Ganon chuckles as he brandishes his trident. These children...they think together they stand more of a chance? Looking at the two boys and the Hyrulean princess, he sees the symbols of the gods on their dominant hands. Din, Nayru, and Farore… He'll show them the amusing fallacy of their hopes. "Very well, then... Allow me to show you your future... Yes... Allow me to show you just what hope you have… You youths chosen by the goddesses… Come."
That single command from Ganon is all the heroes need. Ganondorf darts towards his ancestor with tremendous speed, swinging his greatsword with power against Ganon's trident. The force knocks Ganon away. Sliding on his feet, Ganon looks up in time to parry his descendant's persistent and powerful attacks. However, experience in Gerudo swordsmanship and his own power and strength keeps the Demon King from providing an opening, so the pair dukes it out at a stalemate. That is until Ganondorf steps back and fires off several magic blasts that Ganon dodges and parries, not knowing that it is a distraction for the four Links to engage.
Dual-wielding the Four Sword and Master Sword, Link and his clones slash Ganon's back and sides, ripping apart Ganon's cape. With a snarl, Ganon opens his arms out, telekinetically pushing away the five men. Removing his tattered cape and shoulder guards, he throws them at the advancing Midna. Using dark magic to morph her hair, she punches the objects out the way and lands in front of Ganondorf. Holding his trident back with her hair, she conjures a sword of light and thrusts it to Ganon's torso. He holds it back, struggling to do so as his hand sizzles in contact with the sword. The struggle slowly goes in Midna's favor at the tip pierces Ganon's skin, but the pain gives Ganon the adrenaline needed to overpower Midna. Wrestling the sword away from her, he punches her in the liver, disabling her long enough to get his trident free and strike its three-pronged tips at her.
Ganon is suddenly pushed back by an unknown entity, one he shortly deems to be Princess Zelda utilizing her time-manipulation ability. From behind, the red Link grabs Ganon using the golden gauntlets while Midna uses light magic on her hand to grab and bind Ganon's wrists and ankles. As he tries to wrangle free from his restraints, Zelda shoots him with multiple light arrows, subduing the Prince of Darkness temporarily. The Blue and Purple Links join and cut Ganon at his elbows and knees, disabling the limbs. Ganondorf throws his swords, chuckling it into Ganon's torso.
Downed and weakened, Ganon watches Link step up to him, the two blades that can seal evil gleaming in the night. "Looks like we got you rather quickly, Ganon."
"Heh heh heh heh...Gah!" Ganon chokes as he is impaled by both swords. He gasps as the holy powers run inside him, coursing in his arteries, veins, and nerves. Despite all of it, he ironically possesses a smirk.
Link ignores it as he turns to his allies. Taking his hand off the swords, his clones vanish, leaving him with Zelda, Midna, and Ganondorf. "Looks like we didn't need the Divine Beasts at all. Zelda, use the Silver end this."
"'End this,' you say," Ganon speaks. It barely registers to the four as the villain continues to succumb. "There will never be an end to this, not the way you desire it."
Zelda equips the Silver Bow and raises it. "There must be a way rather than destroying the world."
"The curse is bound to the land. I've seen it! If there was another way, you two would have done it by now. Killing the Hero didn't stop it. Killing me didn't, so none of us does anything to this cycle. Only the decimation of Hyrule can stop it."
Zelda frowns. "We'll see." As she draws the bowstring back, the arrow appears. Aiming for Ganon's torso, she fires the arrow. It flies directly at Ganon's chest, but at the last moment, just inches from Ganon's blackened heart, the arrow hits a different target.
The green robes of an alive Agahnim. Flinging the arrow off his clothing, the Dark Sorcerer waves his hands and project them at the four heroes. "Exhaurire magicaet!" Immediately Ganondorf, Zelda, and Midna begin to collapse, and Midna's binds on Ganon break. Link, the last man standing, watches in confusion as his friends' magic is drained from their bodies, the physical manifestation of their mana appearing as a stream of light heading for Agahnim's palm. Fearing attack, Link calls the Master Sword to him, but that proves to be a mistake. Ganon fights against his weakened state, drawing the Four Sword and the Sword of the Sages from his body. Freed, Ganon stands up, his body slowly closing his wounds.
"You still live, Agahnim."
"I hid long enough until the moment was right. That pathetic boy thought a mere strike of lightning was enough to take me out."
Ganondorf, kneeling, stares at Agahnim with fury. "A mistake I will not overlook again!"
"A chance you'll never regain." Agahnim turns around and presents the miasma of magic stolen from the teenagers. "Here you go, my lord, the magic of those brats."
"No!" Link rushes forward, but Agahnim shocks him with a bolt of lightning, forcing the Hero to collapse on his feet. However, it is not enough to deter Link. Agahnim notices this and faces Ganon.
"Take this power...and mine too. Use it to accomplish our goal, the destruction of Hyrule!" The miasma flows into Ganon rejuvenating him. As he groans, he grabs Agahnim by the throat and saps his most dedicated subordinate's mana. As Ganon begins to overflow with mana and hover in the air, Link gets to his feet and helps Zelda.
"Do you have any mana potions?"
"No. we've used them all."
"That's not all," Ganondorf says as he glares as the gleaming demon. "The Sage of Spirit's blessing… I cannot feel it."
"Same for me," Midna points out. "My powers as the Sage of Light and my natural Twili powers are gone. Either he literally drained so much mana we're completely empty…"
"Or Agahnim stripped us of all magic talent together." Zelda looks at Link's hand, concentrating as she moves it back and forth. After a moment, she bites her bottom lip. "No, my powers as the Sage of Time are still there. I only managed to pause time for less than a second. We're completely dry." Zelda looks up to Link, and for the first time ever, he sees Zelda shake in fear. "Link...we must run."
Link looks at Zelda in awe. "What?"
"For now...he's too strong. Even when we had him, he beat us. We might have to come to terms that we cannot defeat him yet...or at all."
"She's right." Link turns to Ganondorf, who stares at his ancestor with a frown. "Until the others are ready...there's no point in dying in a battle one cannot even fight."
"But you can, Link," Midna says as she points to his pouch. "Use the mask again, and until our friends attack, you must be the final bastion of the world!"
Link looks to his friends, seeing how they're all counting on him. With a smile, Link stands up and turns to face Ganon. "I wasn't going anywhere. Now you three...get out of here. Fi."
The spirit of the Master Sword appears. "Yes, Master?"
"Stick with Zelda. You are the only source that can communicate with us and the others. When the Divine Beasts are ready, let Zelda know."
"As you wish." Joining the others, Fi, Ganondorf, Zelda, and Midna stumble away from the scene. A thought crosses Link's mind, so he turns and calls to Zelda.
"Zelda."
"Yes?"
"When the moment comes, do not hesitate. No matter what." Not listening for Zelda's reply, Link turns away and takes the Fierce Deity mask. "Here we go again." Link places the mask on his face and lets the transformation take place. Back to his powerful form, Link places the Four Sword away and takes the Master Sword as his weapon of choice. Standing in place, he stares silently at Ganon.
"Zelda... I never have seen you scared before. You've always put on a brave face, ever when the fighting got tough. Part of me feels relieved to know you know when to run because for as long as I've known you, you never ran. Retreat, sure, but never running away. And Ganondorf, the strongest of us all… I have never known you to acknowledge that you are too weak to fight back. You didn't even look defeated, though, not this time I guess. You accepted your weakness and decided to be smart about it. You've changed the most out of all of us." Link clenches the blade, staring at his reflection. "Link...they're counting on you."
"You still stand against me, Hero?" Link looks to the grounded Ganon a few feet away. "Admirable, but foolish. Maybe earlier you may have matched me, but now, you're but a roach. One that doesn't know its place, that persists no matter what is done to it. You step on it, you smash it, but against all logic, you still manage to squirm. Out of all the heroes I've faced, in this history and the others, you are the most impressive. I've broken your spirit, dismantled your courage, I threw everything I could at you to make you fall and yet you stand. If this is what the one I come from felt when he stood before the Hero of Sky, then yes, I do agree with him. You are truly a paragon of humanity." Ganon looks to his left, seeing the golden greatsword that belongs to his descendant. Picking it up, he takes a great analytical glance at it. "This sword...it looks familiar. Maybe I've seen it in another lifetime. Something a sage would wield, and if it is in possession of my descendant, it must've belonged to her, the woman I once loved. To hold it fills me with desire. To use this foul blade and blot out the light forever."
Snapping his fingers, a barrier of fire forms around the pair. He wants to keep them separate from the others, Link believes. Then this is it. A final battle between the Hero and the Demon. Lowering the sword, Ganon looks at Link. "Your friends, your Zelda… I want you to know that I can kill each of them without any effort now. I want you to know that even Vaati is vulnerable. I want you to know that the Triforce will be mine, and not even your gods can prevent that. I want you to know all of that, so when you fall, the world comes to its end."
Link shakes his head. "Never."
"Then I suggest you remember your courage to the very end. I will, in this world's final moments." Ganon raises a fist, igniting his aura with tremendous power. It feels overwhelming to Link, but nothing today has been short of overwhelming. So he stands in place, not letting Ganon's taunt frighten him. Instead, aa memory, deep within his brain comes to the forefront.
"When I was young, my father once told me stories of a hero who defeated evil in his younger days. At the time, that hero was dead to the world, but his accomplishments outlived him. It was my favorite stories, to hear of a hero I never met. But one time I asked my father why he always talks about it, how he remembers all of it. He answered with words that stuck with me for most of my life, and now, here, at this moment, I remember them, so I will relay them to you. You spoke of me needing to remember my courage?" Link holds the Master Sword in front of him, prepared for the final fight. "Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten."
Link jogs over to Ganon, crossing blades with the demon for what will be the last time.
If he was paying attention, he would hear a distant roar of awakening from the mountains.
Ralph
The skies echo the cry of Divine Beast Vah Ruta as the machine breaks the water's surface upon its ascent. As Ruta makes landfall, it exposes its interior. Walking outside to the balcony on the front left leg, King Ralph and Oracle of Ages Nayru of Labrynna examine the movements of the machine. Once fully on land, it comes to a halt and grounds itself, awaiting further commands.
"We've made it back to Hyrule, finally." Ralph folds his arms and looks to the west. "Seems we're just in time, though it is bothering me I cannot sense Zelda, Ganondorf, or Midna."
"You worry too much, Ralph," Nayru says as she places a hand on Ralph's shoulder. "I bet they're fine, just fighting hard as you know them to do."
Ralph shrugs. "Yeah, than could be true. But I wish I could aid them more than this. But I can feel Link, and if anyone can beat Ganon, it is him. Let us be the first to aid him!" Ralph points in the general direction of Saria and gives Vah Ruta his orders. "Vah Ruta, aim and lock on to the great darkness that is Ganon! Let the Hero know help has come!"
Riju
As Naboris settles in the plains north of the city, Riju can see the remnants of the Resistance camping there. Is this the group that made it out of the city during Vaati and Ganon's fight? Or is it Sheik's? Riju doesn't know, doesn't care much to know. Not much she can say to them, they can't do much against Ganon right now.
"You think the king is okay?" The Bulblin King asks Riju. Unconsciously she nods, though it isn't much she can say to confirm it. Ganondorf has the blessing of the Sage of Spirit and she cannot sense him, so she cannot dictate if he is truly alive based on his mind or mana.
"Don't worry," Ravio says behind her. "Everyone is alive."
"Good," she replies. As she stares in the night, she sees a bright beam of red come from the east towards the city. So someone else has joined. Is that Ralph or Midna? Sighing, Riju pets the Divine Beast. "Naboris, you share the name of my ancestor. I guess it is only fitting I command you, huh? Ganondorf is in the city, fighting his ancestor… What he said earlier, I know it to be true. Maybe in another lifetime, I could accept those words in my heart. But another stands at his side, and my role is to be behind him. I am quite happy with that, Naboris. For a destiny as great as his, he needs somehow to have his back. Now, let's now dally any longer. Take aim upon Ganon!"
Hilda
With a guttural groan, Vah Rudania rises like a phoenix from the mouth of Death Mountain. Smoke billowing from the volcano below, the Divine Beast pokes its upper out in the direction of Saria, gazing down upon it.
Descending on its head is Hilda and Oren, the women successful in reawakening the first beast they encountered. As they settle down, they step around to get a good view of the town below. It is now decimated to the ground, a deadly battleground between good and evil. Hilda kneels downs, sighing in disbelief. "I hope we're not too late."
"Midna, Zelda, and Ganondorf," Oren says softly, "I cannot detect them. Yet… I do not fear the worse." She takes a glance further north. "My sister… They're out of danger."
Hilda nods. "Good to know. Now I wonder how I operate this thing now… Oh." One after the other, two beams of red light head towards the east side of the town. Standing up, Hilda takes a deep breath. "This is it. We end things here, then we go to Vaati."
Oren nods. "Then we end this war once and for all."
"We've come a long way these last few years… Let's lend the others our support, Vah Rudania."
Midna
Midna stares up at the three beams of light as they converge just east of where she, Zelda, Fi, and Ganondorf settled. Fi had alerted them moments ago that the Beasts were prepared to strike. Ralph, Hilda, and Riju have joined the fight with Ruta, Rudania, and Naboris. Now Midna and Medoh must answer the call.
Ganondorf folds his arms as he glances at the women. "This is it."
Zelda nods. "Indeed." Looking forward, she holds the Silver Bow in the direction of Link and Ganon's battle. She doesn't draw back, she just holds it in a mix of unease and determination. "This is our last chance at Ganon. Midna, call on Medoh."
Midna nod. "For the world, all worlds… Medoh, join the others." From the western mountains where Vah Medoh sits, a burst of red light travels through the air, colliding with the other beams above where Link and Ganon fight.
Link
A fourth beam of light joins the others as Link and Ganon separate. Link clutches his left oblique as blood oozes from the fresh wound. He cannot call upon Mipha's power anymore; if he lost it and Daruk's during Agahnim's sacrifice, he regained it with the mask, but he just used it a minute earlier. He'll have to wait it out...if he can.
Ganon, suffering his own fresh wounds, gazes up to the red light above them. "What is this? What are you and your pathetic friends doing?" Link doesn't respond, only charging in for a spin attack that Ganon barely parries. In that same motion, Ganon swings his blade horizontally; Link barely ducks in time, but as he lifts up, he takes his right hand out his pouch and throws an item from it at Ganon. It so happens to be the most outrageous one, a fishing rod. It smacks Ganon in the face, enough to distract the Prince of Darkness as he contemplates that Link used a fishing rod as a weapon. So distracted he is that Ganon doesn't notice Link preparing his next attack until its too late.
With Farore's mark on his hand, Link shoots a yellow light out towards Ganon, locking the Demon King once more in the inescapable Triforce cage. Before he leaps forward, a sudden realization haunts his mind. He's not going to be able to escape this. That beam...it is going to hit him too. It'll severely weaken Ganon, almost make him lost all power, but Link…
Turning his eyes back to his foe, he leaps forward, striking Ganon with a flurry of strikes. "This is my world, Ganon! This is my world!" At the end of the strikes, Link steps back and, instead of a strong strike, Link thrusts the Master Sword into Ganon's heart. "Ahhhhh! Fi!"
"Master," he hears Fi say in his mind. Despite the robotic tone, she conveys worry.
"Fi… Do it now!"
"...Master Ralph, Ladies Midna, Hilda, and Riju...give the command to fire."
Ganon grunts as pain shoots within his chest. "No!" He tries to attack Link with the Sword of Sages, but it is loosened from its hand as its true wielder, Ganondorf, telekinetically disarms his ancestor. Shaken by the loss of his weapon, he is surprised yet again by a series of blinding flashes in his face. Link realizes that flash came from Deku Nuts, a trademark possession of the Sheikah. With Ganon stunned, a second, third, and fourth Master Sword pierces him to hold him down. Link holds the Four Sword, but by some sense, he decided the Master Sword is worthy along with finishing Ganon. The other one is for Vaati.
"Alright, Ganon, you son of a bitch. Brace yourself for your own demise!"
"For the Gerudo pride you have forsaken so long ago, this is the vengeance of a united Gerudo!"
"First we will rid of you, then of Vaati, So say I, Hilda of Lorule!"
"Link, you placed your hopes in us! We'll save this world and all others!"
Four blue beams converge in the sky about Link and Ganon, and the Hero closes his eyes as he prepares for the impact. "Zelda...do not hesitate…" Blue light cascades around both Link and Ganon, the Demon King howling as Link shudders as the Fierce Deity's own dark power is drained. Within seconds, he loses the transformation as the masks shatter on his face. But Link hangs on, holding the Master Sword and glaring at Ganon's face. "Zelda...this is our world...make it better...only you can…"
As Link feels his strength slipping (his clones already vanquished), he sees a silver light between Ganon's yellow eyes. She did it...they did it. "Hah!" Link uses the last of his power to drive the Master Sword fully into Ganon as the boar sputters out his final cry.
Zelda
The world becomes quiet as the Divine Beasts' attack ceases. Zelda, Fi, Ganondorf, and Midna slowly. The sword spirit flies in front of the trio quietly, not telling them whether Ganon has been exterminated. But something did happen; Zelda can feel her power and the two beside her powers returned. But some other sensation, some other stimuli tells Zelda that they were successful. She just doesn't know it now.
Fi suddenly stops as the four come to where they last left Link and Ganon. As Sheik predicted, the destruction is minimalized to this small area. She turns to Zelda. "Your Grace, I can confirm that Ganon has been annihilated." Zelda looks back at Fi, staring hard at the spirit's blank face. No, there is something else she isn't saying. Something she either doesn't know or something she doesn't want to tell Zelda and the others.
"Fi, what are you withholding?"
Fi looks away. "There is a great chance that Ganon's annihilation might...have undone the wish that brought him back. The people sacrificed to bring him back were not dead." Zelda looks to Ganondorf and Midna. They seem hopeful in this hypothesis, but this is theirs alone. Impa, Spryte, they died long before Agahnim betrayed Vaati. Zelda sighs and looks to the torched battleground, spotting a kneeling figure in the midst of it. She leaves Midna and Ganondorf behind in their celebration, stepping alone to the man.
"Sheik…"
Sheik looks up to Zelda, tears dripping down his face "Princess… I'm so sorry." Zelda looks over Sheik's shoulder and her jaw drops. Her knees lose their ability to hold her up, so she collapses and throws her body on Link's. She places her head by his heart, hoping to hear it beat.
"Your Grace… He's gone."
Zelda rises up, her face quiet and dry. She reaches over to the Master Sword, placing it on Link's torso. As she does so, Ganondorf, the sages, and the Resistance comes around her. The Gerudo King and Chief drop a few feet away, kneeling with their weapons implanted in the ground. One by one, the men and women of the Resistance perform the same ritual, taking a knee while planting their weapon.
Ravio and Hilda take a position on the other side of Link's body. The Forest Sage places his hand on Link's heart, the girls look to him, hoping for a similar fate to Riju. Ravio removes his hand seconds later, sighing and shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
Hilda looks up to the sky, then begins to sing. "Sleeper wake, dreams will fade, although we cling fast."
Ravio joins her in the next verse. "Was it real, what we saw? I believe."
Zelda stands and looks to Sheik, her eyes barely containing the swelling tears. "I… I cannot mourn him. Not yet. I want to cry, to scream, but I just can't do it right now. Not while Vaati is still a threat."
"Lost in dreams, we sleep on, tossing and turning."
"Right now?"
Zelda nods. "Right now."
"Stay with me, by my side, never leave."
"Zelda," She turns to Ganondorf, who now stands and stares towards the northern horizon. In his hand is his Sword of Sages and Ganon's Trident of Power. "We got no time to waste. Link wouldn't want us to hesitate a moment longer."
Oren agrees. "Vaati, Veran, and Twinrova… We end this tonight."
"What if the worst comes? If someday this sweet revelry ends, we too, our memories, for real, fade us by?"
"Veran." Ralph draws his Noble Sword and sets it ablaze. "I still got unfinished business with that witch. As agreed upon, she is mine."
"Ours," Nayru says, holding her spear. "She will pay for what she did to me and Din."
Riju caresses the scar on her abdomen. "You can have her. I have a cousin who needs to know her place."
"Dream with me by the sea, we watch the waves crash."
"I'm going too," Sheik says. "I've watched too long from the sidelines, and maybe it is because I would get in the way, but I would rather be in the way than not there at all."
"So are we," Daruk says, siding with Mipha and Kafei. Many of the other Hylians stand up and begin to cheer.
Midna stands beside Hilda and Ravio, smiling. "We are all going. This is the final stand. If we can beat Ganon, we can beat Vaati. Me, you, and Ganondorf, together."
Zelda looks all around her. These people...her people...Link's sacrifice has renewed their hope. In his death, he gave more to them than in life. In life, he was Link Koroks of Ordon Village. In death, he is the Hero of the Resistance. Without him...Hyrule might have truly been lost.
"By now, Vaati will have noticed Ganon's departure. Midna, are your forces ready?"
"Yes."
"Fi… What will you do?"
"Anything you ask, Your Grace."
"Very well." Zelda picks up the Four Sword and holds it up. "We all heard the stories of the hero and princess defeating evil. To many of us, our parents told us the story of what happened three decades ago. Some of you are older than that and lived through it. But the stories...you hear the legends, you give your own rendition, your own version of how the chosen two acted. But tonight, you witnessed it. You didn't kive to hear it, you saw it with your own eyes! Link and I took the battlefield. The Gerudo, a Twili, a Sheikah, Loruleans, Labrynnians, Goron, and Zoras, we joined together to fight Ganon. You witnessed Ganon's fall." Zelda glances down at Link, blinking her eyes to fight back tears...unsuccessfully. "The hero might have died, but legends...they endure. He lives in each and every one of us. Link gave his life to give us hope and courage, and I see it in each of you. The courage to go and take back our land from evil. He gave us a ray of light and we will honor it! We will follow his example. We will follow it his courage, with his unbroken spirit, with his heroism. Hyrule! We take this fight now to Vaati, to Veran, to Twinrova… We take this fight to North Castle!"
"Hold my hand, think of me, and I'll fly."
"So Ganon has been defeated...and Link has fallen as well." Vaati shifts himself on his throne. He takes a glance at the two women standing beside a downed bearded man and a redheaded woman and points to the exit of the throne room. "Veran, Koume, the Resistance is coming. It is time."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As the Imperial women leave, Vaati glances as the remaining two, but more specifically, the woman. "Ezlo, my master, your plan is in shambles. Your hero is dead."
"But not all hope is lost, Vaati."
"You are right. There's still a little time left." Vaati holds his right hand up, showing the others the Triforce. Its power has almost recovered. "But by the time your ray of hope arrives, I doubt she'll be here in time. I will have my wish granted, and then, Master Ezlo and Queen Zelda, you will know what failure tastes like..."
Queen Zelda stares at Vaati without fear. "My daughter will not cede to you."
Vaati cracks a half-smile. "Oh, I know..."