Chapter 7

Midna

[AN: Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for – 'The Return'! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Enjoy!]

I wondered if I was going mad.
I was stood on the balcony again that morning, ignoring the uproar I had caused in the palace this morning by disappearing off by myself when there was work that needed to be done. But I simply could not ignore it – Something was wrong, and whether I knew how to stop it or not, it was my responsibility, and I had to do everything in my power to stop it, no matter the cost.
I had slept fitfully, and I felt no warmth in the marks on my body. Presuming I was not ill, the temperature in the Twilight Realm had increased quite a way in such a small space of time. Being out in the open air did not provide the comfort I had hoped for, as the sky had lightened noticeably since last night. The sky was so pale, and I could honestly say that the black clouds, few though there were, looked like hideous open wounds.
I couldn't bear thinking such things about my home. But if thinking those things made me more honest with myself about what was happening, I would have to live with it. If it could possibly make me feel any better, I was certain something was wrong with the World of Light too. The open space where the portal had been was the palest part of the sky, and it seemed to be the centre.
I knew it was times like these that a Princess should never leave her kingdom and her people, unsure of what was happening, but I had to return to the World of Light. I had to find Link.
Knowing I had left the servants in distress for long enough, and no doubt severely knocked my days schedule back at least a half hour, I returned to my quarters to begin my day.

I stood in front of the non-existent portal, my cloaked figure indistinguishable from any other Twili's. Looking up at the sky, and certain the supposed perpetual Twilight was darker than usual, I knew this was the only thing I could do.
The day had gone relatively smoothly, and all of the preparations were complete for the celebration. I was supposed to be getting a good night's rest to make sure I, myself, were prepared, but I had barely slept when I tried because I was too worried about what would happen if I put this off for even a mere week.
I felt like a traitor for leaving, and a coward for not telling anyone. But they coped just fine when I wasn't here before. I had tried to reason with myself so many times... I wasn't even sure whether I was convincing myself that this was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do anymore.
They will wait for me to return. I thought resolutely. I don't plan to be gone long, either.
Before I could go back on my decision, I faced the open air before me. Mustering the ancient magic I had inherited as my birthright, I held my hand up to where the portal once was. Focusing my mind on my memories of the World of Light, I used my mind to send my power forwards, into the very fabric of reality that bound our two kingdoms and tear it open – wide enough for me to pass through.
A tumultuous ripping noise sounded in my ears and a piercing icy cold pain crawled up my arm, carrying with it a strength draining wariness. I didn't even have the energy in me to scream.
Opening my eyes, I saw the same, ragged abomination of the portal that had been there before. Taking a weak, shuddering breath, I steeled myself up for what I knew would be an uneasy ride. This portal, unlike the original created by the Mirror, did not have the same disintegrating effect as warping – it was rather more physical. As I stepped into it, I seemed to trigger something – a wave of something began to flow out of the portal, and when I noticed its warmth that caused my marks to freeze over, I could only guess that it was night air from the World of Light. Concluding that this was what was polluting my Realm, I realised the only thing I could do was to make my way through the portal as quickly as possible and close it before it was too late.
As soon as my other foot touched the portal, I was quickly pulled away from my home. It was a terribly unpleasant experience; it was like being torn from reality and the physical plain and whipped around like leaves in a gale. I was spun, twisted, pulled in all directions and left with a deep feeling of nausea that penetrated every inch of me, right down to my soul.
Leaving the portal was no better. Unlike the painless process of reintegrating after warping, this was like having my body replaced in crude orders until it was correct that left me with sharp pains and aches. And then I was thrown onto the floor with an unnecessary amount of force as the portal instantaneously closed behind me.
Standing was an odd experience. Not only did my body feel alien after the whole reassembling routine on my way here, but it was different. A form I had not experienced for a while. I looked at my hands, my short, slim arms, and my tiny stature. I was an imp again.
As if that realisation had wiped out the numbing shock of my ride here, I was now aware of the nausea that made me tremble so, the pain that was in my head and the dizzying feeling of being too close to the portal. Not the portal itself, but even without a true gateway between the worlds, something from the World of Light was being sucked through into the Twilight Realm and eating it away.
This patch of Twilight in the World of Light was made of pure evil, and its sheer power suffocated me and made me feel even dizzier.
Stumbling, I tried to get away as quick as I could. I pulled myself to the edge of the Mirror Chamber, and without a thought for the disorientation of changing forms, jumped.
I landed ungraciously in the sand, but I quickly pushed myself up and ran, pulled, crawled – anything that got me out of the Twilight. At last I reached the wall of it, and summoning a scrap of the magic I had in me I opened it up enough for me to pull myself through, then collapsed on the other side and fulfilled my body wracking need to throw up.

Once I was sure enough of my nausea had passed for me to move on, I pushed myself out of the sand and stood – granted, I stumbled a few times, but I was upright none the less. Looking to the sky, I summoned forth every last slither of energy I had in me and warped myself to Hyrule Castle, to the tower, to Zelda.
I barely noticed the warping at all. I only noticed the sharp pain that coursed through my body as I landed with a dull thud on the floor without even enough energy to move, let alone stand. Zelda turned around from the window and was staring at me with a clear expression of shock.
"Plea-Please... Princess... I must... The Twilight Realm... Link... Help us..." I heard my sharp, impish voice echo around the room before I closed my eyes and let the world fade to black.