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The {{Term/Store|Shadow Invasion||Series, TP, TPHD}},<ref>{{Cite Book|quote= |book= HH |publisher= |page= 69}}</ref> also known as the '''Invasion of Shadow''',<ref>{{Cite Book|quote= |book= HH |publisher= |page= 114}}</ref> is the large-scale invasion launched against the land of [[Hyrule]] by [[Zant]] in {{TP}}.


[[File:Twilight.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Official art depicting the major characters involved in Zant's Invasion of Hyrule.]]
==Previous Events==
'''Zant's Invasion of Hyrule''' is the [[wikipedia:Fanon|fanon]] name of a large-scale invasion launched against the land of [[Hyrule]] by [[Zant]], the usurper King of Twilight featured in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]].''
{{Main|Interloper War, Failed Execution of Ganondorf, Overthrow of Midna}}


==Ganondorf's Execution==
==Zant's Rule==
{{main|Ganondorf's Execution}}
[[File:Zant Meet's Ganon.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Zant is awestruck when he meets Ganondorf for the first time.]]
[[File:Ganondorf's Execution.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Ganondorf is impaled with the Sword of the Sages.]]
Over a century after the [[Twili|Twili's]] exile from Hyrule, the [[Twilight Realm]] entered a period of political instability when an evil Twili named Zant usurped the throne from the true heir, [[Midna|Princess Midna]]. Zant had been a servant of the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm, and was embittered that he was not chosen as the heir to the throne.<ref>{{Cite|I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess. And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why! But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler.|Zant|TP}}</ref> With the ascension of Midna to the title of Twilight Princess, Zant became emotionally unstable and severely depressed. It was in this state that he was approached by the spirit of [[Ganondorf]], who posed as a god and offered an exchange: he would give Zant the power to take the throne by force, and once he was secure as the ruler of the Twilight Realm, Zant would release Ganondorf back into Hyrule.<ref>{{Cite|It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god.|Zant|TP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|I shall house my power in you...If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it, too.|Ganondorf|TP}}</ref><ref>{{Cite|My god had only one wish...To merge shadow and light...and make darkness!|Zant|TP}}</ref>
Following his capture and imprisonment for his crimes following the end of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'', the [[Gerudo]] King of Thieves and King of Evil, [[Ganon|Ganondorf]], was sentenced to death by impalement in the infamous [[Arbiter's Grounds]].<ref>{{cite person|quote=In the middle of this game [Twilight Princess], there's a scene showing Ganon's execution. It was decided that Ganon be executed because he'd do something outrageous if they left him be. That scene takes place several years after Ocarina of Time.|name=Eiji Aonuma|url=http://www.thehylia.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1173582355&archive=|title=Nintendo Dream: Eiji Aonuma Interview}}</ref> The Sage of Water brandished the [[Sword of the Sages]], impaling Ganondorf through his chest and leaving him with a glowing wound. However, the [[Triforce#Triforce of Power|Triforce of Power]] activated within Ganondorf at that moment, renewing both his malice and his strength and preventing death from overtaking him.<ref>{{cite|In all of his fury and might, he was blind to any danger, and thus was he exposed, subdued, and brought to justice. Yet...By some divine prank, he, too, had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods.|Sage|Twilight Princess}}</ref> The evil Gerudo soon broke free of his heavy manacles and used his new-found power to kill the Sage of Water before ripping the blade from his torso and turning it on its owners. Left with no choice to prevent the Dark Lord from killing them all and escaping, the Sages activated the Mirror of Twilight, opening the gateway between [[Hyrule]] and the [[Twilight Realm]], and sent Ganondorf through it.
 
Zant transformed the Twili into [[Shadow Beast]]s and attacked the [[Palace of Twilight]], where he overthrew Midna by force and transformed her into an impish creature before she escaped Zant's coup.<ref>{{Cite|Midna...Foolish Twilight Princess...The curse on you cannot be broken...It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return!|Zant|TP}}</ref> He then sealed away the [[Sol]]s, the source of light in the Twilight Realm, within the Palace of Twilight, leaving the land in darkness.<ref>{{Cite|The Sols were like the suns that illuminate this world. Once they were lost, everyone began to transform...|Midna|TP}}</ref>
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==The Rise of Zant==
==The Invasion of Twilight==
{{main|Overthrow of Midna}}
[[File:ZantInvades.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Zant enters the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle.]]
[[File:Zant Meet's Ganon.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Zant is awestruck when he meets Ganondorf for the first time.]]
Zant opened the gateway between the two worlds and used his sorcerous powers to shroud the areas he conquered in [[Twilight]]. Zant first targeted three of the four [[Light Spirits]] that had been responsible for locking the Dark [[Interlopers]] away in the Twilight Realm long ago. He sent his [[Shadow Beast]]s to steal their light and divide it up amongst a multitude of [[Shadow Insect]]s that would scatter around the provinces of Hyrule.<ref>{{Cite|I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you slayed was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light I wield. My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts.|Ordona (Spirit)|TP}}</ref> The Twili army conquered province after province with ease until they reached [[Hyrule Castle]].
Some years later, the Twilight Realm entered a period of political instability when Zant usurped the throne from the true heir, [[Midna|Princess Midna]]. Zant had been a servant of the Royal Family, and was embittered that he was not chosen as successor.<ref>{{cite|I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess. And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why! But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler.|Zant|Twilight Princess}}</ref> With the ascension of Midna as Twilight Princess, Zant became emotionally unstable and became severely depressed. It was in this state that he was approached by the spirit of Ganondorf, who posed as a god and offered an exchange: he would give Zant the power to take the throne by force, and once he was secure as the ruler of the Twilight Realm, Zant would release Ganondorf back into Hyrule.<ref>{{cite|It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god.|Zant|Twilight Princess}}</ref><ref>{{cite|I shall house my power in you...If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it, too.|Ganondorf|Twilight Princess}}</ref><ref>{{cite|My god had only one wish...To merge shadow and light...and make darkness!|Zant|Twilight Princess}}</ref>


Zant transformed the Twili into [[Shadow Beasts]] and attacked the [[Palace of Twilight]], where he overthrew Midna by force and transformed her into an impish creature before she escaped Zant's coup.<ref>{{cite|Midna...Foolish Twilight Princess...The curse on you cannot be broken...It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return!|Zant|Twilight Princess}}</ref> He then sealed away the [[Sol]]s, the source of light in the Twilight Realm, within the Palace of Twilight, leaving the land in darkness.<ref>{{cite|The Sols were like the suns that illuminate this world. Once they were lost, everyone began to transform...|Midna|Twilight Princess}}</ref>
The Twili army eventually reached the gates of the fortified [[Hyrule Castle Town]] itself. Zant marched into the throne room with Shadow Beasts following him. The soldiers who tried to defend the room were easily subdued. [[Princess Zelda]] raised her rapier sword as a final form of defense, but Zant threatened to kill all of her subjects if she did not comply with his order to abdicate the throne to him.<ref>{{Cite|It is time for you to choose: surrender or die.|Zant|TP}}</ref>
 
Zelda, not wishing to risk the lives of her people against seemingly impossible odds, dropped her rapier sword as a sign of surrender, and abdicated the throne to Zant. During this assault, Hyrule Castle was set ablaze. Then, Twilight surged from Hyrule Castle, turning the watching residents of Hyrule Castle Town and the majority of Hyrule's population into hopeless light [[spirit]]s, unaware of what had happened to them.<ref>{{Cite|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...|Eldin (Spirit)|TP}}</ref> With this, Hyrule was under Zant and Ganondorf's control. Zant kept Zelda prisoner in a room at the top tower of the castle.
{{clear}}
{{clear}}


==The Invasion of Twilight==
==Consequences==
Zant opened the gateway between the two worlds as the self-proclaimed King of Twilight. As the Mirror of Twilight is the lone link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, it is thought that Zant brought his army through this very same portal, as he was now able to open the portal as the sitting ruler of the Twilight Realm. Twilight surged from the Arbiter's Grounds and preceded the coming of Zant's army as they flooded from the Twilight Realm into Hyrule. The King of Shadows used his sorcerer's powers to shroud the areas traveled by he and his army in twilight. As long as twilight was present, Zant and his army were not reduced to mere shadows, as they could no longer retain physical form in the light as punishment for their ancestors' actions. Zant first targeted three of the four [[Light Spirits]] that had been responsible for locking the Dark Interlopers away in the Twilight Realm long ago at the behest of the goddesses, sending his [[Shadow Beast]]s to steal their light and divide it up amongst a multitude of twilit insects that would scatter around the provinces. This action caused the Light Spirits to be reduced to little more than powerless vapor, as well as casting each of their respective provinces into twilight as well and reducing those who resided in them to spirit form. The Twili army conquered province after province with ease, but Zant had his sights set on conquering the one thing that could be seen from almost anywhere in Hyrule: [[Hyrule Castle]].
With the exception of [[Ordona (Spirit)|Ordona]], who is saved by [[Link]] when a [[Shadow Beast]] comes to steal her light, the [[Spirits of Light]] lose their power when their light is seized by the Shadow Beasts. This brings direct effects that affect the environment of the local provinces. In [[Faron Woods]], a purple toxic fog impedes direct access to the {{Term|TPHD|Forest Temple|link}} and, even after the province recovers from twilight, remains as a permanent effect. In [[Death Mountain]], the surrounding volcano shows a fiercer-than usual activity, which results in the fall of [[Magma Rock|tectonic material]] into the [[Goron|Gorons']] whereabouts, endangering them. [[Zora's Domain]], as well as surrounding areas like [[Zora's River]] and [[Zora's Waterfall]], are frozen; this results in the [[Zora]] population being trapped inside the ice and [[Lake Hylia]]'s water level decreasing drastically.
 
==Aftermath==
After Link is told to find a way to restore light to Hyrule, he explores the affected provinces one by one in order to retrieve the [[Tears of Light]] and give the Spirits the ability to expunge the influence of twilight in their respective regions. Every time the young hero enters a darkened region, he is transformed into [[Wolf Link]], but recovers his [[Hylian]] form when light returns to said region. After managing to retrieve the pieces of the [[Mirror of Twilight]] and infiltrating the [[Palace of Twilight]], Link finds Zant, who reveals that a [[Ganon|god]] came down to him, and lent him his power. Zant battles Link, replicating all of the boss rooms in the past dungeons, but Link defeats him. Zant reveals that Midna cannot return to her true form, since the power he used to transform her into an imp belongs to Ganondorf. In her fury, Midna uses the newly retrieved [[Fused Shadows]] to create large spears, which impale Zant and cause him to explode.
 
Link goes to Hyrule Castle, and Midna uses the Fused Shadows to smash the Twilight pyramid surrounding the castle. Link enters the castle and finds Ganondorf with a catatonic Zelda in the throne room. Ganondorf gloats Link and Midna, and then [[Possessed Zelda|possesses Zelda]] to battle Link. Link wins the battle, and Midna forcefully takes Ganondorf's essence out of Zelda using the Fused Shadows. Ganondorf transforms into a [[Dark Beast Ganon#Twilight Princess|large boar-like creature]] and battles Link again, but is once again defeated. Midna opens up a [[Twilight Portal]] and sends Link and Zelda through it, choosing to fend off Ganondorf herself with the Fused Shadows.
 
After teleporting to [[Hyrule Field]], Link and Zelda believe their problems to be over, but a large explosion destroys the castle, and Ganondorf appears on his horse, holding Midna's helmet aloft, symbolizing her defeat. Link and Zelda fight Ganondorf on [[Epona]], and Link emerges victorious again. Ganondorf then has a sword duel with Link, and the latter drives the [[Master Sword]] into Ganondorf's chest. Injured, Ganondorf sees the [[Triforce of Power]] disappear from his hand and sees Zant, whose neck snaps to one side. Ganondorf then presumably dies while standing in place. The Light Spirits revive Midna, who regains her true form.  


==The Siege of Hyrule Castle==
Link, Zelda and Midna return to the Mirror of Twilight to say their goodbyes. Midna enters the Mirror of Twilight and smashes it with a tear, breaking the gateway between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. Hyrule gradually redevelops over time.  
[[File:Hyrule Castle Town-TP.png|300px|thumb|right|The citizens of Hyrule Castle Town look on in shock as Hyrule Castle is set ablaze by Zant's army.]]
The Twili army eventually even reached the gates of the fortified [[Hyrule Castle Town]] itself, invading the city and forcing the surrender of its inhabitants. Once the city was firmly under his control, Zant turned his attention to the stately Hyrule Castle just beyond the city's main square. Shadow Beasts poured into the well-manicured courtyards of the castle, swarming and overwhelming the soldiers that were present to guard the home of the Royal Family of Hyrule and setting the area ablaze, with the smoke and flames even visible from the square of Hyrule Castle Town. With the castle now surrounded by the members of his army, Zant turned his attention to conquering the castle and capturing the country's young matriarch: [[Princess Zelda]], who ruled from her Throne Room high atop Hyrule Castle Tower. The Shadow Beasts burst into the solemn halls of Hyrule Castle, killing soldiers as they went and forcing others to retreat up the great central keep of the structure, Hyrule Castle Tower. Eventually, only the citadel that housed Princess Zelda's Throne Room remained, and what soldiers were left fled up the keep to protect their ruler from the coming Twili army. They attempted to fortify the Throne Room for the coming attack, with Princess Zelda herself even taking up a ceremonial rapier sword to command her soldiers in the coming struggle. However, twilight soon billowed into the chamber through its large doorway, and from the twilight emerged countless Shadow Beasts that viciously attacked the soldiers in their path. Eventually, most of the soldiers that had been protecting Princess Zelda were dead or captured by the Shadow Beasts, who remained at attention as they cleared the path to the Throne Room for Zant.


==Light Surrenders to Shadow==
{{Ref}}
[[File:ZantInvades.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Zant enters the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle.]]
It was at this moment, when her army was now outnumbered or half-dead, that Princess Zelda was faced with a dark figure proceeding to strut up the central carpet of her Throne Room. This dark figure, Zant himself, stopped a few meters away from Zelda's throne and gazed at her and her last few remaining protectors. It was here that the self-proclaimed King of Shadows presented the Princess of Hyrule with an ultimatum: to surrender and have the lives of both she and her people spared, or to fight and perish in the resulting battle. At this, Zelda's protectors uneasily glanced at their ruler, wondering what she would choose to do and what implications it would have for them. Zelda, not wishing to risk the lives of her people against seemingly impossible odds, dropped her rapier sword as a sign of submission, signaling that she would yield to Zant's demands and surrender herself into his custody. Twilight surged from Hyrule Castle and covered the land like a shroud, causing much of the Hylian populace to be reduced to spirit form, unaware of what had happened to them. With this, the largest phase of the invasion was now complete, as the land of Hyrule and its government were now under the control of the King of Shadows and secretly his dark master.
==References==
<references/>


{{TP Events}}
{{TP Events}}
[[Category:Events]]
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|Plot Events, Wars
}}

Latest revision as of 18:33, 12 October 2022

The Shadow Invasion,[1] also known as the Invasion of Shadow,[2] is the large-scale invasion launched against the land of Hyrule by Zant in Twilight Princess.

Previous Events

Main articles: Interloper War, Failed Execution of Ganondorf and Overthrow of Midna

Zant's Rule

Zant is awestruck when he meets Ganondorf for the first time.

Over a century after the Twili's exile from Hyrule, the Twilight Realm entered a period of political instability when an evil Twili named Zant usurped the throne from the true heir, Princess Midna. Zant had been a servant of the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm, and was embittered that he was not chosen as the heir to the throne.[3] With the ascension of Midna to the title of Twilight Princess, Zant became emotionally unstable and severely depressed. It was in this state that he was approached by the spirit of Ganondorf, who posed as a god and offered an exchange: he would give Zant the power to take the throne by force, and once he was secure as the ruler of the Twilight Realm, Zant would release Ganondorf back into Hyrule.[4][5][6]

Zant transformed the Twili into Shadow Beasts and attacked the Palace of Twilight, where he overthrew Midna by force and transformed her into an impish creature before she escaped Zant's coup.[7] He then sealed away the Sols, the source of light in the Twilight Realm, within the Palace of Twilight, leaving the land in darkness.[8]

The Invasion of Twilight

Zant enters the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle.

Zant opened the gateway between the two worlds and used his sorcerous powers to shroud the areas he conquered in Twilight. Zant first targeted three of the four Light Spirits that had been responsible for locking the Dark Interlopers away in the Twilight Realm long ago. He sent his Shadow Beasts to steal their light and divide it up amongst a multitude of Shadow Insects that would scatter around the provinces of Hyrule.[9] The Twili army conquered province after province with ease until they reached Hyrule Castle.

The Twili army eventually reached the gates of the fortified Hyrule Castle Town itself. Zant marched into the throne room with Shadow Beasts following him. The soldiers who tried to defend the room were easily subdued. Princess Zelda raised her rapier sword as a final form of defense, but Zant threatened to kill all of her subjects if she did not comply with his order to abdicate the throne to him.[10]

Zelda, not wishing to risk the lives of her people against seemingly impossible odds, dropped her rapier sword as a sign of surrender, and abdicated the throne to Zant. During this assault, Hyrule Castle was set ablaze. Then, Twilight surged from Hyrule Castle, turning the watching residents of Hyrule Castle Town and the majority of Hyrule's population into hopeless light spirits, unaware of what had happened to them.[11] With this, Hyrule was under Zant and Ganondorf's control. Zant kept Zelda prisoner in a room at the top tower of the castle.

Consequences

With the exception of Ordona, who is saved by Link when a Shadow Beast comes to steal her light, the Spirits of Light lose their power when their light is seized by the Shadow Beasts. This brings direct effects that affect the environment of the local provinces. In Faron Woods, a purple toxic fog impedes direct access to the Forest Temple and, even after the province recovers from twilight, remains as a permanent effect. In Death Mountain, the surrounding volcano shows a fiercer-than usual activity, which results in the fall of tectonic material into the Gorons' whereabouts, endangering them. Zora's Domain, as well as surrounding areas like Zora's River and Zora's Waterfall, are frozen; this results in the Zora population being trapped inside the ice and Lake Hylia's water level decreasing drastically.

Aftermath

After Link is told to find a way to restore light to Hyrule, he explores the affected provinces one by one in order to retrieve the Tears of Light and give the Spirits the ability to expunge the influence of twilight in their respective regions. Every time the young hero enters a darkened region, he is transformed into Wolf Link, but recovers his Hylian form when light returns to said region. After managing to retrieve the pieces of the Mirror of Twilight and infiltrating the Palace of Twilight, Link finds Zant, who reveals that a god came down to him, and lent him his power. Zant battles Link, replicating all of the boss rooms in the past dungeons, but Link defeats him. Zant reveals that Midna cannot return to her true form, since the power he used to transform her into an imp belongs to Ganondorf. In her fury, Midna uses the newly retrieved Fused Shadows to create large spears, which impale Zant and cause him to explode.

Link goes to Hyrule Castle, and Midna uses the Fused Shadows to smash the Twilight pyramid surrounding the castle. Link enters the castle and finds Ganondorf with a catatonic Zelda in the throne room. Ganondorf gloats Link and Midna, and then possesses Zelda to battle Link. Link wins the battle, and Midna forcefully takes Ganondorf's essence out of Zelda using the Fused Shadows. Ganondorf transforms into a large boar-like creature and battles Link again, but is once again defeated. Midna opens up a Twilight Portal and sends Link and Zelda through it, choosing to fend off Ganondorf herself with the Fused Shadows.

After teleporting to Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda believe their problems to be over, but a large explosion destroys the castle, and Ganondorf appears on his horse, holding Midna's helmet aloft, symbolizing her defeat. Link and Zelda fight Ganondorf on Epona, and Link emerges victorious again. Ganondorf then has a sword duel with Link, and the latter drives the Master Sword into Ganondorf's chest. Injured, Ganondorf sees the Triforce of Power disappear from his hand and sees Zant, whose neck snaps to one side. Ganondorf then presumably dies while standing in place. The Light Spirits revive Midna, who regains her true form.

Link, Zelda and Midna return to the Mirror of Twilight to say their goodbyes. Midna enters the Mirror of Twilight and smashes it with a tear, breaking the gateway between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule. Hyrule gradually redevelops over time.

References

  1. ↑ Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 69
  2. ↑ Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 114
  3. ↑ "I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess. And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why! But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler." — Zant (Twilight Princess)
  4. ↑ "It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god." — Zant (Twilight Princess)
  5. ↑ "I shall house my power in you...If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it, too." — Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)
  6. ↑ "My god had only one wish...To merge shadow and light...and make darkness!" — Zant (Twilight Princess)
  7. ↑ "Midna...Foolish Twilight Princess...The curse on you cannot be broken...It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return!" — Zant (Twilight Princess)
  8. ↑ "The Sols were like the suns that illuminate this world. Once they were lost, everyone began to transform..." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
  9. ↑ "I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you slayed was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light I wield. My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts." — Ordona (Twilight Princess)
  10. ↑ "It is time for you to choose: surrender or die." — Zant (Twilight Princess)
  11. ↑ "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..." — Eldin (Twilight Princess)
Twilight Princess Chain of Events
Interloper War > Failed Execution of Ganondorf > Overthrow of Midna > Shadow Invasion
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