Operation: MASKED, Part 20: Operation Moonfall

Chapter 20: Operation: Moonfall

After Cheren's victory, the boy awoke once again on the treehouse's couch. …Although… it wasn't the couch he remembered. It was harder, and generally uncomfortable. When he got up, he realized he was in Sector DB's treehouse. "Ahh great, yer awake!" Merida grinned, just coming in to bring Cheren some soup. "You've been out all night. It's mornin' now, so the others aren't here yet."

Cheren smiled and proceeded to eat the soup.

"When we beat the monster, the war sorta ended. The whole town is celebratin'. You oughta come down. Yer sorta the town hero, actually. When I carried ya home, Ay told me parents that Ay was kidnapped by the monsters, and ya came to save me, and ended up gettin' conked on the way. Of course, it's not an excuse Ay'm usually fine with, sooo… ya owe me." She smirked.

"Heheheh!" Cheren laughed. "Maybe in the future." Cheren reached in his pocket and pulled out the remains of Stalgod. "But I really should get home now. With all the Giants rescued, I'm probably only a few Hookshot launches away from saving Miyuki."

"Ahh, come on, Chereeen!" Merida whined, playfully punching his shoulder. "Ya have time fer a banquet, the future'll still be there, right?"

"Hmmm… well, okay. But not for too long, though." I wanna save the REAL partying 'til AFTER I beat Majora.

"If ye say so."

"Um, actually that reminds me, do you guys possibly grow any… special flowers around here? Any type called 'Ancient Flower'?"

"Hmmm… ya know, we might have somethin' like that in the garden outside West Gate. Ay could ask the guards to bring one for you."

"That'd be great." Cheren smiled. "It's for a friend… sort of."

"Well, come on!" Merida insisted, standing up excited. "Let's go meet everyone!"

"Ha, race you!" With that, Cheren and Merida began their excited dash to the castle.

DunBroch Castle Grand Hall

"Und did Ay ever tell you 'bout the time Ay fought with Tralfolgor the Terrifying?" King Fergus asked as they were all gathered at the dining table. There was old Scottish music in the background, and several warriors were dancing, while Cheren, Merida, and her parents sat at the table, eating various types of meat and other grub. "He was BIGGER than this table! And one of his eyes was replaced with a bull's horn! He-"

"Honestly, Ay think Dad just makes these up." Merida whispered to Cheren, the two of them simply tuning the man out.

"Eh, I dunno… he might be recollecting his own KND adventures." Cheren winked.

"My dad a Kids Next Door operative? Ay'll buy that."

"Oi, Lad? Is this the flower you wanted?" a soldier asked as he brought Cheren a flower with purple petals and a big, golden center.

"I dunno… is it, Fi?"

Fi popped out and answered, "Master Cheren, I can confirm with 90% accuracy this is the Ancient Flower which Sprocket spoke of."

"Perfect! Then I'll take it!" Cheren beamed as he took the flower.

You got an Ancient Flower! These used to be all over the place! Sprocket will sure love to see this!

The soldier walked away, and Cheren continued to eat his piece of bread. "…Hey, Merida?"

Merida chewed on some meat and replied, "Hm?"

"I just wanna say thanks." He said, feeling a little sheepish. "I wouldn't've been able to get through there without you. I guess it turns out… having one person with you makes all the difference."

"Well, just make sure to tell yer friends about meh." Merida smirked. "And we'll keep yer memory alive down here. After all, if yer still around 800 years in the future, ya must be a pretty important guy."

"Heh, you're too kind." Cheren said as he was beginning to walk out. "I'll tell my friends to come and see your movie."

"Come back and visit sometime!" Merida yelled, waving as he left, while he waved back. However, a thought occurred to Merida just then. "What's a movie?"

Downtown

"Shall we return to Sector V's treehouse, Master Cheren?" Fi asked as Cheren walked down the street. "I believe the Song of Soaring will allow us to warp through the portals as well, Master."

"Not yet. There's something else we gotta get first."

By the Powder Keg stand

At this time, the Happy Mask Man was taking a little stroll down the path through the grassland. Cheren made his way all the way to this area, and was surprised when he ran into him. "Happy Mask Man!"

"Ooh?" the grinning man looked curiously at him.

"I rescued the last Giant!" Cheren exclaimed, feeling very excited. "Did you come here to see it for yourself?"

"…" The man kept his vibrant grin. "I've never seen you before in my life…"

Cheren only looked confused as the man walked by him. Before he went further, the Mask Man turned back at Cheren. "You rescued the Giant, have you? Such a task does not come small… Only one with vast courage would want to even try. It seems this land is safe now… thanks to you."

"Shyah…" Cheren gave a light blush; he really couldn't take this much praise. He was still confused how the Mask Man didn't remember him.

"But still… a land must fall… one way or the other. Whether the war was ended or not… the kingdom will see its last days. At least now… it won't die in vain." The man's grin grew. "I shall remember your face… Boy…"

With those last words, the Mask Man walked out into the fields. Cheren thought his glasses were foggy, but the Mask Man soon vanished from his sight, into thin air.

He wiped his glasses with his shirt, but when he slipped them on, the Mask Man was still nowhere to be found. "Hm… weird. Anyway, the frog!" Cheren turned his attention to the nearby pond. He recalled the pond being dead in the future, but now it was full of life, with a little green froggy hopping happily on a lilipad. Cheren slipped on Don Gero's Mask and spoke to it.

"Oh, hi, Don Gero! Ribbit! I was hoping to see you! Ribbit! I followed the monsters in the time portal—rib—in the hopes of finding you in this time—bit! Now that I've met you, I guess I'll return to my home time, ribbit! Come with me and see me at the show soon!" With that, the frog vanished into thin air.

"Why do they do that?" Cheren asked, totally confused. "Oh well. It's time to head back." He pulled out the Spirit Flute and blew the Song of Soaring to be warped out of there.

Slag's Fleet

He made his way to Slag's Fleet and turned himself into Captain Slag as he entered Sprocket's room. The hot-hearted pirate was tending to his plants as Cheren presented him the Ancient Flower. "Yarrr, here be what yer lookin' for, Sprocket."

"Whoy, Captain!" Sprocket's eyes beamed with joy as he carefully snatched the flower. "I's magnificent! Wherever did you get this??"

"Don't 'ave doubts in yer fair captain, Sprockey old boy!"

"Oi, I won't, Captain. I'll be takin' good care of this. Here's your reward, Captain."

"A pleasure, Sprockey old boy." Cheren said as he took a brown mask designed like a tiki face. "Should ye need any other favors, just aaask." But please don't.

You got the Rain Mask! Ancient Indian tribes once used this mask to make it rain! Once you wear it, perform a little dance to make it shower onto the withered ground! Just don't try to ruin anyone's day at the beach.

Cheren left Sprocket alone and performed the Song of Soaring, and headed straight for Carnivilia.

Le Carnivilia

Cheren returned to Carnivilia (for the hundredth time in this story) and made his way to Lenny's dunk tank, where the bucktoothed man was impatiently waiting. "Hey, not that I'm rushing you, but I've got an empty tank here and not reeling any customers."

"Yeah yeah, calm down, I'm on it." Cheren stated annoyed as he slipped on the Rain Mask. Cheren began to make some kind of chant as he danced around, drawing weird looks from nearby park goers. Everyone looked up as the sky began to fill with clouds, and rain poured down in seconds. For some people, it kind of ruined their park day, but for Lenny, he was joyous that his tank was filling with water again.

The rain eventually came to an end when the tank was filled to its required level. "Whoa! I don't know how you did that, but… my tank's filled! I can finally start dunking people! …Uh, I mean, getting customers… to be dunked."

"Heheheh." Cheren chuckled, giving a disbelieved smirk.

"Still, I'm not really sure if you did that, or if it was just by chance. Oh well. I've had this snorkel mask lying around that I don't need, so… I'll let you have it!" Lenny grinned as he presented Cheren the aforementioned snorkel and goggles.

You got the Snorkel Mask! No diver can last long without this! …Er, except you. Regardless, with this, you'll be able to stay underwater a lot longer without air!

"So, if you end up getting dunked by one of your friends, you won't have to worry about drowning!"

"Heh. Eat that, Panini." Cheren smirked. At that instant, he remembered: "Oh yeah! I better check on Panini. There's still something I need to do, though."

He walked to Rainier Narboneta's frog choir attraction, and saw that all the frogs he's found throughout the journey had returned safely home. However, one of the seven lilipads was still empty. "I'm still missing a frog? Where else could they be, I've been to all the Giants' lands. …Waait…" Cheren beamed, "I remember! Guess we're stopping by home, anyway!" With that, Cheren played the Song of Soaring again, and returned to the treehouse.

Cleveland Park

Cheren returned to the playground just blocks away from Sector V's treehouse. As he expected, the little grey frog was still hopping happily, ever since they saved him at the beginning of Cheren's Terminan adventure. Cheren slipped on Don Gero's Mask and spoke to the froggy.

"Ribbit! Don Gero! You've returned RIBBIT! I was just playing with the kids RIBBIT! They're pretty annoying. I don't know how anyone puts up with 'em RIBBIT! I'm going back to Carnivilia. 'Course, things aren't much different there RIBBIT! See you around!" With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"That should be all the frogs! I guess we should meet up with the guys now."

Fi emerged from the sword and asked, "Master Cheren, should we not see if Rainier Narboneta has a possible reward?"

"Naah, it's probably just a Heart Piece, it's not very relevant. We'll get it when we become an actual game. I really wanna check up on Panini." With that, Cheren hurried back to the treehouse ('cause sidequests have lost their value).

KND Moonbase

Panini was calmly at rest in the Moonbase Hospital. Her wound was wrapped up, but she still only breathed softly as she lay unconscious. While the doctors were checking up on her, Truman Kirman walked in to visit her as well. "Hello, Numbuh Medical-Jargon-57. Is Panini doing alright?"

"'ey, Numbuh 40! Yeah, she's been fine since last night. We're wondering why she won't wake up."

"I think I know why. It's because you're still in charge."

"Uh heheheh." The boy chuckled confusedly. "You mind clarifying that for me?"

"Gladly." Without a moment's hesitation, Truman grabbed the doctor and slammed him to the ground facefirst.

"Hey, Truman's going crazy!" a soldier outside yelled. "Grab him! Hnngh-!" Both soldiers were held back by an unseen force. Truman smirked at Miyuki Crystal/Majora behind them.

The possessed child stepped forward and touched the soldiers as their bodies vanished in a flash of light, leaving only their helmets. Miyuki twirled the helmets around in her fingers as they both spoke, "Good work, my special agent. Infiltrating the Moonbase was much easier with a fellow operative in hand. They would never have suspected I used the special Delightful Serum my cohorts have provided me. You walked in right under their noses."

"I shouldn't take all the credit." Truman spoke, his face baring a devious look as his eyes brimmed more blue than ever. "These kids are so hyped about their card games and candy that they can't even think straight. Besides… I never could've done so if you hadn't stolen the soul out of this body."

"You should be amazed you didn't need a soul." Majora said as he pulled out Truman's real glasses and dangled them by Miyuki's finger. "I'm amazed the Delightfulization had effect on a body with no soul. Of course, I should remember, Delightfulized beings really HAVE no soul. It just makes it easier when their body is empty."

"Of course. That's why we emptied the rabbit girl of her soul." Truman said, looking at Panini. "Were it still there, she'd be waking up. But it's not."

Truman approached the firebender girl and shook her. "Panini? You can wake up now."

Panini's eyes shot open, completely blue and lifeless. "Is Master ready to begin now?" she said in a dull, emotionless tone.

"Master? You make me feel like-" Majora turned around, then turned back, holding a mask of Caesar Clown by his face, "Shulululululu!" He threw the mask away and said, "With Moonbase's defenses immobilized, my demons have begun taking over without mercy. With nothing else around to stand in my way, Operation: Moonfall can proceed as scheduled! Continue as planned, while I finish operations." With that, the possessed child left the room.

Miyuki/Majora made their way to the Moonbase's generator room, where she unhesitantly grabbed the guards' heads and forced their souls into their helmets. Majora approached the generator and spoke, "Thanks to Miyuki's timebending powers, enhanced by my darknessbending, the moon, excluding the Moonbase, has successfully been restored to its appointed state. However, the timebending alone wasn't enough. It needed a direct touch by my darknessbending. But darkness on the outside will never do. I must channel the energy to the moon where it really matters: the heart. This very device links the treehouse's roots perfectly with the heart of the moon. By channeling my energy through here, the moon will be touched by my darkness, and it will carry the task it was designed to fulfill from the very birth of creation: Destruction of the whole world.

"Ahhh… how it pains me to eliminate… such worthiable adversaries. Demons feed off energy from this planet, and I must take it away." Majora released a sigh. "Oh well. When I'm done, I shall make an even better home for them. Let us begin… Operation MOONFALL!"

The demon placed Miyuki's hand against the tree's stem, and began to channel the dark energy right down to the roots.

Sector V Treehouse… you know which one by now, right?

Cheren warped back to the treehouse's balcony and excitedly burst through the door, raising Stalgod's mask above his head. "Yo, guys! I got the last mask!"

The five Sector V members flinched and looked away from whatever they were doing. "Dude, you scared us!" Celeste yelled as they hurried over to him. "We thought you mighta died by now!"

"Heh, come oooon, guys. I'm not Supreme Leader of my universe for nothin'."

"So I guess you didn't need us after all?" Celeste asked.

"Well… not totally true. Let's just say, I found some help where I went, and… you really can't get that far without any help. You guys were a bigger deal on my journey than I would've thought at first."

"Well, it's not like you can swing a vine and shoot a slingshot at the same time." Harry remarked.

"Or move your own platforms while you're tiny." Melissa said.

"Hehehe…" Cheren grinned sheepishly. "I don't know how else to tell you this… but I was pretty mean to you guys before, and-"

"Apology accepted." Harry winked. "Now can we get on with this quest and avoid any cheesy emotional scenes? We are still just a kids' cartoon."

"I thought we were anime." Celeste commented.

"Hahaha! The quest is pretty much over! I rescued the last Giant."

"So are they gonna help you beat Majora?" Thomas asked.

"I… would think so?" Cheren said, confused. "They taught me some kind of song. I wonder if I just play it in front of Majora and they come and stomp him?"

"Well, you'll have to find Majora first, right?" Melissa asked. "Where is he hiding?"

"Heck if I know. But there's someone else I wanna see first: where's Panini?"

"She's up at Moonbase Hospital." Melissa replied. "Truman went up to check on her a while ago."

"We still got her mask, too." Thomas said as he held up Panini's Bunny Hood. "But are you really sure her soul's trapped in here? She was still breathing."

"Having her soul taken isn't the same as killing her. Her body may be alive, but she may not having anything controlling it. But if her soul is in there, I can probably bring it back with the Song of Healing. So let's get up there and wake her up. I'll bet she wants to join me in taking out Majora!"

"I know I wouldn't miss it." Thomas smirked. "Let's get up to Moonbase! You brought the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. back, right?"

Cheren flinched, putting on a recalling look. "Ooooh… I left it back on DunBroch by accident. It's the first time I wasn't dragged to this treehouse."

"What do you mean 'this'—oh, never mind." Harry said. "We'll use the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. Let's go, team!"

"Incoming transmission from Moonbase." The operatives were interrupted when alarms blared throughout the treehouse.

The kids hurried to the living room monitor as their Supreme Leader, Jeremy's face came onscreen. "Sector V, this is Kids Next Door Moonbase."

"Duh." Melissa remarked.

"The demons have attacked, we're requesting immediate back-" The screen immediately blanked to static.

"Jeremy!" Melissa yelled, worried.

The static cleared, and Truman Kirman's face was shown, baring his devious look. "Hello, Kids Next Door."

"TRUMAN??" they were all shocked.

"I'm no longer the Truman you remember. Rather, the first Truman you may remember. I've gone back to my Delightful roots, and I am quite pleased."

"You're… Delightfulized??" Melissa exclaimed.

"Yes. We've excluded the childish soul from this body, and have replanted a better, delightful one. And I'm not the only one. Many of us have joined Delightfulization. Including one you may be familiar with. Say hello to everyone, Panini." The camera rolled over to show Panini's emotionless face.

Cheren gasped with horror. "Panini!"

"The Moonbase is under Majora's command now. I'm sorry, but his rule is much better. The moon is a far more sacred place to be owned by a bunch of brats. Majora will put this rock to better use."

"If it's so sacred, a demon like Majora shouldn't control what happens with it." Cheren said, anger rising inside him.

"Ahh, but Majora is far more than just your regular demon. He will be this world's savior. And he will ergo save your world."

"What does that mean?!" Cheren demanded.

"Talking wastes time. The show is about to begin. The moon's looking pretty today. Come to the top if you wish to see." With that, the TV switched off.

Everyone hurried to the highest balcony around the top of the treehouse and watched as the moon became shrouded in darkness. It was daytime, so the moon was barely visible, but the evil purple surrounding it made it more noticeable than ever. The purple slowly faded from the moon, and they already noticed the distinct differences: wide, yellow-red eyes, almost like Majora's, a huge nose, and a mouth exposing terrifying teeth, appeared to form an enormous face. The face's eyes peered down at the planet below, and it emitted a strange, rumbling sound.

"Heeey… is the moon getting bigger?" Kellie asked.

"No, it's… getting closer!" Harry realized. Indeed the moon was drawing closer and closer, and didn't stray at all from the Earth's surface.

"If that thing collides with Earth…" Melissa said, her voice filled with fear.

Kellie gulped and sidled over to Thomas, clutching his arm tight.

"Was this what Majora was planning?" Cheren asked, amazed at the sight.

"Did you hear what Truman said?" Thomas asked. "He said Majora would 'save' your world… Does that mean YOUR world will get hit, too?!"

Cheren flinched remembering those words. The Uno boy bit his teeth together, panicking on the inside.

"It's true." Everyone jumped around, finding Miyuki/Majora at the balcony's stairway. "This world and Cheren's world are linked. While the door between worlds is sealed, the road still lies. The moon will implode on this world, and the incredible impact will spread through the tunnel, burning down the door and setting flame to the other world you're so fond of."

"Grrrrr!" Cheren got to his feet and aimed his sword at Miyuki. "Not if I take you out first!" He ran to swing at the girl, but she jumped back and hovered in the air.

"You would hurt your friend?!"

"I'm focused on the mask. Not her. I'll tear that mask apart and STOP this whole thing!"

"Like I'll let you beat me! Come at me, Boy!" (Play the Mini-Boss Theme from Majora's Mask.)

Boss fight: Possessed Masked Child, MIYUKI CRYSTAL

The rest of the operatives stepped back to let Cheren and Miyuki fight. Cheren kept his eye trained on her as she floated around. He pulled his bow out and tried to shoot the mask, but Majora zipped to the side and began to charge a sphere of darkness. "Oh, THIS old thing?" Cheren remarked, remembering this tactic from EVERY Zelda game he's seen. Majora launched the sphere, and Cheren knocked it back to start this game of midair Ping-Pong. If you've played any Zelda game, you know how this goes. (In fact, Nerehc actually did it.) At the end of this little back-and-forth, Miyuki took the hit and sunk to the floor. Cheren dealt his blows across the evil mask, careful not to damage Miyuki's body.

Miyuki slipped away and took Cheren from behind, binding his arm behind him as Cheren fell to his knees. Cheren tried to pull away and stand, but Miyuki held his arm tight, and Cheren felt his strength decreasing. "Heh…" he panted, "Never knew you were this strong, Miyuki."

"Unfortunately, this is Majora keeping you down. Tell me, Boy: do you know how darknessbending works?"

"Ummm… kinda? Tell me anyway."

"Remember darkness is the element that exists inside. It involves pulling forward the negative emotions that lay inside you. For example, the doubt that you would have the strength to push a little girl holding you down. By making the doubt grow, the confidence you would have decreases, and so does your power. You simple humans could never stand a chance."

"You forget… one thing…, Majora." Cheren grunted, keeping a confident smile, the image of Panini's boot on his little body playing in his mind. "I remember… lifting MUCH heavier things."

Cheren elbowed Miyuki and knocked her back, grabbing and throwing her against the wall. When she turned, Cheren slashed at the mask, but the possessed child jumped and hovered overhead. Majora started to charge and throw a series of quick Dark Spheres, but Cheren swiftly dodged and bounced some attacks away with the Mirror Shield. Cheren threw his Bananarang, but Miyuki dodged and grabbed Cheren in a Time Brake, reducing him to 1/4th his speed. Thankfully, the Bananarang came back and bonked her in the head, releasing her grip.

Cheren immediately latched Miyuki with the Hookshot and pulled her down, giving him a chance for more strikes at the mask. Miyuki glided back and tossed five dark spheres, but Cheren knocked them all away with a spin attack. Cheren charged at the white-haired girl, but Miyuki leapt, hopped off his head, and hovered back in the air as she charged and unleashed a dark laser. Cheren deflected the laser with his Mirror Shield, but its size was providing Cheren a challenge as he tried to keep it blocked. He tried to redirect the laser up at Miyuki, but the girl dodged to the side and launched another laser, but Cheren was able to block it as it pushed him against the wall.

Miyuki smirked under her mask, seeing Cheren struggling to defend from Majora's attack. But just as Cheren was about to drop his guard, "UUH!" Miyuki was hit on the side of the head with a pellet, forcing her to stop the attack. The possessed timebender glared to her left, seeing Harry Uno wearing a cocky smirk as he wielded his slingshot.

"Never say the slingshot's useless!" he smirked.

"NNN!" Majora was taken by surprise when Cheren suddenly yanked them down with the Hookshot, proceeding to deal blows against the mask. Miyuki slipped away, and as Cheren leapt for a jump attack, Miyuki instantly slowed him in time. The demon-child chuckled evilly, but her arms were suddenly binded by a lasso, looking over and glaring at a smirking Celeste. Miyuki failed to try and dodge Cheren, who was still moving slow, but was able to land a successful strike against the mask, breaking free of the Time Brake.

"Or a dirty rope you find in a closet!" Celeste followed.

Miyuki flew to the air and raised her hands high as she began to channel a larger dark sphere, almost larger than her body. Cheren readied both his sword and shield, wondering if he could bounce it back, but when Miyuki launched it, Thomas jumped in the way and batted the sphere back with his hammer, forcing Miyuki to dodge to the ground. While grounded, Thomas smashed the girl against the floor, twirling his hammer with a victorious smirk. "Need I say more?"

While Miyuki was down, Melissa shrunk herself with her shrink ray and ran up the girl's sleeve. As Miyuki got back on her feet, she immediately felt the Gilligan girl crawling around under her clothing. "Err, hey! Get out of there! Those are a girl's private areas!"

Melissa stuck out of Miyuki's shirt collar as the terrifying mask looked down at her. "You should respect her TOO, dummy!" The tiny girl jumped off as Cheren swung his blade and struck the mask. Majora recovered and swiftly dodged Cheren's following blows, dancing behind him and kicking him against the wall.

"Heeeey Mr.-Mrs. Spooky Mask Thiiiing!" Kellie called cheerfully, drawing Majora's attention. "Let's daaance!" Kellie kept a happy, bubbly smile as she began to dance freely around Miyuki in ballet style. The Masked Demon only looked confused as Kellie performed various twirls, her feet moving like the wind. As Kellie danced to the front of Miyuki, she leapt in the air and floated as she did a twirl, finishing her dance with a wide smile as her arms and one leg stretched out.

"…Weren't you going to attack?" Majora asked.

"Oh. Okay. HEEE!" With a fierce look, Kellie kicked Miyuki painfully upside the chin, her head bent back with great force as she wobbled backward. Cheren shot arrows through the tips of her shoes and stuck them to the ground. The Uno flipped to her front and dealt a series of slashes against her mask, the arrows eventually coming off as Miyuki slid along the floor on her back, knocked down. (End song.)

Cheren stylishly twirled his sword and sheathed it. "Is that all? You've lost your touch, Majora."

"Nnnnnn…" the demon was feeling weak.

"I may not be in my normal world… but I still have friends to support me. I just wish I knew that before. Then I wouldn't've gone crazy. But it just goes to show, as long as I have friends, there's NO ONE that can—"

"Uhhh, hate to cut in on your victory, dude, but we still got THAT to deal with." Thomas stated, indicating the gigantic moon coming right toward them.

"How the heck can we stop that thing?!" Celeste exclaimed. "You'd have to be a GIANT to keep it back!"

A lightbulb appeared above Cheren's head. "That's it! …Where do these things come from?" He took the lightbulb and threw it away. He whipped out his Spirit Flute and said, "This is what that song was for: to prevent something like this!"

"What? You think you can call the Giants?" Celeste asked.

"Only one way to find out. Here it goes!"

Doooooo dooo-dooo, doooo DOOoo DOOOOO!

The moment the Oath to Order ended, the earth began shaking tremendously, making it hard for everyone to stand their ground.

"What?! What's happening?" Majora asked. "…Wait. That melody. It—"

"Uhhhh what's he so worried about?" Celeste asked.

"I dunno… but if he's worried, maybe help is on the way." Cheren hoped.

Jungle of the Apes

From the towering treetops of the vast, African jungle, Kerchak and his fellow apes watched as the Jungle Temple brimmed with a powerful light from the distance. "Why temple… glow bright?" Kerchak asked.

"Maybe human… do something." His wife said.

A powerful beam launched from the temple and soared across the heavens.

Le Carnivilia

Booster watched from his tower, as did all the park goers, as the Grand Bigtop brimmed and launched a powerful light into the sky.

Holoska

Marketa, her family, and all the wolves from the Mainland stared in awe as the Frosty Citadel launched a powerful beam into the heavens.

Tortuga Island

The pirates ceased their partying and stared amazed as a light launched from the island, from the spot where the Pirates' Grotto would be. "Oi… blimey…" a loyal Slag Pirate was struck speechless.

The Land of Fire

Naruto and the people of the Hidden Leaf Village stared as a light launched from the Sarutobi Tower. "Whoa… is that what-?"

DunBroch Ruins

Within the vast ruins of the ancient land, the fallen Heavenly Ruin emitted a light that could be seen across the land, launching a beam that alighted the cloudy sky.

Sector V Treehouse

The six lights came together in the heavens before the operatives' eyes. They closed in on the moon, and as they were about to touch, the lights transformed into the Six Giants.

The operatives gaped as the moon rammed the Giants, and came to a complete halt thanks to the Giants' strength. They looked almost as tall as the moon, and their combined strength was enough to subdue the world's destruction.

"You know… they're just like us…" Harry said, eyes fixed on the Giants' teamwork.

"Yeah… dude, wouldn't it be AWESOME if we were giant?" Celeste asked.

"I have a Giant Mask." Cheren said, smiling. "But it won't work anywhere."

"At least we stopped the moon for now." Thomas followed. "I wasn't looking forward to being smooshified."

"There's something I don't really get about all this." Celeste spoke.

"Okay, has anyone noticed she's hogging almost ALL the lines?" Melissa commented.

Harry eye-rolled, "What is it, Cel?"

"How was Majora able to Delightfulize Panini and Truman to begin with? I mean, there's only one person we know that could HAVE that technology, and that's-"

"Yours truly."

Everyone gaped. At that moment, Miyuki's modified S.C.A.M.P.E.R. hovered by the balcony, with a certain silhouetted gentleman standing in the opening. "FATHER!!"

"Uncle… Ben??" Cheren questioned.

"Long time, no see, Cheren." Father greeted, a smirk under his silhouette.

"Ahhh, my dear employer." Majora spoke. "I was hoping you'd show up."

"Employer?" Cheren asked, surprised. "So you're… Majora's BOSS?"

"Weeell, I helped him on a few occasions, in exchange for some… commissions."

"Commissions?"

"Ever since dear granddaddy Malladus got defeated, things haven't been the same." Father said, sounding half-depressed. "I lost my job at Evil Adult Industries and lost all respect from my fellow villains. And then that lousy Brain stole it all from me. Malladus died and my own dad decided to retire for good. I fell into such a slump, I got doubt in myself! I wanted to call it quits… but then one, fateful day, I heard a rather interesting tale: the tale of Majora and the Giants of Termina. Apparently, Majora was some wondrous, ancient demon that could make anything happen. I knew that if I could help bring BACK this ancient demon, he would destroy the world for me and HELP ME rebuild it, where adults rule everything and kids are all Delightful! NOOOW who's got the top spot in the villains list, GUUUYS?!?"

"I don't understand! That tale takes place in THIS dimension, not our own! Where did you hear about it??"

"From ME." Another, similar silhouetted figure stepped in the doorway.

Everyone gaped. "TWO FATHERS???"

"This old man came AAAALL the way to my world from the Termina Dimension!" Father A said, happily patting Father B's back.

"Using the special Dimensional Transferifyer I designed, using all the Star Dust I gathered around while looking for NIGEL UNO IN OUTER SPACE after he STOLE MY PIPE AND RAN OFF WITH THOSE GALACTIC KIDS NEXT DOOR!"

"I forgot how much he yells." Cheren said.

"I heard that the demon Majora was locked somewhere in the 'Hyrule' Dimension, although I didn't expect to run into a fellow adult who looked exactly like myself!"

"Nor did we expect the demon Majora had already found its own vessel AHEAD of time!" Father A finished. "Thanks to this handsome individual, I was finally brought out of my slump!"

"So you didn't have anything to do with Miyuki finding the mask." Cheren deduced. "But why exactly did Majora team up with you?"

"Let's just say, what you said is true. You cannot go far without help." Majora admitted.

"We first made our little deal shortly after he found the original gateway closed." Father A said.

"That turned up very lucky, for us." Father B said. "We allowed him the access of our dimensional traveler, if he promised to help us."

"Sounds pretty simple." Cheren said, expecting a somewhat better deal.

"Along the way, we offered other services." Father A continued. "I told him about the Demon State that runs in the Uno Family of my universe."

"We convinced him to take the souls of your friends and put them through the Delighfuling Process, turning them into zombie slaves that would hide under your operative noses." Father B explained. "We did that with one of my more favorite subjects, Truman, and enabled Majora to gain complete control of Moonbase Command."

"You see, Majora needed control of the Moonbase in order to reach its core, where he would channel his dark energy to the moon's heart. His darkness awakened the true evil that slept within the moon, and that's what you see ABOVE YOU TODAY!"

Everyone looked up at the terrifying face on the moon, still held back by the Giants' power. "Father: you have no idea what Majora might do once this is done." Cheren said. "How do you know he'll keep his word?"

"Personally: I don't really care." Majora admitted. "But I have no quarrel against them, and they did help me. I think I'll entertain them."

"As long as it works in our favor." Father B stated.

"Now it's time we finish our last preparations. Farewell." With that, Miyuki got back up and drifted into the ship. The hatch closed as the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. faced up and shot toward the moon. Missiles launched from the shabby camper and hit the Giants, causing them to lose their grip as the moon drifted even closer. As the villains landed inside the Moonbase, the moon's eyes glowed more evil than ever.

"I…I shall consume…consume…consume everything!"

"Noooo! We gotta stop the moon NOW!" Melissa screamed. "Don't you have another song?!"

"You think I'd be USING it now?" Cheren snapped back.

"Quit arguing, guys! There's gotta be SOMETHING we can do!" Thomas yelled.

"Oooh-ooh! Maybe we can ask the moon, REALLLY really nicely, to go back in the sky!" Kellie said gleefully.

"I don't think the moon's in the mood to listen." Cheren said simply. "Still… if the Giants don't work, I don't know what else we could do."

"Do what you've always done." Everyone turned at the Happy Mask Man's teary, joyous voice, his grin the same as it's always been. The creepy man knelt beside Cheren and spoke, "The Giants can only do part of the work. Remember they are beings made up of Earth's positive energy. You must give them more strength by joining together, and standing against Majora. Together, with your friendship… the darkness that takes the moon will NOT last long!" his eyes began to tear again.

"In other words, we go up, kick Majora's butt, and get our Moonbase back?" Harry asked.

"That would be the less cheesy way of saying it." Mask Man said simply.

"Ah… well, it's what I've been waiting for ever since Seriousman arrived." Harry started eagerly. Cheren shot him a dirty look that said 'Really?'. "And now that TWO Fathers are there, that just adds to the butt-kickin'!"

"Kids Next Door, BATTLE-" Cheren tried to finish.

"HEY!!" Harry stopped him. "… …Ah, go ahead, you're Supreme Leader."

Cheren smirked. "KIDS NEXT DOOR, BATTLE STATIONS! (Man, when was the last time we said that?)"

"361!" Harry exclaimed.

"52!" Melissa followed.

"43!" Kellie cheered.

"80!" Thomas yelled.

"58!" Celeste fist-pumped.

"…" Cheren looked confused.

"COME ON, dude!" Thomas yelled.

"Oh—right! 3621! (Man, I've got to brush up on my history.)" Cheren cheered.

"ANNNND…" Harry pointed over at Truman… who was nonexistent. "Ohhh… right."

"LET'S GO, TEAM!" Cheren declared.

Sector V Hangar

The five Sector V members hopped in the C.O.O.L.-.B.U.S., feeling more hyped than ever as they readied to lift off for Moonbase. Cheren stood outside the spacecraft for a moment to think and unwind after his battle just now, and was greeted by the Mask Man again. "Ahhh… it seemed just only yesterday… when he made his daring venture into the moon. …Only he didn't have the spaceship."

Cheren glanced at him with a curious look. Could he be talking about…?

"It was sad when his time came. But then I met a little boy… just a few years later. He saved a beautiful land from predestined destruction. And that boy…" the man bent over and stared into Cheren's chestnut-brown eyes, "was you, wasn't it?"

Cheren jumped away in utter shock. So he WAS the same Mask Man in DunBroch Past? "Just…Just what are you??" Cheren finally asked.

"A mask conceals the most precious of things…" he grinned, rubbing his own face. "As you go on this perilous journey… I still must ask you… to bring Majora's Mask to me."

"Why do you still want that mask?"

"I cannot say. I am sorry." His grin became a frown. "However… I will still help you, by telling you one last thing: my true name."

Cheren's eyes perked. He never was given his name.

The man got down and whispered in Cheren's ear with a big grin. "My true name… is…" he spoke very quietly, and Cheren felt his breath touch his ear, "Sanula."

Cheren backed away in shock. The Mask Man kept his innocent grin as he stared. He… KNEW that name from somewhere. But where…

"Yo, Cheren, you getting on or are we leaving without you?" Harry yelled.

Cheren jumped back to reality. "Um, coming!" he quickly dashed into the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S..

The Mask Man kept his hopeful grin as he watched the spacecraft take off. The 2x4-tech bus headed straight for the Moonbase, which has long since been enclouded in Majora's darkness.