//------------------------------//
// Chapter 60: To Have Control 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
April 11, 2015
Chapter 60: To Have Control.

Now that I had witnessed what became of Rainbow Dash, she had left me with one heck of a burden. Granted, I had saved Spitfire in the future from the control of those witches. Still, there was immense pressure for now I must finish what she started. I was holding in my hand the ring which had been given to me by Rainbow Dash's loyal, but clueless subordinate, Derpy, and it was what I needed in order to gain access to the ultimate defence.
To defeat those witches, and to break the curse on the temple, I need this treasure....yet Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and just about everyone else in the desert has not really told me how I have to use this ring. As I stared longingly at it, I tried to think of ways that I could use it to get what I need, but so far I wasn't able to come up with a good enough answer.
" I'm just stumped," I sighed.
" About what?" asked Spike.
" Rainbow Dash wants me to use this ring to get the treasure of the Spirit Temple, yet I wish she could have told me a little more about what to do with it. It is a very nice ring and no doubt extremely valuable given who it once belonged to, but I feel like I've only got part of the solution with the rest of it completely up in the air," I replied.
" I do agree that we need more information, but I suppose we were meant to figure it out on our own. Nabooru went to great lengths to secure that ring by stealing it from the temple, giving it to her subordinate, and who in turn gave it to you. I have no doubt it is what we need to defeat the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf, and they will do everything they can to destroy us," said Spike.
" We need to know more about this ring," I said.
" The Gerudo don't know much about it, so I'm not sure where we can go to do some research," said Spike. His choice of words suddenly gave me an idea, and I also have to thank Twilight and her love of research for adding to my inspiration. The Gerudo chose to forget about their past, and focusing on thievery as their means of survival, but I'm sure they kept some records because no tribe would truly want to sever ties with their ancestors. 
If I can get access to these records, it should provide some information about this ring. It doesn't matter if it's a lot, or very little of it provided it just says the basics of what this ring is supposed to do. The question though is whether Spike would agree that we should pay one last visit to the Gerudo's Fortress, as he may suggest that we go straight to the temple.
" I have an idea," I began.
" What did you have in mind?" asked Spike.
" I know that we haven't had much luck in getting information about this ring, but if we were to get access to what records they did decide to keep at the fortress, we'll be able to find what we're looking for. It does mean we would have to stop at there briefly before making our way to the temple, but I wanted to run this by you first," I replied.
" While we should make our way to the temple as soon as possible, I agree that we should read those archives. We know so very little about how this ring is supposed to allow you to claim the sacred treasure, and it would be for the best if you had an idea of what to do rather than attempt to solve it blind," said Spike.
" I was hoping you'd agree," I smiled.
" Of course because we need as much help as we can get because when we enter the temple in the future, things are going to become more difficult than before. The witches will be out to destroy you as they believe you to be a threat to Ganondorf, and Sunset Demon is still waiting for you to arrive, so knowing exactly how to use that ring will make certain transitions become easier," said Spike.
" Plus, I do want to try that Horseback Archery in order to get that larger quiver," I said.
" Having extra arrows is never a bad thing," said Spike. I should focus on getting the information from the archives first, and then focus my efforts on getting the quiver upgrade. It will also give Epona something fun to do as surely she wishes that she could go with me everywhere on my journey, and that's when something else popped up in my mind. Spitfire will probably ask me how things went in the desert, and probably wonder how I was able to come back in one piece. 
How am I going to get around this without revealing too much? I then decided to tell Spike about this, and what he said to me in response was reassuring. " Since Nabooru made it back successfully, you can say the same thing, but don't let on that you are able to warp around the kingdom. If she asks anything about what became of the former second-in-command, you can't reveal what we witnessed here because such knowledge was never discovered in the future."
" So what can I say?" I asked.
" I'm not sure, but she can't learn that you have the ability to travel back and forth through time," replied Spike.
" Figured you would say that," I sighed. I then showed him the Silver Gauntlets which I acquired from the treasure chest....the same gauntlets that I was supposed to have given to Rainbow Dash, but because she had been abducted, they have now become mine. Just looking at them made me feel angry over how I couldn't do anything given the events of the past had to happen. 
" Yes, while you have obtained those gauntlets, such a reward came with a terrible price....the fate of Nabooru. You must take and use them so that you can access deeper areas of the Spirit Temple. You were destined to have them even though it meant breaking the promise you made to her, yet I am certain she will forgive you."
" I wonder if I can put them on right now," I said.
" You do look the same now as you do in the future, but the gauntlets won't fit you," said Spike.
" In truth, I should have gotten older upon first awakening in the Chamber of the Sages within the Sacred Realm, but my Equestrian magic prevented me from aging. I know people who knew me in the past were shocked that I didn't age like they did, yet you think that this wouldn't apply to weapons and the like," I moaned.
" People change but items remain the same," said Spike.
" Well, I suppose all I can do with these gauntlets is just keep them until we return to the future," I said. Since I need to return to the future to break the curse on the temple and save Rainbow Dash, I have to play the Prelude of Light using the Ocarina of Time. I then took it out of the pouch I keep it in, and played it which quickly warped me back to the Temple of Time. Upon my arrival, I made my way to where the Master Sword rested as I need to draw it from the Pedestal of Time.
" I believe this is the last time we'll be coming to the past," said Spike.
" Makes me wish I could have picked up some additional items here before going back," I said.
" You may still get the chance," began Spike.
" How can you say that after saying this will be our last time here?" I asked.
" There is no telling what will happen once you have awoken the final Sage," replied Spike. The most likely result is going to be me entering Ganondorf's castle, and I am not ready to go there even if I have the Master Sword. Speaking of the divine blade, there it was in its resting place, and now the time has come for me to pull it from its pedestal once again. Walking up to it and placing my hands firmly on the hilt, I began pulling until the sword came out, and I became surrounded by blue light. 
A few moments later and I was back in the future with all of my weapons intact, yet where were the Silver Gauntlets? I remember placing them on my belt, and now they are no longer there which made me wonder just what happened to them.
" Do you know where those gauntlets are?" I asked.
" They're on your wrists," replied Spike.
" What!?!?" I exclaimed. I then looked down at my wrists, and there they were in all of their glory. I have to admit that they do look good on me, even though the colour can be viewed as inferior in the minds of some people. I felt a strong surge coming from my hands which made me feel like I could easily lift up anything no matter how heavy it was.
" While these gauntlets will be useful to me for what I need them for, a part of me still feels bad that Rainbow Dash had to suffer before the desert swallowed her courtesy of those witches. She was meant to have these and not me, so no matter what you say about it Spike, you know as well as I that these were acquired unintentionally," I said.
" And now you must use them to finish what she started," said Spike.
" Her plan was to get deeper into the temple to steal all of the treasure, but I am not a thief, so the idea of me stealing treasure is against everything I stand for. I'm going to ruin the plans of the Evil King as the temple must be freed, and I'm hoping that Rainbow Dash is still alive even though she has been missing all this time," I said. Looking closely at the Silver Gauntlets, I began to think about how they would have looked had I given them to her, but that is a feeling which will never become a reality. 
Seven years have passed since she disappeared, yet she was abducted as a result of being a thorn in the side of Ganondorf. The witches spread rumours about her as a means of covering up her disappearance by saying that she didn't want to return to her home at the fortress, and instead preferred to remain in the desert. 
Because the Gerudo still had a lot of respect towards Rainbow Dash despite no longer being second-in-command, they chose to respect her decision and left it at that. Anyone who suspected something was amiss ended up perishing in the desert, or were captured by the witches who wanted no one snooping around the temple.
" We need to go to the Gerudo's Fortress in order to look at their records," said Spike.
" Perhaps playing the Requiem of Spirit will help us get there quicker?" I asked.
" It will send us to the Desert Colossus as that's where the Sage Altar is located, and it's impossible to return to the fortress from that end because of the Haunted Wasteland. Our only choice is to travel via horseback to the fortress and speak to Spitfire. Since she is in charge, we need to speak with her to get permission to look at their records," replied Spike.
" I am now an honourary member of the tribe, so that should give me access," I said.
" Hopefully, she decides to acknowledge this otherwise we may have to sneak around again," said Spike. That's something I'd rather not have to deal with as sneaking around was so nerve-wracking for me as a small mistake would have meant being thrown back into that one tall tower of theirs. I then walked outside of the Temple of Time, and that's when something else came to my attention.
" You know, we've never seen what Ganondorf's castle looks like," I said.
" It may not be easy to look at given what used to be there before he took over," said Spike.
" But, we have to see eventually as it is where we must go after the final Sage has been awoken," I said.
" Going there right now is bound to make you lose control of your emotions because you'll see what he has done, and not be able to go inside and deal with him. Without the power of the Sages, we can't enter, so we need to avoid going there until the proper time. Besides, your next transformation needs to be of your own free will, and not the result of being filled with anger," said Spike.
" Has anyone ever described what his castle is like?" I asked.
" Not that I can carry seeing as people would prefer to stay away from there because of what it represents," replied Spike.
" I remember what Hyrule Castle looked like as that is where we met Twilight, and the sheer beauty was just breathtaking. Compared to the other tribes with the exception of the Zoras, the castle was a perfect example of how the Hylians are dedicated to showcasing their taste for the finer things in life. Just thinking about how something so beautiful has been transformed into something from your deepest nightmares is too horrible to think about," I said.
" Ganondorf will pay for what he has done," said Spike.
" Hopefully soon," I added. I quickly made my way outside of the destroyed Hyrule Castle Town before the ReDeads attacked because they were still prowling around in the Market. Upon making it outside, I noticed that it was still night out in the field, and that meant I haven't slept for sometime. Maybe I could get some rest at the fortress, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem given how I'm one of them now. Heh, perhaps being a thief has its advantages after all. 
Taking out of the Ocarina of Time again, I needed some help in remembering how to play the song which can call Epona to my side, and luckily Spike was able to show me how it went thanks to him writing it down. Upon playing it, I heard the happy whinnying of my trusty steed as she galloped over to where I was standing. " It's been a while since we last saw each other hasn't it?" Epona then neighed which prompted me to do the same in response.
" I'll still never get used to seeing you do that," said Spike.
" It's merely because I happen to be a talking magical pony from where I come from that allows me to communicate with her," I said.
" I've been meaning to ask you a question," said Spike.
" What is it?" I asked.
" Do you miss your home....as in, your real home?" asked Spike.
" Equestria? I haven't been back there ever since the day I chose to go into self-exile because I believed Princess Celestia was denying me the right to become an alicorn. That was probably over ten years ago, and I doubt anyone even remembers me having existed given how long it's been. The thing is, if I were given the chance to go back to my birth place, I am likely to be arrested by the Royal Guard because of what I did back then," I replied.
" What did you do?" asked Spike.
" I wanted to become an alicorn so badly that I just couldn't wait, so I decided to sneak into a forbidden section of the Canterlot Library which housed books on dark magic. I read one particular book, and when the Royal Guards and Celestia discovered what I was doing....I should have accepted my punishment instead of going into exile. Because of Twilight helping me to change my life around, I do have the desire to go back home to Equestria, but I'm not sure what is going to happen upon my return," I replied.
" All you can do Sunset Shimmer at this point is to accept whatever fate is awaiting you. No need to allow the fear of going back prevent you from doing so, and you can take this experience and apply it to your eventual confrontation with Ganondorf. His presence has struck fear into your heart because of what we've heard about him, yet the only one who can defeat him is you," said Spike. 
Hearing those words made me feel better, and he was right about how I was allowing both my fear of Equestria and the Evil King get in the way of what needs to be done. Even Epona whinnied her support for me, so I responded to her in kind by whinnying my thanks to her for being by my side. I'll return to Equestria one day in the future because there is something I need to deal with which should close a chapter in my troubled history.
Giving Epona a soft kick to her ribs, she began to gallop off at a fast pace towards Gerudo Valley because I needed to speak to Spitfire about looking at her tribe's records. It didn't take long for us to make it there, and the bridge had since been repaired which is due to having rescued the four carpenters at the time.
" The bridge looks amazing," I commented.
" Those carpenters really know how to do some good work if given the incentive," said Spike.
" At least we don't have to jump across the gap now," I said.
" Do you want to pay a visit to Mutoh and his company given how their tent is over there?" asked Spike.
" No, we should focus on looking at those records because if I were to visit them right now, I'm bound to get stuck in a conversation with Sweetie Belle, or at the very least with Aria," I replied. Spike agreed for we need the final Sage to awaken, and neither of us had any idea who was going to assume the position. Upon entering the Gerudo's Fortress, many of the thieves were surprised to see me, and when I reached the main entrance, Spitfire was waiting for me along with a small entourage.
" Welcome back Sunset Shimmer. I take it that you were unable to make it through the Haunted Wasteland?" asked Spitfire.
" No, I made it successfully yet I had to use personal means to come back here," I replied.
" So you crossed the accursed desert just like the exalted Nabooru. I won't ask how you managed to come back here as that is a private matter which we respect, but why have you returned? Is it because of our famous Horseback Archery? It's too late to challenge it now as the one who runs it has long since gone to bed," said Spitfire.
" I came back here because I need permission to view your records," I said.
" Of the history of our people?" asked Spitfire.
" I know you've chosen to forget about the past of your people because of wanting to be dedicated to thievery, but I'm willing to believe you did keep some records because it would have been dishonourable to have neglected your roots," I replied.
" It's true that we do have some records of our ancestors in our library, but why do you want access to them?" asked Spitfire.
" I need to know how this ring is supposed to allow me to get the ultimate defence," I replied.
" Let me think here for a second....yes, there is a mention in our records regarding that ring, but I'm not sure where you'll be able to find the answer you seek. To answer your original question, you have my permission to look at our records. Since you were able to make it across the wasteland, were you able to find out anything regarding the fate of the exalted Nabooru?" asked Spitfire. 
I was afraid she was going to ask this question, and Spike did warn me about it. How am I supposed to explain to her that I went back in time, and witnessed exactly what became of Rainbow Dash? I need to give her some kind of answer otherwise she could take this the wrong way, and I'll be in a lot of trouble with the entire tribe. 
The pressure was now starting to get to me because of being trapped between a rock and a hard place, but then something struck within my mind. There was one thing I could mention that doesn't give away the truth as to what I really know.
" I reached the Spirit Temple, and judging from what I found, Nabooru did go inside, but never came back out," I replied. This actually was true as upon my first time entering, I did see what appeared to be scuffle marks near where Rainbow Dash was sitting when I saw her in the past. It never registered in my head until Spitfire happened to bring it up just now.
" Then she has fallen foul to the mothers of Ganondorf," said Spitfire.
" Most likely," I said.
" The Gerudo are aware of what the sorceresses have done, and agree that they need to be defeated. Sunset Shimmer, I believe that you can defeat the witches who dwell in the Spirit Temple, for I can tell that you've had experience dealing with such powerful odds. Now come with me, and I'll take you to our library where our records have been kept," said Spitfire. Normally, I'd be feeling depressed about having so much pressure, but in this case I'm not bothered by it because I want to defeat the witches. 
I was then lead into the fortress by Spitfire who kept silent until we came to a door which looked like it could do with some repairs, and she beckoned me to follow her into the room beyond. I found myself surrounded by walls upon walls of books where Twilight would love to come and see it for herself given how much she adores books. Spitfire walked towards a section where there was a large leather-bound book where she picked it up from its place of rest and handed it to me. 
" This book contains the remaining records of the Gerudo that we chose to retain. The answers you seek can be found within these pages, and upon finishing, please return it to where I got it from. I will leave you now to comb through our history, and I hope to see you in the morning." She then turned around and left the room leaving me to look through the book containing their history.
" So somewhere in this book are the answers we need," I said.
" It may take some time to find it," said Spike.
" Even if it isn't all that much information, anything is better than nothing," I said.
" Do you still plan on trying Horseback Archery, or should we leave that until after the Spirit Temple?" asked Spike.
" I want to try it and hopefully win that larger quiver, but because the one in charge is sleeping, I won't be able to do anything about it until tomorrow morning. I'm sure we can sleep here for the night as I doubt anyone will tell us otherwise. Rainbow Dash went to all that trouble to make sure that it would reach me, and I can't let her down despite what happened to her in the end," I replied. Combing through the pages, there was a lot of information, yet none of it was going to help me figure out the use for this ring. 
Eventually, I had looked at every last portion of the book, and nothing came up as a result. This made me feel extremely frustrated because this had been a waste of time, but then something caught my attention....there was a page near the middle which looked like someone had glued it together, so I carefully got it unstuck as I don't want to rip this apart thus ruining it, and the first thing I saw was an image of the ring. " Gasp! This is it! This is what we're looking for!"
" What did you find?" asked Spike.
" It says here that the ring is needed to open up a special door in the Spirit Temple, and it will only open when used in connection with the power of sunlight. The way to the ultimate defence shall become accessible from there," I replied.
" We should have known that the sun would be needed," said Spike.
" There isn't much else we need to know, so I'll put this book back where Spitfire got it, and we can get some sleep," I said. After putting it back on the shelf, I decided the best place I could rest was the chair I had been sitting on. It may not be the best way to sleep, but I wasn't about to close my eyes while laying down on a cold, hard floor. 
As I slowly closed my eyes, I was imagining Twilight in my mind as she had done this sort of thing before when she visited the human world, so it felt nice that I was following her example. Luckily, nothing happened during the night, so when the morning came along, I made my way outside where Epona and Spitfire were waiting for me.
" Good morning Sunset Shimmer! You decided to spend your night sleeping inside of our library? I could have given you a more comfortable place to sleep given that the chairs in that room don't make for very good beds," said Spitfire.
" I was compelled to sleep there," I said.
" As long as you got some rest then you'll be fine with what lies ahead of you. Our Horseback Archery course is up the pathway over there which runs by the left side of the fortress, but don't feel daunted by how big it really is. Since you happen to have your own horse, the woman in charge will get you sorted out immediately. 
She does have an actual horse there, but she prefers it when challengers bring their own. Tell her I suggested you to try our challenge, and she will give you a special course in return. You can't afford to spend too much time back there as the evil that plagues the desert still hangs above us despite things looking peaceful," said Spitfire.
" I can probably afford at least 15 minutes," I said.
" It takes about two minutes to make it through the challenge, so you should have more than enough time. I would come and watch, but I must go inside and prepare our defences in case we get attacked from the Haunted Wasteland. Those two witches could easily launch something to destroy us because of what you've done for the fortress, so I must get everyone ready. If you do happen to come by here again after you've finished with your business out in the Desert Colossus, I would like to hear of your exploits," said Spitfire.
" Then this is goodbye again," I said.
" Until the next time," said Spitfire, and with that she turned around and walked inside. I knew what I had to do, so I climbed onto my faithful steed, and she instantly galloped off towards the Horseback Archery course for she knew that was where I wanted to go. It didn't take long for us to get there, and Spitfire wasn't kidding when she said it could be daunting, for it was the same size as the fortress itself. 
A lone Gerudo woman was standing under some kind of shade with a horse located next to her, and turned her attention towards me when I came up. It turned out that this was none other than the best friend of Diamond Tiara....Silver Spoon. I wonder why I never saw her in this world until now.
" Hey newcomer! This is our Horseback Archery Field where we've been training really hard until we finally obtained the skill to hit the bull's-eye while riding like the wind! It's a rather dangerous sport mind you, but a lot of fun once you've gotten the hang of it. Say, you have a mighty fine horse there! I don't know where you stole it from, yet I can see the fire burning in its eyes," said Silver Spoon.
" Spitfire suggested for me to come here," I said.
" Is that so? Well then, I must offer you our special course as I'm aware you need to deal with the problem in the desert. Okay, here is what you need to do in order to complete this challenge. Your horse is going to gallop across this area, around the target in the far-off distance, and back this way where it will stop just shortly after this other target. While it's galloping along at a steady pace, you'll be shooting the jars and targets which have been placed around the course. 
I'm going to give you 20 arrows, so you don't need to use your own arrows, and you must score 1,800 points before your horse gets back here. Normally, you would need to get 1,000 and 1,500 points respectively to win the prizes here, but because you're in a real hurry, I'll give you both prizes at the same time if you can get 1,800 points," said Silver Spoon.
" Sounds difficult," I said.
" Perhaps, but I'm sure you can do it. Oh, and this isn't a free game even if Madam Spitfire suggested it to you, so I'm afraid you need to pay me 15 rupees if you wish to challenge this course," said Silver Spoon. Since I wanted to earn that larger quiver because I could do with more arrows, I paid the money she wanted, and soon I found myself ready to get started. " Your challenge begins the moment you have your horse start galloping, and ends when you make it back here, or run out of arrows." 
I then gave Epona a soft kick to the ribs, and she began to gallop along which was just like normal, but then shooting targets while riding was very difficult. As we made our way along the course, I tried as hard as I could to shatter the jars and hit the targets, yet many of my shots were wasted, and what I did hit in the end didn't amount to all that much. I even almost fell off a couple of times because of finding it hard to keep my balance. 
By the time I made it back to the beginning, Silver Spoon wasn't impressed with my display. " You looked as though you've never ridden a horse before in your entire life, yet somehow you managed to get a score of 400 points. I don't know what to say about such a pathetic score like that, but deep down you feel ashamed of it, and the desire to do even better burns in your heart."
" I want another try," I said.
" 15 rupees please," said Silver Spoon.
" Fair enough," I said. I then went through the obstacle course again, and Epona could tell that I was struggling, so she whinnied to me that I shouldn't give up and not allow my insecurities to get in the way of what I want. I whinnied back to her in response agreeing to what she said, and that gave me some much needed confidence to do a lot better than a measly 400 points. 
Good thing Spitfire didn't see it otherwise I'd never be able to live it down. My second attempt did yield better results as I hit more targets than the previous try, yet Silver Spoon looked just as unimpressed as before when I got back to her location.
" 1,000 points this time....you got better, but it just isn't enough," said Silver Spoon.
" Again!" I shouted.
" 15 rupees please like before," said Silver Spoon.
" I'm going to do this no matter what it takes," I said. Epona agreed with me by neighing and we went through the course for the third time where I managed to hit even more targets including several of the jars, and when I reached the end, Silver Spoon looked impressed instead of looking disappointed.	
" How about that? This time you managed to score 1,600 points which is almost there, but just missing the end result. I'm impressed with how you improved in only a few attempts, so be proud of such an achievement," said Silver Spoon.
" Which is why I want to try again," I said.
" You really are determined aren't you? I'll give you credit for having a lot of guts, and that is going to get you far. All right! I'll let you try once more, and that will be 15 rupees please," said Silver Spoon. I paid her the money, and we started to go through the course yet again, but this time I was determined to win the two prizes. 
Because I had gotten used to shooting arrows like this after having not done so since hunting down those Big Poes for the owner of the Ghost Shop, shattering all of the pots and hitting the targets became almost second-nature to me. I almost fell off once or twice, and you can't blame me because I haven't been doing this for years which is most likely the case for Silver Spoon and the other Gerudo. 
Each of my shots was well executed, but I did miss once or twice during the course of this challenge, and upon finally getting back to where I started, I felt that this was my best effort yet. " Well call me utterly impressed! Your score this time around is 1,900 points, so that means you've won both prizes! I'm not upset about giving these away because you definitely earned them, but I did get some money out of it which will do me some good in the future. 
The first prize I have for you is this Piece of Heart which I stole from somewhere long ago, yet where exactly it was I forget. The second prize is this quiver which has been my pride and joy for years. It was never stolen or anything like that, but rather it's completely genuine, and I hope that you take great care of it. 
You won't be needing that smaller quiver anymore, so allow me to take it off your hands." She then gave me the Piece of Heart first where the warm feeling I get from these once again kicked in for me, and then she gave me the quiver I've been wanting, and it featured a gold rim around it.
" Now you can carry up to 50 arrows," said Spike.
" Which is more than enough for me to overcome what lies in the Spirit Temple," I said.
" I suggest you get over there newcomer because only you can defeat those two witches," said Silver Spoon.
" I'll make sure those two never cause trouble for the Gerudo again," I said.
" Then I wish you good luck, and if you ever feel a desire to come back here and play this game for the fun of it, just let me know and I'll set you up with a challenge which will cater to your skills," said Silver Spoon. I thanked her for everything she had done, and Epona galloped back down to the main area of the fortress where she made her way to the edge of the entrance to the Haunted Wasteland. 
I didn't want anyone to know how I was able to come back from the Desert Colossus, so I figured on warping in the wasteland where no one will see me. I climbed down from Epona and whinnied for a couple of moments before taking my leave and running into the wasteland where I became surrounded by the eternal sandstorm.
" Epona didn't want you to go did she?" asked Spike.
" No because of what we just went through, but she knows that I need to do this," I replied.
" The Spirit Temple has most likely changed from when we last explored it, so make sure you watch your step. Also, don't lose that ring because it's the only means of opening that special door. Now then, you need to use the ocarina, and play the Requiem of Spirit to warp to the Desert Colossus," said Spike. I followed his example by taking out the Ocarina of Time, and playing the appropriate song which surrounded me in a bright orange light. 
A few moments later, and I found myself back in the desert, but it wasn't cold due to the sun being out. I could barely make out Sonata in the distance who was most likely continuing with her digging for those ancient masks, yet I couldn't afford to speak with her as I did have an important mission.
" I wonder if that Magic Bean has grown," I said.
" What made you think of saying that?" asked Spike.
" Seeing Sonata over there digging away reminded me about it," I replied.
" I'm sure that it has grown by now given how it has been seven years since you planted it," said Spike. Walking carefully across the sand making certain not to be spotted by Sonata, I made my way over to the entrance of the temple, and to the left was the Magic Bean having now fully grown. 
Curious as to where it will take me, I stepped on it, and found myself being taken on an impressive sky trip across the desert until it suddenly went upwards when I approached the mysterious stones in front of the temple. That's when I noticed a Piece of Heart on top which prompted me to jump off the bean, and I landed on the stone with a thud which did cause some slight damage due to falling a little too far. Of course, picking this up would instantly mitigate the damage, so it didn't really do anything.
" Now I need to avoid running into Sonata at least until we're done inside," I said.
" All you can do is jump down, and make a run for it," said Spike.
" Guess so," I said.
" The sand should cushion your fall, but then the Hover Boots should alleviate some of the damage. Remember to switch back to your regular boots when we go inside as I don't think you want to slide all over the place," said Spike. I had forgotten that I was wearing those because I was wearing my normal boots in the past, so I'll need to make the change before I go and push that giant block. 
Looking around to make sure Sonata wouldn't see me, she had since moved on and was exploring near the oasis at the far northwest corner of the desert. I grabbed the Piece of Heart which made me experience that warm feeling again, and from there I jumped down after floating along slightly where I landed with a deep thud. Once I regained my composure, I ran towards the temple entrance and entered it, but I was unaware that the two witches once again were watching me like they had done years ago.

" Look who has finally returned to our temple after so many years Kotake," said Trixie.
" It's the forest girl Koume," said Chrysalis.
" Strange how only just recently did we learn she came here long ago, and we believed her to have gotten lost in the desert where she stumbled onto this place. Before coming to that revelation, we never knew that she paid our temple a visit during the time where Nabooru was exiled because of her treachery," said Trixie.
" Why we figured it out doesn't mean a thing, for now we must deal with this child because if we fail, the Great Ganondorf is going to punish us in the same manner that he does to all those who have failed him. It's a good thing that we spent some time studying this forest girl closely, for we have the means to finally do away with her before she undoes all of the hard work we have created since the day our son first began delving into the dark arts," said Chrysalis.
" The girl was able to claim the silver power seven years ago, for she now wears the gauntlets upon her wrists. But, we can prevent her from claiming the ultimate defence. We should have known back then that Nabooru wanted someone to get their hands it, so she stole that ring from the Great Ganondorf's treasure hoard, and it somehow managed to make its way into the hands of this child," said Trixie.
" It shows how we completely misread the situation from the very beginning, but we have a chance to fix this oversight. The forest girl must not be allowed to awaken the final Sage, so we must ensure she suffers a most glorious death. As long as the power inside of her remains intact, her life need not be significant, and the Great Ganondorf can easily acquire what he seeks," said Chrysalis.
" Back in the past, we were too easy on the girl for the only threat that almost ended her existence was the guardian," said Trixie.
" And while we do have another one that is currently protecting the sacred treasure of the Gerudo, it is not going to stop her. She once wielded weak weapons along with a weak sword, but now she has much stronger weapons. Also, she wields the Master Sword which is a blade we must not take lightly because of how effective it is against those who are evil. 
Our other guardian is most likely to fall in defeat without her suffering too much, so perhaps our special guardian may prove to be what we need to put an end to her interference. Granted, we haven't used it all that much aside from in the Haunted Wasteland, but we must use every last resource we have or else she will succeed in awakening the Sage," said Chrysalis.
" It took us a long time to carefully craft our special guardian," said Trixie.
" I know, and to lose it would be a disaster," said Chrysalis.
" Then the girl must die, or else we will have no choice but to use our special guardian. Of course Kotake, we must take the other problem we have into consideration," said Trixie.
" Yes, for we cannot ignore this creature Koume as she could become just as bad," said Chrysalis.
" The she-demon has proven to be a stubborn wretch that refuses to die, but the Great Ganondorf has allowed her to continue existing so long as she is able to kill the girl. Personally, we shouldn't put our faith into this horrid creature, for if she acquires her desire to assume the life of the girl, who knows what she may try to afterwards. For all we know, she may attempt to kill the Great Ganondorf and acquire his power and eventually conquer Hyrule on her own. 
I have no doubt she is one who seeks power above all else, and would gladly kill any and all people in order to get it. That is why we must make sure that she can be kept under control, or perhaps we should use our magic to brainwash her just like we have done to everyone else who proved problematic," said Trixie.
" Remember that the she-demon is immune to a lot of different kinds of magic because of not being from this world," said Chrysalis.
" Which has proven to be a real annoyance, and it also means the girl has the same immunities," said Trixie.
" Most perplexing indeed," said Chrysalis.
" If everything goes as we expect it to, the girl and the she-demon will destroy one another, and put themselves out of our misery without us or our special guardian having to get involved. Of course, it would be wise for us to make some additional preparations in case things don't go as we want them to. We learned that the hard way seven years ago when the girl waltzed through our temple of her own volition, and we cannot make that mistake again," said Trixie.
" What if we fail?" asked Chrysalis.
" That is not an option for us under any circumstances," replied Trixie. 

The opening chamber of the Spirit Temple looked the same as it did when I came here seven years ago. The snakehead statues were still in their respective locations, so I had no reason to read the messages again even if it was Spike who read them due to me not understanding ancient Hylian text. The main difference was that I was wearing the Silver Gauntlets which I needed to bring back here in order to be able to progress further, so I decided to check out the giant block to see if this equipment would work as intended.
" So I can now push this block?" I asked.
" The Silver Gauntlets have given you more strength than what you had before, so pushing this will be easy for you. Don't feel discouraged Sunset Shimmer because you're having doubts, but rather just go for it and see what happens. You also need to transform of your own volition, so if we encounter any monsters, you should defeat them by utilizing those pony ears and tail," replied Spike. 
I needed to master transforming especially with Sunset Demon now lurking around the temple given how she is here in the present, but wasn't in the past when I explored trying to find these gauntlets. Placing my hands on the giant block, I gave it a big push where it suddenly began to move which meant the gauntlets did work. 
The experience was just heavenly because this thing was at least five times my size, and I'm just applying a small amount of pressure allowing me to push it along like it were nothing. After pushing it along for a short period, the block suddenly dropped into a hole thus opening the way forward, and before me was an area of the temple which I have yet to explore.
" Guess I should try transforming seeing as we have some Keese and another Beamos just like what we saw on the other side," I said.
" You need to concentrate this time around, for you must have complete control over this. When you transformed in previous situations, you did so because of losing control of your emotions. Upon changing, it resulted in you being psychotic in nature, and having no regard for your own safety. While it managed to work out against Ganondorf, the subsequent transformations showed how the experience completely changed you," said Spike.
" Because I couldn't control myself, I was afraid to transform," I said.
" Deep down, you wanted to use this power because you were able to back where you come from," said Spike.
" In the human world, I was granted the ability to transform because I had proven myself worthy to access my Equestrian magic. It took me a long time to overcome what had been holding me back, and what I felt truly made me feel like I was really alive. My friends were able to get pony ears and a tail because they appreciated the power of friendship....something which took me years to finally understand it.
When my time came along, I knew there and then that I was finally able to break free of the shackles representing my past. The transformation I achieved was the result of a good feeling deep inside, and wanting to prove that no one would ever be able to break me down no matter how hard they tried," I said.
" And in Hyrule?" asked Spike.
" My transformation in this world became warped....corrupted if you will which is why I end up losing control. Instead of my change being one of pure happiness and wanting to prove that I was a better person, it became a nightmare where I lost all sense of self. I quickly figured out that even though my memories transitioned perfectly from the human world into Hyrule, my magic and transformation didn't and ended up becoming completely different," I replied.
" Which is why you need to change just like you did back where you come from," said Spike. The way he said that made me think that he assumes that it will be easy for me, but it isn't quite as easy as he is making it out to be. I could only achieve it through playing a musical instrument, or singing a song, but both of those factors aren't possible. So, I need to achieve it through sheer concentration, and the will to change without losing control of my emotions. 
I need to have a clear head, and not allow my mind to become affected with so much pain and despair. I've had more than my fair share of that, and I don't need anymore of it bogging me down. The monsters in this part of the entrance chamber had been ignoring me so far, and that was fine with me as I didn't want them to become a distraction. 
I then closed my eyes and began concentrating on transforming without allowing my emotions to get in the way. It proved to be difficult for me straight away as the atrocities caused by Ganondorf were too much for me to bear, and eventually it caused me to open my eyes with sweat dripping down my forehead.
" I just can't clear these images of destruction out of my head," I said.
" Which is the source of your emotional breakdown," said Spike.
" Then what can I do?" I asked.
" Even though you've witnessed so much heartbreak as a result of what happened to Hyrule, you have single-handedly changed things back to the way they were. You should use that as an inspiration which in turn will allow you to transform. Focus on the good you've done, and not on the bad which you've been fixing ever since returning from the Sacred Realm," replied Spike. 
That was a good way of looking at it because what Ganondorf did has been reversed by my hard work even though at times I wished it could have been handled by someone else. If I focus on the good and not lose sight of it, I'll be able to transform without succumbing to my emotions. I closed my eyes again and began to concentrate making sure not to allow the pain and suffering to get in the way again. 
Within my mind, I could see the people smiling at me, and saying that because of my actions, they have become happy once again after living in such misery when the Evil King acquired his power. This is exactly what I needed, and as I maintained this image, I allowed it to make me feel stronger and better about myself....and then it happened. My pony ears and tail appeared of my own volition instead of from me losing it. Of course, my transformation also meant an increase in power.
" I did it Spike!" I exclaimed.
" Yet why do you look like you're holding back?" asked Spike.
" Remember what happened when I took on Ganondorf, Phantom Ganon, and Sunset Demon like this? I gained a massive increase in power, and because I lost control of my emotions before changing, I never paid any attention to what I possessed. Now that I've changed of my own free will, I understand just how strong I became, and just standing upright is a challenge in and of itself," I replied.
" Guess you need to get used to it with your mind in control," said Spike.
" My transformation only lasted until I finished playing a song and/or music, and in Hyrule it lasts until I finish a battle. I suspect that it can only be maintained for a few minutes, so I shouldn't rely on it to get me through the rest of the challenges that are ahead. You know, it makes me wish that I had been more brave about transforming as lot of situations could have been so much easier," I said.
" At least you can use it now, so why not see just what this change can really do," suggested Spike. As I recall from my previous experiences, transforming does make me stronger in both strength and magic, but I never really noticed as I was allowing my emotions to control the situation. These Keese normally are immune to fire as they become Fire Keese, so I figured that blasting them with my fire magic would do as a means of experimenting with what I now can use freely. 
I held my arms out in front of me, and used a basic fire spell, but what I ended up getting was a massive burst of flame which instantly wiped out the Keese even when they were becoming their fiery forms. The Beamos on the other hand was able to withstand this assault, yet its metallic body had been charred to the point where it looked like it had been roasting inside of an oven.
" Did I just do that?" I asked.
" That's what your power is like when you transform," replied Spike.
" So this is how I dealt with those previous situations, yet I wasn't really myself. What I just did was a basic spell, and if it did all of that without any difficulty, my stronger magic is going to be even more immense in scope. Dare I say it, but using more powerful magic does have the potential to obliterate much more than mere monsters if you know what I mean," I said.
" You could very well destroy the entire kingdom," said Spike.
" No, I don't think it'd go that far as it would require someone who has spent decades mastering magic, and to be honest I only spent about ten years at the most studying magic under the guidance of Princess Celestia. Had I chosen to stick with my studies, and then found my way here, then I would have the power to destroy Hyrul," I said.
" Guess you'll need to hold back on your power until the time comes to take on Ganondorf, but at least you finally transformed of your own free will. That means if you encounter a situation where your weapons, the Master Sword, or even your regular magic won't be able to help you solve the problem at hand, you now have the ability to change into this form. I'd say you've unlocked the true depths of your power, but maybe it's for the best that you don't go too overboard with it given what we just experienced," suggested Spike. 
I couldn't agree with him more as what I had just used against those monsters was weak as far as magic goes, and I would prefer not to rely on my transformation, yet deep down I knew it was going to be needed soon enough for Sunset Demon was waiting for me. That's when I remembered that there was still a Beamos in the area, and it continued to function like before despite being roasted in flames. 
I took out my Bomb Bag which was followed by me taking out a bomb, and tossing it at the mechanical monster where it exploded. The portcullises with iron bars covering them were still locked in addition to the one with a lock on it, so perhaps something else was needed.
" I would have thought defeating all of the monsters was going to work," I said.
" There must be another factor we're missing, so look around and see what it can be," suggested Spike. I started to look in all directions hoping for something to turn up, and when I looked up at the ceiling, I could see an upside-down Crystal Switch which must be what can unlock two of the three portcullises. I suspected right away that I would need to use the Longshot, or perhaps the Fairy Bow, but I need all the arrows I can get for later, so the former option was going to be my means of opening the way forward. 
Spike was wondering what I was looking at, and I showed him the switch located in the ceiling, he was surprised at how inconspicuous it really was. " Guess those witches weren't trying their best to hide this switch, or maybe they want you to keep on going."
" What do you suppose they have waiting for me?" I asked.
" I'm not sure, but be prepared for anything to come at you," replied Spike.
" Good thing I've got all of these weapons in addition to my magic, and transformation, so I think I'm prepared for anything they may decide to use," I said. As I took out the Longshot, my pony ears and tail disappeared which meant that I had run of time, yet I'll be using it again later, but right now I'm going to rely on the traditional means of getting through this temple. 
Aiming up at the crystal switch and firing the chain, it activated which in turn unlocked two of the three portcullises. " Looks like we need to choose which direction we want to go just like before when we were travelling around with Rainbow Dash.
" What does the Dungeon Map show?" asked Spike.
" I had completely forgotten that we picked that up in the past," I replied. The map showed that both directions lead to dead-ends, yet the path to the right has an additional room which could have the key needed to unlock the remaining portcullis. That was also true with the left path, so it came down to which way would prove to be the better choice. " I suppose the right path makes the most sense, yet the other direction could have something just as useful."
" Want to flip a rupee like we've done in the past?" asked Spike.
" Not this time as we just need to choose a direction, and go with it without questioning our decision afterward," I replied.
" We should try the portcullis on the left first," suggested Spike.
" I was thinking that myself, so we'll check that room out first," I said. Opening the portcullis on the left, I entered a large room which consisted of a small pit filled with sand, and a ledge located on the other side with no means of being able to climb up it. There were no monsters which was a sigh of relief, yet I noticed the Triforce crest on the floor at the edge which looked unusual. " What do you make of the crest being here of all places?"
" Remember that the royal family have placed elements of their influence within each of the temples of Hyrule, yet it does look really out of place given this room is just a pit with sand in it. Still, if you were to play the song passed down by the family, something is bound to happen otherwise there would be no reason for the crest to be located here in the first place," replied Spike. He did make a valid point, so I walked over to the crest where I stood on it, and took out the Ocarina of Time. 
Since I have played Twilight's Lullaby more times than any other song I've learned from Sheik and everyone else who taught me a melody, I had memorized it by heart, so I played it without any problems. Upon finishing, a large treasure chest fell from the ceiling, and landed on the small ledge on the other side of the sand pit.
" Now how am I supposed to get to that?" I asked.
" The Hover Boots won't work as the distance is too much, but because that chest is made of wood, you should be able to use the Longshot, and pull yourself over to it," replied Spike. I then took out the Longshot, and aimed carefully making sure that I was lined up with the treasure chest. From there, I fired the chain which pulled me across the pit, and I landed on the small ledge which housed the chest. 
I opened it up and took out the Compass, so now I could now see the locations of all of the remaining chests in addition to seeing where the witches were located. I quickly looked at the Dungeon Map again, and sure enough, the skull icon which had since appeared indicated that they were on the third floor.
" According to what the compass has revealed, the witches are located behind that goddess statue," I said.
" That's a strange place to hide, so the question is how do we get to them?" asked Spike.
" When we figure that out, we'll be able to finally defeat them," I replied. Since there was nothing else in this room worth investigating, I jumped down into the sand pit as it was my only option, and I walked over to the other ledge which had vines growing on the wall allowing me to climb back up. 
Upon entering the main area, I walked over to the other portcullis where I opened it to enter a room where three large boulders were rolling from side to side in a U-shaped arena of sorts. I could see some silver rupees scattered about, so that meant once again solving a puzzle that involved collecting money.
" These boulders won't inflict much damage if they collide with you, but they do have an unusual function," said Spike.
" What's that?" I asked.
" If one of them hits you, it will suddenly go in the opposite direction. I know the idea is to not get hit by these obstacles, but you could use it to your advantage if you feel the need to get a boulder to change direction," replied Spike.
" I'm just glad there are no monsters in this room," I said.
" That's because we're in the early chambers of the temple," said Spike.
" So the monsters be they weak or strong are waiting for me on the upper levels?" I asked.
" Those witches are trying to see how strong you are, and the floors above us will be filled with powerful monsters. The she-demon doesn't count among their number as she is acting of her own free will," replied Spike. I was still having a hard time believing Sunset Demon had survived her apparent death back in the Water Temple, yet she used the power from Twilight's Element of Harmony to keep herself alive....the same element I brought into the human world thus bringing Equestrian magic into a world which didn't need it. 
Yet, she survived her death and began plaguing me throughout the Shadow Temple, and now she is here in the Spirit Temple waiting to finally finish things. I really wish we didn't have to fight because she can exist as her own person, yet she desired to assume control of my life, and make me betray everyone I've become friends with in exchange for conquering Equestria. 
It was an encounter which I need to win no matter what as the fate of my very existence is hanging in the balance, and she needed to be destroyed so that I can finally move on from my past. Focusing my attention on the silver rupees as I need all five of them to unlock the portcullis before me which had iron bars covering it up, I started collecting them by jumping from the top of the main walkway picking up the first one, and quickly jumping left and avoiding the boulder that almost knocked into me.
" That was too close," I said.
" Like I said, you can let them collide with you, and have them go in the other direction, but you need all the health you can get especially with what is waiting for you further along," replied Spike. I had no intention of allowing those boulders to run me over, so I continued gathering up the silver rupees where many were hidden within small cubby holes which made me wonder if the witches were running out of ideas. 
Spike then assured me that they wanted to test me with some simple challenges before increasing the difficulty. " Don't become cocky now Sunset Shimmer just because things are easy for you, for the witches could easily throw say several Iron Knuckles at you all at once, and even with your transformation now under your control, your chances of survival would be slim."
" Yeah, being overconfident is the worst thing I can do," I said. It didn't take very long to collect the remaining rupees, although the boulders would end up hitting me a few times which wasn't to my liking. One rupee was located right in the path of one of the boulders, and required absolute precision for me to get it. 
Since I felt that I wasn't going to be able to get it without being hit in the process, I chose to merely jump for the rupee when I felt the way was clear. As the boulder rolled by giving me the necessary opening which I needed, I jumped where I grabbed the rupee and rolled straight into the now unlocked portcullis.
" You really do need to work on that," commented Spike.
" I managed to grab it without sustaining even more damage," I moaned.
" Still, those boulders did collide with you a few times which was to be expected," said Spike.
" How do you figure that?" I asked.
" Because not once have you ever collected those silver rupees without something going wrong," replied Spike. I couldn't help but laugh at that because what he said was essentially true as I've always encountered a problem when it came to these kinds of challenges. It felt good to laugh at these kinds of things because it was funny to be reminded of the numerous blunders that I've made throughout this journey, and it was even funnier knowing that I wasn't killed in the process. 
Opening the portcullis lead me into a really small room which housed a treasure chest of a similar size, and I knew the small key was inside waiting for me to get it. I then walked over and kicked it open where I took out the key, yet I felt something was lurking in this room.
" I feel like a monster is here," I said.
" That would make for a deadly trap given how you just got that key," said Spike.
" Maybe we should get out of here before something goes wrong," I suggested. The problem here was that I should have taken the key and stepped back from the chest rather than just stand there, for a monster fell down from the ceiling, and landed on top of me. While such a situation like this would have been easy for me to take care of, I hadn't counted on a Like-Like. I always feared what it would feel like being swallowed by this monster, and now I was experiencing it first hand....

To Be Continued.