Link began his search for Spool Swamp north of Horon Village. This took him past the house where Impa was staying, so he dropped in for a visit. Impa told Link where to find the swamp, but warned him that the swamp was filled with beasts stronger than any he had yet encountered. Link promised to go carefully.

Using the Power Bracelet to move some heavy boulders out of his path, Link drew closer to the swamp. He found a tree bearing strange smelling seeds - Scent Seeds, the smell of which could attract monsters. Exploring further, Link met a kangaroo named Ricky:

Spool Swamp is my backyard. If you go south from here, then around and back up, there it is. I'd go with you, but I can't do a thing without my gloves... A guy named Blaino took them when I lost a match to him.

Deciding to help out the poor marsupial, Link hiked to Blaino's Gym. Link agreed to a boxing match with the huffy, overconfident Blaino, betting some rupees on the match. The two exchanged blows, and Link dodged Blaino's powerful punches. Pushing in close, Link delivered a wild flurry of punches, forcing Blaino to the edge of the ring. With one last punch, Blaino fell out of the ring, and Link won the match! Blaino congratulated Link on his golden fists, and declared him the new champ! In exchange, Link got Ricky's Gloves.

Ricky was overjoyed when Link returned with his gloves. Realizing that Link must be pretty tough if he beat Blaino, Ricky asked for Link's name. He gave Link a flute, which Link could use to call Ricky whenever he needed his help. Offering to take Link to Spool Swamp, Ricky told Link to hop into his pouch. Ricky could jump over small holes and up short cliffs.

Link rode in Ricky's pouch as the kangaroo took him into Spool Swamp. They found a tree bearing mystical Pegasus Seeds, which could make somebody move as quickly as the legendary steed. Further in, they discovered that a large gate was holding back a lake filled with water. A moth was carved into the side of a cliff adjoining the lake, and below that carving was the entrance to a cave. But the entrance was underwater, and Link could not swim. Oddly enough, Link noticed the singing prophet Sokra sleeping on the opposite bank, but he was sleeping so soundly that Link's yells didn't wake him up. Discouraged, Link entered a house nearby to see if he could find help.

An old man greeted Link. "You want in the swamp? Well... Actually, I lost the key to open the floodgates!" So Link helped the man search his house for the key. Pulling a switch, Link opened a drain, emptying the water from a hole in the man's floor. And there lay the missing Floodgate Key. "Oh! That's where I left it! That should open the floodgates. You can get to the keyhole from that puddle outside." The switch had emptied the puddle outside, exposing a path leading underground.

In the wet underground cavern Link got a chance to use the Pegasus Seeds he had found. A switch made a bridge appear across a small lake, but the bridge would disappear far too quickly for Link to cross in time. Breaking open a Pegasus Seed, Link dashed across safely. Emerging from the underground lakes, Link found himself on the opposite side of the lake. Sokra was still asleep, but he woke up immediately when Link reached him.

Just as I, Sokra, predicted, the time has come when a new Power of Seasons is needed. This means you must find a doorway to the Subrosian land and go to the Temple of Seasons.

With that, Sokra went right back to sleep.

Link put the Floodgate Key into the keyhole, and as the floodgate lowered, the lake emptied with a great rush of water. Link could see that Sokra was right; he couldn't get into the cave now because the entrance was too high up from the lake bottom! Going back to the old Floodgate Key keeper, the old man said, "Did you open the floodgates? The vines there get so overgrown in summer!" This gave Link an idea: if he could change the season to summer, perhaps the vines would grow high enough to allow him to climb into the cave! But Link would have to return to Subrosia first to gain the power of the Spirit of Summer. And, Link remembered from his previous visit, the tower of summer was locked.

Suspecting that a portal was nearby, Link and Ricky explored the swamp that the floodgate had now opened to them. Sure enough, Link found a portal to Subrosia, and stepped into it. He appeared in the southern reaches of Subrosia, near the beach. Link talked to a Subrosian nearby, who told him, "Lately, Subrosia Market has begun carrying lots of weird things. I think they get it all from the 'temple.'" Hoping that the market carried a key, Link went to look at their goods, but unfortunately the market only carried items that were common in the overworld. They even had a ribbon, which they would give away in exchange for Star-Shaped Ore.

Disappointed, Link left the market. He saw some Subrosians talking excitedly nearby, and listened in on their conversation. "Rosa, the pop star, has been seen around here a lot lately." "Rosa's key can open any door, even ones in the 'temple.'" The young male Subrosians wanted very badly to go on a date with the glamorous Rosa.

His interest piqued, Link explored the beach. Subrosians were combing the beach, some looking for Star-Shaped Ore, some looking for something to impress Rosa. Link found Rosa standing by the shore of an ocean of lava. "My name's Rosa. My favorite Ribbon floated out to sea... I, like, wanted to go explore the 'temple,' but I can't go out like this!" Suddenly it all came together: Link would comb the beach for Star-Shaped Ore, trade it for the ribbon in the Subrosia Market, and then go on a date with Rosa to the Temple of Seasons! And after digging up the beach with his shovel looking for Star-Shaped Ore, this is exactly what Link did.

Rosa was delighted when Link presented her with the cute ribbon. "Since you're so nice, I'll go on a date with you. Let's go look in that 'temple.'" As Link and Rosa walked together, passing Subrosians gave them looks of wonder and yelled jealously at Link.
"What? You're dating Rosa? What present did you give her?"
"I'm so jealous! I want to date Rosa!!!"
"You and Rosa? No way! You're not on a date, are you?!?"

Rosa and Link walked through Subrosia, taking a detour through some hot springs to reach the Temple of Seasons. Rosa's mystical necklace had no trouble opening the locked doors of the hot spring, nor the door leading into the tower of summer. At the top of the tower, Link and Rosa stood before a fairy statue, and the spirit of summer appeared, in the form of a glowing orange fairy.

You have come, adorable hero. I am the Spirit of Summer. In summer, vines grow tall and creeks dry up. Ancient Hyrulean legends say the hero destined to overthrow evil has a triangle on his left hand. Perhaps you are this hero. Now... I grant you the power of the Spirit of Summer!

With a burst of magical power, the spirit of summer blessed the Rod of Seasons with a summer day. Now Link could climb atop a stump to call forth summer! Bidding farewell to Rosa, Link returned to the world above and traveled with Ricky back to the entrance of the cave. Standing on a nearby stump, Link swung the Rod of Seasons and called forth a summer day. The air grew hot, plants eagerly grew and bloomed, and most importantly, vines grew up the side of the cliff leading up into the cave. Link climbed the vines and bravely entered the Poison Moth's Lair.

In this dark and murky lair, Link was beset by:
Spiked Beetles
Floormasters
Arm-Mimics
Anti-Fairies
and Pols Voices

He found a gushing current of water making a slow circuit of a room, while Arm-Mimics wandered about and a trap circled around the room. When Link defeated the Arm-Mimics, a chest appeared in the middle of the room, and inside Link found a Roc's Feather, a precious item that would make the wearer as light as a feather. With the Roc's Feather, Link was able to jump over a switch that before would make a bridge collapse.

Link came across an owl statue, which told him: "In water it is invincible." Link did not know what this meant until he came across three squid creatures, who popped their heads out of their pools and cast fireballs at him. He indeed could not hurt them while they remained in the water. Using the Power Bracelet, Link picked them up and threw them onto dry land. Thus were they made vulnerable and defeated.

At last Link reached the final room in the dungeon, the lair of the dungeon guardian. The door slammed shut behind him, and a gigantic moth called Mothula flew above Link's head. Mothula flew erratically around the room, shooting fireballs at Link, and Link used the Roc's Feather to dodge the poison moth and take refuge on two columns in the middle of the room. Mothula stopped in the middle of the room, and trembled with a sudden effort. Link took the chance to attack with his sword, but it was too late to stop Mothula: four baby moths flew from their mother, flying at Link. It took all of Link's skill to dodge the fast-flying moths and fireballs, but at last the monstrous creature was destroyed. In the next room, Link found the Bright Sun, an Essence of Nature, sitting on an altar. Young shoots would grow quickly under the warm rays of the Bright Sun! As Link was taken outside, he heard a familiar, woody voice speaking to him.

Hwaah... Thank you, Link. I, too, feel the Bright Sun! I dreamt of the waterfall on the mountain north of Sunken City. Perhaps the next essence is near there...