Kai and the Chaos Emeralds
Chapter 4: Twilight Princess
Kai's eyes slowly opened. He noticed that he was in a jail cell, but something was wrong: he felt shorter than normal. He looked down and saw that his hands and feet had been replaced by paws. He also noticed that he had a tail. He also saw that he had a chain on his back, left paw. He ran as far as the chain would let him. He found some water and looked at his reflection. He had turned into a wolf!
"What the hell is going on?!" Kai thought. "I'm a wolf!"
Kai then looked around and saw another wolf in the cell. It too was chained up by its back, left paw. After he saw the Triforce symbol on the wolf's front, right paw, he knew that it was Link. Link was asleep.
"Where are we?" Kai thought. "The last thing I remember is that we were pulled into a black wall. Then…then…why can't I remember what happened next? How did we end up here?"
Link slowly woke up. He also was surprised by where they were. Link saw Kai and began to speak. He was barking like a wolf, but Kai understood him.
"Where are we?" Link asked.
"I'm not sure," Kai replied (he was also barking like a wolf). "I'm trying to figure that out myself."
"I found you!" a female voice exclaimed from behind them.
Kai and Link turned around. From the shadows, a strange, imp-like creature appeared. Half of her face was covered with a strange mask.
"Ooh! Aren't you scary?" the imp said.
Kai and Link began to growl at the imp.
"Eeh hee," the imp laughed. "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and growling at me? Well that's too bad."
The imp got close up to them.
"I was planning on helping you…if you were nice," the imp continued.
Kai and Link calmed down.
"Eeh hee!" the imp laughed. "That's much better. You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?
"Oops, but you AREN'T human anymore humans anymore, are you? You're a beast! Eeh hee!"
Kai tried to bite at her, but she got out of the way.
"There, there," the imp continued. "You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite!
"I bet you're wondering where exactly we are. Well, I'll make you a deal. If the two of you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you."
She then broke the chains on Kai and Link's paws and floated through the bars. Though he was confused by this, Kai looked around at his surroundings. He noticed a small batch of dirt under the bars. The patch was big enough for Kai to dig through. Kai then walked over to the dirt and began to dig. Once he was through, Link followed him. Once Link was through, the imp landed on Link's back.
"Hmph! I guess you're not completely stupid after all," the imp continued. "Listen, I like you two, so I think I'll get you out of here. But in exchange for my help, you must do EXACTLY what I say.
"So, are we all clear? Now, come on! Get moving!"
The imp steered Link like a horse in the direction she wanted. Kai followed them. They eventually came to a closed gate. Link looked up and saw a chain hanging on the ceiling.
"You should know what to do," the imp said.
Kai figured out what she meant. He latched his teeth onto the chain. His weight pulled down the chain, and the gate opened. Kai and Link ran through it.
The gate led to a long path. They then noticed a soldier leaning against the wall. He looked like he was a ghost.
"What are these black things?" the soldier asked. "Where are they coming from? How do we get out of here?"
The soldier didn't notice Kai, Link, or the imp.
"It looks like the spirits in here are all soldiers," the imp said. "Where in the world could we be? Eeh hee!"
Kai and Link eventually reached the end of the path. At the end were stairs. At the top of the staircase was an entrance to the roof of wherever they were. The sky was completely black.
"So, we were finally able to get out," the imp said. "And look at that sky! Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today?"
"Twilight?" Kai thought.
"Do you know where this is?" the imp asked. "There's someone I want to introduce you to, but I'll need you to go to that tower to do it!"
The imp pointed out a tower on the opposite side of the roof. Kai and Link then started to run toward the tower, but large, black birds started to attack them. Kai and Link weren't used to fighting as wolves, but they decided to try their best.
Kai jumped up and bit into one of the birds. He dug his teeth deeper and deeper into the bird's flesh until it disappeared. Link was doing the same to another one of the birds. Eventually, the birds were all gone.
Kai then looked forward and saw another soldier.
"So there are even spirits up here, huh?" the imp said. "The whole spirit thing is pretty new to you, isn't it? Even though these guys can see those monsters, they don't know a thing about the two of you!
"If you thing I'm lying, why don't you walk up to them and listen to what they're saying."
Kai and Link walked up to the solder. She was right! The soldier didn't notice them, no matter what they tried.
"What…what are these monstrous birds?" the soldier suddenly asked himself. "What in the world is happening here? Ah, our poor Hyrule Castle!"
Kai's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he just heard. This was Hyrule Castle?!
"Look!" the imp shouted. "Just a little farther!"
Kai and Link continued to run toward the castle. They then jumped from the shingles and entered through a window into the tower. The stairs spiraled up to a hardwood door. The imp then opened the door. The door led to a room that gazed out toward the twilight. In the corner was a cloaked woman. She looked sad. She then saw Kai, Link, and the imp.
"Midna?!" the woman exclaimed.
"Eee hee!" the imp laughed. "You remember my name? What an honor for me…"
"So, these two are the ones for whom you were searching…" the woman began.
"They're not exactly what I had in mind, but…I guess they'll do," Midna said.
The woman noticed the broken chains on Kai and Link's paws.
"You were imprisoned?!" the woman exclaimed. "I am sorry."
"They have no idea where this is or what's happened…" Midna said. "So, don't you think you should explain to them what you've managed to do? You owe them that much…Twilight Princess! Eee hee!"
The woman took off the hood of the cloak. She looked exactly like the Princess Zelda from the past. Kai guessed that she had the exact same name as well.
"Listen carefully," Zelda began. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule.
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight…
"It has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light."
A flashback began. The Princess and some soldiers were in the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Soon, Hylian soldiers began to fall to monsters of the twilight as a strange man walked into the room. His face was covered with a helmet, so it was not visible. He also wore armor with a long cloak under it. The soldiers continued to fall.
Zelda then drew a rapier and pointed it toward this man.
"It is time for you to choose: surrender or die," the man said. "Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule…Life? Or death?!"
Zelda then dropped her rapier and surrendered to this man. The whole castle was then surrounded by twilight. The flashback ended.
"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits," Zelda continued. "Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms.
"All the people know now is fear…fear of a nameless evil. The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess. I am Zelda."
"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna laughed. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"
"Midna, this is no time for levity," Zelda said. "The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?"
"Why indeed?" Midna laughed. "You tell me! Eee hee hee!"
Footsteps were heard from below them.
"Time has grown short," Zelda said. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here, quickly."
Kai, Link, and Midna leave through the window that they came in.
"Eee hee hee!" Midna laughed. "Well? Do you understand where we are now?"
Kai and Link nodded.
"I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let you go back to where you first tumbled into twilight. But…are you really sure you should be going back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything important?"
Midna then transformed into Ilia and pretended to scream in fright.
Kai and Link's eyes widened.
"Eee hee!" Midna laughed, still in the form of Ilia. "Do you want to save her?"
Kai and Link nodded again.
"Well, in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you," Midna said. "But you'll have to be my servants. And, like servants, you'll have to do exactly as I say!
Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought. Eee hee hee!"
Darkness surrounded Kai and Link. When the darkness faded, they found themselves just outside of the spring where Ilia took Epona. But they noticed that they were still wolves.
"Oh, that's right," Midna's voice said from nowhere. "I forgot to mention one thing: though you may have left the darkened realm, you two haven't transformed back into your former selves…and you won't anytime soon! Now why could that be? Eee hee hee! See you later!"
Her voice faded away. Kai then turned to Link.
"I wonder if this twilight could spread outside of Hyrule," Kai said. "If it can, then everyone is in danger."
"I still wonder why we're still wolves," Link said. "We'd better figure out a way to return to normal."
Kai and Link began to run into town. What kind of trials will they face when they enter the town? Who knows?