"You wanna go to Lon Lon Ranch?"

Bato was sitting on the sofa one day when Link, out of the blue, asked him this question. "Why do we need to go to Lon Lon?"

"I need to return Epona." Link said, fixing the vegetables up for dinner. Bato had shown him how to cut vegetables and now he was getting some practice on it. His attempts at cutting were subpar, but there was a capacity for growth. "I don't think he appreciates staying cooped up at your workstation all day and night."

"True." Bato sipped on his milk. It was the last bottle. Ever since he created the fridge, they were able to keep food for longer periods. From meats to vegetables, the food now had a longer shelf life. Without the fridge, he would have had to create a deep cellar to keep the produce fresh. In the case of milk, he had to make it into cheese or yogurt. Bato wanted to know how Lon Lon was able to produce pasteurized milk or, at the very least, close to resembling it. "I need some more milk, anyhow, so I guess we're heading to the ranch."

Link was almost done with the vegetables when Bato checked up on his progress. He looked up to him. "Any better?"

"Much," Bato said, smiling. "It takes practice getting used to cutting vegetables rather than monsters."

"I prefer this much more."

"Me too." Soon, dinner was prepared and the two of them sat down to eat. "I'm sure Malon will be happy to see you."

"Yeah. I'm sure she will." Mumbling to himself, Bato wondered whether he knew about what happened to Malon at Castle Town or not. He would rather not tell that story. Most likely, it would greatly upset him.

"You came back from Termina, right? So, you did technically see her. Twice."

Link took a minute to finish chewing his food. Swallowing, he asked. "What do you mean, twice?"

"Romani? Cremia? Although sisters in Termina, you can say they're the past and future Malon."

"I never thought of it that way. It was weird seeing child Malon and adult Malon together." Link suddenly went quiet. His expression turned serious.

"Are you okay?" Bato asked out of concern.

"Just a lot of memories, that's all." The mood was spoiled, but Bato didn't dare to pry into Link's business unless he shared first. The two ate their dinner, silently. In the evening, the two were at the fireplace when Link spoke. "Bato?"

"Yes, Link."

He was quiet for a moment. He had an unsure look, but he shook his head. "Nothing."

"Do you want to talk about it? About how you feel?"

Link clicked his teeth. "I'm going to bed."

"Alright Link. I'll be here if you need me, okay?" The boy nodded and headed upstairs. Bato had a feeling that tonight was not going to be a pleasant one for either of them. He was right.

The moon descended upon the Clock Town. The central tower collapses completely under the weight of the sinister moon. Its grim visage meeting with the town, destroying anything and everything in its path.

Time was up.

Those still in the town ran, but it was futile. There were others that tried to evacuate out of the town and into Termina Field. Terror and fear griped all life as the moon came crashing down. Man-made structures destroyed, forests and valleys reduced to ash, the sea burned and the dead of Ikana Valley raised a single, monstrous groan. The moon was engulfed now; its fire circled, burning everything that it touched. Rock and debris spun around at an alarming rate, destroying everything that it crashes into.

Link was now in a black void, but it wouldn't remain that for long. Soon, the horizon and the sky turned into a mixture of red and white; a burst of orange joined the colors. A great firewall headed towards him. Link held his hands out to defend himself, but the blaze was too great. His entire body burned hot; everything melting on him. The pain of death was an instant.

Majora's Mask faced into the fire, laughing at its victory. Then comes a familiar voice.

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

In the middle of the night, Bato woke up. This wasn't his usual bathroom time, and he couldn't hear anything strange going on. He could, however, felt something was off, and he had a good idea what that might be. He got up from his bed and headed toward Link's room. Opening it, he saw Link sitting on his bed, silently. The door opening gave Bato away and he looked at him, blankly.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked, with slight hesitation.

"I just…wanted to check up on you, is all. You good?" The boy remained silent, returning his gaze to the wall. Taking a chance, Bato pulled up a chair, went to his side and hugged him. He didn't resist but he didn't embrace it, either. After a few moments, Link started to speak.

"Three days." He mumbled. "I had three days, and I couldn't save them." So, that was bothering him. Termina and its cycles. It seems, on one of those cycles, he failed.

"You played the 'Song of Time', right? It reset everything."

"There was no time." Link mumbled, quietly. "Twinmold. The Stone Tower. I thought I…I had enough time."

"You faced down one of those masked beasts, lost track of time, then it was too late?" Link flinched at that fact. They both sat there, quiet for a moment; taking in each other's company.

Link's face had a thousand-yard stare. Like something incomprehensible happened. "All those people. Screaming. Yelling. Running. What else did everyone feel when the moon fell?"

"People were most likely feeling a lot of things when that happened." The young boy's reaction so far had been subdued. He wanted to get Link's true feelings out there. "You must have seen it then. The end."

Link shook his head. He didn't want to speak on it, clearly. Even in the torchlight, Bato could see that the topic of Termina's destruction bothered him. "I won't force you to talk about it. I know it's not a simple thing. Know that you are safe here and that you'll always will be." Bato smiled and started to get up. But a small hand caught his wrist. For a small boy, he had quite the grip. Link looked unsure; scared even while he looked at Bato. After a few moments of this tense standoff, he started to talk again.

"It was dark. It was cold. Then, a big wave of fire washed me over. It burned all over. I heard Majora, laughing at me. Then, I found myself back in the clock tower. With the Happy Mask Salesman introducing himself to me again." Majora's Mask didn't have a standard game over. Even after all this time, players would have the destruction of Clock Town as one of the most horrifying things that's ever happened in a Nintendo game.

But this boy lived through it.

"After that, I made sure to have plenty of time to reset if I needed to. The idea of redoing time as if it was nothing bothered me. I kept on returning to the same three days repeatedly. Everyone doing the same thing, knowing what will happen next. Then changing events so that a person would have a better outcome."

"So, like a game?" Bato said, ironically.

At once, Link closed his eyes. He looked disgusted at himself. "Exactly, like a game. I knew it wasn't. There were times I didn't even treat any threats seriously because I knew I could just redo time before the moon fell. I should have known better. I should have saved them all sooner."

"One person can only do so much. Especially, when they're trying to save the land on their own." There was silence for a moment. "Do you know what insanity means?"

The boy shook his head.

"It's said that one of the meanings of insanity is doing the same thing over again whole expecting a different result. You say you treated it as a game. I'd say that was an escape so you didn't go mad. Don't feel bad about yourself trying to cope."

Link remained unconvinced, still looking scared. "The same thing over again. Does that include people too?"

"Yes, especially when in a time loop. But, it doesn't change the fact that you helped them. That you continued to help them. While the people may not remember, you kept at it instead of giving up."

"That's what hurt the most. They wouldn't remember anything." He was shaking quietly. "It was always the same. I befriend them, I help them, and they forget me. Going through the same thing over and over…"

"Must have been maddening. Having the same conversation, doing the same thing, solving the same problem."

"I hated it," Link shook his head, ruefully. "I refused to leave anyone behind. I wanted everyone to be happy. Everyone."

"Your actions pay off in the end, right? You saved Termina. You freed the giants; you freed the Skull Kid. You fought Majora's Mask, the Moon and won! You made people's lives happier that day, right? You knew what was going to happen and changed it for the better. People, are living rich, fulfilling lives because of you."

He started to calm down. "You were scared, right? That had to be one of the most terrifying things you've ever done. But you powered on through. You never gave up. It's said that bravery is not found in the absence of fear but in one's reaction to it. You felt fear and why wouldn't you, considering all the things you've faced? What did you do in the face of fear?"

"I fought back."

"Yes, you did. If that's not a mark of a true hero, then I don't know what is. I will tell you this: it's okay to feel sadness, anger, hatred and all the negative feelings of the known world. It's okay to express yourself. So long as you never let that negativity control you."

"…I…. sooner." Link mumbled again.

"You're not going to able to save everyone, despite you being a hero. That's the part you're going to have to accept. It's just a fact of life. You're way too hard on yourself, Link. Be proud of what you've done, rather than think on what could have been." Bato started to get up, but Link's hand grabbed him by the wrist again.

"Don't go. Please stay."

Nodding, Bato tucked Link back in his bed and waited until he was fast asleep.

Bato took the handcart, with Link (who rode on Epona) in tow, out of the farm and on the road towards Lon Lon Ranch. It was early morning; the sun was peaking over the horizon. Birds were starting to sing, and the farmlands of the other farmers came up just as fast. Already, some farmers were working their fields for the day. When Bato passed by, each of the farmers gave a wave, a nod, or even a greeting.

"Friends of yours," Link asked, riding along beside Bato.

"… Farmers from the market." Thanks to Bato's actions with the bandits, he had garnered support from not only the commerce guild but also the farming community as well. The problem was that Bato's farm was too far for anyone to make a meaningful trip. This was the first time in a long while he had taken the road ever since he came to Hyrule. Turning on the signpost, the two headed towards the ranch. As they got closer, they could see the farm pastures and horses on the field.

"It's said that they raise good stock here. I wonder if it's true."

"Well, where did you think I got Epona from?" Link patted his horse.

Bato gazed before the farmlands and asked, "Can I ask why you're returning Epona to the ranch?"

"I think he deserves a long rest after Termina. Let him glaze on the grass and run free with his friends. To relax and to rest."

"That's a nice sentiment, Link. But he's not the only one that would need that." Both looking at each other, Link made a sad smile.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?", Bato asked sincerely.

"I keep dragging you into my problems. You helped me so much. In more ways than one. I haven't done anything in return." He slowly shook his head, sadly.

"My guy, I get it. You've seen a lot of things, and I mean a lot of things in your journeys. Things that would make an adult man piss his pants."

"You'd think so?" Tilting his head, Link wondered about that. Then, he nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I have seen a lot of scary things. When I face them, they don't bother me. It's only after everything is done that they do."

"You fight them because you must. But when you rest, when your body is no longer in danger, the fear crashes down."

"Yeah." Thinking silently for a moment, Link ruffled Epona's mane.

"Something bothering you?"

"No…I mean, yes. I-"

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, I want to. It's just…it's amazing."

"What is?"

"How you describe everything that I've gone through. You understand the things that I've seen. You know the monsters I faced and the deeds I've done for everyone. It's like you said: you seen the world through my eyes."

"Only because you were a player avatar. These visions are vivid. I'll give you an example. When you face down a ReDead, I can hear its scream."

Link shuttered at the thought. "Do you have any monsters you're afraid of?"

"Let's see. ReDead. Gibdos. Wallmasters. Floormasters. I think those are my main ones."

"It's a good thing that you weren't with me in the Shadow Temple."

"I am glad of that. I don't think my heart would be able to take that many jump scares."

"Jump…Scares?"

"Right. A jump scare is when a disturbing image and/or sound pops right out of nowhere and scares you silly."

"Oh, I've had plenty of those."

"That, I have no doubt." Bato paused and asked, "What's your honest opinion on the Water Temple?"

"The Water Temple?" He took a minute to think. "I don't mind it. It had as many puzzles as the other temples, but I guess the annoying part of it was trying to find the keys and do a lot of backtracking."

"Playing 'Zelda's Lullaby' every time you want to change the water level, was an annoying part, too."

Link pointed at him excitedly. "Yes! Exactly! I had to play that ocarina so many times I thought I was seeing the notes of that song!" During this time, Link spoke to Bato about his varied experiences in the temples and dungeons of Hyrule. He inserted some commentary here and there and it excited Link just the same.

In no time at all, they've reached Lon Lon Ranch. Barns and houses were the first things the two saw before entering the gate. Its signature racetrack and the fence that went around in the middle. The storage tower lay beyond that.

The game showed one barn and one house. Here, however, was one house and three barns.

As they passed the entrance, a man walked up towards them. Bushy eyebrows and a brown mustache. Wearing a raised collar, red and blue outfit with white pants. His green boots chinked the ground.

"Ingo," Bato mumbled to himself. Ingo was the disgruntled worker of Lon Lon Ranch. During the Civil War, Ingo appealed to Ganondorf and was granted ownership of Talon's ranch. Kicking Talon out to Kakariko Village and making Malon do all the hard labor, Link appears and wins Epona from him. Attempting to lock him out, Link goes over the fence and seems to mellow out after the whole fiasco. But the man who approached him didn't look disgruntled. Rather, he had a small smile on his face.

"Link! And Epona too! Welcome back!" Link dismounted as Ingo shook the boy's hand. "I'm sure Malon will be happy to see you here!" He looked at Bato. "Who's your friend, Link?"

"This is Mr. Bato. He's taking care of me at the farm near Castle Town." Bato made a small bow.

Ingo's eyes shot up. "Mr. Bato? The very same that was selling produce twice the size of regular ones. The one that beat up those bandits. And-" He noticed Bato's murderous glare. "I-I've already wasted so much of your time, sir. Let me get Talon for you."

"Thank you," Bato said, tersely. Ingo walked towards the house.

"What was that about, Bato?"

"What was what?"

"You looked like you were going to kill him."

Bato remembered the kind of dick he was during Link's journey. This memory somehow aggravated him. "…Tempting."

Link sighed at him. "This Mr. Ingo is not the same from seven years in the future. He's a lot happier, the last time I saw him." How Link didn't have any grievances after all he'd done was surprising.

"The last time you saw him, he was hating life. Let's just say that his first impression left much to be desired."

"Harsh."

While the two were talking, Ingo and another man came out of the house. He was built like a brick house. He wore his hair in a ponytail, hairy on his arms. His blue overalls were a bit loose, with his red shirt underneath. His boots, as well as everything, were muddled from head to toe. Talon made a mad dash towards Bato and hugged him. This almost squeezed the life out of him. "Talon? Right?"

The ranch owner's voice boomed. "Boy, you should have sent word that you were coming here today!" He laughed. "It's good to finally put a name to the face."

"Likewise, I'm sure."

"Link!" He shook Link's hand vigorously. "I'm glad to see you and Epona's safe and sound! It looks like you grew a few inches last time I saw ya!" He then stroked Epona's coat. "You've look great, Epona, I know."

"Mr. Talon, you're looking really good!" Link was beaming.

"Yeah, well. A lot's happened and I want to do more on the ranch for Ingo and Malon, so I've been hard at work getting this place in tip-top shape! Matter of fact, I think the local lord's coming here in a month, so we got to be ready for that."

"We're already in good shape, sir," Ingo said. "With you, me, and the extra hands, I have no doubt we'll impress the living daylights out of Lord Cobn."

"We better. Otherwise, we can kiss that tithe exemption goodbye. Then we'd be hurtin'. But enough talk about adult stuff. Link, I'm guessing you wanna see Malon. She's been talking about you lately."

"Really?" Link smiled.

"She's on the racetrack. Why don't you take Epona and surprise her!"

"Good idea!" As Link took Epona and led him towards the racetrack, the atmosphere drastically changed. Ingo and Talon showed their wearily faces when Link's face was away from them.

"How is she?" Bato asked, solemnly.

Talon heaved a great sigh. "She's been doing better. She's talking to someone at the church about what happened. She still has nightmares about that."

"Poor girl." Ingo looked distraught. "To have that happen to her." Talon clenched his fists and stamped his foot. "Sir, please, we've been through this!"

"I know! I…just…" Sighing, Talon walked a little way. "She's trying to get back to normal. She's trying to do the things that make her happy. But I can see it on her face. It's not the same as before."

"This was a life-changing event, sir. Your girl will have to live with that."

"I know that! I wish I was doing more to help her!"

"You've been doing enough, sir." Ingo put his hand on his shoulder. "You've been working hard on the ranch, helping me with the chores, trying to spend as much time with Malon as possible."

Bato spoke with venom in his mouth. "Know that the bastards that did this have paid dearly for their sins. Death was too good for them."

"I agree." Talon slumped, relaxing a little. "At least she has gotten some justice, but in the end what good is that? The damage is done. What to do?"

"You continue to be the good-natured father that you've meant to be," Bato said, quietly. "I'm not a father and this is not much coming from me. But ever since that day, you've been at your daughter's corner; helping her any way you can. You became a role model, a father, someone who can be trusted. Now is the time to keep that momentum going. Be courageous. Be strong. Show your daughter what it means to have those things again."

Talon dropped to his knees. "Goddesses, damn it, Bato!" He started to weep while Ingo had his hand on his shoulder. "Malon! Papa's sorry for letting you down."

"Sir. Please be strong for your daughter." Ingo was on the verge of tears as well. Bato decided to let the two men have their moment, so he made his way to the racetrack. When he got there, he saw Malon and Link playing around with Epona. The two genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves. Bato sat on the bench and took out the ocarina. He started to play 'Epona's Song' on it. The tune carried itself on the wind, and all the other horses stopped to listen. Link and Malon stopped, trying to find the source of the tune.

Suddenly, Epona galloped over to Bato and buckled before him. "Shit. I forgot that was a summon song!"

"Epona!" Link called out. Both Malon and Link ran out to Epona and saw Bato sitting on the bench. When she saw him, she rushed in with tears in her eyes and hugged him.

She whispered to him. "Mr. Bato. You came. You, see? The fairy boy's here."

He smiled at them. "I know, I know. I brought him here, after all." He then wiped the ocarina off on his sleeve and held it out to Link. "Sorry for playing on it. I should have remembered to give this back to you."

Link looked at the ocarina and then at Bato. "Keep it."

"What?" He looked at Link, who held a deep look. "Why?"

"It's in good hands, that's why! Yours! Come on, you two, let's head back!" As Link led Epona onto the racetrack again, Malon turned towards Bato.

"Thanks again, Mr. Bato." She said with a smile.

"Be strong. Be brave. Just like your papa." He gave a small wink, and she blushed. Giggling a little, she ran after Link and Epona. It was about noon when Ingo called out to the trio for lunch. Everyone was in the house, eating a nice meal of fish, bread and water. Bato took the pitcher of milk and cooled it down. Pouring the glasses, everyone took a drink.

Ingo's eye shot wide again. "Sir!"

Talon nodded in agreement. "Bato, what in Hylia's name did you do to the milk?" Malon was enjoying herself, drinking the entire glass.

"This? I just cooled it." Link smiled at their gobsmacked faces. The first time he had cooled milk, he was just as amazed as they were.

"You 'cooled' it?" Talon looked at his helper, who hadn't got the stunned shock wiped off his face. "Ingo, if we could do it…"

"I can see the appeal, sir. It would be a hit for the people. But he used magic to do this. Milk can be kept for only so long until it spoils. So, cellaring it is out of the question."

"Dang nab it!" Slumping on his chair, Talon washed his face with his hand. "We could use ice to insulate the milk, but that's just impractical. It'll freeze."

"Why don't you make a fridge?" Everyone turned to Bato who was eating his fish, absentmindedly.

"Fridge? What's a fridge?"

Bato's eyes shot wide, realizing what he said. "Oh shit, did I say that out loud?" He just made the comment without any thought not remembering where he was. Hyrule was in medieval times. Just introducing this would throw the land into a new field of research. "Oh, what the hell. I had an absorption crystal lying around, and I put as much ice magic as it could hold. Then, using some steel made a case. Putting the crystal at the back of the case, I had made small rods to distribute the magic evenly. Thus, making what I call a fridge."

Ingo scratched his chin. "Absorption crystals are difficult to come by. I've only heard that the military uses it to suck the magic from enemies. So, that kind of thing not available to the common man."

"Yet Bato, with the goddess' luck was able to find one." Talon frowned and shook his head. "There's no helping it right now. While, it would be nice, we just don't have something like that available to us yet. Doesn't mean I'm quittin, though. Think about what we can do if we have this type of thing! Not only milk, but food too! I'm gonna ask around the guild and markets to see if there's something that can work like an absorption crystal."

"That's the idea! I know you can do it, daddy!" Malon held up her glass. "Can I have some more, please?"

Pouring the pitcher, Bato sat back down and was now witness to Ingo and Talon's excited chatter about the possibility of creating a 'fridge.' He whispered to Link, "you think they could replicate Château Romani?"

He just shrugged. "Cremia did make it, but you need special cows, if I recall."

"So, it could be related to their diet then."

"Could be." Link, drinking from his glass held it up for Bato. "More, please?"

"Sorry Link. Malon finished the pitcher." The two of them looked at Malon, pleasantly enjoying the cooled milk. She smiled as Link pouted. In the evening, Link and Bato prepared to head back to the farm. Ingo loaded up a crate of milk in the handcart.

"How much for the milk?"

"Stop it, Bato." Talon smacked his back. "You're always free to get more milk when you run out! Just let us know!" The three saw Malon and Link holding each other's hand and smiling. "Does me good that my little girl is happy."

"I'm sure that you'll keep it that way." Bato lifted the cart. "Ingo. Talon. Continue to work hard and call if you need anything."

"We should be saying that." Ingo shook Bato's hand. "Thank you. For everything."

Nodding, Bato called out to Link. "Link! Time to go!" The green kid hugged Malon who, under the setting sun, blushed a little. Waving goodbye, Bato and Link bade farewell to Lon Lon Ranch.

Bato was closing for the night. When he stepped out of the house, a cool wind blew gently against him. Stretching his arms, he surveyed the land. What was once a hut, and a plot of land grew to a fully functional farm. Eventually, he would have to hire workers of his own to keep up with the production. For now, at least, he could take his time and stockpile as much as possible.

He hadn't seen Link since they got back and hoped that he wasn't in any danger again. Looking towards the Lost Woods, he spotted him on the bench, with Saria. It looked like they were talking to each other for a long while. Bato could see from the torchlight the solemn faces the two had. Then, Saria appeared to cry, and Link went over to hug her. They continued to talk until the stars appeared. Then he got up and waved goodbye to her. She smiled gently, waved back, and disappeared.

As Link walked towards Bato, he could see him wiping away a few tears. "Everything okay?"

Link was silent for a moment, then answered, "Yes. Everything's okay."

"All right, then. Let's go to bed." The two entered the house and the door was shut.