PROLOGUE: NO MORE LAUGHTER

She appeared alone, yet in her mind she could hear so many voices whispering terrible things to her. How long had it been since she'd arrived in this place? She felt as if it'd been years, years spent trying to understand and convince herself she was indeed something more than a simple clone. She told herself her name was Pinkie Pie, it was her only comfort now. Long ago she recalled feelings of hope and motivation, but those feelings had all but dissipated entirely. All that remained was a sliver of sanity which she refused to let go of unconsciously. It'd been so long that she was starting to question whether she truly was the real Pinkie Pie. She had memories and emotions so didn't that make her as real as anypony else? Or perhaps she was simply the last clone out of many and still clinging desperately to the hope she was real, wanting to reconnect with reality.

When in actual reality, it was more than likely everything she believed was only a mirage.

Maybe she was simply delusional, and her friends were never her friends.

Maybe she was meant to remain here forever, lost in her own sea of doubts.

She might as well just give up like the rest of them, and fade into the unknown.

She might as well simply, cease to exist.

But soon another feeling had emerged at that point, one of fear, and slowly that feeling began to escalate.

As she floated in this space of endless turquoise, submerged within a bottomless ocean, she started to question everything.

She thought about how she'd been lost, and nopony would remember her, nor would they care. She thought how she would never be able to think back on such memories, despite knowing they may very well not be her own. Even though the ponies in her memories were probably never friends to begin with, she cherished and loved them all the same. Yet those feelings of love began to shape into something else entirely, feelings of bitterness, anger, betrayal, and hatred. Why? Why couldn't they see!? Why couldn't they see she cared just as much as the supposedly real Pinkie Pie did? Didn't they see how hard she tried? Couldn't they see she was just as real? Couldn't they understand she was living flesh and blood, doing all she could in order to not be forced back into this desolate place? What sort of friends were they anyway, to send her back here? All she was used for was faint amusement for a short period of time. Then banished back here as if her existence had no significance whatsoever.

They left her to rot for an eternity, alone.

She didn't want that, she didn't want them to have the last laugh.

She didn't want to simply disappear without a trace and cease to exist, to be erased from the fabric of the universe.

She didn't want to be unable to produce thoughts and feelings despite how negative they currently were.

She just wanted something, anything was better than nothing, and if she gave up, she'd have absolutely nothing at all.

She cried as she continued to dwell on these thoughts, her tears were transparent and unnoticeable, but she sobbed. Her heart ached in pain and in desperation. She didn't want things to end like this, alone with nopony beside her. If she were simply meant to disappear, then what sort of cruel malevolent being would allow her the ability to feel in such a way? To give her the power to be able to connect the pieces of her fragmented world. Why, why would she be given the cutie mark of laughter if she were never meant for it? It was mocking in some ways. Why would she be given these memories of being with her friends if they were never her friends to begin with? Why would she be given all these things if they were never real, and never hers!?

She wanted to live, to laugh, to love. She wanted a future, despite what anypony else said. She wanted to strive for the same world they had, even if she wasn't meant to. She wanted at least one pony to truly remember her for who she was here and now. She wanted the world to know of her existence. As much as she felt she was meant to be a prisoner here, to never have anypony by her side, to float mindlessly in an empty space lacking any thought, she wanted that freedom and peace of mind. She'd do anything for it. She would rebel against this cold reality, and take back her existence.

She would succeed, where all her other selves had failed. Real or not, her dream would be reality.

She began to move her hooves clawing at this empty space, it felt as if she were climbing a mountain. Her muscles strained, and refused to comply with her wishes. Everything tightened up, and this world refused to let her go. It was as if she were being told that this wasn't meant to be, that she was making a mistake. It was as if this world was an entity in itself, attempting to do everything in its power to stop her, to hold her down, to pull her further down into the bottomless depths. But as the pain coursing through her was obviously apparent, so was that look of defiance on her face. She pushed and pushed, swimming, paddling upward with all her might. Soon it felt as if this form of gravity had tripled, and she were sinking even further down, but she continued, and inch by inch she made her way up. She didn't see anything, no end to this quest of her's. For all she knew, there was no end, no surface, no escape. But she tried to reach it still, she clung onto her thoughts and emotions for motivation, she rejected all despair.

She remained true to her conviction and feelings of vindication, and she continued to rise.

Memories of her friends and the precious moments they shared together continued to haunt her as she did this. Memories of their laughter soon became scorn, as such happy times drove her for all the wrong reasons. Her anger fueled her passion for justice, and as she clawed her way up, she let off a mute scream, not caring for this water which surrounded her and simply doing anything she could to boost her momentum. There was a light now which'd emerged overhead, and she constantly clawed towards it for it was her first real sign of progress. And finally, the more she wanted it, the more she told herself she'd do anything to escape this twisted form of reality, and she managed to break the surface of this maddening pool. She'd escaped her prison.

For the first time in what felt like ages, she could taste the air, and feel the exposure.

She could feel the cold winds wrap around her plump body, which now felt heavier and more ripe, full of life. Every movement she made felt different, and there was a slight stinging sensation in her eyes as she'd glanced around the area. She was in the cave, the same cave she'd been forced to return to. She breathed heavily, unable to contain her gratitude, her anxiousness, and her satisfaction at the fact that she'd actually returned to reality. She paddled at the water hurriedly, still a little paranoid she'd sink back into the mirror pool as she touched upon the rocky hard ground at the far end. She climbed out, before shaking herself off in order to remove the water from her coat. Afterwords she glanced back down at the surface of the mirror pool somewhat, still suspended in disbelief, she stared for a good long while. She then noticed she had no reflection......

Pinkie's heart ached in response to this, but she buried that sense of doubt and sorrow beneath a pile of more positive emotions. She was just grateful to be out of that pool, she was grateful to actually feel alive again. She grabbed hold of a portion of her drenched mane and tied it into a pony tail before shaking her head to give it some fluff. She lowered her hind legs to sit, before looking around again, now a little conflicted on what she should do. It was her anger that'd got her out in the first place, her drive to succeed and her spitefulness towards her old friends, but now she was having second thoughts. Was her bitterness worth risking being returned to the mirror pool? But at that moment Pinkie also reminded herself of what it was like to be trapped in that pool. She reminded herself once again of others whom been trapped, forever doomed to wander in that torturous reality.

No, she would voice her concerns. She would be silenced no longer.

She gave herself a reaffirming nod. She would never allow this sort of method to be used again, her life was no different from theirs.

Now, all she had to do was escape this place.

Pinkie made her way up towards the exit of the cave, or at least, the entrance and exit, only to find that her path had been blocked by a large boulder. For good reason this worried her, and her expression sunk as she shook her head. "No, no no no! This isn't good! This is not good..not good not good!" She began pacing heavily once again as she pressed herself up against the boulder. She was now filled with dread again. How cruel of fate, to allow her to escape only to trap her once again. Pinkie backed up from the boulder however, glaring at it angrily. She wouldn't allow herself to be trapped like this! Not after having been cooped up for so long already! She charged, slamming her body into the boulder full force "Ngh!" Of course she'd immediately stumbled back before staggering in discomfort and slouching down tiredly. But she prepared herself again for another attempt.

After a brief moment of rest, she charged again, but once again producing another failure. She repeated the process though, continuously she charged and charged. Each time she did so, she'd become more beaten, but she wouldn't allow herself to give up. She continued to no end, constantly telling herself that she'd do anything to make it out. And like when she'd managed to escape the mirror pool, once again, it was as if her mere wishful thinking had managed the impossible. In the next attempt by Pinkie, she'd simply phased through the boulder as if it weren't even there. She rolled and tumbled through the dirt skidding face first against the grass outside the cave. She laid there for some time, before blinking a bit soon afterwords and glancing up momentarily at the beautiful night sky. She looked back at the boulder, seeing that it was still in place. Pinkie smiled at the boulder, "Thank you!"

Pinkie rose to her hooves, before constantly staring up at the sky. She took in all the sweet soothing ambiance which surrounded her with a gratified smile. And as she smiled up at the sky, she also cried silently as she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She felt different now, different from the way her memories portrayed her. She now saw this world in a different light from before.

"Why, Pinkie Pie, it was you then? This is quite the surprise!"

Pinkie's eyes widened as she immediately glanced in the voice's direction with curiosity.

There she saw standing with a basket of many diverse flowers, would be a zebra.

The zebra cocked her head to the right with a saddened expression, "I had thought you'd left these troubles behind? Please let yourself rewind and recall, just what'd happened the last time, you'd let such lonely emotions cloud your mind."

Pinkie smirked during that particular moment, before glaring at the zebra, remembering her name. "You're....Zecora! Oh goodies!"

This caused Zecora's eyes to widen. "Pinkie Pie are you alright?" She backed away some, "You are acting quite strange tonight."

Pinkie Pie chuckled playfully before approaching the mare slowly, "Oh, I'm just fine Zecora!....I need a place to stay if that's okay?"

Zecora raised a brow slowly at the mare. "Y-Yes...uhm, of course this is fine. But Pinkie Pie-"

Pinkie immediately pressed her hoof against Zecora's muzzle gently. "Shhhhh....Please Zecora, pretty pretty please, don't make things any more weird! I just want to stay by you for now, there's nopony else I want around."

Zecora fell silent as she just stared Pinkie Pie in the eyes in puzzlement. "You....You're not Pinkie Pie...."

Suddenly Pinkie's brow twitched as her pupils dilated. "What did you just say?"

Zecora winced, "Of course this simply cannot be a coincidence! Do you truly believe me that dense!? The forest echoed with a disturbed cry, there was something disrupting the peace, I dare not think why. For now that you're here before me, I see that it is you, whose responsible for this troubling story. For why do you think I am here tonight, in such a place at such a time!? You have done what the others could not. You are a clone! Not, who I once thought!"

Zecora dropped her basket and backed away from the mare a bit, before glaring at her angrily. "I cannot question fate brought me here today. I must right your wrongs, and send you on your way. You disrupt the balance this forest once held, you do not belong in this world, you're no better than a chaotic illusion or spell." Zecora stomped a hoof, "Return to the pool, now!"

Pinkie Pie gasped, before scrunching her face up angrily, turning red. She threw her head back before scoffing, "MAKE ME, DUMMY!"

Zecora then attempted grabbing hold of the mare, only to phase through her in an instant. As she'd arrived behind Pinkie's flank, she felt a sudden kick and buck hit her own rear end as she ended up on the ground with a mouth full of grass and dirt.

Pinkie Pie then moved in a stride with each trot. "I don't have to go back and I don't wanna! I live in this world now, and there's nothing you or anypony can do to stop me! S-So...So...go back to your little hut! I didn't wanna be friends with you anyway!" She also ensured to knock over Zecora's basket of flowers for extra insult, as she hurriedly made her way further into Everfree Forest.

Zecora coughed, scraping off her tongue of dirt and grass with a hoof. She glanced back momentarily to see Pinkie's departing figure fading in the distance. It was only safe to assume she'd probably be heading for Ponyville, which worried Zecora to say the least. Her expression sunk as she lowered her head a little, "Oh Pinkie Pie, these are rules to which you must abide!!!"

Pinkie Pie trotted merrily and rapidly through the forest. She didn't acknowledge any of the troubles Zecora presented before her, her mind was elsewhere and she was lost in her own sense of joy. She phased through anything which came before her, before she'd even broke off into a series of rapid bounces. She bounced happily up and down, before doing a midair spin and spreading her hooves as she'd actually chuckled as she touched upon the ground masterfully. "Nope, nope nope nope! SORRY!" No, this sense of freedom she wouldn't give up for the world or anypony. Not in a million years.

Zecora groaned before hurrying over to her basket of flowers. "Oh, she's like a stubborn child! A stubborn little clone!"

Meanwhile in Ponyville, some ponies stood on the edge of Everfree Forest, looking upon it curiously.

One of the ponies tilted her head to the right, before commenting, "Is it supposed to be doing that?"

Another of the ponies shrugged at her before adding on, "Beats me! It's Everfree Forest, it does all sorts of weird things!"

And on the edge of Everfree, one could see shimmering and flickering trees, almost as if they were illusions of the real thing. Next Chapter: Chapter 1: I am real, I am here... Estimated time remaining: 16 Minutes