Part 2 of 'the search'! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am. After this is all done, I'm going to read it over. Then I'm going to print out a copy for myself and put it on my bookshelf. (if I own enough paper)


Link opened the suspiciously unsuspicious door, walked into a tiny little room. It was dark inside, and shadows rendered the corners and most of the walls partially invisible. "Navi," he whispered. His fairy, Navi, came out of his hat and hung in the air. She glowed a pale blue. The glow made it impossible to see what she looked like, other than transparent wings that shimmered like a soap bubble.

Hello, Link, she tinkled, irritated. Finally decided to let me out, huh? Do you know how long I've been stuck in that hat?

"I'm sorry, Navi. But now I need your help."

Of course. A dark room. You need me to light it up, don't you?

"Please," Link said.

Navi gave a long-suffering sigh. Alright. But can I stay out this time?

"Of course," said Link.

Navi tinkled in the air a moment, and then her light increased. She flew in a slow circuit around the room, as Link examined what was inside it. She lit up shelves full of seeds, a pair of shears. There was a hoe leaning up against one wall. It looked like a farmer's storeroom. Navi stopped, and hovered over a chest. It was plain wood, as unobtrusive as the door. So, naturally, it was suspicious. Link! She tinkled. There's something inside here! Strong magic is leaking out of it.

Link walked over, and pulled at the chest. It didn't come open. "There must be a key somewhere," he whispered. "Navi, any ideas?"

Well, Navi giggled, you could try the one hanging on the back of the door. She fluttered over to the back of the door, her glow glinting off of a small key. It was a plain, silver metal, as unobtrusive as the door and the chest. So, of course, it was suspicious, since this was a temple.

"Navi, you could have told me about that earlier," Link laughed. He walked over and took the key off of the hook. He tried it in the chest, and, lo and behold, it worked. Link put a hand into it and pulled out a red jewel. Navi lit it up, hovering over it. It reminded him of Din's Fire, but Zelda had that now.

Zelda. The moment Link thought her name, his thoughts turned to her. How headstrong she was becoming. She was completely different than the Zelda he had known, and, if possible, he loved this one even more. Suddenly, he caught a flicker in the gem.

"Navi, more light," he said. Navi, grumbling, glowed even brighter. An image became clear in the gem. It was Zelda, inside the temple. She knelt in front of the altar. Searching over it for the right tile, she pressed it, popping out a secret drawer. There was a map piece in there, obscured by shadows. Suddenly, the shadows leaped out and attacked.

Zelda reacted immediately, laying around her with sword and magic. The shadows took the form of a dark shape, unclear in features but taller than her. She was doing very well, and through the shock Link felt a surge of pride. But suddenly, the black thing disappeared. Zelda looked around her, confused. Then she was grabbed and yanked back by something Link couldn't see.

"Zel!" Link shouted. He jumped up, ran to the door, raced across the grass. He pulled at the stone door to the temple, but something held it closed. He pulled even harder. Nothing.

A black fury overcame Link. No one kept him away from Zelda when she needed him. He took control of the anger, converting it into strength that would allow him to do almost anything. He stepped back one step. Then he pulled back a leg, and kicked the door. It went flying into the church... silence met his ears.

He raced inside to find Zelda lying on the ground, unconscious. A dark shape was standing over her. It poured a thick, dark liquid over her, and she convulsed, crying out.

Link raced over, his anger building even more. With a single punch, he knocked the black thing away from Zelda. He searched desperately through his pockets. Water... he had to wash it off of her, he knew. It was already spreading across her arms, turning them a deep purple.

Here! Navi cried. She was tinkling desperately above the basin of sacred water. Link raced over and filled his bottles full to the brim. He ran back over to Zelda. She was covered now in the dark something. He poured the water over her. Wherever it touched, the darkness retreated. He spread it across her arms, and they became pale again. The darkness retreated, struggling across the floor to disappear into the shadows.

"Zel, please..." he whispered. He washed the rest off of her, soaking her pants and top with the holy water. There was only a little of the darkness left now, but he was out of water. He ran back to the basin to get some more. When he got back, it was gone. He didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved. Soon she began to stir. She opened her eyes...

Oh no! cried Navi.

"What happened?" gasped Link.

"What is it?" said Zelda. "Is... something wrong with me?"

Link took her arm and gently helped her to her feet. He guided her to the basin of water. She looked in and gasped at her reflection.

Her hair and body had remained the same as far as the two could see, but one of her eyes had changed. The left was its usual crystal blue, but the right had become a dark purple.

"What did this to me?" cried Zelda.

"That," said Link. He pointed at the dark creature, lying unconscious where Link had hit him.

Oh, princess Zelda! cried Navi.

"It's alright, Navi," said Zelda. "I feel fine... I'm sure we can fix it later. For now, how do we kill that thing?"

The water washed away the dark stuff, said Navi. Maybe it will kill the creature.

"Good plan," said Link. He took his bottles and filled them again with the water. Walking over to the creature, he poured the water all over it.

The creature emitted a fearsome screech and dissolved into nothing, leaving the map piece on the floor.

Link picked it up. "We've found it."

Marth and Roy stood, back to back, surrounded by the dead wire frames that even now were fading to nothing.

"What were they doing here?" Roy wondered out loud. "In so few a number? Surely they knew we could defeat that bunch."

Marth shrugged. "Diversion? Or perhaps his forces are weak? Maybe they were a scouting party?"

"Scouting party," Roy said. "That's probably it."

"Come on," said Marth. He squeezed the handle of his sword, and the blade began to glow again, guiding their way.

---

"Come on, Samus," said Peach. "I won, and that means you have to search Kraid's mouth. 'Cause you know that's probably where whatever we're looking for is going to be."

"Fine," said Samus. With an exaggerated glare, she put her helmet back on and climbed up the stalactite that was the easiest way to Kraid. Peach, confident that Samus' suit would keep her safe from his teeth and saliva, continued searching the other parts of Brinstar Depths, keeping an eye on her friend. She found nothing out of the ordinary. Just a lot of rocks.

"Hey," Samus said. "Have a look at this." She tucked something into her belt, jumped back to the Stalactite, and slid down. She showed the thing to Peach.

It was a piece of paper, torn and ragged and wet with Kraid's spit. It's faint designs showed a piece of a map. "Think this is what we're looking for?"

"Probably," said Peach. "But please, can you hold it? Your gauntlets are more waterproof than my gloves, and I really don't like the idea of Kraid's spit on my hands."

"Sure," Samus laughed. "Come on, we should go back. I think we've found what we're looking for."

---

"A little light?" Roy said.

"Of course," said Marth. His sword glowed.

"I think we're in a big room," said Roy. "I can't see any walls but the one behind us."

"I'll light it up," said Marth. "But please, keep an eye out for Wire Frames, alright? I don't want to be caught blind."

"Right," said Roy. "I'll be careful."

Marth walked a ways forward into the darkness, his eyes making out distant shapes. He held up his sword, concentrated. He felt his sword begin to glow brighter. As it did, his world faded into darkness.

"That's enough," he heard. "Stay there." He obeyed. Next, he heard sounds of searching.

"This looks a bit like a ballroom. Hmmm... Maybe we're in an old castle?" Roy wondered out loud.

Light, faint footsteps sounded behind them. "Roy?" said Marth. "Can you look around for me? I heard something coming from behind me."

He heard a pause in the searching. "There's nothing there, Marth. Don't worry. I'm keeping an eye and an ear out for anything."

"Good," said Marth.

"Ah!" said Roy. "What's this? Some sort of chest..."

Roy bent down to examine the thing in front of him. "Aha, I might have just found what we were looking for," he said. "I'll be done in a second, Marth."

"Alright..." came Marth's answer. "Finish quickly, please."

Roy bent even closer, and thrust his fingers into the knot or rope holding the thing shut. "Almost there..." he muttered.

Suddenly, the radiance lighting up the room disappeared, and Roy was plunged into darkness. "Marth!" shouted Roy. "What the hell?" When he got no answer, what must have happened dawned on him. "MARTH!" he shouted.


Thanks for reading! Dun dun DUUH! What's gonna happen next?

Except, that question is redundant because YOU ALL KNOW what's going to happen next. :D