//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Movie Night of Nightmares // Story: Paranoid Pink // by Scholarly-Cimmerian //------------------------------// It was a quiet Sunday night at the Pie sisters’ house, and while Pinkie couldn’t have her friends over to stay the night, she still had plans for the evening. The party planner was up in her room, seated cross-legged on the bed with a pile of snacks on one side and her plush alligator Gummy on the other. She had just loaded a DVD into her media player and was happily waiting through the coming attractions. “Ooh, I can’t wait Gummy!” Pinkie chirped. “This is gonna be so much fun!” Gummy, of course, said nothing. Pinkie idly munched a handful of chocolate, and after the fourth or fifth preview, decided to skip to the end. Pinkie made a happy squeak as the DVD menu finally appeared – showing a split screen, one side with the menu for a black-and-white creature feature from the 1950s, and the other side for its remake from the late 70s. Spooky background music played as the pink girl took note of the movies’ respective titles, each displayed in stark letters: “Night of the Changelings” read the title of the older movie. And, for the latter version, “Dawn of the Changelings.” “Okay!” Pinkie said, as she stuffed a fistful of popcorn into her mouth, “Letsth get thisth party started!” She reached for the controller and moved to select “play” for the classic movie— ”umm?” A nearly inaudible murmur reached Pinkie’s ears, and she looked over to the door with a smile to see her sister Marble cautiously peering inside. “Hi Marble!" Pinkie sang out, "You wanna sit down and watch a scary movie with me?” Marble’s eyes flicked to the screen, widened, and she shook her head timidly. “Mm-mm…” “Okay!” Pinkie answered with a little shrug. Then a new thought occurred to her and she asked, “Ooh! Could you tell Maud that the scary movie’s gonna be on, and see if she’d like to watch it?” Marble Pie frowned anxiously, her gaze lowering to the floor, as she asked a question at a volume that rodents would be hard-pressed to discern. “What was that, Marble?” Pinkie asked kindly. Marble Pie screwed up her courage and tried again. “Umm… mm-hmm?” Pinkie blinked, surprised. “Yeah, I’m gonna watch both of them!” she answered, "Why?" Marble shivered as she then asked, “Umm-hmm?” Pinkie stared at her younger sister, taken aback. “Whattya mean, ‘can I handle it?’ I love scary movies! They don’t always freak me out!” It was after one o’clock in the morning. The house was quiet and dark, for all its residents had gone to bed hours ago. All, that is, except for one. Pinkie Pie lay in her bed, eyes wide as saucers, shuddering in terror as she held Gummy close, almost like the little plush would act as a shield against the horrors running amok in her thoughts. “What if Sunset Shimmer’s really a bug monster?” Pinkie said to herself. She squeezed Gummy tighter as another thought occurred to her. “Wh-what if Rainbow Dash is really a bug monster?” Another, even more horrible thought came to her mind, and she sat bolt-upright in bed with a gasp of fright. “What if Maud’s a bug monster?” Pinkie Pie leapt out of bed and darted out into the hall, down to her big sister’s room, calling Maud’s name almost every step of the way. “Maud! Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud—" (Limestone Pie growled and covered her ears with her pillow.) Maud opened the door to her room and peered out at her little sister, looking remarkably unruffled for someone who’d just been woken up in the wee hours of the morning. “What is it Pinkie.” She managed to ask the question without really stating the question mark at the end of the sentence, but that was the way of Maud Pie for you. Pinkie held her plush gator close, as she chewed over her question for a second. Finally she couldn't holds the words in, and just said it all at once. “Maud, if you were a bug creature from outer space, you’d tell me, r-right?” Maud blinked placidly. If she was surprised by the question in any way, it was impossible to tell. “Yes, Pinkie.” She answered. Pinkie Pie brightened up immediately. “Okie-dokie-lokie! Thanks Maud, g’night!” And with a yawn, Pinkie Pie turned and walked back to her room with a spring in her step. “Aww, I got nothing to worry about!” she chirped to herself, “Back to bed, Gummy!” She covered her mouth and suppressed a large yawn, “And I am beat too!” Pinkie Pie clambered back into her bed, gave Gummy a quick kiss goodnight, and was soon asleep and snoring away. Pinkie was at her locker at school, about to get her stuff out for class when Applejack and Rainbow Dash suddenly came up to her. “Hey Pinkie! Whatcha doing?” “Hi Dashie! Hi Applejack!" Pinkie chirped as she closed her locker, "Just getting ready for class, silly!” Applejack chuckled. “Well, class can wait a bit. C’mon Pinkie, we got a surprise for ya!” “Ooh! I like surprises!” Pinkie blinked, “Buuut wait a minute. Doesn’t telling me that there's a surprise spoil the surprise?” “C’mon, quit worrying about it! I’ll race you there!” Rainbow Dash ran off, and Pinkie couldn’t help but giggle and chase after her, the athlete leading her to an empty classroom where— “SURPRISE!!” All her friends were waiting there for her! Balloons and streamers filled the air, and Rarity switched on a music player. “A party, for me!” Pinkie squealed, delighted, “Aww, you girls shouldn’t have!” Sunset Shimmer smiled fondly at her. “We just wanted to, Pinkie. What better way to say thanks to someone so sweet?” She licked her lips at that last word, but Pinkie didn’t notice, as she’d already dragged Twilight to the dance floor. “Whoohoo! PARTY!!!” And so, Pinkie did party. She danced with Twilight, and then Fluttershy, before taking a break to referee a dance-off between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The party planner was having a great time, happy just to spend time together with her friends, and then… “Whew!” Pinkie rubbed her tummy, “All that dancing has me hung-ree! Where’s the snack table at this party?” “Why it’s right here, darling!” Rarity ushered her over to a sleek metal table that was set up against the wall. Pinkie looked down at it in surprise, her eyes full of confusion. “Huh?" she asked, "But Rarity, it’s empty..." She heard the door suddenly *click* and turned around just in time to see that Sunset had just locked it. “Girls, what’s going on?” Pinkie asked, as the Rainbooms all gathered near her. The music still playing didn’t sound nearly as fun and comforting now. “Why did you lock the door? Why are you all looking at me like that? And where are the snacks anyway?!” Pinkie’s friends all chuckled like she’d just said something very funny. Rainbow Dash shook her head fondly, before looking up at Pinkie with a sharp smile. “Oh, Pinkie… you’re the snack!” Before Pinkie could realize just what had been said, her arms had been seized by Applejack and Sunset, and they hauled her up onto the table and pinned her down; Rarity and Rainbow Dash joined in, holding her legs down as well. “Wait!” Pinkie cried, “What are you doing? Stop it! I’m not a snack, I’m your friend!” There was a *whir* of metal, as steel restraints popped up from the table to keep her arms and legs shackled to its surface. Pinkie Pie struggled in vain, trying desperately to free herself as her friends crowded around her, with hungry smiles on their faces. “Aww, quit yer thrashin’ Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said, eerily chipper as she took the top off a jar of honey and began to pour its contents over the trapped girl, “You’re gonna be delicious!” “But I don’t WANNA be delicious!” Pinkie wailed. The other girls all laughed at that – laughter that became sharper, faster, eventually becoming an ugly buzzing noise, like the sound of a horde of insects in flight. Pinkie stared in horror, as she watched her friends change, grotesquely; they began to sprout bug wings, antennae, pincer claws, and even spider-like fangs from their mouths! Rainbow Dash smiled down at Pinkie, her eyes now the blank blue compound eyes of a Changeling drone. Greenish slime dripped from her bug mouthparts as she said, in a hissing gurgling voice, “You’re so sweet, Pinkie…” And then she lunged at her face, and Pinkie woke up thrashing in her bed, soaked in a cold sweat. Gasping, she forced herself upright, and then finally screamed. “MAUD!! THE BUGS ARE GONNA EAT MEEEEEEE!!!” … Limestone Pie looked at the time on her alarm clock, and growled, “I am going to murder her.”