could eventually build up over time. Before I could walk over to the red ice to melt it, something appeared out of nowhere, and blasted a cold spray which froze me on the spot.

" I hate being frozen," I said.

" You'll break free in a few seconds," said Spike. The moment I shattered my icy prison, another Freezard came along where it subjected me to a second blast freezing me again, and when I broke out of this ice, a third one froze me on the spot. This was starting to get on my nerves because my health was slowly being reduced all because of being trapped. This time, I decided to hold off on breaking free as I wanted those icy monsters to move by otherwise this will continue repeating where I'll freeze to death.

Once it was clear to make a move, I shattered the ice covering me, and moved towards the red ice which attracted the attention of all three Freezards who appeared out of nowhere. Before any of them could react, I used my fire magic to melt them into puddles, and defeating them unlocked my way forward when the iron bars rose up.

" That was an unbearable moment," I moaned.

" Be thankful you didn't take as much damage as you did before," said Spike.

" My intention was to not be injured period, but I guess Ganondorf was being serious when he said that I was having too easy of a time in here," I said.

" Do you need to drink one of those Blue Potions?" asked Spike.

" No, I think I can keep on going as my enhanced defence did reduce the amount of damage I took. I do wish that I could have acquired this ability from the Great Fairy a lot sooner," I replied. I noticed a couple of small treasure chests which were hiding behind ice that couldn't be shattered, but I was having my doubts because they didn't materialize upon the Freezard's defeat, or drop down from the ceiling.

There could be something useful inside those chests, or perhaps these were trap chests. " What do you think Spike? Should I attempt to open up those chests, or leave them alone and keep going?"

" Hard to say what's inside, and you don't have the means to check for certain, so I say ignore them," replied Spike. Getting close to the red ice, I took out the bottle which was carrying the Blue Fire, and I sprinkled it across the ice which caused it to melt away. When I entered the next room, I immediately turned around where I was relieved to see that the door didn't lock behind me, and I could see a patch of red ice located on top of a high ledge.

This means I need to get some more, so I went back to the previous room, and collected another batch of Blue Fire using my one empty bottle before going back to the other room. " Why do I have this feeling I've experienced a room similar to this one."

" Because you have," said Spike.

" Back in the Ice Cavern?" I asked.

" Yes, but that puzzle in particular was a large one which involved collecting some silver rupees while avoiding Ice Keese which were a constant threat. This is a much smaller version where you need to push around two blocks instead of one, and there are no monsters to get in the way. I suggest looking things over before getting started, for you want to try and complete the challenge without confusing yourself in the process," replied Spike.

" Since there are no silver rupees to collect this time around, I probably need to activate a switch to unlock the door," I said.

" That would be the most logical explanation," said Spike.

" I'm no fool when it comes to figuring out problems as I can be quite astute," I said.

" Like I've said before, you've been solving these kinds of things on your own without my help," said Spike.

" Yes, but I wouldn't have made it this far without your help Spike. If not for the numerous times you've given me advice to overcome the strongest of opponents, I would be dead right now, and probably died somewhere in the second dungeon," I said. It's true what I said because he has been there for me since I first began my journey, and despite the initial hesitance of being called Spike instead of Navi, the pair of us are quite the team as he provides the information while I take care of things in my own unique fashion.

Anyway, I took the liberty of studying this puzzle carefully as I want to solve this on my first attempt. If this is exactly like the previous one I experienced back at the Ice Cavern, if I make a mistake then I can push one of these blocks into the abyss where it will re-spawn a few moments later. Personally, I'd rather not have to do that as I want to prove that I'm capable of solving this without making an error.

" Okay, I think I've figured it out," I said.

" I knew you would," smiled Spike.

" The puzzle begins with that second block over there," I said as I walked over to where it was situated....more like slipped my way across because the icy floor gave me little in the way of traction, and this was while I was wearing my regular boots mind you. Pushing the block until it collided with a small ice stone which was stuck in the frozen floor bringing it to a stop, I then pushed it where it fell into a small hole in the floor. I then started shivering as the cold air was really getting to me, so I used my magic to warm myself up.

With that block taken care of, I can now push the other one, and hopefully it will end where I need it to be. I pushed it into the northern most ice stone before pushing it into the next one a short distance away, and then pushing it where it smacked into the wall. " And that is how this puzzle was meant to be solved, yet it felt rather easy to me."

" Yes which is most troubling," said Spike.

" Maybe Ganondorf really does want me to reach him," I said.

" He does need the Triforce of Courage which you have if he wants to gain the True Force, but there is another side of the legend which no one, not even Princess Zelda herself mentioned to you. In fact, she should have said something about it given the Evil King is surely to rely on the method," said Spike.

" What's that?" I asked.

" The Triforce pieces cannot be separated from those who have been chosen to hold them. You, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf are bound by the golden power, but should you act against the element you represent, it will become lost. It can also be taken away should you willingly choose to give it up, yet I suspect Ganondorf will try to force you to give them up," replied Spike.

" How do you know about this?" I asked.

" The Great Deku Tree mentioned it a long time ago," replied Spike.

" I hate to say it Spike, but I think I'm walking into what could be described as the ultimate trap, for he needs the Triforce piece I have if he wants to fulfill his desires, but if I had kept away and maybe leave the kingdom, he wouldn't have been able to win. But, doing that would mean Twilight and all of Hyrule suffering his fury," I said.

" Either decision results in a disaster," said Spike.

" So I have no choice but to walk into the trap," I sighed.

" Which is probably what he wanted," added Spike. Once again, the Evil King had manipulated me. He knew I would come to his castle by kidnapping Twilight, and took advantage of it. I guess Ganondorf is someone I've been underestimating when it comes to his cunning, as my opinion of him mainly revolved around his desire for power. That is just one of his characteristics with others being a manipulator, a skilled swordsman, a clever thief, and having knowledge of the Triforce.

" I must be cautious when I reach him," I said.

" Yes, for you can't fall for any of his tricks," said Spike. Slipping across the frozen floor until I reached the ice block which smacked into the wall and climbed onto it, I leapt up and grabbed the edge before pulling myself up where I was standing before the red ice. This patch was much thicker than what I saw in the previous room, but then that doesn't matter as Blue Fire can melt it no matter what.

Taking out the bottle I used to pick some Blue Fire with, I sprinkled it on the ice where it melted, and revealed a rusty switch which I wasn't expecting. It meant needing to use the Megaton Hammer again, but not in the manner I was expecting, and when I activated the switch, the door unlocked and I jumped down below before sliding across to the door before smacking into it.

" You did it again," said Spike.

" I knew this was going to end up happening," I sighed. Getting back onto my feet, and entering the next room, I was now standing before the third barrier which needed destroying. " I'm expecting a conversation with Rarity, yet I wonder what she has to say considering it's been some time since I last saw her." I took out the Fairy Bow and fired a Light Arrow which destroyed the barrier, and sure enough I was visited by an image of Rarity.

" The Water Barrier has been dispelled, so now you are halfway through your objective Sunset Shimmer. I would have thought that you would be finished by now, but it seems you are struggling against some powerful forces. Do not feel discouraged because of not being as fast as you wanted to be, but keep up the effort. Also, I wish to know how my father has been faring," said Rarity.

" You'd be surprised at the lack of challenges," I said.

" What? That is a shock for I had expected Ganondorf to have wanted you killed before you could reach him," said Rarity.

" I have the one thing he needs," I said.

" Oh yes, you currently possess the Triforce of Courage, so he wants you to get to the top of his tower," said Rarity.

" As for the well-being of your father, he has been doing well as far as I can tell," I said.

" Deep down in his heart, he wishes for me to return to his side because the entirety of our people still remain trapped under the ice, but I cannot do so as destiny has chosen me to protect the Water Temple. I am sure he will eventually overcome this grief which has stricken him so, but I cannot return until this situation has been resolved.

None of us Sages can return until the evil of the world has been defeated, and even then we may be forced to remain at the Chamber of Sages. We do not what is going to happen when Ganondorf is sealed away, but I am hoping we can go back to Hyrule," said Rarity.

" Then I need to continue destroying those barriers," I said.

" Yes, for when all of them are gone, the way forward to the princess will become open. Allow me to return you to the main room of the castle, and please do hurry up about it," said Rarity. Her image then disappeared and once again I ended up back in the main area where I witnessed the blue energy disappear before my eyes. I was indeed halfway done with these passageways, yet I suspect Ganondorf will make the remaining ones that much harder because my progress has been quicker than he expected.

" Which barrier should we destroy next?" I asked.

" How about Light?" asked Spike.

" I don't see why not, and we do need to get rid of that monolith stone which should be no problem especially with the Golden Gauntlets," I replied. Walking down the next set of stairs until I was standing in front of the giant rock that was blocking my path, I grabbed it with my hands and lifted it up without any trouble.

Once again, I felt awesome because of holding such a heavy stone, but I didn't have time to show off because that would leave me susceptible to corruption. So, I tossed the monolith stone behind me where it shattered on impact against the wall before disappearing completely. " That was a lot easier than I expected, but then can the same be said for what lies down this passage?"

" Of the six types, there was no Light Temple for us to explore, so what lies ahead is a complete mystery," replied Spike.

" Adagio mentioned illusions and not to be deceived by them," I said.

" It's not much information, but it's better than nothing," said Spike. Opening the door and entering the room, I saw a large assortment of chests in a circle formation, yet there appeared to be nothing else which struck me as odd. No doubt these chests were traps, but I doubt all of them could be. There was also a locked door at the end of the room, so it looks like I need to open some chests in order to acquire a small key. Again, the lack of anything made me feel uneasy as though something were waiting in the shadows.

" This is starting to creep me out a little," I said.

" So, you have already destroyed three of the six barriers have you kid?" asked Tirek.

" I'm getting closer to facing you," I replied.

" That shall depend on whether or not you can complete the trials that lie ahead. Perhaps there is more to this than what appearances are showing, or maybe your perception needs improvement. So far, you have overcome many challenges by using a combination of your strength, magic, knowledge, and courage, yet luck is the one factor which has rarely been a factor," said Tirek.

" Quite the obvious hint there," I said.

" Perhaps, but how sure are you that my words are accurate?" asked Tirek.

" I don't," I answered.

" Then perhaps your perception is even weaker than you yourself would like to admit," said Tirek. Once again, his voice disappeared and I'll admit that it was getting rather annoying at this point, and why was he insisting that my way of looking at things was weak and in need of improvement? Could it be that I need to use the Lens of Truth in order to see something? I'm not sure what Ganondorf was planning, but I need to go through it if I am to reach the next barrier.

Raising the lens to my eye, my entire body turned white for there were monsters in every possible direction. Dozens of Keese were flying above me, and in-between each chest was a Skulltula, and blocking the door appeared to be a Stalfos, so it looks like the Evil King has raised the stakes as it were. I need to find a way to get through this obstacle, or else this could be the end....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 68: The Other Trials of Darkness

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 10, 2015
Chapter 68: The Other Trials of Darkness.

" I can't believe there are so many monsters in this room," I said.

" You have to give Ganondorf credit for wanting to make things more difficult, yet I see this as testing you to see if you can fight your way through an onslaught. On the plus side, all of these monsters save for that Stalfos by the locked door are easy to defeat, so it's not like this is going to be impossible. My advice would be to remain calm, and approach this situation carefully," said Spike.

" I suppose transforming is an option, but that would be a waste as I need to save it until I come face to face with the Evil King. I still want to prove that I'm capable of handling things without needing a cheap means, and my alternate form definitely counts. My regular magic can destroy the Skulltulas, but will set fire to the Keese, and of course the Stalfos could become a problem as there is no way of knowing if Ganondorf has enhanced its powers," I said.

This problem was making me think hard about how to deal with so many monsters, for each of them has its own unique traits that makes defeating them slightly annoying because of having to switch between different tactics. The Skulltulas will fall to just about anything aside from a strike against their fronts, the Keese are vulnerable to arrows, but magic is useless because of their ability to change into stronger versions of themselves.

The Stalfos on the other hand requires me to fight using combat related skills such as a sword and shield for instance. Even when I take care of all these monsters, the next problem involves dealing with numerous treasure chests. One of them has the small key I need, and the rest could contain who knows what which is quite a risky venture.

" I've counted a total of two dozen Keese flying above us," said Spike.

" I don't know if I have enough arrows to defeat all of them with," I said.

" The Longshot can work although you will have to wait for the chain to retract back once it reaches its maximum distance. There are eight chests in the room, so that gives us eight Skulltulas, and you can use magic on them. The one Stalfos though is difficult to predict as like you said, Ganondorf could have made it more powerful," said Spike.

It would be foolish to just rush in, for while I wouldn't take much damage because of my defence enhancement, I would still get hit, and forced to use a Blue Potion which I'd rather save for Ganondorf. Also, I can't deal with different monster types as I can't exactly switch between weapons that quickly, so there must be some way I can get through this without taking too much damage.

" Maybe I should fight one kind of monster at a time," I suggested.

" I'd attack the Keese first as they are the majority, and then follow up with the Skulltulas, and finally the Stalfos," suggested Spike.

" Better get my Fairy Bow ready," I said.

" Do you have enough arrows?" asked Spike.

" Let me take a quick count as those monsters haven't noticed me just yet," I replied. I then removed the quiver which was slung onto my back, and began counting up how many arrows I had. I'm glad I took the time to get those larger quivers because who would have guessed that a bow would be so incredibly useful. It makes all of my other weapons pale in comparison, but they have their uses as well, and can even do things which a bow cannot.

" I've got 20 arrows which isn't enough to defeat all of those Keese unless I were to strike a couple at the same time. Guess I should have bought more than just potions when we paid a visit to Kakariko Village, but it's too late to worry about it now."

" Again, you do have the Longshot," said Spike.

" I know, but it has more restrictions. If only those bats weren't immune to my magic then I could have easily taken them out, but I can't do that because of their ability to set themselves on fire," I moaned.

" Remember they won't just let you pick them off as they will be flying about, so you will need to aim very carefully. Good thing you were taught how to use that bow when we visited the Shooting Gallery," said Spike. Despite his rather gruff exterior, Iron Will turned out to be a pretty good teacher even though he had a business which involves playing a game using exploding mobile bombs. From where I was standing, there was no way I could hit any of those Keese as while I've gotten better, I still have the occasional mishap.

I slowly walked forward so as to not draw any kind of attention towards myself, and quietly took out the Fairy Bow. I made sure to check on the Stalfos as it could move at any time. Aiming upwards at the Keese, I began firing every arrow that was in my quiver hoping to at least destroy over half of them, and the results ended up going well in my favour considering most of my shots were hits.

" How many did I get?" I asked.

" I'd say you took down roughly 17 of them, so you still have another seven more to go, but you're out of arrows," replied Spike.

" It was necessary because I didn't want to constantly miss," I said.

" Without any arrows, you can't destroy the remaining barriers as only a Light Arrow will work on them. Anything else is just going to be a waste of time, so hopefully you can smash some pots in the future, and pick up at least ten arrows," said Spike. I'll admit that I did go a little overboard firing those arrows, but I didn't want to take any chances because you never know what can happen. It does mean I have to rely on the Longshot to finish the job, but that will involve having to get even closer.

It does mean moving into range of the Stalfos who surely must be seeing me by now, but what other choice do I have? Putting away the bow and taking out the Longshot, I shifted forward which did make it look in my direction, but then it looked the other way, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd rather take on that Stalfos when it's all alone, and not having all these other monsters in the vicinity.

Once I was as close as I could get, the remaining Keese began diving down at me where I destroyed two of them with the Longshot, but the rest avoided the chain, so thinking on my feet, I quickly slung my Mirror Shield onto my arm where they collided with it. They then felt disoriented, and I took advantage by attacking with the Master Sword.

" Guess I should have gone with this," I said.

" Keese only come down when they detect prey, and when they have attacked or get deflected, they fly low for a few seconds before turning around and flying away again. It's this cowardly nature that makes them pesky, and anyone who has to face them often cringes because of this tactic. Anyway, now you can use your magic against those Skulltulas as they won't really do much," said Spike.

" That's good for I need to keep my eye on that Stalfos anyway, and my magic has a pretty good range," I said. After I put the Longshot away, I flung fireballs at each skeletal spider where they burst into flames before burning to ashes. " All that's left is that Stalfos, yet I wonder why he would have one guarding a room like this?

Normally, they would be seen in a more danker environment, but I suppose it's here to serve as an actual challenge considering everything else so far has been more nerve-wracking than difficult. Do you think I should try fighting it with the Biggoron's Sword?"

" It will take you less time to defeat it if you were to use that giant blade, but remember that it requires two hands," replied Spike.

" I can afford to take the risk because of my defence enhancement, yet you do make a valid point as I would be defenceless. You know what, I'll go with the Biggoron's Sword as I need to use it more often. I need to watch its movements carefully, and keep away from its jump attack which will still do a good amount of damage," I said. Putting the Mirror Shield on my back, and drawing the Biggoron's Sword, I ran forward where my opponent finally took notice, and began to move forward in an attempt to meet me half way.

The Stalfos immediately used a jump attack which I avoided by stepping backwards in time, and then it swung its sword in a crooked pattern just like they all do. As its blade swung upwards, I slashed it with my sword causing some damage, but I knew it wouldn't be enough as this thing is resilient. It then jumped backwards before leaping forward with its jump attack again, and I responded by swinging my sword in a upward curve striking it through its rib cage shattering the entire thing to pieces.

" Well that was easy," said Spike.

" It shouldn't have," I said.

" Perhaps Ganondorf did use an enhancement, but one were it was forced to act in a more simplistic manner. The previous Stalfos we've seen were much more deadly, and you were afraid of fighting them because of what happened in the Forest Temple. Yet, this wasn't even an actual battle, but rather a mere skirmish because the Evil King wants to make certain that you reach him," said Spike.

" If anything, he did make me sweat because I had to think carefully," I said.

" And now we have the other problem," said Spike. The monsters were destroyed, yet those treasure chests still remained an issue for I had no idea which ones were rewards, and others being traps that involve me being blasted with a cold spray. Guess I had no choice but to pick one at random, and hope that luck is on my side which is when it suddenly hit me.

" Ganondorf mentioned that I haven't been relying on luck that much, and finding the key is like playing a game of chance where I need to be lucky enough to get the prize before losing all of my health from simply being unlucky. Eight chests surround us, and only one of them has what I need to continue onto the next room, so how do I know which one to pick?" I asked.

" Like you said, luck will play a factor," replied Spike.

" This may sound childish to you, but I think going with "eeny meany miny mo" will help me choose," I said. Spike's jaw dropped for a change which didn't really suit him all that well, but this was an act of desperation. I then pranced about singing a song which was probably one of the most humiliating things I've ever done and at my age no less, but when I finished, I placed my hand onto a chest.

" This is the one I'll open first, so I hope this wasn't a poor choice." Kicking it open, I took out a red rupee which was better than being frozen, but it wasn't the key. That now leaves me with seven choices which does increase my chances of opening the wrong one.

" You're not going to sing again are you?" asked Spike.

" I might as well seeing as it does calm my nerves," I replied.

" And just when I thought I knew everything about you Sunset Shimmer, you go and do something like this," moaned Spike. Yes, it was pretty embarrassing to resort to something done by children, but it makes me feel at ease when choosing among these chests. Maybe I should skip the prancing about for his peace of mind, and just say the words. Once I went through it a second time, I chose a chest three to the right of the one I had opened, and when I kicked it open, I ended up getting nothing which was both a relief and a disappointment.

" An empty chest," I said.

" First time that has happened," said Spike.

" I'll try this tactic one more time, and if I don't get the key this time, I'll open up all of the chests until I get it," I said. That could be risky given how I don't want to get blasted with a cold spray if I get it wrong, so I said the words again choosing a chest that was located on the opposite side. Crossing my fingers and kicking the chest open, I took out the small key which made me breathe a huge sigh of relief.

" Third time turned out to be the lucky one after all, so now we can finally unlock the door. No, I have no plans on opening up anymore chests as I don't want my good fortunate to fall apart." The remaining chests most likely contained traps or nothing, so ignoring them was the best idea I could consider. Walking over to the door and unlocking it, I entered a very small room where another locked door was in front of me. " What kind of room is this!?!?"

" A really small one," replied Spike.

" All jokes aside, this is probably the smallest room I've seen in any of these dungeons," I said.

" There is probably a lot more to this than we suspect, so searching around should give us an idea," suggested Spike. The room itself was pretty decorated with candles on the walls, and the carpeting which stops mere inches from the door. I was expecting a Like-Like to drop down from above as a room like this would be an ideal place for one, but there was nothing here aside from the locked door.

" Do you see anything?" I asked.

" Despite those candles lighting up the room, it's hard to see what is in here," replied Spike.

" We may have to leave this passageway, and come back later when we have the small key," I suggested.

" That might be a little too obvious when you think about it. In previous situations like this, leaving the immediate area would be the right decision to make especially because we can't go any further, but maybe we shouldn't be so hasty about it. The Great Fairy did say to not be fooled by illusions, so that means the key is somewhere very close by, and we need to find it," said Spike.

" And where do you suppose the chest could be?" I asked.

" That's where this test comes into play, for you need to find it through the use of luck," replied Spike. Luck he says....much of the time my luck has been nothing but bad because of almost being killed on numerous occasions among other things, but I suppose this could be a perfect opportunity to change my fortune around.

It dawned on me that the carpet which I took note of earlier stopped inches away from the door rather than go straight up to it, so I decided to check it out again because it felt really suspicious. Upon a closer inspection of that part of the floor, I could barely make out what appeared to be the crest which represents the royal family, but what could it be doing here in a place like this?

" Look what I found," I announced.

" Why is that here?" asked Spike.

" I was thinking the exact same thing, and while it does look out of place, it's the only thing we've got to go with. If something does go wrong, then I hope I'll be able to handle it," I replied. Standing on the crest and taking out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, I played Twilight's Lullaby which caused a small treasure chest to drop down from the ceiling.

The chest had landed in a small groove to the right of where I entered from, so I walked over to it where I kicked it open, and took out a small key which didn't make any sense at all. " Why would place the key here in the same room as the locked door? It would have made a lot more sense to have hidden it elsewhere, and forced me to search the entire castle."

" I agree that this doesn't add up," said Spike.

" Maybe he just hates the light," I suggested.

" How do you figure that?" asked Spike.

" A man like Ganondorf is someone who relies on darkness, and believe me I should know that better than most. Anyway, people like him view light as the worst thing imaginable because of what it can do to them, so they see it as nothing more than a weakness. This passageway was one that he probably created at the very last moment, for it's lacking compared with the rest of the passages. He could have used something more powerful rather than a large horde of weak creatures," I replied.

" When you were evil, did you hate the light?" asked Spike.

" Friendship is a feeling which is associated with that particular element, and I viewed both with equal disdain. I've since realized how miserable I must have been without accepting it into my heart," I replied.

" Do you suspect the next room is going to be another easy challenge?" asked Spike.

" I'm not holding my breath, so I'll say yes," I replied. Unlocking the door and opening it, I found myself inside of a circular room which was rather small, and I could just barely make out the tip of a silver rupee on top of an odd-shaped platform. Since this was yet another silver rupee challenge, I slapped my head in response, but when I walked forward, I was bowled over by a larger boulder which seemingly came out of nowhere.

Before I could react, I got knocked down again by a second boulder, and I crawled to a safety spot as a result which also allowed me to collect the first rupee.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" That didn't hurt all that much, but it certainly was inconvenient," I replied.

" Those boulders do make traversing this room a bit more difficult, but it's not exactly all that threatening," said Spike.

" Again, Ganondorf doesn't think too highly of the light, so the challenges of this passageway have been underwhelming, yet surprising because I wasn't expecting to have to deal with boulders considering this isn't Death Mountain," I said. It seems these boulders roll past me every five seconds, so I would need to act fast to collect those rupees otherwise I'm going to be knocked down quite often. " I'm still not happy about this being another silver rupee challenge though."

" We have been experiencing those in every dungeon since the Ice Cavern excluding the Water Temple," said Spike.

" You'd think they would have come up with a different idea by now rather than reusing what is essentially the same idea every time, but using some slight modifications because of the room shape for instance," I moaned.

" No point in complaining about it Sunset Shimmer as that will do you no good," said Spike. I really wanted to complain as I was getting fed up with having to collect these silver rupees just to open the way forward, but I knew there was nothing else I could other than grin and bear it. When a boulder rolled by, I immediately ran around the room making certain to stop in a safety spot as there were three surrounding this odd platform, and a silver rupee was situated in each one.

There was also a groove in the wall which contained another rupee, so I had one more left and I had only just started. Despite my complaining about having to do these challenges, this was perhaps the fastest one I've completed not to mention the easiest.

" Where is the last one?" I asked.

" It should be on top of that platform," replied Spike.

" Oh yeah! I remember seeing it when we entered the room," I said. This resulted in me slapping myself in the forehead because how could I have forgotten something like that so quickly. I took out the Longshot where I looked up and noticed a Hookshot plate on the ceiling, so I fired the chain and pulled myself up and quickly collected the final rupee. The door then unlocked, so I quickly looked around to see where it was, and it happened to be located on the opposite side of where I entered from.

" I'm going to wait until I get a free moment in-between those boulders before I jump down." I didn't have to wait for very long as a boulder rolled by which prompted me to make my move. I reached the door just as the other one was rolling by, and I opened it up where I entered the room which housed the barrier as the décor matched the previous chambers....yet this one was different. " Spike?"

" Yes, Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.

" Shouldn't the barrier be in this room?" I asked.

" Yes," replied Spike.

" Then where is it?" I asked. The barrier was no where to be found, and it made me wonder what was going on. At first I thought someone had already destroyed it for me, but that was impossible as no else would have the Light Arrows. Maybe Ganondorf decided to move the barrier to another location, yet that didn't make sense as he doesn't seem like the kind of person who could play such a prank given he calls himself the King of Evil. It has to be here somewhere for it couldn't have just vanished without a very good reason.

" Didn't the Great Fairy mention something about illusions?" asked Spike.

" She said not to be fooled by them," I replied.

" Then what if this room is an illusion? This was probably done in an attempt to make us leave, so use the Lens of Truth in to see if anything is out of place," suggested Spike. Maybe my theory about Ganondorf made sense after all, but he wasn't someone who plays pranks as that would be beneath his notice.

Raising the lens to my eye, I discovered a false wall where a passageway was begging me to investigate it, so I walked forward before noticing my shadow was suddenly replaced with one which brings back bad memories. Running as fast as I could, I entered this hidden passage just as a Wallmaster dropped down from above, and I found myself walking through pure darkness.

" To think this was here all along," I commented.

" Be careful as who knows what awaits us at the end," said Spike.

" Are you expecting another challenge?" I asked.

" With what we've seen thus far, who knows what else Ganondorf has prepared for us," replied Spike. As I continued walking through the darkness, I could eventually see a small sliver of light ahead which turned out to be the real location of the barrier. " While you desire to destroy it Sunset Shimmer, need I remind you that you have no arrows." My heart felt like it had come to a stop because I forgot that I did use them to destroy those Keese, so it looks like I have to do some backtracking until Spike brought something to my attention.

" Maybe one of those jars will provide arrows, but if not then we'll need to leave the castle, and pay a visit to the Bazar." Grabbing the jars and smashing them against a wall, I was relieved to see arrows fall out of both, so I picked them up quickly, and took out the Fairy Bow where I fired a Light Arrow destroying the barrier. That's when an image of Starswirl the Bearded appeared before me which would be only the second time I've actually seen him.

" The Light Barrier has been dispelled which leaves you with two more remaining," said Starswirl.

" Why do you suppose Ganondorf is making this easy?" I asked.

" He is well aware that the Triforce of Courage is in your possession, and desires to claim it to achieve the True Force. However, while he could simply have one of his traps or servants end your life, it would rob him of the chance to show off his power. I can sense he has been wanting to fight you again, for he believes that he is stronger than you," replied Starswirl.

" So he hopes to guide me through the castle?" I asked.

" Through subtle means as he does not wish to be viewed as weak. Sunset Shimmer, you were wise to have mastered your ability to assume a stronger form, for you will need it to fight the Evil King whose strength has become greater since acquiring the Triforce of Power from the Sacred Realm. Do not underestimate his power for that is a sign of wanting to be killed.

I shall now return you to the central chamber, so please hurry and rescue Princess Zelda. The future of Hyrule lies with you, and I know you shall prevail," replied Starswirl. His image then disappeared, and I was warped back which still feels awkward. When I returned to the main area, the yellow energy disappeared which left me with two more barriers....fire....and spirit. For some reason, I had an urge to hear
what Pinkie Pie had to say about my progress.

" The Fire Barrier will be our next choice," I announced.

" You seek knowledge from Darunia?" asked Spike.

" I think she will give me some pointers considering she loves to fight," I replied. It took me a while to find the door that will take me to the barrier that represents Pinkie, but I found it with some embarrassment on my part after looking around for a few minutes. Turns out it was located to the right up a flight of stairs which was next to the door that went to the Light Barrier.

I really should have made a mental note of where everything was in the main area, for I could have saved myself much time rather than wasting it looking around for something so obvious. I opened the door which had the red circle above it, and I immediately started to sweat as though I had just stepped into an inferno.

" This room has lava serving as a floor," said Spike.

" Which explains the intense heat," I said.

" You need to switch over to the Goron Tunic as you won't last long enough," said Spike. I then asked him to turn around because I wanted some privacy, so he floated away for a few moments while I switched tunics. I had no desire to look around as I don't want sweat dripping down my body, for that would be just plain disgusting.

Once I was finished, I called over Spike who had spent these few moments observing the room. " It looks like you need to collect more silver rupees, but this time they have been placed in some tricky locations, and one I can't even find. There are plenty of Torch Slugs roaming around on several platforms, so you do have to deal with a lot of monsters."

" Silver rupees again!?!?" I exclaimed.

" Yet this is a much harder challenge than the previous ones," said Spike.

" Maybe so, but I was hoping for something else," I moaned.

" Welcome to the inferno kid, but I am hoping that you do not roast your bones on the lavabefore you. It would displease me were you to perish by such a common hazard, for I want nothing more than to use the full extent of my power against you. That red tunic was crafted by the Gorons, so you will not succumb to the intense heat. You have proven that you are prepared to handle any kind of situation, yet will it be enough to make it through?" asked Tirek.

" If you want to fight me so badly, why have me go through all this?" I asked.

" While it is true that you have become worthy enough to face me, I still wish for you to be challenged. You may believe that the trials of my castle are an insult, but soon the real battle shall begin, and I am not speaking about our eventual confrontation. It seems collecting rupees is beneath your notice, but you have no other choice unless you want to die here. Perhaps using some physical prowess may be in order, for you could do with having strength kid.

Speed is going to become your closest companion, but I am sure you will figure out my words," replied Tirek. Once again, his voice trailed off, and I decided to take a closer look at the room because I needed an idea as to how to approach it. There was a walkway that split off into different directions which doesn't look safe, yet I must rely on this path as it connects to the various platforms scattered about.

I did notice another monolith stone in the distance, so it looks like I'm going to be doing some lifting, but I didn't understand what he meant about needing to become a companion with speed.

" Guess I might as well get this started," I moaned.

" This would be a good place to use the Megaton Hammer," suggested Spike.

" It finally gets to see some action other than being used to smash switches," I said. Taking it out and swinging it around a few times because I wanted to embrace the actions of Pinkie Pie for a moment, I jumped onto the walkway where something felt strange. " Why is this platform starting to feel like it's slowly sinking? That shouldn't be right because I know that I'm not heavy despite carrying around all of this equipment." I looked down because of being curious, and I discovered the walkway was sinking into the lava at a fast pace.

" Now would be a good time to run!" shouted Spike.

" You don't have to tell me twice!" I exclaimed before starting to run until I reached a platform that was on the far left, and when I stepped off of the walkway, it slowly rose back up until it was back to normal. It sinks whenever I am moving about on it, and rises when I'm not using it. This would require some thinking as I noticed a number of small square platforms scattered about, yet they looked suspicious to me. " I've seen those platforms somewhere in the Fire Temple, but I'm having trouble remembering exactly where that was."

" They were seen in that one massive chamber on the first floor, and there was a bridge that went across the room. Those platforms scattered about will sink if you stand on them, so grab any rupees and jump back where you will need to seek a stable platform otherwise you'll get roasted alive. Also, be careful of any fire traps for while that resistance of yours will protect you from harm, it will cause an annoyance because of where they are situated," said Spike.

I could see some silver rupees in front of me, so I jumped onto the walkway where it started to sink. I then ran over to the platforms and jumped to each one picking up the rupees before needing to get back to where I started this little trek, but a problem came up in the form of the walkway still sinking because all I did was leave it for about two seconds each time.

" It's going to sink with me still standing on it," I said.

" Use your Hover Boots," suggested Spike.

" Why would I need to use them here?" I asked.

" Just do it!" shouted Spike. He was extremely serious, so I did what he asked, and switched to the Hover Boots where the walkway suddenly began to rise up. " I had a feeling this would happen, but I never guessed those boots would work that way. In case you were wondering Sunset Shimmer, those boots make you feel light as a feather, so by keeping them on, the walkway will never sink. Now you can collect those silver rupees without having to feel any pressure to reach those platforms with all due speed."

" Ganondorf didn't think I would know to use them like this," I said.

" He wanted to apply even more pressure onto you," said Spike.

" Well, it's working," I moaned.

" Don't let him get to you because he desires to express fear into your heart, and kill you without any kind of effort," said Spike.

" Yes, you're right! I need to remain calm, and approach this challenge without losing my wits," I said. It was much easier walking on this path now that it wasn't sinking, and I reached a platform which contained the third silver rupee, yet it featured about six Torch Slugs who were currently ignoring me. Good thing I have the means to take them down otherwise this situation would have turned ugly.

Slamming the Megaton Hammer down onto the platform caused them to flip over onto their backs, so I proceeded to slam them with the hammer repeatedly before they could amount any kind of counterattack. Once they were destroyed, I picked up the silver rupee which had me wondering where I should go next, and that's when I noticed the monolith stone. " You know something has got to be hiding beneath that thing as it's just too suspicious."

" If you had come here before obtaining the Golden Gauntlets, you would have broken your back trying to lift it," said Spike.

" There's one silver rupee over there on an isolated platform with statues breathing fire, but there is no way of getting over to it," I said.

" Do you have an idea?" asked Spike.

" Indeed, but it all depends on how deep this lava really is, and whether my strength doesn't get carried away," I replied. It didn't take long to reach the platform that housed the stone, and when I reached it, I had to look up at it because it made me feel small. It was immense in size compared to me, but I was amazed at how I could lift it up using my hands, and then toss it away just like that. I know the gauntlets allow me to do this, yet I'm still in awe of it all because I never would have done something like this back in Equestria.

Granted, we don't have hands but rather hooves, so the idea of using hands is pretty much a moot point. Also, using magic does defeat the purpose of what I just said....I'm going to stop thinking about it as all I'm doing is confusing myself. Grabbing the monolith stone at the base, I lifted it up without incident before tossing it across the room where it landed in the lava with a sickening thud.

" You've made yourself another platform," said Spike.

" Which was my intention," I said.

" It will be difficult to land on it correctly after you hover over because its surface is uneven," said Spike.

" Also, I found the hidden silver rupee....it was hiding under the monolith stone," I said.

" That means just one more left which is over on that isolated platform," said Spike. This challenge was certainly a lot harder than what I assumed, so I guess Ganondorf deserves some credit for increasing the difficulty, yet I can't afford to be complacent as I still have one more passageway left to explore. It took me about a minute to reach the edge of the walkway, and Spike was right about how the monolith stone didn't look even, but I can't afford the luxury of wanting to make it more approachable as I need to finish this rupee collecting.

Hovering across and reaching the sunken stone, I could feel a lot of stress because one wrong move, and I'm going to be taking an unnecessary swim. The platform was further away than I thought, so I'm going to just barely make it over. Breathing heavily, I floated across where I missed by just a small margin, but luckily my hands grabbed the edge just in time.

" Don't fall," said Spike.

" Like I'd do something so stupid," I said. Being this close to the lava wasn't very pleasant, and my heart was beating like crazy, but I managed to pull myself up where I breathed a sigh of relief before being knocked down by the statues that were breathing flames. " Glad these statues don't have any kind of knockback."

" There's the rupee," said Spike.

" With this, we can finally move on," I said as I picked it up thus unlocking the door.

" You won't need to hover back to the sunken stone, for there is a Hookshot plate right next to the exit, so you should be able to reach it from here. I suggest that you act quickly otherwise those flames will blindside you," said Spike.

" Can I reach the plate if I were to climb of top of this statue?" I asked.

" I'm not sure you can reach it from up there, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," replied Spike. Taking out the Longshot and climbing on top of the statue just as it unleashed some flames, I aimed at the plate where I discovered that I could just barely reach it. Once I determined that I was aiming correctly, I fired the chain and I sailed across the lava which was pretty intense as I was that close to being roasted alive in intense magma.

Upon reaching the other side where I landed on another walkway, I opened up the door, and entered the next room which housed the barrier which meant this one went by relatively quickly.

" That went by really fast," I said.

" I'm guessing Ganondorf didn't want too much of his castle filled with lava because of how intense the heat can get," said Spike.

" How do you suppose he got it in here?" I asked.

" This castle was most likely created through magical means as I doubt he had any soldiers to carry out such a grim task, but then it does explain how so many different elements can exist in here not to mention there being next to no locations for guests. Of course, he wouldn't have anyone stay here because of how he views everyone around him as weak and utterly worthless," replied Spike.

" I am sensing a strong magic aura radiating from the walls," I said.

" Every last facet of the castle is stained with magical energy, yet this makes it quite a problem," said Spike.

" Problem?" I asked.

" All of this magic has become quite volatile, so if a strong enough magical force were to be unleashed, it could be enough to bring this entire castle down, and anyone caught inside would most likely perish. Before you say anything in response Sunset Shimmer, it wouldn't be a good idea as it would cause an influx of magical energy to stream across Hyrule, and that could destroy everything," replied Spike.

I actually knew what he was talking about as I've read stories during my studying in Equestria about how some unicorns created disasters through that exact method, and it was because they believed it possible to use such bursts to create new kinds of magic, but it just resulted in dire consequences. Anyway, I took out the Fairy Bow, and fired a Light Arrow at the barrier which destroyed it, and then an image of Pinkie Pie appeared where she swung around that giant hammer of hers.

" The Fire Barrier has been dispelled which means only one more to go. Say, I've been hearing from the other Sages that you've gotten better at using the Master Sword since I taught you the basic skills. Hah! And you said you didn't know how to use a sword! It goes to show you can achieve anything with the right amount of effort if you're dedicated to it.

I also you've gotten used to using the Megaton Hammer, and have been pounding enemies with it like they were drums! I knew both of us becoming Sworn Brothers with each other was the right decision," said Pinkie Pie.

" I haven't used the hammer that much since leaving Death Mountain," I said.

" That isn't surprising considering it was forged by a Goron long ago," said Pinkie Pie.

" Maybe I should return it sometime," I suggested.

" It was destined to be claimed by you, and my people have acknowledged this. By the way, I noticed that you have a Goron blade on your person, so that means you had something forged by Biggoron? I recognize our emblem near the hilt, and only he has the dexterous fingers to make such a fine weapon.

I didn't think you'd have such a strong interest in weapons made by my people, so I guess we're a lot closer than before. I've got to tell my daughter about this whenever the day comes we can finally return to Hyrule," said Pinkie Pie.

" When do you think you'll come back?" I asked.

" No idea, but hopefully soon as I'm getting bored here without being able to have fun. Anyway, you need to hurry up brother, and rescue the princess, so I'll send you back to the main room of the castle. I guess you don't enjoy being warped back in such a weird fashion, but you can blame Ganondorf as the dark aura has twisted the warping process," replied Pinkie Pie. Her image disappeared, and what she said made a lot of sense, yet I still dislike having to go back in such a bizarre manner even when it's beneficial to me.

When I returned to the central area, the red energy disappeared which meant only one barrier remained. Considering this was the last temple I visited, being surrounded by elements from it so soon was weird, but I had to go through with it. Walking to the right until I reached the door, I opened it and entered a room filled with ancient traps along with more silver rupees that made me cringe. There were a number of statues that could be Armos, and finally a lone Beamos was situated in the middle of the room.

" Silver rupees....this is just ridiculous!" I moaned.

" This could be the last time you need to collect them," said Spike.

" Maybe so, but that's not the point," I moaned.

" No point in complaining given how we have just one barrier left," said Spike.

" That means we'll soon gain access to the tower," I smiled.

" So....of the six passageways, you decided to leave Spirit to the very end. Is it because you have sympathy for Nabooru? Why would you have compassion towards someone who was nothing more than a traitor? She could have become something so much more, yet she ended up turning against me thus needed to be reminded of her place among the Gerudo. Also, your spirit has endured much hardship over the course of your journey kid, but whether or not it can be repaired means nothing in my eyes," said Tirek.

" How dare you accuse her of being a traitor when if anything you are the traitorous one," I said.

" The Gerudo exist only to serve their king, and acting against the laws of our tribe is punishable by death, I did not wish for her to die for I believed she could accept my way of thinking which is why my mothers brainwashed her into becoming an obedient servant. Perhaps in another time, Nabooru would have become my queen, and ruled beside me, but I suppose some things can never become a reality.

Kid, I am hoping you understand how to utilize the sun otherwise you will never progress further! Then again, you may not proceed without something obscure in both shape and purpose," said Tirek.

" You've got some nerve...." I began.

" Such anger I can sense coming from you, but do you want to lose control at such a precious stage? I wonder how much longer it will be before you finally arrive, but perhaps you may not want to come because of your emotions," said Tirek. As his voice trailed off once more, I had this suspicion that he would be taunting me one last time upon entering the tower. It sounded petty of me to think about it like that, but this was Ganondorf after all who enjoyed mocking me just because of being in an ideal position to do so.

" Good thing he decided to leave me to my own devices otherwise I would have lost it," I said.

" He knows how you feel about what happened to Nabooru, and decided to take advantage of it," said Spike.

" I still find it difficult to grasp that those two were ever an item," I said.

" To be honest, there is little information regarding the personal life of Ganondorf given how the Gerudo kept to themselves which is true even now. Many people assumed he would one day settle down, and start a family of his own, but when you have the desire to gain as much power as possible, the idea of being tied down with a lover becomes a form of weakness.

Nabooru herself did admit that she had some romantic interest in the Evil King, but his choice to embrace the darkness made her realize such a relationship wasn't possible," said Spike.

" I guess he never forgave her for choosing her people over him," I said.

" That would explain why he believes Nabooru is a traitor not only for betraying his authority as her king, but his heart as well which is quite surprising. It's best not to bring it up when we encounter her unless she chooses to mention it," said Spike. I'm no stranger to romance, but then I was like Ganondorf where I wanted someone to love me even though I was obsessed with power. Flash Sentry....the one from the human world and I were an item, yet I used him to further my own goals rather than genuinely love him.

Rainbow Dash of this world acted exactly as he did, but she was able to get before anything serious could have occurred. Despite him being my enemy, I had several things in common with Ganondorf which made me feel rather dirty. I should focus on this room otherwise I'll start thinking about my past experiences which I'd rather not do.

" So collecting silver rupees is the objective?" I asked.

" And you still detest it?" asked Spike.

" Why has this one particular challenge been such a frequent issue for me as of late?" I asked.

" The bright side is that you earn additional rupees, but I do see what you mean. You should be glad though that you're not going up against a powerful monster, yet that doesn't seem to be a problem," replied Spike.

" Maybe he is saving his strongest servants for that tower of his," I suggested.

" We should start to think about what could be waiting for us up there, for we are very close to gaining access. I don't think the tower is going to feature any unusual terrain like what we've seen throughout the castle, but I have a feeling you will need to defeat powerful monsters to progress. So far, you've handled the castle really well seeing as you've yet to use those Blue Potions, yet you may need to use one or two of them before reaching the top," suggested Spike.

" You really think the monsters waiting for us will be that strong?" I asked.

" Ganondorf knows you've not been challenged thus far, so he has probably prepared a suitable welcome," replied Spike. This was something I wasn't looking forward, and if I do need to use those potions, my complaints about having to do all of these silver rupee challenges is a moot point. If I have need of more potions, I can just leave the castle again, and make my way to Kakariko Village.

Yet, that would take some time and there is no telling how Twilight is doing up there at the top, so I need to make purchases closer to home as it were. If what Fluttershy says is true and there is something hidden in the main area, I need to find it for it could be just what I need to make that final push to reach him.

" Do you think those statues are Armos?" I asked.

" Remember that you can check by throwing a projectile at them," replied Spike. There were four statues situated across the room, so I flung a small fireball at each one making sure to not attract the attention of the Beamos in the center. Each fireball snuffed out when they hit their targets, and no statue made any kind of movement which meant they were exactly that.

" You'll need to move those statues to give the ancient traps more movement. I know it sounds dangerous Sunset Shimmer, but it will make this much easier as the traps will be almost impossible to avoid as they are currently positioned."

" And the Beamos?" I asked.

" I would get rid of it first before it can become a problem," replied Spike. Luckily, none of the traps were getting in my way for the time being, so I removed the Bomb Bag from my belt, and took out a Bomb where I aimed carefully before tossing it at the Beamos which exploded on impact. When the smoke cleared after the explosion, a silver rupee could be seen which meant destroying the monster was a wise decision otherwise I would have spent some time trying to find it.

There was a Hookshot plate right above where the Beamos had been, and I could see another silver rupee below it, so I took out the Longshot and fired pulling myself up to the ceiling and grabbed both rupees before turning my attention to the statues. It didn't take long to move them as they were remarkably light, yet it could be I was having an easy time due to the Golden Gauntlets, yet the ancient traps proved themselves difficult to avoid as I found myself being poked numerous times.

" This is a lot harder than I thought," I said.

" Those traps are performing their task rather well," said Spike.

" No need to show any kind of compliment towards them," I moaned.

" Because they have been rather effective, I'm surprised Ganondorf didn't use them in any of the other passages," said Spike.

" Now that you mention it, I have to agree as these things have proven to be difficult. As you told me a long time ago, nothing in my possession can destroy them, so my only option is avoiding them," I said. By the time I collected the last silver rupee and unlocked the door at the end of the room, I had taken quite a bit of damage, and that meant I was very close to needing to use one of my Blue Potions.

Before, I would have hesitated as I wanted to save them for Ganondorf, but now I think that is just me being stubborn and using one soon would be a smart idea as I don't have a fairy that can revive me if I were to be killed.

" Will you use a potion?" asked Spike.

" Probably in the next room," I replied. Walking over to the door and entering the next room, I could see a pair of Torch Slugs that hadn't noticed me yet, so I can use a sneak attack to take care of them quickly, but it was the strangely shaped iron bars that caught my attention. At the top of them was an opening, and it looked like something could slip through.

On the other side was a Crystal Switch which needs to be activated if I want to unlock the door that was in front of me. " How do you suppose we can activate the switch?"

" This is going to be a tricky puzzle as you need something that can go through that gap at the top of those iron bars," replied Spike.

" Will my magic work?" I asked.

" Probably not as Ganondorf is aware of your magical prowess," replied Spike.

" I'll take care of those Torch Slugs first, and then we can deal with this puzzle," I said. Taking out the Megaton Hammer, I tip-toed over to where they were located, and once I was in range I slammed the hammer down causing them to flip over onto their backs where I continuously whacked them until both were destroyed before they could react.

This caused a small treasure chest to drop down from above, and I immediately had my doubts, but I kicked it open and took out something which I have only used just once throughout this journey. " Hey! I remember these things!"

" Quite a rare sight to see Bombchu inside of a treasure chest, yet why do you suppose these were a prize?" asked Spike.

" Do you suppose only it can reach that switch on the other side?" I asked.

" Only one way to find out for certain, but you'll need to aim carefully because Bombchu can essentially go anywhere should they get caught up by angles. I believe you have the full amount you can carry which is 50 making these extras kind of pointless, so you've got many chances to activate the switch," replied Spike. While that may be true, I'd prefer to use as few as possible otherwise it would make me feel less confidant about my skills were I to use more than absolutely necessary.

Taking a Bombchu from out of nowhere as I have no bag to hold them in, I walked to the iron bars, and placed it down on the ground where it took off. Unfortunately, I wasn't at the right angle so the mobile explosive completely missed the opening, and ended up exploding right behind me which did cause me some slight damage.

" I can't believe I got injured by my own item," I moaned.

" Bombs and Bombchu don't play favourites, so you need to be careful when using them," said Spike.

" No wonder few people have them," I said.

" Only those who know what they're doing carry them around, and that includes producing and selling them, so I advise you to aim properly at the switch unless you want to be blown up again," said Spike. I could tell he was secretly laughing in his mind over my little blunder, but he was right about me needing to be more careful as I don't want to kill myself by complete accident which would be tragic.

Pulling out a second Bombchu and aiming carefully this time, I placed it on the ground where it travelled up and over the iron bars where it exploded on the crystal switch unlocking the door. Opening it up allowed me to reach the other side of this room which wasn't that much of a big deal thus making this puzzle pointless, so I continued onward where the path went left until I stopped at a section which featured a number of sun switches on the walls.

" If only there was some light for me to shine on these switches," I said.

" Look above you," said Spike.

" Huh? Is that a spider-web up there?" I asked.

" You need to remove it to shine light down into this area, and you can use your magic instead of the Fire Arrow. Besides, your magic power is probably running out by now given how you've been using Light Arrows without grabbing any magic jars to refill your power. If you want to restore it then you should use one of those Blue Potions as remember it restores both health and magic," replied Spike. " He was right as I haven't found any of those jars since entering the castle, and I used more than just Light Arrows such as Din's Fire a while ago.

Taking out one of the Blue Potions and drinking it down, it had quite an unusual taste which didn't make me want to throw up, yet I could feel my health and magic power being restored, but I felt bad that I now had two empty bottles. With that taken care of, I used my fire magic and burned the spider-web which allowed the sunlight to shine down into the room.

" There are four sun switches," I said.

" Choose carefully as only one of them is correct," said Spike.

" That means the other three are most likely traps which could be just about anything," I said. Since I needed to use the Mirror Shield for this, I took it off of my back and slung it onto my arm where I walked into the sunlight. All four sun switches could be the one that needs light shined onto it, and because I didn't know which one it was, I had no choice but to try each one until I've succeeded.

Shining light onto the first one caused it to burn up, and then my shadow suddenly got replaced with a familiar shape....which I jumped to the side as a Wallmaster dropped down. " Whoa! Where did that thing come from?"

" That must be what happens when you target the wrong sun switch," replied Spike.

" While I am tempted to destroy it, I'll just let it do whatever it wants until it jumps back up to the ceiling," I said. I remember that these monstrous hands have an ability where they can grab and send me back to the beginning of the dungeon, and while that isn't much of a distance considering this castle didn't expand much in the way of directions, it would still be an inconvenience, so choosing to ignore it is the right decision to make.

Once it had jumped back up to the shadows, I shone sunlight at another sun switch, and it burned away which meant running as a second Wallmaster dropped down from above. It paid no attention to me, and soon leapt back up after a while. The third time turned out to be the charm as when I shone light on the next sun switch, it glowed and produced that familiar grin unlocking the door. " Let's ignore that last switch as we don't need another attack from above."

" You don't want to be sent back to the beginning of the castle after coming this far," said Spike. No, I didn't want that to happen, so I entered the next room before anything else could go wrong, and in this chamber I found myself standing before the final barrier. Without saying a word, I took out the Fairy Bow and fired a Light Arrow which destroyed it, then the image of Rainbow Dash appeared.

" The Spirit Barrier has been dispelled! How about that kid! You finally destroyed the last one which means you can now finally gain access to Ganon's Tower. I didn't think you could pull it off considering this environment and all, but you've proven me wrong. I'm sure you figured out that Ganondorf has saved his strongest monsters to serve as the last line of defence, so you're going to have some serious challenges as you progress up the tower," said Rainbow Dash.

" Yeah, I figured he would do something like that," I said.

" I know how his mind works because of being from the same tribe, so believe me when I say that you're likely to get locked in the rooms with those servants, and beating them is the only means of getting out. If you don't feel confidant about your skills, you should find the hidden shop located in the central area," said Rainbow Dash.

" So one does exist here?" I asked.

" I've got to give those guys credit for having a shop here of all places, but Ganondorf hasn't bothered flushing them out as he probably doesn't see them as being of any particular significance. That's always been his problem as he sees everyone around him as worthless, and it's that kind of thinking which leaves him underestimating anyone who tries opposing him.

If only he had wanted to take a different path in life, then I would have accepted the love he had for me, but I can never love a man who desires to make everyone suffer in the name of power. Hey kid! I heard from that forest friend of yours, Saria, about how you faced a phantom version of Ganondorf," replied Rainbow Dash.

" That was all the way back in the Forest Temple," I said.

" I hope you remember how that battle went because if you don't, then things aren't going to be easy for you. Well, they won't be easy period as he is a lot more powerful now than he was seven years ago. Anyway, that phantom was a mere extension of himself, but on a much weaker scale, so if you can remember how you fought against that ghost, you just might have a chance against the real thing. I could go into some more details about it, yet you'd probably get bored after about ten minutes.

If I had any shred of sympathy towards Ganondorf, I would have begged you to try and talk to him, but I don't feel sorry after all that he has done. You'd better hurry up kid, and enter that tower, but allow me to send you back to the central chamber," said Rainbow Dash. As her image disappeared, I began thinking about the fight I had against the Phantom Ganon, and I remember how I transformed due to losing control, but I won't lose myself to hatred this time.

I also remembered how I had to play a game of tennis which was quite a strange thing to think about at a time like this. Without even realizing it, I discovered that I was back in the central area again where the orange energy disappeared.

" That's the last one," I said.

" What do you is going to happen next?" asked Spike.

" I have no idea, but I've got a feeling we're about to find out," I replied. All of a sudden, the entire castle started to vibrate as though another earthquake were happening, but it didn't feel like one, so just what was going on? That's when a bright light appeared out of nowhere, and blinded me completely which made me feel like I've gone and made a big mistake by destroying all of the barriers....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 69: Charging into the Tower

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 10, 2015
Chapter 69: Charging into the Tower.

The light was extremely blinding when combined with what felt like an earthquake, and when my vision finally came back, everything still looked just like it did before the final energy stream disappeared. Okay, the room was slightly darker now because those streams of energy were the only thing that kept everything bright, but nothing appeared to have changed.

" It still looks the same," I said.

" Maybe, but I bet something has happened, yet we can't see it from this side," said Spike.

" You think we should investigate the entrance to Ganon's Tower?" I asked.

" If it has been dispelled, we'll know for certain by checking it out," replied Spike. When the barrier protecting the tower was active, it was difficult to spot because it blended so well with the background décor, yet you could just barely make out some kind of field which reacts to anything that were to touch it. While I didn't do anything like this myself, Spike told me about it when we were walking around to the tower entrance as I was curious.

Upon reaching our destination, it looked normal, yet something had changed regarding the magical imbalance. As a unicorn who is gifted in magic, I have the ability to detect magic, yet sadly it isn't refined because of not finishing my studies with Princess Celestia. Had I chosen to finish my studies instead of going into self-exile, I could have detected magic anywhere in Hyrule. If Twilight had been here instead of me, no doubt she would have made certain problems never happened because she finished her studies.

" It looks like the barrier is still there, but I can tell that it's been destroyed as I can no longer sense any magic," I said.

" You can detect magic?" asked Spike.

" I do have some skill, but it's not very good because I never completed my studies back in Equestria. As such, I can only detect magic when I'm essentially right on top of it. Ganondorf wants the Triforce of Courage which is in my possession, so he made certain that the six barriers were easy to destroy. Had he been really serious, those barriers would have been impossible to shatter," I replied.

" He has made so many risks just to claim the True Force," said Spike.

" I'm not sure why he did this, but I can't allow myself to feel complacent just because he wanted to throw away his dominion," I said.

" Can you sense Ganondorf's power from here?" asked Spike.

" No as I don't have the necessary skill," I replied. Once again, I cursed myself for wanting to go into exile just because I had been denied the right to become an alicorn by my teacher. Yet, she had every right to deny me such an honour as I'd done nothing more than be manipulative and deceitful behind her back when it came wanting to know the secrets of that accursed mirror. Would I ever get the chance to finish my studies? I'm not really sure as it has been a very long time now, and I might not be as gifted as I once was.

I chose to follow my own studying methods, and that obviously failed given how nothing good ever came from it. To think that my own lack of training was coming back to haunt me. Even on the verge of fulfilling my destiny was I suffering for my own stupidity. That's when something else came into my mind which I had been neglecting.

If I defeat the Ganondorf of this world and he gets sealed away, what about the one who brought me here in the first place? Do I have to face him as well? Given he used a form of magic that not even Princess Celestia herself is capable of, he could be even more powerful, and would make things really difficult.

" What are you thinking about?" asked Spike.

" Nothing much other than what is going to happen were I to defeat the Evil King," I replied.

" You do mean "when" right?" asked Spike.

" I know you've got a lot of confidence in me, yet you have to realize that I'm just one girl who happens to be going up against someone who wields the power of a god. He has more experience when it comes to fighting than I do, so despite believing that destiny will back my corner, my chances of victory are pretty slim," I replied.

" Have you forgotten that you possess the same kind of power?" asked Spike.

" Does that even hold any weight?" I asked.

" While it's true that he's had seven years to get used to his power, and you've only had a week with what the Triforce of Courage has given you, it still means only you are capable of going up against him. Besides, you held your own against him in the Temple of Time despite that unfortunate hiccup at the end, yet the fact is you can defeat him especially if you use everything at your disposal," replied Spike.

My battle back then was more of a fluke than anything else as it was a miracle that I even lasted as long as I did, and of course my transformation played a huge factor as it came out of nowhere as I had no idea it would even do that.

" Wait! I have the power of a god as well?" I asked.

" The Triforce of Courage is filled with the essence of Farore, Goddess of Courage which according to legends is said to imbue whoever holds it with tremendous courage, and become augmented much like how Ganondorf's power was increased. While you may not believe my words, know that you always had courage inside of your heart, and even now this still rings true. You do remember what Farore contributed when she and the other goddesses created Hyrule right?" asked Spike.

His speech could have been a lot better, but I've got to give him credit for explaining it in a way which makes me feel a lot better, yet I do still have some reluctance about holding an ancient artefact in my hands. Now, why did Spike decided to bring up what Farore contributed when Hyrule came to be? I remember what she did because Twilight showed me that visual aide, but why mention it anyway?

" I remember that she created people to uphold the law," I replied.

" The law as dictated by Nayru," said Spike.

" What does knowing this have to do with where we are?" I asked.

" All creatures born in Hyrule were ordered to follow the universal decrees as established by the Goddess of Wisdom, and while they don't realize this truth along with choosing to follow their own set of rules, they must still carry out her wishes which according to legend were to strive for peace above all other things. Ganondorf has spit on the law of Nayru for too long, so now he needs to be punished for these crimes, and only the power of a god can be defeated by someone who also has such a power.

Do you understand what I'm saying to you Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike. Actually, I had no idea where he was going with this, and it sounded like he was taking this too seriously, so I shook my head to indicate no. I get that he wants me to achieve victory and return Hyrule to normal, yet this isn't doing me any favours at all.

" Sorry if I burst your bubble," I said.

" You're right that I went a little overboard," said Spike.

" I know this has become personal for you because of what we've experienced throughout this journey, but you can't let personal issues get in the way. I'm going to defeat the Evil King without resorting to ruthless methods, for what kind of hero would I be?" I asked.

" Shall we enter the tower?" asked Spike.

" Not yet," I answered.

" What!?!? After what you just said to me, you refuse to enter Ganon's Tower?" asked Spike.

" Oh we're going in, but after we find that hidden shop both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash mentioned. I could do with some supplies right now after what I used so far in the castle, and I need to spend all those silver rupees on something. I have no idea where this shop is located, but I'm sure we'll find it if we look around," I replied.

Spike should have known I was going to go to this shop because of wanting to retain my comfort zone, yet I really had no clue as to where to begin looking. My friends didn't say which wall was the one I needed to find, so I'm going to be searching around for a while. " We might as well get started with this, and it could take about an hour before we find what we're looking for."

" What are we looking for again?" asked Spike.

" A wall that has a slightly different colour," I replied.

" That won't be easy because this area has gotten much darker since the barrier disappeared," said Spike.

" Which is why I said it's going to take about an hour," I said.

" How much money do you have?" asked Spike.

" If I take into account all of those silver rupees I collected in those challenges combined with what I brought into the castle back when we first came in, I should have about 60 rupees which isn't much. Why did you ask me such a question?" I asked.

" No one among the tribes would be crazy enough to set up a shop in here, so I have a pretty good idea as to who may be running such a place," replied Spike. When I tried asking him what he knew about this hidden shop and its potential owners, he told me that I'll find out when we discover its location.

I'm not sure why he wants to keep such information from me, but I guess I'll trust his judgment and see for myself. I searched every wall along the outside of the main room using every possible technique, yet nothing came up which was disappointing.

" There is nothing on any of these walls," I sighed.

" Did you try down below?" asked Spike.

" Where?" I asked. He then floated in front of me before moving downward to indicate that he wanted me to look down. When I walked over to see what he wanted to show me, it turned out there was a lower pathway which went around the base of the tower. Surely a hidden passageway was down here as no one would ever consider exploring it because they would have viewed it as just a pointless design choice. " I wonder why we never looked down there before?"

" If there is a hidden passageway to be discovered, it will most likely be down there," replied Spike. Instead of walking down the stairs to the lower level which would have been the smart thing, I instead jumped down where I landed pretty badly, and causing my legs to buckle for a few moments. " Why did you go and do that?"

" It took less time although it wasn't worth it," I replied.

" At least the fall damage in this world is pretty minimal otherwise you would have broken your back, or even your neck," said Spike.

" Yeah! I should be grateful for that," I said as I got up onto my feet. From there, I started to walk around the base of the tower hoping to find something that was out of place, but things weren't going very well. I rubbed my hands against each wall vigorously hoping to intentionally fall through it, yet the walls were perfectly fine. After trying out roughly a dozen walls, I was just about to give up in utter frustration when I took off my hat, and threw it at another wall where it suddenly disappeared. " Okay? Where did my hat go?"

" This is the first time I've seen your hair," commented Spike.

" I've never needed to take off my hat even though I've experienced countless situations where it should have fallen off. Most people refer to me as having bacon hair because the streaks of red and yellow bear a striking resemblance to bacon, yet it was only a month ago when this nickname started to be thrown my way. While I don't see it as hurtful, it does get rather annoying when people compare me with something that gets cooked," I said.

" I can see why you would get called that," said Spike.

" You're not going to start calling me "bacon hair" are you?" I asked.

" Why would I do anything of the sort? Besides, that tunic looks a lot better when you're wearing a hat," replied Spike.

" So where did it go?" I asked. Feeling frustrated about losing my hat because I've worn it since the start of this journey, I decided to press my back against the closest wall I could find as a means of thinking about what happened, and then I suddenly fell through where I landed hard on my back. This wasn't how I wanted to find the hidden shop, but at least I found it after searching for an hour....it had actually been more like 25 minutes.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I've felt a lot better than this, but at least it wasn't anything serious," I replied.

" Well, you've found the hidden shop," said Spike.

" Not to mention my hat," I added. As I picked it up and put it on my head, I noticed this shop wasn't really one in that sense. It consisted of a small room where an assortment of fairies were located in the center, and four strange plants were situated in various positions on the floor, yet why were they rustling about?

Could it be that these are more than just plants, and if so how am I supposed to purchase anything from a plant? " Spike, why are those plants acting as though they were alive? I knew there wouldn't be any people in here according to what you said, but I was at least expecting a friendly monster to bid me welcome."

" Do you remember Deku Scrubs?" asked Spike.

" Yes, I recall seeing them when we explored the Great Deku Tree, and they did show up in other places as well," I replied.

" Those are Business Scrubs who will shoot out Deku Nuts from their mouths if you keep your distance, yet they will hide underground as you see right now whenever you get close. The Mirror Shield is too powerful, so their projectiles will just crumble to dust upon contact with it, but you can use the Megaton Hammer by slamming it down onto the ground to catch them off guard. Once they have been damaged just once, they will begin carrying out the reason behind their name," said Spike.

" Which would be?" I asked.

" Business Scrubs are cowardly in nature, and fear being destroyed by anything which is deemed a threat to their existence. As such, they will attempt to sell you an item in exchange for being spared, but the problem is that they always overcharge. They only sell one item at a time, and whether you accept their deal or not doesn't matter as they'll end up escaping no matter what," replied Spike.

" It sounds like these scrubs are devious because they know people will buy just about anything, and they earn themselves some money before running. While I don't like their way of doing business, if these Business Scrubs have what I need then I'll buy something even if I have to pay extra rupees. I'm sure their products are genuine otherwise they would have been killed by now," I said. While these plants had an unusual name attached to them, it did make a lot of sense according to what Spike had to say.

The moment I got close to them, they all suddenly popped out from the ground and spat Deku Nuts at me which I managed to deflect with the Mirror Shield. The nuts crumbled because of how strong my shield was, and it looked as though they were preparing to continue the onslaught when one of them decided to speak out which was surprising as I thought I would need to use the Megaton Hammer.

For some reason, this one Business Scrub looked human rather than a plant, and then it hit me for it was someone I recognized. It was none other than Ms. Cheerilee, and to think that I would be encountering her this late on my journey, and like this no less.

" That shield of yours is too much for our Deku Nuts. We don't know how you managed to find this hidden shop of ours, but we won't allow you to walk away and report this to Ganondorf. If he discovers what we've been doing down here, our lives become forfeit, and I would prefer to keep mine intact," said Cheerilee.

" Why would I report something to him?" I asked.

" Aren't you one of his servants?" asked Cheerilee.

" I came here in order to defeat the Evil King," I replied.

" Wait! You wouldn't happen to be the forest girl who is clad in green are you? We've been hearing rumours that a girl who fits that description has been going around the kingdom, and resorting everything back to the way it was," said Cheerilee. How did they know about such information despite being stuck here, or perhaps they only started this shop a short while ago.

I couldn't tell as I only confirmed this place existed thanks in large part to both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Something about this made me feel hesitant to trust these scrubs even if one of them was a well respected teacher at Canterlot High, yet I needed some more supplies as I am starting to run low.

" I am the one you heard about," I said.

" You've certainly got the appearance of a full fledged hero that's for sure," said Cheerilee.

" Something like that," I said. There was just something about them which was making it difficult for me, and I suspect it was their choice of words. Despite this one scrub being Ms. Cheerilee, her words belied her honesty while her face provided truth. I needed to find a means to determine if I could trust them, and I was in a good position to take care of them should they choose to backstab me.

That's when I got an idea which revolved around what she said regarding the description about me. " You said you've been hearing talk about me via rumours and hearsay which prompted you to say what you just did? Sorry if you think of me as being rude and all, but I'm not sure I can accept such an answer."

" That's not at all surprising given how so many look down on us Deku Scrubs. We Business Scrubs choose to aid people in exchange for our own freedom, and yes that does sound rather hypocritical. You don't need to trust me because I've probably given you a poor reception, but please don't judge us just because of how the other tribes view us," said Cheerilee.

" You avoided answering my question," I moaned. That wasn't a good sign mind you, for it made me suspect that this Business Scrub was trying her best to lull me into a false sense of security, or maybe I'm just looking into this too much.

" Sorry about that, so let me explain. We Deku Scrubs needed to serve Ganondorf because it would give us respect according to what our superior brethren said, but the four of us came to the conclusion that serving such an evil man was too much for us to bear, so we decided to set up this shop in case anyone came here hoping to bring him down. It's been a few months now since we started selling our wares, and you're the only person who has paid us a visit," said Cheerilee.

" If he discovers you doing this then he will kill you," I said.

" Better to die doing the right thing rather than doing nothing! You can blame our leader, the Deku King, for choosing to align our people with Ganondorf because he believed it was the best thing for us. Many scrubs were against the idea as we couldn't trust someone who killed all of his followers so that they couldn't bask in the glory of having conquered Hyrule. Of course, our king refused to listen to such concerns, and declared scrubs who were against the idea as being traitors," replied Cheerilee.

This was something which I never knew about before, and I had been told he took over Hyrule Castle by himself. Maybe these followers wanted to attack the castle alongside him, yet he felt they no longer served any purpose, so he killed them personally because of wanting to be the sole ruler. That does reiterate what Rainbow Dash said about how Ganondorf killed people, and I guess it also included those who trusted him to bring them the kind of glory they've been wanting for ages.

I needed some more confirmation, so I asked Ms. Cheerilee to elaborate on what she meant about. " Many Gerudo travelled with him to Hyrule Castle in the hopes of getting to attack those who lived there as retribution for the mistreatment they suffered, yet he wouldn't have any of it, and killed them all in cold blood. I've heard some of his people wanted to know what happened to those who went with him, and his response was that they died at the hands of Hylian soldiers who showed resistance."

" They believed him?" I asked.

" When you're the king of your own people, you can pretty much do whatever you want as your people worship you. The Gerudo chose to accept his version, and they essentially forgot all about it apart from having a funeral for those who died. Our king believes we'll be fine because Ganondorf would never kill those allied with him, yet he would kill anyone if they were deemed useless in his eyes. Our king trusts the Evil King, and believes he has earned our people a glorious future....such a fool he is for believing that," replied Cheerilee.

Trust is something I know pretty well, for I had to earn it after I was defeated when I became the she-demon. It took me a long time to earn the trust of the entire student body, and my friends after that one debacle which occurred at Christmas, so I felt bad about how I wasn't giving these Business Scrubs a chance all because I believed they wanted to trap me. It also shows they had no choice but to take orders from Ganondorf as their king blundered into an alliance which appears pretty one sided.

These four have suffered plenty because of having to give up everything they had as members of their own tribe, and start a life where being discovered will ensure their death is quick and merciless. I know now that I can trust them as anyone who has endured this much have strong hearts to want to do what they believe is right.

" I plan on defeating him," I said.

" If you believe your own bravado, then purchase some of our wares if you feel the need to stock up on supplies," said Cheerilee.

" I'm determined to go through with this, and how did you know I needed to buy something?" I asked.

" For one thing, I can see your quiver has no arrows whatsoever. Also, why else would you come into this little nook if you had no plans on buying anything? I doubt someone like you has the time for a conversation especially with a bunch of scrubs like us. Now then, I'm going to guess you're lacking in rupees, so we'll sell our wares for a much lower price than usual just because we're feeling extra nice today.

Normally, we would be charging quite a large sum as what we have is legitimate in case you were concerned, but we'll slash the values down by over 75%....if you happen to have some Deku Nuts and Deku Sticks on hand that you no longer want," replied Cheerilee.

" I've got about ten or so Deku Sticks which I can't even use as I'm too old for them, and as for Deku Nuts....I should have around 40 of them due to collecting quite a lot of them back in the Kokiri Forest," I said.

" Then please enter our shop and see what we have available for your needs," smiled Cheerilee. While I thought it was odd that they wanted nuts and stick as opposed to rupees, if I can get what I need without needing to scrounge up money by leaving the castle for an undisclosed period of time, I can enter Ganon's Tower without any delay.

It seemed Cheerilee and her fellow scrubs were selling arrows, Red Potions, Green Potions, and bombs with those fairies just being there for a good convenience. Apart from the bombs, I had need of the other three items although I wish they were selling Blue Potions, but that would cost more than mere nuts and sticks, and I don't have enough rupees because that particular potion costs so much.

By the time I had finished my purchases, I purchased enough arrows until my quiver was full, and while I could do with a Red Potion, I felt a Green Potion was a better choice as I'm going to be using a lot of magic. Plus, I need a fairy just in case Ganondorf kills me which he's more than capable of doing.

" And here is my payment," I said.

" These Deku Nuts and Deku Sticks were worth it because these are quite the hot commodity," said Cheerilee.

" Before I go, do you happen to know anything about Ganon's Tower?" I asked.

"The only thing I can say about it is watch out for the armoured warriors situated near the top. I've heard they are very powerful, and can easily topple someone of your caliber no matter how skillful you are. Those potions of yours are probably going to be used up against them, so if you have need of more, then you can come back down here.

I'm not sure how you plan on purchasing additional potions given how you've run out of rupees, but we can make some kind of deal work for you," replied Cheerilee. Thanking her for everything despite how we had some communication problems at the start, I left the hidden shop although I had a feeling I'll be coming back because I've got an idea as to what she meant about armoured warriors.

" She sounded like she was talking about Iron Knuckles," I said.

" If any of them are guarding one of the upper levels of the tower then you will need to use some of those potions because they inflict a lot of damage. I know you have that defence enhancement from the Great Fairy of Courage which has been useful so far, but that doesn't mean you're invincible with it Sunset Shimmer. Fighting an Iron Knuckle is hard enough as it is, but having to deal with two or more of them at the exact same time is nothing short of a battle of endurance," said Spike.

" Guess we were right about the tower having his strongest servants waiting," I sighed.

" He left them there to serve as a final test," said Spike.

" So does that mean what we experienced throughout the castle was nothing?" I asked.

" Other than Ganondorf wanting to be amused," replied Spike.

" Now why does that remind me of something," I said to myself. It took me a moment to remember that the reason why I was placed into this video game along with everyone else I know is because the real Ganondorf wanted to be amused at my suffering. Since I've been beating myself up over my troubled past along with experiencing events that reminded me of what I used to be like, he's probably been laughing about it this entire time, and in truth I could have stopped acting in such a manner.

Thanks to being on this journey, there are many aspects about my life which I've overcome because of accepting things, yet there were some issues which still need a resolution, but how I sort those out will depend on the decisions I make in the future. The main thing is that I must remember that one line which I said during a song that came to me on a whim....my past is not today....what it actually means is something I haven't figured out, but it will come to me eventually especially when I return to my life in the human world.

" Are you daydreaming?" asked Spike.

" Just thinking about my life in general," I replied.

" Why? Is something wrong with it?" asked Spike.

" Before I was brought here via unusual circumstances, I struggled dealing with my past, but since getting to see things in a different light, I've become much better at accepting responsibility for my actions. I still have some things to work out which will take time as they are complicated, but I can say that I'm different now than I was back when you first told me to wake up," I replied.

" How did you come to Hyrule?" asked Spike.

" You mean I never told you about it after all this time?" I asked.

" I believed it was something too personal for you to explain, so I chose not to inquire about it," replied Spike.

" Since we're right at the end of the journey, I have a free moment to give you an explanation. I'll make it short because if I went with a long story, we're going to be stuck here for a while. Anyway, I was having a sleepover with my friends, or rather I should say a gathering where we talked about all manner of things.

Rainbow Dash had something which represented this world, and she wanted us to experience it although she chose to hog it. Just when it looked like it was going to be a perfect evening, Ganondorf appeared before us where he desired to see me suffer. He sent us into this world where I was the only one who retained memories of the human world, and my magic from Equestria became available," I said.

" Is the Ganondorf we're facing the one who did this?" asked Spike.

" No, he sounded much older, and his dark magic was even stronger," I replied.

" Then you must have been brought here by a future version of the Evil King who probably exists centuries from now," said Spike.

" Centuries? I was under the assumption that he would eventually pass away just like all people do," I said.

" Legends say that anyone who wields a piece of the Triforce is able to live longer, yet I believed it was nothing more than a fairy tale if you pardon the expression. If it was a future version....I'm not really sure what to think. In any case, it will be something which you'll have to deal with as it exists beyond the realm of reality, but I wouldn't let such a thing get to you Sunset Shimmer. You must focus on your efforts to defeat Ganondorf and seal him into the Sacred Realm, thus bringing peace back to Hyrule," said Spike.

The very idea of him living for centuries sounded ridiculous, but then I had no idea as to the true nature of the Triforce, so if Ganondorf can live for centuries, does my attempt to defeat him mean nothing? He will live on and continue being a threat to the world, so am I merely wasting my time because he will survive? As I made my way over to the nearest flight of stairs, I felt conflicted about this situation because of what I was now starting to understand.

My efforts despite being noble will amount to nothing because Ganondorf exists in the future, and his defeat here doesn't mean he will be gone forever as previously assumed. Now I wish this knowledge didn't become available as I would have been fixated on fulfilling my destiny, yet if I didn't know about it then I would have probably tried to figure out what was going to happen.

Upon reaching the entrance to the tower, my nerves were getting pretty intense, but I had to go through with this despite questioning my efforts. Closing my eyes because I didn't want to see what was ahead, I walked forward and entered the first room of Ganon's Tower.

" Well? Can I open my eyes now?" I asked.

" You seriously closed them as you entered?" asked Spike.

" I didn't want to see what was lurking in the darkness," I replied.

" It's actually well lit in this room which makes for a nice change of pace," said Spike. I opened my eyes where I discovered he was right, for the room featured candles on the walls, and to my left was a staircase that spiraled around the corner due to this being a tower. The carpeting on the floor indicated that Ganondorf wanted to make this area stand out for anyone who managed to make it here, or it could be his way of showing a sign of being cultured.

" Do you hear music?" I asked.

" It sounds like someone is playing an organ," replied Spike. Just hearing the sounds coming from further up the tower made me feel really nervous because the music felt ominous in nature, and I have a feeling Ganondorf is doing this in order to intimidate me considering how close I am now to his location.

" So, you finally arrived at my tower," said Tirek.

" Disappointed?" I asked.

" Why would I feel that way because you have once again surpassed my own expectations of you kid! I knew you'd make it this far because the Triforce of Courage, and your own abilities have been the key to your success, but now you must challenge my strongest servants in a bid to reach me. I won't deny how I've underestimated you since our previous encounter, for you have been getting stronger with every passing day, and that makes you all the more tantalizing.

Anyone who is deemed weak in my eyes is not worthy to face me, for they are nothing more than wanting to prove their bravado with delusions of grandeur, yet those worthy enough end up falling relatively quickly because they lack true power," replied Tirek.

" Is power really all that matters to you?" I asked.

" It's the driving force behind all beings, for we strive to acquire power no matter what the cost may be. Everyone, no matter where they come from all desire power for without it, their hearts tell them that they are nothing. If they have it, they believe themselves as having a purpose in such a mundane existence, and that is the ideal world.

Kid, I sense you yourself once wielded tremendous power long before you became significant to me, but you chose to throw it away because you believed in a different path. I suppose not everyone can appreciate the notion of wanting to be dominant, but is the temptation still there despite you having changed?" asked Tirek.

" No, I've had no relapses," I replied.

" Such a stern manner in your voice....you still crave power, and for that you've merely been lying to yourself," said Tirek. I was finding myself struggling to talk back against him because I believed his way of thinking was utterly wrong, and yet at the same time some of the things he said did have a ring of truth to them.

Power is a force people want, but they desire it for the correct reasons which has nothing to do with conquering anything. I want to become stronger so that I can defeat him, and I'm willing to believe I'll reach such a goal by defeating his servants who are waiting for me on the upper levels of the tower.

" I won't deny that I want power," I said.

" Then you are exactly like me," laughed Tirek.

" No, I used to be someone who sought power by any means necessary, and it's something I never want to experience again. All it does is cause pain and misery to everyone around you, and at the end of the day you're simply alone with no friends to comfort you all because of wanting strength above all else," I said.

" Friendship is a weakness which gets in the way of true power," said Tirek. I had a feeling he was going to say that, and it brings to attention the stories Twilight told me about the various villains who desired to conquer Equestria. They were defeated by friendship because they underestimated its power, and have never been a threat ever again. " It seems you are unable to respond, but it's not surprising given how you're just a child who has no comprehension of the natural order, and that power is the absolute desire.

I suppose my only option is to educate you, so come to me kid! If you don't die at the hands of my servants who even now are awaiting you on the upper floors, I shall grant you a fitting death." Once more, Ganondorf's voice trailed off leaving me to deal with the aftermath, but I wasn't going to allow his words to cloud my judgment.

" Let's go," I said.

" Guess his words encouraged you," said Spike.

" You could say that," I said. As I started to run up the stairs, I quickly came to a stop because there was an assortment of Fire Keese flying about near a torch which looked strange at first, but I remember that when they lose their flames, they become regular Keese, and regain their flames when either attacked by fire, or plunge themselves into an area that produces fire. I had no intention of letting them burn me, so I took out the Fairy Bow, and began firing arrows picking them off one at a time before they knew what was going on.

As each one fell and burned up in their own fire, they left behind green rupees which were worth one apiece, and I made sure to collect them as I could use them to purchase something at the shop. Once all of them were gone, I kept on walking until I reached a door. " This is rather fancy looking which again makes me think that Ganondorf wants to showcase his sense of culture."

" I can sense a strong enemy behind the door," said Spike.

" Guess we might as well go through, and see what we're fighting," I said. Opening the door, and entering the next room, I came to a stop once again as the door closed with iron bars which meant I was trapped until I've defeated the monsters. Standing in front of me were two Dinolfos, but something was different about them compared to what I encountered in the Gerudo's Training Ground. " Is it just me, or do these two look different and seem stronger?"

" They have different colours, and I can sense a strong dark aura coming from them. It's possible they could inflict even more damage which would negate your defence enhancement, but I'm sure they have the same stamina. Be careful Sunset Shimmer, for Ganondorf has really stepped up the difficulty with stronger versions of already powerful monsters," replied Spike.

The Dinolfos then noticed me, and began running towards me with their speed being like the ones back in the Training Ground, so at least I don't have to worry about having to block attacks in a rapid-fire manner. Taking out the Biggoron's Sword as I wanted to deal with this quickly, they began swinging their swords as though they were having a temper tantrum, but this was a distraction for one of them suddenly performed a jump attack which struck and knocked me to the ground.

" You weren't kidding when you said they were stronger than normal," I said.

" They inflict four times as much damage which gets reduced down to two times the damage because of your blessing, so I suggest switching to the Master Sword so that you can protect yourself with the Mirror Shield," suggested Spike.

" I'm going to stick with this blade," I said.

" While it will defeat them in a faster fashion, but I highly recommend against it because you will take a lot of damage. Then again, if you can avoid them while swinging the Biggoron's Sword, you might be able to avoid getting hit period. Still, the risk is too great, so again I suggest switching to a sword and shield combination rather than a two-handed weapon," suggested Spike. I know he means well, and wants to ensure my safety, but I'm going to go with my gut instinct even if it means acting stubborn.

Why not use magic and avoid a disagreement? I've got a hunch Ganondorf has granted these monsters an immunity to magic, for he's aware I'm capable of using it. That restricts me to weapons, but that's not a bad thing as I was going to use them anyway. The Dinolfos continued to swing their swords, and use jump attacks, yet I dodged these as I responded with swinging the Biggoron Sword which ended up destroying one of them, but I soon got struck from behind by the second.

I went flying across the room due to how powerful it was, but at least I didn't have a huge wound in my back. " That's why I told you to follow my suggestion, but at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been."

" I wanted to use it, and not doing so would have insulted Bulk Biceps who worked so hard to repair it. Besides, I have no intention of using the Biggoron's Sword when we reach Ganondorf as I know I'll need a shield to protect me from his powerful magic. Plus, the Master Sword was created to defeat creatures of pure evil, so it makes sense to use it there and then," I said. The Dinolfos then ran towards where I had landed, and managed to get a quick strike against me before I responded with a strike of my own which was enough to defeat it.

This unlocked both doors which means access to the next section of the tower had been granted, but I need to rest on the floor for a moment for those two Dinolfos really took a lot out of me despite making quick work of them.

" You suffered some damage, but it probably isn't anything serious," said Spike.

" I'll use the Master Sword when we reach the next floor," I said.

" How many floors do you think are in this tower?" asked Spike.

" From what we saw of it back outside, I'm going to guess there are six floors, yet there's probably more. Personally, I wish he had one of those elevators you can use to travel between floors as all these stairs are going to make me feel utterly exhausted. By the way, you said that it may be possible for me to play a warp song because the tower may not be the same as the castle. I was thinking of playing something just to see if it would work, but then I'd be warped away which would force me to return here on foot," I replied.

" No point playing one of Zelda's songs as you don't need to go anywhere else right?" asked Spike.

" I want to return home so badly," I replied.

" That wasn't what I was expecting for an answer, but this is you Sunset Shimmer so I can make an exception," said Spike. I was so close to completing this journey and getting to go back home, my mind was showing me all kinds of images of the human world. Who knows how long I've been away, and for that I have a longing to see it again as it feels like forever. I'd also miss this world as it's shown me sides of myself which I never guessed even existed.

The real Ganondorf may have intended for me to suffer, but I think he had no intention of seeing me embrace my new appreciation of life in general. Maybe coming here was meant to happen, and because of it I'm now even better than before despite some flaws. Once I felt rested, I walked over to the now unlocked door, and opened it where I found myself at the foot of another staircase.

" Is this going to be a trend?" I asked.

" All you can do is keep going up," replied Spike.

" Will there be any monsters to encounter along the way?" I asked.

" No, so I hope you don't end up getting bored," replied Spike. At least the décor is nice so I've got something to look at, but having to endure all this climbing without anything to do is going to keep me feeling very agitated which could be part of Ganondorf's plan. He knows my emotions are sensitive, so this could be his way of making me lose control which would result in my transformation, and become vulnerable to dark temptations.

Looks like I'm going to have to grin and bear it by climbing up what could be an endless flight of stairs. Walking up the stairs was pretty boring especially when I had nothing I could talk about, but luckily I was spared any real doldrums as a door could be seen ahead. " Now that wasn't bad was it?"

" That was pretty boring," I replied.

" At least we got to a door before you could lose your mind," said Spike.

" I should be happy, but because there's a monster on the other side, I'm not in a celebrating mood," I moaned. Entering the next room, it was rather dark despite there being candles although something bright was shining in the center, and it turned out to be a circle of fire which looked out of place.

A big treasure chest could be seen inside of the circle, but I didn't see any switches, so how am I supposed to gain access? " That looks like a gold and blue ornate chest which we've seen in the temples, so does that mean there is a giant locked door up ahead?"

" That is definitely a Boss Key chest, but why would Ganondorf even consider something like this?" asked Spike.

" I don't know, but I've got this feeling we need to get the contents of that chest," I replied.

" There's a presence around here, for both doors have been sealed shut, and I have no idea what you'll be fighting," said Spike.

" Since he told us that his most powerful servants are guarding the different levels of the tower, it's easy to figure it out based on what monsters we've seen thus far which were declared to be strong. Those Dinolfos were dangerous despite not being defensive, yet I struggled with both encounters, so if I take a look at creatures I had trouble dealing with, that eliminates all but the best," I said.

" I hope you know what you're talking about as I sure don't," said Spike.

" Aside from Iron Knuckles and Dinolfos, the only other powerful monster which comes to mind is a Stalfos...." I said as I cut myself off upon realizing I had to deal with them again, and sure enough two of them popped up from behind the circle of fire. Much like the Dinolfos before, these two Stalfos were coloured differently from what I've come to know, so that means they're stronger than usual.

As soon as they spotted me, they began to move forward, and something suddenly came at me from out of nowhere which sliced me across my shoulder causing me to clutch it in pain. " What in the world was that?"

" One just threw its sword at you," replied Spike.

" That's rather stupid as now it has nothing to fight with," I said.

" Actually, it still has its weapon because throwing in Hyrulian logic means doing so via a magical means," said Spike.

" Now I have no idea what you're talking about," I said.

" In an ancient past, Stalfos were capable of throwing their swords while still holding them," said Spike. That didn't make sense, but I suppose this is the reason why they are stronger. They then began to toss their swords in a barrage where I raised the Mirror Shield to deflect as many of them as possible, but this was preventing me from attacking. After a while, I looked forward where I noticed just one was tossing swords, so what happened with the other one?

My answer came as it tossed its sword from another angle where it struck me in the side with a sickening thud, and then it performed a jump attack knocking me back towards the door before it jumped backwards. The wound wasn't too deep so I could keep going, but then more swords came my way, and I dropped to the ground where they flew over my head although a few did clip my hair.

" This is really difficult," I said.

" As long as they keep throwing their swords in an erratic pattern, you can't get close to them," said Spike.

" Using the Mirror Shield protects me, but then I lose track of one because I can't see what's happening," I said.

" Perhaps you could use something that can stop them, but didn't you give those away for items?" asked Spike. He was obviously referring to those Deku Nuts I handed over to Ms. Cheerilee earlier, yet I did manage to keep a few of them. The problem was getting close enough because I doubt they were going to give me many opportunities, so secreting a Deku Nut in my left hand which was my shield arm, I moved closer to one of the Stalfos who proceeded to swing its sword in a crooked fashion.

I waited for the right moment, and when it came I tossed the nut causing it to become stunned. In response, I swung my sword damaging it, but it wasn't enough because I wasn't using my Biggoron's Sword which would have done it, yet I neglected the other Stalfos which tossed a sword that struck me right in the leg protruding through my flesh.

" This is a really painful moment here," I said while gritting my teeth.

" Can you keep going?" asked Spike.

" Yeah, but I'm not sure for how much longer," I replied.

" Use one of those Blue Potions," suggested Spike.

" I'm seriously considering just that because these two have been giving me a hard time," I said. While there was no sword sticking through my leg, the wound was quite serious, and bleeding at the same time meaning I had to finish this quickly so that I can address the wound before it gets worse. The Stalfos then resumed throwing their swords where I was forced to defend again, but I noticed one was jumping to my left in an attempt to inflict a sneak attack because of being distracted.

I lowered my shield to intercept this one, and I ended up getting struck in the back by the thrown swords of the other one. Stalfos #2 then swung its sword where I countered with a Deku Nut freezing it in place followed by striking it, yet it wasn't enough to defeat it because again I was using a slightly weaker weapon. Okay, I know that the Master Sword is very powerful, yet compared to the Biggoron's Sword, there is no contest as the Goron made weapon makes this divine blade look like a joke.

" Maybe you should change weapons," suggested Spike.

" That would be a good idea as I don't want to take anymore damage," I said.

" Well, you're running the risk of sustaining more," said Spike.

" I'm running out of options here, and I don't want to transform as it would be a waste," I said.

" Maybe using magic would make things easier as it is your specialty," suggested Spike. While this was true, I wasn't sure if my magic was going to work against these monsters not because of them being stronger than usual. No, I have this weird feeling that my magic has been dispelled when I entered the tower because of a strange tingling sensation I had, and no doubt it was the work of Ganondorf as he knows about my magical talent.

I then tried to use some fire magic in the hopes that one of the Stalfos would get blasted with a powerful inferno, but it ended up fizzling out as it left my fingers, so my suspicion was correct. The Evil King has prevented me from using my natural ability, so that means I have to defeat these monsters the hard way. " Sunset Shimmer? You can use your magic now as it will really make things easier."

" My magic has been dispelled by Ganondorf," I said.

" His power must truly be immense to allow him to do that," said Spike.

" Guess I'm doing this the hard way, and I'll be following suit if you know what I mean," I said.

" Not at all," said Spike.

" I'm switching swords as I need to inflict more damage," I said. As I switched to the Biggoron's Sword again thus putting my shield away, the two Stalfos began throwing their swords at me where I had to run around like a headless chicken to avoid getting hit, yet things were about to change for the better when one of them decided to change tactics.

It moved forward and performed a jump attack which did catch me by surprise, so when its sword struck me in the arm causing some slight pain, I swung the Biggoron's Sword chopping off its head which looked rather gruesome in my opinion. I had no time to celebrate as the other one continued throwing its sword where one of them hit me in the same leg as before, and I accidentally dropped a Deku Nut upon falling to one knee.

This nut bounced twice before flashing, and stunning the Stalfos which was a lucky break, so I took advantage of the situation by chopping its head off as well as its body in half.

" That was pretty fortunate," said Spike.

" But embarrassing at the same time," I sighed.

" At least you defeated both of them although you did take a lot of damage," said Spike.

" If this is what it's going to be like when I fight Ganondorf, my chances for victory are growing slimmer with every passing moment. I'm going to have to be extra careful otherwise he could kill me within a matter of minutes. By the way, what is the status regarding that circle of fire which has been protecting the treasure chest?" I asked.

" The fire has gone," replied Spike.

" It must have happened when that Stalfos was defeated," I said.

" I suggest you use a Blue Potion even though you'll only be getting half of the benefits as your magic meter is full," said Spike.

" I'm going to I as I won't stand a chance in my current condition if the next level contains Iron Knuckles. Fighting one of them was difficult enough, but dealing with two of them is going to be nearly impossible unless I transform. While I need to change forms when fighting Ganondorf to give me a better chance of victory, I've got to use my transformation as an Iron Knuckle inflicts so much damage, and my defence enhancement means nothing as they have probably been strengthened like the other monsters I've faced," I said.

Taking out one of my two Blue Potions where I drank the contents, my wounds fully healed including the one on my leg although it did leave a nasty scar which I'm sure will heal in due time. Then I turned my attention to the chest which was begging me to come and open it, so I walked over to it where I took out the Boss Key upon opening it up.

" We haven't seen a door with the lock that's needed for that key," said Spike.

" It's probably further ahead," I said. Placing it into one of my pockets, I then walked over to the door at the end of the room, and opened it where I found myself in front of another staircase leading up to the next level of the tower. This was going to be another boring climb where nothing gets said, so rather than walk, I chose to run up there instead which didn't take nearly as long.

Upon reaching this next door, I could sense a tremendous aura coming from the other side, and it made me feel so afraid, my hand didn't want to reach out for the handle. " Spike, I know there are extremely powerful monsters in this next room, yet I'm too scared to enter because of what is waiting for me. I have a feeling those Iron Knuckles will kill me, and at the last hurdle no less of my journey."

" Don't allow your fear to control you," said Spike.

" You know what happened when I faced the ones in the Spirit Temple," I said.

" Even though you struggled a, you managed to defeat them and earn the treasures they were guarding. You even defeated a special version freeing Nabooru in the process who is grateful to be herself again, so the idea of you being afraid is laughable. Ganondorf wants to have as big an advantage as possible when you face him as deep down he's concerned that you'll do what no one else has been able to, and that is bringing him down. If you show signs of weakness now, he'll just walk all over you without needing to try," said Spike.

" If he kills me then this world is doomed, and I'll never go home," I said.

" Then you know what you must do," said Spike. Now this was a pretty good pep talk coming from him, and it gave me the confidence to continue, so I entered the next room where sure enough, two Iron Knuckles were standing side-by-side by the other door. Neither of them were moving, but I knew they were powerful as the aura coming from their bodies was enough to knock me over.

" They have larger axes," I commented.

" Not to mention flowing capes behind their backs," added Spike.

" Both are red in colour which is a sign that Ganondorf has made them stronger," I said.

" You should transform now before they take notice and start to move towards you Sunset Shimmer, for while they aren't sitting down on thrones, they are active despite being still as statues," said Spike. Closing my eyes and concentrating as hard as I could, I attempted to transform only to discover that nothing happened. At first I thought I didn't do it right, so I tried again with the same failing result, and then it hit me that Ganondorf is preventing me from assuming my alternate form.

I confirmed this with Spike who couldn't believe that both my magic and my transformation had been halted by the Evil King. " That means you'll have to defeat them using your swordsmanship like you did before, so I hope you're ready for this challenge. I'm sorry about this as I didn't think he could do such a thing."

" Neither did I, but he probably can because of the Triforce of Power," I said.

" You might have to fight both at the same time," said Spike.

" I hope not as that is tantamount to suicide given how one is pretty strong on its own," I said. Unfortunately, luck decided to turn against me, for at that very moment, both Iron Knuckles started to walk towards me at their slow pace, and the power radiating from them was really affecting me.

These two must be elite servants to have this kind of power, and somehow I have to overcome them if I want to reach Ganondorf. If I don't find a solution quickly, this is going to be my final battle before it even actually happens....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 70: The Final Showdown Between Light and Dark

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 14, 2015
Chapter 70: The Final Showdown Between Light and Dark.

" The idea of your magic being dispelled isn't all that bad given Iron Knuckles are immune, but not being able to transform makes this a lot harder than it should be especially when two of them are attacking at the same time," said Spike.

" At least they aren't moving fast, so that gives me time to plan out my attacks accordingly," I said.

" Speed isn't what an Iron Knuckle is known for, but rather its immense power is feared," said Spike.

" How do you suppose this creature came into existence?" I asked.

" It's said that it has lived for over 1,000 years waiting for someone worthy enough to come along, but I find that hard to believe as surely the armour would have rusted out thus rendering it useless. It was created specifically to protect something as they were far too slow to be effective anywhere else, so they were regulated to the task of being a guardian.

In a way, it's a shame as the potential was high, yet this inherent flaw prevented them from being useful. Can you begin to imagine what they would be like if you had to face an entire army of them?" asked Spike.

" I'd rather not because one is bad enough on its own, so dealing with dozens would be impossible to overcome," I replied.

" Until you discover their other weaknesses, and then it becomes a matter of taking advantage," said Spike. I assumed an Iron Knuckle only had the one weakness aside from the slow speed which revolved around being vulnerable upon slamming that axe it wields into the ground, but it looks like there are additional flaws which could give me the edge I need.

The two Iron Knuckles appeared to be taking their sweet time given how they hadn't even reached the middle of the room, so it gave me a couple of minutes to try and get some information.

" Why didn't you mention those other weaknesses back in the Spirit Temple?" I asked.

" It never dawned on me to think about them," replied Spike.

" Well, you've got some time now," I said.

" Most weapons and magic have no effect on them, but bombs and Bombchu have been known to be effective," said Spike. He then saw my facial expression as one of annoyance, for he forgot about telling me this information before. So, he needed to come up with some other information otherwise I'm in trouble. " There is one other weakness that is mostly a rumour for no one has ever tried to see if it works, but they say that rain weakens them because their armour gets rusty.

I know you have the Song of Storms, yet whether the rumour is accurate or not remains to be seen." That does make sense as they are walking pieces of armour, but did I want to risk playing a song where it does nothing? There was no time to find out, for the Iron Knuckles had finally reached my location, and began swinging their axes around which I avoided with the utmost importance because I don't want to be on the receiving end of one of those blows.

" I'm thinking of sticking with the Master Sword as I need the Mirror Shield for protection," I said.

" That would be best as you want to keep yourself safe from those axes, but you could always use the Biggoron's Sword instead as it will defeat them in a faster fashion," suggested Spike.

" While it would make quick work of them, I'd prefer to have a shield on hand. Also, I'm thinking of fighting both at the same time rather than focusing on one Iron Knuckle, for if I ignore the other one, it could potentially make a sneak attack," I said. Just thinking about being sliced in the back by one of those axes was enough to freak me out, and while I wanted to run away, there was no other choice but to keep on going as I needed to save Twilight.

At that moment, I began thinking about how she must be doing, and hopefully she hasn't been killed or anything otherwise the bloodline of the royal family will cease to exist. Up in his throne room playing the pipe organ, the Evil King gloated over all that he had accomplished during the past seven years, and Twilight had to listen for she had no other choice.

" To think that it would take me such a long time before I could gather the remaining Triforce pieces, but I suppose fate works in very mysterious ways. Many have tried to conquer fate, but they all suffer as it's a divine force which can never be defeated. Once the pieces have merged into one, I shall gain the True Force which will enable me to finally become master of all that I survey," said Tirek.

" What you desire is beyond your understanding Ganondorf," said Twilight.

" Care to enlighten me on such a boastful statement?" asked Tirek.

" The Triforce contains a power no one can understand, and the last time anyone used the True Force was almost 1,000 years ago. No records from those ancient times have been kept, so the true nature of what you seek could bring our world to complete ruin. I must implore you once more to stop all of this before you get killed for wanting to defy the gods.

Sunset Shimmer is going to be arriving soon, and know that she will do everything in her power to stop you. I do not even understand why you desired the sacred Triforce in the first place," replied Twilight.

" You of all people should know the reason," said Tirek.

" Is it because your people have been suffering because of their crimes?" asked Twilight.

" Crimes? Such ignorance! For generations, the Hylians along with the other tribes mistreated the Gerudo all because of what they chose believe in, and were prosecuted. Yet, that is not the real travesty as there is a much deeper tension. My kingdom of the desert....while it may be vast in scope, the harsh conditions are something you Hylians have never witnessed in your pampered lives.

Every night, the cold winds would blow throughout our homes, and death was sure to follow. Food was scarce, and our population dwindled because of how the Gerudo consist entirely of women with one man born every century. On the other side of the desert were the grassy plains of Hyrule that featured much warmer winds," replied Tirek.

" Do you expect any sympathy from me because of those lies?" asked Twilight.

" Lies? There is much about this kingdom which has eluded your intelligence little princess," replied Tirek.

" I will not stand idly by, and allow you to insult the land my father worked so hard to bring to life. He even wanted your people to become a part of the unification, yet you chose to murder him in cold blood. If I had known much sooner, I would have had the castle guards capture you, and the punishment would have been execution. Had you decided to be honest about the alliance instead of being so treacherous, our world could have become so much better," said Twilight.

" He was weak and so oblivious to what was going on around him," said Tirek.

" Gasp! You go too far!" shouted Twilight.

" Not far enough my dear Zelda, for your father never told you about what transpired before the unification," said Tirek.

" What are you talking about?" asked Twilight.

" So, he kept this secret all the way to his grave, and didn't once share such knowledge with you, so it falls onto me to explain what he chose to hide which brought him nothing but eternal shame. I'm certain you know all about the war which took place 17 years before this kingdom came into existence?

You were merely a mewling child back then, so the Sheikah woman most likely explained much of its history to you, but I doubt she revealed the dark secret your father committed just before the war ended," replied Tirek.

" Yes, I know about what took place during those dark times, for it was my duty to be informed of such matters. The war was truly a devastation to all who were involved all because they allowed their deepest desires to get the better of them," said Twilight.

" It was because you Hylians chose to seal the Triforce away because you feared it would be abused. Whether your people wanted to use its power for yourselves is of no consequence to me, yet what your father did to the Dark Tribe is a different matter. Yes, there was once a tribe who dedicated themselves to the intricacies of the darkness, and desired the Triforce.

Just because they used an ancient magic foreign in nature made them a threat to your father's ideology of a unified kingdom, and he pleaded to the goddesses to intervene on his behalf. The Dark Tribe weren't merely punished for their actions....no, they were banished from this existence into a world on the other side of shadows," said Tirek.

" This can't be true!" shouted Twilight.

" Your father had an entire tribe banished, and pleaded for the tribal leaders to never reveal this secret. If the people became aware of what he had done, I am certain your family would have been ousted from their position of power. In order to protect his authority, he chose to bury this truth so that it could never come back to haunt him. Since I did not align myself with him, I need not hold back.

Now you know the secret your father kept from you, so think about what it really means. I will leave you to wallow in what you've finally been exposed to, and the kid will eventually reach us here at the top of my tower. My servants are giving her a difficult time, but she will prevail for I know she is destined to come here before me," said Tirek.

" Father....what happened back then....why banish an entire tribe," said Twilight.

" My reign over this world shall never end, and once I claim the True Force, all will finally become mine," said Tirek.

Using the Master Sword against these two Iron Knuckles was certainly better than using the Kokiri Sword, but while it would be nice using the Biggoron's Sword just to defeat them quickly, I didn't want to run the risk of losing too much health. I can afford to get killed once because of having a fairy, but I won't be able to come back from a second death. So far, I was holding my own having damaged their respective armour plates a few times in the hopes of knocking them off and thus exposing their weak points.

" If you keep alternating between them like this, you'll eventually remove the armour plates," said Spike.

" I'm not sure if I'll last much longer," I said.

" You've got a fairy on hand, so you don't need to feel worried about surviving until the fairy is used up," said Spike.

" It's not that," I began.

" Then what is it?" asked Spike.

" I've been struggling to dodge their attacks given how frequent they are, and it's gotten to the point where I'm getting tired. I know this is something I've never mentioned before, yet now is the right time to bring it up. I can only go so far before finding myself exhausted, and that moment is fast approaching. These Iron Knuckles never get tired, but I need to rest because if I keep going at this pace, I'm liable to experience a heart attack," I replied.

" Aren't you capable of running around a lot given you're a pony?" asked Spike.

" I haven't been one since I left Equestria," I replied. I then explained to Spike that just because I could run on four hooves in Equestria doesn't make me an expert in running around. In fact, I rarely did that much running as I was more fixated on improving my magic.

" I suggest you don't get exhausted otherwise both Iron Knuckles will take full advantage," said Spike.

" It also doesn't help that I've been awake a lot longer than usual," I said.

" Are you saying you need sleep?" asked Spike.

" That would be nice right about now," I replied. While I was thinking about the idea of going into dreamland given how exhausted I felt at this point, I failed to notice one of the Iron Knuckles broke off from the other, and walked around behind me before swinging its axe which caught me by surprise.

The blow knocked me back a short distance, and my heart quickly sank upon realizing that my sword arm was bleeding very badly as a result of this hit. Without the ability to swing a sword, the chances of achieving victory were growing dim, but then I remember what Spike said about using bombs and Bombchu to attack from a distance.

" That last strike really did some serious damage to your sword arm," said Spike.

" Blame it on me being so exhausted," I said.

" If you consume one of those potions, it should stop the bleeding although it will take a few hours for the wound to heal," said Spike.

" I don't have such a luxury given how close we are to reaching Ganondorf at the top of the tower, so I'm going to take advantage of their other weakness that involves the use of explosives," I said.

" Why not try playing the Song of Storms?" asked Spike.

" Making it rain to slow them down would be a good idea, but then with my arm currently banged up, reducing their mobility isn't going to be useful especially when I can't use my sword," I replied. When the Iron Knuckle struck my sword arm, I dropped the Master Sword on the ground, and while I was worried about the divine blade being trodden on or even destroyed, they completely ignored it as they were focused primarily on killing me because of being commanded to do so.

As I struggled to find where on my person the Bombchu were located, I failed to notice one of the Iron Knuckles having walked up to me, and slamming its axe down slashing me in the chest. This caused me to flying across the room and into a wall injuring my back at the same time, but when I dropped to the floor below, I managed to discover the mobile bombs.

" Why is it that I had trouble finding where I placed them on my person? You'd think they would be easy enough for me to pull out given how I've been doing so with my other weapons without any difficulty!"

" You are carrying a lot of items around," commented Spike.

" Some are easy to find as they're located either on my belt, or on my back, yet others I've had to spend several minutes trying to figure out where I placed them. I seriously need some kind of multiple pouch system to make such a transition flawless," I moaned.

" Such a concept did used to exist back in the ancient days, but was soon abandoned as the idea of someone carrying a lot of items around disappeared all because people only carry around basic tools with which to carry out their daily tasks. Legends even say that there was a special storage facility that was dedicated to storing items so that anyone could come along, and switch them at will whenever they needed one thing and could deposit another item," said Spike.

" Why was this practice stopped?" I asked.

" Again, not many people carried around that many items," replied Spike. I had to smack myself in the forehead, for it should be plain common sense to have a storage facility as well as pouches to carry lots of items around so as to not feel confused as to where you placed everything on your person. For such a magical world as Hyrule, it acted like it were a backwater society if they didn't embrace something so obvious and essential to many.

It was a miracle that these items never caused me to drown underwater, or made me plunge into a pit of lava when I jumped from one platform to the next. I'm just shocked that they even considered retiring such a useful idea, but maybe I'll bring this up with Twilight, and hopefully she can bring it back so that future generations don't have to deal with what I'm experiencing right now.

While I love using all of my weapons, having to constantly switch between them can be cumbersome especially when in the hit of battle, so it would be nice if I could store them away until I have need of them again. After checking and feeling different parts of my body, I finally found where I placed the Bombchu where again I smacked myself in the forehead.

" Here they are!" I moaned.

" Why did you smack yourself again?" asked Spike.

" Because I placed in an easy to reach location on my person," I replied. When one Iron Knuckle began to change tactics in the hopes of catching me off guard, I took out a Bombchu and immediately dropped it where it sailed along the ground before exploding into it.

" That didn't do much damage," I said.

" Bombchu are exactly like bombs with the ability of being mobile, yet both pale in comparison with the Master Sword," said Spike.

" Guess I've got to constantly use them if I want to prevail," I said.

" Because they are large targets, you won't have much trouble hitting them. However, I advise you to take it slowly otherwise you'll end up missing often, and if you run out of them, then it will fall down to using actual bombs," said Spike. Those will be effective I know, but the thought of having to get close to an Iron Knuckle is something I'd rather soon avoid if I can.

The one I had just damaged turned its attention towards me before slamming its axe down which I avoided easily, so in response I used a few more Bombchu making sure to take it slowly as Spike suggested. Each bomb connected with it causing more damage to the armour, yet it still wasn't enough which felt vexing, but I knew that if I continue with this unusual method, I will eventually remove the plate.

" Will this strategy work when they start running?" I asked.

" Running for an Iron Knuckle is the equivalent of a brisk jog to you, so it won't make much difference," replied Spike. Knowing this, I continued with the assault dropping Bombchu after Bombchu where they sailed along the ground, and connected with the Iron Knuckle who probably doesn't like being blown up so many times, but this was all I could do until my arm has been healed.

I also found it strange how I can even plant these explosives on the ground despite my injury, and Spike gave me a pretty good explanation. " Compared with the Master Sword, these little guys are extremely light, so you're not giving your arm additional pressure."

" That explains a lot then," I said.

" I doubt these are going to be helpful against Ganondorf, so by all means use as many as you want," said Spike. While I was focusing on this one Iron Knuckle, the other had been walking towards me in a different direction, and by the time I took notice, it swung its axe which struck in the side with so much force that it almost felt like being sliced in half. Instead though, it merely caused me to go flying across the room again, and landing close to one of the walls.

As I struggled to get back onto my feet, the first one walked towards me, and swung its axe striking me in the chest. While I didn't go flying after being hit, the damage was adding up, and it was a good thing I had the defence enhancement from Adagio otherwise I would have been killed quite some time ago.

" One more hit like that, and I'll be using that fairy," I said.

" Which is good because if you didn't have it then you would get killed on the next blow," said Spike.

" I really need to watch where both of them are moving as I'm being blindsided by one of them," I moaned.

" If you can corral them together then you can damage them both at the same time," suggested Spike. That was a pretty good idea, so when I got back up, I began to move about causing the Iron Knuckles to follow closely. With this little maneuver having worked, I continued dropping Bombchu which damaged both repeatedly until the armour of one of them fell off exposing its weak point. It then started to run faster thus moving away from the other one, but I had to corral them back before things could turn against me.

It wasn't easy as the fast one kept on getting ahead, but once I was determined they were close together, I resumed with the Bombchu giving them little room to make a counterattack. After a few more explosions, the first Iron Knuckle finally went down, and as it burned away to nothing, it made me feel a little bad that they have to go in such a rather morbid fashion.

" That's one down although did it have to fall like that?" I asked.

" It's just their nature of being bested," replied Spike.

" I never realized just how gruesome this journey was," I said.

" Defeating those monsters can give off that kind of emotional baggage Sunset Shimmer, but you need to realize that most were created by powerful magic. Ganondorf created the majority of the creatures we've seen, yet some were real although he most likely altered them in a bid to make them stronger than usual. There is no need to feel guilty over defeating countless monsters because most were merely given life by magic," said Spike.

" Ganondorf created them?" I asked.

" He took advantage of the darkness, and created monsters which would serve his will. Back in the past, he was limited with what he could do because of not having enough power, so when he claimed the Triforce of Power, he was able to create more monsters than ever before, and even ones which were stronger than anything previously seen," replied Spike.

" No wonder I've been struggling against certain creatures," I said. If I had known this a long time ago, I could have done something in my previous battle with him in order to stop the plethora of monsters which constantly got in my way. It would have made things so much easier for me, but on the other hand, I wouldn't have grown so much on a spiritual level had I not been given difficult challenges.

The other Iron Knuckle had finally managed to reach my location, yet I was prepared for it by using more Bombchu. Since there was only one left, I didn't have to worry about being blindsided. After blowing this one up a few times with my explosives, its armour plate fell off, and started to run faster where it began swinging its axe around which I avoided by the smallest of margins.

It then slammed its axe into the ground which I dodged by moving backwards because I needed to get some distance. Once I was far enough from it, I continued to use the Bombchu although by this point I had no idea how many I had left.

" How many do you I suppose I've got?" I asked.

" I did take count of how many you dropped, and you've got about five left which should be enough. If you end up running out before it goes down, you'll have to switch to regular bombs," replied Spike. Five left wasn't much, but it should be enough to defeat it. As I prepared another one, the Iron Knuckle came up, and struck me in the chest causing me to drop my Bombchu which exploded on impact.

The irony was that the explosion defeated it, but I slumped to the ground having been killed, and while it was burning away, the fairy in my bottle freed itself somehow and brought me back to life which healed all of my wounds except my sword arm. It still needs time to heal which means I'm not going any further despite both doors now being unlocked.

" That was the last hit?" I asked.

" And you took damage at the exact same time which was enough to kill you," replied Spike.

" I feel so annoyed that I was forced to use a fairy like that," I moaned.

" Be thankful you had one," said Spike.

" Oh I am, but it's the principal of the thing," I moaned.

" The way forward is now open, so we should keep going until we can find the locked door," suggested Spike.

" I'm not going to continue without having more potions as a Blue Potion and a Green Potion aren't going to be enough to see me through to the end. Besides, I can't fight Ganondorf with my sword arm being the way it is, and for that I need rest if I want it to heal properly. I just hope that Twilight can last long enough because who knows what he is doing up there with her," I said.

" You don't have enough rupees though," said Spike.

" I also don't have anymore Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts which I can give to Ms. Cheerilee. So, I guess I'm going to have to go back and collect some of those fairies unless she is willing to give me a special deal," I said. It then dawned on me that I had to backtrack, and I wasn't looking forward to the idea.

Sighing, I started making my way back down to the main area of the castle all the while wondering what was happening with Twilight because who knows what Ganondorf is doing to her. If my sword arm was still working properly, I wouldn't need to rest, yet I have to if I want it to make a recovery, so I'm hoping she is okay.

" The kid has defeated all of my servants," said Tirek.

" You should be afraid Ganondorf because she is now coming for you," said Twilight.

" I am surprised that you recovered from knowing the truth about the actions committed by your father, but then you do possess a strong spirit. Of course, such strength is irrelevant compared to true power! Also, why would I fear a child who clearly has no idea what she is doing? I have been watching her ever since she returned from the Sacred Realm, and her skills could do with refining," said Tirek.

" Sunset Shimmer isn't quite the hero I was expecting, but she has a strong heart. I know destiny did not choose poorly when she was chosen to become the Hero of Time, and the Master Sword found her worthy enough to wield it which is something most people will never achieve in their lifetime. I would not underestimate her Ganondorf because doing so would cause your death," said Twilight.

" I know far better than you know Zelda," began Tirek.

" How do you figure that?" asked Twilight.

" This kid possess a magic which is foreign to this world....one which I sensed a long time ago when I caught glimpse of her staring at me through that window in the courtyard of your former home. It caught my interest because it was one that nearly rivaled my own, so I knew it needed to be tested in the only manner which was deemed worthy enough....through combat.

Zelda, I was aware of your plan to try and prevent me from claiming the Triforce, yet you never knew about my plan to see what kind of power the kid had. I intended on challenging her when she had pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, for my intention was to see if she could perhaps be turned to darkness for she possessed an evil taint in her heart," replied Tirek.

" I did not know this," said Twilight.

" It seems you are not the only one who chooses to keep secrets," laughed Tirek.

" Maybe she used to have an evil heart, but she has become much stronger, and no longer walks the path of darkness. None of your manipulations will make her want to become your servant," said Twilight.

" Yes, her will cannot succumb to dark temptations although her dark self did attempt to do exactly that. It was most amusing to see those two at each other's throats because the dark form desired to consume the life of the other, and the light form wished to maintain her existence for she had earned that right.

Of course, I could have killed the she-demon a long time ago, but she proved to be useful. The only true purpose that one ever had was to constantly see if the kid could continue getting stronger until she was truly worthy of my attention. Her death was merely a coincidence which serves as a reminder that anyone who chooses to defy me shall end up suffering severe consequences," said Tirek.

" Only you would have such an ulterior motive, but the she-demon needed to be dealt with as she posed a significant threat. Do not try to deny this because you know just how powerful she could have become had the Triforce fallen into her hands. Sunset Shimmer's dark side is one that desired power, and for that she was willing to do whatever was necessary to claim it even kill her true self.

It is regretful that she possessed such a twisted soul within her heart, but perhaps now her life will not be bogged down by such a hateful creature," said Twilight.

" Such loyal words to one whose life shall end by my hands," said Tirek.

" We shall see," said Twilight.

" When the kid's life has been snuffed out, I shall claim the Triforce piece that she wields. After I have that in my hands, I shall turn to you Zelda, and claim the piece you hold which means your life shall soon come to an end," said Tirek.

Even though it took me an hour to make it back to the hidden shop, I was fortunate no monsters attacked me because I'm not able to wield a weapon until my arm has healed. It did take me a few minutes to remember exactly where the entrance to the shop was around the base of the tower, and when I found it, I walked inside where the Business Scrubs looked a little shocked.

" I knew you would come back to our shop," said Cheerilee.

" I'm here for more fairies," I said.

" Take as many as you need because you look as though the tower gave you a difficult time, and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you used half of your bottled contents," said Cheerilee.

" I've got a Blue Potion and a Green Potion," I said.

" Which explains why you feel the need to get some fairies rather than purchase our wares," said Cheerilee.

" I don't have enough rupees, and I know you can't afford to lower your prices even more than you already have," I said.

" True because we sell our wares in an effort to make money, and selling for cheap just isn't a good business practice. Those nuts and sticks you gave us will prove useful for our other clients, and no doubt they will pay handsomely, so we'll benefit in the end. I did notice that your right arm looks like it may have been damaged heavily by some kind of powerful weapon," said Cheerilee.

" Those Iron Knuckles gave me trouble," I said.

" I had a feeling those armoured warriors would do that, but you were fortunate enough to have defeated them, and almost losing your arm instead of your life," said Cheerilee. Losing my arm would be just as bad as losing my life as the thought was too horrifying for me to think about, so I decided to focus on collecting a couple of fairies. I even chose to allow some of the other fairies to touch me in order to restore my health just in case the one I used in the tower didn't get the job done.

That's when I asked Ms. Cheerilee about resting for a few hours in the shop, and she was rather surprised. " You seriously want to sleep inside of this castle? You really are one strange forest girl that's for sure as no one would ever consider sleeping here, but I suppose it won't do any harm although you are taking a risk because we can't be held responsible."

" I just need to rest for a few hours until my sword arm heals," I said.

" Yeah, it has seen better days," said Cheerilee.

" If you'd like, I could pay you some money in order to rest here for a while," I suggested.

" You don't have enough rupees to do that, and taking advantage of someone who is in poor condition which would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Like I said, it won't do any harm although that's just my opinion, but my fellow Business Scrubs may not appreciate you hanging around the shop sleeping even if it is for a few hours. I'll ask what they think, so give me a few minutes," said Cheerilee.

She then waddled over to where the other scrubs were which looked strange as I didn't think they could move about on legs what with being plants, but she began talking to them in order to see how they felt about me resting. I couldn't understand what they were saying as it sounded like utter gibberish, yet their flailing arms indicated they were having some issues. If I have to leave the castle and seek a place to rest, I'm not sure if my arm can take it because it really needs to recover.

Cheerilee walked back over to me, yet I could see she was smiling, so did that mean I could rest here? " Sorry about the arguing as they were nervous about us being discovered down here by Ganondorf, but they do agree that you can rest here, but the only condition is that you need to rest over there in the corner. While we may not get customers, we still have to do our daily inventory checks to make certain we still have plenty of stock, and having a sleeping girl in our way will just cause problems."

" That's fine," I said.

" Hopefully, none of the patrols discovers this location," said Cheerilee.

" Patrols?" I asked.

" Every few hours, a group of monsters goes around the castle, and anyone intruders are killed. If this group discovers our hidden shop, we will immediately run away because we prefer to keep our lives intact, and that means you'll have to deal with them provided you're actually awake. Hopefully, the patrol won't be coming around," replied Cheerilee.

While it was disheartening to hear Ms. Cheerilee of all people choosing to run away because she would be the last person to ever consider such a thing, I can understand how they live an existence that revolves around surviving. Agreeing with this condition because I had no other choice, I walked over to the corner of the room, and slumped down against the wall where I closed my eyes.

As I slept, the Business Scrubs performed their inventory check in silence as they knew about my need for silence, and I dreamt about how my upcoming battle with Ganondorf was going to turn out. My dream at times would try to become a nightmare, but I managed to repress these twisted thoughts as my fears mustn't get the best of me. A few hours would soon pass, and when I awoke from my slumber, my sword arm had fully healed although I should try not to use it straight away in case I have a relapse.

" That rest really did a number for me," I said.

" You made no noises at all when you were in the corner, and I'll admit that you did look adorable," said Cheerilee.

" How long was I asleep for?" I asked.

" About four hours," replied Cheerilee.

" Exactly what I was going for," I said.

" Not sure if you'll end up falling asleep later, but I suppose you can't afford to rest given who is waiting for you. I have no idea what you're going to encounter, so all I can do is wish you the best of luck. I don't know why, but you remind me of something which seems like only a dream, but I won't bother going into the details as you don't have the time to listen to what could essentially be a dull story coming from the mouth of a scrub," said Cheerilee.

I had a feeling she was trying to remember something from the human world, but because she doesn't have Equestrian magic inside of her like my friends and I do, what she said was exactly that; merely a dream which she probably doesn't understand. Thanking her once again for helping me out, I began the trek back to where I had gotten to inside of the tower before having to leave prematurely.

" My arm feels so much better," I said.

" Hopefully you're now ready for Ganondorf," said Spike.

" As ready as I'll ever be although I'm still curious as to what this Boss Key is needed for," I said.

" It's strange you received one when you defeated those Stalfos, so that would indicate there is a locked door ahead," said Spike.

" And because I had to defeat the monsters on each level to unlock the way forward, the chances of getting this key were 100% given it was right there in the open. Then again, I could have ignored it because of wanting to reach Ganondorf, and arriving at the door without the key would have been a real crushing blow. Well, not that big of one as I'd just go back down a level and pick it up," I said.

" Make sure you have the Light Arrows ready as you'll need them to penetrate his dark magic," said Spike.

" Then it's good I purchased some at the shop otherwise the battle would be over before it even began," I said. When I finally made it back to the room where I had defeated the two Iron Knuckles, I walked across where I opened the door and entering the next room, I found myself staring at yet another staircase, yet the sounds coming from the organ up top were loude. " That music gets louder as we continue climbing higher up the tower, and it makes me nervous because we both know who is playing it."

" There's no turning back now," said Spike.

" Of course because this needs to end now," I said. Eventually, we came to a rather large door which had a massive lock on it. " This must be where that Boss Key is meant to be used."

" He's not being subtle that's for certain," said Spike.

" No telling what lies behind it," I said.

" Are you ready?" asked Spike.

" I've got everything I need, and I'm guessing that once I enter this door, there is no turning back," I replied.

" The main thing to remember is this battle is similar to the one you had against Phantom Ganon according to what Nabooru said, but at the same time it will be much harder as that ghost was merely an extension of the Evil King. I don't meant to sound so pessimistic at this point, but it's the only means I had on hand to explain the situation," said Spike.

" It's okay Spike for you said what I would have done if I were in your position," I said.

" Thanks Sunset Shimmer," smiled Spike.

" My last battle with him ended up with me being sealed away for seven years, yet I've no intention of losing again," I said. Taking out the Boss Key and unlocking the door, I breathed heavily for a few moments due to who was waiting on the side, but when I entered the next room, I was in complete shock over what I wasn't seeing.

" Huh? I could have sworn Ganondorf was located on the other side of this door, yet there's nothing in here apart from a column which looks like I can climb up it, and some ledges with a large number of jars that probably have something in them." There was another door to the right of where I had entered, yet what piqued my interest were two entrances which had iron bars blocking the way.

Could these be alternative routes? I'm not sure why Ganondorf would want to have other pathways, but maybe I can find another use for them later. Since I had no need to shatter those jars because I was fully stocked as it were, I decided to go for the other door as there was nothing else of particular note until Spike brought something up which surprised me due to ignoring it.

" Listen! You can hear the music from that organ coming from the ceiling," said Spike.

" Does that mean?" I asked.

" Ganondorf is right above us," replied Spike.

" Yet why have a room like this? Was this meant to be some kind of joke in order to lull me into a false sense of security, or perhaps there is much more than what can be seen right now. Also, did you notice those entrances which have been blocked by iron bars? I was thinking that maybe there were alternate routes, and could come in handy later," I said.

" They will be very useful because those are meant to be used in case you wanted to escape from the castle," said Spike.

" Why would he have these?" I asked.

" Good question as I doubt he has any real use for them," replied Spike.

" It's as though the Evil King knows something could happen, so he made sure to have escape routes just in case," I suggested.

" But what would cause him to use them?" asked Spike.

" Like you said, he doesn't need an escape route, but who's to say that I can't use them? When he is defeated and Twilight has been rescued, I'd rather not take her all the way back down through the castle in case more monsters appear. So, I can take her through one of these passageways although I haven't quite figured out how I'm supposed to open them," I replied.

Again, I had to ignore these paths as there is nothing I can do about them, so I walked towards the other door where I opened it, and entered the next room where even more stairs awaited.

" Guess we have a long walk ahead of us," said Spike.

" I do because you can fly," I moaned.

" The music is getting even louder," said Spike.

" Which means the next room is going to be his throne room, but why did it have to be up another flight of stairs? Who in their right mind would need this many stairs? He really needed an elevator so that this could have been so much easier," I moaned. Well, if he ever wanted to get some exercise, running up and down all of these stairs would be a great routine for him, but it wasn't the same for me as I have all of this equipment which does make climbing stairs more difficult than it ought to be.

Sighing, I began running up the stairs as I didn't want to drag this out, yet as I was making my way upward, the music from the organ continued to get louder with every passing moment, and for some reason it was getting brighter as though I were reaching something majestic. After what felt like forever, I finally reached my destination which consisted of a simple door.

" I can sense an evil coming from within which is more powerful than anything we've experienced," said Spike.

" The locked door should have been here instead," I moaned.

" It would have made more sense, but that's a moot point at best. After all of the hardships which have befallen us throughout this journey Sunset Shimmer, we've finally reached the end at long last. All you need to do now is go through and face Ganondorf with Hyrule's fate hanging in the balance. I'll be with you during this battle, so I'll do everything in my power to ensure success," said Spike.

" No need for any pressure now as I don't need it," I said.

" Sorry," said Spike.

" Hopefully my transformation doesn't end up going wrong like it did last time," I said. Breathing heavily once again, I opened the door and entered Ganondorf's throne room where my jaw dropped almost immediately. To my right was his actual throne, and it looked demonic which made sense given how he has a strong alignment with evil. The organ possessed a rather archaic presence while covering up much of the back wall of the room, but it was the one playing who filled my heart with dread.

Sitting there was Ganondorf himself, the man who had caused so much pain and suffering to countless people. He ignored me even though I was standing behind him, yet I knew he would turn around to face me when he was ready. Floating above him was Twilight who was still trapped inside of that prism, and while it was horrifying to see her imprisoned in such a manner, at least she remained unharmed.

It looked as though she had something to say given how her mouth was trying to move, yet nothing happened for it looked like she was not strong enough. All of a sudden, the music came to a stop, and Ganondorf lowered his head before he started to speak which kept me on edge as who knows what he will do.

" I've been waiting for you kid," said Tirek.

" The feeling isn't mutual," I said.

" Even now you continue to amuse me with your acts of bravado, but I suppose it was all you could do as your life was threatened constantly. I knew you would make it here as you possessed the determination to rescue Zelda, yet you needed to be tested so that I could confirm if you were worthy enough to face me once again in battle.

Even though you possess the Triforce of Courage, that alone would not have been enough, and if you believed you could reach me using its divine power, I would have killed you upon entering my throne room. Once again, you have passed my expectations kid which isn't surprising given your accomplishments, yet know that I will not grant mercy to you," said Tirek.

" That battle with you is something which I've been thinking about for quite some time," I said.

" Yes, you were determined to prevent me from claiming the Triforce, but in the end you failed as my power was too much. It also helped that I was aware of what the Master Sword would do because I made certain to learn of its arcane secrets. However, you were the first person who inflicted me with a serious wound when you transformed into that stronger form of yours.

Such a power like that rivaled my own, for it was one I didn't expect to witness. Ever since I first saw you back in Hyrule Castle when you were spying on me, I sensed you possessed a magic which was foreign in nature. From that moment on, you piqued my interest although in my eyes you were merely a forest girl who hoped to achieve greatness," said Tirek.

" Back then, I had no idea what I was doing because I had been plunged into this world against my will, and I had to adapt quickly if I were to fulfill my destiny as the one who would save Hyrule . Of course, I got better although it take me quite some time. My experiences in the past weren't all that good as I was so inexperienced, but ever since returning from the Sacred Realm, my skills have constantly improved yet I still have some issues," I said.

" So, you are from a different world," said Tirek.

" I thought if anyone figured that out, you would be one of the first," I said.

" Zelda informed me of such matters although much she refused to reveal, so I had to be more persuasive. Reading her mind proved challenging as she struggled to resist my magic, but in the end such resistance is futile, and her secrets became known," said Tirek. I then turned my attention to Twilight who was still struggling to tell me something, yet she looked really out of it. If only I had gotten here a lot sooner, she wouldn't have had to go through such a painful experience.

Just knowing this enraged me, but I had to maintain my composure as I can't afford to lose control of my emotions in such a crucial encounter, yet Ganondorf can sense this inner turmoil. He might try to take advantage of my feelings, but I'm not about to be manipulated by him anymore given what he has already done. " If you believe Zelda is suffering kid, then you need not be concerned, for I have no intention of killing her....at least not until I have acquired what I need from her, and from you."

" I don't have the Triforce of Courage," I said.

" One thing you're not good at kid is lying, for I know you possess one of the missing pieces I've sought. Zelda herself has the other one, and together with the piece I hold, the miracle that is said to happen will begin shortly," said Tirek.

" It sounds more like a nightmare," I said.

" You doubt my words? Then look at your right hand, and see the truth with your own eyes," suggested Tirek. I then looked at Twilight who was now staring at her own hand, and this prompted me to inspect my own. At first, nothing happened and I felt he was merely trying to stall for time, but then a mark began forming on the back of my hand which reminded me of when I first got my cutie mark.

When I first received that particular mark, I was excited because I knew what was going to happen although I had no idea what it was going to look like, yet this mark is one which has resulted because of being chosen to wield the Triforce of Courage. No one said anything about having a mark nor did they tell me I was a chosen one, but I couldn't look away from my hand as my eyes were fixated on it. The mark then appeared on my hand with the bottom right triangle glowing which must be the Triforce of Courage.

Twilight then received the exact same mark on the back of her hand, and the triangle on the lower left of it then glowed representing her piece, the Triforce of Wisdom. Ganondorf meanwhile continued to have his back to me, but I knew he was aware that our marks have now appeared, and no doubt he had one as well because he was holding the remaining piece. " The Triforce parts are resonating....they are combining into one again."

" Is this what you've been waiting for?" I asked.

" For seven years, the three parts have been separate from one another, and now the True Force has been formed. Now, it is merely a matter of making another wish, yet it appears fate was working against me. The two Triforce parts that I could not capture on that day....I never would have guessed they would be hidden within you two.

I assumed you were nothing more than a forest girl who was too engrossed with the world beyond the safety of the trees, and I believed Zelda was just as weak as her father was because of how he desired to unite all of the tribes under the Hylian banner. If I had known about what you two would obtain, my desire could have been fulfilled much sooner," replied Tirek.

" I never guessed I'd be chosen," I said.

" Destiny has been keeping much from you kid," said Tirek.

" At first I was willing to give this piece of the Triforce to you because I believed it was a mistake that it was given to me, but after thinking about it for a while, I've come to embrace being one of the chosen," I said.

" What my mothers' told me about you has become even more true than previously expected. There is something about you kid which makes you radiate with a power that is similar to, yet different from my own, and it makes me wonder what could have happened had you chosen to become my faithful servant.

Or, had the she-demon succeeded, you would have left this world behind to conquer other lands. Despite their constant failures which resulted in their deaths, my mothers' were wise to keep me informed of the progress that was being made by you," said Tirek.

" So you knew everything I did?" I asked.

" Your movements were always being watched because while I allowed you to run around freely, I needed to watch you closely as I was curious as to how much stronger you would get. Now the time has come for me to see just how powerful you are kid, and I know deep down you desire our contest to begin without any further delay. I've waited for the chance to battle you again, but there is something which needs to be addressed," replied Tirek.

He then got up from his seat which made me draw the Master Sword, and get my Mirror Shield ready because he was about to make his move. Suddenly, he laughed while casting his cape back before turning around to face me. Just like everyone else, Ganondorf has aged seven years although it looks as though he hasn't really changed all that much.

" These toys are too much for you! The Triforce can only be wielded by one who has the power to control it without any opposition, so I command you to return them to me! Do not act foolish kid as my power is even greater than last time."

" I'm ready to face you," I said boldly.

" Zelda shall watch these proceedings, for once I have killed you, she shall die next, and then the True Force shall become mine. I would begin by using my dark magic to prevent that fairy of yours from interfering, but you are unaffected by the darkness, so your partner can assist you as much as possible," said Tirek.

I had no idea if he was taking this seriously or trying to trick me, but I had no time to think about it because he then started to float into the air like he was a Pegasus. Ganondorf suddenly slammed his fist into the ground where half of the floor gave way exposing the room down below, and I struggled with keeping myself from falling down.

" Get back!" shouted Spike.

" No need to repeat that!" I shouted as I moved backwards towards the door.

" Did that catch you by surprise kid? Now you know a small sample of my power, and there is much more for you to experience before you die. Do not betray my expectations because you do not want to disappoint Zelda, for she gets to witness what will transpire here. This will be a different experience than what you had seven years ago," said Tirek.

" What can you tell me about Ganondorf?" I asked.

" I have no idea what his weak point is," replied Spike.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" He is someone who keeps such information a secret, so you'll need to figure out when to make use of the Light Arrows. You know they will be effective, but until you know the right moment, don't waste them as you only have 50 arrows, and you need to conserve your magic even though you have potions which can restore it," replied Spike.

" I'm guessing magic will do nothing?" I asked.

" He is immune to all forms of magic with the exception of light, so don't bother trying to use anything else. This also includes magical weapons unless they are imbued with light. Do you remember how you battled against Phantom Ganon? The same principle is going to be happening here at least during the early stages of the battle. Ganondorf was watching that fight with that ghost, so he knows the skills you used against it, so he will likely switch tactics.

I have no idea what else he has in store for you, so all you can do is try your best to keep up with him," replied Spike. I remember how the ghost threw magical energy balls at me which went back and forth as we both hit it in an attempt to inflict damage to one another, so it looks like he will be using a similar fashion which should provide an ideal advantage. Then again, the Evil King is stronger than his phantom ever was which will make this a much harder experience.

" Your little fairy has certainly given you some wise advice kid," said Tirek.

" He has helped me out more times than I can count," I said.

" Such loyalty yet misguided for he has been giving help to a corpse," laughed Tirek.

" I'm not going to be dying any time soon!" I shouted.

" We shall find out soon enough," said Tirek. He then raised his hand which conjured a powerful magical blast which he threw at me with such speed that I had no time to react to it, and I ended up getting blasted into the door with so much force that it felt like I could have smashed through it and into the previous room. Ganondorf merely laughed when he saw me hit the door in such a manner, and I was feeling as though he were ridiculing me.

Before I could even muster up some kind of counterattack, he then flung a second magical attack which connected with the same speed causing me to drop to both knees. " Have you grown weaker during these past seven years? Or perhaps you aren't as strong as originally suspected? Either way, this has become rather dull."

" I've only just started, and your attempts at manipulating me won't work," I said.

" Yes, I was told how strong of a resilience you possess, yet that will not save you from my magic," said Tirek. As he flung another magic ball, I raised my Mirror Shield which absorbed the attack, but there was some slight knockback that pushed me into the door again. " Most would be close to death, yet you appear willing to continue. Perhaps you are stronger than I thought, but we shall discover this as we proceed, yet choosing defence is going to fail eventually as you must use power if you hope to prove your claim."

" I've been through a lot worse than this," I said.

" Such pain amuses me," said Tirek.

" Of course, I've managed to overcome challenges by using potions in order to keep on going, yet there have been times where I've prevailed when I have no means of regaining my strength," I said.

" So you rely on items as a crutch do you?" asked Tirek.

" Only someone like you would twist my meaning around," I replied.

" By all means use such healing methods if you believe it will help you survive, but eventually you will run out. Of course, I can always shatter them at any moment, yet I'll give you a chance just because this amuses me to no end," laughed Tirek. He was really intending on intimidating me to the point where I will lose control of my emotions....does he seriously want the same experience as what happened before? What would convince him to think of such a stupid idea?

No, I'm not going to transform that way if I can help it, for that would be a disaster. I will transform when I feel like I've gotten control of the situation, and hopefully when I'm on the verge of prevailing, but should push come to shove then I'll be forced to change much sooner should he dominate like he is right now.

Ganondorf then fired another magical attack which I attacked with the Master Sword because I finally remembered that this is what I did against Phantom Ganon back in the Forest Temple, yet the Evil King knew what I was trying to do, and knocked his own attack back at me with his hand. This reflected magic came at me with even more speed that I got hit yet again which flung me into the door.

" This isn't going very well," I said.

" You need to remember that Ganondorf is stronger than Phantom Ganon was, and because of that he will bounce his own magic attack back and forth for a much lengthier time. I'm not sure what will happen if he were struck with his own magic, for it's possible he might be immune to it, but we'll know soon enough," said Spike. It was just like playing tennis except things were more serious as my life was on the line, so I need to match his volleys with my own and hope I come out on top.

" Your resilience is commendable, yet it begins to annoy me," said Tirek.

" If it bothers you so much, stop talking and do something about it!" I shouted.

" You'll regret those words," said Tirek. He raised his hand and fired another magical attack which I knocked back with my sword, and he responded by knocking it back using his hand. Then I hit it again where it sailed back to where it came from, and he used his cape to send it my way again where I answered by hitting it again.

This went on for a while where we knocked this one attack backwards and forwards until Ganondorf could no longer keep up which was surprising because my assumption was that I'd be the one who fails. When his own magic struck him, the Evil King became unable to do anything, and it revealed to me that he didn't like being punished with his own power as though his body couldn't handle it.

" Now what do I do?" I asked.

" This could be the chance to use the Light Arrows, but you need to be quick before he recovers," replied Spike. I knew that I wasn't going to fire an arrow at him on time as recovered, and merely laughed at my attempt which felt disheartening. He then threw another magical attack where I began repeating the process because I knew now what needed to be done, yet the volley didn't last as long.

When his own magic struck him again, I quickly took out the Fairy Bow and fired a Light Arrow hoping it would do something, and it did for when it struck Ganondorf, the power of the light hit him several times before he dropped down and landed on the pillar where he struggled to get back onto his feet.

Knowing that this must be his weak point, I made my way over by jumping across the gap, and then letting him have it as many times as possible by striking him consecutively with the Master Sword. After hitting him enough times, he finally got back to his feet where he resumed floating in the air, yet his expression was one of sheer amusement instead of anger.

" So you can fight after all," said Tirek.

" Don't underestimate me just because I don't have experience," I said.

" I merely wanted to see if you could live up to my expectations, and so far you have not disappointed me. This attack pattern I've been using is too easy for you, so let's see if you can handle what I have in store for you next," said Tirek. He then thrust his hand out which fired a thunderbolt which electrocuted me on the spot, and I was really feeling it coursing through my body.

When I dropped to both knees after suffering such an experience, Ganondorf repeated his attack where I found myself being shocked again while he laughed at my misery. If I don't do something quickly, I'll be as good as dead....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 71: Madness and Escape

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 17, 2015
Chapter 71: Madness and Escape.

Ganondorf's lightning strike had me pinned down, and unable to move. Every time he would attack, another one followed shortly afterwards. While I was holding my own, I was slowly taking damage although it was more internal than external given how these electrocutions were going through numerous organs within my body. I needed to do something fast otherwise I will surely die, and even though I have fairies, he will likely destroy them preventing me from being revived.

Spike was right about he chose to change tactics because he witnessed my fight against Phantom Ganon, so there is nothing about me he doesn't know about. That's when I realized he doesn't know about some of my more elusive tricks, because the last time I used them was when I was living in Equestria before my exile. There was a spell Princess Celestia once taught me during the early days of my studies, so I'm hoping it will get me out of this.

" How long do you think you can keep this up?" asked Spike.

" So far, my internal organs are holding their own, but I need to get out of this before it becomes fatal," I replied.

" I'm not sure if you can break free Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" We both know that he isn't invincible given he's weak against the light, and he's also vulnerable to his own magic, but I have a little trick up my sleeve. When I lived in Equestria, I learned all kinds of magic spells that covered different forms. While much of the magic you've seen me use has been offensive, I'm capable of using defensive, transforming, levitation, and even magical explosions," I said.

" If you plan on using Nayru's Love, now would be a good time," said Spike. While that would have been a pretty good option, using that spell would do me no good as I can't use other magic so long as the barrier surrounds me, and I doubt Ganondorf would be willing to give me time to try something else. He was determined to end my life because he wanted to prove he was stronger, so perhaps I can use that to my advantage when the opportunity presents itself.

" That won't work," I began.

" Why not?" asked Spike.

" Using Nayru's Love prevents other magic from being used until the barrier wears off, so all I'd be doing is stalling. He isn't going to give me a chance to come up with a better idea, and I also doubt he would even let me cast the spell. No, I have something else in mind which he doesn't even suspect," I replied.

" If you're thinking of using a unique form of magic, I would suggest otherwise because you know Ganondorf is immune to all magic aside from light and his own," said Spike.

" I've got something special in mind which was taught to me by my teacher, and he is going to be very surprised. I just need to raise my hand high enough," I said. It wasn't easy to lift up my hand because the lightning strikes continued to damage me, so I needed to work fast, and after struggling for a few moments, I managed to conjure up a small little ball of magic within my palm. From there, I aimed carefully because the intention I had was hitting one of those lightning strikes in the hopes that it will explode.

Sure it sounded risky because I only have one shot at succeeding, but Princess Celestia also taught me about how to remain calm in these situations. This was something I had forgotten when the darkness consumed me when I looked at that mirror, and even now as I fight against the King of Evil, just looking at him is like looking at my own reflection because I could have been like him.

" You've got to do something now!" shouted Spike.

" I am, but I need to concentrate," I said. When Ganondorf threw the next lightning strike at me, I tossed my little ball of magic which was in fact a magical bomb which reacts when it comes in contact with another magic. When the opposing powers collided, it caused a magical explosion, and in the confusion, I was able to move away before the next lightning strike could hit me.

By the time the Evil King had regained his senses, I was aiming a Light Arrow at him which I fired, and it struck him where he went flying until he crashed into a wall. " I was expecting him to drop down onto the pillar like before, so why did he get flung into the wall?"

" Because you chose to use a Light Arrow rather than stun him with his own magic, all you did was knock him back, but I think you may have acted a little hesitantly," replied Spike. By the time Ganondorf got himself off of the wall, he hovered over before landing in front of me where once again he had a smile on his face rather than being furious.

" Quite the resourceful one aren't you kid?" asked Tirek.

" That would have been a perfect plan had I not exercised patience," I replied.

" You are still just a kid, but I must commend you for using such an unusual method. Most would have died after being shocked for the third time, but you kept going despite the pain. What really impresses me though is the fact that you possess magical powers far beyond someone of your age, and that has me rather curious. You're just a kid who left her forest home, but you wield arcane magic that is equivalent to an ancient sorcerer," said Tirek.

" I'm just really gifted," I said.

" There is much more to you than that," said Tirek.

" What are you implying?" I asked.

" Do not attempt to play the fool, for I know you hide much from me. You claim to be from another world, so perhaps this place you call home houses those who are masters of the magical arts. If this is true then I shall claim it as conquering just Hyrule alone isn't enough to keep me satisfied. Why have the pleasure of just one world under my dominion when there are many others which are waiting for someone like me to come along and take them," replied Tirek.

No one would be able to stop him were he to travel to other worlds, so now I have an even bigger reason for defeating him. " Your lack of an answer to what I've said indicates you know a lot more than what you've been saying thus far, so unless you wish for a thunderbolt to strike you from above, I suggest telling me what I desire."

" You've not reason to go to any other world," I said.

" And why not?" asked Tirek.

" Some worlds can be best described as modern with their way of thinking, and is completely dull as very little happens unless you're a political figure in which you have to govern those who serve you," I replied. Even though I knew the human world was much better than that, I needed to give him an explanation that would change his mind. Convincing him to ignore the human world will be easy, but trying to do so when it comes to Equestria is going to be difficult as my true home is very similar to Hyrule.

" I rule this land with power and nothing more is necessary," said Tirek.

" My suggestion would be for you to abandon the idea of wanting to conquer other worlds, for you haven't taken into consideration that you could be opposed by those who live in these places. People just won't allow anyone with grand desires like you come into their lives in an attempt to take it from them, and trying would only make you more enemies than you can even handle," I said.

" It would not be an issue considering my power is more than enough," said Tirek.

" Figures you would say that," I sighed.

" Why lie about something which is obviously the truth?" asked Tirek.

" You're not going to conquer any other world as long as I'm here," I replied. It's times like this where I wish my words could have been said differently, for the Evil King took offense and charged where he grabbed me by the neck before lifting me up into the air. His grip was crushing my neck which was making it difficult to breathe, and he was cutting off my means of being able to counterattack as I wasn't receiving any blood or magical flow into my arms.

" Such insolence coming from you kid, and here I was even thinking of granting you mercy," said Tirek.

" You? Grant mercy? Don't make me laugh as you're the last person who would do anything like that," I said.

" I could kill you whenever I desire, so I suggest you keep that tongue of yours in check otherwise one twist and your neck shall snap in two like a twig, yet it would be a waste to kill you now. There are secrets you hide, and since it was so easy to learn Zelda's secrets, getting what I wish to know from you shall prove most rewarding. Your story about being a girl from the forest is one I never believed because you act in a manner which goes against the forest children," said Tirek.

If he was going to do what I'm thinking of, he'll regret it as I doubt his mind will understand what kind of world Equestria is. Then again, he could easily figure it out as I remember that he reminded me of someone who also comes from there. What did I say his name was back then? Tirek? Why does that name sound Equestrian, or at least a neighbouring land? I'm convinced the person he represents is from there along with myself and Twilight, yet why have I never heard of him before?

Was he going to be covered in a later part of my studies? Twilight must surely know of this Tirek, yet why has she never mentioned him in her replies to my letters? So many questions which had no answers, and I don't think they even are feasible to begin with. I'd better not mention this in case I've gotten it wrong, but I should mention something as he seems to be getting impatient.

" If you're going to do to me what you did to the princess, I suggest you back away from it," I suggested.

" Such a pathetic threat, yet it does nothing because you're not in a position to be making any demand. Since you're so insistent on keeping these secrets to yourself, it makes me even more determined to know just what lurks within that mind of yours," said Tirek.

" I'd prefer you killing me than knowing about Equestria," I said.

" Equestria? What kind of a name is that?" asked Tirek. My heart sank because I just blurted out the name of my true home, but it seems Ganondorf doesn't know what it means, so maybe he isn't from there as I originally suspected. Or, he could be but his memories have been blocked due to being a part of this world just like everyone else. His grip around my neck started to get tighter because he was getting annoyed at how I was constantly refusing to speak. " You shall tell me what I desire to know, or it shall be forced out of you!"

" I've nothing to say," I said. This proved to be a mistake because Ganondorf suddenly slammed me into the ground before picking me up, and throwing me across the room where I slammed into the door injuring my back. As I slumped to the floor gasping for air as I could now breathe again, the Evil King walked over to where I had fallen, and used powerful dark magic knocking me into the air before grabbing my neck again. He then squeezed it even tighter than before, and I could feel my life slipping away from me.

" Like I said, I can kill you whenever I desire, and doing so would enable me to claim the Triforce of Courage which you possess, yet I was willing to give you a chance in an attempt to keep me amused. Perhaps I shouldn't have been holding back, for clearly my methods haven't been very effective, so I shall grant you a quick death unless you give me the answers I seek about where you come from."

" I've got no other choice do I?" I asked.

" In your current position, refusing me will result in death," replied Tirek.

" Don't say I didn't warn you," I said.

" Again, such threats are meaningless to me," said Tirek. He then began to focus his magical energy on my mind, and I could feel him reaching deep into my subconscious in an attempt to learn about where I really came, yet deep down I knew Ganondorf would have quite the reaction when he learns just what I really am. That's when I started experiencing his magical attack against my mind, and I couldn't hide anything as his power was too great for me to resist.

" Show me what secrets you keep from me kid, for there is much about you which piques my curiosity. Yes, these images of the world you truly come from....I can sense it is a world of powerful magic, and one I can conquer without any difficulty. Once I gain the True Force by acquiring the remaining pieces from Zelda and yourself, the first world I shall claim will be this one."

As he continued gleaming through my mind, he eventually came across the information I really didn't want him to see, but there was no holding him back. He kept going for a little while longer until he suddenly dropped me on the ground when he discovered my deepest secrets, and this is where I'm going to be seeing some ridicule.

" Looks like you discovered something," I said.

" What is this?" asked Tirek.

" I did warn that you should have backed away," I replied.

" According to what I observed, your magical power is even greater in your world. How unfortunate kid as you could have had a chance of prevailing against me had you been able to access such power, but I suppose destiny serves to hinder any hope you believed. Yet, there is one thing which I gleamed which cannot be real, and that is you live in a world which is populated by horses," said Tirek.

" And what has that concluded?" I asked.

" You....you're a horse?" asked Tirek.

" If you want to be politically accurate, I'm actually a pony, or rather I should say a unicorn," I replied.

" The one who I declared was worthy, and had been achieving numerous successes has been a talking horse this entire time? Yet, you stand before me as a human rather than as your true form....it explains why you gain the ears and tail of a horse because it is a representation of your true self as a four legged beast," said Tirek.

" I used to be a unicorn until I went into exile," I said.

" That means nothing to me, but the fact that you are a beast is amusing," said Tirek. At that moment, he began to laugh which is exactly what I was anticipating as I knew he would mock my true form. " To think that you are nothing more than a common mount with the gift of magic, yet knowing the truth about you changes everything. I can no longer look at you in the same manner, but then I never viewed you as being special apart from possessing the Triforce of Courage."

" I knew you wouldn't accept me for what I really am," I said.

" While Zelda believes you to be the Hero of Time, I see you as a horse who has wandered too far from her herd. This battle has become a joke now as I am merely wasting my time fighting against a four-legged beast who thinks she can pass herself off as a human. If you were hoping that me knowing the truth about you would make things easy, then you are sadly mistaken kid as I've no intention of making this last much longer. The Great Ganondorf cannot be fighting a horse for that is beneath my notice," said Tirek.

" Looks like you're underestimating me," I said.

" Then prove to me that you are more than just a horse," said Tirek.

" I have every intention of doing that," I said.

" Talking is one thing, but actually living up to your boasts is another," said Tirek. He then began stomping the ground repeatedly which looked like he was having a temper tantrum, but I quickly discovered what was happening. He was creating a series of shockwaves which disrupted my balance, and I started to struggle as the waves kept coming. Eventually, I lost my balance and fell over, and Ganondorf proceeded to fling another of his magical attacks.

I had no means of defending myself given how I'd just fallen over, and the blast threw me into the door. Before I could regain my composure, he began stomping the ground again which knocked me off balance, and when I was stable just enough, he threw another magical attack which struck me in the chest so hard, it felt like I'd been punched in my gut with several hundred punches all at once.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'm holding on against him, and that's surprising," I replied.

" That's because he has been toying with you ever since the battle began, but it looks like his fun has ended considering how he's attacking you repeatedly without giving you a chance to do anything. I'm not sure if allowing him to know who you really are was such a good idea, yet I suspect you have some kind of plan?" asked Spike.

" I knew wasn't going to take me seriously when he learned that I'm a pony, but that has become my one true advantage. He's going to act cocky over viewing me as a beast, and that will cost him especially after I transform at the right opportunity. Besides, I did warn him not to peer into my mind, so he has only himself to blame should I prevail. Granted, I wasn't expecting a magical onslaught, and I'm guessing that my health has taken quite the beating considering I've been on the receiving end more often than not," I replied.

" You need to do something before you get killed," said Spike.

" I have two fairies that will prevent that, but then he did say that he could destroy them," I said.

" You could try that explosive magic again, but will you get the chance to use it? Also, Ganondorf has been known to be a quick study, for he can remember the fighting styles of opponents relatively quickly. This is common knowledge throughout Hyrule as it's said he was a renowned fighter during the war which took place before this land became a kingdom, and no one was ever able to defeat him in battle due to his skill. Not even the best of the royal guard were able to overcome him," said Spike.

" So he's probably expecting me to use that magical explosion again," I said.

" If you plan on using it, you'll need a different tactic which will take him by surprise," suggested Spike. The Evil King was being relentless in his attacks where I wasn't being given an opportunity to escape or even make a counterattack, and it's all because I've disappointed him. He viewed me as worthy which suggests he doesn't see many people as being on equal footing with him, yet now that image he envisioned me as has been shattered, and replaced with the image of a horse.

All this time, he had been someone who I've been afraid of fighting because of the immense power he wielded, but he's just like an immature child who is having an episode. Maybe I've been allowing my fear to control me when I should have ignored it, and focused on fulfilling my destiny. I think I've got a chance to win, but first I need to get up and prepare a suitable counterattack.

" I guess you did not live up to my expectations after all," said Tirek.

" Just because I'm a magical pony doesn't make me any less of a hero," I said.

" Looking at you makes me laugh because I have been told countless times by my servants that you were an extraordinary child, yet all this time you were a horse which makes the whole thing pathetic. I am not sure why the gods decided to choose a beast to bring this world into a brighter future, but I suspect they were desperate. Tell me something kid, how long have you been in the guise of a human aside from the seven years you were sleeping? Enlighten me because I am curious to know," said Tirek.

" About four years," I answered.

" So, this is not something you recently decided to become? You have been a human for a long time now, and thus your animal nature has long since been forgotten. Granted, you probably still have the instincts of a horse as no one can truly abandon their true selves, but it doesn't consume your mind.

Perhaps I was wrong to have misjudged you, and that you truly are worthy enough to face me. Yes, you must be because you are capable of using magic, and a mere beast would never be capable of such a feat. You also possess intelligence which is lacking in your four legged brethren, but that is where my compliments of you cease to be," said Tirek.

" My fellow ponies aren't stupid," I said.

" They must be because they allowed you to slip away," laughed Tirek.

" I left my world of my own accord," I said.

" Perhaps, but they should have done more to keep you. It's not surprising that whoever rules over your world lacks the foresight to appease to you, and that is a reflection of their weakness as a ruler for they choose compassion rather than power," said Tirek. Did he just insult Princess Celestia by calling her a weak ruler? The one who taught me magic? Just hearing him say that made me feel really annoyed, and my emotions started to consume my heart, but I need to remain calm especially because he witnessed my emotional breakdown.

" It seems I have struck a nerve. You have a strong connection with the ruler of your world, but then she was a fool for letting you go. I suspect she couldn't accept how great you were which is another sign of weakness." Ganondorf was trying to get under my skin with these insults, yet I can't allow my emotions to get the better of me.

I don't want to transform in the wrong manner, yet it appears that is what he wants to see happen because he knows I become a psychotic individual. " Heh, it's just so easy to rile you up kid because you're young and inexperienced. I don't care about this ruler of yours as it will mean nothing once I've conquered your world after claiming the True Force."

" I won't let you get to me," I said.

" Yes, I'm aware of that emotional breakdown you had seven years ago," said Tirek.

" Then why try to make me lose control again?" I asked.

" Because it was amusing to see you snap and become enraged," replied Tirek. He then proceeded to stomp the ground and release more shock waves, but I was too annoyed to let them knock me around because he was tormenting me just for amusement. I've been tormented countless times in the past, so witnessing him doing this made me want to make him suffer, but I can't seek out revenge as that isn't heroic. No, this needs to be done correctly so that he can never again bring this world to ruin.

The Evil King flung another magical attack which I used the Master Sword to send it back at him, but not before using that magical explosion spell which was something he wasn't expecting. Just as Ganondorf was about to knock back his own magic through the use of his arm, my little spell went off which caused his own power to get thrown into him. Taking out the Fairy Bow and firing a Light Arrow, its magic struck several times before he dropped down where I swung the Master Sword as many times as I could.

After hitting him a few times, he recovered and proceeded to fling magical attacks repeatedly perhaps out of sheer anger. I dodged all of these before hitting one of them back at him which he responded by knocking it back with his arm. This started our next volley where we managed to keep it going for quite some time. " How are you able to keep up this pace? I have caused you so much pain on both a physical and emotional level, yet you refuse to fall to my power."

" I won't be bullied," I said.

" What are you talking about?" asked Tirek.

" For much of my life, I've been tormented all because they couldn't understand what I was going through, and in the past I used to be a tormentor which would justify them wanting to make me miserable. All you've been doing since we started this battle is torment me because you feel good about making others small and inferior to the likes of you," I replied.

" Only those who are strong will dominate," said Tirek.

" Ha! Such conceit!" I shouted.

" Power is the driving force which everyone desires, or have you already forgotten my words? I am stating the truth for what it is, and hearing you believing otherwise shows how weak you truly are. If you cannot embrace power then there is no place for you. Perhaps you will understand my way of thinking in due time, but then you'll be dead thus it will mean nothing," said Tirek.

Since I knew he was starting to lose his patience with me what with attacking in a ruthless manner, I needed to rile him up for a change, yet I had to be careful about how I go about it. If pushed too far, Ganondorf will likely unleash his full power, and kill me without mercy, so being delicate about it is the way to go.

" If you believe power is the best thing in the world, what would happen if someone even stronger than you came along?" I asked.

" Someone stronger than me? Such a notion is impossible for no one is more powerful," replied Tirek.

" You don't know for certain because anyone can seek power. Sunset Demon wielded a great power inside of her, and she could have potentially overthrown you and become the ruler of this world had you not kept her in check," I said.

" That creature was no threat," said Tirek.

" So why destroy her? I know it was you who denied her the means to regain her strength after I inflicted that wound on her as you were afraid of what might happen, but I can't really fault you for wanting to be cautious about it," I said.

" I fear nothing! No one is stronger than me as I am the most powerful man in the world! As long as the Triforce of Power remains in my hand, no one can hope to defeat me. You have no chance of prevailing against me kid, so I suggest you submit to my will before my magic ends up destroying you. If you survive then I shall use my skills as a superior swordsman to end your pitiful existence," said Tirek.

His increasing anger meant he was losing control of his emotions, yet that can become problematic as anyone with power who loses control are people who are capable of just about anything. At the same time, they lose their concentration and make mistakes, and that is exactly what happened as Ganondorf lost track of his magical attack.

It ended up striking him which I followed up with another Light Arrow causing him to fall to the ground where I proceeded to strike him with the Master Sword once again. When he recovered and got to his feet after being hit several times, I could see the seething anger in his eyes which indicated that he was no longer willing to toy with me.

" Maybe now you will begin to understand that I'm stronger than I look," I said.

" Die!" said Tirek. He pointed his finger at me which fired a dark beam that went right through my heart before I even knew what happened. This was enough to kill me, but when the fairy revived me after I slumped to the floor, he repeated this same attack which killed me again. My other fairy then revived me, and I was in complete shock over how he had just killed me twice in a matter of seconds.

" I guess he's through playing around," said Spike

" If I get hit by that attack one more time, I'm dead for good as I have no more fairies," I said.

" Then you need to transform now as that could give you a better chance of surviving," suggested Spike.

" But how can I when he could pick me off just like that?" I asked.

" Don't you have anything which can cause a distraction to give you some time?" asked Spike.

" That alternate form....I remember experiencing that seven years ago. While you weren't able to control it back then, it proved to be powerful....too powerful, and for that it poses a threat. You won't get the chance as you'll be dead in mere moments," replied Tirek. He then fired his dark beam for a third time which I avoided because I wasn't about to be hit by it again. When he saw me dodge it, he floated up into the air before slamming his fist into the ground where I fell down into the room below.

" He's really serious about killing me," I said.

" You need to transform," suggested Spike.

" I don't think I'll have enough time," I said.

" And you will not," added Tirek as he raised both hands, and began to concentrate all of his magic into a single attack. He tossed this giant blob of energy at me where it split into five pieces, and exploded in the room below where I had no means of escape. " You proved to be very powerful kid especially for a horse, but in the end you could not keep up with me. My power proved too much for you, and for that the last hope for this world has been snuffed out.

Once I claim the Triforce of Courage, I shall have two pieces, and that dear Zelda leaves the Triforce of Wisdom. That expression on your face is glorious as you believed she would save Hyrule, yet all she has done is failed at the final hurdle." Ganondorf then turned his attention towards Twilight who had been watching the battle since the beginning, and he started to float towards her with the intent on killing her, but then something began to glow behind him.

" Hmmmm? What is that?" He turned around where he found himself blinded by light, and by the time his vision returned a few moments later, I was standing in front of him having now transformed as my pony ears and tail were quite evident. " You survived my onslaught and became your stronger form? I am not surprised as you have proven time and again that you are rather resourceful."

" I'm going to finish this," I said.

" We shall see if you can live up to such a boast," smiled Tirek.

" In this form, I am stronger both physically and magically," I said.

" Yet your intellect remains the same as well as the delusion that you believe I shall fall. I wonder....do you feel good about having all of that power? You have denied such a desire, and now you have been forced to use it. Perhaps you are just like me in the sense of wanting more strength, yet not possessing a killer instinct as compassion is what prevents corruption from consuming you," said Tirek.

" I will never be like you," I said.

" And yet long ago this was the case correct? You once had the urge to become the most powerful person in your world, and were determined to acquire this prize no matter what needed to be done to achieve success. Anything else was deemed weak in your eyes as it held others who had the same thinking from achieving true greatness.

Your other self was a reflection of this urge which you tried to bury in the past, yet it managed to haunt you for quite some time until it was destroyed. You cannot believe that walking away from your own past would allow you to move on with your life, for one's actions shall follow them wherever they go," said Tirek.

" You of all people are haunted by the past," I said.

" No, for I have nothing to regret as my actions were justified," said Tirek.

" Anyone who says that are blinded by the truth, so what you just said was no doubt a lie. Ganondorf, you've committed so many atrocities because of having this delusion of being right in your actions, yet what you've done is beyond forgivable. There is nothing which would allow you to become reformed as you're simply too far gone to be saved under any circumstances.

In fact, I'd say that such a chance was lost the day you were born. I used to be blind in the same fashion until my heart and eyes were opened up by those who believed I deserved a second try, and I've been thankful for it ever since," I said.

" We have a clash of ideals," began Tirek.

" How so?" I asked.

" We both claim that our respective methods are the right way, so we shall see who is wrong and who is right. For your sake kid, you had better hope those horse features of yours are able to live up to your own expectations," replied Tirek. He then began floating in the air again, and formed another powerful burst of magic above him by concentrating his power.

As he flung it towards me, I was thinking of knocking them back at him, but when he suddenly slammed into me using a shoulder tackle, I got knocked back into the wall before being pelted by all of those magical blasts. " And here I thought those features would give you the agility of the beast, but I'm mistaken. Just because you have changed doesn't mean you are better." Ganondorf then formed another powerful magic attack, and as he was doing this, my mind came up with an interesting idea.

While he is powering up his magic like that, he is completely vulnerable, so perhaps using a Light Arrow around this time would be really effective, but I had no time to prepare as the attack came at me with incredible speed, yet I jumped to the side just in time, but not before being grabbed by my tail. " This little addition has proven useless because it left you open."

" My transformation is the result of accepting friendship," I said.

" Spare me such drivel kid," said Tirek. He raised his hand and fired a magical burst which I couldn't avoid due to how close I was, and the attack went right through me before striking the wall. My reaction to this was sheer agony, but I was still alive as my transformation gives me extra protection against magic, so if I had been my regular self, I would be dead right now.

" I know you breathe still kid, but I held back because I want you to suffer even more. I'm not sure how long your body can hold out, but we will discover this together." He then tossed me into the wall using plenty of force, and then floated into the air while I slumped to the ground where I struggled to get back up.

" That wound looks painful," said Spike.

" It's not as bad as he thinks it is," I said.

" Then why did you scream as though your life were ending?" asked Spike.

" Because I wanted him to drop his guard because he assumes I'm barely holding on, but in truth I'm completely fine," I replied.

" If this idea of yours doesn't work then you could experience even more than just pain you know," said Spike.

" I've just got to wait for the right moment," I said. Ganondorf in the meantime had been laughing because he truly believed that I was on the verge of death, yet he was completely unaware that I was about to make a strike. He raised his arms above his head, and began concentrating his magical energies into an even bigger attack than before, so I'm relieved that I can still move otherwise this would have been the last thing I'd witness in my life.

Just before the Evil King was about to throw this amassed energy, I took out the Fairy Bow and fired a Light Arrow which struck him several times which was surprising as I didn't think it would have that extra effect until he had been struck by his own power first. " What do you suppose caused that to happen?"

" He's gotten weaker," replied Spike.

" How can you tell?" I asked.

" An attack of that scale is a sign of desperation, so he wants to use immense amounts of power to kill you. It does mean he becomes vulnerable to the point where you no longer need to turn his own magic against him, but be careful Sunset Shimmer as desperate people can do anything. I'd say he should be going down relatively soon based on the current condition of his cape," replied Spike.

" Excuse me!?!?" I exclaimed.

" I'm assuming you just noticed this yourself, so allow me to explain things. Every time you've hit him with the Master Sword, his cape for some unknown reason starts getting holes all over it as a sign that he has been taking damage. The more holes on it, the weaker he is getting, and I count about 15 holes although this is just my best guess. You could be mere moments away from defeating him thus bringing peace back to Hyrule," said Spike. His cape is an indicator of how much damage he has taken so far in this fight?

Just when I thought things couldn't get anymore bizarre, this happens because of a logic I've long since given up on. As Ganondorf fell to the ground once again, I ran over and struck him several more times using the Master Sword, but it wasn't enough as he managed to recover, yet that's when he drew a sword which he must have been hiding behind his back.

" How have you been able to hold your own this far?" asked Tirek.

" To be honest, I have no idea either," I replied.

" Dare you mock me kid! Me! I am Ganondorf, and I will not be ridiculed by some kind of freak!" shouted Tirek.

" Freak? That's a little excessive don't you think?" I asked.

" I should have killed you back when I first saw you as Zelda and the Sheikah woman eluded me after I had murdered her father, but I was careless. Had I ended your life, none of this would be happening, but I can easily remedy the situation. The Master Sword you hold in your hand has long since gotten accustomed to being wielded by such a unique kid, yet it is merely a blade and nothing more.

While it may be effective against those of darkness, if the one using it is weak then its true potential shall never be made a reality. I shall demonstrate your lack of skill by cutting you down with this blade I hold, for it is what I used to kill the king," replied Tirek.

" That sword killed the king?" I asked.

" Yes, and now it shall do the same thing to you," replied Tirek. He rushed forward swinging his sword around as though he were possessed with the sole desire to kill me, and I raised my Mirror Shield to avoid being struck repeatedly. " Using your shield to protect yourself is the mark of a coward! If you continue in such a manner then you shall betray my expectations."

" I'm not interested," I began.

" What did you say?" asked Tirek.

" I don't care about what you expect from me, so you can keep such opinions to yourself as I'm not a guinea pig. You may want me to be a specific way, but I have no intention of conforming to such whims. I understand now that secretly you've been afraid of this conflict simply due to me defying the odds, and for that you've been tormenting me in the hopes of shattering my confidence.

We could have resolved our differences in a more peaceful manner rather than resort to fighting until one of us dies, but I suppose you only care about proving your dominance over people," I replied.

" I do not fear you!" shouted Tirek.

" I don't know if I ought to be feeling sorry for you, sympathetic, or even ashamed to witness someone like you crumble to pieces all because of not accepting the truth," I said.

" You have truly become pathetic for believing in such nonsense, but that doesn't matter to me because I am superior to you, and my victory shall be assured once I have severed your head from your shoulders with a strike of this sword," said Tirek. His blows against my shield continued to grow in power, yet I held my own because the Mirror Shield was extremely durable, but I needed to be more offensive, so when he swung his sword again, I parried with the Master Sword causing both blades to clang against each other.

Ganondorf then had a cruel smile on his face because he believed I was fulfilling his expectations, but I wasn't about to let him take advantage of the situation. Our swords continued to clash about making loud noises as the result of steel bashing against steel, and while the Evil King has experience, I have heart which should be enough.

" This will end shortly," I said.

" Indeed, and it shall be you who falls," laughed Tirek.

" Because?" I asked.

" I am stronger," replied Tirek.

" I have the heart to prevail," I said.

" Another weakness which serves as a reminder that you cannot defeat me," laughed Tirek. If only he could have listened to reason, but he was too far gone. After clashing swords a few more times, I managed to get the upper hand due to Ganondorf slipping up after slashing me in the chest before laughing at my misery. With his guard dropped, I switched to the Fairy Bow and fired a Light Arrow which stunned him, so when I struck him with the Master Sword, he acted as though he had the wind knocked out of him.

" What just happened?" I asked.

" I think you defeated him," replied Spike.

" Really?" I asked.

" Just look at what he's experiencing right now," replied Spike. The Evil King had dropped to one knee before clutching his throat, and started to breath really heavily which would mean that I have actually prevailed against him. What I don't understand is why the room has grown darker as though the light itself has been snuffed out completely, but I suppose it wasn't important.

I wanted to rest after such an intense battle, but I don't think I'll be given the chance considering I have no idea as to what is going to happen next. Ganondorf appeared to be struggling when it came down to talking, yet he managed to say something after spending a few moments breathing.

" No....how is this possible!?!? The Great Evil King Ganondorf....defeated by this kid!?!? I am more powerful than you, and was clearly superior in every possible way, yet you have bested me in battle. I refuse to accept such a humiliation, for I will not believe that I was beaten by a horse! That's all you are! You're nothing but a filthy beast who pretends she is human," said Tirek.

" Just can't accept the truth now can you?" I asked.

" I have ruled....over this kingdom for seven years, yet you come along and defeat me thus ending my reign? You....merely were lucky to have achieved victory, for in truth you are inexperienced, and unworthy to be the Hero of Time according to legend," replied Tirek.

" Yeah, I'll give you that much, but luck had nothing to do with this," I said.

" Then what was it?" asked Tirek.

" The power of justice guided me to victory," I replied.

" Is that what you think....is the reason for your accomplishment? Heh, I suppose a kid is still clueless about....the big picture even when they see themselves as being on top. I can't deny the fact that I have been defeated by you, for there is no point in deluding myself to such....an obvious truth. Yet, I shall make sure you do not enjoy this victory because you still need to escape my castle," said Tirek.

" Just when I thought these acts of desperation from you couldn't get any worse, you have gone and reached a new low," I sighed.

" Dare you mock me kid? Then with my last ounce of power, I shall kill you with a thunderbolt," said Tirek.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" You...." said Tirek as he suddenly coughed up red blood. It looked like Ganondorf was trying to speak, but his constant coughing and spewing up blood made it difficult for him, yet eventually he would say something. " SUNSET SHIMMER!!!!" He then got to his feet and raised his arms before he started to glow as though he was trying to unleash a powerful burst of magic. Suddenly, the entire throne room started to crumble because of what he was doing, and I found myself being blinded by the light coming from him.

It looked like this would be the end of me, but I would regain my vision a short while later as the light faded away. In what can be best described as a suicidal action, Ganondorf had unleashed his power and simply destroyed his throne room which made no sense. If he wanted me dead then this wasn't the best course of action for him, but when the Evil King collapsed to the ground, I checked his pulse in order to confirm my suspicion.

" Well?" asked Spike.

" I'm not feeling a pulse, so that means he's dead," I replied.

" Quite the horrible way to go wanting to unleash all of his power like that," said Spike.

" All it did was destroy his throne room although it looks like the entire castle has suffered tremendous damage, but I guess he was so desperate to kill me that he had become completely blind to what he was doing. You might say he experienced a mental breakdown right at the end which is rather sad," I said.

" So what do we do now?" asked Spike.

" I was thinking of taking a rest because that fight really took a lot out of me, but I suppose we need to find Twilight and get her out of here before anything else can go wrong. If I recall correctly, she was still trapped inside of that prism before the fight began, so that means she must be somewhere above us," I replied. A strange sound could be heard from above which prompted me to look up, and sure enough the prism which contained Twilight was floating down towards the floor of the destroyed throne room.

When the prism landed on the ground, I began thinking about how to set her free before it shattered on its own. My face then lighted up with joy because Twilight was safe, and she looked a lot better than before judging from her expression.

" I knew you would rescue me Sunset Shimmer, for you were destined to save our world. The battle between you and Ganondorf was one I watched from that prism, and at times I actually believed the Evil King would kill you because his power was immense. I apologize for not having faith, but now you can relax for your long journey has come to an end," said Twilight.

" My confidence wasn't that good either," I said.

" Also, I notice you have the ears and tail of a pony, so am I to deduce that this is your transformation?" asked Twilight.

" Huh? Oh, I'm surprised they haven't disappeared yet because I'm no longer in battle," I replied. This felt really embarrassing, so I shook my pony ears and tail rapidly with my hands, and Twilight was laughing away as she was finding it charming how I could be playful while having just defeated the likes of the Evil King.

Eventually, my pony add-ons disappeared after enough shaking, but I still felt humiliated over what happened, yet I was quickly getting over it because seeing Twilight looking and feeling better really made my day.

" You are certainly an unusual hero," smiled Twilight.

" I'm not typical that's for sure," I said.

" Sometimes the best kind are the ones who know how to be unpredictable, for those who are easy to predict often fail because their flaws end up getting them every time no matter how good they believe themselves to be. This is true not just to people with noble hearts, but also those whose hearts are filled with darkness. Everyone has imperfections which can prevent greatness from being achieved, yet sadly they do not understand and accept such problems," said Twilight.

She then turned her attention to Ganondorf where her smile disappeared, and was replaced with a sad expression as though she were showing him sympathy despite what he had done. I suppose she is strong enough in spirit to forgive him which makes her worthy to become the next ruler of Hyrule, for compassion along with wisdom makes for a great leader.

" Ganondorf....pitiful man. Without a righteous heart, he could not control the power he claimed, and now he has been killed which is something I warned would happen. His desire for power blinded him where he believed himself to be the only one powerful enough to wield the golden triangles, and now he has lost everything."

" During the battle, I could see his slow descent into madness," I said.

" It is because you were a factor that defied all expectations, and it was something he could not figure out," said Twilight.

" By the way, what did he do to you?" I asked.

" He told me the dark secret my father took to the grave, and it is one which shall haunt me because I must carry on his legacy. My father made a plea to the Great Goddess to banish a tribe because they desired this land and the Triforce, yet he should have tried to resolve the issue through peace. Had that not worked then isolation would have been ideal, but if that failed then using combat would have been our final act," replied Twilight.

" He probably did that because of having no other choice," I said.

" This is what I believe to be true," said Twilight.

" In any case, we shouldn't stay here any longer because there's no telling what will happen. The way back down the tower is going to be a long one because there are so many stairs, but once we reach the main area of the castle, it's just a simple walk outside. There will be no monsters getting in our path, but just in case I missed any during my exploration, I'll protect you from harm," I said.

" Yes, we must leave this place and find some way of destroying it. Such a castle like this cannot continue to exist, for the one who ruled over it has been killed, so once I have assembled the Six Sages, we can figure out what can be done," said Twilight. That's when the castle started vibrating as though it were experiencing an earthquake, and debris started to fall around us as though the castle was falling apart.

" I did not expect that he would be so desperate even in death, but I guess he does not wish for us to survive because it would be seen as a final insult. Sunset Shimmer, you must listen to me very carefully. This castle is going to collapse soon because of the magical attack that was unleashed before I gained my freedom."

" This place is coming down?" I asked.

" In his final act before dying, Ganondorf is trying to bring this castle down, so we must escape before we perish," replied Twilight.

" Do you suppose we could go the way I came?" I asked.

" Already the castle has started to collapse in various places, so the chances of going back down the tower through the way you came is impossible. However, I do recall seeing some passageways blocked with iron bars which serve as escape routes. We can use those escape routes to make our way out of the castle, so please follow me as I know where we need to go," replied Twilight. She then walked over towards a pathway which had appeared out of nowhere, but I'm not going to question why.

" What should we do?" asked Spike.

" We've got to get out of here before the castle collapses, so we'll follow Twilight as she knows what she's doing," I replied.

" And him?" asked Spike.

" Ganondorf is dead, and there is no reason for wanting to take his body with us, so we'll just leave him here because he isn't going to be doing anything else. Just make certain you stay close to me because this will be quite difficult," I replied. Leaving behind Ganondorf and running over to where Twilight was waiting for me, I had to avoid falling debris, and when I reached her location, she began to move onward while I followed behind. From up here, I could see the entire area that used to be Hyrule Castle, but has become a desolate wasteland.

" I can sense the disbelief in your heart," said Twilight.

" How could he have done this?" I asked.

" People like him show no remorse for their actions," replied Twilight. As we made our way down a rather narrow walkway that went alongside the wall of the castle, she had to stop every now and again to avoid the falling debris which consisted of lava rocks along with stone, metal, glass, and even darkness itself. As for myself, I raised my Mirror Shield which protected me, but when I suggested to Twilight that she should use my shield instead to keep herself safe, she refused my request without a second thought.

" I may be a princess and the sole survivor of the royal family, but I am one who does not need protection, for I have learned to take care of myself. I do appreciate your concern Sunset Shimmer, but it would be best for you to keep your shield."

" Okay, but make sure you keep safe," I said. After walking along a bit further, we came across an opening which lead back inside, but it was covered by iron bars just like what I saw inside the room below Ganondorf's throne room. I could see no switch or lever that could raise these bars, so how are we supposed to continue? Perhaps we should make our way back to the top before taking the path which I used to get here despite the danger, yet Twilight appeared to be looking closely at what was before us.

" These bars have been placed here using magic," said Twilight.

" Does that give you an idea?" I asked.

" I can use my powers to open the way forward, but I will need a moment," replied Twilight.

" Not sure if we have one, so hopefully you can make this quick," I said.

" There is no need to be in such a panic Sunset Shimmer, for we shall escape before this castle comes down. I believe we can escape from here by choosing to remain calm, and not lose ourselves in the thralls of despair," said Twilight. With all of this debris falling around us, I'm surprised at how calm she is, for I was certain she would be the last person to act like that due to what has happened.

She then raised her arms and unleashed a magical power which was pretty strong in its own right, yet it was enough as the iron bars quickly raised up allowing us access. " Please follow me because we cannot afford to become separated." I followed her into the castle where I found myself in that room below the throne room, yet there was debris already on the floor which was smoldering away. The doors were blocked with debris meaning there was no way of using them, but Twilight urged me to continue following her.

" Those doors are inaccessible," I said.

" All of this debris shall limit our progress, but we must keep going before it is too late," said Twilight. I ran after her where she dodged and weaved around the debris which certainly was something, yet I chose to go right through it because I wasn't taking this situation seriously, and also due to having a defence enhancement.

When a few lava rocks smacked me in the head, Twilight gasped in horror before running over to check on me. " Are you alright? You must be careful as we make our escape, for I do not wish to see you perish here after you have defeated Ganondorf."

" Guess I'm allowing my defensive enhancement cloud my judgment," I said.

" You need not let it serve as a detriment Sunset Shimmer, so long as you have humility," said Twilight.

" That is true," I said.

" Now we must continue going for we do not have much time," said Twilight.

" Time?" I asked.

" This castle has been falling apart at a much more rapid pace than what I was originally suspecting, so we have about five minutes before we are buried underneath the rubble, and perish which is his intention," replied Twilight. Five minutes wasn't all that much considering how big this tower is, but there's no choice but to go for it.

She reached another passageway blocked by iron bars, and proceeded to use her power to raise them giving us access to the next area outside. When I ran forward and exited the castle, we were now closer to the ground, but I couldn't get complacent given debris was falling from above, and was reasonable given we were further down.

" Which way from here?" I asked.

" We must continue downward," replied Twilight. We proceeded down the narrow walkway where there was a small gap which could give her trouble for I don't think she can move very freely while wearing a dress, but she suddenly surprised me by jumping across the gap without any trouble. " Did you forget that I was disguised as a Sheikah for seven years? I may be in formal attire as is customary of a princess, but I retained the skills taught to me by Impa."

" Guess you were right about you taking care of yourself," I said.

" There is no need to feel disappointed, for I am protected by the chosen hero," smiled Twilight.

" Just wait until I jump this gap before we continue," I suggested. She nodded her head in approval, and I jumped across before we resumed making our way down until we ran into another entrance blocked with iron bars. I assumed there was just the two escape routes near the top of Ganon's Tower, but it looks like there were a lot more than I originally suspected.

No doubt Twilight will be able to open this with her powers, but I was curious as to where this entrance would take us. She raised her hands which opened the way, and we entered the next area which was the room where I was almost killed by those Iron Knuckles, so I wanted to get out of this area as quickly as possible.

" Why are you being hesitant?" asked Twilight.

" I have bad memories of this room, so I want to leave as fast as possible," I replied.

" Very well, so please follow closely for debris is still falling," said Twilight. If there was one piece of satisfaction about this room's current condition which pleased me on an emotional level, it would be the lava rocks scattered about. Touching these will surely hurt me which is what Spike is bound to say, so I need to avoid these otherwise I could be forced to use one of my remaining potions.

Despite being a princess in this kingdom as opposed to an alicorn back in Equestria, Twilight was much more composed than what she normally is based on what I've seen when she visits the human world. She then called out and beckoned me to follow because I ended up daydreaming again, and in the worst possible place you can imagine, so I sheepishly ran over to her and apologized for my actions. " You must have a lot on your mind to be concerned during such a time as this, so you need not say sorry."

" More than you realize," I said.

" Then I shall not intrude on such personal matters," said Twilight. She used her powers again to open the way forward, and soon I was outside again although now even closer to the ground, but I was finding this situation a little too easy given how debris was falling all around us, and nothing else. Ganondorf may have decided to bring his castle down as a final measure of preventing us from escaping, but you would think he'd have something else in mind to make our escape difficult.

Perhaps I shouldn't have thought about such things because they have a tendency to come back to haunt me in the end. After running down the next walkway while avoiding debris with some of it almost knocking me off into the abyss below, but we made it just barely as a huge lava rock crashed through and destroyed the path behind us.

" Things are getting very intense," I said.

" Which is a sign that we must keep on going," said Twilight. She walked over to the next set of iron bars, and raised her hands before using her powers to open the way forward, but I was still had this feeling things were about to get much worse. The next room was where I defeated the two Stalfos, but for some reason the gold and blue ornate chest that contained the Boss Key was no longer here, so did someone decide to remove it for some weird reason.

" We are now halfway down this tower Sunset Shimmer." Twilight then ran forward in the direction of the next passageway, but suddenly she found herself surrounded by a circle of flames which prevented her from escaping. " Why is this happening? Ganondorf has been killed, so he should not be able to do this, but perhaps he chose to leave behind something in case we tried to escape."

" I'm not going on without you Twilight," I said.

" I am sensing an evil presence within this room," said Twilight.

" That means monsters are about to appear, but I wish that wasn't the case because we don't have much time," I sighed. As I pondered over how I could get rid of this circle of fire, my worst fears were realized as two Stalfos popped up from the ground. While they weren't different colours like the previous two, this was still an inconvenience as I need to get Twilight out of here before the castle comes down. I guess this is what I get for saying things were too easy....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 72: The Final Battle?

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 20, 2015
Chapter 72: The Final Battle?

" Quite inconvenient that two Stalfos would appear now," said Spike.

" Well, they are preventing us from escaping, so I need to take care of them before this castle collapses on top of us. I am surprised that these two are the regular variations rather than what we saw here during our climb up the tower. If this is meant to be Ganondorf's attempt to slow us down then he's done a pretty terrible job given I can use the Biggoron's Sword to destroy them in no time," I said.

" I have a feeling these are the ones that can pull themselves back together when defeated," said Spike.

" Really? It's been a while since we last saw that kind, and I've forgotten how those ones work," I said.

" This version acts and behaves like the others do, yet when they are defeated, they fall to pieces rather than simply burn away which is what often happens. The problem is they will repair themselves within a minute after being felled, so unless you beat any others within the area fast enough, they will keep coming back, and waste our time which we don't have right now," said Spike.

Now I was starting to remember what happened when I faced this particular Stalfos back in the Forest Temple, but I wish I could forget as it was quite the painful experience. If it wasn't for those fairies, I would have perished there, and not even be here right now hoping to save Twilight from being trapped in that circle of fire. She was really calm despite being in her current predicament, yet I guess she is used to this sort of thing given what she experienced when her father was killed.

" How much time do you think we have left before the castle falls?" I asked.

" About three minutes give or take, so defeating these monsters is imperative," replied Spike.

" I'm going to go with the Biggoron's Sword as while it will leave me unable to defend myself, I need to defeat them quickly, and hoping neither of them will repair themselves otherwise we'll be here for a while," I said.

" It all depends on how they choose to attack you as Stalfos are very intelligent," said Spike. If I recall correctly, by focusing on one of them, the other will just pace about until it sees an opportunity to attack, but can I be fast enough to defeat them, and free Twilight without wasting too much of our remaining time? One Stalfos then suddenly performed a jump attack which did catch me by surprise, and resulted in me being slashed in the chest, but it's a wound I must ignore as I can't afford to waste what little time we have.

Drawing the Biggoron's Sword from its scabbard, I walked towards the Stalfos which attacked me, and waited for the moment to strike which is when it drops its guard. It paced about for a few seconds before slashing using its crooked sword, but I avoided its blows where I slashed it across its rib cage which wasn't enough, but perhaps one more will do the trick. It then jumped backwards before walking forward again with its shield raised, and that was going to make things slightly annoying given how I can't get around those shields.

" These two are stalling," I said.

" Which means you need to defeat them quickly before time runs out," said Spike.

" Can't I use my magic?" I asked.

" The last time you did that, you used earth magic which made sense because you were in the Forest Temple at the time, but I don't know if you can harness the earth's might here given what's happening around us," replied Spike.

" I've often relied on what I believed to be the tried and true method which was my fire magic, and that's what I used throughout the first half of our journey Spike as I had no clue as to how to use a sword back then. Back in Equestria, we unicorns relied on our magic to solve a problem, and only the Canterlot Royal Guard used spears which needed magic of course as they lacked hands. I just realized that circle of fire which has trapped Twilight within it is about to become very useful to me," I said.

" How so?" asked Spike.

" If I can concentrate carefully, I can manipulate the flame into moving away from her, and onto them thus trapping them. The only problem is that I have two Stalfos who want me dead, and I can't deal with them and try to move something at the same time. Maybe defeating one will give me a free moment to focus, but it would mean taking a few hits as I'll be unable to fight back until I'm ready which should take about 20 seconds," I replied.

" Maybe you should stick with swords," suggested Spike

" We're in a hurry, so using magic would make things go faster," I said. The first Stalfos then performed a jump attack which I caught out of the corner of my eyes, and avoided it although I did suffer a slight gash on my left shoulder which wasn't all that serious, yet I responded with another slash against its ribs which did shattered it into pieces that scattered all over the floor.

" That's one of them down," said Spike.

" The other Stalfos is on the other side of the room, so that gives me a few moments to concentrate," I said. Focusing my mind on the circle of fire in order to move it away from Twilight, I discovered that the flames couldn't be moved as though a powerful magic was preventing me from manipulating them. " I can't move the flames from her which must mean Ganondorf has enchanted it before he died, so now we need to try something else."

I quickly looked around as I had little time left before the first Stalfos comes back to life, and I noticed the smoldering rocks all over the place because of the castle crumbling. Surely, I'll be able to manipulate these unless the Evil King has used his magic on these too. While I could just lift a rock up with my hands because of having the Golden Gauntlets, it was too risky to try it as I'd be weighed down by the debris, and that would give those Stalfos a chance to kill me which is possible given how I have no more fairies.

Focusing, I manipulated the rocks to levitate before they went flying into the other Stalfos which damaged it considerably, but sadly the other one managed to come back to life, and joined in which means this idea has gone bust.

" Now you need to defeat the first one again," said Spike.

" It's the Forest Temple situation come back to haunt me," I moaned.

" Don't panic as that can cause mistakes, but you need to switch to the Biggoron's Sword, and defeat both of them even faster. We've wasted too much time in this room already, and we still have half of the tower to climb down before we can get out of here," said Spike.

" Not helping here you know," I moaned.

" Then perhaps I can provide you with the necessary assistance," said Twilight.

" I assumed you couldn't do anything given that circle of fire prevents you from escaping," I said.

" My movement may be restricted, by my magical powers remain free, so allow me to manipulate the debris and help you defeat these wicked creatures. Your fairy is correct about us having wasted much time, and now the darkness shall experience what I am capable of. I suggest you stand aside Sunset Shimmer, for you shall witness what can happen were I to lose control," said Twilight. Did she just seriously say that she loses control whenever her emotions boil up with rage just like me?

My friends in the human world have often said that the two of us were like sisters because we're both gifted in magic, and we did get taught by the same teacher, but Twilight is an alicorn while I remain a unicorn. It's not bad because she has been through a lot in Equestria which has tested her resolve constantly, so you might say I'm relieved to not have the same responsibilities.

Twilight then began to focus her magical power which was even more immense than mine, but it didn't make me feel jealous as she was already feeling exhausted, so she can't keep it going for very long, but it was enough to manipulate the smoldering rocks to cause them to smash into the Stalfos destroying both of them at the same time.

" That was really impressive," I said.

" My magic is very powerful, but it is not as refined as yours," smiled Twilight.

" But you are clearly stronger," I said.

" Power is not everything you know Sunset Shimmer, for you know what it can do to a person if they allow it to consume them. While it is true that my magic is better than yours, I lack the proper experience to use it as I never got to practice when I was younger. If you recall, I developed a natural talent in the magical arts at a young age which surprised my father, yet he believed that I didn't need to use it because we were living in peace.

He also felt that it would distract me from my obligations as the Princess of Hyrule, and while I would agree with him back then, in the here and now, I wish that I had been given more time to master my magic. Impa taught me much during these past seven years, but she could only go so far," said Twilight.

" I used to have a teacher who taught me magic, and she believed that I was destined for great things as a unicorn, but I chose to follow a different path because of being consumed with wanting to be an alicorn. Not a day goes by that I curse the fact that I allowed my own lust for power to take down the path of evil where I betrayed my mentor, and cast aside her guidance and going at it on my own," I said.

" You made some bad choices in your life which did bring you down, but you have since changed this perception. I can sense this inside of your heart, and I know you will never become the way you used to be," said Twilight. While her mannerism and choice of words made things rather awkward, she still was the same friend who gave me a second chance.

It was at that point where both of us were reminded that we needed to get out of Ganondorf's castle because it was still falling down around us, so we made our way over to the next passageway blocked by iron bars. " Do you recall how many floors exist within the tower?"

" If I include the throne room, there are five floors," I replied.

" We do not have much far to go as we are currently on the second floor, yet I suspect the main entrance to the castle has been blocked off by falling debris. If this is the case then our only escape route at this point is to use the back entrance," said Twilight.

" There is another entrance?" I asked.

" Yes, and we will need to use it otherwise we shall be killed," replied Twilight.

" Why would Ganondorf have a back door to his castle?" I asked.

" Some things about the Evil King are best for us not to know because it is dangerous to try and pry into the mind of such an evil man, but if I were to make a guess, he needed a means of escaping should he ever face the prospect of being defeated. While I was imprisoned, I learned that he was afraid of facing you, yet denied it as being true, but I could tell he feared you as you were determined to make him pay for what he has done to Hyrule," replied Twilight.

" It sounds like I'm being portrayed as a villain," I said.

" You were not doing this for revenge, but to bring peace back to the land," said Twilight.

" Did he ever explain why he did this?" I asked.

" At first I thought his words were nothing but lies which is something he has been known to do, but when he explained to me the reasons behind his desire to conquer Hyrule, I secretly had sympathy for him and his people. If only the Gerudo had been more open when it came to their situation, then perhaps things could have been different than what they ended up being," replied Twilight.

She then revealed that Ganondorf desired Hyrule as he coveted the warm winds which existed in the field, for the desert suffered from harsh cold winds which brought death. His aim was to give his people a better life, but something changed as he was growing up, and he became determined to conquer the world.

His surrogate mothers wanted to make the Gerudo dominant after generations of being mistreated, and coerced the Evil King into becoming their means of achieving such a goal, yet he never had a choice for he was so young and vulnerable to influence. I said that he could never be reformed, but the truth was that his actions were placed onto him. When Twilight finished her explanation, she noticed the expression on my face, and she sensed I felt sympathetic as well.

" Many things are blurry until they come into focus, and the Evil King's actions originally were for his people as he was concerned with their well-being. Perhaps his mothers were not the only influence which made him what he is, but rather something else from a bygone era."

" He was inspired by something from long ago?" I asked.

" The history of this land is shrouded in mystery as much was never recorded," replied Twilight.

" Do you know what records of the past were kept or survived?" I asked.

" According to the information as decreed within these records, this land was once a battleground where an evil demon rose up from the underworld in an attempt to claim the Triforce with an army of demonic monsters, but it was destroyed and sealed within the blade which you now hold in your hands, the Master Sword. What exactly happened back then has been lost to history, but it is said that the demon placed a curse onto this land where one day he would be reborn.

" At first, I could not believe such a legend, but upon seeing what Ganondorf has done during these past seven years, I suspect that the curse turned out to be very real, and that the Evil King is the demon having been reborn. The curse also stated the chosen hero, and the eventual royal family would be doomed to experience the hatred of the demon every few centuries," said Twilight. Not the most charming of stories I've heard, but it does shed some light on how the cycle of hatred has a tendency to repeat itself far too often.

I'm not sure if this will affect anything from here, but it does make sense how a future version of Ganondorf can exist. As she used her magic to allow us to continue down towards the bottom of the tower, I started to think about what this world used to be like. It must have been a pretty harsh time although who is to say for certain.

Upon reaching the outside of the castle again, I could see the ground although it looks the bridge created by the Sages is on the other side where the main entrance is. If we leave via the back entrance which is most likely, we'll have to go around to the castle's front entrance, and make our way across the bridge before we get crushed from above.

" We've got a problem," began Spike.

" What is it?" I asked.

" There is another gap in front of us Sunset Shimmer, but this one drops down quite a ways," replied Spike.

" I know I can make such a jump, yet I'm not sure if Twilight will be able to. I know she was trained in the ways of the Sheikah, but did that include something like this especially when a building is collapsing all around you?" I asked.

" We don't have time to think about it as we have about just over a minute before this place comes down," replied Spike.

" Is there a problem?" asked Twilight.

" Can you see that gap in front of us?" I asked.

" Yes, and it seems to be a long drop down to the next part of the walkway. While Impa did teach me much which includes being able to get through an obstacle such as this, I feel that you are concerned for my safety, and so I shall allow you to help me out because it would make you feel a lot better," replied Twilight.

I told her that I needed her to climb onto my back, and that I would jump down to the walkway below. She said that it may be too much for me because her weight on top of my equipment would drag me down, but I told her that I was used to this. Twilight was surprised at how confidant I was with my abilities, and so she climbed onto me knowing that she had faith in my skills and judgment.

Her weight did make it more inconvenient for me, but I've been through a lot worse than this....I'm not going to mention her weight as I don't want to sound offensive. Looking at the gap carefully in order to pace myself, I jumped down to the walkway below where my knees buckled due to Twilight's weight acting as though I had dropped from a great height, but again I'm not going to bring it up.

" Okay, we made it down here, so you can get off my back," I said.

" That looked rather painful," said Twilight.

" It's just a minor wound and nothing more," I said.

" If that is the case, then we can continue on, but I suspect you are in more pain than you like to admit," said Twilight. It's like she is able to read my mind, or is really good at figuring me out based on my mannerisms, yet I've no time to say anything in my defence as the debris was falling even faster which meant we barely have a minute to go before it comes down.

Running down the pathway until we reached the next passageway. Twilight used her powers to open the way forward, and this next area was where I battled the Dinolfos, so I followed behind her as she weaved through any debris that was in our way. She then stopped in front of the next passageway where she turned to face me. " This is the final stretch Sunset Shimmer, for this passageway will take us to the back entrance. I have a suspicion Ganondorf has prepared a final obstacle, but we will not know for certain until we move onward.

" I'm not surprised that he would do that," I moaned.

" More debris is falling down indicating the castle will collapse at any moment," said Twilight. She opened the way forward with her powers, and the passageway didn't lead us back outside like the others, but rather it went further down until we came out, and into the castle's main area which looked the same as before despite the collapsing tower.

In front of us was a pathway which most likely leads to the other entrance; a huge sigh of relief on my part, yet Twilight could see something squatting down a few meters away which looked like trouble. " I can see a figure who is blocking us, and there is an undead scent coming from whatever it is."

" Looks like we have a ReDead to deal with," said Spike.

" Why have just the one down here right at the end?" I asked.

" Ganondorf placed it here as a final challenge because no one would expect to see one at such a crucial junction, but remember that it will cause paralysis if its gaze catches you, and if it grabs hold, you'll be drained of your life force in seconds. The defence enhancement you received from the Great Fairy has no effect on a ReDead as it isn't technically inflicting any damage while it's draining your health, but perhaps using a Light Arrow will get rid of it," replied Spike.

" Do I have enough magic power?" I asked.

" You did use a lot of arrows against Ganondorf, so your magic power did take quite a beating, but you should still have enough to defeat this monster. I suggest firing from right here, for it will start to move if you get within range of its location," replied Spike. Taking out the Fairy Bow and arming a Light Arrow, I fired at the ReDead where it instantly collapsed, and burned away until nothing was left.

" Since it was a creature of darkness, I guess using the light was obvious," I said.

" Using the Light Arrow did drain your magic power, but it's fine because you do have a Green and Blue Potion on hand. Then again, since this is the end of our journey when we get outside, I doubt you'll need to worry," said Spike. This is true for Ganondorf was dead, and nothing else was going to get in the way, so there was no need to be concerned. With the ReDead now gone, we continued down the passageway which went up some stairs before ending at the back entrance blocked with iron bars.

Twilight raised her hands and used her power to open the way forward, and it was at that moment where the debris began falling faster than ever as though someone had decided to bring the castle down now.

" We must leave now for we are about to be crushed," said Twilight.

" Let's go then before that happens," I said. Upon making it outside, we ran as far as possible until we were at a safe distance, and then turned around to see what was going on. Much of the tower had been destroyed when Ganondorf unleashed his power, and the resulting collapse left it a pale shell of its former self, yet other areas were toppling over in addition to falling down and crumbling away.

It actually looked like it was blowing up in places which didn't make sense, but I found some satisfaction because it was the final nail in the proverbial coffin that was his legacy. The back entrance suddenly exploded, and this was followed with the tower beginning to sink down as more debris continued to fall. Smaller towers began falling in all directions along with what looked like a coat-of-arms on every wall having fallen down from the top levels of the castle.

There were a few more explosions happening at various locations resulting in debris flying off of the walls and plummeting into the abyss, and this happened in conjunction with windows shattering with the glass acting like blades and slicing other areas. I then felt a vibration as though it were an earthquake, but it was the tower itself having sunk down as low as it could, and created a mild tremor several times over before the entire castle had fallen down entirely.

All that remained of Ganondorf's castle was nothing but debris which was smoldering, yet it looked like it had formed some kind of arena, but maybe I was overthinking things. " Well, you don't need the Sages to help you destroy the castle now."

" Indeed for he decided to do that task for us," smiled Twilight.

" Do you suppose anyone could have survived that?" I asked.

" There was so much that came crashing down, so the chances of anyone making it outside are slim to none," replied Twilight.

" I'm hoping Ms. Cheerilee and the other Business Scrubs made it outside," I said.

" Were they monsters who served Ganondorf?" asked Twilight.

" Their Deku King formed an alliance with him because of wanting more respect, but she and her fellow scrubs didn't feel the same way, so they chose to fight against the Evil King by selling items in a hidden shop inside of the castle. If it wasn't for them, my chances of victory would have been zero," I replied. I've got a feeling they managed to get out in time as they don't like sticking around in dangerous places because of wanting to survive above all else.

"After seven years, it is at last finally over, and now we can begin the long road to restoration. Without the Evil King's presence, the creatures will slowly slink away into the darkness to never darken this world again. I know that I have much to explain before my people as I abandoned them in their time of need while in the guise of Sheik," replied Twilight.

" I'm sure they will forgive you just like I did," I said.

" The people have lived in fear all this time, yet you were asleep during the same period," sighed Twilight.

" Yeah, I can't pretend to understand how they must feel, but you now have a chance to do something. Since you're the sole survivor of the royal family, you automatically assume the throne, and no doubt the people will be relieved," I said.

" It shall take time before I earn their trust for wounds take long to heal, but I know that we will move forward. The Six Sages shall serve as my advisors as the kingdom is slowly repaired, yet the first thing that must be addressed is building a new Hyrule Castle which will be a rallying point. All of the tribes will be able to contribute what they can for the restoration project," said Twilight.

" Much of the town was destroyed when Ganondorf conquered the kingdom, so you do have your work cut out for you," I said.

" Once a new castle has been built, we shall proceed with restoring Hyrule Castle Town, but there is a fear in my heart that we may need to prepare funerals in case we uncover the remains of those whose lives were lost when the Evil King attacked. Hopefully, everyone was able to escape at the time, yet there are additional issues which need to be addressed. The restoration is not just limited to this area, but rather across Hyrule itself as all regions have been affected," said Twilight.

" As Sheik, you got to see this with your own eyes," I said.

" No, I could only witness certain aspects in case my identity were compromised. But you Sunset Shimmer have seen what has
befallen each of the regions as you effectively freed them from the darkness that corroded them," said Twilight. I guess Applejack was serious about keeping her safe given she had something Ganondorf needed, and without me around to keep her safe, she had to assume the guise of a Sheikah as she explained after finding out for myself.

Twilight was right in that I knew what had happened all over Hyrule given how I had to find out, and I'm guessing she wants me to provide her with this information as a way of providing for her people when she couldn't before.

" Luckily, Lon Lon Ranch suffered the least amount of damage, so you don't need to worry about that, but many other locations weren't as lucky, but I suggest focusing on important places first so as to appease the alliances your father forged. Zora's Domain will thaw out of the deep freeze it finds itself in, but perhaps you could somehow speed things up in case King Zora feels you've neglected him.

The Gorons may need their homes repaired after Death Mountain erupted some time ago, yet it's a good idea to speak with Darunia's daughter first before doing anything because they may not need help. The Kokiri will be fine as they have a new guardian spirit in the form of the Deku Tree Sprout, and the people of Kakariko Village can easily recover from that fire which almost ravaged them. Shining Armour can easily rally them into doing something worthwhile given how he has been opening up to them," I said.

" Knowing this information such allow the restoration of Hyrule to progress with even greater confidence," smiled Twilight.

" What about the Gerudo?" I asked.

" Many will want them punished or even isolated more than ever before, for their king brought darkness into this world. I know tensions between them and the Hylians remains a problem which my father tried to resolve without success, but I intend on carrying out his dream of a unified Hyrule. Because the one known as Spitfire has become their leader, an alliance will be easy to forge. The Gerudo acted in such a manner because they feared their king, but they no longer need live in fear," replied Twilight.

" I guess you can handle things from here," I said.

" What about you?" asked Twilight. It didn't surprise me that she would ask that question, and I needed a moment to think about how I could provide her with an answer. I told her because I helped to save Hyrule and fulfill my destiny, I was now free to return to my world. I made sure not to mention that it was a future version of Ganondorf who brought me here, for if I did then it would cause problems. The only thing that needed to be figured out was how do I go back to the human world?

I've been so eager about returning, yet I never really thought about how it was supposed to work. Am I to wait for the real Ganondorf to pluck me from Hyrule? Or, do I need to find my back to the past where all of this started? Once again, I had so many questions on my mind, yet there were no answers which made me feel really upset about it, and no one could help me figure this out. By the time I finished my explanation, Twilight felt concerned and tried her best to comfort me.

" Truly, this is something which clearly troubles your heart, but I am sorry to say that there is nothing I can do. However, this world is not as bad as you may think, and you could choose to remain here if you wished."

" But my true home," I cried.

" I know, but not much can be done unless you know how you are supposed to return. If you were to stay here in Hyrule, I would provide you with an home once the castle town has been restored. Then again, perhaps you would prefer living in the forest which is where you have lived for many years. Either decision would be okay with me because you shall find solace," said Twilight.

" Did you know that I'm not of the Kokiri?" I asked.

" Is that so? Then the idea of you living in the forest does not make sense, so living in Hyrule Castle Town would be a more ideal solution for you," replied Twilight.

" I'm also not a Hylian," I said.

" Yes, I forget that you are a pony, but it is something that you should not mention to other people. Still, you are free to live in town, or perhaps live in the new castle when construction has been finished. You have done much Sunset Shimmer, so being given a place in my court would be well within reason even if some within the nobility would refuse," said Twilight.

" While your offer is very tempting, I must decline because I need to return to my world," I said. Even though this world has enabled me to become so much more appreciative of myself, this is not the way things are supposed to be. While Hyrule is such a fantastic world filled with adventure, I must return everything to normal even if it means changing things for the worst. Maybe Twilight has a means for me to go back to the past as my journey started there, but suddenly a loud noise came from the vicinity of the smoldering debris.

" What was that?" asked Twilight.

" Is it possible that he survived?" I asked.

" Ganondorf could not have because you killed him," replied Twilight.

" Something moved within the debris, so why don't you wait here, and I'll go check it out? I'm not going to be long as it's impossible to remove the debris even while wearing the Golden Gauntlets, so I'll see what that noise was," I suggested. Twilight shook her head to indicate she didn't want me to investigate that noise, but I had to find out for certain, for if the Evil King had somehow survived the destruction of his castle, he could still be a threat.

Then again, he could barely be able to do anything, so perhaps he will just perish. I walked forward slowly because I had no idea what was waiting for me among that debris, but Spike followed me which made me feel a lot better about doing this.

" What do you suppose that noise was?" asked Spike.

" If that was Ganondorf, then this fight may not be quite as finished as we thought," I replied.

" The chances of him surviving is slim to none, and you confirmed his death when you checked his pulse," said Spike.

" He may have been pretending to lead me into a false sense of security, for we both know of his manipulations. Besides, if he is looking to fight against me again, he should reconsider the idea because I defeated him once, and I can do it again," I said.

" Don't get cocky now," said Spike.

" I know as it will only serve as my own defeat," I said. Walking closer to the debris, I believed that the noise was probably caused by some loose rocks having fallen down. The chances of anyone surviving were impossible, and not even Ganondorf could have survived, but I needed to confirm for certain. Upon getting as close as possible, a massive circle of flames surrounded the entire ruins, and Twilight found herself cut off from me as the flames were too high for her to get over using her magic.

I drew the Master Sword and my Mirror Shield as I suspected things were going to get worse. The sound which we heard a moment ago suddenly happened again followed by several more sounds as though someone or something was trying to escape from that debris.

" Ready for whatever it could be?" asked Spike.

" I was hoping this was all over, but it looks like I've got one more fight to go," I replied.

" At least those two potions of yours will be put to good use," said Spike.

" True, but I wish that I had still had those fairies because if he has survived, he's going to attack me through sheer insanity given his rage must be through the roof. If anything, Twilight is still safe, but I'm not sure for how long," I said. The noises sounded off again where they were even louder, and that's when the debris near the top of the ruined castle scattered about when Ganondorf emerged.

He was breathing heavily as though he was struggling to breathe, but perhaps there was a different reason this time. As he floated in front of me, I could see that his eyes were glowing bright orange; a sign that he had completely lost control of his emotions.

" Look at those eyes," said Spike.

" It's as though he has become consumed with the very hatred in his heart," I said.

" I'm sensing a powerful aura coming from his body, so it looks like he may be stronger than he was before, or perhaps he had been holding back? Better be prepared to deal with whatever it is he's got planned," said Spike.

" Did you really think that you had killed me?" asked Tirek.

" That thought did cross my mind," I replied.

" The Triforce of Power enabled me to survive my death at your hands, and now I am beyond furious. You have become a hindrance in my desires to remain the ruler of this world, and for that you will pay with your life several times over. I'm no longer playing games kid, for now I will showcase the full extent of my power," said Tirek.

" Really? I thought that happened during our battle," I said.

" Your sarcasm won't save you from my fury kid, and you'll wish you stayed in that horse world! And don't think that I've forgotten about you Zelda, for I still have need of the Triforce of Wisdom, and I will claim that once this pathetic girl has been killed, and the Triforce of Courage is in my hand. To think that a mere freak of a horse has pushed me to the limit, but this shall be rectified," said Tirek.

" Pathetic!?!? If anyone is like that, it's you because you just can't accept the fact that I beat you," I said.

" It's those kinds of words which fuel my rage! My defeat was merely a stroke of luck because of that transformation you used, for without it your life would have left you prior my castle's destruction! This time is going to be very different, for I won't hold back! You can transform as your heart desires, but it will be pointless as it will do nothing! The mark representing the Triforce of Power glows on the back of my hand....it is a sign that I'll render you asunder!" shouted Tirek.

From my perspective, Ganondorf had completely lost his mind, and was resorting to insults in order to feel good about himself, but then my opinion quickly changed when he clenched his fist up by his face, and the Triforce mark began to glow brightly on the back of his hand. He then began to withdraw a little before yelling out loud where he thrust out both his arms and legs.

This was followed by a blinding flash which made things difficult for me to see what was going on, but when my vision started to become clear, my jaw dropped down because of what I saw standing before me. Ganondorf had transformed into a large monster before he came crashing down to the ground, and got up where he completely towered over me, but things quickly got worse when two massive sword appeared in both of his hands, and the immense power coming from him made it difficult for me to stand.

This transformed version of the Evil King looked like he belonged in Equestria given those horns he has sticking from either side of his head, and those muscles weren't normal by any means.

" What in the world has he become?" I asked.

" I have no idea, but it looks like you've got to do battle against him," replied Spike.

" You shall die by my hands!" shouted Tirek.

" What are you?" I asked.

" My anger has made me stronger than ever, and my rage fuels my hunger for wanting to see you bleed to death! You shall bear witness to true power one can wield if they accept the darkness, for I AM GANON!!!!" replied Tirek. Before I could do anything, he began swinging his swords around in an erratic fashion, and I struggled to prevent myself from being slashed to pieces.

After parrying his attacks a few times, he managed to knock the Master Sword from my hand where it landed on the other side of the circle of flames, and Twilight was concerned that my one means of fighting has just been taken away from me. Ganondorf, or rather Ganon as he now refers to himself as being, took a single step forward before he roared to indicate his superiority. " Without the divine blade in your hands, you have no hope of survival!"

" So what can you tell me about him now?" I asked.

" For one thing, I really don't know what his weak point is," replied Spike.

" Considering this form caught us both by surprise, I had a feeling you wouldn't know about that," I sighed.

" Just like it was when you fought the Evil King when he was human, using the Light Arrows is going to be key, but I suspect he isn't as vulnerable to the light as he is stronger. Those two swords he wields will inflict a lot of damage, and send you flying across this arena, so you need to be careful. Also, because those swords are large in size, he does have quite the attack range. I am noticing something unusual about his tail," said Spike.

" What about it?" I asked.

" It's a completely different colour as opposed to the rest of him as though it were begging for something to hit it," replied Spike.

" Now that you mention his tail, it does look out of place, so maybe that's his weak point, but I don't have the Master Sword as it got knocked out of my hand. Plus, I doubt my magic is going to work against him given how much stronger he is than before," I said.

" You've still got the Biggoron's Sword, and while it does leave you defenceless because of needing two hands, it's the only option you have available apart from the Megaton Hammer," said Spike. While the thought of using a mighty hammer sounded very tempting, I knew the Biggoron's Sword was my best chance of defeating Ganon, but his large size proved to be very intimidating as I looked so small compared to him. Was this the result of him losing control, or perhaps this is what he hides deep within his twisted heart?

Either way, I have to defeat him again, and hopefully he will either be killed properly, or the Sages will banish him to the Sacred Realm which was Twilight's original plan. Drawing the Biggoron's Sword from its scabbard, I walked towards Ganon with as much confidence as I could muster, and he merely laughed at my approach.

" That blade is strong, but you are weak!" said Tirek.

" I've beaten you once, and I'll do it again in the same manner," I said.

" Such bravado coming from that mouth of yours, but those are words and nothing more," said Tirek. He then swung one of his swords at me which I attempted to block with the Biggoron's Sword, and the resulting clash was completely lopsided in that I was sent flying without him having to exert any effort.

I collided with the circle of flames which caused additional damage before I got flung forward where I landed on the floor. Twilight screamed a little because she was afraid that I was going to be hurt, and if only we both knew what was going to happen to me.

" What happened?" asked Spike.

" I tried to parry his sword with mine, and he overpowered me," I replied.

" Using strength isn't going to work as he is the personification of power, so you need a different tactic. Use the Light Arrows to maybe blind his vision which should allow you to sneak around behind him, and attack that unusual tail, but I've got no idea how much time you'll have before he recovers. You do have some magic power leftover from the previous battle right?" asked Spike.

" Enough for about two arrows," I replied.

" Better drink that Green Potion you have then," suggested Spike. This meant I needed to switch between my sword and bow seamlessly, but I suspect Ganon wasn't about to make this easy for me. If there was one advantage I had now compared with his previous form, it would be that he's a lot slower because of having a bulkier body, but perhaps he doesn't care about it.

The Evil King walked forward until he stopped at some debris which happened to be in his way, but with a swing of one of those swords destroyed the debris and turning it into mere powder.

" Did you see that?" I asked.

" If he wanted to prove how powerful he was, then that was the right way to go about it," replied Spike.

" I might as well take out the Fairy Bow, and fire a Light Arrow at his face," I said. As I was taking out my weapon, Ganon took notice of what I was doing, and walked over to me before slashing me with one of his giant swords. I went flying in one direction landing near the edge of the circle of flames, and my Fairy Bow sailed off in another direction where it landed next to some more debris. My curse of being clumsy with my weapons has come back to haunt me, and during such a crucial battle no less.

" You need to get your back," said Spike.

" I know as I've no chance without it and the Light Arrows," I said.

" Remember that you're faster than Ganon, but he has a large attack radius because of his swords," said Spike. The Evil King was standing between me and my bow, so my only option was to dodge left or right, and hopefully not get struck. Then again, he's probably expecting that, and will attack where I'll take more damage, but maybe going underneath him would work. He suddenly swung both swords at me which I avoided by stepping backwards, but I tripped on a loose piece of debris and accidentally dropped a Deku Nut.

I'm surprised that I still have some of those on my person given how most were traded to Ms. Cheerilee in exchange for cheaper prices on potions at the hidden shop, but the biggest surprise was the blinding flash which resulted when the nut bumped into Ganon's foot. For just a brief moment, he shook his head, and then he regained his focus where he swung his swords forcing me to step backwards again.

" Did you see what that Deku Nut did?" I asked.

" It stunned him for a few moments, but it isn't very effective," replied Spike.

" Maybe, but if I can blind him long enough for me to get under his legs, I can run for the Fairy Bow, and use a Light Arrow to blind him properly," I said.

" That just might work," said Spike. Taking out of my remaining nuts and holding it behind my back, I moved closer towards Ganon hoping that he would try and attack me again given how he is consumed with rage.

" What is that behind your back?" asked Tirek.

" Nothing you need to know," I replied.

" Then I shall find out as I slice you to pieces!" shouted Tirek. He took a single step forward prompting me to throw the Deku Nut in front of him where it caused him to shake his head for a few seconds. " Such weakness! Are you so pathetic that you try to blind me with a common forest nut!?!?" Ganon took this as offensive, and swung his sword where it sliced part of my hair off, but luckily my head remained intact as I ran under his legs, yet why did my hair have to suffer again?

I then came face-to-face with his tail where it did look weird up close, yet I ignored this facet before striking it with the Biggoron's Sword upon drawing it from its scabbard. " GRRAAAGGGH! Dare you strike at me you miserable excuse of a beast!" He turned around relatively quickly slashing me in the back before repeating the attack where I crashed into the debris where the Fairy Bow ended up, but those strikes just now really took a lot out of me, and I struggled to get onto my feet as he walked forward with thunderous steps.

" You are bleeding kid, but that is not enough for me! I want to see you suffer even more!" He slashed the debris where it collapsed and buried me, yet rather than continue with his assault, he came to a stop perhaps believing I had been killed, or he may have something else in mind. " Where are you kid? Come out and die! If you refuse my command then I shall tear this place apart until I find you!"

" I have the Fairy Bow in my hand, but those blows I took from his swords really took their toll," I said.

" Want to use your Blue Potion?" asked Spike.

" It's my only means of healing and I've barely done anything to him, so I'll keep it for as long as I can," I replied.

" How long do you plan on hiding under this debris?" asked Spike.

" Only for a few moments as I need time to get a Light Arrow ready, but I'm also hoping that he'll let his rage get the better of him, and decides to smash everything in an attempt to get me," I replied. Ganon was getting really furious over what he perceived as a cowardly hiding game on my part, so with one swing of his sword, the debris was obliterated, and I fired the Light Arrow which blinded him.

" GRRAAAGGGH!" shouted Tirek.

" Now's your chance," said Spike.

" Hopefully he'll stay like that long enough for me to get in a few good whacks," I said. Switching to the Biggoron's Sword, I quickly ran around him where his oddly coloured tail was swinging about, and I struck it twice causing him tremendous pain, but before I could move, he turned around where his tail struck me like a whip. It had so much force behind it which was enough to send me into the circle of flames again causing Twilight to react in kind.

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Twilight.

" You should run from here because he is sure to come after you," I said.

" I will not abandon you at this moment in time as that would be an act of cowardice," said Twilight.

" If he ends up killing me and takes the Triforce of Courage, he will pursue you until he gets the Triforce of Wisdom with your life not meaning anything to him. Things could be going a lot better, but so far I'm holding my own despite how much damage I've taken from those swords and the flames," I said.

" Yes, I am aware that the future of this land is in both of our hands for we possess that which the Evil King seeks, but do not ask me to run away while leaving you to face this monstrous demon alone. I cannot explain why I am feeling this way, but I must remain with you because my heart says that we must stick together as friends.

If I must get involved in this fight myself in order to assist you, then that is what I shall do," said Twilight. I have a feeling that her memories as Princess Twilight are giving her an incentive where she wants to stay here even though her life is in danger.

" But, if I feel you must escape then do so without question," I said.

" Zelda desires to fight against me does she?" asked Tirek.

" I am not afraid of what you have become," replied Twilight.

" Don't deny something so obvious Zelda, for I know deep down you fear my power as it is one which can't be beaten. It doesn't matter whether you choose to fight me or not, for once this kid is dead then I shall come after you. There is nowhere in Hyrule where you can hide from me little girl! This kid and not even those Sages can protect you from my fury! In fact, I am glad you are staying and watching these proceedings as I haven't even begun to unleash my power," said Tirek.

" It would seem that words mean nothing now," sighed Twilight.

" What do you mean?" asked Tirek.

" Just seeing what you have become is exactly the reason why my ancestors felt that the Triforce needed to be sealed away. They feared that someone would try to abuse its divine power, and bring this entire world to ruin. I have no idea as to when the other tribes began to spread rumours that we Hylians wanted to keep the golden power for ourselves, but such a notion is ridiculous.

The power of the Great Goddesses cannot be controlled by anyone no matter how strong they are, and you cannot even begin to fathom over what you try to control," replied Twilight.

" Then your ancestors were weak for not wanting to embrace that power," said Tirek.

" I have nothing more to say to you," said Twilight.

" Is that so?" asked Tirek. While she has remained relatively calm despite staring at the face of a demonic monster, Twilight may have wanted to choose her words more carefully given that Ganon was already a loose cannon, and making him even more so would be an utter disaster. The Evil King than began slashing at the circle of fire in an effort to cut her down, but this proved to be useless. " I hope that you enter the flames to face me Zelda, for killing you just like I did with your father would be a true blessing."

" There is no need for me to do that," said Twilight.

" You're just as cowardly as he was, yet that kid is even more of a coward than you," said Tirek.

" You should pay more attention to Sunset Shimmer instead of me," said Twilight.

" That horse is merely delaying the inevitable," said Tirek.

" Again, your anger has blinded you," said Twilight.

" What!?!?" exclaimed Tirek as he looked in my direction where I fired another Light Arrow which caused him to become paralyzed. I ran around to his tail, and struck it a few more times resulting in him screaming, but I was ready for his tail and avoided it when he immediately spun round. " That accursed arrow has become an annoyance, but then it is your only means of surviving.

You may have wounded my tail several times kid, but know that things are about to change. Did you really think that I would simply attack you relentlessly without having other abilities at my disposal?"

" The thought did occur to me," I replied.

" My rage may be controlling much of my actions, but I am still sane enough to know that your progress is unexpected. I had surmised that you would be killed within seconds after I had achieved this form, yet once again you have defied the odds. Such an unpredictable little horse you are, and one who has pushed me to the brink of death itself! And here I thought this would be too easy! I look even more forward to rendering you to pieces," said Tirek.

" I'm not the same weak girl that I was when I first came here," I said.

" Which pleases me as my aim is to kill you at your best as anything else is pointless," said Tirek.

" As long as I keep firing these Light Arrows and paralyzing you, this battle will be over relatively quick," I said.

" Your bravado once again gets in the way," laughed Tirek. Seeing him laugh in his current appearance was very creepy, but I wasn't about to allow him to mock me like he did in our previous battle, so I prepared to fire another arrow when I discovered something unfortunate. My magic power had run out which meant I could only use regular arrows, and it must have expired when I used the previous one after Twilight had distracted him.

Ganon took notice of my mishap, and proceeded to laugh about it much to my own displeasure. " You have run out of magic! Your own natural power does nothing to me, so unless you have a potion then you shall die!"

" I have a potion," I said.

" That is all I needed to hear," laughed Tirek.

" What are you planning?" I asked.

" To consume one of those potions of yours kid, you will have to work for it," replied Tirek. His words were confusing at first, but then I quickly understood what he was saying when he slammed both swords into the ground causing an earthquake. The resulting tremors caused me to fall onto my rear, yet that was the least of my problems as Ganon walked forward and kicked me with his foot which knocked the wind out of me.

I clutched my stomach in agony, yet he wasn't finished with me as he then kicked me again where I crashed into more debris. " Now you are feeling my true power!"

" Guess he wasn't kidding about having other abilities," I said.

" Those kicks didn't hurt too much did they?" asked Spike.

" I've had much worse than that," I replied.

" True as you've been killed several times only to have a fairy revive you, but this has gotten serious. Without magic power, you can't use Light Arrows to slow Ganon down, and you won't be able to strike his tail which is his weak point. Drinking either potion will recover your magic, but he isn't going to allow that to happen by being relentless, but perhaps there is another way," said Spike.

" What did you have in mind?" I asked.

" I don't know whether or not you noticed, but when he destroyed some debris earlier, some bombs dropped out which served as a means of filling up your Bomb Bag were you to have need of them. It's safe then to assume other items will appear in the same manner, but you don't have enough strength to destroy the debris. The only option is getting Ganon to destroy them himself," replied Spike.

" Some should contain magic jars," I said.

" Which would allow you to restore your magic power. Be careful about how you do this Sunset Shimmer as Ganon still has some sense of intelligence," said Spike. I wasn't sure if he was capable of thinking despite being coherent with his words, but I'm going to take this very seriously just in case he tries to trick me which is possible. The Evil King walked forward and slammed his swords into the ground creating another earthquake, and already I was losing my balance as the tremor was difficult to maintain any footing.

I quickly turned around to see if Twilight was experiencing the tremors, and to my relief she remained unharmed, so they were restricted mainly to me. Ganon then started to slam his swords down repeatedly, so he had lost control of his emotions.

" I shall see you dead!" shouted Tirek.

" Why?" I asked.

" My reign of this world was absolute until you showed up! I should have killed you a long time ago, but I was too arrogant to see the potential problem you would one day become, and I've been paying for my idiocy since. GRRAAAGGGH! Just looking at that face of yours fills me with so much anger! I must smash it! I must crush it! I must destroy you entirely!" replied Tirek.

He became completely consumed with rage, and he began swinging his swords around while occasionally slamming them into the ground to create those earthquakes, yet this was a part of my plan where I needed him distracted so that I can reach a nearby piece of debris. I'm hoping it will contain magic jars, but I won't know for sure until he destroys it.

As Ganon continued with his enraged assault, I made it to the debris, but now I needed him to come over and destroy it. " Where are you kid!?!? Are you hiding from me again!?!? Come out now and face your master! Come out you four-legged freak of a horse!"

" I'm over here," I announced.

" So there you are!" shouted Tirek.

" I don't like those insults," I said.

" Have I gone and hurt your feelings beast? Then what do you plan on doing about it?" asked Tirek.

" I've got something in mind," I replied.

" Don't make me laugh! You have nothing which can stop me!" shouted Tirek. He then walked forward having somehow regained his sanity until he reached the debris, and then smashed it to pieces using one of his swords. I managed to dodge his blow where my eyes opened wide with joy because magic jars appeared from the debris, so I quickly picked them up before they could disappear, yet I should have been watching what the Evil King was doing.

He swung his other sword which struck me on my side, and blood started to trickle out from my wound which meant it needed to be addressed before I bleed to death. Before I could react, Ganon kicked me in the stomach where I went flying across the arena before smacking into the circle of fire where I got damaged even more.

" At least I got some magic power back," I said.

" But at the cost of receiving quite the nasty wound," said Spike.

" I know it's bleeding right now, but I need to focus on defeating Ganon," I said.

" Well, if you sustain anymore damage, you will have no choice but to use the Blue Potion as it's the only thing which can heal your wounds right now. If you end up dying then that's it as you've got no fairies who can revive you," said Spike. As I took out the Fairy Bow and prepared to fire a Light Arrow, the Evil King was stomping around and ignored me.

When he finally noticed me, he roared before walking over where I fired the Light Arrow which paralyzed him again, and I ran around to his tail where I struck it several times causing him to drop onto one knee.

" You are nothing but a wretch!" shouted Tirek.

" Getting frustrated?" I asked.

" I shall make you suffer for your insolence," replied Tirek.

" I'm ready for anything," I said.

" Such an eagerness to die where you stand kid, so I shall grant you such a request," said Tirek. He got back onto both legs before looking upward at the sky, and it prompted me to do the same. There were dark clouds which must have formed after the castle had collapsed, and lightning could be seen in the distance, so what was he thinking upon looking up?

Ganon then raised one of his swords above his head where it got struck by an electrical shock that should have killed him instantly, yet he was completely fine although that wicked smile upon his face filled me with dread. " The lightning from the heavens shall strike down upon you!" All of a sudden, his sword fired electricity which slammed into me so hard, it caused my heart to suddenly stop, and I collapsed as a result. " I have killed you, or perhaps this is merely deception, so I shall repeat the fury until your life has been lost."

The sword fired more electricity, but I was having my own problems revolving around getting my heart started again. I can't afford to be in such a position....not like this when I'm so close to the end, but my breathing started acting erratically, and my vital signs began to wane.

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" I need my heart to start beating again," I said.

" How in the world do I go about doing that?" asked Spike.

" I just need some kind of jolt that will get it working," I replied as I stared at Ganon.

" Oh no....don't tell me you plan on getting another shock?" asked Spike.

" At this point, it's my only option unless you want me to die right in front of you, and that is going to happen in about 30 seconds if I don't get my heart going. I'm quite surprised I've lasted this long after my heart came to a stop, but I don't want to be experiencing this anymore," I replied. Ganon raised his sword again in the hopes of striking me with another lightning strike to my chest, so I got up with great difficulty before being slammed in the chest which was enough to get my heart beating.

I checked to make sure it was beating, and sure enough I could hear the ticking sound which meant I had just dodged quite a literal bullet, but of course being struck by lightning did cause me to get damaged because I'm not immune to electrical attacks.

" Quite the entertainment," said Tirek.

" You could have let me die just now, but you chose to keep me alive," I said.

" While I did enjoy seeing that agony, I have other plans for you," laughed Tirek.

" What plans?" I asked.

" Killing you just like that would make this too boring, and I prefer to see you suffer a thousand fold," replied Tirek. He then titled his head back for a few seconds before firing beams from his eyes which I avoided just in time although he quickly repeated this attack where once again I avoided it by jumping backwards. Ganon kept this up for quite a while where I constantly dodged his attacks by jumping about, but it eventually got to the point where I found myself exhausted.

First he wanted to kill me instantly, yet now he is insistent on making me suffer until I've dropped down dead? His rage must be really blinding him if he is changing his stance every now and then, but it does little for me.

" Can you transform?" asked Spike.

" I've recovered from when I last used it, but he might take it the wrong way," I replied.

" Fighting the Evil King has proven to be very taxing especially on your mind because of how erratic his behaviour has been. Since you have regained magic power via those jars, you can resume paralyzing him with Light Arrows, but you'll need to get the Master Sword in order to truly prevail. The Biggoron's Sword may be stronger, but the divine blade is needed to administer the final blow," said Spike.

" While I would prefer holding back on my transformation, using it now would be a good idea as I could do with the increase in defences along with the power increase, but again Ganon may take it the wrong way given how his unstable mind has made this battle unbearable. Twilight must be worried sick about me given how I've been pummeled about since this started, but she will be fine as I will defeat the Evil King for good this time," I said.

It looked like he was distracted, so I began to concentrate in the hopes of transforming, yet he quickly caught wind of my actions, and proceeded to do something about it which isn't what I wanted.

" No! You won't be changing this time!" shouted Tirek.

" He's spotted me," I said.

" I'll make sure you never become that horse freak of a form again!" shouted Tirek. He roared as loud as he could causing something to appear in his mouth which didn't look pleasant, but before I could react, he fired what appeared to be a fiery breath although this wasn't fire, but rather an acidic substance. At such a close range, I was about to received a serious acid bath....

To Be Concluded.

Epilogue: The Dark Lord and the Return Home

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Bonus Chapter 1: Mask of Darkness

Author's Note

Sunset Shimmer's journey may have come to an end, but she isn't finished with the world of Hyrule just yet. She is reading a book that reveals the history of the kingdom, and her first experience involves a certain someone who loves masks.

Cast appearing in this chapter.

Sunset Shimmer - Narrator/Reader
Twilight Sparkle - Zelda
Applejack - Impa
Sonata Dusk - Happy Mask Salesman
Aria - The Running Man
Spitfire - Spitfire, faithful follower to Ganondorf

Bonus Chapter 1: Mask of Darkness

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 25, 2015
Bonus Chapter 1: Mask of Darkness.

My journey across the video game world of Hyrule may have come to an end, and I have returned home to the human world, but there were some loose ends which remained unsolved. Within a few hours of getting used to my normal life again, I asked Rainbow Dash if she had a book regarding the history of Hyrule, and her response was shocking as she didn't think I would be interested. It was fortunate that she had brought the book with her, for I was very curious to know about additional stories that occurred after Ganondorf was defeated.

At first it looked as though these stories had little to do with me because some occurred in the past timeline with others in the future timeline which I discovered due to the real Evil King revealing this information to me, yet in truth they would be significant especially when it came to future adventures because I was fated to travel to another world which is different from Hyrule, and is on the verge of destruction as I have to somehow prevent said destruction from taking place.

When will I leave for this other world? I don't know because Ganondorf said it could happen at any moment, so that means I'm always going to be on guard making things awkward when it comes to my friends. They can't remember the events which affected all of us, so they aren't able to help me out, yet deep down I wish that wasn't the case, but I guess I'm going to be dealing with this on my own.

Anyway, there were some stories from Hyrule mentioned in this book called "Hyrule Historia", yet Rainbow Dash wished it had been called the "Book of Mudora" for in-game accuracy, but these were tales I never saw the resolution due to them taking place after being sent back home after a lengthy struggle. One particular story revolves around the Happy Mask Salesman, a person Sonata Dusk, one of the three Sirens, ended up portraying, who is renowned throughout this world as a seller of masks.

Some would view such a profession as odd, but then sometimes the most unusual jobs are the most exciting. According to the summary of the story, the Happy Mask Salesman went on a journey to find a mask which was said to be a rarity, but little did she know that it would be the catalyst which would change everything. The story begins a few years after the war ended where the King of Hyrule unified most of the tribes into one kingdom, and Sonata had been quite the success story.

When she originally began her business, she allowed people to borrow her masks where they would sell them on their own. If successful, they would pay her back thus effectively becoming a Happy Mask Salesperson. Over time, she didn't like being confined inside of a shop as she never got to experience the world beyond Hyrule Castle Town, yet it was an unexpected visit from Princess Zelda, who I know better as my friend Twilight Sparkle who portrayed the princess, that changed Sonata's perspective.

Yes, Twilight was really young back then where she visited Sonata along with the King of Hyrule which happened about three years before Ganondorf rose to power.

" Welcome to the Happy Mask Shop where your happiness can be found when you purchase one of my masks," said Sonata.

" Um....this is a rather strange shop father," said Twilight.

" If you are to one day become queen of our kingdom Zelda, you must have a good understanding of the people. So far, I have shown you the citizens of the town as well as of Kakariko Village, yet this is your first time learning about the business aspect behind Hyrule's providence. I chose this particular shop because it has been extremely popular since it first opened a year ago, and I also needed to take care of some purchases anyway because of the upcoming masquerade ball," said the King.

" Why does this kingdom need a shop for masks?" asked Twilight.

" Most other shops throughout the land sell typical items favoured by adventurers and would-be-heroes, but then they don't do much business as adventurers aren't needed during these peaceful times, and their regular customers do not purchase very often which has been disheartening. So, we have places like this which provides a unique service that serves the needs of the people," replied the King.

" Your praise is most pleasing your majesty," said Sonata.

" Tell me Sonata, do you have the order which I placed about two weeks ago?" asked the King.

" Indeed as they arrived yesterday," replied Sonata. She then got up from her chair, and walked over to where there was a large stack of masks before she snatched about a dozen from near the bottom which caused the rest to drop without falling on the floor. Twilight looked surprised at such an unusual feat, yet the king merely chuckled and clapped in utter amusement. It's as though he were used to seeing such antics considering he could use the alternative, and that involved having her arrested for almost destroying something of value to him.

" These are the twelve masks you ordered your majesty, and as you can see they are in perfect condition which is my guarantee given masks mean so much to me. Anyway, I need a moment to see how much each is worth, so please be patient." She took out a piece of paper, and began doing some calculations in her head before writing something down and presenting it. " Your total comes to about 688 rupees which is much less than what I was thinking."

" That's too much," said Twilight.

" Now Zelda, these masks are extremely valuable, so their price is high," said the King.

" But father, paying 688 rupees for something which will be used a couple of times?" asked Twilight.

" I am so very sorry if my daughter offends you, but I suppose she is at that age where her curiosity knows no bounds. Zelda, the masks originally cost 956 rupees, yet the price was reduced down because of being a good negotiator," replied the King.

" What does that mean?" asked Twilight.

" Your father wanted to make a deal your highness, and after about an hour, I agreed with his offer. I'm glad that you came when you did to pick up your order because you're the last one that will be served around here," replied Sonata.

" What does she mean?" asked Twilight.

" The Happy Mask Shop is going to be closing down, for the owner here plans on travelling around Hyrule selling her masks. At first I did not understand such a request, but over time I came to realize what she wanted to do," replied the King. Even though Sonata was going to go through with her plan, it was something Twilight would suggest that really gave her the inspiration she was needing.

To think that someone who was so eccentric would be given the perfect advice from a little girl who was still trying to understand the world....it shows that this version of Twilight would become a princess in her own right much like she has done in Equestria.

" Ms. Saleswoman?" asked Twilight.

" I like that name your highness, but what is your concern?" asked Sonata.

" You should carry around all those masks in a giant bag, so you can move them around with ease," replied Twilight.

" A giant bag? I was thinking of using a box myself to carry them around, but then that would be rather cramped quarters, and could damage my merchandise. Your highness, I think you have quite the future as a saleswoman should the notion of being a princess not work out for you. I don't have any giant bags lying around, but maybe I can stitch together a bunch of small ones to make one big one which I can carry around on my back," said Sonata.

Most people would break their backs or even get flattened were they to do something that ridiculous, yet Sonata was determined to follow Twilight's advice. The king merely chuckled away at the idea his own daughter would become a saleswoman, yet he it was an idea he could consider to give his daughter more confidence, and prepare her for when she must succeed him as ruler of Hyrule someday. Sonata thanked Twilight repeatedly, and proceeded to run around her shop trying to find as many small bags as she could.

" It's a good thing I'm skilled at knitting otherwise I'd have to find a person who can perform a bizarre miracle. My parents wanted me to become a seamstress because of having a natural talent, yet masks have become my calling in life, and who am I to refuse the dream of making people happy by selling them masks."

" Ummmm....why are you closing your home?" asked Twilight.

" When I first started this shop just over a year ago your highness, my aim was to sell masks to other people, and anyone who was willing to be an assistant could borrow my wares for as long as necessary. From there they would sell the masks on their own, and pay me back the money from borrowing it.

Sure it sounds like a complicated system, but even though it did work, I had only one problem, and that was being stuck inside while the assistants got to see much of the world beyond Hyrule Castle Town. It made me realize I should be out there travelling the land, so I decided to do just that. I didn't want to be restricted, but rather free," replied Sonata.

" Freedom....everyone deserves that," smiled Twilight.

" Many in the kingdom are unhappy, and I wish to make them feel good. That is why I wanted to start the Happy Mask Shop your highness so that people like yourself would be happy with my masks for each one has its own unique history. For instance, the ones your father ordered from me used to belong to an earlier civilization who lived in this land, but they suddenly disappeared without a trace although some legends believe they left the surface to live in the sky.

Now, you may think what I sold to your father are replicas, but that isn't the kind of person I am. For me, having the genuine article makes for an even better experience which is why keeping them protected is a wise idea your majesty," said Sonata.

" This is why I gave you a permit allowing this shop to exist, for your knowledge of masks is unprecedented," said the King.

" And I do appreciate it, but the decision to travel around Hyrule works better because not everyone can access my shop as long as it remains here in town. I aim on selling my masks to each tribe even if I have to risk life and limb in the process, but hopefully I won't lose any limbs. The Gorons and Zoras will be hard sells because they don't seem to have much of an inkling for masks, but the Kokiri will definitely appreciate my business given they are children, and what child wouldn't want to have their very own mask.

The Gerudo on the other hand will be a challenge given how tensions are still an issue, yet I know someone who frequents there who can help me out," said Sonata.

" I am sure they will form an alliance with the royal family in due time," said the King.

" That's not up to me to judge, but rather up to their leader who seems to be rather distant these days. My friend who visits their fortress says their king spends much of his time inside of his library pondering over books in the hopes of finding something which has eluded him for a long time. Maybe he wants to become a librarian in addition to being the Gerudo King, but that's just my guess your majesty, so don't pay me any mind," said Sonata.

" You reminded me of something," began the King.

" What's that?" asked Sonata.

" I have heard rumours from many visiting dignitaries about a mask which is so mysterious that many have tried to claim it for centuries, yet none have ever found it because they say it was hidden away in shadows," replied the King.

" A mask that no one has found before....well, it looks like I've now got another reason for travelling," smiled Sonata. Most people would have ignored something like this, yet she was willing to find it no matter what the cost would be. After her shop closed down where she left behind a message explaining why she was going around the kingdom selling her wares, Sonata began travelling around visiting the different tribes on numerous occasions all in an effort to sell her masks.

People at first didn't know what to make of the message she left behind due to it being both confusing and poorly written, but they quickly figured out her methods after about four months, and eagerly awaited her arrival. During the following three years, she would sell her masks to each of the tribes which made her happy, yet deep down there was something that would make her extremely happy, and that was finding this mysterious mask.

When travelling about, she made sure to inquire people in the hopes of getting information, but sadly no one had anything to say. One day, someone did provide her a clue, for she was on the verge of giving up. The person was Spitfire, who at the time was a lowly Gerudo thief who served under Nabooru, or Rainbow Dash as I knew her from my experiences, rather than the second-in-command which she becomes seven years from now.

Sonata was paying a visit to the Gerudo's Fortress to sell her masks, and she chanced upon her friend who helped her out because this associate frequented there.

" Sonata? What are you doing here?"

" I'm usually visiting the Gerudo's Fortress around this time given how I always finish my travelling here before going back to Hyrule Castle Town, and repeating the process all over again in an endless fashion. I'm surprised that you are here Aria as I thought you were running around Hyrule Field by now," replied Sonata.

" Challengers have been few and far in-between, and those who take part in my marathon are weak because they lack that killer instinct. Oh, and be thankful that I give you permission to call me by my real name, for most known me as the Running Woman." The Running Man was someone who enjoyed challenging people to races, and he also had a soft spot for rabbits, a creature that had become extinct because of excessive hunting.

I know this person as Aria Blaze, another of the Sirens, who calls herself the Running Woman, and just like the one mentioned in the book, she is interested in rabbits. I always wondered where this fascination for such an adorable creature came from, but no one has figured it out as she keeps such knowledge to herself. " Did you come here to sell more of those masks again? I don't know why the Gerudo continue to eat out of your hands like they do, but you must be doing something right."

" If it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening," said Sonata.

" You're lucky Nabooru was around to give you permission to enter their fortress for business purposes, for if it had been their king then you'd probably be locked up in their dungeon, or much worse," said Aria.

" What could be more terrifying than a dungeon?" asked Sonata.

" I rest my case," replied Aria.

" But yes, I'm thankful that you got me inside given how you're an honourary member, and they are appreciative of me for selling them masks which have really improved on morale around here given tensions still exist between them and the Hylians. I'm just glad I'm allowed to be here given how I am a Hylian, yet I don't associate with the royal family. Anyway, I came here for an additional reason, and hopefully someone here will have something to say this time," said Sonata.

" You're still trying to find that mask?" asked Aria.

" I must have it because it could be sold to someone," replied Sonata.

" At least your business savvy remains intact although your mind is a different matter entirely. You've been looking for this mask for the last three years, and you haven't even come close, so why continue knowing that you'll never find it?" asked Aria.

" I haven't asked the right people, and I figured that someone among the Gerudo will have an answer. In my previous visits here, I've asked the wrong people who don't know anything regarding hidden treasures which exist out there, so I'll ask someone who would know something which will get me one step closer," replied Sonata.

I never knew she was borderline insane when I talked to her during my journey in Hyrule, yet I never really asked about her personal life, so knowing this was certainly surprising to say the least. Aria does make a good point though about Sonata being obsessed with wanting this mask, but I suppose no amount of effort will make her change her mind.

" So who do you suppose has information?" asked Aria.

" I've heard that the one who is an attendant of Nabooru knows many secrets," replied Sonata.

" You mean Spitfire don't you? I wouldn't refer to her as being an attendant, for she finds such a notion to be insulting. I've seen her complaining constantly about why she has to serve Nabooru, and longs to become second-in-command of the Gerudo because it's something she never stops talking about.

Many in the fortress believe she is trying to worm her way into Ganondorf's good graces in the hopes of being recognized, but she doesn't care what people think. If you plan on talking to Spitfire, I suggest preparing to hear consistent whining from her about how she is nothing more than a mere thief," said Aria.

" Do you know where I can find her?" asked Sonata.

" She's most likely in the kitchen carrying out some mundane task beneath her notice, or she could be in the Training Ground although the former is where I would personally look. If you think I will accompany you, then you're wrong as I need to head back to Hyrule Field, and run around there for a while because something else is on my mind.

Hopefully, Spitfire won't make things difficult given her attitude, but it's none of my concern given you'll do anything to get information regarding that mask. Why you're seeking out a mask that's said to have evil powers makes no sense, yet I've a feeling it's gone beyond wanting to sell it," replied Aria.

" Now whatever gave you that idea?" asked Sonata.

" You're obsessed!" replied Aria. As she began to run off towards Hyrule Field to pass the time, Sonata merely shrugged her shoulders, and walked towards the kitchen which is where Spitfire was. Long before she became the new leader of the Gerudo after Ganondorf was banished to the Sacred Realm because of what he had done in the future, she served under Rainbow Dash.

This was deemed humiliating in her heart because she believed she deserved what was seen as the highest honour in the tribe, yet she was passed over due to an incident several years ago. While she would eventually discover the truth, that didn't happen for another seven years, so in the current time period, she felt immense rage towards the one person who effectively robbed her of her dream, and grew closer to Ganondorf by becoming a faithful follower.

It didn't take long for Sonata to find Spitfire inside of the fortress, yet she wasn't happy that her first visitor for quite some time was someone she viewed as worthless.

" What do you want?" asked Spitfire.

" I see you're busy preparing tonight's meal?" asked Sonata.

" Because Nabooru claims it was my turn to make food! Bah! Why do I have to do something that's clearly beneath my notice when instead there are much more important things that need to be done? Ever since she became second-in-command, I've been obeying her like a slave, yet I should be the one in charge while the Great Ganondorf is away speaking to that Hylian king about an alliance. At least he knows me as someone who is loyal to him, for I've been informing him about all activities that go on around here," replied Spitfire.

" You're quite a barrel of laughs," said Sonata.

" If not for Nabooru making you an honourary member of the tribe, you would have been thrown into the dungeon a long time ago, and if I were second-in-command, you would have been executed for being a constant nuisance. The Great Ganondorf sees your very existence as amusing which is why he agreed with Nabooru's decision, but I won't complain about his edicts," said Spitfire.

Even though she did say to me after freeing her in the future after she was manipulated by his surrogate mothers, there was so much rage boiling below the surface, perhaps some aspects of the magic which brainwashed her wasn't that at all. Rather, it was her own jealousy which made it easy for her to be controlled.

Either way, Spitfire clearly didn't want anything to do with Sonata's visit, and wanted to get back to work, yet she quickly realized that ignoring someone like her is impossible given she has quite the presence. " Why won't you get lost?"

" No need to resort to such words you know," replied Sonata.

" I must get this finished before I can no longer bear it, but I can't do that with you hanging around," moaned Spitfire.

" Then I'll be quick, and get straight to the point. I'm here for information regarding a mask, and you're the one person among your people I haven't asked yet," said Sonata.

" Are you still looking for that thing?" asked Spitfire.

" I've been searching all across the kingdom for the last three years," replied Sonata.

" Despite how annoying you can be especially selling something as pathetic as masks, I've got to admit that you are pretty persistent about this pursuit. I'm also surprised that it took you this long to come to me for information," said Spitfire.

" Every time I've come here to sell my masks, you are never around," said Sonata. That explains why Spitfire is the last Gerudo she needed to ask, but then you would think she could have asked a lot sooner had she come at a different time rather than follow her schedule where she pays a visit at least three times a year.

Ganondorf was the one Gerudo she had no plans on asking, for as King of the Gerudo, he had more pressing matters that revolved around murdering the King of Hyrule, and claiming the Triforce for his very own, so that just left Spitfire who surprisingly did have information about this mystery mask even though she didn't exactly look like someone who would know anything.

" So you believe me to have the knowledge you seek?" asked Spitfire.

" Despite being Nabooru's subordinate which is displeasing from your perspective, I know that you've been around many places beyond Hyrule due to fulfilling certain obligations for your king if I recall correctly," replied Sonata.

" The Great Ganondorf knows me to be trustworthy enough to fulfill his personal tasks, but how did you come across this information about me?" asked Spitfire.

" I have friends who have said some things, yet most of the time I've been able to figure it out on my own because the clues were easy enough to follow. I don't know what would compel your king to want to seek out anything beyond Hyrule's borders, but you've been there which is why I turn to you for information. Even if you give me very little, it will be enough for what I'm going to be doing, and I'll leave you alone once I've gotten what I'm here for," replied Sonata.

" If you weren't a mask saleswoman, you'd make for a pretty decent thief," said Spitfire.

" So do I have your cooperation?" asked Sonata.

" While it would be delicious to deny you what you want to know, I'll humour you a little by revealing my secrets. This mask you're looking for....it was hidden away, but no one knows what that is because those who originally possessed it no longer exist. Not even their descendants have any ideas because they wanted to distance themselves from their ancestors.

What I can tell you is that it was buried in the darkest depths of Ganelon, a kingdom far away from Hyrule, so if you plan on getting this mask, you'll have to leave this land," replied Spitfire. Because of Ganondorf's rise to power where he claimed the Triforce, the world became filled with darkness, so Sonata decided that it would be foolish leaving during such times, so she abandoned her dream of finding this mask, and dedicated herself to travelling about the kingdom where she would sell her masks to those who needed some cheering up.

This is where fate had decided to take her, but because I warned the King of Ganondorf's plans by returning to the right moment in the past, he never conquered Hyrule, so she had no reason to stay. When I say that "I" warned him, it was the Hero of Time according to this book who prevented the dark future from happening.

" And where can I find Ganelon?" asked Sonata.

" I don't know its exact location given how I was only commanded to visit the surrounding kingdoms, so you'll need to figure that out on your own," replied Spitfire.

" At least I have a good idea as to where my journey will take me next," said Sonata.

" I've told you what I know, so now you need to keep your word and leave me alone," said Spitfire.

" Yep! I'll leave right now, yet I suggest not allowing your hatred towards Nabooru ruin the friendship you once had with her. She never wanted to become Ganondorf's second-in-command because of the way she feels about how he's led your people, yet she accepted so that she would not be suspected of betraying him. I've heard her say that among the Gerudo, you were destined to assume the position, but the accident brought her into the limelight much to her disdain.

Before you go and do something you'll live to regret later, why not have a talk with Nabooru, and hear what she has to say. Oh, and I advise against being all chummy with your king, for who knows how long that will last given he could just replace you," said Sonata. Despite having a unique personality that borders on being annoying to so many people, Sonata did have impressive words of wisdom which she provides at random times, so she was someone who proved to be rather astute about her surroundings.

With the information she had acquired from Spitfire, the time had come for her to leave Hyrule, and go on a journey to find that coveted mask, but she had no idea if someone had already found it. In her eyes, she hoped no one succeeded because then it would mean making history. Before she left the kingdom in an effort to find Ganelon, Sonata spoke with the King of Hyrule at the castle who happened to catch wind of what she planned to do from the sole survivor of the Sheikah.

" So you are leaving this land?" asked the King.

" How did you know?" asked Sonata.

" The attendant who serves as the guardian of my daughter discovered that you were planning on leaving Hyrule," replied the King.

" Yes, I am going on a journey to Ganelon, and hopefully find what I've spent these past years searching for," said Sonata.

" Most would have given up on trying to obtain something that elusive, yet you have not once admitted defeat, and now all of that effort has at last paid off. You have a pretty good lead, but the journey ahead will be most difficult. I do wish that you could stay here, for much of my kingdom could do with you cheering them up, but I suppose this was meant to be," said the King.

" If Ganondorf had succeeded in his plan, I wouldn't be going," said Sonata.

" He has been arrested for treason, and shall be executed within the next few years as Hyrule has had other criminals besides him that must be punished accordingly," said the King.

" How did you know of his intentions?" asked Sonata.

" That is a secret which will remain with the royal family, so I am sorry to say that I cannot answer it. In case you were curious though about the fate of his people, the Gerudo shall be making a necessary sacrifice, and the Six Sages shall deal with the criminals who have threatened our peace," replied the King. Even though this all happened after I returned home to the human world, I really wanted to learn about what happened next.

Ganondorf would be executed for his crimes, yet something went horribly wrong during the process which is its own story, but what happened to his people was more interesting. Because of their low numbers, the Gerudo would be wiped out within a couple of generations, so according to official historical records, they were assimilated into Hylian society, and any children born were to be raised as Hylians with no knowledge regarding their Gerudo lineage.

It wasn't the best way for them to go, but at least they didn't have to suffer. The Gerudo's Fortress would fall into disuse within a few years, and the Spirit Temple was converted into a prison where dangerous criminals were sent, but whether this is accurate or not remains to be seen. It seems the past of Hyrule took a much different path than the future.

" I won't pry into something which isn't my affair," said Sonata.

" Of all the people whose lives you made better with your masks, my daughter Zelda perhaps had the strongest reaction. I remember years ago when she questioned your methods and purpose given your business is not traditional, but that is what made you truly unique, for you went in a direction most would never consider because they would view it as foolish.

She will no doubt make a fine queen when the time comes for her to ascend the throne and succeed me, yet if only you could remain and serve as a guide who can teach her to have fun, and not needing to be serious," said the King.

" She has her attendant," said Sonata.

" If anything, that one is more towards being as serious, but then her tribe have always been that way for generations. I would not have them change for the world because their work and sacrifices to protecting the royal family shall never be forgotten. I am guessing my words will not make you change your mind? No, I had a suspicion they would fail, but then you have the determination in your eyes to find what you seek," said the King.

" I might return one day," said Sonata.

" There is no telling when that will happen, for the kingdom of Ganelon is far from Hyrule. If anything, I would say you will be gone for months, or perhaps years for the desire to find what drives you onward is one which cannot be ignored. Hopefully, you will not succumb to any madness which might happen because you will be travelling on your own for a great deal of time," said the King.

" Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine along the way," said Sonata.

" Then I wish you success," said the King. As she turned around to take her leave of Hyrule Castle, Applejack, who in this world serves as the attendant of Princess Zelda, approached the king for she had an important message to speak about. " Impa, has Zelda finished her studies for today? I can always rely on you, her nanny, to keep tabs on such matters especially during these times where figuring out what must be done regarding the Gerudo."

" That is the reason why I have come here before you in addition to something else which must be addressed. First of all, I have spoken with the current leader of the Gerudo, and she agrees that her people will assimilate into Hylian society, yet they wish to try and see if they can survive as they currently are despite their numbers. If within two generations their condition continues to deteriorate, then they shall abandon their fortress," said Applejack.

" And the other condition?" asked the King.

" Regarding future children born? They shall raise them as Hylians, but will not reveal anything about their tribal ways to them. The leader of the Gerudo is aware that this is a difficult task for her people to perform given how their history is very rich like that of the other tribes, yet she knows that if they desire to live in peace then a sacrifice must be made.

She has also said that you have their permission to convert the temple located out in the desert into a prison where criminals are to be punished. The temple is one they have no connection to, so they do not mind what becomes of it," replied Applejack.

" I know it sounds horrific that I'm taking everything away from them, but it must be done because the other tribes still show animosity towards them. This has become especially evident in the wake of Ganondorf's treachery being exposed, and his subsequent arrest several weeks ago," said the King.

" And that is what I have come to speak to you about. The Gerudo King of Thieves has proven to be a difficult one to keep under control because he has been showing defiance ever since the royal guard captured him after his intentions became known. Your guards have been asking for additional reinforcements as they fear a possible escape given how dangerous he still is. My suggestion would be to have his power stripped from him before anything bad can happen.

I also suggest that his execution happen as soon as possible, for a delay could inspire others to act in a similar manner if they feel oppressed regarding your authority," said Applejack. I never would have guessed Ganondorf would be killed for his crimes, and instead would remain imprisoned for the rest of his life, but then the act of treason in Hyrule is death, and the Evil King back in the past had no remorse for his actions.

What happens to him though isn't a part of this story, but I have a feeling knowing what became of him is important because I could be forced into another fight against him if I end up going to another world according to his final words. Sonata decided to leave the kingdom through the Lost Woods as it was the only exit she knew about, and she was aware that non forest folk who enter the woods can be transformed into Stalfos due to being cursed.

Those who become Stalfos are then forced to guard the Forest Temple for eternity, or until they are destroyed where they will move onto the next life. Sonata wasn't afraid though as she was determined to reach Ganelon no matter what, but she had no idea of the kinds of danger which exist in other kingdoms. As she walked through the Lost Woods where the darkness of the trees made things eerie, she was stopped by a Skull Kid playing a flute who was curious as to why a Hylian would be wandering about.

A Skull Kid is what happens to a Kokiri should they wander into the forest, and this one in particular was wearing something which I borrowed from Sonata at the time....the Skull Mask which he said would make him look tougher.

" You're a strange one for coming here to these woods," said the Skull Kid.

" I remember that mask being a part of my collection, yet I allowed my assistant to borrow it, and it ended up in the hands of an unusual child which obviously was you. I'm not complaining mind you given how you look very happy wearing it," smiled Sonata.

" It makes me look tougher," said the Skull Kid.

" That mask was designed for that exact purpose," said Sonata.

" I bought it from a Kokiri girl who seemed confused as to what she was doing, but it was worth the ten rupees," said the Skull Kid.

" Only ten rupees? The Skull Mask is worth 20 rupees which means you didn't pay my assistant entirely, and she most likely had to pay the difference with her own money which must have been annoying. Well, I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Anyway, do you happen to know which way I can go which will lead me out of these woods, and eventually out of the kingdom?" asked Sonata.

" If you keep going in that direction, you'll come across an old oak tree which was one of the first trees to exist in the Lost Woods. If you turn west and keep going from there for about an hour, you'll come out of the woods, and into whatever land lies beyond. You know, I am curious as to why you would want to leave this place. That giant bag you carry on your back must be filled with masks, so perhaps I could purchase some more? I'm willing to pay the full amount this time around," replied the Skull Kid.

" I'm sure you have plenty of money on hand to buy another mask or two, but I think you are more than satisfied with the one you currently have. I do appreciate you giving me the proper directions I need, so I won't leave you empty-handed, so you can have this mask without any form of payment," said Sonata. Thanking the Skull Kid for his directions, she continued onwards, yet she was unaware that this child did have ulterior motives which no one was expecting.

The mask she had given him was one he didn't appreciate, but he was just too impulsive to understand the true nature behind something designed to bring friends closer together. She knew this Skull Kid had friendship issues because he was lonely which is why she gave him the "Mask of Friendship", but he would become a major problem not only for her, but for me as well someday. He made sure to remember the giant bag so if he forgets what she looks like, he can find her easily by looking for anyone carrying a giant bag on their back.

Sonata's journey to reach Ganelon would begin as she stepped out of the Lost Woods, and into an open field, yet she should have brought a map because this would be a long quest. Much of her experiences were never recorded in this book, so I can't say what became of her along the way, but there was one incident that happened at a small village known as Owlshriek....quite the morbid name to be sure, yet this place would make Sonata realize that her obsession with wanting a single mask had taken its toll on her.

When going on a long journey, one lesson certainly comes to mind, and that is making sure to have someone on the journey with you as a means of communication, for if you lack a companion, things can quickly get strange. For Sonata, the fact she had been on her own for such a long time began wrecking havoc with her mind, and someone like her can become unpredictable when her mind gets messed up.

Upon reaching the village of Owlshriek, one villager took notice of the traveller carrying the giant bag on her back, and who was uttering what sounded like gibberish.

" It took me a long time, but I finally....finally....arrived at the place where I've been trying to find for what seems like forever. Why did this village have to be so well hidden even though anyone can see it? Who sent me the wrong way? Who was the wise guy who insisted I travel about on my own? Who? Me? Oh yeah! Well, I'm cursing myself for doing something stupid like going around on my own in a foreign land without someone to talk to," said Sonata.

" Excuse me."

" Are you speaking to me?" asked Sonata.

" What kind of a question was that?"

" I'm just being silly because it's been a long while since I last had any interaction with a fellow human! All I've been seeing as far as living creatures go are monsters, and while they ignored me for some odd reason, I felt offended by it," replied Sonata. Like I said, when you travel around on your own without any kind of human contact, you tend to act strangely because you only have your own mutterings as a means of company.

Most people would have succumbed to insanity by this point, yet Sonata isn't like most people given her strong optimistic personality combined with her unusual quirks.

" You must really be out of it especially since you carry around that giant bag."

" Oh this? It contains a wide assortment of masks which I sell to people by travelling around Hyrule, or rather that was before leaving there, and trying to find Ganelon wherever that is," said Sonata.

" What? You actually sell masks? Wow....I've never heard of anyone selling anything like that before."

" I'm the only one who does," said Sonata.

" Did you say Ganelon? Well, you're in luck because it's just on the other side of that mountain, but I don't know why you want to go there of all places. No one has gone to that place because of what happened a few centuries ago. That kingdom used to be quite a beautiful one, yet a civil war destroyed everything, so now it's nothing more but a wasteland where only treasure hunters, and archaeologists go to find themselves their fortune."

" I need to go there for a mask," said Sonata.

" Excuse me!?!?" I can sympathize with this person because if she had said that to me, I would have had the exact same reaction. If you're going somewhere where hidden treasures haven't been found in centuries, people expect you're going there in the hopes of finding gold, jewels, or some other kind of ancient artefacts worth a great value. Looking for something trivial like a mask would definitely cause confusion, and maybe make people think of you as unusual, or perhaps downright insane.

" Yes, I said a mask," replied Sonata.

" That's what I thought you said, but I'm not all that surprised given how you're not a common traveller, yet I've heard stories about a mask being buried in Ganelon somewhere, for it used to be home to an ancient tribe. Not much is known as they vanished long before any records of their existence became available, but this mask you seek was buried in the deepest darkness out of fear of it being misused by the unworthy. Of course, such an idea of a mask being filled with a great evil is just ridiculous as who would believe such a story?"

" I believe it," said Sonata.

" Why am I not surprised, and I'm guessing you did research?"

" As a matter of fact yes," replied Sonata.

" Then you plan on going to Ganelon to find this mask?"

" Yes because I've been wanting it for a very long time, and I'm not about to give up now when I'm so close. Originally, I was going to sell it to someone because people do enjoy purchasing unusual my masks, but I've since changed my viewpoint. I'll keep it for myself as it's such a rare piece, yet I don't say this very often," replied Sonata.

This mask according to the book was used as a tribute within hexing rituals to a powerful deity who was a spirit of chaos and destruction, but because this unknown tribe feared its misuse, it was hidden to prevent history from repeating itself. Sonata was well aware of this, but she wanted to find the mask as a testament to her dedication as a Happy Mask Saleswoman.

It was known as Majora's Mask, and while it was very bizarre looking in appearance according to ancient drawings Sonata discovered through her research prior to leaving Hyrule, she felt destiny had chosen her to be the one to find it after all this time.

Ganelon was a kingdom filled with a rich history which was similar to that of Hyrule, yet this land didn't have anything like the Triforce, so no one became corrupted with thoughts of wanting to claim absolute power. But, problems would soon arise when word started spreading about a great power which had been buried by an ancient people who lived in the kingdom hundreds of years before modern civilization came along.

No one at the time knew that what they had heard was in fact Majora's Mask, for the rumours never mentioned that this power was simply something you wear on your face. Once those rumours spread far enough, various groups began fighting one another to claim the power they felt would give them the means to dominate Ganelon.

This is what happens when you become consumed with power....I should know personally because it once happened to me where I became consumed wanting power to rule over Equestria. Anyway, when things got to a boiling point, it resulted in a series of wars which almost wiped out the entire kingdom. A small pocket survived the wars that lasted several decades, but the land couldn't be saved as it was too far gone, so it was abandoned within a few years, and over time became the current wasteland which Sonata intends on exploring.

As far as she was aware, the mask was never discovered which meant her chances of finding it were pretty good. The next part of her journey was never recorded, but her arrival at the supposed site where the mask was buried was. By the time she finally reached her destination; a graveyard which had seen better days, Sonata was prepared to go grave-robbing, but was stopped by someone.

" Why have you come here?"

" I'm looking for a mask," replied Sonata.

" You seek to claim Majora's Mask do you? I cannot stop you from taking it from where it was buried many centuries ago, but I can warn you of the consequences that if it were removed from its place of rest. Great disaster shall befall upon worlds were this mask's dark powers be misused, and you shall be given the blame for wanting to take it in the first place.

While your ambition is a noble one for I know you do not wish to use it, you'll bring calamity to a world that isn't prepared to deal with ancient powers long forgotten by mankind, so I implore that you turn away now before it's too late."

" Who are you?" asked Sonata.

" I used to be of the ancient tribe which used the power of the mask, yet for these past centuries, I have been forced to haunt this place as a spirit. I am cursed to remain here and protect Majora's Mask until someone comes along and performs an incantation where I can finally move on from this mortal coil.

I learned of the true nature of the mask, and decided that it needed to be destroyed before anyone could abuse its power, but my people discovered my actions and had me executed as a warning to anyone who might betray them. I couldn't rest in peace knowing what I did to destroy that accursed item, so I remain here in limbo protecting it in the hopes that none shall claim it."

" Well, I'm here to take it," said Sonata.

" Yes, I am well aware of that."

" And you won't stop me?" asked Sonata.

" That is something I cannot do as a spirit, but I can still warn you."

" Curses are just a figment of the imagination, and besides I doubt this mask is as evil as you claim it to be. It's just an impressive looking costume piece which has a lot of historical value which is the reason why I want to keep it myself, for anyone else would probably just be careless and end up damaging it. I've spent these last three years trying to find this mask, and now that I've made it this far, there is no way I'm turning back now," said Sonata.

" Then my words means nothing to you?"

" Well, they certainly were lengthy on the one hand, and filled with all kinds of regret," replied Sonata. Only someone like her wouldn't take such a situation like this seriously, but you can't blame her given how little interaction she has had throughout her journey. This spirit warned her once again about the evil locked inside of the mask, and insisted she leave it where it is so that it can forever be lost in the darkness, but Sonata was determined to get it.

When it became obvious that the words of the spirit were having no effect, it decided to give in to her desires, yet it had one last thing that needed to be said.

" You have chosen not to heed my warning, so go ahead and enter the darkness, but know that you have doomed numerous kingdoms and worlds because of having a strong temptation to have this accursed mask. Whether or not you can live with such a weight on your conscious remains to be seen, yet perhaps madness will become part of who you are. If you plan on returning to where you came from, then know that is impossible should the mask become yours."

" I was planning on going home," said Sonata.

" If you claim that mask, you can never go back, for you must wander around until either the evil within is destroyed, or you end up succumbing to the curse. My words no doubt do not change such a stance, yet I have given ample warning."

" I'll take the risk," said Sonata.

" Ah, so my words did ring true."

" I'm not going to let you scare me into leaving without it," said Sonata. If only she had not been consumed with wanting Majora's Mask so badly, then nothing would have happened, but she was insistent on finding it. While she did have good intentions, this mask brings nothing but chaos and destruction to all that are unfortunate enough to be plagued by its terrible power.

Her actions would bring another world to the verge of ruin, and the one who stole the mask from her was someone person no one ever suspected given how insignificant they were in their eyes. Why all of this happened after she claimed the mask is something I don't understand given how circumstantial it was, but that was something I should be able to find if I continue reading this book.

The spirit from the ancient tribe disappeared which allowed Sonata access to the darkness that was basically a pit beneath this graveyard, and upon entering she would eventually discover what she had been looking for. " Is this it? Is this what I've spent these last few years looking for? The images in that book don't do this any justice, but it does look very impressive especially with all that detail on the front not to mention the crazy colours. I wonder why it has those large eyes? They look as though they are staring into my soul."

" You know not what you've done...."

" Who said that?" asked Sonata.

" Curse...."

" Must be the wind although it sounds like someone is speaking to me," said Sonata.

" Worlds shall fall because you have taken that which should remain in the shadows for eternity...."

" I'm not going to listen to such nonsense," said Sonata.

" The fate of many has been sealed...." These final words would encourage anyone who had come this far to turn back, but Sonata remained dedicated to the cause, and picked up Majora's Mask where she held it in front of her. She did experience a temptation to wear it because it was a mask and all, however, she was aware that it was evil, so putting it on would be nothing short of a disaster.

Rather than wrapping it up carefully to make sure nothing bad happens, Sonata simply tossed it into her bag, and proceeded to leave the graveyard with her prize. This is where her story comes to an end because according to the book, she simply disappeared as though she had gone to another world altogether leaving no trace behind.

I didn't know it at the time as I didn't want to think about Ganondorf's parting words, but I was going to meet this version of Sonata someday. To think that a mask had such tremendous power granted to someone who wears it....while the thought does sound ridiculous, after what I've experienced, anything could happen regardless. Before I wrap things up with this story, there is one last piece that has to do with Twilight, for she was speaking to someone whom she befriended during Ganondorf's attempt to conquer the world.

The identity of this person was never known by name, but it's said that they were someone that she cherished. This person did have a title which had a meaning in the future....the Hero of Time....the one who travelled back and forth through time to save Hyrule.

" While I am sad you are leaving, I understand your reasons for doing so," said Twilight.

" It's a personal journey."

" Yes, to find someone who means a great deal to you. Even though I have only known you for a very short time, it feels like it has been even longer as though it transcends time itself. While I still do not understand what experiences you encountered in the future, it has made you become more aware of the world around you.

While your fellow forest children would love to see you return to them, I know that cannot be because you are not of their kind given you know the truth about your heritage. I do not even know if we shall ever see each other again after this farewell, yet I will not allow it to break my heart for I know this was fated," said Twilight.

" I hope to return within a few years."

" That seems a reasonable length given the circumstances," said Twilight.

" I'd rather not go because there is no telling what Ganondorf will do given his current predicament, yet I'm certain your father has taken care of that."

" The Gerudo King of Thieves currently waits for the day to come when he will be executed for his treachery, but that is something which need not concern either of us because my father has ensured he will not escape. To think that this kingdom would plunge into a never-ending darkness because of his desire to claim the Triforce, yet you have prevented that future from happening.

Still, no one in Hyrule will even know that they were saved by you," said Twilight. Many heroes would protest against something like this because they would want to be recognized for their hard work, yet they prefer fame and glory over wanting to do the right thing because greed consumes their hearts. Others are much more honourable, and prefer not to be showered with endless praise and reward as preventing disaster, and protecting innocent lives is their preference.

" It's for the best."

" Yes as they would never believe a child from the forest saved them, but know that what you did shall never be forgotten by the royal family for as long as we live. Your story will be a hidden legend that will be passed down from generation to generation so that it can never be forgotten. I do have one final request if that is okay, for this could be the last time we see each other in this lifetime," said Twilight.

" What is it?"

" I want you to stay here for one final night," replied Twilight.

" But my journey can't be delayed."

" This is true, and yet I wish you could stay," said Twilight.

" For you, I'll accept your request, but I must leave within the early hours of the morning otherwise I will lose the trail."

" I will not pry into such matters for they are personal to you, but before you depart from here in the morning, there is something which I need to give to you because it is my belief that you should have it," said Twilight.

" Why not now?"

" While the item in question has been in my possession throughout these last few days, it belongs to my family in general, so I need to ask my father if I am allowed to give it to you. No doubt you know what it is that I am talking about, but this will happen in the morning, so for now we shall retreat to my chambers for I have more questions regarding the future of Hyrule," replied Twilight.

Princess Zelda would hand over the sacred treasure of her family to this friend of hers, for she believed it would remain safe in their hands, and didn't wish to be reminded of the fact that Ganondorf wanted it in his bid to conquer the world. According to the book, what became of her from this point remains unknown because history never recorded anything other than she became a wonderful ruler when she succeeded her father in a number of years.

However, the Hyrule Historia does mention a chapter about her life in the future where the Evil King was banished instead of executed as he was in the past. I think that sounds like a good read, for I'm curious as to how they managed to rebuild Hyrule. I'm not sure why I have this urge to know so much about a video game, but my best guess is that my experiences in Hyrule made me truly appreciate what it was despite it being nothing more than a video game world.

I don't understand why certain events in Hyrule's history was written down for future generations to learn about, yet others were never recorded making them perhaps the more sought after legends, but maybe they had a good reason for doing so. While I would love to read about Zelda's trials in the future, my friends are calling me because I've been here in Pinkie Pie's bedroom on my own reading this book recovering from a head injury which occurred when I fell down which still doesn't make sense.

My friends are important to me, so I'll save my place by using a bookmark, and come back later on. I'm still finding it difficult to grasp how there are all these additional stories which I never learned about during my adventure, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to read each one just to become familiar with what happened. When I get back to this book, I'll be sure to read about what happened in the future
after the Evil King's reign came to an end, and the restoration of the kingdom began....

To Be Continued.

Bonus Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Future

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
May 31, 2015
Bonus Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Future.

Despite the unusual circumstances that happened during the sleepover where we all sent into a video game world, it turned out to be a great success, but I decided to stay at Pinkie Pie's place to continue reading the book Rainbow Dash allowed me to borrow. Granted, I could have just returned to the school library where I've been sleeping every night, but Pinkie's place was much more comfortable, and I was still recovering from an injury which I have no clue as to how it could have happened.

Yes, I've pretty much adopted Twilight's mannerisms, and it suits me considering we've become close friends. The Hyrule Historia contained different chapters that reveal what happened throughout Hyrule's history from when the Great Goddesses first created it, to an event where the Triforce of Courage was found after it had gone missing for a few centuries. While I could read any of these stories, the ones that appeal to me relate to my experiences when I was travelling around there when Ganondorf sent us into his world.

The book says that I experienced Hyrule during a time after something called the Imprisoning War, and due to the actions of the Hero of Time, the timeline was divided into three distinct paths where different events transpired. Because I portrayed that same hero during my adventure, does that mean I was responsible for creating three realities without even knowing it? Of these timelines, two of them are positive as the Evil King was defeated, but the other one is different because he killed the Hero of Time, and obtained the True Force.

While he was banished to the Sacred Realm in this timeline, it brought about disaster to Hyrule as without the Triforce, it fell into ruin and would remain in this downward spiral for centuries.

I've already read about what happened when the Hero of Time returned to his childhood, which was followed with the story of the Happy Mask Salesman who Sonata Dusk portrayed, and how Majora's Mask became intertwined in the hero's life after she went through quite an ordeal to claim it. So, I want to read about the other timeline which takes place in the future where the Evil King was banished while only having the Triforce of Power.

I'm curious about what everyone experienced when peace returned after seven years living in darkness, but first I need to remind myself of how it all came to be. Seven years prior, Ganondorf gained access to the Sacred Realm where he claimed the Triforce of Power, and used it to become the King of Evil where he ruled unopposed until the Hero of Time returned where he fulfilled his destiny. The different regions and those who lived in them each experienced something different when Ganondorf assumed control.

Hyrule Castle Town was completely destroyed when he conquered Hyrule, yet while many were able to flee, there were others who weren't as fortunate. The town became a wasteland where undead monsters roamed the market, and the only person who lived there was a man obsessed with ghosts, for it was a hobby of his. Hyrule Castle was replaced with Ganon's Castle, an evil fortress presiding over a barren wasteland where the stench of darkness and decay knew no bounds, but how did the rest of the land fare?

The Kokiri Forest became plagued with monsters due to the death of the Great Deku Tree, who protected the forest as the guardian spirit for many generations. Death Mountain became active again after being dormant for so long, and the Gorons were to be fed to an ancient dragon which used to eat them until it was destroyed by a legendary hero among their people.

Ganondorf punished them in this fashion as a warning that this would happen to the other tribes should they oppose his rule, and this also affected Kakariko Village, yet it would be plagued with its own problems later when the village was set on fire because of a shadow beast that was sealed away there by the leader of the village, Impa, who also served as Princess Zelda's protector.

Zora's Domain was frozen over, and the Zoras were trapped under the ice while Lake Hylia was drained of water where it became a pale shadow of its former self. Both of these incidents were connected together because water in Hyrule begins at Zora's Fountain, and flows all the way down to Lake Hylia.The only place that remained unchanged was the Gerudo's Fortress as his people prospered, yet under the surface, they were being manipulated by his surrogate mothers who controlled the desert beyond.

Upon his defeat and subsequent banishment, Ganondorf left behind a horrific legacy which would take quite some time to restore things back to the way they were before, and this is where this story begins. Days after the final battle which saw the Hero of Time prevail, and sent back to his childhood, Zelda, protrayed by Princess Twilight Sparkle, met with the new leader of the Gerudo, known as Spitfire, who was previously second-in-command.

" I am certain you know why this meeting had to take place?" asked Twilight.

" Yes although I wish it didn't have to be," replied Spitfire.

" The people have been demanding that I take action regarding the situation with your people, but I do know that the Gerudo are not to blame for what has transpired across Hyrule for these past seven years. Of course, by refusing to not address this, it would have caused riots which is must be avoided because we are still recovering from what your former king inflicted upon us," said Twilight.

" Given the current circumstances your highness, you must do what's right for your people even if you don't like the idea. My people aren't in favour of this as we feel that we are being punished because of Ganondorf's actions, but we're not in a position to argue over popular opinion," said Spitfire. It seemed the vast majority of Hyrule wishes for justice to be dealt onto the Gerudo, and Twilight would rather solve the problem in a different manner.

However, the people demand action because they were living in constant fear, so they want someone to be blamed. Given that she spent seven years under the guise of a Sheikah, Twilight wasn't in any position to refuse such demands because the people could just turn on her without a second thought due to her abandoning her people.

Even though one of the Six Sages was a Gerudo herself, this didn't mean a thing when it came down to the grand scheme. " My people will accept any kind of punishment you choose to inflict upon us because of his actions, yet I would be careful not to go overboard otherwise we will be forced to riot."

" If that were to occur, then the other tribes will act in the same manner, thus the path to peace shall be broken before it can even begin being restored. To be honest, I am not sure what I should do with this situation," said Twilight.

" You are the ruler of Hyrule now, so that means you must come up with something," said Spitfire.

" I was not expecting to succeed my father for years, yet I have been forced to assume the throne due to his murder. I have been trying to get things started with the restoration of Hyrule Castle as we need a rallying point, but with this situation regarding your people, my efforts have been sidetracked because the people demand justice be done," said Twilight.

" Then I suggest you get over your hesitation, and do something about it," suggested Spitfire.

" Ah," said Twilight.

" Sorry if my words made you speechless, but you can't afford to show weakness. Hyrule has only recently become free of the darkness of Ganondorf, and much work needs to be done. If you continue showing hesitation then your people will deem you unworthy to rule over them. They will demand someone else assume the throne who is more than capable of getting things done, so you need to grow a spine right now, and do what you must.

Again, I am sorry for my words, but this is for your own good. The Gerudo will accept our punishment as long as it's within reason because we're part of the kingdom as well despite there not being an actual alliance made at the time," said Spitfire.

" Yes, I must act accordingly," said Twilight.

" Then tell me of my people's punishment because that is why you came here isn't it? Or, is there another reason?" asked Spitfire.

" No," replied Twilight.

" You're quite the liar," said Spitfire. According to what this story says, the princess wanted to forge a true alliance with the Gerudo as she didn't like them being isolated which had been the case for generations, and prompted Ganondorf to conquer Hyrule. However, her people would protest such a decision, so she needs to be cautious so as to not cause an irreversible rift among the populace.

Despite having committed some horrible acts in the past due to being manipulated by Ganondorf's surrogate mothers, Spitfire had proven herself to be an effective leader of her people, and despite some rough patches because of what she did to Nabooru, she has the support of the Gerudo. She was aware that Twilight wasn't being honest, and people do this to hide what they wish to say.

" I wish to form an alliance," said Twilight.

" That's not a problem on our part, but the other tribes may not be as willing," said Spitfire.

" If this land is to live in peace once again then we must complete what my father started a long time ago," said Twilight.

" Again, the other tribes will protest," said Spitfire.

" Then that is something I must deal with when the time comes, for the unification must be completed. There is much work that needs to be done, and your people must be included in this effort otherwise I could never forgive myself for ignoring your plight. If not for the bigotry from the other tribes, we would all be living in peace, and Ganondorf would have followed a different path. No, I shall not allow their words to affect what I am about to do," said Twilight.

" Better take care of the alliance first," suggested Spitfire.

" If we were to do that followed with the punishment, your people will assume that they were being tricked," said Twilight.

" You'll make quite a queen you know," said Spitfire. Princess Zelda would get the alliance she wanted with the Gerudo because she felt they needed to become part of the unification that her father had always envisioned, but at the same time she had to punish them for the actions of Ganondorf. The punishment was divided into two fronts which involved the annexation of the Spirit Temple, and they were okay with it given how only Nabooru and Twinrova ever managed to make it there to begin with.

However, it was more difficult to get the other condition enforced as it involved allowing the other tribes to enter their territory at all times no matter what, and they felt they were being punished harshly. Luckily, Zelda was wise beyond her years, and stated their fortress was off-limits unless the Gerudo granted outsiders permission to enter. This punishment would only last for a few decades because of an incident that occurred, so now I'll skip ahead to about three months after Ganondorf's defeat.

The Six Sages used their magic to seal the lava pool that existed below the Evil King's fortress as it needed to be dealt with before any work could truly begin. Once this was covered up, and the land started regaining its former glory, people from Kakariko Village came along, and aided in the construction of Hyrule Castle while at the same time working on restoring Hyrule Castle Town.

The other tribes sent envoys to help with the construction aside from the Kokiri as they still had issues when it came to leaving the sanctity of the forest, but the Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo provided assistants which Zelda appreciated. All of this happened during the three months after her meeting with Spitfire, yet her attendant Impa, who Applejack portrayed, had some dire news to report.

" Are you sure of this Impa?" asked Twilight.

" I am afraid my words are the truth your highness. A small faction of people from the Gorons, Zoras, and Hylians have started their own colony in Hyrule Field where they plan on separating from the kingdom," replied Applejack.

" Why would they be so insistent on such an action? We are still recovering, yet this group insists on dividing our kingdom in half all because they feel that justice was not delivered onto the Gerudo? Most people have accepted the conditions revolving around their punishment as have the Gerudo themselves despite some objections, yet it is most shameful that not everyone agreed," said Twilight.

" I travelled to this area in the hopes of getting them to rethink their desires, but they would not listen to my words claiming that I have been blinded by the false promises of the royal family. They even went as far as saying that you are unfit to rule Hyrule, but the majority of the people know that it was a difficult decision for you to make. Right now, they have been constructing their own castle as a means of letting everyone that they intend on carrying out this farce," said Applejack.

It seems not everyone was willing to accept the Gerudo's punishment that Zelda gave them, for a small faction has decided to rebel against her. People may dislike certain ideas and decisions, but to go and separate from your homeland is just asking for trouble. Luckily, this was still in the early stages, so the chances of bringing this to a peaceful resolution without it spiraling into a civil war were pretty high, but those who were rebelling were young and ignorant.

Applejack made sure that Twilight was aware in case she believed older citizens were doing this. " I will admit that seeing the construction of a castle out in Hyrule Field is nothing short of horrific your highness, yet those who have chosen to act like this are mostly young individuals who have no idea as to what it has been like for the Gerudo for generations."

" Such is the way of ignorance," sighed Twilight.

" They have only just started building themselves a castle, so we have time to resolve this before blood can be shed," said Applejack.

" I do not want to send in any kind of army in order to stop this group, for there has been more than enough violence in the kingdom to last us an eternity, but something must be done before the situation gets too far out of hand," said Twilight.

" This would be an ideal task for the Sheikah, but I am the only survivor after they were all killed during the Imprisoning War, and you disguised yourself as one of my people under my suggestion to avoid Ganondorf's pursuit. The new royal guard would also be a good suggestion, yet their numbers are relatively small, and Shining Armour can no longer lead them because of the injuries he sustained when your father was killed.

While this does go against my better judgment, I believe that you must go to this group in person your highness, and convince them that their actions will serve to bring our kingdom to ruin," said Applejack. Much of the time whenever this kind of situation happens, many monarchs choose to rely on an army to crush a rebellion, yet Twilight was much more compassionate than that. She knew there was no other choice but to confront this group, and tell them the truth of the matter.

" I wish that I did not have to do this Impa, but I must otherwise peace will never happen," said Twilight.

" Will you be needing my assistance?" asked Applejack.

" If they see me coming with any kind of retinue, then they may take it the wrong way, and things will escalate badly," replied Twilight.

" Very well, but I shall insist on having someone escort you, for going by yourself could be dangerous. I shall recommend you ask one of the Six Sages to accompany you to this area," suggested Applejack.

" I intend on going alone," said Twilight.

" While this may be your preference, I cannot allow you to do so especially when this group could be dangerous," said Applejack.

" After what I have been through when Ganondorf captured me, I will be fine Impa," said Twilight. You have to give the princess credit for putting on such a brave face when it comes to dealing with a problem like this, but I'm hoping that the book doesn't decide to skip the most important detail which is of course the resolution. Turning the page over expecting there to be no records, I was happy to see more information regarding this rather brief rebellion, so it was recorded for future generations.

Originally, Zelda was going to bring along Darunia given how he was her Sworn Brother just like how he was with her father, but he insisted on bringing along Nabooru given how the group was furious over the weak punishment towards the Gerudo. Rainbow Dash portrayed Nabooru during my adventure, yet I can't imagine seeing her being diplomatic because of having boundless energy, and not being all that agreeable if things don't go her way.

Why choose the Sage of Spirit? She was once second-in-command of the Gerudo which meant she knew much about his mannerisms, but Spitfire would have worked. This rebellion quickly gained favour with people given how the Gerudo were being treated fairly by Zelda despite their punishment, so after being informed, she moved forward to stifle it, and eventually shut it down by the root by meeting with those who served as leaders. They weren't happy seeing Nabooru accompanying her, so from the start they were quite vocal.

" You must stop with this notion of wanting to break away from the kingdom in order to form your own," said Twilight.

" Why did you bring the likes of her here?"

" Nabooru? She has every right to be by my side as the Sage of Spirit," replied Twilight.

" The Gerudo have been nothing but trouble for years as they use arcane magic which is forbidden in Hyrule, and their former king made all of our lives miserable with no remorse. The people hoped you would punish them for their crimes, yet you merely slapped them on the wrist, and even forged an alliance with them! Why would you do something so reckless like that?"

" It is what my father wanted before he was murdered," replied Twilight.

" Murdered by a Gerudo no less! If anything, you should be infuriated still over how the old King's life was taken away from him long before his time, yet you chose to forego that conclusion, and instead cater to them through a feeble punishment."

" You do not realize that your actions have been affecting the restoration efforts," said Twilight.

" We appreciate you bringing Hyrule back from almost being destroyed, but we won't accept the light punishment you gave to those desert mongrels. Taking over that temple in the desert was pointless given how they don't even use it, and giving everyone access to their fortress, but needing permission to enter is nothing short of an insult to our suffering. You should have had their fortress reduced to rubble, and exiled them to the desert for what they have done against us Hyruleans!

You have proven that you care more for those savages than your true people." Rainbow Dash had been keeping silent during this entire tirade, but it got to the point where she could no longer tolerate what was being said. If I were in her shoes right now, I'd do the same thing she is about to do, and that is turn their own words against them. Twilight on the other hand didn't want any blood to be spilled, for she wanted to resolve things without relying on fighting.

" Princess Zelda," began Rainbow Dash.

" You wish to speak on behalf of your people?" asked Twilight.

" I've been holding back hoping they would listen to you, but now I'm inclined to say what's on my mind," replied Rainbow Dash.

" What could a desert mongrel like you say?"

" You're one to talk you bloated gas bag! I've been listening to her highness doing everything she can to make things right, and all I've heard coming from your mouths is nothing short of complaining because you didn't get your way. My people suffered just as much as you did when Ganondorf took over, for his surrogate mothers had complete control over us and anyone who resisted were exiled to the desert and died. While the Spirit Temple isn't all that important to us, I still have to watch over it as the Sage of Spirit," replied Rainbow Dash.

" You? Watching over such a sacred place? You mean you'd most likely steal from there first."

" Actually, that part is true although my aim was to steal back what Ganondorf had stolen, but the point is that the temple doesn't mean much to my people. Giving you outsiders the right to enter our territory whenever you desire is something we Gerudo couldn't accept because it infringed on our society, yet we changed our minds because we knew that to be a part of Hyrule meant allowing the other tribes access to our domain," said Rainbow Dash.

" Your fortress should have been a part of the conditions."

" Her highness knew it was too much, so she chose not to go that far," said Rainbow Dash.

" Which is why we're forming our own kingdom because of such a reckless decision." According to the book, it says Nabooru completely snapped when she heard that particular statement, and would have gladly killed those who sought to rebel against the kingdom, but she knew that wasn't the right way to go about it.

Lashing out in such a manner would only make things worse. Rainbow Dash is so much like the Sage of Spirit where she gets frustrated when people insult others for no reason, and it vexes her to no end because she would think people are much better than that.

" I wouldn't know of how you all suffered during Ganondorf's reign," said Rainbow Dash.

" And why is that?"

" Because during those seven years, I was brainwashed by his surrogate mothers, and became a slave in the form of an Iron Knuckle; a monster created to serve his every command without question. I've no memories of what happened during that time, yet I wish that I could've witnessed what you and everyone else was experiencing.

I always knew he was going too far which is why I chose to act out against his edicts, but my decisions cost me my freedom until I was freed from their magic by someone who was pretty brave despite having hesitation in her heart," replied Rainbow Dash. This was something they weren't expecting a Gerudo to say, but it was enough to finally make them understand that Ganondorf was even merciless to his own tribe because they were pawns to him.

It's said that Nabooru would provide additional examples that reiterated her stance about why the punishment given unto her people was justified. " We should have acted much sooner against him, but in reality we were blinded by our own tribal laws. Princess Zelda's decision to punish the Gerudo is just, but at the same time she knew that we were nothing more than expendable servants in his eyes." It is said that her words would change their minds, but they needed additional convincing before they would abandon their plan.

Zelda would continue these talks with Nabooru with the faction in the hopes of bringing about a resolution. It would take several months for them to come to an agreement, yet they wanted to make sure that the punishment against the Gerudo would be applied and not taken back until a certain period of time had passed. With this problem now behind her, the princess now had other problems at hand which would test her in ways she wasn't prepared for.

Other factions over time would rebel against the royal family not because of the Gerudo, but for the most trivial of matters. One faction rebelled as they didn't like being taxed too much, another lashed out over a land dispute which involved both Gorons and Zoras, and a third would rise up because they felt Hyrule was plunging into dark times because one piece of the Triforce was missing, and planned on usurping the throne.

It was this latter faction who perhaps made a valid point as the Triforce of Power was stuck in the Sacred Realm. A second piece, the Triforce of Courage, was also missing thus Hyrule only had one piece to rely on during times of darkness. The Hero of Time who had defeated the Evil King returned home in order to live out his childhood, and took his part with him which exposed Ganondorf's intention thus preventing disaster from happening.

Not only did Zelda have to deal with these factions, she also had to deal with the other areas which were recovering. While Hyrule Castle Town and the castle itself needed to be restored due to Ganondorf decimating them, the regions didn't require as much restoration....varying from location to location as some fared worse than others.

The first place Princess Zelda went to according to the book was the Kokiri Forest, and it suffered because the guardian spirit, the Great Deku Tree had passed away seven years prior. While the Kokiri did acknowledge that an alliance existed between them and the royal family, it was never enforced given how they kept isolated within the safety of the forest, and no dignitaries ever came by for a visit.

When Zelda visited, the Kokiri didn't know what to make of her as non-Kokiri were a rarity for them, but luckily they had an ideal negotiator through Saria, the Sage of Forest who I could never forget as Fluttershy assumed her role when I was there.

" The forest children seem afraid to be near me," said Twilight.

" You can't really blame them given how we rarely have non-Kokiri enter these woods because of wanting to remain isolated, and not drawn into conflicts which have been happening for years among the other tribes. In fact, the last time someone from another tribe came here was a Hylian mother along with her baby as she wanted to escape from the bloodshed happening outside.

Sadly, she passed away and her child was raised as one of us until she learned the truth about her own identity. You're the first royal who has come to our here ever since the kingdom first became established after all that fighting was finished, yet it's a good thing I'm one of the Six Sages, for I can easily explain the situation without you feeling confused," said Fluttershy.

" Things would have been much more complicated without you," said Twilight.

" Our guardian, the Great Deku Tree, was killed seven years ago when Ganondorf sapped his strength, and placed the death curse upon him. After his passing, our forest became plagued with monsters, yet no one assisted us until she came along," said Fluttershy.

" With the forest known for its curse, people feared coming," said Twilight. According to legend, if non-Kokiri enter the forest, they would be transformed into monsters, or to be more specific, they become Stalfos where they are forced to protect the ancient temple that rests at the far end of the Lost Woods.

If a forest child were to do the same thing, they would become Skull Kids, and could never return as they were seen as abominations among the Kokiri. The thought of being cursed was too much for people to bear, so they chose to leave the forest to its fate.

" That curse has always been a problem," said Fluttershy.

" Yet, I refuse to allow it to prevent me from aiding you and the forest children," said Twilight.

" What can you do?" asked Fluttershy.

" I have been told that a successor to the Great Deku Tree was born when the Forest Temple was cleansed of the evil that had corrupted it, so I am here to make sure that the sapling remains protected in case evil threatens this haven again," replied Twilight.

" That would be nice," said Fluttershy. The Deku Tree Sprout came into existence because the evil of the Forest Temple was destroyed by the Hero of Time, and despite how young it was, the sapling was determined to carry on the legacy its predecessor began. As it was young though, it needed to be kept safe otherwise if anything were to happen, it could cause the forest to become consumed with darkness that has been lurking about the Lost Woods for generations.

I remember how cute the sprout was although I would have chosen a more practical location rather than being stuck in front of what came before you. As long as the Deku Tree Sprout remains safe, it will eventually grow up and become the true new guardian of the forest, yet that was going to take a very long time.

" Then I shall make arrangements to have the new spirit protected," suggested Twilight.

" We would prefer protecting him on our own, but I know that's wishful thinking given how dangerous things can get. Perhaps you could go with some kind of protection magic which can keep the sprout safe for the first few hundred years, and from there he should be able to take care of himself," said Fluttershy.

" There is no current magic in existence which can last for that length of time," said Twilight. This is actually true as magic can only last for a definite period of time unless it were renewed every few decades to keep it from extinguishing. Fluttershy should have known that given how she's one of the Six Sages, but perhaps in her heart, she believed otherwise, and couldn't accept anything else as being true.

" I suppose the Triforce would have worked, yet two pieces have become lost after the Evil King was banished to the Sacred Realm. I will need to consult some ancient texts which survived when Hyrule Castle originally fell, and hopefully an answer can be found."

" I guess my request was a little much given how you still need to restore the rest of the kingdom, so maybe I should look through those books myself to see if there is a spell which will protect the Deku Tree Sprout for centuries until he is ready. You need not worry about us Kokiri dying upon leaving the forest as we have proven that story was a myth designed to keep us from venturing beyond these trees. In fact, I'll pay you a visit in the future Princess Zelda to see if I can borrow a few of the more ancient texts you have," said Fluttershy.

Oh yeah! This was something not even I knew about. The Kokiri never left the forest because they were told that doing so would mean they would die, but it was merely a ruse concocted by the Great Deku Tree as he wanted to keep them safe. He was certainly right considering what had happened when Ganondorf was in power, yet keeping them locked up like that wasn't what I would call a good idea.

Anyway, about a week after visiting the forest, Princess Zelda paid a visit to Goron City which didn't sustain any damage when Death Mountain erupted after the Fire Temple had been freed from the darkness, yet Darunia, who Pinkie Pie played with so much energy considering she swung around a hammer like it was nothing, was concerned about aftershocks as well as a specific neighbour.

" While my brothers can easily protect our home in case the mountain erupted again, the people of Kakariko don't have any kind of protection. Now I know that they are located at the base of the mountain, yet lava is very unpredictable," said Pinkie Pie.

" You are most fortunate that your people possess ideal strength to keep your city from sustaining damage. Originally, that was my biggest fear as I believed that we would need to send up supplies, but seeing the condition first hand, I am relieved things did not get worse than what was first established. I still feel guilty over not protecting the Gorons from Ganondorf's fury because of defying him, yet you handled it in a manner the other tribes did not want to be a part of," said Twilight.

" When my people are in danger, I won't hesitate to act on their behalf even if I have to give up my very life! Now don't worry about my well being your highness as I've been more than capable of protecting my own hide given how I'm a warrior at heart, yet you had your reasons for hiding from the Evil King for so many years.

If you didn't have a good enough excuse, I'd be insulted because my Sworn Brother, the King, chose not to aid us in our time of need, yet he is no longer alive, and that means his title which was given unto him by me has become yours," said Pinkie Pie. In Goron society, they use the term Sworn Brother to indicate a strong bond of trust has been formed between two individuals that cannot be broken.

Both the King and the Hero of Time were Darunia's brothers, and now it was Zelda's turn to receive the same treatment. " You being here to look over Death Mountain is a sign that you and I will get along just fine."

" Is it possible to prevent the mountain from erupting in the future?" asked Twilight.

" We could seal up potential hazard points, but then that might prevent us from accessing the Fire Temple. The only reason the volcano erupted for the first time in centuries was because of that blasted dragon Ganondorf revived! If not for that then we wouldn't be having this problem to begin with! Right now, my people have been using vast resources to protect our city in case future eruptions occur, yet there is more material than we need, so perhaps we can go down to Kakariko, and get them properly fortified?

I know it won't be easy because I doubt they would believe that a problem could happen in the future, but are you willing to take such a risk knowing lives may be lost?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Hyrule has suffered too much as it is," replied Twilight.

" Then I can easily ask some of my brothers to go with me to the village, and help fortify key places. The village did have a problem with some kind of phantom shadow a while ago didn't it? If anything, this fortification can keep them protected from anything that tries to leave that graveyard of theirs," suggested Pinkie Pie.

" I had been meaning to visit Kakariko Village in the hopes of helping them recover from the fire which almost gutted everything in flames, but perhaps Darunia you and your people can help protect the village from future fires," suggested Twilight. " Fire means nothing to us Gorons as we can literally bathe in even the hottest of magma for hours on end, so we can definitely do something like that.

Of course, we do need permission from whoever is in charge, for they might not need our assistance, and going there without being needed would cause my brothers to seethe in anger. I suppose a good idea would be for me to go down to the village on my own to assess the situation, and if they have need of our strength then we can deliver it within a matter of hours," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then I am most fortunate that you are willing to help the villagers," smiled Twilight.

" In a way, I'm still indebted to them because of my actions years ago when I went on a rampage all because I wasn't able to feed my people. A lack of hunger can make even the most powerful of warriors lose their sanity," said Pinkie Pie. I remember witnessing that for myself when I first went to Kakariko, and seeing Pinkie swinging around a giant hammer while being in a foul mood is a scary thought.

While she is usually fun and full of life, if she were to become miserable, then I fear for people's lives as she can be rather sadistic even if she doesn't intend for that. According to the book, Darunia was known to have a weakness that revolved around dancing, and I remember when that happened, yet judging from his actual picture instead of Pinkie Pie, I'm amazed he could bust a move.

" There is another matter which needs to be discussed," began Twilight.

" I suspect it has to do with those of my people who joined the rebellious factions?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Yes," replied Twilight.

" Those who acted in such a manner have been kicked out of the city, and are no longer welcome here. I know the Gerudo didn't cause problems as it was a combination of Ganondorf, and our own bigotry which caused him to want to conquer Hyrule. While we Gorons are known to argue from time to time with the other tribes especially when it comes to our way of life, we don't tolerate the complete and utter isolation of anyone given how difficult things have been," said Pinkie Pie.

" Why do they not realize that we all desire peace?" asked Twilight.

" Not everyone has a clear understanding of what happened when the Evil King was ruling over us. Those who chose to rebel against your authority are young punks who believe the world belongs to them, and don't have a clue as to how to be real men and women! That, and they view you as being weak and unwilling to deal punishment to the Gerudo all due to how they've suffered.

If anyone has suffered, it's the Gerudo themselves for generations, so for those punks to really understand living in such deplorable conditions, have them spend some time out in the desert! That should straighten them out," replied Pinkie Pie.

" That is not a bad idea," said Twilight.

" If they want to continue with this pointless rebellion, then have them exiled to the desert," suggested Pinkie Pie. It may have sounded harsh, but sometimes a dose of reality is all anyone needs if they are to understand true pain. The book says Death Mountain would never erupt again, for the evil which had been lying dormant for generations had been snuffed out, but it wasn't a total loss for both the Gorons and the Hylians who lived in the region.

Kakariko Village was strengthened so as to prevent any fires from happening again, and at the same time the bond between the two tribes grew closer than ever before. This is what the King had long desired to see....everyone in Hyrule united together in order to live in peace. Sadly, he would never live to see this for himself as Ganondorf killed him because of being weak.

Before heading towards Zora's Domain about nearly a month after her visit to Death Mountain, Princess Zelda would finally get the chance to give her father a proper burial along with the members of the Royal Guard whose lives were taken away from them sooner than expected. It may have been seven years too late, and the bodies long since reduced to ashes as Ganondorf obliterated them when he conquered the castle after acquiring the Triforce of Power, but it was an act of honour remembering those who had fallen.

The funeral was a private affair meaning only the Hylians were permitted to witness it given how none of the other tribes lost anyone in such a manner, yet after finishing the eulogy which indicated that they could finally rest in peace, a private moment occurred once again between Zelda and Impa because the latter knew what it was like to lose comrades.

" It was very difficult for you to perform this ceremony, but you did so which would have made your father proud," said Applejack.

" The eyes of those family members who lost loved ones as a result of his massacre," said Twilight.

" Ganondorf was consumed with blood lust, and he wanted the Royal Guard to serve as victims so that he could find satisfaction with his actions. I will not deny that he should have been noticed much sooner than expected, for that would have prevented any loss of life, but things just did not get carried out as intended," said Applejack.

" You still blame my father?" asked Twilight. The old King wanted to unify all of the tribes together that he became ignorant, or oblivious to what was happening around him. He believed Ganondorf planned on forming an alliance, but in truth he manipulated him until he had the perfect opportunity to strike, and end his life.

While the old King was loved, his actions at times were questionable especially when it came to dealing with Ganondorf which had lead people to criticize the effectiveness of his reign. Had he just listened to the right individuals who knew the truth, he would still be alive, and the kingdom would never have plunged into darkness for so many years.

" It is hard to deny that his actions played a role," replied Applejack.

" As always, your words speak the truth," said Twilight.

" Your father became obsessed with fulfilling the dream of unifying all of the tribes together, and Ganondorf took advantage of this knowing that he would remain undetected as the King refused to listen to any kind of accusation thrown at him. In that sense, your father's actions would doom Hyrule as he allowed his dream to be his undoing.

While it is painful considering you tried in vain to get him to change his mind, know that this was the only weakness he had. The dedication he had to protecting the people was unwavering, and his kind heart earned their love and respect," said Applejack.

" And yet I must continue his legacy," said Twilight. Given the old King's lack of attention when it came to dealing with the Evil King, many blamed him for what happened to Hyrule, and because Zelda was his daughter, she was viewed by some as following in his footsteps despite not having his same mentality. To truly distance herself from him, she needed to instill her own policies which is why dealing with the Gerudo needed to be done straight away.

" I am not my father nor do I plan on following his example, for I must rule this land in my own manner." This wasn't going to be easy given how she was following after Ganondorf's reign, and people may not be willing to accept a new monarch, yet Zelda knew it would be a hard journey for everyone.

" Your father was deceived by the King of the Gerudo which cannot be denied, but you must admit your highness that he should have accepted the truth, and not try to deny it having ever existed. Had he been more willing to deal with the situation, he would still be alive. I know my words are harsh, and for that I apologize, but you must take his experience to heart by ensuring that you do not succumb to the same fate," said Applejack.

" At least the families who lost loved ones have forgiven my father's actions," said Twilight.

" They were dedicated to serving him no matter what decisions he made, for that is their sworn duty as Knights of Hyrule. The families are aware that they died trying to protect him even though it was sadly in vain as their power was no match against the Evil King, yet they continue to honour their legacy by choosing to carry on.

Perhaps the one individual who did not show up was Shining Armour himself," said Applejack. I was told by Twilight that in Equestria, Shining Armour was her brother who had become a prince by marrying Princess Cadance, and together they rule over the Crystal Empire, but in Hyrule he served as Captain of the Hylian Royal guard which was ironic as he did that as the captain of the Canterlot Guard before marriage back in Equestria.

Anyway, the captain was believed to have died by Ganondorf's hand, yet he survived and went into hiding in Kakariko Village where he wished to be left alone with his thoughts. He blamed himself for the deaths of his men, and for seven years he would maintain his ideology even though he wasn't at fault.

" He may have opened his heart again, but the injury he sustained will forever keep him from his duty," said Applejack.

" If only Ganondorf had not sent Shining Armour through that window, he would still be able to serve as captain," said Twilight.

" You must face reality your highness in that he is not ready to move on from his past despite opening up thanks to Sunset Shimmer talking with him. He will make a decision when he feels he is ready," said Applejack.

" I wonder how Sunset Shimmer is doing now that she has returned to the days of her youth to live out her life?" asked Twilight.

" She must have already forgotten about this dark future," replied Applejack.

" And perhaps warned the past," said Twilight.

" So you wished for her to prevent this future by having her warn your father in the past of Ganondorf's treachery. While that was a noble gesture, doing that has effectively created two different timelines which stem from the Evil King's defeat," said Applejack. Little did anyone know that the different timelines would cause confusion to a fandom who constantly argues over which is better, but in truth having different timelines meant certain events didn't occur while others did.

I've already read about what happened in the past, so seeing what happens in the future is something of great interest, but the remaining path of time is one that I fear to read as it's the one where Ganondorf ultimately succeeds. It still baffles me how there are three different timelines that extend from one event, yet I guess what I experienced was the catalyst which created everything else.

Mere days after the funeral, she travelled to Zora's Domain where she hoped things had gotten back to normal considering it was one of the more damaged regions. The domain had been subjected to wintery conditions transforming it into a frozen wasteland, and the Zoras themselves were trapped underneath for years. Even though there was still some remnants of ice, the home of the Zora's had returned to normal although much still needed to be done.

Lake Hylia, which is where water from Zora's Fountain ends up reaching was also connected to the plight of the domain, for the water of the lake had drained away by the curse of the Water Temple, and it became a giant puddle. When Zelda approached Princess Ruto, who was portrayed by Rarity which made so much sense given how both she and the Zora princess were quite alike, the former learned of something which she wasn't expecting.

" The Zoras have left?" asked Twilight.

" When it started to snow, our patron deity Lord Jabu-Jabu decided to swim to a much warmer climate, and many of my people travelled with him as they felt the cold was a sign our destruction was at hand. Those who remained here would end up trapped below the ice sheet for seven years with the exception of my father who got frozen on his royal throne.

Even though much of the ice has been melting away since the water returned to Lake Hylia, those among us who left will never return as they have started families down there in the southern seas," replied Rarity.

" How many of you remain?" asked Twilight.

" Roughly a dozen," replied Rarity.

" It is fortunate then that they chose to migrate to a warmer climate," said Twilight. Zoras apparently dislike cold temperatures, and strive to go to a warmer place should things become unbearable which makes me think of them as birds given those migrate south of the human world. Zoras though can only take hot conditions so much until they can no longer tolerate such conditions.

It seems they need a balance otherwise it could cause them problems, and it makes me think of Rarity in that sense as she is known for complaining if things aren't just right. No wonder she portrayed Princess Ruto, but it also must have had to do with diva complex.

" I do have one concern which must be addressed," began Rarity.

" What is it?" asked Twilight.

" One of my people was attacked by a pair of Hylians who claimed they were hunting fish," replied Rarity.

" When did this happen?" asked Twilight.

" About a fortnight ago which was most shocking to my father as he expects the alliance he made with your late father to still stand even though you now serve as the current regent of the kingdom. Why would hunters do such a horrible thing? This Zora was not killed, and for that I am relieved, yet this is something that cannot stand otherwise it could cause some of us to attacking back in revenge. My father hopes for a peaceful resolution, for the thought of his subjects using violence against the Hylians would break his heart," replied Rarity.

" Does this Zora know what they look like? If so then I will be able to deal with them accordingly," said Twilight.

" I am afraid that is unacceptable," began Rarity.

" What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

" This situation happened in our territory, therefore these two hunters must be brought before my father, and punished by him. While you may be the ruler of Hyrule, we still have our rights to administer justice without your approval. I believe this was part of the agreement our respective fathers agreed to when they formed an alliance, and it is the same with regards to the Gorons. I am not sure as to whether or not it applies to the Kokiri, but I definitely know the Gerudo do not have anything like this," replied Rarity.

You've got to love how politics can dictate how peoples behave, and in this case it was especially interesting for all of the tribes demanded their tribal rights be respected by the royal family. I guess Princess Zelda assumed the tribes would follow Hyrulian law, which is what it's referred to regarding the entire kingdom but it turns out they prefer to follow their own, and leave the truly serious crimes up to her to pass judgment upon criminals.

If this is true then wouldn't Ganondorf in the past have been punished by Gerudo law rather than Hyrulean law as he was stripped of his authority as King of the Gerudo? Then again, treason is a serious issue, so being sentenced by the King would overrule any kind of authority his own people have.

" I am aware that you have the right to try them before King Zora, but must it be done this way?" asked Twilight.

" If the hunters had killed my countryman then you would have the right to punish them as it would have been a serious crime, but because he was merely injured, my father has authority to administer justice instead. I know that this is not what you want Zelda, yet for the sake of the alliance between our tribes, it must be this way otherwise it could cause tensions.

Remember what happened between your people and the Gerudo resulting in Ganondorf's rise to power? Granted, all tribes are guilty of contributing to the problem," replied Rarity. History states here that it was always an argument between the Hylians and the Gerudo given how the former ruled over all as decreed in the king's unification, but I'm guessing Zelda didn't want the other tribes to be dragged down as it were to perhaps maintain some kind of status quo.

" Very well. I shall have them escorted to Zora's River where your people can take them from there," suggested Twilight.

" That is still not acceptable," said Rarity.

" Why not?" asked Twilight.

" There is no way of knowing if the soldiers who will escort the guilty party will show sympathy, and free them before my people take over, or perhaps give them weapons with which to use to perhaps kill any of my people. I know such thinking sounds rather barbaric of me, but these are the kinds of risks we must avoid," replied Rarity.

" Yes, I understand your concern, and so I shall provide a slight alternative to my proposal. The two hunters will still be escorted to the river as I originally suggested, but now I shall have my attendant Impa accompany them to ensure nothing goes wrong. Surely you can accept this given you are both fellow Sages," suggested Twilight.

" That is something my father can accept without question, for he has dealt with her on many occasions in the past. I am sorry for having to be so abrupt like this Zelda, but the integrity of the Zoras must be maintained. I am sure the Gorons and Gerudo feel this way as well although the latter are deemed questionable given what their king committed, yet the Kokiri remain an enigma.

Yes, I am aware some of my people joined in those rebellious groups, and they shall be dealt with by my father, yet I believe he will allow you to take over given how their acts violate kingdom laws," said Rarity. I've got to give Princess Zelda a lot of credit here for having so many problems to deal with all while doing everything she can to restore Hyrule.

If I were in her position, I'd have cracked within the first day or two as I'm not the sort of person who can be an effective leader, and it makes me think of how Twilight has to deal with similar problems back in Equestria as she is a princess. It takes a strong will to maintain one's sanity despite being bombarded with all these problems that continue showing up from the shadows, yet some issues happen which you have no control over, and this is evident when it comes to the Gerudo.

I originally believed their problem in the past was restricted to just there, but it seems it exists in the future as well. Unlike the other tribes, the Gerudo lack the means of producing more offspring to counter-balance having small numbers, and if this kept on going for a few more generations, they would be wiped out.

While they were accepting of the punishments handed down to them, the Gerudo struggled to rebuild their lives even though their territory sustained the least damage. No, it was emotional damage they were suffering from rather than physical, and the problem was getting worse with every passing moment. According to one of the Gossip Stones which I can somehow remember, it said that the Gerudo sometimes went to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends, and I don't need an explanation regarding why.

It says here that the Hylian men got fed up with them doing this that they requested the King barred them from coming for that exact purpose, but I guess it was all an act of desperation on their part. By the time Princess Zelda visited the Gerudo's Fortress, she witnessed first-hand what was happening because of their dwindling numbers.

Spitfire wasn't around at this point, for she was trying to find means of allowing her people to survive, but it wasn't easy given there was still some animosity existing from the other tribes, but Nabooru was one of the fortunate ones as she had found herself an ideal companion who was treating her well and vice versa.

" How many of your people remain?" asked Twilight.

" Unlike the Zoras who have small numbers because half of them left before their domain froze over, the Gerudo have been dwindling in numbers after Ganondorf was banished to the Sacred Realm. In fact, our numbers equal less than 20 now," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Such a severe decline, and during a time where Hyrule is under restoration," said Twilight.

" I'm not surprised that this is happening, for we've always struggled when it came to our population. The desert is a harsh mistress where the hot conditions during the day are unbearable to most, and the cold conditions of the night can kill those who are too weak to continue on. Combined with the lack of any grass, crops, irrigation, and just about anything else along those lines, living out here is like asking to perish every single day," said Rainbow Dash.

" If only my father had known sooner, then we could have prevented any loss of life," said Twilight.

" You can thank our stubbornness," said Rainbow Dash. Zelda's father tried many times to bring the Gerudo into Hyrule through an alliance, yet they always refused under the notion of not wanting their secrets compromised. The only thing they ever established when it came to dealing with the Hylians was acknowledging their existence.

" Still, we can't change what happened in the past, so all we can do is look towards the future. The other tribes are probably laughing away right now because they've been wanting us gone for generations. I know you don't want to hear such things, but you can't pretend that what happened long ago didn't occur."

" Which is why I want to ensure that you all survive," said Twilight.

" That's a nice gesture and all, but it's something the Gerudo just can't accept your highness. While we've accepted the punishments, and agreed to form an alliance thus completing your father's unification plan, we just can't accept aid from any other tribe no matter how kind of a gesture it is. If we do something like that, we'd be betraying ourselves for we've always resolved issues on our own, or allowed them to take their toll on us," said Rainbow Dash.

" I guess there is no choice but to allow you to continue going, but should the situation reach a point where it means your very existence is at stake, then I will have no alternative. The Gerudo are just as important to Hyrule's survival as everyone else, and losing you would be devastating," said Twilight.

Such bold words I've had the pleasure of reading, but sadly what she said was in vain given how many across the kingdom have already declared the Gerudo should be destroyed out of fear that one day a second Ganondorf could come along. It was essentially a no-win situation which is something Zelda wished wasn't the case, but the fact remains that the Gerudo were slowly succumbing. " How have your people felt about losing the Spirit Temple?"

" We never paid much attention to it, and Ganondorf was using it to store treasures he had stolen over the years. Even though I originally used it as a hideout as a means of going somewhere and think about things, his surrogate mothers eventually kicked me out, and took control shortly afterwards.

It doesn't bother me as I was never really attached, but that doesn't hold weight now given how I'm the Sage of Spirit. One day, we'll reclaim the temple, but for now it can remain under your jurisdiction until further notice," replied Rainbow Dash.

" And the other condition?" asked Twilight.

" At first we were upset over the notion of suddenly being plagued with all kinds of outsiders, but once the first non-Gerudo came here to see our living conditions, they never came back, and subsequently we've had next to no other people showing up. I guess they just can't handle being in a desert given the natural climate that exists in the rest of the kingdom, yet it does give us much needed privacy. Of course, you should still maintain the punishment as it will make them happy," replied Rainbow Dash.

" I really wish to help you," said Twilight.

" While the sentiment is very convincing your highness, we just can't accept your goodwill. Ganondorf may have been a monster, but he made sure we followed our tribal laws right down to the last detail. That was perhaps the only thing about him which I liked although I wish that he chosen a different path in life instead of the one which resulted in his current position. If he had been a better man, I would have reciprocated the love he had for me," said Rainbow Dash.

What!?!? I always thought Nabooru made that up, yet it turns out she really had romantic feelings for Ganondorf. The book does say that she did love him originally, and planned on accepting his offer to become his wife and eventually queen, but his actions were ones she couldn't accept. I wonder what would have happened had she decided to accept him regardless of his current actions.

Would that have meant banishing her to the Sacred Realm? It scares me to even think about it. " But, I found a man who has made me very happy, so at least I was lucky compared to the other women around here."

" The lack of men is very eerie," said Twilight.

" To be honest, we see them as being utterly useless, but there are exceptions to the rule," said Rainbow Dash.

" Maybe that attitude needs to be changed," suggested Twilight.

" I suppose it could, but then remember that we Gerudo consist of only women, and this is especially true given how we won't be having another king for another several decades or so, but this has been our way of thinking since the start," said Rainbow Dash.

" Is that why your people tolerated Ganondorf for as long as you did?" asked Twilight.

" He was our king, and according to our laws, we must obey all of his edicts no matter what. In my eyes, he abused this authority when he planned on claiming the Triforce, and using it to conquer the world. Spitfire has proven herself to be a very capable leader even though she was once one of his closest followers, yet this was due to being brainwashed by those witches just like I was. I have faith in her abilities because she deserved the chance to be second-in-command, and now the actual leader," replied Rainbow Dash.

It says here that one man is born into the tribe every 100 years, and that lone male must become king. I actually thought that was pretty much impossible given how societies can have males and females, yet I guess this isn't always the case. It's also a shame how the words of Nabooru ended up being false because the dwindling numbers continued to worsen as the years went by.

Spitfire did everything she could to prevent the problem from getting worse, but sadly her efforts failed, and within a few generations they were on the verge of being wiped out entirely. There was one course of action which could be taken, and that was to have the remaining Gerudo assimilate into Hylian society....which is exactly what happened in the past timeline. No matter what, the Gerudo are doomed which is just so sad as they don't deserve it.

From what I could gather from this chapter on the future, things were difficult all over the place given how Hyrule had been plunged into darkness for so long, yet in time they would persevere and overcome such disaster. It took a number of years before peace had truly returned, and by that time the kingdom had become prosperous again. There were no problems to be found anywhere as Princess Zelda lead her people to an age of prosperity, yet there was one thing which often gave her nightmares.

At first she didn't allow it to become a problem for she was fixated on ruling, but over time the same haunting visage continued to torment her, and no one could do anything about it as it was happening strictly in her mind. He would not allow her to rest as the threat he made before being banished would linger on forever.

" Why do you continue tormenting me in my sleep?" asked Twilight.

" You may think that Hyrule can become peaceful once again, but you are merely deluding yourself to the obvious truth. This land shall never know peace so long as I hold the Triforce of Power in my hand. While you and those accursed Sages have banished me, know that it's merely a temporary solution," replied Tirek.

" And what makes you believe this?" asked Twilight.

" I guess you've proven how poorly-educated you really are Zelda if you of all people aren't aware of the Sage's Seal, and how it really functions. While the seal will keep me locked up, it can only last for so long. The seal shall grow weaker as time passes, and when it has weakened just enough, I shall escape and return to my domain where I shall wreck havoc upon your descendants! They shall suffer my fury, and you'll be the one they curse for eternity! I can never be forgotten no matter how hard you try," replied Tirek.

" By revealing this information to me, I can easily prevent it from happening," said Twilight.

" The wheels of fate have already begun to turn Zelda, and nothing you can do can prevent the inevitable. You need not have to worry for I shall not be returning for many centuries, and even if you have a plan in place, it doesn't change anything. I have foreseen what shall happen, yet to further cause you misery my dear princess, I'll keep this information to myself thus leaving you to guess," said Tirek.

" Someone will stop you," said Twilight.

" Do you intend to mean the Sage who chose to remain here in this realm? If so then you have false hopes for someone like him, for he shall soon die by my hands should he no longer amuses me. Remember Zelda that all these future events will be on your hands! The future of Hyrule shall be written in blood!" said Tirek.

Just reading that last bit has me worried because Ganondorf said something similar regarding me, and the fate which will soon become a reality where I'll be going to another world on the verge of destruction. No, I need to remain calm about this. I can't allow my emotions to get the better of me even though it won't result in a transformation.

Well, this chapter is now officially over, but I wonder what the next one will be about. I'll just turn the page over like so....oh no....the next chapter is about the fate of the Evil King across all three timelines. I'd rather not know, yet I'm compelled into continuing on.

To Be Continued.

Bonus Chapter 3: Fate of the Dark Lord

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
June 5, 2015
Bonus Chapter 3: Fate of the Dark Lord.

To think that the next chapter is about Ganondorf himself, and for that I find myself feeling uncomfortable. It was because of him that I ended up traipsing around a video game world for seven years, yet according to my friends, it had only been ten minutes when I got knocked out by hitting my head on the floor. He also made me endure so much torment all because of my troubled past, yet it was those final words that refuse to leave me because of how significant they have become.

Such words linger about in my mind, and try as I might, they refuse to leave my subconscious. One day in the future, I would be forced to enter another world much like Hyrule, and one that's on the verge of destruction. Somehow, I'm the one who must find a way to prevent it from being consumed in a fiery cataclysm which would result in my death, but even though that's not how Ganondorf put it, that's pretty much how I envision his message.

While I could just skip over his story, I'm compelled to want to know more even if it means having to endure some emotional baggage in the process. The Hyrule Historia certainly goes into a lot of detail regarding the history of the Evil King, so there's a lot for me to gloss over, but maybe there is an exact place where I can begin as surely even someone like him has an origin story.

Flipping through some pages hoping for an answer, I came across a chapter that talks about the earliest known event in Hyrule that involved humans, yet this isn't going to help me out one bit! Sighing, I skimmed through the chapter until stopping at something which caught my eye.

There was a small segment that talked about Ganondorf's true origins which had never been revealed before until now, so does that mean no one knew what it was until it was uncovered at some point in the future? Let me see what I've got here....over a thousand years ago....I'm not surprised that number ended up being used....a powerful demon ravaged the surface of what was to become Hyrule, and desired the Triforce in order to conquer the world.

This demon was known as Demise, and rose up from beneath the ground with his demon horde. Okay, there's a footnote that says to read the chapter regarding events of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but I can ignore that as I have no idea what that's about, so I'll just keep going with what I've got. Demise was eventually destroyed by a hero who had been chosen by the goddess known as Hylia as her champion, and was subsequently sealed inside of the Master Sword until his evil aura disappeared entirely.

Before he was sealed away, he uttered a curse with his final breath which would affect both the goddess and her hero. Demise told them that one day, a reincarnation of his hatred would one day appear, and that this hatred shall rise to power by conquering the world just as he had intended.

These were his exact words, " Though this is not the end. My hate....never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again. Those like you....those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero....they are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"

That is actually pretty grim when you consider that this demon would end up being reborn as Ganondorf hundreds of years later, and I doubt the Evil King has any memories of his former existence. If he did though, he probably wouldn't allow them to get in the way of his desire to conquer the world.

It does explain why Link and Princess Zelda are eternally bound to him because of being cursed by Demise, and their descendants who are given the same names have no choice but to endure tremendous heartache. According to the first few paragraphs of his story, while there have been several people who went by the names of Link and Zelda, there have only been two individuals known as Ganondorf to have existed although this latter one is debatable.

If this is accurate, he has lived for centuries which means the one who completely overpowered me was indeed the same one who I fought against in order to gain my freedom. Now let me do a quick reading of how he came to power, for I've got to recall exactly what happened. Once you've come back from an experience, you have a tendency to forget about it. Ganondorf was born into the Gerudo tribe by being the lone-male born every 100 years, and therefore he became their king via birthright.

He used this political influence in order to get close to Princess Zelda's father through pretending to pledge his loyalty to the royal family, but this was a ruse for he would betray the King by killing him, and entering the Sacred Realm shortly afterward by using the door that was opened by the Hero of Time.

Ganondorf was able to claim the Triforce of Power which he would use to rule Hyrule for seven years unopposed until the Hero of Time defeated him. However, this created three different timelines that all stem from the same place where the Evil King was dealt with on two timelines, and succeeded in his desires in the other.

So my question here would be which one should I read first? I mean, I'd rather not read about Ganondorf's execution just yet given what he did to me on a personal level, yet my curiosity knows no bounds. The best way I can do this is just picking one at random, and go at it from there by working my way through the other two options. Okay....there! By pointing my finger at a certain bit of text, it looks like I've chosen the future timeline which makes sense as I did come back from that when I was there.

Ganondorf was banished to the Sacred Realm because it had become a realm filled with evil, and nothing could be done to fix what had been inflicted upon it. Even though this was where the Temple of Light existed that housed the Chamber of Sages, only one of the Six Sages remained because he had no choice, for a long time ago, he chose to secretly remain behind after construction of the Temple of Time had been finished, and the entrance to the realm sealed using the Master Sword.

This someone was Rauru, and it was his belief that the Triforce needed a guardian to serve as a final measure in case dark forces managed to infiltrate the realm. He hadn't counted on someone like Ganondorf to come along as he was an evil individual who possessed truly terrifying power. Rauru was portrayed from my perspective as Equestria's greatest sorcerer, Starswirl the Bearded, and found himself dealing with a most unruly tenant.

" At the end of the day, the power that you desired has brought you here, but this time against your own will," said Starswirl.

" Do you believe this place will contain me for the rest of my days? It won't take me very long to make my escape, and rend asunder those who have done this to me. I intend on returning to my throne where I shall continue my reign unopposed," said Tirek.

" Then you are delusional as well as blind," sighed Starswirl.

" Such words mean nothing to me," said Tirek.

" They should considering you've no means of escape now. The Sage's Seal is more powerful than you realize, for even with the strength of the Triforce of Power augmenting the natural power you already have, it is one you cannot shatter. It was created to keep individuals such as yourself from ever leaving in order to threaten Hyrule, so if I were you, I'd get used to this twisted place. This place is now home for you Ganondorf, and it shall remain that way forever," said Starswirl.

" Anything can be destroyed with the proper incentive," said Tirek. Apparently, he was so determined to escape that he should have realized that Rauru had been telling him the truth, yet he had to find out the hard way. He made several attempts which all ended up failing spectacularly much to his annoyance, and upon failing in his final attempt, he came to the realization that he was trapped.

None of his attempts apart from one were recorded where he tried using the full extent of his power to destroy the Sage's Seal, yet this almost destroyed him as the barrier reflected his own power back with devastating results. After that, Ganondorf accepted his fate, and began to do something he never considered before, and that was perform meditation which served to strengthen his dark power.

He figured that since he was stuck in the corrupted realm until the seal weakened, he'd take a much different approach that involved relying on his mind rather than physical force. Rauru always kept a close eye on Ganondorf to make sure he wasn't planning another escape, yet something happened about four years after he was imprisoned.

" You seem to be rather quiet these days," said Starswirl.

" There is no need for me to display any kind of rage regarding my predicament," said Tirek.

" So you've finally accepted that you shall be trapped here for all eternity?" asked Starswirl.

" Heh, I'm surprised you of all people would honestly believe something like that ancient one, but let me tell you a little story which I discovered during these past few years of meditation. While it's true that the Sage's Seal will keep me here, it won't be forever for the time will come when the seal shall start growing weaker.

Yes, not even the magic of the Sages can last forever as you claim, for even the most ancient of magical arts eventually corrodes away to nothing. Once it has weakened to a certain point, I shall at last escape and wreak havoc upon the descendants of those who banished me here in the first place," replied Tirek.

" The seal is very powerful, for you have tried to escape several times shortly after beginning your banishment, so do you honestly think this new revelation is going to make a difference? While I won't deny that your power has grown during these last four years, the same can't be said about your mind. Clearly, you must be suffering from some kind of mental delusion to think of such a concept," said Starswirl.

Ganondorf merely laughed to himself because sadly what he said about the seal getting weaker was the truth, and Rauru should have realized that magic can eventually run out should it linger. The Evil King then rose to his feet, and began walking over to a small stump where he quietly mumbled a few words before moving back to his previous position. " And what did you just spout out? Even if you believe that the seal will crumble in the future, by the time that happens, you will be have passed away along with myself."

" Then you have much to learn," began Tirek.

" Explain!" demanded Starswirl.

" Just watch that stump over there, and surely you will come to grips with reality," said Tirek. The stump suddenly became surrounded by a golden aura which was followed by it being bombarded with all kinds of elemental attacks, and it looked as though Ganondorf had indeed lost his mind, but when the stump emerged unscathed, he merely laughed again before turning to face Rauru. " Did you enjoy that little presentation? If you have not figured out what it means, then I feel pity for you."

" That stump endured much punishment, and I could sense a weak form of time magic being used," said Starswirl. It says here that time magic grants a user the power to manipulate time itself to their will, but it takes many years to perfect it given how it's one of the most difficult forms to master. " Are you saying you can endure similar punishment? For you to achieve such a thing, you must live for centuries without ever aging....so you've discovered one of the hidden secrets of the Triforce? I feared something like this would happen."

" The Triforce of Power shall keep me alive well past my natural life expectancy," said Tirek.

" Assuming it remains with you," said Starswirl.

" I've been holding this piece of the golden power for the last eleven years, and as such it has become an extension of myself. Now, do I detect that you have the desire to take it from me? I will admit that you have a lot of guts ancient one, but you know full well that your power is nothing compared to mine.

In fact, you would be dead right now if not for my sense of humour, yet keeping someone like you around all this time has proven to be most amusing. Eventually, I will tire of your existence, and at that point I shall kill you where you'll simply become a lifeless corpse for the dark forces of this realm, for they hunger for food," said Tirek.

" Such threats will do you no good," said Starswirl. He should have taken them very seriously as Ganondorf has proven many times to be very sadistic in nature, and if he intends to do something, the chances of him doing so are insanely good. It says here that Rauru's fate was very unpleasant, so it sounds like he is going to die at the hands of the Evil King, yet should I continue reading this knowing what will happen in this timeline? I might as well otherwise I'll be wracked with guilt.

" For a brief moment, you sounded as though you were filled with the kind of bravado that kid once possessed. I am surprised at you ancient one, for I expect someone with your background to be far more resilient than that, but then it's not surprising given how you're a mere mortal who took it upon himself to protect the Triforce.

You should have joined the other Sages back then when you had the chance, for once you no longer have a purpose to me, you shall die without question. It is by my will and mine alone that even now you continue to live. Remember that!" said Tirek. It was around this time where Ganondord started appearing in the dreams of Princess Zelda, and while she believed his presence was the result of nightmares regarding his final warning, in reality he was projecting his mind into hers.

His meditations granted him new powers, and he wanted to make her suffer emotionally....wait a minute! This next bit of dialogue is the same as what I read at the end of the previous chapter.

" Why do you continue tormenting me in my sleep?" asked Twilight.

" And what makes you believe this?" asked Twilight.

The seal shall grow weaker as time passes, and when it has weakened just enough, I shall escape and return to my domain where I shall wreak havoc upon your descendants as punishment for your actions! They shall suffer my fury, and you'll be the one they curse for eternity! I can never be forgotten no matter how hard you try," replied Tirek.

" By revealing this information to me, I can easily prevent it from happening," said Twilight.

" Wrong! The wheels of fate have already begun to turn Zelda, and there is nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable. You need not worry for I shall not be returning for many centuries, and even if you have some kind of plan in place, it doesn't change anything. I have foreseen what shall happen in the future, yet to further cause you misery my dear princess, I'll keep this information to myself thus leaving you to guess," said Tirek.

" Someone will stop you," said Twilight.

" Do you intend to mean the Sage who chose to remain here in this realm? If so then you have false hopes for someone like him, for he shall soon die by my hands should he no longer amuse me. Remember Zelda that all these future events will be on your hands! The future of Hyrule shall be written in blood!" said Tirek.

These nightmare attacks would carry on for a few months as his intention was to weaken Zelda's mind, for he knew she was experiencing a lot of pressure given how there were so many problems plaguing Hyrule which stemmed from his actions. Rauru eventually figured out what had been going on, and he aimed to put a stop to it even though he had no idea as to the fate which was awaiting him.

A few weeks after Zelda continued receiving emotional attacks from the Evil King, the ancient Sage sprang into action by confronting his fellow outcast of the Sacred Realm who seemed to be oblivious to his presence.

" Monster!" shouted Starswirl.

" And what has suddenly brought this on?" asked Tirek.

" You've been using magic in order to torment the dreams of her highness! I should have realized this sooner that you weren't just content about biding your time, for you still had some measure capable of causing misery. It is my fault for being far too lenient with you, so now I shall rectify this oversight. Ganondorf, I suggest leaving her alone and never harming her in this way again!

If you accept this proposal then I shall see what I can do that will make your experience here more pleasant, but refuse and I shall have no choice but to make you suffer for such indignities," replied Starswirl.

" An idle threat holds no weight if you cannot back up your words," said Tirek.

" What are you talking about?" asked Starswirl.

" The mere thought of someone like yourself making me suffer is enough to make me laugh, and yet the look in your eyes tells me that you intend on carrying out your threat even though I can sense fear," replied Tirek. He then slowly rose to his feet before kicking back his head where he started to laugh.

Rauru at this point felt really offended by how Ganondorf wasn't taking this threat seriously, but then the Evil King lowered down his head where he produced what looked like a smirk. " You don't have the power to defeat me ancient one, so your words are nothing more than boastful claims."

" Care to prove me wrong?" asked Starswirl.

" I suppose you could humour me, but then I would rather kill you right now than drag out something that is pointless. You've amused me long enough, so now I've no further use of your pitiful existence," replied Tirek. He then moved forward with so much speed, he literally disappeared leaving Rauru to wonder where he had vanished off to, but then he quickly got his answer when Ganondorf's hand came out of his stomach due to the Evil King having fatally wounded him.

The hand was covered in blood which dripped on the ground, yet he didn't pull it back out as though he wanted to see Rauru suffer even more. " I shall prolong your death until I am finished with my speech....Zelda believes that I shall never return to Hyrule, but she has proven herself to be ignorant of the Sage's Seal just as much as you have. My attacks on her psyche shall have irreversible damages because she is weak, and unable to resist my power which makes her such an easy victim.

There is no need for me to torment the princess for the rest of her life as my words have already broken her down, but she won't let her people discover this. Zelda will live the rest of her life in constant despair knowing that one day, I'll come back to Hyrule where revenge shall be mine."

" One day....someone will kill you for good," said Starswirl.

" As long as the Triforce of Power remains in my hand, I can never die no matter what. I have already proven this fact to be truth when I rose up after being killed in battle against that kid, so there is nothing anyone can do that will stop me," said Tirek.

" Such....conceit for believing your....self to be immortal," said Starswirl.

" Trying to struggle to break free of my grip? You are more tenacious than I suspected, but know that such a struggle is in vain, for the moment I pull my hand out of your body, death will claim you instantly. Do not think that I shall be growing bored ancient one because I have a means of passing the time. I shall revive you again and again in order to keep myself amused by killing you, and this I will repeat endlessly until the moment of tormenting you has moved on as it were.

At least in the end you proved somewhat useful by serving as a constant victim," said Tirek. Ganondorf then pulled out his arm which must have been unbearable to Rauru given how long he had to endure, but then he collapsed to the ground dead, and the Evil King stood over him and laughed while clenching his hand into a fist where blood dripped down onto Rauru's lifeless body. Just reading that made me sick to my stomach because what he did was pure evil itself, but I suppose this was to be expected from someone like him.

The thought of reviving Rauru over and over until he was completely bored with it filled me with so much rage, yet I've got to remember that what I'm reading is about a video game world. I know it's not real, and yet I find myself being blurred by the differences between fantasy and reality given my recent experience. For the next ten years, Ganondorf would continue to haunt Princess Zelda's dreams until she could no longer handle the emotional damage.

Once he was satisfied with having broken her down, the Evil King left her alone, and became nothing more than a memory for the next few centuries. During that time, Hyrule experienced a lengthy period of peace where there was no strife to be found, and the various rebellious factions were reined in long before they could cause trouble.

It should have been a glorious time, for the descendants of Princess Zelda who would pass the Triforce of Courage from one generation to the next, yet good times must sadly come to an end. The Sage's Seal did indeed grow weaker over time, and while the Sage's descendants carried on with their legacy, it wasn't enough to prevent the oncoming cataclysm.

One day, a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom....one mired in darkness, and even though some legends claim he rose from the ground, in reality Ganondorf escaped from the Sacred Realm. Upon his return, he immediately set out for the two temples which existed where he killed those who served as Sages, and did so while they were praying as a means of strengthening the Master Sword.

I was beginning to think this book didn't reveal any sort of conversation between him and one of these Sages, but it turns out there was something mentioned although a glancing thought given how it says here that it was what they assumed was said.

" How have you returned? According to my ancestor's scrolls, you were banished for eternity."

" Such knowledge of your predecessors is pitiful at best as what they believed turned out to be false. They didn't realize the seal they created to keep me trapped would one day weaken to the point where I could finally escape, and it seems I have missed much considering how different this world has become. How many centuries has it been since my banishment, and you shall give me an answer unless you want me to get it from you the hard way," said Tirek.

" It's been over 400 years."

" That long? No wonder much has changed since my time, but then it will be easy enough for me to change things back to the way they were before. Already I have slaughtered countless lives in my bid for revenge, and I am not even finished for there are even more victims that must die. It doesn't even matter if everyone in this world meets their end by my hands, for I'll simply have Hyrule populated by monsters that shall serve my every whim," said Tirek.

" Your actions shall bring forth the wrath of the goddesses."

" Let them come! They have never once interfered with this world's problems, and I doubt they will begin to do so any time soon. As for you dear Sage, your existence has come to an end as I have realized something important. Those words you were uttering while praying are from the ancient language of the Hylia, and yet that incantation was one designed to strengthen holy weapons. Yes, you're trying to make that accursed blade more powerful than it has ever been in a pathetic attempt to bring me down," said Tirek.

" The Master Sword can repel your evil shade, yet it still needs the chosen one to wield it again."

" If you refer to the Hero of Time who supposedly bested me a long time ago, then you shall never witness her appearance for she has long since passed away and has become nothing but a legend. You weren't going to witness her regardless given how your life is about to end right now," said Tirek. He then reached forward where he grabbed the Sage by the neck before snapping it without a second thought, and this resulted in the Sage slumping forward slightly to indicate that they were dead.

Ganondorf laughed for a few moments before tossing aside the body where it plunged into an abyss, and turned his attention towards the altar the Sage was praying at. " This is not enough to weaken the blade to the point where it will become useless, so seeking out the remaining Sages shall be my next objective. It doesn't matter what those goddesses do provided they even show up given how they've never intervened in their own creation, but I should have a contingency plan just in case I overstep my boundaries."

That's it! I can't read anymore of what happens in the future timeline as what he did to that Sage was just beyond horrific. Actually, I can't read anymore anyway as what happened next involves the Great Goddesses which serves as its own chapter, so I guess I ought to read about what happened in the past. After what I learned from this passage in the book, I'm afraid to know what Ganondorf did when he was arrested for his crimes rather than being banished.

When the Hero of Time went back to live out his childhood as per the command of the future Princess Zelda, he was sent back to around the time before he had met Zelda, for she wanted him to change the future by preventing it from happening. Since Ganondorf had not yet entered the Sacred Realm, there was a chance to warn the King of his treachery. The Hero at first believed he lacked any proof, but he would soon realize that he had brought back the Triforce of Courage with him as he still had it in his possession.

Knowing that he now could explain the circumstances of the dark future that could happen, the Hero along with Zelda went to see her father in order to warn him, and the King believed the claim despite being informed by a child from the forest. The Gerudo King of Thieves was exposed, and subsequently arrested for what he was going to do, and while the Hero had prevented a terrible future, his efforts would never formally be recognized as the people of Hyrule would never accept the fact that a kid had saved them.

Thus, this was known as the hidden secret of the royal family which they passed down from generation to generation. Ganondorf at first tried to overpower the Royal Guards believing them to be no match for him, but his arrogance would be his undoing, for his cocky attitude made him blind to everything around him.

Upon being captured, he was locked up in the castle dungeon which was a mistake given how he tried escaping on a few occasions, but after a few weeks, he was transferred over to the Spirit Temple which had been altered to become a prison of sorts where the most dangerous criminals were kept. He was escorted with more guards than you could shake a stick at for they needed all the man-power they could to prevent him from escaping.

To ensure an easy transition, the Six Sages were able to seal away his magic thus making him weaker, and he was thus imprisoned within the temple now known as the Arbiter's Grounds; a place where evil comes to die. After spending a year in this place, the King decided to pay the Gerudo a visit in the hopes of getting some answers, yet he would discover that getting answers wasn't easy.

" Ganondorf?" asked the King.

"...." replied Tirek.

" Ganondorf? Can you hear me?" asked the King.

"...." replied Tirek.

" I know you can hear me, yet you choose to ignore me," said the King.

"...." said Tirek.

" Then I guess there is nothing more to say," said the King. It seems being locked up like this has taken an emotional toll on him, but it could be a ruse to have a means of escaping, yet all he did was slowly turn to face his visitor, and raised his head before giving off a powerful gaze which was enough to freeze someone in place. Ganondorf's appearance resembled that of a broken man, and he looked like he hadn't eaten any meals for quite a while which made the King suspect he was slowing starving himself to death.

" What do you want?" asked Tirek.

" I didn't think I'd hear anything coming from you," replied the King.

"...." said Tirek.

" As you already know, you've been charged with treason against the royal family, and that the punishment is execution. Even though you were arrested before an alliance between our respective tribes was forged, know that the new Gerudo leader formed an alliance several months ago which makes your execution legal.

I believe you know her as Nabooru who has since become one of the Six Sages even though the temple she guards has now become this prison," said the King. I was wondering what Rainbow Dash would be doing in the past without having a temple to guard, and this just gave me an ideal answer.

" Therefore, I can be charged as a Hyrulean?" asked Tirek.

" That is correct, yet before you are executed which should happen within a year or two, I was wondering if you could answer some questions," replied the King. Ganondorf remained silent on the subject which meant he wasn't willing to say anything, yet the King needed to know the truth, so he decided to take a more direct approach. " You need not answer me for you do have rights as a Hyrulean, but this could be your only chance where you can explain yourself as I doubt anyone apart from me is willing to listen."

"...." said Tirek.

" It's your decision to make," said the King.

" Weak," began Tirek.

" What does that mean?" asked the King.

" You were nothing but a weak man Hylian King, and this world needs someone who is worthy enough to rule it. While you may rule with the love of your people, they don't worship the ground you walk on as they secretly despise your very existence. This kingdom requires a ruler who leads using power as it's the driving force behind everyone no matter how they choose to deny this urge. When I first started talking with you, I knew straight away that weakness emanated from you which made my task all the more easier.

Not only were you a weak little man, you were also obnoxious in that I was manipulating events without you even realizing it. If it wasn't for the one who uncovered my plans, you would be dead right now," replied Tirek.

" So now the truth comes out," said the King.

" Just looking at you makes me want to rend you asunder, and I would have ended your miserable life long ago if that forest girl hadn't interfered. I still don't know how she was able to expose my efforts given how she was just a stupid kid, yet I suspect you know the answer, so tell me how she figured it out.

Think of it as my last request given my life is going to be cut short within a matter of months anyway," said Tirek. This was difficult to answer as the King himself still didn't understand how it happened, but since Ganondorf did say it would be his final request, the King decided to tell him what he knew. By the time he was finished with his explanation, the Gerudo King was shocked over what he heard, and immediately protested before coming to a realization about it.

" The girl was able to see events from the future? How can a mere forest girl do something like that? It doesn't matter though what I have to say given that the end result involves me being imprisoned, and awaiting my execution." In reality, Ganondorf couldn't stop thinking about how a child had been able to go back and forth through time, but then he came to the conclusion that his own ambition got the better of him. Even with such an answer ringing in his head, he still continued to envision the possible future that had been averted.

" Your execution will still happen in a year from now," said the King.

" Do you honestly intend on going through with it?" asked Tirek.

" And what does that mean?" asked the King.

"...." replied Tirek.

" Answer me!" demanded the King.

"...." said Tirek.

" Then I've nothing more to say, so I hope that you continue to rot away until your execution day comes," said the King. As he was beginning to walk away after getting vexed over Ganondorf's behaviour, the Gerudo King suddenly shifted forward until he was standing next to the bars, and began to mumble something which prompted the King to go back, and hear what his prisoner had to say.

" You don't have the guts," said Tirek.

" How so?" asked the King.

" I'm well aware that your family has never once executed any criminals, for you don't believe in such a severe punishment. Even if the criminal has committed the most heinous act imaginable, his fate involves being sentenced to the dungeon where he ends up rotting away to nothing. Even though you converted the Spirit Temple into this new prison for dangerous criminals, it is nothing more than a shallow attempt at proving yourself ideal in the eyes of your people.

Now, amuse me for a moment and explain why you have chosen to have me executed in the end because clearly it is something you would never condone," replied Tirek.

" Normally, this would be the case as Hyrule does not resort to something so barbaric as execution, but you are an exception to the rule, but do not think of it as a badge of honour," said the King.

" Humour me," said Tirek.

" Your actions have been more severe than any other criminal before you, and even now there are those among the tribes who have chosen to emulate you because they have become disillusioned with your attempt to usurp the throne. They shall be punished in a manner that involves banishing them to that shadow world where the usurpers were sent to....you know who I speak of Ganondorf as you yourself witnessed their terrible might," said the King.

" So rather than having criminals spend the rest of their days lingering in a dungeon until they die, you have chosen simply to banish them so that they can never cause problems again for your people? I would have thought you had destroyed that mirror long ago, but that wasn't an option considering you speak about it in such a wondrous fashion, and rather banishing me in the same manner, I shall be executed instead," said Tirek.

There appears to be a side note here which talks about what this mirror is, so I'll quickly read that. The Mirror of Twilight was created in ancient times before Hyrule came to be, and was used to banish those who were deemed too dangerous, but it was also the one gateway between light and darkness for the Great Goddesses willed it to be. Legends say only one person has the ability to shatter this mirror completely, for anyone else attempting to do so would merely shatter it into pieces.

I think it's weird that the royal family have something like this hidden away which could have been used long before Ganondorf could even act, but maybe the monarchy has nothing to do with when it gets used. Perhaps the Sages are the ones who decide who is banished, and who remains locked up for years on end, yet wouldn't that be going against the King considering he gets the final say?

I would go into more detail about this mirror, but the side note ends there, and says to look up a different chapter. Anyway, I'll resume my original reading as there is much more to know before I can safely say I'm finished with Ganondorf's story.

" That shadow world would suffer should you be banished there," said the King.

" So I am to be executed simply because the Hylian King doesn't know what to do with me....you are weak," said Tirek.

" If it wasn't for the fact that you have been suffering in here long enough, I would order the Sages to carry out your execution immediately, but again there are those ahead of you who must face their judgment," said the King.

"...." said Tirek.

" And why the silent treatment this time? You will get your punishment in due time," said the King.

" You will have those Sages perform the task of killing me when it should be you instead? Are you truly afraid that you'd deny yourself the chance to end the life of the greatest threat Hyrule has ever known? Once again, you are weak Hylian King because others have to carry out the tasks that cannot be done by you. I don't know whether I should pity you, or laugh at you because how can anyone without power rule a kingdom?" asked Tirek.

" Power doesn't make me weak Ganondorf, for the love of the people shall allow me to guide them," replied the King.

" How naïve," laughed Tirek.

" What!?!?" exclaimed the King.

"...." said Tirek.

" How am I a naïve ruler?" asked the King.

"...." replied Tirek.

" Answer me!" shouted the King.

" The seeds of darkness have already been planted Hylian King, for I am merely the beginning of what is to come. You may think this kingdom will be safe from evil by having me executed, but others shall rise up, and plunge the world into chaos and despair. Like you said, people among the tribes have begun to follow my example, but I doubt you'll be able to handle them all.

If you do manage to deal with them, I doubt you'll receive a heroic gesture given how the tribes merely have alliances that keep Hyrule together, and they can break these at any time should they feel prosecuted because of the actions of certain individuals. I wonder how you will deal with an impeding insurgence that can undermine you whenever they wish," said Tirek. Ganondorf started laughing before he returned to where he had been resting, and the king merely left in a huff leaving the Gerudo King to wallow in his own insanity.

Over the course of the next year, people from the tribes would begin rebelling against the royal family by starting off with small actions such as denying goods and services, vandalism, closing off access to their territory, but then it increased to more severe acts such as attacking Hyrule Castle Town in an attempt to rob it blind, and having skirmishes with the loyal citizens in Hyrule Field.

The Royal Guard found themselves extremely busy for they were called to deal with all kinds of problems which seemed to keep on surmounting, yet in time they managed to gain control and were able to bring all of these people to justice by having them locked up in the castle dungeon with the more dangerous people sent to the Arbiter's Grounds.

By the time the last rebels were finally captured and dealt with, Hyrule had suffered much damage, and morale was at an all-time low for the king was seen as weak in their eyes which is exactly what Ganondorf claimed during the king's visit to the grounds. Something needed to be done in order to make people happy again otherwise this problem would simply repeat itself.

Ganondorf's execution finally came, and the king couldn't be happier for this is what he needed in order to appease the people who demanded he abdicate the throne in favour of Princess Zelda, yet he was determined to remain and guide his people. Zelda didn't mind for she felt she wasn't ready to deal with so many responsibilities given how she had been spending time with a close friend of hers who returned after being gone for a long time. The book doesn't mention who this person is, but I've got a hunch it's the Hero of Time.

The Gerudo King had spent the last year essentially in the same manner he had been since first being locked up, so by the time he was dragged off to his execution, he looked like a frail man rather than a powerful warrior. Rather than be executed before the people, he was to be killed outside in a secluded area of the Arbiter's Grounds which houses the location of the Mirror of Twilight.

Ganondorf would find himself chained to a large slab of rock via his wrists which he couldn't break free from due to being frail, and standing in front of him were the Six Sages who were my friends plus the legendary Starswirl the Bearded, yet the book doesn't explain how he could be there given he chose to remain behind to protect the Triforce.

" I am certain you know why you are here," said Rarity.

"...." said Tirek.

" Not willing to speak are you? That is okay because it means we can get this over with without having to drag things out," said Rarity.

"...." said Tirek.

" You have been charged with crimes of treason against the royal family by conspiring to murder his majesty. We Sages have been tasked to administer the proper judgment against you for these crimes which is execution, and we will be doing so using this, a sword forged of white magic which shall serve as your death knell," said Rarity. Ganondorf slowly raised his head where he made an evil groaning sound before lowering back down which was noticed by the Sages.

" We were going to grant you the chance to plead for mercy, but I suppose you have no desire to say anything in your defence, so we shall proceed to the final rites which must be uttered before we can begin."

" Spare me the theatrics," said Tirek.

" So you can talk?" asked Rarity.

" Just carry out your intentions instead of boring me to death with your incessant chatter," replied Tirek.

" Even on the verge of death, you continue showcasing defiance," said Rarity.

"...." said Tirek.

" We shall ignore the rites since you are so eager to perish, so now we will carry out the sentence. I hope that you will rot in the beyond because of what you have done, yet that is not our place to judge, for it shall be handled by the powers that be," said Rarity. The Sages then used their magic which caused their sword to suddenly rise up in the air where it flew around in an arc formation before it went right through Ganondorf's chest killing him in an instant.

His body went limp and lifeless where the Sages pondered over this deed which had now been done. " This is the first time we have ever executed anyone before, yet for some reason I feel tremendous guilt over performing something horrible. While he was treacherous and perhaps psychotic, maybe spending his remaining days rotting away in a prison would have been ideal."

" But Princess Ruto, you know as well as we do that this was an order from the King himself," said Applejack.

" I'm aware of that Impa, yet this was done because he needs to appease to his subjects given the problems which plagued Hyrule during the past year. I'm not saying the King condones this, but the people have been demanding his abdication because he has been viewed as a weak monarch," said Rarity.

" That is because they are confused, and wish to take their frustration out on someone, and his majesty has become the target of their aggression. I have seen the amount of stress he has been enduring these past few months because of the people's anger, yet he manages to maintain control through sheer will. Princess Zelda however is concerned her father could end up suffering from a heart attack, so she has been staying by his side throughout all of this," said Applejack.

" Do you suppose her highness will assume the throne?" asked Rarity.

" While she is the next in line to succeed her father, she is not ready for such a commitment as she feels there is much more for her to learn. It is the same with you and your father Princess Ruto as one day you will become the next ruler of the Zora, but I suspect you do not desire to assume the throne any time soon correct?" asked Applejack.

" My father still has many wonderful years," replied Rarity.

" The same can be said about the King in the eyes of Princess Zelda as she believes her father will live for many years to come, yet now we must focus on the matter at hand, and that is what shall be done regarding Ganondorf's lifeless corpse. I suppose we will need to make arrangements for a funeral, but I do not think anyone would attend given his actions against the royal family, so maybe we should simply burn his body otherwise his evil miasma will corrode the land were he to be buried.

At the very least, we should remove our sword from his chest given that we still need it," said Applejack. If only the Sages had been paying attention to Ganondorf rather than talking about what to do with his body, they would have noticed him starting to twitch. A Triforce mark suddenly began to fade in and out on the back of his right hand, and he started to laugh which meant he had cheated death.

Once Ganondorf had regained his composure, he reared back a little before pushing himself forward in an attempt to put enormous strain on the chains that bound him. As he continued to push himself forward grunting to indicate strain on his body, the chain on his right hand came loose before it snapped off where he clenched this hand, and the Sages were shocked over seeing the Triforce mark, for it meant destiny had chosen him to possess the Triforce of Power.

" He's still alive?" asked Rarity.

" And he has been chosen to wield one of the pieces of the Triforce," replied Applejack.

" Is this some kind of divine prank?" asked Rarity.

" I have no idea, but it seems the gods have made him one of the chosen ones," replied Applejack. Ganondorf continued to push against the other shackle holding him in place until it shattered, and now stood before the Sages free from his fetters, yet the expression on his face was one of pure hatred combined with insanity. It was as though he had lost all senses, and had become nothing more than an enraged man filled with bloodlust.

" It seems your attempt at killing me has borne no fruit, for now I stand before you having eluded the pale rider. I don't know where this sudden surge in power came from, but I'm thrilled because now I have the means to carry out my own form of punishment. Your sword still protrudes through my body like a festering wound, but that means nothing given how I shall pull it out," said Tirek.

" We must do something before he can escape," said Rarity.

" I have no intention of doing anything of the sort," began Tirek.

" What do you mean?" asked Rarity.

" There is only one thing which keeps me going, and that is to compel to my bloodlust," replied Tirek. He then ran forward where he grabbed Rarity by the neck before snapping it, and instantly killing her where he then slammed her lifeless body onto the ground. As the other Sages looked on in horror over what had just happened, Ganondorf laughed manically as he grabbed the hilt of the sword stuck in his chest, and pulled it out effortlessly before turning his attention towards his now frightened victims.

" She should be grateful that I gave her a quick and painless death, but now it's your turn to suffer. Once I have taken care of you, I'll make my way to the castle killing that useless Hylian King, and his daughter before establishing myself as the new master of Hyrule. With this new-found power, nothing can stop me from claiming this world!" The Gerudo then laughed once again which was a sign of his arrogance, for he had become oblivious to what the Sages were about to do to deny him his desire.

" We have no other choice now," said Applejack.

" What do you propose we do?" asked Fluttershy.

" Ganondorf cannot be allowed to leave this place, and bring about ruin to Hyrule," replied Applejack.

" Of course, but I doubt we've got the power to oppose him given how he has one of the pieces of the Triforce in his possession. Not even the Royal Guard would be able to stop him as they would simply be massacred," said Fluttershy.

" Which is why Saria we must use the mirror," suggested Applejack.

" Gasp! Are you seriously considering banishment? I know he has become extremely dangerous, but the Mirror of Twilight was meant to banish criminals who were the most severe in their actions. Ganondorf has committed treason, yet doing so would mean we're just getting rid of him because we can't handle this. I know you've had more experience with this sort of thing than me Impa due to our age difference being the main factor, yet isn't there another choice without resorting to such extremes?" asked Fluttershy.

" There is not," replied Applejack.

" Alright, then we'll go with this idea even though I don't like it," sighed Fluttershy. The Sages then turned their attention towards the mirror which certainly looked mysterious given how it had all kinds of runes around its edge, and proceeded to raise their hands to activate it causing a strange portal to appear on the stone slab where Ganondorf had been chained to. All of a sudden, he started to struggle as though something were pulling him towards the slab, and he began to wince in pain as he couldn't break free.

His attempt ended up being in vain, for the Sage's Sword plunged into the portal which sends those who go through it whether against their will or not to a place called the Twilight Realm, and then he shattered into pieces of shadow before disappearing into the portal where it closed up thus banishing Ganondorf from Hyrule....just like what happened to him in the future.

" It is done," said Applejack.

" And with a terrible price, for Princess Ruto has been murdered by Ganondorf," added Fluttershy.

" No words can describe what a horrific tragedy this was, but we must give her a proper burial otherwise she will never be able to rest in the afterlife. It will be difficult explaining her death to King Zora, yet there is no other choice in the matter," said Applejack.

" We must also inform the King that Ganondorf's execution was botched because of his receiving a piece of the Triforce, and that one of our fellow Sages has been killed in the line of duty. Impa, I have a feeling you don't want to inform the King of what happened, but he must be informed given how Hyrule has now lost a Triforce piece when we banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm.

He must know about that as well, yet I feel bad for the denizens of the Twilight Realm who have to deal with the likes of him given how sadistic he became upon being brought back to life," said Fluttershy.

" Our decision to banish him may one day bring about the end of Hyrule," said Applejack.

" Which means we must be held accountable for we underestimated our abilities as Sages, and overestimated Ganondorf's cunning given how Princess Ruto is lying dead on the floor over there, and he was able to cheat death thanks to the Triforce. I have no idea why he was chosen to receive one of the golden triangles as surely someone like him would be the worst person imaginable, yet the goddesses have decreed this to be so, and we have to accept their decision," said Fluttershy.

The Sages would first deliver the body of Princess Ruto to her father, King Zora, who wept when he saw her lifeless corpse, but he knew she had acted bravely and fulfilled her duties until her end. They then reported to the King, and his expression was one of despair because an innocent life had been lost, those living in the twilight could be jeopardized by Ganondorf over time, Hyrule had one less Triforce piece considering it was in the hand of the Gerudo King, and above all else, Princess Zelda was going to inherit quite the legacy.

This is where the past timeline comes to an end regarding the fate of Ganondorf, so now I need to read the last part of this chapter which takes place in the downfall timeline which sounds rather morbid if you want my opinion.

According to the Hyrule Historia, this timeline was a recent addition because it had never been discovered until some years ago, and it has been given the most criticism regarding certain events. Unlike the other two where Ganondorf was defeated by the Hero of Time, in this one, the Evil King did the unthinkable, and managed to defeat the hero because of being much more powerful and experienced.

I don't need to explain how events lead up to their battle because I've already experienced that for myself, so I'll skip ahead to where I need to be, and that is the part where the hero was cut down. I'm not sure if I'll like this given how I'm still reeling over what Ganondorf did to both Rauru and Princess Ruto in the other two timelines in addition to that unknown Sage, but I need to keep going if I want to learn more about this.

The battle reached a fever pitch as the Hero of Time and the King of Evil were on the verge of defeat, yet only one of them was going to survive while the other would be killed. It was during their final clash where the Hero lunged forward after striking the Evil King using the power of light, but he wasn't anticipating Ganondorf's recovery to be so fast, and before he knew what happened, it was over. Having warped behind him and plunged his hand through the Hero's chest, the Evil King laughed as the Hero had received a fatal wound.

" Is this all there is from you kid? I was expecting you to have lasted a lot longer, but I suppose you were limited in terms of your abilities. How does it feel to have your life taken away from you in the mere blink of an eye?" asked Tirek.

" GAH!"

" Such an expression is to be expected given how you'll die in just a few short moments, but then this could have been avoided had you just willingly given your piece of the Triforce to me rather than resist. Without a living vessel to hold onto it, the Triforce of Courage will merely become stagnant until someone comes along to claim it. You need not worry about such trivial matters anymore kid, so let me send you on your way towards the afterlife," said Tirek.

He then lunged for the Hero's neck using his other hand where he snapped it. Ganondorf used his dark magic to blast away the now lifeless body where it suffered severe burns, and finally landed in a heap near a corner of his throne room. " You believed that you were destined to save this world, yet it appears fate has chosen otherwise, for you have been bested by the Great Ganondorf!

Since your champion is no longer with us Zelda, her Triforce of Courage is now mine to claim given how she gave it up unintentionally through death. With two pieces now in my possession, all that remains is the one you have."

" How....how could she have been killed by the likes of you?" asked Twilight.

" Do you still doubt what you witnessed? She was far too inexperienced, and this ended up costing her everything. Now, I will give you the chance to give me your piece, for the chances of you preventing me from doing so are slim to none," replied Tirek.

" I will keep on fighting," said Twilight.

" Even when you know that everything is stacked against you? Heh, you truly are pathetic for believing in such nonsense, so I'll make this quick and painless where I shall claim what is mine. I've no intention of killing you Zelda, for I prefer to see the look of agony across your face as I acquire the True Force, and become the true master of the world after waiting for seven long years," said Tirek.

" Then I shall end my own life, and deny you the prize that you seek," said Twilight.

" You don't have the guts to carry out such a threat, but it will do you no good considering I'll claim the Triforce of Wisdom whether you're dead or not," said Tirek. With his power having increased when he acquired the Triforce of Courage, Ganondorf was easily able to take the piece Princess Zelda had been given, and her cries of horror upon having it taken away reverberated the fact that Hyrule was about to plunge into an eternal darkness.

Hyrule's remaining hope was dead, so defeating him at this point was now impossible, yet there was still another force who could step in at a moment's notice, and they were the Six Sages who were devastated at the sudden loss of the Hero of Time.

" What!?!? My Sworn Brother was killed by Ganondorf's hand?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Can you feel that sudden surge in power Darunia? The only way an aura that strong can even exist would be Ganondorf having acquired two pieces of the Triforce, and that meant killing Sunset Shimmer in cold blood. I know it sounds horrible, but she is dead and now nothing can stop him from getting the final part," replied Rainbow Dash.

" If only we Sages weren't trapped inside of this Sacred Realm like prisoners! I've got a mind to go back there right now, and bust his skull using my hammer to pound it like a drum until he can no longer get up. You want to do the same thing Nabooru given how you desire revenge against him for turning you into an obedient slave for these past seven years, so let's find a way to go back, and help Zelda before it's too late," suggested Pinkie Pie.

" We can return whenever we want to unlike Rauru who is trapped here because of his own actions," said Rainbow Dash.

" Then let's go," said Pinkie Pie.

" And end up getting killed just like she did? I admire your enthusiasm Darunia, but none of us are no match for Ganondorf especially when he has acquired two Triforce parts, and is on the verge of getting the last one," said Rainbow Dash. While it sounds like Nabooru is being very negative which has probably angered Darunia, she knows Ganondorf better than anyone given how she and him are both from the same tribe.

The chances of the Sages defeating the Evil King were slim, and this was before he acquired the Triforce of Courage. Another plan was needed and quickly because there was no telling what could happen.

" You want her highness to die?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" He won't kill Zelda as he would prefer to have her watch as he subjugates the kingdom even further under his dominion, for he is the sort of person who loves inflicting
emotional pain onto his victims. Once the True Force has been revealed, Ganondorf's power is going to go through the roof, so we need to come up with a contingency plan right
now otherwise we're all going to die by his hands," replied Rainbow Dash.

" What do you suggest?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" We'll have to banish him to the Sacred Realm, and seal it up with so much magic that nothing can open it from either side. There is one catch to my suggestion, but we have no other choice considering Hyrule's fate hangs in the balance. If we banish Ganondorf, it would mean losing the Triforce forever given how its presence as an artefact not in the hands of anyone will be lost. The kingdom could fall apart in terms of neglect, yet this is something we must do," replied Rainbow Dash.

The Hyrule Historia refers to this timeline using as the downfall which must mean everything becomes stagnant due to the Triforce no longer being a beacon of light. A side-note also mentions the Hero's death contributed to the decline given how he was destined to bring about a brighter tomorrow. With a decision having been made, the Sages teleported to Ganondorf's castle where he had since acquired the final Triforce part, and was brimming with more power than he had ever held before in his life.

" It has taken me a long time, but at last I have the True Force!" shouted Tirek.

" We're too late," said Pinkie Pie.

" What's this? So, you accursed Sages have finally decided to come, and for whatever purpose? None of you have the power to oppose me given you're all weak while I am strong....stronger than anyone in this world," said Tirek.

" I'd show you who is strong around here! But, you'd only cheat because you have the True Force which has augmented your strength to epic proportions, yet I still have the urge to fight until I'm no longer able to stand. Guess the Goron blood in my veins makes me want to rush in, and swing around this hammer in the hopes of connecting with that skull of yours, but doing so would be suicide," said Pinkie Pie.

" Only someone who has such a mindless way of thinking is nothing but amusing," laughed Tirek.

" Mindless!?!? Why don't you come over here, and say that to my face without any of the goddess's blessings?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" Even without the Triforce augmenting my power, you wouldn't stand a chance against me Goron Chieftain, for while you have been living a peaceful existence much of your life, I have been training rigorously to become stronger so that conquering this world would be simple enough. Then again, fighting you with all of this newfound power would be more amusing, so why don't I show you all just what I can truly become," replied Tirek.

Ganondorf began to tap into the True Force where his power began to flow completely unchecked, yet the Sages could do nothing other than watch on in sheer horror as the Evil King continued getting stronger as though he had no limit. That's when he transformed into his hideous form which I fought after his castle came crashing down on top of him. He became Ganon where this time he wasn't blinded by rage, but rather he was in complete control as though he had ascended where no force in Hyrule could stand against him.

" So much power! There is no limit which can escape from my grasp, and now I have come to the realization that my human form was worthless as it was weak. This form suits me better, for my strength is equal to that of the gods, so now I am truly the most powerful being of all........I AM GANON!!!!"

" He has become consumed with power," sighed Rainbow Dash.

" I act like a hot-head because of my Goron blood, but not even I would resort to such extremes like this," said Pinkie Pie.

" Then we have no other choice but to banish him to the Sacred Realm although it will require tremendous amounts of magic, and it also means this kingdom will lose its one true source of light which has guided it since time began eons ago. I was hoping Ganondorf would have turned back before being lost completely in his lust for power, for I would have reciprocated his affections, but I guess he has reached the point of no return," said Rainbow Dash.

" People like him can't be reasoned with Nabooru as his heart became twisted back when he was a younger man, so don't blame yourself because of what he decided to do with his life, but rather blame his obsession of wanting power. He is no longer the man that you knew to despise, and even loved at one time. Now he is Ganon, a creature whose sole purpose is to consume everything around him until he stands as the strongest being of all," said Pinkie Pie.

The Sages began concentrating because the spell they needed to cast would almost destroy them given how difficult it was due to needing so much energy, but they were successful especially because Princess Zelda appeared at the last moment, and added her power to theirs which banished Ganon from the world before he could do anything.

They proceeded to create the Sage's Seal which prevented him from escaping the now corrupted Sacred Realm, and no one could open it from either side as the evil of the realm must never return otherwise all would be consumed in darkness. Over time, it became known as the Dark World, a haven where Ganon ruled without equal, yet he yearned for a chance to escape and conquer Hyrule once again, but he was able to do something else which brought him endless amusement.

He would eventually gain the ability to open small gateways between the worlds where he would use the essence of the Triforce to lure those who were consumed with wanting power, and travelled to the Dark World where they became monsters. One day, he planned on escaping once again where he wanted only one thing....Hyrule itself just as he had done centuries before.

Well, this is where Ganondorf's story comes to an end as any further information gets redirected to his monstrous form of Ganon, so I guess I'm almost done with this book meaning I'll be giving back to Rainbow Dash, but I think I'll read one more chapter because there is something which has really piqued my curiosity especially when Ganondorf and several of the Sages mentioned the goddesses.

They have been revered by so many, for they are the ones who created both this world and the Triforce, so by reading the chapter about them, I should learn about not only the true nuances of how they created Hyrule, but also any moments where they had to get involved. This could prove to be very interesting although hopefully none of it goes above my head, for this will be a challenging read....

To Be Concluded....for real this time.

Bonus Chapter 4: Legend of the Creators

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
June 11, 2015
Bonus Chapter 4: Legend of the Creators.

I decided to take a three hour nap given how reading Ganondorf's chapter in the Hyrule Historia really tuckered me out, and also because my brain needed to rest. Now I'm ready to carry on by reading the final chapter which appeals to me, and it involves those who originally created both the Triforce and Hyrule using powers far beyond anything mortal minds can comprehend.

At first, I was worried there would be no information about the Great Goddesses given how they are omnipotent beings who exist on a much higher plane than we do, yet the book surprised me by revealing an entire chapter dedicated to them. When I was in this video game world, I remember Twilight, who portrayed Princess Zelda, told the story of the Great Goddesses, so I suspect what she said will be repeated here, yet there will be more information given how she only knew a small portion based on what was passed down by her ancestors.

The first thing I need to do, is familiarize myself with them otherwise this will just be confusing. The Great Goddesses are three divine beings, who were worshiped by the various tribes of Hyrule until all but the Hylians eventually started worshipping their own gods, and they created the world in question alongside the relic which I'd say has caused more harm than good given how certain people desire its power for their own selfish needs.

No one knows where they originate from as that's beyond anyone's way of thinking, and what they look like remains unknown apart from one individual who encountered them, and I have a feeling I know who it is. Some have argued that the Great Goddesses were in fact male, but they were discredited for the vast majority of people associate them as female.

The first is their leader although whether or not they had a hierarchy isn't known, but she is Din, the Goddess of Power, and the one whose essence was claimed by Ganondorf which caused certain events to unfold. It sounds like I'm blaming her for what transpired across all three timelines, yet I know she isn't to blame because the Evil King was tempted at a young age to seek the Triforce, and also because he was the reincarnation of a demon who sought the Triforce as well with his demonic horde.

The next is Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Princess Zelda associates with her the most given how much wisdom she possesses for someone so young. This wisdom has been passed down from generation to generation because the original woman named Zelda decreed it long ago. Finally, the last is Farore, the Goddess of Courage, who has been depicted as the youngest, and is the one who had a strong connection with me given that I was the chosen one who claimed her power even though I felt that was a mistake.

No one knows why they created the world which would eventually become Hyrule, but because of their status as goddesses, who would have stopped them otherwise? This chapter begins when Din, Nayru, and Farore descended down upon an empty void where nothing existed, but they were about to change all of this because they had an urge to create something.

Apparently, the first bit of dialogue that is spoken between the three sisters is what Twilight mentioned to me when I first started my journey, so this is stuff I already know about, but it wouldn't hurt to get reacquainted just in case I've forgotten.

No one is sure if the Great Goddesses were related, yet the book says that they are, so I'll go with this given that it is official. If I recall correctly that visual aide Twilight showed me when I first met her at Hyrule Castle, the princesses of Equestria portray the Great Goddesses minus Twilight herself as she was Zelda. It makes sense that Princess Celestia is Din given her leadership role, Princess Luna is Nayru given her vast knowledge, and Princess Cadance is Farore given her youthfulness and eager spirit.

" We have arrived here my sisters," said Princess Celestia.

" If such corruption were to happen then such a world should be destroyed before it spirals out of control," said Princess Luna. Even from reading this dialogue which I remember from before, the three goddesses were already set in their ways that made them easy enough to recognize. Din was eager to create a new world because she had a desire to see lesser beings evolve, and perhaps achieve greatness, yet Nayru was cautious as creating something meant watching over it vigorously.

If the denizens of this creation became unruly, or viewed themselves as being superior to their creators, it would be a crime against the goddesses where the punishment was instant obliteration. Farore on the other hand chose to remain neutral on the subject given how her sisters often had arguments like this, yet she would eventually say her thoughts on the subject at hand.

" To do such a thing as that Nayru would mean resorting to actions that would label us as murderers in the eyes of our fellow gods and goddess," said Princess Celestia.

" Then that makes you naïve, yet you always were like that which makes me glad that you are my sister Din. The creatures that shall inhabit this world must strive on their own to become more than what we envision them to be, and if they can achieve this, there is no telling what they will be able to accomplish.

" What do you suggest?" asked Princess Celestia.

" A means with which our world can protect itself," replied Princess Luna. Even before the world came to be, the goddesses were aware of Demise who existed deep underground, and that he could be attracted to their creation. Creating the Triforce which I assume was their protective measure would be a mistake given how Ganondorf's original incarnation came to the surface because he wanted the Triforce for himself. He probably would have ignored their creation altogether had their been nothing which could have tempted him.

" A sacrifice of that nature sounds within reason does it not Farore?" asked Princess Luna.

Despite being the youngest of the three goddesses, Farore certainly knew what she was talking about as though she were somehow seeing into the future where Ganondorf acquired their gift to their creation. Once people get that first taste of power, they simply want more because it becomes an obsession which can't be quenched until they are full. All it takes is one dose to corrupt even the strongest will you can imagine, and it turns into a twisted form of itself.

" Both you and Nayru have provided grand insight to this matter, and it is something that shall be taken into consideration. Once we are finished creating this new world, we shall create the means with which this world shall protect itself from the demons. If the creatures become tempted to wield such a power then we shall have a measure in place ready to act upon our command, and carried out by our will," said Princess Celestia.

" So which of us will contribute what?" asked Princess Luna.

" I have been thinking about that for some time now, and I shall create the land given how I represent power. You can introduce law into this world Nayru given your vast wisdom exceeds that of myself and Farore, and creating those who are to follow such laws is your task my youngest sister," replied Princess Celestia.

" For some reason, I find this most unfair," moaned Princess Luna.

" Because my contribution appears to be the biggest?" asked Princess Celestia.

" That is the reason, but you will have to use much power compared to myself and Farore. So, I see it as a fair trade in that sense, but I hope the creatures will worship all of us equally," replied Princess Luna. Even though they were deities, they acted like they were humans given how they argued over differences, but it also meant humans had the strongest connection to them.

Din would then use her flaming arms that brimmed with power to begin building their ideal world, and within mere moments which probably felt like eons to everyone else, she created the red earth. She didn't use much in the way of strength, but then she wasn't trying to be fancy with her work. Nayru then poured all of her wisdom onto what Din had made, and this resulted in the creation of law which made her feel proud of her accomplishment.

She chose not to make it overly complicated as she knew that the incoming creatures would lack the intellect she and her sisters possessed given their status as deities. Farore used her gentle soul to create creatures who were to follow Nayru's laws, yet while I thought they would appear as tiny beings given they would start as babies, she instead created them as adult-sized, for her intention involved having them make their way on their on, and eventually reproduce later.

" There! We have finished our work," said Princess Celestia.

" It hardly took any time to complete, but so far things look promising. The creatures will begin to multiply within their concept of years, and will follow your laws Nayru, yet I cannot help but think they may go beyond my own limitations," said Princess Cadance.

" So you have similar grievances?" asked Princess Luna.

" It is impossible to deny this as being a possibility, for these creatures have been given the potential to grow over time. Even though we are in agreement over leaving behind something that can serve as a form of guidance, it would be unwise of us to leave it unprotected because they could abuse its power. They may desire to be just like us which would be disastrous," replied Princess Cadance.

" Yes, we must have someone handle this situation," suggested Princess Celestia.

" One of us would suffice," suggested Princess Cadance.

" If we were to interfere in the affairs of this world Farore, we would do more harm than good given our immense powers No, we will need another goddess who can protect what we shall leave behind for the denizens of this world. I know just the individual who can perform this task, for she has proven herself worthy, and does not possess the sympathy that holds us back," said Princess Celestia.

" That is a good idea," said Princess Luna.

" I am glad you think so," said Princess Celestia.

" There is another issue which must be addressed," Princess Luna.

" And what would that be?" asked Princess Celestia.

" Even though much of our vast power was used to create this new world, I could sense that the excess power spread out across the fabric of existence, and has created worlds similar, but different to the one which we have made. I bring this up because we may need to become involved with these places as well should creatures begin thriving there," replied Princess Luna. Alternate worlds? Now this was something which required a closer inspection, so I read another side note that explained it.

These alternate worlds were created as a result of leftover divine energy that the Great Goddesses took no notice of, so while such places have some things in common with Hyrule, they are different worlds that don't necessarily resonate with the goddesses. While no one knows how gaps between these worlds came into existence, it says here such gateways only appear to a chosen few. Maybe it's to prevent such a power from being misused?

" Our concern is with our own creation," said Princess Celestia.

" I had a feeling you were going to say that Din, but we should have some kind of presence even if it is minor at best. These other worlds were formed with our power, and ignoring them would be betraying our oaths as goddesses," said Princess Luna.

" I never could say no to you Nayru when you make such logical reasoning, but how do you propose we deal with these places which now thrive in the fabric of existence?" asked Princess Celestia.

" Perhaps divine beings can be assigned to watch over these worlds, and ensure that they are guided down the correct path. It will not be by our hands that will shape what is to happen, but rather the hands of the creatures who will appear shall determine their fate, and maybe gods and goddesses similar to us will appear to handle things. All we can do is begin the process by having those who represent us watch over them until things are in place," replied Princess Luna.

" Then that is what we shall do," announced Princess Celestia. The side note ends right there, and says that I need to look up places called Termina, Holodrum, Labrynna, and even an alternate version of Hyrule where armies fight one another for supremacy in order to learn more about these alternate worlds. I'm not about to do anything like that as that would mean even more reading, and I'd rather just finish off this chapter, and give this book back to Rainbow Dash.

" I am inclined to agree, so let us proceed with leaving behind that which shall serve as a symbol," suggested Princess Cadance. The three Great Goddesses were satisfied with their work, and returned to the heavens where they would implement their plan of having another goddess watch over things. At the point where they departed, three golden triangles appeared where each one contained the essence of their power.

These triangles became known as the Triforce, and when used together, a person's most fondest wish would become true, and that does explain why it needed to be protected at all costs. Word of this artefact's power became known to the early civilizations, which prompted many of them to seek out the power for their own selfish desires.

This is exactly what the Great Goddesses feared even before performing their task of creating their ideal world, but rather than destroy everything and starting again, they chose to rely on the efforts of another who had long since earned their trust. They approached this goddess roughly several days after the world had begun where Din began explaining what was needed.

" If we three were to watch over our creation, the chances of us choosing to destroy it become increasingly high. I know it sounds as though we are neglecting our duties given how this world was created by us, but we believe this is the best course of action. That is why we have come to you Hylia, for among the other gods and goddesses here in paradise, you are the only one who holds the strongest trust within our eyes," said Princess Celestia.

Hylia? That sounds like quite a coincidental name given how one of the tribes refer to themselves as Hylians, but I wonder if there is an image of what this goddess looks like. She probably isn't as majestic given how she is merely a goddess without a fancy title like the golden goddesses have....yes, the book also refers to Din, Nayru, and Farore as both golden and old. It didn't take long to find an image of Hylia, and I was shocked at how she had a striking resemblance to Princess Luna even though I've only ever seen her image in books.

That's when I remembered Twilight mentioning in one of our first letters we I send back and forth. She said long ago, Princess Luna was banished to the moon for 1,000 years, and transformed into a nightmare steed....Nightmare Moon. I read some of her legends when I studied back in Equestria, but I never would have guessed she was portraying the goddess Hylia in this chapter. I guess good and evil with regards to Equestria have no meaning in Hyrule, but I'll picture Nightmare Moon as the majestic Hylia instead of her true self.

" To have your trust Din is most honourable," said Nightmare Moon.

" This world my sisters and I have created is naught but a fledging which means they have tremendous amounts of potential to become something grand, but we are aware of the growing temptation that has resulted when we left behind the Triforce," said Princess Celestia.

" While I will not question your reason for giving them an artefact that contains the essence of each of you, I must admit that the urge to abuse such a gift is very strong. They are simple beings that are drawn to power which is not surprising considering our fellow gods and goddesses desire similar needs, yet if they use your gift incorrectly, it would destroy them before they have a chance to blossom. I can see why you have come to me for help Din given how I am considered one of the most peaceful deities around," said Nightmare Moon.

" Unlike the three of us Hylia, you are more reserved when it comes to passing judgment," said Princess Celestia.

" You can achieve a similar state of being you know," suggested Nightmare Moon.

" We Great Goddesses have grown distant over the eons, and for that I will admit that we acted hastily when it came to the creation of this new world. We were so enthralled with the prospect of seeing this world change and grow, yet we were ignorant about any potential problems that could arise. We view ourselves as being above such petty actions as watching over our creation, for these creatures are beneath our contempt, but we are not blind to the notion of asking one of our own to do that which we cannot," said Princess Celestia.

I'm actually surprised that Din would even say something like this, but then it isn't unheard of that gods and goddesses view such matters as beneath their notice. What's also surprising is how the Hyrule Historia assumes this is what was discussed between them given they were on a plane that exists beyond our means.

" What would you have me do?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" The Triforce has need of a guardian to protect it from those who would try to abuse its power. Our new creation may have only been in existence for a mere twinkling of time compared to roughly several days for them, but already the beings Farore created who were to follow Nayru's laws as she dictated have learned of the gift we have left behind. They are young fledging creatures, yet their curiosity will lead them down a dark path which is sure to bring about destruction," replied Princess Celestia.

" And I am to be this guardian?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" There is no one else who can perform such a task of great importance," replied Princess Celestia.

" What guarantees do I have?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" I am not following," replied Princess Celestia.

" Protecting such an important artefact is something I will do Din, but my concern is that I will end up being nothing more than a servant to you. While my status as a goddess is not the same as what you and your sisters possess, there are certain rights which I am entitled to, and refusing to compensate would mean me not agreeing to this idea even though your trust in me is strong.

If I am to guard this relic for you, then I must do so of my own volition which means you, Nayru, and Farore cannot interfere in my decisions no matter how trivial some may be. I already have some ideas on making sure the Triforce remains safe from those who desire to abuse its power, but these will be enforced without my having to gain your approval," said Nightmare Moon.

" Such a guarantee we accept," said Princess Celestia.

" Then I shall proceed to travel down to this world, and protect the Triforce," said Nightmare Moon. The Goddess Hylia was said to be very approachable for a goddess of her nature given how she would appear before the citizens of what became known as the surface, and informed them that she had been chosen by the creators to protect them.

For some time, peace would reign across this world as Hylia served as their guardian, but eventually she had need of someone who would become her chosen hero, destined to fight against dark forces who had existed since the beginning when the Great Goddesses first created their world. The book mentions next to nothing about this warrior, for his identity is shrouded in mystery, but it is said that he acted as a predecessor to the first individual known as Link.

While I would read more about Din, Nayru, and Farore, it seems the next part of this chapter focuses squarely on Hylia herself which makes little sense given how she wasn't a golden goddess like they were, but the Hyrule Historia insists on having her included given what she ends up contributing, and she is acting in their stead as per their request.

Things would remain peaceful until one day when an incident occurred which would test Hylia as the goddess chosen to protect the surface, and it says that this is where the original incarnation of Ganondorf comes into the legend. To think that in the previous chapter, I ended up learning what his final fate was, and now I get to experience what caused him to reach the point where he was destroyed.

A large crack suddenly formed, and a terrifying dark power seeped forth from it which is exactly what the Great Goddesses feared as they were aware of the existence of Demise. This demon has existed since before time began, and paid no attention to what was happening in the heavens, but when he sensed a great power brimming forth from the surface, he desired to have it for his very own.

Anyone who stood in his path were nothing more than victims being lead to a slaughter, and while Hylia was confidant that she could handle this crisis, the Great Goddesses didn't have the same enthusiasm.

" The demon has made his presence known," said Princess Cadance.

" We knew he would attack this world of ours once he caught wind of the artefact we left behind, so now we are paying the consequences for our actions. Din, we never should have created this world, for if we had not then Demise would not be attacking with his demonic horde, and the natural order would have remained unaltered as it has been since the beginning of existence.

Before things get out of control, we must destroy our work along with Demise and his horde. We can then remake the world in a better image than before without such problems persisting," suggested Princess Luna.

" I find it hard to believe that you who wields the most wisdom among us would condone such a thing as destruction Nayru, but then we have agreed to the compensation of Hylia where none of us must interfere. She will be able to handle the situation, and we must believe that she will succeed in driving back Demise and his dark children. Besides, we all wanted to contribute to this creation of ours, so there is no need to deny its right to exist," said Princess Cadance.

" From the beginning Farore, I was skeptical because I feared incurring the wrath of the demon," said Princess Luna.

" As you have mentioned before," said Princess Cadance.

" Should Hylia have need of our assistance, then we shall go down to the surface without question," said Princess Luna.

" She knows that doing so would make her be seen in the eyes of the people as a weak goddess who was forced to call others to help deal with something she is capable of figuring out on her own. No, we must not get involved Nayru despite the desire. Deep down, you know this is true, so we shall merely watch the proceedings from here. I have the utmost faith that those I created to uphold your laws shall overcome the demonic horde," said Princess Cadance.

" You may want to look down at the surface," suggested Princess Luna. Farore was confused at what Nayru meant, so she decided to take a look at what was going on, and she was shocked to see the people were being slaughtered the hands of the demonic horde. Their numbers continued to multiply because of the crack in the ground, and were showing no signs of stopping any time soon, and the goddess began weeping over how many lives were being lost.

The humans and other tribes were strong when it came to dealing with their own kind who became obsessed with wanting the Triforce, but they were completely in over their heads when it came to facing demons. Demise himself was causing the most damage by slaughtering everything that got in his path, and Nayru offered simply to her sister. " We must go down there now, and deal with the situation before it reaches a critical juncture."

" My heart weeps for those who have been killed in all of this senseless violence, but we cannot interfere otherwise we shall break the agreement we made with Hylia. Besides, I know things are not all that bad as there is someone down there who has been defeating the demonic horde," said Princess Cadance. Nayru then looked down at the surface, and saw a man dressed in green attacking various monsters where he was felling them one by one without any effort.

It seems not all hope was lost considering a single human was fighting back against the demonic horde using nothing but his sword and skills which made Nayru very impressed.

" I guess my words blinded me," said Princess Luna.

" Most of the humans have been slaughtered as they were created without any special characteristics compared to our other creations, so the demons have been killing them because they offer little in the way of resistance," said Princess Cadance.

" Yet this one human is fighting incredible odds, and prevailing without difficulty," said Princess Luna.

" Could he be the champion," began Princess Cadance.

" The what?" asked Princess Luna. I'm not surprised that Hylia's chosen champion is featured here given how he was destined to protect both her and the world from any evil that would plague it, but I wish this book would have provided more of an explanation into who he is. That's because this is the last time he gets referenced as all it says here is he simply vanished into history upon the conclusion of this battle against evil.

Well, in any case the champion has been doing pretty well for a human, but the others of his kind were being killed no matter where they were, as Demise and his horde refused to end their slaughter until Hylia gives him what he wants.

" He has proven to be most brave," replied Princess Cadance.

" While this one is cut from a much different cloth, the rest of his kind are being killed, and their homes have been destroyed along with much of the land. We knew Demise to be a monster, yet we did not expect such anarchy as this. Well Farore, since you insist that the three of us do not interfere, here is hoping Hylia has an idea to bring this nightmare to an end before it gets even worse," said Princess Luna.

" We must have faith in her," said Princess Cadance. It says the humans couldn't survive against Demise and his horde, but Hylia did have a plan which she would execute in order to do two things. First, she needed to protect the surviving humans who managed to survive the onslaught, and second she had to hide the Triforce given this is what Demise wanted which is the reason behind his invasion.

Knowing that time was against her as Demise's horde were progressing at a ridiculous pace, she acted quickly by commanding them to travel to her temple which was where the humans along with the other ancient tribes worshipped her, and that she would perform a miracle in the aims of preventing any further bloodshed against them.

Once they had reached her temple, Hylia used her power to first remove it from the ground along with the immediate area before launching up into the sky in the hopes of keeping them safe. I wonder why she rescued the humans, and left everyone else behind to face the demons who continued to wreak havoc?

This confused me at first as I thought she had compassion with those who choose to worship her, but when I continued to read on, my answer quickly came. Among the tribes that existed back then, Hylia connected with the humans more often as she viewed them as being just like her even though she was a goddess.

The slab of rock which was sent to the sky would one day become known as Skyloft where the descendants of the humans lived for many generations, and without any knowledge of where they came from other than a few ancient documents that state life once existed below the clouds. Demise still remained with his demonic horde on the surface, but with the humans now out of danger, Hylia could concentrate on dealing with the problem at hand, and she was assisted by the other tribes who had no choice but to remain.

This resulted in a war between light and dark lasting many years, and while much of what happened isn't mentioned in this book, it does reveal an important encounter between Hylia and Demise.

" You have proven to be a most persistent irritation Hylia, but know that you cannot continue going," said Demise.

" What makes you believe that I shall fall?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" While those pathetic humans have somehow disappeared which I suspect your immediate involvement goddess, you and these other useless creatures have merely been delaying the inevitable by fighting back. Your numbers have been reduced to such an insignificant amount that fighting them holds no reward for my loyal followers, for they hunger for the flesh on their bones. If you tell me what I want to know, I may spare your subjects although I cannot guarantee it," replied Demise.

" You have become blind by your own ambition, but then this is not surprising to me. Wretched demon, you have caused pain and suffering for far too long, so now the time is nigh to finally bring an end to these hostilities," said Nightmare Moon.

" Then these people shall know that their goddess allowed them to die! A shame really as they do look as though they had great potential, but this will never come to pass because my horde will feast on the banquet before them. My followers may be simplistic in their nature given how most are mindless monsters who wish to consume what they kill, yet they obey my will without question.

Now, I shall ask you one last time, and should you refuse then this land shall run red with blood, and you'll be wracked with intense guilt over it as you could have saved their meaningless existence," said Demise. While it sounds like he was making nothing but threats in order to get what he wanted, this demon was serious about what he said he'd do as he had tremendous power which makes him feared among mortals, and a concern among gods and goddesses alike.

The only thing he desired was the Triforce because it would enable him to rule the world unopposed....just like Ganondorf aspired to which explains why the latter is a reincarnation of the former. Hylia was certain he had no idea where the humans had been sent, so she felt relieved knowing they were safe from his horde, yet she decided to make it so that her temple could never gain access to the surface again by creating a barrier.

" I know what you shall ask of me," began Nightmare Moon.

" Then answer my demand!" shouted Demise.

" No, I will not speak," said Nightmare Moon.

" Don't think you can fight against me Hylia, for you no longer have your sword which you used to cut down my forces," said Demise.

" My blade is not needed," said Nightmare Moon.

" Ha! Such bravado coming from you is sheer amusement, but it's most unbecoming for someone so graceful. Your sword is all that kept you from being torn to shreds by my horde, but this makes killing you pointless as I was hoping to have had a grand battle which would run red with the blood of your precious people," said Demise. What he didn't know was Hylia has sent both her sword and harp to the land in the sky because she believed the next chosen one would have better need of them, but perhaps she had been hesitant.

According to this small side-note here, her sword was originally called the Goddess Sword, but in time through a number of unusual circumstances, it became the legendary Master Sword....wait what!?!? The Master Sword!?!? Hylia's sword is the very one I used on my journey after being sealed away for so long?

I would learn more about it, but I really want to finish this chapter, and hand the book back to Rainbow Dash as I've had enough to last me a lifetime. As for this harp? While I'm pretty good with a guitar, I know next to nothing about harps, so I'll just ignore that because the side-note concludes by saying I should look up the chapter referring to Skyward Sword.

" Why do you bring such torment to this world?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" Because I am here for the Triforce," replied Demise.

" So you seek to claim it?" asked Nightmare Moon.

" Don't act so ignorant goddess, for you knew that's the reason I came to the surface. With the Triforce in my hands, I shall conquer this world, and make it a place where my demonic horde shall run amok. If you had told me what I wanted to know sooner, there could have been few lives sacrificed in the name of keeping such knowledge safe, but then it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway.

Those humans were such delicious morsels for my horde that they desired to keep on going until there were none left to consume, yet now that you've taken them away, these lesser beings will have to do," replied Demise.

" The Triforce will never be yours," said Nightmare Moon.

" Once you're mere inches away from death, you'll be telling me everything," said Demise. What he didn't know was that the Triforce was no longer on the surface as Hylia sent it into the sky along with the land which housed the surviving humans, and because there was a barrier in place which now prevents him and his forces from getting up there, he had no chance of acquiring it.

All the Hyrule Historia says about what became of the Triforce apart from being given a redirection to the Skyward Sword chapter, is that the goddess made sure the humans now living above the clouds wouldn't be tempted, for if they did then her efforts would have been for naught. She used a rather complicated system to ensure no one other than her chosen champion finds the Triforce whenever the need arises, and some secrets were said to have been passed down to mystical beings who acted as her vassals.

This is where both sides would fight each other in a final conflict where casualties mounted at a ridiculous pace, but somehow Hylia was able to prevail even though many who fought beside her lost their lives. Again, the chapter that focuses on this Skyward Sword goes into all of the significant detail, so all I get out of this is enough to know what became of Demise.

" You have been bested demon," said Nightmare Moon.

" How is this possible? I am vastly superior to you, and yet I have been defeated?" asked Demise.

" Darkness can never overcome light," replied Nightmare Moon.

" Then do what you must against me because you are the victor here goddess, but know that my followers shall seek their revenge against the people of this world. My death shall merely be the beginning of an even greater conflict where countless lives will be lost. There isn't much you can do, for those wounds you sustained by my blade are fatal, and I know your people cannot survive without you here to guide them. In your efforts to defeat me, they shall pay the price in the end," said Demise.

" No, there is a much different fate you shall face," said Nightmare Moon.

" And this would be better than killing me? I'm not surprised by this goddess, for you lack the instinct to kill unlike those creatures who fawn over you. They can kill whenever they want because they have the urge to spill blood no matter whose it is....even their own allies blood gives them a surge of violent tendencies. It won't be long before your faithful followers turn against one another, and because of your weakened state, they will turn on you to gain the power that you possess.

Such a cycle is one that all beings experience as they cannot deny their deepest desires," said Demise. It was at this point where Hylia had heard enough from him, and proceeded not to end his existence, but rather trap him so that he could never return. She sealed him below where her temple used to be, and used a powerful binding spell which would last for thousands of years.

Demise was said to have been stripped of his physical form, and became nothing more than an incarnation of hatred whose only senses involved the consumption of the light which had sealed him away long ago. Without their leader around, the demonic horde lost all direction, and were easily defeated by those who followed Hylia where upon their victory they would begin settling down and creating civilizations, yet she felt as though Demise made a valid point about her followers one day becoming consumed with darkness.

Hylia's life-force was weakening because of the injuries she had sustained, and even though Demise had been sealed away, she knew that the binding spell wouldn't last forever, and that one day he would return to wreak havoc upon the world once more. You know, this sounds a lot like what the Sages did to Ganondorf when he was defeated in the future by sealing him away with a seal that would eventually break, so history repeats itself quite often in Hyrule.

Before deciding on a course of action, Hylia needed to consult with the Great Goddesses because they needed to be aware that she was on the verge of death, but only one listened to her, and it was the one historians say was someone they never expected.

" Where are your sisters?" asked Hylia.

" Din and Nayru are not here Hylia, for they decided to engage in another activity," replied Princess Cadance.

" I need to tell them as well as you that Demise has been sealed away below the surface where my temple once stood, and the war against his demonic horde has been won, but I have sustained these terrible wounds during my conflict with him. My life-force is slowly draining away which means I do not have much time left," said Nightmare Moon.

" Where is the Triforce?" asked Princess Cadance.

" It is now hidden away in the piece of land which I sent to the sky that also houses the surviving humans along with my temple, and a powerful barrier exists that prevents the dark forces from reaching them. For now, they remain safe along with the golden power, yet it will not be lost forever as there will be a time when a new chosen hero is needed. Everything has been put into place to ensure my chosen one shall fulfill their destiny, so there is no needed to be concerned," replied Nightmare Moon.

" Can you keep going?" asked Princess Cadance.

" These wounds are far too severe for me to make a full recovery, so no I will not be able to continue my anointed task of guarding the world of your creation," replied Nightmare Moon.

" Then you would like for my sisters and I to take over for you? I am sorry Hylia, but we agreed to not interfere in the affairs of our world, and we intend on sticking with this vow," said Princess Cadance.

" Demise will not remain trapped forever Farore, for one day in the future he shall break free of the seal which keeps him imprisoned, and I fear the world you created will not survive his wrath," said Nightmare Moon.

" Should we decide to do this Hylia, then our ways will only serve to bring about destruction for we Great Goddesses lack the compassion that you possess. That is the reason why another goddess was needed, for we do not understand the hearts of those who live in this world, and for that we would simply cast them into an eternal abyss were we to intervene. I am certain you can find a means of preparing for the eventual return of Demise.

I know you will come up with an appropriate strategy which will protect the people of the future. If your life were to come to an end, I pray that our creation does not reach a point where it will require us to resolve a solution," said Princess Cadance.

" I understand what must be done now, and know that everything will be taken care of," said Hylia.

" Again, I wish that we could do more for you, but that would be perhaps the greatest disaster of all, and one that goes beyond even the mindset of a demonic monster like Demise," said Princess Cadance. While it sounded like they didn't want to interfere in the affairs of their world for selfish reasons, it's because they couldn't due to their power being far too great, and most likely causing complete destruction rather than trying to save it.

Knowing this dark truth, Hylia set a plan into motion to prepare for Demise's return, for no one could stop him unless they had the necessary tools. Knowing her death was imminent, she gave up what was left of her godly form, so that one day she would be reborn as an ordinary human and assist the chosen hero who would take up arms against the dark forces. The golden power was one that couldn't be used by the goddesses, for it was created to be that way, so only humans and others like them were allowed to utilize its power.

She also created a spirit which was sealed into her sword whose purpose was to guide her champion on his destined path. There was a few other things Hylia did before passing away, but it says here that I would need to look up Skyward Sword to learn the rest, and also learn what lead up to the defeat of Demise which I read about in the previous chapter.

Without a goddess watching over the world, the darkness that exists in people's hearts continued to grow stronger, and this was even after Demise was destroyed, so something needed to be done to prevent the Triforce from being misused given how it was now unprotected from the desires of people. The ancient Sages would one day construct a temple where one would need special keys to open the way to the Sacred Realm....huh, so this is what leads into the events that I witnessed when Ganondorf brought me into his world.

Speaking of events, there is only one more section of this chapter. After Demise was destroyed and sealed into the Master Sword, the world wasn't watched over by the eyes of the Great Goddesses, and this continued on even when Hyrule became a kingdom. Many safety measures had been created to ensure the world would remain safe from the darkness which may appear, yet sometimes even the most precise of preparations can backfire simply due to an exception.

Ganondorf would be the exception because he achieved the one thing Demise couldn't, and that was claiming the Triforce for his very own which was through manipulation. According to the Hyrule Historia, the goddesses didn't interfere with the past and downfall timelines because the kingdom didn't reach a point where they were needed, but the future timeline had an event which got them involved.

Never had they gotten involved because of their power being too much, yet Ganondorf's actions prompted them to respond in a manner no one was preparing for. After being imprisoned for centuries inside of the Sacred Realm, he eventually managed to escape because the Sage's Seal had grown weaker over time, and upon returning to Hyrule for the first time in a long while, the Evil King began to slaughter people out of revenge for being banished.

His rampage knew no bounds given all attempts to stop him failed because he possessed the Triforce of Power. It is said the people had a small sliver of hope in the form of the Hero of Time as they believed he would return, and save them from Ganondorf's wrath.

The hero didn't appear which makes sense because of a few factors. The first was that he had been returned to his childhood meaning he no longer exists in the future, and he also closed the pathway that exists between time for good. Second, he could only travel seven years between time periods, so there was no chances of him being able to travel several centuries to aid those who needed him.

Third would be by the time Ganondorf returned, centuries had passed meaning the hero had long since passed away, and his descendants probably had no idea what they could have done. And finally, it is said that he was separated from the elements which made him a hero. The people realized their pleas did nothing, so they pleaded to the Great Goddesses for help. While Din, Nayru, and Farore have kept their distance when it came to getting involved, the pleas soon had them thinking.

" Can you hear them?" asked Princess Luna.

" Their screams for help have been non-stop for these past moons," replied Princess Celestia.

" The one who possesses your essence Din has been murdering countless lives in the name of revenge, and shows no signs of slowing down at all. He truly is the reincarnation of Demise as we originally suspected when he first laid his hands on the Triforce centuries ago. If he continues in this manner then the people of our world will all perish, and he will usher in an age of darkness the likes of which have never been seen before," said Princess Luna.

" I am aware of his actions Nayru, but we cannot get involved in what becomes of Hyrule," said Princess Celestia.

" Is it because our power would destroy them before he does?" asked Princess Luna.

" Even now, you know me very well my sister, and yes I fear that our involvement will make things worse. When this Ganondorf first acquired the golden power we left behind, we did not take much notice of it because he was a mere mortal who had no idea what he was getting into by trying to use a power beyond his comprehension, but it seems our judgment of him was wrong," replied Princess Celestia.

So the Great Goddesses knew of Ganondorf and what he was doing back when he first claimed the Triforce of Power, yet they chose to do nothing because of their stance regarding not getting involved. Things could have been different had they stepped in even if it meant risky Hyrule's existence. By choosing not to do something about him, they essentially allowed him to reach his current level of power, and now they have regret. " Perhaps we should have never left behind the artefact, for it has caused many to become tempted by greed."

" It is because the humans and the other creatures were flawed," said Princess Luna.

" But I do not blame you Farore, for none of us knew this would happen, but I suppose lesser beings do not grasp such notions. We cannot blame Hylia for this either given how this is happening eons after her unfortunate passing," said Princess Celestia.

" Hylia knew what she was doing when she invoked her plan to prepare a chosen one to protect the people from Demise, and that turned out to be a success until this man was born into the world below. Without the threat of the demon horde, the people of Hyrule lived a peaceful existence until Ganondorf appeared, and we goddesses became complacent as we were not needed, but now things have gotten out of control, and they seek our help to resolve this situation.

I know we agreed not to interfere when Hylia was tasked with serving as the goddess of this world, yet now we have no choice but to go down there," said Princess Luna.

" Can we though?" asked Princess Celestia. Given how the Hylians and the other tribes have been worshipping Hylia for generations while merely acknowledging the golden goddesses, Din was right to be cautious about getting involved as there was telling what kind of reaction they would get. The people most likely believe that Hylia is still watching over them, or she has chosen a successor to carry out that task, so seeing the creators could be either a blessing or a curse.

" We must otherwise we will have failed them," replied Princess Luna.

" Those words rings out the biggest truth that we have experienced," said Princess Celestia. This revelation from Nayru was enough to finally convince Din that they had to go down to the surface in order to deal with what was happening, and when they arrived mere moments later, they were shocked at what they discovered. Corpses were strewn about, and destruction was rampant everywhere which showed Ganondorf was ruthless in his bid for getting revenge.

While the Great Goddesses knew Demise to have been a horrific embodiment of darkness, the King of Evil proved to be even worse given what they were witnessing with their own eyes. The sight was enough for Farore to start crying because the people meant a great deal to her even though they don't necessarily worship her, and Din could merely lower her head down in shame over this horror. " I cannot believe a mere mortal has committed such a horrific act as this."

" This man is no longer mortal sister," said Princess Luna.

" Yes, you are right Nayru. He has become a demon which makes him an even greater threat," said Princess Celestia.

" Farore? What are you doing?" asked Princess Luna.

" I can hear the screams of those who have lost their lives in this senseless carnage, and they curse us goddesses for not helping them much sooner. They also speak of a hero who can travel through time that was supposed to come to their aid by defeating this man, but never appeared for reasons they do not understand. If only we had listened to you Nayru about getting involved sooner, or perhaps destroying this world and recreating it anew, then this atrocity would not be happening," replied Princess Cadance.

It says here Din and Farore didn't approve of the idea of restarting everything from the beginning, yet Nayru always believed it a viable option in case something like this happened which was beyond their means to fix. Now, it's not known if this is how they truly felt as a side-note here says this is what historians believed Nayru desired in case their creation proved unworthy, and the same is true about the feelings of the other Great Goddesses, so it's a matter of how one chooses to perceive it.

" Restarting things would be a terrible thing," said Princess Luna.

" What made you change your mind?" asked Princess Cadance.

" After seeing this destruction, destroying this world and starting it again would yield no positive results. The problems that affect this world would simply repeat themselves anew, and thus the cycle will never come to an end. I guess it took this experience to make me realize that such an idea was foolish, and for that I must apologize for ever considering it an option," replied Princess Luna.

" And both Din and I apologize for not acting sooner," said Princess Cadance. This is true for they did have the power to stop Ganondorf just like that. Even though he possessed the essence of Din, his power paled in comparison to theirs, but their promise to Hylia combined with their own fear of getting involved allowed this to reach such a critical juncture.

Farore then heard additional voices begging for a miracle to occur, and that they didn't care what was to happen so long as something was decided. " We must bring an end to this before anymore lives can be lost."

" I do have a suggestion," began Princess Celestia.

" That tone in your voice fills me with dread," said Princess Cadance.

" This land has suffered far too much to allow it to exist as it is, so our only option is to start again, but not in the manner that Nayru originally believed. This world shall continue because I believe it still has great potential, yet we must cover up this blight and give the people a chance to begin life anew. This may sound cruel, but we must bury what remains of this land under a torrent of water from the heavens, so that the people do not have to remember this travesty," said Princess Celestia.

" Do you understand what this means?" asked Princess Cadance.

" Yes which is why it is with a heavy heart that this must be done," replied Princess Celestia. Din's plan was known as the Great Flood which just so happens to be included in this book, so this next part is something historians agree actually happened because it would change everything in this timeline. The plan involved causing a great downpour from the heavens to wash down onto the kingdom, and eventually bury it under the ocean forever.

Hyrule as it currently stood couldn't be salvaged for Ganondorf's rampage made sure of this, so the goddesses believed that the people deserved a chance to start all over again rather than simply destroy everything, and recreating a new world as all that would do is deny what was really happening. However, there was something which held them back from acting.

" We cannot flood this world," began Princess Cadance.

" Why not?" asked Princess Celestia.

" To do so would mean not only sealing this world below the surface of the water forever, but the remaining people as well who are innocent in all of this. If we choose to destroy them in this fashion, we would be playing into the hands of Ganondorf who desires their destruction. We cannot give in to his malicious ways which is why I suggest choosing a small group of people who shall live on, and build themselves a new world that exists on top of the impending ocean.

While countless lives will be sacrificed because not everyone can be spared, we can still save a select number thus robbing Ganondorf of his revenge," replied Princess Cadance.

" You are correct Farore. To kill them all would make us just like him," said Princess Celestia.

" Since we shall be flooding the land and burying it underwater forever, we should have the people that will live on make their way to the highest mountaintops, and wait for the downpour which is to come," said Princess Cadance.

" And Ganondorf?" asked Princess Luna.

" He shall be dealt with once we have finished this task," replied Princess Celestia.

" How do you propose we inform those who are to be saved?" asked Princess Cadance.

" We cannot reveal our true forms to the people, for we are beyond their understanding, but perhaps using a mental image that explains what they must do will suffice instead? We must use the Triforce as a symbol otherwise they may believe themselves to be possessed which is a typical response for such beings," replied Princess Luna.

Having come up with a solution even though it would be seen as tragic, the Great Goddesses began informing people they had chosen to be spared through visions commanding them to take refuge on the highest peaks, and not to question their wishes. While it did cause some slight confusion because of not being allowed to ask what was happening, the people made their way to Death Mountain among other high mountains, and waited for something to happen.

Once the chosen ones were safe at the top of the high points, Din, Nayru, and Farore began concentrating their power together to bring down the torrential rains from above that started to flood Hyrule in an instant. Such a process didn't take very long, and soon there was nothing left other than a large assortment of islands which were the mountain peaks protruding from above the water.

It says here many people were claimed by fate while others were claimed by destiny, yet the majority perished when the water came down from the heavens, and those who had been spared wondered why they were allowed to life.

To further ensure that the old kingdom never return because of what Ganondorf had done, the Great Goddesses froze it beneath the waves while also dulling out its colours so that it would be forgotten over time, yet another side-note says eventually people started spelunking in an effort to uncover any treasures washed away by the downpour because such items were worth a fortune because of being artefacts from an ancient era.

Now that Hyrule had been buried underwater, the people who survived now had to begin their lives anew on the ocean, and eventually the memories of the old world will be forgotten over the next several generation, yet there was one factor which the goddesses assumed had been buried with the kingdom.

Somehow, Ganondorf managed to survive their watery grave although it didn't take long for them to find him because his power made it easy to locate him. Once they found and confronted the Evil King, the goddesses showed a side of them which had never existed before, yet he was ready to face whatever they had in mind.

" So in the end, you decided to wash away everything rather than simply destroy it?" asked Tirek.

" How has such information become known to you?" asked Princess Luna.

" I've spent many centuries locked away inside of the Sacred Realm where you originally left the Triforce, and during that time I gained much knowledge which includes knowing some of your more secretive desires. I knew you wouldn't destroy everything as such a notion would have done nothing!

All it would do is relay the problems from the old world into the new one thus beginning anew. I'm not surprised you lacked the guts to perform a genocide, yet I'll admit that I wasn't expecting you to kill countless lives just to bury Hyrule underwater," replied Tirek.

" It was because of your actions that we had to do this," said Princess Luna.

" Really? Or maybe deep down you desired their destruction because of how corrupted they became from the very beginning? You may think that you ended their pitiful lives because of wanting them to no longer be tormented by me, but in truth you wanted them to suffer simply because they strayed away from your intentions? Those who ended up surviving do so because you wish for them to have a second chance, yet they will disappoint you again and again.

Such is the frailty of descendants spawned from your original creations," said Tirek. While his words were harsh in nature, Ganondorf was essentially telling the truth as the goddesses did harbour some issues back when they originally created their world. They felt that the first civilizations would bring about their own destruction as they weren't ready to handle such mystical power in the form of the Triforce, and their suspicions were correct which prompted them to ask Hylia to serve as the guardian.

After her passing, the world remained capable of sustaining itself for a time, yet numerous disturbances did keep the idea of restarting fresh in their minds, and Ganondorf merely laughed at it.

" You dare laugh at us mortal? While you may possess Din's essence, you are still beneath our contempt," said Princess Luna.

" Mortal? In case it wasn't obvious goddess, I have lived for centuries far beyond my life expectancy among others, so calling me mortal holds no weight. The Triforce of Power has extended my life, and has become a part of me given how my already immense power has reached levels not previously known until after I claimed it.

I know you plan on trying to take such power away, but know that you chose me to acquire this piece for a reason. If I wasn't worthy then I would have passed on from this world centuries ago, and I would have died as a minor presence if nothing more," said Tirek.

" Granting such power to you was perhaps one of our gravest miscalculations, but we can easily rectify this within an instant. While you may be beyond the limitations as we dictated upon the mortals of our creation, the power you possess right now does not come close to what we Great Goddesses are capable of. We should have killed you when you first appeared, yet our decision to not interfere has come back to haunt us for our inaction," said Princess Luna.

That was when Ganondorf started laughing again which prompted Nayru to showcase anger which she wasn't known for. " You arrogant insignificant human! Again you laugh at us? Ending your existence shall be the greatest pleasure of all. Perhaps in the next life, you will come to understand what it means to show us respect."

" You? Kill me? What a weak excuse," said Tirek.

" And what makes you say that?" asked Princess Luna.

" If you intend on carrying out such a meaningless threat, you will essentially be just like me, or perhaps even more so especially when you consider that you killed countless lives in order to save this world from my fury. The Great Goddesses have become murderers in the same manner which I have been ascertained to, and don't try to deny my words as false because you know what you did when you decided to flood Hyrule," replied Tirek.

Again, Ganondorf's words were true even though he had a harsh way of saying it, for the goddesses had acted exactly as he would. By killing countless lives, they had committed a genocide despite doing so for a good reason which was the salvation and future of Hyrule, and the Evil King laughed at how they viewed themselves as being above contempt. He wanted revenge against those who banished him centuries ago, and they handed his desire to him on a silver platter much to his pleasure.

When it dawned on them as to the emotional significance behind their actions, Din, Nayru, and Farore concluded that what they had done was beyond foul. " You three have long feared that getting involved would have grave consequences due to your way of thinking, and now your fears have become a dark reality."

" You will pay for this!" shouted Princess Luna.

" It wasn't by my hand that they all died, but rather your own," said Tirek.

" He speaks the truth despite his cruel tongue, and yet we had no other choice but to perform this grim task," said Princess Celestia.

" Did you?" asked Tirek.

" Explain," replied Princess Celestia.

" You could have ignored this world while letting me carry on with my task. Of course, you couldn't stay away as the screams of those who pleaded for help compelled you to come down from your lofty perch. I'm surprised those fools would even ask you three ancient ones for help given you abandoned them ages ago for reasons which are of no significance," said Tirek.

" Perhaps we have not been the best protectors, and our action has caused many to lose their lives, but then we would not have done this terrible deed had you not prompted the people to call us, and aid them with a miracle," said Princess Celestia.

" Which is a mask for in truth you committed destruction," laughed Tirek. Even though I despise him for what he has done, I do have to agree with Ganondorf. While their effort can be described as noble, they should've tried something else rather than kill countless just to bury the old world under a torrent of water. I'd say the Great Goddesses acted too fast, and could have come up with a better idea, but this has become part of Hyrulean history in the future timeline.

Nothing can reverse what has happened, so everyone involved have to deal with the aftermath even if they don't really want to. While the people may have suffered greatly, Ganondorf was still viewed as a threat because he could easily traverse these new islands, and continue his rampage, yet the goddesses knew that he needed to be put in his place which didn't involve killing him.

" Ending your life would no doubt make us no better than you, but you cannot be allowed to harm those who have been given a second chance. You may possess my essence, but it is a small speck compared to my true power which is beyond your comprehension. Therefore, we shall seal away your power alongside the ancient kingdom that lies below the water's surface," said Princess Celestia.

" What!?!?" exclaimed Tirek.

" You have only yourself to blame for returning when you should have passed away centuries ago. The Master Sword, the blade that was originally created by Hylia will serve as the key which shall keep both your power, and the ancient kingdom sealed away until the time comes when a chosen one has need of it again.

Furthermore, what little power remains with you will be restricted to this small island which is now your new home. Ganondorf, while we three have caused a terrible tragedy this day, your sins are far worse than anything we could have done," said Princess Cadance.

" Such measures mean nothing, for I shall soon regain my full power," said Tirek.

" We are not finished! To make sure that the seal remains in place, certain arrangements will be made which will ensure this new world has protectors who can guide it and the people along to a better tomorrow. While it does not relieve us of our guilt, it shall be our final contribution, for once we have returned to the heavens, never again shall we appear in this world," said Princess Cadance.

This turned out to be true as once they departed after banishing the Evil King to the isolated island where he remained for the next several centuries and made their arrangements, the Great Goddesses never returned because their actions only hurt those they were trying to protect. It says here that three gems were created which acted as keys to an even greater secret, and were given to three spirits who had been tasked to protect them by the goddesses until the chosen one comes along to claim them.

This secret connected to Hyrule, and lay dormant underwater where it would be restored once the hero has proven himself to be exactly that, a hero who has overcome tremendous odds. Ganondorf however had anticipated the goddesses punishing him in this fashion, for he knew they would eventually come after him once they had caught wind of what he was doing.

When he killed the Sages who were praying in their respective temples, the Master Sword did not receive their blessing, and because of this, the divine blade became dull and incapable of striking down evil.

Above all else, he still desired the remaining two Triforce pieces, for he wanted to bring back Hyrule as this new world was one that he couldn't accept. For Ganondorf, it became a matter of biding his time, and this would be a wait that lasted centuries. While his magic was restricted to the island the goddesses banished him to, he still set up shop as it were by constructing a fortress that in time would become feared by sailors of all kinds who said that those who travel to this place never return as though darkness itself claims their lives.

It became known as the Forsaken Fortress, a haven where hideous creatures lived who served the Evil King, and once civilization had been established across the Great Sea as people started to call it, he would put his plan into motion where he would seek out young girls with pointy ears in the hopes that one of them was a descendant of Princess Zelda, and possessed the Triforce of Wisdom.

Once that would become his, only the Triforce of Courage remained, and legends say it was split into eight pieces and hidden throughout Hyrule, but now exist underwater. No one knows the exact locations of these pieces, but perhaps ancient treasure maps can lead the way. As for the three spirits chosen by the Great Goddesses, they served as guardians of the tribes who worshipped them, and were the only beings left who knew how to speak a now forgotten language.

I'd like to read some more, but that is where the chapter in the book comes to an end, but I still can't believe the goddesses would abandon their own world like that just because of one mistake that ended up claiming so many innocent lives while saving fewer. I guess one can never really understand what goes on in the mind of a powerful deity, for that would be pure impossibility.

As for the prospect of me reading another chapter, I've had my fill of the Hyrule Historia, so I'll give it back to Rainbow Dash the next time I see her, but a part of me is still curious about other events that occurred through Hyrule's history. No, I want to return it as I really should focus on what's important rather than a video game series' history, and that is still learning about friendship.

As I closed the book and placed it down on the nearby table, the Triforce mark began to glow on the back of my hand, where it reminded me of what was to come in the future. Whatever ends up happening, I hope I'll be able to deal with it otherwise it could mean the end of me.

The End....for real this time....or is it just the beginning?

Prologue: The Beginning of an old yet new Legend

Author's Note

Intro: It’s been a long time since I last wrote any kind of fan fiction, but the recently released Rainbow Rocks gave me the burst of creativity I needed to do this. Anyway, I am Ganondorf8, and this story is a crossover between My Little Pony (mostly Equestria Girls), and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

With the events of Rainbow Rocks behind her, Sunset Shimmer was simply enjoying a night indoors with her friends, but the magical energies of the human world which clashed in the movie has caused something unexpected to happen. Now Sunset has found herself in a world much different than her own, and the people of this world look like her human world friends and foes, yet this is the land of Hyrule.

This story is from Sunset Shimmer’s point of view.

Prologue: The Beginning of an old yet new Legend

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 8, 2014
Prologue: The Beginning of an old yet new Legend

" The future depends upon thee Link. Thou art courageous."

" Are you telling me that the fate of this world falls onto my shoulders, and that there is no one else who is much better qualified to handle it? I'm not sure if you have the
right person for the job here as I have done things in the past which I wouldn't call 'heroic' let alone good."

" Why dost thou speakist in such a manner? You have been chosen by destiny to prevent this world from plunging into darkness, and leading it to a path of peace."

" I get what you're saying, but you don't really know what I used to do."

" None of the Kokiri have committed any acts that would label them as being unjust."

" That's because I am not a Kokiri, nor am I even from this world! Where I am come from I am a human, but I'm really a pony who possesses magical powers, and was once the student of the ruler of the kingdom before I....before I....before I allowed my own ambitions to cloud my judgment, and lead me down a path filled with nothing but hatred.

So you see, I'm not the kind of hero that you think I am, and I'm certainly not what you would call the one destined to save an entire world. Why is it that I have to keep on saying these same words over and over which are the truth?"

" That's because I am from another world! Urgh!"

" Do not allow these nightmares to confuse you Link, for you must be brave if you are to prevent the desert man in black armour from achieving his goal of acquiring the sacred Triforce."

" And I really wish you wouldn't call me Link."

To think that only a few hours ago, I was at a slumber party having the time of my life, and now I was standing before a giant tree arguing over what I knew was right, and being told that I was wrong. If there was a time that I was having an off-day, then this would be it without a doubt.

My name is Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn from the land of Equestria who now resides in the human world of my own volition. Once, I had a promising future under the guidance of Princess Celestia, but my own lust for power caused me to go down a dark path where I became an intimidating presence at Canterlot High, a high school in the human world. All I ever did was drive people apart, and manipulated my way to the top without caring for anyone who happened to get in my way, but this all came to an end when Twilight Sparkle, another of Princess Celestia's students and a princess herself, showed me that I could change if I was willing to do so.

In the months since then, I gained new friends through Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy; girls that I had once manipulated for my own personal benefit, but had become the only ones who were willing to give me a second chance. Twilight herself returned to the human world in order to stop a group of Sirens known as the Dazzlings from turning the human world into their slaves, and it was through her and my other friends that I was able to achieve a magic which I had believed to have been lost from my heart; a magic that enabled us to defeat the Dazzlings.

While this all sounds like it would lead to a happy ending, I was merely kidding myself for something unexpected was going to happen. All of that Equestrian magic had created a ripple which had reached the presence of a being from a world completely different from the human world and from Equestria, and this being was about to make himself known....

It had been several days since the defeat of the Dazzlings, and Twilight with her companion Spike had gone back to Equestria. Pinkie Pie in the meantime had invited all of us to another slumber party where we were going to play video games, take photos, and generally talk about the future. Rainbow Dash had been the most excited about this sleepover because she was going to show off a game which she had recently downloaded, and was all psyched to play it. Who would've thought that someone other than Pinkie Pie would be excited about a party? Anyway, that night, we had finished eating supper, and had gotten into our jammies which is when Rainbow Dash turned on the game console, a Wii U, in order to show us the new game that she had downloaded.

" Isn't it great?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" I suppose so given that it's just another video game y'all downloaded because you had enough money to do just that," replied Applejack.

" For your information Applejack, this isn't just another video game, but rather one of the greatest video games to have ever been created. I'm talking about the "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", a game so awesome that it has even me jealous of it, and we all know just how awesome I am right? I don't know why it took me such a long time to finally get around to playing it, but I just know that the wait has been worth it," said Rainbow Dash as she selected the Ocarina of Time panel on the screen and pressed the button on her controller in order to start playing.

" Are you gonna stay up all night playing again?" asked Applejack with a stern look on her face.

" Of course I am as I want to get through this game as quickly as possible," replied Rainbow Dash.

" Do you remember what happened the last time you decided to play a game all night? You were so plumb-tuckered out by the time you were done that you missed our band's morning practice sessions for an entire week all because you gave up sleep just to play one game! Rainbow Dash, are you even listening to what I'm saying?" asked Applejack.

While it may seem that they were angry at each other, deep down their friendship was very strong, and I knew that this little spat would be over soon enough. Pinkie Pie in the meantime was using her laptop and looking up on her usual hangouts which is pretty much what she does whenever she goes online. She was having way too much fun to pay attention to the antics of Rainbow Dash and Applejack especially when she laughed every few minutes leaving them miffed.

Rarity had gone for some refreshments from the kitchen, but as soon as she came back, she found herself joining in the Rainbow Dash/Applejack argument. As for Fluttershy, she simply chose to remain quiet and watched all of the proceedings go much like what I was doing. Heh, my friends....my friends....

Sometimes, I still felt as though I don't really belong here even though my friends would say otherwise. I guess I still have insecurities due to my past actions. Maybe I'm just punishing myself too hard for the things that I did before, and not realizing
that I should move beyond it and embrace the things that I have now. If only I had taken my own advice more seriously before things changed for the worse.

About an hour had gone by, and Rainbow Dash was completely obsessed with playing the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the point where no one else was even allowed to play it. Applejack and Rarity accused her of hogging the game which is understandable, but her response only made them even more irritable. " Only one person can play this game at a time, and right now that someone is me! I have no intention of stopping until I have gotten as far as I can before I end up falling asleep!"

" That's so unfair darling, and you know it!" shouted Rarity.

" Why are you so concerned about this Rarity? You're the kind of person who isn't known for playing video games," said Rainbow Dash.

" Maybe so, but at least I know that playing games should involve sharing with friends, and having fun playing with friends. I know that you have a strong desire to finish this game as fast as you can, but maybe you should cut back a little bit, and maybe let one of us play for a while," said Rarity.

" But I'm just too engrossed in this game to put it down for anybody. Maybe, if you let me play it for at least another two hours or so, then I can let one of you take a turn," suggested Rainbow Dash. Both Applejack and Rarity voiced their complaints and demanded that she hand the controller over to someone else, or at the very least switch games so that multiple people could play. She ignored their demands and continued to play, and then a few minutes later an idea popped into her head which now I wished she hadn‘t thought of." You know what would be really cool?"

" That you'd let someone else have a turn?" asked Applejack.

" No. Wouldn't it be really cool if we were actually playing this for real; as in being in Hyrule itself and experiencing everything with our own eyes?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Now why ever would you want to do that?" asked Rarity.

" Because I think it'd be cool if we could do just that. I mean, we already have the power to become half-human, half-pony beings due to the Equestrian magic that is inside of us, but what if we could go even further and explore a whole new world? That would be beyond awesome," replied Rainbow Dash.

" That would just be crazy!" shouted Applejack.

" No, it would be so awesome! Oh, and 20% cooler than what it already is," said Rainbow Dash. Such an idea was seen by the rest of us as quite imaginative, but that moment, a sinister laughing sound came out of nowhere and left us all surprised.

" What was that?" asked Applejack.

" I don't know, but is this some kind of joke in an attempt to psyche me out?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Now why would we play a joke is beyond me," replied Rarity. The laughing s happened again with a third one occurring a few moments later, and then just as we thought things could not get any worse than they already were, things got worse when a pair of eyes appeared on the screen.

" Heh, heh, heh, heh....I can sense that you possess magic; a strong magic which has reached my immediate attention."

" We have no idea what you're talking about," said Rainbow Dash.

" Do not assume me to be naive child when it comes to dealings with magic. A strong magic recently emerged in this world of yours, and this magic has detected in various other worlds which is why I am here before you tonight. Think of it as a sort of magical connection between two worlds that continues to ebb forth despite the fact that the magic has weakened much since it was used. There is no need to try and hide something that is so obvious, and doing so in my presence will only cause you grief later on.

It seems to me that one of you possesses a magic that is different from the rest of you, and this one appears to be struggling with an inner turmoil that continues to leech onto her." My heart immediately sank because this voice was referring to me without a doubt. Since I was from Equestria originally, my magic is different from that of my friends, but then how did this person know about that? " Such a tormented soul like yours is one that is easy to manipulate to my will, and to make you suffer even more is something too tantalizing to pass up on."

" What makes you think that you can just show up in a ghostly manner, and threaten Sunset Shimmer?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" Ah....you are the one who is obsessed with the world in which I come from. I can see it in your eyes that you wish that my world was more than a mere game."

" Yeah, that actually would be pretty awesome....wait a minute. How did you know that I was thinking that? Just who are you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" I am Ganondorf!"

" This can't be real," said Applejack.

" Oh it is real child and your magic is what has made all of this possible. Whether you choose to believe any of this is real or not is of no consequence to me. Since you think it would be 'awesome' to experience my world for your very own, and that I wish to see the tormented one suffer, I propose that I allow you to experience my world firsthand."

It was at that moment where Applejack first attempted to change the channel on the television thinking that this was some hoax, but her efforts proved futile as every channel featured the same pair of eyes. She then attempted to turn the game off only to suddenly find herself frozen on the spot. " You cannot escape my power, for what I possess is far beyond that which you consider magic. No, you are all mine to do with as I see fit, and that is to see you become a part of my world. Only when the tormented one has succeeded in what is to come will you resume your pathetic lives. Now....behold the strength of the Triforce of Power!"

What happened next felt like a blur seeing as it came so fast, but the television screen changed to that of an image of three gold triangles with the one on top glowing in an eerie light. It was this glow that caused my friends and I to black out with only the sound of laughter echoing through our ears.

A short time later, I awoke to find myself standing in front of large castle during the night and it was raining. I thought at first that this was a dream, but it was the harsh reality that things weren't what they were meant to be. In this dream, the castle's drawbridge came down, and a horse galloped out from within in what was a hurried motion. When I saw who was riding on the horse, it shocked me to the very core.

" What the? Twilight!?!?" This was all I could muster as I saw Twilight on the horse dressed in an attire which I had never seen before. That wasn't my concern, but rather what was she doing here when she was supposed to be back in Equestria. Then I noticed that Applejack was riding on the same horse wearing something that she too was wearing something that I had not seen before.

I had no time to wonder what was going on as the two galloped past me and rode off into the night, but not before Twilight stared at me and threw something which I couldn't see due to how dark it was. It felt like she was trying to say something to me, but my mind just couldn't draw a blank. It also didn't help that the sound of another horse behind me got my attention, so I whipped around and came face to face with what looked like a horse one would see in their nightmares, and riding on the horse was a man who had a menacing presence about him. I tried to say something in response, but all I could do was just stare in utter shock and hopefully some kind of scream would come out before I blanked out again.

" Link...."

" Uhhhh...."

" Hey Link! Wake up!"

" Uhhhh...."

" Hey come on! Does Hyrule's fate hanging in the balance have to depend on such a lazy girl? Then again, your mumbling tells me that you were having a nightmare, so wake up right now and get out of bed!"

" Wah!"

" Sorry if I startled you Link, but we need to get a move on and go and see the Great Deku Tree for he has summoned you."

" Link? Who in the world is Link?" I asked as I finally started to come around after being rudely awakened.

" Are you trying to be funny at a time like this?"

" Who said anything about me being funny? I've no idea who this Link is, and I have no idea who you are," I replied as I sat upright which gave me a shock. Why was I in bed all of a sudden when I had been sitting down when that weird stuff happened? As I began to ponder over what had happened, something green fell from my head and took me by surprise. " Okay, what in Equestria is this thing on my head?" It turned out that it was a green hat, and I knew that I wasn't wearing one before. I also knew that I wasn't wearing a green tunic before when I glanced down at myself out of curiosity, and wearing a pair of brown boots topped it all off.

" You need to snap out it and follow me at once to the Great Deku Tree. By the way, my name is Navi, and I am to be your fairy partner from now on. You must feel relieved knowing that you have a fairy of your own and no longer have to be seen as the one Kokiri in the entire village who lacked a partner."

" Great Deku Tree? Kokiri? Navi?" None of those names made any sense to me. I turned to face this Navi in the hopes of maybe getting some answers, but I was not ready for what I was about to see. " Huh? Spike? What are you doing here?" Spike was floating right before me, but he was much smaller than he used to be. Also, where did he get those unusual wings from?

" Spike? Who is that?" asked Spike.

" That would be you," I answered.

" You must have had a really bad nightmare if you're calling me by another name. I said that my name is Navi, and that I am to be your fairy partner from now on Link, but right now you are testing my patience with all of this nonsense you're spouting. But, the Great Deku Tree told me to become your partner, and he knows what is best for the entire forest," said Spike.

" You called me that name again," I said.

" Link?" asked Spike.

" Yes, that one," I answered.

" Because that is your name," said Spike.

" Actually, my name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am not meant to be in this world and that goes for you as well. Your name is Spike, and you are the assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of four alicorns of Equestria where I originally was from before I chose to live in the human world for my own reasons. I don't what is going on as my head has been hazy ever since I blacked out back at Pinkie Pie's slumber party." The lack of a response from Spike made me feel like I had embarrassed myself....which is something that has happened a lot. Why is it that he doesn't recognize me? Why is he calling himself Navi? Why is he small? Could it be true? Could I no longer be in the human world? All of these different questions were racing through my head, and not a single answer could be found for each of them

" Your name is Sunset Shimmer? That name makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I'm not in the mood to argue with you over names right now Link as we need to see the Great Deku Tree, so please come with me," said Spike. This would have been the right time to refuse his request, but I wasn't in any real position to do until I figured out exactly what was going on.

Spike beckoned me to follow him outside, so I did, and found myself looking straight out at a fantastic sight. Before me stood a small village deep within a forest where all of the houses were large tree stumps, and there was a small body of water which must serve as some kind of lake. " No matter how many times I see this, it never changes nor does it get old Link. The forest is so full of life that why would you want to wish for anything else?"

" Call me Sunset Shimmer," I said.

" Again with that name? Well, I suppose that I could call you that if you really want me to seeing as I am your partner and all, but I'm not sure if the rest of the Kokiri will accept such a name since they've known you as Link for years. For example, your childhood friend who is coming up to your house would be confused as to why you want to call yourself a name that has to do with the sun," said Spike.

" Yahoo! Hi Link!"

" Fluttershy?"

" I'm sorry but I couldn't quite catch what you just said. Could you please come down and say that again?"

" Fluttershy? Is that you?" I asked as I climbed down a nearby ladder to the ground.

" That is a very funny name you're calling me by Link, but it's one that I am not very familiar with." The girl standing before me was Fluttershy, but now she was wearing a similar attire to what was on me. Not only that, but she seemed much more energetic than usual which made me wonder if she was even aware of the current situation. " Oh! A fairy partner has finally made its way to you Link. That means that you are now a true Kokiri, so the others will be more inclined to accept you instead of shun you like they've always done in the past."

" I've been shunned?" I asked sadly.

" I'm afraid so Link I'm sad to say. It's all because of that meanie Mido and her usual means with which to make things difficult for you....ummmm....why did you ask me about being shunned when you already knew that answer?" asked Fluttershy.

" Ummmm," was all I could say.

" You needn't answer my question Link as I know how difficult it is for you for answer questions of that nature. I just wish that Mido would stop being a bully to you and accept you as one of us. Just because she sees herself as the boss of the Kokiri doesn't give her the right to behave in such a manner. Besides, you have a fairy now which means that you won't be teased about not having one anymore. Now to change subject as I don't want to see you look so sad," said Fluttershy, but I feared that she was too late to prevent that.

I had already felt shunned in C.H.S because of wanting to change my ways, and not being accepted by my peers, but now it seems that this has carried over into this world. No! I'm better now than what I used to be, and my friends can vouch for me on that. Just as I was getting my head straight, Fluttershy noticed that Spike was in quite a hurry and asked what was wrong.

" We need to go to the Great Deku Tree," said Spike.

" Wow! The Great Deku Tree has summoned you Link? It is a great honour to be summoned by the Great Deku Tree, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were to receive a special gift from him. You shouldn't dawdle around here as you need to go and see him as soon as possible. I will wait here for you to return, so please get going right away, and if for some reason you get lost, allow your fairy to lead the way. You seem to be in a confused state right now which is why I felt that I should tell you that," said Fluttershy.

" Thanks Fluttershy," I said.

" You do know that my name is Saria right and not Fluttershy?" asked Fluttershy.

" Oh, right....I mean, Saria," I said sheepishly as I turned and walked away as quickly as I could before things got even more awkward than they already were. She was right about the fact that I had no idea where I was going, so I had to ask Spike to show me the way in which he felt surprised that I didn't know how to reach this Great Deku Tree. He said all Kokiri know the way to the Great Deku Tree by heart, and that my lack of not knowing this was shocking.

Within a matter of minutes, I had found myself standing in front of the 'boss', and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Diamond Tiara, another student from C.H.S, but what was she doing here?

" Hey! Mrs. No-Fairy," began Diamond Tiara.

" Excuse me?" I asked.

" You don't a fairy partner of your very own unlike the rest of us Kokiri. Without a fairy partner, you aren't even a real member of our tribe! Ha ha! Eh? What's that floating about behind you there....is that a fairy!?!? Hmph! So you finally got a fairy after all. I guess that means I can't tease you for not having one anymore. Judging from the fact that your fairy is trying his best to pull you along and beyond this point, he wants to take you to the Great Deku Tree. You? No way in a million years would the Great Deku Tree want to see the likes of you. If anything, he would want to see me, the Great Mido, who is a much better candidate," replied Diamond Tiara.

" Actually...." I began.

" You mean to tell me that the Great Deku Tree actually summoned you to come before him? Are you seriously kidding me here!?!? Why would he want to summon you and not me? If you somehow expect to help the Great Deku Tree as you currently are, then I doubt that you will be of much help without both a sword and shield ready," said Diamond Tiara.

" I have no idea how to use a sword," I said.

" Really? And you expect to be able to prove yourself to the Great Deku Tree without one? This is just too easy for me! You’re making it oh so easy to torment you that I'm actually getting bored of it. You know what? I'm in a good mood right now, so I think I will allow you to go on through without a sword and shield. Don't think of it as me showing you any kind of sympathy because that would be the biggest lie that I could muster up. No, think of it as me wanting to see you humiliate yourself even more than usual, and that alone will certainly make my day," said Diamond Tiara.

" But I do know magic which could be helpful," I said.

" Magic huh? The only magic that I can see someone like you perform is probably a simple card trick, and even then that wouldn't be much. Besides, magic is almost a non-existent factor here in the Kokiri Forest apart from that ancient magical location deep within the Lost Woods. Why you would think that you were capable of performing magic is beyond me, but I suppose a wimp like you has to come up with something in order to not look like a complete fool.

Now go on and see the Great Deku Tree as I'm sure that you have kept him waiting long enough as it is. The sooner you come back here after failing to live up to whatever expectation he wishes to see from you, the sooner me and the rest of us can mock you in brand new and exciting ways," laughed Diamond Tiara as she walked a few steps to my right before turning around and giving me a smirk.

That conversation was very uncomfortable because again it had reminded me of what I had been through in the last several months. The more I thought about this world, the more it reminded me of the one in which I now called home. I would soon find myself staring up at a giant tree that had a facial expression across the trunk.

" Welcome Link."

" Hello," I said.

" There is no need for thou to be afraid Link, for thou know that you are here because I have summoned you. Dost thou sense it? The evil that pervades the land? Malevolent forces even now prepare their assault in the hopes of reducing our fair world into nothing more than a realm filled with evil. For so long, the Kokiri Forest has stood as a final barrier to prevent such evil from entering our world, but such an evil force has proven itself to be too strong. Thy slumber these past moons must have been full of nightmares, for it seems that you are particularly vulnerable to the dark power that seeps across this world. Link, the time has come for you to test thy courage by undertaking a task which I shall set upon thee," said the Deku Tree.

" You want me to do what?" I asked.

" I want you to test thy courage," replied the Deku Tree.

" I don't think you want to do that," I said.

" And why do you think this?" asked the Deku Tree.

" I have nothing against courage as I have earned that through a number of trials back in school where I had to accept my actions, but given that a girl who called herself Mido said that I needed to have a sword and shield in order to help you out, I have no doubt in my mind that I can't help you. Honestly, it pains me to say it like this because I believe in helping people out, but to do so in a way that involves using things that I've never even heard of before is going a little far," I answered.

" It would seem that thou are more affected by the evil of this world than I had assumed. If thou desires to complete thy task without the aide of weapons, then I shall allow you to do so. I must warn you though that the task in question shall be more difficult because thou will not have the means with which to defend thyself. Or, perhaps you do have such a means? I can sense that you possess a strong power within you that has great potential, yet it should prove to be enough for you fulfill my request.

I have been plagued by a terrible curse, and the source of this curse is a parasite which even now resides deep beneath my roots. Link, use thy courage and inner strength to rid of this curse," said the Deku Tree.

Now that I think back on it for just a moment, I should have simply refused the Great Deku Tree's request even if it meant betraying my heart. What he wanted me to do was something that was far beyond anything I have done be it in the human world or in Equestria, but I had to help him because that is what a good friend would do. It was only one parasite after all that was plaguing him, and surely my magic would be more than enough to handle it right?

Boy would I turn out to be wrong on all of those accounts simply because I had no idea just how this world was supposed to work. Maybe I should have paid more attention to what Rainbow Dash was doing when she was playing that video game earlier. At least then I would have had some idea as to what I was supposed to do instead of running around blind with no clear direction.

The only bit of advice that was given to me was to listen to the advice of my fairy partner, and in turn my partner would help me overcome the trials that I was to face. The Great Deku Tree upon hearing that I would accept his task, opened an entrance by forcing what appeared to be his mouth open which did make me feel weirded out at first, but I quickly shrugged it off and proceeded to enter. I was actually surprised that the inside of the tree was hollow, and filled with a number of platforms that go upwards towards the top. I've seen strange things while I was in Equestria, but this was taking it to a new level.

" So where exactly do we go from here Spike?" I asked him.

" As I keep on telling you, my name is Navi, but I suppose at this point in time I should just simply humour you and allow you to call me Spike if that will make you feel any better. To be honest, I'm actually starting to like the name a little bit more, but not by much. As for your name of Sunset Shimmer, while I won't understand the reasons as to why you insist on being called that instead of your actual name Link, I can respect your wishes to be referred to as such. So I will refer to you as Sunset Shimmer from now on even if it does still sound strange to me.

Anyway, to answer your question, can you see that spider-web covering that opening in the floor over there? If only there was a way for you to break the webbing, then we can reach the lower levels where that parasite is located," replied Spike.

" The only way to do that would be to make our way up to the top," I said.

" That would be the best way to handle it Sunset Shimmer, and you can use those vines on that wall over there as a means of climbing up. Don't be afraid to ask me any further questions as that is what a fairy like me is meant to do," said Spike. The vines in question looked simple enough to climb, and I felt that they would be sturdy enough, but if only I had paid a bit more attention to what was happening around my feet instead.

There were several plants on the ground which looked harmless enough to me, but they soon began to act of their own free will; and one of them which was really close to me started to raise its head which consisted of a large mouth that looked as though it had not eaten in quite some time. As I stared at the vine covered wall, the plant reared its head and opened its mouth mere inches away from my own head....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 12: An Ill-fated Meeting and a Fated Meeting

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
December 1, 2014
Chapter 12: An Ill-fated Meeting and a Fated Meeting.

Daring Do lead me over to her place of residence, and it looked like a house that one would see in the countryside back in the human world. It was certainly breathtaking to see on the outside what with its chimney stack, wooden roof, and old oak door, but upon stepping inside, things were completely the opposite. There were books stacked everywhere, and scrolls were piled up onto a table that was cluttered with all kinds of knick-knacks. Even her bed had a stack of books on top of it which made me wonder if she even sleeps, and if she did, does she end up sleeping on some chairs?

Perhaps the most striking features inside of her home were an assortment of tanks filled with water with two of them having some unusual creatures swimming in them, and a large pool situated at the back which looked as though it was rather deep. These must be part of the research that she was conducting in order to determine what the water of Lake Hylia may be used for, but the tanks with creatures in them made me think she was a biologist instead of a scientist which she claims to be true.

" Sorry about the mess, but when you're heavily researching something, you tend to want to have your nose in as many books as possible. I guess maybe I went a little Overboard and forgot to put some away. One of these days I'm going to be much more organized than this, but that's another thing to add onto my list. Right now I need to find the book on Zora script, and confirm that what the message said is accurate. I don't want you to be given one message and it turns out to be something else as that would damage my credit as a scientist," said Daring Do.

" You certainly have a lot of tanks on the wall here," I commented.

" That's where I put the samples I take from the lake in order to determine what properties there are. Each of those tanks contains uncontaminated water which I have to ensure by diluting the contents every 24 hours otherwise who knows what might end up getting into them. As for the creatures inside of two of the tanks, they are specimens I discovered that were injured, and I'm keeping them here until they've made a complete recovery.

Remember, I've learned that the waters of Lake Hylia have medicinal properties which is akin to healing, so in case you were curious, that's the reason why. Now please excuse me while I find that book on Zora script as I know it's in here somewhere. Gah! I really need to be organized better! Ah, such is the life of a scientist where we struggle to find what we need, and have no problems finding what we don't need," said Daring Do.

She started to feverishly search through the knick-knacks cluttered about on the table in order to find what she wanted, and it left me feeling bewildered about the fact that she was going to so much trouble in order to prove that what she said the message on the note translated to was correct.

I mean, I believe she was telling the truth, but I felt that she doubted herself, and wanted to make sure that she was right. Heh, I doubt myself all the time and usually don't think to want to prove myself right or wrong. I could learn a thing or two from Daring Do it seems. " Ah-ha! I finally found the book on Zora script, and it was lying underneath the rest of the stack."

" How long will it take you to confirm the message's accuracy?" I asked.

" It should take me a few moments to look up the words....and finished," replied Daring Do.

" That was fast," I said.

" It was a short message which went straight to the point. If it had been something with more depth to it, it would have taken me several hours to comb through the book to see the authenticity was. What I said the message translates into matches the descriptions in my book which means Princess Ruto is indeed trapped inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu. Not sure how you plan on getting her out of such a predicament, but at least you have your proof. I doubt that King Zora will deny your claim of Ganondorf's involvement in the disappearance as this Zora script is 100% genuine," said Daring Do.

" So I need to take this bottle with the message to King Zora and have him read it? That actually sounds a lot simpler than I thought although this does mean that I'll need to swim through the short-cut in order to get back to Zora's Domain otherwise going the long way around will take way too long. Ganondorf is meeting with the King of Hyrule at some point today, and I need to get the final spiritual stone from the Zoras and return to Hyrule Castle in order to prevent him from getting his hands on the Triforce," I said.

" It sounds to me that you are involved in quite a serious situation if the fate of the entire kingdom is at stake. Here, take the message in the bottle, and deliver it to King Zora right away so that you can get that final spiritual stone. That stone is one of four keys needed to open the door within the Temple of Time that leads to the location of the Triforce," said Daring Do.

" You know about the legend? I thought only the royal family and the Great Deku Tree were aware of it," I said.

" Heh, you'd be surprised as to what the ancient ancestors of the Hylians wrote in these books about the legend. According to the legend, the three spiritual stones and the secret treasure of the royal family open the door inside of the temple, but it is not the true door that opens the way to the Triforce. There is one other key that is involved to access the golden power, but what that final key is, is something that no one seems to know. In any case, I've kept you here long enough as it is.

Get going and save the world, and if you ever find yourself this way again, be sure to stop on by as I could do with the company," said Daring Do. I thanked her for all of her help and left her home in order to set out for the short-cut back to Zora's Domain. That was when I realized that she told me something about the Triforce legend that not even Twilight herself told me, and that was the final key to the Sacred Realm. I wonder what kind of key it was, and how come no one seems to know that it even exists?

As questions began to race through my mind with no answers attached to them, I reached the location of the short-cut, and dove into the water and used it to make my way back to the domain, and that was when Spike decided to say something.

" I have a question for you Sunset Shimmer," he began.

" What kind of question?" I asked.

" Back in this human world you say you came from....is it really true that you were once someone who was corrupted?" asked Spike.

" It's something that I have to live with every day. I'm a perfect example of a person who started off with a lot of promise, but ended up losing her way because of being corrupted by a vision of myself in the future. What I saw was myself as a powerful princess with all of Equestria bowing down before my hooves, and it was something I wanted to strive for. I was tempted by power and it caused my life to spiral out of control, and I became a heartless she-demon....quite literally as I used the power of the Element of Magic to become a monster. I suppose you could say that I am like Ganondorf in that all I cared about was gaining power, and destroying anything that got in the way of my desire," I replied.

" If you're wondering why I suddenly brought this up, it's because Ganondorf is on his way to Hyrule Castle in his attempt to conquer the kingdom, and recalling all those times where you said that you aren't the heroine think you are made me wonder if you might end up falling back under the sway of darkness. I mean, you were tempted once and look what became of you, yet you managed to change things for the better. However, what's to stop you from falling under the same temptation again?" asked Spike.

" Nothing. While I may have changed, my troubled past still continues to haunt me to no end, and not a day goes by that I am reminded of the kind of person I used to be....it sickens me to my stomach knowing that I was such a cruel person. Ganondorf may be able to detect the taint of darkness that plagues me so, and may try to take advantage of it. I hope that doesn't end up being the case, but it's something that is certainly a possibility," I replied.

" Well, if that happens then I will either do one of two things for you. The first thing would be to do everything in my power to get you to snap out of it, and there is no way I would allow you to fall to the temptations of evil no matter what you've done in the past. The other thing would be to join you in the darkness if you've become far too gone to save. I've been your partner since the start of this journey, and I have no plans to abandon you no matter what. It's because I'm not just your partner, but also your friend," said Spike.

" That's so sweet of you to say, so does that mean you believe my story?" I asked.

" I'm still working on that," replied Spike.

" Good enough for me, so let's get going and see King Zora so that we can finally make some progress. Without wasting any time, I swam all the way to the shore, and ran up to the throne room of King Zora, and he was still as gloomy as he was before although he may be looking even worse since I last saw him. As soon as he saw that I was approaching him, he heaved a heavy sigh before addressing me.

" Oh, so you have returned? I heard from the Zora who runs the High-Diving game that after you completed the challenge, you collapsed on the shore, and remained there for the entire night. I must apologize if none of my people offered to give you a more adequate place to sleep. I take it that you have come here in order to repeat your claims that my daughter's disappearance has to do with Ganondorf?" asked Hondo Flanks.

" It does your majesty," I replied.

" As I mentioned to you before, without proof of such a claim, I cannot do anything for you," said Hondo Flanks.

" But this time I do have proof and it's right here in this bottle which originally came from Zora's Fountain. Here your majesty, you might want to take a good look at this note for it may give you the answers you seek," I said. I then walked around the corner to where he was sitting, and handed over the note to him before making my way back to the pedestal. The king was gracious enough to wait for me to make it back so that I could watch his reactions.

" What's this? A note from Princess Ruto? Hmmmm....let me see what it says here. Hmmmm....hmmmm? She is inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? That's absurd! Our great deity would never swallow my precious daughter, but then what you say about Ganondorf does make sense now that you have presented me this. I am most sorry for not believing in your claims Sunset Shimmer, but this note is the proof I need to confirm your story. Ever since Ganondorf left Zora's Domain, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills lately, but I never realized it before until now," said Hondo Flanks.

" Who is Lord Jabu-Jabu?" I asked.

" He is the patron deity of the Zoras who swims in Zora's Fountain which resides behind my throne room. Only my daughter and I are permitted to enter this sacred place, but now I grant you permission to enter the fountain, and rescue Princess Ruto. I shall keep this note, and you can keep the bottle that it was located in. Before you depart for Zora's Fountain, there is something important that you must know. Lord Jabu-Jabu will not allow you to enter him unless you give him the appropriate offering," replied Hondo Flanks.

" What kind of offering do I need?" I asked.

" Our legend states that if one were to feed a fish to Lord Jabu-Jabu, that would make the person very happy. You can purchase a fish at the Zora Shop which is on the lowest level of the domain, but it would cost you 200 rupees as the owner sells the best quality of fish that swim about the waters here. Of course, any kind of fish will do to appease our deity, so you could always capture a fish in that bottle of yours and offer it to Lord Jabu-Jabu.

Allow me to slide aside so that you may access Zora's Fountain and complete the task that is before you. Do know that successfully rescuing my daughter will grant you the spiritual stone that you seek, and also know that a Great Fairy resides somewhere in the fountain. Be sure to find her for I am sure that she will aid you on your quest. Please find my dear Princess Ruto immediately....Zora," replied Hondo Flanks.

He then began to shift his bulky form to the left in what sounded like squishing which looked rather awkward, but at last I was making progress. Of course I had to go and collect a fish otherwise I'll have to backtrack a little bit which would just waste what precious time I had. That then made me think about what was happening at Hyrule Castle at this very moment because an ill-fated meeting was about to take place.

" Are you sure that this is a wise decision Captain?"

" We need as many able bodies as possible when the King of the Gerudo shows up. I don't want to have a repeat of what happened here at the gates last time where some
of the guard ended up in a quarrel with those Gerudo," replied Shining Armour.

" But Madam Impa informed us that Lord Ganondorf is coming here on his own without any kind of entourage accompanying him. Surely there is no need for the increase in security when we can use the extra soldiers to help assist in the repairs of Kakariko Village.

" I'm not sure how the problem with the Gorons was resolved as no one from the castle was sent there to handle the situation. The villagers say that a royal messenger was able to appease the Goron Chieftain, and saved her people from starving to death, but I don't recall his majesty sending out a messenger to resolve the issue. Still, I can't believe that a simple messenger was able to do something that Hyrule Castle's finest weren't able to accomplish," said Shining Armour.

" What was this messenger like Captain?"

" The villagers say that she was dressed in a green tunic. I don't recall his majesty ever hiring someone like that," replied Shining Armour.

" Is it because of Ganondorf?"

" There's something about him that I just don't trust, and I got that from the last meeting he had with the king. When I questioned his actions at the time, the way he spoke to me was like he wanted to kill me there and then for speaking out like that. If not for the presence of his majesty, my life would have probably ended there. Like Madam Impa, I too believe that his majesty is making a mistake when it comes to dealing with the King of the Gerudo.

I know that forging an alliance with that man would finally unite all of Hyrule together under one banner, and fulfill the wishes of the king, but who is to say that Ganondorf will agree to anything. He could simply reject the alliance and instead create a new one which suits his needs, or perhaps even worse than that," replied Shining Armour.

" You believe that he would murder the king? That's a little too much thinking there Captain."

" Perhaps, but that's the reason why I wanted the increase in security despite the protests of Madam Impa. While she and I both believe that Ganondorf is not to be trusted, our actions and ways of thinking make us complete opposites. I may be a stickler for wanting to maintain order by overdoing things, but I pledged my loyalty to his majesty, and I will die before I allow any harm to befall him," said Shining Armour.

" Such bold words could very well be your last ones," said Tirek as he arrived at the castle gates riding on his nightmare horse. His choice of words didn't settle very well with Shining Armour, and he responded by gritting his teeth and giving the Gerudo King a stern look. Tirek decided to respond to this expression with kinder words so as to defuse the situation. " Of course, that is figuratively speaking for the King of Hyrule would be devastated if something were to happen to his captain.

I apologize if my words weren't to your liking. I have noticed that the security around the castle is much stronger than it was the last time, but I suppose that you have your reasons for doing so. None of my fellow Gerudo have accompanied me today, for I have commanded them to remain at the Gerudo's Fortress until this meeting has been taken care of. If it would make you feel any better, I have come here unarmed for I am here in the name of peace."

" Then what is with that sword attached to your leg?" asked Shining Armour.

" Oh this? It is a mere dagger which I use for hunting whenever I am in the mood which is very rare due to there being not much in the way of game in Hyrule. For the most part, it merely serves as a small accessory with no ideal function. Hmmmm....your name is Shining Armour correct? Such a young man in the position of Captain of the Hylian Royal Guard, and one who has the respect of the king and his subjects. Your parents must be so proud of your achievements thus far, and I will admit that you have impressed even the likes of me," replied Tirek.

" Flattery won't do you any good," said Shining Armour.

" No, I suppose it would not," said Tirek.

" Well, since you've arrived here at the gates, you may proceed to the other gates where his majesty will greet you. I shall accompany you so that I may announce you as per royal protocol when dignitaries visit," said Shining Armour.

" By all means lead the way dear Captain so that I may grace the king with my presence. Do you think that I am oblivious to the fact that you suspect that I have come here to claim this kingdom as my own? You may be young Shining Armour, but you are also gifted with a foresight for understanding the inner workings of a man. A shame that you must die for you cannot be allowed to live. I'll enjoy killing you and gut apart your lifeless corpse just as soon as I have finished with your precious king, and of course you have all that energy inside of you which will be succulent to me," said Tirek. Shining Armour then lead himf all the way through the large garden in front of the castle before soon stopping at the other gate where the King of Hyrule was awaiting on the other side.

" Presenting Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo," announced Shining Armour much to his chagrin.

" I am pleased that you were able to come sooner than expected," said the King.

" The pleasure is indeed mine your majesty, but why choose to have the meeting today instead of tomorrow as we had originally planned. It wouldn't have bothered me too much if I were to have come here the next day," said Tirek.

" I know, but I want this alliance to be created as soon as possible which is why I insisted that the meeting be held today. You could say that I am being a little on the impulsive side, but I feel that this day will surely be one that will change Hyrule for the better. Shining Armour? Would you go and summon my daughter and her attendant, and ask them to meet Ganondorf and myself in the throne room, so that we may get this meeting underway?" asked the King.

" As you command your majesty," replied Shining Armour as he turned and started to walk into the castle.

" One of my other guards will gladly tend to your horse Ganondorf while we shall proceed to the throne room," said the King.

" If it would be okay with you your majesty, I would prefer to know where my horse is going to be located. I do have this thing about knowing where he is to be at all times as I do worry for his safety even in a place as safe as Hyrule Castle," said Tirek.

" Yes, of course! I'll make the necessary arrangements," said the King.

" You are most gracious your majesty.... and completely naive for believing such dribble as that. You are so obsessed with wanting to forge this alliance of yours, that you are blind to everything else around you. Such a pitiful excuse for a king who fails to see the truth for what it is, and instead believes in a truth that is nothing more than a mere fantasy.

I'm most glad that you decided to have this sham of a meeting held sooner rather than later, for it means my desire will come true a lot quicker, and your death will be that much faster. All I need to do now is bide my time, and wait for this idiot of a monarch to share with me the secrets of the Door of Time. As for your precious Zelda....she will kneel before her new king soon enough along with that attendant of hers, or both shall die at my hands.....so by all means lead the way to the throne room," said Tirek.

" So this is Zora's Fountain? I asked as Spike and I entered the area, and saw that it consisted of a giant lake with a massive cave entrance far to the left, and a small piece of land far off in the distance. In front of us was a raised platform with an unusual creature lounging at the end of it. This must be Lord Jabu-Jabu, the deity of the Zoras, and while I wasn't expecting him to look the way he does, I have to admit that he is pretty cool looking. Aside from him and the cave entrance, there was nothing else worth noting at least from my perspective.

" The lake that comprises the majority of the area is even deeper than that of Lake Hylia, so no amount of diving will enable you to get to the very bottom if you were willing to go that far to begin with. As for Lord Jabu-Jabu, he just swims about here at his own leisure without having to worry about a thing in the world, but right now he looks as though he isn't in the mood for swimming.

In fact, he just floats there like he was beached or something....I feel bad for him because of what Ganondorf did to him. As for what King Zora said about there being a Great Fairy in Zora's Fountain, I do detect a strong magical presence that belongs to her, but I'm not entirely sure where it's coming from. We can deal with that later as right now our main priority is getting inside of that fish," replied Spike.

" Fish? I wouldn't exactly call him that," I said.

" Oh? And what would you call him then?" asked Spike.

" Probably a cross between a fish and some kind of giant eel....okay! So he's more like a giant fish than anything else! Once again Spike, your smugness befalls you, but then you enjoy being sarcastic," I replied.

" I just like to have a little bit of fun with you, but I don't mean to insult you Sunset Shimmer. By the way, do you have that fish ready to go?" asked Spike.

" It's right here and I can't wait to use it if only to never see it again! I can't believe that it took me such a long time just to try and scoop one up, and those moments where I fell face-first into the water when I was so close to getting one are ones that I would rather soon forget. It's a good thing that none of the Zoras saw me make an embarrassment of myself as I doubt that I'd be able to live it down.

I'll admit that it was fun splashing about like that as I did need to have a shower of sorts since I haven't taken one since starting this journey, and the water in the domain sure has some impressive healing properties. According to King Zora, all we have to do is just place the fish in front of Lord Jabu-Jabu, and wait to see what happens next. I have this feeling that something weird is going to happen," I replied.

" Don't you mean bad?" asked Spike.

" No, just weird," I replied. Walking up to Lord Jabu-Jabu by wadding through the water wasn't all that strange, but upon approaching him, he just stared at me with his beady little eyes as though he was waiting for me to do something. Those eyes of his did make me feel uneasy for a few moments, but I quickly overcame my nerves and took the fish of the bottle and placed it in front of him. I don't know if he was happy, sad, or whatever, but at first it looked like he wasn't willing to accept the offering.

Then he suddenly opened up his mouth and sucked the fish in, and I figured he was satisfied and would grant me access to his inside. That was when he decided to suck me into his mouth as well which completely caught me by surprise. As the suction enveloped me, I struggled to break free only to lose my footing and finding myself plunging head-first into the mouth of this giant fish-like creature, and ending up blacking out.

" Sunset Shimmer? Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I've had better days that's for sure, but where exactly are we?" I asked.

" We're inside Lord Jabu-Jabu as his teeth are right behind us, and the back of his throat is just ahead of us. I'm not sure what to make of this place as I've never been inside the belly of a living creature before. It looks like we're free to leave any time, so don't think that we're trapped in here for the rest of our lives. You do have to wonder where the Zora princess ended up when she was swallowed by this guy," replied Spike.

" That's right! Princess Ruto is somewhere inside and we need to make sure that she's safe," I said.

" Is it just me, or are these walls vibrating?" asked Spike.

" We are inside of a giant fish after all, so what we're seeing are his veins and muscles contracting back and forth. It does look very unpleasant that's for sure, but we need to focus on the task at hand, and not freak out over what we're looking at," I replied. I took a few steps forward to begin the exploration, and an Octorok popped up from a small body of water, and proceeded to fire a rock at me. Luckily, I was fast enough to take out my shield and bounce the rock back and defeating it instantly.

" Well, we now know that there are monsters swarming about in here, but I suspect that Octoroks will be the least of our worries." After walking a few more steps, I stopped when I noticed some kind of strange bump sticking out from the ceiling. " Now what do you suppose that is?"

" It looks like some kind of switch although it's hard to say for certain, but if you hit it with the Fairy Slingshot, it might activate and remove that strange mass covering up what looks to be a door," replied Spike. I'm not expert when it came to anatomy, but anything was worth a try in order to find Princess Ruto, so I took out the Fairy Slingshot, and fired a Deku Seed at the switch which caused the mass to disappear.

Opening the "door" felt like going through some kind of opening in the body's mechanism, and the next room consisted of a small pathway overlooking a long drop with a strange jellyfish floating in the distance. " That creature is called a Biri and if you touch it, you'll get electrocuted which also happens when you destroy it. It's immune to all forms of magic and not even a Deku Seed will inflict any damage onto it. Unless you have something that can destroy it from a distance that isn't a projectile, all you can do is run away from it."

" Yeah, being electrocuted is not my idea of fun," I said, and so I quickly ran past the Biri in order to reach the other side of the room, but along the way I noticed a blue bump on a ledge which had me thinking that maybe it was possible to be able to reach it. Upon going into the next room, the sounds of monsters could be heard everywhere, and the pulsating innards of Lord Jabu-Jabu were pretty evident.

" This looks to be the main chamber of the fish, but who can be certain? Without a map to figure out exactly where we are, all I can do for you is take a guess and hope that it's the right one. You should be careful around here Sunset Shimmer as I can see strange holes on the floor, and I'd rather not figure out where they go. There are more Biri in this room, so avoid them just like the other one," said Spike.

" Doing that could be a problem as they could potentially get in the way," I said.

" Good point, so you might want to consider taking a more careful approach than simply running away," said Spike.

" Hello? Is someone there?" A voice suddenly came out of nowhere, and it was one that I recognized instantly which was a sigh of relief as it meant that all of my friends have finally been accounted for in this world. I walked forward a few steps in order to see where she was, and sure enough there was Rarity standing in front of one of those holes. She was wearing an elegant shimmering light blue dress, but what surprised me was that Rarity wasn't complaining about her dress getting dirty in a place like this. " You? Who are you, and how did you end up in here?"

" Rarity!" I exclaimed.

" I beg your pardon? My name is Princess Ruto, and I am the daughter of King Zora who rules over the waters of Hyrule. I must admit though that the name Rarity does have a certain sense of flare about it as I do consider myself to be priceless. As I was saying just now, what are you doing in here?" asked Rarity.

" My name is Sunset Shimmer and I came here to rescue you," I replied.

" So you managed to find the message in the bottle which I managed to cast outside of Lord Jabu-Jabu? I was honestly expecting a fellow Zora to have discovered it in the end, but I suppose that you will do just as well. If there was anyone that I didn't want to find that bottle, it would be my father because he would have thrown himself into a frenzied panic. While I love him so much, sometimes he can be rather overprotective, and that doesn't suit me well at all as I enjoy having some freedom in my life. At least he isn't aware that I got trapped in here," said Rarity.

" About that," I began.

" You mean, my father knows?" asked Rarity.

" I had to show him the note otherwise I couldn't gain access to Zora's Fountain, and this meeting of ours wouldn't even be taking place. I told your father that the reason behind your disappearance had to do with a man named Ganondorf who came here looking for the Spiritual Stone of Water.

He was denied, and then he did something to your deity which has brought about this entire mess. King Zora didn't believe my claims, so I had to show him proof which was the note that you wrote. I'm sorry if this is something you didn't want your father to know, but you should be aware that only I was sent here to help you," I replied.

" Hmmmm....yes, that does explain everything in a nutshell. I was wondering why that Gerudo suddenly came here one week ago, and when I asked my father about it, he refused to comment saying that he didn't want any of his people to get involved in a potential political struggle. Also, I forgive you for your boo-boo regarding my father as you had no other choice but to show him the note. By the way, how do you know about the spiritual stone?" asked Rarity.

" I came here on behalf of Princess Zelda to acquire it in order to prevent Ganondorf from claiming the Triforce," I replied.

" The Triforce? If that's the case then we certainly can't have that now can we? If you were thinking of acquiring the spiritual stone from my father, then you would have been out of luck as it is not his to give away however he sees fit. That stone was passed down from my mother to me, and so it is my right to determine who shall receive it. If you want it, then I need you to help me find it inside Lord Jabu-Jabu.

You see, when I was feeding him about a week ago just after Ganondorf left, he suddenly swallowed me for no reason at all, and the surprise it gave me caused me to drop the stone somewhere in here. Ever since then, I've been trying to locate it, and even sent out that message in the hopes that someone would come and give me a hand. Until I find my precious stone, I refuse to leave Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly," said Rarity.

" So you want me to help you?" I asked.

" If you would be so gracious," replied Rarity. This was certainly an awkward position I found myself in. If I wanted to get the spiritual stone and save Hyrule, I had to help find it with Rarity who seems very eager to locate it at any cost. The problem was that she had been searching in here for a week with no result, so does that mean it will take just as long, or even half the time with two of us looking? Time was already against me, and this was just adding fuel to the fire.

Sigh, I had no other choice but to nod my head in agreement which certainly made her happy as she clasped her hands with excitement. " Splendid! Now please do follow me so that we may begin the search." Rarity then turned around and began to walk forward, but apparently she forgot about the hole that was behind her, and she ended up falling into it and into the room below. "OH NOOOOOOOO!!!!

" Rarity! Hold on I'm coming!" I shouted as I followed her into the hole which probably wasn't my brightest notion. I had no idea just how far down I was going to fall, but somehow my rear cushioned my landing, so I guess I should be thankful. This lower room certainly had its high places what with some ledges that were much too high for me to reach, and of course there were more of those Biri floating around which wasn't to my liking as I had no means of getting by them.

" Are you okay darling?" asked Rarity.

" I wasn't expecting that to be such a huge fall," I replied.

" While I do appreciate the effort you put in just to get down here and help, I'm afraid that it was for nothing because as you can see, I am perfectly fine. This is nothing new though as I'm used to making my way around here. Ever since I was little, I've been going in and out of Lord Jabu-Jabu as it's my official duty to prepare his meals morning and night, but he is very different now than he used to be, and I don't just refer to the fact that he swallowed me.

Those strange jellyfish aren't the only problems in here, for there are those strange holes, and these weird electrical currents which seem to be blocking off certain places. I'm hoping that you will be able to get us through these chambers safely as
traversing them won't be easy," said Rarity.

" My magic and Fairy Slingshot won't have much of an effect unless I can get my hands on something that can strike at a distance, but isn't a projectile," I said.

" You know, I do seem to recall there being an item that does exactly what you describe located somewhere near the back of Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly. How it ended up there is a mystery, but it just could be the thing you need to....did you just say that you are able to use magic? What a coincidence this is as I am able to use magic as well.

From an early age, I have been able to use magic with the best of them, but no one seemed to know where I got the talent from as no one in my family's history was adapt at the magical arts. Even my father was surprised at this talent, and assumed that I had been blessed with a rare gift," said Rarity.

" You and I aren't the only ones that can use magic," I began.

" Whatever do you mean?" asked Rarity.

" There are several others throughout Hyrule who are able to use this special kind of magic, and while they may not understand why they can use it, such magic isn't even from this world. Normally, I would take the time to explain this all to someone who resembles a friend or foe I've met where I'm really from, but time is a commodity that I just don't have right now because of Ganondorf's impending conquest. So I pretty much have to give you the quick version of it, and hope that it will sink in for you.

Ahem! You are from the human world where you acquired Equestrian Magic from a princess pony from a world called Equestria which is where I am originally from, but now live in the human world with you and the rest of our friends except for Princess Twilight Sparkle," I replied. That was probably the fastest version that I have mentioned yet, but it had to be this way because I had no time to go into a full explanation, or even argue with Rarity on the matter. Her expression though was one of complete shock as she was trying to process this sudden burst of information into her head.

" Now wait just a minute!" she shouted.

" What is it?" I asked.

" We're not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what you're talking about regarding this Equestrian Magic! If you don't explain this to me right now, you will never get your hands on the spiritual stone, and this world will sadly fall to ruin at the hands of Ganondorf," replied Rarity.

" Are you serious?" I asked.

" I'm always serious when it comes to important matters," replied Rarity. I found myself trapped in a situation that I wasn't even expecting, so how exactly am I going to explain this knowing that the clock is ticking....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 32: Into the Deep Freeze

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 16, 2015
Chapter 32: Into the Deep Freeze.

My unconscious body continued to sink deeper into the cold waters of Zora's Fountain. I could feel I a strong surge coming from my heart urging me to awaken and swim back to the surface, but my body refused to act, so all I could was nothing and continue to sink. That's when I felt something slap me in the face which was followed by several more alongside a scream which sounded very familiar to me. The slaps suddenly continued to be applied to my face, and the screaming got louder.

" SNAP OUT OF IT AND WAKE UP!!!!"

" WAAAH!" I exclaimed as I immediately woke up to discover Spike was floating right in my face with tears streaming down his eyes, and that's I realized where I was....underwater in a freezing cold fountain, and starting to choke because I had been under for a lot longer than I needed to be. I quickly started to gasp for air and covered my mouth with my hands before I started to swim upwards like crazy to reach the surface in time.

Spike glowed brightly so that ould follow him as my vision underwater was pretty bad, but just when it looked like I was about to pass out, I managed to make to the surface where I popped out of the water and started to breathe heavily along with coughing as I did unintentionally swallow some water. There was no time for me to regain my composure as I had to get to shore before I would catch pneumonia, so I swam with what little strength I had until I made it back to shore where I collapsed onto the ground in utter exhaustion.

" That was perhaps the most reckless thing you've ever done since we started on this journey. I'd be extremely mad at you right now Sunset Shimmer for ignoring me and doing something so utterly stupid, but the important thing is that you're safe now although you do appear to be shivering even more than ever before. In any case, I am at fault as well for not warning you about how those chunks of ice work in terms of how they react to weight being applied onto them," said Spike.

" No, it's not your fault Spike as I knew that my weight would offset them a little, but you should be mad at me for acting like an idiot when I should have known better. If it wasn't for you slapping me in the face and yelling at me to wake up, I'd still be unconscious and sinking further down into the depths, and I most likely would have frozen to death without even realizing it. As for me shivering, I just spent five minutes underwater in a freezing pool, so yes my body is completely numb and needs time to warm up," I said.

" Too bad there isn't anything to use that will increase your body temperature," said Spike.

" My inner warmth just isn't working which doesn't make any sense," I moaned.

" How is it supposed to work?" asked Spike.

" Whenever I'm feeling any kind of embrace be it from a friend, a loved one, or even something that represents those elements, I'm able to experience a warm glow from inside of me. Yeah, I know it sounds strange and even my own explanation isn't what I'd call the best way to describe it, but that warmth is the strength I use to keep going despite the odds stacked against me," I replied.

What I needed was one of those Pieces of Heart which I had been picking up all over Hyrule as getting one gives me a warm feeling, and right now I could do with one of those to perk me up. I told Spike what I said I needed, and he was a little confused at first as to what I wanted, but he quickly clued in when he remembered seeing something.

" I did see a Piece of Heart all the way over there at the end of that iceberg pathway, but I don't think you'll be able to get it in your current condition," said Spike.

" No offence, but I don't think you'd be able to pick it up and bring it all the way back as it's too heavy for you," I sighed.

" I'm not offended by that because I know it's too heavy for me. I actually thought you were going to say that I wouldn't be able to make it over there because of the Octoroks, but I knew that you had more faith in me than that. Still, you need to warm up otherwise you'll catch a cold which in turn will lead into pneumonia, and eventually death if your body temperature continues to worsen," said Spike. I had to somehow get my hands on that Piece of Heart, but I wasn't going anywhere then an idea struck me which was reckless in nature, but it was the only hope that I had if I wanted to get warm again.

" I have a plan," I began.

" What do you have in mind?" asked Spike.

" That Piece of Heart is what I need to warm myself up, but I won't be able to make it over there in my condition....unless I were to use my magic and set myself on fire which will give me enough warmth to make it over there," I replied.

" You want to do what now?" asked Spike.

" Set myself on fire," I replied.

" Yep, that's definitely reckless thinking right there which I've come to expect from you, and it's a pretty good idea seeing as I know how good you are with magic. Can you survive such an experience though? I know you have resilience to fire because of your affinity to it, but will it actually work?" asked Spike. His concerns were well founded as not even I knew if my plan was going to work, but it was the best course of action as I was taking the weight issue into account along with the Octoroks.

Closing my eyes and concentrating really hard, I tried to tap into my magic so as to set myself on fire, but my chattering teeth indicated that I was still freezing from my unfortunate dunking. I had to get over that, and focus if I want that Piece of Heart, so I concentrated even harder and that's when my body suddenly burst into flames.

While it looked like I was in searing pain from the fire licking my body, I was actually fine because of my resilience. Spike was surprised when he saw that the fire was actually forming around me in a barrier of warmth instead of burning me to ashes. " Wow! That's so amazing! You should just use that to keep yourself warm and forget about the Piece of Heart."

" This fire barrier won't last very long because I was barely able to use my magic due to how cold I am. I probably have about two minutes to make my way over there and snag that prize before this disappears, and the cold resumes its icy grip on me," I said.

" Then make every second count," suggested Spike.

" I intend to," I smiled as I ran onto the chunk of ice where Lord Jabu-Jabu was, and leapt from it onto the chunk which knocked me unconscious. As soon as I landed, it began to bob up and down because of my weight, but I had to focus if I wanted to get to the end. The Octoroks from before popped up and fired rocks at me, but I had no time to deal with them as I continued running making sure to slow down whenever I began to lose my footing.

The rocks ended up hitting me which was painful especially when combined with the cold, but I had to keep moving until I could properly take care of it. Jumping onto the next iceberg was fine as it was small and didn't want to bob, yet the next two chunks were big and my weight caused them to bob up and down pretty badly.

More Octoroks continued to pop up from the water, and they spat their rocks at me which I had to take the hits, and that had me thinking about how I'm getting hurt in order to grab one little thing which will keep me warm. My priorities can be really weird sometimes, but I eventually made it over to where the Piece of Heart was located, and I picked it up without delay. Within a matter of moments, I could feel the warmth of it embracing my body, but it would take a while for it to really kick in as my body was still feeling cold.

" You managed to get over here just in time," said Spike.

" Now comes the challenge of making it over to that cave entrance," I said.

" The Octoroks will pose no problem to you directly, but the issue here is the ice being too slippery for you to traverse on. My advice to you would be to slowly make your way across each iceberg, and take them down one at a time using your shield to bounce their rocks back at them. Sometimes, you'll find that you're not close enough when they spit out their rocks, so simply edge closer to them until you can deflect the rocks with ease," said Spike.

" I'm glad you mentioned advice," I began.

" You are?" asked Spike.

" I had almost forgotten to play Fluttershy's Song, and ask her for advice," I replied.

" While it's nice that you're playing her song and getting her help through telepathy, I kind of feel a little jealous sometimes that she is giving you advice which is supposed to be my job as your fairy partner. Granted, she knows more about the dungeons than I do because I have to quickly memorize the layout so that I can be more useful in my assistance to you," sighed Spike.

" You don't need to feel jealous Spike as I'll always rely on you to help me out, and don't you ever think otherwise as no one will ever replace you. Fluttershy does have a unique perspective due to her connection with the forest spirits even when she is in the Sacred Realm, and that vision is what we need to get an idea of what we're about to explore. Also, I want to ask her how Pinkie Pie is dealing with the realization that she is a Sage, and that she'll be stuck there for a while," I said.

I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch, and it felt cold to the touch because of my unfortunate dunk into the water. Even placing it up to my lips was unpleasant because of how cold it was, but I played Fluttershy's Song anyway despite how uncomfortable this moment felt to me.

" Sunset Shimmer? This is Sar....sorry, I mean Fluttershy. Can you hear me? Huh? Are your teeth chattering? Where exactly are you which would make your teeth do something like that?" asked Fluttershy.

" I'm at Zora's Fountain where there is snow and ice everywhere due to an arctic wind blowing all over Zora's Domain. My teeth are chattering as I spent five minutes underwater in a very cold pool, and as a result my whole body has been going numb. I did manage to pick up something which will keep me warm for a while, but it's taking its sweet time to get itself working," I replied.

I had to stop talking for a moment as I needed to sneeze twice due to how cold it was. I actually wanted to sit down and continue talking to Fluttershy, but then I remembered my sore butt prevents me from doing so for now. " I did have to set myself on fire in order to get what I needed, but I'm fine as fire is something I'm resilient to."

" Oh my! I've never heard anyone wanting to set themselves on fire, but I suppose that you had no other choice as it meant freezing to death as an alternative which isn't good. I don't know why the home of the Zora's has become frozen, but the forest spirits say that something is hidden inside of a giant cave close to your location," said Fluttershy.

" Yeah, I already knew that otherwise I wouldn't even be here," I said as I sneezed again.

" The inside of that cave is known as the Ice Cavern, a cave made of snow and ice where it feels like you're exploring the deep freeze of the northern reaches. I would strongly advise you to bring along some kind of healing item as there are creatures inside that are capable of giving you the cold shoulder.

The Ice Cavern is a haven for creatures who love the freezing cold, so you need to be aware of that. There is something else that the spirits are telling me, but they can't explain it all too well because what they are seeing is completely unnatural," said Fluttershy.

" I've seen plenty of unnatural things on my journey," I said.

" I'm sure that you have Sunset Shimmer, yet what lies within the Ice Cavern is something you've never seen before. The spirits say that you will need to transport this unnatural thing to continue your quest. They also say that you should bring some of it outside so that you can save King Zora who appears to have been frozen solid, and gain access to a place where you can spend your hard-earned rupees.

With regards to the freezing cold, wherever you are right now is going to be nothing compared to the Ice Cavern, so I hope that what you picked by setting yourself on fire will be enough for you to weather the cold," said Fluttershy.

" Do the forest spirits know anything about a hidden treasure located in the Ice Cavern?" I asked.

" Yes, they say that they are aware that someone a long time ago hid something within a treasure chest hoping that no one would ever find it. Many have tried to claim this treasure, but none of them survived due to the extreme cold. The Ice Cavern is always in a perpetual state of cold even when Zora's Fountain was of a moderate climate before the arctic weather came along.

This treasure may not look like much at first, but if you have Spike take a good look at it, he may be able to figure out the purpose behind it. The spirits have an idea as to what the treasure might be, and the only advice they have for you is that the treasure is something practical if you intend on doing something you normally wouldn't do," replied Fluttershy.

" That was needlessly cryptic," I moaned.

" The forest spirits are mysterious beings who do enjoy providing you with only half-truths as they wish for you to learn from your experiences you have on your journey, for if you were handed everything over without any kind of challenge, the journey would be pointless. They will never lie to you though, so there is no need to be worried about that," said Fluttershy.

" I guess that makes sense," I said.

" There is no powerful evil force inside of the Ice Cavern which should be a relief to you, but there is still something strong guarding the treasure. You will need to overcome it in order to claim it for yourself," said Fluttershy.

" Not surprising given how I'm the one chosen by destiny, and no that isn't meant to be a bragging right! I'm still a little peeved over being chosen to do all of this when I clearly have next to no experience, but it has grown on me a lot despite my apprehension towards it. I do have one question for you Fluttershy. How has Darunia handled being a Sage and being stuck in the Sacred Realm?" I asked.

" Ms. Darunia certainly does have a strong spirit as she has been slowly getting adjusted to her new role. When I say strong spirit, I really do mean that as she has been doing all kinds of things to show off her power. Mr. Rauru is beside himself with grief as he was expecting her to have quickly mellowed and take the role of Sage of Fire more seriously.

Ah well, it's all about baby-steps when it comes to Ms. Darunia, and I know that she will become an excellent Sage once the initial excitement has worn off. I did notice that she has been asking us to call her Pinkie Pie because it's a name she says she was given by her Sworn Brother, and I suspect that you are the one she is referring to," replied Fluttershy.

" You got me there," I blushed before sneezing yet again.

" Oh dear! That sneezing of yours isn't good for your health, so I think I will say farewell to you now. I know that what you acquired to make you feel warm will come in handy as the Ice Cavern will truly test you when it comes to how tough you are. I wish you luck in exploring the frozen temperatures of the cavern, and be sure to keep yourself warm as much as possible," said Fluttershy. I could no longer hear her thoughts in my mind, yet she was able to provide me with some useful information courtesy of the forest spirits.

So the treasure I have to find is being guarded by something strong. That sounds like the typical experience I've been getting with these last dungeons, so at least I'm treading on familiar ground. Suddenly, my body started to warm up immensely which meant that the Piece of Heart was finally doing what it was supposed to do when I picked it up.

" Looks like you're warming up at last," said Spike.

" Which means we can go inside the Ice Cavern and find that treasure," I said.

" Just like you did with the Piece of Heart, you need to jump from iceberg to iceberg, and make your way towards the entrance of the Ice Cavern all the way over there. You can take your time now because you're not in any hurry as I don't want to see a repeat of what happened when you ended up taking an unfortunate swim," said Spike.

" I have no intention of swimming in this water again," I said defiantly.

" You may have to at some point," began Spike.

" Give me one good reason as to why I would want to go back into that cold water?" I asked.

" When I dove down underwater in order to help you when you fell into it, I noticed another Piece of Heart lying at the very bottom of the fountain. I have no idea how you're supposed to get it seeing as you can't stay underwater for very long, and you can't dive down that far either, so maybe there is another way to get to it. Even though it does involve swimming about in a cold pool of water, grabbing those Heart Pieces have been pretty beneficial for you," replied Spike.

" I guess," I said.

" Come back here once you've thought of a way to get it," said Spike. I actually did want that Piece of Heart now that he mentioned it, but how was I supposed to get down to the bottom of the fountain let alone do so without freezing to death? Guess I did have to leave it behind for now, and focus on what I need to get which was this treasure inside of the Ice Cavern.

I had no idea if it was going to be useful or not because no one, not even Fluttershy gave me a good enough description of what it is that I'm supposed to find, but I've come this far and almost gotten myself killed over this treasure, so I might as well keep going. I started to make my way back across the chunks of ice where the Octoroks attacked me once again, yet this time I used my shield to bounce the rocks back which destroyed them.

It took a few minutes to make my way there because I had a couple of instances where I almost fell into the water, and that would have been so unbearable seeing as I only just started to feel warm again.

" So all I do now is climb up onto the ledge and we're there?" I asked.

" Just be a bit careful as you can end up slipping through the gap between the ice and the wall," replied Spike.

" How could I fit in-between such a small sliver of a gap like that?" I asked.

" You'd be surprised as to what can happen in this world when it comes to logic," replied Spike. I didn't want to ask any further as it sounded like Spike was saying that Hyrule was essentially an embodiment of Pinkie Pie who defies logic on a daily basis. Taking everything into consideration, specifically my weight, I ran towards the edge of the ice and jumped up where I managed to grab the edge of the ledge and pulled myself up where I found myself staring into the mouth of the cave entrance.

A cold wind was blowing from within which chilled me to the bone, but I had to deal with it and enter even though I secretly wished that I was going back into the Fire Temple as it was much nicer because of the intense heat. The moment I entered the Ice Cavern, I immediately began to chatter my teeth due to the sudden drop in temperature, and while my body was able to maintain its warmth thanks to the Piece of Heart, I knew that it wasn't going to last too long.

" It's even colder in here than it was back in Zora's Domain," I said.

" This dungeon is made out of snow and ice when it was carved out many centuries ago. Most people would never be able to survive in such temperatures like this, but you're different from them in that you are the chosen one," said Spike.

" That doesn't really make me feel any better," I said chattering away with my teeth.

" Well, you'll need to survive if we are to find this treasure, so buck up and let's get moving," said Spike. He then started to hover forward only to come to a sudden stop a few feet later when he noticed that I wasn't coming, so he turned around to discover that I was sneezing a few times which even resulted in droppings coming out of my nose due to how cold it was.

" I'm sorry Sunset Shimmer that I'm pushing you so hard, as I realize that I don't know what you're experiencing. I guess being immune to the cold doesn't allow me to see what it must be like for someone such as yourself. Your body is fine as the Piece of Heart did do the trick, but the fact that your teeth are chattering means we need to get through this as fast as possible.

" I'll be okay so long as I keep moving and use my fire magic whenever I can to keep warm," I said.

" Then why don't you use it right now so that you can stop with the teeth chattering?" asked Spike.

" Wow....I can't believe that I was completely oblivious to something so simple. I feel like such an idiot for making so much fuss over something which I could have resolved as soon as it began with my fire magic. Sigh....once again I feel my confidence being shattered because of my lack of insight, but it's just another life lesson," I said as I lowered my head in complete and total shame for being so stupid.

That's when I used my fire magic around my face to warm it up, and stop my teeth from feeling worse which didn't make me feel better emotionally. Spike comforted me by saying that everyone makes mistakes, and that I was too fixated on staying alive to realize that my magic was now useable given that I was warm enough.

" Your fire magic should prove to be very useful in here as everything can be melted as it's all made of ice," said Spike.

" Everything, except for that!" I said pointing to a small patch of red ice which was just sitting there serving no purpose. If this piece was located here, then the entire dungeon must have it in places where I most likely need to go in order to find the treasure. I did want to make sure that this was the same ice that was surrounding King Zora, so I walked over to it and placed my hand upon the red ice, and the same cold touch on my hand matched what I felt before.

" This red ice is identical to what we saw in Zora's Domain which King Zora was trapped inside of, and if that's the case then maybe we'll find a means of melting it in here." I quickly pulled my hand away from the ice before it could get any colder, and continued to walk onward before quickly coming to a stop in front of some icicles protruding from the ground. " This is the regular ice that we're familiar with, so I can easily smash these to pieces using whatever means I prefer."

" Just be careful of the ceiling," began Spike.

" The ceiling? What for?" I asked.

" There are icicles hanging from the ceiling, and they appear to be very loose, so I think they will drop down on top of you when you get close enough. You won't take much damage from them, but they can be inconvenient when you're distracted," replied Spike.

" Heat you say? That's not a bad idea," I said as I used my fire magic to melt the icicles in front of me where the resulting puddles quickly froze over due to how cold it was. Moving forward and watching the ceiling very closely, the icicles hanging from above looked harmless enough, but I needed all the health I could get as the further I go into one of these dungeons, the more dangerous it becomes.

As soon as I walked within an inch of the icicles, they all dropped down and I managed to avoid them by jumping to the side, and landing face first in the snow. Some of it ended up in my mouth which wasn't pleasant, and as I picked myself up, the entire front side of my body was covered in snow, and my face looked like I was some kind of old man with the way the snow was dripping down.

" Why are you playing in the snow?" asked Spike before he burst out into laughter.

" Not another word Spike! Not. Another. Word!" I replied gritting my teeth in the process as this was humiliating.

" I don't meant to poke fun at your little misery there Sunset Shimmer, but you have to admit that you do look silly which is a good thing. This dungeon's cold interior gives it the feeling that nothing can survive here, and it's completely morbid as a result. Your current appearance is also comedic, and we could do with as much happiness as possible while we're moving around the Ice Cavern," said Spike.

" Then I know of a way to make things even more fun," I said which was confusing for Spike at first, but he quickly clued in on what I meant when I threw a snowball at him which covered him completely turning him into a flying snowball with eyes. That's when I burst into laughter as it was really funny, and Spike ended up joining in because we both needed to have some fun. Once we cleaned the snow off, and stopped giggling like children, we continued on where the pathway turned to the left and several steps were in front of us.

" These steps don't have any ice on them if that's what you're thinking," said Spike.

" Yeah, that's what was on my mind considering how I've been slipping on the ice, but something else is bothering me and it has to do with that weird sound coming from over there," I said as I pointed towards where the tunnel ended and opened up to what looked like a large room. The noise sounded like a blast of cold air being fired from some kind of air conditioner, but those don't exist in Hyrule....unless this world is more modernized than I thought. After a few seconds of hearing the noise, it came to a stop which was a sigh of relief, but then it started up again a few moments later.

" I know that sound from somewhere," began Spike.

" You do?" I asked.

" Yes, but I can't put my finger on it as it sounds like a lot of different things. Why don't we try to get a little closer and see what lies beyond this tunnel? I have a hunch that the sound is coming from a monster native to the Ice Cavern, but I can't be sure unless I can see the inside of the next section," replied Spike.

" Okay, I'll take it one step at a time as I don't want to wind up getting ambushed," I said. Tiptoeing wasn't going to be easy as the snow was crunching under the weight of my feet, and the noise being produced could alert what was making the other sound up ahead, so I had to walk really slowly which Spike wasn't offended by as he knew that this was a serious situation.

Climbing down the steps instead of jumping down, and inching my way over to the end of the tunnel, I could see what was beyond, and it was a large room as I suspected, but it looked really weird. The floor was completely covered in ice, yet I could see the water flowing about below it, so that could mean the ice isn't able to handle that much pressure? There was more red ice although this time it was protruding from the walls which didn't make sense in addition to being on the ground, but I chose to ignore that in favour of a circular object which was spinning around in the center of the room. " Is that what I think it is?"

" An ancient trap just like what we saw all the way back in Dodongo's Cavern. Remember Sunset Shimmer that you can't destroy them, so don't even attempt to use your magic as they are immune to everything. All you can do is avoid it as best as you can which won't be easy as the floor is slippery. Walk carefully, and we'll be able to move onto the next part of the dungeon," replied Spike.

" Except that the tunnel entrance on the other side of the room is blocked by iron bars," I said.

" Those aren't iron bars, but rather some kind of icicles which are blocking our path. You may need to destroy the monsters lurking about in order to remove those icicles, and speaking of the monsters....they are exactly what I suspected they would be," said Spike. In all the excitement regarding the trap, I had completely forgotten about the monsters which was when I managed to get a first glimpse at them.

They were made of ice complete with horns on their heads also made of ice, yet they lacked no facial features, or arms and legs for that matter. As I stared at one of them which happened to be near by, it suddenly breathed out a blast of air which made me jump back as I wasn't expecting that to happen.

" What is that thing?" I asked.

" That's a Freezard, a frozen creature that can only exist in extreme cold temperatures like this. While it may not look all that threatening given how this version doesn't move around, it is a serious threat because of what you just witnessed. Every now and then, they will breathe out cold air which will freeze you upon contact if you end up getting caught in the blast. Remember what I said happens when you touch a switch covered in ice?" asked Spike.

" I end up getting frozen in a chunk of ice," I replied.

" That's what will happen if you allow the icy breath of a Freezard to touch you. The ice will last a few moments before it shatters, or you should try to free yourself before you take too much damage which can build up over time," said Spike.

" What did you mean by this version?" I asked.

" There are two kinds of Freezards and the ones we're looking at are the first version which is stationary and breathes out ice every now and then. The other version can also breathe an icy breath, but the difference has to do with it having the ability to appear and disappear at will. It's also transparent making it hard to see sometimes which lets it sneak up on unsuspecting prey.

Oh, I forgot to mention this other version of Freezard is mobile where it slides along the ice once it appears, and when it finds its prey, it will turn around before using its icy breath," replied Spike.

" Just hearing you mention that makes me feel cold," I said.

" Fire is their natural weakness of course as they will melt in one hit, but you need to be up close to be able to melt them down to a puddle as they do have some kind of protection when trying to strike from a distance. The Megaton Hammer and the Master Sword will also work against them, but for some reason they are immune to arrows, and firing one at them is like hitting a shield. Just get in close and destroy them completely before things get a little too chilly if you know what I mean," said Spike.

The Freezards were just staring at me although I couldn't even tell if they were doing that as they had no eyes, but maybe they are able to sense the temperature of creatures which let them determine when to take action. I breathed deeply so as to get myself pumped, but then I sneezed which really ruined the moment. I ran into the room towards the Freezard on the left making sure to reduce my speed because of the ice, and I was able to melt it into water with my fire magic before it could even do anything.

When I turned around to face the other one, I could feel a cold chill coming from behind me, and I looked behind to see a third Freezard which looked partially invisible making this one the transparent one. To no surprise on my part, this ghostly monster let loose its icy breath which froze me on the spot, and the unpleasant sensation I was getting was definitely cumbersome.

" I've become a frozen pony-sickle," I said while speaking through my teeth.

" Try to shatter it by moving about, or wait for it to do so naturally," said Spike. There was no way I was going to let this last for the entire duration, so I began to move my body as best as I could, and the ice shattered instantly where I dropped to the ground before picking myself back up. " Did you seriously just say that you were turned into a pony-sickle? What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

" It's a pony thing which you wouldn't understand," I replied.

" If you say so," moaned Spike.

" That was really uncomfortable for me because of what I experienced back outside, so you'll forgive me Spike for being steaming mad right now. I'm going to turn up the heat because I feel like it....and also for dealing with this problem a lot quicker," I said. For a moment there, it looked as though I was about to lose control of my emotions again, and that's the last thing I want to experience right now. Luckily, I was able to calm myself down before doing something I regretted, and that's when I decided to go bigger by using Din's Fire which involved me stepping one foot back and thrusting my arms back like I was going to do some kind of anime attack.

Once I was in this position, I slammed my hands into the ground which unleashed a massive fiery blast which quickly expanded and enveloped the room destroying all of the Freezards. The ancient trap of course remained intact due to being invincible, but the important thing was that the pathway through the tunnel was now accessible.

" Now that's what I call a Din's Fire if I ever saw one," said Spike.

" I must admit that I wasn't expecting that to happen considering that before the resulting spell was much smaller. I guess the Great Fairy of Wisdom really did pull through when she enhanced my magic," I said.

" For a minute there, I thought you were going to lose it and transform," said Spike.

" I had that exact same feeling, but I was able to calm myself down before my emotions could get any worse. You can't really blame me for going all emotional like that what with my recent exposure to the freezing cold. Now that I've witnessed what Din's Fire is really capable of, I'll be sure to use it a lot more often so that I can conserve my natural magic," I smiled.

" What about the other spell you were given?" asked Spike.

" Other spell?" I asked.

" Farore's Wind," answered Spike.

" Oh, right!" I said sheepishly. How in the realm of Equestria could I have forgotten about the second magic spell given to me by the very Great Fairy who happens to reside in Zora's Fountain? I took out the prism which contained Farore's Wind, and stared at it for a good while in order to figure out exactly how I was supposed to use it.

I mean, I know that I was given a pretty good description from that version of Adagio, but I've not figured out a practical means of using it. " While Din's Fire is perfect for taking out monsters, I just don't see the point behind this spell which makes me think it isn't as useful as the other one." I then took out the prism containing Din's Fire and looked at it as well before putting it back in my pouch.

" Because of my own natural ability to use fire magic, I don't need to take out the Din's Fire Prism because it reacts to my wanting to use it which is how I cast the spell without it ever leaving my pouch.

" Sounds rather contrived to me," commented Spike.

" It probably is, but that's just how it works with me," I said.

" Anyway, since you most likely remember how Farore's Wind is supposed to work, perhaps now would be a good time to put it to use. The spell only works in a dungeon that has a map otherwise it won't work. You can tell if the prism is its usual self, but if it appears dull and lacking any sort of colour, then it can't be used in your current location," said Spike. I then looked down at the prism again and saw that it was indeed full of life which meant it could be used in here.

I showed this to Spike who then proceeded to the next step of his explanation. " Okay, the spell can be used in the Ice Cavern, so just cast it and see what happens." Not really an ideal explanation, but I cast the spell by lifting up my arms above my head which created a green ball of light which suddenly flew away before coming to a stop at the entrance to the room and floating there.

" Well that was awkward," I said.

" That's how the spell is supposed to work. By casting it, you've created a warp point which gets located above the entrance of the last door or passageway you used, so when you cast it again and decide to warp back to the point you created, it will end up sending us right here. Of course, you can always dis-spell the current warp point in order to create another one wherever you want.

The secret behind Farore's Wind is to strategically use it in a place where you either travel to a lot in the current dungeon you're in, or a location that gives you easy access to an area that you wish to go to. For now, let's just leave this warp point where it is, and you can decide later on if you want to change its position, or warp back here for whatever reason you have," said Spike.

" It would have been useful in the Forest Temple, but I guess learning to use it now is better than not using it at all," I said. I then walked forward into the next tunnel where the ceiling lowered down to, and in front of me was a series of icicles protruding from the ground which I took care of using my fire magic because using Din's Fire would have been an insult. From there I continued to walk onward until I came to a stop because of hearing another sound coming from the room up ahead. " What do you suppose that noise is?"

" It's not a Freezard that much is certain, but it sounds like some kind of rotation device, but why would such a thing be here of all places? In any case, be cautious as you never know what to expect," replied Spike. Walking a few more paces lead me into another large room where the source of the sound was coming from, and it turned out to be two giant blades swinging around that were attached to a strange looking ice-like object which was also spinning around.

Scattered about the room were silver rupees and another tunnel up on a high ledge was blocked off with icicle bars, and finally there were two patches of red ice like the one in front of the Zora's Shop. I could just barely see that behind these patches were additional tunnels, so for now my choices of which way to go next were really limited. " Now that's certainly a unique mechanism."

" I wonder who built it let alone managed to get it all the way this far?" I asked.

" I'm not sure, but what I can tell you is that it will damage you if the blades touch you, so be sure to duck or crouch if you want to avoid getting sliced apart. Those silver rupees scattered about are suspicious, and I think if you collect all five of them, something is bound to happen. I know that doesn't sound right, but you have to consider it a possibility," replied Spike.

" My concern has to do with the patches of red ice on either side of the room," I said.

" Again, without the means of being able to melt it, there's nothing we can do for the time being," said Spike.

" I'm not liking the idea of being forced to go in a certain direction as I prefer to explore wherever I want," I said.

" I know, but that's how the nature of these dungeons work when you first enter one of them. Everything is restricted to you from the beginning, and all you can do is traverse the paths that are available until you do something which will open up new pathways. It's all about being patient and exploring your surroundings until you get what you need to go to places you can't access right away," said Spike.

" Just so you know, I'm not a fan of that kind of design choice," I moaned.

" Deeply noted," said Spike as he let out a small chuckle which made me feel a little miffed. Sighing once again, I walked forward only to drop down to the ground as the ice blade swung by, and if I hadn't gotten down on the icy floor, I would have been sliced up a moment later which would have changed me into twins. The ice blades were a lot more tricky to avoid than I thought, so I decided to try a new tactic which not even I was expecting to work.

Rather than getting back up, walking around for a moment before dropping to the ground, and repeating the process until I was finished, I chose to simply crawl around on the floor and pick up the silver rupees. " Are you seriously going to crawl on the ice like a toddler and grab those rupees?" Spike's reaction was certainly surprising as he wasn't expecting me to use such a random tactic.

" I know this looks awkward considering I'm supposed to be the hero and all, but I figure that if I crawl around and pick up the rupees, I can avoid those ice blades altogether and prevent myself from taking a lot of damage. While you may think that I'm a little chunky to which I would take serious offence, I'm actually quite thin making this a pretty safe option," I replied.

" I wasn't thinking about that, but rather you kind of look undignified," said Spike.

" Crawling is part of being an adventurer because you need to get down and dirty sometimes in order to achieve your goal. I have no idea how I came to know of such a thing, but I'm going to roll with it and collect those rupees. In my case, just replace getting dirty with being covered in some snow, and my stomach getting cold due to the ice. How much are silver rupees worth anyway?" I asked.

" Only five rupees which makes them the same value as a blue one," replied Spike.

" Huh, and I thought they would be worth a lot more, like say, 100 rupees which would be something," I said. Being silver makes them pretty valuable, but I guess that's only if you look at the colour, and not take into consideration the actual value of the currency. Still, I was going to collect these rupees as surely they will trigger something to allow to continue through the Ice Cavern.

It was fortunate that there were no monsters around otherwise I'd be a sitting duck, but the spinning ice blades very presence made me want to remain cautious as one slip up would be the end of me....assuming that's how blades like this work in Hyrule. Collecting the rupees was easy as I picked up the three that were located near the ice blades, and a fourth one was hidden away in a corner which I crawled to before standing back up again.

" Ooooh, that ice is so cold that my stomach is feeling numb due to how much I had to slide about. It will take at least an hour for my belly to warm up again, so I think I'll just make a run for the last rupee. By the way, where is the last one I need to get?"

" It's up there floating above the center of the ice blades," replied Spike.

" And how am I supposed to get it?" I asked.

" By jumping from the ledge up there where the way onward is," replied Spike.

" Oh," I said before I slapped myself in the face for having asked such a stupid question in the first place. With that little blunder out of the way, I ran as fast as I could to avoid the ice blades and reach the bottom of the stack of ledges I needed to climb to get up to the top. Climbing up was simple considering that I've done my share of climbing through the use of vines, ladders, and steps throughout the journey, and when I made it to the top, I turned around to see the final silver rupee hovering out in front of me as though it were teasing me because grabbing it meant jumping into the middle of the room where a blade could end up hitting me.

I took a deep breath and jumped off the ledge grabbing the silver rupee which caused the ice bars blocking the way forward to drop into the ground, but I was more concerned with where I was going to land. Somehow, I was able to avoid the blades by landing in front of the ice-like device they were attached to, but then I suddenly rolled forward and ended up crashing into a wall where I found myself upside-down with my head stuck in the snow.

" Not the most graceful of landings," laughed Spike.

" At least I was able to get the last silver rupee and land down here without being sliced up, but I agree that my landing was anything but spectacular. I wasn't expecting myself to perform a roll when I landed, but I guess that must be one of the basic techniques of being an adventurer. Hang on! Let me get myself up as all this blood rushing to my head is giving me a headache," I said.

At first I tried kicking my legs so that I could kick myself away from the wall, but that didn't work so I tried to move myself forward using my hands as a momentum of sorts. That didn't do anything either, so then I tried to roll backwards as I rolled forward to begin with to end up in this position, and it worked although I rolled back a little too far and landed face-first into the snow again which caused Spike to burst out laughing because of how silly I looked. " Are you finished with your laughing?"

" I'm good," said Spike.

" Then let's go through the passageway which has now opened to us," I said. That meant running as fast as possible again to avoid being sliced, and climbing all the way back up to the top of the ledge which wasn't so bad the second time around as you know what to expect. " You know, maybe the person who hid the treasure in the Ice Cavern created this trap with the ice blades swinging around as a means of wanting to prevent anyone from claiming the prize except for the most determined of adventurers."

" It's possible given we don't know much about this place," said Spike.

" Makes me wonder what else is in store for us," I said.

" You have the means to get through this as long as you remember to keep your body temperature going," said Spike.

" I am starting to feel cold again which means the warmth from the Piece of Heart is starting to wear off, but I think I can keep on going until at least the next room," I said. I then walked into the now open passageway which twisted about a little before coming into a cramped section where a single Freezard was being flanked by two ancient traps one on each side of it. The floor was also made of ice which meant avoiding the traps would be tricky as they were moving quite fast.

Above me on the ceiling were more icicles which added another problem on top of what I had in front of me. " The first thing we need to do is eliminate the Freezard as it's the biggest threat right now, so my magic will make quick work of it.

" The traps won't hurt you all that much, but they will cause you to stumble about," said Spike.

" And the icicles?" I asked.

" Just avoid them like you did before," replied Spike. With our game plan all figured out, I used Din's Fire from where I was standing to melt the Freezard before it could breathe out its icy breath, and with it out of the way I made a mad dash through the corridor avoiding the first trap and the icicles falling down on me. The second trap did manage to strike me in the foot which was painful, but I managed to limp my way through to the other side before needing to stop and address my injured foot.

Spike as always was concerned about my well-being as he did truly care for my safety. " Will you be able to continue to walk Sunset Shimmer, or should we wait here for a while for your foot to get better?"

" That trap only nicked my foot, so I can continue to move without any trouble," I replied. The passageway then dropped down a few steps before opening up into an even bigger room which featured another floor made of ice with see-through water underneath it. A series of ice platforms were strewn about with a couple of Freezards standing on patrol most likely, and spinning around the central platform at mach speed was another ancient trap. This room felt even colder than the previous ones, but why was that the case?

" Look at all of the red ice in this room," said Spike.

" And we still don't have a means to melt it," I moaned.

" Why are you shivering again?" asked Spike.

" This room is a lot colder than the previous rooms we've been through, and I don't know why it's happening," I replied.

" Could it have to do with that fire located on top of the central platform?" asked Spike. He floated out in front of me slightly which prompted me to look in the same direction, and sure enough there was a small altar where fire was burning, yet this fire was blue in colour as opposed to being red. Also, fire is supposed to warm up a room like this not make it feel even colder than ever.

" We need to take a closer look at that fire," I said.

" Do you suspect something?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure but it might be the reason why I'm shivering so much right now," I replied. As soon as I took a single step, I noticed a transparent Freezard appearing in the distance, so I waited for it to slide down towards my location where it turned around and breathed its icy breath which couldn't reach me. Once it stopped doing this, it simply vanished which gave me the time to climb onto the first platform and destroy the first stationary Freezard with Din's Fire before it too could attack me.

With that out of the way, I jumped from platform to platform until I reached the one which had the fire burning on the altar. Upon first glance, it looked like ordinary fire, but I knew better than that as fire is supposed to be red and not blue. I tried to reach out and touch it because my resilience to fire does allow me to do so without getting burned, but I quickly pulled my hand away as the fire was too cold for me. Fire that's cold instead of hot? Something was definitely wrong with this picture, and I intended to figure out what was going on.

" What's wrong?" asked Spike.

" The fire is really cold which isn't supposed to happen," I replied.

" It looks like there is more to this Blue Fire than appearances suggest. I wonder if you can use it somehow as it's very tempting, but how can you carry it around if you aren't able to touch it?" asked Spike.

" Do you think that the red ice can be melted with this fire?" I asked.

" That does appear to be the case," replied Spike.

" You said I need to find a way to carry it around, and even with my fire resistance I'm unable to carry it. Carry....ah-ha! I can scoop up some of this Blue Fire into a bottle and carry it around with me in order to melt the red ice that's all over this dungeon. I wonder how many bottles I should use as I don't know if this is the only place in the dungeon where the fire can be found," I said.

" Why not use some of it on that red ice over there where that big treasure chest is trapped inside of it?" suggested Spike.

" Good idea, and hey that could be the location of the treasure," I said.

" Are you sure about that as we were told by Saria that there is a powerful monster somewhere in the Ice Cavern, and if you take your previous dungeon experiences thus far into consideration, it's safe to assume that this monster is guarding the treasure.
I don't see how such a monster could exist in this room if there are others around here, so that chest isn't what we came here for although its contents are sure to be useful," said Spike.

His logic did make a lot of sense, and it didn't help that I was feeling agitated due to it being so cold, and standing next to the Blue Fire was making me feel even worse. Suddenly, I could hear the sounds of something flapping way above me, but then it came to a stop which made me feel really nervous.

" Did you hear any flapping noises just now?" I asked.

" The only thing that could make a noise like that would be a Keese, but they could never survive in an environment like this unless....Sunset Shimmer! Move out of the way before it makes contact with you!" shouted Spike.

" Huh?" I said, but it was too late for a Keese covered in blue flames slammed into the top of my head which caused me to freeze instantly. The other stationary Freezard who happened to be close by reacted by breathing its icy breath on me which caused a second layer of ice to freeze on top of what I was already trapped inside of.

I found myself unable to move, and because of already feeling cold due to the Blue Fire, I was too weak to attempt to free myself, and this icy prison was too thick to shatter of its own accord. I tried to call out to Spike to see what he could do, but I was unable to move any part of my body. I had to do something and fast before I end up freezing to death....again....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 33: Treasure of the Frozen Cave

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 18, 2015
Chapter 33: Treasure of the Frozen Cave.

There was no doubt in my mind that this was one of the most horrifying situations I've ever experienced. Being frozen in a block of ice wasn't pleasant by any stretch of the word, but being frozen within two layers of solid ice was even worse. Spike was trying his best to shatter the ice by ramming into it using his tiny little body, and while I commend him for being courageous, it was to no avail. My body continued to go numb because of how cold it was being frozen, and it felt like I was getting closer to death with every passing second.

If I hadn't been standing so close to that Blue Fire, my body wouldn't have cooled down as fast as it did, and I could have freed myself from this icy prison. Just when it looked as though this was it for me, something shiny flashed across the room before striking the block of ice right in the center, and shattering it to pieces setting me free in the process. As soon as I dropped to the ground, I immediately used Din's Fire to melt the Freezard that was nearby, yet the Keese had managed to fly away preventing me from taking care of it.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" I've had better days, but right now let me warm myself up again," I replied. It took a little bit of effort on my part, but I just managed to use my own fire magic to warm myself up. Once I had established that I was warm enough, I walked away from the altar that contained the Blue Fire and jumped back to the platform where the first Freezard had been. " That was way too close for comfort Spike! What was up with that Keese which struck first? I don't recall ever seeing them being covered in blue flames."

" That was an Ice Keese that froze you Sunset Shimmer, and it happens to be the worst of the bunch. When they make contact with you, they will freeze you for a few moments, but unlike Fire Keese who lose their flames when they hit you or get deflected, Ice Keese don't lose their flames, so they can continue assaulting you until you either defeat them, or they end up freezing you to death," replied Spike.

" Sounds like they are an enemy to be feared," I said.

" If there was one positive from this, it would be that Ice Keese only exist in cold places like this, so the Ice Cavern would essentially be the only place where you can find them. The usual tactics when dealing with Keese can be applied, but since you can't use your Fairy Slingshot due to being "too big" for it, use the Fairy Bow instead, or you can even use the Hookshot, but that would mean needing them to get within range as the chain doesn't travel all that far," said Spike.

" I think I'll go with the Fairy Bow for this one," I began.

" Good choice," smiled Spike.

" Because I'm in the mood to want to deal with them in the most painful way possible. I know that sounds creepy coming from me of all people, but I just had a near-death experience for the second time in this frozen wasteland, and I am not about to have a third one. Sorry if I'm acting a little irrational, yet this is something I need just because I feel like giving them a taste of their own medicine," I said.

" Normally, I'd advise against the whole vendetta thing as that doesn't make for a good hero, but I'll let it slide this time because I agree that those Ice Keese deserve to be punished. In case you were wondering when you can take aim and let fly with an arrow, you're about to get your chance. It looks like they've decided to attack to you together in an attempt to finish you off," said Spike.

I looked up and saw all three monsters coming my way, so I took out the Fairy Bow and aimed straight up before firing as many arrows as I had on hand. Sure it looked like I was wasting arrows, but I figured I was bound to hit my targets eventually, and of course I was still trying to get used to using the bow. In the end, it only took about a dozen arrows to pick off all three Ice Keese where they burned away in a puff of their own icy smoke. Spike felt relieved knowing that I had taken care of all of the main monsters in the room aside from the transparent Freezard, but it wasn't a threat at this point.

" You're getting better at using the Fairy Bow as you didn't use quite as many arrows as before, but you could do with some more practice, and maybe a larger quiver so that you can carry more arrows around with you. In any case, we're now able to tackle this room at our own leisure, and not have to worry about being attacked by frozen monsters. You were just about to scoop up some of the Blue Fire into one of your empty bottles right?"

" Huh? Oh yeah," I said.

" Were you ignoring me just now?" asked Spike.

" A little bit, but that's because I was looking at this which I picked up when the block of ice shattered freeing me," I replied. Spike noticed that I was staring at some kind of sharp knife which looked foreign at best, and was beautifully forged as though it had been crafted by an expert. How could such a small object like this be able to shatter an ice block with only one strike against it? Unless, the blow was against the precision point of the ice which caused it to shatter in response.

" I know what that is! It's a Kunai," announced Spike.

" What's a Kunai?" I asked.

" It's a specialized dagger which can be used as a melee weapon, but it's true strength lies in that it can be thrown in order to strike a target at any distance. This weapon is one used by a ninja, and the only tribe that can be described as ninjas are the Sheikah. Also, you can see their symbol an eye with what looks like a tear drop falling from it, right there on the actual blade, but that's not how I figured out the connection. I'm just really smart when it comes to a huge list of subjects across a wide spectrum," replied Spike.

" Oh I don't doubt your knowledge, but what has me puzzled is where did this Kunai even come from?" I asked.

" Did you see anything or anyone throw it when you were on ice?" asked Spike.

" All I managed to see was a shiny flash streak across the room where it struck the ice which caused it to shatter. Someone must have thrown this from somewhere inside of this room as no way did it just come out of nowhere," I replied. The only place this weapon could have been thrown was by the entrance to the room, so I immediately looked in that direction to see if someone was standing there. No one was present although I did notice some odd footprints in the snow which were slightly raised with a heel.

" The only Sheikah I know of would be Impa, but why would she come all the way out here?" asked Spike.

" What about Sheik?" I asked.

" Right, I forgot about her, and now that you mention her, she sounds more plausible as Impa would never come here of her own free will as she is loyal to the princess assuming she's still alive," replied Spike. You'd think I would have throttled him for saying that Twilight was dead, but I had no proof to refute his claim, so I chose to ignore it to prevent an argument. " Anyway, we should focus on using that Blue Fire as it could be the means of melting the red ice which could open up all sorts of possibilities in this dungeon."

" I'm only going to go over to that altar for a few seconds and quickly scoop some up as I don't want to experience being frozen ever again," I said. I jumped back over to the platform where I took out an empty bottle and scooped up some Blue Fire before running up the walkway on the other side and jumping over to the large platform which contained the trapped treasure chest. " How do I go about melting this ice anyway? It's not like dealing with regular ice which can be melted in so many different ways through the use of fire."

" Try sprinkling the Blue Fire in front of the red ice," suggested Spike.

" I'll try it if you think that's the way to go," I said as I took out the bottle containing the Blue Fire. It actually looked pretty harmless as I stared deeply at the fire as it swirled about inside of my bottle, but I knew better than that seeing as this flame was the reason I almost froze myself to death. Uncorking the bottle and shaking the contents in front of the red ice caused it to dissolve giving me access to the treasure chest, and I promptly opened it which contained a Dungeon Map that I happily took.

" Hmmmm....this dungeon isn't as big as the two temples we've explored, so that makes for a nice change of pace. It also means that we don't have much left to explore aside from the rooms which we can't access because of the red ice."

" Except we can access them because we now have the means to melt the red ice," said Spike.

" Seeing as there were two passageways that were blocked, I'll need two bottles worth of Blue Fire in order to melt away the red ice, but then I need two additional bottles because of the Zora Shop and King Zora back in Zora's Domain. I only have three bottles on hand in order to do all of this, so no matter what happens, I'll have to backtrack to this location to be able to stock up on additional fire which means having to endure more frozen conditions," I moaned.

" Not necessarily true," began Spike.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" While the layout of the Ice Cavern is simple according to the map, I believe this room isn't the only one that has an altar where Blue Fire is burning as there is red ice all over this cavern if you recall what we witnessed earlier. One altar isn't going to be enough to handle all of that ice, so perhaps there are additional altars we can use so as to not backtrack to this room," replied Spike.

" That actually would make things easier for me if the Blue Fire existed in other rooms, for it would mean not having to spend any more time in here than necessary. In any case, let me just fill up two bottles worth of the fire so that I can melt the red ice back in the room with the spinning ice blades," I said. Two scoops later and I began to make my way back to the previous room, but I stopped at the entrance where the footprints were in order to confirm my original suspicion.

" Look! These footprints were made with a boot slightly raised with a heel which is what I originally believed them to be, so the one who used that Kunai must have been Sheik, yet why didn't she wait for us to be done in this room rather than simply disappear?"

" You can never tell what goes on in the mind of a Sheikah as they are the shadow folk for a reason," said Spike.

" How does that even relate to all of this?" I asked.

" The only person who ever knew their secrets and identities was the king himself for they served him as a spy organization who worked from the shadows in order to protect the royal family from harm. A Sheikah would never reveal any of their secrets unless they were on death's doorstep as they were trained to keep their knowledge close to their hearts, and anyone trying to learn their secrets would find it impossible," replied Spike.

" And this is going to help me out how?" I asked.

" Let me finish my explanation first, and then you can complain about it all you want. The Sheikah don't take the time to socialize unlike the other tribes for their mission is all that's important to them and nothing more. For Sheik, her mission appears to be helping you out, and that's why she shows up when she does for a brief period before making her exit.

She has no time to stick around and have a friendly conversation as that would go against the code of her people. Impa of course looks to be the one exception to the rule as she appears to have mellowed out probably due to being a mere attendant, but I suspect that years ago she was quite the fierce warrior for someone of her age," replied Spike.

" What do you mean her age?" I asked.

" Legend say that the Sheikah are able to live longer than any other tribe because it allowed them to serve the royal family and the goddesses more efficiently. In order to achieve such a long life, they say that they are given a special medicine forged from darkness itself, and the results enable them to become empowered with their impressive skills. A Sheikah's lifespan is said to be six times slower than that of a Hylian, so they are capable of living for centuries at a time. Impa may appear to be very young, but she is probably at least somewhere over 150 years old given how she is now just an attendant," replied Spike.

" Heh, she'd never hold a candle to Princess Celestia who has lived for 1,000 years," I said.

" I have no idea who that is," said Spike.

" Never mind....let's get back to the subject at hand here. I respect Sheik for wanting to stick to the traditions of her tribe, but it's sad that she can't take the time to make some friends and not have to be alone all the time. Believe me, I know what it's like to be alone, and it can make you do things that you'll end up regretting later on in life. Anyway, I've got a hunch that we'll be encountering her before too long, and I intend on giving this Kunai back to her," I said.

" Why not keep it?" asked Spike.

" I honestly have no use for it, so I might as well give it back to its rightful owner," I replied. With that conversation out of the way, I started to climb back up the stairs and walk all the way back to the room with the spinning ice blades, but I encountered the same Freezard as before which was flanked by the ancient traps and the icicle ridden ceiling. Just like in the previous dungeons, the monsters were now capable of re-spawning which was going to make things a bit more annoying.

I used Din's Fire to melt the Freezard, and I ran across the icy floor ignoring the fact that both traps ended up hitting me which was a bit painful. Once I was back in the previous room, there was a decision which needed to be made, and one that I wasn't prepared for. " Which direction should we take? The tunnel to the left or the tunnel to the right?"

" You mean you don't know?" asked Spike.

" I didn't take it into consideration until we got back here," I replied.

" I'd tell you that you need to prioritize more often than you do, but then you'll say that you'll put it onto your list of things to do. No need to say anything because I know you were going to say that. Let's just take a look at your map to see what lies beyond the red ice, and determine which way we should go first," said Spike. Secretly, I was going to say that I would add prioritizing to the list, but I wasn't about to tell Spike that as he'd get all annoyed with me.

I took out the Dungeon Map, and looked at it for a while before pinpointing our exact location which was the large room that was south of the other large room which had the chest containing the map. " Okay, according to the map, the passageway to the left goes to a single room which is a dead-end, and the one to the right goes to a series of rooms which end up doubling back to the first big room. I think we should go to the right as that appears to be the logical direction."

" No, I suggest that we take the left path," I said.

" Why would you want to explore a passageway that will only lead us to a dead-end?" asked Spike.

" If there's one thing I've learned on this adventure, it would be that you can find something very useful down a path that leads to a dead-end. I can't exactly explain it, but I feel that the left path will lead us to something good," I replied.

" So you want to go that way because of a feeling?" asked Spike.

" Pretty much," I replied.

" Then I guess we've reached an impasse although I am willing to follow whatever you decide as you are the hero," said Spike.

" By saying that, it isn't really much of an impasse as you should be more adamant over the way you think we should go. Why don't we decide this using the fairest system there is....using a rupee like a coin and flip it to determine which way we go," I said.

" How does that work?" asked Spike.

" I've done this once before although I forget when I actually did it. I'll flip a rupee into the air, and where it lands will be the direction that we take. If the rupee lands near the red ice to the left, then we go down that passageway which leads to the dead end, and if it lands near the red ice to the right, we'll travel down that path which leads to the remaining rooms," I replied.

" Are you sure that's a good idea considering there are those ice blades swinging around," said Spike.

" If the rupee ends up getting sliced up as a result of my toss, I'll be upset about it as every single rupee plays an important role, but I won't attempt to do anything stupid because of losing just a single rupee," I said. Fumbling through my wallet looking for a rupee was difficult as it was frozen due to being in such a cold place, but I managed to get it open and take out a rupee which I tossed into the air.

It flipped about many times until it landed near the red ice to the left which was what I hoped would be the result. " It landed near the left path, so we'll check that out first before heading back here and going the other way. First of all, I need to avoid the ice blades, so crawling comes to mind, and then it's on to melting the ice." Dropping down to the ground and crawling along allowed me to avoid getting sliced, and while Spike just remained silent, I made it to the red ice where I took out a bottle of Blue Fire and melted it.

Once that was done, I walked into the new passageway which turned to the right and then to the left which opened out into a large room where there was another altar of Blue Fire at the back. " You were right about there being more than one altar for Blue Fire, so this means we don't need to go back to the one in the room where we found the Dungeon Map."

" And I was only making a guess regarding that as I had no idea if there were going to be additional altars," said Spike.

" Then it looks like you guessed correctly," I smiled.

" I guess I can have a little bragging moment, but I'll do that later as right now we need to focus. There are some Keese near the altar, and I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to plunge into the Blue Fire and become Ice Keese in the process," said Spike.

" No! I refuse to be frozen by one of those again!" I shouted.

" I'm more concerned with the large number of icicles hanging from the ceiling, and they could very well be the other kind," said Spike.

" Other kind?" I asked.

" The other kind of icicles drop down and shatter just like the regular ones we've seen so far, but another one will immediately take its place a few seconds later, and the process repeats itself. Basically, as long as we remain in this room, we're going to be bombarded by an endless stream of icicles until we head back the other way. I hope your feelings about this room prove to be beneficial otherwise you'll be having more than just a cold chill to deal with," replied Spike.

" I'll worry about the icicles falling on me later as right now I have some Keese to deal with," I said whilst taking out the Fairy Bow, and realizing that I was almost out of arrows, so every shot was going to have to count. It didn't help the fact that my body was starting to get cold as the warmth from the Piece of Heart I picked up outside in Zora's Fountain was starting to wear off.

I then concentrated aiming for each Keese, and began to fire away at them which resulted in the first one being destroyed, and the other two still breathing as I missed them constantly until I was down to my last three arrows. I'm getting better at this, but not fast enough if I was getting awkward moments like this, but I had to keep going and fired what I had left where I destroyed the other two. " Well, that's it for my arrows until I can get my hands on some more."

" At least you have the Hookshot which you can use to hit things from a distance," said Spike.

" But the chain only stretches out so far," I moaned.

" Maybe some day you'll be able to get an extension for it. Anyway, enough complaining as you have icicles to avoid," said Spike, and he was right about that as they were starting to fall down like a frozen shower of rain, so I made a mad dash for the altar which wasn't under any icicles. " I noticed two more chunks of red ice along either side of the room, and inside one was a big treasure chest while the other contained a Piece of Heart."

" And you wanted to avoid coming this way," I said smugly.

" Because I assumed that this way would be pointless as it goes to a dead end," said Spike.

" If there's any solace, it would be that you were able to confirm that there are additional altars housing Blue Fire. Speaking of which, just let me scoop up another bottle's worth and move away from here as the fire is making me feel really cold right now, and I could do with some warming up courtesy of that Piece of Heart," I said.

Once the fire had been scooped up, I ran towards the red ice containing the Heart Piece with a shower of icicles falling behind me each step of the way, and once I used the fire to release the heart from its frozen prison, I picked it up and immediately started to feel much warmer. Hopefully, I won't have to wait as long when it comes to my body regaining its natural temperature through picking up one of these. " Ahhh! That feels so much better!"

" The more of those you pick up, the bigger your health meter will get which means you'll be able to last longer," said Spike.

" Really? I have a health meter? I've never seen anything like that show up anywhere," I said.

" It's one of those ominous presences that we can never see, but it exists to indicate how much life energy you possess. I'd say right now you have about....ten hearts altogether in your health meter as you started out with three, you gained five more through Heart Containers, and you've collected enough Pieces of Heart to give you at least two more hearts making ten in total. If you continue to collect these which I highly recommend, you'll become even stronger and take hits better," said Spike.

" And here I thought they were just making me feel warmer and giving me some kind of power," I said.

" That's one way of looking at it, but what I said would be the actual method behind it. I don't know if you'll be able to find all of the Pieces of Heart hidden across the kingdom as there are a lot of them, but you should strive for as many as you can find," said Spike.

" How many exist?" I asked.

" About 36 pieces," replied Spike. Did he just say 36 Pieces of Heart are scattered across Hyrule? I had a feeling there were going to be a lot of them, but I wasn't expecting it to be a number that high. I had a feeling that some of them can only be obtained during a certain time period which only adds to the confusion. I'll just try my best and see what I end up finding during the remainder of my journey.

Once I was starting to feel my inner warmth coming back, I ran across the room and used the Blue Fire to melt the red ice covering the treasure chest, and when I opened it up, I was in possession of the Compass which will show me where the remaining chests were. That's when something unexpected happened once the map was altered with the compass adding its information.

" One chest left!?!? There's only the one treasure chest left in here?" I asked.

" It does appear to be the case given that the Compass doesn't lie," replied Spike.

" Fluttershy mentioned that there wasn't going to be a powerful boss in here which the compass helps pinpoint, yet I was expecting there to be at least four or five additional chests for us to open up. Just having the one be revealed on the map, and this late in the exploration kind of makes the compass next to useless, so we could have just gotten the Piece of Heart and left it at that," I moaned.

" Let me put it to you another way. We now know the exact location of the hidden treasure we came all this way to get, so it's not like we're walking around in here without a clue as to what we're doing. According to the map, the remaining treasure chest can be reached if we take the other passageway which I originally suggested.

While it does look to be smooth sailing from here on out, this one big room over there that comes before the room with the treasure has got me worried. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get more than one scoop of Blue Fire as I have a feeling that you may need an extra amount," said Spike.

" Just let me run back to the altar and pick up what we need," I said as I ran towards it and scooped up the Blue Fire into two bottles before running back across the room and avoiding the falling icicles which crashed down behind me. Once I was back at the entrance to the room, I proceeded to make my way back to the room with the spinning ice blades, and like before I chose to drop to the ground as I didn't want to get sliced.

When I crawled my way over to the other side, I got back up to my feet, and took out one of the bottles containing Blue Fire, and I sprinkled it at the base of the red ice causing it to melt thus revealing the new passageway. There wasn't really much to this path, yet I did end up stopping due to icicles on the ground and ceiling blocking my path. I simply used Din's Fire to melt away the ones on the ground, and ran forward to avoid the ones falling from the ceiling.

" You're getting better at using Din's Fire," commented Spike.

" While my own natural magic is still my preference, I can't help but love how potent Din's Fire can be. It's a shame that I haven't needed to rely on that warp point I created when I used Farore's Wind earlier, and you have to agree that there is a huge difference between the spells in terms of usefulness," I said.

" I'll admit that Din's Fire has more practical uses because of the adventuring lifestyle that you have, but I wouldn't dismiss Farore's Wind as being situational that should just be forgotten about. You may end up discovering it to be even more useful than first appearances suggest, but we'll get to that bridge when we come to it, and speaking of bridges....look at what we have in front of us," said Spike.

The passageway opened up to yet another large room that featured a icy floor which had a lot of scratches over it, and in the distance was a ledge where stood another altar with Blue Fire. A large block was located in front of me, and I quickly figured out that it must be the reason why the ice was so scratched to begin with. Aside from some ice mounds situated across the room, there were five more silver rupees floating about which had me suspect another puzzle.

" Do you think I can push that block?" I asked.

" I don't see why not as the floor is made of ice which will allow the block to slide along. Those silver rupees should be able to remove the ice bars all the way up there to your left which appears to be the way forward, but I'm more concerned with the altar containing the Blue Fire all the way in the back. Aside from one chunk of red ice over there to the right, I don't see anymore of it anywhere," replied Spike.

" There could be some more beyond the ice bars," I suggested.

" A possibility that we shouldn't ignore. Hmmmm....you do need to take some Blue Fire out of the Ice Cavern in order to save King Zora, and gain access to the Zora Shop, so it looks like we may have to do some slight backtracking. Then there is the block in front of us which needs to be pushed. We need to make it over to where the red fire is on the right, yet it's on a ledge which looks to be slightly too high for you to attempt to climb up it.

By the way Sunset Shimmer, I can hear the sound of wings flapping above us which means that we have some Ice Keese flying around, so be careful not to get hit by them as they will freeze you," said Spike.

" With no arrows in my quiver, I'll have to rely on the Hookshot which means having to wait for them to get in close before picking them off. I'll deal with them when they decide to pose a threat, but I need to know how we go about solving this room. Is there a specific order we need to go to collect all five silver rupees?" I asked.

" Why not collect the silver rupees which you can access without the need of that block, and then push it forward to grab the silver rupee in front of you before you go and push it to the right where the red fire is. This is a theory mind you, but if you push the block off the edge and into the void below, it should re-spawn which will make things easier as you'll be able to afford to make as many mistakes as you like without any penalty.

If it doesn't then we're pretty much stuck as there is no other way those ice bars will lower," replied Spike. Everything was on riding on the chance that this block will reappear if pushed off the side, so I hoped that Spike was correct about it. I collected the two silver rupees which I could reach on my own, but then problem with the Ice Keese was an issue.

" The Ice Keese are too big of a threat to ignore them," I said.

" Then take out your Hookshot, and aim well if you wish to avoid a frozen fate," said Spike. That sounded really cheesy to me, but he did have the right idea, so I took it out and waited for the Ice Keese to dive down at me which is their way of letting prey know that they are under attack. There were only two of them to deal with, so I wasn't going to be distracted by anything else.

As soon as they started to dive down, I aimed with the Hookshot and fired with struck both at the exact same time causing them to burn away from their own flames. " That was a lucky shot you made there considering you got them both at the same time."

" I'll attribute it to that," I said.

" You should have more confidence in you than that despite what I say," said Spike.

" I've been gaining some of that in addition to some courage, but it pales in comparison to the inner demons which continue to haunt me. It's not easy being someone who has to deal with her troubled past all the time, and while I've been making excellent progress to move forward with my life, something keeps on bringing me back to those troubled times," I said.

" Sort of a two steps forward and one step back mentality?" asked Spike.

" I'd say more towards it being one step forward and two steps back, but to each their own," I replied. With the Ice Keese taken care of, I proceeded to collect the two silver rupees on their own before going back to the block and pushing it forward to collect the third rupee. Then I pushed it to the right which allowed to climb up onto the ledge with the red ice on it, and it turned out that a fourth silver rupee was trapped inside of it.

" Good thing you convinced me to take some Blue Fire from the previous room otherwise we would have wasted some time in this room picking it up from the ledge over there." Taking out a bottle of Blue Fire and applying it to the red ice caused it to melt which gave me the fourth silver rupee with one more to go, and this was where the moment of truth would take place.

I had to push the block over the edge, and when I gave it a strong push it fell into the abyss and a few moments later reappeared back where it started. " Well, your theory has proven itself to be true, so we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we can make as many mistakes as we want in order to solve this puzzle."

" If I know you and I certainly do, this is probably going to take you about an hour to figure out," said Spike.

" I was thinking it would take me about 30 minutes," I said. First of all, I had to take a few minutes to walk around the room in order to see exactly where I had to push the block in order to reach not only the Blue Fire and the silver rupee, but also the ledge where the way forward was. What became a few minutes ended up being a lot more as I walked around several times as I kept on double-backing on my own theories as to how this puzzle was meant to be solved.

Eventually, I began to envision in my head the way this was supposed to work, and I gave the block a push left. I then gave it a push forward where it missed the spot I had pegged it would go, so I pushed it into the abyss and started again. This would be a repeating trend for the next little while for I kept on messing up at certain points even though this was in reality a simple puzzle to figure out.

" Have you figured it out yet?" asked Spike.

" How long has it been since I started working on this?" I asked.

" You're up to 40 minutes now," replied Spike.

" Really? I thought it had been a lot longer than that, and yes I have come up with a solution," I said.

" Well, I hope it's better than the last two dozen attempts that you've made," said Spike.

" It's all a part of the learning curve where you have to make baby steps to be able to progress, but I will admit that I did botch this way too much as I figured out it was a really simple puzzle. I probably should have asked you for advice Spike, but then all you would be doing is coddling me and I would never have the incentive to try and solve something on my own without you," I said.

" As your fairy partner it is my job to help you out, but I do understand the need for you to accomplish things without my input. Be glad that you found that Piece of Heart otherwise you'd be freezing by now," said Spike. I should be glad about it although he was the one who didn't want to check out that room in the first place, but I digress for now I was going to solve this puzzle properly. I pushed the block forward where it stopped at one of the ice mounds.

Then I pushed it to the left and to the right after it stopped again, and this gave me access to the ledge that had the Blue Fire. As I made my way over and climbed up, I took out a bottle and was prepared to scoop up some fire when Spike interrupted me. " Why not fill up all three bottles this time instead of just two and ignoring the other? While you do need two bottles worth to take care of the red ice back in Zora's Domain, I have a suspicion that you could use a third bottle just in case. Also, you can reach the final silver rupee now."

" I can? Huh, I completely forgot about it as I was more concerned with solving this puzzle," I said. For me, the priority was scooping up the Blue Fire, and I took Spike's advice by filling up all three bottles before I turned my attention to the silver rupee which was on top on another mound. I timed my jump from the ledge to the mound and collected the rupee which caused the ice bars to drop into the ground.

" Okay, the way forward has been opened, so now I need to push this block over to the ledge where the passageway continues is located." Quickly thinking it through in my mind, I pushed the block to the left where it hit the mound the rupee was on top of, then I pushed it to the south before pushing it to the right where it stopped at the wall. I clasped my hands together and jumped for joy knowing that I was finally done with this room.

" We can finally continue on," said Spike.

" Then let's not delay any longer as I've had just about enough of this place," I said. Once I made my way over and up onto the ledge, I walked forward into the new passage where I ran into icicles on the ground as well as two Freezards and a large chunk of red ice behind them. The Freezards tried breathing their icy breath at me, but I wasn't having any of it as I used Din's Fire to melt them into puddles as well as the icicles leaving only the red ice to deal with. " Guess you were right in that I needed an extra bottle of Blue Fire."

" Better to be safe than sorry," said Spike.

" At least I still have two extra bottles worth for King Zora and the Zora Shop provided that there isn't anymore red ice," I said as I uncorked a bottle and sprinkled the fire onto the ice melting it away, and revealing a dead-end which made no sense. " How are we supposed to move on? All I see in front of us is a solid wall, yet the map says there is a room beyond where the treasure is located."

" It looks like there's a door hidden in the wall," said Spike.

" That's strange considering we haven't encountered any doors in the Ice Cavern," I said.

" Never underestimate a dungeon Sunset Shimmer as you can't tell what you'll end up encountering," said Spike. Choice words there which were true as each dungeon so far has given its share of things that made no sense. I walked up to the door where it suddenly opened, and I went into the next room where my jaw dropped because of how beautiful it looked. The walls and ceiling reminded me of an aurora borealis even though the walls also had huge icicles scattered about, yet the majestic feeling was unbelievable. There was also a grate of some kind near the back of the room which looked suspicious.

" Wow! This room is absolutely wonderful," I commented.

" Truly this is something completely unexpected," said Spike.

" The treasure must be epic in nature if it's located in a room like this, but why do I have a feeling that there is more to this than what we can see," I said. As I looked around the room, I turned my attention to the door to discover iron bars were blocking it which meant we were trapped in here. " The door has been sealed shut and since there is no puzzle in here....we have to deal with something strong....which is what Fluttershy warned us about."

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer as there's no telling what we're up against," warned Spike.

" As long as I stand right here, nothing happens and we can't progress with the quest, so I might as well move forward which should be enough for the monster in here to make its presence known to us," I said. When I took a single step forward, a howling sound suddenly echoed throughout the room, and a white beast popped up from the ground showing off its stature before proceeding to run around the room where it then immediately came at me.

I had no idea what was going on as the creature slashed me in the chest with its claws before performing a back-flip and resuming its running. " Yeow! That thing's claws are incredibly sharp, but what exactly is it?"

" That's a White Wolfos, a snowy cousin to the regular Wolfos which we have yet to see. This beast will run around before dashing forward in an attempt to strike you with its claws before jumping back and repeating the process. It's constant howling is going to get annoying, but don't let that distract you. Watch its movement carefully, and attack it when it drops its guard," replied Spike.

" When will I know when it does that?" I asked.

" After slashing at you twice, it will turn around and face away from you for about two seconds. While this is a weird thing for it to do, that is when it's vulnerable. If you try to attack it head on, its claws can be used as a shield which will protect it from any attack that you have including magic. The key to victory here is to wait for the right moment to strike, and not being reckless about it.

I would advise you use the Master Sword, but you haven't had enough practice with it yet, and White Wolfos is too fast for you to be able to hit it, so go with magic this time around," replied Spike. That sounded good to me, so I waited for the beast to come running at me which took a few moments as it looked like it was taunting me. Once it rushed forward, it started to swing with its claws which is when I used my magic that caused it to get hit and use its claws as a shield before jumping back.

" I was too soon," I sighed.

" That is another way to defeat it although it is the longer method. By attacking it when it's in the middle of its own attack, you disrupt its momentum which makes it jump back in an attempt to try again. You could say that you can trick it into repeating the same process until it finally falls," said Spike. White Wolfos then began to run at me again, but I decided to move away from the door so as to get some more breathing room between myself and it.

" Good idea moving out into the open as now you aren't in cramped quarters which will benefit you more than it does for it." Spike's words were a positive sign that I was getting the hang of fighting monsters, but I can't get cocky as that gets me into trouble. The beast then came at me again where it did manage to slash me with its claws, but I was quick to retaliate by hitting it before the second strike came, and it jumped back before running about again all while howling away which was really getting on my nerves.

" I'm okay Spike as those claws aren't as painful as they appear," I said.

" It doesn't deal much damage, but it's fast so it can easily pile up if you're not careful," said Spike.

" I don't intend on getting hit by those claws again as I think it's time to wrap this up," I said. White Wolfos came at me one more time where I jumped to the side when it slashed with its claws, and after the second swipe, it turned its back to me which is when I let it have it with my magic at full power. The resulting hit caused it to scream in pain as it burned away to nothing, and this opened up both the door and the grate in the floor. This was followed by a big treasure chest materializing in front of me which is when I dropped to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.

" That certainly didn't take long," said Spike.

" I guess that White Wolfos was more about intimidation as opposed to being an actual challenge, but I will admit that it was difficult to keep track of it as it was moving about constantly. In any case, we'll finally get to see what this treasure is, and I hope that it was worth the constant life or death situations I had to endure," I said. Once I got back up onto my feet, I made my way over to the chest and opened it up to reveal a pair of boots which looked like they had some kind of metal soles on the bottom, and my expression was one of confusion.

" Huh? This is the treasure that we came here to collect? I was expecting something cooler than this, no pun intended, but this doesn't make sense as all these are just boots with metal soles."

" Those are Iron Boots!" exclaimed Spike.

" Please explain," I said.

" These boots are lined with metal soles as they are meant to allow someone who wears them to walk really slowly on land. Now you're probably thinking that it's just a pointless item that serves no purpose, but then if you were to wear these into a body of water, you'll end up sinking to the bottom where you can walk around. I'd say that we've found ourselves a pretty useful item," said Spike.

" It does mean we can get that Piece of Heart that lies at the bottom of Zora's Fountain....lies at the bottom....gasp! Didn't Sheik mention that the third Sage could be found "under a vast lake" when she described their locations back when we first met? The only lake that we know of is Lake Hylia! That must be where the third temple is located, and these Iron Boots are our means of accessing it," I said.

" Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike in a nervous voice.

" What is it?" I asked.

" We've got company," replied Spike. I turned around to see what was getting him so worried, and standing there was Sheik who looked as though the cold temperature of the Ice Cavern wasn't affecting her. It made me feel a little jealous that I was the only one who has to suffer like this, but seeing her reminded me that I still had the Kunai which she used to free me earlier. I took it out from one of the pouches on my belt, and kept it behind my back just in case she suddenly got the idea that I intended to attack her.

" We meet again, Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight.

" I have something in my hand which I want to give back to you because I know you saved me earlier when I was frozen solid," I said as I held out my hand containing the Kunai. I walked forward a few steps before sliding it along the ground where it stopped in front of her feet. " Even though you decided to leave me once I was out of danger because of your duty, I do wish that you could have stuck around and chatted with me for a while as you look as though you could do with some company.

Being alone is an experience you don't want to have to go through as it can be quite sad and make you become something you'll regret in the future. I know this better than anyone as that's how I used to be before discovering friendship."

" Your words are wise, but my duty must come before any kind of pleasantries. I hope that you understand my position," said Twilight.

" I understand," I said.

" If you came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time. This is all there is....with one exception, the Zoras are now sealed under this thick ice sheet. I managed to rescue the Zora princess from under the ice, but she left to head for the Water Temple," said Twilight.

" I knew that was you who made the hole in the ice back in Zora's Domain, but I didn't realize Princess Ruto was the one who made those footprints in the snow. Huh? Did you just say that the Zoras are trapped underneath all of this ice?" I asked.

" That is correct. All of the Zoras with the exception of their king, and princess remain trapped in suspended animation which has been this way ever since the arctic winds first came to Zoras Domain. This ice is created by an evil curse....the monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse. Unless you shut off the source, this ice will never melt. If you have courage enough to confront the danger and save the Zoras, I will teach you the melody that leads to the temple," replied Twilight.

" I suppose that I have no other choice seeing as I am the Hero of Time, and this is what's expected of me," I said.

" This is what your destiny has placed upon you, and you must rise to the challenge. Time passes, people move....like a river's flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition....young friendship will become deep affection. The clear water's surface reflects growth. Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself, as you undertake the next stage of your journey," said Twilight.

She then pulled out her golden harp like she had done in our previous encounters, and started to play only five notes which was the shortest length for a song that I've heard thus far. After playing the same notes twice, Sheik handed things over to me and said to take my time although I responded by saying that time wasn't really on my side due to how cold it was.

After memorizing the notes and practicing a little, I was able to play the Serenade of Water which had a beautiful melody to it which sounded so very soothing. Sheik then put the golden harp away before turning to face me again. " You must make your way to the Water Temple as soon as possible, but perhaps you should deal with the unfinished problems of Zora's Domain first."

" So you know about what happened to King Zora?" I asked.

" He has been trapped within that prison of red ice for many years," replied Twilight.

" I had a feeling that was the case, and that brings me to my next question. How do I even explore a place where there is going to be a lot of water? I'm not exactly able to breathe underwater in case you couldn't tell," said.

" You will need to acquire new cloth to explore the depths of the Water Temple for those Iron Boots will not be enough. Once you have obtained the means to be able to walk underwater without succumbing to it, you will be ready to aid the Zora princess. Sunset Shimmer....I will see you again," replied Twilight. She stepped back a few paces where she threw a Deku Nut which flashed when it hit the ground, and when my vision returned, she was gone once again.

" Now we know why we had to come all the way here," said Spike.

" I wonder what she meant when she said I'd need some new cloth before making my way there?" I asked.

" I'm not sure, but we should go back to Zora's Domain and see about using the rest of the Blue Fire," replied Spike. I proceeded to walk over to where the grate was, and it turns out that it had been covering a deep hole filled with water. " It looks like the only way out of here is to use the Iron Boots and sink down to the bottom, and see if you can find your way out. I suppose now is as good a time as any to try the boots out to see if they live up to expectations."

" How do I put them on?" I asked.

" It's a magical means where you just activate them by concentrating hard enough," replied Spike.

" Seriously?" I asked.

" I am," replied Spike. While it did sound rather convoluted at best, I took his word for it and concentrated, and before I knew it, the Iron Boots were on my feet. They were extremely heavy, and I struggled just to keep my balance, but I managed to start walking around which was sluggish due to the weight dragging me down. Once I was comfortable walking about in the Iron Boots, I dropped down into the hole where I found myself in a cramped space, and I couldn't see very well due to the walls making the water a lot darker than usual.

Not only that, but I was having some trouble finding a door which must be somewhere down here. " It looks like the Iron Boots are already living up to their expectations, so now all you need to do is find the door." I tried to say something in response, but all I could muster up was a gargle as I realized that I was starting to choke due to not being able to breathe underwater. Spike then noticed and immediately took action. " You can't breathe! Quickly! Open the door down here before you end up drowning."

" Mmph! Mmph!" This was all I could say as I couldn't open my mouth otherwise my lungs will burst with water. I then began to panic as I struggled to breathe, so I had to find the door before it was too late. And yet, my eyes were getting drowsy and I was beginning
to lose consciousness. No! I wasn't about to experience drowning a second time, so I shook my head to stay awake and placed my hands out in front where they connected with what turned out to be the door that I needed.

" Mmph!" That was the sound of excitement as the door opened up which lead into another room with water in it, but luckily there was a slope which I ran up as fast as I could, which was actually pretty slow due to the buoyancy of the water being against me, and the moment my head popped out of the water, I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I avoided drowning.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'm alright although I need a moment to rest as that was too close for comfort. What I got from that experience was that I won't be going underwater wearing these boots without that cloth Sheik mentioned. Otherwise, it'll be too risky to go to the Water Temple as I'm likely to drown either outside of it, or in it depending on how long it takes to get inside," I replied.

Once I got myself completely out of the water, I sat down and magically switched the Iron Boots back with my regular ones....yeah, I've got nothing as to explain how that works, so I might as well just roll with it. That's when I noticed that the room below was the first big room we explored, and down there by the entrance was the warp point I created using Farore's Wind....which made me smack my head really hard. " I just remembered that I could have used Farore's Wind to warp from the previous room, and end up down there without having to use the path that almost killed me. Then again, why didn't you remind me that I could have warped?"

" You needed to learn how to use the Iron Boots otherwise if you tried them out where we need to go, you would have ended up freaking out," replied Spike.

" I suppose so, but I don't like the fact that I almost drowned again," I moaned.

" At least now you know how the boots work, so you won't ever experience the fear of drowning once you have the means of being able to breathe underwater. It also means that one Piece of Heart lying at the bottom of Zora's Fountain will have to remain there until you have that cloth," said Spike.

" What kind of cloth is it?" I asked.

" The Zoras refer to it, naturally, as the Zora Tunic, a diving suit of sorts which can only fit adults, yet wearing it will prevent you from drowning. You'll also be able to speak while underwater, so you won't to worry about your lungs bursting from too much water. Think of the tunic as transforming you into a fish even though you'll still look the same. There is only one drawback with the Zora Tunic, and that is the price one has to pay in order to purchase it," replied Spike.

" How much does it cost?" I asked.

" When it comes to quality in their products, the Zoras use the best materials as anything less is seen as being disrespectful. The Zora Tunic is an example of a product made with the best cotton, care, and mystical powers of the Zoras, and because of that it costs a staggering 300 rupees. Most people in the kingdom can't even afford it as the price is just way too steep," replied Spike.

" It costs 300 rupees? Yikes! No matter which way you choose to look at it, paying that amount will put a dent in anyone's wallet unless you happen to be extremely wealthy in which case paying that much means nothing. You know, when I talked to the other Sunset Shimmer, after she had calmed down and told me everything, she gave me the Goron Tunic for free, and I assume that it costs a hefty amount," I said.

" It costs 200 rupees at the Goron Shop, but what are you getting at?" asked Spike.

" If we save King Zora's life by melting the red ice that surrounds him, he may end up giving us the Zora Tunic," I replied.

" What are the chances of him being that gracious?" asked Spike.

" Pretty low I'd say," I replied. Just saying that made me feel distraught because if I can't get this special tunic without having to pay for it, I'd need to spend some time scavenging around for rupees as right now my wallet was close to empty. That was due to spending a great deal on arrows in order to catch all of those Big Poe souls for Sombra.

I'm hoping that King Zora will give me a Zora Tunic, or at the very least the means of buying it from the Zora Shop at a special discount. " Rather than jump all the way up here down to the ground which could cause some serious injury, I'll use Farore's Wind and warp down to where I cast it originally, and proceed to leave the Ice Cavern from there."

" That's not really how it's supposed to be used," said Spike.

" I know, but I don't want to fall such a great distance," I said. I cast Farore's Wind where I found myself disappearing into a ball of green light, and quickly appeared back down at the entrance to the room. The spell certainly was potent considering how fast it was, but I guess I do have to agree with Spike regarding the fact that I didn't use the spell as it was properly intended.

I suppose I'll be able to use it to its full potential within the Water Temple, so with that taken care of, I walked all the way back to the entrance of the Ice Cavern, and back outside to Zora's Fountain where it was still dark, and the cold weather was still evident, yet it was warmer out here than it was back inside of the dungeon.

With the two bottles of Blue Fire in my possession, I had to make my way back to King Zora in the hopes of earning what I need to be able to save his daughter, yet I had to take into consideration the fact of his surviving after being frozen for so long. His chances were slim at best, but I had to try otherwise my hopes of entering the Water Temple will be next to nothing as without the Zora Tunic, there would be no way I can survive in its watery depths....

To Be Continued....

Chapter 47: Trials of the Shadows

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 1, 2015
Chapter 47: Trials of the Shadows.

Falling down this deep pit felt like I was plummeting to my death, but then I noticed the ground was below. While it means that I won't be getting killed, it was going to hurt. A few moments later and I landed so hard that my legs buckled to an extreme which felt like I was about to dig into the ground due to the impact. It took a few minutes for me to get back onto my feet although I was going to feel the numbness for a while.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" Sunset Demon was telling the truth although I know she intended on not telling us about this deep pit," I replied. That's when I noticed there were bars all around me which made me think at first that this was some kind of prison, but perhaps it was a viewing platform with the bars serving as a means of preventing anyone from just walking out, and ignoring the vast majority of the temple. As I scanned around, my jaw dropped because of what I was staring at.

" That must be the ferry which we need to use to get to the other side....I wasn't expecting such a huge vessel to be down here, and that bow looks really frightening." The bow consisted of a skeleton covered in a red cloth which was hinting at it being another interpretation of the grim reaper, and to me it just felt really morbid to look at.

" I can't tell if that ferry is floating on water as we're too far away to see for certain," said Spike.

" There's no point in us worrying about it now as we can't use it until we get to this area through the proper route," I said. Looking around a little more, I noticed a block in the ground which looked like it didn't belong, and there was another piece of paper on top that had the Sheikah symbol on it. " I've got a feeling that block can be pushed from down below which will create a shortcut."

" Is that another piece of paper written by Impa?" asked Spike.

" It does appear to be the case, but how do you suppose it ended up down here?" I asked.

" Maybe she used the movement of the vessel combined with some Sheikah ingenuity to have the paper blow all the way up here. In any case, you should read what it says as she may provide some additional information," replied Spike.

" It says 'If you are reading this, then you have managed to make some progress in the Shadow Temple, but know that there are much more difficult trials ahead if you wish to continue. The eye of truth which was hidden in Kakariko Village for years until the champion of Zelda claimed it for her own, is needed to solve the puzzles that lie ahead. If you do not possess the eye, then your progress will be limited to the point where you will no longer be able to proceed.'

I noticed that she mentioned me in her message even though not by name, so does that mean she knows that I was the one who drained the water from the well?" I asked.

" Most likely she acquired such information by talking to Guru-Guru as he was still relatively sane at the time. It does mean we fixed the time paradox that involved inadvertently teaching him the song that he would end up teaching you in the future, and Impa learning that you were there makes sense given she wrote it down on that piece of paper," replied Spike.

" Can we not focus on the whole time trial rhetoric as just thinking about it gives me a headache," I said.

" I know the feeling Sunset Shimmer as it's a very difficult subject to analyze unless you happen to be an expert," said Spike.

" Then we should just focus on what is going to be a consistent problem rather than allow these time issues continue to bog us down like they do. The Shadow Temple isn't what I'd call a friendly place given that the undead roam freely, and that evil surrounds us with the intent on doing us in at the first sight of making a wrong move," I said.

" And here I thought you never paid attention to what I've been saying," said Spike.

" I've followed your advice since the beginning as I had no idea how Hyrule worked at the time, and even now this remains true as I'm still struggling to figure things out. Anyway, why don't I climb back up to the previous room, and we can use the small key to progress in the right direction," I said. The vines behind me went up quite a ways because of dropping down such a deep pit, so I was hoping that my climbing skills won't cause me to feel a cramp or something.

As I made my way back up, I started to think about how Applejack was able to progress through the temple without the weapons I have. I know that in this world she wields arcane powers, but I had to wonder how she pulled it off without even having to worry about her own safety. Back in the human world, she was the most level-headed among my friends, and it looks like that aspect of her character transitioned over to Hyrule.

She must have a strong calming presence to have traversed the temple, and for that she has my utmost respect. Once I reached the top, I made my way over to the door whilst avoiding the scythes of the decoration for I had no intention of being sliced like that again. On the other side of the door, the Beamos had returned once again, and that meant having to use a bomb to blow it up just like I did the previous two times.

" Is something bothering you?" asked Spike.

" Since we have to do some small amounts of backtracking, does it mean having to deal with the same monsters several times?" I asked.

" When you defeat a monster and then leave the room, when you come back to that same room even if it was a few seconds later, the monster will have re-spawned due to the magic radiating throughout the dungeon which constantly revives them. There are some cases where defeating a monster is a one time thing, and that it won't come back because it was guarding a treasure chest, or defeating it unlocks the way forward," replied Spike.

" So some monsters will keep on re-spawning while others won't?" I asked.

" Pretty much, but you need to determine if you want to continue defeating the same creatures as they re-spawn, or choose to ignore them because all they really do is get in the way. It can be worth it for they do drop ammunition for your weapons, drop rupees, and even drop recovery hearts, but it can also be risky in case they're too strong for you to handle," replied Spike.

" I'm going to avoid as many of the undead monsters as I can," I said.

" Unless you're forced to destroy them in order to continue," said Spike. While I could destroy this Beamos for the third time, I decided to ignore it and made my way over to the locked door, but when its gaze caught me wandering into its territory, it fired its laser beam which chased me with such precision.

The beam almost hit me in the leg, but I managed to get out of its range where it stopped, and resumed its original activity of searching for something. " Maybe you should destroy Beamos whenever you encounter them because that was too close for comfort."

" Yeah as that would have given my leg too much pain not to mention force me to waste a potion which I need for later. I did notice that it was situated in a place which made it difficult to avoid," I said.

" They are usually positioned to serve as a sentry where it will shoot at anything as I mentioned before. It can be inconvenient at times because you want to go to a certain place, and they are in the way. Remember that Beamos don't make any sounds, so don't just run head-on into the fray as you never know when you will encounter one, or several," said Spike. Taking the key and unlocking the door, I opened it and entered what appeared to be a corridor which was going down deeper into the temple.

" Do you hear the sound of something slashing into the ground?" I asked.

" I can, but it's really faint so it must be below our current location," replied Spike.

" Whatever it is, I'm not looking forward to it," I moaned. I then walked forward a few more steps before I got knocked off my feet due to a Skulltula falling down through the ceiling. " What the!?!? Where in the world did that thing come from?"

" It came from above the ceiling," replied Spike.

" How can it defy the laws of physics?" I asked.

" The ceiling in this corridor is pretty low, and Skulltulas are known for hanging up at a high distance in order to have as much range as they can to spot potential prey. As for how they are able to hide above the ceiling, that's something I can't answer because I don't know either. Just think of it as them being able to defy logic.

Make sure you walk carefully as you never know when a Skulltula will suddenly drop down out of nowhere. Since you have access to your powerful weapons again, you just need to shoot them once and that's it," replied Spike.

" That should give me the advantage as I don't have wait for them to expose their backs to me," I said. Taking out the Fairy Bow and aiming it at the Skulltula, I fired a single arrow which destroyed it, but I chose not to put it away as I sensed that there were others waiting for me. Sure enough, as I walked further on, more came down from above the ceiling, and I destroyed each of them using arrows with one going through two of the monsters at the same time which was pretty lucky for me.

Once I reached the bottom of the corridor, I saw that the slashing sound was some kind of blade which struck the ground before lifting itself back up and dropping again. This was a repeating process which turned out to be an obstacle which I had to avoid unless I wanted to get sliced in half from top to bottom.

" What kind of blade is that?" I asked.

" It's a guillotine, an ancient blade which was used in executions back when this world used such barbaric devices in order to deal with the more problematic individuals that plagued the land. When the blade drops down, it does so with a lot of speed which can chop off anything that happens to be beneath it," replied Spike.

" If anything, these guillotine blades will just serve to slow me down rather than cause me any kind of injury," I said.

" The blades shouldn't inflict that much damage to you, but they can knock you back if you approach them at weird angles," said Spike.

" I can see a Skulltula further ahead on the ceiling, and it's actually below it instead of above it like the others," I said.

" Then you can take care of it with a single arrow without having to worry about it coming down. I suggest getting past the guillotine first as your arrows could end up bouncing off of the blade, or even getting stuck on it thus making you waste what little ammunition you have for the Fairy Bow. As long as you remain a good distance away from it, the Skulltula will continue to stay up there," said Spike.

" Not exactly the brightest monster in the world huh?" I asked.

" They're merely acting on instinct which makes them easy to predict, but you should always be cautious as you never can tell what might happen. Before I forget, the guillotine blade moves at random speeds depending on how high up it travels before dropping down and repeating the process. Time it so that you run underneath while the blade is rising, and you will never get hit," replied Spike.

The moment the blade struck the ground and began to rise up, I ran through before quickly coming to a stop as the Skulltula was still above me, and it was eyeing me very closely hoping for me to get close enough. Aiming with the Fairy Bow, I fired a single arrow which struck and destroyed it although it did go flying far when the arrow connected.

" I wonder why I never noticed that before," I said.

" For some reason, arrows knock them back quite far which does look ridiculous, but then perhaps they have a weakness to them that makes it happen. I know that your other weapons don't provide that kind of reaction against Skulltulas, yet if you desire obtaining what they drop upon being defeated, using the bow isn't the best approach. By the way, I can hear the sounds of more guillotines further along, so it looks like we're in some kind of gauntlet," said Spike.

" So long as I time things properly, I'll never get hit by those blades," I said. Moving on down the passageway which turned to the right and then to the left, the sound of falling blades continued to get louder, and that's when I came across a massive room which featured the pathway forward where the guillotine blades were dropping.

Gaps in-between some of the blades must be an example of weird angles as some blades were so close to the edge that being struck by one would cause me to fall down into the abyss below which is death for certain. " This must have been some kind of facility as I can see platforms moving around. It doesn't make much sense that this arrangements exists the way it does."

" Remember that the Shadow Temple is a place that the Sheikah have guarded for generations," said Spike.

" So that would make this an obstacle course they used to train themselves, but they had to abandon it because of the evil nature of the temple becoming a thing which has served to define its very existence. Generations ago, this would have been a lot more dangerous as everything would have been in its prime, but now it's fallen into disuse and serves as a problem for would-be explorers," I said.

" An interesting theory," commented Spike.

" You think so?" I asked.

" They were known for using the temple for training during times of war as they couldn't afford to do so in Kakariko Village. If their enemies figured out their secrets, they could be used against them which would have placed the royal family in danger," replied Spike.

" What kind of techniques did they use?" I asked.

" They are a secret for a reason Sunset Shimmer, for the shadow folk were known for keeping things to themselves. Only those who they felt were worthy enough had permission to learn their techniques, so I can't really tell you anything. Perhaps Impa may be willing to teach you a thing or two when we rescue her from the shadow beast," replied Spike.

Secret techniques....I actually wouldn't mind knowing some as they could be useful when the time comes to fight Ganondorf, and I'm sure Applejack would teach me because it will be for a very good cause. Just as I was about to take a step forward, Spike stopped me because he had one more thing to say to me. " Watch out for the shadows of monsters which hang from the ceiling."

" Are those monsters in here too?" I asked.

" Wallmasters are classified as being undead, so you should expect them in a place like this," replied Spike.

" Maybe I'll wait for this one to fall down from the ceiling as I could do with some rupees as I used a lot to purchase those potions. You know, I don't think you ever told me what happens if a Wallmaster were to grab me when it drops in from above, or if you did then I've forgotten and now I need a refresher," I said.

" If they grab you, then they will drag you up into the shadows of the ceiling where you will end up back at the start of the dungeon," said Spike.

" Whoa! I didn't think they were capable of doing that," I said.

" It's this one unique trait which makes it one of the deadliest. Once it lands and begins to walk around on its fingers, a Wallmaster cannot drag you back to the beginning, but they can still cause some slight damage if you run into them by accident," said Spike. Keeping that information to heart, I stood still and waited for the shadow to appear on top of mine, and sure enough it started to appear.

I waited for a few moments before stepping aside just in time as the monster landed on the ground with no idea as to where I had gone, and it began to walk around in confusion. Seizing on the opportunity, I drew the Master Sword and slashed it in the back once which was enough to destroy it, and upon it burning away to nothing, it left behind three red rupees worth a total of 60.

" That should be enough money for a while as I'm bound to find some in treasure chests," I said.

" How did you pull off that impressive sword strike?" asked Spike.

" I'm not sure why I did it, but I had this urge to want to make a fancy attack," I replied.

" And here you say that you need more experience in using a sword," said Spike.

" No, I still need to because what I did is going to be useless against Ganondorf. Since I know that he was pretty strong seven years ago as I battled him one-on-one, he's probably even stronger now that he has the Triforce granting him the power of the Great Goddesses. To be honest Spike, I don't know if I have what it takes to defeat him. My transformation could give me an edge, but I need to control that by using it in a situation where I was prompted to change willingly rather than having no choice," I said.

" Perhaps you can change of your own free will here in the Shadow Temple," suggested Spike.

" All I need is the right kind of situation," I said.

" You could use it against Sunset Demon," suggested Spike.

" I'm not sure that I should even though it would be the best course of action, and that's because of the secrets that she seems to be keeping close to her. I was surprised when she told me that the Element of Magic's essence had somehow retained itself into her memory, so that gives her some additional magic that I don't even know about," I said.

" Is this Element you speak of something of great power?" asked Spike.

" It's one of six artefacts which have protected Equestria ever since they were first discovered over 1,000 years ago, yet while each one is capable of being used without need of the other five, all of them together can produce a magical force the likes of which can rival that of the Triforce. The Element of Magic unites the others together, and on its own can it unleash one's inner strength which is what happened when I used it to gain power.

Since Sunset Demon was able to retain the increase of magic that came from when I wore Princess Twilight's crown....she is even more dangerous than expected, and yet she hasn't chosen to use this power," I replied.

" Maybe she is restricted or something?" asked Spike.

" I don't know, but I hope that it doesn't end up giving her what she wants otherwise it will be the end of me," I replied. Just thinking about the she-demon and this new revelation of her abilities made me feel really nervous, but so far all she has done is test me to determine my worth. My current power, combined with what she has would allow her to be able to conquer Equestria assuming that the Elements of Harmony are no longer available according to what Twilight said in one of her responses to my letters.

There was only one course of action that I could take at this point. I had to overcome all of her challenges, and then defeat her once and for all. With this resolution firmly entrenched in both my mind and heart, I turned my attention to crossing this pathway which went across a deep chasm. Just the thought of looking down was enough to make want to stay as close to the middle of the path as possible, and those guillotines weren't making things any easier. " So how do I make my way over without being sliced to pieces?"

" Time your jumps well by leaping when the blades are moving upward. Some are moving faster than others, so be careful that you don't move at the last minute. This would actually be a good time to use the Hover Boots as the additional seconds of floating in the air could give you an advantage," replied Spike.

" But if I get hit while wearing them then who knows where I'll end up because of their lack of traction," I said.

" With great risk comes great reward they say," said Spike. It was hard to argue with him on that, so I switched over to the Hover Boots where I almost fell over due to the sudden decrease in traction, and having to run on the spot quickly just to maintain my balance. The blades were moving up and down at random speeds, so I had to focus on one at a time while ignoring the rest until I reach them. There were only three of them in my way, but that is still more than enough to make this a challenge for me.

When the first one struck the ground and began to rise, I ran underneath it where I came to a stop in front of the second one which was on the other side of a small gap that I saw before upon entering this large room.

" Do you hear something coming from below?" I asked.

" I don't know what it is, but the temperature has suddenly increased a little bit," replied Spike.

" Maybe it's a burst of flame, but why would be here of all places?" I asked. A few moments later, and I got my answer in the form of a flaming skull which came out from the darkness where I managed to dodge it in time by jumping slightly to the side. It bounced around a couple of times before jumping back down into the abyss. " That monster was from the Fire Temple, but what is it doing here?"

What attacked me was a Red Bubble which comes out of lava filled areas and bounces all over before eventually submerging back into the lava again. " I know that it's an undead monster and all, but this is just ridiculous!"

" I'm surprised that you could hear it all the way up here," said Spike.

" My hearing is surprisingly good," I said. With that little incident out of the way, I resumed watching the second guillotine in order to find the right moment for me to go underneath it after hovering across the gap. This blade moved up and down a little faster than the previous one, so I was thinking of making my move as it was coming down so that I had some extra time.

Once I saw the guillotine drop, I ran over the gap thanks to the Hover Boots, although I did struggle to get started due to the traction, and underneath the second blade which left me with one more to go, and it looked like I could easily go over it by floating across. " Do you think it's possible for me to make it past the final blade by running over it because of the floating given unto me by these boots?"

" The top of a guillotine blade isn't sharp but is rather flat, so it would be possible," replied Spike.

" And that's what I was hoping to hear," I said.

" Before you do anything Sunset Shimmer, can you see the piece of paper that's lying on that platform?" asked Spike.

" Is there one over there?" I asked. I looked in front at the platform in question, and sure enough there was a scrap of paper which must have been left by Applejack when she came by this way earlier. That meant picking it up was necessary, for I'm sure that she wrote down something helpful. " I don't know why, but that platform seems a little too easy as though stepping onto it is going to be problematic."

" It does look a little suspicious, but then you need to get onto it if you want to both progress and claim that paper," said Spike.

" Guess I'll just deal with whatever happens," I sighed. The third blade moved a lot slower than the other two, so it was going to be easy to go over the top of it through the use of the Hover Boots. When the blade started to drop, I immediately ran over by hovering along for a few seconds enabling me to bypass it, yet the hover effect wore off and I fell quite rapidly before just barely making it onto the platform.

" That was way too close for comfort as I could have missed, and plummeted into the abyss! These boots could kill me if I'm not careful, so I'll switch back to my regulars for the time being." When I walked forward, a large shadow appeared on the ground in front of me, and from the ceiling came down a Stalfos which made my face turn pale. " No....no-no-no....no, no....no....no, no-no.....I was hoping to have to never see one of these again after what happened back in the Forest Temple."

" Stalfos are undead monsters, so they do fit in with this theme," said Spike.

" But you know how I struggled especially against the two that were able to regenerate themselves," I said.

" And you're about to get a refresher course," said Spike. As I tried to figure out what he was talking about, the Stalfos jumped into the air before striking me with its sword. The scream that I made in response was pretty blood-curdling not to mention the blow reopened the wound I got from the scythes, but I had to get away before I get hit by its sword again, so my first instinct was to jump to safety.

The Stalfos followed me and managed to get in one more sword strike before it walked off of the other platform and plummeted into the abyss below. This second blow was pretty weak as it merely nicked me on my leg, but the wound to my side was really painful, so I had no other choice but to use another red potion in order to stop the bleeding.

" Gahhhh! I can't believe that I've had to use another potion, and I'm not even at the location where that ferry is," I moaned.

" That wound of yours is going to be quite the problem especially if monsters continue to exploit it," said Spike.

" Which is why I think Sunset Demon wanted me to get hit because she knew that it would cause me to struggle, and that it would force me to use another of my potions which I need to conserve as much as possible," I said. As I drank the second potion, the wound on my side stopped bleeding and the medicinal process closed it back up, but I was still feeling pretty upset knowing that I was now down two potions with only one more left for healing purposes.

My Zora Tunic had certainly seen better days, but I wanted to keep wearing it as I liked the colour blue as it compliments with my hair colour. " I am surprised that Stalfos decided to walk off of the edge, and fall down into the abyss."

" They may be powerful undead warriors, but their intelligence is severely lacking," said Spike.

" I'm to assume that more of them are lurking about further ahead?" I asked.

" Chances of that are pretty high," replied Spike.

" Figures, so it looks like I need to be extra careful as I need that remaining red potion to last me until I reach the shadow beast. Once I've gotten that far, I can create a warp point by using Farore's Wind, and then follow up with one of Sheik's songs where I can warp somewhere and resupply myself with more potions. When I come back into the temple, I can instantly make my way back to the location of the beast using the warp point," I said.

" You just need to make it to the shadow beast first," said Spike.

" And at the rate I'm going right now, I'll need a miracle because there is still much more of the temple that I need to explore. These bottom two basement levels comprise of the majority of the dungeon, so it feels like I'm now beginning this place properly. I really could do with a suggestion on where to go next as I can see two possible directions we can take from me," I said.

There was some kind of alcove tucked away to the right of the platform I was standing on, yet I wondered how I was supposed to make it across those large gaps between the platforms. Not even the Hover Boots would enable me to make it that far. To the left of me was a rather thin pathway which split into two directions with one leading to a platform which moved back and forth, and the other that opened up into a large area where I could see silver rupees scattered about.

" Perhaps getting that piece of paper would be a good idea?" asked Spike.

" I almost forgot about it," I replied. I jumped over back to the previous platform where the paper was still waiting, so I picked it up without a second thought. " No doubt that this is also from Applejack as the symbol of the Sheikah is on top of the sheet, so let's see what she has to say. 'I am impressed that you have been able to survive the trials of this temple, but you should know that not all rooms are necessary for you to explore.

There is a room that lies beyond the platforms which lead up to it, yet it is not required for all that lies there is a golden spider of the curse, so unless you have been hunting them down, this is a chamber which you can avoid. The pathway that you must take involves reaching a room where you must protect yourself with stone, and you will need the eye of truth to progress further.' That was certainly informative, but there was one thing which makes me feel confused."

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" What did Applejack mean when she said golden spider of the curse?" I asked.

" I had a feeling you were going to ask about that, and I'm surprised that it hasn't been brought up before until now. You know how we've seen Skulltulas, Big Skulltulas, and Skullwalltulas with the latter being slightly rare? Well, there is a variation which is even rarer in that only 100 of them are known to exist in the world at this point in time.

Gold Skulltulas are infamous for being the source of a powerful curse that can change people into Skulltulas themselves, and it always has to do with having too much greed in their lives. While they won't attack you, running into them can cause serious damage, yet they are oblivious to all other monsters," replied Spike.

" Only 100 of them are known to exist?" I asked.

" They have existed for centuries, yet only 100 can appear at a certain time within the span of a few decades. Considering how far we've come on this journey, and the likelihood of going back to all of the places we've seen including the dungeons, this is something that we'll have to ignore because it's too late to even begin it.

If you were to hunt them down, they only come at night for they are nocturnal in nature, and for some reason they love soft soil and are known for hiding in such places," replied Spike.

" Yeah, it's too late to begin something like this as I would have considered it had we started at the beginning instead of now," I said.

" So that means we can ignore that room to the right as Impa said that it's one to avoid," said Spike.

" Looks like we're going to need to collect those silver rupees as I'm sure they will lead us to the correct path," I said. Jumping over to the next platform which was rising and lowering now, I jumped again and landed on the thin walkway which was exactly that. One wrong step would mean falling to my death, so this required walking slowly instead of running.

The silver rupees were as clear as day as well as the Beamos located in the center of this expanded area, yet I could only count four rupees present which meant that the fifth one must be hiding within the monster. Taking out another bomb from my Bomb Bag, I tossed it at the Beamos which blew it up, and right where it used to be was the rupee I needed.

Now it was just a matter of picking them all up. " You know, I've been curious as to who placed these silver rupees in here, and made it so that you need to collect all five in order to proceed to the next area."

" It never became apparent until we entered the Ice Cavern as that was the first time you had to solve such a puzzle," said Spike.

" Do you suppose Ganondorf's followers did this as a way of testing my resolve by taking it one step further?" I asked.

" Most likely although their intention did backfire because collecting the silver rupees counts as adding more to your wallet, so in that sense you're solving a puzzle and getting rich in the process. In any case, getting these rupees is really easy as they're all in such a close-knit area, but you still need to avoid the ancient trap which is spinning around in a circle at an incredible speed," replied Spike.

" You said that those traps were placed here long ago right?" I asked.

" They've been here since before any of us were even born, and they still function so don't take them too lightly," replied Spike. It didn't take me too long to collect all five silver rupees, and doing so caused iron bars to raise thus unblocking a previously inaccessible route. I quickly looked out in front of me to see how the moving platform operated, and that's when I noticed a locked door in the distance.

I deduced that this newly opened path will lead to a small key as the other way had been declared pointless. Walking down this path which turned to the left and then to the right, it opened up into a room where there were two platforms rising and lowering with a bed of spikes underneath each of them.

Judging from how fast they were moving, the chances of making it through were pretty good, but that was when I realized the true nature of this room. There were a couple of ledges that were way too high for me to reach, and I doubt that I can climb onto these spiked platforms without getting myself hurt in the process.

" According to her letter, Applejack said that we needed to use stone in order to protect ourselves," I said.

" Stone? I don't think you'll be able to make use of the gravel around here as it isn't fine enough to make something out of it," said Spike.

" Unless she was referring to using it in a different manner," I said. That's when I saw a sign nearby which looked out of place, but I was curious as to what it said so I walked over and read it. " One who has the eye of truth will be able to see and use the stone umbrella in order to protect themselves from the rain of spikes. Well, that explains pretty much everything that we need to do in this room although you'd think that it could have been a little more cryptic than that?

I shouldn't complain really as I do like it when the situation explains itself." I then raised the Lens of Truth to my eye, and I saw a fairly large stone block which must be the umbrella. This is what I need to use to reach the ledges above me, so the question came down to figuring out how to get the block to the other side without being smashed to pieces by the spiked platforms.

" There's a message on the other side of the sign," said Spike.

" Can you read it?" I asked.

" It's written in some kind of weird language," replied Spike.

" Let me take a look at it then," I said. The message was written in ancient Equestrian which was a sure sign that Sunset Demon had been here previously, but why would she choose to leave this here, and not want to make me go through another one of those magical duels of hers? I should be grateful that Princess Celestia taught me how to read and write in ancient Equestrian otherwise I'd be clueless, but it has been a while since I last read such script.

" I'm waiting for you further ahead Sunset Shimmer, but I thought I'd treat you to another duel only without my presence this time around. This room has been altered by my magic where you will be bombarded by the spikes that you can see on the columns that constantly smash into the ground. The instant you move that hidden block, the spikes will launch at you in an endless barrage until you have acquired what you need to proceed further.

Every time a set of spikes comes your way, they will quickly replace themselves with more, and the process will repeat itself. No doubt that you're probably furious, but I'm sure you can get through this."

" Quite the problem she has given you," said Spike.

" Somehow, I'm not surprised but I suppose I should be a little annoyed that she went and did this," I said.

" This does make getting through the room more difficult than before, for you need that stone block on the other side of the spiked platforms in order to reach the ledges above you, so it looks like you will need to use your magic for defensive purposes," said Spike.

" How would I go about doing that?" I asked.

" Only you can answer that question," replied Spike.

" I could use fireballs to destroy each of the spikes as they come, but that would require me to conjure up at least two dozen of them every 30 seconds or so. So there goes that idea along with any other revolving around knocking them out of the sky. Or, I could go with surrounding myself with a veil of fire that can boost my defence, but that only slows down the inevitable wounds I'll be receiving, and I need to conserve this final potion at all costs. Guess that leaves me with few options left," I said.

" What about using earth magic for a change? We are underground after all, so you have access to all kinds of rock sediments which you can use to create an extension of the umbrella tactic you need to apply to make your way through this obstacle. Or better yet, use earth magic to encase yourself in a sturdy rock shield although you'll need plenty of upper body strength if you hope to be able to keep it from dropping and shattering," said Spike.

How could I have forgotten about earth magic? Then again, I haven't used it since the Forest Temple, so now would be as good a time as any to see what kind of shield I can create. Since the block in question was hidden to my left behind a false wall, it just came down to using the surrounding sediments to craft a good enough shield.

Concentrating as hard as I could, I began to pull in some rocks although it did look like I was about to smash myself to pieces as they came careening into me. The Shadow Temple is certainly no stranger when it came to rocks and dirt, for I was able to get all of the pieces necessary to create a shield which would protect me from the spikes.

" This is certainly a lot heavier than I thought," I said as I struggled to not fall over.

" You'll need to quickly get adjusted otherwise you might not be able to get the block to where it needs to go," said Spike.

" I never really knew that I was capable of using magic like this," I said.

" Sunset Demon probably had an idea," began Spike.

" You mean she was aware that I could use create an earthen shield from rocks and dirt?" I asked.

" Remember that she wishes for you to meet her expectations. Anyone can use magic without a care in the world, yet it takes a true talent to be able to not only cast the basic and complex spells, but also creating one's own customized enchantments to truly make them stand out from everyone else. Because you went and used earth magic in such a way, Sunset Demon now knows that you are capable of doing so much more, and that will make her desire your life even more than ever," replied Spike.

" She had no intention of seeing me get hurt by this obstacle," I said.

" That does seem to be the case," said Spike.

" Guess the she-demon was more cunning than I gave her credit for, and she did place me in a situation where I had to resort to using my magic like this. Now I'm starting to understand what these magical duels are as they consist of both magical and weapon based challenges. Sunset Demon wants me to become stronger so that my skills will be next to perfect when she tries to kill me in the future to claim my life as her own," I said.

It was all beginning to make sense to me in that she was testing me because she wanted me to become even more powerful....to the point where any and all worlds would be hers for the taking. The fight she had against me in the Water Temple wasn't on her terms as she was forced to act as Ganondorf's servant, but now she was free to do things her way. Knowing the truth behind her actions, I had no choice but to keep on going as Applejack must be rescued if Hyrule is to have any hope of survival.

Grabbing at the nearby wall which allowed me to pull the block out from its hiding place, the spikes on the platforms started to fire at me through magical detection. The shield which I created absorbed the spikes as they collided against it, but the shrapnel being produced was a sign that this wasn't a permanent thing for my protection can only last for so very long.

" If you can push the block forward so that it prevents both platforms from crashing into the ground, you can quickly get around to the other side and pull it the rest of the way although you'll need to be quick," said Spike.

" Time to see just how strong I can really be," I said as I pushed the block forward while being pelted with spikes. Once the platforms were unable to reach the ground, I waddled around where the barrage suddenly started to increase which made no sense at first, but then I realized that Sunset Demon had once again thrown a twist which I didn't account on happening.

That meant my earthen shield was going to take even more punishment, so I had to pick up the pace before it crumbled to pieces. I grabbed the block and pulled it as hard as I could until I couldn't pull it anymore, but by that time my shield had really taken many blows from the spikes, and when another barrage connected, it broke into pieces leaving me both dirty and vulnerable.

" You needed that to happen anyway, for I don't think you would've been able to climb onto the block with so much weight bogging you down," said Spike.

" I could have managed as now I'm about to get spiked, and I'm sorry for the pun," I said.

" Just climb up quickly and jump on top of one of those platforms," said Spike. As the barrage continued with me having to dodge like mad and concentrate on what I was doing at the same time, I climbed onto the rock where I had to make some crazy dance moves just to avoid the spikes by the skin of my teeth.

I noticed a treasure chest was located on one the ledges which I couldn't reach until now, but I needed to think fast as there was also a rusty looking switch in front of it. The chest could contain the small key, but that would be a little too easy, so perhaps the switch was the way to go instead.

" I'm going for the switch," I said.

" It's rusty so use the Megaton Hammer to activate it," said Spike. When the platform started to go up again, I jumped onto it and immediately leapt across to the ledge where the switch was located. The barrage of spikes continued and I dodged them all by running around in a circle a few times before I was able to pull out the hammer which forced me to come to a stop.

Slamming the hammer down onto the rusty switch and activating it caused another small treasure chest to drop down from nowhere on the other side of the room, but before I could react to what happened, I found myself being pelted by another set of spikes. While the damage inflicted was minimal, it was still inconvenient so I jumped onto the platform again, and leapt to the other ledge where I kicked the chest open and revealed a small key.

" That was a lot more difficult than it needed to be," I said as I was breathing heavily.

" But you managed to overcome the challenge by using your magic in a creative way despite having benefitted Sunset Demon's twisted desires. With that small key in your possession, the magic which was used to make the spikes shoot out at you has come to an end, so now this room is back to the way it was," said Spike.

" Those spikes weren't as painful as it appeared, so I can keep going without needing to heal," I said.

" From what we've seen so far, the Shadow Temple is a lot more dangerous because of the she-demon playing her games," said Spike.

" If she had been destroyed like I originally assumed, this would have been a much easier experience," I said.

" And yet she was able to survive because of what she is capable of," said Spike.

" Because of my own selfish desires in wanting Twilight's crown and Element of Harmony, Sunset Demon's very existence is a result of what I perceived was the ideal goal in life, yet all it's done for me is produce a living nightmare; a reminder of the pain and suffering I've endured. I must do what is necessary to end this dark chapter of my life otherwise I'll never be able to overcome it," I said.

" What are you going to do?" asked Spike.

" I'll continue doing these challenges because taking the direct approach of outright destroying her isn't an option because the dark nature of this temple will keep on bringing her back endlessly. If I prove myself enough to her, she will choose to leave of her own free will, and that would allow me the chance to defeat her once and for all at a later location.

I also need to find and defeat the shadow so as to break the curse on the temple, and restoring back to a less than current evil state. It sounds like I'm giving myself a lot of pressure what with having to deal with so much, but this is what is expected of me given that I am the chosen hero," I replied.

" Something you've reluctantly accepted," added Spike.

" Oh I still wish that someone more qualified could have done this instead of me, but I won't give up now not when we're nearing the end," I said.

" Hyrule is in safe hands with you doing all you can to save it," said Spike.

" Where do we go from here?" I asked.

" It's back to the previous area where we need to find a locked door," replied Spike.

" And I happen to know the location of the door, so it shouldn't take long for us to get there," I said. Making my way back to the large area and avoiding the Beamos which re-spawned, I walked over to the thin pathway and carefully treaded over to the other direction where the moving platform was.

It looked like I had to somehow make it from the platform to the alcove which houses the door, but how can I reach it? " I don't think I can reach it Spike even with the Hover Boots which is probably what I need to use to make it across. Even if I got a running start to give me an extra boost, it's still not going to be enough."

" Perhaps there's more to this than what can be seen," said Spike.

" That gives me an idea," I said. I raised the Lens of Truth to my eye, and there was another platform moving back and forth. " No wonder it make sense, yet it's moving faster than the other one, so I need to make my way over to the door at just the right time." I chose to keep the lens activated for I needed to see where the platform was, and when it passed by the visible platform, I made a mad dash across the first one and onto the second just as it was starting to move back the other way again.

As this one moved over to where the alcove was, I dashed over with the Hover Boots allowing me to cross without jumping, but the lack of traction slipped me up where I crashed into the locked door. After spending a few moments on the floor due to falling down from the impact, I got back onto my feet and changed back to my regular boots.

" I've got a feeling that I'm going to be colliding with all kinds of inanimate objects by the time this journey is done." Using the key to unlock the door, I entered the next room which was pretty large with another locked door on a raised platform in front of me. There was a door to my left which was locked with iron bars, and more silver rupees were scattered about. Finally, two Re-Deads were flanking either side of the room, and showed no signs of wanting to attack me.

" Silver rupee challenges seem to be a consistent theme," commented Spike.

" Seeing as this is the third time we've encountered such a puzzle," I said.

" There is more to this room than meets the eye as there is nothing here aside from the monsters and the rupees," said Spike.

" Unless we can't see what else lies within this room," I said as I walked forward before wincing in pain due to my stomach coming into contact with something sharp. I reached out with my hand in order to feel whatever hit me, and the sharpness of a spike is what I felt. Using the Lens of Truth, I was shocked to discover that there were numerous spiked sections throughout the room.

" Look at all of those spikes! If I had taken one more step, I would have been impaled instantly! This is going to make progressing a little more difficult." Looking around with the lens, I could see that some of the silver rupees were placed on top of the spikes, so how was I supposed to grab them without getting hurt?

There was also some in the air which required the use of the Longshot, and that's when I noticed that some Hookshot plates on the walls of the room were also invisible which was an extra problem. " How do I go about solving this puzzle?"

" The two Re-Deads need to be taken care of as they will drain your life energy. A simple use of the Sun's Song will paralyze them, and you can then follow it up with strikes from the Master Sword. As for the silver rupees, this may sound crazy, but perhaps it's possible to walk on top of the spiked sections through the use of the Hover Boots," suggested Spike.

" That is crazy," I said.

" And perhaps your best option?" asked Spike.

" You made your point," I replied. I took out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, and played the Sun's Song which paralyzed the Re-Deads. While they were unable to do anything during this brief moment, I slashed them with the Master Sword although I almost fell over after defeating the second one. My skills with the sword are getting better, but it isn't anything worth celebrating about considering the blunders I still commit. Why this blade insists on accepting me as its master remains to be seen.

" Now you need to collect the silver rupees," said Spike.

" What about the treasure chest that just materialized over there?" I asked.

" It must have appeared when both Re-Deads were defeated," replied Spike.

" Then that means the silver rupees will unlock the door to the left, but that doesn't give us the small key needed to proceed," I said.

" The room beyond the barred door houses what you need."

" WAAAAH!" I shouted due to Octavia and DJ Pon-3 suddenly appearing next to me, and it had been a long time since I was scared like that. This room must have been one where the light can reach enabling them to appear, so maybe now Octavia is feeling better considering how she felt last time after I said some choice words.

" Sorry for screaming like that as I do get scared quite easily especially when someone appears in front of me just like that. I had no idea this room was where you and your sister could be called again, but I'm glad that you're here as I could do with some help."

" You've come quite a ways since our last meeting Sunset Shimmer, but know that Flat and I didn't come here to offer you help because we both feel you'll be able to figure things out on your own. No, we came here because we wanted to share with you some information about the shadow beast," said Octavia.

" Does it explain what needs to be done to defeat it?" I asked.

" It does, but only to an extent for no one has ever managed to destroy the beast. Many have tried, but all have failed because they weren't able to see its weak point. Only a few were able to escape and tell their tales, but the experience changed them forever, and vowed to never encounter the beast again. The Lens of Truth which you hold in your possession is the only thing which can reveal the shadow's form, and even then you will still need to figure out how to expose its weak point.

For some strange reason, the shadow beast's hands can be seen so perhaps that might give you some ideas on what to do. Also, I can confirm that it's gigantic in size for the few who survived recall seeing its true form before it vanishes where it proceeds to attack. Why it does this is a mystery, but maybe it's a means of striking intimidation," replied Octavia.

" You certainly have a lot of knowledge about it considering you were a composer in life," I said.

" My sister and I did some research on the shadow beast as per the request of Lady Impa, but there was much we couldn't figure out because the texts we read were written in the language of the ancient Hylia. What little we did uncover was given to her, and after that we resumed our original task of trying to uncover the secrets of the royal family," said Octavia.

She then turned to DJ Pon-3 who gave a thumbs up which meant I had been told the truth, and knowing this gives me a slight advantage against the shadow beast. I figured the Lens of Truth was going to be necessary, but surely there had to be more than that, and that's when the mute sister came over to me all of a sudden. At first I thought she was acting crazy when she pretended she was beating some drums, but then I thought maybe she was trying to tell me something in her own fashion.

" It looks like Flat is pretending to be a drummer," I said.

" Drummer? I have no idea what that word means, but my younger sister has reminded me of an important fact. The lair of the shadow beast consists of a large circular platform which vibrates immensely should a heavy force slam down onto it. This does sound strange I know, but those who returned revealed this information, and we later confirmed it in our research.

Sunset Shimmer, there is more to the shadow beast than words alone can describe, so you must find and destroy it using what knowledge you have learned, and your skills as a warrior," said Octavia.

" I need to reach its lair first," I said.

" The light is growing weaker, so that means my sister and I have to take our leave once again. There is only one more room in the temple where we will be able to reach you, so hopefully by then will you have gotten closer to where you must go. Beware of the darkness that lies ahead for it will test you to the limits of endurance, and you must overcome it otherwise it will claim you," said Octavia.

Both she and DJ Pon-3 then disappeared into the ground as the light faded, and what they revealed was going to be extremely helpful when the time comes.

" What do you make of all that Spike?" I asked.

" A lot of people in Kakariko Village be they alive or dead have a huge stake in all of this Sunset Shimmer, and their fates are in your hands. While we do now know what we're going to be facing, there are some details which need to be clarified. Perhaps another one of the letters Impa has been leaving behind will give us a clue, or maybe we can uncover something on our own.

Either way, we have to be fully prepared as it sounds like the shadow beast is going to be the strongest monster you have faced thus far in your journey. The Lens of Truth is the key to our victory, so make sure you keep it close to you at all times," replied Spike.

" Guess we should just continue on like before, and that means collecting those silver rupees," I said.

" Again, I suggest using the Hover Boots to grab the ones on top of the spiked sections," said Spike. I grabbed the lens from my belt where I held it up to my eye to see all of the spiked sections again, and kept it there as I took the Longshot out and switched boots. I proceeded to walk on top of the spikes where I picked up the first two silver rupees, and then I fired at the now visible Hookshot plate to snag the next two rupees before having to make my way to the over side of the room.

The final rupee was tucked away in a dark corner which made me feel suspicious, but collecting it unlocked the door which had been previously covered with iron bars, so I walked over there before switching back to my regular boots and entering the next room.

" What is that?" I asked.

" It looks like some kind of giant pot in the form of a skull," replied Spike.

" Why would something like this be down here?" I asked.

" You do remember where we are don't you? This sort of thing is pretty common in the Shadow Temple, but it does give me an idea as to the location of the small key we need. It may be possible to destroy this pot, but you would need to do so from the inside as it looks to be impervious on the outside. If you can climb up those ledges over there until you get to the top, you should have a clear shot at destroying it by using something like a bomb," replied Spike.

" Are you sure the key is inside of it?" I asked.

" Your fairy partner is certainly knowledgeable since a lot of his ideas are theories based on what he's heard." I instantly recognized that voice as belonging to Sunset Demon, and sure enough she appeared on top of the giant pot where she sat down on the edge of its opening before crossing her legs. " I'm surprised at how creative you were in my previous challenge by making a shield from rocks and dirt. I knew you'd survive because you are the Hero of Time and all."

" I'm not going to play anymore of your games," I said.

" So you finally figured it out," said Sunset Demon.

" It took me a while to piece everything together, and of course Spike was there to help me understand your motives," I said.

" Well, I still intend on having you face the rest of my magical duels, for you really don't have much of a choice in the matter. You will become stronger when you've finished, and when the time comes for me to claim your life as my own, I'll be even more powerful than I am now. No world shall be able to resist my power, and they will all fall to me starting with Equestria," said Sunset Demon.

She snapped her finger, and a small key rose up from inside of the pot before it floated down into her open palm. Once she had it in her possession, she immediately tossed it over to me where it landed on the ground, and I proceeded to pick it up. I then turned around in the hopes of being able to leave this room, but to my dismay the door had iron bars blocking it.

" Those bars are a natural mechanism of this room, so don't blame me for it as I did nothing. Of course, my magic is keeping them down as collecting that key causes them to rise up again."

" Then let me go as I have no plans on continuing with your so-called duels," I said.

" Again, you have no choice because the Shadow Temple is a place where I call the shots! This next challenge is really simple, for all you have to do is destroy this giant pot. Of course, it isn't going to be easy especially when the snap of my finger causes it to suddenly be filled with acid which will erupt when it reaches the top, and splash its contents all over you.

I'd say that you have about one minute to make your way up here before things take a turn for the worse, but things are going to get worse right now as I'm going to be conjuring up walls of flame to slow you down," said Sunset Demon.

" That's taking it to the realm of being unfair," I said.

" Something like this is nothing to you Sunset Shimmer, so I expect you to overcome this duel using your wits. Your time limit will begin the instant I snap my finger again, and that would be right about now," said Sunset Demon. Upon finishing her explanation, she snapped her finger which caused firewalls to appear on each of the ledges leading up to the top one, and then I heard the sound of something gurgling within the pot. I only had one minute to overcome this sadistic challenge otherwise I'm going to have the worst bath of my life....

To Be Continued.

Chapter 59: The Living Armour and the Desert Fate

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 11, 2015
Chapter 59: The Living Armour and the Desert Fate.

" The plan to draw away Nabooru has been successful," laughed Trixie.

" I take it that she was convinced to travel back to the entrance of the Spirit Temple?" asked Chrysalis.

" It was easy enough to accomplish when I remembered how strong her hearing is compared with the rest of the Gerudo. Also, because she is a noble thief who desires to help anyone in need, there was no way that she would stay away. I will admit though my sister that it did take some strong magic to be able to project an image of someone who has entered the temple to seek help," replied Trixie.

" And here I assumed that you were merely using a form of deception," said Chrysalis.

" Nabooru may be a lot of things Kotake, but an idiot is not one of them. She would have figured it out immediately had I used deceitful means. The one that she is going to assist is a Hylian as conjured by my magic, and it will disappear once its task has been accomplished.

I need to maintain this spell for as long as possible, for the forest girl needs to reach the guardian otherwise she may attempt to go back and aid our traitorous friend," said Trixie.

" Of course, if she is killed before reaching the guardian, then you don't need to keep the spell going as it would just be a waste of magical energy. It appears she has been caught in the crossfire of Beamos statues, and I can sense that she is struggling to deal with the situation because of how many creatures are attacking her all at once.

I suspect she will overcome such odds, for she is someone who has constantly defied expectations. I had assumed she was going to die mere minutes after entering our temple, yet she is almost at the location of one of the sacred treasures hidden here. The loss of one such bauble means nothing to the Great Ganondorf, for he has eyes only on the Triforce, but it would look bad if we were to lose something of great value as the silver power, and even worse should the ultimate defence be lost," said Chrysalis.

" Then our suspicions are true about her having once had the keys to the Sacred Realm," said Trixie.

" It has become quite infuriating that we have been misjudging everything regarding this girl, and for that we would be viewed as even weaker if word of this humiliation were to reach the ears of the Great Ganondorf," said Chrysalis.

" What do you suggest Kotake?" asked Trixie.

" That we keep this little incident to ourselves Koume even if it means having to deceive him in the process. I am sure that he won't think any less of us in the future if we didn't let him know that a forest girl succeeded in worming her way through our temple. Anyway, we should resume our focus on Nabooru as she is the one who needs to be dealt with as we have a much better understanding of her.

Once she has reached her destination, you can cease with your spell, and we shall make our way down to the temple entrance. I doubt the former second-in-command will be able to escape before we get a hold of her," replied Chrysalis.

" I'm not sure if we should ignore the girl because of how unpredictable she has been," said Trixie.

" We'll deal with her once Nabooru has been taken care of, for you know the Great Ganondorf wishes for her to be put back in line. Her stunt at the castle where she ordered his vassals to return to the Gerudo's Fortress has infuriated him with her actions, and combined with what Spitfire revealed, he desires her to be adjusted if you will so that she will never betray him again," said Chrysalis.

" Then the only means which can ensure she remain loyal would be to brainwash her. While most of the Gerudo who thought they could betray the law have ended up succumbing to our magic, Nabooru is different because she has a strong spirit which means she is likely to resist the standard spell we use. We will need to use a more powerful spell if we are to keep her under control, yet just simply brainwashing her is not going to be enough," said Trixie.

" What did you have in mind?" asked Chrysalis.

" We could always change her into a monster and have her serve him that way," replied Trixie.

" That does seem like the logical solution to the problem," said Chrysalis.

" Of course, there is one problem we must address if we're to make all of this work Kotake. Even though she is no longer the second-in-command due to being exiled after her treachery was exposed, Nabooru still has a lot of respect among the Gerudo, and they are bound to notice something is wrong if she were to suddenly disappear without a reason. While she has disappeared at times to come here to get away from her problems before we took it, if she gone for too long, they will suspect foul play for certain.

We must spread some kind of rumour where she has decided to live in the desert, and refuses to return. As long as no one in the fortress decides to try and find out why she insists on staying away, we won't have to worry about a thing," laughed Trixie.

" Spitfire will make sure that all of them will fall in line," said Chrysalis.

" Now we need to go back to the problem of the forest girl," said Trixie.

" There is nothing we can do that will stop from her from fighting the guardian, so whether she lives or not means nothing for if the latter occurs, we will just revive her until she opens the entrance to the Sacred Realm. There is one other thing about her from my observations which may be a concern," said Chrysalis.

" What is it?" asked Trixie.

" Earlier, I said that she possessed a great deal of courage. I am sensing a rather faint power inside of her that appears to be resonating with one of the pieces of the Triforce. It does sound rather absurd Koume given no one has laid their hands on the golden power for centuries, yet I cannot deny what I am feeling as my readings have never been wrong before," replied Chrysalis.

" Then we shall look into this once we've finished with Nabooru," said Trixie.

Having all of these Beamos fire their laser beams at me all at once was rather intense, and it was a reminder that my reaction time really needed to get better. The most experienced hero would have deflected all of these lasers with the use of a shield, and while I was able to raise my shield to deflect the last lasers, I wasn't fast enough so I got hit by the first ones that reached me.

Spike wasn't kidding when he said that the lasers would be devastating, for each one that hit me felt like someone was striking various parts of my body using pinpoint accuracy. By the time this deadly stream came to an end, I was reeling from the wounds I had taken, and managed to find a good hiding spot which would keep me out of their line of sight.

Of course, I couldn't stay hidden forever as I had to come up eventually if I am to proceed to the next room. I really wish that I had left the temple long enough to get some potions, but doing that would have caught the attention of Rainbow Dash.

" I still think I could have gotten a potion or two without her noticing me," I moaned.

" Nabooru's sharp hearing would have detected her to your presence, and ensure that you never be allowed to enter this part of the temple again. Like I said, the Gerudo take their laws and legends seriously," said Spike.

" Which has become quite a problem given that those laser beams did hurt as you said they would." I said.

" You were lucky to have used your shield to protect yourself," said Spike.

" Not fast enough given that I got hit by the initial beams. I'm still feeling the smell of burnt flesh which isn't pleasant mind you, but the problem is that I've been wounded in places that restrict my movement until I can heal my injuries. My legs got hit, so right now I can't walk very well, and my right arm has also suffered which leaves me unable to use most of my weapons," I said.

" Can you still use your other arm?" asked Spike.

" It's perfectly fine," I answered.

" Then you'll be able to take these things down," said Spike. I'm not sure what idea he had in mind, but I was so desperate what with my condition being the way it is, I was willing to try anything. He suggested to use my good arm to toss Bombs at them making sure I take advantage of the terrain so as to avoid taking additional damage. It sounded dangerous because if their laser beams hit me a few more times, it will get me killed.

Just thinking about it was enough to make me feel sick, but I had to risk my life if I am to get through this room in one piece. I decided that the Beamos closest to the portcullis I entered the room from would be the best one to take out first, so I reached into my Bomb Bag where I suddenly had a thought.

" Would Bombchu work against a Beamos?" I asked.

" It should considering it's a mobile bomb, yet the problem is the angles of this room are against you," replied Spike.

" Plus, I need to know where I'm aiming otherwise it will just go off in a random direction, and those Beamos are waiting for me to reveal myself where they'll proceed to blast me with a barrage of lasers," I added.

" Guess bombs are your only option," said Spike. While I would have preferred to go with using my magic as it wouldn't require any movement from my body, these monsters are sadly immune to magic, so blowing them up was the only choice at my disposal. Taking out a bomb from my Bomb Bag, I tossed it over a wall I was pressing up against, and hoped that I was going to connect with something.

A few seconds later, and it exploded where I saw the head of a Beamos flying through the air before it too exploded, so that was one taken care of with a few more to go.

" Will the others know where I am now that I've destroyed one of them?" I asked.

" Despite being deadly with those laser beams, they have next to no intelligence to speak of. Their purpose is merely to act as a sentry, and attack anything that enters its line of sight by shooting a laser," replied Spike.

" It's going to take me a few moments to slide over to the next one as my legs are too wounded," I said. My legs felt like they were about to fall off because of how much pain they were in, but I knew that I must keep going and apply a grin and bear it approach. Sliding across the floor wasn't my idea of having fun, but it was all I could until my legs got better. Once again, I've only myself to blame because I didn't bother to get some potions prior to entering the temple, and as a result I'm paying for my mistake.

At least I can take solace in the fact that the other Beamos haven't detected me as I slowly slid over to where I could see another wall which I can use to hide. If any were to spot me right now while I'm at my most vulnerable....I'd rather not think about it. When I reached the wall, I looked up and there was one above me, and this made me feel really uneasy as I was right next to it.

" I hope that its laser beam doesn't travel this far down as I have no means to protect myself." I know that I have my Hylian Shield, yet I don't have enough strength to assume a fetal position, so deflecting any attacks isn't going to work, so using bombs is my only option until the room is clear of these monsters. Never have I felt this vulnerable before in my life, and this wasn't even the worst of what this temple was going to throw at me. No, there was much worse to come.

" The laser shouldn't reach you from this position, so you've actually found the ideal spot with which to avoid being hit," said Spike.

" At least that's one bit of good news," I said.

" Just be careful when you throw bombs otherwise it could bounce off a bad angle, and come back to you before exploding. You're not immune to your own bombs, so you could potentially die if you accidentally blow yourself up a few times," said Spike.

" Figured that would be the case," I sighed.

" Also, throw them straight away because they will blow up in your hands if held onto for too long," added Spike. I wish he could have told me this a long time ago, and when I wasn't in a lot of pain, for now I have to be even more careful unless I want the smell of exploding bombs all over me.

Taking out a bomb from my Bomb Bag, I tossed it up at a sharp angle hoping it would sail over the Beamos, and destroy it from the other side. At first it looked like it was going to drop back down on me and cause me some injury, but the curve at the apex was enough to have it land where I needed it to be. The bomb exploded and it took the monster down with it when it exploded followed by its head.

" That's another one down," I said.

" Now you have three more to go," said Spike.

" Guess I'd better keep going," I sighed. I repeated the process although against the third one I almost got blown up myself as the bomb landed a little too close to me which nearly gave me a heart attack. Then the one after that was blown up although this one required me to throw at least five bombs; a perfect reminder of how bad my aiming really was.

Now only one remained which meant I was almost finished with them. " Where is the last one located Spike? I'd look up and see where it is, but I'm afraid of it discovering me, and subsequently firing a laser my way."

" Give me a few moments to find out," suggested Spike.

" No! If you fly up then you're bound to get hit," I said.

" I'm going to be just fine," said Spike.

" And how do you figure that?" I asked.

" Fairies are small in size compared to other creatures in Hyrule, so laser beams fired from a Beamos won't hit us. Also, my kind are immune to laser fire which is an ability you probably wish that you had right now," replied Spike. Was he kidding me here!?!? He is unaffected by laser beams, and I have to suffer because I'm not a fairy? Irony can really be a cruel master when it decides to throw these curveballs at people, and this was perhaps one of the biggest ironic moments I've ever experienced.

He then flew upwards and saw that the last Beamos was on the other side of the room, yet it noticed him and fired a laser beam which went right through him without anything happening. If this was an unintentional moment of adding insult to injury, my pain had just gotten even worse. " It's on the other side of the room, so you'll need to slide a bit before you can reach it and administer a bomb."

" Sometimes I wish that I could have been brought here as a fairy," I moaned.

" If you had been, everything you've done to bring light back to the kingdom wouldn't have happened," said Spike.

" Yeah, I guess you're right," I said.

" Once this last Beamos has been destroyed, you can relax for a while until some of those wounds of yours heal. Lucky for you, those laser beams didn't cut deep, so it's not like you're going to be losing any limbs or anything like that," said Spike. That may have been a relief on my part, but I wish he hadn't said that as the thought of losing any body parts was just too gruesome to even think about.

I slid over to where the final one was, and even though it did fire its laser at me, I was able to avoid it and reached the safety spot right below. Taking out one last bomb from my Bomb Bag, I tossed it where it sailed over the monster, and exploded destroying it in the process where it left behind some additional bombs which I picked up.

" Finally, I can relax," I sighed.

" Until you have to solve the remaining puzzles in this room," added Spike. I had almost forgotten about those, but I could now take my time given the main threat has been taken care of. Still, I need these wounds to heal before I can do anything, so it looks like I'm going to be sitting here for a while. It would take roughly half an hour before I could move any of my body parts that were wounded, for waiting around allowed me to heal a little bit.

With all of the Beamos now gone, I could now see what this room was really like, so I took the liberty of walking around and seeing what else needed to be done. The silver rupees were in pretty easy locations compared to previous situations where I had to use unusual tactics to get my hands on them, and the large number of unlit torches were suspicious. That's when I discovered the sun switch, and it was attached to the top of a block, so that means it needs to be dragged over to where the sunlight is shining.

" So what do you think I should do first?" I asked.

" The sun switch seems to be the most obvious thing to get out of the way," replied Spike.

" Yeah, I was thinking of that myself," I said.

" I hope you've got your strength back as you need to pull one block out of the way before you can get to the one that has the switch located on it," said Spike. It turns out he was right as the block I need to expose to the sunlight was behind another one, so that meant I needed some strength otherwise I won't be able to push and/or pull anything. Grabbing the first block with my hands, I pulled it along a short distance before pushing it out of the path of the one I need to place into the sunlight.

Then I started pulling this on, and when it got basked in the sunlight, the switch glowed where it opened its eyes wide before showcasing its grin which I still felt was creepy to see. This resulted in the iron bars rising up allowing me to finally move on, yet I still have these silver rupees and torches to deal with.

" The doors are open, yet it feels like I need to do more," I said.

" I have a hunch that this is meant to trick you into moving forward, and perhaps leave behind something important," said Spike.

" Since there is no fire that can light these torches, and my own fire magic isn't going to work, it looks like collecting these silver rupees is what I need to do next. Maybe getting them all will cause one of the torches to ignite," I suggested.

" It's worth a try," said Spike. Some of the silver rupees were suspended in the air, so that meant having to jump off from the raised platform in the middle of the room, or I could pull one of the blocks and climb on top to pick them up that way. After thinking it over for a few seconds, I pulled one of the remaining blocks where it served as an additional platform for me to reach what I needed, so now I began collecting the rupees which didn't take as long as I was expecting.

At least this was giving me some extra money which I definitely needed because of being on the verge of death yet again! I wasn't having the best of luck when it comes to these dungeons as every time I entered one, I would be fighting for my life in one way or another, and the problem could be easily mitigated through the consumption of a potion. Upon collecting the final silver rupee, the one torch which stood out the most suddenly lit up, so now I have to light up the rest.

" Hopefully, I'll get a reward for lighting them up," I said.

" Do you have any Deku Sticks?" asked Spike.

" Why do I need those?" I asked.

" Without one, you have no way of spreading the lit torch around to the other ones," replied Spike.

" The last time I used one was back in Dodongo's Cavern, and I don't seem to recall picking any up since then," I said.

" Better check what you have in terms of equipment, because we're not going to be able to proceed without one," said Spike. If I was missing a mere stick which I apparently need to light up these torches, I'm going to be downright furious. I should be able to use my magic to light the torches, but the laws of this world prevent me from doing so. Once again, the way this world works just doesn't make sense where my own magic would work in the same manner as proper flames.

I walked over to where the lit torch was before sitting down, and started to go through my inventory hoping to find a Deku Stick somewhere on my person. I remember defeating a lot of monsters in the Kokiri Forest due to the curse afflicting the Forest Temple, and upon their defeat many dropped these sticks which I picked up, yet Spike said that I couldn't use them at the time because I was too old or something like that. That's when I pulled out a long stick from out of nowhere, so I assume that this was it.

" Looks like a have a Deku Stick," I said.

" That's a relief Sunset Shimmer, for I was afraid you didn't have one," said Spike.

" I collected some back when the forest was crawling with monsters due to the Forest Temple," I said.

" Ah yes, you defeated all of those Big Deku Babas which were dropping Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts like crazy. You couldn't use the former at the time, but now you can because this is the past where you had access to weapons used by children," said Spike.

" Hopefully this stick will last long enough," I said.

" It takes about ten seconds for a Deku Stick to burn away to nothing should you light it on fire, yet you can keep the stick active if you keep on lighting up torches until you've finished, and then you can just let it burn," said Spike.

" You know, I'm curious if these sticks have any other purpose," I said.

" They can be used as a substitute for a sword, yet they instantly break if it comes into contact with anything. In fact, a Deku Stick has the same amount of power as the Master Sword which does sound shocking, but it's only when you perform a jump attack. Using regular attacks makes it as powerful as a slightly stronger Kokiri Sword, but you can only carry around so many sticks," said Spike.

I wish that he could have told me that back when I was first starting out on this journey as I could have used a few Deku Sticks as a means of getting used to using a sword, and not wind up struggling for a great period of time upon claiming the Master Sword. Sighing heavily, I took out a stick, and plunged it into the lit torch before running around and lighting the rest in a quick fashion which caused a small treasure chest to drop down from the ceiling.

" I hope this is worth it," I said.

" It should be given what you had to do in order to get it," said Spike.

" I'm going to take a guess and say that this chest contains a key," I said. I then made my way over to where it had dropped down, and kicked it open which indeed revealed a small key. I had a hunch that I needed it almost straight away, so I placed it in my pocket before walking to the portcullis which I didn't enter this room from. When I opened it and walked into the next room, I was faced with a flight of stairs that went up to a portcullis with a padlock on it, so it was a good thing that I solved all those puzzles.

There was nothing of particular note about this room, yet I felt a feeling of dread that something powerful was waiting for me in the room beyond. It's as though this room were created as a rest area before moving on, and having to face impossible odds. Knowing there was no other choice, I began to walk up the stairs until my foot kicked something. " Huh? My foot just hit some kind of invisible object."

" I did hear a knocking sound," said Spike.

" Do you suppose it could be a hidden treasure chest?" I asked.

" Maybe, but we won't know for certain until you can see it with your own eyes," replied Spike. That was the signal to take out the Lens of Truth, and it had been a while since it was last used. When I raised it to my eye, the chest in question did appear, and there was another one located on the opposite side, and hopefully one of them will give me some much need health as even though my wounds have healed somewhat, I'm still feeling pretty weak.

Kicking open the first chest revealed a recovery heart which was a good start, for a small portion of my strength came back upon collecting it, and when I went over to kick the second chest open, I took out a second recovery heart making me feel even better when I picked it up. It may not be entirely enough to restore my health back to full, but it was better than nothing. If these chests had contained rupees, I would have been disappointed, but only slightly as money can get me potions later.

" My body is still recovering from the laser beams from the previous room," I said.

" Yet you need to keep going," said Spike.

" I know, and that will make things more difficult," I sighed. After putting the lens away, I walked up to the portcullis and unlocked it using the small key. In the next room, I discovered that it was filled with pillars of solid stone which made me feel like I was in some kind of shrine and were arranged in a symmetrical pattern.

The room quickly turned to the left where I followed it along before coming face-to-face to what appeared to be a rather crude looking throne made of bricks, but it was what was sitting on the throne which made my face turn pale.

Sitting there was a heavily armoured figure wielding a massive axe, yet he wasn't moving an inch as though he weren't alive. I could feel a terrible power emanating from this figure, and it made me want to turn around and head back the other way, but the portcullis I entered from had iron bars blocking my way, and the other portcullis behind the throne also had iron bars. " This figure looks awfully familiar to me as though I've seen it somewhere before."

" It should remind you of what we saw at the end of the Haunted Wasteland," said Spike.

" You mean this is a....?" I asked.

" An Iron Knuckle, yet this would be the normal version. What we saw out in the desert was definitely different from what we're seeing here, yet it's the same general monster. I already told you much about this creature, yet now I can tell you even more because we're looking at one. That axe its wielding will hurt a lot if it connects with you, and because of those injuries you sustained, this Iron Knuckle only needs to connect a few times in order to kill you.

Luckily, it moves slowly so it is easy to avoid its attacks, but again it will do a lot of damage should it connect. I do suggest not trying to attack it from behind as on occasion it will turn around to counter-attack, and you should know that it will use its axe to repel anything you try to use sometimes. It doesn't do it all the time mind you, yet don't assume that it won't react in such a way because it will if it musters up enough intelligence to consider it," replied Spike.

" If I keep my distance, I'll make short work of this thing with my magic," I said.

" Your magic is useless against it because its armour is immune to any and all forms of magic," said Spike.

" Are you serious?" I asked.

" Not only that, but it's immune to projectile weapons although both bombs and Bombchu can be used, yet that's far too slow and will leave you vulnerable to its attacks. This means the Kokiri Sword is your only option, but you should know that when you hit Iron Knuckle, you're not actually causing any damage to it directly.

Instead, all you'll be doing is damaging the plate of the armour that surrounds the torso. Hit it enough times, and it will fall off where it will become vulnerable although you'll need to use your sword as it will still be immune to all of those things I mentioned," replied Spike.

" Great! I haven't even started fighting this thing, and I'm already at a disadvantage," I moaned.

" Now all you need to do is figure out how to get it to move," said Spike.

" Why? I'm standing right in front of it, so it should just get up and attack me," I said.

" While that's true, it is currently sleeping because they say that Iron Knuckle waits for centuries at a time in order to battle against an opponent. It won't just get up and attack as not many have ever managed to reach one as they wait in hard to reach places, and even fewer have managed to overcome one due to how strong they can be," said Spike.

This was perhaps the most unusual aspect in all of this because the Iron Knuckle was just sitting there as though it were just an ordinary statue, so I decided to get closer to it. When I walked up to it, I could see that it's armour was very heavy and thick which means it could take an awful lot of punishment before going down, yet it was just a suit of armour and nothing more.

That axe was dangerous as I could see the sharpness on the edge, and I don't want to experience that connecting with me. Because the iron bars on the portcullises have trapped me in here, I have no choice but to fight, and perhaps my only means of getting it to even do anything was to strike it. Drawing the Kokiri Sword from its scabbard, I looked at it quickly, and came to the very conclusion Rainbow Dash said to me....what kind of a sword was this?

It's like I'm using a tiny little knife against a massive blade like the Biggoron Sword I acquired in the future if I had to give this a proper comparison, yet there was no other choice as this was all I could use in this time period. I closed my eyes and struck the Iron Knuckle which at first did nothing, so maybe I did something wrrong, but then it suddenly made a grunting sound where it got up onto its feet and took a single step before swinging its axe.

" YEEEOOOWWW!" I screamed as the axe connected with my side causing me to go flying back a lengthy distance.

" Are you alright?" asked Spike.

" This monster certainly has a lot of power at its command," I replied.

" You were lucky your torso didn't suffer a severe wound, and instead it was just a mere graze. If you had been just a little bit closer when it swung its axe, you'd have a deep wound on your side right now where the skin would be dangling off," said Spike.

" Not the kind of image I want to think about," I moaned.

" My intention of using that rhetoric was to warn you not to get hit by its axe," said Spike. Now that he mentions it, I'm glad he warned me because its weapon combined with its immense power would slice me in half without much effort. The Iron Knuckle continued walking towards me, and sure enough it was moving at a slow pace, so this would give me some time to plan a means of fighting back.

" Now I wish that I had the Master Sword," I moaned.

" Well you don't right now, so you'll need to use what you have in order to strike at that plate," said Spike.

" If those witches wanted me to die, then this was the right method given how I've only just started this fight, and already I'm afraid to carry on because I could be killed with ease should its axe connect at the wrong times. I may have gotten better at using a sword, but this is something that's way out of my league.

I should have just gone back to Hyrule Castle Town, grabbed some potions, and then return here despite what Rainbow Dash would have said. I know she has a strong sense of enforcement when it comes to following the laws of her people, but I needed the healing items because I'm not the kind of hero who can go around and defeat monsters without ever getting hit in the process," I said.

" And yet she would have denied you the right to come this way," said Spike.

" I'd have gone anyway regardless," I said. The Iron Knuckle in the meantime wasn't concerned with the fact that Spike and I were having a slight argument, so when it came up to me due to being distracted, it came to a stop about four steps away before it swung its axe smashing one of the pillars down. This produced some hearts which I need to pick up as I need all of them that I can get. " Looks like destroying those pillars provides me with some health recovery, so maybe I can do the same thing?"

" It's axe is powerful enough to do that, but you can't bring any of them down," replied Spike.

" Figures that my abilities and weapons lacked the appropriate power, yet I can still have this guy get me what I need," I said.

" When it slams its axe into the ground, it will be stuck for about two seconds, and that's all the free time you'll have to damage that plate on its armour before it picks it back up, and resumes its method of fighting. If you're really good at using the Kokiri Sword, you should be able to get in at least two or three hits," said Spike. A shame that my skills are lacking, for what he said would have applied better to someone who knew what they were doing.

But because I'm me, I guess the best that I can do is just hope that I can defeat it before it can kill me. I then tried to grab the hearts which came out from the broken pillar, but I almost got sliced in half by that massive axe as it came done mere inches away from my face. It struggled to lift the weapon back up, and I took advantage by striking it a couple of times although it didn't feel a thing.

" Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked.

" It's the only option you have until that plate falls off," replied Spike. Upon grabbing the hearts, I did feel slightly better although I'm certain I'll lose this feeling when that axe connects with me again which I'm sure it will. The Iron Knuckle then continued to walk towards me where each step it took make a distinct clanking sound, and my fear kept growing the closer it came and the louder it was getting.

I had to get close because my sword lacks a good enough reach, yet that would place me in the range of being struck down by its weapon, so I was essentially in a difficult position where making one mistake would cost me everything. When it got close enough, it swung its axe back and forth, yet I couldn't seem to get through, but I managed to score a couple of hits when its axe slammed into the ground after finishing with its swing.

Then I had the idea of walking around behind it in the hopes of getting in some sneak attacks, yet I forgot Spike told me not to do that because of how it can counter-attack, so when I got behind it and whacked it a few more times, it suddenly turned around swinging its axe in the process. I got hit by it again, and flew across the room although once again luck was with me because the wound wasn't serious, yet I couldn't keep on relying on doing this constantly.

" That idea didn't work," I sighed.

" I told you not to do that because it will counter-attack," said Spike.

" At least I didn't lose anything although my luck is sure to run out," I said.

" Make sure it doesn't otherwise the next time it hits you with that axe is going to be very costly," said Spike.

" Despite the fact that is isn't reacting to my strikes against its armour and is merely shrugging them off, I have noticed that it has a pretty simple attack pattern. All it does is walk around slowly until it either gets close to me, or I move close to it, and then attacks by swinging its axe in one of two ways. I'm surprised that it fights in such a basic manner, yet it hits with a force stronger than most monsters given what it has been doing against me thus far," I said.

" That's why they fear it because the power of an Iron Knuckle is greater than all other monsters in Hyrule. In fact, it is even stronger than many of the boss monsters you've defeated in the dungeons we've explored," said Spike. Right now, I just wanted to get as far away from this one as possible, but if I were to run away with my tail between my legs, then this world would be doomed in the future.

No, I have to keep going because I must overcome it no matter how difficult the challenge appears to be. The Iron Knuckle walked towards me again, so I decided to take a risk by getting close, and it responded by slamming its axe into the ground. It missed me by a couple of centimeters this time around, but I struck the armour plate a few more times which still didn't seem to faze it. I quickly moved back because as it lifted up the axe, it swung it back and forth because one of the pillars was in its way.

" It doesn't care whatever gets in its path," I said.

" Iron Knuckles do have a one-track mind, for they merely carry out one function," said Spike.

" Destroy?" I asked.

" Correct, and they certainly have the power to back up their intended purpose," replied Spike.

" I wish that I could transform as that would make this so much easier," I sighed.

" Without the Master Sword in your possession, you can't do that as its power combined with your emotions trigger the change. So all you can do is keep going until that plate falls off," said Spike. I've probably hit that part of its body at least a dozen times now, and it still hasn't reacted as though my attacks aren't being effective.

I then suddenly remembered that when the pillars are destroyed when the Iron Knuckle smashes them to pieces using its axe, hearts drop out and I need to collect them to keep up my health due to a lack of potions on my person. I then ran over to where they had fallen, yet this time I was too slow and the Iron Knuckle connected with its axe causing me to suffer a massive gash across my stomach.

" AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

" Sunset Shimmer!" exclaimed Spike.

" I'm alright, yet that blow really hurt," I said.

" Can you keep going despite having an open wound on your stomach that appears to be bleeding profusely?" asked Spike.

" I've no other choice but to continue, yet I suppose I could just warp out of here using one of Sheik's songs, then come back after recovering from these wounds and acquiring the necessary potions. I know what Rainbow Dash might do, but now I have no other choice because this monster can kill me with just one more blow," I replied.

Even though my wound caused me to hold onto it with my left hand to try and contain the bleeding, I was still able to use my other hand to put my sword away, and take out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt.

I played the Prelude of Light as it was the first song that came into my mind, and I hoped that I would be taken to the Temple of Time, but nothing happened which struck me as being very odd. " Huh? How come I'm not warping away? It should have worked the moment I finished playing the song."

" There must be some kind of magical barrier that prevents you from warping out of here," said Spike.

" If this is the work of those witches, then how did they know?" I asked.

" They probably had no idea you could warp around the kingdom with those melodies, but they do know you can use magic, so they must have created this barrier to prevent you from making this conflict easy for you. I suspect they've been watching you ever since we first entered the temple, and are adjusting the difficulty out of fear that you're becoming a problem," replied Spike.

This made the situation even worse, and now I must defeat this Iron Knuckle if I hope to get out of here. I was thinking of using those recovery hearts sparingly if I had left and come back with potions, but now I need to use them to prevent any further blood loss. The wound across my stomach was still bleeding, and I could feel the blood trickling down my hands which made me feel really uncomfortable, yet I have to stay strong if I'm going to get through this.

" Guess I'm fighting after all," I sighed as I put the Ocarina of Time away, and drew the Kokiri Sword again. The hearts were still there, and I ran as fast as possible to pick them up just as the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe down again. Since I needed more health, I began to lure it around where it destroyed each of the pillars one by one until nothing was left aside from its throne. With each destroyed pillar, three hearts appeared and I grabbed them all regaining my health in the process.

My stomach wound stopped bleeding yet I still had a scar which would take time for it to heal. Suddenly, the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe down next to me because I suspect it was tired of being lured around, so using my sword, I slashed at the plate a few more times before it fell off and clanked along the ground where it burned away. " Finally! That plate has come off which means I can now attack it!"

" Be careful Sunset Shimmer as this is where it gets tricky," said Spike.

" How so?" I asked.

" Now that you've exposed its stomach by removing the plate that was protecting it, the Iron Knuckle is going to start running after you although it's more like a brisk jog. The point is it will start to act more aggressive as its weak spot is vulnerable. Just keep attacking it and it will go down after a while, and you should also know that when you connect against it this time, it will reel in pain thus disrupting its attack pattern whereas before hitting the plate didn't slow it down," replied Spike.

As if on cue, it grunted with a more serious tone before starting to run after me. When it got close enough, it swung its axe around faster than ever, and I can assume it has to do with its weak spot now being open to attack.

" Those swings have gotten erratic," I said.

" It's in a state of frenzy, so be careful otherwise you'll lose more than blood," said Spike. It then slammed its axe down by lurching forward which it never did in any of its previous attacks, and for that I was caught off guard where the impact from the collision instead of the axe itself sent me flying back.

" I'm okay Spike! The vibration from where it slammed its weapon into the ground is what sent me back here," I said. The Iron Knuckle then started running towards me, but now I knew what it was capable of when like this, so I got close to it before quickly stepping away as it slammed its axe into the ground again.

I struck it a few times in response where each blow disrupted its momentum and prevented any kind of retaliation, yet I got a little too carried away as it got up and lurched forward hitting me where my stomach wound was, but I was lucky that it didn't start bleeding again.

" Don't get too greedy," said Spike.

" Duly noted," I said. If I get hit like that in the stomach again, the wound is going to open and more than blood is going to gush out, so I need to finish this now before that can happen. The Iron Knuckle ran towards me again before swinging its axe around in a crazy manner before slamming it down.

I barely got over in time, so I could only hit it once before running away as it pursued me with its own means of running. I then decided to lure it over to its throne hoping that it could be destroyed, and sure enough the monster smashed it in without any concern allowing me to grab the hearts which fell out.

I guess the destruction of where it was sitting meant nothing as it resumed its assault by slamming its axe down merely inches away from where I was standing. Before it had the chance to pick up its weapon, I slashed away one last time which was enough to defeat it, and while this was happening, the two witches reacted to what I had just accomplished although they weren't at all surprised.

" The forest girl defeated our guardian," said Trixie.

" Which means the time has come for us to make our strike against Nabooru," said Chrysalis.

" I had hoped our guardian would have killed the girl just because she has proven to be a nuisance, but I suppose this does mean that she can fulfill her destiny and open the way to the Sacred Realm for the Great Ganondorf," said Trixie.

" She still needs an incentive to make her hurry over to the Temple of Time, or else she is merely going to delay things which would be problematic at such a delicate moment. The Hylian king is dead and there is confusion all across this kingdom, yet the momentum cannot be broken now otherwise our efforts will bear us nothing but an agonizing defeat my sister.

Should the princess rally the people behind her before the Great Ganondorf can secure the golden power, they shall end up defeating him, and the Gerudo will become even more isolated than ever before given how testy relations are already," said Chrysalis.

" What will it take to get the forest girl to act quickly?" asked Trixie.

" Since she has shown quite a strong connection with Nabooru, why not abduct our traitor before her eyes. That should be more than enough to convince her to want to go to the temple in an effort to save the wretch," replied Chrysalis.

" Then we shall do exactly that," said Trixie.

" By the way, there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about," said Chrysalis.

" What is that?" asked Trixie.

" Recently, I decided to check on what kind of treasures the Great Ganondorf has stored away here in the temple in case he needed something to use, and it seems that one ring is missing which has me suspect that Nabooru must have taken it with her before she was forced to abandon this place," replied Chrysalis.

" That was a long time ago, so I'm sure that it doesn't mean anything," said Trixie.

" It belonged to that good wizard among the ancient Gerudo," sighed Chrysalis.

" What!?!? If she stole that so many years ago, then where could it be right now? That ring is the one thing that can allow the chosen one to open the way to the true sacred treasure of our people according to our legends....could that forest girl be in possession of it? It would be a serious blow against us if she did have it," said Trixie.

" No, I don't believe the girl does otherwise we would have known about it by now. We can deal with this recent situation after we take care of Nabooru, and now we have another reason to punish her. She must learn to never steal from the Great Ganondorf as that is truly an act of betrayal," said Chrysalis.

" You did it!" exclaimed Spike.

" That was the most difficult thing I've done so far on this journey," I said. The Iron Knuckle dropped to its knees before burning away to nothing, and the iron bars rose up on both portcullises giving me my freedom. " If this had been the future, it would have been defeated in a much quicker fashion because I have much stronger weapons compared to what I used here. Oh well....I finally defeated it, so now I can obtain the Silver Gauntlets."

It then dawned on me that I had to give them to Rainbow Dash because I did agree to her proposal earlier despite not really having much of a choice. Well....as long as she can push that giant block at the start of the temple, I shouldn't really complain because she will grant me access to that area of the temple, but it will depend on whether I can explore it or not as I currently am.

" What are you thinking?" asked Spike.

" Even though I'll be getting those gauntlets, I won't be able to use them," I replied.

" Yes, for you need to keep your promise to Nabooru," said Spike.

" I feel that I deserve them because I had to endure this intense fight, and all she did was go back to the beginning because she said that she heard someone calling out for help which is no doubt a trap. Sigh, sometimes doing the right thing can be annoying," I said.

" And yet you must because those gauntlets won't be able to fit you," said Spike.

" At least I'll be able to open the treasure chest which is something she will never get to experience," I said. Walking over to the portcullis that was behind the throne, I opened it up and entered a cave that looked completely out of place. A white light at the end of the cave indicated the exit, so there was three different entrances to the Spirit Temple despite two located on a pair of giant hands. Knowing that there was no where else to go except towards the light, I walked forward and went outside where it was still dark out.

" Hey, what's up, Sunset Shimmer? Surprised to see me?"

" WAAAAH!" It had been a very long time since he last scared the living daylights out of me, but standing on the fingers of the desert goddess' hand was Flash Sentry riding on top of his trusty owl who never seems to talk despite having quite a powerful stare which does feel intimidating at times.

" Even now after all this time, you still end up freaking out whenever someone speaks to you all of a sudden," said Flash Sentry.

" What are you doing here?" I asked.

" I heard from a very reliable source that you were able to open the entrance to the Sacred Realm by using the three Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time, and I must say that you have defied my expectations. This same source also told me that you even drew the legendary Master Sword which had been resting in the temple for centuries. If you were trying to become a legend in this land then you have gone and done it with impressive results.

At first, I thought that you took the divine blade with you to prevent Ganondorf from entering the realm, yet you ended up getting sealed away after taking it," replied Flash Sentry. Hearing him say this was very shocking, for how would he have known about events which haven't even happened yet? Also, who is this source he claims has told him of these matters?

I always knew Flash Sentry was an unusual person, but never did I suspect that he would be aware of time travel. There was no doubt that there was more to him than appearances suggest, and I wonder if he was willing to answer my questions given how astute he is.

" Who is this source of yours?" I asked.

" Someone who exists here, and yet not here because of the effects of time," replied Flash Sentry.

" That made no sense," I moaned.

" Like you Sunset Shimmer, I have the ability to travel through time, yet I am more restricted in that I can only use my mind while you are able to use your entire being to go back and forth. A long time in this world is almost nothing to you, is it? How mysterious! By travelling through time by using the Master Sword, you've experienced things which others will never see, and understand that what may seem like forever to everyone else is mere seconds to you.

Even I thought that the tales of a girl who could travel back and forth through time was merely a legend, and yet here you are having gone and done just that. It sounds like I am contradicting myself, yet my ability to go through time is because of who I really am, and you are a child chosen by the Master Sword. I guess that you have become a legend in your own right, and your story shall be remembered for generations to come," said Flash Sentry.

" What did you mean by who you were?" I asked.

" Some say that I am the reincarnation of an ancient Sage while others claim I am someone from another world. To be honest, there are many more stories about me, and over time I've forgotten how I came to be," replied Flash Sentry. I found it all rather ironic that in this world he is a stranger who has mysterious powers, yet no one is able to understand him as he chooses not to associate with anyone.

It's like a reflection of my own experience back when I first entered the human world after going into self-exile from Equestria, and betraying Princess Celestia all because of how foolish I really was. Upon my arrival, I was unable to use magic due to no longer being a unicorn, yet I still possessed mysterious powers. I chose to keep to myself as I didn't want anyone to understand who I really was as I viewed them as tools with which I could use to fulfill my own desires.

Twilight was similar as she couldn't be understood by anyone, and she possessed mysterious powers, yet she was willing to talk to people and befriend them despite such differences between her and them. Flash Sentry in this world would have truly been able to live in Equestria although I'm not sure how he'd be able to move about if he didn't change into a pony.

" We all have many stories about us that we forget over time," I said.

" People will never forget your stories because what you have done is the stuff of legend. Sunset Shimmer, you have fully matured as an adult. From now on, the future of all the people in Hyrule is on your shoulders. I know that it sounds like I'm giving you so much pressure, yet despite so many odds stacked against you, all of them have never been able to keep you down. While I've guided you on your journey, I feel that the time has come where you can handle things on your own.

Maybe it's not my time anymore....perhaps I should choose to simply disappear, so I do have one last piece of advice. No doubt you've heard of the two witches that inhabit this temple, yet there is something about them which you didn't know about. In order to destroy them, turn their own magic power against them," said Flash Sentry.

" You're leaving?" I asked.

" I will continue to watch you....yet this will be the last time you'll see me. Don't feel sad because I am leaving, but rather continue on until Hyrule has been restored to a peaceful existence. Sunset Shimmer, perhaps one day we shall meet again, but maybe it will be in a different world," replied Flash Sentry. With that, he urged his owl companion to take to the sky, and soon he flew off into the night leaving me feeling confused because he has chosen to leave with a final farewell.

He may not be the same Flash Sentry that I knew who I dated just to further strengthen my power, but deep down a part of me felt broken due to him flying off never to be seen again. I suppose this is what he wanted, and I should accept his decision.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" I'll be fine," I replied.

" Those stories about him being the reincarnation of an ancient Sage have been passed down through the generations, yet no one has ever been able to prove them as he himself doesn't know if they are true or not," said Spike.

" In a way, I'm going to miss having him around as he did provide me with a lot of guidance despite scaring me all the time. Well, if this is what he wishes to do, then I have no right to deny him this course of action," I said. At that moment, I noticed a large treasure chest was nearby, and I didn't see it before until now due to having that conversation with Flash Sentry. " I guess the Silver Gauntlets are inside of this chest, so I might as well get them and begin the long trek back to the start."

" Or you could jump down from here to the ground below," suggested Spike.

" That's a little too high for my liking, but maybe playing the Requiem of Spirit will work," I suggested. That's when my eyes detected another large treasure chest located on the other hand of the goddess, so that means the ultimate defence was right over there, yet there was no way of being able to get to it.

Walking over to the current chest and opening it up, I reached in and took out a pair of gloves which had pure silver melded into the design rather than simply being painted. " These must be what I've been looking for, and what Rainbow Dash and I both need in order to go deeper into the temple."

" These are indeed the Silver Gauntlets, and if you were to equip them, you'd have the ability to pick up and throw heavy boulders as though they were nothing. But, you can't use them as you currently are, for they were designed to fit an adult, and the promise to Nabooru needs to be kept," said Spike.

" Yes, I must keep my word," I sighed.

" You're doing the right thing Sunset Shimmer," said Spike.

" I know, and I shouldn't be upset about it because she will use these in the right manner," I said. As I stared at the Silver Gauntlets wishing that I could keep them for myself, that would be a terrible thing to do which would make me no better than Ganondorf. No, these must be delivered to Rainbow Dash as I did agree to her favour.

All of a sudden, a sandstorm came out of nowhere which blinded me for a few moments, and when it disappeared, an eye-piercing scream sounded out across the entire Desert Colossus. " What in the world was that?"

" It sounded like Nabooru," replied Spike.

" I guess this is where she disappeared," I said.

" Yes, so now we will finally get to see the truth," said Spike. I had to spend a few moments trying to figure out where that scream came from, but when I heard another noise which sounded like something hovering, I moved towards the edge of the goddess' hand, and looked down to see Rainbow Dash was struggling inside some kind of magical quicksand that was attempting to drag her down.

That's when I saw what was hovering around her, or rather who in this case. They must be the two witches, Ganondorf's surrogate mothers who have caused so much pain and suffering in the desert. One of them looked just like Trixie which made sense given how she often claimed herself to be a powerful magician, yet I had no idea who the other one was.

" Yeearggh! Let me go!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

" You know full well we cannot do that Nabooru," said Trixie.

" It is your own fault this is taking place, and you know it to be true. You should have remained loyal to the Great Ganondorf where you would have benefited in his vision of a better world, yet you chose to betray him by slowing down his plans to claim the Triforce. That stunt you pulled at Hyrule Castle was noticed by your former friend Spitfire who even now remains a faithful follower," said Chrysalis.

" Because you took advantage of her desire to become second-in-command, and you caused that accident," said Rainbow Dash.

" So, you figured out what we did to ensure that Spitfire would remain loyal to the cause. I suppose there is no reason to hide it from you given you just blurted it out for no one....aside from the forest girl. We were aware of her presence the moment she set foot inside, and while we originally wanted her to die, that has changed when we discovered the truth about her," said Trixie.

" What are you talking about?" asked Rainbow Dash.

" It's of no concern to the likes of you Nabooru," laughed Chrysalis.

" Yes, for soon you will come to understand what it means to serve the Great Ganondorf without question," said Trixie.

" You, you fiends! Ganondorf's minions! I always knew you two were behind the problems that have been plaguing the Gerudo for years, and all because you wanted everyone to obey that man no matter what. Anyone who tried to oppose his will or your own was punished, yet nothing was ever done for no one could stand up to the power you both possess. I had a suspicion you were going to do away with me, so go ahead and do your worst," said Rainbow Dash.

Seeing this conversation from my location was difficult because I wanted to get down there and save her, yet I knew this event had to take place otherwise it will disrupt the flow of time. The worst thing was that the witches were aware of my presence all along, so does it mean they know that I have the means to allow Ganondorf access to the Sacred Realm? Rainbow Dash then looked up and saw that I was watching, and she began yelling at me in the hopes of getting me to notice.

" Sunset Shimmer! Get out of here! Now! Those Silver Gauntlets that I asked you to get for me....take them and do what must be done in order to gain access to the deeper recesses of the Spirit Temple. Don't try and save me because it's too late! You were right about that call for help being a trap as these two were the ones who arranged it, yet I went anyway because my noble heart compelled me."

" How sentimental of you to reach out to her," said Trixie.

" I'm surprised Nabooru that in the end you never figured out the true purpose of this forest girl," said Chrysalis.

" It doesn't matter now my sister for this is where her life is going to change forever. We cannot allow the likes of her to continue existing as she does, for should the other Gerudo discover that she chose to resist, they in turn would rebel against the Great Ganondorf thus making things more difficult," said Trixie.

" Which is the reason why Spitfire was chosen to be the new second-in-command as she will keep them in line, and make sure none of them dare to oppose the will of their king....our loyal servant who is unaware we have been manipulating her. As for you, we will make certain you never forget your place, and curb these rebellious thoughts which have blinded you," said Chrysalis.

Just hearing all of this was enough to make me lose control of my emotions, but I can't transform right now as the Master Sword isn't in my possession, and I doubt that I can even defeat these two witches given how powerful they are. The one who I didn't recognize then turned her attention towards me which proved they knew I had been watching all this time. " Forest girl! We may not know the real reason as to why you came here to our temple, but we do know what you're going to end up doing."

To me, this was a mixed blessing because they know I'm going to allow Ganondorf to succeed in conquering Hyrule, yet they have no idea that I came here to get what I need which will help me awaken the final Sage in the future. I also know that these two witches must be defeated in order to break the curse on the temple, so I'm glad that I've gotten a look ahead at what I'm up against.

" Don't let them get you Sunset Shimmer, for they are much more powerful than they look. These witches! They're using black magic on me! You must escape before you get captured as well. If you ever see Spitfire one day in the future, I want you to break the spell which controls her mind, for she is your friend and not an enemy. Also, you know what you must do with what was given to you by my subordinate....those are my final requests," said Rainbow Dash.

The magical quicksand finally carried out its fell task by dragging her down under the sand, and the two witches laughed before going back into the temple leaving me to deal with what had just transpired before my eyes.

" So that's what happened," I said.

" I know it was really painful to watch, but it had to be done," said Spike.

" Even though I promised I would give her the Silver Gauntlets, it looks like they have become mine to use. I can't allow her fate to bring me down though as now I need to go back to the future, and move the giant block which has prevented us from exploring the other side of the temple up until this point. And, I need to use this ring in order to acquire the ultimate defence," I said.

" We must finish what we started," said Spike.

" And defeat those witches for they must be stopped," I said.

" There is one other thing," began Spike.

" What's that?" I asked.

" Sunset Demon has been waiting for you to arrive in the Spirit Temple in the future, and you must overcome her if you want to get to the witches. We forgot about her presence because of being here in the past where she doesn't exist yet, so now she is serving once again as an obstacle who is getting in the way. You will need to transform if you hope to beat her for good this time, so I think we should practice that when we return to the future," replied Spike.

The she-demon....my dark self....in all of this madness regarding the fate of Rainbow Dash, she was the last person I was thinking of, yet now she had become my main focus as in truth those witches paled in comparison to her. It looks like this is really going to be a battle of the spirit given the temple is a place where one's spirit gets tested....

To Be Continued.