//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Cold Winds of the Temple. // Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask By Ganondorf8 September 5, 2016 Chapter 24: Cold Winds of the Temple. " Well? Ready to climb up the mountain path to the temple?" Twilight asked. " I'm not if we should go just yet." I answered. " You're not having second thoughts are you?" " No! Of course not! It's just that I think having my sword would increase my chances of survival." I answered. I then looked down at my Goron body then at Her Highness who rolled her eyes. I knew what she was saying without having to say anything. I had a body that was its own weapon that proved more than capable of holding its own against monsters, so why bother using a sword? I clenched my fist tightly before releasing it and sighed heavily. " Being like this is fun and all, but I can't rely on this form for everything, Twilight. I have a feeling the temple will require human ingenuity in addition to Goron might." " What makes you think you'll need that body?" " In Woodfall Temple, a lot of the puzzles required me to be a Deku Scrub while others needed my human form. I never really paid much attention to it until now, but I'm certain the next temple will feature challenges that need both human and Goron skills." I answered. " Yes... That's a very good point you bring up, Sunset." " If we go up to the temple without my sword, if we come across a problem that requires me to use it, we'd be stuck because it would still be at the Mountain Smithy waiting for me to collect it from Fancy Pants and Tirek." I said. That was quite the mouthful, yet it was enough for Her Highness to realize that going anywhere in Termina without a proper weapon would be tantamount to suicide. Sure, Gorons had their fists but they couldn't use them for everything. " So, you want to pick it up?" " It'd be for the best." " You do realize that they probably haven't finished working on making it stronger, right? According to what Fancy Pants said, your sword wouldn't be finished until tomorrow morning, and right now we're still a couple of hours away from the sun coming up. Unless you can kill some time, we'll be stuck here for a while waiting." Twilight said. That was the only problem with my plan. Because I had woken up in the middle of the night--Ganondorf's visitation in my dreams resulted in that--I had gone and completed my remaining tasks a lot sooner. Had I fallen back asleep and not leave the hot spring, I'd have still completed those errands upon waking up and visit the smithies to pick up my weapon without having to wait around like this. Well, there was no point in dwelling on the past--ironic given how even now I struggle to move on from my own past. I had to wait until the sun came up before I could go inside and claim my re-forged sword--I was curious as to what it would look like. Looking up at the cloudy sky, I tried to see if I could determine how much longer it was until sunrise. From what I could see, the sky was still dark--not so much as before when I exited the hot spring--so I'd say that was at least another two or three hours to go. Her Highness said I needed to kill some time, but there wasn't much I could do given how there was snow all around me. One idea involved rolling around for a while so that I could get adjusted to the intense speeds that came with it. Another involved taking a closer look at the mask I received from Photo Finish after I gave her that rock sirloin. After pondering over it for a few moments, I decided to look at the mask as rolling around would waste my remaining magic power. " Where are you going?" Twilight asked as I walked towards the Mountain Smithy. " I'm not sitting out in the snow until morning, so why not sit on the porch of the smithies' place and take a look at that mask I got?" " Isn't that the same as sitting out in the snow?" " My butt will be sitting on firm wood instead of cold snow." " Your logic doesn't make sense at all." Twilight said. Before she could say anything else, I had already reached the porch and had sat down. She shrugged and floated after me but not without mumbling to herself. There was another reason why I wanted to sit on the porch instead of out on the snow. I never noticed until I had begun to walk over to the smithies, but the roof of the building hung over the porch giving it some protection to anyone who wanted to sit there. While it didn't prevent the cold from being an issue, having a roof above your head wasn't something to be taken for granted. The porch even had a lush carpet in front of the door most likely used by people to wipe their feet so as to not bring in any snow. Either side of the door were potted plants that served as both decorations and something I could smash to acquire any rupees or ammunition--I was surprised that plants could thrive out here in such conditions. Upon sitting down--I made a loud thud that did reverberate through the area due to the mountains echoing sound--I quickly realized that I wasn't able to access any of the masks I had collected apart from the Deku Mask. Twilight deduced that I could switch between forms by wearing the respective mask thus skipping my human form entirely. It didn't make sense at first but she said that it was a way to cut down on time by eliminating the middle man. So, if I were to put on the Deku Mask right now, I'd switch to my Deku form without needing to become a human in the process. I supposed it was a useful technique to consider and perhaps one that was a design standpoint for this game, but the thought of wearing one mask on top of another like that felt both risky and ridiculous. Switching between forms so quickly could result in me getting stuck in one form without a means of changing back--like I was when I was stuck as a Deku back at the start. It actually sounded like one of those speed techniques Rainbow Dash always talked about where gamers played through a game quickly by exploiting certain features to get through as fast as possible. Pulling on the Goron Mask, I pulled it off changing back to normal in the process, flipped my head back--my hair flipped back as well--and put it away before taking out the new mask that I received. According to Photo Finish, this mask would let me conduct a group of frogs who could sing. I had definitely heard stranger things--Equestria had such things happening several times a week as Her Highness mentioned in her responses to my Friendship Reports--but perhaps it could be useful. No doubt that the mask looked really authentic right down to the very last detail. Whoever crafted it knew what they were doing. " I wonder where those frogs could be?" " I can't believe you just asked that, Sunset." " What do you mean?" " We've already encountered a few frogs on this journey. Remember the one in Woodfall Temple that was that Mad Gecko creature? How about the other one in the swamp during that cruise we took to the Deku Palace? And don't forget the one we found back in town hiding amongst the flowers." Twilight answered. My eyes opened wide with shock. How could I have forgotten all of that? I remembered seeing those frogs yet never paid much attention. Now their presence made sense. What was truly surprising was that Her Highness remembered in intricate detail as to where we encountered them. " I have a feeling there are a few more frogs out there." " Even if we find them all, they won't come to the mountains because of how cold it is." " Yes, that's true. If spring were to appear then so would they." " Do you think conducting a bunch of frogs would wield any reward?" " Maybe, but then you'd do it not to earn something in return, right?" " I don't get to dictate who gives and who doesn't give me a reward. I just do what I can in order to help out anyone who needs it. It doesn't even matter if my own life gets put in danger so long as they are happy in the end." I answered. I then noticed Twilight mumbling to herself again and this time I made sure to call her out on it. " I know you're upset with me for being reckless and not wanting to go to the temple as you wanted." " You just contradicted yourself there." " While it may look like I'm ignoring you sometimes and wanting to follow my instincts, it's because I feel that my way works best compared to yours. I want to save this world and restore the world I call home back to normal, and I need your help, Twilight. I need you more than you can even begin to imagine. Yet, I must do things my way because otherwise you might think lesser of me for it." I said. " Sunset... Is that you really feel?" " Yes." " Why didn't you say something sooner? You don't need me to scorn you for wanting to do what you think is best." Twilight said. She then opened her eyes wide upon realizing that she had also contradicted herself because of her mumbling a few moments ago. " I had no right complaining under my breath about you not following my advice. I'm reminded of what happened when Starlight Glimmer had her first friendship lesson with me. I learned that she needed space to figure out the problem on her own. That's the same with you, Sunset. I need to give you space to figure things out. I'm here to act as an advisor while you carry out the overall action." " Wait a minute! You gave Starlight a friendship lesson?" " She is my student after all just as much as you are." " When did you find the time to do that?" " Our current predicament started the day after I came back from the Crystal Empire after helping Starlight reunite with an old friend. There's much more to the story, but I'll tell you about it some other time when we have a better free moment than this." Twilight answered. I knew of what Starlight had done according to what Her Highness told me. Two weeks after the Friendship Games ended, Her Highness came through the portal after finally receiving my messages, and revealed that Equestria's past had been altered due to Starlight using forbidden time magic. I may have done bad things such as stealing one of the Elements of Harmony, but what I did was nothing compared to what Starlight did--I doubted any villain ever considered rewriting history. Starlight becoming Twilight's student was also something I knew about given she couldn't stop talking about it at the time, but her receiving a friendship lesson was definitely something I didn't know. What Her Highness said about when she was dragged into this video game was a parallel to what happened to everyone at Canterlot High. Two weeks after she appeared, we had the get-together between the two schools leading into the events that brought us up to this point.*(1) Part of me blamed Rainbow for deciding to have video games showcased, but she didn't know that Ganondorf would appear. No one knew except for me. I always had a feeling deep down that he would return based on what he said after leaving me within an inch of my life--he said I was to be tormented further but not until a later point in time. I tried to warn them but no one listened. How could they believe a video game character would appear before us and change everything? Sure, they believed in magic after having witnessed it for themselves during the Friendship Games, but not someone whose magic was beyond even that of Princess Celestia? Again, the past is over now and what happened has been done. All that can be done now is to change everything back to normal, and for me, endure more torment until Ganondorf had been satisfied. That's when I thought about what Her Highness said about her trip to the Crystal Empire. It must have been something spectacular for her to not want to tell me the whole story, but I won't force her into telling me. She'll let me know when she's ready. " Twilight?" " What is it?" " I'm starting to get cold now." " Guess sitting on the porch doesn't really work that well in the snow, does it?" " Your smugness becomes you." " Sorry, but I couldn't help myself with that one. In any case, you should go inside the Mountain Smithy and wait it out until the sun comes up. I don't know how Fancy Pants will react to seeing you come before your sword has been re-forged, but staying out here will result in you freezing to death." Twilight said. Gorons were able to survive out in the cold far better than humans, yet I had to remain human until I got my sword back due to visiting the smithies as a human in the first place. So it was natural that I would get cold from being out here for so long. Getting myself up from the porch and putting Don Gero's Mask away, I walked up to the door and placed my hand on the knob. Sounds of banging could be heard coming from the other side so I knew that they were still working on making my sword stronger than it was. Gulping, I opened the door and stepped inside to see Tirek was banging what appeared to be my sword glowing bright yellow. Each of his blows courtesy of the hammer he wielded connected with my sword with loud bangs, sparks flying all over the place when the different metals clashed with one another. Fancy Pants was lying down on the couch much like before--I was starting to see how their operation truly worked--but was issuing commands to his fellow smithy every few minutes to which Tirek appeared to be following them. So far, neither of them knew that I was even there, yet that quickly disappeared when Tirek noticed me. " Ugo-oh! Ugo! Ugoh!" Tirek said. " Huh? Why did you stop all of a sudden, Gabora?" Fancy Pants asked as he sat upright on the couch. " You know that we've got to get that sword finished before that girl comes in a couple of hours to pick it up." " Ugo! Ugoh! Ugo!" " What? She's standing by the front door?" Fancy Pants turned his head and noticed me standing there--I pretended to act innocent but to no avail--and looked rather annoyed by my presence. I thought he was going to lose it but instead he seemed rather cival. " Huh? Why are you here so soon? Morning hasn't come yet! Look, I'm working on strengthening your sword. I'm busy, so don't bother me." " Um... It looks like he's the one doing all the work." I said. " Despite his hulking frame, Gabora is a master when it comes to forging weapons. He knows how to bring out the best in any weapon that gets treated by his hands, yet he lacks proper direction and chooses to do whatever. That's why I tell him exactly what needs to be done so that he doesn't make a mistake. You see kid, in this business, making a mistake is like asking to be killed by monsters. One slip up and you're finished!" Fancy Pants said. " That's quite the system." " It works well for both of us. Anyway, please come back in a couple of hours! Your sword will be ready by then!" " Would it be okay if I just sat in that corner over there and watch you guys work? It's gotten much colder outside since I was last here, and the monsters have been prowling about looking for something to eat. I'll not speak unless you need me to say something." I said. What I said about the monsters wasn't entirely accurate--they weren't hunting for food but rather attacking to protect their territory, but hopefully Fancy Pants would believe me and allow me to stay until dawn. " Normally, I wouldn't agree to such a request, but the sun will be up in a couple of hours, and I do agree with what you said about those problems outside. Okay! You can sit over there but don't get in the way. Your sword won't be as you want it if you bother us." Fancy Pants said. He turned his attention back to Tirek while I walked over to the corner and sat myself down. The wooden floor wasn't half-bad compared with the front porch, but then it was warmer in here than it was out there. This arrangement also gave me a chance to see some good old fashioned smithing, something that has been lost in the modern era thanks to advanced methods. Tirek continued banging my sword with his hammer, each blow varying in power as though he were sculpting my sword rather than simply re-forging it. It actually looked really funny to see someone his size wielding such a massive weapon and striking a tiny sword. No doubt that this was a much different Tirek as opposed to the one I faced back in Hyrule. This one, despite having an obvious speech impediment, was a gentle giant who had an abusive supervisor. I then looked up to see whether or not Twilight was watching the proceedings. She was watching Tirek do his work yet she had a much more serious look on her face as opposed to myself who felt calm and relaxed. I couldn't even begin to imagine what was going in the mind of Her Highness given her past with Tirek. I only knew what she had told me when she came back to the world I call home after becoming the Princess of Friendship. No doubt there was much more to what happened when he decided to make his presence known. I had often wondered what Tirek did that riled her up so much, but I knew that it wasn't my place to know. It was something Her Highness had to deal with on her own, yet she couldn't allow it to consume her very thoughts. She needed to remember that the Tirek in Termina wasn't the same person that she fought back in Equestria. This version was sweet and gentle, one who didn't desire to conquer the world in the name of power. For about the next hour, I watched in amazement at Tirek working on my sword while Fancy Pants gave him specific instructions. I almost fell asleep a couple of times due to how warm it was--sitting next to a hearth didn't help much either--yet I managed to regain focus especially when my sword was placed into the hearth for several seconds before being brought out to be worked on again. The only thing that I didn't like was the smell coming from the hearth. That thick smoke wafting around it did make it difficult to breathe, yet I suspected these two had long gotten themselves adjusted to such conditions. " Ugoh! Ugo!" Tirek said, breaking the silence. " Gabora is curious as to where you come from." Fancy Pants said. " He is?" I asked. " To be fair, I'm a little curious myself, kid. You wear that green outfit which looks like something you see from a forest, but you ain't one of those Deku Scrubs so what does that make you exactly?" Fancy Pants asked. I kept quiet in hopes he would eventually change the subject, but it seemed that persistence was a strong quality he possessed. " You don't need to say anything if you don't think either of us deserve to know. I was just trying to make conversation despite telling you not to get in the way." " No, I'll tell you. It's just that it's a little bit complicated." " How so?" " You see... I'm not really from Termina. I... I come from a different world." " Is that all? Ha! You didn't need to sound nervous about that, kid." " Huh?" " Zabora and I come from a kingdom that exists on the other side of the ocean. We came here to Termina in hopes of starting up a good business in these mountains when we heard that Gorons lived up here in their village. If you come from a different world and weren't from where we hail from, then you must have come from a lesser known kingdom. It happens around here quite often." Fancy Pants answered. " You could say my kingdom isn't known in these parts." I said. I couldn't tell them that I originally came from a world filled with talking ponies. Despite some of the strange things that I've seen in Termina, they'd never believe that a kingdom of ponies exists out there. " I moved away due to falling out with my old mentor. I believed myself to be ready to become on equal footing with her yet my arrogance blinded me to the truth. I wasn't ready for such a blessing and it took someone special to tell it to me straight." " Pretty harsh." " I've never been back since." " There are people out there who can't go back to where they came from due to their past. All you can do, kid, is just accept things and move on. No point in dwelling over things you couldn't control. Yep! All that does is make you miserable all over." Fancy Pants said. " Ugo! Ugoh-oh! Ugo!" Tirek said. " Gabora says what about that fairy of yours? Does it have a story to share?" When she took notice of the fact that Tirek had directly mentioned her, Twilight floated off my hat and hovered slightly in front of my face. I thought she was going to let him have it over what happened between them in Equestria, but she approached the situation in a relaxed manner. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing she had kept her feelings under control, but it was too soon to celebrate. She could still lose it depending on what Tirek decides to say next. " I come from the forest." Twilight answered. " Oh? You're a female fairy?" " Yes. Is that a problem?" " Not at all." " Much like Sunset, I come from a different world, yet where I come from, there is a beautiful forest filled with trees, woodland creatures, rivers, and much more all co-existing together in perfect harmony." Twilight said. I knew Her Highness had lied to Fancy Pants as she lived in Canterlot before moving to Ponyville, yet like me, she knew that neither of them would believe that we came from a world filled with talking ponies. " I lived a peaceful life until I chanced upon the Skull Kid." " You mean that weird kid in the mask?" " What!? You've seen her?" I asked. " A few days ago, I saw some weird kid walk up the path to the temple those Gorons watch over wearing some kind of freaky mask. I don't know what compelled them to go up there given how treacherous that path is, but hey, it's their funeral! I doubt that kid survived so I wouldn't worry about it. Anyway, we've talked long enough. Your sword won't finish itself so sit back and relax while we do the finishing touches. " Fancy Pants answered. If only he knew as to the kind of power Starlight possessed. She wouldn't have succumbed to the snow nor would she have been felled by any monsters. I thought about telling him but the chances of him believing me were slim to none. Over the next hour, Twilight and I watched the two smithies do their work, whispering to ourselves as to what Fancy Pants said about Starlight. We already knew she had been here according to what others had said, but now we had absolute confirmation that she had been here. No doubt she was behind the harsh winter that had gripped the mountains, but the question now was why did she do it? Unfortunately, Her Highness had no insight into Starlight's behaviour aside from what she remembered using Tatl's memories. In Termina, Starlight was someone who loved to play pranks because she wanted to get back against a lot of people who had wronged her in some way. I could enjoy pranks like the next person so long as no malicious intent occurred--I still suffered from guilt over how I manipulated everyone at Canterlot High for my own benefit--yet it seemed being malicious was what Starlight had in mind. As I continued to think about why she desired to bring this world to ruin, my mind lost complete track of time. Dawn of the Second Day: 48 Hours Remain. The clock that was hanging on the wall above my head rang twice to indicate that the next day was upon us. I didn't feel bad about wasting the remainder of the first day given all that I had accomplished, yet part of me wished that I had gone to the temple sooner instead of now. Oh well. I wanted to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to my protection. " Ugo! Ugoh!" Tirek said. " I'm amazed you didn't fall asleep." " I almost did a few times." I said. " Well, you needn't anymore, kid! Gabora just needs to make one or two more whacks and your sword will be done." Fancy Pants. He turned towards Tirek, nodded to let him know that he could proceed, and the latter smacked his hammer on my sword before placing it on the desk. " Finished! What impeccable timing Gabora! We said that we'd get her sword done by morning, and we did despite finishing three minutes after the fact." " Ugo-oh!" Tirek said. " You've waited long enough, so here is your sword nice and re-forged." Fancy Pants said. I got up and walked over to the desk where I saw a sword that was completely different from the one I dropped off the other night. " That expression on your face was what I expected to see from you, kid. No doubt that this was some of the best work Gabora and I have done in a very long time. It paid to be given such a unique sword." " It looks very unusual." I said. My sword was curved near the tip with the sheen telling me that it was much sharper than before. I didn't get why there was a small piece of blade sticking out next to the main part, but overall it looked far superior to what I had. " I'm not doubting your abilities as smithies, but it does look different from a typical sword." " That's the beauty of the Mountain Smithy. We take our time to make a good point! Anyway, what you have there is the Razor Sword. It's twice as strong as your old sword, so it should take care of any monster in short order. Go ahead and pick it up, kid, so you can feel it for yourself." Fancy Pants said. His gesture told me that it was safe to grab my sword, so I walked over to the desk making sure to keep my eye on Twilight just in case she decided to give Tirek a piece of her mind by flitting about his head. She held her ground enabling me to pick up my sword without any problems. The grip was the same as before yet I could sense a great power lurking within waiting to be unleashed. I began to swing it around to get a better feel for it and I liked what I felt. My sword had a slightly longer range that should make fighting much easier, yet somehow I felt it could've had just a bit more reach. Of course, I had no intention of making too many complaints just in case he got offended. " Not bad at all. I wish it had a slightly longer reach, but I can tell this will make getting to the temple a much easier task." I said. " You plan on going up there?" " It's something I have to do." " Can't say I understand why anyone would go up that path, but hey, it's your life that will be on the line." " I'm thankful to you two for making my sword stronger, so I think I'll excuse myself now." " Hold on! There are some things you need to know about using your Razor Sword!" Fancy Pants shouted. I had just reached the door and was about to grab the knob when he said that, prompting me to turn around and walk back over. " I should've mentioned this before you paid. That's what happens when I get ahead of myself. You must keep in mind that after you use your re-forged sword one hundred times, it will lose its edge and it'll be back to its original sharpness." " What!?" I exclaimed. I couldn't believe it! My sword could only stay in its current form for one hundred times!? If I had known that a lot sooner, I wouldn't have wasted all of my money on something that turned out to be just a temporary solution. The anger pulsating through my veins was enough to want me to throttle Fancy Pants endlessly, but I quickly performed the breathing exercise that Twilight showed me to calm myself down and approach things more clearly. " I must admit that I am very disappointed." " It's my fault for not telling you sooner." " Well, I've got this sword now so I might as well get my money's worth out of it." I said. I had a feeling that going back to the beginning of the seventy-two hour cycle would also cause my sword to go back to its original state. Now I really felt disappointed over the amount of rupees spent. " Actually, it may be possible for your sword to become even stronger." " You're not pulling my leg are you?" " If I did, I wouldn't have many customers." Fancy Pants answered. He then started laughing although I didn't find it at all amusing. " Ahem! Let me tell you a secret. I don't usually tell anyone about this, but if you bring me some gold dust, I can forge you the strongest of swords. It'll never lose its edge no matter how many times it gets used." " Gold dust?" " It's a material that can be used to forge any weapon into the strongest it could possibly be." " Where can I find some?" " Unfortunately, that's the hard part. You see, gold dust is a very scarce material especially around these parts. In fact, only the Gorons would know where to find some. When it comes to rare materials, they know where to find them." Fancy Pants answered. I should have known the Gorons would know something about gold dust. The temptation of wanting my sword even stronger was evident in my heart, but perhaps there was no need to strive for it. " Ugoh-ugo! Ugo-ugo! Ugo!" Tirek said. " Are you sure about that?" " Ugo! Ugo-ugoh!" " For once, you might be onto something." " Ugoh!" " Gabora says gold dust is the prize for winning the Patriarch's Race that's held by the Gorons every spring. Well, if it were spring right now, you could easily ask one of them to race on your behalf. If they agree then you can get some gold dust and bring it back here." Fancy Pants said. " Patriarch's Race?" I asked. " It's a race that determines who amongst the Gorons will succeed the current patriarch. From what I've heard from them, it's a gruelling track where everyone throw their bodies on the line in order to cross the finish first. Unless you happen to have a strong Goron body, you wouldn't last a minute against those who are hungry to be the next leader. The gold dust doesn't mean all that much apart from bragging rights." Fancy Pants answered. " Ugo-ugo! Ugoh!" Tirek said. " That's right Gabora. I'm surprised you remembered. There was one Goron who was a shoe-in to become the next leader. Her name was Darmani. She was well known in these lands as the protector of her people despite having an emotionless expression. She may have been stoic but that's what made her so interesting. A shame that she passed away a while ago due to falling to her death. No doubt she would've won some gold dust for you in a heartbeat." Fancy Pants said. Little did he realize that Maud was alive and well or rather Darmani herself was through me by wearing the Goron Mask. He also unintentionally gave me the exact information I needed in order to upgrade my sword. I needed to enter this Patriarch's Race and win! To do that, first I needed to solve the mystery of what was happening up at the temple and bring forth spring. Once that's done, the race will take place shortly afterwards. My only concern was having to do so much rolling despite not feeling sick at all whenever I do it as a Goron. Sure it was fun but I wasn't quite able to roll for an extended period of time. If I could roll around for at least a minute or two then I'd be able to win the race for sure. Part of me then felt bad because Maud would've loved to compete in something that meant so much to her. Thanking both Fancy Pants and Tirek for everything they did--I was still slightly annoyed that my sword wasn't permanent--I walked back to the door, opened it, and stepped outside where the temperature was slightly warmer than it was before. The day had just begun and there was a lot that needed to be done before time ran out. I walked over to where the Owl Statue I activated was because the pathway next to it was where I had to go to reach the temple. It was still snowing but not as strong as it was the other day which would make my trek a little more safer. A sign nearby told me something that no one had mentioned before. Giant snowballs rolled through the pathway and only those who possessed a strong enough body could get past them with little effort. " Guess only a Goron can reach the temple." " They can withstand something like a giant snowball." Twilight said. " And Starlight?" " That mask she wears gives her unnatural powers allowing her to do just about anything she wants." " Do you know why she's playing these twisted pranks?" " Tatl's memories about Starlight's character in this world are vague, so all I can remember is that it had something to do with her friends abandoning her. She took it really bad and decided to play pranks as a means of letting off the pent-up rage she had inside of her heart." Twilight answered. I felt bad for Starlight having to go through something like that. I knew what it was like having losing friends through being abandoned. I still have nightmares about what happened when the crusaders created Anon-A-Miss and made it look like I was the one revealing secrets. I always took friendship for granted back then when it first became known to me, but now I cherish it every chance I can get. If not for my strong resolve in wanting to find out the truth, my family would've left me to rot on my own for the rest of my life. No... That's something Starlight must never experience despite what she had done both here and Equestria. While her situation here was different than what she had in reality, losing friends was never a pleasant thing. The looming question was... who were her friends in this world? It was something that would require time to figure out the answer, but for now I had to focus on what needed to be done. With my sword safely back in its scabbard, I began walking up the path towards the temple. No sooner had I started did I understand why only Gorons could survive the path. The sign wasn't kidding about those giant snowballs and one rolled down towards me, running me over without a second thought. " Mmph!" I said, the front side of my body buried in the snow. " Are you alright, Sunset?" " Mmph!" I answered. I lifted myself out of the snow and brushed off any lose bits off of my tunic. " That certainly wasn't pleasant by any means." " Looks like you'll need to become a Goron if you want to get through this path." " Guess it's time to change forms again." I said, taking out the Goron Mask from my pocket. I placed it on my face and began stumbling about as the magic started its usual means of changing my shape. I didn't understand why this mask made me stumble about while the Deku Mask resulted in convulsions. I wasn't looking forward to what would happen when I wear the next mask--there was going to be a third one as I doubted this game would only provide two alternate forms. After stumbling about for a few moments and falling flat on my face at least twice, I let out a huge scream--the mask still looked horrifying at that point--and transformed into Darmani. Despite what I go through during the transition, I feel completely fine upon finishing as though nothing happened to me. Walking further up the path whilst trudging through the snow--it got deeper as I progressed further--I came to a stop due to a large gap where there was nothing but a bottomless chasm that meant certain death were I to plunge into it. A ramp in front of me indicated that rolling over the gap was the aim here as the pathway continued onward on the other side. As I stared longingly at what I had to cross over, giant snowballs rolled down and into the chasm where they disappeared into the abyss below although a couple did manage to leap over the gap and continued rolling down the path. " Now we know why only Gorons can reach the temple." Twilight said as she observed the problem. " I'll have to roll off this ramp to make it across." " You'll find to replenish your magic power, Sunset. From what I observed as I followed behind your rolling earlier, magic power not only produces those spikes but also gives you speed. If you don't have the necessary speed, you'll plunge into the chasm below." Twilight said. " My magic power is pretty low right now." " Then you need to restore it." " How?" " Those tiny mounds of snow contained magic jars, rupees, and the like, so finding some of them would be helpful." Twilight then looked around to see if there were any mounds but sadly there were none to be found. She then noticed a giant snowball having made it across the gap and began putting two and two together. " Maybe you just need to smash something a little bigger. Let's wait around for the next one to come rolling by and then use your fists to smash it to pieces." I didn't know what Her Highness was planning, but I wasn't about to start questioning her. A few moments later, a second snowball crossed the gap and Twilight urged me to smash it before it rolled away. I ran over just as it reached my location and used my fist to destroy it revealing a large magic jar that fell onto the ground with a soft thud. I picked it up and I could feel my magic power coming back to me. " I got some magic back!" I said with excitement. " My theory turned out to be correct. I love it when I turn out to be right about something. If you plow through those snowballs while rolling, they should release magic jars that will allow you to keep going. I'm not sure how far we have to go to reach the temple, but will be a lot easier so long as you keep picking up magic jars." Twilight said. " I'll need a running start." " Wait until the next snowball rolls by before you start rolling. If you don't have your spikes out, you'll get pushed aside by a snowball. I don't think I need to tell you what would happen if you were pushed aside whilst in the air." Twilight said. No, she didn't need to say anything. I had been through enough life or death experiences on my previous journey to know that even something as innocent as snow could cause me to die if I wasn't careful. Once the next snowball rolled on by, I curled up into a ball and began rolling forward, the snow giving me enough momentum to produce my spikes without having to roll too great a distance. As soon as my body produced its spikes, I picked up speed, made sure that I was in a straight line, and went off the ramp and over the gap before landing on the other side--the impact left behind a small crater--before continuing on. More giant snowballs could be seen rolling down the path towards me, but I knew that I couldn't slow down, so I rolled through them, each one crumbled to pieces and left behind a magic jar for me to collect. Along the way, there was an island that was situated in the middle of a large abyss to my right. It didn't catch my attention at first, but then I noticed that a Piece of Heart was sitting there as though it were calling for me to come and get it. I thought about stopping and letting Twilight know what I saw, but I decided to wait until later once I had gotten through this nature-filled obstacle course. I crossed two more gaps with ease making sure to bowl over any snowballs that came my way, but then the path started to get rather rickety what with bumps here and there designed to make it hard for me to maintain my speed. Eventually, it proved too much and I wound bouncing off a bump and crashing into a large wad of snow that had been pushed to the side by someone or something. It took several seconds for me to come around, shake my head to get rid of the snow that was on my face, and to see how much further I had left. I could see another gap down the path but beyond that was nothing but a foggy haze courtesy of how high up we were. More and more snowballs continued rolling down the path with some seemingly dropping from above making things even more complicated. With so many falling all over the place, I needed to wait for just the right chance to make my move and get over the gap--it took almost ten minutes before a break between the falling snowballs finally happened. Knowing I had mere seconds before the snowballs resumed, I curled back up into a ball, rolled forward getting momentum, produced my spikes and went sailing over the gap only to get blindsided by a snowball that dropped down from above. Fortunately, the impact from colliding with the snowball pushed me towards a nearby tree. " That was too close!" I said. " I almost got knocked into the chasm." " It seems the closer we get to the temple, the more snowballs roll down the path." " At least there are no more gaps left." " For that we should be thankful, but don't let your guard down yet, Sunset. Remember that Maud fell to her death due to an unseen wind blowing her into the chasm when she tried crossing a rather narrow walkway." Twilight said. " I'm glad you brought that up." " You are?" Twilight asked looking confused. " I've been curious over what caused that wind in the first place. We've experienced some harsh wind conditions when I climbed up that one mountain where Maud's grave was, but nothing like what she described when she told us what happened when she arrived at the temple's location." I answered. " It could've been a freak storm." " No, I don't think so. Twilight, would you say Starlight had something to do with Maud's death?" " I know she caused this cold snap but to specifically target the one hope that the Goron's had?" Twilight paused for a moment allowing it all to sink in. " You make a good point and one we need to confirm." " Maud was their hero and paid the price for Starlight's behaviour." Her Highness nodded in favour of my statement. Maud came up here to save her people yet was killed because she threatened Starlight's fun or was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance--something I'm sure Twilight assumes would be a possibility. When someone is playing pranks, they get really annoyed when anyone attempts to put a stop to it. Could that be why Fluttershy was kidnapped in the first place? She and the monkey went off to Woodfall Temple to find out what was causing the poison, and she was kidnapped while the monkey was blamed for it. I had underestimated the lengths Starlight was going to just to have fun. If Pinkie Pie were herself and not Tingle, she would give Starlight a real talking to about what it meant to have fun without putting anyone's life in danger. Looking back at the path, I could tell that there was no going back--I wasn't planning on going back anyway--as there were no ramps that would allow me to go back down. The only way was forward so I walked towards the foggy haze that prevented me from seeing what lied ahead. Once I was within the haze, I had to place my hand in front of my eyes to prevent the snow from blinding me, and see where I was going. I had to give credit to Maud again as she had to endure this as well. Whoever built the temple all the way up here knew that it could be reached only by Gorons who were used to such conditions. After what felt like forever--it felt even longer to me--the haze finally let up and I could see clearly once again. That's when my eyes opened wide and my jaw dropped upon seeing the beauty that lay ahead. The path opened up to a massive clearing that comprised entirely of an endless abyss with a large structure on the far end of a narrow walkway that looked like only one person could walk across at a time. The structure was made of snow and ice with a path that went up and around to the top where I could barely see a cave entrance. A second entrance existed at the base which made me wonder why a higher up entrance was even needed. Giant snowballs could be seen rolling down the pathway that up to the higher cave entrance and down the path that lead up to the structure. On a second glance, it wasn't really much of a structure as it was a precarious plateau that had been built on top of a narrow column made of solid ice. No doubt that this had always been here long before the Gorons first settled in these mountains, so why did they decide to take it upon themselves to look after it? Perhaps the most important thing was the dark aura coming from the top, a sign that an evil presence lurked within the temple. That's when another thought came to mind. We hadn't seen any traces of the local Great Fairy's Fountain, so perhaps one of those two entrances lead to it. It would make sense since in Woodfall, the previous fountain was practically next to Woodfall Temple. I also had to assume that Adagio around here had been shattered to pieces courtesy of Starlight. That meant seeking her help was out of the question. Twilight bopped me on the head, asking me to look to my left. I did so and sure enough there was an Owl Statue slightly buried in the snow. I hadn't really used them all that much despite the insistence from Flash Sentry that they would be useful on this adventure. " I'm guessing that this was put here to help you get back up here without having to take that path." " Do you suppose I could just punch it with my fists to activate it?" " Not a chance, Sunset. The statues need to be struck with a sword wielded by the one chosen by fate to save this world. While it does mean having to switch back to a human for just a few moments, it's best to activate it now just in case you need to go somewhere else before entering the temple." Twilight answered. " Why did Flash have to make them like that?" " No point in complaining about it." Twilight answered. I knew she was right thus making my statement pointless. Deep down, I had a feeling that I would need to come back here in a hurry, so activating the statue would be in my best interest. I grabbed my face and pulled off the Goron Mask changing back into a human, and from there I drew out the Razor Sword where I realized something: I was going to waste one of the one hundred uses it had before going back to its original state on an inanimate object. I was still slightly bitter about it only being a temporary upgrade to my Kokiri Sword. If I had gold dust, it could be re-forged again into the perfect weapon according to Fancy Pants. Swinging my sword, making sure not to accidentally let go of it it struck the side of the statue causing its wings to spread out informing me that it could now be used as a warp point. With that done, I picked up the Goron Mask I dropped on the ground, I walked towards the middle of the path, stomped my feet down into the thick snow--I didn't want to stumble into the chasm during the transition--before putting it on my face. As I expected, my body began to stumble but didn't go anywhere thanks to burying myself up to my knees. From the perspective of Twilight, it looked like I was throwing a temper tantrum, but she knew why I dug my feet into the snow. Several moments later, I let out a scream signalling my transformation had finished, but then something else happened. The moment I became Darmani, a powerful gust of wind came out of nowhere and I struggled to keep myself from falling over. " Where did that come from?" I asked as I lifted my feet out from the snow. " It looked like the wind was coming from the direction of what I assume is the temple over there." " Do you think this is what caused Maud to die?" " I've no doubt about that. When you think about it, Sunset, she didn't stand a chance when the wind came out of nowhere. Had Maud been better prepared, she would have made it across and saved her people from freezing to death." Twilight answered. The thought of seeing Maud being blown into the chasm below sent a chill down my spine. I hoped I wouldn't end up in the same position with my life being taken from me due to an unfortunate circumstance. Her Highness noticed that I was having second thoughts and proceeded to give me some ideal comfort. " Don't allow this strange wind to scare you, Sunset. Maud is counting on you to finish what she started. You can't let both her down and the entire Goron tribe." " What if we can't get past this wind, Twilight?" " It's just a natural wind that blows about here." " How can you be sure of that?" I asked. At that moment, another powerful gust of wind started to blow, pushing me back several inches before stopping. " Hmmm... It looks like the wind has a limited amount of reach given how far it pushed me." " Really? That's very strange." " I know wind is supposed to be unrestrained." " So why does this one act the way it does?" Twilight asked. Before she could finish her thought, the wind gusted again, pushing her back so much that she struggled to regain her balance when it died down. " Sunset? Could you wait here for just a few moments? There's something I need to confirm." Her Highness began floating in the direction of the walkway only to be pushed back again when the wind gusted. It soon became apparent that the wind did this every twenty seconds or so, yet it didn't deter Twilight from wanting to see what had gotten her curiosity ablaze. Every time she tried to get close to the temple, the wind pushed her back, yet she continued repeating her assault until she finally dropped to the ground in exhaustion. All I did during this moment of hers was watch as she kept on getting blasted by the strong gusts that took Maud's life. " Had enough, Twilight?" I asked, picking Her Highness up in my cupped hands. " That wind isn't natural." " I think we already established that." " No, I mean it's not supposed to be here. When I was getting pushed back, I sensed that it was coming from a single direction. Natural wind blows in whatever direction it feels like so something or someone is behind the wind that's preventing us from continuing." Twilight said. " I don't see anything out there." I said raising my hand above my eyes to see if I could spot something in the distance. " I'm beginning to understand what caused Maud to fall to her death." Twilight said, her clenched fist covering her hand. " Whatever is behind the wind can't be seen by the naked eye so Maud wasn't able to see anything." The wind then blasted out from where it was coming from preventing me from hearing what Her Highness said next. When she finished, she asked if I knew what to do, yet I didn't answer prompting her to slap her forehead. " I thought you knew before I said anything but I guess I was wrong." " Did you say something? I couldn't hear you over the wind." " Oh... Ahem! If you use the Lens of Truth, we might be able to see what is causing that wind." Twilight said. I had plenty of magic power thanks to plowing through those snowballs on the way up here, so I had no problem consuming a little using the lens. I took it out from behind my back, raised it up to my eye, and looked through it. I was surprised at first at what I saw but then I should've expected it would be him. Her Highness was confused by my expression and asked to look through the lens herself, so I obliged by lowering it down to my shoulder so she could look. When she stared into the lens, the reaction she made in response was priceless. " Sweet Celestia! What in the wide world of Equestria is that!? It looks like that one pony who has tiny wings and huge muscles." " That would be Bulk Biceps, yes." I said calmly. " How could anyone get that big!? It defies logic! It defies science! It defies everything!" " Are you done?" " I've got one more in me... This can't be real!" I guessed that giant humans weren't something Her Highness believed was possible--in Equestria there were several types of creatures who were just as big as Bulk Biceps--yet there he was in all his glory. Bulk Biceps looked similar to the way he did during my previous adventure, yet the obvious Goron features were present this time around as opposed to him being purely human like the other Gorons were in Hyrule. He wore a ragged shirt along with two shoulder plates that looked like they could fall off at any moment. Yet, it was his expression that struck me as truly being different. There was no joy or anything in how he stared down at us. It's as though his only purpose was to ensure that we didn't reach the temple. " WHO GOES THERE?" Bulk Biceps asked in a booming voice. " Should I respond?" I asked. " I think you should unless you want him to flatten you." Twilight answered. " WHO GOES THERE? I WON'T REPEAT MYSELF!" Bulk Biceps said. " He's not going to flatten me, Twilight. He's a very gentle person despite having huge muscles." I said. Looking at him with his current demeanour, perhaps Her Highness wasn't as far off from the truth as I thought. " Hello? Can you hear me from over there?" I called out. " I CAN HEAR YOU AND CAN SEE YOU FROM WHERE I SIT! YOU SEEM FAMILIAR TO ME AS THOUGH I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER AS NO ONE MAY PASS BY ME." Bulk Biceps answered. " I am Darmani!" " WHAT!? DARMANI!? HOW CAN THIS BE?" " You look like you've seen a ghost or something." " I SAW YOU HERE BEFORE WHEN YOU ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE TEMPLE, YET I BLEW YOU INTO THE CHASM BELOW BECAUSE YOU WERE DEEMED A THREAT TO THIS PLACE. HOW IS IT YOU STAND BEFORE ME ONCE AGAIN?" Bulk Biceps asked. " Death couldn't stop me from coming here." " YOU ARE AS STRONG AS EVER!" " Please! You must allow me to go into the temple. Our people will surely freeze to death if the weather continues to worsen." " NO ONE MAY ENTER!" " Are you serious!? Don't you care about our fellow Gorons?" " THE GORON ELDER TOLD ME THAT NO ONE MUST BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE TEMPLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I AM SORRY BUT YOU MAY NOT ENTER EVEN IF IT IS FOR A VERY GOOD CAUSE." Bulk Biceps answered. " Then I've no choice but to make you move." " YOU MAY BE THE STRONGEST AND BRAVEST AMONGST OUR PEOPLE, DARMANI, BUT THAT STRENGTH ALONE PALES IN COMPARISON TO WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF DOING. IF YOU TRY TO FIGHT ME THEN YOU WILL DIE! NO, I WILL NOT FIGHT AGAINST ONE AS GREAT AS YOU. THAT WOULD MERELY BE DEMEANING TO THE GREAT DARMANI. I SHALL BLOW YOU AWAY LIKE BEFORE AND PERHAPS THIS TIME IT WILL BE PERMANENT!" Bulk Biceps said. He began to exale a powerful gust of wind from his gaping mouth, and it was clear that he was the one who killed Maud. Yet that didn't make sense at all. Why would Bulk Biceps kill the one person who was loved by her people? Unless... He didn't know what he was doing. Had he been placed under some kind of enchantment that made him exhale wind at anyone who came close to the temple? It certainly was possible given Starlight did come up here according to Fancy Pants, so perhaps she used her magic on Bulk to ensure that the problems of Snowhead would continue on until the Gorons were destroyed. It had gone far beyond being a simple prank. What Starlight was doing was beyond foul and needed to be stopped--I have a few choice words for her when I finally see her again on top of the Clock Tower--before innocent lives were lost. " We need to get him out of the way." " You don't have the strength to move someone that big, but perhaps you could make use of that song you learned." Twilight said. " The Goron Lullaby, right?" " Yes. No Goron can resist its magical properties so if you were to play it, Bulk Biceps is sure to fall asleep and move out of the way. I do suggest you get a little bit closer as you need those drums to be able to reach his ears." Twilight answered. Considering how fast and furious he was exhaling wind from his mouth, getting close enough to Bulk Biceps would be slightly challenging. Since there wasn't any other option, I turned off the Lens of Truth, walked several paces forward, my eyes covered so as to not be blinded by the strong gusts pounding me. When I felt I was close enough, I took out my drums and planted my feet into the snow so as to not get blown away. I needed a few moments to recall how the lullaby went and in the meantime, Bulk Biceps continued his relentless assault. I was actually surprised that he could keep it up without exhausting himself. Once I remembered how it went, I played the Goron Lullaby, and he immediately appeared, the magic that made him invisible wearing off in the process. If I had played that song with any other instrument, I doubted Bulk Biceps would've been able to hear it. Only something as loud as drums would've reached such a grand distance. " HUH? WHAT WAS THAT STRANGE SONG YOU JUST PLAYED?" Bulk Biceps asked. " That was the Goron Lullaby, courtesy of the Elder and his son." I answered. " I... I REMEMBER HEARING THAT A LONG TIME AGO BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. THE ELDER PLAYED IT TO EVERYONE AS A LULLABY BECAUSE HE CARED SO MUCH ABOUT OUR WELL-BEING. WHENEVER I HEARD IT, I WOULD DRIFT OFF TO SLEEP IN AN INSTANT." Bulk Biceps said. " How do you feel right now?" " SLEEPY... I FEEL VERY... SLEEPY AS THOUGH... I... I WANT TO GO... TO... SLEEP..." Bulk Biceps began struggling to keep his eyes open but it was no use. The power of the lullaby was too much for him to resist. It looked like he was crying from my perspective or at least trying to, but I knew he was mere moments from falling asleep. It then occurred to me that he could wind up falling into the chasm in the same manner as Maud had done. I tried calling out in hopes of getting him to move, but Bulk Biceps was on the verge of collapse. " SLEEP... I MUST... SLEEP... G... G... G..." He then curled up into a ball and began snoring, the noise echoed throughout the area. As I watched, he then tipped to the side and plunged into the chasm below landing with a loud thud that caused a slight tremor. The way forward was now open but it came at a terrible price in the form of Bulk Biceps falling down to his death. " Are you alright?" Twilight asked. " I can't believe I just killed him." " No, I doubt that the fall ended his life." " You think so?" " When Maud fell into the chasm, she perished because of how small she was. Bulk Biceps is much larger than she was, so if anything he survived the plunge and is probably sleeping it off down below." Twilight answered. I wasn't so sure if he had survived and Her Highness knew it took a heavy toll on my mind. " I'll tell you what, Sunset. Once we're done in the temple, we'll come back here and see if he's still okay. Either way, when we go back to the beginning of the seventy-two hours, he'll be alive regardless." While that did sound a little better, she could've said it in a different manner. In any case, the path was clear and I initially consider rolling across the narrow walkway. But then my mind told me that doing so would likely cause me to plunge into the chasm and end up just like Maud and Bulk Biceps. Walking was a much better decision as it meant being cautious especially when everything was narrow. I started to walk across the walkway, smashing snowballs with my fists whenever one happened to be in my path. It was slow progress given how I didn't want to fall nor get hit by any snowballs, but eventually I reached the other side. A small slope prevented me from going further so I curled up into a ball and rolled up before uncurling myself. The cave entrance at the base of the temple was slightly to my right with the path I needed to take to my left. While I had the urge to enter the temple, a voice in my head told me to ignore it and go inside the other cave. Looking at Twilight, she began floating towards the cave. That was all the incentive I needed to go over there and check it out for myself. Aside from the occasional snowball rolling by, the cave wasn't being guarded by any monsters--a huge relief on my part. I walked inside where everything suddenly turned dark but soon became bright again when the beauteous majesty of the Great Fairy's Fountain appeared before me. " Are those Stray Fairies?" " Starlight must have shattered this version of Adagio to pieces like the previous ones." " Then there's nothing more we can gain here." " If we want her to help us, we need to find the Stray Fairies inside of the temple and bring them back here." Twilight said. The fairies were pink in colour as opposed to orange and green as seen in the previous fountains, so at least we knew what colour to look out for. " You could walk over to see what they have to say, but I think they will repeat the same message in that they want you to hear their plea." " I wonder what kind of power they will grant?" " The first Great Fairy gave you both magic and a mask while the second extended your use of magic, so I'm going to take a guess and say that this next Adagio will give you something related to magic." Twilight answered. " Guess we should leave then, huh?" " Like you said, there's nothing more we can gain here." Twilight answered. A sense of dread was then shared between us. Three Great Fairies had been shattered to pieces no thanks to Starlight's magic, but what of the remaining Great Fairies who live in the other regions? Had they suffered the same fate and preventing them from providing aid? It was something we couldn't ignore. I turned around and was just about to leave when several voices began speaking out behind my back. " Oh, kind, young one! Please hear our plea! Please save the fairies trapped in Snowhead Temple. Find the fairies who match our color and bring them back to us!" " Not very subtle are they?" I asked. " At least they went and said it so you know you need to help them get themselves back together." With the words of the Stray Fairies hewn into my mind, I walked outside and back out into the snow where I was immediately beset by three White Wolfos. They weren't there before when we went inside so had they chosen to hide it out in the snow until I returned? In any case, I had to get past them if I wanted to enter the temple. I thought about changing back to a human and use the Razor Sword, but Twilight suggested they could be taken care of by simply using my fists. Despite being a lot slower, my fists were generally stronger than my sword according to Her Highness. I never questioned her judgment but maybe she was wrong this time? I had no time to think further on the subject. Each of the White Wolfos ran circles around me in an attempt to strike me in places I couldn't defend, but then one decided to break from the ranks and lunged at me. I attempted to punch it but it quickly leapt back before it resumed its running stance. Another one then decided to attack and when I tried punching it, the same happened where it leapt back and continued running. This kept going for about a minute resulting in me getting exhausted, and that's when they were able to score some hits on me by striking me in the back or on my sides. The first White Wolfos eventually decided to leap over me in an attempt to see if it could strike me in the stomach--I had no idea they could do that. When it leapt over and landed, my body decided to take matters into its own hands. I swung my fist, hitting it in the snout, causing it to disappear by bursting into flames--this was something that still bothered me whenever I defeated a monster. My first tingled a bit because of not being used to using them for fighting, but the other two realized that I posed a threat to them. Rather than continue on, they chose to run away thinking that I was too much for them. When they were out of sight, I looked down at my tingling fist--it had since stopped doing that. Now I truly understood the power that Gorons possessed. Their physical strength allowed them to fight using their bodies and not worrying about getting beaten up. They were durable to the point where their bodies could recover from even the most severe injuries--unless it was a death blow--but this came at the cost of speed and being able to react to situations quickly. " I told you that getting my sword was a good idea." " Yes, but you defeated that White Wolfos so easily despite some trouble. Perhaps you should consider remaining as a Goron indefinitely because those fists of yours are more powerful than a sword." Twilight said. " Twilight, you saw how slow I moved. I couldn't keep up with their speed resulting in me getting scratched by their claws. Having all that power means nothing if I can't react fast enough to prevent serious injury. Granted, this body takes hits better than my human body, but the point is that this form is only useful when fighting slow opponents. For faster opponents, using more traditional means will work." I said. " Okay, you've proven your point." " I'll still use this body as I've got a feeling I'll be needing it to handle things that are too heavy for a human." Now that the threat of the White Wolfos had passed, I had to walk up the pathway that lead to the upper cave entrance. My first instinct was to roll up there but Twilight quickly dismissed it by saying I could easily roll off and into the chasm below. Since that was the case, I went with the option of simply walking up there. It wasn't a bad little trek mind you apart from the occasional giant snowball that dropped down from above or came rolling at me. Whenever one got too close, I smashed it to pieces using my fist, picking up some magic jars, and generally taking it slowly. It soon became apparent that walking up the path resulted in the oxygen levels changing slightly, causing my head to start feeling a little woozy. I shook it off because I knew I had to keep going as the Gorons were depending on me to save them. After about five minutes of walking, smashing snowballs, and getting adjusted to the oxygen, Twilight and I finally reached the entrance to the temple. It looked just like an ordinary cave entrance but we both knew there were all sorts of dangers lurking within. " Ready to go inside Snowhead Temple, Sunset?" " Is that what this place is called?" " Granted, most of the characters we've talked to referred to it as just 'temple', but I recalled a couple refer to it as Snowhead Temple. This place won't be as easy as the previous dungeon, so I suggest you find a map so that we can keep track of where we've been." Twilight answered. " Don't forget I'll need a compass, Boss Key, and whatever weapon is hidden inside." " Those too." " Let's get this started." I said. I walked into the cave entrance--a cool breeze brushed against my face indicating that it was even colder inside compared to the snowy landscape that dominated the region--and soon came upon an impressive sight. There were two ice structures that resembled hands trying to reach up and touch the ceiling appeared on either side of me in this first room. Was it some kind of sign? A warning? Or perhaps a bizarre greeting? In any case, it looked eerie considering. " There's that same raised groove we saw before in the previous temple with that Majora's Mask that Starlight wears imprinted on it." I said, noticing the groove in-between the two ice structures. " I still don't understand the purpose behind it." " It must do something as why else have it here at the start?" " Good question and one I don't have an answer to." Upon looking at the remainder of the room, nothing really stood out apart from a block that appeared to be stuck in a narrow passageway. Since there was no other direction to go apart from forward, the block needed to be moved so that I could progress. It looked bigger than usual so I suspected it would take some Goron strength to move it. Before I took a step forward, strange noises started coming from the other side of the ice structures. Little white snowballs then started falling down from the ceiling, but I quickly discovered that these weren't snowballs but rather monsters when they started looking at me with glowing red eyes. " Those are White Boes." Twilight announced. " Similar in nature to the Black Boes we encountered in Woodfall Temple, this variation is exactly the same in that they are only strong when they attack as a group as opposed to doing so on their own. They are a bit more difficult to detect given they hide in the snow, but you should have no problems." " How many do you suppose there are?" " About a dozen." " Works for me." I said. The White Boes noticed my presence and began bouncing along towards me, and I responded by punching each of them in a barrage. Whenever one was defeated, it rolled away before disappearing into a puff of smoke only for another to quickly replace it. At first it looked like there was more than a dozen--there was--and would be an endless assault aimed to tire me out, but eventually they stopped spawning. When the last one disappeared, I dropped to my knees and breathed heavily several times" That took more out of me than I thought, yet those monsters weren't an actual threat." " Like I said, they are strong in a group." " Do you think we'll run into more of them?" " Most likely. The cold temperature combined with the snow in this temple makes it a perfect locale for them to thrive in." " Anyway, what do you make of that block over there?" I asked, pointing at what was preventing us from progressing. " Hmmm... It's certainly larger than normal blocks. No doubt you'll need to push it forward as a Goron until it falls into a hole in the ground further ahead. I don't think you can pull it towards you as the entrance to the passageway is too small for it." Twilight answered. " So pushing it is better than pulling?" " In this case, yes." I did consider pulling it towards me, but now I could see that Her Highness was correct in that it couldn't get out of the passageway on this side. Walking up to it, I pressed my hands up against the block and began pushing it forward with relative ease. In the past, pushing or pulling these blocks was a real chore, yet here it was like it weighed nothing. After pushing it down the passageway for several meters, it suddenly dropped down into a hole effectively giving me access to the next room--more like the remainder of the same room--that featured three doors on each wall. The first had a padlock on it so I knew a key was needed to unlock it. The second was covered by a large chunk of ice and I knew that hot spring water wasn't going to work--I wouldn't be able to get some up here in time. The third and final door had iron bars preventing it from being opened. Now I was really confused. There was nothing I could do to open any of the doors so how was I supposed to continue? *(1) This part is a retcon. Originally, the prologue said that it had been two weeks since the Friendship Games. That's because it was written before the movie became available, so now it's been about a month since the Games. Hopefully, these little notes will provide some explanations whenever they are necessary.