//------------------------------//
// Part 1 
// Story: Pinkie's Game 
// by AdrianJNovelle 
//------------------------------//

	It was a normal day in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had already cleared the sky of clouds for the day. Rarity’s new order of materials had just arrived, and she had just started working on some new dress designs. Applejack was of course busy bucking apples. Fluttershy was in her home, repairing the nest of a few birds who lived in her cottage with her. Pinkie Pie was busy baking cupcakes…again. And Twilight Sparkle was on her balcony, reading. Spike ran upstairs to the balcony, in his hand: a letter, from Princess Celestia herself.
“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed, panting. “A letter…from Celestia!”
“Hmm?” Twilight turned her head and used her horn to bring the letter closer to her so she could read it. Her eyes started out calm and relaxed, but widened and widened as she read through the letter further and further.
Spike couldn’t see Twilight’s eyes from where he was standing, but he was curious about her prolonged silence.
“What is it?” he asked. “Is Princess Celestia alright?”
“That she is, Spike,” Twilight finally replied. “And so is Princess Luna. But it’s us ponies who are not alright.”
“What did the Princess say?”
“She says here that she wishes I not say a word about this to anypony until her arrival in Ponyville tomorrow. She will be making the announcement to everypony then.”
“Why, why doesn’t she want anyone to know?” Spike asked.
“She says that it is much better if she tells everypony personally, and that transmitting the information to somepony else may draw some unwanted attention.”
“So, why did she send the letter?”
“She’s leaving me in charge of gathering everypony for the speech tomorrow, and she wanted to give me a little notice, since it is very urgent.”
“I wonder what it’s about,” Spike said, stepping closer to Twilight Sparkle, who used her magic to destroy the letter before Spike laid his eyes upon the words.
“You will find out tomorrow,” Twilight began, rising to her hooves, “like everypony else.”





Twilight did her best to keep the purpose of Princess Celestia’s announcement a secret while trying to inform the Mayor and many other ponies about the arrival of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Fortunately, an arrival of Princess Celestia is automatically never questioned.
“Celestia is coming!?” asked the Mayor.
“That’s right,” Twilight replied, “she’ll be coming over tomorrow to make an announcement: of which I am unable to speak.”
“Hmm. That probably suggests it’s of great urgency!” the Mayor exclaimed. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, I am in your debt of gratitude.”
Most of the ponies reacted to be very astonished by Twilight’s cautioning of the arrival of royalty. It was her friends, however, who began to question it; Pinkie Pie more than any other pony.
“I could throw a party!” she exclaimed, bouncing in position.
“I highly recommend you didn’t,” Twilight remarked, “the Princess isn’t exactly coming for a casual visit.”
“Oh. Why is she coming, then?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“She requested I not tell anypony,”  Twilight said, attempting to evade Pinkie’s curiosity. “You will find out everything you want to know tomorrow when she arrives.”
“And why is she bringing Princess Luna? Luna doesn’t overrule Equestria like Princess Celestia does.”
“She didn’t tell me that,” Twilight said, “all she said is that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are coming to make an important announcement – that’s all.”
Twilight Sparkle was hiding something about her letter from the Princess from Pinkie Pie. She knew that if she spoke out, Pinkie’s interrogation would never end.
“Still, I don’t know why the Princess is giving you so much notice all for a little announcement.”
Twilight’s expression looked completely blank.
“That’s probably because it’s more than just ‘a little announcement,’ Pinkie Pie.”
“I would hope so,” Pinkie remarked, still bouncing in place. “Well, thanks for letting me know. What time will she be here?”
“She didn’t say. But I would imagine first thing in the morning.”
“Okie, dokie, Loki,” said Pinkie Pie, bouncing up to the porch of Sugar Cube Corner.
The worst was over for Twilight’s quest of information. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all questioned her comment to a point, but no one as curiously as Pinkie Pie.
Once everypony knew of the big announcement, Twilight returned to the library to read, hoping to lose herself amongst the pages. But her mind remained on Pinkie Pie. Princess Celestia mentioned Pinkie Pie numerous times in her letter.
“Did Pinkie Pie know she was mentioned personally in the letter?” Twilight asked herself aloud, staring up at the cloud overhead, “or was her curiosity just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie?”
Twilight only feared the worst. If she asked Pinkie herself, she would have to tell her that she was mentioned in Celestia’s letter. And then the big announcement would have little meaning, even if it is from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Twilight could only hope that Pinkie didn’t know.
And that she would not find out.





Twilight, for the first time in months, did not sleep well the previous night. Her mind was too busy hypothesizing and theorizing to rest; her brain too stimulated to slumber. She could not wait for morning to come and for the royalty of Canterlot to arrive in Ponyville that morning.
Just after sunrise, Princess Celestia’s chariot was visible over Ponyville, Princess Luna right by her side.
“She’s on her way!” Twilight exclaimed to Spike, looking back to him from her window, “quickly! To the town center!”
Everypony in Ponyville was gathered around as the Princesses’ chariot landed nearby the town center, both Princesses stepped out and approached a podium, Celestia prepared to do all of the talking. Twilight and her friends were right in the front row.
“Ladies and gentleponies,” began the Princess, “where is the pony named Pinkie Pie? I wish to address her.”
“Right here!” Pinkie Pie said, raising her hoof.
“Come here, Miss Pinkie Pie,” said the Princess, “the crowd must see you.”
Pinkie stepped out of the crowd and onto the stage, seating herself right next to Princess Luna.
“It has come to my attention,” continued Princess Celestia, “that an evil pony is among us. Her intentions are to bring all that is happy and gleeful to an end, and surround all of Equestria with night eternal, much like Princess Luna did when she was Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately, this villain is worse than Nightmare Moon: she is powerful, she is strong, she is bold, and, most importantly, she is Pinkie Pie!”
“Me!?” Pinkie exclaimed.
Princess Celestia quickly turned to the frightened Pinkie, “Not you, Pinkie Pie,” she said, then returning her focus to the audience, “this pony is an evil version of Pinkie Pie, one who, instead of living for laughter, lives for sorrow. Only Pinkie Pie herself can vanquish such a villain…”
Rainbow Dash nudged Twilight Sparkle.
“Does any of this sound familiar?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Twilight answered quietly, “she mentioned all of this in her letter. She’s about to talk about the Dark Ponies in a few moments, I’m sure.”
“And now, to explain the Dark Ponies to you all, please put your hooves together for my sister, Princess Luna.”
The audience applauded the guest Princess. Princess Luna began her speech.
“I am Princess Celestia’s sister, Princess Luna. And, as Nightmare Moon, it probably appeared to you ponies that we differed completely in our senses of harmony in Equestria. That was true. Unfortunately, that is a one-time event, for everypony in Equestria and the world has a version of their own that is completely the opposite. These ponies are known as the Dark Ponies.
"For centuries now, we have known about the Dark Ponies, but the presence of harmony in the world brought their reign of terror to a minimal, our own generations of ponyfolk almost completely unaware of their presence. However, during my brief reign of night eternal, the Dark Ponies gained some power that was otherwise impossible for them to obtain: a dimension of magic even more powerful than the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony may have stopped Nightmare Moon, but they are futile against the divine forces of the Dark Ponies.
"We have come here today, as soon as we could, to inform everypony of the Dark Ponies’ presence, so we could prepare for their attack, whenever that shall be. In the meantime, we plan to conquer them personally. Pinkie Pie here,  the most friendly and least harmful of all the ponies in Ponyville, is the leader of the gang of Dark Ponies, including Rainbow Slash, Twilight Moonlight, Fluttercry, Applebuck, and Diamond, the Dark Ponies of Pinkie’s friends.
"It is in your best interest to defend Ponyville at any and all costs. Meanwhile, ponies Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity will join Pinkie Pie on a quest to put an end of the Dark Ponies evil scheme once and for all. Never again shall darkness surround the skies of Equestria!”
Pinkie was dismissed from the stage and sent back into the crowd, where she united with her friends. Before they began their journey, the ponies returned to their homes and packed their bags of some provisions. Once they were all packed up and ready to go, they gathered at the outskirts of Ponyville, where Pinkie Pie was directed from Princess Celestia to go.
“Alright, everypony, this is it,” she said, staring confidently into the vast plains ahead, “the game has begun.”