//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: River Rapids of the Face. 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening. 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
February 9, 2021.
Chapter 21: River Rapids of the Face.

These past several minutes had completely changed my outlook. Before learning the truth of Koholint Island's darkest secret (Arguably as there was still that one in the Mabe Village library), I had every intention of waking up the Wind Fish as it meant changing things back to the way there were before. But now, because of learning the truth, completing that task had come to a crashing halt. Had the secret been anything else or maybe not so severe, I could've found a way to get around it and eventually adapt.

And yet reality once again showed how merciless it could really be. The truth was right there set in stone! This island was an illusion created by the Wind Fish and I somehow managed to find myself in that very dream. I doubted anyone would believe me if I told them that they didn't exist. I mean, how could they? As far as they knew, everything had begun somewhere and they were all heading in the same direction until their end. And what about me? If I were to awaken the Wind Fish, would I disappear too? I had already removed such a thought from my mind yet it proved difficult to move on from it since I did think of it again.

Looking down at the Face Key firmly grasped in my hand, I had mixed emotions ranging from anger to sorrow. I felt angry that this secret had been kept hidden from me until this exact moment. I felt frustrated that Flash Sentry had been keeping information from me until I came upon it. But perhaps the one thing I felt more than anything else was sorrow. If anyone was truly a victim aside from me, it was the Wind Fish itself. It was unable to awaken because of the Nightmares though I hadn't figured out how and why they were doing it.

Until I understood the truth, I remained conflicted on what to do. Princess Twilight, always there to give me an answer, had none for me this time, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, it was on my hands that a decision had to be made regarding the next course of action. Giving up would mean everyone was lost and completing this adventure would result in the same outcome. No matter what choice I went with, everyone would suffer. It was a no-win situation either way, but I had to try something, anything. Shaking my head free of such negative thoughts, I decided to carry on for the time being and perhaps make a judgement later.

Pocketing the Face Key, I went back into the previous room, and then outside of the Southern Shrine where the flapping of an owl's wings indicated that Flash Sentry was about to grace me with his presence. My mind began racing with thoughts on how I was going to react to him in regards to learning what this island was. A part of me wanted to make him suffer like I had done throughout this experience, another choosing to ignore him and carry on without his help. A third part wanted me to forgive him as surely he had his reasons for not telling me sooner, yet it felt more like a feeble excuse more than anything else.

Upon his owl landing, Flash Sentry spoke in a sad voice. "I see you have read the relief..."

I nodded yet there was some slight hesitation in me wanting to acknowledge him. "I read it and while my friend and I reacted as one would given the circumstances, I'm inclined to believe you had your reasons for not telling me that this island doesn't truly exist."

"And your friend?"

I looked at Princess Twilight, floating next to me, her head held low. "I can't speak for her but I know that she was just as shocked as I was." I turned back to Flash Sentry. "I mean, what would you have done if you were in my shoes? What would your reaction be knowing that everything you've done was a lie." I had to maintain my composure so I began breathing slowly in hopes I'd calm down. "The fact is, the damage is done and I know the truth."

"While it does say on the relief that the island is a dream of the Wind  Fish, no one is really sure."

"How can you say that?"

"That no one knows if this island is but an illusion?"

I nodded. "Then why else would there be a relief in a place only I could get to and that the message on said relief was directed at me?" Again, my composure was beginning to slip prompting me to continue breathing slowly. "You have to admit that what you just said is a pretty lame excuse. Either this island is real or it's an illusion. There's no in-between here. Sorry, but that's just how it is."

"Then perhaps this will make more sense." Flash Sentry held out his palm and an image of a treasure chest appeared before me. "Think of it this way. Image that you came upon this treasure chest on your travels and you began contemplating on whether or not you should open it and take its contents." It then opened though what it contained couldn't be seen due to a blinding light forcing me to turn my eyes away. "Just as you cannot know if a chest holds treasure until you open it, so you cannot tell if this is a dream until you awaken. The only one who knows for sure is the Wind Fish. Now... Do you understand?"

In response, I scratched my head before shaking it. "So only the Wind Fish knows whether this island is real or not."

Flash Sentry nodded. "Correct."

"But what of the Nightmares?"

"They will do whatever they can in order to stop you from succeeding in your goal."

Grumbling under my breath, I had a feeling he was going to say something along those lines. After all, it's what he had been doing ever since I got here. I then took out the Face Key and presented it to him. "I'm sure you know what this is."

"You have what you need to enter the Northern Shrine."

"Are you sure about that?"

The image of the treasure chest had since disappeared and Flash Sentry pointed northwards. "You probably didn't see it when last we spoke but the place you must go can only be reached by swimming though rocks block this side. You must go back to where the fourth instrument was once located and head to the right. Before, what lies beyond there you couldn't get to because of lacking an important tool. With it, what is there can be reached."

"What will I find exactly?"

"You already know that answer."

"Uh huh..."

"Remember these words, child." Flash Sentry said as he urged his owl to begin to take off to the skies. "Trust your feelings... Never allow anyone to say otherwise or else you will most likely meet your end. Someday... You will discover the answer to what confounds you."

As his owl flew off to the southeast, I began thinking about everything he had said. The most obvious thing was how he claimed that no one other than the Wind Fish knew whether the island was real or not. I thought it dubious at best and him being in denial at worst but could I really hold it against him? Without proper context, I could only take his words with a grain of salt and hoped he was right. The Nightmares were sure to have their own words and the chances of me avoiding said words were essentially non-existent. It seemed my salvation laid with the Wind Fish itself, a situation which had its own shares of problems.

Namely, whether I should awaken it or not. Flash Sentry didn't go into any detail as to what would happen to those living on the island, but then he didn't really have to as it was pretty obvious. They would essentially die if the Wind Fish woke up. I could try and save them but they wouldn't believe me unless they actually saw one of their own suddenly fade away so that option was out. I felt like a scale, balancing what was necessary on one side with what was in my heart on the other. Neither side could remain equal. One had to win over the other but whichever one did, the other would lose and I'd be at fault.

I shook my head. I had to get such thoughts out of my head until I could deal with them at a later time. Despite Flash Sentry's explanation of the island's nature leaving me confused, he at least was honest as to where I needed to go next. If I recalled correctly, there wasn't a shrine on the other side of the river. That would explain why I couldn't see it because it wasn't there. Then again, it could've been hidden in plain sight just like most of the other dungeon entrances have been where a key was needed to open them. All that was left was figuring out how to get to the other side of the river.

Crap! I had been ignoring Princess Twilight this entire time. Looking down at her, Her Highness seemed to be completely distant. Had the revelation of the island being an illusion affected her more than me? Granted, she had not gotten used to experiencing despair like this (She did in Equestria but that was a different beast entirely) so while I could get used to it, she had only gotten a small taste of what could possibly become even worse. Looking up at the sky, it was starting to get late. I needed to go back to the Animal Village and rest there for the night but first I needed to get Her Highness on track.

"Twilight? You okay?"

That got her attention. "Huh?" Her Highness responded with a startled reaction. "Oh, sorry Sunset. I was just thinking about everything that Flash Sentry said and your next course of action. Guess I lost track of everything around me."

I then gave her the face that screamed 'I know that's not what you're really thinking about' look. "I know you're bothered about what we discovered in that sense." I said as I pointed at it with my thumb. "I'm upset about it too, probably more so since this is what I'm used to (Not by choice here), but we shouldn't let it get to us. I know this sounds crazy given my actions when we found out, but we need to keep going until we can determine the truth by awakening the Wind Fish."

"Yeah, that is crazy!" I knew Princess Twilight was poking fun so I let it slide. "Still, you do make a valid point. It's probably not the best decision since having such a revelation loom over your head will only make things worse but you don't have much of a choice."

"No, I don't."

"In that case, let's get going and head to the next dungeon."

"Um..." I began as I pointed up at the sky. "It's starting to get late."

Princess Twilight responded by sticking her tongue out. "I'm like this back home in Equestria you know. I get so engrossed in something that I lose sight of everything else." I knew the island's truth was still bothering her (It was bothering me too) so it was best not to bring it up though the Nightmares were sure to do that. "You know, Sunset, Flash Sentry actually told you where to go next. I'm surprised that he did that. Usually, he leaves that part for you. Anyway, we should go back to the Animal Village and get some rest. After the day we've had, we could do with some R&R."

Huh... I hadn't realized that until she brought it up. Why did Flash Sentry tell me where to go next? Okay, so he wasn't exactly specific as he used cryptic words, but I did get the gist of where to go next. I had to go to the east of Angler's Tunnel, something I didn't do before as I never bothered to go in that direction. I couldn't have gotten far anyway since an item was required for progression (The obvious example there) but could now. Methinks the item I needed was the Hookshot but I guess I won't know for certain until I go there. I'll do that tomorrow as I needed the rest.

Taking out the ocarina and playing Manbo's Mambo (I could've walked back there as it wasn't too far but I didn't want to deal with the Armos), I focused on the warp tile located south of the Animal Village before being whisked away. Upon arriving several seconds later, I walked north into the village and noticed Starlight Glimmer was waving at me and heading in my direction. I was a bit curious as to why she was still here but I wouldn't have to wait long as she looked like she had something to say. A part of me felt like ignoring her given what I knew about the island but how could I ignore someone who had helped me in the past?

"Sunset Shimmer!" Starlight called as she came up to me, her face beaming a big smile.

"Hi Starlight..." I said in response before quickly realizing that I said the wrong name."

"You know that my name is Marin." Starlight's expression then changed to a more scary looking one. "I don't know why you keep on calling me 'Starlight'. It's a good name and I'm sure someone out there likes it, but it's not my name. Maybe I should teach you a lesson by stealing your items and bury them somewhere."

"What was that last bit?"

Starlight then feigned ignorance. "Huh? I said something nasty? You must have been hearing things again." I frowned knowing that she said she'd steal my items just because I said the wrong name. This wasn't the first time she had said something unusual but I had either ignored her or didn't pay it much mind. I just thought it was some kind of phase she was going through or perhaps it was something else. "Anyway, I'm glad you came here before I had to go back home to Mabe Village."

"Oh?"

"Have you heard of the River Rapids?"

I pretended not to know so to avoid making any mistakes. "No, I've never heard of it."

"You get to go down some pretty fast waters starting from the lowest part of Mt. Tamaranch to the base of the river just north of the Animal Village." Judging from Starlight's enthusiasm, she sounded like she wanted to try them herself. Either that or she was trying to convince me on doing it. "Not many people have been talking about it since it wasn't open at the time, but now it is and I'd love it if I could go, but Tarin thinks it might be too dangerous." She grabbed my hands which made me feel awkward. "You should go on the River Rapids. I'm sure someone like you can handle any kind of water."

I then decided to see if she could tell me more. "Where do I find these rapids?"

"That's easy." Starlight answered. "If you go to the base of Mt. Tamaranch and head east, you should find a hut where you can pay the woman who runs it." She then paused to scratch her head, a confused look appeared on her face. "I'm not sure how you can get there as there wasn't a bridge but maybe that isn't a problem. You do like quite the athlete so I'm sure you can swim across or something. Oh yeah!" That smile on her face was either good or bad. "In order to go on the rapids, you'll need one hundred rupees."

You've got to be kidding me!? I need one hundred rupees in order to go on the rapids!? Oh crap! I only had about twenty on my person which meant I had to grind for another eighty! I was starting to wonder if spending so much on that bow was a good idea despite it proving its usefulness. In hindsight, I should've done more exploring rather stick with the main objectives. I could've found some hidden treasure chests filled with rupees. Instead, I've got to grind for a few hours given how rupee drops from monsters, bushes, stones, and so on were pitiful.

"One hundred rupees you say..." I said whilst gritting my teeth.

"Are you having money trouble, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Um... No?"

That was embarrassing. To make it worse, Starlight saw right through me. "Ah-ha! You do have money issues! If it's money you need, I can get some for you. After all, you did give me a good time when you escorted me here. Just don't question how I'm going to be doing this. It's best if you don't ask questions."

Oh sure... That didn't sound suspicious at all! If I had any red flags, they would be waving around like crazy to warn me of her. And yet, I needed the rupees. In order to get to the next dungeon, riding on the rapids was required as I had no other way of reaching it. This was one of those moral decisions which were out of my hands. Starlight's means of procuring me rupees was questionable no doubt but right now, desperation was more important for progression. Ugh! I felt like throwing up in my mouth. Then again, she said not to worry about it, but that's what made it so worrisome.

Starlight said she planned on staying the night in the Animal Village before going back home in the morning and promised she would leave behind some money for me. I asked if I could escort her back to Mabe Village but she insisted otherwise. She said she could take care of herself without needing me around. While I had no doubt about that, I was worried that the monsters would become more violent and attack her. There was also the fact that lingered deep within the corners of my mind... No... That's something to be discussed later. Right now, I had to focus on reaching the next dungeon.

Then she asked if I wanted to go inside for the night but I politely refused. I told her I wanted to spend the night outside in order to look at the stars but in truth I wanted to stay outside and collect my thoughts. Starlight was apparently okay with it (Deep down she probably was upset) so she turned and walked off before entering a nearby house. As the sun set down for the night, Princess Twilight told me I made the right decision in staying outside given recent developments, but it was also because we needed to leave at dawn tomorrow because we had another busy day awaiting me.

Closing my eyes and slowly drifting asleep a short time later, I began to dream about Koholint Island and seeing it disappear before my eyes. I could see the people of the island vanish, their screams piercing the very heart of my soul, and I couldn't do a thing. Was this a nightmare? Was I feeling paranoid knowing the truth about the island? Sure, repressing such thoughts carried a risk as it meant having to constantly keep my emotions under control or else I'd lose control, yet it was necessary. As things continued to get worse, I tried thinking about my friends, my family, and Equestria  yet none of it was working.

And that's when a voice called out to me. "How do you like your nightmare, Outsider?"

"Who's there?" I called out. The image of the island disappeared and was replaced with the hideous form of Grogar. My heart immediately stopped and my body turned cold upon seeing his presence. "You... Why are you here?"

Grogar's eyes glowed as if to instill fear. "You have become far too meddlesome, Outsider! We had hoped that the other Nightmares would've ended your existence but you have proven to be far stronger than expected. No... Our servants were completely useless."

"That makes you just as pathetic since you are responsible for their existence."

"Silence!"

"Did I strike a nerve?"

I could see Grogar seething but he refrained from acting which made me suspicious. "Perhaps you have a point. Our servants were our creations and we gave them a portion of our power which they then squandered by failing to destroy you." He sounded like he was regretful but I couldn't drop my guard. It might be some kind of deception designed to lull me into a false sense of security. "We know that you have seen that which revealed the truth of this island. Tell us, Outsider... Do you intend on continuing knowing what you know? Why not admit defeat now and not endure further pain?"

"You know what my answer is."

"Then you leave us with no choice."

"What do you intend on doing this time?"

Grogar smiled before his body started to glow. "In our previous encounter in the dream, we were too lenient with you. We chose to give you a warning believing you would give up and end your foolish quest but instead you defied us. We shall not hesitate this time! We shall make sure you never wake up again!" He then transformed into a shadowy mass before forming the shape of what looked like me. "In the darkness of the dream, we are the master! Our current form is far superior to your own and it is with it that you shall die in the dream."

I couldn't believe it! Grogar had changed into a shadow form of myself. I suddenly began reliving my memories of fighting Sunset Demon because this reminded me so much of her yet this was something else entirely. He was so desperate to kill me that he was resorting to using my own likeness to do the job. You'd think I wouldn't be afraid since I was merely in a dream but no. In truth, I was absolutely terrified. The thought of having to face an evil me was bad enough but a shadow? Unlike Sunset Demon, this shadow had all of my equipment, all of my experience, and none of my emotional baggage.

I then tried waking up in the hopes of getting out of here only to find that I couldn't. Grogar laughed and said that I was stuck here until I died and he was determined to make sure it would happen. I had to survive long enough until the sun came up as that's when his power would weaken and allow me to wake up. Princess Twilight unfortunately wasn't available to offer me guidance which meant I was on my own. Taking out my sword and shield (I was thankful that these were still here indicating that perhaps Grogar had some shred of mercy), I waited for my opponent to make the first one.

And it wasn't my best choice. The shadow me immediately used a much longer sword and was able to pierce my chest with it without even moving. I didn't bleed any blood which was a relief but I felt like a part of my life force had been drained away. I then tried moving away to give myself some more room only for the shadow to appear right behind me. It then struck me in the back with its sword which made me drop to my knees. Getting back up, I raised my shield and blocked the next attack, and would continue doing so for several more attacks before getting swept off my feet when it performed a sweeping arc with its own blade.

If this was how strong he was pretending to be me, then his true form had to be near impossible to defeat. My heart began to sink knowing that if I were to win here, I wouldn't stand a chance against the real him should I make it there. Of course, I had to win here first. Getting up again, I began running around in hopes of attacking the shadow from behind but it knew what I was planning and managed to intercept me. This was followed by it stabbing me in the chest again followed by taking out its own bow and firing several shots, each one hitting my feet and trapping me in place.

Pulling out the arrows proved time consuming and painful but I managed to get myself free only to be stabbed in the back again. "Why do you continue, Outsider?" Grogar asked, his voice sounding eerie coming from my shadow. "You have not once damaged us and yet we have damaged you many times. This shows we are superior!" He then began twisting the sword which caused me to cry out in pain. "Hearing such screams is of great pleasure but there is no need to prolong such agony."

"So you plan on killing me now?"

"Yes." Grogar answered, his eyes, my eyes, glowing ever brighter, as he pulled the sword out from my back. "We once showed you mercy but it was our mistake. You must die now otherwise you could awaken the Wind Fish and ruin our vision." He then leaned forward and I couldn't help but look over my shoulder at his, my face. "Tell us, Outsider. How does it feel knowing we are using your own likeness to kill you."

That's when an idea came to mind. "To be honest, I've been through this before."

"What!?"

I nodded as best as I could. "Once, I had become a demonic monster because of wanting something that I didn't deserve. This monster eventually became her own entity and desired to take my place and make me the person she believed I should become. Compared to you, she was way more threatening and was more serious about killing me." Grogar began seething and dropped both his sword and shield in response. "All you're doing is copying what someone had already done."

Pushing me to the ground, he then turned me over and clasped both his hands around my neck. "We are superior to anyone! We shall prove this by killing you right now! How ironic that you shall by your own hands, Outsider. You shall die here and in the waking world." He began squeezing my neck and I struggled to breathe. As I tried squirming my way out by any means necessary, his grip grew ever stronger until I almost felt faint. "We should have done this before! Our mistake has now been rectified!"

Suddenly, the Mark of the Triforce on the back of my hand began to glow. "Huh?"

The mark shone so brightly that Grogar released his grip and looked to be on fire. "What!? What is this bright light!?" He reached forward only to be pushed back by the light coming from my hand and it caused him tremendous pain. "Is this your power? We sensed that you possessed a great strength hidden within but couldn't use it in the waking world." It then dawned on him that I was in the dream. "You can use it here as the dream can make anything possible. No! This light! It burns too much! We cannot resist!"

"Will you let me wake up?"

As the shadow of myself faded away, Grogar became his true self again. "We have underestimated you again, Outsider. Should you manage to prevail against the other Nightmares, we shall be waiting for you in the heart of everything here. We shall not hold back and you shall become a forgotten memory lost for eternity."

Knowing that he had been defeated, he disappeared into the shadows leaving me to return to a more restless sleep. As I drifted back into my subconscious and dreams that didn't involve the island appeared instead, I had to consider myself incredibly lucky. The one thing which I had considered a curse because of the connection it gave me to Ganondorf had ended up saving my life. While it had done me a service this time, I wasn't about to suddenly embrace it. But then it made me think. Was Grogar afraid of the Triforce? It didn't make sense as the golden power didn't exist in this world.

Perhaps it was the light of the Triforce of Courage, my light, that ultimately drove away his darkness. Whatever it actually was, I was relieved knowing that I had once again triumphed though if not for my power, I'd have surely died. For that, I had to count my blessings in that I was just incredibly lucky.

The rest of the night passed by without incident and upon the next morning, I told Princess Twilight everything. She certainly took it the right way. "What!?" She exclaimed. "I should've been there with you when you faced off with Grogar. How could I've been denied such an important task as your fairy partner!" Okay, maybe she didn't take it the right way, but then what could she have done since we weren't using magic to share the same dream. After a moment of freaking out (At least some things hadn't truly changed), Her Highness calmed down and began to access what happened. "Be thankful that he failed."

"I'd say it was more luck than anything."

Shaking her head, Princess Twilight flew down to my right hand, grabbed it, and began to squeeze gently. "It wasn't luck that your special power just so happened to kick in right when you needed it." Did she have to call it 'special'? I'd have called it something less than desirable myself but I couldn't deny the results. "Maybe I can use the power you said was inside of me in a similar fashion." The Triforce of Wisdom was different compared to the Triforce of Courage so I doubted there would be similar effects.

I then changed the subject. "Grogar is much stronger than I thought he was."

"And he was using a shadow of you." Princess Twilight added. "Had he used his true form, I doubt you'd be speaking to me right now. I'd say you were let off with a warning though the next time is going to be the real battle." She floated back and forth which made me suspect she was about to bring up what he said about the island's nature. How could I tell? Call it a hunch and because it was her. "He knows what Koholint Island truly is but I doubt he's going to tell you."

"Yeah, I did have this feeling that he knew."

"Which is why collecting the instruments has become more important."

"You sure about that?"

Princess Twilight gave an honest shrug. "No, but considering how often you've been forced to figure things out on your own with my help naturally (I knew Her Highness was going to say something like that), all we can do is make a guess and hope that it turns out."

I then noticed the pile of rupees near where I had been sleeping. "Uh, Twilight? Are you going to explain to me where those came from?"

Looking at them herself, Her Highness blushed. "Yeah! I was just about to get to that part." I rolled my eyes. Of course she wasn't going to get to them. She'd rather focus on trying to understand what was going on while I preferred a more hands-on approach. She then continued. "Starlight woke me up about thirty minutes before you did and said this was all she could find in terms of money. I don't know what she did to acquire them and insisted on us not knowing for our own sake, but she made sure to get us one hundred rupees, the exact amount needed for the river rapids."

"Why does that bother me for some reason?"

"Like she said, it's best for us not to know."

Now I was afraid of Starlight all because she used unknown methods to get me rupees. "I suppose I should just be grateful that she went out of her to get me rupees even when I could've easy done it myself."

"You would have had you explored more thoroughly." Ouch! Her Highness wasn't wrong about that. As I got up to pocket the rupees, she went on to explain where we needed to go though it was pretty obvious in hindsight. This was one of those moments where she had to show off her brilliant intellect. "We need to go back to the Angler's Tunnel, or rather the warp tiled located nearby and head eastward until we find our goal." Then she changed the subject. "Sunset? Have you ever been on any river rapids?"

"Athletics was never my strong suit." I answered sheepishly. "I mean, I've been to such places and seen others do it but I never did it myself. Rainbow Dash loves to brag about her various accomplishments when it came to anything related to the sporting world. On a side note, Her Highness knew which Rainbow Dash I was talking about. "From what I've seen, it shouldn't be too difficult provided the river's flow isn't a problem."

"Only way to know is to go there and find out."

I then had another issue that was on my mind. "Do you think I should pay Sugar Belle a visit and get some more medicine?"

Thinking for a moment, Princess Twilight again shrugged her shoulders. "That's something you need to decide for yourself, Sunset. If you're feeling confident enough to go to the next dungeon without getting some of that medicine, then we should make our way over to the river rapids. If not, we can take a quick detour over to Sugar Belle though you will need some extra rupees as you only really have enough for one attempt at the rapids."

Just the thought of having to grind made me uneasy but I couldn't let that be the basis of my decision. "I'm going to take a risk and go to the next dungeon as is. Who knows? I could be lucky and find some magic medicine in there."

"That is a possibility, yes."

Grinding for rupees wasn't my favourite thing to do. From my previous experiences, it was often a difficult endeavor since the kinds of rupees I would find were either green or blue in colour whenever I cut down bushes, grass, or defeated monsters. On rare occasions would a red rupee appear but again, it was rare and usually the other two showed up (For the record, green was worth one, blue was worth five, and red was worth twenty) or a recovery heart, or even one of those Pieces of Power or Guardian Acorns. Such grinding would take several hours or more depending on how many rupees I required.

Taking out the ocarina, I played Manbo's Mambo and began to concentrate on the warp tile that was located near where the Angler's Tunnel was. I was then whisked off where Iarrived at my destination moments later only to raise my shield against a Red Tektite that happened to be right next to me (I hated when video games did stuff like that). It bounced off my shield and I proceeded to defeat it and it dropped a Guardian Acorn. These were pretty pointless since I had the blue tunic on (Something else I kept on forgetting I had) but I picked it up as why let such an item be wasted by not collecting it.

Heading to the right and avoiding a Like-Like, I then discovered why I couldn't progress any further. The way forward was separated by the river and I couldn't simply swim across due to being high up compared with the water. Fortunately, there was a way across in the form of a boulder on my side and one on the other. Yeah... It was pretty obvious as to what needed to be done next. Before doing anything, I did notice a cave entrance that could only be accessed by swimming though I had no idea how to get over there. Oh well. If there was something of value in there, I wasn't going to be getting it any time soon.

Taking out the Hookshot, I fired it across the water connecting with the boulder on the other side and was pulled across. As soon as I got to the other side, I was attacked by a few Like-Likes and Octoroks which made me wonder how anyone who wasn't experienced with swordplay could make it through to the river rapids. Two Tektites were to the south so I ignored them, but I did use the Hookshot on the other one and it was stunned. Striking it several times until it was defeated and it dropped a blue rupee which I picked up, I then went after the two Octoroks.

Using their own rocks against them by using my shield to bounce them back, I defeated both and earned two more green rupees. I was just about to head to the other side of the building that was located nearby only for Princess Twilight stopped me. "Sunset... Why not see where those stairs go."

"What stairs?"

Her Highness pointed at a set of stairs that were to my right and I blushed in response. "It's okay, Sunset. You were caught in the heat of the moment. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with taking a slight detour so long as you don't get in over your head."

Nodding, I walked down the stairs and entered a tunnel that was partially flooded. "I can see a Piece of Heart nearby..." And that's when my smile dropped. "...And I can't reach it from down here." It was located on a higher platform with no means of reaching it.

Flying around to scope the situation, Princess Twilight shook her head. "You're right about being unable to reach it. In fact, you need to approach this area from the other side and then use the Hookshot. Since part of this tunnel is flooded, you might need to check out the area when we're done with the river rapids. For now, I can make a note of what you discovered here in case you want to come back later."

"Why can't I jump in this world?"

"Can't you?"

"No!" I shouted, my foot stomping on the ground in frustration. "I mean, I can jump like I normally could but not to reach that Piece of Heart." I showed Her Highness what I meant by trying to jump up and grab the ledge in order to pull myself up. My jump was then suddenly blocked by an unseen force which pushed me back down and leaving me dejected. "Normally in these games, you can't jump so my own natural jump just got denied."

"What about using the Roc's Feather?"

"I suppose I could give it a shot." Taking out the Roc's Feather and holding it firmly, I jumped up in hopes of grabbing the ledge. Again, the unseen force pushed me down which prompted me to try several more times before giving up. "Not even this thing works. Now do you see, Twilight? Ugh! Sometimes, I really hate these stupid video game physics!"

"How strange."

"No... Just aggravating." Grumbling, I went back up the stairs to the outside world. Fortunately, none of the monsters were nearby so I was free to proceed. Unfortunately, the effects of the Guardian Acorn had worn off but it wasn't a total loss. Heading around the corner, I encountered a fence which prevented anyone from entering the river rapids, but more importantly, I could see that the current was pretty strong. Only a professional could make it through that relatively unscathed. I turned to Princess Twilight. "Well... Here we are."

"This is truly fascinating."

"Only you would think so."

Sticking her tongue out, Her Highness took a closer look at the flowing river. "If it's this strong here, you can imagine how much stronger it will be once you get to the rapids proper as this is clearly the starting point. You should see if the proprietor is at home."

Walking up to the building, I saw a sign to the left of the door. "Let's see, it says 'Do you want to challenge the river rapids on a raft? Proceed to the office at once, please. No records set yet. Give it a try!' Quite the choice of words aimed at those looking for excitement in their lives."

"You'd be surprised as to how many people on the island have a hidden wild side in them." A familiar voice then spoke out. I looked in the direction of the door and standing there wearing rather casual looking attire was Sonata Dusk. I was wondering as to where the last member of the Dazzlings had gotten to and it was apparently right here. "They won't admit that they're thrill seekers because it'd mean having to give up on their common villager routine."

"Then how come you don't have any customers."

"I blame the monsters." I was certain Sonata was going to blow a fuse as I sounded like I was insulting her business strategy but she was clearly in too much of a good mood. "You must be Sunset Shimmer."

"How do you know my name?"

"The shopkeeper of Mabe Village sent me a message saying to look out for a girl dressed in green." Sonata then showed off a letter which she had been holding in her hand before putting it into one of her shirt pockets. "She and I go back a long ways which is why she let me know to expect you. Now that I'm getting a good look at you... You definitely look like someone who the rapids were just made for."

I'm not surprised that Aria would send a message about me. Back in the world that I now called home, the Dazzlings were a pretty tight trio though they often got at each other's throat due to clashing personalities. Adagio was the dominant leader who expected her sisters to fall in line and do whatever she said. Aria was the one who didn't say much and often was sarcastic towards pretty much everyone else. And then there was Sonata. She was perhaps the least threatening (Yet still acted antagonistic), but was also the most oblivious because of how she acted like a complete air-head.

I supposed it was that last trait which made her feel the most endearing of the Dazzlings, but her problem was the company that she kept. Had she never interacted with the other two, she could've become a valued friend. Perhaps in another world this would've happened. Speaking of which, I did have to commend Adagio and Aria for getting used to living as humans and not having magic to consume. They probably hated it deep down and yearned to go home to Equestria, but they wouldn't exactly be given warm welcomes. After all, they did leave behind quite the legacy.

Anyway, I began to inquire about the river rapids. "So how does this work?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Sonata was looking at me as if I never went on any river rapids, and she'd be right about that, but I needed to sound like I wasn't a utter dork. "Where I come from, we don't have the kind of thing you're offering here."

"No way!" Slapping both sides of her face in shock, the impact making a sound so loud that it echoed throughout the area, I could've sworn that even the monsters heard what she did and promptly did nothing about it. "You poor thing!" Shaking her head back and forth as though she were possessed, Sonata quickly snapped out of it and grabbed my hand. "Then you'd better come inside and I'll see what I can do."

Before I even had a chance to respond, she pulled me into her place of business (Had she pulled me any harder my arm would've ripped out of the socket) whereupon I was in awe at the amount of clutter there was. I was surprised there was enough room for a bed (There was one near the back) as much of the space had been dedicated to barrels containing who knew what, a container for paddles, various nick-knacks on the back wall, a box containing strange fruit, and her counter which had a plate with several fish on it. I'd seen some strange interiors on this journey yet this one definitely stood out as a true mess.

"You didn't need to drag me in here." I said as I freed my arm from her grip.

Racing to the back of her counter, Sonata, head in her hands, leaned forward and pressed her elbows down on the counter's wooden surface. "Sorry for doing that but I was in complete despair when you said you'd never been on a water rapids excursion." She then looked around and blushed before coughing. She knew that I was judging the condition of her business (More like her residence) within my mind. "Sorry about the mess but then I've been busy getting prepared for the on-coming customer rush." Her smile meant she had no customers so I decided to be blunt about it.

"We already determined that you have no customers."

"You're right." Sonata's smiled faded away momentarily before coming back when she realized that I was there. "Guess you'll have to do. Now then, let me give you some rules on how this is going to work. First, it's going to cost you one hundred rupees so please pay up before I continue." I handed over the rupees that Starlight got for me and she pocketed them. "That will get me some good food later on." I rolled my eyes in response to that. "Anyway, you should know that you won't be going out there on your own. I'm going to be the one who pilots the raft down those rapids."

"I heard that you provided that service."

"If I didn't then I'd be stuck here doing nothing all day."

"At least by coming along, you get to enjoy the ride."

"Now you're talking!" Sonata said as she winked. "Okay, the third thing you need to know. There are two ways to ride the rapids. If you go with the 'Rapids Raid', your objective is to pick up as many items as you can. If you're feeling more adventurous or perhaps speedy, there's the 'Rapids Race' where you try to get to the end as fast as you can. So... Which course do you want to try?"

I didn't need to take long to make a decision. "I'm going to take the Rapids Raid."

"Somehow, I knew you would."

"Was it that obvious?"

"You've got a sword, a shield, and plenty of other stuff on your person." Sonata answered. "So yeah, I knew you wanted to collect items. Okay, let me get the raft prepared for you and we'll be on our way. Just give me about two or three minutes and then I'll holler for you."

As she left in order to prepare the raft, I turned to Princess Twilight who had been observing the entire time. "What did you make of all that?"

"Sonata is definitely pleasant in this world and what we heard about her being eccentric are true." Princess Twilight answered. "Granted, her home could stand some major improvement though if Rarity were here, she'd demand a complete makeover. Anyway, we should be grateful that she's going to be guiding us down the river rather than you attempting to do it on your own."

"Do you think there are any monsters waiting for us?"

"If there are, you'll be able to handle them though your movement will be limited."

A few moments later, Sonata called out for me to come outside and get on board the raft. Princess Twilight and I nodded at each other before I stepped outside and was surprised at seeing what the raft looked like. I mean, I wasn't expecting anything fancy given this was a small business but I had hoped for something adequate enough size-wise. Sonata explained that her raft had been through so much over the course of twenty years that she never bothered getting it replaced due to feeling nostalgic. Now that's what I called dedication if not absurd as most in her position would've had such a thing replaced much sooner.

Stepping onto the raft, it began swaying back and forth which made me feel uneasy, but Sonata said that I would quickly get used to it. She then said that it would take about thirty minutes to reach our destination at the bottom. When I asked why it was going to take so long, she replied that there were points of interest where I'd want to stop and perhaps investigate. She then said that I needed to jump in order to collect the items that were scattered along the course. I pressed her for more information but she refused and said I had to find out on my own otherwise it wouldn't be fun.

Closing the gate and then using a pole to push us away from the shore, Sonata began to row us along the river with quite the strength behind her. At first, nothing bad was happening and I could take in the beautiful scenery... But then things quickly changed upon seeing the water's speed. There were two paths we could take down the rapids and I could barely see some objects floating above which were likely the items. She asked me to choose which direction to take and make it quickly so I chose the second path. She then said that to collect any items required me to jump and to hold on tight as things would get rough quickly.

Knowing that I needed the Roc's Feather, I took it out and held onto it tightly as Sonata rowed down to the second path before the raft was pulled by the rapids. I then immediately jumped to collect a rupee icon which was floating nearby though I had no idea how much it was worth. I hoped she would provide me a value or perhaps Princess Twilight could keep track of that for me instead. In the mean time, I could see some strange plants growing from the water which made me think they were obstacles. Her Highness quickly took a closer look and said I could latch onto them using the Hookshot if need be.

I then saw a Piece of Heart on a nearby bit of land and I was determined to get it. Taking out the Hookshot and firing the chain, I latched onto the strange plant in front of the raft and pulled it in that direction. Sonata was definitely impressed with my action. "Whoa! I never would've thought of using that little doohickey of yours. It makes me wonder what other surprises you have on you."

"That was nothing." I said making sure not to brag.

"Thanks to that stunt, we're taking a slightly different route." Sonata then noticed the Piece of Heart and smiled. "Okay, so that's why you wanted to come this way. It doesn't matter which way we go so long as you enjoy the experience. And before you ask, I can stop for you if you want to pick up that large heart up ahead."

As the raft continued down the river, I jumped to collect the bomb, arrow, and magic powder icons respectively (Each one was worth ten) before it turned to the left and Sonata stopped at some steps and used her pole to keep the raft in position. "Just give me a moment to pick this up." I walked up to the Piece of Piece and felt the familiar warmth that occurred whenever I picked one up. I had no idea how much health I had but with this, I could survive future ordeals a bit more easily. "Okay, we can continue on." I said as I returned to the raft prompting Sonata to push us forward.

"How do you like the river rapids?" she asked.

"I'm enjoying it so far."

"That's what I want to hear."

Another bit of land was coming up which had a treasure chest and one of those weird owl statues next to it. I asked Sonata to move the raft to the left and she complied knowing what I was about to do. Using the Hookshot on another plant by the stairs, I latched on to it and pulled the raft up to the stairs where I got off and walked up to the chest. It contained twenty rupees which wasn't bad though I was hoping for a bigger pay out but it was a better than nothing. "Twilight? Do you know how much that rupee icon was worth?"

"I made a calculation placing it at twenty rupees." Princess Twilight answered.

"Wow. This place could make for a good rupee grinding spot."

"Not really, Sunset, as you have to pay one hundred rupees to try."

"Yeah... I guess you're right."

"There's no such thing as a free path through life."

As much as I wanted an easier way to grind for rupees without doing much in the way of effort, Princess Twilight was right in that there was no easy solution. Everything had to be done legitimately even if it pained you in the process. Oh well. I just had to hope that I could find more treasure chests that had rupees. Walking up to the weird owl statue, I watched as its eyes glowed whilst sharing whatever wisdom it had to offer. 'YOU ARE FAR FROM ANY SECRETS!' Wow... Not exactly what I called wisdom. Far from it. It acted more like an insult designed to weaken my resolve.

Cursing the statue under my breath, I got back on to the raft and Sonata used her pole to get us moving again. More icons of bombs, magic powder, and arrows were up ahead but I ignored them in favour of grabbing the rupee icons as those were more useful to me. Unfortunately, there were some that were on a different path so collecting them was unlikely so I focused on what I could get. Sonata suggested that I could've reached them by using some fancy maneuvers with the Hookshot but I said nothing which told her that I didn't have skills like that.

The raft was then pulled to the right and the next section of the rapids were upon us. Now we were going back the way we came though it involved weaving past some of the strange plants which were positioned awkwardly in an effort to slow us down. I then noticed another piece of land yet nothing was on it. I called out to Sonata who knew what I wanted and tried steering towards it only for the current to pull us forward. Using the Hookshot to pull the raft forward to a plant, I jumped to collect a rupee icon before using it again in hopes of realigning ourselves correctly.

It took some doing but she was able to get us to the stairs where I got off once again. "Okay, what's with this area?"

Princess Twilight took a closer look but couldn't see anything. "There has to be something here otherwise why have it here to begin with? Hmmm... Maybe you can use one of your items in order to find something."

Her words clicked and I immediately took out my shovel. "I haven't used this thing in forever!"

"Clever to think of using it to dig up something you can't normally see."

I smiled as I dug a hole and up came a Secret Seashell. "Hey! This is another one of those shells that Adagio wanted me to find. Say, Twilight. Do you know how many of these I've collected now?" In truth, my memory had been getting hazy regarding these seashells since they didn't come up all that often."

"I'm not sure on the exact amount either but I believe you have gotten at least ten."

"So what does that mean?"

"The next time you're in the area, you should pay a visit to the Seashell Mansion." Princess Twilight answered. "You can either go there before going to the dungeon or afterwards, whichever option is more within your time frame. Besides, I think Adagio is a better person to give you the correct answer with regards to how many seashells you currently have. Either way, you should pocket that seashell so as to not lose it." Her Highness then noticed another treasure chest located at the opposite end of the rapids. "I see a chest over there, Sunset!"

"Where?" I asked with Her Highness pointing at it. "I can barely see it but I'll take your word for it. Let's hope Sonata can get us over there." Pocketing the seashell and heading back to the raft, Sonata once again cast us off and we were heading in the direction of the chest. Convenient? Yes but whether I could reach it was another story. Upon reaching the next piece of land which housed the chest, I was saddened to see that there was no way of accessing it. I could see some stairs which made me think. Did I have to reach it from that tunnel Her Highness told me about before? No... That couldn't be right as I couldn't see any other path down there.

Once again, it looked like I had to wait until later before I could get it so I asked Princess Twilight to make a note of it which she did. The raft was then forced to go left and down the side of the wall where several rupee icons were floating up ahead. Asking Sonata to maintain course, she nodded and kept close to the wall to prevent us from being taken in a different direction and away from the money. Once the raft got close enough, I jumped up and grabbed all of the icons (I got eighty rupees in one go) and Sonata smiled knowing that I was truly enjoying the experience.

Now we were in the final section where rupee icons were the name of the game. I jumped up and grabbed as many as possible though some were placed in stupid locations which couldn't be reached (Not even Sonata was capable of performing extreme maneuvers on such turbulent waters) but at least I got some. I could've used the Hookshot to get a better chance at getting those extra rupees but I felt like I had gotten enough. As the raft turned to the right, it suddenly dropped down until it splashed into the water below where the current was much calmer.

Then Sonata called out. "We've reached the end of the Rapids Raid!"

"We did?" I asked.

"Yep and you handled yourself pretty well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember when I said that people here have a hidden wild side?" Sonata asked. I nodded and she slapped the left side of her side whilst chuckling. "Turns out that they can't handle the intense speed of the rapids. Guess they didn't take that into account when they came up this way." My jaw dropped in response to what she just said but I wasn't about to chew her out over it. In truth, I really enjoyed the experience. She then continued on. "Not only did you get plenty of rupees, you also got some prizes I didn't even know were there. It just goes to show that I'm still discovering something new."

"So what will you do now?"

Before answering, Sonata gently pushed me off of the raft (I wasn't going to complain as I knew the ride was over and she needed it) and then picked it up which again demonstrated just how strong she was. "I've got to head back to my place and wait until someone else comes along or you decide to try again."

"I've got to go again?" I asked in a confused manner."

"No." Sonata answered shaking her head. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Besides, I know that you can't because you look as though you've got some serious business to take care of. After all, someone who has all those nifty toys must be on an important quest." She then looked off in the distance which made me do the same though I couldn't see what had gotten her interest. "If you go west from here, you'll find a weird keyhole that I discovered during one of my first river rapid excursions. I don't know what it does but maybe you can make some use of it."

"I'll be sure to check it out."

"If you do want to try the rapids again, just go through this tunnel and you'll be back at my place in no time." Sonata then shook my heads so rapidly that I was afraid she was going to make them fall off. "Thanks again for taking part in the Rapids Raid! Goodbye now!" With that, she walked off into the tunnel, her raft on her back, and was soon out of sight leaving me and Princess Twilight on our own.

"At least we now know how to get that Piece of Heart." Princess Twilight said as she pointed at the tunnel Sonata had just entered. "You can go and pick it up whenever you want or would you prefer to check out that keyhole she mentioned before she left?"

I took out the Face Key and looked in the direction Sonata had done moments ago. "On the plus side, Twilight, we won't have to search too hard for the keyhole this Face Key needs to be inserted into thanks to Sonata."

"You just need to look for an unusual keyhole."

"By the way, do you know many rupees I ended up getting on the rapids?"

Princess Twilight did a quick count on her fingers before coming up with an answer. "You collected about nine of those rupee icons from what I saw. Since each one was worth twenty, you earned about 180 rupees in total. You ended up getting a profit of eighty since it cost one hundred to go on the rapids. In terms of grinding for rupees, you did a pretty good job but know that going through the rapids again will likely net you the same amount."

I sighed. "Well... It's better than getting nothing." I then thought about what Starlight had done for me. "I wished I could've gotten the rupees I used to pay for the rapids ride rather than having Starlight get them for me through who-knows-what method she used."

"There are some things that are just beyond your ability to control." Princess Twilight then changed the subject. "So have you decided?"

"I'll get the Piece of Heart first."

"This will be your third one in the span of roughly twelve hours, Sunset."

"I'm on a roll!"

"That or you just happened to find them on account of them being not well hidden."

Hey! If they are easy enough to find then that suits me just fine! Some things should be easy to find even when you're not going out of your way to look for them. Entering the tunnel and seeing the flooded section again, I had to wonder just how Sonata got across whilst carrying that raft around on her back. Oh well. I guessed some things just aren't meant to be known because finding out would probably be something utterly absurd. Jumping into a deeper section of water and briefly swimming across before getting out at the other end, I kept on walking until I came upon that which had prevented me from getting the Piece of Heart before.

This time, I was on the correct side and could see what Princess Twilight meant about using the Hookshot. There were three boulders, one to the right by the Piece of Heart, one directly in front of me, and one to my right which looked out of place though I knew what it was for. Looking over what I had to do, I took it out again and pulled myself across after firing the chain at the first boulder. I fired it again to cross the large gap and picked up the Piece of Heart where I once again felt the familiar warmth which I had long since come to love. I didn't want such a sensation to end but there were more important things to do.

Upon its effects on me wearing off, I turned around and went back across the gap with the Hookshot before doing the same thing to get back to where I was before. Had that third boulder not been there, I'd have had to go through the river rapids again (Not to mention paying one hundred rupees which I had only just gotten) though Sonata wouldn't been too upset since she viewed me as her best customer ever (Or at least that was the implication). Walking back through the flooded section of the tunnel, I was soon back outside and that was when I discovered where the rapids had ended up taking me.

I was on the other side of the river where the path to the southern shrine was located and I could see that there was no way I could've gotten to this side without the use of the rapids. Good thing I actually enjoyed going down them so this revelation didn't bother me in the least. Jumping into the water where my flippers activated upon impact (I loved that this was an automatic feature rather than me switching to them every single time), I began swimming around to see where I needed to go next. A Zirro made things more difficult as it was dropping bombs but I managed to swim away before things got really hectic.

Princess Twilight then directed me over to the small island where the two statues were located and it wasn't long before I swam around and stepped onto said island only to discover that the two statues were in fact Armos statues. Making sure not to touch either one, I examined both statues carefully and saw what looked to be stairs hiding underneath one of them. That was just great as now I had no choice but to awaken it! Raising my shield and touching it, it awoke where it began bouncing off of my shield in its bid to get me but to no avail as a combination of my defence and the island being so narrow protected me from harm.

After bouncing off my shield after the twentieth time, I was beginning to get angry as I wasn't getting anywhere. My sword was useless as all it did was leave it stunned and I couldn't just pick it up and toss it into the water. That's when it hit me! The Armos Knight was vulnerable to arrows yet it was an Armos by name. Moving to the other side of the island whilst not touching the other statue (I didn't want to be pinned down on both sides), it eventually got bored and became a statue upon moving back to its original position. I then took out my bow and prepared an arrow before moving forward.

That's when I tapped the Armos with my foot to make it come alive and I promptly fired the arrow. It struck it in the eye destroying it one shot and I felt relieved. "Whew! I just should've used an arrow sooner!"

"At least you figured out that arrows are one of its two weaknesses."

"Wait, what?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Upon a closer examination of the Armos of Koholint Island, they are immune to every weapon type except for arrows and a special item which I'm not quite sure what it is yet. Apparently, there are some things I'm not allowed to know about until you've discovered them on your own. In any case, be thankful that you spent so many rupees on purchasing that bow otherwise you'd have been completely stuck."

"Do you think I'll find this mystery item of yours?"

"If you dedicate some time to looking around for it or someone gives you a hint."

There always had to be a catch. Then again, it's what provided a challenge for those seeking it. Heading down into the now accessible stairway, I entered yet another tunnel that had a small pool near where the stairs ended, and within the water were two fish though something about them felt wrong. "Have I encountered fish like these before?"

"If you have then I haven't been able to provide you with some advice or it's been so long that I forgot about them." Princess Twilight blushed a little whilst scratching her head though I hadn't really noticed due to being concerned about what was in front of me. "These are simply called Piranha and yes, I'm referring to the fish and not the plants. Normally, they are native to the Goponga Swamp but can show up in other places like caves. They won't attack you until you get close enough but they move very quickly so you need to react in kind or else you'll get bitten."

"Anything will work against them, right?"

"Pretty much though they are invincible when they are swimming about underwater."

Moving towards the water, I began swinging my sword repeatedly until the Piranha would take notice and attack. Sure enough, they did and I defeated both with one strike though I felt bad that they didn't see what was so obvious. I guessed some monsters lacked intelligence and instead relied on pure instinct. Jumping into the water, swimming across briefly, and then getting back out again, I approached a large abyss that looked incredibly daunting, but the boulders on either side indicated how I was to proceed. Had I somehow managed to find a way to get here sooner without the rapids, I'd have been stuck and forced to go back.

Taking out the Hookshot, I fired at the boulder on the other side of the abyss and pulled myself across. Then out of a sense of curiosity, I looked down into the abyss before quickly looking away. Just the thought of falling for eternity made me shiver. I walked up some nearby steps and was back outside in the same area though now in a different location. Looking around, I saw another set of stairs so I walked up and found a dead end aside from two Armos statues. Nudging one of them, it didn't move so I tried with the one which resulted in the same thing.

"Okay... I'm completely lost here." I said as I scratched my head.

"There has to be something you missed, Sunset."

I nodded. "You're right. Sonata said there was a keyhole somewhere around here but I don't see it."

Her Highness then noticed something on a lower ledge and began to bop me on the head. "Hey! I think I've just found it!" I then looked at what she had seen and sure enough, propped up against a wall was a keyhole inside of what appeared to be some kind of face. "You know what you need to do."

I went back down the stairs and around the corner before coming face-to-face (No pun intended there) with the keyhole in question. No wonder Sonata was able to see this thing. I mean, it stood out like a sore thumb but I supposed only the adventuring type would notice. Taking out the Face Key, I inserted it into the keyhole, turned it, and then pulled it back out and the keyhole disappeared. After waiting for a couple of seconds, everything began to rumble like there was an earthquake and a large building suddenly rose up from the ground where those two Armos were.

"That must be the next dungeon!" I exclaimed. "Though it doesn't quite look like a shrine."

"You won't know until we go inside."

"Guess that means it's time to deal with the usual."

Princess Twilight nodded. "After six dungeons already under your belt, you shouldn't be worried about what the seventh one will be like."

Walking back to where the two Armos were, I breathed slowly before walking into the newly revealed building. Inside, the décor had a clear pink tinge to it what with the walls having a pink like colour, but what I didn't like were the statues resembling giant heads. A voice in my head then told me that this was 'Level 6 - Face Shrine'. I then began to shiver which caught the attention of Her Highness. "Brrr... I suddenly feel cold."

"How can you be cold?" Princess Twilight asked. "We haven't seen any winter-like areas on this island."

"No, it's not like that."

"Then what is it?"

"I can't explain it, Twilight, but I feel like I'm being watched by something." Her Highness then looked at me with a skeptical look and I couldn't blame her. After all, we had only just entered and already there was a problem. "This place is giving me the creeps and it's not just those statues in front of us."

Then Her Highness started to shiver. "Okay, now I'm feeling the same thing. I guess me being a fairy means I react to certain stimulants before or after a human does depending on what that stimulant is." Good thing I knew what a stimulant was otherwise I'd have looked like an idiot. "Whatever is watching us, we need to ignore it and focus on getting through this dungeon and finding the sixth instrument."

Agreeing, I began to look around and saw that there were two ways to go. "Should I go left or right?"

"It's up to you."

Thinking it over for a moment, I opted to go to the right so I walked in that direction and entered the next room which contained some interesting things. "There are statues moving about on that moving floor." I moved in for a closer look only to quickly step back upon almost getting sliced by a Blade Trap. "Whoa! I didn't see that coming."

"Those statues look a lot like elephants."

"I'm surprised you know what they are."

"I'll have you know that I've seen them before." Princess Twilight said, feeling offended by my words. "Elephants do exist in Equestria alongside most other animals though the former are seldom seen. In fact, Fluttershy, the pony version, has one at her animal sanctuary which I've seen on a few occasions. What I don't understand is why these statues bear a resemblance to one."

"Now that I can answer." I said. "In some cultures in the world I call home, elephants are sacred and are at times depicted in statues and other works of art. I'm not sure what the significance is here but something tells me that I can pick them up using a little bit of strength." I then walked up to the edge of the moving floor making sure to watch the Blade Trap  in case it moved forward, and when a statue came past, I grabbed and tried to lift it up only to fail in spectacular fashion. "What the!?" I then waited for another opportunity and when it came, the same result happened. "What's going on here!?"

"It looks like you don't have the strength to pick those statues up."

I then flashed the Power Bracelet that was still on my wrist. "But I've been using this bracelet without any issues until now!"

"Maybe you need a more powerful Power Bracelet in order to lift up really heavy objects?" Princess Twilight said. "If one exists in this dungeon, you need to find it as soon as possible."

"You think the key to this dungeon is more strength?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "We won't know for certain until you encounter some more of these elephant statues and that they happen to be blocking something important. For now, you just need to continue exploring until you find a new bracelet."

On the one hand, getting a better Power Bracelet would mean getting more strength in my arms than ever before. On the other, I was upset that I was facing an obstacle that I once again couldn't handle straight away. Using the elephant statues as a barrier, I moved across the moving floor and almost got clipped by one of the Blade Traps, and entered the next room. There were some strange tiles on the floor which looked out of place and the door to my left had locked upon me entering.

Suddenly, I got hit in the shoulder by something. Wincing in pain, I looked around to see what hit me but there was nothing. As I stood there scratching my head, I got hit in the chest by another object which made me wonder what was going on. Princess Twilight then warned me about a third object but I didn't react quick enough and got hit. The damage was minimal at best but it was the principle of the thing. That's when I noticed what had been hitting me. The strange floor tiles had been flinging themselves at me. Raising my shield and standing in one place, I watched as each tile slammed into the shield, breaking upon impact every time.

When the last tile had flung itself at me and broke upon hitting my shield, the door unlocked and I moved on to the next room. In this new room, there was a locked door to the north and without a small key, I wasn't going that way for some time. To the right was a panel with a pot symbol which acted like a door if I remembered correctly. The only other things were a pair of elephant statues (It made sense to call them this) which meant I couldn't go any further. I tried lifting up a statue since neither was on a moving platform, and like before, I couldn't budge them an inch.

I could've used Manbo's Mambo to go back to the start of the dungeon but I decided that would just be me being lazy. Instead, I decided to go back the way I came. Heading back to the previous room with the tiles which had since returned, I quickly moved onward before any could attack. Then in the room with the moving floor, I once again used the elephant statues as shields to avoid getting sliced up by the Blade Traps. After all of that, I was back at the entrance. So far, I felt confident about how this dungeon would play out yet something at the back of my mind was telling me that things were about to get worse.

Heading left into the room in that direction, another door then locked to my right. "You know, I'm getting tired of that happening."

"It's usually done to prevent you from progressing too quickly."

I sighed. "I know, I know."

"Since I can see no puzzle that needs to be solved, you need to defeat some monsters to open that door." Princess Twilight then pointed at another path which was open. "Or you could ignore this door and keep on going. It depends on how strong of a curiosity you have."

As soon I took a step forward, three green hats materialized from the ground. Leaning forward to get a closer look, the hats popped up to reveal magicians who then all fired some kind of magic before disappearing again. "These are new enemies."

Princess Twilight nodded. "They are Wizzrobes, known for being masters of movement."

Hearing that name brought back a memory from my previous adventure. "Twilight... You don't mean the old-man looking Wizzrobes from the previous adventure do you? Those guys were creepy and their laughter was chilling. I thought I'd never have to see anything that hideous ever again!"

"Though both monsters share the same name, these ones are different." Princess Twilight answered. "As you've just seen, they appear out of nowhere then use some of their magic before disappearing only to reappear somewhere else ad infinitum. Your sword can only stun them so don't expect it to be the final solution. When they are stunned, you can either get away or use one of your other items. I'm not sure what can work so it'll come down to experimentation."

"How much damage do they do?"

"With your blue tunic, they won't inflict much damage, but they do attack aggressively so it will add up."

"I was afraid of that."

While I was glad that these Wizzrobes weren't creepy (They actually looked cute despite their faces consisting of just two eyes in darkness) the fact that they could attack from anywhere and with such aggression made them more problematic than any other monster I had fought previously. I hated when one monster gave me more headaches than any other. Why couldn't there be any consistency? Was I afraid to fight them? Not really. It's just that Princess Twilight made them sound extremely dangerous and since I didn't have medicine, they could kill me really quickly.

To Be Continued.