//------------------------------// // Chapter 40: Broken Armour // Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// 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.