Stage Six: Behind the Mask
"Let me see if I got this right," - he said, still following the lunar princess. "Several ponies have gone missing, including guards," Luna nodded. "And there's almost no proof at all that they went missing or kidnap," She nodded again. "All of this is happening shortly before I got here."
"Pretty much."
"For the record, this isn't my fault."
"I know, however the timing of these events is almost perfect. I just hope those missing ponies are alright."
The next hallway they turned, Infinite knew he wasn't far from his room.
"Despite everything they done, you still care about them?"
"I do and I don't blame them for anything. They had their fears and doubts." - Luna said in a more serious tone. "Everyone can change." She glanced at him. "Even you Zero."
He laughed. "Do you truly believe that?"
"I believe so." At that moment Infinite felt something. Something odd, but familiar.
When they reached his room, Luna gave him a small grin.
"Goodnight Zero, sleep well." As the princess of the night made her way towards her own duties, the masked jackal said farewell.
"Goodnight Princess Luna."
"Please, just call me Luna."
"As you wish, Luna."
Infinite stood ontop of the balcony railing spending the first early hours of the night gazing at the stars. He honestly couldn't remember when was the last time he did this. If he really had to guess, it was probably much before the whole joining Eggman and the Phantom Ruby ordeal.
Right now he was quite enjoying the peace and quiet.
I missed them...
The moon itself looked more brighter than usual.
Infinite removed his silver mask and gaze at it, where his only eye could be seen.
Unknown to everyone, including the doctor, one of the early phantom creations he did was his team. His family. Unfortunately he was never able to do it properly.
If only I got there in time, just maybe...
After that day, he found a new strenght. Together with the power of the Phantom Ruby, Infinite was going to finally change the world and deliver to Shadow his ultimate vengeance.
The current data he had on Shadow was enough to beat him. Not even Chaos Control could defeat him.
Of course the first time they fought while using the ruby was just some practice. As Infinite would say 'Just to sharpen the blade'.
Finally growing tired, he got back inside and laid down, glancing at the ceiling, simply waiting for the sleepyness to take him.
It wasn't long until Infinite was back in the realm of dreams. At least this time he felt more confortable knowing where he was. The jackal found himself surrounded by a sea of sand with several ups and downs.
"This land...does put a smile on my face."
Without a proper destination he began walking.
Life in the desert wasn't easy. It was unforgiving, especially when you're young. Back in is home town, Sand Hill, the lack of job and business made it rough to have a good life. Afterall the town was in the middle of the desert, only the elders and a few people knew where it exactually was located.
Back then people knew who was Zero and his team. A bunch of young jackals that were good at one thing, stealing. They soon learned that the best way to survive was to steal, lie and much more.
Slowly they built a reputation.
However Zero wasn't always doing the wrong thing. He used to believe in the good side of life. Every now and then, he would accept small jobs that could help others, even if he didn't get anything in return. Growing in the streets gave him a different view, one that he was somewhat grateful.
He bent down, reaching to touch the sand.
"It's only a dream."
"At least it's a pleasant dream."
He turned around, making eye contact with the lunar monarch.
"If this is really a dream, how are you here?"
"I'm the ruler of the night which also means that dreams belong to my domain. I oversee the Dream Realm."
"Dream Realm? Like a different reality?"
"In a way." - said Luna, standing right next to him.
"Impressive I must say. So it basically works like the Phantom Ruby."
This time it was Luna following the masked one.
"You never really told what it does."
"It's a virtual reality weapon." The couple walked through the endless desert. "You had a little taste the other day."
"That place wasn't real but at the same time it felt like it was. It's difficult to explain."
"I could explaining how the Phantom Ruby works, but even I don't know how."
"You should rename it to Mystery Ruby." - she giggled.
"That sounds lame. I much prefer this one."
"Perhaps when you wake up, you can show me more." They stopped near at appeared to be some old ruins. "What's this place?"
"Our old hideout." Infinite approached to a small rock, pushing it aside that revealed a hidden passage way.
Luna followed him through a narrow hallway that reached into a larger room. In the center of room was a big round table with five seats. The walls were covered with planning phases and raids, along with a few of those souvenirs.
"The bedrooms are towards that way," - he said pointing at a hallway in the left side. "The kitchen is on the other side. Nothing too fancy, but this place served us well." He went to a nearby shelf and grabbed a foto.
The foto showed him and his team relaxing on the Oasis Valley.
Their smiles was all he need to know that they were happy.
The princess noticed Infinite's hand trembling, she placed her hoof on his hand. Even if Luna couldn't see his hidden tears, it didnt matter to him.
Right now her company was all he wanted. The look in her eyes. She cared.
"I...I missed them...a lot."
"I'm sorry for whatever happen to them." Her wing rested on his back.
"Thank you."
Luna once more was having her breakfast with her sister.
"So behind that mask, he's someone else that has feelings."
"I'm almost certain he was crying at that point."
Their conversation fell short when the door opened and Infinite walked inside.
"Good morning princesses." Celestia and Luna stared at him with big eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Ze-erm, Infinite you ahm forgot to put your mask on."
"Oh that," - he sat down, waving his hand. "I didn't forgot."
"Then you decided not to wear it?" - inquired Celestia. When he nodded, that's when she needed to know. "Why?"
"I guess I can't hide my feelings behind a mask and wait for things to become better without doing anything to achieve that. Also having someone by your side helps a lot too." He slowly glanced at Luna and gave her a wink, to which her cheeks got a little red.
"That's good to know, and from what I heard you're going to Ponyville along with my sister. Take care of her." The last part was only a tease to Luna.
"I can handle myself very well thank you." - she crossed her forelegs, almost looking like a young foal.
"Then I trust today you're in a good mood?" - Celestia joked.
True to her words, Infinite was in a very good mood. When he woke up, he felt great, not only that but the ruby was beyond fully charged. 'You will thank me later.' For some reason those words echoed in his mind.
"You can say that."
After a brief talk, Infinite and Luna made their way towards Ponyville by their own means.
"It actually feels good to feel the wind on my face."
"Where's the mask anyway? Back at the castle?"
"No," - he flew next to her and summoned a large red cube. Inside of it was his mask. "Just in case I might need it."
"What does the mask do anyway?"
Infinite placed his mask back on, the right side blinked red for a brief moment as he activated the ruby.
"Did you noticed my mask blinking?" Luna nodded. "This side of the mask allows me too see the phantom reality. It's easier for when I'm fighting."
"I thought the only purpose that it had was to hide your face."
"Well that's part of it." - he replied, putting the mask away.
"Maybe now you can show me a few more tricks." Luna grinned, she was quite curious about the ruby could really do.
Infinite thought about it. Testing the ruby now would be a nice idea. Something simple to begin with.
"Alright, try to discover which one is the real me."
Even though they were currently flying, he was still able to pull this off.
Infinite charged his ruby, creating four replicas of himself.
They flew around the princess for while until they finally stopped.
"Who's the real me?" - they all said at the same time.
Luna glanced at the Infinite's. She knew a spell that allowed the caster to create copies of himself. This wasn't too much different from that.
However usually the copies would be slightly different from the original one. This wasn't the case. They all looked just the same. Not a single hair or colour out of place.
"I can't tell which one is real."
"Sometimes the small details is all that matters." - said one of them, currently flying next to her left side.
"Pay close attention. Try again." - Infinite stated, going over her.
Luna took a deep breath and once more glanced at them, this time she decided to take her time. "Hmm, that's odd." After a closer look, she was starting to notice small 'cracks' that appeared and disappeared.
"Found something?" - one of them asked.
"Maybe," - glancing at the Infinite right below her, Luna had her answer. "And the real one is this one." She tapped his shoulder, getting his attention.
"Impressive I must say, how did you guess?" The other Infinite's began to fade as he flew next to Luna while removing the mask.
"Well, the copies seemed to be cracking."
"Ah, the visual glitches."
Luna raised her eyebrow.
"Visual glitches? Is that caused by the Phantom Ruby?"
He nodded. "Yes, however I'm really not sure how. The doctor didn't know either."
"Hmm, can I see your mask?" Infinite nodded. Luna reached out to his mask with her magic and took hold of it. "Is there a reason as to why it looks like this?" The mask had the menacing appeal to it. Especially when he used his power, the black fur along side with the red aura still made her quite uneasy about it. It was like when he put the mask on, he would become someone else.
"On the left side of the mask, the side where you can't see my eye, symbolizes the vision of a new reality. The other side it's myself broken."
"That's pretty sad honestly."
"It's nothing." - he replied as he snapped his fingers, the mask fading away. "So, about these heroes of Equestria, anything I need to know?"
"Well, they represent the Elements of Harmony. There's also one thing you should know."
"Which is?" - he asked.
"They value friendship, a lot." Infinite glared at the princess, it send shivers down her sphine. Even without the mask, those eyes were still able to hold such anger, but also sadness.
Luna knew those eyes very well, better than anyone else.
"Perhaps this was a bad idea..."
"Don't worry, I know they won't judge you, afterall they helped me, still do."
He summoned his mask back, placing it on. "No one is allowed to judge me."
"Zero..." The rest of the trip went completely silent. Infinite indeed decided to keep the mask on. Luna believed he was struggling to fight his own feelings. He wasn't lost, not yet. If he really did deserved that second chance, she would show him how.
The duo finally reached the small town, just on the outskirts of it.
"It's been a long time since the last time I flew that far." - she announced, clearing her forehead of the sweat.
Yet, not even a single word left Infinite's mouth. The lunar princess was slowly starting to regret her decision.
"This task of yours, won't take long right?"
"I hope not, as much I like visiting Twilight and her friends, I wish to get this done fast and report back to my sister."
"Well, after you."
They somehow managed to get through a large group of ponies that bowed down to Luna.
"This is a little annoying."
"I could tell them not to, but I doubt that will work."
Without a proper notice, a blue blur went right past them at a incredible speed. Infinite quickly whipped his head around, creating his red cubes.
"That blue rat is also here?!"
"Blue rat...?"
"I didn't know rats were now blue," - the blue pegasus landed right in front of them, giving a slight bow to Luna. "Nice to see you princess." - she noticed the dark jackal. "Who's the masked creep?"
Infinite stepped forward, his cubes glowing brighter. "What did you just call me?!"
Luna quickly got between them.
"Rainbow Dash, this is Infinite. He's not from our world. So please don't call him that again."
"He doesn't seem too friendly. Are you alright with him Luna? I can handle him in three seconds, or less."
For the love of the stars, stop it Rainbow! That's when she heard a weird noise, one that she knew. "Actually I need your help. Can you quickly call everyone and meet us back at the Friendship Castle? Tell them it's urgent."
Rainbow Dash saluted.
"Considered it done." Then she was gone.
Luna let out a deep breath she didn't know was holding.
"You alright Zero? You seemed really stressed out."
"Even in this world, blue creatures are still highly annoying. What?" - he inquired, looking back at Luna.
"That better not included me." The princess left him behind, clearly upset by what he said.
"Wait, Luna...I... Didn't mean to say that..." But she was already away from him to hear that. "One step forward, two steps back..."
While approaching the crystal castle, the jackal noticed a couple of bulky creatures, wearing purple armour.
"What are those?"
"Storm creatures, they used to serve Storm King. After he was defeated, many didn't have a place to go. So they decided to follow Tempest Shadow since she once was their captain. Well she still is. Now they serve Twilight Sparkle. You could learn a few things from Tempest."
"I see." Infinite glared at them, top to bottom, paying attention to every detail. The mask blinked. "This will be useful."
Luna knocked on the door and a few seconds later it opened, revealing a purple pony with a broken horn.
"Oh, Princess Luna, I didn't know you were coming."
"I didn't know either, however I have an urgent matter to discuss with the elements. I already told Rainbow to call the others."
"Then come in, I'll get Twilight right away." She got out of the way, letting them pass. "And who is this?"
"I'm Infinite, I can safely assume you're Tempest Shadow, right?"
"I am, but how do you know that?"
"Call it hunch maybe, but you look like someone that gives orders. Also your armour."
"Very clever and sharp eye, I like that." - she glanced back at the princess. "Wait a moment, I'll get Twilight." Luna nodded as the mare went upstairs.
"A castle made of crystal is quite fitting for a princess I must say.
"You should see the Crystal Empire then."
The door quickly opened, nearly hitting Infinite.
"What's wrong?" - a farm pony asked.
"Slow down you too." The white pony had to stopped to catch her breath.
"We are sorry for walking in like this." - the yellow pegasus apologized.
The pink pony bounced in place, looking at the jackal. "Uuuuh! He's new! Do you like parties? Or walking in the beach? I know, what's your favourite colour??"
Infinite sighed. "Someone please kick me."
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me:please be a new update
my dark sided mind:the story was cancelled
me: crap
me:there is a new update YEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
9466157
I got you.
This is actually the best story I've read on this site and I hope you continue to update it so frequently. Keep it up 🙂
9467686
Thanks, that's nice to hear that. I already started making the next chapter. I'm having a lot of fun writing this one.
I feel like Infinite is opening up to Luna too fast. I get part of it is him playing nice, but it’s a bit to genuine. Especially with him already taking his mask off. I just expect him to hide his feelings and it taken a bit longer.
Also it’s a bit weird him getting attatched to Luna so soon after all the horrible stuff he did.
Though I do like that his mask has a practical use.
Unsurprisingly Infinite doesn’t like RD.
9471937
Infinite still has a few things hidden up his sleeve, but I'll try to slow down a bit.
As for the mask, besides being edgy and really awesome, I always felt like it had a bigger use than simply 'hiding your face'.
There's some key points that Infinite and Luna won't agree, that is for sure.
I feel you zero pinkie will do whatever it takes to become your friend
9526657
It doesn’t help that the last two questions she asked were also the first two questions Sonic asked him before they fought in Mystic Jungle.
anyone get the thanos reference or is it just me?
10074972
Maybe it's just you
10076045
Really now?
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/724/531/c7e.jpg
Ah the good ol I am all of me