Chapter 2
Hyrule Castle Falls
"The sorceror Vaati's seal is broken!" Green Link exclaimed, running towards Hyrule Catsle, followed by his blue, red, and violet counterparts.
"If this is according to legend, then his aim must be to take over Hyrule!" he continued. "Let's return to the Castle immediately!"
His other selves nodded briskly, and they sped up.
Meanwhile, dragons and monsters swarmed around the castle. Shadow Link stood on the back of a dragon, yelling out orders.
"Those go, who live in darkness," he commanded. "Crush Hyrule Castle! The time has come where I become the main character!" (Fourth Wall much?)
All of the monsters slammed into the walls, crashing into the old stone and causing it to break. Dragons blew hot, burning fire at the soldiers. Amidst all the chaos, Link's father stood.
"So the seal has broken.." he growled. "Don't let the monsters lay a finger on the castle!"
He slashed his sword at a nearby dragon, before rushing to the throne room, only to find Zelda gone.
"Princess Zelda?!" he called. "Zelda, are you alright?!"
Suddenly, something caight his eye. He turned his head, and his eyes widened as he saw the limp form of his son. "Link!" He rushed over, grabbing the boy in his arms.
"What has happened to you..." he whimpered desperately. "You tried fighting on your own again... The fool!"
He brought his face to his 'dead' son's shirt, tears staining the bloodstained tunic.
"Oh Lord... please, save my son's life," he cried. "Do it in return for my own life...!"
Suddenly, Link began to darken, and his lips curled into a cruel smirk.
"Hm..." he growled. "You are a good father..."
His smirk grew wider, as his hair and clothes went black. His skin plaed, and his cruel smirk chilled Link's father to the bones.
"Your pitiful words make me cry," he sneered. He then lunged at Link's father, sending shadows into his chest. The man screamed in agony and shock. His body soon dissipated, leaving nothing but his armor behind. Shadow Link stood over the armor, still with that cruel smirk plastered to his face.
"Heheh..." he chuckled, grinning. "Let me introduce you to the darkness..."
Now, nearing the ruined castle, were the four Links, pounding against the ground as they struggled to reach the castle in time. They came to a bunch of rocky terrain, and by now they were worn out.
"How much farther 'till the castle?" Violet Link questioned. Green Link stopped running, panting.
"If we follow this trail, we should be able to see it," he panted. "Say, let's rest for a bit."
"Wait! Before that, let's choose!" Red Link chirped.
"Choose what?" Blue Link growled, quirking an eyebrow.
"Names, you know, names!" Red Link replied, grinning widely. "It's wierd for all of us to be named Link, so let's choose nicknames!"
Everyone just eyetwitched at this suggestion. Red Link looked at Blue Link and pointed to himself.
"I'm wearing red, so I'll be Red!" he chirped excitedly. "And you'd be Blue!"
"What?!" Blue growled, eyes blanked. Red then turned to Violet Link.
"Violet," he said, "You can be Vio!"
"Too simple..." Vio muttered under his breath. Red finally turned to Green Link.
"And finally, Green!" he said happily. "What do you think?"
"Hm, feels wierd, but I guess it can't be helped," Green replied sheepishly.
Blue suddenly scowled at Red.
"Hey, don't just be changing people's names!" he snapped. "I don't wanna be called anything but 'Link!'"
"Isn't it a wonderful idea?" Red mused. "I could be a genius!"
Blue scowled even more. "More like an idiot!" he hissed. "Just so you know, I'm not interested in cooperating with y'all!"
Red raised one finger. "Uh..." he was then cut off by Vio.
"Well, that's a relief," he mocked. "Having a brainless with us is just more trouble."
Blue suddenly rushed over and grabbed Vio by his shirt collar, snarling menacingly.
"What did you say, talkin' crap?!" he snarled. Vio just stared blankly at him.
"Quit it, guys!" Green cut in. "All four of us are the same person! What are you gonna do, fighting with yourselves like that?"
Blue then stuck his finger in Red's face. "This guy!" he snarled angrily. "It makes me sick thinking this guy is a part of me!"
"If, if you're talking main character," the blue-clad boy continued, "I'm the main character, here! I'm Link!" (Once again. Fourth Wall much?)
"He called my nicknames boring," Red whined, almost crying. Green rolled his eyes.
"Then I, the one who was originally wearing green, am the main character!" he exclaimed, pointing to himself. Blue suddenly looked down at his shirt, and his eye twitched as he realized it was blue. He suddenly rushed at Green, sword drawn. Green blocked with his own sword, still in its sheathe.
"Trying to be all that just because you're Green!" Blue roared. "Not fair! Draw your sword! The winner is the main character!"
"Don't draw before saying that!" Green snapped.
"I wonder why our personalities are so different, when we're originally the same person?" Red pondered. Everyone stared at him. Vio then spoke up.
"Our personalities split into four, while our strength remains within us individually," he pointed out. He then set his hand on Red's head. "Red would be optimistic."
"I see!" Red chirped, grinning widely.
"Green is aggressive," Vio continued. "Blue is short-tempered and overconfident."
"What?!" Blue growled at that last comment.
"So, Vio's smart, right?" Red piped up. Vio stared blankly at him.
"Think of me as a calm, self-possessed kind of person," he said. The Links suddenly caught sight of a woman with some other people.
"That woman is..." Green gasped. "The castle's cook, Mrs. Marshy!"
"Hey!" Vio called out to her. The Links then began running in her direction.
"Hey, don't go all at the same time, fools!" Vio hissed, but he followed them anyway.
"Hey, Mrs. Marshy! You could lead us to the-" Green was suddenly cut off.
"You monsters!" the woman yelled, a look of horror on her face. "D-don't come any closer! I didn't think you'd chase us this far!"
Red's eyes welled with tears. "I'm shocked by your hurtful words," he sniffed, rubbing one eye. Green's eyes widened.
"Mrs. Marshy,we pulled the Four Sword and got split into four!" he explained. "We're still the same Link on the inside!"
"Until this point..." Vio sighed. Mrs. Marshy stepped back.
"I thought you were a good boy," she whimpered. "But to do such things... you're a devil!"
"What's she talking about?!" Blue growled, eyes wide.
"She could be talking about that dark guy," Vio replied, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, Green snapped. He leaped at Mrs. Marshy, grabbing her by the shirt.
"The castle!" he yelled. "Did something happen to Hyrule Castle?!"
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Soon, the four Links were standing among the devastation that was once Hyrule Castle.
"Impossible..." Green gasped. "In just one single day..."
"How can this be?!" Blue snarled, pounding his fist on the wall.
"Shhh..." Vio shushed them. "It's too quiet... According to Mrs. Marshy, monsters are supposed to be lurking about.."
Soon, the Links were in pairs on either side of a passageway entrance. Red stood beside Blue, while Vio stood beside Green. Just at that moment, a knight appeared.
"That soldier," Green Link hissed. "Hyrule's guardian leader Artrora! Or is it... a survivor?"
The knight suddenly swung his sword at the Links, who jumped back.
"A monster in disguise?!" Link exclaimed. Suddenly, the four Links were surrounded.
"Hyrule guards," Red whispered. "No.. it can't be..."
"Stop it!" Vio called. "Snap out of it!"
The soldiers suddenly rushed them, slashing with their swords. Green feebly blocked one sword with his sheathed one.
"What's wrong, Green?!" Vio called. "Fight! You'll be killed!"
"What if they're being controlled?!" Green yelped. "Because... they're all friends that we've fought beside! We trained, even ate together..."
At that moment, Blue sprang at him, holding him by his shirt collar.
"They are our enemies now," the blue-clad boy snapped. "Do you wanna die?!"
The four Links suddenly found themselves cornered by the knights.
"Sheesh..." hissed a voice. The Links turned to see Shadow Link walking toward them. "Your 'kindness' disgusts me."
He held up a finger, and a small black fire shone. "Outta my way."
He the blasted the fire at some of the soldiers, killing them in an instant.
"Y-you're that...!" Green yelped, taking a step back.
"You're late," Shadow Link snarled. "I got sick of waiting."
Green stepped forward, anger coming from him in waves. "What did you do with Princess Zelda?!" he growled. "Give us the maidens back!"
"The princess, eh?" Shadow smirked. "She was quite a stubborn one, I had a hard time taking her away."
He then tossed a piece of stone with the triforce engraved into it at them. "Here."
"I would have treated her better if she wouldn't act so violently," Shadow went on. "But soon, she'll be taken over by darkness and join us."
Green stood in a fighting stance. "What in the world are you?!" he snapped. "A monster working for Vaati?"
Shadow smirked. "I told you," he replied. "I was born from the shadows of 'the hero Link.' I'm you from the shadow world."
Green stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?" he exclaimed. "My shadow?!"
"The sorcerer Vaati is recovering, little by little," Shadow hissed. "Sending dark energy to the human world. Then, at that time of his full recovery, the shining dark world will change this world. This will be done with the help of the sacrifice of Princess Zelda, the descendant of Hyrule's royal bloodline!"
Green growled, deep in his throat, taking up a fighting stance. "Like I'm gonna let that happen," he snarled angrily. "I'm gonna break through the darkness with this Four Sword!"
Shadow's eyes blanked, before he immediately burst out laughing, so hard he could barely breathe.
"The Four Sword!" he gasped out between laughing. "Too bad the Four Sword's ability has benn sealed by Vaati's magic! It can't defeat me."
He then stared straight into Green's horror-stricken face. "In other words, it's useless."
Just at that moment, Blue sprang at him, trying to pummel the shadow-being with his fists. "Cut the crap!" he spat. Shadow suddenly unsheathed his sword, knocking Blue away like a nothing more than a fly.
"Blue!" the Links shouted in horror, staring at their fallen comrade. Shadow then pointed his sword at Blue, who groaned in pain from the force of Shadow's attack.
"Got it, fool?" he growled. Green balled his hands into fists, stalking towards Shadow.
"Hold it!" the green-clad boy growled viciously, grinding his teeth. "The people of the castle... what did you do with my father?!"
Shadow suddenly blanked. "Father?" he asked blankly. "Oh... I had them all go the the dark world together."
At this, Green's eyes widened, fury sparking his gaze. "He was a magnificent father," Shadow continued with a sneer. "At the end, he pleaded for mercy. Bowing his head down, depply, sincerely, and said, 'please spare me.'"
Green suddenly held his sword above his head, charging at Shadow. "Why, you!" he snarled furiously. Shadow just calmly stretched himself upwards, and Green's sword passed right through him. Green tried again, but Shadow just floated calmly in midair, arms crossed over his chest.
"I told you, it won't work on me," he stated blankly. Green glared angrily at him, snarling menacingly.
"Not even four idiots can save this world." Shadow smirked. Suddenly, Blue sat up, pointing angrily at him.
"You coward!" he spat. "If you're a shadow, then how about staying behind us like a normal shadow?!"
Shadow suddenly spun around to face him, fury coming off of him in strong waves. He grinded his teeth and balled his hands into fists.
"You said it..." he growled. "You said the phrase that I hate most!"
Dark clouds began forming around him, crackling at his feet. "The thing you call shadows... You shall see the wrath of it's dark power!"
The shadow being then blew a blast of dark energy at the Links, blowing them backward. Green stood, panting, holding his sword tightly.
"Four Sword..." he gasped. "Show us your power... you split us into four like the legend said..."
Shadow loomed over him, hatred shining in his crimson eyes. "Listen," he hissed. "That is only a common sword. You are not needed."
He then rounded on him, staring him straight in the eyes. "I am you!"
Shadow then raised his sword, about to strike, until a blinding light flashed. Shadow stopped, dropping his sword.
"Wh-what?" Green questioned. He had expected Shadow to hit him. He then caught sight of a fairy, right in front of Shadow's face. The dark being's eyes were wide, and he shook in fear. He then began sheilding his face and looked away.
"S-stop that!" he yelped. He then suddenly clutched his wrist. "The maidens... they still have some power, although I've sealed them... Huh... They got lucky this time..."
The fairy moved closer, and Shadow couldn't suppress a whimper. "Light..." he whined. "Light... I am afraid... Damn."
The Links took this opportunity to escape, running down the corrdor and down some spiralling steps, and into a small room, where a woman was trapped in a crystal.
"This place is... the castle's basement?" Red questioned, looking around.
"Heroes, are you alright?" said a woman's voice. They immediately turned to the crystallized woman.
"Ah, the blue maiden?" Green said, edging forward. "So you were trapped here... were you the one who saved us?"
"Link, this is an awful, terrble task," the woman said solemnly. "Hyrule is slowly sinking into darkness, just like in the legend... He who has trapped us, maidens, is the one born from the darkness of a hero, created by an evil sorcerer.. He is 'Shadow Link.'"
"Its powers are so strong that it is hard to believe that the cause is just a shadow. The best I could do in this trapped cell was to send a small ball of light... Next time, their power will probably have grown stronger... And we must do something before that happens."
Red sighed, a look of defeat on his usually optimistic and bright face. "But we couldn't even get close to him," he said solemnly. "I wonder if we really can beat him.."
Blue then lifted his sword. "But first, we gotta break this seal!" he announced. The maiden raised her hand to stop him.
"No, you are still not able to right now. AT the moment, Vaati has the Four Sword cursed, and it has lost its power," she explained. "You must collect Forces for the blade! Do that, and the Four Sword will regain its power, and it can be used against the dark ones."
"Force..." Green said to himself, staring at the sword. "Blue Maiden, where is Zelda now?"
"I do not know," was the woman's reply. "Now that I am trapped, my powers cannot trace her. But, I can still sense her existence from a distance..."
"SO she's alive, that's what important." Blue sniffed.
"Please, wait for us, Blue Maiden!" Green called. "We'll come back and break your seal for sure!"
"Be careful, four heroes," the woman sighed. "East. I feel you must head East where the ocean lay. I sense another maiden in the East."
"Hmm..." Green sighed. Vio looked at him, expression unreadable. "Lost your courage?" he questioned. Green looked up at him.
"How'd you know?" he asked. Vio smiled a little.
"Well, I've gotta at least know my own thoughts," he said blankly. Green then looked up at the sky.
"We were careless, and taken advantage of..." he whispered. "If Shadow Link is our shadow, we'll never succeed until he's defeated."
Vio grinned. "Our chance of winning is about 50%," he said.
"This blade will be stronger once we've collected the forces for it, right?" Red piped up, his optimism returning. "I'm pretty sure we can do it!"
"I won't be satisfied until I've had my revenge for what happened today!" Blue announced.
"Of course!" Green exclaimed. "Alright! Let's do it! Let's go to the East!"
"Yeah!" the others agreed, and they set off.