On the day of the largest party, Pinkie had disappeared. Had she gone to see her friends or had something happened? Only Shade is aware. Will he find her or will other things conspire?
It was a beautiful Autumn day, and also the day of Pinkie's largest party. Shade awoke to Pinkie being gone. Where did Pinkie go? Was this because of the party or was there something sinister at play? What will happen on this supposedly wonderful day? Will Shade find Pinkie or will something dark take this day away?
It was such a lovely day. The sun was shimmering, burning through the Autumn air. The sun shined through the window of Pinkie's Cottage and awoke Shade. Shade had no where to go after arriving to Ponyville one fateful night. It had been months since his Arrival. Pinkie had welcomed him into her cottage knowing he was an outsider, but she is always expecting a new friend. It had lead to moments of awkwardness. But it all worked out, he even has feelings for this very pony. The shine of the light hit his sight, “ Awh, Hell, The sun.”
Shade finally awoke and all his mind went to was: Where's Pinkie?
He removed himself from the bed in which he shared with her. She would not let him sleep on the couch. All she could say with a smile and a snicker was, “Oh, silly, the couch is for Gummy! You can share the bed with me.” He was shy at first with a standard blush, but then he pulled through because he knew now that all he wanted was to be by her side.
He turned his gaze and say the calender that laid on the side table, near the bed, next to the mirror and saw the date: August 29th. It's the day of Pinkie's largest party. Just one question comes to Shade's mind: Why was I left asleep when I was helping with the plans? But Party Planning wasn't the only job Shade took role in. He helped with labor on Sweet Apple Acres, modeled for Rarity's 'Manehatten Business Stallion Wear', and sometimes babysat with Fluttershy.
He threw on his clothes which were a very fashionable vest and tie and went out to search for Pinkie. He thought the first location to look would be Mr. and Ms. Cake's shop, Sugarcube Corner. That is the happening place of Ponyville's very own Pinkie. Strolling around town was relaxing for any pony but today was different. The excitement was overwhelming and a smile couldn't be helped. On his way to Sugarcube Corner, Shade said some greets to some ponies as they passed like Bon Bon, Lyra, and Twilight, and sadly none knew of Pinkie's whereabouts.
Shade entered Sugarcube Corner. He saw this colorful paradise and the many sugary sweets that laid before him. The wooden architecture was homey with a side of western saloon. All the columns that held structure to this place twisted up and were painted like a Candy Cane midway. The floor was a wooden, blue finish and held many floor mats of multiple shades of green. These key aspects always stood out to him.
Before he could further admire the elegance of this homey scenario, he was called on by Mr. Cake, “Hey, Shade, aren't you usually here with Pinkie when you come in?”
“Yea, Sir, that's why I'm here exactly,” Shade uttered with a hint of shyness.
“Oh yea, she actually stopped by earlier, I think. Honey! Shade, here, wants to know where pinkie is!” Mr. Cake got the attention of his wife.
“Oh dear, she was actually in here earlier, but all I heard her mention was that she was going to see Apple Jack. Supposedly its time to harvest the apples,” Ms Cake said scratching her head with her hoof.
“I'm sorry but I have to go,” Shade said as he started to back up out of Sugarcube Corner.
“Okay, see yea later,” said both Mr. and Ms. Cake as Shade was halfway out the door.
Pinkie was heading to Sweet Apple Acres and now Shade was on his way. He just wondered why was she going there. Wasn't she supposed to be planning a party? Or was this a part of a greater scheme in planning this party? He was about to find out.
Sweet Apple Acres was as luscious as ever. The trees were all full of ripe apples. It was Applebucking Season and the apples were ready to be harvested. Applejack was already in the fields bucking the trees. Many apples already filled her many pales.
Shade entered through the arch that welcomed every pony to this country paradise. The arch was wrapped in decorations that made it look like an apple tree. The arch also held a sign that showed a hole in the shape of an apple indicating that it was owned by the Apple Family. A white fence circled the farm. It wrapped around the the corn, beat, and carrot fields and the Chicken Coop, but ended at another arch at the beginning of the orchards. There is another white fence that showed the front yard of the house. A stone path lead to the front door of the Apple home.
He approached the arch that lead to the orchards. Applejack was already breaking that afternoon sweat. The sweat poured down her orange body as she pulled of her cowgirl hat and wiped it away. Shade noticed her first and tried to get her attention.
“Hey, Applejack!”
“Howdy, partner, What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Applejack said in her southern accent.
“Well, Applejack, I'm looking for Pi-” Before he finished he heard a faint laughter. Where? It wasn't Applejack; her mouth wasn't open.
“You okay there, partner?” She was concerned of his sudden pause of silence.
“Awe..Y-yes, I'm fine. Did you hear that?” he said wondering if it was just him going crazy.
“I'mma sorry, I didn't hear a peep besides you and me,” she shook her head.
“Then nevermind. Have you seen Pinkie?” He asked because he was starting to just get worried.
“Actually, she was here before. But that girl was buggier than a Parasprite not eating on my farm. She didn't even seem all there, but that's just because I probably been working to hard and her as well. I hope the party's ready,” she said with a concerned confusion.
Pinkie's had her down days but on a day like this.. Never!
“Where did she run to, Applejack?!” Shade was concerned deeply now, and that laughter earlier still rung in his head.
“Keep your horses on, Shade, she was heading back home. Something about a surprise, but that's all I got,” Applejack finished believing Pinkie was fine.
Aviator Shade knew better. There were ponies after him and things are never as they seem. Something could really be wrong with Pinkie. Paranoia set in and he was now set on finding Pinkie. When he arrived at Pinkie's Cottage. He searched the premises. Then there it was again ..a laughter but more clear now than before. It was deep; not of a girl, and it was coming from the front door. He headed back outside and saw a peculiar sight. A lonely, eery balloon floated by. A balloon of bright pink floated perfectly straight. He followed the balloon with best judgement even though such a judgement is foolish.
After tailing the balloon some, the laughter continued again. It got clearer as he arrived to the Everfree Forest. The balloon went right into the trees. “Okay, this is so not creepy,” he said with a sarcastic tone. The entrance he was about to enter was dark and the sun started to set. The day flew by. This entrance screamed nostalgia for him. He would get a weird sense of joy out of scary things. Shade entered with no warned caution for he ignore all the eery aspects. Darkness swelled around him. There was no light at the end of this path. He was going in blindly.
“She waits for you.” Out of nowhere a deep and unfamiliar voice, like the laughter before, spoke.
Then in the distance, finally, a sense of salvation. A light twinkled in the distance. He arrived to a cleared out area surrounded by the woods. And what stood in the center was a table with lit candles and at that very table was Pinkie.
This cleared out plain opened up to a night sky that illuminated all and blackened the trees. Pinkie sat at the table awaiting Shade's arrival. Had it been Pinkie's intention all along for this and not the large party she planned? And how did the sky darken so fast?
She wore a purple dress; a purple dress that resembled Shade's very own mane. Her mane had no puff and laid flat as if she lost her definition. The look on her face was alluring as it was lit up by the candles that stood at the center of the table. Her eyes called to him and with that he moved closer to her with no caution even though he felt something was wrong. Why would we meet in a dark location as the Everfree Forest?
Before Shade could get sweeped up into Pinkie's beautiful stare he understood that this stare wasn't her own. He pushed away ,” This isn't you Pinkie. Who are you?”
Then the seductive smile that laid on her face diminished. Her stare was different than before. She looked down in a depressive sulk and began to shake, “Why can't you love me? Why can't you love me?!” She rose her head in an angered stare. She lunged at him and knocked him down, and then he knew it was another pony in entirely.
“Your not Pinkie,” said Shade with a hint of shock.
She hide her face again. And then the laughter was heard again but this time it was given a face. It was a Draconequus. It was the being known as Discord; a Chimera with a head of a horse-like pony, with a deer antler on the right, a goat of the left, one long fang, different sized pupils, a snake tongue, a donkey mane, and a goat beard. The rest of his body consisted of a right paw of a lion, the left talon of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, the left hoof of a deer, the right wing of a bat, the left wing of a Pegasus, and a red dragon-like tail with a white tail tuft. “Mhm, aren't you smarter than I have assumed,” the beast spoke with a smile, “the name's Discord, I can at least hope you have heard of me, and yes, I was the one who changed the sky and helped poor Pinkamena here confess her feelings in such a romantic scene,” Discord finished with a snicker.
“Wait?! Pinkamena?” Shade was confused until it changed to being intrigued. He smiled.
“Why can't you love me?! I saw the way you looked at her. That is me, too. Should I show you my pain?” Pinkamena wore a twisted smile with an angered stare. She pulled out a knife, still on top of Shade holding him pinned to her whim, and began caressing it along his body.
Then Shade began to laugh in a sense of nostalgia and then said in a shy tone, “ Of course I love you, I love you both. How can I not love what completes you? You are both the same pony. I must love you both.”
She was not convinced and still had an angered appearance but still had tears in her eyes. “Then prove it!”
Discord floated above and snapped his fingers. The snap caused a reaction and twisted the terrain and trees to a corrupted shape. Pinkamena flew back and faded into the darkness.
“Now you will play my game for my life,” shouted Pinkamena from the darkness.
Shade then stood and got his bearings. The twisted land started with a trip into black briers that wrapped itself around the table that stood in front of him and created a dark tunnel. The sky was barely visible now but the moon did break through slivers in the brier walls. He moved forward into the darkness following what little light he had. Briers caught onto his vest and tie causing fabric tears and cuts on his face. Blood was now moving slowly down his face.
Pain was inevitable in this fight for love but if he wanted Pinkie he had to have Pinkamena as well. Then the tunnel came to an end and he began to drop. He was caught off guard and didn't expect the fall. A cliff awaited him at the end, he held on to the end as platforms crossed his path. This game Pinkamena had planned now was a platformer and below him was certain doom for all it was was lava. He thought to fly but the briers were still wrapping the space enclosing it.
“Holy shit!” Shade's heart began to race. This was now just a sick game. He made a leap from where he held grip and roughly landed on one of the moving platforms.
All that was heard in the distance was the sadistic laughs from Pinkamena and Discord as Shade continued his pursuit. He was terrified but pushed through leaping toward another platform. Looking down was not the best choice in this situation as for the lava boiling could ignite panic attacks in any pony, so for his heart felt like it was exploding out of his chest.
“Oh, looks like he's having trouble. He maybe running out of steam. My Pinkamena Sense tells me he may need a cupcake,” Pinkamena said clearly being sarcastic while she ate a cupcake with the knife she caressed on Shade earlier. Discord then got a kick out of the joke.
Shade was nearing the end of this trial. Was love really worth dieing? He wasn't going to give up. The heat brought sweat that poured down, and the blood on his face hardened. He could see there in the distance was the throne that Pinkamena sat. Discord was at her side chuckling to her dark sense of humor. When he leapt off the last platform he was nearly there. It was a matter of footsteps to ending this nightmare. But then he felt faint. Was he over worked or was this a trick or test, too? And then he succumbed to darkness.
The eyes were heavy and his body was stiff, he awoke to a dark room where there was nothing but the floor and many pink balloons that covered the checkered patterned floor. Then he heard his name being called. It was Pinkie's heavenly, cheerful voice; that would bring a smile to his face. He stood and pushed his way through the many balloons. Was this a dream? It felt so real. Was it all a dream? And am I still dreaming?
He continued. The balloons screeched against the other balloons as he pushed further and further into this delusion. She still called for him. When he arrived at her position she had her back turned. It was clearly at trap. But he pushed forth for he couldn't leave her. She turned around. She was fine and her mane was puffed. It was Pinkie. She was back. In that moment, he couldn't help but plant a kiss on her. But wait a moment, it didn't feel right. He pushed away and say she was merely a puppet and there was strings attached. At the end of the strings was Discord.
“Bwhahaha! I can't believe you fell for that. Man, you do know how to play the part though,” Discord played around.
Before Shade could get a word out Pinkamena flung him around so that he was facing her and stabbed her knife deep into him. Blood gushed everywhere and before he died he saw his heart in her hoof and said, “ Wasn't that sweet? I love you.”
He may have been delirious but with his final words, he pushed out, he spoke, “ I love you, too.”
Then Shade awoke again but now alive and now back where he began. He was back at the table. Nothing was wrong all was right. The briers were gone and the night sky was visible and the candles were lit. Pinkamena hung over him but not with a sadistic anything but with a smile of joy. “Thank you, all I ever wanted was someone to care for me and not completely fear me.”
“It's my pleasure. You may be another part of Pinkie, but to me your still her. Nothing will change what I feel for you. I love you, Pinkamena, as much as I love Pinkie. And besides that was a spectacular time I had today. It was quite the adventure,” he said with a smile while deeply looking into her eyes.
She teared up and leaned into him and gave him a passionate kiss. He had tamed the beast. “Now get up. We have a party to go to, okie dokie lokie?”
“One day, Shade, the world will need you and all you will be able to rely on is me. The way you handled the chaos I threw at you will prepare you what is to come, my protégé,” Discord whispered into Shade's ear as he slept and then left as he came in; in an instant. The moon looked as if it laughed for Discord was now watching over this fated pony.
