Twisted Heroes

Author's Note:

I know the last few acts have been really short, but this one makes up for it. So, here we go. Act 6 begins.

Act 6 - To Stage a Rescue

D-Link lead the way, taking them into a secret passage into Ganondorf's fortress of a castle. They continued, crossing a flamboyant red carpet and winding down a long, and I mean, loooooonnnng set of stairs into the dark dank dungeon area. "He should be in one of these cells," he informed, keeping his voice quiet so that the guards he knew were there wouldn't hear him.

"Alright." Dark Pit responded with a hushed tone, following closely, his weapon at the ready, just in case.

It wasn't too long before they found him... and Pit.

"You dumbass," he teased, trying to ruffle his lighter counterpart's feathers some.

"Pittoo? What are you-"

"Zip it. We're starting a riot, what's it look like?"

"It doesn't matter what it looks like, we're getting out of here," said the green bean.

"Is this really a time to be fighting...?" Dark Link sighed.

"You're right. It's not," Pittoo agreed with a chuckle.

"So... your weapon works here?"

"...Why wouldn't it..?"

"Just... try getting an arrow."

"Heh. Easy," he stated as he pulled back on the area where a drawstring should be, revealing a blue light, yanked back on it, and... nothing. "The hell?"

"Yeah... Magic isn't really going to work here."

"There is powerful magic here preventing most other kinds of magic."

"...Great. Well, I guess I'm using blades and my feet."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're an-" he cut himself off, thinking better of the insult.

"D-Link, you take the lead; you know the most out of any of us what the best escape route would be."

"Alright, let's go."

Strange... They don't fight at all. That's so different from how Pit and I are... I can't even stand the idiot, but with Link and D-Link... they just seem like friends... they work together. And how the hell is Green Bean so tolerable and able to take the lead just like that? He's smart, I can tell... just from looking at him. Heh. Well... maybe I could learn a thing or two from these two. At least now I know why D-Link wanted to get him out of here. And I hope to the gods we succeed. Even I'm starting to like the guy and I only just met him! His thoughts were going wild as he followed the others, but, that haunted look must have been on his face again, because he was called out on it.

"Pittoo... you saw something again, didn't you?" asked the brunette.

"Huh?"

"That look on your face..." he whispered, his blue eyes shining with concern.

"...Yeah. That's the reason we're here, well... one of them."

"Who was it? Who did you see, you know..."

"Die?"

"Yeah."

"Not you."

"Okay. Then...?"

"...Just drop it."

It's me... If that's how it is, then... I need to make sure that the means to defeat Ganondorf aren't lost. Just in case this jailbreak... is a failure. I know who I can trust.

"Okay. So, how bad was it this time? N-not the thingy you saw, but..."

"Oh. You mean how painful was it?" he guessed, his voice clipped like this conversation wasn't one he liked or wanted. "As always, hell. Why? Not like it matters." In response to this, Pit stayed silent and looked away.

So they do care about each other. They just act like they hate the other. I don't quite get it but... okay, D-Link rambled in his head. He lead them out of the bowels of the dungeons and onto the red carpet when, seemingly out of nowhere, some monsters ambushed them.

As the Three Sacred Treasures weren't able to be used on anything but Hades or Medusa, the only one left without a weapon was the Captain of Palutena's Guard, but, his dark counterpart quickly lept into action, separating the segments of his bow and holding them in his hands, his wings rearing slightly as a warning.

D-Link had his own shield and weapon ready as the combat ensued. Link was, of course, prepared for battle.

Cries from various monsters lit up the hall as they began their assault, trying to wear down our heroes with all they had. The dusky angel, as per the norm, relied on his size and speed for his advantage, slipping up close to a monster and delivering a quick blow to stun it before it could react. Pit, meanwhile, relied on his training with palms since he really had nothing else but his hands, and hey, in battle, anything could be a weapon.

Meanwhile, the other two had assumed a back to back battle formation. While quicker and lighter on his feet, Link's blows weren't as strong as his counterpart's, so, this was a way to compensate for it. This way, there were two advantages. One was that neither of them could be taken by surprise from behind, and the other was that they could defend both themselves and each other with ease. However, this also made one particular skill of the boy in green unusable, but, if there was a great need for it, he could easily break away and get some space to perform the Spin Attack to clear up some of the opposition.

The fight dregged on for some time, the four of them taking a bit of damage, but, they were still able to keep going. In fact, there was considerably less than what they'd been assaulted by now. They could end this in a matter of minutes. By now, the angels had begun working as a team, Dark Pit trying his hardest to be sure every hit counted, and Pit having a bit of fun by tripping some of the monsters up. Laughter began to seep into the flow of battle from the two avians who were clearly having the time of their lives.

While they weren't laughing themselves, the Hylian duo had smiles on their faces as the fight progressed. Finally, they were on mere stragglers. leftovers, and taking them out was just as easy as watching a leaf fall. With the final blow, the last enemy's dying breath was heard. It was then, that everything began to fall apart. A tall, stocky figure shrouded with an air of evil that could just be felt as if it was brushing against skin like fingertips, and an all together menacing appearance, skin and all, walked slowly towards them in the hall and stopped before them, his massive frame imposing. "What foolish drabble to think that it would be so easy..." he spoke, a deep rumble of a laugh following, a behemoth of a sword gripped in his hand.

Instantly, the dark angel's expression grew cold. This was the guy he'd seen in his vision... the man who had murdered, or who would murder Link. A glare formed in his rust brown eyes as he gazed at the newcomer, his mouth set in a snarl. This was the one person he had to stop. He couldn't let that premonition be true. Beside him, the other angel shivered slightly at the massive dark power he felt. It wasn't a natural amount for a mortal to possess...

"Ganondorf..." uttered Link, the fire of determination in his eyes. So... you're the one who might kill me. I have a feeling... I'm going to die here. How do I keep the Master Sword from his evil, greedy clutches? I have to figure that out now.

"I shall not have my greatest enemy escape. Your death awaits you, boy!"

"You will not kill him!" D-Link practically snarled at the one he truly hated the most... and feared. Link remained calm at the declaration of his death, he felt that if he was going to die, then he would do so with dignity.

"What he said!" Pittoo yelled as he rushed in with a downward sweep of his blade clenched in his right hand after jumping upward.

Ganondorf batted away the little birdie with ease. After that few seconds, he turned his attention back to the one who he believed was the most of a threat to him and his rule. Before anyone could react, he swung, both hands on the hilt firmly catching his intended target dead on. The decapitation was jagged and rough, blood splattering in an upwards angle, some of the gore staining D-Link's tunic. It was over in a second. Link's headless body limply plopped to the floor, leaking life fluid onto the already red carpet, seeming to add more color to it. The head flew a bit before landing, rolling a ways before skidding to a halt. A sick and twisted cackle escaped the murder's lips, an unnerving evil smile planted on his features as the huge weapon in his hand dripped with fresh crimson. Dark Link's eyes widened, his mouth agape in shock. A few moments passed before what just happened completely registered and, he sank, falling to his knees. His mouth twisted to a mournful frown as he stared blankly at the blood on his clothing.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, the world slowing down just so that every second, movement, and noise of the moment could be fully experienced. The brunette couldn't believe his eyes. In what short time he had known him, Link had become his friend, and it felt like a hard punch to the gut to see it all go down like that... Sure, he'd seen people die before, but that was different, less personal. He barely knew any of them, but... now, seeing a friend die right before his eyes, he felt sorrow, anger, and rage all rolled into one depressing mixture. He could only stand there in shock. It was too much... From on the floor by the wall, the other angel came back around, his eyes opening onto a blood soaked carpet and... No... God dammit! This... this wasn't supposed to happen... We were supposed to stop this! No! Gods, no! What's the point of these visions if I can't stop them from happening?! he screamed in his mind. Why?!

Ganondorf's cruelty didn't end with the slaying of poor Link. He had to teach Dark Link a valuable lesson. So he grabbed the Hylian's severed head, and walked over to him, forcibly lifting his head so that their eyes met.

"Don't touch him..." growled Dark Pit as he stood up, propped against the wall.

The evil king waved the body part in D-Link's face, making sure that the expression Link had when he died was etched into his mind. "Remember, Dark Link, this is why you will never have friends..." he sneered darkly.

"N-no... stop... please..." he pleaded as he began to tremble.

That. Is. IT. The dusky angel pushed himself away from the wall, relying on his adrenaline to keep him steady as he went over to D-Link and stood between him and the evil overlord, his expression deadly, almost as if he could kill in that moment. "Fuck off, asshole."

P-Pittoo! Gods... I have never seen him this angry... What's up with him?

Ganondorf tossed D-Link to the side as he looked at Pittoo. "I like the look about you, it pleases me. Fine. I shall let you live... for now. Don't let this rare instance of... mercy from me be in vain." The dark Hylian was lying on his side, curled up and shaking.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," muttered the blackette as he went over to where the dark Hylian lied and knelt beside him. "Hey... Dark Link... c'mon. Let's get outta here."

He's just letting us go?! Whaaaaaaaat? Nnn... I'm so confused! "Wait...uuuuhhhhh... huh?"

"Pit. Let's go. Now. Before I really do kill this useless son of a bitch."

"Oh. Right!"

"Help me with Dark Link. We're not leaving him."

"On it."

D-Link timidly, slowly got up. His gaze was long as he looked at the floor. "..."

Without another word, the dark angel led the two out, following the route D-Link had shown him on the way in. Once outside, he bid farewell to Pit who decided he had to return to Skyworld and check in with his goddess as well as get some much needed rest. His head full of thought, Dark Pit led his distraught companion back to Lake Hylia, hoping that the scenery would calm him and give him some time to breathe without that asshole around him. On the island in the lake's center, he sat cross-legged on the grass thinking about all that had happened inside that epicenter of evil and found himself glaring at the poor plant life, seeing it wither slightly. Of course... that was because he was technically Viridi's arch angel... he had a bit of influence over greenery. After noting that if he stared at the grass any longer, he'd kill it, he shifted his attention to D-Link and, without second thought, went over to him again and pulled him into a calm embrace.

The dark Hylian froze, his eyes had still been trained on the ground when he felt the angel's arms around him, so it took him a moment to realize what was going on. Still trembling slightly, he slowly, wordlessly returned the embrace, almost clinging, in a sense.

Honestly, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but... it just felt natural, if he could put a word to it. He didn't exactly expect the return of this contact, and felt a shiver run up his spine. So, he just held him there, letting the other calm down before he did anything else.

It took a while, but he did calm down somewhat. His breathing slowed to a normal rate, he stopped trembling, and eventually, he relaxed in Pittoo's embrace.

"...You okay...?" he asked slowly, his voice quiet, soft, and, it surprised him.

"...Yeah.." he answered, only giving a one word response.

Dark Pit sighed and let go, staring at those crimson eyes intently, and... Why do my cheeks feel warm again...?

Normally, someone gazing straight into his eyes would make him anxious, but... with Pittoo, it was different. He didn't want to look away, or break direct eye contact; he just wanted to gaze back. It made him feel... safe and, warm. He really couldn't explain why, and it confused him as to why it was such a mystery. He was used to the cruelty of the world; only now had he begun to experience a different side to it. One he liked. It was almost like he didn't have to hide anymore, that being who he is was not a problem. So... he just gazed back into those rust brown eyes.

After a little while, he looked away, though, he really didn't want to, but, he knew there were other pressing matters to deal with. His wings fluttered as he thought over everything, and, there... something stood out to him more than the rest... '...this is why you will never have friends.' Ganondorf had said. There was something off about the way he phrased it... targeting D-Link's feelings exactly... in a way that was too much like a lecture... I wonder... But, I gotta be careful how I ask this... he's shaken enough as is... "Hey, D-Link?"

"Yeah...?"

"..." He took a deep breath before speaking, gathering his thoughts into a sentence as best he could. "I couldn't help but notice the way that asshat spoke to you... kind of like he was teaching you a very important lesson... from his fucked up point of view. Is there something more that I don't know about you and him? If you don't wanna tell me, it's alright."

A long moment of silence passed. D-Link swallowed hard and took a shallow breath as he looked away, his expression darkening. ...He needs to know... "...Yeah..." he answered slowly, unsure how to say, or explain it. Though, the truth was, the thought of saying anything... made him nervous. He could feel the fear creeping in him, the memories resurfacing, racing through his head. He also feared that he would become hated by his... friend? Anyone he had tried to become friends with rejected him when they found out the truth. Every single one. The only exception... was Link. But... he was dead now... Somewhere inside, he hoped that Pittoo was the same, in that sense. Either way, he knew that he could and should not keep the truth from him...

Watching several thoughts pass across the other's face made a knot form in his stomach. He knew this wasn't an easy topic, but... "You don't have to tell me... I don't want you to feel uncomfortable..." he said.

He gathered up his courage and spoke, "...No. It's okay... He... That bastard... he raised me, you could say... Ever since he... created me, seven... fucking long years ago..." His voice shook slightly towards the end of his words, and his expression was harsh as past images flashed through his mind.

That's how it would've been for me if that mirror didn't crack... "...I can't imagine he'd be a good parent," he laughed.

He doesn't... hate me...? He breathed an inward sigh of relief before saying, "Yeeeeaaaaaah... Hell no."

"Well, I can see why that fisherman guy said what he did, but, he didn't know the real you. Doesn't matter how you were raised or what happened in the past. You're nothing like him. You're yourself, and that's all that matters."

"...Thank you."

"Kinda why I like you..." he muttered before realizing he'd said it out loud. He finally recognized those emotions, and, like a ding ding, he'd admitted it without pretense! Shit. Well. I'm doomed.

Dark Link's eyes widened slightly before he asked, slowly, "...You do...?" He likes me? ...He likes me. His heart leapt at the revelation. "I... like you too," he admitted back.

"Wait-you-..." He does? ... "You do?"

"Y-yeah... just figured it out..."

"Same here..." he voiced, his face a red flush now, his wings fluttering fast.

"So... What happens now?" he asked awkwardly.

"...Uhhh... I dunno..?" He thought for a few minutes. Sure, he may have been several hundred years old, but, angels didn't mature that fast... just look at Pit! Given the circumstances though... he really had no idea what was next. "Umm... I guess we... uhh...huh. No idea."

"Yeah. I dunno either..."

"...Huh."

Just then, an idea popped into D-Link's head. He was tired of the extreme awkwardness going on here, so why not change the subject? "Hey... Dark Pit."

"What's up?"

"I want to show you something."

"...? What is it?"

First, D-Link took out a red tunic and pulled it over his black one.

"What's up with the style change? I'm getting confused..."

"You'll see," he answered. Then, he got out his negative Ocarina of Time and played Bolero of Fire. The magic began as it took them to what looked like the middle of a volcano.

"What the hell was that and why the fuck are we in a volcano?!" he yelled, his feathers fluttering. In the next second, he pulled his wings as close to his back as he could in precaution.

He said nothing more as he lead the confused angel all the way to a... cave? He beckoned Pittoo inside as he entered himself.

"...The hell. First you turn my stomach inside out, then you lead me through a flaming death hill, and now you're trying to lead me into a cave. Not my idea of a-what the? Okay. Lots of sparkles, a seemingly endless cavern, and... a pool? What are you up to?"

"You're about to find out," he said with a smirk as he, once again, took out his instrument and played it. In that moment, a giant, skimpily dressed woman with salmon pink hair appeared in a flurry of pink sparklies and spoke with a hearty laugh, "Welcome, Dark Link and Dark Pit, I am the Great Fairy of Courage. What do you ask of me...?"

"How... does she know my name?"

"When your world merged with this one, us Great Fairies scoured Divinipedia for all the information we could find. ...It is our job to know these things, after all."

"Uh... Wow. Just... wow."

The Great Fairy of Courage gave another hearty laugh before saying, "I think I know why you have come..."

The dark angel stared over at the Hylian with a raised eyebrow and a creeped the fuck out sort of pose.

D-Link gave him a reassuring look that said he knew what he was doing.

A very rare pout appeared on his face as he crossed his arms.

If the dark Hylian could have a noticeable blush, he would've then because that look was just too... Well, he couldn't say. "I grant to you the permanent Power of Flight," the Great Fairy declared as her magic began to glow and swirl around the target.

Involuntarily, his wings flared outward, shimmering a bright blue as the power was bestowed. A shocked look laced his visage as he stared at the feathers, slightly dazed. "..."

"Seek me out if you are weary and in need of repair... Play the song of the Royal Family," she laughed once more as she vanished. "...Why don't you test it out?" he suggested as he grinned at the one he liked.

"Uh... okay," he voiced as he flapped his wings downward once experimentally, closed his eyes, and flapped once hard to get airborne. After that, he opened one eye, ready for disappointment, but, no. He was still in the air! Yes! he cheered in his mind as he flew the length of the cave once, closed his eyes again, and let himself fall backwards, pulling up at the last second and flipping so that he could land. "Nice," he stated as his feet touched the ground as his wings rested against his back once more. "Thanks..."

"No prob, Pittoo," he voiced, not catching himself from saying the nickname Dark Pit didn't exactly like. Oops...

"..." He said nothing for a moment as he replayed it in his mind, realizing to his surprise that he really didn't mind that nickname if D-Link was the one who said it. "I... don't mind you calling me that..." he uttered with a blush.

"...Really?"

"Yeah... Really..."

"Okay then, Pittoo." He liked calling him that... for some reason. He knew he liked the dark angel, but... he'd never experienced this emotion before. He didn't think he ever would...

Another shade of red lit his cheeks at that. It wasn't every day he liked being called that stupid... okay, not so stupid, rather annoying... no... not that either... that nickname he was given so long ago. It was just the way the Hylian said it, the angel guessed, or... maybe it was the fact that he liked him... Only time would tell. He stared at him for a bit before tilting his head to the side slightly with a raised eyebrow. "Hey... since when is your sword blue?"

"Uuuhh... What? My sword is never blue..." he responded, clearly befuddled.

"The hilt... I could've sworn it was red when I met you. It's blue now."

"?... My sword is not a fucking rainbow. It doesn't just randomly change colors." With those words said, he unsheathed the sword and the hilt was... blue!? "What the fuck..." This is the Master Sword... This was in Link's possession... What the hell is going on here!? Why do I have it!?

"Hold on... When we went to Ganondork's Castle, you had the red hilted one... Link had that one... so... he must've switched them, somehow... It was then! When I charged in recklessly, I distracted his royal asshat momentarily. That must've been when he did it. So... I'm gonna venture a guess that Link's sword was important enough that he didn't want that idiot having it in his possession," the dark angel deduced.

"...Why did he give it to me?" D-Link questioned. In his mind, he was one of the least favorable candidates to have it... Especially to keep out of the wrong hands.

"He trusted you. He probably thought you'd be the only one who could protect it. And... you were the closest one to him when he was able to pass it off. I think he knew what was going to happen... and just reacted to it in favor of destroying that self-righteous flamboyant piece of shit."

"..." D-Link was kind of shocked. Could he really take that responsibility...? Could he defeat Ganondorf, the cause of so much torment for him? Did he have the ability to fill in Link's shoes...? How...

"...Darkness can rule for a time, but, eventually Light must rise up against it, and if you don't do it, who else will? The decision is yours, but I think you can be the hero this world needs," he whispered in a gentle tone, reassuring, caring, and calm. "And... you won't do it alone. I'll be right beside you the entire way."

"...Thank you.. Pittoo," he spoke softly as he embraced him. He was glad he wasn't alone anymore.

"U-uh-huh..." he stuttered as he leaned into the hug, his wings fluttering again, softly, but enough to cause a small breeze which he felt and cursed mentally for.