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Chapter 7
Skull Kid and Tael rematerialized outside of the temple. The Terminan Biggoron was surprised at their reappearance, but quickly recovered. "Wow! You did it! That big cloud thingy is gone, and the snow's stopped! Nice job!'
Skull Kid blushed. "Thanks. How do I get to the city?"
"The wormhole/tunnel thing is right over there. Thanks for waking me up and saving the mountain and everything."
"Your welcome." Skull Kid walked over to the tunnel. Before he entered, he put on the Goron Mask so he could pass for one of them. Then he entered the passage. He soon arrived in Darunia's throne room. He walked outside into the main part of the city to see lots of Gorons and Lizalfos walking around. They seemed a bit edgy. Skull Kid decided he could remedy that. "Hey!" he bellowed at the top of his Goron lungs. Everyone in the city turned around. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have great news. The snow has stopped! A little imp managed to infiltrate the temple and defeated the demon that caused this early winter. The Sages are free but can't come home for a while. The mountain is safe. It took a few seconds for this to register, but a moment later they started cheering.
A female Goron spoke up. "I suggest we have a feast to celebrate this victory!"
All of the Gorons and most of the Lizalfos cheered. However, a few of them seemed concerned. One of them spoke up. "Um, excuse me, but I have a question."
The cheering stopped. The female Goron frowned. "Yes, what is it?"
"Well, it's just…didn't we have a feast yesterday?'
"Yes, it was a celebration in honor of the snow. What's your point?"
"And the day before that, we had another feast?"
"Yes, in celebration of our freedom from the cavern by that imp we never got to meet, who was probably the same imp that stopped the snow. What's your point?"
"Well, did you have any feasts before the demon came?"
All of the Gorons pondered that. "Well, let's see…oh! On the day the demon arrived, we were having a feast to celebrate the merging of the two lands!"
"Yeah, and the night before that, we were having a feast in honor of how the sky didn't have any clouds!"
"And the day before that, we had a feast to celebrate the teams that made it to the Super Roll and the ones that didn't!"
"And the day before that, we had a feast to celebrate some birthday's!"
"Yeah, and…"
The Lizalfos interrupted. "This is my point. Doesn't it bother anyone that you Gorons have a feast every day for some reason or another?"
The Gorons pondered this, then decided they didn't have a problem with that. Leaving the poor Lizalfos confused, everyone else eagerly started preparations for the feast. In a few hours, little flags were hanging all over the place, and food was prepared. The awesome Goron chefs had prepared several pieces of rock sirloin, marble cake, rock fish, granite pie, quartz pudding, pebbles n' rice, flint lasagna, bomb flower seeds, and rocky road ice cream. For drinks, they had lava juice and Goron Beer. The Lizalfos didn't need chefs, they just got a lot of raw meat and prepared to eat it. As several huge tables were set up, Gorons and Lizalfos gathered around as food was put in front of them. Of course, they had to say prayers first. So they did. Everyone yelled, "PRAYER!" and immediately began to gorge themselves.
Skull Kid hanged by the drink table, observing the eaters. He saw that neither Gorons nor Lizalfos had any difference when it came to table manners. Specifically, they had no table manners whatsoever. He chuckled and decided to take a drink. He looked at his options. He could either try lava juice or Goron Beer. He turned to Tael. "Hey, you want a drink too?"
"Yeah, but I don't think I can survive lava juice. I'm old enough to drink, just give me a thimbleful of Goron Beer."
"I think I'll take some beer too. I'm over a thousand years old, that should make me old enough." Skull Kid looked around the table, but there were no cups, only big mugs. He found a medium-sized rock on the ground. Despite his Goron stomach, which told him to eat it, he picked it up and placed it on the table. Using his pinky, he carved an indentation into it. He poured some Goron Beer into it, then poured a mug for himself. They toasted (basically, Skull Kid tapped his mug against Tael's mug), said "Skaol!" and drank a tiny sip to start, figuring it wouldn't do any harm.
Skull Kid groaned and woke up. He started to get up, until he discovered the inside of his head was exploding. He lied down again, holding his forehead in pain. It was like a headache, but worse than any headache he had ever had. It was even worse than a migraine! What had happened? He tried to remember what had happened after he took that sip of beer, but he couldn't see anything but blackness in his mind. He looked to his side and saw a female Goron in bed next to him, also asleep. She appeared to be the same one that had declared the feast. Even though his mind was blacked-out and amnesia-ridden at the moment, it was relatively simple for him to put two and two together. He suddenly realized what he must have been doing last night, and why there was a female Goron next to him. He screamed, waking her up. Startled, she screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. Tael, glowing a purple so dull it was almost black, flew out of Skull Kid's hat. "WHAT THE $# (% IS GOING ON!??!! I AM TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP YOU @$$*&^)$! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………….my aching head….." he fell onto the bedrock, unconscious.
Skull Kid, still clutching his head, tried to stammer out an apology. "Miss, I-I-I-I-I'm very…very sorry…If I did anything to you last night…I mean…um…uh…er…I'm, uh, sorry…"
The female blinked. "What are you talking about? You didn't do…Oh! Oh, I see. No, no, you didn't do anything like that, dearie!"
Skull Kid blinked. "But then why…the bed…the beer…you…Wha?" he said, completely confused.
She chuckled, making his head hurt. "I see this is the first time you've drunken alcohol, isn't it? With Goron Beer, the first time is always the worst. I couldn't tell you how many times Darunia has come in after drinking too much. I guess our beer is a little too strong, but…" she shrugged. "In any case, all that happened last night is that you and you're friend drank a little too much and ran around the city without your pants on." Skull Kid gulped. "Of course, it was no big deal. The same thing happens to all the first timers, and we don't wear any clothes anyway, so you didn't show anything that the rest of us don't see every single day. You kept screaming how the white frog and the green half-naked man were chasing you. After you fell unconscious, I volunteered to take you home and help you recover. Since I don't have a guest cave, and you wouldn't fit in Little Link's bed, I had to let you use mine. You are suffering from a hangover, a result of the beer. Your friend is also suffering. Since he's way smaller than you, a little sip affected him a lot harder than it did you."
"How much harder?"
"He thought he was a woman." Skull Kid shuddered. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Direa, Big Sister of the Gorons."
"Oh, you're Darunia's wife!"
"And you aren't a Goron, are you?"
Skull kid was surprised. "How did you know?"
"The way you carry yourself, the way you move, the way you talk, it is not the way of the Goron. You are something else in Goron form. Am I correct in assuming that you are the imp that saved our mountain?"
"Yes, but how…"
"When your husband is a Sage, some of his powers start to rub off on you. Now, would you and your friend like some medicine to make your heads feel better?"
Skull kid started to nod, but it hurt too much. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. I'll bring you the medicine along with breakfast. Be back in a few minutes." She returned with a metal tray, loaded with several pieces of rock sirloin and a bowl with a strange liquid in it. She placed it on the bedrock. "Give your friend a little of the liquid and drink the rest. Come down to the kitchen when you've finished eating and washed up." She left.
Skull Kid gingerly picked Tael up and dipped him in the bowl. A few seconds later, he woke up, his glow returning to normal. "Hunh? Wha? What happened?"
Skull Kid picked up the bowl and swallowed its contents in one gulp, immediately feeling better. "Nothing important. I'll tell you after I finish eating. He greedily devoured the pile of rock sirloin.
Tael looked disgusted. "Ew. I would throw up, if I didn't already feel like I've thrown up everything I've ever eaten in my entire life." Skull Kid finished breakfast, took a lava bath, and brushed his teeth. He told Tael what had happened last night (neglecting to tell that Tael had thought he was a woman) and headed to the kitchen. Little Link was at the kitchen table, finishing his breakfast. He let out a large belch and ran to his room to do his homework. Tael frowned. "Don't you Gorons have any"
Skull Kid quickly grabbed Tael, shutting him up before he could say something rude. Direa, who had been cooking her own breakfast, turned around. "Do we Gorons have what?"
Skull Kid quickly thought up something. "Er, do you Gorons have, uh, any way down the mountain that doesn't take a few days?"
She smiled. "Sure. Look for a tunnel in the main city with the words, 'Kakariko Village' written on the top. Tell the guard I sent you. Will you be wanting anything else?"
Skull Kid shook his head. "No thanks. You've been generous enough. Is there any way I can…"
Direa laughed. "You're asking if there's any way you can repay us? It's more the other way around, dear. You saved all our lives. We owe you a huge debt. You owe us nothing. This hospitality will only fill a small part of that debt. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Well, nothing I can think of."
She nodded. "Well get going! I'm sure you've got to go save other places, correct? Now that my Sworn Brother-in Law Link and Sworn sister-in-law Zelda are captured, you're the new hero, aren't you? Go, go. You've probably got a deadline or something. So get going already!"
Skull Kid nodded and ran for the front door. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it!" she yelled after him.
Once they were far enough away, Skull Kid let go of Tael, who fluttered apologetically. "Sorry, Skull Kid. Guess I've still got a little headache or something."
Skull Kid sighed. "Or maybe you're becoming more like your sister. Come on." After wandering up and down the city's levels, they found the right tunnel. A stern-looking Goron lay in front of the tunnel.
He stood up as they approached. "I'm sorry, but you can't get through without proper authorization." He said.
"But Big Sister Direa said we could!" complained Tael.
"She did? Oh, never mind then. You can go through." He shuffled away from the tunnel. "By the way, I suggest you curl up before going down the tunnel."
"How come?" asked Skull Kid.
"Just do it, okay?" Skull Kid nodded and curled up.
He rolled into the tunnel and immediately saw why he needed to be a ball for this. The tunnel was essentially a long, long, long slide. He teetered on the edge before falling. He wailed as he fell, hitting the slope beneath him. He rolled down the slide, picking up speed before eventually spiking out. He continued down the tunnel at maximum speed, following its many twists and turns and bends and curves. After a few hours of rolling, he was really enjoying himself. This was great fun! And then he saw the wall. He tried to hit the brakes, but he didn't stop in time. He ran right into the wall, uncurling. He lay there for a moment, groaning before getting up. He looked in front of him and saw a short staircase going up into a hatch. He walked up the stairs and entered the hatch. He took off the mask and looked around in surprise. He appeared to be in a storeroom of some kind. A door opened and a large, burly man came in. He double-took when he saw Skull Kid, dropping his supplies in shock. "Who-who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, um, I was just looking for the bathroom."
The man frowned. Didn't you read the sign in the front window, kid? You can't use the bathroom unless you're going to buy something. Now, do you plan to buy anything?"
"Well, can I see what you have?"
"Sure, just come up front." A few moments later, Skull Kid was in the front of the store, with the shopkeeper/owner leaning over the counter. "So, what can I get you? I have arrows, bombs, Deku sticks, Deku nuts, Hylian Shields, and Recovery Hearts. Does any of that interest you?"
Skull Kid paused. "You know, I think I'll take ten bombs and ten arrows."
"Great! Here you go. That'll be eighty rupees."
Skull kid was shocked. "Eighty rupees? That's highway robbery!"
The storeowner shrugged. "Take it or leave it."
Skull Kid sighed. "I don't have change, and I doubt you do either. Just take this." He handed over a thousand rupees.
The Bazaar man stared in shock. "Hey, aren't you that imp that bought bombs from me earlier this week?" Skull Kid nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. It's just, well, oh forget it. Take them for free. The thousand rupees you gave me last time pays for it."
Skull Kid took back the rupee and put away his new ammo. "Thank you. By the way, why do the Gorons have a tunnel in your storeroom?'
He shrugged. "It's the easiest and fastest way to get bombs. They manufacture em', I buy em', I sell em' to the populace. They have the same deal with my cousin in Castle Town. They have a tunnel to there as well. Thank you for your business, and please come again."
Skull Kid nodded and left. He turned to Tael. "In these dark days, it's refreshing to see a man who actually turns down a thousand rupees isn't it?"
Tael agreed. "Yeah, these Hylians are pretty good people. Most of the time." He frowned. Hey, what's going on over at the Astral Observatory/Impa's House? There's a big crowd and it looks like there are some people at the top of the building."
"Hmm…maybe we should take a look." They walked over to the house, squeezing through the large crowd surrounding it. The Poes were circling the observatory tower, unsure what to do. "What's going on?" Skull Kid asked one of the onlookers.
The man didn't notice him outright, but still responded. "There are a small group of terrorists up there! They're holding hostages, and they look like they mean business. They also seem like a bunch of loonies."
"How many are there?" asked Tael.
"Only two, but they're really dangerous. One of them flies from a balloon on his back and keeps demanding a fairy. The other one is that scary guy who lives in the windmill. He keeps demanding some ten-year old in green. Mayor Impa isn't sure what to do. The terrorists are threatening to kill the hostages if we attack them or if their demands are not met. Look, there's the balloon guy now!" said the pedestrian, pointing up.
The crowd looked up at the terrorist. He was a little man in green, with a face that frightened children and small animals. He had a little beard and a big red nose, as if he had been drinking a lot. His green clothes were really more of a rubber jumpsuit, with a pointy top. He wore a watch around his neck, had red underwear that he was wearing on the outside of his pants. He had a blue backpack with a large red balloon growing from the back, suspending the man. He had a crude propeller rigged up so that he could fly wherever he wanted. He had a pen in one hand and a cardboard- enforced paper in the other. He was constantly scribbling on the paper, looking up from time to time. He flew right over the crowd, then dropped the piece of paper, which wafted down to earth. It was grabbed by a Poe, who looked at it for a moment before speaking to the crowd. "He says, 'Where is my fairy? I want my fairy! Why don't I have my fairy? Tingle is a forty-five year-old Kokiri, but still has not received a fairy! I want my fairy, I want my fairy, and I want my fairy! Ooh, is that Tingle's fairy now? No wait, that's just a bird. Stupid bird! Die die die! Uh, where was I? Oh yes! Tingle wants his fairy! Waaahhh! Waaahhh! Waaahhh! Oh, and funny bald man say that if demands are not met by sundown, hostages will die! Heeheehee! Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah! Signed, Tingle.'" The Poe looked up. "That is exactly what he said. It's true folks. This guy is insane." The crowd started murmuring. Then they heard a horrible, evil, despicable noise.
"Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah!" Tingle flew down from on high, gazing upon the crowd, making a beeline for Skull Kid and Tael. "What's this? A fairy? At last, at last, Tingle's fairy has come! Come to Tingle, little fairy!" He flew down to Skull kid and Tael. "He turned to Skull Kid. "Mr. Bird- face, my fairy is on your hat. Do you mind if I take him?"
Skull Kid flinched, backing away from tingle's rancid breath. "I'm sorry mister, but this isn't your fairy. He's mine, see? His name is Tael. Isn't that right Tael?"
"Yeah, I'm Skull Kid's fairy and no one else's." said Tael a little uneasily.
Tingle frowned. "But of course you are my fairy! You have to be! And even if you are not…" He suddenly pulled a bottle from his backpack, caught Tael in it, and stuffed it back into his backpack in one swift move. "…Then I will make you mine! Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah!" He started to fly away. Skull Kid was stunned, unable to move because of his disbelief. The Poes flew up to attack the freak, but Tingle threw dagger-pointy pens at them, stabbing them through the heart. Stunned, the injured ghosts fell to the ground.
Skull Kid recovered. He had to save Tael! He pulled out his crossbow and ran after Tingle. As he ran, he tried to aim. It wasn't going to be easy without any Z-Targeting, but he didn't have a choice. He considered shooting at Tingle himself, since killing terrorists wasn't against the law. He raised his crossbow and fired. The first shot missed. The second shot hit Tingle, but bounced off of his rubber jumpsuit. The third shot was true, popping the balloon. Tingle screeched and fell to the ground. He didn't move. Skull Kid ran over and pulled Tael's bottle from the creep's backpack, setting Tael free. Tael kind of hugged him. "Oh thank you Skull Kid! I thought that freak was going to do horrible perverted things to me or something!"
"It's okay Tael, it's okay. You're safe now. That sicko is dead and will never bother anyone again." The crowd applauded, then gasped. Skull kid turned around and saw that Tingle had gotten up! He was still alive! "How, how are you still alive?" asked Skull Kid.
The madman cackled. "It will take more than a hundred foot fall to kill this Kokiri! Give me my fairy!"
"No! I don't want to be your fairy! Go away!" yelled Tael, hiding behind Skull Kid's hat.
Tingle scowled. If you will not be Tingle's fairy, then I will have to kill you like I did the others! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
He leapt at Skull Kid, trying to bite him with his horrible, probably diseased teeth. Skull Kid deflected him with his Mirror Shield, preparing his knife. Tingle kept lunging, barking and running on all fours. When he lunged again, Skull kid tried stabbing him with the knife, but to no avail. Since it wasn't a straight thrust, it just slipped off of Tingle's suit. Getting an idea, he whacked Tingle in the head with his shield. It didn't even faze him. Since Tael was too scared to go anywhere near Tingle, Skull Kid couldn't target him. He would just have to improvise. He backed away from Tingle, trying to lead him into the graveyard, where he was very sure, the zombies and Impa could restrain him. He started to run. Tingle gave pursuit, throwing more dagger-sharp pens. When Skull Kid began to outrun Tingle, Tingle used his secret weapon. The insane man pulled a razor-edged map from his backpack and hurled it at Skull Kid. Tael warned Skull Kid, who ducked just in time. However, he had to duck again, for the map immediately came flying back. It was some sort of boomerang. Skull Kid turned to face Tingle and kept his shield up, moving slower as he walked backwards. Tingle caught up and went back to lunging. Skull Kid kept backing up down the path, luring the madman to the graveyard. Tingle was so intent on killing that he couldn't see where he was being led. Finally, they reached the graveyard's archway. Skull Kid put down his shield and ran through the archway. Tingle lunged, about to get Skull kid by the neck. Fortunately, the Redeads erupted from the ground, snatching Tingle in midair. Skull Kid turned around and grinned. "Nice job guys. I think you should take this one to Impa. But be careful, he bites." The Redead grunted in acknowledgement and headed for the Shadow Temple. Tingle screamed and kept reaching back at Skull Kid and Tael the entire way, foaming at the mouth. Shaking his head, Skull Kid ran back to the village. The crowd was waiting expectantly. "Tingle has been captured and will face justice. I will now go into the building and free the hostages from the other terrorist. The crowd cheered softly so a snot to alert the other madman. Skull Kid went inside of Impa's house and climbed up the ladder to the observatory. Once inside, he carefully snuck up the stairs, listening for any voices. He heard them.
An elderly voice said, "Please, why are you doing this?"
A twitchy, high voice answered. "Because, go around, I want that, go around, kid who messed up my windmill! Go around!"
"Which kid?" asked another voice.
"I just, go around, told you which kid, go around! The one that, go around, messed up my windmill! Go around!"
"Ugho ugo ugoh?"
"What did he say? Go around?"
"He was asking what the kid looked like."
"Oh, go around, now I see, go around. It was that, go around, kid in green clothes! Go around! How I hate him! Go around! When I get him, I'll, go around, tear him apart! Go around! Where is, go around, Tingle? Go around?" Skull Kid decided to make his move. He ran to the top of the stairs, surveying the situation. Professor Shigashi, Gabora, and Gubora were tied to the base of the telescope with extra-thick wires so Gubora couldn't break free. Their antagonist was the most demented man in all Hymina, nay, the entire world. The deranged windmill guy. He had his phonograph and hand crank attached as usual. His baldheaded head shone in the surreal lights of the Observatory. His eyes twitched and looked from side to side. He immediately noticed Skull Kid. "You! Go around! What are you, go around, doing here? I told everyone to, go around, stay away or, go around, the hostages would get it!"
Skull Kid stood firm. "I captured your accomplice and I will do the same to you. Your short reign of chaos has come to an end. Let these people go. Now."
"Or you'll do what? Go around?"
"Something you'll regret."
The windmill man snorted. "We'll see about that, go around. Face my attack, go around!" He grabbed the crank on his phonograph and turned it at high speed. The phonograph started playing the Song of Storms. A storm cloud formed over his head, dark and crackling with electricity. As the windmill guy kept cranking, the cloud shot a lightning bolt at Skull Kid. He blocked with his shield. The cloud tried again, and again, and again. The lightning could not get through Skull Kid's shield, but he knew he needed to do something if he wanted to defeat this madman. He got an idea. He listened carefully to the tune of the Song. Still blocking, he pulled his flute from his pack. He listened carefully, then backflipped, jumping down the stairs, away from the cloud. Once he was out of range, he waited until he could hear the windmill guy stop playing. Once he did, he ran back upstairs. The man was surprised. "So, go around, you return for another dose of lightning? Go around?" He started playing the Song of Storms. Skull Kid began to play the same song on his flute. When the cloud formed, it paused, seeming confused, before drifting towards Skull Kid. In fact, his playing on the flute was making it bigger. Skull Kid wracked his brain, trying to think of a plan. Then he got one. He started to play the song backwards, creating the Inverted Song of Storms. The storm cloud stopped, beginning to shriek. The windmill guy fiercely turned the crank on his phonograph, speeding up the music. The cloud started to grow again, despite Skull Kid's frantic playing. Then Tael joined in as well. With the flute and the jingling combined, the cloud steadily shrunk. Desperate, the windmill guy turned the crank faster and faster, until it didn't sound like a song at all, but some horrible distorted sound. The cloud vanished. Angrily, the windmill guy tried to stop cranking, but found that the phonograph was still playing! He tried to turn the crank the other way, but only end up hurting himself. The phonograph began to sizzle and shake. Frightened, he pulled the phonograph from his back and hurled it away. It struck the ground, exploding into a million pieces. He gaped and looked at the imp who had defeated him.
Skull Kid grinned. "Game over, deranged windmill guy. Game over."
Majora sighed in contentment. Life as future ruler of this world was good. He had just finished a refreshing mud bath and was now sitting on his throne, having his toe-claws clipped. His throne was carved from a single block of jade and was in the shape of a large flame. On either side of the throne were the crystals holding his "guests", who were thoroughly grossed out at having to watch his claws being clipped. His throne room was fairly simple, done in the design of the chamber where he had fought Link as Majora's Mask. It was overall blue, with patterns of flowers on the floor and strange markings on the wall, large colored circles, each with four intersecting petals. The wall behind the throne was the largest design, a multicolored pattern, like a sun with six twisting rays. He had cast a spell to make it seem the walls were enshrouded in colored mist. He had made the pillars and vaulted ceiling to add to the room's imposing nature. He wasn't sure why he chose flower patterns. Perhaps he had a little of his father's green thumb in him. The door to the room was on the far side, right across from his throne. The beings doing his claws and attending him were his servants, creatures called darklings. They were creatures born of shadow, made of shadow. They had the form of your average humanoid. They had three fingers for each hand, and blazing red eyes. The eyes were the only distinguishing features of the darklings. Aside from the eyes, they had no real features at all. Their bodies were solid black, as would befit a shadow. They were created by Majora and served his every mental whim. As a single darkling clipped his claws, another entered bearing a large dish, the demon's lunch. On the dish was a mass of huge, wriggling grubworms, a favorite of Majora. The grubworm was his favorite dish, aside from fries. Then again, who didn't like fries? Even Majora's father liked them. As the darkling approached its master, it kneeled, holding the huge plate on its back. Majora eagerly snatched clawfuls of grubworms, stuffing them down his throat with a sickening swish. His prisoners, Zelda, Link, and the fairies Navi and Tatl all stared in disgust as Majora stuffed the giant worms down his throat. He finished the dish in less than a minute, let out a disgusting belch, and sent the darkling away. A moment later, another entered. Majora frowned. "I didn't order anything else. What do you want?"
The darkling bowed. "Master Majora, I am terribly sorry for interrupting, but…"
"Yes, what is it?"
"The Great Ganondorf wishes to speak with you via hologram. He claims it is quite urgent."
"Good slave. You may go now." The darkling bowed to the ground and left.
Majora closed his eyes and mentally unlocked the seal he had placed around his moon to prevent being scanned or spoken to by certain parties. A hologram of Ganondorf appeared in the middle of the room. He saluted, then spoke. "Mighty Majora, I fear we have a problem down on Hymina."
The demon frowned. He sent the darkling who had finished doing his claws away, wishing this conversation to be private (well, except for his prisoners). "How do you mean, Ganondorf?'
"Have you looked at Death's Head Mountain or the Mysterious Woods lately?"
Majora mentally looked down onto Hymina, gazing upon the forest and the mountain. He was astonished. "They have been restored to normal! Someone has defeated two of my generals and freed the imprisoned Sages!"
Ganondorf nodded. "Exactly."
"When did this happen?"
"I'm not sure how long the forest has been restored, but I remember seeing the mountain covered in snow when I looked out my window before going to bed at nine o' clock last night."
"You go to bed that early?"
"Well, we Gerudo tend to fall asleep early and wake up before dawn. We are thieves, after all. Skulking in the darkness is part of our way of life."
Majora pondered. "Only a powerful warrior could defeat my generals. But if Link is safely locked up here, then who is behind this?"
"That's the other reason I called. It does seem like a new hero has arisen."
Majora slammed his fist on his throne's armrest, cracking it. "A curse on my aunt! She must have found a loophole in her own universal laws that allowed her to train a new hero for this purpose!"
"That's what I thought, too. Do you have any suggestions on how I should handle the situation?"
"Hmm…have your spies watch for anyone traveling on Hymina Field. Look for anything suspicious. If they spot anything, report to me immediately and I will bombard the area where the person was sighted. To ensure destruction, I will bombard the area sighted for a Radius of ten miles. Is there a problem with that?"
Ganondorf shrugged. "No, not really."
"Excellent. Of course, we don't want any slip-ups. Use something that flies at high speed and doesn't lose energy quickly. A Guay would work."
Ganondorf nodded. "I'll get right on it." The hologram faded away.
Majora looked to his prisoners. "I don't suppose you could tell me who's down there, could you? No, of course you can't." He chuckled to himself, then paused. He had a thought. The only person who might have had a chance at stopping him would actually be that Skull Kid whom he had fried almost two weeks ago. But he was dead, so there was nothing to worry about. Unless…he shook it off. Now he was just being paranoid. His aunt wouldn't go to all the trouble of pulling a single imp out of the way of death. He had nothing to worry about. He was Majora, Demon Emperor of Garaton, soon to be emperor of more than that. True, nobody else on the planet aside from the Hyminans knew of his existence, but soon that would all change. He grinned evilly in anticipation. "Darklings! Bring me more food. Your esteemed master is still hungry for more grubworms!"
Skull Kid whistled to himself as he walked across Hymina Field, following the path of the river to its source. His pack was loaded with supplies and a few other things. For his bravery in capturing the terrorists, Impa had greatly rewarded him with a solid gold medal. Professor Shigashi had given Skull Kid a three-dimensional holographic map of the solar system, which was magically oriented with the real planets so it showed where each world was in its rotational cycle. Of course, it was reprogrammed to show the planets of this solar system instead of the ones in Termina's old dimension. As for Gabora and Gubora, they had sharpened and improved Skull kid's knife for free, elongating it into a dagger and adding gold dust to it to increase its cutting power. Skull Kid was surprised they had managed to do it though. Since the knife had been made by the Goddess of Time herself, he wouldn't have expected the knife to have room for improvement. Either she had given him a poor knife, or she had intentionally left room for somebody to improve on it. It was probably the second option. He continued to whistle as he followed the river. He was pretty cheerful because he was now ready for whatever dangers the field could throw at him. He had food, a tent, and plenty of Stalchild repellent. He wasn't going to have any trouble when night came. He was correct. All he had to do was set up his tent just before sundown and sprinkle a little of the dust he had been given on the ground to keep the skeletons away. He passed two nights in this fashion before reaching the banks of the River Zora. He knew the area was Stalchild safe, so he thought he would have no problem. He was wrong. The river was now infested with Octorocks, which he had to keep fending off with his trusty shield. After a long trek across several land bridges and normal ones, fighting off hordes of Octorocks and Blue Tektites, he finally reached his destination: the waterfall, the source of all the freshwater in the land. From what he remembered, Skull Kid knew that the waterfall came straight from Zora's Fountain, the source of the source of the land's water. Nobody was sure how the water kept springing up from Zora's Fountain, since the bottom of the fountain was nothing but dirt. Therefore, the waters probably originated from the fountain by some form of magic. Skull Kid climbed up the several land bridges in front of the waterfall before standing on a plaque, facing a well-concealed door behind the waterfall. He didn't know the song of the Royal Family that would allow him to pass through the door, but he suddenly noticed that wouldn't be a problem. For some reason, the water wasn't coming down the waterfall in its usual great droves. Skull Kid had also noticed the current of the water was moving fairly sluggishly, which had allowed all of the Octorock and Tektites to spawn in such great numbers. He took a closer look at the water and noticed it didn't seem as clear as usual, either. How very odd. He was sure he would find answers once he saved the Zoras. He backed up to the edge of the bridge and took a running leap towards the door, just grabbing onto the bottom edge of the door. He pulled himself up and ran into Zora's Domain.
What has happened to the Zoras? Why is the water slower and not as clear? I could act all suspenseful, but I'm SURE you know why the water is that way. Well, see you next time.
Disclaimer: Need I really say it?
Chapter 7
Skull Kid and Tael rematerialized outside of the temple. The Terminan Biggoron was surprised at their reappearance, but quickly recovered. "Wow! You did it! That big cloud thingy is gone, and the snow's stopped! Nice job!'
Skull Kid blushed. "Thanks. How do I get to the city?"
"The wormhole/tunnel thing is right over there. Thanks for waking me up and saving the mountain and everything."
"Your welcome." Skull Kid walked over to the tunnel. Before he entered, he put on the Goron Mask so he could pass for one of them. Then he entered the passage. He soon arrived in Darunia's throne room. He walked outside into the main part of the city to see lots of Gorons and Lizalfos walking around. They seemed a bit edgy. Skull Kid decided he could remedy that. "Hey!" he bellowed at the top of his Goron lungs. Everyone in the city turned around. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have great news. The snow has stopped! A little imp managed to infiltrate the temple and defeated the demon that caused this early winter. The Sages are free but can't come home for a while. The mountain is safe. It took a few seconds for this to register, but a moment later they started cheering.
A female Goron spoke up. "I suggest we have a feast to celebrate this victory!"
All of the Gorons and most of the Lizalfos cheered. However, a few of them seemed concerned. One of them spoke up. "Um, excuse me, but I have a question."
The cheering stopped. The female Goron frowned. "Yes, what is it?"
"Well, it's just…didn't we have a feast yesterday?'
"Yes, it was a celebration in honor of the snow. What's your point?"
"And the day before that, we had another feast?"
"Yes, in celebration of our freedom from the cavern by that imp we never got to meet, who was probably the same imp that stopped the snow. What's your point?"
"Well, did you have any feasts before the demon came?"
All of the Gorons pondered that. "Well, let's see…oh! On the day the demon arrived, we were having a feast to celebrate the merging of the two lands!"
"Yeah, and the night before that, we were having a feast in honor of how the sky didn't have any clouds!"
"And the day before that, we had a feast to celebrate the teams that made it to the Super Roll and the ones that didn't!"
"And the day before that, we had a feast to celebrate some birthday's!"
"Yeah, and…"
The Lizalfos interrupted. "This is my point. Doesn't it bother anyone that you Gorons have a feast every day for some reason or another?"
The Gorons pondered this, then decided they didn't have a problem with that. Leaving the poor Lizalfos confused, everyone else eagerly started preparations for the feast. In a few hours, little flags were hanging all over the place, and food was prepared. The awesome Goron chefs had prepared several pieces of rock sirloin, marble cake, rock fish, granite pie, quartz pudding, pebbles n' rice, flint lasagna, bomb flower seeds, and rocky road ice cream. For drinks, they had lava juice and Goron Beer. The Lizalfos didn't need chefs, they just got a lot of raw meat and prepared to eat it. As several huge tables were set up, Gorons and Lizalfos gathered around as food was put in front of them. Of course, they had to say prayers first. So they did. Everyone yelled, "PRAYER!" and immediately began to gorge themselves.
Skull Kid hanged by the drink table, observing the eaters. He saw that neither Gorons nor Lizalfos had any difference when it came to table manners. Specifically, they had no table manners whatsoever. He chuckled and decided to take a drink. He looked at his options. He could either try lava juice or Goron Beer. He turned to Tael. "Hey, you want a drink too?"
"Yeah, but I don't think I can survive lava juice. I'm old enough to drink, just give me a thimbleful of Goron Beer."
"I think I'll take some beer too. I'm over a thousand years old, that should make me old enough." Skull Kid looked around the table, but there were no cups, only big mugs. He found a medium-sized rock on the ground. Despite his Goron stomach, which told him to eat it, he picked it up and placed it on the table. Using his pinky, he carved an indentation into it. He poured some Goron Beer into it, then poured a mug for himself. They toasted (basically, Skull Kid tapped his mug against Tael's mug), said "Skaol!" and drank a tiny sip to start, figuring it wouldn't do any harm.
Skull Kid groaned and woke up. He started to get up, until he discovered the inside of his head was exploding. He lied down again, holding his forehead in pain. It was like a headache, but worse than any headache he had ever had. It was even worse than a migraine! What had happened? He tried to remember what had happened after he took that sip of beer, but he couldn't see anything but blackness in his mind. He looked to his side and saw a female Goron in bed next to him, also asleep. She appeared to be the same one that had declared the feast. Even though his mind was blacked-out and amnesia-ridden at the moment, it was relatively simple for him to put two and two together. He suddenly realized what he must have been doing last night, and why there was a female Goron next to him. He screamed, waking her up. Startled, she screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. He screamed. She screamed. Tael, glowing a purple so dull it was almost black, flew out of Skull Kid's hat. "WHAT THE $# (% IS GOING ON!??!! I AM TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP YOU @$$*&^)$! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………….my aching head….." he fell onto the bedrock, unconscious.
Skull Kid, still clutching his head, tried to stammer out an apology. "Miss, I-I-I-I-I'm very…very sorry…If I did anything to you last night…I mean…um…uh…er…I'm, uh, sorry…"
The female blinked. "What are you talking about? You didn't do…Oh! Oh, I see. No, no, you didn't do anything like that, dearie!"
Skull Kid blinked. "But then why…the bed…the beer…you…Wha?" he said, completely confused.
She chuckled, making his head hurt. "I see this is the first time you've drunken alcohol, isn't it? With Goron Beer, the first time is always the worst. I couldn't tell you how many times Darunia has come in after drinking too much. I guess our beer is a little too strong, but…" she shrugged. "In any case, all that happened last night is that you and you're friend drank a little too much and ran around the city without your pants on." Skull Kid gulped. "Of course, it was no big deal. The same thing happens to all the first timers, and we don't wear any clothes anyway, so you didn't show anything that the rest of us don't see every single day. You kept screaming how the white frog and the green half-naked man were chasing you. After you fell unconscious, I volunteered to take you home and help you recover. Since I don't have a guest cave, and you wouldn't fit in Little Link's bed, I had to let you use mine. You are suffering from a hangover, a result of the beer. Your friend is also suffering. Since he's way smaller than you, a little sip affected him a lot harder than it did you."
"How much harder?"
"He thought he was a woman." Skull Kid shuddered. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Direa, Big Sister of the Gorons."
"Oh, you're Darunia's wife!"
"And you aren't a Goron, are you?"
Skull kid was surprised. "How did you know?"
"The way you carry yourself, the way you move, the way you talk, it is not the way of the Goron. You are something else in Goron form. Am I correct in assuming that you are the imp that saved our mountain?"
"Yes, but how…"
"When your husband is a Sage, some of his powers start to rub off on you. Now, would you and your friend like some medicine to make your heads feel better?"
Skull kid started to nod, but it hurt too much. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. I'll bring you the medicine along with breakfast. Be back in a few minutes." She returned with a metal tray, loaded with several pieces of rock sirloin and a bowl with a strange liquid in it. She placed it on the bedrock. "Give your friend a little of the liquid and drink the rest. Come down to the kitchen when you've finished eating and washed up." She left.
Skull Kid gingerly picked Tael up and dipped him in the bowl. A few seconds later, he woke up, his glow returning to normal. "Hunh? Wha? What happened?"
Skull Kid picked up the bowl and swallowed its contents in one gulp, immediately feeling better. "Nothing important. I'll tell you after I finish eating. He greedily devoured the pile of rock sirloin.
Tael looked disgusted. "Ew. I would throw up, if I didn't already feel like I've thrown up everything I've ever eaten in my entire life." Skull Kid finished breakfast, took a lava bath, and brushed his teeth. He told Tael what had happened last night (neglecting to tell that Tael had thought he was a woman) and headed to the kitchen. Little Link was at the kitchen table, finishing his breakfast. He let out a large belch and ran to his room to do his homework. Tael frowned. "Don't you Gorons have any"
Skull Kid quickly grabbed Tael, shutting him up before he could say something rude. Direa, who had been cooking her own breakfast, turned around. "Do we Gorons have what?"
Skull Kid quickly thought up something. "Er, do you Gorons have, uh, any way down the mountain that doesn't take a few days?"
She smiled. "Sure. Look for a tunnel in the main city with the words, 'Kakariko Village' written on the top. Tell the guard I sent you. Will you be wanting anything else?"
Skull Kid shook his head. "No thanks. You've been generous enough. Is there any way I can…"
Direa laughed. "You're asking if there's any way you can repay us? It's more the other way around, dear. You saved all our lives. We owe you a huge debt. You owe us nothing. This hospitality will only fill a small part of that debt. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Well, nothing I can think of."
She nodded. "Well get going! I'm sure you've got to go save other places, correct? Now that my Sworn Brother-in Law Link and Sworn sister-in-law Zelda are captured, you're the new hero, aren't you? Go, go. You've probably got a deadline or something. So get going already!"
Skull Kid nodded and ran for the front door. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it!" she yelled after him.
Once they were far enough away, Skull Kid let go of Tael, who fluttered apologetically. "Sorry, Skull Kid. Guess I've still got a little headache or something."
Skull Kid sighed. "Or maybe you're becoming more like your sister. Come on." After wandering up and down the city's levels, they found the right tunnel. A stern-looking Goron lay in front of the tunnel.
He stood up as they approached. "I'm sorry, but you can't get through without proper authorization." He said.
"But Big Sister Direa said we could!" complained Tael.
"She did? Oh, never mind then. You can go through." He shuffled away from the tunnel. "By the way, I suggest you curl up before going down the tunnel."
"How come?" asked Skull Kid.
"Just do it, okay?" Skull Kid nodded and curled up.
He rolled into the tunnel and immediately saw why he needed to be a ball for this. The tunnel was essentially a long, long, long slide. He teetered on the edge before falling. He wailed as he fell, hitting the slope beneath him. He rolled down the slide, picking up speed before eventually spiking out. He continued down the tunnel at maximum speed, following its many twists and turns and bends and curves. After a few hours of rolling, he was really enjoying himself. This was great fun! And then he saw the wall. He tried to hit the brakes, but he didn't stop in time. He ran right into the wall, uncurling. He lay there for a moment, groaning before getting up. He looked in front of him and saw a short staircase going up into a hatch. He walked up the stairs and entered the hatch. He took off the mask and looked around in surprise. He appeared to be in a storeroom of some kind. A door opened and a large, burly man came in. He double-took when he saw Skull Kid, dropping his supplies in shock. "Who-who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, um, I was just looking for the bathroom."
The man frowned. Didn't you read the sign in the front window, kid? You can't use the bathroom unless you're going to buy something. Now, do you plan to buy anything?"
"Well, can I see what you have?"
"Sure, just come up front." A few moments later, Skull Kid was in the front of the store, with the shopkeeper/owner leaning over the counter. "So, what can I get you? I have arrows, bombs, Deku sticks, Deku nuts, Hylian Shields, and Recovery Hearts. Does any of that interest you?"
Skull Kid paused. "You know, I think I'll take ten bombs and ten arrows."
"Great! Here you go. That'll be eighty rupees."
Skull kid was shocked. "Eighty rupees? That's highway robbery!"
The storeowner shrugged. "Take it or leave it."
Skull Kid sighed. "I don't have change, and I doubt you do either. Just take this." He handed over a thousand rupees.
The Bazaar man stared in shock. "Hey, aren't you that imp that bought bombs from me earlier this week?" Skull Kid nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. It's just, well, oh forget it. Take them for free. The thousand rupees you gave me last time pays for it."
Skull Kid took back the rupee and put away his new ammo. "Thank you. By the way, why do the Gorons have a tunnel in your storeroom?'
He shrugged. "It's the easiest and fastest way to get bombs. They manufacture em', I buy em', I sell em' to the populace. They have the same deal with my cousin in Castle Town. They have a tunnel to there as well. Thank you for your business, and please come again."
Skull Kid nodded and left. He turned to Tael. "In these dark days, it's refreshing to see a man who actually turns down a thousand rupees isn't it?"
Tael agreed. "Yeah, these Hylians are pretty good people. Most of the time." He frowned. Hey, what's going on over at the Astral Observatory/Impa's House? There's a big crowd and it looks like there are some people at the top of the building."
"Hmm…maybe we should take a look." They walked over to the house, squeezing through the large crowd surrounding it. The Poes were circling the observatory tower, unsure what to do. "What's going on?" Skull Kid asked one of the onlookers.
The man didn't notice him outright, but still responded. "There are a small group of terrorists up there! They're holding hostages, and they look like they mean business. They also seem like a bunch of loonies."
"How many are there?" asked Tael.
"Only two, but they're really dangerous. One of them flies from a balloon on his back and keeps demanding a fairy. The other one is that scary guy who lives in the windmill. He keeps demanding some ten-year old in green. Mayor Impa isn't sure what to do. The terrorists are threatening to kill the hostages if we attack them or if their demands are not met. Look, there's the balloon guy now!" said the pedestrian, pointing up.
The crowd looked up at the terrorist. He was a little man in green, with a face that frightened children and small animals. He had a little beard and a big red nose, as if he had been drinking a lot. His green clothes were really more of a rubber jumpsuit, with a pointy top. He wore a watch around his neck, had red underwear that he was wearing on the outside of his pants. He had a blue backpack with a large red balloon growing from the back, suspending the man. He had a crude propeller rigged up so that he could fly wherever he wanted. He had a pen in one hand and a cardboard- enforced paper in the other. He was constantly scribbling on the paper, looking up from time to time. He flew right over the crowd, then dropped the piece of paper, which wafted down to earth. It was grabbed by a Poe, who looked at it for a moment before speaking to the crowd. "He says, 'Where is my fairy? I want my fairy! Why don't I have my fairy? Tingle is a forty-five year-old Kokiri, but still has not received a fairy! I want my fairy, I want my fairy, and I want my fairy! Ooh, is that Tingle's fairy now? No wait, that's just a bird. Stupid bird! Die die die! Uh, where was I? Oh yes! Tingle wants his fairy! Waaahhh! Waaahhh! Waaahhh! Oh, and funny bald man say that if demands are not met by sundown, hostages will die! Heeheehee! Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah! Signed, Tingle.'" The Poe looked up. "That is exactly what he said. It's true folks. This guy is insane." The crowd started murmuring. Then they heard a horrible, evil, despicable noise.
"Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah!" Tingle flew down from on high, gazing upon the crowd, making a beeline for Skull Kid and Tael. "What's this? A fairy? At last, at last, Tingle's fairy has come! Come to Tingle, little fairy!" He flew down to Skull kid and Tael. "He turned to Skull Kid. "Mr. Bird- face, my fairy is on your hat. Do you mind if I take him?"
Skull Kid flinched, backing away from tingle's rancid breath. "I'm sorry mister, but this isn't your fairy. He's mine, see? His name is Tael. Isn't that right Tael?"
"Yeah, I'm Skull Kid's fairy and no one else's." said Tael a little uneasily.
Tingle frowned. "But of course you are my fairy! You have to be! And even if you are not…" He suddenly pulled a bottle from his backpack, caught Tael in it, and stuffed it back into his backpack in one swift move. "…Then I will make you mine! Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah!" He started to fly away. Skull Kid was stunned, unable to move because of his disbelief. The Poes flew up to attack the freak, but Tingle threw dagger-pointy pens at them, stabbing them through the heart. Stunned, the injured ghosts fell to the ground.
Skull Kid recovered. He had to save Tael! He pulled out his crossbow and ran after Tingle. As he ran, he tried to aim. It wasn't going to be easy without any Z-Targeting, but he didn't have a choice. He considered shooting at Tingle himself, since killing terrorists wasn't against the law. He raised his crossbow and fired. The first shot missed. The second shot hit Tingle, but bounced off of his rubber jumpsuit. The third shot was true, popping the balloon. Tingle screeched and fell to the ground. He didn't move. Skull Kid ran over and pulled Tael's bottle from the creep's backpack, setting Tael free. Tael kind of hugged him. "Oh thank you Skull Kid! I thought that freak was going to do horrible perverted things to me or something!"
"It's okay Tael, it's okay. You're safe now. That sicko is dead and will never bother anyone again." The crowd applauded, then gasped. Skull kid turned around and saw that Tingle had gotten up! He was still alive! "How, how are you still alive?" asked Skull Kid.
The madman cackled. "It will take more than a hundred foot fall to kill this Kokiri! Give me my fairy!"
"No! I don't want to be your fairy! Go away!" yelled Tael, hiding behind Skull Kid's hat.
Tingle scowled. If you will not be Tingle's fairy, then I will have to kill you like I did the others! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
He leapt at Skull Kid, trying to bite him with his horrible, probably diseased teeth. Skull Kid deflected him with his Mirror Shield, preparing his knife. Tingle kept lunging, barking and running on all fours. When he lunged again, Skull kid tried stabbing him with the knife, but to no avail. Since it wasn't a straight thrust, it just slipped off of Tingle's suit. Getting an idea, he whacked Tingle in the head with his shield. It didn't even faze him. Since Tael was too scared to go anywhere near Tingle, Skull Kid couldn't target him. He would just have to improvise. He backed away from Tingle, trying to lead him into the graveyard, where he was very sure, the zombies and Impa could restrain him. He started to run. Tingle gave pursuit, throwing more dagger-sharp pens. When Skull Kid began to outrun Tingle, Tingle used his secret weapon. The insane man pulled a razor-edged map from his backpack and hurled it at Skull Kid. Tael warned Skull Kid, who ducked just in time. However, he had to duck again, for the map immediately came flying back. It was some sort of boomerang. Skull Kid turned to face Tingle and kept his shield up, moving slower as he walked backwards. Tingle caught up and went back to lunging. Skull Kid kept backing up down the path, luring the madman to the graveyard. Tingle was so intent on killing that he couldn't see where he was being led. Finally, they reached the graveyard's archway. Skull Kid put down his shield and ran through the archway. Tingle lunged, about to get Skull kid by the neck. Fortunately, the Redeads erupted from the ground, snatching Tingle in midair. Skull Kid turned around and grinned. "Nice job guys. I think you should take this one to Impa. But be careful, he bites." The Redead grunted in acknowledgement and headed for the Shadow Temple. Tingle screamed and kept reaching back at Skull Kid and Tael the entire way, foaming at the mouth. Shaking his head, Skull Kid ran back to the village. The crowd was waiting expectantly. "Tingle has been captured and will face justice. I will now go into the building and free the hostages from the other terrorist. The crowd cheered softly so a snot to alert the other madman. Skull Kid went inside of Impa's house and climbed up the ladder to the observatory. Once inside, he carefully snuck up the stairs, listening for any voices. He heard them.
An elderly voice said, "Please, why are you doing this?"
A twitchy, high voice answered. "Because, go around, I want that, go around, kid who messed up my windmill! Go around!"
"Which kid?" asked another voice.
"I just, go around, told you which kid, go around! The one that, go around, messed up my windmill! Go around!"
"Ugho ugo ugoh?"
"What did he say? Go around?"
"He was asking what the kid looked like."
"Oh, go around, now I see, go around. It was that, go around, kid in green clothes! Go around! How I hate him! Go around! When I get him, I'll, go around, tear him apart! Go around! Where is, go around, Tingle? Go around?" Skull Kid decided to make his move. He ran to the top of the stairs, surveying the situation. Professor Shigashi, Gabora, and Gubora were tied to the base of the telescope with extra-thick wires so Gubora couldn't break free. Their antagonist was the most demented man in all Hymina, nay, the entire world. The deranged windmill guy. He had his phonograph and hand crank attached as usual. His baldheaded head shone in the surreal lights of the Observatory. His eyes twitched and looked from side to side. He immediately noticed Skull Kid. "You! Go around! What are you, go around, doing here? I told everyone to, go around, stay away or, go around, the hostages would get it!"
Skull Kid stood firm. "I captured your accomplice and I will do the same to you. Your short reign of chaos has come to an end. Let these people go. Now."
"Or you'll do what? Go around?"
"Something you'll regret."
The windmill man snorted. "We'll see about that, go around. Face my attack, go around!" He grabbed the crank on his phonograph and turned it at high speed. The phonograph started playing the Song of Storms. A storm cloud formed over his head, dark and crackling with electricity. As the windmill guy kept cranking, the cloud shot a lightning bolt at Skull Kid. He blocked with his shield. The cloud tried again, and again, and again. The lightning could not get through Skull Kid's shield, but he knew he needed to do something if he wanted to defeat this madman. He got an idea. He listened carefully to the tune of the Song. Still blocking, he pulled his flute from his pack. He listened carefully, then backflipped, jumping down the stairs, away from the cloud. Once he was out of range, he waited until he could hear the windmill guy stop playing. Once he did, he ran back upstairs. The man was surprised. "So, go around, you return for another dose of lightning? Go around?" He started playing the Song of Storms. Skull Kid began to play the same song on his flute. When the cloud formed, it paused, seeming confused, before drifting towards Skull Kid. In fact, his playing on the flute was making it bigger. Skull Kid wracked his brain, trying to think of a plan. Then he got one. He started to play the song backwards, creating the Inverted Song of Storms. The storm cloud stopped, beginning to shriek. The windmill guy fiercely turned the crank on his phonograph, speeding up the music. The cloud started to grow again, despite Skull Kid's frantic playing. Then Tael joined in as well. With the flute and the jingling combined, the cloud steadily shrunk. Desperate, the windmill guy turned the crank faster and faster, until it didn't sound like a song at all, but some horrible distorted sound. The cloud vanished. Angrily, the windmill guy tried to stop cranking, but found that the phonograph was still playing! He tried to turn the crank the other way, but only end up hurting himself. The phonograph began to sizzle and shake. Frightened, he pulled the phonograph from his back and hurled it away. It struck the ground, exploding into a million pieces. He gaped and looked at the imp who had defeated him.
Skull Kid grinned. "Game over, deranged windmill guy. Game over."
Majora sighed in contentment. Life as future ruler of this world was good. He had just finished a refreshing mud bath and was now sitting on his throne, having his toe-claws clipped. His throne was carved from a single block of jade and was in the shape of a large flame. On either side of the throne were the crystals holding his "guests", who were thoroughly grossed out at having to watch his claws being clipped. His throne room was fairly simple, done in the design of the chamber where he had fought Link as Majora's Mask. It was overall blue, with patterns of flowers on the floor and strange markings on the wall, large colored circles, each with four intersecting petals. The wall behind the throne was the largest design, a multicolored pattern, like a sun with six twisting rays. He had cast a spell to make it seem the walls were enshrouded in colored mist. He had made the pillars and vaulted ceiling to add to the room's imposing nature. He wasn't sure why he chose flower patterns. Perhaps he had a little of his father's green thumb in him. The door to the room was on the far side, right across from his throne. The beings doing his claws and attending him were his servants, creatures called darklings. They were creatures born of shadow, made of shadow. They had the form of your average humanoid. They had three fingers for each hand, and blazing red eyes. The eyes were the only distinguishing features of the darklings. Aside from the eyes, they had no real features at all. Their bodies were solid black, as would befit a shadow. They were created by Majora and served his every mental whim. As a single darkling clipped his claws, another entered bearing a large dish, the demon's lunch. On the dish was a mass of huge, wriggling grubworms, a favorite of Majora. The grubworm was his favorite dish, aside from fries. Then again, who didn't like fries? Even Majora's father liked them. As the darkling approached its master, it kneeled, holding the huge plate on its back. Majora eagerly snatched clawfuls of grubworms, stuffing them down his throat with a sickening swish. His prisoners, Zelda, Link, and the fairies Navi and Tatl all stared in disgust as Majora stuffed the giant worms down his throat. He finished the dish in less than a minute, let out a disgusting belch, and sent the darkling away. A moment later, another entered. Majora frowned. "I didn't order anything else. What do you want?"
The darkling bowed. "Master Majora, I am terribly sorry for interrupting, but…"
"Yes, what is it?"
"The Great Ganondorf wishes to speak with you via hologram. He claims it is quite urgent."
"Good slave. You may go now." The darkling bowed to the ground and left.
Majora closed his eyes and mentally unlocked the seal he had placed around his moon to prevent being scanned or spoken to by certain parties. A hologram of Ganondorf appeared in the middle of the room. He saluted, then spoke. "Mighty Majora, I fear we have a problem down on Hymina."
The demon frowned. He sent the darkling who had finished doing his claws away, wishing this conversation to be private (well, except for his prisoners). "How do you mean, Ganondorf?'
"Have you looked at Death's Head Mountain or the Mysterious Woods lately?"
Majora mentally looked down onto Hymina, gazing upon the forest and the mountain. He was astonished. "They have been restored to normal! Someone has defeated two of my generals and freed the imprisoned Sages!"
Ganondorf nodded. "Exactly."
"When did this happen?"
"I'm not sure how long the forest has been restored, but I remember seeing the mountain covered in snow when I looked out my window before going to bed at nine o' clock last night."
"You go to bed that early?"
"Well, we Gerudo tend to fall asleep early and wake up before dawn. We are thieves, after all. Skulking in the darkness is part of our way of life."
Majora pondered. "Only a powerful warrior could defeat my generals. But if Link is safely locked up here, then who is behind this?"
"That's the other reason I called. It does seem like a new hero has arisen."
Majora slammed his fist on his throne's armrest, cracking it. "A curse on my aunt! She must have found a loophole in her own universal laws that allowed her to train a new hero for this purpose!"
"That's what I thought, too. Do you have any suggestions on how I should handle the situation?"
"Hmm…have your spies watch for anyone traveling on Hymina Field. Look for anything suspicious. If they spot anything, report to me immediately and I will bombard the area where the person was sighted. To ensure destruction, I will bombard the area sighted for a Radius of ten miles. Is there a problem with that?"
Ganondorf shrugged. "No, not really."
"Excellent. Of course, we don't want any slip-ups. Use something that flies at high speed and doesn't lose energy quickly. A Guay would work."
Ganondorf nodded. "I'll get right on it." The hologram faded away.
Majora looked to his prisoners. "I don't suppose you could tell me who's down there, could you? No, of course you can't." He chuckled to himself, then paused. He had a thought. The only person who might have had a chance at stopping him would actually be that Skull Kid whom he had fried almost two weeks ago. But he was dead, so there was nothing to worry about. Unless…he shook it off. Now he was just being paranoid. His aunt wouldn't go to all the trouble of pulling a single imp out of the way of death. He had nothing to worry about. He was Majora, Demon Emperor of Garaton, soon to be emperor of more than that. True, nobody else on the planet aside from the Hyminans knew of his existence, but soon that would all change. He grinned evilly in anticipation. "Darklings! Bring me more food. Your esteemed master is still hungry for more grubworms!"
Skull Kid whistled to himself as he walked across Hymina Field, following the path of the river to its source. His pack was loaded with supplies and a few other things. For his bravery in capturing the terrorists, Impa had greatly rewarded him with a solid gold medal. Professor Shigashi had given Skull Kid a three-dimensional holographic map of the solar system, which was magically oriented with the real planets so it showed where each world was in its rotational cycle. Of course, it was reprogrammed to show the planets of this solar system instead of the ones in Termina's old dimension. As for Gabora and Gubora, they had sharpened and improved Skull kid's knife for free, elongating it into a dagger and adding gold dust to it to increase its cutting power. Skull Kid was surprised they had managed to do it though. Since the knife had been made by the Goddess of Time herself, he wouldn't have expected the knife to have room for improvement. Either she had given him a poor knife, or she had intentionally left room for somebody to improve on it. It was probably the second option. He continued to whistle as he followed the river. He was pretty cheerful because he was now ready for whatever dangers the field could throw at him. He had food, a tent, and plenty of Stalchild repellent. He wasn't going to have any trouble when night came. He was correct. All he had to do was set up his tent just before sundown and sprinkle a little of the dust he had been given on the ground to keep the skeletons away. He passed two nights in this fashion before reaching the banks of the River Zora. He knew the area was Stalchild safe, so he thought he would have no problem. He was wrong. The river was now infested with Octorocks, which he had to keep fending off with his trusty shield. After a long trek across several land bridges and normal ones, fighting off hordes of Octorocks and Blue Tektites, he finally reached his destination: the waterfall, the source of all the freshwater in the land. From what he remembered, Skull Kid knew that the waterfall came straight from Zora's Fountain, the source of the source of the land's water. Nobody was sure how the water kept springing up from Zora's Fountain, since the bottom of the fountain was nothing but dirt. Therefore, the waters probably originated from the fountain by some form of magic. Skull Kid climbed up the several land bridges in front of the waterfall before standing on a plaque, facing a well-concealed door behind the waterfall. He didn't know the song of the Royal Family that would allow him to pass through the door, but he suddenly noticed that wouldn't be a problem. For some reason, the water wasn't coming down the waterfall in its usual great droves. Skull Kid had also noticed the current of the water was moving fairly sluggishly, which had allowed all of the Octorock and Tektites to spawn in such great numbers. He took a closer look at the water and noticed it didn't seem as clear as usual, either. How very odd. He was sure he would find answers once he saved the Zoras. He backed up to the edge of the bridge and took a running leap towards the door, just grabbing onto the bottom edge of the door. He pulled himself up and ran into Zora's Domain.
What has happened to the Zoras? Why is the water slower and not as clear? I could act all suspenseful, but I'm SURE you know why the water is that way. Well, see you next time.