Chapter Two: New Host
Curiosity Shop, Fillydelphia, one week later…
The salespony quietly wiped off the counter, removing the light coating of dust that had accumulated in the shop during his absence. His store was filled with all kinds of tokens, trinkets, and creepy paraphernalia from across the world he had collected for sale. Up on top of the shelf directly behind the register was the mask he had found in the Everfree Forest on his way back. Its bulbous eyes gave the appearance that it was silently watching the store.
And indeed it was. It sat there unmoving, waiting for this pony's customers to start streaming in. And considering the fact that his shop was located in a rather shady part of town, the mask was certain the clientele would be suitable candidates for its newest pawn. As it observed the shop's knick-knacks, the mask pondered the possibilities.
There were three different kinds of ponies inhabiting the world: pegasi, unicorns, and regular "Earth" ponies. Each breed had its own abilities. The Earth ponies had a special connection to the land and had some limited ability to influence plant growth, making them perfect farmers. The pegasi could move and walk on clouds, essentially giving them the ability to manipulate weather patterns. But the unicorns were gifted with magic of their very own. This meant that the mask could make its user far more destructive than the previous ones.
Unicorn it was.
A sudden jingle caught their attention as the door swung open and a hooded pony entered the store. Though the store owner's mortal eyes could not make out the newcomer's face, the mask could feel her essence. She was a unicorn. And just by discreetly brushing against her mind, it could feel a bitter hatred festering in the unicorn's heart. She desired revenge against someone.
The mask had just struck gold.
The salespony grinned at his newest patron. "Hello there!" he cheerfully greeted. "Can I interest you in anything today?"
The customer pointed her hoof towards a glass case containing a necklace with a ruby amulet. The mask glanced at it as well, the moving eyes unnoticed by the two ponies. The amulet radiated a power similar to the mask's own, but paled in comparison. However, its newest target was more interested in this petty trinket, and the mask was not about to let its newest tool escape its clutches.
The owner looked up at the amulet. "What?" he asked. "Oh, I'm afraid that's not for sale."
The hooded unicorn levitated a bag of coins out of her pocket and dropped it on the table, the owner going quiet in surprise. "Would you like that gift-wrapped?" the owner hastily asked.
Before the hooded pony could answer, he heard another voice speak.
You would waste your money on such a petty trinket?
The unicorn blinked in surprise. "What did you say?" she asked.
"I said, would you like that gift-wrapped?" the owner replied.
"No, what you said afterwards," she demanded.
"I...didn't say anything else," the store owner cautiously answered.
He cannot hear me. I am in your mind. The amulet you intend to claim...I can already sense that it does not have sufficient power to grant you what you desire.
The unicorn looked around in confusion, causing the owner to start feeling uncomfortable. This pony was a wacko.
If you wish to look upon me, look behind the idiot salespony's head, on top of the shelf.
The unicorn glanced up at the shelf in question, and her eyes fell on the strange mask staring emptily ahead.
You see me? Good. I sense a great hatred boiling within you. You desire vengeance. You desire power. I can grant you all these things and more. All I ask is that you relieve me of this greedy haggler, and we can begin.
Though the unicorn was obviously suspicious, she spoke up. "How much for the mask?" she asked.
The owner looked up at the mask and levitated it down with his magic. "One hundred bits," he replied. "So you don't want the Alicorn Amulet after all, then?"
"No, and I have my reasons," the visitor huffily answered as she sorted out the bits.
"Would you like that gift-wrapped?"
"No."
The owner shrugged before setting the mask on the table. After emptying the bag of bits, the unicorn lifted up the mask with her own magic and examined it, trotting out of the store without even sparing a passing glance at the shopkeeper. Once she was outside, she glared at the mask. "You had better be worth this."
I can assure you, it was money well-spent, though I never was fond of the concept of having a price put on me. Now go where we cannot be seen, and put me on. We shall know each other better.
The unicorn then trotted into a deserted alleyway and pulled off her hood, revealing her face. She had a light-blue coat and a mane of an even lighter shade of blue that curled slightly over her face. Staring suspiciously at the mask for a moment, the unicorn finally turned it around and stuck it on her face. It fit perfectly.
The next thing she knew, she found herself in an empty, black void. "What the-?!" she gasped in confusion. "What is this?! Where am I?!"
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The unicorn's ears pricked at the sounds of heavy footsteps and clinking metal approaching her.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Starting to feel scared despite herself, the unicorn whipped her head around to look upon the culprit...
And found herself staring up at the most terrifying creature she had ever seen in her life.
It appeared to be some sort of dragon-like beast, but unlike anything she had ever seen. It walked on four thick-scaled legs tipped with razor-sharp claws. The beast wore ornate armor, and most of its body was concealed by long, flowing golden hair. A long tail with a tuft of that same hair on the end twitched behind it. It regarded her with large, predatory eyes, and two pairs of long, curled fangs poked out of its upper and lower jaws. Grinning frighteningly, the creature spoke, its voice distorted, the unicorn unable to ascertain whether or not the speaker was male or female.
"We are in the deepest recesses of your mind, Trixie Lulamoon," the creature said.
Trixie reacted with shock. "How did you know my name?!"
"We are in your mind. All your memories, thoughts, and emotions have been laid bare before me. I know everything about you, Trixie. I know who has wronged you. And I know how I can help you."
Trixie tried to maintain her composure as the beast slowly began pacing in a circle around her. "Your adversary...you envy everything about her. She is not only famous, but also well-liked by others. You crave that same attention, but have rarely received it. She possesses skill with magic you never believe you can achieve. She has a favorable relationship with the very ruler of this land, something you have always dreamed of. And to make matters worse, she humiliated you in front of an entire town. Then the word spread, and you have been laughed out of every town you go to. What a sad, sorry state of affairs."
Trixie inwardly cringed at the dragon's words, hating the harsh truth of them.
"But we can change that, my dear Trixie. I can help you prove your superiority to that bookish unicorn, to her friends, to everyone. No one would doubt your power ever again. You will finally, truly be Great and Powerful."
Despite her nervousness, Trixie still found the courage to ask, "And how can I trust you?"
"Heh heh heh heh. Whether or not you trust me is your decision to make. Just know that, either way, I will help you."
"...Why? Why help me?"
The dragon-creature chuckled again, teasingly flicking Trixie's chin with the tip of its tail. The unicorn shivered from the close contact. "It is what I do. It is my nature. My power is dedicated to serving others, and granting their deepest, most heartfelt desires. Truthfully, it has been an eternity since I have been fortunate enough to find a new user. There is no artifact in this world that compares to my power, and with mine added to yours, you will be unstoppable."
Trixie considered the strange beast's offer for several moments. It had even stopped pacing around her, eager to hear her answer. Finally the showmare fixed a firm, determined look at the beast. "Very well, then. Trixie accepts."
The dragon-creature grinned. "A wise decision, child. You will not regret the day you chose my mask, the Mask of Majora, as your weapon of vengeance. Now, before we come to that, you must first learn how to properly wield my power."
With that, Trixie immediately found herself back in the alley, snapping out of her daydream. Before her mind could fully process what had just happened, she heard the voice of the entity within the mask speak into her mind once more.
You unicorns focus your magic through your horns. Thus, it should be easy for you to harness my power. All you must do is directly channel your energy into my mask whenever you wish to cast a spell. Think of what you want your spell to do, and so shall it be. No incantation is needed.
"Alright," Trixie answered. "Let's see if this works."
Trixie turned towards a pile of smelly trash that was just lying there in the alley. Picturing in her mind the pile of garbage turning into a pile of bits, she focused her magical energy into her, then channeled that energy into the mask. The mask's eyes lit up, and a bright flash of light consumed the pile of rubbish. Once it dissipated, Trixie inspected her handiwork.
A large pile of shiny gold bits stood in place of the garbage.
Heh. Priorities?
Trixie scoffed. "A mare needs to eat."
Mm. Fair enough.
"Now how will I carry all this…ah, Trixie is struck with an idea."
Trixie then fished out her empty coinpurse and opened it up. She imagined its inside larger than its outside and cast the spell. She then levitated all the coins into the purse, which all amazingly fit into the bag without making it bulge.
Ah. I recognize this trick. Clever.
Trixie smirked underneath the mask. "Trixie is full of surprises."
So you understand how it all works?
"I do."
Excellent. As we proceed, I will also offer words of advice. Heed it well, for my wisdom and knowledge span time immemorial.
Trixie nodded. "Very well."
The masked unicorn then trotted back into the bustling part of the city, ignoring the curious stares various townsponies sent her way as she approached the inn. "Before we leave, though, Trixie wishes to rest. I will not face Twilight Sparkle exhausted."
As you wish. I am but a humble servant.
XXXXXX
That night, Trixie slept much better than she had ever before. Since the loss of her traveling stage carriage, she had had to spend most of her nights sleeping outdoors, which was often extremely uncomfortable. Her dreams were of sweet, satisfying revenge, Twilight Sparkle unable to fight back as Trixie humiliated her in front of all her friends and peers.
The mask sat propped up against the wall on the bedside table, quietly thinking to itself. Though its current situation was nearly identical to its previous rampage, there were quite a few things about the land's power structure that changed the playing field quite a bit.
For starters, the Four Giants were long-gone, replaced by winged unicorns who referred to themselves as alicorns. They preferred to think of themselves as gods; to this the entity scoffed. They had no idea what it meant to be a god. They were little more than pretenders, even more so than the Giants.
Pretenders or otherwise, however, they still posed a problem. During its hibernation, the mask had sensed the presence of exactly three alicorns inhabiting the world. The deity found this somewhat ironic, as it could associate each alicorn princess with one of the Golden Goddesses. The one who called herself Celestia possessed the wisdom of Nayru. The one called Luna possessed Din's boldness. And the youngest alicorn, Cadance, possessed Farore's courage.
That made it hate the princesses even more.
What made things strange, however, was the fact that the two oldest sisters each were responsible for moving the sun and moon across the sky every day and night. That, in and of itself, was a major complication. The entity did not really favor the prospect of struggling with Luna for control of the moon, as that would be a taxing waste of energy and would take too long. In hindsight, however, should it have prevailed, it would have done a marvelous job of eradicating the hopes of the witnesses.
If it were to execute its plans, the princesses would need to be dealt with first. The task itself would not be a problem, but it would have to convince Trixie to follow through with it. Nothing a little common sense and suggestive telepathy couldn't solve.
With this in mind, the mask considered next the object of its host's ire: a fellow unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. The mask only knew of Twilight's exploits, but little of the mare herself except from what it had gleaned from Trixie's memories. Twilight had been responsible for transforming the alicorn Luna back into her former self. She had been instrumental in defeating the entity Discord, as well as the power-mad tyrant, King Sombra.
Just thinking about her left the deity with a bad taste in its proverbial mouth. She reminded it far too much of the child who had defied the dark one in the past. She was a hero.
The deity hated heroes.
One thing was for certain; it was going to enjoy making Twilight Sparkle suffer.