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.


Chapter 45

As the four girls walked up Death Mountain, Saria anxiously awaited Malon's words. The final moments of Link's time in Termina might mean a lot in this upcoming confrontation. Saria had to know about Link's battle with Majora's Mask.

Finally, Malon spoke. "It was the third day, and Link reached the clock tower in Clock Town…"

Link waited impatiently as he relived those same three days, for what he hoped was the last time. With the masks of the four giants, he knew the final battle was coming up. So for the entirety of the third day, Link got some much-needed sleep, waiting by the clock tower. Getting a night of sleep was so relaxing for Link. He almost wished he could stay that way. But alas, it couldn't be, because…

"Hey!! Wake up!!"

The screeching shriek of Tatl brought Link back to reality. He woke up and saw the same thing in the sky that he saw the first time he lived this night. Fireworks were lighting up the sky for the Carnival of Time…even though Clock Town was deserted.

Then the doors of the clock tower opened and Link was ready to face the inevitable. He took out his sword and rushed into the tower. Just like last time, the Skull Kid was floating up in the air. Link was ready to finally take this guy down for what he's done. For Epona, for his ocarina, for Clock Town, for Termina, for everything. But the dialogue seemed familiar, though. It was because everything was going down just like last time.

"Sis!!" Tael called out.

"Tael!!" Tatl called back.

"Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. The four that live there…bring them here…HURRY!"

Just as he had done before, the Skull Kid swatted Tael for that. "Stupid fairy! How dare you speak out of turn!"

Tatl flashed in anger just as much the second time around. "That's it! I won't let things go the way you expect them to!!"

The Skull Kid scoffed. "Whatever. Even if those four were to come now, they could not stop me. I am too powerful. Why don't you look above you and see? If you think it can be stopped, then I'd like to see you try."

There was a difference between this time and last time, though. This time, Link was ready. He pulled out the Ocarina of Time and did the only thing he could do. He played the song the four giants taught him. Link played the Oath to Order.

When the song ended, the clock tower began to shake. The Skull Kid started to clutch his head. It was as if something had a hold of it. Just then, Link looked around him. The four giants had surrounded Clock Town and their massiveness was something to behold. The four of them each grabbed a side of the moon and began to hold it in place above the ground. The rumbling began to increase as they tried holding the moon at bay. And just as quickly as it increased…the rumbling ceased. And the Skull Kid was unconscious on the ground.

Tatl was the first to say it. "It…stopped." She flashed in excitement. "We did it! It stopped!"

Tael suddenly flew over to his sister. "Sis!!"

"Tael!!" Tatl looked down on the fallen Skull Kid. "We made it just in time. The giants' call worked on the Skull Kid. Hey, Skull Kid!! Do you realize what you've been doing to everyone?!"

Link couldn't blame Tatl for being angry. He felt exactly the same way. He was furious at this Skull Kid for what he made Link go through…for putting him in the middle of another stupid quest.

Tael felt pity on the Skull Kid, though. "Sis…don't be so hard on him."

"Why not?!" Tatl demanded. "What's with you?! Why are you protecting him?! Aren't you mad at him for hitting you so much?!"

"He was…lonely."

Link could almost relate to that. With the exception of Saria, he didn't grow up in Kokiri Forest with too many friends. But even loneliness couldn't justify this.

Tatl knew the same thing. "He tried to destroy everything! He sent the moon down! That isn't the same as a lonely child! We can't allow that!"

"It wasn't him," Tael responded.

Tatl paused for a moment, so Link asked the question. "What do you mean he didn't do it?"

"It wasn't him," Tael said again. "It was the mask. Its power was too much for him to handle and he lost control."

"It's 'cause he doesn't know his place!" Tatl snapped. "On top of having a weak will and no strength of heart…he's a fool!!"

"Certainly, he had far too many weaknesses to use MY power!!"

Link gasped. That voice wasn't from the fairies or from Link. That was someone else…no…something else…and he saw what it was. Tatl didn't notice, though. She was basking in her arrogance.

"Yeah! That's right!"

Link tried to bring it to the fairy's attention. "Uh…Tatl?"

"Admit your stupidity!"

"Uh…Tatl?"

Tatl groaned. "What is it, Link?"

"THAT WASN'T ANY OF US!!" Link gulped.

"Huh?"

A deep, morbid laughter erupted from the fallen Skull Kid, but Link realized it wasn't him. As weird as it sounded, the voice was coming from Majora's Mask itself.

"A weak puppet is no longer of use to me!" the mask bellowed. "This puppet's role just ended!"

The mask pulled itself off the Skull Kid's face and floated in the air…preparing to attack.



Chapter 46

"So they just found out it wasn't the Skull Kid doing all these things," Malon continued. "They found out it was Majora's Mask. Then came the moment when the mask attacked…"

Link pulled out his sword but he didn't know what to do. He never fought…a mask before.

Tael flashed in fear. "It can't be! Then…that moon…?"

The mask floated up and seemingly possessed the moon itself. "Consume!! Consume!! I shall consume all!! And I shall consume all of YOU!!"

The moon started rumbling towards the ground. In what could be the worst thing to possibly happen…the four giants were starting to fall over.

"AAAAHHH!!" Tatl shouted out. "Let's go back!! Let's go back!!"

"BACK?!" Link repeated. "We can't go back!!"

"Yes we can," Tatl shouted. "Song of Time!! Song of Time!! Play the Song of Time!!"

"NO!! We're not going back!!" Link declared boldly. He pulled out his sword and prepared to do the unthinkable.

"You can't be serious!!" Tatl exclaimed. "You can't mean you're going up there?!"

"I have to!!" Link said bravely. "I have to put an end to this NOW!!"

"Well, YOU put an end to it!" Tatl quivered. "I'm not going anywhere!! I'm staying behind with Tael!"

"Fine!" Link sneered. "Be that way!! No wonder you always flash yellow!!"

"I'll go!" Tael piped up.

"What?!" Tatl demanded. "No way!! Tael, that's a death wish!! You can't go!!"

"I'm sick of running away all the time!" Tael huffed. "This is partly my fault. If I had been a little stronger, then the Skull Kid wouldn't have…"

A beat.

"No, Tael," Tatl said softly. "I understand. I'll go. After all this time, Tael, you've gotten really stubborn…just like someone else I know."

Link felt a bit insulted. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you two are really stupid!" Tatl answered bitingly.

"You can think whatever you want," Link shot back. "But I've got a world to save!!"

And with that, Link jumped into the light trail emitting from the grinning moon…and he found himself…going right up to the moon.

At last, Link found himself in a blue chamber with Majora's Mask. Link knew he was in for a tough battle. He didn't how tough, though. The mask immediately started by literally throwing itself at Link. He found himself knocked down by the mask's sharp edges.

"What do I do?" Link asked Tatl.

"You think I know?!" Tatl shot back. "Try anything! Use your sword!"

Link pulled out his sword and sliced the mask when it spun by him again. Link knew he struck something in the mask and angered it. It tried slicing by Link again and the same thing happened. Link was starting to get the better of Majora's Mask. Then it bellowed out, shaking the walls. The four masks in the chamber, representing Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, and Twinmold, started to spin around Link and fire beams at him.

Link did the only thing he could do. He subdued the masks by firing his arrows at them. They shattered at the contact of Link's arrow and once more he was left alone with Majora's Mask. The mask then caught him by surprise. Link could barely dodge out of the way of a fire beam. His tunic was singed. So he defended himself by holding up his shield and saw the fire beam could be deflected. Link held the shield and shot it right back at Majora's Mask. The mask finally went down.

Link ran to the fallen mask. "Is…it over?"

Majora's Mask suddenly came alive again and knocked Link backwards. The mask floated up and grew legs. It began prancing around the chamber firing sparks of light at Link. He held up his shield and defended himself, all the while approaching the evil mask.

"I said…I'm ending this!!" Link shouted. "And I mean it!! You're going down NOW!!"

With the first open opportunity, Link slashed away at Majora's Mask. It quickly fell and Link continued slashing away. Finally, the mask stopped moving.

"Is it over?" Link asked again.

Just then, Link felt a tentacle wrap around his body. The tentacle lifted him up and threw him across the chamber.

"It grew tentacles!" Tatl pointed out.

Link soon found that out. While he was still down, the tentacles started to whip away at him. Link shrieked in agony as the tentacles continued whipping at his back. His tunic was not only torn by the scourging of the mask, but there were also welts on Link's back, arms, and chest. Link tried hard to get to his feet, but the mask continued whipping him. It was a horrifying sight to see. Tatl moaned faintly as she saw Link's blood hit the ground from the severe whipping.

Link didn't have too many options left. So he pulled out an arrow. With pinpoint accuracy, he shot the arrow and pinned down a tentacle to one of the chamber's walls. He shot another arrow and pinned the other tentacle down. Link now had his chance. He staggered towards the evil Majora's Mask and with his sword he stabbed it in the heart.

The mask shrieked in pain, shaking the entire chamber. It finally appeared to be dying. But sadly, Link felt the same way. He could barely keep himself standing. Link saw Majora's Mask fall and finally stay down. The chamber continued to rumble, but Link knew this was it. He wouldn't be able to escape this time. He gave in and fell unconscious from the tremendous pain.



Chapter 47

"Link thought it was his final battle," Malon continued. "He fell unconscious just as the chamber began to collapse. He thought it was his time to die. The moon was indeed stopped and it finally disappeared. As for Link…"

"AAH!! He's awake!"

Link first thought was that he was in the afterlife. He thought there was no way he could have survived that. But when he woke up, he saw the two fairies, Tatl and Tael.

"Am I alive?" Link asked dizzily. He looked at himself and gasped when he saw that his wounds were all healed. He looked up at the fairies. "How?"

"The healing magic of a fairy," Tatl responded. "You gotta love it."

Link shook the cobwebs off and got to his feet. He was in Termina Field, just outside of Clock Town, and saw in front of him was standing the now-unmasked Skull Kid. And standing over Clock Town were the four giants.

"You guys…you hadn't forgotten about me?" the Skull Kid asked.

The four giants groaned affirmatively.

The Skull Kid was breaking down in tears. "You still thought of me as a friend?"

The four giants didn't say anything. They only began to sing the Oath to Order and walked away, back to their respective domains. Link was left alone with the Skull Kid and the two fairies.

Just then, the Skull Kid turned around and looked at Link. "You…did you save me?"

Link didn't know what to say. He had so much contempt for this Skull Kid…before he realized that it wasn't his fault. Now he didn't know what to think anymore.

"I…guess so," Link finally responded.

"I thought you didn't want to be friends with me," the Skull Kid said.

"Well…"

"But you never forgot about me."

"I…guess not."

"Friends are a nice thing to have," the Skull Kid said happily.

Link could agree with that. "They really are."

"Could you be my friend too?" the Skull Kid asked. He went up to Link and…sniffed him. "Hey, you have the same smell as that fairy kid who taught me that song in the Lost Woods."

That sudden revelation got Link's attention. "What…song was that?"

"It was a song taught to me by a fairy child," the Skull Kid answered. "She played a most melodious tune on an instrument a lot like yours. I believe her name was…Saria."

Hearing that name was surprising to say the least for Link. The odds of this had to be impossible, but then again, Link knew how much of a friend Saria was to all of the forest. He smiled at the thought that he and the Skull Kid actually had something in common now.

"So the evil has left the mask after all."

Link turned around to see the Mask Salesman holding Majora's Mask. He had his same goofy grin and looked at Link happily.

"Well, now…I finally have my mask back," he said. "It's all thanks to you, young man. You have my gratitude. Since I am in the midst of my travels, I must now bid you farewell."

The Mask Shop owner started to walk away before he suddenly turned around to face Link and the Skull Kid.

"Shouldn't you be going home as well? Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or for a short time…that is up to you." He bowed to them. "With that, please excuse me." The salesman walked away but left Link some last parting words. "But, my, you sure have managed to make quite a number of people happy. The masks you have are filled with happiness. This is truly a good happiness."

As the salesman walked away, Tatl flashed sadly. "Well, we both got what we wanted. So this is it, huh? This is where we part ways, isn't it? But you know…it was kind of fun. And it's almost time for the carnival to begin. So why don't you leave and mind your own business? The rest of us have a carnival to go to."

"Ok, then," Link said, boarding Epona. "But how do I get back?"

"The same way you came," the Skull Kid answered. "Go back where you came and you will be back in our world of Hyrule."

"So this is it," Link said again. "Goodbye, guys. It's been fun."

As Link galloped away back into where he came in from, he couldn't help but notice that Tatl left him with some emotional parting words.

"Link…thank you."



Chapter 48

Saria felt like her head was spinning. She hardly remembered any Skull Kids. The only one she remembered…was the first one she met…all those years ago*. But that couldn't have been the same Skull Kid she met back then…back before Link was even born. The odds of that were astronomical. Then again…there was only one Skull Kid she ever taught her song to.

"Saria? Hello?"

Saria shook out of her trance. She saw that they were almost up the mountain, but they couldn't get all the way up there…not until Saria knew one more thing.

"So I guess now we know how he did it," the Forest Sage said. "We know what Link did to stop the moon from falling. It was that song, the Oath to Order. How did it go, Malon?"

Malon frowned and stood silent.

"Malon…?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," the farm girl said grimly. "Link never told me how the song went."

Saria looked back at Zelda and her parallel self. "Do any of you how the song went?"

They both shook their heads. This was indeed a dire situation. The only thing that could save Hyrule was that song…and not one of the girls knew how the song went.

But it didn't matter at that moment, because something else happened. In the blink of an eye, a giant boulder fell between Saria and Malon and shattered as it hit the ground.

"What was that?" Malon asked.

Zelda pointed up to another part of the mountain. "Up there!"

The Forest Sage looked up to see a dark figure standing above them on another part of the mountain. The figure jumped out of the shadows and stood in front of them. Saria gasped when she saw who it was.

It was Link…and he was wearing Majora's Mask.


*-See 'Kokiri Tales: Strangers' by Post Rapture. I started writing this as I saw the dialogue on the screen and when I saw the ending, I paused for a while. When I saw what the Skull Kid said after he sniffed Link, I immediately thought back to this story that I read back in…MAY! Hey Post, you got to admit…that's really weird. It's an amazing coincidence! :-)


Any comments? The last part is coming. Mail me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail/aol.com and don't forget to review below.