"Where do I start…?" Navi murmured with a small sigh as she looked between Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "I guess…the best place is that Link and I are from the past. We traveled here instantly, thanks to the Master Sword."

That was quite a lot out of the gate! The three outsiders glanced at each other, their eyes widening a bit in disbelief. "Time travel? You can actually do that?!" Sora exclaimed, eyeing the Master Sword. "But how?"

"Basically, if it's returned to the pedestal, we go back seven years. When it's taken out again, we travel to where we are now. Or when we are, I guess." The fairy replied.

"You can't be serious! Going through time with a sword?!" Donald exclaimed, finding it hard to believe. He had been around for quite a while, and he never heard of anyone being able to time travel!

Navi huffed at Donald, shooting him a glare. "Look, if you don't believe us, then fine, but I'm trying to tell the truth here! If you're not willing to listen…"

"No, it's not that!" Goofy butted in, having to cover for Donald once more. The duck was a dear friend of his, but he sometimes wished he didn't say exactly what he thought so much. "It's not somethin' we've come across before, that's all!"

"Yeah, Donald's just like that." Sora added on, ignoring Donald's annoyed exclamation. "Goofy and I believe you. I'm just wondering where you got that sword to start with. How did you get into this mess?"

Link gulped, eyes cast to the sand. It really seemed like he had a lot of issues speaking for himself. He glanced over at Navi, clearly wanting her to keep going in her stead.

The fairy went on as soon as Link looked over to her, like it was second nature. "Well…" She glanced back at Link, almost seeming to prompt him to talk about this, yet he remained silent. "…Well…it's about a prophecy the Princess of Hyrule had. To make it brief, Link was meant to help save this kingdom from Ganondorf. We gathered three Spiritual Stones to keep him from a powerful artifact, but he tricked us, sneaking into the place where the artifact was hidden just after we opened the way."

"That's how he got all his power, right? So, what did you guys do?" Sora asked, finding himself rather engaged with the story, as unfortunate as its circumstances were.

"Well, the place where the artifact was held, the Sacred Realm, was unlocked when Link pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. We believed it would help but, but Link wasn't ready yet. He was destined to wield it, but he was too young." Navi explained, Link lifting the sword and staring at it, almost seeming angry. "He was put to sleep for seven years, his body aging, but his mind remaining the same."

This snapped Link out of his silence, turning fully to look at Navi. "You want to tell them that part too?" He didn't seem mad, just a bit surprised at the fairy's words.

"You wouldn't want them to know that? It'd help them understand." Navi argued, through her tone was calm and light.

Link hesitated before sighing through his nose. "It's too late now." He murmured, seeming more disappointed than anything, and he then turned to the outsiders. "I'm ten years old. This body is wrong…I'm not really seventeen."

That explained a few things, really. Link didn't act like someone about to become a full adult. He was quiet, and he socially hid behind Navi at most times. It was almost like a child letting his mother do the talking! "Gawrsh…thinkin' of it, ya do act a bit like a kid at times." Goofy remarked. "But that means you're doin' all this when you're only ten?!"

"That's right. But he's a Child of Destiny, so he has to do this." Navi explained, seeming agitated. "I hate that it's like this, but we have no choice. Link has to be the one to put a stop to Ganondorf's reign…"

Sora felt pity towards Link, the whole situation being completely unfair! In a way, he even knew what the teen…the boy…was going through. The brunette never asked for the Keyblade or the responsibilities it brought, but at least he was fourteen and not ten! "You don't have to do it alone, Link, we'll be with you every step of the way until Hyrule's safe, okay?"

Donald was starting to believe in this story, as unusual was it was, and nodded along. He felt pretty bad for Link too, even the cranky duck feeling awful that a child had to go through these things! "After this Temple is all cleaned up, we'll take that palooka Ganondorf down together!"

Goofy beamed at Link, also giving a firm nod. "That's right! Now, ya gotta leave and go back in time right now, is that it?"

"We do." Navi confirmed, sounding guilty. "It's what happened back in Kakariko Village. We went back in time to get the Lens of Truth. At least now we can warp right back to where we have to leave you guys."

"Sorry we have to do this." Link said, seeming a bit calmer since the trio were so understanding of his position. "We'll try and be fast."

"Hey, it's fine, we can hang around inside the Temple." Sora declared. While it was corrupted by darkness, surely the entrance wouldn't be too bad. Besides, fighting some Heartless sure beat waiting out in the desert sun. He had been so distracted by the conversation that he somewhat forgot just how drenched in sweat he was.

Navi let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks…we appreciate how understanding you are. Like Link said, we'll try and be back as soon as we can, okay?" Getting confirmation from the trio, she landed on her companion's shoulder as he played a song on his ocarina, the two vanishing in a golden light.

The three outsiders watched as the pair vanished, glancing at each other. "I really wasn't expecting that." Sora said, starting to walk to the Temple entrance, summoning his Keyblade. "Link's just a kid, and a time traveler too!"

Donald was so hot, he didn't mind fighting Heartless if it meant going inside, and he summoned his staff. "I didn't even think that was possible! Let's hope they get back here soon…"

Goofy nodded, getting his shield ready. "I feel back for Link. It's gotta be tough bein' all young, but havin' that there grown-up body." It sure sounded like it'd be a drastic change for the poor boy!

The three entered the Spirit Temple, the stench of darkness filling the air. Once more, they felt a nasty, oppressive sensation, like a heavy tarp was draped over them. At the very least, it got them out of that miserable sun! There wasn't much to see in the Temple, two large cobra statues on either side of a short staircase, leading to another small area with a massive door and a hole in the wall. This wall was pretty small, so much so that not even Donald could squeeze through it! At the very least, no Heartless showed up, at least not yet.

Keeping his Keyblade out anyway, Sora let out a small sigh. "All we can do is help him beat Ganondorf. I kind of feel bad, though. He and Navi told us all that personal stuff, but they don't know our secret."

"I know how ya feel, Sora, but we gotta protect the world border. We can't go tellin' 'em there are other worlds out there!" Goofy insisted, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"That's world order!" Donald corrected with a roll of the eyes. "It doesn't help those two to know, so we gotta keep it a secret!"

Sora sighed again, but gave a nod. "Yeah, I know. I won't say anything. I just feel bad, that's all." He hated keeping secrets from friends like this. Maybe, one day, he could come back to this world and tell Link and Navi everything…

About a minute later, there was a flash of orange from outside, alerting the trio. They turned and, to their surprise, saw Link and Navi enter! "Did ya forget somethin'? Why'd ya come back so soon?" Goofy asked.

"It's only been a few minutes!" Donald added on.

"What? Has it been that short of a wait for you guys?" Navi asked with a hum of thought. "We already did what we had to. I guess when Link puts the Master Sword in its pedestal and goes back, he arrives at the exact time when he pulls it back out. Just a guess, though."

"I…think that makes sense." Sora murmured. Time travel seemed kind of confusing to him. "But you did what you wanted like you said. What did you do, exactly?"

Link held up his arms, showing his leather gauntlets were replaced with a new pair. These new gauntlets had a silver back and looked very sturdy. "These are the Silver Gauntlets. I had to crawl through the hole over there to get them." He explained, pointing to the tiny opening in the wall. "They give me extra strength."

"What do you need more strength for?" Donald asked as Link walked past the trio and towards the massive door. The thing looked like it weighed a literal ton!

Link didn't answer right away, leaning down and placing his hands underneath the door. "It's for this." He replied, hoisting the door up in a single motion! The young man, the child, didn't even make a sound of effort! "This doesn't feel like I'm lifting anything at all." The swordsman declared, pushing the door all the way up, letting it slide up where it caught on some mechanism and stayed open. "They really work…!"

"We had to go through a lot to get these." Navi informed. "Also be careful, guys. Back seven years ago, there was a pair of witches. No idea if they're still around now, but they were pretty powerful back then…"

Witches? In the desert? Seemed odd to Sora, he imagined them living in the woods or a swamp or something. "We'll keep our eyes out. I mean there's gotta be some monster for us to fight…" The last two Temples had targets to defeat in order to cleanse them, no reason to think this place was any different!

The doorway opened up to a long hallway, a red carpet along the floor, and torches lining both walls. They weren't able to see too far into the passage, as if the light was swallowed up by darkness. Before the group had a chance to even step foot in the hallway, a group of Heartless appeared, and a lot of them! Twenty Bandits, and three Fat Bandits poured from the hallway, charging the group!

Instantly, the four fighters sprang into action! Sora and Goofy utilized melee, slashing and charging at Bandits, swatting away their sword swings with relative ease. Donald, of course, used his magic, casting Blizzard spells on the Heartless The Bandits that weren't destroyed were frozen to the floor so Sora and Goofy could take them out easier. Link, meanwhile, dealt with the Fat Bandits. One unleashed a torrent of flame at the child, which was blocked with his shield. At this time, another one threw a punch at him, but he once more blocked it. With a noise of effort, he thrust the shield forward, the Silver Gauntlets providing him with so much strength that he sent the Heartless flying down the hallway! Using this momentum, he did a Spin Attack, slicing the other Fat Bandits open and destroying them!

The Heartless were cleared quickly, despite their numbers, with the third Fat Bandit charging out from the darkness only to be stabbed through the guy with the darkness-resistant Master Sword! When the last of the creatures were slain, Donald let out a noise of frustration. "Barely a step into the real Temple, and so many blasted Heartless came at us!"

"I wonder if Ganondorf can reinforce one of his Temples with darkness." Navi mused. "This is the last one standing, so it makes sense he'd want to protect it."

"Makes sense. But with the Keyblade and the Master Sword, we'll be okay!" Sora declared, walking into the darkness ahead without fear, the other four following behind. The hallway was straight, with little else to see as they went through. While torches lined the walls the entire way, the darkness swallowed the light after a few yards, keeping the group mostly in the blackness. Oddly, while Heartless still appeared, they weren't as strong or as numerous, mostly being Shadows. It seemed the opposite of what Navi theorized, unless it just meant the more dangerous Heartless were further in, or something more powerful than them…

Before too long, the hallway ended, and the group entered a large room. In it was the statue of a massive woman, looking similar to the one built into the Temple itself outside. She was wearing similar clothes, and she had her arms outstretched with open palms as well, just like outside. Looking closer, the statue was sitting on a large stone pedestal of sorts which held another door. There didn't seem to be any other pathways, so the group went into it, entering a small room.

"Ain't it a bit strange how easy this has been so far?" Goofy mused, but shield still at the ready despite his words. "Not a lotta Heartless since that first batch…"

Almost like his words were a trigger, three creatures fell from somewhere up above! They weren't Heartless, though, and were reptilian in nature. These beasts stood on their hind legs, wielding swords and even wearing chest plate armor! "Watch out, you guys! Those are Dinolfos!" Navi warned, hovering higher in the air to avoid combat. "They're smart and good with a blade, and can breathe fire too!"

Just as Navi said that, one of the Dinolfos charged the group, opening its mouth wide and letting out a torrent of flames! Thinking fast, Donald raised his staff and shot out a burst of Blizzard magic at the monster, extinguishing the fire and sending the reptilian warrior scampering back. The other two snarled at the four fighters, glaring between them, as if to determine which one they wanted to attack.

One of the Dinolfos sprinted at Link, stabbing at him with its blade. While it was remarkably fast, the swordsman was able to block with his shield at the last moment. The other Dinolfos went for Sora, who used a Thunder spell on his opponent, one of the bolts striking the creature and causing it to spasm in place. The last Dinolfos recovered from the Blizzard scare and went for Donald again, Goofy intercepting the monster and slamming into it with his shield, getting an annoyed hiss from the Dinolfos.

Sora lunged at his opponent while it was stunned, slashing at its arm that held the blade. The attack hit, sending the weapon clattering as the Dinolfos' arm took damage. By this point, it was able to move again, sending a surge of fire at Sora rather than going for its weapon! Like Donald, he utilized Blizzard magic to ward off the flames, the Dinolfos seeming startled that Sora was able to use magic too. It rapidly circled around him and then lunged in for a bite! The brunette blocked with his Keyblade, the weapon more than durable enough to prevent the reptilian foe from breaking through. It tried, of course, snarling and grinding its fangs against the unknown metal of the Keyblade to no avail. The brunette pushed the Dinolfos away and cast a quick Thunder spell, paralyzing it again. With it stunned, he slashed it across the chest, felling the beast!

Goofy and Donald fared well against their Dinolfos, tag-teaming the lizard-like monster. It went for Goofy, slashing at him with its sword, which wasn't able to pierce through his shield. The knight kept blocking the blows, eventually parrying one which threw the Dinolfos off-balance. At this moment, Donald cast Gravity on it, sending it to the floor as it hissed loudly in defiance. While it was stunned, Goofy finished it off with a few blows from his shield.

Link was having a rather easy time despite fighting on his own. The Silver Gauntlets helped immensely as they gave him extra strength. The Dinolfos' blows were easily parried by Link, the swordsman knocking his foe's weapon out of its hand without much effort. When it lunged at him, he slammed his shield forward, sending the Dinolfos tumbling backwards, a nasty cracking sound ringing out with the impact. Before the reptilian monster could recover, Link rushed it and stabbed it through the chest, piercing its armor with the Master Sword without issue.

"Where did these even come from? It's like they were waiting for us!" Donald exclaimed, glaring at the fallen Dinolfos he and Goofy took care of. "I guess Ganondorf just puts monsters like this in our way, huh?"

Before anyone could respond, two silent figures emerged from the shadows, floating towards the group. They were unusual beings, wrapped in bandages and adorned with golden masks that looked like dogs. Their limbs were bound in the wrappings, so it didn't seem like they had any way of attacking. Yet, as they glided towards the quintet, there was an eerie feeling in the air. "Those are Anubis! Don't let them get close! Use fire!" Navi yelled out, looking to Sora and Donald.

The two wasted no time utilizing their magic, casting a quick Fire spell at the incoming figures. Instantly, the old bandages lit up, and the two Anubis were engulfed in flames within moments. This didn't stop their approach, and the monsters gave no indication that they were in any pain at all. It was clear they were going to use their own burning bodies as an attack! Thinking quick, Donald and Goofy sprang into action. The former used a Gravity spell to slam one of the weakened Anubis into the floor, reducing it to a pile of burnt ash. Goofy threw his shield like a discus at the other, slicing it in half, the other parts falling harmlessly to the floor in a flaming heap.

"What were those things going to do to us?" Sora asked, letting out a sigh of relief as the two monsters were vanquished. He had a nasty mental image of something horrific emerging from the wrapping and viciously attacking them…

"I'll be honest, I have no idea." Navi admitted, landing on Link's shoulder. "I heard about Anubis and curses they put on people, but I never thought they were actually real. Let's just be glad we got rid of them before they could do anything."

Link stared at the flaming heaps, then glanced at the fallen Dinolfos. His hand holding the Master Sword gripped the hilt tightly, to the point it almost seemed painful. "Can we just leave this room?" He asked, and went on forward without waiting for a response.

"What's his deal?" Donald asked, having the rare insight to ask quietly enough so the person he was talking about couldn't hear him.

"Well, remember Donald, he's just a little kid. I reckon all this violence is scary to him." Goofy responded, speaking just as quietly.

The two adults and Sora followed Link as he went further into the Spirit Temple. As they traversed the area, they felt the oppressive atmosphere grow heavier, and the air started to feel thick with darkness, making movement get somewhat harder the further they delved into the Temple. More Heartless appeared periodically, mostly Bandits and Fat Bandits, but also swarms of Shadows. As far as the group was aware, there was only one path forward, with no hidden doorways they missed, and the interior of the building seemed far larger than even the massive rock it was encased in. This was especially true as they went up numerous sets of stairs, going so high that they surely went beyond the roof of the Temple, yet there was more above them anyway.

It never stopped being eerie to the group how massive these Temples were thanks to Ganondorf's dark influence, though there was no telling what the horrific Shadow Temple was like before it became corrupted. If the man was able to warp structures from so far away, what would he be like in person? What sort of power did he wield that they'd have to face? There was little doubt to any of the five that Ganondorf was stronger than any of the creatures they faced so far.

As this thought crossed the quintet's minds, they entered a large chamber. It didn't seem out of the ordinary at first, but then they spotted a piece of furniture on the far side of it, a throne. In that throne was a massive, armored figure! It was massive, at least seven feet tall, and the armor itself looked so incredibly thick that Sora was wondering if even the Keyblade could pierce it. The armored figure didn't move at all, its face hidden behind a visor, so whoever or whatever was in the armor had its expression hidden.

"Another Iron Knuckle?!" Navi exclaimed, turning to Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they gave her a quizzical look. "Link had to fight one of these when we went back in time. They're bad news, and I honestly have no idea what's under that armor…"

"It doesn't matter what's under it, you won't live to see it anyway!" A screechy female voice called out. As the quintet looked around, confused, two figures appeared in the air. They were horrid looking hags, elderly women with green skin, long noses, and riding upon broomsticks in their black cloaks. They were twins in every way save for the fact one had a blue jewel in her head, and the other had red. The one with the red was the one that had spoken, giving a cackle. "These gives must be foolish to go in this far, wouldn't you say, Kotake?" She asked the other witch.

Kotake gave a cackle as well as she nodded. "Very much so, Koume! Dear sister, should we let our pet here have the honors?"

Koume sneered at the five as she raised a gnarled hand. "I think so! Let's see how fast it can chop them up to bits!" With that, she snapped her fingers, and the Iron Knuckle stirred on its throne.

The armored warrior stood up, towering high above the others in the room. With a snap of its own fingers, a massive, double-sided axe appeared in its hands as it started to walk towards the quintet. With a final cackle, Koume and Kotake vanished into thin air as suddenly as they appeared.

"It's those witches! The ones we told you about!" Navi exclaimed, flying out of harm's way as the Iron Knuckle drew closer. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, be careful! That thing can swing its axe faster than you'd think!"

Shield at the ready, Goofy cautiously approached the Iron Knuckle, going in for an attack. "I think it'll be okay! It doesn't seem too-" Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted as the hulking, armored foe swung its axe at him. Despite the creature's size and the heavy armor, the move was horribly fast, Goofy only having the time to raise his shield to block the blow! Though he blocked it, the knight wasn't able to keep his footing, getting sent flying back and landing harshly on his back on the far side of the room!

"Hey! Goofy, are you okay?!" Donald exclaimed, watching as Goofy slowly raised an arm and waved to his friend, showing he wasn't too hurt. Turning back to the Iron Knuckle, which began its approach again, the mage snarled at it. Raising his staff, he let loose a Thunder spell, striking the armored opponent with ease! While the electricity coursed over its entire body, it didn't seem to actually harm it at all, at least not enough to make any actual impact.

Sora backed Donald up by firing several balls of Fire at the Iron Knuckle, and while each ball hit, it also didn't seem to actually harm whatever was in the armor. Trying another tactic, the brunette aimed a Blizzard spell at the Iron Knuckle's feet, a hunk of ice enveloping one of its feet and sticking it to the floor. The armored being looked down at the ice and with a grunt, ripped itself free from the ice, which shattered with ease.

"None of our magic is working! Link, how did you take it out?!" Sora asked, glancing over to see Goofy getting onto his feet.

"I couldn't use my Master Sword back then, so I had to use bombs." He explained, mentioning explosives like it was a casual thing. "With the gauntlets and the Master Sword, I think I have a better chance." Link displayed this by charging forward, preemptively raising his shield as the Iron Knuckle swung at him. Thanks to the strength of the Silver Gauntlets, he was able to block the attack and stay on his feet. With a cry, he swung his blade at the Iron Knuckle's armor, slicing a piece of it off!

Sora stepped in to help, running around behind the Iron Knuckle and slashing down its back, a large gash appearing in the armor! Donald cast a Gravity spell on the armored warrior, trying to hold it down, as Goofy charged in and slammed his shield on the Iron Knuckle's helmeted head. Even while weighed down and being attacked on all sides, it apparently wasn't enough to keep the armored opponent down for long. With a rumbling cry, it swung its arms around, slamming its axe into Link's shield again as Sora and Goofy were thrown away.

The Iron Knuckle seemed fixated on Link, whether it was because it saw him as the biggest threat or if the two witches were controlling it, that wasn't clear. It raised its axe over its head and swung down at Link, who dodges out of the way, slashing across the warrior's chest as he did so. At the same time, Sora stabbed the Iron Knuckle in the back, managing to penetrate the armor slightly, but not enough to hit whatever was underneath.

Donald wasn't sure what to do. His spells didn't seem to be doing any damage! Even Gravity barely slowed the thing down! But at least it was something, he supposed, and cast the spell on it once more, the Iron Knuckle grunting as its movements slightly slowed down. Goofy charged back in as Sora attacked its back more, the knight slamming into the Iron Knuckle hard enough to mildly throw it off balance. This was enough, however, as Link performed a powerful Spin Attack, removing a majority of the opponent's remaining armor!

With the armor removed, it was shown the Iron Knuckle wasn't quite as massive as it first appeared. In fact, it was around Link's height and build, with some of the remaining armor hiding its true form. Grunting in annoyance, the warrior swung its axe faster, and stronger, than ever, causing the quartet to all flee backwards out of the way! It sprinted after Link, swinging its weapon back and forth wildly as it closed the gap. With most of its armor gone, Sora and Donald attempted to use Fire magic again, launching several fireballs at the slimmer opponent. The attacks all hit its torso, causing it to flinch and jerk about from the impacts as more of its armor melted a bit from the heat.

Once more, Goofy threw his shield like a discus, the projectile slamming into the side of the Iron Knuckle's head, making it stumble. Donald tried Gravity another time, focusing it easier since he could see where the armor stopped and the warrior began. This worked a lot better on the Iron Knuckle, who struggled to even take a step forward or swing its axe. While it was stuck in place, Sora and Link attacked it at the same time. The brunette slashed at its back, diagonally and downward, while the blonde slashes it upwards, the two forming an 'X' on the enemy.

This got a final cry from the Iron Knuckle as it dropped its axe, its armor coming apart and falling to the floor. To the shock of everyone, the warrior wasn't some sort of monster…it was a woman! A Gerudo! She had the same brown skin and red hair as the others. She wore white clothing similar to the uniforms the others wore, and she collapsed onto her hands and knees. "Nabooru?!" Navi exclaimed, coming down from the ceiling as the redheaded woman panted heavily, not seeming fully aware of her surroundings.

"Who's this? Someone you know?" Goofy asked, unsure if the group was still in danger. The Gerudo woman didn't seem like she was going to keep fighting. "Wait, where did we hear that name before…?"

"Wait, she vanished seven years ago, right?" Sora asked, remembering what Goofy couldn't. "She was here the entire time?!"

Link lowered his sword, staring at Nabooru like he saw a ghost. "I met her when I went back to get the gauntlets. I saw the witches take her away…"

As if reacting to being talked about, Koume and Kotake appeared out of thin air once more. "Oh! Such a worthless minion she was! Wouldn't you say so, Koume?" Kotake spouted out, glaring at Nabooru.

"I agree, Kotake!" Koume snarled, also staring harshly at the fatigued Gerudo. "Perhaps we should just get rid of her…"

At this point, Nabooru seemed to gain her senses, looking around at the seven around her. "W…Wait, what happened?! Hey, kid, is that you?!" She asked Link, apparently not hearing what the two crones just said about her.

"Nabooru, get out of here! The witches are gonna attack!" Navi yelled out as Koume and Kotake raised their gnarled hands, orbs of energy appearing in them. Nabooru took Navi's advice, standing up and sprinting towards the way back, but it was too late. The energy orbs shot from the witches right at the Gerudo! Link and Goofy moved to black with their shields, but they were too slow! The spells hit Nabooru, who was only able to let out a cry before her body turned into a shimmering light, which broke apart and vanished.

Sora was appalled and bewildered at what had just happened! Just like that, Nabooru was gone! He didn't even know her, but seeing someone innocent, especially one that Link and Navi cared about just getting wiped out was too much for him! Teeth grit, he launched the Keyblade at Koume, the weapon spinning in a Raid Strike as it sped towards her!

The witch shrieked and managed to float out of the way just in time, even when the Keyblade came back the same way. "Nasty brat! We'll take you out too, won't we, Kotake? Especially you!" She hissed, pointing a crooked finger at Link. "You've caused too much trouble for Ganondorf!"

Link glared up at the duo of witches, getting his bow out and firing an arrow at each of the hags, ignoring their words! Koume and Kotake, however, swept their hands at the projectiles and knocked them harmlessly to the floor. The swordsman grit his teeth, putting his bow away and readying his sword again. "Why would you do that?! She didn't do anything to you!" He screamed out, showing off an anger that Sora, Donald, and Goofy hadn't seen.

This simply amused the crones, who cackled in delight at Link's fury. Kotake sneered at the spot where Nabooru once was. "She was a traitor, good and simple! That was all the reason needed!" She spat. "Now, it's time for you five to join her! Are you ready, Koume?"

Koume grinned wickedly, a rather disgusting sight. "I am, Kotake! With my power, I will burn you into ash!" With this announcement, the red gem in her forehead glowed, and her hair turned into a pillar of flame!

Kotake's gem glowed blue as she too gathered her strength. "And with my power, I will freeze you to the bone!" Her hair changed as well, turning into ice.

Upon the transformation of the hags, a strong darkness radiated from them, the same type of oppressive energy that Morpha and Bongo Bongo gave off. It was more than clear that the witches were the source of the curse within the Spirit Temple! The room was filled with both a nasty heat and a biting cold, the two forces practically fighting for dominance as the quintet switched from sweating to trying not to shiver.

Trying to end the fight before it started, Donald raised his staff, calling upon a bolt of Thunder upon Koume. Alas, the crone raised her hand, and the Thunder spell bounced off of her palm. "You think your magic can overpower ours?!" Koume mocked, charging a spell of her own, a ball of fire that appeared in her hand. With a cackle, she launched the spell at Donald, forcing the mage to retreat, dodging the attack.

Clearly not satisfied, Koume started to shoot Fire spells every which way, the entire quintet having to scatter to dodge the attacks. Kotake joined in soon after, biting winds coming from her open palm, frost building on the fighters as the cold magic filled the room. Navi managed to escape this fate by diving under Link's hat, the only real safe haven in the area!

Once more, Donald tried to use magic against magic, casting a Gravity spell against Kotake, whose Blizzard magic was actually halted as she struggled just to stay in the air. "You…runt…! What sort of spell is this…?!"

Kotake struggled against the Gravity spell, but Donald kept her in place, gritting his teeth in rage as he refused to let the witch go. "Goofy! Sora! Someone! Attack her already!" The mage demanded. With the most basic version of the spell, he couldn't hold someone so magically inclined in place for long! If he used higher tiered spells, he'd get too tired too fast…

Sora and Goofy both went in for the attack. With no other long-ranged attacks he can use, Goofy once more threw his shield like a discus, aiming for Kotake. The brunette sprinted at Kotake as Koume screeched at him and hurled fireballs in his direction, Link running over and blocking the spells with his shield. Goofy's shield slammed into Kotake's face, nearly knocking her off of her broom, as Sora leapt into the air and slashed at the witch with the Keyblade, getting a long cry of pain from the ice-wielding crone. It wasn't enough to knock her off her broom, however.

As the brunette landed on the ground, Kotake send large shards of ice at him, striking Sora as soon as his feet hit the floor, knocking him onto his back. Goofy rushed in to protect Sora, but Kotake was faster, and soon the knight's feet were encased in ice, preventing him from moving. At this time, Koume was still targeting Link, shooting a pillar of fire at him. As he raised his shield to block it, he slipped on some ice on the floor, the spell hitting his arm! Yet, instead of being hurt, the Silver Gauntlet absorbed the spell!

Navi, who was peeking out at this moment, flew to the air and looked at the gauntlet in astonishment. It was entirely unharmed, and was glowing red from the fire based magic. "Hey, Nabooru said something about these gauntlets maybe having other powers, right? This must be what she's talking about! Link, try shooting the magic back!"

Link nodded and did as Navi said, but he didn't aim the spell back at Koume. Instead, he waved his arm at Kotake, a burst of flame erupting forth and enveloping the icy witch! Kotake shrieked as the magic covered her, and she flew away, freeing herself from Donald's Gravity spell as she nearly backed right up into the far wall! With a wave of her hand, she extinguished the flames, but they clearly did some damage to her. "You blasted brat…! How dare you use my own sister's magic against me!"

"Wait, that's it! They're weak to each other's spells!" Navi yelled, looking at Sora and Donald. "Use ice and fire against them! That will take them out!"

The witches grouped back up, glaring at the fairy, which just made her idea hold all the more weight. "Little pest…it won't do you any good!" Kotake hissed. "Let's use the Heartless, Koume!"

The fire wielding witch nodded in agreement. "Yes, they'll help us squash these nuisances, Kotake!" With that, the two raised their hands and two brands of Heartless appeared. Red Nocturnes and their blue, Blizzard using cousin, the Blue Rhapsodies. There were about a dozen of each, and the Heartless, who wasted no time firing off their spells at the group.

As Goofy blocked a cold spell, he peeked over at Link. "Hey! Let's let Sora and Donald handle the witches! We'll take care of the Heartless!" He suggested, given he and Link couldn't use magic the same way the other two could.

Link nodded in agreement, charging a trio of Blue Rhapsodies and cutting them down in an instant, only for another three to appear elsewhere in the room. He and Goofy worked on the onslaught of Heartless, which kept appearing as fast as they were being taken out. At the very least, it gave Sora and Donald enough room to properly fight.

"I'll go for the fire one!" Donald exclaimed, preparing some Blizzard magic as Koume sneered at him, a Fire spell forming in her hand.

"Got it, I'll handle the other one!" Sora called, quickly shooting out a small volley of Fire spells at Kotake, who was barely able to dodge the small onslaught.

The two mages and the pair of witches broke out into a magical fight. Sora and Donald stuck to their targets, who were desperately trying to fight back, but their magic simply shorted out when hit by the opposite element. The brunette and duck were faster, though, and were able to launch their spells during any sort of cooldown the witches went through. Kotake kept getting struck by flames as Koume was doused in ice magic, the hags shrieking out with each landed spell. While this went on, Goofy and Link successfully kept the Heartless at bay, though the numbers kept replenishing themselves.

As Koume and Kotake kept getting blasted with magic, their rage grew. Their spells become more powerful, and a few even hit Sora and Donald, but the barrier that Dr. Orpheus enchanted them with prevented them from getting seriously injured. Eventually, the two witches cried out, their screams practically shaking the room as the Heartless vanished and further darkness poured off of the crones.

"That's it! I've had enough of this!" Koume screeched, eyes practically bulging out of her head as she pointed at Sora and Donald. "You two have pushed us too far! It's time for us to go all out, Kotake!"

Shaking with rage, the other witch nodded. "Right you are, Koume! We'll show these brats what happens when they bite off more than they can chew! We'll show them the power of Twinrova!"

A bright light surrounded each sister, red for Koume and blue for Kotake. The two orbs merged together, a dark miasma emanating from them as a single being burst forth from the magic, floating in the air and twice as tall as Goofy! The crones had fused into Twinrova, a remarkably beautiful woman, strangely so given her two halves. She had two long portions of her hair that matched the large gem on her forehead which was half red and half blue, the right half of her hair was aflame while the left was a chunk of ice. In her hands, she held the two broomsticks the witches rode on, the bristles of one now made of flames while the other a bitterly cold ice! The darkness was stronger than ever, the tall woman smirking with confidence and winking at the group as she raised both broomsticks, a heavy magic charging in each of them!

"Go! Get out of the way!" Navi yelled as the quintet scattered, the fairy diving into Link's tunic for protection as Twinrova unleashed her magic. Flame and ice shot forth from her broom-wands, a pillar of fire hitting Donald and sending him into a wall, shards of ice hitting Goofy and knocking him onto his back. Sora tried letting loose a few fireballs at Twinrova, which hit her, but didn't seem to do any true damage! As for Donald and Goofy, they thankfully had Dr. Orpheus' protection and were only moderately damaged, but still stunned a bit.

Link charged in, sword at the ready, one of his gauntlets glowing red from some stray fire magic that hit it. Like before, he swung his arm and unleashed the magic onto Twinrova. While she was enveloped in flames, she only gave a flinch in response, blocking the following sword swing with one of her brooms. Before Link could retaliate, she kicked him square in the chest, sending him onto his back.

Sora was beginning to realize that the magic the group was using just wasn't enough for Twinrova. If it was damaging her at all, it was so minimal that they'd never win this way. Surrounded by crackling flames and chilling mini-icebergs, the brunette dug deep into himself. Gathering his strength, he tried to calm himself and focus on the magic inside of him, moving it to the Keyblade as he pointed it at Twinrova. Feeling an intense desire to defeat the witch, he yelled out as he unleashed a fireball at her. Yet, it wasn't Fire, but Fira, the orb of flaming magic larger and more focused than the usual Fire spell he was used to!

Twinrova didn't seem to notice this increase in strength, letting go of one of her broomsticks to block the fireball with an open palm. Clearly, she thought that was all she needed! Yet as the Fira spell hit her hand, the flames burst and engulfed her hand and upper arm, eliciting a screech from the fused witch as her flesh was singed from the spell. "You…! Your magic is stronger than it just was! How is this possible?!"

The brunette found he was growing in strength again, the use of his magic so much in this fight surely being a part of this leap in strength! Feeling a cold magic run through him, he charged Twinrova and unleashed a more powerful Blizzard spell, Blizzara, from his Keyblade at her! The icy magic shotgun blasted at her, striking her and eliciting another cry of pain from the fused witch. To top it off, he threw his Keyblade at her as she was stunned in a Strike Raid, the Keyblade slashing across her stomach, then hitting her in the back as it returned to him!

While Sora was turning things around, Donald, Goofy, and Link got up from their attacks. Donald especially realized he also had to up his magic to help. Before going on this adventure, it had been a while since he really had to use his better spells, so he was feeling a bit rusty! If Sora could get to Fira and Blizzara, though, the duck could return to that stage of spells himself! "Goofy! Come on, let's get her!" Donald yelled out, sprinting at Twinrova as Goofy followed.

Twinrova scowled at the two that approached her, shooting a beam of flames at Donald, which Goofy intercepted with his shield. The duck weaved past his friend, sending a scorching hot Fira spell at the sorceress, hitting her in the chest with the spell and dodging away as she swiped at him with her broom.

Link was running along the wall of flame still present in the room, sticking an arm into the flames, the Silver Gauntlet protecting him while also absorbing the fire magic as he went! Distracted by Donald's attack, Twinrova didn't see Link coming until he was right on top of her, his arm glowing brightly with magic! She only had time to raise her brooms in defense as he swung his arm, a torrent of blue flames bursting forth from his arm, engulfing the fused witch!

This elicited yet another shriek from Twinrova, and when the flames died down, she was panting heavily, covered in burns as she let out a harsh bellow, kicking Link away once more, hitting him so hard he flew into a nearby wall! She then started to fire out large orbs of fire and ice in seemingly random directions, everyone scattering and dodging the attacks as she seemed to be trying to destroy the room itself!

Sora weaved between the attacks, closing in on Twinrova as she brought forth a torrent of icy winds to try and slow him down. Leaping over the attack, the brunette let out a cry as he swung the Keyblade down and sliced her down the front, following with a horizontal slash as he landed on the ground! With this, the spells stopped, and Twinrova was frozen in place for a moment before falling to her knees.

The quintet stood in place, Link recovering from his last blow and Navi peeking out from his tunic. They weren't sure she was really defeated! Twinrova then burst into flames, a frosty wind also blowing from her burning form! Sora leapt back, but saw this wasn't an attack, but the witch starting to die. She scowled at everyone, unable to attack anymore. "You…fools…! Don't think you're done just because you beat me!" The witch hissed. "Ganondorf is far more powerful than our combined might! He'll kill all of you once you enter his castle, we promise you this!" Without a chance for a response, the flames burned more intensely for a moment and then cleared, showing that Twinrova was gone entirely, having been reduced to ash on the floor.

With her disappearance, the oppressive darkness in the Temple started to fade until it was gone entirely. As the fighters recovered from their ordeal, they were once more enveloped in a blinding white light, finding themselves in the same chamber on the blue platform, their wounds all healed. Standing before them was Nabooru! The Gerudo woman smirking, arms crossed and seeming pleased.

"I knew you guys could do it." The Gerudo declared, then gestured to the area around them. "And to think, I was the Sage of Spirit all along. Even I never thought I was that important!"

Link didn't seem so happy about this, if anything, he looked downright miserable. "You shouldn't have died back there, though, I should've done something to protect you."

Nabooru shook her head, that smile not leaving her face. "Don't think like that. My heart was an empty void for seven years. This is a far more welcoming fate than what those hags had done to me.

"She'd have to come here even if she didn't get hit, would she? Ya shouldn't feel responsible." Goofy added on, patting Link on the shoulder.

Donald nodded. "Goofy's right, blame those two witches, they're the ones that fired off that spell anyway!"

"Besides, we took down the two responsible, that has to count for something." Sora said, feeling bad himself, but this was where Nabooru was meant to stay.

"It's a shame I never met your three friends until the end. I was watching the four of you fight." The Gerudo went on, glancing between Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Very impressive, I think working together, you can all handle Ganondorf. Just don't underestimate him, he's one man, but he's more of a demon."

Navi nodded. "I think we've all gathered that much." She answered sincerely. "We won't take him lightly!

The Gerudo nodded back at the very. "Good. I figured as much." She let out a chuckle. "As for you, kid…" Nabooru said, looking back at Link. "…I'd have kept my promise to you if I knew how handsome you'd be when you grew up."

Before anyone could respond to that, the five non-Sages were enveloped in a bright white light once more. As it faded, they found themselves in front of the Spirit Temple. It was very early in the morning, the sun just barely peeking out from the horizon. Once more, it seemed traversing the cursed Temple took far longer than it felt to the quintet. The air outside was clean, and the Sand Seals, that had stayed put, seemed far calmer.

Link still seemed unhappy with what happened, but also seemed to decide not to speak any more of it, as he simply went over to his Sand Seal and started to get it ready. Navi sighed through her nose. "Well, we know where to go next, at least. The Temple of Time, and then to Ganondorf!"

Sora recalled how this Temple was mentioned a few other times before. "Where is this Temple of Time anyway?" He hoped it wasn't too far away. As for the Nabooru situation, she seemed content with her fate, but he still wished he could've helped…

"Oh, it's right by Ganondorf's Castle, in Hyrule's capital. So, it's right on the way!" Navi explained, flying over to Link and entering his tunic as he prepared to depart with the other three starting to do the same. The trip back was far easier. Whether it was a direct result of the Temple's cleansing or not, it was unclear, but no desert monsters attacked them on their way. Far less Heartless appeared as well and weren't able to impede the group.

Things were rather quiet for a good stretch of time. The Sand Seals were dropped off where they were found, no Gerudo there to welcome the group back, and the quintet merely went past the fortress. The carpenters were in their tent, but the bridge was fixed, so the group was able to get back to Hyrule Field without issue. The sun had of course long since risen by this point, and the group was rushing to get back to Lon Lon Ranch before dark, which they did.

The next morning, the group left the ranch toward Castle Town, fully rested, but nervous about facing Ganondorf, though no one admitted it. The darkness that encompassed the field seemed more intense than before, as if the cleansing of the Temples infuriated Ganondorf and only made his power grow.

About halfway there, Sora and Link lagged behind Donald and Goofy a bit, and the brunette noticed Link staring down at the Master Sword. Sensing his new friend was troubled, Sora spoke up. "I never asked for mine either." The brunette said, gesturing to his Keyblade. "It was kind of forced on me, kind of a long story."

"Really? It was like that for you too?" Link asked, seeming to respect the 'long story' part as something not to pry about.

"Yeah. I was just saying, I kind of know how you feel." Sora responded, not sure why he even brought the subject up. He just sort of thought it'd make Link feel a bit better. "I don't know if that helps, I just wanted you to know you're not alone with this." As great as it was to meet Donald and Goofy, amongst others across the various worlds he had been too, Sora felt he'd rather be safe and bored at home with his friends and family without all this Heartless business.

At first, Link didn't say anything, then he gave a small nod. "…Thanks, Sora." Was all he replied with, glancing over as Navi landed on his shoulder.

The rest of the trip was quiet, not even any Heartless showing up, oddly enough. It just made the group wonder if Ganondorf was keeping the creatures at bay so he could take them out himself. As they neared the remnants of Castle Town, the darkness they felt got heavier and thicker, like it was something they had to wade through. The drawbridge to the town was in shambles, just intact enough to cross.

"Okay, let's be careful. Who knows what Ganondorf might be planning. This trip back was a little too easy." Navi warned as the quintet entered Castle Town, almost feeling like they were being swallowed by darkness…


A/N: Okay, last Temple cleared. With this out of the way, I can promise the next chapter is the last one for Hyrule, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy can move on. I was going to include the Temple of Time portion, but the chapter was already getting pretty long, even with me rushing the trip to Castle Town. For Sora's magic, I'm trying to give him the same spells at generally the same time as he gets them in the game. Since Hyrule is the replacement for Agrabah, he gets Fira and Blizzara here for instance. Made more sense to me to get them in Twinvrova's fight rather than with Ganondorf's, though, as Sora got Fira and Blizzara after each of the two Jafar fights in the game. For Donald, the way I see it, he can use Zettaflare, so I figure he can essentially use every spell that Sora can learn across the entire franchise, as well as some spells that only appear in Final Fantasy. I'm just having him be "rusty" so he's not pulling out -za level spells and just decimating everyone in their path. And then he can sort of get reset through various means like Sora does so he doesn't stay too powerful as he gets used to the higher-tier spells again.