Dawn of the Final Day – 24 Hours Remain
The first thing Link noticed when stepping out of the cave was that the rain had stopped. This allowed the grass to shine in the morning light with the remaining moistness left by the precipitation. The second thing Link noticed was that both Jim and the odd man with the balloon were gone. With that, the only person left in North Clock Town was the guard, who was looking up at the sky with an uneasy frown on his face. That was what directed Link to the third thing. Even though he knew it was coming, Link felt his stomach clench when he followed the guard's gaze and saw the Moon was bigger and closer than ever.
"Come on, let's keep going. It's in South Clown Town!" Tatl called, leading Link onward.
Still feeling uneasy from the Moon, Link followed Tatl and soon they were in the main square of South Clock Town. The Deku felt a bit disturbed to see how barren this part of town was. Even this early in the morning, at least two days ago, there were a couple of people bustling about. Today, the only two people Link saw was the guard and Mutoh, standing before a small tower where that platform had been. Aside from them, a single dog also scampered about the area, unaware of the danger it was in. The carpenter boss seemed absolutely fuming about something, arms crossed with his glare fixated on the Moon.
"What's wrong? No one being here? They just evacuated, didn't they?" Link was calmed at the idea of people escaping, but even then the emptiness of the town felt…wrong to him.
"No, not that, you idiot!" Tatl scolded. "The tower is incomplete!" She pointed towards the structure Mutoh was standing in front of. "Normally, the tower has a bridge attached it leading towards the Clock Tower, allowing people to get to the top, but the carpenters are all gone now!"
If Link had flesh, his face would've gone white at that. "So…There's no way up there?" He looked up at the Clock Tower, for the first time actually noticing the small platform underneath the massive clock and the wooden door leading further into it. There were no stairs or ramp to get up there, just sheer tower wall.
"Unless you sprout wings like me there sure isn't!" Tatl replied, sounding both frustrated and defeated. "I just don't know what to do now!"
Wracking his brain, Link looked about South Clock Town, trying to think of some sort of solution. "There has to be something we can use. Some sort of spare ladder tall enough to get up there."
"I…I guess we might as well try. What else can we do?"
So, the two began a search. All around South Clock Town, the two looked for something, anything, that could be used to reach that platform that almost taunted the duo. Not wanting to give up, the two spend four hours exhausting all possible options, to no avail.
It was as the two were starting to give up hope, that Link saw something up in the sky. "Is that a Deku?" He asked, placing the Moon's Tear on the ground and pointing upward. Above the two, flying by odd leafy propellers out of some strange orange hat, was the fattest Deku that Link had ever seen. Rotund and shaped like a cartoonish depiction of a tear, the wooden creature flew by and closer to the Clock Tower.
"Follow him! Maybe we can…I don't know, borrow whatever is making him fly!" Tatl yelled.
Picking up his blue stone, Link followed Tatl's order and followed the airborne Deku. To Link's surprise, he floated down towards a golden flower similar to the one the cursed boy had used to fly in that underground area. Goddesses, that seemed like weeks ago. The flower was tucked by a wall that was a pale white, the plant nearly blending in with it. It was no wonder Link had never noticed it before, it was practically invisible unless he was looking right at it despite it being mere yards away from the Clock Tower's ground entrance. Somehow, the large Deku managed to burrow his way into the flower, disappearing entirely.
Approaching the large plant, Link called out. "Sir? Hello? Can you hear me?"
As quickly as he went in, the Deku Scrub popped out of his flower. "Yes? Yes, hello?" His orange eyes honed in on Link. A wooden hand reached up and stroked what seemed to pass for a mustache for this Deku, two leaves on either side of his mouth.
"Hey, that flower can make those floating flower things appear, right?" Tatl asked urgently.
Gazing over at the fairy, seeming to just notice her, the Deku nodded. Of course, nodding meant tilting his entire body as he had no neck. "Why yes, that's correct my fairy friend." His voice was kind, almost jovial. "Why do you want to know?"
"We need to borrow it." Link cut in. He nodded up towards the Clock Town's platform. "It's important that we get up there."
The Deku made a tsking noise, Link wondering how it was possible for Dekus to generate such a sound. "I'm afraid not. I own this land here, flower included. I can't simply let a stranger into it, you see. Why are you here all alone anyway, young one? Where are your parents?"
Link nearly bristled at the question and chose to ignore it. "Please, sir, it will only take a moment. Just one launch and I'll never need it again."
"I'm afraid not, young one." The Deku replied. "I bought this land myself, you know, so only I can use it."
"Giants abound, are you serious?!" Tatl yelled out, her light going red. "We need this thing for literally ten seconds! This is an emergency, so just let the brat use it once!" She screamed as loud as her miniscule lungs would allow.
The stubborn Deku raised his hands. "Ms. Fairy, please calm yourself. While this land is mine and mine alone…I would be willing to trade." His orange eyes narrowed on the Moon's Tear that Link held in his hands. "Such as for that valuable stone there. Give it to me, and this land is yours, including the flower."
That was it? Granted, Link wanted to keep it to give as a gift, but this was more important! "It's a deal. This Moon's Tear for the flower."
"Hahaha!" The large Deku belted out, rubbing his hands together greedily. "It's a deal! Just a moment!" Burrowing into the flower, the Deku emerged mere moments later, holding an important looking paper in his hands. On it was a lot of writing which, of course, Link couldn't comprehend. "This is the deed to this land. Here, take it!"
And so, the trade was made. Taking the paper, Link gave away the large and valuable blue stone. "Right, so we can use the flower now?" Tatl asked impatiently.
"Of course! Use it however you wish!" The large Deku said, burrowing down into the flower once more. When he came out, he had some parcels and a large bag tucked under his arms. "Glad we could make this arrangement! See you around!" With that, the orange hat-like cone on the creature's head sprouted those propellers once more and the Deku took off to the air. Hovering slowly, he made his way off to the South, and eventually out of sight.
Letting out a large sigh of relief, Tatl floated above the flower in a circle. "Great! All the pieces are in place! Go on, give yourself a launch!"
Not knowing what else to do with the deed, Link simply tossed the object over his shoulder. With that, he burrowed down into the flower and groped about in the familiar darkness within. Soon enough, the Deku was launched high up in the air, higher than the last time he did this, and used the large flowers in his hands to hover onto the Clock Tower's platform. With that, he was right where he needed to be for tonight.
"Now we'll just wait here." Link remarked, sitting down on the platform and resting his tired legs. All that running around from earlier, with the Moon's Tear in tow, wore him out.
"Yeah, guess we have nothing else to do." Tatl commented, floating up to the platform and sitting next to Link. "We just have to wait for the Carnival of Time to begin."
Looking down at Tatl, Link found his curiosity reaching its peak. "What is the Carnival of Time?" Might as well make some conversation as time ticked on by.
"Oh. Yeah. Guess you wouldn't know." Tatl replied flatly. "Basically, it's this yearly thing with a big party and a bunch of masks. People climb up to the tower and pray for a good harvest from the Four Giants. That's it really."
Four Giants? Link recalled Tatl referring to Giants in a way he would use the names of the Golden Goddesses when upset. "So, they're the gods of Termina?"
"Why would they be prayed to if they weren't gods? Think before you speak." The fairy replied with a nasty edge to her voice.
"…Right." Was all the cursed boy could think to utter in response.
It was almost amazing to Link how awful the fairy really was. He would have expected that, at some point, she'd stop treating him like garbage. After all, while Link had his own goals in mind, he was also helping her reunite with her brother and friend. Apparently that wasn't worth any kind of warmness, or even an apology for getting him into this mess in the first place. She didn't even seem to regret in playing a hand with getting his horse stolen and probably killed. That much would have satisfied him. Honestly, he was surprised she didn't just fly up and rejoin her companions now that she knew where they were. He had to guess that maybe she was afraid to face the Skull Kid on her own. After all, he nearly killed a Great Fairy and was probably behind the Moon's descent on the town. He didn't bother to ask, knowing full well she'd just get mad.
The hours ticked on by, neither of the two saying a word. Link watched the few people still in this part of Clock Town going in and out of their homes, a number of them going out of the town's gate. Mutoh stayed right where he was the entire time, sometimes yelling at the Moon, demanding that it fall already if it wanted to so badly. As time passed, the tremors of the earth got more and more frequent, though strangely they didn't seem to have any large impact on the various buildings of Clock Town. Was it the Moon causing them? Link wouldn't know any science behind proving or disproving this. All he knew was the closer the Moon got; the more tremors seemed to occur.
He thought about the citizens of Clock Town, and how much disgust he had towards them. It wasn't a fair emotion, and he realized that, but he couldn't help himself. They saw the Moon descending upon them, the issue quite literally staring at them in the face. Yet only now did they decide to take it seriously and evacuate to this extent. Even then, some were too stubborn and foolish to leave, living in denial.
This level of denial was what Link found so annoying. Danger was looming over them, but they just kept ignoring it like that would somehow make it go away. What were they thinking?! This especially went out to those with children who had to rely on their parents. Maybe it was all the stress, but Link almost found himself hating the citizens of Clock Town, even though he knew that wasn't fair…
Of course, Link himself tried to deny the situation, or at least ignore it. He saw the Moon just like the rest of the citizens, but he still went about doing his best to get to where he was now, just ignoring the Moon. But, at the very least, he instantly realized it had been a problem. It was just that he couldn't actually do anything about it.
As the sun got close to setting, Tatl broke the silence. "So, you're from Hyrule, right Deku Boy?"
Link was less surprised at the sudden noise than the fact Tatl almost pleasantly asked him about himself. "I am."
"So, you know how those Lost Woods are dangerous, right? That's what the fairies and Skull Kids there told me."
"That's right. Hylians avoid it."
The fairy looked up at her companion. "Then why were you there? Are you really just so stupid you'd go around somewhere like that?"
Of course. Link should have known the pleasant conversation couldn't last long. "…" He chose not to answer. Really, it was none of her business.
"Hey, come on, I asked you a question! Don't be a brat!"
A pause. "It's not worth discussing."
The fairy scoffed, rolling her eyes even though Link couldn't see it. "Fine. Whatever you say, Deku Boy."
With those words, the sun set over the horizon and the earth shook once again.
Night of the Final Day – 12 Hours Remain
Link gazed up at the stars above as they started to seemingly blink into existence. It was a sight he remembered being fascinated by when he left the woods those two years ago. The sky wasn't viewable within the Lost Woods, a mysterious haze covering it up. Link didn't even fully see the sun until he set foot in Hyrule Field. It was a sight that he never got tired of, one that filled him with a sense of awe every time. A part of him wondered if this would be the last time he'd see the stars. Yes, he and Tatl could reach the Skull Kid, but what then? Link had no real way of fighting him, and he knew he'd never be able to talk sense into the imp. If Tatl wasn't able to talk the masked troublemaker down…then there was no hope left.
As a beam of light swept across the sky, Link realized the Clock Tower acted as a lighthouse. Looking up, he saw the top of the building circling about, the light beam extending out into the distance. Link had never seen a real lighthouse, only in pictures. That was a pastime of his in Hyrule Castle; he would look at pictures in books and Zelda would explain what he was looking at.
Would that be something he'd be able to do again? Just sit within the castle's library and look at the unusual pictures within the many tomes available? He knew his life would certainly never be normal, or rather his new normal, again. Epona's death meant Malon would probably hate him, and Link couldn't blame her for it. He deserved her hatred and would accept it, no matter how much it was going to hurt. Losing one of his dearest friends, someone he felt that he loved, was just so horrid to think about.
Not that it would have been the first time…
The Deku knew he should be resting for the confrontation ahead, but even as he closed his eyes, he couldn't get to sleep. There was simply too much on his mind for his exhausted body to rest. Another thing that kept bouncing around in his wooden skull was these strange copies of people he saw about. Some he could explain away, but there were the cases of the professor, the guards, and the Ingo lookalike he simply couldn't make excuses for that made sense. Just what was going on? He kept trying to think of any kind of explanation that made sense, and only one came to him, but he still felt it was too unusual to be reality.
Link recalled how Saria would tell him stories as he grew up. Some of them were Kokiri legends, some were from the books found on dead travelers in the Lost Woods, while some she made up just for him. He remembered several different myths and legends from books that involved adventurers finding pathways to entirely different worlds within forests. Could…this be such a situation? Was Link in some kind of a mirror world? It sounded implausible, but at the moment it was the only explanation that made any kind of sense.
Why else would there be copies of people he knew around the town? And, of course, Link got here by falling into a massive tree that somehow connected to the Clock Tower. It wouldn't be the first time a myth or legend turned out to be true, after all. The Deku recalled finding the Lens of Truth, an object that those of Kakariko Village considered part of a spooky story and nothing more. If that myth could be true, why not the one about trees leading to other worlds?
Perhaps, one day, Link would come back and explore Termina. For now, though, he simply wanted to return home. Normally Link was very curious, one of the few childlike qualities he had left. Yet here, he just didn't care about finding out what the rest of Termina was like. Heck, he didn't even have any itch to explore Clock Town. For the time being, getting home was all he wanted and perhaps he'd make a return trip and see all that lied beyond the Clock Town walls. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to find Navi and bring her with him.
Perhaps Navi was in this world and that was why the other fairies of the Lost Woods had no idea of her whereabouts. But…then again…Navi probably couldn't have gotten passed that closed door that separated Tatl from her own companions. It was a desperate thought and he knew it, but there could perhaps be a chance…
As these thoughts went through his mind, despite his earlier troubles, Link was finally able to fall asleep as exhaustion took him…
"Hey! It's almost time! Wake up, brat!" Tatl's voice jerked Link out of his sleep once more. He cracked open his orange eyes to see the fairy hovering in front of him. "Just another few minutes and the doors will open."
The Deku stood up, stretching his muscles or whatever the Deku equivalent was, as he looked down at the town below. Just as before, the main square was empty save for Mutoh, the dog, and the lone guard. He then looked back to Tatl. "Are you ready? You only have one shot at this."
"What? What do you mean?" Tatl asked sincerely.
"To talk the Skull Kid into stepping down. That's the plan, you'll try and get him to stop all this." Did Tatl already forget how she said she'd talk sense into him?
"Oh…Right." Tatl responded, sounding nervous. "I'll try my best. After all he's done…I just hope he'll listen. Even this Moon situation is probably his doing, as hard it is to believe."
"I wish there was more I could do." Link truly meant it, feeling completely useless. "If you can't convince him to stop, I don't know how I could. All I have left are bubbles."
Tatl had no answer for that, seeming too nervous to keep the conversation going.
Before long, an unseen bell within the Clock Tower chimed, forcing the duo to cover their ears. As this happened, fireworks from unseen sources exploded in the air, a dazzling show of lights and sound piercing through the heavens. Finally, to Link's amazement, the Clock Tower started to change. The massive clock and the spinning top of it lifted up high enough where it almost touched the Moon. Just before that happened, the top of the tower swung down towards the North, transforming the giant clockface into a platform. A building changing in such a way was simply something Link never thought possible! The final event to occur was the wooden door on the Clock Tower's platform opening downward, revealing another door. Then that door fell, and a multitude of others that formed a staircase leading upwards. Once the final door slammed down, and the last firework went off, a deafening silence filled the town.
Keeping the silence going, the two ascended the staircase and towards their final confrontation.
The clockface-turned-platform seemed so much bigger when Link was standing on it. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was the Skull Kid, floating in midair with his back turned away from the duo. As if suddenly noticing their presence, the imp turned about, floating as if lounging on a couch. He stared down at the two as he tossed the Ocarina of Time up into the air and catching it in his palm repeatedly. The cursed boy felt a righteous fury spreading through his body as he laid eyes on the Skull Kid, especially with how he kept using the Ocarina like a toy!
Before Link or Tatl could say anything, Tael appeared from behind the Skull Kid. "Sis! You're here!"
"Tael!" Tatl called back, floating upwards a bit. "We've been looking all over for you two! Say, Skull Kid, why don't you give that Ocarina and mask back now." The imp said nothing. Though the mask obviously hadn't changed, Link swore it was looking down at the duo with amusement. The same type of sick amusement a disturbed child got from watching a bug squirm after tearing its legs off. "Hey! Skull Kid, answer me!"
Tael flew up higher. "Listen, you two! Swamp! Mountain! Ocean! Canyon! Hurry! The Four who are there, bring them here!" The male fairy shouted desperately.
Link had no time to figure out what the fairy meant before the imp reacted. The masked creature floated up and cruelly swatted Tael almost out of the air, the fairy just managing to recover. "Don't you speak out line! Stupid fairy!" The Skull Kid's voice lost all of the cruel playfulness it had earlier, now speaking in a cold and hateful tone.
Tatl bristled, letting out an angry chime. "What do you think you're doing?! How could you hit my brother like that?! Skull Kid, if this Moon thing really is your doing, the joke's gone far enough! People are scared, it's time to stop! Just return Link here to normal and stop that Moon! Come on!"
The Deku was actually surprised to hear Tatl refer to him by his proper name. Apparently the serious situation made her drop he cruel jokes. Still, what did her brother mean by the Four? Could it be…
"Well, whatever." The Skull Kid said, interrupting Link's thoughts as he went back to tossing the Ocarina of Time up in the air over and over. "Even if you called them, it wouldn't make a difference! They couldn't handle me anyway!" The imp let out a cruel laugh. "Just look above you…" He gestured to the Moon with his free hand as it inched closer and closer to the Clock Tower and the town beneath it. "If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!"
With that, the Skull Kid caught the Ocarina and kept it in his fist. Taking in an impossibly deep breath, the imp splayed his limbs out and faced towards the Moon and let out an otherworldly shriek. It was a cry that resonated power that Link, Tatl, and Tael, could feel to their cores. Link watched in horror as strange waves of purple energy radiated from the mask and towards the Moon. At first, nothing happened. Then, as the imp's screaming came to an end…the Moon started to fall much faster. At the rate it was going now, there were maybe five minutes before it made impact!
"What do we do?!" Tatl demanded, looking up at the Skull Kid as he kept staring upward towards the Moon. "What can we do?! I can't stop him! No one can!"
Horrified, Link was panicking as well. Tatl couldn't stop the monstrous imp from playing this sick game, so he knew he had no chance! He couldn't defeat the Skull Kid in this form. Heck, he wouldn't be able to even as a Hylian! And then there was something about gathering Four beings? What did that mean?! He couldn't do that either! But…there was one thing Link could still do. One last, desperate final resort. If this failed, all was lost. Taking a deep breath, Link prepared a bubble. Tatl watched on in silence as the projectile built and built, nearing the point of popping.
Knowing that this was probably his only shot, Link aimed…and fired.
To Link's astonishment…it actually worked! The bubble hit the Skull Kid dead center in the chest. Whether the bubble was stronger than Link thought or, more likely, the imp was simply caught off guard, he was stunned. In this moment of pause, the Ocarina slipped out of the masked creature's grip and fell to the platform below. For a second, Link thought the instrument may crack or break on impact, but it was unharmed.
Before the imp could do anything, Link sprinted towards the Ocarina and, finally, picked it up and held it within his wooden hands. It was at this moment that a memory replayed in his head…
"You're really going to do this, aren't you?" Zelda asked.
She and Link were standing in her garden, a week after Link's twelfth birthday. By this point, he had long planned everything out for his trip. His mask was stronger than ever. The Princess stared with tired, but beautiful blue eyes deep into the dull and broken eyes Link had possessed for years.
"I have to, Zelda. I've told you that." Link answered, keeping his face and voice completely neutral. "I thought I had your blessing." He was entirely geared up. The boy had his Kokiri Sword, a metal shield gifted to him by Zelda, a bow and a quiver of arrows, a bag to hold possessions including bottles of water, food that wouldn't spoil, a small knife, a flint and steel for fires, a blanket for him and Epona each, bandage, and a change of clothes. On his belt was Saria's Ocarina, a way for him and Epona to travel back to the Temple of Time when his month was up. He still had to get over to Lon Lon Ranch to fetch the horse, but aside from that, he was all set.
"You do. Of course you do." The Princess responded, still feeling she had no right to keep him from this. "I just worry for you. I don't know if you're ready. Your mind still needs healing, I know we're both aware of that." He had improved in some ways during the last two years, but he still had many issues. Link had still barley divulged much information on what happened on his quest, not having faced his past trauma as much as he should have.
The boy nodded. "I know. I just need to try. I can't keep waiting, who knows how far Navi is now? I promise that I will return within a month, just as we talked about." He had to get his friend back soon. This awful void within him due to her absence would just keep growing. Before too long, it would swallow Link up and erase him from existence…
"I don't doubt your words. I just can't help but worry. We're all worried about your trip. Are you sure you won't let Saria go with you?" The Princess would feel so much better if a Kokiri went with him.
"I can't do that to her anymore. She's searched so many times. I have to do this alone." Everyone made all sorts of sacrifices for Link, none of which he deserved. Zelda especially allowed him to live within the castle, even giving him his own room. Along with being one of his best friends, she was practically his caretaker and doctor as well, working hard these two years to pick up the pieces of his broken mind. One day, he hoped to repay her.
The Princess sighed, feeling the situation was as best as it could be, save for just one thing. "I see. At least allow me to give you this." Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "Please, take this with you." The blue instrument nearly sparkled in the sunlight, almost radiating an aura of power and beauty.
"Are you sure?" Link asked, staring down at the instrument. He knew how precious it was to the Royal Family. "Why do you want me to take it?"
"It would make me feel better. I know you have Saria's Ocarina, but…having something so dear to me just feels right..." The Princess reached out, offering the instrument to her friend. "I'll keep Saria's Ocarina safe here for you.
Link felt strange about taking such an important item, but…if it would ease Zelda's mind, even a little, he felt he had no choice. Waling over to his friend, he gently took the instrument. "Thank you, Zelda." He said, handing Sara's Ocarina to the Princess as he placed the sacred instrument on his belt.
"If you ever find yourself in trouble, please don't hesitate to use it. It has many more powers than just being able to transport you across Hyrule." Not all that she knew of, but surely such abilities would awaken if Link needed them.
The boy recalled how, in that decayed timeline, an older Zelda used the instrument to send him back in time. It truly was a powerful relic. "I will. I promise."
The Princess hesitated for a moment before she entrapped the boy in a tight hug. "Be safe. I hope you return with Navi in tow." She still had no idea what to make of the fairy's disappearance, but she just hoped that she truly was out there somewhere.
Link hesitated himself before he gave Zelda a hug back, holding her close. "I hope so too." He was almost tempted to just stay in the Lost Woods if he couldn't find Navi within a month…but he couldn't do that. Zelda, Malon, Saria, Darunia, and Ruto all worried greatly for him. He wouldn't be able to bring himself to further their worry.
Soon, he hug ended, and the boy silently left his dear friend behind.
"Okay, you got your Ocarina back, but it doesn't matter!" Tatl yelled, snapping Link out of his trance. "We have no more time left! We're going to die!"
Time…More time…
That was it. That was the answer! If Zelda could transport Link back in time…why couldn't he do the same for himself? Not knowing what else to do, Link raised the Ocarina to his lips. To his surprise, a strange set of horns appeared instead. An unusual instrument with five holes with which to expel music.
"What is that?! Where did it come from?!" Tatl asked, gazing at the strange instrument.
There was no time for explanations, even Link had no idea what was going on. Oddly, he found himself knowing exactly how to use the instrument he now possessed. Closing his eyes, he played the horns. The notes of the Song of Time blared out into the night sky, and Link's vision went white.
Falling…
The sensation of falling was the only thing Link knew at that moment. Falling and the pure whiteness all around him. There was no warmth just as there was no coldness. No wind whistling by the Deku and he couldn't even tell if he was screaming or not. All he knew was that he was falling with no signs of stopping.
Visions flashed before Link's eyes as he continued to fall. Zelda giving him the Ocarina. Him and Malon sharing this first and only true kiss as he said goodbye. Riding through the Lost Woods. The Skull Kid appearing. Falling into that black void. The twisted tunnel. The Happy Mask Salesman.
All of a sudden, Link was standing before the Clock Tower again, facing outwards. Something was clutched in his hand as a dizzy spell took him. He had to stop himself from falling over as he gazed ahead of him. There was a light crowd bustling through South Clock Town as the morning sun peeked over the horizon. An angry and familiar man stood before a platform dead ahead of the Deku. A boy in a Keaton Mask ran down a small staircase.
Link almost jumped when a small voice rang out above his head. "What's…going on?" He looked up to see Tatl was there, staring off a to the scene before her as well. "It's like everything just…started over…"
The Moon.
Those were the first two words to pop into Link's head upon hearing Tatl's statement. Running forward, with the fairy following behind, he stopped and turned upward. High above the sky, just as it had been the first time he saw it was the Moon. Its angry, scowling face glaring down at those below it. "You're right. Somehow…we went back in time." What other explanation was there? It was as Link thought, if Zelda could send him back in time, why couldn't he do the same? And he did! Using the Song of Time, he and Tatl were flung back to just when they left the Clock Tower for the very first time.
"Hey, look! In your hand!" Tatl exclaimed.
Link completely forgot he was holding something. Looking, he almost let out a gasp when he saw the familiar blue of the Ocarina of Time grasped in his wooden hand. Somehow, he supposed because he was holding it, he took the Ocarina back with him! On top of that, it was back in its original shape, no longer that strange instrument it had turned into. "The Ocarina…"
"Why didn't you tell me you could do stuff like that?! You never said it could turn back time!"
"I didn't know I could do it." Link replied honestly. "I'm just glad it worked."
"You didn't know…?" The fairy trailed off, obviously confused. After a moment, she let out a chime. "Hey! That means we should see that creepy salesman guy, right Deku Boy?" She started to float towards the Clock Tower doors. "Come on, let's go!"
For a moment, Link pondered. Sure, he could return to normal…but what then? He still had no way of defeating the Skull Kid. No way to reach him as he floated above the Clock Tower. His bow and arrows were left abandoned in the Lost Woods and he had no other long range weapons. Even if he could buy one in town, it wasn't as though he had any Rupees to spend…
Without giving a response, Link followed Tatl and entered the Clock Tower. As the wooden doors creaked shut behind him, the Deku looked towards the Happy Mask Salesman. Of course, the man was still standing there, smiling like he always was. The salesman looked over to Link, letting out a hum of curiosity. "Yes? Was there something else you needed?"
It took Link a moment to realize that, from the salesman's perspective, the cursed boy was gone for less than five minutes. As far as the man knew, Link hadn't even had enough time to have looked through South Clock Town for any clues on the Skull Kid's whereabouts. Either way, Link approached the adult, holding his Ocarina up where the man could see it. "I got the Ocarina back."
Link was surprised at the lack of the salesman's shock. Rather than questioning how the Deku could get the item back so quickly and without any visible effort, the man simply broadened his smile. "Excellent! You have your precious item back! See? Was it not a simple task?"
As Link pondered, he remembered that this was the same man who apparently knew of his past quest, despite having no possible way of getting that information. Really, he shouldn't have been surprised at all with his relaxed response. "You can turn me back now, right?"
"Of course! Of course! Just as I promised!" The salesman belted out a jovial and very sincere sounding bout of laughter.
Link blinked and he almost let out a cry of surprise at what he saw. The Happy Mask Salesman was sitting at a massive organ placed against the far wall of the room. His massive pack sat by the bench he was perched on. "How…? Did you see that?" Tatl hissed where Link's ear should be.
"Now, please pay attention!" The salesman called out, hands resting on the keys of the large instrument. "The process to return you to normal is quite easy. All you must do is play the song I am about to perform. Are you ready?" Getting over his initial shock, Link nodded and readied the Ocarina which turned back into those odd horns. The transformation didn't seem to faze the salesman in the slightest. "Very good!" He turned towards the organ. "Now, play this song…"
His fingers slowly and gracefully dancing across the keys, the Happy Mask Salesman played a short song for Link. It was slow, sweet, and haunting. Just listening to the echoing notes made Link feel soothed and calm. The man played the song twice before pausing and allowing Link to have his turn. Closing his eyes and clearing his head, Link played those beautiful notes back to his audience of two.
The result was instantaneous.
At first, Link felt a bit dizzy, the horns turning back to the Ocarina, which fell to the floor. Visually and audibly, everything around him faded as his vision went black. In his mind's eye, Link saw the massive Deku Scrub he had seen in his nightmare. But instead of Link running towards it, the youth stood still and watched as the giant creature receded into the ground, letting out a sound that seemed almost soothed. As this happened, Link felt his limbs growing in a process that was surprisingly painless. He also felt his torso expand upwards as more feeling went back into his skin and his face contort back into a familiar shape.
A flash of white, the clattering of wood.
Link's vision returned to normal, and he looked at the source of the noise he heard. Down on the floor before him was a wooden mask, one that gave the boy goosebumps. It was a mask in the appearance of a Deku, its sad orange eyes staring up at him from the cold bricks. Raising his hands, Link saw they were normal and wrapped in Hylian flesh. He ran his hands all over his arms and torso, feeling his usual tunic underneath his fingers, as well as hearing the clatter of his sword and shield on his back. In checking, he found that indeed the two items had returned to their rightful place, as well as the bag of supplies he had in the Lost Woods sans the bottles the imp had tossed away.
"You're…normal!" Tatl exclaimed, her voice genuine and in awe. "Well, I guess I can't call you Deku Boy anymore, huh?"
A light-hearted laughter cut through the room and Link looked back to the salesman. Only to the Hylian's partial surprise, the organ was gone, and the man stood where he usually had been with his large pack put back on. "You see, that song, the Song of Healing, is a very special one." The man explained. "It heals troubled spirits and turns them into masks."
A spirit? Link glanced down at the mask. There was a troubled spirit in that mask? Inside him just five minutes ago? He thought back to that tree that looked like a Deku. Could it be that the imp ripped the spirit from some poor Deku, and placed it within Link? After all he had seen in the past three days…it certainly seemed possible.
"I insist that you take that mask there." The Happy Mask Salesman gently urged. "It is yours to keep, it would not be right for me to take it myself."
Link stared at the mask below him. Did…he really want that thing? After being forced into such a cursed shape, did he really want a reminder of the ordeal? Still…there was a spirit within the mask. It felt wrong of the boy to just leave it behind or destroy it. He bent over to pick it up…
"Hey! Don't touch that thing! It might be dangerous!" Tatl shouted out, making Link freeze before he could actually touch the mask.
Once more, the salesman let out happy laughter. "Worry not, for the magic is sealed within the mask. It is safe to touch, I assure you. If you want to return to that previous shape, simply put it on. Then you may remove it whenever you wish to go back to normal."
Hesitating, Link touched the mask with the tip of his fingers. It…felt perfectly normal, at least. Slowly, he picked the object up and looked it over. He couldn't imagine ever wanting to become a Deku again, but he still couldn't find it in himself to just toss it away. "Thank you." He said, not truly meaning it.
"Excellent, excellent!" The salesman crowed. "Now then…I fulfilled my promise to you." His voice became more controlled and serious, yet the grin never left his face for even a moment. "Please, I ask you fulfill your end of the bargain." He held out his hand expectantly.
The mask. Nayru above, Link completely forgot! He was so surprised at everything that had happened since playing the Song of Time that he didn't even think about the fact he forgot that cursed mask! "…" The boy found himself unable to speak, awkwardly looking down at the mask he held in his hands instead.
There was a long, tense pause in the room. The only sound was the creaking of the various machinery within the tower and the ever-flowing water of the man-made river. "My mask…You did get it back…didn't you?" The Happy Mask Salesman inquired, sounding hesitant. Seconds passed, neither Link nor Tatl answered him. Link looked back up and, to his surprise, the salesman's expression changed drastically. Rather than his trademark smile, the man's face was etched with an unbridled fury with his eyes wide open in a mad rage. "What have you done to me?!" The adult roared.
Link was so surprised that he had no time to react as the man wrapped his arms around his throat. Effortlessly, Link was lifted off of his feet and throttled. The boy found himself unable to fight back. Not just because he couldn't breathe and was taken completely off-guard either. The youth was simply unwilling to draw his sword against another person. He refused to nearly kill another human in a fit of panic and desperation, recalling that assassin he had nearly slain! Instead, Link dropped his new mask and reached up and tried to pry the man's hands off of his throat, but it was like trying to remove iron shackles!
"What are you doing?! Let go of him! Stop it!" Tatl screamed, bashing herself uselessly against the salesman's head. "You're going to kill him!"
Whether it was Tatl's words or the realization of what he was doing, the salesman let Link drop to the floor. Instantly, the boy scooted away and doing everything in his power not to let his fear show on his face. He was at least able to mask that by coughing from the assault on his throat as he stood up and kept his distance from the violent man. Tatl flew behind Link, hiding away from the salesman.
Instead of apologizing or, even worse, going back on the attack, the salesman simply stood where he was and kept ranting. "If you leave my mask out there, something terrible will happen!" He screamed, that look of fury still etched on his face. After a minute and a number of deep breathes, the salesman started to calm himself. The smile didn't return to his face, but at the very least his fury melted into a look of deep concern. "I…I should explain. As you may have guessed, that isn't any ordinary mask. The mask that was stolen from me...it is called Majora's Mask. Have you heard of it?" He asked the question to Link as if he hadn't been strangling the boy a mere minute ago.
Having calmed down himself from the initial panic, Link shook his head. He was somewhat at a loss of what to really do. The man had attacked him, but it was clearly in a moment of weakness. Link would've felt hypocritical to demonize the salesman for his actions considering the awful things he himself had done in the past. For now, he just kept his distance. "No…I haven't." Still, he felt a slight shiver at the name of the mask…
The salesman gave a grave nod. "I expected as much. The subject is not quite common knowledge. It is an accursed item from long, long ago. An ancient tribe, its name lost to time, used it in hexing rituals." He spoke in an almost hushed tone, as if afraid someone would overhear the conversation. "It is said that an evil and eldritch power is bestowed upon anyone who wears that cursed mask!"
So, it really was because of that mask that Link was turned into a Deku and that Moon was called from above. He glanced over as Tatl slowly peered out from behind the boy, seeming to want to remain silent. "How powerful is it, exactly?" The boy asked, looking back to the salesman.
With a sigh, the man shook his head. "The tribe vanished under mysterious circumstances thousands of years ago. The mask would sometimes pop up in history in times and locations of great despair. That being said, no one truly knows its exact nature or how powerful it really is." He let out another sigh. "I went to great lengths to get that horrible mask. When I finally had it, however, I could sense the doom of a dark omen brewing. It was that unwelcome feeling that makes your hair stand on end!"
"Why would you want such a thing…?" Tatl asked, now coming fully out of hiding and hovering above Link's head.
The salesman completely ignored the fairy. "That imp stole it from me, not knowing what he was getting himself into! I am begging you! You must get that mask back quickly, or something unspeakable will happen!"
Link felt a sense of dread fill him. With the way the salesman talked about that mask, he now knew that simply getting a bow and arrow and firing at the imp wouldn't cut it. Why did he think that would work? The Skull Kid, or rather Majora's Mask, could bring down the Moon. How was an arrow going to stop him? He recalled the words Tatl's brother said. The 'Four' had to be brought to the Clock Tower. Did that refer to the Four Giants? Link knew he had to do this. He couldn't leave these people to die at the hands of some demonic mask! Still, the idea of going on another quest made him want to throw up. He didn't want this! He just wanted to go home and live a peaceful life! Was that so greedy of him? He gazed down at his hands as he thought the situation over. Like usual, in times of great stress he felt the need to bite and claw at them, for reasons he couldn't explain. He never did such things, but just the desire to made him feel uneasy.
After a minute of silence, Link nodded as he kept his mask intact. "I'll do it." As he said this, he picked up the Deku Mask and his Ocarina, placing the former in his bag and clasped the latter to his belt.
The smile and squinted eyes returned to the Happy Mask Salesman's face as if nothing had happened. It made Link suspicious about how sincere the man's earlier episode had been. "Really? You'll do it for me?" Again, Link nodded. "I was certain you would say that." He let out another laugh. "Surely you will be fine! After all you've accomplished in the past, I know you can do this! Believe in your strengths! Believe…"
Once more, Link felt as though this salesman knew far more about the boy than he should. He was tempted to ask him some questions, but at the moment he felt he didn't want to know the answers. The boy wondered how long this quest would take. After all, he promised he would return to Zelda within a month. If this truly was some parallel world…was time running just as it did in Hyrule? No…No, there was no time for such troubling thoughts. After all, this was all unavoidable anyway. Link couldn't leave this world to just die, he had to save it! He just…hoped he could. All his friends…even Navi…would just have to wait for now. Link simply hoped he would actually be able to save this land and return home with his mind as intact as it was now.
Approaching the doors outside, Link looked up to Tatl. "Are you ready? You'll come with me, right?" He imagined she would. After all, this was her homeland…
The fairy gave no answer, Link sensing anger from the tiny creature. He couldn't blame her. He felt distraught, even angry, at the situation too. All he wanted was to find his friend, and now he was thrust into another quest he wanted no part in but found himself unable to deny. If he could complete it within a month after his departure from the castle, that would be the best-case scenario. He was trying not to panic, knowing it would get him nowhere. He had no choice in his future, so he would simply have to hide his emotions and stress behind his mask and march forward. What else could he do?
Taking a deep breath, Link placed both hands on the doors before him and opened them, letting the early morning sun flood into the room as he stepped outside once more.
Dawn of the First Day – 72 Hours Remain
A/N: Finally, the First Cycle is done, so I'll actually have to write new material instead of editing old stuff. At least for now. More familiar stuff from Tales of Termina will crop up like Link getting sick and his and Tatl's first heartfelt conversation. Can't skip out on that stuff. It'll be nice to write some brand new stuff, especially since I barely touched on Link's interactions with the Dekus, Gorons, or Zoras as well as his actual treks through each of the Temples, so I'm looking forward to that.