Midna held it together as long as she possibly could. Zach carried her down to the riverbed, they traveled on a thin layer of snow and ice, and finally reached Zora's Domain... which was covered almost entirely in ice. Even the central waterfall was frozen solid! So much ice and snow! Why did it have to be so cold?!

"FUCK the cold!"

Zach yelped in response to Midna's outburst, ducking his head. He waited for a moment, then another moment, and then another moment again. Once he was sure there was no danger, he turned his head in Midna's direction. She looked every bit as miserable as she sounded; her nose had turned a blueish red, frost built up at her eyelashes, and her teeth kept chattering. "You, uh, doing okay up there?"

"Fan-freaking-tastic." She closed her eyes and patted Zach's head. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. I just really, really hate this damn cold. It's making my skin itch."

"Ah, you're drying out," Zach said as he trotted to the frozen waterfall. "We just need to thaw Zora's Domain and ride the river back to the lake. Then you'll have all the moisture you could need, and then some."

Midna's gaze travelled up the frozen waterfall, her heart sinking the further she looked. "Great. How exactly do we do that?"

Zach sat and said, "That big rock that crashed down when we were cleansing Death Mountain. You zip back, grab it, and dunk it in the heart of the domain."

"Fire sounds so nice right about now," Midna said wistfully. "Call me crazy—"

"You're crazy."

That earned a laugh from her. "Anyway, I think I miss Death Mountain right about now."

"That makes one of us."

"Let's get a move on before I freeze to your back." Midna floated up to the water—icefall and beckoned Zach to her. He leapt up and they traversed one, two, three, four, five, six jumps onto solid ground! The rush of air did nothing for the cold but at least Zach was nice and warm. His fur was soft, especially the fur on the top of his head. It was almost as soft and feathery as his human hair. "It feels so nice to ride you."

"Excuse me?!"

Midna forgot all sense of cold as her cheeks lit up. "I mean like this, on your back! Not that! That's just—keep your mind out of that place!"

"Hey, you're the one who phrased that sentence wrong."

Midna deflated but she still crossed her arms in an act of petulance as Zach followed the trail behind the icefall. "Hmph. You know I didn't mean it like—LOOK OUT!" Despite her warning, Zach did not so much as flinch as an icy chunk fell from the ceiling. It stabbed into the ground just ahead of him, earning a jolt from Midna. "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Zach said. "I saw it too. Thank you for the heads up anyway." He rammed into the chunk, shattering it to tiny pieces. "Hey, guess that means the Silver Gauntlets still work as a wolf. I don't think I could have broken that otherwise."

Midna shrugged. "That's good to know. You should be able to handle Shadow Beasts more easily as well." She helped Zach up the next section of the icefall. It was almost clockwork; one jump, a second, waiting for another ice chunk to fall, then the third, fourth, fifth, sixth—

Damn it, she lost focus! Zach went too far and slid off the ice. His paws caught the edge and kept him from plummeting to his death, but he was no longer capable of anything else.

He kicked his hind legs but there was nothing for him to grip. Midna grabbed his paws and pulled, but in her damn imp form she had neither the strength nor leverage to pull him back up! Her mind racing, she snatched him with her hair-hand and flung him the rest of the way up.

Zach shook himself off as Midna floated up and joined him. Midna seated herself down and sighed. "I'm really sorry about that. This weather has put me in a bad mood."

"Well, I'm not gonna say I wasn't scared, but I wasn't too worried."

"And why is that?"

"You got my back."

Midna was about to reply but her words failed her when they entered the central chamber of Zora's Domain. The lattice architecture was beautiful and elegant and all that, but what had Midna's attention were the trio of Shadow Beasts at the far side. Between them and the throne was a spirit trapped in a block of ice, but even that was not what Midna was looking at.

She was looking at the throne, where Zant himself sat!

Midna's blood turned to ice. She lay along Zach's back, thankful that he noticed Zant as well since he ducked behind one of the lattices. "Zach," she whispered even in her mind, "did this happen in the game?"

Zach shook his head. "Not at all. That's the Queen of the Zora Rutela up there, but she seems alive and well. It looks like our shortcuts got us here before her execution."

Execution?! "What do we do? We can't just let them kill her!"

"Ideally not, but we are not equipped to handle Zant right now."

Midna's heart beat faster and faster. Just looking at that despicable wretch set fire to her soul. She could not allow him to continue roaming around Hyrule sowing chaos and mayhem wherever he went! Once they were closer, Queen Rutela's spirit orb bloomed into view, but Midna only saw her own mother. She was screaming, thrashing in pain as her body mutated beyond recognition.

"Well well well," Zant murmured. Midna's skin crawled at his voice. "My dear Queen Rutela, have you come to a decision? All I ask is your obedience and servitude, and you shall have your freedom and your kingdom returned to you. They cannot survive this cold forever, after all."

Midna tried to listen but Queen Rutela's voice was too faint to hear. Only her head was left unfrozen, sporting several bruises on her cheeks. Midna's heart beat faster. They dared strike her! They struck her mother!

Zant tilted his head, a feat Midna thought impossible with that garish helmet. "How true. What life is worth living that is not lived for one's self? A respectable question, for those who refuse to see. My god—" Zach shuddered at that, "—has taught me that servitude and obedience are their own rewards. To have power over others, one must be willing to submit themselves as well."

"Midna," Zach said, "you need to calm down, we're not ready for this fight!"

"I know!"

Breathe, just breathe... Midna had to fight not to squeeze Zach's fur. Zant's voice was sticky black tar that poisoned Midna's thoughts. All she wanted was to see him tremble and fall before her! She had to step in, had to save Queen Rutela! But she knew Zach was right, they were not at all prepared to battle Zant. She was not strong enough. She was not strong enough to save her own mother!

"Alas, I see your spirit is unwilling to submit." Zant rose from the usurped throne and marched around Rutela and her captors. "I will ensure that your son will not be without his mother for long." With that, he vanished from the throne room, leaving the three Shadow Beasts to deal with Rutela themselves. They all raised their fists and moved to shatter the queen—

Midna was faster. With three of the four Fused Shadow at her disposal, her magic was stronger than she thought. Her hair split into three spears that impaled each Shadow Beast through the chest, while her mind blissfully replaced them with images of Zant. The three Zants grabbed at their chests and tried oh so desperately to free themselves, their pathetic voices mewling and crying for mercy. Midna kept her weaponized hair in place even after the Shadow Beasts exploded into Twilit particles and reformed the vortex above.

"That's what you get!" she bellowed, her voice reverberating off the icy walls. "That is what you deserve, Zant!" She only reined in her hair when Queen Rutela's icy prison shattered, allowing Rutela to fall to the floor relatively safe and sound.

"That was awesome," Zach said as Midna sat back down. "I think that was the easiest fight we've had in... Midna?"

Midna threw herself forward and clung to Zach's head for dear life. Her breath was heavy, her heart raced, and her fingers trembled with cold and rage. "We saved her... we saved her..."

"Yeah, we sure did. Are you okay?"

"Yes... no, I'm not." Her breath hitched. "I-I saved this queen, sure, but what about mine? What about my mother? I couldn't save her, Zach."

Zach's ears pressed against his head. "Hey, there was nothing you could have done."

"Because I wasn't strong enough! I'm still not strong enough! And even when we get the last Fused Shadow, I still won't be strong enough!"

"... that's a good point." Zach's shoulders drooped. "Yeah, that's a really good point. But look at how you handled this; in the game, you did the same thing but to Zant himself and only after fighting through the whole Palace of Twilight. So that's definitely a sign that you're stronger than you think you are. And that's good, right?"

Midna sniffled. She breathed in, out, in, out, and finally sighed. "You're right... Thanks... I'm sorry—"

"Hey, we agreed on not apologizing for stuff like that."

"You're right again." She looked at the Zora queen. Other than the bruises on her face, Rutela seemed little worse for wear, a thought which relieved Midna a great deal. "Well, we saved her. Now what? We can't bring the rock now, what with her standing right on top of where we need to put it—"

The words died in her throat when she looked down. Dozens of spirits swirled beneath the ice; the Zora were freezing to death in their very domain! They could not move but Midna doubted they were unconscious, knowing Zant's cruelty. The Zora faced upward, racing to escape the domain just as it froze over. And Zant was going to execute their queen right on top of them!

Midna shook her head. "Now we can't do it at all without crushing these Zora. Even if I start a fire, that'll thaw out only corpses by the time it gets to them." Her fingers curled against each other as her mind sifted through option after option. After several long moments, she finally sighed. "I... I give up. There's nothing I can do. Nothing either of us can do."

"Have faith, young one," said Rutela, startling Midna and Zach out of their thoughts. The queen smiled as she walked to her rightful throne, her flipper-like feet gliding easily over the icy floor while Zach had to step carefully as he followed her. "I am called Rutela. You have my sincere gratitude for saving my life, child of twilight. Were you but a moment too late, I would be dead and this spring—the water source for all the lands of Hyrule—would be lost to the dark ones."

"It's still lost," Midna snapped. "Look at it. It's frozen over! The people below our very feet are dying! I want to help, I really do, but I... I can't help your people. I'm so sorry."

Queen Rutela did not flinch. She only continued to smile. "You are right, young one. Alone, there is little you can do to help." She knelt so she and Midna were at eye level. "But you are not alone. You have a young man in the form of a proud beast by your side, and with my rescue, I will be as well."

Midna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay... okay, what do we do?"

"You fear injuring the Zora with your admittedly unorthodox plan," said Rutela, "but I am Queen of this domain. I will move them within the ice, protect them from harm. This ice is formed by powerful dark magic, but a flaming rock from above will certainly be able to break the spell. Zora's Domain will be revitalized, as will my people."

After thinking it over, Midna nodded. "That sounds good to me. If it's all right with you, I'll leave Zach here. Less baggage to carry, y'know?" Queen Rutela nodded in agreement, and off Midna went.

Midna had lied. She would have brought Zach along but for the fact that she needed to be alone for just a few moments. Once she landed in Kakariko—in the late afternoon sun, of course—she headed for a secluded spot in the graveyard. There, she removed Zach's hoodie, bundled it up, pressed it into her face, and unleashed a scream of pure agony and terror.

She massacred those Shadow Beasts with barely any effort! That alone would frighten her, but the more horrifying part of it was that she enjoyed it! She relished in the fantasy of killing Zant, and then Zach confirmed that that is exactly how Zant dies! He will die at her hand, thrashing in pain and fear. And she would enjoy it even more than she enjoyed killing those Shadow Beasts!

Tears stung at her eyes as she tried to fight down her disgust. Her own people, she just killed her own people and enjoyed it!

"That wasn't me," she said to no one in particular. "That's not who I am, not who I am supposed to be!" Her terror churned into a thick, heavy fury. She knew who she was; she was Midna, the Twilight Princess! She was tall, beautiful, regal! She was better than this! She was above murdering her own people!

This was Zant's doing! Midna clenched the fabric of her hoodie, her quick breaths slowing down to hateful growls. This was why he had let her live in the first place; to reduce her to nothing more than a resentful murderer, to destroy her soul as well as her body, to corrupt her and bring her to do the same kind of evil he did!

Her shoulders tightened as she realized Zant was right. She did have evil in her or else she would not have relished what she did so fervently—

"You're not evil," said Zach. Midna jumped and looked around, only to hear Zach chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. You were thinking really, really loudly."

Her face paled. "O-oh... I... I..."

"Say nothing, Midna. I get needing to find somewhere alone to be angry. Trust me, I've done that a lot."

"Am I still a good person?" she asked, her breath hitching. "I don't know who I am anymore. I'm just a failure, Zach. I couldn't save my parents or my friends or my people. I couldn't even save myself."

"Now you know how I feel," he said, though he sounded genuinely understanding rather than spiteful. "Let's take this one point at a time. Are you still a good person? Of course. Who are you? You're Princess Midna of the Twilight. You've had setbacks and failures but they don't define you. No, you couldn't save everyone and in the end you probably still won't save everyone, but you're in a position that will allow you to save as many as possible. Including yourself."

"You... you really have that much faith in me?"

"Take it from a guy with one eye: Seeing is believing. I've seen you fight off giant plants and vicious Lizalfos, I technically didn't see it but you helped guide me up through Death Mountain, you saved the village and me and done a bunch of other really cool and heroic stuff." A moment passed. "Actually, you did something very, very important just minutes ago. You saved Queen Rutela. Everything else has happened more or less like in the game, except that. Do you understand what that means?"

Midna shrugged, not really in the mood to think over her successes. "It means Prince Ralis isn't an orphan."

"Yes but more importantly, you changed someone's fate." At that, Midna perked up. "She was dead by the time Link and Other Midna got to where we are. I'm not saying they did badly but to save a life that was predetermined to end, that is a kind of power Zant cannot even comprehend, let alone possess."

Midna blinked as she got her breathing under control. Yes, she did save Queen Rutela. She did that all by herself with barely a fraction of her ancestral artifacts' power. But... "I still took too much pleasure in it."

"Well, yeah. After everything that asshat's pulled, I'd say it's the least he deserves."

"Asshat?!" Midna burst into laughter, kicking her feet in the air at such a delightful word. "That might be my new favorite insult. 'Asshat', that's too funny!" She allowed herself some more time to process all the new feelings rumbling inside her. She was still angry, hurt, and scared for herself, but Zach was right. And she was right by proxy since Zach was using her own advice.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still bad," Midna admitted as she picked herself up and slinked through the shadows of Kakariko Village, "but better than before. I just... seeing Zant was not something I needed today. And to see him threatening not only another queen but a mother as well..."

Zach hummed in agreement. "I can see how that would trigger you. I don't really have anything to help with that other than he is going to get his. And you'll be the one to do it."

Midna tried to picture it but the vicious joy she felt before had soured. "I don't want to take pleasure in taking a life... By the gods, I will take his life, won't I? Hearing it from someone who has seen it happen makes it feel very real."

"... Seeing is believing, after all."

Midna found the stone right where Zach and the Gorons had left it. The thing sure was big enough, easily twice as tall as Fyrus himself. She summoned the blue potion, removed its stopper, and downed it in one go. It tasted like sweet-and-sour medicine but the rush of power that followed was far greater! With a triumphant cry, she lifted the stone and whisked it up the mountain. "Am I back to normal by then as well?"

Zach sighed. "No. In the game, it takes until Link defeats Ganondorf for your curse to break."

Midna sighed in return. "Well, in this case it won't be until we defeat Evil You."

"... Yeah. Evil Me."

"That's going to be... interesting."

"It's going to be a nightmare."

"I was trying to be polite but yes." She reached Death Mountain Crater and surveyed the repairs done to the mining facility; barring some leftover scorch marks and the cannon that exploded, there were no signs anything had happened at all. As she dipped the stone into the lava, her thoughts drifted. "How is Rutela?"

"She's fine for the most part. She moved the frozen Zora while we've been talking."

"How did she hear and see us?"

"If she's a direct descendant of an ancient royal named Ruto, then she probably inherited some sacred sage power that lets her do that. I wouldn't be surprised considering Princess Jun could do the same."

Midna shrugged. "Works for me. Tell her I'm on my way back."

"Huh? Midna, I can't talk in this form."

"So gesture or something."

"Oh. Sorry, I got confused, you said 'tell' so I assumed you meant verbally."

Midna chose to let the conversation end there. She reached the domain before the stone and ensured Rutela and Zach were clear of the landing zone. With a mighty yell, she plunged the stone into the ice, which shattered like glass under the weight and heat. When the stone hit the very bottom, it broke the curse entirely, allowing fresh water to spring up and over the icy fall outside.

From there, the heated water melted the fall and the frozen riverbed, though at the cost of flooding the riverbanks due to the sudden rush and volume of water being released. Ah well, too much water is better than not enough, she supposed. With the added heat, the air felt pleasant once again! Not warm enough to be a hot spring but not cold enough to freeze poor Midna to death.

Midna settled herself on Zach and sighed contently. "We did good, partner."

"Well, I didn't really do anything. Take the credit, you did good. Partner."

"I did good," she agreed. "I... I am good." She took another deep, deep breath. "Zant has taken so much from everyone, but he won't take our spirit."

Zach nodded, his tail wagging. "That's the spirit!"

They were about to head off when Rutela called for them. "Wait! I have something to ask of you. When the dark ones descended upon our village, I sent my young one, Ralis, to Hyrule Castle to inform Princess Zelda of our fate. But... I fear danger followed him from this doomed place. I feel his presence grow fainter to me over time..."

Midna frowned and said, "We saw him when we were in the castle town. He isn't well, Your Majesty, but we have a plan to bring him to Kakariko Village."

Rutela smiled wistfully. "You are right to bring him there. Kakariko Village is a sacred place for the Zora people. It is where we take our eternal rest." She closed her eyes, her smile fading. "My husband, King Zora, also rests his spirit there. It is no coincidence my son will find his salvation in the same place." She reached out, but her hand passed right through Midna's. "Alas, I am but a spirit in this curtain of darkness."

"We're working on that as well," Midna said. "I'm sorry but this will have to take priority over your son. With enough luck, this twilight will be gone before the day is out."

"Yes, I understand." Rutela stood and for the briefest of moments, Midna felt as though she was looking up at her own mother. "Once I have ensured my people's safety here, I shall make the journey to Hyrule Castle and aid in the rescue of my son. If you help me, I will bestow upon you the protection of water. This power will grant you the ability to swim and respire in very deep water as if you were a Zora."

Midna bowed her head. "We would be deeply grateful, Your Majesty."

Queen Rutela bowed her head in return and said, "I will grant you safe passage to Lake Hylia; simply jump into the waterfall and let it carry you down the river. I bid you farewell and good luck. May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce."

"... May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce," Midna whispered.

Zach bowed his head to the queen and departed. With no shortage of energy, he jumped into the waterfall and rode it down, his wolfish throat letting out a mighty howl. "WOOHOO! This is going great, Midna!"

For her part, Midna whooped as she clung to Zach. The rush of air and the brief feeling of weightlessness pushed a smile onto her face. Zach was right, this was going very well. They had unfrozen Zora's Domain, rescued Queen Rutela, and were on the way back to Lake Hylia to finish the job.

Then why was Midna still unhappy?

'Now you know how I feel,' Zach had said. Even with his successes, he felt like a failure. He felt inadequate, like he should have been and done better.

But he was good enough, for her if nothing else. He was true to his word and helped her through a very bad moment. He was... he was...

"Midna, the river isn't going that fast," Zach said as Midna wrapped her arms around his head and hugged tight. "Midna?"

She pressed her lips to his furry cheek. "You're my hero, Zach."

"Huh? What, uh, brings this about?"

"Nothing," she said with a laugh. "You deserve some praise because I... well, because I say so! It was your shortcuts that saved Queen Rutela, after all."

Zach shrugged. "To be fair, I was only able to because of your mishap with the bridge. Not trying to be unkind but without that, we would have had to go the long way."

Midna smiled and nodded. "That's a fair point, which just proves how resourceful you are! I wouldn't have thought about using the bridge nor our Goron friends to cross the gap."

"But you did think to take us to the spring instead of the bottom of the lake," Zach replied. "And you got us through that ravine. You're very resourceful yourself."

"Eee hee! Thank you." She was feeling better but there was still something missing. "Do you... do you think my parents are still alive?"

"Oh yeah," he said easily.

"You really think so?"

"Knowing Zant, he'd keep them as living trophies, proof of his alleged superiority."

"That's... not exactly comforting."

"Oh, I didn't realize that's what you wanted." He took a deep breath and thought it over. "Probably not in the best condition but I not only think they're alive but that we'll be able to reverse the damage done to them."

Midna half-smiled. "I hope so. I... I don't know what I'd do without them. This is... this is the first time in my entire life I haven't been able to turn to them for help or advice."

"I think you've been doing pretty well, all things considered."

"I hope you get to meet them some day."

"Maybe I'll invite them to a family barbecue."

"What's a barbecue?"

"A treat," Zach said, his tail swishing in the river. "Burgers and hot dogs and ribs and chicken, cooked over an open flame, ice cold soda, lots of snacks. Not the healthiest food but damn they taste so good!"

"That sounds nice," Midna said. "What else does it entail?"

"We'd have a stereo playing music, then we'd hang out on the deck out back. There's not much to do, it's mostly an occasion for chitchat."

"So you would host it at your home?"

"I mean, we could do it at your place. But I figure this would be a good way to show Earth to both you and your folks."

Something tickled in the back of Midna's mind. She ignored the blush on her cheeks as she asked, "So, you'd show me your bedroom?"

"Not much to see," he said. "Bed, dresser, entertainment center, tiny closet. A couple of action figures, that's about it."

"Oh." The blush faded when Midna realized her hint went right over his head. "Well, would you mind showing me anyway? I'd be happy to show you mine."

"If you want, sure. When we get back, just give me a little bit to clean up. I'm not exactly the tidiest person in the world."

"You don't say," she said as she relaxed on his back and lightly stroked his fur. The river was surprisingly gentle to them, but that was Rutela's influence.

A mother's love... Maybe it was just the river but the way Zach was rocking gently from side to side in the water, it made Midna feel like she was a little girl again. She wanted to think that opening her eyes would reveal her mother as she held Midna, singing a soft lullaby to soothe the child after a bad dream. Or maybe it could be her father holding her on his knee, regaling her with tales of his adventures in the farthest areas of the Twilight Realm.

Before she knew it, Midna's eyes drifted shut. She spent the rest of the ride in a light slumber, dreaming of better times.


By the time she awoke, Midna found herself at the entrance to the lake spirit's spring. She was still atop Zach, who was resting on the stone floor of the entrance. "Oh, I didn't mean to doze off," she said as she stretched her arms out. The air was not nearly as cold anymore, so she zipped Zach's hoodie away to keep it from getting soaked.

"You weren't out for long," Zach said. "Besides, I figured you could use a nap."

"Thanks." Midna took a moment to sense for the remaining Shadow Insects. "Huh, looks like we got one left."

Zach tilted his head. "That's probably a red herring. Er, a false lead. In the game, once all the Shadow Insects are gone from this part of Hyrule, one more pops up in the middle of the lake."

"That's where it is."

"... oh great. That's where the Twilit Bloat is supposed to be. That giant one we fought in the ravine."

Midna shuddered. "So a great big bug is all that stands between light and twilight." She took in a deep breath through the nose and clapped her hands. "Well, it isn't getting any deader with us sitting around. Best get it over with."

Zach nodded and stepped to the edge of the water. He dipped a paw in and sighed. "I still don't have a good grasp of swimming in this form. I can take us to the middle of the lake but if I get knocked in the water, I can't guarantee I won't need help."

"Hey, I got your back," Midna replied. "I'll look after you, promise."

With a few deep breaths to steel himself, Zach hopped into the water and paddled his way to the center of Lake Hylia. There, they found several wooden rafts strewn in a circle.

Zach climbed aboard one and braced himself. The water in the center lit up as something very big and very angry crackled with electricity. The air smelled of steam and magic, and the rafts trembled against the ripples in the water.

Finally, the beast burst from the water and revealed itself. It was a truly horrible Twilit Bloat, its body swollen and pulsating with dark magic. Its six legs were replaced by soft, squishy-looking appendages. Apparently it chose to sacrifice its limbs for the sake of girth.

Midna readied her bow. She only had three arrows left but thank goodness this was a ground battle, more or less. "What's the plan?"

"Keep a firm grip on me," Zach replied. His muscles tensed when the Bloat sparked. "I'm gonna be doing a lot of jumping."

The Bloat revealed its stinger and charged. Zach leapt to the side, just barely dodging the attack. Midna let an arrow fly and caught the Bloat in one of its appendages, stunning it.

"HOLD ON!" Midna grabbed onto Zach's fur with one hand and he pounced, his claws latching onto the Bloat's underbelly. He bit and gnawed over and over, viscous white blood spewing over Midna and him. "UGH, it tastes awful!"

The Twilit Bloat took so much damage that it flung itself backward and sank into the water. Zach landed on the raft but did not relax for an instant. The Bloat was just as fast in the water as it was in the air as it circled the raft. It smashed the other rafts to pieces, leaving just Zach's remaining.

Zach himself was trembling. He kept moving on the raft despite little room to maneuver, his throat emitting a deep growl.

"We've got this," Midna said with a pat on Zach's side. "We got this."

Despite his fear, Zach nodded. "We got this. Together."

"Together. Now go forth, Hero, and vanquish this beast!"

Zach dodged the Bloat's second charge but Midna could not get a clear shot. The Bloat returned to the air and crackled with more electricity. Its mandibles clicked and chittered, and the electricity moved from over its carapace to the tip of its stinger.

"Midna, I got an idea."

"I'm all ears."

"JUMP!"

They both jumped at the same time, Zach to the left and Midna to the right. The Bloat aimed and fired its stinger, loosing a bolt in Zach's direction. Midna retaliated with an arrow in the Bloat's belly. She looked to Zach only to find him in the throes of an electricity-induced spasm.

"Zach!"

"I-I-I'm okay-y-y! Th-this was the p-plan!" He drew the Bloat's attention so Midna could get a shot in! What a brave, foolish hero indeed!

Midna nodded and flew at the Bloat. As she did with the first one in the ravine, she ripped the arrow out and stabbed the Bloat's wound until it recoiled into the water once again. She returned to Zach and kissed the top of his head. "That was good but let's try not getting you killed. You still owe me a birthday present later this year, after all."

"You still haven't told me what you wanted," he said as he recovered.

"Maybe a bigger quiver," she grumbled as she held up her one remaining arrow. "Or another sentimental item of yours. I'm not choosy."

The Bloat sank beneath the surface of the water, too deep for Midna and Zach to see. It stayed under long enough for the water to still completely, the only sign of life the occasional crackle of electricity.

"Where is it?" Midna whispered, her bow primed for the final blow. "Come on, you creepy crawly..."

Zach jerked his head up, his growl raising in pitch until it was a frightened whine. "Brace yourself!"

Too late. The raft exploded from below and knocked Midna clean off Zach's back. She caught herself just above the water's surface, but Zach was not as lucky. He kicked and flailed but his limbs were failing him. "Zach, keep calm!"

"I am calm!" he said in a panicked voice. "Totally calm!"

Midna hovered above the water, now unsure of what to do. She could not use her last arrow without endangering Zach. She could not lift him with her magic for there was nothing on which to place him and her power was waning. She could not swim, she had never learned given the lack of water in the Twilight Realm.

The Bloat made the decision for her. It flew through the air, its carapace sparking with dark power. Midna plunged into the water, fighting the panic in her mind. Just focus, she told herself. Focus, find Zach, get the hell out of there!

And then what? That damn Twilit Bloat would be on them in seconds, electrocuting them both to death. If she had somewhere to put Zach she could... Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Zach, get ready to bite!" Midna zapped him with her magic, counted to three, and shot him directly at the Bloat. Zach caught some exposed muscle tissue in his maw and gripped his claws on its carapace. With Zach distracting it, Midna flew out of the water and released her final arrow. It struck true, sinking deep into one of the Bloat's eyes. The combined damage sent the Bloat into the water, belly up and six squishy appendages exposed.

Zach stood proud over it while Midna zapped each appendage with her energy field. Zach punched through each appendage, bouncing from one to the next in rapid succession. They popped and spewed more milky white blood, and the Bloat unleashed a desperate roar. Its body thrashed and convulsed as it clung to life, but all for naught. Its carapace darkened and its thrashing slowed to a stop. Finally, after one last gurgle, the Twilit Bloat exploded in twilit particles and a cluster of light tears.

"We did it!" Midna cried as a rush of healing and power flowed through her. "We did it, Zach!"

"We certainly did," Zach said as pure light engulfed him. "That's the last of the Twilight in Hyrule."


Zach landed on his two human feet in front of Lanayru's spring. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "To be myself again."

"Rub it in," Midna said with a smile as she handed him his fake eye. With only a small blush, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged tight. She certainly was not paying attention to his hair and how she imagined running her fingers through it. "You did great, O Hero of Twilight."

Zach's smile faltered for a moment. He hid it behind a playful punch to Midna's shoulder. "What about you, Princess of Twilight? You did pretty good yourself."

Midna bowed her head. "Why thank you for noticing."

Zach laughed as he walked to the edge of the spring, where Lanayru itself awaited. The spirit was far larger than the others, its body coiling around the interior of the spring. Its head alone was as large as Zach was tall.

"My name is Lanayru," it said. "Your efforts have at last restored each of us light spirits in Hyrule. O child chosen by the gods... The dark power that you seek... It waits in a temple set in the bed of Lake Hylia."

"Hey," Zach said, interrupting the spirit. His jaw clenched and his fingers fiddled with each other. "I... that's not the first time one of you didn't call me hero. I'm not trying to sound egotistical but... am I not a hero?"

Midna tilted her head, having not noticed this failure of address. "Yeah, what's the deal with that? Zach deserves that title."

Lanayru looked at her and she suddenly felt very, very small. This was the spirit that would drown her in light, after all. That realization alone chilled her blood.

"Why... Lanayru, do you know why they chose me?" Zach's voice trembled. He looked up at the spirit with a straight spine but his shaky words betrayed him. "Why did they choose me? If I'm... if I'm the person causing all this trouble, why would they choose me the first and second time? Why me?"

"Why you?"

Zach flinched. Midna floated to him and held his hand. He looked at her, a dark fear building in his mind. She nodded at him and so he nodded at Lanayru.

"... You have asked this question before," Lanayru said, "and the answer has not changed. Do you still wish to know?"

Zach glanced at Midna, who had no idea how to answer. She could only squeeze his hand to show her support. Finally, he turned back to Lanayru and nodded. "I need to know."

Lanayru slowly nodded. "Very well. You must now bear witness to something... and never forget it."