Case Closed

by Slippin_Sweetie

A Reflective Personality

The large room Pinkamena had been carefully guided into was nearly pitch black as she stepped inside. She squinted for a moment before harsh fluorescent lights flickered to life before her, almost blinding her.

The intercom crackled to life. Craning her head, the Detective could see Bon Bon on a platform above, separated by a thick glass window.

“This will be a simple test, Pinkamena. First, put your hooves into the holes in front of you. Below the pink mare was what looked like when a mare accidentally stepped in setting cement. However, she could clearly see the ancient glyphs carved into the stone with metal lining them.

“You will essentially be a battery for this machine. Don’t worry; it won’t hurt, and depending on your power, it may not even work at all. But, considering it’s… you, it might just short everything out.” Bon Bon chuckled. “Think you can do it?”

I sigh as I stamp my hooves in the machine, blankly staring at the finer carvings and engravings. I can’t help but wonder how old this device is. Or how recently it was thought up by the eldritch being known as The Writers.

Every step we take and every act is essentially permissed by them. Or are they merely documenting everything? The world around me begins to turn black as I see nothing but hundreds of words race by my head.

I open my mouth to gasp as I watch my thoughts become compiled into a sentence in front of me. What am I seeing? Why am I seeing this?

“I think we should call this off!” I shout.

Bon Bon cocked a brow, shifting in her seat. “What’s the problem now?” She spoke over the intercom. Her words seemed to be written before she even said them. Even before that, words would be deleted as if made in error, as if something or someone was correcting the mistake.

I can see her, Bon Bon… Sweetie Drops. Whenever her gentle voice cuts through the panging of letters, I can see her in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us. She is oblivious to our current situation. I don’t blame her. I’m not even sure what any of this is. I need to know if this experiment is even working properly!

“Yowza is this thing on!? I think the fabric of reality is breaking over here! Is that thing powering on yet!?” I say, watching the words fly out of my mouth. I feel like I can do something here…

I lift my hooves off as I attempt to chase after a word.

“Moist…” the word slips out of my mouth as I quickly grab it. It riles in my hooves as it attempts to squirm out of my grasp.

I quickly flicker in between the strange word-filled void and the testing chamber before I quickly snap back into reality. The words vanish as I watch them shift back into the described setting. The words form into the walls, floors, and lights.

Grey cement walls and harsh white L.E.D. lights hang over me, creating an unnatural ambiance and setting. I feel my hooves against my coat before I let out a gentle sigh. Imprisoned in a world that I believed I was in control of.

I look down at my hooves again to see the word resting on my right hoof, ‘moist’ in an Arial font. The word quickly vanished in the blink of an eye. My hooves are now damp and moist, as if I trotted through muggy weather.

“Did we do the test right?” I finally ask before looking up at the agents.

Bon Bon blinked, having watched all of that in stunned silence. To be frank, she had no idea what Pinkamena was doing. All they had seen was the detective wrestling with something invisible before poofing out of sight for a second. She wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.

“The test only begins once you put your hooves in place….” The agent replied slowly, a creeping feel on her back. “Pinkamena… what just happened on your end?”

“... Ah, forget about it.” I slam my hooves into the perfectly shaped holes before a large spark lights up the room in a hue of neon blue. Large blue and orange portals open up from opposite sides of the room.

“What do we have here?” I quickly trot over to the portals, and I begin examining them, “Portals…? I can appreciate the color theory, I guess, just like the game of the same name, heh… how do I know that….”

What even is a game? How did I know to say that? Am I becoming crazy as everypony thinks I am? Just stay calm, Pink. You can ignore all of this if you just play it cool and do your part. Look into the portal.

I can see my back end from the other side… hang on, am I turning around?

Bon Bon began taking notes as several electronic devices rapidly came to life, recording all of the information flowing in. Overseeing the scene, Bon Bon, too, noticed something odd within the portals.

“Pinks, is that you doing that or…?” Bon Bon pushed her chair back, slowly standing up.

I can’t help but reach out toward the copy, putting my hooves through the portal as I stare at myself. Feeling my mouth move without my permission as words began to tumble out.

“Into her own reflection, she stared, yearning for one whose reflection she shared… solemnly swear not to be scared at the prospect of being doublely mared.”

I quickly yank a heavy weight through the portals as I feel somepony topple onto me. I look upward to see my perfect copy resting on top of me.

“Pinkie…?” I whisper.

The mare only stared back with an unfocused look as a smile formed across her face as she spoke, “Fun!”

Bon Bon shot up, “Oh no, not this again! Pinks, get out of that, and don’t let any more copies through! We can’t store that many anomalous ponies! Especially if they’re on your level!”

A door beside Bon Bon opened, Daring Do trotting in with a mouthful of donut. She surveyed the situation quickly before muttering with her mouthful, “Bad time?”

I stare at myself as a wave of guilt crashes over me. Does she even know what she’s missing? Would it be so wrong to move on from… myself? What makes me more worthy of life in comparison to my duplicate?

She looks away, focusing what limited attention span she has on Bonnie and Daring Do. Excited of what potential fun they could have. I just know she’s thinking of making them a cake or throwing them a party.

I trot over to the ancient device before stuffing my hooves back in and closing the portals. I feel a surge of energy pulsate through me as that dark void clouds my vision as, for a brief moment, this world I reside in turns to nothing but words on a page before returning back to normal as the portals close.

The other Pinkie happily plonks around the chamber as the Detective seemed to have a ghostly expression on her face. A cocktail of intense emotions accompanied her as she sat quietly on the hard metallic floor.

Bon Bon let out a sigh of relief at the closing of the portals, falling back into her seat. Great, now they had one more problem to deal with. It was too bad they couldn’t just ask Twilight herself for help, but she supposed one of their unicorns could possibly deal with it. Unless the higher-ups wanted to keep the clone for some reason, which Bon Bon frankly didn’t want to think about.

“Welp, what now?” Daring asked. “Should I go get security?”

“Yeah, we’re going to need to get the extra one out of there and to her own room. We don’t need that one creating more.” The earth mare nodded, “I’ll see about the Detective.”

Within a few moments, the doors to the chamber opened, revealing twelve identical stallions gesturing for the extra Pinkie to join them.

“We have a party here. Wanna join?” One of the more daring officers offered.

Pinkie happily plonked over, her eyes wide and full of joy and excitement at the suggestion of a party, “Oh boy, I can’t wait t'il we all have a huge party!?”

I peel myself off the floor as I trot over to Pinkie, slowly pulling her aside as I stare into her blue eyes. She rears back for a moment. I see her orbs flicker for a moment as she adjusts to the new situation. She doesn’t know what I’m thinking, unfamiliar with my gaze and expression. She’s naive and simple-minded.

“Are you okay?” She finally asks, breaking the tension.

I slowly pull her into a hug without a second thought. I can’t help but feel sympathy for her; she’ll be exploited without even knowing it or having the capacity to learn more, and yet here I stand, coming from the same cloth but with the burden of knowledge.

All of this feels somber, as if I’m saying goodbye to a loved one or remembering someone whose past tense.

“Agents, I refuse to do any more tests involving chaos magic,” I say finally.

The twelve stallions looked between each other and shrugged. It wasn’t their call. One of them gestured up to Bon Bon, who sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t know if I can promise that, but I can say that Pinkie will be treated… well.” the agent attempted to comfort Pinkamena, unsure of what to tell her. She didn’t want to promise anything at all, but she didn’t want to seem cruel, either.
She'd continue, “I think it’s best if we stop testing for today anyhow… you probably need some rest.”

“You better treat her right,” I say firmly, narrowing my eyes at Bon Bon before sighing, “I don’t got a lot of fight in me at the moment. Just show me to my cell.”

Bon Bon cocked a brow but said nothing, simply giving her a nod. Turning, she spoke to Daring briefly, “Can you handle the clone, make sure she’s alright?”

The pegasus nodded, giving the agent a mock salute, “I can handle Pinkie Pie, at least a dumbed-down one. You just try to make sure that one doesn’t snap.” She gestured to the Detective, “All of this might be too much.”

“You’re telling me,” Bon Bon sighed and shook her head, “Alright, let’s go.”

The twelve stallions escorted Pinkie to her own cell before returning and guiding the Detective back to her quarters. It was not the same as the previous two cells. This one had a bed and a small desk with a private bathroom.

Bon Bon sat down in a chair again, glancing at the clock. She’d be going home soon enough, but something told her not to leave the pink mare alone.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked quietly.

I take a seat at my desk as I slowly take off my hat and coat, resting my clothes over the chair, “Bonnie, doll, you already know the answer….” I sigh.

“It’s been a long day; I’m away from home, my job. My worldview and past were slammed out of nowhere. I’m not what you call peachy-keen.”

There’s a long pause.

“Bon Bon… why are you so… kind to me?” I ask, finally, as I turn to face her.

The agent sighed and paused for a moment before replying, “Well… I am friends with Pinkie Pie, the original. So I suppose some of it has to do with considering you a friend, even if I don’t actually know you. That, and I understand what it’s like to be in over your head….”

“When I was a filly, something happened in my family that caused enough ruckus it got the attention of Celestia and S.M.I.L.E. and for a while… I was in your position. So I know what it’s like being on the other side of the glass…

I smirk, “You don’t know the half of it… but hey, I appreciate the effort on your end… even if it’s just a classic case of physiological conditioning to soften me up.”

I continue, “Likewise, I’ll make a few things clear, I’m not staying here for much longer, and you need to stop toying with chaos magic. There’s a reason only Discord can fully utilize it.”

Bon Bon cocked a brow, “And why’s that? Discord said as much, but when would we ever trust his word? In fact, how much have you kept up with Equestrian news, exactly? How much do you know of the current Pinkie Pie?”

“Listen, there are things you don’t understand. There is a world of things that we just shouldn’t comprehend and know. Discord told you so….” I cock a brow, “And what does my original counterpart have anything to do with this?”

“Because she could handle Discord’s chaos magic, unlike any other unicorn, pegasus, or even alicorn.” Bon Bon replied truthfully, “And the reason why my organization is so keen to have you is due to your potential of being able to handle it as well! Not only do you both possess chaos magic of your own, but you can handle so much more.

Bon Bon continued, “In fact, it’s theorized that you make so much chaos magic on your own it just leaks out into your antics. Do you ever feel relief when you burst out into song or pull something out of nowhere? Do you ever feel the need to do it because you feel like you might explode if you don’t?” she questioned.

I slowly smile as I turn to face the mare sitting across from me in a lonely corner of the room, “We do it because it’s funny… that’s why… you’re overthinking things.”

I pause as I realize maybe I’m overthinking things. Perhaps we are all overthinking simple jokes and hyperbolic events. Like how explaining a joke doesn’t make it funny…

I continue, “So she had a taste of Discord’s magic from Grogar’s bell; that doesn’t mean we can just harness the power of that magic for the sake of it. You are tampering with things beyond your scope, and I want nothing to do with it.” I say as I slowly trot over to Bon Bon.

“Go home, Bonnibel; there are more important things in life than this. Ponies are waiting for us to come home… you got to go, and you’re chasing after a no-life like me? Bon, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Bon Bon shook her head and sighed, “I don’t know what to tell you either. It’s not that simple, Pinkamena. I can’t just walk away from this. This is my job. You’re my job now. If I could let you go, I would, but then that would mean the life I built for myself and the lives of my friends could be in jeopardy.”

She'd continue, “I don’t know exactly what they want with you. Maybe they want you to be some sort of weapon, or maybe they want assurance that if we ever lost the original Element Bearer of Laughter, we’d have a replacement at the ready… or maybe they just want to experiment. Either choice they make, I have no way of stopping them.”

“Well, I’m flattered, but I’m not sure what Lyra would think if she heard you say that.” I chortle instinctively, trying to ease the looming tension in the room.

A flicker of light in a dark situation… like lighting a match in the abyss. I look over at Bon Bon, entangled like a puppet on a string with responsibility and obligation.

“... Bon Bon, if you really wanted to, just let me return to the Mirror Pool and be rid of this,” I say finally.

The mare’s eyes went wide, “What? Why would I do that? Not only do I not want to do that, but you haven’t done anything necessitating such an action!” Although she knew it was possible, they would definitely do it if the agency thought it was necessary. There was only one real reason they would do that… and that was if Pinkamena refused to cooperate.

“You don’t want that to happen, right?” hesitated Bon Bon.

I slowly smirk, “Since when did it matter if I wanted something… besides… I’m an old joke that ran itself into the ground.” I say as I return to my desk.

“Not to sound nihilistic, but nothing matters, both in the sense that what we do doesn’t matter and in how I don’t have a choice in the eyes of you S.M.I.L.E. agents. So tell me honestly, Bon Bon, what difference does it make if I’m inside the Mirror Pool with my sisters or inside this cell talking to you? Either way, I’m a prisoner.”

Bon Bon shook her head. “You might not be a prisoner forever. We just have to convince them that you’re trustworthy.”

I sigh, “Princess Celestia can go suck eggs… wait… does she still run this joint, or did she retire from that position too?”

“Celestia began this organization, but she doesn’t run it anymore, although we do alert her of very high priorities, of course, especially if only she can handle it. I don’t believe Princess Twilight is aware of our existence, although that may change soon.” The earth pony sighed, “Right now, we have a council. They are the ones who will decide what will happen next.”

I roll my eyes. What a way to soften the blow, a shadowy council dictates if I get to live everyday life, “Great, so my fate lies in the idle hooves of a bunch of bureaucrats; that makes me feel soooo much better. You could’ve just said, ‘kiss your life goodbye, Detective,’ and that would’ve sufficed.”

I sigh, “Now, if you excuse me, toots, I have an existential crisis to attend to, so why don’t you take your fat flank outta here.”

Bon Bon sighed and rolled her eyes, “Well, that’s nice; here I am trying to help you, and you insult my figure.”

I turn over, resting my head on my hoof as I tilt my head, “I wasn’t insulting your figure, quite the opposite.” I say with a sly wink.

Bon Bon gave the mare a shocked look, a slight blush crossing her cheeks before she shook her head.

“Whatever. Just… try to stay out of trouble while I’m out? I’ll be back tomorrow, promise.” She gave the pink mare a soft look, “Pinkie Promise.”

“.....” I sigh before fishing something out of my coat pocket, pulling out a perfectly intact cupcake before smashing it against my right eye, “Pinkie, promise.”

With that, Bon Bon stood up and gave the pink mare a nod. “... try to rest up, alright? See you tomorrow.” Turning, the agent walked through the door, leaving the Detective alone with a final click of the lock.

Author's Note:

Edited on 11/17/22

Comments

[TheCommunistDog]

Beep beep beep

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Okay Bon Bon. TELL CELESTIA AND TWILIGHT WHAT THEY ARE DOING! My god the idiot ball here. The last you you need is a rogue group answerable to noone.

[nighters]

I wonder if it turns out that smile set the groundwork for the reason pony kind became g5 in the first place?

god, Celestia keeping secrets from the new ruler I bet twilight doesn't even know about smiles or other secret guards or groups but the solar or lunar.

[new55]

That was a good chapter.

[Iron Comet]

11420101
Maybe? Or there is a pony Dr Bright.

[rikithemonk]

11403070

Celestia..why are you even doign this. have an agent keep an eye on her fine but take her by force for question when all she has done is help ponies. WHat is it with you and making unnessecary enemies!?

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED THIS!! Some one else noticed that when given a choice between making an ally or an enemy, Celestia always choose to make an enemy.

Monk
“Come into my parlor, Ted. I have cookies!” -Reykan