//------------------------------// // You made me do this... // Story: Laughter has two faces. // by ParadoxPony //------------------------------// Queen Pinkamena. I had to swallow down the vomit that was inching its way up my throat to watch the scene in front of me. Another punishment. This one was harsher than the last. This mare had made somepony else unhappy, denying him her body. The court of "Cheery Pain" therefore decided for me to choose the punishment. Obviously, I chose my favorite. It was a combo I once used on my first victo-..er...I mean, first to wish to be unhappy. It started with the games. "Pin" the tail on the pony had to be my second favorite, though "operation" came pretty close. There are a great many more games I don't feel like mentioning. All I know is my last game has to be my favorite. The one that always leaves the victo-...pony with a smile on their face! We were just finishing operation when the finale was rolled into my game room. I earned first place, along with everypony else in the room. The blue ribbons were handed out and we took our seats. The terrified mare sat in the center of my game room, shaking like a streamer. Why was she so scared? She should be happy! We are playing games! Everypony fell silent at the sound of that squeaky cart rolling its way in. It held my most prized possession...Or at least my second most... A tarp that covered the wagon's contents was removed and the struggling- er, enthusiastic mare was placed dead center in front of it, it being an overly large closed door with a crystal shaped rock atop its crest. The accused froze in her place, still holding her side tightly from where the stitches were placed from our little game of operation until one of my happy guards nudged her flank and she took a step toward it. Her hoof found the door's handle and twisted it cautiously and then pulled, revealing the empty blackness that could not be found on the other side. Her eyes fogged over into a green miss and her bottom lip began to quiver. Probably in preparation to smile like all the ponies did...Right? A horrible noise escapes the pony's mouth and tears- happy tears, ran down her face and began to create puddles on the tile floor beneath her hooves. A odd and twisted smile formed on the mare's face and the same could be said for her laugh as a few strands of hair popped out on end. See? I told you they were always happy by the end!Her laughing fits grew louder and more obsessed as the rest of us joined her. On my personal joy comity stood screw ball (at the advice of the head chairman of "Cheery Pain"), Derpy Hooves, Queen Chrysalis, and a few others that I won't bother mentioning. To Pinkie Pinkamena Bucking insane scourge of Equestria (I don't even know): Mind telling us where Twilight and the others went? I would imagine not having them around would make you very unhappy. Very unhappy indeed... "You don't think I've looked for those traitors?...Yes...I am unh-...er...I'm fine...just...just leave me alone before I hurt you too.." Vinyl Scratch. Though my eyes were still closed, I knew I was inside. I let out a sound somewhere in between a purr and a sigh as I snuggled into the soft, fluffy pillow under my head. Maybe I was just dreaming. Maybe I will open my eyes and find that old brown couch that once sat in Octi and my apartment. Maybe, if I lift my head from this soft cushion I will hear my roommate making breakfast. And maybe I can go to my room and blast some wubs... Maybe... I cracked one eye slightly open. ...Or maybe not... No sooner had I opened the other eye did an incredibly strong migraine storm inside my head, forcing me to rub my temples and shut my eyes once more. The three hooves rubbing at the sides of my head slightly calmed the-...Three.... My eyes snapped open quicker than I thought possible (not helping my headache) and matched them with those of a gray earth mare. "Hello Vinyl." My voice was sore but I managed to squeak out her name. "O-octi?" She gives me a lighthearted giggle and shushes me before I say more. "Just lay down. Zecora will fix you up an antidote before you can say..." She rolls her eyes. "Wubs." A smile, a true smile creeps onto my face. Then a reality sets in and those curves to my lips quickly disappear. "Hold on a hoof! Where the horse did you disappear to? WHY didn't you tell me! How could you have just-just got up and left me like that! HOW!? " Octavia's eyes drift away from mine into a darkness only she can see. "Vinyl. It wasn't meant to be that way. But I had to leave you. I had to go alone.' "Your kidding me, right?!" A heat boils in my stomach at the memory of the night she left. " So let me get this straight, you had to go alone and couldn't bring me, but it was fine and dandelion to bring those five mares with you? Total strangers Octavia!" The heat freezes to something else inside me. "Y-you didn't even say goodbye...You just left! Why?" "I couldn't Vinyl. if I brought you, you would be in more danger! And you would endanger the rest of us too. You are a unicorn Vinyl. That's why." "Well aren't we racist." "Vinyl!" Octavia took in one of those long, drawn out breaths she always does when trying to explain something to me. "A magic that my sister possesses can sense any other magic being used." I ran her words through my head a couple of times before answering. "But those ponies you went with, two of them were unicorns." "I know. but they know when not to use magic...And let's face it Vinyl, you have a habit of...Well, you know." My ears drooped as a single tear dro- "HOLD ON A HOOF! Did you say...sister?" Octavia groaned. "Yes! How many time have we gone through this!? I am a Pie." my face quickly formed into a deadpan look to which received a quick roll of the eyes from my former roommate. "Pie, as in my last name. remember? you met her at the royal wedding she invited us to?" I put a hoof to my chin. "Oh yah, she was rock'n the wubs with me!" "Right....wubs. Anyway Vinyl, I had to bring them. They knew where Maud and Zecora were." "Who-and-who-now?" "Maud is my other sister i-" Vinyl scratch: I have feelings the ones who ruined your life were Anons, we are not "Vinyl..Y-you can hear then too?" "Unfortunately..." "This is...Wonderful! Now they can help you too!" "Help? No way! These guys showed up after you left. A lot of help they were!" To Vinyl: We can assure you that we are not the one's responsible for this madness, We quite seriously have no idea what is happening right now. And to my knowledge, we are incapable of causing any physical harm, so we couldn't hurt you or anyone else even if we wanted to. But tell us what exactly DID happen? "I said I'm not talking to you!" "VINYL! Don't scare them! Ahem...Thank you, sir or mam, and yes. I'm sure you're not. Vinyl, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have known to run. I would still be in ponyville right now." "So it is their fault you left too!" *wispers*To Vinyl Scratch: I'm sorry, if other bubbles ruined your life, but we aren't those ones. They probably got fired, or something. We aren't the bubbles that misguided you, and we don't know what's going on. We don't know anything about Queen Pinkamena, but we are appearing in her head as well. She's... well it's hard to describe, but who were talking to has no idea what's going on. I can't tell you too much, less I get censored, but... we might not be talking to Pinkamena... We might be talking to a shadow of her former self. Anger threatened to burst inside of me. "Please Vinyl." Octavia's hoof found is way to mine. "Please." "Fine... and, no, I didn't even really know Pinkie Pie. I mean, yah i was invited to a lot of her parties as the DJ, but that's it." "You say that Pinkie doesn't know what's going on? I hope it means she is just under a spell or something." "Octavia. Your sister...The Princesses...They are all one in one way or another...Please. i don't know how to help you. Show me." "We need to find twilight and her friends...We need the elements of harmony." Queen Pinkamena. I lay on my bed, trying to get thoughts out of my head while I stroked the brown mane of the gagged stallion laying next to me. He liked it when I would pet him. I know he does. Tears of joy were streaming down his face and his body was shuddering every time I touched him. Queen Pinkie: What about the super duper party pony Cheese Sandwich? "He likes being my king...My pet...Don't you Cheesy?" A muffled sound came from his mouth as he pulled at the bounds around his hooves. "Yah, he's happy." To Pinkie Pie: Would you do me a favor? Look in the mirror Pinkie...Tell me what you see. "I'll be right back my Cheesy pet.'' After a wet kiss on his snout, I walk over to my fullpony mirror and gaze at my reflection. "I see a Pinkish grayish mare...With long, straight mane...And her face...GUARDS!" The minute my words echoed through the hallways, three guards rushed into my room, searching for the danger. "There!" I pointed to the pony in front of me and she pointed back. "Take her away!" The mare glared angrily at meas the guards took her away...Or was that me?... "Now, where were we Cheesy?"