The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 31: A True Boxing Match.

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding the Legend of Zelda, the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. These are the properties of Nintendo and Hasbro respectively.

Sunset should be thankful that it wasn't an actual boxing match.

Cast of characters appearing in this chapter:

Sunset Shimmer: Link
Princess Twilight Sparkle: Fairy Partner

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Link's Awakening.
By Ganondorf8.
April 16, 2021.
Chapter 31: A True Boxing Match.

Why!? Why did it have to be the Dodongo Snakes!? Of all the monsters on this island that required me to defeat them from above according to the Owl Statue, it just so happened to be this particular monster. Okay, I didn't have any problems defeating them as they don't really do much other than slide along making those weird sounds and occasionally opening their mouths to which they would eat a bomb. No, my issue was that they took a lot of patience and running out of bombs meant being unable to prevail. Plus, there was just something creepy about them that made me shiver.

Looking around the room, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but when I looked up at the ceiling, I could see a staircase which had to be the higher place the statue mentioned in its hint. If I had this right, they could only be defeated by dropping down bombs? No... Something didn't seem quite right. Taking another look at what I had to work with, I could ignore them and continue on through the dungeon, but this didn't answer a very important question. That being how to get up to this upper ledge. I couldn't see any direct approach so perhaps there was a hidden path or something?

Taking out the Dungeon Map, I looked at where I was currently located, and to my dismay, there weren't any hidden paths. The upper ledge could only be accessed via the stairs which meant I needed to find another staircase and hoped it connected to up there. Despite having explored much of this dungeon, there were still plenty of rooms left to explore and so these other stairs could be just about anywhere. In any case, I couldn't do anything with these Dodongo Snakes so for now I just had to ignore them.

Putting the map away, I watched to make sure when I could make my way across this room without one of them deciding to open its mouth and wanting to eat me. Both snakes continued slithering about without a care in the world and upon seeing both move away from each other, I walked across the room and reached the other side. Looking back, neither one had noticed and were content on doing whatever they were supposed to be doing, but I would be back here again soon enough due to progression.

Entering the next area, I felt the temperature rise once again due to the lava. Just when I thought I could get comfortable knowing I was exploring a section of the dungeon where there was no intense heat, it managed to come back with a vengeance. Again, if I had either adequate clothing or maybe a form that could resist heat, there wouldn't be any need for me to complain, and yet neither was an option for me. Looking down at my blue tunic, it saddened me knowing that despite how it saved my butt so many times, it was useless against something uncommon like heat coming from lava.

Using the Roc's Feather to jump over a river of lava that connected to a larger pool, I was immediately attacked by two Green Zols as they popped out of the ground just as I landed there, but fortunately, I didn't get pushed into it. Defeating both with one sword swing, I was confronted with two options. Using my one remaining small key or heading up north and seeing where it went. So far, my lack of not going off the beaten path had resulted in me missing out on some things which in turn had made some aspects of this adventure more difficult. I needed to change this and so I went north.

In the next room, I was surprised to find myself back where those four flying icons were located. On top of that, I could now access the treasure chest though it did come with a minor problem. Jumping over to it was impossible even with the Pegasus Boots but using the Hookshot wasn't my concern. What was however, was knowing that there was no means of going back the way I came upon opening the chest. I'd be forced to backtrack which made me wonder if opening this chest was worth it. If it contained rupees, that would be like getting hit in the stomach.

"What do you think, Twilight?" I asked.

"It depends on whether you want to maintain your desire to open up every single chest inside of a dungeon or finally decide to skip one due to not really needing its contents." Princess Twilight answered.

"But what if it contains rupees?"

"Nothing wrong with money so long as you use it to make yourself better equipped."

I sighed. "At this point, I feel like I don't need to collect anymore rupees since I've got so many items and equipment." I then took out the Hookshot but refrained from using it as I wanted to have a second opinion. "Money does make things easier but since we're at this stage of the journey, I find that rupees just aren't that important anymore. If I were planning on going through more of Zecora's challenges then I'd be grabbing every last rupee you can imagine. But, that's not in my current plans. Personally, I want to defeat Grogar and change everything back to normal before things might get worse."

"And you feel conflicted on this?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Princess Twilight then smiled. "Sure, you don't need to collect anymore rupees in that sense, but perhaps you can just collect them for fun? Try and see how many you can get before the end of the journey. There are some adventurers who do make valid attempts at collecting as many rupees as possible until they can no longer collect any. Yes, that basically means maxing out on one's own wallet and be a potential magnet for thieves, but these are minor issues."

"That's one way to look at it I suppose."

"And I'm not saying this because I have a large budget back in Equestria."

That made me laugh. "Not that I was going to ask, but how much of an allowance do you even get as a princess?"

"I get enough bits to survive from month to month." Princess Twilight answered. When I responded with a smug expression which said that she wasn't telling me everything, she caved in but not before blushing. "Okay, I get roughly 100,000 bits though none of that comes from Ponyville. Now this was when I was living there. Once I assume the throne, I'll probably get ten times as much or maybe even more."

"Sounds about right."

"I use those bits to better ponies and other creatures."

Was I jealous that Her Highness had so much money at her disposal? A little since I barely made by with what I earned, but then I knew she only used a tiny amount of her budget on herself with what remained going to pay for castle maintenance, personnel, and some hidden taxes before it goes towards helping other ponies. It made me think that if I had stayed in Equestria and became a princess, would I have used so many bits on myself? Back then, I'd have done exactly that and not felt guilty over it. With who I am now, I'd have taken the same stance and only use a tiny amount of bits.

Maybe I should just collect rupees for the fun of it. It's not like I could take them with me once things were back to normal and leaving them behind in chests would make me think I had gone and left something important instead. Besides, I could still make some last minute purchases in case I used up more of my items in this dungeon than expected. I had to be at my very best in order to take on Grogar. Anything less than that was mere stupidity on my part and he would gladly take advantage by killing me outright.

Firing the Hookshot's chain, it connected with the chest and pulled me towards it. There was no turning back now given what I had just done so whatever was in this chest, I'd need to backtrack to where that locked door was so I hoped this was worth it. Opening the chest, I took out some Secret Medicine which definitely made me happy. I had been needing to get some more of this on me as I felt less confident without it. Not exactly an ideal location for finding it especially since I was no way near the end of Turtle Rock, yet this could be overlooked despite not getting it before reaching the Nightmare.

"Twilight? What do you think about that riddle regarding the Dodongo Snakes?"

"Odd time to bring it up, don't you think?"

"I know, but I wanted to hear your opinion."

Her Highness took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering. "It's definitely an interesting mechanic on account that you've never had to do anything like it before. I can understand why you need to do this because it takes a regular encounter and adds a stipulation that can easily confuse. It's not like Dodongo Snakes are difficult because they are actually quite easy to defeat. What will be perhaps the most challenging aspect is keeping tabs on how many bombs you have left."

I then gulped. "I keep forgetting that I only have a limited capacity."

"You can only carry thirty of them at one time." Princess Twilight said. She then flew down to where I kept my Bomb Bag on my belt and began tapping it. "If you had the ability to carry more bombs, there wouldn't be a problem and you could be a bit more reckless. However, with the number you can have, every shot is going to be an important one. Should you run out, you'd be forced to leave the dungeon or come to this room where you can get back at least ten. Dodongo Snakes, like every other monster, regain their health if you attacked them and then left before coming back later."

"Way to add some unneeded pressure."

"I didn't mean to make it sound that way."

I waved my hands in response. "It's okay, Twilight! I know you meant well and you're right. I just have to hope that the Dodongo Snakes are cooperative and want to eat the bombs without turning their mouths away from them." I then opened up my Bomb Bag and began counting how many I had. "Okay, I've got the maximum number of bombs I can carry." A part of me wished I could carry more but I never found the means of doing so. Again, this was where my lack of not exploring had caused things to be more difficult than they ought to be.

"Then you have thirty chances."

"Not very good odds, huh?"

"Not really no."

"Do you think thirty bombs is plenty?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I'd say so because you're actually quite fortunate. In some of these adventures, you could carry potentially up to ninety-nine bombs though that is sheer overkill unless you happened to love explosives and blowing things up. Others give you way less bombs and this requires being more strategic with them and not just throwing them everywhere in hopes of finding something. Such adventures only allow for the use of sixteen bombs at most or perhaps as few as ten. It really depends on the nature of what is behind the adventure and whether bombs are deemed essential."

"Ten bombs!?" Hearing that made my jaw drop. "I could never use that few!"

"Some adventurers had no choice."

I felt so sorry for those who were forced to use fewer bombs than I could in my current capacity. It made me feel guilty knowing that my desire for wanting more bombs felt like I was being selfish when others had to work with far less. Perhaps I needed to be more appreciative of what I had instead of longing for what I needed. Considering that the Dodongo Snakes didn't exactly excel in the brains department, getting them to eat any bombs basically boiled down to luck and whether they were interested. Every shot needed to count and I couldn't afford to waste any of them.

Since I couldn't go back the way I came, I jumped down to where the four flying icons were. I thought about trying to jump across the lava but where I wanted to jump to was out of range for the Roc's Feather to reach. Not even with the use of the Pegasus Boots could I make such a jump. If only the ground were a bit closer then perhaps it could've worked but I knew backtracking was my only option. I didn't need to collect any of the flying icons as I was fully stocked up on ammunition so I walked up the stairs and entered the tunnel where I stepped on a Goomba and it left behind a heart.

It was strange how stomping on them provided hearts whereas using any other method to defeat them didn't guarantee getting anything. I just thought it was rather odd that this was a habit of theirs that didn't transition to every other monster on this island. As I reached the two bird-like statues, the Lava Bubbles leapt forth from the lava before diving back down. I needed to work fast in order to avoid getting roasted so using the Roc's Feather, I jumped up and grabbed onto a ladder rung before climbing up and was about to use the Hookshot when they emerged again.

Upon going back down, I fired the chain at the statue and pulled myself across just as the bubbles came out of the lava for a third time. I had to admit that Turtle Rock was definitely giving my items quite the workout as though it were given them one last triumph before I acquired something new which was needed to finish things up. Even in a dungeon filled with absurd challenges, it made up for it by allowing me to use items I hadn't used in a very long time or in ways there were different from the norm.

Climbing down the other ladder and re-entering the dungeon, I picked up a couple of pots in order to clear a path towards the rotating wall panel. The Red Stalfos in the room began tossing its bones at me and while most of them missed, one did hit me in the back even though it was minimal damage. I picked up another pot and tossed it where it struck and defeated the monster in one shot. I knew pots were powerful but this was ridiculous. Approaching the panel, I allowed two of the Blade Traps to launch where they collided making a loud clanging sound that echoed throughout the room.

When they started moving back to their original positions, I touched the panel which forced me to press my back up against it before it turned around and brought me into the room that had the arrow marking on the ground. As expected, the cracked blocks had re-spawned though it was expected given how rooms worked. No sense in wasting bombs so instead I walked around them though I ignored the flying bomb icon as I was already carrying the maximum that was possible for me. Entering the next room, I could see that the floor had come back which made me feel disappointed.

I liked how some things I did were permanent as it meant not needing to do them again. When other things reverted back to the way they were before, it just wasted time which could be spend on making progress. Solving the same puzzle multiple times in the same place wasn't fun, it was just tedious. Whoever made this might not have come to that realization thinking no one would notice, but clearly I noticed so they must have done something wrong. Oh well. I supposed not everyone thought the same way and those who appreciate this might be ignorant of it all.

Heading to the left, I found myself in front of the Dodongo Snakes again. As they began slithering about, the noise they made suddenly came to mind. What did it sound like? To me, it sounded like a broken car horn. It wasn't annoying but it could become grating unless you drowned out the noise. Once there was a big enough gap between each of them, I slipped past and was back where this backtracking segment began. Using the Roc's Feather again, I jumped over the lava river and then a second one before unlocking the door.

In this next room, I noticed something that caught my immediate attention. "There's the Nightmare Door."

"Now we know the exact location even though we've seen it on the map."

I then saw the barriers that were blocking the way. "If I had the Nightmare's Key right now, I'd have jumped over this lava but these stupid barriers stop me from doing that. I find this to be very inconvenient!"

That's when Princess Twilight pointed at the staircase just in front of the door. "It looks like you need to approach the door via one of the tunnels in the dungeon. If I'm right in my assumption here, one of the two tunnels that are filled with those ice blocks is what leads up to the door. Without a means of melting that ice, you can't get over there."

Hearing that made me feel pretty low. "Of course I need the dungeon item to get over there!"

"Sunset?"

I looked up at her. "Sorry. That's just me talking to myself there."

"It sounds like you're upset with this situation."

I nodded. "It's not the first time this has happened to me, Twilight. I've reached a point where I need to realize that such things are going to happen because of course these dungeons have no intention of making it easy. It's just that I really wanted to jump over there with the Nightmare's Key and perhaps the dungeon item and not have to go through anything else this place has to offer. Am I selfish for wanting an easy time? Yes and you would agree if you were doing this instead."

"I won't deny that sometimes I do wish you weren't given so much stress."

This was ultimately me just ranting (More like complaining) about how difficult things had gotten and wishing they could get easier. Seeing the Nightmare Door being so close and yet so far just made something click which prompted me to begin saying all that stuff. I supposed also that adventuring fatigue had begun to settle in which would make anyone feel cranky over being forced to do this kind of thing on a constant basis. How I never lost my sanity is something I'd rather not know. If there was a positive here, it was being close to the end that I could see this through despite my opinions.

Walking past it, I could see a flying arrow icon which I could've ignored, but I jumped up and grabbed it using the Roc's Feather. I felt bad over ignoring the previous icons so I figured on picking it up to fulfill some kind of quota. Entering the next room, the door at the other end locked itself though this wasn't a surprise as it had been happening roughly every other room not just in this current dungeon but in all of them. Why not just have them locked right away instead of making me see it happen every time. This was a concept that had clearly run its course and was now being overused.

To my right was a chest located on a high-up platform and to its left was a staircase that looked different from the normal ones I'd seen. In front of me were two Ropes along with another Vire which began attacking by shooting fireballs at me. Raising my shield, I reflected back the shots where each one hit it causing it to dive down and attack up close. Before I could respond, one of the Ropes bumped into my foot which allowed it to knock me down where I landed on my butt. And here I thought Ropes were relatively harmless monsters as well as being cute in appearance.

Defeating the two snakes (I actually had to in order to unlock the door), I waited for it to attack me again. When it did so, I reflected the fireballs back where both hit it and it responded by diving down. Swinging my sword when it got close, I defeated it and it split into two Big Keese. Unlike the last ones that flew away, they continued attacking but I took them both out which unlocked the door. Getting hit by your own attack causes enough damage where someone else's attack is enough to finish the job. Looking up at the chest, there had to be a way to reach it but I wasn't sure how.

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head and pointed at the door which just unlocked. I walked through it and entered a tiny room which comprised of some stairs to my right and nothing else. Was this some kind of joke room? If so then it wasn't funny. Upon heading up the stairs, the path turned to the right, but when I looked back the other way on a whim, I was surprised to see the room had a lot more to it than I initially thought. There was another locked door along with another staircase. If this other one connected to the other tunnel with those ice blocks, I couldn't get over there for now.

Going back into the previous room and taking out the Hookshot, I fired the chain where it connected with the chest and I pulled myself across over to it. Upon opening it up, I took out a purple rupee. I felt like putting it back on account of not really needing it, but Princess Twilight reminded me that it was okay since collecting rupees was fine if it was for fun. Then again, it was possible for me needing to visit Sugar Belle to acquire some more medicine if what I currently had on got used due to either one of the remaining mid-bosses or the actual Nightmare killed me.

Jumping back down, I decided to head south rather than go up the stairs. In this next room, I encounter a statue in the lava itself. "Hmmm... I'm surprised that statue hasn't melted what with being stuck in the lava."

Princess Twilight then took a closer look at it. "Don't you find it strange that there are barriers surrounding every side of it aside from the front? It's like it's trying to tell you to do something with it."

"Now that you mention it, you're right."

"I mean, you can tell something is suspicious here."

I then noticed an Owl Statue next to this other one. "Maybe I should listen to what the statue has to say." A couple of Sparks moving around a pair of blocks were in the way so I took out the Boomerang and tossed it at each one, defeating them and a fairy appeared in their place. That's when I looked at the other statue and saw that it comprised of a single eye... Just like the other ones scattered about the dungeons. "Huh... It's just an ordinary statue yet it was given special treatment. What makes it different from the others?"

"Like you said, you want to listen to the Owl Statue."

"What do you think, Twilight?"

"I don't see what makes it unique."

"You haven't a clue?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "While I do pride myself in being able to solve difficult puzzles, there are some that even baffle me. If this turns out to be something really simple, then I'd be pleasantly surprised and would give respect to whoever came up with it."

That was just like Her Highness to be humble about her intellect. If not for her, I never would've understood the values of humility and become better off for it. I'd have instead continued to be bitter over not becoming an alicorn which in turn would've lead me down a path of darkness from which there was no return. Just thinking about what could've been sent chills down my spine. As I continued looking at the statue and then at Princess Twilight, I smiled knowing how she became such a valued teacher and friend. She just needed to remind herself that so many looked up to her for guidance.

Approaching the Owl Statue, I took out the Stone Beak and placed it where it needed to go where it began to speak. 'If the statue looks strange, shoot it with the bow'. That was the hint it possessed? Talk about disappointing as it was something I could've figured out on my own. "Twilight? This puzzle turned out to be easy after all."

"And neither of us knew what the solution was until we were told."

"I feel stupid for not realizing what the solution was."

Comforting me, Princess Twilight pointed at the statue. "If you think about it, if you had come here without the bow, you would've been stuck and forced to leave the dungeon in order to get it which would've also involved doing some heavy rupee grinding. I believe this is the only puzzle that actually requires use of the bow. In that sense, it's essentially an optional item that most will ignore because of how expensive it was in the shop. Good thing you were insistent on picking it up when you did."

"Though it did put a huge dent in my wallet."

"True."

So this was the only time the bow was actually needed? It made me think that whoever made this game viewed the bow as an afterthought which made sense as to why it needed to be purchased and not found in a dungeon. At the end of the day, this wasn't really important in the grand scheme but rather a fun little fact that a serious gamer would take into consideration... And since I was serious about my gaming, I felt very conflicted. I loved using a bow despite how long it took me to be able to use it properly and not look like an idiot so to see it not being given due course felt disappointing.

Removing the beak and putting it away, I walked over to the other statue and took some steps backwards before taking out the bow. Aiming carefully, I fired at the statue, striking its torso which did nothing. Why didn't anything happen? As I thought it over, I then smacked my forehead upon realizing that it needed to be hit in the eye. Firing a second arrow, it struck the eye cleanly and again nothing happened. What could I be doing wrong? Princess Twilight bopped my head and pointed at a slightly raised platform further back from where I was standing.

Walking over and standing on it, I fired another arrow at the statue, striking its eye. This caused it to glow a bright yellow and a small key to drop down from the ceiling. Okay, the hint from the Owl Statue said nothing about needing to stand on a small platform. Why not give me credit simply because I hit the statue in the eye? Picking up the key and pocketing it, I thought about going back yet there was a door to my left as well as a path that went south. Heading south in hopes of maybe finding a shortcut, I encounter instead three flying icons.

Even though there wasn't one for Magic Powder, this was yet another place where I could pick up some ammunition or a bit of health. However, I didn't need any of these right now but at least I had easier access to these freely. Heading back the other way to the previous room and then heading left, I entered the next room where the Compass made its sound indicating another key was here. There was a chest that I couldn't open due to a block being in front of it. There was also a Beamos in the corner of the room that fired a laser at me when its eye rotated around and spotted me.

Raising my Mirror Shield, the laser bounced back and struck the Beamos, causing it to shut down. The puzzle was actually a simple one to figure out which made me wonder if creative ideas were beginning to run dry. Pushing a second block forward until it stood to the left of the chest, I pushed the other one to the right giving me access to it. Opening it up, I took out another small key which I knew it would be thanks to the Compass. The only that remained now involved defeating those Dodongo Snakes.

As I was about to turn around and head back, I noticed there was a path that went south. Being the curious sort, I decided to see where it went in case this one turned out to be a shortcut. Walking up some stairs before going south, barriers on either side of me made me suspicious but perhaps I was just overthinking things again. As I entered the next room, everything went dark yet I felt I'd been here before. Taking out the map, I was in the room with the torches that couldn't be lit. This was a shortcut but not a very good one as jumping down from here meant not being able to go back.

Putting the map away and then walking back the other way, I decided to avoid the Beamos, and upon entering the room with the statue, I turned left and was in the room with the staircase which went upstairs. Since there was no where else to go at this point, I decided to see where it went. To my surprise, it took me back outside where my eyes needed a moment to get adjusted to seeing blue sky again after being surrounded by dingy walls for so long. Not having the smell of lava all around was a sigh of relief though it wouldn't be long before enduring it again upon going back inside.

"It feels great to be back outside."

"Yes, but you must remember that any puzzles you solved have now been reset."

"And the monsters?"

"They have been reset as well."

"I had a feeling that would happen."

Princess Twilight then came to a realization. "Now I know how you can defeat those Dodongo Snakes from above. Since we're outside right now, there has to be another entrance to the dungeon somewhere nearby which can take you to the upper platform of the room they are in. I must admit that this was a very creative means of solving such a rather cryptic puzzle by actually needing to leave but not via the main entrance."

"I still don't like the idea of having to fight the Dodongo Snakes again."

"There's not much of a choice, Sunset."

As much as it pained me to admit it, Her Highness was right. Taking a step forward, a Mini-Moldorm slithered towards me and before I could draw my sword, it bumped into me before it did so a second time. Drawing my sword, I defeated it in a single hit before I was hit on the head from above by a Dacto which had been perched on a barrier overlooking a small patch of grass which looked to be hiding something. Shaking my head, I was then attacked by a second one though I was prepared for it by raising my shield just as it was about to stab me using its rather long and sharp beak.

Despite how annoyingly fast they were, I defeated both Dactos with little effort though they did manage to hit me a few times each. Heading up to where the patch of grass was, I was surprised to see that it was a Piece of Heart. Talk about a lucky break! Normally, you'd need to go through some difficult challenges to find these though some were deemed freebies as they were just out in plain sight waiting for someone to come along. Picking it up, I felt its warmth embrace me and I gained new determination despite what was coming.

Ignoring the two Dactos perched either side of the main dungeon entrance (I doubted they even noticed me), I walked across a bridge and reached a warp panel. "Cool! Now I can warp back here if I ever needed to grab some supplies or medicine..." I suddenly stopped upon seeing the other warp down below though it was quite far away. "Why are there two of these so close to one another? It doesn't make any sense!"

Taking a closer look for herself, Princess Twilight had an answer. "My guess is that a long time ago, there was only the warp panel right here located on top of Turtle Rock. At some point later on, another warp was created for those who wanted to reach the mountains without having to go to the dungeon. I know it's not a precise guess but I'm basing it on knowledge I've managed to obtain. It's only purpose is to get you away from here so that you can restock on items which you already mentioned."

"Aside from that, it's completely useless."

"Something like that, yes."

"Wow... I feel bad that this warp panel isn't as useful as the others."

"At this point in the adventure, a lot of things have become less useful."

"Kind of like the item I'll get in this dungeon?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I'm afraid that what you said is true. Even though what you'll find is going to be essential for getting through the rest of Turtle Rock, the fact that you get it so late means you don't have enough time to appreciate what it's capable of as the only thing after the final dungeon is Grogar. Unless you planned on taking on more custom dungeon challenges in which case it becomes more useful. My advice to you, Sunset, is to appreciate whatever this item will be for as long as it's available. If it had been obtained much sooner, it'd be an entirely different conversation."

I never really thought about it like that before but then the idea of getting something very late wasn't new to me. There was that ultimate mask from the previous adventure which I got right at the very end so I never had a chance to see what it could do as I got forced into battle. Was the same true with whatever item awaited me in Turtle Rock? I viewed every item from each dungeon as precious as each had saved my life in a variety of ways. Why have these adventures set up like that where some things are used hundreds of times while others maybe less than ten?

"I hope that this item I'll get is a good one."

"I think it will be."

"First, I need to find where it is."

"Yes."

Looking over at what appeared to be the other entrance back into Turtle Rock, I gulped loudly knowing that I was about to deal with a most unusual mid-boss battle. If I was fighting anything other than the Dodongo Snakes in this manner, it would've been impossible to defeat such monsters. However, just because the snakes weren't exactly threatening didn't mean this was going to be easy. I needed to take several factors into account such as how I tossed my bombs down to them for example. I also only had a limited number of them at my disposal so I couldn't afford too many mistakes.

Heading over to the other entrance, I accidentally startled a Shrouded Stalfos who immediately backed away before hissing at me. Since it was showing no signs of attacking me, I decided to leave it alone. I entered the dungeon knowing it was safe though the monster continued hissing which quickly grew weaker before disappearing entirely. Appearing in the room with the Dodongo Snakes though now much higher up now, the mysterious voice in my head reminded me that this was Level 8 though I already knew that.

Looking down at the ground below, I could see the snakes in all their hideous glory. Once they began slithering about, I took a few minutes to study their movements so as to give myself as much advantage as possible yet it quickly proved agonizing. Not only were they slow at moving, sometimes, all they did was just turn around and head back the way they came before. A lot of this was going to come down to luck as they could turn their heads at the last minute. My one consolation was that they only took three hits before popping for good.

Before starting, the Compass beeped, reminding me that there was a key here. Taking out a bomb, I decided to use this first one as an experiment to see how far I could toss it before landing though I wasn't expecting it to get eaten by one of the Dodongo Snakes. Tossing it, it initially sailed through the air before its weight forced it down where it bounced once and then came to a stop where it exploded a couple of seconds later. It seemed that my enhanced strength had no effect here so I could continue throwing bombs without fear of throwing one through the wall on account of being so strong.

The snakes slithered about with one choosing to follow the other (I wasn't about to wonder what went on in their minds) so the lead one needed to be attacked first. Taking out my second bomb and tossing it down, the first snake turned left and didn't eat my bomb where it exploded. Crap! This is exactly what I didn't want happening. I was already down two bombs and hadn't damaged either one in any way. If this kept up, I'd run out and be forced to retreat and fight them again later. No... That scenario wasn't allowed to take place! They would be defeated on this first attempt.

Tossing down another bomb, the second snake turned left resulting in the same thing happening again. Rather than focusing on both at once, I chose to focus on one at a time in order to keep tabs on which one was which (A difficult thing to do since nothing really could tell them apart). Designating the one nearest me as Dodongo Snake #1, I tossed down another bomb which it consumed before it exploded moments later and caused it damage. Luck was definitely going to be a major factor here... And considering how bad it usually was, my bomb count was going to be very low by the time this was over.

I considered immediately throwing down another bomb but chose instead to wait. After an explosion, there was a brief moment of invincibility where the snake couldn't be damaged until the effect wore off. When it did, I threw another one down in front of the snake only for it to scoff at the bomb and turn around by flipping over to the other side of its body which surprised me. Okay, maybe they weren't as stupid as I believed them to be. In any case, I walked along making sure my eyes remained fixated on it, and when it turned right, I tossed down another bomb.

It got eaten by the snake and exploded, damaging it again. So far, this was going better than expected despite the bad start, but I wasn't about to get overconfident as I was certain my luck was about to change. Throwing another down, I completely missed and I cursed under my breath. Slapping both sides of my face to prevent myself from losing my concentration, I waited for it to come back the other way by turning around. Taking out another bomb and holding it above my head, the snake slithered along and was right below me when I tossed my bomb down and was eaten.

The bomb exploded and it popped which made me breath a sigh of relief. "That's one down!"

"So far so good, Sunset."

"This is very stressful you know."

"I know which is why I'm giving you a burst of confidence."

As I gazed down at the remaining Dodongo Snake, I couldn't help but feel annoyed. "You know, whoever came up with this idea didn't think it through. I mean, why have me go through this when something better could've been used or perhaps a more refined way of doing this."

"Given that this is just a one time thing, they can be forgiven for some things but not on others."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Princess Twilight proceeded to give me a quick hug knowing how much this was making me feel stressed out. "Just continue tossing down bombs at your current pace and make sure to keep an eye on where it's moving. You've got enough bombs to defeat it and obtain the small key that its guarding." Not one of her better pep talks but for what it's worth, she did the best job she could considering she didn't have much time coming up with something. "Oh, and whatever you do, don't accidentally leave the dungeon or enter one of the adjacent rooms."

"What happens?"

"The one you defeated will come back and you'll have to start over again."

I gulped heavily in response. "Yeah... Let's not do any of those things."

"No pressure or anything."

After what she said about leaving this room or the dungeon, I was feeling nothing but pressure. I didn't want to have to fight these snakes for a fourth time even if they weren't nearly as bad as I was making them out to be. I knew it wasn't their fault as they were simply monsters created for the purpose of slowing down my progress, yet something about them just infuriated me more so than any other monster across this island. Looking back down at the remaining Dodongo Snake, it continued slithering around whilst making those noises, yet was it the sound they made which infuriated me.

Focusing on the task at hand, I tossed down another bomb at the snake though it turned to the right and ignored it where it exploded. Tossing down another, it missed entirely and exploded harmlessly. Now the pressure was starting to get to me again. Breathing in and out a few times in order to relax, I looked down to see where the snake had gotten off to. To my surprise, it was apparently stuck in a corner and couldn't move. Was this some kind of glitch? Moments later, it turned itself around and resumed slithering along as though nothing happened.

As it came back towards me, I took out and tossed down another bomb where it ate and took damage when it exploded seconds later. However, I just couldn't get the thought of it being stuck out of my mind. Was that supposed to have happened? It wasn't in any pain but just stuck in a corner looking helpless or maybe curious about something (I couldn't tell what with a lack of a face or expression). Maybe this room just wasn't made to hold them? Unlike the previous room where I faced them, this one had the least amount of space.

Waiting for it to come back around, I tossed down another bomb only for it to turn over completely and go back the other way. Okay, at least that was normal or as 'normal' as one would expect from a unique monster. Walking over to where it was directly below me (I didn't have as much room to maneuver about either), I tossed down another bomb where it bounced off its head and then again, landing a few feet away before exploding. When it suddenly turned over again and began coming back, I tossed one last bomb down where it got eaten by the snake.

It then popped like a balloon, signaling its defeat which caused a chest to materialize on the other side of the ledge I was standing on. "Defeating that other one took a bit longer than I thought but I managed to pull through."

"Did you see what happened when it got stuck?"

"You noticed it too?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It's difficult not to have noticed. I'm going to assume that where it got stuck, the section of room that takes you to where you fought those Gibdo on the cracked floor, wasn't designed for a Dodongo Snake. They enjoy changing directions by going north or south depending on what goes on in their minds. Because it couldn't go in either of these directions, it began acting out until freeing itself by simply turning over. Had it not been able to do even that, defeating it would've been impossible and you'd have been forced to leave and come back in order to reset the room."

"It wasn't in any pain though."

"Not all creatures share expressions of pain, Sunset."

"No... I suppose not."

"The important thing is that you defeated them." Noticing how I was still bothered by what happened, Princess Twilight smiled and landed on my head. "At least it managed to get itself out from that corner and went back to just slithering about whilst making those noises. It had enough common sense to know something was wrong. Be thankful that the other one didn't get stuck. I can't even imagine how that would've looked."

"Before I get the key, I need to know... Do I have to go back outside and back over to the other side of the dungeon?"

"Why not take out the map and let me answer that." Princess Twilight answered. She could've just answered me without needing the map, but I supposed I could do with looking at it again to see where I needed to go next. Taking it out and unfurling it, Her Highness combed it over before pointing at one particular room. "There! You need to go to the room where you saw that key block hiding in the darkness."

"You sure about that?"

"It's the only room you haven't explored properly."

"But what about that other locked door from earlier?"

"Until you can melt the ice, you're not going that way any time soon."

Putting the map away again, Her Highness didn't answer my question the way I wanted to. I definitely wanted to know which room I had to go to next, but she didn't say as to whether I had to go back outside or not. Surely I could jump down by going in either direction as backtracking at this point would just be inconvenient. There was also something else that couldn't be overlooked and those were the two fairies that appeared upon defeating both Dodongo Snakes. Unfortunately, I couldn't pick up either one yet I didn't really need to as I took no damage in the previous fight.

Opening up the chest and taking out the small key, I continued walking forward and entered the room with the Gibdo and the cracked floor. To my relief, there were two places to jump down from yet both would have me land on broken ground and could break away at any moment. Choosing wisely to jump down where there were no monsters, I landed and nothing happened, but when I moved to the right, the floor gave way leaving behind a small hole. I had to remind myself that as the final dungeon, everything was dangerous which included the very floor itself.

Heading south into the room with the arrow marking on the ground, I then walked through the cracked section of wall I destroyed earlier and was back in the dark room which had the key block at the other end. There were also two Sparks though one was following the other which would make my next action an easy one. Taking out the boomerang and tossing it, it struck and defeated both monsters at once. A couple of fairies appeared in their place and I promptly collected them despite again not really needing to as I had full health.

Using some Magic Powder on a nearby torch, the room lit up slightly and I could see that there was a hole in the ground that stretched from the north end of the room to the other with several blocks on one side. If I hadn't used any powder, I could've walked right into the abyss without ever knowing it was there. The key block was also visible and I suspected there had to be more in the next room as it was the only one left that was accessible. I hoped there weren't any hidden rooms as I didn't want to have to go look for a room that the map didn't display.

Taking out the Roc's Feather, I jumped over the hole and upon landing, I lit up the other torch which made the room feel more natural. However, two Green Zols popped out of the ground and bumped into me all because I had no idea they were there until it was too late. Defeating both with a sword swing each, I approached the key block and inserted one of my keys before turning it where the block disappeared. Entering the next room, I was proven wrong about how there was only one room left as it appeared there was another to my left as the way forward was closed thanks to a door.

"So what's the deal with this room?"

"I can see another key block in front of a staircase."

I looked at what Her Highness was noticing and she was right. "I guess I need to take that staircase in order to get to one of the two 'front arms' of this turtle, but I can't tell how I'm supposed to even get there."

"Why not light one of the torches and see what happens."

Nodding, I walked up to the nearest one and was suddenly bumped into by a Rope. Defeating it, the door then unlocked which made my jaw drop. "Was that Rope the only monster guarding this room?" When Her Highness nodded, I felt completely dumbfounded that a single little snake was all I had to defeat in order to progress to the next room. "Wow... I was actually expecting maybe two or perhaps three Ropes instead of just one."

"Sounds to me that you wanted a challenge."

"I guess a part of me doesn't want some things being too easy." Upon lighting the torch with some Magic Powder, my words quickly came back to haunt me. "What the!? I need to use the Hookshot to get across!? And there's no way of doing so from this room!?"

For her part, Princess Twilight was less emotional about it. "Quite clever that someone put these two torches here to prevent you from skipping a room and being forced to take the long way around to reach your goal." She then noticed the expression on my face and sighed. "No sense in getting upset, Sunset. This was something that was to be expected which does make sense why there was just a single monster."

"Just when I thought this dungeon was done with the cheap shots, it goes and makes another one."

"It's only a minor inconvenience."

"I know."

Entering the next room, it was also dark though there were two more torches that could be lit up. My complaints about not needing to use Magic Powder had been proven wrong utterly now as I had been forced to use the stuff quite often just to see where I was stepping. I also could hear the slithering sounds of at least two Ropes yet I sensed there was something else in the room that wasn't making any kind of noise. Attacking the first Rope before it could attack me in return, I then lit up a torch and was shocked at standing right next to a Peahat which stirred a little before waking up.

Knocking me to the ground, it began fluttering about and upon getting back onto my feet, I swung my sword only for nothing to happen. I then groaned upon remembering that I could only defeat Peahats when they stopped moving as otherwise they were just like ghosts. Once it stopped moving, I swung again and missed because of getting hit by another Rope. How was it that I was taking damage from monsters with such low attack power? How embarrassing. Defeating both monsters as they were next to each other with one sword swing, I then lit up the other torch just to have some symmetry.

Aside from a couple of holes in the ground and a few blocks scattered about, there was nothing that made this room stand out. I was about to make my way over to the next key block when Her Highness began bopping me on the head to get my attention. Once she had gotten it, she pointed at two cracked sections on two different walls. At first I didn't want to pay any attention as I wanted to keep going, but I quickly became curious and wanted to find out more. Choosing the southern wall, I took out a bomb and placed it in front of the crack which naturally revealed a way south once the bomb exploded.

But, upon heading south... "WAAAAH!" I suddenly came to a stop as I nearly walked straight into a river of lava.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded rapidly. "I could've killed myself just now!"

Princess Twilight then looked at what had almost happened. "This is a shortcut to a previous room... But not a very good one as you needed to destroy the wall from the other side in the previous room. I don't believe you know about this so let me tell you so that you don't forget. Bombs surprisingly don't explode if thrown into lava. I know, it sounds crazy but this is exactly what happens."

After calming down, I was actually curious about it. "Really? Why do you suppose it happens like that?"

"My guess is that whoever made this didn't want adventurers like you skipping past certain rooms." Pointing at my Bomb Bag, Her Highness convinced me to drop a bomb directly onto the lava in order to prove her point. I thought she was insane for making such a suggestion but in the end I acquiesced and did as she asked. Dropping one, it disappeared entirely without making an explosion. "It's like throwing one into a body of water. It just disappears."

"But lava isn't water you know."

"Considering this whole place is a dream, who knows if things are what they're supposed to be."

"Now I want to try something."

"I think I know what it is and I won't stop you."

Heading back into the previous room, I approached the other cracked wall and placed a bomb in front of it where it exploded moments later, revealing another path. I took a few steps forward only to stop because there was another river of lava right in front of me. Both directions were dangerous! However, where this way lead proved to be more convenient especially if for some reason I wanted to leave the dungeon for something. I was in the room with the statue that was submerged in lava. Like Her Highness said however, it was a shortcut but not a good one because it didn't work both ways.

Despite my disappointment, I had at very least revealed these shortcuts even if they were useless. Walking back the other way, I walked up to the key block and inserted my next small key before turning it. It disappeared allowing me to go back to the other room where now I could get across and use my remaining key. Before doing that, I used some Magic Powder and lit up both torches as I wanted to see where I was going. Stepping in-between both torches and taking out the Hookshot, I fired the chain at a block and pulled myself across.

Using my last key and inserting it into the key block before turning it, it disappeared and I entered the tunnel where the temperature rose once again. In front of me were two pools of lava along with a few platforms floating above them with one connected to the ceiling via a chain. "Twilight? What do you suppose this chained platform is for?"

"I'm not entirely sure to be honest."

"Do you think it can be pushed?"

"Only way to know is to try."

That's when two Lava Bubbles leapt forth from the lava before dropping back down. "Every time I see those things, I get nervous because they could come out just when I'm
attempting to jump across and I'd end up taking a fatal bath!"

"All you can do is avoid them."

"I don't like how some monsters are indestructible."

"Be fortunate that such creatures don't come up often." Princess Twilight said as she pointed down at the lava. "If they were way more prevalent, you'd have a very difficult time getting anywhere. They exist in order to give you something that cannot be overcome by relying on brute force. They need careful strategy to get by them which involves using one's brain."

"I never thought of it that way."

"You'd be surprised at some of this information."

"Glad I've got you around then."

Princess Twilight smiled. "It's what I'm supposed to as your partner. Now, you also know that these platforms are unaffected by the Lava Bubbles nor are they affected by them. In other words, you might need to jump as they can go right through them like they weren't even there. On the flip side, you won't suddenly have to jump like crazy and wait for the platforms to cool down if the Lava Bubbles touch them."

Taking out the Roc's Feather, I waited for the platform to come back, but before I could jump, the Lava Bubbles leapt forth. When they went back down, the platform had since began moving the other way so I took a risk and jumped, barely making it. As for this chained platform, upon reaching it, I gave it a push and nothing happened. It was simply there for no reason aside from maybe causing some confusion. Jumping over and landing back on the platform, I jumped again when the Lava Bubbles leapt forth again, landing on the ground and ready to move on.

The remaining platforms moved up and down so there was no chance of being roasted from below. When the Lava Bubbles emerged, I waited until they dropped back down before jumping across in quick succession until I reached a ladder. Looking back, I felt relieved knowing I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore as the remaining tunnels were freezing cold. Re-entering the dungeon, the next room contained a chest which was in front of blue tiles that were currently down. No wonder that Crystal Switch had been hidden so carefully. Had I come here without activating it, I'd have been forced to go and find it.

Raising my hand to my ears, I could hear something making noises along with punching sounds. Considering the chances of an actual person being in such a place like this, it was most likely a monster though one I'd never heard sound like that before. Jumping down, I entered a large room and just like every other time, the door locked though I was more concerned with what had been making those sounds. On the other side of the room was a strange creature that was wearing large blue boxing gloves as well as a yellow outfit. This had to be the true mid-boss and that made me worried.

"Who or what is this?"

"This would be Blaino."

"Blaino!?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "I know it's an unusual name but I wouldn't make fun of it if I were you. This guy moves incredibly fast and is known for his fast punches. He can use those gloves as a shield in order to protect himself from your attacks yet this only works so much until he drops his guard or gets tired. Even with your blue tunic, you're going to be taking a lot of damage here but then the same is true in reverse as with that strong sword, he will take heavy damage himself. I do have one major piece of advice. Avoid getting hit by his strongest move otherwise you will suffer."

"As in he can kill me in one shot?" I asked as I pointed at the medicine I had across my body. "As much as it would annoy me to be forced to use it, I can make an exception here since this is a new mid-boss."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what?"

"If Blaino hits you hard enough, he can send you back to the start of the dungeon."

My entire body froze upon hearing that. "You're joking, right?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "He can do that."

I couldn't believe what Her Highness had just said. The only monsters that had such an ability were those Wallmasters yet I hadn't seen any of them on this adventure. Getting sent back to the start was a terrible thought as being forced to backtrack all the way here would effectively kill any enthusiasm towards finishing this journey. As I stared at Blaino, he didn't look like he was capable of such power, but underestimating him was nothing short of stupidly as I had learned many times before.

Once he noticed me, Blaino suddenly moved forward with such speed that I couldn't see him moving. By the time my eyes caught up, he began hitting me with a flurry of punches before finishing up with a powerful one that sent me crashing into a wall. He clearly held back on that one as I could've gone right through the wall instead. Getting back up onto my feet, he moved towards me and was about to unleash another round of punches when I responded by raising my shield. Each blow felt like he was going to break it so I lowered it and I got punched into the wall again.

So far, things were going as well as expected. I was taking unnecessary hits though in this case it was because I couldn't exactly predict what he was going to do next. As I got back up, I raised my shield when he came at me again and started punching. I needed to get away from him long enough to be able to mount any kind of counterattack otherwise this was going to keep on happening until he could get rid of me. After several punches against my shield, he used a stronger one which pushed me back slightly before he attempted it again.

I swung my sword in response only for him to raise his fists to his face and absorbed the blow from my sword. I continued swinging and he kept on absorbing each blow until he countered with another punch which knocked me back a little. He then moved forward and began punching me a few times with the last one knocking me into the wall again. I then moved away and attempted to get to the other end of the room only for him to quickly catch up when I turned around and swung my sword. Again, he used his fists as a shield but when he suddenly dropped his guard, I responded by hitting him a couple of times.

That angered him and he shifted around until he was right behind me where he unleashed another strong punch. I tried moving forward but he managed to hit me and I was sent flying into the wall where I hit it face-first. Getting up, I rubbed my head to make sure it wasn't bleeding, but then he hit me again with another flurry of punches before suddenly moving back and then coming at me again. Raising my shield, he punched it several times and then backed away again where I lowered it which turned out to be a mistake. He rushed forward and punched me with a regular punch where I dropped to one knee.

"He's a lot tougher than I thought." I said whilst clenching my teeth.

"I'm surprised you've taken all those punches remarkably well."

I pointed at my blue tunic. "This thing is what made me survive this long." I then coughed though I quickly waved my hand to assure Her Highness that I was okay. "At least I've hit him a couple of times so I've made some progress."

"What truly has me surprised is that you haven't been knocked back to the beginning of the dungeon."

"I don't want that to happen!"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Either Blaino is purposely holding back because he sees you as a worthy opponent, or your increased defence has given you some kind of immunity to being knocked out of here." She then noticed all the bruises across my body and lowered her head slightly. "You need to be a bit more aggressive but not too much otherwise he can easily counter you. Oh yeah! Despite getting hit multiple times, you're only taking damage from the first punch he connects with. The rest are just for show and to give off the impression that he's giving you a real pounding."

"Um... I guess that should make me feel better?"

"I'd say so."

"Lucky me." I said with a sarcastic tone in my voice.

"You're doing good so far." Princess Twilight said in her bid to give me some confidence.

"Though I am worried about my shield breaking."

"The Mirror Shield can withstand anything." Princess Twilight then kicked it though it wasn't a very good example given that she was tiny. "It can stand up to even the most fiercest of blows so don't worry about Blaino destroying it because he can't do that. By the way, I'm sure you've already reached this conclusion, but if you haven't then let me explain. Aside from your sword, your other items have no effect on him. Those gloves of his can protect him from so much that it rivals your shield. Remember that he does have to catch his breath so he will drop his guard in order to do so."

I sighed. "I had a feeling that only the sword would work."

"No doubt that Blaino is very strong."

"Guess I need to prove my worth against him."

Getting up again, Blaino moved forward and I raised my shield where he began punching it. After a few attempts, he quickly shifted to the left where I turned to face him, my shield still raised as he punched my shield a few more times. He then shifted to the left again and again I turned around accordingly and absorbed his blows. He then paused for a moment which made me think that perhaps he was getting frustrated by my defence but when he decided to shift to the right, he caught off guard as I turned left and got punched in the back as a result. I was then hit again and got knocked into the wall.

Okay, so he didn't like it when I chose to hide behind my shield, but he wasn't giving me much of a choice here. With those fast movements, keeping my distance was impossible. If I had full health right now, I'd have shot some sword beams but they probably wouldn't have worked as he could just block them. This was probably true with Spin Attack so it truly did come down to using just the sword and no techniques associated with it.

I then recalled what Princess Twilight said about when he blocked my attacks, if I kept up the pressure, he would either drop his guard or get tired. Looking over at him, I wasn't sure about him getting tired as he looked like he could go on for a very long time but perhaps the first option could work. Moving away from the wall, he moved towards me when I began swinging my sword and continued swinging. He responded by raising his gloves and began absorbing my blows though I refused to stop. This went on for about a minute before he lowered his guard much to my surprise.

Hitting him a couple more times, Blaino eventually countered with more flurries of punches forcing me to step back. I quickly tried to get around to the other side of him but he suddenly turned around and punched me in the stomach. How in the world did he do that with such blinding speed? He punched me a second time followed by a third which knocked me down onto my back. As I looked up, he stopped moving and stared down at me with a sharp gaze. Rather than take advantage of my current predicament, he instead was waiting until I got up before continuing the fight. How about that? A monster with a sense of honor.

Upon getting up yet again, he began punching furiously before moving forward and then repeating this attack. I found it odd that he kept on changing up his attack pattern when normally monsters had just one method and wanted to stick with it. I guessed he didn't know how best to deal with me especially since every time I got knocked down, I kept coming back for more. I wasn't intending on trying to figure out his methods. I just needed to focus on breaking his defences and defeat him. Moving forward and swinging my sword, I hoped this would finish things off but boy did I just mess up.

Blaino winded up and punched me so hard that I crashed into one of the walls with incredible speed. As I slumped to the ground, small parts of the wall came down on top of me though it was generally still intact. "That should've knocked my head off!" Miraculously, I was relatively okay though my head was throbbing a little. "I can't believe I survived a punch as strong as that!" My luck once again showed how it went back and forth between being good and flat out terrible.

"I thought that had killed you!"

I shook my head. "I don't think this world would get that violent. Sure, I've had my share of getting impaled by different things, my body being slammed about, and even some bleeding on occasion, but actually losing my head? Yeah, I don't think that my head would've been knocked off despite what I just said." I then got up and brushed off some dust from my shoulders before stumbling for a moment. "But that definitely hurt like you wouldn't believe!"

"At least you have the Magic Medicine to rely on."

"I'd rather save that for the Nightmare."

"Sometimes you can't control when you have to do use it to save yourself."

Sighing, I nodded in agreement. "At the very least, I can keep going without needing to use it... Unless Blaino decides to go with another punch like that." I then quietly chuckled to myself before quickly stopping when Her Highness wanted in on the joke. "I'm sorry. It's just that for some reason, I can't take his name seriously. If he had been given a more prominent name, I wouldn't be giggling."

"While it is unusual as I said earlier, you better not let him see you laughing about it."

As I looked on at him, Blaino was punching the air repeatedly so I doubted he heard me. "He must be very dedicated to boxing seeing as he keeps on doing that. It makes me think that he hardly gets any visitors and perhaps does that to give himself a form of entertainment." Then what I said made a lot of sense. Since no one aside from me had been able to make it this far in the dungeon (Assuming anyone came at all), he had gotten pretty lonely. With me around, this was the first time he'd been able to punch something that could feel pain. Okay, not my best analogy but the point still stood.

"He's having a good time."

"Yeah, and I have to beat him."

"Then give him a proper finale."

Her Highness could've used better words than that, but I knew what she was getting at. Moving forward, I was still stumbling as a result from his last punch, but that apparently didn't mean a thing to him as he began punching me in the chest several times when he paused before punching me several times again. Then he hit me in the face which felt like I was about to lose some teeth, but that actually shook loose the cobwebs that had been my throbbing headache. Raising my shield and blocking some more punches, he shifted left and unleashed another flurry yet I stepped back to avoid them.

Then he got closer which was when I swung my sword yet he used his gloves to block my attacks. Knowing how he operated by that point, I continued swinging and he kept on blocking, but eventually this took its toll and he dropped his guard which was when I struck him a few times before I got blocked again when he raised his gloves. Despite all that punishment, he looked like he could still go a few more rounds. Shifting to the right, I turned in the same direction when he shifted the other way and started punching me before landing another big one which knocked me to the ground.

Getting back up, Blaino knocked me down again, and when I got up a second time, he knocked me down yet again. I could see where this was going and I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of trapping me in a looped that worked against me. Rolling to the side and then getting up, I waited for him to come over before swinging my sword, yet he shifted right and swung at me which was when I stepped back and he moved forward and used another flurry of punches that missed their target. Either I was getting better at not getting hit or there wasn't much fight left in him.

He then approached and punched me in the stomach before shifting left and was about to hit me again when I used my sword to block him. That took him by surprise though I was just as shocked as I didn't think my sword could be used like that. Swinging it again, he blocked it using his gloves but then gave me another punch which left me in a daze enabling him to follow up with yet another blow to my face. Unlike the last one, this one didn't have as much oomph, another reminder that he was getting exhausted. In fact, his most recent blows had been weak though I supposed I never noticed until now.

He then shifted left and began another flurry of punches yet I stepped back and watched until he caught on and moved closer before repeating his attack while I responded by stepping back again. Undeterred, he got close again and I swung my sword only for him to block my attack. Then for some weird reason, I began jabbing at him and building up power to perform a Spin Attack though I hadn't noticed this until I unleashed it. Despite how impressive it looked, it amounted to nothing as it all got absorbed by those gloves. I knew it wouldn't work yet my instincts wanted to try anyway.

Mustering up another powerful punch, Blaino dashed forward and hit me with everything he had... And as I had figured out moments ago, it didn't do as much damage as it could've done had he more stamina. Despite getting hit in the face by that punch, I stood my ground and weren't knocked down as a result. Looking at his gloves in confusion, he quickly raised them as I began swinging my sword though he quickly tired out allowing me to hit him a few more times. On that final hit, he reeled back for a moment before falling down and landing on his back where he remained motionless.

As I walked over to check if he was okay (Strange that I was doing this given how I had been his punching bag), he lifted up his right hand and gave me a thumb's up before dropping it again. He then began exploding several times before disappearing in a final explosion which caused the door to unlock and a warp panel to appear. Now I had easy access to the entrance without needing to play Manbo's Mambo. "That... Was one of the hardest battles I've ever fought." I said as I stood there and gazed down at where he fell.

"In the end, he gave you a sign of respect."

"I gave him a worthy battle."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I think the sudden Spin Attack proved to be too much for him and pushed him right to the brink which is why that last punch of his didn't knock you down. You should be thankful that it didn't inflict as much damage as it potentially could have."

"That attack just came out of nowhere."

"Sometimes, when desperate, you do something your mind doesn't notice until after it happens."

"Guess I've got pretty good instincts."

"Yes, but not all monsters can be defeated by relying on that." Princess Twilight then pointed at the map which I then took out and she pointed at the Nightmare's location. "You need to know exactly what you're doing when it comes to this Nightmare in particular. It's the only one left before Grogar and is likely the strongest one amongst all of them. After all, this is the final dungeon and it will do everything to kill you."

I nodded. "I know, Twilight."

"I am curious as to what kind of Nightmare it is."

"Do they have any kind of theme?"

"They all resembled something that had to do with the dungeon you were in when you found them." Pointing at the map again, Princess Twilight reminded me that this one was shaped like a turtle, hence the name of Turtle Rock. "Based on that, one might think that the Nightmare here is going to be some kind of turtle-like monster, but then you have to take the lava into account. It could be a fire monster."

"I hope not."

"You really need to get used to the temperatures in here."

If the Nightmare was in fact lava-themed, I was going to have a very difficult time dealing with it. Despite having been in this dungeon for quite some time, I still had trouble getting used to the intense temperatures. It's not like Her Highness could complain as she was immune yet these conditions weren't normal. If I had been given the proper protection, I wouldn't be complaining. Maybe if there was another room with a mid-boss in it (I had no idea if there were any left) filled with lava, it could give me a chance at getting used to such conditions whilst fighting something strong.

Was it a good idea? Not even close, but it was the only one I could think of. If the Nightmare was somehow made of lava or at the very least fire, how was I supposed to defeat it? I certainly couldn't strike it with my sword as doing so would probably melt it which would leave me in quite a bind. Putting the map away and walking through the now unlocked door, I approached the three blue tiles and walked over them. Had they have been up instead, I'd have been forced to backtrack to that one Crystal Switch from before.

Opening up the chest, I took out what appeared to be a fancy looking wand. "It looks like you were right about it being a magical wand, Twilight."

"This is known as the Magic Rod." Princess Twilight exclaimed, happy knowing that I had some actual magic at my disposal. "With this, you can now light those torches that you couldn't reach earlier and melt those ice blocks in the two tunnels. In addition, you can use it in combat to attack monsters from a distance, and it's so powerful, it can defeat them faster than using your sword. Plus, it has infinite magic so no point in worrying about running out of magic power."

"Any other things it can do?"

"It can burn things, such as Gibdos."

"Is that so?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Recall when I said that if you could burn them with something, you can turn them into Stalfos? Well, the Magic Rod is what you need to use. If they're giving you trouble, set them on fire and then defeat them when they become Stalfos. Burn it! Burn it all down!"

I then looked at Her Highness with a shocked look on my face. "Why did you just say that last bit!?"

"That's what I needed to say as part of the Magic Rod's description."

That definitely warranted a slap to my forehead. "Okay, whoever came up with that description makes them sound like they're a pyromaniac!" I then took a closer look and saw it had a purple gem embedded on the top of it and the wooden stick handle looked slightly gnarled giving it an old appearance. Not being able to use magic throughout this journey had been unbearable given I was a unicorn and Her Highness could use fairy magic, but now I could finally use some even if it was through a stick and gem. Swinging it, it launched a fireball that sailed across the room with some impressive speed before hitting the wall.

"Very impressive speed."

I nodded. "I guess this can only fling fireballs."

"Be glad that it can do something like that instead of a lesser kind of magic."

Just thinking about some of the more useless spells we have back in Equestria made me glad that I didn't have one of those within this Magic Rod. "By the way... How often can I fling a fireball? You did say that this can be used in combat so I'm curious as to how consistent it can be."

"I believe only one shot at a time."

That made me feel disappointed. "I guess it's not good if I get swarmed by a bunch of monsters."

"Better to take the victories where you can find them."

Looking back at the door, I remembered that a warp panel appeared. "If I'm going to light those torches I had to ignore before, I need to get back to the entrance and then make my way there instead of having to backtrack through most of the dungeon. I know you prefer me going the long way, Twilight, but surely you can make an exception this time. Besides, I rarely get to use dungeon warp panels as they usually don't do me any good given the layout."

Princess Twilight nodded. "I agree with taking a short cut. Besides, you earned this warp panel so you must use it."

Smiling, I went back into Blaino's room and stepped on the panel where I was surrounded by a bright light before disappearing. Moments later, I was back at the entrance and decided to check to see how my health was faring by looking at myself. I still had plenty of bruises from all those punches but I was capable of moving about without any issue. I know I still had the Magic Medicine but I wanted to save it for the Nightmare as it's going to be the toughest one yet. I needed to be cautious and not be too reckless. Heading north into the next room, this was where I encountered my first Vire.

Sure enough, it had returned and I thought about ignoring it when an idea came to mind. With my shield raised, I took out my new Magic Rod and waited for it to attack. When it fired its fireballs, I reflected them back which hit it and it dove down where I flung my own which defeated it completely without it splitting into two Big Keese. Her Highness was right about this rod being more powerful than my sword. A shame that it came so late in the adventure as I could've had a much easier time, but I supposed it was meant to be kept back until now because of its power. Better having it instead of not.

Even though I now had the Magic Rod and go could go and melt the ice blocks, there was no point as I didn't have the Nightmare Key or the one remaining small key needed for that one locked door. Heading left, I suddenly got hit by a laser beam that shot out from the eye of the Beamos that plagued this room. I then flung a fireball at it only to see it fizzle out. Okay, so not all monsters are affected by the Magic Rod. Good to know in case I encountered any other monsters who were immune. Raising my shield, it fired another laser which I reflected back, striking it, and shutting it down.

Ignoring the Ropes and walking into the next room, I was surprised to see that the Hinox had returned though perhaps I shouldn't have given how long it had been since I last came this way. "It's back again!"

"I did say that these mid-bosses would re-spawn if you went far enough away from their rooms."

"And the doors have locked themselves again."

"Unfortunately, because of how this dungeon was set up, this scenario was bound to happen."

I sighed. "Guess I better take care of this quickly."

"Why not try using your Magic Rod?"

"Will that even work?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "You only get to use it for a short period of time as once this dungeon is complete, the only place you have to go is where Grogar resides, and when he is defeated, the adventure is pretty much over. I know I'm making an early premonition by saying you're going to prevail which I know will happen, but you've got a new item that's begging you to use it as much as possible. Look, just use it and get a feel for how it truly works."

"Alright... I'll give it a whirl."

To Be Continued.

Comments

[Kichi]

I think Sunset should take some relaxation before going to the next boss... Relax, take a day for herself, breath and take out her stress, overworking herself is going to damage her and she could make a mistake.

Also, I wonder if Sunset or Twilight could cheat with the Magic Rod? As it's magic and they know about magic, they could try to modify it or cheat with it

[Ganondorf8]

10971941
I suppose they could cheat with it even though they don't have much time to use it given how late in the game you get it. A shame really as the Magic Rod is just such a good utility item.

[Kichi]

10989728
Perfect for the final boss, and summon a 'Meteor' using the Magic Rod

[fluttershyfan3030]

well if you need help writing "Legend of Sunset Shimmer:Twilight Princess" let me know i'm currently replaying both the gamecube version and the Wii version (I don't have a Switch yet) so i can help you with key points if you choose to write it after "Legend of Sunset Shimmer: A Link To The Past" but to be honest with you i thought you'd write "Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Windwaker" first before you tried to tackle "Twilight Princess" but if you want to write smaller stories might i suggest the "Oracle" games next. Plus i'd love to see your take on the first "Hyrule Warriors" game and work in how you would recruit all the DLC characters into the story rather than how you obtained them through the Adventure Mode like the game did. Alas i also know this is more challenging than trying "Twilight Princess" these are just ideas i'm giving you to think about after you finish "A Link to the Past" but if you like them i'd gladly help you write them as your lore guy.