Isn't This a Surprise?

by Lil Snowflake

Too Many Pinkies

"And then there's Rarity." Pinkie continued explaining, as she, the duplicate and I exit the Everfree Forest and into the open field of Ponyville, "She's the one with all the fancy clothes and ribbons and stuff! I'm thinking she can make us all matching t-shirts that say 'Team Pinkie', and–"

"Is this Ponyville?" The duplicate asked, as she looked around the fields, "Where's the fun? Where's the fun?"

Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin, recollecting her memories. "Uh, well, let's see, Applejack's having a barn raising at–" The duplicate wasted no time and dashed off. "It's that-a-way!" Pinkie directed, pointing to the other direction. The duplicate dashed past us again.

"Wait, come back!" Pinkie called, the duplicate returned, "Don't forget to meet me back here to tell me everything about everything, like I was there myself! Because I'm you and, and you're me, and–" She smiled and jumped into the air, "Oh, my gosh! This is the greatest plan ever!" Then she looked at the duplicate, "Now, off to double my fun!"

Then she and the duplicate dashed off in other directions. A thought suddenly came to me and I waved my hoof to Pinkie and called, "Pinkie, wait! What do I do!?"

But Pinkie and the duplicate were already gone. I lowered my head and let out a small sigh and smiled. Typical Pinkie Pie, so busy she can miss out the obvious. I looked around and saw that Ponyville was just a couple of hops away. I was about to make my way toward the town, but a thought came to me.

No-one knows me and might mistaken me for Pinkie Pie from a distance. I looked myself over and raised a brow in confusion. They probably might not mistaken me for Pinkie Pie, but there is a chance it might happen. Knowing the background characters, their personalities are not as consistent as the Main 6.

Gathering my courage, I began walking toward the town of Ponyville. Once I was close enough, I heard grunting and noise of hard work. I looked over and saw an amber-orange mare, Applejack, and her family just outside of Sweet Apple Acres, trying to raise a new barn. It looks like they're struggling.

I couldn't just stand there and watch, or just ignore them. I have to help them out. I walked over to Applejack and kindly smiled, "Hello. You must be Applejack." Then I asked, "Would you like some help?"

Applejack looked at me and raised a brow, but she nodded her head at me. I smiled and grabbed a spare rope with my mouth and started pulling. It was strenuous, but I was able to cope with it.

While helping Applejack and her family, I felt a strange tickle up my spine, followed by a sense of dread. Something felt wrong and it was going to happen soon. I have a hunch it might have something to do with Pinkie Pie and that Mirror Pool. I just hope I'm wrong...

Applejack, her family and I were just raising the third wall of the barn, when suddenly a bunch of Pinkie Pie duplicates arrived and started creating chaos. Repeating the word 'Fun' as they played around the barn. I hate it when I'm right...

One of the duplicates jumped on top of Big McIntosh and he let go of his rope. The other ropes pulled Applejack and the rest of us toward the barn, forcing us to let go of the ropes.

"No!" Applejack exclaimed, as she let go of her rope and the barn fell apart.

Pinkie Pie arrived, saw the fallen barn and sighed in relief, "Oh, phew! Looks like I haven't missed a thing!"

"I wanna know right now where all you Pinkies came from, so I can find out who's responsible for y'all ruinin' our barn raisin'!" Applejack told Pinkie, as the duplicates jumped around the water tower, and the tower fell apart.

Pinkie's eyes dart around nervously, "Uh, you look pretty busy right now, so..." She let out a nervous giggle and walked away from the mess, "Maybe we should talk a little later?" With that, she zoomed off.

"PINKIE PIE!!!" I shouted after the Pink Party Pony, but she was already gone. I stomped my front hooves and growled in frustration.

The duplicates emerged from the mess, and started hopping over the hill, away from the mess, "Fun!" "Fun!" "Fun!" "Fun!"

Applejack threw her hat to the ground and shouted at the duplicates, "Y'all come back here and clean up after yourselves this instant!"

But the duplicates ignored Applejack and continued hopping down toward Ponyville. This is not going to end well...

I looked around and noticed Big McIntosh was struggling to get back to his hooves, and was wincing in pain. He must have suffered an injury when that Pinkie duplicate landed on him. I had to help.

I looked at Applejack and raised my hoof, "Applejack, go to Ponyville and see if your friends have found a way to stop this mayhem. I'm gonna help your brother get back to the farm, so he can get better."

Applejack looked at me and narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "How do I know you're not up to something? You came just as these Pinkies did. How do I know I can trust you?"

I shook my head, "You can't. But I'm offering you an act of kindness." I looked at her dead in the eyes, "I assure you, I'm not like those duplicates. I'm here to help."

With that, I turned to Big McIntosh and helped him to his hooves. I put one of his hooves over my back and helped him hobble over to Sweet Apple Acres. Once we were there, I rested Big McIntosh in the living room of the farmhouse.

"There. That should help." I smiled. Then I looked at the large stallion and asked, "Do you know where I can find some ice? That Pinkie duplicate hurt you something bad."

Big McIntosh looked at me and gestured his head to a doorway that lead to a kitchen. I followed his gaze for a second, then nodded in understanding. I walked into the kitchen and found a bag of ice in the freezer. I grabbed the bag and returned to the living room. I gently pressed the bag of ice against Big McIntosh's side. He winced in pain, but relaxed after a second.

I smiled, "There. That should help with the swelling." Then an idea hit me, "Tea! Of course!"

Big McIntosh raised a brow at me, "Tea? What does tea have to do with anything?"

I turned to him and smiled, "Tea is a herbal remedy. Ginger tea helps with inflammation and calms the pain. If you drink some, you should be up and ready in no time. Trust me."

Big McIntosh looked at me dead in the eyes, then looked away in thought. I understand why he and Applejack would be skeptical of me. They don't know me and yet I know a lot about them. How can they trust a stranger? But, Big McIntosh is a good judge of character, as is Applejack. Big McIntosh looked at me and smiled with a nod.

I smiled and walked into the kitchen. I filled the kettle with water, placed it over the stove and turned the stove on. I grabbed a mug from the cupboard and started preparing the tea. After a few minutes, the kettle was boiled and I was able to make a nice cup of ginger tea with a little dash of honey.

I put the kettle back on the stove and grabbed the cup of tea. I walked back into the living room and gave the cup of ginger tea to Big McIntosh.

"Here." I offered, but warned, "Drink it slowly, though. It's very hot."

Big McIntosh nodded and took a sip of the tea. He smiled in delight. I smiled back, happy to help another in need. After a few minutes of resting and drinking my herbal tea, Big McIntosh was healed and ready to get back to work. He hopped off the chair and smiled at me.

I raised a small brow, "I take it that your smiling a 'Thank you'?"

Big McIntosh nodded, "Ee-yup."

I smiled back, "You're very welcome, Big McIntosh."

Just then, Applejack and Apple Bloom entered the room. "Hey! Is Big Mac all healed up?"

I frowned and shook my head, "He still needs a day or two to rest. That Pinkie duplicate broke a couple of ribs."

Applejack and Apple Bloom frowned for a moment, then Apple Bloom asked, "How are you at herdin'?"

I looked at the little yellow filly and put my hoof over my chest, "Me?"

Apple Bloom nodded, "Uh-huh. You were very helpful at raising the barn. Are you any good at herding?"

I rubbed my chin in recollection of my memory, "Well, I'm pretty good at getting my pets to go where I need them to go." Then I asked, "Does that count?"

Applejack and Apple Bloom nodded with a smile, "That's herding. Come on! We need all the help we can get." Applejack told me.

I smiled, "I take it a friend of yours has found a solution to this mayhem?"

Applejack nodded, "Ee-yup."

I leaped on to my hooves, "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's round up those Pinkies!"

With that, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Winona and I dashed out of Sweet Apple Acres and into the fields, rounding up the Pinkie Pie duplicates and leading them toward the Town Hall in Ponyville.

"Hyah, ya Pinkies! Hyah!" Applejack shouted, as we charged down the path.

A Pinkie Pie duplicate looked behind her and saw me chasing behind her, "Ooh, they wanna play chase! This is fun, too!"

I galloped next to the duplicate and nudged her closer to the herd. Apple Bloom and Applejack did the same at the front of the herd, while Winona hopped on top of the duplicates that tried to hop away from the herd.

The Apple Sisters, Winona and I were able to herd the Pinkie Pie duplicates into the Town Hall. The duplicates hopped inside, echoing and overlapping the word 'Fun' over and over again.

"Oh, give it a rest." Applejack groaned, as she and I entered the Town Hall.

The doors closed behind us and a mulberry Unicorn mare walked onto the stage. I quickly recognized her as Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia's faithful student.

"Welcome, Pinkies, welcome. Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable." Twilight told the Pinkies, but the duplicates were not listening to her and were hopping all over the place.

"Okay, I suppose you can't be comfortable staying in one place, but have a seat anyway." Twilight Sparkle tried again, but her words fell on deaf ears once again.

Annoyed and frustrated, I walked up to the stage and turned to the Pinkie duplicates. I stomped my hoof hard against the floor and shouted sternly, "Sit down!"

The Pinkie duplicates looked at me and stopped their mayhem. They quickly sat down in like an assembly of children.

Twilight turned to me and smiled, "Thanks." Then turned to the duplicates, "Now, I suppose you're all wondering why I've gathered you all here today."

The duplicates looked at each other in confusion. "For fun?" One from the middle guessed with a shrug.

Twilight shook her head, "No, just the opposite actually."

Then the doors swung open, as a cyan Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, entered the Town Hall carrying a sad Pinkie Pie, "Wait up, I got one more! Found this one poking at the ground with her hoof, drawing frowny faces."

I narrowed my eyes at the sad Pinkie Pie. The others may think she's a duplicate, but I can sense she was different from the others.

"Have her come sit with the others." Twilight told Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow flew over the crowd of duplicates and was about to drop Pinkie Pie in the middle of the group of duplicates, until I raised my hoof to stop her.

"Wait." I spoke up. The six Ponies, dragon and Pinkie Pie duplicates looked at me, as I flapped my wings and flew closer to Rainbow Dash and the sad Pinkie Pie.

I looked at Pinkie dead in the eyes and I felt something. I didn't feel like this Pinkie wanted to have fun, I felt this Pinkie wanted to return things to normal and hang out with her friends. Guilt and confusion cloud her mind, she doesn't know if she's the real Pinkie or not. These thoughts spark realization in my mind.

This is the real Pinkie Pie.

I blinked and turned to Twilight Sparkle, "There's no need for all this. This duplicate is the real Pinkie."

The other Ponies looked among themselves with raised brows. "How can you be so sure?" Rarity asked me.

"I can tell." I answered simply. I flew over to Twilight Sparkle, "You have to trust me, Twilight. That is Pinkie. I know she is."

Twilight looked at me. She raised a brow for a second and shook her head. She looked at Rainbow Dash and instructed, "Drop her, Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, then at Pinkie Pie, then at me. I shook my head at her, asking her to trust me. Sometimes you need to have faith. Rainbow Dash gave me an apologetic look, then dropped Pinkie Pie in the herd of duplicates.

I sighed and shook my head, walking to the back of the stage, as Twilight took the front of the stage.

"Pinkies, you've been brought here to take a test." Twilight announced to the crowd of Pinkie Pies.

The Pinkie Pie duplicates lost their smiles in disappointment, "Awww!"

"Don't worry, it's a simple test, about as simple as they come, and whoever passes gets to stay." Twilight explained with a confident smile.

The duplicates looked at each other in confusion again. A simple test? What could it be? Bake a cake? Host the best party?

"Curtain, please." Twilight told a purple and green baby dragon, Spike.

Spike pulled the curtain rope and the curtain lifted to reveal Rarity and Fluttershy painting on a piece of wall.

"The test..." Twilight started, as Rarity and Fluttershy pushed the wall to the front of the stage, "Will be watching paint dry!"

The duplicates gasped in shock and horror. Watching paint dry. Even the most hyper of Ponies will have difficulty doing this.

"On your mark... Get set... Go!" Twilight shouted, as she dashed to the side of the stage.

The Pinkie Pie duplicates gave the painted wall their full-on attention. Now it's just a matter to see who's going to crack...

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Spike smiled, digging into a bag of popcorn.

After a few minutes of watching paint dry, Spike finished with his popcorn and was laying up-side down on his chair, bored out of his mind, "Okay, maybe not that exciting."

Everyone was started get bored and antsy about the test, until a Pinkie Pie duplicate glanced out the window and saw a bird outside, "Oh, hey, look at the birdie!"

Twilight's horn lit up and she fired a beam of magic at the duplicate. The duplicate floated into the air and inflated like a balloon and poofed into a puff of smoke and a stream of pink magic, leaving the Hall and returning to the Mirror Pool. The rest of the duplicates kept their eye on the paint. Until...

"Watch me bounce and touch the ceiling!" Another duplicate smiled at another duplicate. The first one jumped into the air, and both duplicates got zapped by Twilight's spell.

Then there was a sound of croaking coming from outside. This caught another duplicate's attention, "Is that... Is that a frog crossed with an orange?"

This caught the attention of two more duplicates, "Cool!" "Where?" The three Pinkie Pies got zapped by Twilight's spell.

Then more Pinkies started to look away from the wall and doing other things.

"Look what I can do with my hooves!" A duplicate smiled at another duplicate. She blew into her hoof and fingers appeared on the other hoof. Dude, that's weird... Zapped by Twilight's spell.

"Betcha can't make a face crazier than... This!" Another Pinkie duplicate exclaimed, molding her face into what looked like a Gen 3 Pony's face. Both zapped by Twilight's spell.

More of the duplicates did more random stuff and Twilight zapped each of them with ease. Now, we were down to two Pinkies left. A duplicate and the real Pinkie Pie.

It was only a few minutes of staring at the wall, and Rainbow Dash lost her patience, "Ugh, I can't take it anymore!" She took off into the air and pointed outside, "Somepony's making balloon animals!"

The last duplicate blinked and looked outside, "What? Where?" Zapped by Twilight's spell.

Twilight Sparkle smiled and turned to the remaining Pinkie Pie, the real Pinkie Pie, "Pinkie, you can look away now."

Pinkie blinked and looked around, "I passed?"

Twilight nodded, "You passed. You're the only Pinkie who kept staring at the wall."

Pinkie nodded with a smile, "I had to. I just had to. I couldn't leave my friends, I just couldn't." She looked at the rest of us, "But I guess sometimes I will have to choose between them."

Twilight smiled, "I knew you'd be up to the challenge."

Applejack looked at me, "You knew. Somehow you knew, didn't you?"

I nodded in confirmation, "I did." I pointed to my left eye, "The eyes tell you everything."

Getting back to her bubbly self again, Pinkie looked herself over, "I'm me! I'm me! I'm me!" Then she started to panic, "Or am I?" She felt her face and regained her smile, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am."

Pinkie Pie was finally able to spend time with each of her friends. Raised a barn with Applejack. Had a picnic with Fluttershy and her critters. Helped Twilight put a large rock over the Mirror Pool, to make sure it was never used again. And even enjoyed her time relaxing with Rainbow Dash.

That evening, at SugarCube Corner, Pinkie Pie exit the café as Spike sent the letter to Princess Celestia. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and I decided to meet up with the Pink Party Pony.

Twilight waved her hoof, "Hi, Pinkie Pie. We were thinking we should go out and celebrate."

"You up for some wheelbarrow races?" Applejack asked.

"Or I could take everypony on a cloud ride!" Rainbow Dash offered.

"I could throw a party with punch and zesty cucumber sandwiches! Ooh!" Rarity smiled at her idea.

Pinkie Pie backed into the café, "You wanna know exactly what I feel like doing right now?" She collapsed onto the ground with a happy sigh and fell asleep.

Fluttershy smiled, "That looks like fun."

The girls started laughing, as we left Pinkie Pie to her nap, "Oh, Pinkie."

I gently closed the door, then the other mares turned their attention to me. I raised a brow at them, "What?"

"What are we gonna do with you?" Twilight Sparkle asked me.

"We could send you back to the Mirror Pool, with the other Pinkie Pie duplicates." Rainbow Dash pointed out with a shrug.

My eyes widen at Rainbow Dash's casual answer. Send me back to the Mirror Pool? But what if I forget about the adventure I had today? I don't want to go back, I don't belong there. I don't want to sound crazy, but I feel like I belong in Equestria with these Ponies, even if I am technically Pinkie Pie's twin now. What if Twilight can't send me back? The cave is blocked with a large rock!

"I don't think we should." Applejack argued, making me look at her, "She may have come from the Mirror Pool, but this duplicate is different from the others."

"Agreed. This one is a Pegasus, not an Earth Pony." Rarity concurred. Fluttershy and I nodded in agreement.

I felt a wave of relief wash over my state of panic, Rarity and Applejack do give some valid points. I may have emerged from the Mirror Pool, but I have proven time and time again that I am different from the duplicates.

Twilight closed her eyes in thought. The others do give out some valid points. But I am also curious, if Twilight does send me back, where would the Mirror Pool take me? Not likely back home, because that would be too good for me.

"I think she should stay." A familiar voice spoke from behind us. The girls and I turned to see that Pinkie was awake and leaning out of the doorway of the café, "She could be my cousin, or a long lost sister!"

Twilight smiled with a small nod, "Very well, Pinkie Pie. But that means she's your responsibility. Okay?"

Pinkie rigorously nodded her head and through her forelegs around me into a tight hug. It made me feel uncomfortable, but I let it happen. This is Pinkie Pie we're talking about. Hehehe.

Applejack smiled at me, "Welcome to Equestria..." Then she drew a blank, "Uuuhhh..."

"Snow Quartz!" Pinkie exclaimed, everyone looked at her, "Her name is Snow Quartz Pie. After my great-auntie; Snowy Quartz!"

The girls looked at each other in confusion, but they nodded and Rarity smiled at me, "Welcome to Equestria, Snow Quartz Pie."

I smiled at the six mares gathered around me and hugging me. Just then, I felt something surge through my body. My body started to glow, forcing the Main 6 to release the hug and stand back. My body levitated into the air and ribbons of white energy coiled around my body. After a moment, the glowing stopped and the ribbons vanished. I landed on the ground and I looked myself over. Something was different, but I couldn't tell what.

"Snow Quartz, your Cutie Mark changed." Fluttershy gasped.

I looked at my flank. Fluttershy was right, my Cutie Mark was no longer of three purple balloons, but of an open geode with a snowflake pattern inside. That's so cool!

Maybe things won't be as bad as they seem... ^_^