The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time

Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Returning to the Past, and Below the Well

html>The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time

by Ganondorf8

First published 9th of November, 2014

Sunset Shimmer was simply enjoying a night indoors with her friends, but the magical energies of the human world which clashed in Rainbow Rocks has caused something unexpected to happen.

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.

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?"

" 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."

" 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 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.

" 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

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
November 25, 2014
Chapter 8: Dazzle of the Great Fairy.

The Lizalfos landed and began to swarm around me, and I could nothing at first due to my vision still being impaired. Pinkie Pine was working feverishly on shattering the boulder which had trapped her leg, and Spike chose to hide under my hat because he wasn't able to fight at all. Despite not being able to see them clearly, I no longer heard their footsteps which meant they had stopped, and were keeping their distance in order to ascertain that I was no threat to them. If they had been smarter, they would have attacked me there and then, and quite possibly ended it for me.

By choosing to wait and see if I was dangerous, it gave me some time to focus my magic so that I could use it without my hands or my eyes. Long ago, Princess Celestia taught me how to channel my magic so that it could flow forth without the need of my horn. I honestly wished that I could have learned all of the secrets of such a technique, but my lust for power made that notion impossible. However, I had learned enough to achieve what I needed to do.

Once the Lizalfos finally made their move, I unleashed a powerful magic burst which sent them all flying. About half of them fell into the lava pool and found themselves defeated due to not being able to climb back out, and the other half managed to prevent themselves from falling in. This latter group were pretty winded, and it would take them a few moments to get back on their feet.

" Whoa! I've never seen anything like that before," commented Pinkie Pie.

" That took a lot more out of me than I assumed, so it's left me drained of my magic for a short while. I guess I need to practice that technique so that it doesn't affect me quite like this in the future," I said.

" You've done enough with these Lizalfos, so why don't you let me take care of things so that you can work on getting your eyes working again," said Pinkie Pie.

" But what your leg?" I asked.

" We Gorons can handle things much worse than a sprained leg otherwise we would stand no chance against our enemies. My leg is definitely going to sting for a while, but it will heal itself in no time so long as I don't put any kind of pressure on it. Now then, time for me to smash some Lizalfos with my trusty hammer! Oh, and also get this boulder off of my leg while I'm at it," replied Pinkie Pie. With one swing of her hammer, she shattered the boulder and managed to get back onto her feet without any trouble.

I didn't notice, but her injured leg did wobble which made her wince with pain a little bit, but she was determined to fight no matter what injury plagued her. Within a matter of moments, Pinkie smashed the remaining Lizalfos before dropping her hammer and falling to the ground in order to take some weight off of her leg. As for me, I had to wait for about five minutes for the shrapnel in my eyes to finally clear up enough for me to wipe away the rest without causing any damage.

" Now that my sight is finally back to normal, I can see that the bars on the doors have finally opened up which means we can get out of this room, and make some actual progress for a change. As for you Darunia, your leg doesn't look really good, so maybe you should have some kind of sling on it so that it can heal. We need to take things a bit more cautiously as my magic is tapped until I've had enough time to recharge it," I said.

" Why would you want me to use a sling?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" You don't mean to continue walking around on that leg of yours do you?" I asked.

" If my Brothers saw me walking around with my leg taped up, it would cause them to freak out as they view me as being a Goron who doesn't allow anything to slow her down no matter what it is. My sister on the other hand would never stop laughing at me. Heh, despite her being monotone and having the personality of a rock, Maud's pretty good when it comes to poking fun for the sake of poking fun. Anyway, this injury won't last for very long as I can recover very quickly, so it looks like I'll have to handle some of the workload while you get your magic back in order," replied Pinkie Pie.

" But if you start to do what I'm supposed to do, then me earning the spiritual stone will lose all meaning," I said.

" Are you still on about that? That was just me flexing my authority as Big Boss of the Gorons, but in truth you have to come to understand that you can't do everything by yourself even if you think otherwise. I could never lead my people on my own as my personality makes me stubborn, and that would surely lead everyone to their deaths. That's why I turn to Maud for advice as her stoic personality compliments my own personality as she is able to handle situations which would cause me to lose control.

While it's okay for you to want to do things on your own Sunset Shimmer, there are times where you should rely on your friends to help you out. Right now, you can't use your magic which is how you fight, so as a friend I'm helping you out by taking care of any monsters that may come our way. Solving the puzzles around here is so totally your department as that's a skill I don't quite often use enough," said Pinkie Pie as she smiled a huge grin.

" Guess I can't argue with logic like that," I said.

" And I can't even comprehend what I just said, but as long as you understand then that's what matters. Okay, we've delayed things long enough, so let's get going to the next room," said Pinkie Pie. She then walked slowly over to the door we needed to go through to progress, and she was doing her best not to showcase the fact that her leg was still in pain. I smiled briefly before following her and opening the door to the next room.

Upon entering this new room, a familiar sound could be heard from a distance as well as another familiar sound to accompany the first. Pinkie gritted her teeth and swung her hammer around a few times as she knew exactly what it was. " Dodongos....just like the one that entered the city by burrowing from here into there, but these ones will be the standard size compared to the other one. I'm guessing that there are at least three of them based on the sounds echoing, so we should take them on one at a time, and not attract the attention of the other two."

" You can probably smash them with your hammer, but your leg is going to slow you down more than usual. My magic as I said is tapped until I can recover, and my Fairy Slingshot may not work due to their tails being a small target. Sometimes I wish that I had obtained some kind of sword as it would have made things a lot more bearable than relying on my magic for everything. The embarrassing part is that I don't even know how to swing about a sword, so having one on my person would just bog me down with some weight," I said.

" Then why not use a substitute sword," began Pinkie Pie.

" A what?" I asked.

" Just give me a second and I'll explain it to you," replied Pinkie Pie. She then walked over to a small jar that was located on the ground, and smashed it with her bare fist revealing several sticks that looked more like twigs. " These are Deku Sticks which once were a part of the Great Deku Tree according to what travelers have said. While it may look like a harmless twig, this stick can inflict a lot of damage on any unsuspecting foe, so why not use one of them and whack some Dodongos?"

" You're kidding me right?" I asked.

" No, I don't think so," replied Pinkie Pie.

" You want me to strike those Dodongos....with a stick!?!? Why don't I just walk up to them and tell them here I am! Come and get me! If anything, the only use I could possibly see with a Deku Stick would be to light it on fire and use it as a torch," I said.

" Well of course Deku Sticks are used as torches as that's what most people tend to do with them, but few people use them as swords which is a crying shame. While it's true that these sticks snap in two when they connect with something strong, they are pretty common all over the place if you look hard enough. All I'm saying to you is to give the whole use-a-stick-as-a-weapon routine a try, you might find out just how effective it really is.

Of course, you won't be going into that den of Dodongos alone as that would be just plain silly. I'll be there right behind you as like you said, my leg makes me slower than usual, so you'll be running headlong into battle ushering a battle cry, and I'll be picking up the rear using my own battle cry," said Pinkie Pie. Was she actually serious about me using a stick in order to strike the tail of a dinosaur? Sigh, I really didn't want to go through with this, but I had little choice in the matter, so I picked up all of the Deku Sticks and ran into the main area of the room where the Dodongos were.

Dodging their flames was easy enough, and upon hitting the closest one near me with a Deku Stick, it fell to the ground and exploded a few seconds later. The stick naturally snapped in two essentially making it worthless. Perhaps the scariest part was knowing this was a really effect tactic, or that Pinkie was right about something so bizarre. In any case, defeating the other two Dodongos was simple enough, but now I had only one stick left.

" Just the one stick left now, and judging from that one torch way back there and these three unlit torches here, I'll need to set them all ablaze in order to unlock the next door which should lead us back into the main room according to the map. Maybe that switch Spike mentioned is on the other side of the door, and pressing it will allow us to proceed to the other side of this floor," I suggested.

" Then you should solve this puzzle not only because you figured it out, but also because you can run faster than me. When a Deku Stick gets set on fire, it burns out in about 10 seconds so you need to be quick. Funny enough, if a burning Deku Stick reacts with something else that's burning, the 10 seconds are reset giving you more time to do what you need to do. Well, that's what some traveler once told me, so I don't know if what I said is going to work.

Either way, you'll need to make this one count otherwise we're pretty much out of luck, but no pressure," said Pinkie Pie. No pressure she says....that's quite an understatement if I ever heard one. But, she was right about me being the only one who could do this, so I ran over to where the torch was, set the stick on fire, and ran back the other way lighting the other torches one by one. This caused the bars on the door to rise allowing us access to the main room, but from a different entrance as opposed to what we used before.

On the other side of the door a few metres down the hall was the switch which I stepped on without even realizing it. This caused the bars on the farthest away door to rise which meant we could finally go through there and see what lied beyond. I was able to jump over the gaps as before, but Pinkie had to climb down a ladder in order to make it over there. Then I realized that she had to cross the pool of lava to reach the ladder on the other side.

" Wait! If you walk into that lava pool, you'll end up being burned alive," I said.

" That only apples to you other tribes, for we Gorons are resilient when it comes to fire and lava. We love the heat of lava as it makes for quite a relaxing bath, so for me, walking in this pool of lava would be like walking outside in a heavy rainstorm. You just wait right there Sunset Shimmer, and I'll join you in just a moment. Besides, my leg could do with the soothing warmth of lava right about now," said Pinkie Pie.

Lava is soothing to her? I really should have paid more attention to Rainbow Dash back in the human world as whenever it looks like I'm about to get a full grasp of my surroundings, something else comes in and leaves me utterly confused. It didn't take long for Pinkie to walk across the lava, and climb up the ladder to join me again, and we entered the now unlocked door which lead into a room that contained a strange column surrounded on all sides by Bomb Flowers with another one suspiciously growing to the side.

" I've never seen this many Bomb Flowers before," commented Spike.

" You've been awfully quiet as of late," I said.

" Well, you and Darunia have been getting along and being all buddy-buddy, so I figured that I wouldn't interrupt as I'm just a fairy. Besides, your head is so warm under your hat that I ended up falling asleep while you two were having all kinds of moments and awkward moments. Now then, do you notice how these Bomb Flowers have been arranged around this column? Do you think it's possible to blow them all up at once?" asked Spike.

" If I used that one flower off to the side, then I should be able to blow them all up, but then where would be the best place to put it? I can't just pick it up, throw it, and hope for the best," I replied.

" There is a gap in-between those two Bomb Flowers right there for another one to be placed, and that should cause a chain reaction setting off the others. If you two look upwards towards the top of this column, you'll see that it isn't a column but rather a staircase. I know you'll be able to climb up those stairs Sunset Shimmer, but Darunia may not be able to what with her leg still being injured. That's not the only problem that I can see for our Goron friend," said Spike.

" What else is there?" I asked.

" There were two catwalks back in the main room which connect this area with the one on the other side, and they were pretty high up if I remember correctly. You can easily make it across those catwalks, but Darunia wouldn't be able to because of an innate fear that she and other Gorons have. They have a big problem when it comes to dealing with heights, and don't like falling of any kind as they tend to do so really fast due to their weight. If I was her, I would probably head back into the main room, and shout to us from below in order to give out any kind of advice. Of course, I don't know what she plans on doing as I'm not her," replied Spike.

" Is this true?" I asked.

" We Gorons aren't fans of high places even though we live on a mountain where elevated areas are all over the place. We can handle small heights without any problems, but your fairy friend is right in that we can't handle extreme heights of any kind," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Next you'll be telling me that you can't handle water," I said.

" Yeah....about that," began Pinkie Pie.

" Are you serious?" I asked.

" We don't like going into any body of water because we would simply drown if we waded in too deeply. Because we are heavy, we would sink like rocks unlike other creatures who would simply swim about in the water. That's why you never see a Goron travel up Zora's River or travel down to Lake Hylia in the south as those places are literally death traps for us. I guess that I just got so much into the excitement of this adventure, that I forgot all about the areas of the Dodongo's Cavern that are too high for me to traverse in fear of my height problem. Your fairy is also right about me having to go back into the other room, and quite possibly shout out at you," replied Pinkie Pie.

" But what about your leg?" I asked.

" My leg will be just fine as there are no more monsters back in the main room. If there were any stragglers about, I'd introduce them to my hammer which would make any others think twice about wanting to mess with me. I know you want me to continue on with you onto the second floor, but I would prove to be more of a liability than helpful, and you can't afford to have that kind of burden. As my friend, you can understand and accept why I need to remain here on the first floor, but know that I won't abandon you as that would be going against my Goron instincts," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Well, if this is what needs to happen, I guess you can wait for us to do whatever we have to do on the second floor," I said. That was definitely a crushing blow if I ever heard and/or felt one knowing that Pinkie couldn't continue on at least for the time being. I did feel sorry for her not being able to withstand heights, as the Pinkie Pie I knew defied logic all the time by either walking on the ceiling, or using a balloon and floating up to the ceiling, so this felt bittersweet because this Pinkie couldn't break reality.

As she left the room to wait for us to finish, I picked up the lone Bomb Flower and placed it in the gap where it fit, and it caused the chain reaction Spike said was going to happen. The column sank down until the staircase was revealed which enabled me to climb it and reach the second floor. After having to solve another puzzle that involved moving a heavy statue around, Spike and I found ourselves in the main room once again, but this time we were up much higher. The catwalks he mentioned earlier were rather rickety at best which made me understand why Pinkie wasn't willing to want to attempt to cross over either one.

" Even though this catwalk and the other one have seen better days, and that the ropes holding them up look as though they could snap at any moment, you have no choice but to cross over if you want to get to the other side and progress. You just have to take it very slowly as there are no guard rails to save you if you were to suddenly fall, and those Fire Keese that are flying about could cause some problems. Using the Fairy Slingshot on them should get rid of them and make the crossing easier," said Spike.

" I can't believe that Darunia didn't want to come up here and assist us further," I said.

" What she said about the Gorons and heights is true Sunset Shimmer, and she didn't want to be a burden on your journey as deep down she knows that you are on a mission to save this world from Ganondorf. The mission is the most important thing in Darunia's heart, and is aware that you can't stop for any reason otherwise you'd be risking the lives of countless people just to ensure the safety and well-being of one. While it sounds like both of us are being overly critical and maybe even cruel, you have to remember that you need to use both your head and your heart as one entity rather than let one dictate the other and your actions. Right now, her place is below us waiting for us to return from exploring the area on the other side of this catwalk," said Spike.

" Yes, I suppose you're right Spike, but I still feel bad knowing that she isn't able to help out. Also, since when did this journey suddenly turn itself into a mission? I believe that the princess said that I had to receive the spiritual stones as a means of preventing Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm and claiming the Triforce, and that she never indicated that it was a mission. Her attendant also didn't indicate it that way, so the idea that this is just a mission is rather hard to believe it like that. If anything, I'd say that this was a journey of self-discovery, going up against incredible odds, and proving to myself that I can be a great heroine if I live up to my own expectations," I said.

" That was pretty deep right there," said Spike.

" I suppose it was which is kind of odd seeing as before I started this journey, I never would have thought of this as being a journey to discover who I am, and what I'm really capable of doing. Instead, I would have viewed this whole experience as me having to do this in order to redeem myself for the actions I committed in the past when my heart was filled with greed and the desire for power.

In a way, I still feel my journey is for me to atone for my mistakes as believe me, I made a lot of them; more than I would like to admit to anyone. Think of me however you want to Spike now that I've gone and said that, but it won't change my opinion of myself no matter what you or anyone else says. I agreed to this quest in order to save the world, but I'm also doing it for a reason that isn't just redemption, discovery, and learning my true potential. I'm doing this so that I can return to my own world along with everyone else here who is meant to be there," I said.

With that out of the way, I started to make my way across the catwalk taking things one step at a time so as to not fall off, and plunge to what could very well be my certain death. I saw Pinkie Pie down below, and all she did was raise her hammer as a means of showing me that she was supporting my efforts despite not travelling alongside me for a while. After what felt like an eternity due to not wanting to fall, and defeating a pair of bothersome Fire Keese, I reached the other side and walked forward into a room where I heard the sounds of what was metal scratching across the ground, and it was coming from below me. I looked down and saw that there were spiked balls sliding back and forth in a set pattern in what looked like cramped hallways.

" What are those things?" I asked.

" Those are known as spiked traps which serve as an obstacle for anyone who wanted to explore this place. No one knows where exactly they came from, or who put them here to begin with, but they can't be destroyed by any means. They will slide into you and damage you if you're not careful, but their pattern is very basic, so avoiding them is pretty simple. Guess this means it's time for one of those leaps of faith you've been doing for a while now....huh? Hey, Sunset Shimmer? Are you listening to me?" asked Spike.

" I heard what you said about those traps Spike, but it's that big treasure chest over there that's caught my attention," I replied.

" Do you think it might contain a new weapon for you just like what happened in the Great Deku Tree with the Fairy Slingshot?" asked Spike.

" Most likely which means I need to make my way over there and get it. Hmmmm....I don't think I can quite make it even if I were to leap onto that small ledge and attempted to make a big leap over to the chest. Let me just take out that map for a moment and see what it shows. Hmmmm....hmmmm....according to the map, if we keep going the way we're headed, we'll end up in the very room where those Lizalfos ambushed us. Then if we keep following the route, it will take us back to the treasure chest. Why not just give me a ways of reaching it without having to go out of my way," I replied.

" As that would be too easy?" asked Spike.

" Your sarcasm never ceases to amaze me," I moaned as I began to make my way across the room avoiding the spiked traps. Leaping from the top of the ladder down to the ground placed me in-between the traps, but I remained calm as I didn't want to become a life-sized pin cushion. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, I slipped past the traps only to find that I needed to pull out a block to be able to climb up a ladder, and upon doing that and climbing up, I was stuck facing another wall.

Luckily, there was a Bomb Flower on the ledge I noticed before, and used it in order to blow up the wall giving me access. The next room was simple enough as all it required me to do was to hit a switch with the slingshot in order to get past a wall of flame, and then came the room after that where Pinkie Pie and I had gotten into a lot of trouble. " No bars came down behind us as we entered, and there are none on that door over there. I wonder if some of those Lizalfos were meant to fight us up here, but instead they wanted to take care of us down below due to being impatient?"

" If that's true then this room is just an empty one devoid of anything apart from the pool of lava," replied Spike.

" Maybe, but I still feel uneasy being back in here knowing we almost didn't make it out alive," I said.

" Then let's move onto the next room before something does happen, and we end up regretting it," said Spike. I couldn't agree with him more, so I entered the adjacent door and eventually made my way back to where the treasure was, and upon opening it up, I pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary bag which made my smile shatter as I was expecting something else besides this.

" We worked hard to make it all the way through this place, and all I end up getting out of it is a bag!" I shouted.

" That's no ordinary bag you found there Sunset Shimmer. It's actually a Bomb Bag which was made from a Dodongo's stomach, and is used to carry bombs around. If I'm right and I most likely am, that rustling sound coming from inside of the bag is bombs, so that makes this quite the lucky find. Perhaps one of the Gorons placed this Bomb Bag into the chest as a means of safe-keeping, and was planning on coming back for it later, but hasn't been able to due to the outbreak of Dodongos," said Spike.

" Okay, I've counted the number of bombs inside of this bag, and the total is 20, so no need to rely on Bomb Flowers when I have my own explosives to utilize. I think I'll keep wearing this Goron's Bracelet as another memento of sorts as a reminder of what I've experienced here on Death Mountain. While 20 bombs is a good number, I'll need to conserve these and only use them for when I need them. Since Darunia did say that anything I find in here which can be useful to my quest is mine to keep, this Bomb Bag is going to be very useful," I smiled.

" Feeling better now?" asked Spike.

" Much better," I replied.

" If you find yourself running low on bombs, you can always purchase some more from the Goron Shop in their city, or at the Bazaar the next time you decide to pay a visit to Hyrule Castle Town. If money is going to be an issue for you, then you can acquire some bombs by cutting the grass and/or shrubbery, or getting some by defeating enemies. It all sounds weird I know, but these are useful ways to ensure that your stock is full, and you won't be freaking out over running low," said Spike.

Taking those words to mind, I walked onward until we arrived in the main room once again....this was starting to become quite the habit for this place wasn't it? The second catwalk was to the right and it was situated right over that King Dodongo skull which gives off the big creepy factor this room had. Ugh! Seeing that skull up close wasn't exactly my idea of pleasant, but then I noticed that the catwalk had two pieces missing from it, and below each of the gaps were the empty eye sockets of the skull. There was a plaque nearby with a message which I then began to read.

" Giant, dead Dodongo....when it sees red, a new path shall be opened," I read.

" What do you think it means?" asked Spike.

" When it sees red....if anything were to see red, it would mean that its eyes had been painted red, or something hit them causing the colour red to obscure their vision. I wonder if it means having to do something to that skull over there. Every time I look at that thing, it just creeps me out to no end. Hmmmm....since it's dead and all, it can't really see anything as it's just a lifeless husk, but then what if I were to drop a bomb into each of the eye sockets? It sounds a little cruel I know, but it won't feel a thing seeing as it doesn't do so period. But, what if that theory is wrong and something else has to be done? With only 20 bombs at my disposal and no Bomb Flowers nearby, I don't have the luxury of just simply trying numerous methods until something works," I replied.

" Do you suppose Saria might know something?" asked Spike.

" I don't think so as this is a place I feel the spirits of the forest wouldn't be able to reach," I replied.

" Then what about Darunia? She recognized that skull when we first entered the Dodongo's Cavern, so maybe she has an idea as to what can be done. I hope you're good at shouting Sunset Shimmer as she's all the way down there, and we're all the way up here," said Spike. He made a good point regarding Pinkie having a good idea as to what I was supposed to do, but did I really have to shout? Sigh....there was no alternative other than to hope that my throat doesn't get too sore.

" Hello down there!" I shouted.

" So you managed to make it all the way up there on your own? See? I told you that you could go on without having to worry about me. My leg has completely healed which means I'm back to full fighting form and itching to make some noise," said Pinkie.

" I seem to be stuck with a problem!" I shouted.

" What kind of problem?" asked Pinkie Pie.

" There's this message about this King Dodongo skull having to see read in order to open up a new path, but I don't see how it can even see anything due to it not being alive anymore. My theory was to drop a bomb onto each of the empty eye sockets, and see if that can make it see red, but I wanted to know if you knew what I'm supposed to be doing up here," I replied.

" Oh, that little riddle of sorts huh? Yeah, it's stumped a lot of people over the years because they can't see past the obvious, and attempt to figure it out using the most ridiculous of complications. Do I know the solution? Of course I do silly otherwise how else would I know about there being a room behind the skull? So yeah, to open up the mouth, all you have to do is drop bombs into the eyes in order to light them up which does sound strange when you think about it. Dodongos have never been a fan of bombs, and it was these which ended up costing that King Dodongo its life according to what our ancestors left behind in their journals," said Pinkie Pie.

" There was a lot of that I couldn't even understand," I said.

" It's best not to think about it too much otherwise you're liable to get a headache out of it," smiled Pinkie Pie. I dropped a bomb into each empty eye socket which caused them to light up bright red as though something had set them ablaze. Then a rumbling sound occurred that resulted in the skull's mouth dropping open and revealing a door at the back of the throat.

Unbelievable! Even back in the human world, Pinkie Pie constantly defied reality by doing things and knowing stuff that she couldn't possible do and know, yet here in Hyrule it was even more unbelievable because of how ridiculous some of these legends, riddles, and puzzles have been set up.

" See? There is the way onwards to the room that lies beyond the skull. By the way, I know you're probably thinking about walking all the way back down here, but that's going to take way too long. So, you can either hitch a ride on this moving platform by hitting the switch you somehow missed, or you can jump off and I'll catch you before you smack into the ground."

" Excuse me?" I asked.

" I said I'll catch you if you jump," replied Pinkie Pie.

" I know you said that, but are you kidding me? If I jump from all the way up here, you'll only have a few seconds to attempt to catch me, and if you miss then I'm liable to break a lot of bones, and quite possibly die. Like you, I don't like high places, but then I'm not as sturdy as you are," I said.

" There's always the switch," suggested Pinkie Pie. After pondering it over for a few moments, I decided to take the easy approach, and press the switch in order to make it down safely, but then I made my mistake by running back along the catwalk when I knew that I should have walked. After taking a few steps, I accidentally slipped and fell off the side landing on top of the skull's nose, and then I slid down the face and fell off of the chin where Pinkie caught me by holding her arms up allowing me to land firmly on top of them.

" Wow! I didn't even think of using the skull as a makeshift slide! That must have been so much fun!" Fun wasn't exactly the word I was thinking of when my life was flashing before my eyes, but at least I made it back down. Pinkie then put me down and we proceeded to enter the door, and the next room was a bit on the dark side with nothing of interest apart from a small hole in the center of the room, and a block was perched on a ledge that was a bit too high to reach. I walked over to the hole in order to see what lied within, and there was another blue switch which meant something heavy needed to be placed on it....the block was just the thing.

" It looks like we'll have to go the long way around as we need that block on that ledge to act as a weight to activate the pressure switch. The map does indicate that we can climb onto that smaller ledge over there, and walk into the room it leads to, but there's no telling as to what kind of danger may be lurking beyond," I said.

" Or we can take the easy approach and I can get that block down for you," said Pinkie Pie.

" And how do you plan on doing that?" I asked.

" You'll see what I mean in just a few seconds," replied Pinkie Pie. She walked over to where the block was perched and she eyed it for a few moments before eyeing the wall, and that was when she started to smash the wall with her hammer repeatedly in the same spot until she changed to a different spot and continued to repeat her hammer strikes before switching yet again to a different spot. At first I thought that she had lost it and was merely trying to have a little bit of fun at my expense, but then I looked up and noticed that the block was shifting its way towards the edge which made me realize that Pinkie was a genius.

She was using the force of the hammer blows to manipulate the block, and she adjusted the position so as to keep up the pressure without causing it to move in the other direction. Eventually, the block fell down where Pinkie caught it with one hand and quickly threw it into the hole where the pressure switch was. I have to admit that she has quite the dexterity to be able to pull of a stunt like that. In any case, the activated switch caused the bars on the nearby door to rise up, and we entered the next room which consisted of a dead-end.

" This is nothing but a dead-end, so why go to all that trouble with the pressure switch just to lock a door that leads to nowhere?" I asked.

" Do you feel the heat coming from below?" asked Spike.

" Now that you mention it, I am feeling a strong surge of heat, which means that there must be another room right below us. Given how the Dodongo's Cavern had numerous walls which could be blown up in order to reveal new passageways, I suspect that using a bomb on the floor somewhere in here will give us the same result. Now let me see where I would need to use a bomb," I replied.

I then got onto my hands and knees and started to tap the ground so as to determine where the weakest part of it was. After tapping in a few places, I tapped another spot which sounded different from the previous ones. " Pay dirt!" This must be the correct spot, so I took out a bomb and placed it down and scurried away before I got caught in the blast. A hole appeared after the explosion, and it revealed another room which had a large pool of lava which was where the source of the heat was coming from.

" Well, the only way we can move on is by going down this hole and into the room below. My magic still hasn't recovered, so I'll have to rely on using what I've got for weapons to deal with whatever we find down there. What about you Darunia? The drop isn't quite too high, but you may want to sit this one out in case you feel that you won't enjoy that particular experience.

" Nah! That drop distance isn't quite so bad as the one back in the main room, so expect me to come along with you and fight to my heart's content. I am concerned though about the fact that your magical powers haven't come back to you yet. You must have used up an awful lot when we dealt with those Lizalfos earlier, but I would have thought you'd have made a full recovery by now just like I have with my leg," said Pinkie Pie.

" When I use too much magic like I did back there, it strains me to the point where I get exhausted. Perhaps I need a good night's sleep so that I can relax and allow my magic to get a proper means of recovery, but sleeping is the last thing I need right now especially with where we are. It may be crazy that I'm going into this without my ace, but there isn't much say in the matter other than to make the best of the situation ," I said. With that little bit of self-doubt out of the way, I dropped down into the hole with Pinkie Pie following right behind me, and it turned out that the room below was massive to say the least. Judging from what we could see in front of us, the vapours of heat were enough to make most people faint after a while, but no doubt Pinkie was used to it, and my fire magic made me appreciate it.

" It's quiet," commented Spike. I wish that he hadn't said that because the moment he did, a loud stomping sound reverberated throughout the room, and was followed by several more stomps as though something big were approaching behind us.

" What is that?" I asked.

" Uh, Sunset Shimmer? I think you ought to turn around right now as the answer to your question is coming this way," replied Spike. I quickly turned around in order to see what he was talking about, and I immediately froze in terror at the sight of a massive dinosaur-like monster stomping its way toward us. It then came to a stop before rearing its head up and roaring before it proceeded to breathe in deeply.

I was wondering why it was suddenly doing something so weird, but then that wonder shattered immediately when it breathed out a huge burst of flame that traveled half-way around the room before fading away. That was when the dinosaur curled up into a ball and began to roll around in the same direction it blasted out the ball of flame before crashing into a wall half-way around the room before rightening itself and stomping back towards us.

" What in Equestria?" I asked.

" That's a King Dodongo! Remember that giant Dodongo whose skull served as a creepy fixture, and its spine was used as a support beam for the ceiling? Well, this is what one looks like when it's alive, has its skin, and its bones are in the proper places. It may be not be fast when it comes to moving about and attacking, but that ball of flame it shoots from its mouth is pretty difficult to avoid.

You were lucky enough that you managed to use your Hylian Shield to protect yourself otherwise we'd be seeing roasted Sunset Shimmer on that guy's dinner menu tonight. Every time it breathes out fire, it will immediately follow with its infamous Dodongo Roll where it will attempt to roll you over with its massive bulk before coming to a stop, and then making its way back to repeat the process," replied Spike.

" Is that all it does?" I asked.

" Yes as a matter of fact which makes you wonder if you should take pity on it, or be thankful that it doesn't know any other means of attack," replied Spike. King Dodongo at this point had finally stomped its way back to our location, and proceeded to breathe in again which meant we had to prepare. Pinkie simply walked into the pool of lava and stood there unfazed due to being a Goron. I shouldn't have looked at her though as I ignored what was about to come my way. When I turned my attention back to the king, it unleashed another burst of flame, and I chose to run as fast as I could in the hopes of somehow avoiding it before I get cooked.

" Whoa-whoa-whoa, WHOAH!" I shouted as I ran and reached one of the corners of the room and pressed my back against the wall. The flame ball shot past me and faded away after traveling half-way around the room, but the heat vapour coming from it was something that I felt touch my skin in an awful way. " Seriously speaking here, I can't just play a defensive tactic as that would just involve me either running and screaming, or using my shield and hoping that it doesn't break or somehow melt. Darunia, can't you use your hammer and knock some sense out of this thing?"

" Of course I can do something like that, but first we'd need to knock the wind out of King Dodongo before I can make a strike," replied Pinkie Pie.

" So then how do we knock it down?" I asked.

" Since this Dodongo is essentially a giant-sized version of the regular ones we saw after that situation involving the Lizalfos, it must have the same weaknesses. You have bombs at your disposal this time Sunset Shimmer, so you can use them in order to give King Dodongo a serious case of indigestion. When its mouth opens up when it attempts to breathe in and unleash that burst of flame, that should be the right time to toss a bomb in there. Then when it receives a shock from having its stomach blown up on the inside, Darunia can smash its tail, or pretty much any part of its body as a means of wounding it. She'll be handling the damage while you Sunset will have to handle the bomb tossing," replied Spike.

" Does that sound like a plan to you?" I asked Pinkie.

" As long as I get to do my thing and smash this thing to pieces, I'll follow along with any plan you might come up with," replied Pinkie. So I pretty much have the harder of the two tasks, but I guess this was destined to be. As King Dodongo stomped its way towards me at its pace of movement, I waited for the moment which had to be when its mouth was open as it breathes in for its fireball attack. Once it got close enough, it came to a stop and began the process of attack, and when its mouth was open just wide enough, I tossed a bomb inside and moved backwards.

It was kind of disgusting how this thing likes to chew and swallow, but the bomb exploded inside of its stomach causing it to fall down. That's when Pinkie ran up and bashed it right in the head before returning to the center of the pool of lava. Once King Dodongo had gotten back up, it curled into a ball and started to roll towards me. My reaction time wasn't really enough, so I found myself running away from what I would describe was a runaway boulder with scales.

" Not enjoying this!" I shouted.

" You need to live for the moment Sunset Shimmer, and enjoy the experience for what it's worth," laughed Pinkie Pie. Easy for her to say when she isn't being chased around by a fire-breathing dinosaur. Once it stopped, King Dodongo then repeated the process again, and this was kind of sad that this was all it was capable of. For the next five minutes or so, I repeated the process of throwing bombs into its mouth, and Pinkie dealing out the blows with her hammer, but when she hit it for the fifth time, it reared up onto its back legs as though it were in immense pain.

It then started to roll around the room before it tipped over into the pool of lava, and Pinkie had to get out before she found herself getting squashed. King Dodongo then sank into the lava and attempted to get back out, but it was stuck and eventually the lava hardened and caused the poor creature to wind up being burned alive.

" That was a rather morbid way to go," I said.

" Huzzah! Victory is ours! But, I do agree with you in that it was a rather gruesome way to go, but then sometimes you have to deal with the fact that when defeating giant monsters like this, the end result isn't always a pleasant thing to experience. Take it from me, I've seen my share of things like this, and even now it makes me feel uneasy sometimes, but I've had to become tough so as to set a good example for my people. You don't need to enjoy doing this sort of thing," said Pinkie Pie.

" It looks like your sister isn't the only one who is good at pep talks," I smiled.

" Yeah, she gave me some pointers on how best to do those. In any case, King Dodongo has been defeated, and it was quite the battle. This was exactly what I needed in order to let off that steam I had from being in a bad mood, and now I feel content knowing that I got to smash something. By the way, you should take that giant heart-like object that just appeared next to the corpse.

I don't know what it means exactly, but you should take it with you as you earned it for defeating something without relying on your magic," said Pinkie Pie. I walked over to the Heart Container and picked it up whereupon it made me feel warmer just like what happened before. Then the same blue light from before appeared, and I walked into it in order to return back outside where Pinkie and I ended up outside of the entrance to the cavern. " Ha-ha! Now that was a seriously wild adventure! No doubt that it will become the stuff of legends one of these days! But, I guess in a way that all of this is sort of my fault now that I'm being serious again."

" Now what has brought that up?" I asked.

" If only I had known what that Gerudo thief Ganondorf was planning, a lot of what has happened this past week could have been avoided. I allowed my own emotions to cloud my judgment, and it almost destroyed Kakariko Village, but you risked your very life in order to help us. Ha! I'm really liking you now Sunset Shimmer, so how about you and I become Sworn Brothers? There is no big ceremony or anything like that, so as a sign of my friendship, I want you to have that which you came all the way here for....the Spiritual Stone of Fire," replied Pinkie Pie.

" Sworn Brothers?" I asked.

" We Gorons take pride with the fact that we view trust as being the most important of values, next to rocks, and family of course. You have earned both my trust and my friendship, and that is why I feel that you are worthy to become my Sworn Brother," replied Pinkie Pie as she handed over the spiritual stone to me. This now made two stones in my collection with one more left to find. Perhaps I should see Twilight first to let her know that I obtained the spiritual stone from Pinkie, and it would also give me an opportunity to speak to Applejack regarding Equestrian Magic.

" Brother! You continue to sharpen up those skills of yours okay? There are many more trials out there with your name on them waiting for you to conquer them. I know something that you can do right now seeing as you do have a Bomb Bag, and that is go to the very peak of Death Mountain. There is a Great Fairy who lives up there, and if you talk to her, I'm sure that she will be able to power you up with her magic. You should be able to make it up there and back down here in about an hour if you're fast enough, so why not come back to Goron City after paying the Great Fairy a visit? You can spend the night in my room, and totally call it a slumber party."

" I was told back down in the village that Death Mountain is an active volcano. Is this true?" I asked.

" What you heard was correct as the mountain has been known to spew forth rocks of fire from the peak the closer you get to the top. None of the rocks have ever made it down this far, so the problem will start to become evident as you climb to the peak. You do have that strong shield on your back, so that should be enough to get you to where you need to go. Well, I must return to the city and inform my Brothers that the Dodongo's Cavern has been cleared of the creatures, and that we can return to digging in there and eating enough rocks until our stomachs burst," replied Pinkie Pie. She then turned around and started to walk back home swinging her hammer about without a care in the world leaving Spike and I to ponder our next move.

" So what do you think we should do next?" I asked.

" What Darunia said about the Great Fairy is true. As the leader of the fairies of Hyrule, she knows many things. Her magical powers are very vast, and make yours look like a joke, but I mean no offence to you as she does possess a strong affinity towards the magical arts. If you didn't have that Hylian Shield with you, I'd have suggested for you to go back to Hyrule Castle Town, and buy one at the Bazaar, but since you have one on your person, we can make the climb before the sun goes down which should be in about a couple of hours," replied Spike.

" Considering that the peak of the mountain is way up high, and we're about at the half-way point from the start which is Kakariko Village and the peak, I'd say that we can make it up there in about an hour. Since I have bombs on hand, we can blow up those boulders that were blocking the path that one Goron said was the way to go. I've never climbed up a mountain before in my entire life, but I guess now is as good a time as any to try it out," I said.

With that, I began the long trek towards the top of Death Mountain which started with blowing up the boulders so that I could leap from ledge to ledge in order to make it to the upper path. This new path actually went downhill for a short period before rising back up, and far off in the distance was a large mass of vines covering up a section of the wall. " Guess I'm also going to see if I can prove myself to be a competent rock climber based on those vines way off in the distance."

" You'd better take out that shield and have it above your head," suggested Spike.

" Why above?" I asked.

" Darunia confirmed to us what that woman Anju said back in the village about this mountain being an active volcano. Since we're getting closer to the top, the chances of being pelted by flaming rocks is quite likely, and if you want to avoid getting heavily damaged, your shield is going to be living up its expectations. You need to run as fast as you can and not stop until you reach those vines," replied Spike. I gulped for a second before lifting my shield above my head, and started to run as fast as possible.

Almost immediately the sky turned dark and the sound of the mountain erupting could be heard from miles away, and then the barrage of rocks started to fall down in rapid-fire succession. I had to stop and keep my shield up in the hopes of not getting hit, but the process proved to be challenging as those rocks were heavy. When the barrage stopped for a brief moment, I made a run for it until I had to stop for the next barrage to go through its course. This unusual means of dodging and running lasted about two minutes until I made it to the vines, and the sky turned crystal clear once again.

" That wasn't so bad, but I don't want to have to go through that again," I said.

" Now you just need to climb all the way up to the top," said Spike.

" Makes me wish that I had brought some mountain climbing gear," I sighed as I started to climb up the vines on the wall. It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be as I had forgotten that this was just like climbing those vines back when I explored inside the Great Deku Tree. Once I realized this, I climbed up faster and without even looking down to see how far I had climbed. When I reached the top of the vines, I noticed that the ledge consisted of a small clearing that featured a large cave entrance, and some kind of stone like structure sticking out of the wall. Perhaps the most encouraging part was seeing Flash Sentry and his owl perched on top of a small sign which meant that I wasn't about to get freaked out by him suddenly speaking to me.

" It's been quite a while since we last saw each other," said Flash Sentry.

" I've been doing a lot of running around in this part of the kingdom over the course of the last couple of days. I'm actually glad that I was able to spot you as in our past encounters, you would speak out all of a sudden which would cause me to freak out in retaliation. It's relieving to know that you are capable of starting a conversation normally," I said.

" Then I'm glad that I did not make you any more uneasy than you have been," said Flash Sentry.

" How do you figure that?" I asked.

" I can see the sweat that pours down your brow from here, and the way you speak in slow breaths shows that you have been struggling a lot since you began your adventures here on Death Mountain, but do not view this as me insulting you for having experienced so much. In fact, I am impressed by how much progress you have made since you first left the safety of the forest. I can also sense that you have achieved your goal here which was to assist the Gorons with their troubles, and that is yet another sign that you are the one who is destined to save this world." replied Flash Sentry.

" I'm still not entirely sure that I'm the right one to fulfill that destiny, but I'm glad to see that my efforts are starting to pay off. Anyway, the reason that I came all the way up here was to visit the Great Fairy who is said to live somewhere around here," I said.

" Then coming up all this way was a smart move on your part, so now I will reward you by telling you more about Death Mountain. Take a look above you for a second. Do you see that ring of smoke that encircles the peak? When this mountain is at peace, the ring of smoke appears as you see it before your eyes, but if the mountain is afflicted, the smoke becomes a ring of fire. I also noticed that you were observing that cave entrance over there when you were climbing up onto the ledge.

That cave is the main entrance to the interior known as the Death Mountain Crater. It is an inferno in there, and those who do not have the means to survive the heat will end up succumbing to it. As of right now, you wouldn't last very long in there, so it would be best for you to not go exploring. What I can tell you though is that there is a temple located at the bottom of the crater that serves as a place of worship to the fire spirits, and that the Gorons have been worshipping there for many generations.

I think that you have learned enough from me for the time being, so now I want to see you make another smart move by uncovering the entrance to the Great Fairy's Fountain, and speaking to her. I'll wait for you here, so I advise that you get going right away," said Flash Sentry.

" So where do you suppose the entrance is Spike?" I asked.

" Do you really want me to answer that?" asked Spike.

" Not really as I wanted to see if you were paying attention," I replied.

" Was that you being smug with me?" asked Spike.

" Think of it as me getting you back for those times where you did exactly that to me, and also think of it as me adopting your mannerisms due to how long we've been on this journey together," I replied. I then walked over to where that stone was sticking out, and placed a bomb in front of it before backing away. The bomb exploded shortly afterwards and revealed a small cave entrance which beckoned me to enter it.

Inside the cave was the most amazing sight I have ever witnessed where the walls were flowing with water into a pool of water that was crystal clear. A walkway adorned with beautiful tiles lead me towards an altar where the same symbol I saw at the graveyard was present. I knew then that I had to play 'Twilight's Lullaby' while standing on the symbol, and by doing so I heard a laughter echo throughout the cave; an echo that sounded awfully familiar to me. Suddenly, a young girl came out of the altar in front of me spinning around before she came to a stop and was floating in the air. She was wearing a beautiful white gown complete with some crystal clear jewellery, but when I looked up to see her face, my face turned white cold.

" Welcome Sunset Shimmer to my fountain."

" Adagio!!!! What in the world are you doing here of all places?" I asked in a panic over the fact that the Great Fairy was none other than Adagio Dazzle, a siren from Equestria. She was the leader of the Dazzlings who tried to take over Canterlot High by hypnotizing everyone into being their slaves. She also was sadistic when it came to wanting to have her desires fulfilled

" I see that I resemble a familiar face to you from another world, and for that I apologize for that was not my intention. It seems to me that you have been running into many people with whom you recognize as being from a place far different from this one," said Adagio.

" You know that I'm from a different world?" I asked.

" There is much that I know about that the creatures of this world can only fathom in their heads, but yes, I am aware of the fact that you are someone who has been sent here to Hyrule along with many others from your world including myself. There are certain images of that other world that flow through my mind; memories that I would rather wish were not true of the one that I resemble to you. This is the same thing that has been experienced by those who share a strong bond with you, and that bond exists through a powerful magic that I am both unfamiliar and familiar with," replied Adagio.

" So then you must know of a way to return all of us back to the human world?" I asked.

" The magic that was used to bring you and the others of your world into this one is a magic that is far beyond the limits of my own power. I am sorry that I am not able to help you return home, but what I can tell you is that you can return there if you can achieve the destiny that has been written for you. How exactly you must achieve this is something that only you can figure out, and you must also know that only you can determine the fate of Hyrule.

There is much riding upon your shoulders dear child that may seem small and insignificant to you right now, but you will soon realize that there is more at stake than you can even imagine. Your trials will only grow in difficulty from here, and you must be ready to face those challenges otherwise you shall fall, and this world will become lost," replied Adagio.

" I am a little disappointed that you aren't able to get me back home, but at least you further proved my theory that those who have used Equestrian Magic have retained some aspects of their memories of the human world through their interactions with me in Hyrule. Granted, I still need to talk to Applejack, Sonata, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and even Aria about all of this whenever I am able to see them next, or in the case of Rarity and Aria, for the first time since this all started. Anyway, I was told to come here because you would be able to help me out in my quest to defeat the likes of Ganondorf," I said.

" The Goron Chieftain was wise to tell you to come to me, for indeed I can aid you on your journey. First of all, allow me to introduce myself to you because I have yet to do so for you assumed me to be another whose face you know. I am the Great Fairy of Power, and I have watched over this mountain since the beginning of this world's creation. I am able to grant you a new ability which can help you in your struggles against the evil forces, so I will now bestow it upon you. Close your eyes and relax as my power flows through you and reveals that which has been unknown to you," replied Adagio.

As I closed my eyes, she began to blow a magical wind which engulfed my body, and while this was happening, I was thinking about everything that she had just said regarding the human world. It seems that Adagio of this world is aware that things aren't right, and has accepted this as well as what she had done at C.H.S despite the fact that she is a being of good in Hyrule. I'll admit that it does feel strange knowing that Adagio of all people is helping me out.

" You may open your eyes now Sunset Shimmer, for I have granted you the power to use the elements of water, earth, and wind in addition to your fire magic. The elements are now yours to command, so feel free to experiment with what you have gained so that you may use your new magic to protect this world."

" Thank you," I said.

" By the way, you are the Messenger of the Royal Family are you not? I know that you plan on going back to the castle in order to inform the princess that you have acquired the spiritual stone from the Gorons, but what you did not know was that a fellow Great Fairy has a fountain there where she can bestow upon you a new skill. The next time you happen to be in the neighbourhood of the royal family, you should drop by the Great Fairy for you will need all of the skills that you can get.

I also advise that you explore the kingdom for a while in order to obtain some new items. Having more items and becoming stronger will go a long way towards fulfilling your destiny. Finally, you have been worried about your magic because you over exerted yourself when you had to save both yourself and the Goron Chieftain. You need not worry as a good long rest will allow your magic to restore itself, but I suggest that you be more conservative about it in the future so that this problem does not happen again," said Adagio.

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

" By all means ask away," said Adagio.

" What do you know about Ganondorf?" I asked.

" He is known by many as the King of the Gerudo, a title that he has held since the day he was born, but what few know is that his heart is black and filled with hatred and the desire to conquer this world. He knows much about the legend of the Triforce and the power that it can give him were he to lay his hands upon it, and that is why he has striven to do whatever he can to achieve his desire of being the ruler of Hyrule.

Already, you have witnessed his actions with your own eyes through the death of the Great Deku Tree, and the near extinction of the Gorons. For Ganondorf, everyone is a pawn to him that can be sacrificed when it no longer holds any real use to him, and that includes his own people who blindly follow him. That is all you need to know about the King of the Gerudo from me, for there is much more you can learn if you were to speak to him directly. You must go now and seek out the third spiritual stone and save those who have been protecting it," replied Adagio.

" That's quite a lot of pressure you've given me there," I said.

" Fate decrees that you are to be tested to the limits of endurance and even beyond that, so you must succeed or you will die!" said Adagio.

" I'll....die?" I asked.

" When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," said Adagio as she disappeared back into the water within the altar leaving me with a rather cryptic means of reminding me of how much rests on my shoulders, and that my own life was hanging in the balance. If she had intended to make me feel even worse about all of this, then she had performed her job admirably well....

To Be Continued.

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 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 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 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 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.

Next Chapter: Chapter 43: To See the Truth that Lies Beyond Estimated time remaining: 27 Hours, 33 Minutes