My Little Maskby guardianxelaChaptersPrologue: Stanley's Day.Chapter 1: First Day in EquestriaChapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan and into the House FireChapter 3: Water Games and AppreciationChapter 4: Repairs and ExplanationsChapter 5: Learnings and ReunionsPrologue: Stanley's Day.It was the beginning of another normal day in Edge City. The traffic was loud; the air pollution lightly covered the sky; business moved on as usual. And the people were going on with their lives. Venders were vending, mailmen were delivering, cops were patrolling. Everything was as normal as it could be. Of course, every now and then they had to watch out for the Mask, their green-headed sometimes-a-hero-and-sometimes-a-pest-but-always-interesting civilian. Of course, very few of the citizens of Edge City knew the Mask’s real identity. Contrary to what many believed, underneath the green face was a normal bank worker. And his name was Stanley Ipkiss. Speaking of whom, our story starts with Stanley having just woken up and gotten dressed. Of course he was a little worn out from his adventure as the Mask the night before, one at a limbo party hosted by the mayor and somehow involving dancing hippos, a few giraffes, and one cannon of his own creation that he christened the Party Cannon. Nevertheless, here he was now, struggling in his seat to get his last shoe on. “Alright, c’mon!” he grunted at the shoe, struggling to get it on. “Today’s the day that makes or breaks my promotion, and I’m not going to be late because of a stupid shoe!” After finally getting it on, he got his briefcase from near the door, plucked his keys from where they were, and was about to walk out the door when he noticed his closet door was open. Propped up on the top shelf was the Mask, a dark green, wooden mask of apparent Nordic origin. As he saw it, he suddenly had the strange feeling that he would need it. But for what reason, he didn’t have a clue. “Well…it’s not like it would hurt to be prepared,” he mused, thinking about bringing it. “Ah, what’s there to worry about? It’s not like I really need it…yet. But then again, it’s not like I actually got rid of Pretorius, Kablamus, or Skillit, and wouldn’t they love to get to me while I don’t have it on me… *gulp*” And so, deciding not to risk it, he took the Mask and stored it in his briefcase before walking out the door. As he closed it, he silently sneaked passed his landlady’s door. He was already trying to get to work on time, and he didn’t need any of Mrs. Peenman yelling in his face. About two minutes later, he had successfully left the apartment complex without running into her. He sighed in relief as he stepped into his junk car, putting his key into the ignition and starting it up…or rather, trying to start it up. He turned the key and heard the engine attempting to start, but no luck the first time. It wasn’t until the third turn of the key that his poor excuse of a car started and he was able to pull onto the streets, pops and clunks coming from the car as it made its way towards Edge City Bank. “C’mon, don’t fail me now,” he said to his car as it sputtered towards his destination. “If I don’t get there on time, I can kiss that promotion goodbye.” It took him around thirty minutes, but he finally made it to the bank. “Finally, I made it,” he said, getting out of the car and walking up the steps. “Okay, I just have to walk through those doors, get to my desk, and make sure my workspace is orderly and set. Then Charlie would have no choice but to –“ “Oooohh Stan-leeeeeeey,” said a young voice behind him. “Huh?” he said, looking behind him. “…oh no. Not you! Not now!” Floating in front of Stanley was what one could describe as a dark imp version of Peter Pan, sporting dark green leotards, a tattered cape of the same color, spiky blue hair with streaks of white in the front, yellow eyes, and pale blue skin. He had a mischievous look in his eyes that said he didn’t mind shedding blood for entertainment. “Yes me, yes now!” he said with a smile and chuckle, revealing pointy teeth. “The one and only, Skillit! How’s it going, Stanley?” “W-w-w-what do you want with me, Skillit? I-if you want the Mask, then the answer is still no!” “Oh, you caught me! I was gonna ask you nicely…but then I remembered, where’s the fun in that?! So I decided to go with Plan B.” “Plan…B?” “Yup, Plan B. But first, you wouldn’t happen to have the Mask on you…would ya?” “Uh, ah, the Mask?” Stanley asked, trying to avoid looking at his briefcase. “Oh, it’s, uh, um, at home.” “Great! That makes Plan B easier.” “And, uh, what exactly does, um, Plan B involve?” “Well, you remember that book that opens those portals to the Shadow Land that allow me to come here every now and then? Back when I was throwing out those old toys I didn’t want anymore? Well, I found an old spare to it, and after doing some looking around in there I found an old spell an old friend of mine named Discord gave to me, one that leads to his world. And…well, how does this sound to you? A world filled with torture, chaos, madness, misery, and defiance of the laws of physics.” “Chaos and torture?! *gulp* That doesn’t sound good at all.” “Eh, maybe not to you, but hey! It’s a great vacation for me, or was back before I met the Mask.” “Wh…what’s your point?” “My point? Well, here’s Plan B for you: I open a portal to that world, toss you into said portal, and then I go look for the Mask and give it to someone more deserving. And since you don’t have it on you, what can you do to stop me? So, without further ado…” Skillit then pulled out a giant book from thin air and started reading from it. “Through the power in these old verses, open twixt the universes. Through doorway to chaos and misery, dump my enemy and grant me victory!” “Wow. I gotta admit: that was better than the last one.” “Hey, whatever works works.” Suddenly a white and blue portal of swirling energy opened behind Stanley, who looked at it in surprise. Before he could run away, however, Skillit grabbed him and, saying “say hi to Discord for me,” he tossed a screaming Stanley through the Portal, smiling as it closed behind him. “Finally, he’s gone! Now, to find the Mask and have some real fun!” Author's Note I own neither The Mask: The animated series nor My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The former, as far as my knowledge of it goes, belongs to Gary Hartle, and the latter belongs to Lauren Faust. From the perspective of The Mask: The Animated Series, this is several weeks after Have Mask, Will Travel. Chapter 1: First Day in Equestria"...ow," groaned Stanley as he came to consciousness. "My back...why does my back hurt...wait...SKILLIT!" Stanley bolted up to a sitting position, wide awake with momentary panic as he remembered what had happened just moments ago. But what he saw confused him. Skillit had said he was going to send Stanley to a world of chaos and misery. Stanley had honestly expected a world very similar to that of the Shadow Land from which Skillit originated, which was a dark world full of monsters and demons, lacking in light and sun. What he wasn't expecting was to end up in a small room that only had beige walls, a small painting on one of said walls, a green door, a small bedside table, a mirror, and a small but comfortable bed. Not exactly what came to his mind when told 'chaos and misery'. "Okay...this wasn't what I was expecting," he said, looking around. "Maybe Skillit opened the wrong portal? Then again, maybe this is just a trick, an illusion...well, at least he didn't get the mask...wait...THE MASK!" He looked around in a panic and found his briefcase sitting on the bedside table, still snapped shut. After checking to make sure there weren't any holes in it (hey, it's his only briefcase) he unlatched and opened up the thing, revealing the green wooden mask that gave its eerie glow across its surface. "Oh, thank goodness it's safe," he said, closing the suitcase again. "At least nobody's taken it." As the words left his mouth, he saw the door open up. Standing there was...a yellow cartoon-like pony with pink hair and blue eyes, looking at him with concern. In his career as bearer of the Mask, he had come across many kinds of beings, including a mad scientist bent on spreading chaos, a disgruntled weather reporter who gained powers over the weather itself, a witch who could turn anything and everything into cheese, and even a blue-skinned imp who hailed from a hellish world. But while all of those beings were both malicious and strange, at least they were somewhat understandable (well, understandable for him, anyways). To Stanley, a yellow pony came completely from left field. And as if it was just to confuse him even more, said yellow pony began to speak. "Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed softly. "I'm glad. How are you feeling?" "...what?" he asked, trying to process what was going on in front of him. "I, um, asked how you are feeling. You're not hurt, are you?" "...I think I'm finally losing my mind," he said to himself. "Maybe I've been knocked unconscious from falling out of Skillit's portal and this is a dream...then again, he did say this was a world of chaos. Maybe talking horses is part of it?" "Um, Mister?" she asked again. "Oh, uh...well, now that you mention it, my back is pretty sore. I must have landed hard on it when I came out of that portal...um, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" "Oh,um...I'm Fluttershy," she said, suddenly self-conscious. "...uh, I'm sorry. What was that?" "I'm...Fluttershy." Before Stanley could react, a carrot stub bounced off of her head, prompting the two to look towards the door. Standing there was a white rabbit with an intelligent glare on its face, glaring at Fluttershy with a look that, to the pegasus, spoke a silent message. Chalk one more for the list of strange things Stanley had ever encountered: a bunny with an attitude. "You're right, Angel," she said, nodding in agreement to whatever it said (or didn't say, as it was). "I need to be more assertive...Mister, my name is Fluttershy." "Fluttershy, huh?" he asked, a soft and curious smile forming on his face. "That's a...interesting name. Can't, uh, say I've heard of it...I-I-I-I'm Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss." "It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Ip...kiss?" she asked, hoping she was pronouncing it correctly. "So, what was a stallion like yourself doing passed out on my yard?" "Oh, I, uh-uh apologize for that! You see I...wait. Did you just call me a stallion?" "Yes." "As in...a horse?" "No, not a horse. A pony." "Uh...look, Miss...Fluttershy? I can accept the fact that I'm talking to a horse...or pony, if that's how you call it. But how can I...I...what?" As Stanley was in the middle of that sentence, he had taken that opportunity to look down at himself. What he saw stopped his words cold. For one, he didn't have hands. Instead, he had hooves, cartoonish just like Fluttershy and the same color blue as his usual suit. In fact, his legs and body were also of the same blue. Seeing the mirror to his left, he stumbled out of bed and brought himself to the mirror, seeing his body for the first time since he woke up. He was no longer a human being. Stanley Ipkiss was now a blue pony with brown mane-and-tail. Like most people would, he handled it the best he could in such a situation. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Fluttershy instinctively jumped behind the bed in fear from Stanley's sudden outburst. When she realized what was happening she pulled herself out from behind and watched as Stanley began to have a panic attack. A very loud panic attack. "WHA-WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME?!" he exclaimed, stumbling away from the mirror. "I'VE BECOME A HORSE! I'M NOT EVEN WEARING THE MASK AND I'M A HORSE!" "S-Stanley? Please, calm down!" Fluttershy tried to say over his voice. "CALM DOWN?! I CAN'T CALM DOWN, I'VE BECOME A HORSE!!" (Aaaaaand fast-forward to five minutes later...) "There you go," she said in a soothing voice, gently patting Stanly on the shoulder. "Feel better?" "Much," said Stanley, having been breathing into a brown paper bag for some time now. "Good. Now, tell me what's wrong," she said in a motherly voice. "Well...here's the thing: I'm not actually a pony; I'm a human...or, at least I was." "A human? What's that? A kind of animal?" "No...well, technically, yes. I mean, uh...well, humans are sorta like...hairless monkeys?" "Hairless monkeys?" "Yes, hairless monkeys, except for our heads. Only we walk on our back legs and don't crouch when we walk, a-a-and we wear clothes." Fluttershy took a moment to try to imagine that. (And for your reading pleasure, here's a thought bubble) First she imagined a chimpanzee standing straight up. She then imagined said monkey losing all hair except for the top of its head. After that she imagined it wearing dress and walking around in it. Needless to say, it certainly brought a chuckle out of her. "W-what's so funny?" asked Stanley. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that imagining a hairless monkey wearing a dress is kind of funny." "A dress? Well...the women do wear dresses...um, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Oh, sure! Go right ahead." "Well...how, exactly, did I end up here in this room? And how did you find me?" "Oh, well, I brought you in here when I found you passed out in front of my house. I was walking home from the market when there was this sudden wind that came out of nowhere. When it stopped, you had suddenly appeared on my yard...um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you end up passed out on my yard?" "Well, uh, it's a funny story, actually. Well, no, not really funny, more like horrible." "Horrible?! Oh dear, please! Tell me what happened!" "Well...I was on my way to work at the bank this morning. I was in a rush because I wanted to get there early so as to gain that promotion. I was just at the door when Skillit came and threw me into a portal." "Skillit?" "Oh right, he's this blue-skinned imp who likes to cause trouble for everyone, sort of like an evil Peter Pan." "Peter Pan? What's that?" "...this may take a while." Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan and into the House Fire(yeah, no offense to ya'll out there, but I'm gonna fast forward a little...aaaand here we go!) Stanley spent most of the day explaining concepts and facts of the human world, such as human society, their money system, and even more personal things like his friends and where he lived, and in return Fluttershy explained about her world and her life. While Stanley was fascinated by the concept of Pegasi being able to manipulate the weather and Unicorns capable of using magic, the fact that Stanley lived in a polluted city didn't sit well with Fluttershy, who had lived in both a quaint-but-clean village named Ponyville and in a city in the sky called Cloudsdale. ("And I thought Edge City was a ridiculous name.") In fact, according to Fluttershy, not many places in Equestria, the country they were in, were polluted. Almost every place there was clean. This fact stunned Stanley, who had lived in Edge City for all of his life. In search of proof, Stanley walked - or rather, stumbled his way out the door to see what it was like outside. And considering he hadn't been out of Edge City for at least a year, he was caught off guard by the bright sunlight, the clear sky, and the clean air. It was...intoxicating for him, giving him a certain energy that he decided to put to use in walking around. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything for his clumsiness. Which, by the way, was amplified thanks to his two extra legs. The result: he ended up bumping into so many things that his body was covered in bruises and scrapes, his head dizzy from too many hits to the head. Fluttershy found him and dragged him back in to nurse his injuries, as well as feed the both of them since dinner was getting close. In the end he ended up spending the night since he had no other place to stay at, but not before asking Fluttershy to keep his origins as a human a secret for the time being. And now here we are, at the next morning. The sun was beginning to shine through the window and shone upon Stanley's face, interrupting his sleep. He groaned and slowly began to wake up to the day, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. As his vision began to come back, he sat up and looked around the room. He realized that something was sitting next to him. Something big...and pink...and with blue eyes staring right at him from three inches away. It took him a good two seconds before he realized what he was looking at: a pink pony staring him right in the face. "Hi there!" she said in a high-pitch voice. "AAAAH!" he exclaimed, backing away and falling off the side of his bed. "Wh-who are you, what are you doing here, what do you want?!" "I'm Pinkie Pie!" she exclaimed, suddenly at his side and bouncing up and down. "I'm here because Fluttershy asked me to come here. Well, not here in the room, just here in the house. She asked me to help with the animals. As for what I want...weeeeelllllllll, I want to make a party so super-duper fantastic that everypony remembers it! I'd like to throw you a party, but Fluttershy asked me not to. But if I could, it'd have balloons, streamers, punch, a biiiiig cake, some cupcakes; I also wanna bake the world's best cupcake, which I tried once before. It ended up exploding and needed less butter. Ooh, ooh. I also wanna make sure my friends never get sad, because if they get sad then I get sad, and if I get sad they become even more sad, and if they become even more sad, then I - ooh,that's right! You're new in town! What's your name?!" (and all of this was said in the span of thirty seconds) "Uh...what?" Stanley asked, trying to process what she said. "My-my name? S-Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss." "Stanley Ipkiss? That's a funny name! I like it! Stanley Ipkiss, Stanley Ipkiss, Stanley Ipkiss! It's almost as fun to say as pickle-barrel, or kumquat! Pickle-barrel kumquat! Pickle-barrel kumquat! Pickle -" "WAIT!" Stanley yelled. "Wha-what do you mean that Fluttershy asked you to come here?" "Oh, Fluttershy asked me to come by yesterday so I could help her take care of the animals, and in return she'd give me new food for Gummy! He's my pet baby alligator, and he's teething, so I need to change his food." "Pet...alligator?" "Uh huh! I brought him here with me. He's with Fluttershy right now." Speaking of, Fluttershy walked into the room at that moment to come into the room, followed by the same white rabbit from before and a tiny green alligator. If one looked closely at said alligator, they could see the beginnings of white in the baby alligator's mouth. This definitely confused Stanley, who was sure that alligators were born with their teeth. Gummy waddled its way to Pinkie Pie, its eyes staring at Stanley with an almost lifeless look in them...which changed to a suspicious glare in about two seconds, like Gummy could sense that Stanley wasn't what he appeared to be. Something about that gator made Stanley nervous. "Uh...I don't think Gummy likes me." "Oh, don't be silly!" said Pinkie, picking him up with both hooves. "He's just grumpy from his teething! Right, Gummy?" In response, Gummy began to snap at Stanley, biting only on air but still unnerving the blue stallion. He was starting to worry about what would happen when that gator had its full set of teeth when Fluttershy walked up to him with that cute smile of hers. Somehow it had a calming effect on him, as well as on Gummy. Maybe it was her knowledge and experience with animals? Whatever it was, Stanley was thankful for it. "How are you feeling, Mr. Ipkiss?" she asked. "Oh, you can call me Stanley," he said with a smile. "And I feel much better, actually. Thank you!" "Oh, it was my pleasure! I enjoy helping animals and ponies alike." "Oh! Well, that's, uh, really sweet of you." "Oh, um...thank you," she said. "...so, do you feel up to walking to town today? I know somepony who may be able to help get you home." "You need help getting home?" Pinkie asked, coming up to Stanley. "Where do you live? Canterlot? Fillydelphia? Los Pegasus?" "Uh...Edge City?" "Edge City? Ooh, I like the sound of that! Sounds edgy! I've never heard of that city before! Where's it at?" "Well...can you keep a secret from anyone, er, anypony else? And promise not to tell?" "A secret? Of course I can! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" As she said this, she made strange movements with her hoof, ending with her sticking her hoof in her eye. Despite the eye being closed, the action still made Stanley wince momentarily. "Well...I'm not from this world." *GASP!!!* "You're an alien?!" "Well...technically. See, I'm not actually a pony. I'm a human." "A human? What's that?" "Well, uh...a hairless monkey that walks on two legs with its back straight...anyways, I ended up here because an enemy of mine threw me through a portal that he opened with a magic spell, and now I need someone to help me get home." "Magic spell?" interrupted Pinkie. "Then Twilight Sparkle would be the pony to go to for help. Ooh, that reminds me! I need to borrow a book from Twilight about teething alligators! Sorry, guys, but I'll see you over at Twilight's! And with that Pinkie, grabbing Gummy and putting him in her mane, went out the door and left for Twilight's house. Stanley couldn't help but give a sigh of relief now that that pink pony was gone. "I'm sorry if Pinkie caused you any trouble; she can be a hoof-full." "More like an earful," he said, rubbing his ears. "Is she always like that?" "Well, she has met somepony that she's never met before...so no. Normally she would have run off and throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for you. The only reason why she didn't was because I asked her not to, and even then it won't last long. Sooner or later she'll throw you one." "Really? A-a party? Gosh, that...that's really nice of her. I...I haven't been thrown a party since I graduated from high school." "Huh?" "Oh, uh, nothing! So, uh, how's about we head on over to Twilight's house right now?" Twenty minutes had passed before they actually left the house. Those twenty minutes were spent by Fluttershy trying to teach Stanley how to walk properly in his current body. By the time that was accomplished and they were out of the house (along with the Mask in a borrowed saddle bag, just in case. And yes, Fluttershy saw the mask but did not get an explanation as to what it was for), ten minutes had passed before they reached the gates of Ponyville. All the while Stanley couldn't help but admire the view. Like before, he was dazzled by the bright sunlight and the fresh air. Add to it the nice scenery and Stanley was definitely hooked. ("I think I might just move here.") And now they were walking through Ponyville, a town of simple but nice buildings far smaller than what Stanley was used to. It was, by any city-dweller's standards, small. And clean, just like Fluttershy had said the day before. Stanley couldn't help but look around at the houses and small buildings around him. While he had been to small towns back on his home world, none of them were like this one, with its cleanliness, its vivid colors, or even its cozy atmosphere. He always felt out of place in small towns, and while this was no exception today, at least here he felt welcomed. No pony gave him weird stares or whispered to themselves while looking at him, no pony stopped talking and stare when they would see him. He actually felt welcomed. Eventually they made it to Twilight's place, and Stanley had to stop and stare at the building. Now Fluttershy had explained that she was the town librarian and lived in the library. What she didn't explain was that the library was built into a giant oak tree, complete with windows on its trunk and a balcony or two at the edges of its branches. How it was still standing was beyond him. One thing was clear: there was little chance of forgetting what it looked like. Stanley followed Fluttershy as she walked up to the door and knocked on it. Four seconds later, the door opened to reveal a purple dragon with green frills and eyes, a head shorter than Fluttershy, and crunching on (making Stanley and me cringe) a ruby the size of Stanley's fist (or hoof, in the current situation). "Hey, Fluttershy," he said with a smile. "Nice to see ya again." "It's nice to see you too, Spike," she said with a smile. "Is Twilight around?" "Yeah. She's upstairs, reading a new book she ordered...who's this guy?" "Oh, this is Stanley. He, um, came to Ponyville by accident." "Accident? What's that mean?" "Oh, well, it's kinda funny...well, okay, not really. See, I was thrown into a magic portal and ended up at Fluttershy's house." "Magic portal, eh? Well, you came to the right place. Come on in, I'll get Twilight down." Stanley and Fluttershy walked into the room, the former looking around. Like most libraries, bookshelves filled with books were everywhere. Unlike those libraries, these shelves were carved out of the inside of the tree, just like most things in the house. Stanley had to wonder what kind of architect could make such a house out of a tree, not to mention how much they got paid to do it. His curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to one bookshelf and read the titles of some of the books. Most of them involved ponies somehow or another ("'Dancing for Ponies with Four Left Hooves,' 'Proper Pony Mannerisms and You,' 'How to Babysit a Foal'.") While the titles were bizarre to him, they still fascinated him. So engrossed was he that he didn't notice the purple unicorn approaching him. "Need help looking for anything?" "AAAAAHH!!" yelled Stanley, jumping three feet in the air in startled reaction. "Oh. Sorry about that. I, uh, didn't notice you there." "It's alright," she said, rubbing her ear. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, librarian of the Golden Oaks Library." "I-I'm Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss," he said, instinctively holding out his hoof. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ipkiss," she said, hoofbumping him. "Spike mentioned something about you having magic issues?" "Yes, well, I was thrown into a portal and -" "A portal?! That's highly advanced magic! And you said you were thrown into one?" "Yes, by a psychotic blue-skinned imp named Skillit!" "An imp? That's impossible. Imps aren't real, they're just myths." "So?" asked Pinkie Pie, suddenly next to Stanley. "AAAH! Whe-where'd you come from?!" "The front door, silly!. Aaaaanyways, Twilight, we've seen PLEEEENTY of things that were only supposed to be myths! Sonic Rainbooms, my Pinkie Sense, time travel, and Nightmare Moon!" "Well...you have a point...but even if imps are real, if it's a portal that it used, I'd need the spell that the imp used in order to send you back home...incidentally, where are you from?" Stanley looked to Fluttershy and Pinkie. He had already trusted his secret with two of the natives. Was he safe to trust it with another. They both smiled and nodded, signifying they trusted Twilight. Nodding back, he closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and beginning. "Well...the thing is, I'm not from this world. I'm from another world, in a different universe." "...what?" "Yeah," he said, looking down now. "A-a-aaand in that universe, I'm from a city called, well, Edge City. Not exactly an original name, I know, but...where are you going?" "To the basement," she said, now standing in front of some downward stairs. "Could you please follow me, Mr. Ipkiss?" "Uh...sure, I guess," he said, following her. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked at each other for a moment before following as well. Down at the basement there were several different kinds of machines and chemistry sets and books, much to Stanley's surprise. From what he had noticed in the town during his walk with Fluttershy, everything about Ponyville had seemed simple and low-tech. Finding machines such as what he saw then and there was quite surprising. It made him wonder how far this world's technology had progressed so far. That in mind, he couldn't help but wonder what he was looking at. Specifically, he was wondering about the giant metal box with wires and switches that looked like it belonged to a Frankenstein movie, the one that Twilight was using magic via her now-glowing horn to rearrange some wires and switches. "Uh...Twilight? What is that...that thing you're working on?" "This old thing? This is a body sensor. I once tried to use it to observe and measure Pinkie Pie's mysterious Pinkie Sense." "Her...Pinkie Sense?" "Yup! My Pinkie Sense! It tells me when something good or bad is about to happen around me. If my tail begins to twitch, then that means stuff's about to fall! And when my nose is itchy, it means to watch out for angry bees!" "Uh...okay?" "Disregarding Pinkie's mysterious predictions, I can make some adjustments to the body sensor so as to convert it into a polygraph." "A polygraph...you mean a lie detector? What for?" "As amazing as your tale sounds, Mr. Ipkiss -" "Oh, please! Call me Stanley." "Very well. As amazing as your tale sounds, Stanley, I'm afraid that I have my doubts. You're not the first pony to have come to me with the claims of being from another world or to have a close encounter with an alien," she said, looking at Pinkie Pie as she said it. "What? It was Jest-and-Laugh day, we're supposed to pull pranks on each other on that day!" "Right...well regardless, I'm going to have to ask you some questions to see if you're telling the truth or not." "...well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I mean, so long as you don't ask anything too personal." "Don't worry. These are all going to be objective and on the subject, minus some testing questions to see if the equipment is working or not. Just give me a few more seconds to adjust some things...and we're done! Now, just step up to the table-like apparatus and prop your forelegs on top of the clamps, and I'll take care of the rest." Stanley couldn't help but stare apprehensively at the contraption. In the past, he had been strapped to and locked into multiple machines and holding tables thanks to Edge City's local mad scientist, Pretorius. One of the few villains who knew of Stanley's alternate persona as the Mask, he has at multiple times clashed with Stanley in both forms. Whenever Stanley would be missing the Mask, their confrontations would mostly involve him being a victim to one of Pretorius' sadistic experiments or tortures, such as killer lasers almost cutting him or a pain tolerance-testing chair (that last one, Pretorius hadn't even hit the on switch and Stanley had already been in pain from the chair) Stanley couldn't help but swallow nervously and look back at the other two girls. They both nodded reassuringly, indicating that they trusted Twilight's choice. With that, he faced the machine and approached it, placing his forelegs on the apparatus. Twilight used her magic to clamp the restraints shut around his legs, and for a moment he had to keep himself from panicking. After that she levitated a strange head device before placing it on his head and hooking it up to the big machine. Finally she flipped a switch, and the whole thing came to life. Out of one slot flowed out some paper with a small, wavy line on it like any other polygraph paper. "Alright, let's give it a test run. Is it true that your coat is blue?" "My...my coat?" "Your current body color." "Oh! Yes, it's true." "Hm...seems to be working. What's four times four?" "Sixteen." "If you have a job, where do you work?" "At a bank." "Your least favorite color?" "...green." "Alright. Now let's try a lie. Are you a mare? A female?" "Uh...yes, yes I am." "Hm...definitely working. But that was a planned lie...do you have any trouble, as most ponies would say, getting a date for Saturday night?" "Trouble getting...what?! Nooo, of course not!" The polygraph lines became bigger, signifying that Stanley was lying (and everypony there could see it). While Stanley was starting to panic a little, Twilight was just observing the polygraph chart, Fluttershy was politely staying quiet, and Pinkie Pie was eating a cupcake that Stanley had no idea on where it came from (and neither do I). "It definitely is working," she said. "I apologize for that last question, Stanley, but I had to know for certain if the polygraph wasn't malfunctioning. From now on, I'll keep the questions as far away from being personal as I can." "Th-thank you," he said. relieved but still embarrassed. "Now, let's get down to business: where do you live?" "Well, I live in a city called Edge City." "Hmm...and where is that located?" "On the Western Seaborg of the United States...p-planet Earth." "Planet Earth? Okay, now you have to...wait, the polygraph. It...it says you're not lying. But, but that's -" "Like my Pinkie Sense?" interrupted Pinkie. "...okay, I'll give. I don't know how it's possible, but at least for now you're telling the truth. For now, I'll believe you and see if I can help." "Well, that's good...uh, does this mean I can get out of these clamps now?" "Of course. Just give me a second to -" "TWILIGHT!" called out a voice from up above. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" "Down here, Rainbow Dash!" The basement door flew open, and in ran a bright-blue pegasus with rainbow-colored mane and tail, looking frantic as she approached the violet pony. "We've got a problem! A few houses and buildings have sprung up on green fire, and every time we try to put them out they just get bigger and spread out faster!" "What?! Green fire?! That's enchanted fire! C'mon, we need to gather every unicorn in town!" Twilight ran out of the room, followed by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash...leaving Stanley strapped onto the machine. "Hey, wait a minute!" he called out. "What about me?! HEY!! They didn't hear him, leaving him to try and undo the clamps. Surprisingly, though, it didn't take as long to undo them (about ten seconds, really) before taking off the headpiece and giving chase after Twilight and the others (or stumbling and tripping several times while trying to run, depending on one's interpretation of the situation). Most ponies that he passed by were panicking, running away from the flaming houses and causing even more panic. And with good reason: those houses that Stanley saw were on fire, some of the flames actually jumped from one house to another or jumped to the ground shaped like miniature ponies or imps and chased after other ponies, almost like they were alive. Eventually he found Twilight in the center of town among a group of unicorns, directing said unicorns to different fires before they headed out. "Twilight!" he called out as he approached her. "What's going on?! Why is there green fire spreading all over town?!" "I don't know about why it's here, but what I do know is what kind of fire it is: enchanted fire. It's a type of magical fire that comes to life with one purpose in mind: to burn everything it can touch." "Living fire that wants to burn everything? WHO CAME UP WITH THAT KIND OF THING?!" "I know. What's worse is that the only way to put it out is with magic, so I've gathered every unicorn -" "Wait, hold on! Did you say 'magic'?" "Yes! Like I said, that's why I'm gathering every unicorn in town to put it out. But even with all of the unicorns here, I'm not sure we'll be enough." "...I think I know how I can help." "What? How?" "Just promise me that you will keep it a secret, and then everything will be okay." "...alright. I promise." Satisfied, Stanley pulled off his saddle bag and pulled out his well-guarded mask ("Please, help everyone out just this once."). Once he had a good grasp on it, he put it on. And when I say he put it on, I mean that as soon as it got close enough it actually jumped onto his face and began to stretch all over his head, to Twilight's horror. Within four seconds, Stanley suddenly spun like a twister, going from blue to yellow as he swiftly sped around the center of town before stopping and standing in the middle of town. And lo and behold, Stanley was no longer Stanley. Standing on his hind hooves, dressed in a yellow zoot suit with a matching hat and a red tie with black spots, stood Stanley's alter ego. This was the legendary sometimes-hero of Edge City, the Mask. "Sssssssssssssssmokin'!" Author's Note It took me a while to make this, but I'm finally done! Subject to editing and change in the future. Please comment on it, be it complements, insults, critiques, advice, etc! Chapter 3: Water Games and Appreciation"Saayyyy," said the Mask, looking around himself. "Some-thing definitely feels different...hmm, maybe it's the threads, the pants certainly don't feel all there." That's when he noticed that he had no pants on, letting loose a high-pitch screech ("I'M INDECENT!") before rushing off into a nearby clothing store and coming back with some yellow fabric (all within record time of two seconds). As he came back, he spun in a miniature twister and was now changed in a worker woman's attire, sitting on a sewing table with a sewing machine, sporting gray hair in a bun. "I tell you, kids nowadays and their smaller clothes are getting ridiculous," he said in a womanly voice. "Sooner or later there won't be anything left to cover them up, and then where will they be?!" One more second passed before he spun again, now fitted with yellow pants to match his suit. "Muuch better! Hmm, something still feels off. I can't put my finger on it. *notices hooves* HEY!! No wonder I can't put my finger on it, I have no fingers to put on! (He pulled out some white rubber gloves and put them on his hooves, blowing into the thumbs so as to inflate them and moving them like he really had hands) Muuuch better!" "Stanley?" Twilight asked apprehensively. "Is every -" "Sshh," he said, rushing to Twilight before putting a hoof on her mouth. "Uno momento, purple horsie." He dug his hoof into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a full body-sized mirror, placing it in front of him and looking at his equine self's reflection. "Well, this is a new one," he said, face close to the mirror. "I've been left stuck in other forms and styles before, but not like this. Time for a species change." He spun again, attempting to have a change of form. The result: he now wore a suit similar to Stanley's suit back in their home world and sported bunny ears, but otherwise remained as a pony. "Say, what gives?! I can't change back! Hm, maybe there's something in the manual?" "Stanely? What about -" "Let's see," he said, now reading from a giant book titled The Mask and You. "The Mask has the power to change form and species whenever he or she desires." "Stanley -" "However, should the wearer of the Mask have their own species changed through powerful magical means prior to wearing Mask, then Mask's forms will be limited to current species, aside from momentary transformations." "Stanley-" "Sooo, that must mean that Stanley got turned into a horse with some grade-A hocus pocus, meaning that I can't pull of the same -" "STAAANLEYY!!!" Twilight finally yelled, making the Mask wince before going up to her face (and conveniently back in his yellow suit and hat) "You know, I CAN YELL LOUDER THAN YOU!! Now, what do you want?" Twilight, momentarily dazed from the loud volume of the Mask's yell, glared at him and pointed a hoof behind him. He turned and saw the green flames all around the town, burning down buildings and chasing after other ponies. "Oh. Weeell, that's a problem. Have you ever considered calling the fire department?" "Ugh," she groaned in frustration. "I already told you, Stanley! This is enchanted fire! Only magic can put it out! And you said -" "Hold up there, sister!" he said, putting a hoof on her mouth again. "First of all, I'm not Stanley! I am the Mask! Second of all, did you say...magic?" Twilight nodded, prompting the Mask into spin-changing his wardrobe again. This time he was in a cheesy magician's outfit, blue sparkly jacket with blue sparkly pants, donning a white cape and a white top hat while holding a magician's wand. Finding a little flame gremlin, he waved his wand ("Alakazam!") and shot magic sparkles at it. Said sparkles made the thing go *poof* and disappear. Turning to a burning house, he took off his hat and waved his wand over the opening ("Abra Kadabra!"). Out shot a torrent of water that filled the house from the window, flooding it and putting out the fire. In the process he flushed out three ponies that were trapped in the house, one stallion and two fillies that were a little disoriented from the ordeal. He rushed to the next house and spun-changed into a fire-fighter with a fire hose (connected to an unseen fire hydrant, I'm assuming) before sticking it into the side of the house and turning up the pressure. The result: the house got filled with water and began to bulge, putting out the fire inside while making everything in it that wasn't bolted down float, such as the furniture and a plant. That's when he noticed five little fire monsters rushing towards him, ready to light him up. In defense, he went do the door and opened it ("Oh, want to get in? Here, let me get the door for you!"), letting out a torrent of water that obliterated the fire monsters and released most of the furniture and three occupants: two ponies and a cat ("Now ya'll remember: don't play with matches!") He rushed to other houses and put them out in similar fashions, spin-changing several times and putting out monsters and houses in many bizarre ways before he finally had the last of the flame monsters running. "Weeeell, that wasn't so hard," he said, watching the rest of the fire beings retreat before changing into a army general's uniform. "Looks like we got em on the run, private!" "No," Twilight said in horror. "They're not retreating, they're regrouping. Look!" True to what Twilight said, the remaining fire monsters gathered into one group, combining and turning into one bigger flame monster that kept growing. The result: a two-story bipedal green-flame monster that began to attack every pony and building it could, demolishing most of the buildings it could reach while also lighting their remains on fire. Some of the other unicorns Twilight had organized before Stanley had reached her approached the monster and attempted to use their magic to put it out, shooting magic bolts at it or levitating water before throwing said water against it. While it was obvious that the efforts were at least putting it in pain, the thing just shrugged it off before it attacked them all, scattering them before it resumed its rampage. "Well that's depressing," he said, rubbing his chin. "Any ideas, Purple?" "I-I don't know! This has never happened before! I don't know what to do!" "Hmm...one moment there, Purple. I'll be right back," he said before rushing to a random point in town. "HEY, NARRATOR!!!" (Huh? Me?) "Yeah I'm talking to you! Got any ideas?!" (Ideas? Why should I tell you anything? You and Stanley are the heroes, not me.) "Weeeell, this is a kid's show. You really wanna make all them kids out there have nightmares of giant flaming monsters destroying their homes and chasing after them?" (Huh, you have a point...I dunno, maybe a tidal wave from the top of the hill to put out the flames and the monster?) "Tidal wave...oooh, that gives me an idea!" He rushed over to the outskirts of town, now dressed as a construction worker outfit and holding several supplies in his arms, such as wood, bricks, a jackhammer, and even copious amounts of duct tape. Spinning in his trademark twister, he began to construct a giant brick wall that surrounded Ponyville (all in record time of ten seconds, too). That done, he zipped up to the top of a nearby hill, clad in his magician garb, and waved his wand. The result: a giant red fire hydrant. That created, he spun-changed into a firefighter's outfit and pulled out a giant ax. "HEY BARBECUE!!!" he yelled, getting the monster's attention. "TIME FOR A BATH!!!" He swung the ax down on on the hydrant, unleashing a giant torrent of water that shot into town, creating a giant tidal wave that hit the monster and, despite its struggling, put it out. What it also did was flood the town, putting out the rest of the fires and making everypony and everything that wasn't bolted down to the ground float up to the rooftops. The Mask observed his work and, taking the cap that he cut off, slammed the hydrant shut. He then proceeded to duct tape it shut, resulting in it being cocooned in duct tape. That done, he rushed back into town and, now clad in an old-fashioned men's bathing suit, jumped right into the water with a big splash. When he came up, he was sitting on a floater ring with a ducky head. "Yup, nothing like a nice swim on a hot day." "Mask!" yelled Twilight, swimming towards him. "What have you done?!" "I did what you asked and put out the fires and monsters, all while making a nice, town-sized pool. Not bad, eh?" "That's exactly the problem now! You've flooded the town! How are we supposed to fix the damage if we can't even get to our houses?!" "Hmm...you have a point there. OKAY, EVERYBODY OUT OF THE POOL!!" He dived into the water and turned his head into a drill, spinning it against the ground and drilling a tunnel leading out of town that drained the water out, creating a giant whirlpool that swept around everything and everpony that was still in the water. Twenty seconds later, the town was completely drained. While everypony else was busy with recovering and wondering what had happened, the Mask, now in yellow suit, stood to the side and observed his work. "Looks like everything's alright," he said. "All those waterworks sure made me hungry. Hmm, I wonder if this place has any good pizza?" "Hey!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she suddenly popped up next to him. "You're the one who saved the town with the water!" "Well, I don't like to brag...oh, who am I kidding? YUP!! That was all me, definitely me! Did you enjoy the show, kid?" "Did I?! First you went all magician-y and zapped the monsters away, and then you became a firefighter and put the water out, and then you became a baseball player and knocked the monsters towards the unicorns so they could put it out, and then you were a bullfighter, and then you were a kung-fu guy, and then you flooded the town and turned it into a giant swimming pool! I kinda wish we could have swum for a little longer, though." "I know, right?! The only reason why I drained it was because the purple unicorn told me to! Honestly, sometimes I think no one appreciates what I do for them." "Oh, I'm sure they appreciate what you did. Look behind you." The Mask turned around and saw, to his surprise, other ponies approaching him. There were at least twenty or so coming towards him. Most smiled while others stared in wonder. One particular pony with gray hair, light amber coat, and glasses approached him, grabbing his glove (did I forget to mention he still had those on?) and shook it. "Thank you for your heroic deeds," she said with a smile. "While there will be some extra water damage, Ponyville is now safe thanks to you, Mister..." "Mask," he said with a smile. "The Mask, if you will." "...well, thank you again, Mr. Mask. Is there any way we can repay you?" "Weeeell...you wouldn't happen to have a good pizza place, would you?" Back in Edge City, Skillit was frustrated. He couldn't find any trace of the mask anywhere. Currently he was sitting on the top of Edge City bank, contemplating on what to do while his shadow hovered next to him. "I don't understand," he said to his shadow. "Why can't I find it? Stanley admitted that he didn't have it on him, so I chucked him into the portal. I looked all over his apartment and couldn't find it. I even looked where his friends live, still nothing...unless...unless he lied to me! He still has it on him! Oh, I'm going to kill him! C'mon, Shadow! Time to pay old Discord a visit!" Author's Note (if you want a quick guide to the font colors I used, her you go) The Mask is on the loose (limegreen) Stanley has it good (cornflowerblue) Twilight has it good. (violet) Fluttershy has it good (khaki) Applejack has it good (orange) Pinkie Pie has it good (pink) Rarity has it good (snow) Rainbow Dash has it good (cyan) Spike has it good (purple) Mayor Mare has it good (#EEDFCC) Skillit is sadistic (olive) As I've said before, this is subject to editing and change in the future. Please comment on it, be it complements, insults, critiques, advice, pointing out mistakes I've made, etc! Chapter 4: Repairs and ExplanationsTwenty minutes later... "MAN, that's some good cheese pizza!" he exclaimed, patting his now bloated belly with a hoof. "Would have been better with Pepperoni. Oh well." While the Mask had been eating, some of the ponies had sat down with him and asked him questions. Where he was from ("Well, you know the story about when Mommy and Daddy really love each other? Well, that happened in a big place called Edge City."). What his name was. ("I, my equine friends, am The Mask!) And what he was doing in Ponyville. ("You know, that's a very good question! I'm gonna have to ask Stanley that one.") Meanwhile, the rest of the ponies had begun to clean up the damage. By the time the Mask had finished eating, all of the debris had been cleared off and the house repairs had begun. The rest of the ponies that had been talking to him had joined with the rest "Wow, you guys sure clean up quick. How do you do it?" "This isn't the first disaster Ponyville's faced before," said Twilight, approaching the Mask while levitating a blueprint next to herself. "We've been under attack and had several accidents before. Though that Enchanted Fire was dangerous, it wasn't the worst we've been through." "Oh really? That giant flame monster seemed pretty dangerous to me. What could be worse than that?" "The Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos, Discord.That's what's worse." "Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos?!" he exclaimed, now in a reporter's outfit with a notepad. "That sounds terrible, frightful, utterly cliched! Please, do tell more! What makes him so terrible?" "Very well. For starters, he can change everything around him to whatever form he desires with just a snap of his fingers. One second he's looking at some trees, and the next thing you know he's made them capable of walking. He looked at some rabbits and gave them five-foot long deer legs. He made houses hang upside down in the air, the sun and the moon kept rising and falling over and over in a matter of seconds, and he even made the clouds rain chocolate and the apples grow to pony size. But the worst part of it all: he turned everypony into opposites of themselves. Kind ponies were cruel, honest ones were liars, loving ones became hateful, smart ones became unintelligent, all for the sake of his amusement...come to think of it, you have powers similar to his!" "Moi? What ever do you mean, Purple?" "...okay, first of all, my name isn't Purple. It's Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Second, you can materialize object out of thin air on a whim, change your appearance just with a spin, even bend some of the rules of both magic and reality itself! Think about it: you shot water out of a top hat into a house lit by enchanted fire, which somehow put it out. You then filled another house with water by sticking a fire hose into the wall, somehow making it inflate like a balloon before letting it all out with an open door. You even conjured a giant fire hydrant from random materials that you somehow got your hooves on and unleashed a torrent that, while putting out the monster, also flooded Ponyville like a giant pool." "...and you're saying that I'm similar to this Discord guy?" "YES!" "Hmm...minus the turning people into jerks part, this Discord guy actually sounds kinda fun!" "Fun? FUN?! You think he sounds FUN?!!" "Yeeees, all except for turning ponies into their opposites and jerks," he said, now in his yellow suit and pants. "See, I enjoy a good audience as much as the next entertainer, but only when their reactions are authentic! We comedians can tell when someone's laugh is fake. It comes with the trade." "Comedian? You think you're funny?" "I do!" said Pinkie Pie, suddenly popping up next to Twilight. "HEY, it's you! I was hoping to see you again, Pinks! Where've you been?" "I was helping out with the repairs, silly! My home, Sugar Cube Corner, also got damaged, so I was busy helping with the repairs there! Oh, that reminds me. Twilight, Glitter Shine needs that blueprint as soon as possible." "Right, I'll get it to her now," she said to Pinkie, turning to the Mask with a glare. "We're not done here, Mask." With that said, Twilight walked off with the blue print. "Wow, that's one no-nonsense cookie. She always like that?" "Nah, that's nothing. There was one time she went Obsessive Compulsive over trying to figure out how my Pinkie Sense worked, and she literally burst into flames by the end of it all...although, she does get like that when she starts talking about Discord. Did she mention him?" "Actually, she did say that he and I are similar, mostly how we can make stuff out of thin air and on a whim. She also said he turned everybody...er, every pony into jerks and opposites." "Yeah, he definitely did a number on us with that one. He made me a big party pooper who got mad every time some pony started laughing or having fun." "Hm...sounds like a certain Detective Kellaway I know back in Edge City. Incidentally, I wonder if this place has its own Coco Bongo?" "Coco Bongo? Is that an instrument? There's an instrument store down the road that -" "Nonononono!" he said, putting a hoof on her mouth (and producing a squeaky toy squeak from her). "The Coco Bongo is a jazz night club! It's where you get to dance, to eat, and make Conga lines till the sun comes up!" "Conga lines? I LOOOVE Conga lines! I make one at every party I throw, and I throw a party almost every week!" "A party every week? Now that's MY kind of living! The more parties the merrier, I always say!" (Funny, I don't remember you ever saying that.) "Hey, zip it, Invisa-head! I may not say it, but at least I live by it!" "Yeah, at least he lives by it! Leave him alone!" "...you can hear him?" (You can hear me?) "Of course I can, silly billy! I can see him, too! He's right up there, just above the words that say everything we just said, including what I'm saying right now!" "Words? I don't see any words. (He then pulled out some glasses and put them on.) Oh, there they are! Wow, we sure talk a lot, don't we? Hey, how come Stanley's got more dialogue than me?!" "Ooh, you know Stanley?! Did you come to Ponyville with him? Because he didn't mention you." "Wait, you met wimpy Stanley already?" "Yup! I like him, he's really nice. Kinda awkward like Fluttershy, but still nice! Speaking of, I wonder where he is? He disappeared after the magic flame monsters showed up." (Well, you see the Mask is actually -) "HEY!" he exclaimed, plugging Pinkie's ears with wax he pulled out of nowhere. "Secret identity here, remember?!" "What?!" she exclaimed, trying to pull out the wax. "What did you say?!" "Oh, nothing you need to hear," he said, pulling out the wax. "Career secrets that you don't need to know." "...okie dokie," she said with a shrug. "But seriously, have you seen Stanley? He disappeared after the fire monsters disappeared and neither me nor my friends can find him. Right before you showed up, I think...I wonder -" "Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up...in fact, I can help you look for him right now!" "Really?" "Sure! You go look that way, and I'll go look this way!" Agreeing, Pinkie bounced her way over to where the Mask pointed. With her distracted the green pony sneaked into a nearby alleyway, looking around to make sure no one was within looking range ("In case you guys out there are wondering, I'm doing this because I don't want her putting two and two together and finding out who I am."). Once determined, he pulled out a suitcase from his pocket and propped it open and grabbed the edged of his mask with his inflated gloves. Lightning radiated from the Mask's mask as he attempted to pull it off, the thing stretching like elastic as he pulled at it. With a peal of thunder and a flash of light, the mask finally came of and reverted Stanley back to his blue pony self. After checking himself to see if everything was back to normal (and being disappointed that he was still a pony) he put the mask into the suitcase, closed it, and held the thing by the handle in his mouth before stumbling out to find Pinkie. "Phunkie!" he called out after catching up. "Phunkie Phie!" "Stanley! There you are, silly billy!" she said, hugging Stanley. "Are you okay? You disappeared after the fire monsters showed up." "Um ukuh -" *drops suitcase from mouth* "I'm okay. I, uh, took shelter in a house a-and waited it out. I-is everyone alright?" "Yup! This isn't the first disaster we've survived, and we'll survive even more! C'mon, Twilight and Fluttershy are worried about you!" Pinkie Pie grabbed him and his suitcase and zipped her way towards the center of town. When they got there, Stanley was greeted by Fluttershy and Twilight, the former overly glad he was alright and the latter giving him a concerning glare. Fluttershy checked up on him, making sure he was alright before giving him a hug. Once it was established that he was alright, they all went back to finishing the repairs to the town. Stanley was volunteered by the others to help, but after the first few clumsy accidents (the least painful ones include dropping the hammer on his front hoof and accidentally bumping somepony into a freshly painted wall) he was asked to sit on the side. He agreed and just sat on a bench, watching the other ponies work. It gave him time to try and collect what he remembered from the time he wore the mask, as it was usually blank in random parts (sometimes he could remember all but the smallest details, and other times he wouldn't remember anything at all). "Okay, let's see," he mumbled to himself. "I put on the Mask to help Twilight, and then...and then...the Mask was experimenting a little bit, taken by surprise at the new body...and then he turned into a magician...and then built a giant...fire hydrant? Well, he's done crazier things...but that's not the end of it. Ugh! I can't remember the rest." "Something wrong?" asked Twilight as she approached. "Oh, Twilight! I-I-I-I was, uh, ah, just uh -" "If this is about the Mask, I already promised to keep all of that a secret. Remember? You can trust me." "R...right, you're right. I, uh...I'm just not used to having another person to trust with this...I mean, outside of my reporter friend Peggy...and she uses the Mask's antics for her front page scoops." "Excuse me?" "Uh, nothing! But, um...*deep breath in, deep breath out* I'm having some difficulty in remembering what the Mask did while he was out." "While 'he' was out? You make it sound like you're two different ponies." "We are...er, sort of...how do I explain this? Let's see...the Mask is...well, the mask itself is, obviously, a magic mask. When someone puts it on, it grants them, well, the powers of a god. They can warp reality, they can survive almost everything that can be done to them. But that's only half of the mask's power. The other half is that it...it brings out who you really are, what you really feel. You become who you secretly are inside, even if you're not aware of what's inside of you, without the inhibitions...well, except for conscience, and even that's not always going to help. That's why I refer to the Mask as another person: he's not me, but rather what's inside of me." "...so he's a second personality composed of everything you're repressing." "Yes." "And what you're repressing is a wild stallion who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, but has a good conscience?" "Yes." "And as a negative side effect of wearing the mask, you sometimes have blanks in your memory from when it goes on to when it comes off." "Yes." "I see...how often does this happen, and to what degree of severity?" "Almost every time. Sometimes I can remember most of what he did, but other times I don't remember anything he did." "Hm...I don't like the Mask, but I'll help you. I can use a memory spell to try and help fill in the blanks of your memory." "Really?! You can do that?" "Of course, it's not too difficult for me. I used it on my friends when Discord manipulated them into being their polar opposites. I'll have to do it after we're done with repairing this side of Ponyville, it shouldn't take too long." "Well, I'm not going anywhere today....and, uh, maybe you could help me with sending me home? That is, uh, why I came to you to begin with." "Of course! That problem will take time and research to solve, but I'll get you home. You can count on me." "I hope so...thank you." Meanwhile, several miles away... Canterlot was huge, overlooking the land from the side of a mountain. Within it was the famous Canterlot Castle, home of the famous and ever-benevolent Princesses Celestia and Luna. The city itself was home to the elite of Equestria, the rich and the upper-class. Everywhere you looked, big and expensive were the vibe. (But let's take a look at a specific part of Canterlot, shall we?) From above the castle, a blue and white hole in the air began to open up. From within the portal stepped out the all-too-familiar imp known as Skillit. "Okay, Stanley couldn't have gotten far," he said to himself. "Knowing him, he'd probably be in some corner rocking back and forth like a broken human, considering this is a place of total anar...chy...what?!" It was only then that Skillit had gotten a good look at his surroundings, at the beautiful and peaceful kingdom that he was in. He looked all over, a confused expression upon his face. "This...this is Equestria?! Where are the fires? Where's the confusion?! Why aren't the sun and moon constantly going up and down?! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE CHAOS?!" Author's Note Sorry that it took so long for this new chapter. I had one heck of a writer's block for this story and lost motivation at one point. But now, here it is. I hope you enjoy after all this time. Please let me know if there are any errors in coloring, spelling, or grammar. Also, opinions on the chapter itself are good. Chapter 5: Learnings and Reunions"What's going on?!" exclaimed Skillit in his panic attack. "Why are there buildings?! Why are there happy ponies?! Why aren't the sun and moon going up and down like they're supposed to?! Why -" (Okay, his voice is starting to sound like nails on a chalkboard. Let's look back at Stanley and the rest, shall we?) A few hours had passed since we left off Stanley and Twilight Sparkle, and now the town was fully repaired (geez, those ponies work fast). Stanley decided to give helping out another try, this time going for a less involved role of handing out water and snacks. Both serving as practice for him using his hooves ("Who'd have thought that hooves could hold stuff like that.") and putting him out of the way of construction and any accidents. Mostly (I'm still confused as to how he got paint all over himself when he wasn't even next to the can). Once everything was finished and cleaned up, Twilight held her end of the bargain and used the memory spell on Stanley. What he saw, though not very surprising to him, still upset him ("He filled an entire house to the brim with water before draining it...and then to reward himself he ate twenty cheese pizzas...I feel sorry for the cook.") After getting cleaned up, he followed Twilight back to the library. "So, Stanley," said Twilight, "would you mind explaining how you came in possession of the Mask?" "Well, let's see...I had just gotten kicked out of this newly formed night club, the Coco Bongo. Well, not even kicked out. I didn't even make it through the front door, and I was hoping a friend of mine who got invited in would help me out. He didn't even see or hear me. A-and my car was having engine trouble, so when it broke down in the middle of a bridge...you don't know what a car is, do you?" "Afraid not," she said, shaking her head. "Well, a car, uh...d-do you ponies use carriages?" "Yes." "Then...imagine a small carriage that can move on its own. You can make it go faster and slower with pedals on the floor. Cars use engines fueled by gasoline and oil to move around, along with other kinds of machinery that, for the life of me, I never really understood." "Hmm...interesting," she said, magically levitating a notepad and pen to her before writing some notes down. "What happened after your car broke down?" "Well...I found myself going to the edge of the bridge and saw the mask down in the river below. But it was on top of a bunch of garbage, so it looked like someone was floating on the water." (BORING!!! Let's have another time skip, shall we?) "And that's how I ended up here," he said. "...Stanley, I am so sorry for what you've been through," Twilight said sincerely, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Why haven't you tried going to a different job?" "Well...it's all I know how to do. Plus, the pay is decent enough to keep up the rent." "Yes, but is it really worth sticking around, just to be miserable every day?" "Well, every day might be a stretch." "And, couldn't you just train in a different job?" "W-well, it's not that simple. I-it'd take months, and money I wouldn't have." (This sounds like it's about to get boring, again. Maybe we should check up on Skillit again?) "Okay...okay," breathed Skillit, leaning against a tower. "No need to panic. Just, need to find out what's happened...hm, this might take a while. Showing myself might not be the best idea. I'll need to find a history book. Oh, Shadow?" Suddenly, the shadow he projected thanks to the sun popped off the ground, floating next to Skillit in all its dark, transparent glory. "We need to nab us a history book or two. Go find one!" Shadow looked at him before shivering in revolt. "Yes, I know you don't like libraries, but we need to figure out why Equestria's so...ugh, clean and peaceful. So, go get us a book or two. Now!" Shadow nodded and took off, while Skillit sat back, thinking on the matter. "I should probably find Discord, while I'm at it. Maybe he can explain what the heck is going on?" (Aaaaaand, back to Stanley.) After a while, Stanley and Twilight had made it back to her library, to find a means of returning him home. Once through the door Twilight's horn lit up immediately, her magic pulling books down to a nearby desk at an alarming speed. One that surprised Stanley. "So," said Twilight, "if it's portal magic we're dealing with, then we'll need some theoretical physics books, some magical physics books, theoretical magic, maybe some quantum physics, and even some old magic. Hm, I may have to consult Princess Celestia about that last one, she'll have more old tomes than I do." "Princess Celestia?" asked Stanley. "Th-that's the big white horse that -" "Pony," she said. "Sorry. Um, big pony with wings and a horn, the one that Fluttershy said rules Equestria. Right?" "She's an alicorn. But yes, that's her. She and her younger sister, Princess Luna, are the only two alicorns in Equestria, and they both rule. Well, mostly it's Princess Equestria. Princess Luna just came back from the moon a year ago, so -" "Wait, what? What do you mean, she came back from the moon?" "Oh, that's because a thousand years ago she became Nightmare Moon and tried to take over Equestria." (...as interesting as that sounds, I'm going to fast forward again. Gotta keep this story going, you know.) "So, let me get this straight," said Stanley. "Over a thousand years ago, Princesses Celestia and Luna ruled together, the day and the night." "Yes," Twilight said, sorting through books she pulled out. "They can each control the sun and the moon, both if necessary." "Yes." "But a thousand years ago, Princess Luna tried to take over, out of jealousy, and became, uh, Nightmare Moon?" "Correct." "A-and Celestia's been ruling, for over a thousand years, until Ni-nightmare Moon came back. Only to be turned back into Princess Luna by you and your friends?" "That's right." (Oops, fell short. Let's try that again.) After another few minutes of explanation Twilight was browsing through the books she had pulled off, looking at each one for a few seconds before writing some notes with a quill and looking at another. By now she had a large stack of papers almost as tall as she was, and she was working on a second one. Meanwhile, Stanley decided to look at the other books in the library. Currently he was attempting to pull out "Basic Pony Anatomy." And failing. As much time as he spent in this world, he hadn't quite gotten the grasp (heh) of how to grab things with his hooves, like how the other ponies did. He didn't have a horn, so magic was out. He was just about to try and grab it with his teeth, when a familiar purple aura grabbed his tail and pulled him away. The source: a Twilight with a slightly incredulous and irritated glare on her face. The kind only a librarian could give, when one of her books was about to be damaged. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked impatiently. "I-I was t-trying to grab a book," he said, nervous under her glare. "With you teeth?!" "I-I can't grab anything with these hooves," he said, holding his hooves up defensively. "I-I-I'm used to using fingers and hands!" "THAT DOESN'T...wait. Fingers?" "Y-yes?" "Then, that means when you - er, the Mask - put those gloves on...you're not really a pony, are you?" "...no, I'm not." Immediately the notes that Twilight was levitating next to herself dropped, and an excited look appeared on her face. A second later, she pulled up another piece of paper and quill. And she got uncomfortably close to Stanley and began to ask certain questions ("What species are you? What does your diet consist of? Are you and your species capable of using magic?") Stanley backed away uncomfortably, but Twilight would't give him space. He tried to answer her questions, but she was too fast and left him overwhelmed. For once he was tempted to don the Mask and slip out of there, but he figured that that would do more harm than good. Besides, it was on the other side of the room. Leaving him trapped against a wall by an overly curious mare shooting question after question at him. "I don't think I'm getting home as quick as I hoped." Author's Note I apologize for how long it took for me to write this chapter. And I cannot promise how long it'll take for me to write the other one. Honestly the only reason I wrote this one was because I'm procrastinating from getting homework done. Sad, I know, but that's truth for you. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. References to The Mask the movie here, which as I understand are mostly canon with the TV show. (if you want a quick guide to the font colors I used, her you go) The Mask is on the loose (limegreen) Stanley has it good (cornflowerblue) Twilight has it good. (violet) Fluttershy has it good (khaki) Applejack has it good (orange) Pinkie Pie has it good (pink) Rarity has it good (snow) Rainbow Dash has it good (cyan) Spike has it good (purple) Mayor Mare has it good (#EEDFCC) Skillit is sadistic (olive) Read this in dark so the words are white! I got a few bright colors here.
Prologue: Stanley's Day.It was the beginning of another normal day in Edge City. The traffic was loud; the air pollution lightly covered the sky; business moved on as usual. And the people were going on with their lives. Venders were vending, mailmen were delivering, cops were patrolling. Everything was as normal as it could be. Of course, every now and then they had to watch out for the Mask, their green-headed sometimes-a-hero-and-sometimes-a-pest-but-always-interesting civilian. Of course, very few of the citizens of Edge City knew the Mask’s real identity. Contrary to what many believed, underneath the green face was a normal bank worker. And his name was Stanley Ipkiss. Speaking of whom, our story starts with Stanley having just woken up and gotten dressed. Of course he was a little worn out from his adventure as the Mask the night before, one at a limbo party hosted by the mayor and somehow involving dancing hippos, a few giraffes, and one cannon of his own creation that he christened the Party Cannon. Nevertheless, here he was now, struggling in his seat to get his last shoe on. “Alright, c’mon!” he grunted at the shoe, struggling to get it on. “Today’s the day that makes or breaks my promotion, and I’m not going to be late because of a stupid shoe!” After finally getting it on, he got his briefcase from near the door, plucked his keys from where they were, and was about to walk out the door when he noticed his closet door was open. Propped up on the top shelf was the Mask, a dark green, wooden mask of apparent Nordic origin. As he saw it, he suddenly had the strange feeling that he would need it. But for what reason, he didn’t have a clue. “Well…it’s not like it would hurt to be prepared,” he mused, thinking about bringing it. “Ah, what’s there to worry about? It’s not like I really need it…yet. But then again, it’s not like I actually got rid of Pretorius, Kablamus, or Skillit, and wouldn’t they love to get to me while I don’t have it on me… *gulp*” And so, deciding not to risk it, he took the Mask and stored it in his briefcase before walking out the door. As he closed it, he silently sneaked passed his landlady’s door. He was already trying to get to work on time, and he didn’t need any of Mrs. Peenman yelling in his face. About two minutes later, he had successfully left the apartment complex without running into her. He sighed in relief as he stepped into his junk car, putting his key into the ignition and starting it up…or rather, trying to start it up. He turned the key and heard the engine attempting to start, but no luck the first time. It wasn’t until the third turn of the key that his poor excuse of a car started and he was able to pull onto the streets, pops and clunks coming from the car as it made its way towards Edge City Bank. “C’mon, don’t fail me now,” he said to his car as it sputtered towards his destination. “If I don’t get there on time, I can kiss that promotion goodbye.” It took him around thirty minutes, but he finally made it to the bank. “Finally, I made it,” he said, getting out of the car and walking up the steps. “Okay, I just have to walk through those doors, get to my desk, and make sure my workspace is orderly and set. Then Charlie would have no choice but to –“ “Oooohh Stan-leeeeeeey,” said a young voice behind him. “Huh?” he said, looking behind him. “…oh no. Not you! Not now!” Floating in front of Stanley was what one could describe as a dark imp version of Peter Pan, sporting dark green leotards, a tattered cape of the same color, spiky blue hair with streaks of white in the front, yellow eyes, and pale blue skin. He had a mischievous look in his eyes that said he didn’t mind shedding blood for entertainment. “Yes me, yes now!” he said with a smile and chuckle, revealing pointy teeth. “The one and only, Skillit! How’s it going, Stanley?” “W-w-w-what do you want with me, Skillit? I-if you want the Mask, then the answer is still no!” “Oh, you caught me! I was gonna ask you nicely…but then I remembered, where’s the fun in that?! So I decided to go with Plan B.” “Plan…B?” “Yup, Plan B. But first, you wouldn’t happen to have the Mask on you…would ya?” “Uh, ah, the Mask?” Stanley asked, trying to avoid looking at his briefcase. “Oh, it’s, uh, um, at home.” “Great! That makes Plan B easier.” “And, uh, what exactly does, um, Plan B involve?” “Well, you remember that book that opens those portals to the Shadow Land that allow me to come here every now and then? Back when I was throwing out those old toys I didn’t want anymore? Well, I found an old spare to it, and after doing some looking around in there I found an old spell an old friend of mine named Discord gave to me, one that leads to his world. And…well, how does this sound to you? A world filled with torture, chaos, madness, misery, and defiance of the laws of physics.” “Chaos and torture?! *gulp* That doesn’t sound good at all.” “Eh, maybe not to you, but hey! It’s a great vacation for me, or was back before I met the Mask.” “Wh…what’s your point?” “My point? Well, here’s Plan B for you: I open a portal to that world, toss you into said portal, and then I go look for the Mask and give it to someone more deserving. And since you don’t have it on you, what can you do to stop me? So, without further ado…” Skillit then pulled out a giant book from thin air and started reading from it. “Through the power in these old verses, open twixt the universes. Through doorway to chaos and misery, dump my enemy and grant me victory!” “Wow. I gotta admit: that was better than the last one.” “Hey, whatever works works.” Suddenly a white and blue portal of swirling energy opened behind Stanley, who looked at it in surprise. Before he could run away, however, Skillit grabbed him and, saying “say hi to Discord for me,” he tossed a screaming Stanley through the Portal, smiling as it closed behind him. “Finally, he’s gone! Now, to find the Mask and have some real fun!” Author's Note I own neither The Mask: The animated series nor My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The former, as far as my knowledge of it goes, belongs to Gary Hartle, and the latter belongs to Lauren Faust. From the perspective of The Mask: The Animated Series, this is several weeks after Have Mask, Will Travel.
Chapter 1: First Day in Equestria"...ow," groaned Stanley as he came to consciousness. "My back...why does my back hurt...wait...SKILLIT!" Stanley bolted up to a sitting position, wide awake with momentary panic as he remembered what had happened just moments ago. But what he saw confused him. Skillit had said he was going to send Stanley to a world of chaos and misery. Stanley had honestly expected a world very similar to that of the Shadow Land from which Skillit originated, which was a dark world full of monsters and demons, lacking in light and sun. What he wasn't expecting was to end up in a small room that only had beige walls, a small painting on one of said walls, a green door, a small bedside table, a mirror, and a small but comfortable bed. Not exactly what came to his mind when told 'chaos and misery'. "Okay...this wasn't what I was expecting," he said, looking around. "Maybe Skillit opened the wrong portal? Then again, maybe this is just a trick, an illusion...well, at least he didn't get the mask...wait...THE MASK!" He looked around in a panic and found his briefcase sitting on the bedside table, still snapped shut. After checking to make sure there weren't any holes in it (hey, it's his only briefcase) he unlatched and opened up the thing, revealing the green wooden mask that gave its eerie glow across its surface. "Oh, thank goodness it's safe," he said, closing the suitcase again. "At least nobody's taken it." As the words left his mouth, he saw the door open up. Standing there was...a yellow cartoon-like pony with pink hair and blue eyes, looking at him with concern. In his career as bearer of the Mask, he had come across many kinds of beings, including a mad scientist bent on spreading chaos, a disgruntled weather reporter who gained powers over the weather itself, a witch who could turn anything and everything into cheese, and even a blue-skinned imp who hailed from a hellish world. But while all of those beings were both malicious and strange, at least they were somewhat understandable (well, understandable for him, anyways). To Stanley, a yellow pony came completely from left field. And as if it was just to confuse him even more, said yellow pony began to speak. "Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed softly. "I'm glad. How are you feeling?" "...what?" he asked, trying to process what was going on in front of him. "I, um, asked how you are feeling. You're not hurt, are you?" "...I think I'm finally losing my mind," he said to himself. "Maybe I've been knocked unconscious from falling out of Skillit's portal and this is a dream...then again, he did say this was a world of chaos. Maybe talking horses is part of it?" "Um, Mister?" she asked again. "Oh, uh...well, now that you mention it, my back is pretty sore. I must have landed hard on it when I came out of that portal...um, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" "Oh,um...I'm Fluttershy," she said, suddenly self-conscious. "...uh, I'm sorry. What was that?" "I'm...Fluttershy." Before Stanley could react, a carrot stub bounced off of her head, prompting the two to look towards the door. Standing there was a white rabbit with an intelligent glare on its face, glaring at Fluttershy with a look that, to the pegasus, spoke a silent message. Chalk one more for the list of strange things Stanley had ever encountered: a bunny with an attitude. "You're right, Angel," she said, nodding in agreement to whatever it said (or didn't say, as it was). "I need to be more assertive...Mister, my name is Fluttershy." "Fluttershy, huh?" he asked, a soft and curious smile forming on his face. "That's a...interesting name. Can't, uh, say I've heard of it...I-I-I-I'm Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss." "It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Ip...kiss?" she asked, hoping she was pronouncing it correctly. "So, what was a stallion like yourself doing passed out on my yard?" "Oh, I, uh-uh apologize for that! You see I...wait. Did you just call me a stallion?" "Yes." "As in...a horse?" "No, not a horse. A pony." "Uh...look, Miss...Fluttershy? I can accept the fact that I'm talking to a horse...or pony, if that's how you call it. But how can I...I...what?" As Stanley was in the middle of that sentence, he had taken that opportunity to look down at himself. What he saw stopped his words cold. For one, he didn't have hands. Instead, he had hooves, cartoonish just like Fluttershy and the same color blue as his usual suit. In fact, his legs and body were also of the same blue. Seeing the mirror to his left, he stumbled out of bed and brought himself to the mirror, seeing his body for the first time since he woke up. He was no longer a human being. Stanley Ipkiss was now a blue pony with brown mane-and-tail. Like most people would, he handled it the best he could in such a situation. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Fluttershy instinctively jumped behind the bed in fear from Stanley's sudden outburst. When she realized what was happening she pulled herself out from behind and watched as Stanley began to have a panic attack. A very loud panic attack. "WHA-WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME?!" he exclaimed, stumbling away from the mirror. "I'VE BECOME A HORSE! I'M NOT EVEN WEARING THE MASK AND I'M A HORSE!" "S-Stanley? Please, calm down!" Fluttershy tried to say over his voice. "CALM DOWN?! I CAN'T CALM DOWN, I'VE BECOME A HORSE!!" (Aaaaaand fast-forward to five minutes later...) "There you go," she said in a soothing voice, gently patting Stanly on the shoulder. "Feel better?" "Much," said Stanley, having been breathing into a brown paper bag for some time now. "Good. Now, tell me what's wrong," she said in a motherly voice. "Well...here's the thing: I'm not actually a pony; I'm a human...or, at least I was." "A human? What's that? A kind of animal?" "No...well, technically, yes. I mean, uh...well, humans are sorta like...hairless monkeys?" "Hairless monkeys?" "Yes, hairless monkeys, except for our heads. Only we walk on our back legs and don't crouch when we walk, a-a-and we wear clothes." Fluttershy took a moment to try to imagine that. (And for your reading pleasure, here's a thought bubble) First she imagined a chimpanzee standing straight up. She then imagined said monkey losing all hair except for the top of its head. After that she imagined it wearing dress and walking around in it. Needless to say, it certainly brought a chuckle out of her. "W-what's so funny?" asked Stanley. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that imagining a hairless monkey wearing a dress is kind of funny." "A dress? Well...the women do wear dresses...um, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Oh, sure! Go right ahead." "Well...how, exactly, did I end up here in this room? And how did you find me?" "Oh, well, I brought you in here when I found you passed out in front of my house. I was walking home from the market when there was this sudden wind that came out of nowhere. When it stopped, you had suddenly appeared on my yard...um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you end up passed out on my yard?" "Well, uh, it's a funny story, actually. Well, no, not really funny, more like horrible." "Horrible?! Oh dear, please! Tell me what happened!" "Well...I was on my way to work at the bank this morning. I was in a rush because I wanted to get there early so as to gain that promotion. I was just at the door when Skillit came and threw me into a portal." "Skillit?" "Oh right, he's this blue-skinned imp who likes to cause trouble for everyone, sort of like an evil Peter Pan." "Peter Pan? What's that?" "...this may take a while."
Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan and into the House Fire(yeah, no offense to ya'll out there, but I'm gonna fast forward a little...aaaand here we go!) Stanley spent most of the day explaining concepts and facts of the human world, such as human society, their money system, and even more personal things like his friends and where he lived, and in return Fluttershy explained about her world and her life. While Stanley was fascinated by the concept of Pegasi being able to manipulate the weather and Unicorns capable of using magic, the fact that Stanley lived in a polluted city didn't sit well with Fluttershy, who had lived in both a quaint-but-clean village named Ponyville and in a city in the sky called Cloudsdale. ("And I thought Edge City was a ridiculous name.") In fact, according to Fluttershy, not many places in Equestria, the country they were in, were polluted. Almost every place there was clean. This fact stunned Stanley, who had lived in Edge City for all of his life. In search of proof, Stanley walked - or rather, stumbled his way out the door to see what it was like outside. And considering he hadn't been out of Edge City for at least a year, he was caught off guard by the bright sunlight, the clear sky, and the clean air. It was...intoxicating for him, giving him a certain energy that he decided to put to use in walking around. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything for his clumsiness. Which, by the way, was amplified thanks to his two extra legs. The result: he ended up bumping into so many things that his body was covered in bruises and scrapes, his head dizzy from too many hits to the head. Fluttershy found him and dragged him back in to nurse his injuries, as well as feed the both of them since dinner was getting close. In the end he ended up spending the night since he had no other place to stay at, but not before asking Fluttershy to keep his origins as a human a secret for the time being. And now here we are, at the next morning. The sun was beginning to shine through the window and shone upon Stanley's face, interrupting his sleep. He groaned and slowly began to wake up to the day, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. As his vision began to come back, he sat up and looked around the room. He realized that something was sitting next to him. Something big...and pink...and with blue eyes staring right at him from three inches away. It took him a good two seconds before he realized what he was looking at: a pink pony staring him right in the face. "Hi there!" she said in a high-pitch voice. "AAAAH!" he exclaimed, backing away and falling off the side of his bed. "Wh-who are you, what are you doing here, what do you want?!" "I'm Pinkie Pie!" she exclaimed, suddenly at his side and bouncing up and down. "I'm here because Fluttershy asked me to come here. Well, not here in the room, just here in the house. She asked me to help with the animals. As for what I want...weeeeelllllllll, I want to make a party so super-duper fantastic that everypony remembers it! I'd like to throw you a party, but Fluttershy asked me not to. But if I could, it'd have balloons, streamers, punch, a biiiiig cake, some cupcakes; I also wanna bake the world's best cupcake, which I tried once before. It ended up exploding and needed less butter. Ooh, ooh. I also wanna make sure my friends never get sad, because if they get sad then I get sad, and if I get sad they become even more sad, and if they become even more sad, then I - ooh,that's right! You're new in town! What's your name?!" (and all of this was said in the span of thirty seconds) "Uh...what?" Stanley asked, trying to process what she said. "My-my name? S-Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss." "Stanley Ipkiss? That's a funny name! I like it! Stanley Ipkiss, Stanley Ipkiss, Stanley Ipkiss! It's almost as fun to say as pickle-barrel, or kumquat! Pickle-barrel kumquat! Pickle-barrel kumquat! Pickle -" "WAIT!" Stanley yelled. "Wha-what do you mean that Fluttershy asked you to come here?" "Oh, Fluttershy asked me to come by yesterday so I could help her take care of the animals, and in return she'd give me new food for Gummy! He's my pet baby alligator, and he's teething, so I need to change his food." "Pet...alligator?" "Uh huh! I brought him here with me. He's with Fluttershy right now." Speaking of, Fluttershy walked into the room at that moment to come into the room, followed by the same white rabbit from before and a tiny green alligator. If one looked closely at said alligator, they could see the beginnings of white in the baby alligator's mouth. This definitely confused Stanley, who was sure that alligators were born with their teeth. Gummy waddled its way to Pinkie Pie, its eyes staring at Stanley with an almost lifeless look in them...which changed to a suspicious glare in about two seconds, like Gummy could sense that Stanley wasn't what he appeared to be. Something about that gator made Stanley nervous. "Uh...I don't think Gummy likes me." "Oh, don't be silly!" said Pinkie, picking him up with both hooves. "He's just grumpy from his teething! Right, Gummy?" In response, Gummy began to snap at Stanley, biting only on air but still unnerving the blue stallion. He was starting to worry about what would happen when that gator had its full set of teeth when Fluttershy walked up to him with that cute smile of hers. Somehow it had a calming effect on him, as well as on Gummy. Maybe it was her knowledge and experience with animals? Whatever it was, Stanley was thankful for it. "How are you feeling, Mr. Ipkiss?" she asked. "Oh, you can call me Stanley," he said with a smile. "And I feel much better, actually. Thank you!" "Oh, it was my pleasure! I enjoy helping animals and ponies alike." "Oh! Well, that's, uh, really sweet of you." "Oh, um...thank you," she said. "...so, do you feel up to walking to town today? I know somepony who may be able to help get you home." "You need help getting home?" Pinkie asked, coming up to Stanley. "Where do you live? Canterlot? Fillydelphia? Los Pegasus?" "Uh...Edge City?" "Edge City? Ooh, I like the sound of that! Sounds edgy! I've never heard of that city before! Where's it at?" "Well...can you keep a secret from anyone, er, anypony else? And promise not to tell?" "A secret? Of course I can! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" As she said this, she made strange movements with her hoof, ending with her sticking her hoof in her eye. Despite the eye being closed, the action still made Stanley wince momentarily. "Well...I'm not from this world." *GASP!!!* "You're an alien?!" "Well...technically. See, I'm not actually a pony. I'm a human." "A human? What's that?" "Well, uh...a hairless monkey that walks on two legs with its back straight...anyways, I ended up here because an enemy of mine threw me through a portal that he opened with a magic spell, and now I need someone to help me get home." "Magic spell?" interrupted Pinkie. "Then Twilight Sparkle would be the pony to go to for help. Ooh, that reminds me! I need to borrow a book from Twilight about teething alligators! Sorry, guys, but I'll see you over at Twilight's! And with that Pinkie, grabbing Gummy and putting him in her mane, went out the door and left for Twilight's house. Stanley couldn't help but give a sigh of relief now that that pink pony was gone. "I'm sorry if Pinkie caused you any trouble; she can be a hoof-full." "More like an earful," he said, rubbing his ears. "Is she always like that?" "Well, she has met somepony that she's never met before...so no. Normally she would have run off and throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for you. The only reason why she didn't was because I asked her not to, and even then it won't last long. Sooner or later she'll throw you one." "Really? A-a party? Gosh, that...that's really nice of her. I...I haven't been thrown a party since I graduated from high school." "Huh?" "Oh, uh, nothing! So, uh, how's about we head on over to Twilight's house right now?" Twenty minutes had passed before they actually left the house. Those twenty minutes were spent by Fluttershy trying to teach Stanley how to walk properly in his current body. By the time that was accomplished and they were out of the house (along with the Mask in a borrowed saddle bag, just in case. And yes, Fluttershy saw the mask but did not get an explanation as to what it was for), ten minutes had passed before they reached the gates of Ponyville. All the while Stanley couldn't help but admire the view. Like before, he was dazzled by the bright sunlight and the fresh air. Add to it the nice scenery and Stanley was definitely hooked. ("I think I might just move here.") And now they were walking through Ponyville, a town of simple but nice buildings far smaller than what Stanley was used to. It was, by any city-dweller's standards, small. And clean, just like Fluttershy had said the day before. Stanley couldn't help but look around at the houses and small buildings around him. While he had been to small towns back on his home world, none of them were like this one, with its cleanliness, its vivid colors, or even its cozy atmosphere. He always felt out of place in small towns, and while this was no exception today, at least here he felt welcomed. No pony gave him weird stares or whispered to themselves while looking at him, no pony stopped talking and stare when they would see him. He actually felt welcomed. Eventually they made it to Twilight's place, and Stanley had to stop and stare at the building. Now Fluttershy had explained that she was the town librarian and lived in the library. What she didn't explain was that the library was built into a giant oak tree, complete with windows on its trunk and a balcony or two at the edges of its branches. How it was still standing was beyond him. One thing was clear: there was little chance of forgetting what it looked like. Stanley followed Fluttershy as she walked up to the door and knocked on it. Four seconds later, the door opened to reveal a purple dragon with green frills and eyes, a head shorter than Fluttershy, and crunching on (making Stanley and me cringe) a ruby the size of Stanley's fist (or hoof, in the current situation). "Hey, Fluttershy," he said with a smile. "Nice to see ya again." "It's nice to see you too, Spike," she said with a smile. "Is Twilight around?" "Yeah. She's upstairs, reading a new book she ordered...who's this guy?" "Oh, this is Stanley. He, um, came to Ponyville by accident." "Accident? What's that mean?" "Oh, well, it's kinda funny...well, okay, not really. See, I was thrown into a magic portal and ended up at Fluttershy's house." "Magic portal, eh? Well, you came to the right place. Come on in, I'll get Twilight down." Stanley and Fluttershy walked into the room, the former looking around. Like most libraries, bookshelves filled with books were everywhere. Unlike those libraries, these shelves were carved out of the inside of the tree, just like most things in the house. Stanley had to wonder what kind of architect could make such a house out of a tree, not to mention how much they got paid to do it. His curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to one bookshelf and read the titles of some of the books. Most of them involved ponies somehow or another ("'Dancing for Ponies with Four Left Hooves,' 'Proper Pony Mannerisms and You,' 'How to Babysit a Foal'.") While the titles were bizarre to him, they still fascinated him. So engrossed was he that he didn't notice the purple unicorn approaching him. "Need help looking for anything?" "AAAAAHH!!" yelled Stanley, jumping three feet in the air in startled reaction. "Oh. Sorry about that. I, uh, didn't notice you there." "It's alright," she said, rubbing her ear. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, librarian of the Golden Oaks Library." "I-I'm Stanley, Stanley Ipkiss," he said, instinctively holding out his hoof. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ipkiss," she said, hoofbumping him. "Spike mentioned something about you having magic issues?" "Yes, well, I was thrown into a portal and -" "A portal?! That's highly advanced magic! And you said you were thrown into one?" "Yes, by a psychotic blue-skinned imp named Skillit!" "An imp? That's impossible. Imps aren't real, they're just myths." "So?" asked Pinkie Pie, suddenly next to Stanley. "AAAH! Whe-where'd you come from?!" "The front door, silly!. Aaaaanyways, Twilight, we've seen PLEEEENTY of things that were only supposed to be myths! Sonic Rainbooms, my Pinkie Sense, time travel, and Nightmare Moon!" "Well...you have a point...but even if imps are real, if it's a portal that it used, I'd need the spell that the imp used in order to send you back home...incidentally, where are you from?" Stanley looked to Fluttershy and Pinkie. He had already trusted his secret with two of the natives. Was he safe to trust it with another. They both smiled and nodded, signifying they trusted Twilight. Nodding back, he closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and beginning. "Well...the thing is, I'm not from this world. I'm from another world, in a different universe." "...what?" "Yeah," he said, looking down now. "A-a-aaand in that universe, I'm from a city called, well, Edge City. Not exactly an original name, I know, but...where are you going?" "To the basement," she said, now standing in front of some downward stairs. "Could you please follow me, Mr. Ipkiss?" "Uh...sure, I guess," he said, following her. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked at each other for a moment before following as well. Down at the basement there were several different kinds of machines and chemistry sets and books, much to Stanley's surprise. From what he had noticed in the town during his walk with Fluttershy, everything about Ponyville had seemed simple and low-tech. Finding machines such as what he saw then and there was quite surprising. It made him wonder how far this world's technology had progressed so far. That in mind, he couldn't help but wonder what he was looking at. Specifically, he was wondering about the giant metal box with wires and switches that looked like it belonged to a Frankenstein movie, the one that Twilight was using magic via her now-glowing horn to rearrange some wires and switches. "Uh...Twilight? What is that...that thing you're working on?" "This old thing? This is a body sensor. I once tried to use it to observe and measure Pinkie Pie's mysterious Pinkie Sense." "Her...Pinkie Sense?" "Yup! My Pinkie Sense! It tells me when something good or bad is about to happen around me. If my tail begins to twitch, then that means stuff's about to fall! And when my nose is itchy, it means to watch out for angry bees!" "Uh...okay?" "Disregarding Pinkie's mysterious predictions, I can make some adjustments to the body sensor so as to convert it into a polygraph." "A polygraph...you mean a lie detector? What for?" "As amazing as your tale sounds, Mr. Ipkiss -" "Oh, please! Call me Stanley." "Very well. As amazing as your tale sounds, Stanley, I'm afraid that I have my doubts. You're not the first pony to have come to me with the claims of being from another world or to have a close encounter with an alien," she said, looking at Pinkie Pie as she said it. "What? It was Jest-and-Laugh day, we're supposed to pull pranks on each other on that day!" "Right...well regardless, I'm going to have to ask you some questions to see if you're telling the truth or not." "...well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I mean, so long as you don't ask anything too personal." "Don't worry. These are all going to be objective and on the subject, minus some testing questions to see if the equipment is working or not. Just give me a few more seconds to adjust some things...and we're done! Now, just step up to the table-like apparatus and prop your forelegs on top of the clamps, and I'll take care of the rest." Stanley couldn't help but stare apprehensively at the contraption. In the past, he had been strapped to and locked into multiple machines and holding tables thanks to Edge City's local mad scientist, Pretorius. One of the few villains who knew of Stanley's alternate persona as the Mask, he has at multiple times clashed with Stanley in both forms. Whenever Stanley would be missing the Mask, their confrontations would mostly involve him being a victim to one of Pretorius' sadistic experiments or tortures, such as killer lasers almost cutting him or a pain tolerance-testing chair (that last one, Pretorius hadn't even hit the on switch and Stanley had already been in pain from the chair) Stanley couldn't help but swallow nervously and look back at the other two girls. They both nodded reassuringly, indicating that they trusted Twilight's choice. With that, he faced the machine and approached it, placing his forelegs on the apparatus. Twilight used her magic to clamp the restraints shut around his legs, and for a moment he had to keep himself from panicking. After that she levitated a strange head device before placing it on his head and hooking it up to the big machine. Finally she flipped a switch, and the whole thing came to life. Out of one slot flowed out some paper with a small, wavy line on it like any other polygraph paper. "Alright, let's give it a test run. Is it true that your coat is blue?" "My...my coat?" "Your current body color." "Oh! Yes, it's true." "Hm...seems to be working. What's four times four?" "Sixteen." "If you have a job, where do you work?" "At a bank." "Your least favorite color?" "...green." "Alright. Now let's try a lie. Are you a mare? A female?" "Uh...yes, yes I am." "Hm...definitely working. But that was a planned lie...do you have any trouble, as most ponies would say, getting a date for Saturday night?" "Trouble getting...what?! Nooo, of course not!" The polygraph lines became bigger, signifying that Stanley was lying (and everypony there could see it). While Stanley was starting to panic a little, Twilight was just observing the polygraph chart, Fluttershy was politely staying quiet, and Pinkie Pie was eating a cupcake that Stanley had no idea on where it came from (and neither do I). "It definitely is working," she said. "I apologize for that last question, Stanley, but I had to know for certain if the polygraph wasn't malfunctioning. From now on, I'll keep the questions as far away from being personal as I can." "Th-thank you," he said. relieved but still embarrassed. "Now, let's get down to business: where do you live?" "Well, I live in a city called Edge City." "Hmm...and where is that located?" "On the Western Seaborg of the United States...p-planet Earth." "Planet Earth? Okay, now you have to...wait, the polygraph. It...it says you're not lying. But, but that's -" "Like my Pinkie Sense?" interrupted Pinkie. "...okay, I'll give. I don't know how it's possible, but at least for now you're telling the truth. For now, I'll believe you and see if I can help." "Well, that's good...uh, does this mean I can get out of these clamps now?" "Of course. Just give me a second to -" "TWILIGHT!" called out a voice from up above. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" "Down here, Rainbow Dash!" The basement door flew open, and in ran a bright-blue pegasus with rainbow-colored mane and tail, looking frantic as she approached the violet pony. "We've got a problem! A few houses and buildings have sprung up on green fire, and every time we try to put them out they just get bigger and spread out faster!" "What?! Green fire?! That's enchanted fire! C'mon, we need to gather every unicorn in town!" Twilight ran out of the room, followed by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash...leaving Stanley strapped onto the machine. "Hey, wait a minute!" he called out. "What about me?! HEY!! They didn't hear him, leaving him to try and undo the clamps. Surprisingly, though, it didn't take as long to undo them (about ten seconds, really) before taking off the headpiece and giving chase after Twilight and the others (or stumbling and tripping several times while trying to run, depending on one's interpretation of the situation). Most ponies that he passed by were panicking, running away from the flaming houses and causing even more panic. And with good reason: those houses that Stanley saw were on fire, some of the flames actually jumped from one house to another or jumped to the ground shaped like miniature ponies or imps and chased after other ponies, almost like they were alive. Eventually he found Twilight in the center of town among a group of unicorns, directing said unicorns to different fires before they headed out. "Twilight!" he called out as he approached her. "What's going on?! Why is there green fire spreading all over town?!" "I don't know about why it's here, but what I do know is what kind of fire it is: enchanted fire. It's a type of magical fire that comes to life with one purpose in mind: to burn everything it can touch." "Living fire that wants to burn everything? WHO CAME UP WITH THAT KIND OF THING?!" "I know. What's worse is that the only way to put it out is with magic, so I've gathered every unicorn -" "Wait, hold on! Did you say 'magic'?" "Yes! Like I said, that's why I'm gathering every unicorn in town to put it out. But even with all of the unicorns here, I'm not sure we'll be enough." "...I think I know how I can help." "What? How?" "Just promise me that you will keep it a secret, and then everything will be okay." "...alright. I promise." Satisfied, Stanley pulled off his saddle bag and pulled out his well-guarded mask ("Please, help everyone out just this once."). Once he had a good grasp on it, he put it on. And when I say he put it on, I mean that as soon as it got close enough it actually jumped onto his face and began to stretch all over his head, to Twilight's horror. Within four seconds, Stanley suddenly spun like a twister, going from blue to yellow as he swiftly sped around the center of town before stopping and standing in the middle of town. And lo and behold, Stanley was no longer Stanley. Standing on his hind hooves, dressed in a yellow zoot suit with a matching hat and a red tie with black spots, stood Stanley's alter ego. This was the legendary sometimes-hero of Edge City, the Mask. "Sssssssssssssssmokin'!" Author's Note It took me a while to make this, but I'm finally done! Subject to editing and change in the future. Please comment on it, be it complements, insults, critiques, advice, etc!
Chapter 3: Water Games and Appreciation"Saayyyy," said the Mask, looking around himself. "Some-thing definitely feels different...hmm, maybe it's the threads, the pants certainly don't feel all there." That's when he noticed that he had no pants on, letting loose a high-pitch screech ("I'M INDECENT!") before rushing off into a nearby clothing store and coming back with some yellow fabric (all within record time of two seconds). As he came back, he spun in a miniature twister and was now changed in a worker woman's attire, sitting on a sewing table with a sewing machine, sporting gray hair in a bun. "I tell you, kids nowadays and their smaller clothes are getting ridiculous," he said in a womanly voice. "Sooner or later there won't be anything left to cover them up, and then where will they be?!" One more second passed before he spun again, now fitted with yellow pants to match his suit. "Muuch better! Hmm, something still feels off. I can't put my finger on it. *notices hooves* HEY!! No wonder I can't put my finger on it, I have no fingers to put on! (He pulled out some white rubber gloves and put them on his hooves, blowing into the thumbs so as to inflate them and moving them like he really had hands) Muuuch better!" "Stanley?" Twilight asked apprehensively. "Is every -" "Sshh," he said, rushing to Twilight before putting a hoof on her mouth. "Uno momento, purple horsie." He dug his hoof into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a full body-sized mirror, placing it in front of him and looking at his equine self's reflection. "Well, this is a new one," he said, face close to the mirror. "I've been left stuck in other forms and styles before, but not like this. Time for a species change." He spun again, attempting to have a change of form. The result: he now wore a suit similar to Stanley's suit back in their home world and sported bunny ears, but otherwise remained as a pony. "Say, what gives?! I can't change back! Hm, maybe there's something in the manual?" "Stanely? What about -" "Let's see," he said, now reading from a giant book titled The Mask and You. "The Mask has the power to change form and species whenever he or she desires." "Stanley -" "However, should the wearer of the Mask have their own species changed through powerful magical means prior to wearing Mask, then Mask's forms will be limited to current species, aside from momentary transformations." "Stanley-" "Sooo, that must mean that Stanley got turned into a horse with some grade-A hocus pocus, meaning that I can't pull of the same -" "STAAANLEYY!!!" Twilight finally yelled, making the Mask wince before going up to her face (and conveniently back in his yellow suit and hat) "You know, I CAN YELL LOUDER THAN YOU!! Now, what do you want?" Twilight, momentarily dazed from the loud volume of the Mask's yell, glared at him and pointed a hoof behind him. He turned and saw the green flames all around the town, burning down buildings and chasing after other ponies. "Oh. Weeell, that's a problem. Have you ever considered calling the fire department?" "Ugh," she groaned in frustration. "I already told you, Stanley! This is enchanted fire! Only magic can put it out! And you said -" "Hold up there, sister!" he said, putting a hoof on her mouth again. "First of all, I'm not Stanley! I am the Mask! Second of all, did you say...magic?" Twilight nodded, prompting the Mask into spin-changing his wardrobe again. This time he was in a cheesy magician's outfit, blue sparkly jacket with blue sparkly pants, donning a white cape and a white top hat while holding a magician's wand. Finding a little flame gremlin, he waved his wand ("Alakazam!") and shot magic sparkles at it. Said sparkles made the thing go *poof* and disappear. Turning to a burning house, he took off his hat and waved his wand over the opening ("Abra Kadabra!"). Out shot a torrent of water that filled the house from the window, flooding it and putting out the fire. In the process he flushed out three ponies that were trapped in the house, one stallion and two fillies that were a little disoriented from the ordeal. He rushed to the next house and spun-changed into a fire-fighter with a fire hose (connected to an unseen fire hydrant, I'm assuming) before sticking it into the side of the house and turning up the pressure. The result: the house got filled with water and began to bulge, putting out the fire inside while making everything in it that wasn't bolted down float, such as the furniture and a plant. That's when he noticed five little fire monsters rushing towards him, ready to light him up. In defense, he went do the door and opened it ("Oh, want to get in? Here, let me get the door for you!"), letting out a torrent of water that obliterated the fire monsters and released most of the furniture and three occupants: two ponies and a cat ("Now ya'll remember: don't play with matches!") He rushed to other houses and put them out in similar fashions, spin-changing several times and putting out monsters and houses in many bizarre ways before he finally had the last of the flame monsters running. "Weeeell, that wasn't so hard," he said, watching the rest of the fire beings retreat before changing into a army general's uniform. "Looks like we got em on the run, private!" "No," Twilight said in horror. "They're not retreating, they're regrouping. Look!" True to what Twilight said, the remaining fire monsters gathered into one group, combining and turning into one bigger flame monster that kept growing. The result: a two-story bipedal green-flame monster that began to attack every pony and building it could, demolishing most of the buildings it could reach while also lighting their remains on fire. Some of the other unicorns Twilight had organized before Stanley had reached her approached the monster and attempted to use their magic to put it out, shooting magic bolts at it or levitating water before throwing said water against it. While it was obvious that the efforts were at least putting it in pain, the thing just shrugged it off before it attacked them all, scattering them before it resumed its rampage. "Well that's depressing," he said, rubbing his chin. "Any ideas, Purple?" "I-I don't know! This has never happened before! I don't know what to do!" "Hmm...one moment there, Purple. I'll be right back," he said before rushing to a random point in town. "HEY, NARRATOR!!!" (Huh? Me?) "Yeah I'm talking to you! Got any ideas?!" (Ideas? Why should I tell you anything? You and Stanley are the heroes, not me.) "Weeeell, this is a kid's show. You really wanna make all them kids out there have nightmares of giant flaming monsters destroying their homes and chasing after them?" (Huh, you have a point...I dunno, maybe a tidal wave from the top of the hill to put out the flames and the monster?) "Tidal wave...oooh, that gives me an idea!" He rushed over to the outskirts of town, now dressed as a construction worker outfit and holding several supplies in his arms, such as wood, bricks, a jackhammer, and even copious amounts of duct tape. Spinning in his trademark twister, he began to construct a giant brick wall that surrounded Ponyville (all in record time of ten seconds, too). That done, he zipped up to the top of a nearby hill, clad in his magician garb, and waved his wand. The result: a giant red fire hydrant. That created, he spun-changed into a firefighter's outfit and pulled out a giant ax. "HEY BARBECUE!!!" he yelled, getting the monster's attention. "TIME FOR A BATH!!!" He swung the ax down on on the hydrant, unleashing a giant torrent of water that shot into town, creating a giant tidal wave that hit the monster and, despite its struggling, put it out. What it also did was flood the town, putting out the rest of the fires and making everypony and everything that wasn't bolted down to the ground float up to the rooftops. The Mask observed his work and, taking the cap that he cut off, slammed the hydrant shut. He then proceeded to duct tape it shut, resulting in it being cocooned in duct tape. That done, he rushed back into town and, now clad in an old-fashioned men's bathing suit, jumped right into the water with a big splash. When he came up, he was sitting on a floater ring with a ducky head. "Yup, nothing like a nice swim on a hot day." "Mask!" yelled Twilight, swimming towards him. "What have you done?!" "I did what you asked and put out the fires and monsters, all while making a nice, town-sized pool. Not bad, eh?" "That's exactly the problem now! You've flooded the town! How are we supposed to fix the damage if we can't even get to our houses?!" "Hmm...you have a point there. OKAY, EVERYBODY OUT OF THE POOL!!" He dived into the water and turned his head into a drill, spinning it against the ground and drilling a tunnel leading out of town that drained the water out, creating a giant whirlpool that swept around everything and everpony that was still in the water. Twenty seconds later, the town was completely drained. While everypony else was busy with recovering and wondering what had happened, the Mask, now in yellow suit, stood to the side and observed his work. "Looks like everything's alright," he said. "All those waterworks sure made me hungry. Hmm, I wonder if this place has any good pizza?" "Hey!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she suddenly popped up next to him. "You're the one who saved the town with the water!" "Well, I don't like to brag...oh, who am I kidding? YUP!! That was all me, definitely me! Did you enjoy the show, kid?" "Did I?! First you went all magician-y and zapped the monsters away, and then you became a firefighter and put the water out, and then you became a baseball player and knocked the monsters towards the unicorns so they could put it out, and then you were a bullfighter, and then you were a kung-fu guy, and then you flooded the town and turned it into a giant swimming pool! I kinda wish we could have swum for a little longer, though." "I know, right?! The only reason why I drained it was because the purple unicorn told me to! Honestly, sometimes I think no one appreciates what I do for them." "Oh, I'm sure they appreciate what you did. Look behind you." The Mask turned around and saw, to his surprise, other ponies approaching him. There were at least twenty or so coming towards him. Most smiled while others stared in wonder. One particular pony with gray hair, light amber coat, and glasses approached him, grabbing his glove (did I forget to mention he still had those on?) and shook it. "Thank you for your heroic deeds," she said with a smile. "While there will be some extra water damage, Ponyville is now safe thanks to you, Mister..." "Mask," he said with a smile. "The Mask, if you will." "...well, thank you again, Mr. Mask. Is there any way we can repay you?" "Weeeell...you wouldn't happen to have a good pizza place, would you?" Back in Edge City, Skillit was frustrated. He couldn't find any trace of the mask anywhere. Currently he was sitting on the top of Edge City bank, contemplating on what to do while his shadow hovered next to him. "I don't understand," he said to his shadow. "Why can't I find it? Stanley admitted that he didn't have it on him, so I chucked him into the portal. I looked all over his apartment and couldn't find it. I even looked where his friends live, still nothing...unless...unless he lied to me! He still has it on him! Oh, I'm going to kill him! C'mon, Shadow! Time to pay old Discord a visit!" Author's Note (if you want a quick guide to the font colors I used, her you go) The Mask is on the loose (limegreen) Stanley has it good (cornflowerblue) Twilight has it good. (violet) Fluttershy has it good (khaki) Applejack has it good (orange) Pinkie Pie has it good (pink) Rarity has it good (snow) Rainbow Dash has it good (cyan) Spike has it good (purple) Mayor Mare has it good (#EEDFCC) Skillit is sadistic (olive) As I've said before, this is subject to editing and change in the future. Please comment on it, be it complements, insults, critiques, advice, pointing out mistakes I've made, etc!
Chapter 4: Repairs and ExplanationsTwenty minutes later... "MAN, that's some good cheese pizza!" he exclaimed, patting his now bloated belly with a hoof. "Would have been better with Pepperoni. Oh well." While the Mask had been eating, some of the ponies had sat down with him and asked him questions. Where he was from ("Well, you know the story about when Mommy and Daddy really love each other? Well, that happened in a big place called Edge City."). What his name was. ("I, my equine friends, am The Mask!) And what he was doing in Ponyville. ("You know, that's a very good question! I'm gonna have to ask Stanley that one.") Meanwhile, the rest of the ponies had begun to clean up the damage. By the time the Mask had finished eating, all of the debris had been cleared off and the house repairs had begun. The rest of the ponies that had been talking to him had joined with the rest "Wow, you guys sure clean up quick. How do you do it?" "This isn't the first disaster Ponyville's faced before," said Twilight, approaching the Mask while levitating a blueprint next to herself. "We've been under attack and had several accidents before. Though that Enchanted Fire was dangerous, it wasn't the worst we've been through." "Oh really? That giant flame monster seemed pretty dangerous to me. What could be worse than that?" "The Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos, Discord.That's what's worse." "Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos?!" he exclaimed, now in a reporter's outfit with a notepad. "That sounds terrible, frightful, utterly cliched! Please, do tell more! What makes him so terrible?" "Very well. For starters, he can change everything around him to whatever form he desires with just a snap of his fingers. One second he's looking at some trees, and the next thing you know he's made them capable of walking. He looked at some rabbits and gave them five-foot long deer legs. He made houses hang upside down in the air, the sun and the moon kept rising and falling over and over in a matter of seconds, and he even made the clouds rain chocolate and the apples grow to pony size. But the worst part of it all: he turned everypony into opposites of themselves. Kind ponies were cruel, honest ones were liars, loving ones became hateful, smart ones became unintelligent, all for the sake of his amusement...come to think of it, you have powers similar to his!" "Moi? What ever do you mean, Purple?" "...okay, first of all, my name isn't Purple. It's Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Second, you can materialize object out of thin air on a whim, change your appearance just with a spin, even bend some of the rules of both magic and reality itself! Think about it: you shot water out of a top hat into a house lit by enchanted fire, which somehow put it out. You then filled another house with water by sticking a fire hose into the wall, somehow making it inflate like a balloon before letting it all out with an open door. You even conjured a giant fire hydrant from random materials that you somehow got your hooves on and unleashed a torrent that, while putting out the monster, also flooded Ponyville like a giant pool." "...and you're saying that I'm similar to this Discord guy?" "YES!" "Hmm...minus the turning people into jerks part, this Discord guy actually sounds kinda fun!" "Fun? FUN?! You think he sounds FUN?!!" "Yeeees, all except for turning ponies into their opposites and jerks," he said, now in his yellow suit and pants. "See, I enjoy a good audience as much as the next entertainer, but only when their reactions are authentic! We comedians can tell when someone's laugh is fake. It comes with the trade." "Comedian? You think you're funny?" "I do!" said Pinkie Pie, suddenly popping up next to Twilight. "HEY, it's you! I was hoping to see you again, Pinks! Where've you been?" "I was helping out with the repairs, silly! My home, Sugar Cube Corner, also got damaged, so I was busy helping with the repairs there! Oh, that reminds me. Twilight, Glitter Shine needs that blueprint as soon as possible." "Right, I'll get it to her now," she said to Pinkie, turning to the Mask with a glare. "We're not done here, Mask." With that said, Twilight walked off with the blue print. "Wow, that's one no-nonsense cookie. She always like that?" "Nah, that's nothing. There was one time she went Obsessive Compulsive over trying to figure out how my Pinkie Sense worked, and she literally burst into flames by the end of it all...although, she does get like that when she starts talking about Discord. Did she mention him?" "Actually, she did say that he and I are similar, mostly how we can make stuff out of thin air and on a whim. She also said he turned everybody...er, every pony into jerks and opposites." "Yeah, he definitely did a number on us with that one. He made me a big party pooper who got mad every time some pony started laughing or having fun." "Hm...sounds like a certain Detective Kellaway I know back in Edge City. Incidentally, I wonder if this place has its own Coco Bongo?" "Coco Bongo? Is that an instrument? There's an instrument store down the road that -" "Nonononono!" he said, putting a hoof on her mouth (and producing a squeaky toy squeak from her). "The Coco Bongo is a jazz night club! It's where you get to dance, to eat, and make Conga lines till the sun comes up!" "Conga lines? I LOOOVE Conga lines! I make one at every party I throw, and I throw a party almost every week!" "A party every week? Now that's MY kind of living! The more parties the merrier, I always say!" (Funny, I don't remember you ever saying that.) "Hey, zip it, Invisa-head! I may not say it, but at least I live by it!" "Yeah, at least he lives by it! Leave him alone!" "...you can hear him?" (You can hear me?) "Of course I can, silly billy! I can see him, too! He's right up there, just above the words that say everything we just said, including what I'm saying right now!" "Words? I don't see any words. (He then pulled out some glasses and put them on.) Oh, there they are! Wow, we sure talk a lot, don't we? Hey, how come Stanley's got more dialogue than me?!" "Ooh, you know Stanley?! Did you come to Ponyville with him? Because he didn't mention you." "Wait, you met wimpy Stanley already?" "Yup! I like him, he's really nice. Kinda awkward like Fluttershy, but still nice! Speaking of, I wonder where he is? He disappeared after the magic flame monsters showed up." (Well, you see the Mask is actually -) "HEY!" he exclaimed, plugging Pinkie's ears with wax he pulled out of nowhere. "Secret identity here, remember?!" "What?!" she exclaimed, trying to pull out the wax. "What did you say?!" "Oh, nothing you need to hear," he said, pulling out the wax. "Career secrets that you don't need to know." "...okie dokie," she said with a shrug. "But seriously, have you seen Stanley? He disappeared after the fire monsters disappeared and neither me nor my friends can find him. Right before you showed up, I think...I wonder -" "Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up...in fact, I can help you look for him right now!" "Really?" "Sure! You go look that way, and I'll go look this way!" Agreeing, Pinkie bounced her way over to where the Mask pointed. With her distracted the green pony sneaked into a nearby alleyway, looking around to make sure no one was within looking range ("In case you guys out there are wondering, I'm doing this because I don't want her putting two and two together and finding out who I am."). Once determined, he pulled out a suitcase from his pocket and propped it open and grabbed the edged of his mask with his inflated gloves. Lightning radiated from the Mask's mask as he attempted to pull it off, the thing stretching like elastic as he pulled at it. With a peal of thunder and a flash of light, the mask finally came of and reverted Stanley back to his blue pony self. After checking himself to see if everything was back to normal (and being disappointed that he was still a pony) he put the mask into the suitcase, closed it, and held the thing by the handle in his mouth before stumbling out to find Pinkie. "Phunkie!" he called out after catching up. "Phunkie Phie!" "Stanley! There you are, silly billy!" she said, hugging Stanley. "Are you okay? You disappeared after the fire monsters showed up." "Um ukuh -" *drops suitcase from mouth* "I'm okay. I, uh, took shelter in a house a-and waited it out. I-is everyone alright?" "Yup! This isn't the first disaster we've survived, and we'll survive even more! C'mon, Twilight and Fluttershy are worried about you!" Pinkie Pie grabbed him and his suitcase and zipped her way towards the center of town. When they got there, Stanley was greeted by Fluttershy and Twilight, the former overly glad he was alright and the latter giving him a concerning glare. Fluttershy checked up on him, making sure he was alright before giving him a hug. Once it was established that he was alright, they all went back to finishing the repairs to the town. Stanley was volunteered by the others to help, but after the first few clumsy accidents (the least painful ones include dropping the hammer on his front hoof and accidentally bumping somepony into a freshly painted wall) he was asked to sit on the side. He agreed and just sat on a bench, watching the other ponies work. It gave him time to try and collect what he remembered from the time he wore the mask, as it was usually blank in random parts (sometimes he could remember all but the smallest details, and other times he wouldn't remember anything at all). "Okay, let's see," he mumbled to himself. "I put on the Mask to help Twilight, and then...and then...the Mask was experimenting a little bit, taken by surprise at the new body...and then he turned into a magician...and then built a giant...fire hydrant? Well, he's done crazier things...but that's not the end of it. Ugh! I can't remember the rest." "Something wrong?" asked Twilight as she approached. "Oh, Twilight! I-I-I-I was, uh, ah, just uh -" "If this is about the Mask, I already promised to keep all of that a secret. Remember? You can trust me." "R...right, you're right. I, uh...I'm just not used to having another person to trust with this...I mean, outside of my reporter friend Peggy...and she uses the Mask's antics for her front page scoops." "Excuse me?" "Uh, nothing! But, um...*deep breath in, deep breath out* I'm having some difficulty in remembering what the Mask did while he was out." "While 'he' was out? You make it sound like you're two different ponies." "We are...er, sort of...how do I explain this? Let's see...the Mask is...well, the mask itself is, obviously, a magic mask. When someone puts it on, it grants them, well, the powers of a god. They can warp reality, they can survive almost everything that can be done to them. But that's only half of the mask's power. The other half is that it...it brings out who you really are, what you really feel. You become who you secretly are inside, even if you're not aware of what's inside of you, without the inhibitions...well, except for conscience, and even that's not always going to help. That's why I refer to the Mask as another person: he's not me, but rather what's inside of me." "...so he's a second personality composed of everything you're repressing." "Yes." "And what you're repressing is a wild stallion who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, but has a good conscience?" "Yes." "And as a negative side effect of wearing the mask, you sometimes have blanks in your memory from when it goes on to when it comes off." "Yes." "I see...how often does this happen, and to what degree of severity?" "Almost every time. Sometimes I can remember most of what he did, but other times I don't remember anything he did." "Hm...I don't like the Mask, but I'll help you. I can use a memory spell to try and help fill in the blanks of your memory." "Really?! You can do that?" "Of course, it's not too difficult for me. I used it on my friends when Discord manipulated them into being their polar opposites. I'll have to do it after we're done with repairing this side of Ponyville, it shouldn't take too long." "Well, I'm not going anywhere today....and, uh, maybe you could help me with sending me home? That is, uh, why I came to you to begin with." "Of course! That problem will take time and research to solve, but I'll get you home. You can count on me." "I hope so...thank you." Meanwhile, several miles away... Canterlot was huge, overlooking the land from the side of a mountain. Within it was the famous Canterlot Castle, home of the famous and ever-benevolent Princesses Celestia and Luna. The city itself was home to the elite of Equestria, the rich and the upper-class. Everywhere you looked, big and expensive were the vibe. (But let's take a look at a specific part of Canterlot, shall we?) From above the castle, a blue and white hole in the air began to open up. From within the portal stepped out the all-too-familiar imp known as Skillit. "Okay, Stanley couldn't have gotten far," he said to himself. "Knowing him, he'd probably be in some corner rocking back and forth like a broken human, considering this is a place of total anar...chy...what?!" It was only then that Skillit had gotten a good look at his surroundings, at the beautiful and peaceful kingdom that he was in. He looked all over, a confused expression upon his face. "This...this is Equestria?! Where are the fires? Where's the confusion?! Why aren't the sun and moon constantly going up and down?! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE CHAOS?!" Author's Note Sorry that it took so long for this new chapter. I had one heck of a writer's block for this story and lost motivation at one point. But now, here it is. I hope you enjoy after all this time. Please let me know if there are any errors in coloring, spelling, or grammar. Also, opinions on the chapter itself are good.
Chapter 5: Learnings and Reunions"What's going on?!" exclaimed Skillit in his panic attack. "Why are there buildings?! Why are there happy ponies?! Why aren't the sun and moon going up and down like they're supposed to?! Why -" (Okay, his voice is starting to sound like nails on a chalkboard. Let's look back at Stanley and the rest, shall we?) A few hours had passed since we left off Stanley and Twilight Sparkle, and now the town was fully repaired (geez, those ponies work fast). Stanley decided to give helping out another try, this time going for a less involved role of handing out water and snacks. Both serving as practice for him using his hooves ("Who'd have thought that hooves could hold stuff like that.") and putting him out of the way of construction and any accidents. Mostly (I'm still confused as to how he got paint all over himself when he wasn't even next to the can). Once everything was finished and cleaned up, Twilight held her end of the bargain and used the memory spell on Stanley. What he saw, though not very surprising to him, still upset him ("He filled an entire house to the brim with water before draining it...and then to reward himself he ate twenty cheese pizzas...I feel sorry for the cook.") After getting cleaned up, he followed Twilight back to the library. "So, Stanley," said Twilight, "would you mind explaining how you came in possession of the Mask?" "Well, let's see...I had just gotten kicked out of this newly formed night club, the Coco Bongo. Well, not even kicked out. I didn't even make it through the front door, and I was hoping a friend of mine who got invited in would help me out. He didn't even see or hear me. A-and my car was having engine trouble, so when it broke down in the middle of a bridge...you don't know what a car is, do you?" "Afraid not," she said, shaking her head. "Well, a car, uh...d-do you ponies use carriages?" "Yes." "Then...imagine a small carriage that can move on its own. You can make it go faster and slower with pedals on the floor. Cars use engines fueled by gasoline and oil to move around, along with other kinds of machinery that, for the life of me, I never really understood." "Hmm...interesting," she said, magically levitating a notepad and pen to her before writing some notes down. "What happened after your car broke down?" "Well...I found myself going to the edge of the bridge and saw the mask down in the river below. But it was on top of a bunch of garbage, so it looked like someone was floating on the water." (BORING!!! Let's have another time skip, shall we?) "And that's how I ended up here," he said. "...Stanley, I am so sorry for what you've been through," Twilight said sincerely, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Why haven't you tried going to a different job?" "Well...it's all I know how to do. Plus, the pay is decent enough to keep up the rent." "Yes, but is it really worth sticking around, just to be miserable every day?" "Well, every day might be a stretch." "And, couldn't you just train in a different job?" "W-well, it's not that simple. I-it'd take months, and money I wouldn't have." (This sounds like it's about to get boring, again. Maybe we should check up on Skillit again?) "Okay...okay," breathed Skillit, leaning against a tower. "No need to panic. Just, need to find out what's happened...hm, this might take a while. Showing myself might not be the best idea. I'll need to find a history book. Oh, Shadow?" Suddenly, the shadow he projected thanks to the sun popped off the ground, floating next to Skillit in all its dark, transparent glory. "We need to nab us a history book or two. Go find one!" Shadow looked at him before shivering in revolt. "Yes, I know you don't like libraries, but we need to figure out why Equestria's so...ugh, clean and peaceful. So, go get us a book or two. Now!" Shadow nodded and took off, while Skillit sat back, thinking on the matter. "I should probably find Discord, while I'm at it. Maybe he can explain what the heck is going on?" (Aaaaaand, back to Stanley.) After a while, Stanley and Twilight had made it back to her library, to find a means of returning him home. Once through the door Twilight's horn lit up immediately, her magic pulling books down to a nearby desk at an alarming speed. One that surprised Stanley. "So," said Twilight, "if it's portal magic we're dealing with, then we'll need some theoretical physics books, some magical physics books, theoretical magic, maybe some quantum physics, and even some old magic. Hm, I may have to consult Princess Celestia about that last one, she'll have more old tomes than I do." "Princess Celestia?" asked Stanley. "Th-that's the big white horse that -" "Pony," she said. "Sorry. Um, big pony with wings and a horn, the one that Fluttershy said rules Equestria. Right?" "She's an alicorn. But yes, that's her. She and her younger sister, Princess Luna, are the only two alicorns in Equestria, and they both rule. Well, mostly it's Princess Equestria. Princess Luna just came back from the moon a year ago, so -" "Wait, what? What do you mean, she came back from the moon?" "Oh, that's because a thousand years ago she became Nightmare Moon and tried to take over Equestria." (...as interesting as that sounds, I'm going to fast forward again. Gotta keep this story going, you know.) "So, let me get this straight," said Stanley. "Over a thousand years ago, Princesses Celestia and Luna ruled together, the day and the night." "Yes," Twilight said, sorting through books she pulled out. "They can each control the sun and the moon, both if necessary." "Yes." "But a thousand years ago, Princess Luna tried to take over, out of jealousy, and became, uh, Nightmare Moon?" "Correct." "A-and Celestia's been ruling, for over a thousand years, until Ni-nightmare Moon came back. Only to be turned back into Princess Luna by you and your friends?" "That's right." (Oops, fell short. Let's try that again.) After another few minutes of explanation Twilight was browsing through the books she had pulled off, looking at each one for a few seconds before writing some notes with a quill and looking at another. By now she had a large stack of papers almost as tall as she was, and she was working on a second one. Meanwhile, Stanley decided to look at the other books in the library. Currently he was attempting to pull out "Basic Pony Anatomy." And failing. As much time as he spent in this world, he hadn't quite gotten the grasp (heh) of how to grab things with his hooves, like how the other ponies did. He didn't have a horn, so magic was out. He was just about to try and grab it with his teeth, when a familiar purple aura grabbed his tail and pulled him away. The source: a Twilight with a slightly incredulous and irritated glare on her face. The kind only a librarian could give, when one of her books was about to be damaged. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked impatiently. "I-I was t-trying to grab a book," he said, nervous under her glare. "With you teeth?!" "I-I can't grab anything with these hooves," he said, holding his hooves up defensively. "I-I-I'm used to using fingers and hands!" "THAT DOESN'T...wait. Fingers?" "Y-yes?" "Then, that means when you - er, the Mask - put those gloves on...you're not really a pony, are you?" "...no, I'm not." Immediately the notes that Twilight was levitating next to herself dropped, and an excited look appeared on her face. A second later, she pulled up another piece of paper and quill. And she got uncomfortably close to Stanley and began to ask certain questions ("What species are you? What does your diet consist of? Are you and your species capable of using magic?") Stanley backed away uncomfortably, but Twilight would't give him space. He tried to answer her questions, but she was too fast and left him overwhelmed. For once he was tempted to don the Mask and slip out of there, but he figured that that would do more harm than good. Besides, it was on the other side of the room. Leaving him trapped against a wall by an overly curious mare shooting question after question at him. "I don't think I'm getting home as quick as I hoped." Author's Note I apologize for how long it took for me to write this chapter. And I cannot promise how long it'll take for me to write the other one. Honestly the only reason I wrote this one was because I'm procrastinating from getting homework done. Sad, I know, but that's truth for you. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. References to The Mask the movie here, which as I understand are mostly canon with the TV show. (if you want a quick guide to the font colors I used, her you go) The Mask is on the loose (limegreen) Stanley has it good (cornflowerblue) Twilight has it good. (violet) Fluttershy has it good (khaki) Applejack has it good (orange) Pinkie Pie has it good (pink) Rarity has it good (snow) Rainbow Dash has it good (cyan) Spike has it good (purple) Mayor Mare has it good (#EEDFCC) Skillit is sadistic (olive) Read this in dark so the words are white! I got a few bright colors here.
