The Demon Lord Rises (Broomhandle and Princess)

The air was thick with the putrid scent of flowers, spring water, and...what Medusa could only describe as purity. It was a hard place to find for a being such as her, but not impossible. She wouldn't have come here on a subconscious level considering that she was Goddess of Darkness...or rather formerly so. She had been stripped of most of her power, plopped down to the mortal world and left to rot. Palutena thought she had everything figured out, maybe she did, but Medusa would rather be destroyed once again rather than just surrender her life living as the shadow of her former self. No, she wouldn't just roll over and Palutena would be a fool for thinking she would.

Except...she honestly had no idea why she was alive. She didn't have any memories of anything except Hades destroying her, yet here she was. Perhaps she had survived through sheer force of will, perhaps someone had taken pity on her...she didn't know. Quite frankly, she didn't care either, the important part was that she had another chance at revenge. Pit was buzzing around like an annoying fly and she had been giving him the slip for some time now, leaving the weaker monsters she could still summon from the underworld for him to deal with. But now she would find a much stronger ally in this putrid, lily covered scenery.

According to her informant, some strange little nobody angel who had far too much knowledge of the mortal world, the sacred realm was closest to this point in Hyrule, and she could feel it. Perhaps she could not travel into such a realm, but she didn't need to. It would be enough to simply act as a beacon, a pillar of darkness for that creature to sense, to feel. To break free from his prison of light. There was only one problem, so much holy energy around her would take time to unravel, to corrupt. Palutena was sure to find her before she could finish, and she'd have to deal with Pit. She needed to find a good place to settle, a defensive position that would take some time for the runt to get to.

Luckily for her, a place so wondrous would obviously have ruins that were once dedicated to its single purpose. Her eyes were not fooled by the scenery, they were simply drawn to a more obvious place. In the middle of the giant pond at the base of the mountain was a large, flat rock that almost looked like a pedestal. Her body melted away into nothing but darkness, leaving behind a cluster of strange, one eyed monsters that went out to do her bidding; corrupting and destroying everything in sight.

She reappeared on the slab of rock, facing the waterfall. A quick glance at her reflection filled her with ire, so much that the snakes inhabiting her locks of inky black hair hissed in anger. Her perfect skin had been ruined with scales, some of which were more pronounced and grey at her forearms. The mark on her face ruined whatever was left of her beauty, in her opinion. To remember what she once looked like when she was a Goddess, and to see her form now despite being...less monstrous that it had originally been thanks to her own spells, it just filled her with more determination. Almost violently so.

More monsters appeared around her, answering to her call of hatred. She started walking towards the waterfall, stepping on water as the scenery around her began to change and twist into something that matched the blackness inside of he heart. Such darkness in a place as pure as this would no doubt attract attention, but she no longer cared. She would awaken this creature she had heard so much about, and he would help her with her conquest to become a Goddess once more and rule the heavens. That was her right, that was her purpose. She would let nothing stop her. Once again she disappeared, only to reappear at the very back of the ancient temple. Now, to find a good vantage point and focus her magic on reawakening the demon king. Somehow, she felt him being so close to the sacred realm, and she liked what she felt.

Centuries of victory and defeat took it's toll, but you never could truly kill a purpose. For as long as Ganondorf could truly remember, he had felt that need. They would try again and again to stop him for good, but it never worked. He could only be defeated and contained, never destroyed. He rested, never truly resting, never truly awake. A stasis, a limbo. A place for his mind to be free and his body imprisoned. It was the worst kind of place to be, really. He was both aware and not, he could feel everything around him, but not touch it. He could sense what was happening, but not see it. His prison was not a place of darkness, it was a blinding, horrible light that beat on his mind. He had no shape, no form...he simply existed here like a illness that the light was attempting to burn away, no matter what it did, it couldn't snuff out the stubborn speck of darkness.

But then, after what felt like an eternity of bright, nauseating light, there was a comforting pulse of darkness, like a heartbeat. Molten gold eyes, brimming with unrestrained power, like a wild animal ready to be unleashed from his tight cage opened up. With that, he remembered he had eyes...he had a body. It was an unpleasant numbness, but he could see something other than light, the darkness that he saw was pure in it's corruption, like a warm blanket to his cold body. Feminine, decidedly...but beautiful, flawless in it's scope and depth. Whoever had found him was angry, and carried it like a sword and shield both. The hints of her power reminded him of his days, when he was more than just Ganondorf. The sensation was pleasant, surprisingly.

"To what," Ganondorf started, his voice hoarse and deep, rumbling off the imaginary walls of his prison. "Do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

She was there with him, but not. Her physical body was still in the mountain, in the ruins far away from the sacred realm. And yet he would see her as clear as day, perhaps maybe not her features or her face, but he would see her power and a set of narrowing, curious eyes of a glacial color. He was mortal, but immortal. Human, but inhuman. He was a lot of things that did not make sense to Medusa. Even his appearance, which began to take form, was oddly pleasing in a way that she could not comprehend. It made her uncomfortable, but she wasted no time in answering him.

"Demon King, Prince of Darkness, Demon Lord, Phantom Thief...whatever you wish to be called. I am Medusa, Goddess of Darkness and rightful ruler of the heavens. I come to you to offer your deepest desire in exchange for helping me with mine. I care nothing of ruling the mortal world, I will give it to you if I can once again rule the heavens. As long as both places are riddled with darkness and despair, I will be happy..." Her voice echoed throughout the realm, it was brimming with confidence and a sort of seduction that was only natural for her.

"My deepest desire?" he laughed, it was a loud, booming laugh as his body finally seemed to remember how to move as those golden eyes rose. The darkness and light cascaded over him, her presence was corrupting his very prison, giving him freedom to move. Seven feet of toned, wide muscle as he crossed his arms to regard her, his face slowly coming into the increasing contrast with a wide, hungry grin. His teeth were dangerously white, with sharp canines jutting out faintly. He had many desires...many, the years of defeat had piled on an increasingly large number of wants and needs. A Goddess of Darkness, hm? Interesting.

"At the moment, my deepest desire is to see what beauty is behind such power," he purred. "You do not ask a man so long imprisoned what his needs are, when such a lovely woman appears before him."

Her presence started to fester slightly at his laughter, it was obvious she was not pleased by his response. She should have expected such impudence, especially considering what this creature was. She would not let him upset her though, she needed to think straight to make him her pet. He would have to be convinced since she could not force him at the moment. She was weak, at least compared to who she once was. As she continued to focus her power into breaking the seal, her presence only grew larger. "Ohhh?" She purred, quite innocently at that. The darkness lost it's feminine shape and took the form of that of a large snake, curling it's way up his naked, powerful body. He felt wonderful at least, it was enough to keep her from going too far as she played with him. "Perhaps I would grant you that desire, but only if you promise to help." She hissed in his ear before the void of blackness began to change again. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck, and then came the shoulders as her head changed back into something more human, however the bottom half of her body remained serpent like. "What do you say, Demon Lord?"

Despite her gentle and calm voice, there was fury that he would be able to sense. It was from a seed of doubt, that when she revealed herself to him he would not enjoy what he saw. Part of her knew there was still beauty that could not be hidden from the curse, but the part that doubted that same beauty just made her even more angry. If she wasn't careful, that anger would get the better of her.

An impressive display, most certainly, he could do little to stop the massive snake coiling around him with impressive strength, even in his prison. He shifted his hands along her sides with an easy smirk, leaning forward to regard her face. Hm, definitely beautiful...without a doubt. But the way her eyes seemed to shimmer with hated, anger and power was far more curious. Why, of all things...did a Goddess of Darkness need him? He felt there were layers of this story he was not getting, but as of right now, he had no way to argue.

"Very well," he decided with a laugh. "I am in no condition to argue, my lady. But I expect you to keep to your word, once we are out of here. But ah, you are not here alone, are you?" he remarked in faint amusement. No, that nagging light yet again...Link, perhaps? That boy always found the worst times to ruin his plans.

Hissing, a hissing noise that did not seem to be coming from her mouth filled the air as her eyes narrowed once more. Pit was ever so persistent, but she didn't expect anything less considering she could not summon more powerful monsters to her aid. The boy was growing stronger every time she ran into him, and she needed to snuff that out, but she dared not admit that she needed this kind of help to her new ally. No, she was better than that.

"It is nothing but a small inconvenience, one that will be dealt with accordingly. Just a little longer, and you will be free." Medusa promised him before she focused on her physical form. Yes, she could still break him out if she focused her magic on the task. Fighting Pit would be difficult, but not impossible.

She opened her eyes and sensed that he was very close. Palutena's magic was there too, ripping away at the barrier at the door that she had created for herself. No matter...she would soon be done with what she had came here to do.

Was that so? Well, if she had such confidence in herself, who was he to assume otherwise? Still, his laughter sunk in the back of her mind like a faint fog. But he would behave, it seemed that he was in little condition to argue the fact regardless. The doors finally gave way with a muted burst of light, proving that Medusa had burrowed herself deep in this holy place as Pit came in, all fire and brimstone. Bow raised with an arrow of light poised at her.

"Alright, Medusa! Your game is over-..." He said, stopping mid sentence as he lowered his bow in surprise. Even here, the darkness had sunk into the very marble like a disease. He could feel something dangerous within, something that made him swallow faintly. What in the world...? Lady Palutena told him a little about this place, but...what was this? This feeling wasn't just her, it was...something else, something that made his skin crawl.

Which worried him more than he wanted to believe. What had she found?

Medusa slowly turned to face him, a wicked grin on her face. She could see it in his expression, that he had stumbled into something further than he could possibly comprehend. "Pit...it's so wonderful to see you again," She sneered as she raised her hand slowly, her staff appearing out of thin air. "But I'm afraid that my game is far from over. You're too late...far too late." With that, she began to cackle as a hoard of monsters began appearing inside of the room. She would not directly attack if she had to, she would conserve what she could to focus on releasing her ally as soon as possible.

She had came this far, she would not allow him to ruin her plans yet again. Palutena was a fool, she would regret not coming down here to stop her personally...

"Not late enough to stop you, you sneaky snake!" Pit said, letting loose a bolt of energy from his bow that tore through a row of demons before he advanced in a swirl of golden blades. Despite his appearent age, he had centuries of experience. It reminded Ganondorf of Link, in a sour comparison. He was a graceful warrior, weaving through the demons like he had done it from muscle memory, his golden blades singing through the air as he hacked and cleaved his way towards Medusa.

Very impressive, Ganondorf intoned in her ear, deep and sultry. You seem to have everything under control, don't you? The tone was almost mocking, she did not have the power to do both, and yet she was doing so out of stubbornness.

Pit was irritating to watch, and the Demon King's mind games were not helping her in the least. Still, her smile remained as she watched Pit deal with her cannon fodder. If her audience wanted to be impressed, then she would give him something to be impressed about. There was doubt of course, there were flashbacks of Pit defeating her twice and if she failed, then everything was for nothing. But that did not stop her from attacking anyway. Her eyes turned a shade of gold as she began directing some of her power inward, and her scepter began to emit a wicked, purplish glow before she started launching powerful orbs of darkness his way for him to deal with. They moved at a decent enough speed to be a hinderance, but they were also made to keep him at a safe distance away. She was obviously trying to buy time.

Neither of them deserved a response from her...if she responded to either one of them she would just become prone to losing concentration.

Pit dove out of the way of one, swords connected in an instant as he pulled back on the string of his bow and let loose an arrow of energy. "You can't keep this up forever!" Pit said. Whatever she was doing, he could feel something at the base of his spine. He had to get to her, and fast! But between the demons and the orbs, it wasn't easy! He'd just have to get creative!

"I don't intend to, boy." Medusa only turned away, knowing that one of her little creatures would stop the bow from striking true, and it did. The monster dissipated in a cloud of black mist, enough to obstruct his vision before two beams of magic shot clear across the room, aiming right for him. This was going far enough, she had to at least wound him to buy the time she needed to finish up. What an annoying little creature, and it was so very frustrating that she had been weakened this much.

Pit moved forward boldly, ducking low underneath the beams with a grit of his teeth as he reared up, using a demon's head for leverage to bound up into the air with a spin of his blades. What was that feeling!? That pressure that kept building up in the back of his throat? It was like a thick fog, suffocating and only getting worse as he drew closer. "Whatever you're doing, I'm here to stop it!" he growled, diving inward to attack.

She was true to her word, wasn't she? He could feel it, the temple was shaking around them, he could move. Every step was like a minor earthquake. Ganondorf grinned eagerly, flexing his fingers a moment as he headed toward the opening with slow, ponderous steps.

He could breathe again...

Medusa moved forward to meet his attack head on, using her staff to block his blades. It was almost done, and yet not entirely so now that she was being directly interrupted. She could not focus like this, but if she stopped now then that opening would start to close. She would die before allowing Pit to stop her, this was personal now. "You're not going to stop it, you little whelp!" Medusa snarled, her eyes flashing yellow as the snakes in her hair lashed out at him for a poisonous bite. Falling back to her baser instincts was the only thing she could do to set him free, and she didn't care anymore. Just so long as she could spite Pit and make him fail for once, nothing mattered.

He retreated quickly, spinning his blades together as the snakes rebounded off with a faint growl of focus. What...what was that shaking!? He'd get his answer in a way that he didn't really want, as the polished marble of the temple began to crack and bleed dark magic. Pit swallowed faintly in suprise, glancing around as a torrent of darkness shot into the sky behind Medusa, and a loud, thunderous laugh echoed through the air as the clouds darkened.

"Lady Palutena?" Pit murmured, bow at the ready as the mass of darkness swirled around Medusa's supple body before landing in front of her, forming, rising...into something he had never seen before. A mass of pulsating, twitching darkness, with molten gold eyes as it reared up, his body finally taking shape, his mane long and a burning red. Nude, for only a moment, as the darkness danced around him and hardened into armor, the Triforce of Power pulsating on his hand with a wicked smirk.

Despite the appearances of him, Ganondorf sensed a powerful warrior in the little angel.

"Well then," Ganondorf rumbled, extending his hand lazily as dark magic shot up through the ground, and he gripped it, forming into a large, heavy set sword. "I suppose I should entertain my lady's guest?" he grinned. It had been so long, he would need some exercise, after all.

Medusa was almost surprised to see that she had done it despite being distracted, but when she realized what she had done her eyes lit up with glee. She briefly saw his muscular frame from the back, it sent a warmness through her face only briefly for some reasons unknown. She didn't have much time to think about it, she only started to snicker menacingly behind Ganondorf. Hearing Pit call out for his pathetic Goddess to help him was satisfying, he knew that he was in for a treat. "I suppose I'm curious as to what you're capable of, Demon King. Please, entertain my little friend. I'm sure you don't mind if our little dance is interrupted, do you Pit?" Medusa asked as she stepped out of the giant man's shadow. Just as menacing as he was before she awakened him, although in this form she probably looked less powerful. It didn't matter, he had sensed her capabilities as soon as she infiltrated the sacred realm.

Meanwhile, Palutena was having trouble identifying the fetid magic, or the man that had just been summoned by Medusa. She sensed a faint power that was different. Still tinged with evil, but not entirely so...whatever Pit was dealing with, he had to be careful. "Pit, I'm not sure who this man is or why Medusa summoned him, but I can only imagine she'd go so far for someone who could aid her cause. He is not to be taken lightly, although you already sensed that, didn't you?" She didn't have much time to measure out the danger, or whether or not Pit would need help. For now, she could only watch...

"What? You don't know?" Pit mumbled warily. "Oh boy..."

"Don't feel too bad, boy," Ganondorf grinned widely. "I like to keep myself below the eyes of the gods, come then...I'm curious to see who this Palutena is, and what her soldiers offer." He seemed to be a child, almost...no, not a child. He was small like a child, but little else. There was a maturity in his eyes, the way his body moved in perpetration spoke of experience that reminded him of Link and himself. Indeed, an experienced warrior. But he wasn't one to let the hero take the first move, Ganondorf shifted his foot forward and he was gone in a blur, Pit's eyes widened a fraction before his blades came up in an x pattern just as Ganondorf's massive sword slammed right into him. Pit dug his heels in with a grit of his teeth as they went sliding back. He was quick, Ganondorf noted easily.

"Hm," Ganondorf grinned, eyes flashing with dark magic. "Impressive..."

"You're not...not leaving this place!" Pit promised, shifting the massive sword upwards with a shout of exertion. Ganondorf's arm went up, and Pit was already moving to stab his stomach, his blades burning with light as they sunk through and slammed into his gut. He grunted faintly, his posture stuck a moment, before Ganondorf's knee slammed into his gut with a choked cry, eyes widening in pain as the force sent him up high enough for Ganondorf to slam the boy back down onto the corrupted marble, the cracks trailing across the wall.

"You've got some talent," he remarked dryly, yanking out the blades as they clattered to the ground before dissapating entirely. "However, you're going to have to fight a little smarter than that." The light stung, a little. But the wounds would heal with minor agitation, in fact...they were already closing up.

"Pit!" Palutena's voice called out to him as Medusa started cackling again. Ganondorf, she had been avoiding his name because she knew that hag Palutena was listening, and if she knew what to look for she'd find the information far too quickly. Still, after that display she'd know that this wasn't something her little lackey could handle.

"Oh, this is just precious," The Dark Goddess began with glee. "Seeing Pit at the mercy of your enemies, how does that make you feel, Palutena?" She taunted, looking up at the sky as if she were looking at Palutena directly.

"You won't get away with this, Medusa! Neither of you will!" Palutena threatened as the sky lit up menacingly for a brief moment. It didn't scare Medusa one bit, her grin only widened.

"It seems like Palutena might actually get off her throne and come to rescue you, Pit. How disgraceful...is that really all you can do?" Perhaps she had dealt with him all wrong, it seemed like brute strength was a good tactic against him. Sadly, it was not her best talent. That's what she had him for. He had already proven himself more than worthy in that single moment.

"Durable little brat, isn't he?" Ganondorf mused faintly as Pit slowly rose up with a faint grunt, his arms shaking before Ganondorf's boot slammed into Pit's chest and sent him flying back with a choked cry, hitting the ground with a faint grunt as he stalked forward, scooping him up by the neck and holding him up to the sky with a smirk, fingers tightening around his throat as dark magic laced across his arm, and made Pit's body shiver in pain.

"Make your choice, mighty sky goddess," Ganondorf purred. "Is your little warrior worth sacrificing to the Demon King?" he laughed.

"Palutena...don't..." Pit said, clawing viciously at Ganondorf's hand. He had to admit, his tenacity was commendable...but annoying. They had more important things to do than worry about some bird boy.

Palutena was silent, but Medusa knew what that meant. She was already on her way down here, though it would probably take her a few minutes. "I see, so you are worth something to her..." Medusa began as she appeared behind Pit, one arm snaking around him while her other hand ran acrossed his white feathers. "Your loyalty is wasted on her, but you will always be her mindless puppet. Dancing to every command she throws at you. How I wish I had you myself..." She purred in his ear. It was impossible, she would never be able to corrupt Pit's light. However, she had another idea that was making her grin from ear to ear as her grip grew painfully tight on his right wing.

He whined in pain, his other wing subconsciously flapping. "You...you can do whatever you want to me, Medusa! Palutena is going to put and end to you!"

"Your courage in the face of darkness is impressive, boy," Ganondorf complimented. "But it would be far wiser to be silent."

Medusa cackled at Ganondorf's words as she ripped a cluster of feathers from his wing, blood spurting from where the quills once were. She made sure to get plenty on the white feathers, staining them a rust color. His cries of pain pleased her so...how long had she waited to take her revenge on this pesky little angel? Far too long. It was much sweeter than she expected. "No, Palutena is going to come to your rescue like the fool that she is, and flee back to Skyworld to nurse you back to health after what I'm about to do to you." Medusa told him before one snake lashed out and sunk it's fangs into his shoulder. Another did the same thing, aiming for his neck. Then a third one...that would do it. Any more poison would surely kill him instantly, but she wanted him to suffer. "This was fun, Pit...if you live, perhaps we should do it again sometime." She told him before glancing to Ganondorf. "I think it's best for us to leave, as much as I'd love to stay and see Palutena weep for her little servant."

"Indeed," Ganondorf sneered as he dropped Pit, who hit the ground with a pitiful moan. "Allow me to escort you to a place of proper safety, my dear," he said, offering his hand with a lazy smirk. "It is only suitable that a gentleman return the generosity, no?" He liked her, he liked her viciousness, the way her eyes radiated with a hungry hatred. Mm, to say nothing of her natural beauty...he could sense a very fruitful partnership ahead.

Medusa smirked, taking his hand and being mindful of her claws. Safety...she didn't want to admit that that's exactly what she was doing, running away to preserve herself so she could work on her second phase of her plans. She needed to gain power the old fashioned way, through the worship of the pathetic mortals she had come to disdain over the course of her lifetime. However, she needed some protection first until she was strong enough to face Palutena again. "Of all the things I thought you were, a gentleman was not one of them. I won't complain though." She looked down at Pit one final time. "This is goodbye...while you're slipping into unconscious, think about how Palutena failed you by blindly ordering you to pursue me, and think about how you failed her for being so weak."