AMaeJay: I think the HW incarnation of Zelda wouldn't abandon her people so easily (except for those few weeks between level 1 and 2) and she comes across as a motivator for the army. The music helped influence the fight scenes, but it was fun to revisit the complicated relationship between Ghira and Fi (without giving away all the spoilers.)

Also, I have a feeling you would have fun with Phoenix Champion. *noms on ham sandwich.)

PsycoFangirl: Lana comes across as a tad bit of an exposition character, and so does Liam, so this is where I try to fix that. Also, stay for the outtake: I had it planned for a long time, ever since chapter 14 of Twilight Twists, thanks to you.

Phoenix Champion: I think you should invite AMaeJay to the feasting, seeing as she's throwing ham everywhere.

The timeline will be fixed back to the way it's supposed to be- but I can't say to what extent or what cost at this point. Zelda didn't launch Fi anywhere near that point in time. When Link did the same thing in the game, it didn't say where Ghirahim was sent (though we could assume anything by this point, since the game isn't good with including more to the story.)

patrick the almighty observer: Fi will survive. If Ghirahim survived Hyrule Warriors, so will she. It will take some time before we get to the big bad partner up in the desert, but I hope it will turn out to be good.

To answer everyone's question: Fi didn't kill Impa, and Impa didn't magically come back to life. I tried to have her hit her skull with the handle end of the sword, since death was out of the question.

Everyone… bow to your king.


Chapter 7: Twilight's limbo

There was a time when the dark interlopers once inhabited the land of Hyrule. This was what Beliah recalled as she and a handful of the Twili stayed protected under the magic veil of Twilight- it was among the many that now dotted the large provence.

"Our ancestors were thrown out of this world by these people." Beliah scowled as she gripped her flaming red hair which was tied back, but still long enough that it almost reached her heels. "And then a strange man in a mask came to cast us back in. What kind of divine logic works like that?"

"You have a way of putting it like that." Beliah turned to see the small army of Twili- at least ten of them, including the speaker, and excluding their superior. The speaker was one of two girls who had purple black hair, and while hers was in a short bob, the other had hers done in low pony tails.

"The greater question is what he could possibly want with our kingdom." The girl spoke as she examined a snake that curled around her arm. "I'm surprised His Majesty took it rather well when we were all sent through that portal. It was magic unlike anything we've known."

"And it was right in the middle of your proposal for establishing a testing site on those islands for magic, Beliah!" The girl's twin complained as she cradled a shadow insect. "He was really happy about it too!"

"Speaking of which." Beliah looked to the guards who were now turned into soldiers. "How much longer until he comes back?"

To answer their question, a figure suddenly entered through the veil of Twilight. As soon as he entered, everyone stood up in alert attention, and Beliah let go of her hair as she bowed in respect. "What news, Your Majesty?" She asked.

Their superior glanced at all of them. "It appears the bulbins have sworn allegiance to the Sorcerer. What a shame- I had hopes for cooperation on their behalf."

"So we are on our own." A Twili knight realized out loud as he gripped his spear.

"And yet, we all are among the most powerful of magic users and warriors of our people." The superior reminded him, before adding. "The first one to find the Sorcerer before I do may help me in the... interrogation." His smile, though modest, did not hide what was burning inside is eyes: the burning of an anger so great, that he would let it consume him, if he so desired.

-Stage 7-

Despite how bad things seemed, Liam was actually excited. He never imagined that he would actually go into the past, and there was so much potential for additional research. Not to mention actually interacting with the people of the past.

"How do we get back?" Ashei demanded. Liam turned to face the captain and half of the Hyrulean army and smiled. "I have a spell that I gave to both Impa and Zelda. It will send us straight back to Hyrule Castle when we close the gate."

"So I take it we can't let anyone know we are from the future, despite the obvious?" Marsh asked.

"It's preferable, but our main concern is the Twilight." Liam admitted. "Also, if you see any wolves, leave them alone."

There was a chuckle amongst the knights at the historic joke, though Koji frowned at this- he couldn't tell if Liam was joking or being serious.

"Lady Ashei." He quietly whispered to the woman, who turned to face him. "Have you heard anything about this 'Liam'? He knows quite a lot about what is going on, and I feel that he's keeping something from us."

"He's strange." Ashei muttered back. "But I've never heard of a sorcerer named Liam."

It's like he never existed. Koji thought. The Royal Family tries to keep track of the clan of magic users, but the name of Liam the White Sorcerer may as well be foreign to my ears.

The group soon passed through the line between Hyrule and the era of the Twilight Realm and the orb faded away. They could see that the old Eldin Provence was not only overrun with bulbins, but there were small areas engulfed by Twilight.

Liam frowned- this whole area should have been completely covered by Twilight. He quickly opened his book and began to chant, just as a horde of bulbins ran towards them. At the head of the bulbins was one that was obese, green, large, and had two broken off horns.

"Now that Impa is gone, I can use this." Ashei put her sword away and began to pull something out of her pouch. Those who didn't immediately rush into battle watched as she pulled out what looked like a heavy pair of gauntlets and a ball and chain. "It's about time that I have another chance to take away her glory." She smugly added.

"That... looks like it could do some damage." Koji nervously stepped away from Ashei as she put the gloves on.

"Then tell everyone to stay away." Ashei picked up the chain and held the ball out. "I want my space." She grunted as she rushed in and began to swing the ball around and smashed it into many bulbins. Those who were wise and didn't want a broken back or worse ran away from her as quick as they could. Even the Bulbin King waited, before he could have a chance to strike.

"As blunt with her weapons as she is with words." A female knight spoke out as she nervously backed away.

Liam stopped the spell and gave up- there was too much Twilight to figure out what was going on, or where the gate was located. Worse, he could hear screaming from a distance- specifically, Kakariko Village.

"Alright!" He began. "Search carefully, get every monster that you can, and stay away from the Twilight, our first priority is to get to the village!"

"Half of you, follow me!" Koji called out to the others as he lead the charge towards the village, while only a small few stayed to help Ashei (who barely needed it at that moment.). Realizing that they probably wouldn't take orders from him, Liam ran ahead.

As he and the others fought their way to the village, they saw that it was becoming overrun, with monsters, and many villagers were hurrying into buildings for their lives. Almost all of them made it out, but one person caught his attention, because a group of monsters cornered her against the wall of the hill.

The blonde haired girl with a basket, parasol, and bug themed clothing was immediately recognizable to Liam (for reasons he would not dare speak of, until another time) and he rushed to her aid.

"D-d-d-d-" The girl trembled as she held her arms up. "D-dont squish me!" But her pleas fell on deaf ears to the green skinned leader, who raised his weapon up, in preparation to strike her.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Liam roared as he leapt into the sky and sent bursts of magic out, which rained down upon the beasts, and the girl cried out in alarm.

As soon as he was finished, Liam landed in front of the girl and got back up. "I'm sorry for frightening you." He apologized when she saw that she had flinched from fear. "But I'm glad you're safe."

Relief shown in the young girl's violet eyes, and she gave Liam a happy curtsey. "Yes, thank you so much! And who might you be?"

"I am Liam." Liam smiled. "And I am looking for the Gate of Souls." He frowned. "I just... don't know where to look." He turned to the girl- if he chose his words carefully, he might win her cooperation. "Correct me if I am wrong, but are you the one known as the Princess of all insects?"

"That is correct!" the girl beamed. "I am Agitha! And it's an honor to meet you, Liam!"

Liam thought for a moment- this girl was a noblewomen from the Castle Town, and she was supposed to be trapped in the Twilight that covered that region. Something was incredibly wrong about this: all of it.

"Your highness." Liam nervously asked. "How... long as it been since the coronation of King Link Lykaon Hyrule?"

Agitha giggled. "That was about a year ago! In fact, I was there myself! It was quite an event!"

Liam felt his blood run cold. If the coronation already happened, then the Twilight should have been gone from Hyrule. The only possible reason would be if... no... it... could Ceiya really have gone that far?

"Your Highness?" Liam tired to hide his nervousness and smiled. "Do you know about what I seek?"

The girl hummed and put a finger to her lips. "Gate of Souls? I've never heard of it..." She then looked as if she had an idea. "but I can take you right where you want to go!"

"Um... how would you do that?" Liam asked.

Agitha then took a bottle out of her basket and opened it to allow a beautiful blue butterfly to fly right out. Liam gasped upon realizing it was a Godess Butterfly.

"With the Goddess Butterfly, of course!" Agitha smiled at the insect in admiration. "It should take us through the Twilight Realm."

Liam watched as the butterfly flew away, towards a direction, before Agitha chased after it. "Wait a minute!" He panicked as she ran past the monsters and chased the butterfly. He quickly followed suit and made sure to finish off as much as he could, before they could strike the 'princess' down.

"You ought to be a good one." Ashei turned to King Bulbin, who brought out his axe. She readied the ball and chain, just as he came lumbering his way towards her.

King Bulbin roared out and swung his axe, and Ashei swung her ball out at him. The two weapons clashed against each other and went in reverse directions upon impact- both were too well matched.

"Fine!" Ashei switched to her sword and temporarily abandoned her other weapon. "Guess I'll have to do this the boring way!" She hurried at King Bulbin, who swung out, but this time, Ashei was light and she was able to duck and roll before she was cut down.

"Take this!" She yelled and made to strike, but King Bulbin then struck her with his arm. As soon as she fell to the ground, she quickly held her blade up, just before she could get struck by the axe. The end result blocked the attack, but Ashei could barely fight against King Bulbin's strength.

"I have other matters to attend." King Bulbin suddenly spoke out, just as a large boar like creature came forward. Before Ashei could react, King Bulbin withdrew his axe and got onto the boar, which then hurried off as fast as it could.

"...What was that about?" Ashei got up and put her sword away, before returning her gaze to the ball and chain.

All the way on the other side of the village, Liam was still protecting Agitha from the bulbins.

To Liam's horror, Agitha hurried towards one of the sections of the land that was covered in twilight, and before he could yell out, she went through it.

"Even if it's dangerous, I can't let her die!" Liam frantically went against his better judgement and dashed though the darkness, where everything look on a strange haze and Agitha was smacking the bulbins within with her parasol.

"Hooligans!" She snapped at them. "You do not hurt a lady!" She huffed as she knocked one back and hurried after the butterfly.

"...She's not affected?" Liam realized. "How is that- and how am I-?"

He quickly ran out of the Twilight from where he came and saw the rest of the knights coming. "It's safe!" He yelled and dashed back into the Twilight.

Meanwhile, Ashei had finished what was left of her work and was rushing through the village when a voice called out her name. "Lady Ashei!"

She turned to see an oddly dressed man (a shaman?) standing by the safety of a building with a young girl by his side. "I'm glad to see you are safe!" He continued. "Do you know what is going on?"

"How do you know my name?" Ashei demanded.

"It's Renado, Ashei. Don't you remember?"

Ashei scowled and continued on her way. She didn't have time for any of this- the cry for battle beckoned to her, and she would answer it, one way or another.

"I hope she didn't lose her memory too, father." The girl turned to the shaman. "That would be unfortunate."

"Agreed, Luda."

Meanwhile, with Liam...

Liam ran as fast as he could, until he found the self proclaimed bug princess, who was opened a pair of gates to a keep. "A pair of termites once taught me that trick." She giggled.

"Why are there just small sections of Twilight?" Liam wondered out loud. "Why not the whole land?!"

"Agit- Your Highness, please stay by my side!" He held onto the girl as the butterfly seemed to patiently wait for them. When the knights finally caught up, they hurried on ahead.

"Give us a break!" one of them complained. "We don't have enough stamina for this!"

"Bulbins, Aerafoes, Darknuts-" Liam noticed as they entered another section of the Twilight. "It's bad enough we have to deal with all of them! What is going on here?!"

Unfortunately, the worst possible reason came moments after they were delayed by another wave of monsters and they were forced to fight them off, while the butterfly flew off. As soon as the fated army were free to continue on, a voice called out to them.

"That's far enough!"

Liam turned around, as did the others when a smaller group approached them. They all bore exotic dark clothing or armor with neon colors, and each one varied in size or shape and had unnatural greenish or blueish skin tones. Some were incredibly squat, and some were very slender- with the exception of the one at the front, who was a rather thin, but incredibly lovely woman with long hair.

"Are you in league with the one who calls himself Ceiya?!" She demanded.

Liam starred in shock- even with the Twilight around them all, these beings should not be in this land again.

"The Twili." He gulped. "So you are the ones behind the veils of twilight. How did you escape from that realm? I thought the Mirror of Twilight was shattered by your monarch when-"

"May I take it from here, Beliah?" A deep voice cut in. "It appears this one is quite knowledgeable about us."

Liam froze when he heard that voice- he knew that voice very well, since he had seen recordings of the owner from inside Ceiya's temple. "No," He pleaded in a whisper. "Please don't be him, please don't be him."

The Twili parted and Beliah moved out of the way to reveal a tall Twili flanked by two young girls- each one looked like they were in their mid-teens and each bore some sort of strange creature.

The leader of the Twili was better dressed than the others, and he bore a reptilian motif in his armor and adornments. Ironically, he seemed to bear the face of a snake and he shared the same pupiless yellow red eyes that the others had.

"Zant." Liam quietly spoke: this was not going to be good.

"How curious." This Twili mused. "I see that you all look like the knights of Hyrule, and yet you do not flinch away in fear of us, like they do."

He then held his hand up to reveal that the butterfly was trapped in an orb of magic.

"Let that go!" Liam demanded. "We have need of the butterfly!"

"And be a bother to my forces?" Zant asked. "How would I not know that it is poisonous?"

"It is quite pretty." The long haired twin that stood next to Zant looked at the butterfly in awe.

"Actually, the butterfly you see now is not of a poisonous genus, I can assure you!" Agitha maneuvered her way through the soldiers and stood next to Liam, who turned to watch. The girl was annoyed by the Twili, as if he was clueless, which surprised Liam and the others.

Liam turned to Zant and saw that there was a flash of recognition in the man's eyes. "Agi-?" He quietly spoke, before he stopped himself.

"This is a Goddess Butterfly." Agitha smiled. "Ask it kindly and it will guide you anywhere you want to go. Isn't that nice?"

This really excited the long haired twin, who looked at Agitha as if she just made a new friend, while the shorter haired one shot her sister an annoyed look. As for their leader, he looked at the butterfly in thought as he brought it closer towards him. The orb of magic broke, and it looked as if all would be over, until he spoke to it.

"Take me to the Black Sorcerer in the bird mask." He commanded.

The butterfly flew off, and he then hurried after it.

"Wait!" Liam ran ahead but, the Twili blocked him off and readied their weapons. "We have gone through enough to get back home!" The sole Twili who was weaponless told him. "Go to the Twilight and stand guard." She addressed the girls and the Twili knights, who hurried after Zant, before turning to face them.

"Come back!" Agitha pleaded and hurried after the others, but then something strange happened- Beliah's hair suddenly lit up and split apart into six spear like appendages that extended outward and knocked Agitha to the side.

"Agitha!" Liam turned to Beliah in alarm.

"I warn you." She growled as her hair poised in preparation to strike.

"We have this!" One of the knights rushed forward, as did the others. Beliah's hair flew out and went to attack each of her opponents, which gave Liam a chance to run past her, as did Koji, who had a feeling that the girls would be dangerous, like the other woman. Behind them, the knights were at a slight disadvantage, since their opponent could walk past them, while her 'spears' moved like great tendrils and struck out at them.

"Cut them off!" A knight yelled. "It's just hair!"

Beliah shot the man a dark look and one of her 'spears' stretched out towards him. Before he knew it, it wrapped itself around his waist, and she proceeded to toss him as high into the air as she could manage. Even if they tried to take her 'weapon' away, it would only come back- they may as well have been flies to her.

"We have to dispel the Twilight, or the enemy will be too strong to fight off!" Liam told Koji.

"I'll take care of one of the twins!" Koji yelled at Liam. "Miss, you should run from battle!" He yelled at Agitha. "It's going to get dangerous!"

"I will not be swayed!" Agitha yelled back. "I must protect that butterfly!"

"Just let her go!" Liam yelled back to Koji. The sheikah sighed and went after the short haired twin, who ran into the nearest shadow of Twilight, along with her set of guards.

"What are you doing?!" The girl snapped at Koji as she turned around and quickly summoned out a whip with magic. "We have no business with the light dwellers!" She cracked the whip as her snake slithered into her dress for safety.

"Sorry my lady, but I'm afraid your concern isn't as important as what's happening at the moment." Koji readied his naginata.

"I refuse to once again be someone's pawn for this world!" The girl angrily swung her whip and struck out at Koji, who was forced to quickly dodge the attack.

Ok... maybe she's a lot more dangerous than I suspected. Koji realized that he could not let her whip wrap itself on his weapon, or he would be at a loss.

In addition to the fact that the Twili were charging right at him.

"I'll take care of this section!" The long haired twin told Zant when they entered another veil of Twilight and summoned out a shield with spikes on the end as Liam and Agitha approached.

"I really don't want to kill that girl." She moaned in annoyance, but she rushed on ahead, and swung her weapon at Liam, who was forced to dodge. The Twili knights that followed the girl then went after him, and he was forced to send walls of magic out to push them away from himself and Agitha.

"You have to let us pass!" Liam pleaded to the twin as Agitha hurried ahead. The young Twili noticed this and quickly rushed ahead and smacked the girl with the back of the shield. Agitha almost fell over, but she recovered and gave the Twili a cold glance.

"No one hits the princess of the bug kingdom and gets away with it, you fiend!"

And before anyone knew it, a huge, green horned beetle came out of nowhere, in front of Agitha.

"What the-" The Twili was knocked over by the beetle, who charged after her like a bull and began to charge ahead at the Twili knights. This gave Liam enough time to move on ahead.

"Please let me get there on time!" Liam pleaded as he hurried to follow the Twili King.

Unfortunately for Liam, Zant had already approached Ceiya, who was waiting at the corner of the patch of Twilight where he was at an advantage.

"Oh, if it isn't the nut-case." Ceiya muttered to himself as Zant stood waiting in front of him. "How's the realm of light?" He asked the Twili, who quickly trapped the blue butterfly in an orb before it could get away.

"You forced me and my men out of our home." Zant stiffly reminded him. "If any of us had actually died, I would have sliced you down from head to foot."

"Well that's really unfortunate." Ceiya admitted. "I actually wanted to see you lose that calm facade and reveal your true power."

"Are you trying to press your luck?" Zant asked. "Because I-"

"CEIYA!"

The black sorcerer sighed and turned to face Liam. "I was hoping you would have been someone else. By the way, you look like a generic school boy, with that book of yours."

"What are you doing Ceiya?!" Liam demanded. "You can't force the realms to merge once again! This could ruin history!"

Ceiya mockingly whacked his staff into his hand a few times. "True, but considering the new source of my power, I can do whatever I please- remember?" He held his hand up and the full mark of the Triforce shown in all it's glory. It was a sight that didn't please Liam, because there was no telling what Ceiya would do with the Triforce.

Zant was startled by the sight of that mark- he remembered it and it's great significance all too well. "How did you possess that power?" He demanded.

"As much as I want to answer that question- and see the look on your face-" Ceiya chuckled. "I'm afraid I need to go back to your realm for some recruiting." He then vanished into dark magic.

Zant was confused. He was also angry, and he felt a tremendous desire to strike out at someone. The preferable target was the blue haired man who interrupted his conversation with his newfound enemy.

"You." Zant turned to Liam. "Are you in league with that man?!"

"I need that butterfly back!" Liam demanded to him. "Without it, your realm is in danger!"

"Then I guess I will dispose of those impostors you ally yourself with!" Zant then vanished into dark particles Twili magic.

Liam yelled in frustration, before rushing to try to look for the King.

-meanwhile, across the battlefield-

"YOU!"

Beliah turned to see Ashei, who had her ball and chain ready.

"Oh good, another fly." Beliah glared at the woman. "At least you will be a challenge."

"Likewise." Ashei grunted, before rushing in. Beliah, sent her hair out to Ashei, but the captain ducked and then swung her ball out at the woman, who quickly retracted her hair and formed another shield in defense.

"You know, I think we should help the village and take care of the bulbins." One knight commented to the others.

"Yeah." "Agreed." The others went on ahead to find their use elsewhere.

"You're good!" Koji panted as he swung his weapon at the whip wielding twin, who tried to strike his head, but he swung out at her with the Naginata. As skilled as the other knights were, he was more than capable of being a match for them, but there were still a few who waited for their chance to go in. Koji knew he had to keep his senses in top form, if he wanted to turn the battle in his favor.

The girl merely dodged his next attack and quickly sent the whip out until it caught his legs and wrapped itself around them.

"I'm better!" She taunted as she gave the chain a yank and pulled him down to the ground.

"That's dirty!" Koji spat when he scrambled to get back up. So much for keeping his senses in top form.

"Not all is fair, boy!" She told him as she pulled the chain towards herself and dragged him closer to her. "As cute as you are, I need to get this over with!"

"Are you flirting with me?!" Koji asked in disbelief. "And hey- I'm about as old as you are, so don't call me boy!"

Meanwhile, Agitha already had the advantage, thanks to the unusual gift of not only summoning up various insects, but the beetle she used protected it's ruler and did a number on the knights. It was when she summoned a great butterfly that was large enough to ride on that her opponent realized that there was no way she could win. She specialized in close range combat and to toss her shield at the bug would have been a grave mistake.

"Ok, you win!" The long haired twin sighed in relief and gave up to Agitha. "I don't know how, but you can summon large bugs and I don't want to hurt them!"

The first of the Twilight dispelled from the field.

"ARIADNE!" The short haired twin yelled when she sensed which part disappeared. Unfortunately for her, it gave Koji enough time to rush in and smash the pole of his weapon into her body and knocked her down.

"I prefer a code of honor!" Koji held her against the ground as much as he could. "You are no warrior!"

"I'm a Royal Aid!" The girl snapped as she grabbed the naginata and tried to push it off her. "I never said I was a warrior!"

In retaliation, her snake shot out, wrapped itself around Koji's arm, and bit him. The boy winced in pain, but he held his grip.

"I am not like my sister!" She snarled. "I will not let my weakness overtake me!"

"Nor will I!" Koji spoke. "I sense much shadow in this realm, and though you are saturated in it, I can sense that it is pure. None of you should be our enemies, so please listen to me for a moment!"

At that moment, he felt the tip of a spear touch the back of his neck.

"Get off Lady Daphne, or this goes through your neck." The Twili knight cautioned.

Koji blamed the Twilight for clouding his senses that day.

-the part you guys probably wanted-

Elsewhere, Liam glanced to the bridge of Eldin and hurried on his way. There was another patch of Twilight, and if he managed to get it, then the Twili would be able to listen to them.

However, as soon as he made it to the center of the bridge, Zant reappeared in front of him.

"I am getting tired of you, boy!" He snarled. "So pardon me, if I feel the need to vent my frustration on you!" He threw his arms out and out came long scimitars, just as a serpentine like helmet covered his face on it's own.

"If you could just listen to me!" Liam yelled as he readied his magic and rushed towards him.

"Oh good, a magic user." Zant readied himself as his voice raised up an octave (or so it sounded to Liam). "I could of enjoyed this if I wasn't in a hurry!" He rushed at Liam and suddenly twirled across the air like some sort of cyclone with blades, and Liam had summon out a shield of magic as the Twili repeatedly span into him.

What ensued would have been quite a sight to see. Though Liam could send waves of magic towards the Twili, his opponent dodged all of his attacks until he could finally run after Liam and swing his blades like a crazed fiend. Unfortunately, the monarch began to spew out sounds that were nowhere near human- he was already enjoying himself and was caught up in the fight.

Liam gasped as he backflipped away from an oncoming attack. A user of Twili magic was just as unknown as the magic itself, and if he wasn't careful, he might die, or be trapped within it. He could not let Zant get anywhere near the Twilight veil on the other side, or else he would lose, and yet they were still on the Bridge of Eldin, which was the worst place to battle, considering the deep chasm below it.

Suddenly Zant raised his arms to the sky, and Liam quickly dodged, just as a large stone hand slammed down from a portal. Zant repeatedly threw his arms up and down in front of him, and made the hand do the same. It gave Liam a chance to do his own unusual brand of 'fun' and summoned up a magic cube.

"Check this out!" Liam taunted as he leapt on the cube and as soon as the hand vanished, he walked it forward and made it fall over repeatedly until he reached the Twili king.

Zant's response was to merely shoot a ball of magic into Liam's face.

As Liam fell to the ground, Zant threw his arms out and began to shot more magic at Liam, and the young man was forced to summon out another wall to protect himself as he got up. Ok, I guess I forgot he could do that. Liam cursed himself.

Before he knew it, Zant then raised into the air and two greenish copies appeared on each side of Liam.

"Oh cr-"

Liam became caught within a strong surge of dark magic that shot pain throughout his body, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Pathetic." Zant sneered under the mask. "This is the best you can do? Protect yourself?"

He then smacked the boy so hard that he tumbled until he was close to the edge of the bridge.

"I try to be benevolent, but I'm afraid you pushed me too far." Zant walked to the boy. "For all I know, that man ripped the Triforce from a more worthy holder and I do have questions of my own. So as much as I want to kick you off this bridge, I'll try to offer you a chance to surrender, before you change my mind." Zant then sensed that another veil of Twilight disappeared during the fight. If this kept up, there would be serious trouble.

"I-" Liam panted. "am not going to give up!" He gave Zant a defiant look as he reached for his book. As soon as he grabbed it, he added "For the future of Hyrule and-"

Zant laughed as he held his blades out again. "I'm not one for a motivational speech, mid-battle, like most fools!"

Liam scrambled to get up, but in his haste, he lost his footing and fell off the bridge.

There were two things Liam could have done as he fell towards his death and watched Zant look at him- scream or think. He chose to think, and quickly summoned a platform under him. With a quick word, he sent the platform up and he quickly stood on it. Just as the platform became level with Zant, he jumped of it and returned to the bridge.

Only to get knocked into the ground by Zant's magic- again.

Zant formed an orb of magic between his hands. "Well, I had fun, but now I grow bored of this game!" He told Liam. "So I'm afraid you'll have to go."

Liam closed his eyes for a moment: he had to get the man to listen to him somehow... and then he had an idea.

"Born of light, born of night!" He quickly sang (and partially recited, since he wasn't that good of a singer). "The wolf howls in the Twilight! Hidden from their eyes, in the dark, in the dark!"

Zant froze and the insanity within him disappeared for a brief moment. "...How do you know that song?!" He demanded.

Liam quickly created his own orb of magic in his hand and mentally sent it into Zant's face. It made a perfect shot, and the king let out a great hollering noise as a result.

As soon as the king lost his balance and was temporarily blind, Liam was free to grab his book and prepared a quick spell. He sent wave after wave of attacks into Zant, and didn't stop- he could not let Zant free until the madness in him disappeared completely.

"And take this!" Liam yelled as he sent a strong wall of magic right into Zant, who let out a yelp as he was thrown back and knocked to the ground.

Liam held a cautious hand out as he approached Zant, who struggled to get up. "Ugh..." He moaned. "To think that some boy could beat me while the Twilight was under my command..." His mask came off and he glared at Liam.

"I know you're trying to trick me." Liam made the spell stronger and the magic in his hand formed and began to spark in warning for the dark being. "I know you played a similar card before, so don't try it." He wasn't sure if Zant was really bluffing, but it was better to stay safe.

Zant let out another odd sound and snickered. "And what do you know about-?"

"Listen to me!" Liam demanded. "We are trying to stop Ceiya and we need to get to the Gate of Souls to do so. In fact, I would say that we are on the same side."

A calm fell between the two of them.

"Listen to me." Liam repeated. "Please- take a moment to hear me out. Whatever Ceiya has done to you is going to ruin your kingdom as well as it's future. I know that it has already seen great horrors- do you want a repeat of what happened back then? Because it's already happening, and there's no divine power to back us up."

There- that was the safest of the wild cards he could have used.

Zant blinked at the boy before he slammed a fist into the ground and got up. "You have terrible communication skills, you know that?!" he snapped at Liam, who flinched. He then created an orb of magic and held it up to his face. "They are on our side- there's no need to fight them anymore."

He waved at the orb with his free hand and it disappeared. "And how can I believe you?" He demanded- the insanity was dying away, but he was still on guard. "What reason do we have to trust each other?"

"We came from a time where the song of your people became well known... in the realm of the light." Liam spoke. "That's only a small part of what we know of the Twilight Realm. Your kingdom will be in jeopardy if you don't help me find the Gate that links this time with ours."

At that moment, Liam saw something across the other side of the bridge. It was King Bulbin, and he was riding off on a beast while another one of it's followers rode behind him, with a large mirror ride to it's ride.

"That's the Mirror of Twilight!" Liam gasped. Zant quickly looked over and as soon as he saw the mirror, he vanished into Twilight-

-And reappeared right in front of the Bulbin. He was forced to bring his ride to a stop, along with the other one.

"Remember me?" Zant coldly spoke. "It turns out that I too am a king."

King Bulbin hesitated.

"Give me the mirror- now." Zant demanded. "And tell me why there are so many of you roaming my realm."

"Ceiya is summoning monsters across time!" Liam ran up to Zant. "It's possible that those bulbins are from my time."

"They are not our allies." King Bulbin spoke out. "They are not of bulbin blood."

That confused Liam, but he believed it best to think on it another time.

Zant stared at the mirror as Liam walked up towards it and held onto it as King Bulbin's follower loosened it's bonds. That object was the only thing that linked the realms together, and he thought it had been destroyed. Was that because of the full power of the Triforce?

He wished it hadn't been fixed- too much horror, too much pain, and too many memories came from that mirror. He knew it would have to be destroyed again.

-later-

Both Twili and Hylians reluctantly waited for their commanders to arrive.

Beliah and Ashei both came to a standstill in their fight, and while both gave each other some respect, they still shared a similar distrust.

"Look, I won fair and square, Lady Daphne." Koji spoke to Daphne, who gave him a death glare.

"I don't believe you." Daphne spoke as Draco (her snake) hissed at the boy. "You tried yourself into surrendering, and then you made yourself vanish, and took your weapon to my back within the span of five seconds."

"I'm a Sheikah- that's my specialty." Koji shrugged. "You can't blame me for how I was trained."

"You have a house full of insects?!" Ariadne exclaimed as Agitha carefully examined Demi, the shadow insect.

"Why yes!" She beamed. "They are so happy in my kingdom and we have such wondrous balls! I so wish you could join us!"

"We would love to!" Ariadne clapped her hands together in excitement.

Beliah then noticed Zant approaching, along with Liam. "Your Majesty!" She bowed before the king, as the others turned to see their leaders.

"So... all is well?" Koji asked Liam. "Can we find the Gate of Souls?"

"We can." Liam turned to Zant. "His Majesty has said that it is within his realm, in the throne room. Ceiya has invaded the Realm of Twilight, so we must go there."

"But isn't the only way into the realm destroyed?" Marsh asked. "The Mirror of Twilight-"

"-Is obviously fixed, unless something happened between dimensions." Beliah spoke out. "Thanks to that masked man, he used his magic to fix it, and forced us out."

"But I take it that if we use the butterfly, we can still find the entrance." Koji jumped in.

"No need." Zant summoned the mirror of Twilight out. "We can all return back home."

"Oh thank the gods!" Daphne sighed in relief as the other knights voiced their own happiness. "This world has to much variety for my liking!"

Koji was not amused- he knew she was talking about him.

"Here." Zant gave the mirror to Beliah. "Let us think of what to expect before we use it's powers. There is a man in the village that we can entrust it to when we go through it. It's the only option we have at this point, but eventually I have to destr-"

At that moment, Agitha then noticed Zant. "Ah!" She gave Demi back to Ariadne and quickly hurried to the king. "Sir Knight!" She called and the Twili turned to face her. "It's been so long!" She curtseyed to him. "I had no idea that you were a king! You never told me!"

Zant gave the child a smile- the first, genuine smile he were wore, one ever since coming back into this realm. "It is wonderful to see you again, Princess Agitha." He bowed. "At least some good came from being brought back here to the realm of light."

"All those bugs you gave me are so happy!" Agitha happily spoke. "If Eldin Provence hadn't been taken from the rest of Hyrule, or that there was such mischief about us, I could have shown you sometime."

Beliah chuckled, despite herself. "It looks like you made friends with the youth of this world- that's kind of surprising, really."

Liam carefully watched the exchange between the young girl and the monarch and noticed that Zant's smile turned melancholic. It pained Liam to think about whether or not Zant actually wanted to be back in Hyrule. Was he actually hoping to see certain familiar faces again? He glanced out to the Hyrule of this era and thought that to be so close to those you cared for, and yet unable to interact would be incredibly painful.

And yet, it was for the best.

"Uh, question!" A Hylian knight asked. "How was it that we survived the Twilight, and that you guys were able to survive the light? I thought you guys die without the Twilight?"

"That's what we assumed." Zant informed him. "And yet here we stand, unaffected."

"It's probably because time has completely stopped." Liam realized. "Not only were you pulled out of your timeline, but you are now completely immune to disease or illness. Until you return, every moment that was ripped from the timeline is stuck in limbo."

"Well, that's nice." Daphne laughed. "A little immortality sounds good."

"So Ceiya wants to guard the Gate of Souls." Ashei wondered. "Why would he, if he already has the Triforce in his-"

"Wait a moment." Zant noticed Ashei and smiled. "Lady Ashei of the resistance, correct?"

Ashei wondered why so many people in this area acted as if they knew her, before she realized what he meant. "I'm afraid you mean my great-great-grandmother. She did pass down the stories that involved you- she said that you turned into a giant and almost destroyed Hyrule Castle in breaking a barrier down. It made one heck of a bed-time story."

There was a round of laughter at this.

"Ah, that I remember." Zant looked a little embarrassed. "That's not a good story about me, but I'll let it slide on her behalf."

Liam, however, began to realize something because it made him think back to what Ceiya said. He was going back to the realm to do some recruiting...Ceiya had the complete Triforce, which was more powerful than any of them, and even Zant-

****! Liam thought when the pieces added up. How could he have been so stupid?!

"We got to go now!" Liam yelled at all of them. "Ceiya is about to do something that's really bad!"

"Like what?" Zant asked. "What more would that bird-faced nuisance want in-"

"He's going to bring her back." Liam flatly told him.

All the Twili knew exactly what he meant. Zant especially knew who he meant.

-somewhere hidden from the eyes of citizens of the Twilight Realm-

Ceiya walked through the halls of a now isolated building within the boundaries of the Palace of Twilight. Here was where dangerous artifacts and objects were kept, but he was more interested in the large chamber, where a coffin like contraption of black and iridescent colors similar to a dragon fly's wings was propped up at the very end. The way it was designed was almost like a large crystal, which was highly ironic to Ceiya- how many beings throughout the timeline had been encased in crystal or ice?

Ceiya smirked as he reached the coffin: this had been far too easy. Sure, a few Twili were knocked out, and monsters were all over the city and palace, but they were nothing, compared to what he was about to unleash.

He held a hand up as he felt the spells over the coffin and quietly dispelled each one of them. He wasn't familiar with the technical parts of Twili magic, but his power was stronger then that magic- the power of time, darkness, and the Triforce were far superior.

As the last layer dispelled, the coffin's hidden runes lit up before it cracked and shattered to pieces to reveal a woman resting within it's confines.

Ceiya looked at her- she was still hovering within the boundaries of what was once her prison and she appeared to be in a deep slumber. He had to admit: as much as he desired the hero, he always found this woman to be quite beautiful, and he knew her so well from observing the timelines that he almost wouldn't have minded the red haired exotic beauty over the near timeless blonde messiah.

She was pretty cheeky, but he knew how to win her over.

He laughed as he felt the Triforce glow. "No power weaker than this spell?" He held his hand out again and concentrated as dark magic came out of it in waves and towards the woman. "I'm afraid someone cursed themselves which such a dare upon fate."

The victory that Zant and she had accomplished was about to be undone. It was sad, but Ceiya didn't care.

The magic reached the woman and caressed her face as it invaded her mind, until it broke away all the barriers placed upon it. Seconds later, she took in a deep breath and collapsed to the ground in a not so graceful tumble.

The woman let out a curse as she stood back up and looked at Ceiya with questioning eyes. Unlike the other Twili, she had red pupils and looked more like a light dweller: they were the characteristics one descended from a prisoner of the Arbiter's Grounds.

"Your Majesty." Ceiya held his staff out to his side and bowed.

"Who are you?" She roughly, demanded, for one who had just awoken from a deep slumber. "Where is Zant?"

Ceiya stood back up. "It's been almost a year since you were defeated by him and his accomplice." He explained. "And though peace once falls on your kingdom, the people are still tense at the sound of your name."

"Ok, pretty boy." The woman scowled. "As much as I like it, explain what you want me to do in exchange for my freedom. Only someone incredibly ambitious or exceptionally stupid would wake me up before they would put me on trial."

"Oh, I'm afraid my goal would sound boring to you." Ceiya chose his words carefully. "What matters is what you get out of it. How would you like to take your revenge on Zant for what he did to you? I owe you that much, Midna. Let the world know why they should not forget the Twilight Princess for you shall regain the throne in due time."

Midna stared at him. She then cracked an amused grin and crossed her arms. "Ok bird man- tell me everything, and maybe I'll let you live."

-to be continued-

Outtake: This one's for you, PsycoFangirl.

Ceiya looked at her- she was still hovering within the boundaries of what was once her prison and she appeared to be in a deep slumber.

...Wait a minute.

"Who drew all over her face?" Ceiya was confused when he saw the drawings all over Midna's face. Apparently someone thought it would be funny to do exactly that when she was asleep.

"...Well..." Ceiya took out a marker. "Since I'm here, I might as well contribute. As childish as it is I can't pass up the partaking of a good prank."

Minutes later...

"WHO DREW ALL OVER ME?!" Midna yelled out in blind fury, after repeatedly slamming her foot into Ceiya's face. "I'M GOING TO KILL THEM! I'M GOING TO BEAT THEM OVER THE HEAD WITH SOMETHING, AND THEN I'LL KILL THEM! IF IT WAS ZANT, I'M GOING TO (CENSORED due to the graphic nature of the threat.)!"


"SKULL KID!" Lexi happily beamed as the imp came into her house. "I haven't seen you since Twilight Twists!"

"Neither have I, Boomerang!" He giggled.

"I was supposed to be watching for spelling errors for the last few chapters, but then I was invited to a party!" Lexi laughed. "Man, you should have been there!"

Skull Kid was quiet, before he then spoke. "I warn you, Boomerang- that which was supposed to happen in the last story, but was cut due to overuse will occur in your near future. You will face a wrath that crosses over eons, yet will also bring great joy to others."

"...Huh?" Lexi was confused by this. "What- ah never mind."

"HolyMaiden24 also owes Phoenix Champion a great apology and says that she will try to make King Bulbin more active in the next chapter. She has recently been hit with the illness own as 'laziness.'"

"I need to pull up this reply to a review from the writer." Lexi cut in as she held up a sheet of paper for the reader.

ZtheSOI: Thank you. :)

I might actually make a spoiler free version of this reply at the end of this chapter, in case anyone else wants to write, or to know how I write. Because it's that good of a question.

So do I plan the whole story or do I go by chapter to chapter?

To answer your question, it's usually a bit of both. For example, Twilight Twists exact ending was planned for a long time (which was inspired by the finale of the Twilight Princess medley on the 25th anniversary cd), along with the characterization of Skull Kid, the friendship Zant began with Agitha, Zelda's backstory, and a few of the jokes.

It was the same with Skyward Swaps: as I went along, I knew exactly how it would end, along with the backstory of Ghirahim and Fi.

For this fan fic, I have some things I am eager to write out- including a big moment in the Lake Hylia chapter. Sometimes I get stuck, and I need to think out what happens once I get to the chapter- Especially the big fight scenes and battles which requires more effort. It makes good practice, but it's hard to enjoy it, unless something major happens. (That's why most of the bosses and dungeons get the short end of the stick in this series.) Some things are influenced by the logic (or lack of) within the games, or speculation.

So, my biggest ideas tend to come first, while I struggle with the stuff in-between.

Characterization is easy if you know the character's personality or think of how they might react in a situation, but it was tricky with Midna, because it took me awhile to see why she would do what she did in Twilight Twist, due to the role reversal. Speaking of which, that fight scene between her and Zelda practically wrote itself, thanks to the environment :).

You should totally go for writing fan fiction. Just one word of advice- take your time to edit, because it will diminish the quality of your writing. (Unfortunately, I've missed a few errors quite often. :( ) And have fun. :)

"The one who thinks she is a deity, but is as mortal as the readers says that she started the Ocarina of Time role reversal fanfic." Skull Kid added. "It is titled 'Times Trade.' if I remember correctly. There is a chance that the third chapter will be published, before the next one for this story, so be patient, my good friends."

Lexi beamed. "But..." She looked around. "Where's the writer?"

-?-

"I knew this chapter was coming, so I came prepared!" HolyMaiden24 yelled up into the sky with a triumphant, yet mad laugh. "I'm not getting killed off by you this time! I'm going to watch Sgt. Frog while someone else has to deal with you!" She added before ducking into some sort of underground bunker and shut the door behind her.