"Are you joining me, Sonic?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. It's a bit more than I can handle. I don't know how you can manage it so easily."
"Badly," Tails replied, making a wry face. "I still get rattled by it sometimes."
"I'd offer to keep helping, but honestly, I don't think you need it."
"Doesn't mean you can't help out at all. You remember Telma?"
"The woman who owns the bar in Hyrule Market?"
"That's her. Talk to her. She and her friends don't realise they're helping me, they think I'm helping them, but you can guarantee if you can help them, it'll help me as well."
"I'll help if I can. Just not in one of these dungeons again."
Midna joined them, apparently finished with her bout of peeves behind them.
"It's a long way back to Central Hyrule," she told them. "I think I can give you a lift back. If you don't mind, of course."
"I don't feel up to running. Why not?"
She nodded, concentrating. This time when the world turned to blackness, Sonic was left stood nearby.
He stumbled slightly as it cleared, slightly disoriented, but recovered quickly, nodded, then headed into town.
"We ought to head into town as well. Telma's friends should be able to direct us to the first mirror piece."
"Whatever you think best wolfy."
"Are you alright?"
"Just a little annoyed. It'll pass."
Telma nodded to him in greeting, already in conversation with Sonic. Tails went to the back where he found Chad.
"Tails! I'm glad you stopped by. Ashei said if you came by, to tell you to see her. She's up at Snowpeak."
"Snowpeak?"
"It's up near Zora's Domain, inaccessible because of the strange frost that was there until recently."
"Thanks, I'll head there now."
"It'll take you a while to get there, even on horseback."
"I know a few shortcuts," he grinned back.
Tails floundered in mid air once again as he appeared over the defrosted Zora's domain. Several Zoras regarded him with puzzled looks, but said nothing as he swum outside.
Snowpeak was reached by a long icy cavern at the bottom of the great lake just outside the main domain. Icicles hung from the roof of the cavern.
At the far end, bundled in furs was Ashei. She didn't seem surprised to see him in the slightest.
"Tails. I expected you to show up. It's colder here than normal." As usual, she spoke shortly, not leaving any words to waste.
"Ever since Zora's Domain froze over?"
"Right. The Zoras are talking too, about a beast somewhere on the mountain that's been seen down here lately. It's been stealing red fish from their village."
"Maybe it's just hungry?"
"That's what I thought too, but I can't investigate with this blizzard going on. I made a sketch of the beast, but it's hardly perfect. I was in a hurry. Maybe it'll help you form a plan." She handed him a sheet of crackling parchment. It looked like a giant hairy creature – a yeti maybe – holding a fish."
"I bet if you showed that to the right Zoras, they'd tell you what we need to know," Midna suggested.
"Who would be the right Zora to ask, though?" he murmured thoughtfully, leaving Ashei to her watch.
"Who would know most about Zora lore?"
"The Zora queen. Or Prince Ralis..."
"Kakariko Village then?"
"You read my mind."
"You're just too predictable."
Renado directed him to the graveyard on arrival, as the young Prince had been in mourning there for his mother. Sure enough, at the large Zora gravestone, he waited there, and turned at the sound of Tails approaching.
"You're Tails, aren't you?"
"Word about me has spread, I see."
"Mother came to me in a dream. She showed me an image of you, said you would save the Zora people. Thank you."
"It was nothing," he replied, feeling faintly embarrassed.
"If there's anything I can do for you..."
"Actually... I wonder if you know of this beast?"
Ralis glanced at the sketch.
"From the snowy mountains... and with a red fish. That's a reekfish, it has to be. It's only found in our village, but you can't catch it without the right bait – it's favourite coral."
"Is it important? The fish, I mean?"
"Of course. You would not be able to find the beast without it. You are looking for it, aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
"Mother told me again. See my earring? It was a gift from her, made from that coral. I want you to take it – fish near the waterfall, and look for the red fish."
"Are you sure? If it's from your mother..."
"I feel I know what she wants, Tails. Please, take it. Good luck in your quest."
Tails nodded, left a hand on the prince's shoulder, then left him to his grieving.
As soon as they were out of sight of him, he called Midna.
"Do you suppose the goddesses are going out of their way to bring the things we need to us?" he asked.
"It does seem that way. Back to Zora's Domain?"
He nodded, "Then we go fishing."
"Ever been fishing before?"
"A few times. I'll catch us a reekfish, don't worry."
On catching the reekfish, they found out why it was named as such. It had a distinct reek that he could smell clearly even without being a wolf. If the beast had been stealing these fish, it would have left a trail – a trail that he could follow.
The scent was an orange tinted red, and upon turning to his enhanced wolf senses, he could clearly see trails of it leading to the same cavern Ashei was at.
He followed the trail, over several floating ice floes, through a howling blizzard. Wolves made of snow seemed to burst from it, but he loped neatly past them, leaving them far behind.
At one point the trail led directly up a wall, and he was forced to detour to find an alternate route up, then it turned up another wall. The detour for this was slightly longer, but he found the trail again and continued.
Ahead, there were a pair of keese that seemed to be made of ice. They we defeated just as easily. During the fight, he slammed into a piece of a snowy cliff, causing it to collapse – giving him access to the trail again, and finding another howling stone.
"Take sword in hand, great Hero, and find me where the prince grieves," the great grey wolf that was Link told him.
Midna seemed not to have noticed his brief and apparent lapse into unconsciousness this time, so he continued after the trail. The blizzard seemed to have lessened slightly, further up the mountain.
The trail led him to a rocky cliff, which he dug under to reach another icy cavern. At the far side was a ladder leading upwards. He had
Midna turn him back to a human to get up, finding steep stone steps, then finally some ivy leading upwards, through a door to outside.
There were a lot of ice Keese here. Back as a wolf, he tried to follow the trail, but was interrupted by three Shadow Beasts, and the typical barrier they formed, trapping him – and the ice keese.
They made it difficult to finish the Shadow Beasts as easily, but he handled it finally.
When the snow cleared form the battle, he spotted a tree with some few icy leaves on, and a beast that looked like Ashei's sketch. Cautiously, he approached it.
"Uh?" it grunted, turning. "Hear great noise, but only strange fox? Not see fox up here. Not see human up here. On journey are you? Look for true self?"
Tails nodded, not trusting himself. They creature laughed uproariously, "You look for long time! But I joke. Yeti joke too, uh? Tell truth, you look for something else?"
He nodded again, "A mirror piece."
"Uh? You look for mirror in faraway place... why not say so before? You make good climb to here, and lucky you are to meet me! I find shiny mirror piece – same you look for? Come to house and look with me! I caught fish – make us hot meal at least. We slide there. Do like me!"
He slammed a big fist into the tree, making a large icy leaf fall off, then used it as a snowboard. Tails repeated this, following after him. He knew how to snowboard, he'd done it before many times. The path winded and twisted through icy valleys and over bridges, past startled ice keese and through a field of half-buried trees. It rounded past the edge of a vast hole in the ground, before finally reaching what looked more like a mansion than a house, in the middle of nowhere. The yeti was no where to be seen, apparently inside already.
"Here? What's with this guy? He's got a nice place, for a beast..."
The mansion's inside was partially ruined. They were in a large hall, with staircases going up on either side leading to the remains of upper landings. Part of the ceiling was missing, and part of the floor was covered in ice. Directly opposite the entrance was a door, above which was a large chandelier of candles.
The smell of the fish lead to the door opposite, where a smaller yeti sat huddled by a roaring fire.
"Who?" her voice came faintly. "Oh... sorry. I have sickness, uh. Come closer, uh?" He did so. "You cute little fox. Husband told me you come. Looking for mirror. Husband found it, pretty thing. But since found, I get sick, then bad monsters appear. Many bad things happen since mirror. We lock bedroom on third floor where it hands. Wait... I tell you where key is." He waited. She handed him a map of the mansion. "I think on this floor. In west wing of mansion. Fever make things blurry, so not sure."
"I'll look for it. You rest."
"You kind as well as cute. See husband in room to west of here. Cooking soup."
The big yeti was indeed cooking soup in a giant cooking pot.
"Ah! You! Wife look bad, uh? Not healthy since mirror, so I make soup for her. Fish from Zora village most nutritious. If you tired, have some! Plenty for all here."
He left the Yeti to cook, intending to head to the other door here, but stopping when he head the sound of a pot rattling. Curiously, he looked around a corner where several pots were. One was wobbling.
He glanced inside, and saw what looked to be a tiny head pop out.
"Goodness! Someone found me! Do help me out of here please? Just break the pot, I'll be safe."
Somewhat spooked, he broke it against one wall. Out of it came a strange creature – it looked like a chicken, but with the small human head that had popped out.
"Gracious! Free at least! Thank you! My name is Ooccoo."
"Uh... I'm Tails."
"Nice to meet you! I've been looking for things here, but when I got into that pot, I couldn't get out! Shall we try working together, adventurer?"
"No offence, but... how can you help?"
"Oh, that's simple! I can help you get around! Simply tell me a place you'd like to get back to quickly, then no matter where in the vast mansion you are, I can have to warped there in an instant!"
"That's useful... what are you looking for?"
"Ah... would you mind awfully if I didn't say? I'll let you know if I find it, honest! Now, shall we go?"
Ooccoo nestled between his tails, which he adjusted to make it more comfortable for her, then left the yeti's kitchen by a northern door.
It led to another frosty room, with a part of the floor frosted over, and several large crates. Underneath the frosted floor was a switch encased in ice, and another free from ice. He shifted the crates around until one was holding that one down, opening a door in the eastern wall.
Through it lay an area outside. There was a large chunk of ice blocking one back, and a small tunnel on a piece of wall. He dug it out a little larger, squeezing through.
It led them to a clearly snowy area, showing the surrounds of the mansion rising around it. Atop one area was a small cannon. Large chunks of ice blocked off passage in a few areas too.
From the snow leapt several snow wolves, but they were met with his sword, and offered little trouble to him.
After defeating them, he noted a chest, buried in the snow. Once dug out, and opened, it gave him a key.
The only free door here was back to the west, leading to the other side of the ice he'd first seen out here.
The floor was icy here, and there were strange ice creatures with purple eyes on the ice. The clawshot and arrows just sent them bouncing around on the ice, though after several hits, they simply exploded into shards of ice. Whatever they were, they weren't much threat, allowing him to continue through the north door after much slipping and sliding around on the ice himself.
It was locked, but the key solved that. The door locked behind him as he entered the room, it's entire floor icy, and with more of the strange creatures. He had to use the sword strategically to bounce them away from him at just the right time, without sending another toward him. Several near-misses happened, but he managed to shatter them all. The door he'd entered by, along with a door to the west unlocked once they were defeated.
Beyond that door was an apparently empty room. There were a couple of chandeliers in the ceiling, and a hole in the ceiling above that, none easily reachable for now. Through gaps in the south wall, he spotted an ornate chest, behind another door.
This door locked as he approached, and from the floor burst two icy skeletons with large spears. They were deadly quick with their attacks, but their spears shattered against his shield, leaving them vulnerable to him, letting him launch a strong series of blows that shattered them. Like the odd creatures earlier, the doors here unlocked again once they were defeated, letting him reach the chest.
Inside the chest was not a key, but a pumpkin.
Midna looked stunned.
"What is this? This isn't a key at all! We'll have to go back and tell her she got it wrong..."
Ooccoo popped her own head up. "Her? Do you mean the sick yeti? I can whisk you back there in a jiffy!"
Sure as she said it, the room blurred briefly, then clearing into the room with the fire and the yeti.
"You find it, uh?"
"We found a pumpkin," he told her.
"Pumpkin? But why there? Uh... sorry. Husband is in kitchen.. take it to him. I try to remember better."
Her husband was happy to take the pumpkin and add it to the soup, thanking him for it. When they returned to the other yeti, she too thanked him, then said, "Think in the north wing. Please look? I open door for you." It wasn't clear how, exactly, but she did unlock the north door for him.
It led back outside, to the other side of the ice chunks from earlier. Out here was another small cannon, and blocking a door was a towering structure of ice that had glowing red eyes, and watched him with steaming breath.
In the eastern wall was a gate, and an unusual device, and an empty window. The gate was locked. The window led to a different area, and a single door to the east.
In this large room was another cannon, a lot of icy walls, and many more of the small strange ice creatures. Firstly he cleared each of the ice creatures as he came to them, discovering a heavy stone ball on the floor as he went along. It was easy to just slide it along the floor with him until he left it by the cannon. A faded diagram nearby seemed to suggest putting the stone in, then something explosive.
He turned the cannon to face one of the ice walls, putting the stone in it, then experimentally putting a bomb in afterwards, taking cover.
The rock was blasted across the room, shattering much of the ice, and opening a route to a door to the south. He left it for the moment, instead blasting some more of the ice in the room, in the process finding some more bombs. None of the other ice was in the right direction for the cannon, so he proceeded to the south.
This room had many holes in the floor and ceiling, making it risky to walk along the remaining areas, more so with the patches of ice.
He made his way around carefully, shooting down some Ice keese, and knocking some more ice creatures down into the abyss below until he reached a large chest containing the compass. As usual, Midna seized it and the map, and consulted both while hovering just behind him. He left her to it, using the clawshot and a target on the north wall to get back easily.
He made his way back to the outside area, where Midna pointed him to a patch of ground that allowed him to uncover a chest, containing the key for the gate nearby.
On the other side were several more stones, and the other side of the odd device. He now understood that this allowed for moving the stones from this area to the other side of the gate.
To the north was a ladder, but Midna stopped him from going up.
"There's some kind of creature waiting for you up there. You won't be able to get up there before he knocks you back down. Better to wait until we have something we can do about it."
That seemed like a logical plan, so instead he sent a stone through to the outside area, then went there himself, putting the stone in the cannon here, and pointing the cannon at the ice creature blocking the door. A bomb to launch it destroyed it, leaving only one smaller creature. Blasting away the ice opposite it revealed a chest with more bombs in. At leas the wouldn't run out of them here.
Through the newly cleared northerly door was a large round room. Cage-like bars blocked off either side of the room and the roof, leaving only a narrow corridor with a large suit of armour that held a spear. Behind it was another one facing the other way.
As he went to the door behind them, the door locked, and the suit of armour behind him smashed. The other one was new animated, wielding a massive ball and chain. He dodged it's attack, quickly running to it's weaker behind while it was gathering the spiked ball, and launching his attack.
It caught him painfully with the ball the second time, but he recovered quick, and continued his assault.
Finally, it fell, leaving behind the ball and chain. It was as big as he was.
"I bet this could come in useful."
"Midna, I can probably barely lift it," he protested.
"Leave that to me. I'll make it lighter."
"I still won't be able to use it properly."
"Nonsense. You'll be fine, just swing it above your head."
He sighed, but said nothing more, instead finding out what was beyond the now-unlocked north door.
There were two suits of armour and more ice. Not wanting to take chances, he swung the chain into both suits of armour, then the ice, shattering them all. Behind was a chest, and another suit two suits of armour, which he also smashed.
In the chest was a wheel of goat's cheese.
"Food, again? I had a bad feeling about this... she didn't seem very sure. We better go back and hope she's had a brilliant idea that'll lead us the right way this time."
Ooccoo warped them back to the lounge again.
As expected, the yeti was surprised.
"What? Cheese? Did husband move it? Where did it get put... Sorry, need time to think. You take cheese to husband for soup, I will think."
As with the pumpkin, her husband was glad to take the cheese for the soup, this time also taking a bottle and filling it for him.
"I think I remember now! We put it nearby so not forget. How I forget! Embarrassing... is in east wing, on second floor."
This time, the easy door unlocked for them. The area here had a door to the north with another ball transfer device in the wall, a barred off area with another large ice creature in, and more ice blocking a path beside it.
He pushed a block down outside the north door, allowing him to take a stone from and earlier area, then used the ball and chain to smash the ice and creatures. Part way up was an area blocked off by two more stone blocks that he couldn't reach. At the top, behind some more ice he smashed apart, was another cannon. There was nothing to shoot at with it yet, so he simply left it loaded with the stone, and looked at the rest of the floor.
To the south was the remains of a room, with a locked door to the west. There was another door to the north of the cannon.
North led them to an upstairs room above one they had been in earlier. There was another ice skeleton to one side, though it lasted little time after receiving the ball to it's face. To the left was a chunk of ice, and to the right, over the gap in the floor was the top of a chandelier. Behind the ice was a clawshot target.
To reach a chest on the other side, he smashed the ball into the chandelier, making it swing so he could reach it. Inside, he found another key, then used the clawshot to return to the other side, and to the locked door in the previous room.
On the other side was an area above the grand hall they'd entered by. There was another clawshot target in ice, and over chandeliers was another ice skeleton.
Using the ball again to swing the chandeliers, he defeated the ice skeleton on the other side, then jumped over to where it had been continuing to the west.
The entirety of this room was ice-covered, the floor, the walls, what was left of the ceiling, all of it. A number of small ice creatures lay about the floor, though nor for long as the chain swung the ball into them, smashing them instantly.
In the western wall was a large block of ice blocking the path, behind it a small flock of ice keese hit.
There were two doors in the room, one locked to the east, the other unlocked to the north. Left with little choice in doors he headed northwards now.
This led him to a gallery above the room just north of the Yeti's kitchen. He shoved a large block down to there, smashed the ice in the room, and then rearranged the stones to cover the switch in the middle of the ice, which unlocked a door on the upper level to the north.
He couldn't reach it just yet, however, and had to go through a door to the east, leading him back outside again. There were several ice skeletons on this upper level, though none lasted long once meeting the ball and chain. He crossed along the ruins of the walls, heading northwards, and using a clawshot target to get over the last remains, to head into the west wing again.
This room was above were they had retrieved the pumpkin. He swung the chandeliers to get to the far side of the room, finding another key. He headed south, through the door he couldn't reach earlier, and ended up backtracking to the room that had ice everywhere, unlocking the easterly door.
Here, there were more of the larger ice creatures. He smashed both, revealing in the process a door with another stone delivery device nearby, and two blocks embedded in the wall. Pushing these led to the cannon he'd left loaded.
This cannon he turned to face the area he'd just moved the blocks from, and fired it. This had no apparent effect, except to move the stone to the delivery device.
Through the door nearby, he broke the ice on the other side to fetch the ball, and place it in the upper outside cannon, turning it to face the ice creature Midna had warned him about, and firing. It was, of course, shattered, leaving a door free.
Tails picked Ooccoo from his tails, then flew over, landing and placing her back before dealing with the remaining smaller ice creatures, then going through the door to the east, the only way he could go now.
The door locked behind him, as did the door to another area on the far side of the room. It was laid out almost like a church with rows of benches laid out. He'd apologise to the yetis later.
"You shouldn't be so destructive," was Midna's only comment, though she didn't sound as if she meant it.
In keeping with being cautious, he used the ball and chain to smash apart most of these in order to remove any hiding places.
Several large icicles fell from the ceiling as he did so, dropping ice skeletons with them. They didn't last long now he knew they were extremely weak to the ball and chain. Once defeated, he proceeded to the north, which led him to another ornate chest, with the big key in.
"Finally," Midna said. "We found it. That took a while, but the mirror piece is as good as ours now!"
As he came outside the yeti who had been sick met him.
"Uh, came to meet you. Drink husband's soup, feel much better. You found key! Good, good. Bedroom right above us. I take you there."
She led him up a spiral slop to the top of the mansion.
"Bedroom right here. You go inside. Not worry for me," she told him, but followed him in when the door was unlocked.
The bedroom was large, well furnished. On the far wall was what was unmistakably the mirror shard.
"Here, mirror. Looks. So pretty... pretty..." her voice faded, her head twitching slightly. Then she turned sharply, her face now a mask of terror, screaming, "Not take mirror!"
The windows all smashed, turning the room icy in moments. The yeti seemed to draw ice to her, now becoming an immense ice mass that bounced around the room.
It was clear instantly he had to smash the ice with the ball, and he did so, smashing it into it time after time, dodging out the way as necessary, each hit reducing the mass smaller and smaller until only the yeti remained.
She rose into the air, however, creating more piece of ice around the room that slammed into the floor after him. He smashed them as he could, until finally the largest piece, with the yeti in, also landed, smashing into that.
She re-formed each of the smaller pieces periodically, making it difficult between their slamming into the floor, and the icy floor to smash the ball into the larger mass. Several times he missed, but eventually he began to get the hang of it, smashing away.
Finally, when there was no more ice, the yeti gave out a final tortured scream, then fell to the floor, returned to normal with the room.
The mirror landed nearby. Midna, of course, seized it.
"Well, that's two shards we have now, and two more left. Still... I feel a little bad about how we treated her. To think the mirror has the power to change people like that... This world... no, all worlds can be cruel. Let's hurry and collect the rest of the pieces before more innocent creatures have to endure the same suffering."
Tails merely nodded, exhausted from the fight as Midna created their portal back out.
Before he got the chance to use it, the yeti's husband came in, just as his wife regained consciousness.
"What... what wrong with me?" she asked faintly.
"Very strange... just dreaming, uh," her husband replied.
"Mirror you gave..."
"Forget mirror," he told her. Look into eyes of husband instead. Look in reflection of eyes. There true beauty! Who need mirror?"
He picked her up gently, and carried her from the room, leaving a respectful nod to Tails on the way out.
Midna said nothing at all as she warped them back outside, but there was a faintly wistful look to her expression as she watched the two yetis leave.