Chapter 52: The Shimmer Thief
The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
March 17, 2015
Chapter 52: The Shimmer Thief.
" Madam Spitfire! Madam Spitfire!"
" What is it?" asked Spitfire.
" Urgent news from the guards patrolling the south-western entrance! They discovered someone trying to sneak inside, but was captured before they could escape. One of the guards told me to come and report this matter to you madam."
" So someone tried to rescue those carpenters? It was a wise decision to take those men prisoner because their plight was bound to attract a heroic type, but tell me something right now, and you had better provide me with the correct answer. This intruder who was captured....do they have any distinguishing features that make them stand out?" asked Spitfire.
" The intruder was a girl."
" Anything else?" asked Spitfire.
" She was dressed in a red tunic, and was carrying around some kind of fancy-looking sword on her person. If I didn't know any better madam, this girl had the legendary Master Sword."
" Gasp! There is only one person I know who has such a blade like that, and she is the one whom we have been waiting for. This girl is the same one who has been a threat to the dominion of the Great Ganondorf by breaking the curses which have been placed on the five temples of Hyrule.
That girl must not be allowed to leave the fortress, for if she were permitted to run around without any restraint, there is no doubt in my mind that she would break the curse on the Spirit Temple which lies at the far end of the desert," replied Spitfire.
" Understood Madam Spitfire. I shall inform the others that the girl must not be allowed to leave."
" No wait! Please disregard that last command, for I wasn't thinking straight," said Spitfire.
" Why are you holding your head like you were in pain?"
" None of your concern as all you need to do is obey my commands. I want you to execute her immediately, for she is too dangerous to be allowed to remain alive. I am sorry if I had confused you with my sudden change of decision, but I want you to relay to the guards to kill that girl at once," replied Spitfire.
" But, why would you desire to invoke the law of the Gerudo upon someone who isn't even a part of the tribe?"
" Are you questioning me?" asked Spitfire.
" Of course not madam, but I'm just concerned that you might be taking advantage of our laws."
" If the Great Ganondorf heard you speaking out like that, he would have commanded me to have you killed on the spot. You know full well that I am in charge of the fortress while he is away ruling over the kingdom, and therefore I am allowed to carry out his will in whatever way I desire. Like I said, that girl is a threat, and she must be killed at once before she can escape," said Spitfire.
" Then she will be killed immediately."
" Have the other guards already thrown her into one of the cells?" asked Spitfire.
" One suggested to lock her up in the outside tower until you had come to a decision Madam Spitfire."
" Well, I wasn't expecting any of them to do that, but I suppose it does make things a little more easier. I hope that the others were able to take away any weapons she may have been carrying because if she escapes from the tower, then heads are going to be lost if you know what I mean. You have been given your orders, so leave me as there are some things I need to take care of," said Spitfire.
" By your leave madam."
" My apologies if the guards threw her into the outside tower Lady Koume, for I didn't know that the girl would have attempted to enter the fortress once the sun had gone down. At least she has been captured before she could cause any trouble, and I assure you that she will be killed before the night is out," said Spitfire.
" I'm not concerned with the fact that she will be killed, but rather you were trying to issue a different command. You were told that she was to be killed instantly, and yet you decided that she wasn't allowed to leave the fortress? It seems that my influence upon you had yielded some rebellion because you clearly were defying my magical hold Spitfire. I suppose it has to do with the fact that your spirit is a lot stronger than what I suspected," said Trixie.
" I'm sorry for disobeying you," said Spitfire.
" My magic should be flawless considering how I have been able to control so many others, and yet you alone have proven to be most difficult. I'm not concerned though if you somehow break free of my magic, for the girl will be dead before that can happen. Still, I must return to the temple and prepare just in case things here end up going completely wrong," said Trixie.
" What shall I do Lady Koume?" asked Spitfire.
" I want you to go and kill that girl yourself even if you have to kill the others should they try to oppose you. The Great Ganondorf's reign cannot be brought to an end by some child who lived in the forest for who knows how long, and that would be such a travesty considering that the Gerudo have only now started to reap the rewards after having to suffer for centuries.
Oh, and Spitfire? I would advise your guards to remain loyal if I were you otherwise their deaths shall be on your hands. Also, be sure that the girl's lifeless body remains intact for the power she wields mustn't be ruined," replied Trixie.
I have to give credit to these thieves for having a specialized prison cell which consisted of a tall vertical chamber with no exit aside from a hole in the ceiling where they toss in those who have been captured. The fall wasn't very pleasant although I'm thankful that I didn't get killed because of there being no fall damage in Hyrule.
" Are you alright Sunset Shimmer?" asked Spike.
" I'm okay although I feel stupid for having gotten myself caught so easily," I replied.
" Don't blame yourself because we had no idea where those guards were stationed, but it does mean that they were waiting for you specifically. My guess it that you've become a threat to Ganondorf, and his people view you as an enemy," said Spike.
" If that's the case then I'm not going to find any allies around here aside from the carpenters. According to what those guards were saying as they dragged me here, each of the four workers are locked up in different places under heavy security. They knew that I was going to attempt a rescue, but now that my presence is known, they'll probably increase their security even more," I said.
" We should be thankful that they didn't take any of your weapons away," said Spike.
" If they did, I'd have no means of making my escape. Even though my magic is powerful, I can sense an aura coming from the walls as though there is a strong magical coating blanketing them," I said. I conjured up a couple of fireballs, and tossed them at a wall where they fizzled immediately. Either the walls had always been this way, or it was a means of making sure that my magic was useless.
In any case, I was stuck in this prison cell unless I can find another means of escaping. When I looked up towards the ceiling, I noticed a fairly large window that featured a piece of wood which must be used to close the thing when the night rolls in. All of a sudden, I could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall as a pair of Gerudo guards were walking by outside.
" Madam Spitfire wants us to do what?"
" We've been given the command to kill that girl."
" Surely this child isn't so big of a threat to our society that she needs to be executed."
" I know what you mean, for she isn't even a member of the tribe, and if we were to kill an outsider, we could face problems if word reaches the ears of the other tribes. If they found out we were murdering non-Gerudo, they are sure to rebel against the Great Ganondorf, and we would be in a lot of trouble as a result."
" And yet, we have our orders to kill the girl."
" Which is what really has me worried due to the way Madam Spitfire has been acting. I know she has been upholding the law ever since she became second-in-command, yet lately her actions can be described as being completely out there. All of these changes just because of one little girl, and in my opinion I think she is beginning to lose her mind."
" You might as well keep that just between us otherwise she'll have you killed for treason. Come on, let's carry on with our patrol even though there isn't any point given our captive has been locked up."
Hearing this conversation turned out to be a blessing, for things were starting to make sense. I have a short amount of time to escape before someone comes in here and kills me, but even if I were to get out before that happens, I don't even know where to begin searching for the imprisoned carpenters.
" You heard all of that didn't you?" I asked.
" The leader of the fortress is determined to see you dead, and that makes her the biggest problem we have to deal with," replied Spike.
" Maybe, but something about all of this seems odd," I said.
" How do you figure that?" asked Spike.
" Those two guards we overheard said that the one in charge, this Spitfire, has been acting rather strange. That means something must have caused her to suddenly change as before that she must have been someone that the Gerudo can trust. I have a suspicion that dark magic is involved, but not Ganondorf as he probably doesn't even concern himself with what happens here. If we want to get through to the desert and reach the temple, we need to meet Spitfire in person, and ask her for permission to be allowed to leave," I replied.
" I am sensing a dark presence," began Spike.
" Fairy intuition?" I asked.
" You could it that yes, but I agree that something strange is happening in the fortress. We need to be careful Sunset Shimmer as there could be others around here who are experiencing the same thing," replied Spike.
" Then I need Fluttershy's help," I began as I took out the Ocarina of Time from my pouch. I would have been utterly devastated had they taken away the treasure of the royal family, but they chose not to for reasons I can assume as being sheer luck. Spike's reaction was one of shock as he thought it was crazy of me to want to speak to Fluttershy especially in such a dangerous place like this.
" I know that those guards are probably going to come here to kill me, but whenever I am playing a song, it feels like time itself stops until I'm finished. I believe I'll have the time to ask her for help." I then played Fluttershy's Song, and was hoping she had information that could help me out.
" Sunset Shimmer? This is Fluttershy....can you hear me? That's strange....it sounds like you're inside a cramped location as I can hear my voice echoing off of some rather thick walls, so where exactly are you?" asked Fluttershy.
" I infiltrated the Gerudo's Fortress in order to rescue carpenters who have been taken captive, and I ended up being caught myself and thrown into a large tower which only has two ways to escape. Apparently, they were waiting for me to arrive which is how they were able to take me prisoner, so now I've contacted you in the hopes that you know what I need to do," I replied.
" This is a very serious situation you've gotten yourself into, and one that isn't going to be easy to figure out. First of all, you need to escape from that room because I can sense the guards coming. Perhaps you can reach that piece of wood if you pulled yourself to it, but that is when the challenge of the fortress will come into play.
The carpenters you need to rescue have been placed in different locations making things more difficult. I'm not sure where all of them are located as a dark magic that is radiating throughout the area is blocking my power as well as that of the forest spirits, but I can tell you that one of them can be found next to the main entrance," said Fluttershy.
" What about the one in charge?" I asked.
" There is something about her which strikes me as odd as though she were under a powerful spell, and that it's making her act against her very nature. Don't attack should you run into her, for she isn't your enemy. There is nothing you can do to break the spell which controls her mind, but something in her subconscious appears to be trying to help her remember who she is," replied Fluttershy.
Spitfire won't be making things easy for me that's for certain given she has most likely alerted everyone to kill me on sight making every move I perform a critical one, and because I've chosen to merely knock them out instead of kill them because they aren't monsters, they will likely test both my resolve and patience. " By the way, there is something you should know about the Gerudo."
" What's that?" I asked.
" They fight with such ferocity that they can overwhelm you without even trying. Their fighting style revolves around hitting enemies with tremendous force while using blinding speed, but they lack defence so if you can somehow take advantage of that, you will be able to overcome whatever they may try against you," replied Fluttershy.
" What about the carpenters themselves? Has any harm come to them?" I asked.
" They remain unharmed, but they are losing hope because the one who leads them hasn't attempted to rescue them. The Gerudo won't just kill them because they are men, but there is no telling what kind of punishment is going to be given to them. You need to rescue all of them before anything bad can happen, but you will need keys to unlock their prison cells.
One such key is currently in possession of a strong warrior, but the rest you'll need to figure out on your own. Be sure to keep as many arrows as possible for you will need them to sneak past the guards, and take advantage of the various terrain," replied Fluttershy.
" If only they accepted me," I said.
" So long as the one in charge is under that spell, you need to keep going until she is able to break free. This is where our conversation must come to and end, for you need to escape from that room before it's too late. Good luck Sunset Shimmer, and know that I'll be wishing for your safety," said Fluttershy. I always could rely on her kindness to cheer me up, and she was right in that I had to get out of this prison before Spitfire and the other guards get here.
She said that I needed to pull myself towards the wood hanging just above the window, and that's when I realized that the Longshot was what I needed. I then took it out and aimed at the wood where I fired the chain, and pulled myself up to the ledge where I could see the entire fortress. There were guards everywhere, so I had to first make my way down to the ground.
" What should we do from here?" I asked.
" Jumping to the ground below would be a bad mistake as you'll be stuck for a few moments due to your legs buckling as you land, and the guards are likely to catch you before you can even make a move," replied Spike.
" That's what I was thinking, so there has to be another way," I said. There was a rather large rock which served as part of the landscape, but there was a red flag attached to a long wooden pole that someone must have put there. " Hmmmm....can the Longshot reach that pole from all the way up here?"
" It should just barely reach it," replied Spike.
" The rock should be able to keep us hidden from the guards especially since it's dark out," I said as I aimed the Longshot at the pole, but it wasn't easy as it was really thin which meant precision was absolutely necessary. After spending a few moments making sure I was aiming properly, I fired the chain, and it connected where I found myself sailing through the air until I was safely on the rock.
Thanks to the shadows of the night, I blended in perfectly with my surroundings, and I guess that I was fortunate that I hadn't changed tunics since Zora's Domain; the red colouring of my Goron Tunic helped conceal my presence. I looked down below, and there were guards on patrol although they were travelling around either in pairs or by themselves. It felt like the outside area hardly had any presence whereas the inside of the fortress most likely had the majority of Gerudo waiting for me.
" So far, so good," said Spike.
" Keeping the Goron Tunic on has proven to be very useful," I said.
" That's because you forgot to switch back," said Spike.
" I was pre-occupied with wanting to get those eye-drops for Bulk Biceps, and I guess it just slipped my mind," I said. At that moment, I gasped because walking towards the tower was a small group lead by someone dressed in different armour, and she had a powerful aura coming from her. This must be Spitfire, and judging from the dark magic I was sensing all around her body, she was still under the spell that was controlling her.
" So that's the current second-in-command, and she doesn't look like she messes around. We should be safe here as the darkness keeps us hidden, but I'll bring the Fairy Bow out in case we need to make a break for it." I continued to keep an eye on Spitfire who arrived at the tower where two additional guards were there to greet her, yet I needed to concentrate so that I could hear what was being said.
" What brings you here madam?"
" I ought to have all of you clapped in irons and thrown into the dungeon for defying my orders," replied Spitfire.
" Huh? But what did we do?"
" Not you two as your task was to guard the prisoner, but these three who accompanied me here because they didn't take away her weapons when they captured her. I thought it was obvious that you should have removed her weapons, but I guess such a task like that proved to be too difficult to figure out.
I'd have made the same mistake due to this girl being difficult to figure out, yet you three clearly did make an obvious blunder which will make the others look like fools. Sigh, at least she is still locked away in the prison tower, so I have no need to chew anyone out for the moment. I will give you and the others credit for capturing her so quickly, and throwing her in here," replied Spitfire.
" Thank you for your good graces."
" Don't push your luck! Anyway, I want one of you to close the window in the prison because I don't want to give the girl any ideas of wanting to try and escape, so get to it at once! I'm sorry if my words are sounding rather harsh right now, but she should have been killed the moment she was captured because I wouldn't need to be here had you guards performed your duty," said Spitfire.
" But, the law of the Gerudo doesn't allow us to kill outsiders."
" I'm aware of that which is why I wanted all of this to have been done with discretion," said Spitfire.
" What do you mean?"
" There is no way of knowing if the girl came here of her own accord, or if someone from her tribe asked her to come here in order to rescue those men who were captured a few days ago. Should she be killed, and word spread out about it, we would have all of the kingdom bearing down on our throats.
Such a situation must not occur which is why she will die without outsiders knowing any better. I know that it sounds cruel and sadistic, but we have little choice in the matter if we are to protect our secrets from being discovered," replied Spitfire.
" If our secrets get revealed...."
" Then the Great Ganondorf as well as his surrogate mothers will have our heads. Believe me when I say that my words are true because you all know what happened to those who committed the ultimate act of betrayal when certain secrets ended up becoming known to the Sheikah," said Spitfire.
" Okay, then the girl must die."
" Precisely because we must do so in the name of our king," said Spitfire.
From where I was positioned on the rock, I could barely hear what was being discussed, yet I did manage to hear some things. They are under the belief that someone from the forest asked me to come here, but that isn't the case as Sweetie Belle asked me. It seems there is some kind of miscommunication being spread amongst the Gerudo, and this Spitfire was the one causing it although whether she was aware of this remains unknown for the moment.
She then pointed her finger at one of the guards as a means of commanding her to open some kind of hatch on top of the ceiling in that tower, and this was followed by her ordering the others to prepare throwing their spears along with some other weapons in an attempt to kill me. Just as they were about to commence with this attack, one of the guards suddenly began acting strange, and I knew it meant she figured out that I was no longer there.
" Ummmm....madam?"
" What is it?" asked Spitfire.
" We seem to have a problem."
" Don't tell me that your weapons are going to be ineffective against one little girl? You are proud warriors who have been trained rigorously in the Training Ground, so there is nothing you can't handle," said Spitfire.
" The prison is empty."
" I'm sorry, but it sounded like you just said that the prison was empty," said Spitfire.
" That's what I said madam."
" For your sake, I hope you're just playing a cruel joke at my expense," said Spitfire. She pushed the guard out of the way, and peered down into the hole where she realized that I wasn't there which made her face turn bright red. It looked as though she was about to explode which made the others frightened, but then she quickly calmed down before speaking in a calm manner.
" Well how about that? The girl was able to escape from the tower, and that has never happened before. She is more cunning than I first expected, but it does mean that we have an intruder running around. I want one of you to alert the tribe that the girl has escaped, and is to be captured." Spitfire then grabbed her head as though she were in pain, and for a moment she felt like something was affecting her mind. " Huh? What was I saying just now? Oh right! Find that girl and kill her now otherwise you'll all be exiled as punishment!"
" Yes madam!"
" Are you alright madam?"
" Of course I am, but why do you ask?" asked Spitfire.
" You look as though you just suffered a mild headache when you clutched your head a moment ago."
" Don't you have anything better to do than to ask such a stupid question? I ought to have you punished for not following orders....but, I do appreciate you being concerned about me. Maybe I'll go back to my quarters and rest for a while as I'm not feeling well. You and the others have free reign to find that girl, and by all means inform me the moment you've found her," said Spitfire.
She walked off on her own where she was holding her head in pain again, yet what struck me as interesting was how she keeps changing from being cruel, to being kind, and repeating the process. Whatever spell had been used to control her mind, it was clear she was struggling to resist it only to experience headaches whenever she acts in a gentle manner.
" What are you thinking?" asked Spike.
" I think I have an idea as to what is going on with Spitfire, but I don't want to make a move against her until I know for certain. We'll let her go back to where she is going, and focus on rescuing the carpenters. The Gerudo are now looking for me, so the element of surprise must remain in my favour," I replied.
" By using the shadows to your advantage, you can sneak around the outside areas of the fortress without being seen, and you can knock-out the guards with arrows allowing you to slip by. It will be a completely different situation once we get inside, for there will be hardly any shadows to hide in," said Spike.
" Then we'll need to use cunning tactics to make sure we don't get caught again," I said. There were a few guards patrolling below, so I knew that they needed to be knocked out, but before I fired arrows at them, I took the liberty of looking around to make sure there weren't any additional thieves nearby. My aim was to make a mad dash for one of the entrances at the front of the fortress, but that involved dealing with the guards first.
I had ascertained that the way was clear apart from the initial Gerudo in the area, so I aimed carefully and fired arrows which struck all of them. As each one collapsed to the ground, I was nervous about their slight screams attracting attention, but luckily no one else could hear anything. Once they were out cold, I jumped down from my hiding place, and ran towards the main entrance where I discovered there were three doors to choose from.
" We may need to eventually check all three out assuming this fortress is like a maze, but we have to choose one and quickly," said Spike.
" The guards won't be out for very long given what happened before, so I'll take the entrance to the left and hopefully find a hiding spot where we can analyze what we'll be up against inside," I said. Without wasting another thought, I went inside and immediately discovered a wooden crate which I lifted up somehow, and hid inside of it while making a tiny hole for me to see my surroundings.
It was just in time too as a couple of guards ran by without even bothering to look. " I'm surprised that they didn't look under here as they could have captured me instantly."
" While the Gerudo are certainly intelligent, it seems there is a hierarchy of thought which explains why so many are guards," said Spike.
" So you're saying that most of them lack any common sense?" I asked.
" Pretty much, but don't let your guard down for a moment because they may surprise you," replied Spike.
" I'm just surprised that this is where Ganondorf grew up," I said.
" Their fortress does lack colour compared to what we've seen in the rest of Hyrule, and for that I can't really blame them for having a grudge against the other tribes. The lack of doors, window panels, carpeting, and even the basic of house necessities is very disturbing to say the least," said Spike.
" No wonder they struggle to survive out here in the desert," I said sadly.
" The desert is a harsh reality which brings nothing but pain and misery," said Spike.
" If there is one solace we can take from all of this, it would be that the carpenters are in relative comfort despite being locked up," I said.
" Finding them inside isn't going to be easy as this place is like a dungeon where there are many different passageways to search, but we won't have a map to help us out, so we'll need to recall what the entrances connect to," said Spike.
" Then I think we should sneak around using this crate as a means of camouflage, and while it may look weird, it will allow us to remain inconspicuous. I'm well aware that using the Fairy Bow while hiding in here is near impossible, but I do have another means at my disposal which I'm surprised that I didn't think of it sooner. My magic can be used to keep the guards at bay," I said.
" Make sure you keep it under control due to how narrow these hallways are," said Spike. Moving about like this did mean having to travel slow, but that would give me the element of surprise. The passageway did eventually open up into a fairly large area where I could see a couple of cells to the right with one of them having a padlock on it, and it looked like someone was sitting inside of one.
It could be one of the carpenters, but I had to make sure of it because this could be a trap. I began to crawl along the ground making sure not to rattle the crate so as to give away my presence, and so far whoever was in the cell had no idea that I was there, so I got a little closer where I managed to hear them talking to themselves.
" I wish that we never came to this place! I know that Mutoh had been working us harder than ever in recent weeks, but we should have stayed with her and become better carpenters. But, the others were insistent on coming here to become thieves as it was a much better career choice, and they happened to convince me by taking advantage of my feelings.
No one is going to save us as only Mutoh, the Running Woman, and that mask seller are aware that we're here. They won't make an attempt to get us out as it's too dangerous for them what with those thieves having so much skill with the sword."
" Do I count as someone who is here to save you?" I asked.
" GAH! Huh? Did I just hear someone's voice just now?"
" You did," I replied.
" I must be losing my mind if I'm hearing things, but did you say mystery voice that you're here to save me?"
" I'm currently hiding inside of this crate which I'm using to sneak around here. The Gerudo are attempting to kill me as I've been deemed a threat to their society, and because I escaped from their tower prison, the entirety of their guards have mobilized," I replied.
" The two guards who came by earlier did say that someone dangerous had escaped, so they must have been referring to you. I take it that Mutoh asked you to come here and see why we haven't returned to her? I'm more than willing to go back, but the others may need some convincing as they think this is all part of some kind of initiation."
" I'm Sunset Shimmer," I said
" They call me Ichiro the carpenter although my fellows refer to me as Apple Strudel because of my immense love for the stuff back when we were all living in Kakariko before our boss wanted us to come here. Those two guards that you saw earlier had the small key which can unlock my cell, but they threw it somewhere over there because they were given an order to leave me. If you could be so kind as to get it and release me, I'll make my way back to Mutoh without question."
" It looks simple enough," I said.
" Considering that guards have been coming through this way for the last few minutes, there are bound to be additional thieves passing by, and if they notice a crate moving about....I think you know what is going to come next," said Apple Strudel.
" From what I can see inside of this crate, I can't see where the key is," I said.
" To be honest, I thought it was going to drop out of their hands when they left to find you, but they were so arrogant about having a better purpose that tossing it away made them feel a lot better about themselves. I feel insulted that they deemed me as not being worthy enough to watch over, but then I'm not surprised," said Apple Strudel.
" How come?" I asked.
" The Gerudo have no intention of killing us," replied Apple Strudel as he told me to keep quiet because of footsteps indicating someone was coming, so he sat down on the bed that he must have been sleeping on since being thrown into his cell. I stopped moving and kept quiet due to the two guards entering the area. They then came over to the cell because they were suspicious about why a wooden crate was located near it, and in my heart I was scared because my cover could be blown at any moment.
" Why is this crate here when it should be over there?"
" Your fellow thieves most likely threw it near my cell because of receiving some kind of command," replied Apple Strudel.
" I hope you're not lying to me little man."
" I'm not in a position where I would say things that weren't true," said Apple Strudel.
" He's right as those two always mess around by throwing crates even though they should know better than that, but I guess we'll report them to Madam Spitfire when we next see her. As for you prisoner, don't think that what you said is going to do you any good, for when we've found and killed that intruder, you and your group will be punished in a wonderful manner."
The two guards then walked away, but not before one of them decided to kick the crate which almost made me cry as the force was strong. As they disappeared, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the problem had passed, but there would be more coming this way. If this carpenter was to escape successfully, he needed to have the Gerudo not focus on him.
" As I was saying, they have no intention of killing us because it goes against their laws. They are just keeping us locked up because we're men, and revel in mocking us claiming we're powerless. I can tell you're a woman because of your voice, so I hope that you're not offended when I say that these women are nothing short of being rude, dishonest, and complete jerks," said Apple Strudel.
" I'm not as you do have the right to say those things given how they treated you," I said.
" Anyway, you should get that key before anymore of them show up," said Apple Strudel. Taking that as a hint, I started to make my way over to where he said the guards had tossed the key, but no sooner had I gone halfway, I had to stop as two more appeared. They didn't bother checking for anything suspicious, so they quickly left by going the way I came in.
I then moved forward a little more before I had to come to a stop again as two more guards appeared. One of them decided to head back where they came from, and the other looked around for a few moments before moving on. Thankfully, no more appeared which allowed me to pick up the small key which was laying in the very corner of the room.
" Okay, I have the key in my possession," I said.
" Wonderful, but be careful when coming back over here as there could be other guards," said Apple Strudel. He wasn't kidding for the moment he finished talking, the one guard who originally went back appeared, but I was fortunate to have stopped just in time before my cover was blown.
This woman scratched her head because she believed something was different, but she shrugged her shoulders and walked through before leaving. The moment she had gone, I resumed making my way across to the prison cell, and when I made it, I came to the realization that I need to get out from my hiding place in order to unlock the door.
If a guard were to come along, I'd stand no chance, for they would call in reinforcements. " You're probably thinking about additional guards coming in while you attempt to open the door, but you may have no choice but to reveal yourself as I don't think you can open this cell while hiding inside of that."
" I might have another idea," I began.
" What would that be?" asked Apple Strudel.
" You need to escape from the fortress, but with all of the guards running around, they'll capture you again if they spot you. No offence, but you're not exactly in the best of shape to attempt to outrun them who are fast," I replied.
" A true statement if I ever heard it, but what did you have in mind?" asked Apple Strudel.
" If there is a window around here, I can throw some magic and hopefully control it long enough to lure the guards away. That way, you can make your way out of the fortress once I open the cell," I replied.
" You are a magician?" asked Apple Strudel.
" It's my natural talent," I replied. Luckily, there was a window nearby, so I lifted up the crate and put it down quietly before conjuring up some fireballs in my hands and concentrating really hard. I need these to go through, and appear as though they are coming from another part of the fortress. With that, I threw them out the window, and hoped that my plan would work.
Sure enough, the fireballs sailed through the sky before turning to the left, and made it look like they were thrown from the far east section of the fortress. I could even hear the sounds of footsteps running by outside meaning the Gerudo had taken my bait, so I took the key and unlocked the door. " Okay, you're now free to go and make your way back to Mutoh."
" No words can describe how grateful to you I am for having rescued me, so in return I have some advice. First of all, you should know that there are three more carpenters who need rescuing. My main advice is that these thieves have a problem when it comes to magic, for it's an element that they aren't able to handle very well. You have magic at your disposal, so if you can use different kinds, it may give you the edge you need to rescue my friends," said Apple Strudel.
" I just hope that I don't have to resort to killing any of them," I said.
" You are a heroic person for thinking that way, so I am glad that you won't resort to their way of thinking. Well, I'm going to make a break for it, and return to the tent located in Gerudo Valley, so perhaps I'll see you again," said Apple Strudel. He then ran off in the direction I entered, and soon I could no longer hear his footsteps, but now I knew how many carpenters needed to be rescued.
The only problem was where exactly they were because I still had no clue as to the layout of the fortress. Apple Strudel, whose name sounds very familiar to Applejack, neglected to tell me how to find the others.
" This could be a lot easier than we thought," said Spike.
" Maybe, but like you said, I can't afford to be cocky at this moment," I said.
" Because of using magic to cause a distraction, Ichiro will most likely make it back to the tent, and the guards will be out of our way for a while. We could go back the way we came, and try one of those other entrances, or we could go in the direction where the guards were pouring out from," suggested Spike.
I decided to go in the direction the thieves had come from, but if nothing comes up then I'll just go back and try one of the other doors outside. As I was making my way over to the other exit, there was something happening in the quarters of Spitfire. Because of that headache she experienced after my escape, she decided to get some rest in the hopes of feeling better. Yet, a voice was trying to reach out to her within the realm of her subconscious, and deep within her dream....
" Spitfire....Spitfire...."
" Huh? Who's there? Is someone calling my name?" asked Spitfire.
" I've been trying to reach you within your dreams for the last couple of days."
" You sound awfully familiar to me," said Spitfire.
" That's to be expected given I'm speaking to you by manifesting myself as someone from your past, but you must listen to me because your life is in danger along with your people by the hands of the evil ones living in the desert."
" Who are you?" asked Spitfire.
" I'm a manifestation because I only exist here in your subconscious, but you can't see what I look like as I'm speaking to you from the shadows. Just give me a moment to make myself known, and then we should be able to get somewhere." The subconscious of Spitfire was a twisted place filled with nothing but dark corridors that lead nowhere, and it was because of what happened to her.
This spirit represented her good nature, a form which had been locked away until seven years ago where it began to gradually free itself, but now it felt like it was being sealed away again by an evil force. Knowing that remaining in the shadows wasn't doing any good, the spirit revealed itself by using a form that had not been seen by anyone since the day Ganondorf assumed the throne.
" Gasp! Nabooru!" exclaimed Spitfire.
" Like I said, I'm just a manifestation who has taken on this form, and it happens to be the old second-in-command, but now you must listen to me Spitfire! You may think that the Gerudo's Fortress is safe from the evil that plagues the land, yet you and the others are in danger," said Rainbow Dash.
" Why would we be in danger? The Gerudo have lived in prosperity for seven years," said Spitfire.
" That's because you have been living a false lie since the day Ganondorf conquered Hyrule using the Triforce. His surrogate mothers raised him ever since he was a child, and groomed him to become an evil sorcerer who desired to conquer the world.
These two witches have been jealous of the other tribes for centuries, so they needed someone with enough political power to carry out their wishes. One of them has already poisoned your mind via a powerful enchantment which changed you into nothing more than an obedient servant," said Rainbow Dash.
" Poisoned....my mind?" asked Spitfire. At this point, she was confused as to what was being said, and she clutched her head in response. While this was happening, another spiritual presence was beginning to form in the deep recesses of the shadows, and it was a spirit filled with evil power.
" Yes, you have been brainwashed! You were originally a loyal follower to Ganondorf who served him faithfully which resulted in you ousting the original second-in-command of the Gerudo, Nabooru, and taking her place. She told you something before she left to begin her exile, and since then your heart has been changing to reflect her words," replied Rainbow Dash.
" Then why am I acting like a slave?" asked Spitfire.
" Because the witches have deemed you a threat, and they fear you will influence the others to rebel. You must break free of the evil which has control over your mind, and you must help the Hero of Time who is the only one that can save this world. Break free and help her! Save everyone! Save Hyrule!" replied Rainbow Dash. At that moment, the evil spirit appeared and attacked the other.
" That's enough from you!"
" You! You're one of the evil witches," said Rainbow Dash.
" Spitfire here doesn't need your begging because she knows her place, and that is a loyal servant to the Great Ganondorf. Granted, her mind did need to be adjusted because of recent concerns, but she will carry out the will of her master, and kill the girl who has become a threat to his dominion."
" Why are you doing this?" asked Rainbow Dash.
" She has proven that she can no longer be trusted as her recent actions have been against the will of the Evil King, so she needed to be reminded of her true loyalties which meant removing these nasty little thoughts in her mind. As for you....your presence makes you a problem, and for that you need to disappear for good.
I don't know how you broke free from the prison she sealed you away in long ago when her heart belonged to the Great Ganondorf, but you must be sent back for Spitfire must carry out her command without fail."
" No! You can't silence me!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
" Begone!" The evil spirit then used a dark power to cast the good spirit into the deep recesses, but she was able to call out to Spitfire just before she disappeared into the darkness of her subconscious. That's when the evil spirit began to speak in order to reaffirm the witches' control over her.
" You must wake up now, and command the Gerudo to kill that girl, for she mustn't be allowed to reach the Spirit Temple. Do not allow that good spirit to confuse you, for the second-in-command is much stronger than that. Now, wake up and kill the girl! Kill her!" Upon being goaded into fulfilling that task, Spitfire woke up feeling refreshed, but she clutched her head which meant the good spirit may have somehow clung on.
With one of the four carpenters having been rescued, I had to save the other three quickly. Upon reaching the door which lead back outside, I could see plenty of guards coming back, and it meant my distraction had worn off. Off in the distance, I barely saw Apple Strudel as he ran down the stairs in front of the fortress before turning left, so I knew he was safe now no matter what.
" Looks like he'll make it," I said.
" But with all of those guards heading this way, I don't think using a magical distraction is going to work a second time," said Spike.
" That's the problem I'm getting as well, so what other options do we have?" I asked.
" If you walk outside right now, they will spot us immediately, and most likely throw you back into that prison tower. Since they know now that you have weapons, they will take them from you, and if that happens then we'll be stuck for good. Going back the other way won't do us any good either as we'll end up in front of them, so it looks like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place," replied Spike.
" What if I use that wooden crate like before?" I asked.
" It could work, but that will depend on whether the guards won't take notice of a crate suddenly appearing outside," replied Spike.
" Considering how few options we have, I might as well go with it," I said. Running back to where I left the crate, I picked it up and brought it back to the door where I hid inside of it again. I found it strange that I was able to do this considering the crate had no means for me to open it, and how can I walk around on my feet with something this awkward on top of me?
Wouldn't I have to crawl instead, or maybe slide along? Once again, I have no answers because the logic of this world makes no sense, and that has become quite the reoccurring theme. When the coast was clear, I walked outside and immediately came to a stop as about five guards were coming, and one of them sadly did notice the crate I was using as camouflage.
" Huh? Where did that crate come from?"
" Now why would you go and bring up something like that?"
" It wasn't there a few moments ago."
" And you think that is suspicious? Have you forgotten about those two who enjoy tossing crates around for fun? They probably tossed that one out here just now, so there was no need to point out something so obvious."
" Yeah, I guess you're right."
" Besides, we have more important things to do than be concerned about a crate suddenly appearing out of the blue. Madam Spitfire commanded us to kill that girl without fail, so if we don't perform this task....well, you know what can happen according to our laws."
" Don't scare me like that!"
" Then let's get going already!"
" That was too close for comfort," said Spike.
" I guess the two who toss crates around must be well known for those guards to just shrug us off like that, but I'm not complaining mind you as it means we can proceed. From what little I can see from inside of here, there appears to be a door to the left, so let's see where that goes. I'll keep hiding in this crate until we get inside just in case," I said.
Good thing I made that decision, for when I walked around the corner, there was a Gerudo standing a fair distance away, but this one didn't have a weapon on her person, nor was she dressed like the guards. " Why is this one different?"
" She is someone who serves a supportive role among the tribe by handling various tasks that only they can handle. There aren't many of them, but while they may not fight, you still need to avoid them for they will capture you if you get too close," replied Spike.
" Makes you wonder if they are content with their lot in life," I said.
" They must be otherwise they would have rebelled a long time ago," said Spike. Making certain not to attract the attention of this woman, I walked slowly through the door, and entered the fortress again where the pathway suddenly went down a slope before turning to the left and opening up to reveal another two prison cells.
One had a padlock on it, so I had found the second carpenter, but now I needed to find the key otherwise I can't do anything. I could simply charge into the area, but I had to be cautious as I didn't know when any guards were going to show up. Slowly walking along like before, the carpenter was talking to himself although what he was saying sounded a lot different from Apple Strudel.
" Why did those thieves decide to lock us up in the first place? We were all willing to join up with them aside from Ichiro who had to be convinced, but why have they treated us like this? We were also willing to do even the most mundane of tasks if it meant not having to be carpenters anymore, but could we have been wrong? Was our dream of joining them nothing more than a false pretense?"
" It's because you are all men," I replied.
" What the? Who said that?"
" I'm hiding inside of this crate," I replied.
" I have no idea where you come from, but you must have a lot of guts to make it past all the guards around here! All of my fellow carpenters are imprisoned somewhere in here, for they determined that imprisoning us all in the same cell would have been too easy for someone to come and get us out. By the way, why are you hiding inside of a crate of all things? It must be really uncomfortable for you to be under such cramped quarters."
" That's because the Gerudo have been ordered to kill me," I said.
" So you're the one who escaped from their prison, and is currently wandering around the fortress. I did overhear a couple of guards mention that they must kill a young girl who has been deemed a threat. If that someone is you, then you must really be a problem if such an order has been given out like that.
I'm surprised though that they would want you dead because you should be treated like a queen given how you are a female, and those guards say that their law forbids them to kill an outsider. Something must be going on with their leader to have made an order that goes against their own creed, but I shouldn't be giving you anymore stress for you must have plenty of it already.
My name is Jiro the carpenter, but for some reason my fellow workers refer to me by the nickname of Flim. Why they call me that remains a mystery to me, but I like the way it sounds so I adopted it."
" My name is Sunset Shimmer," I said.
" That suits you very well in my opinion," said Flim.
" Thanks," I said.
" If you are looking for the small key which can unlock this cell door, I'm afraid that the guards I overheard took it with them when another came in here, and told them to report elsewhere. It looks like you came all this way for naught, for there is nothing you can do that will release me....unless you were to lure those guards back here," said Flim.
" I wouldn't even know where to find them," I said.
" Most likely they are outside standing watch because when they were given their new orders, the expressions on their faces showed displeasure at being reduced to basic guard duty. I'm surprised there wasn't some kind of confrontation, but I suppose they weren't willing to question anything otherwise they would have been punished.
If you want to get me out of here, then you will have no other choice but to bring them back," said Flim. He was right unfortunately as I had to get that small key to rescue him, and the guards who have it were located outside. This wasn't going to be easy as it meant I had to reveal my location, and it made me feel uneasy as so far I've done my best to remain hidden from them.
" Do you know how many guards have come through here?" I asked.
" Aside from the three that I've told you about, at least another five have passed by over the course of the last hour," replied Flim. That was perhaps the worst case scenario for me as it meant having to deal with more of them, but that's when I realized I shouldn't be worried as I have my magic which I can use to keep them at bay should they choose to overwhelm me.
An idea then suddenly began forming in my mind, and it involved luring the guard with the key, and using a wall of flame to stop the others from following, but the problem was magic can only last for so long before dissipating. Hmmmm....that idea was no longer viable, so there had to be another way, and sure enough I did have another plan brewing.
" I'm going to use some magic in here, and hopefully attract their attention," I said.
" If you do that, there's no telling how many are going to notice, and come in order to check it out," said Flim.
" I have the means of knocking them out, and combined with my magic, things should work out for the best," I said. This was perhaps my best option because the room would allow me to have an advantage should more guards appear than what I'm expecting, and I do have plenty of arrows to knock out as many as necessary.
My magic can hold them back while I pick them off one at a time with the Fairy Bow, so now all I have to do is create the means with which they will want to investigate. I knew that I wasn't going to elude the Gerudo forever, and they were aware that I wasn't going to rest until all of the carpenters had been rescued. I began to toss about some fireballs here and there hoping this would bring me to their attention, and the first guard who appeared had the small key I needed.
" So this is where you've been hiding?"
" I wouldn't say it like that," I replied.
" You have become more of a problem than we initially expected, but your running around is about to come to an end. If you think I'm the only one who now knows of your location, then you're more stupider than you look."
" I'm expecting at least five more to show up," I said.
" Then prepare to be disappointed." The Gerudo then laughed when at least a dozen more appeared behind her which was more than what I was expecting, but I still had control of the situation as my magic could separate her from the others. Suddenly, I could hear the sounds of screaming coming from my rear, and I looked behind to see another two dozen guards were streaming into the area.
Where were all of them coming from? I know there wasn't this many when they captured me originally, so was someone conjuring them up into existence? Or, were there more than I thought? " Looks like you're out of luck and completely surrounded! Even though our laws forbid us to kill outsiders, Madam Spitfire has made an exception when it comes to you. Ladies, prepare to charge and attack just like how we trained."
" Why go against your laws?" I asked.
" You are an exception, so we aren't breaking our laws."
" So I guess this is it then?" I asked.
" We know that you're capable of fighting back, so it's not like we're oblivious to what you can do, and those weapons on your person do give you away. If you think you can take on all of us at the same time while being swarmed by our quick speed, then by all means fight until you're finally dead!"
I found myself being approached on all sides before they all leapt on top of me. I had to use my magic to force them back, but since they're this close, I'll end up killing them which would be the worst thing for me to do. What am I going to do?
To Be Continued.
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Yet another good chapter. Looking forward to seeing how solid shimmer gets out of this one.
Guess things can't be as easy as the game.
Should be interesting how Sunset gets out of this. Can't wait for the next chapter! 
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If my story were as easy as the game, she would have finished a long time ago.
Also, I'm glad that I didn't decide to go with the Master Quest version as that would have made this even longer than it already is.
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Things will certainly get interesting in the next chapter as she continues being a thief.
And it seems we've backslid further in terms of quality. I recommend you, the author, go read another story that's considered well-written and take notes on sentence structure and the manner of speech. There are lots of good websites covering grammar as well.
If you'd like an example, I've found My Roommate Is A Vampire to be well written and widely liked.