Shadow Invasion

Zant's Invasion of Hyrule is the name of a large scale invasion launched against the land of Hyrule by the evil King of Shadows named Zant, the usurper King of Twilight featured in Twilight Princess who overthrows the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm and seizes control of the Twili race for himself, as well as its aftermath. The origins of the invasion are rooted in a time long before the events of Twilight Princess when the King of Evil, Ganondorf, is captured and sentenced to execution for his crimes against the Royal Family of Hyrule by the ancient Sages. However, due to his possession of the Triforce of Power, this attempt fails, causing the Sages to use a relic known as the Mirror of Twilight to banish Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm, where roughly a century later, he influences Zant to take over the Twilight Realm and attempt conquest of Hyrule in exchange for releasing the Dark Lord back into Hyrule once more. Eventually a new incarnation of Link and Princess Zelda team up with the overthrown ruler of the Twilight Realm, the Twilight Princess Midna, to stop Zant and discover the truth behind his actions, which reveals to them that the great evil once fought by the Hero of Time has returned to haunt Hyrule once more.

An Execution Gone Wrong
Following his capture and imprisonment for his crimes following the end of Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo King of Thieves and King of Evil, Ganondorf, was sentenced to death by impalement in the infamous Arbiter's Grounds, home of a relic known as the Mirror of Twilight. The ancient Sages conducted the Dark Lord's execution in the Mirror Chamber atop the roof of the Arbiter's Grounds, and 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 of Power activated within Ganondorf at that moment, renewing both his malice and his strength and preventing death from overtaking him. The evil Gerudo soon broke free of his heavy manicles and used his newfound 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 sending Ganondorf through it.

The Rise of Zant
A century after the failed execution of Ganondorf, the Twilight Realm entered a period of political instability when the Throne of the Twilight Realm was suddenly vacated, leaving the realm without a ruler. One of the advisers to the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm, a Twili named Zant, stood as one of the primary candidates to ascend to the Throne of the Twilight Realm in the absence of any male heirs of the Royal Family itself. However, due to general mistrust of Zant due to his thirst for conquest and his lust for power, he was passed over, and the position was filled by the seemingly lone final member of the Royal Family of the Twilight Realm, a female Twili named Midna. With the ascension of Midna to the title of "Twilight Princess", Zant became emotionally unstable and entered severe depression, turning his head to the heavens in search of an answer to his situation. 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. Bestowing a fraction of the strength of the Triforce of Power upon Zant, Ganondorf hid in the shadows as 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. Zant then sealed away the Sols, the source of light in the Twilight Realm, within the Palace of Twilight, leaving the land in darkness. As the sitting ruler of the Twilight Realm, Zant now had the authority to reopen the portal generated by the Mirror of Twilight, and so he did, meaning to invade the World of Light and conquer it so that shadow and light could be merged together and the Twili could return to Hyrule.