The Hero of Time rode through the forest, the warm fog softly licking his face. He was running, running away from the world that he had saved. Running away from the fame, the fortune, because he wanted his friend back. His best friend in the whole world, the only person he had ever grown close to. She had been with him in every battle, helping out, cheering him on. His fairy, Navi. They had parted ways once he had defeated Ganon, but now he wanted to see her again. Everyone knew and loved him, but the world was lonely without her. Epona's trot slowed to a stop as her hooves smacked into fresh mud. Link looked around, squinting his eyes to peer through the thick fog. He could see just a few feet ahead of him. The grass and trees were dripping with rain, and Link could see a spider web in the tree the glistened with dew. The going was a bit rough, sometimes Epona would get stuck in mud, or the fog would be so thick that they couldn't go on. But these weren't the worst of times, not by far. Link had battled the King of Evil to the death, he had escaped from a crumbling castle, he had stood up to Ganon as a young boy. Navi had been with him the entire time. Thinking of his fairy friend brought fresh tears to his eyes, and he wiped them away, though there was no one there to see. The boy leaned back in the saddle, closing his eyes and envisioning the flitting fairy. Suddenly Epona bucked and threw Link off, and everything was. *** .blue. The walls were a dim blue color, with golden pillars circling the room. Majora's Mask hovered in the middle of the room, the other four hanging on the walls. Link drew his sword and readied himself for the battle of his life. Majora's vivid mask launched forward, shaking and cackling evilly. The hero swung the sword with all his might, but the powerful blow ricocheted off without leaving a scratch. The mask swung and cut Link lightly, sending him to the ground. He staggered to his feet and pulled out his shield, blocking another attack from the mask. If Link wanted to beat this evil mask, he would need to figure out how, and so far, things were looking grim. Link rolled under Majora, dodging another attack, and threw his arm backward sword pointed toward the mask's black insides. The sword struck home, throwing the mask into a quivering dance of pain. Realizing it's weakness, Link stabbed it hard in the back as it spun another time. It screeched in pain, and the other masks responded, floating off the walls. They began attacking Link heatedly, chasing him around the room as he attempted to more attacks. He slid under one, swinging his sword, but it bounced off uselessly. Link was backed into a corner and loosing fast. Then Majora attacked. A fiery beam erupted from its vacant eyes and flew at Link, burning through any hopes of offense he had. The boy ducked and pulled out his shield, praying that it wouldn't melt the metal. Suddenly remembering his past battle with the evil Koume and Kotake, he pointed the shield at one of the other masks, still covering his body with it. Sure enough, the beam reflected off, striking the TwinRova mask. It burst into flames, tumbling slowly to the ground and decaying away. The other masks responded with screams, a single, horrible note. One of their own had died, the web of minds had been severed. The sound, echoing through the cavernous room, sounded almost exactly like. *** .his ocarina. The Skull Kid had it. Link climbed slowly to his feet and approached his ambusher quietly, starting to draw his sword. The fairies floating around the Skull Kid called out, startling him. He spun around and yelped in surprise. That was when Link saw his mask. He'd seen Skull Kid masks before. But none were as horrible as this one. It was a deep purple color, with four greenish-yellow spikes protruding from the side, and two from the top. It's eyes were bright orange, with a yellow circle around the eerie green irises. There were two tiny black pupils in each one, making the mask look insane. The Skull Kid, however, didn't seem that way as he quickly hid the Ocarina behind his back. Link didn't fall for the trick, and lunged at him. In a flash the mask-wearing thief appeared on Epona, striking her roughly on the side. She tore into a run, giving Link barely enough time to grab onto the saddle. He hung loosely by a single strap of leather, being dragged along the muddy forest floor. The Skull Kid looked back frequently, each time becoming more and more frantic as he realized that Link was still holding on. Epona rounded a stump and Link lightly tapped it, but the force of the collision was enough to send him flying off. The young hero tumbled a few feet before springing to his feet, wiping a trail of blood from his lip as he dashed through the log tunnel into which the Skull Kid had ridden. He appeared in a strange room, bizarrely lit by what seemed to be flower lamps. Not stopping to investigate, Link bounded across a few logs and up a short wooden staircase. Without another thought he ran through a second log tunnel. He came out the other side at full speed, not noticing the emptiness that overtook ground a few yards ahead of him. He tried to regain his balance as he feet hit nothing, but to no avail. He tumbled into the darkness below. All around him, shapes formed. Of the mask, of his ocarina, of Navi and the other fairies.it was as if he was. *** .delirious. Link was either starting to see things, or Majora had grown legs. The monster was darting around the circumference of the room, leaving a trail of eerie clones behind him. Link pulled out his bow and arrow and charged up a light arrow attack. The arrow was covered in an aura of golden energy, streaming from every molecule in the wooden shaft. He let it fly, aiming directly for the back of the mask. It cut through the air silently, missing Majora by mere feet. The light faded, leaving a quivering shaft in the wall. This time Link aimed ahead of the speeding monster, letting the golden mist envelope his arrow completely. He fired it, waiting in sweet suspense as the arrow arched through the air, heading directly before Majora, dropping through the air. *** .and onto a large flower. Link jumped to his feet and looked around. The flower was in the middle of a small pool, in an underground room. Suddenly two spotlights flickered on, illuminating the Skull Kid hovering by the only doorway in the room. The two fairies floated around him, giggling cruelly at Link. Then the Skull Kid spoke. His voice was horrible, like rusted bells ringing relentlessly. Link gasped in surprise as the Skull Kid spoke of how he got rid of Epona. The villain cackled hideously, teasing Link about the horse. He paused for a moment, letting Link reflect on the fact that he was only trying to "have a little fun." Then the mask began to shake. It made a terrible screeching sound, burning Link's and sending him to the ground shuddering. Waves of energy radiated from the mask, surrounding Link, blinding him. He screamed in agony, writhing on the ground. Shapes began forming in his mind. The crackling of the mask turned into the rustling of Deku Scrubs. They surrounded him, torturing him with their empty eyes. With a scream of horror, Link broke the circle, running blindly through the blackness. A giant Deku Scrub appeared in front of him, rustling, its eyes burning. *** .with the golden energy. Majora toppled over, trying to extinguish the golden flames that were burning him. Suddenly he began to grow, usuable arms bursting from useless stumps, thin, wiry legs bulging to become muscular pistons. He screamed with power, power echoing through the demon's body and surging from every pore in its body. It stood slowly, the mask twisted into an evil grin. Long black tentacles erupted from its hands, whipping at Link. The Hero of Time was caught by surprise by this attack, and the tentacle cracked against his back, tearing through his tunic and ripping deep into his skin. Link felt the black energy flowing through him, slowly killing him like poison. He strung an arrow and let it power up, then quickly pulled it from the bow and placed it against his open wound. The golden energy flowed in, expelling the blackness and decay and sealing the wound. Link dropped the shaft to the ground and fired another, striking Majora with it's golden point. The demon dropped to the ground, crippled by the good energy. Link ran at him, striking him with the golden sword in his hands. Majora cried out his pain, but it was evident that the demonic apparition was not down and out yet. He leapt nimbly to his feet, barely missing Link's neck with another strike with his tentacle. Link backflipped away, drawing another arrow to fire at Majora. The Hero of Time wondered how many more transformations he would go through before he finally died. He had undertaken. *** .a transformation, one Link had never imagined. The young hero looked down to the pool of water and screamed in horror. His face had become that of a Deku Scrub, along with the rest of his body. He still wore the same green hat, with tufts of blonde hair sticking out over his wooden skin. He looked up in rage at the Skull Kid, the one who had done this to him. He bounded across the water and toward him, screaming with fury. The Skull Kid floated out nonchalantly, leaving Link with only his echoing laugh. One of the fairies stayed behind, spitefully knocking link in the brow. Before he had a chance to crush her, she floated away, but to a closed door. The Skull Kid had locked her out. She pleaded with Link to help her, telling him all she knew about the Skull Kid. Finally he gave in and opened the door for her, allowing her through without ripping her wings off for what she had done. On the way through the tunnel she introduced herself as Tatl. Link stopped quickly at the entrancre to another cavern, remembering his previous fall. Flowers dotted small islands in the cavern, held up by giant pillars that seemed to climb downward forever. The floor of the cave was not visible. Tatl proved herself useful for a second time as she explained to Link that he could launch himself out of flowers and float through the air. Link flew slowly through the air, borne by two twirling flowers he held over his head. The boy went from platform to platform, finally reaching the one that led to the doorway out. Tatl pointed out a strange tree on the platform. Its face was locked in an expression of agony and despair. The pair went through another tunnel and down a long stone hallway. As they went further, the world seemed to flip over, twisting. *** .through the air like a golden dart. A tendril shot out, snapping it in half. Link ducked a second tentacle and it smashed into a wall, burning through it like acid. The young hero struck out with his sword at one of the tendrils. As he made contact, black energy surged through the sword and into Link, virtually electrocuting him. He writhed in pain and crumpled to the ground. Another tentacle whipped out, aimed directly at Link's exposed face. Suddenly Link brandished the sword, glowing with golden energy. He swiftly struck the tentacle, the energy thundering through Majora's body like fire. He screeched in anguish, withdrawing his tentacle and falling to the ground, stunned. Link took the opportunity to attack, and sliced deep into Majora's leg. The sword repelled the black energy that flowed forth, surrounding Link in a protective aura. Majora stood again, laughing spitefully as he drew all his power together. With a bang. *** .the door slammed shut behind them. They had entered a strange room that seemed like the inside of a mill. The gears whined loudly as Link ascended the steps to the top. There was a stream running through the middle and a set of wooden stairs leading to two large wooden doors. They had started up the steps when they heard a voice behind them. Link reached for his sword, forgetting it wasn't strapped to his back anymore. He spun around, ready for a fight, and recognized the figure. It was the Happy Mask Salesman from Hyrule. He introduced himself, but Link already knew the grinning character. The young hero learned that the salesman had been tracking him, and seen the transformation he had undergone. He claimed that he knew how to reverse the effects, but only when Link retrieved his Ocarina would he do it. The salesman also requested that Link recovered the mask, the one that the Skull Kid had been wearing. He also had a time limit. Three days. *** .Link had been waiting for this moment. Three eternal days. He approached the downed figure of Majora and lifted his sword in the air. It glowed brightly, ready to strike the final blow. Majora cried out for mercy, begging Link for his life. Link was not fooled, however. The Hero of Time held the sword high in the air, bringing it down upon Majora with all his strength. The apparition screamed with pain, the good energy torturing him. Majora's evil power began to diminish, the eerie smile. *** .not fading from the salesman's pale face. Link backed away, anxious about the strange man. The boy and fairy turned and climbed the steps, throwing open the great wooden doors and looking out across the. *** .rolling plain. Termina was free from the evil grip of Majora. The land was filled with celebration; it was a new day. Link looked up toward the. *** .sky, scanning it idly. Link's eyes grew wide with wonder as he saw the moon. Bearing down on the small town, the evil grin etched upon its face. *** .was gone. It wore no agonic expression, no horrid smile. Link's journey. *** .was only beginning.