"What are these jelly like things?"
"Chus," Midna replied. "They get everywhere. You can always scoop up some of the jelly when you beat them, some of them aren't bad."
"Really?"
"Not purple. They're unpredictable. Are you going to move on or not?"
"Those stalactites put me off a bit."
"Shoot them down then, they're only held up by a few thin rocks."
"An arrow isn't going to do much..."
With an inspiration, he attached a bomb to the front of an arrow, and loosed it before the bomb went off. The stalactite fell to the ground and stuck, creating platform of sorts.
"Told you so."
"Do you want to do this?"
"Me? When I've got you to do it for me?"
He shot down the rest, effectively creating a bridge of platforms.
One of the platforms seemed to wobble slightly as he landed, and even more after a loud crack.
Looking down he saw a creature with armour over it's front, like an armadillo, that had evidently slammed into it. It was watching him.
Only it's rear was unprotected, and with it watching him there was no easy way to deal with it.
Wait, was there really no easy way? This should be simple.
Dropping down nearby, it charged again, forcing him to quickly step aside, and make a pass at it as he did so. It was only a glancing blow, but it confirmed this way how to defeat them.
A second swipe caught the armour just right, and pulled it off. It went flying, bounced off a wall, then landed on the confused creature, finishing it.
There were a few others like it in the room, but none bothered him unless he came close, so he moved on to the northern door, and had to duck quickly as something sliced just above his head.
A tall lizardlike creature, armed with a pair of swords and an axe-like tail had swiped at him.
He blocked the next blow it tried to make, and the next, having to move quickly to keep up with it's two blades to his one. The shield blocked some attacks easier, but also pushed him back.
It seemed more focused on attack than on defence, so he took a risk and jabbed sharply forward with the shield, impacting it's ugly snout.
One of it's swords, uncomfortably close to him, drew back instead of toward him, saving him from being hit by it.
This time, the lizard was the one drawing back, reeling from each strike he got through while it still had the hole in it's defences.
His attacks were cut short when it brought a blade up sharply to block, and he was forced to go back to parrying attacks until he could get close enough to jab again.
The creature wasn't stupid by any means, and had clearly learned it's lesson, leaving him to find alternative tactics.
Instead, he jumped up and over, flying briefly to keep out of the reach of the swords. The surprised lizard fell over backwards trying to follow him, allowing Tails to land heavily on it, sword plunging right through. It gave a cry and arched it's back forward, but then fell limply back, defeated, before – like everything seemed to do – vanishing.
There was little else in this room, so he left, heading northwards again.
A grand looking room was ahead, with a balcony right the way around the circular chamber, and an immense set of stairs leading downwards to the floor below. More switched hung from the ceiling, one without any hook hanging from it. It was difficult to tell where to begin.
Midna solved it for him, floating around, seeming to examine some of the walls, then returning.
"You'll have to fly around the room. Most of these switches are rusted into place, no way they'll move."
"So which way do you think we should go?"
"West door, lower floor. There's a chest right beside it."
"Sure?"
"Want my help or not?"
"Thanks Midna."
"Don't mention it. Get moving, wolf boy."
The chest turned out to have a map of the dungeon, which Midna immediately seized from him, examining it closely.
"I was right," she told him. "I think I can use this to give you directions. No way we're getting lost now."
"When did I ever get lost in one of these places?"
"Who needed my help to figure out to come down here?"
"Point. Through the door?"
"That's right."
Another armoured creature and some stalactites awaited him, though none were much of a problem any longer. The fallen stalactites blocked some water geysers that had been dousing the room though, and once again created platforms he could use. One of them was pushed up higher periodically, allowing easy access to a chest. It contained another key.
"You know, I wonder why these keys always disappear once used. They all look exactly the same, wouldn't it just be easier to use one key?"
"Don't ask me, I didn't build this place. Back to the central room... I can't see anything else here to do."
"Does the map really tell you that much?"
"Not really. I'm keeping a lookout on the rest of the room for you. If I had the compass too, I'd be able to tell you more by using it with my power."
"I'll keep an eye out for it. Where to?" he asked, re-entering the impressive central room.
"Up. Same door, upper level. You'll need a key."
"Convenient."
"Eh, someone left a marking on this map that I couldn't identify. It turned out to be that key."
"Aren't we meant to be looking for your fused shadow?"
"Yeah, so? Both of the other two temples had a useful item in. Wouldn't you expect this one to be the same?"
"I'm getting suspicious that who ever was behind all this had a very linear mind..."
There was another armoured creature waiting for him beyond the door, easily dispatched so he could continue onward to a room full of vines and ledges and a few more stalactites. There was another hanging switch. It looked like a pretty convoluted route to get to it, so he saved time by once again flying it, noting that he wasn't getting worn out so easily any longer. Clearly he was building up endurance from all this heroing business.
A series of creaks and clanks followed, then a door lower down opened up.
The following room was unremarkable, except for his having to drop to the bottom and fend off a few keese. There was only one door accessible for now, which led to another hurried ducking, and another lizard after him.
Unlike it's fellow earlier, it hadn't learned the lesson yet. Also unlike it's fellow earlier, when he jabbed the shield into it's snout, it's arm didn't whip back, but continued, cutting into his shoulder slightly, causing him to draw back and miss his chance to attack.
Irritated at this, he instead fell back further, drew out the bow and shot the lizard's eyes, making it stumble around blindly. It smacked into one wall, then fell over, dazed. An ending blow finished it.
"Are you alright?"
"It's a light cut," he half snapped back. "Leave it."
"Next time we see a red or blue chu, put a bit of the jelly on it. It'll help it heal."
"If I remember. Where next?"
"South west corner of this room. There's a marking there that looks a bit like a key. Could indicate a chest. After that, north."
She wasn't wrong about the key.
North turned out to lead back a room, and she directed him to a boulder. Behind it waited two more armoured creatures, both of which charged at him. One missed, the other hit him hard.
"I'm starting to get annoyed with this place," he muttered, taking the sword in both hands and delivering a blow so hard at one of them it shot back into the other, which was impaled by the spiked armour, leaving it to slam into the wall.
"You know wolf boy, you seem to pull off all kinds of feats when you're annoyed."
"Just give me directions before I carve the temple up."
"Temper, temper," she chided, but consulted the map anyway. "West."
As soon as he entered the room, a small green bug ran over to a bubble, and got inside somehow without popping it.
It did pop after Tails carved into it, and caught the bug as well. It seemed rather surprised.
A locked door, soon unlocked, led them to a room that looked more like a stone spiral slide, but without any water to make things go. It spiralled upwards for quite a ways. He didn't bother to scale it all, it'd take too long, so once again he simply flew up, passing a few ladders and finally reaching another handle in the ceiling. It activated a sluice gate that let water flow down the path he'd skipped.
"Back down, wolf boy. I'm not sure that this has helped us much, but it wouldn't be here if it didn't do something. East at the bottom"
"These temples are starting to annoy me."
"Have a bit of patience... otherwise anyone would have got the Fused Shadow, remember."
His irritation faded slightly as he slipped and slid down the path. Occasionally he caught up to another monster trying in vain to not slide down. He always adjusted and kicked into them, forcing them to lose grip and tumble down even quicker.
He paid for that at the bottom when they gathered around, all clearly after him, but he wasn't in any mood for games, and simply carved through the lot of them. They'd already taken damage from his blows on the way down, and no doubt landing down here, so a single swipe dealt with the lot.
As he made to leave, he noticed a second handle down here. Midna shrugged, indicating it couldn't hurt to try it.
It let the water that was filling up down here flow westwards into the room beyond.
Instead of following it, he followed Midna's directions, and followed another flow of water underneath another door.
Clearly the water had done something, because a massive metal cog in the ceiling was now rotating, carrying around several platforms suspended by chains. He hardly needed them.
"North for another possible key, then west from here to use it. There's a few chus around if you want to see to that cut."
"Leave it, it'll be fine."
"Is that what being blown up has taught you? Make light of your injuries? It could be worse than it looks."
"I said leave it."
"Alright," she surrendered. "Alright, I give up. If you collapse from it, I'll know to just borrow your stuff and get it for you because you didn't listen."
"Oh, stop complaining. It's nothing."
Midna shook her head in exasperation, but said nothing else as he headed northwards.
Through the door and just to the left was another chest with another key in it, just as she'd said.
The west door of the previous room was next. There was hardly anything to worry about in here except a locked door dead ahead, which was unlocked, once again with the key vanishing.
It lead to more water. He was thankful he hadn't asked Midna to swap out the Zora armour for the normal hero's clothes as he took the Iron boots and waded in, the iron boots allowing him to ignore the strong currents, though it was hard work still. Most of the caverns leading off from this one were dead ends. The main route he followed was as well, but for a different reason – a boulder blocked the way.
As he stepped back from laying the bomb, he noticed a slight red wisp in the water, and realised it was just his shoulder bleeding slightly again, so ignored it. He wasn't going to let Midna tease him over being wrong about it. Besides, now the water had cleaned it up a bit, it didn't look all that bad still.
Another clam waited ahead, but he skipped it by signalling Midna to take the iron boots, and swimming right past, and out through a small hole into another circular cavern. The hole closed up behind him.
A few small tadpole like creatures dropped down, and wriggled over the floor toward him, trying to viciously nibble at his boots. It was easier to just kick them away, where they vanished.
A few more dropped down. He dealt with them too, then looked up to see an immense and very ugly toad staring back. With an almighty crash, the giant thing dropped down to the ground, forcing Tails to his feet, then as he got up he watched it get back up from apparently being stunned from the fall, and started toward him, more of the tadpoles jumping from it's back.
He dealt with the tadpoles quickly so he could focus attention on this ugly brute. Once he'd done so, it crouched low – not much lower, as it's vast bulk got in the way – and heaved, leaping upwards.
Tails jumped aside quickly to avoid being squashed, keeping his eyes on the toad and his sword firmly held in hand.
As before, it lay stunned, it's tongue lolling out. He was reminded of the giant Deku Baba that had been the boss of the Forest Temple, and in the same way as when, he made for the tongue, hacking away at it until the great beast recovered again, opening it's mouth wide.
With a nasty grin, he hurled a bomb into it's gaping maw, which it swallowed, looked faintly bemused, then with a muffled explosion it sank back to the floor stunned again.
He continued his relentless assault, throwing more bombs in as needed to keep it down until it finally gave up, defeated, and vanished.
A chest dropped down with a clatter to where the toad had been, it's lid falling open at his feet. It contained a curious device, a claw attached to what seemed to be a large gauntlet.
Inside the gauntlet seemed to be a mechanism for launching the claw.
He looked around, and saw a target above a gate, aimed and fired.
The claw shot out, grappled hold of the target, then with a surprised yell, jerked him up after it to hang just above and behind the gate.
As he hung there, the target dropped down a little with the weight, and the gate opened beneath him, making it safe for him to drop down.
Midna rejoined him, still keeping hold of the map tightly rolled up in one hand.
"That looked rather therapeutic," she remarked. "Keep on going, wolf boy, this is the west side of the temple explored. Time to take on the eastern side."
A few more armoured beasts charged him, but the new clawshot pulled their armour off them before they got a chance, making them less of a threat. Throwing the spiked armour back at them impaled them, making them even less of a threat still.
He left by the southern door, which returned him to the impressive central chamber once more.
The level of water in the room had risen considerably, lapping at the lower parts of the doors on the lower level.
He headed up to the upper level again while Midna moved around, checking the room against the map again, and muttering to herself.
While he waited for her, he found the single switch that didn't have a hook hanging from it, and used the clawshot to pull it down instead.
Much to Midna's surprise, the stairs spun around to face a different direction, with water now flowing down them and under the door at the bottom.
"You could have warned me," she berated him, but didn't seem too annoyed as she pointed him toward the door with the water now flowing under.
There was a spider like creature identified as a tektite here, which made for some amusement when it was sent flying away with a bomb arrow, then he walked under the water wheel, which was moving thanks to the water flow he'd created, and let to a door to the east.
More platforms hung from the ceiling, but unlike the ones before, the cog they hung from wasn't yet activated, so they simply remained stationary.
"Think you can get over to the door to the east alright?"
"No."
"No?"
"I might have been a bit quick in thinking it was a small cut, and I don't trust myself to fly that far. Besides, this should make it easier," he said, hefting the clawshot.
"Be careful. It's a long way down."
"You don't say?"
He had no trouble, however, hooking to vines and targets, and collecting a few rupees in the process.
Another green bug in a bubble waited for him through the door. The clawshot burst the bubble and dragged the hapless bug right toward him, struggling the whole time. When it reached him, he held it up to look at it fiercely. It took one look and as soon as it was dropped, ran off in fright.
"Feel better for that?"
"Just keep an eye out for some chus for me, and handle the directions... I don't want to get lost. This place is bigger than I thought."
"Don't you worry, I'm keeping track of where we are. Go east again."
He continued onwards, shooting down another stalactite, and using it as a platform atop another geyser to continue past some more tektites, going east some more after using the clawshot once more to reach another door.
Two more bugs in bubbles waited for him ahead, apparently unaware of the fright he'd given the one earlier. He didn't bother repeating, instead just popping the bubbles and swiping at them to deal with them.
He reached some vines by clawshot, allowing him to pass a small blockage in the route that led to a room similar to the spiral room earlier.
It had apparently taken some damage, however, and where the slide was out, he had to use the clawshot some more to get across. His shoulder seemed to ache more each time. It wasn't helping the injury from earlier much.
A few more armoured creatures awaited him, Midna finally telling him they were helmasaurs as he threw one's armour back at it again, impaling it. It was therapeutic too.
Up some ladders, he found a handle hanging from the ceiling, that like the one in the other spiral room, opened a sluice gate, making water flow out.
Right behind the waterfall it created he spotted a chest, and a target. It opened to reveal the compass, which like the map, Midna seized and held near the map, muttering to herself again. He humoured her for a few minutes, then started making his way back down toward the bottom of the room again.
The water, the level of which had risen just as before, was now inhabited by what looked like skeletal fish that glared at him as if daring him to come into the water. He ignored them mostly, and headed for the second handle, in the same place as it's counterpart in the west wing had been. It too raised a sluice gate, letting water pass westwards.
"Hey wolf boy!" Midna called. "Come on back up, you gotta take that door!" She was pointing at one going south a little ways up.
As they went through, they spotted some of the jellyfish again.
"I got an idea about them, Tails."
"Oh?"
"Use the clawshot on that thing in their heads. If it doesn't kill them immediately, it'll likely give you the chance to hurt them. Just don't do it when they're sparking."
"Thanks. Looks like I'm going to have to go in the water again."
"Something wrong with that?"
"I don't think I've ever been wetter. It's going to take me ages to get all the water out of my fur."
"Poor wolfy. Look on the bright side, if you can find some twilight, you'll be able to just shake it all free, then come back and you'll be dry again."
"Yeah, sure, I guess. You know I'm almost starting to miss being a wolf."
"Really? I remember someone who said he liked his own form better."
"What's wrong with that?"
"You can't like both better than the other."
"Of course I can."
"Tails, it makes no logical sense."
"Yep, and I don't care. Which way, imp girl?"
"Imp girl!" her voice soared, but she grinned at him before unrolling the map again and tapping the compass periodically. "There's a waterwheel to the west. You'll have to go under it to reach the next door."
"Off we go then."
Midna turned out to be right about the jellyfish, as he took out the... whatever it was and stabbed it, the jellyfish body seemed to dissolve. It gave him plenty of entertainment to lighten his mood as they searched for the ornate big key.
The boss chamber, as they'd decided to call it, was underwater. At first glance, it was just another cavern, with some strange looking seaweed in the centre. As he approached, however it became clear they were part of something very much alive, which lashed out towards him.
One of them seemed to have a small brown thing in, much like the jellyfish.
Clawshot at the ready, he took careful aim, dodging the lashing tentacles, and trying to get a clear shot.
He got his chance, pulling it free and drawing the sword quickly to stab and hack away at it even as it tried to get back to the safety of the tentacles.
When it got too close, he moved clear again, not wanting to chance the tentacles swiping too closely at him, and instead preparing to take aim once more, and draw it out.
He repeated several more times, each time it returned to the tentacles, and each time he drew it out, until the tentacles seemed to retreat and the ground began to rumble.
Then, from the tentacles in the ground, a giant eel like creature burst forth.
Midna tried to tell him something, but underwater and around the rushing noise of the eel, there was no way he could hear her, so she settled for pointing at the creature, then her eye, then stabbing. He got the idea, indicating for her to take the iron boots so he could swim instead of getting swallowed, something he only narrowly avoided.
Using his tails to pick up more speed, he aimed to follow it along it's tail so it wouldn't see him coming, then used the clawshot to draw himself toward the eye.
Taking a firm grip with one hand, he stabbed the eye hard, over and over. Each time, the eel jerked around violently, trying to shake him off, but he kept his grip and kept going, getting more irritated at it's unwillingness to just die.
It shook him off, forcing him to quickly swim clear and get back again. This time it wasn't so easy to get to, but he managed it, and continued his assault, driving the sword in with all the strength he could muster.
This time, when he was thrown off, the eel seemed to be totally blinded by him, and slammed into a wall, finished. The water drained even as it puffed into hanging shards of shadow, which drew together to form the final Fused Shadow.
"There it is!" Midna exclaimed happily. "The final Fused Shadow. I'll take that thank you!"
Tails said nothing. Lanayru's earlier warning had made an unwanted return, reminding him of the dangers of the Fused Shadows.
"Don't resent me for all I've put you through," Midna was saying, "I need this thing! Besides, we need to do something about-"
"Zant, yeah, I heard you the first time, and the second time, and every time before."
"Sorry. Just talking about him makes my blood boil. I've done everything I need to, except prove him a false king. So I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place, and getting you in all this trouble too... so... shall we go outside?"
"Sure thing, Midna. You'll help me save Hyrule after you're done, of course."
"Of course. Got to repay you."
Tails cleaned the sword before sheathing it, wincing slightly at his shoulder again, then let Midna warp them away back to Lanayru's cave.
He nodded once to the empty spring in respect to Lanayru, then turned and almost stumbled back in shock.
"Zant!" Midna cried out.
Zant, in armour, that he privately agreed both Sonic and Midna had been right about making him look like a squid, was stood right in front of him.
"Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me?" he rasped, his voice implying a sneer.
"You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king?"
"You're not her king," Tails burst out before she could reply. "You're an usurper! You've got no right to your claim!"
"And you do nothing but abuse the magic of our tribe," Midna added. "You must be insane to believe I'd ever accept you as MY king."
"How dare you!" he rasped again. "Are you implying that my power is our old magic? Now that is a joke! It is granted to me by my god, the magic of the King of Twilight, and you, both of you, will respect it! Even you, you pathetic excuse for a hero," he rounded on Tails, "You don't even belong in their light world!"
He did something, and took the Fused Shadows – but not the one he suspected was Midna's helmet – from her, and at the same time the entire area seemed to turn back to twilight, forcing him back to his wolf form, silencing him.
"My Midna, did you forget?" he went on. "That beast is a light dweller, even if not from this world. He supports those who oppressed us.
No matter how much you wish otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow to them. It is impossible to consort with their kind.
"But if we make their world outs, light and dark will meet at least, and we will take back their realm, making sweet darkness blot out their harsh light."
Midna said nothing, floating nearby. It was impossible to read her expression. He couldn't move. Whatever Zant had done, it'd left him too weak to move.
"This is why, Midna, I need you. Not just for me, but all our kind... Lend me your power."
She looked hesitantly at him, then Zant, then finally shook her head.
"So be it... I will return you to the light would you covet!"
Zant made another grand gesture, removing the twilight again and throwing something at Midna before disappearing. Midna screamed out, clearly hurt, but Tails couldn't move.
Lanayru burst forth from the spring, seeming to bathe them both in light. He found himself back on his feet, with Midna on his back, grey and with laboured breathing. He was on northern Hyrule field, and without any twilight in sight.
"Tails, hero chosen by the gods, I have granted Midna the ability to exist in the light... but her life ebbs away ever more. Go to the princess locked away in the castle, Tails, for she holds the key that will save her, and unlock you from your shadow form. Good luck, Hero."
Lanayru's voice faded.