Darkness.
Pinkie sat up and opened her eyes. She had expected to see a black room filled with tables that would soon disappear and be replaced with a rainbow waterfall. Instead, she saw her own room. Pinkie stared at the wall in front of her, mind blank and eyes unblinking. It took her a few seconds to register the knocking at her door.
"Come in." Pinkie had had better mornings. The door opened and Twilight Sparkle walked in. She didn't look much better than Pinkie would have done though. She had bags under her eyes, and her usually pristine mane was a mess that only a good half hour's worth of combing could cure. It was evident she had been working hard throughout the night.
"Sleep well?"
"I think so." Lied Pinkie. Never before had she had to endure an entire night with an empty dream. It wasn't bad, but it was most certainly boring.
"So, what was your dream like last night?" Asked a shattered Twilight.
"Empty. And oh, very black! Yeah, nothing happened."
Twilight sighed in relief, "That's always a positive. We can't have you having any more nightmares." At this, Twilight paused and stared down. She didn't like what she was going to have to say to one of her closest friends. She sat herself on Pinkie's bed.
"Hey, Pinkie, I need to talk to you about something."
Pinkie became attentive. "What is it?"
"It's about what's going on in your head. We need to stop it, but everything we've tried has had no effect, and it's getting worse."
"Isn't there anything else we can try?"
"There is one option," Twilight took in a deep breath. "I want to use an ancient spell. It will seal away the bad side of you, but... " Twilight's breathing hastened, "It doesn't always work, and according to Princess Celestia, who I talked to extensively last night, if it fails you could replaced by the bad half of you or worse... " Twilight was shaking and had to take a second to steady herself. She looked Pinkie dead in the eye.
"You could die if it goes wrong."
"But I know it won't go wrong!" Twilight looked up to see Pinkie beaming, "I know it won't go wrong, because you'll be doing it!"
Twilight chuckled lightly, "I suppose so, Pinkie." Her optimism gave Twilight some confidence. She got off the bed and turned to face the wall for a second. Now that she had Pinkie's support, they could start preparing for the sealing spell.
"Pinkie."
"Yes, Twi?"
"This is where it gets a little tricky. First though, you'll need to take whatever possessions you need to the library. That's where I'll cast the spell. But before we can even think about beginning, I need your full support and consent, because if this goes wrong... if by any chance this goes wrong, I could get into a lot of trouble for hurting you." Twilight shuddered.
"Of course!" chirped the enthusiastic pink pony, "I support you all the way!"
"Great. Let's get moving."
The ensuing hours were spent getting Pinkie and the library ready. Pinkie felt a little sad when she couldn't go up to any of her friends, and was forced to sit within a chalk pentagram in the middle of the library floor with her Necklace of Laughter at her hooves. At the points of the pentagram were the Necklaces of Harmony, which Twilight had recovered from Celestia's sealed vault with her permission. Except there wasn't purple. She was all alone in the room all of a sudden, which gave her time to think clearly. A lot was on her mind, and she wouldn't get much more before she had to fight for her body.
Will my friends forgive me if it doesn't work and I hurt them?
It was an idea she didn't want to think, but Pinkie couldn't ignore it. She knew that it may not work, but what happens afterwards... Pinkie didn't want to even imagine.
"Alright girls, let's do this!"
Pinkie spun her head towards the kitchen, and there stood her five best friends, all of whom had given up whatever they had planned for the day to support Twilight when she performed the spell. They stepped into the main library area and lined the walls as not to get in the way. Twilight trotted up towards the empty spot carrying a tiara. Her Element of Harmony, Magic.
"Pinkie. Are you ready for this?"
"As always." Pinkie smiled. She was hiding her true feelings. She was scared. She was afraid of herself, and prayed for her friends should it go wrong.
'Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall. You've got to face your fears.'
Yes, I will. I'll stand up taller than I've even done before. I will not let my friends down.
"OK, Pinkie, hardest part. I need you to put on your Element of Harmony necklace and listen very carefully." Twilight put extra emphasis on the very, "When I stand on this point of the pentagram and place my tiara on, it all begins. You cannot talk during the procedure. You cannot move from where you are sitting. You must only think thoughts of you, of your friends, of happiness. And you must cling to that feeling."
"Alright. Let's start then, Twilight."
Twilight breathed deeply. She dreaded what she would have to do if it went wrong. She stepped onto the empty corner of the pentagram and slowly placed her tiara on. The moment it connected with her forehead the white chalk began glowing a pale cyan. Lines of light began drawing in from each of the necklaces and formed an intricate pattern around the pink pony.
Come on, Pinkie. Let me play a little.
Pinkie's eyes widened and she sat dead still. The voice of Pinkemena shook her to the very bone, and as the lines worked their way up her body, the voice became louder and louder.
Aw, why are you so serious? You should let me have some fun with all your friends.
"Pinkie! Snap out of it! Who will I prank with if you aren't you?"
"Come on, darling, you simply cannot give up!"
All of her friends were encouraging her to keep faith, but her fear continued to grow. Sadness began to overcome her, and only sad thoughts plagued her mind. Without realising, her tail began to deflate, bit by bit.
Pinkemena was winning.
"Pinkie! Please, don't give up!"
Give up, Pinkie. You know the spell won't work. You know they don't want you. Who will you trust, a bunch of ponies or yourself?
Pinkie didn't know how to react any more. She didn't want to let Pinkemena take control, but at the same time she couldn't bear to be such a burden to everyone.
"Pinkie!"
She had made up her mind. Even if it killed her, she would not let Pinkemena win. Her friends, her best friends who stood by her no matter what happened depended on her to break through. She couldn't let them down. Suddenly, Twilight began chanting something in a different language. Pinkie knew it was the crucial moment in the spell and she would have to focus now more than ever before if there was any chance of winning.
"Is qui cum luce glorificat, cum uinculis caeleste inimicum domesticum ligat!"
The pentagram glowed even brighter now as the spell took effect. The bright cyan lines crept ever closer to the amulet around Pinkie's neck. Pinkie felt confident. Happy thoughts of her days with her friends flooded her mind. Nothing could have gone wrong.
Except something did.
Pinkemena refused to be sealed away in the dark prison inside Pinkie's head that she had be placed in for so long, and with all her might began to force her way out of the glowing chains that were binding her and began surfacing within Pinkie. She writhed in pain as Pinkemena slowly took over her body and forced her mind out of her body into a black void. The spell was failing. Somehow, against the power of the ancient spell, Pinkemena was breaking her way through the chains that were supposed to be binding her within the psychosis of the pink pony. Pinkie began to panic.
"What's going on, Twi?" Called Rainbow Dash, who stood paralysed at the side of the room. Every pony in the room was powerless to help Pinkie, and Twilight had begun to lose every shred of confidence.
"I-I can't believe it," stammered Twilight, who by now was shaking, "Her bad personality is breaking through the spell!"
"What?!" Cried out Fluttershy who was panicking at the thought of losing Pinkie, and lost her usual composure.
"I know, but there is nothing I can do!" Twilight wished instantly she hadn't said that. Pinkie heard it and lost all hope of succeeding. She resigned herself to being taken over. The whole room was filled with a harsh white light and an explosion. Dust filled the room and began to settle a little while afterwards. Twilight staggered to her hooves coughing and groaning. She had been thrown quite hard into the wall, and began to feel the after-effects of it.
"Is everypony alright?" Called Twilight. Her question was answered by a series of groans and sighs as the other four ponies hauled themselves up onto their hooves. The explosion had taken out a chunk of the library wall, and books were scattered everywhere. Spike emerged from the cellar in a state of pure shock. It took a second to process what had happened. Then it struck Twilight.
"Pinkie!" she rushed over to Pinkie who sat on her haunches head hanging low. Something didn't seem right, "Are you alright?"
"Oh yes, Twilight, I'm just fine." She turned her head around slowly in stages. Twilight suddenly began dreading the moment she had read the book on the spell. Pinkie's mane was flat. Pinkie's tail was straight. Her coat was a dull fuchsia.
"Let's play." Mused the darkened Pinkie with a menacing grin. She stood up and tilted her head ever so slightly. Her eyes were not her eyes. Her smile was unlike what it had ever been before, deranged.
Pinkie was no longer Pinkie. Twilight knew she had lost. All of her friends stood frozen in shock, paralysed by realisation.
Please help me.
Pinkemena had won.
End of Chapter 3
N.B. The incantation Twilight uses when she initiates the sealing spell translates from Latin into English as:
He who glorifies with light, with heavenly chains bind the internal enemy.