//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A Different Dimension (Pinkie) // Story: Pinkamena's Regrets // by Violyre //------------------------------// What could that be? Pinkie wondered, carefully stepping over to the bushes. Giving one a small kick, it simply made a rustling noise similar to the one she'd heard, but there was nopony behind it. "That's odd." Pinkie muttered. "I could have sworn there was somepony watching me. I had a strange feeling about this one. Maybe they ran away before I noticed?" "Hey you! What do you think you're doing by MY bushes?!?" A loud voice boomed from behind Pinkie, startling her but sounding rather...familiar, in a strange sort of way. Pinkie slowly turned around, and looked right into a set of glaring turquoise eyes. The pink mare took a few steps back and looked at this figure. A rumpled pink mane that curled at the end. A crushed-looking shape draped over her back, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be...a white rabbit, covered in blood. The yellow hooves of this pony were covered in blood, but Pinkie didn't think it all belonged to the rabbit. Rabbit. Angel bunny, Fluttershy's beloved pet? Could it be? The mangled body and furry mess of the bunny rabbit leaked bright red blood onto the mare's coat with a drip, drip, drip. It left dark stains across her soft yellow coat. The obviously dead carcass perched precariously between the pony's pair of wings, with many feathers missing here and there, and mysterious scars. Pinkie Pie tried to sneak a glance at the pony's flank to check her cutie mark, but only managed to see a bit of light pink before she was shoved back by this surprisingly strong pony. "Oh, I'm sorry I was in your bushes, I didn't know they were--" Pinkie was cut off by the loud resonating voice of what must be this dimension's Fluttershy. "Sorry!? SORRY!? EVERYPONY SAYS THEY'RE SORRY, BUT THEY NEVER ARE! THEY ALWAYS COME BACK AND TRAMPLE MY BUSHES AGAIN AND AGAIN!!" Fluttershy's teeth clenched in anger. Her voice sounded the same as the Fluttershy Pinkie was used to, but much, much angrier. It held a resentment and disdain that didn't fit her at all. "Fluttershy, you must believe me when I say I didn't mean--" "Did you just call me FLUTTERSHY? NOPONY CALLS ME FLUTTERSHY! You should know that, Pinkamena. You remember I made a nickname for it before the war came here, to fit in. You were the one that said it fit me best." Pinkamena? She thinks I'm Pinkamena? Pinkie thought. That's why she's acting like this, I suppose. Ah well, best not to correct her. "I'm--I seem to have forgotten what your nickname was, Flutter--I mean..." Pinkie stammered, taken aback. "Flutterdie." The yellow pony kicked Pinkie in the ankle, causing the party pony to lose her balance. "Or Flutters." Pinkie toppled to the ground and almost hit it face-first, but caught herself with her strong earth pony hooves and pushed herself into a sitting up position, flank on the ground and front hooves in the dirt. Ew, dirt. Pinkie thought disgustedly. Oh well, there seems to be a lot of dirt here. Guess I just have to get used to it. Flutterdie? What kind of a name was that for the shy animal-loving pony Pinkie had known and loved back in the Inner Worlds of her own dimension? She decided to use the other option, Flutters, even though it still didn't fit quite to the personality of the usually kind pony. But this is the Fluttershy from this dimension, Pinkie noted mentally. Remember she's supposed to be the opposite of the one you knew. "Oh, okay Flutters." Pinkie tried to smooth down her mane self-consciously. She figured, if she was in this dimension in place of Pinkamena, might as well play the part. However, this only helped to better catch the eye of 'Flutters'. "Hey, wait. Your mane isn't the same straight style it was when I last saw you. Why'd you change it back? I thought you liked the more menacing look you had with your natural straight mane." Flutters' voice had lost the anger and resentment it had held, and instead resonated with the kindness and gentleness of Pinkie's old childhood friend. "I, uh..." her front hooves, more used to making cakes than smoothing out the mane she usually curled so carefully in the mornings, went back down to the dirt in front of her. "Um, never mind. Some random idea. You know how I'm just full of those." Pinkie was sure that Pinkamena, who was now in her dimension that she so dearly missed, would have talked with a cruelty, and Pinkie tried to achieve this. "You're not Pinkamena...who are you?" Flutters had figured out the truth by now, as it had been pretty obvious to see through Pinkie's false meanness. The pegasus gracefully knelt to the ground in the same way Pinkie Pie had seen her do when caring for animals, though this Fluttershy hadn't done that in quite some time because of the horrible famine and deaths in Ponyville recently. It was better for her to care for herself rather than the animals. It had been fun while it lasted. "I, uh..." Pinkie repeated nervously. Fluttershy had never been a stupid pony, just quiet, as her namesake. Fluttershy after all. She figured that Flutters would have to figure out the honest, complete truth eventually, one way or another, and Pinkie Pie sure didn't want it to be by accident--Celestia knows what might happen because of that! But before she could control her mouth, Pinkie said, "No, I am Pinkamena...just...I'm a little off today. That's alll." Flutters' suspicious gaze lessened, and Pinkie inwardly sighed in relief. That sure was a close one, she thought resignedly. Though I really hate to lie to my friends, or what they used to have been in my home dimension. Flutters turned, and trotted away, muttering something profane, though it sounded also rather confused. Pinkie shook her head, knowing she'd have to get used to more of these types of ponies here. Pinkamena then realized that meeting this new pony had made her forget about the rustling in the bushes completely. But by then, it was far too late, and the pony that had been watching her would be long gone by then.