Tingle's Plight

<---Index

The group traveled several days, trying to get their bearings, since the sun had not come out even once the entire time they had been in this world. Link sighed and said, “Is there ever a sunny day in this world?” Shadow prepared to answer, then stopped. Going into a deep thought, he mused, “Sunny, sunny... Hmm. Let's see... Well, there was the Chaos solstice about ten years back...” Saria yelled, “Great! We're hopelessly LOST!!!” Sheik smiled. “No we're not. We're...” After a moment, he said, “Yeah. You're right. We're lost.”

Shadow sighed and said, “If there were some landmarks, I could tell us which way we had to go.” Link smiled. “Well, that's a bit of good news. Where can we find some landmarks?” Shadow smiled. “Kokiri badlands.” Sheik smiled. “Well, off to the badlands! ...Which way is it?” He immediately got pelted by Deku seeds from Saria's slingshot. Link smiled. “Where did you get more seeds?” She shrugged and said, “About a mile back. There were some Deku branches along the road, so I plucked them.”

Link smiled. “That must be the Kokiri Badlands!” Shadow shook his head. “No. That would be the Deku Death Pits. Go in there, there's no coming out. All quicksand and a really nasty monster. Chances of survival are slim to none.” Link sighed. “Well, what should we do?” Sheik sighed. “He knows the Death Pits, so wouldn't that be a landmark? And, what about the Ranch? Geez. Why do I have to do all the thinking.” Shadow shook his head. “No, I run across those places by accident. I don't really know how to actually get to those places.”

Flint said, “What about the Fairy spring you go to to get back to the badlands when you're lost? Maybe she can help you.” Shadow smiled. “Hey. I completely forgot about her.” The fairy, a little frustrated, replied, “As always...” The group headed to a forest that was covered in a thick mist. Looking around, Shadow said, “This fog wasn't here before.” Link nodded. “I know. It looks like the same one that covered Hyrule.” Noticing that he was right, the dark elf drew his sword.

The Others followed suit and traveled into the forest. Saria kept her spear pointed forward, while Sheik was using the bow. Shadow said uneasily, “We'd better dismount. I don't want anything to happen to the horses.” Nodding, the group continued through the woods on foot. After a while, Sheik said, “We passed this tree three times.” The others looked and saw that he was right. Saria muttered, “Never a map when you need one.” An all too familiar, annoying voice chimed, “Ta-daa!” In frustration, the four groaned, “Tingle.”

A popping sound came from above them and the creature called Tingle fell head first into a hole in a log. “A little help please, Hmm?” Without making a sound, the group attempted to sneak away from the overzealous salesman. They stopped as he shouted, “You forgot your change, Mr Dark Fairy!” Shadow stopped and said, “So THAT'S where my Rupees went!” He walked over to the log and examined it. “Hmm. He's stuck pretty good. Sheik, if you may.” The elf let out an evil smile, saying, “My pleasure.” The elf drew his foot into kicking position and snapped it at the log, breaking it into splinters.

Tingle stood on his head with a terrified look on his face and a large chunk of the tree still connected to his neck. Link smiled and said, “Okay, swindler. What are you doing here this time, and don't tell me it's to return money. You haven't given any reason to believe you don't plan to pinch every Rupee you can get your grimy little hands on.” Tingle said in a rather nervous voice encouraged by the sudden hostility, “I would never do that, oh goodness no. That would be very bad business.”

The group didn't look convinced. Tingle continued, “Actually, as it happens, I am actually looking for a very special item in this forest. It's a golden compass. This compass is said to be magical. Perhaps you will help me look for it, Hmm?” The group still looked far from interested. “What's in it for us, Imp?” asked Saria. Seeing his chance to get help, he said, “As it is, there are a few golden compasses in this forest, all brought here by thieves that have long passed from this world. It can be used to find your way around the world without sun or stars. There's also a stockpile of treasures.” The group all muttered, “Figures.”

“But that's not all,” the creature continued. “They say that the creature that is guarding this treasure has taken the fairy queen hostage and created the mist that fills this place. I don't care about all the trinkets and Bobbles. The Fairies have marvelous information that I can use to make my maps with. If we can rescue the Queen, you get the compass, A free map, and one wish from the marvelous fairy...” then with a chuckle, he added, “I hear she is very beautiful.”

Shadow sighed. “Great. Venus got captured? This is going to make things very difficult.” Everyone turned to Shadow. “Venus provides the life energy to the forest and the land around it. If we don't rescue her soon, this place will meet the same fate as the Deku Death Pits.” Tingle looked fairly frightened. “Say What?” Sighing, he explained, “The Deku Grove was a magnificent place guarded by a second Fairy Queen. When she was destroyed by a monster that had made it's way into her lair, the forest died and quickly filled with quicksand pits, venomous fog and creatures that would make the mightiest warriors tremble with fear. If Venus falls, this place will turn into the nightmare that Deku Grove became.”

link nodded. “That would be a big problem. Navi once told me that if all four fairy queens in a world die, the world becomes incapable of supporting life.” Saria looked at him and said, “Then we know what we have to do.” Tingle hopped around, shadowboxing, saying, “This is my fight too. I need the help of the fairies if I'm going to make those maps, and maps are pointless if there's no world left to make them of.”

The group looked blankly at the map salesman and his significantly less that noble motivation for undertaking this trial. Sheik sighed. “I guess that's as good as we're going to get from the troll.” Tingle looked extremely offended by the comment. Saria smiled. “I bet when it's time to fight, He's going to run and hide.” Link and Shadow covered their teammates mouths with an unimpressed expression. “If anyone decides to fight for what they believe in...” Shadow muttered. Link finished, saying, “Then it's worth fighting for in their eyes. He might not be after the same thing we are, but in the end, our current goals are the same and that's the part that matters.”

Shadow nodded. “He fights for his reasons, we fight for ours. That's how it is for every creature, for every battle, for all of time. Now let's stop playing pick on the imp and get to it.” The two elves nodded and all five of them went into the monster filled forest, hoping they weren't getting in over their heads.