When she emerged, a wave of intense heat was what met her first, and she winced against it, backing up slightly as she opened her eyes, the smell of hot stone, sulfur, and metal in her nose. Crates of diamond quartz surrounded her, but that wasn’t all—

The floor was solid stone under her hooves—warm to the touch, never mind her surroundings, and she could see that she was in a huge chamber—the light in here was low, lit only by torches and the gleam of lava—she could smell the sulfur and hot stone from here, and the light was reddish in hue. She cast a frost spell over herself to ease the heat, glancing around for a cooler spot to get to. She trotted towards the sole door she could see, keeping her ears cocked for another Wallmaster if there was one.

She emerged from the tunnel to a much cooler area, a bigger one at that—but this was one she recognized. The bowl like depression had circular tiers spiraling downwards from the top to the bottom, a broad path for travelers. The rock ceiling had an actual stone rotating chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the fire pots shaped like the ponies who lived in this place. Torches and luminous crystals were inset into the walls to lend light—but Goron City was echoingly empty, and this worried her.

A rumbling noise got her attention, and she flicked her ears, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. She turned her head...only to yelp and dive out of the way as a tan and black ball of rock—no, not a rock…a Goron Pony, rolled past her. She coughed as she got up, turning to run after the rolling rock pony. But she soon noticed that this Goron was not stopping anytime soon, and, seeing no Bomb Flowers close by, she lit her horn and sent off a harmless, but solid bolt of light right into the Goron’s travel path. The explosion and impact got him to stop rolling long enough for her to catch up. The Goron balled up even tighter, his terrified scream echoing through the empty cavern.

“Wwwwaaaaaahhh! P-please leave me alone! D-don’t e-e-eat me, I taste terrible!”

Skyward shied backwards at the piercing cry, falling back onto her rump and shaking her head. She glanced around furtively for anything or anypony that might have heard him, then nudged him gently with her left hoof. “Calm thyself, little one! I do not eat mine fellow ponies.”

The ball slowly unrolled—it turned out to be a young Goron foal—a colt no less! He sniffled, looking up at her with huge, tear filled eyes and trembling lip—he was terrified, make no mistake. Skyward regarded the Goron foal with sympathy, and nuzzled him soothingly. “Hush now, little one. Now tis’ not the time for tears. Tell me, where is all thine kith and kin?”

The Goron foal looked up at her, rubbing his muzzle with one shimmery foreleg, his black, round eyes gleaming with tears. “Lotta mean beasties came an’ grabbed ‘em—they…they took ‘em all to the Crater Mines! If they don’t make weapons for this mean desert unicorn, he’ll feed ‘em all to a dragon!”

Skyward frowned upon hearing this news—the Crater Mines, which resided at the base, not the top of Death Mountain, were linked to the mighty Goron Forge. It was located at the base to avoid the dragons, who lived in Death Mountain Crater proper. What was more, she knew dragons were the only ones who could stomach eating a Goron Pony, given that they were almost like a living gem themselves—and the entire tribe would make a sumptuous meal for one dragon alone.

But if the Gorons had been subdued…this spelled disaster—it was well known they were master smiths; their craft unparalleled, and anypony lucky enough to get a sword, shield, or even armor made by them was blessed by the Goddesses indeed. She could not allow Ganondorf to arm his forces with Goron made weaponry—not to mention she would not allow this oppression to continue!

“Weep not, little one. I shalt go and free thine kin. Ye find a safe place to hide, and stay there, heed me—I do not want thou being captured as well,” Skyward told the young Goron as she turned to walk away.

“Wait! You’ll become baked pony in that armor you’re wearing! Come with me!”

He led her to another alcove further down the hallway—he glanced around before he dove into it—she could hear him rummaging around before he emerged, trying to pull out a box that was a bit bigger than he was.

“You’re gonna *umph* need this...this’ll…(oof) wow this is heavy…this’ll keep you safe from the heat!”

Skyward assisted him with bringing out the box; and she opened it to reveal a full set of Goron Lavaburst Armor!

Colored crimson from Goron ruby dust, the enchanted mithril chainmail set with inscribed Goron fire rubies, which magically absorbed heat. But this armor was forged specifically for mages, and, it offered great protection from even the heat of an angry dragon’s fire. Skyward ran a hoof reverently over the armor, before she glanced at the Goron foal. “Art thou sure thou desire me to take this, lad?”

“Aye! You’re a good pony! You’re not a coward! I can tell you killed that nasty hand monster! Augh, you stink…”

Skyward grinned sheepishly, folding her ears and kicking at the ground with one armored hoof. “Well, nopony said battle is a clean task—ah, dost thou hath a name?”

“Not yet! Dad didn’t decide yet! Say, what’s yours?”

“…Skyward. I am Skyward.”

The Goron foal pranced, coming up to her to nuzzle up against her breastplate, despite the rancid smell she bore. “Skyward! I’ll remember that name! When I grow up, I hope to be as brave and strong as you!”

Skyward chuckled, giving him a gentle nudge with her muzzle, then glanced around. “Is there a place where one might wash? I do not wish to don this wonderous gift smelling like a dragon’s rear…”

The Goron foal guided her down the hall, Skyward ‘carrying’ the armor box. There was a hot spring in one of the caverns--with the foal keeping watch outside of the cave proper, Skyward immediately stripped off her filthy armor and plunged into the pool, gasping at the sting of the hot water when she surfaced. She ‘grabbed’ a piece of pumice in her magic and scrubbed herself near raw, shaking out her mane and forcing her magic through it to clean out any debris or stinking pieces of flesh.

When she was certain she was clean, she jumped out and shook herself dry. The heat from the caves were also doing wonders to dry her fur, and she crossed to the armor box. Piece by piece, she donned the armor, and felt the heat lessen until it was nonexistent. She stepped out of the cavern, and the Goron foal clapped his hooves together, eyes bright.

“Wow! You look really good in that armor. Wait till I tell my dad it found a worthy mage to go to.”

Skyward nudged the young foal, pointing to the inside of the cave with one hoof. “Now I shalt go to free thine kith and kin. I shalt leave mine armor here and return for it later, but mind what I said—go, hide! Appear not till thou sees thine own kind! Now, which way to the Mines, lad?”

The Goron foal pointed down the pathway leading away from the spring chamber, then nodded before he balled up and rolled away. Skyward set her jaw as she swiftly cantered down the path, clad in her brand-new armor—she could see the entrance to the Mines proper at the bottom of the area she was in. It had a huge stonecarved sign of an anvil and a hammer and a Goron pony’s face hanging above it, and she crossed the threshold of the large ajar iron doors—into a world of sweltering heat.

The Crater Mines lived up to their reputation—not only was this a full-service forge and smithy, but this was also where the Goron Ponies crafted their master works. But it was also an area where only Goron Ponies could go, or those who wore Goron Dragonheart, Goron Lavaburst, or Goron Flashfire Armor. As the armor types went—Dragonheart for warriors, Lavaburst for mages, and Flashfire for pegasi, each type tailored to the pony who was found worthy of wearing it, but it all shared one similar aspect—the heat of Death Mountain Crater itself, could not touch the wearer.

Course, it wouldn’t protect them if they fell in lava, for example. The very floor seemed to be made of some sort of clear stone that kept back the boiling lava at bay beneath her hooves, giving the impression she was walking on fire itself, while the walls were warm to the touch from the volcano so close to the mines themselves.

The tunnel opened up into a grand forge area---there were anvils and hammers, tongs and varied smithy tools, stone troughs filled with water to allow for cooling new weapons or what have you that the smiths would make, bellows…

A rumbling noise alerted her and she ran for cover, diving behind one of the massive anvils. The noise grew louder, and she drew her sword, tensing for a fight…

The noise slowed, then stopped with a metallic screech; Skyward peered out from behind the anvil…

To see a large, empty mine cart roll to a stop near where she was hiding.

Glancing around, she also noticed there were mine cart tracks and loading stations near the anvils—they had a system that was set up to deliver ore from the mines proper to the smithy. Clever setup indeed…

She crossed to one wall that had a map of Crater Mines and examined it. According to the map, she was in the main smithy hall. There were also the mine cart tracks on the map that led to other sections of the smithy—the ore processing chamber, which was off to the left somewhere within the mines. She knew the Gorons had means of getting around through heat on their own, given they were so sturdy. Looking around once more, she saw there were two doors—one of them was huge, barred and sealed with the eldritch chains and the massive spiked lock once again. Her ears flattened in annoyance—another damned key would be required. The other wasn’t locked, however.

She went over to it and opened it…

Only to recoil at the wave of heat that blasted out at her. She knew right off seeing the channel of lava in front of her she wasn’t getting through that tunnel, and shut the door proper.

Shaking her head, she examined the map again, then looked at the mine cart.

She trotted over and glanced around, then hopped into it, but it didn’t move. Seeing a lever near the workstation it was parked by, she ‘pulled’ on it using her magic. But nothing happened. Frowning, she ‘jerked’ it the other way…

And with a squeal, the cart began to move with a jolt, sending her tumbling onto her flank as it picked up speed. She hunkered down in the cart, daring to peek over the edge as the tracks raced past her below, the walls soaring by in a blur, hot wind blasting into her face…

All she could see below the tracks was stone, then at times, large pools of lava far below…

A split second later she was unceremoniously tossed out of the cart and she yelped, flying through the air to land on…

A pile of gunny sacks?

She noticed the air was much cooler in here, and it wasn’t so sweltering hot. She got up, shook herself out and looked around the chamber. Besides the mine cart, there were three doors, and two sets of tracks. But there was no mine cart on the other track, and the gate was closed, and she couldn’t see a switch anywhere either. Torches lined the walls, lending a little light, but not much to see by.

Something suddenly smacked her in the side of her head, and she cursed and looked up—the flying object that struck her was a Keese. The batlike creatures liked to hang about in caves, ruins and other dark places. The vile little thing hovered, chattering mockingly, and she eyed it with contempt, drawing her sword. She waited for it to attempt another divebomb…

And slashed it in half with her sword in two neat, albeit dripping pieces. Dark ichor slid from her blade as she eyed the corpse before glancing around the room once more, scanning the ceiling and ledges…

Nothing.

The third door was just that, a door, and it wasn’t locked. Flicking her sword to clear the blood off it, she walked forward and opened it. The next room over was similar to the first, but there were no tracks, plus it had ledges in the walls like huge shelves—and not just that. There were more Keese here, but these ones were flying harmlessly through the torches she could see set high above her, not just the ones near her on ground level. She eyed the flying creatures overhead, scowling when she saw them acquire a flame shroud when they flew through the fires.

Fire Keese.

A step above their normal cousins, these Keese were able to fly through flame, were resistant to heat, and could set somepony on fire if they weren’t careful. She jumped to the first ledge…then to the second. The third she needed a running start for…but just as she landed, loud squeaks assailed her ears and she ducked, bringing her shield up…

Clang-thump!

She looked over it to see the Fire Keese had impacted her shield…and it had lost its shroud of fire in the process! Not wasting time, she slashed its wing off just as it flew away, and it spiraled down to the floor, dying on impact. She teleported to the next ledge…

Now that she was higher up she could see better. There were three levers at the top and a large window—upon reaching it, swatting off a few more Fire Keese and almost getting a singed tail from the last, she peered out of the window.

Now she could see that the tracks—there were three sets total. The map on the left side of the window denoted that they all led to the Main Smith Hall, which where she had been earlier. But one of the tracks led to the Ore Depot, where the Gorons mined the ore for weapons and such and the stone they ate. The second set led to the Smelter’s Cavern and the third led to the Minecart Racetrack, which split off towards the Main Smithy Hall, the Ore Depot and ran through the Smelter’s Cavern. She knew right off from the map that the Smelter’s Cavern was the one sealed up by the eldritch chains, and she’d have to find the ornate key to unlock it. Perhaps it was hidden in the Ore Depot?

Skyward peered down at the tracks below and she experimentally moved one of the levers—the tracks were side by side…one splitting down the middle, one curving to the left, the other to the right and upwards. From what she could see, the right lever moved the track to the left, and moving it again moved it back to its original position, but it didn’t make it go left. The center lever did that instead, and the third proved to be the master switch to reset the tracks.

She pushed the right lever and teleported back down, re-entering the door and hopped back into the cart. A flick of the lever and she was gone again—but instead of returning to the Main Smithy Hall, she careened to the side, heading left. The door opened wide as heat engulfed her--- a mass of liquid fire below her, molten metal in vats and flowing off in inset trenches built into the walls around her, bubbling away off to the sides on huge stone platforms—she hid in the mine cart, grateful for her new armor; fireproof or not, it was bucking hot in here!

A deafening roar echoed throughout the fiery area and she crouched down in the cart on instinct, hoping her armor would make her look like a large piece of ore or something. She peeked over the edge of the cart: turning her head just enough, she saw the silhouette of a large dragon flying below her, its snarl reverberating through the chamber as it banked and flew off somewhere. The cart screeched to a halt and threw her out once more, and again she landed on something soft on a huge platform that the mine cart stopped at. But this felt odd: very squishy, and an abnormal color at that—like the color of pus that was lanced from a wound, a nasty yellowy hue…

She poked at it with a hoof; and recoiled with a yell when the odd cushiony thing she landed on suddenly reared up and reached for her with a wide open, dripping, toothless orifice. She scrambled backwards, but not before it latched onto something from behind: she bucked it harshly and it let her go. She spun around, drawing her sword and shield to…

Wait. She fumbled for her shield but…where…what….

Her shield was gone!

She glared back at the beast, which was ambling towards her slowly. Furious, she slashed at the beast she’d landed on with her sword, viciously swiping and stabbing, teleporting out of reach when it tried to swallow her again. It began to ooze forward—only to recoil when her sword sliced through it, the flurry of savage strikes having taken their toll. The enraged unicorn’s horn blazed silver as she called upon her magic, sending a fiery bolt right at the thing; on impact, it smoked and quivered before it began to sink to the floor like a half-baked souffle collapsing in slow motion…revealing a few green and blue Snaffles, a half digested Bokoblin and her shield.

She ‘lifted’ her shield out of the goop and used her magic to clean it off—she’d only heard tales of the Like Like, the monsters who could eat just about anything, but now she’d seen one—landed on one for Nayru’s sake! She replaced it on her back and turned to leave, running down the corridor—an Ember Bokoblin burst out of a side hallway, gibbering angrily and brandishing a torch…

Skyward was unable to stop and slid right into it—the torch went flying as they pinwheeled head over claws, Skyward landing on top of the beast. She yowled when it sank its sharp little teeth into her right hind leg and gave it a nasty kick as a result—it reeled back hissing, until her blade lodged itself right between its ribs. Growling, she walked away from the corpse, wincing at the stinging pain in her leg. She pulled out one of her potion bottles, using the last little bit of Blue Potion she hadn’t drank from her recovery to heal the bite—she wasn’t taking chances.

She found another cart, but this one refused to move beyond the doorway marking a second way into the Ore Depot she could see further down and she frowned. The room had two Bomb Flowers, some rubble from a cracked wall to the right of her, cobwebs everywhere and a shivering pile of bones…

The bones suddenly hopped up and began ambling towards her—she backed up, presenting her shield to the Stalfos—an animated pile of pony bones that could kill a pony if they got within range, or if they threw pieces of sharp bone at somepony. The skeletal pony threw a piece of razored bone at her, which spanged off her shield. The unicorn teleported away from it and focused on a Bomb Flower. The bomb bud, once freed, began to flicker and glow redly, signaling that it was going to blow any second…

She threw it at the monster, and it exploded in a flash of fire and noise, the Stalfos collapsing in shards of blackened bone. Glancing at the cracked wall, she snatched up another Bomb Flower—the other one hadn’t grown back yet; and threw it at the wall.

With a thunderous crack, the wall collapsed, revealing another cart and set of tracks behind it—this one looked dusty, and unused, but the path was clear. She jumped into it and it squealed as it moved, increasing speed as it sped down the tracks. This corridor wasn’t used very often, but as it opened up, she saw that this track was positioned on the other side of the main Racetrack—this had to be an older track for the Ore Depot, only hidden away!

The cart arrived at its destination and she was thrown once again out of the mine cart; she was getting the hang of trying to land on her hooves instead of on her belly. As she got up and shook herself, she saw why she couldn’t get into the Ore Depot from the other side.

The Gorons were locked inside of the main chamber, barred by the very gates they had forged to keep monsters out of the mine shafts! Skyward ran over and quickly unlocked the barred gate of the Depot, which slid open—the Goron Ponies looked at their savior in surprise as she entered. Two of them reared to attack, but another one stopped them and pointed at her armor.

“Hey, you’re not one of them, goro…”

“Oi, kid, what’s your name?”

Skyward mentally sighed—she liked the Goron tribe, given their zest for life and their passion for having fun—it was said if you earned their loyalty, it was forever: as in Sworn Brother or Sister. But sometimes this could be an inconvenience considering their stubborn natures…

“Mine name is not important right now, but know this, Princess Zelda sent me to free all of thou. Ye all need to leave—get back to the lower levels of Goron City; the place is deserted.”

“Deserted, goro?”

The largest Goron stomped his hooves, grinning. “That means that sandbrain abandoned the city! We can take it back, goro!”

Seeing things were about to get out of hoof, Skyward stomped an armored hoof hard, glancing around for telltale signs of the dragon she had glimpsed earlier. While it was a medium sized dragon, that didn’t mean it wasn’t deadly. “Enough! There is no time—one knows that oversized ball of scales is around here somewhere, and should he find us, he will not hesitate to make a meal out of one and all!”

Knowing the Haylian mare was right, the Gorons quickly filed past her, first walking normally then curling into balls and rolling away as was their trademark. Unlike normal ponies, they didn’t run; to move across vast distances, their body structure allowed them to curl up and roll like a boulder down a hill. The largest one stopped, looking down at her curiously while the last of the tribe rolled past them.

“You look…familiar, goro…”

“Eh?” Skyward cocked her head at him, looking confused—the Goron Pony bobbed his head, leaning closer to get a good look at her. “…Yeah, ya got his eyes. Time Link’s eyes. Yer him, aren’t ya? Only…well, you’re a girl now…not that there’s anything wrong with that, goro…”

Seeing her consternation, the huge Goron Pony held up one huge hoof. “Ya don’t need to worry. Your secret’ll be kept safe, goro. I’m Boss Daruna, chief of the Goron tribe. Yer Princess Zelda’s prize pupil, Skyward, ain’t ya?”

Skyward mutely nodded, and he clapped her on the withers, sending her to the ground, coughing, shaking her head—Din’s red flank, they were strong ponies! “Who’da thunk it? You’re the Hero—er…the Heroine of Time!”

The bluesteel unicorn glanced around again, eyes wide and ears pinned, shushing the bigger pony frantically. “Sssshut up! Keep that to thine self, Daruna! If Ganondorf or his minions were to overhear—”

Daruna nodded, a grim look settling into his features--he knew the risk if the enemy found out. “Listen, kid. The way I heard it from Zelda, she was training you to be the next Chosen One when the Gerudo began causing problems, considerin’ she hid your cutie mark and all. But you’ve also got a hell of a reputation for helping ponies and watchin’ out for issues. Lotta ponies been wondering if you’re okay, since official word is yer missin’ in action right now.”

“…Daruna, as much as one wishes otherwise, ye cannot tell them…”

The Goron Boss put one heavy hoof on her shoulder and nodded somberly. “I know, kiddo, I know. Zelda warned me herself ‘bout that if ya came here. But, know this, when the time comes for ya to kick Ganondorf’s muzzle in, the Gorons are gonna roll in right behind ya! Now, there’s something ya can use in here against that ash-brained dragon. Matter of fact, we’ve been keepin’ this thing since yer ancestor walked in here hundreds of years ago, waaaaayyy back when in ancient times.”

Skyward cocked her head, and Daruna gestured for her to follow him. “Ya probably know the legends of yer great uncle Time Link, right?”

At her nod, he continued as he stomped his hooves near one section of wall, which slid open to reveal a secret entrance. He pointed down the lit corridor with one sturdy looking hoof. “Ya go through there—watch out for any of that sandstone-brain’s goons, not that I need to tell ya that! The Megaton Hammer is in a locked chest at the end of that corridor, but expect some resistance! I know that red maned pain in the crag put something vile in that chamber…”

“Considering what he’s done to the rest of Hayrule…”

Daruna noticed Skyward’s downcast look, and lifted her chin. “Stand tall, kid. Ya didn’t ask for this to be put on your shoulders, but I’ll tell ya this. If the first Sworn Brother were here…he’d be busting at the seams with pride. You’re doin’ all ya can, and for now, it’ll have to be enough. Oh, that reminds me. I got this offa one of the idiots who came in here tryin’ to mess with us. This might help ya.”

Skyward accepted the ornate, jeweled key and nodded her head, resolve entering her eyes, and he thumped her on the withers approvingly. “C’mon back t’ Goron City sometime, kid. We’ll give ya a hero’s welcome! Keep the armor—I’m assumin’ my son dug it out for ya?”

She nodded, and he grinned. “Ya should know something. That armor yer wearin’? It belonged to yer Great Uncle Time Link himself. Over th’ years, my ancestors maintained it, repaired it, an’ we just upgraded it to Lavaburst armor since yer a unicorn and not an Earth Pony. Good luck, kid! We’ll be waitin’ for ya!”

With that, Daruna turned and ran off—Skyward stared after him, then glancing at the armor that adorned her body. This had been her five-time great uncle’s armor? She shifted a little, tears gleaming in her eyes as she bowed her head—she really wished she could talk to him, just once…!

But the crackling of flames down the secret corridor grabbed her attention, and she took a breath, unsheathing her sword as she resolutely walked down the hallway, reminded of her duty. The room that was connected to the secret hall was a large one and it looked relatively nondescript— hewn and shaped stone floors, walls and ceiling, four stone pillars, a brazier in the center, four more set in the corners—

The chest was right in the middle of the center brazier on a second pedestal. There were a few Fire Keese and an Ember Bokoblin in the room, which she easily dispatched. However, her experiences from Shadeleaf Sanctuary taught her that this was a little too easy. There had to be something in this room—Daruna wouldn’t have just left this chest unprotected, but then again, given the immense heat here in the Mines, hay, that WAS a big deterrent!

Still—since the Crater Mines had been overrun…

She stepped closer to the brazier pillar…and it flared up. Evil laughter filled the air, a cacophonous cackle as the flames rose higher and higher—

Skyward glared at the beast as it whirled upward out of the flames and began pirouetting on one spindly spire like smoldering leg. Having done some reading on Hayrulean beasts, she knew exactly what she was facing—a Flame Dancer.

It was all thanks to a book out of a three set Shining Armor and Princess Cadence had gotten for her for Hearth’s Warming called The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia—a huge tome with pictures, descriptions and listed weaknesses of monsters in Hayrule. She knew she didn’t have any Bombs—but for a unicorn? She had magic, and she knew a Flame Dancer’s weakness was its core; to dissipate the flames, she needed to expose the core. The swirling dance the monster did kept its flames alive, never mind the dangerous dash attacks it had…

She dove to the left just as the monster shot at her, leaving a trail of flame across the stone floor, the tiles under it glowing with residual heat. Her horn burned silver as she shot a blast of water—water, not ice at it, and it screeched in pain as its flames were doused. Soaking wet, the monster was wobbling away, trying to reach one of the four large torches positioned in the corners for light—

Skyward pounced on it, viciously slashing and stabbing—she shied back when it spat embers in her face, cursing, she pawed at her face and yelled in pain when she was knocked sprawling by an intense wave of heat. Growling, she got up and turned to face it. She noticed its flames had turned yellow—a sign it was weak. She aimed another Aqua Pulse spell, and cursed when it dodged it…she teleported away when it dashed at her again. The beast was on to her game and she needed to kill it, fast!

She eyed the core and the flames--she cursed as she turned to face it, trying to keep it in her line of sight. The damn thing was fast, and she was forced to throw up a frontal shield just to keep from being seared alive. Too bad she didn’t know how to create a bubble shield…

Wait. Bubble!

Twilight Sparkle had used a similar spell to protect her home, to protect her friends from harm! But while hers had been pure arcane…

She grinned openly as she lit her horn again; a shield of ice went up around her this time as she closed her eyes and began mumbling in Ancient Haylian. Arcane runes began forming in front of her glowing horn as she crafted her spell…

She heard the ice shield hiss and crack when the Flame Dancer impacted it, but she couldn’t do anything about it now.

The runes slowly began to take form, swirling around her horn as she forged the spell, envisioning each rune. The ice shield hissed again—icy water splattered over her, but she forced herself to ignore it.

Almost there…

The Flame Dancer squealed in delight, seeing its target was now out of the nasty cold shell it had put itself in. It spun about in unholy glee, before it darted right at the hapless unicorn…

Skyward’s eyes flashed open seconds before impact—glowing a brilliant azure color. At her mental command, a cerulean bubble of liquid swirled into existence around the monster, dousing the flames, and stopping its advance. It struggled madly, but was unable to move. Skyward turned it to ice, and threw her shield at it—

The sound of mirrors breaking filled the air as the Rime Bubble shattered upon her shield’s impact and took the monster with it, the beast having been frozen solid as well before being torn to shreds with the splintering ice.

(Twilight, one owes thou one…mayhap, one might be able to bring thou a gift for the spell thou helped me craft in mine time of need. That being said...one should bring gifts for the others as well. Tis’ only right…and it is Midwinter…ah…Hearth’s Warming.)

She retrieved her shield, crossed to the chest, the flames having died with the Dancer’s death, and carefully opened it.

Inside lay the Megaton Hammer—the weapon which her relative had slain the vile dragon Volvagia, long and long ago. True to the legends however, it had been forged initially for a Goron hero, and as such, she was unable to bring out her shield or her sword when she ‘picked it up’. She ‘lifted’ the heavy steel bound hammer in her grip, and turned it over, running one armored hoof over it and sighed, before she shrank it down and turned to leave the chamber…

“GGGGGGRRRRAWWWRRRRRRR! FOOD! FOOD IS GONE! DRACOLGA TURN THIS PLACE INTO A MOLTEN RUIN!”

At the horrendous roar and the raspy, snarly shout, Skyward’s ears backed and a terrifying scowl touched her brow. She sprang off the pedestal and pelted back down the hidden corridor—

Through the makeshift prison area, leaping into a mine cart, which took her past the rows of anvils and suspended bellows, hammers and tongs…

She wove in and out of the mine cart racetrack station…

She hit the ground running when she was thrown out of the cart, charging right for the door bound with massive chains that loomed before her. She pulled out the ornate key Daruna had given her earlier, and fit it into the lock. The chains vanished, the heavy lock falling to the floor as the door slid upwards. She took a few minutes to catch her breath, steeled herself and walked through it…

And emerged into a massive chamber—a big cavity filled partially with molten lava. The room was huge—there were short, broad pillars of stone rising from the molten rock. Some of them had large rings jutting out of them on top—the rings were made of solid Goron steel. They were large enough for somepony to fit through if one wanted to jump through them…

And lying on a stone platform ringed with Bomb Flowers in the center of this fiery tableau, was a dragon.

But this dragon reminded Skyward physically of Garble, a foul mouthed, brash, arrogant fledgling red dragon who resided in the Dragon Lands far from Equestria—that Spike had bested on more than one occasion. This dragon was about the same size, but the spiked tail, the temperament and the fire he was spitting showed he was definitely more dangerous than Garble. But unlike Garble’s wings, this one’s wings were torn and broken…clearly, he’d bitten off more than he could chew somewhere—she suspected Daruna had a hoof in that.

The dragon spotted her when she came in, and he bared his teeth, snarling at her.

“YOU! YOU THE PONY THAT FREED DRACOLGA’S FOOD?”

Skyward sneered as she brought her sword to bear—she had shrank the hammer down with her magic and put it in her satchel, but she was ready to use it if she had to.

“Aye. And what art thou going to do about it, scaleface?” she taunted. The dragon—Dracolga, as he called himself; hissed steam and sprang up, acidic drool sliding from his maw to hit the ground, the earth melting on contact.

“DRACOLGA’S GONNA HAVE YOU FOR AN APPETIZER!”

He inhaled and shot a column of fire at her—Skyward teleported out of the way, hitting him in the snout with an uprooted Bomb Flower. The explosive blossoms, which were the primary staple to make Bombs in Hayrule, grew naturally on Death Mountain and its surrounding areas, but were extremely dangerous; unless, you knew how to handle the damn things.

The flowers were growing in a circle around the main platform, and while he was trying to see where she’d gone to, she was able to ‘yank’ one of the Bomb Flowers out of the ground, and hurl it at him. The flower exploded on his sensitive nostrils, making him recoil and snarl in pain. He lunged at her, maw open and ready to bite down on her…

Only for her to jump out of the way, and his head to be shoved right into one of the massive rings surrounding the main platform. He was lying prone as a result, legs splayed and tail lashing as he wriggled, finding he was stuck fast.

He roared as he strained to pull his head out of the ring—only to howl in agony as Skyward, who had seen an opportunity, brought the Megaton Hammer out, raised it high, and slammed it down right on his rear left leg with a sickening boom-crack, dark blood spewing high into the air with a sizzling hiss, bone shattering with a loud snap.

She knew she had lamed him considering the leg was now a crushed, oozing mess of bone, sinew, muscle and blood; proof of the Hammer’s immense power. Heavy though the hammer was, it was true to its name for sure. The bluesteel unicorn mare teleported off the crumbling edge as he ripped the ring out with a scream of pain and rage and charged after her again—as best he could on three legs. Enraged, the dragon rushed her, firebombing the main platform…Skyward’s armor protected her from the terrible heat, the smoke from the attack veiling her—she heard some of the Bomb Flowers go off as a result from the dragon’s wild spray attack.

“FILTHY LITTLE SPARKLE PONY! DRACOLGA ROAST YOU! DRACOLGA RIP YOU APART, PIECE BY LITTLE PIECE, STARTING WITH THAT HORN OF YOURS! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE PEST?!” he bellowed, trying to scent her or see her.

Skyward used her Sun Burst spell to lure him away from her—and when the smoke began to clear, she noticed his tail was within striking range. He had his back to her, and was trying to snap at the sphere of light still in the rest of the disappearing smoke. A mischievous, wicked grin crossed her muzzle as she raised the hammer high once again…

Dracolga howled in pain as the Megaton Hammer slammed onto his tail so hard, it not only crushed the bones and ligaments in his tail…

It had pinched it clean off!

The tail flopped uselessly as he whirled around, keening and writhing in pain. Without his tail, he had next to no balance left, and he flopped over on one side, spitting fire madly and screeching as he rolled into the lava surrounding the platform. Skyward recoiled from the hot residue and watched the churning surface apprehensively.

Dracolga didn’t keep her waiting—maddened with agony, even though his wounds had been cauterized by the lava’s heat, he was still a huge threat. His beady little yellow eyes burning in fury, he exhaled not one, but two columns of flame at her. She dodged one, but the other clipped her left hind leg, and she snarled in pain. He lunged out of the lava, maw wide open and snapped it down over her…

The bluesteel unicorn mare used her magic to hold open the dragon’s maw, jabbing sharply down at his tongue with one armored forehoof. Dracolga screeched and shook his head—she teleported out of his maw, snatched up two Bomb Flowers with her magic. He lunged for her again—she darted to the side, wincing in pain at the burn on her left hind leg—she stumbled and fell, hissing in pain. But, he still missed, turned his head to follow her, his jaws opening—

And she threw the fizzling Bomb Flowers right into his mouth, which snapped closed on impulse. The natural bomb buds went off simultaneously, Dracolga’s cheeks puffing out in a comical manner before he reeled backwards, collapsing onto the platform, smoke rising from his mouth. Unfortunately, his head was too far away for her to make a decisive blow, considering he had fallen on his side, away from her…

But his right hind leg was well within reach!

She got up, aimed a blow at the knee joint with the Megaton Hammer—another echoing boom-crack, another nauseating squelch-snap…

The pain roused him from his stupor and he BELLOWED, rocks being shaken loose and raining down from the ceiling as he thrashed and rolled off the platform again, writhing in sheer agony. The Haylian mare threw up an arcane shield to block the stonefall: Dracolga roared as he swiped at the rocks in his path—he was unable to find Skyward as a result. But given his wild flailing, he lost his balance and fell backwards into the lava again with a yowl of wrath. Having been given some time, Skyward returned the hammer to her satchel, and pulled out a bottle—this one held a light blue colored elixir inside.

Since she was wearing her ancestor’s Goron Lavaburst Armor, she didn’t need heat protection, but she also knew this would help ease the pain from the burn and give her double the fire protection considering how pissed her adversary was. She popped the cork and poured half of it onto the crimson, puffy welt on her left hind leg—the swelling and pain began to go down immediately thanks to the properties of the Frostblood Elixir. The rest she drank down, shoving the bottle back into her satchel proper. It restored magic too, but very little of it.

Dracolga exploded out of the lava, hurling globs of the stuff everywhere as he hauled himself onto the raggedy platform with his scrawny arms. His eyes were now crimson as his scales with dragon rage, and fiery murder burned in his mouth as he glared down at her. He hocked up fireballs and spat them into the air, forcing her to dodge them as they fell—he was unable to pull himself up on the platform, but he was still a danger at range.

Seeing she had dodged his attacks, he hissed as he opened his mouth wide—wider…

But obviously he hadn’t learned his lesson; because the second his mouth was open as wide as it could get, preparing to unleash a firestorm upon her…

Skyward had pulled four Bomb Flowers from what was left of the circle and hurled them into his waiting maw. His jaws snapped shut on reflex and they detonated instantly; he coughed, gagged and choked as he collapsed onto the rock in front of her, clouds of smoke rising from his nose and broken teeth falling from his mouth…

The Haylian mare raised the hammer high once again and released a ringing war cry as she brought it down with all the force she could muster: the massive blow crushed his skull, sending fragments of bone and splatters of dragon blood all over the platform. The skull caved in easily, like a rotten fruit giving under the force of being hit with a massive rock, exposing the quivering gray mass that was Dracolga’s brain. She slammed him with the weapon again, the head all but unrecognizable, a smashed mess of grey pinkish bloody pulp with chips of bone scattered through it. The dragon’s body arched up in reflex...then shuddered and lay still.

Like Sable Oak before him, darkness shrouded Dracolga’s form to cover his entire body. It swept over him, enveloping his mutilated form in the black energy before it pulsed twice, then exploded outward. This time, Skyward shielded herself, standing her ground against the blast, ducking her head and lifting a hoof to shield her eyes. When everything was still, the dust had settled as she peered over her Haylian Shield, she saw that an ornamental and sturdy marble path fenced with gold and red stone had risen out of the lava, the rock face to the northwest sliding away to reveal an ornate looking doorway. The archway was beautifully carved, inlaid swirls of ruby and gold and topaz in the shape of dancing flames seeming to rise from the stone itself, set with more Goron Rubies. She crossed the stone path, advancing towards the gate—which parted seamlessly at her approach.

Inside was a similar platform to the one in Shadelight Sanctuary…only, this one was made of some sort of ancient golden rock with intricate carvings—it looked like gold, but she could tell it wasn’t. And hovering above that platform was a large ruby, set in a solid gilded setting. The glowing crimson jewel was in the shape of a vertical oblong diamond, framed by a broad V setting of solid gold, which held it in place proudly. It almost looked like the Goron’s own clan sigil, to some extent…

Skyward took hold of the gem and turned around…

To see Sheik standing about five feet behind her. Seeing the gem in her magical grip, he nodded at her approvingly. “Well done, Heroine of Time. Nay *she was shaking her head at him* Do not deny thine title. Thou hath more than earned it, this day.”

He held out a hoof, and she transferred the gem into his grasp. He looked at it before he looked at her, putting the gem away into his tunic. “Din’s Soul is safe, the Crater Mines art no longer cursed, and the Gorons are free. Ye hath done great deeds this day, but the danger hath not yet passed.”

“Then one must leave, before Ganondorf senses his hold here is gone,” Skyward replied as she turned to leave…only to have the Sheikah pony stop her.

“Ye must leave the Megaton Hammer here, also. The Gorons shalt keep it safe until tis time for ye to use it once more. However, thine new armor…well, one should say, heirloom armor…that, thou may take with thee, among a few other trifles if thou are so inclined.”

Sheik turned to depart, but turned his head just enough—his eyes narrowed a little at her, but she got the feeling he was smiling at her. “…The Princess is proud of thou, know this. Also, take the time to see the Gorons before ye depart. Ye hath enough time for that, this time.”

“Art thou sure? Last time ye were all but kicking mine flank back into the portal. One doth not wish to tarry and attract unwanted attention.”

The crimson eyed, blond haired unicorn bobbed his head at her. “Believe one when one says there was good reason. Ye hath a little time, now—use it wisely, before thou return—about an hour or two, give or take.”

With that, the Sheikah pony stepped backwards, then paused. “Ye wilt need to lie low for some time, Skyward. Let us pray he doth not open another portal anytime soon.”

He lifted one hoof—she noticed he had something small and brown curled in it…and he flung it to the ground. A blinding flash caused her to hiss and avert her eyes…

When the flash cleared, she blinked her eyes from the after glare to see that he was gone! She snorted and shook her head as she crossed to the ancient runic platform that would send her out of the Mines proper.

“…Deku Nut. Guess I won that bet, Golden Marble,” she muttered to herself as she stepped onto the platform. The Crater Mines faded around her…only to be replaced with the main gateway to the mines as her sight cleared…

And she saw Daruna there waiting for her, the young Goron foal at his side.

“Nice going, kid! Saw the whole thing from one of the smelter ledges. Whoo-ee, you’d give yer old great-uncle a run for his Snaffles! Hell of a fight! For all ya done for us—you’re one of us from now on; a Sworn Sister!”

Skyward chuckled, waving a hoof at him. “Thine people and lands are free—that is what truly matters, Daruna,” she replied, and he laughed heartily. “Honest to the core! Listen, we cleaned up yer normal armor for ya, and if ya like, we can clean up yer new armor as well! Relax a bit before ya leave—I know ya got places t’ be.”

This being the case, Skyward agreed, going once more to the hot springs to relax while a Goron healer saw to the burns she had sustained during the battle with Dracolga. Once clean, she browsed through the general store they had—she wanted to get a few things, not just for herself, but for her friends as well…

Goron Spice—she loved the curries and stews one could make with it…

A small bag of Goron Fire Rubies, a Haylian Sunset and a Blazing Heart gem, both separately set in filigree chains…

Blazing Heart gems looked like Goron Rubies, but in truth, were just precious stones, and had no innate elemental magic in them. They could still be enchanted to hold spells, however. Haylian Sunset gems were similar to Blazing Hearts, but they were uncommon—they were a beautiful purple hue.

A small Goron forged axe and a sword, made from good, solid steel—both were small, Haylian pony sized items, little more than belt knives to the Gorons. Not that they used them anyway…

A bag of Haylian Wild Bird Seed…a mix of Deku Nuts, Shadelight Acorns and Haylian winter wheat seed…

She also got some blocks of Cane Sugar—this was made from Haylian Cane stalks, which were grown close to the Sapphirine Bay area.

There was also a book of pegasi legends and tales—she picked that up as well. Spotting some foal sized cloaks, she chose three of them; one had an apple embroidered onto it, another a music note, and the last was a blazing flame; and the last item, a map of Hayrule. She paid for her items with some of the Snaffles she had picked up out of the crate she had found in the portal cavern earlier, and tucked it all into her satchel. Bidding the shopkeeper goodbye, she walked out and to the cavern where the portal was.

Daruna was waiting for her at the portal proper—his son was munching away on some of the diamond quartz pieces, head shoved in a broken crate. He saluted her, and she returned the gesture sharply. Seeing her glancing at the crates with a worried look, he gestured at her. “Don’ worry about all this. Ya tell yer friends on the other side, we’ll eat th’ lot of it. Good thing too—that gravel for balls moron damn near wrecked the rock sirloin quarry.”

“One is sorry to hear that, Daruna. Will it be enough until ye can unearth more?”

Daruna guffawed and nodded. “Ha, hay yeah it is! And, whatever this stuff is, it’s GREAT! Tastes just as good as rock sirloin, but it’s got a totally different taste! It’s all zingy and snappy! What is it anyway?”

“It is called diamond quartz. Worthless as gemstone, but can be used for weapons, so, if ye and thine people insist on eating it, make sure none is left if thou do. The enemy wilt attempt to recover their cache here.”

Daruna grinned at her wickedly. “Let ‘em try and bust their way in here. We got some surprises waitin’ for those red maned nags, now. Take care of yerself, kid!”

“Stand strong and never falter, Sworn Brother; may Din bless thou and thine people,” Skyward replied, and coughed when she was swept into a fierce hug. She managed to hug the Goron Pony back, and when he let her go, she bolted back through the swirling vortex of energy.

“Hey, Dad…did she come back?”

“Been here and gone, Skye.”

The Goron foal blinked at his father, who nodded at him. “Yeah, you heard me. You’re gettin’ her name, or part of it anyway. She’s a champion even though she don’t think she is, an’ damn brave to boot.”

“Aww, I wanted to say bye,” he pouted, and Daruna chuckled. “You’ll see yer namesake again, kiddo. But for now, we got some eatin’ to do! Go get the others—we’re gonna have a feast tonight!”

Skye rolled off, leaving his sire alone as the boss Goron Pony turned to regard the portal.

“Time Link…ya better keep a sharp eye on yer niece if yer watchin’ over her. Sooner or later, she’s gonna need yer guidance. That redheaded pain in th’ crag ain’t playin’ around,” he muttered as he turned towards the sound of his people rolling towards him.

If he had turned around a split second later, he would have seen a translucent pony standing there—a pony with blue eyes, pale tan coat, a long, windblown blond mane and tail, clad in a green tunic and long tailed cap. The stallion nodded to himself, and turned, disappearing into thin air…