So, there's a gap in my story coming up. If anyone has any ideas that they want to suggest, I'm interested to hear them! I'll see if I can fit some stuff in, from different games. If there's an awesome place, or character, you like ex. I've played most of the Zelda games, but not all, so I'll know most of the stuff.

I originally wanted to have this chapter be in the Spirit Tracks realm, but there wasn't much there that I really wanted to hit. So, instead, I took ya all to my favorite realm. Some of you which one that is already. ^-^

Man, I didn't quite mean to make Shadow Link so mean to Navi. Ah, he's in a very bad mood…

Chapter 10: Scattered

Medli groaned. She hadn't realized that she'd been knocked unconscious. She was lying on her back with something hard and flat beneath her. Definitely not a forest floor.

She sat up quickly, remembering the spiders.

But there were no spiders in sight. And she definitely wasn't in a forest anymore.

But even worse, none of her companions were in sight. There was no one around at all.

Trembling slightly, she glanced around. She'd never seen this place in her life. It looked like she was near a temple of some sort. Strange elevated tile pathways criss-crossed between the network of buildings. Some were elevated on platforms, above the other buildings. There were large bulb-like plants that were hovering in the air. And there was a strong breeze.

Medli stood up, brushing some of the sticky spider web off of her. It was still wrapped around her legs, and it was hard to get it off.

She felt something touch her shoulder and looked down. Tael was sitting there, shivering.

"You're here!" Medli exclaimed.

Tael gave a feeble nod. "Yeah. I think when Shadow Link played the Song of Time, we all got separated. But I grabbed your shirt just I time."

"That's good. At least we didn't lose everyone. But where, I mean, when are we? Where are the others? And are they in this time with us? I hope we didn't all get sent to different times." The gravity of that statement struck her. "We might never get home. And we might never stop Ganon!"

"Don't say that," Tael moaned. "I don't wanna be stuck here!"

Medli's eye suddenly caught something blue lying in a patch of weeds. She bent and picked it up. "It's the Ocarina of Time!" she gasped. "I wonder if it will work for me. We could use it to find the others! But I think it only works for certain people. And besides, I don't know how to play an ocarina."

"Me either," Tael agreed. "I never got to touch it. Even though I know how the song sounds.

A fierce gust of wind rushed past, lifting Medli off of her feet. She was to the edge of the platform, where she gripped the ledge tightly and stabilized herself. As she peered over the ledge, she suddenly felt very weak. There wasn't ground beneath the platform. Only cloud.

This temple was floating in the sky.

…

Din gazed at the forest around her. It was most definitely a different forest than she'd been in moments before. And there were no spiders. And she didn't see Shadow Link, Medli, or Volgagia anywhere. Only Tatl was left, hovering in front of her, at a loss for words.

"I think," Din said at last, "that our time travel got broken."

"No kidding," Tatl gasped at last. "Shoot! Stupid Shadow Link! We told him not to do that! I almost wish we were still with the spiders instead of… nowhere! I know I've never been here before!"

"Nor I."

"Hee hee hee! I know where you are!"

The two of them looked up to see a child leap down from the branch of a tree. He was dressed in a strange red and green outfit and wore a high red hat.

"Skull Kid!" Tatl exclaimed. "You're here! How are you here? This isn't Termina, is it? Maybe Hyrule?"

"Yeah, it's Hyrule," said Skull kid, leaping up onto a tree stump. "But not the one you know. It's been a long time since you were in Hyrule, Tatl. I brought you there to help Shadow Link!"

"So you are the Skull Kid I know, right?"

"Maybe. Like I said, that was a long time ago. But in the Lost Woods, time is different."

"Time, time! It's always time! I'm getting sick of it!" Tatl exclaimed. "Why can't time just move forwards normally?"

"Why do you think time moves forwards?" Skull Kid asked, scuffing his shoe on the tree stump. His eyes gleamed at them.

"We're in the Lost Woods? Would you mind telling us when we are?" Din asked.

"Yes, I mind. I don't know what year it is."

"Why not?" Tatl fumed. "Cause time isn't normal in the Lost Woods?" she scoffed.

"That's right."

"Then do you know what events took place during this time that may have been related to the hero clad in green?"

"If you mean Link, why don't you say so?" Skull Kid asked.

"Answer the question!" Tatl exclaimed.

"You should ask nicely," Skull Kid taunted.

"He just wants to play games," Din said calmly. But she smiled up at him. "Will you please tell us?"

"I'll tell the pretty girl instead of the cranky fairy," Skull Kid said.

"What!" Tatl shouted, outraged. She would have flown at Skull Kid, but Din held her hand up and Tatl reluctantly settled on her shoulder.

"Not long ago," Skull Kid recited, "All of Hyrule was plunged into darkness. This kid wearing green traveled around, trying to return the light to the realm. To clear Hyrule of its endless twilight."

…

Volvagia twisted his head this way and that, but saw nothing except sand. Sand and rocks. He huddled close to the ground. Everyone was gone, and he was afraid.

"L-Link," he murmured. "Link."

But he couldn't continue to sit there. He needed to search for the others.

He raised himself up and began to skim across the vast expanse of sand. It was hot out here. Definitely hot. But Volvagia had lived most of his life in a Volcano. This was nothing. The heat was actually quite pleasant.

He didn't see anything. He began to climb higher in the air. He needed a better view.

Volvagia glanced around uneasily. There was nothing but sand and large outcroppings of rock. Where were the others? He didn't quite understand all of this time travel. That Din girl had said that he was alive now because of a rip in fabric. He didn't know what that meant. But maybe now his friends were in a different time. If they were in a different time, would he be able to find them again?

Something whizzed past his head. The dragon whirled around, baring his teeth and hissing menacingly. Behind him, emerging from behind an outcrop of rock, there were five goblin creatures riding great boars. One of them raised a bow and loosed another arrow. Volvagia spiraled out of the way.

He began to swoop down at them, ready to unleash his fire. But he didn't have time for that now. He needed to find his friends. He hesitated, then turned and began to fly away.

A moment later, he let out a roar of pain. One of the arrows had struck its mark, embedding itself in his side.

…

"Oh, you're here too, are you?" Shadow Link grumbled.

"Hmph. Glad to see you too," Navi puffed. "We told you not to use the Ocarina like that!"

"Be quiet, you bug!"

"I'm not a bug!"

"You're little and you got wings. You're a bug."

"And you're just a fake," Navi fumed. "I'd rather be a bug than a fake reflection of a real person!"

Shadow Link glared at her. "You're a coward."

"Hah. How do you figure that?" Navi demaded.

"You ran away. After Link defeated Ganondorf and Zelda sent him back in time, you ran away! And that moron Link went chasing after you and got us stuck in Termina."

"I didn't want to leave!" Navi cried, sounding very upset. Shadow Link had hoped to hit a nerve, and he'd succeeded. "Has it ever occurred to you that I'm not supposed to be alive anymore? That the only reason I'm alive is because of those rips in time Din told us about?"

"You should have stayed there then."

"I almost wish I had! Then I wouldn't have to deal with you! You foul, rude…"She couldn't think of anything mean enough to say to him. Nothing that compared to how he was treating her.

"Now that we're in agreement that we hate each other," Shadow Link sneered, "maybe you'll go away."

"And you're completely useless now!" Navi shouted, regaining her voice. But it was trembling badly. "You don't even have the ocarina! You lost it, like you lost everyone else! And the only things you say are things that hurt others! You're not even capable of being a decent human being!"

He glared at the fairy. "Leave. Now."

He turned and stomped away down the rocky side of the mountain. Behind him, Navi follower silently, shedding quiet fairy tears.