A/N- Just so you know, I am not a new author at all. I've been here for well over a year, and yet I have never submitted a Zelda fic. I wrote several, but deleted them all for they were humor. I don't write humor anymore, I stick with the darkfics. [Muahahahahahahahahahahaha] This is actually one of the least dark fics I've written recently; at least it has a somewhat happy ending...
This is about the Skullkid. Also known as Skull Kid, Skull-kid and Stalkid, depending on where you are from. I have noticed the extreme absence of anything with even his name in it and absolutely nothing all about him as far as I could find. So if you happen to have any, know of any, tell me please!
Seeing as he's my favorite character, this is entirely about him. It's the aftermath of Majora's Mask. After the reign of The Mask over Skullkid. It starts right after Link rides away on Epona at the end of the game...It also tells what happens between the two games.
You don't exactly have to have finished the game before reading this, the only thing I give away is the obvious. Skullkid wasn't evil, it was the Mask. And if you didn't know that...^-^ There are parts of the game I go over here. But I leave most of the dialogue out. Who wants to read things you've already read in the game? Except the end part, I made all that my own words.
And before I confuse anyone, this is his point of view/POV.
The first page or so is rather lame, I shall admit. But as soon as the Mask comes...
Thanks to all you people in the forum who agreed with me about Skullkid being ignored! Heh heh
It's a different style from most of my work, for it is a different character's POV. It is merely the POV of a mischievous imp, a young one at that, so the tone is rather simple and repetitive.
The Innocence of Evil
By PikaCheeka
"I'm glad all of this is over with." Tatl chirped up almost immediately. "That Mask made me nervous..."
Her brother nodded vigorously as much as a fairy can. He had been worse off. He had been the one I had hit several times throughout the four long days the Mask had reigned over me. I didn't answer for a few minutes. Link and Epona had broken out into a run a hundred yards away, and they were already gone. Off to save another world, most likely. Just as he had so long ago when we had met in Hyrule.
He was the one who had given me the Skull Mask back there in the Lost Woods. That was right after the other Skullkids had gotten mad at me and had left me alone in my own corner of the woods. I was often cast out. They didn't like me.
Then Link had come along, playing Saria's song on his ocarina. I had jumped up and grabbed my flute, playing in tune with him. It was the Skullkid song, as many called it, and I loved playing it.
He had readily handed over his mask. I had always wanted a mask. Perhaps that was why Majora had been able to manipulate me so easy.
After that meeting, he had vanished for seven years, allowing Ganondorf to take over the land. Those were times of evil, even the Woods had been overcome by monsters and that strange absence of any happiness that comes with dark reign.
I broke the Skull Mask then, realizing after a week that he was not coming back. I smashed it against a rock, splintering it beyond repair. Splintered it as he had splintered our friendship. I was once again entirely without friends. Back to being the lonely Skullkid.
That was when I discovered the worldgate. In a remote section of the woods I had never explored before. Or perhaps it was simply never there before, and was just one of those oddities of the woods. Realizing I had nothing to lose, I wandered through.
The other Skullkids had been particularly mean to me that day for reasons unknown. I am beginning to believe it is simply my thoughts that set me apart. I have always loved masks. I didn't like the way I looked normally, too plain, seeing as Skullkids only partially have a face. Black, black with two little eyes low down and a small mouth, with a beak-like nose in the center.
They thought I should be normal, and shunned me for all their worth.
So I didn't hesitate. I didn't honestly see the point in staying in a friendless world. And if I died, landing in the center of a war, then I died. Who still existed that would miss me?
It was raining in the land of Termina that day.
I ended up near an immense hollow log and half of a standing tree. For some reason, the rain really got to me. It seemed to scream with my loneliness, as if I had landed in a world where everyone had a friend.
I crawled into the log and hid my face, not even caring who or what saw me crying. I could tell by the air this world was much like Hyrule, and most likely had the same inhabitants, not that it mattered.
"I'm cold!" something suddenly cried.
"Shush Tael, you're always cold!" Another voice. A female this time.
I glanced up and squinted in the dark. It was two fairies. A small black one and a larger yellow one. The black one was shivering and the yellow one flounced around him, giving off a dim light.
"Sis, look!" Tael cried suddenly.
His sister, as I presumed, looked wildly around. "What?"
"A Skullkid!" he cried excitedly.
I winced. Not expecting them to say that.
"And he's crying!" the girl squealed.
"What's wrong?" they flew closer.
"I'm Tatl, this is my little brother Tael. Why are you crying?"
I have heard from Link that fairies are very persistent and will not let one alone, so I answered. "I don't have any friends, my only one ran away..." I sobbed, not even caring if they laughed.
"We can be your friends!" Tael cried happily.
His sister nodded and flew to my right shoulder. He followed and landed on my left.
Only ten minutes into a new world, and I had done what I had never been able to do in my years at another.
The weeks passed. The three of us became the best of friends and never did a thing without the other. We returned to the Lost Woods of Hyrule quite a bit, but never saw Link. It was as if he had never existed. I began to forget him after a while, realizing that Tatl and Tael were able to be with me all the time instead of a daily visit for a few minutes. I wasn't angry at Link, I knew he had a lot of work to do, but things just change.
Then The Mask came.
There was this man. He was simply called the Mask Man. He ran around the worlds selling masks as he wished. He always slightly annoyed me for some reason. Perhaps it was because he was in a good mood around the clock, and he smiled even when he was angry enough to kill.
He never liked me, nor any other non-human for that matter. As I didn't like him, I never felt guilty from tripping him up once in a while or stealing a cheap mask. After all I was a Skullkid, it was in my nature to be impish.
When I saw him for the first time in Termina, he was looking at this mask he held in his hand. I snuck up behind to him. It was a wonderful design. Shaped slightly like a heart with spikes along the edge. Two wide yellow eyes starred out from the middle, yellow with green pupils and a red edge. A wide variety of colors swirled within until you reached the bottom, where it became hard, gray, and metal.
What an interesting face I would have!
Without thinking, I hopped forward and snatched an ordinary mask from the back. Maskman turned and smiled at me. "Now, you wouldn't be wanting to steal my masks now, would you?"
I looked at the one in my hand. It wasn't even something I could understand. It was a blob, hideous compared to the one he held.
Perhaps I was already in possession of the mask, for I threw the mask in my hand as hard as I could at Maskman.
He crumpled to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
"He's not dead!" Tatl said immediately, flouncing over to his still form.
"Good." I said simply, not even caring if he was. I ran forward and rolled his over, snatching up the mask.
I am the Mask of Majora...I am all that is left of Majora. A bearer shall make me more. I can make you more. More than you could ever imagine. But first...
I almost dropped it. A talking mask? No, it couldn't be. And yet...it was vibrating from within, giving off monotone words. I could sense it's deep eyes boring into me.
What, is happiness?...How do you know when you are happy?
I shuddered and glanced over at the fairies, wondering if they could hear what I was hearing. They hovered around, but they obviously hadn't heard.
And what are friends? How do you know if you have any? Are your friends your real friends?
I winced. The voice was slowly rising, talking quicker. The mask that knew my weaknesses.
What is behind the mask? What is the true soul?
Fear was leaving me slowly, a strange sensation taking it's place.
Put me on, and you shall see. You shall see what is truly behind the mask....
I nodded slowly. Tatl and Tael looked confused by this, but I ignored them.
I put the mask on.
Heh heh....Now Skullkid, tell me...who is the mask now?
The answer was an ugly one.
I lost my memory for the most part after that. It is still coming back to me, though slowly. I am surprised it is returning at all, for it was no longer I who lived during that time.
The Mask took over, using me simply as a puppet. I could do nothing for myself.
The first thing it did was attack Link. That I remember.
We found Link in the woods, on Epona. He was moving slowly, his head down, Epona looked very bored...
I lunged forward and snapped the Ocarina from his hands. That was one good thing about the Mask. It gave me more physical power as well. I could jump farther, float longer, run faster, and steal quicker. I was nearly invincible.
Link looked horrified, taken aback. For a minute I thought he recognized me as I recognized him. I longed to return to him the Ocarina, but I no longer had control. I could no longer do as I wanted, and what I wanted to do was return the Ocarina to him and run off again.
I took Epona right after, knocking him clean off and jumping on her back. She reared and bolted, as horses do in fear.
After a time I confronted him. There was nothing else I could do. The words are still unclear. All I remember is that I turned him into a hapless Deku child and abandoned Tatl with him. She couldn't keep up.
I have learned that Evil has no friends, only slaves.
I learned what Majora wanted.
He wanted to bring the moon down, a catastrophe no one could survive. I was the one who called it down. I was the one who threw down all kinds of enemies to postpone Link from fouling The Mask's plans.
Link would be the hero. He was the one with the power to stop the mask. But he thought he was stopping me.
If only I had that power.
The part I remember most is when it all ended. Link confronted me at the tower, only minutes until the moon crashed down. He recognized me far before this, and I could tell he was wary of hurting me.
He called the giants instead. The four great giants, the guardians of the world.
I remember hearing them rise and shrieking in horror, the sound echoing throughout the land. It was the Mask. Majora was forcing me to scream like that, to cringe in horror and collapse to the ground, writhing in terror.
That was when I gained slight power. He was weakened by fear and I took over for a moment. I grabbed hold of the edge of the Mask and ripped at it. I could sense it tearing at my own face, refusing to give in.
No!! You can not! I have all of your energy...you shall die...
I ignored it. Tael and Tatl floated over towards Link, starring at me as he was, wide eyed in terror. The harder I struggled, the tighter the vice grip became. But how long could it last? I had hands, it had nothing. It had only willpower...
I gave one last vicious yank, using up the last of my strength. It was right, the mask was. It had taken all of my energy away, turning it into it's own using it and my useless body for it's own evil deeds.
For a split second, I saw dim light, not the filtered one the Mask allowed. But true light. Then the Mask howled and a strange sensation of pain rushed over.
Darkness.....and yet it was a blessed turn from evil.
I woke up later, lying flat out on the ground in the field. Link was standing over me and the two fairies hovered over.
I stood up quickly. Link still was at least a foot taller than me. I was an imp, I was forever short. Short and helpless. "I'm not dead?"
Link shook his head. "I had to carry you from the Tower, I thought you were dead."
Then I remembered it all. "Majora? What became of the Mask?"
"Dead." Link said slowly. "He dropped you to the ground half dead and began talking about how worthless you were. Then he possessed the moon, which began speaking of consuming everything."
"Did you fight?"
"I had to. Fight or let the world die. He had all of your energy, turned it into his own. He had enough power to become his true form."
"Sorry." I stuttered.
"You were innocent." Link smiled after a minute. "Just don't go putting any more masks on your face anymore."
I frowned. "But it was all my fault."
"It was not. He possessed you, would have possessed me if I got the Mask before you did."
I nodded after a moment.
"Not all Evil is truly evil. Some is innocent."
"It tricked me. It began speaking of true friends and happiness."
"Same for me. Asking me what true happiness was. And what friends were. And what the true soul was. His soul was evil, nothing beyond that. It was black, scarcely alive any longer.
"Evil slowly sucks all the power from it's form. All begin innocent except a few. He didn't, nor did Ganondorf. But the giants and you..."
"You were the fairy boy who sang the song." I said after a moment, wanting him to remember me perfectly. It was so odd, he was my oldest friend. And I thought he had left me. But he had only just saved my life.
Link laughed and nodded, his eyes darting longingly toward my own two fairies. I suddenly remembered how he had one. What was her name? Navi? A sudden sadness washed over me. Had she died? Why was Link all alone again?
I felt guilty. I had two fairies, he had none. Now it was he who was more alone than I was. No wonder Tatl had gotten along with him so well. She must have been happy to help someone such as he.
"Heh heh! We could be friends again!" I desperately wanted to change the atmosphere.
Link stopped abruptly. Maskman was coming.
"We must all part ways someday." He chortled.
Link frowned and looked at me, then at Maskman again, who bowed and turned away.
Tatl quivered as Link mounted Epona. He, too, turned away. "Goodbye..." he whispered.
He left me alone.
Again.
"He's returning to Hyrule." I said after a moment.
"I believe so." Tael whispered.
We were in the field by the woods, beside the large half tree that I had once carved a picture into. It was a picture of Tatl, Tael, and I. I had drawn it after we met. It was still there.
I looked back in the direction Link had departed in and carefully picked up a small rock from the ground. I advanced toward the tree, realizing Link was not going to come running back. He never did, he was too determined.
Ten minutes later, Tatl, Tael and I headed off toward the Lost Woods. Towards the place where we had first entered Termina. As far as I could tell, they were also from Hyrule.
Whether they were or not, they followed me happily enough.
The Lost Woods was the same as ever.
And yet, this time I had friends. I didn't have to sit on the log and play my flute with no one.
I realized that my log was still in perfect condition, and no other Skullkid had come to claim it. It was still mine. Mine and Tatl's and Tael's and Link's.
Two fairies. One for both?...it seemed Tatl liked him quite a bit. Perhaps almost as his dear Navi had...
I sat on top with the two fairies at my shoulders and waited for Link. I knew he would come.
Back in Termina field, on the tree, a new picture glowed.
The picture of the hero and the enemy.
Yet it was after the battle.
A Kokiri boy, two fairies, and a Skullkid were etched in white, all smiling and waving.