//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Too Many Inkies Part 2: // Story: Tales from Bronyville // by InkyPye //------------------------------// "Ugh..." Firebrand moaned. He decided to try to recollect what he could remember in bits of fragmented pieces. "Did my marefriend...Hit me with a table...In a coffee shop...Wait. Where am I?!" He opened his eyes wider to find he was in...A cloud meadow, he could only guess. Considering all there was behind him, in front of him, and below him was a bunch of clouds. And he was tied, to a cloud. How he did not plummet to his death was beyond him. He also noticed that the clouds were...Pink. Based on the rising sun, he could tell it was dawn. Eh, could be worse. Like that time Sweetie Bloom attacked me with a sword. Or when Eliyora... "Oh Firebrand...<3" Ink Rose's voice called out as her familiar silhouette was seen as she arrived. Her hair had white flowers in it, her wings were tipped with red glitter, and she was wearing a long white dress. "Your goddess has arrived..." And did a dramatic hair flip. It got worse. "Listen, Jokesy, and listen good bub." The-Not-Ink Rose said, flying close to his face, but then turning around. "I may be dedicated to your very existence for forever, but if you won't love me, then we'll die together! You see, I shoplifted a cloud-walking potion from a local store. While you were unconcious, it was forced down your throat and lasts only 12 hours, and your time is almost up-Hey! No telekinesis!" "And that's why unicorns are the master race. Seriously? An evil monologue?" "Doesn't matter. You'll face death anyhow. We just have to wait, and oh look, the cloud meadow is floating away, you have nowhere else to turn to." It was only moments after that, that another Ink Rose woke up in her flat, tied up with rope, with an audio recorder next to her face. Huh? Where am I? Wait, why am I tied up?! She thought, looking frantically around the room, until she saw the audio recorder, she scooted a little, and used her face to hit the play button. "Hello Inky, I hope you are nice and comfortable..." She opened her eyes wide when she realized it was her voice. "If you're awake now, it means your precious Firebrand has barely minutes to live. His cloud-walking potion will have worn off, he'll fall to his death, nobody will ever know. Seriously, have you ever met anyone in the fan base who wakes up early?! Anyway, Eliyora will know of your "suspicious" behavior, and will know that you have cloned yourself, and considering I have to be loving and caring of him, I'll be more upset than you will, and you'll be nothing more than a liar and a fraud. You'll be zapped back to the Mirror Pool, and I'll take your place. Sadly, my core behavior will never be satisfied, but the miserable foal was a nervous wreck, I mean sheesh, what is with your, I mean, my, I actually mean your, taste in stallions?" Ink Rose rolled her eyes at that, as she struggled to break free of the ropes, if she could extend her wings just a tiny bit more... "You said it yourself, if I planned anything, I'd have to have all my bases covered. Oh! He's waking up! Bye Bye!" And the tape ended. "Why am I such a freakin' good villain, ugh..." Ink Rose thought as she slammed her face into her cloud house, which was the equivalent of her slamming her face into her art desk. She looked desperately around her flat, trying to find something sharp. "CURSE YOU CLOUD-STUFFS!" She yelled. "Now if my timing is right, your time is-" "CURSE YOU CLOUD-STUFFS!" Echoed in the distance. At that very moment, the cloud-walking potion faded, Firebrand fell, and began screaming. "Wha-Inky! You! URGH!" She yelled. You know, I expected to have a lot more to think about when I die- "Got ya'!" Said two Inky's at the exact same time, there was now no way to tell the two apart, as the Not-Inky lost the dress and flowers for most likely the sake of this. "No, I do." And thus started an aerial tug of war, as the two Ink Rose's pulled on Firebrand's arms. "How about you put me down, safely. And I'll decide who's the real-" "She's the clone!" They both yelled. "Hit her with your magic, Scorcher!" The two kept flying haphazardly, tugging on his arms. He eventually crashed into a tree, but didn't notice his absence as the two were in a dogfight in the sky. Firebrand could only watch the battle in the sky as faces were punched, stomachs were kicked, and there was far too many disturbing cracking sounds. "Please...Help." "I CAN'T TELL WHO'S WHO! Give me a sign, tell me something only the real Ink Rose would know." Soon responses flooded in. "Your brother is diabetic." "You love the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise." "You think I have a cute laugh." "You're the medic in Dr.Wolf's version of Team Fortress 2." "Criminy...Wait, I'm asking what the real Ink Rose would know, so how about something the real Ink Rose wouldn't know." "What episode did we see at the theater?" "...The newestepisode?" "Oh, um, uh, uh...The episode with-" ZAP! A pink ray shot out at the second Ink Rose. Firebrand then turned to Ink Rose. "Did we go anywhere after we watched an episode?" Firebrand asked, now nervous. "We went somewhere after the movie?!" Firebrand just laughed. "Good to have you back, Inky. Just, try not to handle so many ideas and projects next time, it'll probably keep you a lot less stressed out, along with everyone else." "'Kay..." She said as she helped Firebrand out of the tree and onto the sidewalk. "Oh, and uh, Firebrand?" "Yeah?" "There are two more versions of me running around." Inky said, sheepishly. "...Firebrand?" "...Should have been a Canterlot musician. Let's go." He said. And Ink Rose just hovered beside him as he walked into town.