Anon and the Happy Mask Salesman - Chapter 10

“Twilight?!”
>You’re banging on the door to the library.
>No answer.
>You sigh, stepping back a few steps from the door.
>Let’s see… two windows, one door window…
>You sit cross-legged, waiting to see the sign you’re expecting.
>With eyes like a hawk, you closely examine each door, window, crevice… Anything they could look out of to see you.
>Bingo, there it is.
>The slitted eye of a dragon, along with the smallest hint of a claw, holding the blinds up to look at you.
“Gotcha.”
>You stand up, walk over to the door again, and Spike quickly retreats back into the tree.
“I know you’re in there, Spike! I just want to talk, that’s all.”
>You hear quiet mutterings inside the dwelling.
“I saw, and hear you, Spike; you might as well let me in.”
>You wait a few moments.
>No answer.
“I’ll give you to the count of three, Spike; otherwise, I’m forcing myself in. One…”
>You hear the pitter-patter of feet scurrying around the floor of the tree.
“Two…”
>Still nothing at the door. You rear your leg back.
“Three!”
>You bring it up, and you kick with all your might.
>Only, you hit nothing but open air…
>Ohgodyourbalancefuckfuckfuckfuck
>You just barely save yourself from doing the splits right over the head of the baby dragon.
>”Whoa, dude!” Spike yells, ducking his head, just barely dodging the kick. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“…Breaking in?”
>Spike leans back up, snorting. “Dunno what got into your head, but you wouldn’t have ever pulled it off even if you tried with all your might.”
“Oh? And what makes you say that?”
>He knocks on the wood. “Only pony that I’ve ever seen strong enough to knock down THIS door is Applejack, and MAYBE Rainbow when she’s going at top speed,” he grins up at you.
“…Oh.”
>Ouch. Your pride.
>”So, why’re ya here, Anonymous?” Spike asks, curious.
“Twilight. Where is she?”
>Spike shudders a bit. “Downstairs. She’s been down there for a while… not letting anyone else down there; she’s locked the door with some kind of magical spell,” he says, walking you over to the door to the basement.
“Any way we can break it?”
>Spike shakes his head. “I’ve tried everything about magic that I know; which, now that I think about it, isn’t very much…”
>You nod.
“What if I try opening it?”
>”Worth a shot. Go right ahead,” Spike says, shrugging.
>You nod, taking a step back, before ramming your shoulder into the door.
>Ouch. Your actual body.
>It worked, though; the door flew open…
>And you tumbled down the stairs, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom.
>Damn, this is just not your day.
>”Hello, Anonymous…”
>You look up to see…
“Twilight? What’s going on here?”
>You get to your feet, looking around the basement.
>It’s covered from top to bottom with strange machinery the likes of which you’ve only seen in old pictures of computers that would fill the entire room of a business or something like that.
>”You’re just in time, Anonymous; I was just about to go and find you,” she says, still turned around, her face hidden from you.
>You turn to look back at her.
“Well, that’s good… listen, Twilight, I think I know what happened back there with your mag-”
>”You’re a phenomenon in and of yourself, Anonymous…” she says, finally turning to face you. “And I intend to find out just what it is that makes you said phenomenon…”
>Her hair in the front is completely tattered, and her fur is matted all along the front. It looks like she hasn’t gotten any sleep for days. And her eyes…
>She has a crazy look in her eyes… they’re…
>…They match the color of the heart-shaped mask’s eyes perfectly.
“Twilight, wait; you’re not yourself… please, let me help yo-”
>”Help? ME!? Why would you do such a thing, when my mind is so clear now!” she exclaims, her horn glowing a thin purple pigment. “It’s all so obvious. And it’s all thanks to this mask here,” she says, levitating the All-Night Mask to you.
“Twilight, what exactly are you doing here?”
>You slowly and cautiously walk over to the table next to her, looking at everything that she has written down.
>It’s all completely gibberish to you… what has she been doing all this time?
“Twilight, I’m going to have to ask you to stop whatever it is you’re doing here… it’s not good.”
>”Stop?! But I’ve come so close now!” she exclaims, looking up at you with angry eyes, one eye twitching slightly. “There’s only one test left for me to perform, and everything will make sense!”
“And what test is that?”
>She grins, her horn glowing again and slowly, various knives and sharp utensils begin to float up in the air.
>”Live dissection.”
>Nopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenope
“Twilight, you can’t do this! I’m a sentient being just like you are!”
>She giggles in the most mischievous, devilish tone you’ve heard from her yet. “Science demands that I do it! It’s the pursuit of ultimate knowledge that must push the very foundation of morals for the sake of understanding and objectivity!”
“But there’s just a point where morals have to take hold, Twilight! What you’re saying is taboo in most forms of scientific discovery!”
>Her expression turns to one that looks much more serious. “What would you ever know about science? You’re not in the position that I am in right now. But don’t worry,” she says, brushing the blades of two knives together, “You’ll not feel a thing.”
>This bitch crazy.
“I’m sorry, Twilight, but I’m not going to let you cut me up. I’ll fight back.”
>You quickly look around, and find an empty vial, smashing the bottom and holding it up like a broken beer bottle.
>Twilight laughs. “How do you expect to defend yourself with something like that?”
“I don’t.”
>You throw the broken vial at her, and proceed to make a mad dash for the stairs.
>”Get back here, Anonymous! You’re not going to get away that easily!” she yells, sending deadly projectiles every which way at you.
>One of them grazes the front of your thigh, slicing through your pants and creating a large cut along it.
>Despite the pain, you continue up the stairs.
>”No you don’t!” Twilight growls, and instead of firing them directly from the side at you, she launches the projectiles up the stairs, hurdling directly for your back.
>You fall to your stomach, barely dodging them, and you can feel them graze the back of your head as you go down.
>Luckily, you don’t feel any cuts on your head, so it’s time to keep moving.
>You move on all fours up the stairs, quickly making it to the foyer of the tree-library, free of any more deadly blades she would fire at you.
“Spike?! Spike, where are you?”
>You hear whimpering and shivering in the corner.
>You turn and see Spike, curled up in a fetal position in the corner, shivering uncontrollably, his eyes wide and slitted pupils so slim you can barely see them.
“Spike? What’s the matter?”
>You quickly rush over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
>He’s freezing; his core temperature’s down way too low to be safe.
“Spike, you’ve gotta listen to me; what’s happened?”
>His eyes slowly turn up to look at you, and you notice that they’re trembling trying to focus.
>Damn, this isn’t good…
>He slowly and cautiously lifts his claw up, and points a finger to the other side of the room.
>You slowly turn your head and the sight you see before you is unlike anything you’d expected.
>There is a yellow-colored pegasus with a long, hot pink mane, standing on the other side.
>And on its face, with those same ghastly orange eyes… is the mask that had been stolen from the Happy Mask Salesman.
>”Hello, Anonymous…”

>End Chapter 10