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elstreem · 4 years

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LoZ FS: Tower of Dreams

6k words, one shot fanfiction with Akira Himekawa’s Four Swords manga characters. Red wakes up in a mysterious room and finds the disembodied voices of his other selves guiding him...

Red wasn't sure what woke him up - the distorted whispering in the air, the cold, hard, ground, or a sudden stab of fear that lanced his heart, making his eyes blink open and a broken sob spilling out of his mouth. Probably all of those combined, he thought as he pulled his limbs close to himself and shivered. Ohh, it was just like his nightmares of being alone -

"Red!"

The voice was loud and familiar, and in a moment Red was scrambling up to shout, "I'm here!" and looking for a green tunic, but -

But there was no one around in the weird space he found himself in. Red whirled around in confusion - he could have sworn Green had just called him from nearby, his voice was so close. He peered at the strange fog swirling around him, wondering if Green was maybe obscured by the green-tinged miasma -

"Red, are you okay!?"

"Where are you? Red?"

"Blue? Vio? I'm here!" Red called, looking around for the other parts of his self. Strange, Red could usually sense where they are if they were in close proximity, which should be the case if he could hear them so clearly…was this really a strange dream, after all?

"Red, watch out!"

Red instinctively ducked, following Green's warning as a Keese swooped from the murk. Red felt his heart hammering, felt the breeze stirred by the Keese's wings, heard the piercing shriek - there was no way his dream could be this detailed. Which could only mean he was indeed, awake and in danger.

"It's coming back! Defend yourself," Vio called out, and Red quickly reached for his wand and sword - but found neither of his trusty items at his back.

The Keese shrieked and dove down, its fangs scraping Red's cheek and leaving a scratch.

"Stop it, you stupid bat!" Blue's voice growled as Red stumbled away.

"Red! Find a rock or something, you gotta keep that thing away from you!" Blue advised.

"On it!" Red said, deciding to ask questions later and trust in his companions. Keeping his arms above his head for protection, Red dodged this way and that, followed by three voices of encouragement.

As always, whenever the four were in perfect accord, all differences were cast aside and their words and thoughts moved as if in sync. As it was, barely had Green said, "Left!" when Red already swerved, avoiding a pit in the ground. In this way, Red navigated the treacherous terrain, never seeing for himself what dangers lay in his path but always being forewarned by the other three.

"Red, there's something on the ground over there - a stick or something, you can probably use it to bat the Keese away," Blue directed, and without breaking stride, Red reached for the stick, whirled around, and smacked the oncoming Keese. The bat monster shrieked and hurtled away. Red sighed in relief, and noticed that the thing he was holding was actually a bone. "Ew!" Red groaned before letting his impromptu weapon go, hurriedly wiping his hands on his tunic afterwards for good measure.

"Oh, that was a little gross. But hey, it worked," Green said.

"Yeah. Thanks guys!" Red said, directing his words to the air. Speaking of which…Red frowned and peered around, even though he knew it was a futile effort.

"Where are you though? Can you see me? I can't see you…" Red said uncertainly.

"Yeah, I can see you and what's around you…"

"Same here."

"Yup."

"But I can't see you…" Red said, frowning in thought. A terrible thought then came to him, and he asked, "Y…you aren't ghosts, are you?"

"Of course not!…wait, I guess?" Blue said, starting with an indignant shout but ending the statement with a very uncertain question.

"Come to think of it, I'm not sure where we - our bodies are."

"Yeah, it's…I can see Red just fine, but I don't know where we are. But, Red, you can't see much where you are right now, right?"

"Right! There's this creepy mist around me…I can barely see my hand a distance my face," Red said, sticking his arm out for emphasis and shaking his hand a bit. True enough, he could barely make out of the outline of his hand even though it was just an arm's distance away.

"Okay…so until we figure out what happened, we have to be Red's eyes," Vio said.

"Why do we always have to be separated like this…" Red sighed despondently.

"Cheer up, we're still here!"

And so, Red started on his strange journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Since you dropped that bone earlier -"

"Hey, I'm not gonna hold it any longer than I have to!"

"I'm not saying you should go back for it, but you have to have something to protect yourself with…"

"I see a light over there to Red's…left, yes, left. It's a few paces away."

"Be careful, it might be a trap."

Red followed the directions, and found that he could see a faint ball of light in the gloom. He eagerly quickened his steps and came to a wall bearing a torch. The torch was perhaps the first cheerful sight Red had seen in the place, with its bright red flames. "Well, it's no magical rod, but it's better than a bone!" Red chirped, taking the torch off its bracket on the wall. The torch seemed just as happy to see Red, as it gave a little shower of sparks as soon as the hero was holding it securely in his hand.

"Phew, now I can breathe a little easier…I don't like seeing you without a sword, especially after what happened last time!"

"Okay, Blue, I know," Red said. With a fond smile, Red placed a hand on the wall, and found an idea coming to him.

"If I keep my hand on the wall…"

"Maybe you'll have a better chance of getting around!"

"It's a good start."

Red nodded - though he couldn't see any of his companions, he felt their presence so strongly it didn't matter if he couldn't see them. He walked on, fingers brushing against the rough stone wall. Fortunately the monsters seemed to be staying away, giving the four space to continue talking.

"What was the last thing you guys remember? Did you just wake like this?" Red asked, waving to the air with his torch.

"Something like that…I remember we fell asleep…and then when I woke up, I was just hovering over you," Blue answered.

"Yup, same here…wait! I think I remembered dreaming about something…a tower?"

"You too? I wasn't sure, but I thought I remembered seeing a tower in the mist…"

Red gasped as the memory came back to him. "I remembered seeing a tower too!"

"How about you Blue?"

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it…and I think I went inside the tower, but I can remember anything past that."

"Maybe…we are inside that tower. Maybe this is a dream world?"

"It feels too real to me…" Red complained. Even with the warm flames of the torch he felt chilled, though whether it was because of the cold or the creepy atmosphere he wasn't sure.

"I see…a set of stairs ahead. Just go on!"

Gradually the wall curved off to the side, and like Green mentioned, there was a set of spiral stairs leading down. "If we're inside the tower, Red must be on the top floor," Vio noted.

"Ok, I guess I'll be going down," Red said. But before he could go down a step Blue shouted, "No, jump back!"

Startled by Blue's urgency, Red tripped and fell as he took a step back, but it was just enough to give him space to avoid a Skulltula that whizzed down. The giant spider blocked the stairway, waving its legs tauntingly in front of Red.

Red quickly scooted back, as the Skulltula was much too close for comfort.

"Are you okay, Red?" Blue asked.

"Yeah, it didn't get me…but oww…I fell on my backside…" Red winced. In a moment he was standing up, used to far rougher scrapes (it was a hazard of being a Link).

"Now what? I like this torch but I don't think it's as good as a sword…" Red said.

"Give it a good whack anyway," Blue suggested.

"Uh…maybe there's something else in this room -"

"Stupid spider!" Red shouted, jabbing the Skulltula before Vio could finish his words.

The Skulltula hissed, legs writhing, before shooting back up again.

"Or yeah, maybe we can just whack the spider," Vio muttered.

"Yaay!"

"Hey, whatever works, right?" Green said.

While the three voices reported that the stairs were free of any further spiders, monsters or otherwise, Red held his trusty torch higher up, hoping that the flames would deter any other monsters who would want to take a bite of a Hylian in a red tunic. Would his red tunic make him tastier to monsters? Red didn't want to know, and he let out a sigh of relief when he reached the next floor. Like the one he started out in, miasma obscured his vision.

"Still foggy in here," Red reported.

"Alright, go in carefully!"

"There's something here…oh, but my vision is darkening…weird…"

"Vio?"

Keeping his ears open for the sounds of beating wings or the quiet clicking of spider legs, Red proceeded carefully. It had become worryingly quiet, and after a while Red couldn't stand the silence and whispered "Guys?"

A minute passed until he heard Green's reassuring voice. "What is it Red?"

"Oh, I was just worried, I wasn't hearing anything! It's freaking me out," Red said.

"Something…ahead…"

"Vio?"

"I'm here. I was saying, I see…something violet in this room."

"Huh? I wasn't hearing any of you say anything," Red said in confusion.

"Oh? That's strange…"

"Well, where is the thing you saw Vio?"

"Red's left…few paces away…oh, but it feels like my eyes are closing…"

Red opened his mouth, then shut it, not wanting to voice his fear that their voices will fade away entirely. Instead, he went off walking.

"This way Vio?" Red asked.

"……"

"Vio?"

"He said, a little more to your left," Blue relayed the message.

"Weird, Vio's voice keeps getting softer. Are you okay?" Green asked, voicing Red's concern.

"I'm fi…ne…"

Red practically dashed ahead and almost tripped over a treasure chest on the floor. Quickly, he opened the chest, fumbling a little as his one hand was still clutching the torch.

"Oh! A violet key. Strange, it's shaped like the Four Sword," Red said upon seeing the contents.

He then got the key and put it in his pocket, then stood up as he heard something - something familiar. It was the sound of high-pitched jabbering.

Red whirled around and found several Chu Chus making their way towards him.

"They're around you in a circle!" Blue said.

"Quick, formation!…oh drat, we're not there…Red!" Green called.

Red, desperately hoping that the torch trick was going to work a second time, took a swing at the closest Chu Chu. The lit end of the torch passed through the Chu Chu's gloop-like body…and the fire was snuffed out. Red pulled the torch back, but it was too late - all he had now was a stick with a burnt end coated in jelly.

Red backed away, only to find another Chu Chu close by, and he realized too late that the monsters had closed the circle.

"Red!" Both Blue and Green cried out.

Not knowing what else to do, Red put his hand back into his pocket and clutched the key.

"Oh, Vio…please, help me!" Red said.

"Spin attack! Now!"

Red wasn't quite sure how it happened - but somehow, it felt like Vio was standing at his side and guiding his hand. He drew the key from his pocket, and holding it securely, spun around. A purple glow emanated from the key and took the shape of the Four Sword, the light slashing through the Chu Chus cleanly. The flash of light caused Red to shut his eyes, and in that brief moment he saw a round room with five doors.

"I'm sorry Red…it feels like something is pulling me away…but I'm waiting here!" Vio said, his voice fading.

Red opened his eyes and found little puddles of colored goop around him, the key once more back to being a small, nondescript key. But Red knew it would lead him to Vio.

"Whew, that was too close! Are you okay, Red?" Green asked.

"Yup! Vio helped me," Red said, showing the key before pocketing it once more.

"Oh, that's good to know. But…where is Vio? Even I can't hear him…"

"There's room in this tower with five doors! Vio is there, and I bet you two, too. I think he's okay," Red said in a rush. He wasn't sure where the feeling came from, but just knowing for sure that all four of them really were in the same place gave Red courage.

"Oh!"

"What is it Green?"

"I sense something in the next floor. It feels like there is a green light, somehow. I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Red, are you sure this is the right way?" Blue asked, still worried about Vio's absence.

Red touched the key in his pocket and nodded.

"Well, let's continue then. Don't keep us waiting," Blue said.

"I can see the stairs to your right, Red…oh, but it's strange, I suddenly feel sleepy…"

"Ok I'm on it Green!"

"Hey, watch your step on the stairs!"

Red clattered down the stairs, trying to hold onto that confident feeling of knowing his companions were in the area and trying not to feel worried about the loss of Vio's voice. So eager was his pace that it took Blue practically yelling to get his attention.

"Red! Slow DOWN!"

Red skidded to a halt, fortunately making it onto the next floor without tripping.

"Huh? What it is Blue?" Red asked, realizing he had to gasp for breath from his sprint.

"Geez, I'm all up for rushing in, but be careful! What if you had slipped on those stairs?" Blue growled, and Red knew he would have gotten a scolding slap if Blue had been there at that moment.

"Sorry…I guess I just don't want to let you guys down!" Red said.

"You're…doing just great…be careful…" Green said, trying to be reassuring, but his voice was starting to waver in and out of Red's hearing.

"Anyway, why are you still holding that torch, Red?" Blue asked.

"Oh? Oh yeah! It just makes me feel safer, I guess" Red said, waving the torch around.

"Well, you should relight it so it's at least useful, right?" Blue pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," Red said, looking around. Noticing that a glob of Chu Chu jelly was still stuck to the end, Red tried to shake it off, but when the sticky wad didn't budge, he scraped the end of the torch against the floor. It did the trick - and in the strange way dungeon torches worked, the torch relit itself with a fwump! Red was a little startled, but he laughed on seeing the flames once more. "Hey, it worked!" Red cheered, waving the torch around, making the light dance and his shadow flicker.

"Hopefully you won't run into any more Chu Chus," Blue mused.

"Treasure chest…straight…"

"Oh, right! Sorry, Green," Red said, quickly getting back on track.

"No monsters, but they might spring out when you open the chest, so be careful!" Blue warned.

Red nearly tripped over the chest, but stopped himself in time to kneel in front of it. He opened it one-handed once more, and found a green key, also shaped like the Four Sword.

"Okay, you can rest easy now, Green," Red said.

He quickly pocketed the key and whirled around, expecting to see yet another ring of monsters. However, none materialized.

"Green? Are you gone too?" Blue asked in trepidation.

Both Blue and Red waited for a response, but it seemed like Green had also gone silent.

"Ugh, I really don't like this," Blue muttered.

"So Blue, can you see the next way?" Red asked.

"Hmm, no…but the stairs are to your right. There's a pit in the way, so step carefully."

Red inched forward, and sure enough a broken patch of floor was in the way.

"Don't worry, Blue, we can do this!" Red said, sensing Blue's quiet worry.

"Yeah…" Blue said.

"Oh, Blue, are you fading too? Can you see your key?" Red asked.

"Red…w…tch OUT!"

Just then the green key flared with light, and Red saw that cracks were snaking out from the edge of the pit, rapidly taking over the floor. Red took steps back, but it was too late - the floor was already starting to crumble beneath his boots. With a gasp, Red found himself falling into the darkness. But the darkness didn't stay, as the light from the key glowed brighter, until it had formed a sphere of light around Red. As what happened with Vio, it seemed like the lost Green was holding Red's hand and guiding his fall.

"I'm sorry I could only stay this long…hold on! I'll do what I can…"

While Green's light was guiding him, Red saw the vision of the round room again, only now he saw that a flight of stairs was leading down to it and he knew for sure then that the round room was at the bottom of the tower.

The light faded, and with it the vision, and Red found his feet settling back onto the ground

"Red!"

"I'm okay, Blue!" Red called out. "Thanks to Green," Red added, and took a look into his pocket - sure enough, the green key was there, though it had spent all its light. The two keys in Red's pocket poked into his side in an uncomfortable sensation, but it was a sure sign that they were there.

"Red…sorry…but I'm also…"

"It's okay, Blue. I'm nearly there," Red said.

"Okay. Go…left."

Red went ahead, the torch's flame crackling in the chill air but still working, as though it fed off Red's determination to see the quest through.

In a short while, Red saw the chest, and he quickly opened it up, to find a blue key.

"I got you, Blue!" Red said. He stood up and said, "Can you still hear me?"

The air was still, and Red could only hear his own words. "It's up to me, then," Red said, clutching the blue key to himself.

Red quickly brought his hand around to pocket the key - but not quickly enough. Something whizzed in the air, and something sharp flicked into Red's hand, causing the lad to cry out - in pain and anguish. The key was gone!

Red whirled around, ignoring the blood drops coming out of his cut. He saw something dark and slender disappear into the murk, and barely a beat later, a rush of cold air blew past Red. He raised his arms to shelter his face from the stinging wind. He could still see however, and he saw that the ominous fog had cleared - and hovering before him was a winged serpentine creature with glowing yellow eyes. The tip of the serpent's tail ended in a sharp point, still flecked with Red's blood - but more importantly, still curled around a glimmer of blue.

"Give that back!" Red said desperately. The snake showed its fangs and hissed mockingly, before giving another beat of its wings and lifting itself into the air. It whirled around the room, emitting the same fog which had covered it from sight, before diving into a set of stairs at one end of the room.

"No! No no no!" Red shouted, dropping the torch and reaching out with his wounded hand, but flinching as the wound began to sting with pain. Red clutched his hand and dropped to his knees, feeling some tears come on.

"Oh, Blue…I'm so sorry…" Red gasped. He disconsolately looked at his shaking hands, which were now smeared with blood. The shock of the moment got to Red, and he blankly stared at his hands as darkness wavered at the edges of his vision.

But it wasn't simply shock that was making the darkness move in Red's vision. The torch cast behind him still burned with a small flame, its glow stopped by Red's figure, resulting in a shadow stretching out before Red. And the shadow was not having any of this injustice done to his other selves.

"Snap out of it!"

Having another familiar voice jolted Red, and he wildly looked around. "Huh? Who…?" Red asked.

"You can't let this get to you. Come on, go!" the vaguely familiar voice said. So similar to the voices of the other Links, but different…which could only mean it was…

"Shadow!?" Red asked.

"What more do I need to tell you? That my key is with that snakey thing? And if anyone is going to help you whack that monster, that Blue guy is you best bet, so get to that key already!"

"R-right! Sorry," Red said. Seeing as his cut was still bleeding, Red tore a bit off the hem of his tunic and wrapped the strip of fabric around his hand. As Red wasn't looking directly at him, Shadow allowed himself a quick wince of discomfort at seeing Red's wound. Red quickly reached back to grab the torch, before standing up. This time, Shadow stretched out and pointed the way. "No more of the left right nonsense. Just follow my lead, and don't mess up, got it?"

"You're sure being nice today, Shadow," Red said with a shaky smile, making Shadow huff in mock exasperation.

With Shadow leading the way, Red navigated to the stairs and walked down as fast as he could, though his progress was slowed down by the pain in his hand.

"That doesn't look too good," Shadow noted the trail of crimson drops.

"It's ok, all I have to do…is to whack that snakey guy…or something…" Red said.

"Whack…a flying snake. With a torch?" Shadow asked in a skeptical tone.

"Well, do you have any suggestions?"

"I don't know, you could have picked up something a little more useful!…too late for that, he's in the room just a few steps ahead."

Shadow hesitated, and said," Hey, be careful, okay? I can see him in this fog, so I'll try my best to warn you, but you've seen how fast this guy is."

"Ugh…" Red groaned as his wound seemed to smart with renewed pain.

A sound like a shriek and a hiss greeted Red as soon as he set foot within the room, and in a moment Shadow said, "He's coming, move!"

Red jumped ahead, narrowly missing the serpent slamming its head at the floor where he had just been standing.

Red turned around, and found himself face to face with the serpent. The monster's red pupils glimmered with malevolent light, and Red backed up a step.

The serpent raised itself and took to the air again, the fog covering its form. The eyes glowed in the fog for a moment before the snake darted away, and Red lost sight of it.

"Why didn't you poke it in the eye at that moment!?" Shadow said.

"Ah, right!" Red said.

"Too late for that now, - tail coming in!' Shadow shouted.

Red raised his arms in front of his face instinctively at the feeling of something rushing at his body. The next thing Red knew something sharp ripped into his side, leaving yet another gash that stained his tunic a deeper color. Red gasped and flinched away, but the tail struck again, this time hitting his chest. Fortunately the sharp point did not strike Red this time, but the blow drove him onto his back. Red gasped as he fell, his hand losing its grip on the torch. The serpent then leaned its head over him, letting out a mocking hiss as a laugh. Caught up in a feeling of complete victory, the serpent failed to notice that its tail, rested tauntingly on Red's chest, also allowed the key to be within Red's grasp. But Red remembered, and more than that the feeling that Blue was near overrode his fear. Red's hands clapped over the tail, his fingers prying at the key.

"Give…back…Blue!" Red growled, and beneath his fingers the key shone in response.

"I'm here!"

The light took the form of Blue springing out at the serpent's neck, causing the monster to be flung back. The blue key slipped from the coil of its tail, straight into Red's hands.

"Took you long enough," Shadow muttered as Red sat up. Both Shadow and Red almost felt bad for the serpent in facing a very angry Blue. The monster thrashed around in pain as Blue's arms squeezed its neck. Red went over to pick up the torch, and as Blue pulled the serpent close, he was in perfect position to jab the lit end of the torch straight in the monster's fanged mouth when the head was flung close. Blue jumped off as the serpent reared, flames spilling from its mouth.

"Well, I guess it's time for my party trick…Red, pick up our pal's tail here, would you? You'll need it," Shadow said conversationally as the snake, flailing in agony, threw itself down and stopped there.

"Not the tail, it's hurt Red enough times already!" Blue said worriedly.

"Ah!" Red said, noticing that the tail's sharp point reminded him of a sword. The hero dashed forward and carefully caught hold of the tail, before pulling it with all his might. The end part of the tail ripped away in his hands, revealing it to be a key similar to the others, but colored black.

"Leave this one to me," Shadow said. He gathered himself up from where he was, and in answer, the key in Red's hand gave off dark-colored smoke. Shadow rose out of the floor, his substance rippling until he took shape, and the smoke rising off the key flew into Shadow's hand, forming a blade. Shadow leapt off and dove down, the point plunging into the side of the snake's skull and piercing both of its eyes.

"Oh, gross," Red winced at the gruesome sight.

"He deserved it," Shadow said, flowing back to Red's side. The snake turned its ruined head back towards the boy in a ripped and bloodied tunic, a figure made of blue light and a figure made darkness. It let out one last hissing scream, before slumping to the ground and going still. As if an enchantment had broken, the fog lifted. Both Blue and Shadow turned to Red, who was standing strong despite being battered and bruised.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go," Red said, pocketing the two new keys.

"I'll see you in a bit," Blue said with a smile, and his form dissipated.

Red turned to Shadow, who was staying quite solid. This Link raised an eyebrow at Red, before saying, "What?"

"Oh…aren't you fading away?" Red asked.

"I'm a shadow. I'm quite at home in weird realms, and this magical dream is no different," Shadow said as if this was common knowledge.

"Oh! Wait…but then you still need me to unlock your door, right?" Red said.

Shadow winced in annoyance. "Well, yeah, I got caught up in this tower nonsense, but I'm not falling for the sleep spell going around," he growled. Despite his impressive words he found himself stumbling a moment later.

"Darn it."

"It's just one set of stairs! That's how long you'll have to wait for me," Red said reassuringly.

"Ughh…" Shadow groaned, before allowing his form to slip away.

Red walked carefully down the last set of stairs, trying to go as fast as he can with the cut at his side hurting with every step. Finally, he reached a door made of red-colored planks. He pushed through this and found himself in the round room, facing four other doors with familiar colors: violet, green, blue and black.

Red went on over to Vio's door, which was closest to his. He put the violet key into the lock and eagerly pushed the door open, a smile growing on his face as he expected to see Vio awaiting him with open arms. However, what he saw made Red worried - Vio was indeed inside, but he was lying on the floor, unmoving.

"Vio?" Red called, before coming close. Vio did not respond, and Red shook his companion and called his name again. Vio did not stir.

"Vio, please, wake up!" Red said, starting to panic now. But there was no response whatsoever.

"Ohh, what now? Should I wake the others?…wait here!" Red gabbled before dashing off.

He barged into Green's room, but found Green in the same comatose state. Hoping that maybe the spell would be broken once all doors opened, Red practically dashed into Blue's room, shouted his name just to make sure, but Blue did not wake up.

One last door then - Red got up and went outside Blue's door, only to find Green and Vio walking out of their rooms.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're awake!" Red cried out.

"You're too late."

The cold statement made Red freeze in place.

"Useless, pathetic fool. You only had one job and you failed," Green sneered.

"You couldn't have gotten this far without OUR help. You did nothing," and Red whirled around to find Blue smirking at him.

"N…no…" Red whispered.

"Oh, are you going to cry now?" Vio taunted.

Red looked desperately at their faces, but found only mocking smiles and hateful glares.

"I don't know what's going on but…this isn't you…this isn't like any of you!" Red said.

"Look, Red…we all think you're a burden."

"Weak."

"Dependent."

"Soft-hearted young fool."

"And we don't need to lie about that now, do we?" the three said in unison.

"Stop it! Whoever it is making you do this…stop it!" Red cried out. Each and every word cut him in a way more hurtful than his wounds, as they were his own doubts now spoken.

"Oh? I don't need to make your friends do anything. I'm pulling the words right out of their hearts. After all, it is in dreams that we say what we are too embarrassed to speak of," the voices said, growing more sinister with the edge of a hiss.

"You!" Red gasped, recognizing the sibilant sound of the snake monster.

"Let go of my friends!" Red shouted.

"Ah, but is that all you'll be doing? Shouting? I can do more with your friends than to simply speak with their voice," the monster said.

At this, all three of the other Links lurched away, pulled by the twisted magic of the Tower Serpent.

"Should I wring this one's neck by his own hands?" the voice mused, and to Red's horror Blue's hands rose to grasp his own neck.

"STOP!" Red screamed, running after Blue.

"Oh, but these other two - perhaps they should gouge the eyes out of the other, seeing as that other brat has destroyed my own," the Serpent said, making Green and Vio face each other, hands rising towards each other's faces.

The serpent's words made Red remember that Shadow's door was yet unopened - and so, he ran as fast as he could, hands reaching out for the black door.

"Not so fast now!"

Something - someone - tugged Red back and he found himself being restrained by Blue.

"Perhaps this is the best way to torment you - to be killed by the hands of your own companions," the Serpent laughed, and Red saw that Green and Vio were coming close. What they would do to him he had no idea, but going by the Serpent's threats it wouldn't be good.

Red closed his eyes and thought about how every one had helped save his life from every danger, and if they ever woke up and found out they had hurt him…it would break them more than any physical torture the sadistic snake had offered.

"Please…stop it…let them…GO!" Red shouted.

Light flared off Red, pushing back the other Links. Burning with a fierce desire to save his friends, Red willed the Four Sword to return to his hand - and form it did, in a blaze of red light. More importantly, Red saw the chains of the serpent's magic tangled around the Links, and with a yell he cut through all of them, severing the serpent's power. The last vestiges of the magical creature stared in shock at Red, unbelieving that this boy was just as strong as his companions. And Red, seeing the Serpent's ghostly form hanging above their heads, lifted his blade and jumped, cutting the monster's head off. With a final scream the creature was vanquished. Red knew this because the other three fell to the floor and uttered various groans of pain - but in their own voices.

"Guys!" Red said joyfully, and the three looked up to see Red still ablaze with his light.

"Red?…Red!"

The four came together in a joyous heap, reunited at last. Unfortunately, the moment did not last long as the tower began to shake, and stones from above began to rain down.

"The tower…it's collapsing!" Green gasped.

"Now that that monster is gone, this tower has lost its purpose. We have to go!" Vio said.

"But…but Shadow!" Red cried, lunging for the black door.

"Come on!" Blue said, and holding hands, the four ran to Shadow's door. Red held out the key, and with a final lunge he pushed the key into the lock and twisted it. The door flew open, and from within the room, Shadow reached out a hand. But before they could enter, the arch of stones above the door wobbled alarmingly, threatening to collapse into a pile of rubble.

Blue and Green both pulled Vio and Red back as the doorway crumbled. They all gasped in dismay, but the situation didn't leave time for crying - more piles of rubble were falling around them.

"Let's go!" Blue shouted, and reluctantly the four sprinted towards an opening where the wall had caved in. They jumped out of the crumbling tower and fell down, down…into darkness…

~~~~~~~

"Aghh!"

"Red? What is it?"

Red sat bolt-upright, convinced that he was still falling. However, the sight that greeted him was anything but a scary and dangerous dungeon - he was on his own bed, the sun was streaming through a window, and Blue was standing at the door holding two cups of hot chocolate.

"Ah! Blue…the Tower, our dream, I…" Red said, looking reflexively at his hand - but neither of them bore a bleeding gash. Red carefully patted his sides - no wounds there, as well.

"Our dream?" Blue asked.

"Shadow! We left Shadow behind!" Red said, standing up in a panic, causing his pillow and blankets to go flying.

"Shadow? What about him -"

"Ohhh it's all my fault! I was too slow and…and he must still be trapped in that horrible snake's dungeon! I'm USELESS!" Red said, bursting into hysterical tears.

"Red! What is wrong!? Blue yelled, spooked by Red's behavior.

Red was crying too hard to be able to process anything else, the snake's choice words coming back to circle his head like a demented tune. Some time later, Red was able to pull himself out of it enough to realize that Blue was standing over him, with Green beside him and Vio on the other side. Green's arm was slung around his shoulders, and Vio was patting his back.

"Red…it's okay…"

"We're here."

"Really, Red, you've been crying nonstop…what's wrong?"

Red blearily looked around, exhausted by the surge of emotions.

"I…you don't remember the dream?" Red sniffled.

"What dream?"

"Th-the Tower…but it felt so real…" Red said.

"Well, I don't know anything about a tower, but I want to get out of this dungeon of a room. What's with the doom and gloom?"

Red straightened up as he saw Shadow come in.

"Sh-shadow…"

"Yeah?"

"YOU'RE OKAY!"

The next thing Shadow knew, he was bowled over by a red cannonball who was now spewing tears all over his chest.

"Get off me you dumb -!"

"I'm so sorry!"

"You will be if you don't get off me right now!" Shadow bellowed, pushing Red off.

"Ha ha…I'm so glad everyone is alright!" Red said, fairly laughing in relief.

"Crazy," Shadow muttered as he dusted himself off.

"Well, I think we need to hear all about this dream. Let's have breakfast, okay?" Green said.

"Okay!" Red said with a smile. He let himself be led to the table by Green and Blue, reveling in the fact that everyone was alright. Maybe…it had all been a long, convoluted nightmare, everything really was alright.

In the chatter, Shadow watched Red carefully sit down and take a sip of the hot chocolate (which had grown cold from waiting). It will be a long story at the breakfast table today, Shadow thought. He slid over the best pancakes over to Red's plate as a silent thank-you, and listened as Red began, "Well, it began when I thought I woke up…"

------------

Heya, thanks for reading! Anyway, this story was inspired by a dream I had where I was watching Red navigate a misty room, and there was a part where there was a round room with doors colored like the FS Links - so here’s the result! Big thanks to everyone who encouraged me to write this and gave wonderful feedback - I hope the format works better now.

This is the most writing I’ve done since I graduated from a Creative Writing course in May of 2019. I actually wrote this around September of 2019, I think? Anyway, I’m really burnt out from writing and I still feel so emotionally constipated whenever I think about uploading any written stuff, which is why I hardly ever upload anything written...so I’m a liar when I said I’m a writer lol. Anyway, this is just what this piece means to me so I hope it’s ok.

#four swords #legend of zelda #zelda fanfiction #four swords manga #red link #blue link #green link #shadow link #vio

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