//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26: Riddle of the Tower. 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening. 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
March 9, 2021.
Chapter 26: Riddle of the Tower.

Keeping a close eye on the Gibdo, I almost failed to notice the two Blade Traps that were to my left. I doubted they could be used to defeat it for me (It would've been nice as it would give me some slight leeway) as that'd be taking an easy way out so it meant doing it the old fashioned way. By the time it noticed me, it stumbled forward in a slow manner where I responded by hitting it though it didn't get knocked back. At least they weren't fast so I could easily maneuver about without problems.

I continued attacking it until it was defeated and left behind a single green rupee. With that taken care of, I inched forward so that the two Blade Traps would launch at each other which they did. Walking past when both began moving back to their previous positions, I entered the next room upon which I saw so many blue and orange tiles. If you thought the Face Shrine was bad then the Eagle's Tower was even worse. I shuddered knowing that these tiles could reappear in the final dungeon in which case they would be at their absolute worst.

Since I couldn't jump onto the tiles from the ground (Once again, I had to question my own natural jumping prowess), my current way was blocked for the time being until a Crystal Switch could be found. If there was a benefit here, it would be getting to see a sneak preview of what was to come. At least activating those switches would be easy enough thanks to having picked up the boomerang as I could save using arrows. Had I entered this dungeon without either the boomerang or the bow, progression would've still been possible though it would take much longer.

And then there was the presence of Cozy Glow, or the Grim Creeper as she was known here. Even though she wasn't the manipulative filly from Equestria, I had to watch my back as who knew when she would show up. I had no doubt she knew every inch of this dungeon so the advantage was hers but I couldn't allow myself to be discouraged. If Cozy Glow had some kind of connection to the Nightmare which she had hinted at, it could be more difficult to prevail as two Nightmares were worse than one.

Heading back to the previous room and knowing the Blade Traps were waiting for me, I took out the Roc's Feather and jumped just as the two traps launched themselves only to hit each other again with a loud clanging sound. Landing and heading south back to where that locked door was located, I thought about using some Magic Powder to defeat the Bubble but then something compelled me to use the boomerang instead. Taking it out and tossing it, it connected and defeated it instantly leaving behind a fairy. Wow... It was way more powerful than I gave it credit for. 

Collecting the fairy which restored whatever damage I had taken, I then used the key to unlock the door. Entering the previous room, the Blade Traps moved towards me only to collide with the line of blocks with a loud thud. Ignoring them, I walked up some steps and entered the next floor though I was curious as to how many floors there actually were; hopefully not that many. On this floor, more blue tiles were preventing me from progressing as well as access to a treasure chest which was practically screaming at me to come over and open it.

In fact, because of those tiles being up, I couldn't even reach the Crystal Switch hiding behind some more blocks. The only way I could go was north where some orange tiles were down though a thought did cross my mind. Was it possible to throw a bomb over the blocks and activate the switch now instead of later? Taking out a bomb, I tossed it only for it to land by my feet prompting a quick retreat as it exploded seconds later. Now that I knew that idea wouldn't work, I needed to look for another switch. Princess Twilight said she would make a note of this chest's location until I had the Compass.

Heading north, I entered a room which featured some kind of pulling mechanism similar to what I had used back in the Anglers' Tunnel. There was also a Heavy Ball located on top of a raised platform which immediately felt suspicious, but before I could do anything, Cozy Glow appeared by dropping down from above and flicking her cape. "Golly! You seem to be upset that you can't make any progress in this tower!"

"I guess you were serious about showing up every now and then." I said.

Cozy Glow then laughed. "This is my home after all so you can't expect me to sit back and watch you go about as you please. Seeing you get so frustrated will make it much easier for you to end up experiencing a horrible death. You know, this could all be avoided by doing one simple thing... Leave and never come back! I'm giving you a chance to do something smart here so why not take up my offer?"

I shook my head. "Because I know better than to trust the likes of you."

"Feisty... I like that in a person."

I didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment so I decided to change the subject. "Since you know that I'm not leaving, why not come and fight me since you seem so eager towards proving your superiority." Even though this was a different Cozy Glow, I was banking on her losing her temper as that's what Princess Twilight said about her personality. "You could kill me right now and not have to worry about what I do ever again."

"You think you can tell me what to do?"

"I just thought that's what you want."

That definitely got Cozy Glow riled up. "I could take you on at any time I want!" She had lost her temper though I needed to be careful as there was no telling what kind of powers she possessed and that could spell my death rather quickly. "I'm not going to take this from the likes of you! You're nothing! I'm the Grim Creeper! I am superior to you!" She then calmed down upon realizing what she was doing. "I'll fight you when the time is right but I doubt we'll even get there considering this place will soon be your grave."

"So that would be a no?"

"Correct!"

At least I knew I could get under her skin. "Okay, then why did you choose to appear in this room?"

"Because I want to show you something." Cozy Glow then pointed at the Heavy Ball I noticed earlier before she walked up and patted it several times. "This thing is going to be your companion for a while. Lugging this around is sure to make you miserable but too bad!" She then began to giggle. "Gee... I wish I could see you crying right now but I have other commitments which need my attention."

"So you're leaving?"

"Hey! I can't help it if I need to be elsewhere."

With that, Cozy Glow then jumped up and disappeared into the darkness above leaving me and Princess Twilight with the Heavy Ball. Despite becoming more annoying, she did at the very least confirm my suspicions. Having to carry around this ball wasn't my idea of fun but it was necessary as why else would it be here? Walking up to it, I lifted it above my head effortlessly where it felt remarkably light (The Power Bracelet made it that way obviously) and that was when the puzzle of this room became apparent to me.

Two blocks were preventing me from leaving the room though they weren't attached to anything. Dropping the Heavy Ball in front of them, I walked back over to the mechanism and began pulling it. The blocks then began moving away from each other so I kept on pulling until I had my reached its limit before letting go where they started moving back. Watching to see how much time there was before the path was blocked (It was about six seconds), once the blocks finished moving, I grabbed the mechanism again and pulled it.

Once I had ascertained I had enough time, I let go of the mechanism, rushed over to the ball, picked it up, and walked between the two blocks just as they were about to return to their original positions. Whew! That was way more stressful than it should've been but at least I managed to solve the puzzle. Once I had regained my composure, I entered the next room which had more spikes and more blue tiles so once again my progress was limited. What did catch my eye was a rather large column though it had clearly seen some deterioration judging from its poor condition.

Princess Twilight then spoke up. "Sunset... Why don't you try throwing that Heavy Ball at the column?"

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"Nothing you have is going to work but perhaps that ball will." Princess Twilight then took a closer look at the column by checking it from different positions before nodding. "Yep! That ball is just the thing that can knock it over. I know this goes against what I stand for when it comes to preserving ancient sites and artefacts, but I think this is an exception."

"Have you figured out what its purpose is?"

"Not yet but I do have an idea of what's going on."

"So I should knock it down?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "You should because why else would Cozy Glow tell you otherwise?" I knew Her Highness had a personal grudge with Cozy Glow since the young filly had lied to her from day one and took advantage of Her Highness' good graces but she (Princess Twilight) was doing her best to remain calm and not allow her issues to prevent her from giving me solid advice when needed. "If my theory is correct, when you head to another room, you should see what needs to be done."

I wasn't about to argue with her so tossing the ball at the column, it connected and it crumbled to pieces. Nothing happened which made me feel concerned but Her Highness said that I needed to find any other columns that could be around here. Again, I wasn't going to argue as she had that look in her eyes that said she knew exactly what to do. Besides, I couldn't think of anything else to try in order to make some progress. I wouldn't know for certain until something actually happened which could be a while.

Walking over to where it landed, two Green Zols popped up from the ground and I quickly disposed of them. Picking up the ball and heading north, I entered a room where stairs leading down were blocked by blue tiles meaning I was denied access to another area. As if that weren't enough, I could see a familiar puzzle in the form of the two horse heads on the floor. Tossing the ball where it landed with a thud on the ground, I took out the boomerang and tossed it at a Bubble which happened to be in the room, defeating it, and getting another fairy which I actually didn't need.

Weirdly enough, the horse heads were actually on the tiles on the floor they needed to be on except they weren't standing upright. A cruel joke at my expense? Maybe, but I wasn't about to pay it any mind knowing it wouldn't take long for me to put them right. Picking up the white head and tossing it aside for the moment, I then picked up the black head, moved into the correct position and tossed it where it landed correctly and its eyes began glowing. Did I really need to solve this puzzle? It didn't seem like it but then I never turned my back on a good puzzle.

Picking up the other one and getting into position, I tossed it where it landed on its panel and its eyes glowed. This caused a chest to materialize in the upper right corner of the room so solving this puzzle was necessary though I was hoping for some progression instead. Opening the chest, I took out the Dungeon Map and immediately looked at what I was dealing with. "Everything looks so cramped."

"Considering we're in a tower, this dungeon is limited by the exterior's circumference."

"And there are multiple floors this time!"

Princess Twilight then looked at the map. "Hmmm... I can't see a room where the Nightmare ought to be but then you haven't explored everywhere yet. Be careful here, Sunset. Just because it looks small doesn't mean it's going to be easy. You still need to find a Crystal Switch and activate it in order to switch those tiles around. In the mean time, you should be pleased to know that the chest you ignored before is now marked on the map."

"A shame I couldn't activate the one I saw earlier."

"I have a feeling that was done to prevent some kind of cheating."

I sighed. "Of course it did. Guess doing things the hard is to be expected. Anyway, I think I'm going to need to refer to this map more often than I've done in the previous dungeons what with how many floors there are." I then folded it up and placed it in my pocket.

"Guess it's time to do some searching."

I then walked over and picked up the Heavy Ball. "Better not leave this behind if I plan on destroying anymore columns."

"There are a couple of things you should know about that ball." Princess Twilight said in her lecture speaking voice which I was well familiar with. "You can't take it with you to another floor. I know that's not a good explanation but believe when I say that you can't. I think this was done to prevent any additional cheating since it can crush most monsters without much effort. Also, if you lose it, you'll have to go to another floor and then come back in order to respawn it. Suffice to say, losing it will require some backtracking so its best not to end up in that scenario."

"It sounds more like a burden than anything else."

"If you end up losing it in a place where you can't get to it, you'll have to leave the dungeon."

"Okay, this is seriously ridiculous!" I shouted in a harsh manner.

"Yes, but once you're done with it, you won't have to worry about it again."

"Good point."

"I know these restrictions aren't to your liking, Sunset, but it's something you just have to accept."

Now those were some utterly stupid restrictions! I mean come on! Who wouldn't want to throw around a massive heavy object and defeat monsters effortlessly? Sure, it would leave me vulnerable due to needing both hands up but the possibilities were numerous. Not everything had to be taken care of using items hidden in chests or with the basic use of a sword, but then Her Highness was right about the cheating. That was something I didn't want to do unless it was intentional and even necessary to complete some tasks. Besides, I'd probably get fed up with carrying it around after a while.

Heading back into the previous room with the ball above my head, I looked around to see if there was anything else I could do but nothing came to mind. Tossing the ball across the room where it crushed a Red Zol just as it was popping up, I took out the map again and looked at it. Apparently, the ball appeared on it in the form of a large black orb so I'd always knew its location but again, I couldn't see a means of progression. Was there something I was missing? Ugh! This was starting to get very frustrating which no doubt was pleasing Cozy Glow since she wanted me to suffer.

The only thing I could think of was dropping down into a hole that was to the south. Normally, I would avoid doing such a thing but since there was a floor below this one, it should be okay though there was no guarantee. Choosing to go with my instincts, I walked up and dropped into the hole where instead of plunging into the abyss, I had indeed dropped down to the previous level. In fact, I'd landed on top of some blue tiles! Perhaps most important of all, I was in a different room so now progress could be made. Dropping into a hole wasn't what I'd call idea but at least it enabled me to move forward.

Aside from two Like-Likes and a Red Stalfos, there were even more blue and orange tiles. There was no doubt about it. I needed to find a Crystal Switch and fast. Heading a few steps south allowed me to see the section where I was forced to go back and use the key. Walking back and jumping down to the floor, I immediately attacked both Like-Likes before either one could eat me and take away my blue tunic or some other valued item. When both were defeated, the Red Stalfos jumped back before throwing a bone which I blocked with my shield.

Striking it twice to defeat it, I then had two directions that I could take. After thinking it over for a second, I decided to go to the left. Heading in that direction and entering the next room, I froze upon seeing the blue and orange tiles were my only means of getting across a massive abyss. Talk about major overkill! Taking it nice and slowly, I walked across the orange tiles whilst ignoring a flying heart icon as I had full health. Once I was across and in the next room, one chest I couldn't get to before was now accessible.

Walking up to it and opening it up, I took out a Stone Beak. "I know you told me about that column..." I began as I looked up at Princess Twilight who was sitting on my hat. "... But maybe I should hear that information from an Owl Statue."

"Good idea." Princess Twilight sounded perfectly fine with me having gone against her advice. Was she trying to save face!? When she noticed me looking up with a shocked look on my face, she shook her head before smiling. "I know I said I had this figured out but that was just me thinking of a use for that Heavy Ball. If an Owl Statue confirms that my idea was in fact correct, I'm entitled to some bragging rights.

I rolled my eyes. "Always have to flaunt your intellect don't you?"

Princess Twilight giggled. "It comes with the territory. Anyway, I actually did notice an Owl Statue back in the room where you first found that ball. I didn't say anything as I thought you saw it for yourself, but I guess you didn't which is okay as you can easily get back there."

"Yeah, I didn't see it."

"I thought as much."

"So where do I go from here?"

"From what I saw of the map, going back up to the second floor isn't a good idea right now." Princess Twilight answered in a disappointing voice. "Until you can find a way to get that ball around, you're better off exploring this floor in hopes for a Crystal Switch. At this point, you need to switch those blue and orange tiles around to make some progress."

I then walked to the right of the chest as the nearby staircase was blocked by three blue tiles. In this next room, I immediately stopped myself from walking off and into an abyss which had no doubt been placed there to stop any who had entered. I could see what else was here so it wasn't a complete waste of time. There were two Gibdos and a Spark on the other side along with even more blue and orange tiles. Heading back the other way, I walked north as it was my only option and entered a section that contained a chest on a high-up platform.

That's when a familiar voice shouted. "You didn't bring that Heavy Ball with you!"

Looking up, I could see Cozy Glow appear from behind the chest before she sat down on it. "It's not my fault that I'm not allowed to bring it down here. If that restriction wasn't in place, I'd be holding it above my head right now."

Cozy Glow was once again losing her temper but instead of pushing her further, I'd allow her to lose control herself as her slipping up could prove helpful. "How can you be upset having to lug that thing around if you came down here and left it behind? What's the matter with you! Also, what were you thinking, destroying that column? That's my property! The more I look at that mug of yours, the more I'm feeling the urge to come down and kill you!"

"Oh? That column was important?"

"Of course it was!" Cozy Glow then sneered at me before laughing. "Golly! I almost got tricked by you there! Like I'm going to tell you something that would help you progress through this tower." She then slapped her hand over her mouth which made me suspect that she had in fact said something she shouldn't have. "Anyway, I see things have been pretty easy for you so far when it comes to monsters. Why are such weaklings even here in the first place!? Perhaps you need a more unique opponent? Just give me a second and I'll call it over. It should be somewhere around here."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm not going to spoil the surprise."

That's when Princess Twilight decided to say something. "Listen here Cozy--" She stopped upon realizing she was about to make the same mistake I'd made many times during this adventure where I called a character by the name I knew them as instead of who they were known around here. "Sorry... I meant Grim Creeper. I know you've been ignoring me because I'm just a fairy but perhaps you might be compelled to tell me more about this Dethl you mentioned before."

"Huh?" Cozy Glow leaned forward to get a closer look at her. "Oh yeah! The little fairy! I thought you were different from the others." For a moment, I thought she had  figured out that things had changed but this wasn't the case. "You've got quite the mouth on you! Instead of just acting like a fairy should, you've done nothing but babble endlessly in order to help out the Outsider."

"You avoided my question."

"Why would an insignificant speck care about the mighty Dethl?"

I wanted to come to her defence but Princess Twilight signaled to me to keep out of it. "You could say that I am curious to know about he who commands such a powerful horde of dark creatures. He who is on the verge of taking over this entire island." Okay, Her Highness sounded like she was getting carried away but I continued to hold back in order to let her have her moment. "I have no doubt I could ever defeat such a powerful being as I'm just a helpless little fairy." She then turned towards me. "And I'm certain my friend will eventually succumb to the horrors of this tower."

"Trying to throw the Outsider under the bus?"

"I'm just weighing my options."

"Okay! I'll tell you!" Cozy Glow began jumping up and down on the chest in sheer excitement. Me? I knew Her Highness was trying to manipulate her into sharing some perhaps vital information though did she have to go that far with it? Once she was finished jumping, she began speaking in a sinister manner. "Dethl has many forms, each one more fearsome than the last. Any who sees him die from shock upon seeing his eye, his most striking feature. But, you didn't hear any of this from me."

Princess Twilight appeared to be concerned about what we had just heard. "I guess me and my friend shouldn't meet him any time soon." In truth, I had already met him twice in the dream world but whether it was his true form or a form he assumed just to tease me remained to be seen.

At that moment, a small round pink creature waddled into the area. Cozy Glow then giggled again. "And there is the unique monster now! I hope you have fun playing with him though I doubt you will survive long enough." She then jumped behind the chest and seemingly disappeared leaving me to deal with this strange monster. It's smile belied a hidden power which would no doubt become problematic if I didn't deal with it quickly.

"And what do I call this?" I asked.

"This is known as Anti-Kirby." Princess Twilight answered.

"Seriously?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It is said that this creature is based on a legendary hero from another world who had the power to inhale enemies and copy their abilities. This creature can inhale you by attempting to suck you up with a powerful vacuum like attack when it opens its mouth. Fortunately, you won't lose any items or equipment if it inhales you but weirdly enough, it can inflict more damage by simply bumping into you as opposed to consuming you. The main thing to know here is that its immune to your sword so don't even try stabbing it as your blade will just bounce off."

"Does it have any weaknesses?"

"It does but it will take multiple hits."

"What are they?"

"Bombs and the boomerang are effective."

"Do I even need to defeat this Anti-Kirby?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. The truth is, it doesn't attack all that often and instead prefers to just move about in a carefree manner. When it does attack, you can easily avoid it provided you aren't directly in front of it."

Cozy Glow was actually right about something which was a rarity given what she was actually like. This Anti-Kirby was definitely different from most other monsters in that it was rather cute. I came to the conclusion that I didn't need to defeat it which completely undermined her efforts to kill me before I could reach the Nightmare. Heading to the right, I then noticed it was following behind, a cheerful smile spread across that round face it had. Unfortunately, I had reached a dead end due to a row of blue tiles blocking my way.

Turning around, the Anti-Kirby was directly behind me and it opened its mouth to my shock. I felt myself being pulled into its gaping maw and I couldn't break free due to how absurdly strong it really was. After a few seconds, its mouth closed which was a huge sigh of relief knowing how close I came to becoming a snack. It then resumed waddling around and I wasn't about to remain and see if it would attempt to suck me up again. Heading back south to where the chest was located as there was no current way to progress east, I began thinking of my next course of action.

I then walked back to where that abyss was where I saw the two Gibdos and the Spark. What I thought was a dead end was in fact a means of progression as there was something I could use here. Whether this was intended or not didn't really matter so long as moving on with the dungeon mattered. Of course, for this to work, I first needed a clear enough shot yet both Gibdos were currently blocking a lone pot across from where I was standing. Once both monsters had moved away, I took out the Hookshot, fired the chain, and pulled myself across upon connecting with the pot.

Once back on solid ground, they attacked by stumbling forward and I responded by attacking both. Due to their lack of knockback, both managed to hit me a couple of times before I defeated them and getting nothing for it. Ignoring the Spark and heading up some stairs, I then jumped down onto the blue tiles and walked left. Even though it hadn't been that long since finishing the Face Shrine, I recalled having to jump from one tile to another. I thought about heading right though if I remembered correctly, going that way wouldn't do much good as that one staircase was still blocked.

Heading left, I took out the Roc's Feather and then jumped across to a row of blue tiles before heading north. Again, I wasn't sure if this was the intended way to go but since so much around here was already inaccessible, I was desperate for any kind of progression. In the next room, I could see a Mini-Moldorm bouncing about along with two Peahats, a monster I hadn't seen since the Angler's Tunnel. Since the way forward was accessible, I ignored all three monsters and went up the stairs.

On the next floor, I ran into more familiar monsters. "What the!? This monster again!?"

Without nodding, Princess Twilight confirmed this was the case. "I guess this dungeon loves bringing back old monsters from the past in addition to old puzzles." Trust Her Highness to know my exact thoughts on that subject. "Anyway, since it's been a very long time since you last saw them, allow me to give you a description. Three-of-a-Kinds are monsters which move about but don't attack. When hit, they will stop and one of the four card suits will be featured. Match all three with the same suit to defeat them but it can be annoying."

"Now I remember them."

"Even though you can ignore them, I suggest defeating them in case they are guarding something you can't see."

"I hope this doesn't take too long."

"Depends on whether they are cooperative."

All three monsters started with the heart as their symbol and when they started moving, they switched to the diamond, then the spade, and then the club before going back to the heart and then repeating the cycle. Striking each Three-of-a-Kind one at a time, I was disappointed to see that each one had a different suit on its front. They automatically began moving again prompting me to try again and getting it right. Hitting each monster again, this time two suits were correct (Diamond) with the other being different (Club). I tried a third time and it was two Hearts and one Diamond.

Choosing to remain calm as knowing my temperament was fragile, I hit the three again which resulted in different suit results. I tried for the fifth time and it was two Spades and one Heart which still wasn't right. Then on the sixth attempt (I had hoped to succeed much sooner), I hit all three and got them displaying Clubs which defeated them. This caused a chest to materialize in the upper right corner much like how it was with the map. Walking up and opening it up, it contained the Compass which I gladly took as now I would know which rooms had a key hidden somewhere.

Taking out the map again, I could see that the Nightmare was located on the highest floor, but upon taking a closer look at that floor, I couldn't see a room. I could see the mark indicating where it was but no actual room. This didn't make any sense at first but then it dawned on me. Did I have to actually fight it outside? All indications were leaning in that direction and yet this wouldn't be my first time doing this. After all, the Angler Fish was fought in a dungeon's basement and underwater no less.

There were two paths I could take, one to the left and one to the right. I chose to take the one on the right and entered the next room where I discovered I had walked straight into a dead end as the other way was the correct direction. That's when I noticed another column which also was cracked near its base. "Okay, I'm starting to think that you were right, Twilight, but I still prefer hearing from an Owl Statue."

"If I remember correctly from the map, you are in the room to the left of where that first column was."

"How many columns do you think there are?"

"Not sure but you need to destroy this one as soon as you can."

Taking out the map again, I confirmed that the ball was in the room to my right. "Okay, so I just need to make my way back there, but I still need to figure out a way to get that ball out of the area its currently stuck. Any ideas, Twilight?"

"You really need to find a Crystal Switch."

I slapped my forehead. "Why am I not surprised by that answer." The only Crystal Switch I'd seen so far was inaccessible due to some blocks. If that was the only one, there was no way of hitting it without doing some kind of sequence breaking. No... There had to be more than one. To have just the one switch would be nothing short of sheer lunacy. "A shame I can't see switches on this map as that would make my life easier."

"An oversight I'd say." Princess Twilight then pointed towards the column. "Guess who came back yet again?"

I looked in the direction of the column and sure enough, Cozy Glow was poking her head out from behind it. I put the map away and tried inching my way towards the exit to the previous room but she hissed which prevented me from leaving. "And what do you want this time?"

Cozy Glow was rather flippant. "Why did you ignore that Anti-Kirby!?"

"It wasn't a required fight and I could easily walk away."

"That's not what you're supposed to do!"

"I'm sorry I didn't follow through on your expectations."

"No wonder you've been such a thorn in the mighty Dethl's side." Cozy Glow was once again losing her cool but she quickly calmed down. Whenever she lost her temper, she would unintentionally make a slip of the tongue which proved beneficial for me. I just had to hope she would continue to make such rash actions for my sake. "However, I see that you are having some stress, Outsider. Having problems finding some switches?"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I heard you!" Cozy Glow began laughing though I wasn't in the position to chastise her. In this instance, she had every right to laugh at my blunder. "I love seeing you squirm about so much as it reminds me of how much I despise you. Of course, this could've stopped if you had just left. But, you didn't because you're too stubborn to listen to me! Maybe you need some other kind of punishment. Hmmm... Ah-ha! I've got it but I'll wait for you to see it first."

"Do you even do anything other than run your mouth?"

Cozy Glow began to mock me in response. "Golly! I don't know to respond to that!" Then she stuck out her tongue but I refrained from doing the same. "You're just jealous that I know so much more about the tower compared with you." Then she began acting serious starting with a change in tone. "You have made more progress than I thought but then this is only the beginning. You have more problems coming up real soon. You should leave now. This is me giving you another chance so take it already!"

"Why even bother asking me that when you know I won't."

"Okay... I gave you a fair warning."

"So is this where you decided to fight me?"

Shaking her head, Cozy Glow sneered at me again. "You're not worthy to fight the likes of me, Outsider. Besides, I'm the least of your concerns. If I were you, I'd be worried about the horrible things lurking about on the upper levels." She then turned away from me and began mumbling under her breath. "No wonder the Nightmares have failed. She is more resilient than I expected. Hmmm... Maybe Hot Head was making sense regarding her. Should she find that shield, things could turn against me and the mighty Dethl would have my hide."

I then whispered to Princess Twilight. "What do you think she's mumbling to herself about?"

"I'm not sure but be prepared for anything." Princess Twilight answered.

When Cozy Glow turned to face me again, she noticed that I was whispering with Her Highness but merely shrugged it off before sticking her tongue out once more. "Conversing with your fairy, Outsider? By all means go ahead as that little fairy won't make much of a difference in the end. Since asking you to leave isn't working, perhaps more aggressive methods are in order." She snapped her finger and about five Keese appeared before she then disappeared.

Holding out my sword, I waited for the Keese to get close before unleashing a Spin Attack which defeated them all in one hit. Unfortunately, the rupees they dropped fell down into the floor below so they were out of my reach. Oh well. I had plenty of money so it wasn't a big deal losing a few. "That's the first time Cozy Glow displayed an ability to summon monsters."

"I think she's realized that you're a threat to her."

"I shudder to think what else she can summon."

I noticed Princess Twilight seemed annoyed and I knew what had gotten her that way. "Don't let what Cozy Glow said bother you. You're way more important than she realizes. Also, you need to remind yourself not to allow your personal grudge to cloud your judgment. Believe me, I've done that plenty of times and I've regretted each and every one. While this is Cozy Glow in appearance, the real one is still trapped in stone." Was I right though? Was she still trapped alongside the other two villains? Given the power of the Demon King, there was no telling for certain.

"She was right about you needing to find a Crystal Switch."

Her Highness, unfortunately, was correct. My progress in this dungeon was severely limited until I could switch those tiles around. I hoped Cozy Glow didn't have the ability to remove any switches otherwise I'd be stuck for good. Heading back to the previous room and then taking the other path, I noticed that the column had to be accessed from another room though I couldn't do much about it until I could get the Heavy Ball. Fortunately, I could check the map at any time to see its current position. Taking out the Roc's Feather, I jumped over the spikes and continued south before my path turned left.

Pushing a block forward, I was back in the room where I had left the Heavy Ball except now I was blocked from reaching it by a row of blue tiles. Walking south, I encounter a third column which was also cracked. Each one thus far had been in an adjacent room so by process of elimination, if there was a fourth column, it would be located in the room to my left. Jumping over another hole with the Roc's Feather, I continued walking south until I reached a dead end though this one had something very good.

"Finally!" I shouted as I dropped to my knees.

"You found a Crystal Switch."

Getting back up, I was about to strike when I took a look at where I was. "I'm not familiar with this area but I suppose I'll eventually come here from another direction." I was about to strike again but stopped upon thinking that maybe this was the wrong switch to activate. "Twilight... I've got a feeling that this switch is the wrong one. I know it sounds silly considering how desperate I've been about finding one, but I think I should go back to where those rows of blue and orange tiles were and take another look."

"I wasn't expecting to hear that from you."

"Like I said, it sounds silly."

"If you think you need to go back there, by all means follow your instinct."

My instincts had often been good yet this was one I was questioning. Nothing was stopping me from activating this Crystal Switch but if I were to strike it now, I could potentially miss out on something important and be forced to backtrack all over the dungeon until I could find it. These kind of decisions were always difficult but that was what life was like, having to make decisions you didn't necessarily like. Just when it looked like I was about to make some progress, I had been denied once again. A similar notion could be made over how I felt about this dungeon.

Heading back the other way and jumping over the hole, I walked back to the previous room and then back to the one before that which is when I noticed a small hole that I had apparently ignored. Looking down, I began to wonder if this room was above where I needed to be? While my memory was pretty good, I wasn't about to take any chances as falling down the wrong hole could be disastrous. If I could avoid too much backtracking then all the better. Taking out the map and looking at it, I was in the right location but what could've compelled me to think about checking it again?

Dropping into the hole, I landed on top of a row of orange tiles. Ignoring the Gibdos this time around (One of them did manage to hit me) since defeating them was nothing but a mere distraction, I walked around, up the stairs, and dropped down onto the row of blue tiles I landed on before. Jumping down and slashing both Like-Likes with my sword, defeating both, I ignored the Red Stalfos and went right which I could've done when I came through here originally but chose to ignore it in favour of going in the other direction.

In this next room, I found another Crystal Switch surrounded by spikes. "Okay, this has to be the one I need to activate."

"Clever thinking using that hole to get down here quickly."

I blushed with embarrassment. "Had I come this way originally, I could've avoided some headaches." At least Princess Twilight wasn't going to chew me out over this even though the fault was entirely mine. That's what happens when you don't look at the Dungeon Map more often. In all honesty, that other Crystal Switch was also likely the solution but I wanted to make sure I had all my bases covered just in case. "Okay, time to change things up around here and make some actual progress." I took out the Bow and fired an arrow, striking the switch as crossing over spikes wasn't to my liking.

"Do you want to head back the other way and see what changed?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm going to check the room to the north as it's one I haven't seen yet."

"Fair enough."

Heading in that direction, I entered the next room, I was immediately sucked into the mouth of another Anti-Kirby before I could react. It chewed on me for a few seconds before spitting me back out and walking off leaving me feeling shocked but surprisingly clean. I thought I'd be covered in some kind of drool but that wasn't the case. The Compass then made a noise indicating a small key was somewhere in this room so coming here proved to be wise on my part. Did I have to defeat this Anti-Kirby? Upon seeing a chest located on a platform I couldn't reach, I'd say no to my own question.

Aside from the Anti-Kirby, there were two Peahats and two Beamos in the room. It was the latter I had to watch out for because the lasers they fired from their eyes were fast and my shield couldn't block them. It was also annoying that a Owl Statue was located right behind one of them. If this was the one that would confirm Princess Twilight's thoughts regarding the columns, I was going to hate using the Stone Beak here, yet what other choice did I have? Seeing an opening, I quickly dashed across the room just as the Beamos fired its laser and it just narrowly avoided hitting my head by a slim margin.

Taking out the Stone Beak, I quickly placed it on the statue to hear what it had to say. 'The riddle is solved when the pillars fall'. There was the proof right there! Her Highness was absolutely correct about what needed to be done. While I was wrong in doubting her, I needed an official confirmation. Hold on a second... Riddle? Was there something special that would happen upon destroying the columns? It made sense as Cozy Glow did react negatively upon learning that I had taken one down. It also explained the use of the Heavy Ball. Guess I'm going to be doing some demolition.

Removing the beak and putting it away, I ran to the left and avoided getting hit by another Beamos laser along with the two Peahats only to stop in my tracks upon almost getting blasted by another laser. I wished I could defeat these Beamos but there was nothing I could do aside from avoiding their beams. Another laser fired and I ducked before crawling along, getting back up, and running up the stairs to the next floor. A thought then came to mind. If the Owl Statue just now gave me the information regarding the columns, what did the other statue have to say?

Upon entering the second floor, I was surprised to see I was back in the room with the horse heads. Unfortunately, Cozy Glow was standing right in front of me. "You had some trouble dodging those laser beams, didn't you, Outsider? I can tell as I can smell your sweat or maybe that's the smell of burning flesh? Without a better shield, you won't be able to dodge them forever."

"I'm doing fine with my current shield." I said.

"Sure... You continue to believe that."

I decided to see if I could get her to give me some information without being too obvious about it. "Say... Grim Creeper, was it? You seemed very protective of that column I accidentally destroyed earlier."

She immediately saw right through my trick. "You think you can fool me, Outsider? I'll never tell you what those pillars are for! Besides, it won't really matter to you since you'll soon be out of the way and they can keep the upper level remaining intact." She snapped her finger again and this time five Bubbles materialized out of nowhere. "I know these monsters are immune to your weapon so brute force won't help." She jumped up to the ceiling and was gone again but she did unintentionally mentioned something about those columns.

Making a run for the exit, the Bubbles began hitting me which made me feel incredibly weak. Unlike most monsters which inflict physical damage, Bubbles used some kind of magic based attack which made it felt like they were attacking me from the inside. Once I made it to the next room, I dropped to my knees before grabbing my chest. "Okay... She's definitely taking things up a notch now!"

"Are you alright, Sunset?" Princess Twilight asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I just need a few moments before I can move again."

"Whether or not she realized it, Cozy Glow did tell you something about those columns."

"Something to do with the highest level of the dungeon?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "From what I saw of the map, the fourth floor doesn't seem to register any treasure chest locations or the Nightmare's exact location. I have reason to suspect that the highest floor doesn't exist even though it's displayed on that map. I'm not sure what she meant about keeping it intact but I suppose we'll know once you've destroyed the remaining columns."

Getting back up once I felt ready to, I was reunited with the Heavy Ball, and thanks to my activating the Crystal Switch, I could now take it with me. A Green Zol and a Red Zol then popped up from the ground but were swiftly defeated via my sword. Picking up the ball, I walked south and across the blue tiles which acted as a bridge before tossing it at the column, smashing it to pieces. Now came the question of where to go from here. Hmmm... As long as the columns remained intact, my progress was still limited leaving me back where I started.

Heading back to the first column, I tossed the ball before taking out the map again. Looking at it, I remembered that there was a chest I couldn't access before due to the blue tiles being up, but I could now access it what with them being down. Fortunately, dropping down into the hole would act as a short cut. Stepping off and into the hole, I dropped and this time landed on the orange tiles. If I had taken any fall damage (Something which had never come up), I'd have probably broken both legs or something worse. At least not all holes were dangerous compared with so many others.

Following the blue tiles, I re-entered the section where I originally couldn't make progress and continued following the path and entered the room where the first locked door was located. Both Blade Traps then launched themselves at me and collided though I remembered they were there from earlier thus I avoided getting hit. I also remembered there was a Gibdo and it stumbled towards me and I responded by attacking it several times before it was defeated. Heading south, I ignored the next set of monsters as defeating them meant anything and I went through the unlocked door and up the stairs.

As expected, the chest was now accessible along with the Crystal Switch that previously eluded me. Opening the chest, I took out a beautiful golden shield with a silver outline which was also bigger than what I had been using. "Is this it?" I asked as I gazed at my reflection.

"This is indeed the Mirror Shield." Princess Twilight answered as she began examining it. "With this, you can now reflect beams like the ones fired from a Beamo's eye or the magic used by Wizzrobes. You can even reflect some special things though I'm not sure what they are exactly. Plus, because of how much bigger it is, you've got better protection in case you were ever worried about not being able to hide behind it."

"What do I do with my old shield?"

"Ah yes..." Princess Twilight began. "... You have been bothered by this for some time now. Not to worry, Sunset, as the Mirror Shield has automatically replaced your old one which means you can focus on getting used to carrying it around. It should actually be lighter than the old one so that will add to your mobility."

Looking at my left arm, the Mirror Shield was there in all its glory. "Wow... Not exactly the way I was expecting that to happen. In fact, I was expecting to have to leave my old shield behind by either throwing it away or putting it into the chest as a means of paying respect. You know, from what we've seen of this dungeon so far, there hasn't been really anything that warranted the use of a new shield."

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen anything like that."

"An oversight?"

"Maybe but it's probably best not to let that worry you."

"Do you think Cozy Glow is going to be annoyed that I now have the Mirror Shield?"

"Knowing how quick she is to get angry, I'm expecting her to go all out." Princess Twilight then noticed a hole located right next to the Crystal Switch. "If memory serves me correctly and it usually does, you must drop down this hole, Sunset, at once." At first I was surprised that she wanted me to do that but I knew Her Highness had something on her mind if she wanted me to do that. "I know it sounds dubious but please trust me."

Nodding, I jumped into the hole and dropped down to the level below, landing on the upper ledge. I was surprised that it was so long yet so narrow but at least it was progress, something that was desperately needed. Walking along rather than running as I didn't want to fall off and be forced to make my way back here, I kept on going north from room to room until I approached another chest I was forced to ignore initially. "Wow... Looks like your memory has come up in spades once again!" When the Compass made a sound, I knew that this chest contained a small key.

Opening it up and taking the small key, I now needed to figure out where it could be used. I hadn't seen any other locked doors or any key blocks but I was sure to run into either of these soon enough. Since I couldn't go left because of being blocked by the chest, my only option was to jump down. This was actually a good time to try out the Mirror Shield and see how effective it really was. Jumping down and raising it, the Beamos fired its laser which got bounced back, striking the sentry and causing it to shut down. I wasn't sure for how long but I wasn't about to stick around and find out.

Ignoring the Peahats and especially the Anti-Kirby, I used the Mirror Shield to bounce back the laser of the other Beamos, disabling it, and again not wanting to know how much time I had before it could re-activate, I went upstairs and re-entered the room where the map was located. Heading south and picking up the Heavy Ball, I walked south, crossed over the blue tile bridge and continued south until reaching the Crystal Switch I initially ignored. When Princess Twilight asked me why I came this way, I said that this was the only thing I could think of unless I had overlooked something.

Tossing the ball, it landed on the other side of the barrier which I couldn't jump over (How is it I can't even jump over a simple thing like a barrier!?) which then made me wonder if I had made a mistake by doing that. "Twilight... I think I just screwed this up."

Shaking her head, Princess Twilight placed her tiny hand on my shoulder. "Since you couldn't take the ball anywhere else, this was the most logical place. Besides, you should be able to get back here by taking a different route on this floor. I do give you credit for taking the initiative and not waiting for me to tell you what to do next."

"Maybe I should've asked you for your opinion beforehand."

"No, you did what you thought was best."

I then took out the map again. "Why is it that this dungeon has given me so many problems that I need to check the map every few minutes?" Looking at it, I couldn't even begin to figure out my next move. "I've gone just about everywhere I can think of!"

"Check the map again."

"Huh?"

"Look at it again." Princess Twilight answered as she pointed at the map. "While you have explored much of the first two floors of this dungeon, you were limited in your exploration thanks to the blue and orange tiles. Now that you activated a Crystal Switch, some paths are closed off while others have opened up. Think, Sunset! Were there any paths or perhaps even doors you couldn't access before?"

Her Highness kept on pointing at a particular room which prompted me to take a closer look. "What? That room? What about it?"

"Even though that's where you found the Stone Beak, it's also where you found stairs you couldn't access and were forced to ignore them." Princess Twilight answered. She continued pointing at the room before she began bopping me on the head, her way of getting me to understand what she had figured out. "That staircase will lead you to these rooms over here which you haven't explored. You might be able to find another column which you haven't seen yet."

"I need to backtrack don't I?"

"You already knew that answer."

Yes... I knew and once again, I grumbled under my breath. Heading back to the previous room, I crossed the blue tile bridge and entered the next room and was about to jump down to the floor below when I made a discovery. No... More like an unfortunate error. Whether it was me being curious or just oblivious, I accidentally pushed the block forward which made me realize I could've taken the ball through to where the third column was. What was done had been done. Since there was nothing else that could be done, I jumped down to the first floor, landing on the orange tiles.

On a side note, I didn't like jumping into these holes. Every time I did, I couldn't help but cry thinking I was going to plunge to my death. Once I was ready, I walked across the orange tiles making sure not to fall off. Again, this would've been quicker with the Pegasus Boots but moving too fast would prove problematic. Continuing to follow the path, it turned left before heading south where it stopped at the chest where I found the Stone Beak, and right there was the staircase which Her Highness told me I could now access.

Walking up to the stairs to the second floor again, I was in a room that had two Sparks moving around a large block which was a dungeon decoration. There was a path to the south and to my right was one of those panels which would force me forward and not be able to go back. Looking to my left, I could see another column, the fourth one which meant there couldn't be anymore unless I somehow ignored one along the way. No... There were only four columns though it would be difficult to get the Heavy Ball here. Then again, I could just pick it up and throw it over that barrier in order to fix my error.

At that moment, Cozy Glow appeared by dropping down from the ceiling and as expected, she looked like she was about to blow her top. "You have the Mirror Shield!? How!? You should be dead by now! Were even those Bubbles not enough!? Why isn't anything working against you!?" Watching her throw a temper tantrum reminded me of when I would have such an episode all because I got frustrated. At least I knew when to calm down and rely on my friends. Cozy Glow didn't have that on her side and instead continued spouting her grievances.

I eventually spoke up. "Look! Just accept that I'm not going to be stopped by you! No matter what you decide to throw my way, your efforts will fail!" Okay, not the best way to say it but I'm glad I did.

That made her stop. "Fine... Keep the Mirror Shield. I doubt it will do you any good." She then decided to use my own frustration against me. "You enjoy seeing me acting out like an immature brat (Oh how close she really was to that) but you've been guilty of the same thing, Outsider. I've seen your anger build up what with getting stuck in this tower. Had things been more complicated, you'd be tearing your hair out and perhaps even turning on your fairy."

"Don't even go there." I said angrily.

"And what will you do if I did?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Whatever!" She ought to be thankful. Whenever I lost my temper, things often got rather nasty. I was getting better at keeping it under control but I still had a few kinks to work out to make it more manageable. "If you keep this up, you'll eventually reach the Nightmare so I need to stop you and fast. I have a friend who's willing to provide a good enough challenge. Oh, and forget all about knocking those pillars down. Let's just say there are some special tricks put in place just to deal with people like you."

"You know... Things could get resolved more quickly if you fight me."

"I'm not that stupid!"

I then muttered under my breath. "Could've fooled me." I then spoke up to avoid her getting suspicious. "Fine... I'll fight this friend of yours even though you should be taking matters into your own hands."

"Of course I am." Cozy Glow said as she adjusted her skull mask. "Why fight when you can have others do the work for you? It means not having to get your hands dirty fighting against someone beneath your notice."

That really infuriated me, but at the same, it also hit a little close to home. After all, I once had a similar thought process about taking an easy way out. I then shook my head and lowered my sword and shield. "If you were looking for sympathy, you won't be getting any though you probably don't even care. That's fine. You have your methods and I've got mine. While fighting you isn't what I want to do, I'm more than willing to go through with it. I've learned that not all fights can be avoided as some are just necessary in order to move on. You'd better be ready to take it seriously."

"Wow... You're pretty deep."

"Huh?"

Cozy Glow being sympathetic? This was unexpected. "While what you said was utterly pathetic and won't change a thing, I will admit that you do have a way with words. Just for that, I'm going to leave without unleashing any monsters. It's my one and only reprieve I'm giving you so don't get used to it. I won't be so merciful next time." As she disappeared by walking through the panel behind me, I knew she was going to throw one more insult my way.

Once she was gone, I turned to Princess Twilight. "What do make of that?"

Princess Twilight lowered her head and shook it. "And this was the reason why I failed Cozy Glow as her teacher in friendship. I tried so hard to get her to appreciate it in the right manner but she thought it involved forcing others to bend to her will. She believed friendship was power and while that isn't entirely wrong, she was blinded by her ambitions to make herself better than everyone."

"And to think she wanted to rule Equestria at her age."

"It makes you wonder where she went wrong early in life."

"Don't blame yourself, Twilight." I said as I recollected on my own troubles. "Cozy Glow had potential but she threw it all away. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that she was a lost cause long before she came to the School of Friendship. Now, she's a stone statue and has only her own twisted thoughts for company. Someday, you might show her and the other two villains some sympathy and release them from their imprisonment. Who knows? Being stuck as a statue after a few centuries or so would make anyone want to change."

"Discord is proof of that."

"Though it took an awful lot to get him to reform."

That made Princess Twilight slightly giggle. "Yeah, he was a real handful but then he was a creature of chaos. He had to act out in such a manner because otherwise it could end up destroying him for good. Anyway, we should probably get moving before Cozy Glow changes her mind and decides to give you some more monsters to deal with."

Nodding, I chose to go south knowing that the panel would prevent me from coming back this way. Entering the next room, I saw that there were six small holes which I thought weren't going to be an issue until noticing what else was present. "What the!?" Standing in the middle of the room was a Hinox but it was a different colour compared to the one from before. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I know this dungeon has brought back some monsters I hadn't seen in a long time but why did it have to be something like a Hinox... Um... That was its name, right?"

"It is."

I then noticed that the path wasn't locked. "All I need to do is just sneak past without it noticing and we can move on without needing to fight." Suddenly, the Compass began to make a noise which meant only one thing... This Hinox was guarding either a small key or the Nightmare's Key. Upon realizing this, my jaw dropped in sheer agony. "You've got to be kidding me! I have to fight this guy despite knowing I can just walk past it!? This is so unfair!"

"Guess Cozy Glow strikes again."

"Is this the same Hinox from before?"

"Aside from the change in colour, this is essentially the same fight as before." Princess Twilight answered as she pointed at the holes in the ground. "If you fall down one of those holes, you'll have to make your way back up here. Since this creature loves to grab and throw you around... I think you know what happens next so allow me to continue on. Any damage inflicted upon a Hinox will be reset if you were to fall down a hole or accidentally leave the room."

"Just what I don't need... Additional obstacles."

"Oh, and the Hinox is too big to drop down into the holes."

Her Highness didn't really need to mention that last bit as it was clear that it wasn't going to have the same problems as I would. But, I supposed this was just her giving me the necessary advice I needed to ensure I got through this without too much trouble. Knowing I had no other choice, I walked forward which caught its attention. It turned around to face me before tossing a bomb which immediately exploded right where I was standing. Not only did the explosion inflict a lot of damage, it also pushed me back where I almost dropped down into a hole but I used my feet to stop myself.

Before I could even react, it lumbered forward and grabbed me where it turned around and tossed me across the room. I crashed into a torch by hitting it with my head and while that didn't give me a concussion, it did cause me to feel dazed for a few moments. Upon getting back up, I was then hit from behind by a fireball which had been launched by the torch. In fact, the other three torches were also throwing fireballs and were doing so every few seconds. Great! I didn't need any additional difficulty considering I had to avoid dropping into one of those holes.

The Hinox threw another bomb which I avoided but again it managed to grab me. If it wasn't for my blue tunic, the pain would actually be even worse. It turned around before suddenly turning back and throwing me into the same torch. Getting back up again, I got blasted in the back by two fireballs and used my shield to deflect another only to be grabbed for a third time (So far, things weren't going very well). I got thrown to the north which was where a hole was but for some reason, it didn't use as much power as its previous throws so I stopped mere inches from the hole.

I used my shield to deflect the fireballs (I was learning as I went along) before getting up and moving to the side. It then tossed a bomb which landed behind me and then exploded, blasting me and hitting my back against the east wall. It then tossed another one which I did avoid though it somehow managed to squeeze in-between two holes which I thought was just ridiculous. You'd think its bombs would drop into a hole but they exploded too quickly for it to be a thing. Another bomb then came my way so I raised my shield in hopes it would take the brunt of the explosion.

The blast knocked me back a little but no damage was taken... Until the Hinox grabbed and tossed me in the opposite direction. Getting up yet again, I was now hit in the stomach by all four fireballs. I needed to do something as all these hits were causing additional damage which would eventually become problematic. I did have the Magic Medicine but I didn't want it to be used by a Hinox since there was Cozy Glow and the Nightmare waiting for me. It then lumbered forward where I finally responded by striking it with my sword only for it to not get knocked back.

"Why is it I'm struggling against this monster?" I asked in a frustrated manner. "I'm a lot better than I was when I fought it before so why is it giving me trouble now?" As I said this, it tossed another bomb which exploded in my face, pushing me back into the wall before I crumpled to the ground. "If... If this was the world I called home, I'd have been killed instantly by that explosion so for once, I'm glad this world's physics don't make sense."

"Do you suppose Cozy Glow did something to make this Hinox stronger?"

"I don't think even she has the power to do that."

Princess Twilight then thought it over and agreed with my observation. "You're right even if we don't know the full extent of her powers. I should also apologize for not warning you about the torches being enchanted. They only started throwing fireballs when the battle began. Cozy Glow might have been responsible for that as surely it's within her power."

"A little late to be telling me that!"

"How about this? It shouldn't take too long to defeat the Hinox."

"Are you sure?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Like I said, despite being a different colour, it's the same as before except with more obstacles. You know, if you either had a Piece of Power or you chose to take the Red Tunic when you were in the Colour Dungeon, it would take maybe three or four hits to defeat this monster." She blushed with embarrassment upon realizing that I didn't have either one and I wanted defence more than anything. "Oh... Forget I said that. Anyway, just be careful and it will eventually fall."

"Easy for you to say..."

"And don't forget that a Hinox has no knock back."

I figured that last bit out a little too late though it was something I should've clearly remembered. My memory wasn't that bad! In fact, it was the complete opposite. I could remember so much without effort and yet these journeys had gone and made my memory a joke. It was even worse when I considered how things I hadn't seen in a very long time were easy to remember while things I had seen just recently were hard to remember. It was enough to make even Celestia herself blow her top.

Even though she didn't mean to say it that way, Princess Twilight did make a point regarding the Red Tunic. Maybe I should've taken it because it would've given me double the power which would take it down. Come to think of it, it would've made the last two dungeons (This one included) a more easier experience. But, I wasn't confident in my abilities so I opted to go with defence which has proven effective despite the obvious short-comings. I guessed both options with the tunics were double-edged swords. The positives were countered by the negatives.

As I was thinking, it lumbered forward and grabbed me yet again. You'd think it would choose to either pummel me a little or even crush me (I wasn't trying to give it ideas as that would just make this even worse), but instead it turned around then tossed me where I hit the south wall, landing by the hole. Looking down, I could see the room below which was when I noticed the chest I couldn't reach before. Huh... So that's how I was supposed to reach it. First, I needed to deal with this Hinox. As I got back on my feet, I was hit with more fireballs though I had gotten used to it.

Choosing to go on the offence this time, I waited for it to toss a bomb as that was when it left itself vulnerable. As soon as the bomb came flying at me, I struck it twice with my sword when it grabbed me again. It's bomb had exploded so it instead turned around and tossed me into the west wall where I hit it face first. Slumping down at first, it took me a few moments to get back up only to get blasted into the wall again due to another bomb exploding. On a rather pointless note, this monster would've made for an excellent demolitions expert in another time and place.

Getting up again (I was fortunate that the Magic Medicine hadn't activated yet), I tried to bounce the next bomb it tossed with the Mirror Shield thinking I could do something unexpected which would catch it by surprise. Instead, it exploded upon impact though there was no damage. At least I tried so I wasn't entirely disappointed. It tossed another bomb and I attacked it twice more only to be grabbed yet again which made me wonder how many hits remained. It it was only one, that would be embarrassing though not at all surprising. I've had instants of that happening after all.

Being thrown into the west wall again, as I was getting back up, I got hit by fireballs again before dropping to my knees and beginning to breathe heavily. That meant I was on my last legs which was infuriating. To use the medicine now would be embarrassing. Not only that, I'd have no means of having a safety measure in place. Having a fairy in a bottle would be good right about now but I don't so I need to just grin and bear it. Back on my feet, the Hinox tossed another bomb which I avoided for once and I responded by hitting it where it stopped before beginning to flail about its arms.

It began to explode several times before disappearing in one final explosion. Not only did this cause the small key to drop down from above, it also caused the torches to stop shooting fireballs at me. I was especially grateful for the latter as a single cheap shot would knock me down for good and force the use of the medicine. "That was probably just as bad as my previous fight with it if not much worse." I dropped to my knees again before clutching my chest in pain. "If this battle was difficult, Cozy Glow could prove even more challenging. Maybe I shouldn't have been provoking her."

"You won't know until you actually fight her."

"At least I won't have to deal with that Hinox again."

Shaking her head, Princess Twilight knew better and I was about to hate what she was about to say. "Unfortunately, this is a different situation, Sunset. Whenever you fought strong monsters, the room was locked and upon defeating it, the doors would unlock. Since there were no locked doors, the Hinox can eventually respawn just like a regular monster since it isn't guarding one of those warp panels. Fortunately, you can just ignore it as it was only guarding one key."

Hearing that made me feel unwell. "Yep... I hate that you said that!"

"It might come up again in the final dungeon so it's best to prepare yourself."

I hated that even more. Once I felt ready to continue, I got back up though I did stumble a little bit. "I know what you're thinking, Twilight. I should use the medicine now and not be in so much pain." It then dawned on me that it was impossible to just use the medicine. Sugar Belle said it only worked when I had lost all life and couldn't continue. Upon mentioning this to Her Highness, she lowered her head slightly upon remembering this one little caveat about the stuff. "To regain my strength, it means needing to get killed."

"Best not to do that."

"That's why I need Recovery Hearts."

"Monsters usually have those."

"Much to my annoyance."

Princess Twilight then changed the subject. "Now that you've overcome that obstacle, you can now continue with exploring this dungeon. You should soon find that Heavy Ball further up ahead which should make you happy."

I shook my head. "Before doing that... I need to do one small thing first." I then looked at the holes in the ground and I knew what needed to be done. "Despite hating having to backtrack, I'm going to make an exception to this stance just this once in the name of progress. Remember when you told me to drop into a hole in order to reach that one key that was located on a narrow walkway?"

"I remember."

"During the fight, I saw another chest in a similar manner in the room below."

It didn't long for Her Highness to figure out what I was planning. "Okay, but make sure you collect the fairy which appeared when you defeated the Hinox. In your current condition, you definitely need a pick-me-up."

There was a fairy!? How did I miss that!? In any case, there was one flying around and minding its own business. I thought about using my bottle in order to collect it for later but I desperately needed some health back otherwise my medicine would be used. I didn't have long to think of a decision as fairies were known for disappearing after a while if left alone so despite a bit of hesitation, I opted for the health right away. Allowing the fairy to touch me, my health was restored but only by a small amount. It would have to do until I could recover the rest which hopefully would be soon.

Remembering what the room below looked like, I needed to fall down one of the two holes by the western wall otherwise I'd miss the ledge and be forced to make my way back here and try again. Dropping down one at random, I landed where I needed to be and walked forward towards my prize when the Seashell Senor began reacting. Really? In a place like this? I supposed hiding one in such an odd location made sense as most would ignore it if they were more fixated on getting through in one piece.

Opening the chest, I took out my seventeenth Secret Seashell. Only three more to collect before I can get that ultimate weapon though my options were dwindling. Jumping down to the ground, I went back up stairs to the second level as there were still some rooms I could check out. Ignoring the Sparks, I re-entered the room where I had been moments ago and kept on going right and entering a new room. Apart from an Owl Statue, there was a crack in the wall that looked suspicious. There was also a small hole that looked like it would require me to use a combination of the Roc's Feather and Pegasus Boots in order to jump over it.

There were also three of the Three-of-a-Kind monster and I knew exactly how to deal with them. After what happened when I fought these earlier, I wanted to make sure I got it right in one attempt. I attacked the first one which gave me a Club as its symbol so I decided to use that for the other two. Waiting for the correct symbol to appear on their stomachs, I attacked the second one giving it a Club followed by doing the same to the third. With all three matching, they disappeared causing a chest to materialize on the other side of the hole. Hmmm... Methinks I know how to get over there now.

Dropping down and landing on the chest, Cozy Glow adjusted her skull mask once again. You'd think she'd have gotten one that fit her properly? "So... You managed to defeat my friend and progressed even further."

"Are you furious about that?"

"Surprisingly... No." Cozy Glow answered. That surprised me as I thought she was going to lose it. "Oh sure, I'm upset that you defeated the Hinox, but at the same time, you took quite a beating which shows that you're not as invincible as you like to think. Seeing you get thrown about made my day so consider me grateful. Judging from your current condition, I'm willing to beat you're limping about in writhing agony."

Limping? No. Writhing agony? Okay, she had me there. "I've been like this before."

"Oh I'm sure you have."

"But I won't let it stop me!"

"Those are some bold words coming out of your mouth." Cozy Glow said. I wasn't going to admit it to her but I was still feeling the after-effects of my fight with the Hinox. The fairy didn't heal all of my wounds so I needed to give off the impression of not being as wounded as it seemed. What made this difficult to deal with was how she was loving every moment and completely relishing in it. "Maybe you are worthy of fighting me after all."

"Why the sudden change of mind?"

"It's not just because I think you're feeling weaker... Okay, it's exactly that!" Cozy Glow looked away from me and I could see her trying hard not to laugh. When she was finished, she turned back to face me. "I'm going to get straight to the point, Outsider. Your progress through the Eagle's Tower has gone on long enough. I'll admit that I was way too easy on you which has resulted in you getting to this point. You even got the Mirror Shield which I thought had been hidden well."

"Much of that was down to luck."

"Perhaps but the point stands that you must be dealt with once and for all."

"Do you plan on fighting me now?"

Cozy Glow shook her head. "I said you were 'maybe' worthy of fighting me. That doesn't mean you are. No... I'm going to allow the tower's defences to end you. Since you seem so keen on smashing those pillars, the ones that remain have been fortified with some much needed improvements." If she was talking about what I thought she was, I was going to have more problems especially with my low health. "As I've been saying all along, you should've left but you chose not to heed my warnings. A shame really. You will soon become a forgotten memory, lost in the dream."

To Be Continued.