CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Darkness Shows No Mercy
Attempting to hunt down Hades was probably the worst possible thing Tetra's group could have done. They were lost in the woods within minutes with no idea of how to get back.
"Okay, this is definitely the way back. This way." said Link.
"Wrong!" Tetra groaned, pointing to a nearby tree with a bit of bark chewed off of it. "We've passed that same tree like three times already! We're going around in circles, for goodness sake!"
Chris sighed and leaned up against a nearby tree with his arms crossed.
"What's up, Chris?" asked Morrigan.
"Jill told me she'd give me a call once she, Mac and them found Saya. I know she's a strong woman and all, but I'm starting to get a little worried."
Chris knew things were about to go south once he heard Morrigan giggle and felt her warmth as she leaned up against the same tree.
"So has she shown you any good times?"
"Plenty. She's been my partner since we were in STARS together."
"No, no, I mean good times…you know…at night."
"The BSAA does a lot of operations at night, so yes."
"Okay, now you're just being silly. Straight up, hunky military man to hot demon girl. Have you and her ever done it?"
"…between you and me, yes. Be jealous, I guess."
Morrigan's giggles tempted Chris to reach for his knife, but there thankfully came a distraction for her in the sky, swooping down suddenly and touching down with grace.
"Phew!" Pit panted. "There you guys are! I've been looking all over for…ah, crap, SHE'S still here?!"
"Pitty!" Morrigan cheered before pulling him into a tight embrace that he tried his best to escape from. "You're alright!"
"Had a little help from above. Now will you please let me go?! There's more important things at stake here!"
Finally breaking free of the succubus' grasp, Pit brushed himself off and gave her a dirty look that she responded to with a coy wave.
"And I thought Viridi was the worst pain in the neck imaginable…anyway, Jedah did something weird to Saya and somehow…"
"Made Poltergeists?" sighed Tetra. "We kind of figured that out for ourselves. One of them attacked us at Tokyo. Ridley, I think his name was."
"Wait…one of them attacked the city? And you just left it without any means of defense?!"
"Relax. We left some of our allies there just in case. We're out looking for Hades. Put him down before he causes more trouble, you know?"
"Doesn't work like that. You don't find Hades. He finds you."
Chris smirked.
"What is he? Chuck Norris?"
"Uh, guys?" Mario said suddenly as he pointed skyward. "Why did it suddenly get-a dark?"
As Mario had said, the sunlight streaming through trees was suddenly gone, and the little bit of the sky they could see through the trees had gone dark with a strange violet hue to it. The air around them began to get cold as death, and they all stood at the ready when they heard probably the most unnerving sound they could hear at that moment.
Breathing. Heavy and strained breathing of some unseen monster all around them. Every breath seemed to make the air colder, and there came a shadow from the ground enveloping all that was around save for the six of them as they frantically looked all about for the source of this catastrophe. The shadows formed a dome around them, and just when they thought things couldn't get any stranger, there came a voice.
"I remember you…you destroyed me…sent me back into a never-ending sleep…I hate you…MARIO!"
Mario flinched when this slithery female voice mentioned his name, but the scary part was that he remembered this voice. He remembered this monster. After what it had done, he'd likely never forget it.
He remembered that dark crypt within the depths of the earth. He remembered the hands seizing him and pulling him down into pure blackness…and he remembered this creature turning the girl he loved against him, nearly killing him and her as a result.
"You…" he panted.
And then she appeared, rearing up out of the shadows like a whale out of the ocean. This was no gentle giant, though. Her body was unnaturally thin and lacking any defining features other than its strange starry look, as well as having no legs and making her appear as though she were coming directly out of the ground. She didn't appear to have any eyes, but she did have long flowing pinkish-white hair and a pair of silver lips that were curled back in a furious snarl.
"I hate you, Mario!" she shouted again, rearing back her massive hand and swatting at him.
Mario just barely managed to leap out of the way, still unsure if he could believe this was actually happening. They had created a Poltergeist of none other than the Shadow Queen, a demonic spirit he had destroyed with the help of a great deal of allies like the ones he had with him now. It hadn't been an easy fight, though. She'd tried to coax him into allying himself with her, and refusing had very much unleashed hell on him. The bottom line was that even though this wasn't the real Shadow Queen, it didn't seem to matter. She had scarred him in just the right way that fighting her again would be a total nightmare.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?!" Chris half-shouted. "Seriously, I've fought all kinds of crazy things, but…this thing's on a whole other level!"
"Well, what're we waitin' for?!" Pit shouted, his bow at the ready. "Let's kill it!"
They all attacked only for the Queen to slip away into the shadows. They all stood back-to-back and at the ready, all aiming whatever they had at any spot they thought she would come from…only to jump when they felt the warmth of one of their comrades slip away. Out of instinct, they turned. Tetra was no longer there.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no…" Mario muttered.
"What is it?" demanded Chris.
"The Shadow Queen…she's-a called-a that for a reason. She bets on your-a fear and steadily makes you weaker through it. Maybe she sucks away at your strength or she does-a this: hiding in the shadows and waiting for-a the opportune-a moment to strike."
"I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure most of us have reflexes like WHOA!"
Pit jumped forward with his hand outstretched in a vain attempt to stop Chris from being pulled down and out of sight, but he was just a hair too late. Now all that brave resistance in the remaining four was stamped out and replaced with sheer terror. They didn't know when she was going to strike next…except for right at that moment as several small hands reached from the ground and aimed for Mario's ankles.
"I don't think so!" Link shouted, slashing at the hands until they reeled away into the shadows again.
The Queen roared from some unseen place before she reared up again, raising her massive hands and slamming them downward. Before they could make contact, it took Link and Pit almost no time to realize what the other was thinking, giving each other an approving wink, and rushing underneath the Queen's hands with their bows drawn. The mighty arrows of light slammed into her palms and pierced her with a holy pain (as weird as those two words are put together). She shrieked and reeled away from them, only to cross her arms in front of herself and snarl once more.
"I'll take you away…away into the shadows…" she moaned. "…from where you will never escape!"
And from her body came a pulse of dark energy, and when it slammed into the remaining four, they were overcome by it in seconds as it forced the air out of their lungs and rendered them too weak to even stand.
"Now…if there are no further objections…" the Queen panted before turning her attention to Mario. "You are all finished…starting with you!"
The cold dead hands seized Mario and he couldn't find the strength within him to even scream as he was pulled down into the abyss along with Link and Pit soon after What made it worse for Mario is that he was the Queen's target. She wanted to make him suffer the most, and she did.
"Mario!" a voice that sounded exactly like Peach cried out. "H-help me! She's going to kill me! HELP ME!"
"NO!" Mario screamed before the horror finally overtook and he lost consciousness.
And thus only Morrigan remained. Even as a creature of the night, she couldn't deny the pure fear welling up within her. This thing was a monster in every sense of the word, and she needed to be on the top of her game if she was going to defeat it.
The queen reappeared, leering down at the succubus with a sneer. Morrigan prepared to launch her mighty Soul Fist when…
"I would like to have some time with her, dear Shadow Queen." said a deep and threatening voice. "Run along. See to it that our prisoners are kept comfortable."
The Queen lowered her prepped hands and smirked down at Morrigan before pulling away into the shadows once again.
"Oh, running away, eh?" Morrigan mocked, though admittedly thankful that the beast was gone. "What a shame. I was starting to have fun."
Then the deep voice spoke again as the dome of shadows began to waver and began to dissipate.
"All alone, are we, Miss Aensland?"
The shadows finally faded, and just in Morrigan's line of sight was the tall and menacing figure of who she knew right away was Ganondorf. Under normal circumstances, she'd start using her feminine charms on him right away, but there was something about this man that really set her on the edge.
"Such a murderous vibe…" she thought in what was unmistakeably slight fear. "I…I don't even wanna get near him."
Ganondorf laughed lightly as he crossed his arms. He had her right where he wanted her.
"So you are a high noble of this Makai I've been hearing about? And I am to take your place? A wise decision on Jedah's part, I must say."
Morrigan still found it in her to make a snappy comeback despite how intimidated she was.
"Well, you're not bad-looking, I'll give you that."
"Jedah would perhaps much prefer it if I simply coaxed you out of your position. He claims that you have much power despite how irresponsible you are."
"How kind of him…"
"But I am not Jedah, am I?"
Morrigan wasn't exactly sure what had just happened until she felt Ganondorf's fist connect with the side of her head. The pain was enough to send her into a state of shock, but what was even worse was just what Saya had felt upon being stuck by this monster of a man. The darkness within his strike had stung her deeply. Throughout her life, she'd coax her lovers to sink with her into the world of darkness and experience all its pleasures (or something along those lines), but this…this wasn't "only being able to see your lover in silhouette which somehow made it sexier" darkness. This was "end of the world" darkness. The kind of darkness that people saw in their nightmares.
"Alright…so that's how you like it." she panted as she steadily got her feet. "That suits me just fi-GAH!"
Apparently it didn't suit her just fine once Ganondorf's had his hand clenched on her throat. She lashed at his arm as hard and fast as she could in a vain attempt to wrench him off of her, but it was no use. He had a grip stronger than steel, and it was slowly suffocating her.
"H-how…are you…this…"
"Powerful?"
He raised his free hand and showed the back of it, the Triforce of Power glowing more prominently than ever now that the Triforce of Courage had joined it.
"I always get what I desire, Morrigan Aensland. Even Hyrule's precious hero Link knew that."
"Link?! What…what did you…do to him?"
"My colleagues and I have found some use for him. Quite shocking, I must say, but he nevertheless has proven himself worthy to serve me. You, on the other hand…"
With one swung, he planted her onto the ground and sent another wave of pain shooting through her, so much so that she actually let out a pained cry.
"When pushed to the breaking point, it seems even a semi-powerful being such as you cannot withstand the might fo the Great King of Evil."
"Withstand this! SOUL FIST!"
Much to her relief, the flash of energy managed to force the evil king backward and let Morrigan stand on her feet, gliding off the ground slightly and preparing to attack again. Once again, Ganondorf let out a small laugh.
"Perhaps there is still some fight left in you. My young friend should take care of that."
"Is he just as cute as you are? If so, no thanks."
"She. Behind you."
Morrigan spun around with her Shadow Blade ready to strike as Ganondorf's "young friend" came darting toward her…until she saw who that friend was.
"Lilith?!"
The only thing she had time to think of before Lilith's own Shadow Blade had planted itself right through her sister's stomach. Morrigan's mouth hung open in pure shock and pain, unable to grasp what had just happened to her or who had done it. Within moments, she found herself on verge of tears.
Had she been…betrayed?
"Lilith…why?"
Lilith stared angrily and teary-eyed at Morrigan before drawing the blade back, knowing her attack wouldn't kill her but at least taking comfort in knowing that the elder succubus was no longer in the condition to fight. This was all too true for Morrigan collapsed onto the ground after a second or two of weakly staggering about.
"Did Jedah not tell you?" asked Ganondorf. "She has no need of you any longer. You who seeks only to confine her to an eternal sleep from which she will never awaken. Jedah and I have brought her peace in life. We have given her a purpose in this world. Her own decisions to make. Is that not true, Lilith?"
Lilith looked down at Morrigan without a word for a few moments. She didn't know how or what to feel. Even in her own juvenile and naïve mind, none of this really seemed to make any sense to her. Nothing but what she said.
"I won't let you seal me away inside of you…I won't let you confine me to the darkness…not again."
"But…Lilith…"
"No. Maybe it's something you'll never understand or even care about, but…Ganondorf's right."
She turned away from Morrigan and sighed before saying the one thing that truly pierced Morrigan in the same way the blade had.
"I…I don't need you anymore."
"Very good." said Ganondorf, motioning his hand and beckoning to Lilith. "Come. There is much to be done. A handful of my minions will be along to collect her any moment."
Lilith still froze when Morrigan cried out to her, the elder succubus reaching out her hand in a vain attempt to call her back.
"Lilith! It's because of me that you even exist!"
"You're wrong. That's because of Jedah…he is my family. You are nothing to me."
"Wha…where's your heart?!"
"…why do you care? Goodbye."
And Lilith followed Ganondorf away, but even when the two were out of sight, Morrigan still screamed and cried for Lilith to come back. As she lay there bleeding out, the pain in her heart made her unable to rise. Unable to comprehend what just happened…unable to believe that she was truly alone.
"Lilith…please! Don't leave me! ...LILITH!"
Okay, so I guess I was wrong about this getting up after E3. I guarantee it for the next one, though...or maybe not.
SOUNDTRACK SO FAR
Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)
Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)
X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)
Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3
Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1
Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising
Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme
Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV
Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)
Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3
"LET'S ROCK!"- "Devils Never Cry" from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
The Devil Trigger- "How Old is Your Soul?" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Ryu and Ken versus Juri- Ryu's theme from Street Fighter IV
Jedah's assault on the airship- Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 (SSBB)
S.I.N. versus B.S.A.A.- "Ride on Sea" from Resident Evil: Revelations (or Biohazard: Revelations if you live in Japan)
Ike to the rescue- "Eternal Bond" from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Saya's sorrow- "Kinder Days" from Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (known as Successor of the Skies in Europe and Australia)
An army of twenty-one- Main menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Dante versus Dante- "Empty" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Saya's rage- Tabuu's theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tetra's pirates- "The Great Sea" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Lagiacrus- "Sea and Land Tremble" from Monster Hunter 3
The Ancient Mother- "Shenandoah" from Endless Ocean
Vergil versus Lilith- "Super Ultra Violet" from Devil May Cry 1
Moblin attack on Tokyo- "Taiyo High School Rooftop" from Rival Schools: United by Fate
Mac and Batsu to the rescue- "Minor Circuit" from Punch-Out! Wii
Star Fox reunited- Star Fox: Command's ending theme
Amaterasu's "little game"- "Humoresque of a Little Dog" from Earthbound (SSBB)
Halberd going down- "Crisis" from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Samus versus Ridley- Ridley's theme (any variation you choose but my pick is the one from Other M)
X versus Ridley- "Dr. Wily's Castle" from Mega Man 2 (look for the version by SongeLeReveur)
Captain Falcon to the rescue- "Mute City" from F-Zero (SSBB)
Wild Pokemon to the rescue- Pokemon Red and Blue theme
Attack of the Shadow Queen- "Shadow Queen stage 2" from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Epic game. I heard somewhere that this song gave kids nightmares, though. Did that happen to any of you?)