The screen flashed black and white static before forming a clearer picture. The date in the corner said the year was 1982.

Wherever this took place, it was extremely dark. Suddenly a door opened and a young woman could be seen walking through it. The lights turned on revealing a huge crowd of people. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETTY!"

The woman was now surprised and excited. She had pinkish skin and rosy red hair and wore a small pair of glasses. A man walked up to her. He looked to be in about his mid-thirties with glasses and had long brown hair. She said to him in excitement, "Simon, did you plan all this yourself?"

He grabbed her in his arms, "Only the best for you my princess, you only get to be thirty-two once." At this he leaned in and kissed her. The group of people cheered.

They paused for a second as she said, "I think they want an encore," as she kissed him this time. Now the crowd began to playfully boo the couple. One person from the background said, "Knock that crap off and let's get this party started!"

Mordecai fast-forwarded. He felt… dirty… looking through these tapes. These were private to someone. But yet, he almost seemed to remember them. For some reason he felt like he had been there before. Deja Vu?

When he pressed play, Betty and Simon were the only two left at the party. They were slow dancing to some old music. "That was some party huh?" the man asked.

"Yeah. I can't thank you enough for this Simon."

"Betty…?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll always love me."

Betty quickly replied, "I promise," before they began to kiss.

Mordecai fast forwarded again.

This time, the two were at a Ski slope. The dialogue was unrecognizable, but he could see Simon wearing a greenish-sweater and getting down on one knee in front of Betty and pulling a ring from his pocket. She hugged him before their picture was taken by someone off camera.

Mordecai did not think this tape had anything more useful. He ejected it and was about to put in the second when Rigby walked in the room.

"Hey Mordecai."

Mordecai became hot with embarrassment. Caught in the act. "Hey Rigby…"

"Dude, why'd you jack the TV?" Rigby asked as headed towards the bathroom. His voice was rather passive, as though he was obliged to make small talk.

"Uhhh… no reason, just going to watch a movie."

"What kind?"

"It's, uh, it's boring. You wouldn't like it," Mordecai tried to convince him.

"Why, cause I'm 'Not smart enough' to get it?" Rigby said as he entered the bathroom.

Mordecai was a little surprised. "I didn't say that."

"You might as well have," Rigby replied.

Mordecai responded, "You gonna stay here all night?"

"Oh my gosh, no! I'm not, okay? What's your problem? Jeez…"

"Where are you going?"

Rigby moved into the bathroom, "Nowhere, just going to watch a better movie."

"Alone?"

"With Eileen, for your information."

"You could have just said you were going on a date."

"It's not a date!" Rigby screamed as he slammed the bathroom door shut. With that, Mordecai thought it safe to put in the next tape. Mordecai did not notice Rigby's new bag, nor did he care to notice. He put in the next tape and pressed play.

Tape 2

"Woah woah woah, Be careful down there!" Simon said to someone off screen. The camera was directly in front of him. He was fully dressed in heavy winter gear. Behind him was a view of very large mountains and it was snowing hard. The year was still the same.

He turned back to the camera. "Day thirteen of our expedition to find ancient Nordic artifacts. So far, our finds have been little. I lost my previous tape yesterday. The rest of our team is starting feel restless. If we don't find anything soon, we may have to turn back… Betty, if you're out there, I hope I can make it home soon."

The screen went to static as it faded to a point later that day. Simon was walking with about three others alongside the mountain. Simon was holding the camera as he walked. "Steady now. Careful, it may get a little narrow up ahead."

"How do we even know if this tomb is out here?" a member of the group yelled.

"Trust me I know it's out here." Simon put his arm on the mountain to rest. All of a sudden, the rocks started to crack with his body weight.

"Simon watch out!" someone yelled. But it was too late, the wall broke open and Simon fell through. The camera was spinning before it turned to black.

Simon's breathing could be heard, but the picture was still dark. "You alright down there?" could be heard from the distance.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Maybe a little bruised, but I'll be more than fine." Simon replied. He turned on a flashlight. From what could be gathered by the light, he was in a large, grand hall with statues carved along the walls. "I FOUND IT! Come down here, but be careful!"

As Simon walked further into the hall, the camera started flickering between static then back to the picture. Skeletons clad in decayed armor and Nordic furs all lay facing the same direction.

Simon's breath drew quicker as he walked further down the hall. At the end was a pedestal. A bony hand was resting on something, covering it up. The camera was now worse than before. As Simon lifted the hand, a quick glance could be seen of a book. A loud humming was now coming from the TV. When Simon got a closer look at it, the title read "The Enchiridion" before the screen went to static.

"That's the book that was in the bag when I got it" Mordecai thought to himself. He was getting more nervous as he continued watching.

The screen came back to normal. Simon was at a table with the rest of the expedition members. They seemed to be in an Inn or a bar of some sort. Mordecai noticed that there were originally four other members, but he could only see three.

"Are you sure, this can work?" one of them asked Simon.

"Yes, I have no doubt in my mind. All we need is to find the last three and then we'll have it!" Simon said as he held the book on the table. It was slightly out of view of the camera.

"I thought you didn't really believe in this stuff in the first place!"

Simon replied, "As an archaeologist, it is my duty to uncover the unknown. And this case is no exception."

"What will happen when we find the last three?"

Simon replied, "Well according to ancient legend, we will open the doorway to time and space. Whether this works or not, I plan to find out."

"… Will it be worth what happe-"

Simon cut in, "If this legend is true, then it will never have mattered.."

"Pfffft, that's lame as hell!" Mordecai jumped as he turned around, Rigby had startled him. "What a chump movie."

"Dude, get out of here!" Mordecai could feel himself starting to get angry again. No, he had to prevent himself. He could not afford to keep getting angry. He changed his mood and playfully said, "Don't you have to be on your daaaaattteeee?"

"SHUT UP IT'S NOT A DATE!" Rigby said as he began to walk out of the room.

Mordecai chuckled at this response. Then he said, "Rigby… I'm happy for you."

"Why do you care? Shouldn't you get back to being sad and alone?" Rigby shot back as he left.

He could hear Eileen's car outside pull up to the house, the door open and close and then it drove off.

Mordecai looked back at the TV.

One of the group members was holding a revolver at his waist. It was pointing to whatever was behind the camera. "Now stay back, you hear!" The man's eyes were bloodshot and his hands were shaking. In the other hand, he was holding a gold object with three rubies on it. Mordecai knew this was the crown he had.

"Now, listen just take it easy! Just put down the gun" Simon said off camera.

"STAY BACK! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME!" he screamed as he waved is gun at imaginary people and things around him. Simon dove to the floor once he began shooting at the open air in terror.

"JUST MAKE THEM GO AWAY! MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY" He put the gun under his own chin.

"Mathew, wait!" Simon yelled.

The trigger was pulled and the film ended then and there.

Mordecai could not stop now, he had to keep watching. He needed to know why he would suddenly start thinking about this man; this Simon. He knew about him long before watching these.

Mordecai popped out the tape, grabbed the third one, and put it in the player.

Tape 3

The screen jutted to Simon standing alone in what appeared to be a museum. Valuable artifacts sat protected in glass cases on both sides of the mysterious man.

"Hello, my name is Simon Petrikov. I'm recording this tape so that people will know my story."

He pulled a PDA out of his coat as he continued, "I was studying to be an antiquarian of ancient artifacts. Now I never believed in the supernatural stuff myself, just out of fascination with superstitions."

He now stood aside of a large safe, locked by chains. It's very appearance was menacing to think of what could possibly lay inside. Why was there so much protection? "But everything changed when I came into contact with this item!" he proclaimed as he unlocked the safe.

Reaching inside he pulled out: The Crown…

The shot cut to Simon walking with the Crown gently cradled in his arms. "After purchasing this Crown from on old dock worker in Northern Scandinavia, I brought it home and excitedly showed it to my fiance, Betty." The picture behind Simon of himself and Betty was the same from his proposal in the mountains.

"I jokingly put on my head for a laugh or something. But that's when it started…" The demented object now rested on his head.

He approached the camera, eyes changed to match the icy chill the Crown induces. Mordecai felt his own spine chill as he knew the same pain this man was going through.

"The visions! I fought with them! Shouted at them until I realized it wasn't real it was the Crown!"

He removed it from his head, "I quickly took it off, and saw my fiance in front of me, looking at me with such contempt. What did I say?! What had I done when I wore this Crown?! All I know is I never saw Betty again…"

The screen turned to static as it jumper further ahead. Simon's skin was now blue as he sat at his desk with the artifact in front of him. "Since then, I see the visions always whether or not I wear the Crown. They tell me the secrets… the secrets of the ice and snow. That the power of the Crown will save me with its frost!… I don't yet know what this means. As you can see, my skin is beginning to turn blue. My temperature has been lowering at a supernatural rate to what is now about thirty degrees Celsius."

A light snowfall was occurring outside his window. "I don't know when it will end… I'm really scared…"

The television now showed Simon sitting with the Crown atop his head. The snow outside was unending as it was literally covering the town. His hair was long and white, thin patches of a beard were growing on his face.

He looked at a picture of Betty, "I know my mind is changing, but I'm already too fargone to know what to do! I want people to know that if I do things… If I do things that hurt anyone… Please! Please forgive me!"

The final cut of the tape was now shown. The snowfall was all around. Simon's beard had grown all the way to his chest. "Just watch over me until I can find a way out of this labyrinth in my brain and regain my sanity!" he screamed as he tried, in vain, to rid the visions by banging his head. "And then maybe Betty, my princess, maybe you will love me again! PLEASE LOVE ME AGAIN, BETTY!"

Mordecai was shaking the entire tape. "Is this what I'm becoming? No, no no no, there has to be a cure! There just has to be!" Mordecai thought to himself. "Maybe the last tape has the answers…" he concluded.

Mordecai took out the third tape and put in the final tape. He sat down and pressed play.