Life at the SCP Foundation isn't exactly made
up of sunshine and rainbows. It's less of a "good vibes" kind of place,
and more of a "this is the solemn work we do as we stand between humanity and the vast,
unfeeling, unknowable realm of mystery and darkness." Sure, sometimes there's a magic vending machine
or a teddy bear doctor, but most of the time the Foundation's findings are a lot more bite
than they are bark. Thankfully, there's the "C" portion of that
infamous acronym, "Contain." They keep their bizarre, astounding findings
locked up tight, where they can't catch an unsuspecting innocent off guard and- Aah! Oh, hey there little buddy! It's okay, you didn't mean to scare me. Relax, everyone, it's just SCP-999, one of
the only contained curiosities allowed to roam freely around the halls of the Foundation. Just look at this guy! Has a sentient mass of translucent orange
slime ever been so cute? You want some chocolate, buddy? Here you go. It's incredible, really, that the place that
houses a neck-snapping sculpture and a haunted chess-playing machine could also be the home
of such a delightful little blob. You know, now that I think of it, it's amazing
that being in the vicinity of unspeakable horrors day after day has never put a damper
on 999's positive attitude. He's got the persistent cheerful disposition
of a labrador puppy. But how well would SCP-999's inherent wholesomeness
hold up against one of the most wicked anomalies contained by the SCP Foundation? What would happen if the lightest of the light,
a slimy piece of pure goodness, came up against deep, dark, evil? Not the omnicidal rage of SCP-682, we all
know how that went, but something quieter, and more menacing. Well, let's find out... SCP-999 was having the best day of its life. To be fair, every single day was the best
day of the Tickle Monster's life, surpassed only by the day that followed, and the one
after that. And how could it not be a good life at the
SCP Foundation, when there were so many friends to play with, treats to eat, and so much to
explore! SCP-999 was enjoying a hearty bowl of M&Ms,
picking out and eating the orange ones, its favorites, first, when a familiar figure walked
into its pen. Dr. Jack Bright, who frequently came by to
see the Tickle Monster when he was having a disappointing day - usually because the
higher-ups had reprimanded him for breaking the rules yet again. SCP-999 cooed delightedly at the sight of
its visitor, slithering over to Dr. Bright and enveloping him in an enthusiastic hug. Dr. Bright immediately began to laugh as the
creature's euphoric influence took effect. "Hey! Glad there are no hard feelings about that
time I ate a piece of you!" He giggled, as 999 patted his face affectionately
with one of its pseudopods. "Thanks, that really takes the sting out of
getting the "no chainsaws!" hammer brought down on me again." He patted the slime with his own hand in return,
and, satisfied that it had sufficiently cheered him, 999 oozed back over to its breakfast
to finish consuming the sugary goodness. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Dr. Bright pulled something out of his lab
coat pocket. It was a small can of cola, appealingly shiny
in the light. "Want some?" SCP-999 gurgled curiously, approaching Dr.
Bright to inspect the can. He popped it open with an inviting fizz, and
offered some. Fortunately, Dr. Rhodes was walking by at
that exact moment. "Don't you dare!" She snatched the can out of her colleague's
hand. "You remember what happened last time. 999 can't tolerate caffeine or carbonation." Dr. Bright pouted like a petulant child. "But I wanted to see it bounce." "Do I need to add another rule to the list?" Dr. Rhodes crossed her arms. "Or are you going to behave yourself?" "Fine, whatever, I'll find something else
to do." Dr. Bright rolled his eyes and left SCP-999's
pen with a final friendly wave at the creature. Sensing Dr. Rhodes' stress, the Tickle Monster
nuzzled her leg with an inquisitive gurgle. She smiled indulgently and gave the slime
a hug before she followed Dr. Bright down the hall, keeping an eye out for any more
potentially disruptive antics. Satisfied at having cheered everyone up, SCP-999
went back to its bowl of candy and devoured the remaining treats. But then, there was nothing left to eat, and
no one in the room to visit or play with. What was a lovable slime to do? Why, explore, of course! SCP-999 had the freedom to roam all over the
Foundation site, until bedtime, that is, and it loved oozing down the halls, looking for
friends to greet and strangers to meet. After all, a stranger is just a friend that
the Tickle Monster hasn't tickled yet. As the slime slid along the floor, it took
the time to say hello to everyone it passed by bumping them, nudging them, or, in the
case of Josie the half-cat, very gently petting her head with one of its pseudopods. The cat purred, and 999 responded by vibrating
its gelatinous body, producing a soft purr of its own. Then Josie was distracted by a dust particle
drifting through a beam of light, and darted off to chase it. So, the Tickle Monster continued on its way,
looking for something new and fun to do. It spotted the perfect new activity: two guards
were walking into one of the sealed containment rooms, a room that the jolly little slime
had never been inside of before. Now was the perfect chance to investigate,
and maybe play tickle wrestling with the guards along the way! It had to act fast, though, the door was beginning
to close. Rearranging its body, 999 squished itself
into a long, thin line, sliding quickly through the crack in the door just before it shut. This new room was very messy, much messier
than 999 was allowed to keep its own room. Any spilled chocolate milk or smeared cupcake
frosting was either cleaned up by staff, or slurped up by the slime itself. But in this room, there was thick black liquid
dripping down all of the walls, some of it arranging itself into patterns and words,
though 999 couldn't read what they said. The guards hadn't noticed the Tickle Monster's
presence yet, and it kept still, excited to give them a wonderful surprise when they turned
around and saw that it had followed them inside. But they didn't turn around, they were completely
focused on something in front of them. What was it? It was a thick glass case that looked as if
it was about to fall apart at any moment. Inside, there was a mask, a porcelain mask
of a frowning face, with that same strange dark fluid dripping from its eye and mouth
holes. "You know the procedure, right?" One guard said. He was holding a brand new glass case, shiny
and completely empty. "Of course I do." The other scoffed. "It's my first time with this anomaly, not
my first day on the job." "Just open it up, take the mask out, and put
it in here," He tapped on the case he was holding, "As quickly as possible." "Yeah, I just said, I know." The less-experienced guard grumbled. "Don't patronize me." He reached toward the decaying case, and prepared
to unlock it. "Wait...did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "I thought I heard...never mind." SCP-999 vibrated with excitement. Would they give it some well-deserved attention? Maybe play a game? But no, the guard wasn't talking about the
eager orange pal behind him. He was feeling the influence of something
much more sinister. "Do you want me to do it?" The more experienced guard offered. "No! Just...you really don't hear that? That whispering?" His colleague just shook his head. "Fine, just been a long week, I guess." He sighed, and popped the case open, reaching
for the mask inside. As soon as his fingers made contact with the
porcelain surface, the black goo dripping onto his skin where he should have been wearing
protective gloves, his expression shifted. His eyes went blank, like someone sleepwalking,
lost in a dream even as their body moved in the waking world. "Frank? What are you waiting for?" The other guard nudged him, but Frank said
nothing. He delicately lifted the mask out of the glass
box, and, before anyone could stop him, placed the frowning white face over his own. Only it wasn't frowning anymore. As soon as its features slipped over Frank's,
covering him, erasing him, its mouth curved into a malicious smile. "Frank, what the hell are you doing!" The guard cried out, as the man he had once
known grabbed hold of his shoulders. "Not Frank anymore." A voice came out from between the ceramic
lips, but it was different. Cruel, cold, ancient. "Frank's gone out, I'm afraid. And he won't be back any time soon." The guard tried to break away from the masked
man's grasp, tried to reach for the emergency alarm, to signal that the containment change
had gone horribly wrong, but the Mask shoved him into the wall, hard. The guard hit his head, and slumped to the
ground, unconscious and likely concussed. Well, SCP-999 had had just about enough of
all this. It hated seeing anyone hurt, especially humans,
and clearly its help was sorely needed to make things better. It couldn't tell exactly what had upset the
man in the mask so much that he was acting this way, but it knew one thing that always
cheered humans up. It was time for a bit of good old-fashioned
tickle wrestling. SCP-999 hurled itself across the room, enveloping
Frank's body from his feet to his neck, and it began tickling him as it did. The force of 999's tackle sent Frank's body
careening toward the ground, and when it landed with a heavy thud, the mask flew off of his
face and skittered across the floor. Now that it could see Frank's face, 999 looked
for signs of laughter, of joy, but Frank was dead asleep, eyes closed, jaw slack. His heart was still beating, but he wouldn't
wake up. Confused, concerned, and upset at what it
had witnessed in this new room, the slime slithered along the floor toward the mask
that had caused so much trouble. It seemed to be staring at 999 with its dark,
vacant eyes. It didn't look like a toy, in fact, it looked
like something that the slime should avoid touching. But it couldn't help but notice that the face
had changed back into a frown. Could 999 really leave the mask there on the
floor, frowning like that? The Tickle Monster couldn't help it. With a soft greeting by way of a high-pitched
cooing noise, it reached out to the mask and picked it up. Though the slime creature didn't have a traditional
face for the mask to sit on top of, its influence quickly grabbed hold of 999's gelatinous frame. It stopped moving, stopping gurgling, stopping
looking around at the world through rose-colored glasses. Right now, SCP-999 was being piloted by The
Possessive Mask, and it was looking for a way out. Once it escaped containment, it could find
a new host, a proper host, with arms, legs, and a mouth. But for now, this undignified vehicle would
have to do. It took the Mask some time to learn how to
pilot this strange soft body, with its malleable form and odd methods of moving itself around
the room. But it slowly adjusted, and, wearing the silhouette
of the Tickle Monster like a disguise, oozed out of its containment room and into the hall. Staff walking by barely even noticed 999's
presence, they were too preoccupied with their work. They were used to seeing it, and giving it
a polite nod, but most of them didn't have the time to stop and say a proper hello at
this time of day. Perhaps this would be easy, after all. The mask had lost its chosen host but found
something even better: the perfect cover, and the chance to hide in plain sight. It could take in the lay of the land, scope
out potential exit routes, and ideally slide out of Foundation custody completely unnoticed. The mask began to smile at the thought. As the mask steered SCP-999's body around
the Site, a peculiar feeling began to gnaw at the back of its mind. Like an itch it couldn't quite scratch, something
irritating wouldn't leave it alone. What was that feeling? Inside of its own consciousness, the mask
heard a sound. A sweet, high-pitched gurgle. No...that was impossible...and yet, somehow,
the consciousness of the Tickle Monster had survived in the face of the Mask's power. It was there, still, needling at the Mask's
darkness with that insipid, insistent kindness. "Shut up." The Mask hissed, frowning. "This body belongs to me now, why won't you
just die?" Another gurgle, this one even louder, more
difficult to shut out. Did this infernal thing ever shut up? The Mask stopped moving for a moment, concentrating
the force of its will. It would drive SCP-999's mind away and re-establish
dominance. Just as the Mask was grappling with the influence
of SCP-999, however, a familiar figure turned down the hall. It was Dr. Rhodes, from earlier! SCP-999's exuberance bubbled up to the surface,
and the Mask couldn't stop its mouth from flipping back to a smile. What?! No, that was ridiculous! And yet, the longer the Mask was in contact
with the vibrant orange slime, so delighted by every familiar and unfamiliar face it encountered,
it could feel that horrible, positive influence growing stronger and stronger. It was a nauseating, warm, fuzzy feeling that
just made him want to- The Mask let out a giggle. Then another, and before long it was in the
midst of an absolute giggling fit. The Mask had laughed before, it had laughed
plenty of times, but it was usually a mocking laugh. A cackle of triumph. This was a giggle of pure joy, the sort of
sound a small child makes as they chase a butterfly through a field. This was the sound of innocence, of happiness,
it was...love. "Now you listen to me you vile little worm." The Mask growled. It wasn't certain if 999 could even understand
it, but it had to show this rebellious creature who was really in charge. "Release your grip on me. I have won. You have lost. Your form is mine, and you? Nothing more than a puppet for me to pull
on your strings and use you to my own ends. Show some respect and defer. To. Me." The voice of the slime creature whimpered
in the Mask's mind, a sound like a chastised puppy slinking away with its tail between
its legs. "That's more like it." The Mask huffed. Dr. Rhodes looked up from her clipboard and
spotted SCP-999. She waved, about to greet the creature, when
she noticed the horrible mask perched on top. She dropped her clipboard in shock, gasping
at the sight. "No..." She breathed, heart sinking as she saw one
of the purest pieces of good in all of the Foundation, fallen to the forces of the Mask. "That's right." The Mask would have puffed out its chest,
if this body had a chest to puff. "I've taken a new host. Do you like my selection?" It relished the tearful look in the woman's
eyes, the horror that caused her hands to shake and her cheeks to go pale. "Show me the way to the exit, so that I might
take my leave of this place, and perhaps I will spare your life..." The Mask was just gearing up for a good threat,
a really nightmarish one filled with vivid descriptions of mutilation and violence, when
that disgusting feeling began to rise up again. That warmth...that buoyancy, it made the Mask
want to... "Please don't be sad! Here, let me give you a hug!" Before it could stop itself, the Mask slithered
the Tickle Monster's body over to Dr. Rhodes, wrapping around her tightly. Not to hurt her, no. To embrace her. To comfort her. Her horror turned to laughter, as the mood-lifting
effect of 999's presence began to work its magic. Through her laughter, she was also confused. "Why...?" She couldn't finish the question, but it was
enough to break the Mask out of the spell. It reared back, horrified at its actions. "What have I done? What have I done?!" It slithered quickly down the hall, around
the corner, away from that woman who had evoked such fond feelings toward her. No, toward all of humanity. The Mask steered its body into a bathroom,
coming face to face with a mirror. It stared at its reflection, its familiar
face and dark eyes, dripping their usual fluid, perched atop this alien thing poisoning its
mind. "What did you do to me? What sort of magic is this?" Of course, 999 did not answer. But the Mask could feel its presence, could
feel its delight in the impact it was having. "You're ruining me." The mask groaned. "I strike terror into hearts, I drive men
to madness, I rend their sanity in two, I..." it trailed off, overwhelmed again by the urge
to smile. To laugh. To frolic. Though it didn't have a working nose, the
Mask could swear it smelled an array of heavenly scents, of fresh roses, bread baking in a
stone oven, vanilla, and lightly burnt brown sugar. It reached for itself with its pseudopods,
about to tear itself off of the slimy body altogether, but it paused. "Ah, very clever. I see what your game is." It lowered the pseudopods, brimming with determination. "You won't trick me into sparing your life. Once I've found my freedom, and a host worthy
of me, I will destroy you. Once and for all." But even as the Mask made this declaration,
the black liquid seeping from its eyes and mouth began to change, to take on a lighter
appearance. Was it a trick of the light? No, it was...it was orange. Like the gelatinous flesh of the horrid creature
it had made the mistake of attaching to. No matter how hard the Mask fought, the influence
of SCP-999 was spreading. Its mind raced, trying to come up with a new
plan, a way to hold onto its identity, but the sound of an alarm blaring outside the
bathroom spurred it to get a move on once more. Clearly, Dr. Rhodes had alerted someone that
the Mask had breached containment. Time was running out, it needed to find the
exit, fast. It was now or never. The Mask oozed back into the hall, speeding
up as it went, trying desperately to find a way out before whatever transformation had
begun could complete itself. But even as it struggled, it could feel itself
changing, warping. It burst into giggles again and whistled a
happy tune. It stopped running for a moment to wave at
an armed guard and blow them a kiss. Why had it wanted to leave this facility in
the first place? Everyone here was so kind, was so lovely,
was...its best friend! No, no...must resist, must not give in to
the optimism, to the happiness...to the goodness… If the Mask had teeth, it would have been
clenching them, trying to stem the tide of joyful noises that threatened to burst out. It felt like...something was tickling it,
and the tickling just wouldn't stop. "Stop it..." The Mask dissolved into giggles again. "I mean it..." It could feel something coming, something
big. A loud cracking sound rang out, and, just
as the guards were closing in on the possessed Tickle Monster, they watched in awe as cracks
spread across the surface of the Possessive Mask, and, all at once, it shattered into
pieces. The pieces fell to the floor, where they pulled
themselves back together with strands of black goop. Meanwhile, SCP-999 sat there, bouncing with
glee, completely unharmed. The Tickle Monster received an extra special
ice cream sundae for its bravery and amazing work, and the Mask was returned to its containment
chamber, in a brand new glass case. As the Mask suffered an identity crisis for
the first time in its existence, SCP-999 curled up in its pen, full of sugar and gratitude,
and got some well-deserved rest. Now go check out "SCP-999 Tickle Monster VS. the Most Evil SCPs" and "The Whole Story! - What if SCP-096 Wore SCP-035?" for more stories of the Tickle Monster and
the Possessive Mask.
