"I'm honored that you'd have me present today..."
She cut him off with a warm smile. "After all you've done, it's the least I could do."
He sighed, looking out over the courtyard. Amazingly, the castle had been re-constructed in almost under a year after its destruction. Today would mark both the commemoration of the new castle and Zelda's coronation.
"I know that it's been hard for you." she whispered.
Slowly, he nodded. "It's been almost a year since she left. I...I have to move on with my life. I've accomplished nothing in these last few months. I think.. this might be just what I need." He gently took her hand in his. "I want to thank you for supporting me for these last few months." he said, his voice cracking. "You were always there for me when I needed help..." he turned away, not wanting her to see the tears forming in his eyes.
She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. After hesitating for a second, he put his arms around her and returned the embrace.
"I'm sorry. I... shouldn't be acting like this." he whispered into her ear.
"It's all right, Link." she said, pulling her face back so she could look into his eyes. "I..."
She was cut off by a loud crash. Turning around, she could see that a figure had materialized behind her.
Before either of them could make a move, the entire courtyard was covered in thick, black smoke. Falling helplessly to the ground, Link lost consciousness.
Link slowly opened his eyes. Clutching his head in pain, he lifted his head to survey his surroundings.
He was in a cell, about six feet to a side. A length of chain hung freely on the wall, the manacle standing open. In a pile in the corner, he saw that his shield and sword lay intact. This struck him as odd.
What was most peculiar, however, was the composition of the room itself. It seemed to be made up entirely of blackness. It didn't really have a form, only somehow existing in a solid shape, yet it was stronger than metal. It seemed to absorb the light around it, the only source of which came from a dimly flickering torch across the hall.
He was struck with an odd sense of déjà vu, followed by confusion. Who would leave him alone and unchained in a cell with his sword and shield intact?
He didn't have much time to contemplate it, as he heard the steady march of a guard's feet from down the hall. Stealing a quick glance out the cell door, he could see that it was a yellow reptile of sorts with a bright green shell. Thinking quickly, he hid in the space beside the door and the wall.
The Koopa peered around the corner, looking into Link's cell. With a swift movement, he brought his fist down on the Koopa's head, knocking him out cold. Picking up the keys left behind by the unconscious guard, he unlocked his cell door and pulled the Koopa inside. After fastening one of the manacles around the Koopa's wrist, he knelt to pick up his sword and shield.
Exiting the cell and locking the door behind him, he found Zelda sitting in the cell immediately next to his. He unlocked the door and entered the cell.
Overjoyed, Zelda embraced him tightly. "What's going on, Link? Why are we here? How did you get out?"
"I'll tell you everything, but we need to get moving. I knocked out a guard and took his keys. I don't know how long I have until he alerts anyone else."
They quickly walked down the corridor, with Link peering into several of the cells off to the side. "I don't know why we're here. The last thing I remember was someone landing in the courtyard, just before the ceremony."
She frowned, concentrating on something. "Hold on for a second. Can you hear that?"
Listening carefully, he could just make out a faint conversation from beyond the corner:
"Listen up! I think I hear a guard coming this way!"
"It's about time, too! It feels like we've been waiting for one for three months!"
"Come on, Tails. It's only been about an hour."
"All right, Sonic, when he makes it here, pretend to be sick in your cell. Do anything to make him come over and look, I don't know, pretend to throw up or something."
"Yeah, then what?"
"If he's even somewhat competent, he'll stay out of your cell, but turn his back to me. That will give me the opportunity to tase him. When he slumps unconscious near the door of your cell, you can take the keys from him." Eggman said, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
Sonic looked incredulous. "You have a taser on you?"
"You don't?" Eggman countered. "Besides, it's built into my suit. A one time high-voltage discharge. Normally, I'd only use it in emergencies, but I think that this situation certainly qualifies." Noticing the strange looks he was getting from Sonic and Tails, Eggman stopped to explain. "You don't think that I wear this suit every day just to look good, do you? I can assure you that it actually serves a purpose."
"Hey! It's just like that scene in the Eggvengers when Eggki was locked in that glass prison, and then..."
"TAILS! Keep quiet! Do you want them to hear?"
Link didn't like where this conversation was going, but he saw an opportunity present itself. Silently, he turned around to face Zelda.
"I'm going to let the other prisoners out. The guards can't catch all of us at once, so we'd have a better chance of getting out of here." he said in a hushed whisper.
"Are you sure, Link? It sounds risky- what happens if they try to attack you?"
"I'll stop them." he said simply, gesturing to the sword on his back.
"They let you keep your weapons? Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious...?"
He smiled. "Yes, I've been meaning to thank you for that. If you hadn't convinced me to show up at the ceremony like this, then I would be defenseless..."
He rounded the corner, coming into full view of Sonic's cell. Right on cue, Sonic began to feign throwing up.
"Ugg... I need help... open the door... urrrg..."
Not convinced by this display, Link kept his eyes on Eggman. He wasn't sure what it meant to "tase" something, but based on the context, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a "tase".
Eggman shifted nervously, obviously not expecting this turn in events. Putting on a cheesy smile, he waddled around the cell, attempting to divert attention from himself.
Not deterred by his previous lack of a convincing performance, Sonic feigned throwing up again.
"You can stop with the charade. I heard everything you said." Link stated calmly, never taking his eyes off of Eggman.
"Wait a second... you don't look like any of those other guards." Eggman's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"
"It's of no relevance to you what I'm doing. But, I'm presenting you with an opportunity to get out of here." He unlocked the door. "I suggest you take it."
Sonic eyed him warily. "Just like that, huh? What's in it for you?"
"I'm sure that I don't know what you mean..."
"No, really, what's in it for you? Escapees never just help anyone else like that. There has to be some catch."
Link rolled his eyes. "Fine. I need some... help... escaping." he said, choosing his words carefully. Technically, it was the truth.
Link proceeded to unlock Sonic's and Tails' cells. "If you're coming, then I suggest that we leave now. Otherwise, that guard that I knocked out might alert some of his friends, and ..."
Sonic took the hint. Exiting his cell, he turned to face Link. "Thanks, I guess..."
"Oh, don't thank me yet. We're still not out of here."
Looking back down the hallway, Link saw that the door to his former cell was open, and the Koopa was nowhere to be seen.
"We're running out of time. We need to get moving."
With Sonic and his companions in tow, Link continued down the hallway to the next cell block. Looking in the cells one by one, he found Mario, Luigi, and Bowser, apparently coming out of unconsciousness.
Deciding to throw subtlety out the window in exchange for time, he unlocked their cell doors and wrenched them open.
"Hurry up! We need to get going!"
"W-what?" muttered Luigi, still groggy from 'Count Bleck's' attack.
"There's no time to lose! We need to get out of here!" Mario whispered urgently, pulling Luigi to his feet.
Bowser had already regained his footing by this time. "I say we take the opportunity! Remember how long it took us to get out of that Bleck guy's castle last time?"
"So does that mean..." he was interrupted by the sound of running feet coming from the corridor behind him.
Deciding not to waste any more time, Link began running down the dark hallway, looking back to make sure that Zelda was behind him. Mario and Luigi were being tailed by Bowser, who moved at a surprising speed for his size. Tails ran along with Mario, finding it hard to fly in the cramped hallway. Sonic easily outpaced the rest of the group, grinning casually as he did so. Eggman was also able to keep up with the rest of the group, showing surprising physical prowess for his size.
Abruptly, the floor flashed with a white light. A ripple ran through the air as the dungeon walls seemed to flicker and distort. Before anyone could make a move, the universe disappeared in a flash of white light.