//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Part Where She Kills You, part 2 // Story: The Dark Side // by Lord Xaos //------------------------------// Repeat readers may notice a minor change in the Flashback scene. Where the mix up with Pinkie's full name came from....well. Its a long, boring story. But I blame Youtube. The Dark Side A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction by Lord Xaos Chapter 6. "You stay there!" Rainbow pointed her leg at the Snake, who politely responded with another geyser of venom. He clearly knew how to treat a lady. Rainbow would show him. She looked up…and saw that the gray cloud she noticed before was still in the perfect position. This was the Everfree forest, she had to work quickly before the weather betrayed her. Hopefully it would be good enough for what she needed it for. "Hey Ugly, I bet I can fly higher than you!" Rainbow taunted the manticore and spank her flank. "Yeah, you want a piece of me! Come and get it!" If she could just get the manticore to follow her, she'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. The manticore took the bait. Rainbow flew straight for the storm cloud above her, confident she could reach it before the manticore reached her. Please don't rain, please don't rain, it will mess everything up if you choose this moment to release your water. Rainbow flew and flew…and could feel the manticore approaching beneath her. She put everything she had into reaching the cloud….nothing mattered in the world but reaching the cloud. Rainbow entered the stormcloud, but the manticore was right behind her. She barrel rolled out of the way and hid in the cloud to catch her breath. How is something so big so good at ascending? Are you going soft on me, gravity? Rainbow thought to herself. Then her stomach growled. Oh. I suppose I should've gotten breakfast at the Cake's...or even Zecora's. Bah, I had a big dinner last night. I can do this. The manticore, who was slightly wet from flying through a rain cloud, was a little light headed having flown so high up so quickly. It wondered where that tasty little herbivore went- and um….why was that cloud spinning? A ribbon of Rainbow wrapped around and around the storm cloud, squeezing it, tearing it open, and releasing all its water into a giant a whirlpool in the air! The manticore covered itself as the cloud exploded with a thunderclap, but all that happened was that it's coat was soaked with a splash of rainwater! It was sprinkling out of the twister, where that Rainbow pony spun around its insides, maintaining the twister. Dash was inside a steadily narrowing cone of water, flying around and around and wishing she had her goggles. But no time for that now. She had to take her twister down to the surface…straight down. The giant snake couldn't believe what it was seeing. A storm cloud had suddenly become a great, glistening eye. What was it made off? Oh darn its colorblindness… Wait, the eye was coming closer…and closer… In a panic, the Snake spat venom into it. Rainbow was barrel rolling at the very bottom of the twister now, there was no room to maintain the twister, and she had to bring it down, anyway. Normally, when maintaining a twister, one pegasus lead of group, and those followers would spin around in formation to maintain the tornado wall. Rainbow had discovered this trick could work too. Although she was getting awfully light-headed… Come on, Red five! Stay on target….stay on target….. The venom spray landed right in front of her, but Rainbow was protected by a wall of water! The venom sprays kept coming as she approached the snake…and her water wall was spinning itself dry. Some venom just barely landed on the last puddle of water that had began to spin away. The Serpent readied itself for one more spray of venom….. ….when it suddenly was lifted off the ground and wrapped around Rainbow, trapped in the wind surrounding her! Rainbow's spinning came to a sudden stop…as she pushed her hooves in opposite directions until they were perfectly outstretched. She tore the twister open and sent the snake flying off in a random direction. Rainbow felt kind of sick. She was hungry, dizzy, nearly died twice over the course of less than a minute….but she won. Oh wait…the manticore had only halfway defeated. It was soaked, sure, but she had to find it before… "ROAR!" The manitcore was coming up right behind Rainbow and she was thankful she thought to weigh its coat down with a few gallons of rainwater first. Because if it weren't for that, Rainbow wouldn't have dodged in time as the manticore's jaw bit the air right where her belly was just a moment ago. Rainbow swerved past the manticore, but as she was flying away, the manticore's tail whacked her again! Rainbow Dash was hurdling through the air once more, her rump burning from the blunt trauma. She heard from behind her the manticore heaving with a great sound from deep in its belly…it reminded her of the laugh she heard from one of the characters in the sequel to Pony Wars. Laugh it up, fuzzball! Rainbow wanted to stop to rub her hindquarters, but she focused instead on turning this momentum into her final attack. Rainbow flew as fast as she could. And then she did a wide U-turn in the air, losing as little speed as possible, and headed back towards the Manticore. It would be a long shot….but she was equal parts desperate and angry. The Manticore was flying after Rainbow. He actually thought the pony had escaped him when she used the momentum of her own tail-spanking to help her fly even faster away from him. His coat was so heavy…that ambush just now was his last shot at her. She could've gotten away. But instead she was flying straight for him! Like dogs and rabbits and hydras and certain other creatures of Equestria, manticores couldn't talk. But they weren't stupid either. This manticore was just thinking how tired he was of flying when inspiration struck him. She was heading right for him. He was bigger than she was, and while it might sting a little bit, if she tackled him like it looked she was about to do, he could just hover in place and catch her with his claws. In fact….he could just as easily curl his tail between his legs and sting her. Then the venom would paralyze her. Then, while she was nice and weak, he'd eat her. One bite at a time. "You want a taste!" Rainbow cried to him as she increased her speed. He did. He really did. "DO YOU WANT A TASTE OF ME!" Rainbow sped up even more, the manticore was just hovering in place….. Saliva was pouring down his chin. "THEN HERE!" Rainbow Dash sped up as fast as she could possibly go. As fast as she had gone only twice before in her life. Here she comes…wait, what's with the small tingles of electricity coming from her in places- "TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHERFUCKER!" The SONIC RAINBOOM tore through the air, as Rainbow Dash crashed into the manticore's gut. All the manticore knew was pain and nausea and confusion and Oh, by the Everfree, his stomach….he wasn't hungry anymore. All the residents of Ponyville were treated to an amazing sight. A Rainbow shockwave spread across the sky, over the Everfree forest. Nopony knew what to make of it. A local stallion had one thing to say about it, though. "That is the baddest fucking rainbow I have ever seen." It was the sheet. The white sheet the evil Pinkie used to cover her pushcart. It was white on the outside, but it was colorful on the inside. It had just been laying on the floor. Half of it was Blue with an emblem of Pink Cupcakes, and the other half of it was yellow with an emblem of square cakes topped with white icing. The sheet was made from two hides of pony leather sewn together. Of course! Pinkie thought to herself. They would've found the trophies…they would have caught her! They would never allow this to stand…they wouldn't allow you to continue using THEIR shop to murder and hide your victims... "Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Oh why….why…why…why...why?" Pinkie sobbed miserably. Dark Pinkie decided to chime in at this point. "Nopony ever caught that before. I'm normally more careful with it. Yes…it is Mr. and Mrs. Cake. And we are together, all the time now!" Pinkie's voice was breaking really badly, but she managed to ask "H-how c-c-c-could yoooou? I-it's M-mis *hiccup!* ter and M- *hiccup!* m-m-Mi-issus C-cake! D-don't you *hiccup!* l-love them? A-aren't th-th-they the r-reason *hiccup!* y-you're Pinkie P-p-pie?" Mr. and Mrs. Cake were two very important ponies in the life of Pinkamena Diane Pie. One day, when she was a little foal who had only recently gotten her cutie mark, Mama brought her to Ponyville. Pinkamena had been trying to lift the family's spirits, but mostly had been annoying everypony. Especially her sister, Octavia who was trying to practice Violin. Mama had to run a trip to town for a while and decided that Pinkamena needed to get away from the farm for a day. So, Twinkie Pinkie went to town met lots of new ponies and saw lots of new things…. …And then Mama collapsed suddenly when the two of them were on an empty street. Pinkamena didn't know what to do. She called for help, and cried and cried, but nopony seemed to hear her…she felt so powerless. But then, there was Mr. Cake! Mr. Cake had been out to buy some more groceries for the bakery, but dropped everything when he found Pinkamena and her mother. He calmed Pinkamena down, got some other ponies together, and took Mama to the hospital. Together with his wife, he waited with Pinkamena at the Hospital until she could visit Mama, invited her to sleep over at their house when they found out her family probably wouldn't get there until the next day, and eventually gave her a nickname, "Pinkie." (Actually, Pinkamena loved the nickname because it finally would clear up some confusion with the fillies and colts of Ponyville that she was not, in fact, the Cakes' daughter. But, Pinkie quickly added, she wouldn't mind being "Pinkie Cake." Mrs. Cake just gave her a strange smile and hugged her, saying "Pinkie Pie" rolled off the tongue better.) They taught her to bake, held a few of younger Pinkie's birthday parties, babysat Pinkie Pie and her sisters a few times her family was in trouble. And then when she was older they not only gave her a job, but also let her live in their house and use it to throw parties! They were even patient with her over her many, many, mistakes and impulsive decisions. They were the most wonderful adults Pinkie Pie had ever known, and she loved them like a second pair of parents. She owed them so much. And then (in this dimension at least), she skinned them and turned them into blanket used to hide her implements of unspeakable torture. So much for that. Dark Pinkie answered. "Why yes! I am Pinkie Pie! And that's why the blanket is actually very sentimental to me. Don't tell anyone, but at night, I take it off the cart and sleep with it. Ah! There, I said it!" Dark Pinkie hid her face in her hooves and squealed once again before returning to Pinkie. "I'd be lost without Mr. and Mrs. Cake by my side! Actually, whenever I worry about stuff or feel scared, its a wonderful security blanket...oh, why'd you have to find me out?" Dark Pinkie blushed. Pinkie's body just kind of...twitched...in response. "Anyway, don't feel sad. We spend every night together!" She smiled with what Pinkie disturbingly thought might be actual warmth. Dark Pinkie opened her eyes and suddenly switched to an expression of something like concern for her "guest." "Aw….you seem to have cried yourself out. It's not going to be very fun…Maybe I need to cheer you up before I start…" Dark Pinkie screwed up her face in thought. "Hmm….OH! I've got it! Don't go anywhere…" She ran out of the room. Oh Celestia….what is she going to show me now? Pinkie sobbed…staring at the blanket laying on the floor. She kind of wanted to touch the blanket herself…just to cry into it. Forever. "I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…I can't even bring her to justice. Mister and Missus Cake…Pinkie Pie is sorry!" Suddenly Pinkie was face to face with….Mrs. Cake! It couldn't be! Or maybe it was her Mrs. Cake? Here to rescue her? Pinkie couldn't figure it out at all. "Are you doing that third person thing Trixie does now?" Mrs. Cake asked her, in the exact opposite tone she expected Mrs. Cake should be using to talk to her if Mrs. Cake found her tied up in a torture cellar. "You have a fever or something? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Mrs. Cake put a pink hoof to her forehead. Pinkie also noted with a thrill of horror that Mrs. Cake was supposed to have pink eyes, as opposed to Dashie's rose colored eyes. These were baby blue. Like…hers! Mrs. Cake broke into a fit of hideous laughter. It was high and cruel…although it was a girlish giggling. "It's me!" Mrs. Cake said, before she pulled her own face off to reveal Dark Pinkie's under it. Which is to say you, because you're me. But you aren't actually wearing the mask right now. Anyway…isn't it great? Its another sentimental item…it took so much work to get it right, but now I can wear it over my face, and look just like her! It's a shame that Mr. Cake's face got torn to pieces in the bender when I took him down." (Pinkie responded to that little insight by throwing up again) The Ponyhide Mask was even more horrifying without someone wearing it. Mrs. Cake's eye sockets were hollow and sagging. And also the top of her head was cut out to make room for Pinkie's real mane. In hindsight, Pinkie should've remembered her own mane when she saw it. But then, she was too busy going crazy. Pinkie had only one mental defense left. "This is a dream! This is a dream…this is a dream….!" "Aw…Okay…I guess I'll leave you alone for right now." "there's no place like home….there's no place like-" Pinkie's ears perked up and her bloodshot eyes widened to their maximum size. "W-w-what!" "Yeah…see…Its no fun if you've cried yourself out of energy. Maybe we'll try again later…" Pinkie had to wonder if this was good thing or not. She wasn't entirely certain she wanted to live if she was just going to be tortured and die in the end anyway. Although…her mind had been blown so much…she felt so weak…she just wanted to… "Aw...you're sleepy, aren't you? Here…why don't I sing you a lullaby?" Dark Pinkie asked. Light Pinkie didn't answer. That would require energy. If she hadn't gotten used to the feeling after suffering with it during the entirety of the conversation, she might've wondered why her knee still felt pinchy… Rainbow Dash looked around frantically, trying to find some landmark. She seemed to have wound up on the other side of the forest from Ponyville. Maybe if she could figure out where Zecora's hut was...ARG! THIS WAS GOING TO WASTE SO MUCH TIME! Suddenly, she heard the Manticore behind her rise, growling deep in its throat. Rainbow saw it, and advanced. Her face screwed up in a frown. "You…you! HOW DARE YOU! YOU THINK YOU’RE ANGRY!? I CAME IN HERE AFTER PINKIE PIE, WHO I –KNOW- YOU FRIGHTENED AND CHASED HER INTO THAT HORRIBLE GROVE THAT MADE HER DISAPPEAR!" The Manticore looked taken aback…but another growl began to rise in its throat… "NO! YOU DON'T GET TO COMPLAIN! YOU'VE WASTED SO MUCH TIME _AND_ GOT ME LOST!" Rainbow thrust her head right up against the Manticore. Fire and brimstone in her rose colored eyes. "If Pinkie Pie is anything short of perfectly healthy when I find her… I. WILL. FIND. YOU." Rainbow frowned so hard, her pupils disappeared under her eyebrows. "And it will be the worst AND LAST day of your miserable, flea-bitten life. Now stay there while I leave and you might live to see at least one more day. Oh…and if you ever hit me with that tail again, I will tear it off and use it to poke out your eyes." The Manticore gritted its teeth, not seeming to want to back down, but it had fallen back to the ground, its eyes wavering. Its voice silent. Rainbow flew back slowly, staring lightning and flame into the eyes of the Manticore…and ascended to the forest canopy once more. Hoping against hope it wasn't too late. Dark Pinkie began her Lullaby. She was wearing the horrible mask again, so it looked like Mrs. Cake was singing to her. Hush now, quiet now. its time to lay your sleepy head, Hush now, quiet now, its time to go to bed…. Light Pinkie started to fade. She had to ask herself, was she actually relaxing to the music, allowing herself to believe for one moment was Mrs. Cake singing to her? Or did she actually hate it, disgusted by who really was singing? She'd think about it whenever she woke u- "AAAH!" Pinkie jumped up as she felt a slicing sensation in her left hip! She turned to see…Dark Pinkie, cutting around her cutie mark with a scalpel, she was still singing! Hush now! Quiet now! Its time to lay your sleepy head! Hush now, quiet now! Its time to go to bed! Dark Pinkie had finished her skin-deep, circular cut around Pinkie's cutie mark, and she was already ready with her curved skinning knife to begin phase two. It wasn't even messing up her timing with the song… Drift Drift! Off to sleep! Leave the exciting day behind you! Drift Drift! Off to sleep! Let the joy of dreamland find you! She even sawed the cutie mark from her muscle in time to the beat. Actually, she wasn't nearly as accurate as when she did it normally. She was cutting deeper into Pinkie's muscle to avoid damaging the cutie mark! Pinkie screamed and cried and worse of all, fidgeted, which caused an even worse gash in her flank than what was already being created! Dark Pinkie huffed. "Pinkie, if you don't stop moving, I'll keep missing." Pinkie took the opportunity of this moment to shoot in "YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO LET ME SLEEP!" "I am, silly! Ponies always seem to fall asleep when I do this! It's so incredibly rude, really. But I'm here to help!" And then Dark Pinkie repeated the verse as she did the same thing to her other cutie mark. Pinkie Pie ground her teeth together and tried to remain still, hating this other Pinkie with all the passion she had left to give anything in this cruel, cruel world. When she was done, Dark Pinkie held both of Pinkie's cutie marks in her hooves and waved them. "WHEEEEEEEE…actually wait, I'm getting this all sweaty now." She took the Mrs. Cake mask off, and threw it with no reverence whatsoever unto the cart, which made Pinkie cringe. Dark Pinkie brought one of the cutie marks to her face and bit one of the stray bits of muscle off of it. She closed her eyes and chewed for a while before she gulped. "Mmm! I always wondered what I taste like! Oh, this is the best day ever!" Pinkie recoiled in disgust and shut her eyes, but they were forced open again when a new stimulus had her screaming in torment once again! HUSH! NOW! QUIET! NOW! IT'S TIME TO LAY YOUR SLEEPY HEAD! Dark Pinkie had gotten the Nails out now, and was hammering them into Pinkie's leg, still singing her lullaby. She was timing the notes in tune with the hammer strokes, rather than the other way around. I SAID! HUSH! NOW! QUIET! NOW! IT'S TIME TO GO TO BEEEED! Meanwhile, in the forest, a rainbow blur was speeding like a lightning bolt, shifting between the trees…heading into darker and darker regions of the forest like an archangel valiantly charging into the gates of hell. Pinkie wasn't certain when exactly her counterpart got the battery out from the cart, but she she knew it was coming. Since she didn't have any wings to hack or saw or hacksaw off, her memories of the dream told her Dark Pinkie was going to skip to the thing that was next in the....sequence. Electrocution. Drift Drift! Off to sleep! Dark Pinkie didn't so much throw the switch on the battery as kick it with her hind legs as she stood upright and danced in place. The Rainbow blur twisted through the forest, following a familiar set of tracks… Leave the exciting day behind you! Electricity pulsed all throughout Pinkie's body... The colors of the rainbow dulled as less and less light shone through the forest canopy. But the pegasus still flew ever faster to that place…where the tracks disappeared. Drift Drift! Off to sleep! Let the joy of dreamland find you! Dark Pinkie turned up the juice as she danced in place…and Pinkie felt her entire body burn and saw faint traces of smoke coming out of her mouth...that couldn't be good. But something else was wrong…just as the pain was climbing to unbearable levels, it started to dull and all sensation slipped away...she felt herself going numb. THERE IT WAS! Rainbow Dash saw the dirt where the tracks disappeared…even at this distance in this darkness, her pegasus vision told her this was the place! "PIIIIIIIII-!" And then she disappeared into thin air. The power eventually switched off, but Pinkie had already lost consciousness. Hush now, quiet now! Its time to lay your…sleepy…head? "-IIINNKKKKKIIIIEEEE!" A pegasus suddenly appeared out of thin air into a mist-covered landscape. "Whoa! What's THAT doing here?" Rainbow gaped at the sight she just glimpsed through the mist. Dark Pinkie looked over her victim. She waved her hoof in front of Pinkie's still-open, tear-streaked eyes. Nothing. She gave her a shot of adrenaline. Then another. No reaction. Dark Pinkie brought a hoof to her cheek and said "Uh oh…I played too rough again. Somepony should really scold me." She went over to a mirror and put the Mrs. Cake mask back on. "Now, Pinkie! You should be more gentle with your friends!" She took the mask off "I'm sorry…we were just having so much fun!" Pinkie stared into infinity, oblivious to this particular psychodrama. "Besides…I'll be nicer to her next time. I mean, she HAS to stick around long enough to see my new routine for the harvesting! And I have lots of new toys I didn't get to play with!" Dark Pinkie concluded. She turned to observe her latest kill. "But for now….Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcaaaaaaakes!"