Hey Majora: The Curse of the Mask REWRITE Chapter 1, a hey arnold fanfic

Hey Majora

Prologue: The Mayor's trouble

Scene 1: Troubled Heroes

A/N-Alright then, I'm reposting this story. I went back and reread what I myself had written and I didn't like what I read, so I did what I thought was best, I took it down and now I'm reposting the new version. I had a bunch of ideas with what I wanted to do with the story and I didn't have everything planned through as well as I liked. So now you get a newer more involved and interesting version. (IMO) One of the biggest things that I'm changing about this though would be the inclusion of an interesting little treat for you in the scene breaks, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer-I don't own Hey Arnold, The legend of Zelda, or any of the music that I advertise herein. All I own is the idea for the story; and I know to take it down if anybody gets bitchy about it. :P

Musical mentions – Another addition to the story is the mention of songs that I think might go well with the chapter. Clocktown second day goes well with this scene in my opinion, especially if you can find one with the pitter-patter of rain in the background.

The fairgrounds of Hillwood had transformed over the last few days. The rides and stands were masked by a huge big-top tent, awaiting the approach of the carnival. It was to be a celebration the city had never seen the likes of before, commemorating the day there houses were saved. It had been a full year, one full year since Scheck had been hauled away in hand-cuffs, one full year since the bulldozers were stopped just short of their houses, one full year since they were almost forced to say good bye to one another. Well, almost.

"Three more days Arnold; then we get to live it up with the party of a lifetime," stated one of two boys standing outside the fairgrounds. He had dark skin, just a few shades lighter then the hair that stood tall in an afro that seemed to defy the laws of physics. He wore a red shirt emblazoned with the number thirty-three, similar to a sports jersey. He held a look on his face that screamed of his excitement.

"It's like we get our own celebration once a year." He beamed inwardly at the memory. It had been there doing that they had something to celebrate. It had been them that had saved the neighborhood from its fate after all. His best friend didn't share in his enthusiasm though.

"I'm not looking forward to it." The boy that spoke had a sour look plastered on his face. Said face rested on what should be labeled as the eighth wonder of the world; a head in the shape of a football. He wore a blue shirt and red plaid one underneath that extended farter down. The extra length closely resembled that of a skirt. His friend just stared at him with a weird look on his face.

"You can't be serious Arnold. This party is practically for us. We were the ones that saved the neighborhood, after all." Gerald eyed his friend's actions. He'd been acting weird as the day came closer and closer.

"It just reminds me of what almost happened. We were so close to failing, Gerald. If it hadn't been for deep-voice, we would have. We would've been separated, pulled to different parts of the state, or even the country. I don't like being reminded of what almost happened, and I really don't like being treated as a hero when we weren't the ones that did the hard stuff. Deep-voice figured out where we needed to go. She took just as many, if not more risks then we did, and she's not even getting an honorable mention in the mayor's little speech." Arnold sighed at his explanation. His voice had remained fairly monotonous until he mentioned deep-voice, then it started to raise it a little bit. He had to leave things out. Leave out Helga's involvement, about how she and deep voice was the same person, and about what she said to him in the "heat of the moment."

"That's what's bothering you? Then I think I have just the fix come on, I know just the person we should talk to." He grabbed Arnold's arm and began leading him into the fairgrounds. They remained open to the general public, despite the various renovations. The mayor had stated it was safe and the public was free to see the progress they were making.

The changes were apparent. There was a huge big-top surrounding a building that was being constructed in the center of the fair-grounds, the mayor promised to have a grand unveiling at the carnival itself. The big-top was surrounded with a number of smaller tents that housed a number of small shops and food stands. Rides were not in short demand. There were roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls, pirate ships, and a single Ferris wheel that rivaled the height of the big-top in the center. From its height you could probably see the entire carnival.

The path that Gerald led his best friend down eventually led them to the foot of the big-top. It was the only thing that no one was allowed to see. The mayor wanted to make sure that it was a surprise for everyone, so she masked it and set guards to make sure no one snuck in. There was a fence set with barbed wire just outside the perimeter of the big-top. A guard post could be seen every little while or so, but there was one that was bigger than the rest. That was the main outpost and it was from that outpost that ran security throughout the entire park. It also held a certain elected official. One Arnold had gotten to know better in recent months.

He had come to him for aide in election. It was his intent to run on a platform that used his predecessor's activities in the Scheck scandal against her. Arnold outright refused at first, though he didn't really like how his predecessor did things, he didn't want to be used for political purposes at the age of twelve. Grandpa sent him packing quite quickly.

Then the election itself started, incumbent (Phoebe taught me that) was far more persistent. She left frequent messages on the answering machine, sent aides, and even came to see him herself a few times. It got to the point where Grandpa began looking for a guard dog or something, but it was Helga that helped me, to my own disbelief.

"Look, Football Head, you need to figure out a way to fix this so you can stop griping about it. You complain to Gerald, then Geraldo complains to Pheebs, and then Pheebs complains to me. I find it fascinating that your troubles seem to always trickle down, but it's annoying me. So stop it with your goody-goody neutral standpoints and pick a side already. I'd personally go for the one that's not bugging me."

"I don't exactly agree with everything he wants to do though. I mean, I don't really agree with the way the other one does things, but I agree with her policies and stuff." Helga rolled her eyes.

"You always spend so much time trying to see the good in people that you overlook the bad. You should think things through, or is there just vacant space in that football shaped head of yours. The mayor that we have doesn't really do anything anyway. Most of what she does is posturing and grandstanding." Helga was getting closer to me as she talked. "Come on, you helped Mr. Green get elected as our districts legislator. This shouldn't be that big of a deal for you football head."

Arnold mulled over the words and played them again and again in his head. He usually just let the stuff that Helga told him go in one ear and out the other, but whenever she got serious about something, Arnold was willing to listen, mainly because she gave decent advice when she got like this.

What she said rang true in Arnold's mind the previous mayor was more show and less action. She wore a mask and put on a show for the public, and it seemed that that was all that she did, and it was this kind of thinking that led me around to helping our new mayor out, with a few ground rules of course. Thanks to that, Arnold became good friends with the current mayor, a feat that let him get into the main guard outpost and actually talk to the man.

Scene Break: The Mayor's Office from Majora's Mask

I enter the room and realize why no one has come to the mayor for help. The room is littered with carpenters and soldiers, debating over what should be done. Mutoh, leader of the Carnival committee and Captain Viscen, commanding officer of the Clocktown sentry were the most pronounced, but you could hear the many squabbles between the two organizations. The mayor sat at his desk, at a loss for what to do.

"Most of the townsfolk already have taken shelter without waiting for the mayors orders. The only ones left are public servants and committee members…" He paused before continuing. Mutoh had a way of getting his point across quite forcefully in a debate. He cleared his throat and continued retaining as much confidence as possible. "Mr. Mayor and Carnival Committee Members, please order those who remain to evacuate!"

"I… uhh…well…" the mayor's thoughts were interrupted by Mutoh's rebuttal.

"You cowards! Do you actually believe that the moon will fall?" Mutoh raised his voice at the soldier before him. "The confused townsfolk simply caused a panic by believing this ridiculous groundless theory. The soldiers couldn't prevent the panic, but outside the town walls is where the real danger is! You want answers? It's that the carnival should not be canceled!" Mutoh turned his head to face the Mayor. "Isn't that right, Mr. Mayor?"

"Ah… well… uhmmm…" He was yet again interrupted by the rambunctious crowd, this time by Viscen.

"Are you serious Mutoh?" Any and all lost confidence was gained back in a heartbeat. He stood before the chairman with a rekindled fire in his eyes. "I would seem that giant hunk of rock above hasn't caught your eye! At this time of year, we are overrun with tourists! So why is the town empty? Clearly it's your job to insure the carnivals operation, but that's if the people are here for it! Don't drag the merchants and soldiers into this."

"Uhh…Yes…Well…" yet again, interrupted.

"If the soldiers wish to run then run, Viscen! We council members will stick to tradition!" His voice had been raised even higher. The vein in his head was beginning to visibly throb. "This carnival will be a success! I've never heard of a defense unit abandoning its town! Madame Aroma would surely say the same thing wouldn't she, Mayor Dotour?" The mayor spoke clearly for the first time throughout the meeting.

"…Let's not bring my wife into this." The two continued arguing as the mayor sighed in frustration. It is at this time that I realize that I should come back.

Scene 2: Cutting through the Red Tape

Musical Mentions – Majora's Mask: House. Type that into YouTube and it should be the first one you see.

"Name?" asked the guard.

"Arnold."

"Gerald. Shouldn't you know us by now, Mike?"

"Standard procedure, you're obviously on the list of people that are allowed to see him, but you may want to come back in a bit. He's in a meeting." He continued staring at his clipboard. Mike opened the gate to the main building. "You're free to wait inside though."

"Thanks." was the collaborative response of both Arnold and Gerald. They ventured in, hoping they wouldn't be long. When they got to the familiar area that was the waiting room, they were met with the mayor's formal assistant, Gary Reeves. He was fresh out of Hillwood University and very good friend of Arnold.

"Hey Arnold, you here to see Mayor Donovan? He said you didn't have to come in the days leading up to the carnival." Arnold just smiled.

"It isn't for that Gary. Could you just buzz him to let us know were here."

"Sure thing, could you just wait for a few minutes? The person the mayor is meeting is fairly important to the carnival." He motioned for Arnold and Gerald to sit in the waiting room. "You'll be waiting with the committee mans daughter. She's an interesting person, but a little short-tempered."

"Thanks. Does she have a name?" Gerald was the one to push the subject.

"I asked, but she said it was none of my beeswax and stormed into the waiting room." Arnold stiffened to the response. 'No way.' Walking through the door they heard a very familiar retort.

"Hey there, football head." Helga was sitting in the corner of the room with a magazine titled 'Wrestlemania, Editorialized.' She wore her usual pink bow and dress, hair split into her two usual ponytails. Outside of the extra inches she grew, nothing had really changed about the scowling bully over the last year, at least not physically. She had gotten a lot nicer as fifth grade went on, though she still pulled a number of pranks. "So what are you two chuckleheads in for? I thought Arnold was off from his saving the world crusade."

"If you must know, Arnold here wanted to ask the mayor to change something about the speech he was giving at the festival in a few days. He wanted to add a special mention to someone who didn't get named for the salvation of our little neighborhood." Helga's face went a little pale at the mention of their cause. 'He wouldn't dare.'

"Heck while we're at it, we might as well mention you. You were there to help at the end." The second response made Helga raise an eyebrow. 'There was someone else?'

"I KNEW there wasn't a snowball's chance in Florida that you morons couldn't do it by yourselves. So who else did you rope in? Was it Phoebe? No she'd tell me. Lila's to ditzy… uh, oh did Curly to calm down enough to si-"

"We don't know who she is."Arnold brought her out of her little guessing game. "She called herself Deep Voice. She came to us through a pay-phone and a voice masker and told us everything we needed to know to take down Scheck. She deserves a mention at the celebration, even if she wants to stay hidden. It's not like she'll be known, just her alias." Helga felt like slapping herself for how big of an idiot she was being.

'Of course he didn't tell Geraldo, over here. He'll probably keep the secret of what happened there with him till judgment day and the trumpets sound.' Helga chuckled a little bit at the thought but turned away dejectedly for a few seconds. 'That'll probably be when he tells me that he has feelings for me. We said 'heat of the moment, but no one is that dense, especially after a year or so to actually think about it.'

"She should know how grateful everyone is, I know I am." She raised her head to see the smiling gaze of her football-headed compatriot. 'Is he…?' Gerald looked like he was about to say something when the door to the mayor's office burst open, revealing a very annoyed Big Bob Pataki. The large man was grumbling something about an 'annoyingly persistent midget' as he walked over to Helga.

"Come on girl, we're leaving." Helga's scowl had returned to her face as she got up. Bob was completely oblivious to anyone else, and he barely gave her a glance.

"Why am I here with you again?"

"Blame your mother and that whole 'quantity time' she always seems to talk about. Now move it missy we got a lot of ground to cover today." He stormed out of the office as his daughter begrudgingly followed, barely giving a wave of goodbye to her classmates, a wave that neither of them were even expecting. They averted there gaze to the now open door.

"The mayor will see you now, Arnold."

End Scene

It was bugging me, I knew he was busy with the bickering in his office, but I had to at least ask. Maybe the Father knew more than the mother. I approached the desk of the Mayor Mask in tow. He has to know something, he just has to. I wore the mask of Kefei and ask the standard question.

"Have you seen him anywhere? Please, I don't need to tell you how important it is." The mayor looked shocked at the sudden appearance of his son's face in his office. "Please, you have to know something, surely."

"I…I…" was all he could stammer. You could begin to make out the pleading in my voice. The rest of the office was too engrossed in their argument to notice. They just carried on as though nothing else was happening. The mayor was more focused on me than them though.

"I promise not to report back what you say to Madame Aroma." That seemed to instill a small amount of confidence in the man.

"Try the owner of the curiosity shop. That's all I can say." I beamed behind the mask.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I left the office in a hurry. The mayor had a brief smile cross his lips before he returned to business as usual.

Scene 3: Meet the Mayor

Musical Mentions - Mayor's Office Theme. This one actually has an extended version. Type extended after Majora's Mask – Mayor's Office Theme and it should be the first one. (YouTube again)

His office was quite different then what people expected. He had made it a point of almost making this place his second home as opposed to working in the oversized office at the capitol. It was small. It was just big enough for the desk and chair; with a little room for moving in and out of the area. The desk had a myriad of papers that all seemed to need immediate attention, the ones pertaining to the carnival's security and construction were on top, bills awaiting approval were next, complaints were stacked off to the side, and the budget drafts were off to the other side of his desk. They harrowed high enough to make the man behind the desk seem short, even shorter then what he actually was.

Mayor Donovan was a fairly short man, only about a foot taller than Helga. He wore a face was fairly stern with eyes that seemed devoid of tension. He wasn't scary, but he wasn't the person you wanted to oppose in an argument, a trait that made him a fairly good mayor. Most people thought that stern face was his true face, Arnold knew better. He was much nicer with Arnold, as well as many other people that knew him well enough. Out of the office he was far more sociable. He was always formal, it seemed, whether it was in the office or not. He always dressed in a black suit and tie. Depending on the mood he was in, with the people that didn't know him, it looked like he was either going to a wedding or a funeral.

Despite his various quirks, Arnold enjoyed hanging out with the new mayor. Helping with paperwork, filing and taking complaints from people, many around the offices had started calling him the mayor's assistant. He didn't like asking much from him, mainly because he knew how busy he was, but this was something that Gerald insisted on, claiming it would make him feel better.

"Hello, my boys. The two of you certainly look well." He was always so cheerful around them. "I hope that my little meeting with the blowhard didn't force you to wait too long. He can be so infuriating sometimes."

"What was he here to talk about?" Gerald asked. The two of them sat in a pair of chairs in front of the mayor's desk. The mayor sighed before responding.

"Many of the stands outside belong to private businesses and as such pay a fairly hefty price for having something open here. Thanks to this, we deal with our fair share of blowhards. That one in particular seems to show up regularly to complain about not know what's under the big-top. 'I paid good money for that spot and I feel it should be my right to know what's being showcased just down the street.' Annoying as all heck. I'd normally tell my guards not to let him through but he tricked me using his daughter as a means of entry."

"So you're sticking to your guns about not letting anyone see the surprise till the 'big unveiling' then?" Gerald asked dejectedly.

"Yes, and I sincerely hope you didn't come to ask to see it to. I have a higher opinion of your morals then that." Arnold spoke up to their defense.

"He's just curious, and no that's not why we're here. We wanted to have you change your commemoration speech at the great unveiling a little bit." He stared at Arnold slightly annoyed.

"What is it this time? I've reduced it to just an honorable mention of you and Gerald and some of that political pomp that seems standard to any speech. I can't trim it down anymore."

"It's not that. We actually want you to add something." The mayor's mouth hung agape for a few seconds before his annoyed look intensified.

"Look, if the two of you are getting swelled heads, I'm throwing you out of he…"

"We want to add someone else." Gerald interrupted the mayor mid threat. "This person told us where to go, how to get there, what to do, and threw in a backup plan when the first one fell through." Gerald grinned. "These are Arnold's words, not mine, and I don't think he's telling me everything." The last statement is said in a hushed tone. Gerald is close to the mayor with a hand hiding his mouth as he says it to the mayor. Arnold rolls his eyes at friend's pathetic attempt at secrecy before continuing where Gerald left off.

"We just wanted to add her cause it didn't feel right to exclude anyone from being honored if you're honoring this day. I mean, if you included everyone, it'd probably sound like some cheesy kids' movie, but she was an important part of the neighborhood's salvation, even if she was hiding who she was." Gerald gave his friend a quick quirk of the eyebrow before Mayor Donovan spoke.

"So how should I add this mystery savior to the speech? I'm assuming you didn't want me to give the name of this individual, so what alias did this person go by?"

"Deep-voice," Gerald replied.

"Whoever it is watches to many old movies. Let me guess she had the trench coat and voice changer, probably decided to call you using phone-booths, that sort of thing." The mayor had a slightly amused look on his face.

"Yep, corny as heck, but she did help."

"Well alright then boys. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No we wouldn't want to keep you from your work."

"Keep me from it, I'm begging you. You guys give me an excuse to brush my paperwork onto my assistant in there." The mayor had a pleading look in his eyes as he stared at the mounds of work on his desk.

"I think we'll just be stepping out now." Said Gerald quietly; the mayor turned stood and turned away as he started his monologue.

"They don't tell you about this stuff when you run you know. 'Oh you'll be a great candidate, just sign right here, campaign start's next week.' I think the next word out of his mouth was sucker after I left." He never noticed Gerald and Arnold slowly and carefully slipping out of the mayor's office, until he heard a small clunk the door made as they closed the door. He turned to find that the only thing left in his room to keep him company was his paper work. He cried a little bit over his desk.

End Scene

I stare up at the moon. As it bears down closer to the clock tower, I see Mutoh by the incomplete tower in the center of town that was supposed to lead to the tower entrance. The southern exit has a guard posted, diligently remaining at his post. Do they not see the moon overhead. The clock strikes twelve, the fireworks go off, the clock tower transforms itself into a lookout to see town. It was a beautiful display. I look back to see that both have now fled. There's no way they'll clear the blast in time.

Scene 4: Whoops…

Musical Mentions-Clock Tower Theme-More for a symbolic theme than anything else; It played when you first met the Happy Mask salesman so why not.

Arnold and Gerald left the office in a hurry, giving a brief goodbye to Mike and Gary before leaving the compound. They stopped just outside the outpost gate. Gerald breathed a sigh of relief before voicing his opinion on what happened. "That was close. We almost got caught in one of his 'woe is me' speeches."

"He's not that bad, Gerald. Besides, he's inclined to be a little on edge, considering his glorified public work project is three days away."

"I guess, but I still refuse to stay around when he starts getting like that." He stopped walking and looked around in a confused manor. "Where are we?"

Arnold took a quick glance around and noticed that they were in a new part of fairgrounds, at least he was assuming so, because nothing looked familiar to him. Before them stood a small building with four different entrances, one on each wall. Shadowing the entrance stood a sign depicting the name of the small building as the same one that caught his interest in paperwork he was doing for Mayor Donovan. "The Happy Mask Shop, Where All Your Fantasies Become Reality" The name was draped in a white and black paint, switching between the two colors with each letter. He remembered the location they were now in from the paperwork and new that the exit was fairly close.

"Follow me Gerald. I know a–Oof." He never got a chance to finish his sentence. He ran face first into a man carrying more masks then he could carry.

"Ohhh, not good not good not good; why did I take so many at once, now he's going to be so annoyed with me." The girl frantically got to his feet, and grabbing each of the masks she dropped and started sorting them into two piles. She looked a little older then Arnold, but not by much. He had long hair that masked his face in long lengths of black.

Arnold shakily got back to his feet. "I am so sorry about that." The girl looked up quickly and his mood seemed to pull a one-eighty.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault I should've been watching where I was going." Arnold could see some eyes and a face poke through as she looked up. She had purple eyes and an expression that was trying to mask her worry.

"Still, let me help. Gerald, could you give me a hand."

"Sure thing," Gerald picked up the mask at his feet and gave a weird look. "Man this thing is creepy."

"My dad kind of has a thing for tribal masks. He has a few dozen in his collection. He collects them from all over the world, believe it or not. He uses the original as a display and makes copies to sell to people." She said looking closely at the masks. "Oh it's no good I can't tell them apart." The mask fell and her face returned to the same frantic state that it had when she first fell.

"Just use one in the display, I can't tell them apart any better than you can."

"I don't know about that Gerald."

"Why not? Nobody should be able to distinguish these from one another."

"Distinguish?" Arnold asked with a smug look on his face.

"Shut up." Responded Gerald curtly. He placed his rather large pile of masks that he had gathered and placed them on his friend's pile. He snickered as he saw his friend struggle with the larger then normal load, his payback for those annoyingly knowing comments.

"I'll take some of those. I don't want a repeat of what happened with me." She masked a giggle at their exchange as she took half of the load. Arnold shot a glare at Gerald, who proceeded to whistle innocently. "If you insist on helping then follow me."

The inside of the shop was quite small. Masks littered the ground, each more realistic then the last. It was as if someone's very soul was placed in each one, which Gerald found creepy. In the back there was a single table with a cash register on top. Above it stood a sign that said, 'If you want to see a man's true colors, give him a mask to wear.'

The girl sat a mask down on the center of a table that had four other mask's, one of a fish head, one of a worm with pincers, one of a mechanized nature, and one of a tribal nature. She grabbed the rest and put them in the bin below.

"There, thanks for the help. They were really being a pain."

"Don't mention it. Me and Gerald aren't in a hurry anyway."

"Gerald and I" Gerald corrected.

"What, grammar to. Next thing I know you'll be shrink down to half your size and take a liking to blue sweaters."

"Yeah, and you're going to develop a weird attachment to pink clothing. Since you've been trying to hang around Helga more she's started wearing off on you, and not in a good way."

"True, but her treatment of me's been reduced to simple name calling." They started to tune out there surroundings. They didn't even notice a man enter the shop. He wore purple and had this grin plastered onto his face.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked the man as he entered.

"Hi dad, these two helped me bring some of the masks in when we ran into each other. I believe their names are Arnold and Gerald."

"Well, pleased to meet you. I apologize for the mess, we haven't gotten everything in its proper place yet. It'll look great when we finish." The smile never left his face. Both Arnold and Gerald were getting a little wierded out as they talked. "Be sure to come by when we open, I'm sure we could arrange a discount for the two of you."

"Thanks Mr. uhh… what was your name again?" inquired Gerald. They never got a name from him or the girl and it was getting on his nerves.

"Call me H.S. and you've already met my daughter, Skully."

"We'll be open during the festival, so be sure to come by."

"Sure thing, we'll be looking forward to it. Hey Gerald, is it just me or does the big hand on your watch seem to be stopped."

"Uh-oh. We may want to get going. See you both at the festival." They waved as they left leaving a giggling girl in front of the table.

"Well, that certainly was different." They both returned to setting the shop up for the carnival. It was going to be a very big night for them after all.

End Prologue

A/N-Be sure to tell me what you think of the new version. I apologize for being dormant for so long, but college was a bit more then I could handle. I got straight A's though so I can write for the next few weeks with my head held high. I'll update my other story before the end of the week. (Saturday) Oh and any and all OC's are unimportant or not really OC's (except the mayor, maybe).