Memories of Midna (fanfiction)

 (A Twilight Princess fan fiction. I do not own any of the characters. All rights belong to Nintendo. No copyright intended.)

A young man in a green tunic and green cap appeared out of nowhere. He had brown hair, pointy ears and blue eyes. He had a sword and a shield with the golden triforce on it. Link was the hero of the land of Hyrule, but he was not alone. A shadow imp called Midna had traveled along with him. They had teleported from the Water Temple back to the temple of the light spirit Lanayru. The imp smiled gleefully as she held the now complete fused shadow in her magic orange hair. At last, she would have her revenge against Zant, the tyrannical proclaimed king of the Twilight realm. Link turned around from the pond, only to gasp at Zant standing in front of him. He was adorned in a royal black cloak with strange tribal like designs on them. He wore a breastplate on his chest and a pointed metal mask concealed his face. His demeanor was dark and menacing. Just then, the cave grew lighter and the light spirit rose from the pond. Lanyru resembled a giant snake with swirls on his body and a globe of light in his mouth. He looked at Zant and hissed. However, Zant was not fazed in the least. With a burst of power, he knocked Link off his feet and caused the light spirit to crash into the rock wall. Zant lowered his hand and the ball of light disappeared beneath the water. The world turned a dark hazy orange as twilight took over the land. In front of Zant was Link in the form of a dark wolf, lying unconscious. Beside him was a black and white creature with pointed ears, red eyes and spiky orange hair. Midna groaned as she recovered from the blow of power. Then she caught sight of her enemy and scoffed.

“Zant!” she spat. Before she could act, she was lifted into the air and her arms were pinned across by Zant’s magic. Zant slowly walked up to her and took the pieces of the fused shadow. Midna tried to move, but it was no use. Zant held the floating pieces before him and said “Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and use it against me?” He then tossed the pieces aside. “You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king?” “My KING” shouted Midna, still struggling against her invisible bonds. “You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You must be joking!” “How dare you?!” retorted Zant. “Are you implying that my power is…our old magic? Now THAT is a joke!” He brought Midna closer and dropped her to the ground, hard. He then formed a red ball of magic. “This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight and you WILL respect it!”

‘Whatever happened to you, Zant’ thought Midna. She let her mind wander back to the earlier days when they were growing up back in her world.

Zant and Midna were cousins, both born into the royal family. As the son of the twilight king, Zant was next in line for the throne. However, he wasn’t exactly the perfect candidate for such a position. He would spend his days pranking the other students, often zapping them in the back with his magic. “Zant, settle down,” said the history teacher. “You know how important it is to concentrate on your studies, not fooling around.” Midna smirked at him from across the room, but Zant glowered and returned to his notes. His mind wandered as the teacher lectured: “A thousand years ago, the Gerudos, Hylians and Sheikah were banished from Hyrule into this world. With little food and almost no plant life, they had to resort to magic to survive. Overtime, the dark palace walls were built, with the green energy of the sols powering Twili society. The royal family was born and ruled peacefully for many centuries…” ‘How boring’ thought Zant.  ‘Why would anyone be content to live in this barren prison for eternity?’ “Of course,” the teacher continued, “Our ancestors did everything they could to try and get back to Hyrule. Alas, no portal they made would work against the goddess’s power and the mirror of Twilight was the only link between the two worlds.”  ‘Interesting’ he thought.  The teacher continued, “Our society soon had gods of our own: Nox, Eris, Hecate…” Zant was too lost in thought to pay attention.

Midna, on the other hand, was the studious, intelligent one. She knew every event in Twili’s history and was excellent at all kinds of magic. She mastered teleportation at age six, while Zant stumbled to the ground, the class erupting with laughter. Large shadow birds went up to Midna to get food, while peaked at Zant when he got near. One day, Zant threw a red ball and it crashed into a statue with a bang. Zant danced happily, the thrill of destroying things in his mind. His demeanor faded a second too late as he met his father’s disapproving glare. 

On a fateful day, Zant brought Zant and Midna up to the balcony where a crowd of red eyed Twili gathered to watch. The king used a spell to amplify his voice and then spoke: “My faithful citizens, as many of you may know, my time as your king is close to an end. A new ruler must one day take my place. The council and I have discussed the two candidates and now it is time for you to decide. He beckoned Zant up to the front. “All in favor of Zant?” Zant smiled and stood up confidently. Surely they would all respect them, as he was next in line after all. To his dismay, very few raised their hands. Zant lowered his head and walked back to his father. The king called Midna up to the front. “All in favor of Midna?” Almost every hand went up from the crowd. Zant was shocked. Why would they choose Midna, his goody two shoes cousin over a mighty person like himself? “It is decided,” said the king. “I hereby declare Midna to be your new Twilight Princess.” The crowd erupted in cheers but they soon faded from Zant’s ears as he ran through the halls.

Zant then spend his miserable days as a servant to the royal family. He washed the floor with a mop, too tired to use magic and Midna poked him in the back. “Hey, you missed a spot,” she laughed and then happily walked off to join her friends. Zant dropped the mop and walked out onto the balcony. He did the only thing to do when he had jealous thoughts on his mind and no one around: he threw a tantrum. Not just a typical fit; it was a full on yelling and banging on the ground with his fists. Just then, a light appeared in the sky and Zant stood up too look. The golden growing light was like looking into heaven itself. The light swallowed him and a man’s face appeared. The godly figure boomed: “I shall house my power in you. If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it too.” Then the light vanished and Zant was left with a new invigorating feeling. He now had the power of a god! It was greater than anything that he had imagined. With a power like his, he could rule this realm in seconds! It was also the perfect opportunity to get rid of anyone who stood in his way.

Zant walked through the door and found his father sitting in a soft black chair with a goblet in his hand. “Ah, my son. Finished cleaning I presume?” Zant remained silent. “I know you are upset about your cousin taking your place, but I am afraid it is for the best.” “For the best?!” cried Zant. “Is that all you have to say? I had the potential. Only I could be the best leader. All Midna does is communicate with the commoners like she is one of them!” “And that,” replied the kind “is why the citizens choose her instead. You have to realize, Zant, that being king is not just about wealth and power. A king must attend to the needs of his subjects as much as himself. It is a lifelong responsibility and one must be truly ready for such a task.” “But I am ready!” argued Zant. “I was ready from a long time ago. If I were king, I would actually take action and find a way back into the rich light world. I am tired of staying in this depraved household and this prison of a world!” “Our ancestors were sent here for a reason” replied the king, who was getting up and walking in his royal garb. “They were caught in their greed to rule the Sacred Realm and they paid the price by getting banished here. Now they are peaceful here and that is how it will remain.” Zant growled. “Our tribe has stayed here for 1000 years. Isn’t it time we take back what is rightfully ours from those harsh people of the light?” “You will do no such thing!” the king roared. Zant shrank back a little and started to walk away. Then the king said in a softer voice, “Is that what your mother would have wanted?” Tears started to fall from Zant’s eyes. He remembered the former twilight princess with her orange hair, pink glowing eyes and a warm smile. She resembled Midna, yet shared Zant’s mischievous personality. Yet that all changed when she fell ill. Her last wish was that she wanted what was best for the people, and her family. A day later, the crowd attended her funeral, with the king, Zant and Midna looking the saddest of all. Her body burned in green flames and her spirit joined the gods. Zant slowly turned and answered, “She wanted what was best for the people and her family.” The king nodded solemnly. “And now the only thing best for the people and her family… is ME!” Zant then conjured up a ball of red magic. The kings’ eyes widened in shock in the red light. The light sent the king flying backwards and crashing into the wall. As he fell to the floor, the goblet shattered on the ground, the wine spilling like blood. The light left his eyes and he went still. Zant spat at his form then walked back outside.

Zant looked out at the Twili, going about their day. If he was going to go to Hyrule, he would need an army…an obedient one. Those small shadow wearing pale people would not do. Maybe something stronger and more deadly… Zant shot a beam of magic at a lone Twili and watched in satisfaction as it changed to the image in his mind. The Twili grew larger, its skin darkened to black and a gray mask with snake designs appeared on its face. The previous green energy designs on the Twili were now red and sharp teeth grew from its mouth. A shadow beast, the perfect minion! The crowd gasped and shot flames of magic at him. However, his god’s magic made him immune to such pathetic attacks. More Twili turned into the beasts and they were bowing to Zant. Zant laughed like crazy, feeling better than he had in a long time.

“What in Hecate’s name are you doing?!” cried a familiar voice. Zant turned and saw Midna stomping toward him. A smirk appeared on his face. He could turn Midna into a shadow beast, but then he decided to have some fun. He would humiliate her instead, for taking his place as ruler. Now it was his turn to take hers. An image of an imp appeared in his mind; perfect for a mischievous one like her! Zant slowly walked toward her. “Zant, what are you doing? Leave my people alone! Your father will hear about this.” “My father is dead, and those commoners are mine to rule now,” stated Zant coldly. “What’s going on, get away from…”  Midna was silenced as Zant waved his hand. In the princess’s place was a small imp on the ground, resembling her previous appearance. Midna started at her new form in shock and embarrassment. Zant’s laughter echoed in the twilight. “Now you are pathetic imp that you always were! This world is mine now, and as your new king, I banish you from this land!” Midna saw two shadow beasts flanking Zant and realized with horror that she was on her own. She sadly made her way to the plaza and hung her head. A piece of the fused shadow appeared in her hand. ‘Where did that come from?’ As the piece floated in the air before her, a maniacal smile formed on her face. Vengeance was hers! She would find the other pieces and return with greater power to defeat Zant and free her people.

Now with the shadow weapon in Zant’s possession, her dream was crushed. She looked at the red ball of light and prepared herself for pain. Before she could blink, a black blur flew at the light. Link fell to the ground and Midna rushed over to comfort him. A shadow crystal was embedded in his forehead and slowly sunk down inside. ‘Link saved my life!’ thought Midna. Before she could dwell on it longer, she was thrown back to Zant. Zant leaned close to her, a little too close, and whispered “My Midna…did you forget? That light spirit was one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. No matter how much you desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind! But if we can make this world ours, Midna… light and darkness will meet at last.”  Midna had to admit that taking over the world was tempting, but she couldn’t help but feel pity for the unconscious hero on the ground. Zant continued, “Our tribe will take back their realm… and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna is why…” His mouthpiece opened up, revealing a mouth with sharp teeth and a blue chin. He whispered seductively, “I need you. Not just for me, but for all our people. Lend me your power.”

Midna knew what would happen if she gave in. She imagined Zant’s god standing over the defeated hero at Hyrule castle. There was Zelda, locked in the tower, sadly looking out at the twilight through her window. There was Zant, holding out her weakened imp form for all of her people to see. Her people looking shocked and sad, then terrified as they are all turned into shadow beasts. Ganandorf and Zant laughing as Midna falls in the twilight sky… No! She would never let it happen! She had to do this for her people, for Hyrule, for the hero who decided to save her. For now, all Midna could do was struggle out of Zant’s grasp. “So be it” stated Zant. “I will return you to the light world you covet!” Midna screamed as she flew up to the pond against her will. Zant lifted up his hand and the light grew. The light snake slowly rose up from the pond, and hissed at Midna. Due to his god’s power, Zant was not affected by the light, even as a being of shadow. Unfortunately, it was another story for Midna. She screamed as the light fully hit her. Through the burning pain and the blinding light, Midna’s life flashed before her: Her parents naming her after the word “midnight” meeting Zant for the first time, learning proper etiquette, being banished, meeting Link, going though temples to find the fused shadow… The light engulfed her and soon, they both disappeared. A satisfied Zant slowly turned around… only to find that the wolf was nowhere to be seen.