Masks

The Legend of Zelda and all related media are property of Nintendo.

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(GORON)

"Bombs?" Four suggested as he and his counterparts stared at the push switch at the far end of a lake of lava.

"They'd blow up before they even hit the thing," Twilight replied. "Not to mention the fact that they aren't heavy enough to activate it."

"It's too far to jump to," Legend. Wild concurred, gazing irritably at the low ceiling overhead.

"How deep is it?" Wind asked.

Wild took out a spear, walking over to the lava. He dipped the weapon into the molten earth, grimacing as it sunk at least a foot down.

"Why not just leave?" All present turned to Hyrule, "I mean, the exit's back that way. This place will still be here whenever we get back; maybe we're missing some sort of item."

As multiple people started to agree or disagree with his assessment, Time sighed audibly, "No, we're not missing anything."

"What then? See something we're not?" Sky asked.

"No. I mean I have an item that can help us with this," he said, reaching into one of his many pouches. When everyone clamored around to see what it was, they were perplexed to see it was a wooden mask of a Goron.

"What's that do?" Four asked.

In lieu of answering, Time placed the mask on his face.

A flash of white light forced them all avert their gaze. When the light faded, they all either stepped back or gasped in shock.

There, in Time's place, was a goron. But a goron with Time's features. He had the same facial markings, the same scar over his closed right eye. And this goron wore clothing—a necklace of shiny black rocks around his neck, thick leather boots, his golden gauntlets, and a chainmail…loincloth.

"Stand back," he said in the low bass reserved for Goron Chiefs. The other Heroes quickly do so, just in time for the goron—Time—to hop into the lava. He walked forward, ignorant or uncaring of their dumbstruck expressions.

He made it to the switch, climbing atop it. But it wouldn't push down. He stomped on the switch a couple times, before stopping.

"Think he…uh…needs a hammer?" Wind asked.

Before anyone else could say anything, however, Time curled up into a ball—as a goron typically does. He then bounced ten feet into the air—something a goron should not have been capable of—his rocky skin turning gray and slammed back into the ground with an audible WHAM! The switch activated; a section of the wall to their right vanished, revealing a staircase leading further down. Not that anyone noticed, too busy staring as Time rolled back to them.

When he made it back to land, he took a moment to shake some lava off his boots, and then took of the mask, revealing his normal, Hylian form once more. "Let's go," he said, brushing past his shocked counterparts and heading down.

"Wha—bu—wait a goddamn second!" Legend shouted, sprinting forward, galvanizing the others to follow and clamor as well.

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(Zora)

"How long are you going avoid answering our questions?" Sky said—shouted—over the rain.

"I did answer them," Time replied, looking out over the lake. "It's a mask that allows me to take on the form and abilities of a Goron."

"And why do you have a mask that let's you take on the form and abilities of a Goron?" Legend snarked. They didn't always interrogate him over what had occurred a few weeks ago—they had more important things to worry about—but every now and then, their collective dam of patience just burst.

Time just calmly looked over at his counterpart. "…Why do you cry when the gull calls?"

Legend growled wordlessly, and Sky and Hyrule moved to separate the two, only to be interrupted as Wild and Wind returned to them.

Wild spoke first, pulling off his water-logged cloak. "I still say I should just toss a couple bombs into the lake."

"You are not destroying another bed of water," Wind said, before shaking the water off of him like a dog.

"Where's Twilight?"

"He put on some weird fish get-up," Wind replied, "Said he'd try and catch the fish himself."

"Don't see why he can dive underwater with his armor," Wild muttered somewhat irately.

"That's not going to work," Time said.

"Why not?" asked Hyrule.

"It's too dark," Legend said, his anger giving way to his usual gruffness. "Doesn't matter that he can swim like a Zora, he needs to be able to see like one. Ah, there he is," Legend pointed to the edge of the lake, where Twilight was stomping towards the rest of them.

He flopped down before them, thanking Four when he handed him a towel. "Gonna have to wait the storm out before we try and catch that fish."

"But it'll probably die by then," Warrior said, "can't be healthy, having a giant key lodged in your gut."

"So it dies," Four said flippantly, "Then it'll float to the surface and we can find it easily."

"Or," Twilight stood, having finally removed his armor, "something could tear it apart, and the key sinks down to the bottom and gets lost in the muck."

Four glowered lightly but stayed silent.

"Twilight's right," Time said. "Even worse, we could teleport to another Hyrule, and this key would be lost forever. We need it now."

"And just how are we—oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Legend shouted as Time pulled out a mask from his pouch.

The eldest Hero looked over his shoulder with a smarmy grin, "You never asked if I had more than one." He then placed it over his face, and once again, there was a blinding flash of light.

This time, it was a Zora that stood in the Hylian's place. Like before, he had the same facial markings, scar, boots, and gauntlets. Unlike before, he wore a golden clothed tunic, and a thick leather choker, bound at the front by a large pearl. Also, unlike the goron form—which largely conformed to the general attributes of the species—this one, who's scales were predominately teal in color, had patterns similar to Time's Hylian armor, and the tip of his headfin was mostly yellow, akin to his hair.

"I'll be back," he said in the soothing tenor of a Zora.

"Ooohh…" the other seven Heroes turned to Wild, who blinked, and coughed into his hand, hiding his blush, "Just…uh…weird that he can turn into a Zora as well." He pulled at his collar, "Is it getting hot in here?"

They were interrupted from observing the young man further when Time returned, a squirming Hylian Bass in hand.

"…Is that the right one?" Hyrule asked. Time merely turned it over, revealing a glassy eye surrounded by jagged scales. "Okay…uh…let's grab a knife and—" he was interrupted when Time held the Fish out at arm's length, his other arm hovering over it. There was a wet SQUELCH and the fin on Time's arm extended over ten time's it's original length, gutting the fish and forcing the key onto the ground.

"…Or you could do that."

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(DEKU)

"Ok, where the hell are we now!" Warrior shouted, his voice echoing into the leafy canopy above.

"A forest," Hyrule stated. Warrior glared at his alternate self, who smirked impishly in response.

"A magical forest," Wild added. At Warrior and Hyrule's incredulous looks he said, "What, can't you feel it?"

Before either could question the younger Hero, Time said, "He refers to the magic coursing through the ground. Flowing through the breeze." He paused, taking a deep breath, his lips spreading into a small smile.

"Woah! Is that a genuine smile I see?" Sky asked jovially.

"Thought we'd never see that after leaving Malon," Four said, ribbing Time good-naturedly.

"It is rare, I'll admit," the eldest hero said with a laugh.

"Hey!" Wind shouted, catching their attention. "There's a path down this way!"

The other Heroes went over and gathered around him, staring bleakly at the 'path' leading further into the forest.

"…This bodes well," Twilight said, eyeing the barely trod dirt road weaving in between giant shrubs and thick trees.

"Aw, come on guys!" Wind said with a wide grin, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Left it behind three different Hyrules ago," Legend replied.

Wind blew a raspberry, forging on ahead. Only to fly back as two creatures popped out from the ground.

"Halt!" the creatures said in unison, the show of intelligence stopping the Heroes mad grab for their weapons.

"…Deku Scrubs?" Four whispered after peering at the creatures for a moment. They certainly looked like the forest creatures—with their wooden bodies, clothing hewn from large leaves, glowing orange eyes, and wide, conical mouths.

"Correct, Hylian," the Scrub on the right said in the light and raspy tone typical of their race. "Now leave."

"Come again?" Sky asked, staring curiously at the creatures he'd never seen before.

The right Scrub shook itself violently, forcing the Heroes to take a step back. "Leave. This forest is not meant for the likes of you."

"Why not?" Hyrule asked, genuinely curious.

"You're too tall, you'll mess everything up," the one on the right said. "Except maybe for you," it said, staring at Four.

Before the shortest Hero had a chance to grow angry, a raspy voice from behind them said, "They're with me."

The Heroes turned, not really all the shocked to see that Time had transformed into another race. This form, as typical to Deku, was short. He had arms though, unlike most other Deku, and was, once more, wearing leather boots, golden gauntlets, and a gold colored skirt. Atop his head was a pile of golden leaves that had roughly taken the shape of his normal hair.

It was his face that was the most disconcerting, however. Unlike other Deku, his eyes were angled in such a way that made him look like he was one step away from bursting into tears. His facial markings looked as if they were carved into his wooden flesh, and his right eye, which still had a scar running across it, was not, as it would be with any other being, closed. The shape of it was still prominent, but instead of a glowing orange eye like his left one, this one was a dull, dark gray.

"I assume they'll be fine if they have an escort?" Time asked, brushing past his companions.

The two Deku stared at Time, "…Never seen you around before," the one on the left said.

Time crossed his stubby arms over his body, "I'm a traveler."

"With Hylians?" the one on the right asked incredulously.

"They need guidance," Time said, looking back at them. His good eye glowed brighter, and the other Heroes could only assume he was smirking at them. They weren't terribly amused.

"…Fair point." Before anyone could argue, the two Deku shuffled to the side, opening the way forward, "The path comes to several different crossroads. Go left twice, right three times, and forward once, and you'll reach the exit. Normally I'd show you the way to the village but…" the Deku trailed off, staring at the other Heroes.

"I understand. Come along now," Time called out to them, leading the way forward. The others could do naught more than silently follow.

After the made the first turn, Warrior made to speak. Only for Time to cut him off, saying, "Quiet. Just because the Deku won't bother us doesn't mean nothing else will." A Wolfos's howl punctuated his sentence, and they wisely decided to keep quiet and move on.

Thankfully, the made it through without delay, coming to a large, vast plain.

"This is my Hyrule," Four mentioned absently to his disinterested allies. Not that he was any better; they were too busy staring at Time, who had, once more, removed a mask off his face—one of a Deku.

"Ok, I get that you aren't going to tell us about the origin behind those things," Wild said, "But can you at least tell us how many of them you have?"

"Like this?" he said, holding up the Deku mask. "…Just the Goron and Zora ones," he said after a moment.

Legend and Twilight narrowed their eyes at his hesitance, but neither was yet willing to go about spilling and receiving truths, so they stayed silent.

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(DIETY)

They were fighting a losing battle, Four knew. They were ambushed by two Gohma's and their children (he didn't even know they could have children). They did their best to keep together but were forced to split off as they were overwhelmed. Four found himself back-to-back with Twilight and Time; and face-to-face with both Boss Monsters. The others were near, but too distracted by the smaller monsters to be of any help.

"I've been in tough situations before—!" Twilight cut himself off with a curse as one of the Gohma hurled rocks at them.

"Preaching to the choir!" Four shouted as he and Time fired arrows at the other Gohma's eye, only to grow frustrated as its mate once again covered its flank.

Time looked around. He then set his face into a determined frown. "…Get clear," he said, his tone more serious than Four, or even Twilight, had ever heard before. "Now!" he shouted when the two hesitated.

The two of them ran—Twilight throwing out some to clear their path—but stopped to stare at Time. He wasn't staring down the Bosses like some story-book hero, nor was he trying to cast some sort of spell. Instead, he was staring down at…something in his hands. It was only when he brought the item to his face that they realized it was a mask.

But this was unlike the previous times, where the mask would emit a bright, blinding light. Instead, when Time placed the mask on his face, nothing happened. Then, he doubled over, as if in pain. Twilight took a step forward, but then Time jerked to the side, clutching his head with a low moan. He spasmed again, his cries growing louder. Culminating in him arching his back, roaring to the heavens. Only then, were they blinded by the light of the transformation.

And when the light dissipated, they were stunned—as were the monsters, who seemed to halt all activity. Before them, was a Hylian male, much like Time's original form; and yet very much different. He was taller, which was saying something, for Time already towered over most adults. He was built also more solidly. His hair, once a gleaming gold, was now white as snow. He looked to the left—to the equally dumbstruck faces of Warrior, Hyrule, Wild, and Legend—and the pair were surprised to see that he had red markings on that side of his face as well, and that his eye, his entire eye, was the same shade of white as his hair. But it was when he looked to the right—at Sky and Wind—that Twilight and four gasped; for though there was still the scar across it, his right eye was open, unharmed, and glowing white.

Then, Time stared forward at the Gohma pair. He held out his left hand, and teal orbs of magic began to hover around him. There was an audible SHING and he swung his arm out, a sword—made of two curved, inter-woven blue and green blades, leaving two large gaps before they joined at the tip—materializing from the light and into his hand.

He pulled his right foot back, holding his strange blade perpendicular to the ground, teal magic gathering around the blade, coating it from hilt to tip. Then with a shout—no, a harsh, animalistic roar—he spun around, a massive wave of blue energy exploding outward.

The Heroes braced themselves, averting their eyes, but even then, they were all pushed back by the sheer force of the attack. The light soon dissipated, and the eight young Heroes were stunned to see all but the adult Gohma had vanished.

Time had settled into a ready stance—feet shoulder width apart, both hands on the hilt of his weapon as he pointed it forward—when the Gohma realized what had occurred. Their eyes shifted to blood-red, and they roared in unison, skittering forward

Time roared in turn, sprinting forward to meet them. He swung his blade forward in a horizontal arc. This wave of energy was much smaller than the previous one, but it rocketed forward with immense speed, slamming against one of the Gohma, tearing off three of its legs and forcing it to a stop.

The second Gohma and Time finally met, the large insectoid grinding to a halt and slamming its two pincers down in an effort skewer the transformed Hero. Time sidestepped the attack, holding his blade out so that one of the pincers stuck through one of the holes in his blade. He turned on his heel, and with a harsh bellow, swung his blade overhead, flipping the monster over and slamming it on its back. He pulled his blade back, messily tearing off the limb. Time grabbed the limb, lifting it high, and stabbed it into the Gohma's unprotected underbelly. Its deathly wails echoed throughout the room and grated their ears.

The second Gohma roared, but it was weak, and could barely hobble forward. Time barely spared it a glance, firing off a wave of energy which bisected the creature.

The other Heroes slowly gathered around Time, who was calmly surveying the carnage he wrought. Upon reaching him, the man turned to face them—still keeping a tight grip on his sword—and they all had to repress the urge to flinch as his blank white eyes seemed to bore through their souls.

Twilight stepped in front of the rest, "Uh…Time," he gulped when the man zeroed in on him, his face blank as a stone. "We're safe…the threat's gone."

Time stayed silent, still as a statue. Wild sensed a shift in the air, and instinctually stepped back.

But before anything could come of it, Time abruptly brought his free hand up to his face. Yet, instead of simply taking off the mask, his flesh squished and stretched as he pulled on it. Then, there was the sickly, familiar sound of tearing flesh, and a bright white light overtook their vision. It vanished, revealing Time; doubled over, panting, sweat pouring down his face, his mask—which looked remarkably like his own face—held loosely in his hands.

Legend was the first to recover from his stupor. "What the hell…was that?"

"Long story," Time stood back up, wiping his face and smiling wearily, "I'll tell you…lat…er…" he collapsed in a heap. At least, he would have, had Twilight not rushed forward and caught him.

They decided to rest there; they didn't want to move Time too much. He awoke not too long after they removed his armor. They gave him time to recover—let him drink some water, get food in his stomach, wipe off most of the sweat clinging to his body—before seeking answers.

Time took their frantic questions in stride, letting them get it all off their chests. He let them all sit in silence for a moment, before finally saying, "I'd hoped to save my story until we all trusted each other enough," he stopped to stare pointedly at them, Four and Legend especially, "but after that…display, I believe you deserve some answers." He resisted the urge to chuckled when they all moved closer like children out camping about to hear a horror story. "It starts in the Lost Woods. I was searching for my friend, Navi, who vanished after I'd accomplished the mission given to me by the goddesses…"

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A/N: The Masks from MM can solve, like, so many problems. Be sure to leave a review. Later.