Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles
OC's © original creators
Chapter Thirty-Six: Treasure Hunt, Part 3
Time and luck was not on their side. Link, Zant, and the Sonic Team had somehow managed to navigate their way through the Sacred Grove without the assistance of the Skull Kid, but the irritable wood nymph decided to play a little joke. The little prankster had scattered the gang's Extreme Gear in the most random places that led to a number of strange and comical results. One of which resulted in Sonic getting his tail handed to him by a baboon with a boomerang. If there was any positive aspect that came from the trip, it was Epona kicking Skull Kid in the face when he tried to steal the wild mare. The team of seven finally reached the entrance to Castle Town with Link make sure once more that the Master Sword was still secure in its scabbard.
"You know…" Link said absentmindedly as the team walked through the gate. "It's kinda weird to have the Master Sword again. It's almost like a piece of myself that went missing has suddenly returned."
"Well, cherish what little time you have left." Zant said coolly. "After we trade it to the Happy Mask freak for Ganondorf's Triforce fragment, I doubt you'll have the chance to see it again."
"Let's just hope he doesn't find out what it really is." Storm said pointedly; Angel sat on his shoulder as they enter the town square. "If he ever found out that he had a piece of the Triforce, he'd probably ask to be made king of Hyrule."
"Good point." Link nodded.
During the discussion, Sonic's mind happily drifted off to his previous fight with Drago in the Sacred Grove. He, the Keyblade Master of Twilight, had just defeated a dragon like in the fairy tales. Ok, a half-dragon, but still a dragon nonetheless. Sure the others were perfectly capable of beating the Fire Demon on his own – he wasn't exactly that tough – but it was Sonic who delivered the final blow with his Reaction Command. Speaking of which, the cobalt hedgehog had wondered why the Reaction Command had been so absent lately – was he getting a cold or something. The Keyblade Master's train of thought was quickly derailed when he unconsciously walked into Link, who had stopped suddenly in near the fountain of the square.
"Hey, what's the hold up?" Sonic questioned impertinently.
"Wait a minute." Link said suspiciously, holding his hand to silence them. "Listen…"
The Sonic Team became deathly silent, which seemed to be killing Marine from the inside – She had never lasted two minutes without shouting some random phrase. The group of animals didn't know what they were supposed to be listening for, but Zant seemed to share a similar thought with the green-clothed swordsman. The former usurper of the Twilight Realm swiftly unsheathed his cleaver blades at the exact moment raised his shield and sword in defense. Where they paranoid? Taking another glance of the area, Sonic was unable to spot anything remotely out of place. No one was around for a mile, all the shops had been closed off, and there wasn't a single noise to disturb them.
"But maybe that's the problem." Dark Sonic suggested.
"I don't hear anything!" Marine shouted randomly; the heroes jumped and screamed. "What? I said I didn't hear anything."
"That's why I'm worried." Link said sternly; his fingers twitched with anxiety. "Castle Town – even at night – is never this quite. There's always something going on and the stores never close around here. Something's wrong."
"What do you think scared them off?" Silver questioned worried.
"Stop your whining and hand it over!" A familiar, demonic tone echoed.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" A smaller voice snapped harshly. "I'm trading this necklace for a valuable treasure. This necklace will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams!"
Looking to his left, Storm was the first to spy two shadows racing across the alley walls, rapidly growing smaller as their occupants approached. Each member of the group withdrew their respective weapon and waited patiently for their incoming targets. Silver and Marine, who were positioned in the front, were roughly pushed aside as the Happy Mask Salesman bustled around the corner, clutching the Triforce of Power in his spidery fingers. Shortly following him was Drago – the Fire Demon skidded to a halt temporarily and expelled a massive fireball from his lips at the scurrying human. It was only fortunate for the deceptive salesman that Storm jumped in the path of the flaming sphere and reflected it to the ground with his shield. A thick layer of smoke breached through the demon's teeth and steam hissed through his nostrils. This was supposed to be a routine pick up and those Keyblade punks always had to get in the way.
"You might wanna give up now, Drago." Sonic smirked confidently, holding the Kiryu forward. "I don't wanna embarrass you by whipping your tails twice in the same day."
"I'm just gonna say this once." Drago hissed suppressively. "Get out of my way!"
But the seven heroes stood their ground – he didn't have time for this. The half-demon warrior bended his knees and tightened his feet with much aggression that his nails were starting to pierce his inherited scales. All of the heroes were freaked out by his performance, especially after Drago's eyes started rolling to the back of his skull and his body was vibrating harshly. In the next moment, Sonic quickly grabbed Marine by her shoulders and pulled her to the ground as Drago unleashed the largest fireball anyone had ever seen. Link, Zant and the Sonic Team ducked out of the way in time and the fireball flew over their heads, which promptly ignited a blacksmith's workshop. Ironic. But this, however, turned out to be a distraction as Drago was seen jumping over the cowering team of seven and charging after the Happy Mask Salesman.
"Well, he did ask nicely." Marine said meekly.
"He's headed for the palace!" Link shouted urgently. "We have to hurry!"
"Can't we just stay here instead?" Storm asked hopefully.
"Come on, you big chicken." Angel groaned, lifting the albatross over her head.
Possibly faster than any member of the Sonic Team, Link had collected himself and dashed after Drago, who was making his way to the Hyrule Castle construction site. Thankfully, the palace gates were sealed shut as the Fire Demon chased the Happy Mask Salesman halfway through the courtyard. It was only in due time that the teenaged lizard managed to catch up to his prey, successfully snatching the Triforce of Power from his grasp. However, the Fire Demon's celebration was short lived before the Happy Mask Salesman swiped the Triforce back into his possession after running from the opposite direction. Drago did a double take – this guy was a real freak. But if there was one advantage the teenaged lizard had over his adversary, it was his inherited demons powers, which included dragon speed. So by the time Sonic and the others had arrived on the scene, Drago was holding the Happy Mask Salesman at arms length with holding the Triforce of Power out of his reach.
"No fair!" The Happy Mask Salesman whined.
"Hah! Looks like I win!" Drago yelled pleasingly.
"I'll take that, thank you."
Without Drago or the Salesman realizing it, Zant had leapt over their heads and snagged the Triforce of Power out of the Fire Demon's claws in midair. It took a minute for the teenaged gecko to realize his hand was empty. The small feud between the salesman and the Fire Demon was temporarily put on hold as they set their sights on a common enemy: Zant. The former usurper had landed gracefully back to his feet and looked over his shoulder, quickly making a dash for freedom with Drago and the Happy Mask Salesman hot on his trail. Though he knew he was in mortal danger, the cheers from his comrades seemed to put his mind at ease – they finally trusted him.
"Nice one, Zant!" Sonic howled with praise. "Whatever you do, don't drop it!"
"Why'd you have to go and say that?" Dark Sonic sighed disappointingly. "Now his IS going to drop it."
"What makes you so sure?" Sonic questioned blandly.
"Whenever you say something, it always turns out bad." Dark Sonic stated pointedly.
"Does not!" Sonic pouted.
"Watch out behind ya, mate!" Marine screamed helpfully.
He didn't really need to be told what he already knows. As Zant quickly approached the farthest wall in the courtyard, Drago and the Happy Mask Salesman were only a feet behind the former usurper. Once they reached the wall, there would be no place left to run. Or so they believed. At the last moment, Zant pressed his feet against the surface of the wall and flipped backwards over their heads, watching with amusement as the dynamic duo charged straight into the wall. Naturally, the Happy Mask Salesman lost consciousness at the exact moment of contact, but Drago's high endurance only left him a little dizzy. Link and the others were practically on their knees in laughter. The Fire Demon shook his head to clear his vision of spots and glared menacingly at Zant, who was skipped backwards with confidence.
"Had enough you over grown…" Zant began.
Unfortunately, Dark Sonic's predication came true. Mostly thanks to his overconfidence, the former usurper of Twilight smacked his head into the wall behind him and accidentally relinquished his hold of the Triforce. Drago laughed when seeing Zant bended on the ground, holding the spot where his head collided with the brick. And to make matters worse for the group, the teenaged lizard demon used his tail to pull the Triforce of Power off the ground and transferred it to his hand.
"Told you." Dark Sonic said superiorly.
This game's been funny, but playtimes over, kiddies." Drago proclaimed victoriously, revealing all of his pointed teeth. "After I absorb the power of the Triforce, I'll be the most powerful being in the universe – I'll be the one calling the shots and Black Doom will be my errand boy. After so many years of being a slave to others, it's my turn to take control."
"Wow, someone's bitter." Angel commented.
"Angel…" Silver hissed urgently. "Now's not the time to make fun of the giant dragon with the Triforce."
"Anyone got a plan to get it back?" Link asked, leering at the dragon demon.
"Don't bother, half-pints!" Drago shouted certainly, jangling the necklace in his claws. "Because with the Triforce's power, I'm gonna rock this world!"
He seemed to be quite literal in this point. The Fire Demon tightened his grip on the golden triangle and the entire tow seemed to tremble in his presence. Sonic and his team where thrown off their feet while Link steadied himself in a kneeling position while settling his spiteful glare at the dragon demon. The cobalt hedgehog pushed himself up by his elbows and soon realized that the Fire Demon wasn't responsible for the sudden tremor. This fact was made apparent as the teenaged lizard could be seen flailing his arms in an attempt to maintain his balance – He failed and fell on his tail. But if Drago hadn't accessed the Triforce of Power, then what in Kingdom Hearts. A sharp gasp was heard from Marine and Sonic turned his head with worry, only finding that the rascally raccoon was staring at something in the sky. The other members of the team followed her line of vision and was amazed to witness the opening of a Twilight Portal – it could be easily identified by it electronic appearance. A dark shape dropped from the spiraling vortex with Twilight Portal closing in its wake. The unknown object fell closer and closer to the ground, only to stop three feet above it, yelling with an eccentric tone.
"I'm back!" Midna cheered.
"Oh no!" Sonic moaning inwardly.
None would have predicted the return of the true princess of the Twilight Realm: Midna. The little imp was roughly the same size as Marine with a skin pigment that left her body white and black at random parts with blue circuit-like tattoos that glowed against the darker parts of her skin. Following the destruction of the Fused Shadows at the hand of Ganondorf, Midna's full face was seen and revealed dark, pointed ears, deep-orange eyes, and flaming-orange hair that seemed to move of its own accord. Being the only one that has never properly introduced to Midna, Marine was vaguely curios of why Sonic was suddenly hiding behind Storm and Angel. The mischievous Twilight Princess glided around the courtyard like a ricocheting bullet, stopping only when colliding with Drago. The sudden impact caused the teenaged lizard to stagger slightly and release his hold on the Triforce. Silver used this opportunity to his advantage and summoned his psychic powers to carry the golden necklace into his open palm.
"Link! It's been eons!" Midna screamed joyously, never realizing she was hugging a dragon. "Link, you princely little muffin, you!" She disappeared into the shadows, only to reappear on Drago's shoulders. "Ruling an entire Twilight Realm can be so lonely without a friend. And to think I left you forlorn and Midna-less…OH THE HUMANITY!"
"Uh…Midna." Link said softly; this was just too funny.
"Hey, Link, you're a little greener than usual." Midna noted curiously, spinning the half-demon in a full circle. "I always said you should find a new wardrobe, but when have you ever listened. You would think that dating a princess would have opted to pick out more decent cloths." She popped in front of the dragon, holding him by his hands. "Wait, don't tell me. Am I being a pest – just a short impish pest? Ah, who cares, Link! I'm just so glad to see you!"
"Midna." Link repeated a little louder.
The overexcited Twilight Princess final broke from her rant and looked over to find her old friend standing a short distance away with a smug smile and his arms crossed. Midna looked from Link to Drago once, then twice, then a third time, and then one last time to make sure she didn't make a mistake. She made a big one, but at least they got the Triforce back. The shadowy imp quickly released Drago's hands, letting him fall backwards on the ground. Leaving the disoriented dragon on the ground, Midna glided over and embraced her closest friend, who was only too happy to return the gesture.
"I'll say one thing, Midna." Link chuckled. "You sure know how to put on a show."
"Well, I do my best." Midna smirked, playfully twirling her hair.
"That was ripper, mate!" Marine shouted excitedly, running up to the imp. "Think ya can do it again, mate!"
"Who's the short stack?" Midna smiled proudly.
"I'm Capt. Marine the Raccoon!" Marine proclaimed with prodigious vigor. "And these blokes behind me are my best mate!"
"Blokes…?" Midna repeated with a raised brow, looking to the Sonic Team. "Hey, if it isn't Silver, Storm, and Angel! And if you guys are here." Without much warning, Midna once again displayed her usual powers to extend her hair and swipe the majority of the Sonic Team to the side, leaving their leader completely exposed. Before he even had much of a chance to run, the cobalt hedgehog was captured by the Twilight Princess and dragged over. "Hello, sweetness. How come you never call lil' old Midna. I would have made room for some cozy time."
"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick." Sonic groaned; his face looked slightly green.
"I don't think you would have had the time anyway." Dark Sonic complied. "Especially with all the time you're spending with Blaze."
"Are you ever going to let that go?" Sonic glared inwardly.
"Are you ever going to tell Silver." Dark Sonic retorted; Sonic was awfully silent. "Yeah, didn't think so."
"Um…hello, Midna." The twilight Princess dropped her prey, glaring at the former Usurper that was approaching him. "It's been a while, hasn't it, my princess."
"No long enough." Midna said in a cold manner, turning her back to her former lover. "And don't call your princess. That manner of speaking is only reserved for those who are loyal to the Twili."
"Midna, I don't expect you to believe me." Zant continued uncertainly. "But I was possessed by Ganondorf when I betrayed you. I would say that it wasn't my fault, but I can't deny that I was upset that they overlooked me to becoming the next ruler of the Twili. Please, I never wanted to hurt you, my love."
"You're right about one thing." Midna said, turning to him with a glare. "I don't believe you."
Ok, this was turning out to be the exact opposite of what Zant was hoping for. Much like Zelda, she had a hard and cynical outlook on the nature of others and wasn't too quick to trust them. Zant sighed heavily in disappointment, which Silver resolved himself to patting the former usurper's back in reassurance. However, there was one thing the conjoined heroes had overlooked.
"Oh, you think you're so funny, don't you?" Drago sneered dizzily, stumbling back to his feet. "Well I'll show you! No one makes a fool out of the son of Shen…" A sudden clank below attracted his attention and looked down. A sky-blue bottle rolled into view and magically stopped at his feet; he knew what was coming next. "Crap…"
All of a sudden, the bright bottle cracked and exploded with a powerful tornado following the rupture. Because he was standing directly over the container, Drago was caught by the fierce winds and thrown over the borders of the Castle Town walls and disappeared somewhere over the distant Lake Hylia. He wasn't coming back any time soon. But knowing from experience, the Sonic Team waited out the weather with weapons raised defensively as the gale slowly died down. Though Drago was miles away by this point, a new character was found standing in his place at the moment the wind was brushed away. The new character seemed relatively Hylian with the exception of his dull-white skin with bright-silver hair that fell over the right side of his face and a single red eye that glared at the group. His attire consisted of a rich-purple tunic with a matching cap and cape, a golden belt with a ruby eye in the center, vermillion pants and sandals, and a single brilliant-red opal on the crown of his cap. Just something about his appearance reminded Sonic of the vampires he had seen in Black Doom's library. Of course, the cobalt hedgehog had already made an encounter with this man in a previous time.
"Hello, Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Hey, you're that guy from last time." Sonic blinked strangely, lowering his Keyblade. "Now what was your name again."
"Sonic, do you know this monstrosity?" Link said defensively.
"I met him the first time we showed up here." Sonic answered, taken back by his expression. "Though the other guys said they didn't see anything. Why? Is there something wrong with him?"
"That's Vaati, Ganondorf's right hand." Link responded, holding the Master Sword again his new adversary. "He's a corrupted Minish that tried to take over Hyrule by turning it into a dark version of itself and turning Zelda to stone. I thought I got rid of him after his last defeat, but Ganondorf had other ideas."
"My master saved me from the void of death in return for my loyalty." Vaati explained coldly. "And now I shall return the favor. Once I break the seal of the Triforce of Power, my master will be resurrected and take his place as the rightful ruler of Hyrule and the world." He dropped his glare and settled it between two of his most hated enemies. "But first thing's first…"
The malevolent Minish slowly raised his hand, showing his open palm to the defiant warriors. The next thing they knew, a powerful wall of wind crushed against the Sonic Team, causing most of them to tumble backwards back into the town square. The only exceptions were Link, who was kneeling with his shield in front, Sonic, who stabbed his Keyblade to the ground, and Midna, who was flying against the wind. And just as sudden as it began, it stopped. Vaati was clearly making an effort to keep the two swordsmen in his sight – a fact that was enforced when a barrier of light cut them off from the others.
"I don't think he's happy." Sonic commented.
"What was your first clue?" Link responded sarcastically.
"It was by your hands that my master perished." Vaati glared darkly. "So it will be by my hands that you shall receive the same fate."
"Over my dead body!" Midna ranted, floating in front. "If you want to get to my best friend and boyfriend…" Sonic covered his mouth to stop himself from vomiting. "You'll have to go through me!"
"That can be arranged." Vaati said collectively
The one-eyed sorcerer raised his hands to the sky in a flourishing motion, summoning a sphere of darkness to engulf him completely. Sonic and Link patiently waited for Vaati to show himself, knowing that running into a mass of darkness was never a good idea, while Midna floated overhead with a bored expression. When the shadow's finally settled, Sonic was the only one that seemed slightly disturbed by the new Vaati. His human form had been extinguished entirely and was replaced by a pitch-black eye with a red iris and golden outline with a curved horn on top. Rows of dark spheres floated on either side of the optical demon with tri-pronged golden claws connected to the ends. The demonic Vaati hissed in a challenging manner to which Link braced himself and Midna giggled in a playful manner. But deep within the reaches of the cobalt hedgehog's mind, Dark Sonic was the only one to verbally express what he was thinking.
"Why can't they ever be small?" Dark Sonic sighed.
Corrupted Minish: Vaati
"Ooh, he's a big one, isn't he?" Midna giggled. "So, which of you big, strong men want to take him first?"
"Vaati's obvious weakness is his central eye." Link informed, stepping lightly to the right. "But the main problem is getting to it because his arms are fast and barricade his weakness when close enough. If we want a chance of getting to him, one of us needs to provide the distraction."
"And let me guess." Sonic said blankly, looking at the two. "You want me to be the decoy."
"Pretty much." Link and Midna answered simultaneously.
You would think being the main character of the story would earn him a little more credit. Overlooking the point, Sonic gripped the handle of the Kiryu to activate its Keychain Ability, coating his body in a thick layer of jade-green dragon scales. If he was going to go up against a giant eyeball, it was better to be protected. The Keyblade Master dragged his sacred weapon across the ground, scattering sparks in the air, when making a daring charge for the single-eyed demon. Link had been wrong about one thing: Vaati's arms weren't fast…they were super fast. The dragon-scaled hedgehog could barely blink before the Corrupted Minish's left claw swiped across the air and slashed across his chest. If it wasn't for the fast that he was protected by his Keychain Ability, the preemptive strike would have killed Sonic in one stroke. The Keyblade Master tumbled backwards, still keeping a firm grip on the Kiryu against Vaati's wishes, and skidded to a halt on his stomach. Lifting his head off the ground, the dragon-scaled hedgehog shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision of the multi-colored spots floating around. But in the meantime, the Corrupted Minish had buried its right claw into the ground earlier in the fight and suddenly emerged beneath the Keyblade Master before he could react. Sonic was caught off-guard by the careful stealth attack and finally released the Keyblade from his hold, returning to his royal-blue fur. Vaati was going to have his vengeance now. The single-eyed demon closed his powerful claw despite Sonic's best efforts to open the golden talons – the difference in strength was too great. The Keyblade Master's face was starting to turn purple from the lack of oxygen when…
"Hey, ugly!" Midna screamed shrilly; Vaati staggered backwards as the Twilight Princess appeared directly in front. "No one chokeholds my man except me, you got it!"
"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Dark Sonic questioned strangely.
"Who care…" Sonic thought passively. "Can't…breathe…"
"Your gonna put him down or am I gonna have to get rough?" Midna said in a final tone with her hands on her hips.
The Corrupt Minish measured the size of the Twilight Princess against himself…and flicked her away needlessly. The biggest mistake on his part. The single-eyed demon resumed his torture of the Keyblade Master when he was interrupted by an enlarged hand comprised of bright-orange/black energy. The ocular demon followed the trail of the particular anomaly and found its origin leading to Midna's hairline. The Twilight Princess looked extremely pissed off, which was reassured as her entangled hair crushed the spheres on Vaati's arm that connected to the main portion of the body. While the dark orbs evaporated into nothingness, Sonic dropped for a short moment before being secured into the air once more. Midna had used her hair to safely settle the cobalt hedgehog to the ground, generously passing off the Keyblade to its owner as well.
"Thanks for the save, Midna." Sonic smiled with his signature thumbs-up. "I really appreciate it."
"I know a better way for you to thank me." Midna grinned flirtatiously as she nudged against his shoulder; it took all of Sonic's willpower not to run away. "I know this perfect little spot around Lake Hylia where you can see the water glisten against the light of a full moon. Maybe we could spend a little time to…catch up."
"I suddenly feel much safer with Vaati." Dark Sonic shuddered.
"For once, we are in total agreement." Sonic responded.
But unbeknownst to the uh…lovely couple, Vaati's remaining arm snaked behind them with the points of his claws aimed precariously to their spines. One sharp thrust and they would both be gone. Fortunately, it didn't need to come to that. Because like most villains, they have a tendency to forget other fighters in the middle of a battle. With a flash of silver, Link finally returned from his absence and brought down the Master Sword to slash through the central orb of Vaati's limb. The Corrupted Minish shrieked with such a pitch that shattered all the glass in Castle Town – the pain from the Master Sword was far worse than any other. But then again, it wasn't called the Blade of Evil's Bane for nothing. Sonic and Midna, covering their ears to block out the screams, finally returned their attention to the battle as Link brandished the Master Sword against his adversary.
"You really should watch yourself." Link advised cautiously. "Turning your back on an opponent will only get you killed faster."
"You think I would have learned that by now." Sonic laughed nervously, scratching his quills.
"You would think you would have learned something by now." Dark Sonic insulted.
"Hey, that's a low blow." Sonic sulked.
"Like stealing your friend's girl." Dark Sonic retorted; Sonic slapped his forehead and moaned. "The sooner you tell him, the sooner I can move on to a new subject. I've got this one I picked up from that Deadpool guy we met in Hallow Bastion."
"Can't wait." Sonic muttered sarcastically.
"Ha-ha! You've got no arms!" Midna taunted in a singsong tone. "Whaddya gonna do now, tough guy? Blink us to death?"
"Uh…Midna." Link spoke hesitantly, pointing to the demon with his sword.
The Twilight Princess, who was sticking her tongue out at the Corrupted Minish, suddenly lost her swagger as four miniature eyeballs formed in a vortex of darkness. Vaati silently commanded the eyes to shift their gaze on the heroes – the floating optics began to glow brilliant-red. Sonic and Link looked at each other for a short moment, sharing the same idea, and dived away to opposite directions, leaving Midna stupefied in the middle. The Twilight Princess basically ran out of luck as the floating eyes released four simultaneous beams of light that struck Midna in the chest and sent her flying across the courtyard, smacking her face against the wall.
"Score one for the giant eyeball." Dark Sonic laughed.
"Midna's our friend." Sonic scolded.
"You want to go on a date with her?" Dark Sonic questioned slyly.
"Way to go, giant eyeball!" Sonic cheered randomly.
"Sonic, watch your tails!" Link warned harshly.
The cobalt hedgehog snapped his attention back to reality just in time to sidestep of the eye beams that was directed to his right leg. With Midna no longer a factor in his mind, Vaati set his four miniature minions on the remaining two contenders. Much like the Corrupted Minish's arms, this little suckers were unbelievably fast – they were like tiny, black blurs. Sonic was able to follow most of their movements due to his natural adaptation to battle, but counterattacking was his main concern. The cobalt hedgehog used every available opportunity to swing the Kiryu for the floating pests, but the Keyblade was too slow in comparison to the moving targets. In the end, Sonic was forced to go on the defensive and activate his Keychain Ability to protect himself in dragon scales, which were successfully reflecting the endless bombardment of lasers. If it was even possible, Link was having a worse time than Sonic. The green-clothed swordsman wasn't even given the chance to strike back against the drifting optics as they released a similar barrage on the noble hero. Link, using his shield to stave off the onslaught, stumbled nimbly until he was back-to-back with the Keyblade Master, who had crossed his arms to deflect more of the crimson beams.
"Ever been in a situation like this before?" Sonic asked, grunted from the impact of the beams.
"Six times." Link answered, kneeling to cover his shins. "Unfortunately, I left my boomerang back home and I don't exactly have an endless supply of arrows on me at the moment."
"Well, that perfect." Sonic remarked sarcastically. "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"I might have an idea." Both warriors were startled as Midna's head emerged from the shadow shared between them. "These little bugs are too fast and too small for mere mortals to attack in your present state. But what if you became faster?"
"What are you getting at?" Link questioned seriously.
The Twilight Princess giggled in a devilish manner as she jumped fully from the shadows, ignoring the crimson rays flashing just inches above her hand. Midna turned to her green-clothed friend and waved her hand with a flourish, presenting him with a familiar gift: an orange/black crystal. Sonic had only seen the mystical item on one occasion in the past, but couldn't fully remember what the effects were. Link, on the other hand, wasn't as forgetful and grinned pleasingly to the Twilight Princess. So after hastily dropping his shield and the Master Sword, the Hero of Twilight grasped the Shadow Crystal with both hands and groaned painfully as the effects took place. Even Vaati had momentarily forgotten to continue spreading commands to his minions as watched the Wielder of Courage's transformation. Link had shed his humanity in favor of an evergreen wolf with glimmering-silver teeth, a main of shaggy hair, and the Twili tattoo printed in white on his forehead. Wolf Link snarled menacingly, which earned a laugh from the Twilight Princess, who was sitting on his back.
"Oh man, I think I missed this part the most." Midna giggled sinisterly, patting the wolf's mane. "If you be a good boy, I'll give you a bone." Wolf Link snapped his jaws, causing Midna to fall back slightly. "Bad wolfy! Bad! No treat for you!"
"Is this supposed to be a normal thing?" Sonic thought awkwardly.
"When has anything ever been normal?" Dark Sonic replied.
"Good point." Sonic shrugged.
The Keyblade Master backtracked away from the prowling wolf as it paced back and forth in front of him – his teeth bared to Vaati and his minions. The Corrupted Minish grew bored of this game. Sending a command to his minions, the floating eyes regained their glow in preparation for the attack. An attack that would never come. Before Vaati's minions could finish, Wolf Link jumped back and forth across the air, leaving nothing behind but a blur of dark-green. Sonic could only compare the beast's speed to that of the Kingdom Key, but which much greater accuracy and lethal force. The Twili hound slashed the first three optics with his claws and crushed the last minion with his powerful jaws, stopping in front of Vaati to display his power. The enlarged eyeball looked between the remains of its servant, the snarling monster crouching four feet away, and the Keyblade Master as he nonchalantly approached.
"Looks like you're all out of tricks, Vaati." Sonic stated smugly. "If you leave now, we promise not to kill you."
The Corrupted Minish was left with the choice. He had no weapons left and was standing up against the Twilight Princess, the Hero of Hyrule, and the Keyblade Master. There was no choice. The single-eyed demon closed its vision and dissolved its form into a sphere of pure darkness, leaving behind only the physical form of Vaati. The silver-haired Minish was on his hand and knees, panting heavily, but still mustered the strength to glare at the trio.
"This isn't over, Keyblade Master." Vaati swore.
And with that, Vaati ripped his way through the Corridors of Darkness and made his escape.
Vaati: Defeated
It was twenty minutes following the match with the Corrupted Minish when the Sonic Team recollected in from the Royal Palace gates. Link, much to Midna's disappointment, had returned to his Hylian form and replaced the Master Sword back into his scabbard proudly. Now that they had the Triforce of Power, there was no need to hand over such a powerful relic to the greedy Happy Mask Salesman. At the moment, Link and his friends stood before Princess Zelda and Midna in front of the palace gates with Zant shifting nervously at their side.
"Just give him a chance." Link pleaded, gently grasping Zelda's hand. "Zant said he was sorry and he has been working hard to make up for all his mistakes. If it wasn't for him, we probably would have never made it back from the forest."
"I don't know…" Zelda hummed uncertainly, withdrawing her hand. "There is a lot against him."
"I just say we throw him out for good." Midna pronounced disdainfully.
"Aw, that's no fair!" Marine complained, waving her fist. "Give the bloke a chance already!"
"He has done a lot of good lately." Silver nodded in agreement. "There could be a chance he's really telling the truth and wants to turn over a new leaf. After all, he risked his life to get the Triforce back."
"Probably to steal it." Midna murmured.
"Well, Zant has shown that he means well." Zelda said sagely, taking a moment to think. "All right, I'll give him one chance to show us that he really wants to help. And furthermore…" She snapped her focus to Link. "I'm placing you in charge of him. If he step one toe out of line, he will be banished and you will be demoted to stable boy!"
"What?" Link exclaimed horrified.
"You heard me!" Zelda said sternly with his hands on her hips; Link moaned in defeat.
"Wow, he is whipped." Sonic laughed inwardly.
"As for you…" Midna said pleasantly, popping in front of the hedgehog. "I have a little parting gift for you." The Twilight Princess waved her hand in an exaggerated motion, creating a silver locket with the print of the Fused Shadows on the surface. "This is a little summoning trinket like the last one I gave you. If you ever need any help…or just want to spend some quality time, just give me a call."
"Yeah…I'll do that." Sonic said slowly.
"You're going to lose that as fast as you lost Aang's, aren't you?" Dark Sonic snickered.
"If not sooner." Sonic replied quickly.
And that left one matter to be resolved: the Triforce of Power. Silver, who had still managed to hold on to the hold triangle this whole time, stepped respectfully to the Hyrulian princess and dropped the Triforce into her open palm. But just as the necklace was halfway transferred to the Possessor of Wisdom, it stopped in midair with a familiar glow surrounding it – Sonic knew what came next. Holding his Keyblade in front of him, Sonic's mind wandered into another dimension, where only the Triforce of Power's light shined. The golden triangle emitted a beam of light into the sky and formed into the shape of a keyhole. Sonic stabbed his chosen weapon forward and unleashed the Keyblade power to strike at the Keyhole, unlocking the next gateway. The Keyblade Master's mind was sharply thrusted back into reality.
"Sonic…" Zant said slowly. "What was that?"
"It means it's time for us to get moving." Sonic proclaimed.
"Will you be back?" Zelda asked hopefully.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head." Angel smiled, sitting on Storm' shoulder. "If the Heartless are still around, we won't be too far behind."
"You know, we should get paid for this kind of stuff." Storm commented.
After taking a moment to think about it, Storm had a point. When were they gonna get their rewards? Knowing how long it took them to complete their last adventure, Sonic had a feeling it wouldn't be for a long time. But as the cobalt hedgehog stared into the crystal-clear sky, he knew that – in the end – it would all be worth it.
Another quest ends to begin anew. Will Vaati return to seek his revenge? How will Black Doom handle Drago's latest failure? And what is happening in the worlds away from the Sonic Team? Find out on the next Sonic Chronicles!
Please, read and review.
There will be no poll this time, but I've got a special surprise for everyone: a three-part arc featuring Amy and her own journey to other worlds. Be sure to read it next chapter.