A.N.: For god's sake it's over half a year when I last updated this I can't believe I'm this lazy... Though I am busy with schoolwork I'll try to start updating at least once in two weeks to get this forward. I hate being non-English because it takes so long to write even one chapter... But yeah I'm back again and gonna write noww!

Chapter 7

The figure gasped and turned around, Link growled. She could see girly features under the hood's shadow. The figure's eyes fell upon Link for a short time, then lifting up to meet Midna's. Link stopped growling as she felt the imp relax.

"...Midna?!" The figure spoke, Link could hear that she was a girl.

The imp grinned. "Eeehee! You remember my name? What an honor for me..."

Link glanced Midna, stopped growling and turned back to the girl.

"So, this is the one for whom you were searching..." The girl looked at Link. The imp sighed.

"She's not exactly what I had in mind but... I guess she'll do." Midna thought, then nodding and grinning. The girl squated down, her eyes fell upon the fetter in Link's paw.

"...You were imprisoned?" She said, lifting her gaze up. "I am sorry."

"Poor thing, she has no idea where this is or what's happened..." The imp spoke, and Link shook her head. Oh I don't? Apparently you don't remember the soldier spirit out there, hmh... She thought overwrought. They should stop talking and tell right away, what is happening here...

"So don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much..." Midna continued sultry. "...Twilight Princess! Eeehee!"

Link blinked. Twilight Princess?

The said 'Twilight Princess' lowered her head, and let out a deep sigh. Then she spoke.

"Listen carefully... This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule. But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight... It has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the light." The girl drifted away for a couple of minutes. She stood up and turned to face the window.

"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud. And without light, the people became as spirits. Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms... All the people know now is fear... Fear of a nameless evil..." She turned back to face the two.

"The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess..." She lifted her hands, and took the hood off. Midna nearly fell off as Link sat down on the cold floor, too amazed to stand on all fours.

"I am Zelda."

Before anything else, Midna spoke. She wasn't amazed as Link was, she had know this all the time.

"You don't have to look so sad!" The imp hurried. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?" Link frowned. You are one of those who live in here, fool! She growled. Don't you think everyone would like to live rest of their lives in darkness!

"Midna... This is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have beem searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" Zelda spoke, and Midna floated up, again. The imp turned her back to the princess and crossed her legs. Zelda sighed.

"Why indeed? You tell me! Eeeheehee!"

Zelda let Midna alone with her comments, and turned to Link.

"Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds."

Midna fell back onto Link's back, the wolf rasped.

"You must leave here, quickly."

Midna laughed and kicked Link's sides, who turned around and ran out of the room. She didn't need to run long before Midna harshly pulled her ears and she stopped still.

"Shh... Listen..." The imp said. At the bottom of the staircase was coming a sound of heavy steps, and then there was a squeak as the door opened and a flash of yellowish light.

"Not that way! Hmmm..." The imp looked around, noticed a vent up in the wall and pointed it.

"There! The way out!"

And with Midna's help, Link leapt.

Meanwhile in Faron Woods, Epona was fighting against the suction of the soul trap. It slowly sucked the golden mist from the mare's body, weakening her more and more. It was more and more obvious that Epona couldn't fight against it, but at the time something was growing inside of her. Colin was too scared to do anything; or he knew that he could not do anything for Epona.

Nevertheless how much Epona was fighting, the mist kept escaping from her weakening body, the line's of the mare slowly blurring, colours mixing with the darkness of twilight and the blueness of her remaining, outer spirit. When saw the mare fading away Colin backed further, trying to hide in the shadows of Coro's house. The cloaked man didn't notice him slinking past the house and into the forest, he was too focused to win the battle over the mare's soul.

Colin sprinted through the forest, careless about where he was running. The only target was to get as far as possible from the mysterious man and his horse, though the last mentioned wasn't in it's solid form.
The boy didn't even look at the surroundings as he ran, didn't recognize the missing feel of tears running down his cheeks when dashing against the wind in full speed. If he had allowed himself a look at the surrounding trees, he would have noticed their size growing bigger the further he ran. He would have noticed there was no wind at all, in this part of Faron Woods.

But was it the Faron Woods he had grown in anymore?

Back in the centre of Hyrule, Link once again found herself on the rooftops. It wasn't raining anymore, but the strong wind and still slippery roof tiles kept it challenging to keep your balance when walking. Midna was a couple of meters ahead, her back facing Link. The wolf looked at her with curiosity, tilting her head. The imp had something in mind.

"Are you eager to go and save the kids?" she asked, still back towards her. Link lifted her head.

"I knew you would be... But are you so sure? What if they see you... as a beast, hmh?"
Link growled. What about it?

"Oh wake up already, stupid dog! You're a beast, aren't you!" The imp turned around with a spin and shifted form first into Colin, then Ilia, both screaming frightened.

"Are you still sure you want to save me... in a form you are now?" she asked half grinning, still in Ilia's form.

Link took half a step backwards, anger in her sky blue eyes. The imp's grin widened, sadness replaced anger as Link's head dropped. Midna was right. She couldn't save the kids in this form.

"I thought so too, eehee! Now let's go back to Ordon and get things forward, right?"
Link, without questioning how would they get there, took a step forward, and on the sky appeared a black portal. Rounding it's pitch-black center pulsed blue designs, glowing bright, and Link could sense the electricity coming from them. She felt her body being ripped into pieces, and then sucked upwards, through the portal. For a second everything was black, or not even black; it reminded Link of the mess of colours you see when you close your eyes. Electricity ran through her ripped body as she and the imp flew in the distortion of time, and then, as the second had flew past, Link found herself standing in the healing water of Ordon spring. She waited for Midna to drop onto her back with all her weight, but nothing happened. The wolf turned her head, a puzzled look in her eyes. Just before she would have started panicking, a familiar voice spoke.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one thing..." Midna's voice came from a distance, but Link could sense her presence, and turned to the direction where she thought the voice come.

"Though you may have left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back to your former self... and you won't anytime soon! Why could that be? Eehee!"

She turned around a full round, there was no source for the voice. A loud, electric-like humming came from the direction of Faron. The black wall is still there? Link thought, confused.

"See you later! Eehee!" Her laugh faded away and mixed with a weak breeze which blew past Link.

After a few seconds of thinking, she decided to head to the village. Why was she still in the beast form, and why wasn't Midna here? She wanted answers.
Something forced her to stop so suddenly she almost fell over as she was running through the now gateless entrance of the spring. She wasn't even able to think before Midna popped out of her shadow. Actually it was Midna's shadow, or maybe a spirit form? Link wasn't sure.

"Eee hee hee!" her laugh was like an evil kid's giggling. It annoyed Link so much her ears almost fell off everytime she heard it.

"Did you think I had disappeared? Now listen, there's another thing I forgot to tell you... Don't think you can just run off and save your friends. Because you can't." Link growled. Stop telling me foregone conclusions... I know I can't save them as a beast!
The dusk started to fall, and Midna's shadow's lines started to faintly glow sallow light.

"Just beyond that bridge, the land is covered in twilight. Last time, a shadow beast pulled you through the curtain of twilight..." Link had known it, but was still a kind of frightened. The twilight is covering the whole Hyrule?

"But if you want to go that way this time, you will need the cooperation of someone from the twilight... Like me!" Midna's shadow spread her arms in the air and smirked widely.
Oh please...

"So you really have no choice but to do what I say. Saving you friends and all that... Well, that'll depend on your actions... Because you never can trust words, you know." Link hated how authoritative she sounded. The imp thought something for a while, then continued;

"Right now, I want a sword and shield that'll suit me. You do understand me, don't you? Eeeheehee! So, what do you plan to do? While you're here dawdling, the twilight continues to expand. Come on, hurry it up!"

Link growled again, tensing her muscles. First of all, you are keeping me here with your endless talking, then you tell me what you want me to do, and then you little slimy parasite ask me what I plan to do... Oh please wake up already! Link raged in her mind as she ran towards the village.

In the first clearing, wandered a lone figure, it's back on him. Link slided to a halt as she noticed it, gazed it for a while not really knowing was it an enemy or not, but then she saw a spiked club in it's hand. As it turned, she saw that it was clearly a monster; tiny eyes glowing red, a brown leather helmet with horns on the sides, dark, dirty-green skin and long arms and short legs. The unsure gazes were replaced by pure furious glaring, straight into those red eyes of the monster, as Link dropped into the fighting stance. The fact that that monster had come near the village, the home of many innocent people, got Link out of her mind. When the evil was next door and the world had fallen in chaos and endless fear, Link suddenly felt her role being very important. She didn't know where the feeling had come from; just a few days ago everything was fine, and she was just a normal farm girl living in a peaceful village. Now, it felt like the destiny of Hyrule was all in her hands; or paws, depending how long she had to be a wolf.
Growling deeply Link sprinted towards the monster, easily knocking it down with all her weight. It fell on it's back, and Link standing over it lifted her head, revealing white, dagger-sharp fangs. The monster died with one strike, as Link gashed open it's throat.

Without looking back, she continued along the short path to her house. The monster's corpse blew off and left a cloud of black ash behind.

A.N.: Should have make it a bit longer cuz I haven't written in ages... But whatever. I know it's not very good English and so on but hope you liked it still. Since I'm in a writing mood, you can expect the next update already for next week, though I have two exams and one essay to do... But yeah see ya next week.