Author's Note:
Hello again, readers. I must say before you read, that this story was more difficult than the first two to write, mainly due to the time Link has to kill before the night of the third day. Like I said, I added some of my own new stuff to the story, hoping to spice it up a little bit. I also included some short tales of the past. Hope you like it.
Chapter 3 – The Apex of Termina
It was mid-morning of the second day. Link had arrived back in East Clock Town after getting the Moon's Tear from Termina Field. Now, all he had to do was give it to the salesman deku scrub. Not too hard. Hopefully there isn't a catch to all of this.
Link ran back down to South Clock Town, not in too much of a hurry, considering he had almost two days left to get the ocarina and the mask from the Skull Kid, however he was pretty anxious to return to his original form. He came back upon the flower of which the salesman scrub owned.
"Hello again! Did you find the stone?"
"Yeah, it's right here."
Link handed him the Moon's Tear.
"Oh, what a beautiful sapphire! Thank you so much, young scrub! Here, feel free to use this flower any time you want! As for me, I'm headed off into the wilderness to do some of the best business ever! Thanks again!"
The scrub handed Link a piece of paper. It read: Town Land Title Deed, and supposedly granted Link permission to use the flower whenever he pleased. The scrub then got his bags and flew off into the eastern direction. But Link didn't care where he was going, all he cared about was getting the flower. He hopped into the flower and blasted off high; higher than usual, and flew over to the ledge at the Clock Tower before the "staircase."
"Here it is. Tomorrow night at midnight, these stairs will fall, and we will go up to the summit of the tower. There, the Skull Kid will be waiting for us," said Tatl.
"How do you know all this?"
"Because, Link. Tomorrow night is the Carnival of Time. That is what the whole town is preparing for. Not only that, but the moon was expected to hit that night. After we get your ocarina and the mask, we escape."
"Escape? Shouldn't we stop it from falling?"
"It's impossible, Link. The moon won't stop falling. We have to run... back to the Lost Woods."
"Oh..."
"Don't panic, Link. We're going to be fine."
"I believe you."
"But, for now, we have almost two days left. We can search every part of Clock Town to see if we can find anything useful, and maybe we can use it to our advantage."
"Okay, Tatl."
"All right, then."
Tatl flew into Link's cap, and let him navigate the way from there. Link headed back to East Clock Town.
There were many doorways in East Clock Town, and he wasn't sure where to go first. There were signs above doors, reading numerous things:
MILK BAR
STOCK POT INN
MAYOR'S OFFICE
HONEY & DARLING'S SHOP
ARCHERY RANGE
This place was happening. Link found it rather neat. On the other hand, all of this searching for the Moon's Tear, playing hide-and-seek, and finding fairies, Link was exhausted. He decided to go ahead and crash at the Stock Pot Inn.
Link walked inside and approached the counter. There was a tall red headed lady standing behind the counter.
"Well, hello, little scrub. Are you lost?"
"No. I would like a room, please."
"A room? Do your parents know where you are?"
"Yes."
"Well why don't you go get them to come here and check you in."
"They're not here."
"Well where are they? I can't let a young, lonely wanderer from the swamp to just come and check in as he pleases."
"I'm very tired, ma'am, and I just want to take a nap. I'll be out before tonight."
"Okay, fine. But next time, bring an adult with you. That'll be 50 rupees."
Link handed her a purple rupee.
"Where did you get all those rupees?"
"There were a ton at the observatory! You shoulda seen it!"
Tatl just scoffed.
"Here, you're in room 2," said the lady.
Link grabbed the key and ran upstairs to the second room. This little inn wasn't too shabby. Just needed more capacity.
Link walked in the room and plopped down on the bed. Boy, was he exhausted! It felt weird getting in the bed with a deku scrub's body, but he didn't mind. He got under the covers and closed his eyes.
Time began to pass. Quicker than ever. Link's deku scrub eyes drifted off into a deep sleep, and Link was completely dormant. Everything had shut down for rest, except Link's mind. He began to dream.
Link as a human walked outside from the Stock Pot Inn. Nighttime had fallen, and Clock Town was unusually crowded. What was the big occasion? Link looked up into the sky, and the moon was shining in the sky. It was not falling. It was a pleasant night. Suddenly Link saw fireworks blast off, coming from South Clock Town. He ran down to see what was going on.
This was it. It was the annual Carnival of Time, but the Skull Kid was nowhere in sight, and the moon was normal. A large lever atop the Clock Tower fell, and at that exact second, ten fireworks simultaneously blasted off into the air. What a beautiful sight! Link looked around, and he saw no familiar faces... except one. This one actually wasn't a familiar face. He recognized the hair. The purple hair.
It was the boy he had seen wearing the Keaton mask... but he was not a boy, he was a man. And he was not wearing the Keaton mask. The man was clapping and cheering, and there was a woman standing next to him. It was the same lady who worked at the Stock Pot Inn! They were... together? Apparently yes.
Link continued to look around. There were various auctions and sales all over the place. He decided to check them out. There was a Potion and Milk Auction. The grand prize was a gallon of Chateau Romani. What was Chateau Romani? Link didn't really care. Then, Link saw something very interesting. It was a mask sale! It was great! There were so many neat masks! Each had a description beneath it. He saw masks including The Gibdo's Mask, The Keaton Mask, The Bunny Hood, The Couple's Mask. Some of these masks Link had seen before.
"Hey, there, sonny! Want to buy a mask?" asked the salesman.
"Sure!" said Link, "I just want to look around some more."
Link saw so many more masks. He loved them. They were his main attraction.
"Oh, be right back, sonny! They're about to do the fireworks finale!" said the salesman, walking off.
Link looked behind the counter at some masks sitting in the back. Were they the rejects? He saw the Bremen's Mask, the Mask of Truth, the Stone Mask... how dull and bland. Then, he saw Majora's Mask. It was sitting hidden behind the others. Link bend down to pick it up. Even though no one was wearing it, the eyes seemed to pierce his soul and menace him. The mask began to shake. Majora could sense his hands holding the mask. Link seemed to be possessed by the mask. He began to move it to his face. Closer, closer. He wanted to don the mask now. He did not know why. It was almost completely on his face, until...
"Hey, son, that mask ain't for sale!" said the salesman, coming back.
"Why not?" asked Link.
"I'm afraid I can't share that with you. Sorry. There are plenty of other masks, though."
Link gave the man the mask, and he put it up against the wall. The eyes illuminated and gazed at Link.
Majora was peering into Link's soul.
Suddenly Link awakened, with a jolt.
"What time is it?" asked Link.
"Midnight. You slept for a long while."
"Wow, it went by so... fast!"
"It always does when you sleep, ready to go?"
"No... this flew by! I had a huge dream, too!"
"What was it about?"
"I was at one of the carnivals of time! It was so neat."
"Wow. Dreams sure can be weird, can't they?"
"You bet. But this one was beyond weird! I saw that purple headed boy, another mask salesman, two--"
"Link, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I'm still exhausted from all that crap that went on ever since we ambushed you in the Lost Woods. Can I sleep for another few hours?"
"Yeah, go right ahead."
Tatl flew into his cap. Link, however, was not tired anymore. He got up and decided to walk around the inn. He spotted a door by the staircase, and opened it.
It led to outside on a balcony. East Clock Town was very quiet at the night. Link only spotted one person out (the soldier). All of the other places, except the Milk Bar, were closed. Link ran over to the soldier.
"Hey there, scrub. I'm afraid I can't let you wander out towards the canyon. It is very dangerous, especially at night."
"I wasn't planning on going out."
"Why are you up, then? It's too late for you to be out running around. There are some weird people walking around town at night. The old lady from the bomb shop got robbed in North Clock Town last night by a mysterious thief from Ikana."
"That's too bad."
"Yep."
"Say, Mr. Soldier. Do you think the moon is going to fall?"
"Fall? Well, it sure does look pretty damn close. It's starting to scare me. There's been word around town that it'll fall tomorrow night, and many people are starting to flee. I would be too, but I have to wait for my boss's orders."
"If I were you and it was about to hit, I'd make like a rabbit and run."
"Yeah, that's probably what I will do if it gets too late."
"Good."
"Well, scrub, if my boss saw me talking to you at this our, I'd get in trouble, so I think you should go indoors and get to bed."
"All right, if you say so."
Link hated taking orders, but this one he didn't mind. He went ahead and walked back into the inn. The receptionist was no longer at the desk, but there was a piece of paper on the desk.
Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn
We are full up for tonight and I won't be working after hours. Please be quiet and do not wake the guests. If you would like to make a reservation, please sign your name in one of the blanks below. I'll ask for your money later. Thank you and have a nice day.
Anju, owner of the Inn
Link was very bored and looked onto the wall. There were several picture frames. One frame was a picture of the inn owner and the purple headed boy all grown up. Another was a picture of Clock Town from Termina Field. There was a Terminian Clock on the right of the picture. It was in the wee hours of the morning.
Link walked around on the first floor of the inn. He saw a hallway past the stairs and decided to take it. He walked down the corridor and he saw two rooms. One was closed off by a door, and the other was open. He just went ahead and walked through the open one. It was the kitchen.
No one was in there. Link concluded that everyone else was asleep. He heard the sound of boiling water and smelled coffee beans. There was a note on the table in the kitchen, and a torn open envelope. Link knew it would be rude to read the letter, but he couldn't resist himself. Plus, Tatl wouldn't know. She's asleep.
Link jumped onto the chair and began to read the letter. It was rather long.
Dear Anju,
Hello. It's been a while since we've spoken. I know you must be worried about me and afraid that something might have happened to me. But, do not worry. I am in fine condition. I know all of Clock Town is looking for me, and I know you really want me to show myself, but I can't, Anju. I just can't yet. You must be especially upset since our wedding is scheduled to be after the Carnival of Time. I will tell you why I am taking refuge for the time being, though.
There is a child wandering about Termina. He is wearing the forbidden mask of Majora, and has turned to another side. One day, when I was out collecting nuts and seeds in Termina Field, I spotted the child running about. He approached me because I had my Sun's Mask and asked me where I got it. I told him that I made it back in Clock Town, and then he asked where he could get one himself. I said that mine was the only one made, so he demanded that I give it to him. I obviously refused, and he put the "youth curse" on me and stole my beloved mask. I made an oath never to get married without that mask. The youth curse caused me to grow younger, and younger. And now, I am a child again. The curse cannot be unbroken unless the Sun's Mask and the Moon's Mask are reunited. I know this is very unfortunate.
I am doing all I can to get my mask back. Tomorrow night, I will be in Ikana, to attempt to retrieve my mask. Something tells me Sakon has the mask now, because the Skull Kid told me he got rid of and gave it to the criminal body of Termina. If I do retrieve my mask, I will be back on the night of the carnival. I have noticed that the moon seems to be getting closer. At first, I just thought it was an eclipse or something. But I hear around that it is a curse, and it will fall after the carnival. I don't know if it is true, though. However, if it is, please take refuge. Flee to Great Bay. That is bound to be the safest place. If the worst happens, do not worry about me. I will manage fine.
Kafei
"Wow..." said Link to himself.
"What is it?" asked Tatl, who just awakened.
"Oh, nothing. I'm ready to go."
"What time is it?"
"It's morning."
"Oh."
Link walked outside, and the sun had come up. The moon had also come down some more. As a matter of fact, it was much closer now.
"It's closer," said Link.
"I can tell," said Tatl.
Link had nothing more to do, except explore town until nighttime. He walked over to the East Clock Town guard again to see if he could go out.
"Sorry, son. I can't let you out... Have you seen the moon? Do you think it will fall? I really wish I could flee, but I have to wait until the boss lets us go. If you are going to flee, go get your parents and then come back here," said the guard.
Link just walked off and walked around town for a little while longer. Time passed. Quicker than it had before. The sun moved throughout the sky faster than usual.
Time passed, the day began to darken, the moon continued to get closer.
1 hour passed.
Link continued to mingle throughout the peaceful town. While strolling through East Clock Town, he saw a man with a large red had walking around, putting mail in the mailboxes.
"Is that the guy who always ran around Hyrule Field?"
Suddenly, the man spotted Link and walked over towards him.
"Hey there, lit'le chap! What's a scrub like you doin' here in the city? Shouldn't you be at the swamp?"
Link did not respond.
"Ha! Just kidding! Don't take it personally! I just walk around the town all day delivering mail, and I never actually get to stop and chat with anyone! I thought I'd just talk to you for a few minutes. After all, it is rare to see a scrub in town!"
"Ha. You look somewhat familiar. Are you from Hyrule?" asked Link.
"Hyrule? Where's that?"
"I know I have seen you there before. You were the man who always ran across the field."
"Ran across the field? Ha! I don't like running. I was born in Ikana Village and got a job as the local postman here ten years ago! I've always lived in Termina!"
"Well, do you have a brother?"
"Honestly, I don't know. My parents passed away when I was young, and if I did have a brother, he would have been taken into care by another family. The family that took me into custody had too many kids and could only take one more. Ikana Canyon isn't the most kid-friendly place, either."
"Oh... o-kay."
"Well, I've gotta get back to work! See you around! Oh, and that moon really looks like it's getting close. You should get back to the swamp soon!"
The postman jogged off towards North Clock Town.
"Well, that was nice," said Tatl.
"Well, we do have time to kill," responded Link.
More time passed as Link walked from East Clock Town to West Clock Town. It was a longer walk now that he was a scrub.
4 hours passed.
9 hours passed.
Soon enough, nighttime had fallen. Not only that, but many people had left town, too. There was a small family walking out of the South Clock Town exit next to Link. There was a man, a woman, and a child. The child was one of the bomber children.
"Ralia, I won't stay here! That moon is going to fall! Let's go to the swamp for tonight!" said the man.
"You are so paranoid! The moon will not fall!"
"Look up! Look how close that thing is!"
"It still does not convince me!"
"I can't do this anymore, Ralia! Jim and I are going to the swamp! Please come with us."
The man and the son proceeded out of the exit. The woman slowly complied and followed behind.
Link looked around. It was so quiet. The tower was finished for the carnival, but no one was here. Link ran over to the yellow flower. He burrowed himself in it, and blasted off. He flew over to the ledge in front of the tower. There was a wall blocking the way up.
"Link, the stairway doesn't open until midnight."
"It's already 11:30."
"It is! Did time speed up or something?"
"Must have. This day has gone by in a blur."
"Weird."
"Yeah."
"So, are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
Before Link knew it, it was midnight.
Bells from the clock tower tolled twelve times. Fireworks began to blast off from the sides of the tower automatically. The giant lever atop the tower fell, declaring the commencement of the carnival. Eight walls before Link fell, creating a stairway. The moon began to fall some more.
A carnival was starting, and no one was there to celebrate it. It was a completely vacant celebration. It was so somber. It was a celebration of the end of the world.
"All right, let's go," said Link.
"Let's."
Link ran up. There was no turning back, now. The stairs were long, but eventually reached the summit of the tower.
There was the Skull Kid, hovering above the summit. He had the Ocarina of Time, and he was tossing it up into the air. This infuriated Link. The moon was no more than ten feet above the Skull Kid's head. That dirty kid had no right to treat the treasure of the royal family like a cheap rubber ball. But, the Skull Kid did not care. He did not care about anything but himself at this point.
"A ha ha. There is the Deku Scrub. Coming to claim his pride," said the kid.
Suddenly Tatl's brother, the purple fairy flew out from behind the Skull Kid.
"Sis!"
"Tael!" said Tatl.
"Swamp...Mountains...Ocean...Canyon! The four who are there... bring them here!"
Then, the sinister Skull Kid swatted Tael, knocking him off.
"Stupid fairy! Don't speak out of line!"
"Tael! Skull Kid, how could you... ?"
"Well, even if they were to come right now, they wouldn't be able to stop me. They're probably watching me right now wishing they could do something about it! You think you can stop me, fairy boy? Just look above you."
Link looked up. There was the massive moon. It was inching its way to earth.
"So you do think you can stop me? Go ahead, stop me now!"
That is when all hell broke loose. Link felt useless as a scrub form, and would do just about anything to have his ocarina back; not to mention the master sword or his fairy bow to show the Skull Kid what he was made of.
The Skull Kid released an ear-shattering shriek. The horrible shriek broke glass, ground steel, and crumbled rocks. The moon began to move faster.
"Oh no!" said Tatl.
Link was full of trouble. He ran around, not knowing what to do. He thought if he got his Ocarina back, he could do something helpful. But how? Link waddled around hopelessly in a total panic. Countless thoughts and memories flashed through his mind, as a recap of his life. Link thought this would be the very last night he would be alive.
"Zelda! Saria! RAURU!! Din! Nayru!! Anyone!!! CAN ANYBODY HELP ME?!?!"
Although his voice echoed far, his screames were equivalent to faint whispers in the wind. All hope was gone for him now. The only thing Link could do was just sit there and wait. The Skull Kid had the ocarina, and would never hand it over to him. Link just had to give up.
"Tatl!! What now?"
"Uh... I don't know... Someone help us!!! Anyone!! The Goddess of Time, help!! We need more time!!!"
Link was in a daze. He had an extremely short period of time from stopping the land of Termina from destruction. He had no idea what do. As a deku scrub, he had no great powers. Just... bubbles.
"Wait!! That's it!! Bubbles!!!! I can shoot bubbles out of my mouth!! If I can somehow get the ocarina, we can get out of here!!"
Link powered up a nice, hard bubble and fired it at the Skull Kid immediately.
"Augh!"
The Skull Kid bounced back, and the Ocarina of Time fell from his hands.
"The ocarina!" said Link.
Link sprinted over to the sacred instrument and picked it up. It felt so wonderful to retrieve his most sacred possession. He had gotten it back. An amazing euphoric feeling swept his body. He was so happy to have the treasure back in his hands.
Suddenly, memories with Princess Zelda came rushing back at him.
"I knew this day would once come. The day you left Hyrule."
"Yes. It has taken extensive thought. But I can assure you that I will be returning."
"Good. I will never forget you, Link. You saved Hyrule from the hands of Ganondorf. And now that you did that, we can live happily like we always had before."
Link smiled.
"I want you to take this back, Link. It doesn't belong to me anymore. The Hero of Time is the owner of the Ocarina of Time."
Zelda handed Link the Ocarina of Time.
"Are you sure? It's the sacred instrument of the Royal Family."
"Yes, I'm sure. Because, now, you are apart of the Royal Family, Link."
Link smiled again.
"Now, I want you to remember this song. When you hear the melody, let it remind you of your permanent memories of Hyrule, and that it will always be your home."
Zelda took the ocarina from Link to play the Song of Time. The melody was more blissful than Link had ever heard. This was the number one song for him to remember. Even more than Zelda's Lullaby."
"I will be back, Zelda. I know Hyrule has a glowing future before her. I know all will prosper."
"It's all because of you, Link. Don't you forget. Your legend will be passed down for generations to come."
"I'll be back one day."
"I know you will."
Link rode off on Epona towards Kokiri Forest, which led to the large and thick Lost Woods, which extended outside of Hyrule.
"What are you doing, Link! This is no time to be daydreaming!" said Tatl, "now that you got your ocarina, what can you do to help!"
"The song. It will summon the Goddess of Time."
"The Goddess of Time! If that instrument can summon her, then play it! We don't have much time left!"
Link pulled out the instrument. Wait... this wasn't the ocarina. It was... a set of pipes.
"What? Where did you get those!"
Now was not the time to wonder where Link got the pipes. Link just went ahead and played the enchanting Song of Time.
Then, something incredible happened. Link had never experienced a feeling such as this, even when he traveled through time back in Hyrule. This was a unique feeling. It was a strange feeling. He looked around. He was no longer standing atop the Clock Tower. As a matter of fact, he didn't even know where he was. He was in a different dimension. A dimension bound by nothing and accessible through time.
He was falling, through a pure, white abyss. He fell through faded clocks and heard numerous ticks in every direction. Everything was going backwards. He was going back in time, and he felt the seconds and minutes slip through his fingers. Everything was resetting.
Link fell, and fell. Then, he awakened. He was standing outside the door to base part of the Clock Tower. It was exactly where he started after talking to the Happy Mask Salesman. Everything had gone back in time to the dawn of the first day. Everyone was still in Clock Town, and the workers were working on the Carnival Tower.
It was shocking. Tatl was just as amazed as Link was, having no idea they could do such a thing.
"Wow..." said Tatl, "everything... started over."
Link continued to look around in amazement. He had no idea the Song of Time could do something that amazing. But was this his destiny? Was it his destiny to save Termina, just as he did Hyrule?
"So, who exactly are those four Tael was talking about?"
"I wish I could tell you, Link. All I know is it's something important. Very Important. Crucial."
"Is it my duty and destiny to release the four he was talking about?"
"I... don't know..."
"Well, they are the only ones who can stop the moon, right?"
"Apparently so..."
"I guess the only thing we can do is try to save the four within these three days, with time in our hands."
"Yes. It must be. You are the only one who holds time in your hands! That instrument of yours! It is destiny! We must save the four within the next three days, but since it is too short of a timespan, we must manipulate time to get the task done!!"
Tatl was right. It was Link's destiny. The Hero of Time can achieve certain tasks that others cannot.
"Come on, Link. Let's get you back to normal."
"Yeah."
Link turned around, and walked through the door, back into the very place he'd lost his true identity. He knew that the longest three days of his life lay ahead of him...