//------------------------------// // Pinkie in Darkness // Story: My Brave Pony: The Knight Who Fell From Space // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Pinkie in Darkness Pinkie bounced through the meadow that lay outside of town. She’d just come back from delivering some cookies to Zecora – who knew that zebras who lived alone in creepy forest shad sweet teeth? It made her much less scary in Pinkie’s eyes, she wished her new rhyming friend had been more up-front about that in the past instead of going around in a cloak muttering things that made everypony think she was an evil enchantress who did evil dances – and now she was on her way back to Sugarcube Corner, where a batch of muffins was calling her. Mostly because she’d come up with a great new recipe idea that she wanted to try when she got back. Sure, sarsaparilla muffins might not be to everypony’s taste, but she was sure that there was somepony out there who’d love them. Ooh! But before that she should make a pie for Rainbow Dash. Because it was… because it was ‘you’re my friend and I wanted to make you a pie’-day. Yeah, that was totally a real thing that not something that she’d just made up because she liked the look on Rainbow’s face whenever she got one of Pinkie’s pies! Yeah. Pinkie was bouncing home with a wicker basket – which had until recently contained some cookies, and had contained even more of them when Pinkie had set off from Sugarcube Corner; unfortunately they had smelled so delicious that not all of them had made it all the way from the Corner to Zecora’s hut, as the crumbs around Pinkie’s mouth could attest; really, though, Pinkie was of the opinion that as good as those cookies smelt she ought to be commended for arriving at Zecora’s with more than a useful basket to keep things in, and judging by the way that Zecora had absolutely seen the cookie crumbs it seemed like the zebra sorceress agreed with her – in her mouth, but the fact that there was something in her mouth couldn’t stop Pinkie from humming, kind of, as she bounced along. And really, why shouldn’t she? The sun was in the sky, it was a beautiful day and all was pretty much right with the world. It was true that the Grand Galloping Gala had been a pretty big letdown for everypony, but they had made up for it with a great night at Pony Joe’s with Princess Celestia, just talking and laughing and hanging out and, yes, doing all of the things that Spike had wanted to do in the first place; although that night had also ended with them being told that Twilight had been taken to hospital, but as scary as that had been at the time, looking back Pinkie thought that they had probably all over-reacted just a little bit. And she knew that because Twilight had said ‘girls, you’re all overreacting just a little bit’ and Twilight was really smart so if she said a thing like that it was probably true. Still, the real reason why things were only pretty much right with the world instead of being great right now was what they’d found out that Lightning had done once they got to the hospital. It was… it was something that Pinkie was trying not to think about too much, to be honest. She was trying not to think about it because… because she didn’t know what to think about it. Pinkie wasn’t stupid – she thought she wasn’t anyway, even though she knew she wasn’t smart like Twilight – but she liked things to be straightforward, and there wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there? There wasn’t anything wrong with wanting things to be simple, right? But what had happened with Lightning and Twilight… Pinkie liked Lightning, she thought that he was pretty nice and it was obvious that he cared about Krysta and caring about someone other than yourself was always good start; but then when she heard what he’d done… Pinkie didn’t like to think about what that meant. A life… ended. Just like her granny. Somepony who was no more. Somepony who wasn’t around to laugh or talk with their friends or do anything, anything at all. Somepony gone. Snuffed out. Lightning had done that, and that… that wasn’t very nice at all. But he’d done it to protect Twilight, to save her life, and that… Pinkie didn’t know what she’d do if anything happened to Twilight Sparkle. If they lost her then Pinkie would… she didn’t want to think about that either. Pinkie didn’t know whether she wanted to thank Lightning for saving Twilight or tell him that he ought to stay away from her. And her confusion was made all the harder by the way that her friends couldn’t agree either. Twilight was pretty mad at Lightning, and she ought to know; Rainbow Dash was even more mad… but then Rainbow had never liked Lightning very much and Pinkie wasn’t all that fond of the way that Rainbow Dash was kind of being all ‘I told you so’; Rarity thought that it was worth it to save Twilight, and while that was a little bit… harsh, maybe, it wasn’t as though Pinkie couldn’t see where she was coming from; Applejack was keeping quiet about it, but Pinkie thought that was probably because Applejack would have done the same thing if Apple Bloom had been in trouble, she just didn’t want to admit it in case Twilight or Rainbow Dash said anything; Fluttershy… Pinkie didn’t know what Fluttershy thought about it; she didn’t know if Fluttershy knew what Fluttershy thought about this. Just like Pinkie didn’t know what she thought about it. Which was why she was kind of trying not to think about it at all, to be honest. She was just… putting it out of her mind. Focussing on all the other things going on. Like Raven, who appeared right in front of her and forced Pinkie to skid to a stop before she bounced right into them. The basket fell out of Pinkie’s mouth as she said, “How did you do that? Ordinarily I’m the pony that does that!” “I know,” Raven said, her voice issuing forth from out of her cloak. “But I have my little ways; a few of them anyway.” That was an answer that didn’t really say anything at all. Pinkie waited to see if she would say anything else, but she didn’t. “So,” Pinkie said. “What brings you out here? I haven’t seen you since you came to town.” “My business has been taking me elsewhere,” Raven said softly. “Canterlot, principally.” “Oh, okay. So you’re back now?” “Yes,” Raven said. “I’m back now, for a little while.” “For a little while? Are you going somewhere else again?” Raven was silent for a moment. “Perhaps.” “Where?” “I don’t know yet.” “Is there any reason you can’t stay longer?” Pinkie asked. “It seems like you like it here in Ponyville. That’s what you said.” “Yes,” Raven murmured. “Yes I do like it here. There’s a lot to like, wouldn’t you agree.” “Absolutely!” Pinkie cried. “Everypony in Ponyville is just so nice and friendly, and there’s so much open space for the little foals and fillies and I get to spend time with all of my friends-“ “Yes,” Raven repeated, cutting Pinkie off in mid-flow. “Your friends. Tell me something, Pinkie Pie… do you trust your friends?” Pinkie scrunched up her face. “What kind of a question is that? Of course I trust my friends. Why wouldn’t I?” “Why indeed,” Raven said. She sighed, and the hood that obscured her face moved a little, as though she was turning her head. “Do you know what’s going on in Ponyville right now?” Pinkie blinked. “Stuff? There’s always a lot going on in Ponyville but I can’t see it right now because I’m not there. I’m here talking to you instead.” Raven snorted. “True. But what’s going on in Ponyville right now is that Lightning is pretending to apologise to Twilight.” Pinkie frowned. “Pretending?” “He isn’t really sorry,” Raven said. “He’s only acting sorry so that he can make up with Twilight.” “How do you know he’s only pretending?” Pinkie asked. “Because I know him,” Raven snapped. “I know him better than Twilight, better than any of you. I know Lightning Dawn better than he knows himself. I thought that when I… I thought that she’d see, when the mask came off. I thought that she’d realise what he is but no… Twilight is too much of a fool to see.” “A fool?” Pinkie repeated. “Twilight’s not stupid.” “No,” Raven allowed. “But that does not make her wise, nor does it make her a good judge of character. I thought… I thought that I had proved to her what Lightning really is. But it seems that I will have to take a more drastic approach.” “I don’t understand,” Pinkie murmured. “I don’t understand… how do you know Lightning? Didn’t he just come from another world? Didn’t he only arrive… on the same day that you got into Ponyville.” Pinkie felt a shiver running down her back that had nothing to do with the Pinkie sense. “Raven, who are you?” Raven was silent for a moment. “You… you’re the only one who never blamed me, Pinkie,” she said. “Even when I deserved to be blamed. I never thanked you for that. I’m sorry that it has to come to this.” “What are you-“ Pinkie began, before Raven flung some black goop into her face. Pinkie squealed in surprise and startled fright as the substance struck her, shaking her head frantically back and forth to shake off the icky, oily substance covering her eyes and nose. Only it wouldn’t come off, it was… it was crawling in through her nose! It was getting in through her eyes! Pinkie cried out, pain and fear and alarm all mingling in her voice as she could feel this stuff, this horrible stuff that felt like mud coated in cooking grease crawling off her face and inside of her. She could feel it moving around in her nose, she could feel it squeezing past her nose she could feel…she could feel… she could feel anger. Pinkie screamed, and beneath her scream could be heard the beginning of a roar of rage because there was a part of her that hated everything and everypony right now. Pinkie could feel it, she could feel it underneath her feelings; when she thought about Twilight, when she thought about her friends, when she thought about the Cakes underneath the love she felt for them there was this rage, this hate, this desire to… to hurt them. No! This isn’t me! No, but it’s me and I’m taking over! “What…” Pinkie said, as she felt something, the same dark substance that had gotten inside of her… it was still on her too and it was spreading all over her, it was covering her like… like tar or something. “What’s happening to me?” “I’m sorry, Pinkie,” Raven murmured. “This is for the good of Equestria. No one will understand your sacrifice… but the world will be saved because of you. I… I’m so sorry it has to come to this.” She turned away. “Wait!” Pinkie shrieked, before her legs gave way beneath her. She felt… she could feel the anger growing stronger inside of her. She could feel it… it was… it was like it was taking over. She could feel it… she could hardly move. She could hardly…she had to fight it but…it was so strong. It wanted to… no! No, she wouldn’t hurt her friends, she wouldn’t hurt anyone. How long do you think you can stop me? “Rainbow… Dash?” Pinkie whispered, as a tear sprang to her eye because already she hated Rainbow Dash almost as much as she loved her. “Applejack? Anypony? Somepony?” She had an idea! The mind thing! The thing with Twilight at the bakery! Twilight would know what to do, Twilight would know what this was! Twilight would be able to help her. Twilight…Twilight would make sure she didn’t hurt anypony else. Pinkie flung out her mind. Help! Twilight!