Interlude - Remembrance
As he slowly walked through the desolate landscape that surrounded him from all sides, a faint air of curiosity firm on his features, Ganondorf took in the dreary scenery presented to his eyes.
It should have looked like nothing more than a castle, perhaps a little more flamboyant and heavily adorned than he would have personally preferred, but still made of solid stone and clearly developed with the intention of providing a defensive stronghold. It should have been a familiar sight to him, something calm and comforting.
Familiar.
But that was not the case. The aberrant nature of his surroundings replaced whatever feelings of warm familiarity his surroundings could have evoked with coldness and a hint of dread.
Everything, from the imposing pillars to the beautiful tapestries, from the rich oaken furniture to the exquisite paintings, from the well tended gardens he could glimpse through the windows to the masterfully carved statues that decorated the hallways, everything as far as the eyes could see was a dull monochrome grey. Everything was the same stale grey coloration, which, alongside the utter lack of even the smallest sign of movement or even the tiniest of sounds, gave the large castle the sobering feeling of a tomb.
Lifeless and forgotten.
As he followed the corridor towards a large central hall, even the sound of his hoof steps seemed barely able to carry into the distance, the noise being almost immediately swallowed by the dead silence that seemed to envelop everything else.
He stopped for a moment to observe an exquisitely crafted sculpture of the Three Sister Goddesses of the Triforce that dominated the room. But even the awe-inspiring sight of the masterful sculpture could not pierce the heavy choking shroud of apathy that seemed to permeate the very air, the monochrome coloration sapping all beauty from the art piece and leaving nothing but a feeling of desolation behind.
He turned away from the sculpture, a hint of sadness now lodged deep within him as he trotted toward a large opening that led to a stone balcony. And as the Lord of Darkness looked outside into the lifeless, endless grey expanses of what had once been a thriving kingdom, he felt a somber mood settle upon himself even as a spark of anger ignited deep within his heart.
He remembered this place. He remembered it far too well.
The sealed kingdom of Hyrule, buried beneath the seas by the whim of the gods, who had decided to simply bury the world he had conquered beneath the endless waves of the ocean instead of actually answering to their followers’ prayers and pleas for salvation. A whole world, abandoned as if it was nothing without a moment’s pause.
Forsaken.
The stone railing of the balcony he was standing upon crumbled beneath his hooves, as Ganondorf’s fury slowly rose to the surface, as he felt the biting anger of the indignity of it all, the casual disregard the so called gods gave to even their most ardent believers.
It had been here, amidst this lifeless tomb, this forgotten monument to a discarded world, that he had first started to remember. That he had started to realize that the odd feelings of familiarity brought forth by the two irksome pests who insisted on thwarting his plans were more than mere flights of fancy. That the strange feeling of déjà vu he kept experiencing again and again was more than justified.
It was amidst this dead, colorless tomb that he had finally remembered it all.
How ironic, that he would finally learn about the futility of his own fate amidst the most blatant sign of the gods’ disregard for the world they were supposed to guide and protect.
For a moment the King of Thieves thought about what his life would have been had he never come to learn the truth about the cycle of reincarnation and recovered his past memories, or what would have happened should the same had never happened to Link and Zelda for that matter. How they would be still nothing but puppets dancing at the end of strings, used for nothing more than the whimsical amusement of the gods. Ordered to dance and act their play, only to be swept aside and cast away the moment they inevitably lost interest of it all.
The mere thought sickened and infuriated him to his core.
Ganondorf fractured the stone wall by his side with one single mighty blow as he bellowed his anger in a vain attempt of controlling his rising fury. But to no avail, the mere fact that both his shout and what should have been the thunderous sound of solid rock crushing beneath his hooves were immediately devoured by the all crushing silence of this dead and forgotten realm only further stoked the fires of his wrath.
For a brief moment that seemed to last an eternity, he felt the overpowering urge to simply destroy it all. To unleash the roaring fiery wrath he could feel coursing through his very being, demanding to be released so that the whole of creation could be brought to a close. Just so that it could all end.
“No,” he snarled with the unwavering power of the very firmaments of the earth, immovable and unyielding. He stood there like a silent monolith that refused to bend, much less break, no matter what was thrown against it. “I control my fury! It does not control me!”
And against all odds, despite the scorching all encompassing strength of the fury that now flowed through his very veins, the roaring inferno deep within the Lord of Darkness was slowly swept aside, contained piece by piece and chained down by his unwavering will and nothing more. Until, slowly but surely, his breaths became more and more calm and collected, his wrath entrapped and controlled underneath the indomitable power of his will.
The very next moment, everything all around him exploded in a sea of sickly looking crimson flames. The fiery conflagration was accompanied by an otherworldly bellow of pure undiluted hatred that echoed throughout the entirety of this dead world.
Ganondorf opened his eyes with a sharp snap, his body already in motion as he rose to his hooves in one lightning fast fluid motion, before settling in a battle stance.
His blood hammered against his ears, his lungs worked overtime as if he had been already amidst a fierce hours long battle, and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he strained all his senses to their extremes as he searched for an attack that his instincts all but screamed at him was about to happen.
“Ganondorf?” the familiar voice cut through his hazy mind as if a clear spring breeze through the morning mists. Clarity returned as the sight of the small room he was sharing with Link in the earth pony village finally registered to his senses.
He took it all in, the rich brown colors of the wooden walls, the colorful wildflowers arranged near a clay jug filled with spring water, the calming murmur of the wind out past the open window blowing through the verdant trees as they basked beneath the slivery light of the moon.
“It’s nothing, Kid,” he explained to the slightly wary looking pegasus who had also abandoned his bed and adopted a battle stance of his own upon seeing Ganodorf’s unexpected actions.
“Are you sure?” the Hero simply asked, concern clear on his voice as he relaxed his body’s muscles from the ready state he had immediately forced them to take the moment he had sensed his companion’s distress in order to better react to any possible danger.
“Yeah, get back to bed, it’s nothing,” the Lord of Darkness gruffly reassured his former foe, having already retrieved his blanket as he moved towards his bed and forced his body to relax from its current hyper aware state, clearly intent on putting the whole thing out of his mind. “It was just a stupid dream.”
Trying to control and entrap his wrath, his fury, his hatred... Or rather... The hatred he INHERITED. Seems Demise has something to say about that...
I wonder... How long until that ancient Malice has enough?
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Indeed.
By the way, I just uploaded the next chapter.
Enjoy.
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i.imgflip.com/jfnha.jpg
Well, when put like that... It's perfectly understandable why Ganondorf had beef with the Gods.
Also, can I just say my favorite design for Ganondorf was his Hyrule Warrior one? Almost every other version of him had short hair, but when he was in Hyrule Warriors? Damn but he did an amazing job of rocking the long-hair look.
Speaking of...if Hyrule Warriors is counted by you as one of their "past incarnations", would that mean there was a possibility of Lana/Cia observing this outcome?
I have a baaaaad feeling about this. "Demise is the cause behind Nightmare moon" level bad, to be precise...
Two in one day?
thank you.
Magnificent as always.
Because of course.
It doesn't take a genius to see how this goes. Still, I hope they can settle most of the immediate matters before the wave hits.
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Yeah, when you consider Wind Waker's lore, that when no convenient Hero appeared to fight Ganondorf the gods simply flooded Hyrule over and called it 'good enough' until Link could finally appear to clean the mess it really doesn't leave a good impression about the so called gods.
I haven't played Hyrule Warriors myself, so I'm uncertain about using it. So probably not.
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I can't say much without giving spoilers, so I'll just say that your bad feelings are warranted.
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My muse was really happy with me these last few days. After sending the last chapter to Emtu for proofreading last night, I started to work on this interlude and managed to finish it earlier today.
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Ain't that the truth...
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Cuccos can basically beat anything really. So that's a given.
Narrator: Now paging Demise, now paging Demise. Your plot hook is leaving the story, your plot hook is leaving the story.
Another excellent chapter, my only complaint is that I have now caught up, and can't keep reading. Damn my quick reading skills, damn them to heck.
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Truly the Cuckoo is at the top of the food chain.
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Indeed.
Glad you enjoyed the story so far.
"Just a stupid dream" he says. Like, when has a dream EVER been "just a stupid dream" for those three?
Ganon's gotta get his head in the game, man.
Finally, an original concept, or as close as we'll come, witty writing, a non-mute Link, and proper grammar! My body is fucking ready!
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In his defense, Zelda and Link are the ones who tend to have the prophetic dreams of doom...
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Fuckin' hit me, baby, I need those chapters! NEVER STOP THE HYPE TRAIN!
Well, that bodes poorly. Still, consider me hyped as always for what you have in store!
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You got me there, his are probably more about bringing doom, not receiving it.
Oh yea, I guess Demise isn’t really Ganondorf right? So in a way he probably came into this world as well and is trying to come back to finish his mission...
Despite the poor portents, the good news is that if they contain their triforce's influence, then technically working together of their own free will means they have the power, together, to reshape the world into a better future. Hell, even working against each other they could easily ruin the world, and have before.
Link: You know bad dreams are never a good sign in our lives, right?
Ganondorf: Who told you that?
Link: Zelda.
Ganondorf: ...right.
Great update!
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Waiiiiiiiit a second, what does Demise represent? Isn't it Chaos.
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Chaos....Discord....
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Destruction is more accurate then discord
So that's why he was so depressed in that game.
Was this about him maybe destroying their world?
Well...for an interlude it was okay, but normally I don't enjoy them that much.
But yea no, congratulations on not only making a story that catches my interest, but one I actively look forward to the next chapter... I been finding a few writers like that as of late... but yea, eagerly awaiting the next chapter, and ESPECIALLY eager to see how everyone else reacts to the various quirks of Link, Ganondorf and Zelda. Because lets face it, Link might be a bit odd, But by no means are the other's that much better
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Yikes...Demise being the source of Nightmare Moon would make her far more terrifying, deadly, and violent than her canon incarnation.
Unfortunately, it looks like I may have spoken too soon about Ganondorf being completely freed of Demise's Curse. Doubly unfortunately, Ganondorf is not acting as though possessed of it himself...which may mean that either the curse was weakened and is biding its time....or that it was disassociated from Ganondorf and is now free to seek out a new host.
It's what caused the warring that brought the wendigos isn't it? Its influence may be what makes Discord go from a prankster to an actual menace, may be what causes Luna's fall....but worse than either of those is the curse finding a new, eager host in Sombra.
I was pulled into reading this by a couple of friends, and I'm glad they did. I like this interpretation of Link especially. I've seen him by a complete mute (which is kinda boring from a text-based only media standpoint), it is sometimes described as him being so traumatized by his multiple lifetimes worth of combat that he can no longer speak. Other times he acts like a moderately normal person but with no real explanation as to why.
This zen master Link is a great explanation so thumbs up for that alone. Also, teaching Pinkie's ancestor about hammer space is a dangerous prospect. Oh what existential horrors you have unleashed.
I'm quite looking forward to how the other tribes will respond to our hero trio, and if we'll ever see a section from Link's pov.
My only gripe is the pacing. it feels like there's far too much wordiness getting in the way.
Oh shit, is he rellapsing?
I really enjoy the idea of ganondorf becoming something other than the antagonist. It’s different and fun.
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Me and a few others think the curse is now free to select a new host/cause havoc elsewhere, e.g. creating the windigoes and generally being responsible for a LOT of equestrian villains down the line.
The author won't confirm which theories are correct because spoilers, but they HAVE confirmed that Something Bad is Coming Down. (Have you heard the news? )
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Glad to hear.
9173868
Indeed. Ganondorf is the 'inheritor' of Demise's curse, not Demise himself.
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My, oh my... someone has been practicing their aim!
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Thanks.
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No, Demise was the primordial 'God' of the demons and monsters introduced in Skyward Sword, which, at least for now, is canonically accepted as the start of the Zelda timeline.
If I had to say what he represented in a word, that word would be Hatred.
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I personally see him as more of an embodiment of hatred than anything else, but destruction fits nicely too.
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Glad you liked it.
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Not quite.
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Indeed, none of the three can exactly be called normal.
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Glad to hear you are liking the story so far.
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I don't want to give away spoilers, but I can say that in this story the Windigos already existed prior to the trio's arrival. Thought I do admit to having something planned in regards to the ghosty horses and Demise's curse.
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Glad to hear you liked my zen-master Link, I'm quite happy with the idea myself.
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Not quite. There something a little deeper involved.
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I heard the news today, oh boy...
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Be carful of this pony knows how to troll us about news. We need sources Celestia don’t troll us now
Gaondorf?
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Missed a 'n'.
Thanks for the heads up.
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Did the reference go over your head?
Run and hide, slip and slide, nothing can stop the smooze!
I liked how Ganondorf got his anger and hatred under control. Kinda gives it the vibe that a young Ganondorf was trained harshly so he could control his Power.
9175038
Indeed.
Hmmm... now there's a thought... without bringing any spoilers into the mix, would we by chance be getting to see our favorite Hero of Time and King of Thieves spar at some point. Always a fun trope to toy around with is a Spar with an audience that doesn't know what to expect from those they're watching. and given that our group of misfits couldn't be more of an unknown if they tried right now, I believe they fit well in this category... that and I feel Ganondorf could really use an outlet for some pent up aggression... he seems a tad bit tense
9175287
I've been toying with the idea for some time new, so it's very likely.
Didn't they say that Din used crimson flames to create the red earth?
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That they did.
But there was a certain adjective regarding the flames in the dream that make a world of diference when compared to the Goddess flame..
In this story the elements of harmony will exist? and if they do appear they will be connected to the triforce?
Glorious, just glorious. Although I severely hope that those three get to not have the Hylian Pantheon chase after them.
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I think it described the flames as hideous and of hatred or something like that.
So I just noticed this fic is currently the third highest rated story on the site.
Huh.