Midna took the two of them to the edge of Kakariko, knowing that Sonic would sooner or later pass through. While he was there he stopped by Malo's store, where Gor Ebizo was managing the donations to buy out the Hyrule Castle Town store. Since he had no real use for the considerable collection of rupees he'd gathered, he gave a fair amount to them.
"Don't buy the armour if you go there," Malo warned him. "It's strong, but it has a cost that isn't worth it."
"I'll keep that in mind. Seen Sonic lately?"
"He'll be back soon. He's off getting some goods I ordered from the the other side of the mountains – in Termina."
"Nothing bad happening on that side of the mountains?"
Malo shrugged, "Not my concern. Shouldn't think so. Rumour has it their problems were solved years ago by someone who looked like you."
"Link?" he guessed.
"Don't ask me. Ask your friend when he gets back. Maybe he'll have heard something."
"Gold mine of information, isn't he?" Knuckles muttered as they left. "It's like you have to pry every word out of him."
"Malo? It's just the way he is. Keep an eye out for Sonic would you? I'm just going to be visiting everyone here. If you see him, just tell him to go down to my workshop to find Jet, then the two of them up to the Mirror of Twilight – Sonic should remember where it is."
"That's if they want to come," Midna added. "What's with the sudden interest in the children?"
"I've been stopping by here almost constantly, and every time I do I pay them a call. It's only polite."
Colin was practicing with a visiting Rusl, so he chose not to interrupt them. Beth and Talo were at Talo's favourite watch post, and had no doubt already seen him around. As he had before he just flew up to meet them.
"Told you he could fly," Talo told Beth smugly.
"I thought you were just pulling my leg. Why didn't you ever do that before?"
"Oh, I did," Tails admitted. "I just didn't do it too often. Seen anything interesting lately?"
"Just those," Talo pointed down to the field where there were several giant boars with Bulbins on their backs. "We got asked to keep an eye on them in case they ever try to come into the village again.
"Oh, really? Maybe I should do something about them," Tails said, picking out his bow.
"From this distance?" Beth asked incredulously.
"It's not that hard if you know what you're doing," he explained. "You just have to remember to think about the wind and which way its blowing. The rest is just aim."
"But they're all moving around – they could go anywhere before your arrow hits them!"
"Can't hurt to try, right?" he grinned at them, then took aim for a closer one. He'd figured out the strength of the bow he held and was fairly certain he could get the range he needed. After watching carefully for a time he loosed the arrow with the musical twang of the bow string. "Got him," Tails said, satisfied.
"But it hasn't hit it yet," Beth protested.
"Watch," he replied. The arrow was lost in the distance, too far away to follow clearly. The Bulbin he'd aimed for was on the back of the boar, with another right in front to steer it. The front one suddenly looked around sharply at the sound of his companion being shot off the back of the boar, then looked around wildly for the shooter. "Told you so."
"You're really good with that, you know?"
"I know. You keep a good lookout now, won't you? I'd hate to find I have to run down here and save you all over again."
"Can we borrow your bow?"
"I might need it – but I'll tell you what, I'll talk to Rusl and see if he'll sort something out for you."
He left them to keep watch then to see if he could talk to Rusl.
"It's not the first time they've asked me," he chuckled after hearing the suggestion. "I guess this time they do have a better reason for it. I just hope it doesn't persuade them to stay here – they're missed back home."
"Give me a bit more time, Rusl," Tails told him. "I'll see if I can't fix a few more things around Hyrule, then it'll be safe to go back and forth again."
"Tell me something, Tails," Rusl said then. "We thought you were helping us, but it's been the other way around, hasn't it?"
"I'm a hero," Tails laughed. "It's the way things are. Coincidences just pile up to help me along."
"Well... good luck then, Tails. I don't know what you'll be facing, but I hope you pull through it and save Hyrule from whatever the threat is this time."
"Don't worry. Can you really see me losing? I think I'll stop by Ilia in a moment."
"She's not here at the moment," Rusl told him. "She offered to go with Prince Ralis when he headed back home. Sonic took them up there together, said he'd stop by to bring her back when she was ready."
"Ah well. I'll catch her another time then."
While they waited for Sonic to drop in, Tails took the opportunity to get the first decent night's sleep since he'd been dragged into things. Out of curiosity and some affinity for the form, he'd taken to curling up in his wolf form, with Midna leaning on him in a doze. He knew it might cause a few questions if anyone found him like this, but decided to handle that if it happened.
It didn't, fortunately. Not long after dawn lit up the skies Midna woke him up again.
"Your friend came by during the night," she told him, watching him stretch, yawning as only a wolf could. "I heard him talk to Knuckles in the next room. He left for Ordon just before daybreak."
He growled at her, forgetting he couldn't talk in this form, but somehow she caught his meaning.
"They'll meet us there – if Jet agrees to join us. Sonic already decided he's coming along, and we know Knuckles is. We're just waiting on you." Tails glanced to himself meaningfully. "Aw, but wouldn't you just love to go hunting for a nice rabbit for breakfast?" she teased, reaching for his forehead to change him back.
"I'm going to miss that," Tails said afterwards. "I don't think I've had a better night's sleep."
"I'll see if I can work with this so you can use it yourself then – but that can wait, we've got work to do."
"Right. The Mirror of Twilight, and the world of Twilight. I don't suppose you'll be able to guide us a bit better there, would you? Since it's your home and all."
"Oh, alright," she replied, feigning petulance. "I suppose I can help you out, wolf boy."
Tails laughed, knocking on the door to Knuckles room. "You awake in there?"
Something went thump with a startled oath then, "I am now."
"You fell out of bed?"
"I was up late. Go have some breakfast or something, Tails. I can't get up so quickly like you heros can."
"Is he always such a grouch in the morning?" Midna asked him on the way downstairs.
"I wouldn't know. I've never really seen him when he's just got up. I think I'm going to take your idea, Midna."
"Which idea was that?"
"Going hunting for breakfast. A bit of exercise, something to eat and if we leave through the north of the village I can make a quick side trip to Lake Hylia."
"What for? Link again?"
"No, so I can have a wash actually. If I stay a wolf I can just shake the water out of my fur. And Epona's still there too, I should make sure she's alright."
"Still trying to think of everyone, huh?"
Knuckles hadn't been surprised to find Tails had gone off for a time, and had waited for him at the same southern part of the village where they always exited Midna's portals. Tails barely had enough time to see Kakariko Village form around him before Midna picked them up and whisked them off to the top of the Arbiters Grounds where the Mirror of Twilight waited.
"You took your time," Sonic called, waiting for them up ahead.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," Tails called back. "Jet come too?"
"Of course I did!" Jet's voice called back as he dropped down into view. "I was just looking around for you."
"Guess you forgot we get around with the portals then?" Midna asked. "Looks like we're all here. Time to repair the Mirror, then we can all help wolf boy save the world." She turned to Tails with an impish grin and said, "Save, boy, save!"
"Why me?" Tails muttered.
The three pieces of the Mirror he'd worked so hard to retrieve floated up and slotted themselves into place, perhaps on their own or maybe because of something Midna was doing. As they completed the Mirror, light reflected off it onto the vast chained stone beyond, dissolving the last chains to drop it down even further.
In that new position the designs on the Mirror itself were reflected onto that chunk of rock, shifting of their own accord as they lit up other designs on the rock itself. The central circles continued to shift around, almost seeming to create a depression in the rock as they sunk in.
"Our realm was once called a realm of shadows," Midna said, seemingly to herself. "But that makes it sound unpleasant. You've seen the gentle light when the sun sets on your world – that is what it was like. But then that foul power pervaded the world and corrupted it... and us."
"It was our doing," the voices of the sages sounded behind them. Tails heard Sonic briefly explain who they were to Knuckles and Jet. "We overestimated our abilities as Sages," they went on. "And tried to put an end to Ganondorf's evil magic. We can only hope you find it in yourself to forgive our carelessness..." they paused to bow deeply. "... O Twilight Princess."
"Princess?" Tails breathed. "Midna? You're... so that's why Zant couldn't destroy it – only you can do that. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I couldn't," she answered. "As a ruler who abandoned her people... I couldn't do it. But among the Twili... there's a legend that a hero would appear as a divine beast. I saw you, Tails – just after you first got caught in the Twilight. I had no idea the wolf I'd seen wasn't really human, but I knew what I saw. I thought I could use you."
"It fits now... at the time you must have been interested only in deposing Zant and taking back what was yours."
"Right," she agreed. "But after seeing how selfless you and Zelda have been, the lengths you went to... you've helped me get this far. It's only fair to save this light realm as well."
"Then what're we waiting for?" Sonic asked. "All we've gotta do is go there."
"Yeah? And you know how, I suppose?" Jet asked.
"Stop that," Tails told them. "We'll go together, and we'll all work together. Right Midna?"
Midna nodded, then wordlessly let them over to a glowing area just ahead of the Mirror itself. When Tails stepped on it, glowing stairs of light appeared in the air that lead almost all the way to the rock, and as they each approached the end of it the familiar experience of the world dissolving away caught them. The portal they took this time led straight to the Twilight realm itself, and what waited for them beyond.