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Chapter 1 - You Aren't Real1,059 words
Chapter 2 - False Honesty1,212 words
Chapter 3 - Mask of Normality1,200 words
Chapter 4 - A Game of Identities1,262 words

Chapter 4 - A Game of Identities

Chapter 4 - A Game of Identities

Only one remained. Celestia brooded upon this fact as she sat upon her throne, glaring holes into the tapestries adorning the walls around her. Equestria can't survive without the Elements. A lone Bearer cannot control them all, though we do still possess them. Even without the Elements, the Bearers represent a serious threat to Equestria.

A troubling thought. Until a few months ago, the thought of Twilight Sparkle harming Equestria would have been unthinkable. But in these times, the unthinkable is often far too common. It was obvious that the Bearers would go after their last uncorrupted friend; they had few alternatives. If they possessed any of their former selves, they would allow nothing to stand in their way.

Celestia saw no choices other than to guard the last remaining Bearer with all of Equestria's combined resources. The only thing worse than losing the Bearers would be to lose them and the Elements. Luckily, there was little chance that the Elements would be lost. They were sealed behind magics only she or her sister could tame. The Elements would not be lost.

Rising from her throne, the Solar Guard snapped to attention. Celestia turned to the Captain of her Solar Guard, Solaris Equinox. "Send a division to Ponyville, with all possible haste. Pinkie Pie has become the target of a rouge guerrilla group and she must be protected. I want her brought to the castle and placed under constant guard. Post only your most trustworthy and skilled guards."

With a quick salute, Captain Equinox turned and shouted commands to his guard, preparing the march to Ponyville. Once everypony but Solaris had been dismissed, Celestia spoke once more to the Captain. "Even though your task is to protect the Bearer, you must equally prevent her from escaping, should she turn as the others have. She cannot be allowed to escape and rejoin the others. Prevent this at all costs, Captain."

Saluting in response, Captain Equinox left the room, leaving Celestia to brood in silence.

~~~

"So why do you wear that?" Pinkie seemed to be a bottomless fountain of questions. For the duration of her trip, Pinkie spewed endless streams of inane questions and random statements.

"Armor is equally for the preservation of self and the intimidation of Equestria's enemies."

"That doesn't seem very comfortable to dance in."

"Solar Guards rarely attend dances, and when doing so, never dance."

"But why not? Dancing is so fun!"

Solaris Equinox had to grimace and ignore the headache that had been developing over the long march. Luckily, they had arrived in Canterlot without any complications. Unfortunately, that left Pinkie as the only subject to focus on. Halfway through the march, then entire Solar Guard had been wishing for some highway robber or dragon to wander by. But it wasn't meant to be.

The castle was now within view. Captain Equinox sent scouts forward to notify the Castle Guard of their arrival. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed waiting for the drawbridge. More scouts were sent parallel to their path, watching for any sign of an ambush.

"Hey, Captain?"

Solaris' ears flicked with the subtle change in Pinkie's tone. Could this mean... "Yes, Pinkamena?"

"Call me Pinkie. Do you want to play a game?"

Relief flooded Solaris as he turned to face the pink pony. He felt a slight conflict between his desire to humor her and his duty, but he decided it couldn't hurt. "I suppose. What would you like to play?"

They passed beneath the gates, which swung closed behind him. "It's called the Game of Thro— Wait, no, that's a different one. What was it called again?" Pinkie stared at the sky as she struggled to recall its name. "Oh, yeah! It's called the Game of Identities. Ever heard of it?"

Captain Solaris had arrested many delinquents playing many games, but he had never heard of that one. Shaking his head, he opened the front door to the castle common area.

"No? Odd, so many people have been playing it recently. It's pretty simple. Taking turns, you pick a pony, then pretend to be them. It's the other pony's job to guess who you're pretending to be. It's easy-peasy."

Simple enough. "Who goes first?"

"You, silly! You've already started!"

Huh?

"Are you... pretending to be the Captain of the Solar Guard?"

Realization dawned on the Captain as he stared at Pinkie.

"I'm right, aren't I? I'm the best!"

Solaris jumped towards Pinkie, but ending only with a grasp of thin air. Running across the room, Pinkie shouted, "Sorry, pretenders! You can stop faking it now!" With that, she dashed out of the room.

Gathering his Guard, he sent them around the numerous corridors of the castle, trying to cut off any escape routes Pinkie could follow. With the plan settled, Solaris dashed down the hall, following Pinkie.

Following twists and turns, Pinkie led the Guard on a merry chase. Due to Solaris' foresight, her options were whittled away until only a lone hallway remained, coming to a dead end. At the end of the hall sat a closet, only barely large enough for a pony, with no windows or other exits. Unlike some of the older rooms, this closet was a new addition and thus wasn't connected to the secret passageways some of the other rooms did. But she doesn't know that.

Captain Solaris was glad the chase was coming to an end. He didn't allow himself to become out of shape, but his elevated position didn't afford him as much exercise as his more humble positions had.

Coming to the end of the hallway, Pinkie opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. With a click, the door locked and Solaris sighed as the upcoming destruction of castle property. "Please come out Pinkie. There are no other routes, and I really don't want to have to kick the door down. Doors are rather expensive."

"Never! I've got to go see my friends, and you meanies aren't going to let me!"

"Pinkie, I don't think your friends are in that broom closet. And the castle is protected against magic, so they can't just teleport you out, either. Please come out, before I have to forcibly come in there."

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

"I already told you— Never mind." Gesturing to Bent Banner, an incredible hulk of a pony, Captain Equinox stepped aside to let the larger pony through. Pulling back one hoof, Bent Banner struck the door, which promptly became a better window than door.

Stepping through, Solaris could only stare at the empty room before him. Turning back to Bent Banner, he gestured to the empty room. "Did you explode her too?"

Bent Banner gave a vigorous shake of his head and the rest of the Solar Guard nervously shied away, knowing there were few things that their Captain hated more than an unsuccessful mission. Ignoring their departure, Solaris turned his attention back to the abandoned room.

Sighing, Captain Solaris Equinox began to wonder how he would tell the Princess of his failure.

Author's Note:

End Act I.

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Kodeake

Kodeake #1 · Sep 22nd, 2014 · · ·

Two words;

Capgras syndrome.

Sorry... I haven't even read this story, I just saw the description and had to make a guess.

playnwin

playnwin #2 · Sep 22nd, 2014 · · ·

5038694

Right on. I thought it might be fun to give Twilight Capgras. Then it turned into an adventure arc. What can you do?

Kodeake

Kodeake #3 · Sep 22nd, 2014 · · ·

5038720
It's a fun idea; I recognized this as easily as I did because I've been writing a similar story and I had to do literal hours of research for it. Psychiatry is always a fun angle to look at, if it's done correctly.

The Cynical Brony