Alright, here comes a new chapter. I hope all of you will enjoy this one. It will be action packed and guaranteed to leave some of you guys shocked. Beware, this chapter is rather bloody and has intense violence.
A Hero's Creed
Chapter Twenty-One: Ike Through the Mirror of Twilight
Ike finally teleported to the desert. The first thing he did was inspect that he was in the correct place. If the harsh desert winds were enough to confirm that he was in the right environment. He looked up to see the same monument that was the Spirit Temple entrance. "This must be the place then," Ike said softly as he walked inside of the desert monument. Once inside, the strange putrid smell of rotting flesh filled up in Ike's nostrils. He scrunched up his nose as he continued exploring the Spirit Temple.
Ike walked into the temple, trying to look for a way in. On to the left was a small hole in which seemed impossible for him to squeeze through. To the right was a large cinderblock. Placing his hands on the block, Ike tried to push the block. Grunting and straining, he could not even make the block budge. After an hour of trying to push the block, Ike groaned. "What now?" he asked. "How can I ever find this mirror if there is no way to get inside?! Damn it!" Ike sighed as he walked over to the center of the first room. He looked up and noticed a large hole on the ceiling. "Is the…entrance there? If that's so…how the hell am I suppose to get up there?"
Ike walked under the large hole in the ceiling to inspect it. His metallic type boots walked over to part of the floor which had a strange sun symbol on it. As soon as he approached it, the floor beneath him shook. The platform below him levitated, lifting him to another part of the temple. The mercenary ended up in a dark hallway which its only source of illumination would be a light source that was squeezing out from the crack of the door before him. Desperate and having no other choice, Ike walked off from the platform and down the hallway. He placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
Ike staggered slightly as he felt that there wasn't much floor to the next room. Where Ike had been standing would be considered to be the third floor to the temple. To both his right and left were platforms that were on the second floor. Right below the platforms would be the first floor entrances that were blocked off and at the very bottom was the long downfall that would be considered to be the basement. In front of Ike was a tiny platform which was held together by four chains. A bright ray of light came down from the hole in the ceiling, illuminating the platform. Beyond it, was the large monument of the snake headed woman that Ike was shown.
"The Mirror of Twilight is beyond that head," he said softly. The only problem was how was he going to reach the monument. The distance between the chained platform and where he was standing looked nearly impossible for one to jump across. However, Ike had to try something. He sheathe the Regal Sword on his back and walked slowly back into the hallway. "I just hope this works…" he said softly. Once he was at a good distance, Ike ran down the hallway towards the gap. Once he reached the edge, Ike jumped and flew across the gap. His body flew in an arch. He extended his hands and barely grasped the edge of the chain platform. The impact of his jump managed to rock the platform as if it were a swing. As the mercenary swung around, the Regal Sword slide off from his sheath and fell off from his back.
Ike felt somewhat lighter. He looked behind him to see the Regal Sword fall down. The ivory blade shattered into a thousand pieces as it hit the stone ground. Not being able to grieve about his sword, Ike concentrated more on trying to hoist himself up on the platform. Once he was able to climb up, he held into the chains. He swung himself across to the monument, which proved to be much easier than trying to jump to it. He took a moment to catch his breath before he walked towards the door. Ike opened the monument door and walked inside. The blue haired warrior was now inside of a dark, eerie room. There wasn't much light to the room except for the three torches that were still on fire. The other seven torches had burned out. Smoke rose from the torches, indicating that they didn't burn out too long ago.
Though it was poor lighten, Ike could make what the rest of the room looked like. There was a shaggy, scarlet carpet right below his feet which was sprawled out, creating a path for Ike to follow. Cracks and broken pieces on the floor complimented the broken pillars that supported the monument. Ike walked carefully, avoiding the rubble that was on the ground as he followed the only clue he had now, the red carpet. At the end of the red carpet was a small elevated area. In the middle was a large mirror which was held by two black metallic pillars and four thick ropes. From far away, the mirror looks like it was merely floating in the air. The frame around the round mirror was embodied with strange symbols and designs that didn't look neither Hylian nor anything Tellius.
Ike examined the mirror, touching its frame and the ropes. He had no idea on how to get to this "Twilight Realm" as Medusa had so stated. His left hand slide off from the mirror's frame and touched the mirror itself. In a matter of moments, the glass disappeared and Ike's hand fell through. The blue haired mercenary jumped back a bit as he pulled his hand out. He looked at the mirror, catching his own reflection. However, the background surrounding Ike changed. Instead of seeing the stony, dark walls, Ike saw himself in what appeared to be a desolate wasteland. Dark flurries fell from the sky. At the very back of the mirror's image was a massive castle with twisting towers that seem to reach the darken sky. Despite his better intuition, Ike approached the mirror once more. He extended his right hand and touched the surface of the mirror. The surface rippled like water.
Ike pulled his hand back once more as he watched the mirror ripple, slowly coming to a stop. He narrowed his eyes before he walked through the mirror. The mirror's surface caved in, into the shape of a square. The reflections of Ike's body disappeared as the mirror's surface shifted into a dark green hue. Purple markings would light up, making a pathway. Ike's body shook lightly as he looked down at his feet. His azure eyes widen as he saw his very feet disperse into black spheres. He let out a yell before his entire body turned into black cloud and flew through the portal.
The black spheres gathered on the other side of the mirror. The spheres swirled around, recreating Ike's body. The first thing the mercenary did was look down. He checked around to see if he was still in one peace. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ike was able to relax for a moment. "At least I'm still alive," he said softly, "so…this is…the Twilight Realm?" The ominous setting of the Twilight Realm was even creepier than the mirror had led on. The dark flurries fell from the dark clouds, like snowflakes. Ike walked over to the edge of the cliff he was on and looked down. Everything that was not land was dark abysses. One drop would lead to certain death.
"I better go look for that Fused Shadow thing," Ike said softly as he walked away from the edge. Taking a few steps away from the mirror had caused the warrior to become lightheaded. Ike placed a hand on his forehead as he tried to feel better while the feeling passed. Instead, the feeling intensified. He felt such pain down his spine, as if it was being twisted and turned. He fell down to his knees, placing his hands on the ground. He shouted and yelled as his body ached. He swore he could hear his bones cracking. The shouts and screams that emitted from Ike, the pitch changed slightly. A deep growl emitted from Ike's throat. His hands got seeming shorter as his tails narrowed and grew longer. A dark, navy blue tail busted out from his pants. His legs shorten as the joints of his knees as well as his feet twisted and turned. Ike let out a howl as his face stretched and narrowed. His blue hair extended from the top of his head down to his neck. Blue fur covered his once pale skin. His clothing slid off with easy, only leaving the pendant that Zelda gave him and the red cape that Soren gave him remained.
Ike crawled out from his clothing. The red cape that was around his neck was barely hanging on. Ike looked down at his hands as he tried to stand up. He was horrified to see that they were no longer Beorc hands, but rather large, blue paws. He jumped back , falling over on his back. At that moment, he managed to see that his legs were animal legs as well. In a state of panic, Ike tries to yell for help, instead a loud howl was all he could conjure up.
What…? What happened to me? He thought as he scrambled to his feet. Is…was this some sort of trap? Did Medusa trick me?! No…something is up. Ike's right front paw touched a strange object beneath his clothing. He moved his clothing aside to find the black pendant that Medusa had given him. Whatever the case, I need to at least continue on this journey. Ike picked up the pendant with his fangs. He slowly headed off into the direction of the large Twilight castle.
At the far distance, Ike could make out the forms of what appears to be the citizens of the Twilight Realm. They were strange looking creatures with yellow and orange beady eyes. Their entire bodies were covered in blue highlights which glowed brightly. When they spoke to each other, it was a strange language that Ike could not understand. He tried his best to ignore them and remain hidden, but the sight of a blue wolf walking around seemed that it was an unlikely event that happens everyday. Ike finally arrived at the front door of the castle. The door, much like everything else in the realm, it was dark green with strange, glowing marks on it. The door opened and out stepped out two Twili. Ike stared in amazement as these fascinating creatures walked out from the castle. The Twili were equally amazed by Ike as they kept their eyes locked on him.
The door to the castle began to close halfway. Ike quickly scurried to the door and jumped inside just as the door was slamming shut. The was close, he thought. Not too sure how to open that door though. Ike continued walking down the dark castle. His paws steps echoed through the hallway, almost intensifying with each step. There were no paintings, no decorations, with the exception of the glowing lines, nothing at all. It almost appeared like he was in limbo and that he was a lingering soul, trying to find either heaven or hell. He wanted to get out of there. He felt like he was going to go mad at any moment.
A faint giggle was heard passed the hallways. Ike's blue ears perked up as he tried to pick up on the sound again. The giggle came once again. Curiosity got to him as he decided to follow the noise. He dashed madly, his claws created the same clacking sound. Dashing passed the twisting corridors and dead end hallways, Ike found himself in a strange room. The area itself seemed to be completely dark except for a strange ray of light that was illuminating a bizarre item that was floating. Ike approached the strange item carefully. His eyes barely adjusted to the new setting of the room. Before him, was the object of his desire: the Fused Shadow. There it is! he thought. Now all I have to do is…
A dark shadow appeared before Ike. It had came out from the darkness of the room. The same giggle which lured Ike to the Fused Shadow originated from the shadow before him. "You're such a naughty creature," spoke the shadow. Its voice was light but rather dark for a woman. The figure stepped into the light to reveal a grey skinned woman. On both her arms and legs were the strange light blue-green markings that were found all over the Twilight Realm. Upon her chest, she was not wearing any top. Instead, her breast area was in an ebony hue. Her black skirt was slit, showing off her right leg. Her long, red hair was held together by a golden hair ornament which held her black hood that covered most of her head. Two ponytails were tied together in front of her neck. Her dark lips let out a smirk as her red eyes narrowed in a malevolent look.
Ike stepped back a bit as he saw the woman before him. He was slightly impressed by her beauty then blushed at her lack of clothing. However he shook his head as he focused on trying to get the Fused Shadow. The woman knelt down before Ike and lifted his snout towards her, getting his full attention. Her fiery red eyes met with his calm blue eyes. "Hmm…is there a specific reason why you're here?" she asked. "Not to mention…are you looking at me…or at the Fused Shadow?"
Ike jerked away from her. He tried to keep his distances from her. His eyes shifting back and forth from Midna to the Fused Shadow. "This woman…" Ike whined in his wolf language, "she must be the guardian…" As if understanding what Ike had said, the woman looked over at the Fused Shadow. Her sly eyes slowly turned back to Ike, indicating that she had an idea cross her mind.
"You want that…don't you?" she asked.
"Yes," Ike whined as he bobbed his head at the woman.
"Let's play a game: if you can find me in two hours…I'll help you. If you can't, you'll have to be my slave for all eternity. What do you say?" the woman raised up from the ground and placed her hands on her hips.
Ike looked up at her. He wasn't too sure at what to do at this point, but he had to follow what she said. If this woman is the guardian to the Fused Shadow, I'll need to take her with me, he thought. I don't want to force her to come with me…but if I play along…she promised she'd help. Ike bobbed his head, telling the woman that he agrees to playing.
The woman smiled slyly. She took the Fused Shadow into her hands, showing it to Ike. Ike looked at it with amazement before he yelped as he watched the Fused Shadow spark slightly. It broken into four pieces in her arms. The woman closed her eyes. The Fused Shadow glowed brightly, radiating a strange power. The Twili woman's body split into four different entities. She gave a piece of the Fused Shadow to each of them to hold. "Alright then, doggie…" she spoke in a dark voice, "if you manage to find all four pieces within two hours, you win. If you take longer than that…you lose. Ready…go!"
The four Twili women jumped away from Ike, they disappeared into the darkness, laughing as they took the Fused Shadow pieces with them. Ike snorted lightly as he looked around him. He had to find the missing pieces before time ran out. He ran out of the room and back towards the twisting corridors. The next fifteen minutes, Ike had spent searching around blindly. There were many traps, such as floors that would fall and drop into the dark abyss. "This is pointless," Ike growled, "at this rate I'll get lost and I'll lose the game! Damn it! I need to find out what to do!" He closed his eyes. "What…am I supposed to do?"
"…Ike…." spoke a gentle, female voice.
"Hmm?" Ike opened his eyes. "I thought…I heard my name…"
"Ike…cursed one from Tellius…" came the voice again, "can you hear me?"
"Yes…yes, I can hear you!" Ike looked around, trying to find that source. A tiny, pink ball floated around. He danced in front of Ike's snout as it continued talking.
"That is good. Listen to me…you have been cursed by Nayru…the Goddess of Wisdom," warned the floating, pink ball.
"What?!" Ike let out. "Cursed….by a Hylian goddess? Why? How?"
"In your rage…you almost slew the Princess of Destiny. She is dying now…only time can finish her off now."
After hearing that, Ike's blue ears folded back. His tail tucked in, in a shameful way.
"However…I can tell that you…care deeply about the princess. So much…that you risk your life for her. You're…in love with her…aren't you?"
Ike only whined in response.
"Then…I shall help you. I can't take you directly to the Fused Shadow…but I can help you locate them. Now…what I need you to do, you need to get in contact with your animal instincts."
"Animal…instincts?"
"You must close your eyes…and let your sixth sense take over. Only then…will the path you need to take shall be revealed to you."
"I really don't know what you're talking about…but I'm running out of time here, so I'll go with what you say." Ike let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. For a moment, all he could see was nothing but darkness. The soft sounds he would normally hear intensified. He sniffed the air, catching the whiff of strange odors. Whispers in the dark would seem like shouts to him. Slowly, Ike opened his eyes, the world around him seemed much darker, as if he was lost in the black abyss from the outside. Through the darkness, balls of light were scattered around by his feet. A light green path created by the balls of light laid before him, leading him towards the darkness. Ike growled as he followed the path.
Ike panted as he ran in the shadows, following the lit path blindly. The path ended in front of a door. Ike whined and pawed a the door as he tried to open it. "Now this is just cruel!" Ike let out as he lunged at the door and chewed on the door. Ike whined like crazy, trying to figure out how to open the door. Just as Ike was about to give up on the door, the pink ball of light appeared before him. It floated in front of him, trying to catch his attention. Once his eyes were locked onto its figure, the ball of light floated over to the door. It penetrated through the door and in a matter seconds, it opened.
Baffled, yet unfazed, Ike ran inside. The room before him, was a plain. It had absolutely nothing except for the floating Twili woman. She crossed her legs and glared at Ike. "You found the first piece," she said in an aggravated tone, "doesn't matter…you'll never find the other three in time. You have an hour and fifteen minutes to find the other pieces. You won't get to them in time. Hehehe, good luck on finding them, doggie!" The Twili woman's body faded away into black squares that flew out of the room. The Fused Shadow piece floated in the air for a bit before it was whisked away and taken into the room it was originally in. Ike let out a sigh of relief before he continued his search for the other three pieces.
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"This is all a mess…." Vaati snarled as he walked at the desert entrance. The wind seer had been worried about Dark Zelda since she had not returned the following evening. Without word of her, Vaati decided to look for her. As he looked at the desert entrance, he noticed the large broken cliffs and holes on the ground, indicating that a massive battle took place. On the ground, puddles of dried blood mixed in with dirt painted the red earth beneath his sandals. "Whatever happened here….wasn't good…" he said softly. "Now…I wonder what really did happen to Dark Zelda…"
Vaati stopped walking and hid behind a rock. At the distance, a green cloaked figure walked in the desert. It walked slowly towards two glowing spheres on the ground. The figure picked up both the spheres and inspected them. Vaati could tell that both spheres were Angelus Crystals. The only question that lingered in his mind was who's crystals were those. The cloaked broke one of the crystals, shattering it into a thousand pieces. As for the other crystal, it placed the crystal inside of a pouch it had carrying around its waist.
The wind mage placed two and two together. He had a feeling that the crystals that were on the ground were Dark Link and Dark Zelda. He got out of hiding and ran towards the cloaked figure. He charged upon a powerful spell in his hands, however he stopped as he felt such a strong aura emitting from the figure before him. The cloaked being looked at Vaati. It let out a soft smile before it started to walk off. "Don't worry about your precious shadow…" spoke the figure, "I'll take good care of her. You should be more concerned about the one who sent her to her death."
Vaati remained quiet for a moment before he left the desert entrance and headed back to the Gerudo Fortress. At his study, the wind mage pondered. He knew that Dark Zelda was vanquished. The more he thought about her, the angrier he got. He slammed a fist on the table, leaving an imprint of it. "Why was she…? Dark Link was suppose to look out for her…" he snarled beneath clenched teeth.
"It was because of him that your shadow passed away," spoke a deep voice.
Vaati snarled softly as he turned to face the Black Knight. "You…where the hell were you these passed days? Medusa has been looking for you."
"I had to leave on business," replied the Black Knight.
"Business? What business?"
"I have my own affairs to attend to…much like you have your own apart from Ganondorf's and Medusa's. I only came here with a proposition I want to offer you."
Vaati cocked his eyebrow at the Black Knight. "What kind of proposition did you have in mind? And what's more…why should I?"
The Black Knight let out a soft chuckle as he walked around Vaati. "I want to strike a deal with you. After all…didn't you care about your creation? Also…I heard that the only reason why you're even here helping…is because you were released from the altar…that one that had the Sword of Four Soul. You were trapped there ages ago, thanks to the ancestor of the current Hero of Time. Since Ganondorf released you from your prison, you are to serve under him whether you like it or not. Your jewel…is also your prison…isn't it?"
"Why do you care?" Vaati asked.
"To be given a marking…as a sign of slavery…I can assure you…I know that feeling. So…I'll give you an option…" The Black Knight reached into his pocket and pulled out a dirty cloth. He opened the cloth to reveal Lehran's Medallion. Vaati let out a slight gasp as he saw the medallion. "All you have to do…is just do one favor for me. Comply with it…and I shall free you."
"…what is it…you want me to do?"
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Forty-five minutes and two Fused Shadow parts later, Ike was running around, heading towards the top of the castle. He concentrated on following the glowing path on the ground. He arrived at a twisting stairway. Quickly, the feral Ike scurried up the steps. He heard a strange sound from behind him as he dashed up the stairs. He turned around to see the steps he was on were shaking and falling down into the dark abyss. Ike let out a yelp before he madly dashed up the stairs. Each step he took felt like it would be his last as each step took less and less time to fall down. Ike had reached the top of the stairwell before the final step fell down. Panting, Ike noticed that he will have to find another way back down. Not worrying about that at the moment, Ike continued his search for the final Fused Shadow piece. He trotted softly into a room which apparently had strange crystallized boxes. He poked his nose on one of them. A very putrid odor came from the box. Ike snorted as he moved away from the box. "These….are coffins," he said, "am I…in a tomb? Never mind that!" Ike searched the entire room, running passed the Twili coffins. At the far end of the room, Ike found the final Fused Shadow.
The guardian of the Fused Shadow didn't seem pleased. She glared at Ike. "It seems you found all the pieces under two hours," she said.
"Great! That means you'll help me now! We should hurry, Zelda's in trouble!" Ike barked.
The guardian rolled her eyes before she placed the Fused Shadow piece upon her head. The piece she had in her arms covered her entire left eye and fit nicely, like some sort of crown. The guardian let out a grunt which caused her red hair to grow. Her hair grew out and took the from of a large hand. The hand grasped Ike tightly before teleporting both of them out. Only the sound of Ike's howl would be heard. Ike would open his eyes and find himself back in the Fused Shadow altar. Before him were the four guardians. Three guardians released their hold on their pieces and fused back with the original guardian, who was the one wearing the Fused Shadow.
"Well…it looks like you've won this round, doggie," she said softly, "and as I promised…I'd help you…"
"Great! Follow me! We gotta get to Hyrule!" Ike barked.
"However…I don't see why I should keep my word," giggled the guardian.
"What?"
"I said I would help…doesn't mean I HAD to help you. There is no sort of contract binding either of us to such a truce. I had fun and I hope you did too. The way to the door is behind you…so don't find me rude if I don't take you to it. Have a nice day." The guardian squealed before she giggled malevolently at the poor, misfortunate Ike.
Ike, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased with what was going on. He barked, whined, and snarled at the guardian. "You wicked bitch!" Ike howled, "you said if I played your stupid game, you'd help. Was this all a waste of time?!" He stopped barking as he remembered what Medusa gave him. He looked at his right leg to find the black pendant wrapped around it. He undid the pendant with his teeth and held it tightly. I hope this works, he thought. Ike swung the pendant around. He released it and threw it directly at the guardian. Upon contact with the pedant, the guardian screamed a very bloody scream. She fell over, beyond the ray of light, disappearing from Ike's eyesight.
A tiny black hand emerged from the darkness and clawed its way into the light. A tiny person crawled over to the light. Upon its head was the Fused Shadow. Long, red hair sprouted from the Fused Shadow and hung close to the rather pudgy body of the imp. The same black and grey skin with the strange blue-green markings applied to it, just like the guardian. The tiny imp looked at her body and let out a yell. "What…what have you done to me?!" she scowled. "Undo this mess…right now!"
Just by the tone of her voice, Ike was able to identify that the imp before him, was the guardian herself. By the effects of the pendant, she was transformed into that imp. Ike walked over to the Fused Shadow pieces and picked one up with his teeth. Carefully, he slipped it down on his chest. The pieces were held close to Ike's body by the red cape. Ike took one last look at the guardian before he snorted at her and walked out of the room. The guardian hissed as she felt her body burn up from the inside. The black pendant glowed brightly, releasing some sort of power over her. In a matter of moments, the guardian ran from the room and caught up with Ike. "You! Stop right there!" she shouted. "I demand that you return me to my normal form! I can't take this piece of crap pendant off of me! Take it off…now!"
"Why should I?" Ike asked. "You went back on your word. I would like to help you…but I needed YOUR help and you lied to me."
"Dog! Help me or else!"
Ike ignored the guardian as he walked out from the castle. Even though the Twili were watching him walk out with the Fused Shadow, no one tried to do anything. Ike looked at the Twili and notice that they seem to cower in fear of him for some reason. Ike ignored them and approached the Mirror of Twilight. The guardian jumped in front of Ike, blocking his way to the Mirror of Twilight. "Don't you DARE leave this realm!" the guardian shouted. "I'm not going to let you walk out with that! With this stupid pendant, I can't use the Fused Shadow or anything. Take it off and I promise to help you. Come on…take it off!"
Not amused and in a hurry, Ike bit into the guardian's red hair, and lifted her from the ground. The guardian protested and shouted at the blue wolf. Ike merely ignored them as he walked through the Mirror of Twilight and arrived back at the Light World. The guardian looked around. She let out a gasp as she noticed she's now in the Light World. "You bastard! Put me back!" she hissed. Ike growled slightly as he walked out of the mirror's room. The guardian moaned as she followed Ike. "Listen, I know you need to use the Fused Shadow, for what reason I'll never know," the guardian said, "but I'm sure we can come with a compromise. Take off this pendant from my neck and I'll let you use it for a bit. Just…put me back!"
Ike snarled as he looked at the guardian. He didn't feel sorry for her, but he did pity her. Before he could respond to her, dark aura appeared before Ike. Ike jumped back as the aura took the form of Medusa. The dark goddess smiled at Ike as she approached him. "Very good, Ike," she said in a dark voice, "you have done well to bring me the Fused Shadow…oh…and you used the pendant to bring me the princess."
"Princess?" Ike whined as he looked at the guardian.
"This is marvelous…" Medusa laughed as she took the Fused Shadow pieces from Ike and held them in her hands. Her eyes burned brightly with dark ambitions. "Now…I have the Fused Shadow in my hands…"
"Hey! What about what you promised?!" Ike barked.
"Oh…that's right…well, I'll save your princess. Just give me that princess that's next to you."
"No!" shouted the Twilight Princess. "Don't you dare touch me! I'm not going with you! You're that dark goddess…Medusa, aren't you?!"
"Hehehe…so it seems that you have been talking to her, haven't you? So…I take it that she told you everything. All there is to know…about the history of this world."
"She only told me about how she and the Twili got banished from the Light World. Also…about you…the goddess of the dead. She said that you were conniving and shouldn't be trusted because you're sore about taking responsibility for the Underworld rather than taking the Heavens."
Medusa's smile faded into a scowl. "That's very funny…coming from a powerless girl," she said, "thanks to my pendant, you're as useless as a dying cat. Now…Ike, hand her over to me and I'll let you be on your way."
The Twilight Princess looked at Ike with slightly pleading eyes. "You can't hand me to her!" She shouted. "Listen…I know we got off on the wrong foot, but if you hand me to her, you'll be making a big mistake! That goddess…she's bad news and if you follow her, you'll only regret your decision."
"Ike…hand over the princess to me," Medusa said in a calm manner, "it's only a fair trade. A princess for a princess. What importance is she to you? She's no one you care about. She has been treating you bad, hasn't she? YOUR princess is waiting. Now…hand over the princess."
"Don't do it, dog!" the Twilight Princess protested. "You're making a big mistake!"
"Ike…hand her over."
"Dog…don't do it!"
Ike let out a sigh. He really didn't want to trade in the life of another to save someone, but what choice did he have was what he thought. He walked over to Medusa and placed the Twilight Princess in front of her. The princess cower in fear as Medusa picked up the princess by her hair and laughed at her. "Oh, you have done well, Ike," Medusa said, "I never thought you would have kept your end of the bargain so perfectly. Down to the very last word. I suppose you could receive my congratulations on a job well done."
"Great…can we go now? I really need to see Zelda!" Ike whined.
"Oh…I bet you're just DYING to see your princess, aren't you?" Medusa asked. "The beautiful and powerful Princess Zelda: the Princess of Destiny." Medusa extended her free hand out. White aura formed within her hand, creating a light orb. The orb showed the vision of Princess Zelda laying on her bed. Her face was ghastly pale, dark rings formed around her eyes, her golden hair was in a mess. She looked so sickly. Zelda moved her head as she tried to breath. The very vision worried Ike even more.
"Laying upon her large, silk bed is the Princess Zelda," Medusa continued, "loved and adored by all…but not as much as a mercenary; a lad that hails from a far off place. She had conquered his heart as he has hers. Their love was forbidden, kept in secret for long. It was like a fairytale romance…or so it seemed. Consumed by power, the mercenary attacked his beloved in a foul rage. Now she lays in bed, waiting to die…as her valiant lover comes begging to the gods for help. He foolishly goes into the dark world, kidnapping a princess and stealing their treasure…all for the sake of saving his love. Now he comes to me, handing me over the treasure and princess…but…from him to save his beloved, he'll have to travel back as a feral beast from the desert storm, through the pirates' den, passed the meadow, to the town, and into the castle all in due time. He will arrive just a few hours short as they carry his love's body to the temple so she can be buried along with her ancestors. Without the Princess of Destiny, the world purges into darkness. Famine, war, pestilance, and death shall reign, as I, the goddess of the Underworld will rule the Heavens. And it will be all thanks to the noble hero who did all this mess…for the sake of love! Hehehe!" Medusa cackled loudly as she looked upon Ike's misfortune.
"No…this can't be," Ike said. "Did I mess up again?! No! I can't let this happen!" Ike snarled and barked before he ran over to Medusa, leapt at her, and bit hard on her hand. Medusa yelled as she dropped the Twilight Princess and the Fused Shadow on the ground. She glared angry at Ike. The Twilight Princess fell on the ground, she quickly gathered the Fused Shadow as she looked at Ike.
"What…? Why are you…helping me now?" the princess asked.
Ike got in between Medusa and the princess. He stood his ground, protecting the Twilight Princess at all costs. Snarling and growling, Ike glared at Medusa. The goddess of the Underworld wasn't too happy at all with how Ike was acting. "So…you decided to go back on your word…you ungrateful mutt," Medusa scowled, "a monster like you…will enjoy being that way forever! Now…watch as your precious one dies!"
Ike knew at this point, he couldn't do anything to prevent her from dying. He closed his eyes as he whined. "Zelda…I'm sorry." Breathing heavily, Ike awaited for Medusa to tell him that she was dead. All throughout that time, he kept remembering all the wonderful times he had with Zelda. He still remembered the first day they met. It was a rough start, but it was worth it just to at least stand next to her, to smile at her, to talk to her everyday for the passed year. More than anything, Ike desired to hear her voice one more time.
"Ike…" came a soft voice, "Ike…open your eyes…"
"…Zelda?" Ike asked.
"Not really…but you should open your eyes anyway."
Ike slowly opened his eyes. In front of him stood the Princess of Twilight. She grabbed his face and shook him violently. "Finally!" the princess let out. "You opened your eyes. Geez…you were lost in your wonderful memories, huh?" Ike looked away from the princess and to Medusa. The dark goddess didn't seem to be moving. She was frozen in place, as if time stopped on her. Ike approached Medusa and poked her with his paw.
"Is she…dead?" he asked.
"No…she isn't," spoke the same soft voice. The pink ball of light flew in front of Ike, beside Medusa. It shined brightly, illuminating the entire room. Ike squinted his eyes until the light died down. In front of him stood a young with long, silver hair, dark skin, and extremely light blue eyes. Her body was decorated with exotic body, silver and blue body jewelry. Her clothing consisted of a light blue hood and cloak. Her bottom attire consisted of light blue pants. She smiled kindly at Ike and the Twilight Princess. "I merely stopped time," spoke the woman, "forgive me…I have not introduced myself to you. I am Fate…Goddess of Time. I am the fourth goddess of Hyrule…the one that was banished."
"Banished?" Ike asked.
Fate knelt down next to Ike and placed a soft hand on his head. "You're a brave and noble warrior who sacrificed your own happiness…to save this world," Fate said softly, "and for that…I shall bless you. I will help you save the Princess of Destiny. At this moment, I have froze time on this world. It is only for a certain time, so you must take Midna, the Princess of Twilight with you to use the Fused Shadow to save Princess Zelda."
"What?" Midna, the Twilight Princess shouted, "I'm not helping him! He kidnapped me and turned me to Medusa! I'm NOT helping him!"
"Midna…" Fate stated softly, "Ike may have kidnapped you, but…he did retract that and saved you…he ended up risking the life of the very reason why he even tried to do such a deed. The Princess of Destiny needs your help at the moment. I have seen the future…and you will get into trouble. Her ancestor will risk her life in order to save yours." Fate took a hold of Midna's pendant and broke it, shattering it into dozens of pieces, releasing Midna from her power suppression, however, she was still in imp form.
Midna rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Fine…I'll do it. Take me to your princess, Ike. Just one question…why am I still little?"
"Thank you, Midna," Fate said. "You're still little for one reason…you're body is not strong enough to support itself in the Light World. You'll have to remain like that for a while. Now Ike…I wish I could help you break that curse on you…but I can't at the moment. I'm using all the power I can use in the Light World to stop time. I can, however create a path for you to walk in to get to her faster."
"How can I change back to my Beorc form?" Ike asked.
"In order to do that…the Fused Shadow will have to change you back. However…it can only perform one miracle per charge in the Light World. Since you're going to use it on the princess, you'll have to wait until it fully charges again. So, until then, Midna, you have to stay here with Ike. Your duty is to save Zelda and restore Ike's true form."
"What?! You said save a princess…not change him back!" Midna scowled.
"Midna…"
"Fine…I'll do it. Just because you're my goddess."
"Now…" Fate extended her arm out. A light blue path appeared before the goddess. "Take that path…it will lead you directly to the princess. You'll have to walk or run, just so you know."
"Thank you, Fate…" Ike said as he motioned to Midna to follow him. Midna shrunk the Fused Shadow pieces in her hand before she hoped on Ike's back. "I don't know what I can do without you…but I want to know…why were you banished?"
Fate smiled sadly at Ike before she petted him. "I'll tell you…" she said, "once you bring back Midna back. You're running out of time. The other goddesses will catch wind of this and they will not be pleased."
"Alright…I promised I'll bring Midna back here when I'm done," Ike said as he took off down the road.
"Good luck…Cerulean Cloud…"
Ike dashed madly on the white path. All doors opened as soon as he reached them. Midna held tightly onto Ike's back as she looked around at the world before her. She had never once stepped into the Light World since she was born. She'd never imagined the place would be so colorful. Ike exited the Spirit Temple, dashed through the desert. He ran through the fortress, passed the field. He arrived at the castle entrance within moments. Ike sprinted inside of the castle, running around the frozen guards, maids, and nurses. He followed the trail of curates, hoping that they would lead him to Princess Zelda's room. He panted heavily as he reached Zelda's room. Not once did Ike ever stop running until he reached her. He fell on his stomach, trying to breath. Midna got off from his back and floated in front of him.
"Geez…" Midna said, "I told you to stop so you can take a break."
"Sh…shut up!" Ike responded as he finally caught his breath. He placed both front paws on Zelda's bed and looked at her. Zelda looked exactly as how Medusa had shown him. Ike whined, his ears folding back. Midna shook her head.
"How pathetic…you whining over some girl that's close into dying," Midna spoke.
Ike growled at Midna.
"Fine, fine…I'll help." Midna sighed as she gathered the missing three pieces of the Fused Shadow. They rotated around her before they clamped together, fusing back into one piece. Midna shouted and grunted as the Fused Shadow over took her body. Her red haired grew out of control. A giant hand grabbed Zelda roughly. Transferring her power from the Fused Shadow, Midna was able to heal Zelda's wounds. They slowly closed off completely as if they were never there. Not even a scar was left. Midna slowly placed Zelda down on her bed before the Fused Shadow broke into pieces once more. Midna shrunk the other pieces and jumped on Ike's back, exhausted from her work.
"Okay…I did my good deed for the day," she said tiredly. "I'm…gonna go relax for a bit. I'm going to be hiding in your shadow for now. I'll still be around." With that, Midna shrunk and became Ike's shadow. Ike looked at amazement as he looked at his new shadow.
"Thank you…Midna," he said softly. A soft groan disrupted Ike. He looked up to see Zelda slowly sitting up on her bed. It seemed that time was starting to work again. "Zelda…" Ike said softly as his tail wagged happily.
"You! What are you doing here?!" Growled a voice.
Ike looked over to see a rather agitated Wolf.
"I don't know who you are…but you smell exactly like that idiot with the blue hair," Wolf snarled.
"Wolf!" Ike let out, "Listen…I'm Ike!"
"Ike?! Ike's a Beorc thing…all I see is a wolf who's about to have his ass handed to him."
"Easy, easy…listen…I'm not here to fight you or anything. I really am Ike. What happened to me is a long story…but listen…I was the one that saved the princess. I need to find Sonic or Lucario…they can translate what I say to them and…"
"Gah!!" screamed one of the maids, "What is that?! It's another wolf!"
"Another wolf?" Zelda asked. The princess looked down at wolf Ike. Ike whined at her, showing his pleading eyes. Zelda extended her hand out, reaching out to Ike. Ike leaned over, wanting to be touched by Zelda, however a sharp pain came from his neck. He was lifted off the ground by a strong grip.
"Don't worry, Zelda…I'll get rid of him for you," spoke a very familiar voice. Ike turned his head to see a very strange vision. Before him was himself. "Zelda…I am sorry…for what happened, but I was able to heal you. Take a look at your wound now."
Zelda placed a hand on her stomach. When she felt nothing but her soft skin she smiled. "I…I am healed…" she said softly, "Ike..?"
"Yes, my love?" responded the shadow of Ike. Meanwhile, wolf Ike struggled to break free.
"This can't be happening!" Wolf Ike let out. "You…you can't…Zelda, don't believe him! I don't know what or who this guy is…but he did not heal you!"
Even though wolf Ike was yelling and protesting, no one, besides Wolf could understand him. To the others, he seemed like a wild animal on the rampage. "Ike" sighed as he watched wolf Ike struggle. "I'll get rid of him, Zelda," he responded. "He won't be bothering you anymore. After this…we need to talk. I believe…I have much to do…in order to make up for what I did." "Ike" carried off wolf Ike from Zelda's room. All the meantime, wolf Ike tried his best. He kept yelling out to Zelda, extending his paws to her, hoping that she would grab him.
"Zelda! Don't believe him!" wolf Ike shouted. "Don't believe him! Zelda!! Zelda!!!"
End of chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Tale of Two Ikes
"Oh…I need to check my schedule. I think I'll have lovely Lyn on Mondays, sexy Sheik on Tuesdays, humpity hump Malon on Wednesdays, mystical Impa on Thursdays, sweet innocent Mist on Fridays, voluptuous melon tits Samus on Saturdays, and finally my prized virgin, Zelda on Sundays."