Chapter 8 is here at last! Sorry for the delay on this one; I've been caught up in everything else at my college. But really, all I'm actually doing is taking my old story and adding new things to it. So this really shouldn't be that big of a project.
Alright, enough babbling. On with the story! Don't forget to leave a review!
Chapter 8: Sheik's Warning and Dark Link
Link and Sonic were hanging out at the Milk Bar in Kakariko Village for a drink. Sonic was still feeling worried about his friend Tails.
"We've searched almost all of Hyrule," Sonic moaned, "and still found no sign of Tails!"
"Don't worry, Sonic," Link said. "We'll find him soon."
The waiter came to their table carrying two bottles of milk. "Your freshly made Lon Lon Milk, boys," the waiter said to them as he placed the milk on the table. "Enjoy!"
"Thank you, Barton," Link said.
"Hey waiter," Sonic said as he sipped his milk. "By any chance, have you seen a two-tailed fox around here?"
Barton thought for a bit. "A two-tailed fox, you say? I think I saw one just today."
Sonic's eyes widened. "You did? Where was he?"
"Just here in the village," Barton answered. "He was examining some cucco birds until some shadowy thing came up to him and snatched him away."
"Where did it go?!" Link demanded to know.
"I think I saw it go toward the graveyard," Barton answered. "Probably into that cursed Shadow Temple. Best stay away from that place if you know what's good for you." He left their table and went back to the bar.
"The Shadow Temple," Link said. "That's the next place we have to go! We're bound to find a Chaos Emerald there!"
"Tails, too!" Sonic added. Then something occurred to him. "Wait, we went by this village when we went to Death Mountain, didn't we?"
"Yeah," Link answered as he drank his milk. "So?"
"So why didn't we go to the Shadow Temple first?!"
Link pondered that for a while. He shrugged and said, "Just slipped my mind, I guess."
"Whatever," Sonic groaned. "I'm not gonna question this story's logic." He drank up the rest of his milk.
Link and Sonic finished drinking and left the bar (Link left the waiter a tip). As they walked out of the bar, Sonic was greeted by a familiar pink hedgehog. "Sonic!" it shouted as it pounced on him. "I finally found you, my darling Sonic!"
"AMY?!" Sonic yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"
"Who are you?" Link asked the pink hedgehog.
"I'm Amy Rose, Sonic's girlfriend," she answered.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Sonic said in denial. "But that's beside the point! Why are you here? I thought Eggman captured you and took you to the Egg Carrier!"
Amy let go of Sonic. "I was," she answered, "but I had a little help escaping."
"Help?" Sonic questioned. "From whom?"
Another person walked up next to Amy. "From me. I am Sheik, the last member of the Sheikah tribe."
"Sheik?" Link wondered. He felt that there was something familiar about Sheik, but at the same time a total stranger.
"Amy and I escaped from our prison on the Egg Carrier to warn you two."
"Warn us?" Sonic wondered. "Of what, exactly?"
"Haven't you noticed how our two worlds seem to be merging into one?" Sheik questioned.
Link and Sonic nodded.
Sheik explained them everything. She told them how Eggman and Ganondorf were working together to take over the two worlds. "However," she continued, "their pact somehow caused the two worlds to start slowly become one. Once they come together completely, they could become corrupt and eventually..." she paused briefly. "...Be destroyed."
Link and Sonic exchanged looks of horror. "Our worlds... destroyed?"
"How can we stop it?" Sonic asked in worry.
"I'm not sure of that yet," Sheik answered. "But we might find a way to stop this once we defeat the ones who started it."
"Eggman and Ganondorf!" the two heroes said in unison.
"We really need those Chaos Emeralds now!" Link exclaimed.
"Let's get to that Shadow Temple and find that emerald!" Sonic said in determination.
The two heroes rushed off toward the graveyard. Amy and Sheik watched as Link and Sonic went on their way. "Good luck, Sonic!" Amy shouted.
"And to you as well, Link," Sheik added. "We're counting on you."
Nobody noticed that Shadow was hiding out of sight beside the Milk Bar building. He had heard the entire conversation.
If what 'Sheik' says is true, he said to himself, our world will be destroyed. I must report this to Eggman! He was about to activate his wrist communicator, but stopped himself. Even if I did tell them, they wouldn't believe me. They'll think I'm lying to them and just trying to weasel out of my mission.
Shadow could not decide which path to follow: the heroes, or the villains. If he sided with the heroes, Eggman would be furious with his betrayal; if he sided with the villains, the world would be destroyed for sure.
At long last, he made his decision. They need my help more than ever. He dashed away without another word.
The Shadow Temple was a dark, eerie dungeon filled with illusions, skeletons, and torture devices. The walls seemed to be made out of dry skin and bones. The floors were stained with blood. Undead corpses, known as ReDeads, stalked the many chambers and halls. Old tales described the Shadow Temple as a place where Hyrule's greatest fugitives were tortured and punished for their crimes. They were either hanged, burned, impaled, or even beheaded.
Needless to say, Link and Sonic were extremely creeped out. With all of the torture devices and dead people around, Sonic feared what would become of his dear friend Tails. Link could see the worry in Sonic's eyes.
"Stay calm, Sonic," Link said in reassurance. "We'll find him soon..."
Suddenly, they both heard moaning. A ReDead was standing right in front of them. It looked right at the two heroes. Without warning, the ReDead let out a blood-curdling screech. It was the most unpleasant sound they had ever heard. To make matters worse, Link and Sonic couldn't move at all.
"I... I c-can't move!" Sonic wailed. He tried to move his legs, but the scream seemed to have paralyzed him.
The ReDead ambled its way over to Sonic. Then it latched itself onto Sonic. It gnawed on his head, as if it tried to eat him alive.
"Get it off!" Sonic cried. "GET IT OFF!"
Link regained his senses. He slashed his sword at the ReDead, making it let go of Sonic. He managed to slice the ReDead's head off. The ReDead's body collapsed and fell to the floor, eventually melting into the floor.
Sonic was breathing hard. "Sweet Chaos," he exclaimed, "that was close! Thanks, buddy!"
"Don't mention it," Link smiled. "ReDeads are the worst."
Sonic dusted himself off. "Let's keep going. The sooner we find Tails and that Chaos Emerald, the sooner we can leave this place!"
They eventually came to a strange room. As they walked in, they noticed water on the floor. There was an old dead tree in the center of the room. It seemed as if they were outside.
"It's probably just another trick," Link said.
Then, they heard a familiar voice. "Sonic! Help me!"
"Tails!" Sonic shouted. "Is that you, buddy? Where are you?"
"You can't see me because of this illusion!" Tails' voice answered back. "You have to defeat that shadowy thing!"
"What shadowy thing?" Link asked.
From the corner of his eye, Sonic looked down at Link's feet. Either he was seeing things, or Link's reflection on the water had just vanished. Sonic tugged on Link's shirt. "Link!" he said, "your reflection is gone!"
Link looked down at his feet. Sure enough, his reflection was gone!
A different voice came out. "You've done well to get this far," said the voice. It sounded much like Link's, except deeper. "But your journey ends with me, foolish heroes!"
A shadowy figure emerged from the water. The figure took on the shape of Link.
Sonic stared in disbelief. "W-Who are you?!"
The shadowy creature's eyes glowed red as it pulled out a sword. "I am Dark Link, and I shall bring you both to your knees!"
Evil Doppelgänger: Dark Link
"He looks just like you, Link!" Sonic said.
"He might look like me," Link said, "but his fighting skills are nothing compared to my own." He ran up to Dark Link and swung his sword at him, but Dark Link quickly held up his shield and blocked the attack. Then Dark Link swung his sword at Link, only to miss him as Link quickly jumped out of range.
Their swords clanged as they hit each other. Link and Dark Link pushed against each other, waiting for one of them to give in. Suddenly, Link had an idea. He looked at Sonic and gestured his head at Dark Link. Sonic immediately knew what to do. Sonic ran around behind Dark Link, jumped into the air, curled up into a ball, and struck Dark Link on the back.
"Yaargh!" Dark Link cried in agony. He turned and looked at Sonic. "I'll get you for that, you spiky little fiend!"
Dark Link swung his sword at Sonic again and again, only to have Sonic repeatedly jumping and dodging every attack. "Is that all ya got, faker?" he teased. He waved at Link to tell him to strike Dark Link while he was distracted.
Link seized the opportunity and slashed at Dark Link with his sword. Dark Link cried in agony again. "You wretched brat!"
Then it was Link's turn to distract the dark being and Sonic's turn to strike him. Then Link delivered the final blow and stabbed Dark Link. Dark Link moaned as he slowly evaporated.
"We did it!" Sonic cheered.
"We make a good team." Link said.
The room started to change. The water disappeared and the walls materialized. Then, in the middle of the room, Tails appeared. Sonic rushed over to him. "Tails!"
"Sonic!" Tails said back. "You came to save me!"
Sonic gripped Tails. "Thank goodness you're alright! I'm sorry for what I did to you earlier."
"It's okay, Sonic," Tails said. "I forgive you. Oh, and I assume you're also looking for this?" He reached behind him and pulled out a shiny purple gem.
"The Chaos Emerald!" Sonic exclaimed. "Thanks, buddy!"
"That makes four." Link added. "Only three more to find."
"Three more to find immediately!" Sonic said. "Come on! Let's go find them!"
"And so we shall," Link agreed. "For our worlds depend on us."
Wow, this was a pretty long chapter! Now the heroes know what's at stake, and must complete this quest more than ever!