There I stood, in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, staring at a book titled "Baking: Back to the Basics."
I gathered the necessary ingredients and, when I was certain I had done things correctly so far, began mixing furiously. I continued to mix, making a bit of a mess in the process, when I heard the bell which signaled that someone had opened the front door of Sugarcube Corner.
I stopped what I was doing and raced to the door, either ready to greet one of my friends, or to politely let some unaware pony know that Sugarcube Corner would be closed until the Cakes return from their trip.
What I saw was neither of those things, but rather a very exhausted pair of ponies, whom I immediately recognized as Mr. and Mrs. Cake from the photographs I had seen. With them were two young foals, which Mr. Cake carried in a saddlebag designed specifically for babies.
After setting some of their things on the floor, they looked at me and smiled. "Hello there, Pinkie. We're finally back," said Mr. Cake.
"That's fantastic," I responded with indifference, diluting the words.
They both gave me an odd look, but quickly turned their attention back to unloading everything from the wagon outside. It would take several trips to complete this task, due to the massive amount of luggage they had brought with them.
I attempted to approach them in the midst of all this. They seemed rather preoccupied, and I wasn’t sure where to begin in my explanation. Should I start from the beginning? Should I clear up any potential misconceptions before they arise? These questions came to mind as I stood there like a dimwit and stared while they unpacked their things.
I was extremely hesitant about addressing this subject. I saw Mr. Cake enter through the door carrying an enormous metal cake platter on his back. Moments later, Mrs. Cake returned from upstairs after putting the foals in their crib for a nap. They were both in the room with me, and I saw this as an appropriate moment to talk to them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” I asked as politely as I could.
They turned their gaze to me simultaneously, and after they got a good glance at me, their expressions shifted from lighthearted to completely and utterly horrified. They both looked like they had just seen a ghost.
Mr. Cake was so overcome with shock that he forgot about balancing the giant cake platter, causing it to crash to the floor with a loud bang. This, in turn, woke up the babies who had just been put to sleep.
Neither the crash nor the wailing of their foals seemed to faze the Cakes. They continued to stare at me blankly, or rather, they stared at the blank patch of fur where my Cutie Mark was supposed to be.
----------
Throughout the Golden Oaks Library, the only noise that could be heard at present was the sound of a book’s pages turning every minute or so.
Twilight Sparkle sat at the wooden desk, staring intently at the text she read. It was titled “The Key to the Mind,” and its description had initially shown a great amount of promise to the young unicorn.
However, that promise quickly waned as the pages went by, until at last she had reached its end. In frustration, she tossed the book to the other side of the room, where it landed with a disruptive thud, joining the other books and discarded notes scattered around the room.
Twilight sighed deeply. Two weeks without any results, she thought to herself. I’m beginning to think Princess Celestia put a bit too much faith in me.
In resignation, she stared out the window, only to be greeted by the approaching night. Once again, the day had gotten away from her.
Dusk, she noted, observing countless golden streaks in the sky. The last stage of twilight, ushering in the nighttime.
She sighed once more. When twilight is over, I suppose I won’t be at my peak performance level of thinking, she decided with mild amusement.
Twilight got up from her cushion and made her way downstairs, where she was met by her loyal companion, Spike.
“Hey there, Twilight. What’re you up to?”
“Just getting a glass of water,” she answered.
“Are you done researching for now?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe for a little bit.”
There was a short silence as Twilight filled a glass to the brim with ice-cold water, and then eagerly drained all of the liquid from the large cup.
When she was finished, Spike gave her a worried look. “When’s the last time you ate or drank anything?”
She wiped the remaining water from her lips, then answered, “I don’t know. Maybe last night.”
Spike’s look of worry turned to one of shock. “Last night? You didn’t have breakfast or lunch?”
Twilight shrugged.
“You've been cooped up in that study room for too long, you didn’t eat or sleep, and the rest of you is, well, a mess,” he added, noticing that, in addition to her disheveled mane, her eyes were bloodshot and her fur was matted due to neglect. “You need to take care of yourself.”
Twilight smiled.
“What?” asked Spike, apprehensive of her response to such a serious topic.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” answered Twilight. “I just never thought I’d be getting this kind of lecture from you, Spike.”
Spike smiled as well, though he did not dare stray from the original subject. “Talk to me, Twi. What’s going on?”
Twilight sat down at the kitchen table. “Princess Celestia trusts me to find a cure for Pinkie, and I just don’t know if I can do it. The mind is incredibly complex. The more I learn about it, the more questions arise in turn.”
Spike looked at her curiously.
“Think of it like a never ending knot,” explained Twilight. “You untie it, only to find a new knot underneath. No matter how many times you untie it, you can never manage to get to the center.”
“But why do you want to get to the center so badly?” asked Spike.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to save Pinkie.”
“I don’t know, Twilight,” Spike rebutted. “Pinkie doesn’t look like she needs much saving. Have you seen her lately?”
“Well... yes, but that’s beyond the point!” Twilight said with increased agitation. “It’s not the same Pinkie, regardless of how well she has adjusted to Ponyville.”
“Why is that?” asked Spike.
“Well, her past memories are non-existent, for one. Plus, the way she acts around others... she’s like an entirely different pony!”
“Is that really a bad thing? Everypony else seems to like her.”
“It’s a bad thing if the Elements of Harmony are useless. No offense to her, but this Pinkie is not the Element of Laughter. She’s still too serious.”
Spike looked down in concession, realizing that Twilight’s words rang true.
“Well... what if you went to see Zecora?” he suggested.
Twilight looked at him quizzically.
“What? That’s where you usually go for things like this.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “You’re right! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that sooner!”
Twilight got up from the chair and made her way to the door.
“Hold on... you’re going now?” asked Spike.
“Of course,” she answered without hesitation. “Desperate times do call for desperate measures.”
“Well, okay.” He decided not to argue. “But be careful. The Everfree Forest is dangerous at night.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know that, Spike. I’ve only been in there about a thousand times. I’ll be fine.”
She opened the door and, before leaving, looked back with a smile. “When did you decide to take on a role as the protective parent, anyway?”
Spike chuckled sheepishly, but didn’t say anything else. He recognized a rhetorical question when he heard one, especially from Twilight.
The door closed behind her gently so as not to disturb the neighbors who were getting ready to go to sleep.
Spike stood there awkwardly for a moment. Then, he went to the kitchen and began preparing a meal for Twilight's return. It would be a late dinner, but she still needed to eat.
----------
The young night sky was mesmerizing. I could have stared at it for hours, appreciating the warm glow of the moon, or attempting to count the inconceivable number of stars present. I could definitely relate to Princess Luna's love for the night.
Despite this being a relatively good distraction, the events from earlier today clung tightly to the front of my mind.
Even after I had managed to explain things to the Cakes, they still seemed on the verge of panic. Mrs. Cake had insisted on making me one of my favorite milkshakes: "The Chocolate Cotton Candy Strawberry Vanilla Swirl" with extra whipped cream. At first it had looked and sounded repulsive, but after a sip or two I quickly found myself delighted by the flavor.
Despite that pleasant discovery, the weight of the situation greatly outweighed the importance of my dessert preference, and the milkshake was soon at the back of my mind.
The reaction of the Cakes troubled me greatly. They had seemed particularly distressed, and they had acted in a very odd way. Perhaps they simply didn't know how to handle this emotionally. Then again, I could only assume that their behavior was out of the ordinary based on what I've been told about them.
Even now, as I lay in the grass staring up at the night sky, I had the nagging feeling that I was intruding somehow.
A slew of rainbow color passed overhead, and I easily guessed what it was before it came to a halting stop and veered down towards me.
"Hey Rainbow Dash," I greeted, not moving from my current position.
The pegasus made a soft landing on the ground near me. "What're you doing out in the middle of the park this late?" she asked as she approached me.
"Not much, really," I answered. "Just looking at the stars, mostly. They're pretty cool tonight, if you feel like joining me."
"Nah, I'm not much into stargazing. That's more Twilight's thing."
"Suit yourself," I replied, disappointed.
She turned to leave, but stopped. She was clearly hesitant, and eventually she looked back at me and asked, "Something on your mind?"
I sighed. "It's a long story... I doubt you'd be interested."
"Sure I would," she argued, approaching me once more and sitting down on the grass next to me. "Besides, I got time."
"Alright," I said.
I recounted the details of what had happened between me and the Cakes, making sure not to miss anything so that Rainbow Dash would have a concise series of events to go by.
"Okay, so they're worried. So what?" Rainbow Dash asked when I was done. "Isn't that what you expected?"
"Yes, I suppose I did. Still, I can't get over this strange feeling that I'm somehow..." I trailed off.
"Somehow what?" she pressed.
"Somehow... intruding."
"Intruding?"
"Yes." I looked down in shame.
"What makes you think you're intruding?" she asked, bewildered.
"I don't know. It's as if I don't really belong here, and my presence is a burden."
Rainbow didn't say anything.
"Look," I continued. "I know all of you want the old Pinkie Pie back. It's completely understandable. You've been friends with her for years, and you've known me for barely two weeks. Plus, she's less of a drag to be around most of the time." I looked down again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second," Rainbow Dash said as she prepared for a retort. "Just because we miss the old Pinkie Pie doesn't mean we want you gone."
"You don't?" I asked, looking up with what must have been the most pitiful expression.
"No way!" she assured me in confidence. "I don't know if you realize this, but everypony loves having you around. We don't think you're a drag at all."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief, my mood beginning to lift.
"Yeah!" she insisted. "Memory or no memory, you're still the Pinkie Pie we know and love. That's why the Cakes are so worried about you. They care, just like the rest of us."
"That's... really great to hear," I said with relief.
We continued to sit there in silence, admiring the beauty of the night sky.
"You're a great friend, Rainbow Dash. You know that?" I said.
No response was necessary. Rainbow merely looked at me, smiled in understanding, and looked back up at the stars, which seemed to shine even brighter than before.
----------
“There has to be another way!” exclaimed Twilight.
“No, and you do not need to shout,” Zecora stated. “For the old Pinkie to return, the new must be pushed out.”
Twilight paced around the inside of the hollowed-out tree, her thoughts jumbled and racing aimlessly to search for an alternative solution.
“How can you be so sure about this?” Twilight asked. “I’ve been looking into this subject for weeks! Are you trying to tell me that the doctor's diagnosis was wrong, and you already know what to do after a brief explanation of things?
"You have misheard!" stated Zecora. "I merely concurred. We cannot deny it is still Pinkie Pie, but perhaps what it's really about is a different life route."
“That doesn’t explain why she thought she was eleven years old at first,” Twilight pointed out.
“This type of magic is untamed and wild, inconsistencies would not be mild.”
Twilight had overlooked that possibility. She looked down, no longer having a valid argument for Zecora. The zebra had a coherent rebuttal for everything, it seemed. Her knowledge of magic was staggering.
“So... what am I supposed to do now?” asked a defeated Twilight.
"The mind is a powerful force. You cannot master it, so instead find the source. If you wish for your old friend to show, then this new one must willingly go."
“Yes, but is there a spell? There has to be some sort of medium!”
"I’m sure there exists a solution for you to broach, but first you should consider rethinking your approach."
"What are you talking about?" asked Twilight.
"To fully understand the complexities of the mind, one would require many a lifetime. Instead, the piece that houses the mind is where your studies should be confined."
Twilight contemplated these words of advice for a moment, and she quickly came to understand what Zecora meant.
“So, you really think the old Pinkie is in there somewhere?” Twilight asked.
Zecora nodded her head in response.
“Alright. I think I know how to figure this out,” said Twilight, now confident that she had a better grasp on things. “Thank you.”
Twilight turned to leave the hut. When she opened the door, Zecora spoke again.
"In doing this you must make haste, for in you all trust is placed. For now they are stuck together like glue, but a pony's mind is not meant to hold two. Eventually the one in charge will endure, and the other will fade away to be sure."
Twilight gulped nervously upon hearing this, but nodded in acknowledgment and closed the door behind her. She quickly made her way back home, thinking about the new Pinkie Pie they had grown so fond of over the course of these last two weeks.
“I’m so sorry...”
Whoops, I guess we do want you gone.
YAY! Another update!!
yikes...welp, time to invent pony-constructs, then bring the new-pinkie over as the test mind
This is going to get complicated...
Time to uncork the ol' Mirror Pool and throw Pinkamena in.
Must! Have! MOAR!!
Oh wow...MOAR!
I have just one question.
Which Pinkie is the old one? I mean, technically the one that's in control right now could be considered the old one, since the Pinkie we all know was basically born after Pinkamena saw Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom...
2251716
Augh! I thought I read all the comments! I noticed yours just now and I've already fixed the mistake. Thanks for pointing it out, I just wish I had noticed it 2 weeks ago.
2334274
The old one from their perspective, not Pinkie's. Basically, the old one is the Pinkie they've known for years.
So, Twilight. Considering murder ehh? Good luck.
Oh just great there's no way Pinkamena will go willingly. This is going to get ugly!
Pinkiedash shipping? Probably not, but I'd be happy. (I prefer Appledash but it's likely not true so...)
Continue on! I expect one new pairing, and hopefully F/F from the mane six!
2334407
No shipping in this story, sorry. Otherwise I would've put a 'Romance' tag.
2334435
Ponyfeathers! Darn. Okay then, I never check tags.
/
i forsee the Mirror Pool in the future...
2334442
Holy hay! That makes perfect sense!
Well, crap.
2334456 but something tells me it's not that simple....
2334377 It's her go-to solution for pinkie problems.
2334497
That is completely true based on canon. Twilight has no respect for life, turning creatures into oranges, exploding clones, etc.
2334475
Of course it's not that simple!
(Imagine Luna going through there... )
2334442 Don't know if that would actually be a viable solution. The mirror pool just makes copies of the pony using it. In this case, it would just make a copy of Pinkamina.
I've always pondered the ramifications of the episode To Many Pinkies. The copies were just as alive as the original. They were thinking, sentient beings with their own thoughts, emotions, and minds. When Twilight sent each one back, was that, in a sense, ending a life? Was Twilight committing murder?
I hope this Pinkie stays.
They need to kill the new pinkie to get the old pinkie?...
Wait, is it going to be an epic fight with keyblades and skyscrapers and neoshadows and a blindfold??
Well that's certainly heavy. I wonder what new Pinkie will think of this.
2334502
The clones is one thing, the creatures into oranges? BOTH times that was an accident due to pinkie pie tackling her and making the spell miss the intended NON creature target.
I have a sudden sensation of temporary reduction in bestness for Twilight Sparkle...
2334536
I don't think they were I think they were basically echoes, They were aspects of the real pinkie pie, and not even fully fleshed out ones. To be honest, I doubt they would have even eaten unless they found a 'fun' way to eat, they seemed to be limited to what they were created for, hence pinkie pie original being the one that survived with the boring test.
I don't think your killing Pinkie. This Pinkies' morals, values, and ethics are all based upon the experiences she had when she was a child. The same experiences that the "original" Pinkie had. So the only differences is that the "new" one doesn't have the years of experiences Pinkie had to help make up her personality. How does bringing back memories kill this "new" Pinkie since she is just a small part that makes up the whole of the "original"? The only thing you could be considered "killing" is the what-if Pinkie if she never regains her memories, but that is the result of all choices. When we choose, we kill the what-ifs of all the other chooses that we could have made at that time. If i order a burger over tacos, I have destroyed the future of where I ordered a taco instead of a burger. So what does Zecora mean? Does she mean Twilight has to wipe the two weeks from her memory?
Also why are people assuming Twilight has made a decision already to push out new Pinkie Pie?
All she ha said is she thinks she knows how to make a decision now, NOT that she has made one. And that she is sorry. For all we know she could be thinking good things of the new one, and saying apology to original Pinkie Pie, Personally I Am thinking, although the clones were not fleshed out, the mirror pool could help here, two minds one body .... two minds, two bodies. if Twilight can alter the magic to have the split occur properly, and not just be limited clone meant for one purpose.
2334753
It sounds like this is another version of pinkie pie, one that has allready now had different experiences to the original, and that BOTH versions currently lie within her mind. Zecora is saying twilight has to remove one of those two versions.This is not basically, altered pinkie pie, this is, altered pinkie pie AND original in same mind, just the altered one stronger and in charge.
2334508
Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled!
Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled!
Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled!
Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled! Huzzah! The Princess has been Doubled!
Um... Guys? I think we have a problem.
2334779
All my yes
2334536
this one is kinda hard to answer. From what the show tries to play it out as, is that the clones are merely look alikes who have no memories (pinkie has to tell them names and what to do) or personality traits outside that of their creator. Once they have an objective, do things that are fun, they proceed to try to achieve that with out end. So they are more like mindless "biological" (i put biological in quotes since we don't know if they are biological or simply created out of magic energies) robots incapable of free will. Every action they take could be explained by the program desire to have fun. So the moral implications of destroying the pinkies is the equivalent of terminating a looping computer code. I think the biggest issue was the method used to determine the original, since it was inefficient and the clones were so easy to distinguish from the original. Although this was mainly because it was a joke, and that its a kids show.
2334779 All we need is 8 Lunas... Max size of a Big Team Infinity Slayer game in Halo 4 is 8x8.
Then again, even with one Luna, which ever side has her will own the map.
2334739
And did we see her undo her crimes against nature? No.
Twi, why U changing mah superior apples into oranges?
2334826 True, but it is kinda likely A) she was suprised, at the time to undo and B) I doubt she wuld know an Orange-creature - normal creature spell.
Because then you can corner the market on both apples AND oranges AppleJack
2334778
How is she an altered one? Sure she has two weeks of memories that the "original" Pinkie does not, but compared to what we determined was at least 8yrs of memories, these two weeks will not have had a significant change to the personality she created using her childhood experiences. What I'm saying is that she is merely a small part of the original. When we make decisions in our lives, we draw upon past experiences and the values and morals we created from those experiences to make decisions. Both pinkies have had the same experiences, that of their childhood. So the "original" would also use her life on the farm as an experience to help her make decisions going forward. The only difference is what came afterwards. The child me who wanted to go into space is still there, helping me in my decisions (like watching space programs on Discovery) but it plays a smaller part of the whole since I am older now and have many more experiences(telling me not to quite my day job and apply for NASA). So she will not be killed, merely made part of the larger whole again.
2334843
True, she dosnt have that much difference, What I was trying to point out though this is not "One pinkie pie, just thinking differently" this is, another pinkie pie, in the same mind, and whichever one is not in charge, will disappear. Zecora made it sound as if not so much a mental state but an actual other full Pinkie pie mind
we all know how it's going to end
2334824
Except Ponies don't have Halo.
Unless you meant Haylo...?
Why not just split them in two?
oh boy this Is getting good!
2334536 from what i've seen, i think the pool copies the thought form of what the pony was thinking at the time of being copied. so the copy is not really a thinking being so much as a limited form of one.
2334932
This is what I am hoping for, I am thinking mirror pool modified by the Great and powerfull ..... Get out of there, anyway by Twilight
2334857
And that's why the author needs to explain more. Zecora treats this like it happened magically,as in a spell cast on her or magical effect from a plant that caused her memory loss.
“This type of magic is untamed and wild, inconsistencies would not be mild.”
But before its treated more like a normal case of amnesia, garnered from extreme shock or head injury. If its magic then there can be two personalities in the same mind, since its magic and screw all logic. But if its not magic, than the idea that this Pinkie's personality differs from the "other" Pinkies child like personality, is unfounded. She behaves as she did when she was a child, no different from the "original". If I were to go back in time and grab the "original" Pinkie at 11yrs old, and bring her here and set her next to this Pinkie, they would behave the same. So its not two different personalities, merely returning to a past personality. When her memories are restored she will behave as she did before the accident, unless she remembers the two weeks since, in which case that will add to her experiences and change her personality, if only slightly.
Picture Pinkies mind like an ever expanding painting. On the left side is the farm and rocks and dull grey. As you go right you see a rainbow and bright skies and ponyville. You continue further and see her friends and acquaintances and adventures. So the whole of the painting is her personality, with further right blank for her future experiences. Her accident effectively hid the part past the rainbow by a large white sheet. The part to the left is still unchanged, so that part of Pinkie is that exact same as before, but now it stands out more since we can no longer see the rest of the painting. Now, the two weeks she has experienced are now being painted on the white sheet. By bringing back her memories, you would be effectively getting rid of the possibility of what would have been painted on the white sheet. In that sense you are killing a hypothetical Pinkie, but you are not killing the one we currently have. She just returns to being a part of a greater whole. I can even say that maybe some of the experiences that were painted on the white sheet bled through and will affect Pinkie when she regains her memories, but only time will tell.
2334972
Except from the begnning they have acknolwledged magic is invovled, remember the Doctor from the beginning pointed out magic is the only thing that can remove a cutie mark.
Yes, if this is simply amnesia your metaphor holds together, but if as Zecora suggested, it is an actual second mind invovled, then that "Only a hypothetical version is gone" flies out the window.
There must be a vessel for the former Pinkie...if a body can only hold one mind, why not extract on ns release somewhere....?
Awaiting further releases.
2334536 It kind of depends on what 'send them back to the pond' means. I mean, if there's a world (or a changeling hive) on the other side of the mirror pond then they're not dying at all. Or if the mirror pond is itself a creature using them as puppets to pretend to be Pinkie Pie and they were never independant creatures at all, then you're just ending its game.
OTOH mirrors creating brand new living ponies has been a thing since G1. It's the reason the original baby ponies were all copies of adult ponies.