As Link stepped into the underground portal, he was taken up to the overworld, the upper world of light. Nearby, sleeping on a stump, lay Sokra, who apparently had been following Link. When Link approached, he sprung up.

That's it! You have the Rod of Seasons! If that Rod of Seasons held the powers of the Season Spirits, you could change the seasons! But I see it has only the power of winter. Hmm... Swing the rod from atop that stump. Its power will be unleashed! If the Temple of Seasons has sunk into some land called Subrosia, there must be other entrances to the Subrosian land! You must find them! Perhaps you will even go to the Temple of Seasons again. So we part!

Having said his part, the prophet left Link to find his destiny. Link jumped atop the nearby stump. Pulling out the precious Rod of Seasons, Link swung it above his head. Its power was unleased in a blinding flash, and when Link could once again see, the land was in winter! The ground was covered with snow, and a nearby pond had frozen over. Now Link could cross the frozen pond and explore the rest of the Winter Forest.

After some exploration, Link found a house with a sign in front, which read, "Santa Welcome!!!" Link wanted to meet the owner, but the front door was barred. Acting on his mischievous instincts, Link came up with an idea. This area of land was in summer, but if he swung the Rod of Seasons atop a nearby stump, the season would change to winter. Perhaps enough snow would pile up, allowing him to reach the roof. Then he could slip through the chimney, just like Santa! Wouldn't the owner of the house be surprised!

Link's ruse worked, and he fell through the chimney, landing inside the house with a loud THUMP! He stood up and found a surprised young lady staring down at him. "AHH!!" she exclaimed, "You startled me! Winter sets in all of a sudden, then down my chimney comes..." Her face wrinkled up in a scowl. "You're not Santa! You don't scare me! Now take this shovel and clear the snow from my walkway! Keep the shovel when you're done." Appropriately chastised for his little prank, Link shoveled the snow out of her walkway.

As Link continued to explore the Woods of Winter, he found that the shovel came in handy. Snowdrifts sometimes blocked his way, but he could clear them away with the shovel. After clearing away a pretty large pile of snow, he found a Mystical Tree. This tree bore Mystery Seeds, which held strange powers. Link had heard about Owl Statues, which would speak under special circumstances. An owl statue stood next to this tree, and Link sprinkled it with the magical powder from a Mystery Seed. The owl statue sternly reminded Link to always give it Mystery Seeds.

It wasn't long before Link found the entrance to a dark cave. The vine decorations above the entrance made the dark gateway look like a gaping mouth. With a gulp, Link entered the Snake's Remains, a cave filled with darkness. Lighting two torches with Ember Seeds to get some light, Link found that this opened a new door.

Poisonous snakes called Ropes, and spear-throwing Moblins, assaulted Link in this dungeon. He faced giant traps and Thwomps in his exploration, and found large metal rods, too heavy to move, blocking his path. Backtracking, Link found a room with a pit in the middle. On the other side of the pit, pig-faced Moblins were on patrol. Link took out a bomb, lit it, and tossed it across the pit. The Moblins could only watch helplessly as the bomb exploded in their faces. With their defeat, a treasure chest appeared. Inside, Link found the Power Bracelet, which would allow him to lift heavy objects!

With this magical item, Link could use his newfound strength to roll the metal bars that had been too heavy before. Avoiding crumbling floors as he pushed these obstructions out of his way, Link found his way to a large room. Suddenly, the ground shook fiercely, and a sinister face appeared on the floor. This was Facade, a monster who could neither attack directly nor be directly attacked. He threw many monsters and dangers at Link, fading in out of sight. When nothing else worked, Link desperately lit a bomb, and threw it in the monster's face. It turned out that bombs were Facade's only weakness. It was only a matter of time before the master of illusions was destroyed.

Finding himself at dead ends, Link explored the beginning of the dungeon more thoroughly. He found more metal bars blocking his path, and found a stairway leading above ground. Returning to the bowels of the dungeon, Link was surprised to find a Deku Scrub under a bush. The wooden creature tried to sell him bombs, but he didn't really need any. In the next room, however, Link found a maze filled with blocks he needed to bomb. In the middle was a treasure chest. Link didn't find his way to the treasure chest fast enough, so a spell made the chest disappear. Disappointed, Link left. He understood now why the Deku Scrub was selling bombs. Buying more, Link eventually got through the maze, and got a key he needed.

Returning to the latter part of the dungeon, Link was now able to find the Boss Key, which would open the final door of the dungeon. Link faced Pols Voices, ghosts vulnerable to loud noises and explosions because of their large ears. An owl statue near the boss's lair told him that "when the mouth opens, attack from within. Then super-human strength will prevail." Link kept this hint in mind, though he didn't understand it, and opened the locked door.

In the room prowled a gigantic horned dinosaur creature, the Dodongo. In the middle of the room, spikes were set into the floor, limiting the victim's movement. This monster walked slowly and heavily toward Link, stopping only to spit fire. Staring the beast in the eye, Link jumped away in terror when the monster charged at him. The dinosaur's hide was hard, invulnerable to Link's wooden sword. Then Link remembered what the owl statue had told him: "attack from within." The monster opened its mouth to spit fire. Link decided to throw a bomb in to see what would happen. The dumb beast swallowed the bomb, but the exploding bomb only surprised the beast momentarily as the fires scorched its strong stomach.

The monster didn't seem to mind eating the bombs, so it seemed Link would have to try something else. But then he came up with another idea. He judged that, while wearing the Power Bracelet, he had enough strength to lift the beast. He would stun it by feeding it a bomb, and then throw it on the spikes in the middle of the room! Surely the force of its fall would drive the spikes into its softer underbelly! This plan worked perfectly, and the Dodongo was defeated.

In the next room, Link took the next essence of nature, the Gift of Time, which was in the shape of a hourglass. With the Gift of Time, seeds would sprout as the seasons changed! As Link left the Snake's Remains, he heard the Maku Tree speaking to him.

Thank you, Link. I, too, received part of the Gift of Time! I just dreamt of Spool Swamp out west. Something is afoot there. But I can see no more... Hohhm...