//------------------------------// // Nightmare (5) // Story: Behind the Masks // by Troutking //------------------------------// The voices taunted her, poor mare. As she walked, the landscape a constant menagerie of horrors. Scenes of violence and destruction played within small rectangular windows along the side the pathway. Twilight had no recollection as to when or how she arrived in this place, nor even what this place was. All she knew at the moment was the urge to press on forward. Screams whispered into her ears like wispy wind, each voice carrying a different message, like "You aren't wanted" or "You're only dust to her" and other daunting messages. It felt as if she had been walking for an eternity yet she never tired. Fear encapsulated her but yet she felt no need to run back to the entrance of this tunnel of horror. Looking around cautiously, Twilight gazed beyond the squares containing scenes. All there was past them was an abyss, stretching on for eternity. "Is anyone there?" She shouted hoping for someone to reply. The endless darkness only replied with the usual whispers with no real reaction to her. As Twilight ventured forth, she had to force herself to not look at the scenes playing beside her. Each time she looked at the image, the tortured eyes of a pony suffering their own personal hell looked back. One in the fetal position surrounded by giants. Another with a pony covered in a layer of bugs leaving only the eyes, bloodshot, staring at her. Yet by far the most disturbing ones were the calmest; the ones that seemed utterly normal yet with only one thing seemingly off. A small filly was standing in the center of her classroom smiling with her classmates. Only upon closer inspection could she see the stitches keeping their mouths in such a twisted grin. Each image could only bring disgust to Twilight, but still, despite her desire to vomit, she continued forth. Soon the images began to grow, and garner space between them. At first, they were side by side; then a divide was slowly created. Eventually the images began to stop coming. Twilight looked back as she walked only to see none of previous scenes there, only darkness. Only after seeing the pictures vanish had she noticed the voices stopped talking. The subtle whispers were replaced by a dead silence. "Is anyone there? If you can hear me please shout back!" "We are." The abyss replied. For the first time, Twilight stopped. "W-where are you?" "In the dark." Multiple voices rang out at her, speaking at the same time, chilling in their raspy harmony. "Who are you? Do you know where we are?" "Down the rabbit hole past a right angle of reality." "I don't know what that means. Please, can you just come out so I can see you?" "We are ahead. Simply look forward and march and at the intersection of fantasy and truth you shall see beyond." The voices clearly came from the direction that she was originally heading on. Her compulsion to move forward only grew with the conversation. The mysterious voices, speaking as one voice in a harmony that would make even the Canterlot Chorus envious, seemed to hold no ill will to her. So, with a deep breath, Twilight continued forward, now with the goal of meeting the owners of the voices. Once more, she was encompassed by an almost deafening silence. Not even her hooves against the floor made a noise. Not that she could tell there was a floor, since all that was below her was another void. She had never felt more alone in her entire life. Usually she had Spike or any number of ponies to give her company but now there was no one. No one to talk, walk or even occupy the same space as her. Just the looming shadows accompanied her. The larger her thoughts on the situation grew, the greater her desire became. Growing from a light trot, she proceed to move faster. Darkness seemed to reach for her as she galloped down the hall. Soon a speck appeared in the distance in front of Twilight. The speck grew as she approached it. The closer she got the easier it was to make out. A large rectangular wooden door stood against the empty darkness behind. The only thing of note was the doorknob, which took on an almost amorphous appearance. Each time she looked at it, the knob seemed to change shape, texture, and even color. At first, it was a brass knob, then a silver handle. By the time Twilight was right beside the door the knob had taken on the appearance of the symbol for theater: two masks overlapping another, one smiling while the other frowned. "This can't be real..." The mare moved to walk around the large door only for an invisible force to stop her. It wasn't a wall or anything of the sort; rather, it was a ghastly gust of wind. It swept by, sending her back a few feet then abruptly stopped. The air seemed to freeze in an instant. Twilight shook her head and finally turned the knob of the door. Reverberating through the deathly stillness, the door creaked open. Before her was a sight that she had seen many times before. Slowly, Twilight walked into the throne room of Canterlot Castle. The natural light that she was accustomed to seeing in the room was dimmed. No longer did the light passing through the windows give an almost holy glow. Instead, it was little more than a dull glow. It highlighted the room’s features. The pillars blocked a good portion of the light creating an illusion that the pillars were just darkness. The throne stood high and mighty, as it was when she lived in Canterlot. Yet, it carried an air of death when the pale light shone on it. In the center of the room stood six figures shrouded in a darkness so deep it was like an ocean. "Why did you run from us?" They chanted the words lifelessly. "Run from you? Who are you?" "We are..." Boomed a voice from all around her. "Unsure." "Unknown." "Uncertain." "Are those your names?" "We are..." Once more, it boomed. "Undefined" "Unrefined." "Unyielding." "Ok, it's nice to meet you all but can you tell me where we are?" "You ran from us, hid from us, and covered us up. Now you demand us, command us and still you ran from us. You are a watcher, listener, and witness." They chanted in unison. "What are you talking about? When did I run from you? When did I do any of that to you?" Slowly the figures began to walk towards chanting a tune. "I am truth, you are mask. Lies become real, truth becomes fake." "Please stop that! C-c-can you just tell me how to leave? Then you can be left to whatever you were doing." Once more, they chanted. "We are..." "Unsure." The figure stepped forward revealing the small dragon that she knew almost all her life. Twilight was about rush forward when she noticed the clear line down the middle of the creature and she recognized it immediately. "Unknown." Another figure moved beyond the veil of darkness into the light. It was a pegasus but it looked more like death than anything. One of its wings was completely bone while the other still had bits of tendons clinging to it. Patches across its body varied in how deep they went either to the bone or just shaved. As if someone had just erased those pieces. It's face partially hid behind a faded pink mane. The one eye that looked at her was also patched like her body. Twilight stepped back in shock. "Uncertain." A third figure emerged from the veil of shadow. Unlike the others, it's body held no solid form. A dull blue was one of the only defining features of the creature as it shifted. It's body position, emotion and even age seemed to constantly shift within seconds. One moments it stand tall and proud, wings spread out like eagle. The very next second it was a little filly curled up in the fetal position. Twilight tried to see what it face looked like but the constant wavering of its form much like a mirage made it nearly impossible. "Look, you already told me your names. Could you... just, show me the exit?" "We are..." "Undefined." A familiar figure stepped from the veil of black that covered the room. A pink mare with the greatest smiling face moved one step towards Twilight. For a brief moment, Twilight felt joy that a friend was here in this nightmare of a place. However, her joy was quickly buried by fear when she spotted the rest of the faces. Various faces of emotions and composition grew off the mare's body like tumors. Opening and shutting their mouths as if to scream yet with no noise coming out. Twilight took a few more steps back from where she came. I'll just run back out the door if it gets too bad... She thought, frightened, reassuring herself of the obvious escape route. "Unrefined." A patchwork pony walked out of the shade. Not that she could tell it was originally a pony. It's body made of multiple colors of skin, fabric and scales all sewn together like a quilt. Not even the eyes were spared from the patches. Twilight's heart pounded faster when she spotted a green spike on the back of the pony. It's not Spike.... It's not Spike... Spike is fine just a trick... The thought rushed through her mind over and over in an attempt to convince herself. "Unyielding." The stench of rot grasped Twilight's nose like a vice. She took another step back simply from the repulsive odor. The creature was basically all bone with a tight sheet of skin wrapped around it. Bits of hair stuck out from the nearly bald head covered in numerous cuts and scratches. Her hind legs looked disjointed and destroyed beyond repair. Cuts left unattended festered with what Twilight could only assume were maggots. Yet the most dreadful part of the abomination was the eyes, or lack thereof. The only sign that this once had eyes were the sockets that were riddled with various insects, all writhing around. Once more, they sang in a horrendous unison as they trotted towards Twilight. "You ask to see, but now you flee. Yet we stand with an answer." "Look, I can find my own way out." She walked back further. "Really, it's fine, why don't you return to whatever you were doing and I can backtrack to get home." "Secrets of friends and lies that have no ends. In a cage of darkened sorrow." Further they marched towards Twilight. No longer could she take the sights, sounds or even smell of these monsters. With one swift action, she spun around prepared to dash back down the hall. When she turned, all she saw was a wall of darkness that rose up to the ceiling. Running towards the darkness in hopes of escape, she collided into barrier. Quickly regaining her senses she turned to see the ever advancing force of abominations approach her. Behind the creatures, the black wall seemed to appear in an instant. No, there was a door here. I was in the throne room. The exit should be right here. Once more the tune rung in her ears. "We are..." "Unsure." "Unknown." "Uncertain." "Go away! Just leave me alone! I am the Princess’s protégé so if you hurt me you'll be sorry!" Twilight pressed herself against the dark wall in an attempt to get as far away from the creatures. "We are..." "Just leave!" "Undefined." "Shut up!" "Unrefined." "You're just an illusion!" "Unyielding." "I..." Twilight began to hyperventilate, as the monsters were only a foot away from her. "We aren't fears. We aren't lies. We aren't fake." They took another step. "D-d-don't come closer." "We are you. You are we. Yet, we will be free." The monsters lunged forwards at Twilight with mouths agape. Their eyes cold an everlasting winter. Twilight screamed but they could reach no one. A sudden jolt of pain struck through Twilight causing her eyes to fling open. A black shroud enveloped her and grabbed hold of her body. Panicked, Twilight began to struggle against the darkness managing to get loose from its hold. As she crawled away from whatever had grabbed her, small beams of light hit her. In order to get away, she pressed herself against a nearby wall. After a moment, Twilight began to recognize the room she currently was in. No longer was she in the black void but rather her bedroom in the library. Twilight looked over to examine the creature that had grabbed her only to see her bed sheet on the floor. "It was... just a dream." She rubbed the sweat off of her forehead. "See? She would know it's more than that." Twilight froze with fear and slowly turned her head to the voice. Down the stairs was the split creature she had many encounters with. The two sides were more pronounced than before, one half taking on a more childish and light tone while the other seemed darker and serious. "Well, it would be hard for anyone to know." "It's obvious what it means." Sneered the dark half of the monster. "That's only because we know. She can see but she can't hear." "20/20 vision yet still you are blind." Getting over the fear Twilight decided a new method. "W-w-why are you here?" Both eyes turned to her, and then back to each other. "We were always here." "You just didn't want to see it at the time." The lighter part of it gave a warm smile to her. "But, now, you do." "No, she doesn't. She would know if she does." "Could you please not start another argument?" Both sides sighed. "Fine..." "Ok, so before I didn't want to see you?" "Yes." "Now, I do want to see you." "No." "Yes." Twilight stood up and walked slowly down the stairs. "Ok stop... uh, the no side, why I don't I want to see you?" "Because you hide, you have to see all to finally want to see." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Oh! It means that you aren't ready to make that choice of if you want to see," The kinder side spoke. "It was only my turn to talk." "I want to talk to her." "Well, what you want isn't always what you get, now is it?" Becoming less fearful and more annoyed Twilight spoke up once more. "Anyway, you, yes side, tell me why I want to see." "Because you made yourself see. So it must mean you want to." "Idiot, she doesn't want to see because she doesn't know what she sees." "Stop, please don't argue right now. Ok, so... I made myself see, correct?" "Yup!" "But I don't want to because I don't know what I see." "Yes." "Can you tell me what I see?" "Can you tell a blind pony what red is?" The phrase was nearly dripping sarcasm. "You shouldn't be so mean. You know what she means to us." "She doesn't mean that and she doesn't get it." "Stop! Ok, so I can't know what I see until I see it all. So, let's see... the spell went for friend or foes, and I have no real foes, so friends. The illusions come up when I see AJ, Pinkie, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow... So, I need to see Fluttershy and Rainbow." "But do you want to see?" "If you meet in the middle of the intersection of reality and fantasy, which way will you go?" Questioned the dark part of the creature. "What?" "I said; do you want hay pancakes this morning?" The two faced creature seemed to turn to dust rather than explode this time. It's desperate eyes watched Twilight as it faded. In front of her was her loyal assistant, Spike. "Earth to Twilight, do you want hay pancakes?" `"Oh... uh sure." "Alright, I'll go whip up a batch for us." "Thanks..." I need to see Fluttershy and Rainbow... I need to know what they meant. "Spike, do you happen to know where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are today?" "Uh... I think Rainbow got a day off... probably either out in the field practicing or napping. Fluttershy would be at home or just wandering around Ponyville I think... can I ask why?" "Oh... uh ... just wanna tell them something about yesterday." Spike briefly walked down the stairs before stopping and turning back to Twilight. "Speaking of yesterday, you got a reply back from Celestia. I didn't read it because it seemed this was a more personal issue than usual. It's over there." "Thanks." "No problemo, for the Number One Assistant. Now, I'm off to make some pancakes." The little dragon sauntered down the stairs. Twilight rubbed her face as she sighed. I might be losing my mind... She walked over to the desk where the reply from Celestia rested. The royal seal pressed into wax sealed the rough paper shut. Extending her magical grasp, Twilight opened the letter and laid it on the table. Looking down at the note, Twilight read: Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am head of Magic R&D at Canterlot Academy, Arcane Spark. We regret to inform you that Celestia is currently unable to help you as she has developed a cold. It is nothing to be concerned about, but she does require rest. So after reading this letter, she sent it to me to help resolve your dilemma. In any case, after reading of your adventures with this strange new magic, it appears that you have a homemade spell on your hooves. So who ever that book previously belonged to was quite powerful. Also despite that fact we can also determine it was quite some time ago that this spell was created due to the fact that seven stanza spell weaves fell out of usage nearly a century ago due to the harshness of miscasting. After analyzing the spell composition that the spell was originally used to be a much more serious truth spell. Either the creator was insane or completely brilliant because the amount of thought put into the word usage was quite impressive. Rather than exposing shallow lies told by other this spell places a magical lens over the caster. This lens acts as a medium between the magic field, the target, and the caster. It basically gives you a double vision of sorts, allowing you to visually see a representation of the lie and maybe even further. From what we gather from your experience, the creature takes the form of the target but centers around the idea. We know how the spell works but not it's intended purpose for now. We will try to either reverse engineer the spell to make a counter or find a way to nullify it entirely. We will send another message in about a week or so on our progress. One last thing before I finish. Do not - I repeat, DO NOT - interact with the illusions. While they cannot hurt you physically, they are still separate entities. They cannot see you unless you make your presence known. It is still unsure what they are capable of if they manage to see you. Otherwise, I wish you good luck. Sincerely, Arcane Spark, Head of Magic R&D. Twilight's heart sank as she read the note. The perspective of them not knowing a manner to remove this horrible spell but also that final message. "Do not and I repeat do not interact with the illusions." After just having a conversation with one of them mere moments ago. Had she forgotten to include that in her original message? That she had already talked to them. Her head spun around the idea before she settled a bit. Once more, she gained control over her breathing and reorganized her thoughts. "Calm down... They said they didn't know what would happen. That doesn't necessarily mean that they will hurt or attack me. But it doesn't mean otherwise either! Oh, why did Celestia have to get sick of all things?" Twilight began to pace back and forth trying to grasp the situation. "Ok, let's get the facts straight... The spell is an advanced truth spell. It allows me to see further into the psyche of the targets, my friends. The split Spike illusion said I wouldn't want to see until I saw everything. So maybe, the ones I have seen come from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash from what I can tell." Twilight tapped her hooves against the floor trying to think. "So, maybe if I see Fluttershy and Rainbow, then I can get the information I am missing." A voice shouted from down the stairs. "Yo, Twilight are you going to have breakfast or not? You've spent like 20 minutes up there." I couldn't possibly have been 20 minutes... He just went downstairs didn't he? "Alright, I'll be down in a second." "Okay!" Twilight rubbed her forehead and breathed deeply. Thoughts raced through her mind as to what she might face when she encountered her friends. If the spell allowed her to see a representation of her friends, then what did they all mean? Pushing this thought to the side, Twilight proceeded down the stairs for breakfast. "I just have to find Fluttershy and Rainbow, then maybe I'll get more answers..."