26. Reversed Hermit
In the dead of night, not many ponies roamed the streets of Canterlot. The message and rumors about the Anarchists had already begun to spread, scaring any and all ponies from even daring to wander at night. All ponies? Not exactly, for there is one who doesn’t fear the dark. One whose bravery inspired many young foals to grow up to become heroes just like him, Looking Glass.
Limping in the empty streets of the city, he made a beeline towards the Canterlot Bureau of Investigation in hopes of reaching his office. The only real danger he faced was passing out thanks to the fact he lost a lot of blood. It didn’t take long for him to reach his destination, the large building housing the one item he desired most in the moment, the one thing that’ll give him some semblance of a leverage against his ultimate foe.
Reaching the front door, he pulled out his keys and unlocked it, making sure nopony saw him enter at such a suspiciously late hour. Then, it was as simple as trotting to his office without having to worry about any onlookers. The bureau was dark at night without the lanterns being turned on but that didn’t stop him for he memorised the layout of the whole place.
Finally getting in his office, Looking Glass shut the door and opened the window to let the moonlight in. With a clearer vision, he flipped through the many drawers of his desk until he found the one, a drawer securely locked with a combination only he knew. In that drawer was nothing but a singular item. One that is shaped like the head of a dog, colored with a crimson color that looks an awful lot like blood. On the top of this mask lied a horn shaped hole, clearly indicating what species its wearer should be. This was it; the Crimson Mask of the notorious crime lord he vanquished years ago. A defeat that resulted in the criminal’s demise.
But to call it a mask would be a mistake. It’s... more than that.
In its hollow eyes, he could see the face of a blue colt frowning sadly. A drop of sweat dripped down his face. Was it caused because of his less than stellar condition, or was he nervous to put it on? I’ve fled the hospital recklessly; I can’t put it back and act like nothing happened. I vowed to kill Anarchy and Anarchy alone. Just this once, I’ll put it on.
Looking Glass dawned the crimson mask. Immediately after he put it on, a strange sensation overcame his body. His vision faded in and out, changed colors to different variations of red. The world spun around; his body became dizzy. Standing still became an arduous task in of itself. Many voices whispered in his mind, speaking in languages he didn’t understand much of.
Then, a hoarse voice spoke out to him. “It’s not just a mask... It’s an artefact, one I carved and enchanted myself. Now, it is yours. I’m rather disappointed you’re still alive, but I can tell he also is.”
Looking Glass winced, the one effect of the mask he knew of was this, it summoned the ghost of its previous owner. In that case, the one and only Crimson Mask appeared before him. Instead of wearing the mask, the ghost had almost no skin on his head, only a grey skull. He wore a dark cloak that covered his entire body, his usual attire when committing unspeakable acts of brutality.
His face mutilated itself into a gaping maw. “I believe it is your second time putting it on. Am I to assume it is more than a test?” The ghost asked. If he still had lips, he would be grinning.
“I am ready to draw blood.” Looking Glass coldly announced. The mask’s mouth opened with his own, essentially functioning as a second face. “But only from one stallion, I do not need to tell you who it is.” The detective turned his attention back to the drawer, with one mighty magical pull, he tore it off its hinges and threw it to the ground. The powers of the mask changed the aura of his magic from amber to crimson red. A great way to conceal his identity even further.
“What was that for?” The crime lord questioned. “Are you letting off some steam?” New rows of teeth appeared in his empty eye sockets to grin.
“No... just a precaution.”
The unicorn looked around his office in search of a cloak that could cover most of his body. He needed to avoid the risk of being recognised under the mask.
“Ah...” The ghost shambled towards him. “Anarchy... If only somepony could bring that bastard six feet under. That’ll please me greatly. Will you do me the honor?”
He eventually settled on old rags he kept in more drawers. Putting it on, he cringed at the dusty feeling of the cloak tickling his body. He had to get used to it.
“I doubt it’ll end that easily.” The ghost chuckled. “Killing a pony isn’t something to dismiss. Once you’ve had a taste of blood, you’d want to do it again. You see, a stallion can do terrible things once he’s lost his way. Terrible things...” His face opened, revealing dozens of tiny skulls inside his gaping maw. Additional sets of eyes appeared in his mouth, staring straight into the unicorn's soul.
Looking Glass stepped in front of a nearby mirror, readjusting his cloak to cover as much of his body as possible. The gnarly scars on the front of his body would compromise everything should any of the ponies present at the progress review see them. Applejack, Luna, Twilight, Heedful Care, most of the medical staff, all saw his wounds. As such, he stitched together the front of the cloak so that it covered his scarred chest.
Once he was satisfied, he needed to work on another important factor, his voice. His face was gone, and so was most of his body, but the rest was still there. He was still just Looking Glass under the mask. It was not enough, he had to become somepony else. Somepony detached from all the morals and values of his good side.
Playing around with his voice a bit, he listened to the voice of the ghost to get a good idea.
“For a hardened detective, you’re still too naïve. In due time, you will become just like me. It’ll become an obsession. Oh, the darkness... it will overcome you.” The ghost grunted, his hoarse voice beaming with ominous malice. He sounded sure of what he was saying, almost as if he witnessed it before.
Adjusting his voice, Looking Glass went for a raspy voice that sounded menacing enough. “I am the Crimson Mask. Tell me where your boss is. Hm...” This will do for now.
The ghost laughed. “Playing the vigilante, I see? I get it.” He flew past him and entered the mirror, altering the detective’s reflection to be that of the ghost. “On this day, you shall be reborn. No longer bound by laws, by arbitrary rules, you shall rise above your peers and succeed where they have all failed. Death be upon your foes, for you are now... unchained.”
Under the moonlight, a singular figure roamed around Ponyville undetected. It carefully navigated around any source of light, staying in the shadows as it made its way towards its destination, Sweet Apple Acre. The ominous pony threaded lightly, making almost no sound as it trotted to the farmhouse.
Swift and silent, it arrived without catching the attention of anypony. Standing before the farmhouse, it carefully examined the exterior, trying to guess the layout of the inside from there. He only had one objective, so he could not afford to waste any time looking around. His goal was upstairs for sure, the first floor was thus of no use.
The ghost growled behind him. “You’re telling me Anarchy had a daughter this whole time?” He opened his gaping mouth, fire burning in his eyes. “If I had known sooner, I’d have mangled this little thing, see if this bastard likes it.”
For once, Looking Glass winced at his remarks. “You’re short-sighted, Crimson. Anarchy doesn’t care what happens to his daughter. He tried to get her killed.”
The ghost of the previous owner frowned. To pull that off, two black hooves lunged out of his face and pulled down on his lower jaw. “Damn, let me come up with something else.”
“Let me show you the meaning of effectiveness.”
Looking Glass silently made his way towards Sweet Apple Acre, his mind dead set on doing only one thing; finding out where Anarchy and his cult are hiding.
I’m afraid you can’t ask her about her father yet, the doctors in Ponyville have told us that the filly is in an unstable mental condition. You’ll have to wait for now.
Looking Glass winced under the mask. It frustrated him deep down to be unable to ask her any question. But tonight, what was stopping him?
Apple Bloom woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, snatched out of her dream by a burning desire in her stomach. It whined loudly, and her dry throat joined in on the complaining. Grumbling, the yellow filly slowly descended from her bed, making sure not to wake up her sister.
The creaking floorboards of the farmhouse almost made it seem like a stealth game to the hungry filly as she had to weave through the creaky floor down the stairs. Descending the stairs in the dark was dangerous to say the least. Without a clear vision, Apple Bloom had to carefully plan her steps if she wanted to avoid a painful tumble.
One slip-up almost caused her to fall down the stairs, thankfully stopped by her strong back legs as she now found herself balancing on one of the steps. Gritting her teeth, she finally made it down without causing a ruckus.
Now, all that was left was to reach the fridge and snack on some tasty treats plus a nice glass of water to accompany her king’s feast. Apple Bloom didn’t shy away from stuffing her face full of apple pies, a mouth-watering dessert that’ll be sure to fill up her hungry stomach.
After her feast was done, she wanted a glass of water to quench her thirst. She picked up an empty glass and trotted to the sink. It was a bit high for a small filly, but by standing on her hind legs, she could reach it. Flipping up the handle, she mindlessly watched as the glass filled with water.
Once it was good enough, she stopped the flow of the water, ready to drink her glass. But then, something moved. In the window above the sink, a strange reflection appeared. Apple Bloom froze, unable to take her eyes off the intruding visage.
It looked like an odd depiction of a dog, with a cloak hiding any other discernable features. All the filly focused on were the black voids staring right at her reflection. Something was behind her.
Slowly, Apple Bloom turned around to face the intruder. Standing tall above her, it opened its empty mouth as it lowered its head to stare her down. The empty voids showed no emotion, no thoughts behind the mask. The only feature the filly was able to make out now, was its horn. It was a unicorn.
With how close it was to her, screaming for help won’t cut it. Applejack and Big Mac won’t be able to come in time.
“Wh-Who are y-you?” she croaked, tears welling in her eyes. She backed up against the sink, falling onto her flank. “Wh-What a-are ya doin’ ‘ere?” Her hooves were trembling with fear, her lips quivered.
“Fall.” It ordered in a powerful, commanding hoarse voice. The intruder’s horn lit up and shot a beam at the little filly.
Apple Bloom tried to scream, but as soon as the beam hit her, her mouth refused to move. She tried to run away, but quickly realised that her whole body refused to move. Going completely limp, she fell on her side, unable to move a single muscle except for her terrified eyes.
The intruder stared at her blankly, until it faces decided to move... in the opposite direction towards the stairs.
Tonight, didn’t seem like a good night for Applejack. She drifted off to sleep rather quickly, even had a nice dream only to wake up in the middle of the night. Now, she was unable to go back to sleep, no matter how much she turned in her bed. From the looks of it, this was going to be another sleepless night, a terrible thing for the hard-working earth pony.
Eventually, she gave up on going to sleep after what felt like hours of trying. The orange mare turned on her night light and reached out for a book to read in the meantime. Flipping through the pages, Applejack didn’t feel tired in the slightest, but knew that by morning her lack of sleep would creep in and drag her down.
In the silence of the night, she read peacefully, sometimes hearing the odd occasional sound coming from the adjacent rooms. What was the most suspicious was the quiet creaks of one of the doors, most likely the fillies’ room.
Small careful steps accompanied by the creaking of the floorboards could be heard from the mare’s bedroom.
Apple Bloom’s goin’ out for a midnight snack again... she sighed and continued to read, not wanting to confront her over something this meaningless.
She continued her book, keeping an ear out for her little sister’s nocturnal activities. Time passed, and she got sucked further into her book. She started to pay less attention to the muffled sounds downstairs.
That was until she heard her sister’s voice, albeit barely. It was enough to draw her out of the book. Applejack listened intently and heard the filly’s voice again. Sadly, she couldn’t make out her exact words. Curious, the earth pony placed down her book on her bed and reached for her bedroom’s door. It was at this moment that she heard a muffled thump. It didn’t sound like a glass breaking on the floor, no, it sounded like a pony falling.
Groaning, Applejack left her room to see what was going on. On her way, she noticed the fillies’ door was slightly open. The earth pony peeked inside. Olive was still sleeping, which confirmed that Apple Bloom was the one who left for the kitchen.
Aj trotted towards the stairs, ready to go down when she heard a chilling voice speak to her, coming from below.
“Earth pony, I am inside your home.”
The orange mare stopped dead in her track, gazing down the stairs. Nothing was there at first, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, an ominous silhouette materialised. Applejack couldn’t truly make out what it was, only that it was shaped like a pony.
The figure raised a hoof and moved up a step. Then it took another. The closer it got, the more features became known to Aj. It was wearing a disturbing looking mask depicting a strangely deformed dog. Its entire body was covered in a dark cloak that hid its identity well. The stranger made it halfway, and that was enough to bring the orange mare back to her senses.
“What did ya do to Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked, trying to hide her fears. Right now, she desperately wanted to check on her little sister, to make sure she was okay but to do so; she had to deal with him.
“Paralysis. Come to me.” The stranger coldly responded in a hoarse tone. He raised a hoof and motioned her to come closer. The earth pony noticed the mask was also moving its mouth despite looking like it was made of wood.
For a moment, Applejack wondered if she should wake up her brother Big Mac for help. His intimidating size would surely ward the intruder off. In that split second, she made the mistake of briefly taking her eyes off him.
The Crimson Mask fired a small beam of crimson magic straight at her, something Aj barely managed to dodge. The beam grazed her mane and hit the ceiling, doing absolutely no damage to it whatsoever. It ain’t destructive magic he’s usin’, he’s tryin’ to paralyse me!
Already engaged in combat, Applejack moved down the stairs, causing the Crimson Masked individual to back away from the steps and into the entrance. He tapped the floor repeatedly, keeping his dark eyes on her. His posture was calm, confident. His body was as immobile as a statue.
The stallion was on the defensive, that much could be seen from his reluctance to move from his position. Applejack couldn’t go back upstairs, turning her back on him would be only result in an instant defeat. All she could really do was to call for help and fight him.
Crimson Mask, however, saw one step ahead and cast a dome around them. Applejack screamed as it engulfed them, but no sound came from her mouth. In fact, there were no sounds at all inside this field. Calling for help was no longer an option.
To make matters worse, Crimson Mask moved towards her at a slow pace. Now out of options, the orange mare rushed him down and swung her hoof around as hard as she could, aiming for his head. Moving as fast as a fox, he blocked the swing with his hoof and headbutted her. He then followed up with a sweep, bringing the strong mare to the ground.
Before Applejack could process what had just happened, her opponent brought down its legs on her body, locking her in place. With one quick shot, the paralysis spell hit her full force, snatching away her body’s strength. Her head hit the wooden floor, unable to move anymore. Only her eyes could dart around. Crimson Mask disabled the silencing dome, letting the quiet howling of the wind outside back in the house.
“You are strong, earth pony. But strength alone won’t win you battles.” He grunted between bated breaths. He caressed the hoof with which he blocked the attack, revealing it was bruised thanks to the sheer power behind Applejack’s swing. The orange mare sadly couldn’t discern her attacker’s coat color even though she was close to him. There was nothing to truly identify him in the all consuming darkness of the night.
Disregarding her, he went back the stairs... to the fillies’ bedroom.
Olive rolled around in her bed, haunted by yet another nightmare. At this point, she’s gotten rather used to the constant horrors she witnessed in her dreams, mainly visions of the past that she couldn’t let go of. In most of them, the filly saw Aurora again only for her to disappear and leave her on her own.
These nightmares always reminded her that no matter what good may come her way, she’ll never see her friend again. And let’s not forget the terrifying colossus towering over her, bringing down his gigantic hoof upon the defenseless filly. Her closed eyes teared up, accompanied by her quiet whimpers.
“...rora.” She muttered incoherently as she curled up in a ball, finally brought back to reality. Greeted by the moonlight beaming through the closed window, she wiped her tears and took her time to admire the beauty of the moon in the sky.
The room was dreadfully silent, Olive hated silence. It always made her feel nervous even when they were nothing to be worried about. The silence let her think about her life, all the events that unfolded like a recording. She’d find herself stuck for at least an hour thinking about it all before her mind would finally be at peace, and only then can she go back to sleep.
It was a curse that she often pondered if other ponies had this same problem. Knowing she wasn’t alone would at least bring her some comfort. A strange weight crushing the bed snapped her out of her incessant pondering.
Olive simply imagined it was Apple Bloom leaving or coming back to bed, so she didn’t bother to turn around. However, the weight got heavier as it pulled on the bed further, getting to the point that it couldn’t be done by a small filly like her sister.
Curious, Olive quickly turned around to see what was going on. Instead of being greeted by Applejack like she expected, it was a stallion with a cloak. What made her froze wasn’t just the fact that there was a stranger in her bedroom, no, she recognised that crimson mask.
Her father was right all along; Crimson Mask never died, and he was now coming for her.
Olive tried to scream, but the Crimson Mask quickly silenced her with a hoof over her mouth. The filly tried to push the big hoof away, but it simply pinned her down on her pillow. Her weak pushes couldn’t make him budge in the slightest. It became impossible to breath anymore and the filly stared terrified in the empty eyes of the mask.
“Do not scream if you don’t want anypony to get hurt.” The Crimson Mask harshly told her.
Olive squealed, nodding profusely to get the stallion’s hoof off her muzzle. After a few more seconds, he seemed convinced as he pulled his hoof away. The filly took deep breaths, tears welling in her eyes. Her trembling hooves scrubbed her mouth. If that moment lasted any longer, she might have passed out.
The cloaked stallion contemplated her for a moment, then his long mouth opened. “I need to know a few things about your father. Try to remember as accurately as possible.” He said, his powerful hoarse voice sending a chill down the little pony’s spine.
“O...Okay.” Olive responded, her voice hitching. Despite her best efforts to keep on a brave façade, her whimpers showed to the stallion just how powerless she was.
“Your father is out somewhere in Canterlot. Do you have any idea where he could be hiding?”
Olive’s looked away from him. Some time passed and she gripped her head, shutting her scared eyes. She couldn’t remember anything. Her breaths were shaky, her eyes teared up more and her whimpers got louder. Too loud for Crimson Mask’s liking, so he reformulated his question.
“Has he ever spoken out loud about a secret base in Canterlot?”
Olive opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, a mess of dark shapes in a dimly lit room. “Y-Yes!” She asked, a bit too loud as the stallion quickly shut her up again.
“Answer me, but quieter.” he commanded.
Once his hoof pulled back, she spoke quietly, almost whispering. “He said he wanted a place that was big enough to fit everypony.” She opened her mouth again and left it hanging for a bit. “b-but that’s all I know. He always sent me somewhere else when he had to discuss important things.”
“I see...” The cloaked stallion suddenly trotted towards the window, by walking on her bed. Olive jerked back once he got too close for comfort. Reaching the moonlit window, he opened it and hopped out without wasting a single precious second. The window closed magically, letting the eerie silence back in the filly’s bedroom.
Olive remained motionless; her eyes still locked on the window. Not a single sound came to snap her out of her trance, until thundering hoofsteps woke her up. Steps this loud sparked the grim image of a white grinning stallion baring his bloody teeth. The sound crept up to her door, the only thing separating her from whatever was outside.
The filly shrieked; it was the loudest scream she has made in weeks. In her haste, she never fell out of her bed when the door suddenly busted open.
“Olive! What’s goin’ on in there?!”
Big Mac rushed in, his eyes wide open with worry. Much to his relief, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the filly’s bedroom. But there was Olive sitting on her bed, staring wide and teary eyed at him. Her heart was beating against her chest, almost threatening to jump out of her body.
The tall stallion gingerly approached her, laying his upper body on the bed. “Somethin’s wrong, ain’t it? Ya can tell me.” he said in a soft voice.
Olive wiped away her tears and lowered her head. “I-It’s nothing. I’m just being stupid again.”
“Hm.” Big Mac hesitantly raised a hoof and caressed her head. “Ah wouldn’t call it stupid. Ya’ve been through a lot, it’s normal to feel on edge.”
“R-Really?”
The burly earth pony smiled. “E-yup. Ah can somewhat relate to what yer goin’ through. We Apples have faced our fair share of tragedies too, and that’s why we’d be glad to help ya as best’s we can.”
Olive’s lips curled up into a thankful smile, emotions swelling in her eyes. With one swift motion, her hooves wrapped around the stallion’s neck in a loving embrace.
“Horse apples! What’s happened to ya Applejack?”
Big Mac immediately rose from the bed, with Olive still hanging on to his thick neck. Wasting no time, he rushed out of the room and found Granny Smith downstairs, struggling to kneel over next to his motionless sister.
“B-Big Mac! Come ‘ere quick!” the old mare begged.
The strong stallion obliged, coming down as quick as he possibly could.
“Our Applejack here looks deader than a door nail!”
Olive looked over her shoulder down at her foster mother. “H-Her eyes are still moving!”
“Oh?” Granny Smith leaned closer to Aj, noticing her eyes trembling. “Yer right!” She turned her attention back to the tall stallion. “Quick Big Mac! We should get Twilight for help! It looks like a spell!”
“You’re right, Granny Smith. It is the effect of a paralysis spell.”
Woken up in the middle of the night by a panicked Big Mac, Twilight and Spike followed the big stallion back to Sweet Apple Acre to see what happened to Applejack as well as Apple Bloom. Both ponies were completely motionless except for their eyes, which moved around nervously.
“So, that’s what a paralysis spell looks like. It’s... kinda creepy.” Spike said, cringing at the bloodshot eyes of the two mares. Without being able to even blink, their eyes got a little dry.
“I know a spell that can undo the paralysis immediately.” Twilight informed.
“What’re ye waitin’ for?” Granny Smith asked. “Free them already!”
Olive shuffled around nervously, clinging on to Big Mac for comfort.
The princess of friendship nodded and lit up her horn. Focusing intently on undoing the paralysis, she fired a gentle smoke of magic that engulfed the two ponies, slowly dissipating afterward.
Applejack moved her hooves and opened her mouth, feeling rather funny considering all her muscles are just waking up.
Apple Bloom also shared this bizarre experience. Getting back up was harder than it looked, but her good friend Twilight was nice enough to help them by offering her hoof as a support.
“Whoowee! Thanks for that, Twilight!” Applejack thanked, shaking her entire body to ward off the dizziness. She blinked countless times to remove the burn in her eyes.
Big Mac and Granny Smith looked relieved, easing up their tense bodies.
Olive moved up to her sister and curiously observed her spazzing around. “How does it feel?” she asked.
“Like somepony’s tickling my entire body.” Apple Bloom said, cringing heavily.
“Is that why you’re moving weirdly?” The unicorn questioned further.
“Ah think ya already know the answer to that!”
Spike giggled. “Now you just look like one of the junkies I've seen in my Power Ponies comics!”
“Ha ha, really funny, Spike.” Apple Bloom groaned, rubbing her burning eyes.
Olive now stared at Spike, her mouth wide open with surprise. “You like the Power Ponies too?”
On the adult's side, Twilight handed Aj's hat to her. “You okay, Applejack?” the alicorn softly asked. “What happened to you two?”
The orange mare’s face darkened, remembering the home invader, his fighting skills, the creepy mask he was wearing and his empty black eyes. “We had a run-in with an intruder.”
“An intruder?!” Twilight gasped.
“Yeah, Ah didn’t get to see much of the hooligan, but from what Ah know, that pony had to be...”
“The Crimson Mask?”
Once the sun had risen, Twilight called over Looking Glass to investigate on the strange home invasion. If anypony could find the identity of the masked intruder, it had to be him. Once he arrived, everypony noticed he looked a little pale. He was breathing heavily, his eyes had heavy bags under them. He was struggling to keep himself up, which was to be expected considering he only left the hospital not too long ago. Applejack told him that their attacker could only be the Crimson Mask as judged by the darkly colored mask the stallion was wearing. The detective, however, didn’t seem all that convinced.
“It can’t be him. I’ve seen him perish years ago, it must be somepony masquerading as him.” he refuted, trying his hardest to keep the power in his voice.
“Well, Ah’d say he did a mighty good job acting like ta Crimson Mask. He got the voice down to a t.” Applejack responded before turning her attention to Olive. “Sugar cube, ya got a good look at ‘im, didn’t ya?”
The agitated little filly nodded. “Hm-hm.”
“Tell Looking Glass what ya know. He’ll find whoever broke into our home.” She asked with a gentle smile on her face.
Olive sheepishly retreated behind her mother’s legs, peeking to look at the tall unicorn, though she avoided his intimidating eyes. “I’ve seen the Crimson Mask before, but just in pictures, mister Looking Glass.”
The detective’s brows furrowed slightly; he scribbled something on his clipboard. “Did the intruder’s mask look like the actual Crimson Mask?”
Olive looked away briefly, before nodding.
The tall unicorn winced. “It... can’t be.” He immediately turned his attention to Spike, scribbling a quick message on a blank page. “Spike, I’ll need you to send this to the Canterlot Bureau of Investigation. Now.” He tossed the letter at the baby dragon who was taken aback.
“Wha- me? I don’t even know who to send it to!” He exclaimed.
Looking Glass took a determined step towards him, further intimidating Spike. “Just send it to the reception, the ponies there will know who to give it to.”
“Uh, o-okay. Here goes...” Spike inhaled and breathed green fire on the letter, teleporting it to its destination. A useful way to send messages, one what the detective secretly hoped he had.
Once the deed was done, Looking Glass explained himself. “After the death of Crimson Mask, I took his signature mask to the bureau. We have the belongings of many dangerous criminals stashed over there, but for the mask, I made sure to lock it somewhere more discreet. It's inside my office in a locked drawer. If it is indeed the same mask, then that means somepony broke inside and stole it.”
“What?!” Twilight screamed. “Is it really bad?”
“Depends on who stole it.” Looking Glass answered. “It could be a nopony with no great aspirations, or something worse. Not many ponies know the truth about the mask.” He looked at Olive in the eyes, the filly squealed and jerked her head back. “It secretly has magical properties embedded in it. By putting it on, the ghost of the previous owner will appear.”
“So what yer sayin’ is...” Applejack started, cocking her head back. “Crimson Mask is in some way still livin’ on even beyond death?”
“Exactly. We’re afraid he could potentially influence somepony else into committing atrocities, hence why we don’t want it to fall in somepony’s hooves.” The detective explained, a little bit of gruff creeping into his voice of steel.
Spike’s stomach turned out of the blue, and he burped a message back. “We got a response!” he announced to the tall unicorn.
“Let me see.” Looking Glass snatched the letter away with magic and read it. As he did, he winced, his frown getting bigger.
“As I feared, the mask was indeed stolen. My drawer was ripped off its hinges and the mask, gone.”
“That’s awful! We’ve got another criminal on the run!” Twilight exclaimed. “I know you’re already working on Anarchy’s case, but can you please help out on this one too? I’d be glad to compensate all your efforts!”
Looking Glass pondered. Hm, if I can work on this case, I can control its flow. The more control I have, the better. The most logical way to proceed is to... “I accept. I’ll start working on it immediately. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Looking Glass. I knew we could count on you!”
Lying is a terrible offense, but sometimes we must do some wrong to right the greater ones. Once I'm through with Anarchy, I’ll destroy the relic, and hopefully put an end to the Crimson Mask.
Down in the gloomy caverns of Canterlot, a light blue pegasus flew quickly towards the biggest building in the underground town of the Anarchists, sweat dripping down her face.
The doors to Anarchy’s office busted open. “I’ve returned from my visit at the hospital.” Dreamcatcher informed, panting. “L... Looking Glass is gone! He supposedly left during the night.” The interior of the office was nicely decorated, albeit featuring lots of morbid items, courtesy of Anarchy's twisted mind. Items ranging from skulls to femurs to locked chest with ominous words written on it.
“Hm.” Anarchy was busy writing something down in his personal journal. He put his pen down and raised his head. “And what of Blossomforth?”
“Still in a coma.” she reassured.
“He he, now that’s great to hear! Remember; if she ever wakes up, kill her and make your leave. We can’t have her screw everything up. Not after these eight long years!”
A giant head poked through an open window. It was Strong Hoof who overheard Dreamcatcher’s bad news. “He’s going to plan something, boss. Let’s give him a smackdown he’ll take to his grave.”
Anarchy chuckled. “Oh sure, just tell me where he is and we’ll do it.”
“Uh... I-I'm afraid I d-don't know where he is.” Strong Hoof stammered.
“Ain’t that swell.” He said disinterestedly. “He’s not our top priority at the moment. Besides, how’s he going to find out about our secret underground base? Nopony here besides us knows of it.”
Dreamcatcher turned around and trotted away but bumped on a nearby table. Annoyed, she grunted as she threw a quick glance at the poorly placed table. Instead of leaving like she intended, she found herself staring at an odd chest covered with locks and with scribbles written all over it that read “Never Open”.
“What’s with this chest?” she asked curiously.
Anarchy immediately stood up from his seat. “If you’re thinking about opening it, don’t! It’s too dangerous.”
Her curiosity only growing stronger, Dreamcatcher asked another question. “What’s in it?”
“A powerful artefact.” Anarchy responded, hugging the chest and shooing the mare away. “I’ve labeled it as a cognitohazard. Using this item will only create mass destruction to everypony around, including its user. Never play the Blood Whistle, never!”
“The Blood Whistle?” Strong Hoof asked. “What does it do?”
“Oh, you don’t wanna know. I’ve used it once before; I’ve never lost so many ponies in a single day. It was the biggest mistake of my life.” Anarchy locked the small chest away in his desk. “But let’s not worry about it. Let’s instead get excited as to what the future holds for us! I can understand its whispers now, we are closer than ever. It likes me, and it wants the blood of an alicorn to complete the ritual. Look at the calendar!” He pointed his hoof at the wall. “Engrave this date into your mind.”
Dreamcatcher looked at the calendar hanged up on the wall. Nothing of note was written on most of the dates, except for one. Later down this month, there will be a storm, a really big one. One so bad, the weather team strongly suggest ponies to stay indoors for its entire duration. That date was circled in a red marker. The date that Anarchy’s plan will finally come to fruition.
“Yes, be very excited for what’s to come. I myself can barely contain my giddy excitement!” Anarchy exclaimed, placing a hoof around her shoulder. “Under the storm... we will be reborn. Equestria will be breaking down.”
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WARNING this action will drastically affect your ending!
Cognito hazard?
Heh You just signed your termination request
Foundation? Gonna need see no evil Asap
Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Looking Glass must know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
properties
down in his
Purlple.
Looking Glass had better be careful with that mask. I've heard the dark side is a pathway to many abilities that some deem unnatural.
11709997
I am a toaster.
11710351
Can you not talk about me?
Seriously no talking about unrelated anomalies
11710194
He sure as hay better be careful NOT to let Anarchy get the high ground.