A Child's Insanity: Behind the Mask

Nicholas smiled as he looked down at the small puppy and rubbed her head. The puppy yipped and licked Nicholas’s hand. The small animal caused a ball of joy to grow inside Nicholas and he gave a small giggle.

Joy can cause grand things, even something as simple as a puppy can bring it out.

After asking many snobs and beggars, Mask found himself at the entrance of the Diamond Hollow Mines. It was at the city limits and many of the ponies he asked would give him a look as if he was crazy.

Well you kind of are.

Mask growled at the voice and shook his head before looking around the area the mine was in. The ground itself was a lifeless brown and nothing but a few dying trees dotted the surface but there were boulders and mountains of stone everywhere. He then looked at the mine itself which was really just a large cave with wooden support beams holding the top open.

He gave a sniff and smelt something akin to wet dog which caused him to almost coagh at the awful smell. He could also make out the faint sound of paws on stone coming from the mine so he definitely knew it was occupied by the dogs.

Ugh, don’t be fooled you moron, allow me to assist.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ears and was able to hear not just dog paws but also hooves and claws. He felt the pain fade and his hearing return to normal. :How did you do that?” Mask asked with a hint of irritation in in the question. He then heard the voice giggle and then speak.

Its simple, I just use the wrath you harbor and manifest it into your ears and amplify the wrath to make them stronger, at the cost of causing them pain but hey, nothing's free,

She spoke as if it was like addition causing Mask to grow more irritated but just let out a huff and made his way into the mouth of the cave. He looked down the large cave that lead underground into a torch lit tunnel. He took a deep breath of fresh air and delved into it, his mask on the top of his head.

My Gods…

…

Mask thought it would be easy, just sneak in and find the parents that he saw on the picture that were hung on Babs’s wall and get them out. He was lucky that the dogs wrote in the same language as he just followed the signs that lead to the prison. Sadly for him, he was too cocky from his fights in the arena and thought he would just find them with ease.

What he forgot was that this was not the Arena and everything wouldn’t be handed to him for just accomplishing something. He thought he would find them and he did, they were right in front of him. Both bloody, both starving and both naked and both had large holes on their hips where their marks should have been.

The marks were hanging on top of the cell, a single orange on a patch of light orange skin and three orange slices on a very pale piece of skin. They both also seemed to have a very light aura around them but Mask barely noticed it. He walked over to the two ponies and gently touched the stallion.

Slowly the stallions eyes opened and they both looked at Mask with no fear, or recognition, just...acceptance. He then spoke in a voice that should only come from one who is dead, “Hello Death...here to claim our...souls I take...it?” He asked and Mask was taken aback. He then spoke in a calm voice,

“No...I’m here to rescue y-” He was interrupted by the stallion laughing, but it held no mirth.

“Please my...dear boy...me and my wife are...far from saving...but if you could...do a dying stallion...a favour…” Mask reached a hand out and wrapped it around the stallions and nodded. “Just...tell me about...yourself.”

Mask would have questioned the stallion but just went along with it, “My name...is Nicholas but...now its Mask. I’m a 13 year old human boy....” Mask went on about whatever came to his mind and he saw the stallion with his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips.

“You are a….strange child Nicholas...now can you do me two...more favours?” The stallion asked and his voice sounded desperate.

“Of course.” The stallion opened his eyes and looked at him with pleading eyes and spoke with as much life as he could muster,

“Watch over our daughter and...end me and...my wife…of this suffering.”

Nicholas felt his eyes widen and he looked at the stallion in shock and was about to decline but then he heard the voices again,

Do Nicholas, you can’t save them. They are too close to death, don’t leave them to these dogs.

'B-But I ca-'

Just do it you weakling!

'I…'

Put the mask on and I’ll help you.

Mask looked at the stallion who was looking up at him with pleading eyes. “I know you are young...but we can’t...take much more...of this.” He sounded like he was about to cry. “Please Nicholas…don’t let me and...my wife suffer…”

Mask looked down at the stallion with a misty eye, then he slowly grew stoic and slowly reached for the mask and slipped it on to his face. He could feel the mask weld onto his face and steam slowly rolled from his face and the mask muffled his screams of pain. Then he went silent and a red and black aura slowly floated out of the crack in the mask.

Yes~

War looked down at the stallion with a glowing red dot in his non-cracked eye socket. He let out a small laugh and his hands slowly glowed red until they both burst into flames. The stallion watched in horror at the once innocent looking child that now looked like a demon.

Then he remembered he had entrusted his daughter with it.

Regret filled his stomach but he couldn’t even speak before War blasted to large torrent of flames at the two ponies. The stallion screamed in agony while the mare roasted in silence and he soon joined her as they both burnt more and more. War finally stopped the assault of flames and the entire cell’s temperature had risen and where two ponies once lied was nothing but ashes.

“I am going to enjoy this freedom as long as I can.” The teeth parted to let out a female’s voice. She then walked out of the cell and to the door that led to the prison before turning around and looking at all the doors, each hold prisoners. She gave a little giggle before blasting flames down the hall, burning doors and letting the flames into the cells.

She could hear the sounds of guards running towards her location and let out a sad sigh before rushing towards the exit. When she turned a tunnel though she was met with a large griffon with steel armour covering its whole body. “You will be an easy kill little mutant pony.”

War just gave a crazed cackle.

“What is so funny weakling?” The griffin growled and War just smirked, the mask doing the same.

“Its just you plan to fight me with metal covering your whole body, allow me to show you your mistake.” She spoke with mirth and the masks teeth parted and a blast of red flames spewed out and on to the griffon. The griffon squawked in pain as the metal welded onto his flesh and his brain tried to process the pain but instead just shut down from the heat.

He died with metal fused with his skin and feathers.

The teeth on the mask snapped shut and War let out a roar of victory. She then walked over the body and up the tunnel. As she walked she contemplated on whether or not just killing the whole pack.

“Oh who am I kidding? I’m a deity, so why not!”

She gave a mad laugh and looked down the cave. Slowly the aura in the crack started to flow quicker and the teeth slowly leaked a black gas. "Let’s see if I can suffocate all of these creatures in one go” She then opened her mouth and a torrent of black smoke shot down the tunnel and the moment it came in contact with with a dog, it shot down his throat and into its lungs.

The dog slowly suffocated until it was dead but instead of falling, the smoke filled it’s whole body and forced it to explode. The smoke kept on coming until the whole cave was filled with smoke and no corpses were inside, just smears of blood and guts.

Finally War snapped her mouth shut and could feel the deaths from inside and she relished in the death. She then slowly slipped out of the body and into the mask, causing Mask to take back control. He quickly pulled the mask off and gasped for air and glared down at the mask.

“Why...why did you do that!” He screamed and the mask grinned at him and opened it’s mouth and the female’s voice spoke,

"Why, I just did you a favor! You love to kill don’t you?” He could feel his rage about to boil over but suddenly he felt his rage flow into a void. He then smiled at the mask and chuckled.

“You're right, thanks Thorn.” He put the mask back on his head and headed back for Babs’s house.

Meanwhile inside of the mask stood two figures. One had pale skin with nothing but a small bikini that barely held her large bust. She had hair that flowed like fire and had a figure of a seductress and red flames licked at the side of her lips. The other figure was dressed with actual clothes, a blue robe that went to her feet and hair that flowed like lava but was a light blue and blue flames licked from her sides of her mouth..

They both had pure black eyes with one having a blue dot as a pupil and the other a red.

“You fool!” The robe wearing mare screamed, “You almost caused him to break the mask! If I hadn't drained his rage me and you would be dead!” The blue flames grew larger as her anger grew. The seductress just rolled her eye and crossed her arms under her chest and spoke with a more demonic voice and her teeth flashed, her teeth being just like the masks.

“Oh calm down Rose, I had it all under control and besides,” She held her hands and a miniature sun formed in her hands, “We are deity’s! Why should we serve this weakling?” She made the sun vanish with a snap of her fingers.

“Because Thorn, he is the only one who has a chance of releasing us from this damned mask! Think of it, if he can free us we can see Father and he is the one who gave this mask to him and Father’s plans always work.” Thorn seemed to grow somber and sighed, a puff of black smoke leaking.

“I know but...I am the goddess of destruction! Equestria has barely enough destruction to keep me alive!” She seemed to grow angrier as she spoke. “You are the damned goddess of life! You are always being powered while I grow weak!”

“Thorn…” Rose sighed and walked over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a hug, “Never think of yourself as weak, you are destruction and this child's mind is full of wrath and he will cause destruction, trust me.” Thorn gave a sigh and hugged her sister back.

“You're right...sorry sister.” They then let go of each other and sat down and both closed their eyes and watched through Mask’s eye and watched as he walked towards the orange farm and waited.

“Soon sister, we will be free of this accursed mask.” Rose spoke.

“I know sister, I know.” Thorn nodded.