You open your eyes, greeted by a familiar cold darkness. No matter how much you squinted, you couldn't see through it.
Where were you?
Suddenly, the horrid sound of glass shattering sends a painfully familiar shiver up your spine.
"No, no...not again."
You gallop away blindly through the darkness, determined not to live through this hell again. You suddenly bring yourself to a stop when you're blinded by the familiar flashing light of red, white, and blue.
"No!"
You spin around, running in the opposite direction, and find the light behind you illuminating your path. Ahead of you was the cold asphalt of a road, littered with broken glass and blood. You wince, and keep running away as a frightening wail rings in your ears, crying out as the glass shards cut into your hooves and get stuck. Your mind felt clouded, your vision blurred by the over-stimulation of your senses.
You kept running, and found everything seeming to move faster than you were, as if you were in a dream like state. The smell of the blood ahead of you intermingled with the wretched smell of alcohol, and the light behind you grew brighter and blurred your vision further as the wailing reached a terrifying volume. You keep stumbling through the dark path, and notice for the first time, Luna's moon shining down on you.
Despite it's ambient glow, no light from it guided you away from the wailing, and you cry out as you trip and crash onto the road. You feel your tooth chipping and broken glass cutting into your face, and you struggle to stand, only to feel a powerful force push you back down. You feel hooves pin you down as your hooves are brought behind your back, and three figures step out of the darkness, this time their faces illuminated by the flashing lights. Your vision was still blurred, but you could make out that they were two stallions and a single mare. The mare's face stood out from the stallions, tears in her eyes as she looks at you with the same face of heartbreak. The same face of disappointment, same face of hopelessness. You couldn't bear to look at it any longer, and you scream before you feel blunt force to your head knock you out.
"I'M SORRY!!!"
Your eyes shoot open, and you find yourself lying on your couch in cold sweat. You didn't even go to the trouble of pulling on a blanket before you collapsed after returning from work.
You pull yourself up, and groan as your legs burn in protest. Now more than ever, you wanted to sleep, but that wouldn't be an option. Tonight was the Masquerade, after all. You pop a five-hour energy into your mouth to try and stay wake, and turn to check the time.
5:00 PM
Today you had to close up shop temporarily for the Masquerade, while everypony went back home to get ready for the massive celebration. You toss a small microwavable bowl of mac-and-cheese into the microwave, and eat up as quickly as you can, your stomach growling from lack of nutrition. For the last few days, you've been focused on only training from Pinkie and getting as much work done as possible.
You had to start eating soon, and there was no better time than the present. Your uncle had noticed how thin you were just yesterday, and had chewed you out for working too hard. Too tired to argue, you had simply nodded and waited for him to finish talking. You grabbed a bite from Pinkie's occasionally, during training, but you wanted to learn as much as possible, so Venture and Uncle would have no way of finding out. Even you had to admit, you were overworking yourself this time, but it would be worth it in the end.
You have to get to coltminister, no matter what. You were willing to do whatever it takes to get in, be it earn bits, conspire with Pinkie Pie, or kiss-up to a genius. In this case, it was all three. You yawn loudly, and turn to your small hallway closet.
The costume Rarity made for you was still hidden inside, yet to be taken out, lest somepony somehow discovered it before the Masquerade. You wanted badly to peek inside at the masterpiece, but you couldn't risk ruining it before the celebration. You sigh, and finish eating your dinner, walking into your bedroom shortly afterwards to get ready.
Your bedroom was neat and organized, but didn't look any different since you moved in. You rarely stepped inside, to be honest, and you could notice a thin layer of dust covering most of the surfaces inside. Even your bed, which was still neatly made, waiting desperately to be used by it's owner. You sigh, and open up your closet, grabbing your jogging coat and shoes. You were too tired for a jog, but these clothes would keep you warm under your costume. You loathed the thought of making the journey to the town square, but you needed to for the Masquerade.
You step out of your bedroom, and walk into your living room, turning on the television set while you waited for Pinkie to come over. As your television set flickers on, you switch to ENN (Equestria News Network) and see the anchormare from before, still wearing her costume in celebration. She gives an enthusiastic smile to the camera, and her voice rings out with its usual perky edge.
"Well, folks, it's here at last! The Masquerade has finally come, and last minute visitors from all over Equestria are leaking into the small town of Ponyville!"
Once she finished this sentence, a small square appeared in the upper left corner of the screen, showing a miniaturized news reporter with several excited ponies gathering in the background, wearing costumes in celebration.
"Let's go to Mic, live in Ponyville, for his report. All yours, Mic."
The small square increased in size until it filled up the entire screen, and you had a better look at the reporter, apparently Mic. He had a short blue mane, spiked with gel, and wore a neat, gray suit that accented his lighter gray fur. He held a microphone in his hoof, and wore a headset that covered his ears. As the screen increased in size, he grinned, and brought the microphone up to his mouth to speak.
"Thanks, Timely! Over here in Ponyville, the weather pegasi are working hard to give us a cool, clear night tonight, and carriages are moving in like crazy from all over Equestria! Look at those amazing costumes, folks!"
You raised your eyebrows as you viewed the visitor's costumes, each one spangled with unique colors, patterns, and designs. They were all beautiful, but you began to worry if you would stand out, now that you saw them. Even the wealthiest visitor's costumes couldn't match the one Rarity made for you.
"We're live here in the town square, and Ponyville's Mayor Mare has graciously allowed us a few minutes of her time!"
Once he finishes this sentence, the camera moves a few inches to the left to reveal a very anxious looking Mayor Mare. The Mayor wore a rather loud costume with a random pattern of bright, mismatched colors, and she was wearing such an excessive amount of makeup it would have made Rarity shriek and fall into a coma. The Mayor was, for some reason, adding even MORE make-up to the disaster she had set upon her face, and didn't seem to realize the camera was on her yet. This lasts a few moments before Mic taps her shoulder, and she spins around.
"What, what is-OH!"
She seems to realize she is on live television, and gives an over-exaggerated smile that only adds to the horror.
Mic gives her a nervous grin, obviously finding it just as unnerving as you did, and brought the microphone back up to his mouth.
"Erm...Mayor Mare, how do you feel about Ponyville being chosen to host the Masquerade?"
Mayor Mare clears her throat as he raises the mic to her mouth, and speaks with her unnerving smile still plastered.
"Well, it was quite a surprise, I must admit. Ponyville hasn't been chosen for the Masquerade in almost a century, and for me to be it's mayor the same year it gets chosen is an incredible honor!"
Mic nods, bringing the microphone back to his lips.
"And what has Ponyville set up for this massive celebration?"
The mayor smiles proudly, and clears her throat again.
"Well, Mic, here for the celebration we have several games set up, such as dunking, rock climbing, tug-of-war, cider-drinking contests, a wrestling ring, karaoke, and to top it all off, we have the traditional dances and costume contests!"
Mic nods, and brings the microphone back to his lips.
"Is it true the amount of ponies attending this year is around a quarter million?"
Mayor Mare beams, and nods.
"Yes, it is! And even more ponies are still coming in from around Equestria at the last minute."
Mic nods, and pulls the microphone back to his mouth.
"Aside from the princesses, what celebrities will be attending?"
Mayor Mare pulls out a small list from her pocket as Mic raised it to her mouth.
"Well, naturally, many celebrities are attending this festival, but there are a select few worth mentioning, such as multimillionaire businesscolts Filthy Rich and Fancy Pants, singer Filly Gaga and the renowned band Saddleback, renowned genius professor Test Tube, and captain of the guard Shining Armor."
He nods, and pulls the microphone back to his mouth.
"Thank you for your time, Mayor Mare. This is Mic Rec, ENN. Back to you, Timely Report."
Just as the report ends, you hear a knock on your door, and you switch the television off. You pull yourself up, and go over to the door, and as you pull it open, you're blinded by a violent flurry of pink and crash down onto your back. Before you could get your bearings, you hear a familiar giggle.
"Came early to remind you not to be late! Can't be too careful, after all!"
You groan as Pinkie gets off of you, and helps you back up onto your hooves.
"Pinkie, you have to be careful! I have neighbors, and..."
You shift your eyes, and pull her inside, locking the door behind you.
"I have neighbors, and I can't risk anypony discovering this and somehow spreading it to Venture!"
She nods rapidly, smiling.
"Don't worry! Nopony saw me! They're already on their way to the Masquerade!"
You sit onto the couch, sighing in a mixture of relief and exasperation.
"There's one problem. How am I going to get to the Masquerade from here without anypony somehow seeing me come out of my apartment?"
Pinkie laughs, and bounces towards your closet without a second word. You raise an eyebrow, and follow her, a small part of you gnawing with uncertainty. She opens your closet door, and grabs the costume quickly before tossing it to you.
"Go get dressed! I'll take care of the rest!"
You nod hesitantly, and walk into your bedroom, leaving Pinkie Pie alone within the rest of your home. As you pull on the masterfully crafted costume for the second time, that small, uncertain part of you continues to nag at the back of your head. Not uncertainty at whether or not Pinkie can get you into the Masquerade, but uncertainty if you'll actually pull off this little masquerade of your own. These past few days, you've been so busy making sure your identity would be kept secret, (And busy taking "fun" lessons from Pinkie) that you didn't even consider what you would actually DO at the party.
How are you going to manage to stay incognito for an entire nine hours?
How are you going to find the professor, and even if you do, be honest with yourself?
How in the name of Celestia are you going to convince him to recommend you for Coltminister?
There was still so much you haven't planned out, and little to no time to think...you take a deep breath, remembering lesson 3 from Pinkie.
"Don't over-think everything! Just be yourself, and the words will come on their own!"
You sigh tiredly as the quote rings in your ears, and you finish adjusting the belt of the costume. Just be yourself....a bit hypocritical for somepony showing their friend how to pretend to be somepony else, so that other someponies won't find out you've been conspiring behind their backs..
You groan as you finish buttoning the shirt of the costume, and you turn to find yourself looking at a small, old photograph, covered with a thin layer of dust. In it, you see yourself, your uncle, and your parents. You were much younger when the photo was taken....in middle school at the time. Eighth grade. You sigh as you remember how innocent you used to be, before the....
You shake your head as you push away those darker thoughts. You had to get into Coltminister. No matter what. You hoped that every time you told yourself this, that it would feel so much more meaningful. So much more important. So why did it feel the opposite..?
You curse at yourself as you finally pull up the hood of the costume, angry at your own emotions. You had to get into that university, whatever it takes! You promised!
Deciding that should end the case of the conflict between you and your emotions, you lift up the small, white mask Rarity loaned you. You run a hoof along the engraved cheeks, unable to comprehend why Rarity would toss such a marvel away into a dusty old closet. You once again put the mask onto your face, the curves and edges seeming to mold into the shape of your face. Just as before, the eyeholes and mouthhole of the mask are perfectly aligned, allowing you to see and breathe through it near-perfectly.
You turn to a mirror hanging on your closet door, observing your reflection's magnificently designed clothing. You would have to thank Rarity again for crafting this piece of art for free. You smile, content with your appearance, and trot out of your bedroom to speak with Pinkie. As you walk into your living room, you find Pinkie looking out at Ponyville from your back door apartment balcony, squinting as she scanned the area. You come up behind her, and calmly tap her shoulder to catch her attention, and she turns to you with her signature smile.
"Almost everypony's gathered at the town square already! Nopony's going to see us walk out of here, but we should hurry there!"
You nod, leading her out of the apartment.
"Alright....how are we going to do this?"
Pinkie turns to you, still smiling as the two of you walk along.
"Whaddya mean?"
You shrug.
Just....what's our story? What do I say if somepony asks who I am?"
Pinkie laughs.
"Just say you're my date, silly!"
You stop, feeling your cheeks grow slightly warm. Good thing you were wearing a mask.
"H-huh?"
Pinkie rolls her eyes, giggling.
"Just say you're an old friend of mine from Trottingham, and you're my date! That way, nopony will be any the wiser!"
You raise an eyebrow, and continue trotting to catch up with the mare.
"But....I can't even do a Trottingham accent..."
She shrugs.
"Then improvise! Don't over-think it, silly filly!"
You groan, a part of you wishing you shared Pinkie's enthusiasm. The highlight of the evening for you would be chatting with the professor, but you weren't exactly a....ponies pony. You disliked parties in many forms, and the Masquerade was the mother of all parties. All the hyper-activity, loud music, laughing and drinking ponies everywhere...the thought of being surrounded by these things for two minutes was shell-shocking enough.
How were you going to last nine hours like this?
Suddenly, your thoughts of doubt are pushed to the back of your mind as Pinkie grabs your hoof, and gallops through the alleyways of Ponyville as she drags you along. You do your best to keep your balance and keep up with her at the same time, with only the light of Luna's moon guiding you through the dark, narrow alleys.
A chilly gust of wind blows against you two through the alley, ruffling Pinkie's bouncy mane and sending small ripples across your costume's cape. Finally, after what seems to have taken nearly half an hour, Pinkie takes a jerky turn to the right and you find yourself within the hustling, bustling crowd of costumed ponies within the town square. This Masquerade has drawn quite a bit of a crowd since the last one, and you remember vaguely watching Celestia's announcement at the celebration on television.
Again, you were just a ten-year-old colt at the time, and your memory remained vague. Suddenly, Pinkie grabs your hoof again as she guides you through the thick crowd carefully, and you eagerly follow, as you notice the princesses sitting on the traditional, portable masquerade thrones. You stifle a laugh as you realize Celestia is dressed up as a jester, Luna a minstrel, and Cadence a chainmail knight.
All such random costumes, each a refreshing appearance for the pony. Then again, the point of the Masquerade was to dress up as something you're not. Then again, only Celestia's costume fit her to an extent. You had heard about her mischievous actions towards some of her subjects, and you noticed plenty of teen ponies referring to her as "Trollestia". You didn't exactly get the point of the nickname, and when one of them tried to explain it to you, they called it a "meme".
Suddenly, your train of thought is interrupted when Pinkie stops, and sits at a small decorative table. As you hadn't been paying any attention, you decide to simply sit down next to her. The costumed ponies all around you chat away excitedly, drowning out anything spoken by the princess. Rather disrespectful, but you suppose it would be difficult to notice at such a large gathering. The princess taps a fork to her glass a few times to catch everypony's attention, but to no avail.
Everypony continued with their conversations, somehow paying her no mind, and then you see Celestia sigh and shake her head. Then, she taps the fork to her glass in rapid succession, the ringing noise that came from it somehow drowning the conversations out by tenfold. You eventually cover your ears, the high-pitched sounds along with the crowd beginning to overwhelm your sense of hearing. Luckily, everypony else also noticed the unbearable noise, and soon all became silent as the princess gave a small smirk.
She put down the fork and glass, somehow miraculously not shattering from the abuse it just went through earlier, and clears her throat.
"Good evening, everypony! Welcome to the 467th annual Equestrian Masquerade! First celebrated in Istalia for the successful ruling of their government, this grand festival is celebrated only once every decade in memorial of the nation's brightest age!"
You smile as you listen intently to the princess's speech, and she begins recounting a brief history of Istalia, including the events that led to the very first officially celebrated Masquerade festival. The tales of these events highly intrigued you, but you easily saw how most of the other ponies attending were bored out of their minds. You sigh, adjusting your mask a bit as you continued to listen to the princess's speech. It goes on for another ten minutes or so, and by that time even you were desperate to get up and leave. But, at last, she ended it with:
"And so a happy Masquerade to you, and to all your friends and neighbors!"
She claps her hooves together, and vanishes in a puff of magic smoke. There is a loud cheer, and you chuckle as you wonder if it was for the beginning of the Festival, or if it was for the speech finally ending. Pinkie cheers louder than most of the others, and she leaps into the air as fireworks went off in the clear night sky, illuminating her bouncing mane and violently pink coat of fur.
You smile at her childish excitement, despite it being hidden behind your mask. Going to Pinkie for help was a smart move. Possibly your best, you had to admit. The mare lands from her leap onto the chair next to you, and smiles widely.
"Finally, we get to party like there's no tomorrow! It took SO LOOONG for the Masquerade to finally get here! I mean, it felt like it took four whole WEEKS instead of just a few days! Isn't it funny how a short period of time can seem SO LONG when something exciting, fun, or really, REALLY cool is coming up?! I mean, I've had my fair share of exciting parties coming up, but this Masquerade is the BIGGEST PARTY EVER!!!!"
You inch backwards a little, Pinkie's excitement beginning to freak you out a little. She looked at you with wide, bright blue eyes, her smile wider than ever. You were beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea, until you're suddenly yanked by the hoof as Pinkie bounds off with you. You cry out as you tumble along, barely keeping your balance as she dragged you. You were careful to make sure your mask didn't fall off, and you balance yourself before managing to protest.
"Pinkie! Where are we going?"
She gives a short giggle.
"You'll see!"
You groan inwardly, and Pinkie drags you along the decorative streets of Ponyville, passing costumed ponies left and right. As she guided you along, you could see basic carnival games along the streets, games of skill and chance for cheap prizes. Stallions playing for their dates, teens betting on victories for fun, many of the things you would normally see at a festival. But you knew this was just a fraction of the celebration. There were many other things set for the festival, such as mazes and a few average carnival rides, but the main festivity was the masquerade dance, a traditional part of the celebration that gave the festivity it's name.
The point of the dance was that everypony dancing would disguise their identities, and take a random partner to dance with until the end of the music. Afterwards, the randomized couple would part, never revealing their faces to one another. It added that deep sense of mystery to the Masquerade that made it so famous.
Suddenly, you are pulled out of your thoughts of the old traditions when Pinkie makes an abrupt stop. You turn to her, panting for breath as you sat. Pinkie was squinting as she scanned the street around you, and you took your chance to take a breath. You were getting sidetracked, you had to find the professor before the night was done anyways. Wasn't that what you were here for? The sooner you got to him and made a good impression, the sooner you could go back home and rest. You couldn't stand another party.
Suddenly, Pinkie grabs you forcefully, and takes you around a corner. You cry out, and pull your hoof back, nurturing it as she had twisted it a bit. Pinkie puts a hoof to her lips to signal you "be quiet" and she peeks around the corner. She sighs, and turns to you.
"Venture's here!"
"What?"
You quickly look around the corner, and see the green stallion wearing a simple costume of dull colors, and he had taken off his mask to take a breather at a table. His mask appeared as that of an old doctor of Istalia during the time of the Masquerade's initial birth, a simple grayish color with it's easily recognizable nose, which was about half a foot long and took on the shape of a bird's beak. It was a good thing Pinkie spotted this....it would be far easier to keep an eye out for the green earth pony now. You sigh with a mixture of relief and frustration, pulling back around the corner to face Pinkie.
"Okay....we're stuck."
The pink mare tilts her head to the right curiously.
"Stuck?"
You nod.
"Venture is at the only exit...and we still have to find Test Tube!"
Pinkie nods, understanding what you were getting at, and sits back. You groan, looking back around to check on Venture. The stallion was eating a simple dinner at his table, and a few other costumed ponies sat around him, chatting away happily. You had your mask, but Pinkie would easily be recognized by Venture even with her costume. He'd inevitably ask about you, as you were with her, possibly jeopardizing the whole plan! You groan in frustration and annoyance.
"We'll have to wait until he clears out..."
Pinkie shakes her head, giggling.
"Don't worry! We still have one other way out!"
You raise an eyebrow, and turn to the mare.
"There's another way out?"
She nods, giggling.
"Look!"
She points at a small entrance to one of the mazes built for the Masquerade, and you read the sign above it.
"Luna's Labyrinth"
You realize the entrance was designed after princess Luna, and it was more than likely the rest of the maze did as well.
Before you could protest, Pinkie yanked you by your forehoof, and dragged you into the dark, mysterious pathway.