Darkness.
Pinkie opened her eyes. All she could see was darkness, no light, no fun. The air was cold, and not a single noise could be heard. Suddenly, lights flickered into life, and the room became visible. On the walls were party decorations in typical Pinkie Pie style, chairs adorned with balloons, tables with cakes and punch, neatly laid out. Party music began playing, which made Pinkie want to get up and dance, but couldn't. It was strange, she felt perfectly fine. It was like her muscles had frozen in the sitting position. The lack of control over her body began to make her nervous.
"Hello? Anypony there?" Pinkie called out nervously. No response. She tried again, but no one responded. She tried standing again. This time her body gingerly obeyed, but she didn't like what was happening one bit. Fear began to fill her body, hoof to ear, but she tried shrugging it off. Maybe she just forgot to tidy up from one her earlier parties, and the lights weren't quite working. Pinkie trotted forwards towards the table, but before she could reach it she hit something hard and fell on her flank.
"Ow!" She cried out. Her nose was sore from hitting the invisible barrier. There wasn't anything there, so why couldn't she reach the table? She tried again, slower this time, and bumped into the invisible object again. The lights flickered again. Each time they did, the room seemed to get bigger and bigger, and soon there was just a vast expanse of black into which the decorations had vanished. All of a sudden, a rainbow-coloured liquid seemed to start trickling down the invisible object, which now appeared to be some kind of wall. Pinkie, during the series of events, failed to notice how it seemed to continue falling forever, and didn't have a visible source.
"Oooh, rainbows!" Exclaimed Pinkie. She touched the multi-coloured fluid, which was now a cascade. Some came off onto her hoof and she licked it, completely forgetting the last time she did so in Cloudsdale. It burned her tongue, and she recoiled. Pinkie sat on her flank, wiping her tongue with her clean hoof, as not to cause her more pain. It hurt more than she remembered it did.
"Hey, where did the punch go, my mouth is burning!" No reply. Pinkie sat in front of the waterfall of colour, pondering. She stared at the colours until her eyes went sore, when suddenly a hole began to open. She stared into the growing hole, which seemed impossible, but real nonetheless. Pinkie couldn't draw her eyes away, even though her growing fear urged her to do otherwise. A figure appeared on the other side of the hole which was at least twice the size of Pinkie by now. The figure simply stood there, its features thrown in shadow, despite the light given off by the rainbow.
"Hey, who are you?"
"Me?" the figure chuckled, "Well, I am you, Pinkie."
"No you're not. I'm Pinkie, and there's only one Pinkie, because no one throws parties like me!"
"If I am not you, then who am I... Pinkemena Diane Pie?" The figure stepped through the hole, and the rainbow lit up its face. Pinkie's face contorted with confusion and curiosity.
"Wait, you are me! But what happened to you hair? It's all straight and boring! And your coat is really dull too!" Pinkie took a second to think, "This is funny! Me talking to myself! Oh Pinkie you silly filly!"
"You aren't quite so silly, Pinkie. I am you, only… only the side of you who realises." The alternate Pinkie grinned sinisterly.
"Realises what?"
"That your friends don't like you!" She began laughing manically, her straightened hair being thrown back, her eyes almost bloodshot.
"But they do, and they do like my parties. I remember what happened last time! They threw me a surprise birthday party!"
"Ah, yes, the party. Fun, wasn't it? But what you don't realise is that they only enjoy it because they don't want get hurt."
Pinkie froze. Get hurt? Would somebody else hurt them if they didn't enjoy her parties? Would somepony tell them off? She couldn't imagine any pony she knew doing that.
"Who'd hurt them?" Pinkie asked, shaking now. She had never felt this scared before.
The other Pinkie simply grinned.
"You would."
Pinkie was scared now. The other Pinkie stood over her, intimidating and cruel. She had an evil look in her eyes, and couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"W-w-why are you l-laughing?" stuttered Pinkie, "Hurting people isn't very nice!"
"Isn't it? Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Take a look, Pinkie, and realise that I'm right!" She waved her hoof in the air, and her five best friends' faces appeared in a cloud of dark mist.
"Boo!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "Your parties are so lame, and so are you! How could anyone like you?"
"I agree," echoed Fluttershy, "You're too over the top and obnoxious."
The faces began circling around, laughing evilly, getting closer each time. Pinkie cowered in the centre of the circle, almost in tears. She had been thrown in absolute shock. Being told she wasn't liked was unbelievable to Pinkie. Being laughed at felt like knife had been plunged into her heart.
"It's not true! It simply isn't! Please, oh please, stop saying these things girls!"
"Alright," said the alternate Pinkie, "I'll make it stop, but I'll be back, and next time, you'll agree with me" She looked deranged, and ran around Pinkie laughing. She jumped up, began floating and flew off cackling. The flow of water that had once been a glorious rainbow began to turn crimson, and before she knew it Pinkie was staring at a waterfall of blood. She stumbled backwards and screamed, falling off the edge of nothingness. She continued to scream, and when she saw a set of razor sharp spikes, each with her friends' bodies attached to them, she began trying to claw her way back up, but it was no use, no matter how she tried she simply couldn't get a hoofhold. She had to resign herself to death, and plummeted down, and down, and down. She was almost at the spikes now. She braced herself. The spikes loomed. The other Pinkie could be heard chuckling quietly as Pinkie hit the spikes.
She sat up in her bed screaming. Mr and Mrs Cake stumbled into the room, and grasped hold of Pinkie's hooves, both tried to get the frightened filly's attention.
"Pinkie, it's OK, it's only a dream!" Called Mr Cake.
"Please, nothing to be afraid of dear!" Added Mrs Cake, who promptly hugged Pinkie until she stopped screaming. Pinkie sat there, staring at the wall. She breathed heavily and refused to blink. Pinkie didn't even acknowledge the presence of Mrs Cake, who still tried to comfort her. Mr Cake brought her some sweets, but she didn't react to the plate being placed next to her.
Eventually, she calmed down, and managed to utter a few words.
"Thank you. That… was really scary. I'm sorry for waking you so early," She looked at them with guilt in her eyes.
"It's quite alright, dear," replied a tired Mrs Cake, who didn't quite appreciate being woken up at five in the morning, but made the exception again for Pinkie, "Well, I suppose we ought to be getting some breakfast, since I don't see why we should be going to sleep again," she smiled kindly.
"I agree. I suppose we had a lot of work today anyway," Beamed Mr Cake, who was now fully awake from making many trips to and fro the kitchen. He had a bad case of bed-mane, and bags under his eyes, so did Mrs Cake.
"Alright. Well, thank you," Mr and Mrs Cake left the room with the door open, leaving a shocked Pinkie laying in her bed. She could vaguely hear the two old ponies talking.
"That's been her worse nightmare yet," sighed Mr Cake, "That's, what, her fourth now this month?"
"Yes, I think it's time we got some proper treatment. We must call Twilight Sparkle. She'll know what to do."
"Agreed." Responded Mr Cake.
Pinkie lay in her bed and wondered.
What's wrong with me?
End of Part 1