Chapter 10-Foxes in the Forest Temple

The two hedgehogs and the young Hylian made good time getting through the Faron Woods. Despite its known tranquility, there had been a few Bokoblins, Keese, Skulltulas, large rats, and Deku Babas taking refuge in the forest again as of late. They stopped by Faron's Spring, only to get more bad news: Tails was in the Forest Temple and the barrier was keeping him from sensing anything that would say if the young kitsune was hurt or not so the boys had to continue through the now monster-infested Woods. Sonic had plenty of practice in defeating them and impressed Link greatly with the techniques he used with his great speed and impressive agility, even if Dusk was giving him lessons.

Sadly when the boys reached a certain forest clearing after passing through a short tunnel, they soon realized another problem as they saw an unwanted poisonous fog filling the area.

Sonic wrinkled his nose at the smell. "Whew! What a stench! How are we going to get through that stuff? Even with my speed, even I don't think I'll make it more than half way!"

"That's why this time we need to walk slowly at the light of our lanterns," Link said as he and Dusk were secretly surprised and impressed that Sonic was actually agreeing with that idea.

Link and Dusk soon took out the lanterns and they with Sonic took out the enemies along the way as they soon made it to the other side. There they saw a female monkey as well as a large baboon that usually lived in the temple waiting for them! Dusk wasted no time transforming into a wolf so he could hear what they were saying before they left to go deeper in.

Dusk looked solemn as he changed back to relay what was said to him. "It seemed that the Forest Temple is littered with dark creatures again and they saw Tails being brought into the room where Dia Baba is in again. But they do say he was unharmed from what they could tell, just trapped. They also said they and the other monkeys will be there to help us when needed."

As much as Sonic was worried on how Tails became trapped in the Forest temple, he was relieved to hear Vaati hasn't harmed him yet and they would have friends in high places. Literally. But he soon had a thought, if Vaati wasn't aiming to harm Tails, then he was bait for a trap! Like that was going to work but Sonic does give the sorcerer an "A" for effort as the three continue through.

They stopped at a small stand that was manned by a bird to refill the lanterns and to get red potions for the temple ahead when Sonic picked a strange sound, like the echo of a dog panting. He looked over to see a silver wolf with dual-coloured eyes; one green, one blue. The other two seemed to notice as well as it was coming over and they saw the eyes were more that of a Mobian than a normal wolf.

It seem to have gently smiled as it touched its nose on Sonic's pendant, causing it to glow, and he soon fainted before he could ask anything.

XXX-XXX

He woke up in what looked like a scene of white. He noticed some familiar landmarks, like the Master Emerald Shrine and the pyramid in the Mystic Ruins, as well as some unfamiliar ones that he guessed he'll see as he goes through Hyrule.

The echoing came back for a few moments but then it stopped as he looked behind him to see another silver hedgehog almost similar to him but dressed similar to Dusk in a silver tunic of ancient origin and of course those dual-coloured eyes.

*What the?!* he thought as he gaped in amazement

Ordonis chuckled at the look in surprise in his descendant's face. He and the other Goddesses figured it would be a good idea for him to train and teach the young one some new skills and magic in his journey as a Child of Destiny.

"Hello young one who bears my brother's speed," he said in a gentle tone that calmed Sonic a bit. "My name is Ordonis and I am here to pass to you various skills and spells that will aid you and your friends in your journey against the darkness. Each of these comes from myself and the Goddesses themselves as you also will gain blessings from special chosen Oracles that will add to the light of the Triforce of Spirit. Will you accept my offer?"

"If it means helping kick Vaati's butt, sure thing!" Sonic said in excitement that caused the God to laugh at his mirth.

"Very well! The first of these gifts I will pass to you is known as Farore's Wind. It was used by the Hero of Time to warp back to the entrance of any temple and dungeon originally but now this has been altered to allow you to quickly warp away from danger. I know you have the skill of Chaos Control, which works in a similar fashion, but my Triforce has sealed it for you to learn this skill that will only work in Hyrule. Will you accept this spell?"

Sonic nodded, seeing that he might need it since this world and its dangers were still new to him and he didn't want to go overboard, despite his love for adventure. Ordonis smiled before he closed his eyes and clapped his hands to reveal a green diamond-shaped crystal with a green light inside. It floated towards Sonic and soon fused with his entire being. Afterwards, he felt the power rise and practiced warping around Ordonis a few times to get used to it.

There was still something bugging him about the Chaos Control being sealed. "Hey if Chaos Control doesn't work with me, does that mean Shadow can't use it either?"

Ordonis shook his head as his eyes shone with understanding at the younger one's concern. "No it doesn't. The darker one can still use his Chaos abilities here. It's only sealed with you due to the Triforce of Spirit. Now I must leave but I will come before you reach each temple and dungeon to pass a new skill as the silver wolf you just saw. The Goddesses and I shall watch you three on your journey always."

"Thanks Ordonis and don't worry;" Sonic replied before the light got brighter. "You can count on us!"

XXX-XXX

Sonic groaned slightly as he woke up to Link and Dusk looking down at him, his twin brother looking concerned but the young swordsman had a knowing look in his eyes.

"That wolf…he taught you a new skill, didn't he?" he asked and Sonic flashed his smile.

"Yep. Wait a sec…how'd you know?" he asked as he leapt back on his feet.

The proud eyes seemed to give a slight gleam. "I guess you can say something similar happened to me. The spirit of a past hero came to me in the form of a golden wolf with a crimson eye; the other one seemed badly scarred. He taught me the ancient sword skills from the heroes before me and I've never forgotten them. They helped me out on more than one occasion since starting to help Midna and all of Hyrule when Zant, then Ganondorf, threatened the land. Something tells me though…it's a little different for you."

Sonic smirked before warping a few feet away with Farore's Wind, just missing the barrier that blocked the path up to the Temple entrance. "Whoa! I guess this is what's keeping us out!"

The barrier looked similar to those that penned in the Twins while they fought Shadow Beasts, but it was larger, darker, and gave off a feeling of dread as well as, strangely enough, a faint signature of Chaos Energy.

"So this is it," Dusk stated as he closely studied the obstacle, then nodded before turning to his brother and suddenly spoke in Common Mobian. Sonic, how did that chant of yours go?

Link looked confused as both Twins whispered to each other in Mobian, and of course he didn't understand their language, before they nodded and Sonic nudged him. "I suggest you better step back for this."

He did just that as Dusk closed his eyes, activated his power, and spoke in Ancient Hylian.

*The servers are the seven Chaos

Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart

The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos.

Chaos of Mobius, hear my plea…

Give me the power to clear our path to the light!

Twilit Arrow of Cleansing Chaos!*

If the Chaos Emeralds heard him, they did answer as seven lights surrounded him suddenly. He soon armed himself with his bow, with a mysterious glowing arrow forming in it that seemed mixed of light and darkness. He let it fly and destroyed the barrier with ease. Sonic gave out an impressed whistle while Link looked on with surprise and Midna gaped in disbelief after appearing from her friend's shadow.

"How in the name of the Dark Realm did you do that?!" she shouted after recovering.

"When I found a Chaos Emerald back on Mobius as we started our hunt for the shards, I felt a connection made through the Chaos Energy and the Triforce of Power. I figured that connection would still work between realms if I said the correct words and thank the Goddesses I was right. Thanks to Sonic for telling me the chant that activates the energy of the Emeralds, I was able to ask them for help in removing the barrier, allowing us passage into the Temple. Now let us make haste, for time is of the essence and Goddesses knows how long Tails has left."

The others nodded as they entered, determined to save the young kit.

XXX-XXX

They weren't in the Temple for five minutes when they suddenly split-up. Sonic ended up leaning on a wall that held a hidden door that made him fall, then spin through a hidden loop. It was then decided that the other two continued by the usual route, to find the monkeys were captured again.

As they got close to the 4th monkey, they were about to be ambushed by Skulltulas when another Gale Boomerang stunned them long enough for the two sword-wielders to destroy them. They soon saw that Sonic found the spare that Link placed in this temple for safe keeping and soon the blue blur sped away after giving his thumbs up and two more monkeys were seen going deeper in the temple.

"That brother of yours is full of surprises!" Midna said after Link freed the monkey and Dusk nodded in agreement as they continued through.

It wasn't long until all of the monkeys were freed and Link and Dusk were waiting on Sonic in front of the boss' room. They went to get the key when they found a note from him saying he got it and will meet them later. They only waited a short time when he arrived in a flash of green light.

"Whew! I nearly became spider food at the last minute but I managed to get here!"

His friends gave an amused chuckle at how light-hearted he was and soon let him open the door, arming themselves for the battle within. The room was the same as the first time Link came in here to battle Dia Baba, only this time, high above the pool, was a crystalline sphere.

Sonic gasped when he saw who was sleeping inside. "TAILS!"

Tails' ears twitched at the sound of his voice and soon woke up. For a moment he looked around somewhat half-asleep and as soon he saw his brother figure, the fatigue was replaced with fear.

"SONIC GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted as the water started to bubble below. "IT'S A TRAP!"

There was no time to run though, as the smaller plants of Dia Baba soon rose up from the pool and snapped at both hedgehogs and Hylian. All three were too fast for it, though, and Link signalled to Sonic for them to use the Gale Boomerangs at the Bomblings and then the plants. He got the idea and did just that, injuring the plants as they sunk back in the pool.

Dusk tensed. "It's not over yet."

As if by a signal, the true Dia Baba soon rose out with a roar, making the Bomblings sink. "There she is! We have to distract and stun her somehow!"

"I'm on it!" Sonic said as he also noticed a strange track also rose from the pool that led around the top of the tree behind her, where a Bombling was up there waiting!

He sped along the track as the other two kept Dia busy, used the Boomerang to snatch the Bombling, and threw it at her. It hit dead on and soon she was stunned long enough for Dusk to take a few hits at the eye in her mouth. She soon rose back up and sent out a long stream of acid at them, but she missed and the cycle continued until Link finally used the Ending Blow on her.

She flung around then withered before breaking apart and the Spirit Shard, once again pure, returned to the vessel around Sonic's neck. "One down, seven to go."

"Indeed," Dusk agreed with his brother as all three were tired but triumphant.

The crystal around Tails soon shattered and he used his tails to fly down to Sonic, soon landing in his arms and crying in joy and relief. "Sonic I was so scared! V-Vaati was using me to trap you guys so that plant could kill you! I'm so glad it failed! I'm glad you're alright!"

"I'm glad YOU'RE O.K buddy!" Sonic replied as he comforted the young kit, then he remembered. "Hey did you see the others, Tails?"

He sadly shook his head. "No I blacked out through the portal so I didn't see where they went. I'm sure Vaati is using them the same way so we need to hurry!"

"I guess that's where I come in!" Midna's voice sounded as she came up from Link's shadow, and scared Tails a bit. "Sorry about that."

They soon heard another female moan behind them and looked to see an adult Twili who was very tall and lean with violet and green markings decorating her black armor in a similar fashion to Dusk's. When she sat up and took off her helmet to nurse her headache, she was revealed to have long dark hair tied up and decorated with what looked like a crystal-shaped flower and slightly long bangs that went just past her nose covering half of her pale face. And while Midna's eyes looked like a sunset, this one's eyes looked like they were coloured like a bold tropical flower with her mixed reddish-pink and violet shades.

"Ugh," she said in a tomboyish voice. "Did someone get the name of that Bulblin that hit me?"

"Dia Baba!" Dusk exclaimed in relief as he ran over to his dear friend, stunning all but Sonic and Midna since they already knew about Vaati's influence on the Elites.

"Eh?" Dia said in confusion until she saw her furry friend in front of her and soon smirked. "Well isn't it our new Elite, the Twilit Mobian! What are you doing here?"

He soon explained of the events so far, including what happened to her, and her eyes narrowed into slits as her voice came out in a snarl as a light sword that looked like a blade of grass with flowers for a hilt appeared in her hand. "That cursed snake of the Dark Realm! How dare he do such things! Is there anything I can do to help?"

An idea came to Link's mind at the offer remembering a certain group of guards that ran away at the first word of a monster and he hoped that Dia would help. "Could you go to Hyrule Castle and see what you can do to help with the guards?"

Her smirk came back. "Are they so cowardly that they are giving the poor princess of this realm a headache?"

Link nodded. "Then I'll help whip 'em into shape! I was one of the best guard captains in the Twilight Realm before I became an Elite so I know what I'm doing!"

Midna gave a smirk of her own as she set down a portal outside. "She's not kidding boys. I sometimes use her as a threat to the newbies in my guard."

Dusk smiled warmly to his friend. "I'm so glad that your fire never dimmed Dia. I was so worried about you and the others when I got the news. I'm guessing the Palace…"

"You got it," she replied after he trailed off with a dark look in his dark emerald orbs. "The crazy sorcerer put the drop on us and cursed us all not long after you left. But I have faith that you and your brother will team up well with Link and save us all."

All three beamed at her words of praise, Sonic giving his usual nose rub. "Aw thanks Dia! You can count on us!"

He heard an unexpected yelp from Tails as they noticed his brother was suddenly wrapped in a gentle hug. "And this poor cutie was used to trap you so I could kill you?! That freak's got a heart blacker than what Zant did! If you want, I'll take this little guy along so he'll be safe at the Castle!"

Sonic smiled at that offer, even as Tails, suddenly returning the hug, was silently asking to go. "Sure if you want! I'm sure Tails could use his smarts to help out the Princess there since he is a little genius for his age, right buddy?"

Sonic had to reach up on his toes to ruffle he kit's head fur a bit as he laughed. "Right Sonic! I'll see what I can do! Good luck to the rest of you and be careful! I'll find a way to let you know if I hear anything about the others!"

With that Dia and Tails left with a separate portal, not without a note Link wrote while everyone was still occupied that would let Zelda know of the chain of events. The rest of them left for Faron's Spring through Midna's portal to return to the village for the night and leaving for the Eldin Province the next day.

And with hopes high on the coming dawn of light for Hyrule!

XXX-XXX

Author's Notes:

Yeah you guys can shoot me for this but I was working on this chapter on and off for sure!

It's just the plot bunnies for other stories have been upgrading to karate kicks for other stuff but that's O.K.

I got this done over the Thanksgiving weekend so it's all good.

Here Sonic gets to learn a new ability, Link gets a case of deja vu, and they save both an old and new friend!

O.K now here's a bit of info on my version of Dia Baba:

She's basically a tomboy with an attitude and she used to be a loyal captain to the Twilight Guard before impressing Midna's mother enough to earn her place among the elites. Her form comes from her secret love of nature but her well known love of anything creepy crawly. (Spiders especially. She kept a pet Walltula once until it died of old age.) She can be spiteful when angry, irritated, or just plain frustrated so those Hylian guards better watch themselves around her!

And a lot of people have been wondering why I left the Emeralds on Mobius. Well for 2 reasons:

1. Stemming from Unleashed, the Emeralds act as a way to balance Mobius so taking them would lead to dire consequences.

2. This Chapter says it all with Dusk's new skill.

Next Chapter: Off to Eldin!

Enjoy and leave comments!

Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess characters and concepts are © Nintendo

Sonic characters and concepts are © SEGA/Sonic Team

Everything else is © me so DON'T STEAL OR ELSE!