Death and Despair
Zelda appeared in the graveyard, at the entrance to the Shadow Temple, and hopped over the fence. She sprinted through the graveyard and into the main area of Kakariko. She could easily sense Dark Link waiting in their house just as he had said. She knew exactly what he was: an amalgamation of the darkness within Link's heart. Even the purest souls had some sort of dark side and Dark Link was his.
Once she arrived at the doorstep, she opened the door and saw that he was not there. She checked the bedroom and still found him absent, despite sensing him nearby. "Get out here, coward!" she yelled. Suddenly, her sword was grabbed out of her hand and she saw him standing right there beside her. He tossed the sword out the window and tackled her to the floor.
He pinned her down and said, "Now then, where did we last leave off?"
Peach popped her head out of the mouth of the well, clearly hearing Zelda's screams. At first, they had started out frightened and pleading. Now, they were more similar to the sort that had ruined her sleep. Peach knew exactly what was going on and immediately climbed out of the well. She saw Zelda's sword off to the side and picked it up. She ran up the stairs and opened the door. She walked to the bedroom and her stomach turned upon seeing Dark Link thrusting Zelda against the bedpost. Her clothing was torn open to the point where she might as well have been nude, while Dark Link appeared fully clothed, since he was essentially a shadow.
"Looks like we have a visitor, dear," Link said, twisting his neck to glance at Peach.
"Leave us at once!" Zelda yelled at her, clinging to him.
"Zelda, let me help you," Peach pleaded. "That's not the real Link. Do you know what he tried to do to me?"
"I wish he had killed you," she spat. "You don't deserve him. And now he's mine. Mine!"
"Let her go!" Peach yelled at Dark Link.
"Do you hear that?" Dark Link said to Zelda. "She wants me to abandon you."
"Never!" Zelda moaned.
"Let her go, you monster!" Peach said, brandishing the sword and stepping forward. She was blasted back by Zelda's Shining Ray.
"Don't you dare threaten him!" Zelda growled. "I will kill you before you touch him!"
"Zelda…" Peach winced, getting up as she held her wounded shoulder. "You have to listen to me… Malon's in danger…She'll die if we don't help her…"
"I hope she dies too!" Zelda replied viciously. "I don't need anyone as long as I have Link! And I don't want any competition…"
"You don't mean that… You can't mean that… Malon's your best friend and…"
"And quite the farmer's daughter," Dark Link snickered. "I had planned to visit her after the barrier was down, but oh well. I just hope her corpse is relatively intact…"
"Ew! Zelda, can't you see that he's using you?"
"I don't care! He's mine and I won't let you, Malon, or anyone else have him!" She emphasized her point by shooting Peach with a ray from each hand.
"Ah!" Peach yelped, being knocked against the door. Still she rose and tried to reason with her. "Zelda, fight him…I don't want to do this…"
"Why won't you just stay down and die like the others!" Zelda screamed, blasting her against the door and once again while she was down.
"…I've been in more fights than you'll ever probably have to go through," Peach said in a pained voice, standing up once again. "I can take more abuse than you can…I don't want you to suffer anymore…Please, just…" She suddenly lost her voice as her throat was tightened by Zelda's psychic hold. She was raised into the air, unable to breath.
"I…will…crush you!" Zelda said, squeezing her hand closed.
"I'm so sorry…" Peach managed to squeak. "I…hope you can…forgive me…" Her usual pink aura overtook her and flowed into Zelda.
Zelda suddenly gasped and dropped Peach immediately. She looked at Dark Link in horror and shuddered, unable to believe this was happening.
"Something wrong?" Dark Link smiled, realizing his little spell was broken.
"Aaaaah! Get away!" she screamed, pushing away from him as he locked his arms around her to press deeper. "Stop! Get away from me, you evil thing!"
"There we go," he grunted, holding her against the bed.
"PEACH, HELP!"
"Get away from her!" Peach growled, slicing the sword into his shoulder. He dissolved into a shadow on the floor and blended in with the shadows all over the house. Zelda rolled off the bed and huddled into a corner, trembling and sobbing in a fetal position.
"Keep him away!" she shivered.
"Show yourself!" Peach yelled.
"So, you think you can take me on in a swordfight," he said, rising out of the floor with his shadow sword and shield.
"Try me!" Peach said, taking her stance. "En garde!"
"Oh, please…You call that a…" He was unable to finish as she took a swipe at him, which he blocked with his own sword. He matched her blow for blow, but was surprised at her impressive technique. As he hopped onto the bed to get higher ground, she jumped and floated in place to get a height advantage on him. He had not seen this coming and was hit by the sword as it twirled in her hand. He disappeared once again and she dropped back to the floor awaiting his next appearance.
"Ah!" Zelda yelped, quickly scampering to the other side of the room, as Dark Link appeared where she had been.
"You're nothing but pure evil," Peach scowled, as Zelda crawled out of the room. "You don't deserve any mercy."
"You're better at this than I gave you credit for," he said, running at her to slash. She twirled around him and slashed his back. He disappeared once again. There was a creak at the front door and Peach ran there and saw Zelda huddled in another corner.
"Leave me alone!" she cried.
"Where is he?"
"At the door!"
Peach moved to the door and opened it, not seeing anything there.
"Right here!" he said, lunging at her from behind. She moved just in time for him to miss and break through the door instead. Too her surprise, however, he did a spin slash immediately after, knocking her painfully through the weakened brick wall. She quickly healed herself in time to begin defending against his many swipes. Fortunately, they were slow and predictable enough by her standards to defend against. She moved her sword to her left hand and continued to defend. Suddenly, she parried a slash and slapped him three times in the face, knocking him to the ground and allowing her to make a heavy slash while he was on the ground.
"How's that?" Peach said, as he disappeared into the ground.
"You know," his voice echoed around her, "the nice thing about being evil is that you tend not to care about being a fiend." He suddenly appeared in front of her and she slashed. Her sword passed right through the illusion and he grabbed her from behind. He laughed as he made her drop her sword and pulled her away.
"Let me go!" she struggled.
"We might as well continue from where we left off in the temple," he said, groping her.
"Oh, no you don't!" she said, ramming her rear into him. To the surprise of both of them, he was knocked back several feet.
"That's truly is a peach you have there, but you're not getting away that easily!" he said, rushing in and tackling her. As he began to tear at her dress, she turned over onto her stomach and attempted to crawl away. "Gotcha!" he said, grabbing the side of her panties through a hole torn open in her dress.
"Hey, cut it out!" she protested, grabbing onto them herself as he tried to remove them.
"Let's see if you've got the other kind of peach," he said, tugging at them, pulling her closer to him in the process.
"You pervert!" she screamed, kicking him as she turned onto her back. Still holding on, he scooped her up to her feet and held her close.
"Come on, now," he said, using his other hand to snap her bra strap. "You saw how much Zelda enjoyed it." He slid his hand onto her bare chest through another torn hole.
She cringed angrily and kneed him in the groin.
"Bitch!" he gasped, grabbing her even more roughly.
"Ow! Stop that!"
"These are mine now!" he said, squeezing her breast. The hand that had been tugging at her panties slipped in and grabbed onto her behind.
"I said STOP IT!" she yelled.
"Or else you'll do what?" he said, squeezing even harder and pressing her close enough for their noses to touch. "Sic Zelda on me?" Peach glanced and could barely see Zelda still sobbing fearfully in the corner in the house.
Peach pulled away as he attempted to kiss her and simply headbutted him repeatedly. When his grasp was broken, she grabbed his head and continued to headbutt him, despite how much it hurt. He suddenly disappeared and locked her arms from behind once again.
"That wasn't very nice," he said in a low, angry voice. "You're more of a bitch than a saint, you know that? Not even Zelda played that dirty when she first resisted."
"Let me go!"
"Not until I get you under control," he whispered into her ear. "And since you're being so testy about your underwear, I'll just have to take your heart the classic way…with nice full-tongued kiss." When she immediately began to struggled even more, he brought her to the ground and straddled her to keep her arms still.
"Stop it! Help! Zelda! Someone!"
"Don't worry. You'll learn to enjoy it….Strange how that crown stays on your head like that." He removed the distracting crown and tossed it aside. He lifted her head up and arched down to her. As she persistently turned away from him, he grabbed her face and brought it closer. There lips pressed together, but she kept them sealed and clenched her teeth. "Stop struggling!" He roughly pressed her face against his, but she was able to keep her teeth clenched. Then, he performed the dreaded purple nurple.
"Ouch!" she yelped. It was enough for him to force his tongue into her mouth. She whimpered as he held her face in such away that she would not be able to close her mouth on him. She could feel his dark grasp wrap around her mind, while his hands gradually slipped down to her chest and rear once again.
"You're mine, now," she heard his thoughts as his tongue searched her mouth. Despite feeling him mentally, she noticed nothing else happening. He, however, began to feel a burning sensation. When she noticed that he seemed to be in pain and was beginning to pull away, she held him in place. He began to scream into her and thrashed about, attempting to get away. When he removed his tongue, she frowned at what she was about to do. As he began to desperately beat her, she slipped her own tongue into his mouth, causing him to scream even more. A pink aura began to overtake him as she embraced him.
"I pity you," her thoughts spoke to him. "If you can't take a simple kiss from a pure soul, just imagine what would have happened if you had attempted to take my purity…" She eventually let him go and began to spit, trying to get the taste of him out of her mouth. He was still thrashing about on the ground in pain. Once she was sure she had cleaned her mouth as much as she could for the time being, she turned to him and cupped her hands.
"Shining Star," she spoke solemnly, "return this dark fragment to the pure soul from which it has strayed." The Shining Star rose out of her and turned to her, communicating something to her. She turned her head in surprise, "…Oh…really? Well…at least put him out of his misery." The Shining Star circled around him and he melted away. It returned to her as she placed her crown atop her head.
She ran into the house and found Zelda still in the same condition. "Zelda, it's time to go."
"Keep him away!"
"He's gone, now. I destroyed him. You don't have to be scared of him anymore. Now, we have to go…"
"Why is this all happening to me," Zelda whimpered.
"I'm sorry, Zelda, but there's no time for this. Malon's in trouble, remember? She might die if we don't hurry."
"I don't think I can do anything," Zelda said. "It hurts to walk and…"
"Maybe you should just stay here," Peach said, getting a blanket from a cabinet and wrapping it around her. "I'll be right back as soon as I help…"
"Don't leave me here!" Zelda said, clinging to her leg. "What if someone else comes and…"
Peach sighed and used her healing magic on her. "That should help, at least. Now, come on."
"He didn't rape you too, did he?" Zelda asked, noticing the revealing tears in her clothing.
"He didn't get that far," Peach said, taking her hand. "Now we have to hurry."
"How do you know Malon is in trouble?" she asked, being pulled along.
"When I fell into the River of the Dead, I met the Sage of Death. She sensed that both you and Malon were close to death. She showed me the way out so I could help."
"…I wish I could have died instead…"
"You mustn't say things like that," Peach said as they ran down the stairs outside of Kakariko Village. "Never give up hope."
"I'm not sure I can take much more," Zelda said as they stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "I married an evil spirit; I helped the wrong Impa; they slept together; and I was violated by that wretched being…We have to save Malon…but how will we reach her in time? There's no warp there…"
Peach began to sing Epona's song.
"How do you know that song?"
"Apparently, my mother knew Malon's mother," Peach said after finishing. She had no idea what would happen, but she was sure it would do something. Fortunately, Epona the horse galloped into view and stopped next to them. Peach climbed aboard and offered to help Zelda up.
"I'm not sure I'm quite up this," she said hesitantly, climbing up. She sat side-saddled and added, "but if it's for Malon's sake, I'll try." Peach directed Epona straight toward Lon Lon Ranch. It was a quiet ride. Zelda could see the determined look on Peach's face and respected her strength. It was easy to see from the positioning of the large holes in her clothing that she had been ravaged by Dark Link, yet she somehow was preoccupied with the welfare of others. Then, a thought came to her.
"Peach."
"Yes?"
"How did you destroy him?"
"…He kissed me," she replied hesitantly. "It hurt him badly. Then, I just finished him with the Shining Star."
"A kiss…" Zelda repeated to herself.
It was sunset by the time they reached their destination and the twilight sky was crimson as blood. As Epona galloped through the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch, she seemed exhausted. In fact, the moment Peach and Zelda slid off, her legs buckled and she fell over.
"Hang in there," Peach said, patting the horse before turning toward the pasture. Growls and grunts that would only come from monsters could be heard. The two looked and saw one or more figures disappear in a light up ahead.
"I'll check the house," Peach said, handing Zelda her sword. "You check the pasture."
"Right…" Zelda said, stepping forward as Peach entered. Zelda heard Peach scream from inside and froze in place. A black Giga Koopa tackled Peach through the wall of the house and through the barn across from it. "Peach!"
"Don't worry about me!" Peach yelled, crawling away from the mutant turtle in the shambles of the barn door and scattered hay. "Help Malon!" The Giga Koopa got to its feet and tackled her against the wall. Zelda looked away and moved toward the pasture. She glanced through the hole in the house and saw dozens of motionless bodies, at least some of which were obviously dead. They were the same types she had seen when she first visited the tavern. However, the Gerudo were suspiciously not present. She suddenly heard footsteps in the grass ahead.
"Zelda?" Malon said, coming around the corner. She was holding her bloody shoulder and had scratches all over her face. Her blouse was ripped open and she had the mark of a claw across her chest. She seemed to be limping as well. She looked terrified. The clawed hand of a Giga Koopa burst through the corner of the house, grabbing the top of her skull, and pulled her back around the house, carelessly scraping her against the splintered wall in the process.
"Malon!" Zelda shrieked, still clearly hearing Peach being attacked by the other mutant. Zelda ran around the house and saw Malon being choked against the ground by the Giga Koopa. Zelda began to charge her Shining Ray. Malon saw it and seemed to panic, resorting to biting the Giga Koopa to get loose. Before Zelda could fire, Peach was tossed into her, plowing her over. The Giga Koopa pursuing Peach smacked Zelda out of the way and bodyslammed Peach.
"Help!" Malon screamed, breaking away from her attacker and running. A Stalfos rose out of the ground in front of her and slashed her across the torso, sending her spinning back through the air. Zelda's mind flashed back to the dream she had back in Delfino and her eyes grew wide. It was happening. Malon had the familiar large bloody gash across her chest. She rolled away from the monsters and scampered away. She yelped as she fell on her face before Zelda. The Stalfos had plunged its sword into her back. She gazed up at Zelda pleadingly as the Stalfos ripped its sword out.
As the Stalfos picked her up, Zelda was about to slash it. Suddenly, Peach flew by and slammed into the wall next to her. The Giga Koopa attacking her was panting and sweating a great deal. It got onto all-fours and rammed through Zelda and into Peach, sending her increasingly limp body through the wall. Zelda got up and ran at the Stalfos and Giga Koopa savagely beating Malon against the wall. She aimed to strike them. They saw her at the last second and sidestepped, leaving Zelda to inadvertently stab Malon through the base of her throat. Both young women gasped at what had just happened, though Malon's was clipped for obvious reasons. Zelda's shaky hand released the sword. It had been jammed all the way into the wooden wall behind Malon. As Zelda slowly backed away, the nearby Giga Koopa punched her away. She lay on the ground, still shocked at what she had just done. Malon had grabbed onto the bare blade, and was weakly making a futile effort to remove it, cutting her hands in the process. The Stalfos chuckled at her pain and kicked her in the jaw. Then, it moved toward Zelda. The Giga Koopa lumbered along tiredly. The Stalfos raised its sword to finish Zelda, but suddenly fell to pieces. The Giga Koopa weakly raised its arm, but it fell limp at its side. It gave a final reptilian roar and keeled over. Zelda slowly crawled to Malon and looked into her eyes.
"Malon…I didn't mean to…It was an accident," she choked.
"Why, Zelda?" Malon rasped, as a tear rolled down her left cheek. Her cut and bloodied hands slipped away from blade and to her side. She was choking on her own blood.
Zelda looked around panickedly. She grabbed the hilt and pulled the sword out. Malon eyes widened in pain and she fell over. Zelda sat her up and called out, "Peach! Peach, hurry!" She could hear her still fighting with the Giga Koopa in the crumbling house. The house rumbled and collapsed on itself. "Peach!" Zelda cried. She did not want to leave Malon, yet she worried for Peach's life. Peach was raised out of the shambles, being held by her throat. The Giga Koopa rose out and roared at her. Peach had taken a beating, but she was not beaten. She sent a swift kick to the Giga Koopa's face and it fell over.
"I'm coming," she said, quickly coming out of the wreckage. She froze when she saw Zelda and Malon in a growing pool of blood.
"Hurry, damn you!" Zelda screamed. When Peach still stood in place, Zelda forcefully pulled Peach over with her psychic hold and yelled. "Heal her, now!"
"Blood…" Peach shivered. Zelda took her by the throat and shook her.
"Snap out of it, dammit!" When Peach continued to stare, Zelda angrily took her sword to Peach's throat and seethed, "If I lose Malon, I swear to Din I will kill you!"
"I…I…I can't," Peach whimpered.
"What do you mean you can't! Zelda bellowed, forcefully pulling her by her hair toward the blade. "Heal her… Revive her! Do it!"
"Zelda…you're hurting me," Peach said fearfully.
Zelda's face softened and became filled with distraught. "What am I doing? I'm acting just like Sheik…"
"What?"
"Please, Peach…" Zelda said, tossing her sword away and cupping her hands. "She's the only person I have left…I've lost the other important people in my life…I don't want to lose her…"
"But Zelda…I can't," Peach said.
"Please, I beg of you!" Zelda sobbed, bowing on her knees. "Try! Please, just do something!"
"…Okay…I'll try…" Peach said unsurely. She turned to Malon, attempting to ignore the red liquid around her. She cupped her hands and prayed. "Come back, Malon…" Absolutely nothing happened. "Come back, Malon!" Peach yelled. Her voice echoed into the distance as a warm wind blew from the east.
"Why isn't it working?" Zelda asked, panicking. "She should be okay now, shouldn't she? She's just sleeping, right? She'll be up after some rest, yes?"
"Zelda, I'm sorry…"
"No!" Zelda cried, sitting Malon up once again. "She's going to be fine, no matter what you say. Come on, Malon…Wake up! It's me, Zelda…your best friend, remember?"
Peach frowned sadly and rose to her feet, wandering off into the pasture, seemingly looking for something.
"Okay, Malon, this isn't funny anymore!" Zelda said frantically. "Please, just wake up! Say something! I don't even care about Link anymore! You can have him! I only need you!" She stared at Malon's unmoving body and held her close, whispering, "Please…don't leave me… You're all I have left…" Zelda laid her head against Malon's chest, hoping to feel the gentle rise and fall she had always been able to count on. She did not even hear a heartbeat now. She slowly sat up, forced to face the cold truth of reality as another shrill wind blew from the east. She looked up and saw Peach leaning against the fence on the far side of the pasture, looking into sky above the silo. Zelda looked back down to Malon's pale face. There was a saddened expression on her face. It was probably because of what Zelda had ended up doing to her.
Zelda felt a familiar rage build up inside herself. It was the same rage that appeared just before she had confronted Dark Link. She stood up and looked angrily into the sky. "Why have you done this to me! Why me! Why her! Why Hyrule! Answer me! Damn you Farore! Damn you Din!" She fell to her knees as she whispered, "Damn you Nayru… How could you do this? Do I truly deserve this? Does anyone truly deserve this? All I wanted was peace…" She kneeled before Malon's body and watched as the bleeding slowed. She stared into her pale face, as the sun continued to wane. Her mood had returned to the point it was before she broke the Shadow Barrier. "It seems that the Goddesses have abandoned me…Death and despair are my only company now…Cruel Destiny has only brought me false peace and false salvation…yet, no end." She picked up her sword and stared at it.
"It seems that I must bring it to an end myself," she said aloud. "And once I am dead, I will be with her once again…and the suffering will end." She aimed to plunge the sword into her stomach.
"Zelda, no!" Peach cried, suddenly tackling her from the side. Peach pinned her down and grabbed the sword.
"Let me go!" Zelda yelled angrily, trying to yank it away. "I want to die!"
"No you don't!" Peach protested. "You can't give up like this!"
"There's nothing worth living for anymore, dammit!" Zelda said, rolling on top of her.
"But Zelda!"
"No! I don't want to hear it! I can't stand it anymore! I don't have my Impa…instead I have a bastardization that only cares about power. I married an evil shadow and gave myself to him in the most shameful ways imaginable…and then, when the truth is revealed…he rapes me…"
"Zelda…"
"Silence," Zelda said coldly. "He almost got you too! And while you have a strong resolve to protect others, I can only disregard myself so much…I'm not as strong as you, Peach…I need to rely on others…But now, all my friends and family are essentially gone. What's worse, I'm the reason why…I could have stayed to help Link before all of this happened. I could have defeated the infernal Light side of Impa… I could have let Saria kill me in the first place…And now, I kill Malon…my best friend…and there's no bringing her back."
"Yes there is!" Peach slapped her.
Zelda, in a daze, said, "…What? How?"
"I met her mother. She knows what's going on."
Peach led her into Malon's secret room in the silo. Zelda had been carrying Malon's body at Peach's advisement. Peach had pulled her body through and Zelda joined her.
"Now, where is her mother?" Zelda asked.
"Right here," a voice echoed. It sounded like a fully mature version of Malon's voice. Zelda was somewhat startled by the omnipresent voice. "Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I did this…" A ghostly white image of a woman that looked nearly identical to Malon appeared. The only real difference was that her expression seemed slightly less cheery and more passive.
"My goodness…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zelda," the ghostly figure smiled gently.
"Hel…Hello…"
"Don't be frightened. I merely need to provide you some instruction."
"Please forgive me for what happened to…"
"Don't fret…It was not truly your fault. I believe outside forces have been setting you up…"
"Outside forces?" Zelda inquired.
"There is no time to discuss such things, now," she spoke kneeling before her fallen daughter. "If you are to save Malon, even myself and the rest of Hyrule, you must stop the Sage of Spirit at once. She is absorbing the souls and spiritsof all things, be they alive, dead, or even inanimate. If she is not stopped, she will absorb all spirits within Hyrule. She has already begun to drain the energy from my ranch, as you have no doubt observed the bodies of the drained. Only you and Peach are somewhat immune to her hold…for some reason… No matter. Hurry to the Spirit Temple at once."
"Can we teleport?" Zelda asked, taking out her lyre.
"You can, but you must not," she said urgently. "Your songs transform you into energy to warp you to the temples. That would only make it easier for her to absorb you. I'm afraid you must travel there as you have to the other temples…"
"You want us to kill her, don't you?" Zelda asked somberly.
"Do what you must," she said, standing back up and beginning to fade. "I will give you further directions once you return."
"And Malon?"
"I will make sure she does not decompose before you return. She is instrumental to my plan."
"This sounds like another trap…" Zelda whispered.
"You have little choice, Zelda," she said as she faded away. Zelda sighed and glanced once more at Malon.
"Come on, Zelda," Peach said, beginning to crawl through the hole.
"Shouldn't we retrieve some better clothing first?" Zelda asked.
"I don't think anyone is going to be around to notice," Peach replied.
They returned to Epona only to find her completely still.
"It will take us days to get to the Spirit Temple without a horse," Zelda frowned.
"Everything in the barn was unconscious too…" Peach sighed.
"Malon's mother mentioned bodies…" Zelda acknowledged.
"Some of the ones in the house were dead…" Peach said. "But I haven't seen…"
"Reeeaaagh!" a roar came.
"Rico!" Peach squealed, rushing through the hole in the barn.
"Oh no…" Zelda grimaced. She watched as Peach rode out on the Dodongo.
"Hop on," Peach said, petting it.
"Destiny must truly hate me," Zelda muttered, huddling in her blanket.
A/N: Okay, the dark stuff is over for now. If you skipped it, you probably also skipped some plot.