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…