Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors. Impa and Sheik had entered the Era of the Hero of Time and began their search for the Gate of Souls. Their journey took them to Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. There, they heard from a fairy named Navi that an evil force had taken hold of the Goron Chief Darunia and that he had kidnapped Princess Ruto. After the two Sheikah managed to overcome their differences, they succeeded in freeing Darunia from the force that possessed him and rescued Princess Ruto. The Zora Princess then informed them that Princess Zelda was behind the whole ordeal. Now the heroes journey to the Water Temple in hopes of solving the matter and closing the Gate of Souls.

Impa and the troops had managed to reach Lake Hyila. Their army was now bolstered by the strength of Darunia's Goron tribe. When they reached the lake, Impa ordered Navi to lfy on ahead and scout out the land. When she did, she came across a startling sight: At the lake, she saw a vast horde of undead monsters and a few Lizalfos seemingly lying in wait. But even more startling was the leader of the monsters. It was Princess Zelda herself! But there was something... off about her. Her once fair skin had a more paler complexion and her eyes were red. It was almost as if it some dark force had taken hold of the benevolent princess. Taking care to avoid detection, Navi moved closer to listen in on her conversation with one of the Stalmasters.

"The Hyrulean Forces will be here soon." Zelda said. her voice was cold and haughty, far from the kind and gentle ruler many would describe her as. "Be ready to slaughter them." The Stalmaster nodded in return and began to order the troops to ready themselves for battle. With no more information to gain, Navi flew back to Impa and the troops, who had positioned themselves in a cave near the lake, out of sight from the Dark Forces. "Ah, Navi. It's good that you're unharmed." Sheik said. "What can you tell us?"

"You're never gonna believe this one!" Navi said breathlessly. "The leader of the monsters is Princess Zelda!"

"Princess Zelda?!" Impa exclaimed. "No. She wouldn't attack us on her own volition."

"We don't know that." Sheik said. "For all we know, she may have been corrupted by the Gate of Souls."

"I refuse to believe that!" Impa passionately declared. "I know Princess Zelda! She is too strong to give in to evil."

"Well, we won't know until we get there." Darunia said. "So what are we waiting for?! Let's get to the action already!"

"Wait." Sheik said. "They probably know we're coming. An ambush would be more preferable."

"Agreed." Impa replied. "Our best option is to flank them by way of the frozen cliff. They won't expect an attack from there. Now, one thing. No one is to harm Princess Zelda without my order. If she is truly corrupted, then we must free her from whatever is controlling her."

"Are you sure that is wise?" Sheik asked. "If all else fails, then we may be forced to harm her."

"I have spent too long trying to find her." Impa said. "I won't harm her unless it is absolutely necessary. Let's move out!" With that, the troops ran up the cliff where they saw a group of Lizalfoses and Stalfoses at the bottom. Before the monsters could even react, Darunia and the Goron troops leapt downward and began to engage them. Impa, Sheik, Ruto, and the Hyrulean troops followed suit and assisted the Gorons, with Ruto creating a large tidal wave to drown most of the Dark Forces.

Zelda, meanwhile, watched the fight from a distance. Her expression was one of contemptuous boredom. "A sneak attack? How surprisingly clever." She said flatly, completely disinterested. "Someone destroy these nuisances." Impa saw the princess and rushed over to her, cutting down the Dark Forces in her path. "Princess Zelda, stop!" she pleaded. Zelda turned to face the Sheikah. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked.

"Princess Zelda, it's me, Impa!" Impa said as she ran over and grabbed Zelda's shoulders. "Don't you remember me? I've been searching for you!" Zelda remained silent for a moment as she stared at Impa with a contemplative look on her face. "Impa...?" she asked again. "Yes!" Impa exclaimed happily. "It's me, remember?" Zelda clutched her head. "Yes... I remember now." She said slowly. "I remember... how useless you were." Before the stunned Sheikah could react, Zelda fired a blast of light magic from her hand, sending her flying a considerable distance until she landed in front of her troops. who looked on with shocked expressions.

"And I also remember how weak you were." Zelda said scornfully. "Soldiers of Hyrule, cease fighting for the unworthy and follow my royal command! Drop your weapons, turn from this place and leave." Zelda then retreated into the Water Temple as the entrance closed behind her. Sheik and Ruto ran to help a stunned Impa onto her feet. "Impa? Are you okay?" Ruto asked. "Yes, I'm fine." Impa replied. "But I can tell you this: That is not Princess Zelda."

"How can you be sure?" Sheik asked.

"I sensed something within her." Impa said. "Something evil. And then there was her eyes. They were red. Zelda's eyes are blue. And the way she spoke, it had none of the warmth and kindness she has. Zelda would never speak to me like that. It must be an impostor."

"If that is true, we'll need some way to expose her." Sheik said. "But how?"

"The Mirror of Truth might help us!" Ruto said. "The hero once hid it in the Water Temple for safekeeping. I can get it!"

"That sounds like a plan." Impa said. She then took off her Gossip Stone and handed it to Ruto. "You may need this to communicate." Impa then turned to face the troops. 'Listen up! Do not listen to a word that impostor says. That is not our Zelda. Everything she says will be a lie. Right now, closing the Gate of Souls is our top priority. Protect Ruto as she make her way to the lake." The soldiers replied with a simultaneous shout of "Yes, General!" Impa, Sheik, and Darunia went off in different directions to fight the Dark Forces while Ruto, accompanied by five soldiers, made her way to the lake.

Along the way, Ruto was stopped by a group of Lizalfoses. Using her water magic, she created twin swords made of pressurized water and cut each of them down. With the monsters defeated, Ruto dived into the lake. Underwater, she frantically searched for an entrance to the Temple. But she wasn't given much time to search as she soon found herself under attack by what appeared to be a giant fish. The monster had red scales with yellow accents and fins. It had two small horns on its forehead. It's teeth were yellow and razor sharp. And its fierce eyes were green and looked as if it could strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest of warriors.

"A Gyorg?!" Ruto exclaimed. "What's it doing here?! I thought they were extinct!" Extinct or not, it was most certainly real now as it charged at Ruto, intending to swallow the Zora whole. Ruto artfully swam out of its path and fired several ice arrows at the monster. The Gyorg roared in pain and charged at her again. Ruto created a water hammer and bludgeoned the fish several times. The Gyorg opened its mouth and released a school of ravenous piranhas. Ruto again summoned her water swords and did her best to fend off the ravenous fish.

"This is getting nowhere!" Ruto thought to herself. "I've got to find the Mirror of Truth!" Without hesitation, Ruto began to rapidly swim in a circle, forming a large whirlpool that drew in Gyorg and its spawn. With all of them drawn in, Ruto raised her hand to the sky, causing a waterspout that sent Gyorg flying high into the air. "Flying fish, anyone?" Ruto giggled. With that distraction over, Ruto found the entrance to the Water Temple. She swam through the tunnel and eventually surfaced into a room where the Mirror of Truth was on a pedestal. Ruto ran to the Mirror and grabbed it. "Impa! I have the Mirror of Truth!" she spoke into her Gossip Stone.

"Excellent." Impa replied. "Hurry back. We need you out here."

"On my way!" Just as Ruto was about to leave, the pool of water was suddenly closed. The Zora Princess ran to the nearby door only for it to close on her. At that point, The room began to fill with water. "Impa! It's a trap!" she shouted into her Gossip Stone as she desperately tried to find the entrance. "They knew I was coming. I'm trapped in the room and its filling with water!"

"Ruto! Hang on! We're on our way!" Impa replied.

"It appears I have captured your ally." Zelda said, somehow talking into the Gossip Stone. "If you wish for her safety, you will lay down your weapons and surrender immediately."

"What kind of coward takes hostages?!" Impa asked in outrage. "You stain Princess Zelda's very name!"

"Impa, this is no time for anger." Sheik said. "We must go in after her! There must be a way to open the temple doors."

"Actually, there is!" Navi said. "There are floodgate switches at that house over there. We can use that to enter the temple."

"Excellent idea." Impa said as she and Sheik ran to the shack, cutting down legions of enemies along the way. When they reached the shack, they saw the two floodgate switches and pulled the levers, opening the entrance to the Temple. "Alright!" Darunia cheered as the two Sheikah ran back to meet him. "The floodgates are open! What do you say we pour into the Water Temple?" The Goron laughed heartily. "Get it? Pour? Water puns!"

"Actually, Darunia." Impa began. "You need to stay behind with the troops and protect the entrance. Sheik and I will enter the temple."

"Aw man!" Darunia whined. "I was ready for some action! Okay, then. Good luck!" With a nod, the two Sheikah entered the Water Temple and made their way to the center of the temple. They found a room and tried to open the door, only for it to be locked. Sheik pulled out her Gossip Stone and spoke to Ruto. "Ruto, we've entered the Water Temple. Are you close by?" She asked.

"Very close." Ruto replied. "In fact, you're right outside!"

"How do we open the door?" Impa asked

"There should be two floodgate switches." Ruto replied. "Pulling them should lower the water level and open the door. Hurry!"

"I'll search the eastside, you handle the westside." Impa told Sheik. Sheik gave a nod and the two went their separate ways. Sheik went to the west wing of the temple, searching frantically for the floodgate switch as she cut through swaths of skeletal warriors. Eventually, she came across the southwestern room where she saw one of the switches. Without hesitation, she pulled the lever. "Ruto, I've found one of the switches." she said. "Has there been any change?"

"The water level's receding a bit!" Ruto replied. "Now find the other switch!"

"Impa's already on it!" Sheik said as she ran back to the room where Ruto was. Meanwhile, on the east wing of the temple, Impa searched for the other switch, cutting down throngs of Lizalfoses and Stalfoses until she finally reached the southwestern room in the temple where she found the switch. She pulled the switch and hurriedly ran back to the Central Hall where Ruto was imprisoned. Sheik had arrived there first and was waiting for Impa. The two Sheikah opened the door and found Ruto thankfully unharmed. "About time you guys got here! I was getting worried." Ruto said as she handed Sheik a purple mirror with the mark of the Sheikah tribe emblazoned on it.

"Here it is, the Mirror of Truth!" Ruto said. "Well, I'm going back on top to help out Darunia. You guys can handle yourselves, right?"

"Don't worry. We can take it from here." Impa said. "Join up with Darunia. We can handle it." Ruto nodded in response and left through the tunnel she used to enter the temple. Impa and Sheik meanwhile walked out of the central hall and into a sandy area when all of a sudden, the wall on the other side vanished, revealing a hidden room and, more importantly, the Gate of Souls. "How did that happen?" Impa asked.

"I don't know." Sheik replied. "Regardless, by accident or design, the way is now open. Let us seal the Gate of Souls and end this madness." The two ran to the Gate of Souls where they saw Zelda awaiting them. "You made it, I see." She said in a monotonous tone that dripped with thinly veiled contempt. "I have no idea how you managed to find me, but no matter. You leave me no recourse." She turned to the Gate of Souls which sprang to life with its ethereal glow. "My loyal servant, King Dodongo! Come forth! Burn these fools to the bone!"

All of a sudden, the two heard screaming. Sheik pulled out her Gossip Stone and saw an image of the Hyrulean and Goron troops fighting a large Dodongo. This one, however, was vastly different than the one Impa had first fought back in Hyrule. This Dodongo had brownish grey scales, black eyes, and two crystalline spikes protruding out of both of its shoulders. The monster menaced towards the soldiers, breathing a stream of fire on them. "Oh no! It's King Dodongo!" Darunia shouted. "Everyone, fall back! Let Ruto and I handle this."

"Impa, Darunia and I can handle things out here!" Ruto said. "You just stop that impostor!"

"You would truly strike down your beloved princess?" Zelda asked mockingly. Impa snarled and drew her blade, charging straight at her. Zelda leapt out of the way as Impa's Giant's Knife crashed into the ground. "You insolent wretch!" Zelda shouted. "You dare to challenge me?! The Princess of the Hyrulean Royal Family?!"

"Silence, impostor!" Impa shouted as she fired a crescent wave of water at Zelda. "Reveal your true face!" She took another swing at Zelda only for her to block it with her rapier. Zelda then fired a blast of light energy from her open hand, knocking the Sheikah to the ground. Unfortunately for her, Zelda was too distracted to see Sheik aiming a diving kick and hitting the princess square in the face. Zelda stumbled for a bit, but quickly regained her footing in time to defend against Sheik's rapid knife slashes. The two then locked blades and attempted to throw the other off, but Zelda eventually overpowered the Sheikah ninja, forcing her to backflip and fire off several knives at Zelda.

Zelda created a barrier of light to defend against the knives and prepared to fire a Light Arrow, but was forced to avoid a wall of fire created by Impa, now wielding her Naginata. Impa charged at the corrupted princess and attempted to impale her with her Naginata. Zelda stood unfazed and tossed a ball of light at her. The ball exploded, creating a flash of light that blinded the Sheikah and allowed Zelda to fire a Light Arrow at her, knocking her to the ground. Zelda then leapt into the air and attempted to impale Impa on her rapier, but was stopped by a blast of lightning from Sheik's harp that sent her to the ground.

Impa recovered and quickly followed up with a kick to her stomach, followed by a slice across the chest with her Naginata before she finally blasted her away with a fireball at point blank range. Sheik then followed up with a combination of rapid kicks and knife slashes to force Zelda on the defensive before blasting her away again with a wave of light from her Harp. Impa summoned four fiery Naginatas and threw them at Zelda, the explosion knocking her to the ground once more. Impa walked over to her as Zelda tried to stand up.

"It's over, impostor." Impa said sternly. "Reveal yourself." Zelda remained silent for a moment before finally facing Impa again. Only this time, her eyes held no malice. Rather, they were filled with confusion and fear. "Impa...? What are you talking about?" she said. "It's me, Zelda. Where are we?"

"Stop it." Impa snapped.

"Why are you attacking me? What have I done?" Zelda asked pleadingly, her voice breaking. "Didn't you say you would pledge your life to serve me? Why are you doing this?"

"I said stop it." Impa commanded. "You are not Zelda."

"Please, let's go home." Zelda pleaded. "My people need me. You have to take me back!"

"That's enough!" Impa roared as she pulled out her Giant's Knife, ready to strike down the impostor who would dare use Zelda's voice and image against her. But before she could do anything, she was stopped by Sheik. "Please, allow me." she said as she pulled out the Mirror of Truth. "In the name of the Sheikah tribe, o mystic Mirror of Truth, reveal the evil that stands before us!" She then pointed the mirror at Zelda, causing it to shine a blinding light at the princess. Princess Zelda screamed and covered her eyes with her arm as the light shone forth. At that instant, her form seemingly shattered like glass and in its place was the hideous visage of Wizzro.

"Wizzro?!" Impa exclaimed, astonished by the revelation.

"How did... you see through... my disguise?" the sorcerer asked between breaths.

"Simple." Sheik replied. "You cannot be Zelda..." Sheik spun around as a bright light enveloped her. Impa shielded her eyes, but when she uncovered them, she was truly shocked at what she saw. For Sheik had vanished and what stood in her place... was none other than Princess Zelda! "... For I am Zelda." she said proudly.

"Princess Zelda! You're okay!" Impa happily exclaimed.

"It is nice to see you, Impa." Zelda replied as she turned to face Impa. "Forgive the deception, but I had to-" before she could finish the thought, she pulled out her Wind Waker, a baton that was said to be one of the ancestral instruments of Royal Family, and created a gust of wind to deflect the energy blast. In the same fluid motion, she fired a bolt of lightning from her baton at the wizard, electrocuting him severely. Seeing he couldn't win, Wizzro sank into the ground and retreated.

With Wizzro gone, the two walked towards the Gate of Souls. Forming an orb of light in both of their hands, they fired the orb at the Gate, causing it to vanish instantly. "There. The gate is now sealed." Zelda said. "Yes." Impa replied. "But now you have some explaining to do, Your Highness. How could you do something so reckless?! And why didn't you tell me anything?! Do you know how worried I was?! I almost believed you dead!"

Zelda lowered her head sadly. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation." she replied somberly. "During the battle at Hyrule Field, I realized that the Dark Forces would not cease until I perished. So, when you sent me back to the castle, I decided to disguise myself and slip by the enemy during the chaos. I understand your anger and I am truly sorry that I had to deceive you so thoroughly, but it had to be genuine or else they would have caught on. I wanted to tell you earlier, oh how I wanted to, but I couldn't because I just couldn't bear the thought of you or any of the others getting hurt because of me. I do hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

Impa listened to Zelda's explanation before giving a sigh. She perfectly understood the princess's reasons for her actions, but still felt some residual anger and hurt from being kept in the dark. "I am still a bit angry," she began before placing a reassuring hand on Zelda's shoulder. "but right now I'm more relieved that you are okay. Now let's go. Ruto and Darunia might need our help."

"Indeed." Zelda replied with a nod as the two of them made their way out of the Water Temple. Once outside, they saw Ruto and Darunia still engaging King Dodongo. Though the Goron Chief and the Zora Princess managed to hold their own, the battle was not going well as the beast seemed impervious to all forms of attack. "Darunia! Let's try to drive it into the lake!" Ruto shouted. Darunia nodded and shot a stream of fire from his hands. Ruto did the same and fired a stream of water from her hands. Together, the two managed to slowly but surely drive the monster into the lake. Once submerged, the beast desperately flailed about in an attempt to swim.

Ruto wasted no time and conjured a spear of ice from under King Dodongo, impaling it in the underbelly and killing it instantly. The monster gave one final dying roar before dissolving into particles of darkness. "Ha ha! We beat him!" Darunia cheered. "Wonderful work!" came the praise from Zelda as she and Impa ran to meet them. "Princess Zelda! It's good to see you're okay!" Ruto said.

"But, uh, where's Sheik?" Darunia asked.

"Princess Zelda was Sheik." Impa replied.

"Forgive the deception." Zelda implored. "But I had to hide my identity to protect those around me."

"It's okay, just as long as that Gate of Souls is sealed." Ruto replied. "By the way, did you seal it? All the monsters suddenly vanished."

"It is done." Impa said. "We have sealed the Gate of Souls. Now we must return to our time and reunite with Link and Lana." She pulled out her Gossip Stone and spoke through it. "Lana, we've found Zelda and sealed the Gate of Souls in this era. How are things on your end?"

"That's great to hear!" Lana replied. "I'm just wrapping things up in the Era of Twilight. I'm opening a portal now!" At that second, a yellow portal appeared in front of the group. Zelda turned to Ruto and Darunia. "We may need your strength in the coming battles." she said. "Will you lend us your aid?"

"Why not?" Darunia asked. "It' been a while since I stretched these old bones!"

"Did you just say Link?" Ruto asked. "As in the hero?"

"Why yes." Zelda replied. "Do you know him?"

"Know him?! He's my future husband!" Ruto happily exclaimed. "You can definitely count me in if it means I get to see him again!" Zelda gave a smile as she, Impa, Darunia, Ruto, and the troops left the Era of the Hero of Time through the portal.

At the Temple of Souls...

"Wizzro, you zombified moron!" Cia raged after hearing his report about how Zelda managed to elude him and seal off another of the Gate of Souls. "How can you possibly be this incompetent?!"

"But mistress!" Wizzro protested. "You can't possibly blame me! How was I supposed to know Zelda had disguised herself?"

"Anyone could have seen that coming." Volga snorted with slight amusement. "Obviously she used the chaos of the fight to slip away in disguise." He then placed a hand over his right eye as a way to mock the sorcerer. "But I guess you didn't see that, did you?"

"Well, at least I had a plan!" Wizzro retorted. "What's your strategy? Oh, that's right, beat it with a spear. What can I expect from a brainless dragon?" At that point, Volga got right in Wizzro's face. "Watch your tongue, wizard." he said in a low, threatening tone. "Or what, you'll claw my eyes out?" Wizzro asked mockingly. "Don't tempt me." Volga replied. Before either of them could do anything, both of them shouted in pain as they were immobilized by Cia's black lightning.

"This whole experience has taught me something:" she said. "You can't rely on two freaks of nature to get the job done right. With that in mind, it seems I'm going to have to do everything myself to make sure the last Gate of Souls stays open. Out of my way!" She then threw the two of them aside as she walked to the door. "Now, as I investigate a strange power in the Era of Twilight, I'd like the two of you to sit there and think on what you've done or failed to do." Cia said. "And please, try not to kill each other."

She paused as she placed a hand on her chin to think. "Or do. It would be quite a pleasant surprise to come back to." She giggled as she vanished in a burst of dark flames.

Next Chapter Preview: The Usurper King. Next time on Hyrule Warriors! Cia wanders into the Twilight Realm to investigate a strange source of power. There she meets Zant, the mad usurper of the Twilight Realm. Thinking the Twili would make a valuable addition to her army, she tries to recruit him. Problem is, Zant isn't going to go quietly. Will she succeed? Find out on the next chapter of Hyrule Warriors!

OOC: God this chapter was a pain to write! Anyway, hope everyone's having a very Merry Christmas!