Me: *Eating breakfast.* "Mmmm, French Toast." *Phone rings. I answer.* "Dark Lord Voldemort speaking...hello?" *I turn, seeing Mario, Sonic, Link, Zelda, Bowser, and Eggman staring at me, a phone in Link's hand. They do not look happy.* "Okay, fine! I'll work on the story!"

Zelda: "About time! We've had to deal with Deadpool while you've been dorking around! There is absolutely no way to keep him quiet!"

Mario: "And this chapter's character-not-from-this-story-guest-star is creepy!"

Ultron: *Comes out of the hallway behind them.* "There are no strings on me..."

Me: "Stop ruining the childhoods of tons of kids, you homicidal chunk of metal!"

Ultron: "Well excuuuuuuse me, Princess! It's not my fault I have James Spader's terrifying-" *All the other characters and me beat him up for daring to reference that horrible Legend of Zelda animated series.* "OW!"

Me: "Okay, now that that's out of the way, sorry for not having a consistent schedule with chapter updates. I've had a huge workload to deal with. And by workload, I mean Super Smash Bros 3DS, and Pokemon Omega Ruby. Oh, and college finals. I'll do my best to get out a chapter or two really fast, before next semesters workload gets to big. Thanks to Psychic Nature for beta reading this chapter. Anyways, lets get on with...Wait a sec..." *Looks around.* "Guys, where's Ganondorf?"

Bowser: "Well..."

Sonic: "Should we tell him?"

Ganondorf: *Comes out of the hallway with a banjo, clearly drunk.* "Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed..."

Me: "Okay, who's the smart $$ that let Ganondorf drink all of the beer? I mean it!"

Ultron: "Wasn't me! Even I'm not that much of a jerk!"

Link: *Sighs.* "Look, just read, review, and enjoy."

Me: *Grabs Ganondorf by the arm, dragging him out of the room.* "Come on, Ganny. You need to sober up before your next appearance."

Ganondorf: "...and they moved to Beverly. Hills, that is!"

Chapter 6: The Errand Boys (And Girl)

"You know, you really don't need to come with us," said Link "I can handle the Skull Kid, but there could be unexpected dangers." The Hero of Twilight, along with the two heroes from the future and Queen Zelda, were currently standing in the stables, preparing Link's horse, Epona, for the journey to the Sacred Grove to retrieve the Master Sword. Link and Zelda were currently having an argument over Zelda's demand to accompany the three men. She had changed into a blue, black, and grey body suit, with a red eye and a single red teardrop on the chest. Her hands were bandaged, and a belt strapped around her waist held her sheathed rapier and dagger. A quiver holding a bow and arrows was strapped to her back.

"For the last time, Link, I can take care of myself," Zelda snapped back, "I've had private combat training from my Sheikah guard since I was a child. Also, it's to our advantage. Ganondorf could easily guess they'd come back to this time, and that we'd need to retrieve the Master Sword. He could be lying in wait for us at the Sacred Grove. I'll be providing reinforcements." She smiled, "Besides, I've been looking for an excuse to get out of the castle for months."

Link rolled his eyes. "Well, hopefully, the lords won't be able to destroy the country if you're only gone for a day," he said as he strapped a pack of food to Epona's saddle. Admittedly, he was still fairly uncomfortable with Zelda joining the group. He knew she was capable, but his nature placed the safety of everyone else above his own. If it were completely up to him, he would be taking Ganondorf alone, even without the help of Sonic and Mario. However, logic won in that regard.

"Nice outfit," Sonic remarked, as he grabbed the saddle for Zelda's black stallion, Shade.

"It's not an outfit," Zelda replied, "It's a Sheikah battle suit. It was passed down by my family, and utilized by one of my ancestors, when the queen needed to enter battle, or disguise herself."

Sonic smirked. "It's definitely an outfit." Zelda ignored him.

"Okay," said Link, returning to the important topic, "It'll take us most of the day to get as far as the Sacred Grove. We should be there by nightfall. Mario, you'll be riding with me, and Sonic will go with Zelda."

Mario climbed onto Epona's saddle. "Let's-a go!"

Sonic made no move to join Zelda on Shade's saddle. "I don't need to ride. I can keep up with the horses."

Link turned to him, with a look of ridicule on his face. "You sure you can?" he asked, staring down the short hedgehog.

Instead of responding, Sonic braced his legs, locking into a running stance. With a sudden burst of his trademark speed, he charged out the door of the stable and zipped through the streets of Castle Town. Link and Zelda's jaws dropped as they rushed to the door to get a glimpse of the retreating hedgehog. All they could see was a bolt of blue color that quickly changed direction at an intersection, zooming down another street. A few seconds later, Sonic reappeared at the door to the stables, coming from the opposite direction he had departed in. A wide grin was plastered across his face. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure losing me is not gonna be one of our problems," he said.

Mario chuckled as the two Hylians continued to stare at Sonic. "Some things really do never change."

Sonic gave him the thumbs-up. "You know it, Marty!" he laughed.

Link struggled to find words for a while, eventually submitting and climbing in from of Mario on Epona's saddle. "Let's...just go. Oh, before I forget, take these." He handed black cloaks, resembling mourning robes, to Mario and Sonic. "Wear these in the town. We don't want to attract attention, and you two don't blend into Hyrule. Sonic, the people probably just mistook you for wind this time, but you should probably ride until we get out to the fields. I don't want to take any chances."

"Alright," agreed Sonic, putting on the cloak (Mario did the same) and climbing behind Zelda on the saddle. "But don't go too slow!"

The pair of horses casually trotted out towards Hyrule field. Nobody really noticed, as everyone was fairly busy with their daily lives. Link and Zelda, being widely known public figures, had not put on cloaks. Generally, the departure of Hyrule's monarch from the castle would be surprising, or even cause for concern, but since Link, widely regarded as the greatest warrior of the country, accompanied her, she was obviously safe. Zelda also had a habit of leaving alongside soldiers leaving to battle, so the occurrence was not unusual in the slightest. The two cloaked strangers went unnoticed as well. It was not uncommon for high ranking Hylian officials to escort mourners as a gesture of friendship.

As soon as they had passed beyond the eyesight of the town, Sonic crammed his cloak inside a satchel, leapt off of Shade, and begun running alongside the now galloping horses. For him, matching their pace was an easy jog. Sonic had not had a chance to run freely since before Bowser and Eggman's first attack, and he finally felt free to release all of his pent up energy. He occasionally zipped ahead of the horses, ricocheting off rocks and leaping several meters in the air thanks to his momentum. He relished the familiar feel of the wind in his face, and the pound of his feet upon the earth. Even the large Kagarocs that swooped down to peck at him made no difference, as he curled into a spin dash, bouncing up and clocking them in the face, cheering with excitement before Link and Zelda could shoot them with an arrow.

Link stared at the speeding hedgehog with a strange mixture of fascination and annoyance. He turned to Mario. "Does he not understand that we are facing pure evil?" he asked the plumber, "He does not appear to be taking these matters with any serious consideration."

Mario shrugged. "He's always like that. It's not that he doesn't understand the gravity of the situation. This is just his way of dealing with it," he replied. "If there's one thing Sonic values above all else, it's freedom. He needs to be free to run and jump like that. I think it's just how he lives."

Zelda watched as Sonic axe kicked a Bokoblin in the face, knocking it's weapon from it's hand. "Well, it seems to be working out for him."


Several hours later, sunset had passed, and night had come to Hyrule. The province of Faron was finally within reach. Link led the way through Faron Woods, passing by the shack that belonged to Coro, who didn't seem to be out today. The team rode south, past Faron Spring, eventually reaching the path to the Grove. Link and the others dismounted, staring at the familiar gorge. Two ledges across the gap, one of which was cut directly out of the hill, stood between them and the woods. On the second ledge, two wooden platforms were followed by a short tightrope, which led to an entrance to a wooded passage. Link sighed as he thought of Midna, who could've teleported them down there in an instant. Zelda's magic was not strong enough to take all of them at once, so they had to do it the hard way.

"Alright, so the entrance to the Sacred Grove is down there," he pointed, "We'll have to cross this gap to reach the entrance. Can you two manage yourselves?"

"Easy," answered Mario, and without waiting for an answer, he made a running leap towards the wall, firmly planting both feet on it before launching himself off towards the first ledge. Flying across the gap, he landed on the distant ground, before making another jump to the second ledge. As he did, Mario felt the familiar surge of energy flow into him, an rush that came whenever he fought against Bowser, or someone else. He felt the weight of all the lives that were at stake on his shoulders, but instead of crushing him, Mario felt exhilarated. For him, this was another opportunity to use his skills to protect the world, filling him with the ultimate satisfaction.

Link stared after him. "What is it with you two and running off like that?"

Sonic shrugged. "I have no idea," he responded, "That's usually my thing." Sonic proceeded to use a spin dash's momentum in order to propel himself to the first ledge. "Quit copying my act Mario!" he laughed as he made the second jump.

Link pulled out his clawshots, aiming one towards the vines covering the first platform, firing the chain across to the vine covered surface. After pulling himself over, Link fired at the next vine wall with his second device, zooming across the massive gap. Zelda utilized a much less flashy method, simply using her magic for a personal teleportation across the gorge. After all four had reunited, they made their way across the tightrope, crossing into the woods.

The thick trees were scattered across the forest, thrown carelessly about like the playthings of a child. No path was set for the quartet to follow, allowing the Lost Woods to live up to their name. Above their heads, the branches of the trees created a leafy blanket, blocking out the moon. Tiny gaps in the branches allowed tiny beams of the remaining light to enter, creating thin, silver columns spread around the woods.

"Stay together, everybody," said Link, "It's very easy to get lost in here. It is not the safest place either."

"Really?" said Sonic, "I don't see anything..."

Just then, a short figure dropped down from the tree tops, and stared down the group. It was dressed in a manner similar to a scarecrow, with a curved, pointed hat with a circle of leaves on the band. A tattered, leafy brown cloak covered his torso, and his thin, grayish limbs were visible. Mario and Sonic gasped at the mask that covered his face, as it showed his sunset red eyes, and displayed a large, toothy grin. In his hands, he held a lantern, and a large trumpet with four horns sticking out.

"Visitors!" squealed the creature in the distorted voice of a child, "What fun! Let's play a game!" With those words, he raised his strange instrument to his lips, and blew.

The sound that emanated from the horn resembled the sound of wind blowing through forest trees, with a ghostly feel that sent shivers down the spines of the quartet. Up above them, a sound resembling the rattling of bones was followed by several more strange creatures descending to the ground. They were humanoid, but appeared to be carved out of gray wood. Torn brown capes descended from their backs, and their faces had the same expression as the leader's mask. Their most disconcerting feature, however, was the way they moved. Their limbs twitched randomly, as though they were marionettes on invisible strings. With a laugh, the leader leapt away and disappeared.

"What the heck was that?!" exclaimed Mario, "Is that the Skull Kid thing you mentioned?!" He ducked to avoid the swinging fist of one of the puppets, and retaliated with a jumping kick to the head. The wooden monster snapped like a twig, and burst into smoke.

"Yes," said Link, as he slashed another puppet with his own sword, "Don't worry, he's just playing. These puppets are just a distraction to keep us from finding him. Once we do, he'll lead us to the temple ruins."

Sonic leaped into the air, performing several homing attacks on the puppets in a chain, killing each with one hit. As he landed on his feet, he heard a faint whistling sound. Looking for the source, he noticed a tree with a large, circular section carved out in the middle. Through the branched obscuring most of the hole, he saw the tip of a brown hat. "He's in there!" shouted the hedgehog, pointing as he dodged the bony fist of another puppet.

"I will handle him!" responded Zelda. Drawing her bow, she fired two arrows into the heads of nearby puppets, then another towards the imp's hiding place, aiming for his cloak. He was barely able to move to the side, and the arrow imbedded itself in the wood.

Skull Kid jumped from his hiding place, landing on the ground a few meters away from the group. "Good job, you made me feel your wrath," he giggled, "Now I will set you on the path!" He rand off into the woods with surprising speed.

"After him!" ordered Link. The others obeyed charging after the imp, with Sonic easily outpacing the rest. They came to another clearing, and a fresh batch of puppets descended to play with them.

"Look for the Skull Kid! We need him to show us the path!"

"No! Listen! You can hear his music. He gives away his hiding place!"shouted Sonic. Link and Zelda both took out their bows, aiming them around the clearing. At the same time, Mario and Sonic battered away at the group of puppets. Mario smashed one away with his fist, then caught Sonic's spinning ball form, and hurled it through four more, scattering their pieces like bowling pins. Zelda, unable to hear the music of the Skull Kid's horn, closed her eyes, allowing her long ears to take in all sounds around her, eventually catching a faint tune coming from a bush. Zelda turned her bow, and fired an arrow into it, causing the Skull Kid to leap out.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Mario, as he heaved another puppet off of him.

"Wait for your answers, little man! Catch me, catch me, if you can!" laughed the Skull Kid, as he scurried off into a seemingly solid wood wall, which faded away as soon as he touched it, revealing a new path through the forest.

"Now I've seen everything," said the plumber, and the four followed in close pursuit of the imp. The new clearing had several large tree stumps, and no visible exit. As expected, more puppets, numbering at least three dozen, dropped down to give the team grief.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" groaned Sonic as he assumed a fighting stance. Three puppets lunged at him at the same time, clawing with their bony hands. Sonic leaped into the air, dodging all three attackers, and launching his downward axe kick towards them, knocking their heads off and destroying them. In midair, another puppet managed to seize Sonic's opposing leg, and tossed him down into the crowd of swarming puppets, which immediately began smacking the blue hedgehog with their wooden fists. Sonic responded with grunts of annoyance, eventually curling into a spin dash. The vibrations slammed the puppets, causing them to shatter into pieces. Looking around him, he saw that the others were having much the same difficulties as him. Mario was attempting to pry a puppets fingers away from his face, Link had two puppets grabbing him by the arms, preventing him from reaching his weapons, and Zelda had one puppet pulling her hair like a mischievous child.

Sonic jumped into the air, performing a homing attack on the puppet holding Link's left arm. The warrior used his now free arm to pull out his sword, swiftly cutting down the puppet on his other arm. Switching to his bow Link shot the puppet on Mario. Link turned to Zelda with an arrow notched in his bow, in order to help her, but found that she had already freed herself, stabbing the puppet in the gut with her dagger.

"Still think I need constant protection?" she asked, smiling at Link.

Link chuckled, as he shot at another puppet. "I think you should show that to some of your council," he replied. He turned, seeing Mario and Sonic trying to fend off more puppets. "We need to find the Skull Kid! These puppets are too numerous!"

"Ya don't say!' snapped Mario, as he tossed away another puppet. He looked around, and tried to listen for the sound of the Skull Kid's music, but both failed to discover the creature's location. "I can't find him! You guys try!"

Zelda snapped her fingers, creating a blue, transparent diamond around her. The puppets around her were pushed back, and destroyed, and puppets that punched at the barrier were met with the same fate. Zelda now closed her eyes, and focused her ears closely on all the surrounding sounds. After filtering her audio input of the sounds of her companions, as well as the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, was able to discern a brief whistling sound. Zelda turned in a full three-hundred and sixty degree turn, attempting to pinpoint the location of the music, but could not do so. Meanwhile, puppets continued to pound on the crystal barrier, causing it to slowly weaken, and Zelda could not maintain the spell indefinitely. Noticing her plight, Mario leaped over to the puppets around her, jumping from head to head, crushing them beneath her feet.

"Thank you," noted the queen. She continued to turn, eventually stopping, and pointing in one direction. "He is over that way, but I cannot be sure where!"

Link cut a path through some puppets in the indicated direction with his sword. Searching, his darting eyes noticed that a tree with far larger than average roots was in that direction, creating a small cavern below the tree. Inside that cavern, he easily noticed the distinctive flicker of Skull Kid's lantern. Getting an idea, Link pulled a bomb from his satchel, lighting the fuse, and rolling it towards the Skull Kid's hiding place, where it came to a stop outside of the cavern, and exploded.

At the burst of the bomb, the Skull Kid leaped out from under the tree. Landing on both of his feet, Skull Kid chuckled with the voice of a child, and waved his hands, causing all remaining puppets to suddenly vanish into thin air.

"Now you have discovered the end," he sang, as he wandered over to yet another apparently impenetrable wooden wall, "I wish you luck on your journey, my friend."

As he walked through the wall, both the wood barrier and the Skull Kid himself both faded to transparency, and eventually vanished. The four warriors stared out the newly emerged passageway.

"Okay, now I've seen everything," said Mario.


Mario, Link, Sonic, and Zelda stepped outside into the newly accessible Sacred Grove, and the ruins of the Temple of Time, through a large opening where the wall had deteriorated. The large outer walls still remained standing, although moss and ivy had snaked up the brick, and it was already starting to erode. In the middle of the temple, two massive stone statues of knights, carrying long war hammers, flanked the front of the door. In front of the temple entrance, the symbol of the sacred Triforce was imprinted in front. Behind them, staircases on either side led up to a door, still standing when all walls around it had fallen.

Through the center door, between the two statues, all the walls of the temple had fallen, leaving a simple, grassy plain. The grass itself had turned completely gray, leaving a pale appearance on the ground. In the middle of the plain, lay a simple stone pedestal, with a long sword sticking out. The hilt of the sword was bright blue, with the cross spread like wings, and a golden gem in the center.

"The Master Sword," said Link, staring fondly at the blade. To him, it seemed like an old companion he had long lost.

Sonic, Zelda, and Mario stared at the sword. Zelda had seen Link utilize the blade against Ganondorf in the original battle, and its power had not been lost on her. She was awed by it then, and the effect had not faded in the last two years.

Sonic smirked. "I've seen better," he said. Mario face palmed.

Link spun around. "How dare you!" he snapped.

Sonic threw up his hands. "Hey! I was just kidding!" he stammered.

"Great job ruining the moment," said Mario. Zelda was laughing, but covered it up with her hands.

Link shrugged it off, and moved back to the sword. He grasped the hilt with both hands, preparing to pull it loose. Before he did, he felt a reflexive surge of doubt within him. What if he could not wield the blade anymore? Was he still worthy? Why did he have to pull it while the others where standing there watching him?

"Anytime, now. We're not getting any younger."

On the other hand, resisting the urge to drop-kick Sonic all the way back to the future gave him something else to focus on.

Finally, Link gave a sharp tug. The sword came free of the pedestal with ease, and Link flipped it around so he held the blade in front of him. Now free of its stone resting place, the Master Sword once again gained its magical glow. The sword itself was about thirty inches long, and the others could now see the Triforce insignia carved into the blade. The power to repel evil shone throughout the metal, and the energies radiated outwards to the point where the others could feel it.

"Alright! We got the Ganondorf-busting sword!" cheered Sonic.

Mario nodded. "We'd better get going. We need to find him before-"

"Wait!" exclaimed Zelda, pointing back the way they came, "Look!"

The three men turned slowly, looking at the doorway behind them. Standing there on all four paws in an aggressive stance, was a glowing, golden wolf, with blood-red eyes.