A man dressed entirely in green runs across Hyrule Field, occasionally looking back and tossing his Boomerang, destroying several of the monsters chasing him, but those that are destroyed are quickly replaced by more.
The man puts his Boomerang up. As he runs, he takes out a blue instrument and blows a few notes into it. The melody the instrument makes is the Sun's Song, and as he plays, a yellow light shines from the instrument.
The light reaches out into the sky, rotating the entire world with its magic.
The light fades as the song ends, and the man looks up. It is still night. The song didn't work.
The man frowns and returns the instrument to his pack. "That's eight songs that are useless now. Let's just hope that the Song of Time and Song of Healing still work."
He continues running, heading to the bridge to Kakariko Village. ''Most of them should die on the trail...I think I can deal with the rest myself.''
He fires another couple shots from his Boomerang and continues running.
''They have way more stamina than usual, and they're not getting bored yet. Ganondorf really outdid himself this time. Looks like he attracted every monster in Hyrule too.''
''Link, wait for us!'' a voice called from behind him, and a wave of water shot past him, carrying several monsters with it.
The man looks back and smiles, seeing six humanoid figures and an owl following close by on their own means of levitation, or simply horseback. ''Come on, I'm taking them to the trail.''
One of the people, a tall woman on a grey horse, shook her head. ''No. Our combined strength is enough to wipe them out. Don't needlessly destroy my village in the process.'' she said.
Link nodded and stopped, turning to face the seven, who were destroying the horde with their separate abilities. ''Alright, Impa. We'll take them on here.''
Link took out a mask from his pack and put it on. His body began to stretch, growing taller, and fins appeared on his arms, back, and head. His shirt melted into his body, which had turned a pale shade of blue, with dappled dark green spots on his shoulders.
A girl on a white horse came by. ''Link, use the Song of Healing! We'll amplify it and destroy all of them at once.''
Link nodded, taking out the Ocarina from his pack, which was now smaller, and playing the necessary notes.
The seven Sages made a semicircle around Link, and they all began to glow, floating into the air, combining their power with that of the Ocarina and transforming the Song of Healing into a powerful weapon.
The Song's power swept across the mob of monsters, vaporizing them instantly. It continued spreading, ensuring that no more were hidden, and then dissipated into the air, leaving the surrounding environment completely intact.
The Sages stopped glowing and floated back to the ground. Link stopped playing the Ocarina and put it up, then looked around.
''Well, looks like we won.'' he said, then smiled. The Sages smiled back.
''We sure did.'' Saria said. ''And there can't be any more monsters in all of Hyrule after that horde. Looks like it was two birds with one stone.''
''Yeah, and no sign of Ganondorf. Looks like we scared him off.'' Ruto said, looking at the horizon. ''Not even a single dark cloud.''
''That's where you're wrong, heroes.'' a deep, clearly evil voice said from behind the group. They all simultaneously whirled around, and saw a tall figure completely wrapped in a black cloak, sitting on a dark horse on the ledge above the bridge to the village.
''You may have beaten my hordes, but I promise you that my real army is much worse than those pests.'' Ganondorf said, laughing maniacally.
The Sages and Link took battle stance, Link taking out the Master Sword and his Boomerang.
Ganondorf laughed again, sounding even more insane than the last time. ''Cute. You still have the courage, but not the strength. I still possess the Triforce of Power, and I have something else as well.''
''What exactly is that?'' Impa asked. Ganondorf laughed again, and his voice went from very deep to very high-pitched, like a child had taken him over.
Ganondorf grabbed onto his cloak and pulled, ripping it off in one fluid motion, revealing the black armor that he always wore, which clearly showed his muscles, and his head, with his bright red hair.
Link gasped and backed up, dropping his mask, causing him to change back from his Zora form to his Hylian one.
Ganondorf had one key feature that was different from usual. Covering his face was a large, very recognizable mask.
''Hello!'' he said in the same very high-pitched, insane voice, which was now explained. ''Remember me Link?''
Ganondorf laughed with that insane cackle, watching the color drain from the faces of the beings below him. ''That's ri-i-ight! Do you want to finish our game? Your friends can join as well!''
The Sages looked at Link, who shrank back. ''What is he talking about? What game does he mean?'' King Darunia asked.
Link gulped, his face now as white as a Skulltula web. ''That mask contains an ancient, entirely insane being called Majora. Several years ago, while I was travelling in Termina looking for an old friend, it took control of a Skull Kid and cursed me, then took control over the entire moon, where I had to battle it. Its insanity is why it called the battle a 'game'. That mask caused some of my worst memories, things I'd rather have never remembered again.''
Ganondorf, or rather, Majora, remained still, listening to Link. When he finished, it nodded. ''Yep, and we have to finish the game! Watch! I have new moves!''
It raised Ganondorf's hand, and Link was picked up, while the Sages were paralyzed at the same time, incapable of doing anything but watching helplessly.
Link was pulled high into the air in the center of Hyrule Field, and Majora laughed again, then it and Ganondorf exploded, changing into a huge, immeasurable horde of unknown monsters, all of which had Keeselike wings and a miniature Majora's Mask.
The monsters all flew up to the floating Link, their numbers increasing rapidly.
The magic holding Link up tightened, causing him to yell in pain as all of his masks, Rupees, and weapons fell to the ground. He just barely managed to save the Ocarina, and held it tight as the monsters surrounded him.
He spoke, his voice very clear even above the cackling and wingbeats of the monsters.
''He's...He's too powerful...Them both working together, they're just too strong. Not even all of our full powers combined could make a dent in them...''
He struggled to raise the Ocarina to his mouth. ''There's no other choice...I have to end it before it begins...I have to play...the Fall of the Hero...''
He begins to play the Ocarina, and the spell paralyzing the Sages is broken, and they cringe, kneeling to the ground, hands over their ears.
The melody that Link is playing produces incredibly loud, shrill sounds like chalk on a blackboard. As he continues, it goes from the shrieking noises to deep, booming notes, and constantly switches sounds, all revealing pure hatred, anger, and pain, but also pure selflessness, compassion, and finally, the very incarnation of his courage.
Within the dark mass of monsters, a shifting light starts to shine, colors randomly changing as fast as the notes are.
The Sages all suddenly can see exactly what's happening, because they created the Ocarina of Time together. Link is in the center, completely free of the monsters, playing the song furiously.
The song gets louder, and the light expands, vaporizing some of the monsters. The song continues getting louder and the light stronger until it has stretched the monsters thin, and they are forced to reconverge into Ganondorf and the Mask.
''No! The game wasn't supposed to be like this! You were supposed to let me destroy you! Why did I want to play with you? You're cheating!'' Majora continues screeching his protest against Link, who ignores it, still playing the Fall of the Hero.
The Sages gasp. The Ocarina has begun to crack from the sheer power of the song.
Link begins the final bars, and the Ocarina cracks much more quickly, light coming out of the lines running along its surface.
As he nears the end of the song, his voice can be heard from all directions, though he never stops playing.
''The Hero of Time will return once again. A final war, a final chance, to win. The Hero's final host will determine the end. You will know the new Hero when you meet him. He will be able to wear the mask of isolation. Goodbye, my friends, and good luck to all of you.''
With that, Link let out the last six notes, and Majora's screeches, plus Ganondorf's angry shouts, raise in volume, until the light engulfs them.
The light rips Ganondorf's body apart, destroying all the evil he was, and Majora's Mask is flung away, split cleanly in half.
As Link plays the last note, the Ocarina shatters, and the light explodes inward, destroying the dust that is the Ocarina and vaporizing Link, who merely smiles sadly.
The light is shot back outwards in all directions, almost immediately fading out of existence, and glittering debris rains down on the Sages, who are speechless, trying to comprehend the conflicting truths.
Both Ganondorf and Majora's Mask have been defeated. Link is dead. The Ocarina of Time is no more.
Those thoughts ran through all of their minds.
Then suddenly, they were broken from their trance, and the full force of what had happened hit them like a tsunami hits a sand castle.
Impa crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and gave a halfhearted smirk. ''He knew the only way to win was to sacrifice himself, and he did just that.'' She lowered her head. ''Brave kid. Braver than anybody else I know.''
King Darunia stood still in shock, then shook his head. ''No. How could he have done that? He couldn't use that song, he never knew it...None of us did...He can't be gone...''
Saria and Zelda stood still, paralyzed by the force of what had happened. Nabooru disappeared, then reappeared in the center of the field, which bore marks from the explosion.
Rauru switched back into his Hylian form and sighed. "Many things can be done with strength, but without courage, you cannot win. Nobody can, not without all three parts...''
Ruto gritted her teeth and walked up to Rauru. "No. No more. That's what cause all of this. Remove the source, and you remove the problem. It has to happen, or he died for nothing.''
Rauru looked down, thinking over what she said. Darunia stomped the ground to force everybody's attention on him.
"No, that's not the way. The Triforce didn't cause it. It never did anything wrong. It was all Ganondorf, and that other being, Majora. It was their hunger for power, not our failure, that made this happen.''
Impa patted Zelda's back and walked forward, up to them. "No, Ruto's right. It's true that the Triforce didn't do this, and true that it is an invaluable weapon when wielded by someone who knows what's right, but there's too much risk. The Triforce has to go.''
Rauru took his turn to speak. "But the Triforce is our only connection to the Three Deities...If the Triforce is destroyed, we're all alone."
Zelda managed to snap back to attention and joined the conversation. ''Rauru, we know how attached you are to the Deities, but this is about more than just a simple connection." She touched a bracelet on her wrist, which had a Triforce symbol on it, the left bottom triangle glowing yellow. When she touched it, the yellow triangle faded to the same grey the other two were. The triangle reformed, full sized, in her hand. She held it out to Rauru, who looked at it sadly, then took it from her hand.
"The Triforce of Wisdom...But, the other two...Where are they?'' he asked, looking around. The piece of the Triforce glowed softly, and nobody answered for several seconds.
Nabooru shouted out to them, and they looked at her. She was standing at the spot directly under the place Link had played the song.
They went over to see what she had found, Zelda helping Saria walk. "What is it?'' Impa asked. Nabooru held up the remaining two Triforces, one in each hand.
"Both of them survived.'' she said, then handed them to Rauru.
He took them and connected them in the correct order, and they fused along their corners.
He sighed. "Alright, if it really has to be done...'' He looked up hopefully, but was only answered by Ruto's nod. He sighed again. "Then the Triforce will be destroyed...''
He raised the Triforce with both hands into the air, and it began to flash. The Triforce of Wisdom flashes pink. The Triforce of Courage glowed green. And the top piece, the Triforce of Power, shone crimson.
They flashed for a few seconds, and then slowly disintegrated in his hands, disappearing without a trace.
Rauru lowered his hands and sighed sadly. ''It is done. The Triforce is no more...''
The Sages collectively sighed, sensing the power in the object disappearing.
"And what about these?'' Saria asked, holding up the broken pieces of Majora's Mask.
"Toss them away. The being inside is gone, it's just a piece of wood now.'' Ruto said. Saria hesitated, then threw the pieces, which landed in the river and floated away.
The Sages all looked at Saria. ''Well, now that both the Ocarina and the Triforce is gone, it looks like you're the leader now.'' Zelda said. ''So, what are we to do next?''
None of the Sages challenged the leadership change. They all knew it had to happen. And Saria was Link's closest friend. If anybody should lead, it was her.
Saria looked down, then back up, her expression hardening. ''We rebuild. We fix everything that was broken, and drive progress forward.'' she said.
''We can't let our identities be revealed.'' Ruto pointed out. Saria looked at her.
''No. I'm through with hiding. It's time for the Sages to go out into the open. It's time for us to become truly active.''
The force lining her words shocked everybody, especially the chronically-childish Darunia. Nobody had ever heard Saria say something above a whisper, and now, here she was, their new leader, and already showing signs that it was a better decision that Zelda had expected.
Saria continued talking. "But first, we need more Sages. There's several beings that have the right qualities. We have to gain numbers, gain strength, so nobody can cause this to happen again. We have to prepare. You heard what Link said. It's not over. We have to be there when the final Hero of Time arrives." Her voice dropped back to her typical volume. "Link will be avenged.''
The others looked down, knowing she was right. They hadn't even been able to fully stop Ganondorf. If it hadn't been for Link, they'd have been doomed. In order to survive, the Sages had to adapt. Had to prepare.
So that when the time came, they would be ready.