Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER TWO: SHATTERED SPIRITS.

To say the least, Link was discouraged. Which was shocking, considering that his Gift had been named Hero's Courage by the Caretakers.

Sure, it gave him the blood of a hero and all that accompanying jazz. It also granted him the ability to shapeshift into a wolf and unmatched courage.

Considering all of this, the fact that Link was scared was a terrible thing indeed. Link didn't like the feeling of being scared, and it made him mad that he was losing it over seeing some random kid lose some body parts.

Still... Link couldn't shake the feeling that Pit seemed familiar somehow. Which should have been impossible, since Link was four or five years older than Pit looked, and Link's earliest memories (that he could recall) were when he was six.

Eleven years, he'd been here. Link couldn't remember anything beyond waking up in this place, with bruises and cuts all over his body and white coat wearing Caretakers hovering over him.

Since then, he'd met his friends and discovered his Gift. He'd never been scared, and he had certainly never seen Pit Icarus until today.

"What are we going to do now?" Ike asked bluntly. "We can't just do nothing after seeing that!"

Nine heads turned to Marth. Everyone wanted an answer from their infallible leader, Marth Lowell.

Link had been friends with Marth for a long time. And in all their time as friends, he had never seen Marth unsure of what to do next.

Marth always had the answer.

But now, he didn't know what to say.

"Marth?" Lucina whispered. "Marth, say something. Anything. Lie if you have to."

As if remembering where he was, Marth looked up from the floor and cleared his throat. "I don't... I don't know what we're going to do now. I'm sorry, I just... I can't..."

Similar to Link, Marth had the blood of a hero as a result of his Gift. What that meant, the Caretakers had no clue. Marth was also granted control of the element of air, as well as being a natural leader. His Gift was named Hero-King's Breath.

He always knew what to say, and he was the best leader they could ask for. Always sure of himself, always rock steady and calm.

But not now.

A hush fell over the group. Zelda looked like she was about three steps away from a panic attack. It hurt Link to see her like that, and it was an expression he recognized- although he didn't recognize it from her. No, Link had seen that expression on her brother's face more times than he cared to count.

Sheik hadn't always been anxious and quiet, but a year ago that had changed. One day, he came back after being called to the Headmaster's office and refused to speak to anyone, not even Zelda or Corrin. If he wouldn't speak to his sister or his best friend, he wouldn't speak to anyone else either.

And so, Sheik was almost always set on edge by the mere mention of the Headmaster. Nightmares plagued his sleep. He spent every waking minute in a state of constant anxiety. If Link was being honest, he felt bad for him.

It was a shame to see someone so brave fall so far. Darkness seemed to follow Sheik wherever he went, both figuratively and literally- his Gift granted him control of the shadows. It also gave him control of electricity, and the Caretakers had nicknamed it Shadowspark.

"We have to help him." Sheik spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "We have to help Pit."

Zelda took a deep breath and nodded. "Sheik is right."