A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 35- Minuet of Forest, Part 3
Forest Temple; Day
Soon, Malon and Link encounter another entity of the Poe Sisters, a blue Poe, who goes by the name of Beth. Easily taking her out like they did with Joelle, they restore the blue flame. After manipulating physics and the twisting corridors with their new bows, Malon and Link trigger another switch, melted from its icy cage. Finding their way through, they reach a room where it stretches for a certain distance. The floor is checkerboard with black and white, and there's nothing more than a switch and a chest.
"I don't trust this…" Link's instincts press a button.
"Oh, please, Link!" Malon gets annoyed, moving ahead. "Look, I know how great your sixth sense is and all, but clearly, you can see it's nothing but emptiness up ahe-"
THU-THU-THU-THU-THU! The ceiling above falls freely from the top. THUND! Malon feels the air fly quickly from her front as the ceiling barely touches her and slams onto the floor.
"Malon, watch out!" Navi calls. "The ceiling is falling down!"
Paralyzed by shock, Malon doesn't move as the ceiling slowly goes back up. Link uses this time wisely to grab her and pull her away to safety.
"Mal, please… why can't you listen to me once?" Link asks in frustration.
"You know what? Shut up," Malon replies. "You and your know-it-all sixth sense."
"Oh, yeah, like it's my sixth sense that made sure I didn't get close to being flattened by the ceiling."
"Okay, then, smarty-pants, I'll follow your sixth sense from now on."
"Stay close, then."
The ceiling, no matter how lifeless it seems, pushes Malon and Link to the brink of desperate rushing. Navigating and figuring out which square on the floor to go to next, they slowly inch their way forward. It's harder for the fact that Skulltulas seem to occupy some of the small openings available. Carefully, they clear out these giant arachnids of the openings and still manage to dive into the spot at the last second. A switch lost in this death puzzle triggers the nearby door to unbar itself.
"Come on…!" Link calls to Malon from the last available opening on the far side, next to the door. "Just one more! Then, you can relax all you want!
"Okay… Okay…" Malon takes a deep breath. "Just wait for it…"
As the ceiling rises, Malon dashes forward, hoping that it would turn out well. However, as this is the type of work that always involves danger, of course something bad is bound to happen. Malon trips, landing herself on the square next to Link's.
"Oh, for the love of…!" Link quickly scrambles to pull Malon towards him. "Why do you always trip!"
"JUST PULL ME!"
Malon's feet nearly met its end just as the ceiling barely hits it. Link puts Malon back on her feet.
"What did I say, Mal! Watch your footing!"
"I can't help it! I always somehow trip!"
"You and your clumsy feet…"
SLAP! Link feels stinging pain on his cheek from Malon's hand.
"Hmm," Malon scoffs. "Rude… Insulting a lady…"
The next room has a painting with yet another Poe, a yellow one this time. Letting an arrow skewer the portrait, the air shakes. Above, blocks fall down, each of them having pictures of the parts of the Poe portrait on all sides.
"Solve the puzzle!" Navi orders. "Slide the blocks into place, so that the top sides make an exact copy of the Poe portrait!"
Doing as the bluish-white fairy said, Malon and Link quickly move the pieces into place, occasionally pausing to examine their progress. After a few trial and errors, they complete the puzzle. The blocks descend into the ground, revealing the yellow Poe they have sought for. Amy, the name by her sisterhood, is but no match to the experienced Heroes of Time. Soon, the yellow flame appears on the nearby torch.
"Three down, one to go," Malon counts off as they continue. "Where do you think the last Poe is?"
"Don't know," Link answers. "It's hard enough just to find one."
"Hey, why are we back in the main room?" Malon sees the familiar interior of the room they ended with.
"Because…" Link peers over the railings nearby, "our last Poe is down there."
The last one, the purple Poe, is in the middle of the torch gatherings. However, she seems to be keeping to herself and muttering. Either muttering, or…
"She's… crying…" Malon notices.
"Well, she DID lose her three sisters." Link draws his sword. "But, still, she has the last flame…"
As they walk up to the Poe, she hovers upward in surprise. With laughter that somehow has a hint of anger, she stares down at her assailants with her empty, colored eyes. Her body then begins to split, revealing four of her. The copies then surround Malon and Link, still keeping the face of indignation. All looked ready to take down the killer of their sisters.
"All right, this last Poe Sister is Meg!" Navi reports. "This is going to be tough, because they're four of her!"
"Great…" Link exasperates.
"So, how do we stop her… er, them?" Malon questions.
"Well, um…" Navi searches for an answer. "You need to figure out which one of her multiple images are real. Shoot that one out!"
A shot from Link's Hookshot reveals a fake, letting it disintegrate. "Fake!"
Malon pierces another with her arrows. "Which one is the real one! They all look the same!"
"Two left. Shoot them at the same time!"
SHANK! Link damages the real Meg, sending a hellish shriek that emits from her. She disappears, and then reappears with new copies.
"Man!" Malon readies her bow. "More of them?"
"Keep firing!"
They repeat the shooting, getting past Meg's illusions and hitting her herself. She shows a dead giveaway sometimes when she appears. Whenever Malon and Link notice, Meg spins every time she reappears. Sometimes, however, they can be a little too late, and Meg would lay a powerful smack on one of them with her torch.
Finally, Malon lays a clean hole in Meg with one final shot. Meg screams in pain, before her body becomes consumed in her purple flames. The last torch of the room lights up, combining the three colored lights with its own. The main room fills with the same brightness before. Soon, the elevator unreachable by regular means slides itself up, accessible for transportation.
Using the mystical platform, they enter a floor marked by red, blue, and white underneath. Obstructions protrude from the circular wall. Small rooms with bars at the entrance lined the wall in opposite directions.
"Where are we?" Malon asks Link.
"The Map…" Link examines the dungeon guide. "It looks like many rooms are around this one. But…" Link looks around, "I don't see anymore besides these two."
"Navi!" Malon shouts the fairy's name.
"Oh, yes, at your beck and call, Malon," Navi said sarcastically when she flies out of Link. "I just love helping you guys."
"Cut the act. Else, you're stuck here with us. How do we solve this one?"
"Well, let me take a look…"
Navi flits around the circular room, taking in everything and considering them. After a while, she heads back.
"Hmm, I think you can access those rooms on the Map by simply pushing the wall around and opening them," Navi advise.
"Push them?" Link's eyebrow goes up.
"Yes. The wall is very light to what you're thinking. Just grab one of those obstructions and push! You're gonna find a switch somewhere that will open the gates to the main monster's room."
The wall is light, yes, but it's still heavy. With effort, Malon and Link shove the wall into a circular motion, revealing the hidden rooms to explore. After stepping on some switches, they find the last one, flipping it to open the gate to the main monster's door, and soon, they unlock the giant door leading to the 'super' monster.
"What do you think the monster in this temple is?" Malon questions.
"Something strong, I guess," Link figures.
They walk up a stairway, leading up to a large platform closed by sharp poles and strong ropes. The platform itself has symbols of the Triforce on them, along with the middle painted blue with a pattern of the sacred triangles on it. The wall around them, circular too, is filled with portraits all showing the same painting: a dark setting of a path leading up to a castle hidden in the shadows. Two dead trees in the barren wasteland add to the morbid scenery.
"Uh, Mr. Monster?" Malon calls out. "If you're here, come out and show yourself! Better not be invisible or something!"
Her voice echoes throughout the room. No reply is heard, as her question does sound a bit unconvincing.
"Nobody's here!" Malon turns around and heads for the stairway. "Let's get outta here, fairy boy! We rid the darkness here!"
Link, however, is mesmerized by the portraits. Not because of the painting they show, but because he feels something… mysterious from them.
"Link!" she calls from the top of the stairs. "Come on! Let's go!"
"All right, all right…" Link tears his gaze away. "What strange pictures…"
SHING! Three poles suddenly pop from the ground and block Link's way to the stairs.
"What the…!" Malon stares at them from the other side.
"Hey!" Link grabs the poles, shaking them. "How did these come up!"
A snort of a horse breaks the air around them. The presence of a strong darkness tingles Link's senses. The energy the darkness emits is familiar, an energy he knows he had felt before. However, it is weaker, this source. Malon freezes on the spot, her eyes revealing one thing going on in her head now: fear.
"Malon?"
"Link… Be-Behind you!"
As his eyes direct themselves to the direction Malon specified, Link could feel his body grip the coldness to his new sight. It's a trap, and the one who set the trap is… Ganondorf. There he is, sitting on his black steed, the same Gerudo who now rules Hyrule. He still looks the same, the same black armor, the same face. It's as if he didn't age at all. One hand holds the pitched-black horse steadily, while the other wields a wicked staff.
A trap, and Link fell for it.
NEIGH! The horse's cry rumbles the room as it rears back. Ganondorf's eyes never left Link. They lock onto him, sending spasms of chills down Link's spine. Ganondorf chuckles as Link shudders from his gaze. Link sets his body straight with a shake.
"Ganondorf!" Link yells his cursed name. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"
"Ha ha ha ha…" the evil one chuckles again. "Ganondorf? What makes you think I'm the great Ganondorf?" a voice of riddles mixes with the terrifying one.
"What?" Malon couldn't believe this. "You're… You're not Ganondorf?"
"Hah hah hah! No, you fools! The King of Evil does not have time to waste his powers on the likes of you!" the imposter declares. "Unworthy meddlers… You, the boy who wields the cursed blade… You shall duel with his phantom!"
The imposter places a hand over his face, causing it to burn the skin away. Underneath is a black head masked by a skull. Two large, sharp horns shape itself on top. It is a face of a demon, this imposter has. The gem of the Gerudo, however, still hangs on his forehead, along with the same red hair on the back of his head.
The eye sockets begin to contain an unholy yellow light in them, representing his eyes. Phantom Ganon suddenly rears his dark horse back, then urges it on, towards a portrait. Dark energy swirls around the painting, and, in a second, Phantom Ganon enters the painting, riding up the path.
"Great. An evil spirit from beyond," Navi groans. "I hate these guys! Ganondorf actually made one of these ghosts!"
"Navi! Tell me how to stop him!" Link evokes her assistance.
"All right! Shoot him with your arrows when he comes out of one of the pictures!"
"Which one!"
"The one he's coming out of! Pay attention! Look at them!"
Link spots one of the paintings having Phantom Ganon galloping down the path. Towards the outside, he bets. Aiming his arrow, he steadies his grip as he waits for the imposter's appearance.
"Link!" Malon calls out from behind the poles. "Another painting has him coming out of it, too!"
"What!"
It's true. This other painting catches Link's eye as he watch Phantom Ganon gallop down that path, too. But, how can this be? He can't be in two places at once.
"Behind you!"
The portrait Link ignored earlier sprouts the same dark energy as Phantom Ganon leaves the portrait. The other copy of him in the other painting turns around and gallops the opposite direction. Link spins around to aim at the real one, but is too late as Phantom Ganon sends a lightning of pain from his staff down at Link.
"AAAHHH!" Link yells out as the spell makes contact.
Malon screams too and turns away momentarily as Link suffers from the energy. Crushing pain occurs in every part of his body. With this one hit, Link already feels weak and about to faint. He kneels down, his breath going critical.
"Link, Link! Are you okay!" he hears Malon's desperate cries.
Link is far from okay, but he manages to let his feet stand up. He shakes his head to chase away the dizziness of the pain. Malon couldn't help him; she's stuck on the other side of the entrance poles.
"Link, pay attention!" Navi commands. "Don't focus on all of the portraits at once!"
Link pulls out an arrow from his quiver, and sets it on his bow. However, due to his current strength, the bow shakes uncontrollably as he aims. Again, he looks around his surroundings, finding two Phantom Ganons galloping around in the portraits. Link, again, is caught off and Phantom Ganon appears behind him again. He is just about to send another soul-shattering spell when an arrow hits him in the side. Losing his opportunity, he 'dimensionalizes' into the portraits again.
"Fairy boy!" Link sees Malon wielding her bow. "I got your back!"
A jolt of confidence runs through Link as he finds his best friend there to cover him. Together, they should be fine.
As he progresses, Phantom Ganon keeps finding his every single attempt to attack Link failing as he gets arrows struck at him and his horse. He has to retreat every time an arrow flies at him.
"Enough…! Coward!" he finally stops and insults Link. "This is a duel between Ganondorf's phantom and the so-called Hero of Time!"
"Well, you're not making it a duel by just switching between pictures!" Link retorts wisely.
"Is that how you answer to his phantom! Then, duel we truly shall, Hero of Time!"
Stopping his confusing portrait assaults, Phantom Ganon dismisses his steed to a nearby painting. He hovers in the air, holding his staff, magical dust falling out of it, and ready.
"If the girl attacks me anymore, I shall not hesitate to finish this duel quickly and unfairly!" he threatens.
"Mal, do what he says!" Link demands.
"But, you… you can't just go against him!" Malon pleads.
"This isn't going to be any easier if you help!"
Malon slowly puts down her bow, feeling regret for this. Horrible regret, accompanied by heightened fear.
"See you handle this!" Phantom Ganon yells.
He lets fly one of his magic attacks, in a form of a shining ball of light. Link puts his shield up, dispelling the magic on contact. It's strong enough, however, to push him back a few meters.
"Navi!" Link whispers loudly to her.
"Answer his magic attack with an attack of your own!" comes a reply.
"Hit his attack? With my sword?"
"Yes! Yes! Sick him when his magic attack stuns him!"
Another magic attack comes right at him. This time, Link counters it back with a swipe. Amazingly, the spell flies backwards towards Phantom Ganon. Caught off guard, the attack paralyzes him, lowering him to the ground. Link rushes up and quickly lets the blade of evil's bane slash the ghost. A deep wound is made thick across the body, but no blood comes out. Phantom Ganon levitates back up, a weak chuckle escaping his lips.
"Heh heh heh… It'll take more than that to get rid of me, boy!" Phantom Ganon winds up his staff again. "This time, I will not be attacked by my own spell!"
Again, the magic attack shoots through the air at Link. Again, Link reflects it back with his sword towards the evil spirit. However, this time, the spirit is ready, and, using his staff, hits back his attack towards Link. Now, Link is caught off guard.
"ARGH!" the attack smacks into his right arm. It brings so much pain that it begins to numb the arm's nerves. Soon, Link couldn't lift it up. His shield is now useless. He has only his sword to help him now. It, however, is still a way to attack.
"Link! Hang on!" Malon cries.
"Ha ha! The Hero of Time couldn't have taken that too well, could he?" the spirit taunts.
"Urgh… I still have some fight left in me, phantom!" Link retaliates.
"Oh, ho ho! Let's see how much!"