#How I interpret the symbiotic relationship between Skull Kid and Majora

[mrneighbourlove]

Majora’s Puppet: A MM Fiction

The Skull Kid looked at the adult with purple hair walking with something wrapped under his armpit and clutched underneath by his left hand. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was that icky love bird, Kagami. No... Kalhi. Kefka?

‘Kafei’

That was it. Ever since acquiring his new mask, Skull Kid felt his head was more clear, and that his inner thoughts were louder at times. Looking to Tatl and Tael, Skull Kid pointed to Kafei from the rooftop. “Hey, what do you think he has there?”

Tatl and Tael buzzed around Skull Kid, glowing yellow and white, and purple and red respectively in the dark. The older sister and younger brother fairies had been friends with the impish child for a while now. They pulled the odd prank with Skull Kid, but robbery was new territory for them. Tael didn’t dare speak up his own thoughts as he was too shy, and Tatl was unsure how to feel about it, so when Skull Kid told them it was no big deal taking the mask he wore now, they were put at ease. Tatl wanted to be cool around Skull Kid, and give her brother piece of mind. “Hey Skull Kid, why don’t we go see what he has!”

“Huh, that sounds like a fun idea.”

Hopping onto a log next to Kafei, Skull Kid scared the crap out of him, causing a jolt from the man. “Spirits sakes! You scared the piss out of me!”

“Hehehe, that would have been funny.” Skull Kid watched Kafei look at him with worry. Was a nice change of pace from those who viewed him with indifference or disgust before. “Hey. How’d you like to play a game after showing me what you have wrapped up there.”

Kafei held his item protectively. “It’s just my wedding mask. I child like you doesn’t need to know anymore about it.”

“That sounds boring. So how about we go have fun?”

“No. I don’t have time to waste playing games with a child in a mask. Buzz off.”

Skull Kid frowned behind his mask. This man was awfully rude to look down on him.

‘Make an example out of him’

Skull Kid thought that was a great idea to come to mind. “I suppose a child doesn’t need to get involved with the business of marriage.”

With a laugh, Skull Kid shook his head back and worth, and waves of magic enveloped Kafei. The man felt sick, nausea overwhelming him. Falling to the ground, he closed his head, a massive migraine hitting him. Opening them, he spoke out to yell at the Skull Kid. “Hey, what did-“

Kafei paused mid sentence, terror filling him. What was wrong with his voice? And why did Skull Kid get taller? Reaching down to grab his wedding mask, he got a look at his hand. The skin was so smooth. God no. He was child.

Skull Kid leaned back, snickering at Kafei’s new appearance. “Hehehe, now you won’t have time to worry about such things as weddings now that you are a child again!”

It felt good to do that. With one last laugh Skull Kid jumped away from view. He looked to Tatl and Tael for confirmation on that being funny. “Did you see the look on his face? Priceless.”

Tatl and Tael had no idea that Skull Kid could do that. “Yeah. You can turn him back anytime right?”

“Of course I can Tatl. But why not let him think about his arrogance for a while?”

Tael felt unsure about it. “I don’t know Skull Kid, he looked pretty upset...”

Skull Kid looked to Tael slowly. ‘Shouldn’t he find it funny if he’s my friend’ Reaching up, Skull Kid gave Tael a flick. He wasn’t sure why, he just felt it was the right thing to do. “You got to lighten up. The guy was a real jerk, trust me Tael, it’s ok to laugh.”

Tatl thought about saying something, but Tael seemed ok with it when he let out a laugh. “Yeah... ok... I guess it’s alright to do.”

Skull Kid patted his fairy friend. “See, that’s the proper spirit buddy.”

~

Skull Kid had the mask for a week now. Tatl wondered why he was just sitting a top the clock tower, looking at the night sky. Maybe he was thinking about ideas of fun to pull of during the carnival? Sometimes he just stared off into space, and it would take a while for Tatl to snap him out of his trance. She couldn’t read his expression with that mask of his.

The Skull Kid found out he could do so many amazing things now. He had more magic than ever. His abilities were extraordinary. Heck, he could even float in the air just by thought now. All this power, yet he still felt lonely. He felt... angry. He had all this power now, so why didn’t his old friends pay attention to him?

‘The giants used to be my friends... until they left me. Did I do something wrong?’

‘Or did they wrong me”

Skull Kid tapped his fingers against his arms. ‘They abandoned me’

‘Left me in despair. Like the rest of the world’

‘Why is this world so cruel to me? They knew what they were doing when they left me’

‘That’s why they will pay for what they did’

Skull Kid made up his mind. Yes. They’d pay indeed. Without alerting Tatl and Tael, Skull Kid looked with barely any motion upwards, and floated to the sky and beyond. With the masks power, Skull Kid entered a realm unlike any other. Looking South, North, West, and East, the masked Imp caught the deities of this realm off guard. His presence was hidden with the scent of a friend, masking the threat of danger.

“Fools. You can’t stop the power I wield.”

The Skull Kid felt a deep hatred rise up, and screaming it out, waves of dark power enveloped the unprepared giants. In this realm they were merely souls, not able to quickly use a physical form. The giants cried out, feeling as though they were dragged from their legs into the dark. The power of the mask was insidious indeed, as it quickly created shells for the giants souls to be trapped in. These shells were launched to the four corners of Termina, landing in temples located high and low. From these shells formed masks and from these masks formed monsters. 

These monsters quickly laid the seeds of their curses in the lands. A frog drinking from the water of Woodfall suddenly croaked as it fell into the water, which turned a sickening shade of purple. The winds picked up in Snowhead, and the Gorons, who were expecting spring soon, were suddenly caught in a terrifying snow storm. In Great Bay, a typhoon formed from the temple, and monsters crept from the ocean depths as the water turned murky. In Ikana Valley, souls of the damned swarmed from the Stone Tower. A few saw a man outside with his daughter, and quickly set out to curse him.

Skull Kid returned to Clock Town, laughing to himself. He didn’t know why. He just felt compelled to. Looking to the sky, he thought of a funny story he heard about the sky falling. How great would it be... to make all those that scorned him, feel the fear of that very thing. 

‘But I can do better than bringing the sky down’

Skull Kid tilted his head, and reached out both arms. Squeezing his hands, he pulled his arms in, and along with it, while slowly, the symbol of terror and destruction that would plague Termina and the world. 

~

The Skull Kid had grown bored of pranking people around Termina. When he found a boy in the woods who wore green, he had a familiar sent. It was weird though. His mind had been so clear before, but when he looked at this boy, it was if something that was supposed to be there wasn’t. 

‘It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter to you’

Skull Kid agreed with his initial thought. But maybe they could scare him good. Coordinating with his fairies, they quickly set out a plan. Tatl and Tael flew in suddenly, scaring the horse the boy in green rode on. As the horse reared back, the boy was flung back and unconscious. Making his move, Skull Kid appeared from as if he came from nothing, and laughed at how his plan was pulled off successfully. 

Taking his mask off briefly, he felt some fresh air as he congratulated his friends. “Hee, hee. You two fairies did great.” 

Tatl spoke up, wondering what rewards they could reap from this. “I wonder if he has anything good on him...” 

The Skull Kid pondered that, looking down to make sure the boy was really out. “Huh? This guy... Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Putting his mask back on, Skull Kid scuttled over to the boy, only stopping for a moment to make sure the horse wouldn’t do anything funny. Reaching him, he kicked the boy’s body over. Mugging him, the Imp felt through all the pockets he could, until he found a shiny ocarina. Taking a blow into it, it made a musical sound, and Skull Kid laughed with joy. 

He didn’t even care about Tatl arguing with her brother over using the ocarina or not, as he kept laughing at each new note he played. The fairies suddenly jingled, and Skull Kid turned around to see the kid looking at him with apathy. It actually got a jolt out of Skull Kid. After the panicked yelp, Skull Kid hid the ocarina behind his back, like nothing ever happened. 

‘How the heck is the guy even awake?!’, the Imp thought to himself, trying to play it cool with his stance. When the boy leaned back and lunged at him, Skull Kid realized how fun this was turning out to be. 

Jumping over his head, Skull Kid gave a laugh as he landed on the horse, commanding it to gallop away. The truth was though, Skull Kid could barely hold on as it ran through the lost woods, with the boy hanging on by the Imps foot. When they rounded a corner, Skull Kid used the momentum to kick the boy off, and laughed as he rode off into the darkness. 

Traveling back to Termina, the Skull Kid took a short cut. He tried his best to command the stupid horse, but it was too freaked out to listen to him, kicking and screaming in his presence. “Fine you stupid animal. Who needs a pest like you anyways.” 

Charging a small ball of magic, Skull Kid shot it at the horse, transporting it to a random location in the world. He honestly didn’t care. What did intrigue him, was the boy in the woods. 

Returning, Skull Kid felt him coming to him. Hovering in the air, the masked imp watched as the boy crashed on a Deku pad. With the snap of his fingers, he shot stream lights on the boy from the dark. He must have looked so cool hovering in mid air. Tatl and Tael flew beside him, and the Skull Kid started to wonder why his companions were more well behaved than the green boy.

“What’s with that stupid horse of yours?! It doesn’t listen to a word that’s said to it... There’s no point in riding a thing like that, so I did you a favor and got rid of it... Hee, hee.” Skull Kid laughed at seeing the boy’s reaction to his missing horse. It was priceless. 

“Aww, boo-hoo. Why the sad face? I thought I would just have a little fun with you...” When the boy scowled and gripped his sword, Skull Kid’s thoughts went dark. 

‘Is he... challenging my power’

“Oh come now... Do you really think you can beat me as I am now? Fool!” With the shake of his head, Skull Kid used the power of the mask to transform this boy as well. He wondered what fun he’d create this time. His magic must have sensed that the kid was sounding on a flower, because when he was finished the transformation process, the boy turned into a Deku Scrub. Skull Kid took a sitting position from his menacing pose to take a better look. 

The boy panicked, screaming in a high pitched voice at his new form. Skull Kid reeled back. He took it back. Now THIS was truly priceless. “Hee, hee! Now, that’s a good look for you! You’ll stay here looking that way forever!”

He floated back, content on leaving the boy suffer. He didn’t even notice or care when Tatl flew forward, knocking the Deku boy back. Tael realized that Skull Kid was leaving his sister behind when he turned around to hear the door shifting. “S-s...sis!”

Skull Kid kept floating away, laughing at the misery that boy was in. Once again, he felt rejuvenated for using the masks power in such a way. The energy feedback was amazing! 

Tael was incredibly nervous for his sister. “P-p...please Skull Kid. We need to go back for her...”

“Well, maybe she shouldn’t have been so dumb as to stick around. Come on Tael. We have the day of the festival to look forward to. So hurry up. Before I leave you behind too.”

Tael knew something was wrong with Skull Kid ever since getting that mask. He wanted to say something. He wanted to tell him to get rid of that mask. That they could just have fun making drawings and playing in the fields like they used to. But the words never came. With his fear chocking them, he ran away with the Skull Kid farther and farther from his sister.

~

The Dawn of the First Day arrived. Skull Kid felt off. He had been feeling off for a while with a sick feeling of deja vu. He knew something was wrong. He heard that damn bird caw for the new morning so many times now. The ocarina he stole was gone. That... kid had it. The kid in green. Why? Why did he feel that he knew that? It felt obvious. He felt light, heavy, energized, yet tired...

Stretching out his limbs, his bones cracked. What mischief could he get up today?

‘Will it matter when the world ends in fire’

Skull Kid’s thoughts grew louder as he the moon had grown larger and larger in the sky. It’s face was... emotional was the best way to put it. It got a laugh out of the masked imp when most of the townsfolk fled for safety. There was no running from this. 

Skull Kid could suddenly feel the boy in green look up to him. The boy in green couldn’t see him, but the Skull Kid knew he left those doors from beneath the clock tower. Time was ticking away. How long until they saw each other again? 

Tael never left Skull Kid’s side, but he listened to the masked imp brag about how his powers could do anything, from turning a Deku into a tree, to sealing the spirits of the guardians away. How he wished to see his sister. 

For the next few days, Skull Kid felt his whimsy slowly drain. He felt the green clothed boy undo his fun. He had no idea how the kid was so fast, but he somehow, in such an organized way, traveled to every corner of Termina, and stopped all the curses in the span of two days. The brat even made the time to help two stupid sisters on that dumb farm, and was helping that Kafei kid with his own problems. For what? For love? For friendship? What drove him to find the time to help all these people?! 

Skull Kid growled just thinking about why being nice accomplished anything. No one wanted to be friends with him... so why did that kid have the strength to find friends in others?

On the Dawn of the Final Day, Skull Kid stood on the clock tower. Tael watched as he... twitched. The Skull Kid wasn’t moving from his spot. He wasn’t dancing about or spanking his ass at people who got a look at him, he was just.... twitching on the spot. The Skull Kid, with his special, special mask felt someone look at him from a telescope. So he looked right on back, his head twitching from side to side. He only looked up when he heard something fall from the moon. 

‘What... what was that-’

‘Nothing. Nothing of concern’

The Skull Kid looked back at the boy in green who looked at him from afar. Soon, he felt it in his bones. Soon they’d see each other face to face. Earthquakes shook the earth, and as the stroke of midnight hit, the clock tower changed form, and fireworks launched for the carnival. No one celebrated though.

The crashing moon brought dread to almost everyone. Those who evacuated lived in fear. A postman who couldn’t leave due to feeling honour bound. A swordsman who cowered, not wanting to die. A mother, sitting with the barman for the end. A carpenter, who gawked at the moon to end it all already. An older sister who drugged her sister so she’d sleep blissfully through the end. Yet there was also a women, who waited with the boy in green for her lover to arrive, even if the end would come first. And there was the Skull Kid, who hovered over clock town as the skies turned a dark red and the bells kept ringing. Tael was almost sure he was devoid of thought at this point.

Suddenly, from the steps of the clock tower, the boy in green and his fairy companion stepped forward onto the platform. 

“........” The Masked Imp didn’t care for the boy. He didn’t care for his presence. 

Tael, who was overjoyed to see his sister again, flew forward with desperation in his voice. He couldn’t be afraid anymore. Not now. “Sis!”

Tatl knew what was going to happen. She saw it before, but time had been played with so much that she didn’t care anymore about warnings or threats to the Skull Kid. She just wanted her brother to be safe. “...Tael!”

The purple and red fairy flew forward, begging the heavens to hear his plea. “Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. Hurry... The four who are there... bring them here...”

Something inside the Skull Kid snapped to life at his fairy.

‘How dare Tael help them’

‘He has betrayed you’

‘He’s left me like all the others’

‘He mustn’t fuel our enemies cause’

‘He must be silenced’ ‘He must be silenced’

Skull Kid quickly leap forward, and, with the back of his hand, struck Tael backwards. His voice was full of malice when he spoke, dripping venom in words of hate. “Don’t speak out of line! Stupid fairy!!!”

Tatl rattled her alarm, furious at the Skull Kid for constantly hurting her brother over and over. “!!! That’s it! I won’t things go the way you expect them to!”

The Masked Imp merely chuckled, finding Tatl’s threat pathetic and utterly useless. “... Well, whatever. Even if they were to come now, they wouldn’t be able to handle me... Hee, hee. Just look above you. If it’s something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!” 

The power of the mask filled the Skull Kid, and his body let out a scream as energy poured into the moon. The tool of Armageddon accelerated to hit the planet. 

When all hope seemed lost, the green boy pulled out the ocarina, and played a tune. Suddenly, the Skull Kid could feel his body shake, but not from the effects of the moon. It came from the four corners of Termina. That was when a cry rang out across the land. The Imp looked around, trying to figure out what it was, when it hit him. It could only be the giants. 

The voice in Skull Kid’s head rang out in anger, and both his own thoughts and cries of his old friends made Skull Kid panic, as well as feel immense pain. Gripping his head, the Skull Kid screamed out, begging for sweet release from the agony he felt. How he wished his mind could find healing. Then came emptiness. 

It woke up. The moon was temporarily stopped by the guardians giants. The body of the Skull Kid heard the two fairies embrace, then turn into arguing. “Tael! Why are you protecting him?! Aren’t you mad at him for hitting you so much?”

“He was lonely... the Skull Kid.”

“He was trying to destroy everything around him. That is not the same as a lonely child. We cannot allow that!” 

“The power of the mask made him do it. It was too much for the Skull Kid to handle.”

“It’s ‘cause he doesn’t know his place! On top of having a weak will and no strength of heart... he’s a fool!”

“Certainly, he had far too many weaknesses to use my power.”

“Yeah! That’s right! Admit your stupidity!... Huh?”

Both fairies froze when the terror quickly dawned on them. The body of the Skull Kid suddenly rose up, being dangled by the head. The boy in green expression turned to shock and horror as he watched the body slink back and forth. 

“A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage.” The mask had used the child for all the time it needed, planting ideas and manipulating events, but it’s shell was no longer needed. Dropping the body, the mask floated in midair, and its eyes glowed with evil. “This puppets role has just ended...” 

The Evil of Majora would not be denied. In the end, all beings were its puppets. Their strings had been cut now, and everything would be consumed.