//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Laugh to Make Them Disappear // Story: Silent Laughter // by Redric Carrun //------------------------------// Pinkie looked up as the door opened, and she smiled as she saw who came through the door. “Good morning, Twilight!” Twilight smiled back. “Pinkie!” she said, trotting up to the counter where Pinkie was passing a customer his chocolate-covered scones. “I just wanted to thank you for your talk yesterday. You were right. I was letting something get to me which I shouldn't have let be such a big deal.” Pinkie hummed contentedly. “Well, Twilight, if you ever get on the wrong side of an eldritch abomination that wants to consume you and all you love ever again, just give me a call, and we'll sort things out.” Twilight laughed. “Oh, no! I'm not making that mistake again. Next time, if something looks wrong with an ancient book of magic, I'm just going to assume that it really is wrong and leave it alone.” The two friends shared a laugh. “Well,” Twilight said at last. “I'm going to go pick up Spike from Rarity's. He'll probably be sorry to see me back outdoors again.” “Oh, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you,” Pinkie said. “Even if it does mean his dream vacation is over so soon.” Pinkie waved as Twilight stepped out the door. She smiled warmly and let her hoof fall to the counter top. She was surprised when the door opened again and Princess Luna strode inside. The Princess' eyes locked on to Pinkie, and she stepped forward until she was towering over her. “Pinkie Pie,” she said. “Element of Laughter. I hear that you have succeeded in curing the ailment of Princess Twilight where I failed to even convince her to speak of the matter.” “Hi, Princess Luna!” Pinkie chirped. She sat back on her haunches and gave a shrug of her forelegs. “Well, I don't know about 'ailment,' but I did make Twilight feel better about her little nightmare thingies.” “Those 'things',” Luna said, “were no mere nightmare. I saw her distress as she slept. But when I investigated, she was as unconscious in her dreams as she was in waking life. I pressed her to open up to me, that I might help, but she steadfastly refused. I have watched her grow worse and worse as time went on, and been helpless to do anything about it.” Princess Luna stepped closer, and leaned over the counter. “What did you do, Pinkamena Diane Pie?” “I drew her a picture of Ba'shuNaqarth,” Pinkie said. Luna's eyes widened so far that they took up most of her face. Pinkie smiled up at her. “You did what.” Luna said, so flatly that it wasn't even a question anymore. “I drew Twilight a picture of Ba'shuNaqarth,” Pinkie repeated. “To show her why she didn't need to be afraid of him any more.” “ShhH!” Luna said, scrambling to clamp Pinkie's mouth shut. “Stop saying that name!” Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Do I have to draw a picture for you too?” she asked between Luna's hooves. “You know not the depths of the affairs you meddle in, Pinkie Pie. With even this small offense, your life is apt to become a living torment before much longer.” Luna glanced back towards the door. “My stars. Now I fear beyond measure for Twilight's safety. To look so well when so desperately ill... it may be she is too far gone.” “She's fine,” Pinkie whined. “It's not weird to look healthy when you're not sick. Let go of my mouth!” Luna looked back to Pinkie. “Perhaps it is too late for Twilight,” Luna said sadly. “But there is still time to save your soul, if we are swift.” With a flash of light, Pinkie and the Princess disappeared from the confectionery, and reappeared in a room in Castle Canterlot. Luna stepped up to a small, locked bookshelf, undid the lock, and began leafing through the pages of one of the books held within. Luna's eyes flared and her horn glowed as she cast a spell. In the beginning, Luna read out, before time itself began, there was a nothingness beyond shadow. A nothingness not born of light, but separate from it. Deeper than it. Older- “Older than it, yes,” Pinkie said, resting her head on one hoof. “That's how the legend goes. Of course, given that time doesn't exist outside of itself, that's kind of stupid and meaningless. Luna, do we really have to go through all this? I told you, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore.” Luna stared back at Pinkie in a mix of shock and horror. “You speak in the eldritch tongue,” she said, her voice merely a whisper. “How far has the creature already advanced into your mind?” “Not at all,” Pinkie replied, her own voice dripping with boredom. “Not a bit! I can stop anytime I want!” Pinkie chuckled, mildly amused at her own joke. Luna stared for a long moment. “How are you even doing that?” she asked at last. “Speaking in the eldritch tongue is not only a heretical abomination of the mind, but an actual physical impossibility. How are you managing it with pony lungs?” “Dunno,” Pinkie shrugged. “Probably the same way I disappeared Ba'shuNaqarth.” “Disappeared?” Luna asked. Pinkie nodded. “It's easier to say than 'ripped asunder and consigned to an infinitesimally small fragment of the void.'” Luna stared at Pinkie. Then she looked up, and in a direction that could not quite be described with ordinary terms. Her eyes glowed as she cast a spell of searching, probing into the infinate depths which surround the world. “... Where is he?” She asked finally. “A creature so foul should be visible no matter where or how far from us he travels.” “I think what's left of him is right about there,” Pinkie pointed helpfully. Luna blinked, surprised at Pinkie's being able to follow along with her observations. But setting that aside, she looked at the spot which Pinkie indicated. There was nothing there. “I see nothing,” Luna said. “Yeah,” Pinkie nodded. “There's not much to see anymore. I mean, that's probably where it happened, but there's not really anything left to look at.” Pinkie shrugged. “I disappeared him.” A large part of Luna refused to believe this. Ba'shuNaqarth was a Great Old One. Very little indeed could have impeded his actions. It was unthinkable that he could be destroyed so utterly. All that could be done was to resign oneself, and hope that one escaped his notice. Was he hidden so well that she could not see him? Had he already taken hold of her mind? It was impossible that he was gone. But then there was Pinkie. “... How?” Luna asked, finally. “How did you make him –” Ba'shuNaqarth “– disappear?” Pinkie smiled. “I laughed.”