Bubbles and Dark Link walked hand in hand down the way towards the gate of the Temple of Time. She felt happy with her head resting lazily on Dark Link's shoulder and he felt what it meant to be loved for the first time since his creation. Blossom and Buttercup walked lazily through the extended courtyard with trees growing on either side of the path to the entrance. The aura was romantic and magical as the sun made the shadows dance on the ground like a black flame.

"Oh my gosh!" Bubbles said suddenly looking up and seeing the man that had been put in the bubble floating listless on the breeze.

She released the move and the man fell straight into the arms of Buttercup. He was set upright but the moment he saw Dark Link he started to cower on the ground.

"Please don't hurt me!" He cried with his head nearly buried in the sand.

"I don't think you'll need to worry too much about that anymore." Blossom said smiling and lifting the man back to his feet. "Why was Drake after you?" she asked

"I am the groundskeeper for the Temple of Time and he wanted my key!" he said indignantly

"And I still need your key." Dark Link said matter-of-factly

"Well I told ya that yous not gettin it an that's final." He crossed his arms in a huff.

Dark Link took one step towards him and he was back on the ground pleading for his life luckily Bubbles kept a hold of his arm and Dark Link didn't pursue the matter any farther.

"Why do we need a key?" Blossom asked looking at the two.

"The temple was sealed by the goddesses and can only be opened by this man's key." Dark Link stated, "The thing is it is a double edged sword because, maybe Link is in there but so is the majority of Gannondorf's power. That's why he had me throwing this guy around so I could release his power from within the temple." He explained

"Yeah, an like I's said yous not gettin this key!" the groundskeeper said pulling himself up from the ground.

"But why won't you give us the key now, he's not going to hurt anyone?" Buttercup asked

"You can't prove that by me no suh!" He said lifting his sleeve and showing a bruise

"You're lucky that's all you got!" Dark Link said agitatedly

Bubbles let go of Dark Link's shoulder and went over to the man, "Believe me he's better now!" She smiled.

The man did a quick smile and looked at Bubbles then back at Dark Link, "I don't believe yous." He said

Dark Link walked right up to the man who fell on his face and started to cry and plead to not be hurt again. He pulled Bubbles' legs in front of him and hid behind her. Dark Link lifted Bubbles up and out of the reach of the man who continued to beg for his life. Eventually the man took out the key and held it up, "Please, Please just take it. Don't throw me through another wall please. Don't kill me!" The man groveled.

Dark Link reached down and closed his hand around the wrist of the man. He lifted him up off the ground and set him right. He dusted off the man's clothes and leaned in close to the man's ear, "I am better now!" He said sternly

"You didn't take the key!?" The man said

"I don't want to take it, I want you to use it to let us in if that is what you wish to do." Dark Link said slightly annoyed.

The man looked at the key which remained safely in his hand as Dark Link backed up to Bubbles' side, "Well I guess yous is better now!" he said and started walking towards the Temple doors.

"What's your name?" Blossom asked trying to be polite.

"Me m'names Barnabus." Said the man. Barnabus was large, both in stature and width, his clothes hung around his arms like old sheets and his pants looked entirely uncomfortable like a burlap sack. He was bald and seemed to have a head slightly too large for his body. He walked up to the Temple doors and inserted the key in what appeared to be just a solid wall.

As the key turned a door seemed to materialize out of nowhere right before their eyes. The door had all sorts of signs and symbols that Dark Link explained were meant to keep out any dark spirits.

"Do they work?" Buttercup asked pensively

"Kind of," Dark Link started, "It will keep out the person but their power can still pass through." He explained thinking of how Gannondorf caught Zelda there. At that point he was still closely tied to Link and could still see as his shadow.

They entered the Temple as a group but Dark Link hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Bubbles asked

"Darkness can't enter this holy place I don't know if I can enter here." He said and the group looked at him. Bubbles grabbed hold of his hand and he looked down and looked at her. She smiled that warm loving smile.

"Well if you can't go in then I'll stay out here with you!" she said and Dark Link smiled

"If Link really is in there it might be best for all of us if you went in alone Buttercup." Blossom said closing her eyes and folding her arms

Buttercup nodded and entered the gates. She could feel the sudden loneliness as she entered the inner courtyard of the Temple. There were no birds singing, no wind, no animals on the ground it was pure silence.

She approached the red doors that led to the inner sanctum and took a deep breath. As she reached out for the door there came a rustle in the grass behind her. She turned and saw no one. She reached out again to touch the door but once again a rustle from behind her made her stop. She turned and saw the most bizarre thing she'd ever though she could, I herself!

There behind her was a mirror image of herself except everything was shadow-like version of herself who melded from tree to tree in a ghostlike manner.

"Who are you!?" Buttercup yelled at the Shade who turned her head in the middle of the way and looked up at Buttercup.

"Isn't it obvious?" The dark version of Buttercup asked, "I'm you!"

Thanks for reading today's short chapter, I promise that next time it is going to be longer this just seemed like the perfect build up point to stop at. Special Thanks to mariolink101 for being the first Fav on my stories I hope everyone who enjoys can follow suit all it takes is one click. Ultima S. next Buttercup vs Buttercup.