“So, let me guess,” Rarity said. “You found another one?”
“Actually, I found several,” Twilight said, gesturing at the Mirror Portal. “I let it run while I did all that paperwork yesterday.”
“Ah was kinda hopin’ we’d get more than a single day’s worth of break,” Applejack admitted.
“Oh come on Applejack, this is something new and never before explored!”
Rarity raised a hoof. “Didn’t Starswirl make this Mirror? And a few others like it? And what about that ‘limbo’ place or all those things Discord shows us?”
Twilight blinked. “Fair point. Still, it’s not something most ponies get to explore, and we’re making all kinds of new and interesting friends!”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “And there’s so much awesome around every corner!”
“Uh… Sometimes awesome action isn’t good,” Fluttershy said.
“Ah, pfft, really?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we’re picking fights, we’re just defending ourselves when things get too hot.”
Pinkie giggled. “And having fun while doing it!” She and Rainbow Dash bumped hooves.
Applejack sighed. “So, do we know if the place on the other side of that mirror is safe?”
Twilight smiled. “I have a spell for that now.” She lit her horn, creating a white spark. “I’ll send it through the portal, and if it comes back green everything’s good. If it comes back red it’s not. So I’ll prove to you that it’s all fine.” She sent the spark into the mirror and it shot back all on its own, glowing a red color.
“…Ah…” Twilight said. “Well, it’s a good thing we checked!” She went over to a large notebook and wrote next to the location the Mirror was currently set to: unsafe.
Pinkie winked. “Just try another one!”
“Yeah…” She pulled a lever, changing the spell in the globe to another confirmed location. “I should have listened to you sooner, Applejack.”
“No, really?”
Twilight smirked. “Yes, really.” She sent another spark through the Mirror, this time coming back with a satisfactory green result.
“Onward!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying through the portal. Rarity rolled her eyes and followed her through in a calm and dignified manner. She came out the other side at the base of a round tower in the middle of a simple town. The tower had what Rarity could only assume was a clock affixed to it, though she couldn’t read the time of the ornately decorated circle. She saw what she thought were images of the moon, sun, and maybe stars, but it was hard to tell. Was it noon? Morning? Evening? The clock itself was rotating to tell the time, so she had no ‘noon’ reference point at the top, making what would normally be a difficult puzzle impossible.
She eventually decided it was gorgeous and that was all that really needed to be determined at the moment. The rest of the town was… notably less striking. The buildings were simple constructions, usually square and made of stone, many of which had thatched overhangs shading numerous people with shops. Most of these people were human, though they all had dull hair colors and simple peach skin - not to mention a high quantity of absurdly pointy ears. Strikingly there were a few non-human races, beings Rarity didn’t have words for. There were a couple large rocklike creatures with huge bellies and a couple short wooden creatures with round mouths below leaves sprouting out of them instead of hair.
A few of the locals had noticed the six ponies, giving them odd looks. Nothing fearful or angry, mostly just gestures of confusion. Rarity couldn’t understand what they were saying, but Twilight was about to fix that. She lit her horn, walking up to two of the rock people who were having a conversation. She sat down next to them and listened for a while, allowing the spell to do its magic.
“What.” “Horse.” “Think it can.” “Sell?” “It’s staring.”
Twilight figured there were enough words translated to issue a greeting. “Hi! Keep talking, trying to learn your language.”
The two rock people looked down at her and then at each other. One pointed at the other, demanding he think of something to talk about. The other shrugged, grunting something about not having any idea what to talk about when talking about things was what they needed to do.
Rarity smirked. “Dears, you’re having a conversation now aren’t you?”
Evidentially, some of that didn’t translate properly since they gave her odd looks. She sighed and pointed at the Clock Tower. “Talk about that.”
They took this to mean they should walk over to the Clock Tower and bask in its glory. At least they were talking about it, which helped the translation spell immensely. Within a minute or two it had a working understanding of the native language.
“There we go!” Twilight said. “Hi! I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends! We’re new here, as you can probably tell.”
“You are welcomed!” One of them said in a voice that was deep, but not as scratchy as one would expect from a being composed largely of rock. “I am Durinlo, and this is Timon. What brings you here, travelers from afar?”
“Exploration,” Twilight said. “Could you tell us anything about where we are?”
Timon laughed heartily. “You walked into the center of town without even knowing where you are?”
“We teleported,” Applejack said. “From another world.”
Durinlo raised an eyebrow. “Are you from the land across the sea?”
“No,” Twilight said. “We come from a place called Equestria. We actually came from that shimmering spot in the Clock Tower wall over there.”
Timon looked at the area, squinting his eyes. “That soft sparkliness definitely wasn’t there yesterday.”
“We weren’t here yesterday,” Durinlo pointed out.
Timon laughed again. “This is true!”
Durinlo bowed slightly to Twilight. “In that case, welcome to our land! This is the town of Termina, a quaint place in the outskirts of a kingdom called Hyrule.”
“Interesting. And what do you call your planet?”
“…Your speech-changer isn’t working. You just said ‘planet’.”
“Ah…” Twilight nodded. “I guess you don’t have a word for that and the spell didn’t realize that… World. What do you call your world?”
Durinlo glanced at Timon, who just shrugged. Durinlo scratched his head. “…The land is called Ardent…”
“Good enough. Just wanted a name.”
Rarity looked their forms over again. They wore no clothing, unlike the humans walking around, and had a strange mixture of fat and muscle to parallel their rocky backs. There were also faint patterns on their bodies that may have been tattoos, maybe not. If they were natural they were most impressive in the regularity of their angles.
“What’s your race, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Goron. We are gorons.” They fist-bumped and bumped bellies, showing off their impressive girth. “We are the people of the mountains and land itself! We are steadfast, strong, and dependable!”
Twilight smiled. “I have no doubt. We’re ponies. I’m an alicorn, Rarity over there is a unicorn, Rainbow Dash is a pegasus, and then Applejack and Pinkie here are earth ponies.”
“I’m also a pegasus,” Fluttershy said, raising a wing.
“Never heard of talking ponies before,” Timon said, laughing again.
Rainbow Dash flew up to his head, smirking. “You sure like to have a good time, huh?”
“That I do, rainbow flying pony!”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
“Arm wrestling and races!”
Rainbow Dash grinned. “I doubt I could beat you in arm wrestling, cause I don’t have arms… But I don’t think a race would be fair for you.”
Timon pounded his chest. “Not fair? You’re on, pony.” He pointed at the archway leading out of town. “First one out to the field is the victor.”
“What’re the stakes?”
“A hundred rupees!”
Twilight facehooved. “We don’t have your currency.”
Durinlo blinked. “You must have money of some kind.”
Twilight reached into her saddlebags and produced a few bits. “This is what we use. We call them bits.”
Durinlo picked one up in his large hand and examined it. “Gold. Valuable. Each of these is worth twenty rupees, easy.”
“Then we have a deal!” Rainbow Dash whooped. “Ready Timon?”
“Yes. Three…”
Rarity sighed. “We’ve been here less than ten minutes and already we’re spectators in another race…”
“Go!” Timon yelled. Surprising everypony present, he curled himself into a ball and rolled across the cobbled road of the town at high speed like a tire. Rainbow Dash quickly snapped out of her astonishment at the surprising agility of the maneuver, using her wings to blast towards the gate at a much higher velocity. Even with his head start, Timon did not manage to get out of town quickly enough.
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Not bad, didn’t expect that from you.”
Timon laughed. “Everyone always thinks Gorons are slow! We are not! We’re just not runners!”
“Well, I still won. You owe me.”
Timon jogged back to Durinlo at a much slower pace. “She won.”
Durinlo sighed. “You always wager too much…” He pulled out five red crystals from his pocket and handed them to Rainbow Dash.
“So, each of these is a bit?”
Twilight shook her head. “Probably not. Gold is a valuable commodity here. That’s likely worth quite a bit more than five bits. At least here.” She examined one of the red crystals. “Back home this would probably fetch a price of about thirty bits, I’m thinking.”
“…Bleh, currency, booooring.”
“Aha!” A new voice said – young and male. The ponies and gorons turned to see a kid in a blue shirt pointing at Rainbow Dash. “I was right! Money is boring!”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Uh… Hello young man.”
He ignored her, looking right at Rainbow Dash. “You, tell my mom that money isn’t interesting!”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “I’ll tell anyone money isn’t interesting. But why do I need to?”
He pointed at a large countertop a tall woman was running. She was examining many different colors of rupee with a magnifying glass and putting them in various chests. “She won’t stop talking about them!”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Is she a banker?”
The boy blinked. “…Yes?”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Then it’s her job to talk about them. You shouldn’t take it personally.”
The boy threw his hands into the air. “Moooooooom!” he called, deciding to ignore Fluttershy.
She looked up from a purple rupee. “Yes?” she called
“Money is boring! This flying horse agrees with me.”
She looked at Rainbow Dash, raising an eyebrow at her alien body. “…That’s nice. Hey, you, flying rainbow horse.”
“Uh… yeah?”
“Come here, would you?”
Rainbow Dash landed right in front of her, five friends and the boy close behind. The gorons shrugged and went back to their business.
The woman smiled. “So, money is boring?”
“Yes?”
The woman stood tall and took in a breath. “Do you realize that currency, in and of itself, is the lifeblood of a good economy? Why, it comes from a point deep in the past where people decided to leave behind the primitive methods of barter. Without currency, we would be stuck without society, without reason, and-“
Fluttershy coughed. “I don’t think she finds money useless, she just finds it boring.”
“…Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s just boring.”
The woman blinked. “…Oh. Well as long as you realize it’s important.”
“Trust me, we do,” Rarity said. “I run my own business back home, it’s quite the nightmare to keep track of all the funds. Yet, oddly exhilarating.”
The woman clapped her hands. “Oh, you own a business back home? Well, if you lived here I’d be offering you a loan right now but we can just forget about that. What do you do?”
“I design clothing. Beautiful clothing.”
Applejack smirked. “For a bunch of ponies who don’t normally wear clothes.”
“I still make a living!”
“Yeah, still. A bit silly.”
“Coming from the only mare here actually wearing an article of clothing,” Rarity said, pointing at Applejack’s hat.
“Uh…” Twilight gestured towards her saddlebags.
“Doesn’t count, too practical.” Rarity turned back to the woman. “Regardless, I am Rarity.”
“Eliza,” the woman said, shaking the outstretched hoof.
The boy groaned. “No… You were supposed to make her stop!”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Just ignore my son, he’s taken a bit of a rebellious streak as of late.”
Fluttershy smiled. “I can see that. But don’t dismiss him, okay? Sometimes they just need love.”
“EEEEEWWWW!” the boy said, squirming.
Eliza chuckled softly. “I’ll keep that in mind. Regardless, what can I do for you?”
Twilight blinked. “I… I have no idea. We’re just exploring, looking for interesting things to do.”
Eliza pursed her lips. “Well, there’s a dance festival this evening themed around hidden identities. You’ll need a mask to participate, though in your cases I’m not sure exactly what they’d hide…”
Rarity’s eyes sparkled. “A dance festival?” She turned to Twilight, eyes as big as she could make them.
Twilight chuckled. “Fine, we can check it out. How long until… evening?”
“Three hours. Better find your masks fast. There’s probably a vendor around who’ll sell them, but they’ll be busy.”
“We better hurry then,” Pinkie said. “Rainbow Dash! Be prepared to spend your earnings!”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Eh, sure. Masks sound cool. Will they fit on our faces though?”
“They probably have masks for those bush-things,” Rarity said. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Will you be there, Eliza?”
“I plan on it,” she said.
“Then see you there!”
“Oh, I’ll see you, but you won’t see me. The whole point of the masks is to hide your identity.”
“Ah,” Rarity said. “…That does sound interesting. Until later then, I suppose.”
The six friends set out, looking for a mask shop. There were plenty of shops – it seemed at times that this town was nothing but residential houses, shops, and the Clock Tower. Rarity found that somewhat odd, but decided not to judge the town based on its layout. It worked for the inhabitants.
Then they heard an echoing laugh behind them; the laugh of a man amused with something morbid, something that should not be laughed at under any circumstances. The laugh of someone mad delighting in suffering, quietly, as if only slightly tickled.
The laugh of someone who knew death all too personally.
The ponies turned to see a tall, human man standing over them. His eyes were squinted, almost shut, and his mouth was twisted into an eternal smile that was just too perfect. His ears were larger and pointier than any of the others they had seen and his purple cloak rippled with a wind that none of the ponies felt. On his back was a tremendous knapsack filled with all number of strange knick-knacks and devices, many of which gave off a magical vibe Rarity could detect. Most of these objects were masks of many different colors, sizes, and designs.
“Hello, my little ponies. I’m the Happy Mask Salesman, and I heard you needed some masks!”
Rarity already didn’t trust this man, and Twilight apparently shared her opinion. The princess looked up directly at the Happy Mask Salesman’s narrow eyes. “I’m sorry sir, but I think we’ll go with masks that aren’t enchanted. It’s a simple party just for tonight. Thank you for offering though.”
“Oh, but I assure you purple alicorn, you can use these masks for far more than just a party. And if you are concerned about any…” His expression and posture shifted to anger for a split second. “…dark magics…” his mouth shifted back to a smile and his pose returned to normal seemingly instantly. “I assure you, none of the masks I am willing to sell have such power. Here.” He pulled a yellow, foxlike mask off his bag and held it out to Fluttershy. “This is a Keaton Mask, enchanted with the aura of the keaton foxes, which will allow you to bring them out of hiding and speak to them!”
Fluttershy hesitated only a moment before grabbing the mask in her hooves. “That sounds… nice.”
“Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “We probably can’t afford that.”
“Oh, it costs a mere hundred rupees… or five bits.”
Rarity raised her eyebrow. He’s been scouting us out. But we do have plenty of bits…She considered trying to fight his insistence to sell them magic masks, but then she saw it – a beautiful pearly white mask hanging off his bags, adorned with the design of a brilliant ruby eye with three eyelash marks. It stared into her soul – and she felt a connection.
“Ah!” The Happy Mask Salesman said, suddenly in front of her, holding the mask in his hands. “This is the Mask of Truth! A beautiful work of art that will not only allow communication with the ancient Gossip Stones of the land, but also let you see the truth of the matter in many situations.”
Rarity stroked it with her hoof. It was so smooth, so pristine… and it called to her. “…Twilight?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fine, we can buy some magic masks. So long as no dark magics show up on them.”
The Happy Mask Salesman put his hands to his chest. “I would never do such a thing! I assure you, all my products are completely clean!”
Pinkie appeared on his back and pulled out a black round mask with a skull design on it.
“Wait, that one’s not-“
She slapped it on her face, giggled, and promptly exploded herself across the street. “I’LL TAKE IT!”
The Happy Mask Salesman looked stunned for a moment, then shrugged. “That’s the bomb mask. It explodes. I don’t sell it because that’s not something you can survive, but… Well, it seems I was mistaken.”
Twilight blinked. “Who even makes that kind of mask?”
“I have no idea,” he said. “I merely collect the things and sell the beneficial ones.”
“And the others?”
“Sealed away,” he chuckled. Then he shot her a death glare. “Don’t get any ideas.”
Twilight took a few steps back. “I won’t…”
Fluttershy put her mask on, fitting the yellow fox-face on perfectly. “Huh. Enchanted to fit any face?”
“Yes!” the Happy Mask Salesman bowed. “Only quality materials for my customers.”
Rarity put the Mask of Truth on and didn’t feel any different. She could see through it just as well as she could see with her own two eyes, which was a little disconcerting, but not all that unexpected.
She jumped when Pinkie’s mask exploded again, tossing Pinkie back to the group where she landed upright. “Whee! This is fun!”
“Please don’t blow up anywhere near us,” Applejack said.
“Ah, I’m not that carele-“ the mask exploded again, charring Applejack and launching Pinkie into the air. She landed flat on her face, the mask somehow squishing along with the rest of her body. “I’m okay.”
“Ah’m not…” Applejack muttered, scratching soot out of her eyes. “Hey, got a mask for me?”
The Happy Mask Salesman was at her side, holding a rocky mask with a simple face drawn into it. “This is the Stone Mask. It might as well make you invisible!”
“Might as well?”
“Well you still exist and can be seen but nobody notices you.”
“Ah.” She took it in her hoof. “…Rainbow Dash, don’t even think about it.”
“Don’t even think about what?”
Applejack just put the mask on. Rainbow Dash laughed. “Hey, mister Mask guy? I can totally still see her. And notice her. What gives?”
“Look again,” the Happy Mask Salesman said, hand to his mouth. Rainbow Dash did look again.
She blinked. Then she blinked again. “Okay, where’d she go?”
Rarity cocked her head. “Really Rainbow Dash? She’s right there!” Rarity pointed.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes and gawked. “Woah… She is. How didn’t I see her? How did you see her?”
“Mask of Truth,” Twilight explained. “Applejack… Wherever you are, could you take off the Stone Mask? When only Rarity can see you it’s a bit… weird.”
Applejack took it off. “Ah’m not sure if this’ll be good or bad at the party.”
Fluttershy jumped into the air. From her perspective it was as if Applejack had just suddenly appeared and started talking.
Rainbow Dash decided she was done waiting. “Okay Mask guy, where’s my mask?”
The Happy Mask Salesman produced a mask with a beak and white feathers. “The Breman Mask. With this you will be able to lead animals and other beings of lesser will with a simple march.”
“…I’ll take it.”
“And as for you…” the Happy Mask Salesman turned to Twilight. He produced a terrifying looking mask of blackness and red eyes. “The All Night Mask.”
“…What’s it do?”
“When you’re wearing it, you won’t fall asleep, no matter how tired you are. Good for late night cram sessions or guard duty.”
Twilight levitated it to herself, scanned it, and put it on. “Okay then. Thirty bits for them all?”
The Happy Mask Salesman nodded slowly. “Of course. Though if you had your own masks I would happily trade for free.”
“Don’t have any,” Twilight said, taking out thirty bits and levitating them into his hand. They vanished on contact with him. “There you go.”
“It was a pleasure doing business with you. Until we meet again!”
“You going to the festival!?” Pinkie asked.
“Alas, no. I am referring to something…” He was suddenly standing behind them with a more sinister look on his face. “…further down the line.”
Twilight glared at him. “…You know, I really don’t appreciate you trying to scare us like that.”
“Oh, really?” He took a few steps back, rising to his full height. “Maybe you need to be scared though. Evils hide in this land. I’ve seen legions of darkness thunder across the land. I’ve seen the moon threaten to crash into the planet. I’ve seen horrid artifacts used for the destruction of many. This world is not as welcoming as you may think, my little ponies.”
Rarity’s eyes widened. He used the word planet. And the phrase ‘this world’. “Sir, are-“
He was gone.
Applejack shivered. “He gave me the creeps.”
Twilight nodded, taking off her mask. “I think that’s just who he is. Creepy.”
“Are the masks safe?” Fluttershy asked.
“I think so,” Twilight said.
“They are,” Rarity said, tapping her own beautiful headpiece. “I… I think that’s what this feeling is. I know they’re safe.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “So… You can read minds now or what?”
“No… I just get inklings of truth, I believe. I have no idea if any of that stuff he said about darkness was true, though I doubt it. But I feel certain about the safety of these masks. They won’t hurt us.”
“Then we’ll use them,” Twilight said. “Then study them when we go home. I’m very curious how these enchantments work.”
Rarity smiled. “Good. Now, I do need to learn more about this festival so I can observe the proper rituals. I am going to speak to Eliza about it.”
Pinkie exploded again. “And I’m going to play real-life hot potato!”
Rarity shrugged. “You… do that, dear.”
~~~
“Okay, so, here’s all you need to know about the festival.” Eliza cleared her throat. “You wear a mask and you dance. There’s some symbolic reason about not seeing your true face or something, but basically remember not to take your mask off and you’ll be fine. The dance will last until you want to go to sleep. There will be food everywhere, and most of it will cost a fortune.”
Rarity shrugged. “I… guess that’s simpler than I thought it was. Is there any story or legend to it?”
“There probably is, I don’t know, it’s not rupees, so really it can’t be all that fascinating.”
“Er… Well, what do you think of my mask?”
“Looks great.”
Rarity paused. Yeah, that definitely wasn’t true. “…You haven’t even looked at it.”
Eliza glanced up and smiled. “It really does look great.”
Rarity took in a breath to calm herself. “Of course. Well, I must be going then…” She trotted away, frowning. Of course, Eliza was just trying to be nice, right? No… No, she just didn’t care. Rarity knew she just didn’t care.
Wow, the mask really worked. She saw the truth of the matter. If she hadn’t been aware that was the mask’s enchantment she probably would have just commended her own instinctual skill with these matters. It was a very subtle feeling…
She could root out lies and find truth. However, unlike Twilight she didn’t really have any desire to analyze the exact capabilities of the mask – it was nice to know it could do special things but it really didn’t matter much beyond that. She decided she should just explore the town for a while, see who she ran across and what colorful customers she could find.
After wandering a bit, she found herself in north Termina, watching a group of boys playing, all of them wearing similar getups to that of Eliza’s son. She watched them from afar, tossing a ball to and fro, laughing. Then one of them spiked the ball right into another’s face. Rarity gasped as the boy fell over and hit his head on the cobblestone, hard.
She rushed to his aid, lifting the boy’s head up and checking him over. He would be fine – but he was going to have a nasty lump on his head. Rarity glared at the boy who spiked the ball.
“It was an accident!”
No it wasn’t. “No it wasn’t, you did this on purpose.” She glared at him – the design of her mask only serving to heighten the intensity of the expression, rather than obscuring it. He backed down and looked at the ground, ashamed.
“Apologize,” Rarity demanded, leaning the hurt boy up.
“S-sorry…”
“Good.” She turned to the boy in her hooves. “Is there a hospital nearby?”
“Yeah,” a boy said. “Right over there. We can take him miss, don’t worry.” They all lifted him up and helped him walk to a place that was probably understaffed, but Rarity didn’t worry. She knew he’d be fine.
She smiled under her mask – this felt good. She wondered if her friends were getting as much out of their masks.
There was an explosion and Pinkie sailed over Rarity’s head, Bomb Mask still firmly planted on her face. “Wheeeeeeee!”
Rarity shook her head – best not to question Pinkie, as usual. It was worthwhile to question Rainbow Dash, who was pursuing the pink missile with a dozen birds flying in formation behind her. “Come on, she can’t launch away from us forever!” The birds cawed in agreement.
“Yes she can…” Rarity muttered, smiling to herself. They’d be doing that back and forth until the festival started, no doubt about it. It was nice, having certainty about that. Having certainty about anything. This mask was turning out to be quite the blessing to her. Simply divine!
Applejack walked up to her, mask and all. “Hi Applejack!”
“Hey. Uh…” She took off her mask and stared into the eye on Rarity’s mask. “Hey, could you-“
“I can take the mask off, since it bothers you,” Rarity finished for her, sliding her mask off. “You have to admit, it is gorgeous.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “It’s a one-eyed thing that makes everypony feel like they’re being stared at.”
“Well, yes, but I believe that’s the point. It’s letting everypony know I can see the truth of the matter. I’ve already had little inspirational inklings about a half dozen things!”
Applejack blinked. “Interestin’. Ah’d personally rather rely on my own judgment than what a mask says, but Ah suppose Ah’m already Honesty.”
“That you are. You’d have no need for this beautiful thing. Though if you really want it you can have it, I could try out your mask for a while.”
“Ah’m gonna keep this. Less chance of Dash getting’ ahold of it.”
Rarity chuckled. “She really wants to cause trouble doesn’t she?”
“Ah can just imagine her prankin’ us all for the rest of the day, and we’d have no chance to even see her. …Well, Ah guess you could, with that mask.”
“I can see all that is hidden. I should really try to find one of those ‘Gossip Stones’ that mask salesman talked about… I can speak with them.”
“Well, Ah dunno what one of those are.”
“I will know it when I see it,” Rarity said, tapping the mask. “And I will strike up a rousing conversation with a rock. …It’ll be an experience.”
“Everything’s been an experience since we’ve been out here…” Applejack said, frowning.
Rarity cocked her head. “Applejack, what’s wrong?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“Mask’s not on,” Rarity said.
“Ah… Right.” Applejack looked into the distance. “It’s just, we’ve been doing this a lot lately. Ah know this is only the third world we’ve been to, but it’s been taking up most of our time. We always had adventures, yeah, but never this frequently, and it’d never been this… intense for so long before.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can handle it.”
“It’s not that. Ah’m more wondering if this is really a good use of our time.”
Rarity frowned. “Really Applejack, we’re making new friends and exploring new worlds. I think that’s definitely worthwhile!”
“Maybe…” Applejack said, watching Pinkie sail over them again, still pursued by Rainbow Dash. She fell silent, the conversation drifting into an awkward lull.
Rarity looked around and slid her mask back on.
“Where you goin’?” Applejack asked.
“I’m going to find one of those stones. Ask around, see what there is.”
“Good luck.”
“I’m sure I’ll find one eventually.” She chuckled. “Actually, I know I’ll find one eventually. See you at the festival, Applejack.”
“Sure thing.”
Rarity had hardly gone a few feet before she noticed Fluttershy talking to a young red-haired woman tending to a cow. She decided this was interesting enough to deter her quest for the Gossip Stone.
“Oh, hello Rarity!” Fluttershy said, her mask still on her face. “This is Romani! She runs a nearby ranch and takes care of these beautiful cows! Did you know cows don’t talk here?”
Rarity shrugged. “I do now. Though…” She looked at the cow closely. “…She wants onions right now.”
Romani rolled her eyes. “She always wants onions even though she knows it makes her milk taste sour. I take it that’s a genuine Mask of Truth then?”
Rarity tossed her mane back. “Why, yes! Have you seen one before?”
Romani smiled. “Yeah, few years back, a certain hero had one. He didn’t use it very often though.”
“Why not?”
Romani shrugged. “I don’t know. Never asked.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “…It was a bit offputting, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t think that was the only reason he avoided it…” she shrugged. “But now’s not the time to dwell on the past, now’s the time to get ready for a dance festival!” She put on her own mask – a simple cow’s head. “Moo.”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Flift.”
“…Is that what the keaton says?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Fluttershy said. “I talked to one. He… He really liked puzzles. I think Twilight would have fared better against his riddles…”
“What was he like?” Rarity asked.
“Well, golden fox, three tails, very playful. Though quite a bit smarter than me…”
Rarity put a hoof on Fluttershy. “He probably just collects puzzles and riddles, he may not actually be all that smart.”
“You think so?”
Rarity tapped the Mask of Truth and chuckled.
Romani crossed her arms. “Now, I’ve never met a keaton, but they are pretty well known for being intelligent creatures.”
“They may be known for it, but that doesn’t mean they are,” Rarity said.
“Huh. You learn something new every day.” She paused for a moment. “Do you mind if I ask something?”
“Go ahead,” Fluttershy said.
“What exactly are you?”
“Ponies,” Rarity said. “I’m a unicorn, she’s a pegasus.”
“I’ve heard of your kind…” Romani said. “I thought you were just legends though. I also expected you to be… bigger.”
“What does that mean?” Fluttershy asked.
“Horse-size,” Rarity said. “We’re ponies.”
“Oh, I see. You’re just a small version?”
“Well I don’t know,” Rarity said. “I have no idea what the pegasi and unicorns are like here. We’re from really far away, a place called Equestria.”
Romani chuckled. “What a fitting name.”
“What does that-“ Rarity paused. “Huh, I suppose it does mean ‘horse land’ doesn’t it?”
“You didn’t realize that until just now?”
“It’s not something we really think about.” Rarity sat down, thinking of all the other places in Equestria… She’d known Ponyville was literally “village of ponies” before, but… Appaloosa? That was a pun on a certain kind of pony and apples. Canterlot? Based on the movement of hooves known as a canter…
“Fluttershy, our world is filled with places named after horse puns. Nothing but horse puns.”
“…Weird,” Fluttershy agreed.
“How did all these puns get accepted? Who named all these things? And who keeps just going along with it?”
Fluttershy cocked her head. “Rarity, you okay?”
“…I’m just a tad confused at our culture…” She twitched – the Mask of Truth wasn’t helping her find any answers to her questions. Perhaps because they didn’t exist.
Good gravy, I’m turning into Twilight. I don’t need to know the answers to everything. She shook herself out of her confusion and turned back to Romani. “So, what’re you doing for the festival?”
“Selling milk.” She patted the cow on the side. “Everyone loves the milk from Romani ranch, and since today’s a special day, it’s time to sell it personally. And probably do some dancing.”
“How much for the milk?” Fluttershy asked.
“Five rupees. But, seeing as you’ve never had it before, your first cup is free.” She took a mug out of her pack and started milking directly into it. Rarity and Fluttershy waited patiently as the mug filled up.
“Hey…” Rarity said. “…How do you think Applejack’s cows get milked? We don’t exactly have… hands.”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. I do think that mask gets you to ask a lot of questions.”
“Oh, sorry-“
“It’s not a bad thing!” Fluttershy said quickly. “It’s just something I noticed.”
Rarity put a hoof to her chin, wondering exactly how much the mask was making her question things. She was certain it wasn’t zero – but if that was the case, what else in her mind was it affecting? …Probably not that much.
Romani stood up and handed the mug to Rarity and Fluttershy. “Drink up!” Fluttershy took a sip first, shivering a little as she did so.
“This is delightful!” She handed it to Rarity. “It’s a bit strong,” she warned.
Rarity rolled her eyes – how could milk be strong? But then she paused. It was strong, wasn’t it? But… what did strong mean? There was no inkling of help there. The mask was apparently very selective and spotty over what inspirations it decided to give her. She shrugged and took a swig.
The liquid was thick, creamy, and full of flavor – a bit too much flavor. The intensity of the milk hit her tongue like an anvil. She reared up on her hind legs, stumbling backward a few steps. “My… This is rather rich. Delicious, divine, but my Stars…”
Romani chuckled. “That’s the usual reaction. But people keep coming back for more. It’s a very vital drink, apparently almost as good as an enchanted health potion.” She patted the cow on the back. “I don’t know what she does to make it so good, but she’s a blessing to the farm.”
Rarity looked at the mug in her hoof and took a sip, expecting the impact of flavor this time. She shivered. “…I can see the appeal…”
Pinkie popped up next to them without exploding. “Oh cool!” She grabbed the mug and drank the entire thing in one swoop, somehow without taking off her mask. “DELICIOUS!”
Romani’s eyes widened. “You just… chugged it.”
“Yep! And boy was it tasty! Not as good as cider though.”
“Most people end up in the hospital after attempting that.”
Pinkie giggled. “I’m a pony, silly. Anyway, I have to jet, Rainbow Dash is still chasing me with her army.” She leaped into the air and exploded, flying over a nearby building. Rainbow Dash flew overhead in hot pursuit with a flock of birds behind her
“Your kind is… Unusual,” Romani said.
“No argument here,” Rarity said. “Oh, by the way, do you know where I can find a Gossip Stone?”
Romani nodded. “There’s one in town, behind the Clock Tower. You’ll know it when you see it.”
“Thanks. It was a pleasure.”
Romani smiled awkwardly. “Uh… Same?”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Don’t mind her, she’s being fancy.”
Romani shrugged. “Never did understand that…”
Rarity rolled her eyes – not that anybody could tell – and walked towards the Clock Tower. She found Twilight and one of the wooden bush people sitting next to each other, staring at it.
“Uh… Twilight?”
“I’m trying to bore myself into falling asleep,” Twilight said. “It’s not working.”
“Told you,” the bush muttered in a high, squeaky voice.
“Shush! You’re making me more interested in talking!”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Is it really the time to be testing the magic in your mask, Twilight? There’s a festival soon, and I doubt staring at such wondrous architecture will make you bored enough to sleep.”
Twilight groaned, putting her face in her hooved. “You’re right…”
The bush twitched. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Twilight looked up at him. “…You did say your name was Liver.”
“It is. Chose it myself.” He rustled his leaves, turning to Rarity. “Maybe you’ll be better. Name’s Liver, I consult on everything from architecture to politics to art. I’m what’s known as a Deku Shrub if you haven’t figured that out by now. So, just to clarify, you are all from another world.”
“Uh, yes,” Rarity said.
“This is going to bring great business. I can add ‘culture consultant’ to my impressive list of consulting endeavors.”
Rarity sighed – this guy wasn’t any good at being a consultant. This guy just didn’t like taking orders from people and wanted to be in charge of his own business. Not really all that deceptive, but very delusional in his own greatness.
Still, she could probably ask him some things about the culture and he’d give more or less correct answers.
“So, Liver, explain the importance of this Clock Tower.”
“No idea. Legend states that it just appeared here one day and people decided to build a town around it. No one knows what makes it tick, and no one knows if there’s even an interior. Apparently, some hero in recent years found a way in but he didn’t tell anyone how that worked.”
Now Rarity was curious. “Would there be any way to find that out?”
“If you can get the Gossip Stone to talk, maybe. But nobody can get those things to talk.”
Rarity smirked. “I’ll be right back. Enjoy your… sit.”
“We will,” Twilight said, staring at the clock again.
“No, we won’t,” Liver muttered as Rarity moved behind the Clock Tower. The back face of the tower was blank, though still constructed with an excellent regard for symmetry. A single round statue stood in the pavement there, motionless. It had a number of spiked protrusions on top of it, and a single decorative eye was engraved in its center.
She knew it was the Gossip Stone the moment she saw it. She walked right up to it and cocked her head. “Hello?”
It said nothing. It remained as motionless as a statue should be.
Rarity frowned and tapped it with her hoof. It bounced back from her like it was made of rubber. “Boing-oing!”
“AUGH!” Rarity jumped back.
It looked at her, twisting its rubbery body without a hint of difficulty. “What’s the problem there miss? Never seen a Gossip Stone before?”
“N-no but – how? Stone is not rubber!”
“Beats me, it’s just the way I am. So, you got ahold of a Mask of Truth didya? Discovering the fun parts yet?”
“…No?”
“Ah, well then I wish you luck with that. You’re in for a ride! Anyway, what you want to know? I know lots of things!”
Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “What are the ‘fun parts’?”
“I may be a Gossip Stone but I won’t take the fun out of things, that just wouldn’t be sporting.”
Rarity twitched. “In that case, how do we get into the Clock Tower?”
“You need the moon to be out to do that. There’ll be a big one tonight, I’d suggest coming back here then.”
“…You aren’t very helpful are you?”
“Well, you’re not exactly some big hero on a quest so I don’t have to tell you anything. I’m just here to talk. I can tell you that Eliza really likes money to an extent that isn’t good and Romani secretly drinks that strong milk nightly. Addiction is a powerful thing.”
Rarity blinked. “I… I’m not sure what to do with that information.”
“Exactly. I’m a Gossip Stone, no rule that this has to be useful.”
Rarity leaned in. “Know anything about the Happy Mask Salesman?”
“He and I have a deal. I don’t say anything about him and nothing bad happens to me.”
Rarity shook her head. “What is it with people and being so violent all the time?”
“I don’t do philosophical questions. Just a bad idea.”
“Well, in that case, what should I ask?”
“Ask what to do next.”
“What should I do next?” Rarity deadpanned.
“Go to that festival already, it’s about to start.”
“…Oh. Right. …Well, goodbye then.”
The Gossip Stone made no response. It once again looked like a perfectly normal stone statue with no hint of a rubbery structure.
This world was certainly unusual.
~~~
The festival began with fireworks. Everyone had masks on, and most had robes over their bodies to hide the rest of their features as well. The town became a shifting mob of sheets with flat faces – a ghostly image. Lanterns of all colors lit up the town, and people ran into the streets dancing every dance imaginable. Musicians stood outside the various buildings, playing every song they knew, producing a mixed cacophony of noises that somehow managed to have a unique beauty to it.
Rarity trotted down one of the streets, witnessing six couples in blue masks dancing around a large barrel. Their dance was one focused primarily on the legs, kicking in and out repeatedly with ever increasing speed. They switched their dancing partners every few seconds, spiraling around in a strange flowery pattern.
She moved towards them, curious about what they were doing. Eager, even, to become part of it. But then all twelve of them turned to look at her – staring at her with their masks. She knew they did not want her presence. She sighed and turned around, looking to find someone else to involve herself with. Someone to dance, to be a part of this culture. As poor as this town obviously was, they obviously knew what class was.
And she was going to be part of the class. She just needed to find an open group.
The barrel in the midst of the dancers exploded, shooting a brilliant crimson firework into the sky behind Rarity. She didn’t turn around to appreciate it. It was not for her.
There – she saw Pinkie. And, of course, Pinkie was the one dancing with everyone, masterfully standing on her hind legs and spinning some people around a goron minstrel with a rather large guitar. The moment Rarity started walking over, Pinkie grabbed her and threw her into the dance. “Stand on your hind hooves and just let the dance carry you!” she cheered, spinning Rarity around in a short dance before tossing her to a person in a pig’s mask.
She heard him snort.
He wanted nothing to do with her.
She was tossed to a smaller person; a woman, the Mask of Truth told her. This woman was distracted, didn’t even notice Rarity. Was busy thinking of something else. Someone else.
Next was a goron who lifted her up and laughed. It was probably Timon, only dancing because he knew who she was. Only because of a previous connection…
Rarity took in a sharp breath as she was tossed to the next person. This person danced with her kindly, carefully, appreciatively. He must have felt sorry for her. He did feel sorry for her. And after he thought she needed no more consoling, he tossed her away.
He didn’t know she could see the truth.
The next one thought her form was ugly. The next one thought the dance itself was stupid. The next one hated her because she couldn’t dance properly.
She tore herself from the dance, stumbling to the side of the street. While leaning against a wall she bit back tears.
“Hey…” Pinkie said, walking up to her. “What’s wrong?”
She’s only doing this because she feels like she has to. “Nothing, Pinkie. Nothing at all. I just need a breath, is all.”
Pinkie shook her head, taking off her mask to reveal a concerned face. “Rarity, I can tell when something’s wrong, even if I can’t see your face. Something’s got you sad.”
She really seemed concerned… But no, the mask had told Rarity that Pinkie was only doing it out of obligation, and that had to be true. The mask knew everything. “…Pinkie, get back to your dance.”
Pinkie frowned. “Rarity…”
She needs to go back. “Pinkie, go have fun. I’ll be back.”
Pinkie shook her head, putting the mask back on. “…Okay.” She bounced back to the party, unleashing a burst of confetti from nowhere.
Rarity slunk away. So this is what people really thought at parties and events – they judged each other. They judged her, deeming her unimportant. Ugly. Alien. Maybe she didn’t belong out here, in the other worlds… She would just be pushed back in every way. Pushed to nothing, pushed because they were different. Because people had their own desires. Because of the truth.
Even her own friends had that. Everyone had that. She had it.
Certainty…
She stood tall at the edge of a street, looking into an alleyway. The dust and grime told her the people were dark here. The trash told her they cared not. How could she have not seen this before? Why only now was she seeing this toxic atmosphere?
Two people stood in the alleyway – one wearing the cow’s mask. Romani. The other was tall, probably a man, wearing a mustached mask. The tall man grabbed Romani by the arm, hard. She cried out, but no one heard.
No one but Rarity. She activated her horn and tossed the burly man back with her telekinesis, dumping him in a trash can, where his kind belonged. She walked up to Romani.
“T-thank you…” Romani said, distantly.
She isn’t all that thankful. She’s distant. She has mixed feelings. You messed something up.
Rarity took a few steps back, trembling.
“…Rarity?”
Obligation. Culture. That’s all she cares. She just wants you out of her sight so she can sort through things.
Rarity took off at a full gallop, tears streaking down the bottom of her mask. She couldn’t take it anymore. She was done with this – done with the people, done with the festival, done with the dancing. She’d just lock herself in her house forever and eat all the ice cream she had. That’s all that would help her now.
Only it wouldn’t. She knew it. It was more truth. Everything was horrendously disparate. Everything she saw had a dark twist, a nasty eventuality, a devastating realization. Nothing was clean. Every last thing she laid eyes on lashed at her already broken psyche.
She ran for home… But came to the Clock Tower’s back first. A back with a large gaping hole in it. She paused, tear streaks still plain on her face.
“See? There it is. Only you can see it,” the Gossip Stone said. “The night reveals the truth.”
She walked towards the hole – the doorway – without speaking.
“What, no thank you? …All right then. Enjoy.”
She walked into the darkness, the light from the outside vanishing the moment she stuck her head in. Her eyes took a moment to adjust – but adjust they did. The interior was simple, made of stone, and had a spiral staircase leading up. There was a lack of clockwork mechanisms to drive the spinning disc, but this impossibility didn’t bother her. She ascended to the top of the Tower absent-mindedly.
She arrived, standing atop a round flat roof at a height from which see the entire town and quite a bit of the surrounding grasslands as well. It was beautiful – but tainted.
She was not alone. There was a man in green wearing a rather unique cone hat that drooped down his back. Numerous weapons, potions, and other miscellaneous artifacts lined his person and the magic within him more than strong enough to register with Rarity’s meager magic sense.
He doesn’t want me here.
She started back down the stairs-
“Don’t go,” he said, turning to her. He had no mask. His face was that of a middle-aged man, but his eyes were young and full of life. He extended a hand.
Rarity stared at him a moment, not sure what to make of the mixed signals she was getting.
“Take off that mask. Nobody needs it up here – and Masks of Truth tend to cause more problems than they solve.”
Rarity took it off, gulping. She wiped her eyes, realizing slowly that he could see she was crying. “I…”
“Don’t apologize for your emotions,” he said. “They’re a part of us. The things we do because of them we may be responsible for, but we are not in control of them.”
Rarity blinked. “…Wise words.”
“Well, I have a Mask of Truth myself,” he said, taking one out of his backpack. “I know what it’s like.”
“…It just tells you the horrors of everything.”
“No… it tells you the truth of things, sometimes.” He held it to the light. “But the truths it tells you are so vague that it’s hard to discern them from your own intuition. It’s impossible to tell the two apart.” He sighed. “It becomes a horrible self-fulfilling process.”
“…So it lies?”
He shook his head. “No… You just think it’s telling you things when it isn’t.”
Rarity looked at the mask in her hooves. “…I’ve hurt some people because of this. Pinkie… Romani…”
“Romani will understand. She doesn’t know everything, but she understands people.”
Rarity nodded. “…How could I have thought those things about everyone?”
“When you’re wearing an oracle, you only hear what you want to.”
Rarity looked down at the town. “Do I really want to think those things?”
“On some level, you do. On some level, I wanted to think everyone was an enemy. I wanted them all to be servants of a great evil.” He laughed. “The only one who ended up being a servant was someone I thought I trusted. Dismissing all the inclinations the mask actually gave me.”
“That… that sounds horrible.”
“It was.”
Rarity looked at her mask again.
“You’re thinking about chucking it over the edge?”
“Yes…” Rarity admitted.
“I wouldn’t. It’s still a powerful mask that can do great good. But it’s a horrible thing to view the world through.”
Rarity nodded, placing it on the back of her head. She extended a hoof. “I’m Rarity.”
“I’m Link,” he said, shaking her hoof. She felt a warming power, a courage, flow through her.
Rarity smiled. “Charmed.” She glanced down at the festival. “…They’re still dancing.”
“They always dance.”
“Why aren’t you down there?”
Link shrugged. “It’s… It’s deceptive down there. People lead fake lives behind their masks. With them on, they feel like they can do anything. And that’s a truth. I can’t bring myself to be down there with so many people doing horrible things. I can usually figure out who they are.”
Rarity shook her head. “Part of me wonders why.”
“I honestly have no idea. This festival is much older than I am, or any of the elders. They do it because of tradition. In the morning there are just as many scared people as those who had a wonderful time, and they always forget about that by next year.”
Rarity pursed her lips. “Some of that ugliness was true.”
Link nodded. “People are a paradox. We are ugly. But we are also noble.” He laughed. “I’ve met many of both on my adventures…”
“Oh, care to elaborate, mister Link?”
“Just Link, no mister. And I won’t mind elaborating if you talk about yourself a little.”
Rarity chuckled. “Well, I don’t do as much adventuring as you probably do, judging by all those artifacts you have and that impressive sword, but I do have my fair share of excursions. I think it’d be best to start with the day I met my best friends…”
The two of them talked the night away while what tradition commanded continued on below.
In the end, it didn’t matter all that much.
~~~
“Well, the mask works,” Twilight said, standing in front of the shimmer that led to Equestria. “It’s, what, 3 AM? I’m not even remotely feeling like falling asleep. I feel like I’m about to fall over, but you know, that’s nothing.”
Pinkie giggled. “Yeah!”
Applejack took off her mask. “Okay, done with this mask. We better be goin’ home, Twilight.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m beat. And this… party wasn’t really that nice all the time.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”
“Let’s just get home. …Where’s Rarity?”
“Here,” Rarity said, coming out from the back of the Clock Tower, Link behind her. She shoved the Mask of Truth in Twilight’s hooves. “That thing is dangerous. Careful with it, Twilight.”
“…Okay. Who’s your friend?”
Link bowed. “I’m Link, your highness.”
Twilight facehooved. “Great, you told him I was a princess.”
Link smirked. “I might have bowed regardless. You look like a leader.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I do not!”
Rainbow Dash facehooved. “Yes, yes you do.”
“You are a shining star of leadership, darling,” Rarity said.
Twilight shrugged. “Okay, sure, I’m the leader. What do you do Link?”
Link smirked. “I’m just an adventurer.”
“I bet you’re more than just a simple adventurer.”
Rarity nodded. “He’s a lot like us, dear. I’ll tell you about it later – I can tell you need sleep. I don’t need the mask to see that your body is done with all this.”
“But I feel fine!”
“When you take off that mask of yours you will collapse in a heap,” Rarity said.
Fluttershy giggled. “You probably will.”
Twilight smirked. “I’ll prove it to you!” She took off her mask – and fell asleep on the ground, in a heap.
Pinkie laughed heartily. “Well, we need to get Twilight to bed! We’ll probably be coming back here! See you later Link!”
“Later,” he waved as the six of them left through their portal. He smiled contently to himself, his spirits having been lifted slightly by the sight of six colorful equines.
~~~
Later that night, long after the six ponies from another world had left, hours after most the dancers had gone to bed, another portal opened. Sunset Shimmer stepped out of the gap in reality. She took a moment to appreciate the night air and the appeal of the unique quiet a town had after a large festival.
But, well, it was night. She probably wouldn’t be welcomed here just yet, since even the inns were probably unmanned. She’d just have to come back later when the world would be more responsive to her presence. She was about to head back when she saw something.
There was a man in green talking to another man in purple. The man in purple sent shivers down Sunset’s spine just from the way he stood – unnatural.
“Is it still safe?” the man in green asked.
The man in purple laughed, and suddenly there was a purple mask in his hands. Its primary shape was that of a heart, but it was far from an image of affection. It had two eerie eyes that glowed slightly, two colored horns on the rounded top and eight spikes along the bottom edges. Even in the darkness, Sunset could see the jarring tribal designs all around it. That mask was evil.
“Put it away!” the man in green said. “It’ll call to someone!”
“It’ll do that anyway,” the man in purple said, having somehow put the mask back in his pack without Sunset seeing. “But rest assured, it is safe in my possession.”
“You know…” a new voice said, this one feminine. “Those ponies came from another world. What’s to say they don’t have the ability to take it from you?”
“Midna, they wouldn’t do that,” the man in green said, addressing his faint shadow.
“They would not,” the man in purple said. “And I’m more than capable to defend against otherworldly threats, ye of little faith.”
“We’re putting a lot of faith in you…” Midna muttered.
“But I’m the only one who can resist its call, and you know that from personal experience.”
The man in green nodded. “It’d be better if it was destroyed.”
The man in purple laughed, the sound making Sunset shiver again. “I’m open to suggestions!”
The man in green said nothing in response. He just shook his head.
“Hey,” Midna said, suddenly. “I think we’re being watched.”
Sunset leaped back through her portal and closed it faster than even she could comprehend. It took a moment for her to realize how hard she was breathing and how terrified she felt.
Twilight blinked. “…What happened over there?”
“I probably just heard a conversation I really wasn’t supposed to hear,” Sunset said.
“…Want to investigate?”
Sunset shivered. “Normally I would, but… I don’t think I want to mess with something that evil.”
Twilight blinked. “Okaaaaay….”