A Mare With Nothing to Lose

by Elbow

Introduction

Introduction

I had just jumped behind a dumpster, narrowly escaping the spray of bullets that the MPD (Manehattan Police Department) was firing at me. I could hear the last few bullets hit the dumpster, barely a second after I had ducked for cover. I then pulled a grenade from my saddlebag, pulled out the pin, and rolled the grenade under the dumpster. A police officer yelled something, probably to alert the other officers that there's about to be an explosion, and, moments later, a loud sound cut sharply through the air.

I took a moment to breath, though not very long; it will only take a few minutes before the MPD calls for backup. This will, hopefully, allow me enough time to figure a way out of this situation, but I will have to act quickly.

“We’ve got you surrounded. Come out with your hooves up!”

I pulled out another grenade, this one a flashbang, and threw it over the dumpster.

“Flashbang! Look away!”

Seconds later, a loud sound filled the night, accompanied by a blindingly bright flash that even left spots in my eyes from the other side of the dumpster, almost as if a miniature star combusted in the middle of the night. That should buy me some more time, I thought.

I have been on the run for quite a while now. Nine days and eight nights. I have been running for nine days.

I have been on the case for nine days.

You may be asking yourself, “What case?” The kidnapping and supposed murder of Pinkie Pie.

About ten or eleven days ago Pinkie Pie, one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and member of the Council of Friendship, went missing. All that was left behind was some of Pinkie Pie’s hair and blood.

Instantly, anypony who had seen me told the police, hoping to apprehend the rogue citizen who had decided to kidnap, and possibly murder, Pinkie Pie.

Why would they report me? Well, allow me to introduce myself; I am Pinkie Pie. Well, technically I am. I'm one of her clones.

The clone that got away.

As far as I know I'm the only escapee from when Twilight Sparkle banished Pinkie Pie’s clones to the Mirror Pool. To avoid confusion, I am Pinkie Beta, the original clone (Pinkie Pie is technically Pinkie Prime). But I usually go just by Beta.

Because of all the reports about somepony who looked suspiciously identical to Pinkie Pie, the police made me Suspect Number One for the kidnapping case (apparently, the only feasible explanation as to how the only DNA remaining is Pinkie Pie’s).

You may be asking yourself why I'm not like the original Pinkie, and that is because of how the Mirror Pool works.

After a clone is, for lack of a better word, “dispensed” from the Pool they are an extremely “watered-down” version of the main pony’s personality (which is to say they are just the most basic attributes of one’s character). This is the first stage.

In the first stage, a clone is practically non-sentient (the clone’s primary adjective is to reflect their Primary’s basic function, which, in the case of Pinkie Pie, is to have fun). Over time, the clone’s experiences will shape it into a new pony with a new personality, but they will keep some of the original’s personality (I quite enjoy a good party, but then again, who doesn't?). For instance, if you were to get a clone of Rainbow Dash, her clone would enjoy flying fast just as much as Rainbow Dash herself would.

Anyways, the clone’s character will grow similarly to how a baby’s personality and character will develop as they get older and experience more things.

Clones, unlike ponies, will develop faster in the first stage, and then their development will slow to normal pony development once their development reaches the age of the original pony. This is the second stage, and it usually takes about five months.

If the clone has a clone, the clone’s clone’s development rate will be squared (because a clone's clone has an exponential value of two). If the clone’s clone has a clone, the third clone’s development rate will have an exponential value of two from what it was cloned from, which would be an exponential value of three from the original clone (about one hundred and twenty-five-ish months, or five cubed) and it will continue to grow exponentially.

However, if a clone has a different special talent than that of whomever the clone was cloned from, their Cutie Mark itself (the symbol), provided that they had one, will not change.

It sounds very artificial, and, frankly, it is. It is very hard to get used to the fact that you were artificial once you become sentient, but you get used to it.

After Pinkie Pie Prime’s clones had created an army of Pinkie Pies, they were unleashed unto Ponyville.

After almost a day, one of Pinkie Pie’s friends, Twilight Sparkle, now Princess Twilight Sparkle, had found a spell to send the clones back to the Mirror Pool, like I said before. Her friends were to round up all of the Pinkie Pies and put them in the Town Hall. I guess they missed me.

Eventually, I ended up here, in Manehattan.

I made a few friends, even got myself a marefriend somehow (luckily, she loves me for my personality, not who I was cloned from. I think). They know that I am, physically, a clone, but I preferred to stay in the background, so not to attract unwanted attention. That way I have a better chance of not being sent back to the Pool.

Some ponies have noticed me (most of the ponies who did notice worked at shops and restaurants), but no one seemed very bothered by it, and, up until now, everypony kept mum about it.

But then Rarity, one of Pinkie Pie’s best friends, opened a store here in Manehattan (I believe it's called something along the lines of Rarity for You), and when it opened, this stallion, Buried Lede, a news columnist, interviewed Rarity and her friends about the grand opening at my favourite café.

When I took a booth I had no idea she was there until I heard her say something about clones. Instinctively, I turned around. Bad move.

Rarity for You might have made the front page that week, but the next week it was I who was on the front page (“CLONE SPOTTED! ARE THERE MORE?”).

One or two days after that paper was released, nine days ago, Pinkie Pie was kidnapped, and now she is presumed dead. I was one of the only suspects. Most of my friends have been taken in for questioning, or for being suspected to have worked with me, leaving me with almost nothing. Only myself and a pistol.

Nine days ago I took the case; the case to prove my innocence; the case to find Pinkie Pie, if she is still alive.

It's gonna be, and has been, risky, but, after all, I'm a mare with nothing to lose.

Comments

[NeuroticScientist]

This looks great! Can't wait for more!

[Sylica telca]

This looks good