The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 2, 2015
Chapter 27: The Shimmer of the Inferno.
I didn't realize that I was staring at a massive hammer whose sheen blinded my vision instead of face-to-face with this familiar person. Not only that, but the armour was also giving off a bright shine which wasn't making it any better. That's when it hit me because that hammer was one that I instantly recognized as belonging to the one individual among the Gorons who can swing it around like a toothpick.
" Pinkie Pie!" I exclaimed.
" Huh? Pinkie Pie? What kind of name is that supposed to be? I mean, I do have pink skin for some weird reason, and I do have a strong obsession with sweets, but that's a name which I don't think suits me all that well....I'm kidding! It's a cute name, but who called me that name just now? You sound very familiar as though I haven't heard you in seven years," said Pinkie Pie. She then turned around to face me, and I was a bit surprised to see that she had gotten a little older since the last time I saw her.
She had some wrinkles under her eyes as well as a few scars across her body, but she was still the same Pinkie Pie even if she was wearing banged-up armour, and wielding a hammer which could crush pretty much anything in a single blow. That was when her jaw dropped down, and after letting it dangle for a few seconds, she grabbed her lower jaw and pushed it back into place which I felt was rather disturbing. " Who's there? Is that you, Sunset Shimmer? Oh, it really is Sunset Shimmer! You look as though you haven't changed at all since we last saw each other."
" It's a very complicated story," I said.
" I'm sure that it probably has something to do with that magic inside of you," said Pinkie Pie. My jaw then dropped when she said that, and she responded with a big grin on her face. How did she know that was the reason why I looked the same? I knew that Pinkie was capable of defying reality, but this definitely took the cake.
" Well, you managed to figure that out," I said.
" It was easy to put two and two together seeing as I do recall what you said about your origins. Look at you Sunset Shimmer! You may still be the same as you were long ago, but those changes to your attire certainly make you feel more of the heroic type. I also see that you are wearing the Goron Tunic which is good as without it, you won't be able to survive the intense temperatures that exist all over this floor of the Fire Temple," said Pinkie Pie.
" I have your daughter to thank for the tunic," I said.
" Yeah, I had a feeling she asked you to follow me even though I told her not to do so. Still, she was concerned about me which is natural for a child to do, so I can't blame her for telling someone about the shortcut in my room. I'm glad that she told you Sunset Shimmer as I always believed that we would meet again one day! Did you know that I named my daughter after you?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" She told me that you named her after me because of what I did for you and the other Gorons regarding the Dodongo's Cavern incident. I actually appreciate you naming her after me as I've never had that much praise before in my life. She also told me that she calls herself Link as a nickname which doesn't make all that much sense, but who am I to say otherwise as long as she's happy with it," I said.
" I'm glad that you mentioned the Dodongo's Cavern," said Pinkie Pie. She then took her hammer off of her back and slammed it into the ground with so much force that I almost fell down onto my rear due to how much power she placed into her swing. After lifting it back up, she swung it around a few times before slamming it into the wall which made me think that she must be really upset.
" Sorry if that startled you Sunset Shimmer, but I've been on edge lately due to what has been going on around here. I was originally planning on having a nice friendly chat with you, but now isn't the best time to be catching up on old times. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again!"
" I knew that he was behind all of this," I said.
" The last time he caused us problems was when he tried to starve us all to death, but this time he has decided to take it up a notch. He has revived the evil, ancient dragon Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him, " said Pinkie Pie.
" Sunset Shimmer....I mean, Link, did say that the ancient enemy of the Gorons was revived," I said.
" Which is a bad thing all around, and I doubt that Ganondorf even took into consideration as to the kind of power that dragon possesses. Then again, if he did take it into account, he probably wouldn't care less as he hasn't done anything to make the lives of the people any better. In fact, he only seems to care about his own interests which really gets on my nerves. If that fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland!" said Pinkie Pie.
" Is the dragon at full power or something?" I asked.
" No, right now Volvagia is currently re-cooperating in the room beyond that door. Eventually though, it will regain enough of its power and attempt to flee the temple in order to lay waste to Hyrule. I'd say that we have a few hours or so before that happens, but we need the legendary hammer if we are to have any hope of destroying that dragon once and for all. I'm concerned, though, because I have spent months looking for it, and have yet to find it anywhere although I'm not really able to make any kind of progress," replied Pinkie Pie.
" Where do you suppose the Hero of the Gorons sealed it?" I asked.
" Did my daughter tell you about the legend? All that was ever written down in the ancient documents left behind by our ancestors was the hero sealed the hammer in a high point within the temple in order to prevent anyone from coming along and taking it. He felt that most would just abuse the power that his weapon possessed, so he made certain that only the chosen one would be able to claim it. I know that I'm not worthy, but perhaps you Sunset Shimmer are the one destined to wield it," replied Pinkie Pie.
" That doesn't surprise me in the least," I said.
" Well, we have a lot of ground to cover as the Fire Temple is a very complicated place, and you look as though you could do with some muscle seeing as you have that expression on your face which says that you won't be able to rely on your main means of combat," said Pinkie Pie. She then lifted up her hammer once again and swung it around a few times before placing it over her shoulder before she gave me a fierce grin that indicated to me that she was ready for combat.
" That dragon will be stirring for a while, so until it wakes up, I'll be coming with you just like I did before back in the Dodongo's Cavern." Hearing her say that was surprising, but I was actually hoping that she would come along as I am currently unable to use my standard magic due to the monsters of the temple being made of fire.
" What did you mean when you said until the dragon wakes up?" I asked.
" This time around Sunset Shimmer, I can only travel with you for as long as the dragon remains stirring in its lair. As soon as it starts to wake up which we will know due to a loud booming roar that will reverberate through the temple, I will make my way back down here take care of things.
I will have no arguing about this, for I am the Chieftain of the Gorons, and it's my duty to ensure that they along with all of Death Mountain remain safe. I'm asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother! Allow me to come with you once again," replied Pinkie Pie.
" Like I would ever say no to you," I smiled.
" We must find my people and free them all so that they can escape from the temple and return to Goron City. The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction, so we need to head back the other way in order to reach them," said Pinkie Pie.
" What about that cell over there?" I asked as I pointed towards the cell which was located in the northwest corner of the room that I noticed when I first entered. Now that I'm taking a better look at it, I could see some kind of round shape behind the bars although it looked as though it was shivering which made no sense. The pathway towards the cell was a series of platforms that you had to jump across in order to reach it, but could Pinkie Pie make such jumps? As I recall from our last adventure, she wasn't able to climb up any stairs, nor was she able to stand high places.
" Huh....I never noticed that before," replied Pinkie Pie.
" Are you able to cross gaps like that?" I asked.
" Small gaps like those? No problem as they're nothing compared to what I'm used to, but the armour I'm wearing along with this hammer do make me heavy, so if I miss then I'll drop down really fast into the lava which isn't bad for me seeing as we Gorons love bathing in lava if it's at the right temperature. You should go over there because you're light enough to make it," replied Pinkie Pie.
While it sounds like she was being lazy and wanting me to do all of the hard work, she made a good point as that armour and hammer do make her heavier than me. Leaping across to the different platforms was easy enough although I barely made the jump between the two platforms that were suspended in the lava, but I managed to make it to the other side where I discovered that the cell contained a Goron.
" At least we found the first one easy enough," said Spike.
" I wonder how many of them there are?" I asked.
" That's a question Darunia is likely to know as she knows more about the situation than we do. In any case, if you press that switch in front of the cell, it will open it up and free the trapped Goron, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they won't just leave of their own accord," replied Spike.
" What makes you think that?" I asked.
" This Goron looks really scared right now, and how can you blame him when he has been stuck in here for months waiting to be fed to a dragon. Maybe you should talk to him in order to calm him down, and he might be able to tell us something about the temple. Ganondorf's followers must have chosen to spread them out all over the Fire Temple to weaken their spirits and fill their hearts with despair," replied Spike.
" Okay, I'll see what this one wants," I said.
" Please! D-Don't eat m-me! If you eat something like me, you'll get a stomach ache. You'll be sorry!"
" That wasn't what I was expecting," I said.
" You should have pressed the switch first and then spoken to him," said Spike. I then blushed bright red for a moment due to my obvious blunder, then I pressed the switch which opened the cell and the Goron got up onto his feet and walked forward a couple of steps. He began to scan about the room in order to see where he was, and he gave off a huge smile when he noticed Pinkie Pie was waving to him from a distance. That was when he turned his attention back to me as he realized that I was the one who had opened his cell door.
" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? I'll tell you a secret for saving me from being fed to that awful dragon. In order to get into the room where the dragon resides, you have to do something about the pillar stuck in the ceiling. Find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling right away!"
" That thing is a pillar?" I asked.
" I know it looks rather funny for a pillar, but that's what it is, and you will need to bring it down here in order to cross over to that big door. Anyway, I'm free now so I'll head back to Goron City, and you can help yourself to that small treasure chest that was in the cell with me. I have no need for it, so it's all yours!" The Goron then walked towards the edge, and leapt across the lava and landed on the platforms with no trouble at all.
Guess Pinkie was right in that her armour and hammer weigh her down seeing as this guy was only wearing cotton-blend clothes which must be fireproof or something. As soon as he was on the other side where Pinkie was standing, the two hugged which I thought was a rather tender moment. " Big Brother! I was afraid that you had been captured!"
" I'm here to rescue you and the others, but I need to know where they all are," said Pinkie Pie.
" We were all separated when we were first brought into the temple, so I have no idea where everyone is aside from one Goron. She is being held in a room that's off to the side of the entrance room, and her cell contains some really weird treasure chest. That's all I can remember before I was thrown in here."
" We'll be sure to take a look at that room," said Pinkie Pie. The Goron then opened the door and was soon gone while I kicked open the treasure chest which revealed a small key that I happily took as we need it in order to go through that locked door which isn't being blocked by the monument. With the key in hand, I made my way back over to Pinkie who was anxiously awaiting my return.
" That's one Goron rescued and more left to find. I'm sure that you heard that one of my Brothers is being locked up in a room near the very start of the Fire Temple, so I suggest that we head over there and see what we can do." I agreed with her decision and walked back into the opening room where we went down the stairs and around the corner where that door was. On the other side of this door was a very small corridor with torches lining the walls, and in front of us was the prison cell, but there was no switch to be found.
" There should be a switch that can open this cell, but I can't find it," I said.
" It's on the other side of the bars over here."
" Maud? Is that you?" asked Pinkie Pie. Who would have thought that Pinkie's sister, Maud Pie, would be the Goron who was trapped all the way down here in this hideaway room? That's when I noticed the gold and blue ornate chest sitting in the cell near her; the same kind of chest that I saw in the Forest Temple which contained a Boss Key.
Pinkie was at first ecstatic over seeing her older sister, but her expression changed to one of sadness because Maud was locked up just like the others. " I can't believe that Ganondorf's followers were able to get you as well! I know you better than anyone else big sister, and you would never have allowed yourself to be captured without a fight."
" I allowed myself to be captured willingly," said Maud.
" Why would you do that?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" The servants of Ganondorf knew that I was your older sister which made me a prime target when it came to taking our people away. They knew that they couldn't defeat me fairly, so they threatened our Brothers unless I surrendered to them. I couldn't risk their lives for the sake of my own pride, so I chose to submit to their will. As you can see little sister, I've been thrown in here out of the way because they didn't want me to cause any trouble," replied Maud.
" If only I hadn't gone out in search of food and supplies," said Pinkie Pie.
" You are the Goron Chieftain Darunia, and you had a duty to perform where you needed to provide for the rest of the tribe. What you did was expected of your station, and his followers took advantage of that by attacking when you were gone. They knew you couldn't be overcome because of your immense strength, so they waited for the right opportunity to strike," said Maud.
" Do you know where the others are?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" All over the temple," replied Maud.
" Can you be a little more specific?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" Our people are only in specific locations, so you will need to search everywhere to locate all of them. I hear that the creatures are trying to protect the location of the hammer once wielded by the Hero of the Gorons, and they will do whatever they can to prevent anyone from claiming it.
Sister, you must find that hammer as soon as possible, and use it to destroy that dragon before it can be allowed to escape into the world. I know that you can find it and use it to finish off the ancient enemy," replied Maud.
" Even if I were to find it Maud, I'm not the one who will be able to claim it," said Pinkie Pie.
" Then who is to claim it?" asked Maud.
" The only one who is worthy enough to wield it....Sunset Shimmer! Dodongo Buster and Saviour of the Gorons!" replied Pinkie Pie as she used some confetti in order to signal my presence in the room which made me feel slightly embarrassed over the fact that she went and did that.
She then urged me to come over, and I walked out of the shadows where she got her first glimpse at me, and it was one of complete and utter shock. " Well what do you know? You managed to make my sister express an actual emotion! Good thing we became Sworn Brothers back when we did as I always knew you were a special girl."
" This is Sunset Shimmer?" asked Maud.
" Yep," answered Pinkie Pie.
" How can she still look the same as she did seven years ago? Shouldn't she have aged along with the rest of us?" asked Maud.
" She said that it has to do with the fact that the magic inside of her is what kept her from aging," replied Pinkie Pie.
" It seems that you are a truly mysterious girl Sunset Shimmer if you are able to defy logic like you have. If my sister believes you are the one who is worthy to wield the legendary hammer, then you have my support in this endeavour. Heh, once again you have come to aid us in our time of need without even being one of our kind, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Oh, and before I forget about it, the switch that you need to activate to open up my prison cell is located over there on the other side of my cell. The switch has seen better days and has become rusty, so I hope that you bring along something heavy to smash it down with when you eventually come back here for me," said Maud.
" What? I'm not leaving you here," said Pinkie Pie.
" You have no choice in the matter little sister," said Maud.
" I know, but I feel bad that I can't free you right now," cried Pinkie Pie.
" The Big Boss of the Gorons, Darunia, is shedding some tears? Now there is a sight which I thought I would never live to see, but you don't need to worry about me little sister as I will be just fine. Ganondorf's followers knew that you would never abandon me which is why they threw me in here instead of further along. You have to leave me and rescue the others as they need more help than I do.
I'm able to keep my composure due to my lack of emotions, but the others are most likely freaking out right now over the thought of being eaten by Volvagia. Now, I will not have any more complaining from you Darunia as you must go and help our people as our Big Brother, and Sunset Shimmer? I want you to keep an eye out on her," said Maud.
Even though Pinkie didn't want to leave her sister behind, she knew that she had no choice, so she nodded to indicate that we should leave and continue exploring the temple. Once we were back in the entrance room, we walked up the stairs where I used the small key to open the locked door, and I found myself staring at a huge room with lava everywhere and platforms which jetted back and forth using flame.
" This is the reason why you needed the Goron Tunic," said Spike.
" There's certainly a lot of lava in here which is going to make travelling about difficult," I said.
" Actually, the Goron Tunic will allow you to walk in lava, but only for a short period of time because it doesn't completely protect you. I'd say that you would be able to walk in the lava for about five seconds before you end up getting burned alive," said Spike.
" I can just barely see another locked door all the way at the far end of the room, and there is another door all the way to the left, and something odd at the end of the room to the right. Hmmmm....the question is which why should we approach this room?" I asked.
" Those moving platforms will be your means of progressing around the room, and the stationary ones don't look all that safe to me because they're just floating there above the lava. As for monsters, we have the usual Fire Keese flying around above, but there could be some monsters that might come out of the lava, so be careful where you walk in here.
To answer your question, why don't we check out the door to the left as I can also see a blue block over there which means that you'll need to use the Ocarina of Time in order to move it," replied Spike.
" How are you feeling Darunia?" I asked.
" I'm alright although I wish that I didn't have to leave my big sister trapped in that awful prison. Ganondorf has truly gone too far with how he has treated my people," replied Pinkie Pie.
" He will one day pay for what he has done to this world as he knows that he can't get away with it. Anyway, if you haven't heard already, we'll be going over there to where that door and blue block are located," I said.
" Then I'll meet you over there," said Pinkie Pie. She then jumped down into the lava and curled up into a ball which was definitely something new as I had no idea Gorons could do something like that. Once she had curled up, she rolled all the way over to the ledge which lead to the door before she uncurled herself and climbed up onto it. I didn't really know what to think of what I just witnessed, but I suppose that I should have expected it given that there was that one Goron who rolled around the city years ago, and the one who protected the outside Bomb Flower by curling up and sleeping in front of it.
As soon as I jumped down onto the walkway below, a flaming skull leapt out of the lava, and almost hit me if it wasn't for my quick reaction by moving backwards a few steps. The monster bounced around a few times before going back into the lava which left me both relieved and confused.
" Was that a red version of the Blue Bubble?" I asked.
" That was a Red Bubble, and can be considered the most annoying of the bunch when it comes to predicting their movements. They leap out of lava and bottomless pits in an attempt to slam into you, but for the most part you can simply ignore them and they'll go back to where they came from after a while. You can use your shield to bounce them back and remove their red flame, or you can use arrows or the Hookshot to pick them off provided that you can hit them as they do bounce around a lot," replied Spike.
" I take it that my magic will work on them, but only when their flame has been put out," I said.
" Yes, but it's just best to ignore them otherwise they won't leave you alone," said Spike. With that in mind, I leapt from platform to platform where upon each one sank into the lava as I jumped off of it before it rose back up after a while. Once I made it to the other side, I could see that the blue block was covering up a small passageway while on the ledge above was a door.
My thought process was that the passage behind the block was the more important thing to check out, so I took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time after a few attempts before the block warped from the lower ledge to the upper one.
" Such an impressive little trick you did there," said Pinkie Pie.
" It's not so much of a trick as it is playing a mystical song which can move those blocks," I said.
" But it's still impressive for me at least as I've never seen anything like it," said Pinkie Pie. It sounds like she needs to broaden her horizons sometime, but we'll figure that out later once all of the Gorons have been rescued. With the block having been moved, the now revealed passageway lead up to a door which Pinkie and I walked towards, and opened it to enter a room which turned to the right which lead towards another prison cell. " We've found another one of my people, so I'd say we're on a roll with this, but I don't mean that as a pun. Ahem! Hello? Brother? It's me! Darunia!"
The Goron in the cell was shivering and refused to acknowledge our presence. " He's scared stiff what with being locked up in there without any sign of hope to comfort him. Sunset Shimmer, would you do the honours and free him?" I nodded and stepped on the switch which opened the cell which caused the Goron to stop shivering and get up onto his feet.
" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? Huh? Big Brother! You came here and saved me, huzzah!"
" I didn't do it on my own as I had help from the Dodongo Buster and Goron Hero, Sunset Shimmer," said Pinkie Pie.
" Here's a secret for saving me as thanks for setting me free. A wall that you can destroy with the Goron Special Crop will sound different than a regular wall if you hit it with your sword. Sometimes you can figure it out just by sheer coincidence or because it's so obvious, but other times you will need to think about it. I'm heading back home now, and I know the way to go." The Goron then walked off and opened the door before closing it behind him leaving us to consider our next move.
" You look nervous," began Pinkie Pie.
" Did he have to say that I need to use a sword?" I asked.
" I take it that after seven years you still haven't figured out how to use one even though you're carrying around that impressive looking blade on your back. What seems to be the problem with you and swords anyway? I would have thought you'd be swinging that thing around like a dynamo by now," replied Pinkie Pie. I then explained to her the problem I had regarding my transformation and using the Master Sword in such a fashion.
" Wow, you really do have some issues don't you? I respect your decision for not wanting to rely on that blade because of what it might do to you when you change, but you do need to know some of the basics if you want to protect yourself better as well as solve some of the tricks this temple has to offer."
" Can you teach me some of the basics?" I asked.
" Well, I use a hammer as my means of fighting, but a hammer is just a heavier version of a sword, so it all makes sense to me. Yes, I can teach you some of the basics as we progress through the temple, so that you can learn it all gradually instead of having it crammed into your head all at once. By the way, don't forget about that small chest in there as it could contain something useful," replied Pinkie Pie.
I walked over to the chest and kicked it open which revealed another small key that I gladly took and showed her before pocketing it and heading back into the big room again. " We could check that other room up there if you moved the block back down, or we could go across to the other side and see what that strange thing by the wall is all about."
" Checking all of the rooms out would be a good idea as we don't want to miss anything or anyone," I said. Playing the Song of Time again caused the blue block to warp back to its original location, and Pinkie and I climbed up onto it and onto the upper ledge in order to see what was in the other room. As I opened the door, a weird sound came from within which made me think that it wasn't a good idea to go in, so I opted to take a look inside.
There was no prison cell in this room, but there was some kind of giant slug that was slowly moving about before it leaned forward with its mouth which was enough for me to close the door and move away from it. " No Gorons in that room, but perhaps we should check out the other side now." Pinkie then leapt all the way down to the lava before curling up again and rolling all the way to the other side leaving me to catch up with her.
" What did you see?" asked Spike.
" Some kind of hideous giant slug which could stretch itself out in order to get something into its mouth," I replied.
" That was most likely a Like-Like which you saw, and I'm surprised that it's taken us this long to run into one," said Spike.
" It's called a what?" I asked.
" People all across Hyrule refer to it as a Like-Like, and it is very feared despite the fact that it isn't very strong at all. It's a tube-like monster that has an obsession with shields and certain clothes. If it ends up eating you, it will inflict a tiny bit of damage before spitting you back out because it can't digest living organisms. However, it will eat your gear and eventually digest them if you don't defeat it fast enough. Suffice to say, when Like-Like is around, your shield and tunic will make an excellent feast to it. It isn't made of fire or anything, so magic is strongly recommended," replied Spike.
" I need this shield and tunic for this quest," I said.
" Then avoid Like-Likes altogether unless you have to defeat them in order to proceed," said Spike. Who would have thought that this world would have such a disgusting creature living in it which can eat shields and tunics like they were pieces of candy. I had a feeling that I would encounter another Like-Like again in the near future, so I'd better be prepared for when that happens.
It took some time to make my way over to the other side of the room due to having to dodge Red Bubbles, and waiting for certain moving platforms to come into range so that I could jump on and use them as ledges. Once I made it to the other side, I noticed that there were some bricks which covered an obvious passageway, but maybe this was meant to be a sample as to what that Goron meant by suspicious walls.
" Okay Sunset Shimmer! Here is your first lesson when it comes to using a sword, and it's a really simple thing to do. First, take out that Master Sword from its scabbard, and hold it out in front of you using your dominant hand which should be your right hand. Here, let me give you a visual using my hammer as an example," said Pinkie Pie. She picked up her hammer from the ground where she had placed it for a moment, and held it in a sort of fencing position which looked strange to me.
" In this position, just swing horizontally like this, and you have your basic slice. Granted, hammers aren't very good at slicing across as they are meant to be slammed down, but you give it a try and hit that strange part of the wall." I drew the Master Sword and held it in the same position that Pinkie had done with her hammer, and it felt really weird despite having used it before when I transformed, but when I started to walk towards the strange wall, the sword began to lose its balance and tipped over which really hurt my arm.
" This is all part of the learning process when it comes down to using a weapon for the first time. In time you will be able to swing that sword with perfection instead of struggling to hold it up. Okay, swing right now and listen!" I swung the sword horizontally, and badly I might add as this was my first time doing so naturally, but it did connect with the strange wall and produced a rather awkward sound as though the wall were hollow.
" What did that prove?" I asked.
" That this part of the wall is fake and that you need to use the Goron Special Crop in order to uncover what lies behind it. You don't need to worry about breaking your sword upon contact with any kind of wall as that blade was forged with perfection in mind. It won't break no matter how many times you swing at a wall, or anything else for that matter. All you have to do is just get used to swinging it. I'll give you another lesson later provided that the dragon doesn't decide to wake up," replied Pinkie Pie.
" Goron Special Crop? What does that even mean?" I asked.
" Bombs," answered Pinkie Pie.
" Seriously?" I asked.
" It's just our way of saying what they are because we created bombs in the first place, and sold them to the Hylians so they in turn can sell them to others and continue on from there," replied Pinkie Pie. Saying bomb makes more sense and doesn't leave you feeling confused, but I suppose that they needed to make it sound extra special for their own sake.
I took out the Bomb Bag which was hanging on my belt, and placed it on the ground before opening it up. " Your Bomb Bag has gotten bigger since I last saw it! Guess you found some upgrades for it by doing some searching around like all adventurers do."
" It was worth the effort if it means being able to carry 40 bombs instead of 20 like it was with the original one I found in the Dodongo's Cavern," I said as I took out a bomb where it instantly lit its own fuse before I tossed it over to where the strange wall was. It's weird that bombs are able to light themselves up the moment you take them out of the bag, but I suppose that it was another magical aspect of Hyrule.
A few moments later and the bomb exploded destroying the fake wall, and revealing a door behind it which Pinkie and I opened leading us into a small corridor that ended with another prison cell. Without even taking the time to see if the Goron inside was okay, I activated the switch which opened the cell, and the Goron got to her feet and waddled over to me.
" Are you releasing me? Am I free to go? Hooray! I'll tell you a secret for saving me! There are switches in this temple that you have to cut to activate. But, you can also use the Goron Special Crop to do the job if you're not able to reach them."
" How do I go about cutting them?" I asked.
" You have a sharp sword there in that scabbard, so use that to cut the switches, or use the crop in order to achieve the same results. Huh? Big Brother Darunia! You came here to save me too? I feel relieved knowing that you're on hand helping this girl to save us all from being fed to Volvagia.
I'll go back to Goron City right away, and be sure to open that treasure chest over there in the corner before leaving this room." The Goron then waddled along and opened the door and closed it again as she began to make her way back to Goron City, and I walked over to the chest and received another small key when I kicked it open.
" That's the third small key we've found inside one of these prison cells, and along with that gold and blue ornate chest in the cell that Maud is imprisoned in, that gives us four keys of small and big verities," I said.
" Where are you going with this?" asked Spike.
" I have a hunch that each cell we come across will also have a small treasure chest containing a small key," I replied.
" Quite the unusual gimmick although it does make sense when you think about it. Ganondorf's followers must have been aware that someone was bound to show up here, so they decided to hide all of the keys in such an obvious location that they assumed no one would ever think to look inside of a prison cell. The number of Gorons trapped equals how many keys there are in the temple, and it will also help us keep track of how many Gorons we've rescued," said Spike.
" Maud mentioned about that switch that opens her cell being rusty," I said.
" You would need something pretty heavy to be able to slam it down to activate it," said Spike.
" And I think I know just the heavy object we can use to smash that switch down, but first we need to find and claim it assuming I'm the one meant to get it. Darunia, we're done in this part of the Fire Temple, so why don't we use one of the small keys we've picked up, and check out the next room," I suggested. Pinkie Pie nodded her head and we made our way over to the locked door with me jumping from platform to platform, and Pinkie rolling along like the Goron she is.
Upon unlocking the door and entering the next room, there was a massive metal fence going around the room with some flat areas of fence on top which should make for some ledges. Down a small slope was a tiny lava pit which was spewing up a burst of fire for a while before calming down and repeating the process again in an endless loop. The only other thing that piqued my interest was a large block which looked as though it could be moved. " Hmmmm....I wonder if that block could be pushed onto the lava pit in order to stop the flame shoot from coming up?"
" If you look up at the ceiling, you can see a small hole which looks big enough for that block to fit through," said Spike.
" Oh yeah! Now I'm starting to see the picture. That block is going to act like an elevator and allow us to move on up to the next floor, but the question now is how do we get up onto that platform in order to push the block onto the lava pit?" I asked.
" That fence might be climbable, but I don't know for certain," replied Spike.
" Sounds like this is a job for a powerful Goron," began Pinkie Pie as she placed her hammer onto the ground and flexed her muscles. It actually looked really funny given that she didn't really have much in the way of muscle mass, but I wasn't about to insult her as I knew that she was powerful since she can swing that hammer of hers around like a little toy.
I was a little bit afraid of what she was planning on doing, but I suppose that I should hear her out as she might have a logical plan. " That fence can be climbed although you'll need to find a way to get onto it as right below us is some lava, and I know that you can't withstand lava unlike me."
" Do you have something in mind?" I asked.
" I'll just toss you up there onto that fence ledge and you can go at it from there," replied Pinkie Pie.
" You're going to what!?!?" I exclaimed with utter surprise as Pinkie grabbed me by the hands, swung me around once, and tossed me all the way up to the top of the fence where I landed on my face which hurt quite a bit as flesh doesn't enjoy slamming up against metal. While I won't deny the fact that her immense power helped me get all the way up here, couldn't she have tried something a little less primitive?
Also, I probably could have used my Hookshot instead of what just happened. " Next time, give me a warning when you go and do something like that! All the blood rushed to my head, and I think my life flashed before my eyes."
" Guess I don't know my own strength, but at least you made it," smiled Pinkie Pie.
" Ugh!" I moaned as I turned my attention towards getting up and walking over to the ledge where the block was situated on. There were a few Keese sitting on the other end of the fence, so I picked them off with arrows as I didn't want them to get in the way, or cause me to fall down as it was a pretty long drop. Once I was over the ledge, I slowly dropped down and landed on my feet which was better than the alternative, and I proceeded to push the block which was pretty light for its size.
When it was pushed off the ledge and onto the ground, I jumped down to the ground and pushed it all the way until it covered the lava pit, and within an instant the burst of flame propelled the block up like an elevator which was the key to getting to the next room. I signalled for Pinkie to come on over, and she slid down the slope where she looked at what I had done.
" So this block is going to get us to the next floor?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" We just need to climb up onto it while its down here and wait for the fire to shoot it back up. Are you able to climb up onto this block despite how big it is? As I recall from our last adventure, you weren't able to climb up those stairs in the Dodongo's Cavern, and then there was the fact that you couldn't explore the second floor due to a height problem you and all Gorons share," I replied.
" Ever since you left Death Mountain and Ganondorf came to power some days later, I had to train rigorously in order to protect my people from the monsters who plagued the mountain, and despite me aging a little bit and gaining some wrinkles, I've become stronger since those days. To answer your question, climbing up blocks is a cinch for me although I still have some height issues," said Pinkie Pie.
" Then here's your chance to show me," I said as the block dropped back down after having been pushed all the way to the ceiling by the burst of fire from the lava pit. As soon as the block had landed, I immediately climbed onto it while Pinkie tossed up her hammer which almost hit me, and then quickly climbed up just as it shot back up to the ceiling where we walked off of it and onto a small ledge within a very tiny room.
" That was pretty good of you although maybe you should watch where you throw that hammer in future. It's a good thing we have an extra small key otherwise we'd be at dead end right now and forced to backtrack. Unlocking this door and opening it lead us into a room which had green tiles serving as the floor and walls, and in front of us was another prison cell, yet there was no sign of any switch on this side until I saw it on the other side of the cell.
" What do you think Spike?" I asked.
" There has to be a way to get to that switch and open that cell in order to free the Goron, and acquire the small key inside of the treasure chest. I hate to say it, but we'll have to leave this Goron here for now until we can find a way to get to the other side," replied Spike.
" By the way, what are those things over there with the fire coming out of their backs?" I asked.
" That is a Torch Slug who will charge at you if it happens to sense you and rear up for a brief moment. If you strike it with the Master Sword or with a non-magical projectile, it will lose its fire and immediately run away where it will eventually regain its fire and become somewhat of a threat again.
If you had something powerful enough, you can flip them over onto their backs which will put out their flames instantly, but if you flip them back onto their stomachs, they will regain their fire as though nothing happened. Even without their fire, they are immune to your fire magic, so perhaps using arrows will be the best course of action," replied Spike.
" Or, we could go with the Goron method," I said.
" What's that?" asked Spike.
" Darunia could do with some action as so far all we've been doing is solving puzzles and freeing Gorons, and I think she could be getting a little bored as she's the kind of person who craves adventure and battle. So, I'll let her take care of these monsters as it will give her something to do. Darunia? We've got some monsters swarming over there on those ledges, and I figured that you could do with some fighting right about now," I replied.
" I was hoping you'd say that as I need to do something before I get bored," said Pinkie Pie. She ran over to the lowest ledge and jumped onto it before she starting to swing her hammer around with one hand, and smashed the Torch Slugs that were there repeatedly until they were all destroyed. She then move onto the next ledge and repeated the process before moving on up to the third ledge where she destroyed them all before placing her hammer down and resting on the handle for a moment. " They weren't that strong for monsters, but at least I managed to get my Goron blood pumping a little bit. I could do with some more monsters to smash to pieces."
" Oh I'm sure that we'll run into something soon enough," I said.
" What about my Brother in that prison cell?" asked Pinkie Pie.
" The switch to the cell is on the other side of it, so we need to find a way to get over there and open it up. It does mean we have to leave her behind for a while, but we will come back down here and set her free," I replied.
" In order for us to move on up to the next floor, we need to use that block over there as a ledge for us to climb, and you don't need my strength to push something as light as that. Now I wonder what that strange switch is for," said Pinkie Pie.
" What kind of switch is that?" I asked.
" That's a Crystal Switch and it must be what that Goron prisoner mentioned that needed to be cut in order to activate it. These switches are unusual as when activated, they run on a timer which ticks away slowly before getting faster to indicate that it's about to deactivate. The trick is to strike them at a distance in order to eliminate having to walk back for a few seconds thus wasting precious time.
If you stand on the ledge that's right above the ledge where the crystal switch is, you can drop a bomb onto it and activate it instead of having to use the Master Sword," replied Spike.
" The switch must cause that wall of flame to disappear for a short while, and then we climb up the metal fence in order to reach the next room," I said.
" First you need to actually reach the switch, so use that block over there as a makeshift platform," said Spike. I ran and jumped over the gap and landed on the other side where I proceeded to push the block down although I accidentally pushed it off the wrong side causing it to get stuck.
This made me feel frustrated knowing that I botched something so obvious, but then Pinkie picked up the block with her hands and walked around the corner and placed it down in the spot it was meant to go. Was that her way of showing off more of her strength? I'm not complaining mind you seeing as she turned my blunder around allowing us to reach the ledge above the crystal switch.
" I'll have to be careful not to fall off the ledge, or drop a bomb right in front of me," I said.
" Just pace yourself as close to the edge as possible, and carefully place a bomb down," said Spike. I inched my way over to the edge until my feet were almost completely suspended in mid-air, then I removed the Bomb Bag from my belt and opened it upon which I took out a bomb and dropped it down before closing the bag up, reattach it to my belt, and move back quickly in order to avoid being blown up. The resulting explosion activated the crystal switch causing the fire to disappear, and a strange ticking sound began to reverberate around the room.
" That must be the time ticking away," I said.
" So you'd better hurry up and climb otherwise the fire is going to roast you, and probably be seen as a relaxing feeling for Darunia," said Spike. Without saying another word, Pinkie and I climbed up the metal fence as fast as possible before the time ran out and the fire returned. Once we were safely on the next ledge, I opened the door which lead us into a massive room which looked like some kind of maze due to there being so many raised ledges all around us. I could also hear the sounds of boulders rolling around which was going to cause us some trouble.
" Which way do we go?" I asked.
" That's a good question as these walls are making it difficult to navigate even though we just entered this room. I can hear the faint sounds of a Goron somewhere nearby, but where exactly I don't know. Be extra careful as those boulders will run you over if you happen to encounter one. There are also some Torch Slugs on the ledges on top of some of these walls, but they won't bother us right now until we get up there ourselves," replied Spike.
" I say we go to the right," I suggested and began to walk in that direction, but that turned out to be a mistake for a large boulder was barreling down the path towards me, and with no means of dodging it because of the walls giving me little breathing room, I was about to get run down.
To Be Continued.