Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Today I got a little antsy while waiting for the final Super Smash Bros. Direct, so I started writing, and then I decided to post a new chapter. This isn't what I wrote today, but I think it's about time I posted it.

Anyways, this story is almost finished. With a little bit of luck and diligence, I should be able to post the whole thing by the end of the year, as I originally said I would.

Chapter 11: A Hero Trips

"Has anything changed?" Link asked Zelda, who sat on the side of his bed.

"Not that I can see," she shook her head. "But it appears that the army is thinning out. No, wait! It's going away!"

"Huh?" Link exclaimed, standing up. He was now well enough to be able to get out of bed and walk around a little, though not enough to engage in combat. "What happened?"

Zelda looked at him, eyes wide. "Sonic...he must have defeated Ghirahim!"

Sonic walked back into town to see several of the people rush out to greet him with cheers and cries of victory. As he took it in, he found he was numb to the elation surrounding him. Ghirahim's last words continued to resonate in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. What did he mean when he said I would suffer a humiliating defeat? he wondered. Is he coming back? I bet he is...why would he make an empty threat? Maybe he's bluffing? No, I don't think so. He could've killed me if he wanted to. Was he holding back?

"Sonic!"

He turned and saw Zelda running towards him, anxious. "Zelda?"

"Are you all right? Where's Ghirahim?" she said as she came to him.

"I think I beat him...for now," he said.

"For now?" Zelda repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah...I didn't kill him. He got away. Said something about a humiliating defeat when he came back."

Zelda took a deep breath. "Then he is gone...for now."

"But he'll be back," Sonic said. "Doesn't that worry you?"

"No."

He blinked. "It doesn't? Why not?"

She smiled softly at him. "Because you're still here, and when he returns, you will stop him once again."

At this, Sonic smiled. "Well, I can't argue against that."

"Come," Zelda beckoned. "We shall honor you for your heroism."

"Am I the Hero of Time now?"

Zelda put her hand to her chin. "I don't think you're quite there yet."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It was said that you must confront Ghirahim with your full power," she said. "I don't think he would have escaped if you had used your full power."

"Look, if you're telling me to get a Chaos Emerald, then you might as well forget it. I don't have any on me."

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind," Sonic shrugged. "Let's take a rest."

Ghirahim sat against the wall, his face paler than normal. His eyes had a glazed look as his hand rubbed his stomach. "I grow weary, Master."

"I know," his master nodded. "This past week has not been kind."

"How much time do I have left?"

"24 hours."

Ghirahim's eyes widened, and he forced himself up on his feet. "Why do I sit here idle if I only have 24 hours left before I am returned to the pit?" he asked. "I must have my revenge against that insolent blue hedgehog! I –"

He abruptly stopped speaking when he gazed into his master's eyes, which were now right in front of him, as a sinister grin grew across his ashen face. "Do not be like so, Ghirahim," he sneered. "Sonic the Hedgehog will pay for his crime...and I know just how to make his demise all the more satisfying."

Sonic panted as he dropped to one knee, sword in hand. "I don't know if I can take much more of this," he wheezed.

"You still have a ways to go before you are a master knight," Zelda said. "A master knight has endurance."

"Yeah, and I don't," Sonic rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm good where I'm at, okay? I don't need any more training. I can beat Ghirahim with my eyes closed."

"You have spent over a week in training," Zelda put her hands on her hips, "and still you fail to grasp the one lesson that every knight must learn before he completes his training."

"What's that?"

"That a knight's training is never complete."

Sonic blinked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Yes it does," Zelda insisted. "Just think about it. You will understand it one day." With that, she turned and walked out, calling back as she did so, "Be ready to go again in five minutes, okay?"

Sonic nodded and leaned against a mannequin, sighing in contentment. "Boy. This whole knighthood thing is getting kind of old. When will they tell me I've arrived?"

"You already have," a sinister voice suddenly sneered from above him. "And your departure is long overdue."

Sonic froze and slowly looked up at the mannequin he was leaning against, only to discover it wasn't a mannequin. It was a person. The person looked down at him, his ashen face sporting an evil grin. The blue hedgehog tried to run away, but the man seized his head before he could escape. Sonic moved his legs to run away, but he didn't move. Worse, as he continued to run, his legs moved slower and slower until they hardly moved at all. All the while, the man who held him in place laughed with an increasingly triumphant air, so that by the time Sonic was finally worn out, his laugh echoed throughout the forest.

It was at that moment that Zelda returned. "I hope you've rested well," she said, not looking up. "I expect better from you this – WHAT?!"

"Greetings, Zelda," the man sneered as he shoved Sonic to the ground. Zelda put her hand on her sheathed sword, but before she could draw it, something sharp poked her back. She turned and saw a paler-than-usual Ghirahim standing behind her, the point of his sword in her back and a malicious grin on his face.

"It's been a long time," the man went on. "Too long, I must confess. I've waited far too long to act on my servant's failure, but now I have no choice."

"What do you want?" she growled.

He merely chuckled. "You know full well what I want," he said, holding up his fist. A familiar emblem glowed on it. "A complete puzzle is what I want."

She looked at Sonic, who struggled to stand, his legs abnormally stiff. Then she looked back at her nemesis, eyes flaming with rage.

"If you mean to seize the last two pieces, then I suggest you get on with it."

"Agreed," the man nodded.

"Who...who are you?" Sonic asked as he managed to get to his feet.

The man looked at him, a malevolent grin spread across his face.

"My name," he said, "is Ganondorf."

Yep. I decided to include Ganondorf in this story after all. Feel free to rate and review, but no flames please!