The plan was totally infallible. The pink pony felt a sense of pride as she skipped across town. Soon, the Element of Loyalty will learn that Pinkie Pie is a force to be reckon with. It is only the question of locating Rainbow Dash. There were some clouds in the sky that needed to be cleared, so she hoped she could Dash fly over head. Hours passed; she was nowhere to be seen. A cloud of disappointment hovered over her as she decided to rethink her stragety. She decided trotted to Rainbow Dash’s home, which was a cloud fortress that hovered outside Ponyville. When she got there, she yelled as loud as she could to get Rainbow’s attention. Minutes passed; there was no answer.
“Where could she be?” Pinkie asked herself. “Maybe she knew I was thinking of a way to get to the box, so she’s trying to avoid me. No, that can’t be true. Can it?” Just then, she saw a pegasus fly over her. Disappointment settled in when she found it was not Rainbow Dash. He was a dark-grey pegasus, with a silver and blue mane. It was Thunderlane, an associate of Dash’s. That disappointment turned into excitement; maybe he knows where she disappeared to.
“Thunderlane! Hey Thunderlane!” Pinkie called out. “Down here!” Thunderlane looked down to see a pink pony calling his name. He swiftly raced downward, and landed in front of Pinkie.
“Pinkie Pie. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing. Hey, do you know where Rainbow Dash is?”
“I, uh, I don’t know. I haven’t seen her all day. Why?” Confusion took over Pinkie. What if she really forseen Pinkie’s antics? No time to think now, she has questions that need to be answered.
“Well, when did you last see her?”
“Not since yesterday. She was acting really weird lately.”
Pinkie leaned close to Thunderlane’s face with anxiety. “How weird?! Tell me, tell me!”
“Uh, oh, I mean she was carrying this box and I wanted to--”
“A box! Did she show you what’s inside! Did she?!”
“No... Pinkie you’re scaring me.”
He could be lying. She readied her hoof just in case she wanted to squeeze the truth out of him. “She did show you, didn’t she?” she asked, with narrow eyes darting at Thunderlane. His darted back and forth. Sweat was flowing down from his head. He was trembling. Pinkie cocked an eye at him, for these were signs of a liar.
“Tell me, Thunderlane... what. Did. She. Show. You?”
“Nothing! Sh-she didn’t show me anything! Scouts honor!” She was not about to take any chances. She lifted her hoof and touched his forehead. For a moment he felt nauseas, with the sensation that somepony was picking his brain, but he suddenly stopped. He stared blankly into space, his gold irises turning bright green. Pinkie smiled with satisfaction; Thunderlane was under her control.
“Tell me the truth, Thunderlane - what was in the box?”
“Rainbow Dash didn’t show me what was inside the box. She said it was a secret.” Pinkie’s smile turned upside down. Her hopes of finding the details of the box sanked. She removed her hoof and Thunderlane was back to his normal self, however, in a daze.
“Uhh... what happened?”
“Nothing. When you see Rainbow Dash, tell her... I’ll be waiting for her.”
With nothing else Pinkie hopped away, albeit with scornfulness. Thunderlane has no idea what had happened to him. He just this feeling that, somehow, somepony else was controlling him. His eyes widened as he connect the two together. He realized the horror of the situation.
“Oh my gosh. Rainbow Dash, what did you do this time?”
-------------------
Pinkie Pie sat at a nearby table in the center of town. She was enjoying a delicious strawberry milkshake, angrily. She took out her handy-dandy notebook and began to review the details of her “master plan” to find the secrets of the box.
“Some master plan that was. Of all days, Dash disappears! I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually was a diamond thief! She’s probably in Canterlot stealing jewels, diamonds, rubies from the Princess right now!” Pinkie Pie imagined Rainbow Dash in a skin-tight black outfit sneaking into secret chambers of Canterlot Castle. She managed to evade the guards and made her way to the secret vault. She pulled out a stethoscope and place the end of it on the vault and make out the combination. She opens the vault and to her glee, a sea of magnificent treasure as far as the eye could see. She pulls out her box, which surprisingly was able to hold all the gold inside the vault. When the guards tried to stop her, she flew away as fast as she could, leaving a rainbow trail behind. She laughed all the way into the night.
“If she’s a no good, rotten-to-the-core sneaky thief, then it’s my duty as the Element of Laughter to turn her in to the authorities!” she proclaimed as she banged her hoof on the table. The ponies around her were startled, and Pinkie felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Okay, she may not be a thief. But why did she have to disappear?” She saw that her glass of milkshake was empty. She began to consider her options when Scootaloo rode past on her scooter.
“Hey, Pinkie Pie. Why you look so down?”
“Rainbow Dash is missing and I don’t know where she is. I really wanted to ask her something.”
“Rainbow Dash missing? Wow, bummer. Well, I gotta go - a big Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting is starting, and I don’t wanna be late. See ya!”
“See ya,” Pinkie said somberly. She watched Scootaloo go, and she walked slowly towards another direction. She really wanted to use her new magic powers on Rainbow Dash, but with her missing, she had to rethink her strategy if she wanted to get close to the box. If only there was a way to --
“WAIT A MINUTE!”
Pinkie turned her body around and ran to Scootaloo’s direction at supersonic speed. She ran so fast, she left a trail of fire on the ground, much to the amazement of the townsponies. The speed was tremendous - on the outside, it looked a pink blurred that was shaped as a magic missile. Pinkie ran as fast as her body would allow until the orange pegasus filly was in center view.
“SCOOTALOO!” Scootaloo heard her name being called. She looked back and saw a pink blur approaching her fast. Fearfully, she increased the speed of her scooter, hoping to escape the clutches of the party pony. The chase continued throughout the reaches of the forest. The intensity of Pinkie’s speed destroyed and deformed many trees. Scootaloo looked behind her again, and squealed in terror as Pinkie Pie refused to be tired out by the run. Returning her attention forward, she was about to enter a cave. She was afraid of caves, but she must lose Pinkie at all costs. She closed her eyes and drove her Scooter into the deep, dark abyss of the cave. She rode along the black trail until she fell on a small ditch. She fell off her scooter and injured her leg. It was not broken, but it indeed hurt to stand. It was also bleeding, but the wound was not deep. It was a few minutes until she realized she in a cave. It was pitch black - she couldn’t hear Pinkie, so she let out a sigh of relief. She lit a match which gave small light, but enough to see her hooves.
“Thank Celestia she’s gone.”
“Oooh, I wouldn’t say that...”
Scootaloo slowly turned around and, to her horror, Pinkie Pie was right behind her. Pinkie tackled the little filly, and pinned her to the ground. The orange filly tried her best to escape Pinkie’s grip, but the party pony head butted the little pegasus, bruising her head. Scootaloo pleaded the pink pony to spare her life, as Pinkie raised her hoof with great vengeance. She slowly lowered her hoof and touched Scoot’s forehead. Her pleas stopped suddenly, and her pink irises turned dark green. As with Twilight and Thunderlane, she stared blankly in no particular direction. Pinkie once again smile with great satisfaction.
“Scootaloo, you know something I don’t. Tell me the truth - where’s Rainbow Dash?”
“Rainbow Dash said she was visiting a friend on the other side of town.”
“A friend? Hmm. Where exactly?
“I don’t know.”
“...”
“Did she mention anything about a secret box to you?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“Did she show you what was inside?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“...”
“What’s inside?”
“A--”
“Scootaloo! Scootaloo, where are you?!” Pinkie could voices from the distance. The voices belonged to Scootaloo’s two best friends, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Pinkie removed her hoof from the orange filly’s head. Scootaloo, back to her normal state, felt tired and out of breath. She did not have the strength to pick herself up. Pinkie Pie put Scootaloo on her back and trotted slowly out of the cave.
“Pinkie... Pie...”
“Ssshh...”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle continued their search for their pegasus. While they were not looking, Pinkie emerged from the cave with a weak Scootaloo on her back.
“Girls,” Pinkie said.
Bloom and Belle looked and saw the pink pony, but gasped when they saw the orange filly on her back. They raced to Pinkie and asked a series of questions pertaining to the incident. Pinkie lowered Scoots to the ground slowly and gave them a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry girls, she’s okay. She just tripped on her scooter and fell real hard on the ground. Luckily, I came to her help just in time! She just needs some rest that’s all.” Pinkie was cringing inside.
“Aww thanks, Pinkie! Yer a good friend, ya know that?” Applebloom asked with admiration.
“You don’t have to thank me--”
“We should! Scootaloo’s are best friend! We’re not the Cutie Mark Crusaders without her!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Guilt rained over mind. She held on to that fake smile as long as she could. When the Crusaders were out of view, her fake smile vanished, replaced with a deep frown. She searched for a way out of the forest and back into Ponyville. She did not hop this time. While walking, the images of Scootaloo flashed in her mind. She was scared. Scared for her life. Scared of Pinkie.
“I didn’t mean to...”
------------------
Thunderlane sat on a small cloud with a mix of fear and confusion. He didn’t know what Pinkie did to him, nor did he want to know. By the way she sound, she was upset at Rainbow Dash. So many questions were raised.
“I don’t get it. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are the two greatest best friends I know. What did Dash do to make her upset? And more importantly, what did Pinkie do to me?” He distinctly remembered that when Pinkie came close contact with him, he could feel some sort of... magic. It was like the magic had took over his mind. He never had that experience before. He looked to the sky and thought about the events from an hour ago.
“When you see Rainbow Dash, tell her... I’ll be waiting for her.”
The way she said those words. He did not know why, but he had the feeling that something bad was about to happen. This is Pinkie Pie, of course. And it’s up to Rainbow Dash to save the day as usual.
“I gotta tell somepony! But who? Rainbow Dash is not here, and she’s the key to all this!” Thunderlane mind clicked when the perfect answer came to him. “I know! Twilight Sparkle! Maybe she knows why Pinkie is acting weird. And maybe she can help me find Dash!” He took off into the air and traveled to the Ponyville Library, eager to find answers soon... the fate of Ponyville depends on it.
------------
Pinkie Pie sat on a log in the middle of the forest and thought about her actions. She could not get the thoughts of Scootaloo out of her head. For the first time in her young life, a filly was actually terrified of her. Terrified. She spotted a puddle of water by her log and in it was her reflection. The frown on her face was alien to her. All her life, she wanted to spread joy and laughter to all ponies, especially little foals. She quickly looked away from her reflection. She covered her hooves with her face.
“Oh Scootaloo! I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry! Please forgive me!” she whispered to herself. “I’m the worst pony in Equestria.”
“Why does that matter to you?” A cold voice called from nowhere. Pinkie jumped and tried to look where the voice came from.
“Hello? Voice? Where are you? I hear you but I can’t see you?”
“Over here, idiot!” Pinkie shifted her eyes to direction of the voice, and could not believe her eyes. It was herself. There was a major difference, however. While our Pinkie Pie’s mane is curly and poofy, this Pinkie’s mane was straight, half of it covering her right eye. Her cutie-mark was in the form of three deflated balloons. She glared coldly at the confused Pinkie.
“Wh-who are you?”
“I’m Pinkamena. Your other personality.” Pinkie blinked. Words alone could not describe the surrealism of this situation.
“You probably don’t remember me, but I took over your mind during your little surprised party incident. On the height of emotional strees you suffered, I took physical manifestation from deep inside your mind. Remember the bucket, the sack of flour, and pile of rocks?” Pinkamena gave Pinkie a mocking smile, and the memories came flooding back to her. Pinkie bowed her head in shame.
“Please... leave me alone.”
“Or what? Sing a stupid song about how to giggle at the ghostie? You’re much of a loser than I thought you were. What kind of special talent is laughter anyway? It’s not that special! Everypony laughs! Even at the expense of somepony else’s misfortune!” The words pierced through Pinkie’s already broken heart. She prayed that the dark version of herself would just go away.
“What do you want from me?”
“I’ve been watching how Rainbow Dash have been recently treating you. Not letting you see her secret box. That’s one thing you just can’t stand - your friends keeping secrets from you.” A small, evil smile slowly appeared on Pinkamena’s face. Pinkie tried her best to look away from her.
“She told you that when the time is right, she will show you her little secret. But guess what - that time is never coming!”
“You’re wrong - Rainbow Dash would never lie to me - she’s my best friend.”
“Your best friend? Some friend she is. If she’s really your friend, then how come she disappeared the day Twilight gave you your magic powers? Hmmmm?”
The question rang true in Pinkie’s mind, but she tried her best to resist the influence of her dark personality. But it did not make sense - there was no way Rainbow Dash could have known about Pinkie’s new ability to make ponies tell the truth - unless...
“And Rainbow Dash visiting a friend? If that’s not a load of baloney I’ve ever heard, then I don’t know what is.”
“No! Twilight would never warn Dashie about me. Twilight--”
“Betrayed your trust, just like Rainbow Dash! And you know what? Twilight probably knew about the box too!”
“Stop it!”
“The box probably has that embarrassing photo of you from the Hearths Warming Party.”
“Stop it, please!”
“And Scootaloo was in on it too! What if those little crusaders of yours reunited as Gabby Gums?”
“Stop it!”
“... and posted an article on the newspaper...”
“STOP IT!” The scream was so loud, the birds reacted by flying far away. Pinkamena finally had her right where she wanted her. Pinkie broke down, crying while trying to cover her face in shame. A wicked, satisfactory smile widened as Pinkamena watched her original giving in to the dark side. Now was the time to seal to the deal.
“You are so naive, Pinkie. You and I know very well that best friends would never do such a terrible thing like keeping secrets. Especially secrets that pertain to the personal life of another pony. Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Scootaloo should be punished for their sins of deception.”
Pinkie wiped the tears from her eyes, and locked her’s to those of her evil double.
“H-how?”
“You’re still enchanted with the OmniTruth Spell, aren’t you? Use that spell to get revenge! Uncover the dark secrets kept hidden by the ponies who wronged you! Then, when the time is right... reveal those secrets to all of Ponyville! And then we’ll see who has the last laugh!” Pinkamena extended her hoof to the still broken Pinkie Pie. She was hesitant for a moment, but decided that she has had enough of the string of secrets and lies from her so-called “best friends.”
“Okay.”
Pinkie shook hooves with Pinkamena and both shared an evil laugh. Pinkie was caught up in the moment, never stopping to think that she might draw attention to her self. She finally ceased her sinister laughter to talk to Pinkamena some more.
“So Pinkamena, what did you have in mi--” She disappeared. Pinkie looked all over her, but she was nowhere to be found. “But... it felt so real.” She did not know if she was hallucinating, or dreaming, or even having her annual episodes, but she had an epiphany. Her friends would soon realize that keeping secrets from her was not a very good idea. A venomous smile slowly emerged on her face. She hopped her way back into Ponyville - determined to get her vengeance.
--------------
Thunderlane finally approached his destination - Ponyville Library. He trotted quickly to the front door. He proceeded to knock repeatedly until he heard a feminine voice. Twilight Sparkle greeted Thunderlane with a friendly smile.
“Hello, Thunderlane. Welcome to the Library. How may I help you?
“Twilight, you’re friends with Pinkie Pie, right?”
“Of course. Is something wrong with her?” She asked with a hint of concern.
“I don’t know... but I got a feeling that... stuff’s about go down. I’m talkin’ downtown!” Confused, Twilight invited Thunderlane inside to tell her more information about what is about to happen downtown... whatever that means. She told Spike to prepare a pot of tea for their guest. He poured two cups of tea for Twilight and Thunderlane. The unicorn leviated her glasses to her face and made her comfortable on her chair, as if to interview her guest.
“Okay Thunderlane, what is it that you mean that something is about to happen... uh... ‘downtown’, as you say?”
“Well, I was minding my own business, ya’ know. Then Pinkie Pie came to me and asked me if I seen Rainbow Dash. I said no, and then the Pinkster started interrogating me and such. I’m like, whoa, this ain’t like her. Then all of sudden, she touched my forehead! I can’t remember what happen next, but it felt like... it felt like I was being controlled. Manipulated, ya’ know. Afterward, she said to me If I see Dash, Pinkie’s waiting for her.”
“Wait one second - you said you can’t remember anything when she touched your forehead?”
“Like I said, it was like some kind of magic had taken me over.” Twilight sipped her tea, then a moment of realization took hold of her. Her mind flashbacked to morning when Pinkie arrived at the library. The same thing happened to her. “What is it, Twilight?”
“Oh no. Pinkie still has the OmniTruth Spell.”
“The what?”
“The OmniTruth Spell. I enchanted her with it this morning. It’s a spell that gives a pony the ability to make anypony reveal a hidden secret or tell the truth,” explained Twilight. Thunderlane was astonished. With that power, Pinkie could be the most feared pony in Ponyville, heck, even in Equestria.
“Why did you do that, Twilight?”
“This morning, Pinkie arrived at my library and said something about Rainbow Dash keeping a secret from her. And she was desperate to find out what it is.”
“She did mention something about some secret box to me earlier,” added Thunderlane. “You don’t think that’s what she is talking about, right?” Twilight thought for a brief moment; knowing Pinkie Pie, there’s no telling what she plans to do with Dash.
“I don’t know, Thunderlane. We have to find Pinkie Pie at all costs. But first, I have to find a way to reverse the spell. Something like the OmniTruth Spell could lead to psychological problems.” The pegasus agreed with the unicorn. He bolted out the door - only to stop when another thought came to him.
“Oh, by the way - you don’t know where Rainbow Dash is, do you?”
“Applejack told me that she was visiting a friend who lives on the other side of Ponyville - which is far away.” Twilight levitated multiple spellbooks from the shelf and set them on her workdesk. “Thunderlane, I want you to find Pinkie and bring her to the library. I’m looking for ways to reverse the spell. Pinkie is very unpredictable, and we can’t let her cause any damage.”
“Can do, Miss Sparkle!” Thunderlane spread his wings and took off to the air. He scanned the entire the area for any sightings of the party pony. Spike emerged from another room, concerned over the conversation that had transpired.
“Twilight, what’s wrong with Pinkie?”
“I don’t know, Spike. Let’s just hope she has not done anything jarring.”
----------------
“Wow, Scootaloo! You’re lucky to be alive!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed to the young pegasus. Applebloom had done a nice job at wrapping a bandage on the wounded area of her leg. Belle placed a small patch on the bruise on Scoot’s head.
“Eeyup! It’s a good thang Pinkie came by to rescue ya when she did!” Bloom and Belle sang their praises to the pink pony who saved the little pegasus. Scootaloo, however, could not get the horrifying images from her mind. The way Pinkie looked at her - as if she was trying to... no, Pinkie would do such a thing. Could she? She tried pushing those thoughts out, but to no avail.
Applebloom had not noticed it before, but Scootaloo was uncomfortably silent by the time they arrived at the clubhouse. “Hey Scoot, ya all right?” The orange filly finally reacted when she heard her name.
“Oh, uh, yeah... I’m fine. I’m still just a little shock by the whole accident and all.” Scootaloo tried to put on the best smile she could make, but the thoughts of Pinkie pinning her to the ground and head butting her were too much to bear. The last thing she remember was Pinkie placing her hoof on her forehead and... everything went dark. She wanted to tell her friends, but how would they react? How would Rainbow Dash react? A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” asked Sweetie Belle. She pulled out a piece of tissue paper, and wiped the tear from Scoot’s face. The orange filly took a quick glance at Belle before more tears followed. Applebloom sat next to Scootaloo; surely something was bothering her.
“Scoots, what in the hay is wrong with ya? Ya been mighty quiet all day.”
“It’s... it’s nothing.”
“It has to be something,” replied Sweetie Belle. The sight of Scootaloo in tears was making her wanting to cry as well. Applebloom was trying her best to hold back any emotion. She made eye contact with Scootaloo and put one of her hooves on her shoulder.
“Scootaloo, we are yer pals. If there’s somethin’ ya’ll wanna tell us, just say it.” Scootaloo thought for a moment. One last image of Pinkie Pie flashed before her mind. She shuddered at the very thought. For a brief moment, silence filled the air. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“It’s about Pinkie Pie...”
—————————————————
On the other side of Ponyville (which is about at least 28 miles away), there was a small, wooden house that stood in the middle of forest. The forest was always peaceful and quiet, and not a lot of animals inhabited the area. The house belong to a pegasus named Sky Dancer. Sky Dancer had the same color coat as Rainbow Dash, but her mane and tail were white. She was an old friend of Rainbow Dash; not anything like a childhood friend, but somepony she used to be acquanted to. Dash thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with her, see how life has been treating her.
“Got some lemonade, you want some?” asked Sky Dancer.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Rainbow Dash grabbed the glass and consumed the contents. Lemonade was great drink to have on a hot summer day as this. Sky Dancer sat next to her on the couch.
“So Dash, you said you wanted to show me something. An important something.” Rainbow instantly knew what she was referring to. After she finished her lemonade, she made eye contact with Dancer.
“Yeah, I do. You won’t believe what I have!” She opened her saddlebag and pulled out her secret box. Sky Dancer eyes widened at the sight of the box. A sense of wonder and intrigue overtook her.
“How many ponies have you shown this box to, Dash?”
“...Just one. You’re the second. And hopefully, she will be the third.”
“Who?”
“...My best friend.” Rainbow placed on of her hooves onto the lid. She slowly opened it, only to stop. She looked at Sky Dancer firmly into her eyes. “Sky Dancer, promise me you won’t tell anypony what is inside this box! Right now, The Secret Society of Secrets only allowed me to show the box to three ponies in a particular order before the time is right for it to go public. Can I trust you to keep quiet?”
“Rainbow Dash, you have my word,” replied Sky Dancer. Rainbow smiled before opening the box. The lid was open... what Dancer saw was a glourious sight to behold. A golden light emanated from the box, almost blinding Dancer. The light was equal to the aura emanating from Princess Celestia herself. No words could describe what the object of the box looked like. Words alone could not do justice to describe the feeling of just looking at it. A single tear rolled down Sky Dancer’s cheek. This was something... this was something a pony only saw once in a lifetime.
“Sky Dancer? Sky Dancer? Sky Dancer!” Dancer was momentarily brought back to the real world. Sky Dancer stared at Dash, whom was giving a friendly smile. Dasher came close to Dash. She put her hooves on her shoulders.
“Rainbow Dash - I’m going to blind myself now. After what I saw in the box, nothing else is worth looking at anymore.” Dash giggled at the statement. This has been a great day for her. She got see her friend she has not seen in years, showed her the mystery box, and got a good response.
“Thanks, Dancer. Now one more pony left, and then the process is complete. So... same time, same place?”
“You betcha!” Dancer said with laughter. The two pegasi shared one last laugh together before Dash made her way back to Ponyville. Dancer waved goodbye, and Dash waved back. She took off into the air, the warm breeze blowing on her face. Days like these, she just feel like could fly all over Equestria.
I can’t wait to see Pinkie’s face when I finally show her the box! Was all Dash could think about. It would a long while before Dash makes it back to Ponyville, but the ride would be worth it in the end.
————————————————
“They all rejected me. They all pushed me away. They are all my false friends. But from now on, things are gonna be different around here.” Pinkie Pie finished completing her helmet. Once her red helmet was placed on her head, she strapped a purple cape on her around her neck. She walked out slowly from a cave, and raised her hoof into the sky, as if to curse creation itself.
“From Now On, my name is no longer Pinkie Pie! All the world refer to me as... Susie! The Master of Mind Control!”
TO BE CONTINUED