Author's Note: This is something I've wanted to do ever since I finished Majora's Mask. Some of the flashbacks may seem familiar (some dialogue is taken out of the game) but there are many new additions. And I'll try not to leave a storyline unturned.
2nd Note: A sort of non-sequel. This takes place between "A Place Like Home…?" and "Armageddon and the Missing Link". "It's Finally Time…" was just a little intro. Anyway, it shouldn't be hard to follow…
It was a long 24 hours for Link. It was his first full day back at the ranch since being stuck in that parallel Hyrule. It wasn't a memorable day. Malon had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since they got back. She clearly wasn't happy with Link for some reason. But Link had a feeling why.
When night had fallen, Link found he couldn't sleep. Malon was sleeping soundly, but Link was tossing and turning. He figured it was because of all the nights he spent sleeping in another bed. Seeing how he wouldn't get much sleep this night, Link got up and walked out. Link didn't have to watch his step too much. It was nearly impossible to wake someone like Talon.
Besides, Link had done this so many times that it was like a part of his routine. It was something about the Hyrule sky at night that enraptured him. So Link stepped out the door, but not paying attention to what was behind him, he turned around and walked into…
"HEY!!"
**CRASH**
…Ingo. Link didn't see him. He turned around and walked right into the helpful farmhand, knocking down about half a dozen milk bottles he was carrying in his hand. He was less than pleased.
"Ach, you clumsy kid!" Ingo exclaimed loudly. "Why couldn't you pick any other night to go watch the stars?! Now I have to go milk the cows all over again!"
"Sorry," Link stammered. "If it makes you feel better, I'll help you out."
"Don't bother," Ingo said sourly. "I'll do it myself. Just go watch the stars, fairy boy."
"Hey, I have a name, you know!" Link cried out as Ingo walked back into the stable. Somehow, Link was never attached to the 'fairy boy' moniker that Malon had given him since they first met. She didn't call him that too much anymore, but sometimes she did it just to get under Link's skin.
Link just continued walking out towards the corral. He settled into his usual spot and just looked up into the sky. A few days ago, he was in another world and the sky was filled with a falling moon when the wizard, Drekkin, put on Majora's Mask. The other world was just like Hyrule. The wonders he had seen never ceased to amaze him. But he had never faced anything like Majora's Mask. He faced it in Termina and he faced it in the parallel Hyrule before Link threw it in limbo. Hopefully, he would never have to see it again.
"I thought you'd be out here."
Link turned his head to see Malon positioning herself right next to Link. She knew him well. They had gotten to know each other so well in the last six years…or was it thirteen years? Either way, Link and Malon started to become close shortly after Link came back from the Sacred Realm. When Link had won the ranch back for Malon and her father, he spent a night bonding with her. And she pretty much learned everything about Link and the life he lived.
Since then, Link and Malon never kept anything from each other. They loved each other. But in the back of Link's mind, he knew there was still one secret that he hadn't told her.
"How did you know I'd be out here?" Link asked.
"Oh, Link," Malon sighed. "You're always coming out here. For some reason, you've never been comfortable with just a good night's sleep. You've always had to come out here and…think."
"You know, it's nice."
"What is?"
"That you're actually talking to me," Link clarified. "I felt like you might have gone mute."
Malon turned away. "Just when I'm around you."
"Aw, come on," Link whined. "What did I do? Why are you mad at me? Why won't you tell me? I thought we never kept anything from each other."
Malon turned back and stared a hole right into Link. "Oh, I see. NOW we don't keep secrets from each other."
"I don't get it," Link said ignorantly. But in the back of his mind, he knew exactly what she meant.
"I thought we never kept anything from each other," Malon continued. "But when we were in that other world, I find out you have a skeleton in your closet the size of a Stalfos. How come you never told me about Termina?"
Link felt like he was ready to start sweating. He wanted to forget his time in Termina. For one thing, it was extremely awkward. To this day, he still didn't understand all of it. And he knew there were some details about his trip that wouldn't make Malon too happy. And there were some details Link didn't care to remember.
"I…didn't want you to worry about it," Link tried answering. "Besides…I may have…sort of…lost Epona…at that time…"
"Oh, I see," Malon nodded insincerely. "You didn't think I was entitled to know about a moment where you nearly lost my favorite horse. You thought I'd hurt you or something, is that right?"
Link tried a half-smile. "Uh…yeah."
Malon's gaze turned stern. "Well, you're right!" She slapped Link over the head. "What's the matter with you?! What were you going to do if you didn't get her back?! And how did you think you could keep this from me?!"
"You know…" Link said, rubbing his head. "…You're right. I'm sorry. Look, I've been thinking…a lot."
"About what?"
"Last night, I thought about our relationship. We've never kept a single secret from each other. And as much as it pains me to think back to that time, it's not fair that I've never told you. So I've decided…to tell you everything…about Termina."
"You mean it?" Malon asked, looking Link in the eye. "You really want to tell me about that?"
"I guess it's something I've been meaning to tell someone," Link answered. "And you know how much I love you. So I guess I'll tell you about…one of the most confusing chapters of my life."
Malon beamed. "Then why don't you go ahead?"
Link took a deep breath. "It was that day a long time ago. After I defeated Ganondorf and saved Hyrule and we were both taken back to seven years before it all happened. Remember the next day, I asked you for a day to myself?"
Malon nodded. "You said you wanted a day to yourself…with Epona. I was afraid to let you ride her alone out in the Forest."
"Well…you might have been right about that. When I got out to the Lost Woods…"
"Lost Woods?!" Malon interrupted. "You took my horse to the Lost Woods?! What's wrong with you?! She was so little! You know how dangerous it can get out there!"
"I know, I know," Link sighed. "But I didn't think about that then. I was sort of preoccupied with having a day where I didn't have to fight any monsters. Anyway, I went to the Lost Woods…then it happened…"
It was great to just be a kid again. Having beaten Ganondorf the day before, Link was relieved to be just a ten-year old kid again. But…his world wasn't the same anymore. He couldn't go back to the forest anymore. He knew he would never see his friends again. He would never see Saria, Ruto, or Zelda ever again. His life had definitely changed. But there was one person who would be here for him. That person was Malon.
Somehow, Malon's memory of what happened remained. She recalled everything that Link went through; including their night at the ranch when Link told her everything there was to tell about his life. But Link needed to take a break. He wanted a day to himself.
So he took Epona for a ride in the Lost Woods. Usually when he was in the Lost Woods, he would go see Saria in the Sacred Forest Meadow. But with her being stuck in the Forest Temple as the Forest Sage, that was no longer possible. Besides, she had unceremoniously ended their friendship shortly after she was awakened as a sage. Now Link was just riding around the Lost Woods aimlessly.
He continued riding around, until he nearly hit something. It was a fairy. Epona reared up and Link fell off.
It was the last thing he remembered before it all went black.
"Something knocked me down," Link continued. "I went unconscious at probably the worse possible moment, because I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know at that moment that the fairy and her brother were working with a Skull Kid. They were a trio of scavengers who tripped up anyone who entered the forest and looted them. So while I was out, the Skull Kid searched my tunic and stole my ocarina from me. And then…"
Silence.
"Then…?" Malon reminded him.
"Then…he sort of jumped on Epona."
Malon had a stoic look on her face. "Keep going."
Link scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, anyway, when I finally woke up, it definitely brought back old memories. The Kokiri boys would always be doing that kind of stuff to me. It didn't help to see that those three were laughing at me…"
Link finally woke up. The first thing he saw was that Epona was gone. Though it didn't take long to find her. She was right in front of him, but someone was mounted on her. It was a Skull Kid in a mask. He was surrounded by two fairies that flew above him. And they all seemed to be laughing at Link.
"What's so funny?" Link demanded. "I could've been killed."
"You're so funny, because you didn't see us coming," the Skull Kid laughed. "You only just fell back on your head. You should have seen the look on your face."
"Ok, ok, maybe it was a little funny," Link lied. "So what are you doing on my horse?"
"You disappoint me," the Skull Kid replied. "You have nothing good to steal. All you have is this horse. Oh, yes. And this ocarina."
Link gasped. He searched his pockets and saw that he no longer had the Ocarina of Time.
"Hey!" Link shouted. "That's mine! Give it back!!"
The Skull Kid laughed. "If you want it, you'll have to catch me."
The Skull Kid started riding away with Epona. Link growled and leaped forward. He managed to grip Epona by the leg. He was dragged until he let go and found himself in front of a large tunnel. Link had never seen this in the Lost Woods before. He doubted any of the Kokiri ever saw this tunnel before. But he had to get Epona and his ocarina back, so Link ran in.
Unfortunately…Link fell right into a hole…and found himself knocked out again.
"I never knew about that before," Link went on. "Saria never told me about any tree tunnel in the Lost Woods. I don't even think she knew about it. But that's when the weirdness started…"
Link thought he was dreaming. When he looked around him, he was sure of it. But this was more like a nightmare. He was surrounded by darkness. The place was silent. It remained silent…until Link heard a rustling.
Link turned around and saw a pack of Deku Scrubs. They were of the mad breed and there had to be hundreds of them. They all saw the only non-Deku Scrub there. The Deku Scrubs began to move towards Link. Link tried to back up but felt he was frozen. He couldn't move. The Deku Scrubs kept coming closer.
Then they reached Link and began to tumble over him. Link couldn't even scream.
He was covered in Deku Scrubs…and darkness overcame Link again.
"That…was scary," Link breathed.
"You were covered in Deku Scrubs?" Malon asked. "Sounds creepy. But how do you remember something you dreamt six years ago?"
"I'll tell you," Link said dryly. "It wasn't as much the dream that I remembered. It was what happened when I woke up that haunted my memories for a long time…"
Link finally woke up. Why did he feel so…strange? Once again, Link woke up to see the Skull Kid and the two fairies in front of him. They seemed to find something very funny as they were almost cracking up at the sight of Link.
"Where's my horse?!" Link shouted.
"I didn't like that horse," the Skull Kid answered. "And it didn't like me, so I got rid of it."
Link felt his heart sink. Did this Skull Kid do away with Epona? And if he did, what would he tell Malon? She'd kill him. Just then, Link noticed that the Skull Kid and the two fairies were still in hysterics every time they looked at Link.
"Uh…do I have something in my nose?" Link asked ignorantly.
"What nose?" the Skull Kid asked. "Have you looked at yourself?"
Link's first thought was that they played a prank on him. He lived with the Kokiri boys long enough to know when something's been done to his face. So Link walked over to a nearby pond and looked for a reflection. That's when the nightmare started.
To say Link wasn't himself would be the understatement of a lifetime. Link was transformed…into a Deku Scrub.
"Hey! What'd you do to me?!" Link demanded.
"I knew someone as ugly as you needed a change," the Skull Kid teased. "So I decided to give you a new look."
"Look who's talking about ugly," Link snickered.
"Ok, smart guy," the Skull Kid sneered. "We'll just see who's laughing when I leave you like that…forever."
The Skull Kid started making his way out. Link tried to chase him out, but was nailed by one of the fairies. A huge door started to close and the two fairies scrambled to get out. One of them escaped, but the one that attacked Link didn't. This fairy was stuck.
"Sis?!" the other fairy called out from behind the door. "Sis!!"
"Leave her!" the Skull Kid shouted. "We have places to go. And we can't stick around."
"But I can't just leave my sister," the fairy argued. "Skull Kid…wait!!"
The fairy that was left behind seemed panicked. She ran up to the door and started shouting.
"Skull Kid!! Please don't leave me!! Tael, you just can't ditch me here!! Get me out of here!!"
Link almost felt sorry for the fairy. In a way, she almost reminded him of Navi. But Link had his own problems. He was a Deku Scrub and it seemed that the only one who could change him back was that Skull Kid. So Link had to go after him. He ran and opened the door and went after the Skull Kid.
Then Link heard the fairy behind him. "Wait! I'm sorry for what I did! Don't leave me here! Wait for me!"
Link went as far as he could go, until he hit a room with a giant water wheel. He could still hear the fairy following him. She was trying to say something to Link.
"Wait!" the out-of-breath fairy said. "I'm sorry for what I did back there. Please take me with you."
"Why should I?" Link asked angrily. "Thanks to you and your friend, I'm a Deku Scrub. You just want me to forget that. It's not something I can forget. I can't go home like this. I can't just go back to the ranch and tell Malon, 'I lost your horse and now I'm a Deku Scrub.' What would she say?"
"I…don't think it'll matter."
"Why not?"
The fairy took a deep breath. "Your not in your world right now. If this is the same thing Skull Kid told me about, then you're in another world."
"I'm in another world?" Link asked curiously.
"Think about it, kid," the fairy answered. "You ever see a tree tunnel like that in the Lost Woods before? It's there because it's a gateway to another world. You're not in Hyrule anymore. You're in Termina."
"What's Termina?"
"Termina is a parallel world. It's a lot like Hyrule, but it's very different. The people here look a lot like the people from Hyrule, but they vary from personality, to routine, to even different names."
"I don't care where we are," Link finally snapped. "I just want my ocarina back. I want my horse back. And I want to be me again. So get out of my way! I have to find this Skull Kid!" Link started to storm out.
"I can tell you where he is," the fairy said.
Link stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Y-You can?"
"I know where he's going," the fairy said ecstatically. "And I can lead you right to him. So let's go already. Oh, wait. What am I thinking? I haven't introduced myself. My name's Tatl. What's your name, scrub?"
"Link."
"Link? How does anyone get a name like 'Link'?"
Link recalled the story Saria told him about how he got his name. "Uh…you don't want to know. Let's just go. Lead the way."
Tatl started leading Link outside a humongous door that led into what he assumed was Termina. But then he heard another voice.
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
Link turned around to see a familiar face. It was the Happy Mask shop owner. Link remembered him from his quest to save Hyrule. But that seemed so long ago.
"A small Deku Scrub," he said. "Forgive my rudeness, but I've been following you. And you seem as if you might be looking for something. Something like a way to change yourself back into your original form."
"How'd you know?" Link asked curiously.
The Mask Shop owner smiled. "I know because the one who turned you into a Deku Scrub is the same one who stole something very valuable from me in the Lost Woods. It's something I hold very dear to me. It's an important mask and he wears it on his face. I'd like to ask you a favor, friend. I'd like to ask you to bring back what was stolen from you."
"My ocarina?"
"Yes, your ocarina. Please bring that back along with my mask."
"I…can't do that," Link responded. "As you can see, I'm not in any position to be doing any favors. I just want to get my ocarina back and be changed back into myself."
The Mask Salesman had another idea. "What if I told you that I could change you back into your original form?"
"You mean it?' Link asked. "You can change me back? Why can't you do it now?"
"I'd like to change you back now," he said calmly. "But I can't do it without your ocarina. That's why I need you to get it back. The only thing I ask in return is that you bring back the mask that was stolen from me."
"I could do that," Link said cheerfully. "You'll wait for me here, right?"
The Mask Shop owner nodded. "I've got nothing else to do. So I'll wait for you here. But keep in mind that I must leave in three days, so your time is short. Remember, I'm counting on you."
Knowing what he must do now, Link turned around and headed out the huge double doors. He walked out and saw a large town. It was a lot bigger than Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village. It looked bigger than both of them combined. This place was huge. Link looked over to see a huge banner that told him where he was.
Welcome to Clock Town! The only home of the Carnival of Time!
Of all the things Link had seen in his adventures, he never heard of a Clock Town. He figured this would be a good time to look around.
"Clock Town?" Malon asked. "You mean you were thrown in a parallel universe and found yourself in Clock Town? Isn't that kind of weird?"
"Malon, this is me," Link sighed. "Weird practically describes my entire life. But you're right. It was weird. I still think it's weird. But I didn't know how weird it was until I started meeting some of the locals…"
Link was wandering around this strange land. So far, he was in awe of the size of Clock Town. So Link wasn't exactly paying attention to what was around him. He couldn't help but hear a dog barking at him.
"Dumb dog," Tatl muttered. "What are you barking at?"
Link shook his head. "You're not a very friendly fairy, are you?"
"It's not that," Tatl mumbled. "It's just that I don't like dogs. They're always so…scary. And you never know what they'll do."
"You're exaggerating," Link scoffed. "It's just a little puppy. What's it going to do?"
Link reached out to pet the dog…but unfortunately, dogs don't like Deku Scrubs.
BARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARKBARK!!!!!!!!!!!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
In a split-second, Link found himself running as fast as he could. It was too bad that Deku Scrubs couldn't run very fast.
"Why's it chasing me?!" Link exclaimed to Tatl. "I only tried to pet it!"
"You're a Deku Scrub, kid!" Tatl replied. "It probably thinks you're breakfast!"
If what she said was true, then Link had to find some escape before he became kibble. He saw a sign that directed him to East Clock Town and Link ran in. He ran right under two jugglers and saw his saving grace. It was a door. Link quickly opened the door and shut it behind him. He managed to leave the dog behind. Link almost fell as he desperately tried to catch his breath.
Link finally lifted his head up and looked around. He looked like he was in some kind of inn. He could see the reservation desk, with a woman standing behind it. Then Link looked to his right and gasped. He recognized that tall mustached man standing before him. His taste in clothes had certainly changed as he looked to be some kind of ringmaster. But despite the drastic difference in fashion sense, Link recognized…
"Ingo?"
The man looked down and sneered. "I beg your pardon?"
"You're Ingo, right?" Link asked.
"I don't know who this Ingo is you speak of," he reproached. "Or maybe it's some crazy Deku Scrub language I don't understand. But the name's Gorman."
Link looked down and muttered. "Gorman?"
"What did I tell you, kid?" Tatl whispered to Link. "I told you that there would be exact look- alikes in this world and they wouldn't be the same person. This isn't the same guy you know."
Link nodded and looked back up. "Did you say your name was Gorman?"
"You're a nosy kid, aren't you?" Gorman asked in a surly tone. "Now get out of my way! I have important business to attend to." With that, Gorman walked out of the inn.
"He's got the same Ingo attitude," Link mumbled.
"Hello there."
Link heard that gentle voice and looked up at the counter. The red-haired woman behind the counter was looking at Link. She must've been confused to see a Deku Scrub in her inn.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," the woman said timidly. "Can I help you, little boy?"
Link didn't know what to ask, so he asked, "Do you know where I am?"
"Y-You're in the Stock Pot Inn," she stammered. "Um…you aren't looking for a room, are you?"
"No."
She sighed deeply. "Oh, that's such a relief. We've been booked solid and haven't had any rooms available. I hate to turn people away, but the Carnival of Time hasn't left us any breathing room. It's the busiest time of the year."
"Well…if you don't have a room, I guess I'll just leave." Link didn't know why he said that. It's not like he wanted a room in the first place. But it at least gave him a chance to leave.
"Please tell your mother I'm sorry."
Link thought about that as he opened the inn door. How about that? She thought he was with his mother. It kind of made Link sad, though. He never knew his real mother. The only one willing to raise him was Saria. But Link wouldn't have had it any other way.
Walking out of the inn, Link thought about where to go next. Then he saw a sign that directed him to North Clock Town. He decided to wander in and think about how to get his ocarina back.
Link was about to keep going with his story. But then he saw Malon had fallen asleep. Link smiled as he saw Malon. She looked so beautiful, the way she was sleeping so peacefully. It melted his heart. Link didn't want to wake her up, but he also didn't want to leave her alone.
So Link just sat and continued watching the skies.
Any Comments? If you read the last story, then some of these flashbacks seem familiar. Just bear with me and you'll see Link's insight on his quest. Mail me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail/aol.com and don't forget to review below.