Star Wars: The Legend of Zelda

By: padawan

Chapter 2: Nightmares of an Altered Time

The land was a deep green. Peace was everything, and everywhere. The sky was clear blue, and wind blew through the trees. The lake sparkled in the distance. Peace reigned.

There was a flash, and the sky turned as black as space. Not even a star could be seen. Green fire rained down from the heavens, scorching the land.

The land became burned beyond recognition. The forest was just a cluster of burned stumps. The lake had dried up, and in its place was a triangle shaped crater. The wind still blew, but it was a hot, dry wind, that carried the smell of death.

A green light shone from where the forest once stood. It began to grow, and wherever it touched, the land became green and peaceful again. But a darkness moved up behind the green light. It was bigger, and erased all that the green light helped to make. As it erased the peace, it grew, until it covered the green light. The green light began to get smaller, until it disappeared.

The darkness engulfed the entire land.

The inhabitants were forced to work. Their towns and villages were destroyed.

In the distance stood a child. The child had to carry buckets of dirt from one place to another. The child dropped his buckets, and two men began to beat the child. She wanted to cry out, to stop the beating, but all She could do was watch, because She no longer held any power in the land. The land was controlled by the darkness.

Princess Zelda screamed, and sat up. She was in a dark room.

The darkness captured me! She realized. But why would a prisoner be given a nice bed? Zelda realized that she hadn't been captured, and that she was still in her bedchamber.

Zelda reached over and lit a candle. Her hand was shaking, and her face was covered in sweat.

She heard a knock, and her attendant Impa pushed open the door to her room.

"Princess, are you alright? I heard a scream."

"I…I'm ok, Impa. I…it was a dream…just a dream."

"Must've been a pretty bad dream, for you to scream that loud. That scream could wake a sleeping Goron!" Impa walked into the room and sat at the end of Zelda's bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Zelda explained the dream to Impa, who shook her head. "I remember the last time you had a dream like that. That was what, seven years ago? A month after your tenth birthday…it's been a while. What do you want me to do?"

"Increase the town guard. Especially at night."

"What about your father? What's he going to think?" "He'll understand. I hope. If not, there's not much we can do. Just keep the Ocarina hidden. That boy told us what would happen if it were used when he brought it back from Termina four years ago, just before we opened our boarders, and he might be right. By the way, what happened to that boy? I asked him not to forget whom the Ocarina belonged to when I lent it to him, but he didn't even say anything when he returned it. What was his name…Link?"

"That was his name, Princess. I believe he left to live in the forest, but I could be mistaken.

"Anyway, these are matters best discussed during daylight hours. Are you all right now Princess? You have a busy day ahead of you. Tomorrow you become a woman, and begin to take on the responsibilities of the queen."

"I'm ok now, Impa."

"Good. Get some sleep. Morning isn't far off." Already, a blue glow was beginning to creep over the mountains in the east.

"I'll see you in the morning, Impa."

Impa stood up, and walked to the door.

"Good night, Princess." She shut the door, once again plunging the room into darkness.

"If it isn't the Fairy Boy! How've you been? How's the forest these days?" Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, exclaimed as he turned from the barn and headed toward the 'fairy boy' who had appeared at the entrance to his ranch.

"Hey, Talon! I'm good. The forest is as good as always. Do you mind if I ride one of the horses for a while?" Link asked, a hint of depression in his voice.

"Do I ever mind if you ride my horses. Although Malon might. She always pretends to be mad when anybody rides one of those horses. Especially Epona. But I s'pose that's the reason you do it, huh?" Talon grinned widely, and Link shook his head. "But somethin's obviously botherin' ya, so go ahead."

"Thanks, Talon." Link began to walk away, but turned half way to the gate, leading out into the racetrack. "And by the way. That's not why I ride the horse. But nice try." This time it was Link's turn to smile.

Same old Talon. He though to himself, as he turned back to the racetrack.

"Whatever you say, Fairy Boy." Talon called to Link, as he too turned away, and headed into the barn.

Link stepped out onto the green field, and, as always, was awed by the surreal effect the sun had on the pasture. The grass was bright green, slightly waving in the breeze, and the sky seemed to have a light of its own. Birds were singing from the tree to Link's left.

In the center of the pasture stood Malon. Singing as always, Link noted. She noticed him as soon as he began to approach the entrance to the pasture.

"Link!" She called. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Malon. You're dad said I could ride the horses. You don't mind, do you?" Link said, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Link, do I ever mind? You know…" The rest of Malon's comment was cut off, as the pasture, with the ranch around it, vanished.

What replaced it was far, far worse.

Although Link still stood in the pasture, it wasn't the same. The grass was gone, replaced by dry, cracked ground. Craters dotted the field, some big, some small, all of them surrounded by little piles of dirt. A horse's body could be seen lying off where part of the fence still stood.

Dark, reddish clouds covered the sky. Lightning flashed, illuminating the ranch, and the land beyond.

Link turned, and beheld a sight that made him nauseous. Where the house had once stood, a crater now took its place. Parts of the foundation could still be seen rising out of the hole. The barn had been burned to the ground.

The tree still stood in front of where the house had been. But now, the tree was dead and cracked.

Link looked closer, and saw a body hanging from one of the trees limbs. Malon. Malon was hanging from the tree.

Link tried to run to the tree, but his feet were cemented in place.

This can't be happening! As if awakening from sleep, Link's feet began to move, one in front of the other, until he reached the tree.

Malon's corpse hung by the neck, hands bound behind her back, her tattered dress blowing in the wind. Whoever had done this would pay. Link turned, and saw another body lying against the burned husk of barn. Talon! No!

Talon lay propped against wall, the skeleton of a cuckoo still in his hands. Arrows had pierced his chest and arms, and spear protruded from his abdomen. Dry blood coated the remaining wall behind him, smeared down, where it disappeared against his back.

Link tried to run to him, but suddenly, he was flying, above the ranch, above Hyrule. He could see everything. The market was destroyed, burned to the ground. Some of the houses were missing, once again replaced by craters. Only the Temple of Time stood, untouched by the chaos around it.

Craters of varying sizes pockmarked Hyrule field as well. They were everywhere. Bodies could be seen near the forest, now black, but still alive.

Something had changed the forest. It had become evil. Link could sense it.

He tried to propel himself toward the changed forest, but instead he began to move south. Toward Lake Hylia.

As he arrived, he saw that the lake was empty. Craters had covered what had once been the bottom.

What happened here? Why are there craters everywhere?

The laboratory walls had collapsed in on themselves, crushing whatever was inside.

At the edge of the field sat the fishing pond. Untouched by the darkness that had engulfed the rest of Hyrule. In fact, it was completely untouched. The sun shone down through the clouds, illuminating the pond like a beacon in the night.

I have to go there! Link realized. But Link began to slowly float away from the pond, back the way he had come.

Before he knew it, he was standing where he had started, back in the ruined pasture.

The lightning flashed as it had before, momentarily blinding him. Link clenched his eyes against the light.

When he opened them, the ranch had resumed its normal, vibrant, alive look.

"Link, are you listening to me? Link? Are you all right? Link?" Malon called as if from a distant dream. Link noted the worried expression that had replaced the playful one she had worn moments before.

"I…I…I have to…go…Malon…" Link stammered, and he took a step backwards.

"Go? You just got here. Are you all right? You don't look well."

"I…I'm not sure…I have to leave. Now."

"Why? What's wrong?" Panic had entered Malon's voice. Link turned and began to run. "Where are you going? What about the horses? Link!" Malon's voice called after him.

Link stopped and turned. "Sorry Malon…but, I have to leave. I'll fill you in later, when I come back to ride the horses." Link called as he turned and ran from the ranch.

One thing was certain. He'd just had a vision.

One that told him to go to the fishing pond.