Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 4: Alicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 26: As easy as Pinkie Pie

Pinkie giggled gleefully as the car pulled into the market. Her father gave her a small smile. “Now, remember. There's a thirty bit limit on decorations, forty on ingredients. Okay?”

She nodded rapidly. The moment the car came to a full stop she unbuckled and galloped off, leaving her father behind. This was going to be the best party ever. She nearly tackled the cart when she got to it, quickly going down the aisles.

Thirty bits weren't a lot, but she knew she could make a spectacular party with it. All she had to do was do a lot of things by hoof. Making her own streamers, confetti, everything would be pretty easy. Even if she wasn't allowed to use scissors. She could do it just like Fluff--

The thought crashed down in her mind and she froze in mid step. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to figure out where her line of thought had been. She could be just like... just like...

She shook her head and shrugged. She was probably just too easily distracted, that was all. “Ooooooh, sparkly!” she said gleefully as she grabbed a bunch of glimmering fabric. It was on sale, too, such a bargain. Before long she had her cart filled with paper, glue, fabric, food, all manners of things she'd need for her party. Her father looked down at it with annoyance.

“Pinkamina, are you sure this is right? All you've really gotten is... well, pieces. Wouldn't you rather get premade things?” The price was soon rung up, a few bits under her budget.

“Of course, the best parties are always done with love and care,” she said happily. “Besides, this way it's all cheap and I can get more of it! It'll be a little extra work, but I don't mind.”

Her father nodded before he helped her bag everything up and started hauling it outside. Before she knew it, they were back on the road heading home, the car filled with all kinds of supplies. She could barely wait.

------

Pinkie let out a soft, gleeful giggle as she made the tenth card, drawing in each word with precision, before adding just a bit of sparkle dust.

“Honey, are you sure you don't want to buy some premade cards?” her mother asked from the kitchen table, eying her daughter. “This is a lot of extra work. I'm sure I can convince your father to give a few more bits to buy some. It's not--”

“It's fine,” Pinkie said happily as she used the markers and decorations to make the cards perfect. “It means more when hoof done. It comes from the heart then. It shows we care.” She hummed happily as she worked, a neat stack of cards besides her. “Do you think thirty will be enough?”

“And then some,” her mother said, before getting to work on the little decorations she'd been assigned.

Pinkie hadn't been this happy since she'd woken up. She felt like herself again, working her flank off to get the party perfect. And it would be perfect, she was sure of it. Decorations, cards, food, everything was going perfectly. It was going to be the best party on the block in years. Even on a budget she didn't mind, it just meant she got to put a more personal touch on it.

“Honey, do you want some... juice?” her mother asked before glancing towards the multiple pitchers on the counter. “Did you really need to make so much?”

“Of course! Each one is a different recipe, I need to make sure it tastes absolutely perfect. That means I have to do a lot of testing.” She finished up the last of the invitations and got to her hooves. “All done! How are the streamers coming?”

“Errr, fine? I think?” The mare held up a few badly cut streamers. Pinkie giggled and took them “I'll take care of this. How about you work on the banner?”

Her mother sighed and nodded, before going over to it and getting to work. Her mother lacked the skills she did, but she didn't mind. It was something they could do together, a real family activity. All the mistakes were so minor she could fix them in a few seconds too, so it wasn't like it was a major bother. She could already feel the excitement coming, however. The party. There would be a few dozen guests, they'd have to move the furniture. Probably have a few problems getting everypony in, but she'd managed to find a tarp and was even rigging up some cover outside. They could have a lot of ponies out and about without any problems. It was going to be truly spectacular.

------

Pinkie giggled gleefully as she hopped in the air with each step. Her mother trailed just behind, holding some of the invitations in a saddlebag. “Pinkamina, slow down,” the elder mare called out.

“But it's so exciting!” Pinkie complained, but did slow down to walk with her mother. “This is going to be the best party ever. I can't wait. Do you think we can have more later if this goes well?”

“We'll talk about it then,” her mother said softly before motioning towards the next house. “Remember, just put it in the mailbox.”

“But it's more exciting if we go in person and hand it to them,” Pinkie whined.

“Yes, but it makes some ponies nervous. This is more polite, so come along.”

Pinkie sighed, but did as she was told. She could barely contain her excitement as letter after letter was delivered. They'd delivered one to every house on their street and all the houses for a few blocks. She couldn't wait to see how many ponies came. She hoped she'd have enough punch and everything. It was going to be amazing.

------

Pinkie rocked back and forth in her chair, glancing towards the clock nervously. The party would start any minute, yet nopony had arrived yet. She figured a few would be late, but she was hoping they all wouldn't be. She couldn't help but feel a little worried that nopony would come.

After all, she was a bit out of practice. She hadn't thrown a party since Twilight had... she hadn't really... thrown a party in years. Ever since before she had her incident. Who knew if she was any good at it now? What if she'd never thrown any before? What if it was all in her head?

She took a slow, deep breath and shook her head. It was going to be fine. It had to be. She knew how to throw a party. All she needed was the ponies. There was even music. Maybe not the best music, but it was something ponies could dance to. But they weren't coming. The minute hand ticked away and soon it would be time. She held her breath, watching and waiting. Her parents moved around behind her, pretending to be busy but she knew they were just keeping an eye on her.

They'd cleaned out the downstairs, put all the chairs and furniture to the side so there would be lots of room. She fixed up the cover outside so ponies could keep out of the rain. Unfortunately, it had begun to downpour. Maybe that's why ponies weren't here, they were hoping the weather would clear.

The minute hand hit the last little tick and it was time for the party to start. There wasn't a single knock. She went limp in the chair. They were just a few minutes late. That was all. Ponies were coming. They had to be coming. She felt despair begin to ri--

Knock knock knock!

She was almost instantly on the door, pulling it open with a wide smile. There were a few ponies outside, waiting for her. An older couple and a few her age. “Ah, is this the right residence?” the elder mare asked. “We're here for a party, we got an invitation in the mail?”

Pinkie nodded and moved aside. “Come in, come in! We're just getting started!” After a few seconds her father pushed the play button and the soft, gentle music started to play. Not so loud to make it hard to hear each other, but loud enough ponies could still dance if they wanted. She motioned the ponies inside and pointed towards the kitchen. “We have snacks and drinks in the kitchen.”

“Oh, such a nice young mare,” the elder mare said with a smile. “This is my daughter, Lilac, and her friend, Rose. Say hi, girls.”

The two younger mares glanced up before sighing. “Hi,” they muttered in unison.

“We're going to go get something to drink. How about you all introduce yourselves?” the older stallion said before he and his wife trotted off.

Pinkie gave the two a happy wave. “Hi! I'm Pinkie, a pleasure to--”

“So you're nuts, right?” Lilac asked. “That's what the rumors say, at least.”

That caught the mare off guard and she paused. She shook her head. “Err, no, I take my medicine now. It's, I'm not really... it was a condition. It's all better now.”

“Really?” Rose asked. “The story going around the block is you snapped and killed your sister so they had to lock you away.”

Pinkie cringed then, taking a step back. “I-I didn't... I didn't kill her. She fell through the ice. It was an accident.”

“Really? I heard you held her under and your parents had to pull you off,” Lilac said, a wicked glint in her eye.

Pinkie gulped and shook her head. “N-no. Do... do you want something to eat? We... we have snacks.”

“Not really hungry. You got a TV? Equestrian idol is going to start soon.”

Pinkie nodded and pointed towards the television. How could they say such cruel things. She'd never have... she loved her sister. She was sure of it. She moved away from them and just watched, nervously poking the ground. After a few minutes she worked up the courage to walk over again. “So, ummmm, what's this show about?” she managed to ask. Some pony was singing off key.

“Reality TV. Isn't it obvious? Best thing in the world.” Lilac said, cocking an eye. “Do you mind, we're trying to watch it.”

Pinkie sighed and backed up. She thought this would be easier, but for some reason all her confidence was just evaporating. She used to be so good at all this, what happened? Of course, she hadn't been good at it. She just made it up.

She moved off to the side of the room and watched the television. After a few more minutes the door rang again and she quickly galloped over, pulling it open. “Hello!” she said with a happy grin. More ponies her age! And their parents.

She frowned suddenly. Wait, their parents? Wasn't she an adult? Why was she living with her parents? Why would she be going to school? Shouldn't she--

She blinked a few times and shook her head. What was she thinking? She knew it was important, but now it was just melting away and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't grasp it. Instead she just smiled at the guests. “Hello! Come in, come in.” She pointed towards the kitchen. “There's some snacks in the kitchen and we're watching a music show.”

“Thanks, dear,” the elder mare said before nudging her daughter forward. The mare looked young and was wearing glasses. She gave a shy, nervous smile.

“H-hi!” Pinkie said happily, holding out a hoof.

The young mare was nudged forward again, just a little bit. She yelped and then took Pinkie's hoof, quickly shaking it. The moment her parents were gone, however, she retreated towards the others.

Pinkie didn't let that disturb her, though. She grinned and followed after. “So, my name's Pinkie, what's yours?”

“Olive,” the mare said gently, before taking another step back. “P-please don't h-hurt me, I just, I-I didn't want to, didn't want to come. I-I just--”

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “What? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to be your friend.”

“R-right, friend. Just... just friends. O-okay,” the mare said, a terrified smile on her face.

Pinkie frowned and slowly pulled back. “N-nevermind. I'll go get some treats.” She quickly trotted off towards the kitchen. Her parents were smiling and chatting, but the moment she walked in silence filled the room.

“Everything going okay, hon?” her father asked nervously.

“Oh, it's fine. Everything is fine,” she lied with a smile. “Just hungry, that's all.” She trotted to the table and grabbed a cookie. She could feel their eyes on her, silently watching and waiting for her to snap. She tried to ignore it. The moment she had her cookie she quickly turned tail and walked back into the living room. The moment she was gone, she heard them chatting away again. The living room was no better, Lilac and Rose ignored her or insulted her, while Olive was outright terrified of her.

More guests soon arrived and the living room filled with more and more ponies. But none of them were the least bit interested in her. They were either scared of her, thought she was weird or outright treated her like she had escaped the mental ward, rather than being released. By the time the night was finally over and all of her attempts to make friends had been rejected, she only barely managed to avoid crying. Instead she waved goodbye, with a fake smile on her face, as they all left.

“So, how did it go?” her mother asked.

“Fine. It all went fine,” Pinkie lied as she got to work cleaning everything. How could she have thought this would go well? She was such an idiot. She'd lost years of her life and now nopony would want anything to do with her. She blinked a few times to try to get rid of the tears before they could fall. “It's pretty late, I can clean this up myself.”

“Honey, don't worry about it,” her mother said before giving her a hug. “I'll take care of it. There's not much. Go brush your teeth and get some sleep, okay?”

Pinkie gave a soft sigh and nodded. She couldn't even bring herself to object. It was all screwed up, every bit of it. How could she do all this without friends? Once she made it to the bathroom, she closed the door and stared in the mirror. It took all she had to not burst into tears.

It just wasn't fair. She was a great pony, she loved her friends and would treat them amazing. Yet these ponies wouldn't even give her a chance. They treated her like some kind of nut job and ignored her. She wanted to bury her head in her pillows and scream and wail, but she couldn't. Her parents would start fighting again if she did that. It would all be her fault again.

She didn't even want to imagine what school would be like. She'd missed years and... and...

She frowned and cocked her head to the side. Wait, why was she going to school? Shouldn't she be taking special classes or have a tutor now? She'd been gone for years and--

She shook her head as the trails of thought just disappeared. She kept thinking of things, but they just went poof! It wasn't... right. It just wasn't right. She tried to remember what it was, but it was gone with the wind. She finally just walked to the door and pulled it open, stepping back towards her room with a sigh.

She stopped outside her door and then glanced over towards her sister's. She turned back and listened. Her parents were still downstairs, talking. At least they didn't sound mad. She then gently trotted towards the door and pushed it open. She reached in and flipped the light on.

Everything was boxed up. There wasn't a bed or anything and the room looked very dusty. It was filled with boxes, ones that said things like 'Maud's toys' or 'Maud's clothes' and such. There were also other boxes that said things like 'Decorations', 'Special silverware' and 'Receipts'. A storage room. She frowned and walked inside, looking around. She walked towards a box labeled with toys and slowly opened it, looking inside. She didn't recognize the toys. Why couldn't she? It didn't trigger any emotions, sadness, anything. It just... made her feel empty. Like something was missing. Did she not care about her sister? Not love her sister?

No. She loved Maud. Even if they weren't sisters in the other world, that didn't mean they weren't sisters. Besides, her family probably came from the Earth Kingdom lands at some point, even if she wasn't an earth bender and--

No, that wasn't right. She took a step back and closed the box. It couldn't be right. She was just a normal pony. She wasn't the element of laughter. There wasn't even an element of laughter. It was something she made up. She quickly trotted out of the room.

Downstairs she could hear them yelling again. She trotted to the last step and listened, chewing on her lower lip.

“If you'd never bought her those books to begin with, we wouldn't have lost her!” her father yelled.

“How was I supposed to know she'd snap? I was trying to help her deal with the loss of her sister! That was a lot more than you'd ever done! Maybe if you had been around once in a while, none of this would have happened!”

“I had to work to pay for this house! Not to mention her medical bills. You stay at home all day, what have you ever done other than raise more costs?”

“I take care of our child! I had a career and I still would if YOU hadn't demanded I stay at home to tend to our children! I'd probably be making twice what you do now!”

“Oh, of course. I never demanded anything! You were the one who--”

Now Pinkie couldn't hold it in anymore, she got to her hooves and trotted into her room. The tears began to flow as she collapsed on her bed, burying her head in her pillow. None of this was fair. She hadn't wanted to make them fight. She'd never wanted them to fight. All she ever wanted to do was make ponies happy. To make them smile. Why couldn't she? Why did everything she did have to end up so wrong?

“Pinkie!” a voice suddenly rang out.

Her head shot up and she quickly looked around.

“Pinkie, can you hear me? I-- ahhh!”

The mare's gaze fell on her little toy shelf. The toy version of Twilight had fallen over. The voice was coming from it. “T-Twilight?” she asked softly.

“Pinkie! You... holy buck you're huge! What in... what?” Twilight looked down at herself. “Am... am I made of plastic? What... how?”

“Hey, I can see! This is awesome!” Rainbow said, before looking around. “The buck is all this? Hah! You look ridiculous.”

“No no no,” Pinkie said with a quick shake of her head. “You're not real. I'm just having another... relapse. That's all, I just need my medicine.”

“Pinkie? Listen to me!” Twilight tried stepping forward and nearly fell off the shelf. She yelped and stepped back quickly. “Discord has you trapped in a--”

“La la la la! Not real!” Pinkie said quickly, shaking her head.

“What? Pinkie! I need you to listen to me, we need your help. This is all a trap, made by Discord!”

“Listen to her,” Rainbow said. “I don't know what Discord is making you see, but this isn't real. It's all a trick and... Oh my gosh. That poster is AWESOME!”

“Not listening, I've had my medicine.” She buried her head into the pillow.

“Please! This is all fake! You need to find where things don't make sense! Your element will help you, we still need you!” Twilight looked around. “Also, why am I a toy?”

“Honestly, I'm not surprised she has little toy versions of us,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I think it works.”

Pinkie groaned before finally getting to her hooves and walked forward, looking down at the toys. She slowly picked them up.

“Pinkie? You understand, don't you?” the alicorn asked.

“I'm not crazy,” she said before tossing the toys into the nearby trash. “You're not real. I'm on my medicine, I don't believe any of this. Just leave me alone.”

“Ahhhh! Why did you... what is this?” the bag moved around, wiggling as the toy tried to escape.

Pinkie took a slow, deep breath and trotted out from her room. “Mom, dad?”

The yelling below stopped. “Yes, honey?” her dad called out.

“I think we forgot about my medication tonight! I think... err, I think I should come have some.” She could still hear the toys in the background, struggling in the trash bin. She trotted down the stairs and smiled at her parents. She was better now. All she had to do was take her medicine. It would make the voices stop. Twilight wasn't real. Rainbow wasn't real. She knew that.

------

Pinkie sighed softly and gently nudged the food around on her plate. Breakfast was... boring. Not that she expected it to be super duper exciting or anything, but it was made worse since she had no real plans.

It had been a week since the party and things were only getting worse. She hadn't made any friends, the ponies she'd met were near impossible to get close to. Her parents were fighting all the time and she kept forgetting things. It was driving her nuts, at least once a day she'd go on some kind of thought process and then, poof, it would melt away.

She was also terrified of her books too. The toys had eventually gone quiet, but every time she tried to draw or read, Twilight or Rainbow would appear. Calling out to her. Tapping from inside the books. She'd even had it happen once while she was watching a movie. Her parents didn't see it though, so she knew it was fake. It had to be fake. There was no element of laughter. It wasn't real. None of it was real.

She'd have given anything for it to be real. She couldn't take much more of it, though. She waited until her father was at work and her mother was cooking dinner, before going into her room and pushing some things in front of the door, so her mother couldn't get in. She then took a deep breath and trotted to the bookcase, pulling out her crayons and a small coloring book. She opened it, worry on her face, but there was nothing in it but black and white outlines. She let out a sigh of relief and started drawing.

Then Twilight appeared in the background. “Pinkie!”

The mare locked up, the crayon freezing in her hoof. She took a slow, deep breath before shaking her head. “Twilight, you need to stop. Don't... come here anymore. None of that was real, it was all in my imagination.”

“What? Listen, Discord has you trapped in... in...” She frowned and looked around. “What kind of strange room is that?”

“It's my house. My parent's house. I'm not crazy anymore, okay? I'm taking my medicine,” she whispered softly, shaking her head. “Stop coming. I'm not... I'm not going to slip into that world anymore. I'm free.”

“Pinkie, you're not free. We need you. Your element is--”

“My element doesn't exist,” Pinkie snapped, a bit too loudly.

“Everything okay up there?” her mother's voice came from downstairs.

“Fine! Just reading a book!” she yelled, before looking back at the book. “I'm free. There is no element of laughter. I just made it up so I could feel special.”

Twilight stared, cocking her head to the side. “W-what?”

Rainbow appeared behind the alicorn. “What's this about laughter not existing? You've gotta be kidding me. If laughter didn't exist, what would be the point of all our pranks? They were awesome!”

“I just made it up. Laughter isn't an element. What does it have to do with friendship? It's just... a thing. Ponies don't need laughter. They need honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity. But they don't need laughter.”

Both ponies stared at her as if she was mad. Twilight finally spoke up. “How... how can you say that? Of course we need laughter! Every time things get too hard, or we get pushed too far, or we're hurt, we need laughter then more than anything. Without it, we just end up hurt and damaged. Please, Discord is tricking you, keeping you stuck in this world. You have to find your way out. Find a way to escape. We need you, we--”

“Why?” Pinkie asked with a sigh. “I'm not special. I don't have any magic, I don't--”

“BECAUSE YOU'RE PINKIE!” Rainbow screamed. “Because you never give up on us! Sure, sometimes you take things a bit too far, but you're part of our back bone! We've never needed you to fight, but we've needed you to keep us sane. Who was it who helped cheer the town up when most of the actual air benders left town? Took care of me when I got the winged flu? Helped me feel better after I botched my triple jump spin dive that one time? Not to mention when we actually started on all this. You helped us stay happy when things were dark. Given us the encouragement when... when we feel we can't go on. We need you now more than ever. We all need you.”

“Discord... Discord is winning. The world is shattered. We need you. Please, we need you...” Twilight tried to suppress her tears, but they began to fall.

Pinkie stared for a few moments. “Please... please don't cry.”

The alicorn shook her head as the pegasus tried to comfort her. “T-the others are fighting t-to buy us time. Please. You need to realize, Pinkie. This isn't real. None of this is real. It's not... It's just...”

The mare slammed the book closed and shoved it back into the bookcase. She took a deep breath and sat on her bed. This was the real world, it had to be. It made more sense. All of her abilities, all of her thoughts, they didn't make sense unless this was the real world. How would she have known about television or cars or any of this stuff unless she had been here? Besides, she couldn't remember anything before she'd met Twilight. She didn't know about her parents who had come from the Earth Kingdom, or the fact Fluttershy was scared of heights because of that time she fell out of that cloud during one of Rainbow's stunts, or the fact Rainbow had always talked about the Wonderbolts long before they met Twilight, or that the things the pegasus told her were all true and she remembered them.

She paused for a moment and stared down at her hooves. But she did know those things. She didn't know the things about here, though. What if the alicorn was right? What if she was trapped here, and she was stuck. What if laughter did matter?

She shook her head and buried her face in the pillows. “No no no... I'm just making up more things. That's it. That's all it is. Making new memories.” She slowly pulled herself up and smiled. “This is the real world. It may not be the way I like it, but it is. I can't escape anymore. Not anymore.” She got to her hooves and trotted out the door, gently closing it behind herself. She wondered if the ponies were still in the book, pounding away.

------

Pinkie gently ate her cabbage, glancing up at her parents. She could almost taste the tension in the air as the two kept glancing at each other. They were mad about something, though she couldn't imagine what. They always seemed mad and angry. Usually at each other. “Mom?” she asked softly.

“Yes, dear?”

“Do you think laughter is important in a relationship?”

“Huh?” the elder mare asked.

“Laughter. Do you think it's important?”

The mare frowned before giving a nod. “I suppose. You can do without it, of course. It's not the most important thing in a relationship.” She gave a sigh. “Is it about those stories, again? Honey, the other ones matter because they are things a friendship has to have. Laughter is just... a bonus. You don't need it. Nopony needs laughter. The others are things you have to have to make a friendship work. That's just something that happens.”

Pinkie nodded, but her father slammed a hoof on the table. “See, I told you when she started talking about those things. You never should have encouraged her to read those books. Letting her play with all those toys. We should clear all that stuff out, now!” he roared angrily.

“Here we go again,” her mother said with annoyance before slamming her fork down. “Let me guess, it's still my fault, right? Everything is my fault. I'm sorry I'm not the perfect caretaker you've come to expect, but maybe if you were home once in a while we wouldn't be having all these problems. I'm doing the best I can which is--”

Pinkie lowered her head and sunk into her chair, her body shaking as she listened to them fight. Why was it whenever she tried asking or doing anything about the other world things like this happened? Was it...

She got up from the table and stomped off. After a few moments she heard the yelling stop. “Honey?” her mother called back.

“I'm going to bed!” she called back.

“But--”

“Bed!”

Pinkie trotted up the stairs and took a slow, deep breath. It wasn't her fault, though she was having so much trouble not blaming herself. All they did was fight with each other, blame each other. Nothing she did here seemed to end well. It was almost as if everything here really was wrong.

She sat down on her bed and took a slow, deep breath. Things weren't right. But there were other ways they weren't. What if she really wasn't crazy, what if the other world was the real one and this really was Discord's realm? Would a pony know if they were crazy?

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She didn't have any friends here, all she had were two parents who kept fighting. Who did nothing but fight. There wasn't any joy or laughter here. She was alone.

She began to softly giggle. Within a few moments she was full on laughing. She jumped off her bed and walked to the coloring books. She pulled them all off and scattered them across the floor. “Twilight?”

------

Pinkie nestled in the couch, sitting between her parents with a smile on her face. The two were once again not talking, instead just casting angry glares at each other every few seconds. She ignored them and watched the cartoon.

After a few minutes the grin formed on her lips as Twilight and Rainbow appeared behind the screen and pounded on it. “PINKIE!”

The earth pony just giggled, a hoof coming up to her mouth. She looked up at her parents, smiling even more as they began to look afraid.

“Honey, what's so funny?” her mother asked nervously.

“I was just being so silly. Just... silly. I forgot how important laughter is.”

“What?” her mother asked before shaking her head. “Laughter is fine, it's completely fine. It's just not needed.”

“Don't listen to her, Pinkie!” Twilight objected, tapping on the glass. She then yelped as an explosion in the background sent her flying into the glass, making her slide down it with a groan. “I... hate... Discord.”

“Twilight, seriously. This thing is awesome. The little rabbit doesn't even get squished. Just bounces back, like rubber,” Rainbow said from the background.

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “But... it is important. I'm starting to see exactly why.” She reached out and put a hoof over her parent's hooves. “You... don't have laughter. You need it. It's how I started to see.” She pushed off the couch and turned back to them. “This... world isn't right, you know? Everything is... just wrong. This isn't how it's supposed to be. This isn't how anything is supposed to be.” She put a hoof over her heart and gave them a soft, pitying smile. “I really thought I was crazy, you know? I was even afraid to be me. Nothing I did seemed to work. But... I know who I am. I know the ponies I know. I know Twilight and the others are real. And most importantly, I know--” She ducked under as a hoof flew at her face. She giggled and hopped back, out of reach of her father. “And I know I'm the element of laughter.” She gave another giggle before turning to the television. “Which means my friends still need me. I'm sorry, I realized this earlier but I wanted to say good bye to you. I mean, just because you're not real doesn't mean we can't still be friends.”

“Pinkie, you're being crazy. Please, honey, your father was just worried, we're both just worried. Come back to us. Don't leave us alone again,” her mother said with panic.

The mare sighed and gave a gentle grin. “I'm sorry, but there are too many ponies who need me. I'd love it if we could have stayed together but... well, if you're anything like Discord, it'll be a real pain in the flank. Even when he was good he really wasn't that good and this isn't that kind of story.” She paused and gasped. “Ohhhh! I can see again!” Her grin widened. “And I know where my element is.” She turned and galloped up the stairs.

“Pinkie! Come back here this moment!” her father yelled as the two galloped after her. The pink mare ignored them and made her way to her room, pushing the door open.

There on the shelf it rested. A small white earth pony toy. She'd seen it a dozen times, but she hadn't known what it was. It had just been a toy. She stepped forward.

“Stop!” her father yelled. “I'm ordering you. Honey, come with me. You're going back to the doctor's. You're sick, you need help.”

“This was there, when I was in the mental ward,” Pinkie said before picking up the toy. “I didn't notice, but some ponies were playing with it. Just a toy, so fragile and weak. A choking hazard, too. Why would they allow ponies they thought insane to keep it?” The toy began to glow.

“Pinkie, put that down!” her mother shouted. “We've lost you once, we--”

“You never had me,” Pinkie said with a sigh. “Twisting and turning the things I knew to make me think I was crazy. I mean, what kind of pony does that?” She held up the glowing toy until it took the form of her element, wrapping around her neck. “But don't worry. I... understand. I know you were just trying to win.” She gave a little giggle. “I forgive you.”

Light erupted from her element and the world melted before her, the bonds holding her trapped shattering.

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

Alright, I think I'm finally caught up. Now let's rock operation pink again!

What's great about pinkie is that she was resisting the spell from the beginning. Her inner joy prevented her from falling under the full sway of the grey town. Trying to be herself and bring color, and bring a personal touch to her parties, just like she always does. Just like Fluff? Like fluttershy? Like fluffy the guardian of tartarus? Just like Cheese her mentor? Discord's memory blocker was really making it hard to resist. It also seemed the spell was trying to defuse pinkie's personal touch by trying to buy stock stuff rather than anything else. But she resisted, so the spell tried another angle.

And what a cruel angle it was. It was a No Party Ponies Allowed angle. Playing against her expectations for joy and acceptance and love. Then when she did get someone, the spell played the teenage bullies card. Something about insanity killings, and the idea of reality TV being "obvious?" Reality TV doesn't actually represent reality you foals! (I shake my fist at them) Though the bit on pinkie's ambiguous age was rather...interesting. Indeed, it plays on the idea that all the cast can live alone, but also do childish things as well. The party mare pinkie was just a more obvious manifestation. Yes, the party was a great fun, but the pony who threw it? Scorned or feared. It crushed her heart. Wanting nothing more than friends, but never finding them.

Yet, her logic kept pressing against ideas like school and special Ed. stuff. And even gradually beginning to fill in her backstory through her imagining things like Maud and moving into ponyville from the earth kingdom.

However, the most...horrible weapon Discord used on Pinkie was the idea that she could be the cause of unhappiness. That just crushed her heart every time she heard her "parents" arguing about life, and about "losing her". That's what held her under so well. She couldn't stand for anyone to fight over her.

And it was into this fray that twilight and rainbow finally entered. And... oh, boy. They really had a tough battle convincing pinkie of their claims. Because they were zapped in as out of context talking toys. The very thing Pinkie was trying to wake up from, they now come back as. She really did think she was going insane again.

Though, this also lead to some awesome humor as well. “Pinkie! You... holy buck you're huge! What in... what? Am... am I made of plastic?”
“Hey, I can see! This is awesome! The buck is all this? Hah! You look ridiculous.” Oh man, that's a good laugh. Still, all things considered, this was actually a pretty "normal" situation twilight and rainbow were thrust into. They were the odd thing, rather than the world around them. That's brilliant discord. And evil. And considering how hard pinkie was fighting before twilight got in, it's a shame she didn't get to pinkie first. Otherwise, it might've been an easy break, since she immediately suspected foul play at the beginning. And stop fangirling at the wonderbolt poster Rainbow! “Also, why am I a toy?”
“Honestly, I'm not surprised she has little toy versions of us,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I think it works.”

So yes, in a "week" of head time, twilight and rainbow continued to try and contact pinkie. And debated what the value of laughter is in friendship.

Also, I just loved this line: Both ponies stared at her as if she was mad.

And...it's oddly fitting that rainbow was twlight's partner in this world. Twilight knows the philosophy behind why laughter is important. But Rainbow knows true history. And...you know how RD represented Katara's warrior side? Well, I think RD also has katara's inspirational speeches side as well. Because just like when she was dealing with angry, scared twilight, the speech here is Beautiful on why Pinkie is so valuable. In fact, I'm going to leave it all in because it's just that awesome. “BECAUSE YOU'RE PINKIE! Because you never give up on us! Sure, sometimes you take things a bit too far, but you're part of our back bone! We've never needed you to fight, but we've needed you to keep us sane. Who was it who helped cheer the town up when most of the actual air benders left town? Took care of me when I got the winged flu? Helped me feel better after I botched my triple jump spin dive that one time? Not to mention when we actually started on all this. You helped us stay happy when things were dark. Given us the encouragement when... when we feel we can't go on. We need you now more than ever. We all need you.”

Pinkie of course, still wasn't sure what to make of things, and then asked about whether laughter was important to her parents. And all she got was another argument. Though, as she kept pressing, she began creating even more backstory for her character, and that pushed it deeper into knowing what was real. She knew so much about that other world, but so little about here. And then, here, all she had was fighting parents. There was no laughter. NO joy here. And it was in that moment, she finally got the joke. She was ready to go home, but first, she had to do so in a way that would settle things with her "parents" properly.

Also, it seems twilight and rainbow got stuck in a looney tunes cartoon. Typical. Pinkie's videos would of course include the cartoon logic she uses herself. She gave another giggle before turning to the television. “Which means my friends still need me. I'm sorry, I realized this earlier but I wanted to say good bye to you. I mean, just because you're not real doesn't mean we can't still be friends.” Awww. Even though twilight's a mare with a big heart, pinkie really is the all loving hero. So much so, that she even tried to make up her her imaginary family before she woke up. Though, she admitted that even when Discord turned good in season 3 (well, technically, he did turn good in season 3, but we only got to see him doing things in season 4.) Oh thanks for....PINKIE! YOU'RE BACK! (We hug) (Yep! I'm back Pony Wu.) Wait, how did (Oh come on, I'm me. A small detail like that would be easy to know.) Ok, fair enough. It's just so good to have you back in the comments. (Yes, isn't it?) (Hey Discord. Does this mean we get to have flame wars?) (Eh, I never did like the idea of the world burning, so for now, snap) [how about we distinguish with this?] (Okie Dokie Loki!)

Anyways, pinkie mentioned that even as season 4 discord, discord was still a jerk and a pushy meanie and the like. So, even if she stayed, she'd eventually get tired of the meanness. It's also with that realization that she was able to use her meta knowledge again, so she got straight to work, and ran for her element. "Why would they allow ponies they thought insane to keep it?” Ah, logic triumphs over circumstance to bring laughter back.

Actually though, before I go any farther, I have to say that this has to be possibly one of your deepest reflections on the nature and the importance of the elements of harmony. Friends hurt, but their joy in the moment is worth more than any pain afterwards. This is twilight's truth. Kindness takes courage to use. This is fluttershy's truth. Loyalty means trusting them to do what's right. This is rainbow's truth. Honesty allows the worst out before it gets out of hand. This was AJ's truth.

However, one small detail you included here demonstrated why pinkie's element is so important. Without twilight's element it's not friendship, but rather courtesy. without fluttershy's element, it's camraderie, though without compassion. Without rainbow's element, there's no sense of permanence and less depth to the relationship. Without AJ's how can you challenge growth, or even have a solid base to grow from if you're always lying to each other?

But pinkie briefly mentioned there was no laughter or JOY in this world. This is why pinkie's element is so important. Without pinkie's element, all friendship is boils down to enlightened stoicism. It is Joy which makes all relationships beautiful. It brings light in darkness through a little happiness. It connects the downtrodden by giving them a hope to strive for. It makes life glow, and gives purpose that's beyond mere duty. The other elements makes the world work, but it is Joy that will make building a better world worth every cut, heartbreak and lost soul along the way. Magic binds them all together in a mysterious way, but it's joy which gives each of the other elements greater value than each one individually.

Well discord, pinkie, that's 5 down, and 1 princess to go. I just hope operation cutie's finest hour hasn't gone south in the time it took for pinkie to get out. You all better get in there. The crusaders need help!

[Mocha Star]

Pinkie's dream is really well done.