Dagmire had just finished dropping off Fluttershy at her house when suddenly Dagmire was face to face with Fluttershy’s grandpaw.
“So we finally found her eh?” Dagmire said
“Yep. After all this time I’m finally ready to move on.” The ghost replied
“Maybe someday I can join you up there.”
“If you can lose the mask that is.”
“I’ll find him someday”
“It’s not worth it. You and I both know how revenge ends up.”
“Who said I’m after him for revenge?”
“Huh?”
“We all gotta die someday. I’ll probably find him like that.”
“Hey Dagmire. You still haven’t told me if you were the ferryman.”
“I’m not. I’m just a guy with a big ol heart and one very pointy farming tool”
“Ah. Alright then. I guess this is goodbye.”
“Safe journeys you beautiful basterd”
Fluttershy’s grandpaw chuckled before fading away for the last time. Dagmire quickly heded back to the bar and Clearance was putting the snakes back in the pit.
“You did good Dagmire”
“Then why do I feel so empty?”
“That’s probably because you haven’t eaten in a few days. Here eat this bread.”
Dagmire got the bread and felt strangely accomplished as he ate it. He shrugged it off and immediately fell asleep on the spot like he usually did when he ate regular bread. He awoke in a strange constantly shifting place akin to a castle. Always in motion never truly resting Dagmire set off to find out the strange source of his fever dream.
What Luna saw as a sad dream in the dreamscape quickly shifted to one of horror, before diving in to drive away the nightmare as she would usually do it shifted to a dream of joy. Then back to sadness only for the cycle to repeat. Luna was beyond intrigued at this point so she dove into the amalgamation of colours and emotional energy. Luna was in front of a rather gruesome sight. A creature similar to Dagmire was sitting on a throne made of bones and bodies. Dagmire was chained up in front of him and being forced to dance and sing for the monster. Suddenly Dagmire was standing infront of a mirror without a mask. Luna tried to look at his face but despite the fact that it wasn’t covered by the creatures short mane it was only a blur to both the creature and herself.
How long had it been since this poor creature had seen his face?
Dagmire punch’s the mirror only for the glass to stain the ground in blood. In one of the most disorienting dream transitions Luna had ever seen the blood had slowly lead to the king only for it to enter through his chest. A farmers tool began pokeing through the mans body as Dagmire pulls the tool out in awe. Then suddenly he returns to the floor chained once more and continuing the cycle.
Deciding she had seen enough, Luna stepped in to stop the cycle of misery. Luna fully materialized in the dream and was greeted with the smell of rot and blood. Cringing internally, Luna made her way to the creature slowly as the king took notice of Luna.
”And exactly what am I looking at jester?” the king spoke in a booming voice that reminded Luna of Sombra.
“What?” Dagmire turned around and spotted Luna. Then it hit him
“Oh! It’s you from the bar!” Dagmire remembered
The king smiled a wicked grin that proud displayed malice.
”oh. Is this another friend of yours? Perhaps I shall make you another-“
“How about you don’t?” Dagmire requested
”oh I do like it when they are defiant. Guards. Bring me it’s head.”
“You need to leave” Dagmire said hastily
“We won’t until thou-“
Suddenly Luna was forcefully ejected from the dream. This was almost unheard of. After close inspection Luna discovered that the creature himself removed her. Luna simply huffed and walked onto the balcony.
The pale moonlight comforted Dagmire as he awoke from his nightmare. Looking around, Dagmire spots Clearance curled up in the corner asleep. Dagmire silently Got up and made his way outside. He needed time to think. Heading towards the fountain Dagmire sat on the edge and remained quiet as he talked with his demons in his mind
Literally
“(*Sound of door being kicked in*) WHATS UP FUCKERS!” Dagmire screamed out internally
“Oh gods he’s back!” The demon spoke
“YEP I HAVE GOT A FEW HOURS TO KILL SO NATURALLY IM HERE TO KICK YOUR ASSES!”
“Ok. Calm down.”
Dagmire was a bit confused as to why the demon was trying to reason with him.
He was also too pissed to care
“OK WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKS DECIDED TO RIG UP THE DREAM?!”
The demon laughed nervously
“He did it!” The demon accused an empty seat
“...”
Suddenly the chair exploded
“Eep!”
The demon cowered in fear
“Look at me. LOOK AT ME.”
The demon stared at Dagmire in terror
“i am the captain now. And I have been ever since I figured you out. Calm your tits, stop your shit, and cut it out before I turn your penIS into a penWAS. Got that?”
The demon nodded
“Good. Now fuck off.”
Dagmire snapped back to reality when suddenly something crashed beside him. Dagmire looked over and spotted rainbow Dash looking a little bit dazed...in a crater she created on impact
“Wow. What a hole.”
“Ugh. Figures I’d run into you.”
“Wait what? Why are you mad at me?”
“Because I. Don’t. Trust. You.” Rainbow said while shoving her hoof into Dagmire’s chest with every pause
“Ok.”
“And do- Wait What?”
“You don’t trust me. That’s clear. And in time you will ether trust me or you won’t”
“I won’t.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you were never one of us. Were you?”
“...what?”
“I said that you-“
“I heard what what you said. It’s just...UGH could you have worded that any differently?”
“Why? Somepony tell you that when you showed them your true colours?” Rainbow said smugly
“First of all. It wasn’t my fault. Second of all that’s rather funny coming from the mare showing off an entire rainbow of colours.”
Rainbow made an attempt to hide her rage when suddenly she remembered one crucial mistake that the monster had made earlier when his mask came off.
Using her speed she swiftly lifted up the mask Dagmire had on...and immediately regretted the decision.
Unable to fully register what she was looking at she couldn’t have possibly avoided the knee heading towards her face
Dagmire quickly snatched back his mask and ran away carrying his second face.
Rainbow simply stood there contemplating exactly what she had done to the poor creature.
Dagmire had finally managed to calm down after slapping around his demons a bit. He had finally managed to stop hyperventilating. Dagmire looked at the mask. And spotted his reflection
“M-maybe she d-didn’t see it.”
Dagmire noticed he was in denial. He sighed and made a choice that would forever change his life.
“Fuck it. T-tomorrow I go without the mask. A-at least the c-curse won’t acti-acti- FUCK...
(Sigh) I’m a mess.”
Dagmire’s face felt strange being unrestricted by the mask. He knew he eventually would need to put it on...
But not tomorrow.
Tomorrow would be the first time in eight years that he had gone maskless.
And the first time ever that such a thing wouldn’t end in a bloodbath