Hello guys! I'm here with a oneshot for Majora's Mask. The idea for this oneshot came from a quote that I remembered reading in a GameInformer article where they were interviewing Eiji Aonuma about Majora's Mask 3D. This quote gave me inspiration to write this as I found it to be a very profound answer in response to the question they asked him.
If you wondering which question I'm talking about, well, is the one where they ask him about what is inside of the Fierce Deity's Mask. And his response is this:
"The best I can give you is just a suggestion. The best way to think of it is that the memories of all the people of Termina are inside of the Fierce Deity mask."
(To see the rest of this interview, go look it up on online or at GameInformer's website.)
That one quote right there just hit me and that's when I came up with his idea and began writing. Of course though I ended up getting too busy and had this put up on the shelf for a while until I finally had time to work on it. Hence why I'm releasing this oneshot now instead of right after that interview was released. Ah, such is life...
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this story I made and please review and tell me what you think.
Oh, and for those who are wondering what's going on with my ALttP fanfic, I haven't given up on it. I still fully intend on finishing it (may take me a while), its just that I've been busy with other things and haven't had time to sit down and work on as much as I want to. Just like how it happened with this story.
Without further ado though, here's the story! Enjoy!
~~~
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legend of Zelda nor its characters. They belong to Nintendo.
~~~
Due to this time limit that Link found himself having to travel through those three days multiple times with his ocarina in order to find a way that he could help every Terminian with their problems. It was sometimes quite difficult to do this, but the fleeting look of happiness that appeared on their faces was worth it even though he knew in the back of his mind that this was nearly all for naught.
Ultimately he knew he needed to put an end to the big reason why these inhabitants were feeling sad. True they had other problems that were contributing to it, but one of the big reasons was due to the huge moon in the sky that could be seen from everywhere in the land. And the reason behind this huge moon was an evil mask that had used a lonely child as its medium to wreck havoc across Termina.
So after he had freed the giants from their chains and called them to help with the moon problem, he found himself chasing after the mask after it fled inside of the floating rock to finish what it had started.
Once inside, he found himself in what could be considered to be a peaceful and beautiful place with the birds chirping in the distance and the sun shining, if it wasn't for the fact that just outside of this area, the world was on the verge of being destroyed at any moment. The constant rumbling and shaking was a good reminder of that reality. Link could only hope that the giants could hold off the moon long enough for him to destroy the mask once and for all.
With his eyes set upon the lone tree in the distance, Link quickly ran across the open field surrounding it as fast as he could. Once he got close enough, he saw five young children; four of them were running about the trunk, basking in the shade that the branches provided, the last one was sitting at the base of the tree staring down towards the ground.
Once Link reached the tree's shade, he could notice a somewhat strange likeness they shared with the mysterious mask salesman who tasked him with recovering Majora's Mask. He didn't know if the two were related, but for the time being he didn't care. What did interest him though was the fact that all of them were wearing masks, and not just any masks, the ones that they had adorning their faces was none other than the four representing the remains of the bosses he had faced and that of Majora's Mask itself. That knowledge made him stop in his tracks.
"What the-? Why do those kids have those masks?" Apparently Tatl was just as surprised as he was.
As this revelation caused him to continue to stand still in shock, one of the children, the one possessing the mask of Odolwa, came up to him. Although he couldn't see the child's eyes, he could tell that it was looking at him in wonder. Then the child began to speak to him.
"Ahhh… Nice weather …isn't it?"
Link could only raise an eyebrow at the weird question. But before he could give the child a response, he spoke again.
"Masks… You have…a lot. You, too…Will you be…a mask salesman?"
This question only served to further the thought that the children had some sort of link to the mask salesman he met.
Just as before, he didn't have a chance to respond before the child spoke, "Then I'll play with you. So…The masks…Give me some…"
Link was taken aback at the demand. He looked down at the satchel that he had attached to his belt that held all of his items, including his masks. He didn't wish to give up any of the masks. They held sentimental value to him since they all represented the people that he had helped along this journey. These masks were too precious to him.
He looked back towards the child, "I don't know…"
Tatl, who was floating above him at this point, could sense Link's hesitance, and honestly she couldn't blame him. She knew what those masks meant to Link, plus she didn't like the idea of just handing important items over to someone that they just met, especially since they were wearing one of the remains of the enemies that had beaten during their journey.
The child looked at the two pleadingly as if waiting for an answer. Link looked back at him, deciding what he should do.
After a few seconds more of deliberation, he sighed decided to give in the child's request. "Alright, but you need to take good care of it for me if I give it to you!"
The child nodded his consent and Link grabbed the satchel to find which one he should give to him. As he searched through the pile of masks he had, he saw the Goron mask. He knew in the back of his mind he should keep that mask. He could probably use that one in the upcoming battle. Link also thought the same thing regarding the Deku and Zora masks. It was too risky to give those up.
Instead he decided to give up one of the other ones. He dug around a little more until he found one he was willing to give up: the Bremen Mask.
He pulled the white hawk-eyed mask from his bag and handed it to the child. The child eagerly held it in their hands and gazed at it lovingly.
"Thanks… You…You're a nice person… Aren't you? Hide-and-seek…Let's play."
Link wanted to tell the kid no considering he was on a time limit and couldn't afford to play games with him, but before he had a chance, he slowly saw the scenery change around him to look like that of a forest. His eyes widened as he looked around at what was happening.
"All right… I'll…hide…"
Link quickly turned from his wandering gaze to look back towards the kid. "No, wait!"
But the child was gone. The tree and field has also completely disappeared and in its place was the forest area he had seen forming before him a few moments earlier. He groaned; he had no time for this!
"Well, this certainly wasn't what I had in mind on doing!" Link heard Tatl comment sarcastically. He couldn't help but agree with her.
He sighed as he saw that he had no choice other than to search for the child, Link decided to give into the game that he was forced into playing. He turned to his right to find a Deku Flower sitting before him. Taking the hint, Link pulled the Deku Mask out of his satchel and placed it onto his face. He groaned in pain as he experienced the familiar feeling of his body transforming.
As soon as he knew his body had changed into that of a Deku Scrub, Link quickly ran over to the flower and spun into it. After a short wait, he launched himself out of the flower and made his way over to the next flower with Tatl following close behind. He continued this routine until he reached a door.
He pulled the mask off of his face and felt his body changed back to his normal Hylian body. While putting the mask back into his bag, he began to walk towards the door. But before he reached it though he suddenly saw an apparition appear before him.
The suddenness of this made Link stop in his tracks and he nearly pulled out his sword to defend himself when he realized that the apparition was of him and the guy who had given him the Bremen Mask. He removed his grip from sword's hilt and watched as he heard the man tell his story of how he was jealous of the dog that was in charge of his troupe and how in his jealousy he stole the mask that the animal wore.
He then watched as the man gave him the mask with a look of peace on his face. The man had finally let go of his guilt and could now live his life free of it now that he had confessed his crime and gave away the possession he had so desired at one point in his life. Link felt a smile form on his face as he remembered the moment. He was glad to see the man could now live what was left of his life without this mask bothering him anymore and he felt happy that he was able to give him that peace.
The apparition disappeared shortly afterwards which allowed Link to progress forward. Link walked to the door and upon touching it, watched as it slid upwards into the wall. He walked through the door and heard it shut behind him. As he looked ahead, he saw the child that had dragged him here.
Link frowned and was about to tell him that he couldn't play with him anymore because he had something important that he had to get done, but just as before, the child spoke before he could get a word in edgewise.
"… You found me… Hey… I want…more…masks…"
Link's eyes widened at this request. He had already given him one before, why did he want more? "Why do you want more masks? I already gave you one."
Link crossed his arms in front of his chest and found himself wishing that he could see the kid's face in order to get an idea what he thinking, but the mask wasn't allowing it. He vaguely wondered if that was what other people felt like when they saw him with masks on.
After a few more moments of silence, the child finally spoke, "…You don't… need them. …These masks only… hold memories…"
Link's arms fell to his sides as he suddenly felt the ground rumble around him. Were the giants having difficulty holding up the moon?
"If you…give them up… the memories will become…stronger. Only then can… they help you…"
Link was confused by his words at first until he remembered the apparition he saw before he entered the room. When he saw the memory showing him how he received the mask, he found himself remembering why he was doing this. He saw how the people of this land had suffered under the evil mask. He wanted to bring them happiness. He wanted to stop this world from ending.
He looked down at his satchel once more. Would giving up these masks remind him of why he was fighting? Would it give him the strength he needed in the coming battle? He had a feeling that he would probably need every bit of help he could get.
Looking up at the child, Link made his decision. Although it hurt for him to do this as he wanted to keep all of his masks and see if he could bring them back to Hyrule with him, he also felt that there was some meaning behind the child's words. And based on past experiences, he felt that it was in his better judgment that he listen to them.
He put his hand back into his bag and dug around for another mask to give the child. Once he felt his hand grab onto one, he pulled it out. It was the Great Fairy's Mask.
Link looked from the mask to the child. He walked over to him and handed him the mask he held. "Here."
If the child wasn't wearing Odolwa's remains, Link would guess that he would probably see a smile form onto the child's face based on the words he said next. "Heh, heh… Thanks… You're…nice."
The child looked down at the mask for a few moments before speaking again. "Umm… Can I ask… a question?"
Raising an eyebrow at the suddenness of what he said, Link answered, "Sure…"
"Your friends… What kind of…people are they? I wonder… Do those people… think of you…as a friend?"
Link found himself thinking of Skull Kid at that moment. He wondered if Skull Kid had that question run through his mind at times after the giants had abandoned him. Before Link could answer the child's question though, Link noticed that the scenery around him was changing again.
Pulling his attention from what was happening around him, he went to look back at the kid only to see that he wasn't there anymore and in his place he saw another apparition. This time though, instead of the musician and himself, it was of him and the Great Fairies that were scattered across Termina.
He watched as he returned the shattered pieces of each of the fairies' bodies to their respective homes and in return he saw as they bestowed their powers upon him to help him in his quest to save the land from its fate. Link smiled as he saw the joy that was evident on the fairies' faces at being whole once again.
As the apparition disappeared from his sight, so did the scenery. He stood back under the shade of the tree that he initially found the child wearing Odolwa's mask. He looked around to see if he could see him, but he was nowhere to be found. What he did find though were the other four children.
Link glanced back down at his satchel containing his masks and thought of the Odolwa child's words. Turning his gaze back towards the children wearing the other bosses' masks, he decided to listen to them. He didn't know what kind of strength he would gain, but from what the kid's words implied, it would be something that would help him.
The child wearing Goht's mask came into view. Link smirked with determination as he ran towards him. He was next.
~~~
Link wasn't sure how long it took for him to finish giving away all his masks to the children, but to him it felt like an eternity. Each child wanted him to play hide-and-seek with them and during his search for each one, he found himself coming across more apparitions concerning the masks he gave them.
He smiled as he remembered the people who gave them to him and who he helped with them. He remembered helping Don Gero the Goron from freezing to death by giving him food that helped give him enough energy to make it back to the village he lived in. He also remembered stopping Sakon from stealing the old lady's merchandise and helping Cremia and Romani with the problems they encountered at their ranch and while doing their jobs.
He helped spread happiness to so many people that it was nice to be reminded of it. It certainly did help give him the strength to face Majora. The one mask though that did really help him realize why he was fighting to stop the moon was the Couple's Mask.
Although he didn't quite understand the complexities of what was going on between Kafei and Anju, he did understand enough to know that they wanted to be together always and that they had been through a lot to try and live out that desire. So much so that they were willing to die together.
It was that memory that really cemented why he needed to stop Majora. They deserved to stay together always, but not just in death, but in life too.
After Link found the last child, the one wearing Twinmold's mask, Link once more found himself standing under the shade of the large tree. His eyes then came across the young child wearing Majora's Mask. He frowned as he knew what he had to do. He could only hope that he was strong enough to face him.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" he heard Tatl chime in. He sighed. Might as well get this over with; hopefully all this trouble he's been going through with those kids wouldn't be all for nothing.
Forcing a look of determination to form on his face, Link felt the memories of all those he helped flow through his mind. He had to do this, not for himself, but for them.
It was all for them.
He walked over to the lone child and looked at him with the determination still etched on his face. It was time for Majora to pay for what he has done.
The Majora child apparently sensed his presence and began speaking to him. "…Everyone has gone away, haven't they?"
Link watched as the mask on the child's face moved up to look at him. "Will you play…with me?"
The Hero wasn't sure exactly what Majora was implying when he spoke of 'playing' with him, but he knew that it wasn't good. Either way though, he knew that he had to face him, so for now he might as well play along.
"Yes." Was the only word Link spoke in response.
The Majora child stood up to stand on par with Link. "You don't have any masks left, do you?"
The only ones that Link had left on him were the Deku, Goron and Zora masks, but he had a feeling that those weren't the ones he was talking about. He had figured this since none of the other children wanted them when he offered them.
"Well, let's do something else."
Something else? What could he be thinking of?
The Majora child looked as if he was contemplating something for a few moments before he finally found out what he wanted to do. "Let's play good guys against bad guys… Yes. Let's play that."
The child then reached behind him and picked up a mask that was sitting next to the tree near where he was sitting. The child handed this mask to him.
Link looked at the child, unsure if this was a trap or an attempt to attack him while he was off guard, but as he looked at the mask, he felt something familiar about it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt as if this mask was meant for him and it wasn't meant to hurt him. Tentatively he reached out for the mask and when he finally grabbed it from the child, he looked down at it briefly.
It was a strange-looking mask. With black pupil-less eyes, tribal markings and white hair attached to it, it felt as if it were very powerful. A fleeting thought came to him, was this what the Odolwa child was referring to as the strength he would come to possess?
Before he could contemplate further, the Majora child spoke again. "Are you ready? You're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?"
What? Bad guy? Link wasn't sure about Majora's view on that. He was pretty sure it was the other way around.
"Well… Shall we play?"
Link could almost hear the smirk form under the Majora child's mask as once again, he watched as the scenery change around him.
~~~
Link found himself standing in a room that looked somewhat like a shrine to Majora. The colors all looked like what was found on the mask and against the far wall in what looked like a throne, he could see the mask in question attached to the back of it in the center.
Determined to get this over with and bring peace to Termina once again, Link started to walk towards the mask, but before he could get a few steps in he found the remains of the four giants come out of his satchel and float around the room before suddenly plastering themselves onto the four symbols that were etched onto the walls that made up the room.
Suddenly glowing orange eyes lit up where the mask lay before him on the throne-like area and Link could only watch as Majora's Mask detached itself from it and began floating towards him with long hair-like tendrils growing slowly from its back.
Before Link could find himself formulating a plan to fight Majora, he felt the mask that was given to him just a few moments before begin to hum with power. He brought the mask up to look at it and was surprised to see its eyes begin to glow white.
Then just as he experienced before during his games with the other children, except this time they occurred in his mind instead of being visible apparitions, he saw the memories of all those he had helped during his time here and could feel their combined desire to live to see another day. Link knew that they wanted to change their fates as best they could, but they were powerless to stop the moon; the one thing that was preventing them from truly moving on with their lives.
He knew what he needed to do. Link turned the mask around and placed it onto his face. Just like with the other transformation masks he had, this one latched onto his face and began to change his body into something else. Link cried out in pain as he felt his body begin to change. He felt himself grow taller and could feel enormous strength begin to course through him.
As soon as the pain started though, it stopped. Link felt the rest of the pain ebb away and finally took a look at himself. He was as tall as he remembed being as an adult back in Hyrule and his clothes took on the appearance of what appeared to be a fierce warrior that was encased in armor decorated in silver and blue. As he lifted up his left hand he was momentarily surprised to find a double helix-shaped sword suddenly appear in its grasp. He quickly gripped it in his hand and felt the power the blade possessed flow through him.
He quickly forced himself out of his shock though as he realized that Majora was coming ever closer to him. It wasn't even phased in the slightest that he had changed form. Maybe it was expecting this.
Before he could take a defensive stance though once more he saw the memories of the inhabitants of Termina go through his mind. He was momentarily confused as to why he was still seeing those memories again, until he came to a realization.
Odolwa's words. The memories in the masks he gave up became stronger. Strong enough to form into a mask that would give him great power. Power that the people of Termina were giving him to use to stop this creature from destroying the only home they had and knew. With this realization, Link cleared his mind and put himself in a defensive stance as Majora charged forward to attack him head on.
The people of Termina had chosen him to be their medium. He would not let them down.
If you wondering which question I'm talking about, well, is the one where they ask him about what is inside of the Fierce Deity's Mask. And his response is this:
"The best I can give you is just a suggestion. The best way to think of it is that the memories of all the people of Termina are inside of the Fierce Deity mask."
(To see the rest of this interview, go look it up on online or at GameInformer's website.)
That one quote right there just hit me and that's when I came up with his idea and began writing. Of course though I ended up getting too busy and had this put up on the shelf for a while until I finally had time to work on it. Hence why I'm releasing this oneshot now instead of right after that interview was released. Ah, such is life...
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this story I made and please review and tell me what you think.
Oh, and for those who are wondering what's going on with my ALttP fanfic, I haven't given up on it. I still fully intend on finishing it (may take me a while), its just that I've been busy with other things and haven't had time to sit down and work on as much as I want to. Just like how it happened with this story.Without further ado though, here's the story! Enjoy!
~~~
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Legend of Zelda nor its characters. They belong to Nintendo.
~~~
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A Legend of Zelda Oneshot Fanfiction
Medium
By: knowlee
~~
Each mask Link had within his possession held a memory; some bad, some good and some in between. All of those memories belonged to inhabitants of a land called Termina. It was a land that was doomed to die in three days time.A Legend of Zelda Oneshot Fanfiction
Medium
By: knowlee
~~
Due to this time limit that Link found himself having to travel through those three days multiple times with his ocarina in order to find a way that he could help every Terminian with their problems. It was sometimes quite difficult to do this, but the fleeting look of happiness that appeared on their faces was worth it even though he knew in the back of his mind that this was nearly all for naught.
Ultimately he knew he needed to put an end to the big reason why these inhabitants were feeling sad. True they had other problems that were contributing to it, but one of the big reasons was due to the huge moon in the sky that could be seen from everywhere in the land. And the reason behind this huge moon was an evil mask that had used a lonely child as its medium to wreck havoc across Termina.
So after he had freed the giants from their chains and called them to help with the moon problem, he found himself chasing after the mask after it fled inside of the floating rock to finish what it had started.
Once inside, he found himself in what could be considered to be a peaceful and beautiful place with the birds chirping in the distance and the sun shining, if it wasn't for the fact that just outside of this area, the world was on the verge of being destroyed at any moment. The constant rumbling and shaking was a good reminder of that reality. Link could only hope that the giants could hold off the moon long enough for him to destroy the mask once and for all.
With his eyes set upon the lone tree in the distance, Link quickly ran across the open field surrounding it as fast as he could. Once he got close enough, he saw five young children; four of them were running about the trunk, basking in the shade that the branches provided, the last one was sitting at the base of the tree staring down towards the ground.
Once Link reached the tree's shade, he could notice a somewhat strange likeness they shared with the mysterious mask salesman who tasked him with recovering Majora's Mask. He didn't know if the two were related, but for the time being he didn't care. What did interest him though was the fact that all of them were wearing masks, and not just any masks, the ones that they had adorning their faces was none other than the four representing the remains of the bosses he had faced and that of Majora's Mask itself. That knowledge made him stop in his tracks.
"What the-? Why do those kids have those masks?" Apparently Tatl was just as surprised as he was.
As this revelation caused him to continue to stand still in shock, one of the children, the one possessing the mask of Odolwa, came up to him. Although he couldn't see the child's eyes, he could tell that it was looking at him in wonder. Then the child began to speak to him.
"Ahhh… Nice weather …isn't it?"
Link could only raise an eyebrow at the weird question. But before he could give the child a response, he spoke again.
"Masks… You have…a lot. You, too…Will you be…a mask salesman?"
This question only served to further the thought that the children had some sort of link to the mask salesman he met.
Just as before, he didn't have a chance to respond before the child spoke, "Then I'll play with you. So…The masks…Give me some…"
Link was taken aback at the demand. He looked down at the satchel that he had attached to his belt that held all of his items, including his masks. He didn't wish to give up any of the masks. They held sentimental value to him since they all represented the people that he had helped along this journey. These masks were too precious to him.
He looked back towards the child, "I don't know…"
Tatl, who was floating above him at this point, could sense Link's hesitance, and honestly she couldn't blame him. She knew what those masks meant to Link, plus she didn't like the idea of just handing important items over to someone that they just met, especially since they were wearing one of the remains of the enemies that had beaten during their journey.
The child looked at the two pleadingly as if waiting for an answer. Link looked back at him, deciding what he should do.
After a few seconds more of deliberation, he sighed decided to give in the child's request. "Alright, but you need to take good care of it for me if I give it to you!"
The child nodded his consent and Link grabbed the satchel to find which one he should give to him. As he searched through the pile of masks he had, he saw the Goron mask. He knew in the back of his mind he should keep that mask. He could probably use that one in the upcoming battle. Link also thought the same thing regarding the Deku and Zora masks. It was too risky to give those up.
Instead he decided to give up one of the other ones. He dug around a little more until he found one he was willing to give up: the Bremen Mask.
He pulled the white hawk-eyed mask from his bag and handed it to the child. The child eagerly held it in their hands and gazed at it lovingly.
"Thanks… You…You're a nice person… Aren't you? Hide-and-seek…Let's play."
Link wanted to tell the kid no considering he was on a time limit and couldn't afford to play games with him, but before he had a chance, he slowly saw the scenery change around him to look like that of a forest. His eyes widened as he looked around at what was happening.
"All right… I'll…hide…"
Link quickly turned from his wandering gaze to look back towards the kid. "No, wait!"
But the child was gone. The tree and field has also completely disappeared and in its place was the forest area he had seen forming before him a few moments earlier. He groaned; he had no time for this!
"Well, this certainly wasn't what I had in mind on doing!" Link heard Tatl comment sarcastically. He couldn't help but agree with her.
He sighed as he saw that he had no choice other than to search for the child, Link decided to give into the game that he was forced into playing. He turned to his right to find a Deku Flower sitting before him. Taking the hint, Link pulled the Deku Mask out of his satchel and placed it onto his face. He groaned in pain as he experienced the familiar feeling of his body transforming.
As soon as he knew his body had changed into that of a Deku Scrub, Link quickly ran over to the flower and spun into it. After a short wait, he launched himself out of the flower and made his way over to the next flower with Tatl following close behind. He continued this routine until he reached a door.
He pulled the mask off of his face and felt his body changed back to his normal Hylian body. While putting the mask back into his bag, he began to walk towards the door. But before he reached it though he suddenly saw an apparition appear before him.
The suddenness of this made Link stop in his tracks and he nearly pulled out his sword to defend himself when he realized that the apparition was of him and the guy who had given him the Bremen Mask. He removed his grip from sword's hilt and watched as he heard the man tell his story of how he was jealous of the dog that was in charge of his troupe and how in his jealousy he stole the mask that the animal wore.
He then watched as the man gave him the mask with a look of peace on his face. The man had finally let go of his guilt and could now live his life free of it now that he had confessed his crime and gave away the possession he had so desired at one point in his life. Link felt a smile form on his face as he remembered the moment. He was glad to see the man could now live what was left of his life without this mask bothering him anymore and he felt happy that he was able to give him that peace.
The apparition disappeared shortly afterwards which allowed Link to progress forward. Link walked to the door and upon touching it, watched as it slid upwards into the wall. He walked through the door and heard it shut behind him. As he looked ahead, he saw the child that had dragged him here.
Link frowned and was about to tell him that he couldn't play with him anymore because he had something important that he had to get done, but just as before, the child spoke before he could get a word in edgewise.
"… You found me… Hey… I want…more…masks…"
Link's eyes widened at this request. He had already given him one before, why did he want more? "Why do you want more masks? I already gave you one."
Link crossed his arms in front of his chest and found himself wishing that he could see the kid's face in order to get an idea what he thinking, but the mask wasn't allowing it. He vaguely wondered if that was what other people felt like when they saw him with masks on.
After a few more moments of silence, the child finally spoke, "…You don't… need them. …These masks only… hold memories…"
Link's arms fell to his sides as he suddenly felt the ground rumble around him. Were the giants having difficulty holding up the moon?
"If you…give them up… the memories will become…stronger. Only then can… they help you…"
Link was confused by his words at first until he remembered the apparition he saw before he entered the room. When he saw the memory showing him how he received the mask, he found himself remembering why he was doing this. He saw how the people of this land had suffered under the evil mask. He wanted to bring them happiness. He wanted to stop this world from ending.
He looked down at his satchel once more. Would giving up these masks remind him of why he was fighting? Would it give him the strength he needed in the coming battle? He had a feeling that he would probably need every bit of help he could get.
Looking up at the child, Link made his decision. Although it hurt for him to do this as he wanted to keep all of his masks and see if he could bring them back to Hyrule with him, he also felt that there was some meaning behind the child's words. And based on past experiences, he felt that it was in his better judgment that he listen to them.
He put his hand back into his bag and dug around for another mask to give the child. Once he felt his hand grab onto one, he pulled it out. It was the Great Fairy's Mask.
Link looked from the mask to the child. He walked over to him and handed him the mask he held. "Here."
If the child wasn't wearing Odolwa's remains, Link would guess that he would probably see a smile form onto the child's face based on the words he said next. "Heh, heh… Thanks… You're…nice."
The child looked down at the mask for a few moments before speaking again. "Umm… Can I ask… a question?"
Raising an eyebrow at the suddenness of what he said, Link answered, "Sure…"
"Your friends… What kind of…people are they? I wonder… Do those people… think of you…as a friend?"
Link found himself thinking of Skull Kid at that moment. He wondered if Skull Kid had that question run through his mind at times after the giants had abandoned him. Before Link could answer the child's question though, Link noticed that the scenery around him was changing again.
Pulling his attention from what was happening around him, he went to look back at the kid only to see that he wasn't there anymore and in his place he saw another apparition. This time though, instead of the musician and himself, it was of him and the Great Fairies that were scattered across Termina.
He watched as he returned the shattered pieces of each of the fairies' bodies to their respective homes and in return he saw as they bestowed their powers upon him to help him in his quest to save the land from its fate. Link smiled as he saw the joy that was evident on the fairies' faces at being whole once again.
As the apparition disappeared from his sight, so did the scenery. He stood back under the shade of the tree that he initially found the child wearing Odolwa's mask. He looked around to see if he could see him, but he was nowhere to be found. What he did find though were the other four children.
Link glanced back down at his satchel containing his masks and thought of the Odolwa child's words. Turning his gaze back towards the children wearing the other bosses' masks, he decided to listen to them. He didn't know what kind of strength he would gain, but from what the kid's words implied, it would be something that would help him.
The child wearing Goht's mask came into view. Link smirked with determination as he ran towards him. He was next.
~~~
Link wasn't sure how long it took for him to finish giving away all his masks to the children, but to him it felt like an eternity. Each child wanted him to play hide-and-seek with them and during his search for each one, he found himself coming across more apparitions concerning the masks he gave them.
He smiled as he remembered the people who gave them to him and who he helped with them. He remembered helping Don Gero the Goron from freezing to death by giving him food that helped give him enough energy to make it back to the village he lived in. He also remembered stopping Sakon from stealing the old lady's merchandise and helping Cremia and Romani with the problems they encountered at their ranch and while doing their jobs.
He helped spread happiness to so many people that it was nice to be reminded of it. It certainly did help give him the strength to face Majora. The one mask though that did really help him realize why he was fighting to stop the moon was the Couple's Mask.
Although he didn't quite understand the complexities of what was going on between Kafei and Anju, he did understand enough to know that they wanted to be together always and that they had been through a lot to try and live out that desire. So much so that they were willing to die together.
It was that memory that really cemented why he needed to stop Majora. They deserved to stay together always, but not just in death, but in life too.
After Link found the last child, the one wearing Twinmold's mask, Link once more found himself standing under the shade of the large tree. His eyes then came across the young child wearing Majora's Mask. He frowned as he knew what he had to do. He could only hope that he was strong enough to face him.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" he heard Tatl chime in. He sighed. Might as well get this over with; hopefully all this trouble he's been going through with those kids wouldn't be all for nothing.
Forcing a look of determination to form on his face, Link felt the memories of all those he helped flow through his mind. He had to do this, not for himself, but for them.
It was all for them.
He walked over to the lone child and looked at him with the determination still etched on his face. It was time for Majora to pay for what he has done.
The Majora child apparently sensed his presence and began speaking to him. "…Everyone has gone away, haven't they?"
Link watched as the mask on the child's face moved up to look at him. "Will you play…with me?"
The Hero wasn't sure exactly what Majora was implying when he spoke of 'playing' with him, but he knew that it wasn't good. Either way though, he knew that he had to face him, so for now he might as well play along.
"Yes." Was the only word Link spoke in response.
The Majora child stood up to stand on par with Link. "You don't have any masks left, do you?"
The only ones that Link had left on him were the Deku, Goron and Zora masks, but he had a feeling that those weren't the ones he was talking about. He had figured this since none of the other children wanted them when he offered them.
"Well, let's do something else."
Something else? What could he be thinking of?
The Majora child looked as if he was contemplating something for a few moments before he finally found out what he wanted to do. "Let's play good guys against bad guys… Yes. Let's play that."
The child then reached behind him and picked up a mask that was sitting next to the tree near where he was sitting. The child handed this mask to him.
Link looked at the child, unsure if this was a trap or an attempt to attack him while he was off guard, but as he looked at the mask, he felt something familiar about it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt as if this mask was meant for him and it wasn't meant to hurt him. Tentatively he reached out for the mask and when he finally grabbed it from the child, he looked down at it briefly.
It was a strange-looking mask. With black pupil-less eyes, tribal markings and white hair attached to it, it felt as if it were very powerful. A fleeting thought came to him, was this what the Odolwa child was referring to as the strength he would come to possess?
Before he could contemplate further, the Majora child spoke again. "Are you ready? You're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?"
What? Bad guy? Link wasn't sure about Majora's view on that. He was pretty sure it was the other way around.
"Well… Shall we play?"
Link could almost hear the smirk form under the Majora child's mask as once again, he watched as the scenery change around him.
~~~
Link found himself standing in a room that looked somewhat like a shrine to Majora. The colors all looked like what was found on the mask and against the far wall in what looked like a throne, he could see the mask in question attached to the back of it in the center.
Determined to get this over with and bring peace to Termina once again, Link started to walk towards the mask, but before he could get a few steps in he found the remains of the four giants come out of his satchel and float around the room before suddenly plastering themselves onto the four symbols that were etched onto the walls that made up the room.
Suddenly glowing orange eyes lit up where the mask lay before him on the throne-like area and Link could only watch as Majora's Mask detached itself from it and began floating towards him with long hair-like tendrils growing slowly from its back.
Before Link could find himself formulating a plan to fight Majora, he felt the mask that was given to him just a few moments before begin to hum with power. He brought the mask up to look at it and was surprised to see its eyes begin to glow white.
Then just as he experienced before during his games with the other children, except this time they occurred in his mind instead of being visible apparitions, he saw the memories of all those he had helped during his time here and could feel their combined desire to live to see another day. Link knew that they wanted to change their fates as best they could, but they were powerless to stop the moon; the one thing that was preventing them from truly moving on with their lives.
He knew what he needed to do. Link turned the mask around and placed it onto his face. Just like with the other transformation masks he had, this one latched onto his face and began to change his body into something else. Link cried out in pain as he felt his body begin to change. He felt himself grow taller and could feel enormous strength begin to course through him.
As soon as the pain started though, it stopped. Link felt the rest of the pain ebb away and finally took a look at himself. He was as tall as he remembed being as an adult back in Hyrule and his clothes took on the appearance of what appeared to be a fierce warrior that was encased in armor decorated in silver and blue. As he lifted up his left hand he was momentarily surprised to find a double helix-shaped sword suddenly appear in its grasp. He quickly gripped it in his hand and felt the power the blade possessed flow through him.
He quickly forced himself out of his shock though as he realized that Majora was coming ever closer to him. It wasn't even phased in the slightest that he had changed form. Maybe it was expecting this.
Before he could take a defensive stance though once more he saw the memories of the inhabitants of Termina go through his mind. He was momentarily confused as to why he was still seeing those memories again, until he came to a realization.
Odolwa's words. The memories in the masks he gave up became stronger. Strong enough to form into a mask that would give him great power. Power that the people of Termina were giving him to use to stop this creature from destroying the only home they had and knew. With this realization, Link cleared his mind and put himself in a defensive stance as Majora charged forward to attack him head on.
The people of Termina had chosen him to be their medium. He would not let them down.