A/N-
An alternate origin story for Dark Link – I was reading Link/Ganondorf and lamenting ID because it seemed unlikely Link would be totally on the side of evil, and this popped into my head. XD This is NOT Dark from ID – technically, it's not Dark Link at all, but a sort of twisted – you know what? Just read and review, tell me what you think. XD
Pairings: TECHNICALLY, Dark Link/Link, Link/Ganondorf, Link/Dark Link/Ganondorf. It all makes sense in the end.
Warnings: Character death, but it's sort of minor in the context of the story.
The ground surged and bucked as another wave of dark energy sank into it, causing an earlier crater to bow up and then disintegrate, leaving a gaping maw filled with jagged stones and no end in sight. Across the enormous hole, the green garbed warrior stumbled back, staring up at the battle occurring above him. Zelda was some sort of avenging angel in gold washed armour, wielding her magic and the white gold bow against the darker form across from her. His attention was temporarily diverted by another cackling skeleton, which he dealt with shortly, blue eyes returning quickly to the blazing fight above. It struck him as ironic that their magics were so close in colour – the Dark Lord's was a deep purple, bordering on black save for the barest hint of light at its center. Zelda's was much paler but still purple, a bright, cheery colour. He barely choked back a cry of relief as Zelda's final arrow pierced the man's heart and he finally fell, slamming into the earth and sending out a shockwave that caused his many creations to dissolve and threw the few Hylian fighters to the ground. Zelda landed lightly beside him, one hand on his arm.
"Stop, Link – something's wrong. That shouldn't have felled him so easily." He looked at her quizzically, shifting his stance unconsciously and tilting the Master Sword back up into a position better suited to combat. Zelda's amethyst eyes widened and a strangled cry left her mouth. Link's eyes snapped to where the Dark Lord had fallen and felt his own eyes widen.
It was as if he was looking at his shadow, solidified. He wore the same clothing, the same armour, as he did, only in a black that seemed to devour what little light was present. However, while he imagined his shadow would be darker physically, this man mirrored him completely – the same dirty blonde hair, the same brilliant cobalt blue eyes. He even held the same sword, though he could have sworn that was impossible, because there was only one Master Sword. Zelda's grip on his arm was turning painful as she curled her fingers into his bicep, lips parted in a soundless cry of horror, eyes swimming with tears.
"No...Mother said – this isn't possible!" Link pulled his arm away as gently as possible, but it still snapped her attention back to him.
"I am sorry, Link – Midna!" They both gasped aloud as the man straightened from examining the apparently unconscious Dark Lord, and stared in horror at the creature dangling limply from one dark gauntleted hand. The imp's eyes fluttered, and a strange expression grew in the other man's eyes. A soft light enveloped them, and the imp was cast aside, hurled with horrifying strength across the crater to land with a weak thump in the dirt on a small ledge on the inside. Link ignored Zelda's cry and slid down the steep wall, lifting Midna gingerly.
"Is – Is she alright?" He looked up at her, knowing his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
"Her sacrifice is greatly appreciated." The soft, sarcastic tone in his voice sent chills up and down his spine, and he slowly raised his eyes to the man standing above them, arms crossed over his chest, smirking. Zelda's eyes had reached an alarming size – understandable, given that she had some strange mockery of the Master Sword at her throat and a man of horrific power at her back.
"You've done well, Link. Mm – I'd say you even did better than I did, with less information to boot." His drawl seemed to make the reality of Midna's death all the worse, seemed to drain what little sense of triumph away like dirty water drifting out to sea.
"Very good, Link." He flinched and glared furiously as the shadow stepped away from Zelda and strode towards a strangely unharmed Ganondorf. The Gerudo king trailed his fingers down the other man's face, an odd, even affectionate smile hovering at the edge of his lips. The blonde slid his arms around his waist, sword pointed towards the ground. Perhaps it was the sudden proximity to Ganondorf, or maybe it was hearing the shadow taunt the hero, but it snapped Zelda from her terrified state with frightening efficiency.
"You! You – you can't be him. You were supposed to save us – save Hyrule. We had to rely on your shadow – you made him kill you! He loved you!" The blonde snorted, running his fingers over Ganondorf's arms, tracing the muscles with intense fascination.
"Dark could no more kill me than I could kill him, could no more harm me than I could Ganondorf – your ancestor was foolish, and stole from me the very thing I needed most. For those born with the Triforce of Wisdom at their disposal, all of the Princess Zeldas have been possessed of a fatal flaw – naivety." He turned fluidly, flipping the sword up, eyes locked with hers.
"If I weren't him, I wouldn't have this." Ganondorf chuckled darkly.
"Foolish enough to believe you could control the Triforce – foolish enough to believe that in altering time, this would not happen. There can only be one wielder of the Triforce of Courage, and if your pathetic champion cannot defeat himself, you too will die." Zelda's scream was his only true warning of the attack – she couldn't move as a deep purple prison of crystallized magic bound her to watch as he was pitted against his past self.
A chance parry saved him from being beheaded, but he was driven back and almost into the chasm below. Forced to abandon Midna's body, he scaled the dirt wall and stumbled back, eyes locked on the approaching shadow. The ancient Master Sword spun lazily in gleaming arcs, malevolent, regal – it spoke of a time he could not have known.
"She used you," hissed his shadow – his twin? – before the sword came down again, the attack unrelenting. He found himself being driven back and down, onto his knees, before the tip of the Master Sword rested at the center of his forehead. He stared up at him, teeth bared in a final act of defiance. The Sword wavered, then lowered.
"I cannot strike you down with this blade," commented the other Link, as if in fascination – all his attention turned to the blade.
"Dark taught me that – turned my own sword against me and could not kill me. It was his kiss that did it; that, and the sword of my lover's ancestors. A fitting end, at the hands of one love for the last." Fingers curled into his hat and hair, and he was yanked to his feet. He thrashed, feeling hair rip from his scalp as he fought to get free, fought to hurt the other man, fought just to fight, before the cold, suddenly bare hand gripped his chin, forcing him to look into the other man's eyes.
"Know what has come to pass, boy – know how you came to be the false hero she forced you to be."
The fight raged in those blue eyes, and Link sighed some, knowing he would struggle until he drew his final breath – though he was the one born of lies and desperation, he was nevertheless a true hero; though perhaps not in the way Zelda had intended, this boy did indeed bear the Triforce of Courage. Pain surged in Link's chest as he gazed into those brilliant eyes – darker than his by the slightest hue – but he refused to release him.
"Know what has come to pass..." he repeated softly, opening his mind and using the final gift Dark had left him to transform the false hero forever.
Link gasped and sobbed as agony and anguish engulfed him, and he was thrust into the shadows of his mind, where a memory waited, patient and insidious. He stared as a battle, not unlike that which he'd just fought, raged, and seven – no, eight – Sages brought their might to bear, sought to seal the King of Evil in the void – and failed. The blast engulfed three; a dark-clad man with equally dark hair and lustrous red eyes, a mirror-image of the shadowed warrior in green, with azure eyes and messy, dirty blonde hair – him? – and a tall, dark Gerudo; Ganondorf, Link, and one other, unknown warrior.
"Why? Why couldn't you – don't do this, Link!" sobbed the black-clad man, reaching out furtively for the blue eyed one.
"Dark, stop – I won't leave him."
"Please," he gasped brokenly, tears blurring the clear red of his irises. Link stepped forward and took his hand, and the Twilight-touched hero felt the touch as if he were the red eyed man himself.
"Dark," he whispered, eyes sad, "you once said you would do anything for me. I need you to fulfill that promise now – know that I will never, ever leave you."
"You're leaving me now!" The Gerudo's eyes glittered with a pain that matched the two Hylians', but he said nothing.
"I'm not leaving you! Not for good, Dark – you know this is how it has to be."
"No..."
"Just do it, Dark!" The magics that had held them were retreating, and they were again on the ruined battlefield. The Hero's shadow shook his head furiously, stepping back.
"I won't...I won't..." Link sobbed, half in sorrow and half in exasperation, before tearing the Master Sword – ancient and powerful even now – from its sheath.
"I'm sorry Dark."
"Link, no!" The Hero of Twilight started at the raw anguish in Ganondorf's voice, but his eyes were again drawn to the two ancient heroes, drawn in a clash that was horrifyingly familiar – they'd done this before. Neither gained any ground against the other, until the blonde stumbled, fell back, fell down onto his knees before his shadow, chest heaving as he sought in vain to drag air into his lungs, hand clutching spasmodically for a sword that wasn't there. Dark stared at the Master Sword he was leveling on his light counterpart, and choked out, "I can't..." The sword wavered and dipped, then fell entirely. Link choked out a sob of pain, and Dark turned away, to Ganondorf – long enough for Link to surge to his feet and slam into him. At first, the modern Link thought it was another attack, but saw it for what it was. Dark whirled around and found himself bound by the sobbing Hylian's kiss. The shadow's hands twined around the hilt of the other sword – a dragon roaring steel – fingers twisting with his light side's until it was too late. Link yanked the blade forward, gasping his last breath into Dark's mouth as the sword pierced his body and cleared his spine – a clean thrust, despite its awkward start.
"No – no!" The twin screams of both Ganondorf and Dark snapped him from the memory, and he was again in Hyrule Field, staring at the churned earth in awe and anger – he had let this go so far, and for what? Only the soft touch to the top of his head reminded him. He looked up, ash coloured hair falling into eyes that glinted like banked embers, meeting the tearful blue of his light counterpart.
"Dark..." He rose stiffly, stepping forward.
"Link – but how-"
"Ganondorf – he gave me the chance to stand as you once did for me. But now you're back," he whispered, "and we can go back..." Dark inhaled sharply, awe filling him. To challenge what had been their fate – could he possibly mean-
"To be one again," breathed Link, as if in answer to Dark's silent question.
"Restored..." he whispered, fingers curling with Link's. The moment was one of pain and relief – the sensation of a strange Triforce sank into them, followed by one slightly more familiar, before darkness devoured them in a storm of light.
Soft warmth brought him out of the pain, and his eyes fluttered open, falling to a sleeping Ganondorf. He let his fingers run over the sand and smiled slowly. No longer living a half life - with the love he'd been denied for so long, and the love he could never have imagined. Link sighed and settled, the Triforce glinting faintly in the growing light of the sunrise before fading. Ganondorf opened his eyes in time to see a flash of mischievous red in his lover's blue eyes, and chuckled.
"Whole again, beloved...whole again..."
A/N: SO! How do you like it? See, you can look at it in two different ways; Dark Link was restored to the Twilight Realm, or the ancient, Ocarina of Time Link, became Dark Link? ...Does that make any sense? Makes sense in my head. ...-crap- Review, please!