//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20 The Thieves' Hideout 
// Story: The Legend of Cadance A Shining Link to the Past 
// by Forgotten Legends 
//------------------------------//

	Shining looked at the map of the dungeon and saw that the traps and how they were set up. Shining moved carefully over to the room with the chest in it. He stuck the key in its hole but the chest wouldn’t open. He searched all over the chest and found another key hole hidden on the top. Shining stuck the key in this hole and turned it much to his surprise it opened the chest.

Shining lifted the lid and saw that it had a pair of golden gauntlets that resembled the silver ones he had on. He put them on and all of a sudden a trap went off. The door was blocked by a fallen column. Shining went over to it and saw it was made of metal and it was bomb proof. Shining tried to lift it and saw that he could lift it above his head with ease.

Shining saw how easy it was for him to lift the column, so he guessed these were a better version of his old ones. He went to a room that had sunlight pouring into it. He saw the one floor was cracked so he carefully walked over it, but it collapsed. He fell into the room and saw the light was still above him. Shining took a look at the map and saw this was the boss chamber but there was no monster of any kind.

Shining walked to the room next to the chamber and saw a girl in a locked cell door. As he opened it he felt a weird aura around her. So the two walked into the light in the boss chamber and it happened.

The little girl yelled, “I can’t stand this horrid light. I must kill you for brining me into this light filled room.”

Shining gasped as he saw the girl turn into a demonic pegasi pony. Shining saw the demon shoot balls of fire at him and held up his shield as he walked closer. He sliced off the demon’s head and saw the body regrow a new head as the old one flew around and began to fly around shooting fireballs. Shining kept up this until the demon finally submitted to defeat and blew up in a puff of black smoke.

Shining picked up the heart shaped gem and felt himself grow stronger. As he looked at himself he saw that his body had grown more muscular and he guessed that every couple hearts he gained he would grow bulkier as he got a better physique. All of a sudden another crystal appeared and the maiden inside woke up.

She said to him, “Thank you for rescuing me from that demon. I sense you rescued another maiden already, I shall go and join her.”

As she left the crystal shrunk and he put it in his bag with the other on. He saw the crystals fit together and wondered what they would form. Shining looked into the mirror and exited the dungeon and went to the next palace in this world.