A/N: Loyal readers, before we start, a small meta rant:

As a writer, allow me to ask you something: if you've read this fic, and you think I should listen to some harsh or even just normal criticism at all, please let me have it. I've spent the last few days morbidly-curiously reading a very bad work in here (which shall remain anonymous, to avoid brigading) which was kept relevant (and at the top, no less) mostly because of the echo chamber created in the reviews, where you could just tell that there was a little clique of people doing happy dances around each other while boosting the author, all too happy to dedicate 10-12 paragraphs each chapter for chitchatting with reviewers. The select few that offered constructive criticism were attacked in some way or another, accused of being "haters" or whatever.

That's why I ask you: if you have something to say, please don't leave me to me own devices like that, and just lay it on me. I want my work to be better and I don't want any sort of brown-nosing or whatever. I accept compliments and critics alike, as they help me be better than I was yesterday, and I'm always focused on leaving something fulfilling to me and you on this site instead of something artificial that's just "pleasant" to a few who like it for who wrote it instead of what it is.

That is all. Thank you, as always, for sticking around. Back to our Abridginations.

Disclaimer: My stories are the best, fuck all of you

Chapter 21: Smell Ya Later

Day 1, Morning, Clock Town - South

The same familiar scenery presented itself to our heroes once more. Day One Clock Town was as bustling as ever, its citizens carrying on with their lives without ever looking up to the sky.

"Same old denial," Link said, breaking the silence.

Tatl's retort was calm. "You shouldn't be judging so much, not everyone's obligated to be a Hero of Time."

Well, neither was I... "Anyway, I wanna talk to Mask Creep before we do whatever we're supposed to do."

"What for?"

"Oh, right, you weren't there. Well, long story short, I'm pretty sure that the Deku I turn into with this mask," Link proceeded to put the mask on, "Is actually that butler's son, whose corpse we've already found."

"C-Corpse?!"

"Yeah. Remember? You made fun of it, told me it had a silly face or something. Anyway, since that salesman made the mask, he probably knows something."

"Um... c-can we go now?"

"Sure," Link said, taking the mask off.

Day 1, Morning, Clock Tower - Machine Room

"So... have you found my item?" The salesman said, not even greeting our heroes, but still wearing the same old large grin.

"Can't you just say 'hi' first?" Tatl said.

"Actually, creep-"

"Hmmm?" The salesman interrupted Link, raising his eyebrows.

"Gah! Um, mister... er..."

"If you put your foot any further in it, it'll turn into a new shoe," the salesman retorted, and Link composed himself.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"This mask. I met someone who recognized the Deku I turned into."

"Hmmmmm, did you now?"

"Also, I saw a Deku corpse on my way here from Hyrule. What's up with that?"

"Allow me to explain." The older man paused for a moment, considering his words, and then started. "The Song of Healing I just taught you is a magical melody. It concentrates the sorrows of the dead, and inserts them into tangible vessels - namely, these masks."

"Just like that dancer- pppffftthhh..." Tatl made a valid observation, but couldn't help laughing at the memory.

"Hey, wise girl, how about I put that mask on you?!" Link answered, angry.

"Come at me bro!"

"CAN I CONTINUE?!" Yet again, another unexpected mood swing from the salesman shut the bickering friends' mouths. He returned his expression to normal without effort, and continued. "So, it seems that the Deku Mask wasn't the only one you gathered with the Song of Healing. Yes, should you find yourself faced with ethereal anguish, playing the Song of Healing gives you the ability to take on that person's legacy and inherit it to your own."

So, kinda like identity theft. "And...?"

"The Skull Kid must have similar abilities. I suspect he, himself, is the one who killed that Deku, probably because he planned on turning you into one beforehand."

"He DID have a head start on me when he stole my horse..."

"He probably turned that Deku's anguish on you, making you assume the form, but without a vessel to switch out from it at will. Playing the Song of Healing fixed the process so that this part wasn't skipped."

"So, what you're saying is I'm wearing a dead guy's soul."

"Don't be so apocalyptic, now."

Don't be so nonchalant about being Leatherface, now.

"At any rate," the salesman said, switching the subject, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

"Nah, we're good," Tatl replied.

"So... about my mask?"

"Oh, uh..." Shit... he doesn't know we went back in time...

"Huh? Speak up man, I can't quite hear you..."

"Your, um, mask..."

"... yEsSs? WhAt AbOuT iT...?!" The fixed smile on the salesman's face started to twitch madly, and Link and Tatl already knew what was coming.

"It's... behind you!"

"H-Huh?!"

"NOW!" Link and Tatl made a dash for it, hearing the anguished screams of the wretched vendor echoing within the tower as they winked at each other.

Day 1, Morning, Clock Town - East

Our heroes' mad sprint for glory left them in front of the Stock Pot Inn, where they stood, pensive.

"Well..." Tatl mused, looking upon their trusty old map, "Next stop should be the mountains, according to what Tael said."

"How do you know it's exactly supposed to be in that order? Are you on GameFAQs?"

"First of all, lame namedrop."

Says you! Mad props to all the guys doing walkthroughs on GameFAQs!

"Second, it's the only one we've been to besides the swamp. You remember, right? How you passed through the canyon area of Termina Field and ended up in the snow area? Rolling forward, white as a sh-"

"ALRIIIIIIGHT, please, let's just go!"

"What's the rush, Link? We should get some information first. You know what lies ahead?"

"Nah. What?"

"I can't say for sure, since I've mostly been around the swamp area, but I hear Gorons live up in the mountain."

"Oh..."

"... You don't seem too thrilled."

"Ah, no, it's just, um..."

"Just...?"

"... Their leader was a bit too much to handle back in Hyrule."

"What, was he mean to you?"

"No, he loved me like a brother."

"So what's th-"

"He showed that by slapping me around."

"Oh. Oh, uhhh, let's... go inside! How's that sound?"

"Yeah, sure." Awkward...

Day 1, Afternoon, Stock Pot Inn

Already inside, Link and Tatl barely managed two steps without stumbling upon a familiar sight. Red hat, red backpack, white clothes... there he was, Mr. Postman himself, delivering a letter to Anju at the front desk."

"Is that...?" Anju asked.

"YAH" came the reply.

"Um, excuse m-"

"YAH"

"I don't understand y-"

"YAH" said the mailman, turning around and slowly jogging towards the door.

"... You get a lot of that around here?" Tatl said to Anju, now approaching the front desk.

"Only all the time. All he does is 'YAH' this and 'YAH' that, it's a wonder how this nutcase manages to keep his job. I hear he's intensely punctual and never misses a delivery, so I guess..."

Why is it that every time we decide we want information, we stumble upon this mailman and learn absolutely nothing?

"So, um, you got any rooms?" Tatl asked.

"I'm sorry, we're all booked up."

She's... surprisingly well-behaved today.

"Oh well, let's go, Link."

"Wait!" Anju interrupted, "Your name is Link?"

"Yeah," Link replied, "Why do you... oh shit!"

"For fuck's sake... wait here, please." Anju said, retreating to the back hallway, and started running towards the stairs.

No no no no! She's going to kick the Goron out again unless I do something!

"Why am I hearing Looney Tunes chase music in my head?!" Tatl asked herself while Link sprinted towards the stairs, trying to reach Anju before she reached the Knife Chamber.

"Hey, stop!" Link yelled, startling Anju, who was wearing a scowl full of disdain for what she figured was a scammer among her customers.

"What? You?" Anju asked, confused.

"I, uhhh, think there's a misunderstanding here."

"A... misunderstanding?"

"Uh huh," Link said, holding back his nervousness, "I think you're mixing me up with another Link, because I never made a reservation."

"You mean there's two people named Link on my building? The hell's going on with you people?!"

"I, uh, it's quite the coinkidink, right?!" Damn it Link, why can't you act?!

"... Look, I don't like the sound of this. I'll talk to the manager. You stay right the hell here."

"M-Manager?! Isn't that her mother?" Tatl said, then turned to her friend and saw him going into another room. "Hey! Where are you going?! Wait!"

Day 1, Afternoon, Guest Room

Link entered the room with the musician and the dancers, sat on one of the beds, and said, "If I'm gonna wait, might as well wait sitting down, right?"

"Wait for what? Do you really want Temper and Temper Jr. to chew you out for what I'm pretty sure they think is you and me being a pair of scammers?"

"C'mon, I'm sure she's just confused that there's two guys named Link. Believe me, I found it hard to buy it the first time too..."

"Hey, you said you had Goron friends back home, didn't you?"

Oh yeah, sure, major friends. "Uh huh."

"What if this 'Link' fella is someone named after you, coming from Hyrule as well?"

"Tatl, come on, there's no wa-aa-a..."

"... Link? Liiink? Hey, I was joking, c'mon!"

... No, Link, shake if off, it can't be him. You're in Termina. Alternate dimensions. No one here is from Hyrule besides you, the creep, Tatl, her brother and the Skull Kid.

"Anyway," Link changed the subject, "I wonder what this mask does? The pig one that the butler gave me?"

"What, he didn't tell you?"

"He called it the 'Mask of Scents' and told me that his son wore it when searching for food, but that's all. Lemme put it o-oooooOOOINC!"

"Link?!"

"OOOOOINK!" Link was now in complete possession, growling like a pig, hunched over, smelling everything nearby. Much like with Kamaro's Mask, the Mask of Scents overcame him completely.

"Oh man, not again! Hahahahahahaha! Dammit Link, I don't know if I should stop you... or stop laughing!" Tatl said as she watched every guest in the room scream and cower following the mad pig's attack.

"O-OINK!" Link could only answer that, while his nostrils searched every nook and cranny of the room for delicious smells.

"Link, where are you- LINK?!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOINK!" Link bellowed as his fine-tuned nose finally smelled something. His body moved on its own, quickly going towards one of the beds, more specifically one of the dancer's beds. There, Link smelled something that the naked eye couldn't see, but his nose could smell... and his brain quickly recognized. It was a Blue Mushroom, of all things - something he was looking for during this entire trip. Blue Mushrooms could be used to make Blue Potions, which replenished your health - or so they claim, because it's more like an alcoholic beverage way out of Link's league.

However, the problem here was far greater than a minor wanting to drink alcohol; for you see, when Link found the mushroom...

"Link! What are you doing smelling the-"

"-why are you smelling my PANTIES?!" One of the dancers yelled, cutting off Tatl and shoving Mad Pig Link a good distance away. Link hit his head, the mask fell off, and he fell unconscious.

"What is wrong with your boyfriend there?!" The angry dancer now stared daggers at Tatl, shifting her anger onto the fairy.

"Look, lady, I get that your privacy is sacred, but he's possessed-"

"Oh, sure! 'Possessed'! Every single guy I meet says that! Every single time they pull the same shit, and then they send me a message the next day - 'Look, babe, I'm sorry, something came over me, I'm a nice guy, really' - where does it end with you?!"

"Hey..." Link woke up, groggy, and said, "... where did this mushroom come from..."

"You son of a-" the dancer interjected, red in the face. "I have a fungal infection!"

"Link, MOVE!" Tatl said, dashing towards Link and turning Super Fairy to sprint out of the building carrying him.

Day 1, Afternoon, Clock Town - East

"... So, you remember?" Tatl asked Link.

"Yeah, I... just couldn't take off the mask, but I could see it all..."

"Oh boy..."

"Tatl, I'm going to Kotake's and I am going to get hammered to forget this. You go ahead and gather information yourself."

"Link, you shouldn't be drinking-"

"Gah, just fucking let me bleach my brain here, jeez! I smelled a girl's panties today! AND THEY HAD FUNGUS! I don't wanna be sober for the next three hours, or so help me-"

"Okay... but take care of yourself."

"I'll be back in a couple."

Tatl left the boy to his woes, trusting his survival skills and weapon mastery to protect himself. Now alone, Tatl decided to do a little bit of investigating in her own way.

Not having Link around sucks because he does all the heavy lifting and fighting, but at least I can do things a little more quickly now that I don't have to walk him through everything.

Day 1, Afternoon, Mayor's Residence

Tatl's wandering through the east sector of Clock Town brought her into the Town Hall. There she sat, waiting for a gruff man with frilly clothing to finish his business with the secretary, so that she could ask some questions about the town.

This whole denial thing worries me to hell and back. It's inconceivable that no one's doing any actual effort to evacuate people, or engaging scientists on finding some sort of way to deflect the moon, or... I dunno, ANYTHING at all to keep that from happening. If even the mayor is in denial, then I guess we should wash our hands of this place before long-

Our fairy fatale's musings were interrupted by a voice. "Next!", the secretary said. "Ooh, a fairy! I love your color! May I help you?"

"Thanks! I'd like to speak to the mayor..."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, no?"

"You have to schedule a meeting if you want to speak to Mayor Dotour. As you can imagine, his time is very limited, especially for individual meetings with the public, but I guess I can squeeze you in... next Thursday?"

Lady, there's no Thursday to look forward to! "Uh, that's a bit far, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess, but he's busy for the entire week."

"Can you tell me why?"

"Um, I don't think I should be leaking the mayor's activities like that... but I can tell you it's important, because he's been with Mutoh and Viscen in there for quite some time."

"Who?" Tatl asked, unsure of who the two gentlemen were.

"Mutoh, the head of the carpenters, and Captain Viscen of the Defense Unit." the secretary answered, indicating that she wasn't willing to divulge any more than that.

"I see... oh," Tatl said, noticing that the office had two doors opposite to each other, "What's behind the doors there?"

"Oh, the left one is where the mayor is talking with them. It's his office, so you can't enter without an appointment," the secretary said, then pointed to the door to the right. "That one leads to the lounge, and to the Mayor's chambers. Madame Aroma is probably there, if you want to try your luck with her..."

"I'm guessing Madame Aroma is the mayor's wife or something?"

"Yes... are you new here?"

If only you knew. "Um, yes. I think I'm going to the lounge, then..."

"Suit yourself. The lounge is free to the public," she answered matter-of-factly, then looked down at her notebook, promptly hinting at Tatl that she had to get back to it.

Tatl entered the lounge, instantly feeling at least thirty times smaller than she was. This first room might not be physically big, but it had so much grandeur and luxury to it that it felt separate from the rickety old town it was situated in. On one of the various couches sat a very small creature, wearing a blue open vest with no shirt, an even-smaller tophat and the ugliest moustache-goatee combo ever seen. Said creature was fish-like, and had a walking cane near it. On another couch, completing an L-shape along the walls, sat a very motherly woman wearing a fancy yellow dress, covered in jewelry, and with her red hair in a weird bridge-like topknot.

She reminds me a bit of the Great Fairy in a way. They even have a mole just under the corner of their mouths, and that hairdo... hmmmm...

As Tatl approached the small fellow and the woman, who, she assumed, must've been Madame Aroma, she caught a bit of their conversation:

"... and I must say we can't perform at the Carnival of Time," he said, looking sadly to the ground, and then met the woman's gaze. "It's a shame, truly, but it simply isn't feasible for us."

Carnival of... Time... Tatl thought.

"Dear me... that is quite the pickle, shall we say, isn't it, Tutu?" the woman answered.

"Toto," the creature corrected, but wasn't listened to.

"I find it most displeasing not to have THE Indigo-Go's traditional Carnival of Time performance this time around, not to mention disheartening..." she said, looking up and down, "But I suppose it really can't be helped if your vocalist is in trouble. I shall let Dotour know as soon as possible..."

"My lady, I am truly sorry. It is not my wish to cause any disturbances, but things... happen, and have been happening for some time now. The oceans really could use some backing from Clock Town whenever you're willing to..."

Hey... something smells here, and it sure ain't fish!

"... Hush, Tutu."

"Toto."

"We have company..." she said, looking at Tatl.

"H-Huh?! Oh, uh, hi!" Tatl said, a bit flustered to be caught distracted in the middle of the room like that.

"And who are you, beautiful fairy? I must say, I love your choice of hue!"

Why is everyone brown-nosing me lately? Especially people in higher positions? "My name is Tatl. I'm sorry to interrupt, I didn't realize you were already talking to someone..."

"Please, do not concern yourself," the creature said in a serene tone, "I was about to excuse myself, so it's no problem at all."

You were- do you think I'm deaf or stupid?

"I must be headed back to the oceans now. It's not easy being manager of the Indigo-go's, I tell you! Would you help me down, please?"

"Oh, sure, wait..." Tatl said, helping the small man jump down from the sofa to the ground, and getting his cane.

"These legs of mine aren't what they used to be... they say Zoras are slow on ground, but even this is a bit too much!" the creature said light-heartedly, chuckling.

Oh, he's a Zora... I should've known, Tatl thought to herself after realization struck her. The Zoras, a kind that was also present in Hyrule, were essentially fish-people. While some were warriors, and other pacifists, all Zoras shared common traits: they all had blue skin, lived and breathed underwater, could glide through the seas as if they were flying, and had one member amongst them who took ages to move. Zoras came in all sorts of sizes, genders and personalities, but their love for the sea made them a race close to all things beautiful and serene, be it in nature or art.

"If anything changes, do call me, Tutu-"

"Toto."

"-and I'll change it up on the spot, all right? You and your troupe are still our priority pick," the woman said.

"Thank you, Madame Aroma," Toto the Zora said, confirming the woman's identity, "I shall be in touch, and do update me if you have that talk with your husband."

"No promises, Tutu..."

"Toto."

"... but yes, I shall."

Excusing himself, Toto left the room to Tatl and Madame Aroma as the fairy started to put her ducks in a row before talking to the First Lady of Clock Town.

Okay, so... things to talk about... one, the population in denial of the moon threat; two, what the Mayor and those two guys are talking about; three, what did the Zora meant by trouble at the ocean; and four, the Carnival of Time issue. Yeah, that's about it, I guess... Now to pick a topic. Why does it feel like I'm in some sort of graphic novel game? Anyway, I think I'll start from the beginning...

Tatl sighed.

I really should've let Link know about the Carnival of Time sooner... and the full story, too. I guess I was just scared of losing the Skull Kid in that battle on top of the tower... it sucks, but even now, a part of me still believes that I can save him without beating the living shit outta him. Even though I have these powers now... and speaking of them... do I even have what it takes to manage this...? This newfound, enormous strength of mine... can I master it?

Oh, what the hell am I doing?! Focus, Tatl! It's go time!

A/N: I feel like, since Tatl is getting more protagonist spotlight since her transformation on Season 1, we've been in need of a few moments alone with her, to understand her mind a bit more and not just Link snarking at everything around him. Don't worry, though, Kotake's place has a limit on Blue Potion consumption and Link will be back sooner than you realize! Alright, see y'all next chapter, mad lads. Peace!