The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 31: Frozen Water Domain

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding the Legend of Zelda, the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks. These are the properties of Nintendo and Hasbro respectively.

From the raging inferno of Death Mountain Crater, to the frozen wasteland that is Zora's Domain, our heroine is going in reverse of that old saying involving the frying pan. Also, do I see a reference to another Legend of Zelda game somewhere in this chapter?

Cast appearing in this chapter.

Sunset Shimmer - Link
Spike - Navi the Fairy
Rarity - Princess Ruto
Sonata Dusk - Happy Mask Saleswoman

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Ocarina of Time.
By Ganondorf8
January 14, 2015
Chapter 31: Frozen Water Domain.

As Epona was trotting along across Hyrule Field making her way to the entrance of Zora's River, I was thinking about what Sombra said to me before I left his shop regarding the situation in Zora's Domain. The home of the Zoras had become a winter wonderland, yet it was anything but pleasant according to rumours. I remember back in the human world what it was like when winter came along and embraced us with its cold climate.

Back in those days, I was always alone because I didn't embrace the ideals of friendship, so I never knew that winter was a time when people got together to celebrate, and also have fun even when the temperature reached unbearable levels below zero. It feels like the problem in Zora's Domain is a reflection of what I experienced during winter in that the domain had become cold and alone. I wonder if Spike was aware of the cold as it looks like Hyrule doesn't get much variety when it comes to the weather.

" Spike? Has it ever snowed in Hyrule?" I asked.

" Hyrule's climate is generally moderate so we mainly experience sunny, cloudy, and rainy days. Snow is actually a rare occurrence as it comes around once every few decades, but it's usually restricted to Death Mountain as it has enough high elevation to be able to produce it and keep it around. The last time it snowed naturally was around 35 years ago, so only the older citizens of the kingdom will likely recall what it was like," replied Spike.

" What about the Zoras?" I asked.

" They don't like the intense heat or cold because they are used to a moderate climate where the temperature is just right. Zora's Domain is now covered in a blanket of snow, and most likely the Zora's have chosen to hole themselves up in a warm location until the cold leaves. That last bit mind you was a theory of mine as I don't really know what kind of reaction they would have to snow in their own home as it's never happened before," replied Spike.

" Winter can cause people to want to seek out shelter in order to avoid the cold," I said.

" You seem to know a lot about this subject considering that you're usually trying to understand what's going on," said Spike.

" Snow is pretty common where I come from although it happens every year and lasts for a few months before the weather gets warmer and melts it all away. When it turns cold, people will do anything to get out of the cold and into the warm, but not everyone is able to do this. The Zoras I believe may have tried to find somewhere warm where they can escape from the cold grip of winter, but they most likely succumbed to it which is a terrible thing to think about," I said.

" They could have found a way to survive," suggested Spike.

" No doubt about it as they are resourceful and would have made several attempts, but you have to remember that Ganondorf rules over the kingdom now, and he won't allow the Zoras to live in peace considering that King Zora did refuse to give him the spiritual stone. We have to prepare for the worst which would be the Zoras having succumbed to the cold," I said.

" What do you think about the treasure we were told about?" asked Spike.

" Despite being given such a bizarre description of it which involves putting some weight on me, it does sound like something which could be useful. Besides, you did suggest that we should go to Zora's Domain, and I know that you would never guide me in the wrong direction. You do have to wonder who would leave behind something of value in a place where it's freezing cold. Since I have a strong affinity to fire, I can use my own inner warmth to keep me warm, but I'm not sure about you Spike," I replied.

" Fairies don't mind the cold," announced Spike.

" Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," I said. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if my inner warmth was going to be enough seeing as my magic may be powerful, but the magic of Ganondorf was even stronger. It was going to come down to a battle of resilience as to whether I'll be able to keep me from freezing to death. After a long and trouble-free trot, the entrance to Zora's River was in sight and Epona slowly came to a stop because she wasn't able to cross water even though the river itself wasn't really all that deep.

Sometimes it was frustrating knowing Epona had so many limitations, but at least she was strong and wise enough to avoid danger. As I climbed down from her saddle, she began to whinny loudly as she didn't want me to leave her behind again. I responded to her with my own series of whinnies which was enough for her to calm down.

" What did you say to her?" asked Spike.

" I told her that even though she doesn't like me leaving her behind, I have no choice because she can't reach the places that I need to go to. Epona does understand that I have to do this, but she doesn't have to accept it which is why I'm hoping that she will be able to come with us in order to get to the remaining temples," I replied. She then let out a rather long whinny and I answered back with a few short whinnies and a long one.

" She hopes she can spend more time with me in the future, and I said such a thing is bound to happen. As always, I tell her that I won't be gone long, and I know this isn't going to be one of those lengthy trips assuming of course that this treasure isn't located inside of a dungeon." Oh if only I had known right there that the treasure was in fact hidden inside of a rather unique dungeon, I wouldn't have said what I did to Epona, and I would have saved face. Crossing over the river wasn't that bad as the water reached halfway up my body, so I know that I can either swim around in it, or even walk without any kind of drawback.

" The river current is most likely the same as it was before, so if you accidentally fall into the water, you will end up getting pushed all the way back to the start. Even if you are able to walk about in some parts of the river, do take my words seriously because it will mean having to waste time getting back to where we were," said Spike.

" I remember there were those Octorok creatures that liked to hide in the river," I said.

" We'll probably have to deal with them again, so be sure to keep your shield out at all times so that you can knock the rocks they spit back at you. Blue Tektites are also going to be showing up, and while you avoided them last time, you will have to deal with them as they will be more aggressive regarding their territory. It takes a couple of sword strikes, several arrows, or several hammer blows in order to defeat them, and they can be stunned if you prefer to get past them without have to rely on combat," said Spike.

" Any other tips?" I asked.

" You can actually use the Megaton Hammer to flip them over onto their backs where they will be helpless for a while, but they will eventually righten themselves so use the free time to your advantage. Be aware that they will only flip when their legs are firmly on the ground as it won't work if they're airborne, or if they are floating on the surface of the water.

In fact, they won't even bother you if you keep your distance, and only move towards you if you either attack them or enter their territory. I'd say there will be more Octoroks to deal with than Blue Tektites," replied Spike.

" So stick with the shield?" I asked.

" You need to use it more often than you do," replied Spike.

" It's on my to-do-list along with so much other stuff," I said.

" That list is getting awfully long which isn't good because the trials from now on will get tougher," said Spike.

" No need to remind me, but then that is your job," I sighed. After I waved goodbye to Epona and whinnied at her to reassure her that I'd be back as soon as possible, I started to make my way into Zora's River which looked exactly the same as it did before. " I was expecting it to be snowing at least, but I don't see a single snowflake falling down.

" It will likely start snowing the closer we get to Zora's Domain," said Spike.

" I wonder if that Magic Bean seller is still here," I said.

" It's possible, but he might have been forced to leave due to the Octoroks. If you think you can buy some more of those beans from him, then you're out of luck as you bought all of the ones he had. Not only that, but you've only used one of them which has me believing that you wasted your money, or you felt pity for him and wanted to appeal to his sense of humour," moaned Spike.

" How can I use them when the soft soil existed years ago?" I asked. That left Spike unable to answer because he knew it was true, so he merely turned around blushing as he realized that he completely forgot about the whole missing seven years worth of our lives. I wasn't going to drag the issue as I knew he had made an honest mistake, and if anything I would have made the same mistake.

Walking along past the walls where boulders once blocked the way, I started to look around for Snips to see if he was still sitting in front of the gate where he sold all of the Magic Beans to me. While I'll admit that the increase in price for each one was ridiculous, I was compelled to buy them all because I believed in the magic that they possessed.

Sadly, Snips was no longer in the area which meant he had chosen to flee due to the Octoroks, or something else might have happened to him. Speaking of Octoroks, two of them popped up nearby and began to spit rocks at me. Taking out the Hylian Shield and slinging it onto my arm, I knocked each one back causing them to fall backwards and shrivelling up in defeat.

" Just keep it up and we'll reach Zora's Domain in no time," said Spike.

" You know, I'm curious if Octoroks are able to be attacked with any of the weapons and magic at my disposal?" I asked.

" Despite looking like fearsome monsters, they are pretty cowardly and will hide underwater in order to avoid being attacked. I suppose a ranged attack could defeat them, but it would need to be done from a pretty good distance. Arrows would be your best bet as they travel through the air fast enough compared to other projectiles. Huh? Hey! Are you even listening to me here?" asked Spike.

" I heard what you said about using arrows from a distance, but I was thinking of something else," I replied.

" What's that?" asked Spike.

" I've been thinking about my transformation again because even though I don't want to rely on it, I just have this feeling that I'll need it in order to overcome whatever challenges get in our way. Back in the human world, I was ecstatic over gaining pony ears and a pony tail because it was a sign that I had changed my ways, and I shared in the same delight with my friends. It was a blessing there, but a curse here because of the increase in power I get, and the changes resulting from being on the verge of death," I replied.

" You managed to not transform in the fight with the dragon," said Spike.

" That's because Volvagia wasn't able to talk and hurl insults at me, and also I was struggling not to lose my composure because of what we believed had happened to Pinkie Pie. You may not have noticed it, but I was trying so hard not to snap that it felt like I was going to burst. My transformation should be the best thing that we have against the evil that plagues Hyrule, yet all it's been is a major hindrance that could potentially be just as bad as Ganondorf," I said.

" It has to do with the magic here being different than your own world right?" asked Spike.

" Why it ended up this way is beyond me, but so long as my transformation remains a problem, I'll need to make sure that I don't change, and I have a feeling that I'm going to be mentally drained by the time this is all done. The way you sounded when you mentioned my world certainly was surprising Spike, and if I didn't know better, I'd swear you were finally accepting my story as being true since you've denied it ever since we first met," I replied.

" Don't be ridiculous!" shouted Spike.

" Come on, there's no need to get all huffy about it," I laughed.

" I don't know what you're talking about!" shouted Spike as he turned red and looked away from me for a few minutes. Even though he thinks my story isn't real, deep down he knows it's the truth, yet he doesn't want to admit it as it would mean having to swallow his pride. As I started to walk forward, more Octoroks began to pop up from the water, but I was ready to handle them all with the Hylian Shield on my arm. That's when something else started to fill my mind, and they all had to do with Rarity of all people.

" Would you believe that I'm thinking about the Zora princess?" I asked.

" Now that I do believe because we are going to their home, and she did prove to be of great help during the whole Lord Jabu-Jabu incident seven years ago. I'm worried about her just as much as you are, but we won't know for sure what the situation is until we reach Zora's Domain and discover the truth for ourselves," replied Spike.

Hearing that did make me feel a little bit better, yet my concern for her safety still ached my heart because she was my friend regardless of this being a different world from my own. On the opposite end of Hyrule in the southern most region, things were about to take an unexpected twist given the company that was travelling with one another.

" What in the world is this?"

" I told you that the lake had receded from what it used to be Zora princess, so here is the very proof in plain sight for you to absorb. You have to admit that this is truly an unusual sight because where could so much water even disappear to? It's like someone decided to unplug the giant bathtub that is this lake."

" Are you crazy or something?" asked Rarity.

" Me? Crazy? I'm just being observant in my own unique way because I've seen so much on my travels that nothing has ever surprised me....except for when I saw this for the very first time. It just defies all manner of logic no matter which way you look at it, but I suppose that if you were to use non-logic to try and understand the problem, you'd get some pretty good results out of it."

" You have to be crazy to have come up with an answer like that, and I'm crazy to have allowed you to come along with me. Even though we were both heading in the same general direction, your unusual behaviour has certainly been a strain," moaned Rarity.

" For realzies?"

" Never mind! For someone who goes around selling masks for a living, you certainly are someone who can test the patience of even the most focused of individuals. There is a lot more to you than appearances suggest," said Rarity.

" I'm the filling wrapped inside of a taco that has been wrapped inside of some more filling which in turn is wrapped within an even bigger taco. You try to understand the reason for my being inside two different tacos, but then all you get out of it is a headache which does no one any good. Why bring up tacos?

Because it's almost lunch time, and I need my daily taco intake otherwise I suffer from a complete withdrawl. Anyway, to get back to the matter at hand, the temple which you Zoras use as a place of worship as you described to me earlier still remains intact," said Sonata.

" For that I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that nothing has damaged it," said Rarity.

" Yet why does it have a gate blocking the entrance?" asked Sonata.

" What!?!? A gate!?!? No, that can't be right! The Water Temple has always been open so that my people could come and go from it as they pleased. Why would there be such a pointless protection in front of it? Unless, the source of the curse wishes to ensure no one can get in. Hmmmm....I must find a way inside of the temple as I must save everyone from their fate," replied Rarity.

" How do you propose on doing that?" asked Sonata.

" I'll think of something as I am very resourceful when I need to be. Besides, don't you have some kind of errand to finish with that scientist who lives in that laboratory over there? While I appreciate you showing me what has befallen Lake Hylia, I no longer require your services, so you can leave me to my own devices," replied Rarity.

" Then I wish you luck in opening that gate," said Sonata.

" What do you mean by that?" asked Rarity.

" You don't exactly have what I would call herculean strength to lift those bars up, and it looks like you need to hit that fancy looking gem above the gate with some kind of precision. Neither of these are what you possess right now oh Princess of the Zoras, so unless you can somehow defy logic and get inside, you're pretty much stuck out here....without the help of me and my precious masks.

Here, I'll let you borrow this one which will allow you to make an alternate entrance into the temple. Once you've done that, just give the mask over to Sunset Shimmer someday, and I will get it back from her someday," replied Sonata.

" Is that a bomb?" asked Rarity.

" No silly, it's a Blast Mask," replied Sonata.

" It's a bomb!" shouted Rarity.

" And your only way into the temple princess if you wish to do that thing you said you were going to do in there. I'll just leave it here for you to take, and I shall leave you now in order to complete my business. I'm sure that I won't be seeing you when I am done, so this is where we must say goodbye to one another. Before I forget, the price of this mask is 65 rupees. Be sure to tell Sunset Shimmer that as she will know what it means," said Sonata.

" What? Wait! Come back here! Huh? She's gone? But how is that possible? She was just speaking to me, or maybe she has a loud booming voice? Still, she did give me this mask which she said I can use to get into the Water Temple without having to open the main entrance, and I'm to give it back to Sunset Shimmer once I'm done with it as she will know what to do next. Sunset Shimmer....who knows where she is right now as she has been gone for such a long time.

She may not even be alive right now. No! Buck up Ruto, and stop spouting such foolishness from your mouth. She must be alive somewhere, and I will wait for her to show up at the temple no matter how long it will take. As for this mask, I guess I have no other choice but to use it if I am to save my people," said Rarity.

" We're getting very close to Zora's Domain and I haven't seen any hints of it snowing," I said.

" Then you may want to look up at the sky and tell me what you see," suggested Spike.

" What!?!?" I exclaimed as I looked upwards to discover that the sky had turned dark. Snowflakes then started to fall all around me as though this had been going on for quite some time, yet it was clear skies and normal weather only a few steps ago. Just when I had finally started to figure out how this world is supposed to work, it ends up throwing a new twist at me which makes no sense.

The temperature began to drop as well, so I was hoping that it wasn't going to get too cold for me to handle once we see what has become of Zora's Domain. " Looks like our suspicions of this snow being unnatural were right Spike, but how is Ganondorf able to manipulate the very fabric of nature itself to suit his own desires?"

" The Triforce grants him power that we can only dream of which allows him to act like he was one of the Great Goddesses whose essence is contained within each of the golden triangles," replied Spike.

" I was thinking that maybe I should make a wish on the Triforce seeing as it is a fulfiller of wishes," I said.

" Even though that is the nature of the Triforce to grant the desires of those who lay their hands on it, many have perished as a result of their greed. The Triforce can be best described as being neutral in that it can't determine what is good and what is evil, so it's been up to those of the just to ensure that the power was never misused," said Spike.

" Then they did a pretty lousy job of that," I said.

" Ganondorf proved to be a lot more cunning than anyone expected, and he did have us to thank for allowing him access to the Sacred Realm despite our intentions of wanting to stop him from succeeding. Those who dedicated their lives to protecting the Triforce weren't expecting someone like him to come along, and I don't think anyone was expecting the two of us to get sealed away in the Sacred Realm apart from Ganondorf himself.

As for you wanting to make a wish, legends say that one would need to overcome the owner of the Triforce in order to claim it for themselves should that person keep it instead of leaving it in its place of rest," said Spike. That means I need to defeat the evil king if I wanted to have my desire to come true which was to return to my own world. I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy if it meant having to face Ganondorf.

By the time we reached the entrance to Zora's Domain, the temperature had dropped even more, and the snow was continuing to increase making it a little difficult to see, but the strange thing was that the waterfall was still flowing as usual despite the change in weather. Could it be possible that not all of Zora's Domain is under the effects of this dark power?

" What do you think?" I asked.

" About what?" asked Spike.

" The fact that the waterfall is flowing when it's snowing," I replied.

" Okay, that is a little bit unusual, but do you suppose it has any kind of meaning?" asked Spike.

" It's a sign that not all of Zora's Domain is experiencing this winter wonderland people have been talking about, and it also means that they didn't bother to explore every last portion of the area. Since we're here to find the treasure, we'll see for ourselves just what has been going on here since our previous visit. I just need to play Twilight's Lullaby to allow us to make it inside, but first I need to remember how to play it," I replied.

Spike smacked his head in response, and he had every right to do so seeing as I really do need to get more practice. Once I recalled the notes of the song, I played it on the same platform where I played it last time, and sure enough the waterfall slowed down and receded allowing us access to Zora's Domain. As soon as we entered, what we saw defied all of our expectations, but not in a good way as this was nothing but shocking.

" Oh my," commented Spike.

" Is this....Zora's Domain?" I asked.

" You know the answer to that," replied Spike.

" I'm....just speechless at what I'm seeing," I said. The entire domain had been completely frozen over as though it had become an arctic wasteland, and the snow from outside was continuing in here, but it was even stronger and colder than before. The water had been frozen completely, and the eerie silence was enough to make me want to freak out. There were no signs of any of the Zoras....no signs of rushing water flowing about....no signs of life anywhere. It's like everything had suddenly died.

" No wonder the Zoras have vanished as no one would want to spend a good amount of time in a place like this! Not even the bravest and burliest of warriors would be stupid enough to consider staying here where the temperature is getting colder by the minute."

" Do you hear the sound of something chattering away?" asked Spike.

" That would be my teeth doing that as it's really cold in here," I replied.

" I don't feel anything myself, but then that's because I'm a fairy," said Spike.

" Not helping me feel any better! Not only are my teeth chattering, but my entire body is getting so cold that I'm beginning to shiver. It looks like my inner warmth isn't as strong as I thought if I'm suffering like this," I said. It was so cold that I had to blow on my hands constantly to keep them warm, and I had to cramp myself up in order to keep the cold away, but so far nothing was working. To add insult to injury, I sneezed pretty loudly which really hurt my lungs, but that was the least of my problems.

As soon as I took a step forward, I slipped on some ice and fell over where I slid across the ground and over the side and landed really hard on the ice below. I wasn't hurt too badly yet my rear was going to be feeling pain for a while since the ice must have been several inches thick. As I climbed back up the ladder, Spike had wondered what happened to me as he was more focused on something which caught his attention.

" Are you okay?" asked Spike.

" Oh I'm just peachy about the fact that I nearly broke my butt landing hard on the ice below! Of course I'm not okay as this place has become a cold deathtrap where one step can cause me to slip to who knows where. I won't be able to sit down for at least a few hours until the swelling goes down, but I suppose things could have been worse if I had landed on something other than my butt," I replied.

" Sorry I didn't notice but I was looking at these footprints in the snow," said Spike.

" Did you say footprints?" I asked. Sure enough, there were tracks in the snow which look to have been made by someone or something that was about my size, yet they were walking barefoot which didn't make sense considering how cold it was. The trail of footprints indicate they ran from the direction of King Zora's throne room, and judging from how much snow has fallen, it had been about a couple of days.

There was no doubt this person was a Zora, but it did leave me with questions which currently had no answers to them. That's when I noticed something in the middle of the frozen lake of water which certainly looked out of place. " Is that a hole in the ice I'm seeing over there?"

" It is although how did that get there?" asked Spike.

" Judging from the small pieces of ice which are around and near where the hole is, someone must have smashed their way through on the surface in order to get to something underneath. Now who could shatter through ice that thick without suffering some kind of injury as a result? In any case, maybe we ought to check out that hole to see if we can get some clues," I replied.

This would have been a perfect time for me to use some magic, but I was too cold to consider it. Once again, I slipped on another bit of ice where I fell over onto the ice, but I managed to land on my feet which did cause me to buckle my knees, but at least my butt didn't get more injured than it already had. Spike merely floated over to where the hole in the ice was, and I struggled to make my way over with a glum expression on my face because he was rubbing in the fact that he can fly while I can't.

" You were right that someone shattered the ice from the surface," said Spike.

" Look at this marking right over here just a few inches away from the hole," I said.

" That looks like the remnants of a Deku Nut flash," said Spike.

" Sheik must have been here at some point over the last couple of days, but why would she come here to such a cold, desolate place? Also, there appears to have been some kind of struggle as someone appears to have been either pulled from the hole in the ice, or they managed to get away before being thrown in. Could Sheik have saved someone?" I asked.

" Or she could have tried to throw someone in," suggested Spike.

" No, that doesn't sound like something Sheik would do even though we really don't know all that much about her. I know what you must be thinking Spike, but I do trust her despite being kept in the dark regarding her true identity. If we were to assume that she pulled someone from under the ice, then that person must have been the one who made those footprints we saw a few minutes ago," I said.

Spike then suggested that we check out where the Zora Shop was as I could do with picking up some extra supplies, and he was right about that so I slowly walked over to the shop which wasn't easy because the ice was so slippery.

" You really don't like the ice do you?" asked Spike.

" I never liked it back home and I don't like it here because I fall down hard on my butt which is what I did just now," I moaned as I rubbed my poor rear while cursing under my breath that I despised the snow. That's when I noticed the entrance to the Zora Shop was blocked by a large sheet of ice, yet this ice was red in colour which was definitely unusual as ice is usually clear. I tried using the Megaton Hammer in order to shatter it to pieces, but it just bounced off like I had hit heavy armour or something.

Then I tried using my own magic followed by Din's Fire to try and melt the red ice, but this resulted in nothing either which was beginning to vex me. On another note, I did sense that my magic was different now, so that meant what Adagio did for me turned out to be a blessing. " This red ice is even impervious to my magic which has changed thanks in large part to the Great Fairy."

" Told you it was worth going to see her," smiled Spike.

" I'm grateful that you suggested that we pay her a visit," I said.

" But you're right in that this red ice seems to be immune to everything you've thrown at it. It's not natural by any means as ice like this doesn't exist in Hyrule, so there must be a way for you to melt it. For now, we might as well look elsewhere as we won't be gaining access to the Zora Shop for the time being," said Spike. He then suggested that we take a look inside of King Zora's throne room as it looked like the problem with the snow was coming from Zora's Fountain.

I had to walk slowly around the corner and up the stairs as I wasn't about to allow myself to slip and fall down again, and that's when I had to come to a stop because of shivering. The temperature was getting even lower and as I sneezed again, I needed to find somewhere to warm up as my skin was starting to go numb in a few places. That's when I noticed a torch over to the right which had no fire burning in it, but I wasn't about to turn away from something like this, so I used some magic in order to light the torch up.

" Feeling better now?" asked Spike.

" Much better as the torch is giving off the right amount of heat I need to keep myself warm for a while. While you may not understand it Spike given you're a fairy, I need the warmth to prevent myself from freezing to death. I know that I've said that my inner warmth will keep me going, but I wasn't expecting it to be this cold. If only I could use a Deku Stick right now, I'd light it up and use it as a source of heat while walking around here," I replied.

" You can't use them, and even if you could, you do know that Deku Sticks burn away after a while when they are lit up? You'd need an actual lantern to be able to carry around some fire in order to keep warm, but you don't have one of those on hand, and no one in Hyrule is likely carrying one in a shop. Just grin and bear it and use that inner warmth of yours whenever you can," said Spike.

" I was barely able to use that magic to light the torch, so relying on my inner warmth is going to be a bit of a stretch," I said.

" How long do you want to stay in this spot?" asked Spike.

" I'd love to stay here for at least several hours or so," I replied. While that sounded like a reasonable request from my perspective, Spike was right in that I needed to just get used to this cold, and find that treasure we came here to claim, but I ended up standing next to the torch for a good ten minutes as my body really needed to thaw.

Once I felt that I had warmed up enough, I ran up the stairs towards the throne room, and upon reaching it, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. " Gasp! It's King Zora! But, what in the world has happened to him?"

" He's been frozen in the same red ice that we saw blocking the entrance to the Zora Shop," replied Spike. Indeed, Kig Zora, known as Hondo Flanks in my world, the father of Rarity, was encased in a giant prism of red ice, and he was completely still as though he had been frozen for years. Spike then hovered over to where the king was, and he looked around for a couple of moments before coming back.

" If this is the same ice that we saw covering up the Zora Shop entrance Sunset Shimmer, then this no mere coincidence, but rather the result of this unusual cold weather. Like with the shop, there is nothing we can do to help King Zora as he is frozen in there, and is probably well preserved if this cold has been around here for years."

" Then we need to go into Zora's Fountain," I announced.

" Are we allowed to even do that? The last time we were here, we had to get permission from King Zora to gain access to the fountain," said Spike.

" Right now, he's in no position to do anything, so we might as well take matters into our own hands. I do feel sorry for the big guy though as he must be in so much pain, yet he can't say or do anything as that red ice has surely shut down all of his bodily functions. This does pose a question regarding the fate of the Zoras which we can't overlook. They would never go anywhere without their king because he holds the highest respect among the tribe," I said.

" King Zora is the glue that keeps them all together, and they are completely helpless without him. If he is frozen here in their home, then that means the Zoras are also here, but the chances of them surviving in such cold temperatures like this are slim to none because they don't like these conditions," said Spike.

" It looks like we have another situation where an entire tribe has suddenly vanished without a trace, yet unlike the Gorons who were kidnapped and taken away, the Zoras are completely missing with no hints as to where they are aside from King Zora frozen on his throne. While I would love to figure out where they are, we have no real solid leads with which to rely on, so we'll have to focus on getting the treasure, and figure this all out later," I said.

I know that it sounded rather harsh that I was abandoning the Zoras to their unknown fate, but I had no other choice as Spike and I knew next to nothing. The rumours from Kakariko Village never mentioned the fate of the Zoras, and Sombra said nothing about them either. I walked around the circular path up to the throne making sure not to slip on the ice, and I soon found myself standing in front of King Zora....who was a lot bigger than I assumed he would be.

I didn't take notice of it before, but he was huge for a Zora which made me think he was frozen in such a manner because it was the only way he could be dealt with. I then pressed my hand up against the red ice that was imprisoning him, and it felt like regular ice which was freezing cold, but I could feel something which made me keep my hand there for a few minutes.

" What are you doing?" asked Spike.

" Quiet please as I need to concentrate," I replied. As I moved my hand about a small part of the red ice, I could feel the heartbeat of King Zora although it was both slow and faint. Once I had established what I needed to know, I removed my hand and immediately blew on it as much as possible in order to warm it up again.

" King Zora is very much alive, but his heartbeat was slow. I'm not sure what will happen to him if we were to thaw him out, but the chances of him surviving after being released don't look good. It's possible that he will pull through, but until we can figure out how to actually save him, he is currently in the safest place he can be." With that resolved, I started to make my way towards Zora's Fountain which meant walking on ice yet again which was slippery, but then the ice suddenly changed to water which was really odd.

" It looks like we were right in that the water from the fountain wasn't frozen over," said Spike.

" That should make things easier to navigate," I said.

" Don't be so sure about that Sunset Shimmer as who knows what we'll end up finding in Zora's Fountain," said Spike. As soon as we entered the fountain, the first thing we noticed was Lord Jabu-Jabu was no longer around, and instead there was a giant chunk of ice where he used to be. The snow was falling even heavier than before, and the temperature had gotten worse which was making me feel colder than ever before.

" I'm not surprised that Lord Jabu-Jabu is gone because the Zora legends say that he doesn't spend all of his time here in Zora's Fountain. There are numerous Zora colonies that exist beyond Hyrule, and I believe that he has gone to one of them in order to get away from the cold for it doesn't do him a world of good. In case you were wondering, yes, the Great Deku Tree told us fairies of this legend because someone requested it.

" The water seems to be okay as it hasn't frozen over like in Zora's Domain," I said.

" Maybe so, but we have another problem to deal with," said Spike. There were now large chunks of ice floating about in the water with several of them spinning around, and others looking like they were pretty unstable where any kind of weight would cause an imbalance. " You'll need to jump from iceberg to iceberg in order to make your way over to that large cave entrance over there."

" I remember seeing that seven years ago, yet we weren't able to enter it due to the ledge being too high," I said.

" The snow appears to be coming from the cave entrance, and the treasure was hidden inside a frozen cave according to Sombra, so that must be where we need to go. The ice will allow you to climb up onto that ledge, but be careful as the darkness of the night sky and the dark clouds do limit your vision, and I sense the presence of monsters lurking around in the water," said Spike.

" Octoroks!" I exclaimed.

" Most likely which means it will be difficult to handle them," said Spike.

" If they are like the ones we encountered back in Zora's River, then this will be another simple task," I said with confidence in my voice. Once again, I chose to ignore all of the warning signs given to me by Spike because I completely forgot that I had to traverse chunks of ice, and that meant my traction was shot as I was going to be slipping about all over the place.

I ran up the ice chunk that was stuck next to the raised step where Lord Jabu-Jabu once was, and I leapt onto the next ice chunk which started to bob up and down due to my weight being a factor. That was when two Octoroks popped out of the cold water, and fired rocks at me which I couldn't avoid because of having no traction.

The rocks hit me which caused me to slide across the ice, and fall into the water. It was absolutely freezing, and as I struggled to make my way back to shore, I forgot to take into account that the chunk of ice had bobbed the other way because of the weight now having left, and it suddenly came back and smacked me hard on the back of my head. The resulting blow was so strong that it knocked me unconscious, and I began to sink down into the icy cold depths of Zora's Fountain where I would freeze to death in a matter of minutes....

To Be Continued.