The ground and the air and the sky was covered in ash. The forest, once vast and magnificent, now lay in ruins. Tall, dark trees had fallen over, littering the dusted ground with static death. The sun failed to shine through the coat of grey.
"Hello?" the man called out, his voice carrying far. There was little left standing to block the sound anymore.
Where was he?
The man marched through the remains, his shoes kicking up small clouds of ash behind him. "You still here?" he asked the emptiness.
No reply. He spent all day trying to visit him, and now he was nowhere to be seen. How typical of him.
"You don't have to hide, you know. It's just me." Not that there was anywhere to hide anymore. Stepping over half-charred logs, he touched what was left of a tree with the palm of his hand. It left a grey mark on his skin.
His dark eyes glanced around for any sign of his friend. "Alright. Joke's over. Get out here." Nothing.
But it wasn't really nothing. There was one other sound, faint but slowly getting louder. He tried to ignore it. Whatever it was, there was no concern for it here.
He sighed. "Look, if you're mad at me, I'm sorry." Still nothing, but the faint sound continued to grow louder and louder. It also sounded... faster. More frantic.
He tried so hard to ignore it. He knew the sound was somewhere else, and he needed to be here. Just for a little while. Just to see him.
The world was a hollow place by himself.
"Tim."
The man turned around. Standing before him was his friend, the one he had been looking for. He let out a relieved smile, but abandoned it when he saw the other man's expression.
His face was pale, and his eyes wide. "You need to wake up. I... There's something wrong," he stated with worry in his tone. The ash in the air clung to his hoodie.
Tim raised a brow. "What? No. Why should I?"
Uncharacteristically frustrated, the other man sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry. But you need to shut that dog up. It might already be too late."
Too late? "What are you talking about?" he asked as he darkened the sky involuntarily.
And then the other man, a man who rarely if ever lost his breezy demeanour, let alone his temper, gritted his teeth. "Wake up!"
Then Masky woke up.
He was in his room. Outside his window, the sky flashed with streaks of red. Midnight, or close to it.
Somewhere, a dog was barking. Loud. Loud enough that it could be heard from his own tower in another part of the castle. The kind of bark that would be impossible for a real dog to achieve.
Masky groaned as he stood up from his bed. Noises were not uncommon, but this noise certainly was.
Wasting little time he made his way down the staircase and to the main floor. Knowing the castle by heart, he had no problem following the irritant sound.
"Is someone gonna shut that dog up?" he heard a very annoyed voice call. Masky quickened his pace. He didn't know much about animals, but the noise sounded almost pained.
"Jeff, your dog is barking," another voice said, this time coming from the source of the noise.
Rounding one last corner, he saw a small gathering of people crowded into the hallway. Just past them, he could see a dog running frantically, barking wild at nothing in particular. It's wide, deranged grin had morphed into what would have been a snarl.
"Yeah, and what am I supposed to do about it?" Jeff argued, his lidless eyes attempting a glare. "And since when is he my dog?"
Eyeless frowned. His mask had been left behind, exposing his more human features. "Since yesterday, when you said Smile was your dog."
Jeff gave a deadpan expression. "I never said that."
"You guys are loud," Bloody Painter complained, rubbing a tired eye with his sleeve. He too had left his mask behind. Masky was surprised to see him there. He never was a very sociable person, even compared to himself.
Jeff grumbled. "Oh, we're loud? What about him? He gestured at the grinning dog, who was now clawing at the burning black walls, exposing the old wood underneath, panting heavily as he barked.
Smile yelped tensely. There didn't seem to be anything wrong, but still he ran wild, tossing his body to and fro, as if his leg were caught in a bear trap.
"What's wrong with him, anyways?" asked the new Proxy, who he hadn't noticed was there. But he must have noticed Masky, for at some point he had moved to stand beside him.
Masky shrugged tiredly. "Rabies, maybe?" he suggested. The others shrugged mutually. Even Eyeless, who was the closest thing the castle had to a doctor, was clueless.
The five of them stood silently, watching the crazed husky-like creature chase the air around him. Elsewhere, there was another sound, this one resembling a screeching howl. Not a sound a dog would make, or any natural creature.
Jeff crossed his arms and huffed. "Great, now the Rake's up!" he complained.
Masky groaned. "Look, standing here isn't going to do anything. Does anyone here know anything about dogs?" he asked exasperatedly.
Everyone shook their heads.
Masky groaned even louder. "Great. Just great."
"Do you need any help?" a new voice asked from behind them. The five of them turned around, all except the new Proxy recognizing the seldom heard voice.
A young boy, no older than 12, clothed in dull green. Though his form was iconic, he was far from the legendary hero he resembled.
Smile shrieked loudly. "A bit, yeah," Masky responded to the boy, eyeing him warily. This person had a reputation, and it was not a very pleasant one.
The boy gave a deadpan expression. "It was a rhetorical question," he said, shoving past him to get to the panicked animal. Masky stumbled, but only a little.
Not skipping a beat, the boy crouched down, meeting the dog at eye level. "Smile, stop it."
And then, he stopped.
Everyone gasped.
Smile glanced up at the boy, his mouth showing joy but his eyes showing fear. The boy stared down at him, his bright pupils casting a dim red glow on the trembling fur.
Silently he muttered, "This is how it is now."
The two stared at each other for just a moment more, bringing attention to the surrounding silence. And then, almost solemnly, Smile nodded.
And then he stood up and walked away, disappearing behind the hallway's cloaking shadows.
It was like he was never there.
The boy stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes before glancing over to Masky, whose mask hid the fact that his mouth hung open. "You're welcome," the boy huffed before teleporting, or turning invisible, or whatever it was that he did. Either way, he was gone.
The new Proxy flinched involuntarily. "W-what just happened?" he said shakily, clearly stunned.
Masky shrugged. The others did the same.
Finally, Jeff spoke up. "Wow, that kid is weird," he said amazedly yet dismissively, turning around and walking back to wherever he was before then. The others began to follow suit, slowly emptying the crowded hallway without a word of goodbye.
Masky turned away, heading towards his bedroom. There was still plenty of night left, and as long as he got to sleep fast, he would still be able to enjoy it.
"Wait," he heard the new Proxy say behind him, his voice sounding confused and maybe a little afraid. He kept walking. If he wanted answers, he didn't have them. Mostly.
He made his way up to his room again, and saw that it was the same as it was before. Wasting no more time, he slithered back into his bed, which was still warm from his body heat.
And then, silently he waited.
He knew not how long he waited for, but after a long while he returned to that forest, the same one he always visited.
But now the trees were alive again, reformed from splinters and ash. The sound of occasional wildlife rustling past the lush greenery filled his ears. The sky was clear blue, the sun shining brightly.
The other man leaned against a nearby tree. He smiled gently, like he always did, as if the last dream never happened. And Tim was almost willing to believe it, but he knew his friend far too well.
Somewhere behind that smile, though bright as it was, held the remnants of a deep frown. A frown long past, but its dark shadow remained.
He smirked mischievously. "So, you ready for round 2?" he asked.
Quickly the sky began to darken, covering the sun with grey clouds. The wind began to pick up, causing the leaves to flutter apace.
Tim smiled, his eyes glimmering. "Absolutely."
And then there was a spark.
Hoodie is from the Web Series Marble Hornets
Smile Dog is from the Creepypasta Smile Dog
Bloody Painter is from the Creepypasta Bloody Painter
The Rake is from the Creepypasta The Rake
Ben is from the Creepypasta BEN Drowned and the ARG Haunted Majora's Mask
If you have any problems finding a certain character's original story, feel free to let me know so I can help you find it :)
