The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.

by Ganondorf8

First published 12th of November, 2019

The legend continues as Sunset Shimmer explores the mysterious Koholint Island.

It has been some time since Sunset Shimmer went on a journey to the world of 'The Legend of Zelda' but now she has been sent to the mysterious Koholint Island. It is an island in the middle of nowhere that houses a dark secret. Sunset cannot leave until she awakens the Wind Fish, but can she awaken the dreamer and if so, will she want to once she learns the truth of what the island really is?

Even with Princess Twilight Sparkle to guide her along, Koholint Island may seem unusual, but what lurks below the surface is the stuff of nightmares.

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It's been some time since my last fanfiction around here. I hope that I've still got it. Anyway, this is the next entry in this series of mine if it should be called that. Many were expecting Twilight Princess, but that is a huge undertaking in and of itself, and since it's been so long since my last story, I wanted to go with something shorter. Don't expect this story to be an epic readthrough in terms of word count as I'm not trying to set a record here.

As always, each chapter will let you know which MLP/EQG character is portraying which Link's Awakening character.

Prologue: Lost At Sea.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening
By Ganondorf8.
October 23, 2019.
Prologue: Lost at Sea.

"What do you make of her, Tarin?"

"I've never seen anyone like her before on the island."

"Just looking at her makes me feel like she's fated to change our lives."

"Really, Marin? That's what you see in her?"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothin' at all!"

"Then why say it like that?"

"Just because you found her washed up on ta shore doesn't mean she's anythin' special. In any case, we should let her explain herself when she wakes up."

"Who knows how long that will be."

"At least we know she's alive."

"I'm thankful for that. I mean, when I first found her on the shore, there was nothing apart from her. Could she... could she have come from beyond what we can see? If so then that reaffirms my belief that she will change our lives."

"I ain't going to question you, Marin."

"And why not?"

"I know better not to... Hey! Well would you look at that? She's wakin' up!"

"Uhhhh... my aching head."

"I thought you'd never wake up! You were tossing and turning for a while before you settled back down again."

"Huh? Starlight Glimmer? Why are you wearing that strange get-up?"

"Starlight Glimmer? What a strange name. My name is Marin. You must still be feeling a little woozy. You are on Koholint Island!"

"I'm where!?"

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I had almost forgotten about my previous experiences in the world of a video game series. However, the one thing that did remind me of those experiences continued to rear its ugly head. The Mark of the Triforce. Even now, I wished that it were only a dream, and not the reality that it was. Just when I thought I could forget about it, the mark would appear on the back of my hand, a reminder that I still had to endure whatever Ganondorf, the Demon King (As he called himself), had in store for me. In a perfect world, I'd have gladly rid myself of it, but such a world isn't possible.

What made the experience worse was that I wasn't the only one. Princess Twilight Sparkle, my former teacher, also had a mark, hers representing Wisdom, one of the three forces that the Triforce comprised of. My force represented Courage, whilst the remaining one, Power, remained in Ganondorf's possession as far as I was aware. Because of this, we were bound to him through our respective pieces, a terrifying fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. Even if he possessed the Triforce in its entirety, Power was still his to command. For Her Highness and me, our lives could change at any moment.

But, it had been some time since my last adventure, and much had changed in the world I now call home. My friends and I have since acquired new magical abilities through the use of geodes that we discovered during our trip to Camp Everfree. We have used this magic to combat the dangerous magic that continues to flow through the portal that connects our world to Equestria, magic that if left unchecked, could bring about disaster, and corrupt an innocent person. Unfortunately, several people had suffered such corruption, and my friends and I used our powers to save them.

Juniper Montage, Wallflower Blush, Vignette Valencia, and even my favourite music band, Post Crush. Each of them came into contact with Equestrian Magic through no fault of their own, and became corrupted by it thinking it could change their lives. Even now, despite how much I've changed, I blame myself for having brought magic into a world that didn't understand how it worked. Those who were corrupted have since become friends and allies, but it could've been much different had we not stepped up to the challenge and shown them their misjudgement of handling power they didn't understand.

Power... I was one to talk. The power that was inside of me, the Triforce of Courage, was one that I still couldn't figure out. I tried to pretend that I didn't possess it and continued living my life, but whenever that mark appeared on my hand, I threw myself into despair knowing fate had placed such a burden on me, one without an immediate answer. Even my friends didn't understand much about it. All they could suggest to me was to forget about it and focus on what you usually do. Easy for them to say. They aren't the ones who have to deal with the agonizing fear that Ganondorf could appear at any moment and make life miserable for you.

I was surprised that the Demon King had left me alone for some time, but I couldn't become complacent about it. Every waking day, I feared that he would force me to go through yet another adventure, my life being threatened by whatever waited for me there. If there was any consolation, I did enjoy some of the more nuanced moments, like getting to use a variety of different items, or even becoming other creatures. It's not everyday that the latter happens without some serious magic involved. Aside from that, the waiting became agony, my heart pounding out of fear that I could succumb to his whims at any moment.

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About a couple of weeks after the incident involving Post Crush, the holidays were upon us, and my friends and I decided to spend the weekend together at Pinkie Pie's place, or as she liked to call it, party central. Though I continued to act with caution in case Ganondorf made his presence known, this was a time where I let my guard down, and I was going to pay for my mistake soon enough. Rainbow Dash had something new she wanted to show us, but before she did, the others wanted to know about what had been happening with Princess Twilight over in Equestria. When I began telling them, their reactions weren't surprising.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her jaw dropping. "Princess Twilight is going to become the ruler of Equestria!?"

"Hoo-wee!" Applejack shouted. "I knew she was somethin' but I didn't expect that!"

Rarity nodded. "Indeed. Princess Twilight always did give off the impression that she would become a fabulous queen." Her eyes then lit up and I knew straight away that she was about to go into one of her fashion tangents. "I sincerely hope that her royal gown is the stuff that only legends dream of! I simply must see it with my own eyes. You know, for inspirational purposes, and not because I wish to have a similar gown for myself."

The rest of us rolled our eyes before Rainbow Dash continued. "So what did she have to do in order to become the queen?"

"She'll still be a princess." I answered.

"How come?"

"It's an Equestria thing."

"Tch! Fine! So how did she do it?"

"She defeated three of the greatest threats Equestria has ever known." I answered. "From what Princess Twilight said, it was without a doubt the most difficult thing she and her friends have ever had to do. Apparently, the Lord of Chaos, Discord, wanted to test them, and by test them he brought back their greatest enemies."

Applejack frowned. "That weird chaos thing you once told us about?"

"Yep."

"Why does Princess Twilight keep such a critter like that around?" Applejack asked. To be honest, I sometimes wondered that myself. Discord had reformed and was no longer viewed as a threat, but maybe he was given too much freedom to use his powers by Princess Celestia. Applejack then continued. "No point in gettin' worked up 'bout somethin' like that since it all worked out in the end. Still, why would a friend cause another so much misery? This Discord is more of a pest than a problem, but that's just mah opinion."

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy weren't in the room so I wasn't able to get their reaction, but then Twilight Sparkle, this world's version of Her Highness, looked to be wanting to say something for a while given her expression. Long ago, Twilight often got uncomfortable whenever we mentioned her Equestrian counterpart. She believed herself inferior but we constantly reminded her that she had her own talents that Her Highness could never hope to achieve. I guess learning that your pony counterpart has been chosen to succeed her mentor as ruler would cause you to feel inadequate.

After collecting her thoughts, Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up. "You must be proud that she is going to succeed her mentor, Sunset."

I nodded. "After all she's done, she deserves it."

"But wasn't her mentor yours as well?"

"Yeah."

Twilight Sparkle then rubbed her chin. "It makes you wonder why you weren't given a chance to become the next ruler of Equestria. I mean, you are just as capable as the other me is seeing as we've all seen what you're capable of."

For a moment, I felt like blushing, but the notion quickly passed. "No... Princess Twilight has done way more than I could ever hope to be. Sure, we've faced our own share of problems, but those were tame compared with what she had to deal with."

"Are you saying that we're not as good?"

"That's not it at all." I answered, my temperament rising as I felt all defensive. "Yes, we've dealt with magical beings, but they were usually misguided teenagers who had no idea what they were getting themselves into by using what they don't understand. Princess Twilight and her friends have faced creatures who had way more experience with Equestrian Magic and some almost conquered Equestria." I went silent for a moment before continuing. "Besides... you know that I wasn't always the best person."

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Please! That was a long time ago, Sunset!"

"She's right." Applejack added. "Sure ya had a rough start but look at what you've accomplished since then. Why if Princess Twilight could, she ought ta make ya a princess. What am I sayin'? Of course she can. She'll be the ruler of Equestria and can make the rules."

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "See Sunset? No need to put yourself down."

If only it were as simple as that. I may have overcome my past and reconciled with Princess Celestia, but my actions back then still condemned me to not being able to become a princess despite my accomplishments since. It's not what I wanted but it was better than the alternative, being alone without anyone. I wasn't jealous of Princess Twilight being chosen to succeed both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She had more than proven herself worthy to lead Equestria to a better tomorrow though judging from some of her comments, she was still a bit hesitant due to how big of a change it was.

I wondered then if Her Highness had to deal with the other elephant in the room in her life, that of the Triforce of Wisdom. Knowing her, she was probably so fascinated by it that she wanted to conduct as much research as possible. In my mind, I hoped she was experiencing the same feelings I was, feelings of dread, and wondering when Ganondorf planned on coming after her because of the power she had. I was his main target but now he had someone else he could sway to become evil. Even if Her Highness had all the protection in the world, it wouldn't do anything against a demon whose powers were beyond mortal minds.

Looking at my hand, I wished things weren't like they are. I knew Princess Twilight and I were close but I wasn't expecting it to be like this. Sometimes, I felt like fate was playing a cruel prank at our expense and loving every moment of it. I had to think of something else to take my mind off of such matters. All of this worrying wasn't doing my health any good and the same was probably true with Princess Twilight. She now had an entire kingdom to rule over in addition to surrounding kingdoms filled with creatures that even now were only beginning to understand the basic principles of what friendship was all about. A golden triangle should be the least of her worries.

"Sunset..."

"What is it, Twilight?"

"When is the coronation?"

"It was supposed to be today."

"What!?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she and Fluttershy entered the room. "Princess Twilight is going to be crowned today!? You mean to tell me that we're going to miss perhaps the greatest party anywhere since ever!?"

"Um... Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy said, her voice being drowned out by Pinkie's. "Sunset said that the coronation was supposed to be today."

"As in past tense?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes." She then turned to face me. "Was the coronation cancelled?"

I nodded. "Those three villains I told you about?" Everyone else nodded as they awaited my next words. "They ended up destroying a portion of Canterlot Castle and they need to spend several weeks if not months repairing it before they can have the coronation."

"Oh my. That must be awful for Princess Twilight."

"I'll say." Pinkie Pie added. "Now she can't have that huge coronation or the greatest party anywhere since ever!"

"She will but I don't think she minds the delay." I said.

"Have you been invited?" Fluttershy asked.

I shrugged. "As far as I know, I've not been given an invitation to the coronation." My friends were shocked at this sudden revelation only for me to stop them by raising my hands and slowly shaking my head from side to side. "It's not a big deal really. I only go back to Equestria on rare occasions so it's not like I have that big of an attachment there." In my mind, I was only lying to myself as deep down I wished Her Highness would invite me to attend.

"Maybe she forgot to send you an invitation?"

I sighed. "Maybe." I then turned towards Twilight Sparkle. "Both you and Rainbow Dash have some attachment to Equestria since we went there during that storm back when we were on the boat. It wouldn't surprise me if you two received an invite though it might make other ponies awkward upon seeing two Twilights and two Rainbow Dashes."

The next time that I decided to either write to Princess Twilight or pay her a visit to Equestria, I was going to inquire about her coronation and whether or not she invited me. At the very least, it had been delayed for a while so I had some time. It'd be nice to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna one last time before they end up going to Silver Shoals. Why they would want to go to a retirement community was beyond me--even Her Highness was confused by their decision--but the two sisters have always been aloof with their desires. It was best to never question them on anything.

It was at that point where both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy revealed why they left the room for a while. Usually, it was Rainbow Dash who would reveal some kind of big surprise, but this time Fluttershy surprised us. I knew she was an avid video gamer but I didn't think she would take it to the next level or anything. She presented a brand new video game that had only been released a couple of weeks ago, and upon learning the name of it, my heart sank as I knew what it would ultimately mean. It was 'The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening,' and to me, it meant me experiencing another adventure. The signs were right there.

As soon as the game was popped into the Nintendo Switch--the console belonged to Pinkie Pie--the Mark of the Triforce began to glow faintly on the back of my hand. My first instinct was to leave and go home, but the other insisted on me staying. Though I had told them about what happened to me, they weren't entirely convinced that I was telling the truth and believed I had imagined it or was stressed. It didn't help that they couldn't remember anything of either experience since I did run into them portraying other people. Perhaps this time nothing would happen? Sadly, things weren't going to go my way.

While the others were mesmerized by the visuals, I continued looking at the back of my hand. The mark began glowing brighter but not enough for them to notice what was happening. I had hoped they'd had noticed and immediately stopped playing for my own sake. If there was anything positive here, it was that they weren't in any danger as Ganondorf had no interest in them. It also meant he couldn't use them as some kind of leverage in order to make me become his servant. Eventually, my mark glowed so bright that it made the entire room glow, but my friends were too engrossed in the game to even care.

"Sunset!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You really should take a look at this!"

"Look at what?"

"These awesome graphics! I mean, sure, it looks like some kind of figurine collection, but it makes it oh-so-good!"

"I really think I should go."

"How come?" Pinkie Pie asked. "We've only just gotten started and already you want to go?" The expression in her face was one of sadness and I knew better than anyone not to make her upset as she could make you feel guilty to your core. "Please don't go, Sunset."

"But I..."

"Please?"

Before I could say anything, the television screen began to glow brightly. At first my friends thought someone had turned up the brightness but no one had touched the remote for some time; it was still where Pinkie Pie had left it, on top of the television. Deep down, I knew what was going on. The mark on my hand began flashing and that meant Ganondorf had decided to finally make his presence known. I tried explaining to my friends that we needed to stop playing Link's Awakening before it was too late but they continued to ignore me. It was only when a sinister laugh echoed throughout the room did they realize something was wrong.

The laugh was clearly that of the Demon King and its eerie nature made me freak out. I didn't want to experience another adventure so I attempted to make a run for it only to find myself being frozen in place. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash that caused everyone to scream in a panic over what was going on. I had no idea what happened next as I couldn't utter a single sound, but I felt as though I were being pulled towards the light. Was I dying? At this point, I didn't even know. By the time the flash receded and everything was back to normal, my friends looked around to make sure everyone was okay, but they quickly realized that I was no longer in the room.

"What in the hay just happened?" Applejack asked.

"Did the game malfunction or something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"And what about that eerie light show?" Rarity asked. "I mean, it was simply divine, but totally unexpected."

"That light was scary." Fluttershy answered.

"Now I wish that I could've thrown some confetti." Pinkie Pie said glumly, her hands holding confetti that who knew where she got them from. "That bright light would have been perfect for a party. Say, maybe we can make the game do that again. I always love a do-over. Ooh! Ooh! Maybe this time we'll get some actual colour instead of white. I hope we end up getting magenta!"

Twilight then noticed the obvious. "Where is Sunset Shimmer?"

"She did try to leave when that laugh occurred." Rarity answered.

"Guess she didn't have the nerve to stick around." Rainbow Dash added.

"No." Twilight said as she shook her head. "Something had been bothering her for a while now. Ever since you revealed that video game, she began acting as though she was fearing for her life, like being here would've been a disaster." She paced around pondering over what had happened making sure not to overlook any possibilities until it sunk in. "Do you think this has to do with that story she told us about?"

"About going to another world?" Applejack asked.

"Yes." Twilight answered. "I mean, she already comes from another world." The others all nodded in unison upon remembering that I was originally a pony, and it was at that moment where they realized that perhaps ignoring my story had proven to be a grave error of judgement. "What if that story was real and Sunset has somehow been pulled into a video game against her own free will!?

Suddenly, the television screen flashed a white light, blinding my friends, but this was only temporary, and when the light faded, a figure appeared on screen. He was wearing thick, black armour, a strange jewel was on his forehead that made Rarity swoon for only a moment, and a cruel smile was on his face. He was giving off such a strong dark aura that my friends were struggling to breathe until it subsided. My friends were looking directly at the Demon King, Ganondorf, the one who had made it his goal to make me his devoted servant. I had resisted him in the past but it was proving more difficult to avoid succumbing to his temptations.

Ganondorf laughed for a few seconds before speaking in a slow voice. "The friends of the child... Those that she cares for the most. While you possess great power, it is nothing compared to the power that I wield."

"And who are you?" Applejack asked.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash answered. "You're Ganondorf from the Legend of Zelda! But you're just a video game character! You can't be real!"

Again, Ganondorf laughed. "I am more than that, loyal one. You and your companions would know this but then you lack the memories of what transpired. Memories that the child you know as Sunset Shimmer has burned forever into her memory by me." Rainbow Dash then attempted to turn off the television only to suddenly find herself unable to move. She struggled to break free but she couldn't. Ganondorf laughed once more. "You think to be rid of me by such pathetic means? How amusing."

"Where is Sunset?" Twilight asked.

Ganondorf turned slightly to face her. "So... the other version of the Princess of Friendship. You may resemble that one but you lack the power that she possesses, a power that she also shares with the child. But then you possess your own power, one that is of interest to me."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Where else would she be?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "No... She couldn't possibly be in the video game."

"And yet this is something that you have known for some time only you chose not to believe. The child put her faith in each of you and yet you failed. You left her to suffer alone though this is what I had long foreseen. The child is fated to become my loyal servant and this will come to pass."

"Not on our watch!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"The six of you have your own problems to worry about."

"And what does that mean?"

"You will find out soon enough."

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I had no idea how long I had been knocked out for. Minutes? Hours? Or maybe even longer? It was splashes of rain that woke me up and as I rubbed my head whilst trying to adjust to what happened, I was shocked to see that I was no longer in Pinkie Pie's house nor was I surrounded by my friends. I wasn't even in Canterlot anymore. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even on dry land. All around me was water, water as far as the eye could see, and as the rain continued to come down, the weather was steadily getting worse. Was I in the ocean? How in the world did I end up in the ocean!?

"Hello!?" I called out. "Is anyone out there?"

I don't know why I decided to call out for help given my current predicament. I guess in my mind, this was some kind of magical prank either one of my friends cast or it could be a random piece of Equestrian Magic having escaped through the portal. Looking down at my feet, I was surprised to find myself on what appeared to be a makeshift boat. At least I wasn't going to drown or anything though the continual downpour of rain wasn't doing me any good. That's when everything finally made sense. I was no longer wearing my regular clothes but a very familiar green tunic complete with brown boots.

I sighed. "Not again..."

There was no doubt about it now. I had been pulled into yet another Legend of Zelda video game by Ganondorf and I had no idea if anyone else from the human world or Equestria had been brought to this world against their own free will. However, I had no idea where I was as there was nothing but ocean. Looking down at the boat again, it had certainly seen better days, like it had been hastily put together without much in the way of effort. Also, who would be crazy enough to go out in the middle of a rain storm? If I was once again playing the role of the main character, they must have been incredibly reckless to want to be out in the middle of nowhere like this.

Before doing anything else, I checked to see what kind of equipment I had on my person. If I was going to be exploring either Hyrule or some kind of variation of it, I needed to make sure I was properly prepared for the task. Strapped onto my back was a scabbard that contained a sword upon me pulling it out, and a shield was also strapped on in the same manner. While the sword had some serious wear and tear on it, it would do for protecting me from whatever I had to deal with. The shield looked worn but it had my name etched into it. A better shield would've been better but at least this one is mine.

As I continued to look over my equipment, the storm suddenly turned for the worse. Thunder began booming and it continued to grow stronger with every boom. Judging from the condition of this boat, it wasn't going to last much longer. "Why did it have to be a storm?" I said to myself as I looked upwards at the darkening clouds. Thinking quickly, I reached for an oar to paddle myself away only there was one problem. "Where in the world is the oar on this thing!?" Crap! Why doesn't this boat have an oar? Looking around again, the boat was completely bare apart from a small piece of rope that hung from the mast.

Grabbing the rope and pulling it, the boat's sail came down and opened allowing me some movement. "Well... It's better than an oar I suppose." My only option was to attempt to ride this storm out but without knowing exactly where to find land, this might prove to be a fruitless endeavour. Suddenly without warning, a massive burst of thunder came down from above, struck the boat, and blasted it to pieces. I was flung from what remained of the boat, splashing into the water, and discovering that my equipment weighed me down. I tried to take it off but to 1no avail as I got pulled underwater.

I popped my head up several times in the hopes of getting myself out but my gear continued to pull me back down again. I had to ditch them or else I'd drown. Sure, it would mean losing my only means of protection but a sword and shield can easily be replaced, a life was irreplaceable. Removing my shield from my back and dropping it, it quickly sank into the water until I couldn't see it anymore. "In hindsight, I could've used it as a floatation device." Drawing my sword, I threw into the water where it sank below the waves leaving me with only what I was wearing on my back.

Unfortunately, I had used up too much strength struggling to keep myself afloat, and since there was no land within the vicinity, my chances of survival were practically nil. Instead of becoming Ganondorf's servant, he had decided I wasn't worth the effort, and instead desired to kill me without any kind of bloodshed. As I got pulled down again by the water, my last thoughts were of Princess Twilight, my friends, and my world as now I couldn't do anything for them. Had my adventure ended before it had even begun? No... It couldn't end here! I had to hope that I could reach some kind of land.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Koholint Island.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
October 26, 2019.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Koholint Island.

Without my strength, my chances of surviving in the middle of the ocean were extremely slim. As my lungs filled up with water to the point of bursting, I prayed for a miracle to occur, any miracle would do. I didn't care at this point. I then noticed a small piece of debris, from what remained of the boat I started this whole mess on, bobbing on the water's surface and I knew it was my only means of salvation. Without my strength, it was doing nothing more than taunting me. No! I had to be strong! I had faced far worse things than drowning. (Drowning was still a bad thing though)

Somewhere from below, a strong current blasted me upward to the surface where I immediately grabbed on to the debris, and pulled my head and upper body out of the water. That was without a doubt a close call! As I lay on the debris breathing heavily, I looked down to see what could have saved my life. There was nothing down there--this was because it was far too deep to see anything--so I assumed that a random fissure had erupted resulting in the current. That was the scientific conclusion albeit an extremely random one. The other option involved a more obscure thought... some kind of monster that lurked below the surface.

In any case, I was alive though little good that did me. I was still stuck in the middle of the ocean without a means of getting anywhere. I lacked any means to defend myself so if it was a monster that caused the current, I would be nothing more than its next meal, small as I was. At least it wasn't raining anymore as the storm had since died down. Huh... one positive amongst so many negatives. You'd think this was something I'd have gotten used to by now. Looking around and seeing nothing for what felt like an eternity, I surmised that I would only last maybe three or four days at the most out there. I had no food and while the water was slightly salty, it would keep me hydrated despite the danger of it.

"If I ever wind up on dry land any time soon." I said to no one. "I'm not going to be going swimming for a very long time to come." My heart having since slowed down its beating to its normal pace, my next course of action was to figure out where I could go from here. I needed some time until my strength came back and without the storm, I wasn't going to be thrown about the waves or drown. I allowed the piece of debris to take me wherever the water's flow was going as I had no other options. Again, I prayed for a miracle to occur but perhaps I had pushed my luck when it came to praying.

Several hours had passed--maybe it was longer than that--and I continued drifting on the debris which had slowly become my companion. I didn't talk to it or anything but I was beginning to lose my grip on reality. I wanted to call out for help but who was going to respond out here? No one! I was alone. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was truly alone without anyone. It reminded me of my days being the bad girl at Canterlot High. Everyone were playthings to me for my own amusement. I didn't care about their feelings so long as my own desires were filled even if it meant destroying their friendships. Reflecting back on it, I really was a jerk.

Things had gotten better for me since then but my current plight had brought those old memories up to the surface so to speak. I reflected on the day when I returned to Equestria and reconciled with Princess Celestia. That day was one of the scariest ones I've ever experienced. I was afraid my old teacher would banish me from Equestria in exile to the desolate wastes beyond the border, but it was with the help of Princess Twilight that we embraced and overcame a dark moment in our respective pasts. If I survive this, I will make an extra effort towards visiting Equestria more often than I do.

Suddenly, the water began to turn and soon formed into a tidal wave. My problem had just gotten even worse. "My strength hasn't fully come back yet." I said to myself as I began to get pulled along. "Guess I'm riding this one out until it either calms down or I smash into something; preferably the latter in this case." The wave increased in intensity and I did everything in my power to keep from being dragged down underwater. Without much strength, my chances of survival were slim but I had to do something. Just when things had reached their zenith, I noticed something off in the distance.

I was shocked to say the least. "An island!? Since when was that there!? It wasn't there when I looked that way last!" Sure enough, the wave was headed towards an island that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, yet something felt strange. Since when did an island have a large polka-dot egg resting on its highest peak? I'd seen some weird things in my life but this had taken the cake. I had no time to try and figure out the importance of the egg if it had one at all. The wave continued to increase its intensity until it eventually came crashing down onto a beach with me with it.

Despite all odds, I had survived my ordeal and made it to land. Still, I didn't see this island before until now. I wasn't about to complain mind you as it was better than the alternative of not finding land. With what little strength I had left, I walked onto the beach, each step weighing me down before collapsing to the ground. I turned over onto my back and looked to my left and right in hopes that someone had noticed me. There was no one nearby and I was just too exhausted to keep my eyes open. As my eyes closed and I fell unconscious, I could barely make out what appeared to be two figures headed in my direction.

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"Whew! That was some wave weren't it, Marin?"

"Huh? Oh yes, it certainly was."

"Who knows what ended up gettin' washed up on the shore this time!"

"Yes."

"Is somethin' bothering you?"

"You know, I've been thinking about that, Tarin. Ever wonder if something exists beyond this island?"

"That question again? I know you're curious about where certain things on this island come from, but there's no real reason to think about such things. We've been living here for as long as we can remember yet it wasn't until some weeks ago that you began being curious about what lies beyond the ocean. Marin... I honestly don't know what to tell you. I've tried everything ta explain it but you keep on thinkin' about it."

"Still... You come here every week to see what washed up on Toronbo Shores but you never question where it comes from?"

"Nope."

"But why?"

"Because there isn't a reason behind it. I'm a simple man, Marin, and I don't go out of my way to try and understand things I don't get. I admire you for wanting to understand the unknown but maybe you should stop before you become obsessed with it."

"I guess you're right."

"Don't up upset now."

"I'll be okay."

"Listen... Why don't you go to your usual spot on the beach and practice your singing? I know that always makes ya feel better. As for me, I'm going to look around and see what I can scrounge up. Who knows? I might get lucky and find something of real value. I'm getting tired of constantly finding debris even if I don't know where it comes from."

"Alright, Tarin... I'll go."

"Just be careful of the monsters."

"Why should I?"

"For some reason, they're really aggressive today. I mean, they always have been on the mean side but now they have taken it up a notch. If you're findin' yourself in a heap of trouble, just holler and I will come running to your aid. In any case, we'll go back home in about fifteen minutes so we won't be here long."

The man known as Tarin turned and walked towards the water's edge where he began looking around for anything he could find. He was so concentrated on his task that he completely ignored what looked to be an spiky creature mere feet away from him. The creature didn't move or anything but in a panic, Tarin leapt back only to notice something bobbing up and up in the water's edge. Landing on his rear and quickly picking himself up and dusting off sand that had clung to his clothes, he inched around the spiky creature before walking to the object that had caught his attention.

Scooping it up with his hands, he was surprised to discover that it was a shield though it had seen some slight damage most likely due to having been in the water. It wasn't anything fancy but Tarin could take pleasure knowing that he found something most unusual. Normally for him, all he ever found was the occasional fruit having fallen from a nearby tree, or pieces of wood that drifted onto the shore. While he never questioned the latter, he took pleasure in picking up the debris as it meant either keeping it or selling it to someone. Tarin didn't view himself as a merchant but more like someone who was just curious by nature.

He took a closer look at the shield. "Well how about that? Someone has gone and inscribed something on this thing." He said to himself. "I'm sure that can be removed by the witch beyond the woods. Now let's have a look closer. Hmmm... 'Sunset Shimmer'? What kind of name is that? Whoever they were, they obviously lost this thing somewhere and aren't coming back to claim it any time soon. Sunset Shimmer... I don't know anyone like that on the island. Best not ta dwell on it otherwise it could give Marin another excuse ta continue wanting to know what lies beyond the ocean."

Rather than throw away the shield, Tarin carefully placed it into his backpack before resuming his task of looking for anything else on the beach. The woman known as Marin meanwhile walked along the beach making sure to constantly check all around her in case any creatures decided to attack her. While they showed signs of animosity, none of them made any kind of advances so she knew not to worry about it. Still, 'Marin' chose to remain cautious as she never knew what might happen beyond the village she and Tarin came from. As she continued walking, thoughts echoed throughout her mind.

Tarin was easy going and never afraid to be boisterous. As for her? She was more aloof and wanting to keep things a secret. In her heart, she always believed there was more to her life than what appearances showed. For the last few weeks, she believed that the island would receive something special. She didn't know what it was apart from one thing that constantly appeared in her dreams. One day, a visitor would come to the island, a visitor from beyond what you can see. This visitor would change the course of fate. Marin strongly believed her dream even if Tarin constantly dismissed her.

"Maybe today is going to be the day." Marin said to herself. "My dream of the visitor to this island... maybe they will finally come and deliver unto us the message and change our fate for the better." She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. She sighed. "Nothing... there is no one here apart from the local creatures. Maybe Tarin was right all along and that I'm just being delusional." She shook her head. "No! I have to believe that my dream will come true. If it does then perhaps my other dream will become a reality." She looked up at the sky to see some seagulls flying about. "I must believe."

Suddenly, she noticed something in the sand that immediately caught her attention. "Huh? Is... is that a girl lying on the beach?" She quickly ran over towards what she saw and her heart began beating erratically. "It is a girl!" Marin couldn't contain the excitement of finding someone. "I've never seen her before in my life. Gasp! Is it possible? Is this girl the one that we have been waiting for?" She looked closely at the girl and noticed that she was unconscious. "I must get her back to Mabe Village quickly. Oh my gosh! I need to calm down! But, this is just so exciting! Tarin! Tarin!"

Tarin responded from far away. "What is it?"

"You need to come here quickly!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the human world, my friends had confronted Ganondorf, and were demanding he tell them what happened to me. Though he had told them the truth, or what constituted as truth, they refused to believe him, thinking that his words were false. If only they had remembered the adventures in both Hyrule and Termina. Had they, they wouldn't be saying that he was lying and not digging an even deeper hole than they had already dug. The Demon King was more powerful than all five alicorns, the Six Pillars of Old Equestria, and the strongest of unicorns combined. To test his patience was asking for death.

"Where is Sunset Shimmer?" Applejack asked.

Ganondorf laughed. "You already know the answer to your question, honest one, yet you refuse to believe my words."

"There's no way she can be trapped in that there video game!"

"Then you are ignorant of the truth before your eyes." Ganondorf said, his eyes partially glowing an eerie red that made Fluttershy hide behind a couch. "The child has been sent into that world by me, the world you had barely witnessed. It was fate that she was intended to go there."

"Fate deciding one's outcome is pure nonsense." Twilight Sparkle said. "I've done a few studies on it and have come to the logical conclusion that fate has no effect on what someone chooses to do with their life." She then walked over to a nearby table that was stacked with several folders, picked one up, and began to flip through it until she came to a stop. "As you can see, I have the charts and diagrams to prove it." My friends sighed knowing Twilight had once again taken things a tad too seriously what with her penchant for wanting logical reasoning to prevail over anything fantastical. "So your notions of fate are baseless."

That immediately caused Ganondorf to laugh. "No wonder that you are the inferior version of the alicorn." He looked at Twilight directly, his gaze piercing her soul causing her to drop her folder where its pages scattered about the floor.

"What?"

"You feel inferior to your other self." Ganondorf answered. "She has everything while you have nothing. Is that what you expect me to say? Heh! Then you clearly have much to learn about the powers that have been bestowed upon you."

Twilight had no response to his words so Rarity substituted for her. "You horrible beast! How dare you insult her insecurity like that!? I'll have you know that Twilight is content with not being the same as Princess Twilight. In fact, they are both successful individuals who have forged their own paths in life!" She then closed her eyes before coughing knowing she was getting carried away. "Ahem! Don't listen to this... what was his name again?"

Rainbow Dash moaned as she slapped her forehead. "Ganondorf! His name is Ganondorf! Seriously!? You didn't hear me mention it earlier?"

"I was fixated on the jewel on his forehead, darling!"

"Seriously!?"

"Quite!"

Ganondorf laughed once again. "The child was right about all of you as I already knew. Despite your ignorance, you possess great power, and your strong bonds make you a force that all have fallen to. Ignorance... It is most unfortunate that you never could help the child in her times of despair."

"What are y'all talkin' 'bout?" Applejack asked.

"Again, you refused to believe her story, what she experienced."

"It's not like it's true."

"Do not deceive yourself, honest one!" Ganondorf said as he raised his right hand to the side of his face. He clenched it into a fist before a golden mark appeared on the back of his hand, a mark that my friends began shaking their heads repeatedly. "Do not deny the truth, children. You know it to be true. The child, Sunset Shimmer, possesses this very mark, but had tried to hide it in the hopes that it was merely a dream. She has since accepted it for what it is and tried explaining things but you cast her aside, doubted her words, and left her alone to suffer what fate has bestowed upon her."

Twilight picked up her folder. "Fate doesn't decide your life! I... I have research to back me up!"

Fluttershy then chimed in. "Oh dear! Did we truly not see Sunset was experiencing something terrible? How could we be such terrible friends!?" She tried to prevent herself from crying but tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "This is becoming a nightmare!"

"And not the fun kind." Pinkie Pie added.

"The child isn't the only one who possesses this divine mark." Ganondorf said. With a snap of his finger, an image of what looked to be Princess Twilight appeared briefly in front of my friends before disappearing. Their expressed looks of shock were all the Demon King needed to see before laughing once more. "The alicorn also possesses the divine mark and she too has been cast aside by those she believed would help her. No one from her world can fathom the divine power she wields thus she has been forced to endure her pain alone. At least the alicorn can be with the one person who has the same curse as she does."

"You mean Sunset Shimmer?" Fluttershy asked. Ganondorf nodded prompting her to gulp and turn a ghostly white. "Oh dear."

"Then we need to get in there and get them both out!" Pinkie Pie shouted. She dashed out of the room only to come back seconds later with a puzzled look on her face. "Um... How do we get in there? I don't think we have any magic that can transcend the space-time continuum on a dimensional plane." Everyone else looked at her with surprise. "What!? We really don't have any."

"Your magic is limited to the confines of your world." Ganondorf said.

"And what does that mean?" Applejack asked.

"It means that our magic is from Equestria." Twilight answered. "But because it was brought to this world by Sunset when she stole the other me's crown, what we have is a condensed version. In other words, weaker. Even if we were to combine our magic together, without Sunset, we wouldn't be able to do what Pinkie said. Even if she were here, our chances would still be extremely slim. We'd have to boost our magic a hundred fold."

"So we can't do anything for Sunset or Princess Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight nodded her head slowly. "Nothing."

"I can't even begin to imagine what Sunset and Princess Twilight must be going through." Fluttershy said.

"Those two are the least of your concerns." Ganondorf said. Before my friends could do anything, the door to the room suddenly burst into flames followed by the windows. It looked like they were about to choke to death on smoke only for them to discover that this was no ordinary fire. "These dark flames have ensnared you in this room, and you will not leave until I have finished with my task here."

"What task?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"All will become clear in time."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you make of her, Tarin?"

"I've never seen anyone like her before on the island."

"Just looking at her makes me feel like she's fated to change our lives."

"Really, Marin? That's what you see in her?"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothin' at all!"

"Then why say it like that?"

"Just because you found her washed up on ta shore doesn't mean she's anythin' special. Then again, I've never seen her on the island before so maybe you have a point. In any case, we should let her explain herself when she wakes up."

"Who knows how long that will be."

"At least we know she's alive."

"I ain't going to question you, Marin."

"And why not?"

"I know better not to... Hey! Well would you look at that? She's wakin' up!"

"Uhhhh... my aching head." I said as I finally opened my eyes after what felt like forever. As soon as my body figured out I was sleeping in a bed, I sat up and began to check out my surroundings. The bed itself was really comfy, the kind that you'd want to sleep in for days at a time if not weeks. I found myself inside of what appeared to be a small house and judging from the décor, it was simplistic in design. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary though I had to be cautious. This wasn't my world so there was telling what could happen. Rubbing my head, I began contemplating my next move when I was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I thought you'd never wake up! You were tossing and turning for a while before you settled back down again."

"Huh? Starlight Glimmer?" I asked upon seeing who it was. Sure enough, it was indeed Starlight, Princess Twilight's former pupil, and someone who once came back with me to the world I called home because she was curious. If not for her, Juniper Montage would never have changed her ways and me and my friends would've perished in that mirror Juniper had which used Equestrian Magic from the portal. "Why are you wearing that strange get-up?" Starlight was wearing a blue dress with a red strap wrapped around her torso, had a flower in her hair, a beautiful pendant around her neck, and was wearing sandals.

"Starlight Glimmer?" Starlight responded with a puzzled look on her face. "What a strange name. My name is Marin." She performed a curtsy that showed off her beauty. " You must still be feeling a little woozy. You are on Koholint Island!"

"I'm where!?" I exclaimed upon her saying that.

"Um... Koholint Island."

"Where is that?"

Starlight shrugged. "No one on this island knows exactly where it is, but it's here and we live on it."

"That's not exactly what I asked but... I guess I can live with that."

"Anyway, when I found you on the beach a few hours ago, Tarin and I brought you back here to our house for you to recuperate." Starlight said as she pointed to both Tarin and the house in its entirety. "This is Mabe Village, one of two settlements here on Koholint Island."

I then looked over at Tarin again and was surprised as to who it was. "You... Aren't you Sunburst?" Though I've never met him in person, I knew who he was thanks to the descriptions of him courtesy of both Princess Twilight and Starlight. Unlike Starlight, he was dressed in an orange shirt, green pants, brown shoes, and had a yellow neckerchief around his neck with a blue pin at the front. He also had a backpack on his back that was filled with mushrooms. I had no idea why he had them but I wasn't about to ask. From what I know, mushrooms could be deadly as some strains were poisonous while others weren't.

"Sunburst?" He asked with a puzzled look. "No, I don't know who that is. The name's Tarin!"

"Tarin here is my father." Starlight said.

My jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out. "You're his daughter!? But you..." I quickly stopped myself before I could say something stupid. Both Starlight and Sunburst looked the exact same age so doubting their claim would no doubt land me in trouble and I was already in plenty. "Never mind. Forget about it." I then changed the subject. "Koholint Island? What about the strange egg at the highest point of the island?"

"You mean the Wind Fish Egg?" Sunburst asked. I nodded which caused him to get excited. "Everyone around here knows about the Wind Fish Egg. I'm surprised that you don't know anythin' about it. No one knows where it came from but it's been up there on Mt. Tamarach since the very beginning. No one ever goes up there due to how difficult the terrain is unless they were crazy or curious."

"I think I might want to take a look at it."

"Nothin' wrong with that."

"By the way, what is your name?" Starlight asked.

"I'm Sunset Shimmer."

Both Starlight and Sunburst looked at each other for a few moments before the former answered. "That is a very interesting name. It definitely is unique. By the way, since you look as though you're a lot better, why not take the time to look around our village? I'm sure you'll find it most comforting but do beware of Bow-Wow. He won't bite or anything but he can surprised anyone without warning."

Getting up from the bed and making sure to put it back the way it was, I was about to leave when Sunburst stopped me. "Before you leave and explore the village, why don't you listen to what I have to say. I actually knew your name was Sunset Shimmer before you went ahead and said it."

"That's surprising." I said.

"You think it's weird or something?" Sunburst asked. I then noticed he had something behind his back and was trying real hard to present it to me. "It's not that weird at all. You see, I saw it on the back of this shield which I found down by the beach earlier. I planned on either selling at the shop or keeping it for myself. Good thing I didn't make a decision yet otherwise you'd probably be wonderin' what happened to your stuff." I couldn't believe it! The shield that I started this journey with had survived the storm from earlier. It had taken some damage (It never was a good shield) but it should still be useful.

Taking it off of his hands, I slung it onto my arm where it hanged a little loosely. At least now I had the means to defend myself form anything that would get in my way. Despite how pleasant this village was according to both Starlight and Sunburst, the areas beyond its borders were likely teaming with monsters bent on killing me. It was obvious considering that this was what happened in my previous two adventures. Danger lurks beyond a safe haven and only those with the proper gear could make it through. Unfortunately, I didn't have the sword I had with me on the boat so I had no means of fighting.

"Thank you."

"If you decide to leave the village, you should head south to Toronbo Shores." Starlight said.

"And why is that?"

"That was where I found you when you washed up on the shore earlier." Starlight answered. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she clenched her left hand into a fist but quickly hid her hand behind her back upon seeing that I was watching her. "If you head south, please be careful. Monsters live there but ever since you showed up on the shore, they have increased in both number and aggression."

"Not sure why they have become nasty." Sunburst added. "But, it is what it is so you'd best be careful. By the way, Sunset Shimmer! Some other stuff like your shield may have washed up on the beach. I can't say for certain since I didn't have enough time to look what with Marin finding you unconscious there. Like she said, watch out for monsters. Ever since you showed up, I've seen 'em all over the place!"

What both of them said about the monsters didn't make much sense. Why would their numbers increase all of a sudden and become more aggressive all because I showed up on this island? It's not like I was special or anything. Then again, if my previous adventures had taught me anything, it was that I had a much bigger role than anyone thought. At least now I knew where to go first though to be honest, I wish it didn't have to be where I washed up. It felt like having to go through the experience again only without the raging waters of the ocean having almost killed me.

Leaving Starlight and Sunburst's house, I was surprised at how tranquil Mabe Village was. In terms of space, it was actually quite roomy as various buildings were scattered about all over the place rather than being clumped together in close quarters. Several people were out and about so at least I wouldn't be out here on my own. Turning to the north, I gazed up at the very sight that stood out above all others, the Wind Fish Egg. Seeing it a little bit closer than before, it truly was a sight to behold. Never had I seen an egg so huge in my entire life. Not even the Rocs from Equestria had eggs that big.

It then dawned on me that I was going to be on my own for this adventure. The first time, I had Spike for a partner, though he never understood the true nature of what was going on no thanks to Ganondorf. The second time, Princess Twilight herself came along, and while she did start off not understanding, she quickly regained her memories and together the two of us overcame incredible odds in order to save one world and restore two. Princess Twilight... I wonder what she was doing in Equestria right now. Probably preparing for her coronation and freaking out over it. How I wish I could see her again.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed around me. "Sunset! Sunset Shimmer!"

"Huh?" I said as I looked around to see who it was. I couldn't see anyone so perhaps it was just my imagination.

"Sunset!"

SMACK!

"What the!?"

"Ouch! Well, that didn't quite go as expected."

Looking down at the ground, I saw a small fairy wearing a purple robe, but it was the star shaped cutie mark and the alicorn wings that made me recognize who it was. I didn't care how she got here. She was here with me once again. "Princess Twilight..." I said, tears streaming down my face. "You're here in this world too." Cupping my hands together and getting down onto my knees, I picked Her Highness up (More like Her Majesty since she would become the next ruler of Equestria) and she looked up at me.

"I didn't think I would ever find you." Princess Twilight said as she brushed herself off.

"What do you mean?"

"I was in Equestria looking over plans for the reconstruction of Canterlot Castle on account it was destroyed by Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow, when all of a sudden there was this bright flash of light and I found myself on this strange island and as a fairy again." Princess Twilight answered. The look on her face was one I was all too familiar with. She often had such a look whenever she was 'Twilighting', a verb her friends in Equestria had created because of her tendency to freak out over the smallest of details. "But I don't need to remind you since you asked about it some time ago."

"I had the same thing happen. You know, the bright flash of light."

I then explained how I got here to Princess Twilight and she was in complete shock. "You almost drowned in a storm!? I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you, Sunset, but I'm here now and it looks like we're both in this adventure for the long run."

"How long were you looking for me?"

"For several hours at least."

"Wow..."

"When I first came to this island, I was at this giant tower in the northeast corner." Princess Twilight said as she pointed in that particular direction. She dropped her head in embarrassment upon realizing that I couldn't see what she was talking about from where we currently were. "Ahem! You'll just need to believe me here. Anyway, this tower appeared to be dedicated to an eagle but it was locked and being the curious pony I am, I wanted to see what was in there." I rolled my eyes. It was just like her to want to see something for research and curiosity purposes. "So I flew across the island until I came to this village..."

"And discovered that I was here."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes. I'm so glad that I found you, Sunset. So... where do we go first?"

"According to Starlight and Sunburst, we need to go to the beach where Starlight found me unconscious..."

That was when Her Highness cut me off. "Wait! Starlight and Sunburst are here!?" I nodded and her jaw dropped. "I don't believe it! They ended up coming to this world as well but I don't think they have the memories you and I have. Which means they are portraying two characters who are native to this world."

I nodded. "Starlight is called Marin while Sunburst is called Tarin." I made sure not to mention the father-daughter thing to Her Highness. I don't think she could handle it. "Since we don't have anywhere else to go, we might as well check out the beach properly this time."

Princess Twilight nodded, signalling that she would follow me everywhere and once again serve as my fairy companion. I then began to head westward or what I assumed to be that direction until I was startled by what looked like a bowling ball with fangs attached to a spike stuck in the ground via a chain. Such a creature was one I had never seen before. Not even the most dangerous monsters in Equestria were this bizarre looking. Despite this creature barking at me, it didn't try to attack or anything so I knew not to be afraid. Walking past the creature, I reached a crossroads that presented two directions.

One headed what I assumed was north towards a large, looming forest, while the other one headed towards the ocean, the direction I needed to go. There was also a building that featured a stone book on top of it. Such a thing usually meant library and I knew Princess Twilight would want to check it out at some point. Turning left and walking south, I saw a couple of kids playing around with a ball though they looked awfully familiar. Walking past them--I had every intention of speaking to them when I got back--I continued on but not before looking inside of the building that had the book motif on top.

As expected, it was a library, but not the kind that existed in say Canterlot or the Crystal Empire. This library was small and only had shelves that went around the interior, but then there were eight books places onto eight different tables, and one additional book had been placed on the furthest shelf in a precarious manner. It was as though someone wanted to make sure it was noticeable by having it placed so awkwardly. It was too high for me to jump so that idea was already out. As for the other eight books, one looked barely touched while the others had considerable wear on them. Libraries were places of knowledge yet this one had me suspicious.

Princess Twilight, as I knew she would, wanted to explore, but she knew that we needed to explore the beach first. I told her that we would come back to the library when were done with our errand so she didn't have to wait long. Leaving the library and walking south, I came upon a sign that was pointing in two directions. The first direction pointed south towards the beach, the way we were going, but the other pointed eastwards towards a place called Tail Cave. Why give a cave such a distinction via a sign? Already, Koholint Island was proving itself ever mysterious and I doubted it was going to be the last occurrence.

"Do you see those small ledges, Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked as she floated over to the edge of a ledge with the ground carrying on below.

"What about them?"

"You can hop down from up here to down there though you will have to walk back up the long way round." Her Highness then pointed to an octopus like creature that was scuttling about on the lower ground. Every now and then, it would spit out a rock that sailed across a large distance until it disappeared. "That is an Octorok. I believe we've seen them during our adventure in that world with the falling moon. Anyway, you can use your shield to protect yourself from the rocks they spit. You can't bounce them back and without a sword, you'll need to avoid them at all costs."

Fortunately, the Octorok wasn't that fast so I could easily outrun it. Unfortunately, there were several moving about so I needed to watch where I walked. Raising my shield and stealing myself, I jumped down to the lower ground where the Octorok began firing rapid shot rocks at me. Despite my shield's condition, it managed to protect me from the rocks. I kept on moving south when another Octorok began shooting rocks. Luckily, I had moved out of its range and kept walking. I then jumped down one more ledge where my feet landed on some sand, indicating that I had reached Toronbo Shores.

Now that I was awake and not on the verge of death, I could get a better appreciation for what the beach was about. There was nothing out of the ordinary aside from some spiky creatures blocking the way forward. Additional Octoroks were also scuttling about so I kept my shield raised knowing they would shoot rocks at me. A nearby sign revealed that I kept going forward, I would reach a place called 'Sales' House of Bananas'. Looking at Princess Twilight, she shrugged and I couldn't blame her. I mean, I've seen shops back home selling specific items but not necessarily bananas. Usually, that would involved going to the local marketplace.

"What of those spiky creatures?"

"They are Sea Urchins." Princess Twilight answered. "Best not to touch them unless you want to have spikes embedded into you. Surprisingly, they are very light in terms of weight and can be pushed about using your shield. Oh, and they won't actually do anything effectively making them harmless."

"Makes me wish I had a sword."

"You did what you had to in order to survive in the storm."

I sighed. "Maybe I was being too cautious."

"I'd have done the same thing, Sunset."

I smiled. "Thanks, Twilight."

Raising my shield, I walked up to a Sea Urchin that was next to the sign, and pushed it forward with rousing success. Princess Twilight was right about them lacking weight, and I guess I should be thankful Sunburst found my shield when he and Starlight found me earlier. Still, without a sword, I doubted I could keep on using a shield for everything. The Sea Urchin had no reaction to my pushing it and so I moved forward only to be stopped by two more that were blocking the path. Since there was no other way around, I pushed one forward enough for me to slip past the other only for another Octorok to pelt me with a rock--it shattered upon hitting my shield.

Since I couldn't go in the water (I could but it was likely too deep for me), I turned left and pushed another Sea Urchin forward to get past it and the other one that was blocking the way and entered a clearing. There was more of the beach further ahead but my focus was on something that was barely in the water at the beach's edge. Upon a closer inspection, my heart leapt at finding the sword I dropped earlier during my harrowing experience in the storm. It had to have been a divine miracle that it ended up here instead of being forever lost in the ocean's depths.

Reaching out for the sword, I was about to draw it from being embedded in the sand when the sound of a large bird echoed all around. Suddenly, a giant owl appeared from the west before landing on a high-up platform and settling down. Someone was riding on it and jumped down and I immediately recognized them as Flash Sentry. Once again, he was portraying a character who was most likely the owl on its own but being an extension rather than a separate entity. He was wearing armour this time instead of being bare-chested or wearing a tunic like he was the previous times.

I then turned to Princess Twilight in order to gauge her reaction. Even though she hasn't seen him in what could be described as years, I wondered if she still had any kind of attraction towards him seeing as she was once smitten by him. She didn't do anything unusual indicating she had gotten over him. Me? I'll admit that back in the day, I used him to become popular for my own selfish reasons, but we did become good friends afterwards. But, I suppose over time, those feelings I thought were stupid may have actually been real and that I do have some kind of affection towards him.

"So you are the lass who owns that sword?" Flash Sentry asked as he petted his owl companion who hooted in return.

I nodded. "Yes, this sword is mine. I thought I had lost it but that isn't the case." I made sure not to mention about me being trapped in the storm and throwing my sword away. I wasn't doubting him or anything but the fact that this island felt strange made me want to keep that a secret.

"Now I understand why the monsters are starting to act so violently."

"You mean they haven't always acted like that?" Princess Twilight asked.

Flash Sentry nodded. "For a long time, they have been peaceful though on occasion they have caused trouble for the locals. But now, things have changed and it is because of the presence of you, lass. A courageous lass has come to wake the Wind Fish... that being you."

"That egg has a fish in it!?" I exclaimed. My mind felt like exploding upon hearing that.

"So it is said."

"That makes no sense."

"It is also said that you cannot leave this island unless you wake the Wind Fish."

Him saying that made my jaw drop and my heart come to a complete stop. Did he just say that Princess Twilight and I were trapped on this island!? How can an island keep anyone from leaving to go somewhere else? I thought of trying to prove him wrong by jumping into the ocean and swimming away but my chances would have been extremely slim. I guessed I had to take his word for it. One thing did bother me however. How did he expect me to make my way up to where the giant egg was resting!? It's not like I was skilled at mountain climbing and it probably was protected by powerful monsters.

Princess Twilight then spoke up. "Why can't Sunset leave the island?"

"That is a question I cannot answer yet."

"Ah, but you can at a later date?"

"Correct."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

The owl next to Flash Sentry hooted prompting him to climb onto its back. "You should now go north, to the Mysterious Forest, located beyond the village. Before that, I suggest you speak to those who live in the village. You may find help from them that will prove beneficial for the future. Once you have finished with your preparations, I shall wait for you at the forest's entrance."

With that, he took to the sky, and fly north towards Mabe Village leaving me and Princess Twilight to ponder our next move. Our next destination was set though why couldn't he have told us now rather than have us wait until we got to the forest he mentioned. I sighed knowing that it wasn't really that big of a deal since it wouldn't take long to get back there. Then I remembered my sword being stuck in the sand. I now had a means of fighting off any monsters. Huh... Well what do you know? My sword has my name engraved on it. It was a nice little touch that I appreciated.

Grabbing the sword by the hilt, I pulled it out of the sand and lifted it above my head in triumph. I then swung it around a few times just to get in some practice before I started to use it properly. Despite not having been on an adventure for some time, swinging the sword around felt natural, as though I hadn't forgotten my skills. At least I wasn't accidentally throwing the thing around like I did a long time ago. Now that I had my sword, I could follow Flash's advice and go back to Mabe Village, but then the rest of Toronbo Shores remained unexplored and checking it out could prove useful.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 2: Around Mabe Village.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
October 30, 2019.
Chapter 2: Around Mabe Village.

"I'm off to the Mysterious Forest, Marin!" Sunburst announced to the entirety of Mabe Village.

"You didn't need to let everyone know what you're doing, Tarin." Starlight moaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I sometimes question why you do such things in the first place knowing full well how our business doesn't have to be heard by everyone else."

"Did you say somethin'?"

"Huh? Who me?" Starlight then assumed an innocent look that came off as her being absent-minded. "No, I didn't say anything, Tarin. You must be hearing things." She then stopped with the look and adopted a more serious expression. "So you're going to look for toadstools again?"

Sunburst nodded. "You know me all too well."

"I ought to since I am your daughter and all."

"Toadstool pickin' has always been my thing around here." Sunburst said, showing off the toadstools in his backpack. Some were showing signs of decay and Starlight hoped he would throw them away before they went bad. "Besides, I feel like having some for dinner tonight! I know you aren't too keen on them, Marin, so maybe I could find you something else to eat, or you could actually try them."

"I'd rather not eat them."

"Suit yourself."

"How long do you plan on being gone this time?"

"Why, Marin..." Sunburst began. "You make it sound like I don't know how to judge time let alone figure out when to come home."

Starlight, arms folded, leaned forward as a means of intimidation. "The last time you went to pick some toadstools, you were gone for three days and by the time you came back, you looked as though you had gotten lost or something." She then pointed to a chest of drawers near Sunburst's bed that was filled to the brim with toadstools. "Keep this up and the forest is going to run out of toadstools. Besides, why not use what you have? Why go there to get more?"

"I'm just compelled to go get some."

"This is a losing argument isn't it?"

"You worry too much, Marin."

"Someone has to."

Sunburst then placed his hand on her shoulder. "I might not be the most insightful person around, but I know what my priorities are... most of the time. I'll only be gone for about an hour or so before coming back. Finding them toadstools has become a might hard these days. I'll be lucky enough ta find even one let alone two. If'n you see that Sunset Shimmer, tell her where I've gone in case she's curious about me."

"I wonder if she will figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"The secret of the Mysterious Forest." Starlight answered. She grabbed a piece of paper and presented it to Sunburst. On the paper was the drawing of what looked like a key but one end was shaped like a creature's tail. Sunburst had no idea what to make of it but Starlight certainly did. "They say that this key is hidden somewhere deep in the forest and can open up a cave just north of the beach. No one has ever been in there before and I was curious as to what it contains. Sunset Shimmer definitely looks like she might have an interest in finding secrets but maybe that's just me talking."

"That is you talkin'!"

"Can I help it if I'm interested in her?"

Sunburst raised an eyebrow though he avoided laughing or making any kind of remark in case it offended Starlight. He knew her way of thinking and despite his laidback attitude, he knew better to overstep his boundaries. "Whatever that Sunset Shimmer does is her own business. I admit that I am a bit curious about her but I reckon she prefers to keep to herself." He then stepped outside of their home and looked upwards at the clouds. "Reckon it'll be a perfect day for toadstool pickin'. Who knows? I might just try one there and then instead of waitin' to get back home and eat it. What about you, Marin?"

"Me?" Starlight then used her innocent look again. "I was thinking of maybe going into people's homes and smashing their pots for the fun of it." As soon as she said that, she waggled her finger and laughed it off much to Sunburst's confusion over the matter. "Did I say that? No, you must be hearing things. I definitely didn't say anything of the sort. I think I will go the statue in the village square and practice my singing. If Sunset Shimmer pays me a visit when she comes back from Toronbo Shores, maybe she will tell me about herself."

"Yer more curious than I am."

"I can't help it!"

"It's not good for your health."

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After thinking things over and consulting with Princess Twilight on the matter, I decided to explore as much of Toronbo Shores as possible. While going back to Mabe Village was essential in progressing the adventure, the beach might hold something of value that would otherwise be lost were I to ignore it. Besides, I also needed to understand the lay of the land as I currently lacked a map. Fortunately, Her Highness said that she would keep track of where we have been on this island by making a makeshift map. It would gradually fill in as we explore more of our surrounding until it was finally complete.

She also suspected that the library would also house a map of the island for convenience sake. I promised we would check out the library in greater detail upon going back to the village as I knew better than to deny Princess Twilight a chance to explore a new library. I'll admit that my own curiosity of what it contained was pretty strong. Now that I had both a sword and shield, monsters wouldn't be a problem unless my sword was useless against anything with, a thick hide, could use the terrain to its advantage, or something far worse. Another thing I would require was money.

One golden rule of any adventure was to have the means of buying items from shops. Though I couldn't even begin to remember much of the stuff I purchased during my previous two adventures, I knew that I needed money. How much money? I wouldn't know until I actually went into a shop and saw what they had. There should be a shop somewhere in the village so paying it a visit was a must. Then again, a shop could be down here on the beach. The likelihood was pretty slim but you never could tell when it comes to adventure. The money would come from defeating monsters and opening treasure chests so I had a lot to do.

Heading across the beach, Princess Twilight and I encountered some large crabs scuttling about. According to Her Highness, they don't have a specific name so we both agreed to call them Giant Crabs for novelty sake. She did say that they would damage me upon contact and are surprisingly durable, one hit with my sword wouldn't be enough. They weren't much for attacking anyway so they weren't exactly dangerous, but defeating them could give me rupees, the currency that this video game world enjoyed. A couple of Giant Crabs came close but several sword swings took them out with one of them leaving a green rupee behind.

"One down, countless more to go." I said to myself as I picked it up. I had no idea if the wallet I had--something I didn't figure out until that exact moment when I picked up the rupee off the ground--could be upgraded or if it was just the one size for the adventure but I had one for money storage. "Here's hoping there will be larger rupee amounts aside from one otherwise it'll take days if not weeks to collect enough rupees. Heck! I don't even know how much anything at the shop costs so I could be wasting time." I really should've gone to the shop at the earliest opportunity rather than go down to the beach.

Another monster then appeared, rising up from the sand. This one had four spikes on top of its head and looked like a mass of jelly given how rubbery its body was. I raised my shield where it collided into it before sinking back down. Princess Twilight knew what this one was called, a Leever. She said they lurked underground in areas filled with sand and would pop up to attack anything that ventured into its territory. I do recall encountering some in previous adventures but perhaps my memory of them was faint because they weren't all that memorable compared with other monsters I had seen in the past. Rather than deal with them, I allowed them to move on past, or whatever constituted for their movement.

"I hope you're not going to be avoiding monsters all the time." Princess Twilight said.

"Not all of them are being aggressive." I said.

"True, and while I don't exactly approve of attacking whatever gets in your way, you will need to destroy them." It felt weird hearing Her Highness say such things, but I knew she was only trying to tell me the truth in a way that wouldn't upset me. She knew how this adventuring would affect my psyche and was doing her best to show me the positives. "Some monsters will make attempts on your life and you must be prepared for them."

"Is it like that for you back in Equestria?" I wanted to quickly retract that statement but found that I couldn't.

Princess Twilight sighed. "Sometimes, I wish monsters would choose a more friendly path as opposed to simply being aggressive. I know they can't help it as it's in their nature but you'd think they would have some semblance of common sense."

"And the villains?"

"They can make a choice."

"Not all of them did."

"And look what happened to them." Princess Twilight paused to think about something and I knew what it was. She was thinking about Tirek, Chrysalis, and Gozy Glow, the three villains who almost brought Equestria under their dominion, and who refused friendship to enter their hearts. Now they were a stone statue for practically eternity, forever frozen in place for eons until someone declares them deserve a second chance at life. "At least those three weren't killed despite their intention of doing so to everyone else."

"But then this world is different from Equestria."

"Yes, you do have a point."

"You know that I need to talk to you sometime about your coronation among other things, right?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " I know, Sunset. I've actually been meaning to talk to you about it as well, but I didn't have the time what with needing to repair the castle, getting all of the various accommodations in place, table and seating arrangements for various creatures, etc."

"You look like you're about to freak out."

"Can you really tell?"

I nodded. "I know you, Twilight, and I know your mannerisms. I will talk to you about it but perhaps at various intervals during this adventure. No fair in saving it all for a massive stress dump later which wouldn't do either of us any good." I had to change the subject which is when I noticed a building on top of the next ridge. It stuck out like a sore thumb seeing as there were no other buildings in the area. "That building up there could be a good place to check out." Continuing our beach trek was bearing little in the way of progress so once we were done visiting this place, we would go back the way we came and check out the library.

"Thanks Sunset."

"For what?"

"For changing the subject, giving me some space, and for being a good friend."

"It's the kind of person I am and besides, I had a very good teacher who taught me so much." I said, smiling. I then walked up to the building and a sign out front revealed that the place was called 'Sale's House O' Bananas'. It was named well since there were trees bearing bananas on their branches situated on either side with one of them housing a monkey who wasn't keen on seeing me. It began tossing coconuts yet none of them hit me so it had merely wasted its time and quite possibly food. "Judging from the location, I'm surprised this place doesn't get many visitors if any at all."

"Bananas are seen as an acquired taste."

"Who told you that?"

Princess Twilight blushed. "Princess Celestia..."

I rolled my eyes. I should have known that it was my old teacher who would've told Her Highness about that. Princess Celestia had this strange fascination towards bananas though no one, not even her sister, Princess Luna, ever figured out the reason. It was one of the princess' more bizarre qualities which most ponies in Equestria didn't understand. Among the different kinds of fruit that are transported around Equestria, bananas were very rare as only specific locations grew them, namely tropical locations. Don't even get me started with import fees. I heard those were a real pain to deal with.

Upon entering the shop, I heard a familiar sounding voice... "YEAH!"

Even Princess Twilight recognized it. "Only one pony says 'yeah' like that."

Standing in front of us near several crates of bananas was Bulk Biceps. Whether he was a human or a pony, he stood out for his absurd physical prowess compared with all those around him, yet despite this, he was really gentle. He wore his usual attire that I saw him wear at Canterlot High but also a hat made out of straw. If he wanted to depict himself as living in the tropics and being surrounded by tropical décor, wearing a hat would definitely do it. If I remembered my previous adventures, he portrayed giant character so it felt strange seeing him at regular size like me.

"Welcome! YEAH! Welcome to Sale's House O' Bananas!" Bulk Biceps said.

"Thank you." I said.

"I'm Sale and this is my house!"

I decided to go along with it. "You have quite the variety of bananas."

Again, Bulk Biceps used what could arguably be his iconic word. "YEAH! I have a huge assortment of bananas, but I don't get many customers around here as I'd like. At one time, people from the nearby village came here in droves for my bananas, but when those monsters started to infest the area, only the bravest come here."

"That sounds terrible." Princess Twilight said.

"Now I have so many bananas that I don't know what to do with them."

Princess Twilight then had a thought. "What about monkeys?" I was surprised Her Highness knew what a monkey was. Then again, Equestria was a kingdom teaming with all kinds of animals including exotic ones, and in her letters she said that the pony version of Fluttershy had an animal sanctuary. Such a place having monkeys around would make sense as to why she knew what one was. Or, she was using some kind of divine magic to figure it out. "Surely, you would allow them to take your bananas."

"YEAH! Well... I would but monkeys don't usually frequent this area of the island."

"What about the one just outside?" I asked.

"That one is more interested in coconuts than bananas."

"Oh."

"I do know of a small group of monkeys though." Bulk Biceps then looked at his inventory of bananas before hollering out a 'yeah'. He then looked at a picture of something, mumbled to himself, and then looked at me again. "Somewhere east of the village is a castle where monkeys like to hang near. What are they doing there? Who knows? No one really knows what monkeys get up to. I suppose if you were to give them some bananas, they might do something."

"Can you give me some bananas?"

Bulk Bicep's eyes then lit up. "YEAH! I mean... I can but I need something first."

"Do you need money?" Princess Twilight asked.

Bulk Biceps blinked and tilted his head to one side momentarily. "Money? No, I don't sell my bananas. I prefer to trade. Maybe that's another reason why people don't come here that much anymore. Do you have any canned food?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Canned food! YEAH!"

"That is what you said, right?"

"Selling bananas isn't my actual hobby." Bulk Biceps answered as he licked his lips. "My hobby involves collecting rare and unusual canned food. Sure, it sounds strange but then you haven't met my brother. He's an artist who lives in the Animal Village on the opposite end of the island. YEAH! Ahem! Yeah, strange hobbies do run in the family. If you have any canned food, give it to me and I'll give you some bananas. Good deal? YEAH!"

I shrugged my shoulders, an indication that I had no canned food, but I had to know more. "Why canned food?"

"What can I say? I just love the stuff."

I frowned but made sure he didn't notice. "So... If I were to get you some canned food, would you give me some bananas?"

Bulk Biceps nodded feverishly. "YEAH! YEAH! I'll do that for you. Now, if you want to get some premium canned food, you should talk to Madam MeowMeow. She is a pet lover who feeds her pets canned food as often as possible. She lives in the village north of here so she's the one to talk to. I don't particular care what kind of canned food it is so long as I can satisfy my belly."

Nodding slowly whilst presenting a nervous grin, I said that I would come back later with the canned food that he wanted, and stepped backwards until I was outside. That's when I stuck out my tongue in disgust. Did he honestly want dog food!? When he mentioned pets, that was what immediately came to mind. But, I supposed if it would get me some bananas for the road, then who was I to question Bulk Bicep's tastes. I didn't encounter anyone by the name of Madam MeowMeow--the name was definitely on the nose with her fascination for pets--so perhaps someone in the village would know of her.

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"CRRAACCKKLLEE! FWWOOSSHH! You called upon me, master?"

"We detect a presence on the island that did not exist before until now."

"What is it?"

"An outsider, one from beyond the ocean, has come to this island."

"Is that going to be a problem, master?"

"For now, they are of no threat to us, but they will become a problem should they collect that which you and the others guard."

"The instruments? No one on the island has ever bothered to try and collect them. They are all too content with living out their lives in ignorance since they don't know what this island really is."

"Such ignorance can be placed upon you."

"I don't understand."

"No... We do not expect you to understand the nature that is the Nightmare. Already, one of those who exists has been thinking about awakening the dreamer. At first we thought this to be an error but she has proven otherwise. She and their kind must never know this island's secret. Our dominion must remain intact. The binding must remain intact. Should this one continue her misguided approach, we shall have to kill her. We will allow one of the dark ones to handle such a simple task."

"And what of the outsider?"

"We do not fear them."

"I never asked that, master."

"Listen well to our words. The outsider is of no threat to us so long as they do not start collecting that which the Nightmare guard. Should they do this, our grip will loosen and all we have sought will become nothing more than a dream. Should this outsider enter the Tail Cave, the Moldorm must kill them, and things shall continue as always. Our power has enhanced it, just as it has enhanced you and the other Nightmares."

"About Moldorm, master."

"Yes?"

"He's... not particularly bright."

"All of you are mindless drones in our eyes."

"As you say, master."

"You shall use our power to commune with the other Nightmares and inform them of the outsider. They must know that this one poses a threat to us. Protect what you guard from them otherwise they will destroy you. Our power cannot save you from destruction. Keep our words in your mind at all times."

"As you command."

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On the way back to Mabe Village, I decided to do a bit of grinding. I'm a video game player so grinding is practically second nature to me. Princess Twilight didn't understand what that meant (I think she did but might have forgotten) so I explained it to her. By going back and forth between two areas, I could continuously defeat monsters in order to obtain rupees and purchase any items at the shop. Her Highness reminded me of what she said about not liking me attacking these creatures despite it being a necessity, yet I reminded her she was entitled to speak her mind and not hold it in.

In total, I spent about ten minutes and accumulated roughly twenty rupees. In addition to the one I picked up on the way to Bulk Bicep's location, I had twenty-one. What would that allow me to buy? Honestly, not much if anything at all. Again, I hadn't seen what the shop had in terms of stock so going there and seeing for myself would let me gauge as to how much grinding would be necessary. Deep down, I was praying for good pay-outs from treasure chests. From what I remembered, higher valued rupees were inside of treasure chests so finding them was essential, no ifs and or buts.

Since I couldn't jump up to the higher ledges, I had to walk back to the village via the long path. Along the way, I noticed some strange holes in the ground that looked like they went nowhere. Peering down into one, I saw nothing but infinite darkness so falling down into one wasn't in my best interest. At least Her Highness didn't have to worry about such things as she could fly and wasn't pinned down. It wasn't all bad though. I got to take in more of the beautiful scenery of Koholint Island despite seeing only a small portion. I hoped this would be a consistent thing.

Upon entering the village, I entered the library in order to give it a better comb over. Princess Twilight flittered about, her eyes glossed over seeing so many books, and waiting to see what kind of knowledge we were going to uncover. Her happiness quickly dashed after checking several books on two shelves and I asked her what was wrong. She told me that the books on the four shelves contained no words. In fact, they didn't have any titles. They were simply there for cosmetic purposes. That didn't sound right so I grabbed a book to see for myself, and sure enough, it had blank page.

I checked another book... the same result. I checked another... same thing. I checked a third... again, the same thing. I was completely dumbfounded by this discovery though that wasn't how Her Highness felt. She felt angry that she had been cheated out of vast knowledge. To be fair, I couldn't really fault her for being like that. While my desire for knowledge wasn't at levels of insanity like Princess Twilight's, I did desire to indulge in my curiosity every now and again. Since the vast majority of books were utterly useless, we turned our attention towards the eight on the individual tables plus the one on top of the bookcase.

Princess Twilight immediately checked that latter one first since I couldn't climb up there (I mean, I could but some strange force was preventing me). Unfortunately, she was too small to open it but she did manage to read the name of the book, 'The World of Colour', an odd name to be sure. Colour was all around us so why have a book dedicated to it? I could've run at the bookshelf to knock the book down (I actually couldn't even run as again, a strange force was stopping me) but instead I looked at what else was there. One was about advanced fighting techniques, another on item management, and a third on music.

Then I checked the next one. "How about that, Twilight?" I announced. "This one features a map of Koholint Island.

"Let's take a look." Princess Twilight said.

I opened the book and a detailed drawing of the entire island was presented before us. "Not as big an island as I was expecting."

"At least we now have an idea of what we've got to deal with later."

I pointed to a tall tower in the northeast corner. "I take it that this is where you came into this world from?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes. As you can see, Sunset, that tower stands out pretty well compared with everything else shown here. It looks to be the tallest landmark on the island barring the mountain range the tower is situated on. Like I said before, I couldn't see any way inside but maybe we'll get a chance when the time comes. There are also two shrines over here near some sort of rapids, a desert, a swamp, a forest, and a castle."

"That must be the place Bulk Biceps mentioned."

"It's not that far from here."

"But..."

Princess Twilight looked confused. "But what?"

"If I know this video game franchise (I'm starting to at any rate), I'm going to need something important before I can access the path to that castle." I answered. It was like that during my previous two adventures (I don't recall the exact details) so it happening this time was a given. I really wanted to take this map with me but again the strange force prevented me from picking the book up (What was with this force anyway? I'm getting really vexed here) so I'd have to memorize as much as possible and rely on my own map for guidance. Her Highness was better with maps so I could simply ask her.

There was only one book left and Princess Twilight flittered over to it. Her eyes lit up upon seeing it. "Sunset! Look at this!"

"What is it?" I asked as I walked over.

"This last book is called 'Dark Secrets of Koholint Island'." Princess Twilight answered. She had that look in her eye of curiosity but I was a bit more hesitant. A book with that kind of name could mean big trouble, but it could also mean important information that we could use for this journey. "What do you think, Sunset? Should we read it? I know my curiosity is strong but don't open it unless you really want to."

"Um... Let's go for it." I then opened the book only to be surprised by its contents. "What in Celestia!?" Yes, Princess Celestia's name was used as a noun, and her name was ideal in this situation. "I can't see what the words say! Can you?"

Princess Twilight got as close to the book as possible without plastering herself up against the pages. She shook her head to confirm that she couldn't read it either. "Not even my current size is enough to figure out anything. Unless you can find something that can make these words bigger, there's nothing we can do with this book. I suppose a magnifying glass may work but who would carry one of those on an island like this?"

"Not exactly a common item."

"It's all I could think of."

Crap! Who in their right mind would make the words in a book so tiny that you needed a magnifying glass!? I supposed that this was intentional since learning about any dark secrets this early on would make the overall experience less fun. Despite the library having little in the way of reading material, it did have valuable information I needed to come back later in order to uncover. I could also come back to check the map every once in a while in case I needed to remind myself where a particular location was. Leaving the library with a dejected look on my face, I turned towards the two children who were throwing a ball.

I immediately recognized the one on the left as Applebloom and the one on the right as Sweetie Belle. If I was right then Scootaloo wasn't far away since all three of them tended to be categorized together. In previous adventures, they were always separated from each other so it was nice to see at least two of the Cutie Mark Crusaders (In Equestria while in the world I called home, they are simply The Crusaders) having fun. I was impressed with how they kept tossing the ball back and forth without ever dropping it. In terms of what they were wearing, they wore simple clothes, a usual thing for common villagers.

"We was both wonderin' when you would pay attention to us." Applebloom said.

"Sorry if we aren't exactly stand out characters." Sweetie Belle added.

I bowed slightly before addressing them. "Sorry but I was busy trying to get to the beach."

"Not much is down there aside from some really scary monsters." Applebloom said.

"According to the other villagers, those creatures have been getting nasty for some weird reason." Sweetie Belle said. Even as they were talking, they continued to toss their ball back and forth which coloured me impressed. "We figured you are new around here since you're different from everyone else we know. Nothing wrong with that but you do have this air of mystery surrounding you."

"We're both kids so we don't know any better."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing." I said.

Applebloom nodded as she tossed the ball. "We've been thinkin' 'bout going over to the Trendy Game to see if we can win that 'Yoshi Doll' that our little sister would love. But we don't no money and besides, reckon that game is mighty difficult. Unless y'all have excellent concentration, ya ain't gettin' anythin'."

"I heard that the shop has gotten in some new items, Joonya."

"What!?" Applebloom exclaimed as her eyes lit up. "What are y'all talkin' 'bout, Kidoh?"

"One of the prizes is this weird looking seashell." Sweetie Belle answered, catching the ball but this time holding on to it. "I've heard mama and papa talk about how collecting seashells can make someone very happy. There's even a house somewhere beyond Mabe Village dedicated to seashells but none of us have ever seen it. I hear there are at least fifty of them located across the island but don't take my word for it. I'm just a kid."

"Any other prizes?"

"Suhni said that when she went in there last time, they also had some kind of giant heart, and even a stone slab."

"Where does the owner find such things?"

"I don't know but it does sound exciting."

"Reckon those prizes are bound ta get people into that shop and spend all their rupees." Applebloom said. She then briefly looked in my direction hinting that she suspected that I would be interested in what was on hand at this shop. In truth, I was interested in the giant heart though a part of me wanted to know about the stone slab. "Kidoh? Aren't y'all 'spposed ta give this girl some kinda message or somethin'?"

Sweetie Belle then turned to face me. "Marin said she was looking for you. If you want to know where she is, she is by the statue of the famous Rooster of Mabe Village. She goes there to practice her singing. Why does she do this? Don't ask me. I guess so long as it makes her happy then it makes us happy too. Anyway, we need to get back to doing what we were doing when you got here."

"Come speak to us again sometime."

A part of me felt uneasy around Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. They both appeared oblivious as to what was happening around them, but at the same time they had great insight even if they were depicted as children. I then remembered a 'Yoshi Doll' being mentioned as a prize at this Trendy Game place. Yoshi is a video game character associated with Mario, but why was he being represented in a completely different franchise? It wasn't a matter of me not understanding but rather questioning something that smelled like a crossover promotion. A part of me did want to win the doll though. Who knows? It might prove useful sometime.

Walking back into the village, I decided to make my way over to where this rooster statue was only for my attention to be caught by someone who I knew, but not that well due to her attitude and lack of appreciation towards friendship. Holding a broom and sweeping the ground in a cheerful manner was Vignette Valencia, a girl obsessed with online popularity that she never understood friendship until Rarity was the first person to offer it to her. She still had a lot to learn but she had showed signs of progression last I checked. In my opinion, Vignette was more towards being a drama queen than anything else. Huh... No wonder Rarity liked her.

"Yahoo!" Vignette shouted.

"Is this the one you told me about who had a magical phone?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded. "Equestrian Magic escaped from the portal and corrupted her phone. It allowed her to teleport people to other locations although she only managed to get the one location to work with her phone."

"Compared to what I've faced, you and your friends have been lucky."

"We have more modern conveniences as opposed to ancient evils."

"Call me jealous."

"Don't be." I then turned to Vignette. "Um... What are you doing?"

"Me? Why, I'm sweeping everything I come across." Vignette answered. She paused for a moment to show off her broom before resuming her work. "You would be surprised as to how dirty this village and even this island can be. Every time it looks like I'm done, somewhere else gets dirty and I have to go and clean it. At this current pace, my broom's thistles will wear out leaving me with no means of doing what I do around here."

"Then why not slow down?" Princess Twilight asked.

Vignette then laughed. "Aren't you a funny one! If I did that then everything would just get dirty again. By the way, my name is Grandma Yahoo! My name may sound funny to a pair of youngsters like yourselves but my husband has always appreciated it."

"You're married!?" I asked with a concerned look.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"It's just that..." I decided to stop talking because once again I knew that bringing up anything sensitive would just make everything awkward. Vignette had the appearance of an eighteen year old but was dressed like someone who was in her sixties or seventies. I chose to try a different tactic in the hopes of getting some information out of her. "Ahem! Do you think you can help me and my friend out? We're looking for some information and the library didn't exactly provide us with much."

"The Mabe Village Library only has enough information for someone of the adventuring type." Vignette said as she stopped sweeping before resting her arms on her broom. "We usually don't go in there since my husband provides us with all the help we need. He may not look like much but he's a fountain of knowledge. Ulrira can tell you just about anything you want but he does have this weird quirk about him."

"Weird... quirk?"

"I think it's best for you two to actually go and see him in person." Vignette answered, sighing. "I do love him very much but Ulrira really needs to come out of his shell. See this house right here?" She then pointed her broom at a house that was right next to all of us. "Me and Ulrira live here though I'm rarely at home what with my cleaning taking up so much of my time, but Ulrira never leaves home and prefers to rock on his rocking chair. Once you've spoken to him, come back outside and talk to me again. I'll explain anything he says that you don't quite understand."

Vignette sounded a little dubious but I chose to take her word for it. Walking around to the front of the house, I could hear the sound of someone rocking back and forth in addition to them mumbling some words. The weirdest thing I heard though was a sound of a telephone. Most people these days used cellphones or iPhones to communicate with people but hearing a phone from decades ago was completely unexpected. Could it be that this Ulrira used such an ancient device (Okay, perhaps I was exaggerating on that)? Now I was really curious to learn more about him.

Upon entering the house, Princess Twilight exclaimed at the exact same time. "Discord!"

"Um..." Was all the reply we got.

Sitting in the rocking chair was Discord, the Lord of Chaos, and now a truly reformed villain. Despite some of his recent actions according to Her Highness, Discord had proven himself a true friend. To see him here of all places certainly took me by surprise, yet it was his calm demeanour that truly surprised me. Rather than causing a scene, bending reality to his will, or doing something beyond our understanding, he was simply sitting in his chair, and looking rather pale. Was he sick? He didn't seem to be but one could never tell with him. On a table next to him was a telephone as I expected but something felt off.

A few moments ago, he was mumbling something as I heard him from outside, yet the moment I came in here, he had gone deathly quiet. I thought about walking back outside in order to see what he'd do next as a means of a test but chose not to. Like Vignette, Discord was dressed like an old man (Technically, he was over 1,000 years old so I wasn't wrong) and even had a pair of glasses in his shirt pocket. As I continued looking at him, he continued to look limp until he eventually turned his head to the side. Normally, Discord craved attention so it felt weird seeing him wanting to not look directly at me.

I waved in an attempt to start a conversation. "Hello there."

Discord waved in response but his hand movement was clearly nerve-wracking for him. "Um... err..."

"He's having trouble talking." I said to Princess Twilight.

Princess Twilight nodded. "Maybe he's too nervous to speak to us directly? I know this sounds weird given how we're looking at Discord but since this isn't 'him', but maybe we should leave and speak to Vignette again as she suggested."

"You may be right."

Discord then leaned forward slightly. "Um... How to say... Please call... Outside."

That was all I needed to hear to get the hint that he wouldn't talk to me in person. To think that Discord would end up being shy in this world. If this were Equestria, he'd have ripped apart the fabric of reality whilst changing his appearance to whatever suited the current scenario he had created. In order to talk to him properly, I had need of a telephone but where would I find one on an island in the middle of nowhere? How would a phone even work? Did I remember how such an old device even worked. So many questions and while there were answers, they weren't exactly simple.

Leaving the house, Vignette greeted me with a shaking motion of her head. "Judging from your expression, you found out Ulrira's quirk."

"How do you live with that?" Princess Twilight asked.

"It took many years for me to figure that one out." Vignette answered. "As you saw, Ulrira is incredibly shy and doesn't like talking to people in person. He's even like that with me which does make our relationship awkward. But, he managed to find a workaround that not only benefitted him but everyone across the island. About fifteen years ago, Ulrira went around building telephone booths into trees and having the wires connect back to him. He got to speak without needing to see anyone and people could talk to him for advice on just about anything that was on their mind."

"He built telephone booths?" I asked.

"There should be about a dozen or so across the island."

"Wow..."

"So yes, if you wish to speak to Ulrira, it must be through one of the telephone booths."

"And where can I find one?" Vignette then pointed to a tree that had an image of a telephone on top of it causing me to slap my forehead in response. "Oh!" Princess Twilight chuckled at my blunder much to my chagrin and I eventually giggled as well.

"Are you sure he built them fifteen years ago?" Princess Twilight asked.

"He might have had some help from the Animal Village." Vignette answered. I was wondering why Her Highness asked that question but then I noticed the reason why. Vignette appeared confused by the question and looked to want to be somewhere else. "It's been a long time since so my memory is a little hazy. Anyway, if you want to speak to Ulrira, it has to be by telephone, but know that he tends to drag on just because he's happy talking to someone. I must get back to cleaning up around here so please excuse me. Hopefully, my broom doesn't give up on me now when I'm so bogged down by work."

As she resumed cleaning and made sure to move away from us, I turned to Princess Twilight and asked her why she questioned Vignette's accuracy. She said that she wanted to test her to prove a theory but so far she didn't have enough evidence to come up with an ideal conclusion. I pressed for more information and she replied by saying Vignette's answer was solid but something felt off about it. Aside from that, Her Highness couldn't say anymore. I had my own suspicions but mine were more towards the island in general as opposed to just one person as it was with Her Highness, but perhaps we could eventually pool our resources together.

Walking over to the telephone booth, I entered it and was surprised to see that the only thing inside was a single telephone resting on top of a table. There was nothing else of interest so it felt weird seeing such an ancient device being propped up like it was. Princess Twilight asked me to explain to her what a telephone was and I struggled with explaining it. I told her that people used to use these a long time ago as a means of communication but improvements with technology made them obsolete aside from people who insisted on using them and not embracing modern conveniences.

Upon approaching the telephone, I picked it up and for a brief moment, I felt embarrassed. I mean, I've never used one before until now (Cellphones were way more convenient and had so many bells and whistles) but this was a perfect opportunity since very few of these existed back home and were owned by very eccentric people. I then realized Discord never gave me his number. How was I supposed to phone him without it? The answer then quickly became apparent as the phone lacked any dialing numbers (They were referred to as rotary phones) and was simply connecting me.

BRRIINNG! BRRIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho! This is Grandpa Ulrira!" Discord answered on the other end.

"So this is your preferred method of talking?" I asked.

"I just can't help talking to people over the phone."

"I've heard that you are knowledgeable of all things on Koholint Island."

"There is nothing about this island I don't know about." Discord said. Now that he was speaking to me via phone, he sounded exactly like he normally did only without the reality bending that he was well known for. "Anyway, ask me anything about this island. If you ever find yourself lost, feel free to give me a call."

"Don't hang up!" I had a feeling he was planning on doing that so I made sure to bring it up before he did it."

"Sounds to me that you're lost and don't know which way to go."

Even though I actually did, I chose to humour him. "Yes, I do need help."

"D'oh ho ho!" Discord laughed, the sound of his rocking chair echoing through the phone. "Have you ever been to the Mysterious Forest. Lots of strange things happen there all the time since it is mysterious and all. You should look for toadstools that grow there and give one to the Witch who makes Magic Powder. I know she would love it if someone could give her a toadstool."

"Why would I need a toadstool?"

"You never know when it might come in handy."

"Anything else?"

"I was planning on saving this one for later, but you sound like you really could with some help." Discord began laughing which made my temper flare up but I knew he was only trying to help in his own way. "Ever been to the Trendy Game in Mabe Village? They have a 'Yoshi Doll' that's all the rage these days. I hear that Mamasha is looking for one to give to her child and is willing to reward anyone with a ribbon."

"A ribbon."

"You have to start somewhere."

"Anything else?"

"Oh ho ho! I can't give you everything all at once. If I did that, you'd either forget it all or you'd make the journey too easy."

"Guess that does make sense."

"I hope you call me via phone as often as possible." Discord said, his chair no longer rocking. "If you need help, I'll tell you what I know, but if you really need help, you can always ask that fairy that flitters about around you. Bye!"

CLICK!'

"He hung up."

Princess Twilight then comforted me. "Don't feel bad about it, Sunset. Discord gave us some pretty good information and he was right about me giving you more help since I'm always on hand while he's stuck using one of those telephones. Now, he said that we need to find a toadstool in the Mysterious Woods." She landed on my shoulder and began going through her thinking of the solution phase. "Ah-ha! Sunburst would know something since that backpack of his looked crammed to the brim with toadstools. We just need to talk to him."

"Do we even know where he is?"

"No, but Starlight definitely does."

"Okay, and where do you suppose she is?"

Her Highness then looked down at the telephone and I immediately knew what she was thinking about. I couldn't possibly ask Discord to tell me where to find Starlight. Sure, he was a fountain of knowledge but asking him about where to find one person felt extremely lazy. No, I had to find Starlight on my own. Since she looked like someone who rarely went anywhere, she was likely still in the village (Good thing it was such a small village). Leaving the telephone booth, I began looking around for any signs of Starlight. Sure enough, I spotted her standing next to a statue singing.

About ten seconds later, I was at the statue and it depicted a rooster of some respite. According to an epitaph near the base of the statue, it read that this was the final resting place of the legendary 'Flying Rooster'. It also said that no one was permitted to open up the grave and disturb the bones. While I was tempted to satisfy my curiosity, I ignored it and focused my attention on Starlight, who was singing to herself with only a dog running about for company. She had an excellent singing voice I must admit yet what she was singing sounded slightly familiar. Had I heard it before? Or maybe a variation of it?

Upon seeing me, Starlight stopped singing. "I see that you're carrying around a sword."

I nodded. "It was on the beach where you found me."

Starlight was ecstatic. "How wonderful! I hope that you stab as many of those creatures as possible, over and over, no remorse."

"What!?"

"Huh?" Starlight then gave me an innocent look. "I didn't say anything. You must be hearing things. I certainly didn't say anything sinister." I had no idea if this was a quirk that the character she was portraying did or whether some aspects of her old way of thinking were coming back to the surface, but I made sure to pay some snippet of attention towards it just in case it happened again. "By the way, Tarin went to the Mysterious Forest." Now Starlight was acting like herself. "If you want to speak to him, you'll have to go there. He said that he won't be back for a few hours."

"How convenient that he'd be there."

"As for me, I'll be standing right here in front of this statue singing my song. It's a lovely song isn't it?" Starlight said. She began to sing using her beautiful voice which caused the nearby dog to start barking in unison. It seemed her song had quite a powerful effect on animals. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at me. "This song is called 'Ballad of the Wind Fish'. Why is it called that? No one knows for certain but I like the name."

My jaw dropped. I had heard that name before! In my last adventure, it was a song that was performed by the Indigo-Gos (I was amazed that I actually remembered the name of their band since it had a long time since then) though it only resulted in me obtaining one of many masks. Starlight could potentially be a major character in this world so learning more about her song and even how to play it could prove essential. Right now, I needed to focus on the task at hand, going to the Mysterious Forest and finding Sunburst. It sounded like a simple enough task but I knew better than that. I knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Leaving Starlight to her singing, I headed west back to where the library was and then turned right where I saw the massive expansion that was the Mysterious Forest. Given how dark the tops of the trees were, it looked pretty foreboding though I had been through my share of forests. Besides, it's not like I would be going in there with bravado. I had the means to protect myself and I had Princess Twilight to turn to for guidance. My resolve set, I walked towards the entrance of the Mysterious Forest only for a hooting sound to stop me, and the arrival of Flash Sentry atop his owl.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 3: The Forest's Secret.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 3, 2019
Chapter 3: The Forest's Secret.

Upon his owl landing on top of a tree, Flash Sentry comforted his companion by scratching the underside of its head before turning his attention towards me. "Ho, brave lass, on your quest to wake the dreamer. It seems you have become a little bit stronger since I saw you last."

"I don't have much of a choice in the matter do I?" I asked.

"To leave this island, you must awaken the dreamer."

"So how do I actually do that?"

Flash Sentry was silent at first which lead me to suspect that he knew more than he was letting on, but he eventually addressed my question. "Your question shall receive an answer, but it is you who will discover it." That wasn't what I wanted to hear. I had hoped for a better explanation yet I supposed this was normal for me. Characters like Flash Sentry in his current capacity couldn't make things easy otherwise there would be no challenge involved. "Brave lass, welcome to the Mysterious Forest. Despite the foreboding name, this part of the island is merely the early stages."

"Early stages?"

"This forest shall test your resolve and you must surpass the challenge."

"And what lies ahead in the future?"

Again, Flash Sentry went silent which began to get on my nerves but then he said something that caught me by surprise. "There is much mystery you will find on this uncharted island wherever you go. What you discover may prove helpful or be fraught with peril. Such is your fate. As I said before, to leave this island, you must awaken the Wind Fish, but this shall prove to be no easy task. So long as the dreamer sleeps, you will find leaving the island a trifle difficult."

On the one hand, it sounded like there were secrets on this island that not even he knew about. That didn't sound strange as not everyone can know everything. On the other hand, he came across as wanting to put me down despite having just gotten started on my journey. I needed positive reinforcement and not negativity especially in the early going otherwise I'd lose heart and give up. There was one thing he mentioned that didn't add up. If Koholint Island is uncharted, why does a map of it exist in the library? Someone had to have created it by exploring every square inch. Huh... Princess Twilight's initial suspicions were starting to make sense now.

"You told me to come here for a reason." I said in an attempt to steer the subject towards something that would prove useful. "Since I'm at the entrance to this forest, I have fulfilled your obligation and that means I'm free to go anywhere from here."

"The many paths ahead will block you unless you have the necessary items or knowledge."

"Is there such an item in the forest?"

Flash Sentry nodded. "There is something. Before I tell you, I must ask a question. Have you ever visited the Tail Cave, which is south of the village?"

I did recall a sign that pointed in the direction of such a place. I hadn't been there since I was compelled to go to the beach but it sounded like I had to check it out since he just brought it up. Besides, I wouldn't have gotten far due to lacking a sword. While a shield would've protected me, not having a sword would've complicated things, and I was certain that some kind of barrier would've kept me from exploring this Tail Cave regardless of my current equipment. A part of me wanted to go and see the cave but I needed to focus on finding Sunburst as he might have additional information.

I then shook my head. "To be honest, I didn't go there as I lacked the means to fight off any monsters."

"That is understandable."

"Once I've finished my errands here, I'll be sure to go and check out this Tail Cave."

"You cannot go into the cave just yet."

"And why not?"

"There is a key hidden somewhere in this forest that will open the way to the Tail Cave." Flash Sentry answered. He pointed towards something off in the distance that I clearly couldn't see due to my being on the ground but it looked like I had to cross this entire forest in order to reach it. "Finding the key is easy but reaching it is another. You need to use magical prowess, a skill not many can learn and remove that which blocks your path."

"Magic is a specialty of mine."

"If you know what you are looking for, getting the key will become an easier task. The Wind Fish is watching..."

With that, Flash Sentry said a few words in silence to his owl, and the mighty creature took to the sky leaving me and Princess Twilight to contemplate all he had said. In some ways, he was being really cryptic, but he was also pretty straight forward. Had it not been for Discord giving me advice when he did, I'd probably be stuck running around this forest like I were blindfolded. Magic would be my means of getting the key and that involved speaking to a witch about some Magic Powder according to Discord. I needed Sunburst's help to find a toadstool as he was practically an expert on the subject.

Magic... In my first adventure, I was capable of using fire magic what with my fiery temperament, but then that magic was slowly fazed out in favour of using magic that was native to its world and because I had to use it. During my second adventure, I used magic whilst being different creatures (A huge part of me still missed that fact and wished I had been able to keep some aspect of that power). This time around, I had no idea what was in store for me in terms of magic. I wasn't expecting anything ground-breaking but perhaps a few basic spells would suffice.

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head to snap me out of my daydream (It wasn't much of a bop as it was a flick that barely registered with me), something I had a tendency to do whenever I was in deep thought, and I walked forward into the Mysterious Forest where everything suddenly became dark as though a huge shadow hung over the location, every nook and cranny draped with a veiled shadow. A place this dark was an ideal one for toadstools (Fungi loved growing in areas where there was little light as possible) and why Sunburst came here frequently to pick them up.

Walking forward, Her Highness stopped me upon seeing a blue pig-like creature wielding a spear. It wasn't attacking me which made me wonder if it was either waiting for me to make the first move or it had incredibly poor eyesight. She said that this was a Moblin, a monster that lived in the forest that threw spears to attack anything that enters its territory. It wasn't very strong but those spears could prove problematic if it continued throwing them at me. Fortunately, its lack of a shield meant it was defenseless from being attacked. Before the Moblin had a chance to do anything, I dashed forward, swung my sword a couple of times, and defeated the creature where it left behind a green rupee.

Picking it up, I went deeper into the forest and chanced upon two more Moblins patrolling about. One of them was oblivious to my presence so I attacked it from behind before it even knew what was happening (I wasn't fond of using such deceitful methods), the other began throwing spears though my shield rendered its attacks moot as the spears harmlessly bounced off it. In-between throwing volleys, I swung my sword twice and defeated it leaving me free to go wherever I wanted. Flash Sentry's words then rang out in my head. This was the easy stage of my journey and that meant these Moblins were nothing compared to what lay ahead.

Heading south and defeating another Moblin, I came across a boulder that was blocking a narrow path between two trees. I then tried the direct approach which involved attempting to push the boulder out of the way. As one might expect, it proved to be an impossible feat. "Ugh! This thing won't budge!"

"Looks like you don't have the strength to move it." Princess Twilight said.

I moaned. "Why couldn't I have kept that Goron Mask!?"

"Not in this adventure, Sunset."

"I know..."

"Looks like we'll have to come back here later once you have the means to lift that boulder."

"What about using some kind of explosive?"

Princess Twilight then took a closer look at the boulder before shaking her head. "Without any cracks in it, I don't see an explosive being able to break this apart. Don't be discouraged just because you can't deal with this, Sunset. We've just started this journey so not everything is going to be available straight away. Like Flash Sentry said, once you have the necessary items and knowledge, what once blocked you will become accessible."

I sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Things will get better once you start finding items."

Heading back the way I came and turning right, I walked forward, defeated yet another Moblin from behind where it dropped another rupee, and came upon a tree trunk laying on its side, the opening exposing a dark passage that went into mountainous terrain. A sign nearby said that I needed to 'Beware of floors with cracks! Don't get too comfortable on them!' With this heavy equipment on my person, the warning from this sign was to be taken seriously. I had no idea what would happen if I were to fall down into a hole but I honestly didn't want to know if I could avoid it.

Walking into the tree trunk and entering a cave, there were more boulders lying about including the aforementioned cracks in the floor. There was even shards of dark crystals scattered about which made me wonder if my sword could even shatter them. If not then I would have one broken blade without a means of getting it fixed. Princess Twilight then told me of the bat monsters known as Keese. They weren't very threatening but they enjoyed flying into their victims to annoy them. I could either strike them with a single sword swing or just take the damage and ignore them.

On the subject of the boulders, Her Highness said that these weren't as heavy as the other one we saw so I could push them about with ease. As for the dark crystals, they seemed to be a decorative feature rather than anything expensive. A shame really. If Rarity were here, she'd have been devastated to know that the crystals weren't worth much. It also meant that shattering them was well within reason. One of the Keese then bumped into me and I responded with a simple sword swing, destroying it though it dropped its rupee into the abyss below leaving me disheartened that it couldn't be added to my collection.

Destroying the remaining Keese before they could hit me, I shattered the dark crystals to pieces (It felt like they were made of glass instead of crystal) and that's when my heart jumped upon seeing a treasure chest. This could be my lucky day but it depended on what kind of payout I would get. I was also fortunate that the floor didn't buckle under my weight (I'm not that heavy) but I needed to claim my prize and not stick around to find out. I pushed the boulder blocking the chest aside, opened it, and took out a purple rupee. It was bigger than the previous ones so it must have been worth something.

"Twilight, do you know what this is valued at?"

"A purple rupee is worth fifty rupees!"

A smile beamed across my face. "Now that's more like it."

"I'm sure that other treasure chests throughout this island will have similar rewards."

"I sure hope so."

"You sound like you're obsessed with collecting rupees."

"Do you remember what happened on our last adventure?"

Princess Twilight vaguely nodded, her memory of those events being as hazy as mine. "You needed to spend a lot of money in order to acquire a mask for one thing, some bags, and even saving up at a bank." It took several moments for her to realize where I was going with this. "I see what you mean now. You're not greedy but rather you need plenty of money as something is bound to be expensive later on. Okay, I got it."

"Having over seventy rupees is a start but it's not even close."

Pocketing the purple rupee, I kept on moving deeper into the cave to see where it would lead, and was immediately attacked by two green blobs that had eyes. Princess Twilight revealed these as Zols, gel-like monsters that bounce around after surprising their victims by popping up from the ground. She also mentioned that some Zols liked to hide in treasure chests to trick an unwary adventurer. I shuddered over the idea of opening a chest with one of these things jumping out instead of a rupee or some other item. Swinging my sword cut both down without issue which made me think things were a little too easy.

The last section of the cave featured more boulders for me to push including some skulls of creatures I had no idea what they once were. The skulls looked denser in mass so moving them right now was a no-go. A shame really as I could see a giant heart glowing behind some boulders at the end of the room. At least I didn't have to push any boulders to progress but I really wanted the heart as it would make me feel better. Speaking of feeling better, I noticed that Princess Twilight had a particular look on her face, one I was familiar with what with having known her for so long. She had that 'Twilighting' look.

"Want to talk about it for a few minutes?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I'm still nervous about becoming the ruler of Equestria."

"Why should you be?" I asked, surprised by her revelation. "I thought you'd be excited about carrying on Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's legacy. I know it's a huge change for you, Twilight, but it's one that only you can do. I originally was being groomed to one day be a princess but we both know how they turned out. Besides, from what you told me, your accomplishments are the stuff of legends."

"But to rule on my own without my friends?"

"That is a sticking point."

"A part of me wishes that I could make them all alicorns so that they could rule by my side."

I rolled my eyes. "You do know that isn't how it works, right Twilight?"

Princess Twilight sighed. "I know, but sometimes I wish that I didn't have to say good-bye to my friends. They all have their roots in Ponyville and are probably going to be living there for the foreseeable future. Me? Canterlot is going to be my home for the rest of my days."

"You could always move the capital to Ponyville."

"What!?" Princess Twilight began beating the part of her chest where her heart was and looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "Are you crazy!? We can't relocate the capital from Canterlot to Ponyville. That would upend over 1,000 years of tradition not to mention Canterlot ponies rioting." She then calmed down and began to think about my suggestion on a more logical basis. "I am surprised no one ever considered that, Sunset, but it's something I don't think anyone in Equestria would like. Had it happened say a few centuries ago, it wouldn't be as controversial a decision as it is now."

"You can always visit Ponyville for celebrations and vacations."

"Assuming I'll get any."

"As the Ruler of Equestria, you get to make such decisions."

"Good point."

"That doesn't mean you can take advantage of your newfound authority."

"And what about my friends."

"Talk to them." I said in a calming voice. "Let them know how you feel about the whole thing. I would suggest doing so sooner rather than later otherwise you're going to wind up regretting it and become just like me." I paused to collect my thoughts before continuing. "I don't want you to make the kinds of mistakes I made, Twilight. Trust me. Take my experience and get things off of your chest as soon as you can. Besides, you've got plenty of time as the coronation won't be until they fix up the castle. Your friends are going through the same thing you are and are fearing change."

"Wow... Since when have you ever been a sage?"

"You taught me humility."

Seeing Princess Twilight smile made me feel good about myself, but when she dove into my chest to give me a hug (As best as she could given her small size), I felt even better despite having my own problems. I was still worried about what Ganondorf planned on putting me through but that wasn't important compared to Her Highness having to face the biggest test of her life. She had this but just needed some reassurance from a friend. Speaking of Ganondorf... I had to wonder what he planned for Princess Twilight. What about my friends? I assumed they were safe from him since he wanted the two of us, but you never could tell with him.

I had every intention of bringing up discussions like this with Princess Twilight every now and again. It would help her become more confident about becoming Equestria's next ruler without having to be put through a ridiculous trial. (I still couldn't believe Discord brought back four villains and pretended to be a fifth without properly thinking things through first and believing everything was under control) I also needed to discuss with her my own problems involving Ganondorf. I assumed she knew about the Triforce of Wisdom she possessed and has taken it in well compared to me.

Leaving the cave, I quickly raised my shield to defend myself from another Moblin. This one had a sword and shield which meant spears weren't their only means of attacking though it clearly wasn't very good at using both. It kept on stabbing its sword against my shield repeatedly to no avail so I pushed my own shield forward to parry its blow causing it to reel back and be completely defenseless. Before the Moblin could recover, I swung at it twice, defeated it, and it left behind a rupee which I picked up. These sword and shield Moblins were a bit more cunning what with them holding shields but not by much.

Princess Twilight bopped me on the head to get my attention. "Sunset! Look over there!" I looked in the direction she was pointing in and was surprised to find a toadstool lying on the ground. Her Highness became ecstatic. "We need one of those for the witch so we should take it! But, I wonder where Sunburst could be?"

"We haven't seen him so far."

"I don't know how he could've slipped by all those Moblins."

"I'm sure he found a way." I said as I walked over to the toadstool and picked it up. The smell coming from it flared through my nose and it felt pleasant. Even Her Highness felt at peace upon smelling the scent coming from this thing. No doubt that it contained magical properties as toadstools were usually more deformed looking with many strains being poisonous to both the touch and taste. "Better take extra care so that it doesn't get damaged along the way." I thought of using a leaf to cover it up but that could weaken the potency so instead I placed it carefully in my pocket making sure it wasn't in the way of my sword arm.

"Now we need to find this witch Discord mentioned."

"I wish he had given us an exact location."

"Even in this world, Discord has to speak in riddles." Princess Twilight said as she chuckled. "I have a hunch she lives on the other side of the forest. Only way to find out for certain is to get through to the other end. Just be careful of the Moblins, Sunset. Fight them one at a time otherwise you'll get swarmed."

Moving forward and defeating a Moblin with a spear, I cut down a bush blocking the way onward only to discover that the way was blocked by a hole in the ground. I tried to jump across only to find myself unable to. It seemed the strange force was preventing me from performing even a small hop let along a jump. This meant I had to perform some backtracking, the one thing I truly despised. I knew it would happen but I had hoped it would've been much later on. Grumbling under my breath so Princess Twilight couldn't hear my cursing, I walked back and re-entered the cave. (In retrospect, I did save myself some time)

It didn't take too long for me to go back through the cave. Since I was in a foul mood, I took out my aggression on the two Zols that had since re-spawned along with the Keese which had done the same thing. My temperament had always been my biggest weakness. Even the tiniest of issues would cause me to lash out against anyone who happened to get caught in the crossfire. Was I proud of it? Not in the least. Even now, I still have trouble keeping it under control. Perhaps I should take lessons on keeping calm from Tree Hugger in Equestria or maybe from Princess Cadance if I happen to pay a visit to the Crystal Empire.

Exiting the cave, I took care of the Moblin, turned right and headed north, only to get stuck by another Moblin with a sword and shield. This one managed to catch my by surprise since I was still in a foul mood. It's blow snapped me out of it (I have to keep tabs on my health as I've taken some damage) prompting me to bash my own shield against it, and quickly striking it with my sword. To further calm down, I began looking around at the forest surroundings. Despite the monsters all over the place, I felt at peace, like I was back in Equestria frolicking about.

Princess Twilight then stopped me again. "The Red Zol is different from the other one."

"Huh!?" I exclaimed having been caught daydreaming again. In front of us was another tree stump on its side, but this one was surrounded by three boulders and since I couldn't push them around, that way wasn't possible. As for the Red Zol, there were two bouncing around and apart from the colour, they looked exactly like the other ones from the cave.

"When you hit Red Zols, they split into two smaller pieces called Gels."

"How strong are Gels?"

"Very weak." Princess Twilight answered. "Gels are a bit harder to hit because of their smaller size. Aside from that, you should have no problems beating them. One thing you should take note is that they have a tendency to group up with other monsters which can really be overwhelming."

The Red Zols hopped towards me and I slashed them both with my sword. As Her Highness mentioned, they separated into two Gels giving me four to deal with so I took them all out though they left no rewards behind. To the left of the tree was a path that lead towards another treasure chest but the path to it was blocked by another hole. (There was a second hole right by it hidden by the upper ridge. I had no choice but find another way to reach it. The other direction looked like it eventually opened out into a plan which meant I had found an exit but without the key Flash Sentry mentioned, leaving wasn't an option.

Heading back the way I came, I eventually discovered a path forward that I didn't take previously. It was blocked by two Moblins with spears so I quickly dispatched them though one dropped what appeared to be an acorn. It sure didn't look edible since it was pulsating with a faint blue light but something about it made me want to pick it up. "What do you suppose I should do with it, Twilight?"

"That's a Guardian Acorn."

"Guardian Acorn?"

"Yes." Princess Twilight nodded. "If you pick it up, your defence will increase for a short period of time until it wears off or you take too much damage. Considering you've taken some damage in this forest, you could do the extra protection. I don't mean to disrespect your fighting prowess, Sunset, but those wounds do need attending."

"I should cut down grass for hearts."

"I remember that from the last adventure."

"At least that is etched into my memory."

Picking up the acorn, I immediately felt its effects kicking in. While part of me wanted to find a huge group of monsters and battled them with my improved defence, my brain knew better since its effects were only temporary. As for the grass, I did the typical hack and slash maneuver that any adventurer would do resulting in one Recovery Heart which I picked up. Hearts were essentially my lifeforce so increasing my health was absolutely essential for maximum survival. My ears then heard the sound of someone or something hitting a drum just up ahead so I walked forward to come across a raccoon.

"Strange place to see a raccoon." Princess Twilight said as she observed it beating its belly--the source of the drumming sound. "I don't know why but there's something about it that makes me feel uneasy. I suggest being cautious around it in case it tries anything funny."

I approached the raccoon and began a conversation. "Hello there."

The raccoon stopped beating its belly. "You are a strange one aren't ya?"

"I can say the same about you."

"I see that you have a toadstool in your possession." The raccoon said, eyeing my pocket. "You found it fair and square so I won't ask you to give it to me or anything. Many toadstools are hidden in this forest so only someone with a powerful nose can find them. My nose fits that description as does yours. As a raccoon, my nose is verrry sensitive ta stuff like dust and powder."

"Is that so?"

The raccoon nodded. "If I were to take a whiff of powder, who knows what might happen."

"By the way, I'm looking for a key."

"A key you say?" The raccoon asked, its head tilted to one side. "I have a seen a key not far from here but I don't think you will be able to get it." It then pointed forward towards something off in the distance that looked like the treasure chest I saw from before. "If you try to get it, you'll only end up getting lost. Why? Because I am going to make it so. Sorry, but that's just within my nature. If you don't believe me, just try and go for that key."

Despite the slight intimidation, I wasn't about to let a raccoon get the best of me. Besides, if this was some kind of trick, I might as well spring it because if I don't, I'll never stop thinking about it. Walking past the raccoon and towards the treasure chest, it suddenly disappeared and I found myself in another section of the forest. Princess Twilight was afraid that I was going to completely lose it but I remained relatively calm. I was expecting something like to happen. After all, it's happened during my previous adventures even if I couldn't remember what exactly happened.

"That was unfortunate." Princess Twilight said.

"It was inevitable."

"I'm amazed that you didn't lose your temper that time."

"I had to trigger that raccoon's threat otherwise I'd have been worrying about it."

"So where do we go from here?"

"I say we go back to where we saw that other tree was blocked by the three boulders and see what lies on the other side of the forest."

"We never did find Sunburst."

I gulped. I'd rather not think about the alternative if that was indeed the case. "I'm sure he's somewhere in this forest. For now, we should focus on finding our way out and hopefully run into him along the way." Walking forward, I came across a small pond filled with flowers, but it was the person standing there who took me by surprise. "What!? Adagio!? What are you doing here!? Sure enough, Adagio Dazzle, leader of the Dazzlings, was floating in front of me dressed in a blue gown and with a pair of butterfly wings on her back.

"Didn't you say that she and the other Dazzlings had adjusted to living in your world?"

I nodded. "They still have some resentment but are generally harmless."

Princess Twilight then remembered that this wasn't exactly Adagio. "Sunset... This must be a Great Fairy of some kind since she is bigger than me. I am surprised that she is just standing out here in such a strange place but who am I to judge her. Remember that those we meet on this island may look like those we know but they aren't them. If Adagio is here, the other two are probably somewhere close by."

"Shall I talk to her?"

"I think you should."

Adagio decided to start the conversation first. "You are the first person to have come here to see me for a very long time." She smiled a smile that was so gentle that it made me feel mesmerized towards her. "Come closer to me little one and let me heal your wounds for you." I walked forward without hesitation and Adagio closed her eyes before mumbling some words which made me feel much better. "You need not be afraid. I am the Queen Fairy! This is but one of many of my fairy fountains scattered throughout this island. Whenever you see one, please stop by and I will do all I can to help."

"Do you know anything about a key?"

Adagio nodded. "Some time ago, a precious key was locked inside of a treasure chest to prevent anyone from gaining access to a cave south of the village. To further strengthen the protection of the key, a powerful magic was cast that affects those who come to this forest on regular intervals."

"Do you know what that magic is?"

"It is a magic beyond my understanding but I can tell you what little I know." Adagio said. Cupping her hands together and flapping her wings rapidly, an image of the raccoon I met earlier appeared in her hands. "This creature is the source of the magic that prevents you from reaching the key you seek."

"It said something about being sensitive to powder."

"I believe you have the means to acquire the key." Adagio pointed at my pocket that contained the toadstool. "You were also told by another from the village on what must be done with the object in question. All pieces are in play, little one, so now you must put them all together. I have no further information to provide as you now know everything. Before you go, allow me to heal you of your wounds. You have taken some damage from the creatures of the forest and you must be prepared for what comes next. Little fairy..." She then turned her attention towards Princess Twilight. "Continue to guide her along her journey."

"I will." Princess Twilight said.

"Should you become wounded again, I will gladly heal you."

Raising her hands, Adagio then mumbled a few words and I was suddenly covered in a veil of light. Just like that, my remaining wounds disappeared and the fatigue of having done so much walking lifted off of me like a weight had been on my shoulders. Her work complete, Adagio disappeared leaving me to wonder when I would meet her again. Despite her true self being bitter about not having magic, at least I could take solace knowing that she was on my side on this island. I was also curious about Aria and Sonata since all three Dazzlings were never apart despite their hostility towards each other. Surely I'd eventually meet them.

Heading to the left, I was back in a familiar area of the forest as the south lead back to the tree I used to get to the toadstool (This is why I needed a map as well as Princess Twilight as getting lost was already becoming problematic) so now I could go north. There were no monsters in my path since I had already taken of them prior so finding my way out of the forest was simply a matter of time. Walking north and coming across the tree blocked on all sides by the boulders, I turned right only to have a spear strike me in the leg. Luckily, I didn't bleed but the pain I felt was excruciating.

Grabbing the spear and pulling it out, I confronted the Moblin that threw it, struck it twice, and defeated it where it dropped a recovery heart. Okay, that was an insult to injury on my part but I didn't decide what monster would drop what upon defeat. There was another Moblin nearby with a spear but looking the other way. Creeping up behind it, I swung quickly and defeated it before moving on where the dark shadow suddenly lifted indicating I had finally left the Mysterious Forest. I felt unaccomplished since the key was still back there and Sunburst still remained unaccounted for.

"There's another giant heart over there." I announced. "And it's surrounded by more holes... typical! Ugh!"

"Guess you'll have to come back for that as well sometime."

I grumbled under my breath before sighing. "Where do you suppose we are?"

"According to the map that we saw back in the library, we are in Koholint Prairie, an area that connects to many other places." Princess Twilight answered. She glossed over me which made me uncomfortable before continuing. "With your current status, a lot of places will be inaccessible." She pointed towards more of the heavy boulders we encountered back in the forest that were blocking one route and another blocking the way south. "

"This is why I don't like starting out on these adventures."

"Everyone has to start out with just the basics."

"Even you?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I'm just a fairy who provides you with information and can fly about. In my current form, I can't fight monsters like you can nor can I wield powerful items, traverse all manner of terrain and so on. It doesn't bother me at all though since I get to see those experiences through you. Things are annoying right now but once you progress far enough and collect some items, this island will practically open itself up to you. It all depends on when you find them. By the way, watch out for the Buzz Blob walking along."

"The what?"

"The Buzz Blob." Princess Twilight answered, pointing towards a green blob walking about on two feet. "You need to be careful with this one, Sunset. If you strike it with your sword, you will receive an electric shock thanks to its unusual defence. In fact, any physical contact will cause this reaction. If you use magic against it, it will transform into a Cukeman, a really bizarre creature that you can communicate with. The words it says don't make much sense so it's best not to take them seriously. A Cukeman lacks the electrical mechanism of its counterpart so it can be attacked but then you wouldn't want to given what it is and all."

"Too bad I don't have magic."

"No, but the witch will change that."

"Good point."

"Buzz Blobs aren't native to this part of the island so the one here can be viewed as rare even for its kind."

Taking Her Highness' advice to heart, I walked towards the Buzz Blob where its body suddenly crackled with electricity. Since it wasn't very fast or have much intellect, I walked past it and kept on going until I approached two scary looking trees and what I assumed was a house nestled behind them. A horned skull above the entrance didn't make the place feel welcoming along with the fact it was also a tree, but since I couldn't go anywhere else, I couldn't really choose to be picky right about now. I could sense magic emanating from within so perhaps the witch lived here.

Entering the house, it turned out to be a pretty scary sight. A large assortment of knick-knacks were stacked at the back of the room and had a definite witch vibe to them. (I could see a skull, a spellbook, a crystal ball, a broom, etc.)There were also numerous pots, two torches, and a cauldron filled with blue liquid. What kind of liquid? It was probably best for me not to find out given who lived here. Speaking of whom, I had a sneaking suspicion that the witch was none other than Trixie. Considering how she dressed up and even had her own stage show, her being here was pretty much a given.

According to Princess Twilight, the Trixie of Equestria had become a much better pony much like how her human counterpart had. The pony Trixie helped to save Equestria from the likes of Queen Chrysalis and was even made Student Guidance Councillor at Her Highness' School of Friendship. Guess you could say her travelling magic show was now permanently retired unless she was allowed to perform some special shows. As for the human Trixie, she was my one ally when everyone else lost their memories of me thanks to the Memory Stone and is now one of my closest friends.

Trixie had been stirring the liquid in the cauldron when she looked up to spot me. "Ah, someone has managed to make their way through the forest. You are the first one to do so who isn't the one who loves toadstools. That one comes here sometimes with toadstools for me he does. As a witch, we enjoy brewing all kinds of potions but those require ingredients that are hard to find for us they are."

"How good would you say your potions are?" I asked.

"On this island, our potions are the best they are." Trixie answered. She then paused for a moment which made me think I had somehow offended her, but then she pointed to a blurry picture hanging behind the skull. "Crazy Tracey, my student she is, has her own magical shop she does. Should you pay her a visit, satisfied with the results you will. However, to reach her requires having strength beyond your own limitation it does."

"Do you know where I can find something like that?"

"I do indeed." Trixie answered as she nodded several times. "Strength you need can be found in a cave in the swamp northeast of the forest it is but the strange flowers there will block any progression they will. Unless you have something to remove them, your prize will remain out of your reach it shall." Some of her word choices were a little confusing but I was beginning to understand what she was getting at. "Double, double, toil and trouble! Cauldron burn and cauldron bubble." Trixie resumed stirring the cauldron using her broom though did she seriously say such a corny line like that?

"Now what do I do?" I whispered to Princess Twilight.

"She mentioned toadstools earlier so why not bring it to her attention." Princess Twilight whispered back.

Just as I was about to reach for the toadstool, Trixie looked up at me again. *Sniff* *Sniff* "There is something it has on its person it does. Such a magnificent aroma. Could it be what I need for my potion?" Why was she suddenly calling me as an 'it'? I had a gender you know! I then took out the toadstool which took her by surprise. "Ahh... it has the sleepy toadstool, it does. You went and brought us an ideal ingredient you did."

"Here you go." I said as I handed it over to her.

Trixie then dropped the toadstool into the cauldron. "Now we can work our magic. We'll mix up something in a jiffy, we will!" She then began stirring at a ridiculously fast pace like she were obsessed before coming to a stop when smoke billowed forth from the cauldron causing me to cough. When it cleared up, Trixie was holding a bag of what I assumed was the result of my giving her the toadstool. "Our magic has now been crafted it has. It is surprised by what has transpired." She then handed it over to me. "It's all ready it is! Take care as there's not much there. Why not try using a bit in my hut?"

Noticing that one of the torches in the hut wasn't lit up, I shook the bag over the unlit torch which caused some powder to come out of it and ignite it, setting it on fire and making things more brighter. "Wow... So this is Magic Powder?"

Trixie cackled. "It is happy with the gift it is."

"This is exactly what I need to deal with a certain raccoon."

"If you run out of powder, you will need to bring us another toadstool, you will." Trixie said as she resumed stirring again. "There is enough powder for twenty uses but increase the capacity is possible it is. Seek out the Mad Batter you must. Increase the amount of powder he can. His location remains unknown so find him on your own you will have to. What it has now can summon the Mad Batter so use our magic powder carefully it should."

Thanking Trixie for both the advice and the Magic Powder, I left her hut with my first item of this adventure that wasn't a sword or a shield. This Mad Batter, according to Trixie, was someone I needed to find as soon as possible. A shame she didn't know where he was and I doubted Discord would know either. Princess Twilight said that she would memorize this information for future use since I had to focus on progressing with this journey. With the Magic Powder, I had to get back to that raccoon and use it on him. Groaning, it meant backtracking back to where he was. Fortunately, it wasn't that far.

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"Those flames of yours can't possibly be real!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.

"If you doubt their existence then perhaps you should try to open that door which has now been coated in dark flames." Ganondorf said. He quietly laughed under his breath as he continued to make my friends uneasy over what was happening. "Well? What will you do, magical one? Do you doubt your own senses? Perhaps what you see is but an illusion or perhaps it is real and that you are grasped by fear."

Twilight gulped and decided to reach out for the door handle. Just as she was about to touch it, Rainbow Dash managed to swat her hand away just in time. "Are you crazy!? He wanted you to do that on purpose!"

"I wanted to know if the flames were real."

"Of course they're real!"

"Then why can't we feel the heat from the flames? Unless..." Twilight then quickly realized what Ganondorf was attempting to do. He was trying to sow the seeds of doubt in her mind and make her question both herself and how she stacked up against Her Highness. Closing her eyes and concentrating, she felt the dark flames warmth and she backed away from the door knowing what they really were. "Those flames don't just burn flesh. They also burn your soul!"

Ganondorf laughed. "The loyal one showed you the truth, magical one, just as I knew she would. Yes... Your power may not be as strong as what your counterparts possess, but it still remains a factor that could prove most lucrative."

"You know of our magic?" Rarity asked.

"The magic you possess is ancient in origin."

"Um... It is?" Fluttershy asked.

"Neither Sunset or Princess Twilight ever mentioned that to us." Pinkie Pie added.

"It seems both the child and the alicorn neglected to educate you on the origins of your power. How amusing." Ganondorf said. "Either that or they were afraid that learning the truth would be too much for you to comprehend. I shall tell you as the thought amuses me." He paused for a moment before using his own magic to create an image of the Tree of Harmony but in its infancy. My friends were immediately astounded by what he had presented. "Your magic is ancient. It is a force that existed over 1,000 years ago. Such magic was created by those who left behind a legacy that endured and became so much more."

"Our magic..." Twilight tried to speak.

"Your counterparts inherited this magic and used it on those who stood against them."

"Why are y'all revealing such information to us?" Applejack asked. "Reckon a villain like you would rather destroy our magic along with us instead of givin' us a history lesson on somethin' we oughta have known 'bout."

"The child..." Ganondorf began. "It was she who brought your power into this world. I need not explain that story as it is one that you are all familiar with, but, the source of your power, its true form, no longer exists. That power has been snuffed out, never to return. Those who created it bare great anguish, those who wielded them, sorrow filled their hearts. And yet, you all now possess its remnants." With a flick of his hand, the image disappeared and was replaced with a destroyed Tree of Harmony. "While its essence was reborn anew, its ancient magic is gone..."

"No wonder Sunset and Princess Twilight didn't want to talk about it." Rarity said.

"The other me especially." Twilight added.

"And that now brings me to the six of you." Ganondorf said.

"Now don't y'all try anythin' funny." Applejack said.

"We may not have the original Elements of Harmony but we can still utilize powerful magic." Pinkie Pie said.

"Um... Don't we kind of need Sunset to make it work?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Even if you had the child with you, your efforts would be for naught." Ganondorf answered. "Your magical prowess has improved exponentially since you first acquired it and shows no sign of stopping. But, such magic is nothing but a speck compared to my power! My power has existed for eons! To attempt to fight me would result in death! Ah, but you already knew that, laughing one, thus your bravado loses all its strength. Your magic is precious... to precious for you. It deserves one with far greater power to use it to its full capacity. I can turn your magic into a force no one can oppose."

"Say what now?" Applejack asked.

"Before we all delve into that little detail, there is one other thing to deal with first."

"Um... And what is that?" Fluttershy nervously asked.

"You know some aspects of me, loyal one." Ganondorf answered as he turned his attention towards Rainbow Dash. "Yet there is much that is beyond your knowledge. The child had tried many times to tell you but her efforts were in vain because of ignorance amongst you all. Darkness... hatred... malice... I represent the purity of evil, the force most desire even if they were to deny such tendencies. Once you understand... You will wish that you had listened to the child. She needed you... those she trusts more than any other... those who turned a blind eye and allowed her to suffer alone."

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On my way back to where I saw the raccoon, I decided to try out the Magic Powder on the Buzz Blob outside of Trixie's house to see what would happen. As Princess Twilight said, it changed into a Cukeman and lost its electrical power. Despite Her Highness saying not to bother, I chose to talk to the Cukeman anyway. Some things it said was nonsense but there were some things that proved informative such as: 'Now that I have lips, I fantasize about playing one of this island's songs on a flute. There are three HOT local hits!' It also mentioned that all three songs possessed magic. If that was the case, obtaining this flute was necessary.

Back in the forest, I made my way through the various Moblins and Red Zols, defeating any that got in my way and avoiding others, and after what felt like several hours (It was actually more like fifteen minutes at the most), I was back where I had been forced away from the treasure chest by the raccoon. It was still beating its belly like before and when I approached it, it repeated what it said about its nose. Taking out the Magic Powder from my pocket, I sprinkled some on it and it began spinning in place before bouncing around like a pinball. After a while, the raccoon vanished in a puff of smoke only to be replaced by Sunburst.

"He was the raccoon!?" I exclaimed.

"I wonder how that happened?" Princess Twilight asked.

"I might as well ask him." I said. I waited for Sunburst to regain his composure before talking to him. "Are you okay?"

Sunburst looked in all directions before addressing me. "Oh, it's you Sunset Shimmer! What am I doing here?"

"That's what we'd like to know."

"My memory is a tad hazy." Sunburst said as he rubbed his head. "The last thing I kin remember was bitin' into a big, juicy toadstool. I just couldn't help myself! I love toadstools so much that the temptation was too strong for me ta ignore. After that, everything went black and the next thing I knew, I was right here talkin' with ya." He still looked pretty out of it but I knew he would be okay. "Reckon I had the darndest dream... I was a raccoon." Yeah, it sounds strange but it was fun."

"Will you be okay?"

Sunburst nodded. "I just need to rest here fer a few minutes and then I'll go back to the village."

"Sunset!" Princess Twilight began. "The path to that treasure chest is now accessible."

"At last, some progress!" I said to myself. I turned back to Sunburst. "I guess we'll see you in the village sometime."

"Reckon you're right about that." Sunburst said. "I don't know if Marin's gonna be mad with me since I don't know how long it's been, but I'm sure I can come up with an excuse that she'd believe in. As for me and toadstools... maybe it's fer the best that I don't eat them off the ground again and instead cook them properly upon gettin' home. *Sigh* Toadstools are my weakness by the looks of it. Anyway, you take care of yerself, Sunset Shimmer. Those monsters have gotten more angry than before."

Leaving Sunburst behind as he wanted, I walked forward and reached the treasure chest which had eluded me for so long. Cutting a bush in front of it, I opened the chest and took out a key that had some kind of weird green creature on it complete with large eyes and a tail. On the side of the key, the words 'Tail Key' were inscribed, indicating that this was what I needed to open up the Tail Cave south of the village. At that moment, a hooting sound echoed around me and upon looking up, the owl belonging to Flash Sentry landed on a nearby tree with him looking down on me.

"I see you have succeeded in acquiring the key." Flash Sentry said.

"It took longer than I thought." I said.

"This was but the first of many trials you will encounter on this island." Flash Sentry said. His owl companion hooted which ruffled its feathers but he was able to calm it down by rubbing its beak with his hand. "Take the key and go to the Tail Cave. You already know where to find the cave and have everything you need for what lurks within."

"I take it that it's a dangerous place?"

"For you armed with sword and shield, you will survive what awaits."

"Why do I need to go there?"

"Within the Tail Cave is an instrument of great importance." Flash Sentry answered. "You must retrieve it! Once you have done so, I shall explain further and hopefully things should become clearer for you. Go now! The Wind Fish is waiting!"

The owl then took to the sky leaving me and Princess Twilight to figure out our next course of action. I could go straight to the Tail Cave in order to find this instrument as it would meant moving one step closer towards figuring out the nature of Koholint Island. If my suspicion was correct, this cave was most likely a dungeon filled with traps, monsters, treasure, and perhaps something special. I also wanted to go back to Mabe Village and deal with the Yoshi Doll since Discord brought it up when I talked to him. Her Highness suggested I should prepare accordingly for the road ahead.

I decided that going back to the village was in my best interest so I began making my way there. Most of the Moblins had been defeated already so combat wasn't an issue but I did end up getting lost by taking a left instead of continuing south (I managed to fix that little blunder relatively quickly). I also made sure not to waste any Magic Powder though a part of me was curious as to what else it could do aside from lighting torches and changing one monster into another. I eventually got back to Mabe Village and nothing had really changed. I thought that Sunburst had beaten me back here but there was no sign of him.

According to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, the Trendy Game Shop was located at the other end of the village. My first instinct was to go there but then I noticed a well just a few feet away from where I was standing. It stood out particularly well so something had to have been in there as why else would someone have built it? I also had the one house which had the strange bowling bowl like creature outside and a few more buildings that I could just barely make out. After thinking it over and consulting with Princess Twilight, we decided that the well would be what we checked out first.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 4: Power of the Roc.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 6, 2019
Chapter 4: Power of the Roc.

The well looked like a typical well one would find on a farm at first glance, but once I got closer, I saw that it was lacking certain features. For one thing, there was no bucket for people to scoop out water. Actually, this made sense since there was no water in the well to begin with. Why would a village build a well without any water in it? Another odd thing I noticed were some stairs that back to the surface but again why have such a feature? Did anyone even know this well existed? The more I thought about it, the more my head ached over such sheer stupidity, but perhaps there was more to it than that?

Peering down into the well for a closer look, it looked like something sparkly was down there but I couldn't quite see it. I then thought I could simply climb into the well and use the stairs to reach the object but wooden stakes prevented me from doing so (Was there anything on this island that wasn't beyond the most basic of human functions!?). Fortunately, there was another way in and that involved jumping down from a high-up ledge. A time waster? Definitely. Impractical? Obviously. No other options? None whatsoever. Grumbling under my breath, I walked up to the high-up ledge, cut down a couple of bushes, and jumped down into the well.

THUD!

SPLASH!

That wasn't the most graceful landing since I landed on my butt but I didn't sustain any injuries despite how long of a drop it was. The bottom of the well was completely empty aside from a tiny pool of water that served as a decorative piece. Why doesn't anyone from the village fill this well up with water? There's no excuse for it! At least my plunge wasn't a total loss. The sparkly object from before was one of those giant hearts that I'd seen in the forest. Grabbing it, I felt a familiar warmth that made me feel like I had forgotten about an old friend who I hadn't seen in years. I needed to collect as many of these as possible.

With that task done, I walked up the stairs and was back outside. I had every mind to tell someone about the lack of water but I doubted anyone would listen to me. If they hadn't noticed the well was empty before, they weren't going to notice it now. Walking eastward, I walked up to the house where that strange bowling-ball like creature resided out front and almost got scared to death by it when it suddenly lunged at me only for the chain to stop it mere inches from me. Why did it try to attack me? Was this its means of communication? If so then I couldn't understand since I could talk with horses and not whatever this thing was.

A familiar voice then came from within the house. "BowWow! You know better than to scare someone!" Coming out from the house was a young girl who I recognized because of our history, and when I say it like that, said history isn't entirely inaccurate due to magical interference.

"Isn't that Wallflower Blush?" Princess Twilight asked.

Sure enough, the owner of this creature was Wallflower, the one who used the Memory Stone in order to make everyone at Canterlot High hate me again back when I first enrolled there. Though I did forgive her for what she did to me all because of feeling like an outside, a small part of me couldn't accept her apology as she almost cost me and my friends everything. She chose me specifically because I had everything while she didn't and she believed I had placed everyone under my power. It was an experience I hoped to never have to go through again in my entire life.

"It is." I answered in a soft voice.

"I still can't believe that she was the one who found the Memory Stone."

"Well, it wasn't entirely her fault you know."

"How do you figure that?"

"Clover the Clever buried the Memory Stone in an area of forest." I answered. "Since Wallflower was the only member of the school's Flower Club, it made sense that she would eventually stumble onto it. I know that Clover was a brilliant pony since he was Starswirl's apprentice but maybe leaving behind instructions on how to use the stone wasn't one of his brightest moments."

"If only I had been there with you." Princess Twilight said, her expression turning into sorrow. "I could've talked to her much sooner and maybe prevented you from having to go through all that anguish. I know it's been some time since it happened but the scars don't heal up straight away. What you went through is something no one should endure. You've become a better person, Sunset, and hopefully Wallflower will never forget it." Her Highness then looked at Wallflower who was busy looking at her pet. "Maybe we ought to pass a law preventing magical artefacts from being sent to another world."

"You will be the next ruler of Equestria so you would have the authority to do that."

"Good point."

Wallflower finally noticed I was standing there and bowed slightly. "I am so, so sorry that my precious Bow-wow frightened you so much. He usually is very peaceful and loves nothing more than to sleep outside in the warm sunlight. I guess all those monsters outside of the village have put him on edge." She took a closer look at me which made me feel uneasy but I refrained from saying anything to offend her. "You must be that girl Marin and Tarin brought back several hours ago. Everyone was wondering as to whether you would pull through seeing as you were unconscious."

"This might sound strange, but what kind of creature is BowWow?"

"He's a dog."

This thing is a dog!? It doesn't even closely resemble a dog in any way shape or form. I was about to correct her when I quickly remembered that this island was filled with strange creatures. Her pet was just one of them. Now that I could get a better look at this 'dog' of hers, I must admit that it was pretty fearsome despite it having a simplistic appearance. Its teeth were large so I doubted anyone would try to attack it otherwise they would regret it. The chain was bolted to a wooden stake to keep it from running away but I figured it was too loyal to Wallflower to want to run off.

"Is he the only one of his kind?"

"Oh no." Wallflower answered while shaking her head. "I have two more like him though they are much smaller in size." She pointed to her house. "One lives there with me since he's too small to be out here on his own." She then pointed to a small house that was an extension of her own. "The other prefers her own place though she is very fickle. I don't know why but she loves any and all cosmetics."

"Like... a ribbon?"

Wallflower nodded. "Why yes! She's been yammering on about wanting all manner of accessories but I just can't get her any. I know that Mamasha, who lives in the house that's next to the Dream Shrine, has a ribbon that my precious pup would love, but that would involve me winning that Yoshi Doll in the Trendy Game Shop. I'm no lover of games so you can see that I'm in quite a bind."

"And BowWow?"

"I'll be leaving to take him on his daily walk once I've finished with my errands."

"How interesting."

"To be honest, the place that I like to take BowWow has become very dangerous what with those monsters." Wallflower said. She patted BowWow on the head and he purred like a kitten which surprised me. She reminded me of Fluttershy as she could tame any beast. "If those horrible Moblins weren't hanging around, I would take my precious little BowWow to his favourite spot with no problems. But, as long as they are around, I can't risk his safety. Anyway, I'm sorry again for BowWow scaring you earlier. I'll be sure to remind him to not do that whenever you come around."

Turning around, Wallflower went back into her house. Despite talking about her pets as though they were the most precious things in the world (I had no problem with this since I felt the same way towards my own pet, Ray), she did provide me with some valuable information. The most important one involved her one pet that desired a ribbon. Discord mentioned in his phone call about how I could get one but it involved getting the Yoshi Doll and giving it to someone else. I was planning on getting the doll anyway if not for the mission but because I wanted to prove to myself that I could play and win such a simple game.

Unlike most of the buildings in Mabe Village, the Trendy Game Shop featured a sign above the entrance with a drawing of a crane on it. Before going inside, I couldn't help but notice a large assortment of bushes behind the place. Though cutting them down could be seen as being environmentally insensitive, I could earn some extra rupees in the process since they were needed in order to play (I never knew anyone who offered a chance to play a game for free). I began cutting the bushes by going across the top row though I was only earning rupees once every four or five bushes, but then one bush gave me something else entirely.

"What is this?" I asked. The bush I had just cut left behind what looked like a seashell.

"This is called a Secret Seashell." Princess Twilight answered.

"And you know this how?"

"Never underestimate my ability to dispense wisdom upon you, Sunset." Princess Twilight answered as she stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. "Now, I don't exactly know what these are for, but you should collect as many of them as possible. Some are going to be hidden out in the open while others are going to require some careful thinking. If I'm correct, there are roughly fifty of these seashells scattered across Koholint Island." My jaw dropped in response causing Her Highness to giggle. "I don't think you'll need that many otherwise we'd be spending days if not weeks trying to find them all."

"How many do you suggest?"

"I'd say twenty-five might be enough."

"Will you keep a record of how many I have?"

"Of course I will."

It was then my turn to giggle. "You always were good at managing so many numbers at once." Checking my wallet, I only had about eighty rupees so hopefully that would be enough to get that doll. Walking inside the shop, I was surprised to see a massive system built into the floor. There was a conveyor belt at the back along with one to my left with the former having items on platforms that slid back and forth to give of the impression that there was a challenge. I could see several items of interest including another giant heart (Princess Twilight said it was called a Piece of Heart, a name that I had forgotten until now), a shield that was just like what I had, and two different rupees.

My eyes were on the Yoshi Doll which actually looked adorable. It reminded me of the parakeet I tried to win at that crooked game the Flim-Flam Brothers operated. I then looked up and saw the eponymous crane itself. In front of me were two buttons which most likely controlled where the crane would move. It looked simple enough but surely there was more to it than that in addition to some trickery from the owner. Looking back up at the crane, it had been used quite a lot as it looked pretty worn. If I weren't careful, those eighty rupees weren't going to last very long.

Speaking of the owner, they turned out to be Ember, ruler of the Dragon Lands--essentially the Dragon Lord. According to Princess Twilight, Ember had greatly improved relations between dragons and ponies. Sure, there was still some awkward moments but the two sides were stronger than they had ever been prior. Seeing her in a place like this felt weird as she commanded respect amongst her subjects (Also fear despite her size) and had a short temper, but she was here and I needed to win that Yoshi Doll and perhaps other things depending on time and money.

It was Ember who chose to speak up first. "Welcome to the Trendy Game..."

"You sound less than enthusiastic."

"You'd be too if you didn't have customers coming through your door." Ember said in a sarcastic tone. "I used to get everyone in the village in here all the time to play this game and rake in the cash but things have gotten slow in the past several months. The villagers complain that my game is rigged on account that my crane has seen better days. It's vintage! Why replace something I've had for years!? On top of that, they're more interested in saving their rupees for whatever the Item Shop next door brings in. If this keeps up, I'm going to go out of business!" Her cheeks began turning red before she looked away from me.

Even in this world, Ember was still prideful. I made sure to play that to my advantage. "Well... I came here with some rupees to spend so perhaps I could take a crack at this game... unless you don't want my business."

"What was that?"

"I've got money for you."

Ember's face lit up like a big red apple. "Well why didn't you say so!? First, I need to see if you actually do have the money. I'm not doubting you or anything but I need to make sure you aren't trying to con me." Wow! She was accusing me of being a con artist when she was doing that herself. Opening up my wallet and dropping some rupees on the table, her eyes widened and she had a grin smeared over her face. "Okay, now we're talking business. One game is only ten rupees to play."

As I gave her the money, I couldn't help but notice what she was wearing. Her outfit reminded me of those barkers one would find at a carnival only without the hat; striped shirt, black pants, a bow-tie, and maybe suspenders. If this were Equestria, Ember would've died from embarrassment over wearing such an outfit. I was still surprised at one other thing about her, namely, the fact that she was a human instead of a dog like Spike was (Princess Twilight's assistant Spike and not the pet of Twilight Sparkle) Why did this happen? I don't know. Mirrors to different worlds always were fickle in how they operated.

"So how does this game work?"

"See those buttons over there?" Ember asked as she pointed to the two purple buttons I saw earlier.

I nodded. "Are those the controls?"

"I'd have berated you for wasting my time, but I'll let it slide since you did pay me money." Ember answered. No wonder few people ever came in here. With an attitude like hers, she was practically the worse kind of company you'd want to have. "Those buttons move the crane according to the direction labelled on them. The rest is just timing. Will you walk out of here with a prize or with an empty wallet? Either way, this should be good."

Walking up to the buttons, Ember called out good luck with that sarcastic voice of hers. I decided to tone her out and focus on what was before me. Judging from the basic set-up of this game, I was basically playing a video game (Yes, I knew what I said would make me roll my eyes in response) but a really basic one. The Yoshi Doll was what I definitely needed but that Piece of Heart also proved tempting. Thinking it over for a few seconds, the doll was the priority since someone really wanted it. It was right next to where the crane dropped off the prizes so why did people have trouble?

Pressing the button, the crane moved forward until I let go where it stopped. I then pressed the other button until I let it go when the crane was right above the Yoshi Doll. I couldn't tell if I had calculated everything correctly so hopefully this would work out in my favour. With a loud creak, the crane lowered down, opened up its claws, and clamped onto the doll before pulling itself back up. It looked like I was going to win when the doll slipped through the claws and fell back down. Just like that, my heart broke upon me failing. Oh no! It was the parakeet fiasco all over again.

"That didn't work." Princess Twilight said.

"The crane is too slow not to mention it's pretty old." I whispered.

Princess Twilight was surprised when I motioned to keep her voice but she quickly figured out that we needed to make sure Ember didn't hear us. "I agree, Sunset. Because of its slow descent and poor maintenance, getting any prizes from this game is going to come down to luck. Luck is already on your side. The Yoshi Doll is now a bit closer to where you need to drop it to pick it up, but it also landed on its side so that could be problematic."

"What if I run out of money?"

"On the one hand, you could grind for some though that would take some time." Princess Twilight answered. "Or, you could attempt to win either the red rupee or the purple rupee in order to get more money and offset what you've already spent. Remember that the purple rupee is worth fifty, the red one is worth only twenty. It really all depends on how far you want to go with this until you've finally had enough."

"No... I don't want a repeat of the parakeet incident."

"From what you told me, that was a very embarrassing moment for you."

"I need to play smart... and play fair."

Ember then called out from where she was standing. "Looks like you blew it!" She then reached out with her hand and I immediately knew what that gesture was. "If you want to play again, just toss me another ten rupees."

"Fine!" I said as I reached into my wallet and tossed her enough rupees.

"I can watch you do this all day!"

"Are you enjoying me suffer?"

Shaking her head, Ember sighed. "No... I can see the look you've got in your eyes. I used to see it so many times when people frequented this place. They were so determined to win one of those prizes that they ended up bleeding away all their rupees. I enjoy it when patrons pay me but even I know that some have a tendency to go completely overboard. Just cause I act like a jerk doesn't make me one. I'm just surly because of not having any customers for so long. I can only keep myself amused for so long with my own thoughts before I have to take it out on someone."

I was surprised by her sincerity on the subject though she didn't acknowledge that the crane's poor condition was an issue. "Well... Since I don't plan on stopping until I get my hands on that Yoshi Doll, expect me to keep paying in order to keep playing."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

I could tell that she was trying to save face but it wasn't really working. Not only did she need to make the equipment better, she also needed to ditch the attitude and make this place feel more welcoming for the other villagers. Ember was right about one thing though. I had that competitive look in my eyes according to her. Whenever I had such a look. my temper would consume me since I desired victory above everything else, and I become quite possibly the biggest jerk of all time. My friends were understanding about it but deep down in my heart I knew they hated it. Winning was fine but not if it consumed me.

Pressing the two buttons again in the right order, I attempted to go for the Yoshi Doll even though Princess Twilight did warn me that it would be difficult for the crane to grab since the doll was now laying down on its side. Moments later (More like minutes later due to how slow the crane moved), the crane moved back into position, the doll still remained where it was, and I felt dejected knowing I failed. Ember reached out with her hand and asked if I wanted another go and without saying another word, I tossed her ten rupees and tried again. The crane moved like before, grabbed the doll, lifted it up, and again the doll slipped out and landed back where it was.

Again, Ember asked if I wanted to have another attempt whilst reaching out with her hand, and again, I tossed over ten rupees and was prepared to press the button when a thought crossed my mind. Since Princess Twilight was with me, I could have her try and fix the crane to make it work better, but I knew that would be cheating. Sure, I was beginning to get desperate at that point but if I were to resort to cheating, I'd be betraying my own oath as someone who had changed from her past misdeeds. Even Princess Celestia would be ashamed and seeing her cry would just be devastating.

No... I had to do this legitimately! Pressing the button, the crane moved forward and upon pressing the other one, it moved until it stopped above the Yoshi Doll. It then dropped down, opened its claws, clasped onto the doll, and began lifting it up. I could immediately see the doll slipping but I hoped I was going to be lucky this time around. As the crane moved back into place, the doll still being held in its grip, it stopped above the small conveyor belt and dropped its prize. Whew... For a moment there, it looked like I would fail again but luck ended up being on my side this time.

"You did it, Sunset!" Princess Twilight exclaimed.

"Wow... Didn't think you'd win." Ember said in shock.

"Surprised?" I asked.

Ember nodded. "It means I can finally put something else up as a prize for once! Geez! I've been waiting for someone to win of these prizes. It also means all those complaints about my game being rigged don't mean a thing now."

I was going to say something about that but chose not to. I knew it meant getting into an argument with Ember over ethics and while I could've totally won (I wasn't bragging here as personal experience was on my side) I decided it wasn't important in the grand scheme. She then asked me if I wanted to play again for ten more rupees. Shaking my head, she shrugged but wasn't upset about it. In her mind, someone had finally won a prize and now a new prize could be obtained. She did say that something new would be on display the next time I came by. That Piece of Heart would have to wait until I got more rupees.

Picking up the Yoshi Doll, I immediately squeed but not loud enough for Ember to hear me. If not for the fact that I had to give this to someone else, I'd have seriously considered keeping it for myself. Did I really need a plushie? They are oh so adorable and so squeezable but I was trying to compensate for the fact that I couldn't win that crooked game. I did actually win the parakeet only to end up throwing it away because I was too angry to care. (I believe a young child ended up getting it so it wasn't a complete waste) Like I said, my competitive nature can be a serious problem for me.

Leaving the Trendy Game Shop (I had every intention of coming back), I was immediately surprised by the sound of: "Whoa! You won the Yoshi Doll!" I knew it was Scootaloo and not because it was voice. The other two Cutie Mark Crusaders were over by the library and the three of them were always hanging out together so having two around and not the third would've just been plain ridiculous. Like Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo was wearing casual clothing typical of children yet why was she over there instead of playing with her friends? Also, how did she know about the Yoshi Doll?

I had to know. "You know about the doll?" I asked.

Scootaloo nodded. "Of course I know about it. My sisters and I have been trying to win that doll forever! We kept on going into the Trendy Game Shop in the hopes of winning it but we always ended up a bit short and out of rupees. How did you manage to pull it off?"

"It took perseverance." I answered. It then occurred to me that the Crusaders in this world were all siblings. Huh... This was actually pleasing. Because of their strong friendship, I always believed they could've been sisters in another life time. It was nice to see it actually happen.

"Wow! You're so cool!"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Our mom has been desperate to find one!"

"Your mom?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo answered, nodding her head. "She's been wanting to get a Yoshi Doll for our youngest sister for a long time but never could afford to buy one. Then, when we heard that the Trendy Game Shop had one, my sisters and I decided we could win it for her. If you could give that doll to our mom, I'm sure she would be eternally grateful."

"Well... I was planning on giving it to her."

"Really!?" Scootaloo then began jumping for joy. "You're the best, ma'am! I know my little sister will love that doll to pieces. I'm certain you're a little bit upset over having to give up on something you spent all your hard-earned rupees on winning, but I can tell that you're doing the right thing. You might not know this but our mom can be jealous when someone has what she wants, but don't let that be a form of discouragement. She'll understand once she gets a proper explanation."

"And where does she live?"

"Back at our house, the one up north with the two doors." Scootaloo answered, pointed her finger in that direction. "Why do we have a house with two doors? You know, our papa never really did explain that. I guess he just really liked having that feature and we all went with it. Speaking of my papa, you might want to listen to what he has to say. It could prove to be very useful. He always keeps on saying that to prove a point."

Thanking Scootaloo for the advice, I made my way up to where her house was passing by Starlight as she continued to sing by the statue of the Flying Rooster. That's when I noticed another building but whose entrance was being blocked by three heavy boulders. Methinks I needed to come back here once I possessed more strength but for now, my focus was on giving this doll over to someone who truly needed it. The house itself looked like every other house in the village and upon going inside, it was very roomy, to the point where it looked like it could house more than dozen people as opposed to simply six.

I immediately recognized the mother as Juniper Montage. She had come a long way since getting jealous over not being cast to play Daring Do. Her uncle, Canter Zoom, had been so impressed with how much she had changed since her movie studio ban, he rescinded it though she insisted on remaining at her job since it gave her the chance to earn some money on the side and talk with many different people. Who knows? Maybe one day, Juniper will finally get that big break and star in a movie that was designed specifically for her. She definitely had charisma on her side and she did show signs of being a good actress.

Juniper's husband was a much older character, who Princess Twilight recognized as Chancellor Neighsay. He was the head of the Equestrian Education Association and was essentially the one who decided which school in Equestria was accredited and therefore given a huge advantage in many different fields. He used to hold a huge hatred of non-ponies to the point of racism but he changed his opinion when six students, five of whom were non-ponies, saved his life when Cozy Clow attempted to take over Her Highness' school. I was curious as to what Scootaloo meant about him having something important to say.

It made sense to talk to Juniper first so I did. "Hello there."

"Oh my, hello." Juniper said. "It's not everyday that we get visitors around here."

"You have a quaint little home here."

"Why thank you." Juniper said, smiling. "My four children can be quite a handful you know. Some say that because they all look alike, I have trouble trying to determine which one is which, but I personally don't think so. Each of them have their own distinct likenesses which make them oh so precious. I take it you've talked to Suhni, my daughter who likes to hang out by the Trendy Game Shop. Of course you did as she often tells people to come up here to our home."

"I heard that you were looking for something from that place."

"My baby has been wanting a Yoshi Doll for some time now."

"How can you even tell?"

Juniper smiled as she nuzzled her baby with her nose. "A mother always knows what her children want. I tried to buy one from someone who had one but to no avail, but then I heard that there was one at the Trendy Game Shop as a prize, but I couldn't get it there either." That's when she noticed what was in my hands. "Is that... It is! It's the Yoshi Doll! You were able to win it? Oh my! I mean... I'm impressed that you managed to do what so many weren't able to. I'm very happy for you." She tried to grab it from my hand only to pull back knowing that she'd be setting a bad example for her child.

"Do you want it?"

"What!?"

"Do you want this Yoshi Doll?"

"Are you giving it to me?" Juniper asked. I nodded and handed it over when tears began trickling down her face. "Oh thank you! Thank you! You are indeed a generous person! I know my baby will be so happy with her new doll. When she grows up, I'll tell her that she had a guardian angel in the form of a young girl with flaming hair. And now I give you something in return as it's the polite thing to do. My baby has outgrown this ribbon so you may have it. I hear that Madame MeowMeow's smallest pet is fascinated with ribbons so perhaps this might be something to consider."

Juniper then handed over the ribbon to me and I took a good look at it. It wasn't anything fancy but was straight to the point. At least it wasn't damaged or anything otherwise she'd have been embarrassed at ripping me off. Still, I knew where this was going but first I needed to have a word with Chancellor Neighsay, who had been watching the entire time. He certainly didn't look the part as his facial features clashed with his clothes yet it couldn't be helped. As I approached, he began looking around and acted all fidgety but perhaps it was simply nerves because of having so many children in his life.

"You must be the proud father."

"Yes, I suppose you could say that." Chancellor Neighsay said. His voice didn't match the part either. He sounded like someone who had lost all the joy in his life and was trying real hard to make it work only it wasn't well... working out. "I saw that you gave my wife that Yoshi Doll. I appreciate you wanting to give that up to make my littlest one so happy. I knew there were still good people out there in the end. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I am Papahl. My wife over there is named Mamasha. And you are?"

"I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"And I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle." Princess Twilight added.

Chancellor Neighsay looked at us both with a confused look. "Princess!? Your fairy is a princess? Will wonders never cease. On a similar note, I've never seen a fairy up close before nor has anyone in the village. In fact, fairies are very rare creatures on Koholint Island so seeing one hover around you means you're someone very special. By the way, you should know that later on, I'm going to be lost somewhere on the Tal Tal Mountain range."

"I'm sorry, what!?" I exclaimed.

"Later on, I'm going to be lost somewhere on the Tal Tal Mountain range."

"I heard you say that, but why?"

"I honestly don't know why." Chancellor Neighsay said, shrugging his shoulders. "No doubt that you are going to end up paying a visit to those mountains so I might as well give you something to look out for. The Tal Tal Mountains can be a treacherous climb especially without a proper means of swimming as well as possessing that fish-like key. But, you don't need to worry about me. I've got everything I need for the journey so it's just a matter of you getting to me."

"When do you plan on leaving on this journey of yours?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Not at the moment as I still need to take care of Mamasha and the kids."

"So then later on?"

"Most likely."

"You also mentioned a key."

"A fish-like key." Chancellor Neighsay said. "I've heard rumours that such a key exists on the island and serves as the way to solve the puzzle of the waterfall. I've never found this key nor do I plan on trying to look for it. If you want to then go ahead. I won't stop you from trying. Now, I need to get prepared for my mountain trek, but I do have one word of advice when it comes to finding me. Bring along some vittles for me."

Since there was nothing else for me to do, I thanked Chancellor Neighsay for his 'words' and took my leave of their house. Why would he choose to get himself lost? That made absolutely no sense at all. Being a heroine sometimes was a strange occupation as it involved dealing with eccentric characters but helping people out was what I did. At least I got some information from him, namely, the fish-like key he said could solve a puzzle involving a waterfall. It sounded like it was something I'd have to deal with later but not right now since going to the mountains wasn't in my current plans.

With the ribbon in hand, I could now give it to Wallflower's pet that was looking for a new accessory. Walking back down and towards her house, I began thinking about whether I should leave Mabe Village and check out the Tail Cave since I had the key to open it up. As much as I wanted to keep checking out the village, I needed to progress with this adventure otherwise I'd never get anywhere or move closer towards going home. Reaching Wallflower's house and entering the other door, I immediately noticed the remains of some kind of animal though what it might have been was a mystery. (Good thing Fluttershy wasn't here to see that.)

In the middle of this house was a small bowling-ball like creature that was half Bow-Wow's size. In hindsight, I should've asked Wallflower as to what kind of 'dogs' her pets were as it'd save me some time trying to figure that out on my own. Walking up to it, it surprised me by speaking instead of barking which was what I expected. "Welcome to my house! Aside from my owner, no one else has ever come in here. I'm CiaoCiao! Can I tell you something?"

I nodded. "Um... sure...?"

"Makeup! Jewels! Dresses! I want it all!"

"But aren't you a 'dog'?"

"Sure, but I can have fantasies like everyone else."

"I guess so."

"Oh, and some new accessories would be nice." The little creature then noticed the ribbon in my hand and began barking. "Oh! That ribbon! That's exactly the kind of accessory I need to make my feel good. Give it to me! If you do, I'll give you my dog food which is in this can."

If not for the fact that she said 'can', I wouldn't have agreed to such a trade. But, she did and that was enough for me to hand over the ribbon. CiaoCiao, as she called herself, placed the ribbon on her head (Or in her case the back of her head) and handed over the canned dog food before she resumed doing whatever it was when I came in. Even though this was dog food, meat was meat regardless so now I had something to give to Bulk Biceps in exchange for some bananas. Hopefully, he'd be okay with this otherwise this trade was a bust. Good thing this can hadn't been opened as the strong smell would've made things awkward.

Now it was time for me to go to the Tail Cave. Turning right, I walked across the village, reached the library, turned left and headed south as though I was going to the beach, but instead of jumping to the lower ledge, I went left and along a line of trees that served as a border. It had been a while since I came this way so I forgot about the Octoroks. Case in point, one pelted me with a rock and I raised my shield to protect myself from further attacks. Swinging my sword, I defeated each Octorok in one hit with one dropping a green rupee that I picked up until I reached a series of holes in the ground.

Since I couldn't jump over them despite actually being able to (Those restrictions again), I had to walk the long way around which meant dealing with a couple more Octoroks, and also cutting some bushes just to see if there were any rupees hidden within them. Walking back past the holes but now from the other side and going south, I turned left and discovered a cave entrance that was sealed shut with iron bars. Three statues were located out in front with each depicting a weird green blob-like creature with a long tail, the same one that was on the key I found in the Mysterious Forest.

"Could this be it, Twilight?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Those statues have the same tail shape as the Tail Key from the forest."

"That's what I thought." I said as I took out the key from my pocket and looked at it and the statues for comparison. "Guess we might as well open up the cave and find out what's waiting for us inside."

"There should be a keyhole on one of those statues."

A quick search revealed that the keyhole was located on the base of the middle statue. Placing the Tail Key into the lock and turning it before pulling it back out, the keyhole disappeared which was followed by a rumbling sound. I thought it was an earthquake at first but it was actually two iron bars dropping down granting me access to the cave. There was no turning back for me now. I had to go inside and find the instrument Flash Sentry mentioned when I encountered him after getting the Tail Key. Stealing myself, I walked forward and down some stairs into the Tail Cave.

As I entered, a name appeared in my head telling me that this was 'Level 1. - Tail Cave'. "What do you think, Twilight?"

"No doubt about it, Sunset." Princess Twilight answered. "This has the familiarity of a dungeon like the ones we went through before."

I wanted to moan but I knew that Her Highness was right. It also explained why Flash Sentry was so keen on having me come here in the first place. Legend of Zelda games were known for their dungeons as being places players had to go in order to acquire new items, defeat powerful monsters, and obtain key items that were necessary in order to reach the end. They were essentially hurdles that needed to be overcome. I didn't know how many dungeons were on Koholint Island but I knew that I was going to be tested by them. Sighing, I began looking around and seeing what I could do.

The entrance room featured eight statues, four on each side in an L-formation, of one eyed creatures that I couldn't even begin to imagine what they were. Two ways forward presented themselves, one to the north and one to the west. Both ways could be fraught with danger but this was part and parcel with being on this journey. I wished that I had a map of some kind because walking around without was something I'd rather not deal with. Since this was Level 1, it should be an easy dungeon... in theory. Even something easy could become pure disaster if I wasn't careful.

"Which way should we go?" I asked Princess Twilight.

"That's for you to decide. This is your adventure after all."

"You're on it too you know!"

"Yes, but I'm your fairy partner who guides you." Princess Twilight answered. "You're the heroine so you have to choose where we go." I wished she didn't have to tell me the truth like that, yet she was once again correct. Ganondorf wanted to put me through this in his bid to make me his servant and he was doing a good job of things so far (Note the sarcasm here in my thought process).

"Might as well go left."

"Alright, but be careful, Sunset."

Entering the room that was to the left, I raised my shield upon seeing two monsters with large shells that covered their entire bodies save for their eyes and feet. "Not even less than five minutes into this place and already we run into monsters." I swung my sword in hopes of defeating them quickly only for it to bounce off. I tried again and the same thing happened. "My sword is completely useless against them."

"These are Hardhat Beetles." Princess Twilight said though she had to speak up to drown out the sound of my shield being banged into repeatedly. "Their thick shells render them immune to most physical attacks. Explosives work exceptionally well against them. Even though your sword can't hurt them, you can use it to push them back under they are either out of your way or pushed into the abyss."

"My sword won't break will it?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "That sword is pretty sturdy so I doubt it would shatter. Besides, this is the first dungeon. Encountering something that could break your weapon this early in the adventure would be really unfair now wouldn't it?"

With this piece of information, I began swinging my sword against the Hardhat Beetles and sure enough, they got pushed back until they dropped into the abyss. As I watched them plunge into the infinite darkness, my heart started beating quickly. I didn't want to end up like those monsters so I moved away from the edge only to hear something fall from above and landing behind me with a soft clinking sound. Turning around and looking down, I saw a key which must have fallen when those monsters were knocked into the abyss. From what I remember, this key was needed to open up a locked door somewhere.

Entering the next room, the door immediately locked behind me. "We're trapped in here!"

"Calm down, Sunset."

I did some quick breathing to calm my nerves. "Sorry, but the door locking behind us caught me by surprise."

"Something in this room is preventing us from leaving." Princess Twilight then noticed a treasure chest positioned in front of two statues. "That chest could also unlock the door if you open it, but it feels too easy since it's just here without anything guarding it."

"A trap?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Most definitely. I'm going to say a monster or two are hiding and are waiting for you to move towards the chest. I know it's not an actual trap otherwise we could see some kind of mechanism in place. Better keep your shield raised just in case."

I took several steps forward and several Green Zols popped up from the ground. Sure, they weren't strong on their own but together they were annoying. As I began to cut them down, they bumped into me which was when I realized that the Guardian Acorn I picked up back in the Mysterious Forest had long since worn up. I thought it was still in effect but their attacks proved otherwise. As I defeated the last one, it dropped a green rupee and the door also unlocked. I then opened up the chest and took out a Compass. This could show me certain things on a map but without said map it was useless.

"Better keep this Compass regardless of its lack of functionality right now."

"Ah, but it has a new feature."

"What do you mean?"

"This Compass will make a tone indicating any keys within the rooms we visit." Princess Twilight answered. "It won't reveal their locations but you won't be going around quite as blind as you were before. Also, it reveals the location of the boss monster though that will definitely require a map."

I stand corrected. Pocketing the compass, I walked back to the entrance of the Tail Cave before heading north through the door I didn't originally take. The instant I entered this room, the Compass made a slight dinging sound indicating that there was a key somewhere in this room. Two Red Gels were flanked either side of me and a Hardhat Beetle lurked on the other side of a weirdly shaped hole. I also saw a button which practically begged me to active it and see what happens. I dispatched the Red Gels with ease since they were relatively weak and waited for the Hardhat Beetle to scoot itself around to the other side.

A couple more hits and it was knocked into the abyss where it plunged into the darkness below. With that problem solved, I walked around and pressed the switch which caused a treasure chest to materialize via a dropping twinkling star (A very nice effect in my opinion) up in the top right corner of the room. Opening the chest, I took out another small key. While I was hoping for a map, another key wasn't necessarily bad though I was curious as to how many keys I'd need to unlock every door in this dungeon. From there, I headed east through the door next to where the chest appeared and entered the next room.

This room featured two Keese as well as two sets of bones that suddenly got up and began moving around. "That's something you don't see everyday."

"That is a Stalfos." Princess Twilight said. "When you try to attack them, they like to leap backwards in order to avoid your sword. Aside from that, they will do their best to avoid you and won't ever attack. There are other kinds of Stalfos out there who behave differently so I'll be sure to inform you when we run into them."

About time I faced a monster that didn't want to attack and was more about self survival. One swing took care of both Keese though I had to chase after the two Stalfos as their constant jumping made them annoying to deal with. Luckily, they had basic intelligence and could easily be backed into a corner (I actually did that). One sword swing was enough to defeat each one and another chest appeared as a result which I opened. Inside was a Map which I gladly took before unfurling it and seeing what kind of layout it had. Now I understood why it was called the 'Tail Cave'.

"This map is in the shape of a blob with two eyes and a tail!"

Princess Twilight then looked at it. "Quite an interesting design choice. Sunset, thanks to that Compass, we can now see the locations of all treasure chests." Her Highness pointed to a skull located near the tail's tip. "That must be where the boss monster is lurking. If our previous adventure taught us anything, it's that we'll need a special key in order to access it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was guarding the instrument Flash Sentry mentioned.

"At least this is a small dungeon."

"Yes, but future ones are bound to be much larger."

Sighing, I knew that would be the case. Pocketing the map, I turned my attention to a panel in the door that had an outline of a figure on it. "This looks like one of those revolving doors that you always see in those movies on television." I quickly altered the subject in case Her Highness didn't understand what I meant. "Or rather that you see in ancient ruins."

"Like at the Castle of the Two Sisters!"

"Just like that." I said smiling. "I think with enough pressure, I can get us to the other side, but there was that other pathway in the previous room that could house something useful and maybe bring us back to the other side of this panel by taking the long way around. Let's just say that I want to avoid as much backtracking as possible." Looking at the map again, the panel lead to another room so we weren't going to be trapped or anything. "I'll check out the other room."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Fair enough, Sunset. Just let me use some fairy magic to mark this panel's existence on the map in case you want to check it out later." She concentrated and used a tiny magic burst to create a mark which didn't burn the map. "Were you worried? Don't be! I've used magic like this before on even smaller things and with way less power. I'll tell you more about it sometime if you remember to ask."

Heading back to the previous room, I continued going west and entered the room beyond that though I had to avoid the Hardhat Beetle which had since respawned. In this next room, four Keese immediately attacked but by quickly raising my shield, I blocked their efforts and managed to take them down with a few sword swings. No... I wasn't being complacent due to how weak the monsters were. I knew that stronger ones would show up sooner or later. What I was facing so far was merely a warm-up for what was to come. Defeating all four Keese unlocked a door (I hadn't noticed until it rose upwards nor the one that locked behind me upon entering) but first I wanted to observe my surroundings.

Apart from the four statues in the middle, the entire outer edge of the room featured cracked floors. I merely ignored it all and entered the next room which was much bigger in scope than the previous room and I was blocked by two dark crystals. This was a blessing since on the other side of the crystals was a long segmented worm like monster bouncing back and forth between four statues via sliding on the floor. Princess Twilight explained that we were looking at a Mini-Moldorm. Unlike bigger versions which had strong shells protecting their bodies, the small version lacked this which made it vulnerable. It was erratic in its behaviour so I had to be cautious.

She also brought up other monsters and obstacles in the room. Ahead of us was a locked door but 'guarding' it was a Blade Trap. According to Her Highness, these traps were placed into the dungeon a long time ago to catch unexpecting adventurers off guard. The blades were sharp and also indestructible so avoiding them was all I could do. Near a treasure chest was a Spark, a monster that clung on walls or other surfaces and moved around rather quickly. Most conventional means didn't work but Her Highness said that a certain item worked well against them, an item I lacked.

Breaking the crystals, I got hit by the Mini-Moldorm before I could block it with my shield. I had no idea how much damage I had taken and was starting to feel weak but I had to keep going despite my pain. Swinging my sword in a fit of desperation, not only did I connect with the Mini-Moldorm, I also connected with a Keese that had flown nearby defeating both at the same time. From there, I decided to unlock the door and take my chances rather than fight off additional monsters with low health. Dodging the Blade Trap, I unlocked the door and entered a room that had a very unique fixture.

"Is that... a statue of an owl?"

"Yes, but it seems to be missing its beak."

"I wonder if that's important?"

"The only way we'll know for sure is to perhaps find where it is and see what happens." Princess Twilight answered. "Because of that hole in the ground, you'll need to walk around if you want to reach that door on the other side."

"But it's sealed shut."

"I'm sure we can figure out how to unseal it." Princess Twilight then noticed my exhaustion and immediately addressed it. "You really need to get some hearts otherwise you're going to die." Going... to die? It had begun sinking in as to one of the bigger drawbacks of being on this adventure. "Okay, those hearts are now top priority!" She began breathing heavily and was mere moments from hyperventilating but she quickly calmed down. "Sorry about that, Sunset. I know you've been in this position before but I can't help but be worried. Maybe defeating those Red Gels will give you some hearts?"

"Let's hope that they do." I'll be honest... I didn't like being on death's doorstep either. It was a reminder that Ganondorf wanted me to suffer to the point where I would swear fealty to him in exchange for ending my pain and succumbing to power's temptation. In addition to the two Red Gels, there were two additional Sparks moving along several blocks acting as obstacles. Hitting any either of them would most likely mean death and I had to avoid that at all costs. Walking along, I waved my sword around and attracted the Red Gels to come closer before attacking. Each dropped a heart which I gladly picked up. Crisis averted!

Avoiding the first Spark and barely avoiding the second, I walked back the way I came until I reached the closed door and the owl statue. Without the beak, it definitely looked weird but why not have it to begin with? "Twilight?" I began. "Does it sound like this statue is trying to say something?" Pressing my ear against it, it sounded like words were trying to be spoken through the hole but I couldn't make anything out.

Princess Twilight then did the same thing and nodded her approval. "This statue could be another means of providing you with advice. Between it and Discord, I feel like my own
usefulness is starting to take a hit."

"I'll always need you, Twilight." I said smiling.

"Thanks, Sunset." Princess Twilight responded by smiling. "But to be fair, I don't know everything so this statue could have information beyond what I know. Again, if we can find a beak for it, we can hear what it's trying to say." She then looked at a few additional blocks by hovering around them. "You know... I think this statue would've told us how to solve this puzzle though honestly, it's easy to figure out."

I looked at them myself and pushed the one that didn't match up resulting in the door unlocking itself. "Guess that could be considered a freebie huh?" In the future, it wasn't going to be quite as easy. Entering the next room, I saw what I thought were Hardhat Beetles but these had spikes on their shells. "What can you tell me about these?"

"Those are Spiked Beetles. Unlike their 'cousins', these ones have even stronger shells so no amount of swordsmanship is going to work." Princess Twilight answered. "But, you can use your shield to flip them over thus leaving them utterly helpless. Don't move towards them. Let them come to you instead."

One of them then suddenly began running towards me so upon raising my shield, it bounced off of it and landed on its back where it flailed about helplessly. On the one hand, I felt bad for taking advantage of this weakness, but on the other hand, I didn't have any other choice. In these fights for survival, such tactics were considered. Slashing it with my sword, it was still flailing about which meant at least two strikes were needed. Hitting it again, the Spiked Beetle disappeared in a puff of smoke (All monsters did this by the way) but then the other one charged at me. I raised my shield just in time where it bounced back, landed onto its back, and flailed as I struck it twice.

This caused a flight of steps to appear. "Guess we have to go down to the next level." I then noticed another owl statue embedded into the wall. "I'm going to take a guess here and say that statue would've told me about flipping those Spiked Beetles over with my shield." Ignoring the holes, I walked downstairs and entered an underground tunnel complete with old rickety ladders, wild vines growing out of control, torches on the wall, and platforms. That's when a familiar enemy appeared from under the platform I was standing on. "Now wait just a minute here! A Goomba!? Seriously!?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Goombas are Mario related enemies, not Legend of Zelda related."

Princess Twilight had no idea what I was talking about so this time I had to be the one to explain a monster. Goombas were the most common enemy in the Super Mario Bros. series of video games. (Some of my favourite video games no less) not to mention the most basic. Seeing them here in this world felt completely out of place. Then it hit me! BowWow... CiaoCiao... they were both Chain Chomps, another Mario enemy. How did I not recognize something so obvious!? Ugh! I slapped my forehead so hard, it left an imprint of my hand on my face. Did that mean other Mario enemies were elsewhere?

Upon finishing my explanation, Princess Twilight comforted me and I smiled back. She always had her way of making me feel better... both versions of her. I couldn't let such a gripe cloud my judgement as it'd cause me to make careless mistakes. I then noticed that the platforms were arranged so that I could jump from platform to platform, but without being able to jump, it felt like an oversight or something. In any case, I dropped down to the ground and stepped on a Goomba, flattening it. It left behind a recovery heart and I collected it even though it wasn't needed since I was at full health.

For the remainder of the room, I climbed up and down ladders, slashed Goombas with one sword strike, and dropped down once or twice before climbing up a ladder which took me to another room. I had no idea where this was on the map so I took it out and glanced at it. According to the map, I was now on the bottom left after coming from the top left. Also, this path was nothing but a dead end so why even bother with such a design? Unless... this was intentional and something of great importance was at that dead end. I might as well have a look since it shouldn't take long.

Walking north, I came upon a recovery heart, but it had wings and was floating above me just out of grabbing range. I ignored it and kept on going and immediately stopped when two Blade Traps from either side collided with each other with a loud clank. As they moved back into position, I walked by them and up to a treasure chest flanked by two torches and surrounded by the endless abyss. Opening it, I was disappointed to find that it contained a feather. Really!? A feather!? Was this some kind of joke!? I had every mind to throw it into the darkness below but then I suddenly felt rather light.

"Were you thinking of throwing that away, Sunset?"

I slowly nodded. "I was but as I continue to hold it in my hand, I feel lighter than I've ever been."

"That's because you've picked up a Roc's Feather." Princess Twilight said. I looked at it and couldn't believe what she said. Rolling her eyes, Her Highness continued. "This feather is from a legendary creature that possessed special powers revolving around flight. If one were to hold one of its feathers, they would feel as light as the air itself and be able to jump great heights when they couldn't before. If combined with speed, you could even jump across the longest gaps with ease. Of course, I don't know where you'd find something capable of providing more speed."

"You mean... I can finally jump?"

"Yes."

"About time."

Princess Twilight chuckled. "And you were going to throw away such a valuable treasure."

I blushed. "Okay, so I didn't think things through there."

Again, Princess Twilight chuckled. "It's one of your many charms that I admire."

"Heh..." I blushed again only to quickly shake my head to regain my composure. "Anyway, I need to try out this Roc's Feather and I know exactly on what." Walking back, I used the feather to jump over the Blade Traps and did so with a flip. Upon landing, I felt absolutely invigorating. "That, was, awesome! The flip makes it extra cool! Good thing I'm used to doing such things otherwise that would've made me sick." Heading back , the flying recovery heart was still there so I jumped and grabbed it. Landing wasn't an issue since the height gained wasn't much but it didn't really need to be.

Going back down the stairs, I simply jumped from platform to platform, flipping each time, and generally enjoying the experience. At the end, I climbed the ladder and back into the room where those Spiked Beetles were (They hadn't respawned) and it was there that I knew not to play around with my new item. I had to be serious now and use it appropriately in order to progress and also reach things I couldn't get to before. Also, I didn't need to constantly hold onto it. I could still fight and do other things whilst having it in my pocket for safe-keeping and use it when needed.

In the next previous room, I jumped over the abyss, skipping the two Sparks and headed back into the large room with the Mini-Moldorm. I jumped over both it and the Blade Trap before turning left and approaching a treasure chest which was being protected by another Mini-Moldorm and a Spark. As soon as I got close enough, the Mini-Moldorn charged at me but I managed to deflect it with my shield but it was persistent. It charged again but I used my sword to defeat it. Since I couldn't defeat the Spark, I waited for an opportunity to open the chest, and when it came via the Spark moving to the other side of the chest, I opened it, took the small key and moved back when it came back around.

Jumping over the second Spark, I walked towards a locked door but there was a Stalfos and two Keese in the way. The Keese went down quickly but the Stalfos jumped backwards to avoid me only to get trapped in a corner by the door. Two hits were enough to defeat it where it dropped a rupee that I picked up. I was then about to press on when another chest materialized behind me where the other one was. It was backtracking but at a very basic level so I could let it slide. Walking back to this other chest and jumping over both Sparks, I opened it and took out a red rupee.

Princess Twilight said it was worth twenty rupees so I made back some of the money I spent at the Trendy Game Shop. Before moving on, I took out the map and looked at it again to see what remaining rooms I hadn't yet explored. Her Highness noticed two locks located in this very room. "It looks like we have a choice. Either we unlock one door or the other. Since you have both keys, it comes down to making a choice."

"Hmmm..."

"Either way, there will be a little bit of backtracking."

"We should unlock this door first." I said, pointing to the lock on the map that was in front of us. "Might as well see what the unexplored rooms contain before coming back and going the other way. There aren't many rooms left to explore in this place so it's safe to say we're almost finished.."

"Don't be too cocky, Sunset. You never know what lurks in those last rooms."

"Agreed."

Walking back the other way again and jumping over the two Sparks again (It may have been repetitive but it was necessary for me to get used to using the Roc's Feather) and unlocking the door, I entered a room with the abyss cutting me off from reaching the next door. But... since I had the Roc's Feather, I could just jump across without worry. There were two more Sparks and a Stalfos present but I ignored and went for the north room since something about it seemed off. Upon a closer look in this room, it was the weird floor that made me suspicious in addition to three weird looking creatures that defied normal convention.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 5: Kidnapped!

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 9, 2019.
Chapter 5: Kidnapped!

The three creatures were round in shape with blue feet and lacked pupils in their eyes but it was the symbols on their chests which were their most striking feature. Four symbols would rotate every second and I immediately recognized what they were: a club, a diamond, a spade, and a heart, what you'd find on playing cards. Aside from this distinction, they weren't attacking me or anything but rather just pacing about. As I continued gazing upon them, I could see an owl statue behind them. If my suspicion was correct, it would tell me how to defeat them which kind of ruins the purpose of the statue being there in the first place.

"I hope you're not a fan of gambling, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"The thought never crossed my mind." I said.

"In a way, these creatures give off the impression that you are gambling on getting the right symbol to show up." Princess Twilight giggled slightly and I couldn't help but chuckle a little myself over her attempt at a joke. Pinkie Pie had obviously been a strong influence on her. "These are called 'Three-of-a-Kind', a rare monster that only show up in specific places as a means of testing people. Do you see the symbols on their chests?" I nodded and she continued explaining. "Whenever you hit one, it will come to a stop as well the symbol on its body. If you can match them up, they will all be defeated at the same time."

"It's like playing poker."

"I thought you said you weren't a fan of gambling?"

I shook my head. "I'm not but I did study about the game for a school project once. Three-of-a-kind is a reference to a hand one can play in a game of poker." Her Highness then looked at me with a disappointing glare which made me very uncomfortable. She didn't believe what I said about the project so I needed to prove it. "The idea wasn't mine! Rainbow Dash thought about it and we all agreed though Applejack was concerned. We didn't actually gamble since we're underage and all but considering what we do with our magic, we do essentially play a game of poker with our lives being on the line against our own will."

"You didn't need to give me an explanation."

"It's all I could do to explain myself."

"I believe you, Sunset."

"Really?"

Princess Twilight smiled. "Of course I do. I know you and your friends wouldn't do anything that made you question your own ethics. Me and my friends have the same kind of moral code although ours is tested way more often than we would like. After all, we deal with magical problems every day, sometimes several times while your group probably deals with such things maybe every other day or once a week."

What Her Highness said wasn't wrong mind you. Me and my friends didn't face as many problems as she and her friends did, but in some ways I wasn't upset about it. Sure, I'd love to deal with more magic based problems but considering what Her Highness endures isn't probably good for the stress levels, I'm probably lucky that my problems don't come up quite nearly as often. Still, I do yearn for a challenge. Just not something like this where my life is constantly in danger from creatures and circumstances well beyond my comfort zone. Equestria was dangerous but not this dangerous!

Moving towards the Three-of-a-Kind, none of them paid any attention to me other than continuing to move back and forth. I then struck one where it came to a stop and the symbol on its chest displayed a spade. Striking the second one shortly after, I was disappointed when its symbol displayed a diamond which meant I had to try again. Since it didn't matter at that point, I struck the last one where it displayed a club causing all three to reset themselves. I tried again making sure to strike them at just the right time resulting in two with hearts and the other with a spade.

They reset again and out of frustration, I struck all three at once giving me a diamond and two clubs. Okay, this was way easier than I was making it out to be. I should've done this in one attempt, two at the most yet this was just making me more and more mad. Breathing heavily, I calmed down and assessed the situation carefully. Timing was obviously key and I needed patience for it. Focusing my strength and swinging my sword whilst allowing my arms to lead the way, I struck each Three-of-a-Kind one by one with each one's chest symbol stopping on a diamond which caused all three to disappear at once.

"You did it, Sunset!"

I breathed softly. "I just needed to remain calm and let my body do the work. Still, that should've been way easier than it was." I then stopped talking as a treasure chest materialized next to the owl statue and upon opening it, I took out what appeared to be a beak made of stone. "I guess this must be the Stone Beak for those statues." I took a closer look at it and it appeared cracked in one or two places. "I'm guessing this only works here and in no future dungeon we come across?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "That is most likely going to be the case. We should treat this Stone Beak like a Dungeon Map or Compass and expect to find a new one each time. Now that we have it, we don't really need to use it since we figured out those other hints on our own." She then looked at the statue that was in this room. "You know, out of curiosity, do you want to know what this statue is saying?"

"I've been wanting to do just that."

"Oh?"

"I want to know if my suspicion was right." I answered. Walking up to the owl statue, I pressed the Stone Beak up against it and was taken aback slightly when its eyes glowed and it began speaking. 'Turn aside the spined ones with a shield.' My heart sank as that wasn't what my suspicion was. Then again, being given a hint for the very thing you had to do would've been both stupid and impractical. "I thought it would bring up those creatures."

"Maybe not but at least we now know how to use those statues."

"I guess so."

"By the way..." Princess Twilight began. "I've been meaning to inform you of something I noticed a while back in a previous room." Her Highness then dove into my pocket which made me react with a shock before she pulled out the map and unfurled it. "Sorry about that. Ahem..." She began combing it before pointing excitedly at a room I hadn't accessed. "I noticed a cracked wall at this point earlier! If you had a bomb, you could blow up the wall and gain access to that room. It does have a treasure chest which may or may not contain something useful for the dungeon or for later."

"What about that other lock in the big room?" I asked. "There was a chest beyond that as well."

"Looks like it's a toss-up between the two."

"Not really." I said as I showed my lack of bombs. "Without any bombs, that sealed room is off-limits. If I remember to come back here with some, I'll check that room out but for the time being, we should use my one remaining key on that lock." Grumbling under my breath, I should've gone to an item shop and inquired about purchasing some bombs. Surely there was such a shop back in the village. "Well, we might as well do that backtracking I dislike oh so much."

Putting the Stone Beak in my pocket, I walked back into the previous room where the two Sparks continued to move around the room. I ignored them and went back into the large room which was where Princess Twilight said the cracked wall was located. I was tempted to check it out but decided otherwise since without bombs, it would've been pointless not to mention a waste of time. Where the Stalfos and Keese were previously (They hadn't respawned yet) by the now unlocked door was a path on the other side of the blocks which would lead to the other lock.

Walking around to the other side of the blocks, I kept going until I reached a gap which would've prevented me from progressing further, but since I had the Roc's Feather, I could jump over it. Before doing so, a Hardhat Beetle came charging towards me so I swung my sword and kept pushing it back until it fell into the abyss. From there, I jumped across the gap and came upon a most curious object. According to the map, this was the lock that required a key but it was merely a block with a lock engraved on it. I'd never seen anything like this before in my previous adventures so I expected that such a lock would come up later on in future dungeons.

I thought about sticking the small key into the top of the block but then I noticed that there were slots on each side. Since it didn't matter which slot I used, I inserted the key into the leftmost slot. The block glowed for a brief moment before disappearing allowing me to continue on to a chest. It had to contain a key since the Compass made a noise (Something I had completely forgotten about until it made that noise) to inform me as such. Whatever was in there must be important as why else protect it with a lock? Opening the chest, I took out a much larger key. It had horns and a red jewel embedded in the center.

"That is a Nightmare Key." Princess Twilight announced. "With this, we can open the door that leads to the Nightmare's lair."

"What is a Nightmare in this context?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"I guess using your fairy magic to access information about this world doesn't provide you with all the answers huh?"

"No, it doesn't."

I then had a thought cross my mind. "Do you think anyone in the village knows what a Nightmare is? Or maybe Flash Sentry might be a better choice to ask. I mean, he seems to know an awful lot about this island, perhaps more than Discord himself." As I stared at the key, it felt like my heart was being gripped by something powerful as though it were warning me about what was waiting for me beyond that final locked door. "Guess we should go back and find out for ourselves."

"It appears to be our only option."

Placing the Nightmare Key in my pocket (Again, I just had this feeling of dread), I began the short trek back to where I was before. Since I was still in the same room, I didn't have to worry about fighting any monsters, but when I got back to the room where I needed to jump across to progress, the Stalfos had respawned and began jumping about. Rather than go out of my way and attack it, I simply ignored it and the two Sparks before jumping over the abyss and continuing on. Upon entering the next room, the door locked behind me but before I could access things, something rolled into me causing me to trip and fall onto my butt.

Getting back up, I looked down and saw that what tripped me up was a bar covered in spikes that stretched from one side of the room to the other. But, it was the pink creature on the other side that definitely caught my interest. Judging from the expression on its face, it was the one who threw the spiked bar at me. Despite having a derpish looking face, this thing looked intimidating. It lacked any feet so perhaps it couldn't move but since this world had already surprised me time and time again, I couldn't even trust my own instincts. What I did know was that this was going to be a fight.

"Are you okay, Sunset?"

"Yeah!" I answered as I rubbed my butt. "That spiked bar just came out of nowhere you know?"

"This creature is different from the others so far." Princess Twilight said. "It's not a boss monster nor is it a regular one but rather a sort of mid-boss. The way forward and backward is blocked so you've no choice but to fight Spike Roller." She quickly turned to face me. "That's the name of this monster by the way. That spiked bar will cause you damage but you have the Roc's Feather now so you can jump over it. Whenever it pushes that bar, you can jump over and attack it but it will jump around in an attempt to get to this side of the room. It will then push that bar the other way and rinse and repeat."

"Not as bad as I thought."

"I think this fight is meant to test you on using the Roc's Feather."

"Isn't it strange that we're two rooms away from this Nightmare?"

"Yes, but don't expect this to happen in every dungeon."

Spike Roller then pushed the spiked bars with its hands causing it to roll along the ground towards me. This time, I was prepared for it and jumped over it with the Roc's Feather prompting it to start jumping about in its bid to reach the other side of the room. Surprisingly, it was way more agile than its appearance suggested not to mention being able to leap quite the distance despite not having feet. I swung my sword and managed to hit Spike Roller twice (I'd have connected more often if not for it being out of range) before it reached the other side and immediately pushed the spiked bar back the other way.

I wasn't ready to dodge the bar this time and it tripped me up again. As I landed on my butt, Spike Roller jumped past and to the other side of the room and pushed the bar again. I barely got to my feet and jumped over it as Spike Roller came back the other way repeating its attack pattern. One thing I hadn't noticed before until now was that every time it landed on the ground, it would make a squishing sound which made me shudder. I've heard some weird sounds before but nothing quite like that. Swinging my sword, I hit Spike Roller three more times which is when an idea came to mind.

Just before it pushed the spiked bar, I ran up and jumped over it enabling me to continue the assault. For a 'mid-boss' this wasn't difficult at all but I knew that there were stronger ones waiting in future dungeons. It was best not to be cocky otherwise I'd be inviting death upon myself. When I hit Spike Roller this time, my blows accidentally pushed it forward and over the spiked bar which it most definitely wanted. It pushed the bar and I jumped over it when it began making its way back by jumping. Okay, this was really starting to get annoying.

While I enjoyed getting to use the Roc's Feather in a combat scenario, I wanted to end this fight on account that it had dragged on for too long. Spike Roller reached the other side of the room and pushed the bar only for me to jump over and accidentally ran into it. On the one hand, I cursed myself for being careless since I had been doing a decent job of avoiding it entirely. On the other hand, its body was incredibly slimy. Good thing Rarity wasn't here otherwise she'd have freaked out on me. Luckily, my blunder proved to be advantageous and I managed to hit it a few more times which turned out to be enough.

Upon the last hit, Spike Roller came to a stop and began shivering whilst the spiked bar also stopped. It then began to explode in an array of purple explosions before blowing up completely in one final explosion along with the bar disappearing into thin air. This caused both doors to open in addition to a strange portal appearing in the center of the room. My focus was on the fairy that appeared where Spike Roller had exploded and I picked up and felt immediate relief. As for this portal, it looked safe but I wasn't entirely sure. Since I didn't really see any problems (Famous last words), I stepped into the portal and it whisked me away.

Opening my eyes, I discovered that it had brought me back to the start of the dungeon. "Well what do you know?"

Princess Twilight was elated over what I had done. "That was warping magic. Sure, it's on a more basic level compared to unicorns and alicorns being able to teleport wherever we want, but that was absolutely thrilling not to mention informative from a looking ahead perspective. This warp isn't particularly useful since this dungeon is short, but future dungeons will certainly utilize this magic better. You can use this warp to get back to a dungeon entrance if you feel the need to leave in order to get supplies. It does appear that defeating a mid-boss is required so finding one has now become a priority."

"Do you think it's one warp point between two locations per dungeon?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Makes sense otherwise it'd be too easy."

"So, do you want to leave the Tail Cave and get some supplies?"

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. "No, I think I'm ready to take on whatever this Nightmare is." Checking my sword arm, it was shivering ever so slightly but that's because my nerves were acting up. "Grabbing that fairy after defeating Spike Roller was worth it otherwise I'd have strongly considered leaving. Hopefully, this Nightmare isn't as difficult as we're making it out to be."

"Only way to know is to face it."

Stepping off the warp (I had to do this in order to use it again which made no sense) and stepping back on, I warped back to where Spike Roller was and entered the north room where I immediately jumped over two Blade Traps that almost sliced me apart. "Wow! That was way too close!"

"Guess this place still has a couple more tricks up its sleeve." Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head and pointed at a special looking lock. "Well... At least we now know what the door to the Nightmare's lair looks like." She also noticed a stairway behind four statues. "I don't know what could be down below but perhaps it's best not to find out. Then again, we might get an answer once we go inside and confront this Nightmare."

Walking around the statues and jumping over the remaining Blade Traps, I took out the Nightmare Key, inserted it into the lock, and unlocked the door before opening it. In the next room, there was no sign of anyone or anything. It was an empty room though the floor had four holes in each corner with cracked tiles in-between. In front of me was another door sealed firmly shut and the one behind had now been sealed as well. "I was expecting something but this room is completely empty."

"There has to be something in here."

"But where?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "I don't know where but I can definitely sense a presence in this room." Suddenly, a large shadow appeared in front of us and Her Highness immediately warned me of it. "Something is on the ceiling and it looks like it's dropping down from above.

The shadow got bigger and bigger until a massive shape landed with a thud that dust rose up from the ground upon impact. Princess Twilight and I were looking at what appeared to be a bigger version of the Mini-Moldorm. Unlike that one, this one had more sinister looking eyes and a shell protecting the end of its tail. This was the Nightmare! I had no doubt about it and yet while I was putting on a brave face, a part of me wanted to flee and not look back. I knew that I shouldn't be afraid and yet I couldn't help myself. Was this an unforeseen power exclusive to it or did the other Nightmare possess it?

"So this must be Moldorm?" I whispered.

"It makes sense given the similarity to the small version."

I then realized something I hadn't noticed before until now. "The Tail Key! The map of this dungeon! Those statues outside! They all bear a resemblance to this thing! Why did I not put two and two together until now!?"

Before Her Highness could say anything, the Moldorm decided to speak instead. "BUZZZZZ! BUZZZZ! OUTZZZIDER!"

"It can talk?"

"Apparently but only in crude terms." Princess Twilight answered.

"OUTZZZIDER! DESTROY OUTZZZIDER!" Moldorm said. So far, it wasn't moving or anything so perhaps it was waiting for me to make a move? Then again, it could be pacing itself before making a move. Or it could be something else entirely. In a battle of wits, the Moldorm was clearly winning. "YOOOU ARE OUTZZZIDER! BUZZZZ!" Without warning, it began moving around, its segmented body shimmying about which made it look both difficult and awkward. I then noticed that the shield on its tail opened up to expose a glowing ord. That had to be the weak point but I was more concerned with its movement.

"Okay, now what I do?" I asked as I raised my shield in hopes that it doesn't come my way.

"You saw how that orb on its tail appeared right?" Princess Twilight asked. I nodded and she continued. "That's the only weak point that Moldorm has. If you try to hit it anywhere else, it won't do a thing. Also, every time you strike that weak point, it will increase its speed for a while but will eventually calm down. It will eventually keep that speed as an act of desperation so be prepared for it."

"Anything else?"

"Those cracked floor tiles."

Before I could say anything, Moldorm slithered along and pushed me back because of my shield and onto a floor tile. It immediately cracked and I scrambled to reach a safe tile. I had no idea what was down below and I'd rather not know. With my shield raised again, I began breathing heavily since that was a close call. "Okay, you were saying?"

"You pretty much did all the explaining for me."

"Lucky me!" I said whilst moaning.

"Aside from one thing." Princess Twilight said. She then told me to get out of the way as Moldorm slithered by and I barely managed to avoid contact with it. "If you fall, you should end up in the basement below. Those stairs we saw in the previous room connect to said basement." Her Highness was pretty sure of herself about that but I chose to trust her judgement as I knew she wouldn't give me false information. Falling down below means you'd have to come back here and try again, but it would mean Moldorm resets. Meaning if it had been wounded prior to your drop, its health would be fully restored."

"Oh come on!"

"This is a boss monster and that means it's going to hurt a lot if it hits you."

Given my low health overall (It was full but low in that I didn't have many hearts), Moldorm could kill me in a few hits so I had to really play things carefully. When it slithered by me again in a bid to push me back, I struck the weak point on its tail. It definitely had an effect since it immediately curled up before stretching back out, but then it began speeding up and was gunning for me, its weak point now closed. I tried to jump over Moldorm with the Roc's Feather but was knocked back by its body before I could make the jump. Ouch! The knockback pushed me into the wall and I moved away in case another floor tile cracked open.

Moldorm kept moving fast until it slowed down and its weak point opened up again. From what I could tell, it was trying its best to attack me but because of how awkwardly shaped it was combined with the battlefield, I had the advantage albeit a small one because of it wounding me. Raising my shield, I moved in closer and swung my sword only for the weak point to elude me. It wasn't really trying to keep it from me so it came down to just being lucky. Swinging a few more times and failing on each one, I took a crazy risk by jumping back and forth across the room a couple of times.

This confused Moldorm and I struck its tail again but it was clearly not happy about it. "BUZZZZZ! DIE OUTZZZIDER!"

"Is that all you can really say?" I asked.

"BUZZZZ! YOU MUST DIE OUTZZZIDER!"

"Best not to provoke it." Princess Twilight said.

"Agreed."

Good thing I heeded Her Highness' advice as Moldorm sped up again and came right towards me. With my shield, I was pushed back a few times only for the floor tile I got pushed onto cracked causing me to drop into the abyss below. Luckily, my reflexes were either incredibly sharp or it was just pure dumb luck as I grabbed the edge and pulled myself back up. Good thing Moldorm had moved away otherwise I'd have likely died from being unable to defend myself. Moldorm slowed down again, its weak point exposed once again but I wasn't about to mess around after almost having to start over again.

Striking its tail, it turned red and began moving around at top speed with no signs of slowing down. Her Highness said that this would happen when it was in an act of desperation but what she didn't mention was how its tail was now completely exposed. I'd say one more hit was enough to defeat Moldorm but now the battle had just gotten much harder because of its change of tactics. Moldorm continued moving about but began focusing its attention squarely on me. Jumping over it, I then tried jumping back to confuse it again but it knew what I was doing and slammed into me as I landed.

"Sunset!" Princess Twilight cried as I slammed into the wall and landed on a regular tile.

"I'm okay." I groaned as I slowly got back up.

"I forgot that you endure a lot of physical punishment on these adventures."

"Heh... It builds character."

"Among other things by the looks of it."

Sarcasm aside, Princess Twilight knew that I was barely holding on so I needed to finish this fight now. Moldorm continued to move around at top speed and showed no signs of caring as to where it was going. Stealing myself and my shield raised, I opted not to use the Roc's Feather as it was proving ineffective now against Moldorm. I began following it around as best I could making sure not to go too far since one more hit would kill me or at least knock me out. Swinging my sword whilst keeping my distance, I kept failing to connect and began panicking until a random sword swing actually did connect.

The final hit first caused Moldorm's tail to shatter followed by each of its three segments to explode one at a time before its head started exploding numerous times before disappearing in a final explosion. This unlocked both doors but I was more interested in the giant heart that dropped down from above and landed in the center of the room. If I remembered correctly from previous adventures, defeating a boss monster resulted in a Heart Container which would make me stronger as well as survive much longer. Grabbing it, the warmth it gave my body was most appreciated and I felt like I could do anything.

"That... Could've gone better." I said as I dusted myself off.

"You did it, Sunset!"

"Not without your guidance, Twilight."

"What are teachers for?"

I laughed. "You still are my teacher despite how far I've come." I then took on a serious look. "If that Nightmare was that difficult, I hate to imagine what the others ones are like. I think things are only going to get harder from here. At the very least, that Heart Container increases my chance of surviving whatever comes our way next." I then looked through the final door of the dungeon. "Guess the instrument Flash Sentry mentioned must be in there."

"A given seeing that Moldorm had been guarding it."

Entering the final room of the dungeon, the door locked behind me, but my eyes were clearly focused on what lay in front of me. Sitting on top of a raised platform was a cello that twinkled despite there being no light in here aside from various torches. Walking up to it, I couldn't help but wonder as to its exact purpose on this island. Flash Sentry only said for me to come in here and collect it. He never mentioned anything about why it was necessary. Another thought then crossed my mind. Would I have to play it? I could play the guitar but any other instrument? That was a pretty tall order."

Picking up the cello, I looked at it. "Okay? Now what?"

"I don't know." Princess Twilight said. "I assume we can leave but with the door locking us in, I'm not sure how we can do that."

"You have received the Full Moon Cello!" A familiar voice said as it echoed throughout the room. Suddenly, a flashing light shone from behind me and I whipped around to see what was causing it. Someone then stepped out from the light and stood before me wearing a beautiful white gown, white high-heeled shoes, and was giving off a warm radiance. "Are you two surprised to see me?"

"Princess Celestia!" Princess Twilight and I both exclaimed. We knew this was Princess Celestia as she had wings coming out from her back despite lacking her horn. Her hair shimmered about though I wondered how she was taking the fact that she had a human body and not a pony one.

"How wonderful to see you both again." Princess Celestia said. She then glanced at us both before taking a second look. "So this is what you look like when you are in the other world you call home, Sunset. No doubt it took some time for you to get used to not having hooves. I'll admit that I was surprised at first when I saw myself with this form but I have since gotten used to it. And you, Princess Twilight... To think that a fairy form is what you were given."

"Hang on..." I began. "You have your actual memories?"

"Princess Twilight informed me of your 'adventures' Sunset and how many of us were dragged into these worlds without us remembering anything afterward when you changed things back to the way they were." Princess Celestia answered. "For some reason, I have my memories although I am also restricted in that I must carry out a specific function. To think that you, my former student, must endure such hardship as this. I wish I could accompany you but I am unable to do so."

"Sunset? Do you think this is Ganondorf's work?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded. "No doubt about it, but since we don't know the full extent of his power, we can only guess as to his intentions."

Princess Celestia then spoke up. "As I said, I am unable to come with you. I can only provide you information on the instrument that you have acquired in addition to guiding you to where you need to go next. And I'm not the only princess who has been trapped like this. Both Princess Luna and Princess Cadance await in future dungeons for you two. They will offer guidance like I am but with restrictions.

"Will we see you again?"

"You will." Princess Celestia answered smiling gently. "I will appear again in Level 4 so know that we will meet again. Now, allow me to fulfill my purpose for being here. You have collected the first of eight instruments that are necessary to awaken the one who sleeps within the egg. While this instrument on its own won't do much, it will serve its true function once all of them have been collected. I believe a certain Flash Sentry can provide more information."

"So where do we go from here?"

"Swamp..." Princess Celestia began answering. "A path opens... in the blooms. Your next goal is there but you will need something special in order to reach it. Though you might not understand it right now, you must go back to the village. Once there, all will be revealed." She then began fading away. "It looks like my time here is over but you now know what must be done next. Do not be concerned for my well being. We shall meet again later when you reach the fourth level. Now... Listen to the tone of the Full Moon Cello and reflect upon the journey that now opens up before you."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Princess Twilight said.

As the princess disappeared, the Full Moon Cello began to play on its own. The music coming from it made both of us feel incredibly warm as though we were floating away on clouds and we continued to be mesmerized by it as everything went white. When I woke up moments later, I found myself back outside of the Tail Cave. Despite not entering that one room due to having no bombs and enduring a powerful Nightmare, I'd say the dungeon experience was a pretty good one. Now that I knew where we were going next, I decided to going back to the village would come second as I needed to make a quick stop over at Bulk Bicep's place.

Heading back to the main route, I suddenly stopped upon hearing the sound of a familiar bird. Flash Sentry then appeared on his owl and landed on a lone tree. "It appears you succeeded in acquiring what you sought from the Tail Cave. What you hold in your possession is an Instrument of the Sirens."

"Instrument of the Sirens?" I repeated.

Flash Sentry nodded. "Yes, a sacred instrument imbued with a great power. I must admit, at first I did not believe you were real. I thought that you were nothing more than an illusion meant to confuse me and all those who dwell on this island. But, I know that you are indeed real for you have achieved a task no one has ever done before. That instrument, along with the seven others in the set, has the power to awaken the Wind Fish."

"That explains it then."

"Without all eight, the Wind Fish will remain asleep."

Princess Twilight then spoke up. "We were told that our next destination is a swamp."

"Ah yes." Flash Sentry said. "I know what the spirit princess speaks of. Listen carefully! You must collect all eight instruments. I was instructed to give you directions so allow me to explain what the spirit princess mentioned to you. Your next goal is north, beyond the Mysterious Forest, in an area called Goponga Swamp. There awaits the Bottle Grotto! But, you properly reach it, you will need a power that is beyond human."

"What can you tell us about the Nightmare?" I asked.

Flash Sentry didn't say anything which made me wonder if he either knew and refused to say or he knew nothing and was as in the dark as I was. Before I could question him further on the subject, he commanded his owl to take to the sky and soon disappeared over the horizon leaving me and Princess Twilight with many questions but no answers to them. At least we knew where to go next but I wished he had explained what the Nightmare was. Goponga Swamp... I'm no stranger to swamps since I explored one in the last adventure and Equestria had its share of swamps scattered around the land so this was going to be nothing new for me.

"What do you think, Twilight?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of not being given answers to all of our questions. I'm glad that both Princess Celestia and Flash Sentry have told us where to go next but it's just so annoying that the latter said nothing about the Nightmare."

"Like you said, we can't learn everything at once."

"The Nightmare is different!"

"True since we've defeated one but I guess we'll either have to ask someone else or hope that Flash Sentry addresses it next time."

"So... we're going back to Bulk Biceps?" Princess Twilight asked. "Let's make it a quick trip since Princess Celestia said we need to go back to Mabe Village and even though she is the princess--and the ruler still--we should follow her advice if we want to progress this adventure."

I rolled my eyes. Princess Twilight needed to relax a little when it comes to assuming the throne once Canterlot has been repaired. Sure, becoming the next ruler after the current ones had done so for over 1,000 years is nothing short of extreme stress but I know Her Highness can do it. Besides, she'll have her friends for support in addition to Spike so it's not like she's going to be on her own during her reign. I am curious if she will wind up taking over for Celestia with the School for Gifted Unicorns. If Celestia is retiring as she said she would, Twilight would inherit the school as well as the throne. That should definitely make her happy.

Heading back to the main route, I defeated the Octoroks who had respawned due to me being in the Tail Cave for so long. One or two of them dropped rupees which I picked up but aside from that, I had no trouble getting back and going south towards Toronbo Shores by jumping down from off the ledges to make it quicker. Reaching the beach and ignoring the monsters, it didn't take much longer to reach Bulk Bicep's place. Walking into his home, he was still standing by his boxes of bananas but now he was busy drinking out from a coconut that was on a nearby shelf.

Upon seeing me, he waved with his free hand. "YEAH! Good to see you again!"

"It's been a while hasn't it?" I asked.

"No one has been by since you came so I wonder if I'm doing something wrong?" Bulk Biceps shook his head hard and laughed. "Nah! I'm guessing the villagers just can't deal with all those monsters running all over the place. "YEAH! Surely business will end up booming before I know it." As he talked, I took out the can of dog food I acquired from CiaoCiao and he immediately took notice of it. "Hey! What have you got there?"

I showed him the canned food. "Is this what you wanted?"

"YEAH! Oh yeah! That's it!"

"Um... this is dog food you know."

"To me, any food in a can is food for my belly!"

I shuddered at the thought of giving him dog food but he was very insistent about it. I knew that I shouldn't since it was nothing short of humiliating for the poor guy, but those bananas were going to be useful according to what he said before, and I couldn't refuse him since he was being so generous. I decided to ask him honestly. "Do you really and truly want to eat dog food? I'll only ask this of you once."

"For heaven's sake, man, give that to me! YEAH!" Bulk Biceps kept on nodding as though the dog food was absolutely vital to his survival. "Please? I'm going to lose it if I can't get that can off of you! YEAH!" I couldn't say no after that little display. Handing over the can, he smiled as he held it in his hands. "Thank you! YEAH! I'll take that!" He then tossed the can into the air before eating it whole without taking the dog food out of it. I was going to say something about eating the can but I decided otherwise since he looked really happy. "YEAH! That was great! Best food I ever ate!"

"Glad you're happy about it."

"Since you went to all that trouble, here are those bananas I promised you." Bulk Biceps then walked over to his banana hoard, grabbed a bunch, and walked back over before handing them to me. "These bananas will definitely get the attention of those monkeys over by the castle. Oh, and be sure you say hello to my brother for me. It's been ages since I last visited but you know how business can get. YEAH!"

Taking my leave after thanking him for the bananas, I began to go back to Mabe Village. As I made my way back, I couldn't help but wonder why he wanted dog food. It was canned food like he said he wanted but dog food!? I don't think I'll ever live that moment down because of it. He also ate the can which was a whole other thing. Defeating more Octoroks whilst going the long way, one of them dropped a Guardian Acorn which I grabbed though in hindsight, why couldn't I have gotten one before Moldorm!? Fighting it would've been way easier if I had one with me at the time.

Sighing, I continued on my trek to Mabe Village but when I approached the outskirts, something was clearly wrong. I could hear the sounds of panicked voices everywhere and they were calling out for help. Had something happened during my absence? I slapped my forehead upon thinking that. Of course something happened! Why wouldn't it? Entering the village proper, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were both jumping up and down in a mad panic. When they saw me approach, they immediately raced towards me and began speaking over each other in hopes of getting my attention.

"You're back!" Applebloom shouted.

"Thank goodness you're back!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"It's terrible!"

"It's awful!"

I then interrupted them. "Calm down! Both of you! Now, tell me what has happened."

"It's serious, like really serious!" Applebloom said.

"The Moblins... They came to the village." Sweetie Belle said.

Princess Twilight then whispered to me about the Moblins as she had more to say about them. While they were known for frequenting forests, they also existed in other areas as well though not places suited them. Despite their lack of intelligence, they were courageous beings who always fought until the very end even if it meant being killed. She also said that in many cases, Moblins were lead by a chieftain or boss who was bigger and had a commanding presence. Then I began thinking about it. What if my actions in the Mysterious Forest attracted them here? Had I been the cause of this unfortunate incident?

Applebloom then continued. "At first, them Moblins were all lookin' 'round tryin' to see which places they could attack. There must'av been at least ten of 'em! We were all hidin' 'cause none of us can stand up ta them. Then they all decided ta go to the house. I can't believe this is happenin'! It's gotta be a dream or somethin'."

I could tell Applebloom was distraught since she was confusing her sentences. "Why did they go to the house?" I asked Sweetie Belle.

"They did something horrible there." Sweetie Belle answered. "They wrecked the place and were laughing about it while we all cowered in our homes. Then they did something over at BowWow's house! I know Madam MeowMeow is fine as she's been in a panic since those Moblins left. But, those Moblins... BowWow!" She began to calm down. "You know, I think you should go over there and speak with her about it."

"Please! Ya gotta help her out!" Applebloom shouted.

"I think you're Madam MeowMeow's best bet."

At least I now had an idea as to what had happened. Moblins had attacked the village but didn't destroy anything. Monsters were usually known for causing destruction although that wasn't always the case. Some of them were misunderstood as people didn't understand them which resulted in the stereotypes associated with them. In this case, the Moblins had clearly caused some destruction yet why visit two locations and then leave? It made no sense. In any case, they had paid a visit to Wallflower Blush so I raced over to her house to see what she had to say.

She was screaming but upon noticing me, Wallflower calmed herself. "It's terrible! My precious BowWow! He was dognapped by... Moblins! I don't know why they decided to target my home but all they took was him. Why!? He had caused them no harm! I know this is awfully sudden but I need someone, anyone, to find BowWow. To think that he is the Moblin's prisoner in their lair."

"Do you know where I can find this lair?" I asked.

"Are you going to find him?"

I nodded. "It's what I do."

"Oh thank you!" Wallflower shouted. "I know that the Moblins come from beyond the Mysterious Forest, but I'm afraid I don't know exactly where. With the forest teaming with monsters these days, going through the forest is a fools errand only foolhardy people would attempt to cross." She then thought of an idea. "But, I believe Grandpa Ulrira would know where those Moblins are hiding. He knows much about Koholint Island but he doesn't like speaking in person. Perhaps you should use the telephone in the village and ask him for help. Please! I'm practically begging you to bring BowWow home!"

"I'll get him back."

"I'm at my wits end!"

Leaving Wallflower (I didn't want because of the circumstances but I had to because of the circumstances) I was slowly piecing together what happened as I made my way over to the telephone in order to talk to Discord. Moblins had kidnapped BowWow for reasons not yet known and that they live somewhere beyond the Mysterious Forest. Since there has been no ransom note, either the Moblins haven't sent one or are too stupid to have done it. I'm going to believe in option one since they had to have intelligence to pull off a kidnapping during the late afternoon hours. Arriving at the telephone booth, I went inside and picked up the phone.

BBRIINNG! BBRIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho!" Discord answered from the other end of the phone. "Hello, this is Ulrira!"

"Do you recognize my voice?" I asked.

"Ah, you're the one who called me earlier."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Yes, and I need your help about something regarding Moblins."

The sound of a rocking chair echoed through the phone as Discord began thinking about what I asked of him. "Moblins you say? Hmmm... Yes... I can tell you plenty of things with regards to Moblins. But, I don't think you want to hear me drone on since it sounds like you're in a hurry. D'oh ho ho!"

"Is that so?"

"Oh yes, but you can't access the mountains unless you can jump."

I paused for a moment before speaking. "Seriously?"

"Holes dear girl!" Discord answered. "Holes prevent you from getting there but you can if you can jump, d'oh ho ho! You sound like an adventuring type so surely you know exactly where to go from here. I hope that is what you wanted to know! Don't go falling into any holes now!

CLICK!

Putting the phone down and leaving the telephone booth, I frowned at Discord's choice of words as well as his attempt at making a joke. Despite that, at least he provided me with directions on where I could fine the Moblins. Good thing I had the Roc's Feather in my possession otherwise BowWow would forever be lost and Wallflower would be devastated. Having to backtrack through the forest wasn't my idea of fun as backtracking was something I despised so much, but I didn't really have much of a choice unless I could somehow warp around the island thus cutting down on time.

Princess Twilight suggested I go through the forest as soon as possible but I decided to go back to the Trendy Game Shop. Her Highness thought I was being self-fish for wanting to choose playing a game over rescuing someone's precious pet, yet I told her that the Piece of Heart that was there as a prize could help me eventually become capable of surviving even longer on the island. She said that was a good idea though it could take some time to win since we both knew Ember had been accused of running a crooked game by everyone else. I had the rupees to spend so hopefully it wouldn't take long.

Entering the Trendy Game Shop, Ember was surprised to see me. "Didn't think you'd be back so soon!" She immediately pointed to something on the floor where the Yoshi Doll once stood and I looked for myself. "As you can see, I've added a new prize to be won. Never thought I'd actually get to put out anything new again." It was an exact likeness of CiaoCiao yet now in figurine form judging from the shine it gave off. "By the way, what was with all that noise earlier? Did those kids cause another disaster or what?"

"Moblins attacked the village and kidnapped BowWow." I answered.

"What!?"

"Nothing else was taken."

"Then what the heck are you doing in here!?" Ember exclaimed, her voice clearly addressing her anger. "You should be going after those Moblins and bringing BowWow back, not wasting time here playing games! I mean come on! You're a hero aren't you!? Then do your job!"

"I came here to win that Piece of Heart."

"What, you mean that thing?"

I nodded. "I'm not leaving until I get it."

"Then here, take the thing!" Ember left her desk, ran up to the Piece of Heart, and tossed it my way where I grabbed it. "Normally, I don't give away stuff for free but you need to go and rescue that dog right now! I mean come on! What the heck are your priorities here!?" I was surprised that Ember clearly was putting the priority of an innocent soul ahead of earning money from her game. "Why are you still here!? Get going already!"

"Um... thank you?"

"I'll let this freebie slide because of the current situation." Ember said as she calmed down and returned to her desk. "But don't expect me to do this again. I have to earn a living like everyone else you know. Be glad that I'm nice unlike the shopkeeper next door about stuff like that." She flicked her hand constantly which meant she wanted me gone but what she said had me curious so I inquired about it. Moaning, Ember continued. "Fine! I'll tell you! That girl has a really weird temperament. You buy from her, everything's fine. You steal from her, you'll wind up paying the ultimate price."

"As in death?"

"That's what they say anyway." Ember answered shrugging her shoulders. "You don't look dumb enough to actually attempt to steal anything. Hey, don't think of that as an insult but rather a friendly warning." Her hand flicking got really intense and I knew she was out of patience. "Now get out of here and save BowWow! Oh, and be sure to come back here later. I'll have something new for you to win."

Why was I not surprised that Ember would do a shameless plug for her business. Oh well. It was her way to ensure that I would come back later and I had every intention of doing so as there could be one or two more items I wanted to win. I wouldn't know what until she had restocked. Leaving the Trendy Game Shop with an unexpected freebie in hand, (At least I didn't spend any rupees) I wasn't going to delay things any longer. BowWow needed to be rescued and I had a pretty good idea as to where the Moblins were hiding. I began heading towards the entrance to the Mysterious Forest.

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CRRACCCKKKLE! FWOOOOSH!

"You wished to speak with me, master?"

"We are very upset right now, Hot Head."

"What do you mean?"

"Our first Nightmare, the Moldorm, has been destroyed by the Outsider. We felt its evil essence fade away into nothingness when she delivered the final blow. We thought that it would defeat her but it did not live up to our expectations."

"Moldorm was weak anyway."

"Explain this to us."

Hot Head gulped. "Well, you see, master. Moldorm lacked any real intelligence and was all about making noises and generally being a nuisance. The fact that it was one of us is shocking if you want my opinion. No wonder the Outsider took care of it so easily. Compared to the rest of us, Moldorm was pathetic."

"We created the Moldorm to protect the Full Moon Cello."

"And it failed at that."

"So you are saying that we are at fault for creating a flawed Nightmare? That we placed our faith in a worthless creature? That we made a mistake!? Perhaps you should have been used instead of the Moldorm to guard the cello. We would've given the Moldorm a far greater distinction. Perhaps we should destroy you now and create something new to guard the drum. Yes, we like that idea very much."

"Wait! Wait!" Hot Head exclaimed. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm your best Nightmare by far."

"We have trouble believing that."

"I shall protect the drum with my very existence."

"We know because that is the reason for your very being. With the Moldorm gone, only seven Nightmares remain to keep the dreamer asleep. That is still plenty for our desires to remain fulfilled but the Outsider must be dealt with. We cannot allow her to continue acquiring the remaining instruments. Hot Head, you shall communicate with the Genie at once and command them to end her life."

"And what of you, master?"

"We shall wait until the night creeps across the land. Then, we shall visit the Outsider in her dreams. We wish to see what kind of person she is. In our mind, she is not a concern for us and is beneath our notice. We shall weaken her resolve, shatter the confidence, and whatever remains shall be easy for the Genie. The monsters... They must become more enraged at the thought that the Outsider invades their world. If the Nightmares will not do then the lesser ones must carry out our task. Either way, she must be stopped at any cost. Come... Come forth nightfall and allow darkness to blight out all light in its wake."

"As you wish."

"We shall remain the masters."

"Yes."

"Let none awaken the dreamer."

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Unlike my previous excursion through the Mysterious Forest, this latest attempt wasn't nearly as long. For one thing, I had a much clearer idea of where I was going. Second, I knew how to take care of the Moblins. Still, backtracking wasn't my favourite thing to do and I knew it would happen again in the very near future. As I went through the forest, I picked up a glowing upside-down triangle called a 'Piece of Power' according to Her Highness. She said as long as the effects continued, damage I inflicted to monsters doubled and would even be pushed back upon being hit.

The thought was one I didn't appreciate though. As much as I liked the idea of having more power to defeat monsters, it made me fearful of what Ganondorf wanted, making me his devout servant and embrace power. The 'Piece of Power' reminded me of his Triforce piece and I doubted that it was a coincidence. Hopefully, I wouldn't acquire this kind of temporary ability all that often. I much preferred having a defence increase seeing as I took a lot of damage. Her Highness did say I couldn't have both a Piece of Power and a Guardian Acorn at the same time since one would override the other.

When I reached the tree blocked by three boulders, I thought about heading left since I didn't go that way before, but my heart was telling to go right towards Koholint Prairie since it was a familiar area to me. As I left the forest and the shadow lifted from me to reveal a beautiful sunset, I knew that I had to rescue BowWow before the sun went down otherwise I'd exhaust myself from a lack of sleep and eventually be forced to rest. Who knew what horrible things the Moblins were doing though come to think of it, I wondered if BowWow was in fact taking card of them since he was quite vicious.

"Okay, we're back in Koholint Prairie." I said.

"When we were here before, we could only go in the direction of Trixie's hut." Princess Twilight said. "But now that you have the Roc's Feather, we can go north with you jumping over those holes that previously blocked the way."

"And I can get that Piece of Heart as well."

"I still can't believe Ember gave you that other one for free."

"It wasn't my fault you know, Twilight."

"No, I guess not." Princess Twilight said as she shook her head, her eyes closed. "I'd say it was Ember's compassion towards BowWow that made her realize that she needed to help you along by forcing you out of her shop and giving you what you needed. You never know what someone might do when under the right conditions. Now, Discord said the Moblins live in the Tal Tal Mountains. According to the map of Koholint Island we saw back in the library, those mountains are north from here. I'd say we're on the right track, Sunset. It also means caution is needed here as the Moblins might be preparing for your arrival."

"How many of them do you think there are?"

"We won't know until we get there."

"Might as well just take it for what it is then." I said. I then jumped over the gap heading north, grabbed the Piece of Heart which immediately gave me the familiar warmth that I loved so much, and leapt over the other gap before walking forward and stopping. "What is that over there on our left?" Behind a boulder was what appeared to be a swamp like area filled with stranger water, even stranger vegetation, and looked to be sharks swimming about in said water.

"That must be the Goponga Swamp that Princess Celestia and Flash Sentry told us about."

"Guess we have to get access to it from the other side."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Most likely. Once you have the proper strength, you can easily access the swamp from this side." She then bopped me on the head once again to get my attention (I didn't mind her doing this as it often proved very useful). "Look over there, Sunset!" I looked and saw a cave entrance that featured an animal-like skull above it. "That must be where the Moblins have their base of operations."

"I hope you're ready for a siege."

"I've had more than my fair share of those."

Walking slowly towards the Moblin's hideout in case there was an ambush, I noticed a different kind of owl statue a few meters away from the entrance. Unlike the ones that we saw in the Tail Cave, this had a beak and wasn't embedded into the wall. I was curious as to what it had to say so I walked up to it. 'THE WIND FISH IN NAME ONLY, FOR IT IS NEITHER'. I had no idea what that meant nor did Princess Twilight but we didn't have time to ponder over the meaning if there was one. We were about to enter the Moblins' hideout, BowWow's fate now rested on our shoulders.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 6: Into the Swamp.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 11, 2019
Chapter 6: Into the Swamp.

Breathing, I steeled myself and entered the Moblin's lair. For a place that was supposed to be their base of operations, there was hardly anything in there. No tables, chairs, beds, or even the most basic of fixtures. It was merely a cave interior. Perhaps they had only just recently moved in? Or they simply didn't care for such things? Whatever the reason, I had to focus on rescuing BowWow and returning him safely to Wallflower, who must have been beside herself with grief. My one concern was how big of a cave system their lair truly was. I could be exploring it for hours on end all while dealing with hordes of Moblins.

Speaking of which, I was greeted by one Moblin who was surprised that I had come through the front door. "Ennh? Who's this suspicious-looking runt!? How did you manage to find our lair so easily?"

"I just followed the clues and that was it." I answered.

"You're stupid to have come here alone!"

"If anyone is stupid, it's you guys for kidnapping a dog!"

The Moblin certainly didn't handle that well. "Those townsfolk are cowards for not wanting to come here so they sent you instead? We're glad that they did because now we get to have some fun at your expense. And don't think we'll be overlookin' that insult. You'll wish you hadn't poked your nose where it don't belong! Okay boys! Let's get rid of her!"

It then began charging towards me and I parried with my shield. Was this one Moblin seriously going to fight me all by itself? Also, where were these 'boys' that it mentioned just now who were to kill me? Either they were hiding or this Moblin felt pretty sure of its own confidence. In any case, since I had experience fighting other Moblins in the forest, this wouldn't take long. It lunged again with its sword only for me to parry it again and respond with my own sword swings. Two strikes were enough to defeat it and unlock a door that I had only just noticed had been sealed shut.

"That... Was too easy."

"Agreed." Princess Twilight added. "I suspect we'll have a much harder time in the coming rooms. Even though Applebloom and Sweetie Belle told us how many Moblins attacked the village, that was just the raiding party which means this place could be crawling with them. I'm sure you've taken that into consideration, Sunset, so all I can suggest here is to keep calm otherwise they'll completely overwhelm you."

Entering the next room, my heart froze upon seeing four Moblins all with spears. One of them then spoke up. "What the!? Our buddy weren't kiddin' when he said someone suspicious came into our lair!"

Another Moblin added its thoughts. "How did you get past our buddy anyway!?"

It didn't take them long to figure out that I had defeated their fellow Moblin though it was funny seeing them trying to put two and two together. Once they realized what had happened, they began throwing their spears at me. My shield proved invaluable as their spears bounced off harmlessly but because so many were being thrown my way, I couldn't get close enough and counterattack as I kept getting pushed back. It seemed numbers proved effective in this instance which made these Moblins more difficult. I eventually lowered my guard only to quickly put it back up when two spears lodged themselves into my left leg.

Was the pain unbearable? Big time! But, I couldn't stop otherwise they would just swarm over me and that would be the end of it. Rather than trying to fight them all at once, I opted to target one at a time and hoped the rest would keep their distance. Dropping my guard again, I struck the Moblin closest to me twice, defeating it only for the second to hit me in the back with another spear. Good thing I had my sword's scabbard there as that would've killed me in any other situation. Spinning around, I struck the second Moblin and defeated it leaving just two more left.

Their numbers dwindling, you'd think they would've surrendered, but they kept on fighting as though their lives meant nothing. I felt sorry for them because of this. Why not admit defeat and surrender instead of being stubborn about it? Pride meant nothing if you just threw away your life. No doubt these Moblins had too much pride otherwise they'd realize that they had little chance of defeating me. On a side note, the Piece of Power had since worn off so I couldn't taken advantage of its power until I got my hands on another one. Swinging my sword again, the third Moblin was soon taken down leaving me with one more.

Alone, the last Moblin kept throwing spears though since the odds were against it, I kept my shield raised and for a few seconds, watched as its spears harmlessly bounced off with a clanging sound. When it paused to catch its breath, I swooped in and swung my sword twice and that was it. The doors then unlocked but before I would continue on, I had a quick matter of pulling out spears from my leg and back to deal with. Fortunately, the leg wounds were minor so I could still walk about. As for my back... Again, the scabbard saved me from being skewered to death from behind.

Once I was ready, I went into the next room where once again, the doors locked, but my main concern was with who was waiting for me. Princess Twilight had told me that Moblins were often lead by a boss or chieftain and this Moblin definitely fit such a description. Taller than the ones I had seen previously (Also looking more bulkier judging from the belly), no doubt this one was stronger than its brethren. In terms of intelligence, well... The jury was still out on that. As for BowWow... If he wasn't in the next room, then I wouldn't even know where to begin looking as I doubted this Moblin would be willing to tell me anything.

"What!?" The Moblin Boss exclaimed. "How did you manage to beat my boys?"

"I'm not as weak as you all thought I am." I answered.

"Why are you even here anyway!?

"To save BowWow!"

The moment I said that, the eyes of the Moblin Boss squinted. "So... That's what this is all about. I could tell that you were an adventurer on first glance and not just because you've got a sword and shield." It then stomped its foot on the ground as a means of intimidation. "You must be an assassin sent by Madam MeowMeow to rescue the mutt! I never thought she would resort to asking a hired sword."

"I'll give you a chance to surrender!"

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

The Moblin Boss laughed. "Me? Surrender!? Hah! Thats not going happen, girl! To surrender would be a huge disrespect to all Moblins everywhere! You want the mutt? You'll need to get through me first! I've actually been itching for a fight all day!" It cracked its knuckles and adjusted the horns on its head. "You think you can get me!? Wrong! It is I who will get you!" It then began throwing spears which were much larger than what the regular Moblins tossed albeit slightly slower. I swung my sword in hopes of inflicting some damage but it deflected my blows by using its own arms as a makeshift shield.

"This isn't going to be easy, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"I didn't think its arms could bounce my sword swings away like that."

"So long as it knows you're attacking, it can always deflect even the strongest of blows." Princess Twilight said. "No, this doesn't mean attacking it from behind. It will use the same technique if you do. No, this calls for a more unusual approach. See those horns on its head?" I nodded and Her Highness continued. "They aren't just there for show you know. After a while, it will attempt to charge into you using those horns. If you can avoid being skewered and perhaps force it to run into a wall, it should be vulnerable to attacks. The only problem is knowing exactly when it will attack like that."

"Should I keep my shield up?"

"Yes."

"Works for me."

"Patience is the key here, Sunset." Princess Twilight said. "Just wait for the Moblin Boss to charge at you and take advantage when it smacks into a wall. I don't know how much stamina it has so this could take a bit of time."

After throwing several spears, the Moblin Boss then jumped forward slightly only to resume throwing them. Despite being bigger, they were indeed slower so avoiding them without using my shield was an idea I could consider, but I chose to keep my shield out because I didn't want to make any mistakes. After failing to skewer me, it suddenly pounded on its belly whilst making a growling sound before charging straight at me, horns ready to impale themselves into my flesh. I managed to move aside just in time while the Moblin Boss crashed into the wall, landed on its butt, and was stuck in a daze.

Striking it a couple of times with my sword, it quickly regained its composure and began throwing spears at me again. I wasn't fast enough to avoid the first spear which lodged itself into my left arm (This happened to be the arm I had my shield slung on) causing me to wince in pain. I quickly pulled it out and raised my shield as it continued throwing before pounding its chest which meant it would charge at me again. Sure enough, it did just that and like before, it crashed into the wall which dazed it. Striking two more time, it got back up and charged without warning.

The horns barely scraped me but I felt the full force of its power behind its drive. While I wasn't pushed into the wall, the Moblin Boss managed to stop itself from crashing again before resuming its spear throwing. Despite getting slightly hurt, the experience gave me an insight on its attack pattern. If throwing spears didn't work, charging would, and if it were really desperate, continue charging until it was successful. Like Princess Twilight said, this was all about patience. The Moblin Boss charged at me again only to stop halfway, jump back a bit and charge again where I dodged by running to the side and it crashed into the wall again.

Hitting it again, it got back up and began looking around to see where I was before turning around and reacting by throwing more spears. Since I knew the attack pattern, I kept my shield raised and the spears bounced off harmlessly. It then pounded its chest, charged at me and hit the wall when I stepped aside. Landing on the ground in a daze, I hit it two more times when it suddenly fell down and started to explode many times before exploding entirely. It did leave behind a fairy upon defeat which I picked up and both doors unlocked as a result. I had hoped for a final bit of dialogue but it wasn't meant to be.

"It put up one heck of a fight." I said as I recovered my composure.

"You did take some nasty hits along the way."

"I could've done that better."

"Patience ended up being a great ally for you." Princess Twilight said. "The only question that remains now is... Where do you suppose BowWow is? If he's not in the next room and there is more to this lair, we could be spending quite a bit of time tracking him down. Also, you're not exactly in peak condition so being cautious is highly recommended. Either way, I don't think Mabe Village will have any Moblins problems ever again. Without their boss, the rest of them are going to fight for their own survival."

Our question was quickly answered as upon entering the next room: "Hey!" I called out. "There he is!" Chained to a rock was BowWow himself and he looked completely fine despite what he had been through. "At least we don't have to explore any further."

"I'm surprised that they kept him here like this."

"I guess they were afraid he would come after them if he were in the same room they were in."

Princess Twilight floated over to BowWow, who began whimpering in her presence, and pointed at me to come on over. "The last link of the chain is connected to the rock by a form of magic... which does explain how they were able to bring him here to begin with. That same magic should let you bring him along as we go back to Mabe Village." BowWow seemed like he didn't want to go back home just yet as he continued whimpering. "Hmmm... It sounds like he wants to get out and explore Koholint Island."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked as I removed the chain from the rock. "I mean, he's just a family pet and Wallflower clearly pampers him. I can't imagine taking this little fella on our journey to Goponga Swamp since we have to go there once we've dropped him off back home." Upon mentioning the swamp, BowWow began barking loudly and was pulling me towards the door like he really wanted to visit it. "Well, Twilight? What do you make of this?"

"Discord should have an answer for us."

"But the nearest telephone is back in the village."

"Perhaps there is one waiting for us on the other side of Goponga Swamp?"

"You think so?"

"Vignette did say that Discord built many telephone booths across the island." Princess Twilight answered. "That means we're bound to run into many of them as we continue exploring and one could very well be where I said it would."

Despite being a fearsome looking beast, BowWow was surprisingly cute once you got past the exterior. I could tell that he was happy to have been rescued though Wallflower would be even more happy once he was back home where he belonged. I was concerned that some people might not appreciate having a dog like BowWow enter their home so I'd have to be careful as to which houses I visited. While it would be fine in the village, everywhere else was a different story. Headed back through the previous rooms, I exited the Moblin's lair when a familiar sounding bird indicated another appearance from Flash Sentry.

Taking a few steps forward, I looked up and saw his owl landing on a ledge above the entrance to the lair. Flash Sentry then looked down to address me. "Now what do you have with you here, young lass?" As his companion tilted its head, he lurched forward to get a better look. "Hmmm... That is a fearsome-looking animal you have there. I would wager that the monsters of the island wouldn't be able to defeat such a powerful beast. In fact, I'd say it would make rather short work of them."

"I need to ask you something..." I began.

"You now have what you need for Goponga Swamp."

"Can you please answer my question?"

"What is on your mind?"

"What can you tell me about the Nightmares?"

Flash Sentry went silent and for a moment I thought he would give me the cold shoulder again, but I was honestly surprised when he actually provided a response. "There is much that I cannot tell you until much later, but what can be said should be enough to satisfy your curiosity." Not exactly what I wanted but I supposed anything was better than getting no answer at all. "The Nightmares each guard one of the instruments needed for the dreamer to awaken. Each is stronger than the one before it. You can never leave this island until all eight have been bested. While some may be strange, do not underestimate their power."

I wasn't liking the sound of each being stronger than the next. Moldorm proved to be challenging and it was only the first Nightmare. I really needed to become stronger if I were to stand a chance of defeating them. My mind then zoomed in on what Flash Sentry said about having all I needed for Goponga Swamp. I didn't acquire any new items since the Tail Cave aside from BowWow although he was a pet as opposed to an item... wait a minute! Was BowWow required to complete this Bottle Grotto? How could that be? I had to take him back home. I couldn't keep him for a while as Wallflower would truly become devastated.

Thinking quickly, I pitched another question to Flash Sentry. "What should I do with this dog?"

"You will find out when you speak with the elderly grandfather." Flash Sentry answered. Again, that wasn't the exact answer to my question. In fact, he was purposefully avoiding answering them directly and is instead throwing it to either someone else or giving me little details. "He will tell you what you must do. Remember, the next instrument awaits for you in Goponga Swamp."

And with that, he took to the sky again via his owl companion leaving me to think about all he said. On the subject of the Nightmares, he clearly knew more about them than he was letting on so perhaps I could ask him about them next time I run into him. With Goponga Swamp though... He was definitely referring to Discord, the elderly grandfather, as Flash Sentry referred to him as. Why not tell me directly instead of having me speak to someone else? It didn't really matter though as I had planned on speaking with Discord albeit much sooner than I had originally planned.

BowWow, in the meantime, just kept on bouncing around without a care in the world. At first, he was quite fearsome especially since I didn't know what to make of him, but now, I felt way more comfortable and I'm sure he felt the same way. Flash Sentry said something else about BowWow... Oh yeah! The monsters would be afraid of him. Could BowWow defeat any monsters that got in my way? If that was true then he'd be a fantastic asset on my journey. But, Wallflower is waiting for his return and I'd feel awful for not bringing him back to her. With my head held low, I began to make my trek back to Mabe Village.

That's when Princess Twilight bopped me on the head. "Is that Zecora!?"

"Where?" I asked looking around but finding no sign of her.

"Over there!" Princess Twilight answered as she pointed to the east. Sure enough, standing next to a sign and holding a shovel was Zecora. She looked like she was a complete daze as she hadn't noticed us but why was she here of all places? Shouldn't she be hanging out at a graveyard or something? "I think we should talk to her, Sunset. I know we've got to make our way to the other side of Goponga Swamp but Zecora could provide us with more information. Despite her eccentric nature, she's a fountain of knowledge."

"Does she still rhyme?"

"Yes. Why?"

"We might need someone to translate." I said jokingly.

Princess Twilight chuckled. "Oh come on, Sunset! It's not that bad once you get used to it."

"I've only met her a few times and I'm still not used to it."

Walking up to Zecora, she noticed me approach and shuffled her body in order to greet me. "How about that? I am honestly surprised! I didn't think I'd get to see anyone make it out here with these very eyes." Already, her rhyming made me feel confused but Princess Twilight insisted on not letting it get to me. "To reach this place is no mean feat so that makes you a hero that can't be beat. This may come as a surprise but perhaps you can help me out with something." She didn't rhyme that time. No doubt that was because who she was portraying normally didn't rhyme.

"Are you a local gravedigger?"

"I do dig up stuff, yes, but I do not work in the graveyard for it's too rough."

"There's a graveyard here?"

Zecora nodded. "A graveyard does exist near here though I suggest you steer clear. That place is haunted by ghosts who don't take kindly to those who enter their domain. I did hear that a strange place lies beneath it but to gain access to it is near impossible. A special combination you need if you are to perform that little deed. Anyway, my name is Dampé, and my job around here is to dig up interesting stuff." Dampé... I remember now. This was the third time Zecora had portrayed this character so at least there was some consistency. "I would ask you to come right now but you appear to be busy and to ruin that is what I cannot allow."

"Then why ask me for help when you don't need it?"

"Oh I will need your help you see but not until you are free."

"Free of what?"

"Any burdens."

I then looked at BowWow bouncing around me and her words made sense. "Oh."

"You need not worry about making me wait for I am quite patient." Zecora said, her shovel clinking as she adjusted it by shimmying a little. "When you have some time to spare, come and see me in my shack over there." She then pointed to a house that looked like someone had cobbled it together without much thought. It looked more like a stack of stone blocks rather than a house but who was I to question it. "Believe me, you will want to pay me a visit. I can provide you with a lot that will turn you into a real hotshot."

Rather than walk over to her home, Zecora simply stayed put next to a sign that said that her house was indeed over where she said it was. While I was curious as to what she meant about providing me with a lot, but without proper context, I wasn't entirely sure if I could believe any of it. I asked Princess Twilight what Zecora meant and even she didn't quite understand her words. In any case, Her Highness said we should come back here later and would remember this location. To be fair, getting back here would be difficult unless I could find one or two shortcuts to cut down on the time.

Looking up at the sky, I noticed that the sun had finally gone down and it was nightfall. As much as I wanted to find the nearest phone and speak to Discord, I knew that I'd completely exhaust myself without resting. Making sure that there were no monsters, I walked back past the Moblin's lair and near to where Goponga Swamp was (That boulder would keep any monsters on the other side from reaching me). BowWow quickly curled up and fell asleep and I would soon do the same, Princess Twilight landing on my hat and snuggling up into it to keep herself warm. Good thing it wasn't cold otherwise I'd be shivering.

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A few hours had passed and I was still asleep and dreaming about being at home with my friends. I missed them so much and I wished that this journey could be over as soon as possible though knowing Ganondorf, he would make it last as long as necessary in order to make me suffer emotionally. Curse that man! Why couldn't he accept the fact that I was a changed individual who no longer had any inclining of evil within her heart? If I could go back and prevent all of this from happening, I would even though it would mean not remembering any of the experiences that made me a better person.

Ganondorf... One day, I would defeat him for good and end this torment of my life that he was enjoying oh so much. I'd also be helping Princess Twilight, who had also become his victim, and whoever was supposed to wield the Triforce of Power. I don't know when all of this would happen but I would make it happen. As the night continued and my dreams shifted from my friends, to being with Princess Celestia, to experiencing my own graduation and becoming an alicorn princess, something felt wrong. I wanted to wake up but I couldn't as though a dark presence were keeping me asleep.

The dream of me being an alicorn was replaced by a barren wasteland, one where there was no trace of anything other than sand. I tried calling out for help but no one heard me. I was experiencing a nightmare. I was sure of it! Again, I tried to wake myself up but couldn't. The dark presence had ever intention of keeping me asleep until it was done with me. At first, my initial suspicion was that this involved Ganondorf, but it couldn't be him. This presence felt different. It felt foreign, more sinister in its approach, more vindictive.

Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared before me. "Hello?" I called out.

"We have been watching you, Outsider."

"We? Who is this 'we'?"

The eyes soon formed into a face followed by a body that was made entirely of shadow. "We know that you destroyed the Moldorm. Though it was the weakest of the Nightmare, we are angered that you have done this to us."

My entire body froze upon seeing what was standing before me in my dream. Though I had never seen him in person (No one had in well over 1,000 years) I knew all about the stories and believed them to be just that, stories. Standing before me was the legendary Grogar though legendary was a bit of a stretch. Among the evil ones that have plagued Equestria, Grogar was the one who created much of it as legends depicted him as the 'Father of Monsters'. While his power was stripped from him by another legend, Gusty the Great, he faded away into history until he became the focus of many a scary story for fillies.

Discord pretended to be him in order to give Princess Twilight and her friends confidence, but this had to have been the real Grogar. The glowing red eyes and the evil aura that emanated from his body made me frightened though that was the least of my problems and then there was that giant eyeball on his chest. I know the proper Grogar didn't have one of those so this had to be something this version possessed. Despite his imitation, Discord was so terrifying in his portrayal that the other villains were genuinely afraid of Grogar to the point where he controlled their every move. That's how I felt right now. Was this Ganondorf's intention? To have Grogar weaken my resolve through being a nightmare until I either succumbed to the Demon King or be killed by him?

"Who... What are you?"

Grogar, pausing between breaths, squinted his eyes before responding. "We are known as Dethl. We are the Nightmare. You, the Outsider, have come here to ruin what we have set out to achieve. Why did you come to this island? Do not attempt to deceive us or you shall wish you had never been born." Unlike Flash Sentry, Grogar was providing me with some answers although most of them were flying well over my head. "Why was he calling me 'Outsider'? How could I ruin something if I didn't know what he meant? "Our patience is not a strong one, Outsider, so do not push it."

"I was brought here by an evil man."

"Do you deceive us!"

I knew he wouldn't believe that even though it was the truth. "I'm being honest!"

Grogar's eyes began to glow... All three of them. "Very well... You have tested our patience, Outsider, and now you shall suffer for it." I was expecting him to immediately bombard me with nightmares the likes of which I had never seen before, but instead he did nothing which made me wonder if he was all he was making himself out to be. "You are beneath us even though you are interfering with our vision. We shall allow the Nightmares to destroy you."

"You'd rather not have that glory yourself?"

"The Nightmare shall cleanse you from this place and all shall continue as before."

My attempt to get him to take me seriously wasn't exactly working but maybe that was a good thing. I had to know what he meant about me being a threat. I mean sure, my efforts so far on Koholint Island have done a little good but what Grogar was implying made little sense. "Why do you think of me as an outsider?" I asked hoping he'd take the bait and perhaps answer the question. "What could I do to someone like you?"

"Our vision must remain."

"What does that even mean?"

"The Nightmare... They shall end you."

"Oh come on!"

Grogar then began to fade away into shadows. "Outsider... Pray to us that you shall be destroyed soon. Otherwise, we shall not be as merciful as we are now. You do not wish to incur our wrath for it cannot be contained. Be destroyed... All shall continue as before..." I tried calling out to him to explain but he completely disappeared but not before the dreamscape began crashing down around me.

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"WAAAAH!" I yelled as I woke up.

"Sunset!" Princess Twilight exclaimed. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"More than you realize."

I then explained what happened in my dreams to Princess Twilight and upon finishing, she definitely took it the way I was expecting her to. "What!? Grogar!? As in, the ancient monster of Equestrian legend!?" I nodded and Her Highness immediately comforted me. "I wish I could've been there, Sunset. What you experienced is something no one should ever have to endure no matter who they are. Even though Discord pretended to be Grogar, we never did confirm as to what happened to the real him. If he's here on this island and possesses either his own magic or some other kind of dark power, we're in a lot of trouble."

"Didn't you drain the magic from his bell though?"

"Yes, but since this is a different world, draining his bell means absolutely nothing."

"Well that's disheartening."

"Did Grogar say anything to you?"

At first I didn't want to think back on what I experienced during the night. Sure, it was just a dream, but it felt incredibly real to me. If not for the fact that I could wake up, I'd probably be dead or something. Princess Twilight encouraged me into explaining what happened by using what she called her 'friendship charm' and I couldn't say no to her (I knew she made that term up). "He asked me what I was doing on this island and said I was a threat to his vision."

"Did he explain what he meant by vision?"

I shook my head. "Judging from how he was talking, he has every intention of having the other Nightmares kill me and doesn't think I'm going to be a problem."

Princess Twilight flew back and forth as she took in everything I had said. "This does make things more complicated. If Grogar has something to do with the Nightmares, or worse still, be one of them, he's going to become a problem especially when we get much further into this adventure." She continued flying about before stopping and snapping her finger. "We can't really do much about Grogar! I know that sounds bad but we don't really know what's going on here. I'd hoped we'd have gotten answers from Flash Sentry but he's proven to be just as cryptic and I really hate that!"

"Like you said, we can't learn too much too soon."

"There are exceptions!"

Petting BowWow on his head (Or as close to that as possible given his shape) I hopped up onto my feet before clenching my hand into a fist. "We'll just have to worry about dealing with the likes of Grogar later. Right now, we should focus on finding a telephone so we can ask Discord what to do next." I was trying to be as positive as I could despite the nightmare I endure, but it was going to be difficult ignoring Grogar's presence on the island. You could say that he was the Equestrian equivalent of Ganondorf... a truly horrifying notion if there ever was one.

Since I had been all over the island that I could reach with the items and equipment in my possession, the only direction I had yet to explore was beyond the treasure chest that contained the Tail Key. That meant more backtracking even if it was brief since it wasn't far to the Mysterious Forest. As I began making my way to the chest, I continued thinking about everything Grogar said to me. Much of it had sailed over my head because of the cryptic nature behind it, but what was apparent was that I posed a threat and he clearly didn't appreciate my being here despite it not being intentional.

I knew that being told too much too soon often ruined the experience when playing a video game, but Princess Twilight was right when it came to exceptions. Why couldn't anyone be honest with me about Koholint Island? It was just an island out in the middle of the ocean and nothing more... right? Surely it couldn't be housing some kind of dark secret that could ultimately be a massive game changer? Knowing my luck, it was definitely going to be option two, the dark secret. I really should stop cursing myself with these thoughts because all it does is make me very upset.

Entering the Mysterious Forest and quickly dealing with a couple of Moblins, I walked past the tree with the boulders blocking it and thanks to the Roc's Feather, I could jump over to that empty treasure chest instead of going around the long way. At least when it comes to coming back this way, it won't take as long as I could just jump over gaps. Heading west of the chest, the way onward became narrow which made combat more difficult. Case in point, a Moblin was blocking me and there was no way around it. Luckily, its back was turned so two sword wings defeated it and I kept on moving.

Turning to the right, the shadowy veil that covered the forest lifted once again and the trees parted to reveal a new area of the island. As I tried to take it all in, BowWow was barking more than usual. What surprised me the most was him telling me to dig in-between his barking. It made sense that he could talk since that other Chain Chomp, CiaoCiao, talked up a storm, but I couldn't do anything to satisfy BowWow's curiosity. Without a shovel, I wasn't going to be digging any time soon. I didn't even know where to begin trying to find one. I really ought to visit that item shop Ember kept on talking about.

There were many holes to be found in this area so had I tried to progress without the Roc's Feather, I'd have been forced to go back. Since I did have it, I could go further although a house directly in front of me might contain someone who could give me advice. I could also see a telephone booth to my right and I was so happy to find one out here. More Moblins were patrolling the area along with a monster that looked very familiar. It took a couple of seconds to recognize the dreaded Like-Like though it looked more cute than what I had seen on my previous journeys.

"Shall we check out that house, Twilight?"

Shaking her head, Princess Twilight insisted otherwise. "I don't think whoever lives there would appreciate you bringing a dog into their home. We should come back later once we've returned BowWow home to Wallflower. In the mean time, you should watch out for those Like-Likes moving about."

"I already know about them."

"Not these ones." Princess Twilight said. "The Like-Likes of Koholint Island can't eat clothes and shields but they can trap you in their mouths and suck the lifeforce out of you unless you wiggle enough to break free. Ranged attacks work best here as you won't need to get close. Since you don't have any, you'll just have to avoid unless you want to be crazy and try to take them out. Then again, you could always have BowWow deal with it."

"Why would I have him do that?"

"I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise." Princess Twilight answered whilst winking.

Taking her word for it, I moved to the right when a Like-Like began approaching. Without any kind of command, BowWow lunged forward and ate the monster in one go without even batting an eyelid. "Wow! Now that was something!"

"See?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I think BowWow takes his time when it comes to attacking."

"Well, he is rather fickle and he's not your pet so I take it he won't always want to eat something."

"Guess we won't get a chance to experiment since we have to bring him home."

"Let's wait and see what Discord has to say first."

It felt weird hearing Her Highness say that about Discord. In the past, she usually dreaded having to listen to his advice since it was about second guess, misinformation, and him trying to teach a lesson through chaotic means. And this was after he had reformed thanks to Fluttershy. No doubt he would still perform his usual brand of trickery since he was a spirit of chaos but he would be much more mellow rather than being a jerk. I envied Her Highness for having a spirit of chaos on her side. It secretly made me wish me and my friends had our own magical being from Equestria backing us up. Entering the telephone booth and asking BowWow to heel, I picked up the phone and waited.

BBRRIINNG! BBRRIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho! This is Ulrira once again." Discord said on the other end of the line.

"I'm glad you answered." I said.

"Oh it's you again, the one who likes listening to an old man prattle on." Discord said as he rocked back and forth in his chair. "You must really be having trouble if you keep on calling me in hopes of getting advice. I'll continue sharing my knowledge with you but hopefully some things you can figure out without my help."

"I've rescued BowWow!"

"Is that so? Just give me a moment." Discord said. Even though I couldn't see him, I could hear the sound of someone shuffling along the carpet, calling out to someone, and then talking in words I couldn't understand. This kept going for a couple of minutes before the shuffling occurred again and Discord spoke again. "Sorry to have kept you waiting there. I just went and called over Madam MeowMeow to tell her the good news. D'oh oh oh! Never have I seen her so happy. I thought she was going to cry like a leaky faucet or something. Anyway, she wanted to give you a message."

"And what's that?"

"She will give you a proper thank you when you get back to the village... but after you've taken BowWow for a walk."

"Come again."

"Take BowWow for a walk."

I frowned. "Seriously!?"

"It's what Madam MeowMeow told me to tell you." Discord answered. "I mean, she would likely have taken him for a walk but since you were in the right place at the right time, she figured you wouldn't mind taking him for a walk." He then began chuckling to himself which made me a bit annoyed. "Oh don't worry. It's only for a short walk and then you can bring him back home to her."

The idea of dog-walking wasn't really new to me, but I've never had to walk a 'dog' quite like BowWow before. It's a shame that in her panicking, Wallflower never mentioned anything about what her pet liked. I couldn't really blame her though she didn't know what to do at the time. Since Discord had just been speaking with her, perhaps he could tell me about where to take BowWow for a walk without me going back there and asking her directly. If BowWow had to be taken somewhere that wasn't near where I had to go, the backtracking would simply be unbearable.

Gulping, I decided to ask the question. "Where should I take BowWow for his walkies?" I nearly threw up inside my mouth upon me saying that last word.

"D'oh ho ho! You're taking this awfully seriously aren't you?"

"I should be going to Goponga Swamp but I must take care of BowWow first."

"The swamp you say?" Discord went quiet which made me wonder if he knew something about where I had to go next. "You know, that place is filled with Indigestible Flowers, and they've grown like weeds over the years. Nothing can take care of them... well... except for BowWow." My heart skipped when I heard him mention BowWow. "For some reason, he just loves eating such flowers so Madam MeowMeow has someone bring a sample or two to the village so he can have a little treat. Sure, it's dangerous work but she appreciates the person for going out of their way for BowBow."

"BowWow loves Goponga Swamp?"

"Of course." Discord answered as he laughed in his usual manner. "Madam MeowMeow would take him there herself but those monsters are in the way and the swamp itself isn't exactly the safest place to go. Say, why don't you take him for a walk there? You'd be doing him a favour, Madam MeowMeow a favour, and apparently yourself a favour. That's three favours all at once, a fantastic morning right there if I ever saw one. Well, if you need anymore help, feel free to give me a call though do try and figure out the problem without me."

CLICK!

I couldn't believe it! BowWow was my key to reaching the Bottle Grotto located in Goponga Swamp. Talk about a coincidence! Good thing that Wallflower wanted me to take him for a walk otherwise there was no way I could progress any further and my journey would be over. Leaving the telephone booth, I walked left until I entered Goponga Swamp. It was exactly what my mind imaged it would be, a foul looking area filled with unusual plant life, foul smelling water, and creatures lurking just below the depths. A nearby sign said for everyone to keep out except for BowWow. Since I had him with me, I could enter the swamp and reach the next dungeon.

"This place... reminds me of Everfree Forest." Princess Twilight said.

"Is it because of how foul it is?"

"Something like that."

"So how do I use BowWow."

"You saw how he chomped down on that Like-Like earlier, right?" Princess Twilight asked. I nodded and she continued. "As Discord said, there are flowers here that only BowWow can consume so let him have his way with them. By the way, Sunset. Did you know that this is the actual swamp portion of Goponga Swamp? The area where that house and the telephone booth were are also part of the swamp but located on more normal terrain. I never guessed Koholint Island had so many diverse ecosystems all on one island. If not for us being in a dangerous world, I'd so be writing stuff down for research purposes."

I rolled my eyes. "Only you would see this place for research."

Princess Twilight couldn't help but laugh at that. "Hey! It gives me an incentive. Anyway, you should let BowWow deal with all those flowers. There are two kinds here though to be honest, neither of them are going to be an issue when it comes to BowWow. The Goponga Flowers can actually be defeated using a special item but you don't have it yet. Luckily, they don't do anything so we're safe. The Giant Goponga Flowers are a different issue however."

"How so?"

"If you get too close to them, they can and will launch fireballs." Princess Twilight answered. "They can also inflict pain if you touch them so be sure BowWow can take care of them as he isn't affected. The giant versions aren't very common so we won't have many to deal with. Oh, and we also have to deal with Piranha. These fish lurk below the surface and will leap out at you if you're not careful. BowWow should be able to eat them as well but if he can't get to them in time, you can easily take them down with your sword."

Stepping into the swamp, I already felt uncomfortable and this was just the beginning of the misery that was to come. A Piranha then leapt out from the water and slammed into me inflicting a tiny bit of damage, but before it could go back down, I swung my sword, striking it twice to defeat it and picked up the recovery heart it dropped. Heading north towards the cliff that overlooked this area and heading right, BowWow went straight to work and ate two Goponga Flowers allowing me to move forward. A Giant Goponga Flower then spat out its fireball but I managed to avoid it by stepping backwards.

BowWow then ate it whole (He was definitely going to be full after this assuming that he did get full) but I couldn't relax as another Giant Goponga Flower decided to spit out a fireball which landed mere inches away from me. BowWow ate this one up too allowing me to walk around and reach a treasure chest that was cleverly hidden. Opening it up gave me fifty rupees, a hefty sum which will be useful later, and I immediately doubled back before heading right. An entrance inside the cliff could be seen surrounded by numerous Goponga Flowers and one boulder so I allowed BowWow to do his thing.

I had a feeling that BowWow couldn't be taken inside so I told him to wait for me here until I returned. While he waited, he could eat as many monsters and flowers as he wanted and his immediate bark indicated happiness. That one boulder was likely there so I could enter this place on my own in the future without needing BowWow. Entering the cave, I was surprised to see roughly a dozen pots split between two sides of the room. A chest was also present to the left surrounded by those pots and in the middle were two torches. Swamp water filled the entryway but stopped quickly as you go a bit further in.

In my mind, the voice from before told me that this was 'Level 2. - Bottle Grotto'. After finishing observing my surroundings, I shook my feet to dry them off. "Well... This place feels way less hospitable than Tail Cave was."

"Though BowWow had to remain outside, he'll be fine since he's got plenty to eat."

"I should open that treasure chest first." I then walked up to a pot and tried lifting it only to find that I couldn't. "What the!?" I tried lifting it again and I still failed. "Why can't I lift this stupid thing!?"

Princess Twilight then floated over to take a close look for herself. "These pots are made of some kind of heavy plaster. Your current strength isn't going to work here. Unless you can find a means of increasing your current strength, these pots aren't going anywhere any time soon. Once we find the Dungeon Map, I'll be sure to mark the entry room down with my fairy magic to remind you to come back here."

"Guess I've no choice." I moaned as I let go of the pot in defeat."

"Remember that we need to find a map, Compass, Stone Beak, and Nightmare Key for this dungeon in addition to a potential item."

"Let's get moving." Walking into the next room, everything suddenly went dark and I couldn't see a thing aside from a Spark that was moving around the walls. "Ugh! I can't make out as to whether any of these doors are locked or not."

"Do you recall when you used Magic Powder back at Trixie's hut?" Princess Twilight asked. I nodded in response as Her Highness continued. "You can use the powder to light up any unlit torches but don't waste it otherwise we'll have to pay her another visit to get more. In other words, better make sure each use counts. I believe it's possible to get some additional powder from small satchels that hover in the air like that recovery heart we saw in a similar manner after you got the Roc's Feather. If such satchels are in here, making a mistake might not necessarily be bad."

As I took out the Magic Powder, I couldn't help but respond to that. "Are you saying I make mistakes?"

"Don't we all?"

"Pretty much." Sprinkling the Magic Powder on the two torches, they both lit up the room and the door to my right unlocked. "Well... At least we now know which way to go next since we need a small key in order to go left." The Spark had since moved to the other side so I quickly moved before it came back and entered the next room. Two Stalfos greeted me in this room, one that was white which I had seen before, but it was the yellow one who was different. "What do you know about this Stalfos?" I asked Her Highness.

"Yellow Stalfos are more courageous than their counterparts." Princess Twilight answered. "They can suddenly lunge at you with no warning so always make sure you keep an eye on them at all times. Like regular Stalfos, the yellow ones take the same number of hits to be defeated so don't expect them to put up much of a fight."

I went for the regular Stalfos since I was already familiar with it thanks to fighting them back in Tail Cave. It tried jumping away but I managed to trap it into a corner before defeating it using two sword swings. As for the other one, it tried to lunge at me but I raised my shield to block the attack before striking it with my sword. A small key then dropped down from the ceiling upon defeating the Yellow Stalfos leaving me with two options: use the key on the door south of me or on the one from the previous room with the Spark. Thinking it over for a few seconds, I decided to go back and unlock the door in the previous room.

Avoiding the Spark again, (I really wished I could defeat these monsters and not have to worry about them hounding me) I went around the exterior of the room and unlocked the door to the next room. As I walked into it, the sound of blades suddenly came at me. Good thing I didn't walk any further as two Blade Traps ended up colliding with each other though my heart didn't appreciate it. The blades moved back to their original positions and I walked past only for three Keese to start fluttering about. I kept swinging my sword around and eventually they each met their end leaving me to deal with more darkness.

With two dark rooms already and at the start no less, I feared that I could run out of Magic Powder. While I wouldn't mind speaking to Trixie again, I didn't want to have to go through all that backtracking. Sprinkling more Magic Powder on both torches, they lit up and unlocked the door allowing me to continue. This room was also dark. Arrggh! Why does just about every room in this place have to be shrouded in darkness!? To make matters slightly worse, a single Hardhat Beetle was on the other side of a gap trying to reach me only to fail because it couldn't jump.

Checking my Magic Powder, I had about fifteen uses left before it was gone. If anymore rooms required me to use it, I was going to run out relatively quickly. Lighting the two torches and jumping over the abyss using the Roc's Feather, I quickly knocked back the Hardhat Beetle with my sword until it fell into the darkness below. Opening the treasure chest, I took out a Stone Beak which was much better than what happened in the previous dungeon. Now all I needed to do was find an Owl Statue and see what it had to say. With no other way forward, I had to backtrack to the other previous room.

It didn't take long for me to get back to where I picked up the small key but without another one, that locked door was denying me access to another room. As I went right, I noticed two weird tiles on the floor. While I was a little curious, there wasn't anything I could do about them. In the next room, I saw something unusual in the center. "What is that?"

"A Crystal Switch." Princess Twilight answered. "When activated, they cause certain floor tiles to rise up while others will lower down. This should effect all such tiles throughout the dungeon so some serious planning is needed." She then looked at the owl statue hidden behind a statue that a Spark was rotating around. "I have a hunch that the statue will repeat my words which makes getting that beak a little wasteful."

"No... I'm sure it will reveal information that you yourself don't know."

"I hope so."

Walking up to the owl statue whilst avoiding the Spark, I placed the beak on the statue and it responded. 'Part of the floor is raised. Tap the shining crystal'. Her Highness was right about it repeating what she just said. "Okay, so how does one tap a shining crystal?"

"Your sword should work."

"Oh." I wanted to kick myself for acting like an idiot. Of course I had to use my sword or something similar. Hitting the switch, it caused a row of blue blocks to drop down whilst raising some orange blocks further south up and blocking a treasure chest along with another switch. "That didn't quite work."

"Not necessarily." Princess Twilight said. "You should be able to hit the other Crystal Switch with your sword by adjusting the angle of your swing. Oh, and there's a Sword Stalfos lurking around behind that chest." I looked at what she was talking about and saw a skeleton wearing a cloak that covered its body aside from its face and wielded similar armaments to me though much weaker. "They behave essentially the same as the Moblins from before that have swords and shield so you just need to parry them before attacking. Don't let the lack of any facial expressions frighten you."

The Sword Stalfos then shuffled forward upon seeing me and swung its sword only for it to bounce off my shield. It reeled back and was defenseless allowing to hit it two times with my own blade (One hit wasn't enough) and then I activated the Crystal Switch. The orange blocks dropped down allowing to me to open the chest and take another small key. Now I could go back and open that other locked door from earlier but first some manipulation was required. I hit the switch again raising the orange blocks allowing me to go past the blue ones as they had been lowered, but before leaving the room, I hit the other switch and the blocks switched roles.

I did this because in the previous room, the orange blocks would have been raised and I'd be unable to progress, but that had been taken of so I went back into said previous room and unlocked the door before proceeding. There were four pots in the middle of this room along with... a Shy Guy... Are you freaking kidding me!? First a Chain Chomp, then a Goomba, and now a Shy Guy makes an appearance in a Legend of Zelda Game. This isn't Mario you know! Calming down in my head, I noticed that the Shy Guy wasn't moving so perhaps it hadn't noticed me but as soon as I started moving, it also began moving. In fact, it was moving at the same time as I was, but opposite of me.

"Um... Twilight? Why is this Shy Guy coping me?"

"Shy Guys, also known as Mask-Mimics in some circles, copy your every moment." Princess Twilight answered. "When you move, they will move but in the opposite direction that you're going in which can be very confusing at first. For example, they will go left when you go right. Their masks protect them from all sword attacks so a frontal assault won't work. You need to use a Spin Attack to defeat them when your back and its back are facing each other. Before I forget, you can use other means to defeat Shy Guys but right now you don't possess any such items so you've no choice but to use the Spin Attack."

"How do I use a Spin Attack again?"

"Hold out your sword and it will charge up with power and then you release it in the form of a spin."

"Didn't I use such a technique in the past?"

"You did but not all that often."

Holding out my sword, it charged up as Her Highness said and I began making my way around the room. The Shy Guy was following my movements but backwards and after some careful maneuvering, I managed to get my back and its back to face one another. This was definitely a monster that required a ton of patience to deal with. Releasing the spin, the Shy Guy got knocked back and was defeated in one hit, dropping a single rupee which I picked up. A chest then materialized up in the top right corner so I opened it to reveal a Compass. While it wasn't the Dungeon Map, having this meant I'd know which rooms had hidden keys in them.

Since I knew what the special function of the Compass was, Princess Twilight didn't need to explain it to me again. Going back into the previous room, the two Stalfos, both regular and yellow, had respawned but I ignored them since I wanted to keep going. Leaving me behind, I went back into the room with those Crystal Switches, but I was curious about what was to the right since it wasn't locked or anything. Entering this next room, there was an oddly coloured tile which meant something would show up on it. Two more Shy Guys were here but a wall of blocks prevented me from reaching them. I had to come around from another direction.

The Compass made a noise indicating that the odd-coloured tile would be where a small key would appear. Remembering that, I went back to the previous room and walked south striking both Crystal Switches to help me progress. I walked into the next room which featured another Crystal Switch, more blue and orange blocks, and of course, the abyss. A regular switch was also present and the tone from the Compass meant another hidden key. Perhaps the most important thing was a bag floating above the abyss with a number ten on it. The bag looked identical to the one my Magic Powder was in... Yep, definitely important.

Jumping across using the Roc's Feather, I grabbed the bag along the way and my Magic Powder was back to full capacity. Now I didn't have to worry about running out. Reaching the other side, I hit the switch which caused another chest to materialize. Jumping again and opening the chest, I took out another small key. From there, I jumped back until I was halfway across before turning right and jumping to move forward. Upon entering this next room, I turned around, held out my sword and charged it up because of the two Shy Guys. Moving backwards was weird but I released my spin when their backs were up against mine, defeating them both.

The small key in question materialized on the other side of the wall of blocks which meant more backtracking for me. I wished Princess Twilight could fly to the other side of the room, pick it up, and bring it back over to me, but her small size and limited magic would've made it near impossible. This is what got me so annoyed with backtracking. It was an attempt at padding more than anything else and showed a clear lack of taste. But, I had no other choice but to go through with it otherwise this journey wasn't continuing. I sighed as I began trekking back to where I was before.

If there was a bright side, there were no monsters along the way aside from the one Spark so this wasn't as bad as it looked. Over the course of the next few minutes, I jumped back across the abyss, activated the Crystal Switch to change the coloured blocks around, picked up the key, went back, activated the switch again, jumped back across the abyss and back to where I had defeated both Shy Guys. Ugh! This was something I had to really get used to as it was clearly going to be an issue especially in future dungeons which would be huge in size compared with what I'd already experienced.

Moving onto the next room, a locked door could be seen in the top right corner and two Spiked Beetles were scuttling about. Princess Twilight then brought up a point. "In rooms like this one, Sunset, you don't need to defeat all monsters to progress. If you don't feel like defeating them, you can avoid them and go straight for the locked door. It would mean giving up on getting any rupees or recovery hearts from them but it's your decision."

"I want to keep going."

"The backtracking got you down?"

I nodded. "How'd you figure?"

"Lucky guess."

I rolled my eyes. "Really?"

Princess Twilight stuck out her tongue. "No."

That made me feel a bit better if I were to be honest. I really despised backtracking! Ignoring the two Spiked Beetles and unlocking the door, I entered the next room which turned out to be a dead end. There was no other way forward unless something happened in this very room. Not much was in here monster wise aside from another Spark and two Keese, but there was another owl statue along with two blocks that were very suspicious. As much as I wanted to hear what the statue had to say, the puzzle here was pretty obvious to solve. Taking out both Keese with a couple of sword swings, I pushed the two blocks towards one another.

Why was it I could push those but not lift up pots!? This island wasn't just mysterious but also ridiculous! Sighing, I waited to see what would happen next. Suddenly a flight of stairs appeared indicating which way to go next. Heading down them and into an underground passage, I could see several spiked pits and a platform that moved up and down. As I climbed down to the bottom of the ladder, I had a feeling in my gut I'd be backtracking through here as well because why not? Using the Roc's Feather, I jumped across the spiked pits with ease though I was forced to wait until the platform lowered down enough for me to get onto it.

It moved up to where another ladder was and I climbed to enter the next room. I really wished I had a Dungeon Map right now so I could see where I was in the dungeon because right now everything just looked the same. To make matter worse, I couldn't see much because of the darkness. There was a Spark moving around that gave off some light but it clearly wasn't enough to give me actual vision. I could barely see two unlit torches and a flying recovery heart situated on a platform in the middle of an abyss. Lastly, I could see a Keese in the darkness because its yellow eyes gave off a faint glow.

As much as I wanted to use Magic Powder, I chose not to and hoped the Spark was enough. Jumping to the platform with the recovery heart, I regained my full health before jumping to the other side and defeating the Keese before it could do anything. I then found myself in front of another panel like what I saw back in Tail Cave. Since I knew what to do, I pressed my back up against where it flipped around to the other side placing me in a room where my heart immediately stopped upon seeing a large hulking creature stand before me. It looked like the panel had thrown me into a trap.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 7: The Grotto's Strength.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 13, 2019.
Chapter 7: The Grotto's Strength.

The hulking creature that stood before me was humanoid in shape but that was as close to a human as it would get. For one thing, it had orange skin... Come to think of it, many humans had different skin colours back home so this wasn't exactly unusual. This creature did have a single eye instead of two, something humans normally don't have unless they were wearing an eyepatch to cover an eye others weren't meant to see. It wore pretty shoddy clothing but I doubted that it even cared since it was a monster and all. What really made me uneasy was that goofy expression on its face. It looked happy...

Suddenly, without warning, the creature lumbered forward, picked me up with both its giant hands, and tossed me over to the other side of the room. I landed on my stomach instead of in the wall (The wall would've been way more painful) and as I got back onto my feet, I was grabbed a second time only now I tried to free myself from its grip. For a creature with a goofy face, it had a lot of power on its side, and perhaps wasn't all that smart. As I continued trying to free myself from its clutches, it hurled me back the other way to where I entered the room from. Was this creature trying to prove a point by throwing me both ways?

"This isn't going very well." Princess Twilight said.

"I don't like being thrown around like a ball." I said as I got back up.

"This creature is called Hinox, a Cyclops like monster that's all about brute force." Princess Twilight said. "When it sees something in front of it, it will try to grab it in order to toss it somewhere to prove how powerful it is. Because it relies so much on power and size, it lacks any defence so you should be able to easily connect with your sword. Hinox also aren't very fast so you can outrun it. But, you should know that there is more to it than appearances suggest."

I moaned. "Of course there's something else."

"I'm not sure why it does this but--" Before Princess Twilight could finish what she was saying, the Hinox tossed something my way. I couldn't quite make out what it was but when the object suddenly exploded, pushing me back into the wall, I pretty much figured it out. "Well... Guess you just found out, Sunset."

"It can toss bombs!?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It's a special technique that all Hinox are capable of. It can only throw one bomb at a time but they are larger than your average bomb and do possess a wider radius upon exploding. "You can't pick these bombs up so don't even try. I don't know why Hinox are capable of throwing bombs around but I think it might involve a hereditary trait passed down from generation to generation."

"Now's not the time to think about that kind of stuff!"

"No, I guess not."

The Hinox then lumbered towards me again (That goofy expression on its face is going to make me lose my concentration if this kept up) but I moved aside as it tried to grab me with its hands. I took advantage of its slow speed by swinging my sword quickly and inflicting as much damage as I could. It then quickly turned around which caught me by surprise as it grabbed me and threw me into the wall. Slumping to the ground only to pick myself up moments later, the Hinox lunged at me again all in an attempt to grab me. It really had a one track mind but I wasn't complaining as it meant an easy attack pattern.

Avoiding its hands, I swung my sword quickly inflicting more damage. I had no idea how many hits I was dishing out since it looked like it wasn't feeling anything but I had to hope I was actually doing something rather than say make it mad. Turning around, Hinox threw a bomb this time which exploded upon hitting the ground. The explosion didn't crack the ground so knowing that was a relief but the force of the explosion did push me back into the wall though it didn't hurt. It then lunged at me just as I was getting back up, grabbed me and tossed me across the room where I landed on my butt.

Before I could get up, Hinox tossed another bomb at me so I rolled sideways like I was trying to put myself out in order to avoid getting caught in the explosion. Getting up, I ran to the side as it lunged at me yet again. When I hit it this time, it collapsed to the ground and flailed its arms as it began exploding. Seriously!? I only had one more hit to go!? One big explosion later, Hinox had been defeated and a fairy appeared along with a portal that went back to the entrance of the dungeon. Grabbing the fairy to regain back my strength, both doors unlocked allowing me to progress further.

"That... That gave my body a workout." I said as I sat down momentarily.

"I'm surprised that you can take so much pain."

"If this weren't a video game world, I'd have broken my bones several times over by now."

"At the very least, you defeated the Hinox and can now go back to the start of the dungeon whenever you want." Princess Twilight then pointed at the door indicating that we should get going seeing as BowWow was still waiting for us outside. "I know BowWow can take care of himself but he's surely wondering what's taking us so long in here."

"Makes me wish I had a map!"

"I'm sure we'll get one soon enough."

"Before we go on, I do have a question."

"What's that?"

I had to think hard on this for a moment before asking in case I accidentally said it wrong or offended Her Highness. "So... Your coronation... Are you going to invite me? I mean, I haven't received anything yet and I figured you'd want me to come."

Princess Twilight was shocked very briefly before she had a confused look on her face. I think she assumed I was going to ask her if she was ready to assume the throne or whether she had any second thoughts on succeeding Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "What!? You haven't received an invitation, Sunset?" I shook my head in response. "I thought you'd have gotten it by now. I know my becoming the next ruler might make you upset because of what happened in the past but maybe the mail carrier in your world can't understand ponish."

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because... you know..." Princess Twilight was trying hard not to make it awkward but she was doing a good job of that.

It then hit me that she was referring to the fact that at one time, I was on my way to becoming a princess, but my falling out with Princess Celestia at the time pretty much destroyed any chances of my becoming an alicorn. Not a day went by that I regret abandoning Celestia. My stubbornness always was one of my more pathetic qualities. "Twilight..." I began. "I have long accepted the fact that I will never ascend and become an alicorn. Sure, my work in dealing with the wild Equestrian Magic has made me a better person by showing me how to be responsible and have humility, but what you've done is the stuff of legend."

"Sunset..."

"Do I still wish I could become an alicorn?" I nodded to my own question. "It's a dream that I continue to hold in my heart even though I know it can't happen. Reality can be a real downer for a lot of people, myself included, but that's just the way things are."

"Maybe you will ascend one day."

"If I do... I'll know that I have fully come around."

Princess Twilight had to know that the only one who's fault it was for me going down a dark path in life was myself. I thought I knew everything and believed myself better than everyone else back then. My lack of humility and understanding friendship is what ultimately denied me my chance of becoming an alicorn, but it showed that I truly wasn't ready for such an honourable commitment unlike Her Highness who had the proper credentials. My life has changed for the better since then and it's something I'll continue improving on because I want to make my own legacy without being afraid of what others might say because of what happened long ago.

Reconciling with Princess Celestia was one of the biggest steps I took to overcome my troubled past. I've not completely gotten over it mind you as my temperament still causes me problems where I lash out in sheer anger over even small little things but I'm doing my best to keep such emotional outbreaks under control. If I were to become an alicorn, what would I be the princess of anyway? My first choice would be Princess of Empathy given how people tell me their problems and I listen to them whilst sharing knowledge of my own experiences to help them become better as individuals. Someday... the dream will become real.

Getting back to the task at hand, I entered the next room and came upon quite an awkward sight. There was a staircase in the middle of the room but I couldn't reach it because of the pots and stone blocks that were blocking my way and I couldn't do anything as I didn't have the strength to lift the pots. My only option was to ignore the stairs and keep going. There was also a flying recovery heart but I didn't need it since the fairy helped me recover my health after fighting Hinox. I could also see an Owl Statue but again it was being blocked by pots so its information was currently inaccessible.

"You really need more strength, Sunset."

"If I had access to my magic, I could easily do just that."

"But you don't and neither do I." Princess Twilight said. "It's just like that Termina world which prevented us from using our natural magic. We both had to use the magic of that world in order to do anything. The same thing most likely applies here so the easy way out is a no-go."

I sighed. "I know you're right, Twilight, but I just wish..."

"You and me both, Sunset."

"Come to think of it, I might know what I'm getting here."

"Oh?"

"It's obviously something that will increase my strength." I answered. "I know it can't be a potion as it has to be something that I'll have on my person for the duration of this adventure and not have to be used sparingly." I then thought about other Legend of Zelda games (Thank Rainbow Dash for constantly bringing them to Pinkie's parties) and how they handled strength. "The only thing that comes to mind is a bracelet."

"Like what you wear on your front hooves or in your case your wrists?"

I nodded. "I hope it isn't too gaudy."

"You sound like Rarity."

"Eh, she's been an influence on me."

"That figures."

Jumping over the first hole, I got hit by a Keese as I landed (The little bat had been lurking on a statue so I couldn't see it properly) so I retaliated with my sword though when it was defeated, it dropped its reward, a Piece of Power, into the abyss below, and I felt dejected. I could've used it but oh well. Perhaps another opportunity will come along despite how random items from monsters could be. Jumping the next gap whilst collecting the flying recovery heart in the process, I jumped over the last gap but before moving on, I realized that I could reach the Owl Statue since the pots weren't blocking it.

Slapping my forehead for not realizing that, I jumped over one more gap and placed the Stone Beak up against the statue to hear it. "First, defeat the imprisoned Pols Voice. Last, the skeletal Stalfos..." I recognized what the Stalfos was, the kind that wielded a sword, but I had no idea what a Pols Voice was. I was probably going to find out soon enough what the latter was though why have it imprisoned? Monsters worked better if they were able to reach their victims though maybe I could use this to my advantage. Jumping across the gap again, I entered the next room only for something to suddenly pull me.

"Twilight! What is that!?"

"That's a Vacuum Mouth."

"A what!?"

"Vacuum Mouths are unusual monsters that don't move nor are they aggressive." Princess Twilight answered. She then felt herself being pulled about so she grabbed onto my hat for her own safety until things went back to normal. "They have the ability to pull anything towards them be they you or other monsters. Every five seconds, they will attempt to do this which can make them really annoying though you know it's happening because of a whooshing like sound. Extreme caution is needed here, Sunset. If you get sucked into a Vacuum Mouth, it will send you right back to the beginning of the dungeon."

"That's going to be problematic."

"You should also know that this monster can't be defeated."

Grumbling to myself, my attitude quickly disappeared when three Keese, also in the room, were pulled towards the Vacuum Mouth where they were consumed by it. At least that thing was good for something. Once the whooshing died down, I quickly walked up to a treasure chest before it happened again (Obviously it was too heavy to be pulled about) and opened it where I took out the Dungeon Map. Finally, now I could see what this place looked like. Why did I have to wait until now before I could get a map again!? Why not give it to me much sooner and not have to worry about finding my way around blindly?

"Look at that, Sunset." Princess Twilight said as she scanned the map for herself. "The dungeon is in the shape of a bottle."

"Bottle Grotto..." I said sarcastically. "Ohhhh! It's named that because it's in the shape of--yeah I get it!"

Princess Twilight then pointed to the skull mark in one of the rooms on the other side of the dungeon. "The Nightmare is right over there so we need the Nightmare Key in order to get into that room. Now... Where do you suppose it could be?"

I shrugged. "No idea but then we don't have many chests left to open."

"By the way... You might want to leave this room before you get sucked away."

At that moment, the Vacuum Mouth began to pull me towards it again so I quickly moved in the other direction to pull myself away, succeeding in my effort, and entering the next room which was filled with more pots though these were truly blocking my way forward. There was a flying Magic Powder bag though I didn't need any right now though since it was here, it probably meant I would need to use it. I also spotted another treasure chest not blocked by anything so I opened it up and took out a red rupee that was worth twenty. I really need to pay a visit to the item shop when next I'm in Mabe Village.

Since there was nothing else I could do, I decided to use my one remaining small key to unlock the door to my left. Unlocking it and walking into the next room, I was plunged into the darkness due to the torches being unlit. Yep, that Magic Powder bag in the previous room was there for a reason. There was also something else in here lurking about in the darkness but what it was I didn't know because of how dark it was. However, I could hear something like eerie laughter. Raising my shield, I slowly moved forward so that I wouldn't be caught by surprise but something passed right through me which made me feel really uneasy.

"I... I felt a presence."

"What's that behind you?"

I turned around and saw what had just gone right through me. Though it was difficult to see, I could tell what it was based on the facial features. "A Boo!? I just had a Boo pass through my body! Another Mario enemy!? How many more of them are here on this island!?" I then explained to Her Highness that Boos loved chasing after their victims to scare them but were incredibly shy if you were to stare at them. "By staring at a Boo, they won't make a move because of being afraid until you turn your back. It's strange that these Boos aren't shying away when I look at them."

"That's because these are different."

"How so?"

"In this world, a Boo lurks in the shadows but don't shy away when you look at them." Princess Twilight answered. I could tell she wasn't a fan of the darkness since she kept darting her eyes back and forth, and to be honest, I wasn't either. This is why I didn't like how there were so many dark rooms in here. "Your sword has no effect on these ghosts but they are vulnerable to bright light, as is befitting a ghost that lurks in the darkness."

"The torches!"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes. Good thing you have Magic Powder. By the way, Boos are extremely rare monsters. They are so rare, they only exist in this very room and nowhere else on the island. You only have to deal with them once."

Taking out the Magic Powder, I quickly lit both torches which caused the Boos to writhe in pain before I eliminated both of them with my sword. Despite being a rare monster, they weren't really a problem unless one didn't have the means to deal with them. As I pondered over the fact that another Mario enemy had appeared in a Legend of Zelda game, another treasure chest materialized next to the door. Walking over and opening it up, I took out bracelet with a blue jewel embedded into it. It gave off a powerful vibe as I looked at it and a voice was telling me to put it on.

"Is this what I think it is."

"You've found a Power Bracelet."

"Power Bracelet?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It's a piece of equipment that you can place on either of your wrists. As long as you have it on you, you will have great strength, the kind you've never felt before even though you had great strength in the last adventure. With this, you can pick up pots and stones with ease. No doubt this item is going to be invaluable. Trying using this new strength in previous rooms, Sunset. You might uncover things that had to be ignored before."

Her Highness reminded me of when I was a Goron during my adventure in Termina. Sure, that form was slow and bulky because of the stomach, but it was a form that had so much power, it felt like I could smash anything that stood in my way. The Power Bracelet wasn't on the same kind of level but it would give me strength regardless. I wondered if there was any limitation on how much power I could lift but it was something I was sure to find out soon enough. I then placed the Power Bracelet on my right wrist and my body felt a huge surge of power flowing through it. This was definitely going to be fun now.

Going back into the previous room, I walked up to the pots that were by the treasure chest and tried to pick one up. This time, I lifted it as though it were nothing but air and when I tossed it at a wall, it shattered into pieces which made me feel really good. While it wasn't the same as being a Goron, I could now utilize enhanced strength but with restrictions. Picking up more pots and throwing them about, I cleared a path and reached another Crystal Switch. Before striking it, the Compass made a sound indicating a key was nearby. An upcoming treasure chest most likely had said key in it.

Hitting the switch, the orange blocks rose up while the blue ones went down. The problem was that I needed the orange ones down or else I couldn't open the chest them up (A very weird mechanic and one I was certain would come up again) so hitting the switch, the blocks switched back and I opened the chest taking out the small key. I couldn't progress any further as the blue blocks were blocking my path and I doubted the Roc's Feather would let me jump over them. A little backtracking was in order. A few whacks against the Crystal Switch later and I was now on the other path. (The abyss was what separated both paths in two)

Since the blue blocks were down, I could progress past the chest and I did so whilst defeating another Keese. Orange blocks soon meant jumping over to the other side where I could see a Hardhat Beetle scurrying about. Jumping over and quickly hitting it upon landing, the Hardhat Beetle fell into the abyss allowing me to continue. I soon came across yet another switch that was protected by several Keese and a Yellow Stalfos in the corner pretending to be a pile of bones. Raising my shield, I approached the Keese where they began swarming me but their attacks bounced off allowing me to take them out with ease.

The Yellow Stalfos in the meantime got up and walked over to me and it was here where I learned it had another means of attack. It could jump into the air and perform a ground pound which is exactly what it did. It couldn't jump over the stone blocks but I could swing my sword through them which shouldn't even be possible. Was I defying physics? Probably best not to think about it too much otherwise I'll only get a headache. Swinging through the blocks, I hit the Yellow Stalfos twice, defeating it and picking up a green rupee it dropped giving me somewhere over fifty rupees. (I don't know how many rupees I had now)

Unlocking the door and entering the next room, I was surprised to see two rabbits hopping around. At least, they looked like rabbits. "Okay, let me just say that whatever those things are, they are adorable to look at. Fluttershy would definitely agree with me."

"That cuteness is what makes them dangerous."

"I figured they were monsters."

"This is a Pols Voice, supposedly the ghost of a rabbit." Princess Twilight said. The ghost of a rabbit... I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. Her Highness then continued. "The cuteness causes many adventuring types to lower their guard and that's when they will slam into them. Depending on the location, some Pols Voice can be attacked with swords while others, such as what we have here, are unaffected by swords. You'll need to use something unconventional which should take you long to figure out given what's in this room. Want to hear a little fun fact?"

"What would you describe as fun?"

Princess Twilight answered in a singing voice. "Research!" She then went back to her regular voice as I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, Pols Voice have large ears because they were once rabbits in their former lives, but those ears also serve as their weakness. They are particularly vulnerable to certain kinds of sounds. It has to be a very high-pitched sound effect like say, from an instrument, and one you can play so don't bother to try and see if you can use that Full Moon Cello."

"Does that instrument actually do anything?"

"It will once you get all eight."

Quest items always did nothing other than being used for one thing and then that was it. I then had a thought. "Unconventional... unconventional... Ohhhh..." All those pots lying around meant they could be used on the Pols Voice. Sometimes, I wondered why I couldn't figure things out straight away even when it was so obvious? I really need to not overthink things so much as I just embarrass myself as a result. Picking up a pot and tossing it, it smashed against the Pols Voice and it was defeated in one shot. "Wow... They're not sturdy by any means."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Like I said, unconventional. By the way, if you were to use your Magic Powder on them, they will be stunned for a couple of seconds so you can use that if they jump around too much for you."

"Yeah, but Magic Powder is limited."

"True so you'll have to think about when to use it."

Picking up pots to throw them aside in order to move forward, I threw one at the other Pols Voice without realizing it as well as one at a Red Gel, defeating both of them. Doing so revealed a staircase that went down into another underground tunnel which was my means of moving on. Suddenly, Princess Twilight reminded me about the other stairs we found some time ago we couldn't reach because I didn't have the strength to lift the pots. Taking out the map and checking it, the room in question was the one south of where I picked up the map. It meant more backtracking but it wasn't too bad. There was something else though that I noticed.

"According to this map, the other staircase leads to a room that's south the previous one we were just in."

"Really?"

I pointed at the map for clarity. "Right here!"

Princess Twilight then looked at the map for herself. "You're right, Sunset. Why would they need to have another staircase there when it leads to where we are now? Hold on! Let me take a closer look at this map." Her Highness then combed it for any other inconsistences but found nothing. "From what I can gather, this additional underground passage is meant to act like some kind of shortcut only it doesn't really do a good job."

"What should we do?"

"We could skip that passage and just go south from the previous room."

"You want to explore that passage anyway, don't you?"

"Was I being too obvious?"

I winked. "I know how you work, Twilight. You never could pass up the opportunity to learn new things." Heading back to the previous room and walking south, I entered a room where a Sword Stalfos, a Keese, and a Pols Voice were located with the latter being sealed behind stone blocks. A staircase nearby confirmed that this was where the passage connected to from the other side so we knew that we had saved some time. "Why is that Pols Voice trapped like that?"

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head in excitement. "Do you remember what that owl statue said about defeating monsters in a specific order? I'm betting that this is where it has to be done. Also, listen!" The Compass then made its sound indicating a key was in here. "Do you remember, Sunset? I obviously do but I'm wondering if you remember. I'm not teasing you or anything but I'm just your partner. You're the heroine here so you need to know this stuff by memory."

"Yeah, I remember. Also, I know I've got to figure it out otherwise what would be the point?"

"I was afraid you'd be getting lazy as a result."

"What? Lazy? Me? Never!"

"I can however tell you more information." Princess Twilight said. She quickly floated over to the stone blocks before coming back in case it caught the attention of the two remaining monsters. "Those stone blocks can be pushed so you need to figure out which ones can be moved in order to free the Pols Voice. Also, you only have three pots to work with to defeat that Pols Voice."

I figured that if I used all of the pots, I'd have to leave the room and then come back again in order to respawn them. Sure, it wasn't backtracking but rather slight inconvenience, the fact was it'd waste a few precious seconds, something that was best to avoid in my own opinion. Avoiding the Keese and Sword Stalfos as best as I could, I began pushing the Stone Blocks hoping one of them would move. At first, they all felt pretty fixed in place until one suddenly moved forward upon me pushing it. Now I was starting to get somewhere. Logic would be to push the block right next to this one because of obviousness.

Sure enough, pushing this other block was successful and the Pols Voice began to hop about, leaving its previously secluded area. Walking back to the pots, I made sure to watch it closely and to ensure the Keese and Sword Stalfos didn't get in my way otherwise I'd be doing this puzzle all over again. The Pols Voice continued hopping around until it was finally in my sights which was when I tossed the pot. It connected and the ghost rabbit disappeared in a puff of smoke. I wasn't done yet since I had to defeat the Keese next. Looking around to see what happened to it, it had been flying around the stairs so I quickly dispatched of it.

That left just the Sword Stalfos who charged at me and managed to hit me in the arm because of not noticing it in time. I raised my shield and waited for it to strike again which it did causing to reel back from being parried and two sword strikes defeated it leaving no monsters left. A treasure chest then materialized opposite the staircase by the way I came in, I walked over, opened it up, and took out the Nightmare Key. Now that I had a free moment to take a better look at the Nightmare Key, it definitely had an evil presence surrounding it despite being a larger than normal key. I felt that way regarding the one from Tail Cave.

"Now we can go back to that other staircase." I said as I pocketed the key.

"Can we see where this staircase goes?" Princess Twilight asked, her face giving off a 'pretty please' look.

"Okay, okay." I answered as I threw up my hands. "We'll take a look because you can't help being curious. Actually, I'm a little bit curious about what the path contains. Besides, it probably couldn't be important if it could be ignored." Walking up the stairs and into the underground passage (Shouldn't that be an overhead passage since we're going up and not down in this case), I gritted my teeth because of seeing yet another familiar monster. "Why is this thing even here!?" Coming out of what looked like pipes was a Piranha Plant. "Twilight, we've got another Mario themed enemy here."

"That explains why you look so angry right now."

"What next!?"

"Well, as you can see, Piranha Plants only come out of those pipes." Princess Twilight answered. "If you stand next to the pipe or on top of it, the Piranha Plant won't emerge so you can easily move past it. When they do pop up, they will attempt to bite you. Aside from that, they don't really do much else."

"So we can go back now, right?"

"Yes, but first, I want to see that Dungeon Map one more time." Princess Twilight answered. I took out the map and showed it to her and she began to scan it over with that sharp gaze of hers that is fixated on even the most miniscule of details. "It looks like you missed a treasure chest right here!" She pointed at the entrance of the Bottle Grotto. "You couldn't reach it before because you lacked strength but not you can. Do you want to go back for it?"

Looking at the map myself, I could go back but then it would involve some backtracking even though I had the warp panel in place to get me back to the start. Since we were pretty close to the Nightmare, that had to take precedence. "I'll open up that chest after we get the second instrument. Besides, you know how I feel about backtracking. I want to do as little of it as possible if I can help it."

Princess Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "Fair enough, Sunset. Let's take that other passage then." As I began making my way over to the other staircase, Her Highness quickly went silent before she asked me a surprise question given the current moment. "Do you still want to come to my coronation? I'm sure you were sent an invite but I'll send out another when this is all over."

"Of course I want to come."

"I don't think the rest of your friends can come because it would lead to some confusion."

"You could use magic for that."

" I guess?"

"They'd love to come, Twilight." I said. In my defence, my friends had seen Equestria with their own eyes though it was because we had to use that portal on the deserted island in order to get everyone back home safely to shore after the boat sank during the cruise. They haven't really said much about the experience (I wouldn't have either if I had been in their shoes) since it happened but I know both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle do bring it up with me every once in a while.

"I'm sure I can figure something out."

"They are a part of your life even if you don't see them often."

"Okay, you've twisted my hoof, Sunset. I mean, leg."

Having reached the other staircase, I walked down into the underground passage and saw more pots along with two platforms that looked like they could be weighed down. I'm not that heavy (I'm really not I'll have you know) though my equipment does add a little weight to me. Thinking about it, those pots would add more weight to what I already had which should be enough. Getting off the ladder and stepping on the first platform, it slowly lowered down allowing me to keep moving where I climbed another ladder and over to the other platform which had a weird expression appear on it.

Okay, so this other platform needed a pot for extra weight. Still, why the facial expression? Ignoring the weirdness, I went back, picked up a pot and stepped on the platform again with my additional weight. It was enough to make the platform lower down granting me access to the final ladder. Climbing it and entering the next room, I could see that I needed to jump to reach the door that needed the Nightmare Key. Making my way south, I jumped over both gaps and stood before the door. Breathing in deeply, I unlocked the door and entered the room and noticed something really weird.

"Is that... a bottle?"

"It looks like it."

As both doors locked, I took a couple of steps forward to get a better look at the bottle. "It certainly looks exquisite but what is it doing here?" It was bigger than your average bottle and it wasn't corked but still, the fact that it was here struck me as odd. "Well... We're here now so what happens next?"

"Maybe you should rub it?" Princess Twilight asked. I tilted my head as a means of mocking her. "What? That's what usually happens when someone finds a bottle even though you usually do that with a lamp."

Since I couldn't come up with an idea of my own, I decided to take her suggestion and attempt to rub the bottle. Suddenly, it began to rattle indicating that something was inside and my first though was a small little creature had gotten itself stuck in there. The bottle then jumped up, landing on its bottom before something popped out. It looked like a clown what with the makeup and the attire though the tongue sticking out wasn't exactly clown-like. It also had no legs though that probably wasn't as important. Was this the next Nightmare? No, it couldn't be. A clown was supposed to be stronger than Moldorm?

"HO HO HO! I was wondering when you would get here."

"Are you... a clown?" I asked.

"Appearances can be deceiving, HO HO HO!" I could tell that it was having fun with the fact that I had no idea what this thing was. "HO HO HO! You're not very smart are you if you don't recognize a Genie when you see one."

"A Genie? Can't say that I have."

"Wow... That's quite depressing."

"Where the two of us are from..." I began as I pointed to Princess Twilight as well as myself. "Genies aren't really a thing though we do have a Draconequus which is probably the same thing except for being more chaotic instead of what you are." I knew what a Genie was based on my readings of fairy tales and I was certain Her Highness knew that as well. I just felt giving this Nightmare a taste of its own medicine.

"In any case... HO HO HO! I'm your bad guy this time! HO HO HO! Let's get this started shall we?" The Genie then conjured up a number of fireballs and began juggling them in the air before it began moving, the bottle it was in surrounded by a strange mist. As it continued juggling, it kept on dodging every time I moved closer until it started tossing the fireballs. It was now my turn to dodge.

"Oh crap!"

"Be careful you don't get burned." Princess Twilight said.

The fireball barrage was a lengthy one as shots continued to get thrown my way. While I managed to avoid the first five shots, the remaining ones hit their target, me, because I got completely exhausted after dodging too many. The good news was that I didn't get burned by the fireballs. The bad news was that it hurt pretty bad despite the damage being minimal. Just when it looked like it wouldn't end, the Genie finally stopped throwing fireballs before taunting me and disappearing back into the lamp (I had to admit that it had a pretty good aim despite looking like a clown). The bottle began bouncing around so I struck it with my sword causing it to stop moving.

"Uh, I can't move!" The Genie said.

"That should take of you for the moment." I said.

"HO HO HO! Good thing I'm still alright."

"What do you mean?"

"That sword swing of yours didn't do a thing to me all, HO HO HO!" The Genie answered as it continued laughing. "Your little sword won't break this bottle no matter how strong of a blade you possess. Ha! Even the walls here look tougher than that dinky little thing, HO HO HO!"

"Its got a point." I said not realizing until too late that I had unintentionally made a pun.

"Then I think you should turn the tables on it, Sunset." Princess Twilight said. "Since it just said that the walls are stronger than your sword, use them to shatter its bottle which is pretty much the only thing preventing you from inflicting any damage to it. That bottle looks heavy but you can easily lift it up thanks to the Power Bracelet."

I knew that Her Highness was trying not to give away too much information in the hopes of me trying to figure it out on my own, but since the Genie went ahead and practically gift-wrapped the solution, she confirmed that what it said was correct about what I had to do. Picking up the bottle, I walked to the closest wall and tossed it where it slammed into the wall and cracked a little before landing. I had to keep on doing this until the bottle shatters completely? Yeah... A very tedious method if there ever was one but I didn't have much of a choice since I couldn't really do anything else.

The Genie immediately popped out of the bottle. "NYAH NYAH! You can't hurt me as long as I have my bottle." It then began creating fireballs and started juggling them which meant going through its barrage again. Already, I could see why this Nightmare was more annoying than Moldorm. Repetitiveness was something I didn't appreciate in the least and this battle so far was clearly going in that direction. It then threw its fireballs and I dodged each one since it was the same pattern as before. "HO HO HO! You are going to burn to a crisp by my glorious fireballs." When the barrage ended, the Genie went back into the bottle prompting me to use my sword to stun it.

From there, I picked up the bottle and threw it against another wall where it cracked even more. I had no idea how many times I needed to do this but what I did know was that I had to keep on going. The Genie emerged again without taunting me and immediately began another barrage of fireballs after conjuring them up (It didn't juggle them this time). The mist surrounding its bottle protected it from any attacks which was why I couldn't speed up this process much to my annoyance. Just like before, the barrage was the same pattern so avoiding it was easy and upon finishing, the Genie went back into its bottle.

Hitting the bottle with my sword and picking it up, I tossed it once more into another wall where this time it actually broke. Finally! That took way too long! The Genie, who had briefly been stunned, was definitely not happy what had just happened. "WAAAH! What... What have you done?"

"I shattered your bottle." I answered.

"That was my home."

"While I am sorry for that, I had no choice."

The Genie began fuming. "You... You broke my bottle! How could you!? Why would you!?"

"Because I couldn't attack you otherwise." I answered sarcastically. "Besides, this battle was really getting boring what with you repeating the same attack pattern and me responding to it in kind. Now that the bottle is no longer in play, perhaps we can pick things up a bit?"

"Why you... You... You make me hopping mad!"

"Now things are about to get difficult, Sunset..." Princess Twilight began.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Without its bottle, the Genie can no longer hide from you which means you can finally damage it with your sword." Princess Twilight answered. "But, that does mean it's going to be attacking differently than before, and it definitely looks like it's about to lose its temper. The Power Bracelet is no longer needed for this battle so it comes down to your sword. Be careful as who knows what it'll do."

The Genie disappeared only to reappear moments later though now there was two of it. Both of them began spinning around in a circle and continued doing this over and over until I got so dizzy that I thought about throwing up. Suddenly, one of the Genie's vanished leaving the other to toss a fireball that struck me in the back. Before I could retaliate, it vanished leaving me to wonder where it was. When it showed itself, there were two again and they began spinning around like before. While it had resumed attacking in a pattern, the Genie had stepped up its game by dropping the goofy act and was being serious.

"Okay, I wasn't expecting this to happen."

"You need to remain calm."

"I know."

"Watch both Genies carefully and when one of them disappears, strike the other one before it tosses its fireball."

The two Genie's reappeared and began spinning around me. Heeding Her Highness' words, I readied myself and waited for one of them to disappear. When it happened, I swung my sword and got in a few hits though I did end up getting hit in the chest by the fireball at close range. While that shot pushed me back, it didn't hurt that badly which made me think that perhaps this Nightmare was all bark and no bite. Again, it was supposed to be stronger than Moldorm according to Flash Sentry? Okay, maybe more strategic in its attacks and timing but being stronger? I just couldn't see that.

As the Genies came back and began spinning, I chose to remain in the middle of the room. Why? I figured it would give me the best chance to move and dodge when the real one throws its fireball. If I were in the corner, it could become problematic. One disappeared and I attacked the other whilst dodging its fireball this time. After a few hits, it disappeared and I wondered how long this was going to take. Moldorm only took four hits while the Genie had been hit at least six times now. If I had to give props to this Nightmare for one thing, it was the fact that it had tons of durability.

Once more, the Genies appeared and began spinning around. At least they weren't picking up speed otherwise I'd be throwing up like crazy by now. Waiting patiently, one of them disappeared but before I could strike the real one, it struck me in the chest with its fireball. Shoot! I was so close to ending this but now I had to keep on going for another round. I tried striking the remaining Genie but it vanished just as I was about to connect. Waiting for the next assault, both Genies reappeared and repeated the process. Yeah, this really needed to end as this was really getting annoying.

When one disappeared, I rushed forward and attacked the other one as fast as I could. Three strikes with my sword turned out to be enough as the Genie suddenly stopped, flailed its arms about and started exploding. Four small explosions later and it finally blew up in a big explosion leaving nothing behind. Finally! I had defeated this Nightmare! While it wasn't as difficult as Moldorm in some ways, it was difficult in others. It also meant six more Nightmares were waiting for me in the remaining dungeons. Like Moldorm before it, the Genie had left behind a Heart Container which I gladly picked up.

"You did it, Sunset!" Princess Twilight exclaimed happily.

After feeling the warmth from the Heart Container go through me, I dropped to my knees. "Whew! That was just tedious to no end."

"Like I said, it was all about being patient."

"Yeah, but something bothered me during that fight."

"What was that?"

"According to Flash Sentry, the Genie was supposed to be stronger than Moldorm." I answered as I got back onto my feet. "While I did see some aspects of that when fighting that Nightmare, other signs suggested otherwise. I guess strength doesn't have to be the main focus when it comes to these Nightmares because if it had been, the Genie quite possibly could've been too strong for me to defeat." Stretching my arms, I looked at the door that lead to the final room of the Bottle Grotto. "I've had enough of being in here so let's go get that instrument and take BowWow back home."

"And that remaining treasure chest?"

"I'll be sure to pick it up despite what I said."

Before doing anything else, I grabbed the Heart Container that had been left behind by the Genie upon its defeat. After what I had been through, I really needed the pick-me-up it provided as well as my health being restored. My body felt warm as the containers and Pieces of Heart usually did upon me getting them. While it annoyed me that I had to defeat powerful monsters--the Nightmares in this case--in order to acquire these health boosts, I supposed it was meant to be seen as a form of accomplishment knowing I overcame incredible odds and I'd be rewarded accordingly.

Walking over to the door, I entered the final room where the door sealed itself shut behind me. To my right was the second Instrument of the Sirens, a horn that was sparkling in the light of the two torches either side of it. Since this was when Princess Celestia made herself known, I expected Princess Luna or Princess Cadance to show up. Grabbing the horn, I lifted it up and took a closer look at it. Like the Full Moon Cello, the instrument that was now in my hands was absolutely beautiful. If I could, I'd have played it right there and then but since my expertise was the guitar, all I could do was add it to my growing collection.

"You have acquired the Conch Horn!" A familiar voice echoed all around me.

"Is that?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It's Princess Luna."

As if on cue, the Princess of the Night, her official title, appeared before us wearing a dark blue gown, dark blue high-heeled shoes, and was giving off a cold radiance despite being a being of goodness. Her black wings reminded me of Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna's form from over a thousand years ago, a form that resulted in her banishment, and despite not having her horn, her hair shimmered in the same way as Princess Celestia's. Compared with her older sister, Luna was more aloof in her mannerisms and tended on being rather dramatic when it came to wordplay.

"Strange that I have this form as opposed to my usual alicorn stature." Princess Luna said.

"You eventually get used to it."

"Ah, I see that you have come, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna said. She then turned to face me. "So you're the heroine of this strange world, Sunset Shimmer? Hmmm... I must say that I am surprised Twilight wasn't chosen to be the one to save the day, but perhaps you being the one is a blessing."

"More like a curse." I said.

"Yes... My sister did say something about you experiencing a problem but she did not know what."

"It's... very complicated." Princess Twilight said.

"I shall take your word for it." Princess Luna said. She then walked up to me before placing her hand on my shoulder. "With this instrument, you only have six more to find before you can awaken the fish-like thing that currently sleeps in the giant egg." Pausing for a moment, she took in the fact that I had to wake up a sleeping fish. "And I thought the wild creatures of Equestria were strange. I must admit, Sunset Shimmer, that you have quite the burden placed upon your shoulders."

"I'm used to it." I said.

"Be that as it may, I wish that I could help you but that is beyond my means."

"Princess Celestia said something to that effect." Princess Twilight said.

"While I have my memories of Equestria, they are of little help in this strange world." Princess Luna said. Like I said, she was dramatic with her wordplay. "Whoever managed to bring us here is a being of great power. This is evidently true if such a being was able to ensnare myself, my sister, and even Princess Cadance... Oh, and you yourself, Twilight."

"You have no idea." I said. I could try to explain about Ganondorf to Princess Luna but I didn't exactly do so with Princess Celestia. While I had no doubt that they would listen to what I had to say, whether they believed it or not was another thing altogether. For now, it was best not to bring it up and perhaps explain things later when all three princesses had gathered together. Looking at Princess Twilight, I nodded while Luna was briefly distracted and she nodded in kind confirming that we were going to tell them eventually. "Are you able to tell us where we have to go next?"

"Now that I can help you with."

"Glad to hear that."

Princess Luna paused for a moment before attempting to speak using her Royal Canterlot Voice. Quickly realizing that wouldn't be very effective not to mention embarrassing on her part, she spoke with her usual tone. "Prairie... prairie... The prairie is waiting... I know this does not make sense but I am permitted by this world to provide more detail. In the village where you were brought to, Sunset Shimmer, the remaining way out cannot be accessed without power. You possess that power now so you can proceed. Someone... there is someone waiting out there to speak with you in a house."

"I take it you can't say anything else?"

"I am not permitted to speak any further on the matter."

"Guess we'll have to figure the rest out on our own." Princess Twilight said.

"You do have the grandfather who is shy to call on for assistance."

"Oh yeah, Discord!" I exclaimed.

Princess Luna was taken aback when I said that. "Discord is in this world with us? Even the Lord of Chaos isn't immune to this being who brought us here? I am surprised that one can control the likes of Discord given his nature. Still, it is pleasing to know that he is being helpful in this world, a sign that he has truly become a force for good despite still wanting to play tricks on occasion." She then began to fade away which meant her time here was over. "I must take my leave of you both now. We shall see each other again in Level 5. What that means I do know but I am to tell you about it. Now... listen well to the Conch Horn."

She disappeared and the horn began playing its music. At one time, I had considered taking up the horn as an instrument, but since I was part of a rock n' roll music band, a horn, especially one that was more towards archaic, would've made me look pretty out of place compared with my friends using more modern instruments. Everything then went bright and soon I was standing back outside the entrance to the Bottle Grotto. BowWow was happy to see me and I knew that he had to be taken home, but first there was that one treasure chest that had yet to be opened. Good thing it was just inside so I wasn't going far.

Walking back into the dungeon and leaving BowWow behind it (Only briefly this time since I was going to be quick), I picked up the pots blocking the chest and tossed each one aside until I opened it taking out a purple rupee worth fifty. Good thing I decided to come back here now otherwise I'd have completely forgotten about this. With nothing left to do, I walked out of the dungeon and reunited with BowWow. He immediately consumed the Goponga Flowers that had been blocking the dungeon entrance allowing me to finally leave the swamp and plot my next course of action.

"We need to take BowWow home..." I began. "I think Wallflower has waited long enough."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I know, but before you go back to Mabe Village, why not use the Power Bracelet out here? I'm sure it will have some practical uses over than allowing you to lift up pots."

"Like?"

"Making shortcuts."

Looking ahead at the boulders off in the distance, I knew what Princess Twilight was hinting at. With the Power Bracelet, I could now go back to Koholint Prairie rather than have to go the long way round though there was that one house to the west that I've yet to visit. Perhaps I could go there later on whenever there was a free moment. It would mean backtracking over there unless I could use warp magic and cut down on some serious time. Walking forward and lifting up a boulder, I tossed it aside and jumped over the holes in the ground. I was back near Trixie's place and the Mysterious Forest yet there was one place I had yet to see here.

I continued going south until I reached a boulder that was blocking some stairs that went down to a desert-like area complete with strange vegetation. Before lifting the boulder, I looked around to see if there was anything suspicious, and the only thing that came to mind was a single gravestone. Shouldn't that be in an actual graveyard instead of here? Perhaps there was to it than appearances suggested. It was probably something I couldn't do anything about until I had the proper means to do so later. That's when I noticed something else in the sand, or rather, a lot of somethings.

"What in the world are those?"

"Zombies."

"As in the walking undead!?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "You'd be surprised as to what can lurk around on this island. Anyway, Zombies aren't very strong and can be taken out in one hit from your sword, but the problem is that they keep on appearing even after you defeat them. In other words, they will never stop coming out of the ground. I don't think you get anything from defeating a Zombie so you should probably avoid them. If it's any consolation, they can only be found here and in the graveyard."

"So there is a graveyard."

"Somewhere near the middle of the island if I remember rightly."

"Okay, we can come back to this gravestone later." I said as I turned around. "Let's take BowWow home!"

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"I have lived for countless millennia, across different time periods, died many times." Ganondorf began. "Different versions of me exist who have sought to plunge the world into darkness and rule it with an iron fist. Such versions are weak, arrogant, ignorant, and fail to grasp what is truly important. I come from a time where I wield the true power and have become wizened with knowledge. I still seek dominion over all I survey but I prefer a far more intricate method. I seek power from others to add to my own and servants who possess great potential should they be worthy enough for me to show them."

"So that's why you want Sunset!" Rarity shouted. "You see her as having great potential!"

Ganondorf laughed. "More than you realize, generous one. You children do not know as much about your friend as you believe. Answer me this question. Has she ever told you why she came to your world so long ago?" The silence from my friends was all the proof he needed to know. "As I thought, the child kept you in the dark."

"What does that prove?" Applejack asked. "If Sunset doesn't wanna explain herself about her past then I reckon that's her right. There are things about our pasts that we ain't shared with her because such things can only cause pain and misery."

"Friendship can be complicated but it's what keeps us together." Pinkie Pie added.

"Ironic isn't it, that she would not tell you of such a thing." Ganondorf answered.

"Um... How do you know so much about Sunset?" Fluttershy asked. Everyone else then blinked upon realizing that Fluttershy had made a valid point. While I knew Ganondorf could read the minds of others among other things, my friends didn't know and they were about to find out. "I mean, I'm not trying to be offensive, Mr. Ganondorf, but you do seem to know so much about Sunset so I was curious. Do you know our secrets too?"

Slowly nodding, Ganondorf chuckled slowly so as to instill a sense of fear. "I can read all of your minds, kind one. No matter how hard to try to hide your secrets, nothing can be hidden from me. There are other powers I possess that are far beyond your mortal minds but perhaps I shall reveal a few of these as time progresses. The child... At one time, she was destined to become a princess. Everything was in her favour to become one. But, fate took her down a dark path and had she stayed on it, she would have become a powerful sorceress and have conquered everything she wished."

"Good thing Sunset changed her life for the better." Twilight Sparkle said.

"And you can relate, magic one."

"If not for our friends, I'd still be at Crystal Prep and being miserable."

"Had you not been coerced by the alicorn, the child, your precious Sunset Shimmer would have remained on the dark path." Ganondorf said. It looked as though he was building up his anger but it was merely his dark aura. "She is destined to become the strongest of her kind and I can guide her to that destiny by having her forsake her current path. What you all believe in leaves her weak, useless, and unable to realize her true potential. You yourself, magic one, possess great potential but you are now lost because you have chosen to embrace the light and companionship. The child has not entirely embraced it yet."

"What do you mean?"

Ganondorf laughed. "The child still has some reservations about her life. A small part of her desires power above all else but she cannot come to that conclusion as what she has now is blocking her from true greatness. She will become my obedient servant, cast aside this pathetic existence of hers, and become the princess destiny decreed." He continued laughing but hadn't noticed what Rainbow Dash was doing. "And then there is the alicorn... the one who shall inherit her world. Her fate is intertwined with that of the child as she also possesses great potential. But, her purity is too strong and so it must be removed."

"Okay! That's enough!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she grabbed some wires.

"And do you intend on ending this experience, loyal one?"

"I pull out these cables and you're done!"

"Do that, and the child shall remain lost... forever."

"He's bluffing." Twilight said.

Ganondorf laughed once more. "Do you think I am bluffing, magic one? Go ahead... loyal one... do what you intend on doing." Rainbow Dash struggled for a few moments on whether to pull out the cables and turn Ganondorf off, but she knew she couldn't risk my life (Nor did she know that countless other lives hung in the balance. "You could not carry out your intention... how amusing. You lack the ferocity to do what is needed. Now that you all know about the past of the child, it is time to move to the true reason I have come here. I shall claim your precious magic but also indulge in seeing your greatest fears realized."

"We ain't afraid of nothing!" Applejack shouted. "Besides, we've been there before when someone tried usin' magic on us."

"My magic is ancient and far more potent than what you wield."

"Is that 'spposed to scare us."

"You will learn soon enough." Ganondorf said. "But before I subject each of you to your own individual fears... being trapped in this screen has been amusing for a while but now that little charade is over. I shall come forth to your world and subject to you fear in person."

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While making my way back to Mabe Village, I had to go through the Mysterious Forest again. During that trek, I made a few detours because now that I had the Power Bracelet, areas that were previously inaccessible were now open. First, there was that cave surrounded by three boulders. By lifting one up and tossing it away, I discovered a Piece of Heart but couldn't pick it up as it was located on a small platform surrounded by a massive abyss. I had to abandon it until I could come back with a means of making it across. After that, I remembered the one Piece of Heart hidden behind some heavy skulls near where I found the toadstool.

Going back that way wasn't too much of a chore since the Moblins at this point were simple enough to deal with. It helped that BowWow was with me and that he consistently devoured any monsters making it even easier. He did tell me at one point to dig but I couldn't without a shovel. Entering the cave and getting past the Green Zols (Again, BowWow made this practically a non-issue), I moved the stones as well as lifted and tossed the skulls allowing me to reach the Piece of Heart. Even though backtracking wasn't my favourite thing to do, the fact I was collecting items necessary for my success was worth the effort.

After going back the other way and exiting the cave where I entered it from, I continued going south making sure not to get lost (Despite having gone through the forest at least four times now, I still wasn't confident when it came to exploring this place). Near the southern end of the Mysterious Forest, there was a boulder that had been blocking a treasure chest and had been taunting me for some time. Lifting the boulder and tossing it aside, a Red Gel behind it did surprise me though BowWow quickly took care of it with a single chomp. Opening up the chest, I was surprised to see a Secret Seashell.

This was only my second one overall including the one I found behind the Trendy Game Shop. What was the significance of these seashells? All Princess Twilight told me was to collect as many of them as possible. In any case, I hoped to find out what they were for. With nothing else left for me to do, I finally left the Mysterious Forest and was back in Mabe Village where everything had returned to normal before the Moblins attacked. No doubt BowWow was happy to be back home since it had been over a day since the kidnapping. While I had the urge to explore, BowWow's return was my first priority.

Walking south and nearing the library, I was greeted by both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with the former speaking first. "Wow! You brought back BowWow! I can't believe y'all managed to beat those Moblins!"

"How did you manage to defeat the Moblins?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I tracked them down to their lair and got BowWow out of there." I answered.

"No wonder you managed to beat them!"

"I did have to fight off several of them including their boss."

That made Sweetie Belle very ecstatic. "Wow! You are really awesome, miss! No one in the village has ever managed to stand up to the Moblin Boss before. He always acted like a bully all because he was stronger than everyone else and believed he could do whatever he wanted."

Apple Bloom didn't look so sure. "Y'all may have defeated the Moblin Boss, but what's ta stop him from comin' back here and messin' things up again. Without y'all around here to keep 'em in check, they could attack the village and kidnap BowWow all over again. While they ain't the sharpest tools out there, Moblins are pretty tenacious critters and understand the meaning of wantin' revenge."

"You don't have to worry."

"How come?"

"The Moblin Boss is gone."

"Gasp! That means the Moblins will never bother us again!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Hoo-wee! It's a plumb miracle." Apple Bloom added. "By the way, why are we two kids keepin' this here miss from returning BowWow to his home? The answer ta that is we shouldn't and we should get back ta playin' catch. Madam MeowMeow is sure ta give y'all a reward for bringin' BowWow home. By the way, Marin wanted ta speak with y'all about somethin' mighty important. She didn't exactly say what but you should pay her a visit. How do I know this? I'm just a kid. I ain't 'spposed ta know stuff like that."

"If you want to talk to us later, we'll be over by the library." Sweetie Belle then started to head down to the library with Apple Bloom in tow but suddenly stopped before coming back like she had something else on her mind. "My sister was actually being serious about talking with Marin. She seems to have taken quite an interest in you, miss. We're just kids so we don't know what Marin has in store but it's probably best not to keep her waiting too long. She has a weird way of saying things sometimes that makes me question her."

As she turned and ran off to join Apple Bloom, I couldn't help but be curious as to what Starlight wanted. The last time I had spoken to her, she said she was going to be by the statue of the Flying Rooster. If I was right, she should still be standing over there. Before I deal with her, I had to return BowWow to Wallflower as it wasn't fair keeping her waiting any longer than necessary. Heading towards Wallflower's house, I could see her looking about, but Zecora was also present, her standing by the well. How did she get down here!? I'll deal with her later as I really needed to finish my current errand.

The moment Wallflower noticed BowWow, she threw her arms up in the air like she didn't have a care in the world. "BowWow! My poor precious BowWow! I never thought I would see you again after those nasty Moblins kidnapped you."

"It wasn't easy but I managed to bring him back to you." I said.

"Did Grandpa Ulrira give you my message of taking him for a walk?"

I nodded. "I took BowWow to Goponga Swamp which was where I needed to go personally."

"While that swamp is definitely a horrid place, my BowWow just loves eating the flowers that grow there." Wallflower said. She patted BowWow on the head and he purred like a little kitten which looked adorable. She then took the chain from me and attached it to a pole that was stuck in the ground before addressing me again. "Much better! I truly appreciate what you did for my poor precious BowWow and I know he feels that way too. You no longer have to worry about him scaring you. You are such a nice girl and that means you deserve a reward for such efforts."

"I don't need a reward."

"Nonsense!"

"The satisfaction of bringing him back to you is all I need."

Wallflower laughed. "Such a modest girl you are. I will give you a reward and I won't take no for an answer. First of all, allow me to give you this!" She raised her hands to her mouth and at first I thought she was going to kiss me. She then giggled and instead gave me a hug so powerful, it felt like my spine would break due to her strength. "And now for your other reward. For an adventurer like yourself, you should go to the local Item Shop. I hear they recently got in a stock of bombs. I'd never use any myself what with them being so loud and dangerous because they explode."

She handed me a red rupee before turning around and walking back into her house. While I didn't want to take her money, she was very insistent on it so it was probably for the best to accept it and not upset her. Wallflower also mentioned about how bombs were now being sold at the Item Shop. From what previous adventures had told me, bombs were very important so getting some was definitely in my best interest. First, I needed to talk with Zecora since she was here in the village for some reason. I wonder if was to do with that job she asked me about from before?

To Be Continued.

Chapter 8: Golden Leaves of the Castle.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 17, 2019.
Chapter 8: Golden Leaves of the Castle.

As I walked back to where Zecora was standing, I was still curious as to how she managed to get all the way here from up by Goponga Swamp. From what I had been told about her from Princess Twilight, she was known for making long treks from the Everfree Forest to Ponyville and back then. Had she done just that? Made her way through the Mysterious Forest, passing all those Moblins and reached Mabe Village? Or had she found another route I wasn't aware of? Also, I still didn't know about this job she mentioned before. As much as I wanted to offer my services, I had to get to the next dungeon which was somewhere in the prairie.

Upon seeing me approach, Zecora turned to me and smiled. "Ah, it is good to see you again."

"How did you manage to get here!?" I exclaimed.

In her usual manner, Zecora answered with a rhyme. "How I got here to the village you shouldn't worry but it looks like I caught you in a bit of a hurry. How unfortunate as I assumed you had finished your other errands. Perhaps I am wrong and you are done so why not come with me and have some fun? Come with me to my shack."

"Isn't your shack back by the swamp?"

"You have the means to easily get around."

"As much as I would like to help you with this job of yours, you haven't actually said what it is."

Zecora nodded. "This is true. I have not yet told you of what I want you to do but when I do tell you then I hope you will see it through." She then looked at me as though there were something off about me which made me feel uneasy. "I can tell that adventure is what you seek so permit to mention a little sneak peak. What I have for you to experience will definitely make it worth your while and no doubt you will succeed with style. The point I'm getting to is I'll reward you very handsomely for helping me out."

"What kind of reward?"

"Rupees, Heart Containers, and so much more."

"I'm listening..."

"Such treasures are of real importance to one such as yourself." Zecora said with a smile. She knew that I was now fully interested in what she wanted to say because she said the right words, namely rupees and health. "While you are free to come and visit me at my shack, perhaps you consider taking things back? I know that confused you so let me rephrase that. I want you to come to my shack in order to help me but I think it's too early for you to do so."

That made me annoyed. "Then why bring it up in the first place!?"

"Because I wanted to know if you were committed."

"Seriously?"

Zecora nodded. "If you weren't committed then it would result in your life becoming lost. I need those who can stand up to the task and that involves someone who possesses power, wisdom, and courage. Right now, you don't look very committed to me so please ignore what I said and you may go free."

"I am committed!"

"Are you certain?"

I nodded fiercely. "Without a doubt!"

"That's all I needed to know." Zecora said. "I will return to my humble and wait for you there and in the meantime you should continue your quest so fair. I believe there is a place out in the prairie which beckons one such as you and no doubt you will win through. I don't know what you'll find but hopefully it should be something kind. Once you've done your business, come and see me and I'll explain everything."

In my mind, I was ready to burst into sheer rage. Why did Zecora tease me like that!? She wants my help but now doesn't!? Couldn't she make up her mind or something!? Then again, she always was cryptic with her words according to Princess Twilight so rather than be outraged, I needed to think things more clearly. Zecora obviously needed help but perhaps thought I couldn't handle whatever she was planning? I've had experience being an adventurer... plenty of it by my account, but since that was across different worlds, to Zecora, what I've been on Koholint Island didn't impress her.

Still, I was curious about those rewards and how I was supposed to get them. Did she want me to perform some kind of fetch quest? Explore a dangerous place where few would ever dare tread? Or maybe she wanted me to fight a powerful monster that had never known defeat? Again, her cryptic nature meant me not knowing the exact details until I actually paid her a visit to her house and inquired further. Even if I were to pester her about what she was talking about, she wasn't likely to tell me anything until I did what she asked. Guess that chalked up something else I'd have to come back to later.

Leaving Zecora to eventually make her way back home, I began to think about where Princess Luna had directed me to next. She mentioned the prairie was waiting for me. I had already been to a prairie, the Koholint Prairie, the area where Trixie lived, but I had already explored every bit of that area aside from the other house that had been blocked by a boulder that required the Power Bracelet to lift it. A dungeon entrance would never be that obvious. I mean, they have in my previous adventures but this island obviously played its own rules so what I believed no longer applied.

From what I could recall from the map of the entire island Princess Twilight and I saw in the library, there was another prairie just beyond the village. I couldn't recall the name of it nor could I remember how big it was. Was that where I needed to go? I wished I'd been given more clarity by Princess Luna about the subject. I considered asking Discord if he knew anything about this other prairie but I suspected he would only tell me about specific things. Then an idea popped into my head! Applebloom mentioned Starlight wanting to talk to me! I hoped she would have an answer.

I made my way over to the statue of the Flying Rooster and sure enough, Starlight was still standing there singing. As I approached, she stopped and turned to face me. "Oh! I was wondering where you've been, Sunset Shimmer. You came back to the village a while ago only to leave again. I can tell that you have quite a busy schedule so I appreciate you taking some time to speak to me."

"I was told you wanted to see me?" I asked. I was also curious about the song she was singing but was afraid she would take offence. I think I will slide in that question after I ask about the other prairie. "May I ask you a couple of questions? It would really make me very happy."

"Really?" Starlight's face then lit up. "Of course I'll answer your questions." She then turned her attention towards her home. "Tarin finally came back from the Mysterious Forest after what felt like forever. I thought the Moblins had hurt him or much worse but as soon as he came home, he went right to sleep for a nap though why? Why would anyone want to sleep on such a nice day? That was yesterday when you weren't here. Right now, he's eating bananas from a strange fellow who sells them on the beach in exchange for canned food. I don't think he will give you any of his. Ha! Tarin always was selfish when it came to sharing."

"O... kay?" I don't know why Starlight mentioned all of that. It wasn't relevant to what I needed to know. Was she trying to have a normal conversation with me? Granted, I didn't really see anything wrong with that, but I did need to know about what this other prairie was.

"I'm sorry... Was that boring?"

"N-no! Not at all."

"Then what is your first question?"

"Do you know what the prairie is beyond the village?"

"Of course I do!" Starlight answered, cupping her hands together. "I've been through there many times on my way to the Animal Village on the other side. Ukuku Prairie is very large and it can be easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going. Until recently, I could walk across the prairie freely, but ever since those boulders appeared, no one can leave the village in that direction. It's so sad because I love going to the Animal Village, but without strength, I'm stuck here."

The Power Bracelet was required to leave the village! I had a feeling that was going to be the case. In these kinds of journeys from what I've seen, whenever I acquired a new item, it was needed in order to access a new area that was previously inaccessible. I already had that experience with the Roc's Feather so now it was the Power Bracelet's turn. I doubted I could get to this Animal Village Starlight mentioned without another item so finding the next dungeon was even more important (Along with the next instrument and the Nightmare). The journey would be a rough one so I had to go to the Item Shop after this.

"Anything important out there?"

"Like what?"

"Important places?"

"There are a few of them." Starlight answered. I could tell she wasn't liking my question but I needed her to remain focused on giving me the information I needed. "There is a castle whose owner abandoned it and now lives somewhere out there in Ukuku Prairie. There's also a beautiful mansion that's dedicated to seashells. I never did visit it because it was out of my way and it seemed more suspicious than anything else. Lastly, a place called Key Cavern exists, but no one can go in because someone lost the key a long time ago. Other than that, nothing else comes to mind."

"What about that song?"

"The song I'm singing?"

I nodded. "I was curious about it."

"This song... It means an awful lot to me you know." Starlight said as she blushed ever so slightly. "Whenever I can find the time, I will sing it to my hearts content. To be honest, I never did figure out the actual meaning behind the song, but I don't care because I can sing it without anyone judging me." The moment she said that, my body went as cold as ice and she clearly noticed. "Have you heard of it before, Sunset Shimmer? If so then maybe I can teach you the song."

"I... I... I don't have an instrument."

"That's too bad."

"But I would like to learn."

Starlight smiled. "You're such a sweet girl, Sunset Shimmer, but I don't think you have the kind of singing voice that I do. No, I think you'd be better off with an instrument. I do know that one such instrument exists in the village." She then changed the subject much to my surprise. "I would love to know some more information about you. Huh? What? No, you clearly heard me wrong. I mean..." I knew she was lying but why even do that? It's not like I was going to look down on her for it. Despite what it looked like, I had been known to lie for a variety of reasons. "Maybe... Can you talk to me later? I want to sing right now."

And just like that, Starlight began singing leaving me to my own devices. There had to be some kind of significance to that song! I mean, why else would she sing it and not know what the meaning behind it was? I had to find out its secret. I then realized this was yet another item being added to a plate chock full of things that required my attention. I needed to practically be in three places at once! First Zecora, then Ukuku Prairie, and now Starlight. Fortunately, Starlight had provided more information than I initially expected. The prairie was definitely worth my interest even if I didn't need to go there.

Before leaving Mabe Village, I was going to visit the Item Shop and get some supplies. My experiences in the Bottle Grotto reminded me that I needed to always keep stock of my current inventory otherwise I'd end up making things worse for myself. As I began heading towards the shop, I noticed Princess Twilight had been awfully quiet. While I understood that as my fairy partner, she wanted to take a step back and allow me to do most of the talking, but I valued her wisdom because she clearly knew plenty more than I ever hoped to. She didn't need to remain quiet as that would just be offending her integrity.

"Twilight..." I began.

"What is it?" Princess Twilight asked.

"You don't need to be quiet on my account." I answered with my head lowered a little. "If you want to say something to those we encounter, feel free to speak your mind and not allow me to do everything. I value your input more than anything!"

"Oh I'm not bothered by that."

"You're not?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "Nope! The reason I've been quiet is that I'm taking all this information we're getting and storing it aside for safe-keeping. While I can't write it down in a journal or notebook, I can use my fairy magic to keep the information stored away until needed. Anyway, Starlight gave us a lot of info. I'm just so proud of what she did for us even though she clearly didn't have to."

"Put the fan-gushing aside, Twilight."

"Oh! Right!" Princess Twilight blushed as she coughed. "The house dedicated to seashells might have something to do with those Secret Seashells you've been finding. That's just a guess since I have no idea what they even do. The castle is sure to have a library and I don't need to tell you how I feel about that!" I rolled my eyes because Her Highness just loved libraries--they were basically a second home for her away from her own.

"And this Key Cavern?"

"That could be a dungeon."

"You think so?"

"I don't know that either." Princess Twilight answered. "If Flash Sentry were here, he'd probably tell us that but we haven't seen him since you rescued BowWow. I think this is something we'll have to figure out on our own. Now, can we finally go to the Item Shop? I know you want to go there badly which is why I knew to say that. Ukuku Prairie sounds pretty dangerous so getting stocked up is highly recommended."

Her Highness didn't have to tell me twice. It didn't take long for me to reach the Item Shop (The sign above the entrance depicted a pot. Not exactly the image I'd have used but it wasn't really my choice) and walking inside, I was surprised at two things. One, there were some really strange items for sale. Two, Aria Blaze was standing behind the cash register. I knew that the other two Dazzlings had to be on this island seeing as Adagio already was. Unlike her and Sonata, Aria was the brooding member of their trio. She preferred to have an emo like persona and always clashed with her 'sisters' because she felt like it.

"Why is she here?" I whispered.

"I'm guessing she was the right fit for whoever worked here in this world." Princess Twilight answered.

"This isn't going to go well."

"We've dealt with her in the past and we can do it again."

"Ahem!" Aria coughed, getting our attention. "If you two are going to be whispering amongst yourselves, you can take such business outside. I don't really care what you're saying but it just looks bad for business. Tch! Like anyone even comes in here these days."

"I'll do the talking." I whispered as I walked over to Aria whilst Princess Twilight nodded. "I didn't mean to offend you." I spoke in my regular tone.

"Judging from that weird get-up, you must be some kind of adventurer." Aria said. Not even a minute in here and already I was struggling not to throttle her. The Dazzlings, back in the real world, were still antagonistic despite no longer being threatening ever since they lost their magic. Even after seeing them at the Post Crush concert, I couldn't trust them for an instant, but I could do so in this world. Aria then continued. "Like, welcome to my shop. As you can see, I've got all kinds of things someone like you would want. I have basic items and even some rare finds."

"May I have a look?"

"Sure, but don't steal anything."

"Why would I do something like that?"

Aria's eyes then narrowed and I knew I wasn't going to like what she was about to say next. "Stealing is something I really don't take too kindly. If you steal something from me, everyone in the village will forever refer to you as 'Thief'. No matter how hard you cry and beg, that name's gonna stick!" She took a deep breath before continuing on. "If you come back in here after stealing something, everything will end with my special technique!"

"Meaning?"

"I'll make you regret coming back in here by shooting you with lightning." Aria answered, her face becoming sinister with her expression. "That's what happened to the last person who tried stealing something without paying. You'll likely die from my technique so let my words be your only warning. Don't steal!" She then resumed her normal expression, or whatever constituted as such for her. "Now, if there's anything on the shelf you like, bring it over and I'll see how many rupees you've got."

"What do you have?"

"Can't you see for yourself!?" Aria snapped before quickly calming down. "No... no... Can't afford to lose another customer." She then walked over to where the items were located and began to explain. "I've got Recovery Hearts, Bombs, a Shovel, a shield, a Piece of Heart, and this weird tile. There! That's everything I've got for now. You better be interested in these otherwise I'm gonna get real mad."

"I would like some bombs, please."

"That will be twenty rupees for ten bombs." Aria said. I handed over the money and she gave me the bombs in a bag. "Thank you very much for the purchase, and thank you for not stealing anything. I have a feeling you're going to be quite the regular customer."

I had about a hundred rupees on me now and even though I wanted to buy everything she had, I knew that was possible as some items looked really expensive. I asked her about the shovel and she said that it was worth two hundred rupees, the same with the Piece of Heart. Yikes! No way could I afford either one for now. The shield wasn't necessary because of already having one on my person and hearts weren't all that important since I could find them whenever monsters decided to drop any upon defeating them. All that remained in her stock was the weird tile as she called it.

"What about that tile?"

"Oh that?" Aria answered. "It's something I acquired a while ago but no one seems interested. According to Dampé, it holds a power that can create a dungeon room or something like that, but she was being so annoying with her rhyming that I'm not even sure she's right." She sighed heavily. "It costs 1,250 rupees. I know it's a hefty price but considering these are hard to come by, you might have some interest in it. Who knows, not that I care. Anyway, are you going to buy anything else?"

"You know Dampé?" I asked, making sure not to mention the name Zecora.

Aria nodded. "Despite not living around here, she does come by every once in a while. Sure, she looks weird but believe me, I've seen weirder than her. When she found that I had that tile, she went on a spiel about it to the point where I thought I was going to get bored to death."

"I might be interested in it... Later on down the road."

"Not like it's going anywhere!"

Thinking that ten bombs weren't enough, I decided to buy ten more which left me with only eighty rupees left. I had a feeling that the shovel was going to be very useful so I needed to start saving up my rupees. The Piece of Heart would most likely be an impulse purchase and as for the tile... Zecora would need to fill me in on that. Aria was right about me being a regular customer as she had exactly what I needed. Hopefully, the shovel wasn't going to be needed until much later on (Famous last words right there). Since I didn't need to buy anything else for now, I thanked Aria and she hoped to see me again later.

Leaving the Item Shop, there was nothing else for me to do in Mabe Village so it was finally time for me to start the next stage of this journey. Heading eastward towards the east exist of the village, Starlight had been right about boulders blocking the way out. A nearby sign said that ahead was both Animal Village and a place called Kanalet Castle which Starlight had also mentioned. Picking up a boulder and tossing it aside, I continued on and immediately noticed a cave nearby. I felt compelled to check it out, so I did and entered it and came across both a treasure chest and a Piece of Heart surrounded by more boulders and some skulls.

Two Green Zols popped up but I quickly defeated them both with my sword though neither dropped anything. From there, I began pushing boulders around (These weren't the heavy ones mind you) to reach the treasure chest and opened it up to reveal a purple rupee which I took. I did have to leave the cave and go back in to reset everything because I couldn't reach the Piece of Heart. When back inside, I moved the boulders in a different pattern and lifted the heavy skulls, tossing both aside before grabbing the Piece of Heart. It's warmth made me feel better but I knew I still needed more to improve my health.

Heading back outside, I saw an Octorok, but something was different about it. "Why does that Octorok have wings?"

"Because it's a Winged Octorok." Princess Twilight answered. "Unlike regular Octoroks, these ones have wings which they can use to fly for a limited amount of time. If you try to attack them, they will take to the air and land behind you before spitting out a rock at you. To defeat them, you can either use the Roc's Feather and attack them in the air or wait until they land before striking. If you're not confident with fighting aerial enemies, they can be ignored entirely."

Then I noticed a strange marked platform. "Hey!" I shouted while pointing at it. "What's that?"

"Let's take a look." Princess Twilight suggested. I made my way over to the platform making sure to avoid the Winged Octorok (I did cut down the grass along the way acquiring several rupees in the process) and when I reached the platform, I saw that it had some kind of sun-like symbol etched into it. Her Highness then took a closer look at it and as she did, she constantly tilted her head as she pondered over many possibilities, and upon coming back over to me, her shrugging shoulders told me she had no clue. "Well I'm stumped. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Could it be magical?"

"Maybe but I didn't feel anything."

"Should I try using an item?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "I don't think the Roc's Feather and Power Bracelet will help here, Sunset." She scratched her head and continued tilting it as her though process began going into overtime. "Okay! How about this for an idea... Just walk onto it."

"Wat!?" I frowned.

"It's all I can think of."

"Fine..." I stepped onto the platform and it began glowing in a bright blue light. "Don't... say... a word..." Her Highness nodded knowing that her idea was the solution. I couldn't believe that's what it took though it didn't explain what was supposed to happen. "Guess we'll need to find another one like this somewhere. Surely this has to be magic?"

"Until we find another one, we can only assume."

Stepping off of the platform, I looked around to see what I could do next. The tell-tale sign of a telephone was the best place to start since I could do with Discord confirming a couple of things for me. There was a path heading south as well as continuing going east but my first priority had to be Discord. I wasn't abusing his services seeing as he insisted on me phoning him up whenever I needed his help, but I always feared that he wouldn't be able to give me the right kind of advice for a given situation. Princess Twilight had filled the void but not even she had all the answers. Walking around a tree and entering the booth, I picked up the phone and waited.

BRRIIINNG! BRRIIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho! Hi, it's Ulrira!" Discord said on the other end.

"It's me again." I said.

"You know, I ought to know your name since I, well, don't know it."

"My name is Sunset Shimmer."

"I shall remember that name from now on whenever I hear your voice." Discord rocked in his rocking chair as I could hear it in the background. "Anyway, have you talked to everyone on the island yet?"

I was taken aback by his question. "How could I have talked to everyone when I haven't even explored roughly half of the island yet?"

Discord laughed. "D'oh ho ho! I guess I should've been a bit more specific there, but judging from your response, that would be a no. Not to worry though because I am here to help you figure out where to go next." While his laughing at me was annoying, I couldn't hold a grudge since he did admit he was at fault. "There is a woman named Richard who lives southeast of the village in Pothole Field. Why not pay her a visit? I know she is someone you haven't met yet. I know what you're thinking so let me put that thought to rest. Yes, her name is Richard but it's best not to question her name choices."

"Why do they call it Pothole Field?"

"You might not see it straight away but once you start cutting down those shrubs, the name will make sense pretty quickly." Discord was about to hang up (I knew this because I could hear him tapping the phone on his end) when he suddenly remembered something. "You know, someone like you should pay a visit to the Seashell Mansion in Ukuku Prairie. Sure, it might not be an exciting place, but the Great Fairy knows how to take care of it. I know little about it but she definitely does. Don't worry about not finding it. You can't miss it. That's all I can tell you for now, bye!"

CLICK!

Thanks to Discord, Princess Twilight and I now had more information with which to work with. First, we needed to speak to this woman named Richard. Yes... I actually was wondering why she was given a male name, but like Discord said, it was best I didn't question it otherwise I wouldn't be getting her help. He also gave us the name of that house Starlight mentioned that had to do with those Secret Seashells, and that Adagio herself was the caretaker since she was portraying the Great Fairy like she had on previous adventures. A shame that he didn't say where I could find it but he said I couldn't miss it.

Leaving the telephone booth, I also thought about this place called Pothole Field. A pothole was a hole in the ground that formed due to the earth eroding over time resulting in said hole and causing headaches for people both on foot and on the road. On Koholint Island, the equivalent here were those holes I had been seeing everywhere... oh no. An entire field comprised entirely of those!? I had a feeling I'd have to explore it as why else would it have a name like everything else did? Sometimes, these adventures really took their toll on me emotionally but there wasn't much that could be done other than accept it.

Just as I was about to head south, I saw another Winged Octorok but it was looking in the other direction and hadn't bothered to notice me. However, the other monster nearby clearly did and came at me with sword and shield at the ready. "Is that a Moblin? I mean, there is some similarity but I can't quite place it."

"This is a Boarblin." Princess Twilight said. "It's a relative of the Moblin and so you'll find that they have the same attack patterns as their counterparts. Meaning you'll encounter ones with spears and others with swords and shields like the one before you. Boarblins make their home here in Ukuku Prairie but they also live in the Tal Tal Mountains so expect to see them later on when we eventually have to go up there."

Since that was the case, dealing with Boarblins wasn't going to be much of an issue. Raising my own shield, I parried the sword of the Boarblin causing it to rear back and drop its guard long enough for me to hit it twice with my own sword. It disappeared upon defeat in a puff of smoke much like every monster on this island and it left behind a Guardian Acorn which I picked up which provided a temporary defence boost. Ignoring the Winged Octorok, I kept going south only to discover that I couldn't go any further due to numerous holes in the ground blocking the way. Even with the Roc's Feather, I wasn't about to jump across so many holes.

In fact, I would need a lot of speed before jumping in order to reach the other side. Since that way wasn't possible for now, I decided to double back and go the other way south I had originally intended before taking the detour towards the telephone booth. Heading south along the side of a cliff, I went around the corner and came across an interesting place, and one that was very familiar. Much like Tail Cave before it, I had come across a gated cave, and because I was more wizened than before, I knew that this had to be the next dungeon. Statues placed in front of the entrance depicted a one-eyed creature of unknown origin.

Walking up to the one statue that had a keyhole on it, I read what it said. "It says 'Insert Slime Key here'... Slime Key?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "I guess we need to find this key in order to enter this next dungeon." She then took a closer look at the landscape. "It looks like you need to unlock the entrance from here and then go around counter-clockwise a ways to reach the other side."

"Ugh! Backtracking!"

"It can't be helped."

I grumbled to myself but I knew Her Highness was right. I then had another thought. "How do we even begin to figure out where this Slime Key is? Flash Sentry hasn't shown up for a while and he was the one who told us about the Tail Key."

"Yes, that is a concern we can't ignore." Princess Twilight began flittering about which meant she was in deep thought so I kept quiet while she tried coming up with an idea. A couple of minutes later, she came up with a possible solution. "We might need to talk to this Richard that Discord mentioned. If anyone knows about this area, it would be her. I'm not entirely confident about this, Sunset, but I can't really think of much else aside from her."

"Let's hope we can find this Pothole Field soon." I said. Since the only way forward was to go south, I ignored the entrance to the Key Cavern (What does a Slime Key have to do with a Key Cavern apart from the two having the word 'key' in their respective names?), and kept moving, turning left where I slapped my forehead upon realizing that this was the place. We had arrived in Pothole Field.

"It doesn't look like there any holes here." Princess Twilight said as she observed the area. "Then again, Discord did say we'd find out when you cut down the shrubs." She then tried counting how many shrubs were presented but quickly stopped when it became apparent that there were too many. "This Richard lives here... and I think that house at the southern end of this field is the precise location. At least we didn't have to look too hard." She then noticed I had an angry look on my face and my left eye was twitching. "Um... Sunset? Are you okay? Do you want to vent out your anger?"

"No..." I answered as I calmed down. "I keep forgetting that we're on an island and things are a lot closer than I think."

"I can see why something like that would annoy you."

"I was about to explode but realized it'd be a waste of time."

"Well, talking to Richard should definitely be worthwhile.

I nodded. "Hopefully she can lead us to this Slime Key."

As I walked south towards the house, I couldn't help but take in the surroundings of this area. The immoveable stones were a sign of craftsmanship but at the same disappointing because they forced me to go the long way around due to not being able to move them. Also, those shrubs could surely provide me with rupees and if my previous adventures were any indication, leaving and coming back would respawn the shrubs, a perfect grinding place if I needed it. Soon, I reached the house and the outside had surely seen better days. Moss was growing on the roof in several places and a couple of vines were sprouting about.

Entering the house, the interior was way better which made me wonder why allow the outside to fall into a state of decay. There was several frogs hopping around and a giant frog statue located by a desk reinforced that Richard had a fascination with them. There was also a bed, a couch, various photos, trophies, other nick-knacks, a withered plant, a living plant on a nearby table, and finally, a bookshelf containing books. With all this stuff, you could live here for months on end without any problems, but no kitchen meant having to go out in order to acquire food for survival.

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head. "Sunset..."

"What?"

"It's... it's... it's Tempest!"

Looking at Richard herself seeing as I glossed over her as I was looking at the décor, she indeed turned out to be Tempest Shadow, or Fizzlepop Berrytwist though only a select few were allowed to call her that. I never met Tempest personally, but Princess Twilight told me all about how she joined the Storm King, serving as his personal weapon, instigating an attack on Equestria, stealing the magic of the princesses, and ultimately finding out that she had been used all along. Upon reforming, she went off to let others know of the Storm King's defeat, reconciled with an old friend, and eventually helped to defeat Lord Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow.

And I thought I had a storied and troubled past. Tempest definitely put me to shame on that front but unlike me, she had trouble embracing some of Equestria's more intriguing ways to the point where she felt uncomfortable. Her Highness had hoped to make her another personal student but Tempest declined saying she needed to figure things out on her own. I'd say she had succeeded there given that she appeared in the final battle for the future of Equestria. If she hadn't then she wouldn't have shown up. Her most distinguishing feature was a scar running down her right eye and of course, her broken horn, arguably her true distinguishing feature.

In this world though, she was a human and so didn't have her horn (It was for the best come to think of it). Princess Twilight was clearly nervous about talking with Tempest due to previous encounters, but I didn't have such feelings since this was my first time meeting her... well... this version and not the original. I decided to break the ice. "Hello there. I was told that someone lived here and that someone was you."

"Salutations!" Tempest said, flipping back her cape and striking a pose. "My name is Richard and I welcome you to my villa!" There was a brief awkward silence between us as I tried to make sense of why she was acting like an aristocrat but Tempest eventually broke the silence. "You wouldn't know by the look of me but I used to live in the castle."

"What castle would that be?"

"Kanalet Castle!" Tempest was clearly stunned by my question. "Do you mean to tell me that you've never heard of it before?" I shook my head and she was even more stunned but quickly regained her composure. I noticed she clenched her hand into a fist, a sign of volatile temperament, but then she saw me looking and quickly stopped. "Really!? Come on! I know for a fact that everyone on the island knows about Kanalet Castle." She sighed before sitting down on a chair. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You look like you're from somewhere where knowledge of my existence and castle are limited."

"You could say that."

"And why say such a thing?"

"I'm... Not from around here." I answered. I couldn't tell Tempest that I wasn't from the island. Well, she wouldn't believe even if I told her, but then I didn't want to bring too much attention to myself. "Anyway, I'm here because you can help me."

"Allow me to finish my story first." Tempest said as she flipped back her cape again. I held out my hands and motioned for her to continue. "Some time ago, I lived in the castle and everything was wonderful, but then it all fell apart when my servants went berserk. I was forced to flee here to this villa where I have remained ever since, my servants blind rage consuming them even now. There... I have finished my story so now you wish for my help?"

I nodded. "I'm looking for the key that opens the Key Cavern in Ukuki Prairie."

"You speak of the Slime Key, yes?"

"That's the one!"

"I may just have what you're after..." I knew that Tempest was going to ask me something since I could tell by the tone in her voice. "Sure, I'll let you have the key but it's not going to be quite so simple. Nothing in this world is free you know. If you want the key, you must first collect the Golden Leaf I left behind in the castle when I fled. Actually, there are five such leaves, and I want them all. If you help me than I will help in return. We shall both benefit."

"I don't have much of a choice do I?"

Tempest nodded. "Not if you want to get your hands on that key."

Then I nodded. "I agree to your terms."

"Smashing!"

"How do I get into the castle?"

"My servants have closed the drawbridge so you cannot go in that way." Tempest answered. She got up from her chair, rubbed her chin, and began pacing back and forth as she thought about how to solve this little dilemma. "My castle is frequented by monkeys, adorable little fellas, who love bananas more than anything else. If you were to placate them with their favourite food, you might be able to get inside via their assistance. You will also need to get yourself a shovel."

"Come again?"

"You will need a shovel."

"Oh."

"Good luck!"

Crap! I don't have a shovel! I thought I wouldn't need it until later on and not right away. Without enough rupees on hand to buy one, I could only do so much in the castle before being forced to backtrack. I could see myself going back and forth several times before I was finished with this errand. I only had 130 rupees in total and the shovel cost 200 so I needed to get my hands on another seventy from somewhere. It meant I had to grind for a while. At least I didn't have a time limit unlike my previous adventure, but grinding was something that was tedious because it was a waste of time.

Telling Tempest that I would be back, I left her villa and began thinking about where to go next. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into Pothole Field proper as I suspected she was the only one who knew how to get in there. That meant my grinding had to be somewhere else. I could remain in this area and cut down the shrubs and respawn them all by entering and exiting from the village but I had no idea how long it would take before getting enough. No... That was too much grinding for very little profit. Sighing, I decided to keep on moving. Perhaps there might be something in this Castle Kanalet that could give me plenty of rupees.

As I began heading east, it turned out that getting the bananas from Bulk Biceps was the smart thing for me to do. If Tempest was right about those monkeys, they were my key to entering the castle through an unorthodox manner. Heading around a corner, seeing so many inaccessible shrubs teased me like you wouldn't believe. The rupee potential was immense and I couldn't do anything about it. I could even see a Piece of Heart hiding amongst the shrubs up in the top right corner of Pothole Field. Again, another moment of teasing right there. Upon leaving the area and re-entering Ukuku Prairie, I decided to go right. It was inevitable to me at this point that I had no choice but to backtrack.

"Is that... A flying mushroom?" I asked upon seeing a winged mushroom with eyes flying about.

"That's a Zirro." Princess Twilight answered.

"It looks harmless."

"Wait for it..." I had no idea what Her Highness meant until it suddenly dropped a bomb that exploded a second later. "Zirro attack by dropping bombs and if you get caught in the explosion, you will take a lot of damage. As such, these monsters are one of the most dangerous on the island. They are swift at flying which makes them difficult to hit but when defeated, they tend to drop fairies though not always so don't rely on them for a quick healing fix. This would be a case where I recommend you avoid the monster given how it poses a major threat because of those bombs."

"Good idea."

"By the way, there's a telephone booth up ahead."

"Perfect!"

"You need to talk to Discord again?"

I nodded. "That and get some shelter seeing as there are monsters everywhere around here." Sure enough, several Winged Octoroks were also in the immediate area and combined with this Zirro enemy, I didn't want to end up getting overwhelmed. Making a mad dash, I ran into the telephone booth before stopping and breathing heavily. "Whew! That was a bit too close for comfort though there is the issue of dealing with them upon going back outside again." Once I recovered, I picked up the phone.

BRRIIINNG! BRRIIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho! Ya, it's Ulrira!" Discord said upon answering. "Sunset Shimmer? You're calling me again so soon? You must really be having some trouble. D'oh ho ho! Sorry for the laugh but I find it charming how you need me again. Now don't tell me! Let me guess what the problem is. Hmmm... Golden Leaves... You say you haven't found all five of them yet? I hear they are hidden in some very weird locations."

"How did you know what I was going to ask?"

"There is little on this island I don't know about."

"So... can you help?"

Discord laughed. I couldn't be mad at him for the constant laughing because he had been incredibly helpful. "I'm going to do something different for you this time. I'll give you two hints for the price of one since you sound utterly desperate. Now, those Golden Leaves... Most of them you can easily find but you should ask the crow at the castle. I'm sure he can help find one for you."

"And the other hint?"

"I didn't forget." Discord answered, his chair rocking in the background once more. "A shovel... Did you purchase a shovel from the Item Shop? I highly suggest that you buy one as soon as possible otherwise you're not going to get any further. Don't knock shovels though. D'oh Ho Ho! Get it? Ahem! You may find something if you dig here and there. What might be buried under the ground? It's best to discover such things on your own. No sense in revealing everything now is there?"

"No... I guess not."

"I hope that answers your concerns, bye for now!"

CLICK!

I wished he didn't hammer home the fact that I needed the shovel. It wasn't bad enough that Tempest told me I needed one but now Discord as well. At this rate, I was expecting someone else to tell me the same thing. Ugh! Why were rupees so hard to come by!? Without a shovel, my journey had come to a crashing halt, but it wasn't entirely over since there were things I could still do before I had truly hit a dead-end. My options included going to the Seashell Mansion, checking out Kantalet Castle, and grinding for rupees. I ultimately decided on the first option since option three could be done along the way.

Leaving the telephone booth, I went to the right and began avoiding the Zirro as it was gunning for me and came upon a fork in the road. On my left was Kantalet Castle which wasn't where I wanted to go right now so heading right was my choice. I walked south and looked behind quickly to see that the Zirro had chosen to go back the other way so I didn't have to deal with it for a while. More Winged Octoroks were now in front of me and just ahead were several Boarblins. The Guardian Acorn, long since having worn off, meant my normal defence was in play so I hoped to take care of these monsters and not take too much damage.

The Boarblins all had spears so with my shield raised, I barrelled my way into them. Spears were flying and bouncing off my shield while my sword swung about in hopes of connecting with these monsters. Rocks were also flying everywhere thanks to those Winged Octoroks but my shield deflected away the rocks and while I wanted to defeat them, they were more of a nuisance rather than an actual threat. Defeating the Boarblins proved extremely lucrative as each dropped a blue rupee that were worth five apiece giving me fifteen more to my total of 130 to 145 so now I needed fifty-five more.

My path then went left and up the hill where even more Boarblins with spears were waiting for me. I applied the same tactics I used on the other ones just now and overcame them after having to repel so many spears. To my delight, they also dropped blue rupees which I collected giving me even more--I now had 160 rupees. That's when my jaw dropped upon seeing two magnificent sights. The first was Kanalet Castle which was massive. It couldn't hold a candle to the likes of Canterlot for example but still, it was very impressive. Did Tempest truly live here in this world?

The other was what had to be the Seashell Mansion. It was obvious because of the giant seashell built into the side and the exterior looking like a beach. Walking up to and entering it, I couldn't believe at how it was just as magnificent on the inside as it was outside. What stood out most of all was a fixture that had green liquid oozing at the bottom. I hoped that liquid wouldn't leak out or anything or I'd be in a lot of trouble. This place screamed seashells because of how many hung from the ceiling and overall, the setting made me feel quaint like I had no troubles in the world.

Upon taking a step forward, Adagio appeared before me as I was expecting thanks to what Discord told me. "We meet again, young girl. I suspect that you already knew I was going to be here so I need not introduce myself. Welcome to the Seashell Mansion. I serve as the guardian of the mansion. There is no doubt in my mind about you. You are the one who can overcome the darkness."

"The darkness?" I asked.

"This island is coated in a darkness that must be purged."

"I've already defeated two Nightmares."

"A small amount of progress but you must go further." Adagio said. She walked toward me and I couldn't help but feel inferior to her because of what she was. I was also expecting her to suddenly backstab me yet she smiled with such a gentle smile that my worries quickly melted away. This island needs you, young girl. Only you can overcome the darkness that chokes it with its vile essence. As you are now, you possess great power, but you can become even more powerful through the Secret Seashells."

"And how do I do that?"

"By collecting them and coming here, you will be able to acquire the Ultimate Sword."

I was liking the sound of that. My current sword was doing well for me but I felt that without a Piece of Power, I often struggled against strong monsters, and this was especially true with the Nightmares. "I only have two Secret Seashells so far."

"That is not enough for you receive the sword." Adagio said sadly as she shook her head. "You would need at least twenty-five shells before it can be bequeathed unto you. A daunting task but one I know can be achieved by you, young girl. The shells are hidden well in places overlooked by most while others hide in plain sight but require something special such as an instrument or perhaps a means of digging. Right now, nothing will happen here so you should return later when you have collected more. As always, please visit one of my many fairy fountains scattered across the island. And... Perhaps you might find my secret fountain."

"Secret fountain?"

"In the world of colour."

Before I had a chance to ask for more details, Adagio disappeared leaving me alone in the mansion and with a lot to think about. I definitely wanted a stronger sword but to have to find so many Secret Seashells? It was a daunting task especially since I had no idea where they were. I doubted Discord could help me and Princess Twilight already said she knew little about them which left me to find them on my own. Even if I was given hints by Adagio, using an instrument and digging with a shovel (Another thing I needed it for), I didn't know where to dig or where to play a song.

Leaving the mansion, I made my way back down the hill and around in order to make my way to Kanalet Castle. None of the monsters had respawned so it was clear sailing though the ones that I ignored previously attacked and I avoided them but took a couple of hits in the process. At least that Zirro didn't hit me with any bombs otherwise I'd practically be crawling my way up to the castle drawbridge. Once at the drawbridge, I began looking around for any signs of a monkey. To my left were several holes I couldn't jump over without any speed so going right was my only option.

Walking along, I reached a dead-end but looking left, I saw a monkey who appeared to be suspicious since it was just standing there. "Well... We found a monkey, but how am I supposed to communicate with it?"

"Can you speak monkey?"

"No, and I don't think it knows sign language."

"Good thing I do."

"Sign language?"

"No... Speak monkey." Princess Twilight answered. I wasn't even going to ask how she knew how to do that. I was just going to stand here and let her do what she usually does, perform some kind of miracle that would even make Pinkie Pie jealous. Her Highness floated down to the monkey who immediately took a liking to her. "Hello. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I was wondering if you can help me and my friend here."

"Kiki help fairy!"

"Ah, so your name is Kiki?"

"Yes! Kiki named Kiki! You want help from Kiki? Need bananas!"

"Is that so?"

"Have bananas?"

"What is that monkey saying?" I asked.

"Kiki here says that he will help us out if we can give him some bananas." Princess Twilight answered. "Take out those bananas and place them in front of him. I'd do it myself but they are a bit too big for me to carry and my fairy magic is limited. I'm sure he will do something once he gets his hands on them." Since I didn't understand the conversation, I had to trust in her judgement. Reaching into a pocket, I took out the bananas and placed them in front of the monkey named Kiki before stepping back and Princess Twilight resumed. "Here you go! I hope you are satisfied with these?"

"Bananas! Bananas! Oooh! Ooh! Kiki! Monkeys! Come! Repay her! Kiki!" Wait? Did he just say monkeys? Sure enough, various monkeys came out of nowhere from all directions and began creating something. I couldn't see what it was due to so much dust but I was amazed at how many of them there were. A few seconds later and the monkeys had finished what they were doing, a bridge that allowed me to enter the castle grounds without needing the drawbridge. "Monkey business! Done! Bye bye! Oooh! Kiki!" As they left, one of them dropped a stick which I decided to pick up. Yes... An actual stick.

"Um... What do I need a stick for?" I asked.

"I don't know but you should take it anyway." Princess Twilight answered.

"Yeah, I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Now we can access the castle."

"I'm still upset at the fact that I don't have a shovel."

"You're only forty rupees shy of buying it from Aria so perhaps some grinding is in order?"

Though it pained me to want to admit it, I had no other choice but to grind for the remaining rupees. Perhaps I should've explored the island further instead of wanting to rush ahead with the journey or maybe I should've tried winning those purple rupees from the Trendy Shop Game? Sadly, what's done was done and I had to grind as a consequence. Crossing the makeshift bridge, I entered Kanalet Castle but not the castle proper and began looking around. According to Tempest, her servants went berserk and there was no doubt I would be fighting some of them in my search for the Golden Leaves.

Walking forward, things were not only beautiful but relatively peaceful. Nothing was attacking me which made me nervous as who knew what lurked on the other side of those castle walls that separated the inside from the outside. There was a telephone booth which made me curious as to how Discord managed to get one out here of all places, but I knew that if I needed his help for anything, I could phone him from here instead of going back to the other one. To my left was a shrub that was suspicious since it was on its own and surrounded by lovely flowers. Slashing with my sword, the shrub revealed a staircase and my way forward.

Going down the stairs, I entered an underground passage that was swarmed with some Goombas. I thought about using my sword at first but then an idea hit me. What if I jumped on them like you do in a Mario game. It's not like I was going to lose any sleep over it if I chose to go with the sword. Jumping on both Goombas and flattening them, each dropped a heart which I picked up to restore my health back to full. If that happened every time, they were definitely useful whenever I encountered them. I then used the Roc's Feather to jump over a few spiked pits and stepped on a couple more Goombas before reaching the ladder.

Climbing, I was now in the inner walls of the castle's outside area. "Okay, so there are five Golden Leaves in here?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "We know that one of them has to do with a crow so that leaves only four more to find. I suggest looking around the outside as thoroughly as you can before heading inside. I have a feeling the Golden Leaves are scattered about both in and out of the castle. Remember that Tempest's servants are going to fight you with every intention of killing you so you need to take them seriously. Now... which way should we go? Left, or right?"

I looked in both directions and saw that both had an armoured soldier waiting for me. "Both directions have their problems."

"Yes." Princess Twilight said. "Those are Darknuts. Despite having a strange name, they are formidable warriors who can deal quite a bit of damage if you're not careful. In terms of fighting style, they are the same as both Moblins and Boarblins so you're not at a complete disadvantage. Keep your shield raised at all times and watch out for their swords."

I decided to go left though to be fair, both directions were sure to have their own additional obstacles for me to deal with. Upon seeing me approach, the Darknut charged forward with its sword raised and when it collided with my shield, it got parried back but I was pushed back in the process. Her Highness was right about them being formidable. As I regained my composure, the Darknut had done the same and thrust forward with its sword. My shield protected me again but again I got pushed back. I wished I had something to stun it with but I didn't so I'd just have to be a tad more aggressive.

Raising its sword again, the Darknut was about to strike when I thrust with my own sword. We both hit each other and while it took some damage, I felt like I had gotten hit by a truck because of how powerful it was. I struck again defeating it before dropping onto one knee as I reeled from the blow. I wasn't in mortal peril or anything but that sword strike definitely did a number on me. I could only fear the kinds of monsters that awaited for me both inside the castle and later on in future dungeons. Once I felt ready to continue, I got back up and walked after the corner and spotted a crow looking down at me from a tree.

"That must be the crow Discord mentioned."

"And it is an enemy."

"That figures."

"Crows on Koholint Island are usually seen in graveyards or wastelands but to see one around here is pretty rare." Princess Twilight said. She then quickly realized something and began bopping me on the head (One of her favourite things to do) to get my attention. "When Discord said for you to talk to the crow, I believe he meant attacking it in order to acquire one of those Golden Leaves that Tempest talked about." Darting around, she quickly came up with an idea. The crow won't do anything since it thinks itself safe so maybe doing something to provoke it will guarantee results."

The only thing I could think of was rolling into the tree but I don't think I'm able to because of this world's physics so I decided to go with the next idea. I tried to see if I could hit it with my sword and coax the crow into attacking me. Swinging my sword, it connected with the tree with a loud thud and the crow attacked as expected. It was quite fast since it was a bird and all and began pecking me as thanks for hitting the tree. After enduring this for several seconds, I swung my sword which connected and I kept on swinging, connecting a second time which defeated the crow and leaving behind a Golden Leaf... As well as many bruises.

"It's... Quite beautiful." I said as I picked it up and carefully pocketed it.

"Yes, and you need to find four more."

"I hope I won't need a shovel to find any that may be buried."

"We won't know until we explore this castle." Princess Twilight then looked at my wounds. "That crow took its toll on you so maybe we should go back the other way? That would throw you into the path of the Darknut and the one you defeated proved how strong they are. I know you like being a little reckless and at times that can be helpful, but maybe you should slow down a tad, Sunset? Seeing you get hurt makes me really upset."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll slow down."

Heading south and running into no additional monsters, I had to admit that the castle grounds were peaceful aside from said monsters of course. Again, Canterlot had this place beat, the same with Princess Twilight's castle but props for whoever designed this place overall. Walking around the corner, I could see the other side of the drawbridge. If I could lower it down, going in and out of this place would be a whole lot easier for me. To my left was the castle entrance but I needed to keep checking around outside. Another Darknut was on patrol so I carefully moved closer with my shield raised.

It noticed and charged at me with its sword and I parried with my shield. Like with the previous one, I got pushed back every time because of its power. The Darknut continued pounding against my shield until my back was up against the wall but then I figured I could use that to my advantage. As it swung again, I quickly stepped to the side but not before getting nicked in the arm and the Darknut's body shook upon striking its sword against the wall. Two sword strikes later and I prevailed though my arm felt sore from being hit. My heart sank upon seeing a second one patrolling nearby yet it hadn't noticed me and continued on with its patrol.

Slipping past and around the corner, I came across six holes in the ground. Five of them were in the formation of a pentagon with the last one being in the middle. Something about them felt off to me as though something was going to happen. Suddenly, something popped out from a hole, threw a bomb, and went back down again. I barely had enough time to avoid getting caught in the explosion's blast. Whatever did that appeared from another hole and repeated its attack before disappearing again. The bomb exploded leaving me worried that I was eventually going to get blown up by a bomb.

Princess Twilight told me to get back and I did. "This is a Mad Bomber!" She shouted as it popped out from yet another hole before tossing a bomb and diving back down. The bomb was no where near me when it exploded so that one could be best described as a dud. "This is the only enemy like this on the island! Anyway, he was once one of Tempest's servants who went berserk. As you've already guessed, he will come out from a hole at random and toss a bomb at you. These explode almost immediately so watch out for those. You need to predict his movements and attack quickly."

"Do you think he has a Golden Leaf?"

"Only way to know is to defeat him."

"So it's like playing Whack-A-Mole?"

"Yes, you could say that."

Approaching the six holes, the Mad Bomber appeared from the top right hole and tossed a bomb. I panicked and stepped back as it exploded, the explosion radius was one I hadn't paid much attention to until now, so I needed to otherwise I was going to get hurt severely. He dove back down and I waited for him to make his next appearance. He popped up from the lower left hole and as he tossed his bomb at me, I responded by striking him as much as possible before he went back underground, the bomb exploding in the meantime, my back feeling it as that could've been bad.

The Mad Bomber popped up one hole north of where he was before and tossed his bomb. I tried to see if I could use my shield to knock it back at him but he quickly ducked back down leaving that idea a bust. I backed away as the bomb exploded so perhaps just attacking repeatedly was the best approach. For the next couple of minutes, the Mad Bomber would pop out from a hole, toss his bomb, and quickly disappear before I could reach him. While this strategy of his annoyed me because of how predictable it was as well as being slow, it was proving itself to be very effective. If I got too close, he would dive down.

He eventually popped up from the middle hole and I managed to hit him many times before he tossed his bomb. I stepped back and it exploded though I wasn't far back enough and got caught on the fringe of it. Meaning, I didn't take as much damage. He reappeared in the same location which was perfect timing as I struck him more times, and it turned out to be enough as he disappeared in the usual puff of smoke monsters did upon defeat and leaving me another Golden Leaf. Two down, three more to go. Looking forward, I could see one of the initial Darknuts which meant I had gone in a complete circle.

"I don't see anymore Golden Leaves out here."

"Then the rest must be inside the castle."

"One can only hope." I said as I gulped. "I mean, if only two are inside and the other is out here but I can't see it, it means I'd need to grind rupees to buy the shovel and I'd have to leave and come back again."

"Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint their exact location."

I shrugged. "It's what it is, Twilight." I looked at my wounds and while I was bruised all over as well as suffering from some minute bleeding, I could continue on though I would be sure to take things slowly as I expected more Darknuts were waiting inside. "Makes me wish I had an empty bottle or two with which to store potions and fairies in them."

"You've not found any so there's not much you can do about it." Princess Twilight then looked up at the sky and quickly pointed at the sun. "I'd say we've got about a couple of hours before the sun goes down. Once we're done here, we'll go back to Tempest with however many Golden Leaves you found and ask if you can stay the night. I know you've explored worlds like these after dark but I think you need sleep especially after all you've been through as of late. As for me, I need to do some map charting. While we did see a map of the island in the library, you need your own map and it should be easy for me to make one."

I smiled. "What would I do without you?"

"We're friends, Sunset." Princess Twilight answered, smiling back. "Now, we should probably continue by going into the castle. Make sure you don't lose those Golden Leaves otherwise Tempest is probably going to be pretty angry with you."

Nodding, I went back the way I came making sure to avoid the Darknut I had ignored before and went around the corner until I was back at the castle entrance. There were shrubs in front of the entrance prompting me to cut them down in hopes for some rupees or even recovery hearts. The latter ended up being more frequent which I appreciated in this case since I was expecting strong opposition inside. Entering the castle through the front door, the evil aura I felt all around made me feel uneasy. Breathing in and out and steeling myself, I walked forward and was prepared to take on what awaited.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 9: Dungeon of Keys.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 20, 2019.
Chapter 9: Dungeon of Keys.

I had to say this about the interior of Kanalet Castle, it definitely looked spotless despite it being filled with berserk servants. Like the outside however, the interior just couldn't hold a candle against the likes of Canterlot but you had to give props to the designer. To think that in this world, Tempest Shadow used to live here but was forced to flee. Come to think of it, she never explained why her servants turned against her. That's a pretty important detail right there she neglected to tell me about, but I couldn't really do much about it since I was here and all, and yet I could always ask when I come back.

Walking forward slightly before stopping and looking to my left, I could see a Darknut was pacing back and forth. Since there was only one of them around, I should have no trouble defeating it though something else was making me think that perhaps my confidence had been misplaced. A Red Gel bouncing about nearby wasn't the issue but rather the skull surrounding by flames. On the one hand, it looked familiar like I had seen it somewhere before, but my mind was drawing a complete blank. On the other, all it did was bounce off of anything considered a wall.

"What is that thing?" I asked.

"That's a Bubble, and not the kind you blow from a bubble maker." Princess Twilight answered.

I rolled my eyes. "I know that."

"Bubbles are said to contain the spirits of the dead." Princess Twilight said. She then pointed at it and I watched as it bounced off the walls going past me only to bounce back the other way and around the corner. "In some worlds, you can use your sword against them but only if their flames are removed. In this world however, swords have no effect and they are immune to most conventional means. You're lucky that they aren't invincible which is the case in one or two worlds."

"How do I defeat them?"

"Magic Powder is surprisingly effective."

I took out the bag containing Magic Powder and glanced at it. "Really? This stuff will work on those Bubbles?" I then put it back in my pocket as I didn't want to accidentally use any and thus having less to work with later. "No offence, Twilight, but I can't really imagine it doing anything other than fan their flames or make them twinkle."

I could tell Her Highness was ignoring my bad attempt at a joke so as not to laugh. "Using Magic Powder on Bubbles turns them into fairies which I know is very helpful to the likes of you, Sunset, but it's not easy to hit them with the powder. Their movement is erratic and you might end up wasting precious powder that you might need to light up torches or solve some other kind of puzzle. One other item is effective on them but you don't have it so there's no point in worrying about it. Just make sure to avoid them if you feel you can't sprinkle any powder on them or if you're running low."

"Magic Powder is precious... too precious."

"So it seems."

"One other thing... Can they inflict damage to me?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "They can. In some worlds, they can even drain your magic but you don't have any so that doesn't apply here. They are usually found in dungeons so seeing one here in this castle is very surprising. Oh yeah! Bubbles won't alert other monsters as they basically play by their own rules."

The way Her Highness described them, Bubbles were a combination of annoying, helpful, and being complete enigmas. I guessed it just depended on the current situation as to what they would be for me. Still, the fact that yet another monster that was immune to swords made me feel dejected. I really needed to get my hands on additional items that could be used for offensive purposes aside from sheer practicality. Perhapt the next dungeon would provide something along those lines? Of course, I first needed to get the key from Tempest that would allow me to enter said dungeon so thinking too far ahead wasn't a wise idea.

Choosing to make my presence known to the Darknut, I went around the corner and was surprised that there was a second one (It had to have been hiding behind the first one which was why I didn't notice). Luckily, both of them were throwing spears so getting pushed back wouldn't be an issue. Both Darknuts began throwing their spears and I deflected them using my shield. As each spear bounced off, I was surprised they didn't surrender or perhaps run away to get some assistance. They could clearly do so and I'd be unable to do anything about it so why continue in a losing skirmish?

Oh well. It was best not to think about it and instead take them down. When both realized that I gotten too close for them to attack, they attempted to move backwards in order to get more room but I made sure they wouldn't get the opportunity. Two strikes from my sword defeated both (Spear-throwing Darknuts were surprisingly much easier than their sword and shield counterparts) and the Red Gel got caught in my sword swings as it split into two smaller pieces before being defeated with one more sword swing. The moment the Red Gel was fully defeated, a Golden Leaf dropped down from above.

Picking it up, I now had three which meant only two more were remainig. Hopefully, they were inside the castle and not buried outside otherwise I'd have to grind and backtrack in order to buy the shovel from Aria and come back here with it and dig up the entirely of the exterior. Moving forward, I was caught by surprise by both variants of Darknuts with the sword wielder striking my chest which did hurt a little bit. Raising my shield before it could hit me again, I parried it back and managed to defeat it due to it being pushed up against a wall leaving only the spear thrower who tried to distance itself from me.

Two more sword swings defeated it and it dropped a blue rupee which I collected. Moving on, another spear throwing Darknut began throwing its weapon though it was being supported by a Keese instead of say another Darknut. I took down the Keese in one shot when it flew at me but attacking it caused me to get distracted and get hit in the leg with a spear. I pulled it out and tossed it aside where it clanged on the ground before taking out the Darknut before anymore spears came my way. It left behind a blue rupee as well which I took giving me roughly 170 rupees. (At this point, I had no idea as to the exact amount but it was a high number)

Behind this Darknut was a switch that definitely screamed important. I stepped on it and everything began rumbling. "What's going on?"

"The drawbridge is lowering outside."

"Does that mean we can come and go as we please?"

"Yes so we don't need to take that underground path."

"But what if the servants decide to leave and torment the rest of the island?"

"I don't think that's going to happen." Princess Twilight answered. The tone in her voice made me feel reassured but my concern was still a legitimate one. "I have a feeling these servants will remain here in the castle and go about their business without even knowing what just happened outside. That's actually something I've been noticing so far on this journey. The monsters are clearly capable of moving to other areas of Koholint Island yet they choose to remain where they are. It's like a force is telling them to maintain this posture though I don't yet know why this is."

"Another mystery, Twilight?"

"Either that or they just prefer to stick to their own territories."

I had to admit that Princess Twilight being around did give me some incredible insight as to what was going on with regards to Koholint Island. Granted, a lot of her observations were consistent with what I experienced on my previous adventures (From what I could remember since much of it had become really fuzzy as of late) such as monster behaviour, things not being what they seem, and even being surprised. But, there was plenty that just didn't make sense. Why did this island exist? What was up with the giant egg? Where did these Nightmares come from? Do the people of the island know what's going on? So many questions but little to no answers.

Walking up a small set of stairs and going back the other way, I came upon some more stairs that went up to the next floor of the castle. Going up and reaching the next floor, I couldn't see any crazed soldiers but there was something in front of me that looked too suspicious to ignore. At first, I thought it was more Darknuts so I went down another small set of stairs only to breath a sigh of relief at seeing two statues embedded into the wall. They depicted Darknuts, or rather, their helmets, but both showed visible cracks. My brain told me to use some bombs since cracked walls could be blown up using them and I needed an excuse in order to try them out.

Taking out a bomb, I placed it on the ground and backed away before it exploded. Upon exploding, the cracked helmet statue shattered revealing a Darknut had been hiding inside of it waiting to attack anyone curious enough. Okay, how could it have survived being trapped in solid stone without being able to breathe!? I supposed it didn't matter since it was no longer entirely human what with having gone berserk. This Darknut had a sword and shield which it used to push me back and even strike me in my arm twice due to me not being prepared to deal with an attack coming from a wall.

I regained my composure and used my shield to parry it back causing it to get pushed into a wall where I slashed it twice with my sword. Upon its defeat, the Darknut left behind the next Golden Leaf which meant only one more remained. I had a suspicion that blowing up the other cracked statue would release another Darknut though I doubted it would have the final leaf so ignoring it, I resumed walking on the main pain. Nothing else attacked me aside from a Spark but I merely walked past it as it continued down the hallway though where did that Bubble go from the previous floor? Did it just disappear without a trace?

Choosing to ignore those concerns, I turned right only to hear the sound of someone or something swinging about something heavy. I couldn't see what it was due to the walls being too high but my brain was telling me that a fierce battle was approaching and that I needed to be ready. The hallway then went back the other way before turning left in a sort of twisted manner and before me was an exit from the castle. Heading back outside onto a parapet, another entrance was right nearby and since there was nothing else out here, I re-entered the castle where an entrance suddenly closed itself.

I noticed that the said entrance had a strange symbol on it. "Twilight? What do you suppose that symbol is?"

Princess Twilight floated over to it for a closer inspection before coming back over to me. "It looks like one of those pots that you picked up back in Bottle Grotto. In fact, there are several of those pots in this very room. I wonder... Do you need to throw one of those pots at the door in order to open it?"

"That's definitely a new one on me."

"You might as well try it, Sunset."

Picking up a pot, I walked up to the door making sure there was some distance between me and it, and tossed it where it smashed the door open. "Wow... I can't believe that actually worked. I'm just surprised at it more than anything else. I have a feeling this is going to become a regular thing in the future." Good thing I had the Power Bracelet otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do that. Picking up the remaining pots and tossing them, none provided me any rupees though one did leave behind a Recovery Heart which I picked up before entering what could be the final room.

This room definitely looked like a throne room what with the tapestries though no throne and no carpet leading up to said throne were clearly missing. I knew Tempest said she was forced to flee but did she seriously take a chair with her? That sounded rather foolish given that one's life is more important than a seat. No... I couldn't image her of all ponies doing anything she'd deem pointless. I then noticed someone else was present, and he definitely gave off an evil vibe though the ball and chain in his hands was also a clear sign. That's when I realized that was the sound from before.

"Who is that?"

"A Ball and Chain Soldier." Princess Twilight whispered prompting me to lower my voice too. "Like the Mad Bomber you saw outside, this enemy is the only one of his kind seen on the entire island, and believe me, you need to handle him carefully. That swinging ball of his can do a lot of damage not to mention protect him from attacks until he throws it. When it's thrown, he leaves himself vulnerable until he pulls it back. You can only hit him when he's vulnerable otherwise you're doing nothing."

I then made an observation. "Judging from his armour, this guy must have been one of Tempest's servants before going berserk. (Now that I thought about it, what I just said was pretty much a major understatement) In fact, I'd go as far as saying that he was her most loyal servant seeing as he's in this throne room. I can't even imagine what Tempest experienced when he turned against her. Loyalty is a powerful thing but not even it is immune to the corrupting powers of darkness."

"I don't think these servants had any choice."

"That's why I think we should ask her about it."

"About what?"

"Why her servants went mad."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Ah, yes, the one searing question we don't yet know about. I am curious as to the reason behind all this. Who knows? It might help us understand more about the evil presence throughout this island, and why Grogar has something to do with it." My eyes then noticed that the ground was cracked in several places. "Uh oh. I've got a feeling that my weight and his weight combined could cause the floor to give way. It's best I defeat him quickly otherwise it's going to get really difficult." Again, I am not heavy but my equipment adds to it--no doubt this guy probably felt the same way.

Striking my sword on the ground to get his attention, the Ball and Chain Solider began shuffling forward before swinging around his mace. (That was the actual name of his weapon though some call it a morning star) Since I wanted to gauge how strong he was, I raised my shield and allowed him to throw it at me, and I got pushed right back into the door which had locked from the other side upon my entering this room. Wow! I had to make sure not to get hit by that mace under any circumstances. By repelling him, the Ball and Chain Solider shuffled back before swinging his mace and tossing it at me again.

This time, I moved to the side just as the mace crashed into the ground. Since I had to end this quickly, I struck the Solider as many times as I could before he pulled his mace back and shuffled back to where he was before. Now I wished I had a Piece of Power or better yet, the ability to perform a jump attack. Both options would allow me to take him down quickly but because I lacked one and couldn't perform he other for some reason, this was all I could do. He swung his mace around before tossing it and I dodged again but this time, it bounced off my shield, allowing him to swing at me again.

I felt a huge pain in my leg as the mace connected though it was more on the side of the spikes as opposed to directly in the middle. If it had been the latter, my leg would've been bludgeoned right off. Despite suddenly bleeding, I had to keep going otherwise the Solider was going to pick me off if I decided to tend to my wound. He swung his mace around before tossing again where I limped to the side and barely missing getting hit again. With what little time I had, I struck him as many times with my sword as possible until he pulled back the mace and shuffled to the right.

Princess Twilight then asked me if I was okay and I said yes though in truth my leg was in quite a bit of pain. The bleeding would eventually subside and I'd be able to walk on my leg properly since my body could take more force in this world than it could back home, but for the moment, I had to limp about and hope not to get hit again. The Soldier tossed his mace hitting my shield but falling to the left where he got stuck. A free opportunity if I ever saw one so I used it and struck him again with my sword. I thought that had been enough to defeat him but he still kept going. No wonder Tempest must have liked this guy so much.

Since I didn't like being stuck by the door, I began to move around the room with my shield raised in hopes that he would follow along and attack. Sure enough, as he swung his mace, he turned around in order to keep up with me, and when he threw it, it crashed into the wall with a thud. He began pulling it as hard as he could in order to pull it out and I limped on over and attacked him again. He still wasn't finished which made me wonder how much punishment could one soldier take? The Soldier shuffled south towards the door which gave me more room to maneuver before swinging the mace around again.

Despite him hitting me with that mace (To be fair, it was my fault since I dodged at the wrong time), the rest of the time he hadn't been able to hit me. If he had been a Nightmare, this would've been a lot more difficult and probably filled with other attacks aside from this one routine. But, he was merely a strong enemy who was really good at his job. The Solider tossed his mace which I avoided by limping to the right and it crashed into the ground and I attacked him. A few hits ended up being what I needed resulting in his defeat where he disappeared in a puff of smoke--the mace just disappeared without any fanfare.

As I stood there having won the battle, the Ball and Chain Soldier left behind the final Golden Leaf. "Why am I not surprised!" I moaned as I looked down at my leg. It had indeed stopped bleeding so that was a relief, but I could still feel a searing pain coursing through it. I needed to rest here for a while before being able to walk on it properly but before doing that, I picked up the Golden Leaf. "Of course the strongest enemy in this castle would be holding on to one. Gah!"

"Are you alright, Sunset?"

"I've felt better."

"Your leg looks pretty bad."

"This has become pretty normal for me you know."

Princess Twilight couldn't help but nod in agreement. "At least you didn't lose any body parts." She quickly covered her mouth before bowing. "Sorry, I meant to say you didn't suffer any worse injuries. Still, I think you need to find one of those bottles and have some kind of potion or fairy inside in case you need to health yourself something fierce. Even though we haven't seen any bottles, they must certainly exist on this island as when does an island not have bottles!?" Her Highness then calmed down. "Anyway, we've got the Golden Leaves so that should definitely please Tempest."

"And we didn't even need a shovel."

"About that..."

It was at that moment when I realized it. "You've got to be kidding me! I need the shovel in order to get the Slime Key!?" And here I thought I needed to backtrack to the castle in order to get all the Golden Leaves. Nope! The backtracking involved going to Tempest, give her the leaves, go and buy that shovel, then go back to Tempest, get that key, and use said key to unlock Key Cavern! I just wanted to smash my head against the wall in sheer frustration. "If not for collecting all five leaves, I'd really be in a foul mood. But, I can look past it since it does mean having to take a smaller backtrack session than I initially thought."

"Do you want to go back to Tempest now?"

"I need to rest my leg first."

"Okay, but not too long as the sun is beginning to set."

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"Hot Head... Hot Head... We call upon you."

CRRACCCKKLLE! FWWOOOOSSSH!

"I am here... My master."

"Ah... There you are."

"Um... You don't look particular happy right now."

When I saw Grogar in my dreams the previous night, I wasn't able to get a good look at him, and it turned out that I was fortunate. Despite looking like the ancient evil of Equestria that he was: an old goat (He was actually a ram) with large horns, blue skin, yellow eyes, and wore a sash around his neck with bells featured on it, in this world, he was even more hideous because of having in the center of his chest, one singular eyeball. This eye acted so independently, one would think it were a separate entity. He was also black in colour and surrounded by shadows as though he was one. Truly he was the stuff of nightmares.

"First the Moldorm, and now the Genie... Both of these Nightmares have been cast to the ether." Grogar said in a calm voice. "The Outsider has defeated them both and retrieved the instruments they were guarding. It seems we were wrong about this girl. She possesses great courage to want to defeat the Nightmares and undo our work. Still, she is of no threat to us but more importantly, she has shown signs of weakness."

"What do you mean?"

Grogar laughed. "The castle of the foolish woman who lost her followers... The Outsider struggled against the strongest among them and he was a mere human. If she has trouble against the likes of a pitiful human, she will soon perish and we can continue on as before. We are amused but it seems you are not, Hot Head. Do you have doubts about our words? I command you speak now."

"It's just... The Outsider has defeated Moldorm and the Genie. Sure, they both ended up failing to stop her because they were weak, but I don't think the next Nightmare is going to put up much of a fight. If anything, you should revive our fellow Nightmares and have one of them guard the next instrument. Surely, master, you can revive either of them. They are simply nightmares and can easily be brought back but with slightly different personalities."

"You speak of the Slime Eye?"

"Yes."

All three of Grogar's eyes narrowed which made Hot Head very umcomfortable. "Tell me, our loyal servant. Why do you suspect the Slime Eye is unsuitable for the task with which it was assigned by us? Do you question our decision? You think that Nightmare is unworthy?"

"I do."

"Then share with us your concerns."

"It's just... Slime Eye is pretty immature, even for a Nightmare. All it does is joke around and do practically nothing. In fact, it has little in the way of power and I suspect that it will be destroyed by the Outsider relatively quickly."

"So you say we were wrong about the Slime Eye?"

"I think a stronger Nightmare or a different one is needed."

Grogar then slammed both his hooves down causing everything to rumble and several bolts of lightning to strike all around. "You dare question us! Perhaps it is you who should be guarding the instrument that has been hidden in the Key Cavern! Yes! We shall have you moved there and the Slime Eye placed somewhere else." He then slammed the ground again causing fiery pillars to rise up. "We can create a new Nightmare to guard the final instrument that was assigned to you."

"What!? No!"

"You question us again?"

"I'd rather not be sent to Key Cavern since the Outsider is heading there next."

Grogar laughed before dismissing the pillars. "Ha! Just as we thought! You prefer to save your own skin and allow others to do the work! We were wise to have made you the strongest of the Nightmares, Hot Head. You rely on such deceit in order to instill fear upon the others but we instill that same fear upon you. Let this be our only warning. We can replace you at our leisure and we will not hesitate to do so. Do not question us again!"

"Yes... My master..."

No wonder Hot Head chose to bend its will to the likes of Grogar. When you had a being as strong as he was who controlled whether you lived or died, you would want to ensure you were of the former because survival was essential. It also showed that the ancient ram didn't care about his servants so long as they did exactly what he wanted. Question him and your life was practically forfeit. One had to wonder if the other Nightmares had their own misgivings of Grogar or Hot Head was the only one. Sure, it desired to maintain whatever Grogar wished to keep in place, but it possessed a conscience that openly questioned its master.

"Now... The Outsider has proven to be a nuisance." Grogar began scratching his beard first with his hoof and then with a shadowy limb. "Despite her weakness, she continues to be a worry and that cannot continue. Though she cannot defeat us, the rest of the Nightmares are a different matter. We must ensure that our desire remains! Perhaps we shall employ something special. Yes... A special Nightmare, one that exists outside of those who already exist. There will come a time where she will become curious and discover the graveyard's secret, and that is when her curiosity will kill her."

"There are other Nightmares?"

"We have infinite Nightmares at our disposal."

"I see..."

Grogar laughed. "Like we said, we instill fear upon you, Hot Head! Soon... the time shall be right for us to enter the dreams of the Outsider again. We must get a better understanding of how she works."

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Once my leg had recovered to the best of its abilities, I began making my way back to Tempest's villa. Fortunately, it meant not having to run into any other Ball and Chain Soldiers or even any additional Mad Bombers. Unfortunately, all the other enemies inside the castle were fair game because they could respawn. Leaving the castle and going back in via the other entrance on the upper level, I didn't run into any problems which was fine with me as I'd rather avoid any encounters until my leg had fully recovered. Walking down each hallway, I began thinking about my experiences so far on this journey.

I was still enduring hardship, the one thing Ganondorf wanted me exposed to in his desire to make me his servant, by getting hurt by monsters, traps, and more, yet I managed to prevail through it all. A lot of it came down to luck obviously in addition to skill, but I felt that this was merely the beginning of my suffering. Koholint Island had its dark secret which hadn't become known to me yet but the time would come when they would. I feared what would happen when I got to that point but for the time being, it was something I couldn't allow worry me otherwise I'd be of no use to anyone.

As I reached the stairs to the lower floor, I reminisced about when I first started using a sword. I recalled times where I accidentally tossed it because of not understanding how to hold onto it or getting a firm grasp of combat. It was a miracle I managed to hold my own for so long without really screwing things up. Back then, I was naive and believed magic was all I needed to overcome my problems in this video game world. Sure, magic has helped but relying on skill proved just as important if not more so. Had my sword skills not improved, this journey would've ended before it had even begun.

Going back downstairs, I could see that the Darknuts had indeed respawned, but again, I wasn't going to fight them. The first Darknut that had been guarding the switch paced back and forth as though it were bored guarding something that now no longer had a purpose. It probably wanted some action but it wasn't about to get any. When its back was turned, I quietly slipped past (I also avoided waking up the Keese sleeping nearby) and down the hallway to where the other Darknuts were. The Bubble was also here which complicated matters as it could get in my way.

Choosing to wait for the Bubble to pass and go back the way I came, I dashed past the remaining Darknuts as best as I could, my leg throbbing because of applying so much pressure onto it, and went back outside before they knew what had happened. Once outside, I checked to make sure my leg hadn't gotten any worse. Sure enough, it was fine though throbbing like mad. Since the drawbridge was down, I walked south and left the castle and raised my shield immediately since the Zirro and Winged Octoroks were now going to become problems as they frequented this part of Ukuku Praire.

Luck had to have been on my side again as I weaved in-between the monsters though my back felt the explosions from the Zirro's bombs. As I looked up at the sky, the sun had indeed gone down for the night as Her Highness had stated so getting to Tempest was more important than before. Monsters had a tendency to be more active at night as well as be more powerful because light had gone away for a time and darkness reigned supreme. Walking at a brisk pace for my leg's benefit, I headed south alongside the cliff and a row of trees before reaching Pothole Field.

That's when I heard the sounds of the monsters beginning to lurk all around me. Like I said, the night made them active. I had to get inside before they had the chance to swarm and take advantage of my slightly weakened state. Turning right at the bottom of Pothole Field and continuing on, I eventually arrived at Tempest's villa and went inside where I immediately dropped down to the ground from a combination of exhaustion and feeling relieved knowing I made it before anything could've gone wrong. Getting back up on to my feet, Tempest was surprised at seeing what I did.

"You look as though you've been through an awful lot." Tempest said.

"Those former servants of yours gave me quite the workout." I said.

"Well, they were trained to protect me after all."

"Anyway, I've come back with all five Golden Leaves."

Hearing that made Tempest very happy. "Ahhh, Très bien! You have no idea how much I appreciate you for what you have done for me. I knew asking you to find them was the wise thing to do. No doubt that you are a true heroine!"

Princess Twilight then whispered in my ear. "Sunset... What does 'très bien' mean anyway?"

"It's French though I'm surprised she actually knows a few words." I answered whilst whispering. "I believe it means 'good job' or 'well done' or something like that. I'm not exactly fluent in the language so don't ask me to translate any books that are written in French."

"I won't." Princess Twilight whispered as she softly chuckled. "Now, you should ask her if you can sleep here for the night. Your leg definitely needs to recover especially after running out of the castle like you did. In the morning, we can ask her about why her servants went mad as well as why we need a shovel in order to get the Slime Key. Considering that you went and brought her those Golden Leaves and risked your life, she is obliged to answer any of your questions without hesitation."

"Are you sure about that?"

"About staying here for the night?"

"That and the questions."

"If she is as noble as she claims to be, then she will agree to both."

I then turned to Tempest. "Um... Would it be okay if I spend the night here in your villa? I don't really have anywhere else to go and as you can see, I'm basically a wreak what with having to deal with your former servants. Also, I've got a couple of questions I'd like to ask but that can wait until morning. I can sleep on the floor or even in that chair of yours since I figured you'd want to have the best thing, that being your own bed."

"Of course you can spent the night here." Tempest answered. "You've done me a service and I must do the same in kind."

Pointing to the couch I saw during my last visit, I walked up to it, laid down, made sure my leg was in a good position, and went to sleep while Tempest went to sleep in her own bed which was what I was expecting. Nothing happened during the night (I didn't receive a visit from Grogar or even from Ganondorf which was even better) though I did dream about being at home with my friends and having the time of our lives. Truly, did I miss them and hoped I would reunite with them again. My leg completely recovered and upon waking up when the sun rose to signal the start of a new day, Tempest was back where she had been standing before.

First, I shook my leg to confirm that it had indeed gotten better. When I felt assured that it was, I spoke with Tempest. "Do you know why your servants suddenly went berserk and forced you to flee from your own castle?"

Tempest sadly nodded. "Things were so peaceful until a strange dark presence began covering my castle in its foul miasma. I don't know why I wasn't affected, but my servants succumbed and became maddened by the touch of evil. I tried to help them only to be rejected which is when I fled. Since then, my castle has become a haven for darkness, a place where the light can never truly shine again."

"I... I might have killed a couple of them."

"You had no choice."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Tempest said as she struck a pose. "You did what you thought was best for your own survival. My servants would have wanted you to bring them their final rest if it meant no longer being berserk. Perhaps one day, I shall return to my castle and regain control. It would mean having to fight those who once served me but there is no choice. The darkness that tainted them cannot be undone. As for the source of this evil... I do not know other than one thing... This evil holds sway over this entire island and desires it remain. Any deemed interlopers are surely seen as threats to its foulness."

I was impressed with her choice of words. "Now... I only have one more thing to ask. Where is the Slime Key?"

"Ah yes, the key to Ukuku Prairie."

"That's the one."

"If you move this statue, you will find your reward." Tempest said. She then pointed at the frog statue before striking a pose. I didn't think that statue was anything more than a decoration that she had that showed off her fascination towards frogs. " Behind the statue lies an underground path that will take you into Pothole Field itself. From there, you will need to make your way to a statue of an owl and dig around for the key. Yes, I buried it after finding it one day."

"I do need a shovel!"

"I did say you needed one."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Tempest had a puzzled look on her face as I left her villa in a panic all because I did need the shovel. On the positive side, I didn't need it in order to collect the Golden Leaves, my initial fear, but on the negative, I needed it to dig up the Slime Key which she buried for a stupid reason, a reaffirmation of my original thought on the idea. Why bury an important thing like a key to a dungeon!? As I rubbed the bridge of my nose in frustration, there wasn't anything I could do other than backtrack as well as grind. Back outside, I began cutting down shrubs in hopes of getting enough rupees in order to buy the shovel. (Only thirty left)

My effort proved worthwhile as I collected a number of green rupees and by the time I was done cutting, I was still short by about twenty-two rupees. Heading back towards the village and cutting down more shrubs, fewer rupees appeared to my dismay but then I cut down some more that where the cave I uncovered upon first entering Ukuku Prairie. These gave me a few more rupees but it still wasn't enough for the shovel. Picking up the boulder and tossing it aside, I entered Mabe Village and went straight for the huge path of shrubs where I found my first Secret Seashell which felt like so long ago.

Cutting them down netted me more green rupees (Why couldn't they provide the five rupee ones instead?) and when I cut the last one, I had a total of 192 rupees. Shoot! I only needed eight more. Sighing, I left the village by tossing aside the boulder before immediately walking back in where the shrubs had instantly respawned. (This was what they called video game logic, something best not to think about otherwise I'd get annoyed) Going back to the shrubs, I cut them down again giving me 203 rupees, enough for the shovel. I didn't care if this would leave me broke!

Entering the Item Shop, Aria was surprised to see me in an agitated state. "Huh... What happened to you?"

"Don't ask." I said as I groaned before slowly walking over to where the shovel was.

"Not like I actually care or anything."

"I had to grind for money."

Aria smiled. "Hah! Only an adventurer would resort to something like that! Well, you got what you paid for when you signed up for the job, or probably forced in your case." I felt like slamming her face into the ground but I knew that she made me walk into that one. I couldn't help but crack a smile prompting her to do the same if only very brief. "So, you want to buy that shovel do you? Got an interest in digging things up? Well, don't let me stop you from having fun. Anyway, that'll be 200 rupees for that. No discounts or anything like that. Sorry, but I'm not running a charity here."

Grabbing the shovel, I placed it on the counter before emptying out my wallet save for three rupees. "This. Was. Worth it!"

"Never thought I'd say anyone be obsessed with wanting a shovel." Aria said. Shrugging, she removed the price tag before handing the shovel over to me. "You're the first person to buy one of my expensive items since ever. Yeah, I know business is hard, but we all have to make do. Guess this means I can finally get on with that order I've been meaning to do. When you next come here, I'll have something you'll really want. Don't leave and then come back inside! That won't work!"

"I'll take your word for it."

"Come back later."

Putting the shovel on a clip on my scabbard (Which I had for some reason), I left the Item Shop and began to make my way back to Tempest. Picking up the boulder and tossing it, I left the village, went east, ignored the monsters, went south, walked past the entrance to Key Cavern (Though I'd come here once I had the key because backtracking), continued going south, and re-entering Tempest's villa. Huh... That didn't feel quite as taxing as I thought since I focused on what was important instead of exploring. But, I knew I would eventually have to backtrack again because video games loved making players endure it.

"You weren't that long." Tempest said.

"It's because I know the way back." I said.

"Do you have a shovel?"

"I do."

Tempest then struck a pose. "Très bien! I knew you wouldn't allow the sting of defeat to get you down for very long. Now, please move that statue and claim your prize. There are no monsters lurking around in Pothole Field but walk slowly. Believe me, you'll thank me for the knowledge."

Stepping backwards to grant me access to the statue, Tempest wished me luck and while I thanked her, I still wished she had the Slime Key on her person. Pushing the statue of the way and heading down into the underground passage, I walked forward whilst defeating a couple of Green Gels that popped up. A nearby boulder was blocking a treasure chest so I pushed it into the abyss, jumped across with the Roc's Feather, and opened up the chest which contained a Secret Seashell. With three shells, I doubed back, defeated another Green Gel and went upstairs to another level. From there, I walked down some stairs before heading back outside.

"Well... That was an experience." Princess Twilight said.

"Yeah, well, we've got another one right here."

Looking at the huge number of shrubs, Princess Twilight was inclined to agree. "I see your point, Sunset." Her Highness quickly began formulating an idea. "Use that spin attack of yours to cut many shrubs at once."

Holding out my sword and taking a defensive stance, I waited for the tip of the blade to shine before unleashing it, cutting down an entire circle of shrubs around me. When I finished my spin, both Princess Twilight and I dropped our jaws in shock. "What..." I could barely utter a sentence. "Are you seeing this?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Now we know why they call this Pothole Field." There were holes all around me aside from safe spots in the form of ground. "This means that there are countless other holes all around along with one direct route. I recommend moving slowly through here, Sunset. If you fall down a hole, it won't mean you die or anything. Instead, you will reappear back on solid ground though you will be penalized with some damage."

"I always thought falling down into the abyss meant instant death."

"Maybe in some other worlds but not this one."

"Imagine that."

"Best not to utilize it as a crutch."

Nodding, I began to cut my way forward through the field. Even though I now knew that I could fall into holes with only a minimal punishment, I wasn't about to take advantage of it through acts of recklessness. I was going to treat holes as being instant death scenarios. Cutting the shrubs, I was getting some rupees out of them and deep down, I knew I was going to need more than ever before since expensive items had a tendency to be required in the Legend of Zelda series. At least that was something I remembered despite not remembering other things that were as important.

As I went right, then down, then right again, I then went up before finding that my path forward was blocked by holes. I then tried swinging my sword in the hopes of being able to cut the shrubs on the other side of the holes and was surprised that I had quite a bit of reach. Upon revealing the way forward, using the Roc's Feathr, I jumped over and landed on the revealed ground and contemplated my next move. I could go left as the owl statue was in that direction but I could see the Piece of Heart from before practically calling out to me. Cutting my way over to it, I made an awkward jump over two holes in a row and barely managed to grab it.

Picking up the Piece of Heart, I felt its warmth embrace me and if I was right, this was my fourth one which meant my overall health had increased. While I didn't mind needing to collect four in order to increase my health, the Heart Containers were much better as they increased health outright rather than every four with the pieces, yet the containers being in the hands of the Nightmares was annoying. With that done, I jumped back over the holes and walked left, cutting down more shrubs and collecting whatever they dropped (It was only four rupees and a heart) before reaching the owl statue.

Like the one outside the Moblin's Lair, this one had a message which I listened to by placing my hand on its head. 'IN SOIL SLEEPS SECRETS, BENEATH YOUR SOLES...' I frowned upon hearing its message. It was a dead giveaway that I needed to dig right in front of the statue. I was expecting a more cryptic clue but I shouldn't be complaining as it could've been a lot worse. Taking out my shovel and digging at the statue's base, a strange looking key popped out and landed on the ground. The head looked like the statues of the slime creature I saw in front of the dungeon albeit flatter.

"This must be the Slime Key." I said as I picked it up.

"Now you can open up the gate near where Tempest resides."

"Which means more backtracking."

"At least it's only a short amount." Princess Twilight then noticed a boulder to the left of the owl statue. "Then again, I don't think you need to backtrack at all. You can pick up this boulder and go straight to where you need to insert that key." Her Highness then remembered what we saw when we initially found the dungeon entrance. "You do need to backtrack as you have to enter the dungeon by going around Pothole Field and approach via the north. In any case, you should let Tempest know we've got what we came for."

Picking up the boulder and tossing it aside, I walked out of Pothole Field and up the stairs where the entrance to the Key Cavern was. With the Slime Key in hand, I inserted it into the lock, turned it, and turned it back before removing the key from the lock. The keyhole then disappeared and soon after, everything started rumbling as I watched the gate blocking the dungeon entrance opened with two iron bars dropping down. Now I had to backtrack around as I couldn't walk past the statues as immovable stones in-between them prevented me from simply walking past them and going inside.

Placing the Slime Key in my pocket, I began making my way back to Tempest's place. At least there were no monsters so I didn't have to worry about being attacked, but then the thought of what could be waiting for me ahead in the next dungeon began gnawing at me. Tail Cave and Bottle Grotto had proven simple enough despite some deceptions along with some unique monsters, but Key Cavern was likely going to increase the overall difficulty which meant I had to be more careful from now. Was I afraid? No. Nervous? Yes. But, I didn't have any other choice since I couldn't leave the island until I had all eight instruments.

Approaching Tempest's place and walking inside, I took out the Slime Key and showed it to her. "I've got it!"

"I knew you would dig it up eventually." Tempest said.

"What will you do now?"

"Right now, I must remain here and think about everything that has happened." Tempest answered as she struck a pose. "Someday, I will go back to my castle and free my servants from what controls them, but that will require planning. Though I wish you could join me my friend, I know you have your own mission to accomplish. Let me give you a piece of advice as you will need it for the Key Cavern. Explosives are going to be very helpful in there so make sure to have them on hand. Also, speed is the key!"

I had bombs so that piece of advice was helpful though I didn't know what she meant about speed being key. I guessed the only way I'd find out was to enter the dungeon and see it with my own eyes. Thanking Tempest, she performed one final pose before I exited and headed to the right. As expected, the shrubs I had cut down had since respawned because of entering a building and coming back out. I also knew that I first needed to unlock the entrance to the Key Cavern as an iron gate was blocking the way.

Walking back to where I found the keyhole, it occurred to me to that I needed to backtrack to reach the other side as there was no way through on this end. (Definitely a stupid design choice right there) Inserting the key and turning it to the right before turning it back and pulling the key back out, everything began vibrating as the gate slowly dropped down granting me access... Almost as again, I had to backtrack. Heading back yet again (At least I was getting exercise out of this as well as seeing the scenery), I walked past Tempest's place and went north by the row of trees from before. As I left the field behind me, I could see a small lake behind trees and I hoped it didn't mean needing to swim across it.

Reaching the end of the row of trees, I turned left then left again and walked back the way I came but from the other side, and I could see that I didn't need to swim. Instead, I just needed to jump across some small islands to reach the dungeon. One island was isolated by itself and had a single shrub on it. No doubt it contained something as why else make it so obvious, but I couldn't reach it by jumping and upon closer inspection, the water looked too deep for me to swim in. Again, I'd have to come back if I wanted to investigate. Jumping over the water via the islands with the Roc's Feather, I reached the other side, walked up to the dungeon entrance and went inside

Upon entering, the voice from before told me that I was now in 'Level 3. - Key Cavern'. Already, I could see that the puzzle from the castle was being used, that being needing to throw a pot in order to smash my way through the door. And in my mind, I was expecting it to show up later and not so soon. There was also a path to the right so I decided to see what was over there before going the apparent way forward. Heading right and walking into the room, I could see a treasure chest, but also one of those Vaccum Mouths from Bottle Grotto directly in front of my prize.

"What do you think, Twilight?"

"You can't reach that chest, Sunset." Princess Twilight answered.

"Figures."

"That Vaccum Mouth is positioned in a way that if you were to try and walk over there..." Princess Twilight interrupted herself by pointing down at a stone near my feet and asking me to throw it towards the weird entity. I did as she asked and the stone went careening into the abyss leaving my heart pounding. "As you just saw, there's no way to reach that chest. If you had more speed, you might be able to make it before you get pulled into that abyss. When we find that Dungeon Map, remind me to put a mark for this room and we'll come back later. I suspect the chest contains something of value."

Heading back to the entrance room, I picked up a pot and threw it at the door, smashing it to pieces and walking into the next room. Raising my shield quickly, I parried the attack of a Sword Stalfos who had charged at it, and I struck it twice with my sword when its guard was dropped. There was a Red Gel bouncing around nearby... And then there were two bombs that were walking around!? They looked similar to the classic Mario enemy, Bob-ombs, but not exactly one-to-one. "Twilight? Why are those bombs moving?"

"Those are Bombites."

"Creative name."

Princess Twilight giggled. "The name is cute but they aren't to be taken lightly. They can only be found in this dungeon so expect to see them pop up around here. The red variation you see here will bounce off the walls when hit with your sword. At this point, their fuses will light and eventually explode, or they will explode upon contact with anything. You can use this to defeat other monsters but I wouldn't rely on it."

"There's another kind of Bombite."

"Yes."

"I take it I shouldn't worry about them until later?"

"I'll let you know when we eventually find them." Princess Twilight answered. She then saw something sparkling down the left side path. "Before we move on, could you go down this path on the left? There's something there that I want to see, but you should get rid of the remaining monsters first."

"Sure, I can check it out." I didn't know what was on her mind but I wasn't about to deny her such a simple request. The two Bombites then came towards me by waddling and I hit the one that was the closest to me where it bounced into the other one causing a massive explosion that pushed me back several inches. Ignoring the Red Gel, I took the left path only to be blocked by what looked like green crystals. "Is this what you wanted to see?"

"I saw them sparkle earlier and was curious." Princess Twilight floated over and touched one of the crystals only for nothing to happen. "I keep forgetting that there are things I can't do because of being a fairy. Sunset? See what you can do about it?" I then tried striking it only for my sword to bounce off. I then tried picking it up which didn't work either. "Neither sword nor strength can remove these crystals. Hmmm... Something else is needed then. Hopefully, what lurks beyond isn't too important."

Knowing me, somehing was important and I'd need to come back and figure it out. Heading back the way I came, the two Bombites had already respawned and in a panic, I struck one where it bounced off the walls, bumped into me causing a bit of damage, bounced off the Red Gel, and finally exploded. I quickly defeated the Red Gel with a sword strike before hitting the other Bombite, pushing it back where it bounced off three walls before exploding. This caused a treasure chest to materialize on top of a different coloured floor tile from the rest which I had only just noticed. (I needed to be more observant about my surroundings)

Opening the chest, I took out a small key and proceeded into the next room since it was the only way I could go. In this next section, two doors immediately locked themselves and four Green Zols popped up from the ground. I swung my sword once and defeated all four with two of them dropping green rupees which I picked up. That caused both doors to open along with another treasure chest materializing but not on a special tile. Opening it up, I was suddenly attacked by a Green Zol that had hidden inside of it instead of actual treasure. I had fallen victim of a trap even if said trap wasn't threatening.

Quickly disposing of the Green Zol, I walked into the next room and was attacked by two regular Stalfos. Both of them jumped away from me in hopes of surviving, but the wall didn't exactly do them any favours. I merely kept swinging my sword until both were defeated. Looking at how the tiles were arranged, something was supposed to appear on the one tile that was different but nothing happened which made me wonder if I missed something. I hear heard the sound of something bouncing on the other side of the wall... which was beyond where those two green crystals were. I knew it! Something important did lurk beyond them!

Moving on into the next section, two more Green Zols popped up from the ground and I defeated them in the usual manner. One of them dropped a Piece of Power which I immediately picked up because I could do with double the offensive power. A treasure chest was present but it couldn't be opened because the orange blocks were preventing me from reaching it so I needed to find one of those Crystal Switches. In front of me were some stairs and since there was no where else to go, I went down them and on to another floor where I quickly came to a realization.

"There are so many locked doors!"

"This is the 'Key Cavern' you know."

"I didn't think it would be taken literally."

"Four locked doors and one small key."

"Which door should I unlock?"

"It's your choice, Sunset."

I wasn't thrilled about that. As I pondered over what to do, four more Green Zols popped up behind me and thanks to the Piece of Power, when I struck them with my sword, they went flying across the room before disappearing in puffs of smoke. A Red Gel that was already in the room bounced towards me only for it to get pushed back when I defeated it. Once the room had been cleared of monsters (Strange how there were so many slime based creatures), I resumed thinking about which door I should unlock with my key. Rather than come up with a convoluted method, I just pointed at a door at random and hoped it was right."

"That one!" I announced pointing at the door to the left of the staircase.

"Let's hope it was the right choice." Princess Twilight said. I could tell she was nervous and to be honest, so was I. Walking up to the locked door, I unlocked it with the key and entered a room that had an abyss right in the middle along with two conveyor belts on either side. "This could prove tricky to navigate so use your Roc's Feather wisely." Her Highness then pointed out two weird creatures, one on each side of the abyss. "These are Pairodds, strange bird-like creatures that can teleport if you rush at them recklessly. They will constantly warp in this manner in order to avoid you. They can also throw projectiles which you can easily avoid."

"How do I defeat what can teleport?"

"If you could run faster, you can defeat them before they teleport."

"Too bad I don't have fast feet."

"Then you'll need to rely on your own ranged attacks." Her Highness went down to the pocket where I store my bombs (Don't ask me how that works because I would be here for hours coming up with some kind of explanation) and feverishly pointed at them. "Bombs will work but you need to aim carefully. Pairodds can easily frustrate anyone what with their knack for teleporting so patience is needed. Since that one is standing next to you, why not defeat it with a bomb before it even knows what's happening."

Following Her Highness' advice, I took out a bomb and tossed it at the Pairodd where it exploded though the monster merely teleported to the other side of the room after taking damage from the explosion. I was beginning to see how these creatures behaved and came up with something creative. Taking out another bomb, I placed it down and immediately jumped over to where it had teleported using the Roc's Feather, and it teleported back to its previous location only to be blown up moments later. The other Pairodd didn't react at all to what just happened so I repeared the process.

I tossed a bomb at it which caused it to teleport to the other side, then I planted another bomb, jumped over the abyss, and watched as it got blown up when it teleported back. If my strategy had one obvious problem, using more bombs than necessary was pretty much it. I only had twenty bombs... well... sixteen now and I had a hunch I needed to save them for future puzzles in this dungeon. Good thing I didn't land on any of those conveyor belts during my jumps otherwise I'd have plunged into the abyss. (The same with my bombs) Suddenly, a key dropped down from above, landing on the conveyor belt opposite where the abyss was situated.

Without thinking, I jumped back over and grabbed it before it fell into the abyss, but I landed on the conveyor belt and was pulled by it into the abyss. Reacting like I normally did during such tense moments, my hands caught the edge of the ground enabling me to pull myself back up and I walked off of the other conveyor belt onto safe ground. Whew! That was way too close for comfort. Leaving the room, I now had to choose which of the remaining doors I should unlock next. A thought then occurred to me. If there were keys behind each of these locked doors, why even explore them? Granted, there was no way of knowing whether my theory was right or not.

Choosing to go clockwise, I unlocked the north door and entered a room with the Crystal Switch and an Owl Statue. There was also a Yellow Stalfos that came to life as well as a new monster on my left. I mean, it looked like one of those Sword Stalfos only without a sword and shield. Princess Twilight then explained. "What we've got here is a Shrouded Stalfos. It's slower than most Stalfos types and prefers tossing spears or even arrows in your direction."

"So... Just like the spear throwing Moblins and Boarblins?"

"Only slower."

I went after the Shrouded Stalfos first as I didn't want to have to deal with any spears. It tried to back away in order to throw its weapon but I managed to get close before swinging my sword twice to defeat it. That was easy but then the room was on my side. The Yellow Stalfos meanwhile lumbered towards and leapt up before dive-bombing me but it bounced off my shield by accident since I hadn't raised it. It writhed in a bit of agony so I quickly dispatched it before it could suffer any further humiliation. This made a small key drop down from above but now I had another decision to make.

"Should I unlock another room or open that chest on the previous floor?"

"It's up to you."

"I think I'll go for it, Twilight." I said with a smile on my face. "I mean, it's just back up the stairs so it's not really backtracking. Besides, if I unlock the next room, I'm going to forget all about the chest until later and that would truly be backtracking."

"We really could do with that Dungeon Map."

I nodded. "I hope I find it as soon as possible." Hitting the Crystal Switch, I went back into the previous and up the stairs before opening up the now accessible treasure chest and finding the Stone Beak inside. "Huh... It's no map but this will definitely come in handy." Putting it in my pocket, I went back down to the lower level and into the same room because of the Owl Statue being there.

"That took about ten seconds or so, Sunset."

"But no Dungeon Map yet."

"We'll find it eventually."

Placing the Stone Beak where it was supposed to go, the Owl Statue began speaking. "To defeat the black monster with the hard shell, feed him something explosive." I had no idea what it was talking but it sounded like I needed bombs so making sure not to waste anymore was a priority. Removing and putting away the Stone Beak, I went back into the other room and decided to go and unlock the south door. Unlocking it and entering this room, I could see so many conveyor belts (They were actually all individual tiles that moved in different directions based on what the arrows on them were pointing in) that I stopped moving and began assessing things.

Two pots were in the middle of the room along with a Green Zol, a Shrouded Stalfos, and a Pairodd. Of the three, the Pairodd was going to be the problem. I couldn't use the trick with the bombs from before but perhaps I could use the conveyor belts to my advantage. Attacking the Green Zol first and defeating it upon which it dropped a rupee--the Piece of Power had since worn off--I tried attacking the Pairodd only for it to teleport to another location leaving me to deal with the Shrouded Stalfos who began throwing spears. Using my shield, I deflected its spears and defeated it with two sword swings.

The Pairodd didn't move so I began my strategy. It was a little awkward at first what with my directions suddenly changing on me, but I kept it teleporting from side to side though it did manage to hit me a couple of times with what looked like shurikens made out of energy. Eventually, my tenacity paid off and I defeated the Pairodd resulting in another small key dropping down from above, and I quickly caught it before it could plunge into the abyss. Come to think of it, I could've made this easier by using one of those two pots as surely that would've defeated it in one hit rather than two.

Going back into the main room, there was only one door left to unlock, so I unlocked it and entered yet another room with conveyor belts. This was starting to get on my nerves though this time, there was no abyss to worry about. Instead, the path was linear though twisted because of the corners yet it ended by stairs that went up to the previous floor. I could see another Pairodd as well as two Keese but perhaps I could ignore all of them? Well... the Pairodd I could ignore because I didn't want to deal with it because of what it did. Stepping on to the conveyor belt, I let me move me along and during that time, I swung my sword and defeated both Keese as they flew my way.

As for the Pairodd... it simply teleported to another part of the room where it fired its projectile, but I ignored it and kept walking until I reached the stairs. If not for the blocks that forced me to follow a linear path, I could've just gone straight across and reached the stairs just like that. Heading up the stairs to the previous floor, a different coloured tile to my left indicated something would appear there. So far, Key Cavern was proving to be difficult because of having to manage so many keys, but I was managing to hold my own and I hadn't taken much damage though I was certain that would soon change.

"Twilight?"

"What is it?"

"Are you as curious as I am as to why I've seen so many slime-like monsters in here?"

"Yes, the thought has crossed my mind." Princess Twilight answered. "Even though they aren't very powerful, they have been appearing in greater numbers in this place more than anywhere else thus far. They are even starting to appear in treasure chests like that one we saw earlier. It's possible that there is a slime-like creature that serves as their master and that it could be waiting for us somewhere in this dungeon."

"A giant slime..." I then shuddered at the thought. "I'd rather not have to think about it."

"That could actually be it."

I buried my head into my hands and groaned. "I hope that's not going to the Nightmare I've got to defeat. I mean, I'm not afraid of fighting monsters since it's what I've been doing when we started this journey, but there are just some things one should never fight because of sheer absurdity. A giant slime would be something absurd." Regaining my composure, I shook my head before slapping both sides of my face. "Just have to grin and bear it."

"Just like me when I have to fight a giant monster that's threatening Ponyville."

Both of us then had a good laugh before I continued on. As soon as I stepped off of a raised platform where the stairs from below lead me to, a Green Zol popped up and I swiftly defeated it. Looking at the room after defeating it, it went around the platform and it made me wonder if there were more of those Zol hiding underground waiting for me to walk on by and attack in the process. Walking around the edge of the room, sure enough, more Green Zols popped up from below and I defeated each of them until I got back to where I started only for two of them to show up.

Defeating them gave me a small key--I didn't need to keep track since I only had the one right now--which dropped down from above so I collected it and moved on. In this next room, the obvious signs were indicating that this was the central area of the dungeon. Several doors lead to other rooms and several keyhole blocks showed that I needed to collect even more keys before I would reach my end goal. Which way would I go next? I had no idea but what I did know was that this meant that the Key Cavern was about to throw away the proverbial kid gloves and give me a real rough go of things.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 10: Speed of the Pegasus.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 23, 2019
Chapter 10: Speed of the Pegasus.

I didn't have long to try and come up with a decision on where to go from here as two Shroud Stalfos began approaching me, their spears being hurled in my direction. Good thing my eyes noticed them when I came into this area otherwise I'd be a pincushion right now. Raising my shield, their spears bounced off and I went after them before they could throw anymore at me. Two sword hits on each of them was enough and both dropped green rupees which I picked up. With that problem taken care of, the issue of which way to go next could be properly decided on.

As I saw before, there were several keyhole blocks, but upon a closer inspection, they were arranged in a square pattern leading to a staircase after the last one, My gut was telling me that the stairs would take me to the Nightmare so that would be the last place to explore. That left where I was supposed to find the Knightmare Key as without it, I couldn't unlock the door where it lurked. In addition, I needed to search for the dungeon item. Every dungeon had one of these and hopefully, this one would give me the means to run faster. The evidence of the item being faster speed was pretty strong given how I couldn't reach that one chest back at the start.

Since those two Shrouded Stalfos came from the upper left corner of this central area, I decided to check that direction first. While monsters generally weren't a strong indication of hiding something important, I guessed I was just curious in case the theory could be proven wrong. Heading northeast and entering another section, my eyes caught sight of a treasure chest but there was no way of reaching it from this side. I needed to approach from the other side though how I was supposed to do remained unknown for now. I could also hear something slithering about... something that was big judging from how loud it was.

Focusing on where I was, I saw an Owl Statue and two Yellow Stalfos so I walked forward where they immediately jumped to life--or whatever it was for them--and began leaping in an effort to drop on me. Both missed their target as I stepped back as they landed on the ground and I responded with my usual sword swings. As both disappeared in a puff of smoke, I was surprised by a Green Zol popping up from nowhere which somehow managed to hit me. Being a weak monster meant nothing if you could catch someone by surprise. Defeating it and picking up the blue rupee it dropped, I began assessing the area.

Another treasure chest, this time located on a high up platform, taunted me because again, I had no way of reaching it. Next to the Owl Statue was a door which I could walk through, but it was the tiles on the ground that truly piqued my curiosity. It was blatantly obvious that they were pointing south since they were in an arrow formation on the ground, but I was curious as to what information could be gleaned from the Owl Statue as why have it here to begin with? Taking out the Stone Beak, I placed it where it needed to be and it began revealing its secret. 'Poke suspicious parts of the wall with your sword and listen to the sounds it makes.'

Putting the Stone Beak away, I turned to Princess Twilight. "What does it mean by suspicious parts?"

"Do you remember seeing that cracked wall back in Tail Cave?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"This is similar to that except that the wall is solid instead of cracked." Flying south according to the tiles on the floor, Princess Twilight pointed at the wall where the arrow was pointing towards before moving over slightly. "First, use your sword and strike this part of the wall." I walked up and struck my sword on the wall where it made a clanging sound. "Your sword won't shatter if you strike these walls, Sunset. That blade looks pretty sturdy as though it had been forged by an expert. Okay, now strike where I was pointing at initially." I did so and a different sound occurred. "And that's how you can tell the difference."

"The different sound indicates it's hollow."

"Yes."

In my mind, I wanted to kick myself because I had done something like this on my previous journeys. How could I have forgotten something so simple? Despite not wanting to go through these adventures, deep down, I actually did miss some aspects of it because they proved to be incredible life experiences. Since my sword clearly couldn't destroy this part of the wall, I had just the thing in mind that would work. Taking out a bomb and placing it down on the ground and stepping back, it exploded a few seconds later revealing a path forward. No doubt other such hidden paths were in future dungeons so I needed to remember this.

Entering this hidden room, I saw two more Shrouded Stalfos though they had their backs to me which meant I could sneak up on them without them noticing. I did exactly that and defeated them both before they even knew what happened. With them gone, I could see that once again the way was blocked. "Wow... No way can I make that jump!"

Princess Twilight nodded. "The Roc's Feather can only do so much on its own. It looks like you need to do a running start and leap across the abyss with speed on your side. I'll mark down this room with my fairy magic once we find the Dungeon Map. Or we could simply remember this location for later."

"At least I know how to reach that one chest in the previous room."

"The one on the high ledge?"

"Yeah."

"There's no doubt that you need fast feet."

"Too bad I couldn't just whip up a spell that would give me the speed I need to jump across."

"If you could, it wouldn't be much of a challenge not to mention breaking this world's rules."

I sighed. " I know, Twilight. I just wanted to make a point about it." I then looked at how far the gap was and quickly did some calculations in my head. "I'd need to start running from that wall over there in order to have enough speed and momentum to jump across and not plunge down into the depths below. I'd also need to get rid of any monsters as they would disrupt my momentum which would be disastrous." That's when I noticed a crack in the wall I just mentioned. "Huh... There was another way in here." Taking out another bomb, I walked up to the wall and placed the bomb down where it exploded leaving a hole behind. "That should provide additional speed."

"Guess we should continue searching."

Heading back the way I came and going through the door that was next to the Owl Statue, it suddenly locked behind me as well as the door in front. My eyes then noticed three of those Bombites waddling around but they were a different colour. "These are Bombites, right?"

"They are but these are the other kind I mentioned before."

"What's different with these ones?"

"When you strike this kind of Bombite, they don't bounce around and explode." Princess Twilight answered. "Instead, they will begin to follow you and explode when the timer on their faces reach zero. You can use your sword to keep pushing them back so that you don't get caught in the explosion and suffer heavy damage. Only three of this kind of Bombite exist so you only have to deal with them right here and no where else."

"That's been a trend I've noticed."

"Take what you can get from it, Sunset."

"That sounds an awful lot like something Rarity would say."

"She can be very persuasive."

Chuckling quickly in response to that, I took a step forward which caught the attention of all three Bombites. Hitting them all with my sword, they got pushed back as Her Highness said they would, but she didn't tell me about the grins they would provide after getting hit. Their expression quickly changed to a number three and I knew what that meant. I continued hitting them back and away from me as the timer changed from three to two then one and then... BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! They all exploded in succession resulting in both doors unlocking. Unlike the regular Bombites, these weren't really that bad.

Entering the next room, several Green Zols popped up from the ground and a Shroud Stalfos began throwing its spears at me. Ignoring the Zols, I went straight for the skeleton as it was the bigger threat and while I did defeat it after two sword strikes, I got hit several times by the Zols. Luckily, two of them dropped Recovery Hearts so it wasn't all bad. There was also a treasure chest which I opened and took out a Compass. Though a map would've been preferred, I wasn't going to disrespect a compass since it informed me of hidden keys whenever I entered rooms with it in my possession.

I was then about to go back when I thought of something. Since both the Owl Statue and Princess Twilight told me about suspicious walls, I walked over to the left wall and started swinging my sword against it. The first two sections I hit sounded identical but when I stuck the third section, it made a different sound indicating it could be destroyed. Taking out another bomb (I needed to be cautious now about using them as getting more would require leaving Key Cavern and coming back after replenishing my supply), I placed it in front of the wall where it exploded and revealed a new way forward.

Heading into this room, the Compass made its usual sound informing me that a key was in here. There were also three regular Bombites so I needed to deal with them quickly before anything could go wrong. Striking one of them with my sword as it drew closer, it bounced off the wall and a fence that divided the room in half somewhat, and exploded upon hitting the second Bombite causing a chain reaction resulting in the other two exploding at once. Just thinking about being caught in such explosions made me shiver. Sure, I could survive but I'd rather not have to experience it if at all possible.

When the smoke cleared, a small key dropped down from above so I walked around and picked it up. That gave me two keys: this one and the one I picked up earlier when I went though all those locked rooms on the lower level of the dungeon. Before leaving the room, I tossed the pots and collected a single green rupee (It was better than getting nothing) before going back. I ignored the 'other' Bombites which had since respawned and continued backtracking until I was in the central area again. The two Shroud Stalfos had also respawned but I chose to walk past them since I needed to focus on my next objective.

Not even their spears were enough to get my attention and they eventually gave up and resumed doing whatever it was they did. Going left since it was the path I didn't take originally, four small Red Gels and a regular sized one were now blocking my path. It took one sword swing to defeat all five at once and doing this unlocked two doors which had previously locked themselves when I approached. Entering the next room, two Pairodds were here but the sound made by the Compass indicated a key was hidden in here. That meant needing to defeat these two monsters to get it.

"Twilight? Do you think these Pairodds can teleport out of this room?"

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"I just have this feeling that they might do that."

"You don't have to worry about it." Princess Twilight patted me on the head which was more like an extremely gentle tap. "I've been studying their teleportation capabilities and have concluded that it's pretty limited compared to what we magic users in Equestria can do. They can only teleport short distances otherwise had they stronger power, they'd be warping all over the place and you couldn't defeat them."

"And their ranged attack?"

"Another kind of magic."

"Not everything is magic you know, Twilight."

"Can't blame me for trying."

Adjusting my belt, I then had to ask this next question. "You're not jealous of this magic are you?"

"Pfft! Of course not!" Her Highness was being sincere if only a bit childish with her response. "Magic like those Pairodds use is the kind you learn in your first year of magic school or even before that if you happen to be a prodigy." She then pointed at my Magic Powder bag without accidentally spilling its contents. "That powder can be considered basic as far as magic goes but it was crafted with care so it's sort of an exception. Guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not jealous but rather, a little flustered at being forced to use fairy magic instead of what I can really do."

"You said it yourself about breaking this world's rules."

Princess Twilight sighed. "You're right. I just needed to vent a little."

I could understand Her Highness wanting to vent out frustration that's been bottled up inside her. Heck, I've done this more times than I'd like to remember. Magic is not just her specialty, her entire life revolved around it. At least she never experienced a lengthy time without it. I did back when I first came to the world that was now my home. I never thought I'd get to use magic again let alone do so via my horn back in Equestria. I could understand how Her Highness missed using her true magic despite not much time had actually passed. That was more of her freaking out too soon.

The two Pairodds hadn't done anything this entire time which was surprisingly, but then Her Highness did need a moment to let out that frustration so I could appreciate these monsters showing some kind of kindness. Since I didn't want to waste anymore bombs (I had about thirteen left which while still plenty, could easily be depleted at any moment), I decided to go with a more direct approach. Swinging my sword, both Pairodds teleported and appeared behind me before firing their magical shuriken. I walked back as fast as possible before swinging only for them to teleport back to where they were before.

I kept repeating this and eventually I managed to move faster than they were teleporting. I had done this tactic before in a previous room but without any conveyor belts, the process took longer as I needed to keep up with them with my own speed. Their shuriken did connect a couple of times because they were difficult to avoid as I was concentrating on hitting them, but both eventually were defeated leaving behind another small key which dropped down from above before landing on a different coloured tile. Picking it up, the only way I could go forward was by using the panel in the wall.

Pressing my back against the panel, it flipped over to the other side taking me with it, and I was in a small room with another panel on the opposite wall. There were also monsters in the form of two Red Gels and a Yellow Stalfos to take care of first. The Yellow Stalfos leapt into the wall before coming down but I dodged it by walking to the right. I then attacked its vulnerable self, defeating it in two hits before attacking both Gels causing them to split up. (I forgot that Red Gels divided in half if struck provided they were regular sized) Defeating the now four Gels in a single sword strike, I could hear something materialize but I didn't know what it was.

"I hope that was a treasure chest that just appeared on the other side of this wall."

"Let me check." Princess Twilight floated up to see what it was. "Yep! It's a treasure chest! Guess being able to still fly can come in handy."

"Feeling better now?"

"Yes, much better." Princess Twilight then tapped me on the shoulder which was unexpected given how she had a penchant for wanting to bop me on the head. "Before we move on to the next room, I want to thank you for listening to my little venting episode earlier. Guess I still have some stress over ruling all of Equestria despite generally being good about it. I knew you were a good listener, Sunset. After all, you are quite empathetic."

"I have experience, Twilight." I pressed my sword into the ground and leaned on it. "I've been in those kinds of situations before both where I live and in Equestria. With your guidance, my own intuition, and our friends, it's easy for me to share my stories to those who need to hear them. I listen to their woes and respond in the right manner which helps them change their perspective for the better. Princess Celestia always was right about me needing humility. Before, it never registered with me as I didn't believe it was important. Once I understood how important it was, I just went with it."

"I've got a question for you now."

"What's that?"

"When I assume the throne, you should come back and serve as a speaker."

"Speaker?" I then leaned off of my sword. "Speaker of what?"

Princess Twilight giggled. "I was at first thinking you could speak to young creatures, but Trixie has that covered at the School of Friendship. Then I thought maybe an advisor but that was offered to Spike since he's been there for me from the beginning. Sonmambula does do public speaking but more towards the philosophical. You could be a speaker for creatures who lost their way or who are having trouble figuring things out."

"I'd have to leave my home though."

"It's an idea. We can work out the kinks later."

"First, you need to assume the throne." I stuck out my tongue since I knew I was right.

We both then laughed for about a minute since again, Her Highness couldn't be crowned Her Majesty until the castle had been repaired. She was still a regular princess who could relax and enjoy life before needing to be serious and govern Equestria accordingly. Sure, she was going to struggle at first. This was often the case whenever someone new came to a throne as they needed to implement their own ideas whilst following some from their predecessor. It would take roughly a year before she had settled down and get adjusted but knowing her, she could do all that in about several months.

Getting back to the journey at hand, I pressed my back against the second panel in the wall. It flipped over along with me and I immediately got my sword and shield ready as there were two regular Bombites along with a Sword Stalfos. The Stalfos hadn't noticed me because of several pots blocking its vision but the Bombites could clearly see me. I then hit the one nearest to me where it bounced back and forth off of two walls quite rapidly. For a moment, it looked like it would explode in my face with how fast it was bouncing, but instead, it exploded causing another chain reaction involving the other Bombite.

Its explosion didn't catch the attention of the Sword Stalfos. On a slightly different topic, I was genuinely surprised that the pots didn't shatter from the explosions. They had to have made from really stern material to not shatter like that. Speaking of the pots, I had an idea pop into my head. I picked one up, walked around the rest, and tossed it at the Sword Stalfos to see what would happen. It smashed into it and defeated it instantly which caused my jaw to drop. Really!? How could pots be more powerful than a sword!? No... Luck had no involvement at all with this. It me feel dejected as my sword was proving inefficient against a decorative piece.

I then noticed a bomb with wings floating above and I grabbed it by jumping with the Roc's Feather. It had the number ten on it which I assumed meant I had received ten bombs, a blessing for me as now I twenty-three of them. Of course, there were probably going to get used up before long given how this dungeon was operating. Bombs were a commodity so keeping my supply intact was essential. I then took out the Stone Beak and placed it on the nearby Owl Statue to hear its message. "If you can't destroy a skeleton with your sword, try using a bomb." Use a bomb? I... Didn't know you could do that.

Choosing to ignore the remaining pots, I moved on and found the chest Her Highness noticed earlier. Opening it up, I was happy to see that it contained a purple rupee. That was going to give me quite a rupee boost since the majority of what I had got used to buy that shovel. Heading back and to the right, the room I needed a bomb to open up the entrance to could be seen from up where I was. Of course! This was to show me that there was an additional room beyond the Compass' location. Quite clever for the dungeon. Since continuing on would probably lead nowhere, going back was all I could do.

Heading back and past the chest, I came to a block which I pushed allowing me access to the central area again. The Red Gels were back so I took them out once they saw that I had pushed the block. The only way to go now was north was through the one unlocked door I never explored. Walking north and entering this next room, it locked behind me, but I was more focused on what was in front of me. Standing--or whatever constituted as such--were two creatures that looked like snakes. Neither one moved which made me wonder if were asleep or something, but then they began slithering about... And completely ignoring me.

"I was wondering as to when we would come upon a mid-dungeon boss monster." Princess Twilight said in an excited voice. The two snake-like creatures occasionally opened their mouths whilst making a weird noise before closing them again before slithering forward and repeating the process. "Sunset... You need to handle these monsters differently in that you only have a limited inventory to defeat them with."

"What does that even mean?"

"These are Dodongo Snakes." Princess Twilight answered. She then pointed first at my sword before shaking her hands rapidly. "Don't even bother using your sword here as it won't hurt them at all. In fact, no weapons can hurt them! You can't even lift them up even with the Power Bracelet." She then pointed at the pocket that contained my bombs. "Because they are relatives of sorts with the Dodongo, only bombs can inflict any kind of damage. You do remember Dodongos, don't you? You know? Those dinosaur like monsters from before which could breathe fire?"

I gasped. "I remember having trouble with them... Except when I was a Goron."

"Those Dodongos were vulnerable to the sword but not these ones."

"So I should throw bombs at them?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "Their thick hides make them immune to bomb explosions, but their insides aren't protected as such if you get my meaning. This is why I said you only have a limited inventory. Those twenty-three bombs are all you've got. If you run out, that's it! You'll be trapped here... Forever."

"Seriously!?"

"I'm not kidding here."

"Judging from how they're moving, I don't think they intend on attacking me."

"That's probably both your positive and negative." Princess Twilight said. "On the positive, you don't have to worry about being counter-attacked so you can take your time dealing with the Dodongo Snakes. On the other hand, you need to place bombs down exactly when they open their mouths otherwise they might ignore them, and a bomb will have been wasted. Patience and timing is key."

"I won't lie Twilight..."

"About what?"

"These snakes are really weirding me out."

"It's best to ignore that and focus on defeating them."

Kind of hard to do that what with them being so big in size and having that creepy factor all around them. Since I couldn't tell the Dodongo Snakes apart, I decided to focus on defeating one at a time instead of both. They continued slithering about whilst making their weird noise which just made me shudder. No, I wasn't afraid of them but rather it was their overall presence which made me shudder, and especially that noise. But like Her Highness said, I have to ignore the creepy factor and focus on defeating both snakes. Taking out a bomb and waiting for the left Dodongo Snake to approach, I placed it on the ground and it gobbled it up.

Moments later, the bomb exploded causing the body to inflate before it quickly shrank down. As if these things couldn't get anymore creepy, they managed to raise the bar without doing anything to warrant it. Knowing I had damaged one Dodongo Snake, I made sure to focus on it and temporarily ignore the other. After being stunned from the explosion, it regained its senses and began slithering forward before suddenly turning to the right. Following it, I placed another bomb in front of its mouth only for it to turn left and ignore my bomb which then exploded doing nothing at all.

I was also surprised to see that the explosions didn't faze the Dodongo Snakes in any way. Wow... Princess Twilight was right. No weapons could hurt them. The left snake eventually turned around and was slithering towards me though not intentionally as I doubted it was even thinking. I placed another bomb only it clipped the mouth and wasn't swallowed resulting in another dub bomb which exploded. I remembered I needed to be careful not to get caught in the explosion otherwise I'd be in a lot of pain. Walking around to where the left snake was moving, it then turned around much to my annoyance.

Despite not attacking, they were unintentionally being crafty. When the snake turned left, I placed a bomb in front of its mouth only for the other snake to push it aside with its body as it slithered by. Crap! Three wasted bombs in a row! I needed to do better or else I'd run out and then be utterly lost. The left snake then slithered forward until reaching where I entered the room before heading right. Checking to see where the other one was--it was hanging by the right-hand wall and I hoped it would stay over there--I waited for the first snake to turn left and then placed a bomb which this time was consumed.

The bomb exploded causing the body to inflate again before going back to normal. I was about to place another bomb on the ground when the second Dodongo Snake decided to make itself known, and bump into me causing me some damage and getting pushed. It then slithered along with the other one and both were heading left towards the left-hand wall before one snake turned left. This was the one I hadn't been focusing on so I left it alone and continued following what I had been attacking. This Dodongo Snake kept moving south so I got in front and placed a bomb which it ignored but when it suddenly turned to the right, I got in front and placed another bomb.

It swallowed the bomb and it exploded causing the entire Dodongo Snake to pop like a balloon. "Wow... I wasn't expecting that to happen."

"Well... You defeated it so I guess that's what matters."

"Yeah, but I've wasted four bombs and been successful three times."

"You should still have sixteen bombs which ought to be enough to defeat the other one."

I quickly checked to make sure that Princess Twilight's number was correct. Sure enough, she was right. "Hopefully, the Nightmare doesn't need me to use bombs in order to defeat it otherwise I'll really struggle against it." I then noticed that when the first Dodongo Snake popped, it left behind a fairy which I touched resulting in a restoration of health. A shame I lacked a bottle to catch it with but I couldn't do much about it.

The remaining Dodongo Snake didn't even care that its comrade was defeated. In fact, I don't even think it noticed since it didn't have any eyes. Walking around and going in front of it, it opened its mouth and I placed another bomb which got swallowed and exploded causing its body to inflate momentarily. After that, the snake began slithering forward before heading left then left again then right all while keeping its mouth closed. Why was it suddenly doing this? I didn't see the other one doing it. Was it perhaps it knew its comrade was gone and was now applying some kind of defence mechanism?

If that was the case, these Dodongo Snakes reiterated my stance on them being tricky. The snake then turned right and slithered along the back of the room where I placed another bomb only for it to turn right and ignore it. Crap! Another bomb wasted. I quickly got in front and was about to place another bomb when it turned left forcing me to walk around and get in front again where I placed my bomb hoping the snake would eat it. It did, much to my surprise, resulting in my bomb exploding and the body inflating before shrinking again. It then continued slithering around, its mouth remaining closed until it eventually opening it up again.

During this whole experience, I was actually ignoring the weird the Dodongo Snakes had been making as well as their appearance. I guessed they were just like every other monster on the island only being both unique and creepy in their own way. It then turned around and began slithering towards me. I knew it wasn't trying to attack me but rather it just wanted to go in its current direction because it could. Placing another bomb in front of it, it opened its mouth only to close it and turn right and my bomb exploded which made me feel really annoyed so I went around and placed another which got swallowed.

The bomb exploded and the remaining Dodongo Snake popped which ended the battle. It too left a fairy behind upon its defeat though I didn't really need it since my health was already at maximum. What was actually more important was the portal appearing that I could use as a short-cut back to the beginning of the dungeon, and since there was that one treasure chest I couldn't open back at the start, I appreciated having a warp. But, without a means of running fast, that chest was still impossible for me to reach along with jumping across the abyss in that other room I uncovered via a bomb.

"That... Was more annoying than anything else." I said as I wiped my brow of sweat.

"But you did it all the same!"

"Yeah, but I did use a lot of bombs, more than I was hoping."

"If you were thinking of beating both Dodongo Snakes without missing a single bomb explosion, luck really wasn't on your side." I knew Princess Twilight was trying to tell me the honest truth so I couldn't criticize her thought process. "You did really well though, Sunset. You were tested on how to use unorthodox battling styles so now you can apply this for future battles by using things besides a sword."

That's when I noticed something. "Twilight? Does that path south there go back to the previous area?"

Flying over to check it out, Princess Twilight came back and nodded. "You actually had a means of escaping were you to run out of bombs. I... I honestly didn't know that path was there so what I said about you being trapped forever was a lie. Then again, using that path would've punished you as the Dodongo Snakes would've regained their full health and respawned if one of them had been defeated."

"So it was a double-edged sword kind of scenario?"

"Yes."

"Oh well." I said as I headed towards the way out. "Let's just keep on going. If I'm right, we should be able to access another treasure chest I couldn't reach before." Entering the central area again, the chest in question was in plain sight as now I could reach it. Walking up to it, I pushed a couple of blocks aside to form a path, and upon opening the chest, I took out a pair of boots that had little wings, two on each side, on each of them. "Um... Why do I need a new pair of boots?"

Princess Twilight gasped. "Those are the Pegasus Boots!"

"The what now?"

"With those boots, you can now run really fast by dashing."

"Is that so?"

"Also, if you combine the boots with the Roc's Feather, you can jump much further than before." Her Highness' explanation right there made that large gap I saw earlier make more sense now as I had the means to make it over to that other treasure chest now. "Plus, you should be able to shatter those green crystals. You've definitely found a fabulous item, Sunset, and one which has so much utility. I suggest putting on your new boots and never take them off though it does mean you can't use those old ones. Ever wonder what's it's like to move really fast like Rainbow Dash? These boots will answer that question."

Without doing a thing, the Pegasus Boots disappeared from my hands and magically appeared on my feet, replacing my old boots as if by magic. I then paced about a couple of times before jumping up and down as a means of getting used to wearing them. They were definitely comfortable and the wings were really cute. Now to put them to the test. Hopefully, nothing was going to go wrong. Walking to the green crystals, I tried to see if the boots could allow me to shatter them. I did a small hop before dashing forward with my sword thrust forward, shattering both crystals before I slammed into a block.

"Wow... What a rush!" I said in a daze.

"You can stop running whenever you want and not simply crash into something."

"Good to know."

"Also, you can cut down grass and shrubs more easily with the Pegasus Boots."

Now that's what I called utility. These boots could now make grinding a lot easier in addition to dealing with backtracking a lot quicker. While some aspects of this journey are now more bearable, it didn't make things easy overall as the difficulty was only to ramp up from here. Pushing the block, I needed to go back to the start of Key, so ignoring the two Shroud Stalfos who had respawned once again, I made my way back over to the portal and used it to reach the entrance. Heading right, the Compass made its noise indicating that a key was within the treasure chest guarded by the Vacuum Mouth.

Dashing forward, the Vacuum Mouth attempted to pull me into the abyss but I was moving too fast for it to do so and my sword eventually went right through it, destroying it and leaving the chest unguarded. Opening it up and taking the key, I thought about warping back to the Dodongo Snake room, but there were a couple more things for me to do that involved using my new boots. Heading back to the entrance and then walking north, I struck a Bombite which bounced off the walls a few times before it exploded. Ignoring the other monsters, I began dashing and shattered both green crystals which blocked me previously.

I kept on running and destroyed a Red Gel which was just there for some reason. This was what made that bouncing noise way back when I first came this way so now I could deal with the rest of the puzzle. Backtracking and ignoring the other monsters until I was back on the other side of where the Red Gel was, I quickly took care of the two Stalfos which caused another treasure chest to materialize. Opening it up, I took out a gold rupee which sparkled in a very bright light. I asked Princess Twilight what its value was and she responded by saying 300 rupees which almost made me faint. Where was this when I needed it long ago?

In any case, I could afford that Piece of Heart in the Item Shop, or I could save up for something much bigger. Pocketing my sudden wealth increase, I went back south only to see that there was a door to my left which I never checked. Entering this room, a chest was on top of a raised platform, and the line of blue blocks leading up to it revealed why I never came in here to begin with. Better late than never, right? Defeating a couple of Keese that were nearby, I began walking around until I reached the chest only for a Sword Stalfos to block my way. I parried its sword strike with my shield and with two sword swings, defeated it.

Opening the chest, I took out the Dungeon Map. "Um..."

"We could've checked this room much sooner..." Princess Twilight said in a pained voice.

I smacked my head against the empty chest. "That's what I get for not double-checking!"

"At least we can now see what this dungeon looks like from a layout perspective." Princess Twilight said. Unfurling the map, we both saw that Key Cavern comprised two levels, a floor and a basement, with the former in the shape of a large key, and the latter in the shape of a small key. The Nightmare was located on the lower level and the one unopened chest was on the other side of the giant gap. "When you look at this dungeon's layout, it's not really that bad. At least we know where to find that Nightmare Key. We should head back to where you battled those Dodongo Snakes via that warp."

"We're almost done with this place."

"Only a couple of rooms remain."

Pushing a block which allowed me to leave the room instead of going back the other way, I south back towards the entrance, again, ignoring the monsters, and used the warp to teleport myself back to the Dodongo Snake area. From there, I went south and turned left since this was the direction where that gap was. Thanks to me having blown up that other entrance earlier, I did a small jump before dashing forward, and upon seeing the gap, I immediately jumped over and landed safely. Never had I made such a leap like that before. I could still feel the adrenaline surging through me. I really needed to do that again, but not here of course.

As soon as I said that, I walked up the stairs only to find another gap to jump over. Granted, this one was smaller, but still, I had to jump it. Dashing forward and jumping over this gap, I opened the treasure chest on the other side and took out the Nightmare Key. Putting it in my pocket, I jumped down and ignored all monsters that were trying to get my attention since there was no need for me to fight any of them. It didn't take long for me to reach the first of the four keylock blocks and when I got there, I took out my remaining keys and inserted the first key into the lock where it disappeared.

Following the path, I unlocked the remaining three blocks before heading down the stairs to an underground passage only to discover something unexpected. "What in the world is that supposed to be!?" Blocking my way forward was a giant red stone that had an angry face on it. "It looks like another Mario enemy but not."

"This is another trap, Sunset, but one that only exists right here in this underground path."

"Who do you suppose put it here?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "Beats me, but this is known as a Mega Thwomp. No matter what you do, it won't budge from its place of rest nor will it simply drop down on its own, but you do have the means to force it to drop."

Looking at my feet, seeing the Pegasus Boots clued me in on what she meant. "Ohhhh... I have to dash into--yeah I got it."

Dashing into the Mega Thwomp, it suddenly cracked and its expression changed from angry to shocked at it dropped down onto the spiked floor below. Dropping down on top of it and continuing forward, I had to dash again in order to jump over another spiked floor--which I did--and climbed up a ladder. A Piranha Plant in a pipe then blocked my path so one swing of my sword defeated it though letting it go back down would've worked too. Climbing down another ladder, I entered the basement where green crystals were scattered everywhere. There were also three Pairodds but now I could attack them before they had a chance to teleport.

Using my new-found speed, I dashed into each Pairodd, defeating them in one hit (I guessed even dash attacks were more powerful than regular sword swings) with the door opening upon defeating the last one. There was no reason to shatter all the crystals and a flying Recovery Heart wasn't needed either since it had been a while since I last took damage so I moved on to the next room. In this room, the Compass beeped which immediately made no sense. The only locked door required the Nightmare Key so what did the beep mean? Looking around at what I had to deal with, several Keese were perched on platforms and the entire floor comprised of conveyor belts.

Raising my shield and stepping onto a tile, I allowed the conveyor belts to take me around the room. Each of the Keese attacked me only to be deflected by my shield and I swung my sword defeating each one in turn. Two of them dropped green rupees which I collected and when all of them were gone, a small key dropped down from above and landed on the ground where it began moving about on the conveyor belts. Despite not needing to pick it up, that was exactly what I did anyway because I couldn't ignore a key. Still, a question loomed in my mind and hopefully Her Highness had an answer.

Princess Twilight, however, went ahead and addressed it. "An extra small key... Hmmm... Why would this be here right before the Nightmare's door?"

"That was going to be my question."

"Sunset? Let me look at the Dungeon Map again." I took it out and Her Highness combed it over. "There are no more locked doors aside from the one that the Nightmare Key has to unlock and there are no hidden rooms." I could tell she really wanted an answer and to be honest, I was curious about this as well. "I do have a theory but I need to keep looking at the map to reach an answer." Continuing to comb over the map, Princess Twilight soon reached a conclusion. "You know those locked rooms that had keys?"

"What about them?"

"It's possible that you didn't need to unlock one of those rooms."

"And what does that have to do with the extra key?"

"Everything, Sunset." Princess Twilight answered. "If you had ignored one of those rooms, you would have still collected enough keys to reach this room. The extra key could then be used to unlock that ignored room... Though it would still result in getting an extra key that does nothing."

"You lost the answer?"

Crestfallen, Princess Twilight slowly nodded. "My only remaining answer is that whoever made this dungeon created an extra key that served no purpose. Oh well. It's not like this key can be taken to another dungeon."

"It sounds like an oversight."

"You could be right."

During the conversation, the conveyor belts took me all over the room and I ended up in the lower left corner. Making my way back to the door, I used the Nightmare Key to unlock it and entered where it closed behind me. To my surprise, the room was completely empty much like how it was with Moldorm. "Okay? The Nightmare is supposed to be here, right?"

"Something's wrong."

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone there?" I got no response but instead, a few Green Zols dropped down from the ceiling which I immediately took care of. "I wasn't expecting any regular monsters to be in here." I then tried calling out again. "Where are you?"

This time, I got a response. "NEENER NEENER! You can't find me!"

"Wanna bet!"

"NYAH NYAH!"

"Okay, this Nightmare is starting to annoy me."

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head. "Look at that shadow on the ground in the middle of the room, Sunset. Do you suppose that the Nightmare is on the ceiling?" She looked up and bopped me even harder. "Up there! It's up there on the ceiling!" I then looked up for myself and sure enough, the Nightmare was right there. "How about that? It turned out to be a giant Gel after all."

I moaned. "Why did it have to be that!? I was only kidding earlier!"

"You found me quicker than I thought."

"And what do they call you?" I called up to the giant Gel."

"I am known as Slime Eye." The name made sense since it was a giant blob with a singular eyeball. Still, I wished it could've been something else since what I predicted was meant to be a joke and nothing more. "NYAH NYAH! I'm up here and you're down there! What can do you now? Not much so you might as well leave."

"Don't listen to him, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"How do I get him down?"

"You can't throw bombs up there as they won't reach high enough and you've got no other projectile weapons." When she looked at my Pegasus Boots, Her Highness slapped her forehead in sheer disbelief. "The answer is right there on your feet, as in, the footwear, the Pegasus Boots. Running into walls causes a slight tremor from what I saw when you ran into those stone blocks. Perhaps you can bring Slime Eye down here after all."

My first thought was to toss my sword up and see if I could knock this creature down but decided against it as it would've been too embarrassing. (Pinkie Pie would've found it hilarious though) so I went with Princess Twilight's idea. Performing a little hop and dashing forward with my sword out, I crashed into the back wall which left me stunned for a second but proved effective as Slime Eye dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the ground with a loud squishy sound. Upon getting a better--also closer--look at him, aside from the giant eyeball, there wasn't really anything else other than a clear slimy body.

Despite my annoyance that a giant slime was the Nightmare, I was also curious as to why have something like this? Moldorm proved challenging because of its behaviour and sudden speed bursts and the Genie was a taxing fight because of having to wait for the perfect opportunity to attack. A giant slime though? I just couldn't picture a difficult battle. Just looking at this thing made me feel uneasy inside. It's body jiggled because of how squishy it was and the eyeball was actually looking directly at me. Slime Eye could probably end my life just with looks alone.

"So you brought me down did you?" Slime Eye asked.

"I said I would." I answered.

"You must really want to fight huh?"

I pretended to agree with him despite my reservations. "Well, you are the Nightmare and I have already defeated the previous two."

Slime Eye looked like he was annoyed but I couldn't really tell. I mean, how can you tell what his emotions are? "I was thinking of taunting you again, but you brought me down from the ceiling so the taunting will just have to be skipped. Let's see if you can figure out what to do now."

I raised my shield expecting Slime Eye to lunge at me or even jump in an attempt to squash me, but neither of these things happened. Instead, he just remained in place, looking at me with his eyeball, a strong gaze piercing my very soul. That's when I realized that his eye was his weak point so I struck it with my sword which caused him to start splitting into two pieces each half with their own eyeball. I decided to wait and what he was going to do next and my answer came as the two halves came back together forming one whole. Again, he chose to do nothing but remain still.

Hitting the eye again to start splitting Slime Eye in half, I continued attacking the eye on the left which caused the two halves to split even further until only a thin strand of slime was holding them together. Thinking that I could continue hitting the eye to break them up, I attacked it and nothing happened. Worse still, the two halves slowly began merging back into one before Slime Eye was completely whole again. That idea clearly didn't work so another tactic was needed. Wracking my brain for any ideas, it eventually occurred to me that boss monsters were vulnerable to items found in dungeons though the idea was kind of lost on Moldorm.

Attacking Slime Eye to begin the splitting up process, I continued hitting his left eye until I was back where I was before. I needed to use the Pegasus Boots in some way since that was the item I found in here but I still couldn't see it. Princess Twilight eventually spoke up. "Think, Sunset... What can those boots do?" No wonder Her Highness has proven how essential she has been to my survival. She saw how I was struggling and provided me with important insight after letting me try and figure it out on my own. "Sorry for not saying anything sooner but I thought you already knew the answer."

"Now I do."

"It should take one push to break Slime Eye into two smaller pieces."

Just as he was starting to merge back together to form one whole, I dashed into the thin strand of slime and began pushing it back. Slime Eye was clearly uncomfortable with having his body being stretched like that but I kept on pushing until the strand snapped splitting Slime Eye and me crashing into the wall. Shaking my head after getting stunned, I turned around and saw the two Nightmares look at each other as though neither one understood what had just happened. They eventually figured out that I had done something to them and began moving about while I raised my shield in preparation for what they were going to do.

Even though they were now smaller, the Slime Eyes, well, eyes, were still their weak point and I figured hitting them anywhere else would do nothing. Before I had a chance to attack either one, both of them suddenly leapt upwards and for a moment, I thought they were going back up to the ceiling. Both of them landed on the ground seconds later, the impact of their landing shook the ground causing me to trip resulting in my landing hard on my butt. One Slime Eye bumped into me inflicting some damage but I got back up before it could do the same thing again. Now I knew what they were trying to do.

It was a clever tactic: Jump up, come crashing down, I trip up, they bump into me, rinse and repeat. Both Slime Eyes began moving about by making short hops all while keeping a close watch of my actions before both of them jumped upwards again. This time, I was ready as I jumped myself with the Roc's Feather as both crashed into the ground. I then began attacking a Slime Eye by hitting its eye several times before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Did it seriously go down that quickly!? I was expecting to have to go through several volleys of sword hits and not just the one.

The remaining Slime Eye then jumped into the air and I jumped only doing so a little too soon so when I landed, it landed afterwards causing its tremor and I tripped again. I fell on my butt again but fortunately, it was too far away to bump into me so getting back up, I struck the eye of Slime Eye a couple of times when it leapt up again. My eyes then noticed the circular shadow on the ground so I made sure I kept my distance as it was aiming at me. Just before it landed, I jumped to avoid the tremor and upon Slime Eye hitting the ground, I attacked its eye a couple more times which was enough.

It began exploding several times before disappearing completely in a final explosion causing both doors to unlock and a Heart Container to appear in the middle of the room. My opinion on the fight was mixed at best. "That... That actually wasn't bad at all." I said as I swung my sword back and forth.

Princess Twilight nodded. "For a Nightmare, Slime Eye was much easier than Moldorm and the Genie were."

"I only got hit once during that entire fight."

"A sign of improvement."

I shook my head. "Had Slime Eye been stronger and actually did more, I'd have taken a lot more damage and would probably on my last legs right now. Still, why have such an easy boss to serve as one of these Nightmares? Grogar must have made a serious miscalculation to have chosen that to guard an instrument."

"I also see it from a different perspective." Princess Twilight said. "Key Cavern was filled with hidden monsters, rooms with traps in them, and those jumps you had to make. Had you fallen foul to most of those and had barely gotten to Slime Eye, he would've killed you in one or two hits. He thought you were exhausted but that clearly wasn't the case. Anyway, that's three Nightmares defeated."

"Only five more left including Grogar."

"Let's collect the instrument and we can leave this place."

Before doing so, I picked up the Heart Container which appeared after Slime Eye was defeated. I felt its warmth make me stronger than ever and that meant my chances of survival had further increased. With that done, I walked into the final room where the door closed behind me and before was the third instrument and it was... a bell? Really? A bell!? Were they actually viewed as instruments? Apparently, that was true here. I normally associated bells as what you'd hear upon entering a shop or used to make a loud noise to annoy someone. I guessed I shouldn't question it as I'd come across as condescending.

Walking up to the bell, it sparkled in the same manner as the Full Moon Cello and the Conch Horn before it so I knew it was legitimate. Picking it up off the ground, I decided to shake it and see what happened. Sure enough, it let loose a small chime which made me smile. Okay, so maybe a bell can be an instrument. Now... in terms of princesses, the only one left excluding Princess Twilight was Princess Cadance. Among the other three alicorns, I hadn't interacted with her as much if hardly at all because I couldn't really find any common ground, that and she ruled over the Crystal Empire, where the original portal was.

"Okay, we now have the bell."

"Where do you suppose Cadance is?"

I shrugged. "She should be here by now."

"Maybe she got lost?"

"That would make her look bad, wouldn't you think?"

"I guess."

"You have received the Sea Lily's Bell!" A voice called out from nowhere.

"That must be her now, Twilight."

Sure enough, the radiant beauty of Princess Cadance (I was being serious about the beauty because she was well known for it amongst her subjects in addition to her great wisdom and general ease of approaching her) finally made her presence known. Like Celestia and Luna before her, Cadance wore a beautiful gown that featured a crystal heart pattern including an actual crystal heart sewn into the center of it with the colours of the gown being in varying shades of pink, blue, and purple. Her wings shone in the same colours and as for her hair... You get the picture by now.

"I am so sorry for being a bit late." Princess Cadance said. "I'm still having a bit of trouble getting used to having a body like this. I don't know how you can manage to move about so easily with only two legs, Sunset Shimmer, but I can't help but be a little jealous." She then turned to face me directly. "I believe the last time you and I saw each other was when you came to the Crystal Empire in order to apologize to me for what you did when you stole Twilight's crown."

Princess Twilight was shocked to hear that. Sunset! When did you do that!?"

"It was something Princess Celestia arranged for me." I answered. "I wanted to apologize to Princess Cadance for my past actions when I abandoned my studies and Equestria. I'll be honest in saying I don't have much in common with Cadance and we don't interact that much so finding a common connection with her hasn't been easy."

"Sunset Shimmer came to see me about several months after reconciling with Princess Celestia." Princess Cadance said. "We didn't want you to know, Twilight, in case you wanted to take over the entire explanation leaving Sunset with little to say herself." Her Highness then blushed in the presence of her sister-in-law before sharing a giggle with her. "See? Sunset and I both knew you would react like that. Anyway, you now have three of the Instruments of the Sirens. Only five remain until you can awaken the dreamer. By the way, do you two know when everything will change back to normal?"

"That depends on me and Sunset defeating Grogar." Princess Twilight answered.

Princess Cadance gasped. "Grogar!? You mean the ancient evil of Equestria? That Grogar? But, I thought he was Discord in disguise according to what you told me."

"Apparently, this is the real one."

"And defeating him will fix this?"

"Not necessarily." I answered. "We still have the elephant in the room... namely, Ganondorf, the Demon King. It's going to be up to him as to when everything goes back to normal and we all get to go back to our respective worlds. There's no doubt he'll want to fight me again as a means of testing me because of his desire of making me his servant. Just because my magical prowess continues improving by leaps and bounds doesn't mean I'll become corrupted by it."

"You must not allow him to corrupt you, Sunset Shimmer."

"I won't."

"Believe in yourself and your friends and nothing can stop you." Princess Cadance turned to Princess Twilight. "Twilight... I know you will look after Sunset as you've been doing so from the very beginning. Continue guiding her along as always and she will do the same for you." She then faced me again. "Listen closely now to my words as I shall reveal where the next instrument lies. Waterfall... It is hidden in the waterfall."

"A waterfall?" Princess Twilight asked.

"You will find it at the base of the mountain range of this island."

"That should be easy enough."

Princess Cadance shook her head. "Unfortunately, it's not that simple, Twilight. You first need to travel to the eastern part of the island in order to acquire something that will help you unlock the way forward. But, you will need the songstress you know in order to get past an obstacle blocking your path. Also, have you seen the Dream Shrine located in the village? Go there in order to get a special item as without it, your journey cannot be finished. I wish I could say more but I'm refrained from helping any further. However, a certain man both of you know can provide you with those missing answers."

"Flash Sentry..." I said.

"Yes, that would be him." Princess Cadance began to fade away. One last thing... If you're having money troubles, why not speak to Zecora some time. You don't need me to explain why you should do that. "This isn't the last time you'll be seeing me. You will get to see me again when you reach Level 6. Until then, listen to the chimes of the Sea Lily's Bell, and good luck."

As she disappeared, the Sea Lily's Bell began to chime very softly. Compared to the previous two instruments, it wasn't loud nor did it follow in the same tune, but instead it just felt soothing as though my troubles were melting away. As everything went white, I began thinking about what Princess Cadance said. What she said about Zecora was blatantly obvious given there was no sugarcoating it but she was right about me needing more rupees. Zecora did say helping her would be worth it for me. As for this Dream Shrine... surely someone in the village can explain what it is... Maybe even Discord himself.

The moment I walked out of Key Cavern and back outside, the flapping of a bird indicated that Flash Sentry was about to make his presence felt. Sure enough, his owl companion could be seen flying over this way at quite the pace. It eventually stopped before slowly lowering down until it landed above the dungeon entrance. Petting the owl before scratching the underside of its beak, Flash Sentry climbed down and sat down next to his friend. "How many instruments have you gotten so far?"

"I have three." I answered back.

"And you have also defeated three of the Nightmares."

"What else can you tell me about them that I am allowed to know?"

"Some of the Nightmares may not appear strong to the likes of you, but they strike fear into the hearts of those on this island." Flash Sentry answered. "However, the ones that remain shall test you in ways you have yet to understand. Strength alone is not going to help you. You will need wisdom and courage to overcome them."

"If that's all you can say right now then I'll accept it."

"In time, more will become clear to you."

"What about the instruments?"

"When you play the eight instruments in front of the egg, the Wind Fish will waken and you will be able to leave this island."

"As you've said before."

Flash Sentry then climbed back onto his owl companion. "The spirit princess has told you where the next instrument lies, but she was not able to guide you to the item you need in order to reach it. Right now, you cannot enter where you must go so long as water continues to run. Young lass, you must now hasten to the Yarna Desert. It is located beyond a place called Animal Village which is to the east. The one who first found you... Her voice must be heard by those who enjoy it most. The dark, monstrous inhabitants of the sand will show you the way to your goal."

With that, he took to the sky on his companion leaving me plenty to think about. On the one hand, I needed to go to this Yarna Desert which is where I needed to find something that could help me reach whatever kind of dungeon lurked behind a waterfall. I was concerned that I was being taken away from where I was supposed to go. It wasn't backtracking but rather deviating from the main path. I also had the Dream Shrine back in Mabe Village and what Zecora wanted from me. So many options yet two were required and the other being an option that had benefits attached to them.

First, I needed to speak to Discord since he could shed some light on where I had to go next. Jumping across the islands in the lake until I got to the other side, I then began dashing and to my amazement, the speed was just as incredible out here like it was indoors. Granted, I did have to stop and change direction to avoid crashing into walls or obstacles of a similar nature but at least now I could backtrack with some speed on my side. Heading south and going past Tempest's villa, I approached Key Cavern again from the south before heading left as the nearest telephone booth was in that general area.

Seeing the telephone booth, I dashed forward only to accidentally run into the tree to the right of it, and to my surprise, a Secret Seashell fell out from it. Picking it up before a monster could step on it, or even me for that matter, I now had four of them though I needed a lot more than that if I wanted that ultimate sword. Now that I had the Pegasus Boots on my feet, were there other places I could now go which were previously inaccessible? Surely there were such places. With more items, the more my exploration would open up. Entering the telephone booth, I picked up the phone and waited.

BBRRIINNG! BBRRIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho! This is Ulrira speaking." Discord said. "I know it's you, Sunset Shimmer, as who else would call me?"

"I need your help." I said.

"Of course you do as why else would you phone me!" Discord went silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Have you ever heard of the Dream Shrine? It's a place located in the northeast part of the village. Anyone who goes in there gets to dream about this strange place where a great treasure is hidden. What treasure is it? You should ask Papahl's wife about that as she knows a lot about that shrine."

Princess Cadance did say that the item in the Dream Shrine was necessary for me to finish this journey. I had to go there as soon as possible because if I don't collect it now, I'll no doubt forget about it and be in a panic later. I then thought about the desert Flash Sentry mentioned. Since Discord knew so much about Koholint Island, he should be able to tell me exactly what I'm looking for. "Um..." I began but had difficulty coming up with a good way to ask. "I need to find something among some sand." Seriously!? That was my method!? That was a terrible execution."

"Sand, you say? You mean the Yarna Desert?"

"Yes."

"D'oh ho ho!" Discord laughed though this time he was allowed to get away with it since I screwed up with my request. "In the Yarna Desert, which is located in the southeast of the island, you will find something called the Angler Key. A key like that in a desert is pretty unusual isn't it? It would work better somewhere with plenty of water. Hmmm... How much more obvious do I have to be? If you're still having problems, well... I'm not sure what I can do for you. Bye!"

CLICK!

'Angler Key'? So that was what I needed to find in the Yarna Desert? Discord didn't say where in the desert it was so that was something I needed to figure out on my own. I also needed to bring Starlight with me since she was the songstress Princess Cadance mentioned. I had no idea how I would convince her to come with me. Leaving the telephone booth and heading back north, I noticed Sunburst standing by a tree trying to poke something. Maybe he can help me with Starlight. He is her father after all in this world. Okay, now I was starting to get somewhere with all of this.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 11: The Desert's Secret.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 27, 2019.
Chapter 11: The Desert's Secret.

"Let's hope that Sunburst can give us the right information." I said.

"Sunset?" Princess Twilight began. "Have you thought about how you're going to be handling so many objectives? After all, you've been given quite the list. I don't want you feeling overwhelmed in any way. Besides, I've been there plenty of times and all it does is cause stress."

"What do you suggest?"

Princess Twilight took a deep breath. "First, we should speak with Sunburst since he's right over there. After that, we should pay a visit to this Dream Shrine. Whatever treasure is in there is one you need otherwise we're never finishing this journey. Next, go to the Item Shop as I know you want the Piece of Heart Aria was selling. Then you can go to the Trendy Game since I'm certain Ember restocked on rare items. Next, will be the Animal Village followed with the Yarna Desert, and hopefully the next dungeon. Did I miss anything? I'm pretty sure I covered just about everything."

"You forgot about Starlight and Zecora."

"Oh... Right." Princess Twilight then blushed but I couldn't blame her. In fact, I was surprised that she went and told me everything I needed to take care of. "Starlight... She can be slotted in after you finish the Dream Shrine. As for Zecora... Her hut is on the way towards the next dungeon so we could go off the main path and visit her. Now that should be everything we need to do."

I nodded. "I don't think you missed anything."

"We might as well get this started then."

"Hopefully, Sunburst can help out."

To be honest, I wasn't confident that he could give us some answers. From what Princess Twilight told me about him, he was quite an amazing wizard even though he dropped out from Princess Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns. It showed that you didn't need a fancy school in order to be successful. (Princess Celestia is never going to hear me say that otherwise I'd never live it down) He used to be Flurry Heart's Crystaler but since she's older now, he isn't needed aside from special occasions. According to Her Highness, he was selected by Starlight to become the School of Friendship's new Vice Headmare. Quite the promotion I'd say.

However, in this world, Sunburst doesn't exactly think clearly. I mean, I've no personal issues with him but the character he portrays isn't exactly all that bright. More like, a curious individual who doesn't quite use his brain to understand things. In some ways, Sunburst is living the dream which I've secretly wanted on rare occasions... To be able to relax and not have to worry about anything. A world where its problems never bother you. With what I have to do, problems always find their way to me despite not wanting any. I guessed it was a personal sacrifice seeing how much of what I've experienced was by my own doing.

Equestrian Magic running wild in the world I called home... Had I never left Equestria, such problems wouldn't be plaguing my adopted home. Of course, my friends wouldn't be my friends and their destinies would be totally different. In that sense, destiny proved to be very effective in the end despite my actions. What would've happened had I not left? I'd have likely been punished by Princess Celestia and banished from Equestria to the desolate wastes beyond its borders. Or, I'd have been sent to Tartarus, a far less punishment compared to the wastes as Tartarus actually has some semblance of quality.

I supposed what I did was a double-edged sword. It was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. If I could, I'd like to go back in time and undo everything, but that would be selfishness on my part. The past is one that shouldn't be changed just because you messed up. What happened is history and must remain as is otherwise everything else gets thrown out of whack resulting in who knows what. Still, I do wish I could fix my mistake. Believe me, I have plenty of those still lingering despite how much I've changed. Just because I don't share them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Princess Twilight then began bopping me on the head to indicate that I needed to stop daydreaming and begin my long list of objectives. Even though I really should stop doing that (The daydreaming thing in case it wasn't obvious) I couldn't help it as it helped me understand myself. Her Highness knows it's something I have to do to give myself piece of mind but maybe I shouldn't let it drag on because she just floats there and watches and can't do anything as she can't read my mind. When you've got a lot on your mind, you tend to forget about all facets of reality until you are forced back into it.

Walking over to where Sunburst was, I was confused at seeing him attempt to hit what looked like a beehive. I'm no bee expert but what he was doing was both wrong and utterly insane given how volatile bees were. Again, his curiosity meant he wasn't thinking. Now that I thought of it, this was the first time I'd seen a beehive on any of the trees around here. Why not have them on any of the other trees? On the subject of Sunburst, judging from the sweat trickling down his brow, he had been here for some time. It made sense since I had been traipsing about in a dungeon for several hours or so.

Sunburst then noticed me. "Why, if it ain't Sunset Shimmer! It's me, Tarin! I hope you ain't forgotten about me!"

I shook my head as I approached. "There's no way I could forget the likes of you."

"Glad ta hear it." He then looked up and down at me and for a moment, I thought he was doing it for intimate reasons. "Wow! Your clothes look like they've been through the ringer not ta mention them scars you've got. I knew you were the adventurin' type but you're taking it to an extreme. You know, I'll bet Crazy Tracey could help you out."

"Who?"

"Ain't you ever heard of Crazy Tracey?" I shook my head and Sunburst was surprised. "And hear I thought everyone knew about her given how she likes ta advertise herself and her business with them fliers. Well, let ol' Tarin explain things ta you. You know that Witch who lives on the other side of the Mysterious Forest? Well, Crazy Tracey was once her apprentice before she went and started her own potion makin' business. Her potions can heal any kind of wound and can even bring ya back ta life if you happen to kick the bucket. She does have a weird pricin' system though."

"Where can I find her!?" I asked in an excited frenzy.

"She lives near the Witch in Koholint Prairie but ya needs strength to move them boulders."

If this Crazy Tracey does what I think she did even with Sunburst's description of her, she was someone I needed to see as soon as possible. Considering how often I've taken a beating on my journey from all sorts of monsters, having a potion on hand would improve my chances of surviving especially if it could save me from being killed. I didn't know what he meant by 'weird pricing system' but I supposed it was something I'd find out. If her location was accurate, this Crazy Tracey was on my way to the next dungeon so paying her a visit wasn't out of the question either.

Now I needed him to answer my next question. "Um... Do you mind if I take Star--I mean, Marin--to Animal Village?" In hindsight, even though I had a good idea as to the kind of residents living in this village, I actually didn't know anything about it.

"Hmmm... Marin usually goes there on her own without me."

"Is that so?"

Sunburst nodded. "Marin goes there to sing songs to the animals. In case ya were wonderin', that's why they call it Animal Village. Everyone there is an animal of some kind but despite this, it is recognized as the sister village of our Mabe Village. As for Marin going... She needs ta be in the right mood otherwise she ain't gonna wanna go. You can ask her yet I don't think she'll be interested. Maybe if you went yourself, ya can convince her to come along on yer next visit."

I didn't like the sound of that at all. If I understood him correctly, Starlight wasn't going to go to Animal Village without a good reason. I'd need to go there in person, talk to some of the animals, come back to Mabe Village, then ask her if she wanted to come, and then make my way back over there again. It was backtracking of the absolute worse kind but one that I most likely couldn't avoid because of story progression. These role playing video games often had some really annoying quirks like this which you couldn't walk around because you'd miss out on something important. Ugh!

"Are you sure about that?"

"Marin can be pretty stubborn that way."

"Oh..."

"Sorry about that, Sunset Shimmer."

"It's not your fault."

Sunburst then changed the subject. "Now, I betcha wonderin' what I'm doing here. See this here honeycomb?" I nodded and he continued. "I was hankering for some honey but I need some way of disturbing them bees." He then noticed the stick in my pocket and his eyes lit up. "Say... I see ya have a nice stick. Can I borrow it for a second?"

I had completely forgotten that I acquired it from the monkey's earlier when I needed to get into Kanalet Castle. Nodding, I took out the stick and handed it over to Sunburst who began poking the beehive several times, exactly what I knew he was going to do. After several taps, the beehive dropped to the ground and we both remained still because of knowing what was about to happen next. Sure enough, bees began coming out from the beehive and immediately began chasing Sunburst. He began running around the tree in a panic with the bees chasing him and after doing this a few times, he left with them in hot pursuit.

My reaction to that display was shedding a single tear of sweat. On the one hand, I felt sorry for Sunburst as he was likely going to get stung many times. On the other, it was his own ignorance which caused him his predicament. I was about to leave when Princess Twilight pointed at the ground and I looked down. The beehive was still there so I picked it up seeing as the bees had upped and abandoned it. Taking a closer look, it wasn't a beehive but rather a honeycomb. I had no idea who would want a honeycomb but surely a recipient would eventually come up.

Now there was no reason for me to remain in the area so I began to make my way back to Mabe Village. As I started walking, I thought about what Princess Cadance said about needing the treasure from the Dream Shrine. If it was that important, surely someone else would've made an attempt to get it. Then again, people on this island seemed rather oblivious about most everything regarding monsters and other forms of danger. How could they not see it!? In any case, Juniper was the one I needed to talk to about the Dream Shrine as that's what Discord recommended when I spoke to him before seeing Sunburst.

Once I reached the edge of Mabe Village having avoided the Flying Octoroks, I picked up a boulder, tossed it aside and proceeded towards where Juniper lived. Seeing Scootaloo standing nearby doing nothing in particular, I waved to her and she responded in kind. Could she provide me with some additional information? Maybe but first I should focus on the adults given how the kids around here often contradicted themselves. Entering Juniper's house, it had changed a little since my last visit. Her youngest child (Still couldn't believe that she had children in this world) was happily playing with the Yoshi Doll I gave her which felt like a long time ago so I was happy to see that had worked out.

"Oh!" Juniper said as I approached. "You're the nice girl who gave me the Yoshi Doll."

I then noticed that Chancellor Neighsay wasn't around so I inquired about him. "Um... Where did your husband go?"

"Papahl?" Juniper answered as she stared at the empty space where he once stood. "My husband left some time ago to get lost in the mountains. I know that sounds weird for anyone to say but you have to admire his determination. I do wish he had taken some vittles with him as he's surely starving by now. If I remember, Papahl isn't too particular about anything but he does like pineapples."

I didn't have a pineapple so Chancellor Neighsay would be someone I'd have to deal with later. I then steered the subject towards what I wanted to know. "Um... This might sound strange, but what do you know about the Dream Shrine?"

"Quite a bit actually."

"Why is that?"

"My family has lived next to it for many years now." Juniper answered. "As such, we've seen many people go in there in hopes of finding the treasure hidden there. No one has ever succeeded because of the strange creatures that lurk within the dream world within the shrine. They look innocent but are deadly because of their touch. One person who attempted to get the treasure said something about needing a lot of speed. I never did understand what he meant by that."

"I think I do."

"Really? Then you might be able to succeed."

"Guess it's time for me to take a nap."

"No one is in the Dream Shrine as those boulders blocking the entrance keep out those without strength." Juniper said. "I hear that the bed inside is made of the finest quilt ever known to exist anywhere. You fall asleep on it, you won't want to wake up. But, you look as though you won't let such a thing happen to you. Nice girls like you deserve a chance to be worthy of obtaining whatever is in the dream world."

Thanking Juniper for the words of encouragement, I left her house, walked over to the Dream Shrine, picked up and tossed aside a boulder and went inside. "Huh... I was honestly expecting something more given it is a shrine and all." The interior of the shrine consisted of a single bed and nothing more.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"I suppose not."

"Remember that in this dreamscape, any damage inflicted upon you by any monsters will be real and will carry over back to the waking world." Princess Twilight said. She sounded pretty confident and I wasn't about to question her since she often was right about that sort of thing. "Once you go to sleep, you will cross over and begin whatever waits for you on the other side in the dream. In fact, let me sleep with you and I should be able to join you."

"Um, Twilight?" I said in a nervous voice. "You might want to choose your words better."

"Why?" Princess Twilight was clearly confused here. "I was being honest and..." It then clicked for Her Highness as to my meaning. "Ohhhh..." And as expected, she blushed and immediately turned her face away from me. "What!? You know that's not what I mean, Sunset! I... I just said it wrong!" I burst out laughing much to her annoyance but eventually after letting it all sink in, she began laughing until we both started crying. "Okay, that's enough about my blunder. At least it happened like this and not when I'd be ruling Equestria."

"You'll be fine ruling Equestria."

"I know."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRRAACCKLLE! FWWOOOSSHH!

"I am sorry to inform you, master."

Grogar motioned Hot Head to be silent with a wave of his hand. "We are already aware that the Slime Eye has been defeated by the Outsider. Unlike the previous two Nightmares, she showed no signs of struggling and overcame him easily. Perhaps your words had some weight to them after all." Grogar then went silent before his eyes burst into flames. "We knew all along that the Slime Eye was a worthless creature. We allowed that one to guard the bell as he begged us for our favour. He pleaded so hard that we weren't moved by tears but by how utterly pathetic it looked."

"Then why didn't you replace him sooner?"

"The other Nightmares were guarding their respective instruments."

"So now three of us are no more."

Grogar nodded. "It shows you, Hot Head, that incompetence is a pestilence that needs to be rooted out. We Nightmares rule this island and it shall remain as such. The weakest amongst us have proven how useless they were and could not overcome one little girl. However, the Moldorm and the Genie proved that the Outsider is not invincible and can be overcome under the proper conditions."

"In what way, master?"

"She struggles against overwhelming odds."

"That does explain why Slime Eye failed."

"Do not presume you can fault us for not heeding your words." Grogar's eyes burned even hotter than before forcing Hot Head to squirm knowing he didn't have any leverage given his position as a mere servant to the ancient ram. "Remember that we can replace you at our leisure, Hot Head. Questioning us would result in us destroying you. Though you are our strongest Nightmare, you are nothing but fodder which can be pushed about whenever we wish. Know your place, servant!"

"I... I apologize, my master."

"As you should."

"The Outsider should be making her way over to Angler's Tunnel."

"And which of the Nightmare's guards the instrument?"

"The Angler Fish."

Grogar went silent as he began mulling over what Hot Head had told him. The servant felt anxious as he awaited the next words of his master but soon the wait was over and the ancient ram began to speak. "The Angler Fish is perhaps the most useless Nightmare among us. All it cares about is food and is oblivious to what it's supposed to do. We had hoped for a better Nightmare but no other was capable of swimming."

"What can we do, master?"

"It is what you shall do for us."

"I don't understand."

"We don't expect you to understand what is beyond your comprehension." Grogar said as his horns began conjuring up some kind of magic. "To us, you are not to understand but to obey us without question." He then finished his magic, a bauble of some description, which he passed over to Hot Head. "Give this to the Angler Fish and it shall become more ferocious in its nature. Though its desire for food cannot be removed, it will focus on killing the Outsider. Do not plunge into the depths or else your flames will forever be gone."

"I shall do as you command."

"That is your purpose to me."

"Anything else?"

Grogar nodded slowly. "There is a place below the graveyard which the Outsider will eventually explore such is her curious nature. A special Nightmare has been placed there by us which guards special powers she will strive for once she learns of it. Inform that Nightmare to kill her! It must not allow its belief of pacifism to cloud its judgement."

"I obey."

"As you shall." As Hot Head disappeared, Grogar began talking to himself. "This Outsider has proven to be more of a nuisance than we thought. If she continues with her progression, she will truly become a threat to our plans. But... she is also steering towards knowing a dark secret. Should she continue, she will learn what this island truly is. Once she finds out... heh, heh, heh... we shall enjoy seeing that for ourselves. Enjoy playing about little girl. Let ignorance be blissful as it blinds you from Koholint's true nightmare. Hopefully, you will be dead, for your own sanity."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Climbing into the bed of the Dream Shrine and pulling up the covers, I soon drifted off to sleep as though my body couldn't help itself. Princess Twilight rested her body on the pillow, her tiny self pushing against my hair for her own warmth. In my mind, various images appeared including but not limited to: the various places I had been to on my journey, a mysterious building, a giant turtle, and even what looked like a cascading river. Were these premonitions of what was coming? If so, I had plenty to worry about since I knew things would only more difficult from here.

Upon waking up, I found myself in a ruined temple given how many places had crumbled away and the floor itself had seen better days. As Princess Twilight had calculated, her sleeping with me enabled her to be here as well. Judging from the overall size of this area, it wasn't going to take too long for me to find this treasure, but then some weird looking monsters might have a thing to say about that. Waddling about were brown creatures with large black eyes and mouths who looked really simplistic in design, yet I could sense they possessed a hidden power despite all appearances.

Her Highness told me that these were called Arm-Mimics. Much like Shy Guys, these monsters could mimic my every move, but there were some differences. For one thing, my sword could do no damage to them at its current level. Were it stronger, I could defeat them easily. Second, they were the strongest monsters on the island as getting by them would cause me to lose three full hearts or rather sustain heavy damage. Lastly, they only existed in a few places so I wasn't going to have to fight them that often. She then said I could use spin attacks though with how narrow the path ahead was, that wasn't a good idea.

But, she did say that Arm-Mimics could be defeated using the Pegasus Boots since a dash attack was stronger than a regular sword swing. No wonder no one had been able to successfully acquire the treasure of the Dream Shrine. Those who came here lacked the necessary items and were felled by the Arm-Mimics. Since I had what they didn't, perhaps I'd be the one to obtain it. Each Arm-Mimic was positioned on broken floor tiles so I needed to dash quickly or else I'd be taking a nasty plunge. I then noticed some of them were standing next to one another in small rows. Perhaps I could take multiple out at once?

Dashing forward, I rammed into the first Arm-Mimic, defeating it before it even knew what happened. I kept on dashing, defeating another two before crashing into the wall though at this point, I had gotten used to being dazed after hitting it. Turning to the right, I dashed again, plowing through five Arm-Mimics in two groups, picking up a blue rupee and two green ones along the way. Turning right and dashing, I went through the final six before hitting another wall which dazed me for a moment. That was surprisingly easy but Her Highness said that was due to being in a narrow passageway. Had it been more open, I'd have had way more trouble.

Turning right, I saw a green crystal but before going that way, I saw a treasure chest which I wanted to open. Walking up some stairs, I opened the chest and took out a silver rupee which according to Her Highness, was worth one hundred rupees. My wealth was slowly amassing and soon there would be nothing expensive that was beyond me. Going back to where I was before and dashing through the green crystal and hitting some boulders which acted like walls, I could see something twinkling to my right. Walking up some more stairs, I soon came upon the treasure of the Dream Shrine.

"Is that...?" I asked.

"It is, Sunset!" Princess Twilight answered. "It's an Ocarina."

"What are the odds that it would be this of all things!?" I was surprised to find that people had been trying to claim an ocarina. Either they knew what it really was or they thought it was some kind of valuable jewelry. I picked the ocarina up and gazed at it. "Guess I know what I'm going to be doing with this." When it came to the ocarina, my experience with one were quite vast. After all, I had to play one during both of my previous adventures as it was an essential item necessary for me to reach my final goal. Would it be like that this time? That was difficult to determine.

"You do remember how to play one, right?"

"I hope so." I then placed it up to my lips and began playing some notes. "Okay... I am a little bit rusty as I haven't played an ocarina for months, but I'm sure I'll get used to playing one again soon enough."

"Who do you suppose can teach you any songs?"

"Well... The only one I know would be Starlight."

Princess Twilight nodded. "If you ask her nicely, she should teach you that song of hers, 'Ballad of the Wind Fish'. But... I suggest getting used to playing that thing before you ask otherwise she might not take it too kindly. Now, since there's nothing left for us here in the Dream Shrine, we can leave and go back to the waking world. If you go back to the entrance we started at when we first came here, you should wake up in the bed we fell asleep in."

Heading back to the entrance of the shrine (I jumped down from a high-up ledge which saved me some time), I walked out and just like that, I was back in the bed of the actual shrine itself, and checking my hand, I was still holding the ocarina. While I was happy that I brought it out of the dream realm, it was best not to think about it otherwise I'd just be giving myself a headache. Climbing out of the bed whilst making sure to tuck it in for whoever would come here next, I walked out of the shrine, picked up a boulder, and tossed it aside before walking south to the Flying Rooster statue.

Starlight was still standing there singing and when she noticed me approaching, she stopped and turned to face me. "Sunset Shimmer! So good to see you again. I knew you couldn't keep away from me since my lovely song has completely mesmerized you." I then tilted my head in response prompting her to shake her head several times. "Huh? What? No, that's not what you heard. You must be hearing things again."

"I need to ask you something." I said.

"What is it?"

"Will you come with me to the Animal Village?"

"I'd love to come but I'm too busy."

I frowned. "What!?"

"I need to continue practicing with my singing." Starlight then twirled about which had nothing to do with singing at all. "Sorry if I disappointed you but I just don't have the time to visit the Animal Village." She then noticed the ocarina in my hand and got excited. "Is that an ocarina? You never told me you had one of those. Why not play something on it and I'll give you my opinion."

"I'm a bit out of practice."

"I'll be the judge of that." I then played for about a minute and upon stopping, Starlight had covered her ears with her hands and quickly removed them when she saw that I had seen her do so where she shook her head several times like before. "No... You didn't see me do anything. I was just listening to your playing. If you want my opinion, you're not very good at using an ocarina. It's like you've never played one." She saw that I was paying attention prompting her to shake her head again. "Did I say those words? No, I couldn't possibly have criticized you for that, Sunset Shimmer. You must have heard me wrong."

It was clear that Starlight had an axe to grind but pretended to be ignorant about it. Since there was nothing else I could do right now, I took my leave and she hoped I would get better at playing the ocarina as well as hear her sing her song. As I walked away, I felt dejected knowing she didn't want to go to the Animal Village. She needed to be there in order to deal with something which would enable me to reach the Yarna Desert. But... She clearly showed no interest in going. Grumbling under my breath, it meant backtracking was definitely happening since I had to go the village and then come back here to pick her up before going back there again.

Seeing both the Item Shop and Trendy Game Shop in front of me, I decided to skip going to the latter since I needed to spend my rupees on getting that Piece of Heart I saw earlier which cost the same amount of money as the shovel. Besides, after what Starlight just put me through, I wanted to get on with story progression. Aria greeted me as I entered the Item Shop in her typical inattentive manner but I would let that slide as that was practically her personality in a nutshell. If she could, she wouldn't be here right now and would probably just be lounging around, but she had a service to perform and in her eyes, I'm a figurative meal ticket.

"Oh... You came back again." Aria said sarcastically. "How did that shovel work out for you? Just so you know, I don't do any returns so if you're thinking about asking for your rupees back, that isn't happening in this century."

"On the contrary, that shovel has already proven useful."

"Huh... At least someone cared enough to buy it."

"Is that Piece of Heart still available?"

Aria pointed to it on the shelf in a sarcastic manner. "Well duh! If it wasn't then you wouldn't be here now would you? It's still 200 rupees so now's your chance to get it before someone else does." Sarcasm aside, I knew I could trust her as she'd only be lying to herself if her establishment wasn't a legitimate one. Walking up to and picking up the Piece of Heart, I took it to her desk and she rang it in on her cash register. "It's all yours now. Again, no refunds."

I felt the warmth coming from the Piece of Heart though Aria chose to ignore me since she had money in her eyes. (Not literally mind you but she was basically happy that she had earned even more money than before) I was about to leave when my eyes noticed a new item on the shelf. "What can you tell me about that one?" I asked as I pointed to it.

"You mean the Bow?" Aria asked prompting me to nod in return. "I'm going to assume you know what a bow is otherwise I'm never going to let you live this one down. But, I'll mention that it's made from a master craftsman who knew what they were doing when they put it together. It also comes with arrows since no one is stupid enough to sell a bow without any arrows to use. All together, this bow and arrow set costs 980 rupees."

I would've fainted upon hearing her say that, but then I had long gotten used to expensive items being a thing on these adventures. In my mind, I had a sneaking suspicion that this bow wasn't going to be cheap and Aria quickly proved it to be true. 980 rupees was a huge amount but considering how useful a bow could be, picking it up became another priority albeit one that would take a long time because of the price tag. At least she told me the truth when it came to the condition. It definitely looked brand new and what she said about it being made by an expert made sense.

"Would you be willing to lower the price a little?"

"No dice."

"I thought I'd try at least once."

"If I had some kind of membership thing going on, I'd have given you a discount." Aria said as she folded her arms and leaned back a little. "But as it is, I'm not interested in doing anything lame like that. You want that bow, you'd better pay me the full amount otherwise it isn't going anywhere." She then snapped her finger to get my immediate attention. "And don't even think about trying to steal it from me. Remember what I said would happen if I catch you doing that?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

Aria smirked. "Sorry, but that's just how my business works. I doubt anyone in this village let alone this whole island could afford that bow. I'd say you've good a pretty good chance of getting it. Whether you can actually do so remains to be seen, but considering you bought both that shovel and Piece of Heart, you definitely know how to get money which makes me jealous as I never could do anything like that." She then turned to a door behind the shelf. "I've got to go in back to get something else so mind leaving for now and come back some time later?"

Before I even had a chance to say anything, Aria pushed me out of the shop before turning her back and walking over to the door she looked at prior. While I could've gone back in and gave her a piece of my mind, I decided against it since a shouting match with Aria would do neither of us any good. Besides, I had hung around Mabe Village long enough as I needed to make my way over to the Animal Village. If what I've heard was true, it would be a village of animals. Hmmm... I wondered if anyone from the world I called home would be there. Would they appear as animals or maybe a combination of human and animal? Guessed I'd find out when I got there.

Heading to the eastern exit of Mabe Village, I picked up and tossed the boulder before continuing on. First, I walked past the strange tile which I had activated a while ago though I still didn't know what it was supposed to do, then travelled north then right, then south until I was stopped by a strange looking rock formation. It bore a striking resemblance to one of those Boarblins (At least their head) but what was it doing out here? I quickly looked around to see if any of them were nearby as I thought they would come after me if I did what I was about to do. I couldn't see any so I could proceed with my next action.

Taking out a bomb and planting it at the base of the rock formation, it exploded causing the formation to be reduced to rubble. Just as I was about to move on, I was suddenly bitten in the ankle by what looked like pincers, and attached to them was a long insect-like monster. I had seen some of them lurking in various holes but never paid much attention to them since I always avoided them. This one clearly took advantage of me having stopped to destroy a rock formation. Princess Twilight said that this was a Pincer... Really!? They actually went with that as the name? Talk about running out of creative names.

Anyway, she said that Pincer's lurk within holes and come out to strike when someone draws near. In order to defeat them, I had to attack them after luring them out from their holes which wasn't an easy task. Luring them meant getting so close that I could get attacked before I could do the same. Since their range wasn't long, Her Highness suggested I could simply avoid them if I didn't think I could defeat them. Stepping away before the Pincer had a chance to bite me again, I ignored it and continued on by going up some stairs, walk across a raised area, and then back down using a rope ladder.

I recognized this area as one of Discord's telephone booths was nearby. So the path I took was merely a shorter route to Kanalet Castle? I really needed to have a proper map but the only one was back in the library and I doubted I could simply take it with me for my own personal use. Sighing, I began thinking about which way to go next. The Seashell Mansion could be seen from here but I didn't have enough Secret Seashells so heading over there wasn't necessary until I found more seashells. If I could find one or two, I'll strongly consider going back and see if Adagio will give me a reward.

Heading to the right and then going south away from the castle, I felt really compelled to go to the Seashell Mansion, but again, I didn't have enough. (Four Secret Seashells wasn't going to do much of anything, not even register a little blip) so shaking my head to clear my mind of temptation, I kept going south until some Boarblins came into view. None of them had noticed me and I had every intention of keeping it that way. Continuing south was a no go for now so I went left towards what looked to be a river. Unfortunately, I lacked the proper means to swim which meant this was another dead end.

"I don't like getting turned around in circles!"

"The lack of a map is definitely annoying." Princess Twilight said.

"Even though I can swim, this world probably took that away from me."

"If that's the case, we need to find another means of getting across the river." Princess Twilight then noticed a single shrub which immediately drew her suspicions. "Sunset... That shrub over there looks out of place. I wonder... Could you cut it down? I want to know if my theory about it is right." I did what she asked and sure enough, the shrub had been hiding a hidden staircase to an underground passage. "Yes! Once again, my theory got proven correct!"

"No need for smugness now, Twilight." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"To be honest, I'm surprised that whoever hid this staircase didn't do a better job of it."

"You think it was meant to be found?"

"Maybe."

"Do you think it could get us to the other side of the river?"

"Only one way to find out for certain."

Heading into the underground passage, it comprised of a watery floor with several deep areas which I couldn't cross without drowning. Why couldn't I swim!? Why did this world love taking away such basic skills like swimming? Breathing, I regained my composure and focused on getting through here. I could see fins in the water indicating possible monsters, but it appeared Princess Twilight had no idea what they were. Since that was the case, I raised my shield before moving forward slowly in case I got attacked by these things. At the end of the passage was more stairs as well as green crystals so I knew what to do.

Avoiding the underwater monsters, one suddenly jumped out only to bounce off my shield. In that brief moment of seeing it, it turned out to be a Piranha, the same one I saw way back in Goponga Swamp. Why it was suddenly here was beyond me but I wasn't about to inquire about it since it wasn't really important. Once I was close enough, I dashed along the rest of the way using my Pegasus Boots, shattering the green crystal and running up the stairs. When I got back outside, I found that I had crossed the river via an underground route, but there had to be an easier way... and that's when it hit me.

"Twilight... We have to eventually bring Starlight through all this."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Considering how many monsters have either projectile attacks or lurk about, it's going to be a difficult escort mission. Starlight might choose to go off in her own direction which could further complicate things." Her Highness began thinking of ways we could escort Starlight but she eventually shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Sunset, but this is something I can't seem to get a grasp on. If Starlight stays close to you, she'll be okay but the moment she wanders off, the monsters are likely to attack and even kill her if they got the opportunity to do so."

I shuddered. "That can't happen, Twilight!"

"Exactly!"

"Maybe we should explain things to her?"

"That might work."

Heading south, I could see a Piece of Heart hidden behind a tree, but my eyes were more interested on seeing a number of houses. A sign nearby said that this was 'Martha's Bay', a new area of the island for me. Another sign then said that I had reached 'Animal Village' which meant I finally made it. Given how grueling it was to get here, bringing Starlight to this same place was going to be a real nightmare. Some of the animals were exactly that while others resembled familiar faces but now in animal form... anthropomorphic if I remember rightly. Quite a strange approach but one I wasn't about to question.

"So... Where should we look first?"

"According to Flash Sentry, we need to reach the Yarna Desert."

"Where was that again?"

"On the other side of the village."

"I don't suppose we can speak to a couple of villagers before we continue?" After going through so much hassle, I wanted to relax a little and speak to some of the animals. "They might be able to tell us more about the desert since it's practically right next door."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I agree with speaking to some of the animals." She then gave me a smirk. "And I know you want to relax, Sunset. Come on! I know you so well, I can recognize your mannerisms from a mile away! We can rest here for a few minutes if you need to. No sense in exhausting yourself. Besides... I want to observe these animals for research. It's not everyday something like this happens."

I rolled my eyes again. "I knew you had an ulterior motive." I then chuckled. "It's fine, Twilight. We can talk to one or two of the villagers. In fact, once I get that key, we can spend as much time as necessary talking to every last villager." Looking around at the different houses, I decided the one right by the entrance would be our first choice. "Let's check this house out first." Entering the house, it was certainly spacious and filled with all kinds of items. There was definitely a tropical vibe going on and it made me feel at ease given what I experienced before arriving here.

I then spotted a young rabbit who didn't resemble anyone I knew. He spoke with quite the high-pitched voice. "Wow... I don't think I've ever seen a human come here for quite some time what with the outbreak of monsters. Since I'd be rude which would reflect poorly on our village, I welcome you to the Animal Village, sister village of Mabe Village. Judging from your equipment, you must be an adventurer so no doubt you want to go to the Yarna Desert."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Eh... All adventuring types from what I've seen like to go there."

"What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, I do know that dark monsters plague that place." The rabbit answered. "Because of that, no one here in Animal Village would dare venture into those sands. Luckily, none of the monsters come this way so we're safe despite being so close to such a nest. Now, if you want to go there, you can find a path to the south of the village, but you might not be able to get through if that lazy walrus is still in the way."

"Walrus!?"

The rabbit nodded. "He loves sleeping in front of the entrance. Nothing can make him move."

That definitely changed my plans and for the worse. If what the rabbit said was true, I couldn't gain access to the Yarna Desert until I dealt with a walrus. Yes, it sounded silly but considering what I've seen on Koholint Island, this was a normal occurrence. Thanking the rabbit and leaving his house, I looked around to see where the path south was. Sure enough, it was next to a house that looked isolated as no other houses were near it which made me a bit concerned. As I walked over to the house, I looked around to take in more of the village. What stood out the most was a large area that lacked any grass. Perhaps a possible meeting area?

Reaching the house by the path south, I walked inside and found myself inside of what appeared to be a kitchen. Pots, pans, and other cooking utensils were everything and there was even a large fish in one corner. Normally, kitchens tended to be messy but this one was clearly organized. My eyes then turned towards a large grizzly bear standing behind a couple of pots and clearly cooking something, but I was surprised that this bear was Granny Smith. I mean, it had her facial features but a completely different body. I wasn't going to let this distract me otherwise I'd come off being insensitive as well as a jerk.

"Oh! Welcome to my kitchen!" Granny Smith said. "I am the Chef Bear! I think you already know what I do 'round here but in case ya don't, I prepare all ta food for the animals of this here village, and they appreciate me fer doin' so. Y'all seem like you've got somethin' bothering ya so why not tell me and maybe I can help."

"I wanted to go to the Yarna Desert but a walrus is blocking the way."

"The Yarna Desert!?" Granny Smith exclaimed and almost dropped the spoon she was holding. "Ain't nobody goes there unless they want to get themselves killed by those monsters who've made that place their home. But... judgin' from yer getup, y'all are an adventuring type which means my words mean nothin'. Well... I suppose I've got ta give ya credit for bravery but y'all are also plumb crazy for even thinking about it. However, I'm sure you've been told about that walrus sleeping by the entrance ta the desert, right? So long as he's sleeping, nothing can be done to make him budge."

"Nothing at all?"

"Well... There is one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Everyone here in Animal Village love listening to sweet little Marin's singing." Granny Smith answered. I was in shock when she said that. Starlight was practically a celebrity around here based on that statement. "If that walrus will move for anyone, it's gonna be fer her. Granted, y'all would need to bring Marin here, but it ain't easy what with them monsters roaming outside. Marin normally doesn't come here without a good reason but I reckon if ya bring up your problem, she'll come without questionin' ya." Granny Smith looked at the food she was cooking before sighing. "Say... Can I ask ya somethin'?"

I nodded. "What do you want?"

"I could do with somethin' special to put into my dishes."

"You look as though you've got plenty of ingredients around here."

"This stuff!? Nah!" Granny Smith waved her hands which I hadn't noticed until now were wearing yellow oven mitts. "I was hopin' ta find somethin' with more juice... somethin' with a lot of kick ta it that will really knock give everyone's taste buds a run fer the hills." She then noticed the honeycomb sticking out of one of my pockets and reacted as though she was about to be robbed or something like that. "Hey! That honeycomb y'all have there in yer pocket! I recently ran out and I could do with having another in stock. How 'bout it? Will ya trade me it for a pineapple?"

"A pineapple?" I asked with a confused look. "Aren't they more exotic than a honeycomb?"

"I'm a bear."

"That makes sense." My brain then felt like it had been struck by lightning. Granny Smith just mentioned a pineapple! Juniper earlier said that when Chancellor Neighsay left to become lost in the mountains, he didn't anything with him to eat. She stated that pineapples were what he liked. "Okay, you've got yourself a trade!" Normally, I wouldn't have made such an agreement but because it was something I needed, it all fit perfectly with the grand scheme. I handed over the honeycomb and Granny Smith gave me one of her finest pineapples. It certainly was very juicy so hopefully it wouldn't ruin this tunic of mine.

"Honeycombs are a rare delicacy."

"Some people tend to do crazy things to get one." I said in a poking reference to Sunburst.

"Thanks to y'all, I can now add some real flavour to these here dishes." Granny Smith said as she placed the honeycomb to one side. "Now like I said before, that walrus ain't gonna budge unless Marin were ta sing to him. Not even he can resist her singing abilities. If you can get Marin ta sing ta that tub of goo, he'll surely move aside and allow y'all to enter the desert, but reckon I should warn ya. Yarna Desert is home ta somethin' mighty dangerous that other monsters keep away from it. I heard this monster has a key in its possession though I ain't got no idea what it's even used for."

Thanking Granny Smith for both the advice and the pineapple, I left her house and walked south, leaving the village, and discovering that I had taken the wrong path. The path I needed was on the other side of the village but it wasn't a total loss as from this position, I could see the walrus in question. He was definitely a heavy sleeper as I could see a bubble coming out from its nose which was both cute and disgusting. I listened in on what it was dreaming about and it said two words... Marin... Twice. No doubt I needed Starlight for this but getting her here was going to be the problem. How was I supposed to do just that?

As I turned around, I almost leapt out of my skin upon seeing the same raised platform I saw when I left Mabe Village. How convenient was that? A pretty good one. Yes, it was the same platform as it even had the strange symbol on it. The other one didn't do anything despite possessing magic so what would happen were I to step on this one? The only way I could find out was by actually doing it. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the platform and suddenly, I began spinning around in circles until I was whisked away by the magic contained within the platform.

"Uhhhh... What just happened?"

"We teleported!" Princess Twilight answered.

"We did what!?"

"Those raised platforms use an advanced form of teleportation magic." I could tell Princess Twilight was very excited about this prospect. Me? I was still feeling pretty woozy what with having been spun around many times before what happened actually happened. "We teleported from Animal Village to Mabe Village in an instant which means we now have a means of going back and forth without you needing to backtrack."

My eyes lit up upon hearing that. "Did you say... No backtracking?"

"Not as much but generally speaking... Yes."

"Better than nothing I suppose."

Princess Twilight then had a thought. "If this magic was able to teleport us both, you might be able to teleport back to Animal Village with Starlight in tow. I'm not sure if you can do that because if you could, you won't need to take her through Ukuku Prairie and that underground passage. Unfortunately, I'm basing this information off of my own experiences with how magic works and this is Equestrian Magic mind you."

"That would make my life a little easier."

"What do you want to do, Sunset?"

I thought about it for a while before agreeing with Her Highness. "Okay, I'll ask Starlight if she will want to come with us this time. After all, she now has a reason for wanting to go to the Animal Village because of that walrus."

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"And how do you plan on coming through to our world?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added. "I mean, as awesome of a video game character you are, you're just that, a video game character. It's not like you're real or anything. What we deal with is real life stuff including Equestrian Magic."

"Um... Did y'all just call him awesome?" Applejack asked.

"I retract my previous statement."

Applejack slapped her forehead. "This ain't no time to be praisin' this Ganondorf feller. We need ta get Sunset back before anythin' else gets worse. Who knows what she's goin' through right now in that there video game world. She could be hurtin' real bad or worse, she could even be..."

Rarity quickly interjected. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"I ain't gonna!"

Ganondorf laughed at what had just transpired. "You believe me to be nothing more than a pile of data for your own amusement? Is that how you feel, loyal one? It seems that you are all trying so hard to pretend that this experience is naught but a dream, but the reality is that this is merely the start of a nightmare, a nightmare of darkness, hatred, and malice. Given how much your lives have changed because of the actions of the child, what you deem real no longer holds any true meaning. Your world is one where magic holds sway, controls your very destinies, and cannot be discarded as being false."

Rainbow Dash attempted to unplug the television again only to fail. Everyone else looked at her and questioned why she was trying something she knew had already failed. She said she thought the first time was just a mistake on her part and believed it would work this time. Clearly, it didn't! Ganondorf, in the mean time, laughed before his image disappeared from the television and everything went back to normal. At first... that's what my friends believed and assumed they had eaten some bad food and began cleaning up. Suddenly, a nearby recliner became shrouded in darkness and my friends watched as the Demon King himself appeared before them... In person.

"Much better..." Ganondorf snapped his finger which changed the recliner into a throne that looked like it had been forged from the purest of hellfire. "As you can see, what you assumed was nothing but a false hope. The barrier between the worlds has been damaged for some time and shows no signs of repairing itself."

"What do you mean by barrier?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"All worlds are connected to one another by the gap that exist between dimensions, magic one."

"I didn't know that was even a thing."

Ganondorf laughed. "There is much that escapes you, magic one. As a result of various circumstances, the barriers that separate worlds from one another have weakened to the point where even the smallest of manipulations can cause adverse effects that can send anyone or anything to other worlds. It is not by my hand that this has happened... no. It has been this way for a long time and you have the child to thank for that among others. By travelling between worlds, other entrances are beginning to open which causes the barrier to weaken."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"I am able to appear in your world because the barrier has weakened."

"Sounds to me that you're not as powerful as you claim to be." Rainbow Dash said.

Ganondorf responded by glaring at Rainbow Dash where she was suddenly paralyzed and unable to move. "You shall be the first to experience her fears, loyal one, but before I subject you to such torments, I shall answer the remainder of the magic one's question. The child, the alicorn, the sun, and even her own sister, the moon, have travelled between worlds resulting in the barrier weakening. Should it continue, it will shatter and then darkness shall spread forth and consume everything in its wake. No... This is not my true desire but rather it is a means to an end for me."

"In what way?" Twilight asked.

"Seeing so much misery is a nourishment to me." Ganondorf answered as he clenched his hand into a fist. "The impending destruction would feed my hunger for power and only make me stronger. It also allows me to reach other worlds that have tried so hard to keep me from entering them and controlling them. I can easily traverse to different dimensions already but that would cost much power, power which I would prefer to use on bringing about darkness. Why waste power when it is easy to manipulate others?"

"And Sunset Shimmer?"

"Another means to an end."

"You're heartless!"

Ganondorf laughed once more. "The magic one has quite a strong bond with the child... how amusing. You are all fortunate. The child has yet to learn this information though I doubt it would be of any use given what she is currently doing. Will you end up telling her what you have now come to know? Perhaps... But then once I have finished with you, you might not want to tell her." He snapped his finger which caused all of my friends to become paralyzed save for Rainbow Dash who had become unfrozen. "Do not worry, loyal one. They have merely been frozen by my power and will remain as such until I no longer have use for you."

"Big mistake buddy!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"You think to fight me, loyal one?"

"With my speed, you'll never catch me."

"Is that so?" Ganondorf asked as he leaned forward. "Your speed is indeed a powerful ability, but perhaps it is used by you to hide the fact that you are insecure about yourself and you fear rejection from those you aspire to become?" Rainbow Dash's sudden silence was all he needed to see before he laughed. "Good... My words have pierced your soul and now nothing can help you now. Such bravado, loyal one... And yet... It will be broken and what remains will be a mere shell of what it once was. Your element shall shatter... it is inevitable. It will shatter and the magic contained within will belong to me."

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Heading back into Mabe Village, I immediately went to the statue of the Flying Rooster as that was where Starlight was, but to my surprise, she was no longer there. I began to think about where she might have gone but my mind was drawing a blank. I then checked her house only to find Sunburst there. He had survived his encounter with the bees but he had received numerous bee stings as a result. Asking him about Starlight, or rather Marin so as to not confuse him, he answered by saying that she left the village after he came back from his misadventure and said she was going to the place where she first found me.

From what I remembered, Starlight said she found me on the beach, Toronbo Shores, but because of how expansive it was, it could take some time for me to find her. Leaving the house, I began making my way to the southern exist of the village as going south was where I needed to go to reach the beach. With the Pegasus Boots, I could get down there much quicker than simply walking. Dashing past BowWow, stopping before I hit the wall of the library, and turning left, I dashed forward south, jumping down from the high-up ledges until I reached Toronbo Shores proper.

Since the only direction I could go was east, I dashed across the sand, taking out Octoroks and Giant Crabs that happened to get in the way, past Bulk Biceps' place, and kept on going until I ran into a couple of boulders that were blocking both a treasure chest and the way forward. Lifting up a boulder and tossing it aside, I opened up the chest which reward me with a purple rupee, but I knew deep down I needed more rupees in order to get my hands on that bow... way more. Continuing east would take me away from Toronbo Shores and there was no sign of Starlight anywhere.

I wasn't about to question Sunburst's knowledge of his own daughter in this world but perhaps those bee stings muddled up his memory? Sighing, I was about to turn around and head back to the village when I suddenly heard a familiar singing voice. Turning my attention southward, my eyes lit up upon seeing Starlight standing in front of a log. How did she manage to make her way down here without having to deal with any of those monsters? Starlight was acting just like Zecora in this regard only the latter went even further. Shrugging my shoulders and accepting it despite the shock value, I approached Starlight.

"Oh! Sunset Shimmer!" Starlight said as she turned to face me. I suspected she saw my shadow unless she sensed I was approaching. "I'm glad you found this place. This is where you washed up when you first came to Koholint Island. I came here in order to think about some things but with you around... this is a good sign if there ever was one. Will you stay and talk to me for a while? I promise it won't take very long."

I nodded. "Sure, I've got some time."

She then sat down on the log and patted it next to where she was to coerce me into joining her. I sat down next to Starlight and we both stared out at the ocean. Despite the current circumstances of my being here thanks to Ganondorf, I couldn't help but admire how beautiful and peaceful everything was. Even the seagulls flying about made me feel at peace like nothing in my life was going wrong. If I could, I'd stay right here for hours on end, yet I knew that I couldn't because my journey needed to continue. Starlight turned her face away from me out of the corner of my eye which made me think perhaps she was upset.

"I wonder where these coconut trees come from?"

That was certainly an unexpected question. Thinking fast, I came up with a response. "Some say that they are native to tropical climates like this but others have been trying to debunk such an idea for years."

Starlight giggled. "Is that what you think? Tarin says there is nothing beyond the sea so how did such trees end up on this island? I've been thinking about that and many other questions for as long as I can remember. Have I managed to come up with answers to them? No, but that adds to the intrigue, I think. One day, those answers will come. As to what Tarin said about the sea, he is absolutely wrong about it. In my heart, I believe there must be something over there."

I never knew she felt that way. Again, I needed to come up with a response to her. "Sometimes, I think about what may exist beyond the lands where I come from." I wasn't telling her a lie as the thought had crossed my mind long ago when I was younger. I always thought there were lands beyond Equestria. I mean, they do exist but back then, it was nothing but a thought which sometimes kept me up at night.

"When I discovered you, Sunset Shimmer, my heart skipped a beat."

"How come?"

"I've always believed that someone would one day come to this island and give us a message." Starlight answered as she resumed looking out in the ocean. "The message would be about what lies beyond the ocean and how we could leave and perhaps journey to such places in order to expand our horizons. I believe you, Sunset Shimmer, have come to deliver that message for us."

"I'm not sure how I'd go about explaining it."

"It will come to you when you're ready."

Starlight was really making me think about things I never once considered before. Was my coming to this island not just part of Ganondorf's plan? Was there another motive that was beyond what even he thought about? I didn't have an answer for either of those questions and I knew Starlight wouldn't understand either. I decided to ask the next question and I had a pretty good one in mind based on what we were seeing down here at the beach. "Do you have any dreams? You know, like, things you want to accomplish some day? My dream is rather complicated but it revolves around empathy."

"A seagull."

"Huh?"

"If I were a seagull, I would fly as far as I could."

"Is that your dream?"

Starlight nodded. "I would fly to faraway places and sing for many people. If I were to make my wish to the Wind Fish, I wonder if it would come true? We've often believed that our wishes could be granted by the Wind Fish if we were to go up to the egg and make a request."

"If you can do that then go for it."

Starlight turned to face me and smiled prompting me to do the same in return. "I want to know everything about you..." She suddenly blushed before saying that wasn't what she meant though from my perspective, she was overstepping some boundaries. She then saw that my expression then went glum indicating that I had something on my mind. "I like to see you be happy, Sunset Shimmer, so please tell me what's wrong."

"I need you to come with me to the Animal Village and wake up the walrus sleeping there."

"Huh?" Starlight asked with a puzzled look. "The walrus? He wants me to go to him? Well, all right. Let's go."

And with that, Starlight was now accompanying me on my journey. Normally, this was where I would pick up a new item and hoist it above my head, but I wasn't going to do that with her as it would be both awkward and insulting. She wasn't an item but rather a living person and deserved to be treated like my equal. Hopefully, she could keep up with me since I had every intention of using the Pegasus Boots to make my way back to Mabe Village. Also, I had no doubt the monsters wouldn't bother her but then there were mainly focusing their efforts on me much to my annoyance.

Walking up north, Starlight followed behind me and showed no immediate signs of falling behind. I then dashed forward with the Pegasus Boots and quickly looked behind to see if she was struggling. To my surprise, she was running at a speed which rivalled the boots. Wow... She was quite the athlete despite her appearance. I didn't need to worry about her falling behind as she proved she could hold her own. Once I reached the far western edge of Toronbo Shores, I waited for Starlight to catch up before heading north, and this was where the true test would begin.

As I walked back, I attacked some Octoroks in case any of them attempted to attack Starlight, but every time I defeated one, she was very happy about it and insisted that I kept on going and show no mercy at all. Was she secretly psychotic? She had been saying such things before only to quickly backtrack on them in order to save face. Even Princess Twilight was concerned that perhaps Starlight had questionable motives which were a closely guarded secret. It was probably for the best not to inquire about any of it in case Starlight got offended or even make herself act even worse than she already was.

Once we were back in Mabe Village, I dashed up to the library, turned right, and dashed across the village with Starlight running right behind me, but then she suddenly stopped upon us reaching the Trendy Game Shop. She said she always wanted to go inside but never thought of doing so because she wanted to have an escort with her. Princess Twilight said we needed to get to Yarna Desert but Her Highness suggested I show the Trendy Game to Starlight. I asked her why I should and Her Highness responded by saying Starlight needed to experience it for herself and that we wouldn't get another opportunity.

It didn't make sense to me but I went along with it. Entering the Trendy Game Shop with Starlight, Ember was surprised to see me. "Hey! It's been a while since I last saw you here, and you even brought a girl with you! Not sure why you did but who am I to judge a person."

"Sunset Shimmer?" Starlight asked. "This place looks amazing."

Ember shouted in response. "Of course it looks amazing! I've done everything to make this game the best thing in Mabe Village."

"May I try?"

"You want to play?"

"Yes."

"That will be ten rupees."

"May I play, Sunset Shimmer?"

I nodded and walked over to Ember before handing over ten rupees. "Thanks for the patronage as always. Now, turn your attention to the prizes as I've added some new things since you were here last." I looked at the conveyor belts and sure enough, she was being honest about what was available compared with before. "As you can see, there are still the regular prizes but also an adorable figurine of a Goomba, another figure of a Spiny, and a Secret Seashell." She looked at Starlight who had since walked up to the controls. "Want me to teach you how to play this game? I can give you some pointers."

"No... I think I've got it." Starlight pressed the button and the crane immediately went to the right. As I watched it move across the ceiling, it stopped before Starlight pressed the other button to make it go down where it stopped again... right above Ember's head. Uh oh! This was about to become both awkward and funny. Come to think of it, how did she manage to make the crane move in that direction? I wasn't able to do that when I played this game initially. In any case, the crane latched onto Ember's head and pulled her up. Dragons were known for their anger and she was clearly expressing that anger.

"Hey! Put me down! That's an order!" Ember was so mad that she looked like she was about to breathe fire.

"I'm almost done." Starlight clearly was oblivious to Ember's predicament as she watched the crane move back to where it started from.

"Oof!" Ember exclaimed as the crane let go of her head and she dropped onto the ground, landing hard on her butt. "That... Wasn't a very pleasant experience. You know, maybe I should oil that crane sometime." She rubbed her butt before doing the same with her head. "Miss... You're pretty good. You're a pro aren't ya? Pros aren't allowed in here otherwise my business would be ruined. Ow..."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"My head and my butt hurt right now!" Ember answered as she got back up. "Of course I'm not okay! In fact, I think I deserve some kind of compensation given what just happened to me, but perhaps we can both benefit from this. If you give me fifty rupees as compensation, I will give you one prize of your choosing. Only one! I'm not running a charity here but I'll be honest in saying that girl definitely showed me a neat little trick just now."

"I'll take the Secret Seashell."

"You want that thing? Fine by me!"

Handing over the fifty rupees (So much for what I got from that treasure chest down by the beach), Ember handed me the Secret Seashell giving me five now in total. She then ushered me and Starlight out so that she could find herself an icepack for her head. We went back outside and since there wasn't really anything left to do, I decided to take her to the walrus in order to get him to move. Heading to the edge of the village and tossing aside a boulder, it was here that the final test would commence. Would Starlight be teleported with me or would I be going on my own?

If it was the latter, I'd have to take her to the Animal Village by going the long way around. I walked up to the raised platform, gulped, and closed my eyes as I stepped onto it and began spinning around in circles before being whisked away. Moments later, I was back at the other platform and immediately looked behind me to see if Starlight was there. To my surprise, she had been warped with me. Wow! I should never have doubted the power of warping magic! Stepping into the shallow pool of water, I went north into the village proper where a rabbit reacted upon seeing Starlight indicating that she was quite popular.

Heading to the left and then left again upon seeing the other exit path, I walked south past the raised platform and left again, walking past a row of trees before finally reaching the entrance of Yarna Desert and encountering the walrus. Upon getting a closer look at him, he was clearly dreaming about Starlight as he continued to say her name. The animals were right about no one being able to move this tub of blubber given how big he was. He had to have weighed at least a couple of tons and I doubted the Power Bracelet could've allowed me to pick him up and carry him around.

Starlight giggled. "Yes, it's that lazy walrus. So, you need to get past him, Sunset Shimmer?"

I nodded. "It's vital."

"Then let's give him a little surprise!" Starlight took a few steps back before she began to sing 'The Ballad of the Wind Fish'. At first, it looked like the walrus wasn't reacting to her song, but that quickly changed when he suddenly opened his eyes and began swaying back and forth. He then started to flop up and down which caused a slight tremor because of his weight and repeated this motion again before jumping up really high only to splash down in the water below. Starlight giggled again. "Wow! He certainly woke up with a start! Now you can gain access to where you want to go."

"I don't know how I can begin to thank you."

"Well..." Starlight was then interrupted when a rabbit came up from behind her and began making some noises prompting her to turn around. "Oh... He's calling me... It's the same as always every time I come here." She looked back at me. "Sunset Shimmer, I'm going to the Animal Village and will be there for a while. Please drop by when you've finished with your errand in the desert. Also, can you please show me your ocarina when you visit? Perhaps there is a way for you to pay me back."

With that, Starlight turned around and walked off with the rabbit leaving me to finally access Yarna Desert. That was certainly quite the experience but I knew it wasn't over yet as now there were the dark creatures of the desert waiting for me. "Twilight? You've been pretty quiet this whole time and here I thought you'd be elated to see Starlight again."

"To be honest, I wanted you to speak with her more than me." Princess Twilight said.

"Why?"

"She is really fascinated by you, Sunset, and not because of her own volition."

"It does border on creepy if you ask me."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I suppose she can't help it as she's only portraying a character in a video game. I will admit that having Starlight travel with us was an interesting experience and it did reinforce some new theories of mine regarding Koholint Island. I haven't quite finished them yet so you won't be able to hear them right now. Let's just say that I need you to interact with a few more people before I can reach a definitive conclusion."

"I understand."

"If my theories are correct, they may shed some light on what this island is all about."

Walking into the Yarna Desert, the temperature immediately got hotter and I began to sweat. Fortunately, I had experience being in a desert on my first journey, but since that was a long time ago, I didn't remember everything about it. Hopefully, what I did recall would be enough for me to find the Angler Key. It quickly became apparent that this desert had once thrived with life judging from the assortment of skulls all over the place though what they once were was something I probably didn't want to find out about. There were also a number of palm trees which provided some shelter but I was going to need more than that to make it through here.

That's when I saw something. "Twilight? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I can see moving cacti."

"Oh, those are monsters."

"What!?"

"Those are Pokeys." Princess Twilight answered. Another Mario enemy!? I was too hot from the heat to even complain this time. "While these cacti don't necessarily attack you, be careful when you swing your sword at them. One of their segments will start rolling around if you attack a Pokey and will continue rolling until you either attack it or allow it to eventually disappear on its own. The segments are what can damage you, Sunset."

"This will make it awkward for me to attack them."

"They are slow so you can easily outrun them." Princess Twilight then motioned me to look to the southeast where a Leever suddenly came up from the ground before it quickly went back down underground. "Because we're walking on sand, be careful of any Leevers that might be under your feet."

"You know..." I began. "Despite this being a desert, it's rather small in size."

"There is more to explore further north."

I slapped my forehead. Yet another one of my awkward moments right there. Ignoring the Leever, I walked north and into the next part of Yarna Desert. Not only were there Pokeys but also regular cacti that I was certain would damage me if I were to walk into one because of being distracted. To my right were cacti galore and the path was being blocked by some of them which meant having to go another direction. The Pokeys hadn't noticed me and I intended on keeping it that way until I gotten that key. I had to admit that whoever hide the key I needed was pretty smart in doing so. Not many people would think of looking in a desert.

Speaking of desert, the shovel would really come in handy here as there surely had to be items buried below the sand. But, I don't think I was willing to dig up the entire desert as that would take me hours if not day toiling in such humid conditions. When I was finished here, I needed to rest at a house back at the Animal Village for the night. Though I wasn't looking up at it, I could tell the sun was close to setting due to my shadow slowly getting larger along with those of the cacti, palm trees, and even Pokeys. Continuing further north whilst avoiding a Leever that popped up nearby, I reached a large quicksand pit which felt suspicious.

"This looks dangerous."

"Be sure not to sink."

Suddenly, a voice called out from somewhere. "So... You have made it this far, Outsider!"

"Who are you?" I called back.

"I am Lanmola and you have entered my lair. Outsider... You are nothing more than an annoyance! You continue getting in the way of the Nightmares! As such, you must be dealt with... permanently so become a lost relic of the desert."

Nightmares!? This creature knew about them. "What do you know about the Nightmares?"

"More than you know, Outsider." The Lanmola answered. "I also know that you have come to this desert in search of the Angler Key. I happen to have the key in my possession and will not relinquish it to the likes of you, but, if you managed to defeat me, then it shall become yours. Judging from that stupid look on your face, you really don't have a clue as to the true nature of the Nightmares. I'm guessing the same is true about this island in your feeble mind. Know this, Outsider! Continue down this path and a horrible reality awaits! But, since I know you're too stubborn to run away, you shall be swallowed whole by the dark sands."

Suddenly, the quicksand began to rumble before part of it started to rise up from the sand. Moments later, a giant centipede emerged from the sand where it hovered just slightly above it before borrowing back down. "A centipede... I have to fight a centipede? Well... It's no different than fighting Moldorm since it was a kind of insect."

"As this insect said, it calls itself Lanmola." Princess Twilight said. "Only one exists on Koholint Island but don't underestimate it. As you can see, you're standing on quicksand which is slowly pulling you towards the center, and if you end up sinking, you might end up drowning. Or, you could end up in an underground tunnel. I don't know what will happen but you should probably avoid it at all costs."

"Does the Lanmola get affected by the quicksand?"

"No."

"Crap!"

"You need to attack either the head or the tail as the body has some kind of thick armour-like plating."

That was going to make it difficult because of the quicksand, In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the quicksand was an even bigger threat than the Lanmola. Still, I couldn't underestimate it as Her Highness said. As long as I stayed away from the center of the pit, I should be fine. Raising my shield and waiting patiently, I immediately forgot about the sand and was beginning to get pulled towards the center. My movement speed had been drastically reduced as a result of the sand which gave the Lanmola some advantage but I had been in tough situations before and this was no different.

Just then, the Lanmola rose out from the sand and began moving across the quicksand pit. Its head was too far away for me to hit with my sword so I waited for the tail to appear which it did moments later. I attacked it as many times as possible before it too was out of my reach before the Lanmola went back into the sand. On a side note, it had a cute little propeller on the tip of the tail. Perhaps that was what allowed it to move about in the air. In any case, I had to wait for my next chance to attack. Since I had to constantly worry about sinking, I kept on moving about by sticking close to the edges of the pit.

"You continue to be annoying, Outsider!" The Lanmola hissed.

"Get used to it!" I shouted back.

"Do not interfere in the affairs of the Nightmares!"

It then appeared from a different part of the quicksand and immediately rammed into me without a care. Though I took some damage from the collision, I was more concerned about being pulled to the center. It had occurred to me some time ago that I couldn't use the Pegasus Boots as while it would allow me to move more quickly, it could cause some unnecessary traction which could result in some unintended consequences. The Lanmola then went back under the sand and I moved about in hopes of predicting where next it would appear. It then emerged right behind me and I was rammed by it again.

As I recovered from being attacked, the Lanmola's tail tried to hit me. I couldn't defend myself with my shield so I took the hit but I did manage to hit it in return several times before it went back under the sand. It then emerged directly in front of me which was certainly unexpected and again, I allowed myself to take damage as it meant dishing out some, but it was becoming obvious that getting hit so many time was beginning to take its toll. Case in point, my legs started to feel like they were being weighed down not to mention they were bleeding in two different places on each leg.

Despite the pain, I knew I had to continue, but Her Highness might not feel the same way. "Twilight... I know I've taken a few hits but I need to keep going. I know you prefer me to retreat but I can do this!"

"I insist you stick it out." Princess Twilight said.

"Come again?"

"Even though you can leave this fight whenever you want, there is a price you have to pay."

"Which would be?"

"If you leave, restore your health, and then come back, the Lanmola will regain all of its health." Princess Twilight answered sternly. "In other words, all the damage you've inflicted won't mean a thing. You'd have to start all over again. If you feel that you can defeat this monster, go for it but if you don't have confidence, retreat and we'll come up with another plan. I'll stick by whatever the decision is."

"I'm staying."

"Alright, but be careful."

The Lanmola eventually made itself known by popping up close to the center of the quicksand pit and I moved as quick as I could, but because of my legs feeling like jelly, I could only hope to attack its tail rather than the face. It then went back under and appeared a few seconds later on the other side of the pit before heading towards me. I stepped aside and attacked its tail when it was within range. It still wasn't enough as the Lanmola went under the sand again leaving me to wonder just how long it could go on. It then emerged in the center of the pit and I happened to be right next to the head somehow and attacked it as much as possible.

My last hit on the head turned out to be exactly that. "GRRAAAGGGHHHH! You... You defeated me!"

"Now where is that key?" I asked.

"As I said... I will give it to you..." The Lanmola answered as it struggled to talk. "If you had been smart... You'd have fled from this island... Long ago. Now... You are condemned to continue... And... And discover the truth about the island."

"What truth?"

"Hah! I won't tell you... It's something you'll... have to... figure out on your own."

"Fine by me."

"Outsider... I would love... To see the look on... Your face when you discover the truth... But... We both know that... Isn't going to happen... Now." The Lanmola was clearly on its last breath given how it was pausing behind words more often. "Enjoy... This while... While... You can... For... Once you... l... Learn t... The truth... y... y... you will... u... u... understand. If my... words... a... aren't enough... t... t... the Nightmares... w... will... see... see... to it..."

And with that, each segment of the Lanmola exploded one at a time before the head did the same, and when the head disappeared, it left behind a key. There was no doubt that this was the Angler Key seeing as one end depicted a fish while the other had what appeared to be a hook. Before I had a chance to pick it up, the quicksand dragged it towards the center before it fell down into the depths below. Princess Twilight that I'd either drown or end up in an underground tunnel but she didn't know which one it would be. I guessed I was about to find out for myself as I walked forward and the quicksand began pulling me towards the center.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 12: Dungeon Creator.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
November 30, 2019.
Chapter 12: Dungeon Creator.

As I walked closer to the center of the quicksand pit, I felt myself slowly being dragged down into the depths below. In most situations, I wouldn't be doing anything like this and instead scrambling to get out before it was too late. But, this needed to be done as I needed the Angler Key in order to reach the next dungeon. Upon reaching the pit's center, I watched as everything quickly disappeared as I got pulled under, and for a moment, it felt like my life had ended. I had gone and drowned myself all because of needing a key. In that moment, time itself stopped and in my heart, I was scared to my very core.

I then awoke what felt like hours later (It had actually just been two minutes) and found myself in an underground tunnel. Princess Twilight did say that this was one possibility with the other being drowning in quicksand so I was happy that she was right. Looking around to see what became of the Angler Key, I looked down to see that it was at my feet. Despite what I had just endured, I'm glad it didn't break or anything. Still, one question remained unanswered. Where was I supposed to insert this into? I needed to go to the waterfall but I hadn't seen one on the island as far as I knew.

Picking up the key and placing it in my pocket, I was then attacked by two Pincers who were residing in holes on either side of me. I guessed they were here to take care of any leftovers provided any managed to get down here after the Lanmola had gotten its fill. Both monsters stretched as far as they could in an attempt to bite me, but luckily, I was just a bit too far out of their reach so I ignored them seeing as they couldn't do much at all, and I suspected I didn't need to defeat them in order to get out of here. I then felt a breeze coming from the left and looking in that direction, a flight of stairs indicated freedom, but surely there was more to this tunnel?

I took another look around by checking each wall and sure enough, the wall directly behind me had some rocks sticking out awkwardly. Someone had hidden something behind it though their efforts were shoddy at best. Had they taken their time, I doubted I would've seen anything and merely left none the wiser. Taking out a bomb, I placed it in front of the wall and stepped backwards (I didn't want to get caught in the blast) before it exploded revealing a hidden room. Entering this room, I found a Piece of Heart lying there without anything guarding it which did make me suspicious.

Rushing in and picking it up before something could go wrong, I felt the warmth of it revitalize me, and this was a good thing seeing I did take a lot of damage against the Lanmola by choosing to be reckless. Leaving the hidden room, I avoided the two Pincers and made my way over to the stairs before going up them and finding myself back outside. It didn't take long to figure out that I was opposite of that large group of cacti, and I could see that I could walk in-between them and reach the main area again. Rather than go that way, I walked south as I could see a path going that way.

Again, I had to deal with the humidity of the desert in addition to the Leevers that popped up from the sand. Even though I could attack them, I just allowed them to shuffle on by until they went under the sand. I then saw a narrow path which I took as why else have one in the first place if it wasn't going to go anywhere. Perhaps my curiosity blinded me for a moment or I thought it was a shortcut which would take me back to the desert's entrance, the path eventually stopped at a dead end with only a couple of boulders. Why even have them here if it meant nothing... or perhaps there was something.

Lifting up both boulders, one of them had a Secret Seashell which I happily took. "How many do I have now?"

"You should have six of them in total." Princess Twilight answered.

"That's not bad considering that I haven't exactly been going out of my way to collect them."

"I think you should make an effort to improve on that." Princess Twilight said as she landed on my hat. "The more of them you collect, the higher the probability of you acquiring the sword that Adagio mentioned back at the Seashell Mansion when we initially checked it out. In fact, I have reason to believe that there are additional rewards for collecting a certain amount so perhaps we should stop by on occasion. Plus, you might find something new since you have the Pegasus Boots."

"What about the Angler Key?"

"We need to find where it goes."

"Neither Princess Cadance or Flash Sentry gave me much in the way of hints."

Princess Twilight shook her head. "I agree about Flash Sentry since he has been cryptic this whole time, but I think Cadance did give us a hint even though she was restricted in what she could say. We know that we need to get behind a waterfall, right? The rivers we've seen on the island must originate from somewhere so if we were to follow one upstream, we'll find the source and the waterfall in question."

"Or we could ask Discord for his advice."

"That is an option."

Since I couldn't go any further, I had to make my way back to where I came from. Thanks to the Pegasus Boots, I dashed back to where all those cacti were and carefully weaved my way in-between them in hopes of not getting pricked by needles before continuing south, avoiding Leevers and Pokeys alike. At this point, I doubted there was anything else of value in the desert and the heat was really starting to get to me. (No wonder this place had all those skulls of ancient creatures) Leaving was my best bet so if any rewards lay buried, they would remain as such for eternity.

Leaving the Yarna Desert, my body temperature immediately dropped since I was no longer trudging through such humid conditions. No wonder no one in the Animal Village dared enter such a place. They couldn't stand the heat in addition the monsters but mainly the heat. I was about to head back to the village when the hooting I had now become so familiar with made me stand still and I looked up to see Flash Sentry and his owl companion land on a nearby tree. "You have succeeded in acquiring what you sought for." Flash Sentry said as he nodded his approval.

"Can you tell me where I need to go with the Angler Key."

"I shall answer this question."

"I'm all ears."

"The shape of the key shows a fish, swimming up a cascade of water."

I took out the key and looked at it. "Really? I can see the fish in the design but the 'cascade of water'?" I kept on staring at the key until I could see what Flash Sentry was talking about and it prompted me to groan under my breath.

"Go now to the mountain waterfall."

"You'll need to explain it a bit more than that."

"Then I shall." Flash Sentry said. "Beyond the ancient castle, you will find the waterfall that you seek, young lass. But, you cannot go north from the castle to reach it. You will need to go east of the swampland and past Mt. Tamaranch. Do not feel discouraged as you possess the means to access places much faster than before." He then whispered something to his companion and it hooted in response which made me wonder what he said. "A leap from the top and you will reach your goal."

"What does that even mean?"

"Once you see the waterfall for yourself, it will become clear."

With that, Flash Sentry and his companion took to the skies once again leaving me wondering just what he meant. On the one hand, I had a pretty good idea as to where the keyhole was which required the Angler Key, but it involved going back to a previous area and heading right to explore a new one. He was right about the fact that with my current inventory of items, I didn't have to backtrack completely. Still, I wasn't liking how it was necessary for progression. Sighing, I knew I couldn't do anything other than accept it for what it was. But, I was going to get there at my own pace and not what he probably assumed.

First, I took a path that took me behind the Animal Village seeing as I never investigated it proper until now. Since the sun was beginning to set, I needed to make this quick before it got too dark to do much of anything. Dashing along, I smacked into a wall which featured another spot where someone had covered up an entrance with rocks. Taking out another bomb and placing it down, I stepped back and watched it explode revealing the obvious cave entrance. Heading inside, I could see certain obstacles which looked like I couldn't deal with them with my current items but perhaps I might come back here sometime.

Leaving the cave, I dashed west and found the Piece of Heart I saw when I first reached the Animal Village. Picking it up, I felt the warmth of it embrace me and when it wore off, I dashed back and then south before going around and eventually enter the village. The sun had now settled and everyone was heading inside including Starlight. I thought about following her but decided otherwise as perhaps some houses wouldn't allow someone like me to enter after sundown. I walked over to Granny Smith's home and walked inside where she was surprised to see me again.

"Hello again." Granny Smith said.

"Did you use that honeycomb?"

Granny Smith nodded. "I used a small portion of it but I'm savin' ta' rest fer when I need it. By the way, what brings yer to my kitchen at this hour? If you've got more honeycombs to give me, I'm afraid I can't accept none from ya."

"Can I stay here for the night?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Thank you."

"It's just... I hope y'all don't mind the smell of honeycomb wafting through my kitchen." Granny Smith said, pointing at what she was cooking. "Also, I tends to work mighty late so hopefully ya get plenty of sleep otherwise y'all be a might grumpy come tomorrow. By the way, I heard from one of the rabbits that sweet little Marin dealt with that walrus. Maybe now he ought to know not ta do somethin' like that in future. You know, Marin has always wanted someone to learn her special song, but no one ain't got a proper instrument and reckon it makes her a might upset."

"Like an ocarina?"

"That might do it."

"I don't mind the smell of honeycomb and I have been known to be a heavy sleeper."

"Reckon y'all will sleep well tonight."

The only drawback with sleeping in a place like what Granny Smith had was the lack of a proper place to sleep. I had no idea how she could sleep in this house assuming that she actually does but this was practically my best case scenario when it came to sleep without knowing everything about this village. At least I would get to see Granny Smith work on her dishes and perhaps I could learn something and teach it to Pinkie Pie provided she didn't already know it. Finding a corner of the house that wasn't caked in food or anything, I rested my back as best as possible and began watching.

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"Release my friends right now!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"You dare try to command me?" Ganondorf asked.

"You're messing with the wrong girl here!"

"Among your friends, loyal one, you know me better than they do, but it seems your ignorance has been misplaced."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Without doing a thing, Ganondorf merely smiled and Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself being squeezed by an unseen force. The pressure continued to increase with every passing second yet the Demon King didn't lift a finger or anything other than continuing to smile. Rainbow Dash at first panicked over what was happening and struggled desperately to break free but her efforts amounted to nothing as the force proved too strong. Eventually, she began screaming due to the pain being too much for her but the pressure kept going. Just when it looked like she would pass out, the pressure suddenly stopped and she slumped to the ground.

Ganondorf slammed his fist down onto the arm of his throne. "Do not think you are in control here! The only reason why any of you are still alive is because I will it to be. It is by my will and mine alone that you still breathe. Had none of you possess what I desire, I'd have killed you."

Rainbow Dash got back onto her feet as she breathed heavily after her ordeal only to be paralyzed again. "What do you want from us?"

"Your magic."

"Why? Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head in confusion. "You've got more than enough magical power than all of us combined several times over. Why need our magic as you've got your own?"

Ganondorf laughed. "Because you children continue to grow stronger the more you use your magic. Such power is wasted on the likes of you and therefore deserves to be wielded by one who possesses power and knows how to use it. Someone...Like me. Besides... There is another reason behind my desire for your magic. In the world where the child comes from, the source of your magic, the Elements of Harmony, no longer exist. I need not explain any further unless you are too stupid to reach the conclusion."

"Sunset told us about the Elements of Harmony being destroyed."

"But... She did not tell you that the remnants housed within you and your friends are all that remain."

"It's not that big of a deal since Equestria can survive without the Elements."

"Perhaps..."

"Perhaps?"

"All will become clear in due time, loyal one." Ganondorf answered. He raised his hand and Rainbow Dash felt a little limp in response. "Why mention it to just only you? It is best that you and your friends find out together because then you can all suffer at the same time. Now... tell me... why do you claim to be loyal to your friends? Are you loyal? Such a bold claim to be sure but one that clearly is not accurate."

Rainbow Dash then reacted in the manner Ganondorf was expecting, that of sheer anger. "What!? Of course I'm loyal to my friends! Sure, I've made some mistakes but then who hasn't done that in their lives? Your mind tricks won't work on me! Ha! It shows how awesome I really am!"

"Those mistakes were far worse than you like to believe them to be."

"Huh?"

Ganondorf laughed. "You have allowed your egotism to consume your soul, turning you into an avatar of annoyance, one your friends cannot stand. You claim to have rid yourself of this notion but it continues to linger even now. In fact, you would prefer to stoke this ego in order to further your own life. Do not think I do not know such things. I can read every thought within your mind. Nothing can be hidden from me. I also saw a special group you are enamoured with, a group that represents everything you love. Becoming a part of that group would be wonderous but it would mean abandoning your friends."

"I'd choose my friends!"

"Would you?"

"Um... Well... Yes, I would."

"Your response says otherwise, loyal one." Ganondorf said, his hand clenching into a fist momentarily before he unfurled it again. "These Wonderbolts... They are a special group whose name was adapted by your school as the Wondercolts. The Wonderbolts are an elite group who are dedicated to saving lives and performing for others. You aspire to become one of them but they have so far ignored everything about you. To them, you do not exist, but, you wish to change that. Becoming a Wonderbolt is your dream but it would mean leaving your friends behind as you would need to move away."

"It's not my fault they are based in a city miles away from Canterlot."

"You want to be a Wonderbolt but your loyalty condemns you to forever being unable to fulfill your desire."

"I'll get my chance."

Ganondorf shook his head. "No, you will not. Your loyalty is too strong and therefore you can never be a Wonderbolt. How unfortunate. Besides, there are other groups you wanted to be a part of but again, loyalty has prevented any of this from happening. Their presence deep within your mind serve as alternatives because the Wonderbolts will never work out for you, yet you feign ignorance and continue to believe you will join them. To become one of them, abandoning those friends is your only choice. You desire glory! You need it! Nothing else matter aside from this."

"Nothing... Else... Matters..."

"Fulfill your dreams and allow your potential to blossom."

"Potential... Blossom..."

"And now, loyal one... Your magic belongs to me as you no longer have need of it."

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I was fortunate that Granny Smith got tired a bit earlier than she claimed because had she stayed up really late, I'd have gone to sleep well past midnight and be an absolute wreck come the morning. But, she went to sleep a couple of hours before so I managed to get a good night's rest. Upon waking up the next day, I thanked her for allowing me to rest at her place and took my leave where I saw everyone had resumed what they were doing the other day. Spotting Starlight singing before a group of animals who were mesmerized by the spectacle, perhaps she could teach me the song she sang.

Last time I tried showing her the ocarina that I acquired from the Dream Shrine, she was quite critical of how I played it despite her saying otherwise. She didn't have to go and hide such a thing from me. In truth, I was only really good at playing a guitar. I mean, I've played the ocarina on my previous journeys (Including additional instruments because of being able to transform into other creatures) but compared to the guitar, I was nothing more than a novice. Then again, when I showed her my instrument, she was in a different mood so perhaps now she might have something different to say.

As I approached her, Starlight stopped singing. "Oh! Sunset Shimmer! I see that you made it back from the Yarna Desert."

"It was quite an adventure." I said.

"Well, as long as you aren't too reckless."

"I try not to be."

"As you can see, the animals of the village love hearing me sing my songs."

"They all seem to be completely enthralled by it."

"Oh yes!" Starlight then had a thought and I think I knew what it was. "Do you still have that ocarina of yours? If so, would you mind taking it out and showing me again? In fact, if you want to, you can accompany me as I sing."

I took out the ocarina from one of my pockets. "I still have it."

Starlight was beyond ecstatic. "Wonderful! Now, allow me to sing and then you repeat it on your ocarina. I can go as long as you like until you either repeat my song or you choose to give up and abandon the idea of playing an instrument so badly." I gave her a weird look and she immediately brushed it off. "Huh? I didn't say anything like that. Did I? No, I think you must be hearing things again. Anyway, feel free to get ready and let me know when we can begin. We even have ourselves an audience so they will get to experience this with their own eyes."

Again, she was insulting me and pretending otherwise, and like before, I couldn't confront her about it as she was likely to deny it. Placing the ocarina to my lips, I gave Starlight the signal for her to start singing. It was difficult for me at first to remember the exact pitches seeing this was an instrument I hadn't played for quite some time but after hearing her go through it at least twice, I began repeating the sequence on the ocarina. Starlight was so impressed, she joined in singing alongside me as we both performed an amazing duet. We were both in sync while the animals continued to watch and be in awe of what we were doing.

We kept going for a couple of minutes until we both stopped to which Starlight immediately began talking. "So, how do you like it, Sunset Shimmer? It's really touching isn't it? I put my heart and soul into singing this song and it keeps on getting better every time. Tell me, does my song stick in your mind?"

I nodded. "It most certainly does."

"I am so happy to hear that."

"The Ballad of the Wind Fish..."

"You've now learned my song, Sunset Shimmer."

"I'll always keep it my heart."

Starlight blushed. "Please don't ever forget this song... or me... In fact, you should play it whenever you want so that you can continue to keep it in your mind. Of course, I don't expect you to play it when you're busy doing your errands as you need to focus on those." She then began to giggle which I thought was cute. "Anyway, I'm going to stay here for a while and continue singing, but I will eventually go back to Mabe Village. By the way, did you know about other songs on the island?"

"I've heard rumours."

"Those rumours are true." Starlight said as she held my hands though I think she meant to hold the ocarina. "There is a strange fish who lives by the waterfall who can teach you a song but she can only be reached if you have the ability to swim like a fish. Then there is a famous frog singer... Well, famous to herself that is." She then let go of my hands when she saw what she was doing and quickly ignored it. "He was once famous for his singing but no one knows where to find him. I'm afraid I don't know where he is but perhaps Grandpa Ulrira might have an idea provided he can remember."

"That's good advice, Starlight."

"My name is Marin... But... You can call me Starlight if you prefer."

As she resumed singing to the animals and I walked away, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her overall. Starlight had been through so much throughout her life that seeing her here being happy... it made me wonder what her life would've been like had earlier parts changed. No... I wasn't thinking of going back in time to change anything. I know she's better now than she was before but still, what could have been. On a different note, she gave me some hints on where to learn additional songs. One was much easier than the other in terms of how to find it but perhaps I'll figure things out along the way.

"Are you okay, Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Starlight turned out well you know."

"She has you to thank for that."

"And you."

"Me?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "When I first took her on as my student, she reminded me so much of you despite a different upbringing. I wanted to make sure she would have the same opportunities that you were given with regards to second chances. Granted, I taught her differently what with dimensions separating you and me but it worked out. I told her about you without going into any specifics in case you didn't want her or anyone else to know what happened. You know, privacy reasons."

"Thanks, Twilight." I said as I smiled.

"Now, we have plenty of things to take care of." Princess Twilight said as she brandished a checklist. "What!? You know how I love having one of these around! I just happened to have made this one while you were asleep. I'm surprised you dozed off so early but then you were pretty exhausted from fighting that Lanmola. Anyway, here is what we can do aside from reaching the next dungeon. There is Zecora, visiting this Crazy Tracy, explore the rest of the Animal Village, go to Mt. Tamaranch, and visit the Seashell Mansion. Okay, that second-to-last option is more progression as we've got to go there at some point."

"Let's start with the rest of the Animal Village."

"You only have two houses left to explore."

"Works for me!" Leaving Starlight to her singing, I checked out one house only to discover that it was completely empty. No one had clearly lived here for some time and in retrospect, I could've rested here for the night instead of doing so at Granny Smith's place. "Well, this house is a complete bust!"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Princess Twilight said as she felt uneasy. "I can sense someone in here but they are invisible and my fairy magic can't reveal them. I'm not sure who or what they are, but they clearly don't want to be seen by anyone. I don't even know if they are friend or foe. Nothing you have can reveal someone or something that's invisible but maybe you'll come across an item later on that can do that. Let's hope the other house has someone living there."

Leaving the empty house, I walked up to and entered the final house only to be surprised at who was in here. "Who are you!? Why did you come in here?" I couldn't believe who I was looking at. Though she was a goat-human hybrid, (That was my best guess here) if I remembered her name correctly, I was staring at Chestnut Magnifico. Yeah, it was an unusual name and one filled with certain... connotations, she was portraying Daring Do when me and my friends visited that movie set one time. Huh... I was actually expecting Diamond Tiara given this goat character acted all proper but I never knew who I'd run into next.

"Um... Sorry for entering unannounced." I said.

"As you should be." Chestnut Magnifico said.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, it's pretty clear to me right away." Chestnut Magnifico looked like she was about to get mad but surprisingly, she remained calm, almost reserved. "You don't know the proper etiquette when dealing with a lady do you? It's clear as day on your face! But, I suppose you can be forgiven given you are a girl after all."

"Sorry about that."

"You didn't know any better."

"Anyway, I'm sorry for just coming in here." I said as I struggled to talk my way out of this conversation. "I thought no one was living in this house seeing as the previous one I entered was completely empty." I then noticed her pointing to an empty flower pot that was just sitting there on a desk next to her own. "Why are you pointing at that?"

Chestnut Magnifico sighed and I knew she was annoyed. "Look, this is just becoming a hassle for me. You should have brought flowers or something. Then I might be more inclined to talk with you. Not just any kind of flower will do. It needs to be a hibiscus, my personal favourite. Please leave my home immediately and do not return until you've figured out the proper etiquette I speak of."

Leaving her house without another word, that conversation was nothing short of awkward. I knew Chestnut Magnifico was quite the character given her status as an actress, but it seemed that in this world, she was even more difficult to be around provided you didn't have what she wanted. She needed a hibiscus... But where was I supposed to find one? It's not like they grew on trees or anything like that. (This was my attempt at sarcastic humour) Princess Twilight took the liberty of writing this information down on her checklist. She also told me that I still had a pineapple which was deemed very delicious.

There was nothing left for me to do in the Animal Village so I decided that my next destination would be the Seashell Mansion. It didn't really matter which direction I went because both would involve me backtracking. I eventually chose to use the warp because it was a recent development and I'd be stupid not to use the magic it possessed. Leaving the village by going south of Granny Smith's house and into the shallow water, I stepped onto the raised platform and I began spinning around many times before I suddenly disappeared and reappeared moments later outside of Mabe Village. Yes... I could definitely get used to this.

And that was when I realized... There was one more house in the Animal Village I didn't check. I slapped my forehead so hard out of sheer stupidity that it left a mark on my face. I felt absolutely humiliated but it wasn't a complete loss though. I could go back right now and see who lived there but I really wanted to move on with the adventure. I had to go back there eventually with a hibiscus for Chestnut Magnifico so that would be the perfect time to check that remaining house out. Still, how could I have forgotten something so obvious!? I really needed to pay better attention to my surroundings.

Heading to the right, I began the backtracking to the Seashell Mansion but unlike before, I had the Pegasus Boots so it wasn't going to take quite as long. In hindsight, I should've gone there before Animal Village as that would've saved some time. Oh well. I could attribute this as a learning experience. Dashing my way through Ukuku Prairie and ignoring the monsters as I didn't need to deal with them right now, I reached my destination only for four Boarblins to block my path. I attacked them all at once whilst avoiding their spears as best as I could only to get hit three times and each went down in two hits.

"That was aggressive for you, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"I don't normally do that kind of thing."

"It can actually be a useful tactic especially since it does surprise your enemies."

"I suppose I could use it a bit more often."

"Just don't go overboard otherwise you will get hurt a lot more." Princess Twilight then quickly changed the subject upon seeing something unusual and immediately flew over to it before calling out to me. "Sunset! Come take a look at this!" I walked to see what Her Highness had discovered and I couldn't believe it. "It's another warp tile symbol just like the previous two though this one isn't on a raised platform. Hmmm... Perhaps this was added much later? In any case, you now can warp directly to the Seashell Mansion whenever you want. You'd just need to concentrate and wish to be sent here."

"Guess I should've checked over here instead of leave after finishing up my business in the mansion."

"Neither of us knew."

I felt disappointed. "I'm glad I can now get around some parts of the island quicker, but I wish I had known about this sooner. In fact, I could've warped straight here instead of taking the long way when we were going to the Animal Village. I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings." I then noticed some shrubs to the right of the tile and felt that they were pretty suspicious. Cutting each of them down, a Secret Seashell appeared after cutting the last one. "Chalk one up for Sunset Shimmer!"

"Feeling better?"

I nodded. "Much better." Entering the Seashell Mansion, it was still as impressive as before despite nothing really changing. Looking around to see if Adagio were here, I didn't see her which made me wonder if she was busy waiting to see me at one of the fairy fountains scattered around the island. (I was surprised that I had only found one considering that by this time in my previous adventures, I had found at least two, maybe three) I called out. "Hello? I've come back with some more Secret Seashells in my possession."

As soon as I said that, Adagio Dazzle appeared before me once again, her radiant beauty and appearance stunning. "Welcome back to the Seashell Mansion, young one." Adagio said as she smiled at me. To be honest, seeing her smile felt really weird considering how antagonistic she was back in the world I called home. "Yes, I can sense that you have collected more shells than before, so let us see what happens when they are added to your total." She waved her hand and the green liquid began to rise upwards passing an engraving of a seashell on the wall but stopping just a little ways after it.

"What happened?"

"Though you are no where near close to getting the ultimate sword, you did collect enough seashells to receive a reward."

"Oh, so there are multiple rewards?"

"Take a closer look at where the green energy flows." Adagio then pointed at the same engraving I saw before but then raised her hand and I saw that there were four additional engravings of seashells. "Upon reaching each of these markers, you shall receive a treasure that will aid you on your journey. Now, please take your first reward." Clapping her hands together which caused the entire mansion to reverberate with magic, a gift-wrapped present appeared before dropping onto the ground below. Opening it up and seeing what was inside, I was surprised to see a Piece of Heart. Now that was a reward!

Picking it up, the familiar warmth embraced me and I my overall health should've increased by this point. "Are all of the rewards like this?" I asked as the Piece of Heart disappeared like all the other ones had done before.

Adagio shook her head. "You will receive different rewards depending on how many Secret Seashells you bring here. If I am to be brutally honest with you, young one, I did not expect you to have received this first reward. From what I saw of your previous visit, you were struggling to find the shells hidden across the island. I shall therefore provide some hints on where they might be hidden but only if this is something you want."

"I think I do need such hints."

"Very well... I shall provide two such hints for you."

"I'm ready."

Adagio clapped her hands together before closing her eyes. "A Secret Seashell can be found where a large lazy animal once rested. It seems this animal has an infatuation with a young girl but she can no longer speak with him. Perhaps if he were to hear something familiar to the girl?" She paused momentarily before continuing on. "Another Secret Seashell is hidden inside of a cave that forms a tail but one needs the power of the explosion in order to find a hidden chamber not normally seen."

"I think I understand that."

"If you do not then your fairy shall remind you." Adagio then turned to Princess Twilight. "Please continue to watch over this young one, sweet fairy. She will continue needing guidance in the trials that lay ahead." She turned back to me again. "Please come back again when you have collected more seashells. Also, feel free to visit me at any fairy fountain you come across, or perhaps you may find my hidden fountain."

Before I had a chance to ask what she meant about that last part, she disappeared leaving me to ponder over her hints. I immediately knew what she meant about the lazy animal as that was the walrus who blocked the entrance to the Yarna Desert. He wanted to hear Starlight again but she couldn't do so anymore... She did teach me her song so perhaps that would be enough to get him excited? As for hint number two... I believed Princess Twilight brought it to my attention way back when we were going through the Tail Cave. But to backtrack all that was wasn't my idea of fun especially since it was way out of my way. Hmmm... I'd need to think this one over a little.

Leaving the Seashell Mansion, I asked Princess Twilight to show me her checklist and she obliged. So far, I had finished with the mansion for now, finished with the Animal Village despite needing to go back there for now two reasons, and that was pretty much it. I could see what Zecora wanted but then there was Crazy Tracy who actually lived not that far away and she might prove interesting. Oh, and Mt. Tamaranch was also an option though Princess Twilight did say I'd have to explore it eventually for story progression. I had no idea how long I would be visiting Zecora as she probably had a momentous task for me so seeing Crazy Tracey made sense.

Walking on to the warp tile, I had to concentrate on where I wanted to go otherwise it would be a random location. Focusing on Mabe Village as hard as I could, I began spinning around many times before I disappeared and then reappeared moments later back outside of Mabe Village. As much as I loved teleporting around, I only had three warp points available and they all concentrated on a small section. Finding more would get me to other areas so once again I needed to pay attention to my surroundings. On a side note, my health was at peak condition thanks to the Piece of Heart so I didn't need to grind for any hearts. (I did need to grind for rupees though)

"Okay, where do we go from here, Twilight?"

"According to what I remember from the map in the library, we need to go north as that will take us to all the places we need to visit." Princess Twilight answered. "You should take this opportunity and explores area you've not yet seen. I know it means going out of your intended path but you never know what you might find when doing so. Besides, I'm curious as to what we haven't seen."

"I knew there was another ulterior motive."

"Never turn away the chance for knowledge, Sunset."

"Well... Since you are curious and all... Sure, why not."

"Thanks."

Walking off of the raised platform, I quickly avoided a Flying Octorok which had taken notice of me, but it quickly went off in the opposite direction most likely due to it having a short attention span. Looking around, the only direction I had yet to go was north, and there was a boulder in the way which made sense now. It was to stop me from reaching this area too early and thus going out of sequence, a kind of taboo with video games. I had the Power Bracelet now so I could come and go as I pleased without any consequence. Walking up some stairs before reaching the boulder, I picked it up and tossed it aside before continuing north.

I was then immediately attacked by a Zombie which rose up from the ground much to my surprise. It had been a while since I last saw this particular monster but then I was merely observing it from a distance. Now I had to fight my way through as I remember Her Highness saying they constantly respawned. One swing of my sword eliminated the Zombie yet another rose up to replace it which was quickly cut down with a sword swing. Then a third appeared in the same spot and I quickly knew that this was utterly pointless. Fighting the undead would merely exhaust me until they would eventually feed on my flesh or whatever it was they did around here.

Continuing north, I avoided Zombies as they continued popping out from the ground but eventually they stopped appearing and I relaxed knowing I had evaded them. Going back this way was going to be bothersome as I'd be assaulted by Zombies even though they weren't strong. What was also unfortunate was that they left nothing behind upon being defeated and because I needed more rupees in order to buy that bow from Aria, fighting the undead just wasn't worth the effort. I needed more treasure chests to open and not just the ones inside of dungeons to rake in the cash as it were.

"Look to your right, Sunset."

"What for?"

"This is where the Graveyard is."

I looked right and sure enough, there were gravestones everywhere. Not only that, there were also actual ghosts flying around the graves as though they were either protecting them or the area in general. The only thing separating where I was standing and the actual graveyard was a fence. "Strange that Zecora doesn't have her home here seeing as she was carrying around that shovel and her appearance did suggest to me that she worked in a place like this."

"Her house is near here from what I remember but not right next door."

"What about those ghosts?"

"Those are called Ghinis, the spirits of the graveyard." Princess Twilight answered. "There are actually two types of Ghinis even though they both look the same. One is what you can see flying around the graves. These can be defeated after attacking them many times with your sword or other attacking items. The other kind of Ghini appear when you touch a grave and this is where it become more dangerous. This version of the Ghini is invincible! Period! Nothing can defeat them with one really weird exception. The first kind of Ghini can remove the rest upon being defeated as it acts like an anchor of sorts."

"I take it this is the only place we'll see them."

"Yes."

"Do you think there could be something hidden in the graveyard?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "I don't know to be honest. I mean, you could take a quick look for yourself but it's best to know for certain if there is something there before trying to go and find whatever it is. By the way, there is a special version of the Ghini known as the Giant Ghini. It's basically a giant sized version who can hit you a lot more easily and also takes more hits to defeat in turn, but it's rare to find one. In fact, you could potentially never encounter one on this whole journey but it wouldn't be an actual loss. How they appear is something I don't know either."

"I think we should skip the graveyard for now."

"Good idea."

"You're not afraid of ghosts are you?"

"No, but then we don't have to explore someplace if there's nothing of value."

Picking up and tossing another boulder, I glanced to my left and could see Trixie's hut on the other side of two holes which needed the Roc's Feather. At least I knew that I could easily make my way back to her from this direction rather than go through the Mysterious Forest. I don't think I even need to explore that forest again for the duration of this journey. An unfortunate aspect but one I won't complain about since it means not needing to waste my time exploring it for nothing in return. Continuing north, I came to a fork in the road with one path leading towards two boulders and the other heading right towards a rather unpleasant area.

I pointed to the right. "What about that area?"

"That is known as the Tabahl Wasteland."

"Anything of interest about it?"

"It's a deserted part of Koholint Island where darkness is always looming over it."

"Sounds cheerful."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. "Sarcasm aside, there's no hidden treasures or anything like that in this wasteland. In fact, the only reason you would explore it is to cut through the island from the mountains to the graveyard further south. Oh, and do you remember that Crow with the Golden Leaf you encountered back at the castle?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"They are everywhere in Tabahl Wasteland." Princess Twilight urged me to look at the top of the scary looking tree and I did upon which I saw a large assortment of Crows. "Given how tricky it is to attack them, you'd be a sitting duck if you were to go through there."

"And what about to the left?"

"To the left beyond those two boulders is a place called Manbo's Pond."

"Who's Manbo?"

"According to island legend, Manbo is some kind of deity who resides somewhere on the island though only the chosen ones can find her." Princess Twilight answered. "Not much is known about her because apparently the people don't bother keeping good records so my own knowledge is limited. Oh, and don't ask how I know this information. It's something I can't even explain. Anyway, Manbo's Pond serves as a historical site for the people and they believe that she blessed the pond with her magic. Again, the lack of records means my explanation could possibly be wrong."

"Guess it's something else that's beyond us."

"It can't be helped."

Heading to the left, I picked up and tossed a boulder and got a better look at seeing Manbo's Pond. It wasn't really much of a pond as it was a puddle of water. I meant no disrespect here but he could've had something bigger maybe? Then again, he might have been a reserved deity who didn't like anything fancy. On the positive side, this area was familiar as I recognized where I acquired the Piece of Heart that was situated in the middle of so many holes. I was happy at the fact that certain areas were now coming together thus reducing my overall confusion when it came to directions.

To the right of the pond was a house that clearly looked out of place especially with the dreariness of the wasteland to the right. Still, it was a pleasant sight to see given how the only other house was a hollowed out tree. Entering the house, I was taken aback by how there was a heart motif present. There was a heart pattern on the floor and two heart-shaped trees at the back which looked like they had been raised with love and care. In front of me sitting on what looked like a chair or a very large pillow was someone I haven't met in Equestria but I do recall seeing her in my last adventure.

"Is that Sugar Belle?" I whispered to Princess Twilight.

"Indeed it is." Princess Twilight whispered back.

"Is it true that she married Big Macintosh?"

Princess Twilight nodded as she continued whispering. "After so many disasters including their attempts at proposing to each other, they both tied the knot about a few weeks ago over at Sweet Apple Acres. Theirs was a love that endured incredible hardship as well as craziness thanks in large part to Discord but it all worked out for them. Sugar Belle was so happy that day according to Applejack and while I couldn't be there in person due to other commitments, I wished her and Big Mac all the best. Starlight wished she could've attended the wedding but she was needed at the school to go over some paperwork."

"Not many marriages happening in Equestria huh?"

"It's quite strange."

"I'd better talk to Sugar Belle before she thinks we're saying bad stuff about her." I whispered. I then walked up to her and spoke in my normal sounding voice. "Um... This is a nice place you have here." That was my means of saying hello!? Yeesh! I needed to do way better than that."

"Well hi there, big girl!" Sugar Belle. It sounded like she was trying to entice me with her choice of words but that thought quickly past when she started talking seriously. "I didn't think anyone would come around here again what with so many monsters lurking around. You must have taken a multitude of beatings making your way here." She leaned forward and began looking me over before leaning back. "Yep! You've got a few scars here and there as a result of getting hurt so much. You coming here is a blessing in disguise... For you. I should introduce myself because you look confused with my words. I am Crazy Tracy."

"About your name..."

"I'm not crazy."

"Okay, so why call yourself that?"

"It gives me some extra pizzazz I feel."

"Um... Okay?"

Sugar Belle adjusted the bow in her hair and then pointed to a photo of Trixie but it was in black and white and looked rather old. "Years ago, I used to be the apprentice of the witch who lives not far from here. She taught me everything she knew and when I graduated, she said I had a terrific future when it came to using healing potions. My master used to make healing potions but her eyesight isn't as strong as it used to be so now she makes specialty potions. You've got one of those potions right now." Sugar Belle sniffed before giving me an okay sign whilst winking. "Yep! I can smell Magic Powder on you."

"She mentioned you when I spoke with her."

"Glad to hear that." Sugar Belle then grabbed a bottle that was next to her and presented it to me. "Now, allow me to give you the pitch for what I have to offer for you. It might sound weird at first but it'll make sense once you've thought about it. I've got a little secret for sale that'll pump you up. All I ask is for 28 rupees."

"What kind of secret?"

"The contents of this bottle I'm holding."

"Normally, I'd have deemed you questionable." I said as I reached into my wallet. "But, I was told about you from a few other people apart from the Witch and they recommended me to try your service." Handing over the rupees to Sugar Belle who then placed them into her own pocket, I stood still and waited to see what she was going to do. "Well? I'm ready to receive this secret."

"Judging from how tense you are... You really could do with it." Sugar Belle stood up, uncorked the bottle, and poured a bit of the content into her hand. "All right! Come over here and I'll rub it on you!" I took a step forward and she began rubbing her hand all over my body. She made sure not to be inappropriate which I was appreciate of given how she was applying it personally rather than having me simply drink the contents. After a couple of minutes, Sugar Belle sat back down before wiping her hand with a towel. "There! I've applied my own secret medicine on you. How do you feel?"

"Despite feeling a bit clammy from the liquid, I feel fine."

"Right now, it won't do anything, but if you were to lose all heart, it will kick in."

"In other words... If I were to die?"

Sugar Belle nodded. "You got it! This medicine will only work once so if you want to apply more, you need to come back and see me when you've gone and used it. If you're too far away to reach me, I did take the liberty of hiding a couple of bottles containing my secret medicine in a shrine and a tower. But, this was before both places became infested with horrible creatures so hopefully none of them used the medicine on themselves. Remember that if you've still got my protection when you find either of these additional bottles, you cannot apply them onto yourself so you'd be forced to leave them behind."

"That makes sense."

"Please drop by again, big girl!"

Waving me goodbye, Sugar Belle went back to doing what she did before I entered her home, namely staring up at the ceiling. She was serious when she said she hadn't received many customers as of late. She was so bored that she had resorted to counting tiles on the ceiling. Leaving her house, I looked over my body and saw that her medicine had seeped into my body leaving me looking normal. I had no reason to doubt her abilities so hopefully this medicine would save me from dying, and considering how often I took damage, I felt that I would have need of her services more often than not.

Now I needed to make my way to Zecora's place, and if I remembered correctly, her house was to the right of the Moblin's Lair. I just couldn't remember where the lair in question was as it had been a long time since I was last over that way. This is why having an actual map on my person instead of having to rely on sheer memory was important. Sighing, I decided to keep going north and hoped it would take me to where I needed to go. Picking up a boulder and tossing it aside, I cut across a bit of the land only to find myself in the Tabahl Wasteland. It was definitely miserable looking and the darkness overlooking everything really made it uneasy.

Crows were perched in the trees and while they weren't all that threatening, I didn't want to provoke them in case they all decided to come after me. It was weird being in an area like this seeing as it would make for an ideal location of a great evil. Instead, it was merely a deserted region of the island that served no purpose other than connecting two other places to one another. Of course, I had no intention of staying here for very long. Walking north and passing by a scary tree (I could swear that its eyes were looking at me), a Crow swooped down and attempted to attack me.

Raising my shield, I deflected its attack and responded by swinging my sword. Despite it getting hit by my blade, it continued attacking me thinking it could win, but it eventually was defeated and left behind a blue rupee which I picked up. Continuing onward, I soon left the wasteland and the sky immediately cleared up but then a couple of holes appeared before me, each containing a Pincer, and both lunged at me only to come up short due to their limited attack range. Ignoring them, I kept going until a sign revealed that Zecora's Shack was to the right and upon looking in that direction, I saw her place, and it had clearly seen better days.

"So this is where she lives."

"You have to give credit to Zecora for knowing how to get around the island." Princess Twilight said.

"Twilight... Look at that!" I said as I pointed upwards.

Her Highness looked up and we could both see the Wind Fish Egg. It was still quite a ways away but this was the closest we had gotten to it. "I'm going to assume that you need to take all eight Instruments of the Sirens up there."

"But I don't even know how to activate them."

"So all the egg serves right now is a landmark."

I nodded. "At least we can reach it if we continued going north, but right now we should pay Zecora a visit." I then noticed something in the ground beyond her place so I walked up to it and was surprised to see another warp tile. "Really? I can warp directly to Zecora's? I'm not complaining mind you as another warp point is always a good thing but why did it have to be here of all places?" Stepping on it, I quickly stepped back off before it would warp me away from where I wanted to be. "Hmmm... This will get me places but there are still areas which require me to walk to them rather than warp."

"Nothing is ever easy, Sunset."

I sighed. "I know."

Walking back down, to the left, and entering Zecora's place, the interior of her home was just as bad as the outside. Bricks of various shapes and colours comprised the walls which did explain why the outside looked like someone had stacked pieces together in hopes they would fit. Stones, pieces of wood, what looked like a table, a box of tools, mud, and other little tidbits brought everything together in such an awkward way. How could Zecora live like this? The only light source was a single lantern which was located next to Zecora, who clearly appeared oblivious to her surroundings.

"Ah, you have finally come at last." Zecora said. "I know we're going to have such a blast."

"So what kind of favour did you need me for?"

"You remember? Good. I was hoping you would."

"And there she goes with the rhyming." I said to myself.

"I wish to show you something interesting." Zecora then pointed to the table like structure that took up most of the room. Upon a second glance at it, it wasn't so much of a table but rather a platform which a groove embedded into it which something could be slotted into it. I couldn't explain it but something about it seemed... Mysterious. "You've been poking into some of the ruins on this island, I can tell. You have in your possession treasures from them that are surely quite swell. Now this is where things get really exciting so I truly hope with my fun you'll be trying."

She then presented me with a stone slab that featured a picture of a room before handing it over to me. "Um... What's this?" I then took a closer look and was shocked. "I recognize this room from a dungeon I was previously in!" The room in question was from the Tail Cave but why did Zecora have it? "You need to tell me what this is all about!"

"And so I shall, my dear pal." Zecora then picked up another slab and presented it to me. On this one was another room from a dungeon I had been to. The room this time? The entrance of the Key Cavern. "This has been a project most dear to me, and when you've seen it for yourself, you shall see. I make little chambers based on those dungeons. How do I do this you ask? I'm afraid explaining it would be too monumental a task. Put some chambers into the slab back there and it turns into a real dungeon. Like I said, how it works is too complicated so it's best not to inquire."

"You can make your own custom dungeons?"

Zecora nodded. "Indeed I can. Now please put your mind at rest for I need your help in putting this to the test. I want to know about the dungeons you've seen. I want to know where you have been. I can take what you tell me and create new chambers as a result. With a few chambers in hand, basic ideas are what will come though not grand. More pieces will result in more complicated places but that involves going to future dungeons you've not yet encountered. With what you currently have with you, can you complete my challenges?"

"Yeah, I can give it a try."

"Once you have finished arranging a dungeon, you must then make your way through it."

"I knew there'd be a catch."

"Nothing is simple."

"What about you?"

Zecora sighed. "I am no designer nor an adventurer so this is something I cannot do which is why I must leave things up to you. Do not think you are doing this for free as I shall reward you if you can impress me. Whenever you find a chamber stone, give it to me and it shall be turned into a chamber which can be used in order to add a new room. Now, allow me to provide a series of chambers that I created based on experiences you've already seen."

I had no idea how she managed to do that considering she had never once followed me but I wasn't about to question any of it. Zecora turned around and began fiddling about with something, and while I tried seeing what she was doing, I couldn't make it out so I was left guessing. She turned back around a few moments later before handing over a series of chambers before ushering me over to the stone slab. Despite some initial hesitation given how this all came out of nowhere, I walked up to the stone slab and a menu appeared before me showcasing numerous dungeon ideas which could be created.

"Twilight... What am I supposed to do?" I whispered.

Princess Twilight took a closer look. "According to this menu, there are four difficulty levels but you can only access the first one. I guess it's to prevent you from being completely overwhelmed by the concept. I suspect there will be additional challenges in this first category seeing as it looks so bare. but for now, you should just focus on what Zecora has given you to work with." Her Highness began reading a description on the menu to herself before turning to face me. "You need to finish this dungeon that Zecora started making by putting in the remaining rooms that go right to the end."

I then looked at the design. "Is... Is that Moldorm at the end!?"

"It is."

"But, I defeated it already!" I exclaimed in a whisper. "How could it be back?"

Princess Twilight comforted me and I quickly calmed down. "The Moldorm you defeated was the original one, Sunset. The one in this Creator Dungeon is merely a replica, a duplicate that behaves like the original but is merely used as a means of overcoming this challenge. According to this, you need to have a stop along the way for the treasure chest, exits need to connect with other exits, and you need a path that goes straight to where Moldorm is. A simple enough objective."

"So I take these chambers and put them down into this?"

"Yes, but certain rooms must be in place and can't be removed."

"How many rooms do I have?"

"You've been through three dungeons so you do have plenty to work with." Princess Twilight answered. She then looked at what chambers I had at my disposal before coming to a surprising conclusion. "But, it looks like not all chambers from those dungeons are in this batch Zecora has given you to work with. Perhaps she will give you some later on and you might find some at the Item Shop and the Trendy Game Shop. How difficult it will be depends on what you want out of it."

"It looks like there are certain restrictions in place when it comes to some rooms, but for others, I can do whatever I want with it." I said. I then began combing through the different rooms to see which ones would be best suited for this dungeon. "No wonder Zecora needed someone to try this thing out. You needed to have been there and experienced these places to better appreciate them." Cycling through each room, I was reminded of when I went through them initially. Some rooms were memorable while others were best left forgotten. "Oh! I can even put in rooms with treasure chests!"

From what I gathered of this, the final treasure chest opened would contain the Nightmare's Key. Any other chest opened before that would contain rupees or small keys depending on the current situation. Grabbing some chambers, I placed them down before checking to see how it looked. Some looked perfect while others appeared completely wrong. As I switched a couple out for others, it became apparent that not every chamber could connect with one another. I had to think of this as me exploring this creation which was going to be the case according to Zecora.

As I continued moving rooms in and out, I discovered that I could fight multiple replicas of the Nightmares in the same dungeon. While that would be interesting as well as be a test of my skills, it would also be time consuming not to mention increase the overall difficulty. No... I think having just one of them was enough for my liking. Due to not having many rooms on hand, I was forced to use at least one room which had a locked door and one that had a door which would unlock upon solving a puzzle. After spending about ten minutes switching rooms around and genuinely having fun, I finally stepped back to view my work.

"Are you finished, Sunset?"

I nodded. "I think I get the basic idea of what has to be done here. Granted, when I first heard what Zecora said about this Creator Dungeon, I wasn't thrilled about it because it meant having to endure through some pretty mean challenges. But, I have the ability to determine the difficulty and it was fun mixing and matching different dungeons together. Had we come here much later, I'd have had more options. Having to fight Moldorm again isn't my idea of fun but I'm a lot stronger now than back then so I should have little trouble defeating it for the second time."

"As long as you're confident with it."

"I think this will work."

"Then I think we need to let Zecora know we're ready unless there's another way to get this started."

Suddenly, there was a bright light and the next thing I knew, I was standing in the entrance room of the dungeon I had created. This was the entrance room of the Tail Cave, but beyond this room were rooms from other dungeons. I just needed to remember which rooms I used in making this thing. If there was one negative to doing this for Zecora, it had to do with me not truly progressing and that this was nothing more than a remix of the past. I had no intention of completing all of Zecora's challenges otherwise I'd be here practically forever, but perhaps I'd complete enough challenges to satisfy her.

Heading to the left first, I entered the room that became before Slime Eye back in Key Cavern. Unlike before, there was a mere locked door as opposed to the Nightmare Lock but without a key, I couldn't progress in this direction but perhaps I could change that. I remembered this room dropped a small key that ultimately went unused. Perhaps I would get another key and it could be used to unlock the door before me. I also learned something else about these chambers... they were accurate with monster placement. Case in point, this room had the same number of Keese scattered about.

Stepping on a conveyor belt, I allowed myself to be moved about via each one, defeating all the Keese easily which caused a treasure chest to materialize which was different as originally, the key dropped down from above. Opening the chest, I took out a key which I immediately used to unlock the door ahead and entered a room from the Bottle Grotto. To my left was a Vacuum Mouth and I immediately remember which room this was. Walking away from it as it began sucking up several more Keese, I waited for it to stop before walking up and opening another chest which contained a single green rupee... Seriously!?

"One measly rupee!?"

"It's better than nothing."

"I suppose so."

"Zecora should reward you a lot better than this chest did."

Entering the next room, everything went dark which reminded me of how much I hated it before. Since I knew that meant lighting up some torches, I waited for the Spark to move away from me before I took out the bag containing my Magic Powder and sprinkled it on both torches, lighting them up and unlocking both doors. Heading left into another dark room, I had to quickly remember what was unique about this room. The answer came in the form of the two Boos who were haunting it. Princess Twilight was still correct about only two of them existed since these two were in fact replicas of the originals so I wasn't about to question her accuracy.

Lighting both torches (I was beginning to run out of Magic Powder again), the two Boos turned away in fear which allowed me to defeat both with one sword swing each. This caused another chest to appear which contained another green rupee when I opened it. Grumbling to myself, I went back to the previous room and across to the other one which was another room taken from the Tail Cave. This one I remembered was quite easy given the simplicity behind it. Defeating the Red Gel in a single hit, the Hardhat Beetle slowly made its way around the abyss before I knocked it into there with a couple of sword whacks.

Walking around and activating the switch caused yet another chest to appear. If what the description said was true, the final chest would contain the Knightmare Key, and upon opening it up, that was what was inside. I could ignore the room to the south (I actually forgot which chamber I placed there) since it didn't really do anything and I personally wanted to get this over with because of wanting to get to the actual next dungeon. Walking right and entering the next room, two Stalfos popped up and attacked though a couple of sword strikes defeated them both easily. Aside from that, there was nothing else of interest.

"Ready to face Moldorm again?" Princess Twilight asked. "You don't need to be afraid of it."

"I'm not afraid, just annoyed that I have to fight it again."

"It will go much better this time around, trust me."

"At least I have that medicine in case things suddenly go south."

"While true, you don't need to be reckless, Sunset."

"Let's get this over with." I said as I approached the door and unlocked it with the Nightmare Key.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 13: Behind the Waterfall.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
December 4, 2019.
Chapter 13: Behind the Waterfall.

Entering the next room, I wasn't at all surprised to see that it was unchanged from what it was originally... Well... Aside from one thing. There was no door for me to go through on the other side since I had already collected the Full Moon Cello (The idea of there being multiple versions of the same instrument was ludicrous to say the least). The cracked tiles on the floor would give away if I stayed on them for too long but because there was no basement if I fell, I could sent back to the beginning of this 'dungeon', fall to my death, or appear next to where I dropped. To be honest, these were all bad options and I'd rather not have to deal with them.

Looking directly in front of me again, Moldorm was nowhere to be seen but I knew it was here since this was where I needed to go in order to finish this challenge. Sure enough, the insectoid Knightmare dropped down from the ceiling, landing on the ground just like before, but no words came from its mouth. That's because this was merely a replica of the original and so not all aspects of its character had been included. If there was one bit of satisfaction that I could appreciate despite fighting Moldorm again, it hadn't been given any kind of improvements. I'd take the same damage upon getting hit and it would take four hits to prevail.

Since I already knew what to do, I waited for Moldorm to start slithering around. The moment it started moving, I immediately attacked the weak point on its tail before it closed up causing Moldorm to get steamed. It then began chasing after me so I walked as fast as I could in order to avoid all contact with it. After chasing me for about three seconds, Moldorm went off in a different direction which gave me a quick breather. Turning around and raising my shield, Moldorm then came back and collided with my shield several times, each knock pushed me back slightly until it calmed down and went off in a different direction but not before its weak point became exposed again.

Hitting the weak point (I wished I could use a jump attack or had a Piece of Power as it would've made this go even quicker), it closed which caused Moldorm to get steamed up before it began chasing me again. This time, rather than using my shield, I simply used my Roc's Feather to jump over it making sure to do so at the right time as a wrong move would mean taking some damage. It calmed down again resulting in the weak point opening up and I attacked it again and this made Moldorm get really steamed. It changed colour slightly and began moving around in an erratic manner and showed no signs of slowing down.

Unlike the previous hits, the weak point remained opened and it was here that I realized something which I never considered during the original battle. This was where Moldorm became desperate and was willing to sacrifice its most vulnerable spot in order to gain attack power and speed. Desperation does cause individuals to do some pretty drastic things and I guessed this applied to monsters such as Moldorm. In a way, I felt sorry for it being forced to do this in an attempt to see me dead. As Moldorm approached, I jumped over it only to jump again when it came back the other way.

I then jumped again to avoid it a third time and swung for the weak point upon landing only to miss. Moldorm then turned around and was about to slam into me when I raised my shield and got pushed back a couple of times until I was standing on top of a cracked tile. I quickly moved off of it as it suddenly dropped down into the abyss below though no sound could be heard which made me wonder just how deep it went. Moldorm came at me again after turning around prompting me to jump over it before I swung my sword again. This time, I managed to connect and the Nightmare suddenly stopped before it began exploding.

Like before, each segment exploded before the head went through several small explosions before disappearing entirely with a final big one. As I stood there having gone through that battle, I couldn't help but lament at how easy it really was. Last time, I barely managed to survive but in this instance, I took no damage at all and it went much quicker. I guess it was due to having had experience in addition to remembering what it actually did though having more health was also a plus. Since no Heart Container materialized where Moldorm had fallen, the same bright light from before engulfed me and I was back in Zecora's place.

"You have returned from clearing the challenge you made." Zecora said as her speaking caught me by surprise. "The foul beast you fought met its end on your blade. I must admit that I was most impressed by your display. To be honest, I believed at times that you had one foot in the grave. Perhaps your skills are even greater than you thought otherwise those creatures your body they would have wrought."

I walked up to Zecora. "I must admit that you recreated Moldorm perfectly though it didn't say anything."

"The replica of the creature was not entirely true to the original."

"Maybe so, but it was still an amazing effort."

"Yet you appear to be bothered."

I nodded. "I guess I wasn't entirely thrilled at the prospect of having to fight something I already defeated again especially the likes of a Nightmare. They are definitely among the strongest monsters around so the thought of having to go through them again made me second guess myself."

"While that may be true, you fought the monster and in the end, you pulled through."

"So what happens now?"

Zecora turned her back to me for a moment and began fiddling about with something before turning back moments later. "As I've previously mentioned, you are not doing this for free because then what kind of person would I be? What you did was most thrilling so something from my personal collection is what you shall receive in exchange." She then handed over one of those tiles and while I was appreciative, my heart felt disappointed as I was expecting a bit better. "With that chamber, a brand new room can be added in order to give yourself a greater challenge."

"How many challenges do you even have?"

"I have many of these in different conditions."

"That's not quite what I asked."

"What I mean is that I have roughly two dozen different challenges." Zecora then noticed the glum look on my face. "You need not challenge them all at once because putting you through all that would make me quite the dunce." I still had my glum look and she quickly realized why I felt that way. "Now I see what the problem is. You were expecting rupees as my reward to you but you didn't get any hence why you look do blue. Not to worry, any rupees you collected in the dungeon are an extra bonus."

"You said that helping you out would be very rewarding."

"I did say that, yes, so let me rectify your distress." Zecora turned her back to me again before quickly turning around and presenting me with a silver rupee. "I cannot give you rupee rewards all the time. It's not because of me being cheap but rather because the challenge you completed didn't warrant it. Besides, I do have rewards that aren't money based but what those are must remain a mystery until you complete more challenges. Now that you have tested this out for me, you can come back here whenever you want and take on the next challenge without for no fee."

I then thought about taking on another challenge but doing so would produce some problems. First, I would need to follow exactly what the challenge stipulated and I didn't know if there enough chambers to satisfy the conditions. Second, I'd have to arrange the chambers in a different manner which goes back into my initial problem. Because of a lack of rooms, it would get repetitive very quickly and fighting additional Nightmares was more likely. And third, Zecora's rewards system had obvious flaws which made me question if going through these challenges was even worth it. Sure, it'd get me more experience but at the cost of fun and perhaps most important, feeling happy about it.

"I'll think about coming back here another time."

"It's no big deal."

"I didn't mean it like that."

Zecora nodded. "I know you've got big things to do so don't allow the likes of me to stop you. Besides, the more dungeons you experience with your own eyes, the more chambers get added to the Dungeon Creator. I'm not the only one who can provide you with chambers. In the village where you were brought to, there is an Item Shop who sells the pieces needed to create new rooms. These aren't cheap by any means so be careful about going overboard with your spending."

"I'm glad you're not upset."

"As you currently are right now, the later challenges will have you screaming 'ow'."

"Um..."

"I'll still be here waiting for you to take on new challenges."

Zecora then waved at me and I responded in kind before turning around and leaving her house. I could tell that she was upset that I wasn't taking on more challenges, but I just wasn't getting the kind of excitement that she was hoping I would have. As much as I liked the idea of going through custom made dungeons, its execution needed a lot more work and the lack of rewards was also a problem. Also, original chambers instead of reusing what already existed but combining different pieces together would've been really cool. Perhaps I could come back here later if I needed some rupees or perhaps another reward.

"That was certainly an experience." Princess Twilight said.

"You're not mad at me for just walking away from that are you?" I asked.

Princess Twilight shook her head. "No, you handled yourself pretty well. In fact, I'd have done the exact same thing if I had been in your shoes. I know you need the money in order to get that bow and Zecora did say that helping her out would be worth it for you, but having to go through so much hardship and be forced to fight powerful monsters again is too much for you, Sunset. I'm not doubting your skills but there is a limit that you can take before it's just too much."

I then nodded. "Just the idea of fighting multiple Nightmares in the same dungeon makes me shudder."

"Zecora meant well but maybe you shouldn't come back again."

"No, I think I will come back and try another challenge."

"Are you sure?" Princess Twilight asked, concern echoing in her voice. "It sounds more like a hassle than anything."

I shook my head. "It's just that I need to focus on getting to the next dungeon and finding the fourth instrument. I mean, I have the key that can unlock the dungeon so my mind is focused on getting that done as putting it off just makes me irritable. Once I've got my mind set on doing something, it needs to be done no matter what, and any kind of distraction would just be an obstacle. Perhaps coming here now during an important part of the journey was a bad idea. Had I come here after the next dungeon or during a free moment, I'd have a completely different mindset about it."

"Wow... That is so mature of you, Sunset."

"What were you expecting?"

"A tantrum or at least an explosion of anger."

I had no response to what Her Highness just said because it was true. My temper was quite volatile in that even the smallest little thing would set me off. Despite how much I've changed since being given a second chance, my anger was the one aspect of me which continued to be a problem. I just couldn't refrain from losing it all because someone infuriated me to the point where I'd love nothing more than to throttle them something fierce. I was like a ticking time bomb. One little push and ka-boom! At least I wasn't doing anything stupide such as wanting revenge because that would be truly reaching a low point.

That's why Princess Celestia wanted me to learn about humility. I needed to accept that not everything would go my way and that there were things beyond my control which I couldn't overcome. I've learned how to be humble though there are times where it has proven to be difficult such as when I want something in particular but must give up on it for the greater good since others were more deserving. Sure, I've gotten over such situations but it doesn't change the fact that they can be emotionally painful. I appreciate what I have though you couldn't blame me for wanting to self-indulge on occasion.

I adjusted the belt on my tunic before taking a step forward. "Okay, so we need to make our way to the waterfall where the Angler Key is supposed to go."

"Actually, there is one place we haven't checked yet."

"Twilight..." I began with a concern sound in my voice. "What are going to have me do?"

"Do you remember that one house on the other side of the Mysterious Forest you couldn't enter because of having BowWow with you?"

"Why?"

Princess Twilight was clearly having problems explaining herself but I had a feeling what she was about to suggest next. "I know this isn't what you like doing, but I think we should go back over that way and see who lives there in case it might prove helpful later." Her Highness quickly turned away from me out of fear that I would suddenly burst into rage over having to backtrack across half of the island but I was surprisingly calm. "Sunset?" She then looked at me. "You're not upset about my idea?"

"Oh I'm upset, Twilight."

"But?"

"I've already done plenty of backtracking so it's not like this is any different."

"Sorry, Sunset."

I shook my head. "No, it's not your fault, Twilight. I should've checked out that house after returning BowWow home to Wallflower, or better yet, gone there before I rescued him from those Moblins. It's my fault for leaving it until now though colour me impressed over how you remembered it after all this time. I completely forgot about that house since we were trying to do something else at the time." I then looked up at the sky in order to gauge how much time I had until the sun would begin to set. "I'd say we've got plenty of time to go there and see who might live in that house."

"This does mean going back through Goponga Swamp."

"That could pose a problem without BowWow."

"Or, you could go back through the Mysterious Forest."

No matter which why I chose to go in order to get to this house, I would have to backtrack through one of two areas that no longer had any reason for me to go back through them again on account of me having gotten every possible thing done. Between the swamp and the forest, the latter was probably my preference since again, BowWow proved essential for getting through Goponga Swamp on account that he could consume those Goponga Flowers which my sword couldn't even make a dent in them. And then there was the issue that this was brought up by Her Highness when I was on my way to reaching the next dungeon.

Even though I had every right to refuse Princess Twilight's request and focus on the main task at hand, I never could refuse her anything seeing as she didn't really ask all that much from me to begin with. Besides, I still owed Her Highness for giving me a second chance when she clearly could've left me to forever remain alone and miserable. Also, a part of me felt that whoever lived in this house was someone whom I needed to see. I don't know why I felt that way but to ignore it was nothing short of stupidity. While Her Highness would say I didn't owe her anything anymore, my heart said otherwise.

Another reason as to why I couldn't be 'that' upset was thanks to the Pegasus Boots. I could dash my way over to where that house was and get there within a matter of minutes as opposed to say an hour. Also, having a Power Bracelet and a Roc's Feather didn't hurt either as they could let me access shortcuts I couldn't reach before. I began dashing westward, ignoring the two holes, and continuing on past the Moblin's Lair until I crashed into a boulder which blocked the path to Goponga Swamp. Since I didn't want to go that way because of not having BowWow, I walked south, jumped over one hole and then another before going west.

Continuing in direction, I dashed again and entered the Mysterious Forest where I barged my way through a couple of Moblins, defeating them in an instant before crashing into another boulder which left me in a slight daze this time. Two Red Zols then popped out of the ground and jumped into me due to being unable to react, but when I regained my composure, I defeated both only for them to split into two more pieces (Which I had completely forgotten about) which I defeated with another sword swing. Only one of the four smaller Gels dropped a green rupee so I picked it up but chose now to walk the rest of the way.

While dashing around was fun, it was also dangerous because colliding with objects stunned me momentarily. I wished that wasn't the case but then the Pegasus Boots needed some kind of drawback otherwise they'd be considered too powerful for their own good. Besides, the forest path was twisting about a little and I could only dash in a straight line when using the boots. Heck, I couldn't even change direction as I ran which further added to their overall drawback. Still, the positives clearly outweighed the negatives. Jumping over a hole and making my way past the chest that contained the Tail Key, a Moblin was blocking my path but I ignored it by heading north and out of the forest.

"That didn't take nearly as long as I thought." I said to myself.

"There it is Sunset!" Princess Twilight exclaimed as she bopped my head.

In front of me was a house which I remembered seeing when I came this way before. "Ohhhh! This house! Right... I couldn't go in there before as I had BowWow with me and you said that not everyone would appreciate me bringing in an animal even if it was completely domesticated." I was curious as to why anyone would live all the way over here given how the only means of leaving involved trekking through a forest or trudging through a swamp. "I've got the Roc's Feather so jumping over those holes isn't going to be an issue. I just hope that coming here was worth the backtracking."

Entering the house, I was surprised to see several stacks of books which clearly had been stacked without any care for them. It reminded me of when Princess Twilight once invited me over to her castle to help her out with what she called a 'booksortation' but this was no way near as bad. There was additional clutter such as numerous pots taking up half of the total space, a bookshelf with more books, a large table covered with even more clutter, and a large chair which had someone very familiar sitting on it. He hadn't noticed me enter his house due to being engrossed in looking at some documents.

"Do you know who this is?" Princess Twilight whispered.

I nodded whilst whispering back. "This is Canter Zoom, Juniper Montage's uncle, and a famous movie director. Sure, he can be too generous to the point where can be taken advantage of, but he's a good man who tries to do his best despite having some serious stress problems at times." Her Highness had no idea what I meant about 'taking advantage' so I quickly explained to her what Juniper once did.

"Gasp! Did she really do that!?"

I nodded. "Juniper was willing to sabotage everything just to get her own way. She's changed a lot since then and while I think Canter Zoom has forgiven her, he won't let her appear in any of his movies until she's got some actual acting experience. Me and my friends haven't been to his movie set for some time now so my accuracy might be wrong but I think she was allowed to be on set but in a minor capacity due to some trust issues between them still being worked on." I then looked at Canter Zoon who still hadn't noticed me. "It shows you how some people are always victims because of their own actions having unintended consequences."

"Let's hope whoever he is portraying has a more pleasant story."

I then coughed to get his attention. "Ahem!"

Canter Zoom then looked up and was taken aback. "Oh! Someone has come to pay me a visit all the way out here! How fascinating!"

"Why do you even live out here?"

"I'm the kind of person who prefers to live in solitude." Canter Zoom answered, pushing aside his documents before clasping his hands together. "Sure, this isn't the safest place on this island but again, I like my solitude. As you can clearly see, it's just myself in this house... Well... Me and my letters of course." So that's what those documents were. They were letters though what kind was beyond me. "My name is Write, as in writing."

"Do you spend all day writing letters?"

"Oh my, yes!"

"Surely that has got to be boring."

Canter Zoom nodded. "It's the one thing about my hobby that I don't like. I send out all these letters but no one ever gives me a response. In fact, I was really hoping that my most recent letter I sent out would net me that coveted reply but so far, nothing has happened and it's getting to the point where I might just give up and do something else. A long time ago, before moving into this house, I sent a letter to someone who lives in the village on the other side of Ukuku Prairie. It was such a frantic moment that I don't remember who ended up getting it but they've never sent me a reply."

"And you've been sending letters to them ever since?"

"Pitiful isn't it?"

I wasn't about to say he was wrong there given how desperate he sounded, but I wasn't going to tell him that as it would only upset him further. "You know, I think I might know who this person might be. I might be able to help you out but I first need to confirm for myself that this is definitely the person." While it sounded like I was giving him false hope, the image of Chestnut Magnifico appeared in my mind. Back home, she and Canter Zoom worked together on his adaptation of one of A.K. Yearling's novels, so perhaps this connection made sense in this world? Granted, I was going off of real-world logic yet there was nothing else I could think of.

But that did make Canter Zoom curious. "Hmmm? If you could do that for me, I would be most appreciative. Of course, I'm not going to ask you to go out of your way for nothing as you clearly look like an adventurer. Now... What would an adventurer like you find useful around here? Hmmm... I do know about Goponga Swamp, Mt. Tamaranch, the forest south of here, and the waterfall on the other side of the island."

"What was that last one?"

"The waterfall?"

My eyes widened. "I need to know about that waterfall!"

"Now let me see if I can find that document." Canter Zoom then began going through an assortment of papers and for a while, it looked like he was going to turn his entire house upside-down just so he could help me out, but he eventually found what he was looking for. "Aha! Here we are! The waterfall can be found east of where that giant egg is located. Follow the river and you should find it. There is a strange keyhole over there but I have no idea what it's even there for."

"I'm sure I can figure it out."

"I wish you look and I look forward to getting a letter... Hopefully."

Leaving Canter Zoom's house, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him but also concerned. Why would he send so many letters all to the same person? Also, if this person was indeed Chestnut Magnifico, why has she never answered him back? Something was clearly wrong on both sides and I needed to find out. I knew it wasn't really my business to interfere in such matters but I could tell there was an obvious problem that needed a resolution. However, Chestnut Magnifico wouldn't talk with me so long as I didn't have a hibiscus, and I needed to find that first before anything else.

At least Canter Zoom was able to help me figure out where I needed to go next. Since the Wind Fish Egg was north of where Zecora was, I figured on going back to her place and go from there in order to find the waterfall. I also needed to understand what Flash Sentry meant by a leap of faith would allow me to reach my goal. To know that answer, I first needed to find the waterfall and use that key. Looking up at the sky again, I still had plenty of time to go before needing to rest for the night. Jumping over the hole, I looked back and saw a cave entrance but I ignored it as it probably didn't have much to offer me.

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"How do you feel, loyal one?" Ganondorf asked. "Has your ego shattered? Do you no longer feel as confident as you once did?"

Rainbow Dash felt rather groggy but managed to somehow not topple over. "What... What did you do to me?"

"I have taken your magic."

"What!?"

Ganondorf raised his hand. "I did not take all of your magic, loyal one, if that is what you are thinking. I have left you with a small amount though it is mere pittance. Had I taken all of your magic, you would be nothing more than an empty husk devoid of any magical propensity. Then again, you might even be dead right now. Who's to say? You are not as loyal as you claim to be, loyal one. The truth about yourself has been exposed!"

"Give me my magic back!"

"Do you truly think you can threaten me?" Ganondorf lowered his hand and simply sat there before Rainbow Dash suddenly began choking and she struggled to release the tight grip around her neck. After about fifteen seconds, the grip was released causing Rainbow Dash to collapse on the ground clutching her neck whilst breathing heavily. "And now you know the answer to my question, loyal one. What magic you possess now is of no interest to me. It will eventually come back but it will take a long time."

Coughing, Rainbow Dash slowly got back up. "What... What did you mean about me not being loyal?"

"You would prefer to be with the Wonderbolts."

"How did you know that?"

"I can read your very thoughts." Snapping his finger, Rainbow Dash was paralyzed completely. "I am now done with you, loyal one. Your magic was the first I have claimed but it will not be the last one. Now... Which of your remaining friends shall be next?" Ganondorf slowly gazed at the rest of my friends until he chose someone. "Yes... It must be you who is next because of how strong-willed you are and for being stubborn." He snapped his finger again and this time Applejack was set free. "Honest one... I can tell straight away that my words will not be very effective."

Applejack responded by whipping out her lasso and tossing it at Ganondorf where it wrapped around his chest before she tightened it. He made no effort to free himself from her lasso though she had sadly made a mistake by thinking he was nothing more than a mere varmint as Applejack would say. "I don't know what y'all have done ta Rainbow Dash, but I reckon ya had better explain yerself before I do something I might regret!"

"I have taken her magic."

"What!?" Applejack exclaimed. She then tightened the lasso futher but again, Ganondorf didn't do anything in retaliation. "Y'all must think I'm stupid or somethin'. We've become stronger since them early days so the chances of you drainin' her magic are slim ta none. Now, I'll ask ya again. What did ya do ta Rainbow Dash?"

Ganondorf laughed. "I have spoken the truth to you, honest one. Honesty is the thing that you cherish the most. You praise those who are honest but despise those who show any signs of deceit." Pausing, he lowered his head before slowing raising it again, his eyes glowing yellow. "You claim to represent honesty, but in truth, you have lied in order to fulfill your own desires. You have even lied to your closest loved ones."

"What!?"

"Do you believe that I am lying to you?"

Applejack nodded. "Sure, I might have told a couple of little white lies, but I ain't done anythin' like what y'all claim!"

"Oh but you have."

"And don't ya dare bring my family into this!"

His eyes glowed even brighter. "You are lying to yourself, honest one. You claim that you are honest but in truth you are not. Those lies of yours ended up becoming far worse than even you could imagine. Though they were eventually resolved with the help of the others, they have had a lasting effect deep within your subconscious. Even now, you are lying about them not being a problem in your mind, but this is not so. They torment you constantly and show no signs of ending. Such pain and anguish would destroy most minds entirely, but you manage to keep such things under control. Heh... You remind me of myself."

"What do ya mean?"

"I too am tormented internally." Ganondorf's eyes went back to normal before he looked up at the ceiling. "Long ago... I was once the ruler of my people. We lived in a desert where the winds were so harsh at night, they were a sign of death to us. The winds of the day were no better as harsh temperatures ensured that only those who were strong enough could survive. I coveted the wind from the land which bordered my kingdom so that my people could survive without death's grip striking fear into their hearts every night, but, I could not provide such necessities and within a matter of a few generations, they were gone... Wiped out."

"I'm sorry ta hear that."

"I am now the sole survivor of my people."

"That doesn't explain why y'all are doin' this ta me and my friends."

"I have just shown you truth, honest one." Ganondorf said. The lasso that had been around his chest suddenly disappeared only to reappear next to him before it suddenly became engulfed in flames. "Though my people are gone, they were worthless creatures who served me until I no longer needed them. Fate decreed that they would wipe themselves out and that is exactly what happened."

Applejack shook her head in dismay. "Wow... And I thought some of the villains we've faced had attitudes. Y'all really take the cake ya know. In my honest opinion, you do have mah sympathies but you ain't honest one bit especially with me. Yer eyes are what give ya away. Whatever ya did to Rainbow Dash ain't gonna happen with me."

"That's what you think."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Much like how it didn't take long for me to get from Zecora's place to Canter Zoom's, it didn't take long for me to go back to the former. Like before, I ignored going through the swamp and instead went through the Mysterious Forest. A combination of jumping, dashing, and one bout of fighting and I eventually returned to where Zecora lived. During my trip, I did acquire a Guardian Acorn (It surprised me how very few of these as well as the Pieces of Power I was finding) which increased my defence for a while but it quickly wore off which was disappointing though fair since I didn't encounter many monsters.

Heading north from Zecora's, I quickly reached a cliff which forced the path to go to the left. Walking in that direction, the ground quickly changed from grassland to marshland indicating that I was back in Goponga Swamp (The entrance to the Bottle Grotto was practically in plain sight). What happened? Had I gone the wrong way? No... I couldn't have. There was no other way to go from here to the waterfall unless I backtracked south and went eastward. As I thought about my current predicament, two Boarblins with spears attacked with one actually succeeding in hitting me in my leg with a spear.

Pulling it out and tossing it aside, I rushed forward and attacked both Boarblins, defeating both with two sword strikes and collecting a green rupee for my trouble. That's when I noticed some boulders surrounding a nearby sign prompting me to slap my forehead out of embarrassment. Why did I keep on doing that to myself!? I mean, I freaked out for nothing given the solution was right in front of me. Walking up to and reading the sign, it said that I was at the base of Mt. Tamaranch and that the Wind Fish's Egg was at the highest peak. A part of me was curious as to what it looked like up close so should I go up there to see for myself?

Picking up two boulders that were blocking my path and tossing them aside, I walked right and along the base of Mt. Tamaranch until I came to an impressive looking staircase that went upwards towards the mountain's peak. Right now, going up to the egg wouldn't do me much good even though I really wanted to see it up close and personal. Biting my upper lip, I eventually decided it was best for me to keep on the intended path despite really wanting to see the egg. Moving onward whilst kicking myself for ignoring arguably the most exciting landmark on the island, the path went south from a tree and then right where I came upon a river.

My path was riddled with Sword Boarblins so raising my shield, I parried their attacks and then attacked them with my sword as I approached each one. As the last one went down in defeat, a large jumping spider slammed into me causing me to fall onto my butt. Picking myself up, Princess Twilight told me that this was a Red Tektite, a creature that could jump about long distances though it had to pause every once in a while which would allow me the chance to attack. Fortunately, she said it only took one hit to defeat it so it wasn't strong in that sense but the jumping could prove annoying until it stopped.

The Red Tektite jumped all around me and while I wanted to defeat it in order to prove my point, I chose to ignore it because I needed to find a keyhole. However, it decided to jump after me until it managed to get in front which gave it my full attention. Swinging my sword, it jumped over me but then paused which left it vulnerable allowing me to swing again. This time it was successful and I defeated it though I wondered why the monster had to pause. Exhaustion perhaps? I'd be exhausted after jumping around like that. In any case, I kept on walking until I reached an unusual pair of carvings embedded into a wall.

"What do you make of those, Twilight?" I asked.

"I don't know, Sunset, but what I do know is that you have no means of accessing the cave below those carvings." Princess Twilight answered. "Still, I am curious as to why have such carvings like that above a cave entrance. Maybe something important is in there? If so then you need to find a way to access it."

"Since I apparently can't swim in this world, entering that cave is a no-go."

"Unless you had a means to swim."

Her Highness wasn't wrong there. The probability of me needing an item in order to swim was becoming more and more plausible especially since I needed items in order to both run and lift up heavy objects. While my curiousity was strong, Her Highness was way more curious than I could ever hope to be. You could say that she was curious enough for two without me needing to do much of anything. I kept on going until I stopped upon seeing what I had bee searching for. "Twilight! This is it! We've found the waterfall!" To my left was a massive flow of water that came raining down the side of the mountain.

"And that must be the keyhole."

Princess Twilight pointed to a beautiful looking keyhole that bore a slight resemblance to a fish. Walking up and reading the description, it said 'Angler Keyhole'. "Well... Let's see what this key can do." I took out the Angler Key, inserted it into the lock, turned it, turned it back, and pulled it back out before putting it back in my pocket. Suddenly, everything started vibrating but I couldn't see what was happening. Then I looked up and saw where the water was coming from, a large hole in the mountain bedrock before it began to slow down and eventually coming to a stop resulting in the entrance to the dungeon being revealed.

"That's... Quite an entrance."

"The fish motif is pretty evident." I added as both me and Princess Twilight gazed upon the entrance. The entrance itself was a giant fish's mouth with the fish having one eye looking down and the other looking up as a means of instilling some kind of fear factor. "I didn't think that a key could stop a powerful waterfall but it does explain what Princess Cadance meant when she said it was behind it." That's when Flash Sentry's words finally struck home resulting in me looking up at where the water once flowed down from. "No way... You've got to be kidding me here!"

"What's wrong, Sunset?"

"Remember what Flash Sentry said about a leap of faith?" I answered as I pointed at the former waterfall. "I think I've figured out what he meant by that." Her Highness then looked up for myself and pretty much figured out what I meant and gulped in agreement. "A jump like that from up there to down here will kill me! Is Flash Sentry trying to kill me here!?" While it sounded like I was completely insane for accusing Flash Sentry like that, the evidence was pretty stacked against him. Jumping from high places caused me great amounts of pain during my previous adventures so what was stopping that from happening again? "I'm starting to really hate this!"

"It gets worse."

"How so?"

"You need to do a little bit of backtracking."

"Compared to jumping off a cliff, I'll take backtracking anyday." While Princess Twilight was right about the backtracking, I was more concerned with this leap of faith I had to perform to reach the dungeon. "Looks like jumping off of a cliff is going to become my newest nightmare." Sighing, I was about to start making my way back before my eyes noticed another raised platform located just to the right of the Angler Keyhole. "At least I can easily come back here at any time using that warp tile over there." Walking up to the platform and standing on it briefly before stepping back off, I now had another location to warp to though this one felt lacking compared with the others.

As for what I had to do now... I had no other choice but to attempt it. Was I going to like it? Not one bit! Dashing back the way I came using the Pegasus Boots, I eventually crashed into a wall which left me dazed once again for a few moments, and upon recovering and getting back up, I walked up some stairs and went left before stopping at a boulder which was now blocking my way forward. Picking it up and tossing it aside, I kept heading west past a tree until reaching stairs that went up into the Tal Tal Mountains. I was actually as to what it would be like exploring them and now I had my chance to do so.

Walking up the stairs, everything around me suddenly changed such as a gentle breeze beginning to blow all around here, and the sun blazing down on me in a more intense manner creating stronger shadows on just about all objects including myself. From what I remembered of the map back in the library, these mountains covered the entire northern region of the island by stretching from one end to the other. That meant it was going to be difficult to explore every last section given how expansive it was. Looking to my left and seeing three boulders blocking a cave entrance, I lifted up and tossed one aside before entering the cave.

Upon entering, I immediately swung my sword at a few Keese which flew towards me, but it was the Hardhat Beetle on the ground that caught me by surprise. It bumped into my leg causing a bit of damage prompting me to attack it in order to push it into the abyss. It took me three hits to get rid of it while each Keese went down relatively quickly given how little stamina they had. Rubbing the bruise on my leg to soothe the pain, I kept going and reached another section that comprised of rocks and dark crystals. Looking over at the formation, I deduced what the solution was and began pushing things around.

Whilst pushing the rocks to make myself a path, I suddenly felt something warm coming from behind me. Turning around, I immediately ducked behind a rock and barely managed to avoid getting scorched by a fireball that came out of nowhere. Poking my head out, I was surprised to find that it was a torch that had thrown the fireball. I had experienced something similar on one of my previous adventures but it's something that didn't really come up all that much. A powerful magic had been used to enchant both torches so keeping an eye on both proved critical to not getting my butt roasted.

Continuing to push the rocks around, I stopped every ten seconds to hide behind a rock to allow the fireballs to harmlessly hit them. At a couple of points, I almost did get my butt roasted because of being a little bit too slow for my own liking, but luckily for me, I got through and even picked up a Piece of Heart which had been cleverly hidden in the bottom right-hand corner. Now the warmth from the heart was what I preferred over a magical fireball. Going down the stairs, I dashed along and blazed past several more Keese that happened to be in the way and even some Green Zols before going up some more stairs.

In this next area, I could see a treasure chest but it was located on a platform that was too far away for me to reach. Even with combining the Pegasus Boots and Roc's Feather, I wouldn't be able to make it. Speaking of the boots, had I come exploring here much sooner, I'd be completely stuck because of the green crystals blocking specific paths. Exiting the cave via a nearby exit, I chanced upon another chest and opened it which contained fifty rupees (According to my calculations, I now had around 510 rupees though I still needed a lot more in order to get my hands on that bow) before heading back inside.

Dashing to the right and through the green crystals, I went through another exit which brought me back outside again which was when I heard someone call out. "Hey! Hey! Is anyone there?" I instantly recognized Chancellor Neighsay's voice but couldn't see where it was coming from.

"Where are you?" I asked as I called out.

"I'm up here." Chancellor Neighsay answered.

Looking up, I could barely make out his hand waving at me. "What are you doing up there?"

"I recognize that voice." Chancellor Neighsay paused for a moment before continuing. "Aren't you that nice girl who gave my youngest child the Yoshi Doll? Yes, it must be you as no else sounds the way you do. It's Papahl by the way! Remember when I said that I'd end up getting myself lost in the mountains later on? Well, I've gone and done exactly that so now I'm pretty much stuck here. I don't suppose you could find a means of getting to me up here?"

"Sure, I'll be there as quick as I can."

"You should find a cave entrance somewhere close to where you are."

"Thanks!"

Even though I was almost at the dungeon, I couldn't ignore someone who was in trouble. Besides, Chancellor Neighsay did warn me that he would be up in the mountains so it's not like his current situation surprised me. Walking into a path filled with water that went up to my ankles, I walked forward and saw a cave entrance and went inside. Much like outside, this cave had a flooded floor so I hoped I wouldn't get sick. Another Keese swooped down from above but it quickly was defeated when I swung my sword though I had to be careful in such a narrow passage because of the possibility of my sword clanging off of a wall.

After defeating a Green Zol, I kept moving forward and defeated four more that popped up from the ground by a staircase. Each of them dropped Recovery Hearts which I picked up since I had taken some damage earlier. Heading up the stairs, I was surprised to find another chest but something about it felt off about it. Opening it up, I should've paid more attention to my instincts a Green Zol jumped out and bumped into me. Crap! Another trap chest. I was starting to despise encountering these even though this one was clearly obvious. Swinging my sword and defeating the 'trap', I walked south and was back ouside again.

"Ah there you are!" Chancellor Neighsay said as soon as he saw me. "I knew my directions would lead you to me."

"I still can't believe that you got yourself lost." I said as I approached him.

"What can I say?"

"Not much really."

"I'm glad that you came out here."

"Can you get back on your own?"

Chancellor Neighsay shook his head in a pained manner. "I've been famished for several hours now that I can't move much at all. In fact, when I was waving my arm earlier, that used up the last of my strength. I knew I should've taken some vittles with me before I left." As soon as he mentioned the word vittles, I was reminded of what Juniper said about what his favourite food was. "This might sound selfish of me so I apologize in advance but do you have any vittles for me?"

I nodded and presented him with the pineapple I got from Granny Smith. "Will this do?"

"A pineapple!" Chancellor Neighsay was clearly ecstatic. "How did you know?"

"Your wife told me."

"I should've known Mamasha would let someone know what my favourite food was." I handed over the pineapple to Chancellor Neighsay who happily held it above his head. "I just love eating pineapples and this one is the most delicious I've ever seen. I'm going to eat it right away. Bon appétit!" He began munching on it in a rapid fashion which reinforced what he said about not having eaten for some time. Granted, I'd never eat a pineapple that quickly because I'd likely get a stomach ache or worse. After eating some of it, he reached into a bag that was next to him before taking out a beautiful looking flower. "This wasn't the reward I planned on giving you..."

"What kind of flower is it?"

"It's a hibiscus, a very rare flower around here."

"I'll take it as my reward."

Chancellor Neighsay was surprised. "Really? You only want that? I was expecting you to want rupees or some kind of item, not a rare flower. Well... If that is what you really want then who am I to refuse you?" He handed over the hibiscus which I carefully placed into my pocket. Now I had the means to talk to Chestnut Magnifico as she wanted a hibiscus. "Yum! That pineapple was just delicious to no end! I'm filled with energy now!"

"Can you make it back now?"

"I'll stay here for a while longer before making my way back home."

Thanking him for the hibiscus and he in turn thanking me for the vittles, I left Chancellor Neighsay but rather than go back the way I came, I went to the left and then jumped down below to where I initially entered this area from. I could go back and visit Chestnut Magnifico since I could easily warp there but I'd have to go to Zecora's place as that was where the closest warp was located, yet I decided to continue on as I really wanted to enter the next dungeon. Dashing across the water (It actually felt quite refreshing), I soon arrived at my destination and I looked down to see how far of a drop it was.

I gulped. "I'm still not sure about this."

"You can do it, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

Closing my eyes, I took a step over the edge only to quickly pull my leg back. I wasn't afraid of heights but rather the prospect of falling to my death. Opening my eyes and getting some much needed assurance from Princess Twilight, who had placed her hand on my shoulder (Small as her hand was given she was a fairy) and smiled, I walked off the edge before dropping straight down. In those brief seconds of falling, my life flashed before me and there were some things I still regretted despite them having occurred a long time ago. Moments later, I was on the ground and stood before the dungeon's entrance.

I checked all over to see if I had broken any bones or had somehow died. Neither of these things were true. "That... Yeah, I'm never doing that again."

"At least you made it down here."

"Yeah, but now I'm stuck here since I apparently can't swim!"

"Perhaps this dungeon will give you the means to get your feet properly wet?"

"I can only hope so."

There was a staircase next to the dungeon entrance that went underground but I ignored it for the time being because the entrance compelled me to go inside. Walking into the giant fish mouth, I entered the opening room which had water on the floor as well as four statues each with a single eye in them. Judging from seeing the water on the floor, I knew that this was going to be consistent as I explored this place. The voice in my mind revealed that this was 'Level 4 - Angler's Tunnel', a fitting name considering what I was already seeing based on one room alone, yet I knew better seeing as each dungeon had a specific motif.

Walking into the next room, a door immediately locked to the right and in front of me were two Spiked Beetles, monsters I hadn't seen since Tail Cave. Raising my shield, I waited for each one to charge at me, and when they did, they bounced off of my shield which caused them to land on their shells and exposing their bellies. Two sword strikes on each defeated them though neither dropped anything which was a little disappointing. This unlocked the door but before heading in that direction, I went left in order to see what was over there. Good thing I did because there was a flying bomb hovering above the ground with a ten on it.

Using the Roc's Feather, I jumped up and grabbed it before landing and heading back the other way just as some kind of spider-like monster skated across the surface of the water towards me in hopes of trying to get my attention. Going through the door, I was immediately hit by another Spiked Beetle which blocked the way so I couldn't avoid it. Raising my shield again, it bounced off but before I could attack it, another Spiked Beetle charged at me from my left. I turned left and used my shield to bounce it off before attacking and defeating it in two strikes only for me to get hit by a Spark which had been rotating around a block.

Taking the Spark's hit (Not like I had any choice), I immediately took out the other Spiked Beetle only for a Red Zol to begin jumping towards me. One sword strike split it into two pieces and another strike defeated both. Sheesh! Not even five minutes into this place and already I was getting overwhelmed by the monsters. I hoped this wouldn't become a trend around here otherwise things were only going to get worse for me. Before me was a locked door which would remain as such since I didn't have a key but another door unlocked whose room I could check out, but first I opened the treasure chest that was no longer guarded and took out the Compass.

"Again!?" I moaned as I pocketed it. "Why can't I get the map first?"

"You should be thankful that you acquired the Compass seeing it alerts you to hidden keys."

"I suppose so."

Princess Twilight then began to check the surroundings which was normally what I was supposed to do. "I can't really say too much about this dungeon until we see more of it, but from what I've observed with what little we've seen, water is definitely going to be an issue."

"As in there will be places I can't go because I can't swim?"

"Yes."

I felt crestfallen. "Why can't I swim!? I mean, I can back home but why not here!?" While I was pretty angry that such a simple thing had been blocked, at least I knew it was because of this world's unusual mechanics as opposed to me losing the ability. "The more of this island we explore, the more it becomes apparent that I feel weaker on a personal level due to not being allowed to do things that are natural."

"You gain power but also lose it."

"I'm not a big fan of that approach."

Going through the unlocked door, I entered a room which contained another chest, some statues, dark crystals, and more of those spider-like monsters I saw earlier. Before I had a chance to think about what my next move was going to be, I was surprised when the door locked itself behind me. "Are those creatures Tektites? They do bear some resemblance but they aren't moving around or anything."

"Those are Water Tektites."

"So like a relative?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Unlike regular Tektites, the Water Tektite cannot leave the water nor can they jump so you don't have to worry about them coming onto dry land. But, they do have other abilities which make them tricky to deal with. They move in diagonal directions, skating across the water though they aren't necessarily coming for you. They can also move in normal directions so be careful."

"They don't look particularly strong."

"You should be able to defeat them in one hit."

Just as I was about to make a move, the Compass beeped signalling that there was a key in this room, most likely in the treasure chest. Heading to the left, a Water Tektite skated towards me in a rather quick manner but I defeated it in one hit as Her Highness said. I then began smashing the dark crystals which were in two lined formations which lead straight up to the chest and upon opening it, I took out a small key before heading back to where the door was. Since I knew that defeating all monsters would unlock it, I walked past the door and defeated another Water Tektite before turning left.

The third Water Tektite was looking in the wrong direction which allowed me to defeat it while the last one skated across a deep section of water before stopping at a spot which I could reach by jumping over a small patch of deep water. I did just that using the Roc's Feather and making a small hop and upon landing, I attacked the remaining Water Tektite, defeating it and unlocking the door. Despite not being all that aggressive, these Water Tektites were showing me how to be more strategic in terms of dealing with monsters instead of simply relying on brute force or charging my way through.

Jumping back over the deep water and making my way over to the door, I entered the previous room where I stopped to think about unlocking the door. I mean, I could unlock it and progress but what if there was another locked door beyond it? I'd have wasted a key which could be used elsewhere. Asking Princess Twilight for her opinion, she said that if she were in my shoes, she'd wait and see what else was in the dungeon before coming back here and unlocking the door. Taking her advice to heart, I ignored the locked door for the time being and went back to the previous room and up the stairs.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed upon seeing what looked to be the main area of the dungeon.

"I have to concur with you here, Sunset."

"There's so much water."

"And the deeper sections are places where you can't swim."

That thought alone really annoyed me and reiterated my opinion that I was getting weaker despite getting more items. "And look at all those Water Tektites skating about." That many of them would give me some trouble despite them not being strong. "You know... Maybe I should've unlocked that door but then I'd end up seeing this anyway. I'm trying really hard to not become outraged because of the whole swimming issue but this doesn't make it any easier for me. Whoever came up with this particular idea should be ashamed of themselves for forcing me to go through it."

"You needed to vent that didn't you?"

I nodded. "Venting out frustrations sometimes makes me feel better."

Walking along, I couldn't help but admire the atmosphere of Angler's Tunnel. I knew it was a monster infested dungeon but everything looked so calm and serene. If this wasn't a place corrupted by dark forces, it would make for a peaceful haven for anyone who needed to wind down from being stressed out too much. Compared to the previous dungeons which were either dull, boring, confusing, or a combination of these things and more, this dungeon felt completely different, and it had to be the water dungeon of all things. I couldn't allow myself to become complacent otherwise I'd likely succumb to whatever else was waiting for me.

The path soon went in two directions so I kept walking forward where I found what was on the other side of that locked door. My suspicion turned out to be correct for had I entered this room via the locked door, I'd have been unable to progress any further because of needing another key. I was definitely going to come back here later. Opening the treasure chest which was contained in its own small area of the room, I took out a Stone Beak, which while not a map, was still useful as those Owl Statues often provided valuable hints. Making my way back to the split paths, I went the other way and dashed along in order to speed up the process.

Soon I reached another chest and opened it up which gave me the Dungeon Map. "Now that's more like it!" I exclaimed as I unfurled it in order to take a look at the layout. "Good thing this came up early as already the dungeon looks like quite a head-scratcher." The arrangement of the rooms were in the shape of what looked like a fish pointing down or maybe some kind of fishing hook, but I personally thought of a flipper, as in, what you'd wear on your feet when diving underwater via scuba diving. "The Nightmare is all the way over here on the far left side as that's where the marker is."

Princess Twilight then looked at the map. "This dungeon looks small but because you can't swim right now, a lot of areas are inaccessible to you. We also know where the instrument is located as those are always one room behind where the Nightmare can be found. That marker is actually covering up the Nightmare's room so I can't tell what's in there but we'll eventually find out once you've gotten the Nightmare Key."

"There's also not as much water as we thought."

"But there's enough."

"According to the Compass, I've still got seven treasure chests left to open."

"Then I suggest finding the one that contains the dungeon's item." Princess Twilight said. "I've been thinking about it ever since you first brought up the problem with you being unable to swim. My theory is that it could either be some kind of diving suit, perhaps a snorkel and mask, or maybe some flippers."

I rolled my eyes at some of those choices. "A snorkel and mask? Seriously? That sounds kind of silly don't you think? I'm honestly surprised that you didn't include a scuba tank among those options since we don't know if I can actually breather underwater. While a diving suit would be nice, I'd have to change in and out of it whenever I needed it unless it was permanent in that I couldn't take it off until this journey was over. No, I think flippers sound like the ideal item for swimming. Guess we won't know for certain until we find the chest that contains whatever is needed to collect the fourth instrument."

Princess Twilight then laughed. "Guess my options aside from the last one were pretty farfetched." South of the chest were some stairs which I walked down where I encountered a large abyss in front of me and to my left, another abyss but in a plus formation. "Remember doing this back in Key Cavern, Sunset?" Her Highness floated over the abyss in order to see what the other direction heralded. "So that's where that other locked door leads into... Okay, I'm beginning to understand how this dungeon operates. You do need to do some slight backtracking for keys mostly for now."

"Figures it would be backtracking."

"It's become quite obvious by now." Princess Twilight said, sarcasm clearly in her voice. "You need to come at this abyss from the south in order to jump across and reach the side you currently can't access, but that requires at least another key which you don't have. Do some more exploring and you should find a key or two."

Hopping into the air and then dashing forward, I jumped over the abyss with the Roc's Feather, barely making it to the other side. Walking into the next room, the Compass beeped again signalling that there was a key. I could see a Bubble floating around so I needed to avoid that as I'd rather not waste what little Magic Powder I had left. There was another chest protected by a block with another one that was cracked protecting it. Suddenly, a Water Tektite skated towards me so I reacted in a panicked fashion which involving swinging my sword like crazy and hoping for a hit.

Sure enough, I connected and the Water Tektite was defeated where it dropped a blue rupee which I collected. That's when I noticed a strange looking flower in the water that began spinning its petals around before it took off and began floating just above the water's surface. "What can you tell me about this flower?"

"That is a Peahat." Princess Twilight answered. I then noticed her scribbling down something on some paper and I couldn't help but be amused. Her Highness really did love her research especially when it meant she could see it with her own eyes. "Some say that these are ghosts of flowers but it's a tough one to call because that information is very old and I do mean old. The information is even older than me! Anyway, Peahats fly around on their petal-like wings and can rest pretty much anywhere they want without restriction. They can only be attacked when they land so you'll have to wait around for a while but you shouldn't have to wait that long."

"It sounds like they don't try to attack me."

"They seem content with just floating around."

I then turned the subject towards the cracked block. "I bet I can use a bomb to destroy it."

"You can but you need to make sure the bomb lands correctly."

"What happens if I don't?"

Princess Twilight then gritted her teeth and began blowing as though she were imitating steam. "That's what happens, Sunset. When you take out a bomb, the fuse gets lit and explodes once it has run out. If a bomb falls into the water, the fuse automatically goes out due to getting wet and the bomb becomes useless and lost. You need to make your throw count by having the bomb land on the block or even next to it should it land in the shallow water. Just because you have plenty of them to spare doesn't mean being careless."

Taking out a bomb, I carefully tossed it where it landed in the deep water and was gone. Seriously!? Did that seriously just happen!? Ugh! That was embarrassing! At least it gave me a good indication of how much power I needed to apply when throwing. I took out another bomb and tossed it with less force than the previous one and it landed next to the block before exploding seconds later. The Peahat had practically ignored it and continued floating until it left the general area but I wasn't about to go after it unles I needed to defeat all monsters. I then pushed the other block where it sank into the water allowing me access to the chest.

Opening it up netted me a small key so I could now go back and unlock those other two doors, but then I was curious as to what I'd find by going north. The fascination of discovering new things was important when navigating a dungeon so long as it doesn't become too overwhelming. Going north, I avoided the Bubble and defeated two Water Tektites which were swimming towards me and then I noticed two more Peahats who merely floated away and ignored me. If I didn't need to fight them then why bother them? Continuing on into the next room, I suddenly stopped as two Bubbles bounced off of each other and towards the back of the chamber.

In front of me was another Water Tektite which hadn't noticed me and a chest protected by three cracked blocks. Rather than rushing in and attack the Water Tektite, I took out a bomb and tossed it over to the blocks where it exploded destroying them in addition to the Water Tektite. Hey, if I could defeat monsters through unconventional means then why not use such tactics? Opening up this chest gave me my third small key so the question came where do I go from here? Looking at the Dungeon Map again, Princess Twilight was once again proven right in that I had to backtrack in order to progress further.

Sighing, I began making my way back to where the first locked door was. I made sure to dash along as much as I could with the Pegasus Boots as I wanted to speed up the process rather than have it linger on. With only Peahats floating about, I didn't have much in the way of combat though that was sure to change later upon entering unexplored rooms. I then dashed and jumped over the abyss before I continued dashing south and then right until I was back where I first encountered the Spiked Beetles. Unfortunately, they had all since re-spawned which meant I had to beat them again to unlock the door... Again.

Raising my shield, I bounced both Spike Beetles onto their backs and attacked their bellies which unlocked the door. Going back into this final previous room, I tried to ignore all the monsters only for the Red Zol to stop me in my tracks. I quickly disposed of it along with the smaller versions before I could get hit by the Spiked Beetles and the Spark and then unlocked the door. Now that I was back in this room on the proper path, three Water Tektites were somehow skating around though they weren't there before. I quickly defeated one which was right next to me before jumping over some deep water and continuing on.

The other two Water Tektites then skated down to the bottom right corner of the room where I defeated both at the same time with one sword swing which netted me a single green rupee adding to my total. Jumping over some more deep water, I used the small key to unlock the door and enter another room where I saw another chest but couldn't reach it due to it being surrounded by more deep water. There was even a Peahat standing guard in front of it so I definitely wasn't going to be opening it. Three more Water Tektites (These things were everywhere in here) skated about but I only defeated one as the other two skated away from me.

"Finally! I made it back to that abyss in the shape of a plus!" I said as I attacked two more Red Zols which both split into two smaller pieces. "While that backtracking wasn't that bad, having to fight my way through so many monsters isn't my idea of having fun. It makes sense seeing as the dungeons are continuing to increase in difficulty." I then defeated the remaining Red Gels which gave me a clear shot at jumping across the abyss. "According to the map, there is another locked door ahead but also one of those key blocks."

"It seems you need to find another key somewhere."

"I know that the chest I ignored just a moment didn't contain a key as the Compass didn't make a sound."

"That's why getting it early is helpful."

"Okay, I take back my lack of enthusiasm over that." Lining myself up correctly, I dashed and jumped over the abyss where I kept on dashing and right through a Red Zol which was defeated completely without it splitting up. "Didn't think I could defeat one of those instantly without having to cut them." A Sword Stalfos was on patrol on the other side of the key block along with something new which I hadn't seen before. "What's up with that star-shaped thing?"

"It's called a Star."

"Really?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "They are easy to defeat and don't really cause much in the way of damage to you, but their fast movement make them unpredictable. They can give you a serious headache especially when you're busy dealing with other monsters."

Using the key on the key block, it disappeared and I knew I needed to push a block forward to be able to continue on, but there was a staircase which could lead me somewhere else which left me with a dilemma. I had to push the block but that would prevent me from accessing the staircase. Perhaps it would reset itself later if I were to come back after exploring some additional rooms. First, there was that Sword Stalfos who had become a problem as it was blocking me from pushing the block. It kept on swinging its sword as a means of trying to attack me only for the block to keep it at bay.

Even the Star wanted a piece of the action by trying to squeeze past the Sword Stalfos only to eventually give up and move back the other way. The Sword Stalfos' efforts soon got annoying so I pushed the block forward giving it access though blocking me from accessing the stairs. Using my shield to parry its sword strike resulting in it dropping its guard, I swung my sword twice and defeated the Sword Stalfos before swinging for the fun of it which accidentally defeated the Star which had moved towards me. Surprisingly, a Green Zol popped up from the ground but I ignored it since it wasn't really much of a threat.

Walking into the next area, the Compass beeped again indicating a key was nearby but I couldn't see a chest so I assumed it would drop down from above. There was a locked door to my right as well as two holes which were being blocked by small stones. Knowing how this worked worked, climbing or jumping over those stones was impossible and so all I could do was stare at them. (I was really starting to despise these restrictions) Two more Red Zols located in-between the two holes were hopping up and down so I went over to attack both causing each to split in two where I defeated them. A key then dropped down from above only not where I was expecting...

SPLASH!

"Twilight... Did that key?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It dropped into some water below."

"And I can't swim..."

"You can't."

While it looked like I was about to burst into sheer anger, I sighed and concluded that this was just another way that this world could torment me. "Guess I need to come back later once I learn how to swim." Still, the fact that it even happened was much worse than it happening period. Not only did I need to backtrack to this area, I required the dungeon item which meant more exploration before coming back. "Twilight... I think I'm going to need to sit down for a moment so what happened can sink in." Princess Twilight nodded and I sat down on the ground before I grumbled under my breath over the now submerged key.

To Be Continued.

Chapter 14: To Swim Like a Fish.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
December 7, 2019.
Chapter 14: To Swim Like a Fish.

I couldn't believe what had just happened! A key which I needed to unlock the door in front of me dropped down from above only to fall into a hole in the ground and making a loud splash indicating that it got submerged into some deep water. Because of my apparent inability to swim, the key was now lost and unless I could learn how, I wasn't about to collect it any time soon or even at all. Whoever thought of this idea had to have been sadistic or at the very least crazy. No wonder video games tended to bring out the worst in people. It was stuff like that which caused them to want to break something.

Have I been there before? All the time. In fact, I won't deny that I've broken my share of controllers out of sheer anger over how cheap a video game could get when it came to questionable decisions. My friends know about this unfortunate shame of mine and they have helped me calm down to the point where I no longer want to smash the controller up against the wall (It had been about four or five months since breaking my last controller), but the frustration still remained. Just because some players appreciate such twists doesn't mean it will be appreciated by others.

As I continued to sit on the floor and grumbled over not being able to get that key, I thought about all which I had been through so far on this journey. Compared with the previous two, this one was surprisingly tame which had me wonder if Ganondorf was showing me some pity. The Demon King showing pity... Never thought I'd think of that kind of connection. Still, why send me to this world in particular? My previous journey to Termina (Surprised I remembered that name) was a doomed world where everything would end in three days, and the one before that, Hyrule (Really surprised I remembered this one), showcase Ganondorf's rise to power.

Compared to those two worlds, Koholint Island was much more peaceful and didn't have any thought-provoking decisions where the fate of everyone rested on my shoulders should I make the wrong choice. A false sense of security? Had the Demon King lapsed in judgement? Maybe but there were still many questions that remained unanswered. Why want me to become his servant when there are far better candidates who possess what he's looking for? Sure, I am quite powerful in the magical sense, but I lack physical prowess in that I don't have herculean strength or a super brain.

Looking at Princess Twilight, who was concerned with me, she was pretty much the same as I was. Her magic and intellect were naturally better than mine because she completed her studies while I abandoned them for a while only to come back to them later. She also lacked physical prowess but then she didn't really need it due to being a scholar. Was it possible that the two of us were simply an option he could rely on as a bonus and instead had a far greater plan? That did sound plausible yet it was only my opinion. Without actual evidence to back up my claim, my thoughts on the matter were just that, thoughts.

Getting back onto my feet because I had gotten over the small key problem (It was because of my thoughts on Ganondorf), I could only imagine what the Demon King's next move was going to be. I could never hope to read the thoughts of one who had lived for millennia not to mention who could foresee just about everything. If only there was a sign of some kind as to what he was going to do next, I could perhaps find a way to prepare myself. But, that would be nothing short of a miracle at this point. There wasn't anything I could do other than continue on with this journey and see it through to the end.

Walking over to the hole where the key fell into before making a splash, I leaned over in order to see if I could actually see where it was. I could barely make out the deep water but the lack of light down below made it too murky for me to see anything else. Since nothing could be done without the ability to swim, I had no choice but to abandon that key and hope that I could acquire it later. Walking south with a heavy heart, I entered the next area which contained an Owl Statue that wasn't embedded into the wall. There was also more deep water along with a pair of Spiked Beetles and a Water Tektite in the distance to my right.

Inching a little bit further, I could see that there was an additional Water Tektite as well as a treasure chest, but the latter was inaccessible due to deep water surrounding it. Again, I couldn't do anything about it but it wasn't a key in the very least. If it had been, the Compass would've made its usual sound so it had to have contained rupees which were necessary for me to purchase that bow from Aria. Raising my shield, I flipped over both Spiked Beetles before hitting each of them twice with my sword, defeating them leaving just the Water Tektites though neither showed any signs of wanting to skate on over and attack me.

Ignoring them, I walked up to the Owl Statue, took out the Stone Beak from my pocket, and placed it where it needed to go. 'The glint of the tile will be your guide...' I immediately began to scratch my head. "Twilight? Do you have any idea what that meant?" I asked as I removed the Stone Beak and placed it back in my pocket.

"I'm not sure to be honest." Princess Twilight answered. "From what I've seen of the hints these statues provide, they always give you information that's helpful for the dungeon you're currently in. If this consistency rings true then these tiles it mentioned should be coming up later on. I'll make a note of what the statue said for further reference. On a different note, is everything okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You were pretty upset when that key fell into the water."

"I just got so frustrated over such a design choice."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

To Princess Twilight, video games were an absolute mystery to her because they didn't exist in Equestria. I could probably give her an entire semester dedicated to them but I didn't have the time to go into complete detail so I had to wing it. "This world was made by those who are gifted with incredible skills but they chose to make some questionable choices that could easily cause frustration which can lead to anger. I know my explanation is pretty bad but just trust me on this. We are in a video game and the gifted ones I just mentioned created it with some special magic that doesn't exist in Equestria."

Princess Twilight's eyes then lit up. "Now you've really got to tell me more when you have a free moment."

"Oh I intend on giving you quite the lecture."

"I look forward to it." Her Highness then changed the subject back to her coronation which took me by surprise. "I was thinking that if you do manage to come to the coronation, you could bring along some food native to your world. I know there was some things which I absolutely loved but can't get them in Equestria due to them not existing there. Whether other ponies will like them remains to be seen but I'd appreciate it."

"I should be able to bring a couple of things over but not too much as I do have a budget you know."

"That's where I could lend you some money and you'd be buying stuff on my behalf."

"Equestrian currency doesn't work in my world, Twilight." That caused Her Highness to blush and I laughed. "Considering what you've done for me, I'd buy the food myself and bring it over and you wouldn't have to pay me back. I don't think I can bring over any beverages seeing as going through the portal does involve spinning around a lot which would cause it to get spilt. No, I think snacks and maybe some fancy food is in order."

"You will come to the coronation, right?"

"If I get an invitation, nothing will stop me barring a magical emergency."

"Then I should make a physical and mental note to send you an invite."

Continuing south, three more Water Tektites appeared (This dungeon was practically a breeding ground for them) though I couldn't ignore them as they skated over towards me prompting me to get my sword ready. I swung once which took out one then again which defeated the other two though the rupees they dropped ended up falling into the deep water where they disappeared because I couldn't reach them due to my lack of swimming. Now I really needed to find what this dungeon item was. A little bit further south was a Peahat which took off from where it was resting and began fluttering about.

Ignoring it since I didn't see the need to fight it, I jumped over two gaps of deep water using the Roc's Feather and continued on but not before defeating another Water Tektite which was blocking the way forward but that quickly changed when another skated south and blocked my path. Swinging my sword, I took it out where it dropped a green rupee which I could collect as it didn't plunge into any deep water, but then my eyes noticed a switch by a locked door on the other side of the deep water. No way could I make that jump so once again, this was something I had to ignore for now and come back to later.

In the next section, three Peahats were on the ground before they started floating around. I could also barely make out a staircase located on an upper ledge (I had to jump in order to confirm that was what it was) as well as a treasure chest. Weaving my way through the Peahats and ignoring them (I mean, I could attack them since they were monsters but because they were more inclined on ignoring me, I should just leave well enough alone) I next encountered a Sword Stalfos, a Shrouded Stalfos, and a Red Zol. Huh... Quite the assortment even though I had fought them all before in previous dungeons.

Attacking the Shrouded Stalfos since it had the ranged attack, I defeated it but was then struck in the stomach by the Sword Stalfos. Fortunately, my tunic was undamaged and the wound wasn't too serious but I responded in kind by raising my shield as the Sword Stalfos attacked again, its attack got parried leaving it helpless, and I struck it twice defeating it before turning my attention towards the Red Zol. I kept on attacking as it first split in two and both halves were gone leaving me free to open up a chest they had been guarding. To my surprise, I had opened another trap chest as it contained a Green Zol.

Before it could even leap out of the chest, I attacked it and defeated it before moving on to the next section. "Well... We don't have to worry about finding those tiles as here they are in all their glory." Before me were five tiles with two of then located in deep water and while I could easily jump over to reach them, something about their arrangement felt off. "The statue said the glint of the tile would guide me, but I don't see any glint. What is a glint anyway?"

"Think of a glint as a sparkle."

I then rolled my eyes. "Nice segway into yourself."

"You needed a good example."

"Still, none of them are glinting."

"Then there must be another set of tiles in this exact formation elsewhere in the dungeon." Princess Twilight said as she flew into my pocket and took out the Dungeon Map. "You can actually see some of the things in each room though not to the exact detail." Her Highness then pointed at the current room we were in with the tiles. "See? You can just barely make them out and it looks like more are just a short distance away. Unfortunately, this map doesn't showcase any glinting so you still need to figure that one out."

I then looked at the map. "The locked door with the switch next to it goes to one of those key blocks."

"Another thing for later."

"Where could that dungeon item be!?"

"There aren't many unopened chests left that you can access."

"So that should nail it down to either this one here or that one there." I said as I pointed at two potential chest markers on the map. "One of those chests is actually coming up with the other being in another room. I hope the item is in the chest closest to us otherwise it will be the other one." No doubt that this was how one used a Dungeon Map in order to check on everything constantly so as to not overlook anything. I then looked at where the Nightmare was situated again to remind myself of its location. "I still need the Nightmare Key which remains unaccounted for."

"It will probably be in the last treasure chest you find."

Her Highness wasn't wrong about that. The Nightmare Key's I had been finding in the dungeons were almost always the last chest I needed to open. Sure, it wasn't quite suspenseful since I knew which chest contained it due to how opened chests no longer had their markers on the Dungeon Map, but it was still cumbersome because of having to go to pretty much the last possible location. I'd have preferred getting the Nightmare's Key early on so as not having to worry about finding them later on. I doubted my preference would ever become a thing as previous experience mostly proved me right.

Defeating three more Water Tektites which had since skated over to me, I left the room with the tiles by heading right and upon entering the next room, the Compass beeped which meant the dungeon item was in the other chest much to my dismay. Of course it was going to be in that one! Of course it would! Crap! Avoiding another Spark, I opened up the chest containing as expected, a small key so now I could go back and unlock that other door but I decided on exploring this room a bit further in the hopes of not missing anything. There was a block which well, blocked one direction, and the other direction stopped at a dead end.

Before I could see what was on the other side of the stones that blocked me (They were the dead end), two statues located out of reach and probably out of bounds began shooting fireballs from their eyes. I knew not to stick around so I backed away until I was no longer in range of the fireballs. Once again, I had to backtrack back to a previous area but hopefully, most of the monsters haven't re-spawned though ones defeated early on probably have. A shame that I couldn't see those other tiles but those fireballs weren't something to mess around with and I had no magic to deal with them.

Heading back to the previous room, again, these tiles didn't glint so I needed to get to the other ones. Since I couldn't reach the others from this side, I needed to get to them from the other side... which immediately left me feeling confused. Taking out the Dungeon Map again, I looked at it whilst backtracking though I did look forward every few moments as I didn't want to accidentally run into something. The one locked door I ignored earlier would allow me to get to the other side of those fireball shooting statues but I'd first need to go through a couple of rooms.

As I continued backtracking whilst avoiding Peahats and jumping over patches of dark water, I looked at the room where the Nightmare was again, and something I hadn't noticed before suddenly became apparent to me. The room in question was incredibly small. The Nightmare was either incredibly tiny compared with what I had already faced or the fight would be taking place in a different room. If this dungeon hadn't already confused me, it had finally succeeded. Again, I would find out for certain upon getting there and seeing for myself. Putting the map away, I continued on backtracking until I was back where I needed to be.

The two Red Zols from before had re-spawned as expected and I took them out in a quick manner only for the small key that dropped down into the water earlier repeating the process much to both my annoyance and surprise. Did I really need to see that again? All it did was reaffirm my dislike of why such things happened in video games. I could explore those stairs I ignored earlier since I was now on this side and wouldn't be blocking myself, but I really wanted to see what was on the other side of this locked door. Unlocking it with my key and entering the next room, my body immediately froze upon seeing what was in there.

"Twilight? What in Celestia is that!?" Standing in the upper left corner of the room was what looked like a giant octopus with large eyes and several tentacles but it clearly was anything but that.

"That would be the mid-boss of this dungeon."

"At least I'm making some progress." I then noticed that the creature hadn't made a move which made me wonder if it lacked any vision. "Do you think that creature is blind? Or maybe it hasn't noticed me yet?"

"I'm going to say the other option is true." Princess Twilight answered. "Anyway, this creature is known as a Hydrosaur. You might think that the obvious weak point has to be those giant eyes, then you'd be wrong because they along with the front of it are protected by a thick armour. You can't penetrate it with anything in your possession. To defeat it, you must attack its backside which is surprisingly soft."

"How can I hit it from behind?"

"One option would be to use the Pegasus Boots and somehow manage to keep up with it."

"I take it there are other options?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "You could also jump over it with the Roc's Feather but that would require a precise jump otherwise it will hit you. One other option which is considered to be the easiest is to wait for it to pass by before striking the side but you need to be positioned correctly or else your sword bounced off its armoured front leaving you vulnerable to getting run over. I should also mention that it will change direction every time you hit it so be prepared for when it does that. Considering how narrow the paths are in comparison with its large size, you're going to have a lot of trouble."

"I figured as much." I then sighed. "I might be forced to use Sugar Belle's medicine."

"If that happens, you can just go back to her and buy some more."

Upon noticing me, the Hydrosaur began moving and I was surprised to see that it was pretty fast for a giant octopus like creature. It then charged into the wall where it stopped momentarily before turning left and proceeding to charge forward. That gave me some ideas on when to attack it from behind but first I needed to actually get behind the thing otherwise I couldn't do much of anything. I began walking around the room making sure every now and then that my eyes were focused on the Hydrosaur and not lose track of it and surprisingly it was easy for me to get around to the otherwise because it stopping whenever it hit a wall worked in my favour.

I kept on walking around whilst managing to keep up with it (I was surprised that it hadn't noticed me coming up from behind) but when I swung my sword in order to hit it, it then moved causing me to cause under breath before I followed along. Fortunately, it hadn't gotten far ahead so when it hit the wall again, I struck it from behind. It spun around several times in a rapid fashion and continued moving but now it was doing so backwards. Opportunity was certainly knocking for me here. I went the other way and was waiting on the other side when suddenly it came to a screeching halt, turned around, and went the other way.

I had no chance of avoiding it since it did something I wasn't expecting. The Hydrosaur quickly darted around the room and ran over me which caused me a lot of pain. It's weight definitely matched its size as I felt like I had been run over by several cars all at once. As I got back onto my feet, it had already gone around the corner and was mere seconds away from running over me again, so dashing along with the Pegasus Boots, I hit the wall this time which was bad timing as in the moment, I had forgotten that hitting a wall stunned me for a moment which was enough time for the Hydrosaur to run over me again.

"Gah!" I shouted from underneath the thing.

"Sunset!"

It then got off and continued moving around. "I'm okay, Twilight. This is nothing new for me." I got back onto my feet again only my legs buckled a little. It was true that I had experienced pain much worse than getting flattened by a giant octopus monster. Over the course of these adventures, I had been electrocuted, impaled, set on fire, slammed into walls, slammed into the ground, beaten to within an inch of my life, cursed, and other things I couldn't remember. Being run over like this was probably on the lower end of the scale when it came to what I had endured via pain.

"You need to try another tactic if your current one isn't working."

"What do you suggest?"

"Anything other than what you were doing!"

Not exactly the best advice Her Highness had given me but she was right in that I needed another strategy and quickly. The Hydrosaur in the meantime had made its way around on account that I had gotten back onto my feet slower this time so raising my shield, my hope was that it would either get bounced back or I would get bounced around a little without taking any damage. It hit my shield but didn't get bounced back (In hindsight, I knew this wouldn't work given how big it was) but instead it pushed me back into the wall though stopping short of crushing me by a few inches.

As it went around the corner, I decided to go with the same strategy I was doing before (I was stubborn when it came to what I wanted to do) but I used the Pegasus Boots in a sparing manner where I would stop before hitting a wall, that way not hitting it and stunning myself. Dashing forward, I stopped at a wall, turned, and dashed again only to stop at the next wall, turn, and continue dashing. No matter how fast it was moving, I kept up with the Hydrosaur until I struck it in the back by dashing into it. That caused some damage only for it to turn right around resulting in my getting run over again.

"Ugh!" I said after it got off of me. "I kind of deserved that."

"Your strategy worked better this time except the Hydrosaur reacted differently."

I got back up again. "It's hard to avoid getting hit by it."

"You might have to endure such hits."

"I'm not intentionally being reckless you know!"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I know that, Sunset. It's just sometimes you do need to get hurt in order to eventually overcome what you're fighting. Now don't think this is me endorsing such an idea because it's utterly stupid in every sense of the word, but I think you've gotten the idea by now."

Her Highness was right about me needing to take hits sometimes. If I kept on wanting to avoid everything and not leap straight into the heart of things, I wouldn't get any experience nor any confidence about future fights. Sure, this did play into Ganondorf's notion of making me suffer but in this case, I was willing to endure the punishment rather than have it forced onto me. Choosing to walk around the room and not dash instead, I eventually caught up with the Hydrosaur, attacking it from behind and it turned around before running me over yet again with its large frame.

Getting back up, my legs buckled again as it meant that I was starting to take too much damage. Even though I had Sugar Belle's medicine, I didn't really want to use it this early and against a strong monster that wasn't the Nightmare. But, such things were out of my hands so I ought to be thankful for her blessing. Pursuing the Hydrosaur by dashing again as a means of changing up my strategy to confuse it, I dashed into it from behind causing it to move backwards before screeching to a stop and then coming at me. I was ready this time in that I went the other way and it began chasing me around.

Despite how fast it was, it couldn't keep up with up and eventually stopped and turned around when it got bored. I then turned and began chasing it only for it to suddenly stop and turn around where I got run over yet again. It was desperate now since I had hit it a few times which meant I only had a few more to go. Now I was really having trouble standing up which meant I probably had one or two hits left before I would die. Despite Sugar Belle claiming that her medicine would kick in when I ran out of health, it's not like I had a chance to try and see if it worked. If it didn't, I really would be dead.

At that point, I had gotten tired of chasing after the Hydrosaur so I opted to try the third strategy Princess Twilight mentioned. Positioning myself up against the wall, I waited for it to come around and when it did moments later, I attacked its behind just as it moved by. In response, it turned around and ran me over and I slumped to the ground. Just like that, death had taken its hold over me. For that brief period, it felt like everything had ended but then my body twitched and I got back up, my health having been restored. Sugar Belle's medicine worked but maybe she should make the effects upon death less gloomy.

I had a temporary moment of invincibility which I remembered from my previous adventures whenever I used a fairy to bring myself back from the brink. I used this opportunity to attack the Hydrosaur after it had run me over though it did turn around and ran me down again. Getting up again albeit faster, I waited for it to come around and when it brushed past me, I hit its back again which turned out to be the final hit. The Hydrosaur began exploding several times before it exploded in a spectacular fashion which unlocked both doors. A fairy appeared which I approached and it healed my wounds. Lastly, a portal appeared which I could use to warp back to the start of the Angler's Tunnel.

"That was a lot harder than I thought."

Princess Twilight then began bopping me on the head repeatedly. "I didn't think Sugar Belle's medicine was going to work but it did!" She then calmed down. "This does mean you need to see her again if you want to have more of it. That means you need to defeat the Nightmare without a safety net as it were."

I breathed heavily. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. In the meantime, I guess during that battle, I ended up applying all kinds of strategies in the hopes that one of them would actually work."

"It's a good idea to try different methods in order to find what works."

"Yeah, and it ended up with me getting run over... Repeatedly."

"How does your body feel?"

I answered Her Highness by stretching a couple of times. "A little stiff but I'll manage. That wasn't the worst thing I've had happen to me and I hope that it doesn't happen again, but knowing my luck, it's going to with something much worse down the road." Swinging my sword around for fun, I then began walking forward. "Let's keep going and hope that I find this dungeon item because I really need it now." Entering the next room, I immediately moved as two blocks began closing in on me where I entered, the same with two similar blocks by the exit of the room. "Now that's new!"

"Do you see that strange lever over there?"

I nodded. "Does it have to do with those blocks?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "If you grab and pull it backwards, the blocks will pull themselves apart, but they will slowly come back together once you let go of it. Even if you had even greater strength, you won't be able to stop those blocks from moving towards each other. Timing is important here as there's also a Spark moving about in the room and it could prevent you from reaching the next room."

"Guess it's time for me to perform some physical labour."

"It shouldn't be difficult for you."

"I'll ignore that." I said sarcastically. Avoiding the Spark which was rotating around a stationary block, I walked over to the lever, grabbed its handles, and began pulling on it with all the strength I could muster up. At first, it didn't look like I was making any progress but that soon changed as the lever slowly got pulled. "Sheesh! This thing clearly hasn't been oiled! It's like pulling a rusted switch which had been in disuse for decades!" Once the lever couldn't be pulled anymore, I let go and started making way over to the other door before the two blocks in front of it came back together. I managed to make it just in time as they collided. "Whew! That was way too close for comfort."

"You're not safe yet."

"What do you mean?" My question was answered in the form of statues above the treasure chest shooting fireballs at me. "Okay, that's just mean." Not only were there fireballs being flung at me, two Red Zols were hopping around by stairs, and both doors had locked themselves. "If the dungeon item is in the chest, then it's being guarded by some powerful forces, as in the statues."

"Nothing you have can stop those statues so you need to avoid their fireballs."

Raising my shield, two fireballs came at me but bounced harmlessly off. On a side note, I noticed that the eyes of the two statues attacking me were moving in response to where I was moving thus allowing them to keep track of my movements. Whoever designed them knew what they were doing. Before they could fire more fireballs, I attacked the Red Zols which split them up into their smaller pieces and I attacked those causing both doors to unlock. Even better, both statues stopped attacking me, their eyes moving back to where they started effectively shutting both down.

Opening up the chest, I took out what turned out to be Flippers. Both were yellow in colour with blue sections which would cover up my ankles. "You did suggest that a possible item would be flippers and that's exactly what I got here. Honestly, I was expecting something more epic but I'll take what I can get."

"Now you can finally swim in deep water."

"I should've been able to do that from the start."

"Unlike the Pegasus Boots, the Flippers aren't going to be on you at all times." Princess Twilight said. "I mean think about it. If you were to wear these everywhere, you would walk a lot sooner and frankly, it would just look ridiculous. They will automatically appear on your feet whenever you go into any deep water so there's no need to worry about where they're going to go. You could say that they will appear magically."

"Do I get to carry them on my person?"

"Yes but you won't have to change them in and out."

Attaching the Flippers to my belt, they certainly looked cool and while I was relieved that I could finally swim, I still think I should've been given that ability at the start. Still, now I could access areas I couldn't before both in this dungeon and across Koholint Island. While this was a very good item, Flippers had restrictions where outside of water or any place without water meant that they were useless and would be nothing more than another piece of equipment. One question still concerned me... Could I dive with them? What I mean is that could I breathe underwater after diving unlike my previous adventures where I couldn't? Only way to know for sure...

Going through the south door, I found myself in a room where I immediately recognized the stones which blocked me before when I was here earlier. I knew this because of the now opened treasure chest. My eyes were fixated on two things, the tiles on the ground and two creatures scuttling back and forth that were wearing masks that covered their faces. Neither one had noticed me so I had a moment to plan my next move, but then I noticed that one tile was glinting in a bright light. The Owl Statue mentioned the glint would be my guide so now its words were about to make sense.

"What are these creatures?"

"They are called Helmasaurs."

"Those masks look pretty sturdy."

"It protects their faces from all manner of attacks but not their backsides."

"Can I at least pull off their masks?"

"You can but you need a special item to do that which you currently don't have.

I grumbled under my breath. "Of course I don't have it." The two Helmasaurs were moving pretty slowly and weren't exactly paying much to attention to me. I supposed their masks weighed them down and removing them would make them more faster but also more hectic as they would be trying to survive at all costs. Since I couldn't remove the masks right now, I waited for both to turn their backs towards me and attacked with my sword. One hit wasn't enough but two was and both went down with the latter dropping a Piece of Power. Strange how these weren't coming up often given how they were a temporary power enhancement.

Picking it up, I felt the power flow through me despite how temporary it was, and then I turned my attention to the glinting tile. Could this help me with solving the room with the other tiles or was this also a puzzle? Stepping on it, the glint then moved over to the tile opposite of the one that I just stepped on so I walked over and stepped on it where it then moved to the one south of my position. Now the Owl Statue's advice was making sense. As I stepped on this next tile, the glint moved to the middle tile... A guide made of light that would give me an answer. Stepping on the next one, it finally moved to the last one.

When I stepped on the final tile, all five glowed brightly which caused the door to open. Princess Twilight then said that I needed to remember the order in which I stepped on the tiles because it was a procedure I needed to repeat with the tiles I had seen previously. Heading south and defeating two Green Zols who popped up, I then had to avoid fireballs being shot by statues and these ones couldn't be shut down so avoiding them was my only option until I was out of their attack range. I then encountered deep water which was the perfect opportunity to test out my new flippers to see how they worked.

Jumping into the water, the flippers magically appeared on my feet and I began swimming. The water wasn't too hot or too cold so I could swim about for hours if I wanted, but I didn't have the time to be messing about. Swimming east, I found myself back in the room south of where I fought the Hydrosaur and where that one key dropped into the water below. Now that I had flippers, I could finally do something about it. Taking out the Dungeon Map, I found my position and quickly scanned it to find the staircase I needed, and sure enough, it was to my right... the stairs that were blocked in order for me to progress.

Heading east, I ignored the monsters for the time being and went down the stairs to an underground passage. I jumped onto a platform before jumping off of it and the Compass beeped which it really didn't need to as I knew there was a key down here given what happened before. "Wow... It wasn't as deep as I thought it would be." I said as I looked down and saw the key at the bottom of the water. "

"Now comes the test to see if you can breathe underwater."

"How did you know I had been thinking about that?"

"I figured you would."

Princess Twilight was a psychic!? Nah! She knew what I was thinking as she probably had the exact same thoughts. Since this was the true test for the flippers, I jumped into the water and immediately sank down to the bottom. I could freely swim about without my equipment bogging me down and could even swing my sword which meant underwater combat was now a possibility yet I didn't how often it would happen on this journey. I then realized that I could breathe underwater, a huge plus if there ever was one. Now I didn't have to worry about drowning as it wasn't going to happen. A major improvement from my previous swimming experiences.

Grabbing the key and getting out of the water where the flippers returned to my belt, I made my way back over the platform and up the ladder where I was attacked by the monsters who I had previously ignored. The Sword Stalfos tried attacking but I raised my shield, parrying its attack and responded with my own. One hit defeated it with another hit defeating the Star that had unintentionally moved towards me. I decided against attacking the Red Zol on account that it was on the other side of the blocks and I wasn't about to go out of my way just for one simple monster.

Heading back to the deep water, the effects of the Piece of Power wore off and I was back to regular sword strength. I really hope that I would get more of those pieces in the future along with the Guardian Acorns because both items have proven beneficial. Swimming in the deep water and heading back to the previous room, the block that looked suspicious could be pushed and so I did just that allowing me to continue on, but not before getting hit by a couple of fireballs. It was fortunate that these weren't powerful magic otherwise I'd be on fire right now or perhaps even worse.

And then I walked back into the room with the other tiles. "Okay, I should remember the order they went in."

"If you've forgotten, don't worry about it as I remember."

I smiled. "I knew you would remember."

Princess Twilight smiled. "Memorization is one of my special qualities outside of magic you know and I'm not bragging about that. Now, unlike the other set of tiles, these ones have no glint to indicate which one is next in the sequence. I know you remember the order, Sunset, but first those Water Tektites need to be taken care of. If you take too long in stepping on a tile, the entire puzzle resets and you will need to start all over from the first one. Thankfully, this should be the last time this kind of puzzle should appear."

"Until something much worse comes along."

"You're not wrong."

"Looking at those Water Tektites, I wished I had a ranged attack."

"You will once you've saved up enough for the bow." Princess Twilight then remembered something and began bopping me on the head. "There are two chests you couldn't open before due to not being able to swim but now you can access them thanks to the flippers. Do you want to get them now or sometime later on? If each contains rupees, it should bring you closer towards the total you need."

Had Her Highness not mentioned that, I'd have probably ignored those two chests but now I needed to go back and open them. First, I needed to deal with this puzzle while it was still fresh on my mind. The three Water Tektites then skated towards me by moving forward and diagonally depending on where they were and three sword strikes defeated each one leaving me free to solve this puzzle without any further interference. Remembering the pattern, I stepped on the tiles, each one glowing blue in response including swimming to the two that were in the deep water, and upon stepping on the final tile, it caused a staircase to appear.

Walking over and heading down them to the underground passage below, I climbed down the ladder and upon reaching the floor... WHAM! Something massive dropped down and crashed into the ground before going back up again. "Was that a Thwomp!? Yep! Another Mario related enemy was here in this world though it looked different from the Thwomps that plagued Mario in his games. "You know, I'm not going to be mad about this one since it isn't an exact likeness to the source material."

"This is a Spiked Thwomp."

I slapped my forehead. "How original."

"These traps exist in these underground passages waiting for those like you to come along." Princess Twilight then used her hands to show an example of what would happen if I were to step underneath a Thwomp complete with a sound effect. Granted, I knew what would happen since I've played Mario games in the past, but I wasn't about to deny her the opportunity for some fun. "If you inch close enough, it will drop down out of reaction and then you can move past it when it goes back up. Or, you can use the Pegasus Boots to simply dash past if you don't want to deal with it."

"I noticed that the top of it had a smooth surface."

"You should be able to stand on it then."

Her Highness did say use the Pegasus Boots and I wasn't about to say no to that. Dashing forward, the first Spiked Thwomp came crashing down only for it to completely miss me and its look of disdain towards me made me smile. The other one then dropped down but it also missed because I had dashed underneath it. Since this one I needed for a makeshift platform, I climbed the ladder and waited for it to drop down which it did seconds later. I jumped on top and then jumped to the ledge as it rose back up and climbed the other ladder where I found myself back in a familiar area only now I was higher up.

Walking south, I opened the chest and took out the Nightmare Key. With this and the small key, I was ready to take on the Nightmare, but there were those two chests remaining that were unaccounted for. If not for needing rupees, I would ignore the chests but I needed them otherwise getting the bow would be impossible. Going back and then jumping down below, I ignored the Peahats and went right, walked past the locked door where I had to go and continued right before jumping into the deep water and swimming to the chest. I was lucky as nothing got in my way due to the Water Tektites having skated away.

This first chest contained fifty rupees which was nice but now came the problem of really backtracking in order to get the other chest. Since I really needed the money, I had no choice but to go for it. Jumping into the water and swimming north, I was back where I had been before with the underwater key, walked right, pushed a block forward, walking south, dashed and jumped over the abyss, continued dashing south before entering the water. When you ignore a lot of things, backtracking isn't really bad at all but then you feel guilty for having ignored it compelling you into wanting to deal with it all.

The Peahat that guarded the chest then floated away because I had entered its territory leaving me to open it which contained another purple rupee. In my opinion, one hundred rupees was quite a lot of money but nothing compared to the 300 rupee reward from the previous dungeon. If my calculations were correct, I still needed another 300+ rupees and with few places remaining that I knew about where there were chests, grinding was becoming more and more of an option despite having reservations over it. Maybe I ought to explore more often rather than wanting to focus on the main objectives.

Now that all chests were opened, I went back to where I needed to go. First, I swam north and out of the water, dashed forward and jumped over the abyss, pushed the block forward to allow me to continued, ignored the re-spawned monsters, went west, then south, ignored more re-spawned monsters, swam in the water which allowed me to skip a couple of spots near the southern end and finally arriving at my destination, the locked door that had the switch in front of it. Yeesh! No wonder this dungeon was annoying. All that water was problematic but it paled in comparison with backtracking a couple of times in a row.

"Time to finally finish this dungeon." I said as I was catching my breath.

"All that backtracking tire you out?"

"I just find it tedious, Twilight."

"I'm beginning to see why."

"By the way, are there any other tips you can give me for using the flippers?"

"You know most of what there is but let me think on it for a moment." Princess Twilight began concentrating and soon had a thought to share. "You'll probably have to eventually handle underwater combat so let me tell you what I know. When underwater, you can use your sword but no other item will work. You can swing your sword in just about every possible direction provided you're not swimming at the bottom of the water."

"How often do you think I'll be fighting underwater."

"Hard to say, Sunset."

"Not much?"

"Maybe, but we won't know until we get further into this adventure."

Jumping into the water and swimming over to the switch and pressing it when I got out, the door unlocked and in front of me was the key block. Walking up to it, I inserted the final small key and turned it which made the block disappear. I then went into the underground passage which was completely submerged in water but it was the familiar looking monsters that made me very upset but not entirely surprised. Swimming about were three Cheep-Cheeps, another enemy from the Mario series though these ones lacked any colour whereas they came in a variety of colours including green, red, blue, and even gold.

"I'm not going to say it."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I figured you knew what this monster is but let me explain anyway. Cheep-Cheeps swim back and forth minding their own business but they can get in the way which makes them rather annoying. In terms of attacking you, they prefer to remain docile so you can attack them if you want. Oh, they can also swim up and down. It should take one sword hit to defeat a Cheep-Cheep."

"At least they're not bad here as opposed to their source series."

"I'll take your word for it."

Once I was in the water, I waited for the Cheep-Cheeps to make their respective moves. As Her Highness said, some swam back and forth while others up and down. Approaching each one in turn, they didn't acknowledge my presence and continued swimming about. A part of me didn't want to destroy them but they were monsters in this world which meant I shouldn't feel too guilty. Swinging my sword and swimming forward, each Cheep-Cheep went down without any effort though none dropped anything for me. (They were named well) Once they were all taken care of, I climbed up the ladder at the end of the passage and entered a new area.

At first it looked like I couldn't progress anywhere but upon seeing a path to the left, I walked that way over to be stopped by a block. Since it could be pushed, I decided to check out what this room had in terms of challenges. Aside from several Red Zols, there wasn't anything else. Pushing the block forward which opened up the path, I attacked the Red Zols where each split up into pieces and I attacked those until they were defeated. Before unlocking the door, I picked up each pot and tossed them where they smashed and revealed Recovery Hearts which I collected out of a belief of needing them.

Unlocking the door and entering the Nightmare's room, I was confused by the lack of an actual arena. "Um... How am I supposed to fight the Nightmare?" I asked as I scratched my head in confusion. "I can't fight anything in here!"

"I don't think you're supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Look there." Princess Twilight then pointed to a staircase in the middle of the room. "It looks like the Nightmare is in an underground passage. I believe this is the first time you've had to fight one of the Nightmares like this. In any case, you must go down there."

Heading into the underground passage, I was taken aback by what I found down there. "Water... It's a massive pool of water!"

"Good thing you asked me about additional techniques regarding the flippers."

"I wasn't expecting that I had to fight underwater." I then looked into the water in hopes of being able to see the Nightmare but I couldn't on account that the water was way too deep and the lack of lighting also was a problem. "I'm going to say that this Nightmare is either an even bigger octopus, bigger than that Hydrosaur, or a giant fish which would make sense given that this is 'Angler's Tunnel' and there is a kind of fish named an Anglerfish." Jumping into the water, I allowed myself to sink downwards until I stopped upon seeing a faint light coming from behind a cracked wall. "I think we've found it."

The Nightmare then swam through the crack, revealing itself in all its glory, and it turned out that the latter suggestion I made was true. It was a giant fish that had a glowing light on top of its head which was connected via a membrane of flesh. Judging from initial impressions, I pretty much knew the location of its weak point but whether it would be easy for me to reach was a different story. The rest of its body was that of a typical fish but exaggerated in that scales were all over its body, it had numerous fins especially on top, and its giant eyes creeped me out. As for intelligence... I couldn't determine if it had any... Yet.

"I know you're the Nightmare." I said, calling out to the fish.

"BLOOOP! BLOOOP! GLUB! GLUB! OGGGH! FOOOOD! BLOOOOP! GLUB!"

"So much for intelligence."

"BLOOOP! FOOOOD! ME HUNNNGGRRY! GLUB!"

"Do you have a name?"

"FOOOOD! GLUB! GLUB!"

"Ugh! This is getting us nowhere!"

"ME ANGLER FISH! BLOOOP! BLOOOP! GLUB!"

You've got its name." Princess Twilight said.

"All it cares about is seeing me as food and I'm not about to let myself get eaten by this thing." I said. The Nightmare, which called itself the Angler Fish, immediately charged forward, the sharp fins on top of its body cutting me slightly, before it crashed into the wall. "Wow... It really only cares about eating." Rocks then suddenly dropped down from above which immediately told me what this fish was trying to do. If it couldn't eat me directly, it would soften me up first.

"As you already saw, the Angler Fish will charge at you using its body as a weapon, but you can easily avoid by swimming." Princess Twilight said. "Granted, you're not as fast underwater compared with being on dry land, but then it's not that fast either so you do have some advantage. Also, I'm sure you've figured out where its weak point is so attack it constantly before it swims away. Oh, and unlike the Hydrosaur, when the Angler Fish hits the wall, it won't get stunned and will immediately turn around and swim back... like it's doing right now!"

Her Highness' warning came a little late as the Angler Fish swam right into me causing some damage. Luckily, by doing that, I was able to strike the light on its head with my sword though upon hitting it, it suddenly got paralyzed which made no sense. Hitting the wall didn't stun it but hitting its weak point did? No sense in figuring that out so I continued attacking the weak point until the Angler Fish regained its senses. It then swam forward but stopped a couple of inches from the wall before turning around again and swimming forward where it eventually hit the other wall causing more rocks to fall.

Dodging the falling debris, I then sank down in order to avoid the Angler Fish as it came at me again. Was this seriously all it was going to be doing? The fact that this was underwater combat made me think it was going to be a tough battle but apparently I wasn't having much trouble at all aside from being surprised. Swimming back up a little, I then attacked its weak point, stunning it again, and attacking it even more before it regained its composure. It then made a loud noise which at first I thought was it getting mad because of how much damage had been inflicted, but that thought soon disappeared when a smaller fish came from beyond the cracked wall.

"BLOOOP! GLUB! ANGLER FRY! FOOOD! HELP GET FOOOD! GLUB!"

"What is that thing?" I asked.

"As it just said, that is an Angler Fry." Princess Twilight answered. "These are its minions which appear whenever it calls on them. They won't attack you directly and instead will just swim about though they will damage you if you make contact. One sword hit is enough to defeat it. If anything, the Angler Fry is merely a distraction as well as an additional obstacle for you to watch out for."

"GLUB! FOOOD! BLOOOP!"

"This is just pathetic." I moaned.

"You do have to admire its dedication." Princess Twilight said.

"I actually feel some sympathy towards it."

"How so?"

"I'll tell you later."

The Angler Fry then swam towards me but before it had a chance to do anything, not that it would according to Her Highness, I attacked it with my sword and it disappeared. It seemed that my actions didn't faze the Angler Fish in any way so perhaps it didn't care for its minions. The Angler Fish continued swimming back and forth which allowed me to attack the weak point a few more times but then it charged forward, striking me with those fins (Despite how easy this looked, those surprise attacks were exactly that), before hitting the wall again and more rocks fell.

It then made its loud noise which summoned another Angler Fry to join the battle but I took it out the moment it appeared though this proved to be a mistake as the Nightmare charged again, striking me directly with its body, and then hitting the wall again. It turned around and was about to swim when I attacked the light which stunned it again. I repeated my assault and to my surprise, it still kept on going. I guessed it had high stamina which compensated for its lack of being an actual threat. Upon recovering, the Angler Fish made its sound but this time, two Angler Fry appeared.

"BLOOOP! GLUB! HELP NOW!"

"You know that isn't going to do you much good, right?" I asked.

"BLOOOP! FOOOD!"

"Why do I even bother talking to you?"

"GLUB! ANGLER FRY! ATTACK!"

"Um... That's not what they do."

"BLOOOP! GLUB! GET!"

The two Angler Fry swam about but rather than ignore them and take some unnecessary damage, I attacked them, defeating both before sinking down again when the Angler Fish swam by and crashed into the wall. Avoiding the debris and swimming back up, I attacked its light though it didn't get stunned and continued swimming about when it made its sound and called forth two more minions which really showed how desperate it was. The Angler Fry came in as before but out of a sense of sympathy towards them for being used as sacrifices, I ignored them and focused on the Nightmare.

Attacking the light again caused it to be stunned and I continued attacking in hopes that this would end it. To my surprise, it refused to go down and upon regaining its senses, I swam after it to maintain my pressure. Unfortunately, I swam a bit too close and it turned around, slamming into me again which left me feeling stunned. I shook it off and waited for my chance which happened seconds later as the Angler Fish charged into the wall bringing more rocks down from above. Attacking the light once more, it still wasn't enough as it turned around but I wasn't about to stop so I continued attacking until it finally stopped.

"BLOOOP! GLUB! FOO... FOOOD!"

"Not today I'm not!"

"BLO... BLOOOP! G... G... GLUB! BLO... BLOOOP!" Both of the Angler Fry disappeared in puffs of smoke which saddened me but then the Angler Fish began exploding numerous times before exploding in one final explosion leaving me as the sole victor. A Heart Container then appeared behind me so I swam over and picked it up, its warmth making me feel stronger knowing that I had defeated four Nightmares now. I had nothing else left down here so I swam back up to the surface, climbed out of the deep water, and went back up the ladder into the previous room where the door had unlocked.

"That was more annoying than anything else." I said as I shook myself free of excess water.

"You said that you felt some sympathy towards the Angler Fish."

I nodded. "Even though it used those smaller fish to do its dirty work, all it really wanted was some food. I don't think it even wanted to guard the instrument and instead be content with consuming food. But, my sympathy pretty much ends there because at the end of the day, I had to defeat this Nightmare."

"It makes you wonder why Grogar is doing all of this."

"Yeah... We still don't know what his motives are."

"Maybe we'll find out once we get closer to the end."

Going through the unlocked door into the final chamber, it then locked behind me, but my eyes were fixated on the next instrument which lay before me. It was a harp of incredible beauty that sparkled in an otherworldly light just like with all the other instruments I had acquired. Walking up to it, I thought about playing it for kicks but chose not too as I had next to no experience playing a harp. If anything, Rarity would likely play this as she would call it divine beyond all known reasoning. I picked up the harp and held it above my head before looking around to see where Princess Celestia was as she said she'd be here.

"You have acquired the Surf Harp!" As if on cue, Princess Celestia appeared behind me, her gentle nature a pleasing sight given what I had been through. "It has been some time since we last saw each other, Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight Sparkle. Judging from your appearance, you have become much stronger though know that the trials ahead will be even more difficult than what you've already witnessed."

"I've already accepted that fact." I said.

"With four instruments in your possession, you are now halfway towards completing your quest to awaken the Wind Fish."

"I doubt Grogar is happy about that."

That name took Princess Celestia by surprise. "What!? Grogar!? Is he in this world!?" I then explained what Princess Twilight and I knew about what Grogar had been doing though mainly from my perspective since he appeared in my dream and not Her Highness'. "You must be ever more careful if Grogar is aware of your actions, Sunset Shimmer. He will no doubt use his remaining Nightmares to stop you at any cost. If you prevail against them, he will have no choice but to confront you himself." She then looked at me which made me feel uneasy at first but then her smile removed those fears. "I believe there is a way to make this journey of yours less stressful."

"You do?"

Princess Celestia nodded. "In the graveyard of this island, there is a hidden dungeon below which can grant you an incredible gift. However, I do not know how you gain access to this dungeon, but perhaps there is a book which can give you the solution. You have the necessary item to get this book as well as the items necessary to complete this dungeon. It is an optional location which you don't need to explore but it could prove helpful."

"I think I know where to find such a book."

"Excellent." Princess Celestia began glowing. "Now, listen well to these words. Bay... Your road goes into the bay. With the ability to swim like a fish, you can now reach your next destination but before you can do so, there is someone who is waiting for you. Before entering this place, did you see a cave that featured carvings above its entrance? Go there and meet one who can make travel easier."

"I'm liking the sound of that."

"There is one other thing."

"What's that?"

"Do not be frightened when you see it because you must calm its spirit." Princess Celestia answered. I had no idea what she meant by that last bit but she began to fade away which meant her time here was over now. "When next we meet, it shall be in what they call Level 7." She turned towards Princess Twilight. "I know you've been worried about your upcoming coronation, but you need not allow it to consume you. Everything will work out in the end, Twilight, no matter how bad things might be." She turned back to me. "I am expecting you to be there in attendance and welcome the new ruler of Equestria. Now, allow the Surf Harp to play its tune as it whisks you back to the outside world."

Princess Celestia then disappeared as the Surf Harp began playing, its sounds felt like I was standing on the beach and listening to the ocean. Everything suddenly went white and moments later, I was back outside of the Angler's Tunnel. Now that I could swim anywhere, the first thing that came to mind was swimming right and seeing if there was anything in that direction because curiosity beckoned me. I swam right and kept on going until I reached a cave entrance which could only be reached in this manner. Entering and discovering nothing, I was about to leave when I noticed a Piece of Heart submerged underwater.

Diving down and picking it up, its warm embrace made me feel stronger and I was happy that I came this way. Leaving the cave, I swam all the way back to the dungeon entrance before swimming left until I reached the cave with the fish carvings above it. Swimming inside, it was dark at first but then light suddenly appeared and before me was quite a sight which made me almost want to draw my sword. Before me was quite a large fish though not as big as the Angler Fish was, yet it was the person sitting on top of it who had my immediate attention due to not knowing who it was.

"Twilight?" I whispered so as to not sound rude. "Do you know who is sitting on top of that fish?"

"I've never met her in person, but that's Autumn Blaze, a Kirin." Princess Twilight answered.

"A Kirin!?" I exclaimed in a whisper. "I thought they didn't exist."

"They do and Autumn Blaze is perhaps the most eccentric among her kind." Princess Twilight rolled her eyes which meant what she said was accurate. "The Kirin used to live in peace until their emotions went out of control resulting in them changing into Niriks, creatures consumed with rage. As a result, they were exposed to the Spring of Silence as a means of removing such feelings though it meant not being able to talk anymore. Autumn Blaze found the cure and regained her voice, and with the help of Applejack and Fluttershy, every Kirin has regained what they once locked away."

"How eccentric is she?"

"She's like Pinkie Pie to an extent."

"Say no more."

"I was wondering when you would finally make your way over here." Autumn Blaze said as she entered a relaxed pose on top of the fish. "I was like waiting so much that I was afraid of dying from sheer boredom. Can deities like me even die? I wonder if I should be concerned about that. Do you mind if I quickly look into this matter? Promise I'll get back to you as soon as possible." The fish then made a huff which caused Autumn Blaze to focus on the task at hand. "Okay, okay! I didn't mean to go off topic! Welcome to my pad. Sorry if the water isn't to your liking but my buddy here needs it. I am Manbo, child of the Sun Fish. Actually, we're both Manbo." She pointed at both herself and the fish.

"Okay..."

"Don't be confused as that happens all the time with me."

"I was told to come here and see you."

"Before we go any further, do you have an ocarina?"

I nodded. "I've got one in my pocket."

That made Autumn Blaze very excited. "Okay, you've got to show me some of your playing skills, right now! Come on! Bring it out and play a mean one!" The fish then huffed again and she waved her hands. "Sorry for going off script there, buddy. What I mean to say is that show me the ocarina and I will teach you my song. I've been sensing how you've been progressing on this island--Don't think of me being creepy as that won't help at all--and you could do with faster travel." She then whistled and two smaller fish appeared from below. "Take out your ocarina and get ready for some mambo!"

I swam back knowing that her fish needed some space before taking out the ocarina. Autumn Blaze then swayed her head back and forth as all three fish made sounds as music notes appeared in the water. I had no idea what was going on but I chose not to say anything and allow them to finish whatever this was. At certain points, I could swear they were saying the word 'mambo' in a gargling manner as the big fish rolled its eyes around in different directions. It eventually got more intense as the music got louder and Autumn Blaze began clapping which all culminated with what could be described as a final finish where everything just stopped with a weird drum sound.

The ocarina then glowed signalling that I had learned whatever that was. "Okay, what did you teach me?"

"Manbo's Mambo." Autumn Blaze answered as she sat back up. "Admit it! You loved our choreography, right? We've been working on that for months and only just recently worked out the final kinks which were holding us back." The fish huffed again only this time in a more pleasant manner which made Autumn Blaze smile. "You got that right, buddy! This was our best session yet! Even Mamu, reclusive as she is, would have loved that!"

"So what does your song do?"

"When you play my mambo, you can warp to a warp point around the island."

"You're kidding!"

Wagging her finger, Autumn Blaze laughed. "If I was kidding, we wouldn't have done that little show for you. You can also warp to a pond that the people of this island named after me, my own little pond out in the middle of nowhere. Oh yeah! Try playing this song in dungeons, too. Normally, I wouldn't have allowed my special place to be a possible warp point but today's a special day so I'm including it. Score for you! Now you've got all kinds of places you can reach provided those warp points have been activated. I assume you've been activating some otherwise you've been having a really hard time."

"I've activated at least four of them."

"Then my song will be incredibly useful to you, cha-cha-cha!"

"What was that for?"

"It means good-bye."

"Oh."

Autumn Blaze then stood up. "You should have two songs in your repertoire, as in, what you've learned. Pretty awesome! I mean, of course it's awesome because those songs are going to be incredibly useful otherwise why bother learning them." The fish huffed once more and she shrugged whilst closing her eyes. "Buddy, you need to let me finish these thoughts because how else is she going to learn. Anyway, there is one more song you can learn but good luck finding Mamu. She's become a recluse in recent years but I heard she is somewhere in the Signpost Maze. Do I think you should visit that place? Maybe but it might be too weird for you."

"I'll be fine."

"Don't blame me if you get lost in there."

The fish then turned around and swam into the darkness taking Autumn Blaze with it leaving me with a lot of questions. Who was Mamu? What was a Signpost Maze? Where was it located on Koholint Island? Was it even required? Since I couldn't ask her to answer those questions, I had no choice but to leave and make my way to the next dungeon. Swimming back out of the cave, I swam left because I had no where else to go and after swimming south, I eventually swam into the grounds of Kanalet Castle though I was restricted to the moat and couldn't gain access to the grounds itself.

"Autumn Blaze was... Interesting."

"Like I said, she's eccentric." Princess Twilight said.

"At least I can now warp around freely."

"Though you can only warp to points you've found."

"A minor inconvenience."

Princess Twilight then motioned me to stop. "Um... Sunset? You might want to turn around and look behind you... right now." I had no idea what Her Highness was talking about and initially I ignored her and resumed swimming until she began bopping me on my head repeatedly. "You really need to stop and take a look behind you, Sunset. I'm not trying to trick you or anything but you really need to see this."

I turned around and my heart came to a stop. "WHAAAAH!"

Floating behind me was a ghost and not just any ghost. It was a ghost in the form of King Sombra. From what Princess Twilight told me about him, Discord brought him back from the ether, but not he had more personality as opposed to saying few words that all revolved around crystals and the ponies of the Crystal Empire. This time, King Sombra didn't stop talking and had a real high opinion of himself. In other words, he was a major braggart. Still, to see him here must mean that Ganondorf had powers similar to the Lord of Chaos when it came to bringing back those who had been destroyed or were lose in the ether of the great darkness.

"Hello..." King Sombra said.

"Where did you come from?" I asked in a nervous voice.

"I appeared... Just a few moments ago."

"That... Doesn't answer my question correctly."

"Your friend noticed me... But you ignored her until you had to pay attention."

I looked at Princess Twilight and nodded my head slowly as a means of letting her know that I should've listened straight away. Granted, this encounter with King Sombra was awkward given how I was swimming in water. "So... What brings you here? Surely you must have something in mind otherwise why would you be here?"

"I'm going... To follow you."

"What!?"

"I'm going... To follow you." King Sombra said, his corporeal form glowing slightly which made me really nervous. "I'm going to follow you... And I will be sticking with you until I have been satisfied. In other words... I want you to help me."

To Be Continued.

Chapter 15: The World of Colour.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
December 11, 2019.
Chapter 15: The World of Colour.

"I'm sorry... You want me to help you!?" I exclaimed.

"That is... Correct." King Sombra answered.

"By following me around until I do?" It was plainly obvious to me that this was an unfair arrangement which had been thrust upon me. I mean, where did King Sombra even appear from to warrant my being haunted by him for the foreseeable future? (Not the real him but the one from this world) "You've got some pretty weird perceptions. You could just ask me for help instead of following me around like you're doing right now."

"I am a ghost... This is what I am supposed to do."

"So unless I help you... You won't leave me alone?"

King Sombra nodded. "I will stick... By your side until you have helped me out. I... Know that you have been entering dungeons since you did... Recently come out of one before I began following you. Until you help me... The next dungeon will be inaccessible. Do not think this... Is me bluffing in order to earn your favour. I am being very serious. The way I... See it, you do this for me and I will be able to rest at long last. I can even reward you for your efforts. Rewards... You like things like that. I can tell. So... Will you help me?

"I don't have much of a choice do I?"

"You do not."

That figured. This was the kind of thing that I hated with adventures. Someone comes along and forces them to help you against your own volition. Even though King Sombra hasn't done anything which could hurt me or Princess Twilight, the fact that he was preventing me from accessing the next dungeon was a major concern which needed addressing. Also, with him haunting me, going into people's homes wasn't a good idea as I doubted they would like to see a ghost. He was right about one thing though. I did like getting rewards and the idea of getting one from him did make me lean towards helping him.

Still, the fact that he forced this onto me really infuriated me. He could've just asked me and I'd have said yes as refusing someone wasn't the kind of person I was. Then again, he might have thought I wouldn't accept and decided to take matters into his own hands so that my hands would be tied leaving me no choice but to agree. I had to admit that he played a pretty smart move, albeit one which in a different context, would result in being banished by magic or whatever this world used to get rid of spirits on a permanent basis. Knowing I had no choice, I agreed to help King Sombra.

I had just one problem... What was I supposed to help him with? I couldn't really do much for him unless he said what it was. I tried to ask him what he wanted me to do but he said nothing and merely floated there waiting for me to make a move. Even Princess Twilight had no idea what I should do, but she did suggest asking Discord since this sort of thing would be right up his alley. If I remembered correctly, a telephone booth was located on the outer walls of Kanalet Castle. I'm on the other side so it shouldn't take more than a minute but first, I wanted to check the rest of the moat in case anything were hidden underwater.

Swimming south along the moat, I had to admit that swimming was the best despite being able to do so without flippers back in my world. I guessed that this world had its own set of rules which I was continuing to learn about as well as complain about. Such basics shouldn't be blocked and require an item to unlock them. That's just lazy which would make any gamer not want to play the game (Or in my case be a part of it). I've actually seen examples of that at local video game competitions and at arcades proving how much passion people have. Even I have strong opinions towards questionable decisions like that.

Eventually, I reached a dead-end in the moat but I saw something hidden underwater. Diving down and picking it up, I came back up to the surface to check my prize, and it was another Piece of Heart. The warm feeling it gave me made me feel better about my current issues but I knew the one with King Sombra would soon rear its ugly head if I didn't quickly figure out what he wanted me to do. Swimming back and going the long way around the moat, I could hear sounds coming from the other side of the castle walls. Those soldiers were still on patrol despite no one being there and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

After swimming for a couple of minutes, I finally reached some stairs which I climbed in order to get out of the water. Conveniently, these were the right stairs to climb as the telephone booth was nearby. I then looked behind to see if King Sombra was still following me and he was which meant this was going to be a long experience. I tried asking him again about where he wanted to go and he still refused. Either he was waiting for me to ask Discord for help or clearly enjoyed making my suffer. I really hoped it wasn't the latter one otherwise he would soon regret making me mad. Entering the telephone, I picked up the phone.

BRRIINNG! BRRIINNG!

"D'oh ho ho!" Discord said as he picked up on his end. "It's me, Grandpa Ulrira! So, Sunset Shimmer... What problem do you have this time? I know it's been a while since you last called me, and for a while I was afraid you could easily figure things out on your own from now on. Good thing I didn't give up hope." Hearing him say that really made me feel inadequate when it came to the puzzles on the island. I've solved a couple but Princess Twilight or someone else usually did for me. While I was fine with the assistance, it was coming at the cost of my own intelligence. "Now... What's wrong?"

"I have this ghost following me around."

"Now you're being haunted by a ghost!?"

I nodded. "What am I supposed to do about this?"

Discord was silent for a while which made me think that he had no idea either but then he soon had an answer for me. "Ghosts usually don't roam beyond the graveyard so what you have here is a rare case. Anyway, you can't get rid of him through normal means so don't bother going to the Witch and asking her for a potion. Maybe you should take him to where he wants to go?"

"I've tried asking him and he refuses to answer."

"Maybe you should ask him now?"

I felt like I was being given the run-around here, but I couldn't blame Discord since he was merely following what his purpose was. If King Sombra was now willing to answer my question, it would make this whole endeavour go by much quicker, and enable me to get back to my journey proper. Princess Twilight then whispered in my ear that I should inquire about what Princess Celestia said about what lurked beneath the graveyard. "This might sound weird but do you know anything about a dungeon hidden beneath the graveyard? Let's just say I had some sage advice on the matter."

"D'oh ho ho!" Discord laughed to the point where I thought he was going to choke or something. "Sage advice? You mean more like divine advice! But, pay me no mind since you have proven yourself to be rather special. I don't know what lurks below the graveyard but what I can say is that there is a book in the Mabe Village library that reveals how one can gain access to it. A shame someone had to place it on such a high shelf that no one else can look at it. If you had faster feet, I suppose you could knock it down and read it for yourself. First, I'd focus on the ghost otherwise you'll remained haunted."

"Are you sure he will answer me now?"

"He will since he's gotten accustomed to your company."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it."

"Bye for now!"

CLICK!

Discord hung up the phone prompting me to do the same. I needed to take King Sombra to where he wanted to go... Well... That was better than not having any information at all but it was still little to go on. As much as I appreciated Discord for providing me with advice, he enjoyed giving me half-truths and incomplete answers. I hoped he was right and that this ghost of King Sombra would now answer my question. If not then my journey was pretty much over because he was preventing me from accessing the next dungeon. No... I had to have faith in the Lord of Chaos despite his reputation in Equestria which didn't affect him here.

I turned to face King Sombra. "So... Where do you want me to take you?"

This time, King Sombra decided to answer me. "I want you... To take me to my house."

"And where am I supposed to find that?"

"The Bay..." I was taken aback by his answer so I asked him to repeat it. "The Bay... A house is there... Please take me to my house. I wish to see it again. I... Haven't seen it for so long that I fear it will become lost to my memories."

I then turned to Princess Twilight. "What do you make of that?"

"We haven't been to this bay before so you're going to be exploring new territory." Princess Twilight answered. "I know you're not fond of having to take King Sombra around but you would've done it anyway with or without his unusual stipulation."

I nodded. "I'm just that nice of a person."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"I just wish he could be more specific."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I know how you feel, Sunset, but I don't think King Sombra is going to give you anymore information until you start making your way there. This is going to be a case of trial and error with a heavy emphasis on the error part unless you get incredibly lucky. If there's a silver lining here, it would be the fact that the bay is where you need to go next as we learned from Princess Celestia. Good thing you can now swim as I have a feeling those Flippers are going to be very useful. Now... Your only remaining problem involves how quickly can you get to King Sombra's home from here."

"I'm going to have to walk the long way, huh?"

"Not necessarily."

"How do you figure that?"

"You learned Manbo's Mambo which is all you need me to tell you about that."

As soon as Her Highness mentioned that, I felt like banging my head against a wall repeatedly. How could I have quickly forgotten about what Autumn Blaze taught me? With her song, making my way around Koholint Island had gotten considerably easier. It did depend on me finding warp points but the fact was I could cut back on some backtracking. If I remembered correctly, the closest warp point near me was by the Seashell Mansion, and I felt disappointed in myself for not having found one closer to the bay. I couldn't be too disappointed since it was an area I'd never been to before but still... I wished I had.

Taking out the Ocarina and playing Manbo's Mambo, I concentrated on the Seashell Mansion as that was where I needed to go. The magic of the song then enveloped around me and soon I was whisked away where everything went white. Moments later, upon reaching my destination, I looked behind me and King Sombra was still there. In truth, I had only warped a short distance from the castle which meant I still had quite a ways to go. I just hoped my ghostly follower would continue to provide information on where his house was otherwise it would be a case of trial and error as Her Highness stated.

Heading to the left where the mansion was, I was attacked by the Boarblins which were 'protecting' the mansion from any who would go near it. Though I had more health than before, it wasn't an excuse for me to start being reckless about fighting monsters. Raising my shield, I deflected their spears and took each one out one at a time, with two dropping green rupees which I picked up. (I still needed more money in order to get that bow which Aria was selling at her shop) Continuing south, I turned right, then south until I reached the area where I went left to the Animal Village. That meant I had to continue south.

An assortment of stones in a unique formation looked tempting for me to go through, but the Boarblins and especially the Zirro flying about made me decide to go around via a less confrontational route. As I continued walking south, before me was a massive expanse of water which had to be the bay. I could see someone swimming in there though my eyes must have been playing tricks on me on account that the person looked like they possessed a tail. South of them was a large rock formation with something within but I couldn't see what it was from this side but perhaps I could once I got over there.

Even though I could swim in the bay, I had a hunch that King Sombra didn't want me to go soak my feet as it were. If he wanted me to, he'd have said something but didn't so my assumption was that the water wasn't necessary to helping him. Defeating a couple more Boarblins who wielded spears and avoiding another Zirro, I reached another telephone booth (How many did Discord even build!?) but there was also Buzz Blobs, creatures I hadn't seen I visited Trixie. Even though I could use Magic Powder to change them into Cukemen, I wanted to preserve my powder so I ignored them instead.

My eyes then noticed a small statue across the water but King Sombra chose that moment to intervene. "No... Not that way. My house isn't in that direction." I was surprised that it took him this long to finally say something. "Sorry for not speaking sooner but you've... Been going in the right direction this entire time until you chose to go the wrong way. My house... I feel we are getting closer."

"So... I should head right?" I asked.

King Sombra nodded. " Yes... Going right is where you must go."

Heading in the direction he suggested, I came upon yet another warp tile not on a raised platform. Stepping onto it in order to activate it, it then occurred to me that had I come down here much sooner, I could've activated it and saved myself some time. Oh well. At least I now had a new location and one that could prove useful soon enough. Going down and around, I could see a house but it had clearly seen better days as it looked like it had been abandoned for years. Three holes in a row blocked me but I knew what I had to do otherwise I wouldn't even be here in the first place.

Dashing along with the Pegasus Boots and jumping over the holes with the Roc's Feather, I landed safely on the other side where King Sombra spoke up again. "Here... We have finally arrived at my house. Please... Take me inside. I wish to experience how much it has changed since my passing many years ago."

"That explains why it looks the way it does."

"Yes... A miserable sight isn't it?"

I then blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't meant to insult your home."

King Sombra shook his head. "Your opinion... Is one that is true. I have not been home in years and so it has fallen into disuse. I am surprised... That no one ended up taking it for themselves and making it into their own home. Perhaps... Luck has blessed me in the afterlife." I entered his house and as expected, it was even worse than the outside. Cobwebs, dust, moss, darkness, the cold, cracked floors, and much worse were everywhere. I doubted anyone could refurbish this place let alone want to try. King Sombra began floating around in order to look at everything and I chose not to stop him. "My house... It is good to be here."

"Are you alright?"

"The nostalgia of my house... It has not changed."

"You miss this place huh?"

As King Sombra nodded, he began to cry and I felt like crying too. Sure, he had forced me to do all of this for him, but that mentality had been stripped away entirely upon me seeing him looking back on what had likely been a good life. After checking every last nook and cranny, he stopped crying before addressing me in a serious tone. "Enough. I no longer need to be here in what was once my past. Can you take me... To the cemetery? My grave... Please take me to my grave."

At least he was more specific this time though a problem did persist. There had to be many graves in that area not to mention the Ghinis that Princess Twilight told me about when we were over there on my way to Sugar Belle. I needed to press him for a bit more information. "Do you know exactly where your grave is?" He nodded. Good... Now I was really getting somewhere with this. "Can you tell me where it is?"

King Sombra nodded. "My grave... Is not in the cemetery directly but it is in the area. Witch... There is a witch who lives in her hut. My grave is... Near there, isolated from everything, but strength is needed for the living to reach it."

Grumbling under my breath, I wished he had been that specific earlier when I asked him where I needed to go when I was looking for his house. Fortunately, I knew exactly where to go as I had been in the area in question earlier when I was going to Sugar Belle in order to acquire her medicine. Taking out the ocarina again and playing Manbo's Mambo, (This song was going to become my absolute favourite by the time this journey ended) I focused on Mabe Village and the warp point located just outside of it. Again, a white light blinded me as I disappeared and reappeared outside of Mabe Village moments later.

Stepping off of the raised platform, I went north, picked up the boulder, and tossed it aside before continuing north. At that moment, a Zombie popped up from the ground but I knew from prior experience that defeating it would cause another to immediately appear. While I could attempt to grind here in order to earn more rupees, I doubted King Sombra would appreciate having to wait. Besides, I didn't like the idea of fighting essentially infinitely re-spawning monsters. Ignoring the Zombie, it began following after me but its slow nature meant it eventually fell behind until it went back underground.

Reaching the graveyard or cemetery as King Sombra called it, I walked west, jumped over a hole with the Roc's Feather, and walked past Trixie's house until I reached another boulder which I tossed aside after picking it up. Making my way down some stairs into a sandy area, another Zombie appeared by popping up from the ground and this time, it couldn't be ignored as it appeared right next to me. Attacking and defeating it, another appeared so I ignored it and began making my way over to another boulder which was blocking a lone grave. This had to be where King Sombra had been buried. Why on his own and not in the graveyard?

Picking up and tossing the boulder aside, I approached the grave. "Is this where you were buried?"

King Sombra nodded. "Yes. I wanted to... Be buried here away from all others who have ended up like me. I want to... Thank you for bringing me back here. I know... You did not like doing this because of how you had no choice but now you are free."

"In the end, it was my pleasure."

"Reward... I have a reward."

"Huh?"

"I had planned... On letting you go back to my house to find it." King Sombra answered, his ghostly form beginning to disappear. "But... Since you were so nice to me, I shall let you have it now." He then presented a bottle which he conjured out of thin air and it floated ominously towards me. "A jar... For you. You can put something inside it such as a fairy... You should be able to survive longer than I did in life. Bye... Bye..."

With that, King Sombra disappeared and I grabbed the bottle with my hands. I was wondering if I was going to get my hands on one of these bottles again. Now things were going to become even easier since I could combine Sugar Belle's medicine and a fairy to essentially give myself two extra lives were I to suddenly die. In my previous adventures though, I could put just about anything into a bottle but it seemed that this time, I could only use them for fairies. It made sense seeing how there wasn't many items around the idea which could be placed into a bottle.

Putting it carefully into my pocket so that it wouldn't break, I was about to leave the grave of King Sombra when the familiar flapping sound of an owl indicated that Flash Sentry was about to pay me another visit. Seconds later, he appeared in the sky on his trusty companion and landed on a nearby tree. I was hoping he would give me more information now that I had progressed much further on this adventure. "It has been some time since our paths crossed, lass. So far, you have collected four instruments. Truly an amazing feat. You have become so much stronger now that I feel you are no longer the same lass I met so long ago."

"I have some questions for you." I said.

"You have made it this far and so I can provide you with more details."

I knew he wasn't likely to say anything new about the Nightmares but perhaps he could tell me more about the dungeon beneath the graveyard. First, I needed to know where I was supposed to go next. "I was told that the next instrument is located somewhere in the bay. Do you know what that means?"

"You possess the means to reach your destination."

I checked my body to see what he was on about and the only thing that came to mind were the flippers. "You mean these?" I asked as I pointed at them.

Flash Sentry nodded. "You must dive into the waters of Martha's Bay and enter the Catfish's Maw. You have already seen the location of the maw but now that you have helped ease the spirit of the ghost who had been following you, you can continue on with your quest and retrieve the next instrument. Things will no longer be easy as the Nightmares will now become even stronger but then this is what fate has decided. This should come as no surprise to you, lass."

"I figured as such."

"The closer you get to the Wind Fish, the more restless he sleeps."

"Which explains why the monsters are more aggressive than ever before."

"Things are now starting to become clear for you."

I then pressed forth with my only other question. "Do you know about a dungeon that exists below the graveyard?"

Flash Sentry at first looked surprised by my question but eventually nodded. "I have heard of such a place where the power of colour can be obtained. In normal circumstances, I would advise against going somewhere that was unnecessary, yet I suggest you acquire this power, lass. It could help you overcome what challenges await you later on. You have what you need to reach this place and to complete it but only your courage will determine whether or not it you shall go there."

Nodding to his owl companion, it took to the sky leaving me with two options to consider. One, I could go to the Catfish's Maw which was the next main dungeon or I could go to the dungeon below the graveyard. Both places sounded dangerous given how far along I was but the latter would have something I could use until I was finished with this journey. That's not to say I wouldn't find anything useful in the Catfish's Maw but this other dungeon felt more practical. Either way, I had to go to the second dungeon after completing the other one so I couldn't ignore neither one though technically I could ignore the one that lacked an instrument.

"Well, Sunset..." Princess Twilight began. "Where are we going next?"

"We're going to the dungeon below the graveyard." I answered.

"Somehow... I knew you were going to say that."

"I think it's going to be more practical for me."

"I will go with whatever choice you make."

"Before we go back to the library, I was thinking about going back to Chestnut Magnifico and give her the hibiscus." I said, pointing to my pocket which contained the flower. I was surprised that it hadn't gotten damaged during all the swimming I had done whilst in Angler's Tunnel along with swimming in the castle's moat. "I think I should give it to her before it becomes something I end up forgetting about. Besides, I also want to help out Canter Zoom since he wants a letter and I think Chestnut might be able to help there. Also, surely something good will come out of me trading so many items to so many different individuals."

"If you want to continue trading then I won't stop you."

"You're not annoyed with it?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "I agree that all of this trading has to lead to something important. Otherwise, why even have it in the first place? Anyway, you can warp around the island using Manbo's Mambo so backtracking isn't going to be much of a problem aside from making your way back over to Canter Zoom."

Not everything was going to work out perfectly. Even the greatest of plans would have their share of flaws which can't be fixed due to being beyond your means. Before using the song taught to me by Autumn Blaze, I walked back into that sandy area where I noticed a single shrub surrounded by grass. I had to be quick here otherwise I could potentially be swarmed by Zombies as they did frequent in this area. Cutting the shrub yielded nothing but when I dug the sand where it was using my shovel, a Secret Seashell was unearthed. This gave me a total of seven but I still needed more.

Taking out the ocarina and playing Manbo's Mambo again, I focused on the Animal Village and like before, everything went white as I was whisked away only to arrive at my destination moments later. Stepping off the raised platform, my feet got wet due to forgetting that there was a small body of water just south of the village. Grumbling as I trudged through the water and entering the village proper, I immediately walked to the only house I never visited during my previous visits. Sure, I could ignore this and go straight to Chestnut Magnifico but I needed to know who lived in this one remaining home.

Inside of this house was an artist's studio as there were paint cans, paintbrushes, and more everywhere which made everything look so untidy. Standing on a white rug was a hippo who was standing completely still. If I remembered my art classes at Canterlot High, she was a model which meant she wouldn't want to talk to me as it would be distracting. Besides, I doubted she had any information for me so ignoring her wouldn't make me feel guilty. The other occupant of the house looked exactly like Bulk Biceps albeit instead of wearing a summer outfit, he wore a painter's outfit complete with pain splotches. This had to be Bulk's 'brother' that he mentioned when I saw him earlier in this adventure.

I walked up to him and he immediately took notice of me. "YEAH! I am Schule Donavitch!" Bulk Biceps said. It was weird knowing that there were two of him in this world but I supposed it made sense since they were brothers. "Have you come here to learn about zee mermaid statue?"

"What statue?" I asked.

"Why zee mermaid statue." Bulk Biceps answered as he swung his brush. Some paint did land on my nose which I flicked off but he clearly wasn't paying attention. "That statue iz my masterpiece! A beautiful sculpture of zee mermaid who lives in zee bay though many doubt she exists. But, I will be honest with you. That statue, it iz how you say, not finished even though when you look upon its beauty, it does look complete. YEAH! It iz so heartbreaking that it makes me want to cry sometimes."

"Why do you say it's incomplete?"

"I can tell that you are appreciative of zee art, yes?"

I nodded. "Where I come from, I pride myself on being pretty good at being an artist."

"Then I can tell you zee problem, YEAH!" Bulk Biceps then pointed his paintbrush at a picture of the mermaid statue in question, and I was surprised to see that it was what I saw when I was taking King Sombra to his house. Everything on the picture looked great until I saw that there was a piece missing. "As you can zee, my masterpiece is missing a single scale of zee mermaid. Long ago, it was stolen and so my work remains incomplete, a stain on my legacy as an artist! YEAH! If I could get a new scale, it would mean zee world to me. But, zee mermaid iz a tricky one to find as no one haz seen her in a long time."

"I think I saw a mermaid earlier."

"YEAH! You have?"

"She looked upset but I was too far away so I couldn't tell."

"Perhaps you should talk to her provided you can, as they zay, swim, YEAH!"

"You know... I think I will."

That made Bulk Bicep's day. "If you can bring me a scale of zee mermaid, I might be able to finally finish my masterpiece. But, I am currently busy with my subject over there and I cannot afford to take zee time to go to zee statue. Perhaps you can complete my work as you are a fellow artist. I will ensure that you are given zee proper credit."

Taking my leave of Bulk Bicep's studio because I knew that continuing the conversation would not only cause him distraction, his subject would likely get really annoyed and do something she would likely regret. It appeared that this mermaid statue was important but without a scale, it would remain unfinished, and while the artist within me felt devastated, the adventurer within me believed that something had to be hidden either within or underneath the statue. I asked Princess Twilight to make me a reminder of this version of Bulk Biceps so that I could come back here once I had what he needed.

Entering Chesnut Magnifico's house, she wasn't impressed with my approaching her. "Oh... It's you again. I thought I told you that you lacked the proper etiquette with which to speak to a lady. I know you are clearly enamoured by my presence but until you have what I'm looking for, this conversation is just a waste of my time as well as yours. Besides, you look as though you're itching to resume whatever mundane task you are currently working on."

"You said you needed a hibiscus, right?"

"At least you managed to remember that at least."

I then carefully took out the hibiscus from my pocket. "I believe this is what you desire."

Upon seeing it, Chestnut Magnifico's eyes lit up in an instant. "Oh! You managed to bring me a hibiscus! How very sweet of you! I was wrong to think that you didn't understand proper etiquette and for that, I sincerely apologize." She got up, took the hibiscus from my hands, and placed it into the empty flowerpot next to her desk. "My house looks much more beautiful than before. You are such a sweet woman, I know now that you can be trusted, so I would like to ask a request of you. It's a small little task which is sure to make you very happy."

"What is it?"

"I have this letter right here." Chestnut Magnifico answered, her cheeks blushing, which made me a little suspicious but I chose to keep that to myself. "I would like you to take this to a Mr. Write who lives on the border of the Mysterious Forest over by Goponga Swamp. I know he's been waiting for a response from me for such a long time but things happened which caused me to not send him anything. Whatever you do... Do not open the letter and read it for yourself. Only he is allowed to see what it says. I know you won't do anything of the sort since you are a sweet lady."

"Sure, I can take it to him."

"I truly appreciate you accepting my request."

"I'm sure he will appreciate this."

"Oh I'm counting on it."

In my mind, this situation had started to become really weird. I know that back home, Chestnut Magnifico and Canter Zoom had a working relationship what with him being a director and she an actress, but what was happening here... On second thought, it was probably for the best if I just delivered her letter to him and not worry about it. After all, it's not like I was going to wind up in any kind of trouble. Leaving her house with her letter in my hand, I now had to backtrack to where he lived, yet I could warp over to Zecora's place which would cut down on some of the time.

Before making my way over to Canter Zoom, there was one other thing I needed to take of, and it was something that Adagio mentioned at the Seashell Mansion. I had no idea when my next visit to the Animal Village would be so I needed to get this little detail done now or else end up forgetting about it. Princess Twilight was curious as to my current course of action and I told her that I needed to use the song Starlight had been singing in order to acquire another Secret Seashell. Her Highness nodded her approval and knew exactly where I was going... the walrus who had previously been blocking the path to the Yarna Desert.

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"What do y'all mean by that?" Applejack asked.

"You believe yourself to be incapable of lying, honest one, but in truth you have been lying though you choose not to believe it." Ganondorf answered.

Applejack was not happy about that accusation. "What!? That's Grade-A bunkus and y'all know it! Sure, I've told lies here and there but because I had no other choice! I didn't want mah friends and family to get hurt so I had to bend the truth for them even if I didn't like it." Ganondorf had a cruel smile upon his lips in response and Applejack knew that she had unintentionally given him an opening. "Representin' honesty don't mean I can't lie because that would make me inhuman. Sure, tellin' lies ain't good practice nor should it be used ta get what y'all want but at times you have ta lie."

"Those little lies of yours eventually became much bigger than you thought."

"As you previously stated."

"My point is thus proven."

Applejack nodded sadly. "I 'sppose yer right."

"How can you be honest with yourself if you cannot do this with those closest to you?" Ganondorf raised his hand and Applejack began to feel weaker. "It seems that honesty is a force not to be trifled with." He then noticed something about Applejack which he addressed which took her by surprise. "You possess incredible strength. Surely, you could have easily broken free of my hold over you and perhaps attempted to fight me hand-to-hand. But, instead you refrained from such an action... How curious."

"I don't use mah strength to fight."

"How amusing."

"And why are y'all laughin' this time?"

Ganondorf continued to laugh. "Because in the end, you told the truth though it came too little, too late." Clenching his hand into a fist, Applejack slumped forward as much as she could before she was eventually paralyzed entirely once again. "Perhaps, honest one, in another lifetime, you would've been a worthy second-in-command of the Gerudo. I truly do believe you and I have much in common." He then began gazing at the rest of my friends before zeroing in on Pinkie Pie. "Ah... The laughing one. She who can bend reality to her whim... A power known only to me... Or so I once thought." Snapping his finger, Pinkie was freed of her paralysis.

Yawning, Pinkie Pie looked around to see our friends frozen in place. "If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have included sleepover in the party description. I mean, that was an interesting nap even though I wasn't sleeping in a bed and I was sleeping standing up. Actually, more like being frozen in a state of suspended animation." She then stopped her ranting upon realizing what was happening. "Oh... It's you, the video game character come to life and ruining our fun."

"You are an enigma, laughing one."

"I don't know what that means but thank you."

"The power you possess beyond that of the Element you wield is most intriguing." Ganondorf said, using his magic to bring Pinkie Pie closer to him. "With that kind of power, you can fulfill desires that others can only dream about. Think about it! Nothing would be out of your reach! You could become the most powerful creature who had ever lived. No one could oppose you and would be forced to conform to your desires."

"I could transform the entire cosmos so that everything was made of icing." Pinkie Pie smacked her lips over what she could do with such power, but Ganondorf clearly wasn't showing any kind of appreciation towards her idea. "Wow... You're not much when it comes to laughing and having a good time. I suppose I could do as you suggest which would make me really happy but would it make my friends happy that I could dominate the cosmos? Their happiness is important to me."

"Is it?"

"Well, duh!"

"I see that you are ignorant of your own actions, laughing one."

"I usually don't think back on what I've done and instead focus on what's coming next."

"Then the events where the child was forced to relive the same day over and over means nothing to you?" Ganondorf asked. As soon as he mentioned it, Pinkie Pie immediately stopped and appeared to look nervous though she tried hiding this. "It appears that I have struck a nerve."

"Everything worked out with the Post Crush concert."

"But it is what happened beforehand which you are guilty of." Ganondorf said, his eyes glowing once again. "You allowed your antics to ruin the child's excitement and she tried so hard to keep away from you. When this failed, she believed that she could trust you to keep an eye on the three former creatures of her world who had lost everything. You said that you would carry out such a task but instead, you allowed your humour to take over resulting in the child lashing out at you. Heh... Is this laughter? Is this humour? No... It is the dream of one so close to you shattering into pieces."

"I was only trying to help."

"Help by causing disaster?"

"It's what I do to make things more interesting."

Ganondorf laughed. "And yet have you never once questioned that perhaps those around do not like it when you act in such a manner? What may constitute as fun for you does not necessarily mean they will reciprocate it in kind. The child did not enjoy what you did and even believed that she could no longer view you as being a friend who had her best interests at heart, instead choosing your own selfish needs by acting like a fool would. Tell me, laughing one... How can you truly see yourself when such visions are blind to you? This is not the only instance of this happening. No. You have done far worse."

Pinkie Pie's resolve shattered upon hearing that. "No... That's not true! My antics are funny! They make everyone laugh!"

"But only when you want it to be."

"Is that true?"

"Only you know that answer, laughing one."

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When I reached the location of where the walrus had been sleeping, it was still in the water which surprised me. I thought it would've gone back to the Animal Village instead of lounging about out here but I supposed that wasn't really important. Taking out the ocarina again, this time, I played Ballad of the Wind Fish in hopes that what Adagio said about the walrus reacting to it was true. Sure enough, it lifted up its head and assumed that Starlight was nearby as it clearly recognized her song. Instead, it just saw me which made it feel disappointed that I wasn't Starlight yet it appeared to have appreciated playing her song.

It then tossed a Secret Seashell which I picked up giving me eight now and it lowered its head down hoping that Starlight would come by again. She was still singing to the animals so nothing was really preventing her from coming over here but I supposed she had her reasons for remaining in the village. Playing Manbo's Mambo next, I focused on Zecora's place as now I needed to give the letter to Canter Zoom. Like before, the magic of warping enveloped around me and everything went white as I was whisked away only to end up where I wanted to go moments later... behind Zecora's house as the warp point was located there.

This was the part I now dreaded as it meant backtracking through the Mysterious Forest even though I could get to Canter Zoom via Goponga Swamp. The latter route, as I reminded myself, couldn't be considered due to not having BowWow on hand, so my only choice was the former route. Using the Pegasus Boots, (At least I could get over to him quickly instead of walking at a regular speed) I dashed west, ran past the Moblins Lair (I wondered if any Moblins had decided to take up residence there?), before running into a boulder, got stunned, regained my composure and went south.

From there, I jumped over the holes that had surrounded the Piece of Heart I had picked up at the time, and continued west into the Mysterious Forest by dashing. I knew that I could've taken my sweet time but I really wanted to get this over with so as not to have to come back to this area again unless I really had to. Dashing past the Moblins, who tried attacking me only I was already past them when they started, avoided the Red Zols, jumped over another hole, and continued dashing past more Moblins until I was finally outside of the forest upon turning right and seeing Canter Zoom's house.

For the record, I actually made pretty good time which made me think of the gamers who called themselves speed runners. They would've likely gotten to Canter Zoom faster than I did and most likely used some kind of game breaking glitch or something in order to get to him. I knew some glitches myself but never once considered putting them into practice. Why try to beat a game as fast as possible when you could simply take your time and appreciate it for what it tried to do. Then again... I do love the competition speed running provides so I'm not entirely innocent in this regard.

Entering Canter Zoom's house, he had been looking at a piece of paper before he looked up to face me. "Ah... I see that you have come back to pay me a visit. I must say that you were gone an awfully long time, but you most likely had your own business to take care of. Please ignore my prior statement as even I should be respectful towards someone who clearly has her own agenda without needing to acquiesce to mine."

"I went to the Animal Village..." I began.

"Oh?" Canter Zoom asked, his excitement clearly rising. "I know that both humans and animals live in that village even though the latter are more numerous, but that's a different subject for another day. So you were able to find the person who hasn't been replying to my letters?"

"About that..."

"Do you have a letter for me?"

"I do but I really think you should..."

My words were being completely ignored by Canter Zoom who appeared lost in his own little world. Sighing, I handed over the letter and he felt like he had suddenly won a fabulous prize no one had ever heard of before. "It is... It is a letter for me. I'm so happy." He then opened up the letter and a picture fell out which landed on his desk. "Look at this! There is even a photograph. I decided to take a look at the photo for myself and my reaction was... shocking. That wasn't Chestnut Magnifico but rather a photo of Princess Peach of Mario fame with what looked to be a goat's hoof print.

As much as I was annoyed with yet another Mario reference, this one I could accept because it was just plain bizarre. Hang on a second! Why would Chestnut Magnifico send a photo of someone else and not herself? Something was clearly wrong here. "Um... You might want to know something very important about the person who sent that letter to you. I know you're happy right now but you really ought to listen to me.

Clearly, Canter Zoom was too enthralled with the photo to listen. "She's so beautiful. Ah... The lovely Christine." Christine? Well, at least I learned that... I guessed? "I am so thankful to you for bringing me this. I must give you something for your trouble."

"You don't need to do that."

"Oh but I insist."

"If you say so."

Looking around for something, Canter Zoom reached behind his chair and pulled out a broom. "Well... This is all I have so I hope you don't mind. I'm sure someone like you can find a way to use this."

Even though this wasn't what I was expecting for a reward, I decided to take the broom anyway. Besides, Vignette Valencia in this world had been sweeping all over the island with a broom so perhaps I could give it to her sometime. More importantly, Canter Zoom was completely smitten with a goat only he believed she looked like Princess Peach. I thought about telling him the truth but considering how happy he looked, I couldn't ruin his special moment. Whether he eventually found out or not was up to him. Love can be wonderful but it can also be incredibly weird.

Leaving his house and playing Manbo's Mambo on the ocarina, I focused on Mabe Village since I needed to go to the library now. As everything began turning white again, I began thinking about what kind of dungeon awaited me. First of all, having one hidden below the graveyard wasn't anything new since I already went through such an experience during my first adventure via the Shadow Temple. (Even now, I still remembered its name on account of it being a place of the dead) Yet why hide it there and not somewhere more convenient? Surely a place like Martha's Bay or maybe even Kanalet Castle could've sufficed.

Upon appearing on the raised platform east of Mabe Village, I walked off of it, went west, picked up the boulder, tossed it aside, and dashed across the village until I reached the library before entering it. "Whew... No more side-questing for me for a while until more progress has been made." I said as I took a quick breather."

"There's nothing wrong with helping others you know." Princess Twilight said.

"I know but having to go back and forth can get really annoying."

"You're not wrong about that."

"Twilight..." I began. "Do you think I should be checking out this hidden dungeon?"

"I said that I would follow you on whatever decision you make." Princess Twilight answered. "Besides, this is your journey and I'm just your partner. It's my job to guide you through to the end by sharing my vast wisdom." Her Highness then noticed me making a smug expression towards her and she immediately knew what I was getting at. "I've been in this position before, Sunset, when Starlight used to be my student. I'm acting just like Princess Celestia by being a mother figure. This is what I need to do frequently once my coronation occurs as I'll have to guide all of Equestria like this."

"You've got this."

"Though I'm sure to still have my moments."

"Don't we all?" I then began looking around for the book I needed. "Do you remember where that book is?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Discord said that it had been placed high on a shelf and only someone with fast feet can knock it down." Her Highness then looked at the top of each bookcase in order to find said book and her wings flapped rapidly upon her seeing it at the back of the library. "There is it, Sunset!"

Seeing the book in question, I dashed into the book shelf with the Pegasus Boots. While being stunned, I was surprised that only that book fell down and not the others. You'd think hitting a shelf that hard would cause them all to fall down but perhaps this place was more sturdy than appearances suggested. Once I had regained my composure, I opened up the book and began to read. "It says 'The Hidden Power of Colour'... 'There's a new world of colour under the five gravestones in the southeast corner of the graveyard.' The next page showed five numbers with an arrow pointing at each one. "Um... Twilight? Do you understand this?"

"I think it's some kind of code."

"According to this, 'Three = Up, Four = Right, Five = Up, Two = Left, and One = Down'... That makes no sense at all." I said. Scratching my head, I tried to think of what this information meant but I couldn't put any of it together. "Perhaps if I were to see the gravestones in question, then this riddle would become clear to me." There were more pages to read so I began reading them. "Okay, it says 'Try with all your might and you may open a new path. Are you worthy to receive the power of colour?' Well... I had hoped for additional answers and not whatever that last bit was."

"At least we have an idea now."

"I suppose so."

"Do you want to get some medicine from Sugar Belle or are you confident enough in your skills?"

"Let's go for it."

"How very bold of you."

Closing up the book and leaving the library, I noticed that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle was still tossing that ball to one another. I was both surprised and disturbed as how they managed to keep on doing that constantly without ever finding themselves bored proved astounding. I thought about going over and talking to them but they seemed preoccupied and I didn't have it in me to disrupt their fun. Dashing to the other side of the village, I looked over at the Item Shop and imagined having that bow in my possession. Eventually, it would be in my hands as I only had about 200 rupees or so remaining before I could afford it.

Picking up the boulder and tossing it aside, I left the village and began making my way up to the graveyard. This was now the third time I had gone in this direction and the second in a matter of a couple of hours in game time. You'd think this would get boring but surprisingly, I enjoyed additional explorations as I could easily spot something I might have missed during the initial exploration. I'm so focused on reaching the next area as soon as possible yet so much gets missed by my own ignorance. Picking up and tossing the next boulder aside, I couldn't help but notice that the boulder keeps those Zombies from entering Ukuku Prairie and quite possibly Mabe Village.

Speaking of Zombies, one immediately popped up from the ground and I defeated it instantly since it wasn't a threat. I then slapped my forehead upon remembering that Zombies would endlessly re-spawn in this area which meant defeating them was utterly pointless. As if on cue, another Zombie popped up and began shuffling towards me, but I ignored it and kept on moving until I arrived at the entrance to the graveyard. As Princess Twilight mentioned to me before when I first came here, the graveyard was haunted by Ghinis, ghosts who would come forth from the graves and could potentially overwhelm me.

"Should I attack the Ghinis or just ignore them?"

"Well... You can ignore them as all they do is fly about the graves." Princess Twilight answered. "The problem is that they have erratic behaviour so you never know what they might do next so I suggest to be on guard. Now, if they attack you, as I told you before, you can defeat them with your sword despite the fact that they are ghosts. It's just a Ghini can take a lot of punishment before it's defeated."

"What if I accidentally touch a gravestone and another one pops out?"

"You can't defeat those ones but they will be defeated if the original one goes down."

"And what about the Giant Ghini?"

"Pray that you don't see one."

Raising my shield, I slowly walked past the gravestones in order to get to the southeast area of the graveyard. I was showing signs of being afraid given how my legs were shaking and I was constantly looking in all directions, but I knew I had to remain strong considering how this wasn't what you'd call a typical location. Graveyards weren't new for me since this was my third time going through one yet compared to the other two, this one was remarkably calm. As I reached the other side, none of the Ghinis had paid any attention and I was relieved to know that was the case. It also helped that I hadn't touched any graves as I knew what would happen.

Reaching the southeast corner, it comprised of five gravestones and that's when it all clicked for me. "Twilight..." I whispered in order to not draw any attention to myself. "I think I know what that riddle was about the hidden dungeon."

"You know what to do?"

"Are you surprised?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact. I've been thinking about it while you were making your way up here and I just couldn't figure it out. Even when you asked me about those Ghini, I continued to ponder over the meaning behind the book's riddle. Guess there are things that can elude even me. Sunset, you always were a very smart unicorn given how you've overcome so many odds that were stacked against you. Never question your intelligence or your own abilities. Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I always know everything nor have to know everything."

"I know, Twilight."

"So... How did you figure it out."

I pointed to each of the five gravestones and labelled them three, four, and five on the top and two, and one on the bottom. "By labelling them as such, I have to push them in the directions that the book hinted and upon pushing the final gravestone, it should reveal an entrance of some kind. Granted, if I've gotten this wrong, I'll be swarmed by Ghinis and have no way of escaping. Also, judging from how heavy each one looks, I need the Power Bracelet to push them. Had I come here beforehand, none of them would've budged. It makes me wonder if I need anything else for this place."

"We won't know until we get inside."

I was about to push the closest gravestone to me when I suddenly realized something. I needed to push them from one to five in that order otherwise it wouldn't work and not top row first then bottom row. Wow... I had clearly been overthinking with this puzzle. It was actually really simple yet both Princess Twilight and I struggled to understand the meaning thus we both made ourselves appear foolish despite our vast intellects. Heading over to the gravestone I had designated as number one, I pushed it south only for nothing to happen. I then pushed the next one west and again nothing happened.

Was I doing this right? I had no idea since there was no indication of such. Moving up to the third gravestone, I pushed it north only this time a Ghini emerged from the ground. I knew not to panic as that would rile it and the other Ghini up so I continued with what I was doing. I could defeat the original Ghini and automatically defeat the other one but it could cause the other Ghini nearby to come on over. No... I didn't want to risk it. Pushing the fourth gravestone east did nothing but upon pushing the final one north, it revealed a hidden staircase and not some kind of flashy entrance.

Before I could be attacked by any of the Ghinis, I headed down the stairs and entered the mystery dungeon, and the voice once again spoke to me. It said that this place was a secret place known as the 'Colour Dungeon' though it didn't have a level attributed to it. I was curious for a moment as to why that was but ultimately such a curiosity didn't really matter in the overall grand scheme. After all, this was a hidden dungeon, one that didn't exist unless you happened to be looking for it. Still, I looked forward to learning more about the power of colour as described in the book yet Her Highness most likely was more curious than I was.

"So this is called the Colour Dungeon."

"Even though this place is optional and not required, it still follows the same function as a regular dungeon." Princess Twilight said. "There will be a Dungeon Map, a Compass, a number of small keys, a Nightmare Key, powerful monsters blocking your way, and a Nightmare."

I reacted when Her Highness mentioned that last thing. "Wait! There's a Nightmare in here!? Seriously!?"

"It would make sense."

"Guess I should've expected it."

"By the way, Sunset. We're not alone." Princess Twilight brought to my attention two characters, one wearing blue and the other wearing red, standing in front of the doorway. I had no idea who either of them were but Her Highness clearly recognized them. "The one in blue is Thorax, ruler of the Changelings. Granted, he wasn't actually elected to be their ruler but rather he was chosen because he chose to change and inspired the others to do so as well to overthrow Chrysalis. Still, he has done a lot for the Changelings despite still having reservations about being the leader."

"Didn't he help defeat Chrysalis when you and so many others were abducted."

"Thorax is known as the Changeling who decided to change."

I rolled my heads. "That doesn't roll off the tongue but I get your meaning." I then looked at the other one. "And which one is that?"

"That's Pharynx, the older brother of Thorax." Princess Twilight paused momentarily before continuing. "Unlike Thorax, I've not met Pharynx, but from what Starlight told me about him, he was the last Changeling to undergo the transformation into what they are now. He preferred their old ways of hunting and feeding off of love despite Thorax's efforts to change that about his subjects, but this made it difficult for other Changelings to be around him which eventually caused a strain in the relationship between the two brothers. Let's just say a crazy plan isn't the best way to go about dealing with a situation."

"Was it that bad?"

"Starlight had a lot of explaining to do that day."

"Do you know why the two of them are standing before us?"

"I have no idea."

Guessed it was up to me to start a conversation. Given what Her Highness described about them, I decided to talk to Thorax first. "Um... Hello there." I said to him in hopes that he would say something back.

"Look at this, Dion!" Thorax said.

"Now isn't this a surprise, Gar!" Pharynx said.

Both of them looked really anxious which made me back away slowly until Thorax waved his hands. "Sorry, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just that we haven't had anyone come down here in years. So please forgive us for being excited about seeing someone enter this place for the first time in ages. Allow me to introduce ourselves to you. I am Gar and this is my older brother Dion, and we're the colour guard. This is the Colour Dungeon."

"Why do they call it that?" I asked.

"That is a very good question." Pharynx answered.

"This dungeon is filled with tricks and traps that are designed around the world of colour." Thorax said. "Had you come here without being able to distinguish colour, you wouldn't have been able to progress through no less than be allowed to get by us."

"And yet we can't do that thing anymore, brother."

"What thing?" I asked.

"Years ago, Gar and I would ask people if they could tell which colour we were both wearing." Pharynx answered, pointing first at his shirt and then at Thorax's shirt. "Sure, it was easy to answer... Provided you were able to see colour. You'd be surprised as to how many we had to turn away all because they couldn't see colour. These days, no one has to answer that question so the two of us adapted by changing how we approach those who come here."

"We now offer advice for free." Thorax said.

"It's not the same as it used to be but it's all we've got."

"I'm sorry that this happened to the two of you." I said. That caused both brothers to stare at me intently which made me more uncomfortable than before but I quickly continued talking so as to not be distracted. "I take it my words have surprised the pair of you? Don't be. I know what it's like to have to adapt and change my ways. Sure, it can be difficult at first and even unbearable since you've only known one way, but once you've gotten used to it, going back is the worst thing you could do. You can still do your job but with a much different outlook on life which will be something to appreciate later on."

"Neither of us thought about it like that." Thorax said.

"You have such empathy." Pharynx added.

"People have been saying that about me for years." I said.

Pharynx then had an idea. "I think we can improve on our advice service by extending it beyond this place. Normally, we would tell those who come here about things that occur in this dungeon which can't be explained by those Owl Statues, but we do have knowledge about everyone who lives on the island. Not just the people above mind you but also the various locations that exist. There is practically nothing neither of us don't know."

"When you lived for a few centuries, you tend to pick up on these things." Thorax said.

"I hope it's nothing that shouldn't be said." I said.

Thorax shook his head. "We know not to divulge information like that. The two of us may be skeletons but we're not stupid enough to share secrets no one wants to have shared as that can ruin a person." It was at that moment when I realized Thorax and Pharynx bore a similar resemblance to Stalfos only not so much intimidating but rather cute. "Now, you will need some Magic Powder in order to get through this dungeon."

Pharynx nodded. "We know that you possess some as why else would you come here? If you ever were to run out, just say the word and we will sell some to you. You think that witch up above is the only one who can make the stuff? My brother and I are pretty good at whipping up our own supply for those who need it. Now, please go on through and enjoy what this place has to offer. You'll see us both again soon enough in future rooms where we will reveal information to you. One more thing... I wouldn't upset the three guardians otherwise you might find yourself with a lot of pain, more than what they normally dish out."

Both brothers then shuffled away from the door allowing me access to the dungeon proper. While I was a little concerned that they would potentially reveal information about the people of the island that they shouldn't do, I had to admit that I was curious about what they knew and hoped to maybe find out a little more about this world. I was also relieved to know that I could buy more Magic Powder in case my current stock ran out. Granted, I haven't used much as of late since I did have other items at my disposal but having a means of replenishing my supply didn't hurt.

Entering the next room, I was surprised to see two sets of green tiles near where I entered and some red tiles at the other end of the room. I could also see some monsters that appeared to be melding with those tiles. "Now what are these supposed to be?"

"This dungeon has unique monsters you won't find anywhere else." Princess Twilight answered.

"So any that are incredibly powerful will remain here?"

"Unless they also appear in Zecora's Dungeon Creator."

"That's a possibility."

"Anyway, the first monster is a Green Camo Goblin." Princess Twilight said, pointing at the two green creatures that were on either side of me. "These monsters hid in green coloured tiles and will attack when they see you. Other than that, they don't have any outstanding characteristics and can easily be defeated. The other one is a Red Camo Goblin, and they behave in the exact same manner but instead of hiding in green coloured tiles, they hide in red coloured ones. Just don't allow their strange appearances to distract you, Sunset."

The moment I took a step forward, both Green Camo Goblins stretched up and revealed their full forms. Ugh! They looked like cartoonish slime creatures complete with over-exaggerated mouths. In fact, all they were doing was lifting up their arms. That's it! Huh... I was expecting them to do something else but I supposed I shouldn't have expected much what with Her Highness' description of each. Attacking the two Green Camo Goblins at the same time with my sword, both went down without an issue only for the Red Camo Goblin to move forward where it too was defeated with a single sword swing.

It's defeat unlocked the door and so I entered the next room and encountered four strange looking switches. Two of them were blue in colour while the other two were red. To my right was a cracked wall which meant it would reveal a secret passage if I were to blow it up with a bomb. The way forward wasn't blocked but I was curious about these switches and why they were arranged like they were. An Owl Statue to my left most likely revealed what I needed to do but without a Stone Beak, the statue couldn't do anything for me. I wasn't stuck as I could just move on but I really wanted to figure this one out.

At that moment, Thorax and Pharynx appeared from the wall by the Owl Statue much to my surprise. "WAAAAH!" I shouted. "Please warn me next time when you do that! You two almost scared me to death!"

"This is how we get around." Thorax said.

"Most actually did die from being scared when we do that." Pharynx added.

"Maybe we ought to provide a warning like she said."

"It couldn't hurt."

"Um... Why are you two here?" I asked. "Aside from scaring me."

"This Owl Statue was going to tell you how to figure out the secret behind these switches, but I might as well give you a hint since you can't hear what its saying without having its missing beak." Thorax answered. "Strange how it went missing and no one bothered to go look for it. Anyway, colours that clash aren't very appealing and can cause friction so why not make them co-exist together under one colour?"

Pharynx then added his thoughts. "Now to give you some information about the island and its inhabitants. There used to be a rat who lived on the island who loved taking photos of just about everything. He had a few favourite places he said were the best spots to take photos. Unfortunately, he passed away from an unforeseen illness. A shame really as no one else knew how to take photos."

"That was our advice so we'll see you later."

Both brothers then disappeared by going back into the wall but what they said about this rat was pretty depressing. My previous adventure to Termina involved having to deal with characters who had perished prior to that journey so this brought back some pretty bad memories for me. I doubted that they intended on making me upset since they didn't know what I had been through in the past so I couldn't hold it against either of them. At least Thorax provided a hint on how to deal with the switches even if it was philosophical to a degree. Hitting a switch, it changed colour which caused two more to do the same.

Okay, this was starting to make sense. I walked over to the one in the upper right corner and hit it which caused it to change colour as well as all the others until they were all the same colour thus solving the puzzle. I had a feeling it would only get harder from here since I was still seen as being in the early stages of the dungeon. My efforts caused a treasure chest to appear which I opened and was rewarded with the Compass. Again, I wished I could get the Dungeon Map first followed by this as this item was useless without the former. Sighing, I contemplated on where to go next.

Deciding on heading right, I entered the next room where most of the floor was covered in different coloured tiles (They were red, yellow, and green) with some having cracks while others had even more cracks. A door heading north was locked so I needed a key in order to unlock it. Floating above near the middle of the room was a skeletal creature which bore a slight resemblance to a Shrouded Stalfos yet much smaller than it and lacked weapons though it made that up by dropping bombs which exploded instantly. It reminded me of a Zirro only with a skeletal look as opposed to a mushroom like the Zirro.

"Okay, what is this thing?" I asked.

"This is known as a Bone Putter." Princess Twilight answered. "There are two versions of this monster. The one you're seeing has wings and will on occasion drop bombs which you already witnessed. Between the two versions, this is the worse one because of its bomb dropping capability combined with being capable of flight. The other Bone Putter has no wings and is essentially helpless though it does enjoy getting rid of tiles like what we're seeing here. Winged Bone Putters usually accompany their counterparts and do all of the fighting since the other can't do anything."

"What about these tiles?"

"Like Thorax and Pharynx said, everything in this dungeon revolves around colour."

"So they change colour when I step on them?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "From green to yellow to red and then that tile crumbles. I'm sure there will be other rooms like this in the Colour Dungeon so consider this to be your early warning about it. Defeating this Bone Putter won't unlock anything or make a chest appear since the Compass didn't make a sound so feel free to ignore it."

Ignoring it was simple enough since its behaviour looked rather simplistic, but what wasn't simple were those bombs which not only could damage me, they were also destroying the tiles that I needed to make it across to the other side of the room. I supposed I could use the Roc's Feather and just jump across though that was risky as I could bump into this monster or get blasted by a bomb as I was jumping. No... It was best to simply make a run for it and hope I wouldn't get hit. The Bone Putter so far had failed to notice me and continued dropping bombs which were destroying more tiles but upon flying away from where I needed to go, this was my opportunity.

I dashed across the tiles as some cracked while others disappeared and entered the next room before the Bone Putter even knew what was happening. In this next room, there were two holes on the ground though they were circular in design as opposed to squares like normal holes were and were bigger than usual. Each also had been colour-coded by having a coloured rim surrounding it. One was surrounded by blue and the other red. My eyes were focused on two creatures that looked like giant spheres with eyeballs located in the middle of them. What kind of creatures were these meant to be?

To Be Continued.

Chapter 16: The Power of Colour.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
December 15, 2019.
Chapter 16: The Power of Colour.

"What are those supposed to be?" I asked.

"One is a Blue Orb Monster and the other is a Red Orb Monster." Princess Twilight answered.

"Really?" I asked in surprise. "They couldn't have been given better names than that?"

"Beggars can't be choosers, Sunset." The two monsters walked around but on occasion they would start spinning which had to be their means of attack. Upon seeing me, they tried to reach me only for the stone blocks to get in their way which gave me a moment to plan. Princess Twilight then continued her explanation. "Since you just saw their attack, you don't need any advice on that. However, attacking one makes it regress into their shell which leaves them vulnerable. In fact, you can pick them up and toss them around but no doubt what has to be done with them is pretty obvious."

While Princess Twilight was teasing me with her words, the message on how to deal with these creatures was crystal clear. The Blue Orb Monster finally managed to get around the stone blocks and began spinning but I responded by using my shield to deflect it until it was exhausted. I then attacked it which forced it to regress into its shell (I couldn't help but find it to be rather cute in that form) before picking it up. Without the Power Bracelet, this would've been impossible because of their heavy nature. Of course, not having the bracelet meant not being able to accessing the Color Dungeon proper as I'd have lacked strength to move the gravestones.

Taking the Blue Orb Monster to the hole in the ground with the blue colour around it, I tossed the monster in where it fit in perfectly yet showed no signs of struggling to get out which made me think. If I attacked these monsters while they had regressed into their shells, that could force them back out and attack me before I had a chance to defend myself. Taking precaution was imperative as without medicine, my health could only last for so long. The Red Orb Monster began spinning in my direction after having gotten around the stone blocks but again I used my shield to deflect its attack until it tuckered itself out.

Attacking it to make it regress, I picked up the shell, placed into the remaining hole, and both monsters disappeared in puffs of smoke. I wasn't expecting that to happen. In fact, I was expecting both monsters struggling to free themselves only to do so long after I had left the room. So far, these Colour Dungeon monsters had proven themselves intriguing though their fighting prowess was pretty bad, but there was no doubt in my heart that far worse things had yet to come. A treasure chest then materialized as my reward for defeating both orb monsters and upon opening it, I took out a Stone Beak which may or may not be useful.

After all, I had Thorax and Pharynx giving me assistance in their unusual manner. I still couldn't believe those two were brothers according to what Princess Twilight said. Pharynx was the more brazen of the two which was certainly saying something as Thorax was gentle but tended to second-guess himself. It's like both were polar opposites of each other who managed to work things out with one desiring peace and the other itching for battle at any opportunity. It made sense in my mind that Thorax is the Changeling Leader as he was the one who convinced his kind that changing into what they are now was best.

Heading south and into the next room, I was immediately attacked by two Red Camo Goblins who were situated either side of the door. One managed to bump into me causing a little bit of damage but I quickly took it out along with the other one using my sword. Aside from the large hole in the center, there wasn't much else here aside from two Green Camo Goblins who were waiting on the other side on green tiles. (Like they could hide from me since their blob-like forms were pretty apparent) Stepping forward, both monsters dashed forward leaving the safety of their tiles and I simply defeated both with a single sword hit each.

Both doors unlocked so I walked left into the next room only to encounter two Bone Putters and the tiles from the previous room where I was first introduced to that monster. As I took in my surroundings, the Compass beeped indicating that a key was contained within the chest. Her Highness told me that these were the other kind of Bone Putter, the harmless one that simply bounced around without a care in the world. I could defeat both but Princess Twilight insisted that I remained still and allowed them to continue bouncing about. Sure, it was an unusual request until I figured out what she was getting at.

It didn't take long for both Bone Putters to eventually jump into the very holes that they had created. "Wow..." I said upon seeing such a display. "You weren't kidding when you said I should remain still. I can't believe they went ahead and did that."

"Some monsters are more carefree than others, Sunset."

"Now I feel bad for them."

"You shouldn't as what they did, they did to themselves without you attacking them."

"I guess so."

"Also, they didn't remove as many tiles as you were probably thinking."

I sighed knowing that was the case. "Still, had they removed more, I'd have had to backtrack to the previous room then come back in here in order to reset everything, and they'd have probably been reset too." Again, my thought process here was that the monsters of this dungeon were intriguing but lacked attack power. "To be fair, I was hoping for some tough enemies to fight but I guess Koholint Island has been lacking and not just this place alone. I know saying such things is stupid but I can't help it if my competitive nature desires an actual challenge instead of such an easy time of it."

"Best not to get too complacent."

"I know..."

"The regular monsters may not be satisfying you but the mid-bosses and Nightmares have definitely tested you."

"I just wish it could be consistent for everything."

Princess Twilight then placed her tiny hand on my nose. "I know you desire a challenge, Sunset, one that can give you a sense of satisfaction, but you should never take things for granted at any time. Just because things are easy with the monsters doesn't mean that will always be the case. Be grateful for the fact that you can actually fight them. Imagine if you had no sword, shield, or even items at your disposal... Just your bare hands and your wits."

"Okay, I see your point."

"Being cocky is just asking for trouble."

And this was why having Princess Twilight as my partner was such a blessing. Yes, I was pretty cocky as I believed myself to be pretty good at what I did, but there were times in my life where I allowed such cockiness to get out of hand. It felt nice being brought back down to reality before it could consume me entirely. She had a point about the monsters as while a lot of them were easy to defeat, it possibly meant stronger ones had yet to come and who would give me one heck of a fight. Huh... Now for some reason, I could see Rainbow Dash needing to learn some humility and I would be the one to teach her.

Making my way across the coloured tiles, I opened up the chest and took out the small key that was inside. Then, needing to jump a couple of times because the tiles were missing courtesy of the Bone Putters, I approached one of those flip panels (It had been a while since I saw one), pressed my back up against it, and flipped back to a previous room. No monsters were present so I walked across more tiles before using my key to unlock the door. Entering the next room, there were several spikes scattered about which would make maneuvering hard but my eyes were focused on what was at the back of the room.

It looked like a stone golem of some kind but I couldn't exactly make out what it was. At first, it was just staring at me with its red eyes, and I tried to look away but found myself gazing into the eyes. If this creature was using fear, it was definitely working. It then began speaking which was rare for a mid-boss monster. "You have come here for one thing. You are not the first to have come here for it nor will you be the last."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Do not pretend to lie to me!"

"I'm actually being serious."

The stone golem glared at me. "I am Avalaunch, and I guard this place from the likes of you. You... One filled with greed in her heart!" Just as I was about to contest that remark, it continued on with its accusation. "What a greedy fool! You want more power!? Why? Such a desire will end up killing you! Why not be satisfied with what you have? To desire power is to become consumed until you are no longer human."

"I'm not here to gain power!"

Avalaunch, as it called itself, laughed in a stymied fashion. "You are here to seek the power of colour. That shows that you are a greedy fool. You may claim otherwise but the evidence is there in your eyes. You hunger for power!"

"That's not true!"

"Enough!"

"Sure, I came here for the power of colour but to use it to help me on my journey."

"Your words belie your true intentions."

"I take it I'm wasting my breath talking to you?"

Avalaunch nodded slowly. "A buffoon like you might as well give up and go home! But, I know that you will no do this as you are set on acquiring power. Very well. I shall kill you in order to prevent you from claiming your prize, but should my own life end, then know my words were correct in that the desire for power consumed you." It then began pacing back and forth until it jumped up and landed on the ground moments later causing some boulders to drop down from above.

I managed to avoid them as there weren't that many but now I had to fight this creature. On the one hand, I was annoyed at how it accused me of wanting power. I mean, it wasn't entirely wrong about me as what I came here for would give me more power, but it was wrong about me becoming consumed. That sounded more like Ganondorf though he could control the power he wielded. On the other hand, Avalaunch claimed that those who came before also desired power and probably accused them in the same manner it had done to me. It sounded like it didn't care about people's opinions and was dead set on believing its own.

"Okay, so what do I do about Avalaunch?"

"I'm surprised you didn't let his words get to you." Princess Twilight answered.

"That was the old me."

Princess Twilight smiled. "That's the Sunset I know and love." I knew she meant that last bit as a term of endearment and not the other thing. "Anyway, Avalaunch is going to continuously move back and forth where it will on occasion jump which will cause boulders to come down. It can do this multiple times in a row meaning you'll become overwhelmed with rocks dropping down on your head. One thing to note is that while your sword can damage Avalauch, you will get pushed back on account that its armoured body acts like a shield, and with those spikes, it could prove difficult."

"Though you have to admit that it doesn't look all that sturdy."

"Since it's made of stone, I think you have a pretty good idea of what to use."

I then gasped. "Bombs! But... That might be tricky what with the boulders coming down."

"Then just keep attacking and hope for the best, but do keep the bomb strategy on your mind."

As Avalaunch continued moving back and forth, I took a quick moment to think about my approach. Attacking it from the front was a stupid idea as the spikes in front of him would damage me on the rebound and my health could only take so much damage. Attacking at its side was my best bet though whether it could turn to its side and fight remained to be seen but hopefully it couldn't do that. I then made my move and went straight up to it before I struck my sword into its armoured body. Avalaunch was damaged but showed no signs of being in pain while I got pushed back and onto the spikes next to the door.

YEOW! My feet definitely felt the pain from those spikes and I quickly got off before they could do anything else to me. At least they were small in size compared to the larger ones seen in the underground passages of dungeons (Stepping on any of those or even falling onto them would be instant death or near fatal injury if luck was on my side) Still, I didn't want this to become a habit so I needed to be more practical about this. Using the Pegasus Boots wouldn't help as I could get knocked back even further so simply walking would do. Avalaunch noticed me approach it from the side and as I struck it again, it jumped up.

Landing on the ground, a couple of boulders dropped from the ceiling with one striking me in the shoulder. Fortunately, it wasn't my sword shoulder otherwise fighting would've become a lot more unbearable. Before it could attack again, I struck its side a couple of times before getting pushed back but I managed to stop myself from touching the spikes. Avalaunch continued pacing back and forth as I walked over to continue my assault only for it to suddenly move forward which caught me by surprise. I didn't think it was capable of doing anything like that since it was... Well... A giant stone creature.

It then jumped up and down twice which brought down more boulders and it was here that I realized that it wasn't just attacking whenever because it could. It was also attacking every time I connected with my sword. It was its own defence mechanism, a response against those who sought power by using it against them. Avoiding the boulders (Even though my shield was made of metal, it had taken a lot of beatings on this journey thus far so I didn't think it could protect me from giants chunks of rock) I continued attacking Avalaunch where I got pushed back and onto the spikes again.

Again, I was in pain from that. YEOW! Stepping off of them, I then had to avoid more boulders coming down as Avalaunch continued jumping up and down. It had reached the point where so many boulders were falling, the room had effectively become a rocky gauntlet. I did say that I wanted more of a challenge but this wasn't quite what I had in my mind. I continued striking Avalaunch who in turn continued to remain unfazed by my attacks and more boulders came down with two or three hitting me in the process. Perhaps using bombs would've been smart here as it likely would've fallen much quicker, but I needed them for future dungeons.

Upon getting pushed back and not getting my feet poked by the spikes, I walked back over to Avalaunch and continued attacking it until it finally dropped to one knee which meant the battle had been won by me. "I have... Never been defeated before by any who came here."

"You... You definitely put up a fight." I said as I breathed heavily.

"Not once did you use any power... Other than your own natural abilities."

"Like I said, I'm not here for power."

Avalaunch nodded but ended up coughing. "Perhaps... Perhaps you are different from those who came before you. I... I am not the only guardian of this place. There... Are two others who await... And... Physical prowess won't be enough to ensure victory. Conquer... Them and the Power of Colour may yet become... Yours..."

With that, Avalaunch began exploding several times before a final explosion destroyed it entirely, a fairy appeared where it once stood, and both doors unlocking. Since I needed the healing right away, I grabbed the fairy instead of putting it into the bottle King Sombra had given me. If there was another mid-boss, I could potentially use my bottle there if it dropped a fairy of its own upon being defeated. In any case, Avalaunch definitely proved challenging though in a sense it had taught me the value of appreciating what I already had with regards to how strong the enemies on the island were.

"Are you okay, Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"At least only your ego was shattered."

"Not that I had one to begin with there."

That made Princess Twilight laugh. "No, I suppose not. I am concerned about what Avalaunch said about you and others who've come here before you. They all sought power but for what reason? I know you came here because you believe that the Power of Colour can help you overcome the remaining Nightmares which I'm sure it could, but what about the others? I am curious as to why they wanted such power."

I waved my hand to brush off the notion. "It's best to not think about it, Twilight. Besides, I doubt anyone will ever give us an answer."

"I suppose you're right."

"But keep the idea in your mind just in case."

Walking through the unlocked door into the room I had yet to go into, I was surprised when Thorax and Pharynx were standing on the other side of a large assortment of tiles with some of them already having cracks in them. Thorax once again began the conversation which lead me to suspect that he was the leader. "Sorry for not mentioning anything about the powerful guardians in this dungeon."

"We're usually much more diligent than that." Pharynx added,

"A warning would've be nice." I said.

"At least you were given a warning by Avalaunch."

"You do know that we need to get a new guardian to replace him, right?" Thorax asked.

Pharynx smacked himself in the head. "We haven't had to do that in centuries! I don't even know if there's a monster strong enough that could replace him. Maybe we ought to try reviving him but that could get messy."

Thorax nodded. "Oh yes! Those kinds of procedures can be extremely ugly if not handled correctly." He then noticed that I was standing there, tapping my foot, indicating that I wanted them to get on with what they were doing. "Oh right! You're going to need some magic if you want to defeat the next guardian. Now, did you know that Grandpa Ulrira was quite the adventurer back in his day?"

My jaw dropped. "Are you serious!?"

Pharynx nodded. "He was quite skilled with both sword and shield. One time, he considered challenging the Colour Dungeon only he backed out when he heard about some of the stories associated with this place."

"Then he got married, settled down, and ended up installing those telephones." Thorax added.

"Now all he does is talk on that thing all day."

"A shame really as he was one of the heroic greats to have ever set foot on this island." Thorax then blinked for a moment as though something was trying to register with his mind only for it to not make much sense. "Now that I think about it... How did he and all those others come to be here? I mean, you and I have been here for centuries, Dion. At least... I think we've been here."

"Gar... You're overthinking things." Pharynx said as he shrugged. "You keep that up and you'll get a migraine again. Anyway, we'll talk to you again later when you enter a later room in the dungeon with another piece of information."

As both brothers disappeared by walking backwards into the door, Princess Twilight and I looked at one another before Her Highness began scribbling something down on that notepad of hers. (Which I still don't know where she got it from) We had both suspected that things about Koholint Island didn't quite add up based on what people have said and while my suspicions were minimal at best, Her Highness had been thinking about all kinds of ideas which so far had to bear any fruit. Perhaps what Thorax said could finally bring her closer to coming up with a logical solution or maybe lead us to wanting more answers.

In the meantime, one of the two Bone Putters--the non flying one--ended up jumping into a hole it had previously created when it jumped about which left only the flying one to deal with as the doors wouldn't open until it was gone. Walking over to the edge of the abyss, I lured over the remaining Bone Putter and swung my sword, damaging it, and clipping its wings which changed it into the non flying variation of a Bone Putter. It then began bouncing around until it too jumped into a hole yet neither door unlocked. Upon a closer inspection, I could see a switch hiding underneath a pot.

Walking across the tiles and having to jump at least once, I picked up the pot, smashed it into a wall, and stepped on the switch which unlocked both doors. Jumping over a small gap and heading north, this next room had no coloured tiles nor did it have any unusual monsters. Instead, it was filled with Green Zols and Red Zols. Was I surprised that these monsters lurked about in the Colour Dungeon? Not really as they made sense being here what with having a colour scheme that matched the dungeon along with being like the other creatures that continued plaguing me.

Attacking both variations of Zols as they popped up from the ground, I made my way around the room because stone blocks forced me to go the long way. I did manage to pick up some rupees (Three to be exact) from defeating a couple of Green Zols yet it still wasn't enough to buy that bow. I really needed a rupee chest at some point or perhaps find some hidden cache of money which would give me enough. Once the last monster in the room had been defeated, a chest appeared by the door and opening it gave me the Dungeon Map. While I wished it had contained rupees, this worked just as well as now I could figure out where I was.

"This... Is an unusual layout." I said as I looked at the map.

"It looks to be some kind of tunic." Princess Twilight said.

"Really?" I wasn't quite so sure about that.

"It might make sense once we get to the end."

"I missed a room near the start."

"You might want to check that out later unless you want to backtrack a little?"

I shuddered at the thought of having to do that but somehow, I knew that I would. "Huh... It looks like there is only the one treasure chest left." I was expecting several more as that would've meant some rupee chests but it looked like I'd have to find them in another dungeon or in a secret cave or two. "I've no doubt the Nightmare Key is in that chest and it's one the other side of the dungeon." Yep, I knew I would be backtracking. "At least we won't be here for much longer."

"It is a short dungeon."

"I should be done in about twenty minutes or so."

"Barring strong monsters getting in the way."

I rolled my eyes in response. While she wasn't wrong about that, I still believed that I could overcome the remaining mid-boss and the Nightmare within the time frame I had just proclaimed given how this dungeon was short compared with most. Looking at the Dungeon Map again to see where I needed to go, as much as it pained me to admit it, I had to backtrack at least once and that would happen relatively soon as the room beyond this one was a dead-end. I did have one other option which I had yet to try... Manbo's Mambo. Autumn Blaze did say for me to play it whenever I was inside of a dungeon and now was a good time to try it out.

Entering the next room, I came across two Blue Orb Monsters, a Red Orb Monster, and a yellow one. "I take it that I'm looking at a Yellow Orb Monster?" The Compass then beeped so I knew that a key was hidden in here somewhere and I think I knew what I had to do to get it.

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes. Unlike the other two variations, Yellow Orb Monsters are rare but other than that, they behave in the same manner as the other two. A little fun fact for you, Sunset. In an older version of this game which existed many years ago, it--as in the Yellow Orb Monster--was once depicted as being blue. Don't ask me how I know this as I have no idea."

While that little fact wasn't going to help me, I was curious if Her Highness would say something like that again in the future. Unlike her, I knew that this game world was a remake of the same game released over twenty years ago, yet in truth that version was a remake of sorts of the original version released five years sooner at the time. Even though I've never played any version aside from this one (Play it? More like being a part of it against my will), I wanted to know about any other differences. Who knew? Maybe such knowledge would make certain sections easier than they really were.

Attacking all four Orb Monsters caused them to regress into their shells. Since I had no idea how long they would remain like that, I had to work quickly in order to get them into the right holes that matched their colours and designs. Picking up the Red Orb Monster and tossing into the correct hole, I then went for the Yellow Orb Monster yet I accidentally hit it with my sword which caused it to come out of its shell before it started spinning around. I couldn't deal with it so I decided to take some hits as I focused on the two Blue Orb Monsters who were still in their shells and could break themselves free at any moment.

Picking up each Blue Orb Monster and tossing them into their respective holes, the Yellow Orb Monster managed to hit me three times before I struck it and it regressed into its shell again much to my pleasure. Picking it up, I took it to where it needed to go and dropped it down into its hole causing all four monsters to disappear in puffs of smoke. A small key then dropped down from above which I collected and now came the time for some backtracking. I could check out that one unknown room and get it out of the way but I was more concerned about getting the Nightmare Key.

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CRRACCKKLLE! FWOOOOSSHH!

"Master... I am sorry to say that..."

Grogar raised his hoof and immediately stopped Hot Head from finishing. "We already know that the Outsider has defeated the Angler Fish." He then began talking under his breath in order to make sure Hot Head couldn't hear him. "Even with our blessing, the Angler Fish wasn't enough to finish her." He looked at Hot Head and narrowed his eyes as though he were outraged with his servant but remained calm knowing that anger was a form of weakness. "You were right about how useless the Angler Fish was. We cannot admit this fault was our own or else you shall mock us with your incessant nattering."

"If you already knew, then I can give you my other report."

"Speak!"

"The Outsider is currently in the Colour Dungeon."

"So... She seeks the Power of Colour." Grogar combed his beard and went into a deep thought. "My special Nightmare guards that power though unlike you and the other Nightmares, that one is not of our group so its death won't change anything. Still... If the Outsider claims that power for her own, she will become much more of an annoyance than she already is. We can only hope this Nightmare can stall her long enough for us to make a few necessary preparations."

Hot Head then spoke up. "Master? Is everything alright?"

Grogar shook his head. "No."

"I am sorry about the Angler Fish, my master."

Before Hot Head could continue, Grogar slammed both of his hooves into the ground. "Enough! The Outsider has progressed much further than expected! Already, she is in possession of four of the Instruments of the Sirens and four Nightmares are no more. She must be stopped now! No exceptions! The previous Nightmares did not take her seriously and thus their incompetence cost them their lives."

"Perhaps you should've killed her in her dreams."

"What did you say?"

Hot Head quickly changed the subject. "Nothing, master. Perhaps the remaining Nightmares need to become more ruthless?"

Eyes glowing red including the one on his stomach, Grogar looked ready to tear himself into Hot Head but refrained. "The Outsider is still no match for us and we shall not stoop down to the level that is best served by you, my servants, who obey our commands without question." His anger quickly subsided as a thought came to mind. "But... Perhaps she might be worthy of being a challenge to us. We haven't had a powerful opponent fight us since we first came to this island. To kill one like her with our own power would be most delicious but we cannot deny you and the other Nightmares your chance at killing her."

"If she fought you, you would obliterate her in an instant!"

"Still, she is beneath our notice and not yet worthy."

"I see."

"You shall command the Slime Eel to kill the Outsider!" Grogar ordered as his arms wrapped themselves around Hot Head. "Also, you shall instruct the Master Stalfos to hide that which the Outsider needs. Also, allow the Slime Eel to reveal some aspects of this island. I believe it is time for the Outsider to beginning understanding what is going on." He then began slamming Hot Head against several walls made of pure darkness before slamming him into the ground. "Do not use such a tone against us, servant, or else you shall be destroyed and another Nightmare shall replace you."

"Forgive me, my master."

"Now go!"

"I have one more piece of information."

"Speak!"

Hot Head gulped before continuing on. "The Outsider is getting closer to the shrine."

That made Grogar's ears perk up. "Is that so?" He then began laughing in a slow manner which was borderline on insanity. "If that is the case, the Outsider is going to learn the dark secret behind this island without us having to do anything about it. But... She will never learn the secret as the Slime Eel shall consume her. We shall no longer be merciful! We shall make our followers stronger! The Outsider must die!"

"Yes, my master."

"The Wind Fish is beginning to stir but that shall be the rallying cry of the creatures."

As Hot Head left to carry out his commands, he began speaking to himself so that Grogar wouldn't hear him. "At the rate the Outsider is going, she's going to destroy all of us including you, my master, should be allowed to continue going about without any consequences. Every time it looks like she will fall, she manages to come back and prevail. Perhaps the shrine will make her second-guess everything but you should go into her dreams and make her suffer to the point where admitting defeat. If you're not willing to do what it takes, then maybe us remaining Nightmares need to make our own plans so that one of us can still live on."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn't take long for me to get back to where I needed to go. Many of the rooms remained cleared of monsters until I got to around the first room with the coloured tiles that cracked upon stepping on them. The Bone Putter was still there though to be fair I never fought it originally so it hadn't re-spawned. Again, I chose to ignore it as it wouldn't remove any tiles unless I attacked it whereby it would drop down upon losing its wings and bounce about. Bone Putters in that sense were more dangerous without their wings as to opposed to having them and dropping bombs at random intervals.

For a while, I had considered checking out the one room I hadn't explored since I was in the area but Princess Twilight insisted that I checked it out later. After all, I could warp back to the dungeon entrance at any time and explore it then. Ignoring the Bone Putter and making my way across to the other side, I entered the next room where the Blue and Red Orb Monsters had re-spawned yet I didn't need to fight them as I had already solved that particular puzzle with them earlier. When both began spinning around, I used my shield to deflect them aside before making a bee-line for the door.

This next room had even more coloured tiles on the floor yet more of them were cracked which meant I had to cross over carefully. Two more flying Bone Putters were in the room and were strategically placed over where I needed to go. Luckily, they weren't all that attentive and soon flew off in different directions which allowed me to reach the other side and continue on and leave them behind. The next room had more colour switches but now another colour, yellow, had been added to the mix in addition to red and blue. An Owl Statue located on the back wall would likely give me a hint on having everything match up so it wasn't very helpful in that sense.

Before I could even do anything, Thorax and Pharynx appeared by the Owl Statue with the former once again speaking first. "You know, that Stone Beak you picked up earlier is pretty useless since it's obvious as to what you need to do here in this room" Thorax said. "You can still talk to it if you want but you would only be told what you already know. A shame really as those statues are pretty observant."

"It's useful in other dungeons except this one." Pharynx said.

"Anyway, you are getting nearer to the end so after this room, we're only to appear one more time."

"After that, you're done with us."

"Unless you want to come back in here and see us."

Thorax then looked at his brother. "Dion... You know she has to do whatever she was doing before coming here right? Unless she wants to change her colour, we can't tell her to come back and pay us a visit. It doesn't work like that."

Pharynx sighed. "It just gets lonely around here, Gar. I know I've got you but we could do with more people coming here." He then looked in my direction. "Okay... What can I reveal to you next about the island... I know! How about a location this time! Some years ago, this guy built a house in the mountains dedicated to birds. He still lives there attending to them but he wishes that he could experience flight like they can."

"I remember that guy."

"Of course you would."

"Living on your own with birds would make a lot of people go nuts but not this guy."

Pharynx nodded. "You should pay him a visit sometime if you happen to be in the area. If I remember correctly, his house is near a giant tower dedicated to a bird. I forget which bird it was but hey, they all look the same to me."

"I know what you're thinking." Thorax began as he looked at me. "You're curious as to what I meant about you changing your colour. Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough if you manage to defeat the Nightmare that blocks your path. Don't ask us why it's called that or why it's in a place like this. We're just doing what we're supposed to be doing, being the colour guard and giving you some information as well as sell you some Magic Powder in case you need some. We'll leave things up to you now."

Both brothers then disappeared and as the Compass beeped to inform me about a key, I didn't know what to make of their information thus far. Some of it was nothing more than providing additional character development or telling about events from the past. Other bits could potentially be useful but after questioning everything on the island, I didn't know whether to believe them or not. For now, it was best for me to accept it for what it was and perhaps figure out some of the meanings later. Learning things was always helpful provided that it was relevant and entirely accurate.

Hitting the yellow switch changed it to blue and two blue switches to red while the red switch that was there initially didn't change colour. Thinking it over for a moment, I struck the red switch which turned all of them yellow except for one which made me question if I was doing this correctly. Closing my eyes and hoping for the best, I struck the switch one more time and they all became blue. I had solved it! This caused a small key to drop down from the ceiling which I picked up before heading right. This next room had more coloured tiles on the ground with each housing either Green or Red Camo Goblins yet there was also a third colour.

"That is a Blue Goo Specter." Princess Twilight said.

"Why does it have a different name from the other two?" I asked.

"I don't know but don't think this one is the same as the others."

"How so?"

"For one thing, Blue Goo Specters are very rare compared to the others." Princess Twilight answered. "Also, they move a bit quicker than their counterparts so if all of these monsters attacked you at once, you know which one will reach you first. Also, it looks like you don't have to defeat any of them as the way forward involves unlocking a door."

"How durable is a Boo Goo Specter?"

"One hit will defeat it."

"If that's the case then I'll just fight them all." I said as I got my sword ready. Taking a step forward, the Green Camo Goblin moved towards me and when it popped up to wave its hands about, I slashed it and defeated it. Then the Blue Goo Specter moved and sure enough, it was faster though not by much. "Got to give the blue one props for moving fast." Upon reaching me, it also popped up from being a blob in order to wave about its hands, yet one sword strike defeated it leaving just the Red Camo Goblin left who appeared to not want to move away from the red tiles. I sensed it knew it couldn't win and didn't want to not try its luck.

Unlocking the door and entering the next room, both it and the way forward closed leaving me trapped with what looked like a giant blue blob. Its blank stare creeped me out but I knew I couldn't let such a thing get to me. It then began speaking though how it could do so without having a mouth was surprising. "BOO! Did that scare you? If not then you wish it had as this isn't going to be easy. I know you've defeated Avalaunch otherwise you wouldn't be here right now."

"Who... No... What are you?"

"I'm a Giant Buzz Blob."

"That makes sense."

"Just to be perfectly clear here, I'm no weakling!"

"I didn't even say anything."

"No, but you were probably thinking about it." The Giant Buzz Blob then began flexing... Whatever it was that it could do with its body. "Judging from how stained that sword of yours is, it's seen its fair share of battles but such a weapon is going to be useless. Your pitiful sword is no match for me! If I were you, I'd surrender right now and you can leave this place without losing anything precious. Choose to stay and fight and you might regret that decision." Suddenly, it changed into a different shape which looked awfully familiar before it started moving about, electricity crackling across its body.

"I've seen that shape before, Twilight. I just know it!"

"I believe you have, Sunset." Princess Twilight said. "This Giant Buzz Blob has taken on the form of a regular Buzz Blob except it's protected by lightning. On occasion, it will shoot that lightning out as a means of a defensive mechanism as well as to attack you with. I don't need to explain what happens if you get electrocuted and no, I won't rely on a really cheesy joke in order to get my point across."

"But it said that my sword is useless against it."

"In it's current form yes, but when it reverts to what you saw before..."

"Okay, I'm starting to get it." Before I could continue talking, I quickly moved out of the way before getting struck by lightning. The Giant Buzz Blob's lightning strikes travelled in each of the four compass direction so it should be easy to avoid getting shocked... Mostly that is. "Do I have anything in my inventory which can affect this thing?" I then moved quickly to avoid another lightning volley and while I appreciated the exercise, I didn't approve of getting hit by such a powerful element. That's when my brain informed me of something that I did way back during the early stages of my journey. "No... You have got to be kidding me."

"I knew you'd figure it out."

I took out the Magic Powder and gazed at it. "No wonder Thorax and Pharynx wanted to sell me some. They were trying to tell me that I needed Magic Powder in order to progress through this dungeon, and this is the exact place where I needed to use it." I felt like smacking my head against the wall for being so stupid but at least this fight wouldn't drag out or anything because of using something that had no effect.

"You'll need to get close to it in order to use the Magic Powder."

"That's what I was afraid of."

Avoiding the lightning as it streaked across the ground, I approached the Giant Buzz Blob and sprinkled some Magic Powder in order to see what would happen. As expected, it changed colour and began moving about in a less confident manner. Striking it with my sword, it started bouncing in hopes of avoiding my attacks but it needed to eventually land and when it did, I struck it again where it changed back to its previous form and I wound up getting electrocuted due to being too close to it when it changed. All at once, my body felt like it had been rend asunder from the inside out and I dropped down onto my knees in pain.

This was a sensation I hadn't felt in a very long time and I had hoped it would've stayed that way. The Giant Buzz Blob continued moving about as it continued to shoot lightning, and upon getting onto my feet, my entire body felt numb until the effects wore off. In any other circumstance, that electrocution would've killed me instantly what with being so close but this world allowed me to endure and for that I was grateful. Now I knew when not to attack which meant I shouldn't get shocked like that again, but knowing me and my luck, I was going to get shocked several more times.

Case in point, I approached the Giant Buzz Blob and was about to sprinkle my Magic Powder when it suddenly unleashed another lightning which went through me. Again, I felt like my body had just been wounded from within but I had to shake it off and keep going. Despite my body feeling numb, I sprinkled powder onto the Giant Buzz Blob and it changed colour again which meant I could wail on it. Striking it made it jump across the room but I followed and struck it again but moved back when it changed back and unleashed lightning. Now this fight was becoming predictable but I couldn't get reckless as this blob could have additional powers.

As it continued shooting lightning with me moving about in order to avoid it, I wondered if I could somehow paralyze it with something in my inventory. Quickly thinking over what I had collected thus far, nothing really came to mind. I doubted my shield could reflect lightning so even that idea was out. A shame really as I could've beaten this blob a lot quicker and quite possibly without getting electrocuted. When it shot out lightning again, I moved in and sprinkled it with Magic Powder only for it to get another lightning attack out just as it was changing back to its weakened state. I call hax on this!

At that point, my body was getting used to being shocked but it didn't mean the pain was going away. Ignoring the pain and sprinkling more powder, the Giant Buzz Blob changed once again and I attacked it as many times as I could before it jumped to get away from me. I followed and continued hitting it before it changed back and I backed away but not quick enough this time resulting in me getting shocked for a fourth time though I got hit on the tail end of the lightning. I knew that I would get shocked at least several more times. I hate it when I prove myself correct on something I wanted to be wrong about.

Ignoring the numbness, I sprinkled Magic Powder on it one more time where it changed colour, and jumped after I struck it. Landing nearby, I attacked it again before it could anything else, and at long last, it finally managed to stop. "OUCH! You managed to get through my defences."

"You were stronger than Avalaunch was."

The Giant Buzz Blob then attempted to smile but I had no idea if it even was. "That proves that I'm not a weakling. Well, the key to the Nightmare is yours, and that means your final test awaits you on the other side of the Colour Dungeon. Will... Will you succeed or will you perish? That's... Not for me to judge now as... I'm done for. If anyone can claim it... That someone could possibly... Be... You..."

It began exploding several times before blowing up entirely where a fairy appeared in its place and both doors unlocked. That battle was annoying because of the lightning more than the monster itself but at least the fairy would have me regain my health since I did take quite a beating. Allowing the fairy to touch me when I approached it, I immediately felt relieved so now I was more prepared to handle whatever the Nightmare was going to be. One thing that bothered me was how neither Avalaunch nor the Giant Buzz Blob left any portals behind upon defeat which I could use in order to go back to where I first entered the dungeon from.

That meant the Nightmare had to have the warp in its room... Which didn't make much sense. I thought it would've happened by now. Sighing, I entered the next room and the puzzle was pretty obvious to solve. Pushing one block forward then another one in the same direction before pushing the third and final block down, my path was opened and upon reaching the chest, I opened it, and as expected, it contained the Nightmare Key. Aside from that early room, I only had a few rooms left to explore. Rather than backtrack to where I needed to go, I decided a shortcut was in order.

I took out the Ocarina and played Manbo's Mambo which immediately whisked me back to the start of the dungeon. I didn't even need to think about the entrance; it just warped me there without issue. Since this was now familiar territory, I had a pretty good idea of where I was going. Thorax and Pharynx weren't around so I knew they were waiting for me in a room I had yet to see but I would get to that later. Heading north into the next room and ignoring the Camo Goblins, I went into the next room and noticed what was so blatantly obvious, a cracked southern wall which was so large in scope, it was practically waving at me to notice it.

Taking out a bomb and tossing it at the cracked wall, it exploded seconds later, destroying the wall, and I walked into the newly revealed room. My jaw dropped upon seeing what was in front of me. "Gasp! Look at all those rupees! I've never seen so many in one place."

"Each of them is worth five rupees." Princess Twilight said.

"How many do you think there are?"

Her Highness began to actually count them up which didn't surprise me as much as I thought. "There are twenty-eight blue rupees in here and if you multiply that number by five due to their value... You will gain 140 rupees as a result. Normally, you shouldn't really be thinking about money since you are the heroine, but I can make exceptions like right now since you need the money to purchase that bow. In this case, I see it as a means to an end."

Going around the room and picking up every blue rupee, I now had somewhere over 850 rupees. While it still wasn't enough for the bow, I was now even closer than before which meant only needing to open up a couple of rupee chests. Upon finishing with my collecting, I went back into the previous room then went right and into the room where the first coloured tiles were located. Ignoring the Bone Putter and heading north and into the room where Avalaunch once was, I went west, ignoring the next Bone Putters as they were a distraction, and across the tiles before finally entering a new room.

This room had nine coloured switches which meant I really needed to think hard about this. Five of them were blue and the other four were red so I had an idea on where to start but hitting the correct ones was important otherwise I'd have to start all over again. In my head, I thought about what a possible order to go in. "I could hit the switch directly in front of me to change some colours but then what would the next one in the sequence be?" I said to myself. "Hmmm... If I hit that one there, then follow up with that one, then that one, that one, and finally that one, that should do it... I think. Oh well. Here goes everything."

Hitting the switch directly in front of me, I then walked to the bottom left switch, hit it, and then up to the top left switch and hit it. So far, it was going well but now it was about to get really tricky as I needed to remember what had already been changed. I thought about striking the center switch but decided against doing that and instead hitting the one north of it which changed the colours that gave me six blue and three red. Okay, that wasn't bad but it still wasn't correct. Walking left of the center switch, I struck this one before walking over to the bottom right switch and hitting it. It still wasn't right but it looked like I had something.

I next hit the bottom middle switch but then I stopped to think. If I were to hit the center switch, that could match them all up but then again, it could backfire on me and I'd be forced to start over again which I didn't want to do at that point. Not all switches had been struck which made me wonder if one or two were meant to be red herrings, useful in theory but ultimately a detriment to my goal. As I continued pondering over my next choice, Princess Twilight, who had been watching my attempting, pointed at which switches I needed to strike in order to solve the puzzle.

Following her instructions, I struck the bottom left switch again and then the bottom right again resulting in all switches being blue. This caused the door to unlock but what was more impressive was how Her Highness managed to remember the sequence seeing as I had actually forgotten. "Wow... I knew you had excellent memorization, Twilight, yet I didn't expect anything like that!" I said.

"When you've been organizing as long as I have, it becomes second nature."

"I hope that's the last puzzle like that."

"I'm sure that will be the case."

"That was definitely a brain teaser though."

Princess Twilight nodded. "But you proved that you could handle it even though you did start to lose control towards the end. On a different note, I've been thinking about what information the Owl Statues had to provide and I suspect they all say the same thing about making each colour identical. Not what I would call helpful since you figure it out after solving the first puzzle but I suppose it was intended as a reminder."

Going into the next room, I was attacked by several Green Zols but quickly took care of them. I was actually expecting additional monsters but I supposed it was okay since I had been through so much in here already. At that moment, Thorax and Pharynx emerged from the back wall but their appearance didn't surprise me this time. It looked like their little magic act was one I had now gotten used to seeing. What also didn't surprise me was Thorax speaking up first. "Wow... You defeated the Giant Buzz Blob by using Magic Powder. It's like what we were selling turned out to be what you needed."

Pharynx nodded. "The World of Colour is one that you have almost mastered but one test remains."

"The Nightmare..." I said.

"You are correct."

"We can't tell you anything about it." Thorax said.

"It's something that you have to experience on your own."

"Anyway, this is the last time you get to interact with us, so I might as well go all out with the information." Pharynx took a deep breath which made me suspect he was about to really give it his all. "You've seen it, right? The Wind Fish Egg? It might look like it's chock full of whatever the Wind Fish is supposed to be, but I heard that inside the egg is an endless maze which can never be solved."

"I've heard about it, too." Thorax added. "Any who try to tackle the maze will never prevail."

"No one can solve it."

"A shame really."

Pharynx then had a thought. "Now that I think about it... No one has been in there for a very long time since that one person tried it." He turned to Thorax. "You remember that guy don't you, Gar?"

Thorax nodded. "He was a big one, Dion."

"He once went through the Wind Fish Egg in the hopes of solving it." Pharynx said. "Even though he was successful in getting through the maze, he didn't find what he was looking for and ended up leaving but not before writing down what he believed were a few possible routes. Some say that he explored it for personal glory while others think it had something to do with a far greater purpose. Either way, he's not around now so no one knows what became of his notes nor do they believe in them."

"That's all we can say which means this is goodbye from us both."

Both brothers then disappeared once more and just like my previous encounters with them, what they said was subject to interpretation. Unlike before, they didn't question their own information yet it seemed they weren't sure about how accurate it was. If it was true about Wind Fish Egg, it would be perhaps my most difficult challenge unless I could somehow figure out a solution. For now, I couldn't even enter it since I still needed four more instruments so I had to focus on getting through the remaining dungeons. Despite how unusual the two were, I appreciate their willingness to share their knowledge with me.

Unlocking the door and entering the next room, the only puzzle to be featured was one involving a Crystal Switch. Since I needed to maintain my distance in order to activate it, I took out a bomb and tossed it as far as I could where it landed right by the switch. It exploded seconds later, activating it, which lowered the orange blocks and the blue blocks rose up allowing me to continue. Walking up to the door and using the Nightmare Key, I entered the Nightmare's room only to come face to face with what looked like a giant orb with feet. As both doors locked themselves, it turned around where I saw what it looked like.

It wasn't an orb per say but rather a monster with an orb on its back that flashed a couple of times. "Welcome, adventurer. This is safe. I'm safe. Do you understand?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then I shall repeat myself again." The orb on its back continued to glow. "This is safe. I'm safe. If you still do not understand then your journey shall end here. I have been watching your progress for some time and I have seen that you are reckless in how you deal with certain situations. There is no need to be reckless."

"I can't exactly help myself there."

"You just need to be patient."

"Who are you?"

"Your partner shall tell you."

"Fair enough."

"This is safe. I'm safe." The monster then began scuttling about in a rather quick fashion before it began shooting some kind of projectile from its mouth. Raising my shield, I deflected its attacks though something about it seemed off. What did it mean by being safe? Did I have to fight multiple forms? As I continued deflecting the attacks it was shooting at me, it wasn't really doing much of anything else though the orb continued flashing. Was that its weak point?

"Well, Twilight..." I began. "What do you make of this one?"

"This is the Hardhit Beetle." Princess Twilight answered. "This monster shoots out projectiles which inflict some damage but because of how fast they move, you might have some problems avoiding them but your shield will protect you. It has an ability which you are absolutely going to hate so let me get it out of the way right now. The Hardhit Beetle is capable of healing itself meaning it will recover from any damage inflicted upon it unless its defeated quickly."

"Are you kidding me!?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Sunset. You know that you're damaging it by how the colour of the orb on its back changes as well as cracks appearing on it. As far as it telling you about how safe it is, I honestly don't have an answer there but it might say some other things which may or may not be useful. Remember that this is a Nightmare so the usual rules apply aside from how you won't get a Heart Container or an instrument upon defeating it. You don't have any items which are effective on it so your sword will have to be your weapon of choice."

That's just great! A monster that is capable of healing itself. Since when was that a thing in these video games? Sighing, I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it other than hope it wouldn't take too long for me to defeat this Nightmare. Raising my shield again, I moved towards the Hardhit Beetle where it continued shooting its projectiles at me. The problem with my strategy was I couldn't attack with my sword so long as I was defending (A stupid mechanic for certain but one that had plagued me all along) so I quickly abandoned it and struck it in the shell which created a crack and changed its colour.

It then reacted by shooting its projectiles at me in rapid succession though only the initial one hit me (I had what was called invincibility frames which allowed me to avoid some attacks but only if they were really fast) yet I responded by hitting the orb creating another crack and another colour change. It responded like before only I raised my shield in which the projectiles knocked me back which was when it began healing. One crack disappeared entirely causing the orb to regress back in terms of colour. That's what Her Highness meant by defeating it quickly... To prevent that from happening.

Attacking it again to reverse the healing, I continued attacking which created more cracks in the orb and more colour changes, but the Hardhit Beetle reacted to each of my attacks with its own and I quickly got pelted by projectiles (Not even invincibility frames could protect me from all of them) yet the damage was worth it in order to defeat this Nightmare. I continued my onslaught until the orb had about five cracks in it and the colour had changed from yellow to a mid orange when it pelted me with even more projectiles. Raising my shield, each projectile bounced off only for it to start healing again.

It managed to remove three cracks which meant I had to do all of that again. As far as offence went, the Hardhit Beetle certainly knew how to fight but it lacked actual power as its attacks were relatively weak. But, it made up for it with its healing ability, a rare trait if there ever was one. That ability alone made it strong because it could reverse all of my hard work in a matter of seconds while I couldn't recover any health without either Sugar Belle's medicine or having a fairy in a bottle. Raising my shield again to block the oncoming projectiles, I lowered it and moved in and attacked it a few times whilst getting hit in return.

Now it had six cracks and the orb was coloured orange. Me? I was beginning to feel exhausted as all those projectiles were starting to take their toll. To my surprise, the Nightmare suddenly stopped moving and began speaking. "Step back. Take your time. There is no need for you to rush through things. If you do that, you will only end up failing. Do you understand my meaning this time?"

I nodded. "That's called being reckless."

"Good. You are learning."

"What is your purpose here?"

"I do not understand."

"You were created to carry out a specific function." I said though even I wasn't sure I understood myself. "You are in this dungeon for a reason so tell me what it is. I'd like to think that a creature such as yourself would know."

The Hardhit Beetle appeared to be pondering over my question before it gave me an answer. "I am here to guard the Power of Colour. Step back. Take your time. The power you are here for can only be wielded by one who knows how to use it. Are you one of them? Perhaps but only time will tell." I then thought about asking it as to who created it but it surprised me by choosing to answer it any way. "I was created by the Nightmare... It who has contained the dreamer."

"Grogar..." I said to myself.

"I am here to guard the Power of Colour."

"So you said."

"Step back. Take your time."

Judging from its response that time, I wasn't about to get anymore information from it. Suddenly, a Stalfos dropped down from above following another one, then another, then another, and then one more joined in. The Hardhit Beetle had gotten so desperate that summoning other monsters to help it was all it could do. Upon a closer inspection of the Stalfos, these were the Yellow Stalfos and that meant jumping shenanigans were about to happen. Each of them began jumping up in an effort to come crashing down on me so I began avoiding each one only to realize the Nightmare was beginning to heal itself again as I was focused on something else.

As much as I wanted to continue attacking the Hardhit Beetle, I knew I had to deal with the Yellow Stalfos first. Turning my attention towards them, they continued jumping in order to attack only to be attacked themselves when I countered with my sword though each took two hits in order to defeat them. Then my next problem came in the form of more dropping down from the ceiling while the Hardhit Beetle continued to heal its wounds until it had regained all its health. Crap! Everything was now beginning to fall apart! I felt like crying but I had to take its words to heart. I needed to step back and take my time dealing with everything.

Holding my sword out, I built up some energy before using a Spin Attack to defeat all the Yellow Stalfos at once. (Why haven't I been using this move more often!? It would've made certain problems a heck of a lot easier to deal with) With them gone for the moment, I resumed attacking the Hardhit Beetle only for it to respond in kind by spitting out its projectiles in both slow and fast variations. Again, I was taking damage on the initial blow but damage nonetheless until my legs started to feel like jelly. I really needed to end this and soon before I completely exhausted myself.

Continuing to attack, more Yellow Stalfos dropped down from above. Okay, this was getting ridiculous! Where were they coming from!? No... I had to ignore them and focus my attention on the Nightmare. Hopefully, defeating it would also defeat them otherwise I'd be utterly swarmed until I was dead. Attacking the Hardhit Beetle, the Yellow Stalfos had every intention of making sure I got their attention as they jumped in order to land on me. As more of them landed on me, my body felt like it was about to collapse but I needed to tough it out as this was nothing compared to what awaited me later on.

After a few whacks, the Hardhit Beetle's orb had turned a dark shade of red and the cracks were both numerous and rather disturbing. It responded by shooting its projectiles even faster than before but I used my shield to deflect though the Yellow Stalfos weren't affected by them. I couldn't take it anymore! I needed to get rid of them and then take the Nightmare done immediately afterwards or else it would start healing all over again. Performing another spin attack seemingly out of nowhere, all of the Yellow Stalfos were immediately defeated and before the Hardhit Beetle could heal, I attacked it which was enough as it suddenly stopped.

"You have done well." It said as it collapsed.

I was breathing heavily in response. "Whew! You just didn't know when to quit!"

"I was only carrying out my purpose."

"What happens now?"

"The Power of Colour is now yours."

"Where is it?"

The Hardhit Beetle attempted to point at the door I had yet to enter though it clearly struggled in doing so. "Through there. You must go through there. Your prize... It is waiting for you through there. I... I am done now. My purpose has been fulfilled. Will you claim the power? Only... Only she will be the judge of that. At last... the Colour Dungeon... This place... One has finally conquered it..."

Flailing about in a sad manner, the Hardhit Beetle began exploding numerous times before disappearing entirely upon the final explosion. A much needed fairy appeared where it once stood and an answer to something that I had been wondering about also happened. A warp panel appeared though why had it shown up now instead of in one of the previous rooms where a mid-boss had been placed? Granted, it was better than not getting one but why now and not sooner? I knew that the Colour Dungeon wasn't big but still, I wanted some kind of consistency here. Sighing, I allowed the fairy to heal my wounds.

"That was something, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

"Ugh!"

"You didn't like it?"

I shook my head. "The fact that it could heal was the biggest headache for me. I know healing is something I can do with the right items, but to have a monster be capable of the same thing sets a really bad precedent." I stopped upon realizing that Her Highness didn't understand my meaning given her puzzled look. "In video games like this one, allowing a monster to be able to heal can be annoying especially if it happens consistently and without any kind of restriction. Sure, it doesn't happen all that often but when it does, players are outraged over it especially if it's against a really strong monster."

"I... I think I got that."

"I really need to explain it to you don't I?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "If you've got a free moment."

Walking into the final room, the door locked behind me so I could only leave through magical means. In front of me was a fairy fountain of exquisite beauty and floating mere feet above it was Adagio Dazzle. Wow... She was in charge of this place, the Seashell Mansion, and all of the fairy fountains scattered across the island. What wasn't she in charge of? One thing did bother me about this entire situation of her being here. Why couldn't she have used her magic to make things easier for me!? Or better yet, why even have this dungeon and not simply have her fountain in a hidden location!?

"We meet again, young one." Adagio said as she noticed me.

"You certainly are in charge of a lot of things." I said as I walked up to the fountain.

Giggling, Adagio looked so serene compared to how she usually was. I still found it difficult to believe that she was a good person in this world. I mean sure, she had somewhat changed her ways back in my world but still had that domineering personality which she used effectively, but when I said somewhat changed, I meant barely at all because deep down, she wanted things to be as they were before losing her magic. "This is the only thing that is under my protection, young one, yet it is perhaps the most important. You are the first to have made it here in a very long time and for that, I admire your determination and courage."

"Thank you."

"As you saw throughout this experience, the Colour Dungeon is a place where colour rules over all."

"I thought it would be easy what with fighting so many weak monsters, but the stronger ones really taught me something."

"Which was their intent."

"I've learned not to take things for granted."

"Coming this far to a place which you did not even need to come shows great dedication." Adagio then clapped her hands together before a red light and a blue light appeared on either side of her. "Now, I present the Power of Colour to you, young one. In your current tunic, you possess your regular abilities, but upon wearing one of these special tunics, you will gain its power in addition to your own."

"What kind of tunics are they?"

Moving the red light towards me, Adagio answered my question. "The red tunic will grant you the power of offence. If you are the kind of person who enjoys combat, wearing this will make things easier for you as you shall inflict double damage." She then moved it back to its previous position before the blue light was moved forward. "The blue tunic will grant you the power of defence. If fighting monsters has proven difficult where you constantly get hurt, wearing this will reduce all damage by half."

I smiled. "Now this is what I'm talking about."

"However, you can only choose one colour or the other."

"I figured having both would be too broken."

"So... Which do you choose?"

This was a difficult choice for me to make. On the one hand, having the red tunic would allow me to defeat any and all monsters more effectively as I would be inflicting twice the damage, and if combined with the ultimate sword, monsters would practically be fodder. But, possessing that amount of offensive might would make me act like Ganondorf, a constant reminder of how he wanted me to become his servant by casting aside my virtues for the sake of having power. On the other hand, having the blue tunic would give me the defence I've been needing for so long. Both choices had their good and bad sides yet one was clearly better suited for me.

"I choose the blue tunic."

Adagio smiled and moved the blue light over me. "Then close your eyes and allow the colour of blue to grant you defence." I did as she asked and just like that, my tunic changed from green to blue indicating that I now had better defences than I had before. "Do not worry that you can no longer change back to your original colour." Adagio then presented a green light which floated before me. "If you so wish it, I can give you back your original colour. Also, I can also give you the power of offence but it would mean giving up your defence. In other words, you can switch freely between the three colours by simply coming here."

"I appreciate you giving me the option to switch."

"Now, the time has come for you to leave this place and continue on your journey."

"And how do I leave here?"

"I shall take you back outside to where you first found the entrance to the Colour Dungeon." Adagio clapped her hands and the room started to get brighter. "I hope to see you again either at the Seashell Mansion or at one of my fairy fountains, young one." She then turned to face Princess Twilight. "As always, little fairy, please continue helping this young one fulfill her destiny by seeing it through."

Everything went bright and I could feel a powerful magic taking me back outside to the graveyard. Sure enough, I was back where I was before entering the Colour Dungeon, only now my tunic was a beautiful hue of blue instead of the standard green and I couldn't be happier. I seriously needed the defence what with having gotten hurt so many times and even getting killed once only to be brought back through powerful medicine. At some point, I might go back and change tunics but for now, I planned on sticking with what I had. I wasn't going to be reckless despite having improved defences.

I also figured out why the warp in the Colour Dungeon was in the Nightmare's room. It was so that I could quickly get back to Adagio if I wanted to change to the opposite tunic or where my original one and not have any special abilities. The only problem was getting back to the graveyard in order to switch between tunics since it involved some backtracking by using the warp tiles scattered across Koholint Island and having to walk the rest of the way. Oh well. It was a small price if it meant being able to change my tunic's power. Again, I was sticking with what I had.

"That tunic looks fantastic on you, Sunset." Princess Twilight said.

I blushed in response. "Thanks, Twilight, but do you think I made the right choice?"

"You made the decision based on what you felt you needed."

"Come again?"

"Meaning you wanted to make things easier for yourself."

"Oh."

Princess Twilight then looked at the entrance to the Colour Dungeon. "Be thankful that you do have the option to switch to the red tunic if you want more offensive power or switch back to your original tunic if that's your preference. If you didn't have the option to change tunics, what you're wearing is what you'd be stuck with for the rest of the journey. I doubt that would be a problem for you since having more defence isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just remember that in order to re-enter the Colour Dungeon, you have to get past all of these Ghini and maybe having to solve this puzzle again."

"Well... We won't be coming back here for a while."

"Fair enough."

"Now... We could go to the next proper dungeon, but I do have something else in mind." I said as I checked my body for any scars of which I had a few. "I'm going to need to pay another visit to Sugar Belle and purchase some more of her medicine. Sure, it will cost me some rupees but it won't hardly make a dent in my total. It'd be nice to find a couple of rupee chests so that I can finally buy that bow which has been taunting me for quite a while now." I then took out the broom which I had been carrying with me this whole time and was surprised that it hadn't broken or anything. "After that, there's a broom that needs a new owner so hopefully she's still in Mabe Village."

"You're not on a time limit so you are free to do some extra things before heading to the next dungeon."

"Then we're off to see Sugar Belle."

To Be Continued.

Chapter 17: Into the Catfish's Maw.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
December 21, 2019.
Chapter 17: Into the Catfish's Maw.

Good thing Sugar Belle's place was close by otherwise I'd have had to have trekked a long way just to purchase more medicine from her. Leaving the graveyard on account of not wanting to deal with the Ghini, I almost made it out when a Giant Ghini appeared before me. Princess Twilight wasn't kidding when she said these were huge in comparison along with being relatively rare. I stopped immediately before hiding behind one of the gravestones and waited to see what it would do. At first, the Giant Ghini paced back and forth as though it were bored but then it began moving away from me until it suddenly came back.

I could defeat it but then it was stronger than a regular Ghini and attacking could draw the attention of the other Ghini nearby. Was I afraid of this giant? Not really, but after what I had just been through in the Colour Dungeon, I wanted to avoid any fights until I had regained my composure. Her Highness then reminded me about how I was wearing the blue tunic which granted me more defence. As such, I could just plow my way through and simply take the hit but that would be giving into reckless behaviour, something to avoid given how going down that path tends to land me in so much hot water.

No... I was going to wait for the right moment to slip on by without it noticing me. A couple of minutes of waiting later and the Giant Ghini was still pacing about. This was starting to get really irritating. Why couldn't it just go away and leave me alone!? Things were getting to the point where I would have no choice but to fight but then an idea came to mind. I had no idea if it would work but at this point, I was starting to get really desperate about this. Taking out a bomb and tossing it away from me, it exploded near a gravestone (It didn't get destroyed much to my pleasure as vandalization of a graveyard would be a horrible act), the Giant Ghini flew off in order to see what was going on.

Before it even had a chance to figure out that I had deceived it, I dashed forward using the Pegasus Boots until I was safely out of the graveyard. If I knew my monsters, it wasn't going to start following me around so I breathed a sigh of relief. While part of me was curious as to what I could've gotten from defeating it, I wasn't feeling that desperate in order to acquire the final rupees to purchase the bow. That's when it became apparent that to get more medicine from Sugar Belle would require spending twenty-eight rupees. I doubted she would let me have it without paying so my money problem was still that, a problem.

Picking up and tossing the boulder aside, I made my way north making sure to avoid the Tabahl Wasteland (Those Crows could provide me with some extra rupees but I doubted they would be that generous) as I didn't need to go through there again, picked up another boulder, tossed it aside, and kept going until I entered Sugar Belle's home. She was doing the same thing she did before during my last visit and a part of me was curious as to why she was even bothering. Another part of me believed she was bored seeing as hardly anyone came this way what with having to go past a graveyard along with the Zombie infestation.

"Welcome back, big girl." Sugar Belle said.

"Your medicine worked just like you said it would." I said.

"Never underestimate my abilities." Sugar Belle then noticed the scars on my arms and legs. "You really needed my special medicine given how you have all those scars. I take it you fell to a powerful monster that proved to be rather challenging?"

I nodded but didn't specify a monster. If I had told her that I was 'killed' by a giant octopus-like monster, I'd never hear the end of it. "It proved to be more powerful than I thought which forced me to use your medicine when my body gave out completely. At first, I didn't know what would happen but it felt like I had been brought back by a fairy's magic. If not for you then my life would've ended in the Angler's Tunnel." I stopped upon believing she was getting bored with my description yet she continued listening indicating she that was really curious about what I experienced. "After going through another difficult dungeon, I came back to see you."

Sugar Belle clasped her hands together. "I knew you couldn't stay away from my medicine."

"So... Can I buy some more?"

"It will still be twenty-eight rupees."

"Um... Would you be willing to lower the price?"

"Can't do that."

"It was worth asking."

I handed over the rupees to Sugar Belle who pocketed them. "You know, if you're having money problems, you could talk to Dampé who lives not far from here. She's been working on this strange thing she calls a Dungeon Creator and needs someone brave enough to test it out for her. No one I know had volunteered as let's face it, the risk is just too high for anyone who prefers living, but I hear that by helping her, one can become very rich." She then began applying the medicine by rubbing it on my body. "You look as though you'd be interested but let me give you some advice."

"I already tried it."

Sugar Belle was surprised. "What!? Really!? Well... You do have that look of an adventurer on you so I shouldn't be surprised you said that. If you really must pay her another visit, you should ask her to increase the reward as one hundred rupee is pittance compared to what can be found inside a treasure chest."

"You know... I should take on another of her challenges, but I do have other things to do."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure you'd be interested seeing as you sell medicine."

"I'll have you know that I'm a pretty good gossip... Even if I rarely get visitors." Sugar Belle was starting to become rather defensive so I quickly calmed her down by apologizing. "You'd be surprised as to how information flies around here. Now... Tell me what 'things' you have to do and maybe I can help relieve some stress for you?" I then explained about the broom in my inventory and needing to swim in Martha's Bay (I had other objectives but I felt it best not letting her in on that just in case it proved to be too much) to reach my next goal. "Wow... You have an interesting life, big girl."

"You don't know the half of it."

"That broom you have... I know someone in Mabe Village who loves cleaning."

"I've met her once."

"She can be a real workaholic especially once she gets herself going." Sugar Belle then changed the subject to Martha's Bay. "You plan on taking a swim in the bay? Not what I'd call a smart idea since that water is filled with some nasty creatures, but I suppose you're interested in Catfish's Maw? I mean, who isn't interested in that place? You can't go anywhere in the bay without having to look upon it." She then had a thought brewing in her mind which made me wonder if it would beneficial to me. "I know little else about Catfish's Maw but there is a mermaid who knows way more about it."

"A mermaid?"

"You've never seen one?"

I nodded slightly. "Kind of." The only thing I'd seen that bore a slight resemblance to a mermaid were Seaponies and the Dazzlings in their true forms. "Let's just say that what I've seen have either been incredibly friendly or absolutely deceitful.

"Mermaids are a fickle bunch to be sure." Sugar Belle then lifted her hands away from me indicating that she was done applying her medicine. "And I'm done, big girl. If you don't like the idea of dealing with Dampé, why not go diving into hidden caves? You ought to find rupees hiding in one of those! Besides, they are easy to find as whoever tried to hide the entrances wasn't very smart. If you need more of my medicine in the future, come back and I'll apply more on you for the same small price as before."

Thanking Sugar Belle for the medicine, (I wished she could have given me some kind of discount) I left her house and looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set which made me wonder where the day had gone only for me to realize that much of it had been spent on going through two dungeons. I could go back to Mabe Village and crash there for the night or I could ask Sugar Belle if I could sleep on the floor. Thinking about my two choices, I decided that Mabe Village was my better option. Besides, I didn't know Sugar Belle well enough (Both in real life and in this world) and she did come across as perhaps being too eccentric for my tastes.

Taking out the Ocarina and playing Manbo's Mambo (Going to Mabe Village was a good idea as Vignette lived there with Discord), I focused on the raised platform just outside the village and wanting to be teleported to it. Everything began going white as the magic of the warp whisked me away and moments later found myself where I needed to be. Heading west, I picked up the boulder, tossed it, and entered Mabe Village where everyone was beginning to make their way inside. I'll give them props for being punctual here for knowing exactly when it was time to go inside for the night.

Since Starlight was still at the Animal Village, I entered her house and was greeted by Sunburst who agreed to allow me to sleep there for the night. I didn't really have anything else to say to him nor did I want to sleep in a comfy bed or on a chair (Sure, a comfy bed sounded nice but for an adventurer like myself, I needed to be able to wake up at a moment's notice and a bed would make me doze off completely and not wake up when necessary) so I intended on leaving as early as possible once the sun rose next morning. Resting my sword and shield up against a wall, I sat down, my back pressing against the same wall, and I thought about what I had been through thus far.

Unlike my previous two adventures, this one wasn't quite as stressful in terms of being in a race against time to prevent a great disaster from happening. I also didn't have to worry about dealing with Sunset Demon, who finally managed to rest in peace by accepting that I had moved on from my troubled past. Looking back on it, she was perhaps my greatest enemy as she represented the person I used to be in life: mean, ruthless, having a self-inflated ego, willing to go to great lengths (Including illegal means) in order to ensure everything went the way I wanted it to, and so on. Defeating her allowed me to become much stronger in terms of spirit.

On the subject of this adventure as a whole, there was this nagging feeling I had which I just couldn't get my mind off of. Sure, things were going great, but something told me that it was going to get much worse later on. The very thought scared me as whenever things became stressful for me, I tended to not think properly which resulted in me making some very bad mistakes which had almost cost me my life during such occasions. If this quest were to suddenly change and become a nightmare, I had no choice but to accept it. No way would Ganondorf not give up on such an opportunity like that.

Hours passed and I eventually fell asleep and began dreaming about being back in Equestria again. As I continued sleeping, in my subconscious, I knew something was wrong as my dream slowly transformed into a nightmare. If this had been any other occurrence, I'd have chalked it up to my past coming back to haunt me again, but this had nothing to do what my former self. I knew this to do with the likes of Grogar as who else could cause a nightmare with this amount of power? Also, I figured I was due for another visit from the ancient goat since I had defeated five Nightmares and collected four instruments.

Grogar's form appeared before me in my dream. "Outsider... We have underestimated you."

"Creatures like you have a tendency to do that." I said.

That caused Grogar to smash his hooves into the ground creating a slight tremor. "Do not think you are above us! You are beneath our notice and shall always be as such even as you continue to overcome the Nightmares." He began calming down which was probably for the best as his power was much greater than what I could muster. "We normally do not admit weakness, outsider, but we have realized that you are stronger than we thought. Had we known you would become this threatening, we would've killed you in your sleep during our previous encounter with you."

I chose to play my words carefully. "I know that right now, I'm no match for you."

"Which is what we like to hear coming from you."

"Why come to me now?"

"You have defeated five of the Nightmares." Grogar answered, his eyes burning with a hot fury. "When you defeated the Moldorm, we believed you had merely lucked out and sheer incompetence is what caused the Moldorm's defeat. Now, with it, the Genie, the Slime Eye, the Angler Fish, and the Hardhit Beetle defeated, we know now that it wasn't luck but rather your inner strength. Had we known this sooner, we'd have acted sooner instead of now."

"The way I see it, I'm likely to defeat the remaining Nightmares."

"And that is why we shall end this now."

"What do you mean?"

"You are in our domain now, Outsider." Grogar answered. "In the dream, we control everything and nothing is beyond our reach. We shall expose you to such a terrifying nightmare, it shall cause your heart to stop and death's grip to choke you until you no longer breathe. You shall die in your sleep and this island will continue on as before without your interference getting in the way."

"Then I'll just wake up."

"You cannot."

I tried to open my eyes in the waking world only to discover that Grogar was right. His power in the dream was immense! I needed to come up with a plan quickly otherwise he would carry out his threat. If only Princess Twilight were here, she'd be able to give me some much needed advice, but I knew that Her Highness couldn't help so it was up to me to find a solution but in all honesty, what could I even come up with against an ancient goat and one who had power over all nightmares? Thinking quickly, the only option I could think of was fighting Grogar yet I knew that wouldn't work. Anything else would've been pointless.

Raising my shield, Grogar laughed at my attempt to fight him before his eyes suddenly went dark. I then saw an image of myself turning into Sunset Demon and relishing the fact that I was embracing the transformation before using magic and attacking my friends with it. My body instantly went numb and I could feel my heart coming to a stop which was also affecting me in the waking world. He was dead serious on carrying out his threat! I wanted to break free of the nightmare but couldn't! Grogar was too powerful! My nightmare continued getting worse as my friends succumbed to my magic... Truly, a nightmare of horrific proportions.

Just when it looked like I was about to die (I didn't think Sugar Belle's medicine would work in the dream), my hand suddenly glowed as the Mark of the Triforce made its presence known, a reminder that I possessed one of the three pieces of the golden power. The mark continued glowing until it dispelled the nightmare leaving Grogar shocked as to what just happened and me snapping out of what he had done. I checked my heart and it was beating normally (My body was no longer numb otherwise I couldn't have checked my heart) and that was when I saw the mark. Despite hating the mark over how it connected me to Ganondorf, I was happy about having it in this instance.

"Looks like you failed."

Grogar didn't take this well at all. "How!? How did you manage to overcome us!?"

"Think of it as divine power."

"You are more dangerous than we expected."

"Your nightmares don't work on me."

"So it appears." Grogar sounded defeated but I knew better than to underestimate him. "Though our nightmare did not kill you, you are still beneath us. We know that even with this divine power of yours, you are no match for us. The remaining Nightmares shall enjoy making you suffer, outsider, but hopefully the next one is all that is necessary to kill you. But... It might not be the Nightmares that shall prove to be your undoing. Perhaps learning the truth shall suffice."

"What do you mean?"

"You will know and when you do..."

Before I had a chance to question him further, Grogar disappeared into the darkness and my dream returned. Again, I appreciated having the Triforce of Courage only because it saved me from meeting my end in the dream. In any other situation, it was nothing more than a burden which I'd rather not have. What Grogar said about learning about the truth worried me as it could mean just about anything, but judging from the tone in his voice when he said it, it was something to be feared. The rest of the night passed without any other incidents but I had trouble sleeping a little on account of Grogar's parting words.

The morning came and to my surprise, Sunburst wasn't around which probably meant he was off in the Mysterious Forest looking for toadstools again. As I gathered my equipment and prepared to head out, I still had feelings of dread regarding Grogar's words. Not just those but also what he said regarding the remaining Nightmares. While Moldorm had proven difficult along with Hardhit Beatle and the Genie to an extent, Slime Eye and Angler Fish were jokes in comparison. Perhaps future boss monsters would require me to become even stronger in hopes of overcoming them. I wasn't looking forward towards such a prospect.

"Are you okay, Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked as I walked out of Starlight and Sunburst's house.

"Grogar visited me during the night in my dreams." I answered.

Princess Twilight gasped. "No wonder you looked pale in the middle of the night when I woke up." Her Highness then blushed which made me curious as to why she was up so late but eventually I decided it was probably best not to question it. "What happened to you?"

"He nearly killed me in my sleep via the dream world."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"Well... He almost succeeded."

"How did you manage to survive?"

I then showed Princess Twilight the back of my right hand. "It was the Triforce of Courage. Somehow, it's divine power resonated with my plight resulting in me overcoming my near-death experience at the hands of Grogar." I honestly couldn't explain things any better than that as I didn't understand everything the Triforce could do. "Normally, I hate having this power because it reminds me that I'm connected with Ganondorf not to mention you since you possess your own Triforce, but I am grateful that it saved my life."

"A mixed blessing."

"I suppose so."

Princess Twilight then flew all around me in order to make sure that I was okay. "I'm relieved that you survived your encounter with Grogar. From what I've heard about him via various books, aside from Gusty the Great, no one else has ever overcome Grogar let alone withstood his magic. I know this instance doesn't count, Sunset, as this is a different version of him, but I'd like to think you are similar to Gusty."

That made me smile. "Thanks, Twilight."

"What else did he have to say?"

"For one thing, the Nightmares are going to become much stronger from now on."

"That sounds typical."

I nodded. "But then he mentioned something about the truth. He didn't go into any specifics and disappeared into the shadows before I had a chance to question him. I've been feeling this dread ever since which kept me up all night wondering what it could mean."

"It could be about the island."

"You think so?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "As much as I would like it to be that as it would satisfy my curiosity, I can't fathom the notion of understanding Grogar's mind. I guess the answer will eventually come to you whether you like it or not. Whatever he was getting at, you can't let it consume your every waking thought otherwise he'll have found a means to torment you outside of the dream. If we can figure out what he meant as soon as possible, it won't cause problems later on, or it might, and we'd be carrying out whatever his agenda is."

That was what I feared the most and why I hated it when villains acted like that. It was a combination of intimidation, wordplay, atmosphere, and knowing things that others didn't which made me truly worried about Grogar's mentioning of the truth. I had to focus on the task at hand and not allow myself to become obsessed with figuring out the meaning. At least I knew that much regarding the ancient goat's intentions. He planned on weakening my confidence which in turn would leave me vulnerable against the Nightmares. Her Highness was right about me not letting his words consume me.

But what if Grogar expected me to not let his words get to me? What if he wanted me to start second-guessing myself? That would lead to further disarray on my part which in turn would weaken my resolve. I then shook my head in a violent manner to remove such thoughts. Already he was starting to get to me. No wonder Gusty the Great, according to the stories of Grogar, resisted his methods and overcame him by banishing him from Equestria. It made me wish that I could have such a strong resolve instead of second-guessing myself but this was something I'd need to beat... Hopefully soon.

Focusing on what I needed to do next, I was in Mabe Village so hopefully Vignette should still be here. If not then the only other place would be the Animal Village as outside of either village was danger. Heading south towards where Discord lived, sure enough, she was standing to the left of their home but was clearly upset. That's when I noticed that she was no longer holding a broom, the instrument of her happiness. Vignette being an elderly character instead of bragging about her huge online fan base... I just found the whole thing weird in addition to her having so many fans who enjoyed seeing her 'antics' online.

I approached her and she turned to face me. "Oh... It's you."

"It's been a while." I said.

"I know that you've been calling my husband on a regular basis." Vignette said. "I've never seen Ulrira so happy speaking to someone and share his vast knowledge with them. It's made him even more precious."

"He's proven invaluable to my adventure."

"When it comes to knowledge of Koholint Island, my husband just can't be beat... Unless you were a fairy."

I looked at Princess Twilight momentarily to acknowledge Vignette's words before looking back at the latter. "I owe Grandpa Ulrira a lot." I then had to address the obvious since it was clear she was clearly distraught. "By the way... I noticed that you don't have your broom with you. If I remember correctly, you love sweeping where it's become an obsession. I believe you once said something about wanting to sweep all of Koholint Island."

"That does sound like something I'd say."

"Um... So what happened?"

Vignette sighed. "I went down to the river in order to sweep the bank and when I finished down there, I made my way over to the Animal Village since it hadn't been swept in a very long time, but then that's when everything fell apart." She then took out her current room which no longer had any of its bristles. "My old broom here was running on fumes but I believed I could continue using it for just a little bit longer, but when it suddenly lost all its bristles, my life lost all meaning. If I can't sweep the island, then what use am I? I know Ulrira needs me but that's beside the point."

"Maybe I can help?"

"How do you plan on helping me?"

I then took out the broom which Canter Zoom gave me. "I recently acquired this."

Seeing the broom made Vignette perk up instantly. "YAHOO! YAHOO! A new broom!?" She then began trying to reach out for it which looked rather pitiful. Upon noticing her own actions, she took on a more calmer persona. "Did you bring me this, lass?"

I nodded. "I'd rather not say how I got it though."

"That doesn't bother me."

"I don't need this broom so you can have it."

Handing over the broom to Vignette, her expression was that of pure joy. "At last! I can continue my purpose of sweeping Koholint Island. I'd say this new broom is going to last me about ten years or so." She then looked in my direction. "I know you want to be given a reward, lass, and I've got just the thing. When I was sweeping down by the river, I happened upon this fishing hook which had been buried. I'm no fishing enthusiast but perhaps there is someone out there who could do with one of these."

"Isn't there a fishing pond in this village?"

"There is but the fisherman there doesn't need a new fishing hook."

"Oh..."

"You could try the other fisherman though." Vignette began scratching her chin as she tried to remember something before it came to her. "He fishes somewhere in Martha's Bay though I don't know where exactly. You know how these fellows like having their secret fishing spots because of not wanting anyone else finding them. If you could talk to someone who lives in Martha's Bay, you might find out where he is."

"I was planning on going there."

"Then you should find a good use for that hook."

With that, Vignette shouted before continuing on with her sweeping and completely ignored me. As for myself, I looked at the fishing hook she had given me. Out of all the items I had been trading, this one was perhaps one of the more weirder ones. What could a fishing hook possibly become upon trading it to a fisherman? The only way to know was to find this guy and hoped he needed it otherwise I'd be stuck with something that was useless to me... Unless I wanted to try fishing for myself. In any case, my journey involved Martha's Bay and now it was time for me to go there, and fortunately, I had a quick means of reaching it.

Taking out the ocarina again and playing Manbo's Mambo, I began picturing Martha's Bay in my mind but I needed to make sure I would be warped to the right location. There wasn't a warp point that would take me directly into the bay but rather a few that would get me close to it yet required some walking on my part. Hmmm... From what I remembered of the general location of Martha's Bay, the warp that was right next to the Seashell Mansion was my best bet. Besides, I was familiar with that area since I had been there twice already. Focusing on the mansion, everything went white as the magic once again whisked me away.

Appearing moments later to the right of the mansion, I thought about going in there and checking to see how many Secret Seashells I had collected, but declined when I counted up how many I had in my head and discovered I didn't have enough of them to get the next reward. (I had roughly eight and needed ten) At least coming back to the mansion would be easy thanks to the warp panel I was standing on. Stepping off of it and seeing several Boarblins protecting the mansion's entrance, (They weren't going to go inside and tear up the place especially with Adagio acting as its guardian), I dashed through them with the Pegasus Boots.

Heading south by continuing to dash along, it took me about a minute to reach the northern most part of Martha's Bay, and I took a moment to take it all in. Last time I was here, I couldn't focus too much on what was in the bay since I had King Sombra around and he wanted to be taken home, but now that burden had passed and I was free to check things out to at my own leisure. I recalled seeing a large rock formation in the middle of the water along with a giant structure which was the Catfish's Maw but I didn't see how it could be accessed. Then again, Flash Sentry did hint as me needing to dive to get there.

"It looks so peaceful." I said as I continued looking at the vast expanse of water.

"Yes, but you need to be mindful of the Zoras that are swimming about." Princess Twilight said.

I looked down and could see a fish-like creature poke its head out of the water before going back down. "That's a Zora? It looks way different from the ones I've seen in my previous adventures." Those Zora in question looked more like humanoid fish while these Zoras were all fish and were green as opposed to blue. "Could these be a more ancient type of Zora or maybe they devolved over time to become this?"

"I'm going to go with the latter."

"And I take it they're not friendly?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Over the centuries, some Zora got sick and tired of being hunted mercilessly by humans and decided to do something about it. They began attacking them by using fire magic, something forbidden in their culture, which resulted in their exile from the tribe. From there, they called themselves River Zora while the remaining Zora, feeling shame because of this new branch, evolved by adapting to land and eventually became an entirely new species known as the Rito."

"How accurate is that?"

"It's not 100% accurate as some details have been questioned by historians."

"And these Zora?"

"When they pop their heads up, they will shoot a fireball from their mouths." Princess Twilight answered. "After that, they will go back down only to pop up a few seconds later and repeating the process. Since you can't fight while swimming on the water's surface, all you can do is avoid Zoras as best as you can. Considering they thrive in water and are rarely seen on land, you won't be able to defeat them unless you could find a way to get them out of the water."

I wasn't liking the idea of a monster that couldn't be defeated by conventional means but this was something that couldn't be helped. Zoras were masters of the water and my swimming skills were nothing compared to them. I had to heed Princess Twilight's words and just avoided them and their attacks or else they'd be able to pick me off with ease. Continuing on south, ignoring the Boarblins, and reaching some stairs that went into the water (There were many of these), I walked into the water and the Flippers immediately appeared on my feet enabling me to swim.

"Hey! You!" Someone called out to me.

"Huh?"

"Look over here!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and to my surprise, floating in the water was Gloriosa Daisy. If not for her using the magical geodes in her bid to save Camp Everfree from the likes of Filthy Rich as well as finding them, my friends and I wouldn't have gotten them ourselves and used them ever since to overcome additional problems that involved magic. In that sense, we owe her immensely for allowing us to unlock our true magical potential. At first, I was surprised to see her swimming in the water, but upon seeing a glimpse of a tail behind her, I discovered that she was a mermaid in this world.

"Um... Hello there."

"What!?" Gloriosa said with a huff. "You've never seen a mermaid before?"

I shook my head. "I've seen something similar."

"Uh huh."

"Sorry if I came across as ignorant."

Gloriosa clearly didn't appreciate my apology. In fact, she looked like she couldn't care less about talking to me since she was frantically looking around for something. "I don't need an apology from you! I need information and you're going to give me some!" That was surprising. Someone wanted information from me when usually it was the other way around where I needed it. "Swimming around here is meant to be fun but I'm not having it right now!"

"What happened?"

"When I was swimming earlier, the waves took a very important necklace from around my neck!" Gloriosa answered as she pointed at her neck. "Why it's important isn't any of your concern but it means everything to me. Have you seen it anywhere?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen your necklace."

That made Gloriosa feel even worse. "Then you're not much help are you? You look like someone who's pretty capable but instead you've been disappointing. If you find it and bring it back to me, I will let you take a scale from my tail! I know that sounds like utter desperation on my part but I'm very serious here! Sorry if I sound rude but I've been in a panic all day long and until it's safe in my hands again, I'm going to continue being rude because it's the only way to get any answers."

"Do you know anything about a fisherman?"

"Huh?"

"A fisherman."

"Normally, mentioning a fisherman in the presence of a mermaid is nothing short of insulting, but I'm too upset right now to care." It was unfortunate that Gloriosa was feeling the way she was but I knew that I could help her out with her problem. What she said about fishermen and mermaids had some truth but whether you believed the stories or not depended on a person's opinions. "Since you did ask nicely, I suppose I can tell you about this secret location I know of. There's a bridge near the Mermaid Statue and underneath it is a fishing spot deemed an excellent place for fishermen to catch their quarry. If there's a fisherman in Martha's Bay, that's where I'd look for him."

"I'll find your necklace."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

I shook my head. "No, I really mean it."

Gloriosa grumbled in response. "Okay, I'll believe you for now, but if you're lying to me, you'll wish you never met me. I may be beautiful but we mermaids can be vicious when provoked so remember that."

She then resumed looking for her necklace leaving me to do the same thing. Before I could swim away, she said that she had already scoured this area of Martha's Bay so there was no point in me searching here. With that, I swam south towards where that rock formation was. Upon reaching it, I began thinking about where her necklace could've gone. She said waves took it away yet I immediately had to question her claim. This area would have to be connected to the ocean in some way for a wave to get here and I remembered the map of the island correctly, there was no such connection.

Could it have been caused by a Zora? Maybe but then it would've taken an entire group of them and not just one. Perhaps the Catfish's Maw? The Nightmare could've done something that created waves resulting in Gloriosa's necklace becoming lost. So many possibilities yet each had a number of holes that made them dubious at best and completely pointless at worst which wasn't to my liking. Whether it was waves or not, I had to find that necklace because I needed her help despite her needing mine. If anyone knew anything about the next dungeon, Gloriosa fit that description.

I eliminated one possible area from my mind, that of where the Mermaid Statue was. Despite only catching a glimpse of it when I was over that way with King Sombra, there was no bridge but rather a series of rocks in the water that covered up one dead-end. Another area I could eliminate was swimming up river and Gloriosa didn't seem the kind of person who would want to swim in shallow waters. Besides, Kanalet Castle was up river and knowing her, she would want to avoid such a place what with the berserk soldiers. That left just one area, the southeast which was near the Animal Village.

Swimming to the east, Princess Twilight also warned me about whirlpools that could appear. Even though these wouldn't cause me to drown, they would inflict damage because of their unusual strength so I needed to avoid them. Good thing she mentioned it as one suddenly materialized next to me. I didn't panic as that would've caused me to do something stupid so I carefully maneuvered past it only for a pair of Zora to emerge their heads from below the water's surface. Each shot out a fireball so I reacted by diving underwater as the flippers enabled me to do so though for just a brief moment.

Popping back up, both Zora had gone back down but I knew that were pausing before coming back up and attacking again. Before they had the chance, I swam past some more stairs and continued swimming south and eventually came across a bridge. It had certainly seen better days judging from how poorly it looked yet it looked like something was underneath it as I could see an object bobbing on the water's surface in the shadows though what I didn't know. Swimming under the bridge, I was surprised to see a large spacious area which looked way bigger on the inside than it did outside.

The object I saw turned out to be a boat and sitting in it was a man who had to be the fisherman. When he turned his face, I was looking at Grand Pear, Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Macintosh's grandfather. From what Princess Twilight told me, he abandoned his daughter, Pear Butter, because she married into the Apple Family when she and Bright Macintosh said their vows. He remained out of their lives for years until returning to Ponyville where he finally allowed his heart to guide him rather than his pride resulting in both families reconciling rather than continuing on with a pointless feud.

Climbing into the boat, Grand Pear took immediate notice. (My equipment weighed me down, not my weight) "Oh? And who might you be?"

"I'm Sunset Shimmer." I answered.

"Me? I'm just a lonely fisherman who's been trying to score the big one." Grand Pear answered. "Have you ever been to the Fishing Hole in Mabe Village? If you haven't, I recommend trying it out at least once. The guy running that place happens to be my twin brother so if you tell him I sent you, he should give you a special discount and maybe fish for something pretty rare."

"Why are you out here?"

"Everyone knows that this is a secret fishing spot where the rarest fish are supposed to be."

"Yet you don't look very happy."

Grand Pear sighed. "It's that obvious is it? It's no use, Sunset Shimmer! A fish took my best hook and it's been a nightmare since. I have no idea where it ended up but what I do know is that I'll never see my hook again. I keep casting my line into the water, but I haven't got a bite. Makes sense when you think about as without a hook, fish won't get caught up on it and I'd just be wasting time. I thought this would happen..." He continued sighing before pulling out his line. "At this point, I should just pack up and go home. If only I had brought another hook with me then I'd be fine."

"Well... I do have this." I said as I took out the fishing hook from my pocket.

"Oh! What is that you have in your hand?"

"I was wondering what to do with it but it looks like you solved that problem."

Grand Pear's eyes lit up. "Is that a fishing hook you have there? It's not the one I lost but it should be a perfect replacement. Can you please let me have it seeing as you just said you don't know what to do with the thing. Please? I'll give you my next catch if you let me have that hook." I nodded and handed it over to him. "Yes! I can continue fishing again. Okay, now we're in business. Keep your eyes open and watch a professional at work. The secret in catching a fish is patience." Tying the hook onto the line and casting it into the water, nothing happened at first but then the line started reacting. "My, that's a BIIIIG one!"

"It might be too big."

"The bigger the better!"

"If you say so."

After pulling on the line for what felt like forever, Grand Pear gave the line a big yank resulting in him pulling something out of the water where it landed in my lap. "Well... You don't see anything like that everyday in this line of work." In my lap was a beautiful necklace, the very one Gloriosa had been searching for. How it got all the way down here was beyond me but now I could go back and give it to her. "I did say you could have the next thing I catch but at least it wasn't a rare fish."

"This is just what I needed."

"Whatever works for you."

"Thanks for fishing this necklace up for me."

"My pleasure." Grand Pear said as he threw his line back into the water. "I'm going to be here for a while using this new hook to score the big one. Again, you should give fishing a try by going to the Fishing Hole over in Mabe Village. I guarantee you'll become addicted!"

Leaving Grand Pear to continue doing what he was doing, I carefully placed the necklace in my pocket and jumped back into the water. I was still surprised at the fact that the necklace managed to get all the way down here, yet Gloriosa never once tried searching this far. Had she swam this way, she'd have eventually found it herself though it would've meant having to interact with something she wasn't particular fond of. At least I could now get a scale from her and eventually give it to Bulk Biceps (The one in the Animal Village and not his brother in Toronbo Shores) since he was the one who made that Mermaid Statue.

Swimming back the way I came, I immediately was attacked by the same two Zora from before where they popped up from below the surface and shot fireballs at me. Diving underwater to avoid getting hit, this time, instead of staying put, I swam forward a little in hopes that believed I had drowned and would ignore me. Sure enough, the Zoras went back down and didn't come up again indicating my plan was successful. Even the simplest of solutions were the most effective when applied correctly. Ignoring the whirlpool by slowly swimming past it, I kept on swimming until I encountered Gloriosa again.

"You weren't gone for very long."

"I did what I needed to do."

"And did you find my necklace?" Gloriosa asked.

"I did find a fisherman in that secret spot you mentioned."

Gloriosa's expression went from bad to worse. "You seriously just went and said that!? How insensitive can one get!?" Then her mood changed. "I'm glad you managed to find that secret fishing hole but it doesn't change the fact that I'm still missing my necklace. You made a promise and broke it!"

I reached into my pocket and carefully took out the necklace. "No I didn't."

Seeing the necklace in my hand, Gloriosa's reaction was expected. " Ah! That's it! That's my necklace!" She then calmed down upon realizing that I kept my word. "Wow... You actually went and brought it back to me despite what I said to you. I... I don't know what to say other than to give it back. I will give you a scale as I said but promise to only take one from my tail as the thought of being a scale-less mermaid creeps me out."

Handing over the scale, Gloriosa immediately put it on and showed it off. Rolling my eyes, I then dove underwater in order to get a scale from her. Upon seeing her tail up close, it was certainly majestic in appearance, and I felt honoured that she would allow me to take one for myself as a reward. I couldn't just rip it off as that would surely cause pain nor could I use my sword and pry it off as that would also result in pain. Instead, I reached out for a scale of significant size and began slowly loosening it by gently tugging. After about a minute or so of doing this, the scale fell into my hands leaving no scar on Gloriosa.

I then came back up to the surface. "Sorry that took me a while."

"You were very gentle when you did that."

"Hurting you would've made me feel terrible."

Gloriosa smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment. You know, an artist once asked me to pose for him, and he wanted a scale, too. I refused his offer as I'm not the kind of girl who wishes to stay in one place while someone painted me. I mean, it was a nice gesture and all but not something I wanted. Can the legend of the Magnifying Lens be true?"

"What legend?"

"A long time ago, someone on this island once had a Magnifying Lens that could see anything." Gloriosa answered. "No matter how small something was or if it was invisible to the naked eye, this lens could see anything. It's said that the lens was buried underground where that Mermaid Statue is located but whether that's true remains a mystery. That artist always kept say his work remained incomplete all because of a single missing scale. I think he's just being too personal with his creation. Anyway, he still lives in the village over there so you can give that scale to him if you want."

Pocketing the scale, I then addressed the current elephant in the room. "I need information on the Catfish's Maw."

"You mean that structure south of us?"

I nodded. "I'm going in there to acquire something important."

"Since you were so kind in returning my necklace and taking a scale from my tail, I would be happy to tell you all I know." Gloriosa took a deep breath before continuing. "In order to be able to enter the Catfish's Maw, you need to dive underwater on the other side of that rock formation. That should be a simple thing for you since you're a pretty capable swimmer, but once you go inside, things will get much more complicated. I hear that there are monsters everywhere in that place and one in particular proclaims itself as a master."

"A master of what?"

"It calls itself Master Stalfos."

"Sounds like it's full of itself."

Gloriosa laughed. "Maybe but it's a fearsome creature. Once, I went into the Catfish's Maw on a wanting of being curious, and it appeared at the entrance. I was so terrified that I immediately swam away and never went back. With that sword and shield, the Master Stalfos looked to be a formidable warrior, yet that skeletal body looked old. I'd say it could crumble instantly if it were struck with a blunt object. There was something else about that creature which I'm trying to remember."

"Any information will do."

"It had some kind of object dangling on its belt."

"That's... Informative... I guess?"

"Sorry if it isn't entirely accurate."

"I'll make do."

"I don't have much else to say about the Catfish's Maw other than one thing." Gloriosa said as she pointed to the Mermaid Statue. "That stretching object might be what you need to reach the statue if you're curious enough to want to check it out. I'd like to see it someday but we mermaids can't exactly strut about on shore as we'd suffocate. Anyway, I've said all I can so now I think it's time for me to be on my way. I'll be back here later so if you come on by later, I should be somewhere in Martha's Bay." With that, Gloriosa dove down underwater and swam off before she eventually disappeared.

I then turned to Princess Twilight who hadn't had a chance to speak for quite a while. "Well? What did you make of all of that?"

"I'm surprised that Gloriosa went into the Catfish's Maw just because she was bored." Princess Twilight answered.

"Makes you wonder if anyone else has done something similar barring the Colour Dungeon."

"It's certainly a possibility."

"By the way, what do you make of this Magnifying Lens?"

"It sounds like it's an item that you definitely need as why go to all the trouble of having to trade so many items for it?" I was shocked when Her Highness said that. I never thought of this trading sequence as leading up to something of great importance but it did explain why I was going around with so many weird items in my inventory. "I came to my conclusion by paying close attention to what Gloriosa said about the Magnifying Lens and that her scale is the final key to getting it."

"Now that I think about it, the Magnifying Lens sounds just like the Lens of Truth." I said. In my previous adventures, I acquired a similar lens which could reveal the truth to me through the use of incredible magic. Nothing was beyond its gaze and it proved rather essential despite it being just a lens. "Perhaps this item serves as a precursor to what I would acquire on my previous adventures. Huh... It sounds confusing when you look at this from a video game release perspective." I changed the subject when it was clear that Princess Twilight didn't quite understand what I was getting at. "Anyway, what about this Master Stalfos?"

"It sounds like it could prove problematic."

I nodded. "I was afraid of that."

"Also, the item it has could prove useful."

"I just wish Gloriosa had given me some more details."

"It couldn't be helped."

The time had finally come for me to enter the next dungeon and acquire the fifth instrument. Swimming south until I reached the rock formation which housed the Catfish's Maw, I began swimming around it in hopes of finding a spot where I could dive down since that was what I had to. It took about a minute to find what I was looking for as it was situated on the other side of where I started. Diving down underwater, nothing was blocking me which struck me as odd as normally something would be guarding an important area to prevent anyone from reaching it.

The underwater expedition wasn't long at all as I had to go back up to the surface and upon doing so, I was staring at the dungeon entrance. The sight of such an entrance was guaranteed to scare away any who were curious about exploring. It consisted of an angry catfish complete with whiskers, sinister looking eyes that could pierce your soul, sharp teeth on the entryway's roof, and some moss on top of it which looked gross more than anything. It felt like I was being beckoned to enter and face whatever was waiting for me on the inside. If not for my mission, I wouldn't want to go inside but I had no other choice.

Swimming up to the entrance, I climbed out the water and went inside where I found myself in the entrance of the dungeon. The voice I had been hearing in the past whenever I entered a dungeon then revealed to me that this was 'Level 5. - Catfish's Maw'. It was surprising how there wasn't any water considering that one needed the ability to swim in order to reach this place, but I had no intention of dwelling on it for very long otherwise I'd probably just confuse myself over something trivial. Aside from a pair of statues, nothing else was of interest apart from the ground being sand.

My only way forward was going west and so I did into the next room where I was immediately attacked by a Red Zol which jumped towards me. Luckily, I managed to raise my shield just in time and its attack amounted to nothing. Attacking it which caused it to split into two pieces, I took out both pieces leaving only to deal with a Spark that was rotating around a nearby statue along with a Helmasaur which hadn't noticed me yet. My eyes were then drawn towards a treasure chest but it was in an area I couldn't reach so easily. A series of stone blocks and the abuss were preventing me from reaching it. Princess Twilight said she would make a note of it for later.

The Helmasuar merely paced back and forth so I waited for it to turn its back towards me as I couldn't attack the front because of its armoured helmet. When it turned away, I quickly struck it from behind twice, defeating it where it dropped a rupee which I picked up. Heading into the next room by walking west again, I was next attacked by several Keese who had previously been resting on top of statues situated in the middle of the room. There was another Helmasaur pacing about so I ignored it in order to focus on my main problem. Swinging my sword around in an erratic fashion, I defeated all four Keese though they didn't drop anything.

With just the Helmasaur remaining, I walked around to its backside (It was incredibly slow when it wasn't noticing anything) and I defeated it with two sword strikes. This caused a door to unlock though I could only go in that direction as the other way required a key which I currently lacked. Heading west again (This was starting to become a weird trend which made me wonder how far west did this dungeon go) I immediately came upon a chest when I entered the next room and opened it which contained a Compass. Why was this item almost always the firs key item I would find?

At least I would know when I would enter a room that housed a key but a map was infinitely better. As for what was in this room, a Spark was moving around the outer edges so it would be easy enough to avoid though the two Helmasaurs were blocking my way forward. Raising my shield and slowly walking towards them, one Helmasaur immediately charged at me but I merely stepped aside and when it stumbled past, I attacked it from behind though I forgot about the other one resulting in me getting hit from behind. Turning around, the remaining one had since turned around because of losing interest in me but I responded by dashing into it.

"You didn't need to be that excessive, Sunset."

"I know, but I wanted to prove a point."

"Fair enough."

"Sorry if I did anything wrong."

"No, you did what you thought was best." Princess Twilight said. "One thing I forgot to mention about Helmasaurs is that their helmets aren't as sturdy as appearance suggest. If you were to use a unique item against it, said item would destroy the helmet instead of pulling it off. I don't know what this item could be but it's something to think about. Good thing youdefeated both of them as doing so unlocked the way back, but I suggest checking out those stairs as you do need a small key in order to progress."

Heading downstairs into an underground passage, I was immediately presented with a challenge. "Are those weights?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "If you stand on one, it will drop down which causes the other one to rise up in response. Now, I'm not saying your overweight, Sunset, but your equipment and current inventory will be enough to tip the scales so to speak."

"Thanks for not saying I'm fat, Twilight."

"Well you're not."

Standing on the weight, it slowly began to drop and when it was at equal height with the other weight as it rose up, I jumped onto it using the Roc's Feather, and jumped again onto the platform before heading left where I encountered more weights. There were four of them this time and I could see that the first two were already up whereas the other two were down. I knew something wasn't right at it looked too easy. I suspected that these first two didn't connect with one another and instead one was connected to three. If they did, this puzzle couldn't be solved and I'd be stuck here with no means of progression.

Stepping on the first weight, the third weight began to rise, just as I suspected. I quickly figured out on what I needed to do in order to solve this puzzle and it was actually a lot more simpler than appearances suggested. Once I was low enough where the first three weights were lined up, I jumped across each one which also caused the last weight to begin rising to counter the second weight which began dropping upon my stepping on it. (That sounded a lot more confusing than it actually was) Continuing to jump across, I almost didn't make it on account of nearly missing my jump but I somehow succeeded.

Heading up the ladder and into the next room, I could see dark crystals were everywhere. The Compass also beeped indicating that there was a key in this room. I could also see a pair of Yellow Stalfos but there were also two red ones which were brand new for me. "What can you say about the Red Stalfos?"

"These are perhaps the most annoying among the Stalfos you'll be encountering."

"How so?"

"Not only do these ones jump away from you when you try to attack them, they will also throw bones in your direction." Princess Twilight answered. "The bones won't do much damage to you but it will prove annoying especially with other enemies around causing a distraction. I don't believe their bones can pass through solid objects but I do know that they will throw them whenever they jump in order to move away from you. Think of this method of attacking as a reaction."

"Guess I need to watch them closely."

"They have the same stamina as other Stalfos."

"That's good to know."

Smashing the dark crystals, a Yellow Stalfos and a Red Stalfos began approaching me. I easily took out the yellow one as I knew its attack patterns by heart on account of having fought so many of them, but this wasn't true with the new one. It immediately jumped back before tossing a bone from somewhere that bounced harmlessly off of my shield when I raised it to protect myself. Before it had a chance to throw another, I countered by striking it twice, defeating it. From there, I continued smashing dark crystals because I could see what the solution was to this puzzle but then the remaining two Stalfos decided to come my way.

Again, I easily took out the Yellow Stalfos but the Red Stalfos jumped back before tossing a bone. (I had no idea where it was tossing them from nor did I want to know as there were some things one was never meant to find out about) Using my shield to deflect it, the Red Stalfos continued jumping backwards until it reached the wall and could no longer escape as it couldn't change direction when in mid-air. Walking up to it, I took it out using my sword which left me free to finish smashing what remaining dark crystals there were. Once I had smashed them all, I began pushing two of the four blocks so that they all matched up with each other.

When the last block was moved into place, a small key dropped down from the ceiling which I picked up. Now I could go back to where that locked door was and continue on in that direction, but I was curious as to what lurked in the next room. I couldn't help but be curious as exploration was highly recommended in these kinds of games. Walking into the next room, it was completely empty though there was an unusual pattern on the ground. It comprised of a series of tiles in the form of a skull though four tiles were coloured blue. I had no idea what this meant but maybe Princess Twilight knew.

"What do you think, Twilight?"

"Hmmm... This could mean just about anything."

"So you don't know?"

"I'm afraid I don't."

"I was hoping you would know."

"While I have proven myself time and time again that I'm an immense source of wisdom, not even I know everything, Sunset." Princess Twilight then took out her notepad and began writing something down. "I'm definitely making a note of this room as those coloured tiles are just way too curious for me to simply ignore. Perhaps we might encounter a similar tile pattern in a later room that could shed some light on the meaning. For now, you need to go back to that locked door."

Heading back into the previous room, the blocks were still pushed together though I had a feeling I'd have to solve this puzzle again later if for some reason the puzzle resets due to me being too far away. While it was an easy one to solve, I didn't like the prospect of having to solve something which had already been solved. The dark crystals, however, had re-spawned so I smashed my way through and went downstairs into the underground passage again. Fortunately, I didn't need to jump across the weights as I could simply drop down and use the ladders but if I had to come back here again, I would have to repeat the puzzle.

Dropping down to the ground, I walked across, climbed up the ladder, dropped down again, and climbed up the other ladder until I was back in the room where the two Helmasaurs and Spark were. The Spark was all that remained but I knew those Helmasaurs would eventually re-spawn so this was merely a temporary respite. Ignoring it by simply walking past it and into the next previous room, I used my small key to unlock the door and entered the next room. Dark crystals were scattered about everywhere and there was a very shallow river which ran through though I wasn't surprised to see water since I saw a river in the previous section and we were underwater and all.

There was also a Yellow Stalfos, Red Stalfos, and a Helmasaur in this area so I knew which one to focus on first. Then again, defeating these three monsters wasn't required and I could simply ignore them for the time being. I just hoped that they wouldn't follow me into another section otherwise I'd be completely swarmed. The Red Stalfos was the only one who noticed me and reacted by jumping backwards before throwing a bone in my direction. Rather than raise my shield to deflect it, I just stepped aside and ignored it as I headed west into the darkness before immediately stopping upon almost getting my legs sawed off.

"Was that what I think it was?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "A Blade Trap. It has been a while since you've seen one of these."

I looked around the room and could see four of them, one in each corner. "If I remember your words from way back in Tail Cave, nothing I have can defeat these traps so my only option is to avoid them as best as I can, right?"

Again, Princess Twilight nodded. "Once they reach the other side of where they are supposed to go, they will slowly move back to their original position. You could try to bait them out and use that slow phase to your advantage if necessary. One thing I didn't mention to you before is that Blade Traps don't work on monsters."

"Really?"

"Whoever programmed them made sure of that."

"There goes a potential idea."

"As long as you avoid them, Blade Traps can't do anything to you."

At least I was thankful about that though I wished I could lure the monsters into getting hit by them. Speaking of monsters, the only two in this area were both Helmasaurs and I had to defeat them both in order to unlock both doors. Since they were pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, I didn't have to worry about the Blade Traps unless one of them somehow pushed me back into one. Sticking my foot out, both Blade Traps shot forward where they collided with each other before slowly moving back when I easily slipped past and could focus on the Helmasaurs.

Neither of them had noticed me approach so I waited for them to turn their backs to me before attacking them both. Upon defeating them, both doors unlocked but now I had to choose which room to check first. Thinking it over in my head, I decided that the door on the left would be my first choice but if it was too difficult, I'd leave and come back later. Why choose west instead of north? Call it a gut instinct. Entering this next room, I could see a Spark moving around in a rather erratic manner on account of there being pots in addition to stone blocks for it to maneuver around, two more Helmsaurs, and a flying bomb with the number ten on it.

Both Helmasaurs hadn't noticed me (This actually made them a joke thus diminishing their overall presence) so I snuck behind each one and attacked from behind but not before getting hit a couple of times by the Spark which couldn't be defeated. Defeating both Helmasaurs caused a treasure chest to materialize on the other side of the room yet I was curious as to why one of those item replenishing objects (I didn't have anything else to properly call them) was in this room and of a bomb no less. Did I need to use bombs for something? If so then I needed to stock up before progressing any further.

Jumping to grab the bomb icon, I had just over twenty bombs since I hadn't used any in a while so hopefully that was enough to get me through the dungeon. Heading over to the chest and opening it up, I took out a Stone Beak which was useful in some ways but again, I really needed the Dungeon Map. Pocketing the Stone Beak, I went back to the previous room and almost had my legs sawed off again because of immediately forgetting about the Blade Traps. Gah! They were just so annoying yet also completely forgetful. Using my foot in order to lure them out again, I snuck past when they moved back to their original positions and repeated this method in order to get past the other two.

In this next room, I could see another item floating in the air on wings... But it made my heart sink upon seeing what it was. "Is that an arrow?" Upon a closer inspection, it was an arrow with the number ten next to it, but there was an obvious problem. "Why would this dungeon give me arrows when I don't even have a bow to use them?"

"You could say that if you picked up an arrow, you don't have a bow to deliver the 'ow' if you get my point."

I glared at Princess Twilight. "That was a terrible joke and you know it!"

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself."

Her joke was in poor taste but I couldn't hold it against her, but then it had me thinking. "If this item replenishing object (I really needed a better name than that) is here, does that mean I need a bow to be able to progress through this dungeon?"

"That's hard to say for certain."

"Now I'm starting to worry."

"You could always leave the dungeon and come back later with a bow."

"But that would involve some rupee grinding."

"Yes."

It was a tough choice to consider. On the one hand, if I encountered something that required a bow, I'd be out of luck on account of not having one. On the other hand, it might just be that having one in my inventory was optional for this dungeon in that it wasn't needed. After contemplating both sides, I decided to continue going since I was already making my way through the Catfish's Maw. Explaining my reason to Princess Twilight, she agreed with my decision. I took a step forward and two Red Zols popped up from the ground. Striking them both with one sword swing cut them in half and another swing defeated both of them.

The north door didn't unlock which meant I had to find another way to get to that room, but then Her Highness pointed out a bridge to my right which had been rolled up. If I could find a way to unroll it, I could use it to get to the other side of the locked door. Unfortunately, none of my items could help me but perhaps the item of this dungeon could. Heading left into the next room, I encountered a rather unique set-up. Several holes were aligned in a row with Blade Traps situated in-between them. Sure, I could easily jump across the holes but would I be fast enough to make it across?

"Can I make it?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "With how fast Blade Traps move, you'd lose your legs in an instant."

"What if I used the Pegasus Boots and performed a couple of dash jumps?"

"That won't work either."

"Really?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Even if you were to run at the highest maximum speed you're capable of, you wouldn't be able to avoid getting hit by the Blade Traps. You need to be able to move faster than them and the Pegasus Boots simply won't cut it."

"What could possibly be faster than the Pegasus Boots!?"

"Whatever it is, you need to find it if you want to get through this."

I couldn't believe that there was something that could outrun the likes of the Pegasus Boots. As I stood there completely stunned by what Her Highness had said, I began to think about what it was that would allow me to get across without getting sliced apart. Nothing immediately came to mind which meant I was going to be distracted by this throughout the entire dungeon until an answer could be found. Not exactly a comforting thought especially in a place like this but this had become the norm for me. Since I couldn't do anything else, I went back to the previous room where I jumped and collected another arrow--not that it would do me any good without a bow.

Heading south into the next previous room, I stopped as two Blade Traps darted forward from either side of me until they hit one another. At least I was prepared for them this time instead of freaking out. As both traps moved back to their prior positions, I walked past them and then used my foot method from earlier to lure out a previous trap as well as another one so that I could walk past them without injury, which I did though not before almost getting my legs cut off from behind when both traps suddenly darted forward. Rubbing my brow which had since began dripping with sweat, I went back to the last previous room.

The three monsters were still here since I hadn't defeated them initially so now I could take care of them. Taking out the Yellow Stalfos before it even knew what happened, I was struck from behind by a bone courtesy of the Red Stalfos. It didn't hurt but it sure was annoying that it happened so I immediately went after it so that it couldn't throw another bone at me but it knew I was coming for it as it jumped back in order to get away. Like the other Red Stalfos who attempted a similar tactic, this one wound up getting stuck in a dead-end and I defeated it with two sword strikes living just the Helmasaur.

Since it wasn't attacking me, I decided to leave it alone for the time being and instead continue north. In the next area, two more Red Stalfos and a Yellow Stalfos were blocking my way forward even though I could simply ignore them as the next door was already unlocked. But, there was an Owl Statue and it could provide me with some valuable information regarding a mechanic for this dungeon. Raising my shield and slowly moving forward, both Red Stalfos jumped backwards before tossing bones which harmlessly bounced off the shield. They continued jumping back and throwing bones until both had their backs to the wall and I responded by attacking both until they were defeated.

That left just the Yellow Stalfos which jumped up into the air before attempting to land on top of me. I managed to dodge it just in time and responded by striking it twice, defeating it, and gaining myself access to the Owl Statue. I had a feeling this one would prove beneficial unlike the ones in the Colour Dungeon which only talked about those switches. I placed the beak on the statue and listened carefully to what it had to say. 'If you can't destroy the skeleton with your sword, try using a bomb'. That explained why I needed bombs but what skeleton was it talking about?

Entering the next room, I then looked down and saw something familiar. "Didn't we see this before?"

"We did in that one room!" On the ground was the same tile formation that we encountered in the room that was next to the room where I found that small key, but this pattern was different as only a single tile was coloured blue as opposed to four in the other room. "Only one tile has colour this time."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not liking all this confusion."

"Neither do I."

I then thought about it. "What if there is a simple pattern that we're clearly overlooking? I mean, here we both are wracking our brains over what this could mean yet the answer could be staring at us until we're both blue in the face." Then I noticed a shadow coming from the ceiling prompting me to get my sword and shield ready. "Then again, all we need to do is wait for an answer to come down from above." Whatever was up there had no desire to come down so I called out in hopes of getting its attention. "I know you're up there so why don't you stop hiding and make yourself known."

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone or something is on the ceiling."

Princess Twilight then noticed the shadow herself. "Okay, now I see what you're getting at."

Both doors suddenly locked indicating that my words got through to whatever was hanging out on the ceiling. It then dropped down from above and landed on the ground with a loud thud combined with the clanking of armour. Standing before me was a large skeleton wearing what looked like ancient armour whilst wielding a rather large sword that gave it quite the reach in comparison to my own and had a shield which had clearly seen its fair share of battles. Its face had teeth though it was probably just the shape of the skull. No doubt that this is what Gloriosa told me earlier. This was the Master Stalfos.

"I was wondering when you would notice my shadow."

"Are you the Master Stalfos?"

"I am."

"I've heard about you from a mermaid."

"A mermaid you say?" As Master Stalfos contemplated my words, I took a much closer look at it. Its bones looked like they could fall apart at any moment as some pieces were missing while others had clearly seen better days. But, it was the sword that worried me the most. A blade like that could easily cleave me in two provided that it boasted a lot of power but perhaps it was more show than anything. "Yes... I seem to recall seeing such a creature enter this place some time ago. Such a cowardly thing who fled in fear upon seeing me yet I do not blame one who cannot be a warrior."

"And what about me?"

"You? A warrior?"

I nodded. "Of course I'm a warrior. Okay, more like a heroine but you get the picture."

Master Stalfos then began laughing though it was stunted. "I cannot believe that a girl like you is a warrior. Though you do possess a sword and shield, they do not have the smell of blood one would expect for weapons used by a warrior who has seen plenty of combat. I have fought many who claimed to be warriors yet they all fell by my hand and either died or became servants of the Nightmares."

"The Nightmares!?" I exclaimed. "You know of them?"

"They control this island."

"I already know that."

Again, Master Stalfos laughed. "And yet you clearly don't know how they are controlling this island. I know the truth but you will not learn this from me as I intend on keeping that information to myself even if you were somehow to rend me asunder. If you claim to be a warrior then prove it by fighting me right now. I could do with a good laugh."

To Be Continued.

Chapter 18: A Game of Cat and Mouse.

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
January 5, 2020.
Chapter 18: A Game of Cat and Mouse.

"What!?" I exclaimed. "You think I'm going to be a pushover or something?"

Master Stalfos shook its head, the rattling of bones making me uneasy. "No. It's just that you clearly don't resemble a warrior. Sure, you possess a sword, a shield, and various tools a warrior would use, but this means nothing if you lack the skill to use them all properly."

I felt offended by those remarks. "Okay, so I started off with next to no idea what I was doing, but that was back in my first ever adventure doing something like this. I've improved a lot since those early days and you'll find me to definitely be of the warrior mentality you're thinking of." I hated it when people insulted me for my abilities. It was because they were either jealous or believed me to be unworthy of having them. I've had to go through an awful lot to reach my current place in life seeing how I used to have everything until reality gave me a taste of my own medicine.

"Have I touched a nerve?"

"You might have."

"Already, you are showing signs that you are not a warrior." Master Stalfos said as it swung its sword around in a sharp arc. "A warrior would never allow emotions to get the better of them as emotions indicate weakness. Perhaps it's best if you went back home and forgot all about pretending to be something you're not. It would save you from getting yourself killed and it would mean me not having to stop to such a degrading level."

I was that close to losing my temper when a thought came to me. "What would it take to convince you otherwise?"

"Proof!"

"Come again?"

"You claim to be a warrior yet you lack proof." Master Stalfos answered. "Do you have the means to show that you have accomplished what you claim? And no, words alone aren't enough as anyone can say that they are something and believe that others will accept it." Despite being a large monster, Master Stalfos knew how to get under someone's skin by using the right choice of words. "For instance, the sword in your hand. You could claim that you've slain numerous creatures yet without it showing signs of having blood stains, you could potentially be lying to me."

"I've defeated countless monsters!"

"Not good enough."

"Okay, how about all of the items I've collected."

"You could have been given those out of pity or perhaps you have stolen them."

Sheesh! Talk about having an answer for everything. That's when I decided to really turn the heat up. "What about instruments?"

"Explain!"

"I have four Instruments of the Sirens."

Master Stalfos then glared at me. "You are in possession of half of the instruments the Nightmares had hidden away? Such a bold claim but can you prove it?" I then took out each instrument, laying them carefully on the ground, and making sure they were close to me at all times just in case it tried something funny. I then picked them back up and put them away without uttering a single word. It then struck its sword into the ground with a deafening thud. "That explains why you have come here. You are here to claim the instrument that lies deeper within the Catfish's Maw."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"I was wrong about you." Master Stalfos then thrust its sword forward until it was mere inches from my throat. "I shall kill you here and take the instruments you possess so that the Wind Fish can never waken."

Master Stalfos then attempted to cut me down right there and then only I raised my shield just in the nick of time. Upon its sword colliding with my shield, I got pushed all the way back to the other side of the room. From that one maneuver alone, I could tell that this Stalfos was powerful if it could do that with just one swing. It continued swinging its sword in a sharp arc before suddenly jumping over to where I was standing. Upon landing, it swung its sword which hit me in the back causing me to get pushed forward until I was back where I initially started though with a nasty wound on my back.

"Are you alright?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded as I got back up. "That was painful but I've had worse."

"You need to find a way to break through the Master Stalfos' defences."

"That isn't going to be easy you know."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Using your shield to parry its sword won't work as this monster clearly knows that technique and is immune to it. Despite how sharp of a swing it has in addition to having a large attack radius thanks to wielding a large weapon, you should be able to strike when its guard has dropped. You don't need an explanation of that, Sunset, as you've clearly done something like it before."

Again, Her Highness was correct about me having done this in the past. I've fought against Stalfos that were nearly as big yet way more ruthless in their fighting. Just the thought of thinking about them from my first journey sent chills down my spine. Master Stalfos felt like a pre-cursor to those previous ones so I needed to approach this fight as though I were fighting one of those Stalfos from the Forest Temple (I again surprised myself by actually remembering such information). As long as this guy couldn't perform a jump attack (Another thing I remembered from before), I should be fine.

Approaching it carefully, it then jumped over and attempted to attack me in the back again but I raised my shield to deflect the attack. Like before, the knockback from its sword pushed me forward though I managed to stop myself from colliding with the wall. Turning around to face it again, it began swinging its sword and I started to look for an open spot where its guard would drop. At first it was difficult for me to spot anything as it jumped to where I was standing forcing me to think about dodging more than anything, but then I went back to looking and then the weakness practically appeared in front of me.

When it was swinging its sword, there was a brief moment where it was completely vulnerable on the left side of its body due to swinging so sharply. It lacked the speed to raise its shield to block an attack in that fashion which was a blessing for me. Master Stalfos then swung its sword in a sharp arc which I avoided by quickly stepping backwards and then moved forward before striking it with my own sword. Instead of getting damaged, it merely collapsed in a heap on the ground leaving me wondering what I had to do next. I began panicking as I honestly had no clue what to do until my brain sent me a message.

The Owl Statue from the previous room mentioned about how I could use a bomb in order to defeat a skeleton if my sword didn't work. I guessed that I initially shrugged off the advice believing it to be pointless since Stalfos were always defeated with sword strikes, but this clearly didn't apply to Master Stalfos, an enhanced skeleton. Knowing that it would eventually pull itself back together, I took out a bomb and placed it on the ground in-between the bones of my opponent. It then exploded causing some damage prompting it to quickly get back up.

"What in the world did you just do!?" Master Stalfos exclaimed.

"Finding your weakness." I answered.

"No one has ever managed to find that before."

"Looks like I'm different from them."

Master Sword slammed its sword into the ground. "That was nothing more than a lucky hit! You will not be so lucky next time! Come! Face me!"

"You've gotten it riled up now." Princess Twilight said.

"Will that make things tougher now?"

"Not necessarily." Princess Twilight answered whilst shaking her head. "From what I've seen of this Master Stalfos, it doesn't really have much in the way of attacks preferring to go with massive sword swings in hopes of inflicting as much damage as possible, or jumping to catch you by surprise. I'd say this is going to be an easy battle unless it suddenly changes its tactics which would mean adapting to such changes quickly."

"How many bomb explosions will it take?"

"I don't know."

Before I could respond to that, Master Stalfos jumped over to where I was, and slashed me in the stomach causing me to get knocked into a wall. Since it was a sudden swing after it had landed, the power behind the swing wasn't that strong so I didn't take as much damage. (Had it been a direct swing with its power put into it, I'd have likely been sliced in half and I doubted Sugar Belle's medicine could perform the miracle of attaching body parts back together) Picking myself back up and informing Her Highness that I was okay, I raised my shield only to get pushed back again after Master Stalfos connected with its sword.

Sure, getting pushed back was annoying but at least I wasn't getting hurt by it. It then jumped over to me before swinging its sword yet this time I ducked down to avoid getting hit and responded by attacking its rib cage. Master Stalfos collapsed into a heap as a result of my sword strike and I placed a bomb in-between the bones where it exploded and inflicted more damage upon it. I then thought about skipping the use of my sword and go straight into the bomb, but upon a second glance at it, it could use that giant shield to block the explosion or perhaps use its sword to knock the bomb back at me.

Upon putting itself back together, I immediately attacked it in hopes of being able to knock it down before it had a chance to do anything. Unfortunately, it responded to each of my blows by using its shield to deflect them. Knowing that this method was clearly not working, I backed away in and waited for the next giant sword swing to come my way, but instead, it jumped over to where I was and responded by swinging its sword. I stepped back to avoid getting hit but then it jumped again and swung a second time upon landing where I avoided that too.

I then waited until Master Stalfos swung its sword in the sharp arc before attacking the rib cage again. (It didn't have to be the rib cage as any part of its body looked like it could crumble apart at any moment yet the cage was the most obvious spot) It collapsed again and I placed another bomb in the bones where it exploded seconds later. It got back up but this time it began stomping its foot in frustration. I was expecting a more fierce challenge now it had taken some damage but instead it began backing away towards the wall as though it were about to run away.

"Enough!" Master Stalfos shouted.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You're much stronger than I thought you were."

"So you're running away?"

Master Stalfos nodded. "All those who fought me were worthless creatures, yet you have proven to be a challenge though not by much. Still, this fact is clear to me. If I continue fighting against you, I'm going to end up being destroyed. Consider this a tactical retreat and not an act of cowardice. I have no doubt that you will not leave this place which will no doubt be your undoing. Such a stubborn streak deserves nothing less than death."

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Can you stop me though from leaving?"

I shook my head. Despite wanting to say otherwise, he had me dead to rights. "This isn't over you know."

"Oh but it is."

"I'm going to find you."

"Why even bother?" Master Stalfos asked as it put away its sword. "You have no reason to chase after me. I am not the one who is guarding the instrument that you seek. That honour goes to the Nightmare, who is far stronger than I am. My advice? Leave this place now! If you don't, you deserve to die!" With that, Master Stalfos leapt upwards towards the ceiling and disappeared among the shadows leaving me alone to contemplate what had just happened.

"He ran away." I said as I stood there in surprise.

"At least you didn't take too much damage." Princess Twilight said.

"I guess so."

"Is something bothering you?"

I nodded. "I can't hide anything from you, Twilight, but yeah, I am bothered. Why would Master Stalfos say that we have no reason to chase it down? Whenever someone says something to that effect, you know that they have something that you want. Hopefully, I'm wrong here but considering how certain events have transpired, I'm not going to be surprised if it did end up being the case. On another note, what Master Stalfos said about the Nightmare also has me worried."

"You can't really worry about the Nightmare until you encounter it."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Princess Twilight then began bopping me on the head. "You've defeated five Nightmares already, Sunset. Sure, some of them were ridiculously easy while others proved to be quite difficult, but the fact is that you defeated them and have become stronger because of it. You shouldn't let this dungeon's Nightmare get to you before you even know what it is. What you were told by Master Stalfos could either be the truth or perhaps it was its way of instilling doubt into your head, but whichever one it is, don't let it become a problem. All you can do now is keep going and deal with the Nightmare when you get there."

"Nice use of philosophy." I said smiling.

"I did run a school you know."

"Touché."

Despite not defeating Master Stalfos, both doors had since unlocked enabling me to continue. Would I encounter it again? Maybe but that was a bridge I would cross when I eventually got to it. Opening the door and entering the next room, my eyes immediately noticed a treasure chest that was completely unguarded. If previous experience had told me anything, it was that defeating a mid-boss (Even if it ended up running away on account of unwilling to fight anymore) meant gaining access to the dungeon item. It also told me to anticipate any and all possible outcomes.

Opening the chest, I was shocked to find that it was empty save for a piece of paper at the bottom. Reaching in and taking out the paper and holding it in front of my face, I began to read what it said. "If you've opened this chest, you've discovered that it's gone and you're furious. I've got what was inside this chest with me. If you want this item, come and get it from me if you can even find me! I doubt you'll succeed. Sincerely, Master Stalfos."

"Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked in a nervous voice. "Are you okay?"

I nodded slowly and sighed. "Yeah... I'm fine."

"For a moment there, I thought you were going to explode into a fit of rage."

"Just because something like this happened doesn't mean I'm going to lose it." I said as I placed the paper back into the chest. "Sure, a lot of stuff has pissed me off but I've gotten better at keeping my temper under control. Besides, I had a feeling the dungeon item wasn't going to be 'that' easy to pick seeing as we've only just started this dungeon. I will admit that I'm impressed that Master Stalfos did something like this to begin with. You don't get this kind of scenario come up very often." Then it dawned on me. "Now I have a reason to chase after him! I need to get whatever was in this chest."

"It's not going to be easy to track him down."

"True as we don't have any hints aside from the coloured tiles on the floor."

"I'm still trying to figure that out."

"No need to rush, Twilight."

"In any case, all you can do right now is to continue through this dungeon until you find Master Stalfos again." Princess Twilight then flew into the treasure chest in order to scan over the piece of paper it had left behind. "The note said that the item would make Catfish's Maw an easier experience for you, Sunset. That means you need it to progress and perhaps use it in order to defeat the Nightmare." She flew back over and landed on my shoulder. "Depending on when you need this item, finding Master Stalfos may or may not be a priority, but we won't know until you've made enough progress."

No doubt that this whole situation had become a game of cat and mouse with Master Stalfos with it being the mouse and I the cat. I needed to figure out the solution to this puzzle otherwise I was never going to get through this dungeon. Even if I did end up finding it again, there was no way of knowing whether it would give up and give me what I needed or whether it would run away or fight until it dropped. I was beginning to think that this dungeon was relying heavily on padding in order to mask the fact that it was relatively small compared to what I had previously experienced.

Stepping away from the chest, a pair of Green Zols popped up from the ground. Had I been in a bad mood, I'd have taken out my aggression on them, but I was pretty calm since I was expecting this kind of thing to happen. Instead, I defeated both monsters with a single sword swing making sure not to accidentally hit the wall or anything. Before thinking about my next move, I picked up the four pots nearby in order to get some hearts since I did take damage against Master Stalfos. There were two ways I could go... Either north to the next room or down a flight of stairs to another underground passage.

Choosing to check out the underground passage, it consisted of a flooded basement with platforms suspended in the air by chains attached to the ceiling. It certainly didn't look pleasant and a part of me thought that this was the wrong path to take. Without the Dungeon Map, I was forced to rely on my gut rather than seeing what rooms I hadn't visited. Going back up to where I was before, I walked north and into a section where it split off into three directions, north, east, and west, yet the way was blocked by five blocks with the one in the middle being the most obvious blockade.

"What do you make of this, Twilight?"

Princess Twilight floated over to the blocks and gave them a good checking over making sure to avoid the Sparks that was moving about. "Okay, so this is what has to be done in order to progress further." She clapped as though she were congratulating herself and all I could do was roll my eyes as she came back. "You need to push that block several times in order to get any further. When you push it, it will be stuck in place but when you come back here, it will have reset allowing you to push it in a different direction. The direction in question depends on where you entered this room from."

"That sounds needlessly convoluted."

"It's all you can do."

"And that switch over there?" I asked as I pointed to the obvious switch.

"It will unlock that door over there."

"Guess the only way I can go is left."

"You've got the strength to push that block, Sunset." Princess Twilight said as she pretended to flex her muscles. "With or without the Power Bracelet, blocks like these are easy enough to push around."

Why Her Highness did that was something I didn't want to know, but at least she was praising me for my natural strength as opposed to what the Power Bracelet gave me. Granted, my strength paled in comparison to Applejack. She had so much strength, she could lift up an entire house without breaking into a sweat? Could I do something like that? Sure... If I wore several Power Bracelets at once. While having all that power didn't quite connect with the Element of Honesty, it was likely because Applejack had performed physical labour for most of her life what with living on a farm and all, and it was a reflection of that.

Pushing the block forward, I immediately stepped back as the two Sparks crossed each other's paths before both went to the right allowing me to go left and avoid them. I continued walking left before suddenly stopping as two Blade Traps shot out from either side of me and clanged against one another before my eyes. My heart raced as both traps moved back to their previous positions but I wasn't about to stand there and do nothing so I walked forward only to get hit by the Star monster which was busy moving about. I quickly attacked and defeated it before it could anything else only for a Sword Stalfos to come along and stab me with its sword.

It then tried attacking again only for me to parry it with my shield and responding with two sword strikes defeating it. Neither monster dropped a Piece of Power or Guardian Acorn which made me wonder when I would get either of these temporary power-ups. Then again, I didn't need the acorn quite as much seeing as I was wearing the blue tunic which boosted my defence though it didn't mean absolute immunity from damage. Looking around, there was an abundance of green crystals in addition to two more Blade Traps though I was more concerned by the crystals as why were they even in a room like this?

Thinking it over for a few moments, I concluded that the crystals weren't suspicious and probably were in the room to provide me with some cover. I could destroy them by dashing through each with the Pegasus Boots but that would've been a waste of time. Ignoring them, I went north alongside a narrow stream of water and into the next room which was completely submerged in water including a deep section which I most likely could dive down using the Flippers. Four Water Tektites were skating about prompting me to see if I could avoid fighting any of them yet couldn't see one.

Walking into the room, all four monsters turned and skated towards me in a single row. Holding out my sword, I performed a spin attack which defeated all four at once with the last one dropping a Piece of Power that dropped into the deep water. I hated when that happened as it meant it was gone forever even if I were to try and dive underwater to get it. I wished I hadn't thought about it since one came at such a bad moment. Looking at the deep water, I sensed that I needed to dive down there but whether it was now or later was what needed to be determined before taking my next course of action.

Mulling it over, I decided not to dive down in case it either lead to a dead-end or I needed the item that Master Stalfos had in its possession. Princess Twilight did decide to make a note to remind me to come back here later on. Heading north again, I entered the next room where a series of blocks prevented me from continuing on though a locked door also indicated that progression wasn't possible. There were two Green Zols and a Spark lurking about on the other side, but as far as I was concerned, I had to backtrack to where I was before and come here on the other side. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad of a backtracking.

Heading back the way I came past the deep water and past the green crystals, I was soon back in the room with the five blocks. The Sparks were now located on the other side of the middle block so I could ignore them for now until I came back here again. Pushing the block forward, I now could go north though I chose to ignore the switch as it wasn't going to useless for a while longer. Heading into the next room, it looked like clustered what with so much happening all at once. A small gap greeted me immediately though I could easily jump over it, but beyond it were a couple of monsters, and to my right, a chest could be seen yet it was out of reach.

"Do you think I can perform a running jump to get to that chest?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "You don't have enough room to gain enough speed to make such an attempt. If anything, it probably serves as part of a puzzle that you can't do anything about until you find that dungeon item."

"So far, we haven't seen Master Stalfos anywhere."

"It has proven to be quite elusive."

"I hope it hasn't fled the dungeon."

"I sincerely doubt that!"

"You never know, Twilight."

"Master Stalfos is still in the dungeon, Sunset." Princess Twilight said. "Monsters like that are bound to remain in the dungeons they are found in and can't leave even if they really wanted to. It's all a matter of finding it eventually as it can't hide from you forever."

"The question is... What is the solution?"

"I'm not sure."

I then changed the subject. "So... Your coronation. Do you have your own crown yet?"

Princess Twilight shook her head again. "Well... I do have the one I've been wearing for formal occasions, yet Princess Celestia said that I would be getting a special crown which will become part of my royal personage. I prefer the current crown yet she was insistent on me getting one that was truly my own and best represented me. When I tried to ask additional questions, she focused on other things leaving me to wonder just what kind of crown it will be."

"You must be looking forward to the coronation."

"In my own way."

I could tell Her Highness wasn't being honest when she said that. Also, she was looking away from me at that moment further reaffirming my suspicion. I had a feeling she wasn't ready for such a momentous occasion and while I had a pretty good idea what it involved, I chose not to talk about it in case it upset her. Instead, I went back to the crown. "I hope your crown has your cutie mark on it. I know you love having it slapped onto everything you own."

"Kind of like you?"

I nodded. "Kind of like me."

"Anyway, I don't know what my final crown will look like."

"Had I stuck with my studies, I'd have probably been next in line to succeed the princesses."

"Do you still wish you were?"

This time, I shook my head. "Like I said before, Twilight, my time has come and gone. I had my chance but blew it because I lacked humility and I doubt I'll ever get another one, but it's something I've accepted. You are the ruler that Equestria needs and deserves. In another reality somewhere out there, I'd be the next ruler right now while you would be doing something else, but again, that's another reality. We're in this one where you are the ruler-to-be and not me. You'll be an excellent ruler, Twilight. Equestria is in safe hands, err, hooves, with you at the guiding force behind it."

"Thank you, Sunset."

I knew Her Highness needed to hear that in order to boost her confidence but also to help her prepare for the eventuality that becoming the ruler meant leaving Ponyville and moving back to Canterlot on a permanent basis. The capital couldn't change cities as Canterlot ponies would complain about it endlessly. It also meant not seeing her friends as much as she currently does and I knew she wasn't prepared for such a massive shift. Hopefully, she'll gradually adjust herself to the change otherwise her reign could become problematic right from the start which would throw Equestria out of whack.

Getting back to the adventure at hand, I jumped over the gap only to face off against two Shroud Stalfos and a Star which was moving back the other way leaving the former two to charge at me. Two sword strikes were enough to defeat both leaving just the Star but then I decided to try something different. Picking up a nearby pot, I tossed it where it smashed against the Star as it came back, and took it out in one shot but not before pushing it back quite a ways. Perhaps I ought to do this more often in order to defeat monsters from a distance or needing to defeat them quickly.

It turned out that my own words were about to be put into immediate action as another Star was moving towards me along with a Sword Stalfos. Both monsters must have been out of my range of vision so I couldn't see them until I got close enough. Picking up a second pot, I tossed it at the Stalfos, defeating it in one shot even though it tried to use its shield to deflect the pot though it ultimately failed. As for the Star, rather than use a third pot, I decided to use my sword instead as why stop using what was arguably my most effective means of taking out monsters. One strike of my sword defeated it leaving me to continue on unabated.

Before heading into the next room, I could see a floating Recovery Heart as well as another treasure chest yet both were out of reach. How was I supposed to reach these when not even the ability to run and jump over gaps was enough? Ignoring both objects, I went into the next room and was back in the room where my previous visit resulted in a dead-end. The door was still locked but now I had an easier chance of figuring out how to unlock it and continue on. The Spark unfortunately was on this side so I made sure to keep an eye on it so that it didn't bump into me too often but it wasn't the main problem here.

Moving forward, two Green Zols popped up from the ground yet I quickly dispatched of them only for the door to not unlock. Normally, defeating all monsters in a room would cause the door to unlock... Except that I hadn't defeated them all. There was still the one Green Zol left that was hiding underground on the other side of the blocks. Did I have to somehow get back on that side, defeat the remaining monster and quickly make my way back to this side? Impossible! Not even with the Pegasus Boots could I do something like that... Unless I was completely missing something oh so obvious.

I began pushing the blocks in hopes that one of them could be moved. At first, none of them seemed to want to budge until the last one moved forward upon me pushing it (It was always the last one in these kinds of situations) and I struck pay dirt. Making my way over to the other side of the room, the remaining Green Zol popped up and I defeated it which caused the door to become unlocked. Ignoring the Spark which was still moving around, I entered a familiar room in that I had seen it a couple of times now. It had the same skull motif on the ground but featured three coloured tiles this time.

"Twilight?" I began. "Does this give you any ideas?"

Princess Twilight nodded before quickly shaking her head. "Yes and no, Sunset."

"How can it be both ways?"

"For one thing, this is the third room we've come across that features these coloured tiles and skull pattern." Princess Twilight answered. "Sure, this is becoming a pattern yet it still doesn't explain the significance behind them."

"I might have an idea."

"Do tell."

I began counting on my fingers as I offered my explanation. "So far, we've seen three rooms with skull motifs on them and each had coloured tiles. One had one coloured tile, the second had three, and the third had four. All we're missing is a room that has two coloured tiles. If we find that missing room, I can go back through each of them in the correct order which might make something happen." It was right there when I realized my idea had some glaring holes in it. "On second thought, that doesn't sound like the solution. Crap! If only I could understand what that Master Stalfos meant about its hiding place."

"We might yet get an answer to that."

"Really?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Yes, but first we need to find Master Stalfos." Her Highness then slapped her forehead. "That's it! What you just described, Sunset, was the solution to this puzzle... But only part of it. I can't believe I didn't notice this until you went on that little tangent of yours. Like I said, we need to find where Master Stalfos is and then check to see what's on the ground."

"Finding it has proven difficult."

"It has to be somewhere around here."

Since there was nothing more I could do in this room, I entered the next one to find my way blocked by two pots. In front of me was another flying Recovery Heart which I could do with getting as I had taken some damage. Walking up to the pots and looking over them, I could see two Red Stalfos and a Yellow Stalfos guarding a chest. None of them had noticed me but I had no intention of charging into them since the red ones were especially dangerous what with their ability to throw their own bones at me. Instead, I would use the pot throwing mechanic and hoping I would connect correctly.

Picking up a pot, I went around the corner and tossed it where it hit one of the Red Stalfos. It was defeated and disappeared in a puff of smoke prompting the other two to make their way over with the remaining Red Stalfos throwing bones which I blocked with my shield whilst the Yellow Stalfos tried jumping onto me. Swinging my sword made both jump backwards in order to avoid getting hit and they continued to jump back until they trapped themselves in a corner enabling me to defeat both with two hits each. I quickly went back and grabbed the heart by jumping with the Roc's Feather before opening up the chest and taking out the Dungeon Map.

"Finally!" I exclaimed upon unfurling the map. "Now we can see what this place is like."

"This is... An interesting shape." Princess Twilight said as she scratched her head. The map of the Catfish's Maw looked like either a catfish or some kind of weird creature neither of us could figure out what. On the one hand though, the rooms with the skull motifs and coloured tiles were fully displayed so it came down to finding the remaining room. "The Nightmare is located over here on the left side yet I can't quite see a clear way for you to get to it."

"I've still got plenty of chests left to open."

"Until you can figure out a way to reach them, they will remain inaccessible."

"Curse that Master Stalfos!"

"The only way you can go now is to the right in that room with the five blocks."

I groaned. "I've got to backtrack all the way over there!?"

"It's not that far, Sunset."

Again, I groaned. "It's the principle of the thing, Twilight. Backtracking is never any fun in video games especially when it happens on a regular basis. I know this doesn't make much sense to you since you've never played a video game before, but trust me on this one, okay? Besides, I mean no offence and I'm not belittling you or your intellect in any way. It just so happens that this kind of thing is my expertise and I pride myself as an avid gamer."

"This could prove to make for an interesting research paper."

"What could?"

"If I find some free time, I'll come pay you a visit and you can show me these video games."

I rolled my eyes. "How about that? A new video gamer is on the verge of being born. You'd best make that visit before your coronation as I don't think you'll have any free time once you assume the throne if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are any indication."

"In that case, I'll have plenty of free time."

I wasn't going to question Her Highness on that. She knew the two sisters a lot better than I did and if I understood her comment correctly, she was saying the sisters didn't do much in terms of protecting Equestria and were more fixated on lounging around in the castle and perhaps gorging themselves on cake. How did I come up with such an explanation? I had no idea but it sounded like that's what happened. Maybe I ought to visit Princess Celestia more often in order to get her side of things and perhaps one day ask her to come back to my world since she will have stepped down from the throne by that point.

That was something I've always wanted to do... Have Princess Celestia experience my world even if only for a short while. In the past, I've never been able to ask her due to not wanting to show my face before her during the time neither of us were on speaking terms. Since our reconciliation, she had simply been way too busy with numerous royal duties though deep down I knew she wanted to see where I had spent so much time away from Equestria and from her. Once Princess Twilight ascended the throne, I could ask Princess Celestia if she was up for it though whether Princess Luna had a similar inkling remained unknown.

As I began making my way back to the room with the five blocks, I continued to think about what Princess Twilight's life was going to be like when she assumes the throne. For one thing, she would have to navigate through numerous treaties since she had gone out of her way to bringing the other creatures together. Each tribe would want their own share and to ensure that they were treated with respect and on equal footing with ponies. Among the creatures, the Changelings were pretty easygoing along with the Seaponies. Yaks were known for having strong mood swings whilst Griffins were money hungry and Dragons were often aloof.

There were other creatures including Kirin who needed to be handled delicately because of their Nirik personalities, and Centaurs who were rumoured to live in a kingdom somewhere in the desolate wastes beyond most forms of civilization. Few knew of centaurs other than Lord Tirek but perhaps one day ponies might meet them provided they weren't as bad as he was given he got turned to stone in the end. Other creatures were out there such as Diamond Dogs, Abyssinians, and Deer yet these three were rarely seen by ponies, and yet there were some creatures who merely existed as legends and nothing more.

I made sure to go back the long way as I knew I needed to activate that one switch in order to unlock the door in the room with five blocks. Fortunately, none of the monsters re-spawned but it meant they would eventually do so on the inevitable backtracking of the backtracking. Yes, this was a thing that happened in video games too. Upon jumping over the small gap and reaching my destination, I stepped on the switch which unlocked the door and then pushed the block forward and create a path. The two Sparks then came towards me but I managed to jump over both thus avoiding any damage.

Entering the next room, both doors locked behind and in front of me, but I was more interested in what was on the ground. "Twilight... Do you see what I see?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "The same skull motif but with two coloured tiles."

"But what does it mean?"

"Maybe you should ask Master Stalfos."

"I don't even know where it is."

At that moment, my question was answered as Master Stalfos dropped down from the ceiling. "You... You were able to find me!? How did you achieve this!? I thought you would've been killed by now!"

"Guess I proved you wrong, huh?"

Master Stalfos slowly nodded in return. "I know why you decided to pursue me. It is because of the item in the treasure chest which I took Yes... I know because you reacted to my words one such as you would... Anger... Rage... The desire of wanting something so desperately. These emotions and more drive you on, but you will never claim your prize so long as it remains in my possession."

"Then I'll just have to defeat you."

"Can you though?"

I nodded. "I can... As long as you don't run away like a coward."

That made Master Stalfos angry. "What!? I did not run away from you! I merely retreated because I wasn't prepared to face you. Unlike other opponents, you have done what they could not... Prove to be an annoyance! I've rested myself since our previous encounter so now I can fight at full strength rather than limp about."

I then gave it a smug look. "Sure... I'll go along with that."

"Perhaps your defeating of the Nightmares was nothing more than mere luck."

"What does that mean?"

"Your words belie you." Master Stalfos answered. "You enjoy talking down to others as though they were beneath your notice. Rather than working on your swordsmanship, you prefer witty banter that is best saved for a tumbling act by someone who is clearly incompetent. Perhaps you are not a warrior after all but instead you are a clown? Maybe? I suppose we shall soon find out."

Master Stalfos began swinging its sword in a sharp arc and it was immediately apparent that it was repeating the same maneuvers from the previous encounter. Was this going to be one of those instances where I would be forced to fight the same opponent multiple times in order to get something of great importance? Also, each time I would fight said opponent, it was the same battle without any changes? Has this video game really stooped down to such a level? I groaned under my breath knowing that this appeared to be so. Great! This isn't what I needed at all! I mean, it made this easier but still, why even have it to begin with?

It then jumped over to where I was and I managed to avoid it by moving out of the way before it could strike me from behind. Turning around, I waited for it to swing its sword before striking the spine this time as opposed to the rib cage from last time. It immediately collapsed to the ground where I placed a bomb among the bones and backed away when it exploded. Getting back up onto its feet, Master Stalfos decided to change its tactics by raising its shield before moving forward. With its shield raised, I couldn't attack its body so I had to wait for the opportunity to come my way.

Eventually, it lowered its shield and swung its sword where I responded by swinging my own immediately afterwards. I then placed another bomb among its bones and it exploded where it caused more damage. Already, this was pretty pathetic seeing as it was essentially the same fight as before even if it had decided to alter its fighting style a little bit. It got back up and raised its shield again before moving towards me. Since a part of me felt curious about it, I decided to find out what would happen if I were to attack the shield while it was moving about like this.

Hitting the shield, it retaliated by pushing me back a little before swiping me using its sword at full power. I was sent flying into the wall where I dropped to the ground, my stomach having a nasty gash across it from where its sword connected. Luckily, it wasn't bleeding all thanks to having an increased defence, yet what happened was something I deserved as I was being way too cocky and thought this would be an easy enough experience. Getting back up, I shook it off and quickly moved to the side as Master Stalfos jumped over and landed in my previous spot before swinging its sword and missing entirely.

It then raised its shield and moved forward only this time I wasn't going to respond in kind. Instead, I kept moving backwards making sure to check behind me so that I didn't accidentally trap myself or anything. It lowered its shield and swung its sword for me to attack it after the swing had occurred. I placed another bomb down where it exploded moments later causing more damage only for it to then stand back up and stomp the ground with its foot again. No doubt it was going to run away again yet I intended on making sure that wouldn't happen only to discover that I couldn't move.

"Why can't I move?"

"It is my power that keeps you at bay."

"There's more to you than appearances suggest."

"I am the Master Stalfos!" It declared. "I am the strongest of all Stalfos! I possess powers that none of them have!"

I then started to get serious. "Anyway! I've defeated you so hand over the dungeon item you stole!"

Master Stalfos shook its head and laughed in an eerie manner. "You did not defeat me, girl! You have merely forced me to retreat again. I miscalculated and I lost!" It then took on a different tone in its voice. "I cannot believe you have forced me to retreat for a second time, and yet, there is something I must know. Why do you even want this item in the first place? It's not like it will do you any good."

"I need it to complete my quest."

"Ah yes, your quest to collect the Instruments of the Sirens."

"At the rate you're going, you'll probably run away the instant I see you again."

That made Master Stalfos furious though it quickly changed its tune knowing full well that it couldn't carry out an actual threat against me. "I will take my leave and you won't ever find me again. If you do, I will make sure that it will be for the last time. Once you are dead, no one will ever be able to wake up the accursed Wind Fish." Master Stalfos then leapt upwards into the shadows above which caused both doors to unlock. No doubt I had triggered a nerve that time seeing as it definitely wanted to kill me there and then.

"It's gone, Twilight."

Princess Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, so now you need to go and find it again."

"Have you figured out the solution?"

"If we hadn't entered this room, I'd still be stumping my brain over the problem." Princess Twilight then tapped her head as a means of showing accomplishment, and also reminding me of how smart she really was. After all, she did dedicate her early years towards doing research of all kinds. "Now that I've seen all four rooms of this nature, I know where you can find the Master Stalfos. Remember when you first fought it? It was the room where there was only one coloured tile on the skull motif. This time, there were two coloured tiles, and the next location would be?"

I gasped. "The room with three coloured tiles!"

"Exactly!"

I lowered my head in shame. "How did I not figure out something oh so obvious!?"

"Don't feel bad, Sunset." Princess Twilight said as she comforted me. "It took me this long to figure it out as well. Normally, it would've taken me a couple of minutes had I been given more information, but I had to work with what I could. Anyway, the Master Stalfos should now be in the room with three coloured tiles believing it has eluded you. You just need to get back over there and hopefully defeat it this time and acquire what it stole from that treasure chest earlier."

I took out the Dungeon Map in order to remember where the room in question was. "Here it is! It's next to the room where I got this map from." I then had to address a couple of things that were on my mind regarding Master Stalfos and my journey. "Twilight... Do you think I'll defeat Master Stalfos this time or will it escape again and hide elsewhere? Also, will this chase ever end as it's starting to get a little tiring? Second... It knows about what's going on regarding Koholint Island and especially about the Nightmares. Is there anything I can get it to reveal its knowledge?"

"To answer question one... That depends on what the Master Stalfos does next." Princess Twilight answered. "It may decide that it can't keep avoiding you and want to finish you off in a final conflict. This would be your preference as without that item, you won't be able to progress any further through the Catfish's Maw. To answer question two... It might be willing to share its information were it defeated for good, but it all depends on actually doing that."

"I was afraid of that."

"Don't let the Master Stalfos intimidate you."

"I'm not."

"Good as clearly it's the other way around."

"You think so?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "The Master Stalfos has this bravado about it all because it kept on defeating those who came into this dungeon. Its previous opponents weren't very strong or perhaps they lacked specific qualities or items or maybe it was a combination of these factors. You've proven to be different from the others as you've bested it twice now in combat and it clearly doesn't like being defeated by a human. On the one hand, having to run away means the Master Stalfos will start getting desperate which could make things more difficult, but on the other, it will be thinking about surviving at any cost."

"When you say it like that..."

"I think the challenge of this monster comes from hunting it down and not getting killed by everything else."

"If you hadn't figured out the solution, I'd probably still be going around this dungeon looking for it."

"There are only so many rooms you can access."

"True."

Princess Twilight then reminded me of something that I didn't like to hear. "You do realize that you need to backtrack to the room with the three coloured tiles, right? Not only that, you'll need to backtrack to the final room the Master Stalfos can appear in which is located on the other side of the dungeon. Granted, you can use Manbo's Mambo in order to warp back to the beginning since it is an option. Remember, Sunset... You have a lot of items in your inventory so don't believe you don't have the means to progress unless you don't have what's required to actually progress."

Backtracking... Even though in this case, I had no choice but to do it in order to get the dungeon item, I still despised the idea because all it did was pad things out. Sighing and mumbling under my breath over how much backtracking infuriated me, I entered the previous room and pushed the block forward in order to gain access to the north path again, making sure to avoid the two Sparks who continued making their way around the room. Heading north again, I wasn't surprised at seeing the monsters from before having since re-spawned, but at least it wasn't anything serious seeing as they were easy enough to deal with.

A shame I lacked a projectile weapon that wasn't a bomb as I could pick them off from this side instead of jumping over and confronting them, and while I could ignore them, I didn't want to run the risk of getting overwhelmed as I knew there were other monsters ahead that weren't in my range of sight. Using the Roc's Feather to jump over the gap and landing on the other side, I immediately took out the Star monster since it would be the most annoying to handle. The two Shroud Stalfos reacted by throwing spears at me which I blocked using my shield before defeating both with two sword strikes each.

Moving forward, the other Star monster and the Sword Stalfos began to move forward, and when I defeated the former, it dropped a Piece of Power which I picked up. It felt like it had been forever since my sword last felt this temporary power-up, but I wasn't complaining as monsters would go down a lot quicker. Unfortunately, I knew that this increase in power would have no effect on Master Stalfos as it could only be damaged with bombs. Using my temporary power-up, I took out the Sword Stalfos in one hit after parrying its sword attack by using my shield, I continued forward into the next room which was the one that was locked.

Since it hadn't been that long, the door was still unlocked though the monsters had re-spawned as they were the ones who forced the door shut to begin with. Ignoring these creatures as defeating them served no purpose, I went through the door and was back in the room with the three coloured tiles as both exits then locked. If Princess Twilight was correct and I was certain she was, Master Stalfos was in this room, and that meant it could no longer hide from me. Looking around, I could see no sign of it but I knew it was around so I decided to let myself be known.

"You can come out of hiding!" I shouted at the top of my voice. "I know you're in here!"

"Let's hope that it is."

"I know it's here, Twilight, as you'd never steer me wrong." I then shouted out again. "No point trying to hide from me, Master Stalfos! There's no where you can hide from me in this dungeon now!"

A few moments later, Master Stalfos dropped down from the ceiling. "So... You've figured out the solution to where I am hiding. I must admit that I'm surprised you were able to figure it out. Why do you continue chasing me?"

"I want that item."

"Are you that determined to acquire it?"

I nodded. "What can I say? If it will help me out then I will get it no matter how long it takes. You know... If you hadn't stolen it from that treasure chest in the first place, I wouldn't be chasing you all over this dungeon trying to get it. I'd have left you alone since you wouldn't have been of any use to me, but that ended up not happening since you clearly went out of your way to make sure I would chase you. If you think about it, this whole mess could've been avoided if you had just not pull off such a stunt." I then changed the subject. "Now! I've got questions and you have the answers!"

"And what makes you think I will answer them?"

"Because if you don't, I can always beat them out of you."

"Sunset!?" Princess Twilight exclaimed.

I quickly winked at her as I addressed Master Stalfos. "Considering this is the third time we've met and I've defeated you in our previous encounters, I figured you would be hard pressed to want to deny me anything. You've pretty much accepted that I am a warrior even if my methods are different from the kinds of expectations you had hoped for so I believe I deserve answers a warrior would like to know."

Master Stalfos tilted its head back and forth a couple of times before responding. "Your logic makes little sense but you do make a valid point. Very well. I shall answer just one question."

I knew it wouldn't answer a question about what the Nightmares were doing so I went with the next best thing instead. "What can you tell me about the Nightmare who guards the instrument within the Catfish's Maw?"

"You speak of the Slime Eel."

"Slime Eel?"

Master Stalfos nodded. "It is a fearsome creature! Compared to me, it is far more ruthless. If you were to go off and fight it, it would devour you with ease. But... If you were to uncover its weakness, you might yet prevail, but your chances of success are pitiful. No one has ever defeated Slime Eel nor will it ever be defeated. There! I have answered the question you asked of me. Now, the time for talk is over as we must fight again."

I could tell that Master Stalfos didn't want to fight me again. It's sword arm was twitching and its head quickly darted from side to side. Why was it insistent on me fighting it again when clearly it knew better? Was someone forcing its hand? If so then the main suspects were either this Slime Eel or Grogar. In any case, I stood ready to fight it for the third time, and that meant only a couple of changes would take place compared with my previous encounters against it. Like before, it began by performing a sword swing though it wasn't nearly as sharp as before. Could it be that I didn't give it enough time to prepare?

Upon it swinging its sword, I responded by attacking it in the rib cage (I was apparently going back to familiar territory here) causing it to collapse, and like before, I placed a bomb amongst the bones which exploded moments later causing damage. From my perspective, this had become extremely monotonous to the point where I wasn't enjoying the experience, and I suspected this was also true for it. It could simply surrender right now and hand over the dungeon item and I could be on my way just like that but no! It was determined to halt my progress no matter what.

As it got back up, it jumped over to the other side of the room before raising its shield and moving towards me. Before, it would jump to where I was standing so perhaps it realized its previous tactic just didn't work. Granted, this new one wasn't going to work either as I could easily work around it given how the predictability here. Keeping my distance since I knew what would happen if I attacked, Master Stalfos lowered its shield and began swinging its sword using the weaker arc but also at a slower speed than before. Yep... It definitely hadn't had time to prepare for me seeing as I found it quicker than expected.

After another moment where I made it collapse after attacking the rib cage and blowing it up with another bomb, it pulled itself back together and jumped back to where it was originally standing before jumping again where I decided to try something different. I often wondered if I could attack monsters when they were jumping to catch them by surprise and thus disrupt their attack pattern yet I never put it into practice on account of thinking it couldn't be done. After landing, it swung its sword in a slow moving arc (It looked really pathetic at that point) before jumping again, but this time I swung my sword during the apex of the jump.

My hit connected and Master Stalfos collapsed to the ground. I quickly placed a bomb and backed away where it exploded and inflicted more damage. Was that it? Had I finally defeated this monster and secured my prize? No! Instead, it got back up and began stomping its foot on the ground yet again. "Since when can you perform such an advanced technique as attacking something when it is airborne?"

"I've gotten a lot better at doing this over time."

"Perhaps what you've been saying does have a ring of truth to it."

"And now I've defeated you for a third time."

Hearing me say that made Master Stalfos stomp its foot again. "How!? How do I keep on losing to you!? My skills are far superior to yours!" It then started to realize that perhaps it wasn't as powerful as it claimed to be. "Fine! I accept the fact that you have proven your abilities as a warrior but know that you have not truly defeated me. As long as I remain alive, you will never obtain the item I stole from that treasure chest."

"Look! You've lost so why accept what dignity you have left and just give it to me."

"Never!"

I shrugged. "You know... Neither of us can keep on doing this forever."

Master Stalfos nodded its approval. "I agree with you on this one, girl. This battle between us will never end so long as you continue to be persistent. I'm going to retreat once again and go to a place where I can rest up. I doubt you'll find me that quickly!"

"Then just surrender already!"

"I will not!"

"Ugh!"

"It seems you have trouble maintaining your composure." Master Stalfos said as it leaned its head closer to me. "That could prove to be your undoing when next we meet or perhaps against another creature or maybe against a force far beyond your mortal mind. A true warrior doesn't let emotions cloud their judgement. To do so would only invite defeat or even death. Perhaps you still have a ways to go before anyone proclaims you a warrior! It doesn't matter to me but maybe I have struck a nerve with you." It then leapt upwards into the shadows of the ceiling which then unlocked both doors.

"Wow... I didn't think it would insult me."

"It must be getting desperate." Princess Twilight said.

"Yeah..."

"Why did you say you would beat the answers out of it?"

"I was trying to see if I could intimidate it seeing as it did the same thing to me when we first encountered it." I answered. "Unfortunately, my bluff didn't quite work out as I didn't get answers to all of my questions. Besides, resorting to such measures would mean going back to the way I used to be before you showed me another way."

"While you were pretty bad back then, bluffing your way through something is actually a tactic."

"Not a very effective one."

Princess Twilight nodded. "It depends on the kind of monster you're fighting. Some might lack intelligence thus bluffing them is easy and it allows you to get by without any kind of bloodshed involved. Others are more intelligence and can't be tricked so other tactics are needed. If they happen to be exceptionally powerful, fighting might be the only option provided you're extremely confident that you can prevail." Her Highness then changed the subject to what I had to do next. "Now, you need to chase down Master Stalfos! You know where it is hiding, Sunset, so you know what must be done."

"I can use Manbo's Mambo to go back to the start of the dungeon, right?"

"Yes and it will cut down on some backtracking but not all of it."

"It's better than going back the long way."

"This is true." I then took out the Ocarina from my pocket and placed it to my lips. "You know... I kind of feel sorry for Master Stalfos. It could've given up a long time ago but instead it chose to willingly continue with this mess despite knowing it would eventually result in its destruction. It certainly has pride oozing from every part of its undead body though that can be problematic as you become immune from ignorance. Maybe I could learn something about losing my pride since keeping it around causes pain." I then played Manbo's Mambo and focused on wanting to go back to the start of the Catfish's Maw.

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Pinkie Pie, in the meantime, had just had her happiness shattered upon realizing that Ganondorf was right about how her antics weren't always funny and that sometimes her efforts only made things worse. She thought she was making people laugh along with her but not everyone appreciated the kind of humour she delivered. I'll admit her humour didn't always settle with me and our friends would vouch for me on that, yet we knew Pinkie was only doing what she thought was best for everyone. When it came to laughter, you needed to be prepared ahead of time rather than play it by ear and hope it would all work out.

Her poofy hair then went flat as Pinkie's joy got sucked right out of her. "I... I didn't mean to make Sunset mad during the Post Crush concert. I was only trying to make her happy by playing harmless pranks while we waited for the concert."

"And yet you ended up doing the opposite of that." Ganondorf said.

"Am I really this annoying?"

Ganondorf nodded. "You claim to represent laughter and you believe yourself to be doing an incredible service, but the truth is that you instead cause emotional pain to those all around you resulting in their dreams being shattered. Such misery they experienced reflects poorly upon you, laughing one. Though you do end up fixing the damage caused by your humour yet only only the physical damage is repaired. The emotional damage remains there forever, gnawing at those who were afflicted until it wipes away what remains of their hope. If this is meant to make others happy, you clearly have failed at representing your element."

Pinkie Pie slowly nodded. "You're right... I have failed."

"Laughter is meaningless."

"Yes... It's meaningless."

"The child deserves someone better than you."

That made Pinkie Pie's hair poof back to its proper form. "Huh? Sunset Shimmer deserves better? I've made her happier than she's ever been!" She then began to think about those moments and at first, she was fighting back against Ganondorf much to his surprise, but then the negative moments kicked in and her hair went back to the flat condition it was along with her colours fading from pink to gray. "No... There were times I made her miserable which made her think about when she used to be a horrible person. Sunset's past was horrible! I should know as I was involved in parts of it."

"Even now, the child dwells on her troubled past."

"How can that be?"

"You and the others remind her of it even though you do not intend to."

"It's my fault!" Pinkie Pie at that point had completely succumbed to Ganondorf's will. Though she put up a valiant effort, it wasn't enough as the Demon King proved to be far more powerful than her Element of Laughter. "Sunset Shimmer... I'm sorry! I should've respected your past and not made you feel terrible about it. I only caused you pain! You deserve a better friend! Why!? Why does my humour end up making people hate me instead of laugh with me!?" She then calmed down and simply shrugged her shoulders in utter defeat. "Okay... You win... Ganondorf, was it? You've proven your point. I've lost all joy in my life."

"You will not resist?"

Pinkie Pie shook her head. "I don't have the will to oppose you."

Ganondorf laughed as he began to drain Pinkie of some of her magic. "You proved stronger than the other two, laughing one, but in the end, your efforts were in vain as my power far exceeds your own. Your unique abilities still have potential so perhaps I could use them in ways you never could." Once he had finished taking enough of her magic, he snapped his fingers and Pinkie was paralyzed once again before being sent back to join my friends. "Three are down and only three more remain. Now... Who shall be next?" Ganondorf looked at who remained before smiling a cruel smile. "Ah yes... You are ideal." He snapped his fingers again and brought forth my next friend.

"What!? What in the world happened?"

"You are the next to have her magic drained... Generous one."

What!?" Rarity exclaimed. "What have you done!?"

"The magic each of you possesses is strong but is wasted by your lack of understanding its true power." Ganondorf answered. "Therefore, such magic deserves to be used by one who understands power and knows how to use it... That someone... Being me!"

"Give back their magic!"

"And you believe you can threaten me?"

That immediately shot down Rarity's efforts to stand her ground so she quickly improvised. "Darling! I simply don't understand why you are targeting us so. I know we happen to be friends with Sunset Shimmer but that shouldn't mean we have to suffer for it. What has she ever done to the likes of you?" Ganondorf responded by creating a ball of fire in his hand which then showed Rarity some of my actions during my previous adventures which left her stunned. "How... Did she actually do such uncouth things? That outfit... Ugh! So tacky and so like an adventurer!"

"How amusing."

"What is?"

"You cannot accept the fact that your friend does things that make you turn your nose."

"Preposterous!"

Ganondorf laughed. "And yet you did just that when you criticized what you saw the child do. You care more about appearances than anything else which tells me that you are shallow and only care about those who look good enough to be seen. Their personalities and feelings mean nothing to you, generous one. You only care about their appearances and whether you are able to bask in their presence to further your own selfish ambitions. Generosity... Perhaps this Element was wrongfully bestowed upon you and in reality, your Element should have been 'Selfish', 'Self-Absorbed', or perhaps something far worse."

"Ha! You cannot prove anything!"

"Oh, but I can."

"I doubt that you wretched beast!"

"Nothing is beyond my reach, generous one." Ganondorf said as his eyes began to glow. "I will show you just how wrong you are and when I am finished with you, your life will be forever shattered with no hope of it ever being pieced back together again. Now... I believe there are some incidents that occurred over time where your selfish nature proved to be the most dominant facet of your existence which in turn caused you to betray those closest to you. This combined with arrogance, jealousy, disdain, malice, and far worse than these ended up shattering what is called friendship to the point where it almost couldn't be repaired."

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Through the magic contained within Manbo's Mambo, I found myself back at the beginning of the Catfish's Maw. Before proceeding, I took out the Dungeon Map and checked it to see which room I needed to go to in order to find Master Stalfos yet again. The room in question was located west of where I assumed the instrument was located; (They were often in rooms directly north of the room where the Nightmare was) quite the distance which meant Master Stalfos had likely regained its strength. Knowing that I had no choice but to backtrack all the way over there, I walked forward after putting away the map.

Entering the next room, I took out the Red Zol in one hit thanks to me still being under the effects of the Piece of Power, but when I defeated the Helmasaur in one hit, the effect wore off which meant I could only deal normal damage against monsters. While it was disappointing that I lost my sword's effect, I still had my permanent defence boost until I chose to go back to the Colour Dungeon and change tunics. Princess Twilight in the meantime made sure to remind me about the treasure chest that was still out of my reach but didn't mark it down on the map since it already had a mark in the form of a chest.

Moving on to the next room, I decided to ignore the Keese as they were nothing more than an irritant, but I did focus on the Helmasaur as it could prove to be trouble seeing as I hadn't seen what it could really do. When it noticed me, it immediately charged forward and I was too slow in raising my shield resulting in it smacking into me with that helmeted face. Was it a painful wound? Not really indicating that Helmasaurs lacked offensive power but it did have incredible knock-back seeing as the helmet was made of metal. I got pushed into one of the statues resulting in my back getting bruised but I shrugged it off and defeated the Helmasaur when it turned away from me.

Entering the next room, I decided to use the Roc's Feather and jumped over both Helmasaurs before either one had any idea what happened. Upon landing, I turned around and saw that neither one had noticed my presence and continued to ignore me. Smiling, I went down the stairs into the underground tunnel only to remember that this tunnel had the weights which needed to be pushed down accordingly so that I could move across and not be forced to start over again. From what I recalled, there were two sets of weights for me to overcome, yet it was the second group that were the tricky ones.

The first and third weights were connected with each other while the second and fourth weights were connected of this second group. I must admit that I surprised myself for remembering something I only went through once before and having done so when I first started this dungeon. Using the Roc's Feather, I jumped across the first group of weights with ease so now it was down to the second group. Remembering the order, I jumped on the weight and allowed it to drop down which caused the third weight to slowly rise up in response. Once both were at a reasonable height, I jumped to the second weight and it began dropping down while the last one began rising up.

Jumping across the remaining weights once they were all lined up, I climbed up the ladder and was back in the room with all the dark crystals. The good thing is that the puzzle was still solved so I didn't need to push any of the blocks and unlock the door. (It was already unlocked) The bad news was that the Red Stalfos and Yellow Stalfos had re-spawned and could potentially block my progress and force me to have to deal with them first. Looking at the room's layout, I could just charge my way through instead. Using the Pegasus Boots, I dashed through the crystals and past all three Stalfos and into the next room.

When the door locked itself behind me, Master Stalfos dropped down from the ceiling. "You again... As if I was expecting anyone else."

"You've no where to run this time!" I shouted.

Master Stalfos nodded. "No matter where I go, you continue to chase me down without end. While you clearly have shown to want to keep on going, I am getting tired of this pointless game."

"If you had given me the item a lot sooner, you wouldn't be feeling this way."

"But I couldn't do that."

"Why not?"

"Though I am a warrior, I am also a monster." Master Stalfos answered. "As a monster, it is my job to prevent those like you from progressing too far. Unfortunately, you have proven far more problematic than what the Nightmares originally thought. They believed you would be dead as early as Moldorm but clearly they were wrong about that and pretty much everything else regarding you."

I immediately snapped back. "Ah-ha! You do know about the Nightmares!"

"Since we're at this point, I suppose I can answer any questions about them."

"What are their plans?"

"Perhaps such a thing is already in place and you're oblivious to it?" Master Stalfos answered. The way it said that made me think that perhaps it was true. Had the Nightmare's desires already come to fruition? If so then I was clearly behind and needed to figure it out and fast. "Judging from that expression of yours, my answer wasn't to your liking. How unfortunate that you've yet to understand what the Nightmares have been doing."

"Why not tell me more?"

"I don't intend on answering anymore questions."

"How come?"

Master Stalfos then raised its sword. "Let's just say that you will eventually stumble onto your biggest concerns. I'll leave it at that in hopes that it leaves you completely unhinged for a time. Now... We shall fight one more time but this time, I have no intention of retreating. This will be my last stand where my life could possibly come to its end but I will make sure to use every last ounce of my power. I've been holding back some of my strength but now you'll get to see it for yourself."

To Be Continued.

Prologue: Lost At Sea.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 1: Welcome to Koholint Island.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 2: Around Mabe Village.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 3: The Forest's Secret.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 4: Power of the Roc.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 5: Kidnapped!

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Chapter 6: Into the Swamp.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 7: The Grotto's Strength.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 8: Golden Leaves of the Castle.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 9: Dungeon of Keys.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 10: Speed of the Pegasus.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 11: The Desert's Secret.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 12: Dungeon Creator.

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Chapter 13: Behind the Waterfall.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 14: To Swim Like a Fish.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 15: The World of Colour.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 16: The Power of Colour.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 17: Into the Catfish's Maw.

Author's Notes:

Chapter 18: A Game of Cat and Mouse.

Author's Notes:

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