Replacements

>October 4th, 2014 2:28 pm.

>The location: some strange little town called Seong Taek Lim in South Korea.

>You are currently shopping in a mask shop for something to pick up as a souvenir.

>You pick up a particularly interesting one and start looking for a price-

>“Ah yes…”

“Holy fuck!”

>You trip over yourself, almost dropping the mask.

>”Careful!”

>You look up to see a little old man in what seems to be in some sort of traditional garb.

>“That mask VERY Ancient, once owned by Chinese emperor of lost time.”

>”Some say mask cursed, used to exile prisoners to demon realm.”

“How much?”

>”Twenty thousand Won.”

“Too rich for my blood.”

>”That’s only about eighteen American dollars.”

“Oh… I guess I’ll take it…”

>”Have nice day!”

>You take the mask and head off in no particular direction.

>Briefly you wonder what else you can buy, but beyond snake wine and that mask there’s nothing here.

>Seems everything is made in china.

>After pondering a bit you decide to head back to the hotel in Seoul and pack for tomorrow.

 

>Back at the hotel you place a shirt in your bag.

>Only sixteen more hours till you leave this hellhole of a hotel.

>Fucking travel agent told you he could get you a five star one for the price of a three star.

>All you got though was an overpriced chicken coup in essence

>You slam shut the suitcase and lay on your bed.

>You lay your head back, only to smack it against something wooden.

>It would seem you managed to forget to pack the mask.

>As you begin to zip open the suitcase when a thought pops into your head.

>Bit childish, but you have nothing better to do.

>You wear the mask and start to sing.

“They call me Cuban Pete! I’m the king of the rrrumba beat!”

“When I play the maracas I go chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky boom!”

>The mask begins to feel strangely warm, but not uncomfortably so.

“The Senoritas the sing and swing with terampero!“

>The mask starts to heat up wildly now, feeling as if it is scorching your skin.

>You try to rip it off, but it seems to grip to your face.

>Your vision blurs, you scream in pain, and at last pass out.

 

>The sensation of wet clothing and the warm night air on your skin are the first things you feel as you come to.

>You roll onto your back and cough up some water, wondering how you managed to get here as you do, wherever here may be.

>It’s a while before you get up, enjoying the cold sensation of the moist ground on your scorched face.

>Eventually though the will to find out where you are overrides the will to soothe your face, and you rise to your feet.

>Glancing around, you seem to be in some sort of dense forest, with foliage much different than that of Korea.

>You decide on following the river, figuring it would be your best bet.

>As you walk along the river bank you look and listen for any signs for civilization, but are unable to detect anything beyond the sounds and sights belonging to the forest’s foliage and residents.

>The air of the night is still, giving a feeling of frozen time before you hear something unusual break the silence.

“So giggle at the ghostie!”

>Words.

>And of all that could be spoken, English words.

>You rush off in the direction of the speaker, eager to see another person after your hours of isolation.

 

>As you trudge through the undergrowth you begin to notice the moon has yet to lower in the sky.

>Strange, but the oddity is not enough to distract you from your goal.

>You attribute it to the weird mask, not knowing what other things beyond evidently drugging someone and dumping them in the woods it could do.

>Something appears in the distance, what looks to be a crevice with a crossing.

>It appears fairly unstable, but with a lack of any better idea you walk onto it.

>Step by step you cross, careful to skip boards that look too rotten to support you.

>As you near the middle, the ropes start to creak, until…

>”Snap!”

>Glancing at the source of the sound, to your terror you notice one of the ropes begin to fray near the middle of the bridge.

>In a panic you begin to sprint, but this only leads you to be careless and stop on a rotten board.

>The wood splinters from beneath one of your legs and sends you tumbling over yourself.

>You try to get up, but the rope snaps, sending you swinging into the cliff face.

>You grip the remains of the bridge for your life and brace for the impact.

>Holding fast you smash into the side, managing to keep your grip but slamming your trapped leg between the wooden boards and the rocky cliff wall.

>You try to wedge it free again, but in the end must use your free leg to break the board.

>The trapped leg was bloodied and battered, but not so much as to cause any real hindrance.

>Using the remains of the bridge as a ladder, you make your way up.

>You see a series of ancient ruins as you pull yourself to safety, overtaken with what appears to be decades of growth, and many more of decay.

 

>”Woooah.”

>”Come on Twilight.”

>The speech seems a bit off to you, but the effect it has on you is reinvigorating.

>”The Elements of Harmony, we found them!”

>With new energy you rush in, only to be met with the sight of not humans, but with six of what seems to be a strange crossbreed between a dog and a horse.

>Two of them are winged and carrying down stone spheres with ornate carvings, while a purple one with a horn walks up to them.

>”Careful…”

>Did it just?

>”One, two, three…”

“Holy fuck it did!”

>Oops.

 

>They turn to look at you, the blue and rainbow colored one dropping one of the orbs as she sees you.

>”Gasp! Himyname’sPinkiePieI’veneverseenyoubeforeorwhatyouarebeforeand-“

>You jump back, the pink one having snuck up on you while you were dazed.

>”Pinkie, get back from it!”

>”Why? He doesn’t look like a big meanie, not like her!”

”Who?”

>”Mhmmmm, she’s right, it’s not him you should be worried about…”

>The voice is cold enough alone to send a shiver down your spine.

>” Nightmare Moon! Show yourself!” The purple one cries out defiantly.

>”It’ll be me that gives the orders here, but I think I’ll humor you this one time.”

“The fuck is going on?”

>Glowing mist begin to swirl around the orbs, slightly lifting them as a dark horse-like figure begins to materialize in the center.

>”Mwahahaha!”

“So what are you, a horrifically clichéd villain?”

>She glares at you angrily and commands,” Quiet human, this is no matter for your kind to delve in!”

“Or what?”

>’Nightmare Moon’ gazes at you with an almost quizzical look.

>”Need I demonstrate?”

>The horse-dogs look between the two of you with fear in their eyes.

>’Nightmare’ rears onto her hind legs and slams it’s front ones down, crushing the orbs into shards.

>“Mwahahaha! Now that the Elements are destroyed you six shall never defeat me!”

>You give her a gaze that intended to say something along the lines of,” son, I am disappointed.”

“Really, that’s it? You crushed a few rocks?”

>”But of course! They were the one thing that could defeat us!”

“Exactly, the whole ‘now I am Unstoppable!’ thing, its very cliché! Watch, there’s going to be some silly shit about ‘you were unable to truly destroy them, for the power was inside us all along’!”

>”Wait what?” The orange one says.

>Nightmare looks back at you, almost… thankful?

>You get the feeling you just fucked up badly.

>”Hmm, perhaps you’re right. It shouldn’t be the Elements I focus on, but the Bearers themselves.”

>She continues in an almost sarcastic tone, “So, as a reward for my little human, I’ll let you live this time. Keep delving in this and I’ll be sure to change that though.”

>Nightmare turns to the six creatures and spreads her wings, her horn glowing as she does so.

>”As for you all, I’m afraid I cannot guarantee the same fate.”

>Her horn gives off repeated burst of light, one of the creatures disappearing as she does.

>Finally, as the last one disappears, she too does, leaving you again alone and wondering what happened.

>You allow yourself to finally succumb to exhaustion, falling asleep in the middle of the ancient room.

 

>An unknown amount of time later you awaken, gazing up through a hole in the ceiling as you do so.

>Thorough the hole you spot the corona of the sun, a sign of an eclipse occurring.

>”So, you’re the human who interfered with my plan…” an almost soothing female voice says.

>You glance in the direction of the voice, seeing another of the ‘Nightmare Moon’ creatures, this one being a brilliant, pure white.

>”You’re going to have to make up for it you know.” She says, her voice never giving hint of leaving a calm, collected state.

“What do you mean?”

>”You interfered and caused the six I’ve chosen, including my personal student, to be captured. Wouldn’t you expect someone else to clean up their own mess?”