MLP: The Prank of the Century. Part 1

It was April Fools Day in Equestria, and the world was in utter comedic chaos. Ponies were running rampant through the streets, hiding on rooftops, disguising themselves among boxes and various forms of furniture with intent to victimize others, all the while laughing to themselves from their embarrassment. They were all having the time of their lives humiliating their opponents, only for the opponents to have their inevitable vengeance.

However, as somewhat malicious in nature as the jokes and pranks themselves seemed, as well as the resulting misfortune, the heart of the holiday remained in its rightful place. But the one pony that made the most of the holiday was none other than the infamous pegasus, Rainbow Dash. To most of the other pranksters, Rainbow Dash was terror incarnate, a mastermind of misfortune, among other imaginative and relative titles.

She had become so adept in strategizing practical jokes for this holiday that she seemed almost undefeatable; always remaining one step ahead of the competition, there being so few, and virtually claiming the holiday as her own. Her reputation had expanded to such a position that the Town Hall's banner for April Fools Day has Rainbow Dash as its primary mascot. In short, she was a force of cunning and craft to be reckoned with. However, despite her maniacal abuse of power, many other ponies enjoyed this holiday to its fullest.

The excitable Pinkie Pie and the deliberate Fluttershy, meanwhile, were trying their best to escape the ensuing chaos, having had more than enough pit traps and ice buckets for the time being. But little did they know that the devastating alliance between Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were stalking them from the street corners, armed with firecrackers, haply titled 'mud cakes' and a 2-pound bag of flour.

They had devised an ambush for the two unsuspecting pedestrians and were ecstatic to unleash it. However, Rainbow Dash had then spotted Rarity following the duo as well, possibly attempting to steal the opportunity for herself. It was already peculiar that somepony as neat and somewhat germophobic as Rarity would sacrifice her sanitation for this holiday, but Rainbow Dash decided not to question it, as the upper-class unicorn had already stolen the first move for herself.

Rarity had leapt into action and splashed Fluttershy with a thick shower of paint, drenching her in the blue substance from head to hoof as her ambusher screamed "Gotcha!" with a maximum level of delight. Pinkie Pie panicked and attempted to escape, shrieking "I knew it! I knew we were being followed!", only to be cornered by of the Rainbow Dash, the firecrackers raised above her head and sparkling brightly.

Before she could throw them, however, Applejack had tossed the first mud cake at Pinkie Pie and splattered it against her forehead, distracting Rainbow Dash long enough for the firecrackers to detonate prematurely and startle her. The following chaos resulted in both Pinkie Pie and Rarity being drenched in mud, Twilight getting coated in the flour, often being confused for Rarity by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and Fluttershy managing to escape the ensuing panic; possibly into another trap, knowing her luck.

Eventually, any energy that the ponies had mustered for this skirmish had finally been drained, as they sat leaning against the picket fence or on their backs, each trying to catch their breath to speak. By this time, Fluttershy had returned from cleaning herself of all the paint. "You… ran off on me… Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, scraping mud off of her neck. "S-sorry! I wanted to g-get the paint off!" Fluttershy stuttered, clearly hesitating from this ungracious attention.

Applejack arose from the dirt and wrapped her arm around Fluttershy's shoulder, cheerfully saying "Hey c'mon, gal. It's all in good fun". The shy pegasus turned away in embarrassment, a small grin emerging across her face. "Well, since the party seems to be over, you wanna go get something to eat?" Rainbow Dash offered, shaking most of the remaining flour off her wings. "Oh thank goodness, I'm starved!" Pinkie Pie wailed in excitement. "Hey now, don't get too crazy on us. We don't want ya to have any… well…" Applejack mocked smugly before jabbing Pinkie Pie's stomach with her hoof. Pinkie Pie squealed with flushed red cheeks, sending an intense glare towards the southern socialite.

"Hey! You two coming or what?" Twilight asked the duo while following to others, only now realizing Applejack and Pinkie were still talking. They both nodded enthusiastically and followed after them, Pinkie Pie's mind remaining focused on what meals would be chosen. After feasting themselves in the nearby café, to which Pinkie Pie managed to devour more than the others as usual, they all parted ways. "Seeya tomorrow, girls!" Pinkie Pie exuberantly yelled to her colleagues. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Seeya, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash shouted back as she followed Applejack and Twilight.

Once Pinkie Pie giddily bounded her way around the corner and was out of sight, the group gave mischievous glances towards eachother and gathered together. Rainbow Dash giggled cheekily, asking "She doesn't suspect anything, does she?" Applejack responded "Nah, she doesn't. Tomorrow's gonna be so good!" while beaming a wide, cocky grin. Twilight added "I've told everypony in town about our plan, and they all want to help". Rainbow Dash's smile widened malevolently, before replying "Very good. With the whole town helping us…" and standing proudly before her companions.

"This, my friends, is going to be the 'Prank of the Century'!"

---

The next day, Pinkie Pie felt unwilling to leave her bed, having been greatly fatigued from yesterday's events. She thought to herself "It's not like I have anything to do today, anyway…" before furrowing her eyebrows and grimacing, "Wow. Listen to yourself, Pinkie Pie. We can't just lounge around like this for a whole morning!"

From this encouragement, she literally dragged herself from her bed with a 'Thud!' and sleepily stumbled her way down her staircase. "I might just get something to eat at the café for this morning" she considered, "Maybe I can just be a little lazy. Just for today".

By this time, she'd pushed her way through her front door and inhaled the surrounding air, instantly intoxicated by the aroma of sweets from her Pastry Shop on Sugarcube Corner. Upon coming of age, the previous owner of Sugarcube Corner, namely Mr. and Mrs. Cake, had resigned their ownership of the store and left it to their trained assistant and daughter in law.

"I'll bet the others will be there too!" she thought to herself giddily as she bounded her way through the streets without a care, determined to enjoy her morning before it would inevitably pass. However, upon finally arriving at her destination, she was confused as to find the café completely vacant, despite the lack of a 'Closed' sign. "Weird…" she muttered, "They're always open on weekends".

By this time, realization finally dawned on her.

She looked over the streets and through the windows of the nearby homes and buildings; try as she may, she couldn't find anypony where they would normally reside. All shops seemed devoid of workers or customers, all homes were emptied of their residences, and the streets had been cleared of pedestrians; this place had become nothing more than a ghost town. Pinkie Pie, taken aback by the ominous qualities that Ponyville now possessed, wondered what this discovery could mean. "Did I miss a memo or something? Maybe their meeting at the Town Hall" she thought to herself.

After a short journey, she arrived at the Town Hall, already offset by the lack of guards at the main entrance. Reluctantly, she entered the building against regulations and searched for any inhabitance, only to find nopony here either. Nopony, no staff, no form of security personnel; everypony appeared to have vanished into thin air, leaving no evidence or clue of their existence.

For the following hours, Pinkie Pie had begun to feel a deep sense of loneliness and solitude, unable to clear her mind of the possibilities of this unexpected situation. One by one, she visited each of her friends' houses in search for them, only to find each abode entirely vacant with no trace of either life or sentience.

Finding herself in the center of the market district once again, Pinkie Pie attempted to think of any plausible explanation for this phenomenon, only to be left clueless upon every attempt. She eventually ceased searching and simply wandered through the streets, feeling incredibly lonely and stranded, hoping to herself that somepony may happen to find her and explain this bizarre occurrence.

Finally, her wish was granted. After exiting the marketplace for the fourth time in her search, she quickly noticed Applejack's filly sister, Applebloom, wandering from one street to the next. Excited by this, she called out "Hey Applebloom! Do you know where everypony went?" while running towards her. However, upon seeing her, Applebloom panicked and ran into a nearby alleyway, confusing Pinkie Pie greatly from these actions. "Hey, where are you going?" Pinkie Pie called out to her, but Applebloom either didn't hear her or was intentionally ignoring her.

Pinkie Pie ran into the alley in pursuit, only to find a dead end, and Applebloom having disappeared without a trace. From what Pinkie Pie could tell, there was absolutely nowhere that she could've gone; nowhere that Pinkie knew off, at least. "Why did she run away from me!?" she exclaimed in shock, "Why wouldn't she tell me what's happening!?" Pinkie Pie shook her head frantically, frustration and fear welling within her body as she screamed "ARRGH! WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

She turned and ran out of the ally and stopped in the middle of the street, gasping and panting heavily for control of her senses. She swung her head in different directions and ran towards the first building she could she, flinging the door open and yelling "Hello?! Is anypony here!?" As she should've expected, no form of response could be heard.

Pinkie Pie was undoubtedly panicking by this point, trembling fearfully at the thought of rejection; the thought of abandonment. She spun around and staggered through the shop exit and halted in the center of the street, her panting only having grown heavier and more desperate as time passed. Finally, in a final fit of hysteria, she stared upwards to the sky and raised her arms dramatically.

"WHERE IS EVERYPONY!?"

Silence. Nothing but silence had answered. All at once, Pinkie Pie lost all hope and began to ponder the worst possibilities for this terrifying situation. Pinkie Pie's arms dropped to her sides and her eyelids slowly closed; she collapsed on her stomach, disregarding the painful impact, and simply lay still.

Why did everypony leave? Why was she the only pony here? Was everypony avoiding her? Did they leave to go somewhere? Why wouldn't they tell her? Did they leave her by herself on purpose? Did she do something wrong? Was there something wrong? Was there something wrong with her? She rolled onto her back and sat up from the dirt, tears beginning to well in her eyes from these morbid thoughts. "Is there something wrong… with me?" was all she could say before she lost herself to despair.

Unbeknownst to her, two pairs of observing eyes viewed this degrading scene, each widened in awe of its unbelievable outcome. Upon a nearby rooftop, hidden within the thatch roof, were Applejack's sister Applebloom and her friend, Scootaloo. "Well… I wasn't expecting that" Scootaloo whispered as she observed Pinkie Pie's weeping. "No kidding. I didn't think she'd take it so seriously"

Applebloom replied, before considering her statement and asking "But then again, how else would anypony have reacted to something like this?" The more the duo observed their accomplishments, the more guilt they felt for their involvement. After lowering the lifted section of the roof, Applebloom grimaced "I don't think we thought this through enough".

By nightfall, Pinkie Pie slowly staggered her way through the streets towards the front door of her home. By this time, she had all but accepted her solitude and was prepared to spend the rest of her life alone. Despite this, she still remained baffled as to why this would happen to begin with, but believed that she would never uncover the reason.

She stepped towards her front door and was about to twist the knob; but then, she heard a sound that was incredibly familiar to her, but was definitely the last sound she expected to hear. There was a faint noise in the air, but it was growing louder. The very rhythm of it sent chills up and down Pinkie Pie's spine.

Laughter.

---

She flung the door open and raced upstairs to her bedroom, the sound of laughter growing ever louder all the while. She twisted the knob on her door and it slowly creaked open, and the sight she was met with was too much for her to comprehend. All of her friends were giggling to themselves, before they all noticed her an all shouted "Surprise!" in unison. Pinkie Pie's heart skipped a beat from this revelation, "You… Where did you all go? Where did everypony go?" she exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward and answered "We were hiding of course, silly! Everypony in town was!" All her friends smiled with delight and laughed to themselves, "This was the greatest trick ever!" Applejack cheered. They all raised there glasses and toasted to eachother. "What did you think, Pinkie Pie? Did we get you?" Rainbow Dash asked, and all the others turned to view the expected expression of relief on her face. The sight they witnessed instead grinded their party to a shocking halt.

Pinkie Pie sat in the doorway, as pale as a ghost and her eyes welling with tears. She stared at the ground and held her head in her hooves, clearly in a state of shock. Her friends stared in horror before Applejack rushed to her aid, asking "Hey Pinkie Pie, ya feelin' alright?" Pinkie Pie's eyes suddenly shot open and her cheeks flushed red with rage.

"AM I ALRIGHT!?" she screamed as she leapt to her hooves, before shouting psychotically "YOU ALL ALMOST SCARED ME TO DEATH! WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ME!?" Her friends stood dumbfounded by this unexpected turn of events. "THAT WAS HORRIBLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HORRIBLE THAT WAS! I THOUGHT THAT EVERYPONY LEFT ME HERE ALONE!" Eventually, though, Pinkie Pie's maniacal meltdown was soon replaced with sorrow, as tears could be seen dripping from her cheeks.

"You thought this would be funny to me!? There is never anything funny about losing your friends!" she sniffed distraughtly, her eyes glistening with misery. Unable to bare this scene, Applejack suddenly intervened; "But ya didn't lose us, Pinkie Pie! We're right here for ya!" Applejack assured, clearly concerned for Pinkie Pie's emotional, and mental, stability. Pinkie Pie tilted her head up towards her friends with her eyes fixed upon them.

"Get out" she sneered, having sucked the party dry of its original intended joy by this time. "Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash whispered under her breath. "I said get out! Now!" she snarled, gritting her teeth tightly, "I've had enough of my 'friends' for one day". An ominous silence lingered within the bedroom. But, not wanting to upset her any further, her friends reluctantly obliged and left one by one, swiftly descending to the first floor and exiting through the front door; all the while, Pinkie Pie followed from behind for reassurance of their departure.

Rainbow Dash was the last to leave; but before doing so, she turned to Pinkie Pie and said "Hey… Pinkie Pie? If you want to… we're having a celebration at the Town Hall. You don't have to come if you don't want to… but I really want to make it up to you for today". With that, she lay an invitation letter on the floor, before stepping outside and shutting the door behind her. Pinkie Pie stared at the letter for a long while as it lay on the floor before her, before picking it up to examine it. It was addressed to her, and the envelope was a promising colour of pink. Her smile began to return for the first time today as she curiously pealed the seel open and pulled the note out to read it.

'BOOM!'

Confetti and powder immediately flew in random directions, covering both Pinkie Pie and the furniture around her. She stared down at the letter in utter disbelief; a simple text reading 'This message will self-destruct before you'll be able to read it!' and an expended wick could be seen. This was unbelievable; after all that she had just said, after all that's happened, after such a horrible day, it was just a joke. A joke? Is that all it was to them?

Her friends witnessed this from outside the window, before turning to stare angrily at Rainbow Dash. "What exactly was that!?" Applejack questioned sternly. Rainbow Dash backed away sheepishly before answering "I… thought it was gonna cheer her up". Applejack then lectured "It wasn't so bad when it was just the prank, but that there was just mean of you". As they bickered, a loud 'Thud!' came from inside, instantly diverting their attention.

This was followed by more loud thuds along with multiple loud crashes and a wailing scream from their pink companion, whose encompassing rage had finally reached its peak. "Okay, I think w-we should go now" Rarity spouted hesitantly before backing away from the window and taking her leave. After a chilling atmosphere had enveloped the air around them, the others regrettably followed Rarity's advice and quickly departed.

Pinkie Pie sat with her back leaned against the bedroom door, her eyes spreading a deluge. She was beyond crying by now, she was sobbing; bawling over her horrible misfortune. Why would they do something so mean to her? Is it really so funny to see bad stuff happen to her? Did they hate her that much? This last thought was what started it, as it set off a chain reaction that altered Pinkie Pie outlook on the world entirely.

Her hair fell over her shoulders, becoming lank.

To be continued…

MLP: The Prank of the Century. Part 2

Pinkie Pie sat in deep thought as she sat at her desk, her head laying upon her wrists. She sniffed meekly as her tears began to dry, the sorrow in her eyes shrouded behind her lank hair. She felt truly betrayed, having her good nature taken advantage of by her own friends; her best friends. They had taken note of her reliance on companionship for mental security, and manipulated her for their own twisted amusement.

This was the first time she has ever been genuinely angry at them, and possibly always will be from this moment onward. She couldn't even stand thinking about them in the slightest, or she would likely explode in a frenzied rage. She left her seat and crawled over to the nearby corner of the room, before leaning back against the cold surface and continuing to consider the traumatic event that had unfolded.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie's eyes shut tightly as she yelled "Go away! I don't wanna talk to you…" before she paused and opened her eyes, "…whoever you are". Her rage was instantly replaced with curiosity as she pondered who this voice could belong to, the voice itself remaining unfamiliar to her. Pinkie Pie's gaze shifted around the supposedly empty room, before she asked "Who said that?" into the cold night air.

"I did" the feminine voice answered, though it didn't seem to have come from anywhere specific. "Who's there?" she nervously asked, her whispers echoing faintly throughout the building. "I'm not anywhere, Pinkie Pie" the voice replied. Suddenly, realization dawned on her; she wasn't actually hearing this voice. She pondered what this could mean to herself, before coming to a somewhat obvious conclusion. She stared upwards, attempting in futility to see her own forehead.

"Are you… in my mind?"

"Wait… Don't you remember me?" the voice then asked faintly, sounding somewhat concerned in its tone. This confirmed Pinkie Pie's suspicion; this voice was inside her own head, but the voice's question sent her mind reeling with new questions to ask. Eventually, she settled with "Remember you?" as her response. The voice giggled happily, before replying "We were the best of friends a long time ago, back when you were a filly".

Pinkie Pie thought back to the memories of her young fillyhood on the rock farm, in an attempt to better understand this voice's claim. She could remember how incredibly lonely she was at that time, and her family were always uninterested in her, as well as too busy to pay any attention to her. Due to this solitary lifestyle, the only one she could talk to, and would listen to her, was herself. The pieces were starting to fit together in Pinkie Pie's head.

She remembered how she would spend hours sitting somewhere secluded and talk to herself over her own feelings and opinions; and the voice was always there to listen, allowing her to carry entire conversations without the need of her family or anypony else. Then she remembered the party she threw for them, and how the voice was there to help her when she needed it. This thought brought a smile to Pinkie Pie's face. "Yes! That's right! I remember that!" she beamed cheerfully.

The voice then added in a soothing tone "Whatever you feel or want to say, I'm here to talk to you. No matter what problems you run into, I'm always here to help you through them. We were together for the longest time, and I loved it". Such happy memories flooded Pinkie Pie's mind like a tidal wave, and filled her with a newfound happiness as she giddily hugged herself with joy. However, a new thought crossed her mind, and she asked "What happened to you?"

From this question, the mood turned somewhat sour.

"You forgot all about me… after a while" the voice responded, suddenly sounding deflated of its previous joy. "What? I did?" Pinkie Pie asked in surprise. The voice distraughtly replied "You left me behind when you came to this place, and got new friends". Pinkie Pie was left speechless, stunned in disbelief. She had always wanted a friend throughout her dismal fillyhood; but the voice's claim meant that when she finally had a friend, she abandoned it to make more friends. This thought resulted in a sharp pain in her chest; leaving her feeling nauseous.

"I…" was all she could utter, her lungs having tightened beyond fluent breathing, much less the capability of speech. Before she could think of anything to say, her mind went blank as all she could think of was the first friend she ever had being discarded without a care. The voice cried "I don't understand, Pinkie Pie! Everything I did was to make you happy! It's been years, and I've spent them all desperately trying to talk to you! You were the only pony who could possibly hear me! I don't wanna be stuck by myself anymore! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?!"

The voice had begun growing louder, to the point of ringing in her ears. Pinkie Pie began to panic and yelled "I'M SORRY! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for abandoning you like that! I…" before being interrupted by the pain welling in her chest. She cringed to herself "Ugh! I feel so awful!" Pinkie Pie's eyes began shedding tears again by this time. She felt so hypocritical; the fact that she shut her friends out for mistreating her for their own desires, when she herself was guilty such an atrocity. She laid her head against the wall in disappointment with herself.

Eventually, the depressing atmosphere had lifted; and the voice, apparently not caring about such facts, reassured with motherly delight "It's alright, Pinkie Pie! Hehehehe! We're together again now, and that's what matters!" Pinkie Pie rubbed her cheeks of the drying tears and asked "After what I did to you? Abandoning you for new friends, it doesn't bother you?" The air felt thick around her, evermore adding to her difficulty to breathe. "I don't blame you at all. I knew those phonies were never truly your friends as soon as I saw what they did to you!"

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow tilted her head in confusion from this strange change of topic. "What?" she questioned, to which the voice sneered "What kind of friends would do such awful things to somepony like you?! They never realized how torturous that was for you to experience, and for all we know, they didn't care at all!" Pinkie Pie sighed from hearing this accusation, knowing it to be true in her heart. She shivered from the cold air and confessed "It was horrible! They scared me so bad today! But… they weren't trying to be mean to me. They wouldn't… would they?"

The voice then howled "After all of that!? A true friend would know when to stop entertaining themselves at your expense, to at least make you feel better from it all by the end". Pinkie Pie slammed both her front hooves on the ground in a fit of rage, shouting "You're absolutely right! They're just a bunch of phonies! I can't believe they would do something like this!" before hanging her head in sorrow. "But I can!" the voice answered in disagreement, "But don't worry, Pinkie Pie. I'm gonna help you get back at them!" Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, asking "How?"

Something in Pinkie Pie had changed by this time. Her previous feelings of guilt for her friends, her fits of boiling rage, anything that encompassed her emotions. They were all gone, forgotten; and now, there was nothing but her and this voice.

"By pulling our own 'Prank of the Century' on them!"

As this was said, Pinkie Pie suddenly felt herself rise from the floor, despite her lack of intent to do so, and staggered her way to the nearby window, where stood a mounted telescope that she received from Twilight. She grabbed it and packed it into its nearby bag before staggering her way to the front door.

Pinkie Pie opened it and was greeted by the intense cold, almost chilling her to the core. She wandered her way through the streets while carrying the telescope, observing the roofs for a suitable setup spot. However, Pinkie Pie then came to a sudden realization; even though she had reunited with her colleague, she had no clue what her friend's name was anymore.

"Something on your mind, cherub?" asked the voice in a singsong tone. This felt strange to Pinkie Pie, since she couldn't recall being called something like that before. She admitted "Well, I feel bad for saying this, but… I've kinda forgotten your name". She blushed in embarrassment for this, but the voice merely laughed heartily and replied "Oh! That's fine, Pinkie Pie! You shouldn't beat yourself up over things like that".

Pinkie Pie had begun to enjoy this voice, finding its complimentary attitude and the way it spoke to her as incredibly comforting and uplifting. The voice continued "Well… you actually gave me your name, because you told me that you preferred Pinkie Pie". Suddenly, Pinkie Pie abruptly stopped in the middle of the street, though she hadn't intended to do so. Pinkie Pie felt as if she had lost control of her body, feeling a tight strain in her movements. Her eyes widened into a sinister gaze as her mouth soon twisted into a large, disturbing smile.

"Pinkamena".

---

Meanwhile, within the Town Hall, the annual April Fools competition awards were being readied for announcement. All of the guests who attended had spent most of the party eating and drowning their thirsts in anything of a liquid substance, provided of course.

All were merry and cheerful except for Rainbow Dash, who was still stricken with guilt over what happened earlier this evening, and had been throughout her entire time at the party. Across from her table, Applejack and the others still seemed annoyed with her for it too, but had loosened up by this time. They came to understand that Rainbow Dash was only trying to help the best way she could think of, even if it was the wrong way.

Applejack sat next to Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, who was busy downing her… whatever it was. After chugging the rest, Applejack sighed meekly and turned to face the pegasus, "Hey Rainbow Dash… sorry for gettin' angry at ya earlier. I just thought ya pranked her just for a laugh" she admitted. Rainbow Dash was about to reply; but the unicorn on stage announced "And the winner of the umpteenth April Fools anniversary and competition goes to…"

She retrieved a slip of paper from the central podium and announced "Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash slammed her head on the table, grumbling under her breath "… for the umpteenth time". Before her friends had the chance to question her statement, though, she had already flown from her table to the stage podium. Orange Swirl continued her announcement with "For her outstanding 'Prank of the Century' for which we all aided in scaring her best friend to death!"

She didn't actually say this, but Rainbow Dash believed that it would've been more accurate. Rainbow Dash stood in front of her accomplices with the trophy and said "Thank you so much, everypony. This prank took so much careful planning, and if it weren't for you all, it would have been doomed to fail". The unicorn beside her concentrated her gaze over the audience, before raising her eyebrow and asking "Say… Where is Pinkie Pie, anyway?"

Rainbow Dash's heart stopped dead from its typical rhythm, finding herself met with curious gazes from rows upon rows of an expectant audience. "Sadly, she…" Rainbow Dash began before pausing nervously, "…told me that she couldn't come tonight". She lowered her head and stared at the prize, confessing "But if she was, I'd… want her to have this prize. She deserves this a lot more than I do for her amazing… performance today".

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and her newly gained associate snuck inside the Town Hall through a second story window. She stepped in from of the balcony and peeked towards the bystanders below, quickly spotting her old friends sitting together at one table within the center of the hall. Applejack began looking around the building absentmindedly, admiring the decorative scenery that surrounded them. As she continued her analytical study, however, the pink observer was soon spotted.

Pinkie Pie immediately ducked away in a panic as Pinkamena yelled "Why did you look over the edge!? She's knows we're here now!" Pinkie Pie remained unfazed by this and simply smiled, replying "At least we won't be for long" and giggling to herself. Applejack left the table and proceeded to exit the main hall, neglecting to inform her colleagues of her motivation, and climbing the nearby staircase to the second floor. Pinkie Pie staggered down the stairs and crept behind the backstage towards the basement door, whispering to herself all the while to avoid any attention.

Before she could open the door, however, a certain guest crept up behind her, asking "Where are you going?" in a hesitant whisper. Pinkie Pie turned her head in disappointment, having immediately recognized the guest by her southern accent. She spun around to find Applejack, internally groaning in discontent. Applejack stood behind her with a curious expression on her face, soon to become an expression of concern. She stared at Pinkie Pie with widened eyes, dumbfounded from seeing her companion in her current state.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural, healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"Oh, it's her again. We need to get away from her, now!" Pinkamena beckoned within Pinkie Pie's mind. "Um… since you've caught me, you should know that I'm pulling a prank of my own" Pinkie Pie warned her consultant. Suddenly, she swung her head away from Applejack and gripped the doorknob, staring towards the ground. "NOT LIKE THAT!" Pinkamena shouted. "Well, you should have been more specific!" Pinkie Pie replied to herself in a panic. "I told you to trick her into leaving; that's not hard, is it?!" Pinkamena hissed. "Okay, maybe I could've said some-".

"Um, Pinkie Pie?"

"WHAT NOW!?" she shouted with mindless hysteria towards her former friend. Applejack tilted her head and stared suspiciously at Pinkie Pie; "Okay, somethin' is wrong here, Pinkie Pie. Are ya feeling alright?" Applejack asked. After shaking her head hard enough for it to almost twist off, she replied "Great! I've never felt better in my life! Heh Heheheheheee!" Pinkie Pie cackled cheerfully. Applejack was not convinced in the slightest, "Well… you shoutin' at yaself in two different voices and cacklin' like a maniac seem to say otherwise" Applejack accused.

Pinkie Pie stared coldly at the southerner; before suddenly, a loud crash could be heard in the main hall and Applejack hesitantly spun around to find the source. From what she saw, one of the unicorns had stumbled and knocked over a food cart, sending dozens of plates and cutlery crashing to the floor. Applejack only looked for a short moment; but upon turning back to face Pinkie Pie, the latter was nowhere to be seen.

Pinkie Pie had burst through the doors of the basement and dashed into the bowels of the town hall, before stopping and leaning against a wooden column to catch her breath. "Great! Now she knows we're up to something!" Pinkamena snapped. "Well then, we're gonna have to be quick" Pinkie Pie replied with a smirk. She detached herself from the column and crept stealthily towards a nearby table, brushing the dust away and laying her prepared equipment upon it.

"Thanks so much for these gas cans, Rainbow Dash; I can thank you for that much, at least" she whispered to herself, before lifting a black-painted canister from the collection. She originally intended to use the cans during April Fools Day, but unfortunately was distracted and forgot about them. Suddenly, upon reading the labels on the explosive cylinders, Pinkie Pie questioned "Laughing gas? Gee, this is a pretty demented plan. … Yeah, it is! Hehehehahahaha! … Don't you think we should worry about the kids that are reading this? … Nah, they should be fine. This is science!"

Unbeknownst to her, Applejack had overheard her from behind the door and quietly snuck inside, to Pinkie Pie's obliviousness. "What is she doin'?!" she pondered nervously from behind a shelf, "Is she talkin' to herself?" Pinkie Pie took the cans and reinserted them back into the box, before lifting the box itself to take along with her. However, upon approaching the door, Applejack stepped out from behind the shelf and stood in her path, yelling "Pinkie Pie! What are ya gonna do with those?!"

Pinkamena grumbled to herself in frustration and growled towards her challenger "You had better get out of my way!" Applejack then explained "What's goin' on, Pinkie Pie? Ya're friends are really worried about ya, y'know". Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes at the mention of her 'friends' and retorted "I don't think so. I've found myself a new friend, Applejack. She's really nice to me, and she understands me perfectly!"

Applejack suddenly came to a realization, "Ya've befriended yaself?" Applejack simply shut her eyes in disbelief, "Pinkie Pie, I know ya do ridiculous things, but that is just stupid!" she exclaimed. Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped in shock before she huffed sarcastically "How sweet of you to call me 'stupid', Applejack. Thank you so much!" By this time, Pinkamena had had enough, and took it upon herself to settle this matter in her own way.

With a slug between the eyes.

---

A few hours later, Pinkie Pie returned to the rooftop and took her place by the telescope, observing the Town Hall in preparation for what would occur. Pinkamena giggled "Hehehehe! This will be something sure to please, cherub". There was that nickname again, but Pinkie Pie had taken a liking to it by now; something about the way Pinkamena said it to her, coupled with her motherly attitude, seemed remarkably pleasant. Pinkie Pie's mind had wandered off from her pleasure, causing her to forget her appointed tasks.

"Hey! Wake up, Pinkie Pie! Quick, check the telescope again!" Pinkamena commanded within her mind, rousing her from her fantasies. Pinkie Pie obeyed the command and peered through the scope to see the current state of the building. By this time, the party was almost over, and several guests had left early, including Fluttershy. As the last of the strawberry cake was eaten and the last beverage was guzzled down, the party was officially over.

Meanwhile, Applejack awoke from her unconscious state to find herself in the basement; though upon attempting to stand, had found herself bound by her front hooves by duct tape. She fell forward and collapsed against the floor, leaving her dazed from the impact. She continued to look around and found a single gas canister tied in between her hooves, the timer ticking away and displaying '0:40 sec'. Applejack began to panic and desperately searched the room for anything sharp to cut with, thankfully finding a breadknife among a nearby assortment of cutlery.

Taking the blade's handle in her mouth, whilst simultaneously remaining cautious as to not the puncture the canister, she successfully detached the explosive and quickly made her way back to the first floor. She reached her table of friends and said "Gals, I need to tell y'all somethin'". Her friends, each individually half asleep, quickly paid attention. "It's Pinkie Pie. She's here, and she's gone bonkers! She's gonna gas the place with-". As the timers rang to announce their concluded countdown, the cans themselves, secretly hidden underneath most of the food carts, were activated.

'KABOOM! PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!'

Within moments, the building was filled with a green mist, filling the lungs of everypony within the estate. Then there was the laughter; pure, mindless, psychotic laughter. The crowd rang out with the sound of hysterical cackling and choking. Applejack and her friends found themselves victim to the contagious oxide, but still had enough of their former common sense to try and head for the nearest exit; all except for Twilight, who succumbed to the madness completely. Pinkamena was observing this whole event and laughing to herself with pure delight.

"I told you this would be funny!" Pinkamena cheered. However, Pinkie Pie wasn't laughing; instead, she began feeling guilty for having to physically attack somepony, especially an old friend of hers. "What's wrong cherub? … I just- I don't feel good about this anymore. … What do you mean? Didn't you wanna get back at them for mistreating you? … I did, but… I didn't wanna hurt them. … You didn't hurt her, I did. She deserved it, anyway. … For what? … For calling you stupid! Nopony calls you stupid while I'm with you".

The conversation died away as Pinkie Pie peered through the telescope once again. Most of the ponies in the building had left in an effort to escape the influence of the gas, stumbling and tripping over eachother clumsily. Pinkie Pie then noticed her friends in the distance, all heading for her house. Swiftly, she made an effort to pack up the telescope and return home before they did. She slid down the slanted edge of the house's roof and sprinted off down the street.

Once she reached her home, she rushed through her front door and set about shutting all the windows and locking all the doors; but in her haste, neglected to lock the front door after entering her abode. By this time, all of the ponies were discussing what to do outside the window. She leaned against the door to hear what they we're saying, only to be met with four sharp knocks on the wooden surface.

"Um… Pinkie Pie? Are ya there?" asked a familiar southern accent. "Yeah, I'm here. What do you want?!" Pinkie Pie called through the door. Rainbow Dash leaned against the door and stammered "Pinkie Pie… can you… come outside?" "Never! She shouldn't have to listen to you lot!" spouted Pinkamena in bitter hatred. All the ponies looked at eachother in surprise from hearing her speak in this foreign, alien voice and Fluttershy stuttered "You were right, Applejack. She isn't alright at all". Applejack came to the door and said "Pinkie Pie, we need to talk right now! We know about your-".

"Her friend!?" Pinkamena snarled, "I've always taken care of her when she needed help. I've always been there for her, only because nopony else has! Nopony else cares about her, you all hate her!" Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves against the door in frustration, yelling "That's not true at all, and you of all ponies would know that! And I can't believe you would punch Applejack when she tried to help you! Applejack tried to warn everypony about the gas canisters!" Pinkie Pie began to feel the guilt well up inside of her, before whimpering "I just wanted… to get back at you".

"Do ya really hate us that much, or did your 'friend' make you do it?" Applejack questioned. Pinkie Pie pondered this, before asking "Pinkamena, why did you hit her? … There just playing to your good side, don't fall for it" Pinkamena shouted in hesitation. "Answer the question! … Pinkie Pie, don't be foolish. … Pinkamena, I trusted you! … Cherub, be quiet! … Be quiet yourself, Pinkamena!"

"I'M SORRY!"

While Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena bickered, they heard a shout from behind them. She turned to see Rainbow Dash in the open doorway, gasping breathlessly as her eyes welled with sorrow. "I'M SORRY! For everything! I'm sorry for scaring you like that! I'm sorry that this happened!" She lowered her head distraughtly, crying to herself. She then quickly added "I was really stupid for doing that! I didn't think it would be so bad! I didn't think it would end up like this! I never considered it! I'm so stupid! I'm such a terrible friend, Pinkie Pie! I'M A DISGRACE!"

All were in shock at this outburst, as she wasn't saying it to anypony specifically, but to herself. Pinkie Pie suddenly understood the reason; Rainbow Dash never apologized for scaring her with the prank. This was probably the whole reason she thought she was hated, since it was uncommon for Rainbow Dash to apologize unless it was well warranted. Pinkie Pie thought about this deeply, as it was already rare for her to be apologized to, especially in this particular fashion. By that logic, Rainbow Dash's apology is undoubtedly genuine.

Pinkie Pie walked to her side to find her welling in a pool of despair; Rainbow Dash grimaced "I really should think about these things more often. I didn't mean-". "Uh-Uh-Uh! I don't wanna hear it! I'm not gonna let you cry like this" Pinkie Pie said before wrapping her arms around her best friend. Rainbow Dash warmly smiled, muttering "Pinkie Pie, you're way too nice at the best of times. I don't deserve it". Pinkie Pie shouted in shock "Stop it! I never want to hear you say that ever again! You're my best friend, Rainbow Dash!"

The pegasus wiped the last of her tears before replying "No. You were right to be angry at me. I wanna make it up to you, Pinkie Pie". "Well, why didn't you say so!?" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted abruptly, ultimately shattering the dismal atmosphere with her joy. She pulled her friend to her hooves and said "Let's go somewhere, and have some fun". By now, the events of the previous hour had evaporated from memory. Applejack soon asked "Why don't we get somethin' to eat? Laughin' my guts out has made me kinda hungry".

'Go somewhere' seemed to have meant 'Go everywhere' by Pinkie Pie's logic, but her friends didn't seem to mind. They ordered a meal from the café and all ponies felt stuffed by the end. They were just leaving as the store closed, and Pinkie Pie stopped to stare through the window, eyeing what she could before the shopkeeper turned off the lights. Pinkie Pie's focus soon shifted to her reflection in the window, as she was not met with a friendly face.

Pinkamena glared into her eyes, sporting an expression of pure rage. Pinkie Pie panicked before feeling herself pulled against the window, the glass cracking slightly. Pinkamena stared with cold eyes into Pinkie Pie's soul before whispering "Don't forget about me, Pinkie Pie… Because I'm not going to forget about you!"

Applejack looked behind her and absentmindedly asked "Hey, Pinkie Pie, could ya please not break the windows- Wait! Pinkie Pie!?" Pinkie Pie pulled herself from the window and gasped for air from shock. "Hey Pinkie Pie, what's wrong!?" and multiple concerned faces was what Pinkie Pie was met with upon gazing to her left. "Um, I… just find it sad to leave those cakes to sit there for the night" she lied, the lie itself thankfully convincing her friends.

"Ugh… you're still not full yet? If I eat anymore, I'll explode!" Twilight chuckled. Applejack poked Pinkie Pie's stomach and said "Don't wanna get fat on us, do ya?" as Pinkie Pie stepped back in embarrassment and replied "Hey! I'll get you if you keep that up!" Her friends giggled as they made their way through the streets. Still, Pinkie couldn't help but cringe from Pinkamena's words, which haunted her all throughout her trip home.

She felt an evil presence watching her.

The End?

MLP: The Simple Pleasures. Part 1

A deluge had spread across the plains of Equestria; over the forests' trees, upon the town's rooftops, against the soil beneath the sinister wrath of a horrendous thunderstorm. Amidst this climate, an ensemble of six ponies had gathered in a circle, each wearing a raincoat respectively, with distraught expressions upon each of their faces. In the center of the circle was a wooden box, elongated vertically with a lid on top. The hooded pony at the bottom end stepped forward and stretched both its front hooves into the air.

"Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. May mercy be on the soul of this… girl" the hooded pastor exclaimed aloud. "Did she say 'girl'? The thing inside that box is no girl; but a conniving, evil monster" a blue pegasus sneered, before kicking dirt upon the tombstone with disrespect. "And mercy shall not be on its soul, for it never had one to begin with" a purple unicorn mentioned in addition.

"Pinkie Pie, you have been laid to rest in an unmarked grave. May none mourn your passing" announced the hooded pastor. As the grave lowered, the group of onlookers stared down as the grave began to fill with shovel after shovel of dirt. An orange pony stood up and announced "Make sure nopony finds out we're doin' this, all of ya". "Pfft! who would believe it, anyway?" Twilight Sparkle asked, considering the impossibility of the situation.

The pony grinned fiendishly, before answering "True; who would believe it?" One milky white pony raised her head and said "I think we should get going" before slowly taking her leave, with the others following behind. The blue pegasus stopped for a second and turned her head to say "I hope you rot, you freak!" towards the grave, before finally departing.

The only individual remaining at this time was the mysterious pastor, who sat next to the grave drinking a… something or other. She stared down at the grave as her eyes became wet with sorrow, "Sorry that this had to happen, cherub. You were always worth being with. You were friendly, and you laughed at all my jokes". The pastor kneeled down on top of the grave, "Pinkie Pie, you were the best friend I could ever ask for!"

The pastor then slowly removed her hood; revealing a pair of soulless eyes and long, lank hair. "But they took you away from me! Those heartless monsters!" she shrieked. She stepped away from the grave and watched over the horizon as the exiting band disappeared from view, Pinkamena grunting in disgust. "And soon, they're gonna understand, and they're gonna suffer for it!"

"Grrgh… Heh… Groh- Arrgh! HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHH!"

Pinkie Pie lunged forward mindlessly and her eyes shot open in unmistakable fright, whilst gasping for breath as her body slowly drowned in its own heat. It was just a dream; but dream or not, this pain in her body was unacceptable. She quickly pushed the sheets away and pulled herself out of bed in a panic, trying her best to stand but inevitably failing to muster the required strength, causing her to fall flat on her stomach in the middle of her bedroom.

Panting madly from stress, she pulled herself up and wiped the sweat from her cheeks and forehead. After eventually steadying her heartbeat, she sat in the corner of the bedroom, thinking to herself about the dream and its malicious effects.

Just then, the bedroom door flung open as Applejack stumbled inside, a panicked expression on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?!" she asked hesitantly. Pinkie Pie couldn't think of an adequate answer quick enough, except a clumsily blabbered "Nothing!" Pinkie Pie had only now remembered that Applejack was sleeping over for the night. "Are ya sure? I thought I heard ya scream" Applejack asked again, obviously doubting her friends screaming from across the hallway as 'nothing'. "I… um… It was just a bad dream" Pinkie muttered.

Applejack sighed in relief, saying "Oh, okay. Ya really had me worried there". There was a short silence, before Applejack waved a farewell gesture and took her leave, shutting the door behind her. Pinkie Pie laid back down in her bed, attempting to get some more sleep before the morning; although this feat, considering her previous experience, was easier said than done.

---

The next day was a very slow one; Pinkie Pie spent most of her time with her friends, going from shop to shop to see what was for sale. Eventually, they all came to the café and sat at a table, waiting to be served their respective meals. As they waited, they chatted amongst themselves, while Pinkie Pie simply listened and would often respond to an occasional question.

Throughout the entirety of the wait, Pinkie Pie didn't seem to have her natural joyful vibe, and seemed much more nervous and introverted. It was only a matter of time before her friends would notice this unnatural behavior from her, as the scene she painted for them was beyond abnormal.

"Hey, uh… Pinkie Pie… is something wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked, failing to hide her expression of concern. Pinkie Pie raised her head and quickly answered "No. Why?" All of her friends looked at eachother, remaining unconvinced by her answer. "Well, you just seem very… well… on edge, today" Rarity admitted, before adding "Strangely unsocial as well". Pinkie Pie's eyes darted between each of her colleagues, "On edge? Unsocial? Me?" She clarified.

After a silence, Pinkie Pie lowered her head in shame and admitted "…Yeah, I… guess I have". "Well, I can't say I blame ya. That nightmare ya had last night sounded pretty bad, especially if it made ya scream like that!" Applejack stated, trying her best to rescue her friend from this awkward predicament. "That was her?! I heard it too, and I live a long way away from her house" Twilight exclaimed.

"It wasn't about Pinkamena, was it?"

A chilling atmosphere instantly fell on the table from Fluttershy's question. "WHAT! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I WOULDN'T…" Pinkie Pie shouted, searching for an excuse to avoid this conversation; but from the mortified looks on her friends' faces, such an action would be futile. "I… well… yes…" Pinkie Pie stuttered before slamming her head against the table.

Awful memories of Pinkamena flooded the minds of her friends as they each traded nervous glances. They soon noticed that their friend that was sitting at her end of the table was now staring miserably at her half-drank milkshake. An awkward silence surrounded the table as the air around them grew heavier and thicker.

"I'd better get going…" Pinkie Pie sighed, before adding "You girls have fun without me", dropping from her chair and glumly staggering her way to the main entrance. Practically on reflex, Rainbow Dash dropped from the table and tried to run after her, yelling "Wait, don't go! It's not that big of a deal!" But by this time, Pinkie Pie was already leaving the café and heading for her home.

Rainbow Dash was in a predicament, now having to decide whether to follow Pinkie Pie, or to stay and discuss the situation with the others. Eventually, her decision was made, and she stepped outside and ran after her friend.

"Hey Pinkie Pie, wait up! Where are you going?!" She called out to seize her attention. Pinkie Pie stopped in her tracks and turned to her, muttering as simple "Hey, Rainbow". Rainbow stopped in front of her and frantically blabbered "I'm sorry for that, I didn't think it would turn out like that and I know how horrible this seems for you but-".

Pinkie Pie sat and shook her head to stop her friend's breakdown before it would continue. A long silence rang in the air, almost like a sound in itself. Pinkie Pie then asked "Hey, Rainbow Dash… can I ask a question? And this means a lot to me, so be honest"; Rainbow merely nodded and listened for the question, before she noticed Pinkie Pie eyes beginning to water. "Am I… Am…" she stammered, to which the pegasus insisted "It's okay, Pinkie Pie. You don't have to-".

"Am I insane?"

Rainbow Dash's heart stopped, as the atmosphere of the situation had finally come full circle. She couldn't find a way to respond to this; she understood that having a split personality is one of the most recognizable forms of mental illness, but couldn't bring herself to elude anything by it towards her friend. "I… I… You… I…" Rainbow huffed incoherently, though this was all the information that Pinkie Pie needed, and she sighed in defeat.

"Don't answer that. I really shouldn't ask questions when I know the answer" she winced dryly. With that, the flood gates were opened as she lowered her head and sobbed quietly to herself. Rainbow Dash sat there motionlessly, flustered and powerless to do anything but just sit and stare in awe. Eventually, Pinkie Pie stood up and made her way home, leaving her friend in this speechless state.

How could this depressing side to Pinkie Pie have come to be?

---

Are her friends right about her? Is she just being unsocial now? What should she do? What can she do? Is there anything to do? Is there anything that could possibly be done? Is she insane? Does she think that? Do her friend's think that? Does everypony think that? What about Pinkamena? Is she that dangerous? Is she that much of a threat to everypony?

Pinkie Pie sat at her dining table surrounded by the darkness of the night, contemplating the events of today compared to that which occurred during April Fools; the events during the celebration, the nightmares that occurred since then, and the source herself. "What should I do?" she said into the night air, a faint echo channeling throughout the room. She suddenly shut her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs "PLEASE! Help me! SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

These desperate and hysterical pleas spilled from her mouth as she slammed her head on the table and began to cry. The air felt tight, as if it was a dense fog. Pinkie Pie suddenly had difficulty breathing, as misery and depression consumed her. She was too distraught to realize that crying was the worst thing to do in this situation, since it was partly what dragged her into this mess in the first place. Her body began shaking and shivering, though she herself didn't know why, nor did she care for that matter.

Her eyes shot open against her will and as a pain churned in her chest. She gasped for breath before eventually collapsed from her chair. She attempted to stand, but her legs had long lost their strength and she fell flat on the carpet floor. After a few attempts to steady her breathing and heart rate, she inevitably lost consciousness and collapsed on her side. While slipping away into the dream world, she muttered "You called…for help…, and help… has answered…" with a slight smile on her face.

After Pinkie Pie passed out, the following two hours remained undisturbed, and she slowly stirred and shifted on the floor. As consciousness finally returned to her within the course of the second hour, she slowly began to raise herself from the floor, grunting in irritation as the stiffness in her body slowly, and uncomfortably, withdrew.

After eventually standing herself upright, she steadily, and clumsily, made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. After shutting the door and locking it, she began fumbling around in search for something inside her cupboards and drawers. While searching around, she paused when she noticed a mirror on the wall and stared into the reflection that was cast.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"Haahhhaaahahaha!" She cackled to herself in satisfaction; suddenly, though, her psychopathic grin devolved to a sour frown. "Why, Pinkie Pie!? Why would you keep me locked away like that for so long?!" she exclaimed, before growling in rage. "They've poisoned you against me! They want you to hate me!"

Pinkamena then grabbed the mirror firmly and tossed it against the wall, shattering it into multiple shards of glass and splintered woodwork. She began wildly kicking and throwing most of the furniture surrounding her in different directions, breaking them all until none were left to break. She cackled to herself again, relishing her newfound freedom.

"But I'm not gonna let anypony ruin your life anymore, cherub. NEVER AGAIN!"

To be continued…

MLP: The Simple Pleasures. Part 2

It was 9:00 at night, and Rainbow Dash had finally reached Pinkie Pie's house, hoping to find a solution to this war that waged between her best friend and this monster that had manifested within her subconscious. She stood before the front door, her head resting against it in consideration, as if to help her find the right words to say. Remaining wary, she twisted the hand and open the door slightly, a faint creak emanating from the hinges. "Hey Pinkie Pie, are you home?" she called through the half open doorway.

No answer came, but instead came a loud rustling sound from the upstairs window, connecting to Pinkie Pie's bedroom. Rainbow Dash took this as enough evidence, but then she wondered why she didn't answer her when she asked. "Sure… Rainbow Dash… hehe… I'm in my room" a voice called from above. The very moment Rainbow Dash stepped into the house, she already was witness to a truly grizzly sight.

Most of Pinkie Pie's furniture was either tarnished or missing; perhaps thrown out the windows, the only possibility. She carefully stepped through the vast wreckage and climbed up the stairs, before finally reaching the door to the bedroom. She suddenly became reluctant to open it, in case Pinkie Pie was not in her proper state of mind. Before she could, however, the door swung open rapidly, revealing a disturbing grin and a pair of soulless eyes. Rainbow Dash screamed in surprise before slamming the door.

Bracing herself against the wooden frame, she worriedly tried to piece together this unexpected event, along with the best course of action. "Oh my- what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?" she whispered to herself repeatedly. Pinkamena leaned against the door, licking her lips with anticipation, "Are you talking to yourself, Rainbow Dash? That's not good for you, y'know! Heh Heheheheheee!" Pinkamena leaned back and rammed her shoulder against the door, repeating this action over and over until eventually, Rainbow Dash's only defense fell freely and landed against the floor.

Rainbow Dash stammered in fear "You're… You're Pinkamena!" as she backed away from the encroaching psychopath. A loud cackle erupted from Pinkamena, followed by "Hmhmhmph! At your service. And I wouldn't run away if I we're you, since you should know that I can outrun you". It was true; Pinkie Pie was known for following Rainbow Dash and arriving where the latter intended to arrive, with no difficulty in doing so.

"If you've done anything to Pinkie Pie, I'll-" Rainbow Dash threatened before coming to realization of the details of the situation and slapping her forehead, utterly in awe of her own stupidity. "Pinkie Pie is safe enough in the mean time! Hehehehe!" Pinkamena grinned smugly, "In fact, I should be thanking you, Rainbow Dash. If it hadn't been for you, all of this would not have happened. I couldn't have done it without you".

This is a mind game now, and Pinkamena was winning vastly. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she began welling with her internally contained guilt. Pinkamena then jumped upwards towards the ceiling and hung from the overhead support beam, hoisting herself up and crawling along it like some form of predator.

"Are you still trying to 'help' her? Because, it's too late for that now" Pinkamena lectured, "You may think I'm a monster living within her mind; but if not for me, who knows where she'd be? Without me, she be in horrible danger" she continued. "That's not true and you know it!" Rainbow shouted towards the ceiling hanging psychopath.

"Wouldn't you like to have a… 'Significant Other' in your mind if you needed guidance through problems? Because, according to my diagnosis, a voice warning you to restrain yourself would do you some good" Pinkamena sneered as she leapt towards the support beam to her left. Rainbow Dash shook her head to banish this thought; but to no avail, as Pinkamena's words were sadly accurate.

"I can help her, and I already have" Pinkamena grinned evilly, "After all, many years on a rock farm has taught both my cherub and me to enjoy the simplest of pleasures". Rainbow Dash stared at Pinkamena with an expression of defeat on her face, as Pinkamena asked "Haven't you tried all you can to help her?" before rolling her eyes, "But then again, I forget who I'm talking to!"

Rainbow Dash was beginning to lose her patience and began yelling "I have been a better friend than you have ever been! Hurting her for your own needs, and threatening her real friends!?" Rainbow Dash had by now forgotten that the real Pinkie Pie was possibly hearing all of this too. "Hurting her for my own needs?! So the pot calls the kettle black, does she?" Pinkamena accused, dropping from the ceiling and landed on her hooves, growling menacingly at her inferior rival.

Pinkamena was using the hypocrisy of the situation to her advantage, "I… I… Ugh…" Rainbow Dash mumbled before staring at the ground in despair, whimpering from the emotional pain churning within her body. "We all have our own little problems, in one form or another. I'm well aware of my problems, unlike you; But still, your never gonna hurt while I'm here to protect her!" Pinkamena snarled. Tears began pouring from Rainbow Dash's eyes, one by one falling to the floor; she gritted her teeth and answered weakly "The only thing she needs protecting from is you".

Oddly, Pinkamena actually considered this last comment for a moment, before returning to her prior malevolence without a second thought. "Then perhaps… it's time I paid her 'friends' a few friendly visits" Pinkamena cackled, stepping passed the cowering opposition and preparing to head out with sinister intentions. With that, Pinkamena left the house; leaving Rainbow Dash as a broken, tormented mess.

-Pinkamena made her way through the streets of Ponyville, keeping her eyes open for any familiar faces. Unfortunately for her, most were already asleep, as she discovered by the town clock chiming 10:00. She stared up at the laminated representation of time and huffed in disappointment, "Oh dear. Hehehehahahaha! Oh well, beggars can't be choosers" she snickered creepily. She then climbed her way to the rooftop of a nearby pawn shop, before spotting a certain yellow pegasus wandering in a nearby street.

Fluttershy rarely wandered at night, so this was a unique opportunity for Pinkamena. She had to be quick, and make sure she didn't escape. Pinkamena leapt from rooftop to rooftop to stalk her prey; Fluttershy slowly and nervously made her way across the pathway. Suddenly, the streetlamps that aligned along the road she walked all went out simultaneously, each having been punctured through their glass cases. Fluttershy was surrounded by darkness, unable to explain this unexpected phenomenon, but she understood one fact; she wasn't alone.

Pinkamena stared down at her target from her perch and chuckled malevolently, loud enough to be heard by the pegasus. Fluttershy turned to face the source of this noise, only to find nothing upon the rooftop from which it was emitted. She began to tremble in fear as she nervously backed away from the road, only to find herself halted by an unknown obstruction.

"I GOTCHA!"

Fluttershy's heart leapt from her chest as she screamed and backed away in a wild panic, before sighing in relief "Oh, it's just…" and suddenly pausing in surprise, "…you". Pinkamena slowly stepped towards her with her unmistakably evil grin. Fluttershy's relief vanished and was replaced with caution once again, Pinkie Pie's unsettling appearance having caught her attention.

"Pinkie Pie, is that y-you?" she asked fearfully, only to be met with a sinister chuckle as a response. Pinkamena licked her lips before sneering "Sorry, Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie's away from home". Fluttershy attempted to scream but found herself incapable of doing so, and Pinkamena giggled "What's the matter? Eh Heheheheheee!" "P-p-p-pi-pi" Fluttershy stammered, barely able to form words from the stiffness in her chest.

"Pi-pi-pi-pi-PINKAMENA!? That's the name now, remember?" Pinkamena shouted hysterically, before changing to a more serious smirk. "Now, if you could come with me, I would be most thankful. Hehehehe! I would say 'I would prefer it if nopony got hurt', but what kind of fun would that be?"

"Pinkie Pie?" called a voice from behind the consultants, soon to be identified as Applejack, Twilight and Rarity. "Well, well, well! Isn't it way past your bedtimes?" Pinkamena asked before grinning. "We heard Fluttershy scream, so we thought she was in trouble!" Applejack explained, unaware of distinguish Pinkamena's features from the surrounding darkness.

Pinkamena thought about the situation at hand. Apparently, the ponies didn't recognize her as Pinkamena yet; and after considering this fact, she decided to take advantage of the situation. She did her best to copy Pinkie's usual, cheerful expression, and rustled her hair to resemble its previous appearance.

She hastily answered "I… I thought we might go somewhere nice tonight… like the café, maybe" in her best attempt to mimic Pinkie Pie's voice. The ponies looked at eachother in confusion, "We've already been there today, haven't we?" Twilight reminded her. "We have? I mean- uh… Well, we don't have to if you don't want to…" Pinkamena pouted.

Pinkamena's silver tongue had successfully slithered its way into the ponies' emotions. "Okay, Pinkie; we can go. We wanted to make it up to ya, anyway" Applejack offered with a small smile. As they headed on their way to the café's residential district, Pinkamena leaned over to Fluttershy and whispered "Not a word about me to any of them, or you'll wish you hadn't!" to which Fluttershy hastily nodded in obligation.

"Say, uh… Where's Rainbow Dash?" Twilight questioned, to which Pinkamena hesitated to find a good answer; "Um… uh… She came to see me tonight…but… she's not in a good mood" she explained, "She's… upset, but doesn't want anypony to see her".

Later, once they arrived at the café, the misfit group all ordered their typical meals. However, try as she might, Pinkamena had no clue of what to order, since she never had the chance to learn what meals Pinkie Pie enjoys. She scolded herself for this fact; she thought to herself "I can't believe I dragged myself into this mess!"

"Hey Pinkie Pie, about today…" Twilight muttered from across the table. Pinkamena diverted her attention towards the unicorn and quickly stammered "Oh! Um… don't worry about it, I just… haven't been myself for a while". Applejack then stated "I don't blame ya, Pinkie Pie. This whole thing with… Pinkamena…" she paused for a second before continuing, "I'm really sorry for ya".

Pinkamena hadn't expected such a response, and thus was becoming increasingly confused. Why were they not acting the way she had expected? Why hadn't a single notion of a deceit or wrath been aimed at Pinkie Pie yet? Why weren't they openly abusing her as she had predicted of them? To their knowledge, she was Pinkie Pie; and yet, they seemed to be treating her with a level of care and devotion to her alter ego that she did.

"No!" Pinkamena thought to herself, "It's a trick! Some kind of lulling tactic! They're trying to trick Pinkie Pie by being nice so they can hurt her more!" As the others chatted amongst eachother, Twilight noticed a certain oddity to Pinkie Pie's behavior, "You didn't order anything, Pinkie Pie?" she asked. All of her colleagues stared at her, waiting for some form of response. Pinkamena failed to hear the question, but noticed the observing eyes of her consultants and refocused her attention, "Uh… huh? What was that?" she muttered.

Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her, causing her to tense in surprise she shifted her gaze to the left to find the culprit. She was astounded to find that Applejack had her arms wrapped around her and had pulled her into an embrace. Taken aback, Pinkamena became puzzled to the relevance of this action, as well as what purpose it signified. She began to feel more uncomfortable the longer she remained in this position, but her embracer refused to release her grip. "What's the matter, Pinkie Pie!? You're actin' incredibly odd now. It's really scaring me, ya know; and… I wanna know. I wanna help! Why won't ya let anypony HELP!?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Pinkamena screamed in a frantic panic, before she fell from the table clumsily and ran for the front door. Once outside, she bolted for a nearby alley and stopped to catch her breath. What the heck just happened? Why did that one pony act so dramatically towards her? Whatever it was, Pinkamena remained convinced of the groups true nature.

While she tried to regain her previous composure, she suddenly felt a strange buzzing in her head. It felt like a soft vibration; soft, but no less irritating. "Grrgh, what is going on!?" she grunted to herself. When she looked back at the café, she noticed her 'friends' wandering towards her, to her dismay. "Hey, Pinkie Pie! Please, stop running away!" Applejack cried out.

"STOP! IT'S NOT PINKIE PIE!" cried a voice from the sky. All ponies looked up to find Rainbow Dash flying down in between Pinkamena and the others. "Stay away! It's Pinkamena!" she yelled. "What!?" erupted from the ponies, followed by a sobbing Fluttershy admitting "I wanted to tell you, but she told me not to, or else".

Applejack stared in horror at Pinkamena, saying "It can't be… You seemed… so much like her…" Pinkamena couldn't help but laugh at this statement; and since the secret was out, she no longer had anything to hide. "Bahahahaha! Of course it's me. You couldn't… cou… uh…. … what?" Pinkamena stopped mid-sentence and looked around in different directions.

"What? How are you…? How did… stop ta… stop!" The ponies stared with confusion as Pinkamena stumbled around screaming at herself and clutching her head. "You won't… stop! Stop…I SAID STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! Stop talking to me! Stop… stop… sto…" Pinkamena began to swoon before collapsing into Twilight's awaiting arms. With that, she passed out from either panic or stress, or perhaps both at the same instance of time.

The other ponies laid her against the wall, where she twitched and fidgeted in her fitful comatose state. "Is she alright?" Rarity asked, to which Twilight answered "I honestly don't know. But it's good that it happened, before she did something dangerous". "Well, that's good at least, but still…" Applejack replied. "Grrgh!" emanated from Pinkie Pie's throat as she tossed about restlessly. The other ponies watched her with both fear and curiosity.

Just what was going on in her head right now?

-White; pure white.

While in her senseless, lifeless state, Pinkie Pie had eventually lost her sense of time, therefore unable to understand how long it had been since it began. Eventually, however, Pinkie Pie slowly opened her eyes, having finally recovered possession of her bodily actions, to found herself laying in a bed, before rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

When her eyes adjusted to the bright light and surrounding color, she found that she was in her bedroom. Oddly, all of the furniture was back to normal and nothing was missing, not that Pinkie Pie seemed to notice. What happened while she was asleep? How long has it been? How did she get here? Did her friends bring her here? Where are they now?

Pinkie Pie stood up, got off her bed and made her way downstairs. Upon reaching the first floor, she was overwhelmed by the scent of freshly baked pastries, thankfully aiding her sensorial regeneration. She stepped outside and scanned her vision across the surrounding streets for anypony to talk to, only to be disappointed by their apparent vacancy.

Left without an alternative, she wandered her way to the café to see multiple ponies and pegasi wandering around; clearly, nothing had exactly changed from the norm. "PINKIE PIE!" suddenly called a cluster of voices from behind her; she turned around to find the source, but was immediately tackled by a wall of embrace.

"Pinkie, are you alright!?" came a voice from the bombardment of affection. "Yes! You- I am! Ow!" she muttered before being released by the five culprits. "Sorry! We were so worried! We thought ya had a fit or somethin' and ya wouldn't wake up!" Applejack howled. "Yeah… for a while, so did I" Pinkie Pie replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

"This should never have happened to you, Pinkie Pie! You too nice, you shouldn't have happened to somepony as good as you!" Rainbow Dash screamed before hugging Pinkie Pie again. Rainbow Dash began sobbing into her shoulder, and Pinkie Pie chuckled to herself. "Rainbow Dash, what's all this then? Your usually more emotionally controlled" Pinkie jokingly teased

Rainbow Dash peered into Pinkie Pie's eyes with mild sorrow. After hugging for a while, Pinkie Pie said "Hey Rainbow Dash?" to get her attention. Rainbow stared intently at her friend, expecting something of relative importance to be told.

"I'm kinda hungry".

The silence.

"GRHERAAAHHH! After all- You- You had- You- We- I-…" Rainbow Dash suddenly erupted. Pinkie Pie had apparently broken Rainbow Dash's mental capability of coherent speech, before "Sure thing, Pinkie Pie. Where would you like to go?" calmly passed through the latter's clenched teeth. The others snickered at this event before all eventually agreed on the place to go.

"Well, everything's back to normal finally!" Twilight sighed with relief. Her companions' thoughts on this comment indirectly conflicted, but all settled to leave the topic well enough alone for the time being, as such matters were not welcome at the present time of celebration.

After the breakfast at the café, the rest of the day was surprisingly, and thankfully, uneventful. By the time the group disbanded, it was 6:00 pm; so Pinkie Pie decided to head home for the night. She decided not to have any dinner, as she believed she would explode if she even tried to eat anymore.

While in bed, her churning stomach cost her of much of her sleep; she tried to play a song in her head to help, but was too unfocused and distracted to think of one. However, as time passed, a song began playing in her head that she recognized immediately, and she snuggled into her bed with satisfaction. But then, something crossed her mind about the song that she heard; particularly the voice that she could hear.

Why was it her own voice?

The End?

MLP: Rainbow Favored. Part 1

The day was a relatively peaceful one, as most of the town's population had decided to remain indoors for the majority the weekend. Their excuse for such behaviour was for the abominable weather they were currently enduring, as the entire town was relentlessly bombarded with a boiling heat. Any that weren't held up in their homes were searching for any means to cool themselves off, such as relaxing in the swimming pool or buying cold desserts from the café.

And on this day, six of the occupants of the abnormally crowded café were the band of misfits known as Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack. Each pony was attempting to survive the heat with a variety of different drinks, each having strange flavours and effects on their consumers.

Soon, as the group had spent around 10 minutes drowning their thirsts, a loud stamping sound emitted from the main entry, prompting the melancholic misfits to identify the source. They found that the overly competitive Rainbow Dash ungraciously burst through the main entrance and grudgingly stomped her way to their table, taking a seat for herself and slamming her head against the table in a fit of rage.

"What's the matter with you?" Twilight asked smugly, a smile creeping across her cheeks. "Greaah! I almost had it! And I would've, if not for this stupid heat wave!" the pegasus complained, and then she hung her head in shame and sighed; "Long story short… the demonstration was a disaster" she groaned under her breath. Despite the intended pity this confession was supposed to provide her, her companions couldn't help but stifle their contained laughter from her rather unsophisticated outburst.

However, as she and her friends laughed at this misfortune, Pinkie Pie's attention was suddenly diverted by a strange sensation. A light buzzing sound filled her ears and she felt her head begin to throb. She gently laid her temple against her hooves in an attempt to quell the irritation, though such an act was utterly futile. Was it a headache? Whatever it was, it was slowly getting was the first to notice Pinkie Pie's behaviour and asked curiously "Hey… Is somethin' wrong, Pinkie Pie?"

This question went unnoticed by her obviously pained colleague, as the irritating buzzing noise soon became the only sound she could hear. She sat against the backrest of her seat in silence, pressing her hooves against her forehead as hard as she could; this agony she was in was so completely unbearable, it had begun impairing her connection to reality. Her chest began unleashing bombarding waves of pain and her forehead was drenched in flowing sweat, while the rest of her body felt numb and lifeless.

However, after a few moments, she heard another faint sound in her ears, resembling some mismatched hybrid between an echo and a whisper. This rather alienating sound was rather distant and hushed, as if the source of the noise was vocally restrained in some manner. From within the random jumble of chittering and scraping that rang in her ears, the faint whisper of "Pinkie Pie… Hello… Pinkie Pie…" Echoed in a repetitive fashion.

Pinkie Pie could think about nothing else but this foreign whisper, as it had increase in volume to the point of blaring within her head, growing louder and more excruciating by the enough though, the horrendous throbbing began to fade, and Pinkie Pie slowly began regaining her original composure. Her hearing was first to return in full, only to be bombarded by panicked screams and shouts from her long neglected observers. "Pinkie Pie?! Hello?! Pinkie Pie!?"

"Pinkie Pie, Wake Up!" "Pinkie Pie, are you okay?!" all rang deeply into her eardrums, almost as painfully as the prior sound that had done so. Nevertheless, she had to end this auditory onslaught. "Ugh… I'm…" she managed to force from her strained lungs. She soon regained her sense of touch, and soon realised she was still seated in the café.

She leaned back against the backrest and groaned in discomfort, attempting to find the most comfortable position to aid in regaining her prior status. "Oh my- Are you alright, Pinkie Pie!?" yelled an agitated Rainbow Dash frantically. Pinkie Pie slowly leaned forward, soon feeling two pairs of arms supporting her form from both sides. "Yeah, uh… I… don't know. What happened?" she muttered breathlessly.

"Uh, well… You kinda went weird on us. Twilight thought you were having a fit" Fluttershy explained. "Ack! Don't tell her that!" Twilight shouted, slapping Fluttershy's mouth shut to keep her from continuing this explanation. This reaction was quickly forgotten by all and redirected towards subject material, her eyes opening slightly to regain her vision. She then said "Uh… Well, it's fine now. I think it was just a bit of a heada-".

Everything went black.

---

Blackness had consumed. Her mind was clouded. She couldn't think properly. She couldn't move, she couldn't hear or see anything. This purgatory she was engulfed in had taken her from the real world for what felt like an eternity.

"…ie…"

A sound; at long last, a sound.

"…ake u…"

Again, the sound of a voice filled her ears; but unfortunately, she couldn't recognise it.

"…re you awa…"

By this time, she felt her body begin regaining its former strength, and her eyes slowly opened, only to be met with bright, blinding light. On instinct, she shut them immediately.

"WAKE UP!"

"Grrgh…" she groaned as slowly opened her eyes again; this time, to be met with multiple spinning colours. Eventually though, her eyesight adjusted to this foreign environment and she found herself in a white room, as well as lying in what seemed to be a bed. She looked around briefly, finding more beds aligned in a synchronised order against the wall. This could only mean one thing, it was the Hospital.

"Pinkie Pie's awake!" yelled a voice from across the room; Pinkie Pie turned to face the source, remembering that she wasn't alone in this room. She found Fluttershy standing halfway in the doorway at the end of the ward, all but confirming Pinkie Pie's suspicion, calling out into the hallway for what she guessed was her friends. Sure enough, four more ponies burst into the room, nearly trampling Fluttershy, and came to her bedside.

"PINKIE PIE, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" shouted Applejack in a panic. "Ugh… What… happened to me this time?" Pinkie Pie asked weakly, barely able to turn her head to face them. "We don't know! You fainted in the café and you wouldn't wake up!" Rainbow Dash answered, "Twilight said we should take you here". Pinkie Pie fixed her single open eye on Twilight and smiled weakly at her, who blushed from this unforseen attention. "W-well it seemed like the best idea" Twilight stammered nervously. Pinkie Pie laid her head on the pillow and sighed comfortably.

"Well… I think that's enough excitement for me today" Pinkie Pie teased jokingly, clearly an attempt to steer the topic away from its negative aspects. Her colleagues looked at eachother in surprise from her misplaced humour, before giggling to themselves simultaneously. "Enough excitement? That's about as excitin' as it's ever gonna get this week!" Applejack exclaimed. Pinkie Pie looked towards her and raised an eyebrow, "What does that mean?! So you want me to faint again? Because in not go-".

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's eyes flutter shut as her head fell back against the pillow, ceasing all movement thereafter. Her friends were no less than mortified; "AAH! Not again!" shrieked a frightened Rarity. Rainbow Dash was preparing to rush off and find a doctor, but was distracted by the sound of laughter emanating from behind her. She turned to face the bed, discovering that Pinkie Pie was smiling giggling giddily to herself.

All in her presence were dumbfounded; "Heheheheh! Sorry, I couldn't help myself" Pinkie Pie admitted, attempting to justify herself before supressing a newly conjured snicker. Applejack tilted her head downward and gave a faux angry expression, "Yes ya could've!" before smiling, "But still, ya got us real good!"

After Pinkie Pie left her bed and exited the hospital with the others, they were courteous enough to describe the events of the day to her during the trip home. "So let me get this straight" She began "While I was passed out, completely out cold, I was talking!?" Rarity answered "Yeah, it was totally weird. You were just saying you own name, over and over".

Pinkie Pie was silent, wondering why this would happen and searching for any logical reason for this supposedly impossible behaviour. But suddenly, she came to a rather worrying conclusion of what was responsible, but decided not to elaborate to the others. She chose to keep it to herself, desiring not to invoke any unnecessary fear. At some time during the trip, they all parted ways and Pinkie Pie made her way home in peace.

Pinkie Pie pushed through her front door and raced upstairs, carelessly stumbling into her bedroom and laying down on the bed. She lay there quietly, thinking about what happened in the diner earlier this morning. How did that happen? What would've caused it? It was apparently serious enough to have her taken to the hospital, so it was vital to understand the cause. She was so happy that her friends took care of her when she needed help, but was still pondering as to why she needed it in the first place.

"Hmm… perhaps it was heat stroke, and I passed out to cool down!" she assumed. It made the most sense to her; logically, it's the most likely cause, since the weather this morning was among the hottest she had ever experienced. Thankfully, in the time that's passed, and at the time of leaving the café, the humidity had died. Pinkie Pie was pleased that she could come to a conclusion that was legitimately plausible.

Just then, the doorbell rang; but whoever rang it had already come into her house, as the sound of creaking hinges had been noticed. She left her bedroom and rushed downstairs to uncover the intruder's identity, discovering four ponies whom thankfully turned out to be Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy. "Hey, Pinkie Pie. How are ya feeling?" Applejack asked, concerned for Pinkie Pie's health yet again.

"Better now" she replied, then adding "Actually, I think it was the heat that made me faint". The four guests considered this and agreed, "That does make sense, actually" Twilight stated thoughtfully. Pinkie Pie then frowned and deflatedly said "Sorry for scaring you all like that, but it's not that big of a deal anymore". Applejack laughed loudly, before pulling a rather conniving expression.

"Well, ya can be a real freak, sometimes".

What? What did she say? What's that meant to mean? Why would Applejack say something like that to her? That's the rudest thing she had ever heard. "No kidding, that whole Pinkamena thing was pretty disturbing. Let's hope that never happens again" Fluttershy added, rather insensitively. "I can't understand why you'd let her do those horrible things without stopping her.

What's wrong with you, Pinkie Pie?!" Twilight maliciously questioned. They all stared and cackled sadistically at her, whilst she sat silently with her jaw hanging open in a state of disbelief. This was incredibly confusing for Pinkie Pie, but shocking nonetheless. The fact that they would say those things to her, especially in her presence, was truly unbelievable.

And why would they laugh from such putrid humour? Inevitably, a sense of pride gained control; Pinkie Pie felt her body tense with rage, finding herself increasingly aggravated by this degrading situation. Applejack sneered "Oh look! Somepony's getting cranky!" and all of her friends sporadically burst into laughter, howling and cackling at Pinkie Pie's expense.

This was mind-blowing. How did it come to this? Her friends were treating her with the utmost respect earlier, but are now verbally assaulting her with such vile insults, and it was tipping her over the edge. By this point, Pinkie Pie's teeth were gritted and her eyes were burning with frustration. She was half-ready to do something extreme, and lacked any intention of restraining herself.

Her hair began sweating and her eyelids twitched constantly, but she quickly regained her composure. She simply sighed and wandered to a nearby seat, settling down and remaining silent. A smile emerged on her face and she shut her eyes gently; "Yeah… sure thing" she whispered weakly, having apparently cooled from her increasing stress.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked curiously. Pinkie Pie rose from her seat and slowly wandered towards Applejack, until she stood in front of her. "Sorry, Applejack…" Pinkie Pie's eyes suddenly shot open and her wide smile spread across her cheeks. She stared intensely into Applejack's eyes, who shivered nervously.

"…but now you've really crossed the line".

---

Rainbow Dash was grumpily stomping her way through the streets. As of late, everything had been going wrong for her, and she could barely comprehend the outrageous circumstances of each misfortune that befell her. "Well, that is just perfect. I botch my flight presentation, I'm ridiculed for it in front of my friends, and now one of them was sent to the hospital". She grumbled to herself for these unfortunate events, her eyes teeming with frustration. She shouted to herself "How could things get any worse!?"

"Get outta my way!" yelled a voice from behind her. Before Rainbow Dash could react in any fashion, however, she was suddenly pushed to the ground by an unnoticed passerby. She simply laid in the dirt for a few seconds, before sporadically jumping to her hooves and snarling angrily through her clenched teeth. "Right! That's it!" Rainbow Dash had finally lost her sense of rationality; and without another thought, she rocketed into the air and raced after the culprit, with an intent to give them what was due.

After a short search, she eventually spotted the perpetrator and descended from the air, halting when she was only several feet away from them. Intending to gain their attention, she shouted "Hey you, chump! Who do you think you're butting heads with!? If you ever do that again, I'm gonna-" before abruptly losing her voice. Her heart ceased its natural rhythm as she finally identified who she had confronted. The culprit turned to face Rainbow Dash, revealing herself to be Pinkie Pie, although there were several noticeable differences about her appearance.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Suddenly realising who it was that she was prepared to relieve her welling stress upon, Rainbow Dash became utterly petrified and quickly attempted to avoid a drastic confrontation between the two of them. "Oh… uh… y-you're not who I was l-looking for. It must have been somepony else" she nervously mumbled. Pinkamena stared at the impulsive pegasus with cold eyes and a disgusted sneer, clearly unconvinced by this poorly executed statement.

"Get outta there!" Rainbow Dash's long absent rationality screamed within her mind; "Gotta go!" she screamed before rocketing off into the sky. Before soaring away, she looked back for a quick second to see if any altered events had occurred below. She found that Pinkamena was still standing motionless, staring with burning eyes at Rainbow Dash.

The latter soon understood the reason why; no matter how far she flew away, or where she would hide, Pinkamena would outrun her and beat her to her desired destination. Despite this, the tension became overwhelming for her, resulting in her soaring off as fast as she could in a fit of impulse. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her luck could descend to such a level, nor that it would result in what she had just encountered.

"That was Pinkamena! I can't believe it!" she stammered nervously. This was the first time in a long while that she was truly scared her own health, and from an understandably threatening predicament. Soon enough, a thick overgrowth of woodland entered her field of view and she immediately dove into a small gap within the treetops. She dug her way through the swaying branches and landed among the wilderness of vegetation and plant-life. The trees blocking the sunlight coated her surroundings in an atmospheric darkness.

She quietly looked around for any sign of Pinkamena's presence, pleased to find naught but the sound of birds and the rustling of the branches overhead. She leaned against a nearby tree and sighed with relief; "That was way too close!" she exclaimed, catching her breath "I just hope she doesn't find me h-".

"Guess again!"

Rainbow Dash shrieked in fright, though nopony would have heard her whilst in this environment, and jumped away from the voice behind her. Pinkamena stepped out from behind the tree and approached her, before she slowly stood upright and folded her arms, flashing a wicked grin. "Now, what was that you were saying earlier? You were gonna what?" she asked, her facial expression remaining unaltered.

"Well- I- You- I- Uh..." Rainbow Dash stuttered incoherently. There was no real excuse for her outburst other than her short temper, and Pinkamena seemed to understand this fact. Rainbow Dash soon found a suitable reply, "Look, I've just had a bad day and I'm really tired because it's almost dark and I was angry and-".

"I hope you weren't gonna take out your frustration on me; that would have been... hehe… impolite". Pinkamena cackled madly. "That's exactly right, heh…" Rainbow nervously chuckled, in a rather poor attempt to win Pinkamena's good side, though an existence of such a side was debatable. "M-maybe I can make it up to you!" the pegasus pleaded.

Pinkamena thought about this statement for a moment, rubbing the bottom of her chin with her ankle, before smiling again. "Well, maybe you can make up for this little… miscommunication we've had. Maybe you could… do something for me. Eh Heheheheh…" Pinkamena snickered malevolently. Rainbow Dash stared curiously and pondered this offer, before asking "What do you want, then?"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!" Pinkamena suddenly shouted hysterically, before calming herself with a deep breath. After regaining her composure, she then muttered through her clenched teeth "I haven't thought of it yet, so you're fine for now". "For now? What in the heck does that mean?" Rainbow Dash thought to herself. "You can go back home. But when I need you for that- Hehehehe… favor…" she continued, before staggering away with a cheerful smile.

Before taking her leave, however, she turned to stare at Rainbow Dash one last time and finished her sentence, "…I know where to find you". Afterwards, she disappeared into the darkness, leaving Rainbow Dash to consider her situation. Rainbow Dash pondered what had occurred, and realised that despite learning of Pinkamena's return, she couldn't fathom what would have triggered the anomaly's reappearance.

At no point during the week did Pinkie Pie behave strangely, neither was she wronged in any way that would prompt Pinkamena's return. But then, the whole 'Pinkamena formula' was something that none, not even Twilight, were able to understand properly. The only clue she had for this outcome was this morning's incident in the café.

Perhaps there was more to that than she realised.

To be continued…

MLP: Rainbow Favored. Part 2

Rainbow Dash flew through the streets of Ponyville, searching for any of her colleagues to explain the events of the previous hour. She had already checked Fluttershy's house and found it vacant, so her next guess was the café. She was halfway across town when she came across a familiar face; a certain purple unicorn was running through the street before spotted the pegasus, shouting "Hey, Rainbow Dash! Over here!"

She didn't seem cheerful to see her, however, as an expression of panic on her face had met Rainbow Dash's eyes. Naturally, she couldn't help but approach her to learn what was worrying her. "Hey, Twilight. What's the matter?" she asked with concern. Twilight then told her the whole story of what happened in Pinkie Pie's house; particularly, the event it resulted in.

"Pinkie Pie and Applejack got in a fight?!"

"Yeah, and it was pretty rough. I don't even know how it happened; we were all just chatting, and then she just went crazy!" Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow Dash didn't know what to make of this, and simply stood in utter disbelief from hearing this information. She had guessed that Pinkamena was responsible for this attack, but such a violent outcome would still be impossible to predict.

Rainbow Dash then asked "Well, where's Applejack now?" Twilight hesitated to answer her at first, but eventually decided to tell her the bad news. "Well, Applejack did get hurt… And, well… she's in the hospital" Twilight increased her pace of speech in a failed attempt to undertone this horrific news, with predictable results.

"What?! Is she alright?" Rainbow Dash shrieked in fear, clearly horrified. "Don't worry, she's okay. But like I said, it was pretty rough; so she's pretty shook up. Personally, I think we should leave her for a while to get better" Twilight suggested, before waving goodbye and glumly taking her leave. Rainbow Dash was left to pondering the events of the week; Pinkie Pie fainting in the café, Pinkamena threatening her, and now she's attacked Applejack and put her in the hospital.

How did it all connect?

Later that day, Rainbow Dash decided to go visit Applejack anyway, just to be sure she would recover like Twilight said. Once she made her way through the hospital and came to Applejack's room, she found that she was asleep. Despite her better judgement, she decided to stay and watch her friend, just in case she happened to wake up. She grabbed a chair and sat quietly, waiting for a short while and getting a better look at her friend's injuries. To say the least, they were worse than she was expecting.

Applejack's body was covered in a variety bruises and lumps, ranging in various shapes and sizes across her body. The next detail Rainbow Dash noticed was a volatile blackness that had engulfed her left eye, possibly from either a headbutt or a kick. But the most startling injury of all was Applejack's left arm, which was bound inside a bandage within a plastic cast. Who could've thought that Pinkie Pie could do so much damage when she becomes out of control like this?

After around ten minutes, Rainbow Dash decided to leave and prepared to make her way out, before a voice stopped her in her tracks, "It was Pinkamena" she heard behind her. Rainbow Dash hung her head and responded "Yeah, I know. I saw her today". "I feel so bad for her, y'know… Oh, this is horri- Ow!" Applejack grunted in pain. "It's okay, I'll take care of it. And the others are going to help" Rainbow Dash stated, before making her way through the exit. Applejack then asked "Huh? Well, what are ya gonna do?"

Several hours later that evening, Rainbow Dash and the other ponies had arrived to Pinkie Pie's home. The ponies were beyond nervous by this point; they were genuinely scared, since they knew firsthand of what Pinkamena was capable of. They each peered through a window in search of Pinkie Pie's current position, but she was in none of the rooms on the first floor, concluding that she must have been upstairs in her bedroom.

Rainbow Dash crept towards the front door with caution and twisted the door knob slowly, only to find the entrance to be locked. She looked to her left to see Fluttershy still staring through the kitchen window, before quickly waving at her to get her attention. "The door's locked" she whispered nervously. "And all the windows are shut tight too" Fluttershy answered. "Over here!" Rarity called to the others, having apparently found a window that was still open.

By the time they all regrouped, Rarity had already climbed in through the window and was offering to pull the others through. After they were all in the house, Rainbow Dash commanded "Okay. First things first, we stick together. Understand?" They all nodded in agreement and snuck through the house, towards the stair and onto the second floor.

"… would be a lot of fun, don't you think?"

---

Behind one of the doors, they heard a familiar voice cheerfully chatting away. The four fell silent in order to hear what she was saying. "But what about the house? ... Well, we can have to halves of it, one for me and one for you. … A duplex? Heheheheh! But what about the bedroom? … We can get a double bed, and repaint the bedroom while we're at it. … And maybe we can get one with two closets, one for each of us. … Hahaha! That's a great idea! So where should it be, cherub? In the hills, on an island or by the beachside? … Oh, the beach definitely. I'd love the peaceful quiet of the beachside house. … Oh, that sounds so lovely!" the pair of personas conversed delightfully.

"What is she talking about?" Rarity whispered, wary of Pinkie Pie hearing them. "I think she's planning to move away!" Fluttershy exclaimed in sudden realisation.

"And we'll find somewhere remote, somewhere far away from this place. … No joke! It becomes pretty fuzzy when phonies are constantly leeching off of your back. … I'm so sorry, Pinkamena. You were always trying to tell me, but I didn't believe you. You were right all along. … I know, I heard the whole thing. They were so rude to you! And then that one pegasus was going to attack me! … I thought that they wouldn't try to act so mean to me, especially during April Fools Day when they apologized; but this was something else entirely".

This was incomprehensible for her friends to hear; they had never heard this from her in the time they've spent with her. Was what she was saying now what she really thought, or was it just Pinkamena poisoning her against them; either way, Rainbow Dash couldn't bear the thought that these circumstances could be the reality. Unbeknownst to the ragtag team of infiltrators, though, Pinkie Pie had stopped talking and the house became silent.

The group soon realised this and each had redeveloped their sense of dread. However, after eventually mustering enough courage, Rainbow Dash slowly twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. They all individually stepped into the room, but were met with a surprise; strangely, Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd she go?" Rarity asked fearfully, but was met with no answer. She then understood the reason for the lack of conversation, as the other three were too distracted by the state of the room itself. Pinkie Pie's room seemed relatively the same as always, but the furniture had been rearranged since the last time they saw it.

There was two of everything in her room now; the left side had a desk, a book shelf and a collection of toys and stuffed animals aligned along a window sill, and the right side was symmetrically identical, down to the very millimetre. In the centre of the room was Pinkie Pie's bed, covered with a pink and violet quilt cover and a matching pillow. "W-what's this all about? Why is there two of everything in here?" Fluttershy asked, bewildered by the bizarre layout of the furniture.

"Perhaps it's for both her and Pinkamena to have one?" Twilight assumed curiously. Rarity then replied "So one side of the room is for Pinkamena and the other is for Pinkie Pie?" before turning to view the room once more; "That's pretty out there. This is just getting stranger and stranger".

'CLUMP!'

The bedroom door had suddenly slammed shut behind them, causing a widespread panic amongst the group as they turned to face it. There, standing in the doorway; with a wide, sadistic grin and bloodshot eyes, was the dreaded Pinkamena they had feared crossing. "Do you like our new layout?" Pinkamena smugly questioned, before snickering insanely to herself. She made her way towards the group, who were frozen to the core with fear.

"Thanks for knocking, by the way" she then sarcastically sneered, apparently aware that they had indeed broken into her house. "Make yourselves comfortable if you'd like to" she stated before stopping in front of the intruders of her abode, asking "Now, can I do anything for you four? Eh Hehehehe!" This scene was incredibly odd for the group to witness, as Pinkamena would never speak to them so politely; this they knew without a doubt. Rainbow Dash stepped forward and asked "Um… can we… uh… talk to Pinkie Pie, please?" attempting to take advantage of their host's hospitality.

Pinkamena erupted into laughter, before answering "Sure thing! Let me get her for you" and stood silently, eventually exclaiming "Whoa!" Pinkamena's smile quickly dropped into a frown as she confessed "I don't think she wants to talk". She then folded her arms, and angrily demanded "Hey, come out here and play nice!" before a second silence fell throughout the room. After a few seconds passed, Pinkamena huffed and said "Whoa, she really doesn't want to talk! And quite honestly, I DON'T BLAME HER!"

The four 'guests' knew what this aggressive behaviour would eventually lead to, and Twilight was the first to attempt changing it, and did so by asking "Don't blame her for what? What did we do to upset her?" Pinkamena stomped her hoof against the floor and yelled "What did you do!? What didn't you do!? You flat out insulted her! You took advantage of her good nature yet again, and FOR WHAT!? Was it funny to you? Is it fun to toy with her emotions like you have? LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE!?"

"What are you talking about?!" Rainbow Dash accused, having lost a majority of her temper once again. Pinkamena sneered, "'You've always been a freak, Pinkie Pie', 'Oh look, somepony's getting cranky', 'What is wrong with you Pinkie Pie!' DO ANY OF THESE RING A BELL!?" she shrieked in rage, though her voice also displayed a hint of despair. Rarity stepped in and asked "At what point did we say anything like that?" Before Pinkamena had the chance to, Twilight answered "Never! We'd never say that to you, Pinkie Pie. NEVER!"

"STOP LYING TO ME!"

This brought a silence to the argument; an atmospheric, almost deafening silence. The entire group, even Pinkamena herself, seemed shocked by this sudden outburst. Most likely because Pinkamena's wasn't the voice that shouted this accusation, but was Pinkie Pie's instead. Pinkamena shut her eyes tightly and groaned in frustration.

"Change of plans, Pinkamena. We're leaving now!"

---

Pinkie Pie then spun around and prepared to leave. However, Rainbow Dash suddenly flew past Pinkie Pie and guarded the doorway, shouting "Sorry Pinkie Pie, but you can't leave this house!" She stopped and growled with rage, spouting "Oh yeah? Are you gonna try and stop me?" During this time, the other three ponies had run out the door while Rainbow Dash had kept her distracted.

Each of the trio ran downstairs and made their way to the first floor, soon to depart and each run to a different door, standing in the way of it in case Pinkie Pie made any attempt to escape. This was soon discovered to be the case when Pinkie Pie leapt down the stairs and stopped in her tracks, though Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen or heard.

She stopped and looked around her living room, finding herself trapped within her own house. Fluttershy guarded the front door, Rarity sat against the backdoor, and Twilight stood in the way of the kitchen's side door. Rainbow Dash leapt down the staircase and jumped in front of Pinkie Pie, yelling "There's no way out! All of the doors are blocked off and the windows are all shut!"

"This is ridiculous! I'm not gonna be your prisoner!" Pinkie Pie replied aggressively, before abruptly calming herself. Unbeknownst to the other four, Pinkie Pie was still listening to Pinkamena as a voice in her head; but stranger than that, was what Pinkamena was saying to her.

"Pinkie Pie, just calm down!" echoed within Pinkie Pie's mind. "Why? After all they did to us? You were right about them the whole time! They're all liars!" Pinkie Pie shouted maniacally to herself. "You don't know… I mean, they might be telling the truth this time!" Pinkamena replied, out loud this time. Pinkie Pie stood silently in the middle of the room, considering what this last sentence could mean, before replying "But that doesn't make sense… then you'd be lying".

Her hair was sweating and her legs were trembling with tension by this time. Her captors simply sat in fear, watching this latest event unfold before them. "If they were telling the truth, you would be lying! … But I didn't lie! … You lied to me, didn't you? … Now cherub, just calm down. … I trusted you, Pinkamena! … Stop being stupid, Pinkie Pie. I'd never lie to you! … I attacked and hurt Applejack for a LIE?! … Pinkie Pie, stop getting angry! … SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU ALL! Get… get… … ou…"

Sweat trickled down her neck as she suddenly lost all strength throughout her entire body. She fell to her knees as she slowly lost her senses, while her friends quickly rushed in to help her. She slowly fell forward and collided against the carpet floor, rapidly losing the energy to stay awake. She couldn't understand what her friends were screaming to her, and didn't seem to care. Once again, darkness had engulfed her senses, and all control had slipped away from her for a second time. She shut her eyes and slipped away into unconsciousness.

Unbeknownst to her was while she was rendered motionless, her friends had carried her to her bed and left her to recover. After a few hours had past, she eventually did return to a portion of her former health, while awaking to a familiar sight. She laid in her bedroom and it was almost 3:00 am according to her clock, but the rest of her furniture remained in their current positions. "Where did everypony go?" she asked into the cool night air, the question echoing throughout the house.

Although she wasn't actually expecting an answer, an answer seemed to have been expecting her. "They're all here, still. They decided to stay over for the night in case you woke up; but I'm the only one still awake now" whispered a familiar voice from a bright blue pegasus. Pinkie Pie soon scanned her eyes throughout the room, and found that Rainbow Dash was right. The others had taken refuge within her bedroom to sleep; using seats, cushions and other resources as beds.

Rainbow Dash then asked "And what about… uh… Pinkamena?" "Well… I can't hear her… so that's something" Pinkie Pie replied, before sighing with relief, "That was real weird what she was doing, though", Pinkie Pie explained "When I got really angry, she was trying to calm me down; even saying that you may have been telling the truth the whole time.

Maybe she doesn't like me getting angry… I dunno". Rainbow Dash then replied "Actually, that might be right. You were… in control when you got angry, weren't you?" "Yeah, she actually… seemed scared, now that I think about it. Maybe she knew we were gonna pass out from it". She sunk into the pillow and muttered to herself "Poor Applejack. I hope she didn't hurt her too badly". Without anything further to discuss, she sighed before dozing off and laying back into her bed.

Rainbow Dash laid next to her bed and pondered Pinkie Pie's dilemma, attempting to fit the pieces together. Up until now, everypony thought Pinkamena simply represented all of her negative emotions. But according to Pinkie Pie, Pinkamena tried to defend them from Pinkie Pie's rage; but whether this was a random act of compassion towards them or to protect Pinkie Pie from harming herself remained a mystery.

Also, according to Pinkie Pie, she had her split-personality since fillyhood, and they were apparently cooperative and relatively neutral. This only proved to confuse Rainbow Dash ever further, and fill her head with more questions to consider. But by this time, she had already begun to fall asleep and eventually slept comfortably beside her best friend.

Since then, everything seemed to return to the way it was; not just before this week's events, but before Pinkamena ever became an occasional occurrence. Pinkie Pie returned to her old, loud, excitable self, and Pinkamena hadn't come back since then. Weeks passed without any mishap or incident, and for a while, everything in Equestria was in proper order. One day, however, Rainbow Dash had come back home from her daily routine and was looking forward to some rest.

Before she went in, however, she noticed a small letter laying in the grass; prompting her to approach it and pick it up to find the address. Oddly, there was neither a name nor a postmark, meaning that it was delivered singlehandedly by the sender. She pulled out the paper from the envelope and unfolded it, and what she read froze her to the core with terror.

'Don't forget the favor.'

The End?

MLP: The Trade Secret. Part 1

It was 12:00 at night, and the whole town was sleeping peacefully without disturbance. It had been a relatively quiet week, and also incredibly boring for all. It was so peaceful and quiet for everypony that the townsfolk actually wanted something catastrophic, or at the very least abnormal, to happen. Unfortunately for them, there were no shocking events to be discovered, nor was any ill will expressed to invoke such occurrences.

One such house was the bakery that belonged to a certain pink, excitable misfit. Pinkie Pie and her friends had decided to have a sleepover at her house for the evening, each sleeping in their own cozy corner of the building. Pinkie Pie herself slept in her own bedroom, which was shared by Rainbow Dash, who slept in a beanbag in the corner.

Pinkie Pie herself was having a less than content sleep, unlike the others, as she was tossing and turning restlessly in her bed, possibly from some form of a bad dream. Whatever the cause, she was grunting and emitting an occasional shriek as she flipped and shivered tensely during this restless slumber. This activity was proven loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear, as she sleepily arose from her temporary sleeping quarters to find the source of the disturbance.

She silently crept towards the bed, all the while listening to her friends unintelligible muttering and steadily growing more concerned for both Pinkie Pie's wellbeing and her own pledge for rest. "Grrgh… ack… no… hmmph… no…" faintly echoed around the room. Rainbow Dash was tempted to awaken Pinkie Pie from her torment, but became wary of what Pinkie Pie's reaction would be upon awakening.

Just then, the door creaked open slowly, diverting the pegasus's attention to a cautious Applejack leaning halfway through the doorway. "Wha… What's that sound?" Applejack whispered nervously. Rainbow Dash looked back towards the door, replying in an equally nervous whisper "It's Pinkie Pie, I think she's having a bad dream". "Wake her up. It'll be fine" Applejack suggested.

"Gergh… ilk... Eh Hehehehehehahahahahahahahaha…"

Pinkie Pie began giggling uncontrollably as she slept, snickering as she tossed and turned in her fitful slumber. This wouldn't have been such a problem, if not for the laugh itself. Both ponies recognized it immediately and were filled with a new sense of fear. "Okay… wake her up now!" Applejack demanded hesitantly.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie rolled out of the bed and lay sprawled across the carpet floor, howling and cackling hysterically. Her body twitched and shivered as she slowly wore herself out, though displaying a lack of intent to cease her actions. "Pinkie Pie, WAKE UP!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she shook her friend violently to awaken.

"PAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- Hehahaha… heh… ugh… wh- what?"

Pinkie Pie steadily sat up from the floor and caught her breath, panting heavily to steady her racing heartbeat. "Ugh, what's happening? Why am I on the floor?" She asked distraughtly, understandably confused as a result of her obliviousness to the past five minutes. The two witnesses looked at eachother in unison before Rainbow Dash answered "Well, you fell out of bed. That must've been a pretty rough dream you were having".

Applejack then continued "Yeah, gal. You were tossin' and flailin' like a mudfish. Then ya started laughin' up a storm while you were still asleep. It was really bizarre". "I was laughing? How in the heck did I do that?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "No idea" was all they could find to respond, followed by another all-too-familiar, awkward silence.

"Oh well. It's done now… let's just get back to sleep" Rainbow Dash recommended, hoping to end this conversation before it got any worse. Without another word, the two nodded in agreement and each returned to their own beds. But now, the only one who couldn't sleep was Rainbow Dash, who was growing increasingly worried of what this peculiar occurrence could mean. Pinkie Pie obviously had a dream about Pinkamena, there was no doubt about this fact; and what could entail from this is no less than unspeakable.

---

The next day, however, was much more typical, to which the motley crew of six were very thankful. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had told the others about what happened the previous night; each member of the group having given a different reaction to the news. Fluttershy confessed her personal fear of Pinkamena and had explained her encounter with the sinister entity prior, which frightened her incredibly.

Rarity explained her own concern for Pinkie Pie's mental stability for some time, wishing that there was some way to remove Pinkamena from existence altogether. Surprisingly though, Twilight explained that she found Pinkie Pie's dilemma genuinely fascinating, as she herself had attempted to tie the loose ends together into a consistent formula, to no current success .

Twilight's most credible theory is that Pinkamena was a representation of her original negative outlook on the world, due to her apparently lonely fillyhood. Her extremely morbid personality, her random mood swings, and her hatred towards any who would possibly put Pinkie Pie in danger.

What didn't fit together was why such a contradictive personality would put so much devotion towards the other's well-being. Half the time, they seemed to despise eachother with a passion; while every other time, they were perfectly cooperative and tolerant of each other's conflicting opinions. By this time, Twilight had given up attempting to figure out a formula and left it to the most obvious conclusion.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had decided to walk around the outskirts of town, cheerfully whistling to a song to distract her from the passing time. Despite the concern her friends felt, she carelessly paid no heed to any of it. She thought to herself "I wish they wouldn't worry about me. It's been a while since Pinkamena came back; there's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine".

As she continued her joyful meander, however, she felt a strange presence surround her; somepony, or something, was watching her, though the observant was nowhere to be seen. She continued her search for the source of this unnerving atmosphere, surprised to find the trees waving from side to side and the leaves melting while randomly changing colors.

The dirt beneath her had turned to mud and Pinkie Pie found herself immobile; slowly, she sank into the repulsive muck without a hope of escape. Despite the lucid quality of these absurd occurrences, Pinkie Pie knew that this was not a delusion; as she soon discovered by a deep, malevolent chuckle filling the air.

"Ha! I knew you were getting sloppy, Discord; but I didn't think you'd be inspired by it" she teased childishly. Sure enough, a nearby tree uprooted itself and levitated into the sky, instantaneously transforming into the infamous spirit of chaos. He grinned smugly, retorting in a pompous fashion "Why, hello Pinkie Pie! Personally, I find no humor in your witty deduction. You've always been good at solving mysteries when the answer was pathetically obvious. Hmhmhmph!"

Pinkie Pie huffed defensively and replied "Hah! Nyuk-nyuk; I hope you didn't come all this way just to insult poor little me". "Hehe! Actually, I've been watching you for short while" Discord replied with a smirk, "Like your little friends, I myself find your… dilemma… quite interesting".

"My what? What do you me- oh no…" Pinkie Pie exclaimed to herself. Beads of sweat streamed down her forehead as she absentmindedly stepped backward, knowing perfectly well of what he was referring to. "I must say, I am astounded by your, shall we say, 'complication'?" Discord smiled wickedly, before floating to ground level and leaning against a nearby tree. "At first, I thought it was some kind of dark spell, or perhaps a form of mind control" Discord confessed, before adding "But I see now, it is something entirely different.

Naturally, I had to find out for myself. Hmhmhmph!" Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth and snapped "I don't wanna talk about it! Go away!" Unfortunately, this was exactly the reaction Discord was hoping for. "Well… I'm just interested. That's all" Discord replied, holding his hands in the air to emphasize his supposedly unintended nosiness.

"So tell me, what was it that brought about this random force of negativity? Heartbreak? Nightmares? Or perhaps… bad memories?" he asked curiously, his smile stretching ever wider across his cheeks. This was tipping Pinkie Pie over the edge, as she leapt to all fours and yelled "Stop talking to me! I don't like talking about-" before slapping her mouth shut. But it was too late, as Discord raised an eyebrow and flashed a devious grin.

"Aah, so something must've happened a long time ago, eh?" Discord blew on his claws before scraping them against the tree. Pinkie Pie hung her head in disappointment and whimpered "Discord, please… don't", shaking her head violently as if it would banish this cruel manipulation.

"Oh, let me guess! Were you humiliated on a certain occasion? Or perhaps it was something more… traumatic". Pinkie Pie knew exactly what Discord was trying to do, but hadn't the strength nor the will to retaliate. Finally, Discord questioned "Or maybe it was something that happened with your family? Something must've went w-".

"SHUT UUUUUUP!" Pinkie Pie screamed hysterically from this psychological torment and shouted threateningly at the culprit, who simply smiled in accomplishment. Discord was unaffected, as to be expected, and simply snickered from this outburst. However, as time passed, he was able to notice several different features to Pinkie Pie's appearance, causing him to smile with accomplishment.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"Pinkamena, I presume? Glad to make your acquaintance! Hahahahahahahahahaa!"

---

"Pinkamena?! No! Why?!" Pinkie Pie cringed with frustration; "I'm not gonna let him bully you like that. … I don't need your help! … I'm not gonna leave you like this with him, you know. … Stop it, Pinkamena! Go away! … Pinkie Pie, get a grip! … STOP TALKING!" Discord's smile grew ever wider from this bizarre spectacle, and soon interrupted this 'conversation' by exclaiming "Hahaha! This is amazing! I've never seen anything like this! How did this come about for you, Pinkie Pie?"

"And why would we tell you?! Stay away from us, you repulsive freak!" Pinkamena threatened with malice. "Good, good! Use your aggressive feelings!" Discord taunted while stifling a snicker.

"Pinkie Pie, what're ya doing?!" called a nearby voice from the distant bend in Pinkie Pie's previous turn. Pinkamena grunted and stared down at the ground, having recognized the southern accent all too easily. Applejack and the others all ran to Pinkie Pie's aid, with Rainbow Dash yelling "Hey, Discord! What do you think you're doing!?" Discord burst into manic laughter and replied "Nothing at all! Just testing a little experiment".

They all stared down at Pinkie Pie, who was sobbing to herself distraughtly; Rainbow Dash boiled with rage and screamed "IF YOU'VE DONE ANYTHING TO HURT HER, I'M GONNA-". Discord waved his hand in a gesture of disregard, nonchalantly replying "Do what? You're in no position to threaten me with such hostility" before chuckling cruelly. "Well, this has been a great pleasure for me, but I'm afraid I must take my leave" Discord explained, "I'm already late for a vital engagement as of now. Toodaloo!" Discord then bellowed with malevolent laughter before vanishing without a trace.

After Discord's departure, all of her rescuers turned to find that Pinkie Pie was no longer among them, and was instead slowly staggering down her originally set path and back home. "Who was that? … It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it! … He made you cry! No freak gets away with that while I'm around. … That's my point. … What? What do you mean? … I don't want you hurting anypony!"

Pinkie Pie continued to bicker with her alternate personality until Rainbow Dash ran beside her and asked "Hey, Pinkie Pie, where are you going? What did he do?" Pinkie Pie either didn't notice her presence, or deliberately ignored her. "Pinkie Pie, stop!" Rainbow Dash grabbed her by her shoulders and spun her around to face her, "Something's wrong, Pinkie Pie. Your hair is hanging down again".

"It's nothing, I'm alright" She insisted hesitantly, then she turned to take her leave once again, only to find Applejack standing directly in her path. "What did he say to ya? He made ya cry, for the love of Pete!" "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed, to which Applejack jumped back in fright. From her threat, Pinkie Pie shook her head and growled through clenched teeth "I'm sorry. Just… Let me get home".

Applejack nodded, her expression clearly showing her shock, and stepped aside. Without another word, Pinkie Pie slowly staggered her way home, her friends watching from the distance. Rainbow Dash shut her eyes angrily and grunted "Discord, you evil brute! What did you do to her?"

Pinkie Pie spent the rest of the day in her room, sitting at her desk while arguing with herself over today's events. She knew by this time that there was no getting rid of Pinkamena once she had manifested, but still attempted to keep control of her actions.

"Well, if he thinks he's gonna hurt your feelings anymore, I've got that fat, ugly… whatever he is! … I've already said, there's nothing wrong. … Oh, I don't think so. We have enough problems without a freak of nature like that bothering us. … Hmm… maybe, you're right. But, still. … Trust me, I know what's best for us. … Oh really? Who was it that punched my friend in the face? Twice!? … They are not your friends! … They are! … And besides, who was it who wanted to move away? That was all you're idea. … Well, I… I…".

Pinkie Pie slammed her head against the desk; she and Pinkamena had spent hours talking, but each with a different goal in mind. Pinkie Pie simply wanted peace and quiet from such a harsh day, while Pinkamena wanted to regain her best friend's trust. "Ugh! Let's just go to bed, cherub. … At long last, something we can agree to".

Without another word, she lazily crawled into her bed and laid her head comfortably against the pillow. "Wow. You really do care about me, don't you?" she asked into the night air. After a short silence, she rolled her eyes and sternly replied "Oh, of course I do; I live with you, don't I?!" Pinkie Pie simply sighed and fell asleep, hoping not to suffer another disturbing dream resembling the previous nights.

Meanwhile, in a nearby café, Pinkie Pie's friends all sat at a table in the corner, discussing today's situation. "Discord? What has he done to her?" asked Twilight, clearly as worried for their excitable companion as the others were. "I have no idea. Whatever it was, she was crying from it. What do you think he said to her?" replied Rainbow Dash.

Applejack answered "I dunno, but I'm in a good mind to find out!" "But why… would she run away from us?" Fluttershy asked, to which Rarity stated "She seemed awfully confused to me. She probably couldn't handle it and got nervous". Rainbow Dash's lips tightened, as if reminded of a bitter flavor previously sampled, before concluding "Well, whatever it was, it's been done" and sighing in defeat.

"I just hope she'll be alright".

To be continued…

MLP: The Trade Secret. Part 2

It was 10:00 at night, but the night itself was far from the relatively peaceful norm. The sky was cloaked in a thick blanket of clouds; clouds that bombarded the town below with an undying onslaught of rain. Barely anypony could sleep through such a hideous racket, and many had become fearful of what awaiting chaos this weather would eventually unleash. Sure enough, small chunks of ice fell from the sky and struck against the roofs of every home, leaving no peace and quiet in its wake.

One such house among this sadistic carnage was none other than Sugarcube Corner, owned by a certain pink delinquent. She had currently fallen asleep, but found such a task to be incredibly difficult with such an offensive sound of chaos ringing in her ears. Eventually, she gave in and slowly stirred from her slumber, groaning from a sudden pain in her neck.

As said section of her vertebrae emitted a sudden loud snap, she stretched restlessly and sat in defeat, having nothing to listen to but the harsh rattling from above. But soon, another sound caught her attention; a slight creaking noise, also emanating from above her head.

'RUMBLE!' 'CRASH!'

A short while past without interruption, as rain continued to pour upon the town without relent, Pinkie Pie stirred into consciousness. She soon found herself in her bedroom still, but partially buried under debris and constantly bombarded with the deluge from above. After a quick look towards the ceiling, she discovered that the roof had collapsed and almost flattened her. After hesitantly freeing herself from her weighted trappings, she staggered towards the more intact section of her roofing for protection.

She groaned in discomfort whilst rubbing her steadily reddening bicep, having most likely made utter mush from the originally organized blood vessels within it. Tears poured slowly down her cheeks as the unbearable feeling worsened by the second. "Grrph… Is… anypony here?" She whined desperately, preparing to lean against the wall lifelessly before yelping and jumping away from it in pain.

"PINKIE PIE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUSELF!?"

"Arrgh! My head!" Pinkie Pie shrieked from this sudden assault from within her subconscious. Her head began throbbing painfully as she began shaking uncontrollably; "Sorry… I didn't mean to…" was all she could hear before she suddenly fell to the floor with a 'Thud!'. She wrapped her arms around her head in a pitiful attempt to quell the storm that raged within it.

As her arm had done, her temple began shading to a much darker, sickeningly red tone, though Pinkie pie was oblivious to this alteration of her physical appearance, her condition had made its wrath known for good measure. She attempted to stand before grunting from forcing weight upon her shoulder again. "Quick! Get out before something else happens!" Pinkamena demanded, to which Pinkie Pie obliged and left her bedroom for search of a safer structure of her home.

That morning, Pinkie Pie had skipped breakfast to meet her friends in town; thankfully, the rain devolved into a simple shower by this time. After a short search, she eventually spotted them in the window of the café and quickly ran inside to join them. However, before entering, she pleaded to herself "Pinkamena… please, don't do anything crazy…" before entering through the front door.

"Hi, girls!" she called out with a newly regenerated sense of glee, waving her arms in the air. By the time her friends noticed this, she was already sitting at the same table as them, readying to order a milkshake for herself.

"Hey, gal!" Applejack greeted her in return, "Did ya get any sleep last night? So far, nopony else has". "Heh! No. Not at all…" Pinkie Pie giggled, before suddenly mentioning "Well, I did… But that was after the roof came down on us- me!" before abruptly falling silent. Twilight almost spat her drink out in shock, as she hesitantly swallowed and cried out "What!?" Pinkie Pie cringed in frustration, knowing the reason for this undeliberate tidbit of information, but remaining anonymous on the matter.

Upon refocusing her attention to the table, she was caught off guard as her friends all simply stared at her, each troubled by what she had told them; and by extent, her physical state from such an event. They each simultaneously wanted to ask if she was hurt, but her cheerful demeanor seemed to express the obvious answer to them.

After a few hours passed by, one conversation led to another, the next often unrelated to the previous. However, at some point during Twilight's monologue about her studies, Pinkie Pie began to feel abnormally queasy once again, resulting in her shutting her eyes tightly and groaning in discomfort. Applejack soon noticed this and asked "Hey Pinkie Pie, ya okay there?"

"Yes! I'm okay, just kind of… sick" she spouted half-wittedly, simultaneously applying pressure to each side of her forehead with her wrists. "Greaah! Not again!" she howled in mindless hysteria before leaving the table and dashing outside in a sudden impulse. Rainbow Dash shouted "What the? Where are you going?" and quickly raced after her.

Rainbow Dash burst through the café doors and nervously scouted the streets for her companion, peering through the alleyways and pathways she flies past. After a short search, Pinkie Pie was eventually found in a nearby alleyway, sitting quietly by herself without a single motion of movement.

Rainbow Dash swooped over to her tormented colleague and called "Hey, Pinkie Pie, what's going on?" hoping for at least an inkling of enlightenment on this situation. "I SHOULD'VE KNOWN YOU'D DO THAT!" echoed throughout the narrow confinement. Rainbow Dash stopped dead in her tracks and replied "What? What are you talking about?"

The next exclamation from the pink misfit, strangely, was in a more feminine, sophisticated tone; "No, I swear. I didn't mean to. … Stop lying! I hate liars! … It wasn't my fault! I'm not lying! … STOP IT!" she screamed hysterically at herself. While thrashing her head from side to side, Pinkie Pie finally realized her lack of solitude at the hands of her observer, and franticly screamed "AAH! Rainbow Dash!?" before lifting herself from the grimy street floor, "GO AWAY!"

Before Rainbow Dash could question this unnerving behavior from her best friend, Pinkie suddenly dashed out of the alleyway, barely aware of which direction was her home and, as is predictable, hardly considering it. Flustered by the event that had just unfolded before her, Rainbow Dash simply sat in the alley, cowering in fear of what possibilities could be responsible for this troubling phenomenon.

"Why wouldn't she tell us that Pinkamena was back?!"

---

That night, the clock chimed 12:00 pm. Everypony was asleep by this point, and all shops had been cleaned and closed. Everypony slept soundly; all except for the tormented residence of Pinkie Pie's bakery, who had spent the past number of hours warding the manipulative anomaly from her subconscious, having only recently lost her pledge for self-control to the latter.

She was barely staying awake from the time spent sitting on her living room sofa without any form of exercise for her numbing muscles. Pinkamena had been in control of Pinkie Pie's body ever since she returned home, though she couldn't find any use for her newly gained free will.

Suddenly, the rhythmic canter of hoofsteps had caught her attention, the hoofsteps themselves steadily growing louder and louder through the hallway door. A shadow was then discovered beneath the doorway, its visibility heightened by the lack of lighting within the living room itself. "Pinkie Pie?" an accented whisper was heard through the door.

Without answering the intruder, the door creaked open to reveal an all too familiar face; Applejack. In the time she's known her, Pinkamena had developed a particular dislike towards Applejack specifically, possibly ever since the struggle they had a few months ago. Despite the reason for the fight not having even been rational, the memory of such an incident remained on both personalities' minds ever since.

"That's me. What do you want?" Pinkamena sneered, lacking the courtesy to face her intruder. "I… need to talk to ya. Both ya and Pinkie Pie" Applejack stepped into the bedroom and cautiously approached the manifested negativity of Pinkie Pie's psyche. In the time that's past, Pinkie Pie's friends had been growing accustom to the split personality, to the point of referring to them as two different entities instead of one.

Despite it salvaging them from any confusion that may occur, both Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena greatly disapproved of it. "Um, well… Pinkie Pie's not here right now. It's just you and me" Pinkamena snidely informed. Before Applejack could consider the illogic of this statement, Pinkamena had moved onward with the conversation and asked suspiciously "What are you doing here?" Applejack answered confidently "I had a feeling that it was you that made her freak out in the café, but Pinkie Pie tol-".

"THAT'S A LIE!"

Pinkamena suddenly lunged forward and pinned Applejack against the door by her arms. "I'd never do that! She knows I wouldn't! Not like other phonies like you!" the former accused maliciously, before sighing in resignation and lowering her defenses. After being let down from the wall, Applejack caught her breath and dusted herself off. Once regaining her composure, she asked "Why? It's strange. She says that ya enjoy her company, but all I see ya do is fight with her". Pinkamena huffed and exclaimed "Hey! We don't always fight, we're just… well… what's the word?"

"Complicated?" Applejack offered a term. Pinkamena tilted her head slightly, remaining deep in thought; "Not the word I was thinking of, but fair enough" she huffed. Applejack then remembered why she came in the first place, "Actually, I was wondering… Why do you…" She began, before stopping herself in hesitation.

"You're wondering why I don't like Pinkie Pie being with you lot?" Pinkamena answered, "That's a really long story… but… her family…" before pausing in concentration. Applejack then explained "It's just that… Pinkie Pie doesn't talk about her family much, and it really bugs me".

"Do you know why?" Pinkamena asked curiously. Applejack almost half-mindedly answered before pondering the question for a few seconds, until finally answering "No, I don't". A frown stretched across Pinkamena's cheeks, before she sighed in resignation. "Pinkie Pie had it pretty rough when she was a filly.

Her family was possibly the worst family ever! Her sisters, her mom and dad, none of them could've known any fun in life, even if it was right in front of them… which it was". Applejack then interrupted "Pinkie Pie told us that part. Ya were the only friend she knew on that farm, and you didn't like her family. But she threw them-".

"Let me guess! One day, she threw them a party in their barn. They loved it and everypony lived happily ever after! Is that what she told you?!" Pinkamena suddenly snapped. Applejack stood silently, signifying her confusion and surprise. "That's what she tells everypony else" Pinkamena continued, "Tell me, Applejack. Have you ever actually met her parents?" to which Applejack simply shrugged in denial.

This was a good point, since Pinkie Pie's parents had never met her or come to visit her at any period, nor did she know where they currently resided. "In that case…" Pinkamena then started, before leaning towards Applejack with a disgusted expression.

"Here's what actually happened".

---

Applejack sat beside Pinkie Pie's sofa in a seat from her desk, eagerly listening to the life story Pinkamena was freely describing. She explained Pinkie Pie's life on the rock farm, her family and their lifestyle, and how her alternate persona came to fruition in this time. Applejack chuckled to herself and jokingly said "It kinda makes ya… wish ya got out more often, eh?"

"What makes you say that?" Pinkamena asked; not from curiosity, but from confusion. Pinkamena was pondering why Applejack was so willingly acquainting with her, since she should have been scared beyond belief for her very life.

Applejack asked "What happened at that party ya made for them?" Pinkamena frowned heavily and lowered her head, "Well… I… uh-". Applejack leaned in closer and reassured "Don't worry, ya don't have to tell me". Pinkamena cringed from this nurturing statement and stood up from the bed, before something suddenly latched around her shoulders and pulled her back down.

"I wasn't serious! Please tell me. I really want to know" Applejack nervously blabbered, still holding Pinkamena's shoulders. Pinkamena raised an eyebrow at this strange act, before frowning deeply and asking "What do you mean? You just said that I don't have to tell you". Applejack suddenly went red in the face with rage and shouted "TELL ME NOW! I HAVE TO KNOW!" in a flurry of frustration.

Pinkamena, for her part, felt rage boil up inside her once again from this outburst, and soon planned to relieve the stress through a practical means. "Get out of my house!" she demanded. Applejack huffed grumpily "No way! I ain't goin' anywhere!" The two stared intensely into eachother's eyes for a good while before Applejack growled "Honestly, I cannot see what those ponies see in ya. Ya're an insane wreck!"

"WHY YOU-! I've… wait a minute… those ponies?"

Pinkamena stared suspiciously at Applejack as she said this, believing that this may not have been who she thought it was. Applejack jumped up and attempted to make an escape, only for Pinkamena to tackle her and pin her against the cold floor for a second time. "What's going on?!" she demanded furiously, only to be met with an insidious laugh from her captive. "What's going on? An insane, violent lunatic is attacking me. That's what's going on! Hehehehahahaha!"

Applejack suddenly vanished into thin air and reappeared behind Pinkamena in less than a second. A familiar deep, malevolent voice said "I must say, your story was incredibly fascinating; until it was cut short, of course. I really got to know the two of you. Hmhmhmhmph!" Pinkamena knew that she had been tricked by the same reason that this all started in the first place.

As she lay face down on her floor, the imposter smiled as he soon transformed into his true form, becoming none other than the spirit of chaos himself, Discord. He simply watched his accomplishment with a smile, waiting eagerly for what was going to happen next.

What happened next, to say the least, was completely unexpected. He heard a lifeless groan from this singular audience, who twitched and shivered as she sat up. She grunted in agony upon forcing pressure on her shoulder and shook uncontrollably. Discord scratched his chin with a mixture of confusion and fascination, whispering "Hmm, how very odd…" to himself.

"GGRRRUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Discord watched the spectacle unfold before him, debating whether to laugh or be disturbed be this sudden twist of events. Pinkamena held her head painfully and applied pressure against it, hoping in vain that the welling storm would miraculously cease. Discord soon came to a decision: Be disturbed. He always enjoyed confusing ponies and toying with them for his own amusement, but this was something else entirely.

Soon enough, Pinkamena stood up and stumbled her way through the bedroom, having apparently forgotten all about Discord as she eventually lost all function in her muscles and fell to the floor, eventually losing consciousness at some point afterwards.

As an hour passed by, Discord sat by himself on a rooftop, contemplating what he had just witnessed. He soon snapped his fingers and disappeared from the rooftop, soon to reappear outside of Pinkie Pie's bakery. He flew up to the window and found Pinkie Pie sleeping soundly in her bedroom, the bedroom itself littered with debris and sporting the lack of a roof.

Pinkie Pie herself showed neither sigh nor trace of the earlier event; her hair was back to normal and her skin had returned from its prior poor complexion to its natural, healthy glow. Discord slapped his forehead in disbelief before soaring up into the sky. "I don't understand it! What is she hiding?" he asked himself. He then rubbed his temple and sighed glumly before fading away into the night sky.

"This town is really going to pot now. Who knows what'll happen next? They'll all probably start eating eachother".

The End?

MLP: By the Book. Part 1

It was a Sunday morning, as well as incredibly dismal for all its inhabitance to observe. An offensive onslaught of rain poured relentlessly upon the town, and no trace of life could be discovered along any of its winding streets. During the entirety of this deluge, everypony had taken refuge within either their own homes or in the available shops or markets, multiple of which having closed up tightly in fear of flooding. Due to this, and rather predictably, the most crowded and overfilled of all possible shelters was the typically generous café.

And of an equally predictable nature, a certain assembly of six youths had taken refuge inside this same structure, their favorite place to stay during grim alterations of weather such as this. The ragtag group in question, namely Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and the others, were merrily chatting away about the horrific weather and what dutiful matters each pony had intended to attend to.

As the rest were incredibly joyful and talkative at this time, Pinkie Pie had detached herself from the conversation and simply sat to herself by the window, staring longingly towards the colorless skies and glumly resting her head upon her folded arms. Rainbow Dash, who sat next to her and inevitably took notice of this disconnected behavior, asked "Hey… is something wrong?" Pinkie Pie sighed and answered "I hate the rain. It just… makes me feel bad", now leaning her head against the window.

"Why?" Applejack asked, to which Pinkie Pie replied "It just makes me sad, but I don't know why". Pinkie Pie then sighed and closed her eyes in detest, before grumbling "Nevermind; don't listen to me. I just didn't sleep well last night". During the previous evening, Pinkie Pie was unfortunate enough to suffer through another nightmare, significantly worse than the norm since it featured her alternate personality, Pinkamena. A month had passed since Pinkamena's most recent appearances, long enough for her friends to begin questioning her continuing existence.

Despite the many 'what ifs' and 'maybes' revolving around the topic, Pinkie Pie remained aware of the reality; the reality that Pinkamena had only yet to reemerge. While pondering this thought, Pinkie Pie's head was suddenly assaulted by a sudden throbbing pain, forcing her to groan and hold her arm against her forehead. Her friend's inevitably noticed this action; "What's the matter, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked with concern, her eyes widening in surprise. "Nothing… just… a headache" Pinkie Pie replied groggily, pain clearly stricken across her face.

Eventually, Pinkie Pie's headache subsided as she sat tiredly in her cozy corner of the café seat, allowing the cool aroma of the cold window glass to still the welling sensation in her temple. "Ugh… that's better" she sighed before taking her beverage and swiftly downing it. Rainbow Dash soon turned to the others and requested "Let's get Pinkie Pie home". "What? It's pouring outside!" Rarity objected, to which the pegasus stared angrily at her and replied "Fine. Stay here if you want, and I'll get her home".

From this, Rarity remained silent and squirmed guiltily in her seat for her comment, only for Rainbow Dash to do the same for her less-than-reasonable reaction. Rainbow Dash turned to find Pinkie Pie had now begun to fall asleep, her eyes slowly closing as an insane grin spread across her face. "I'm kinda tired. I'll just sleep here" she sleepily muttered, though her friends noticed a certain oddity; specifically that her already high voice had become somewhat higher in its pitch, closely resembling a filly's typical tone.

Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her violently, stirring her friend from her sporadic slumber, "Oh no you don't! You're coming with me". After attempting to pull her from the table, however, Pinkie Pie suddenly grabbed onto it, whining "But I wanna stay here~!" in the high pitch voice before pouting childishly. Rainbow Dash continued in vain to unhook Pinkie Pie from the table leg, until she finally blew her top; "C'mon, Pinkie Pie! You're going home!" Rainbow Dash commanded in a sudden fit of frustration.

From this command, Pinkie Pie quickly let go and fell to the floor, before curling into a ball and whimpering "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She sat up and trembled nervously "I won't do it again; I swear! Please". Pinkie Pie's sanity had once again begun draining away, and at a rapid rate; her friends each wondered what was happening from her point of view, and whether they truly desired to know. A flustered Rainbow Dash bit her tongue in consideration before coming to Pinkie Pie's side, worried that she may have injured her in some manner.

By this time, multiple patrons had heard the sudden racket and were all met with a surprise; "Please… don't hurt me" Pinkie Pie sobbed, her voice finally returning to its original pitch. "What? Did you hurt her?!" a nearby patron questioned, resulting in the attention of crowds of customers to be fixed upon the cowering individual and her supposed attacker. Rainbow Dash stood up and yelled "No! It's not what you think!" in an effort to avoid a drastic misunderstanding.

This effort proved futile, as the whole café became abundant with whispers and murmurs, undoubtedly aimed against the blue pegasus. By this time, Pinkie Pie had raced through the main entrance in a panic, disappearing into the still-pouring rain. "Wait! Come back!" Rainbow Dash called after her as she ran through the main entrance in pursuit. Through the thick fog and the onslaught of rain, Rainbow Dash spotted a silhouette running in the opposite direction of her gaze. The other's joined her outside as she shouted "Quick, she must be heading back to Sugarcube Corner!"

Without a moment to lose, the group ran off into the translucent mist.

---

Pinkie Pie sprinted across the winding streets as the rain continued to pour relentlessly, her mind plagued by an abundance of horrific optical and auditory illusions. Upon returning to her sanctuary at Sugarcube Corner, she bolted inside her home and quickly shut the door, though neglecting to lock it, before running upstairs to her bedroom. She then came to a halt and panted exhaustedly, though her weighted breathing seemed to only increase in pace.

As she attempted to steady her breathing to a rhythmic pattern, a creaking sound of the front door captured her attention, though the identity of the newly arrived figure remained a mystery. Despite this, she bared no intention to investigate this matter and simply laid against her carpeted bedroom floor for comfort, the pace of her rapid breathing beginning to reduce. From behind her, several noises resembling hoofsteps emanated, likely from the staircase.

Sure enough, a familiar southern accent screamed "Pinkie Pie!" whilst she felt herself lifted from the ground an unknown pair of supportive arms. Her vision strained as she observed the bright yellow figure to her left, croaking weakly "F… Flutter… shy?" "Don't worry. We've got ya, gal!" the southern accent interrupted, before Pinkie Pie felt herself carried towards her bed. Laying on her back against the soft mattress, she then attempted once again to refocus her vision, finally finding herself able to identify the four figures as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack.

"Where's T… Twilight?"

The group looked at one another before turning to the bedroom door, Applejack leaning her head out and curiously searching the hallway. Rainbow dash, a disgusted expression on her face, answered "That's a good question. Where did she go?!" in a rare display of aggression. "If she's gone home, I'm really gonna…" Rainbow Dash growled before swiftly retaining a sturdy control of her temper again, "What am I saying? What was I going to say?!" "Just keep yar head on, gal. But ya're right!" Applejack assured before staring out the nearby window, "Why would Twilight be elsewhere while we're here!?"

"I can't stand this!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted venomously; not towards her friends, but towards herself. "I hate it when these things happen because of me. Me and my problems always seem to ruin everything, don't we?" Pinkie Pie cringed in bitter loathing. "Pinkie Pie, listen to me!" Rainbow Dash then interrupted while standing beside her bed "None of this is your fault!" Rarity then added "Of course it isn't, Pinkie Pie. That imaginary character of yours is-".

Pinkie Pie's eyes suddenly shot open as she sat up from the bed, before turning to face Rarity with an enraged expression. "I'm sorry… I missed that" Pinkie Pie sneered with surprising malice, "What did you call me?" Her colorful companions all sat and stared with confusion from this unexpected reaction. Pinkie Pie then dropped from the bed and shrieked "THE IMAGINARY CHARACTER?! I AM NOT IMAGINARY!"

Each of the bedroom's occupants backed away in shock as Pinkie Pie slowly lost her temper; but soon, the cause became all too clear. Pinkie Pie's pupils were beginning to shrink to unnatural proportions and her body constantly twitched from the overwhelming stress. "No! They didn't mean to! Of course not! Just please, don't hurt them!" she then abruptly screamed to herself in a panic. "Please… stop…" she whimpered as she fell backwards upon the bed, visibly tensing upon the impact.

"She's… gone now…" she informed before wincing in defeat; a single tear streamed down her cheek as she crawled across the mattress and laid her head onto the pillow. She then felt an arm on a shoulder, the warmth spreading across her cold skin, but soon succumbed to her emotions and shut her eyes tightly. "Sorry about… I'm just-" she began before being interrupted by Rainbow Dash, who hushed her and demanded "Don't you dare apologize, Pinkie Pie. It's so horrible seeing these things happen to you".

Eventually, Pinkie Pie informed her colleagues "I think I'm gonna sleep, girls. I can barely think and… I'm just too tired to do anything". Her friends each obliged and bid her farewell as they each individually left, allowing her peace and solitude as she simply lay quietly under her covers. After a few hours passed, the miserable weather had finally begun to subside, becoming little more than a light shower. In this time, Pinkie Pie finally managed to fall asleep, though she hoped to herself that another nightmare wouldn't disturb her from this rare moment of peace.

---

Later that night, towards 9:00 pm, Pinkie Pie finally awoke from her slumber and groggily arose from the bed, rubbing her eyes of the excess sleep and sighing. "Uh… Ow… where…?" she muttered absentmindedly, before dropping from the bed and stumbling her way downstairs. As she ungraciously trudged her way to the first floor of the building, she soon discovered stars and a moon through the nearby window, undeniably indicating the time of which it currently portrayed.

While she wandered out the front door and staggered through the streets under the night sky, despite having neither a reason nor a motivation to do so, she noticed a familiar face wandering across the nearby square. A certain purple unicorn had quietly snuck across the pathway and entered the nearby pawn shop, her eyes darting nervously through the street for unwanted observers. "Huh? What's she doing out so late?" Pinkie Pie wondered. After a few minutes, Twilight finally left the store with a small collection of books in her bag.

Pinkie Pie eventually decided to follow her and see what she was rather poorly attempting to hide. After a long while, Pinkie Pie finally trailed her all the way back to her home, the local library, to which Pinkie Pie then wondered where else she would've possibly went. Before the door shut behind Twilight, Pinkie Pie stealthily followed her inside and snuck around the building until hearing a familiar voice on the second floor.

"Hey, Twilight! Take a chill pill!" echoed throughout the library, along with "Quiet! I need to think!" Pinkie Pie crept towards Twilight's bedroom door and opened it to peek inside, finding Twilight pacing in circles restlessly, all while Spike watched her with a look of confusion on his face. "Grrgh, I've searched and searched for an answer ever since this started. Some kind of missing detail that would tie it all together".

She threw her hair back and wiped her brow shakily, before adding "And every time I come close to a solution, something new happens that doesn't make any sense! IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!" Her purple dragon companion then whispered hesitantly "Careful, Twilight! You might wake the neighbors up!" Twilight sighed and reluctantly decided to sleep her frustration off for the night. She quietly stumbled her way to her bed while Spike exited through the doorway, who remained oblivious to the pink intruder who hid in the shadows behind the door.

"I need to know what I'm missing, Spike; I have to know what ties it together. What is it?" Twilight huffed to Spike before he could leave, before coming to a sudden realization. She gave him a puzzled stare and asked "Wait... why am I asking you?" Spike rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before replying "Umm, I dunno… maybe to stop you from going crazy". "Ugh! Go to bed, Spike; or I'll really go crazy" she exclaimed, too weary to retaliate any further, nor to switch out the lights. Pinkie Pie thought to herself cheekily "Geh… if listening to you hasn't driven her crazy yet, nothing will".

Once the duo fell asleep for the night, Pinkie Pie entered the library and began her search, hoping to find a clue of what Twilight was stressing herself out for. She searched the room, through the piles of books and desks littered with random sketches. "How does Twilight remember where everything is in this place?" she wondered as she continued to view the towering mountains of knowledge that surrounded her. At last; a lone, open book lay on her work bench, so Pinkie Pie eagerly decided to examine it.

This proved to be an incredible mistake.

To be continued…

MLP: By the Book. Part 2

Pinkie Pie

Conditions: Multiple Personalities, Mood Swings, Delusions, Hysteria (WCS), Memory Loss.

Notable Symptoms: An alternate personality named Pinkamena. Pinkamena appears to have a relatively negative attitude towards specific things, especially other ponies. Despite this, both personalities are cooperative towards eachother sometimes, and Pinkamena is often claiming to 'protect her'.

Evolution: A possible theory for these actions involves multiple phases, which steadily increase or decrease depending on Pinkie Pie's emotional state.

Phase one: When Pinkie Pie is in full control.

Phase two: When Pinkamena becomes a voice in her head.

Phase three: When both personalities struggle for control of the body.

Phase four: When Pinkamena takes control and Pinkie Pie is reduced to the voice.

Phase five: When Pinkamena takes full control.

Reset: After a while, Pinkamena may begin suffering from overwhelming stress and eventually pass out. Pinkie Pie will return to full control upon waking up.

Note: Pinkamena is apparently able to skip certain stages of this evolution, such as skipping stage three to stage four, and vice-versa.

Pinkie was utterly mortified, unable to comprehend what she had just read. What was all of this? Twilight had been writing her biography and never told her? Pinkie Pie clenched her teeth in rage, shouting "Twilight! You've been writing my whole-" before slapping her mouth shut. To her knowledge, Twilight was asleep within this same room, and her screaming would disturb the unicorn from her current state.

Pinkie Pie then considered the biography again, suddenly realizing several peculiar factors. Much of the information that was included actually happened at times when Twilight wasn't physically present to witness them, particularly the times when Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena conversed privately. But while Twilight wasn't there to view these occurrences, many others were. So, did this mean that everypony except Pinkie Pie knew about this, or had Twilight been secretly spying on her when these specific events occurred?

Unfortunately, Twilight had indeed awoken from the loud series of sounds that emanated from her study space, and had temporarily abandoned her slumber in order to investigate. She wandered drowsily between two aligned bookshelves and stared towards her study desk, before gasping to herself and hiding behind the corner. She was shocked to see Pinkie Pie reading the text from the biography that she had attempted to keep a secret. Though this was shocking, more so was how Pinkie Pie began shaking uncontrollably from building frustration.

Hesitant to concoct a plan of action, Twilight soon noticed a length of rope tied against a nearby stepladder and casted an enchantment upon it, levitating it towards the unsuspecting Pinkie Pie. The ropes then ensnared the intruder by her hind legs and tightly bound them together, the sudden shift in balance being sufficient enough for Pinkie Pie to topple onto her back with a 'Thud!'.

"Ow! Who…" she began, before the rope rapidly ensnared her front legs for good measure. Twilight then ran to the desk and slammed the book shut, despite the secrets it contained having already been exposed. "Pinkie Pie, I'm so sorry! You shouldn't have read that!" she screamed in a panic. Pinkie Pie struggled to free herself from her bindings, though such attempts proved futile, before shouting "Twilight, what was that book about!? And why'd you tie me up!? What's going on!?" Twilight ran to her bag and hastily stuffed the book inside it, before groaning in frustration.

"I'm trying to find a way to get rid of Pinkamena!" she exclaimed, before staggering beside her constricted colleague. "I've been studying your actions for a while to help find a way. I'm trying to figure it out, but it doesn't make any sense!" Twilight shrieked at the top of her lungs. Pinkie Pie had sensed the urgency in her tone from when she entered the library, but never had she guessed that Twilight would go to such extreme lengths to study her condition.

"But why didn't you tell me you were doing this?" Pinkie Pie asked distraughtly, finally surrendering to her immobility. "I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie! But I can't stand being in constant danger like this! I need to find a way to stop this madness and get things back to the way they were!" she answered dismally. Fully expecting a response, Twilight was surprised by a long period of silence that filled the room. She curiously turned to face Pinkie Pie, finding the latter simply laying still with an expression of disbelief.

"So that's it, then?" Pinkie Pie whispered breathlessly, "You think I'm just a danger? Am I even still a friend now?" Twilight's jaw dropped in surprise and she exclaimed "No! Pinkie Pie… I didn't mean it like that! I was just…" before sighing and hanging her head in shame; she could understand Pinkie Pie's outrage from this discovery. Her constricted colleague sat silently after scooting herself across the floor and leaning against the desk, before she shot a piercing gaze.

"And why were you just spying on me and watching what I did?" Pinkie Pie asked, her voice spiteful in tone, "Do you really want to help me, or do you just want to document my actions like an experiment?" Twilight was taken aback by this absurd accusation, but with further consideration, Pinkie Pie's assumption seemed more valid than is possibly should've. She couldn't decide to herself whether she truly did postpone actually helping Pinkie Pie in her dilemma in order to study and document her actions. As much as she detested the thought, this fact was indeed the reality.

"I hope Pinkamena gives you what's coming".

---

Twilight could barely comprehend what she had just heard, and simply stared in shock towards her captive. Pinkie Pie remained silent as she sat against the desk leg, incapable of movement from her tightening bondage. Her breath grew heavier as she shut her eyes tightly, aware of the inevitable. "She's gonna come back now…" she muttered softly. Strangely, there was no answer from the unicorn, prompting Pinkie Pie to turn and face her captor.

Twilight simply stood in the middle of the room, unmoving; she had no plan for this situation, but felt that such an ironic fate was justified. "She's coming back… She'll be here soo-" Pinkie Pie informed before falling silent. Twilight neglected this as she wandered towards the front of a bookshelf, her head remaining lowered in resignation.

Meanwhile, Spike had woken up from the drama that lay across the hallway, and left his room to find the source. He was stunned to find the room a mess and Pinkie Pie tied by her legs in the corner, breathlessly heaving without relent. "What the…?! Twilight, what the heck's going on!?" he asked in genuine surprise.

Twilight gasped and turned to face him as he stood in the doorway, and shouted "Spike! Quick, find Rainbow Dash and the others! Hurry!" while backing up against the wall. As he turned to see that Pinkie Pie was now shaking violently and giggling to herself, he wasted no time running off the find help. Twilight then spun around to face her captive and shouted "Pinkie Pie, I-" before falling silent, frozen in horror of what she observed. Pinkie Pie stood across the room, free from the bonds that lay in a broken, torn pile beside her.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"Oh… the things I'm gonna do to you".

Twilight's heart had ceased beating momentarily from these ominous words, her mind racing from the unpredictability of the situation. Twilight felt powerless to defend herself, despite being perfectly capable of doing so. "'I can't keep being in constant danger like this' you say, Twilight. I must say, spoken like a true backstabber!" the malevolent anomaly sneered in disgust. Pinkamena stared maliciously at the cowering Twilight, before continuing "And how were you going to get rid of me? Magic? Oh nonononono, you can never get rid of me! I'm here to stay… forever!"

Pinkamena suddenly spun to face away from the unicorn and asked "Pinkie Pie, can you still hear me?" A short silence filled the room before a faint "Yes" echoed within her mind; Pinkamena smiled cheerfully and replied plainly "Good". Twilight simply watched as Pinkamena continued to talk into the near-empty room. "That's right. And not only did she not tell you that she was studying you, but then she ties you up and keeps you in her house as a prisoner!" Pinkamena reminded her opposite persona.

Twilight sobbed guiltily, as these heinous crimes were indeed her own doing and decision. "She truly did do it for herself" echoed in Pinkamena's head. Pinkamena grinned at this advantageous alliance with her original personality and chuckled wickedly. Pinkamena soon turned to view the nearby unicorn, who simply stood in preparation of foreseen future events.

"She really doesn't want to help me at all. She just wants to document me… LIKE SOME KIND OF EXPIRIMENTAL ANIMAL!" Pinkie Pie hollered within Pinkamena's mind, resulting in the latter holding her temple in expressed discomfort. "Wow, Pinkie Pie. I haven't heard you this upset since we ran away from your famil- … NOOOOO! DON'T SAY THAT! GAAAAAHHH!" Pinkie Pie suddenly seized control and screamed in a panic. Twilight stepped backwards before stuttering "Pinkie Pie, you did what?"

"NO, DON'T LISTEN TO ME! FORGET WHAT I SAID!" she wailed hysterically, though Twilight had a full understanding of what she had spoken. "And that's one more note for her biography" Pinkamena sneered sarcastically, in the hopes of furthering her influence upon Pinkie Pie's emotions. "Now go to sleep, cherub" Pinkamena then whispered softly, "I'll take care of everything from here". From the lack of a response, Pinkamena sighed in satisfaction and chuckled to herself.

She then slowly turned her head to and stared menacingly at Twilight, her unmistakable smile returning as she plotted her following actions. Twilight truly had no salvation for the oncoming assault, especially since both of Pinkie Pie's personalities were now against her. The unicorn's eyes shut tightly as Pinkamena slowly staggered in her direction, expecting to feel a sudden traumatic force against her body. But the hoofsteps suddenly altered their course as Pinkamena stepped passed her and towards the nearby section of the wall.

Confused by this, as well as curious of the sadistic anomaly's true intentions, Twilight's nervously asked "What… are you doing? I thought you were gonna… attack me", before realizing the potential reaction from this statement and groaning to herself angrily. Suddenly, she was pushed from behind and fell forward into the middle of the room, bracing for the impact and landing with a 'Thud!'. However, while regaining her composure, a faint creaking sound caught her attention as it emanated from behind her. "Oh, I don't have to…" Pinkamena explained before chuckling softly.

"That 600 pound bookshelf behind you will do most of it for me… And that's just the beginning".

Meanwhile, "I dunno what was going on, but Pinkie Pie was freaking out or something. She was breathing super heavy the whole time, and it was really creepy!" Spike concluded his explanation. "Oh, crimony! It's good thing ya told me! Twilight's in real danger!" Applejack panicked, before asking "Did ya tell anypony else about this yet?" "Yeah, Rainbow Dash's already on her way there, and was just as freaked out as you are" Spike concluded. By the time he explained the latter statement, Applejack had already left to help Twilight, and possibly save her life from a potentially deadly threat.

Once outside the house, Applejack and Rainbow Dash both entered quietly, wary of Pinkamena's exceptional hiding skills. They crept through the dark room to find it almost completely untouched, but eventually found the bedroom door hanging wide open, covered in some kind of bubbling chemical. The duo peeked into the room and warily stepped inside, finding the room itself to be littered with tarnished books and shards of broken glass, along with an enormous, toppled bookshelf on the floor.

"H… Help…" echoed faintly in the room and the collapsed bookshelf shifted slightly. Recognizing the voice, Rainbow Dash ran to the bookshelf in a panic and lifted it into the air, finding a motionless Twilight laying underneath. "Twilight?! Are ya okay?!" Applejack screamed in horror, before pulling Twilight free and gently turning the unicorn onto her back. Twilight grunted in pain as she attempted to sit up, which proved easier said than done due to her injuries. Rainbow Dash dropped the bookshelf to help Applejack in aiding Twilight, and asked "Twilight, what happened?!"

"Read his, and it'll make sense".

---

Suddenly, a book fell from the ceiling in front of the trio, opened onto to the page that featured the formulaic biography. The trio curiously read from the book as Applejack soon accused "Twilight, did ya really write this?" After a silence, a voice called "Oh, she sure did!" from the ceiling. The trio stared up towards the general direction of the voice, finding a psychopathic Pinkamena crawling about the woodwork and cackling sadistically before dropping to the floor below.

Pinkamena wandered towards the nearby desk and leaned against it, exclaiming "Actually… I'm glad that you all came here. I had a feeling you would". Unbeknownst to the trio, Pinkamena was reaching behind the desk to brandish a hidden fire poker, with sadistic intentions of its use. As she reached for it, however, Pinkamena heard the sound of the creaking door and fixed her gaze upon the newly arriving Spike. "Pinkie Pie?! Or are you the… imaginary one" he nervously questioned.

"GRREAH! DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU BRAINLESS LITTLE… UGH!" she hissed angrily, before wiping her brow and exhaling exhaustedly. From these words accompanied by this action, Rainbow Dash soon concocted a plan. The pegasus rocketed into the air and whistled for Pinkamena's attention. "Pinkamena, just face the facts" she shouted from the air, "You're just an imaginary character, and that's all you ever were meant to be!"

"SHUT UP! STOP CALLING ME IMAGINARY! I'M REAL!" Pinkamena howled at the top of her lungs. She soon began hysterically thrashing her head about to the point where she soon dazed herself from the trauma. "Ugh… I'm real…" Pinkamena was beginning to run out of energy, and she knew it well. She fell to her knees to catch her breath, wallowing in the defeat of her own making. She shut her eyes as her body slowly numbed, beginning with her strained knees and quickly infesting her other muscles; until finally, everything went black.

As her friends ran to their comatose companion, Twilight arose from the floor and stepped towards the book, glumly contemplating the chaos she had caused. "Well, hopefully Pinkie Pie would prefer to talk to one of us" Rainbow Dash sneered, glaring at Twilight angrily. The unicorn rolled her eyes and bent down to retrieve her book, but Rainbow Dash suddenly stepped on it before picking it up herself. Twilight stood up and watched as the peeved pegasus made her way towards the fireplace, before tossing the book within the flaming deathtrap.

As the pages quickly disintegrated, Twilight screamed "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! ALL OF MY STUDY WAS IN THERE". Rainbow Dash turned to face her and retorted "And what had it brought us, Twilight?! Pinkamena came back with a vengeance and flattened you underneath a bookcase". "I already told you, I was trying to find a way to remove Pinkie Pie's split personality. And now everything I had that could've helped us is now gone!" Twilight rebutted.

Rainbow Dash staggered angrily in the room before yelling "We all know you weren't going to help her, Twilight! You we're documenting her because she was 'fascinating'!" while applying emphasis on the final term. "DON'T YOU DARE JUSTIFY YOURSELF!" Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs, before panting from the resulting exhaustion and exclaiming "I you didn't scare her on April Fool's Day because it seemed 'funny', none of this would've happened!"

"I'm… s… sorry".

As the two continued to argue, they were interrupted by a soft, barely audible whisper. They both turned to their unconscious friend, who was twitching slightly and soon stirred into consciousness, lazily pulling herself from the carpet floor. She leaned forward with Applejack's assistance with support into a sitting position, "None of this is any of your faults" she half-consciously muttered.

"Pinkie Pie!?" they shouted before rushing over to help her stand. "Don't… worry about me. I'll be fine" Pinkie Pie assured, though this reassurance proved unsuccessful. "Just relax, Pinkie Pie. You're not fine" interrupted Applejack; the trio then brought her out of the bedroom and downstairs into the living room, after Twilight offered that Pinkie Pie could stay and sleep for the night.

As the other two left the room to join them, Pinkie Pie looked back at Twilight and glumly croaked "Hey, Twilight. I'm so sorry for what she did to you". "No, don't be…. I deserved it" Twilight mumbled as she returned to her bedroom, resulting in Pinkie Pie groaning in displeasure of her friend's guilt-stricken remark. With the conversation dying away, Pinkie Pie then laid herself on the sofa and succumbed to her body's limitations, though thankfully in a more voluntary fashion, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack decided to sleep within the living room alongside her.

While all this happened, Spike stood in the corner of the library, blankly staring with a look of confusion spread across his face.

"What the heck just happened!?"

The End?

MLP: Midnight Threat. Part 1

The cold night air had the whole of Ponyville at its mercy, freezing every warm substance into a withering, cold shell of its former status. The citizens were no exception, as all steadily became desperate for a form of protection from this horrific weather. One such estate for example, the local library, contained four ponies who all slept in the living room, each struggling to survive this ill-humored climate though any means available.

Among the inhabitants of this barely inhabitable environment of Twilight Sparkle's abode was Twilight Sparkle herself and her friends Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who had taken refuge within the living quarters. Pinkie Pie had spent a majority of the night in a fitful struggle, squirming pitifully in her sofa bed and tugging on her quilt while thrashing about uncomfortably.

This behavior, however, was not a reaction from the current weather the household currently struggled against, but from a different cause. Pinkie Pie was suffering from another nightmare, which unfortunately feature the anomaly responsible for her behavior the day prior to tonight. "Grugh… No… Eh… Heheheheh… heh… augh…" spilled forth through her gritted teeth, despite her obliviousness of doing so.

These bizarre actions soon caught the attention of her colleagues, who had long given up on sleeping by this time and discovered this rather potentially dangerous situation. "Wake her up!" commanded Rainbow Dash. "What? No way! How will she react?" Twilight questioned in genuine fear, currently recovering from her injuries inflicted 8 hours prior.

Rainbow Dash stared sternly at her and lectured "That doesn't matter anymore!" "Well then, you wake her up!" Twilight responded. Applejack suddenly dropped from the couch and interrupted "Ugh! I'll wake her up!" Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight backed away nervously as Applejack made her way to Pinkie Pie's side reached for Pinkie Pie's shoulder, jabbing it slightly for any form of response.

"AUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Pinkie Pie suddenly leapt out of the bed in a panic, soaring up into the ceiling with a loud thud. "Ah crimony! What the…?" Applejack blabbered in a fit of surprise. The three witnesses of this incident instinctually stared up towards the ceiling, finding Pinkie Pie hanging from the overhead chandelier. "AUUGH! I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR! I WAS FRAMED!" she screamed mindlessly before finally regaining her momentarily hindered senses.

One would find it incredibly surprising to wake up and find themselves hanging from a chandelier, especially when said platform was slowly coming loose from the ceiling. In a fit of desperation, she released herself from the chandelier to avoid any serious injury, only to not have planned for her salvation from the plummet. Luckily for her, Rainbow Dash flew to her and snatched her from the air, shouting "Pinkie Pie, I got you! Let's get dow-".

'SNAP!'

Before they knew it, the chandelier's chain had split from the ceiling and began it's decent to the tiled floor below, only for Twilight to catch it mid-air with a magic spell. Once the chaos had finally subsided and the chandelier lowered to the floor without resulting in collateral destruction, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie descended to the ground and Pinkie Pie shouted "Rainbow Dash?!" frantically. "Pinkie Pie, what happened?" Twilight asked curiously, to which Pinkie Pie simply responded "Ugh… just another bad dream".

Later that following morning, Pinkie Pie had fully recovered from her ordeal. The same could not be said though for Twilight, who now had to find a way to reconnect the chandelier sturdily to the ceiling. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was sitting on the sofa again, her mind haunted by not only her nightmare, but also by the events of the previous day. Her nightmares had been steadily getting worse throughout the months, and this wasn't the first time she has reacted in this fashion, as she had awoken in a panic from them many times before.

While she considered these occurrences, Spike came to the living room and sat on the opposite sofa, staring at Pinkie Pie in a suspicious fashion all the while. Applejack was busy eating her breakfast when she noticed this and asked "Hey Spike, what's the matter?" Spike trembled nervously and pointed at Pinkie Pie, answering "She came into my room last night". Applejack was puzzled by this accusation as much as Pinkie Pie was, who replied "That can't be. I was out here sleeping the whole time".

Spike shook his head in denial, "You were sitting at the end of my bed, just… staring at me". "What?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in confusion, and Spike continued "Yeah, and you were smiling too… it was really creepy". The four pairs of eyes gazed toward Pinkie Pie, who sat in disbelief. "Spike, are you sure? This is very important!" Twilight questioned, to which Spike answered "Positive it was her. She had a really freaky smile. It was horrifying! I thought she was gonna jump at me or something".

Pinkie Pie was horrified by this discovery, and inevitably assumed that the worst of herself was to blame. Unfortunately, the others had these assumptions as well, as they traded worried glances at one another. Pinkie Pie simply sighed and resigned herself to the possibilities, grunting "I guess it wasn't as over as we thought it was". She hung her head in defeat and growled furiously towards her own lack of self-control.

"Hey Pinkie Pie! Gals! None of ya know for sure that it was her, do ya?" Applejack objected, before Pinkie Pie interrupted and said "Applejack, it's alright. It had to be me… or Pinkamena". Even the simple act of saying the name spread a cold, piercing chill throughout the house, as everypony became silent from the very mention of the name.

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie. There's only one way to find out".

---

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie found herself rising into the air, losing all contact with the ground and floating helplessly. Some form of charm had been casted upon her, as discovered by Twilight's horn glowing in a violet hue. Twilight then, much to Pinkie Pie's confusion and eventual protest, carried her up the staircase to the second floor before she stopped at a particular door. "Twilight!? What are you doing!?" Pinkie Pie babbled in a panic as she was carried against her will through the library.

Twilight opened the door and stepped inside the bathroom, and soon released Pinkie Pie and left her standing in the center of the room. "Twili…" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, before pausing to observe the unicorn whilst she swiftly set about shutting the windows. "No… not enough" she thought to herself before rushing out of the bathroom for a quick moment, before swiftly returning with multiple wooden planks and rapidly boarding the windows up.

"Twilight, what is this all about!?" Pinkie Pie asked her superstitious colleague, the latter halting in her actions to turn and face her colleague. "I'm testing you" she responded quickly before the last plank was positioned and the last nails were hammered. Twilight then sighed with guilt and instructed "You need to stay in this room for tonight, Pinkie Pie.

We'll let you out tomorrow morning. If you're still in here, then we'll know it wasn't Pinkamena. But if you're gone, th-". Rainbow Dash took this particular opportunity to step inside the bathroom and interrupt Twilight's questionable strategy, questioning it in a most sophisticated manner.

"Twilight, have you lost your mind?!" Rainbow Dash questioned angrily. "We have to be sure, Rainbow Dash! It's for our own safety!" Twilight replied in a fit of irrationality. "And what about hers, eh? Do ya expect her to just sit in here by herself for both a whole day and a whole night?!" Applejack screamed furiously. And then, quite unexpectedly, Pinkie Pie interrupted "NONONO! It's okay…" before settling back into the center of the tiled floor.

"Twilight's right. We have to make sure I'm not gonna… lose… control again…" Pinkie Pie whimpered as she lost herself to her depression once again. As she sobbed pitifully to herself, Twilight assured "Pinkie Pie, I'm so sorry. I really don't wanna do this to you". "Just shut the door and lock it… before this gets any worse for me" Pinkie Pie demanded, hesitant to get the whole ordeal over and done with. Left without any alternatives, the trio reluctantly obliged this command and shut the door, officially transforming the bathroom into a temporary prison cell.

Twilight walked ahead of the group as they left, as if to escape the piercing glances from her followers. "Twilight, stop!" Applejack commanded, though Twilight ignored this and continued to detach herself from the trio. But such desired were tarnished when Rainbow Dash soared in front of her and held her by her shoulders, hissing "Stop!" "Trust me! She'll be alright!" Twilight exclaimed plainly, before pushing Rainbow Dash away.

"I thought ya said you'd stop treatin' her like an experiment; and now look where she is!" Applejack retorted. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but had no rebuttal for this fact, forcing her to concede defeat and sigh deflatedly. Rainbow Dash shook her head and stepped past Twilight and staggered grudgingly down the staircase, grumbling unintelligibly all the while. Applejack soon followed suit, before stopping to face the unicorn.

"I just hope ya know what ya're doin'!"

Pinkie Pie barely moved a single muscle for the following hours, sitting perfectly still in the center of the room without any intent to alter her position. The hours continued to pass, and still, any alteration of the room, including Pinkie Pie's statuesque stance, had yet to occur. Eventually, the blackness of night peeked through the pencil thin gaps of the boarded windows, the glittering stars reflecting across the tiled floor.

Pinkie Pie soon felt the wrath of fatigue take its toll on her body, as she soon felt her body numbing from a lack of function. She gently slid against the floor and laid on her side before shutting her eyes, knowing that now was the moment of truth.

Time to put Twilight's theory to the test.

---

The next morning, Twilight was not only eager to check Pinkie Pie's current status, but determined; as she immediately leapt out of bed upon awakening and clumsily rushed down to the bathroom door. Before unlocking it, however, she leaned against the door and listened for any audible evidence of inhabitance. Hearing nothing but silence, Twilight flung the door open in a panic, and what she found inside as truly astonishing.

Pinkie Pie was still asleep, having never moved from the middle of the room. She was curled up in the fetal position, possibly due to her lack of a bed to sleep in, to which Twilight now felt a pang of guilt for never considering to offer one. This outcome brought a great deal of relief to her over Pinkie Pie's mental health, but conjured a new fear for Pinkie Pie's physical health. From the loud creak of the door reverberating throughout the bathroom, Pinkie Pie soon stirred from her slumber and lifted herself off of the cold tile floor.

"Did… it work?" she muttered sleepily to herself. Before regaining her senses in time, "IT WORKED!" echoed throughout the house from her former captor. Twilight shouted "We've done it, Pinkie Pie! You're still here!" Pinkie Pie simply endured the onslaught of sound as she covered her ears. "Oh… uh, sorry about that, Pinkie Pie. But still, this is really good news" Twilight beamed proudly.

However, as she had complimented herself and Pinkie Pie for this result, Spike suddenly entered the bathroom and objected "Well… yeah, Twilight… This is good and all… but there's still one question we haven't solved yet". All attention was fixed upon him as he questioned "If Pinkie Pie wasn't in my room, then who was?!"

Twilight quivered in surprise, as she had completely disregarded this mystery to make way for her 'test'. But then, Pinkie Pie suddenly grunted in pain as her stomach churned loudly, audible enough to be heard from within this confined space. "Hey Pinkie Pie, are you okay?" Spike asked curiously. "Ugh… that hurt…" she groaned as her gut continued to rebel against her. By this time, Applejack had arrived and witnessed this strange event.

"You hungry, Pinkie Pie? We've got pancakes and syrup out in the-" Twilight offered, before Pinkie Pie interrupted "Ack! No way! I'm not hungry… Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick". "Pinkie Pie, I'll get ya home!" Applejack offered before leading her out of the bathroom and through the front door. Twilight was the last occupant left in the bathroom, who continued to search for an explanation for these peculiar occurrences.

Who was in Spike's Bedroom?

"Hang on a minute! Maybe there wasn't somepony in Spike's room" Twilight realized, before grimacing "Darn it, Spike! It probably could've been a dream the whole time!" Twilight's face reddened with fury and she began losing her temper. "And I just locked my friend up in a bathroom by herself for a whole day! BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU IDIOT!" Twilight screamed wildly. As her frustration reached its peak, she turned to face the boarded windows before running to them and heaving on one of the planks in a mindless rage.

Surprisingly, the plank came out of the wall without any resistance, sending Twilight tumbling backwards and ramming the back of her head against the bathroom sink, before collapsing to the floor without restraint. As she sat in a daze, she stared unfocusedly at the window. She observed as the rest of the boards freely fell from the wall, revealing a wide open gap that formerly housed an intact sheet of glass.

The boards had apparently been removed from the wall previously and hastily placed back into their previous positions, and the window was left wide open from the other side. After a few attempts to remedy herself of her injury, unconsciousness eventually claimed Twilight as she passed out on the bathroom tiling.

Meanwhile, Applejack waited outside Pinkie Pie's house, while Pinkie Pie herself sat next to her, remaining sickly from this morning. Rainbow Dash soon found the duo and hurried towards them in a panic, "Pinkie Pie! Are you alright!?" "Ugghhh… I don't feel good…" she croaked in response. "She was still in the bathroom this mornin'" Applejack informed the pegasus. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and replied "Really? She never left?" "No. Why?" Applejack asked out of curiosity, while Pinkie Pie tried her best to listen to the conversation while tending to her nausea. "Um, well…" Rainbow Dash began.

"The Town Hall was broken into last night".

To be continued…

MLP: Midnight Threat. Part 2

"I already told ya! It couldn't have been her!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash argued outside Pinkie Pie's house. Rainbow Dash explained that the Town Hall had just been robbed, although nothing was discovered to be missing or misplaced. "Who else could it have been? She's already snuck in there before; who's to say she couldn't do it again!" Rainbow Dash accused. While the prosecution and the defendant bickered behind closed doors, the accused remained inside the house. Pinkie Pie was still nauseous from an unknown sickness the welled within her stomach, but had recovered over the time that had passed. Considering the pain that this mysterious sickness had conjured, it was miraculous that she had neither vomited nor collapsed.

"Twilight has just proven that it wasn't her! Why are ya going off yar head about it?" Applejack shouted. Rainbow Dash then sighed and restrained her temper, before answering "You're right… I'm sorry. I like Twilight, y'know; but she's been acting really weird too. Half the time, she just as crazy as-" before immediately shutting her mouth. This time, it was Applejack that lost her temper, shouting "Just as crazy as who!? Say it!"

"UGH… JUST STOP IT!" came a voice from inside, clearly belonging to the subject matter herself. Sure enough, the bedroom window opened as she hung her head out, continuing "I hate hearing you all fight over things like this. It's just gonna cause problems for everypony". Rainbow Dash was the first to lower her defenses, groaning in resignation and replying "Sorry, Pinkie Pie. I… I just don't want anything bad to happen. That's all".

"Well we know for sure it wasn't m… Pinkamena, okay?" Pinkie Pie confirmed, to which her two consultants thankfully agreed. "So let's not worry about it now, please? The Town Hall will be fine without us butting in on their business". The words she spoke were true, as throwing around accusations without proper evidence was an utterly futile gesture.

Pinkie Pie left the house through the front door to join her colleagues, having apparently recovered from any bodily hindrance that had infested her; though the sickness itself remained, it was no longer as significant as the this morning's experience. "Why don't we just get something at the café? After all, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday" Pinkie Pie proposed. "Oh, I forgot all about that! Let's go, then" Rainbow Dash agreed delightfully.

Later, while at the café, Pinkie Pie had almost completely recovered from her nausea, and had begun acting in her traditional fashion. "Uh, it's so good to eat properly again, isn't it?" Pinkie Pie boasted, patting her stomach as she slouched comfortably in her seat. "Heh… some things never change, do they?" Applejack sighed as she shook her head with poorly hidden glee. Pinkie Pie continued to slouch lazily and she contently browsed the delectable merchandise in the glass casing beneath the counter, one of which caught her attention instantly.

On the third row at the left end was a collection of cupcakes, each its own color and flavor. Pinkie Pie's eyes widened as she stared mesmerized by the pastries. Unbeknownst to her, the corners of her mouth had begun twitching frantically, forming into a devious smile. A strange craving for these petite pastries had soon urged her to devour every last one of them. All she could think about now was chowing down on them. The sweetness they must contain! She desperately wanted them! She must have them, and she must have them all now!

"Hey Pinkie Pie, what are you doing!?" asked a concerned Rainbow Dash. "Mom's cupcakes were so good…" Pinkie Pie smirked greedily as she continued to stare at the glass-confined treats. "Hey, Pinkie Pie!" Applejack exclaimed, snapping Pinkie Pie from her hypnotized state and returning her to reality. "Huh, what was that?" Pinkie Pie half-wittedly asked. Rainbow Dash slapped her forehead and sighed "Are you really still hungry after all you just ate?! This place will go out of business at this rate".

Pinkie Pie tilted her head confusedly and replied "Huh? No, I was just thinking about something. Why?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at eachother with concern in their eyes, before Applejack replied "Well, um… you're drooling". "What! Blegh!" Pinkie Pie quickly and nervously wiped the saliva from her cheek and replied "Ugh! Why was I doing that!?"

As the night progressed from the café to the streets, Pinkie continued to ponder her bizarre actions; but this time, she already knew the cause of it. She glumly trudged behind her friends as they intended to part ways, not paying attention to where she's heading and accidentally slipping on the pavement. "Whoa, uh…" she yelped before regaining her posture, but not without also gaining her companions' attention. "Huh? Oh… Well, see ya later Pinkie Pie" Applejack cried out, while Rainbow Dash simply nodded. "Uh… Oh! See you tomorrow!" Pinkie Pie called out, before the group parted ways.

Later, within Pinkie Pie's home, the excitable extrovert slept soundly in her bed. She had succumbed to a relatively peaceful slumber for three hours prior to the present, and the time was currently 10:30 pm. For the first time in multiple weeks, neither a horrific nightmare nor an interruption from a friend had come to disturb her sleep, leaving her to finally sleep peacefully without fault. However, as the clock chimed 11:00, Pinkie's Pies eyes shot open instantly as she slowly arose from her bed, a wry grin planted across her cheeks.

---

Meanwhile, in a house that lay not too far away, an unconscious Twilight had finally begun to awaken from her impairing injury, struggling to regain her senses. She leant against the wall and battled to gain balance on her knees, but to no avail, as a numbness had engulfed her limbs that resulted in Twilight collapsing against the tile floor. The back of her neck strained from its previous trauma, pulsing and throbbing painfully against this action. Twilight found herself powerless, and was prepared to surrender to unconsciousness once again.

"AAAHHHH! TWILIGHT! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Twilight was suddenly lifted off of the ground by an unknown figure, and paid no attention to the voice that spoke, as she was too preoccupied with a futile ploy to regain control of her nerves system. "Are you okay!? Speak to me!" screamed the unknown savior, who then carried her into the lounge room and laid her on the sofa. "Uh… I…" were her only words before she fell silent. For a few seconds, her body struggled against the numbness that consumed her.

"I… can't feel… anything" Twilight continued with miraculous consistency in her speech, despite her physical status. "Quick! We need to get to the hospital!" called a voice from, what Twilight presumed was, the doorway. "No… find…Pinkame…" Twilight wheezed lifelessly before succumbing finally to her inevitable fate.

"NO! THAT CAN'T BE! TWILIGHT WAKE UP!" Rainbow Dash shrieked at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, Twilight lay as stiff as a post, without sign of movement nor sound. "Arrgh! How did she do it!? How did she escape!?" Rainbow Dash screamed hysterically. "Who cares?! We should be worryin' about where she is now!" Applejack replied, whilst staring through the wide open window for a clear vision of Pinkamena's escape strategy.

"Okay! You take Twilight to the hospital! I'll go find Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash commanded, before soaring off without a second thought. Before Applejack had the chance to object "But you're faster! You take Twilight", the blue pegasus had already disappeared into the night sky.

Upon reaching the Town Hall, Rainbow Dash landed upon the rooftop, searching the building for a more discrete entrance Pinkamena could've, and would've, taken. After a search, she happened across a broken glass panel in the skylight that lay in the center of the roof. This was undoubtedly the same entrance that her dissociative companion had used last night, and would've more than likely used again tonight.

Without a second thought, Rainbow Dash swooped through the gap and found herself surrounded by a thick darkness, hindering her vision drastically. As she silently crept her way through the corridors and hallways of the atmospheric establishment, she soon became distracted by the many decorations that covered the walls, from artworks to statues and models that decorated the cabinets. Rainbow Dash had not seen such impressive decorations before, but behind any of which could lay an ambush from her malicious adversary.

She soon snapped her attention to a loud rumble of thunder that raged from outside. As she stumbled backwards from her brief surprise, she soon turned to face the opposing direction from pure instinct. A pair of soul-stealing eyes loomed out of the distant darkness, soon to be followed with a wide, gleaming smile.

The hallway filled with the sound of heavy breathing, accompanied be the loud creaking of the windows straining against the howling wind outside. Rainbow Dash was frozen with terror, horrified of such a terrifying scene. As the loud patter of rain began to strike the roof of the building and the pavements outside, the bright flash of lightning shone outside the window, revealing the face of Rainbow Dash's schizophrenic adversary in all her glory.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Pinkamena stood in the blackness, staring at her petrified opponent while sliding her tongue across the tips of her teeth. "I knew you would come to find me here" Pinkamena smirked, before she continued "But honestly, I was expecting the orange one. Hmhmhmhmph! Where is she, anyway?" "You put one of my friends in the hospital, y'know" Rainbow Dash informed, "Why did you come here anyway". Pinkamena snickered to herself from hearing this question, confusing the Rainbow Dash greatly whilst also piquing her curiosity.

"I'm actually kinda glad that you came instead of… um… Applejack! Heheheheh… I could use your help". Suddenly, Pinkamena pounced at Rainbow Dash, tackling her to the ground and pinning her to it by her ankles. No matter how she struggled against the force that had constricted her, Pinkamena remained unfazed as she continued to stare downward at her prey. "Now's a good chance for you to fulfill that favor of mine, innit?!" Pinkamena considered gleefully.

Pinkamena reached behind her and proceeded to extract a long, sturdy rope, before swiftly releasing her target from her incapacitation. Despite her best effort to escape, Pinkamena had already managed to ensnare Rainbow Dash within the rope, not only by all four of her limbs, but also by her wings. "Now what was it you we're asking again? Hmm… Oh yes! You wondered what I was doing here" Pinkamena smirked, glaring down sadistically at her restrained adversary.

"Well, I was waiting for you to find me, of course!" Pinkamena cheered with peculiar childishness, before returning to a more familiar, but less comforting, sinister demeanor. Rainbow Dash was never used to being restrained physically, and believing her best friend had begun brewing a malevolent scheme once again would have catastrophic outcomes, no matter who lay on the raw end of the stick.

Pinkamena soon wandered to a nearby counter and retrieved a nearby candlestick, before thrashing it about as if it were a club. Rainbow Dash realized the intent behind this action and began struggling against her bindings once again, though such an action remained futile. Pinkamena staggered towards her, the blunt instrument still in hand, and Rainbow Dash merely cringed and tensed in preparation from the oncoming assault.

'WHACK!'

---

"Grrgh… ugh…wh… wh…where..."

Minutes soon became hours until Rainbow Dash had finally recovered from her temporarily comatose state. Rainbow Dash attempted to the best of her ability to move, though such a feat was hindered by a foreign force of restriction. Rainbow Dash lifted her head weakly and opened her eyes, finding herself inside of a small room consisting of a bed, a desk and a few bookshelves. She then stared down to find her current position, which was concluded to be a large cushion, while remaining immobile from the ensnaring rope.

Her vision scanned throughout the surrounding environment, even though it remained unfamiliar as of yet. "Oh hey! You're awake!" a distant voice had begun ringing in her ears, which soon grew accustom to the surrounding noise; or lack thereof. "Hehehehe! Wait there, and I'll see you in a second!" the singsong voice called from a distant room. Rainbow Dash was forced to wait for another five minutes before hearing a loud, crackling sound from a room downstairs, to which the pegasus realized where she was.

This was Sugarcube Corner, she resided in Pinkie Pie's bedroom, and Pinkamena was currently in the kitchen. "No wait! Here I am!" Pinkamena suddenly burst through the bedroom door with a loud 'Slam!' and startling the life out of her captive. "Ack! Pinkamena! What's going on?! What are you up to?!" Rainbow demanded an explanation. Pinkamena giggled to herself and replied "I need you for something I'm making. I'll explain everything", before suddenly stepping into the darkness of the room and shutting the door behind her.

An icy cold chill engulfed Rainbow Dash's body from these words, resuming a fearful role as a witness to oncoming diabolical actions. "You see… I'm making a special recipe!" Pinkamena began, having suddenly appeared beside Rainbow Dash, to which the latter flinched visibly in surprise. "It's an old… Hmhmhmph… 'Family Recipe' for…" Pinkamena began, leaning her head beside Rainbow's left ear, "Cupcakes".

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow in confusion, pondering why Pinkamena, one of the most spiteful and ruthless entities she had ever encountered, would be bothered with a hobby such as this. "You see, Pinkie Pie and I came up with this recipe when she was a filly". Pinkamena then hugged herself in satisfaction before sighing "Ahhh… I can still remember how delicious they tasted" before licking her lips greedily.

Rainbow Dash simply stared in confusion and yelled "Cupcakes? Is that what this is all about? Then what do you need me for?!" Pinkamena stopped dead in her tracks, before turning to face her prisoner with an insane grin. "Well… the thing about these cupcakes is that-".

'Ding! Ding! Ding!'

"WHAT! IT CAN'T BE!" Pinkamena screeched in shock, before rushing towards the clock to see the time. "6:00! Oh no! She's gonna… gonna… urk…" she screamed before cringing in discomfort. Suddenly, she shook her head violently, shouting "I took too long! She's coming back! No! …ARRGH!" Pinkamena began thrashing about furiously, her skin beginning to expel multiple beads of sweat as her muscles began losing their former energy.

Rainbow Dash remained unable to either assist or escape and was forced to watch in awe as her best friend became overwhelmed by her own torment. Clumsily, Pinkamena eventually collapsed without any restraint, remaining motionless against the floor without displaying any signs of movement.

With the potential danger temporarily subsided, Rainbow Dash returned to struggling against her bindings, desperate to find a chance to release herself from her entrapment. Thankfully, and somewhat miraculously, the bonds in her legs had begun to loosen, but not enough the remove them. "HELP! SOMPONY HELP!" she called out for any form of salvation to arrive, "PLEASE! IF ANYPONY CAN HEAR ME! GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

Silence.

Rainbow Dash had now given up on any hopes of rescue, as she lay miserably in her wretched predicament. Her best friend had once again collapsed from stress, apparently 'resetting' according to Twilight's theory, but her actions for the past three days seem to have put every theory Twilight had written to shame. Pinkamena had found a way to take control of Pinkie Pie during the night, while Pinkie Pie was thought by all, including herself, to be asleep. Was Pinkamena actively finding new ways to take control while Pinkie Pie remained oblivious?

"Hello? Is anypony home?" soon filled the lower floor of the house. Rainbow Dash's heart nearly leapt from her chest as she gasped in surprise. "HELLO?! HELP US!" she called out with delight. Soon, the house echoed with loud hoofsteps, soon to be followed by a loud rattling of a doorknob and a loud 'Slam!' of a door.

Rainbow Dash turned to the door, to find Applejack and Twilight rushing to their aid. While Applejack tended to the stricken Pinkie Pie, Twilight ran to Rainbow Dash to untie her bonds. "I'm so glad to see you two!" Rainbow Dash cried out, "She tied me up and dragged me here from the Town Hall". Twilight then explained "I woke up in the hospital as soon as we got there, so we came to find you" whilst untying her friends bindings.

By the time Rainbow Dash was freed from her constrictions, Applejack had already laid their comatose companion in her bed to recuperate from her taxing experience. Applejack sniffed distraughtly "Poor Pinkie Pie. She should never have gone through this…" before stepping away from the bed.

"Did she- erm… Pinkamena say anything?" Twilight asked curiously, to which Rainbow Dash answered "Yeah, actually… It was the strangest thing. She was talking about baking cupcakes and making a 'Family Recipe'". "What? Now that's pretty weird" Twilight replied in confusion, and all eyes turned to gaze upon the still sleeping Pinkie Pie.

"Why would she need you to make this "Family Recipe' of hers?"

The End?

MLP: A Guest of Honor? Part 1

Deep within the town of Ponyville that lay blanketed under the black night sky, the bright lights of civilization swarmed the streets to conquer the oppressive darkness. One such source of civilization in this settlement was Sugarcube Corner, residence of the cheerful, if often insecure, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was often considered by most that knew her, and especially her own friends, to be an incredible source of laughter and joy to be witnessed, as well as incredibly taxing of any diligence previously mustered by those who meet her.

For the past two months, however, this was hardly the case, as Pinkie Pie had just spent the previous two months recovering from serious trauma. Two months had passed since the infamous anomaly Pinkamena had returned to blight Pinkie Pie's reputation, as she was forced against her better judgment to set about spreading fear and terror to all who would find themselves a victim. However, Pinkie Pie had eventually returned to her original demeanor since these incidents occurred, as she had finally returned to the more excitable, positive attitude that she and her friends had cherished.

As of this moment, Pinkie Pie was in the middle of cooking for herself and her guests' dinner, as the clock chimed 8:00 from upstairs. "Yes! Yes! I know what time it is. You don't have to hang off my back!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she stirred through the warm cake mix for her friends to indulge themselves upon. "How are you all going out there?" she called into the living room, to which a familiar voice replied "Wow! How long does a cake take to make?!"

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow and pondered whether to take offense to this statement, unsure of whether to treat it as an insult or just a genuine question. Eventually, she decided to shrug it off, as dinner was finally ready to serve. Pinkie whistled to herself as she collect the five different meals for her guests, each staked upon her head as she carefully balanced them. Pinkie Pie made her way out of the kitchen and entered the dining room, soon to be met with a truly bizarre sight.

All of her friends were asleep; each slouching in their seats with their mouths hanging open. Pinkie Pie howled "Hey, everyone WAKE UP! Food's ready!" while shoving Rainbow Dash gently. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash simply slid from the chair and fell to the floor, to which Pinkie Pie realized that her friends were neither breathing nor moving in the slightest. Her friends weren't asleep at all, and were definitely not going to wake up.

Pinkie Pie screamed at the top of her lungs in terror, only to find silence from her voice. She continued to scream to herself, discovering herself to be physically unable to vocalize in any fashion. Pinkie Pie soon fell to the floor in shock as her chest radiated with warmth, feeling her heartbeat become steadily more intense. "What took you so long?" a voice echoed, "We were nothing but skin and bones before you were finished!"

Suddenly, all that could be heard was a loud, menacing cackle that rang in Pinkie Pie's ears. All of the plates Pinkie Pie carried were carelessly dropped and crashed to the floor as Pinkie Pie swung her head relentlessly. "NO! NO! This is a dream! It has to be a dream! Wake up! WAKE UP! PLEEEASE!" she shouted in a fit of hysteria.

"You can't wake up, cherub… This is not a dream… You're as awake as you've ever been".

"HUUUAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Pinkie Pie soared up into the air landed comfortably on the mattress of her bed. After the additional shock had subsided, she struggled to sit upright on the mattress as she gasped desperately for breath. Her hair was drenched in sweat and her heart relentlessly pounded away inside her chest.

Her head was aching from stress and her muscles were throbbing in agony, leaving Pinkie Pie in an almost broken state, both physically and emotionally. "When… will this ever… stop?" she whimpered miserably to herself, wiping her brow with her wrist as her eyes glistened with long-contained sorrow.

Pinkie Pie leapt from her bed and rushed through her bedroom door, much to the dismay of her muscles. Pinkie Pie ignored the welling discomfort that spread through her body as she burst through the front door and ran madly into the street. "Hello? Hegh… Anypony?!" she called helplessly into the empty streets, searching for anypony to interact with to retain her dwindling sanity.

However, as this happened, Pinkie Pie's shoulder had finally had all the strain it could endure and ultimately gave way, sending the rest of her body sprawling across the pavement. As she lay against the concrete path, she wheezed "I n-need help… please… somepony… anypony?" Fatigue had begun to take its toll as Pinkie Pie slowly felt her body shut down from extended wear. Reluctantly, but voluntarily, she lost consciousness as the sound of a nearby voice became the only sound she could hear.

"Pinkie Pi…ony get hel…to the hosp…"

---

"What happened this time!?"

It was the next morning at 7:00, and Rainbow Dash burst through the doors of the ward and screamed in shock. She quickly approached the bedside table where Applejack, Twilight and the others resided, who had apparently been waiting for a sign of recovery from their comatose colleague. Pinkie Pie had been in the hospital for the past three hours, while her observers had been tending to her for the latter two.

Applejack turned to face the latest arrival and replied "I dunno. Twilight said that she found her runnin' about the streets, screamin' like a maniac" before turning to Twilight for confirmation. "Yeah, that's right! Pinkie Pie was lucky I was coming to visit her, because everypony else was asleep in her neighborhood" Twilight explained.

"No… kidding…"

All eyes peered into a pair of white, glistening eyes as they sleepily gazing upwards from the bed. "Pinkie Pie! What happened?" "Another nightmare…" Pinkie Pie replied exhaustedly "But this one was… worse… much worse that the others". Her friends listened as she explained the events of the dream, leaving each of them mortified by the specified details.

"What could this mean?" Twilight asked herself before turning away to ponder this situation. "It may not mean anything, Twilight. It's just a bad dream, after all. It can't hurt me" Pinkie Pie reassured as she sat up comfortably from the bed. "Well, I dunno about that. If it can land ya in the hospital…" Applejack reminded her. Pinkie Pie soon pulled herself from the bedsheet covers and stated "Trust me, it's nothing to worry about".

"I'm sorry, but you cannot leave just yet" called a nurse who had entered the room to interrupt this action. "What? Why?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "Miss Pie, we have read your files. You have apparently been suffering from multiple forms of nausea and repeated nightmares. I'm afraid you must stay under care for the time being" the nurse explained.

"How did you know I was suffering from nightmares? Twilight, did you tell them?" Pinkie turned to Twilight for the answer. Twilight simply stood flustered and remained without an answer before the conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Fluttershy. "I-I did…" the pegasus stuttered nervously, "I thought it would be the right thing to do". "No, it was. But Fluttershy, why didn't you tell us before?" Twilight questioned curiously, degrading Fluttershy's already declining confidence.

"Leave her alone, Twilight. She did the right thing, and I'm actually annoyed that I didn't do it before her" Applejack admitted. "Whatever… it doesn't matter, anyhow" Pinkie Pie sighed meekly before jumping back-first against the bed once again. Rainbow Dash then turned back to face the nurse and asked "Well, is there anything we can do?" The nurse then pondered the possibilities before answering "Well, she may return home. But, she would have to stay there under both house-arrest and constant supervision. Just for safety precautions, after all" the nurse then reassured.

"Well… I dunno" Applejack considered, while her companions remained skeptical of such a choice. "Well, there is a choice at least, which is rare. So we should take advantage of it" Twilight offered an end to this prolonged stalemate. "Very well; in that case, you may take her home" the nurse offered with a somewhat stiff smile, before turning away and swiftly leaving through the door to tend to other patients. And with that, Pinkie Pie and her friends made their way from the hospital back to the bakery, thankfully savoring the lack of a delay or unforeseen event having occurred.

As they entered the establishment, however, Pinkie Pie had begun to succumb to her insurmountable fatigue, resulting in her mindlessly staggering through the living room and collapsing on the couch. Twilight stared down at her and asked "Should we take her upstairs?" Rainbow Dash pondered for a moment before replying "Hmm… Nah. Just leave her here, I guess. She seems okay" while watching Pinkie Pie snuggle comfortably into the sofa.

"I'll stay and watch over her for the night" Applejack offered generously, clearly confident of her own capability. "What if you f-fall asleep?" Fluttershy questioned. "Well, it's already..." Applejack paused as she stared towards the clock, "2:30 am, so I should manage". After this agreement was confirmed amongst the motley crew, Applejack remained beside Pinkie Pie as the others followed a single file though the front door and shut it; thus beginning Pinkie Pie's daily 'house-arrest' routine.

---

Unfortunately, Applejack actually did end up falling asleep during her stay in the Pinkie Pie residence, much to her own shame. She had slept for only two hours before daybreak loomed through the windows to interrupt her slumber. "Ugh… W… Wha…?" she muttered sleepily, before her eyes shot open as she leapt from her sofa bed in a panic. "Pinkie Pie! Are ya still here?!" she called into the room, finding no trace of her observant anywhere within the living room.

Applejack rushed upstairs to search her bedroom, peeking through a gap in the bedroom door to find the lack of an occupant. She stepped into the room and paced around it in a clockwise motion, considering where else she could possibly reside, believing that she wouldn't have voluntarily left the house without informing her of doing so. "I just hope she's hasn't run off to cause a ruckus in town" she thought to herself, before dashing out of the bedroom and leaping down the stairs.

"…need somepony to help me, I need somepony to help me, I need somepony to help me, I need somepony to help me, is anypony OOUUUUTT THHHEEEERRRREEE!?"

A panicked, high-pitched voice called out from the bathroom, instantly seizing Applejack's attention. Without pondering whose voice it was, Applejack rushed to the bathroom and burst through the door, soon to be mortified by a truly horrific scene. The entire bathroom and all of its furnishings had been completely tarnished, from the mirror sink to the bathtub, to which broken glass lay scattered across the floor.

"Pinkie Pie! Where are you?!"Applejack called into the bathroom nervously, hoping desperately to hear a reply. "Applejack?" came a soft, exhausted voice from the corner of the bathroom, where lay Pinkie Pie in a truly degrading appearance. Pinkie Pie's tearstained eyelids opened as she turned to face the door and asked "Applejack, can you… see them?" Applejack simply stared in a confused fashion before Pinkie Pie added "I need to know if they're there or not, I need to know if they're actually on me!" "Well, I can't see anything on you" Applejack attempted to reassure her.

Pinkie Pie shook her head violently before replying "There's spiders all over me! I can feel them on me! They're crawling through my hair and they're trying to get into my mouth! I couldn't tell if they we're there!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed maniacally before catching her breath while clamping her mouth shut.

Applejack rushed to her and pulled Pinkie Pie from the tile floor, only for Pinkie Pie to suddenly scream and shout madly "They're in my mouth, THEY'RE IN MY MOUTH! GET THEM OUT, PLEASE!" Applejack quickly grabbed her by her shoulders and shouted "Pinkie Pie! I swear, there is nothing on you, and there are no spiders in your mouth! You're just imagining it all!" Pinkie Pie sighed in resignation and whimpered "But… they feel real…"

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had come by Pinkie Pie's house to make sure nothing that they hadn't predicted had happened in her absence. As she came to the window of the front door, she soon found that Twilight had arrived before her, possibly intending the same act of precaution, and entered the establishment to greet her respectively. "What happened while I was gone?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

Twilight cringed nervously, obviously debating whether to reveal what had happened before eventually, if reluctantly, coming to a conclusion. "Well… Pinkie Pie had a breakdown this morning, apparently" Twilight explained, her breath rather faint as to not be overheard. "What!? Is she alright!?" Rainbow Dash began to panic, before Twilight steadied her and explained "Nothing happened! She's alright now". Twilight then proceeded to explain the events that unfolded on their behalf, or at least from what Applejack had told her.

Rainbow Dash then heard the sound of sobbing from the living room; and upon peeking carefully into the living room, she was destined to discover Pinkie Pie cowering distraughtly on the couch, "Let's face it. I've got one step left until I completely lose it, don't I?" "Pinkie Pie, you're not losing your mind! It was just a hallucination, that's all. It can only get better from here" Applejack intervened in this degrading statement.

Applejack herself currently sat across from her and had spent the past hour comforting her from such a horrific experience. "I'd like to know how" Pinkie Pie sighed before hanging her head in shame of her own insecurity. Twilight then stepped into the room and added "Well, it definitely couldn't get any worse than this, to be sure". Unfortunately for the protagonists, the writer had other plans, and regrets to say that Pinkie Pie's dilemma had only just begun. And it did so with two musical notes.

'DING-DONG!'

To be continued…

MLP: A Guest of Honor? Part 2

"Who is it?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, though still in a rather restrained tone, hoping for some form of answer that unfortunately never came. "Fluttershy, probably" Twilight assumed before meandering towards the door, only to find a complete stranger through the eyepiece. "No, it's not Fluttershy. I've no idea who it is, actually" Twilight explained before twisting the doorknob and pulling the door open for their unexpected guest.

The guest herself remained unrecognized by any of the occupants in the hallway, while Pinkie Pie remained in the living room. The guest's skin was an odd and extremely foreign shade of grey, a majority of it cloaked under a navy blue sweater, while her eyes were a dark green. Her lank, purple hair was a peculiar ponytail style while her fringe was curled inwards above her eyes.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked, while the guest made her way inside and stopped in the center of the hallway. "I'm looking for somepony" the guest stated, "Her name is Pinkamena Diane Pie". As this was said, Pinkie Pie overheard and suddenly became eager to learn of the mysterious pony's identity. "You mean Pinkie Pie? Why?" Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously, clearly lacking trust for this unexpected guest.

"She's my sister. My name is Maud Pie".

Pinkie Pie's eyes shot open as her heart nearly propelled from her chest in surprise. Her sister? Her older sister from the rock farm? What's she doing here? Pinkie Pie soon felt a new fear corrupt her soul, as she shivered nervously whilst the conversation continued. "Well, if you're her sister, then how did you know she was here?" Rainbow Dash asked out of curiosity. "I had spent the past couple of years traveling around Equestria, and I was just coming by Ponyville. Also, from what I've heard, she's pretty well known around here" Maud explained confidently.

"Well… yeah, she is" Twilight admitted. "Well, is she here?" Maud asked before entering the living room, only to find no occupant present within it. The trio entered after her and searched for her, but Pinkie Pie had apparently left by herself while they were occupied. "Well, she was here a second ago..." Applejack reassured, before Twilight asked "Where did she go?"

Pinkie Pie was currently locked inside her bedroom, having escaped from her sudden blast from the past and sat cowering to herself. "That can't be her! She can't be here! How did she…?" Pinkie Pie rambled to herself before tilting her head up from sudden realization. "What if she's…?" Pinkie Pie whispered to herself, before being interrupted by a loud knock on the door. "Pinkie Pie! I know you're in there! Come on out!" Maud Pie called through the wooden obstruction. Rainbow Dash then intervened and stated "Careful, she's… well… not been herself lately".

"Wait a minute… not been herself?" Maud Pie questioned, "Has she been… talking to herself?" The trio looked at eachother in surprise, before Twilight confirmed "Yeah, and some pretty bad nightmares too". Maud Pie rested her head against the door in disappointment, before reluctantly asking "Is this about… Pinkamena?" "What the…? How do you know about that?" Rainbow Dash asked in shock, the others remaining expectant for Maud's answer.

"She's been having these problems as a filly, y'know. Every day, whenever she could, she would just spend the whole day stumbling around, having conversations with herself" Maud Pie explained. She then backed away from the door and continued "At first, I thought it was just her trying to have fun. After all, the rock farm was a pretty uneventful place. But when I last saw her, she seemed like… a completely different pony. She told me that she had two personalities, and that the other one was named… Pinkamena".

Maud sighed deflatedly before turning to face Twilight, asking "How long has she been having these problems?" Twilight thought for a second before answering "Oh… err… ever since April Fool Day. So that's about five months". Applejack almost mentioned the previous, more violent encounters with the malevolent personality, but quickly decided to remain silent, as to not blemish Pinkie Pie's reputation any further. Maud then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before asking "Wait… since April Fools Day? And she hasn't had them before then?"

Applejack and Twilight looked at eachother indifferently, before refocusing their gazes on Maud and Twilight answering "Well… ever since I've known her, she hasn't had them". Maud simply shrugged and admitted "I actually left the farm before she did, and thought she'd have these problems for the rest of her life. I didn't realize she would get over them eventually, only for them to come back later". "Well, I have to say… I never knew she had a sister" Applejack admitted, followed by Rainbow Dash adding "Well, she actually doesn't like to talk about her family much, so I'm not surprised".

Maud Pie then raised an eyebrow and wondered "She doesn't? Why not?" before she leaned her ear against the door again. From what she could hear, Pinkie Pie had somehow managed to fall asleep against the door, wedging the door shut and isolating herself within her bedroom. The witnesses could hear her shifting about uncomfortably against the door, but had decided not to pull a mad dog's tail and left her to rest.

---

A few hours passed by, and while Pinkie Pie remained in her bedroom, Maud Pie had introduced herself properly to her friends and described her journeys to find her sister. While Rainbow Dash and Applejack were intrigued by Maud's story, Twilight remained skeptical of her intentions. "Hey Twilight, are you just going to sit there in silence?" Rainbow Dash asked, which seemed to pique Maud's interest. Maud then asked "Are you afraid of silence, Miss Dash" causing the latter to nervously mutter "Yes- oh wha- no! Why?"

A smug grin grew across Maud's face as she answered "Well, it's just that you seem to suffer from what we call… pressure of speech". "What's that supposed to mean? Are you a psychiatrist?" Twilight asked with unintended suspicion. "I've been studying biology and psychology for my whole life, ever since Pinkie Pie… piqued my interest, let's say" Maud admitted before smiling with confidence, "But, of course, I don't practice". "Really? I do know a fair bit about psychology myself" Twilight stated.

Maud Pie grinned and replied "I know you do, Twilight. I've read your notes" before pulling a stack of notes from behind her and laying them on the table. Twilight jumped from her seat in surprise and shouted "Where did you get those!?" to which Maud Pie simply replied "I've read them from your library before I came here". Maud then proceeded to take one of the notes and begin examining it, explaining "It's actually quite fascinating… how you can find one's true personality from their handwriting".

She continued "Such as, how you carry a special flourish for specific capital letters, which seem to gravitate toward an intellectual individual". Twilight raised an eyebrow and rubbed the back of her neck, replying "Well, um… thanks… I'm flattered" before blushing nervously. But soon, the flattery became short lived as Maud Pie then continued "However, if one would notice the overall slant and lack of consistency in writing styles, such actions would signify procrastination, a lack of consideration, and-" Twilight soon interrupted "NO!"

"Paranoia".

Twilight's blush was soon replaced by rage as her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. For the next ten seconds, Rainbow Dash and Applejack watched as Twilight and Maud stared into eachother's eyes. A stare so intense, that one could almost see bolts of electricity sparking from their gazes. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had finally woken up and left her bedroom, quietly sneaking through the hallway as to not arouse any attention. As she crept through the kitchen, however, a sudden chill had swept over her as her head suddenly throbbed in pain.

"Hello, cherub" A voice greeted her. Pinkie Pie's heart stopped as she backed into the corner of the kitchen in fright, recognizing the voice immediately. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie's heart continued to beat, despite the sudden surprise. "It's been a long time" the voice continued. "No! Shhh! Don't!" Pinkie Pie whispered nervously, holding the sides of her head in terror, "Please, not now. Anytime but now!" "You know who's talking, don't you? Hmhmhmhmph…" the voice asked malevolently.

"No! NO!" Pinkie Pie screamed to herself, forgetting the volume of her voice as it echoed throughout the house. "Hey Pinkie Pie, are you there?" called Twilight, who had walked into the room to witness this act. Pinkie Pie suddenly sprang to her hooves and dusted herself off of the floor's gathered lint, before replying "Yeah; it's okay. I'm fine, Twilight".

"Ahhh, there you are" Maud Pie called as she entered after Twilight to greet her sister. "What the-? Maud Pie?! What's going on here, Pinkie Pie" the voice rang from within Pinkie Pie's subconscious, only for Pinkie Pie to ignore it. "Pinkie Pie, can we go to your room for a minute, I need to talk to you" Maud requested rather formally. "How did she find us?! What does she want?!" the voice continued, only for Pinkie Pie to reply "Um, yeah… let's go".

However, once in her bedroom, Maud locked the door behind her and sighed in frustration; "You may have fooled those ponies, but you can't fool me". Pinkie Pie stared in confusion before Maud turned to her and continued "I never believed you…" Maud stared intensely as Pinkie Pie backed into the corner of her bedroom nervously. "There was never a Pinkamena…" Maud began, "…Only an excuse".

Meanwhile; "How rude! Who does she think she's talking to?!" Twilight staggered around in circles in frustration, "I don't care if she's Pinkie Pie's sister, I can see why she wanted to get away from her!" "Twilight, just keep calm! They're gonna hear ya" Applejack warned her. "And now she's gone off with Pinkie Pie to give her a mouthful!" the unicorn concluded.

Twilight was fuming with pure, concentrated hatred for being humiliated in front of her friends, and soon desired to retaliate. "THAT'S IT! I gonna give her a piece of what's coming!" Twilight shouted furiously before storming up the staircase and trudging her way to the bedroom door. Before entering, however, she had regained enough of her former common sense to at least listen through the door.

"Just come with me, Pinkie Pie. I can take you away from here and find us somewhere else to live".

Twilight's stopped in surprise, just as Rainbow Dash and Applejack caught up with her. "Listen to this" she whispered, motioning for them to listen through the door alongside her as the siblings conversed. "No! Maud, you don't understand! I can't…" Pinkie Pie stuttered nervously, intending to quell the raging storm within her mind while poorly attempting to disguise it.

"Pinkie Pie! Stop it! Your friends have told me everything. I know all about psychology; so I know Delusions, Hysteria and Split Personalities are the three rarest disorders under the sun. So how the heck can you suffer from all of them at once? The chances of it are a million to one". "Well, there's a first time for everything…" the voice sneered maliciously within Pinkie Pie's straining mind. Pinkamena had been hollering within Pinkie Pie subconscious ever since the conversation began, hindering Pinkie Pie's attention greatly, much to Maud's obliviousness.

"You don't need to act like this anymore, it's not like you at all" Maud assured. Maud had believed that Pinkamena was merely an excuse to run away from home, completely unbelieving in the anomaly's existence, nor her sister's constant hallucinations. "Pinkamena's real, I swear she is! And she's more dangerous than you think!" Pinkie Pie confessed desperately, only for Maud to wave it off. "Pinkie Pie, I understand why you ran away from home, and I knew something like that would happen. Something happened with Mom and Dad, didn't it?"

"Ohhh… If only you knew" the voice faintly whispered.

---

"You ran away from home just because it was too boring for you; not because of Pinkamena!" Maud accused, before admitting "And I don't blame you! It was rough for us both, so I ended up running away as well!" That's when the sinister mind lurking in Pinkie Pie's subconscious came to a sudden realization; Maud didn't know what happened, what happened the day she ran away. Then again, it couldn't remember if Maud was even there.

"When was the last time… you saw mom and dad?" Pinkie Pie asked, trembling from anxiety. "Me? Well, after you told me about that 'Pinkamena' mumbo-jumbo, I ran away a while afterwards; so I haven't seen them either" Maud confessed. Pinkie Pie then replied "Well… you shouldn't have…" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before a sudden throbbing pain had bloomed within her temple, "She's… gonna… gergh... hurt you too!"

By this time, the change had already begun, beginning with the relentless agony in Pinkie Pie's head, followed by constant, schizophrenic twitching. "And what makes you think that… Pinkamena is so dangerous to me?" Maud questioned, having only now noticed her sister's peculiar behavior. "BECAUSE SHE'S SCREAMING INSIDE MY HEAD RIGHT NOW! GRREAAAAHHAAAAH! SHE WON'T SHUT UP!" she screeched in agony as her head had begun straining from overwhelming pain.

By this time, Maud had finally realized the struggle Pinkie Pie was currently undergoing while she remained oblivious. "Pinkie Pie, what's happening?" Maud Pie asked in horror as Pinkie Pie began shivering and tensing. By this time, Twilight burst through the door and shouted "Maud! What's going on in here!" before halting to witness this terrifying scene. Rainbow Dash ran to Maud and shouted "What did you do to her!?" "Nothing, I swear!" Maud Pie answered before backing into the nearby corner, her lower jaw quivering worriedly.

Pinkie Pie soon fell to the floor and leaned against the bedpost in submission. Twilight then stepped between Maud and her schizophrenic sibling, "Pinkamena is a real thing, you idiot! We've had to deal with it for half a year now!" she exclaimed furiously. "Well then why haven't you done anything about it?!" Maud accused sternly. "US! WHAT COULD WE- AAGH!" Twilight suddenly screamed in pain before falling limply to the floor with a 'Thump!'. All eyes were on the culprit, who twitched and shook unnaturally while breathing heavily through clenched teeth.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"YES! YEEASS! I'M BACK AGAIN! YEEAAAAHAAAHHAAAAAA!" Pinkamena cackled wildly before setting her gaze upon the group of prying eyes. "Ohhh… It feels so good to finally do that!" she shouted with delight, before sighing in satisfaction. Maud was frozen with fear, uncomprehending what she had just witnessed; "I… don't believe it! Pinkie Pie would never do that…" Maud exclaimed, "You're… Pinkamena?"

Pinkamena rolled her eyes and mocked sarcastically "Nothing gets past you, does it?" before snickering creepily. Maud held the sides of her head in disbelief, exclaiming "I never believed her… I thought you were just made up! IT WAS ALL TRUE!" Maud always knew that her sister was often insecure and even irrational, but never violent; Maud knew perfectly well that this was no longer her sister, but an entirely different pony. "I'm… so stupid" Maud sobbed before falling to the floor, hanging her head in shame.

"Well, you took your time realizing it" Pinkamena grinned wickedly before concluding "Well, if you'll kindly excuse me, I have some unfinished business to attend to". Applejack and Rainbow Dash both asked "What are you talking about" in unison. Pinkamena then stared down at the sulking sister of her former ego and smiled a sadistic grin.

"I'm quite glad, actually… that you stopped by. Eh Heheheheh… I had plans for you and Pinkie Pie's family back when we were on the rock farm". "What… do you mean? What 'Plans'?" Maud muttered fearfully, worried for the sake of both herself and her sister. Pinkamena then staggered towards her desk and armed herself with a large, metal rod.

"You see, Pinkie Pie's parents and sister seem to have a certain-".

"Oh no ya don't!" Applejack suddenly leapt at Pinkamena and struggled to pry the instrument from the anarchist's grip. However, even though Applejack was known for her athletic demeanor, Pinkamena's almost unnatural strength was beyond comprehension, as well as unconquerable in a competition of this fashion. "Let go, you stupid…!" Pinkamena shouted before prying the rod away from Applejack and swinging the spine of the rod against Applejack's forehead, knocking her back against the desk and leaving her in a state of disorientation.

Pinkamena soon turned to face the remaining duo and staggered towards them with sadistic intentions. As this happened, Twilight had begun recovering from her sudden injury, struggling the sit up from the floor while watching the events occur around her. She watched dizzily as Pinkamena had prepared to strike down the last two observers, as well as Applejack laying incapacitated against the desk.

Twilight could find no way to salvage the oncoming chaos beside a more practical means. No matter how she tried, she found no alternative. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie Pie" was spoken before she prepared to cast her chosen spell. Her horn began glowing brightly as a loud, deafening crackle echoed throughout the house.

"Instantum Illuminarus Abraxas!"

Two hours passed by since this incident occurred; and during the course of it, Pinkamena found herself unconscious by its closure. She had been taken to the hospital by her four friends, where she remained to recover from her injuries. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't think of any other way to stop her" Twilight confessed, her breaths growing increasingly heavy from overwhelming guilt.

Twilight had casted a lightning spell upon Pinkamena before she could attack Maud, shocking her and rendering the sociopath in an instant comatose state. "So she'll be my sister again when she wakes up?" Maud asked for confirmation, to which Rainbow Dash answered "That's how it should work". Maud stared down at her sister as tears streamed down her cheeks, "And I always thought Pinkamena was made up… but it was all true. She really was that lonely and sad; and it never even concerned me! I'm a disgrace!"

"Well, it can only get better from here" Applejack stated in an effort to bring light to this dark situation. "I'd like to know how" Maud Pie sighed before hanging her head in shame of her own negligence. Twilight then added "Well, it definitely couldn't get any worse than this, to be sure". Eventually, the group decided to leave Pinkie Pie to recuperate overnight. After they had left, however, Pinkie Pie subconsciously started unknowingly muttering to herself as she slept.

"Nothing's gonna harm you… not while I'm around~. Hmhmhmhmhnhnehehe!"

The End?

MLP: The Spirit of Secession. Part 1

It was currently 8:00 at night, and a majority of Ponyville's civilians had taken refuge within their homes after a rather, and thankfully, uneventful series of daily routines. Those that hadn't surrendered to the night were either preparing for their oncoming fatigue, or were the inhabitants of Twilight's library.

Whilst her guests sat in the lounging section of the library and conversed amongst eachother over this evening's events, Twilight herself had excluded herself from the group and sat at a nearby desk, completely unmoving. She was lost in thought from considering her actions and they're consequences, overwhelmed with guilt from using her magic for, what was potentially, an unnecessarily violent purpose, especially against her own friend.

As she brooded to herself in the corner of the library, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had begun explaining the basic outline of Pinkie Pie's morbid dilemma to her sister, who had every intent to listen ever since witnessing her sibling's destructive capabilities for the first time. "So she becomes Pinkamena when she gets upset?" Maud questioned curiously, her voice remaining a soft whisper.

Rainbow Dash answered "Well, according to Twilight's theory, when Pinkie Pie's angry, Pinkamena becomes a voice in her head. But sometimes, Pinkamena will become a completely separate personality and they'll started fighting for control". "And when… Pinkamena wins, she takes over my sister's mind?" Maud asked in disbelief, her breaths growing heavier from panic. Applejack intervened to explain "No, wait! Pinkamena doesn't always win, y'know. Pinkie Pie has sometimes kept control, and Pinkamena would disappear for at least a while".

"But wait a second. Pinkamena and Pinkie Pie were apparently… friends when she was a filly, weren't they?" Twilight asked, wandering from the desk towards the group, and Maud merely nodded in confirmation. Twilight raised her eyebrow in confusion and continued "Then, I find it so weird how Pinkamena would usually attack others; but she always claiming that she does it to protect Pinkie Pie". Twilight had begun to lose her sense of propriety as a hostess and grunted "Ugh! Pinkamena is an unpredictable maniac, despite being a second personality! It makes no sense!"

Rainbow Dash considered this comment for a moment, before saying "Well, if you think about it, Pinkamena's probably not as much of a threat as she seems". In unison, Maud and Twilight turned to stare at her as if she was psychotic in her own rights. "What!? What about any of this is not dangerous to us!?" Twilight questioned quizzically. Applejack simply shrugged and replied "Well, Pinkamena claims to protect Pinkie Pie from us, which is why she hates us. So, at least she's not a threat to Pinkie Pie herself".

Maud was silent, but Twilight answered "Well… that's one good thing about all of this". "Yeah… Pinkamena and Pinkie Pie are always talkin' all friendly like, so it's a good thing that she doesn't wanna hurt Pinkie Pie" Applejack claimed, before stopping to consider her statement. A truly terrifying scenario then bloomed from her imagination, featuring Pinkamena staggering through the Ponyville streets whilst the surrounding buildings were ablaze and slowly crumbling. She shivered at this thought and muttered "Although… it doesn't really change much".

Maud lowered her head and exclaimed "It's so weird. On paper, split personalities sound completely ridiculous. But…" her voice cracked suddenly, before she continued "But now… I've seen it! It's in my sister, and I've seen what it can do. It's absolutely terrifying!" Maud then sighed miserably to herself before a single tear fell from her cheek and onto the carpeted floor.

"How did I not notice it?" she grimaced. "My sister was losing her mind while none of her family were paying any attention. She was so desperate for a friend, she befriended herself" she cringed, before crying out as a flood of tears rained from her eyes; "HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID!?" she wailed in self-pity.

"Hey, hey now! It's not as bad as it seems, y'know" Applejack exclaimed in an attempt to calm the storm. Maud raised her head to face the southerner and yelled "Are you kidding!? How could it be any worse?! For all we know, she could be Pinkamena and attacking others right now!" Twilight, in a fit of desperation, responded "That's impossible! Pinkamena has already had her time in control. I doubt she's come back after I…" before falling eerily silent. Twilight's guilt over her own involvement had returned as she fell to the couch and sighed in defeat.

"This is bad. This is very bad; if I have to electrocute her to keep her under control" Twilight cringed before grunting in pain from the throbbing injury on her neck, while the rest of her injuries had finally returned to their previous health, "I need to find another way to keep her docile without hurting her". "Hey, Twilight! If it weren't for ya, none of us would've stopped her. And besides, I would've done it too if I could've" Applejack admitted, before realizing how poorly her statement was executed.

"That doesn't matter! I should never…" Twilight exclaimed before sighing in resignation, "Whatever. The damage is done". With that, Twilight then announced meekly "I'm off to bed now. You girls can sleep here it you want; I don't mind" before jumping from the couch and swiftly made her way up her spiraling staircase to her private retreat. "Wow. Twilight's always been skeptical about her decisions, but this is something else" Applejack considered, unfortunately out loud for the others to hear. Maud Pie then replied "Well, can you blame her? She's just electrocuted my sister!"

---

Meanwhile, in the nearby streets, lay the local hospital of Ponyville. A depressing sight to behold for a foreign eye, particularly for the sights to witness inside; but was unfortunately the abode of Pinkie Pie for an unforeseen amount of time yet to come.

As of this moment, Pinkie Pie resided in one of the many wards of this dismal establishment, recuperating from her injuries inflicted during this evening's events, which unfortunately ended in her electrocution and comatose condition. She constantly tossed and twitched uncomfortably in her bed, though whether from her current state of health or from the lack of comfort provided from the bed she slept in was unknown.

However, as the clock chimed 12:00, Pinkie Pie slowly stirred into consciousness and sat up in the bed, slouching forward and sighing wearily. Pinkie Pie's eyes slowly opened to revealing a bloodshot, soul-piercing gaze, while her mouth twisted into a large grin. She stepped out of the bed before grunting from the uncomfortable pain in her back. "Ugh! First their robes are always too small; and now their beds are so stiff, that they may as well be filled with sand. And they call this a hospital?" she sneered before staggering her way from the ward room into the main hall.

However, as she meandered through the following corridor, a doctor spotted her and recognized her as a patient, prompting him to quickly run to her and ask "Miss, where are you going?" Pinkamena turned to face him and replied "Anywhere that I wanna!" before turning to continue towards the main entrance. Suddenly, the doctor stopped her in her tracks and stated "Miss Pie, you must return to the ward room". "Get away from me, freak!" she howled madly before pushing the doctor over and rushing passed him towards the main entrance of the building.

She pushed the doors open recklessly and shouted "FREEDOM! WAHAHAHAAAAH!" before running off into the streets. She soon spotted a nearby alleyway and bolted for it, diving into the narrow passageway and stopping to catch her breath, until she exclaimed "Well, I dunno about you, cherub; but I couldn't stand another second in that place".

She peeked out of the alleyway to find multiple staff members of the hospital, clearly searching for a crazed runaway patient of her specific stature. "What do you say we head home, Pinkie Pie? Y'know, grab something to eat, and have a little rest and relaxation?" There was no answer, not that she was expecting one, and she soon made her way back to her alter ego's home to revitalize herself.

Once finally at her house, Pinkamena burst through the door and breathed in the surrounding air, savoring the fresh scent of sanctuary. "Haahhhh… I love this place. Very quiet, and the neighbors respect your privacy here. Saves dealing with prying eyes. Eh Hehehehe…" she boasted before staggering into the kitchen for a meal. As she shifted through the contents in Pinkie Pie's fridge, she soon came across a tray carrying a certain collection of petite pastries. "Cupcakes!" she screamed with delight before pulling the innutritious treats from the fridge and eyeing them with insurmountable desire.

"Oh… These take me back!" she grinned before grabbing one and greedily stuffing it into her mouth, sighing in bliss from the delectable taste. Her eyes shut lazily as she muttered "These are so good… I knew Pinkie Pie was a good cook, but she's really outdone herself with these". She soon gazed up to the roof and called "If you can hear me, Pinkie Pie, I love your cupcakes and I always have!" before a dumb, content grin spread across her cheeks.

However, much like earlier, there was an ominous absence of a response; however, unlike then, Pinkamena had taken notice of it by this time. "Pinkie Pie? Are you there?" she questioned into the cold night air, before listening carefully for a reply. The following silence had begun to concern her, tempting her to ask once again "Cherub? Can you hear me?" Unfortunately, the lack of an answer had confirmed her suspicion. Despite this, Pinkamena shrugged and mutter "She must be still asleep" to herself.

"Maybe... I should sleep now too. She might come back tomorrow" she assumed before stumbling from the living room to the upstairs bedroom. As soon as she entered the bedroom, Pinkamena's slowly turned her head in various positions to relieve the welling strain as she lay herself in the bed, mumbling to herself "I hope Pinkie Pie comes back by tomorrow. It feels… heheheheh… kinda lonely" before shutting her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

---

The next morning, Pinkie Pie remained in bed even after 8:00 chimed from the wall-mounted clock. Soon though, she eventually stirred into consciousness and sat up from the bed, yawning lazily and rubbing her eyes of the excess sleep. Once she had a sense of her position, however, she realized that something was wrong about her current situation.

She was still Pinkamena.

She tugged on her lank hair in shock and shouted "What the- Why am I still here?!" She soon stumbled out of the bed in a panic as a flood of questions assaulted her at once. "Pinkie Pie!? Cherub!? Are you there?! Say something!" An uncomfortable silence followed, and Pinkamena screamed "PLEASE, TALK TO MAAAAEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkamena held the sides of her head as beads of sweat poured from her temple. Too many unanswered questions. Why was she still in control? Why hadn't Pinkie Pie come back yet? Was she still there anymore? What if she wasn't?

"NOOO!" Pinkamena screamed in horror, "She can't be gone! SHE CAN'T BE GONE!" Pinkamena continued to panic as a knock on the door interrupted her hysterical fit, followed by "Hey, Pinkie Pie! Are you there?" Pinkamena quickly recognized the voice as Pinkie Pie's sister, who was possibly visiting Pinkie Pie about leaving the hospital. "Ack! It's her sister! She can't see me!" she muttered to herself nervously, before plotting a way to hide herself.

Eventually, she decided to disguise herself as her alter ego, reminiscent of her ploy with Pinkie Pie's friends in the café less than 5 months ago, before Maud Pie slowly entered the house without any permission. Pinkamena desperately wanted to call her out on this intrusive action, but believed that Pinkie Pie wouldn't be bothered about such petty concerns, and abandoned the desire. She rustled her hair until it resembled its alternate appearance and strutted into the hallway to greet the visitor.

"Hey Sis, how's it going?" she greeted with a fake expression of glee, only to be answered "Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the hospital!" Pinkamena raised an eyebrow and asked "Well, what are you doing looking for me here instead of there?" until realizing that she may have endangered her cover from this statement. "I was just there, and the doctors are looking for you because you ran away!" Maud informed, leaving Pinkamena in a trap of her own making.

"Well, that's not what I remember. I woke up here" Pinkamena replied, now relying on her split personality to cover her track. She wanted to portray that Pinkamena ran away from the hospital and Pinkie Pie had woken up in her house, instead of her being Pinkamena on both occasions. This explanation was so complicated to type that the writer spent an hour searching for the appropriate way to explain it. "But, oh well. How are Twilight and the others? I hope I- no, she… wait, no- I didn't hurt them" Pinkamena stuttered nervously.

"They're more worried about what happened to you. Ever since Twilight shocked you with lightning, she's-" Maud explained before Pinkamena suddenly shouted "SHE DID WHAT!?" Maud then fell into a state of panic and attempted to explain "Well, she needed to stop… um… Pinkamena. So she… shocked you with lightning and knocked you out. She's been stressing herself over it for the entire morning".

"Please go".

Maud tilted her head in confusion and asked "What? No! We need to take you back to the hospital. For all we know, you-" Before she could conclude her exclamation, Pinkamena suddenly slammed the door shut and locked it in one swift motion. Ignoring the calls and pleads of her alternate personality's sister, she leaned against the door, rasping heavily to herself from overwhelming shock. "No! Pinkie Pie, please!" she whimpered weakly, truly unbefitting of her reputation, before wrapping her arms around her legs and curling up against the door.

Maud peered through the window that lead to the kitchen and noticed this act, growing steadily more worried for her sibling's health. Despite her emotional desires, she decided against conversing with Pinkie Pie during this current episode and chose to return to Twilight's library, intending to allow Pinkie Pie a chance to regain her composure.

However, upon turning away from the window and taking her leave, Maud failed to notice Pinkamena slowly rise from the floor and shakily stumble her way up the staircase and towards her bedroom door. She stepped into her bedroom and locked the door, before crawling onto her bed and simply laying unmoving against the backrest. She shut her eyes and shook her head slowly.

"Pinkie Pie… don't leave me here by myself".

To be continued…

MLP: The Spirit of Secession. Part 2

Maud Pie trudged her way through the streets of Ponyville, on route to Twilight's abode and Ponyville's local library. Throughout the short journey, her mind was attempting to piece together the knowledge she had gained since she had witnessed Pinkamena for the first time, attempting to discover what set this chaos in motion. However, these thoughts were temporarily put aside as she stopped before the closed entrance to the library and knocked loudly, before leaning closely for any signs of approaching inhabitance.

Currently, Twilight and Rainbow Dash currently resided in the unicorn's bedroom when the loud knocks echoed throughout the building, though they fell on deaf ears. While Rainbow Dash was lounging lazily on a leather couch, Twilight was busy writing in her study book, and had been for the past two hours.

Maud, growing impatient, suddenly burst through the door in a rush, startling Rainbow Dash enough for her to tumble off of the couch. "Is Twilight here?" Maud asked the dazed pegasus. Rainbow Dash was preoccupied with getting up from the floor before answering "Yeah, she's here. But what's going on? Are you alright?" Maud helped her to her hooves before she replied "I'm fine, but it's my sister. She's locked herself up inside her house and she wouldn't let me in".

"Well, she's in the study. I'll go get her" Rainbow Dash replied before becoming airborne and soaring to the second floor balcony and into Twilight's bedroom, gaining the unicorn's attention and providing a brief explanation of what Maud had told her. Oddly, Twilight's response was to step backward nervously, prompting a raised eyebrow from her informer; Twilight then warned "It sounds like Pinkamena to me... I'll come, but we'll need to watch our backs".

Meanwhile, a certain depraved damsel had barricaded herself inside her home and hidden within the confinement of the prison she had created. All of the windows were blocked by furniture, and all of the doors were locked. Pinkamena was currently weeping to herself in the bedroom, and had been ever since Maud had left for the library. "I don't want to take over…" she rasped schizophrenically, "I don't wanna get rid of you, cherub".

Upon her out-of-character sobbing, Pinkamena had spent the whole time hoping Pinkie Pie would sporadically return, which unfortunately had yet to occur. "I… I'm so sorry, Pinkie Pie! I didn't mean for this to happen! I don't even know how this happened!" Pinkamena's exclaimed, her mind in shambles from this heartbreaking outcome, and it was only going to further deteriorate. She sat up from the bed and leaned forward, "Please, you can't leave me alone… not here with those disgusting monsters. All those things they want to do to us… and Maud wants to do as well" she whimpered before sniffing distraughtly.

"And that unicorn… electrocuting us and putting us in the hosp-".

Pinkamena's eyes widened in sudden realization, before she leaned further forwards the rest her arms against her knees. "That spell…" she whispered in shock, "Ever since she casted it… my cherub's been…" Her jaw dropped open in shock as she began fitting the pieces together, though the final solution was less than satisfying.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by "Umm… Pinkie Pie… Hello?" Pinkamena's heart ceased motion for a second as she recognized the voice. Soon, she heard the sound of a creaking door and hoofsteps emanate from the stairs, and she slowly followed the sound to the outside of her door. She slowly dragged herself from the bed and stood upon her four legs, before the door slowly creaked open to reveal her three guests.

"Pinkamena?!" Twilight shouted in surprise before the group began backing away on instinct. Pinkamena merely stood motionless, staring at them with a soul piercing gaze. Eventually, the malicious personality simply muttered "Well, you did it". The group remained wary, but were confused by this statement. Pinkamena lowered her head as her lank hair slid from her shoulders and over her eyes, before continuing "I knew it all along… but she didn't believe me"; Pinkamena then suddenly screamed "WHY DIDN'T SHE BELIEVE ME!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Twilight questioned with concern. Pinkamena raised her head and replied "It doesn't matter anymore… She-" before pausing to shut her eyes and loosen the building tears in her eyes, "Sh… She's gone now… Pinkie Pie's gone". "GONE!?" Maud suddenly yelled and pushed passed Twilight to approach Pinkamena, shouting "What have you done to my sister, you monster!"

This action proved to be an immense mistake.

Before she could fully comprehend what had just happened, Maud found herself laying upon the carpet floor, struggling wildly under her attacker's grip. Pinkamena laid on top of Maud and stared down into her terrified eyes, applying more and more pressure to her hooves as they weighed down against her throat. Maud desperately thrashed and attempted to escape this devastating fate, though her former sister's strength proved to be increasingly overwhelming.

"I'M GONNA TEAR YOU TO PIESCES! ALL OF YOU! I HATE YOU!" Pinkamena screamed hysterically, "YOU TOOK MY CHERUB AWAY FROM ME! YOU FREAKS THINK IT'S FUNNY TO TORMENT ME AND MY CHERUB?! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR THIS, YOU SCUMMY HAGS!" By this time, Maud was slowly beginning to weaken, and her vision begin to blur into a single color. However, contrary to her expectations, the peaceful realm of unconsciousness failed to claim her, as the pressure against her throat had suddenly been relieved.

Maud leaned upward and coughed into the open air while simultaneously gasping for breath, before steadying her gaze in order to regain her hindered vision. She soon discovered Pinkamena between Rainbow Dash and Twilight, the duo restraining the violent psychopath as she kneeled in defeat. Maud arose from the floor and stumbled clumsily towards her former sister, the latter beginning to swoon in her captors' grips. Pinkamena leaned her head upwards and muttered faintly "What… what are y-… you gonna do to… me?" before suddenly passing out and being carefully laid upon the floor.

Maud turned to Twilight and asked "What happened?! What did you do?!" Twilight raised her hoof and explained "I have her under a sleeping charm. I was practicing it this morning on Rainbow Dash before you came by", while Rainbow Dash glared towards the unicorn in annoyance. The trio stared down at the comatose maniac before Twilight concluded "It should help us against Pinkamena if something like this happens again".

---

However, unlike the others, Maud had lost all comprehension that the pony laying before her was still her sibling, and that her true sibling possibly no longer existed. Although surprisingly, Maud felt little sorrow from this discovery, and her emotions were purely encompassed by rage. "What has that… 'thing' done to Pinkie Pie!?" Maud tensed with boiling frustration, before Twilight stepped in front of her. "Why are you blaming her? She probably had nothing to do with it!" Twilight argued. "Why blame her?! She's taken over my sister's mind!" Maud shouted.

"What are you talking about?" asked a nervous Rainbow Dash. "That's what happens…" Maud replied, before her anger was finally replaced with her sorrow. Maud shivered as she continued "In cases of split personalities, one of the personalities has to eventually take over". Maud then fell to her knees in despair and sobbed "What if Pinkamena's won?" before her tears began to pour upon the floor. Twilight then stated "Well then why was Pinkamena blaming us for it? She probably doesn't know what's going on either".

"Pinkamena is a liar! I spent years watching Pinkie Pie do bizarre things, thinking she was just lonely and upset. But Pinkamena was manipulating her into doing it the whole time!" Maud turned and stared angrily into Twilight's eyes, "All those years of watching my sister lose herself to this… thing! She's already suffered enough of this torment, and so have we! I'm going to fix this, if it's the last thing that I do!"

Twilight then interrupted "And how are you going to do that?! Tell me", while staring back into Maud's eyes, "How are you possibly going to help her when you have nothing to help her with?" Twilight argued with an intent to prove herself in front of a rivaling intellect. "Well, for one thing, I'm not going to electrocute her" Maud sneered spitefully.

Now, this was on a personal level.

"If I didn't electrocute her, your 'sister' would've ripped you apart!" Twilight shouted. "And yet, you were perfectly willing to endanger my sister's life to avoid this?!" Maud fumed in frustration. "You are such an ungrateful little… Ugh! Now I can understand the real reason why Pinkamena was her only choice for a friend" Twilight spat with overflowing hatred. "And how about you? Do you think that you can fix all of this on your own, Twilight? Face it, you've done enough damage as it is, but you're too much of a wimp to admit it" Maud growled with spite, "And you know wh-".

Suddenly, Maud stopped in the middle of her rant and fell silent. Maud attempted to speak again, only to find that she couldn't emit a single sound, and the cause of this soon made herself apparent. Twilight sat silently in the center of the room and stared at Maud intensely, her horn glowing an abnormal shade of black all the while. Twilight had casted a jinx on Maud that prevented her from speaking. Twilight fumed with rage as she breathed heavily to feed the raging storm, before muttering between heaving breaths "Never… say that… to me… ever… again!"

Rainbow Dash stepped in from the sidelines and questioned "Twilight, what are you doing?" Twilight's frown soon subsided into a deranged grin as she replied "What does it look like I'm doing. I'm shutting her up!" "Twilight! Are you out of your mind!? Jinxes are black magic! STOP IT, NOW!"After suddenly coming to her senses and realized her actions, Twilight quickly released Maud from her curse and relented her rage-fueled assault. Twilight stepped away from the pair and stuttered breathlessly "I… I didn't just do that… Did I?"

Twilight had always detested the practice of jinxes, and was no less than devastated with herself for using them to accomplish something as insignificant as winning an argument. Twilight then sat on the floor, wallowing in self-loathing for these actions. "Um, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash began, watching Twilight's actions with concern. "I've had enough!" Twilight suddenly jumped to a standing form and shouted angrily, "I've had it with this! All of this madness and drama; I'm literally going insane just from being a part of it!"

Twilight staggered to her desk and slammed her head against it, prompting the two witnesses to silently watch and question Twilight's own sanity. Twilight was often found to be obsessed and somewhat irritable, but she never had any intent to force her superiority upon others. As she continued to grind her forehead against the desk, she grunted "All just Pinkie Pie now! It's all about her health! JUST HER!"

Twilight slammed her head against the desk a final time and continued "Pinkamena beats me and Applejack to a pulp, and nopony cares! But I go and electrocute her, and everypony loses their minds! Now Pinkamena's taken over Pinkie Pie ever… since…" Twilight lifted her head from the desk in sudden realization, "Ever since I electrocuted her"; Twilight turned the face the other two occupants of the room.

"We need to wake her up. Now!"

As she said this, Rainbow Dash stepped forward and yelled "Twilight, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you!?" "Yes I am!" Twilight grunted through gritted teeth, "Are you going to help me or not?" "Twilight, I'm not going to let you hurt her!" Maud shouted angrily before stepping beside the defiant pegasus. "Do you want to see your sister ever again?!" Twilight asked as she glared towards Maud, taking the silence as an invitation to conclude "I'll wake her up, then we'll see what we can do". "Um… girls?" Rainbow Dash suddenly intervened, diverting the pair's attention.

"I don't think you have to worry about waking her up".

---

Pinkamena stood before the trio as they simply stared back in surprise, though she hadn't any intent to attack them. She could've if she wanted to, but to what point and purpose? Pinkamena muttered plainly "You win" and sat upon the floor, prompting Twilight to ask "What? What do you mean?" "I only ever wanted to be with her, and to keep her safe from sick freaks like you" she continued, "She meant everything to me". Pinkamena then huffed and lowered her head in resignation, before she concluded "And now… I've got nothing left".

"Why should you care, anyway? Being a split personality, I thought you wanted to take over her mind" Maud accused, though Twilight cringed from this outburst and the possible response from the psychotic pony. "WHAT!? Never! I'd never do that!" she screamed hysterically, "It's not true… I didn't mean to take over her body!" she pleaded pitifully. "I know you didn't" Twilight answered cautiously room as Pinkamena continued "I would sometimes come out, but only if somepony hurt her… so I would hurt them back".

Pinkamena turned to face her consultant, revealing a pair of tear-stained eyes for a true sight of despair. "But I would never hurt her! You know that! I just…" Pinkamena paused before shaking her head. "Nevermind… What are you gonna do now?" Pinkamena sneered in a poor attempt to remain intimidating, despite her current display of emotional anguish.

"I think I know how to bring Pinkie Pie back!"

Pinkamena's eyes shot open in surprise before shouting "WHAT!? YOU CAN BRING HER BACK?! HOW!?" Pinkamena stood up from the floor and stepped in front of Twilight, listening eagerly as Twilight explained "I have a theory that last night, when I shocked you with electricity, it may actually have affected you in some way! You may not have taken over her mind yet, and she's probably still in there; but she just can come out anymore".

"Y-you actually wanna… bring her back?" Pinkamena asked, to which Twilight nodded in confirmation. Pinkamena then asked quizzically "Well, what are you gonna do?" before a short silence filled the bedroom; "Well, I… may have to..." Twilight muttered awkwardly. "You're gonna shock me again?!" Pinkamena questioned in horror, to which Twilight nervously nodded; "What kind of a plan is that?! What if it just makes it worse!?" "What choice do we have?!" Twilight answered, clearly displaying intent to get this ordeal over with.

Pinkamena was flustered by this incredibly dangerous decision. Does she continue on as the new host of her best friend's body, or risk a worse fate for a chance to bring her back? Finally coming to a decision, Pinkamena plainly answered "Alright, just do it". With the appropriate permission, she started channeling energy to her horn as it began to grackle with sparks of electricity.

As she prepared her spell, Pinkamena then explained "Understand this, Twilight. Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't even be letting you do this! I don't like you… and I definitely don't trust you… but I have no choice but to believe you!" With that, Pinkamena sighed in defeat and tensed her muscles to brace herself for the oncoming ensemble of pain. Eventually, the last thing Pinkamena was a witness to was the blinding white flash and the loud crackling fizz of electricity. Before suddenly, everything went black.

Five hours later.

Despite how Twilight's colleagues desired to question her antics, they found that all that could be done any longer was wait to see if Twilight's theory was as likely as she had claimed. All of her friends had come to see Pinkie Pie as Applejack had informed them of the previous events, or at least what Twilight had desired her to tell them. The loyal group soon debated whether to return her to the hospital or allow her to recover in her home.

Eventually, they agreed to leave her in her home, and that Maud would watch over her. For the following two hours, Pinkie Pie had not awakened and simply lay in a dormant state; concerning Maud all the more. "That Twilight had better know what she's doing; because if she doesn't, I'm gonna…" this rant was soon interrupted by a sudden groan, emanating from the bed. Pinkie Pie opened a single eye and slowly sat up from the bed. "I… Wh…" was all there was to say, as Maud suddenly leapt onto the bed had hugged her sister with excitement.

"PINKIE PIE! YOU'RE OKAY!" Maud shouted with a rather peculiar level of joy, for which she was rare to emote. "Yeah… I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be alright?" Pinkie Pie mumbled cluelessly. Maud then pulled away from the embrace and sat with a quizzical expression on her face, asking "You mean… you don't remember?" Pinkie Pie rubbed the back of her neck with confusion and answered "Um… no… not really. Did something happen to me?" For whatever reason, Maud suddenly began snickering, confusing Pinkie Pie even further before she lay her head on Pinkie Pie's shoulder.

"Well, now… you see… That's kind of a long story".

The End?

MLP: Conquering the Odds. Part 1

"Not one of my better jobs, but it's way too muggy to go on!"

Off to the east, within one of the more intact vales of vegetation and plant life of Equestria, lay the abode of the Apple family. As of this day, Equestria found itself under the influence of a life-withering heat wave, which had unfortunately resulted in a lack of work for both Applejack and her sister, Applebloom.

The two siblings had retreated to the confines of their house, desperate for salvation from this unacceptable weather, and were forced to spend the remainder of their day indoors. Applejack panted exhaustedly whilst wiping her brow of the gathering sweat, pouring forth from her currently lank hair and dripping upon the wooden floor, before she willingly collapsed on her living room sofa.

"This… was… too much…" she wheezed, unaware of her solitude within the room, but remained unwilling to consider such a petty concern. Applebloom, for her part, had collapsed carelessly on the bed in her bedroom, almost immediately falling asleep from the fatigue the weather had inflicted upon them. Eventually, Applejack followed suit and lost herself to her overwhelming exhaustion, resulting in the passing of two hours devoted to their recuperation.

Suddenly, Applejack was awakened by a loud 'Slam!', surprising her enough for her to lose her balance and land headfirst against the floor. "Argh! Who…" she questioned in frustration. Soon enough, the cause of the sudden onslaught against her ears had revealed herself, as Twilight hesitantly rushed to Applejack's side. "Applejack, are you awake?!" soon rang in Applejack straining ears, before she eventually stood up from the floor and held her head within her wrapped arms to quell the trauma. "Yes… What is it, Twilight?" she asked out of both curiosity and irritation.

"It's Pinkie Pie! She's not at her house, and I couldn't find her in town. So I thought she might be here!" Twilight blabbered nervously, before Applejack answered "Well, I haven't seen her today". Applejack then pondered Twilight's actions and asked "Why are ya so worried anyway?" Twilight simply stared at her as if she was insane and answered "What!? What if she's Pinkamena again?!"

Unlike Twilight, Applejack had considered the later encounters with the devious entity, and replied "Well, Pinkamena hasn't really done anything bad for a while… so what if-". "Are you kidding me!?" Twilight screamed maniacally, but her sudden outburst was then proceeded with a simple sigh. Twilight, having regained her composure, then stated "Well, we still have to make sure she's not done anything to hurt herself". Applejack then reluctantly agreed, and the duo quickly made their way from Applejack's orchard towards Ponyville.

Meanwhile, within the aforementioned town, a certain pink pedestrian slowly trudged her way through the streets, gleefully peering at multiple passerby and into shop windows. She grinned to herself and stared at one particular shop, as she greedily eyed the pastries that lay behind the window. Cakes, Pies, Rolls and above all, Cupcakes were displayed to her longing eyes.

She pressed her forehead against the glass and stared intensely at the latter pastries, her mouth practically drooling for a sample of their contents. "Hey! Miss Pie!" a foreign voice called, belonging to somepony that had apparently recognized her. She turned to her left to find an unknown pony standing before her, eagerly awaiting a response; but soon, the pony in question stood and eyed her with a curious expression, as if he had never seen her before.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Pinkamena staggered towards the confused stranger, before sneering "That's me… What's it to you?" By this time, Pinkamena suddenly recognized the pony as the doctor from the hospital that confronted her, as he is possibly here to return her once again. The doctor stated "Listen, Miss Pie. I'm here on official business, and we require you to return to the hospital". Pinkamena scoffed rudely and replied "Sorry, doc; but I'm not interested in having my time wasted anymore". "I do not wish for you to think that I'm here to waste your time" the offended doctor muttered nervously.

Pinkamena smiled malevolently and mocked "Well, the only reason we're still here talking is to either waste my time or to make sure we never have to meet again". The doctor's jaw dropped as Pinkamena swept her lank hair back and proudly concluded "Either way, this conversation is over". Pinkamena then turned on her heel and strutted away from the doctor, the latter wearing an expression of disapproval.

---

"High hats and arrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars! Spending every dime~, for a wonderful time~!"

Pinkamena continued to ungraciously strut her way through the streets, singing a song to herself while searching for any form of mischief to partake in. "Gergh, this fresh air and sunlight, it's irritating my eyes!" she complained grumpily before sporadically returning to her previous, conniving nature. However, as she carelessly wandered through the town, she had soon noticed the lack of pedestrians that would surround her like before; she wondered "Wait… Where did everypony go?"

Pinkamena soon turned to examine her surroundings, realizing that the town was suddenly devoid of inhabitance, leaving the irresponsible pedestrian confused by this strange sense of solitude that surrounded her. She turned to face the opposite direction of the intersection from whence she came, discovering that the once populated suburb had become nothing more than an abandoned street.

She ran through the street and rounded a corner to her left, before stopping to find a lack of inhabitance in the following suburb. "Excuse me, miss?" said a voice suddenly. She turned to face the opposite direction for the call, only to find nopony in her view. "Miss, are you okay there?" a second voice asked. Pinkamena clutched the sides of her head in frustration and grunted to herself.

Before she even knew what had occurred, she was leaning against a wall in an alleyway, desperately gasping for breath. "What… what's going on?!" Pinkamena stammered, a bizarre sense of confusion sweeping through her mind as her heart began beating at an uncomfortable rate.

"Pinkie Pie? Is that you?"

A faint whisper had filled the air and infested Pinkamena's ears, filling her with a sudden sense of relief, before returning to question the affiliation of who it was that addressed her. She turned to pear towards her entrance into this foreboding neighborhood once again, to find Twilight and Applejack sprinting towards her in great hesitation.

"Ack! Not them again!" she thought to herself, before ducking behind the corner into a nearby alley way in a panic. As she gasped in fear, she had quickly concocted a scheme to prevent any evidence against her involvement. After grinning to herself in satisfaction, she suddenly lost all strength in her body as she slid down the wall and collapsed in the dirt.

And with that, by the time the distressed duo had happened upon Pinkie Pie, she was laying in torment against the brick wall to the left of the alleyway. "Pinkie Pie!?" Applejack screamed in horror before rushing to her companion's aid, while Pinkie Pie stirred into being and tilted her head towards the pair.

"Wh… am… What the-?" Pinkie Pie stuttered dizzily before regaining her senses and focused a single, open eye on Applejack. "How… did I get here?" she asked Applejack with eager expectance for an answer, which was unfortunately, but inevitably, a futile pursuit. "What do ya mean, gal? We just saw ya standin' in the middle of the path here" Applejack answered in confusion.

Twilight was standing on the sidelines as Applejack tended to Pinkie Pie, suspiciously pondering this peculiar action and questioned the cause to be either a simple action of panic, or that it was portrayed to appear that way. As she pondered this, she soon noticed the sound of hoofsteps behind her, encouraging her to face the oncoming figure for assurance of its identity. To her surprise, an unknown pony was running franticly towards her and stopped right in front of Twilight, hesitantly pulling a bag from behind her and searching it of a specific artifact of importance.

"SorryI'malreadylateIneedtogo!" the flustered messenger blabbered in a panic, before pulling out an envelope with a thick wax seal. "What?! Where's it fro-" the equally flustered Twilight asked, only for the messenger to interrupt "It'sfromCanterlotandtheysentmetogivethistoyouExcuseme HaveagooddayBye!" before clumsily spinning to face the opposite direction and disappearing into the street. Just listening to such an increased pace of dialogue was enough for Twilight to suffer a swiftly emerging headache.

"Who the heck was that?" Applejack exclaimed, whilst simultaneously supporting the stricken Pinkie Pie from underneath her arm. "I have no clue, but she gave me a letter from Canterlot" Twilight replied, before opening the letter and extracting the note from inside. However, upon reading it, she discovered a mere blank piece of paper in her grasp, devoid of any writing, illustration or attachment.

Twilight sat and pondered in confusion of what relevance this 'letter' could have, before suddenly having an idea; she retrieved a pen and levitated it to write upon the top-left corner of the paper. 'This is Twilight Sparkle' was written upon the paper, which resulted in the paper itself to begin glowing faintly as writing began appearing below her statement.

'Good afternoon, Miss Sparkle. This is Celestia writing to you'.

Twilight gasped in shock and quickly replied 'Your Ladyship! This is an honor to speak to you again'. 'I'm afraid there is little time to negotiate. I need you to come visit me in Canterlot'. Despite the lack of an explanation for this summoning, Twilight obliged and replied 'I'll be there by tonight, but is it alright if my friends join me?'

An unexpected pause had stretched for an extended period of time before a reply returned, 'Very well, but be sure to be here by tonight. This is of the utmost importance'. Twilight raised her eyebrow in concern for what Celestia required her for, considering her current predicament with Pinkie Pie, but inevitably obliged.

'I will be there'.

---

By the time night had engulfed the town and cloaked the environment in its volatile darkness, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were forced to travel for almost two hours until Canterlot was in their sights. During this journey, Pinkie Pie had fully recovered from her strange ordeal and was perfectly willing, and somewhat excited, to have the chance to meet Celestia in her abode.

However, an overwhelming sense of regret had lingered in Pinkie Pie's subconscious, as she had neither the chance nor the consideration to inform her sister. She was afraid for Maud to discover Pinkie Pie's absence from home and fear for her safety, just as Twilight ironically did a few hours ago.

As they finally came towards the gates to this luminescent palace, Twilight discovered the gates themselves to be oddly wide open, with a single, formally dressed pegasus standing before them to greet them. "Good evening, Miss Sparkle. We have been expecting you" the suitor informed the group, before furrowing his eyebrows in confusion; "But we were not expecting additional guests to join you".

Twilight became as equally confused as the suitor before answering "Oh! Celestia told me that they could come with me". The suitor eyed upon the two exhausted followers, before noticing Pinkie Pie and staring at her indignantly. "Now, now. I shall handle this matter!" called a feminine voice from behind the suitor, inquiring him to turn to face this commander.

Standing before them with her typical grace, as well as her impressive height, was the host of the palace herself, Princess Celestia; the representative of Equestria and Twilight's personal teacher. "Be on your way now, if you please" she ordered the suitor, who bowed in obligation and swiftly took his leave, allowing the guests to converse in privacy. "Please, Miss Sparkle. I would not have summoned you at such a time without a just reason" she informed, as to expel any ill assumptions that may linger within this ensemble.

"I believe you, but what was it that you needed me for?" Twilight asked. Before answering, Celestia quickly held her tongue and peered upon the guests in suspicion, before confessing "I'm sorry, but I must tell this to you, and only you. We can discuss it in my conservatory". Celestia then concentrated on Pinkie Pie and Applejack, suggesting "Meanwhile, your friends can seek comfort in my library. There will be food and drinks provided for them". As she stated this, her attention was immediately drawn to Pinkie Pie, who had suddenly begun shaking uncontrollably while breathing heavily.

"Goodness me; are you okay, Miss Pie?" Celestia asked in genuine concern, only for Pinkie Pie to ignore this question. As soon as Twilight noticed this, her heart was instantly filled with dread, terrified of what would ensue from this unforeseen behavior. Soon, though, her bizarre shaking eventually ceased and Pinkie Pie found herself surrounded by multiple fearful expressions. "Huh? What did you say?" Pinkie Pie muttered unconfidently, which proved to only further concern her observers.

"Miss Pie… Is there something you wish to tell me?" Celestia questioned, inviting an opportunity to explain any situations or causes for her strange actions, which Pinkie Pie was forced to unfortunately take advantage of. "N-nothing. It was just kinda… cold outside, and the chill just caught up with me, I guess" Pinkie Pie lied, immediately drawing Applejacks attention.

Thankfully, this response was sufficient to avoid any unwanted attention as Celestia replied "Ah… Well then, you may find many hot meals being prepared in the kitchen, and I'll have them delivered to you in the library". "Ooh, Yum! Thanks so much, um… your ladyship?" Pinkie Pie stumbled before finishing her sentence to judge how she would address somepony of Celestia's authority. Celestia herself merely blushed in amusement and assured "Oh, that's alright, Miss Pie. You can call me Celestia".

Pinkie Pie sighed in relief as Twilight quickly intervened and warned the duo "You two should get to the library quickly, before your food gets cold". Because of this, Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at eachother mischievously before quickly making their way to the aforementioned library, while Twilight accompanied her tutor to the conservatory to converse.

One Hour Later.

Applejack lay comfortably in one of the library's sofas, sleeping contently after dining upon an almost unending string of delicious meals. As she lay undisturbed for nearly an hour after her feast, she eventually returned to the realm of reality and slowly opened a single eye, only to quickly shut it from the sudden onslaught of bright light. "Ugh… How long was…" she muttered lazily before sudden urge to yawn interrupted her, "…was I asleep?"

A silence was all that greeted her from her sleep, which prompted her to finally open her eyes and view the room, only to find herself all alone within the library. "Um, Pinkie Pie? Are ya here still?" she asked into the room, only for the lack of an answer to confirm her suspicion. Applejack quickly jumped from the sofa and left the library through the left corridor, before stopping in the middle of the narrow hallway.

"Pinkie Pie! Where are ya!?

To be continued…

MLP: Conquering the Odds. Part 2

Applejack quickly raced throughout the halls and corridors of Canterlot, desperately searching for her misplaced companion's current location. As she searched, she happened across a servant and quickly called to him. "I'm sorry, but I'm lookin' for my friend. Pink hair, about my height, may or may not have been actin' crazy. Have ya seen her?" She asked directly.

"Oh. As a matter of fact, I have. She was in the dressing room, but she was stumbling and muttering to herself, in case that's what you meant by 'acting crazy'" The suitor informed, before instructing her the directions to the dressing room. When she got to the room itself, however, she could hear her colleague from behind the door, stuttering and screaming incoherently. Applejack was conflicted as to whether to enter the room or leave in search for Twilight's assistance, but was unable to find a suitable conclusion.

As she decided between her choices, she soon heard the very speech that she had feared hearing ever again. "No! Go away! I don't need you anymore! … You'll always need me! … No! Never! I never needed you, and I never will. … Oh yeah? Then why am I still here?! … SHUT UP! … If you really believed that, I would've been gone months ago. … GREAGH! AAEEEEEEAAAAAA!"

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the hallway, frightening Applejack to death and convincing her to finally enter the room. She quickly opened the door and stepped into the room to observe the situation, finding herself a witness to a horrific scene. Pinkie Pie staggered in circles through the room, grunting in fits of rage while emitting an occasional snicker. What was next to catch Applejack's attention was the room itself, which was installed with at least twelve different mirrors, one such mirror being spread across the floor in hundreds of shards.

"'You don't need me?' 'You have real friends?' They're just using you! … I hate you! … I don't believe that! … I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU! … Stop! … You are evil, you're cruel and selfish and you don't care about me at all! Only about yourself! … I'm selfish? I gave you everything you ever wanted! Everything! And how do you repay me?! … NO! ... You abandoned me! … NO! ... YOU LEFT ME TO ROT! … SHUT UP! STOP SCREAMING AT MEEEEEAAAAAAAAEEEE!"

Soon, the whole room fell silent, followed by the corridor, and the rest of the palace. Pinkie Pie fell upon her knees, beginning to cry in defeat; she had lost once again to her alter ego's wrath. "Pinkie Pie!" Applejack quickly rushed to her friend's side and lay her hoof on her shoulder, only for Pinkie Pie to tense in surprise from the sudden contact upon her arm.

"What in the name of all that's natural is going on in there!?"

Applejack heard a feminine voice call from the hallway as the sound of hoofsteps began echoing towards them. "Hey! Somepony! Help!" Applejack cried in desperation towards the doorway, and soon heard the hoofsteps increase in pace and volume; until finally, both Twilight and Celestia stood right outside the door. "Applejack? Why weren't you in the library? What are you do-" Twilight asked before gasping in horror. Twilight ran to the grounded duo and screamed in panic "Pinkie Pie?! Applejack, what happened?!"

As Celestia entered the room, she soon discovered the depressed damsel and asked in surprise "What's happened to her!?" Applejack remained silent, still tending to Pinkie Pie as she began recovering from her painful ordeal. "I… Sh..." Pinkie Pie wheezed breathlessly, before collapsing into Applejack's awaiting arms.

A confused and horrified Celestia questioned "Twilight, what is happening to her?!" before finally stopping in front of the trio and peering curiously at the incapacitated pony. "No… I'm… okay" Pinkie Pie winced weakly, failing to disguise the obvious strain in her voice. As Pinkie Pie attempted to sit up, however, Applejack quickly tugged her back down and objected "No, ya're not okay, gal. Now just lay still!"

Celestia soon became aggravated by the lack of an explanation for this phenomenon and soon impatiently yelled "Would somepony please explain to me what is going on?!" before turning to Twilight for an answer. Twilight sighed in resignation and answered "Pinkie Pie… is…" before pausing inopportunely, trying to find the best way to explain her dilemma. Celestia quickly calmed herself and prepared to ask her question again, before Pinkie Pie suddenly wailed "I'm losing my mind! That's what's going on!" before falling silent and sobbing pitifully.

Celestia remained speechless by this terrifying exclamation before an unusual buzzing noise had ceased her attention. She stared down at the defeated Pinkie Pie as her horn began glowing a deep shade of violet. Pinkie Pie lifted her head and stared into Celestia's alluring eyes, the latter continuing her gaze as if searching for an answer within them.

"You are nothing but a toy to them! You would be nothing but a feast for those sadistic creatures out there if not for me protecting you! How dare you treat me like I'm a… a… wait".

Searching within the subconscious of Pinkie Pie's mentality, Celestia happened across something which surprised her beyond anything she had ever discovered before. She listened to this strange voice that beckoned within Pinkie Pie's mind, while the depraved pony herself was possibly trying to ignore it to the best of her abilities. Pinkie Pie, who had been oblivious to Celestia's actions, fixed her tear-stained eyes upon the princess's; "Wh… What are you…" she croaked helplessly, drawing Twilight's attention to her educator's actions.

"Miss Celestia? Are you…" Twilight asked before trailing off, having decided instead to simply watch as her teacher continued to concentrate. Pinkie Pie stared upwards toward Celestia once again; and as she did, she thought "Is she reading my mind?" Soon, Pinkie Pie's attention was drawn to a new voice in her mind, whispering "Yes. I can hear you, but I also hear… a second voice".

---

"That's… That's not fair!" Pinkamena roared furiously, clearly offended by her exposure to another against her own will, "What else can she read in our mind!?" "Our mind!? I've never seen anything like this before!" Celestia confessed in surprise. Twilight then reluctantly explained "I'm sorry, Celestia. I didn't want to tell you, but Pinkie Pie has…" before holding her tongue once again, "S-she has a… a split personality". Celestia's eyes widened as this was stated, but then lectured "Twilight, you should've told me this before! I could've helped her much earlier".

"NO! SHE CAN'T!"

Pinkie Pie's eyes shot open suddenly as she leapt to her hooves and began backing into a nearby corner, "No! Please, don't read my mind anymore! Please stop!" she shouted in a newly revived sense of anxiety. Celestia could hear the Pinkamena personality screaming and yelling unintelligibly from within Pinkie Pie's head, resulting in the latter herself clutching her head in discomfort and collapsing to the floor once again. "Please, don't read my mind. It's not worth the trouble…" She winced miserably, as tears had begun streaming from her eyes for a second time.

Celestia carefully stepped towards Pinkie Pie, who lay on the floor without any sign of acknowledgement. "Please, Miss Pie…" Celestia began, drawing Pinkie Pie's attention as she had fixed a single, open eye on Celestia, "May I read your mind again? With your permission, of course". Pinkie Pie had sensed the sincerity in her tone and was willing to trust her, but remained afraid of what possibilities this would result in. "I… can't. I don't…" Pinkie Pie struggled to find the proper wording of her statement, "I have… secrets".

"I promise, your secrets will be safe with me".

Finally, after pondering this choice for a lengthy amount of time, Pinkie Pie nodded in confirmation; thus allowing Celestia to delve into the deep corners of her psyche. Celestia's horn began glowing once again as she stared deeply into Pinkie Pie's eyes, while Pinkie Pie herself became transfixed by hers. Twilight and Applejack sat behind Celestia, watching intensely as this exploration of a disturbed mind was carried out. "Do ya think this is a good idea?"

Applejack whispered, clearly just as concerned about the outcome of this action as Pinkie Pie previously was. "Shhh… Let her concentrate. But yeah, I'm sure Pinkie Pie will be just fine" Twilight reassured, despite being fairly unsure herself of what outcome was in store. As soon as they both turned to face Pinkie Pie again, they noticed that her pupils had begun shrinking, just as a wide smile began emerging on her face; "Go ahead… if you really want to know so badly".

Twilight quickly realized that Pinkamena had taken control once again, and that she was expecting, and possibly wanted, this to happen. While Celestia remained oblivious to this fact, having been too focused in searching through Pinkie Pie's thoughts, Twilight and Applejack grew increasingly scared. Just what exactly was Pinkamena planning to do?

"What are you looking for?" Pinkie Pie thought, believing that Celestia would hear and respond to her question. "I am searching your memories for any cause of this split personality you have" Celestia replied telepathically, "Now, let me see". Celestia continued swimming through a vast ocean of memoirs, until happening upon a sufficient one to examine. "I can see your fillyhood…" Celestia informed, before she frowned as she continued viewing the memories, "…You… seem so sad…" "I hated that rock farm… it was so bleak and… lifeless. I couldn't stand it" Pinkie Pie cringed meekly.

"You hated your family?" Celestia exclaimed in surprise, having now viewed her bleak outlook on her family and their lifestyle. "Not her. Me!" a new voice could be heard within Pinkie Pie's head, belonging to the dreaded spawn of her depraved psyche. "Pinkamena, I presume?" Celestia greeted respectfully, only to hear "So you wanna better understand what me and her have gone through, do you?" ringing within some unexplored depth of Pinkie Pie's mentality, "In that case, I know exactly what you want to see".

Pinkie Pie tensed nervously upon hearing this and provoked her ego's command, "No, don't listen to her! … Listen to me, Celestia. … Pinkamena, stop it! … Shut up, Pinkie Pie. I'll show her what she's looking for, so we can get this over with". Ever since her previous dilemma involving Pinkie Pie's periodic dormancy, Pinkamena's outlook towards the other ponies became increasingly conflicted as she remained undecided towards trusting them. Nevertheless, her spiteful and ruthless nature persuaded her to continue in her goals, specifically to manipulate her other personality's allegiance.

"Please, don't listen to her. Just find what you want and…" Pinkie Pie pleaded, before her eyes began glistening with misery, "…before she gets me in any more trouble". Celestia considered this reaction to her persistence and began questioning her own intentions. She wondered whether she was being too inconsiderate, too curious, and too selfish. Was this worth it? Is this only damaging her mind further? What was she even looking for? Had she done enough?

"Is this what you're looking for?"

---

Suddenly, Celestia found herself a witness to a specific memory; this memory occurring while she was preparing the party for her family. She concentrated on viewing this memory, witnessing the young filly preparing the food and tying the streamers. Celestia became both surprised and confused that Pinkie Pie had her split personality during such an early time in her fillyhood.

"Pinkie Pie? … Yes? … Are you sure this is going to work? … What? Pinkamena, I would give anything for a party and to have fun. Why shouldn't they? … Well, it's not because I find them boring, which they are; but they just seem so… distant. … Distant? … They don't really seem to care about… anything, really. Not even us". The young filly continued to converse with herself in her high-pitched filly voice. "I love my family! … Your family sucks! … What are you talking about?! … These are the worst folks anypony could ever have! … Well, we can make them better!" Pinkie Pie smiled proudly.

Just then, the door was unlocked and slowly opened. Pinkie Pie stared intensely as the door creaked opened, revealing an elder pony couple and her siblings, Quartz and Limestone. Upon examining the room, the relatives stopped and stared in surprise at the current state of their house, all while the constructor waited anxiously for some form of approval. Her dad then fixed her eyes upon her asked "What is all of this, then?" in a rather stern tone. "While you were out, I set up a party for when you came back! Do you like it?" She squealed with joy, truly proud of her labors.

"My blankets!"

All attention was quickly focused upon the mother, who held onto a streamer; "You ripped up our blankets to make streamers!?" A shocked Pinkie replied "J-just the ones you d-don't use" in an attempt to defend her honor. "Look at all of this food! How are we gonna eat it all?! It's all gonna go bad now!" shrieked Limestone, as she threw her arms in the air for emphasis on the severity of her question.

Her father hung his head and grunted in disapproval, scaring the onlooking Pinkie Pie into backing away. "Pinkie Pie, go to your room; now!" he growled maliciously, resulting in his daughter's eyes to begin welling with tears. She quivered in fear before wailing "Dad, please! It's not that bad! Just try the-". "GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!" The father yelled loud enough for his fury to echo throughout the room. Pinkie Pie ran to her father and held him by his leg, pleading "Dad! I made all of this for you! For once, have some fun!" before slapping her mouth shut.

Unfortunately, it was too late; what'd been said had been said, and her father boiled with overwhelming rage from this unintentional insult. Pinkie Pie cowered before her father as his temper slowly dwindled; until finally, only irrational thinking dwelled within his mentality. The last sound that Pinkie Pie could remember was a loud 'WHACK!'

"Oh my- I can't stand watching this anymore!"

Celestia snapped away from her trance and stumbled backwards, before falling ungraciously upon the floor. She stared in utter disbelief of what she had just witnessed, breathing heavily in order quell her racing heart. "That was the most awful thing I've ever seen!" she exclaimed, lacking any of her natural regality to make place for an unnatural state of fear. Pinkie Pie, for her part, hung her head in dismay and distraughtly whimpered "I told you that you wouldn't like seeing it!" before losing herself completely.

Celestia remained speechless from viewing these events of her past, finding herself only capable of muttering "You… poor girl". Twilight came to Celestia with intent to help her up from the floor, only to be discouraged by Celestia shaking her head in self-loathing. "Miss Pie, I am so sorry! I should've listened to you!" she huffed. "What? Why? What happened?!" Twilight asked in utter shock. Celestia was prepared to explain, but remembered the promise she made to Pinkie Pie and kept it to herself, simply stating "I made a promise, Twilight. I must keep it a secret".

Twilight did not question this, simply nodding in respect to her educator and choosing not to inquire any further. Unwilling to cause more trouble than necessary, Celestia then stated "Well, it's getting late; so you three should be getting home now". Applejack came to Pinkie Pie's side and lifted her trembling figure for support, until Pinkie Pie could properly stand by herself. "Will… that be all, your ladyship?" Twilight asked as to finally end this awful situation. Celestia cleared her throat and responded "Yes… Miss Sparkle. Good evening".

Soon, after finding an escort for the trio, they soon took their leave of Canterlot and headed for each of their homes. As they parted ways and proceeded towards their separate residences, Celestia observed them from the window of her tower, considering the events of tonight and their possible consequences. "I can't believe that this would happen. Not under my roof" she sighed in disappointment. She watched as Pinkie Pie began staggering in her pace, before realizing the tears pouring from her eyes. Celestia turned away from the window and groaned in defeat.

"I'm gonna help that poor girl, if it's the last thing I do!"

The End?

MLP: A Rare Delicacy. Part 1

It was noon for the inhabitants of Equestria. All was incredibly quiet for the duration of the morning, and it was widely speculated by many that the afternoon would be greatly identical. However, while the rest of Equestria nurtured itself with relaxation, such could not be said for the halls of Canterlot, which found themselves under the corruption of a truly grim atmosphere. Ever since the events that occurred within the enchanted halls from the previous night, the regal, if rather obsessive, Princess Celestia had taken it upon herself to personally aid the dismayed Pinkie Pie in her pledge for peace.

As of today, Celestia had invited Pinkie Pie to return to Canterlot and visit her for a private session; all the while, Pinkie Pie herself had invited Applejack and Maud to accompany her. However, and rather coincidently, Twilight had returned to Canterlot an hour before the trio had arrived, hoping to meet Celestia about her own personal endeavors. By the time 2:00 had rolled by, Celestia had requested to see Pinkie Pie in private; thus, disappointing Twilight and forcing her to wait along with the others in the library.

"Just… please… don't read my mind again" Pinkie Pie requested in a rather meek manner. Celestia sighed in disapproval and assured "Don't worry, Miss Pie. I would never do that to you". Pinkie Pie sat on a prepared sofa and relaxed, allowing a sense of relief to finally spread through her agitated muscles. She breathed steadily as her eyes slowly closed shut, allowing for the first time she had properly relaxed in a long while.

Celestia cleared her throat in preparation and instructed in a hushed, nurturing tone "Now… I need you to stay still for this, Pinkie Pie"; Celestia finally focused her line of sight upon her client and added "…so you can fall asleep". Out of a sudden sense of curiosity, Pinkie Pie reopened her strained eyes and asked "Fall asleep? Why?"

"This is a spell that, I think, might help you. With it, your dreams will become entirely lucid for a time" Celestia explained, "And I need you to describe your dreams to me once you awaken". Reluctant, though relatively curious, Pinkie Pie leaned back in her seat and sighed in relaxation, allowing the spell to finally take place. As soon as she shut her eyes, she lost any and all physical connections to the rest of her body.

Upon reopening her eyes after a prolonged amount of time, Pinkie Pie found herself sitting in a small, white room. She remained motionless without any sign of movement, laying in complete silence. She shifted her gaze throughout the room, finding no windows, doors or any form of furniture in view, as well as the fact that the walls were coated in a strange, cautioning material. Pinkie Pie attempted to stand, but found that her front legs were constricted by a foreign force; and once she stared down, the source of this immobilization became clear.

She was bound in a straitjacket.

From the revelation, Pinkie Pie began to panic as she thrashed about in an attempt to pull her legs free of their bindings; unfortunately, this was to no avail. "Where am I?!" she cried out in despair, "Anypony! Can anypony here me?! HELP ME!" No answer from any form of outside world could be heard, concluding the mystery of her solitude indefinitely.

After a few minutes of silence, Pinkie Pie trembled in resignation as she shifted into the corner of the room. She stared downwards towards her restrained limbs as a single tear fell upon one of the multiple leather belts. By this time, she had practically forgotten about the spell and succumb to the bleak atmosphere of this conjured environment.

"Still a mess, isn't she? No surprise, really…" a voice echoed within the room, instantly catching Pinkie Pie's attention from her state of despair. She searched the room desperately in search of the source, soon turning to her left to find a familiar unicorn leaning against the wall beside her. However, when Pinkie Pie attempted to scream "Twilight!" with joy, she discovered that she couldn't hear her own voice, having found herself mute upon attempting to speak.

Twilight failed to notice Pinkie Pie beside her as she continued "She's still suffering from her split personality, and everypony wants to help; and yet, she still won't answer any questions. Her family, running away from home…" Soon, the mood became sour as Twilight then lectured "Never a kind word for my efforts! Don't I deserve some credit?! Without me, she and all of her friends would never have figured any of this out!"

Pinkie Pie refused to listen to this, as she began shaking her head violently to banish these thoughts. However, once she looked up again, she found that Twilight had disappeared from the room, only to be replaced with the figure of Maud Pie sitting to her left. Pinkie Pie reluctantly listened as Maud began "Me and Mom always knew it, Pinkie Pie! You were always such a miserable excuse for a sister; too content to pretend to have things that you couldn't actually get. As if you could ever be truly happy with creating a second world for yourself to enjoy, while the rest of us are left to slave away around you!"

Tears had begun to reemerge from Pinkie Pie's eyes from these accusations, and she looked away from Maud in disgust, only to find a less reputable figure to her right. None other than the nefarious horror Pinkamena leaned comfortably against the cushioning as she snidely remarked "Is everything truly clear for you, Pinkie Pie? Am I really just some villain for you and your friends to beat? Am I not to be honored and respected like Maud or Twilight?"

Pinkie Pie clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tightly, but Pinkamena continued "For me, t's only a few moments to be around before I'm lost in limbo again. I have desires, intentions, and my own intellect; and yet, I'm still just pushed aside as a mere delusion". By this time, Pinkie Pie had succumbed to this torture and would willingly listen to these disturbing statements, before she suddenly noticed a strange feeling course through her body. The world around her soon began glowing evermore bright, before finally blurring into a single color.

Pinkie Pie laid her hoof upon the left side of her forehead and grunted in pain; "Pinkamena! Not that! Please!" Celestia's eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed "That's not right! That's not meant to happen! What's she doing there?!" Pinkie Pie began panicking as she tossed fitfully on the couch, eventually enough for her to roll off the side.

With a loud 'Thump!', she fell upon the floor, shivering and twitching into unnatural positions. Celestia quickly arose from her seat and her horn ceased glowing, thus breaking the enchantment and freeing her patient from this inescapable nightmare. Pinkie Pie's eyes shot open as the spell was broken, before falling to the floor and sighing in despair. As Pinkie Pie gasped for air, she turned to face the Princess, her eyes pooling with terror.

"Don't do that to me again, please!"

---

Celestia sat beside the shuddering Pinkie Pie, who sat against the sofa with her arms wrapped around her legs, before she lay her hoof under Pinkie Pie's chin and lifted her head to meet her gaze. "I never thought that this could be so awful for you, my dear" the alicorn admitted grimly, "I want to do everything I can to help". As this happened, the door suddenly burst open, revealing a terrified trio of ponies stumbling hastily into the room. "PINKIE PIE!" Maud called out in fright, before running to her stricken sister and hugging her tightly.

Without questioning the fact that the trio had been eavesdropping against her instructions, Celestia joined the trio's gathering and explained "Don't worry, Maud. Pinkie Pie is just fine". As this was said, Pinkie Pie has stood up and groaned "Ugh… My head…" After the chaos had eventually subsided, Celestia then decided to let Pinkie Pie spend the rest of the day at home, allowing her to recuperate from her ordeal.

As Maud, Pinkie Pie and Twilight continued their journey to Ponyville, Applejack disbanded from the traveling company and made her way to her own residence, having taken two hours to do so before finally finding herself outside the front door. "I'm home!" she called into the quiet expanse of the living room, neither expecting nor hearing an answer. Despite her apparent solitude, however, she soon found that all of the lights were turned on, and her sister was currently lounging lazily on the living room couch.

"Hey, what're ya up to?" she smirked at the sibling, who simply stared back at her. "Nothing. Just boring stuff" Applebloom sighed indifferently, encouraging Applejack to do the same. "Wait! Actually, I need to tell you something!" Her sister suddenly called as Applejack prepared to leave for bed, "I made a new friend!"

Applejack instantly halted to a stop, her attention to this revelation having been seized. "A new friend? Who?" Applejack asked curiously, never having considered Applebloom's companionships during the time she had been her sister. "Well, I… can't remember her name, but she's pretty cool" Applebloom replied enthusiastically, "She told me that she knew you as well!"

Applejack was slightly taken aback by this statement, pondering who she would know that Applebloom wouldn't also have known. "What did she look like?" Applejack questioned, beginning to grow somewhat concerned for the culprit of this acquaintanceship. "Well, she's about your age" Applebloom stated, before adding "Actually, she kinda looks like that friend of yours. Um… Pinkie Pie, I think?"

A cold chill suddenly filled the room as Applejack's eyes slowly widened in terror, afraid of the possibility that a certain dangerous figure had acquainted herself with her younger sister. Applejack quickly asked "Was there anything… else about her?" Applebloom thought for a second, all the while rubbing the bottom of her chin with her hoof before answering "Well… she had long, lank hair… and a pretty soothing voice, but also a bit… spooky".

This had all but confirmed Applejacks suspicions, as well as almost caused her to scream in horror. The friend that Applebloom had met must've been none other than Pinkamena. Pinkamena had been resurfacing more often in the past few months, with a vengeance against both those she hunted and any others within her vicinity, which had almost cost Pinkie Pie of her own existence. Applejack's mind was sent into a frenzy of reeling questions and horrific thoughts of this discovery and what it could entail.

"Hey sis, you okay?" Applebloom asked nervously, slowly becoming worried by Applejack's sudden expressed anxiety. "When… did ya meet her?" Applejack stuttered, stumbling backwards awkwardly before bumping against the couch and unfocusedly sitting down. Applebloom stared at Applejack before replying "Just today… at the café. We were just talking; that's all". "Okay" Applejack muttered before simply laying back against the couch, sighing almost as lifelessly as the cold air that had begun to engulf the living room. "Why? Do you know her, Applejack?" Applebloom asked curiously.

"Stay far away from that girl, Applebloom! She's really bad, and she's gonna hurt ya!"

"What!?" Applebloom shouted in surprise from her sister's sudden outburst. After catching her breath from her sporadic breakdown and regaining her composure, Applejack explained "Her name is Pinkamena. She's… she's… she's just bad". Applejack had trouble finding a way to explain Pinkamena to Applebloom, as Applejack believed that explaining Pinkie Pie's split personality would only succeed in confusing her further; not to mention, both of Pinkie Pie's personalities would frown upon being exposed to others.

Applebloom remained confused, but nonetheless respected her sister's plea to avoid this girl, and was willing to believe the danger that she may find herself in from further association. "Well, anyway… we should get to bed. We'll talk about it tomorrow" Applejack soon announced before both her and Applebloom left the living room. However, as Applebloom had already shut her bedroom door behind her and resigned herself for the night, Applejack grew increasingly afraid about this turn of events, and was forced to suffer these morbid thoughts throughout her futile pledge for sleep.

Tomorrow, she'd pay Pinkie Pie a visit.

---

The next day, within the town bakery, Pinkie Pie leapt from her bed in a fit of impulse and stumbled her way down the stairs into the kitchen, intent to find something to eat. "Gergh… I hate the smell of orchids" she groaned to herself as the scent of the outside world filled her nose, result of opening the kitchen window from mere instinct.

Once finally in her kitchen, she yawned sleepily as she pulled the fridge door open. However, to Pinkie Pie's surprise and confusion, every morsel of her stored pastries had apparently gone missing. She furrowed her eyebrows and asked "What the- Where'd all my food go?", before a loud rattling sound drew her attention to the pantry. A chill coursed throughout Pinkie Pie's body as she nervously staggered to the larder, shutting her eyes tensely and opening the door.

Suddenly, the door flung open of its own accord as a flood of blackness spilled from the multiple shelves, sending Pinkie Pie stumbling back in a panic before she could possibly comprehend what had just happened. Upon rubbing her eyes hastily and fixing her gaze for closer inspection, the blackness was soon discovered to be an overwhelming wave of scattering cockroaches. Pinkie Pie screamed at the top of her lungs and leaped away from the unexpected onslaught and ran into the living room. She jumped onto the couch and turned to face the entrance of the kitchen, watching as the entire kitchen became engulfed in a thick, scuttling infestation.

But soon, she stopped to consider the rather coincidental circumstances of this situation. Pinkie Pie shook her head violently and whispered through clenched teeth "No! Not again! It's not real. It's not real!" As Pinkie Pie repeated this phrase, she reopened her eyes to find that all of the roaches had suddenly disappeared without a trace; all but confirming Pinkie Pie's suspicion of their true severity.

Pinkie Pie hung her head in disappointment and tensed with rage of this revelation, enraged by this clear reemergence of her terrifying delusions. She gritted her teeth in rage as her face turned to a darkening shade of red. As she began sweating from her forehead, however, she quickly realized her actions and attempted to calm herself from this sudden overwhelming fury. "It's all in your head… It's all in your head… It's all in your head…" she repeatedly stammered, leaning back against the couch in defeat.

Meanwhile, in the town's café, Rainbow Dash had come to buy something to drink before setting about her day of work. "Here's your drink, ma'am" the bartender stated before handing a… something or other… to Rainbow Dash. Upon receiving it, she strolled around the café in search for a free table, only for a surprising coincidence to come and greet her instead.

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity were all chatting with eachother at the same table, before Applejack noticed the idle pegasus and waved her over. As she made her way towards the table, she soon understood the true nature of their conversation. "…know how or when she did, but I told her to stay away from her" Applejack replied to Rarity's question, "She told me that she met her here, though". "Who met here?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously, to which Twilight turned to face her and explained "Applejack's sister said that she met Pinkamena here!"

"What!? Applebloom too!?" Rainbow Dash questioned in shock, "Scootaloo told me that he met Pinkamena here too!" All who sat at the table were left speechless from this statement, eventually concluded by Twilight's next question; "What did they talk about, then?" "Me? How should I know?" Applejack replied in confusion, resulting in Twilight quickly answering "Nevermind".

"I-is it possible that it wasn't Pinkamena to begin with?" Fluttershy asked anxiously, clearly lacking confidence in her question. Despite its abrupt nature, however, this question brought all members of the table into deep thought, each considering the chances of this possibility. "Well… I don't know" Twilight began, "It is possible… but we can't be sure yet". For once in a long while, Fluttershy felt somewhat proud that she had thrown two cents into a conversation, especially since her statement seemed completely contradictory to the matter at hand.

"Where is Maud Pie?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously, only to be met with puzzled expressions on five different faces. "I dunno… but I'm guessing that Maud lives with Pinkie Pie now" Applejack answered. Rainbow Dash then finished what remained of her drink and stood up from the table, explaining "Well, I'm gonna head over to see if anything's happening. Anypony wanna come?"

Applejack stood up and replied "I'll come with ya!" As the duo left the table and made their way to the main entrance, the remaining members looked at eachother; each deciding whether to follow after the pair, or to tend to their own private affairs.

To be continued…

MLP: A Rare Delicacy. Part 2

After a five minute trip and multiple unforeseen delays, the duo had eventually arrived outside of the bakery; but upon attempting to open it, they found that the front door was locked. "Hey! Pinkie Pie? Is anypony home?" Rainbow Dash called out whilst simultaneously knocking on the door, only for nopony to answer. Applejack grew concerned once again as she turned to Rainbow Dash and asked "What should we do?" "I dunno. Should we go find her, or wait here?" Rainbow Dash answered with a question of her own.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash came to a decision and stated "I'll check her bedroom window" before swiftly ascending into the air. She flew around the house in an attempt to remember which window was connected to which room, having viewed the bathroom, the attic and the spare room, which remained empty. "Okay. So Maud isn't here" she thought to herself, concluding one of the mysteries she had pondered before arriving. Finally, she swooped in to peer into a window and found the bedroom, only to be horrified by what she witnessed.

Pinkie Pie was indeed laying on her bed, but was curled up into a ball against the backrest of her bed; as stiff as a board without any signs of movement, but still breathing and displaying a pair of glistening eyes. Rainbow Dash was almost willing to crash through the window to get inside in a fit of heroic impulse, but decided instead to return to Applejack and inform her of the situation. She quickly darted town to ground level and landed next to Applejack; "Pinkie Pie's in her bedroom, but she's… well… I dunno, but I think she might be freaking out!" she shouted in a panic.

Before Applejack could respond, however, Rainbow Dash suddenly rocketed through the front door, shattering it into multiple pieces, and soaring through the house and upstairs into the bedroom. Bursting through the bedroom door in a lees destructive fashion, she rushed to her best friend's side and screamed "Pinkie Pie! Can you hear me?! What happened?" in a fit of desperation.

Pinkie Pie neither moved nor spoke, and simply sat quietly to herself. Rainbow Dash hung her head in defeat and sighed to herself, before a quiet groan snatched her attention. "I…. I'm…" was all the emanated from the bed, as Pinkie Pie began to shiver and twitch uncontrollably.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!?" Pinkie Pie screamed hysterically before a wave of tears suddenly began to spill from her eyes. As she sobbed to herself, Pinkie Pie left the bed and staggered towards the window, before resting her head against the glass. She peered down to view the front entrance of her house, fortunately remaining unaware of the lack of any door due to Rainbow's gracious intrusion. "Ugh… I can't handle this…" she thought to herself, staring blankly at the window for a few seconds.

Rainbow Dash came to Pinkie Pie's side and was about to ask a question, only for Pinkie Pie to face her with an expression of pure sorrow. "Rainbow… Please, just… leave". Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, not out of concern, but confusion; "Pinkie Pie? You-". "Leave me alone. I want to be by myself right now" she sniffed distraughtly. Rainbow Dash didn't and couldn't move, standing in too deep of a state of shock from these words. She desperately wanted to shake her friend as it would return her to reality, though she knew well that such actions would be utterly pointless.

Without anything more to say, Rainbow Dash reluctantly, and quietly, left the bedroom, Pinkie Pie neglecting her all the while. Rainbow Dash came across Applejack on her way down the stairs and sighed "Time to go", before walking past her. "W-wait, what?! What happened?" Applejack stammered, only for Rainbow Dash to give no reply and wandered out the door. Applejack sighed to herself and decided not to question the matter any further, deciding reluctantly to follow suit, the audible weeping from upstairs beckoning ominously.

---

Later, once finally at her house, Applejack stepped through the front door and looked around in search of Applebloom. She stepped into the living room and found her sister sitting quietly on the couch in the usual fashion; but oddly, she didn't look at Applejack when she'd entered the house. "Hey, sis. How's it going?" Applejack asked out of genuine curiosity. "I… uh… well… y'know that… that…" Applebloom stammered incoherently, all but seizing Applejack's curiosity even further.

"Y'know that girl that you told me to avoid yesterday?" Applebloom asked nervously, to which Applejack questioned "Uh… yeah… what about her?" Applebloom squirmed fitfully in her seat and replied "I… she found me and we were talking again". "What!? When?" Applejack asked hesitantly, to which Applebloom stuttered "Uhh… this afternoon" and shrank into herself fearfully.

"We didn't talk long!" Applebloom sporadically blabbered, "She was just talking about you and the others… and how she… liked you girls" Applebloom explained. Applejack was speechless, never believing for a second that Pinkamena would make such a statement toward her and her friends, or to anypony except Pinkie Pie for that matter.

"But… she said… she was coming over tonight".

Applejack's eyes widened fully as she yelled "What!?" in terror. Applebloom backed away in fear and continued "S-she'll be here any moment now". Applejack was both scared and confused, as Pinkie Pie was in no state to be active since she last saw her, but still remained unwilling to ignore any chance of peril that she and Applebloom may be in. As the siblings continued to converse, outside the front door, a lone figure was silently staggering towards the front door, breathing heavily and snickering to herself as it approached the property.

The doorknob suddenly began rattling violently, having been locked after Applejack had entered the house. Both sisters backed away from the door in fear as the door ceased to shake, and the house was suddenly filled with an atmospheric, almost unnatural silence. While backing away, the sisters failed to view the path behind them and found themselves bumping into an unknown obstacle. Although Applebloom was too afraid to dare peer behind her, Applejack turned to find a horrifying sight.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

"AGH! How did you get in here?!" Applebloom screamed in a panic. Applejack considered the peculiar choice of questions her sister had decided to ask, considering the more pressing matter at hand, before refocusing her attention on Pinkamena once again. "Ah Hehehehahahehehe! Relax, girls! I just thought I'd pop by for a visit". Pinkamena's gaze slowly shifted downward to the cowering filly and mentioned "I told you that I would come by, Applebloom", followed be a sinister grin; "I never break a promise!"

Applejack then stepped forward while Applebloom stepped behind her elder sister for protection; Applejack threatened "Stay away from my sister, Pinkamena", actually managing a somewhat intimidating presence. "Now get out of my house!" Applejack commanded. Pinkamena glared daggers towards her challenger upon hearing this instruction, "Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere!"

Pinkamena turned away and cast her gaze throughout the room, visibly unimpressed by the simplicity it portrayed to her, sneering "You call this a hou-". Pinkamena suddenly paused as her eyes widened in surprise. The two siblings looked at eachother in confusion before returning their gaze to their involuntary guest.

Pinkamena shook her head violently and yelled "What?! You can't- How did you- You can't be coming back yet!" She applied pressure to her temple to quell what the siblings assumed was a raging wave of agony. She shook her head once again and reopens her eyes, her pupils suddenly returning to their original size. She panted heavily as she examined her surroundings, screaming in an unexpected, high-pitched voice "What the- How did I- Arrgh!"

She suddenly screamed in pain and fell forward against the nearby table, failing to embrace for the impact and landing headfirst. Applejack stepped towards her with haste to aid her out of pure instinct, before suddenly backing away at the sight of the soulless glare rising from the floor. "Not again! … No, stop! … Wait!" Suddenly, thunderous crash emanated as she fell clumsily against the floor once again.

"No! Stop, please! … Why did you come back?! … This is my body! … Your body!? You! It's all about you, isn't it! … Shut up! … I'm not your enemy! I'd never hurt you! … YOU'RE ALWAYS HURTING ME! … NO I'M NOT! … YES YOU ARE, YOU FREAK! … NO! … I… won't… wo… n't… let…le-".

Pinkie Pie's muscles suddenly went limp as her arms fell to her sides, she herself barely steadying her balance before beginning her decent to the floor. Applejack suddenly rushed behind her and caught her. Applebloom gasped heavily from shock and wondered what she had just been a witness to. Pinkie Pie simply lay in Applejack's grip, limp and unconscious, having passed out from stress before Pinkamena could make a lengthy appearance. Applebloom then fixed a horrified gaze upon her sister, who stared back nervously.

"What the heck just happened!?"

---

"…"

It was 10:00 pm.

"…..ie…"

And things had not gone according to plan.

"Pinki….ke up…"

And while it should have been a concern…

"Pinkie Pie, wa…..pleas….up!"

None had expected it.

"Grrgh… ugh…" Pinkie Pie stirred into consciousness as an hour rolled by. She lazily opened her left eye, unwary of the bright light that would assault it, and shut it quickly. She twitched helplessly as her muscles gradually recovered from their motionless state. She open her eyes a second time and gazed unfocusedly at her surroundings. She was back in her own bedroom, laying upon the covers on her bed. She turned her head to the left, her neck creaking loudly from sudden movement, as she searched for any sign of company. A small smile grew on her face from a seeing her awaiting sibling.

"Pinkie Pie!" wailed an ecstatic Maud Pie, who ran to the bed and ensnared her sister in an affectionate hug. A hug so tight, that Pinkie Pie actually found herself suffocating within her sister's grip, and informed her sister of this fact with an audible grunt. Finally regaining her composure, Maud pulled away and stuttered "S-sorry, Pinkie Pie. I was… w-worried about you". "Wh…" Pinkie Pie began before pausing to pull herself upright on the bed, "Why? It's not your fault…" Maud rubbed her arm squeamishly and answered "I… should've been here for you".

Pinkie Pie held her breath in genuine surprise, desperately desiring to hug her sister. "I shouldn't have left you here by yourself. I could've-" Maud sniffed distraughtly, abruptly ending her sentence at a rather inopportune moment. Pinkie's only reply was a simple, defeated sigh as she muttered "I'm becoming more like her". Maud tilted her head in confusion, asking "More like who?"

Pinkie Pie stared up towards her sibling and continued "…and she's becoming more like me". Just then, Maud soon realized exactly what she was talking about, and was unwilling to allow such a degrading analysis. Pinkie Pie soon started to swoon in fatigue and slowly laid her head against her pillow. Maud sat beside the bed and whispered reassuringly "You will win this, Pinkie Pie. Pinkamena can't last much longer".

Pinkie Pie looked into her Maud's glistening eyes and replied "I'm not gonna be the same Pinkie Pie, no matter who wins. You know that, Maud. I can't write music, I can't throw parties, I can't do anything I like. It's just not fun to me anymore". A slight smile appeared as Pinkie Pie then joked sarcastically "Not that the music I wrote was that good, anyway" before her eyes began watering with despair, "I can't even tell good jokes anymore! What is wrong with me!?"

Maud became desperate to remedy her sister's dwindling confidence, but was unable to find any way to quell the oncoming depression her sister was preparing to endure. "What… what am I gonna… turn… into?" She asked into the air, having neglected her sister's presence by this time, before eventually drifting off into a deep slumber.

Maud carefully stepped away from the bed and began pondering the next best course of action. Should she stay with Pinkie Pie? Should she leave her alone? Is she just getting in the way of Pinkie Pie recovering? Was what she spoke true? Was she never gonna be the same after all of this was over? Would she still be her sister?

Maud suddenly slapped her forehead and displayed a deadpan expression, thinking to herself "Of course she will! What am I thinking?!" Maud then carefully crept her way out of the bedroom and closed the door gently behind her, before resting her head against the door and huffing in dismay.

She would stay with her sister, no matter what would happen.

The End?

MLP: A Blessing in Disguise. Part 1

It was another morning; but unlike what was expected by most, the world found itself blanketed beneath an oncoming onslaught of rain. A thunderstorm had claimed Canterlot and its neighboring establishments and sought to bring misery in its wake, to which it vastly succeeded. However, this was not the only ill fate that was to befall Canterlot.

As of this time, the magistrate of Canterlot, Princess Celestia, was currently preoccupied with one of the daily appointments with her personal patient, Pinkie Pie. It had been 2 weeks that Pinkie Pie spent under Celestia's care, as the princess paid great devotion to the formerly-excitable misfit, and desired beyond all else to grant her peace from her mental instability.

Because of this, Pinkie Pie had grown accustom to these visits as Celestia would search for ways to exterminate her alternate personality, Pinkamena. However, and rather miraculously, Pinkamena had yet to resurface since the events of the previous fortnight; but instead of finding relief from this fact, Pinkie Pie only felt fear as to when this malevolent entity would reemerge.

For most visits, Celestia would perform the roll of a psychiatrist, often asking questions in order to discover the most beneficial course of treatment, whilst simultaneously remaining wary of specific topics regarding her past or her relationship with this anomaly. However, today was different; an uncomfortable atmosphere descended throughout the room as Celestia remained silent, Pinkie Pie waiting intently for the former to speak first.

Silence.

Until finally, "Pinkie Pie… I wanted to tell you something" was uttered from Celestia from across the room. Pinkie Pie sat nonchalantly in her seat, focusing her attention on the alicorn and muttering "Is... something wrong… Celestia?" The latter sighed restlessly and turned to face her client; "In all honesty… I…" Celestia began, before trailing off inconveniently. Celestia hung her head in consideration and thought to herself "I can't say it… not in front of her…" Pinkie Pie waited for what felt like an eternity before Celestia rose her head and muttered "I…I… don't…" As soon as the word 'don't' was heard, Pinkie Pie knew fully well of what Celestia was insistent, yet reluctant, to say.

"You don't think you can help me…"

Celestia lowered her head and cried out dramatically "I am so sorry, Pinkie Pie; but I have no clue of what I can do for you" before shaking her head in dismay, "I've failed you… horribly!" Celestia arose from the seat and staggered towards a nearby bookcase. "I've spent all the time I can spare searching for any means that may help you. Magic, medicine, anything!" Celestia removed multiple books with a levitation charm, before reinserting them into the bookcase. "Nothing works, or it just makes things worse!" Celestia cringed.

Pinkie Pie then remembered her previous visit from 3 days ago, which resulted in her losing a majority of her perception of reality for over an hour, all but complementing this outburst. "I'm really sorry, Pinkie Pie" she concluded, "But I don't think I can help you". After a few minutes of unbearable silence, Pinkie Pie eventually arose from her seat and left the confinements of Celestia's personal boudoir for the exit; and Celestia, for her part, was left to ponder if she had done the right thing in abandoning this cause, an ever-increasing sense of guilt welling in her heart.

Pinkie Pie half-mindedly stumbled her way through the hallways and eventually found her way back to the main entrance, where her friends had waited expectantly for her return. As she stopped before them, Twilight stood before her and asked "Hey Pinkie Pie, how did it go?" From the evident enthusiasm she displayed in asking this question, Twilight was clearly displaying her optimism for a positive answer.

Contradictory to Twilight's expectations, Pinkie simply lowered her head as her eyes gazed towards the ground, her body twitching in despair. From behind a concerned Twilight, stepped an equally worried Maud Pie, who rushed to her sister and asked hesitantly "Pinkie Pie, what happened?" Pinkie Pie shut her eyes tightly, shedding the newly emerging tears as they spilled down each of her cheeks. "Cele-…" Pinkie Pie began before abruptly losing her voice, but had no intent to remedy such a hindrance. Instead, she shook her head in dismay.

"She's… given up on me".

Twilight jaw dropped as an expression of pure devastation had spread across her face. She stepped away and lay her hoof on her chest, bearing witness to her own increasing heartbeat. Twilight was in utter disbelief of this outcome, and even greater disbelief that her teacher, one of the wisest and most all-knowing of creatures, would surrender her client to such a grim fate. Maud desired to avoid a confrontation of any form and abruptly announced "Let's get home as quick as we can, before it starts raining again", before peering up towards the cloudy sky.

---

By the time they had finally returned back to the bakery, the sky had become a blackening field of stars and Twilight had already parted ways. As they came to the door, however, they found that somepony had apparently been expecting them, as a lone figure was currently leaning against their front door. As they curiously, and cautiously, approached the figure, they found it to be their overly sanitary associate.

"Rarity? What's going on?" Pinkie Pie asked aloud; Rarity was clearly unfocused, ignoring this greeting and continuing to think to herself. "Hey Rarity!" Maud Pie called out to her, finally drawing her attention from whatever thought had crossed her mind as she finally looked towards them. "Oh! Hey, you two!" she quickly called out in hesitation to greet them, considering the reputation that such an upper-class figure must uphold. Rarity stepped away from the doorway and swiftly made her way to the duo to converse the situation.

"What going on? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, to which Rarity began explaining her case. "Listen, I…" she began before pausing, possibly to find the right words to say, "I'm gonna head out of town for a few days… So, I need my sister to stay somewhere while I'm gone". While Maud had not known Rarity long enough to understand her claim, Pinkie Pie's memory reflected back to memories of Rarity's sister, namely Sweetie Belle. While not acquainting with her directly, Pinkie Pie had been told on multiple occasions of her skills, especially her supposed 'singing prowess'.

"Well, I've never seen your sister… but I can- urk!" Pinkie then pressed her hoof against her temple and groaned in discomfort. Both Maud and Rarity were truly surprised by this action, as Pinkie Pie had shown no sign of anxiety nor trauma thus far. Maud asked worriedly "Pinkie Pie?! What's wrong!?" only for Pinkie Pie's sudden headache to quickly cease.

After the throbbing pain subsided, Pinkie Pie grunted in disapproval "Ugh! I'm not that big of a timebomb, you idiot! Would you just-!" before covering her mouth in surprise of her own outburst. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" she blabbered in a flustered panic, hoping to redeem herself of any act of malice that she may have committed.

Whilst Pinkie Pie was distracted by her self-invoked panic, a lone figure stepped quietly into view of the door, shyly peeking out from behind the defense of the wooden structure. Rarity looked behind her and saw this figure, calling "Hey, Sweetie! Come out here!" in a cheerful tone. The figure sauntered through the doorway and revealed herself to be the aforementioned sibling, who smiled shyly, "Hey there, Pinkie Pie".

Rarity then fixed her gaze upon Maud and explained "Look, I wouldn't have had you do this for me, but I thought that two ponies would be better to look after her". Rarity possibly mentioned this in order to assure the duo of her consideration in this matter, having decided the best course of action for her younger sibling. However, as Maud became aware of such consideration and respected it, Pinkie Pie remained skeptical of this decision and desperately wished to object to it; but to avoid any further grief upon the situation she had found herself in, she decided against it.

"Don't worry, Rarity. We'll take care of her" Maud assured, resulting in an appreciative smile from the former. Rarity then looked through the window to the living room and gazed upon the clock, which currently chimed 8:00. "Ack! I'm already late for the train! I gotta go! Bye!" Rarity yelled in a panic. Pinkie Pie turned to say goodbye, but Rarity had already disappeared into the streets, unfortunately neglecting the trio in their endeavor to bid her farewell.

Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle all entered the abode at once as Sweetie whistled to herself gleefully. Pinkie Pie suddenly felt a sensation of drowsiness wash over her, diminishing her senses for a short period of time. She stumbled forward clumsily as her eyes shut wearily, before regaining her sense of oncoming danger and quickly stabilizing herself. "I'm sorry… Maud… I'm too tired. I'm off to bed" she muttered sleepily before trudging her way upstairs to her bedroom, neglecting to see if either of the duo had heard her.

---

As night had finally settled upon the world, the night itself was relatively peaceful for a majority of its passing. After Pinkie Pie had resigned herself to fatigue and ended up spending little more than an hour in a deep slumber, Maud had spent the night looking after Sweetie Belle for her. However, while Pinkie Pie was resting peacefully at the stroke of 9:00, she was suddenly awoken by the sound of a loud, metallic clatter. She began squirming under her sheets as she stirred into consciousness, groggily lifting her head from the pillow and lazily opening a single eye.

"Gergh…what was…?" she muttered unintelligibly before stretching her arms above her and dropping from the bed. As she made her way down the stairs, she then heard the sounds of laughter. She stopped halfway down the staircase and listened carefully to the voices that conversed within the kitchen. The high pitch of the voices indicated that they were no more than fillies, but none of the voices were recognizable to her. As she continued her stagger her way to the first floor, she turned the corner to find an unexpected sight.

Three fillies were in her kitchen, one of which being Sweetie Belle, though the others' identities could not be categorized within her previous affiliations. As they continued to chat amongst themselves, Maud entered through the living room to find Pinkie Pie, gasping in surprise and exclaiming "Pinkie Pie! I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to wake you up!"

From this sudden, loud apology, the attention to their conversation was broken as the three fillies peered towards their half-asleep observer. "What are you all doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked in confusion, to which the three minors looked at eachother sheepishly. Sweetie Belle then stepped forward and explained "Well… I… invited them over".

Pinkie Pie sighed in relief and replied "Oh… Okay. But can you please be a little bit more quiet?" before turning to return to her personal boudoir. Before she could, though, an orange filly stepped forward and asked "Hey, uh… Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie Pie stopped to listen, turning her head to reveal an expression of quizzical curiosity.

"Do you have a split perso- pers- personal-ity?"

From this broken pronunciation of words, an unsettling atmosphere engulfed the house, and all that dwelled within it. A bitter chill had spread through Pinkie Pie's muscles from this rather simple question; simple, and yet questionable in itself. Pinkie Pie's heart had increased in pace as she trembled nervously, before asking "Who… who told you… about that?"

Scootaloo stepped backwards nervously and answered "It was… Spike. He said that you had some kind of problem with your hea-" before covering his mouth suddenly, as if such an action would undo his statement. From this unmasking of the informant, Pinkie Pie shut her eyes tightly and tensed in frustration. She understood that Spike was on the more naïve or gullible side, but without a just reason to expose such an important secret to others, Spike must've done it on purpose.

Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth in rage as her hair began lowering over her head, as her pupils had begun shrinking to an unnatural size. As soon as Maud realized what was happening to her sister from these signs, she leapt in front of her and violently shook her from her alternate state of being, screaming "Hey! Pinkie Pie! PINKIE PIE!"

Pinkie Pie shook her head as she finally returned to reality, her eyes and hair returning to their original appearance. Pinkie Pie knew clearly of what almost happened, and was quick to attempt avoiding any direct conversation before such a situation could occur again, but with more successful outcomes for the sinister anomaly behind it.

Without another word, Pinkie Pie ran up the stairs and confined herself within her bedroom, without as much as a word spoken to those that witnessed it. Scootaloo gulped and muttered "Sorry… I didn't mean to… insult her or anything!" drawing Maud's attention to the flustered filly. "Hey, Hey! Don't worry about it; you haven't insulted anypony here!" Maud reassured, before considering the situation and lamenting "All the same, though… that's a pretty touchy subject".

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group below, Pinkie Pie didn't return to her slumber as they had assumed, and instead sat quietly in a pool of despair. Ponies are starting to learn about her secret, and this fact alone had brought a shattering pain to her heart. And soon enough, she had begun considering the inevitable questions to ponder.

If those fillies knew about it, who else would?

To be continued…

MLP: And So Say All of Us. Part 2

The clock chimed 12:00, the tune of the clock itself echoing faintly through the hallway and into the nearby rooms. It went unnoticed by any, predictably, and remained uncredited for its routine business. However, this chime was not the only sound to echo throughout the construct.

Pinkie Pie found herself in the basement of her home, having just entered through the only entrance, and by extension, the only exit. She stumbled her way through the darkness before stopping to concentrate, listening for any trace of inhabitancy within this secluded storage room. She smiled to herself as the sound of muffled grunts and muted screams caught her attention, beckoning her to investigate the source further.

She stepped to the nearby wall and blindly searched for a specific tool, her smile widening as a hanging cord brushed against her arm, and gently tugged against it. Instantly, the room lit up with fluorescently golden light, granting Pinkie Pie her momentarily hindered sense of sight, along with a diverting sight to behold for good measure. Rainbow Dash lay at the end of the room, against the wall opposite to the exit; though she herself was in a more substantial predicament the Pinkie Pie found herself in.

Rainbow Dash was strapped tightly to wall-mounted operation table, bound by all four of her legs from the table's surrounding leather belts. She tugged against these restraints with all her strength, and possibly had been for an unknown length of time. Her mouth was gagged, the gag taking responsibility for her muted cries and pleas for freedom. However, this muffled wails soon died as soon as she saw her captor approaching.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Pinkamena stared at Rainbow Dash before the latter returned to her previous tactic of crying at the top of her lungs for someone to save her. Though admirable, Pinkamena found herself intoxicated by these pained screams and smiled to herself malevolently. "Finally…" she muttered to herself, Rainbow Dash stopped to nervously listen; "You can finally get what coming to you".

Pinkamena stepped toward her captive and leaned over her waist, whispering into her ear "Don't bother squealing for help. Its midnight and everypony's asleep, where in an underground basement, and you're gagged. Nopony's going to save you from me". "RHAT ARE MA RAMMA RO?" Rainbow Dash screamed in horror, intending to ask 'what are you gonna do'. Pinkamena's grin grew as wide as ever as she replied "We're finally gonna make our…" before pausing to lean into Rainbow Dash's ear again.

"Cupcakes".

Pinkamena then turned away from her prisoner and stepped towards a nearby table, glaring upon the abundance of tools and crafts and remaining undecided on which to choose. Eventually, though, her decisions we're made, and the crazed captor took her chosen instruments and returned to Rainbow Dash's side for her to observe. A handsaw, a mallet, a pair of jumper cables, a cleaver, and the most ominous of all, a butcher's knife.

Rainbow Dash began to panic and pulled painfully against the bindings in the vain hope of escape. She knew exactly where this was going and dreaded it immensely, "This cannot be happening" repeating over and over in her mind.

Pinkamena rolled her eyes and grimaced, sarcastically joking "Oh, c'mon Rainbow. It's not gonna hurt that much! And besides, I know what I'm doing; I've done this before". Rainbow Dash's mind was spinning out of control, unable to comprehend the situation. She had done this before? Done what?! To who?! Too how many?! How many times before?! Pinkamena then stood before her ingredients and smiled, the knife equipped in her left hoof; "I guess there is one good thing about you phonies… You are perfect ingredients".

"Gergh… No! No- do-don't! NOO! AAAUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Pinkie Pie found herself free falling at a rapid rate, before abruptly impacting against an unforeseen platform. She struggled to pull herself to a sitting position and adjusted her vision for clarity of her surroundings. She looked around to find herself within her bedroom, though no relief was gained from this revelation.

She couldn't help but ponder the events of this latest nightmare, which could be easily classified as the worst nightmare she has had thus far. Her house didn't even have a basement, for one inaccuracy to reality; though there was no substantial evidence that the house in question was Sugarcube Corner in the first place. But the events that unfolded; no less than utterly traumatizing to witness.

She began sweating nervously as she considered the words of her alternate personality. Would she actually do something like that? Would she want to? Would she actually enjoy it? 'Done it before'? Done it to who? Far too many questions for her mind to comprehend, resulting in her remaining motionless beside her bed for the rest of the night.

---

The next morning, Maud awoke from her undisturbed slumber and contently sauntered her way towards the stairs. However, upon passing by her sister's personal boudoir, she felt tempted to investigate her sister's current status, both of her location and her emotion. She listened closely through the door for any indication of Pinkie Pie's presence.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Pinkie Pie stumbled clumsily out into the hall, neglecting her sister, and down the stairs. To Pinkie Pie's surprise, a knock on the door prompted her to greet her unknown morning guest; or in this case, 'guests'. Upon opening the door, she was astonished to find Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity awaiting permission to enter.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight smiled, though Pinkie Pie recognised the smile as a mere masquerade. Pinkie Pie hung her head in misery, before muttering "Hey, girls" and stepping aside to allow them access. The group of unexpected visitors were forced to acknowledge to true nature of this meeting and entered the abode simultaneously. They entered the living room to find Maud awaiting them on the sofa, beckoning the group to do the same.

While the visitors politely obliged and joined her, Pinkie Pie excused herself from the equation and muttered "Sorry, I'll be right back. I need to… to…" Without another word, and without any consideration of the protests her friends made, she stepped out of the living room. But unbeknownst to the others, she had merely hidden in the corridor to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What's the matter with Pinkie Pie? I can't believe she wouldn't even stay to chat with us" Rarity admitted. Maud then intervened and explained "Don't worry about Pinkie Pie. She's been going through a lot for a while now; but don't tell her I said that". "Too late" Pinkie Pie thought to herself, before listening closer.

Her friends had apparently started whispering amongst eachother, but Pinkie Pie could clearly understand what was discussed. "But what should we do about her Birthday Party?" Maud questioned. "That's right!" Pinkie Pie gasped in sudden realisation, "It is my Birthday today!" However, instead of finding any hint of pleasure in this discovery, she didn't feel anything. No emotion was felt from this discovery, and Pinkie Pie felt disappointed in herself for this fact.

Her memory swept her back to last year's birthday party, and she shuddered from the events that occurred during it. It was the first time she had unleashed the hidden emotions she had bottled up inside her ever since arriving in Ponyville, as well as the first time her sanity truly began to crumble, resulting in her belief of abandonment by her companions.

She truly did lose her mind that day, and forced herself to fashion new friends out of inanimate objects. If Rainbow Dash hadn't visited her to question her wellbeing, what may have happened to her since then was unfathomable. And if that's what became of her during that birthday, she dreaded what would unfold during this one.

She continued to listen and found that they had moved on to a new topic; yesterday's embarrassing incident at the café. "She was so upset, she wouldn't even open her eyes. I never thought that she would take it that seriously" Rainbow Dash admitted guiltily. "But, yeah… Now everypony in town knows about it. And they're all actually really worried about her". Twilight added "Yeah, everypony knows something's wrong and really want to help. Some of the staff in the café told me that they felt so sorry for her".

Pinkie Pie bit her lip and tensed at just how wrong that last sentence sounded to her, as she felt that she shouldn't require any sympathy for her actions. Despite this, she was astounded that so many of her associates, a majority being little more than strangers, were so concerned for her. She smiled weakly as a single tear escaped her eye, before she hesitantly wiped her eyes clean and refocused her attention.

The conversation had apparently ended, as she could hear the living room's occupants leave their seats and make their way towards the door. Before they could pass through, however, Pinkie Pie stepped before them and blocked their path, surprising them by her sudden appearance. She looked upon them and confessed "I… need to tell… you girls something". They didn't reply and simply awaited her announcement, this generous attention only making it more painful for her to speak.

"I don't… want a birthday party".

This confession was so unexpected, it practically grinded time itself to a screeching halt. "WHAT!?" her friends screamed in unison, Pinkie Pie bowing her head guiltily for her comment. "Yes. I know" Pinkie Pie explained, before adding "It's just… It won't be worth it". Rainbow Dash stepped forward and shouted "How can you say something like that!? You're our friend, Pinkie Pie! It'll always be worth it!" Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth in frustration and answered "No. It won't".

This was going nowhere; and upon this realisation, Pinkie Pie simply turned away from her friends and staggered her way upstairs to her bedroom. Her friends were astounded by her abrupt exit, only to be surprised even further by her final words on the matter; "Tell everypony the truth about me. They deserve to know". Maud Pie's jaw hung open and Pinkie Pie continued to her bedroom and locked herself inside, entrapping herself from the rest of the world.

She climbed onto her bed and sat quietly to herself for the following hours. She suspected that her friends were preparing a party downstairs, but couldn't hear any indication of such actions from outside her bedroom. "Why would you say that?" repeated within her mind, though she had no answer; no excuse for her disconnected nature, and she understood this fact with clarity. "Why would you say that?" was heard one final time; though a specific, peculiar aspect of this question caught her attention.

It was Pinkamena that was asking.

Pinkie Pie had reawakened her alternate personality with her negative attitude; but surprisingly, this return of her uncompassionate shadow was exactly what she wanted. "I can't believe you don't want a birthday party!" Pinkamena echoed within her subconscious. "It's all your fault, you know. … My fault? How's this my fault? … Everypony's going to know about you now. … WHAT! How?! … My friends are going to tell everypony about us. I told them to!"

Pinkamena suddenly screamed "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? I've always cared about you, Pinkie Pie; only because nopony else would! … You're wrong! They'll always care for me! … They never would care for you, and they never will! I hate them all for what they do to you! I'll never put you in any danger like they will! So why do you always ignore me when I'm trying to help you!?" Pinkamena roared furiously. After an unnerving period of silence, Pinkie Pie lay her head on the pillow and sighed, her face devoid of any emotion.

"I give up".

---

"You what?" Pinkamena questioned in confusion; "I'm done. … What does that mean? … I've had enough of this; having absolutely no choice but to lose control of myself and putting everypony in danger". Pinkamena furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion, curious of how this explanation would eventually conclude. She then asked "So… what are you going to do? ... … … Pinkie Pie?" Pinkamena clutched her head as her eyes widened, exclaiming "Pinkie Pie, what are you gonna do!? … Nothing".

Pinkamena sighed with relief to hear her voice after a periodic silence, but remained confused by her alternate persona's comment. "Nothing? … Nothing at all. You can do whatever you like" Pinkie Pie explained. Pinkamena could sense the lack of generosity in her offering, prompting her to question Pinkie Pie's intentions further. "I can? … You can take over whenever you want to now. We can go wherever, do whatever, and attack whoever you choose". Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth as she failed to hold back her tears.

"You can call the shots now, Pinkamena. You're the dominant personality now".

Pinkamena's heart dropped from these words, before she screamed "What!? Pinkie Pie, you can't say that! Don't say something like that! … I don't even care about what happens to anypony anymore. … Pinkie Pie, why are you doing this?! … You can do everything, and I'll be here to support you. … Pinkie Pie! Stop that!" Pinkamena leapt out of the bed and paced around the bedroom, trying her hardest to talk some sense into her alter ego.

"I don't want to be the dominant personality! Pinkie Pie, why are you doing this!? … What else can I possibly do? Either you take over, I take over, or we just be friends again. … But you don't actually want to be friends with me, do you? … I have no choice". Pinkamena gasped as she fell to her knees in despair, dumbfounded by these final words. "I have no choice", these words managed to squeeze a tear from Pinkamena's eye.

"What's happened to you, cherub? You're not the same cherub I knew before. … I know. I used to be really stupid. … And you really do want me… as the dominant mind? … It doesn't matter what I want. Not anymore, anyway. … Don't say that! … If you want us to be friends, then I'm fine with that. … But we're not friends! Not real friends! … I'll give you complete control of my body, Pinkamena; but I don't want to control it anymore. … PINKIE PIE, STOP! … If you give it back to me at any time, I'll just wait for you to take it again. … NO! DON'T DO THIS. PLEASE!"

Pinkamena was beginning to panic, scared for not only her original personality's sake, but also for their relationship from this moment onward. However, while considering these thoughts, after all this time and trouble she had caused for herself and others, Pinkamena had finally found clarity. She considered her friend's previous phrase for a second time; "I have no choice".

All this time, she truly did force Pinkie Pie to be friends with her again, though the latter constantly rejected it and attempted to supress her. Despite this constant rejection, she obliviously persisted in her own goal and attempted to antagonize Pinkie Pie's friends to gain her favor; and yet, it still wasn't enough to win Pinkie Pie's allegiance. In the end, Pinkie Pie really did have no choice over her own life ever since she came back; and as a result, she had practically destroyed Pinkie Pie and left her as nothing more than a broken, submissive ghost of her former self.

She then considered the heartbreaking anguish that Pinkie Pie would forevermore have to suffer because of her, simply because Pinkie Pie had no real choice but to accept her torment anyway. Being forced, whilst simultaneously forcing herself, to simply watch and grieve for her former friends as her dominant personality continued in her place. Was taking over Pinkie Pie's mind truly what Pinkie Pie actually wanted of Pinkamena? Was it worth it? Would it be worth it?

No it wouldn't.

"I'll leave you alone, Pinkie Pie" Pinkamena quietly stated. Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and stared upwards, asking "What was that?" "I said I'll leave you alone. That's really what you want, isn't it?" Pinkamena asked. Pinkie Pie barely pondered the question before she had her answer and responded "Y-yes it is" meekly. "Okay; then I'll go away" Pinkamena concluded before adding "I really did want us to be friends, y'know. But I think I would've been the worst friend ever".

Pinkie Pie arose from the floor as Pinkamena continued "I never let you decide anything, and now I see what I've been doing to you". By this time, Pinkie Pie's chest radiated warmly and her heartbeat increased, her energy returning at a rapid rate. "I'm not important to you, Pinkie Pie. I'm just an imaginary friend that you became too attached to". "Yes… you are" was all Pinkie Pie could say, the misery of this swiftly concluding battle beginning to take its effect.

"Then you really never needed me at all, and you still don't. I'm sorry about your friends, by the way; but I genuinely did believe that they were to blame for your problems". Pinkie Pie laid her back against the wall and panted exhaustedly, her increasing body temperature beginning to take its toll. "I'll stop taking over; ruining your life. You'll never have to deal with me again" Pinkamena informed in a soft, hurt tone.

Oddly, Pinkie Pie smiled warmly and admitted "For what it's worth, it was fun having you as my friend when I was a filly, Pinkamena", hoping to shed light on this dark atmosphere. "Thanks, cherub. It was good to be with you again, even if it was for the wrong reasons". Pinkie Pie smiled warmly as her mind felt less clouded, and her muscles less strained. Soon, all she could hear was Pinkamena's infamous cackle, which echoed softly through her mind before fading into silence.

It was finally all over.

Pinkie Pie fell forward and landed on her front hooves, exhaling a long, withdrawn sigh. A great weight had just been lifted, and she could practically feel it as it relieved her of its whim. Her unmistakable, uplifting smile had finally returned as she recollected the previous events, insurmountably pleased that her cheerful attitude had begun to remanifest as a result. She filled with delight as she considered these thoughts, feeling more alive than she had ever felt in the past year.

"I'm actually… happy again" she muttered before hugging herself with joy, "It feels so good to be myself again!" She stepped through her bedroom door and was prepared to strut her way down the stairs, only to find an obstacle impeding her progress; an obstacle in the form of her sister. "Pinkie Pie, what happened? Are you alright?" Maud asked with concern, before she noticed her sister's joyful facial expression. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie ensnared Maud in a hug, screaming "She's gone! SHE'S ACTUALLY GONE NOW!"

"What!? Who?" Maud gasped, before Pinkie Pie released her swiftly suffocating sister. "Pinkamena! She's gone! I got rid of her!" "What!?" came a cry from downstairs, followed by the loudening sound of hoofsteps approaching the siblings. Twilight was the first on the scene, shouting "Wait! Pinkamena's gone!? Gone for good?!" "Yep!" Pinkie Pie beamed proudly. "She's never coming back!" Applejack arrived next, questioning thoughtfully "You mean… never ever coming back?" Pinkie Pie giggled joyfully and held Applejack's cheeks; "Never ever again!"

Finally, the rest of the gang joined her on the stairs, Rainbow Dash stepping in front of the others and standing before her best friend. "Are you ready, Pinkie Pie?" she asked, a smug look on her face. Pinkie Pie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Ready? What for?" the gang looked at eachother, the same smug grins spread across their cheeks.

Rainbow Dash held out a blindfold and answered "It's a surprise". Without another word, the blindfold was wrapped over Pinkie Pie's field of vision and tied in a knot behind her head, hindering Pinkie Pie's sense of direction by an extreme quantity. Thankfully, her friends were more than willing to make up for it with their guidance, leading her down the stairs and through the corridor.

Pinkie Pie's excitement grew with every passing second, her imagination running wild of what 'surprise' awaited her. She was finally stopped outside the lounge room, her excitement reaching its peak. The blindfold was slowly being lifted away. Here it comes.

"SURPRISE!"

The End.

MLP: So Say All of Us. Part 1

May the 3rd.

This specific date had almost brought the whole of Equestria to a complete standstill. Many had already been informed of its relevance towards a specific occasion, though none could possibly predict what forthcoming events would occur on the day itself. The cause for this uncertainty among the public stemmed from the fact that the 3rd of May was the date of birth of one Pinkamena 'Pinkie' Diane Pie.

As of this day, however, it was May the 2nd; the day before the aforementioned celebratory event. That morning, Pinkie Pie herself stumbled clumsily out her front door and wandered through the streets, having decided to dine upon a morning takeaway meal to suffice as her breakfast. However, she remained of two minds, in a figurative sense, of what to eat. As she pondered her variety of choices, she eventually found herself outside her favourite place in the world to eat.

She entered the café and ordered herself a large strawberry flavoured, choc coated, coconut sprinkled, flake sticked milkshake, before settling in a nearby table and eagerly awaiting to be served. She leaned her shoulder against the wall-side armrest and sighed in satisfaction, remarking the blissful peace and quiet of the past few weeks.

"HEY, Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie Pie's heart practically leapt from her chest as she turned to learn the identity of her unknown acquaintance, sighing in relief to find a surprised Maud Pie sitting beside her. "Sorry, Pinkie Pie. I-I didn't mean-" Maud stammered before pausing and turning away guiltily, Pinkie Pie giggling to herself all the while. "What are you doing here, si-" Pinkie Pie began before noticing here best friend Rainbow Dash walking by, prompting her to jump up and wave her over.

Rainbow Dash sat and greeted the sisters with "What are you two doing here? It's pretty early in the morning, after all". Pinkie Pie considered the coincidence of her question before answering "Oh… well… I couldn't sleep last night. So I thought-" and stopping abruptly, inadvertently drawing Maud's attention. Maud tilted her head curiously and asked "Really? Why not?" Pinkie Pie tried to wave it off by stating "Nevermind. It's not a big deal"; however, Maud and Rainbow Dash didn't seem convinced by this answer, briefly looking at eachother in denial.

Maud lay her hoof on her lamenting sibling's shoulder and reassured "Pinkie Pie, are you sure? You can tell us anything, y'know". Pinkie Pie pursed her lips and mumbled "Don't worry about it; it's fine", slowly losing her patience for the current subject and hoping for it to magically end. Maud didn't get the message and persevered, continuing to question the matter and asking "Was it a bad dream? Pinkie P-".

"Alright! Yes! It was a bad dream! It was about Pinkamena! She burned down all of Ponyville and tied you all up in the Town Hall! I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep afterwards! But I don't want to talk about it, because I want to have a good day today after such a bad sleep!"

Pinkie Pie lay her head against the table after her ungracious meltdown as her observers watched in pity. Maud scooted closer to her sister and whispered "I'm sorry, Pinkie… I shouldn't have kept asking you" Maud glumly apologised. Pinkie Pie shook her head and shakily sobbed "No, I'm sorry. I'm just not in a good mood today". Pinkie Pie sighed as Maud wrapped her arm around her sister and leaned her head against Pinkie Pie's shoulder.

"I don't blame you. I can't even imagine the things you go through" Maud whispered calmingly. Rainbow Dash was enjoying this heart-warming scene before they broke away upon seeing the waitress approach them, a platter of drinks balanced upon her head. "Oh, finally" the trio thought, although keeping it to themselves, as each began downing their beverages.

Pinkie Pie leaned back in her seat for comfort and lazily listened as the nearby patrons conversed amongst the crowd. The typical conversations, "Where's your friend going?", "No thanks; I'm trying to quit", "I'm just heading there, myself", "Hey, there she is!", "Who?", "Pinkamena!"

---

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes upon hearing this and scanned her field of vision across the various occupied tables, only to find no visibly prying eyes. Maud raised an eyebrow and asked "Hey Pinkie Pie, are you okay". Pinkie Pie fell back in her seat and held her arm nervously, muttering "I thought I heard…" before shaking her head indifferently and shrugging "Nevermind".

The next 2 minutes went by undisturbed, but also uncomfortably quietly. Maud desperately wanted to ask her sister if something was wrong, but had considered the likely price of such actions and chose to keep it to herself. Rainbow Dash not only felt the awkward atmosphere, but practically suffered at its hands, and wanted to leave in equal desperation.

However, all Pinkie Pie could think about was that one name she overheard. Who was it that said it? How did they know? Did somepony tell them? Pinkie Pie squirmed uncomfortably as horrific memories flooded her mind, distracting her from her physical actions.

"Pinkie Pie! What's wrong!?"

Pinkie Pie returned to the realm of reality and her focus shifted upon her sister, the latter shaking her by her shoulders to break her free from her internal struggle. Pinkie Pie rubbed her cheeks and found her wrists dampening from the contact, before she pulled them away and cringed to herself. "What is wrong with me?" she muttered under her breath, thankfully remaining unheard by her companions.

She could hear the patrons murmuring amongst themselves from the surrounding tables, but couldn't bring herself to listen. However, multiple conversations were overheard that caught her attention immediately, primarily from their coincidental subject matter. Maud furrowed her eyebrows as Pinkie Pie shrank into herself for a second time. She had no clue of how to approach this situation, nor did Rainbow Dash, and decided to wait for Pinkie Pie to speak first.

"They'r…" Pinkie Pie grunted, "They're all talking about me". Maud Pie tilted her head and asked "Who?" Pinkie Pie shook her head and tensed with fear and faced towards her sister, revealing a pair of glistening, tearstained eyes. "All of them. They know about Pinkamena! How could they possibly know about her?!"

From Pinkie Pie's point of view, the whole café had disregarded their meals and turned to face her, staring with lifeless eyes as she tried her hardest to ignore them. "She's gonna change again", "She's freaking out", "Stay away from her! She'll hurt you", "She's dangerous", "Pinkamena's coming back", "She ruins everything", "I'm getting out of here", "I don't wanna be around her anymore"; "She's a monster".

Pinkie Pie could take this anymore.

She suddenly turned to Maud and exclaimed "I need to go home, right now! Please move!" Maud furrowed her eyebrows and asked "Why? Pinkie Pie, what's going on?" Rainbow Dash, for her part, checked around the café for anypony watching, sighing in relief from their miraculous ignorance. Maud hastily shifted out of her seat to make way for her panicking sibling, the latter stumbling her way out from the narrow gap and preparing to dart for the exit; failing to consider her lack of balance and quickly losing it.

Many of the surrounding table-members unfortunately took notice of the loud series of clatters followed by a loud 'Thud!' and all stared towards its general direction, destined to be surprised by the source laying motionlessly on the floor. Contrary to belief, Pinkie Pie was not injured; nor did she remain still from any physical hindrance, but from sheer embarrassment. Pinkie Pie couldn't move a single muscle, but she could feel the whole café staring at her, their eyes digging painfully into her soul as her body remained unaltered in its position.

Pinkie Pie could feel herself being lifted from the ground by an unknown pair of arms, but suspected them to belong to Maud, not that was in the right state of mind to care. As she was dragged towards the entrance, she couldn't help but remember how before all of this happened, she would have shrugged this little predicament off without a second thought. She barely had any comprehension of humiliation back then, and simply took anything of a negative impact as a mere trifle in her ever joyful life.

These memories only helped to remind her of how ignorant and stupid she was in those days.

---

She managed to stand by herself, but was guided all the way back home by what she assumed was her sister. She didn't dare open her eyes, imagining everypony around her staring at her as she attempted in vain to remain unnoticed; although the mere thought of this was unbearable to comprehend in and of itself. However, finally, she felt herself being taken upwards along the steps to her front door and heard a loud creaking sound, before finally finding herself in the main corridor.

She opened her eyes and lifted her head to see her surroundings, enveloping herself within the solitary atmosphere. Never had she imagined that she would ever crave for seclusion from the outside world and any time in her life; however, this was a mere droplet within the ocean of unexpected occurrences for her in the past year. Without a word to her company, she stumbled her way up the stairs and stopped once inside her bedroom.

Maud immediately followed her inside and asked "What happened, sis?!" in an attempt to understand the situation. Pinkie Pie merely hung her head in shame and replied "Nothing. It's nothing to-". "Pinkie Pie! Please, stop saying that it's nothing to worry about!" Maud cried out. Pinkie Pie turned to her and sternly remarked "Well, I'll rephrase. It's nothing for you to worry about" before stopping to consider her own comment.

Even Maud found herself bewildered by the bitterness behind these words, and found herself backing away towards the door. "No! Wait! Don't go! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" Pinkie Pie cried out in a panic, and Maud stopped to listen. Pinkie Pie sat on the floor and sniffed meekly over her lack of control over her own emotions, "I don't like getting angry at anypony, but I can't control it anymore".

Maud sat beside her as she continued "I like it when everypony is happy, and I always tried my best to help them stay happy". Pinkie Pie felt the tears in her eyes begin to re-emerge and pour down her cheeks, but hadn't the will to wipe them away, "But all I ever did was make it worse, and everypony knew it. Nopony really wants me around, cuz I'll just mess everything up". "Pinkie Pie, that is not true at all!" Maud desperately intervened, but Pinkie Pie took no notice.

She continued "Anypony in town will tell you the exact same thing. 'That Pinkie Pie girl? Oh, Nah. She's too weird, and she always causes trouble'. 'As if things couldn't get any worse, Pinkie Pie comes by to try and help'. I really am just an irritating pest". Maud couldn't comprehend that her sister was saying these things, and neither could Rainbow Dash, who had been listening to the whole conversation from behind the bedroom wall. Pinkie than muttered "And thanks to Pinkamena, I truly have no control over when a ruin things for anypony else. Am I just destined to be hated?!"

Pinkie Pie had gone too far, and the overwhelming emotional pain she had been containing had begun to take its toll; her body felt as if it would tear apart at any moment. Maud was left entirely powerless, doomed to fail her sister once again and was forced to leave her sister by herself. Nothing she would say now would make a difference, and they both knew this fact. Maud arose from the floor and made her way downstairs, neglecting the eavesdropping Rainbow Dash's presence, who glumly followed suit.

A few hours later, there was a knock on the door, though no guests had been expected. Maud came to the door and opened it to find Twilight Sparkle, who nodded in greeting before stepping inside. "Twilight, what are you doing here?" Maud asked curiously, to which Twilight answered "I heard about what happened in the café. Is Pinkie Pie okay?" Maud wanted not to concern others on this matter, nor to draw attention to Pinkie Pie after her humiliating experience; however, she believed that lying about it to her friends would only worsen the case.

"I don't really know; but… I think it was another hallucination". Twilight than asked "Where is she now?" Rainbow Dash intervened and replied for Maud, "She's in her room now, but I think we should leave her alone for now". Maud then turned to face the nearby clock, currently displaying 6:30, and added "Not to mention she'd probably have fallen asleep by now. She hasn't left her room all day".

Twilight thought for a second and asked her final question, "What do you have planned for tomorrow?" Maud and Rainbow Dash looked at eachother in unison and frowned. Twilight rubbed the back of her neck and confessed "Neither do I". However, unknown to eachother, each of the trio had the exact same thought on their mind, a thought that they each wanted to ask, but chose against it.

If this is how today went for Pinkie Pie, what would happen tomorrow?

To be continued…

MLP: And So Say All of Us. Part 2

The clock chimed 12:00, the tune of the clock itself echoing faintly through the hallway and into the nearby rooms. It went unnoticed by any, predictably, and remained uncredited for its routine business. However, this chime was not the only sound to echo throughout the construct.

Pinkie Pie found herself in the basement of her home, having just entered through the only entrance, and by extension, the only exit. She stumbled her way through the darkness before stopping to concentrate, listening for any trace of inhabitancy within this secluded storage room. She smiled to herself as the sound of muffled grunts and muted screams caught her attention, beckoning her to investigate the source further.

She stepped to the nearby wall and blindly searched for a specific tool, her smile widening as a hanging cord brushed against her arm, and gently tugged against it. Instantly, the room lit up with fluorescently golden light, granting Pinkie Pie her momentarily hindered sense of sight, along with a diverting sight to behold for good measure. Rainbow Dash lay at the end of the room, against the wall opposite to the exit; though she herself was in a more substantial predicament the Pinkie Pie found herself in.

Rainbow Dash was strapped tightly to wall-mounted operation table, bound by all four of her legs from the table's surrounding leather belts. She tugged against these restraints with all her strength, and possibly had been for an unknown length of time. Her mouth was gagged, the gag taking responsibility for her muted cries and pleas for freedom. However, this muffled wails soon died as soon as she saw her captor approaching.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Pinkamena stared at Rainbow Dash before the latter returned to her previous tactic of crying at the top of her lungs for someone to save her. Though admirable, Pinkamena found herself intoxicated by these pained screams and smiled to herself malevolently. "Finally…" she muttered to herself, Rainbow Dash stopped to nervously listen; "You can finally get what coming to you".

Pinkamena stepped toward her captive and leaned over her waist, whispering into her ear "Don't bother squealing for help. Its midnight and everypony's asleep, where in an underground basement, and you're gagged. Nopony's going to save you from me". "RHAT ARE MA RAMMA RO?" Rainbow Dash screamed in horror, intending to ask 'what are you gonna do'. Pinkamena's grin grew as wide as ever as she replied "We're finally gonna make our…" before pausing to lean into Rainbow Dash's ear again.

"Cupcakes".

Pinkamena then turned away from her prisoner and stepped towards a nearby table, glaring upon the abundance of tools and crafts and remaining undecided on which to choose. Eventually, though, her decisions we're made, and the crazed captor took her chosen instruments and returned to Rainbow Dash's side for her to observe. A handsaw, a mallet, a pair of jumper cables, a cleaver, and the most ominous of all, a butcher's knife.

Rainbow Dash began to panic and pulled painfully against the bindings in the vain hope of escape. She knew exactly where this was going and dreaded it immensely, "This cannot be happening" repeating over and over in her mind.

Pinkamena rolled her eyes and grimaced, sarcastically joking "Oh, c'mon Rainbow. It's not gonna hurt that much! And besides, I know what I'm doing; I've done this before". Rainbow Dash's mind was spinning out of control, unable to comprehend the situation. She had done this before? Done what?! To who?! Too how many?! How many times before?! Pinkamena then stood before her ingredients and smiled, the knife equipped in her left hoof; "I guess there is one good thing about you phonies… You are perfect ingredients".

"Gergh… No! No- do-don't! NOO! AAAUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Pinkie Pie found herself free falling at a rapid rate, before abruptly impacting against an unforeseen platform. She struggled to pull herself to a sitting position and adjusted her vision for clarity of her surroundings. She looked around to find herself within her bedroom, though no relief was gained from this revelation.

She couldn't help but ponder the events of this latest nightmare, which could be easily classified as the worst nightmare she has had thus far. Her house didn't even have a basement, for one inaccuracy to reality; though there was no substantial evidence that the house in question was Sugarcube Corner in the first place. But the events that unfolded; no less than utterly traumatizing to witness.

She began sweating nervously as she considered the words of her alternate personality. Would she actually do something like that? Would she want to? Would she actually enjoy it? 'Done it before'? Done it to who? Far too many questions for her mind to comprehend, resulting in her remaining motionless beside her bed for the rest of the night.

---

The next morning, Maud awoke from her undisturbed slumber and contently sauntered her way towards the stairs. However, upon passing by her sister's personal boudoir, she felt tempted to investigate her sister's current status, both of her location and her emotion. She listened closely through the door for any indication of Pinkie Pie's presence.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Pinkie Pie stumbled clumsily out into the hall, neglecting her sister, and down the stairs. To Pinkie Pie's surprise, a knock on the door prompted her to greet her unknown morning guest; or in this case, 'guests'. Upon opening the door, she was astonished to find Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity awaiting permission to enter.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight smiled, though Pinkie Pie recognised the smile as a mere masquerade. Pinkie Pie hung her head in misery, before muttering "Hey, girls" and stepping aside to allow them access. The group of unexpected visitors were forced to acknowledge to true nature of this meeting and entered the abode simultaneously. They entered the living room to find Maud awaiting them on the sofa, beckoning the group to do the same.

While the visitors politely obliged and joined her, Pinkie Pie excused herself from the equation and muttered "Sorry, I'll be right back. I need to… to…" Without another word, and without any consideration of the protests her friends made, she stepped out of the living room. But unbeknownst to the others, she had merely hidden in the corridor to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What's the matter with Pinkie Pie? I can't believe she wouldn't even stay to chat with us" Rarity admitted. Maud then intervened and explained "Don't worry about Pinkie Pie. She's been going through a lot for a while now; but don't tell her I said that". "Too late" Pinkie Pie thought to herself, before listening closer.

Her friends had apparently started whispering amongst eachother, but Pinkie Pie could clearly understand what was discussed. "But what should we do about her Birthday Party?" Maud questioned. "That's right!" Pinkie Pie gasped in sudden realisation, "It is my Birthday today!" However, instead of finding any hint of pleasure in this discovery, she didn't feel anything. No emotion was felt from this discovery, and Pinkie Pie felt disappointed in herself for this fact.

Her memory swept her back to last year's birthday party, and she shuddered from the events that occurred during it. It was the first time she had unleashed the hidden emotions she had bottled up inside her ever since arriving in Ponyville, as well as the first time her sanity truly began to crumble, resulting in her belief of abandonment by her companions.

She truly did lose her mind that day, and forced herself to fashion new friends out of inanimate objects. If Rainbow Dash hadn't visited her to question her wellbeing, what may have happened to her since then was unfathomable. And if that's what became of her during that birthday, she dreaded what would unfold during this one.

She continued to listen and found that they had moved on to a new topic; yesterday's embarrassing incident at the café. "She was so upset, she wouldn't even open her eyes. I never thought that she would take it that seriously" Rainbow Dash admitted guiltily. "But, yeah… Now everypony in town knows about it. And they're all actually really worried about her". Twilight added "Yeah, everypony knows something's wrong and really want to help. Some of the staff in the café told me that they felt so sorry for her".

Pinkie Pie bit her lip and tensed at just how wrong that last sentence sounded to her, as she felt that she shouldn't require any sympathy for her actions. Despite this, she was astounded that so many of her associates, a majority being little more than strangers, were so concerned for her. She smiled weakly as a single tear escaped her eye, before she hesitantly wiped her eyes clean and refocused her attention.

The conversation had apparently ended, as she could hear the living room's occupants leave their seats and make their way towards the door. Before they could pass through, however, Pinkie Pie stepped before them and blocked their path, surprising them by her sudden appearance. She looked upon them and confessed "I… need to tell… you girls something". They didn't reply and simply awaited her announcement, this generous attention only making it more painful for her to speak.

"I don't… want a birthday party".

This confession was so unexpected, it practically grinded time itself to a screeching halt. "WHAT!?" her friends screamed in unison, Pinkie Pie bowing her head guiltily for her comment. "Yes. I know" Pinkie Pie explained, before adding "It's just… It won't be worth it". Rainbow Dash stepped forward and shouted "How can you say something like that!? You're our friend, Pinkie Pie! It'll always be worth it!" Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth in frustration and answered "No. It won't".

This was going nowhere; and upon this realisation, Pinkie Pie simply turned away from her friends and staggered her way upstairs to her bedroom. Her friends were astounded by her abrupt exit, only to be surprised even further by her final words on the matter; "Tell everypony the truth about me. They deserve to know". Maud Pie's jaw hung open and Pinkie Pie continued to her bedroom and locked herself inside, entrapping herself from the rest of the world.

---

She climbed onto her bed and sat quietly to herself for the following hours. She suspected that her friends were preparing a party downstairs, but couldn't hear any indication of such actions from outside her bedroom. "Why would you say that?" repeated within her mind, though she had no answer; no excuse for her disconnected nature, and she understood this fact with clarity. "Why would you say that?" was heard one final time; though a specific, peculiar aspect of this question caught her attention.

It was Pinkamena that was asking.

Pinkie Pie had reawakened her alternate personality with her negative attitude; but surprisingly, this return of her uncompassionate shadow was exactly what she wanted. "I can't believe you don't want a birthday party!" Pinkamena echoed within her subconscious. "It's all your fault, you know. … My fault? How's this my fault? … Everypony's going to know about you now. … WHAT! How?! … My friends are going to tell everypony about us. I told them to!"

Pinkamena suddenly screamed "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? I've always cared about you, Pinkie Pie; only because nopony else would! … You're wrong! They'll always care for me! … They never would care for you, and they never will! I hate them all for what they do to you! I'll never put you in any danger like they will! So why do you always ignore me when I'm trying to help you!?" Pinkamena roared furiously. After an unnerving period of silence, Pinkie Pie lay her head on the pillow and sighed, her face devoid of any emotion.

"I give up".

"You what?" Pinkamena questioned in confusion; "I'm done. … What does that mean? … I've had enough of this; having absolutely no choice but to lose control of myself and putting everypony in danger". Pinkamena furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion, curious of how this explanation would eventually conclude. She then asked "So… what are you going to do? ... … … Pinkie Pie?" Pinkamena clutched her head as her eyes widened, exclaiming "Pinkie Pie, what are you gonna do!? … Nothing".

Pinkamena sighed with relief to hear her voice after a periodic silence, but remained confused by her alternate persona's comment. "Nothing? … Nothing at all. You can do whatever you like" Pinkie Pie explained. Pinkamena could sense the lack of generosity in her offering, prompting her to question Pinkie Pie's intentions further. "I can? … You can take over whenever you want to now. We can go wherever, do whatever, and attack whoever you choose". Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth as she failed to hold back her tears.

"You can call the shots now, Pinkamena. You're the dominant personality now".

Pinkamena's heart dropped from these words, before she screamed "What!? Pinkie Pie, you can't say that! Don't say something like that! … I don't even care about what happens to anypony anymore. … Pinkie Pie, why are you doing this?! … You can do everything, and I'll be here to support you. … Pinkie Pie! Stop that!" Pinkamena leapt out of the bed and paced around the bedroom, trying her hardest to talk some sense into her alter ego.

"I don't want to be the dominant personality! Pinkie Pie, why are you doing this!? … What else can I possibly do? Either you take over, I take over, or we just be friends again. … But you don't actually want to be friends with me, do you? … I have no choice". Pinkamena gasped as she fell to her knees in despair, dumbfounded by these final words. "I have no choice", these words managed to squeeze a tear from Pinkamena's eye.

"What's happened to you, cherub? You're not the same cherub I knew before. … I know. I used to be really stupid. … And you really do want me… as the dominant mind? … It doesn't matter what I want. Not anymore, anyway. … Don't say that! … If you want us to be friends, then I'm fine with that. … But we're not friends! Not real friends! … I'll give you complete control of my body, Pinkamena; but I don't want to control it anymore. … PINKIE PIE, STOP! … If you give it back to me at any time, I'll just wait for you to take it again. … NO! DON'T DO THIS. PLEASE!"

Pinkamena was beginning to panic, scared for not only her original personality's sake, but also for their relationship from this moment onward. However, while considering these thoughts, after all this time and trouble she had caused for herself and others, Pinkamena had finally found clarity. She considered her friend's previous phrase for a second time; "I have no choice".

All this time, she truly did force Pinkie Pie to be friends with her again, though the latter constantly rejected it and attempted to supress her. Despite this constant rejection, she obliviously persisted in her own goal and attempted to antagonize Pinkie Pie's friends to gain her favor; and yet, it still wasn't enough to win Pinkie Pie's allegiance. In the end, Pinkie Pie really did have no choice over her own life ever since she came back; and as a result, she had practically destroyed Pinkie Pie and left her as nothing more than a broken, submissive ghost of her former self.

She then considered the heartbreaking anguish that Pinkie Pie would forevermore have to suffer because of her, simply because Pinkie Pie had no real choice but to accept her torment anyway. Being forced, whilst simultaneously forcing herself, to simply watch and grieve for her former friends as her dominant personality continued in her place. Was taking over Pinkie Pie's mind truly what Pinkie Pie actually wanted of Pinkamena? Was it worth it? Would it be worth it?

No it wouldn't.

"I'll leave you alone, Pinkie Pie" Pinkamena quietly stated. Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and stared upwards, asking "What was that?" "I said I'll leave you alone. That's really what you want, isn't it?" Pinkamena asked. Pinkie Pie barely pondered the question before she had her answer and responded "Y-yes it is" meekly. "Okay; then I'll go away" Pinkamena concluded before adding "I really did want us to be friends, y'know. But I think I would've been the worst friend ever".

Pinkie Pie arose from the floor as Pinkamena continued "I never let you decide anything, and now I see what I've been doing to you". By this time, Pinkie Pie's chest radiated warmly and her heartbeat increased, her energy returning at a rapid rate. "I'm not important to you, Pinkie Pie. I'm just an imaginary friend that you became too attached to". "Yes… you are" was all Pinkie Pie could say, the misery of this swiftly concluding battle beginning to take its effect.

"Then you really never needed me at all, and you still don't. I'm sorry about your friends, by the way; but I genuinely did believe that they were to blame for your problems". Pinkie Pie laid her back against the wall and panted exhaustedly, her increasing body temperature beginning to take its toll. "I'll stop taking over; ruining your life. You'll never have to deal with me again" Pinkamena informed in a soft, hurt tone.

Oddly, Pinkie Pie smiled warmly and admitted "For what it's worth, it was fun having you as my friend when I was a filly, Pinkamena", hoping to shed light on this dark atmosphere. "Thanks, cherub. It was good to be with you again, even if it was for the wrong reasons". Pinkie Pie smiled warmly as her mind felt less clouded, and her muscles less strained. Soon, all she could hear was Pinkamena's infamous cackle, which echoed softly through her mind before fading into silence.

It was finally all over.

Pinkie Pie fell forward and landed on her front hooves, exhaling a long, withdrawn sigh. A great weight had just been lifted, and she could practically feel it as it relieved her of its whim. Her unmistakable, uplifting smile had finally returned as she recollected the previous events, insurmountably pleased that her cheerful attitude had begun to remanifest as a result. She filled with delight as she considered these thoughts, feeling more alive than she had ever felt in the past year.

"I'm actually… happy again" she muttered before hugging herself with joy, "It feels so good to be myself again!" She stepped through her bedroom door and was prepared to strut her way down the stairs, only to find an obstacle impeding her progress; an obstacle in the form of her sister. "Pinkie Pie, what happened? Are you alright?" Maud asked with concern, before she noticed her sister's joyful facial expression. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie ensnared Maud in a hug, screaming "She's gone! SHE'S ACTUALLY GONE NOW!"

"What!? Who?" Maud gasped, before Pinkie Pie released her swiftly suffocating sister. "Pinkamena! She's gone! I got rid of her!" "What!?" came a cry from downstairs, followed by the loudening sound of hoofsteps approaching the siblings. Twilight was the first on the scene, shouting "Wait! Pinkamena's gone!? Gone for good?!" "Yep!" Pinkie Pie beamed proudly. "She's never coming back!" Applejack arrived next, questioning thoughtfully "You mean… never ever coming back?" Pinkie Pie giggled joyfully and held Applejack's cheeks; "Never ever again!"

Finally, the rest of the gang joined her on the stairs, Rainbow Dash stepping in front of the others and standing before her best friend. "Are you ready, Pinkie Pie?" she asked, a smug look on her face. Pinkie Pie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Ready? What for?" the gang looked at eachother, the same smug grins spread across their cheeks.

Rainbow Dash held out a blindfold and answered "It's a surprise". Without another word, the blindfold was wrapped over Pinkie Pie's field of vision and tied in a knot behind her head, hindering Pinkie Pie's sense of direction by an extreme quantity. Thankfully, her friends were more than willing to make up for it with their guidance, leading her down the stairs and through the corridor.

Pinkie Pie's excitement grew with every passing second, her imagination running wild of what 'surprise' awaited her. She was finally stopped outside the lounge room, her excitement reaching its peak. The blindfold was slowly being lifted away. Here it comes.

"SURPRISE!"

The End.