The Power of Courage
Zelda led Geno and Navi into the castle through the main door by the late afternoon. It was fairly obvious that something was keeping the others from catching up to them. It had been hours since Zelda left the battlefield. They all looked about suspiciously, sensing something nearby, but seeing nothing. The castle looked nearly the same as it had months ago. The damage had been fixed and there were only slight design changes. There were many more candles standing about the main hall. Some of the doors had a more gothic look. There were plenty of poorly lit areas, but the walls were still made of light gray stone.
"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" Navi asked, floating across the lobby and back.
"Yes," Zelda said. "I sense something right over there." Suddenly a door opened and quickly shut. "Follow it!" They all gave chase and ran through the door. They ran through another door that had slammed shut. Soon, they were running up several spires of stairs. It was odd that there was absolutely no resistance. There weren't even Keese flying about. The atmosphere grew thick with evil. There was less and less light as they ran up the stairs. It soon got to the point that there was virtually no light except for Navi's.
"What is at the top of these stairs?" Geno asked.
"Records, storage, and other miscellaneous things," Zelda said. "Though knowing Ganondorf, he'll probably use it for something more important."
"What worries me is the lack of security," Geno said.
"Link had it way tougher than this," Navi said, keeping pace with them. "There were specialized barriers, dungeons, and monsters creeping everywhere. But I guess that was because he had seven years to set it up."
"Ganondorf is sick, not stupid," Zelda said. "He won't let us just walk in here without something up his sleeve."
"He probably wanted to see you alone," Geno said. "Otherwise, the fairies should have caught up by now. But I guarantee you, I'll be sticking by you this time."
"If worst comes to worst," Zelda smirked under her veil, "I already have a secret weapon to use on him." Zelda began to notice the landmarks she had memorized that signified secret doors. They were nearing the top of the spire. Eventually, they reached a giant black door. She had never seen it in the entire castle before.
"There's something strange about this door…" Navi said suspiciously. Geno removed his Starguns from their holsters as Zelda opened the door. On the other side, there was nothing but black. Navi flew inside as the only source of light. Zelda and Geno stepped inside next and the door shut behind them.
"I've been waiting for you, Zelda," Ganondorf's voice echoed.
"Show yourself," Zelda said, lighting a flame in her hand.
"Look! Over there!" Navi called, seeing two yellow eyes glare at them.
"I see you've brought friends," the King of Evil spoke. "The first ones who haven't tried to kill you, eh?"
"So, it was your doing!" Zelda shouted angrily.
"It was a team effort," he smiled menacingly. "But I don't need anyone to help me now… I have all I need."
"Where is Link?" Navi called.
"Still within my grasp," he chuckled. "It seems you succeeded in restoring his soul to him. It just goes to show that you should never trust an unbalanced fool who spends his days in a windmill… But I no longer have any need for that boy."
"Giving up on this insane quest for the Triforce?" Zelda asked.
"Of course not," he said as the crest of the Triforce of Power glowed on the back of his hand. "However, once I have your piece, I will have the power of the gods!"
"It takes three, you fool," Zelda said as her own crest began to glow on the back of her hand.
"I know, ha ha ha!" Ganondorf laughed as his other hand glowed with a second crest.
"…But how?"
"What did you do to Link?" Navi yelled.
"Link was always useless to me," Ganondorf said. "But your other friend was quite valuable." The room became lit, though there were no sources of light at all. Zelda, Geno, and Navi saw Peach lying in a suspended cage. She looked deathly pale, but the serene smile on her face made her seem oblivious to her own state.
"You mean, Peach…?" Zelda began.
"Apparently, Fate made a last minute change," he said, now visibly sitting in an armchair with a black robe over his body. "With Link in the state that he was, I suppose the Divine Ones knew better than to just hand it over. So, instead they gave it to this one. I hear that she certainly earned it, especially when she covered for your weakness."
"That's enough!" Geno shouted, stepping forward. "I have a job to do and you're in my way. Now, surrender peacefully."
"I was warned about you," Ganondorf said, standing up. "I've prepared. No doll is going to stand between me and godhood!"
"I'm not a doll anymore," Geno said sternly, beginning to charge one gun. "I'm an action-figure." He fired his bright blue Geno Beam, which illuminated the entire room. Ganondorf smiled and ripped away his cloak. He was wearing some strange reflective armor that looked almost like glass or crystal. When the beam struck his armor, the energy bounced off and splintered into scattered particles and lesser beams around him.
"I told you I was prepared," he smirked, picking up his black broadsword. He flew straight for Geno and took a huge swipe. Geno blocked with his bare arms to brunt the damage, but was knocked over. Zelda teleported back to put some distance between herself and Ganondorf. She charged her Shining Ray and fired at his head. He smacked it away and charged his own ball of energy before lobbing it at her.
"Use his attack against him!" Navi yelled.
"Ha!" Zelda cried, smacking the orb back at Ganondorf. He smacked it back and she repeated. Geno shot off his Starguns, but their stars merely bounced off the armor. As Zelda and Ganondorf continued to bat the orb back and forth, Ganondorf drew closer. Zelda, on the other hand, was backing away.
"In the alternate time," he laughed, smacking the orb, "would you believe I actually underestimated the power of Courage? You may have Wisdom, but you have no strength and you have no spine!" When Zelda sent the orb back, he smacked it hard with his sword and she was blown against the wall.
"Ugh!" Zelda grunted, rolling to her feet. She gathered a few needles and tossed them at his face. He expertly grabbed them out of the air and flung them back. She raised her arms and felt the sharp metal dig into them. She rolled out of the way again as Ganondorf swung at her with his sword. He strafed to the side with his sword held out, grinding it along the wall as Zelda ducked. When he stabbed at her, she jumped onto the sword and kicked off of his face.
"You little!" he groaned as she jumped back against the wall. She kicked off the wall and punched him straight in the nose before landing behind him. When he spun around with his sword, she back-flipped away and Geno leapt up to him with a Rocket Punch. He smacked the fists away but was caught in the barrage of elbow-launched bullets.
"Don't underestimate us," Geno said, locking his hands back into his arms.
"You have Courage and Power, but we have heart," Navi said, flitting around Ganondorf's head.
"Child's play. Agggh!" Ganondorf grunted, ignoring the fairy. The room darkened and a large ball of energy formed above him. Dark energy seeped into it from all around, forcing Navi to move away. "Take this!" he fired a flurry of beams that streamed straight for Geno and Zelda. Zelda put her shield up, while Geno ducked behind her.
"Navi," Zelda whispered. "See if you can help Peach. She's not looking very good."
"Right," she said, perhaps winking. She whizzed over to Peach, while Ganondorf charged another beam. Geno used his Geno Beam to disperse the energy and cause a miniature explosion above him.
"Now, Zelda!" Geno said.
Zelda took out her bow and arrow and loaded a light arrow. She launched the glowing projectile straight into the cloudy area around Ganondorf. As soon as the arrow struck, the cloud was blown away. The arrow was easily deflected. The energy it had carried, however, only bounced away after the immediate strike before surging back at him.
"Uaaagh!" Ganondorf grunted as the light enveloped him. Then, to Geno and Zelda's surprise, he shook off the light with a spin and began to laugh. "Ha ha ha! You fools! This is Mirror Armor! It's made of the same material use to craft the Mirror Shield. No light can penetrate it. It's so well-crafted, in fact, almost nothing can!"
"I was hoping against that," Geno said and Zelda nodded. He put away his Starguns and outstretched his fingers. Small, black pellets shot out to Ganondorf, but they merely bounced off of his armor.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got!" Ganondorf laughed, tossing an energy ball at them again. Zelda tossed more needles at his face. He merely held up his gauntlets, and the annoying weapons bounced off harmlessly. He smiled and flew straight toward them. Geno and Zelda moved away from one another to get Ganondorf in the middle. He went after Zelda again.
"Your overconfidence will be your downfall," she said calmly, backing away. She looked to the ceiling and closed her eyes. That part of the ceiling collapsed onto Ganondorf, though he asserted himself, making his dark aura blow the heavy stones across the room. He immediately slammed down a vertical strike with his sword. Zelda sidestepped it and grabbed onto him with her arms and legs.
"What!" Ganondorf exclaimed, as she held on tight. She suddenly disappeared as Ganondorf noticed a yellow glow coming from behind him. He turned just as an energy saw from the Geno Whirl struck him. Geno frowned as the buzzsaw shattered on contact. Ganondorf flew at him, but was struck from behind by another blast of light. Unfortunately, Zelda's Shining Ray simply bounced off of him as nearly every other attack had.
"Hit him high!" Zelda called, charging her ray again. Geno charged his beam. Ganondorf smirked as Geno shot at his head, while Zelda shot at his legs. He spun in place and redirected the attacks. The Geno Beam plowed into Zelda. The Shining Ray bowled over Geno. Ganondorf flew for Zelda, while firing off another blast at Geno. Geno hopped to his feet and dived away from the blast. Zelda rolled out of the way of Ganondorf's strikes. She did a handstand and spun into a whirling kick. Ganondorf caught one leg and slammed her against the floor, before flying his fist at her with dark energy. She was knocked into the air, covered in dark flames. He leapt up and grabbed onto her shoulders, electrocuting her.
"Ha!" he grunted, blasting her away with dark energy and landing on his feet. When Geno attempted his elbow shot, he flew directly at the living doll and punched him away. Just as he was about to blast him, Zelda, now without her veil, tackled him and attempted to drive her dagger into his throat. He grabbed her arm to stop her and blasted her across the floor with the other hand. He picked up his sword and slammed it into the ground, sending a wave of dark energy at her. She was knocked about further. He felt more shots bouncing off his armor and turned to see Geno unloading into him. Ganondorf floated toward Zelda, who was still down. Zelda attempted to stab his leg, but he rose higher and came crashing onto her with his feet with shocking force.
"Ugha!" Zelda gasped, feeling at least a few of her ribs shattering. The floor had cracked all around her. She was really starting to miss Peach's healing ability now. She turned her head and saw Navi attempting to rouse Peach, but seem to be having little success. Then, she spotted Geno transforming into a canon. She knew to close her eyes.
"What's the matter, little girl?" Ganondorf said, picking her up by her throat. "Realizing that you don't stand a chance?" He noticed a strange noise and bright glow. He turned and saw a globule of light slowly approaching him. "This is just pathetic… What's this?" Suddenly, the globule increased exponentially and it began to flash with blinding intensity. It popped soon afterward, though the damage it had done was devastating.
"This is bad," Geno cringed upon reforming. Somehow, the Mirror Armor had completely reflected his Geno Flash. He knew this because his entire side of the room had been almost completely destroyed, while Ganondorf's side looked nearly untouched. The wall behind Geno was no longer there. Instead, there was only a dark sky. Navi flew over to him frantically.
"We're running out of time!" she exclaimed. "Whatever they did to Peach is killing her. She's getting cold and pale and…she's dying! It's not even the usual kind of death. I can't even give her my energy! It's like some kind of absolute death poison or something."
"Actually," Ganondorf said, squeezing Zelda's throat, "It's based on the same thing the Sage of Death used so effectively. It's just been modified to counter certain…healing aspects. I must say, though, I'm impressed that she's lasted this long. That stuff isn't fit for a ReDead, yet she seems to have at least some resistance to it. It's a shame she'll never wake up to hear about it, eh Zelda?"
"Got to hell!" Zelda shouted, kicking him in the groin.
"Oooh!" he moaned, doubling over and releasing her. She quickly drove her dagger into his back, or at least she meant to. Her dagger deflected off of his armor. He wasted no time in driving his fist into her stomach. She fell to the floor and he stomped on her back. When he heard a whirring noise, he turned and ducked just as the Geno Whirl buzzed over his head. "That trick again?" He heard a banging noise behind himself and saw Peach's cage fall to the floor. He was distracted long enough for Zelda to get away from him. Ganondorf saw Geno dashing straight for him. He swung his sword, but Geno simply jumped over him and dashed to Zelda.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Not as long as he stands," she said, holding her aching chest and stomach.
"You said you had a secret weapon, didn't you?" he asked.
"I think now is the time to use it," she nodded. "Hold him off while I perform the summoning."
"Summoning?" Geno asked, looking surprised.
Zelda materialized the Fierce Deity Mask in her hand. "The summoning of Oni. My mother told me all about it if I should ever find it again."
"What!" he exclaimed.
"What are you muttering to each other about?" Ganondorf asked as a strong wind blew from his aura.
"Don't you dare summon him!" Geno said sternly.
"He's not evil," Zelda argued.
"And Ganondorf is the happy-go-lucky sort," he said, attempting to snatch the mask away. "Seriously, Zelda! You don't know what that mask carries! There's a reason why Oni was sealed away!"
"Because Hylians feared his dark power," Zelda said in a calmer tone, keeping the mask away from him. "They did not understand him, so they were afraid. But the Sheikah knew better. I'm sure he'll work with us."
"You're trying to control a god, Zelda," Geno said, noticing that Ganondorf was steadily walking toward them. "Just like him…"
"Not like him," Zelda said. "I'm doing this for a good reason. Our attacks are useless against him. If Link can wear the mask and work with Oni, why can't I even ask for help?"
"Because only a strong Hylian heart can control a Dark God of the Sheikah," Geno said, pointing his gun at her. "I don't want to do this, Zelda, but I'm obligated to prevent anything like that from getting loose. I consider you a friend and an ally, but I will do my duty, just as the Sheikah did theirs…by making sure that mask is lost into oblivion. As the Sage of Time, the Princess of Hyrule…as holder and protector of the Sacred Triangles of this world, you must not free Oni from his mask. Please, just do your duty so I may do mine."
"That I will," she nodded. She held out the mask for him. As he reached for it, she kicked the gun out of his hand and pinned him against the floor.
"What's this now?" Ganondorf asked, only a couple meters away. "Internal conflict, eh? Let me help you settle it…" He began to charge another large orb that sucked energy from the shadows around the room.
"Don't do this, Zelda!" Geno yelled.
"Forgive me," she said, holding up the Fierce Deity Mask. "Fierce Deity of the Mask, I Zelda, daughter of Ingrid of the Shadow Folk call upon you."
"Fierce Deity?" Ganondorf said inquisitively. There was a flash of thunder from outside.
"Dark God of the Sheikah, I pray you defeat this man who has perverted the darkness and affronted the shadows. He is an enemy of the Darkness and an enemy of the Light."
"Zelda!" Geno shouted, as more thunderclaps boomed outside.
"I summon you Fierce Deity, Oni," she said stoically as their surroundings became completely dark. The mask, surrounded in a blue light, floated out of her hands and the Fierce Deity appeared. He was nearly as tall as Ganondorf and looked very much like Link. He wore a very light blue tunic with black tights and armor on his torso. One side had a golden crescent moon, while the other side simply had a golden triangle. His hair was white as were his eyes, and he had war paint on his face. He had a blank, but menacing stare. He turned his gaze to Ganondorf and his eyes glowed with intensity as the light returned.