The path out of the pyramid was long and dry, but not insurmountable. The knight Valensuela and the hero Green shuffled through the dark hallway, having left the room that used to hold the legendary Trident without further interest. Neither bothered keeping track of time. They moved with the conviction that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel, and indeed there was.

Still, Green could not help but hold up his arm as the sunlight hit him. Somehow, he registered that Valensuela was striding forth, overtaking him. It was a small thing, but he felt the pang of jealousy. Whatever his own accomplishments, he had to concede he was not quite on the level of fairy tale heroes.

Once he had adjusted to the light, he scanned the treacherous row of earthen spikes jutting into the sky. Somewhere beyond all this, there was the Palace of Winds. He would have to face Vaati and Shadow, and save the hostages.

Father...Zelda...my fellow knights...

Green took a step forward.

"Are you sure about this?" Green looked to the side. Valensuela was stoic, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable.

Green gripped the hilt of his Four Sword a little tighter.

"The people of Hyrule Castle Town will need you. Please go there, and do whatever you can to help them. I'll keep climbing, and I'll defeat Vaati."

Valensuela could not help himself. "How do you plan to do that?"

Green shook his head, trying to force down his lingering doubts. "Whatever happens, the Princess will be back home. That, I promise you."

He walked forward, knowing that Valensuela would probably stay where he was for a few minutes, watching his savior disappear into the distance, before finally going back towards civilization.

Green went across the dirt road, the result of a long-abandoned attempt to make the mountain more passable to travelers. When it ended, he began to climb one of the shallower spires until he found himself on a small plateau. The next climb was harder, and with fewer footholds. Nonetheless, he made it to the top. He felt confident.

Then, something burst out from behind one of the large boulders that littered the surface.

He was not so confident now.

"Aghhh!"

"You can do it, Blue!"

Blue huffed.

"Don't ruin my focus!"

The blue-clad hero's face was flushed as he toiled up the slope. Red was slumped on his back, holding on as tightly as he could. The two of them had snuck out of the graveyard and evaded the villagers as they went towards the mountain. Blue had made the mistake of believing this step would not be so difficult...

"I just think you're really cool for being so strong!"

"No thanks to you and your stubbed toe!"

"I didn't see that rock!"

Finally, Blue managed to reach the top of the slope. He dropped to one knee, allowing Red to stumble off. As Red took off his boot and messaged his foot, Blue took the moment to gulp up air.

"For someone so puny, you really know how to weigh a guy down..."

"We're the same person! We're the same size!" Red replaced his boot and walked over to the edge, hoping to scan the surrounding area.

"Thanks for the reminder!" Blue snorted. He got back up on his feet. "We've still got a few climbs to deal with before we can even restart our mission..."

"Blue!" Red was jumping up and down, pointing downward. "Look!" Blue joined his red-clad partner, and both beheld the sight below.

There was a Hinox, one of the fabled beasts of the mountains, stomping around on the flat plane, spinning and thrashing about wildly. There was a flash of green, and it occurred to both Red and Blue and that there was only one explanation. In another second they were half-climbing, half-scrambling down their perch.

Green was not dead, but he was far away from being secure. He was holding on to the feral giant from behind, locking both arms around the throat. But his sword had fallen a few feet away from the scuffle, and his muscles were too weak to take down the enemy on their own.

"Green!"

Green's eyes flickered to the side. "Blue!?" But there was no sense satisfaction to find; in his brief loss of focus, the Hinox thrust its shoulders back, knocking Green flat on his back with a groan.

"Hey!" Blue rushed forward, and just barely dodged a sweep from one of the Hinox's massive arms. Red was on the move next, taking advantage of the beast's momentary distraction to make his own pursuit. But he did not stop to consider whether his Fire Rod would be effective against the Honor, or even think to pull the Fire Rod from his belt at all. Instead, according to his training, and heeding the memories ingrained in him from the original Link, he drew his sword and thrust it forward.

The Hinox roared as the blade pierced its side, but its bulk saved it from a mortal injury. It waved and bucked, knocking Red away. It turned and rushed off with the sword still lodged in its body.

"Ack! I lost my sword!" Red sprang on his feet, but it was too late. The Hinox kept running at a surprising pace for its size. It bounded between a few collapsed chunks of rock, and disappeared.

"Oh, good going, genius!" Blue began. "Now, we have..."

"Wait a second, Blue." Green began to speak. "We have to take things one step at a time." Both Blue and Red looked at the quad's unofficial leader.

Green had definitely seen better days. His right eye was blackened, there was a cut in his forehead, and he needed several seconds to plant himself on the ground and stop swaying. While he tried to project the same stoic front that was characteristic of his missing father, both Blue and Red were sure that he was seeing double as he went forward to pick up his sword.

Forcing himself to breathe deeply, Green at last straightened and turned to face his compatriots. "First off, thanks for the save."

Blue waved a hand and grinned. "Don't mention it!" Red pouted, to which the other two laughed.

The mood became serious again. "But really," Blue spoke up. "We're down a Four Sword. That Hinox will probably be running to the Palace of Winds. What's the plan?"

"That is a good question." It was a new voice. "What...is the plan? What can you plan? When have you ever had a plan?"

But it was a familiar voice...

Green, Blue, and Red spun around, eventually all facing the uppermost slopes of Death Mountain.

"You three would be funny if you weren't so pathetic."

The trio spun around until they were all facing the newcomer. It was...Vio?

Yes, Vio. The purple-clad swordsman was striding towards them, his hand resting comfortably on the hilt of his sword. He had an easygoing half-smile on his face, but Green recognized that his eyes were different. They were hard and cold, the pupils merely dots.

"Vio!" Red cried out. "I"m so glad you're..."

"Hold on, Red!" Green took a step forward as Vio halted.

"What's up with you?" Blue asked.

Vio snapped his fingers at Green. "You're a bit sharper than the rest, I'll give you that. And sorry about the Hinox. I didn't think he'd play so rough. But...no one ever said adjusting to Vaati's army was easy."

Red gasped, Blue growled, and Green shouted, "Vaati? Did you say 'Vaati?'" Vio...don't tell me..."

"Oh, but I am telling you, Green." Vio's smile stretched ear-to-ear. "I've decided to be pragmatic. The kingdom will completely fall to the powers of Vaati. You and I both know it's only a matter of time before that happens. When everything's over, there will only be the victors and the vanquished. And you'll excuse me if I say I'd rather not be the vanquished."

Before anyone could say anything more, there was a flurry of purple particles flowing beside Vio. They disappeared in a flash, almost as quickly as they had came, and Shadow slapped Vio on the back.

"Nothing's made me happier than helping him come to that decision." Shadow's smirk matched Vio's.

Blue was stunned silent. Red put his hands to his mouth. "It can't be true!"

Green grunted, but pointed at Shadow. "Come on, Vio! You couldn't have forgotten what he did to Hyrule Castle!"

"Don't judge him too harshly, Green." Shadow sauntered off to the side. "Playing nursemaid to you three would never be enough for him. You three were like stones, tied around his neck...dragging him down through the sea of mediocrity."

"Sorry, guys." Vio smirked. "But he's right. There's no way I'd put up with that situation if I could be doing anything else."

"You can't be serious!" Red cried out. "I thought we were..."

"For the record, I never liked you anyway!" Blue cut in. "I never thought you were anything reliable! But this is...this is...well, I'm gonna have..."

"Stop." Green spoke up with icy control that both Red and Blue froze where they were. He pointed his sword at Vio.

"Vio...I can't make you want to stay on our side." Green held his weapon, stone-faced. "That said, I can't let you use that sword of yours in Vaati's service. If you're serious about leaving, I'm going to have to take you down here and now!"

"Well...this should be interesting." Shadow sat on a nearby rock. "What do you say to that, Vio?"

"I say...that Green is about to learn who the weak link in this chain is."

Vio drew his sword, taking a few steps closer. Green matched him, readying his own weapon. Behind them, Red started to pull his Fire Rod from his belt. Blue stopped him, and Red nodded grimly. If he used it, he could end up crisping both Vio and Green.

"It's not too late to surrender, you know." Vio gave his sword a flourish. Green grimaced. "I know what I'm doing. Do you?" Holding his sword with both hands, he jumped towards Vio's left side. In a split-second, he swung his arm out to the side and aimed a one-handed side at his opponent's right side. It was a good bait, but an ineffective one; Vio parried it easily.

"Get him, Green!" That was Blue.

"Come on! I hate watching me fight...me!" That was Red.

"You guys never stop being priceless!" Shadow slapped his knee and laughed.

Meanwhile, Green and Vio continued to cross blades. Green moved as fast as he could, trying to send his blade in different angles, but nothing seemed to phase Vio. And he knew the desperation was detectable on his face, despite his best efforts.

"Talk all you want," Vio sneered, locking his sword against Green's. "We both know you don't really have the nerve to kill me!"

Green struggled against the lock. "Look down."

"What?"

"I said look down!" Green pulled up his leg and stomped downward, slamming the full weight of his body on Vio's foot. As Vio howled and stumbled, Green let out a toneless laugh. "Really, and I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. But that's to be expected. I leave you alone for a day and you sell yourself to Vaati and that monster over there!"

Shadow shrugged. "You said it, not me."

"Don't...mock me.." Vio growled as he prepared his stance. Green held his sword at the ready. He knew that he could not compare to the sudden strength and speed Vio displayed. But at the same time, Vio only had one foot in good condition. Could he win by attrition? Green winced. He could not. If he missed a single parry, it could be fatal.

Everything would be decided by the next strike. One would win, one would lose.

"Let's go!"

There was another flash of movement, too fast for Red, Blue, or even Shadow to see clearly. Both Vio and Green rushed forward, swinging their swords, and then moved past each other. Each stood upright, as if frozen in time.

And then, all too suddenly, Green fell.

His sword fell to the side, and his knees hit the earth. And then he fell flat on his face.

"Green!" Blue was at his side.

"Talk to me, Green! Open your eyes!" Red followed soon after.

"That, my friend, was the greatest thing I've ever seen!" Shadow materialized behind Vio, slapping him on the back again. "You truly are part of our happy family now!"

Red and Blue did not bother to look up as Shadow transported himself and Vio away.

"Come on, Green! Hang in there!"

"Red..."

"You didn't come so far just to go out like this!"

"Red!"

"Don't you 'Red' me!" The young hero was on the verge of tears, but he nonetheless snapped at Blue. "We have...

"Red..I'm fine..."

"Huh?"

Green rolled over. Both Blue and Red saw not a speck of blood on his tunic, nor even a cut in it.

"But I thought..."

Green shook his head as. "He just knocked me out. He must have just faked all this to win the enemy's trust." His brow furrowed. "But now he's going to be inside the palace alone! What's his plan?" What could he be thinking?!"

I'd thought this would be a shorter chapter, but it's the first one for this fic to go over 2,000 words, who knew...