Friendship is Shining: Multi-Pink-Cation Problems

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

The Great Pink Wave

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, the first rays of light spreading across the Ponyville. Ponies began to wake up and rise, getting ready to go about their day.

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet would not last. The ground near The Everfree Forest began to shake. Grass waved with each impact, water rippled, and trees shook.

From the tree line emerged a wave of pronking pink ponies.

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" the dozens of Pinkie clones chanted, bouncing up and down as they moved closer and closer to town.

*****

Fluttershy laid sprawled out in her bed, sleeping peacefully. One hind leg twitched and her mouth hung open, drool running down her yellow cheek and soaking into her pillow. Dreams of an animal sanctuary where every creature could live long, happy, loving lives danced through her head.

The door to her bedroom was pushed open as a small white rabbit made its way in. Running toward the bed, it jumped up with a single hop. Grabbing the blankets with its paws, the rabbit yanked them off Fluttershy, exposing the sleeping pegasus. It then hopped onto her chest, bouncing up and down as it let out a series of panicked squeaks.

A small groan escaped Fluttershy as she opened one eye, spotting the rabbit, she yawned and rubbed at her eyes.

"Angel?" she asked as she woke up. "What's the matter?"

Angel Bunny hopped off of Fluttershy and down from the better. Making his way over to the window, he bounced up and down as he gestured urgently.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said softly as she got up. Whatever was going on, it clearly had the small rabbit worked up. Curious, she went to the window and pushed aside the curtains, peaking outside.

Outside, a large group of Pinkie Pies were bouncing by. One stopped and waved, grinning widely.

Fluttershy shut the curtain and took as step back. Turning around, she made her way back toward the bed.

"If we survive this, I am having that reinforced underground bunker built," she stated. Reaching the foot of the bed, Fluttershy crouched down. With some squeezing and squirming, she managed to fit her way under the frame and sheets, disappearing from sight.

*****

After a quick breakfast, Golden Harvest left her house and made her way toward the barn. Inside was her cart with several bushels of carrots already packed up. Being the owner and sole employee of her carrot farm, there was a lot of work for her to do, including making the deliveries and working the market stall. Since most deliveries had to be made first and were expected early, she often needed to get the cart ready the night prior.

Hooking herself up to the cart, Golden Harvest started toward town, ready to drop off her carrots.

As she walked along the path, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The warm autumn sun shined against her yellow coat, warming her down to her heart. Golden Harvest took a deep breath, letting the still cool, crisp air fill her lungs.

She loved this time of year. The air, the leaves, the nights. A part of her was sad since it meant winter was coming, and winter meant she would not be able to plant or harvest, but that was the only downside as far as she was concerned.

"HI!" a high pitched, enthusiastic called out, drawing Harvest from her reverie. Standing beside her was a familiar pink pony with poofy mane and big grin.

"Good morning, Pinkie."

"I'm not Pinkie, silly," Pinkie(?) replied. "I'm N.C. Seventeen." She stopped her bouncing as her brow furrowed. "Wait... that's not right."

"Uh-huh?" Harvest replied, raising an eyebrow. This seemed weird. Even for Pinkie. "Well... uhm... pony that's not Pinkie, but somehow looks and sound exactly like her... shouldn't you be at Sugarcube Corner getting ready to open?"

"What's Sugarcube Corner?" a very similar sounding voice asked from the other side.

Turning, Golden Harvest found... another Pinkie? Double-checking, she did still see the first one where it had been before. And as far as Harvest knew, not even Pinkie was fast enough to be in two places at once.

"Why are their two of you?" she asked. "Is this a prank or something?"

"There aren't two of us," one of the pink ponies replied.

"There's a whole bunch more than that," the other added pointing.

Following the direction of the pointed hoof, Golden Harvest saw well over a dozen other ponies that all looked like Pinkie. This drew a groan from the carrot farmer.

"You know what?" she growled as she rubbed her head. "It's... It's just too early for this." She continued walking. "I'm just going to go on about my business while you... do whatever it is you're doing."

******

Daisy, Lily Valley, and Roseluck -- collectively known as "the flower trio" (and jokingly known as "those over-dramatic mares") -- were getting ready for their day. There were bouquets to be made, orders to be filled and filed, and stock had to be taken. Plus, there was always the possibility of emergency apology bouquets, although not as likely as in the major metropolises.

Rose was currently outside the shop, watering some of the plants that were in soil.

She froze as something suddenly felt wrong. Body tensed, she lifted her head, ears twitching and eyes scanning as she tried to figure out what was bothering her.

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!"

The plants wobbled back and forth, leaves and petals shaking.

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!"

Off in the distance, a cloud of dust appeared. As Rose watched, it grew closer and closer, small flashes of pinkness emerging.

Then she saw... it.

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" dozens of Pinkies cried out as they hopped by, making the ground shake. Pots were knocked over, or worse, shattered as they were stomped on.

With a scream, Rose fell onto her back, fainting.

Inside the other two ran to the windows. Seeing their friend unconscious and the horror before them, the pair fainted as well.

*****

Pumpkin Cake was tired and miserable. It was like every time she was about to fall asleep, she would move, which caused the stupid hives to start itching again. She would then be forced to lie there, trying not to move or scratch herself until the feeling passed. Then it would start over again.

From what she could hear, Pound was doing just as badly.

With a sigh of annoyance -- which quickly turned into a yawn -- Pumpkin decided to give up on getting more sleep.

"Hey, Pound," she called out. "I'm gonna get something to eat downstairs. Wanna come with me?"

"Yeah," Pound called back. "Don't think I'm getting back to sleep."

The pair them left their rooms and started for the stairs.

"What do you think Pinkie's up to?" Pound asked.

"Sometimes, I can't even guess when she tells us," Pumpkin retorted. "Seeing as she didn't, I have no idea."

As they headed for the stairs, Pumpkin could see that the light was on in the shop. Had Pinkie come back? If so, then why did she not come upstairs to check on them? She normally would not ignore them like that. Normally, Pinkie would have checked on them as soon as she got back, and every chance she got while working. She would definitely noticed they were awake, and have brought them breakfast.

And maybe something for the horrid itching.

Taking the lead on the stairs, Pumpkin made her way down toward the shop. Before she reached the bottom, she stopped, staring in shock.

There was Pinkie Pie, jumping from table to table, and squealing the whole time.

There was Pinkie Pie, up near the ceiling, swinging from the streamers.

There was Pinkie Pie, squished into the display case and eating all of the treats.

A jingling noise drew Pumpkin Cake's attention. At the door, stood Pinkie Pie, swinging back and forth, and clapping her hooves after every ring of the bell at the top.

"Pumpkin?" Pound whispered from behind her. "Are... are we hallucinating? Can... can horsey hives make us see things?"

"No," Pumpkin answered with a shake of her head. "And even if it did, I don't think we'd be seeing..." she motioned with a hoof "...this..."

The two of them stood there on the steps, watching as four Pinkie Pies continued to run amok in Sugarcube Corner.

"We need help," Pumpkin decided. "Come on." She motioned with her head before continuing down the stairs. She could feel her brother staying close, his wings ruffling against his side nervously. Pumpkin herself had to resist the urge to light up her horn. She could not really do much with her magic, but she still felt the urge to get it ready.

As they approached the door, the Pinkie at it stopped playing with it. Turning to face the twins, her lip pressed tight as she fixed them with her most serious look.

"And where do you think you're going?" she (it?) asked.

Pumpkin froze, legs locking in place. The pony in front of them may not have actually been Pinkie Pie, but she looked enough like her and was able to do enough of the serious look that Pumpkin could not help herself. She felt like she was getting caught by Pinkie.

"We...we... uhm..." Pumpkin gulped licking her lips.

"Look!" Pound suddenly cried out. "A bright, shiny, distraction!"

With a gasp, the Pinkie shot toward the direction that Pound had been pointing.

"Where? Where?!"

While she was distracted, Pound grabbed hold of Pumpkin and pushed her out the door.

"I can't believe that worked," he mumbled, looking back.

"Neither can--"

The rest of Pumpkin's words were lost in a squeak as she caught sight of more Pinkie Pies.

"Let's get Shining Armor," the twins said together.

*****

Bon Bon -- as she was known in Ponyville -- made her way around her own shop kitchen. Currently, she was working to prepare gelatin in order to start on her latest candy idea: Gummy Griffons! It had taken some time, but the molds were ready, and she was going to give them their first test run. Perhaps a nice, white creamy flavor for the head and underside, and a sweet, fizzy, root beer flavor for the main body.

Root beer float gummy griffons sounded pretty good to her, actually.

While that was starting, she could also begin on taffy. Hopefully she still had plenty of sea salt.

As she checked the temperature of one pan and began to pour sugar into another, the sound of thundering hooves began to reach her. She could hear it getting louder and louder, fast approaching the door to the kitchen.

In burst the familiar pale green unicorn mare. She plopped backwards onto her butt as she skidded into the room, sliding across the linoleum before finally stopping. Golden eyes wide, she looked around before stopping on Bon Bon.

"BONNIE!" she called out, taking a hold of the cream-coated candy maker in her gold colored magic. "Bonnie, we have an emergency." She then began to pull Bon Bon toward the door.

"Lyra, calm down," Bon Bon stated, allowing herself to be pulled along. "What has you so worked up?"

"That!" Lyra Heartstrings stated, pushing the door open and pointing out the shop window.

Beyond the doors were Pinkie Pies. Not one, but numerous.

"I counted about twenty of them when I saw them from upstairs," Lyra said from behind Bon Bon, partially hidden by the blue and pink tail.

Bon Bon's eyes went wide as she stared out at the Pinkies against the glass. One Pinkie could cause a lot of trouble if she was in one of her hyper moods and wanted candy. True, Pinkie never actually had, but it was always on Bon Bon's mind when the pink mare was in the shop. Five of them could probably eat everything, and do who knows how much damage. Twenty... she did not want to imagine what would (or would not) remain when they were done.

"Lyra, get my pot and wooden spoon," Bon Bon ordered. "Do anything you can to help reinforce the doors and windows." Her eyes narrowed as her jaw tensed. "We are not going to lose this shop to those Pinkies."

*****

Crystal Heart -- as she was going by while in Ponyville -- stared at the reflection in the mirror, making sure everything was as she wanted. Deep, emerald green eyes that many stallions -- and quite a few mares -- could get lost in looked over her features. Long, dark, blue-green hair hung straight, thick and glossy. Pristine white fur practically glowed in the morning light, showing off every curve of her tall, muscular form. A green crystal heart adorned her flank.

Yep, everything was just how it was supposed to be. Just how it always was.

Really, at this point the inspection seemed rather pointless. Even if she had not kept looking like this since her arrival to Ponyville -- even when she was supposed to be alone, just in case -- it was her favorite and most often used form. She had been using it since she was a filly. She could do it in her sleep. In fact, she had. Literally.

Still, she could never forget the lessons she had been taught: appearance must be consistent; seemingly minor changes -- such as eye color -- can raise questions; among ponies, cutie marks -- while small -- are not minor; and check a form for accuracy even if confident. As such, she continued to check herself from ear to tail and everything in between every morning, making sure everything was exactly as and where it should be.

Besides, today was an important day. So it was extra important that she looked her best. Well... "Crystal's" best.

Stepping away from the mirror, Crystal Heart turned and walked toward the bed stand. Grabbing the latest book she had finished, she slipped it into her saddle bag.

Today was the day. Today, she was going to ask Shining Armor out. She did find him an attractive stallion of decent prospects, especially as a potential mate and father, and she could tell that there was at least some attraction to her on his part as well. So days -- weeks -- of flirting, small talk, and observation and study, she was ready to make a move.

Hopefully none of the potential rivals would be there. Especially one of them. Something about her felt... off. There was an interest between them, but something about her...

Pushing the thought aside, Crystal Heart left her room and headed for the street, making her way toward the library.

As she made her way through town, she could feel something was wrong. Normally when she was out and about in Ponyville, there were some background emotions she could pick up, but it was all ambient and mixed, allowing her to essentially ignore it. This time, however, she was mainly getting fear and it was very strong. It was like instead of hearing background music at a restaurant, she was front row center of a concert, and it was the guitar solo.

It made her body tense. Continuing on, she scanned around her, eyes wide and searching, and ears shifting back and forth.

A tingling between her shoulder got her attention, focusing on it. It was quite a melange of emotions: icy cold dread; burning, aching, frustration; a cooling sense of relief; and a warm, comforting hope. The sound of heavy hoof steps began to reach her, causing Crystal Heart to turn around.

A zebra mare was moving toward her, carrying an unconscious pink pony across her back.

"What happened?" Crystal asked as she rushed over to the pair.

"I fear that Pinkie's desire has put her in a situation most dire," the zebra stated. "I would much appreciate if you would give aid, for I am losing strength in my legs."

With a nod, Crystal moved to crouch down beside the zebra.

"Yeah. I can carry her the rest of the way."

Pushing close, she held still as the unconscious Pinkie Pie was moved from the zebra's back to hers.

"Thank you princess. I much appreciate your assistance."

BUCK!

Comments

[Comickook]

Again, absolutely superb job on this latest chapter. The characterizations (particularly in response to this many Pinkie Pies), exchanges (particularly between Lyra and Bon Bon, the Cake Twins and Zecora and Crystal Heart) and future chapter set-up are all well done in all the right places. I mean,

I know the mess will probably get fixed with the real Pinkie Pie all right and learning a valuable lesson, but it will be intriguing to see HOW.

At any rate, I will very certainly be looking forward to more, but will also respect that real world concerns have to come first.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Well, at least Zecora was able to get the real Pinkie out from underneath the entrance to the mirror pond. Which begs the question: Does Zecora know of the mirror pond's existence?

[Alticron]

Nice chapter as usual, but I found I couple minor things you may want to edit.

A part of her was sad since it meant winter was coming, and winter meant she would be able to plant or harvest, but that was the only downside as far as she was concerned.

That should probably be "wouldn't".

A jingling nose drew Pumpkin Cake's attention.

And that should be "noise".

[Hopeful_Ink_Hoof]

8376504
... now I want to find a way to work a jingling nose into a story...

[Alticron]

8376512
Maybe a bell gets stuck to a nose ring, or maybe it's around Hearth's Warming and they crash into a door or something, getting a bell stuck up there?

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

"If we survive this, I am having that reinforced underground bunker built," she stated. Reaching the foot of the bed, Fluttershy crouched down. With some squeezing and squirming, she managed to fit her way under the frame and sheets, disappearing from sight.

It is my head canon that Fluttershy spends enough time hiding under her bed that she has it fixed up. Futon, pillow, blankets, bottled water, maybe some snacks in rodent proof containers, perhaps even a night light & something to read + some decorations

While that was starting, she could also begin on taffy. Hopefully she still had some plenty of sea salt.

They're opposites. You can have "some" or you can have "plenty". You can't have both.

[Hopeful_Ink_Hoof]

8712791
A futon? Under her bed? So, she has a bed under bed?