//------------------------------// // oneshot (First Person POV) // Story: Too Many Pinkies Plus One // by Yuri Fanatic //------------------------------// I awake and find myself suddenly drowning in expansive darkness. I can’t breathe but quickly come to a realization that didn’t need to. Drifting in the weightless ether, I recall my last moments trapped underneath a frozen surface. I distinctively remember not being able to breathe, my lungs desperately calling out for air. Frostbite burned at my skin as I saw myself pounding and clawing away at the ice sheets until I eventually didn’t. I don’t know how long I stayed there, but it felt like it lasted an eternity. It was just me, staring at my pale reflection above. Then suddenly I hear a myriad of high-pitched voices and visages of pink beyond the glass. Muffled chanting of the word "fun" muffled around flushed eardrums. Almost as if it was a spell, I felt myself being drawn to the source. I reached out a hand instinctively, finding myself floating towards the surface. The closer I came, the more vivid the chanting and ping visages became. "-and into her own reflection she stared, Yearning for one whose reflection she shared, And solemnly sweared not to be scared. At the prospect of being doubly mared." A multitude of pink limbs melted through the glass as I'm suddenly pulled up before finally breaking free to the surface, forcing me to take a burning sharp inhale. I took a glance around the scene before me, recognizing these creatures. I stared down at my newly quadrupedal, pink self. I had four pink fluffy hooves, a wet mane that strung down like a curtain, and a slightly chubby belly. I peered behind me, my eyes landed directly on my flank which revealed a cutie mark consisting of three separate balloons. Taking all this in, I slowly come to a realization. I am Pinkie, but also not. I am a clone, but also human. A massive headache surged within the depths of my mind. Memories of both lives are jumbled up in my head, leaving only the taste of ice and the looming sense of self-preservation. I instinctively knew that I have some weird powers involving pseudo-omnipotence and slapstick comedy. How I came to know, it was too painful to remember. I didn't want to remember. Recalling anything was like a tumor. Yet now I was remembering everything at once. A surge of information came crashing in, all conflicting with one another, threatening to override one another. The pain pounded away at my skull. My ears flicked to the environment around me. The other Pinkies were all chanting the word "fun" in the background, but with every clone batch, they make the volume increases tenfold. My head starts to ache even further as I press my hooves against my ears, flattening them shut. Eventually, I decided I had enough. A visceral command growled out of my throat, "QUIET DOWN!" The other pinkies suddenly paused in place, all of them frozen in their positions staring directly at me. The moment lasted longer than I was comfortable with and I found myself barking another order, "Scram!" Then almost as if an engine-turned to life, all the Pinkies went back to reciting "fun" as they bounced in unison towards the cave's exit. Tremors shook the ground due to the galloping hoofsteps, but the vibrations eventually comes to a close. I grunted in relief now that my headache was easing off. Yet even with a clear mind, I still couldn't figure out what was going on. "I am Pinkie Pie, but also a human? Or was a human..." I muttered out my thoughts in an attempt to organize them but to no avail. My memories are still muddled in the mainstream of events that are still fresh in my mind. I attempt to shake the ebbing pain away, but no success either. Breathing a sigh of resignation, I simply sat there on the cold stone ground in thought. My gaze drifted to the pond a couple of meters away. I steadied myself, then walked towards the front of the pool to peer back myself. It was a Pinkie Pie, but unlike me, her hair was puffy much like the ones I shouted at earlier. I could see that she was mouthing something among the ripples of water. I mouthed the words of my reflection, "What are you doing here?" "I..." My words lingered in the back of my throat before finally replying, "I don't know." "You're needed somewhere." It stated back. "Somepony needs you to be there for them." "But... why?" The human side of me voiced out. "Because it's what you're meant for." It replied. "But, what if I don't want to?" I tilted my head. "Then somepony will be sad." The pinkie reflecting back answered, mimicking my head-tilt in a somber expression. For whatever reason, this deeply dampened my mood. I had realized, for reasons that may not be my own, that I didn't want anypony to be sad. "But, why do I have to be responsible for their happiness?" My eyes narrowed, shaking from these foreign feelings. "You don't. Just do it for yourself." It stated a matter of factly. "For... myself?" I inquired, puzzled at her response. "Yeah, go out and make somepony happy. It doesn't have to be everypony. As long as you improve the mood of at least one pony, you can be satisfied that you made a positive influence on that day." "I... suppose I could try that." I nodded. "Just one pony." "Just one pony." I said again back at my reflection. It was a horrible day in Ponyville. Too many Pinkies were infesting every place as far as a pony's eye could see. Tremors throughout the ground were felt as structures loosened and collapsed. Mayor Mare has declared a Ponyville-wide emergency throughout town blasting an air horn to alert the others. Unfortunately for them, the Pinkies proceeded to mimic her, and soon the town was filled with Pinkies blaring their own airhorns, loud enough to deafen anypony. Houses were broken in by the flocks of Pinkies, all pushing their weight against barred doors and windows. Walls collapsed and lamp-posts were covered in colored strings and confetti. The waves of Pinkies continued damaging various structures as families fled in panic. Pegasi and the stronger Earth Ponies were all trying to herd the Pinkies away from the evacuation site but were simply overwhelmed at their sheer numbers. I was walking by calmly among the chaos, examining all the other ponies fleeing in utter terror. A stallion was lying on the ground in front of me in complete utter shock. I lent a hoof out to pull him up, but he freaked out and swatted my hoof away in sheer horror before running out of view. I clicked my tongue in disappointment. I'm not going to make anypony happy at this rate. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see another pink clone resting on one of the benches near Café Hay. Unlike the others, however, this one seems to be resigned sitting in one place. Curiously, I walked over to the pink pony and soon realized that this one was different. A sour mood was written all over her muzzle. I felt my new instincts prickling against my spine, all of which told me to cheer her up. "Weird day we're having." I try to interrupt her wallowing, the earth rumbles as the sounds of a bell tower collapses in the faint background. "More like the worst..." This other Pinkie's hair lifelessly drooped on the table, almost as if it was dunked in water. I sat at the table with her, the sounds of confetti blasting in the background and screams of ponies echoed in the amiss. Despite being dry, my mane still parted from my head into a straight curtain. "How so?" The other Pinkie looks up at me with a glimmer of relief, her tension alleviating as she takes a large inhale. "SoitfirststartedwithmewithwantingtojoinRainbowDashwithrelaxingafterherweatherpatrol,butthenApplejackcameinandaskedmetojoinheronherfamily'sbarnraisng.AndsoIstartedtopanicbecauseIcouldn'tdecidewhotojoinbecausetryingtohaveasmuchfunaspossiblewithtwoponiesisreallyhard.IthinkIlandedonTwilightandforsomereasonsheturnedafrogintoanorange,anditwasalsoreallycoolandseemedfuntowatch.SoIbegantopanicevenmoreandsoRainbowDashsaid"Ifonlythereweremoreofmetogoaround".ThenIhadanepiphanyasIremeberedthelegendoftheMirrorPoolbecauseofNanaPinkie'sstories. WEEEEEEEEEZEEEE- ThenIrecitedthechantoftheMirrorPoolandmadeacloneofmejustlikeyou,exceptnotjustlikeyousinceyouhavestraighthair,butyougetmypoint.AnywaysmeandmyclonewenttoseerainbowdashandAppleJack,butmyclonethentoldmethatFluttershywashavingapicnicwithherlittleanimalfriends.Thenwepanickedanddecidedtomakeanotherclone,andwedid.Howeverthen*that*clonewentaheadandmadeotherclonesuntiltherewereawholebunchofus.Buttherewerejusttoomanyofustogoaroundandthecloneswentandruinedeverypony'sfun!That'slike,thecompleteoppositeofwhatIwantedandIdidn'twantanyofthis!SoItriedtogotoTwilighttoseeifIcouldhelp,butshecouldn'ttellifIwastherealone. WEEEEEEEEEZEEEE- ButthenabunchofotherPinkiePiessaidtheyweretherealonesandTwilightstillcouldn'ttellitwasme!Butperhapsshe'srightandI'mnotmeandjustanotherclonelikeyou!HowamIsupposedtohelpthemifI'mjustaclone!Ididn'twantthis.Ididn'twantanyofthis.Ijustwantedtomakeeveryponyhappy,butnownoponyishappy- And it's all my faauuuult!" My doppelganger wailed, pressing her head on the table as she shed tears. "Yikes, maybe it really is the worst day." I remarked casually, only for her to start bawling her eyes out. I scratched my head awkwardly, my nerves screamed at me to calm this mare down. "Look, about your friends, maybe you shouldn't worry about it." I say a matter of factly. "H-Huh? Sniff. Whadyamean? Hic." This Pinkie raised her head, her wet eyes tinted with redness. "I mean, do you have to make everypony happy? Because you know that's impossible right?" I shrugged. "B-But hic, the clones." Said clone sniffed in her snot. "Yeah, like that went well." I said sarcastically and pointed to the destruction around both of us. "Besides, who ever said it was your responsibility to keep everypony happy?" "I- because they're my friends-" "Who cares! If your friends aren't going to understand you can't be everywhere at once, then they're not your friends to begin with." I said with a little more venom than intended. My gaze softened a bit after I saw the pony I yelled at shrank back into her chair. "You... you sound exactly like my sister." "...What?" I was taken aback, not exactly expecting to hear that response. "-I mean you have her eyes! But you also have my other sister's hair. But you also look like me! Well that's because you're a clone, but you still sound like her! Those words are exactly the kind of words she would have told me!" The other Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing from her seat and placing her hooves on the table. "I-I" I stuttered. "Oh thank you!, thank you, thank you!" She gripped a hoof and shook it rapidly, causing my vision to blur before letting go. "Thanks to you I know exactly what to do now! I'd love to stay and chat a bit more, but I gotta go and see my friends! Talktoyoulaterbye!" I heard her shout from the distance as I tried to keep my head on straight while birds chirped in my ears. I shook my head, my eyes readjusted to see her vanishing from sight. "You're... welcome?" I looked around, cautiously. Suddenly another tremor rumbled throughout the earth. The sky darkened as I looked up, a bell tower was collapsing right where I was. I easily side-stepped it, biting my lip. "...Welp, mission accomplished. Time to leave." I told myself as I walked out of town. At the end of that conversation, I've decided that I'm gonna figure my new life at a leisure pace. I rested on top of a lake while laying back on an inflatable pool chair. The sounds of Ponyville's destruction slowly dying off in the distance. I held a suntan screen while wearing some nifty sunglasses I found. My rear legs were crossed as I stared calmly at the blue sky. Relaxed and satisfied, I no longer was annoyed by that small voice that nagged at the back of my head. Things were rather nice. Then a couple of pink streaks flowed across the sky. I lowered my sunglasses to see even more streaks coming from Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest. I scoffed to myself. The anti-mirror spell Twilight conjured out of her flank. I mused. That might be a problem. With a sigh I placed back my sunglasses and crossed my legs the other way, continuing my sunbathing. The fresh air and sounds of chirping in the background were still much more enjoyable compared to my time under that frozen lake. Or mirror pool. Whatever... A while passed and I could see six distinct colors from my peripheral vision. The mane six were standing outside the edge of the pool looking at me with their apparent "real" Pinkie Pie. I knew this would happen, but I was calm as ever. I perked my eyes to see the faint conversation happening on the other side, a voice I recognized from the blue pegasus. "Yeah, my bad." Rainbow Dash remarked apologetically. "I miiiight have missed a Pinkie or two." "You don't say." Applejack said sarcastically before she retrieved her lasso from her saddlebag. "Wait, I think I can cast the spell from here. She has no where to go anyways." Twilight interjected, seeing that I laid back casually in the center of a pool. "Why isn't she running away?" Fluttershy said in a barely audible whisper. "A defective probably, kinda like that Pinkie we met at that table." I heard Spike suggest. Oh wow, I could barely see him riding on Twilight's back. My thoughts lingered on the Pinkie they mentioned, the one I helped out. A pang of guilt hits me as that Pinkie Pie could have been banished to the Mirror Pool. "A mystery for another time perhaps. Let's just have Twilight take care of it." Rarity spoofed up her hair. "Yeah alright, just give me a second." The purple unicorn's horn glowed as she started to cast the spell, unleashing a small purple laser at me. I shrugged and simply deflected the laser back with my suntan screen, barely missing Twilight by a margin. "Ahhh!" A burnt-black mark stained the grass next to one of her hooves. "Buck off" I simply stated. "H-Hey! You can’t do that to my friend!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, coming to Twilight’s defense. "And what gives your friend the right to do that to me?" I deadpanned before I turned the sunbathing panel back at myself. My eyes lingered on the "real" Pinkie Pie right beside them. She only stared at me warily, taking a glance at her friends and back at me. I could tell she was conflicted at this sudden development. Twilight reared back behind her Rainbow Dash in panic, both terrified that she almost zapped herself and shocked that I just swore at her. "What do you mean?" Fluttershy uttered from the crowd, just barely and audibly heard. "I’m not bothering anypony am I?" I idly replied. "Well, no... but-" Twilight replied. "But what?" I said with a tinge more animosity in my voice before I took off my glasses to glare fiercely at her. "You’re a fake." "An imposter!" "A darned copycat." The other three mares interjected, glaring back at me with equal animosity. Twilight reared back again terrified, but slowly gaining the courage with all her friends coming up to her defense. "W-Well to put it simply. You aren’t supposed to exist!" Twilight finished before she stared at me with a newfound determination. I stayed silent for a few seconds, as the air tensed up. Finally, I said, "And what gives you the right to decide if I exist or not?" "I-" Twilight stammered, pausing to really think about what I said. "Well, ah reckon' cause, well..." Applejack tried to interject, opening her mouth before going silent and closing it again. "Because Twilight knows so!" Rainbow Dash blurted out. "She’s the smartest out of all of us, so if she says that you gotta go, you gotta go." The blue pegasus raised her hoofs in a boxing stance before punching the air, but that only drew more ire from me. "So if Twilight said to drown in a lake, would you?" I seethed. "Why what a horrible insinuation! Twilight would never tell us to do such thing!" "Hold on," Pinkie interjected everypony, drawing surprise from all five mares as they realized this was the first time she talked her entire time here. "Girls, I think that me may have a point." She pointed towards me. "She does?!" All the other mares exclaimed in unison. My harsh gaze softened her statement drawing an eyebrow from me. "Yeah, I mean, I made her. Well technically my-selves made her. Or probably my selves-selves because they kept making themselves, or myselves in the mirror pool. Or would it be my selves-selves-self? Or my selves-selves-selves-selves-self-" "Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Oh right. Well the point is this Pinkie is my responsibility. And I know for a fact that this Pinkie never bothered anypony! In fact, she went ahead and helped me!" "She did?" Spike tilted his head at her remark, sharing confusion with the rest of the mares. "Yeah! Remember when you both talked to me at Café Hay while I was having an existential crisis on one of the tables?" Pinkie blurted out a matter of factly without missing a beat. "Wait..." Twilight's eyes widened, "that was you?" "Yup!" The real Pinkie smiled, "And, she did really help me out. After both of you left, this Pinkie saw me crying and came by to talk to me." Her gaze turned to me, giving me a soft and genuine smile. "She helped made me realize what’s truly important to maintain a friendship." My ire extinguished completely as I saw her smile. Relief that both the Pinkie I chatted with was this pony here vouching for me. The real Pinkie looked over to her friends showing the same light smile. "I wanted to spend time with everypony, but I couldn’t. I thought I could make everypony happy if I was there everywhere at once, but I couldn't. And she made me realize that... I don’t have to be!" I couldn't help but smile from this, her happiness was infectious and it seemed to spread to the others too as Pinkie brightened up even more. "There’s always will be more opportunities to hang out with my friends, and they never abandon me just because I chose one over the other. And I would never abandon them either! Because that's what real friends do!" Pinkie chirped before pulling all her friends in a group hug. "Uh, that’s great Pinkie." Applejack squirmed a bit. "So, yer don’t want this Pinkie zapped back in that pond or whatucallit?" "The Mirror Pool." Pinkie corrected. "Right." The farm pony said, taking a skeptical glance at me. "And no, this Pinkie is alright. She’s pretty chill." She gave me a nod in affirmation. "Alright well, whatever yer say Pinkie. I gotta get back and rebuild the farm. And uh," Applejack tipped her hat at me apologetically, "Ah’m sorry I had Twilight almost zap you other... Pinkie." "It’s cool," I said putting my shades back on with a shrug, "thanks for not, un-existing me I guess."