Storm Stripe is new in Ponyville, and wants to help everypony out. Even if that pony is Pinkamina.
When Storm Stripe moves into Ponyville, it isn't long before he's invited to his first "Pinkie Party". But when the party is over, he finds Pinkie Pie feeling surprisingly sad, and offers to cheer her up as best as he can. What he doesn't know is that he isn't helping Pinkie Pie, but Pinkamina Diana Pie....who intends to use Storm Stripe's offer for her own, dark, plan.
The sun was just rising over Ponyville, bathing the town in a warm light. Inside a house next to Sugarcube corner, light shone through the window of the top floor, revealing the sleeping form of a pony. Storm Stripe stirred in his sleep, turning his head away from the light. He slowly opened his eyes, rubbed them, and looked at his alarm clock. It was 6:59 PM. Storm Stripe squinted. In about a minute, th-
Before he could finish his thought, the time was 7:00, cueing an obnoxious fanfare from the alarm clock. He groaned, picking up the alarm clock shaking it vigorously. After a few minutes of smashing the alarm clock against multiple surfaces, he tossed it angrily against the wall. It sputtered a bit, and then died. Smiling in triumph, Storm Stripe got out of bed, and trotted over to a tall mirror, propped against the wall. A teal-colored Pegasus colt with a blond mane and tail looked back at him with curious red eyes. He was average size for his age, nearly 17. Across his face, side, and legs, were several cream coloured stripes. Storm Stripe turned his body, bringing his flank into view. He stared at his cutie mark. It was a silver crest overlayed on a wreath and flanked by a pair of white wings. Storm Stripe looked pensive for a moment. Even after his cutie mark appeared, he never understood what he was really meant to do. After brushing his mane back, and finishing his breakfast of honey and oats, Storm Stripe trotted happily outside. It was warm, with a cool breeze blowing; His favourite kind of weather. Ponyville was so much quieter than Manehatten, and the ponies were WAY more friendly. He thought back to his last day in Manehattan, when the landlord of his apartment had been robbed, in broad daylight. Five years in the Storm Chasers, and he still hated the thought of anypony being harmed. Storm Stripe’s mind meandered through his memories as he trotted through Ponyville, and found itself back in Manehattan Aerial Academy.
At school, he always had a talent for moving clouds around, constantly surpassing his classmates on flight exams. He had planned on putting his talent to use in the weather patrol graduating, but evidently somepony with connections had noticed his skill. About month after his third year, Storm Stripe received an invitation to the prestigious Storm Chasers, an elite group of ponies specifically tasked with handling unusual, difficult and sometimes treacherous weather phenomena. His first few assignments were easy enough, just storms that refused pass over. But on his tenth assignment, Storm Stripe was sent with a small squad of Storm Chasers to the desert surrounding New Haygas, with instructions to deal with a storm that had gotten to big for the local weather patrol to handle and was heading directly for the city. When they arrived, the winds had picked up to violent levels, creating a small tornado. As scared as he was, Storm Stripe worked alongside his squad mates, and managed to dissipate the clouds. But the tornado was still raging, and still growing. One of the younger squad mates, who had never seen a tornado before, flew a bit too close, and was sucked into the swirling vortex with a terrified scream. Without a thought of what he was doing, Storm Stripe dove in after her. It was extremely difficult to fight the raging winds, and even harder to keep his eyes open as the effort of keeping himself aloft and upright began to sap his strength. He had to find her quick. Through his squinting, he spotted the mare, being whipped around and around in circles. Storm Stripe thanked Celestia that the tornado hadn’t picked up any debris, or the rescue would have been far more dangerous. He carefully rode the raging winds, trying to keep level with the young mare as she was buffeted slowly toward him. As she whipped past, he reached out and wrapped his his hooves around her stomach, and shutting his eyes, he snapped his wings shut. Immediately the wind took hold of him, hurling him and the mare out of the vortex. The other squad members had been circling the tornado anxiously, debating if they should try to rescue the pair when Storm Stripe and the pink mare were thrown from the tornado. The two of them hit the ground nearly a mile away, fortunately landing in a large sand dune. The mare was fine, just badly shaken, but Storm Stripe purposely landed on his back. absorbing much of the impact. He was out cold.
Storm Stripe, upon waking up, found himself in the Storm Chasers infirmary back in Manehattan. His chest and wings had been bandaged heavily, but he could stand. Upon his request, a nurse informed him that the storm outside New Haygas had been taken care of. The young mare he saved, Bright Wing, had been found guilty of breaking formation and endangering a fellow squad mate, and had been sentenced to clean the mess hall for a week. When she was on her break, she would come up to the infirmary, and sit next to him. Hearing that last part made Storm Stripe blush. He had never been talented at “talking” with mares. Even his squad captain made him nervous, and she made it a point to tease him goodnaturedly. Even more importantly, while replacing his bandages one morning, the nurse found that his cutie mark had appeared. Storm Stripe beamed at this news, shaking the nurse’s hoof vigorously. He spent the next few days on medical leave, in the company of Bright Wing. Despite being squadmates, they never had much interaction outside of work. She was cherry coloured Pegasus with a black mane, usually tied into a braid ending in a light pink ribbon. She was two years younger than Storm Stripe, and a lot shorter as well. Bright Wing admitted that she was surprised to have been invited into the Storm Chasers. She was much better at studying storms than handling them, but with all her knowledge, she still struggled when it was time to put it to the test. Storm Stripe offered to give lessons and she gladly accepted. They spent the next few years practicing together, and they became good friends. On the fourth year, Storm Stripe had to take his two year long leave of the Storm Chasers, as it was required for all members. Bright Wing wouldn’t have her break until next year, but she promised to visit on her breaks, so the two of them made they’re goodbyes.
It was at that time that he decided to move to Ponyville, leaving behind the crowded streets of Manehatten. Even after a year, he really didn’t know anypony (no thanks to his shy nature), but he didn’t hesitate to help out if anypony asked. The only exciting times he had were at a club owned by Vinyl Scratch. He had taken up the responsibility of bartender, since until then, most ponies just took they’re drinks and left. It was his favourite part of the week. New ponies, new music, and a new drinks to mix. Storm Stripe chuckled. With all the drinks he mixed and served, he was surprised his cutie mark wasn’t a bottle of vodka or rum. Vinyl’s club was the one place for him to live a little. But it wasn’t until a few days ago that Storm Stripe had received something just as exciting from the local Mailmare. It was a party invitation from a pony named Pinkie Pie. The letter was pink all over, with a zig-zag outline, and the hand writing was rather large. Not one to say no, Storm Stripe had waited until the day of the party.
Storm Stripe stopped reminiscing, and realized that he was right in front of Sugarcube Corner. He swallowed hard. His time at Vinyl’s club still hadn’t given him any confidence when it came to mingling with other ponies. Especially mares.... But he also didn’t want to insult the host by not showing up. Storm Stripe took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Within seconds, the door flung open, and Storm Stripe was greeted by a pink earth pony, with a rather puffy mane. It looked like cotton candy. The pony put on a huge smile, and welcomed him in.
“Hiya! You must be Storm Stripe! My name’s Pinkie Pie! Or just Pinkie! Hey, can I call you Stormy? Or Stripy? Wait, Stormy sounds a lot better! Ohhh, I’m so glad you could make it to the party!”
For a moment, Storm(y) Stripe looked at Pinkie Pie as if she had slapped him across the face. Bringing himself back to reality, he smiled at her, and stepped inside.
“Thank you very much...uh...Pinkie! I don’t mind if you call me Stormy.” Only one other pony called him Stormy. Bright Wing. “How do you know my name?”
Pinkie Happily bounced around Storm Stripe as she spoke. “How do I know your name? I know EVERY pony in Ponyville, and that includes you silly!” Pinkie stopped bouncing and thought for a moment. “Ohhh, and that one time you delivered those bags of flour here? I ordered them! I needed them to make cupcakes for the party! So all this food is thanks to you!”
Pinkie Pie hugged Storm Stripe, who immediately stiffened up. He wasn’t used to being hugged, by friends or strange pink ponies. He grinned awkwardly, and pushed Pinkie away.
“Oh..uh...no problem! Glad I could help!”
He surveyed the party. Surprisingly, there wasn’t that many ponies. Enough to get lost in the crowd, sure, but there was a lot of empty space. Aside from the lack of ponies, the usual party stuff was there. Streamers, balloons, a table lined with delicious food, a very bored looking alligator wearing a party hat, sitting on a stool, and music. It wasn’t his kind of music, but he tried to enjoy it. He made a mental note to ask Vinyl to DJ the next Pinkie Party. Keeping his nervousness in check, he wandered through the crowd of ponies. Most of them recognized him as “That pony who helped me do that thing”, but Storm Stripe preferred it that way. He really didn’t like it when all eyes were on him. After weaving through the crowd, he reached the food. He scanned the table until he found what he was looking for. Cupcakes! He looked them over, trying to find just the right one. He spotted one with extra frosting on it, and reached his hoof over towards the pastry. His hoof came in contact with another, and Storm Stripe retracted his arm in surprise. He turned his head. Staring right back at him was a light blue pegasus mare. Her mane was a bit messy, but it was multi-coloured; A dazzling rainbow. Both ponies stared at each other, until the Rainbow maned pegasus spoke.
“Hey...are you gonna eat that? I mean, I kinda saw it first.”
Storm Stripe shook off his bewilderment. He didn’t really know who saw the cupcake first, but he didn’t want to upset anypony. “Oh, sure, go ahead! I’ll just get myself another one...with less frosting.”
The Pegasus smiled and tossed the whole cupcake into her mouth. Through her loud chewing, she managed to introduce herself.
“Thanks. Name’s Rainbow Dash.”
“Pleased to meet you! I’m Storm Stripe.”
“Storm Stripe huh? Cool name.”
“Oh...uh...thank you! Your name is pretty cool too!”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah....”
Storm Stripe rubbed the back of his head. The conversation was dying. He really didn’t want to bore the mare, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, he remembered something.
“Hey! Aren’t you the Pegasus who did the sonic rainboom? At the young fliers competition?”
That was all Rainbow Dash needed to hear. She leaned back against the table and grinned at Storm Stripe.
“Yup! That’s me! Best young flier in Equestria AND the one and only pony to have pulled off a sonic rainboom! Good to know some ponies recognize me! By the way,that wasn’t the first time I did a sonic rainboom. See, when I was just a filly......”
Storm Stripe began to regret bringing the whole thing up. He stood there for what seemed like hours, listening to Rainbow Dash talk about how awesome she was. He didn’t want look bored, so he tried his best to look interested, occasionally smiling and nodding at Rainbow Dash. He had nearly fallen asleep on his hooves, when Rainbow Dash spoke to him.
“So, what’s your story Storm Boy?”
Storm Stripe cringed at his new nickname.
“Oh, there really isn’t too much to tell. I was with the Manehatten weather patrol for two years. Then I got invited to the Storm Chasers, and I’m still with them... I’m on brea---
“Your in the Storm Chasers!?” Rainbow Dash cut him off. Suddenly, she was really interested, her wide eyes looking right at Storm Stripe. “That is so AWESOME! How’d you get in? Was there a big flight test or something? How much action do you guys see? Were you there for that tornado they got rid of in New Haygas?”
Storm Stripe blinked. He didn’t like talking about himself, but he knew the pegasus wouldn’t leave him alone, even if he tried to change the subject.
“Well, yeah I’ve been with them for about five years, but I’m on break right now. They usually look for anypony who’s really good at handling the weather, and for the entrance exam, they make a whole bunch of storm clouds, and you have to get rid of em as fast as possible....” He paused. Rainbow Dash was looking at him like he told her she had won the lottery. He knew what she wanted to hear.
“If you want, I could write a letter recommendation for you.”
Rainbow Dash squealed and grabbed Storm Stripe in a (Bear) hug. “Omgomgomgomg! Thank you so much!”
After releasing him from her (Death) hug, the music died down, and ponies began making they’re way out the door. Rainbow Dash Smiled again, and turned to leave.
“Talk to ya later Storm boy!”
Storm Stripe waited until everypony had left, and then trotted towards the front door. He was almost outside when he halted.
“Woops, I almost forgot!”
He turned back to the room, looking for Pinkie Pie. He spotted her, sitting over in the middle of the room, her back turned to him. He trotted over happily, and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey Pinkie Pie! I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to the party and all! The...uh...cupcakes were really good!” He grinned sheepishly.
Pinkie Pie turned around slowly. Since the beginning of the party, her mess of hair had straightened out, and her vibrant pink hair was now a darker hue. There were tears in her eyes, and her cheeks were stained from them. She looked up at Storm Stripe and smiled, sniffling.
“R-really? You liked my party? Really really liked it?”
“Yes, I really, really did!” He smiled for a moment, but then look concerned. “Um...why all the tears? Did somepony not like your party?”
Pinkie Pie’s smile faded, and she looked at the ground sadly. “Oh no! Everypony looked like they were having fun....It’s just....” She paused and looked back up at Storm Stripe, her eyes getting watery. “Whenever I have a party, A LOT of ponies show up! But lately....there’s been less and less ponies coming. Even my best friends haven’t been showing up! I mean, only Rainbow Dash was here, and I had to REALLY beg her to come! I don’t know what’s wrong.....”
By now, tears were streaming down Pinkie Pie’s face. Storm Stripe felt really sorry for her. He didn’t know her all that well, but he couldn't stand to see anypony sad. It really tugged at his heart, and sometimes, it even made him tear up. He sat down beside Pinkie Pie, and tried to comfort her.
“I’m sure there’s nothing wrong at all! Some ponies are just busy, or can’t party ALL the time. Everyponies different right?”
Pinkie Pie wasn’t convinced. “No! Your wrong! I know my friends, and they....they....they probably don’t wanna even be my friend anymore!” Now Pinkie Pie was REALLY crying now. Storm Stripe was at a loss for words, so he just lay there beside Pinkie Pie, wishing he could say something to stop the tears. After a while, Pinkie Pie stopped crying, and she suddenly looked at Storm Stripe pensively. She stared at him, as if there were something hidden on his face. Without a word, she got on her Hooves, and slowly went upstairs. All Storm Stripe could hear was the sound of a door opening, then closing. With nothing to do, and nopony around, he left Sugarcube corner, and made his way back home. He wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight.
The following day, Storm Stripe awoke to a knock at his door. He quickly cleaned himself and ran downstairs, nearly tripping and falling as he did so. When he opened the the door, a Grey, blond haired mare greeted him. He recognized her as the Ponyville mailmare, Derpy. She smiled and began rummaging through her mail bag.
“Morning Derpy!”
“Morning!” Derpy smiled. She took a letter out of her mail bag, and gave it to Storm Stripe. He looked the letter over. It was plain white, and had no designs or pictures on it. It was completely boring. On the front it read “For Storm Stripe”, along with his address. He stared at it curiously, then looked back to Derpy.
“Do you know who sent this?”
Derpy shrugged “Nope, sorry! It just had your name and address on it. Kinda weird huh?” and with that, she flew off to her next delivery. Storm Stripe went back inside his house, still looking at the letter. He went into the kitchen, sat down at the table, and opened the letter. It read; “Hey Stormy. Just wanted to let you know I’m having another party tonight at 8:00 PM. Be there. From: Pinkamina Diana Pie.” Storm Stripe was confused. Pinkamina? He figured it was Pinkie Pie, but why had she written the letter so... “Bluntly”? Having another party right after the last one didn’t surprise him, but he figured the invitation would be more festive, and pink for that matter. He got up and placed the letter on the kitchen counter. It was 1:00, so Storm Stripe trotted out the door, and into to town, looking for a way to pass the time. It was pretty hot outside, and the lack of wind made Storm Stripe wish he had just stayed home and stuck his head the the freezer. He was about to follow through with his wish when he heard somepony call out to him.
“Hey Storm Boy! Up here!”
Storm Stripe looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Rainbow Dash, waving down to him from atop a cloud. He Smiled and waved, as she came down, landing right in front of him.
“So, ready for some flight practice?”
“Huh? Why?” Storm Stripe looked confused. He hadn’t planned on doing anything physical today, especially when it was this hot outside. “I mean, couldn’t you find a better pony to practice with? I’m pretty rusty....” He tried to look tired, but Rainbow Dash wouldn’t buy it.
“Come on, you said you’ve only been on break for a year! Besides, how can you write a letter of recommendation if you haven’t seen my awesome flying skills? It’ll just be for a while! Please!” Rainbow Dash made what she thought was a pleading look. To another pony, she would have looked down right ridiculous, But Storm Stripe was gullible enough to give into Rainbow Dash’s “Puppy Dog Eyes”.
“Alright, fine, but just for a while, okay?”
“Awesome! Well start right now!” Rainbow Dash took off into the air like a rocket. Storm Stripe groaned and flew after her. This was going to be a really long “while”.
It was 7:46, and Storm Stripe was making his way towards Sugarcube corner, sweaty and tired. His flight practice with Rainbow Dash had been tougher (and longer) than he thought, not to mention he was getting tired of being called “Storm Boy” the entire time. He was relieved when an orange filly had flown in during the practice, and convinced Rainbow Dash to leave with her. Arriving at the door, Storm Stripe noticed how quiet it was. He couldn’t here the usual sounds of music playing and ponies chatting with each other. He figured he was just early, and knocked. A calm voice answered.
“Door’s open. Come in.”
He didn’t recognize who the voice belonged to, but took the invitation anyway, opening the door and stepping inside. He looked around, a confused look on his face.
The entire house was dark, save for a few lit lamps. There were no ponies around, no food, no streamers and balloons, and no bored looking alligator wearing a party hat. It was dark, dull, and cold.
“Okay...maybe I’m just REALLY early.” Storm Stripe said to himself. He was considering leaving and coming back later, when the same, emotionless voice that had invited him in spoke again.
“I’m upstairs. Hurry up.”
Storm Stripe shook off his confusion and obeyed the voice, slowly making his way upstairs. At the top was a wooden door, with a big heart carved into the center. In the middle of the heart, it read “Pinkie’s Room” . Storm Stripe pushed the door open, and looked inside.
There was a Pink earth pony lying on a small bed, an emotionless look on her face. Storm Stripe thought she was Pinkie Pie but....she looked a lot more....different from the pony who had happily greeted him at last nights party. She was no longer a vibrant shade of pink, but much more darker, almost colourless. Her mane and tail were completely straight, no longer puffy and wild. Storm Stripe almost cried out in surprise at the sight of her. Pinkamina Diana Pie slowly looked up at Storm Stripe, and a cold smile played across her face.
Storm Stripe winced as Pinkamina smiled at him. She knew he was coming? Well, she DID give him the invitation. But where was the party? Before, he had thought he was just early, but now, a sick, nervous feeling had come over him. As if reading his thoughts, Pinkamina spoke.
“If your wondering where all the other “guests” are, there are none. I sent an invitation to you, and you alone.” Storm Stripe was beginning to sweat, but he tried his best remain calm.
“W-well, it’s not much of a party with just two ponies. How come you didn’t invite anypony else?”
Pinkamina’s smile faded, replaced by a blank stare. “Even if I did send them invitations, there’d be less ponies than last night. I knew you’d be the only pony who’d be nice enough to come to two straight parties in a row. You being here proves that.” She got up off the bed and trotted over to Storm Stripe, staring into his eyes. “And now your going to do me a little party favour.”
At this point, Storm Stripe had lost his nerves. The only thing keeping him from running out the door was his curiosity of just how much Pinkie Pie had changed. It was like she was a completely different pony. He swallowed hard, and spoke, his voice small and trembling.
“A-and what would t-that be?”
Without a word, Pinkamina trotted over to her bed, and pulled a long, rolled-up poster from underneath. She unrolled it, and placed it down in front Storm Stripe, who stared curiously at it. It was a poster advertising Vinyl’s club. At the bottom were a crowd of Ponies, hooves waving in the air, and at the top Was Vinyl, scratching away at her Turntables. Storm Stripe was confused, but Pinkamina was the first to ask a question.
“You work as a bartender here right?”
“Y-yeah, but how do you know?”
Pinkamina smiled coldly. “Didn’t I tell you? I know everypony in Ponyville.”
Her words were cryptic, but Storm Stripe suddenly had a thought. The invitation, the depressed Pinkie Pie, the poster of Vinyl’s club. For the first time since he had entered the room, Storm Stripe smiled.
“If you wanted to go out with me, you could have just asked!” He was expecting a shy, embarrassed response from Pinkamina, but what he heard instead horrified him.
“No, we’re not going out. Your going to tonight’s party at the club, and you’re going to kill everypony in there. Try not to leave a mess when you do it.”
Storm Stripe’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. He found himself unconsciously backing up towards the door. He tried smiling, but his lips were quivering. He managed to choke out a question, despite his rising fear.
“W-why?”
Pinkamina replied calmly. “I’ve seen Twilight go into that place a lot. I never figured her to be the kind of pony who went to clubs, let alone stumble out of one completely drunk. It didn’t bother me, until I found out that she spent last night at Vinyl’s club instead of at my party. It looks like she doesn’t need to be my friend when there are so many other ponies for her to hang out with.”
“T-that still doesn’t mean...”
“If she would rather spend time with a bunch of drunken party ponies then with her real friends, then I guess she won’t mind dying with them.” Not waiting for a response, Pinkamina pulled something else from under her bed. It was small knife. She trotted back to Storm Stripe, and dropped it in front of his trembling hooves. “And that’s where you come in. The parties already started, so get moving.” Pinkamina lay down on her bed, and stared at Storm Stripe. He looked down at the knife in horror, but regained enough consciousness to question her.
“What if I don’t want to do it?”
Pinkamina smiled, and produced a small photo. “If you don’t, then I just might invite somepony else to a “Private” party.” Storm Stripe squinted at the photo, but then retracted in horror as he saw his best friend smiling at him. It was a photo of Bright Wing. Tears were forming in his eyes, and he clenched his teeth together to keep himself from crying out.
“P-please! Don’t hurt her!” He was visibly crying now. “Please....” He shut his eyes, trying to force back his tears and the image of his best friend, alone with Pinkamina. For a while, he stood there, sobbing, but he eventually stopped and raised his head to look at Pinkamina. His face was a mixture of sadness and frustration.
“I’ll do it.”
Without another word, he placed the knife underneath his folded wing, and trotted out of the room. Pinkamina listened as he went downstairs, opened the front door, and slammed it. She smiled to herself, and closed her eyes to sleep.
Storm Stripe slowly made his way to Vinyl’s club, thinking about what Pinkamina had said to him. He wasn’t a murderer. He hated the thought of anypony being hurt, let alone dying. But at the same time, he didn’t want anything to happen to Bright Wing. How she had even found a picture of her was beyond his understanding, but tried not to think about it. He arrived at the double doors in front of the club, and could hear the music playing loudly, threatening to blow the door off it’s hinges. Storm Stripe considered turning around and leaving, but he feared what Pinkamina might do if she found out. He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open, concealing the sharp knife underneath his folded wings. This would be a night to remember....
~Note: This chapter contains a lot of OC's belonging to other people. So if you have no idea who anypony is, don't worry, it's not essential to the story~
Storm Stripe trotted inside, surveying the club. There were a lot of ponies here tonight. He remembered the first time he had even been to a club. Bright Wing had invited him to one of more popular ones in Cloudsdale, and it took her long time to convince him to even go through the club doors. But once inside, Storm Stripe had begun to enjoy his time there, especially with Bright Wing. He never said it to her face, but he considered the the whole night a date. He blushed at the thought, as he looked back to the club. Almost all the usuals were there. Vinyl was up on stage, working her magic on the turntables. Behind her, Storm Stripe could see the sleeping form of Amando, snuggled in a sleeping bag. On the dance floor, He could see Derpy and Colgate dancing, although it looked more like Derpy was doing all the dancing. Colgate was moving like she had two left hooves. Over at the bar, He could see Sugar Rush, hitting on not one, but two mares, and was succeeding, by the blushes on their faces. Storm Stripe chuckled, but quickly remembered what he was here to do. He saw Ducks chatting with Soda, Lost Echo, and Butterscotch about sea ponies, looking rather hysterical about the topic. Storm Stripe trotted over to behind the bar and began polishing some wine glasses. He spotted Syral sitting at a table with Rainboom, playing with a lighter, smiling every time he lit it. Rainboom looked at him nervously. Storm Stripe was about to confront Syral with a long speech about fire hazards when Twilight Sparkle and Red took a seat on the stools right in front of him. They both looked drunk, especially Twilight, who was having trouble staying on her stool. Storm Stripe grinned awkwardly.
“I see you two have started drinking without me...”
Red leaned in, his face dangerously close to Storm Stripe’s. “Well you were late, so we helped ourselves! Right Twilight?” Storm Stripe winced. Red’s breath was full of alcohol.
Twilight, who had finally managed to seat herself on the stool, slowly turned to face Storm Stripe. Her eyes were a tad bloodshot, and her movements were just as sluggish as her speech.
“Oh yesh! You a tardy pony Stormy! Tardy to the party!” She laughed, nearly falling of her stool again. Red laughed at her horrible joke, and Storm Stripe just groaned. He was used to this, he really was, but he didn’t want to get distracted from what he was really here for. Even if the thought of it made him sick. He looked down at his polished wine glass, and suddenly had an idea. He put on a fake smile.
“Yeah, I’m tardy. But lemme make it up to you! The rest of the drinks are on me, for the rest of the night!” He waited for the reaction of the two ponies, knowing exactly what to expect.
“Woo~ That’s more like it Storm!” Red turned to face the rest of the club, and yelled “Drinks are on Storm tonight! Everypony cheer!” The ponies in the club yelled and stamped their hooves in joy, causing Storm Stripe to blush a little. He turned to offer Red a drink, but he found him lying underneath one of the beer fountains, tap turned, drinking the the river of Whiskey that poured out. Storm Stripe didn’t bother trying to stop him, as he wanted everypony to get as drunk as possible tonight. He stood back and watched as Red continued to guzzle the whiskey, Twilight cheering him on. Some of the other ponies had trotted over, some looking in disgust, others joining in on the cheering. It wasn’t long before Red challenged Twilight to a drinking contest consisting solely of straight shots of vodka, which had attracted an even larger crowd. Storm Stripe unconsciously smiled evilly. This was almost too easy. He began serving drinks as fast as he could, and a few hours, more than half the club was drunk. And that’s when things got weird.
Storm Stripe was trying to pick up Syral, who had passed out on top of the counter, when he saw a group of ponies giggling over in a corner. He spotted Twilight, Red, and Sugar amongst them. Watching curiously, he saw them trot into the Colt’s Room, and close the door tightly behind them, the “Occupied” light coming on. Storm Stripe wouldn’t have thought much of it until he heard loud moans and thumping noises coming from inside the bathroom. Rather than look horrified, Storm Stripe face hoofed. This was certainly not the first time someponies thought sex in the bathroom was a good idea, and it wouldn’t be the last. Storm Stripe thought for a moment, his features becoming solemn. Between the party ponies, and the drunk ponies, He decided it was time to do Pinkamina’s task. Checking to make sure the knife Pinkamina gave him was still underneath his folded wing, he casually trotted over to the bathroom door, and tapped it twice.
“Hello? Anypony home?”
A sweaty, gasping Red poked his head out the door. He took one good look at Storm Stripe, grinned, and pulled him inside. Storm Stripe only had time to squeak a bit before the door closed behind him. What happened next would haunt Storm Stripe for years to come, but despite how violated he was, Storm Stripe unfolded his wings and pulled out the knife.
After Storm Stripe had cleaned himself up, he trotted out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He took a seat at table by the dance floor, his face a mixture of horror and satisfaction. Nopony had noticed it yet, but blood was seeping out from underneath the bathroom door, coating the floor in dark red liquid.
Storm Stripe was deep in thought, when a white unicorn with a beautiful purple mane sat next to him. Storm Stripe was completely caught of guard, and nearly fell out of his seat. The unicorn mare giggled at him before helping him up.
“My, seems like somepony has had a little too much to drink I see!” She smiled at him, and took a sip of her Jack Daniels. “Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Rarity!” Storm Stripe was expecting her to curtsy or something, but instead, she just took a long sip of her drink. Storm Stripe smiled weakly.
“ Pleased to meet you! I’m Storm---”
“Stripe, yes I know.” Rarity cut him off. “Twilight told me all about you.” She stared at him, batting her eyelashes. Storm Stripe cringed, both from the mention of Twilight’s name, and the fact that this unicorn was clearly hitting on him. He was about to question her, when she took an extremely long swig of her Jack Daniels. Her mood suddenly changed.
“Oh, whyyyyyyyy must I come to these places, with all these drunken party ponies?” She threw her hooves in the air. “Every time I come here, I just drink and drink, and then I try to flirt with ponies like YOU” She poke Storm Stripe’s nose to get her point across. He frowned.
“Why are you whining? Your the one who came here in the first place, and got yourself drunk!”
“That’s not whining! Thiiiiiiissss issss whiiiiiinnningggggg!” Rarity yelled so loud that some ponies were beginning to give both of them strange looks. Storm Stripe groaned and covered his ears.
“Please, stop! Ponies are staring at us!” He tried reasoning with her, but Rarity was too drunk and sad to listen to reason.
“But I thought you wanted whiiiiiinnnninggggggg!” She was sobbing hysterically , and Storm Stripe was getting annoyed. He unfolded his wing and took the knife out. Nopony noticed as he hugged Rarity tightly, pushing the knife deep into her stomach as he did so. Rarity’s face was a look of shock and sheer horror. Storm Stripe watched as the blood drained from her soon-to-be-lifeless face and onto the seat as she slumped forward. He removed the knife, cleaned it off, and moved to another table.
The party was beginning to die down. Vinyl had put on Strobe, which was usually the song she played to wind things down. Storm Stripe sat by himself, sobbing quietly. He thought he’d be a lot more sad about the fact that he killed three of his friends, and one annoying unicorn, but he felt rather empty about it, as if it was no big deal. He was silently cursing himself, when he saw Ducks go out the back door, drinking a bottle of AppleJack (An alcoholic apple cider drink). Storm Stripe narrowed his eyes. He got up, and trotted after him.
Ducks wanted a small breather, so he had taken his bottle of AppleJack, and stepped outside into the alleyway. It was dark outside, and the moon offered little light. It also allowed Storm Stripe to sneak up on Ducks undetected. He was about to lunge at Ducks, but he tripped over an empty rum bottle, and fell forward into Ducks. They both went down. After pushing him off, Ducks got up and stared at Storm Stripe.
“Easy there Storm, you scared the crap outta me!” Ducks took another swig of his drink when he saw the Knife in Storm Stripe’s hoof. He sprayed his drink out in surprise.
“Woah! Why the hell do you have that?” Storm Stripe didn’t respond, but instead pointed the knife at Ducks. His face was expressionless, unlike Ducks, who looked at Storm Stripe like he was insane(At this point, he almost was).
“What the hell are you doing?! Are you cra---” Ducks didn’t have time to finish, as Storm Stripe thrust the knife at him. Ducks barely dodged it, as it grazed his cheek, causing blood to trickle out. Ducks eyes were wide with fear, but he was sober enough to fight back, even against a (now former) friend. He broke his bottle of AppleJack against the wall, splashing the contents onto the ground. He pointed the jagged end at Storm Stripe.
“Come at me Brony!”
They both lunged at each other, weapons raised. Storm Stripe found himself on the receiving end for the first time this night, as Ducks dealt him numerous cuts and stabs. One of them cut his face, leaving a long gash across his cheek. Storm Stripe growled, and kicked Ducks off of him. He wanted to end this quickly. He got up and charged at Ducks again, and grabbed him by the stomach. Ducks furiously beat him over the head with the broken bottle, but though the pain, Storm Stripe raised the knife, and stuck it in the side of Ducks’ neck. Duck’s shuddered a bit for a bit. The broken bottle fell from his grip, and fell to the ground. Storm Stripe released Ducks from his grip, and watched as his lifeless body slumped onto the ground. He stared silently for awhile, but suddenly burst out laughing. He didn’t even now why, but he just started laughing, almost falling over. He had killed his friends, friends he had known for almost a year, and yet, he didn’t feel as sad as he should be. Stifling his laughter, He removed the knife from Ducks and put it underneath his folded wing. Not even bothering to clean the knife or himself, Storm Stripe trotted silently odd into the night, heading for Sugarcube corner, and Pinkamina.
Pinkamina lay on her bed, gazing out her room window. It was getting darker, despite the full moon that glowed brightly. Pinkamina shifted her gaze towards her room door. Storm Stripe had only been gone for a couple of hours, but she had a feeling he’d get her job done. Ponies like him just needed a little motivation, and they’d do anything you’d ask them to. She had only really met Storm Stripe at last night’s party, but that one encounter told her enough about him. She never told him, but Pinkamina had been observing Storm Stripe since he moved into Ponyville last year. She was still “Pinkie Pie” during that time. Lately, her friends had been busy going about their own business, and whenever she tried to invite to something, anything, fun, they always had an excuse. It was enough to make her depressed for days, and to make matters worse, nopony had bothered to check up on her. When Storm Stripe first arrived in Ponyville, she had watched his moving carriage arrive from her room window. Storm Stripe and that other pegasus, Bright Wing, spent hours unloading all his belongings, and they looked like they were enjoying each others company. After the job was done, Bright Wing gave Storm Stripe a warm hug, and flew off in the direction of Cloudsdale. From her hiding place, Pinkie Pie had wondered when was the last time she and her friends had spent any time together. No matter how many parties she threw, it seemed like nopony really wanted to come. Storm Stripe didn’t know it, but the last party she had was both to welcome him, and to observe him, And Pinkamina had done both. She hadn’t even bothered to mingle with the other party ponies, not that they even paid any attention to her. When she given sent an invitation to yet another “Party”, she knew Storm Stripe would be too polite to decline. If her other friends wouldn’t come to her parties, she’d just make new ones. Starting with Storm Stripe. The only thing that really surprised her was how easy it was to convince him to murder anypony. She had figured threatening him with the death of his best friend was enough, but she was also prepared to threaten him if she needed to. The knife she had given him was a simple cutting knife, one she used to cut her pastries when she was baking. It would get the job done. Suddenly, a loud banging noise could be heard from inside Pinkamina’s closet. She sighed as she got up off her bed, and trotted over. Her “House Guest” was getting restless.
Pinkamina open the closet door to reveal the bound a gagged form of a cherry coloured pegasus. It was Bright Wing. Pinkamina stared down at her, and Bright Wing stared back, tears in her angry eyes. They continued looking at each other in silence until Pinkamina bent down, and removed the ball gag from Bright Wing’s mouth. She stepped back, avoiding an attempt by Bright Wing to bite her face. She growled at Pinkamina.
“You....you crazy bitch!” tears were rolling down her cheek. “I heard Stormy’s voice earlier....What the hell did you do to him!” She tried moving, but the ropes that bound her were tight, almost digging into her. Pinkamina smiled coldly.
“Nothing much. I just sent him on a small errand. He should be back in a few more hours, and when he does, I have something special planned for the both of you.” Pinkamina was enjoying the horrified look on Bright Wing’s face as she spoke, although her blank expression didn’t show it. It hadn’t taken much to capture the mare. Earlier in the day, Pinkamina found her wandering around town, trying to locate Storm Stripe’s house (which she had forgotten the location to). Pinkamina had approached her, telling her exactly where he lived. Bright Wing was happy enough to ignore the fact that Pinkamina knew such information and turned to leave. As soon as she did, Pinkamina gave her a strong buck to the back of her head, which was more than enough to knock her out cold. She had dragged the unconscious pony home, tied her up, gagged her, and waited for Storm Stripe to arrive.
Bright Wing continued to look at Pinkamina in fearful anger, not saying another word. Pinkamina decided that she had looked over her catch long enough and gagged her once more. Bright Wing immediately protested by making angry squeaks threw her gag, but Pinkamina simply bucked her in the head, knocking her out and leaving the room silent once again. Pinkamina trotted over to her dresser, pulling a drawer out, and rummaging through it quietly. After a few seconds, she took out a hair brush, clenched between her teeth, and placed it next to Bright Wing. She went back into the drawer, this time pulling out a can of paint, and some brushes. After finding the necessary items, she set about going to work, combing and painting until her “Art” was finished. She stood back from Bright Wing, admired her handy work, and then set out to finish the preparations for the surprise she had created for Storm Stripe. For the the first time since last night, Pinkamina chuckled a bit.
Ducks wanted a small breather, so he had taken his bottle of Apple Jack, and stepped outside into the alleyway. It was dark outside, and the moon offered little light. It also allowed Storm Stripe to sneak up on Ducks undetected. He was about to lunge at Ducks, but he tripped over an empty rum bottle, and fell forward into Ducks. They both went down. After pushing him off, Ducks got up and stared at Storm Stripe.
“Easy there Storm, you scared the crap outta me!” Ducks took another swig of his drink when he saw the Knife in Storm Stripe’s hoof. He sprayed his drink out in surprise.
“Woah! Why the hell do you have that?” Storm Stripe didn’t respond, but instead pointed the knife at Ducks. His face was expressionless, unlike Ducks, who looked at Storm Stripe like he was insane(At this point, he almost was).
“What the hell are you doing?! Are you cra---” Ducks didn’t have time to finish, as Storm Stripe thrust the knife at him. Ducks barely dodged it, as it grazed his cheek, causing blood to trickle out. Ducks eyes were wide with fear, but he was sober enough to fight back, even against a (now former) friend. He broke his bottle of Apple Jack against the wall, splashing the contents onto the ground. He pointed the jagged end at Storm Stripe.
“Come at me Brony!”
They both lunged at each other, weapons raised. Storm Stripe found himself on the receiving end for the first time this night, as Ducks dealt him numerous cuts and stabs. One of them cut his face, leaving a long gash across his cheek. Storm Stripe growled, and kicked Ducks off of him. He wanted to end this quickly. He got up and charged at Ducks again, and grabbed him by the stomach. Ducks furiously beat him over the head with the broken bottle, but though the pain, Storm Stripe raised the knife, and stuck it in the side of Ducks’ neck. Duck’s shuddered a bit for a bit. The broken bottle fell from his grip, and fell to the ground. Storm Stripe released Ducks from his hold, and watched as his lifeless body slumped onto the ground. He stared silently for awhile, but suddenly burst out laughing. He didn’t even now why, but he just started laughing, almost falling over. Stifling his laughter, He removed the knife from Ducks and put it underneath his folded wing. Not even bothering to clean the knife or himself, Storm Stripe began to trot out of the alleyway. He didn’t get far when Vinyl Scratch stepped out from around the corner, blocking the only way out. Storm Stripe nearly yelled in surprise. He wasn’t expecting anypony to find him, especially not Vinyl. He immediately tried to feign innocence.
“O-oh, hey Vinyl! Didn’t expect to see you out here....and not inside the club.”
Vinyl looked at him with a blank expression. She motioned her hoof over to Ducks lifeless body, still bloody and bruised.
“Explain. Now.”
Storm Stripe swallowed nervously. “Oh, Ducks? Hes just passed out! Had a bit too much to drink, you know how it is!” He smiled weakly. Vinyl just Stared at him.
“Uh huh. Right. So tell me why your covered in his blood?” Storm Stripe’s eyes widened. She had caught him red-hoofed. He started to back away , but found himself backed against the door leading into the club. He turned around, and tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. Beside the doorknob was a label that read “Exit Only”. Storm Stripe face hoofed. He turned back to Vinyl, who had begun to levitate a rake that was propped up against the wall. She approached him, raising the rake above her head. Storm Stripe began frantically beating on the door, but the music from inside the club muffled his his banging. He turned to Vinyl, who was already upon him. Before he had a chance to scream, Vinyl began furiously beating Storm Stripe with the rake, the pointed ends tearing into his body. He was already dead from the first few cuts, but Vinyl hit him some more, for good measure. She stopped, dropping the rake and looking down at her work. She shook her head.
“Why do all my bartenders end up like this?” She muttered to herself as she trotted out of the alleyway, leaving Storm Stripe’s bloody body behind.
Storm Stripe was trotting slowly towards Sugarcube corner, his body bloody and beaten. He had gone against his own morals and beliefs, and had murdered his own friends at Vinyl’s club. His only justification was that Pinkamina threatened to do “something” to Bright Wing, and that alone was enough for him to take up a knife with murderous intent. More than anything, Storm Stripe was angry. How could he let himself, or Bright Wing for that matter, get caught up in this. He made a mental note to toughen up in the future, and trotted up to the front door of Sugarcube corner. He pushed the door to see if it was closed, and it slowly creaked open. Not even bothering to call out Pinkamina’s name to she if she was there, he trotted up the stairs, and opened her room door.
He saw Pinkamina, sitting in the middle of the floor, back turned to him. She hadn’t even acknowledged his presence, but instead remained completely quiet and motionless. Storm Stripe figured he was just being ignored, but spoke anyway.
“I did it. I didn’t want to....not ever....but I did it. I didn’t kill all of them, but my friends...” He choked up a bit, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “They’re dead.” He paused, waiting for Pinkamina to say something, anything. She sat there, back still turned to him, not even moving an inch. Storm Stripe could feel anger beginning boil inside of him.
“Why aren’t saying anything? I just killed my friends for you! KILLED them!” He was slowly approaching Pinkamina, who still remained silent. Storm Stripe didn’t like to get angry, let alone even yell at anypony, but he was starting to feel new-found hatred for Pinkamina. It took a lot for Storm Stripe to feel hate towards anypony, and for him, he had more than enough reasons.
“I did what you asked! I did it! Why....why did you make me do this? What the hell do want from me?” Pinkamina didn’t respond. “ANSWER ME!”
He paused again, waiting for Pinkamina’s response. Nothing. Storm Stripe yelled, in both frustration and anger. He pulled out the knife from underneath his folded wings, and charged at Pinkamina.
Storm Stripe expected Pinkamina to resist, but instead, her body trembled as he drove the knife into the back of her head. Blood sputtered out, and then it slowed down to a constant stream, running down the back of her neck. Storm Stripe stepped back in surprise, releasing his grip on the knife. He watched as Pinkamina’s now lifeless body shuddered a bit more, then fall over on it’s side. He had killed yet another pony. He was about consider hiding her body when he he suddenly remembered something. Bright Wing! He turned to leave the room, when he heard soft hoofsteps come up the stairs. He immediately panicked, thinking it was somepony who had come to investigate all the noise he had made. All he could do was stand still, sweating as the shadow of a straight maned mare began to come into view. It came closer and closer, until the shadow’s owner had stepped into the room. It was Pinkamina Diana Pie.
Storm Stripe could only gasp in confused horror at what he saw. Standing at the doorway was the pink earth pony who he thought he had just killed. He wheeled around, checking to see if the body was still there. It was, and it was still bleeding. His eyes moved up and down the body of who he thought was Pinkamina until they stopped at her flank. Rather than the three party balloons that he thought were there, there was a pair of glowing white pegasus wings, a sunset hovering in between them. It was Bright Wing. Storm Stripe stepped back, realizing what he had just done. He had no words to describe what he felt, just sheer shock and horror. He had killed his best friend. The thought played over and over again in his head, and he began to sob, still backing away from the corpse. Suddenly, he felt somepony breathing down his neck. He turned around, and found himself facing Pinkamina. She wore a smile on her face that would have made Nightmare Moon cower in fear. Storm Stripe didn’t say anything, but just swallowed hard. Pinkamina moved her face closer to his, her mouth just inches from his ear. She whispered into it, her cold breath making his entire body shiver.
Storm Stripe was trotting slowly towards Sugarcube corner, his body bloody and beaten. He had gone against his own morals and beliefs, and had murdered his own friends at Vinyl’s club. His only justification was that Pinkamina threatened to do “something” to Bright Wing, and that alone was enough for him to take up a knife with murderous intent. More than anything, Storm Stripe was angry. How could he let himself, or Bright Wing for that matter, get caught up in this. He made a mental note to toughen up in the future, and trotted up to the front door of Sugarcube corner. He pushed the door to see if it was closed, and it slowly creaked open. Not even bothering to call out Pinkamina’s name to she if she was there, he silently trotted up the stairs, and opened her room door.
He saw Pinkamina, sitting in the middle of the floor, back turned to him. She hadn’t even acknowledged his presence, but instead remained completely quiet and motionless. Storm Stripe figured he was just being ignored, but spoke anyway.
“I did it. I didn’t want to....not ever....but I did it. I didn’t kill all of them, but my friends...” He choked up a bit, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “They’re dead.” He paused, waiting for Pinkamina to say something, anything. She sat there, back still turned to him, not even moving an inch. Storm Stripe could feel anger beginning boil inside of him.
“Why aren’t saying anything? I just killed my friends for you! KILLED them!” He was slowly approaching Pinkamina, who still remained silent. Storm Stripe didn’t like to get angry, let alone even yell at anypony, but he was starting to feel new-found hatred for Pinkamina. It took a lot for Storm Stripe to feel hate towards anypony, and for him, he had more than enough reasons.
“I did what you asked! I did it! Why....why did you make me do this? What the hell do want from me?” Pinkamina didn’t respond. “ANSWER ME!”
He paused again, waiting for Pinkamina’s response. Nothing. Storm Stripe yelled, in both frustration and anger. He pulled out the knife from underneath his folded wings, and charged at Pinkamina.
Storm Stripe expected Pinkamina to resist, but instead, her body trembled as he drove the knife into the back of her head. Blood sputtered out, and then it slowed down to a constant stream, running down the back of her neck. Storm Stripe stepped back in surprise, releasing his grip on the knife. He watched as Pinkamina’s now lifeless body shuddered a bit more, then fall over on it’s side. He had killed yet another pony. He was about consider hiding her body when he he suddenly remembered something. Bright Wing! He turned to leave the room, when he heard soft hoofsteps come up the stairs. He immediately panicked, thinking it was somepony who had come to investigate all the noise he had made. All he could do was stand still, sweating as the shadow of a straight maned mare began to come into view. It came closer and closer, until the shadow’s owner had stepped into the room. It was Pinkamina Diana Pie.
Storm Stripe could only gasp in confused horror at what he saw. Standing at the doorway was the pink earth pony who he thought he had just killed. He wheeled around, checking to see if the body was still there. It was, and it was still bleeding. His eyes moved up and down the body of who he thought was Pinkamina until they stopped at her flank. Rather than the three party balloons that he thought were there, there was a pair of glowing white pegasus wings, a sunset hovering in between them. It was Bright Wing. Storm Stripe stepped back, realizing what he had just done. He had no words to describe what he felt, just sheer shock and horror. He had killed his best friend. The thought played over and over again in his head, and he began to sob, still backing away from the corpse. Suddenly, he felt somepony breathing down his neck. He turned around, and found himself facing Pinkamina. She wore a smile on her face that would have made Nightmare Moon cower in fear. Storm Stripe didn’t say anything, but just swallowed hard. Pinkamina moved her face closer to his, her mouth just inches from his ear. She whispered into it, her cold breath making his entire body shiver.
“And now, your my only friend.”
She pulled her face away from Storm Stripe’s, who stood stock still, tears rolling down his face. She trotted over to Bright Wing’s bloody body, removing the knife from her head. Blood dripped from it’s tip, leaving a trail as she went back to Storm Stripe, bringing it dangerously close to his face.
“And as my only friend, you’d do me anything to make me happy right?”
Storm Stripe only responded by crying harder, his tears falling to the floor. Pinkamina smiled.
“Then I just want you to do me one last favour.” her face was practically pressed against Storm Stripe’s, his tears brushing against her cheeks. She stared right into his eyes.
“Die for me!”
She plunged the knife deep into Storm Stripe’s throat, causing blood to spray out and bath her face in dark red liquid. She watched as Storm Stripe stumbled backwards, making as loud gurgling noise as he fell onto the floor. The blood continued to leak out, creating a pool around his body. He shuddered a bit, and then went still, tears still pouring out of his dead eyes. Pinkamina trotted over to his body, and peered into the pool of blood. Her reflection revealed her face, half covered in his blood, trickling down her face. She looked up at Storm Stripe’s corpse, laughing manically.
