//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19: Steed of the Unicorn 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

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.