Gasp! Is this…a new story from Lord Siravant?!? No, thine eyes do not deceive thee. I read legendofzeldarock's Edventures in Termina, but he/she quit eventually but said rewrites were okay. And ever since I read Nintendo-Nut1's Night of the Were Ed series, I've wanted to do my own Ed Edd 'n' Eddy fanfiction. I might make this tie into The Darkness Within and The Edge of Sanity, since Majora is, of course, the main villain. The deal about the passages between worlds might help too. Don't worry, I'll still be working on The Darkness Within as well as this. I just couldn't resist putting this up.

I'm rambling again.

Please enjoy the story.

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Chapter One: Gateways

In ancient legends long forgotten, it was said that there existed in secluded parts of the world gateways to other realms, meant to be hidden from unworthy eyes. These worlds bore gateways as well, linking many different worlds together like a web. For example, there existed a cave on a lonely island leading to the realm of Narnia. In the fabled Bermuda Triangle lay a passage to the world of Middle Earth. Even more secret places existed in the untamed forests. Edd, known to others as Double D, never would have thought something like this to be true. Indeed, he was a boy of science, always wanting to find a scientific explanation for everything that existed in his quiet world.

Edd was a boy of fourteen years, wearing an orange t-shirt, purple shorts, red tube socks, and of course his signature black, sock-like hat that concealed most of his black hair. He was now running through the woods as fast as he could, reflecting on the day's events as he did so. Eddy, you and your scams! Edd thought angrily. Why didn't you listen to me when I told you it wouldn't work?

The Kankers had found them just as one of Eddy's scams had gone awry. Desperate to escape, Ed, Edd, and Eddy had each run in different directions, with Edd fleeing into the woods beyond the cul-de-sac.

Suddenly he heard a fiendish giggle not far behind him, making his blood run cold. And worse…the Kankers had to get involved! Stupid, stupid Eddy!

He looked behind him and saw the person he feared most in the world in hot pursuit, smiling devilishly as she closed in on him. It was none other than Marie Kanker, the crazed girl who harbored a fierce crush on him and would never leave him alone. Her blue hair swayed in the wind as she ran with her arms outstretched. Edd could already see the blood-red nail polish on her fingers. "Gah!" Edd yelped as he tried to pick up the pace, to little avail.

Suddenly, as Marie managed to grab onto his collar, Edd tripped on a log, sending both of them tumbling down a hill. They spun right into a large, hollowed-out log and suddenly disappeared from view. Without knowing it, they had done what no other human had done for decades: they had stumbled into one of the fabled gateways and left their world behind.

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When the two of them finally came to a stop, both of them moaned slightly, as their bodies ached all over. Marie came to her senses first and crawled over to Edd. "Hee hee, looks like it's time for some lovin', don't ya think, cutie?" she cooed.

As dazed as he was, Edd was aware that he was about to receive his daily Kanker torture. He gritted his teeth and waited for the sloppy kisses to come. Instead, he heard Marie utter a startled gasp, followed by a thud. Edd blinked in surprise as he noticed Marie lying next to him, unconscious. A pony was standing over her. Before he could look up, Edd saw a truly strange sight. A small, scarecrow-like creature jumped off the horse and sauntered over to Marie's still form. As Edd lifted his gaze upwards, he noticed that the creature was wearing a mask.

The very moment he laid eyes on the mask, Edd felt a chill crawl up his spine. The mask was heart-shaped, mostly purple and red, with two green spikes on top and four running along each side. But the worst part was the eyes. They were huge and evil-looking, looking like they were capable of burning into a man's soul. Weirder still, Edd saw two glowing balls of light, one yellow, the other maroon, each with two pairs of insect-like wings hovering over the masked creature. "Well, well, we got quite a catch today!" the masked creature said with excitement.

Edd was surprised by how child-like its voice sounded. "Let's see what they got, Skull Kid!" the yellow fairy chimed with a clearly feminine voice.

The creature called "Skull Kid" started rummaging around Marie's body, searching through her pockets as if he thought he might find something valuable in them. Finally Skull Kid threw up his hands and said, "Aw, she's got nuthin'. How about this guy?"

Edd remained perfectly still as Skull Kid walked over to him and started searching his person as well. Suddenly he heard Skull Kid utter an excited laugh and felt his treasured hat pulled from his head. He had to fight the urge to cry out and grab it back, but barely managed to stay calm and still. "What a cool-looking hat!" the maroon fairy cried as Skull Kid looked at it. "Let me try it on!"

"No, Tael!" the yellow fairy answered. "It's way too big for you!"

"Aw, but sis…" 'Tael' whined.

Meanwhile, Skull Kid had taken his straw hat off and replaced it with Edd's beanie. "Mmm, nice and comfy!" he giggled. "I think I'll keep it!"

Suddenly a voice rang out that made Skull Kid stand perfectly straight up. "Skull Kid! Where are you?! Gimme back my horse and ocarina!"

"Aw, crud," Skull Kid muttered before putting his straw hat back on over Edd's beanie and jumping back on the horse.

Edd finally decided to stop playing dead and sprang up. "Give me back my hat!" he yelled as threateningly as he could.

However, the Skull Kid just laughed and spanked the horse's behind, sending it running. Edd was not fast enough to catch up and was left in the dust. He was about to continue forward, but then realized something. Marie was still laying unconscious by the large log they had fallen out of. He wanted to run in case she woke up, but then again, it went against his nature to leave someone alone like that…even if she is a Kanker, Edd mused as he turned around and ran to her side.

He knelt down by her side. "M…Marie?" he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

Suddenly she began to stir, putting a hand to the back of her head where the Skull Kid had hit her. "Oww…What the heck happened?" she muttered groggily.

"We were…blindsided by some kid with a mask," Edd stuttered, scared of how she might react to noticing he was still there.

Instead, she did something worse. She looked up and saw what was on his head. "D…Double D? What happened to your head?!" she whispered in shock.

Edd gasped and realized she had seen what his beanie had hidden from others for years, and he quickly covered the offending area with his left hand. "Nothing…It's nothing!" he replied. "T-that's not important right now! A kid with a mask stole my hat and I need to get it back!"

"A kid with a mask? You saw him? Where'd he go?" a voice suddenly said.

Edd turned around and saw a boy dressed in green clothing and a green hat staring down at them. His hair was blond, his eyes blue, and despite looking younger than Edd, had a sword and shield strapped to his back. But the weirdest thing about him was the fact that his ears tapered to a point just like an elf's.

"Erhm…" Edd began. "He took off that way."

Edd pointed off towards where he had seen the Skull Kid escape. "He stole my hat too. I need it back."

"Why are we wasting time then?" the boy responded. "Let's go!"

Edd and Marie glanced at each other before deciding to follow the green-clad boy deeper into the woods. Soon they came across several tree stumps set up like stepping stones that led to another hollowed-out log. These the three of them crossed easily, and they all ran into the log. Too late did they notice the sudden drop-off before them, and they all went tumbling down the hole. "OH GOOD LORD WE'RE GOING TO DIE WE'RE GOING TO…huh?" Edd yelled before noticing what was passing by his line of vision.

Colored outlines of clocks, an ocarina, and that freaky heart-shaped mask all flew by as they continued to fall. Finally they all landed, one by one, on a strange flower with pink petals that broke their fall. "Oof!" each of them grunted as they fell.

They each rolled into a large puddle of water. Edd yelped as he jumped up. "Ah! Who knows what kinds of bacteria are in this water? Filthy, filthy, filthy…"

As the other two stood up, there was a clicking noise, and suddenly two spotlights were shining in their faces. They looked up when they heard a child's laugh and saw the Skull Kid hovering in the air in a leisurely manner. He first addressed the boy in green. "Hey, what's with that horse of yours? It doesn't listen to a word that's said to it! There's no point in having such a useless pet, so I did you a favor and got rid of it."

The boy's face suddenly went livid as he feared what the Skull Kid had done. "Aw, boo hoo, why the sad face? I just wanted to have a little fun with you…" the Skull Kid taunted.

"You…you think this is funny?" the boy answered through gritted teeth. "You better pray Epona's safe or I'll…"

"You'll what?" Skull Kid taunted.

"Ahem…pardon me," Edd suddenly spoke up rather timidly. He flinched as the Skull Kid looked at him through that mask's horribly unnerving eyes. "I don't want to be rude, but you have my hat, and I'd like it back…please?"

The Skull Kid cocked his head for a moment before he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh, but where would the fun in that be?"

Suddenly the Skull Kid leaned forward, and said in a very disturbing tone, "If you'd like to only have one scar on your head, I suggest you shut up."

Edd gulped and put a hand on his head where the aforementioned scar was located. Marie, however, narrowed her visible eye and stepped forward. "Don't you talk to my man like that, ya little twerp!"

"Ya know what? This is gettin' boring," the Skull Kid responded. "I'm gettin' tired of your whining, and especially of looking at your dumb faces!"

Suddenly the Skull Kid began shaking his head, and the mask's eyes lit up, sending an aura of strange energy at Edd, Marie, and the boy. Suddenly the three of them saw only darkness, but they could distinctly hear something echoing in the shadows. Edd whipped around, scared out of his wits. Even Marie looked uneasy. Link furrowed his brow and drew his sword. "Stay close to me guys," he said in a grave tone.

The noise steadily began to intensify. It sounded like grass and wood grating against one another, and soon it was so loud the three of them had to cover their ears. It was then that they noticed the creatures that had surrounded them. They looked like they were made of wood, with mouths like tubes and leaves for hair. Their glowing eyes bore into their victims. "Deku!" Link shouted. "Run!"

They managed to break through the crowd of Deku and kept running. But the sound did not stop, and suddenly they saw a huge Deku looming over them. Then everything went dark again. When the three of them opened their eyes, groggy. When they all stood up, they each noticed something terribly wrong. Did they suddenly seem…shorter? Then they looked at each other, then themselves. They looked just like the Deku, except they were still wearing some of their clothes and their hair was still intact. The boy's weapons were now all gone. "GAAHHH! What…what happened to me?" Edd managed to yell, though his voice now seemed strange. It was much higher in pitch and had a wooden feel to it.

"What happened to us?!" Marie answered, her voice sounding just as strange.

The boy looked at his Deku reflection in the water. "This can't be happening," he muttered in horror. "Good Goddesses, this can't be happening!"

They were all suddenly brought to their senses by a loud cackle from the Skull Kid, who was pointing at them and laughing his head off as if their predicament were the funniest joke in the world. "Haha! That's a good look for you three! You can stay like that here forever!"

Suddenly a large stone door slid open behind the Skull Kid, and he began floating towards it, with his two fairies in tow. "Oh, no you don't!" Marie cried angrily as she rushed forward.

Seeing her, the yellow fairy turned around and hit her hard enough to knock her over. However, she spent too much time, and Tael, noticing his sister, managed to scream, "Tatl!" before the door suddenly slammed shut.

Tatl turned around and shrieked in horror as she realized what had happened. She flew towards the door and screamed, "Skull Kid! Tael! Wait, don't leave me here!"

She slammed into the door several times, but her small frame made such an effort futile. Her wings began to sink in despair before she realized something. She whirled around and glared at the three Deku children. "You three! If I hadn't gotten distracted by you, I wouldn't have been separated from my brother!"

"Wait, you're blaming this on us?!" Marie yelled angrily. "You were the one who helped that little punk turn us into…this!"

"I concur," Edd added, equally upset. "You helped him rob us blind, and possibly commit an act of cruelty to animals! And then you let him turn us into walking, talking plants! How in the Sam Hill makes that OUR fault?!"

Even Marie was surprised by the forcefulness of Edd's words. Never had she seen him so angry. She honestly didn't know whether to be turned on or frightened. Then it was the boy's turn to speak. "All that stuff put aside, if you want our help in reuniting you with your brother, you better help us find that Skull Kid."

"Fine, whatever. I will. Just open this door!" Tatl yelled.

As the boy walked forward, he turned to his two new companions. "By the way, my name's Link."

"Oh! I'm…uh, Edd. My friends call me Double D."

"Name's Marie Kanker."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm Tatl, nice to meet you, let's go."

The three icy glares she received made her shut right up. Link opened the stone door and led the way through. It wasn't long before they came across a vast chasm, where several platforms were situated. Each platform was adorned with a single flower exactly like the one they had first landed on. Another flower sat right in front of them. "Why do I get the feeling these flowers are important?" Edd mused.

"Maybe that's proof your brain works," Tatl answered. "These are Deku flowers. What you do is stand over that hole in the center and burrow into them. When you jump out, you'll be holding onto two petals that will allow you to fly for a short time."

Edd stepped gingerly onto the flower. "How on earth do you attempt such aaaAAAGGHH!" he yelled as his little form burrowed into the center of the flower. "Where am I? It's dark!" came his muffled response.

"Now jump out!" Tatl yelled in annoyance.

A few seconds later, Edd sprang out of the Deku flower, holding onto two flowers that began spinning like helicopter blades. "I…Intriguing…" Edd muttered as the flowers managed to get him to the next platform.

"Now do the same for the rest of them!" Tatl ordered. "You're next!" she directed at Link and Marie.

Marie glared at the fairy before glancing at Link. Link gestured towards the flower. "Ladies first," he replied.

Marie smirked before stepping onto the flower to do the same as her 'boyfriend' had done. Once she was airborne, Link did the same, and they island-hopped all the way across until they reached the other side. As they all met up, they noticed Edd was staring at something. "What is it?" Marie questioned.

"I…don't know," came Edd's reply.

He was staring at a tree of some kind. It almost looked like a Deku, but there was no life to it. Its face was distorted, and its branches stretched out in a way to portray a sense of agony. "It looks so…sad," Tatl answered quietly as she looked at the little tree.

"We…should really go," Link said, feeling unnerved by the sheer pain the tree seemed to have been in.

They continued walking forward, finding themselves in a strange hallway. The whole way across was spiraled, and as they walked, the walls spiraled around them. They couldn't tell if it was an illusion or whether they were really walking on the ceiling. They reached the other side and heard the unmistakable sounds of gears grinding and water flowing. As they walked forward, a door suddenly slammed behind them, trapping them in this new room.

They all cried out with surprise and tried to lift the door open. However, it refused to budge. Finally giving up, Link slumped against the door for a moment and said, "Well, it looks like we have no choice but to go forward now."

The four companions then decided to take in their surroundings. The room was dark, but there was enough light for the most important features to be seen. A large pair of gears attached to a spinning beam spun like clockwork in front of them, powered by a river running past them. There was a small wooden bridge that led to the other side, and the group crossed it and went up a small flight of stairs and saw a wooden door ahead of them. There was light shining through from the other side. "I wonder what's on the other side of that door," Edd whispered almost to himself as they approached, but before they could, they heard a rather unsettling laugh from behind. "You've all met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

The four of them spun around in unison to see the owner of the voice, and noticed a man walk out of the shadows. He wore purple clothes and a huge sack on his back that displayed numerous masks. The man's red hair was parted neatly in the center of his head, and his face bore a deceptively genial smile. "Who are you?" Link asked firmly, forgetting for a moment he no longer had his sword.

"Why, don't you recognize me, Link?" the man answered. "Don't you remember the masks I had you sell about a year ago?"

Link put a hand on his chin and thought for a moment. Then it suddenly dawned on him. "Wait…you can't be…"

"Who else could I be? I'm the Happy Mask Salesman."

"But I…thought you had set up shop in Hyrule…Why are you here?"

"Ho ho ho, dear boy, a salesman never stays in one place too long if he wants to sell his wares to all kinds of people. Do forgive me, but I've been following you and your friends here for a little while."

"So you're a stalker too?" Marie queried with an unamused glare.

"Oh ho ho, quite the contrary, young miss! You see, I've been following you all for a reason. Perhaps you remember the little Skull Kid who made off with your ocarina not too long ago, Link?"

"Yeah, I do," Link replied tersely.

"He also decided to steal my hat too," Edd added. "As you can understandably tell, I'm not happy."

The salesman seemed to understand when Edd pointed to the reason behind his hat. "Well, to tell you the truth, he stole something of mine as well."

"Wait, let me guess," Edd interrupted. "Heart-shaped purple and red mask with glowing eyes of doom?"

"Yes, quite right," the salesman replied.

Nobody paid attention to Tatl as she tried to make herself inconspicuous behind Link's shoulder. "I also happen to know how to revert the spell cast upon you by the Skull Kid," the salesman finished.

Everyone's ears perked up at this. "How? Tell us!" Marie begged.

"First, Link must return to me with his ocarina. I suggest you come back with him if you want it to work on you as well."

Edd, Marie, and Link all nodded their heads in unison. "But you must understand," the salesman said, and his eyes went from being docile to almost mad. The smile, however, didn't change, making his new expression even more sinister. "I am a man with a busy schedule, and I must leave here in exactly three days' time. You must get the ocarina and the mask the Skull Kid stole from me back and return here at once. Do you understand?"

The three of them nodded their heads frantically, convinced the salesman was a madman. "We should really go," Tatl said from behind Link's shoulder.

"Agreed," Link murmured.

They turned around towards the wooden door and stepped towards it. "Good luck, you three," the Happy Mask Salesman said happily.

They all looked at one another, and after taking a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked into the light.