Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who's read my previous works. This was a long time in the making, as I wasn't as focused this time around. But it should be something special nonetheless. Won't be as many * references as I sense they cause some confusion.


2nd Note: This is where I stopped for a while, since I had just bought Majora's Mask. Being so intrigued with the game...I decided to include a few of its bigger moments when I resumed the story. You'll probably notice that.


Chapter 13

It was a long trip, but Princess Saria finally hit the ground with a thud. She picked herself up and looked around her. It was a large city seemingly inside a cave. She didn't know what to make of this. There was never such a city that existed in her Hyrule. She had no idea where she was.

She slowly walked around and tried to find an exit, if there was one. She knew nothing about this version of Hyrule and for all she knew, this could be all of it.

"Hello."

Princess Saria gasped and turned around to see a frightening sight. It was a Goron. Her first instinct was to scream and run away, but this Goron didn't seem to be making any moves towards her. She found that to be very unusual, as Gorons were fierce raiders in her world. This one seemed to be a lot different. For one thing, he wore a smile that widened from ear to ear. Gorons in her Hyrule hardly ever smiled, unless they were looting helpless homes.

"Are you all right?" the Goron asked. "You look like you've seen a Poe."

Saria just nervously nodded. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just k-kind of lost. C-Can you tell me where I am?"

"Sure," the Goron said happily. "You're in Goron City. It's home to all of the Gorons."

Goron City? Then Saria knew exactly where she was. She had to be near the Goron's River. She just had to find a way out.

"Do you where I can find an exit?" Saria asked, still feeling a bit uneasy. "I need to find my way home."

The Goron pointed a huge arm towards his left. "The exit's that way. Good luck."

Saria picked herself up and walked towards the light that led to the exit. She walked out and immediately noticed that she wasn't in the Goron's River. She was on a huge mountain. It was Death Mountain. She started feeling queasy and fell to the ground. In her world, Death Mountain was completely uninhabited. But not only was it inhabited in this world, but there were Gorons living there. And they seemed to be…friendly.

She picked herself up again and started heading down the mountain...however long that may take.


Chapter 14

Saria looked up at the sky again. As they walked through Hyrule Field, the Forest Sage could see that the moon was coming closer, so time was definitely of the essence. She still couldn't believe it though. Usually, a quest of this kind would be left up to Link. Instead, with both Link and Zelda missing, the fate of Hyrule came down to Saria and Malon of all people.

"I thought we were done with Majora's Mask forever," Saria said, breaking the long silence. "I just wish we knew more about it."

Just then, Malon paused. "I could tell you something about it."

Saria looked up at Malon after the sudden outburst. "You know about Majora's Mask? How?"

"Well, after we came back from the other Hyrule, I made sure to have Link tell me all about his little trip to Termina." Malon shook her head. "The whole time, I thought Link was goofing off somewhere. I can't believe how short it seemed to me. But from what Link told me, a day for him lasted months. Especially with the moon threatening from above constantly."

"Can you tell me about it?"

Malon smiled. "It will help us pass the time. I mean, it IS a long walk. I remember what Link told me about his first encounter with the Skull Kid. He was riding Epona in the forest…"

It was great to just be a kid again. Having beaten Ganondorf the day before, Link was relieved to be just a ten-year old kid again. But…his world wasn't the same anymore. He couldn't go back to the forest anymore. He knew he would never see his friends again. He would never see Saria, Ruto, or Zelda ever again. His life had definitely changed. But there was one person who would be here for him. That person was Malon.

Somehow, Malon's memory of what happened remained*. She recalled everything that Link went through; including their night at the ranch when Link told her everything there was to tell about his life. But Link needed to take a break. He wanted a day to himself.

So he took Epona for a ride in the Lost Woods. Usually when he was in the Lost Woods, he would go see Saria in the Sacred Forest Meadow. But with her being stuck in the Forest Temple as the Forest Sage, that was no longer possible. Besides, she had unceremoniously ended their friendship shortly after she was awakened as a sage. Now Link was just riding around the Lost Woods aimlessly.

He continued riding around, until he nearly hit something. It was a fairy. Epona reared up and Link fell off.

It was the last thing he remembered before it all went black.

"This is apparently what Link was so afraid to tell me about," Malon continued. "He didn't want to tell me that this is where he lost Epona."

"He lost Epona?" Saria asked.

"He was knocked out when Epona saw that fairy," Malon replied. "But I don't know what he was so afraid to tell me about. I mean, maybe it was because I loved Epona so much at that time. But anyway, when Link woke up, he saw that he had lost Epona and he saw someone in a mask…"

Link finally woke up. The first thing he saw was that Epona was gone. Though it didn't take long to find her. She was right in front of him, but someone was mounted on her. It was a Skull Kid in a mask. He was surrounded by two fairies that flew above him. And they all seemed to be laughing at Link.

"What's so funny?" Link demanded. "I could've been killed."

"You're so funny, because you didn't see us coming," the Skull Kid laughed. "You only just fell back on your head. You should have seen the look on your face."

"Ok, ok, maybe it was a little funny," Link lied. "So what are you doing on my horse?"

"You disappoint me," the Skull Kid replied. "You have nothing good to steal. All you have is this horse. Oh, yes. And this ocarina."

Link gasped. He searched his pockets and saw that he no longer had the Ocarina of Time. It was in the hands of this Skull Kid.

"Hey!" Link shouted. "That's mine! Give it back!!"

The Skull Kid laughed. "If you want it, you'll have to catch me."

The Skull Kid started riding away with Epona. Link growled and leaped forward. He managed to grip Epona by the leg. He was dragged until he let go and found himself in front of a large tunnel. Link had never seen this in the Lost Woods before. He doubted any of the Kokiri ever saw this tunnel before and made Link a bit suspicious. But he had to get Epona and his ocarina back, so Link ran in.

Unfortunately…Link fell right into a hole…and found himself knocked out again.


Chapter 15

Saria and Malon nearly approached their first destination. They were about an hour's walk away from the Gerudo's Fortress. There, they could at least ask about the whereabouts of Link or Zelda. It wasn't Saria's most brilliant idea, but she had to start somewhere.

But as long as the trip was, Saria was intrigued by the story Malon was telling her. In all the years she had known Link, she never knew about his encounter with the Skull Kid. Now, maybe she could learn about another chapter of her friend's life.

"I never saw a tunnel like that in the Lost Woods before," Saria said. "But that's Link. Always rushing in. So what happened after he fell in the hole?"

"It took him a little while to wake up," Malon replied. "That was enough time for the Skull Kid to start some mischief…"

Link finally woke up. Why did he feel so…strange? Once again, Link woke up to see the Skull Kid and the two fairies in front of him. They seemed to find something very funny as they were almost cracking up at the sight of Link.

"Where's my horse?!" Link shouted.

"I didn't like that horse," the Skull Kid answered. "And it didn't like me, so I got rid of it."

Link felt his heart sink. Did this Skull Kid do away with Epona? And if he did, what would he tell Malon? She'd kill him. Just then, Link noticed that the Skull Kid and the two fairies were still in hysterics every time they looked at Link.

"Uh…do I have something in my nose?" Link asked ignorantly.

"What nose?" the Skull Kid giggled. "Have you looked at yourself?"

Link's first thought was that they played a prank on him. He lived with the Kokiri boys long enough to know when something's been done to his face. So Link walked over to a nearby pond and looked for a reflection. That's when the nightmare started.

To say Link wasn't himself would be the understatement of a lifetime. Link was transformed…into a Deku Scrub.

"Hey!! What'd you do to me?!?!" Link demanded.

"I knew someone as ugly as you needed a change," the Skull Kid teased. "So I decided to give you a new look."

"Look who's talking about ugly," Link snickered.

"Ok, smart guy," the Skull Kid sneered. "We'll just see who's laughing when I leave you like that…forever."

The Skull Kid started making his way out. Link tried to chase him out, but was nailed by one of the fairies. A huge door started to close and the two fairies scrambled to get out. One of them escaped, but the one that attacked Link didn't. This fairy was stuck.

"Sis?!" the other fairy called out from behind the door. "Sis!!"

"Leave her!" the Skull Kid shouted. "We have places to go. And we can't stick around."

"But I can't just leave my sister," the fairy argued. "Skull Kid…wait!!"

The fairy that was left behind seemed panicked. She ran up to the door and started shouting.

"Skull Kid!! Please don't leave me!! Tael, you just can't ditch me here!! Get me out of here!!"

Link almost felt sorry for the fairy. In a way, she almost reminded him of Navi. But Link had his own problems. He was a Deku Scrub and it seemed that the only one who could change him back was that Skull Kid. So Link had to go after him. He ran and opened the door and went after the Skull Kid.

Then Link heard the fairy behind him. "Wait! I'm sorry for what I did! Don't leave me here! Wait for me!"

Link went as far as he could go, until he hit a room with a giant water wheel. He could still hear the fairy following him. She was trying to say something to Link.

"Wait!" the out-of-breath fairy said. "I'm sorry for what I did back there. Please take me with you."

"Why should I?" Link asked angrily. "Thanks to you and your friend, I'm a Deku Scrub. You just want me to forget that. It's not something I can forget. I can't go home like this. I can't just go back to the ranch and tell Malon, 'I lost your horse and now I'm a Deku Scrub.' What would she say?"

"I…don't think it'll matter."

"Why not?"

The fairy took a deep breath. "Your not in your world right now. If this is the same thing Skull Kid told me about, then you're in another world."

"I'm in another world?" Link asked curiously.

"Think about it, kid," the fairy answered. "You ever see a tree tunnel like that in the Lost Woods before? It's there because it's a gateway to another world. You're not in Hyrule anymore. You're in Termina."

"What's Termina?"

"Termina is a parallel world. It's a lot like Hyrule, but it's very different. The people here look a lot like the people from Hyrule, but they vary from personality, to routine, to even different names."

"I don't care where we are," Link finally snapped. "I just want my ocarina back. I want my horse back. And I want to be me again. So get out of my way! I have to find this Skull Kid!" Link started to storm out.

"I can tell you where he is," the fairy said.

Link stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Y-You can?"

"I know where he's going," the fairy said ecstatically. "And I can lead you right to him. So let's go already. Oh, wait. What am I thinking? I haven't introduced myself. My name's Tatl. So what's your name, scrub?"

"Link."

"Link? How does anyone get a name like 'Link'?"

Link recalled the story Saria told him about how he got his name*. "Uh…you don't want to know. Let's just go. Lead the way."

Tatl started leading Link outside a humongous door that led into what he assumed was Termina. But then he heard another voice.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

Link turned around to see a familiar face. It was the Happy Mask shop owner. Link remembered him from his quest to save Hyrule. But that seemed so long ago.

"A small Deku Scrub," he said. "Forgive my rudeness, but I've been following you. And you seem as if you might be looking for something. Something like a way to change yourself back into your original form."

"How'd you know?" Link asked curiously.

The Mask Shop owner smiled. "I know because the one who turned you into a Deku Scrub is the same one who stole something very valuable from me in the Lost Woods. It's something I hold very dear to me. It's an important mask and he wears it on his face. I'd like to ask you a favor, friend. I'd like to ask you to bring back what was stolen from you."

"My ocarina?"

"Yes, your ocarina. Please bring that back along with my mask."

"I…can't do that," Link responded. "As you can see, I'm not in any position to be doing any favors. I just want to get my ocarina back and be changed back into myself."

The Mask Salesman had another idea. "What if I told you that I could change you back into your original form?"

"You mean it?' Link asked. "You can change me back? Why can't you do it now?"

"I'd like to change you back now," he said calmly. "But I can't do it without your ocarina. That's why I need you to get it back. The only thing I ask in return is that you bring back the mask that was stolen from me."

"I could do that," Link said cheerfully. "You'll wait for me here, right?"

The Mask Shop owner nodded. "I've got nothing else to do. So I'll wait for you here. But keep in mind that I must leave in three days, so your time is short. Remember, I'm counting on you."

Knowing what he must do now, Link turned around and headed out the huge double doors. He walked out and saw a large town. It was a lot bigger than Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village. It looked bigger than both of them combined. This place was huge. Link looked over to see a huge banner that told him where he was.

"Welcome to Clock Town! The only home of the Carnival of Time!"

Of all the things Link had seen in his adventures, he never heard of a Clock Town. He figured this would be a good time to look around.

"You're not stopping there, are you?"

Saria was definitely hooked onto this story. Her whole life, she and the other Kokiri had lived on a daily diet that included Deku Scrubs. Never did she think that Link would've once qualified as part of her balanced breakfast. She needed to know how Link overcame this handicap.

"Of course I am," Malon answered. "Because we're already here."

Saria couldn't believe it. She had stopped paying attention completely. The Forest Sage couldn't see that they had already arrived at the Gerudo's Fortress. This was where the search was to begin.

"Well, let's get started."


Chapter 16

There wasn't any time to spare. Sodo had all the confidence in the world in Saria. He always believed in her and he didn't doubt she could find a way to stop the moon, even if meant searching all of Hyrule for Link. What she didn't know was what would happen if she stayed out of the Forest Temple too long.

He didn't even know if he was lost. Sodo just made his way through the Sacred Forest Meadow on instinct. Of course, he didn't expect…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

…to fall in a hole. He hit the ground with a hard thud and looked up. Sodo was covered in leaves and branches. Someone set a trap over here. But who would set a trap at a time like this.

"I think we got one!"

Sodo shook his head. He should've known. Sticking his head out over the hole was an obviously disappointed Mido.

"Hey!" Mido shouted. "You're not a Deku Scrub!"

"No kidding," Sodo replied dryly. "Now get me out of here!"

Mido groaned. "Miso, get a rope."

Sodo didn't like this any more than Mido did. He just wanted to get on his way. He was in a hurry. That's why it irritated him that Miso was so slow in lowering the rope. When Sodo was finally pulled up, Mido noticed a nasty gash on his elbow.

"Ugh, that doesn't look too good," Mido pointed out.

"Never mind," Sodo said quickly. "I have to get going." He tried running away, but Mido dragged him back.

"Wait a minute," Mido said. "Let's just get something for that elbow. Domi!"

The merchant, Domi, came out with a large bandage and wrapped it around Sodo's elbow. Sodo seemed a bit suspicious. It wasn't like Domi to do something like this for free.

"How much?"

"It's on the house," Domi said casually. "But of course, if you insist on a fee, then I'll be happy to charge these two."

"WHAT?!" Mido and Miso both shouted.

"Sounds good," Sodo grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

Sodo left those three to argue amongst themselves. He had to keep going.

It didn't take Sodo too long to find another delay. He still wasn't out of the Sacred Forest Meadow before…

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! HEY!!!!"

…he hit a snare. Sodo hit a snare trap and was now hanging by his ankle over the ground. He wondered who laid this trap, since he already got away from Mido. It didn't take long for his question to be answered.

"We got one!"

Out of the bushes, came the Know-It-All brothers. Dore, Dila, and Sofa were laying in wait for their snare to catch something. But from the looks on their faces, they weren't looking to catch Sodo.

"Hey! What are you doing up there?!" Dore demanded.

"He's hanging around," Dila snickered.

"That's NOT funny!" Dore growled. "Sodo! It took us forever to set up this trap! How could you mess it up like this?!"

"Well, excuse me!" Sodo said bitingly. "I'm sorry I'm hanging upside-down over here. I know how much it upsets you. Can you just get me down?!"

Dore shook his head. "Sofa, cut him down."

Sofa took out his bow and cut the rope with an arrow. Sodo screamed as he fell on the ground. Unfortunately, he landed on his head.

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt," Dore said smartly.

"Never mind," Sodo groaned. He quickly got to his feet. "I'm in a hurry anyway." He was about to leave, but he paused and looked back. "What are you guys doing, anyway?"

"What does it look like?" Dore sneered. "We're trying to catch Deku Scrubs. We're going to take at least twice as many as Mido. And then we'll have our last meal."

"Last meal?"

Dore nodded. "You mean no one's told you? We're having a last meal before the moon falls. Oh that's right. You weren't there. Well, I won't hold you if you're in a hurry. Just tell Saria about the feast if you see her."

Sodo nodded and continued on his way. He would soon be out of the Sacred Forest Meadow.

'Yeah,' Sodo thought to himself. 'IF I see her.'


Chapter 17

Finally. The sun had set and night had fallen…at least that's what Princess Saria thought. The sun could hardly be seen over the massive moon in the sky. She knew she didn't have much time left. Wherever that warlord was, she had to find him.

Princess Saria spent hours walking down Death Mountain and she finally saw an end in sight. She could see a place where many houses were present. The place looked so alive, compared to what she had seen before. Then she recognized it. She had almost forgotten what it looked like, but she recognized Kakariko Village.

It was so long ago when Princess Saria last saw Kakariko Village…intact. The Kakariko Village of her world had been destroyed by the one called Link, the Villain of Time**. Thinking of that Link made Princess Saria think about the Link of this world. He was so different than that vicious Link of her world, even though it wasn't his own doing. The Link of her world had been under the influence of Majora's Mask and was eventually murdered when the mask rejected him as a wearer.

Since then, the Majora's Mask of her world was disposed of. But the Majora's Mask of this world remained and Princess Saria had to find the warlord who found it. He had to be stopped before this world, her friends' world, was destroyed.

She was at the foot of the mountain when she felt something strike her from behind. Princess Saria turned around to see a large Tektite. The one-eyed beast tried to pounce on her, but Princess Saria managed to move out of the way. She tried to defend herself the only way she could. She tried to grab a nearby rock. But the princess couldn't see that she triggered an avalanche. A flurry of rocks fell on top of her, nearly burying her completely.

The last thing Princess Saria remembered seeing before going unconscious was the approaching Tektite…coming closer.


*-See 'The Mind of Link' by Post Rapture

**-See 'A Place Like Home'


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